Shallows sat down and began slowly wiping the blood off of his hands.
"D...do you normally do that, like, wipe every finger clean?" Marco found the gall to ask.
"Yes. It helps to thoroughly remove any and all residue from my hands. Without leaving his-their blood on my hands."
Shallows began to slowly pull off his gloves and rubbed his oddly smooth hands together.
"...we knew each other, in a past life. You probably assumed that."
"D...did we? Do you know?"
Shallows paused. He got an idea. A terrible, horrible idea.
"We were something, in my time."
"...me? And you?" She repeated that phrase, going mildly insane from repeating it.
"It'll all feel right once it happens." He breathed, "All once it happens."
His voice began to circle the room.
"All once it happens."
Shallows stood and walked off. Marco, craving the weird sensation he gave off, began to follow him.
"You see, it'll all come to you. Eventually… how about I help you with that?" He cooed.
Whatever he was doing… Marco loved it.
Shallows slowly began to undo his mask.
"Come on. Just this once?"
··· - · ·-· - -· - · ··· · -· ·-· ·- ··
Simon remained hushed as he and Amber sat down.
Neither planned to make the first move.
Finally, Simon spoke.
"So… you wanna talk about it?"
"No… not really." Amber replied, quickly.
"Ok-"
"I mean… I had a point. I'm practically my dad all over again. Even if…-."
Simon wiped a scowl off his face and began to think. She's sad. I don't like sad. Think. How can I fix this?
"-I can't do anything without messing up or hurting his feelings. Michael just shouldn't know-"
Amber desisted in her little speech to acknowledge Simon's existence.
"...I'm sure you'll think of something," Was the best answer Simon could conceive in such a short time.
And then they sat in silence. Again.
Luigi and 3 sat right outside, listening to the box on low volume. Once it finished, L reacted first.
"Oh. So that's why they're… together…?"
3 peeped her head into the room.
"Not really. They're not doing anything but talking."
"I feel bad for her. Go and get Alph, I have an idea."
10 seconds later!
"The issue on the board. Simon and Amber are both alone. We're going to get them together. Any questions?" L pointed around the room.
Alph raised his hand. "Why are we doing this?"
"Because we always make fun of Simon and I feel bad."
Alph, content, shut his face.
"They're both alone, currently. We will test this. We will watch them-"
"Isn't that eavesdropping?" 3 pointed out.
"Yes, yes it is. Glad you noticed. We ARE eavesdropping on them!" L announced with pride.
He leaned in. "And here's how we do it…"
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Cleats slowly walked across the black-stained landscape.
"That Italian man should be here any time now… but before he does arrive.."
Cleats scooped up some of the black goop on the ground and gave it a thorough stare.
"What is this stuff…?"
He began to shake the vial. The black stuff rose to the top and some lighter, greyish blue fluid sank to the bottom. Clouds began to roll in.
"What the-"
A huge beast covered in goop flew out from the sea of the same goop.
Cleats looked at the huge guy, waved, and looked back to his vial. "I've gotta take this back home…"
Cleats screwed the lid onto the vial and began to go hell for leather.
The beast, not fazed with the idea of letting him go alive, inhaled sharply, before exhaling a large stream of concentrated flames.
Cleats turned and his life flashed before his eyes. The stream went right toward him.
In seconds, Cleats was reduced to cinders.
The beast, not fazed with the sun coming up, disappeared into the sea of goop.
A few minutes passed. The cinders began to glow and they slowly put themselves back together. Finally, Cleats stood before the goop landscape again.
Ah! I can't even die, what was I so scared for?
The vial, safe and sound, went back into Cleats' pocket. As he planned to set off for the base, he caught sight of a strange beam. It didn't look like it belonged.
Cleats, letting curiosity control him, approached the beam.
A footstep behind him caused Cleats to whirl around, dual blades drawn.
"Oh, it's just you." He sighed, as he saw the strange masked man Billy decided he wanted to team up with. "Don't sneak up on me like that."
"You...you're immortal, correct?"
"Yeah, and?"
"You're related to the MVPs in some way, correct?"
Cleats tried to remember anything.
"No, I don't think-"
"Your name is Cleaton Epsilon."
"How did you-"
Shallows quickly interrupted Cleats. "And the leader of the MVPs is Michael Epsilon. You guys are related, right?"
"M-Michael? I thought Michael was dead!"
"...he should be."
"What?"
Before Cleats could ask any more, Shallows stabbed him with a hunter's knife and pushed him to the floor. "You'll get to see him, as well. Have a nice reunion."
"H-hey! Don't just leave me here!" Cleats called.
"It's all for a good cause, Cleaton." Shallows answered.
Cleaton looked at the beam. "What even is this, anyway?!"
And in a flash, Shallows stood before him again. "That's a classic style distress beacon. We have around…." Shallows began to do the math, "5 or so minutes before MVPs show up."
"Wait, MVPs?! You're getting me arrested?!"
Shallows choked back laughter. "Why didn't you try to get up, buddy? You're just laying there- Oh, look at that."
An MVP ship flew by.
"Perfect timing. I'll just have to tell your team that… an accident happened. See you later, Cleaton." Shallows jumped into a portal and disappeared.
"ARGH! You little-! Get back here!" Cleats attempted to get up, but MVP agents found him all too quickly.
- -· · - ··-· ··-· - ··- ·-· -·· - ·- -·
Alpha lay still in a pool of his own blood.
What did I do to earn this?
He strived to move an arm. His arm, bent way out of shape, refused moving.
He let out a cough of air and his own blood. No way, He assumed, am I getting out alive.
He tried screaming for help. No go.
He tried moving his other arm- with some success. He found himself able to throw something at the doorway. Not like anybody noticed it.
He rested his arm. Yep. I'm gonna die here, then Amber's gonna take my place and kill the MVPs. All because of that masked man! Why does he hate me so much to leave me alive here?!
His heart jumped as someone finally walked in.
"Yeah, and then we- OH MY GOODNESS!"
The agent who found him there hied across the room. "A-ALPHA?! What the… What the heck?! Hold on, I'm gonna go get help!"
A stretcher ran into the room and they put Alpha on it.
"Details, give me details, what's wrong?" one demanded.
"Can't you SEE what's wrong with him?!" Another cried, "He's virtually DEAD!"
Alpha attempted to sigh.
Man. They're gonna have to take my mask off and everything.
A few hours later…
Alpha woke up in a hospital gown, in the medbay bed.
"A-Alpha, s-sir, we've… uhh… run a few scans. Do...do you want to hear it?"
He weakly nodded, knowing he would regret hearing it.
"Well… s-sir, you've several places shattered. Your leg is shattered, your elbow and shoulder joints on your right arm are in fragments, your spine was misaligned, your jaw is broken, you are mildly concussed… and you have horrible bruising on your chest and face. I'm sorry if that wasn't what you wanted to hear…" The agent accidentally caught themselves staring. "H-here, sir."
She stuck a familiar machine to Alpha's head and turned it on.
"An adversary left this here. It's an NITB. Non-Instrumental Talk Box."
A mechanical voice flickered in and out. Finally, Alpha spoke through the machine. "Could you hand me the mask, please?"
The agent stopped herself from staring at his face to reach for his mask. She paused halfway through.
"Sir, your mask was found in shattered pieces."
"Ah. Crap…"
"But nobody will be allowed access into your room unless permitted by you, of course."
Alpha leaned back.
"Who's gonna take over?"
"Hm?"
"Who's gonna take my place?"
"We don't know yet. We might have to consider giving the agents news that they can't use the distress call anymore."
"...can you do me a favor?"
"Anything, sir."
Meanwhile…
The trio hi-fived in victory.
"We did it!" L cheered (quietly.)
The captain walked in. "Hey, what are you guys doing?"
"We played matchmaker and got them to hold hands." L announced, happily.
"Cute. But we have to end the cuteness here, Alpha's urgently asking for Amber."
"Ok." 3 pulled out an air horn. "Let's do this-"
Amber pushed through the group, hurriedly. "I gotta go."
The group held back laughter as they realized she still tightly held Simon's hand.
At Alpha's base…
A knock on the door scared Alpha out of his sleep.
He slammed the unlock button and Amber kicked it open.
"Michael, what do-"
She saw the casts, bandages, his face, and her eyes grew wide.
"What the hell happened to you?!"
"That stupid masky broke most of my bones and it hurts to breathe now."
"H...he… you're…. You look horrible!"
Alpha mechanically sighed. "I wish I could muster the strength to roll my eyes."
Amber couldn't say anything. Stunned.
Alpha then proceeded to say, "And my head hurts. Everything's blurry. They said it would wear off. It's been three hours."
"But how did you end up like this?"
"The masked guy, before he left! He somehow found his way back inside, after leaving."
Some agents came in and proceeded to sit him in a wheelchair.
Amber grabbed the wheelchair and proceeded down the halls.
"Can you even move?"
"It hurts, but yes." Alpha groaned.
"What DIDN'T he break?"
"One arm. And my neck." Alpha sighed, "Just wish he would have killed me."
"Hey, don't say that!" Amber insisted, "Things could be much worse!"
"Yeah. He could have broken 90% of my bones and left me crippled in a wheelchair with no bodily functions other than internal organs working. Oh, wait." He deadpanned in response.
"What if he broke 100% of your bones?"
"Then I'd be dead."
They reached Alpha's office. "I have some things I have to deal with…" Amber sighed, "But I really don't want to leave you here."
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I have the agents making me a smoothie. Because I can't chew anything."
"Aw. I'm sorry. Well, have a nice little vacation!" Amber plopped Alpha's limp body into his office chair and left his office.
The second Amber saw the team, they began to talk.
"He looks BAD. Like, REALLY bad." Luigi winced at the thought. "Masky must have roughed him up."
"We've seen his face before, he does not look like THAT." 3's face drooped. "I think it may have been OUR fault, too. He wasn't fuming mad before we began to talk trash about him."
Everyone held silent for a second. Finally, the captain spoke up. "We should probably get back to searching for Billy."
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Marco found herself being thrown awake by Mick.
"Oh, hey Mic-"
"MARCO. THAT'S NOT YOUR BED, THAT'S MINE."
She paused. "So… where's the mask guy… where'd he go?"
"I came in here to ask YOU that! Instead, I found you in my bed, now I have to clean it because you fell asleep and clearly dreamed about something pleasing. Well let me give it to ya, this ain't pleasing! NOT ONE BIT-"
"No, seriously! Where did the mask guy go?!"
"Why do you need to know?!"
"Because he… never mind!"
Mick sat his hand on Marco's shoulder. "Whatever you two did in my bed, I don't even care anymore. But we have to find the masked gu-"
"You're lookin' for me?" Shallows called.
Mick stormed into the hall.
"What's wrong, mate?" Shallows asked, curiously.
Mick yanked Shallows up by his collar.
"I KNOW you got Cleats arrested, PUNK! Admit it!"
Marco, after getting dressed, came out there.
"He did what?"
"Cleats sent me a message, right? Said he was getting arrested. Because of a masked guy. There are three masked men we have in here. Me, Alpha, and YOU. Alpha's not that type and I wouldn't betray the team like that. So-"
"IT WAS YOU!" Billy fumed, "YOU BEAT UP ALPHA, HAD THE CHANCE TO BRING HIM TO ME, AND YOU DIDN'T?!" His face showed a bright red. "Who do you think you are, buddy? I pull the strings, you are under me!"
"I know what you did to Marco last night, you masked degenerate!" Arris stormed in with a bat and a desire to kill. "I heard it! It was LOUD!"
Everyone stared at Shallows with a desire to kill him.
Shallows, without a single peep, opened a portal and fell within two seconds.
Billy looked into the portal.
"YOU SHOW YOUR STUPID MASKED FACE NEAR ME AGAIN AND I'M TEARING YOU TO SHREDS!"
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Well... Shallows's gone, for now. His and Billy's alliances have ended. Yes he did something weird to Marco and it's not what you think.
I have REAL reviews. That's more than I expected to ever get at the start of this! On Fictionpress, I had SPAM reviews! SPAM. REVIEWS. Glad to hear people like what they see.
haha masky you were banging my teammate
Well... this is goodbye again! In chapter 32, since I feel a little generous, one of the RE consider bailing. See you then!