CHAPTER ELEVEN: Symphony Of Destruction
"You take a mortal man/And put him in control"
Dave's eyes refocused on what looked like a light pastel ceiling: liquid shapes swimming in the back of his mind slowly receding into darkness as the nanites rewired and repaired his fried nerves. The dull pain thumping in the back of his head finally ceased, just to be replaced by Prometheus' voice - sounding quite angry.
"Wake up, idiot. I do swear, all you had to do is activate the goddam phaseshifter. I even told you so."
He groaned, squinting as he sat up on the simple, white bed of what appeared to be a cell. A single fluorescent bar bathed the spartan accommodation with stark, white light. No windows, and a single steel door - heavily reinforced, looking a lot like a bulkhead.
"Ah, cram it." he groaned. "I didn't have the time to react. Those fuckers used a cattle prod. If it wasn't for the nanites I'd be dead. If anything, I'm not in a straitjacket or tied to the bed."
"Eh." Prometheus snarked "They probably know you can get out if you want to. This whole operation was executed too flawlessly. They knew where to find you, and they were in the right position to get the jump on you - with a little help from Captain Pollution. And whether that was done unwittingly or not...well, it remains to be seen. It's pretty evident he wanted you out of the house, so to speak."
"Eminently reconstructed, my faithful companion." Dave replied, hopping off the bed and slowly walking around: a step after another. Bit by bit, his muscles relaxed and the remaining fog clouding his senses disappeared. "Give me a bead on where we are. Requisition: Omnilocator."
"Requisition complete. Please refer to your diegetic HUB minimap."
A map appeared in the upper left corner of his field of view - semi-transparent but pretty much detail, slowly zooming in and transforming into a 3D render of one of the city's highest skyscrapers... strolling down to the third basement level where a red blip rested smack dab in the middle of a nondescript room that looked like one of many cells in a row.
"Whoa. You making me a cyborg or what?" Dave laughed. "I'm starting to have a lot of gadgets implanted. Might start to keep track of my EMP stat."
"Nah, you're the protagonist. You never go psycho - excluding the voice in your head and your choice of companions, of course. Plus, tech is the easiest way to nab to give you passive and utility buffs."
"Noted." Dave mumbled, looking around. "I'm tempted to 'port out but there's obviously something more than a simple kidnapping. I'd like to have a word with whoever set this up."
At that moment, he swore he could feel Prometheus raising an eyebrow besides lacking a physical presence whatsoever. "Taking action? On your own? Color me impressed. Finally you're learning."
Dave snorted. "I'm just doing it to avoid further involvement. Don't go getting any ideas."
The chuckle of his companion spoke volumes. "Sure thing, O Fearless Leader. Whatever keeps you happy. So, what's the plan?"
He scratched his jawline, pensively. "I could simply bust out of here and make enough ruckus to get noticed, but that has a chance to attract the capes, who will then be on my ass - and the fact that Hands and Hulk Smash are still out in the wild doubles the chance of this happening. No, the direct route is out of the question." He lowered his tone. "As satisfying as it may be."
"There's no need for that." a deep male voice echoed in the cell. With a metallic clang, the door on the other side of the room unlocked and slowly swiveled open. "I deeply apologize for the earlier mistreatment, Mr. Briggs, and bid you welcome to our headquarters. If you would be so kind as to make your way to the penthouse office, I would be glad to answer any and all questions you may have."
"I knew it." Dave huffed, giving a random corner of the room a side stare. "Good job on hiding the cameras, though. I'll see you in a second. Literally."
Requisition: teleporter to pinpinted location. He thought with a grin.
"Requisition complete."
He vanished with the loud bang of air suddenly filling a void and then appeared an inch over the plush carpet of Re-Destro's office, landing with a soft pat as the villain rose up to greet him with a traditional bow. Curious, standing at the left of his chair, let out a startled "eek!" and reached for a button under the desk - only to be stopped by an imperious glance from his boss. "He's a guest." he snarled. "No need to call security." He looked at Dave with a knowing smile. "Not that it would make things any different, I presume. My thanks for not wrecking the place, Mr. Briggs. I appreciate that."
Dave's eyes narrowed into slit as he looked at Rikiya's figure straightening out and then sitting back down, not deigning the woman at his side of a glance. "That's still on the 'maybe' list, Mr. Bigshot. Your ways of inviting people for tea are horrendously devoid of manners, so I'd hold the chums talk for now. Who are you and what do you want? And be quick about it if you please. I've places to be and people to see."
"Ah, yes. Your... girlfriend?" Re-Destro shot a look at Curious and smiled, assuming an almost perfect Gendo pose on the desk. "You're a weird man, Mr. Briggs. You talk to people who aren't there, associate with... decidedly unsavory people, and yet you yourself do not subscribe to their ways nor commit any actions thatwould dub you a villain. My, you've even saved lives if the news are to be trusted."
Dave shrugged. Of course he knew who he was talking to - the big boss of the Meta Liberation Front and CEO of Detnetrat. It made perfect sense now that a man with such means would know almost everything about him, at least on surface level. The amount of spotlights pointed at him was starting to severely irritate him.
"According to local law, that little stunt was enough to mark me a criminal it seems, no matter what popular opinion says. And you haven't answered my questions. I don't like when people beat around the bush like that. Stinks of trying to manipulate me, and it makes me... irritated."
Re-Destro put a hand on his breast pocket, bowing his head briefly in a show of perfectly orchestrated contrition. "For sure. Where are my manners. Curious, be a dear and go make some tea. Please, Mr. Briggs, have a seat." He pointed to a leather chair opposite him, which Dave plopped into without a word. "Does the name Detnetrat ring a bell to you?"
Dave shook his head. "Nope. I got here just recently."
"My name is Yotsubashi Rikiya, CEO of the aforementioned company. We produce technology to help people adapt to and better utilize their Quirks. You do know what a Quirk is, I hope?"
"Yup, that much I do. Paranormal powers born from the evolution of humanity's genetic makeup."
Re-Destro nodded. "Correct. It's... an interesting and very textbook definition, which tells me you are not from around here by a long shot. Am I correct, Mr. Briggs?"
Silently, Curious put the teacups in front of each of the two men. Everything in her literally screamed to start questioning him until the heat death of the universe, but he was talking to the boss so she wisely kept her mouth shut and, most importantly, her ears perked. The way Re-Destro was obliquely trying to wring information out of him while pretending to answer his questions was masterful.
"What if I am?" Dave replied. "This is not relevant neither to the conversation nor to my questions. I know who you are. Good enough. Now, will you tell me what do you want with me or shall I turn this place into a crater?" His lips were smiling. His eyes, however, weren't.
Rikiya picked up his teacup and took a long sip, looking at him imntently. "No need to be so hostile, Mr. Briggs. I, eh, arranged to have you brought here to make you a proposal. And since you westerners love to - how do you say it? - 'cut to the chase', I shall do so. Work with us. We're better equipped, better financed. And contary to that assorted rabble, we have a concrete ideal and a plan for society."
Dave snickered, trying to hold on a full on burst of laughter. "No. And for two good reasons. One - " he raised his index finger in front of him as if counting "I happen to like that group of hoodlums. Well, most of them, anyway. They're a bunch of misfits, but they're honest about it and don't go lecturing anyone about higher ideals. They're a bunch of individuals who got shat on by society and they're rightfully pissed at it - and while I may not approve of it, I can at least relate. Two -" he slowly raised a second finger "Whoever comes to you telling you they're working for 'the cause' is trying to rope you into a scheme."
The man in the suit was still smiling, but a dark spot was starting to form around his left eye and the woman by his side appeared to have noticed it - and make a small step sideways. The glimmer in her eyes was of pure panic though her face remained composed and neutral. A small finger twitch in Re-Destro's left hand resting on the desk was the only other sign of his mounting displeasure. "You won't even listen?" he said patiently. "We're trying to help people like you after all. Imagine not fearing being arrested every time you use your gift to save someone's life just because you aren't part of the circus. Wouldn't you oppose it if people needed a license for breathing?"
Dave folded his arms on his chest and leaned back on the chair, tilting his head. "You misunderstand me. I'm not saying you aren't right. I'm merely saying I want no part of it. You don't need me, and my loyalties - at least for the time being - lie elsewhere. I simply don't trust organized movements. There's always something behind and when you dig deep enough, you always find out you're being played. My answer is still no."
Re-Destro closed his eyes for a moment and took a long breath, the dark spot flaring up for an instant and then disappearing. "I understand, Mr. Briggs. I still do hope that in the future you will change your mind and decide to help us." His lips curled into a small smile. "I'm pretty sure your lovely companion would come with, if you asked. She seems quite enamored."
Dave gave him a blank stare - both men fully understood the implications of that seemingly harmless quip. "We're done here. Don't count on seeing me in the future, unless you have... unsavory ideas." he stated in a strangely hollow tone. His eyes never left Yotsuya's until the moment he disappeared with a loud bang - wrecking the couch which falled in a heap of wood and ripped fabric.
"Touched a nerve, haven't I?" he snickered, finally turning to look at Curious. She swallowed a bit and tried to compose herself before nodding back. "It-it seems he treasures her, as we expected. But, Sir, if you'd allow me... he's onto us regarding that. If we somehow harm her... we may incite his full wrath and we don't know yet what he's capable of. Maybe it'd be for the best if we just limit to surveiilance - at least for the time being?"
He nodded. His face was grim, but with no trace of the previous bout of anger. He was a smart man, and he knew she was right. "Yes. It has merit. Keep to the streets, Kizuki. I want to know as much as possible about this man. If anything, it's a blessing he doesn't oppose us - but that doesn't guarantee it'll change. Tell Skeptic to put his puppets in spy mode also. I want as much coverage as possible."
She bowed. "Yes sir. I'll see to it."
