CHAPTER 4: THE SINS AND THE FATHERS, PART 1
As the morning sun arrives in Hillwood, the day comes to an official beginning for its occupants. Waking from a long night of sleep, much of it needed from their busy days preceding before, and some of it merely wanted for leisure or relaxation, the citizens of Hillwood all come to their feet to start a new day in one way or another; some early birds to the worm, others night owls to pick their prey later.
The city is a melting pot, and it cooks warmly under the morning sun. Full of many people of differing backgrounds, races, religions, ethnicities, and creeds, the citizens of Hillwood all come together in unity for life in this bumbling and lively city. Here, there may be the Europeans, the Middle Easterns, the Hispanics, the Asians, and the Africans; each of different descent and heritage, but no one, not even themselves, can deny their true place of belonging:
They are all citizens of Hillwood.
One of the most important citizens of Hillwood, making his early awakening from his bed, is the Green Eye, known now as Arnold Shortman. Where he is awake and alive this morning, his woman has yet to join him in awakening this morning. Not fully rested from the night before, Helga continues her sleep, hoping to gain enough rest to her mind to start the day at last.
Helga has a delayed start to her day, but Arnold is not impeded by her lagging in her own start. Removing himself from his bed, he takes a plaid shirt and jeans from his dresser, putting both on for a trip downstairs. Dressed and ready to join the rest of the adults downstairs, Arnold readied his stomach for the main affair on his mind and his first manner of business: Breakfast.
Meals are never that easy to plan out at the Sunset Arms Boarding Home; having many different tenants and a limited dinner table space makes serving all hungry mouths looking for breakfast a challenge. Phil and Gertude Shortman were seasoned to the challenge from years of experience, but Miles and Stella have come a long ways by their own experience.
Making a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes for their tenants with eggs and bacon, Miles and Stella began serving their tenants the prepared breakfast, ensuring all at the table were served. Noticing the busy state of his parents, Arnold took a moment and stood back; observing his parents in action. Taking notice that all tenants were present at the table, he chose to make an observation of all the tenants to refresh his memory of those staying at his home, always remaining forgetful of their names.
Seeing them all sitting at the table now, Arnold took but a small peek into each heart at the table, recalling their names. At one seat was Barry Ronaldson, an elderly black amateur singer with a desire to be a star. At another was Chris Jeong-sam, a young man born to Korean immigrants and student with a part-time job in retail. At a different was a Arabic woman named Aaliyah Samiya, a woman in her 30s and political refugee of Palestine. The rest of the seats were occupied by Herbie and Goldie Grossman and their two children: William and Annie.
At first, his presence was not yet taken notice by the others; all focusing on their breakfast, and making sure that each had gotten their full share of food. Coming up to his leg with a happy snort, however, his presence was made noted by his pet pig: Phil, named after his grandfather. Turning to see the football head standing at the doorway, the tenants all gave a greeting to the son of their landlords.
"Well, look who it is. The reclusive Arnold makes his appearance." Barry said.
"Hi, Mr. Arnold!" William and Annie said in unison.
"Good morning, Arnold." Herbie and Goldie said.
Aaliyah gave a simple greeting nod, not wanting to speak. Chris gave a similar greeting; his mouth being full of eggs.
Arnold, returning the greetings of the tenants, let out a wave.
"Hey, guys." Arnold said.
Returning from the kitchen with another batch of pancakes, Miles and Stella Shortman also made their entrance to the room, coming with another serving of food to dish out to the tenants. Noticing their son standing in the hallway, observing the chaotic breakfast situation come under control, the parents put all stops in their task to pay him a greeting as well.
"Good morning, son." Stella said.
"Hey Arnold. Sleep well?" Miles asked.
"Just fine. Long night at work." Arnold said.
"Well, as long as you're doing your job well, we can all rest easy." Stella said.
"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Shortman! I want more pancakes!" Annie said.
"Annie, be more polite. They're working as hard as they can." Goldie said.
"Oh, it's quite alright, Goldie. She's just a hungry kid, nobody can fault her for that. Here you go, sweetie." Miles said.
Miles served the rambunctious young girl another serving of pancakes, satisfying her request and soon to satisfy her need for food.
"Thank you, Mr. Shortman!" Annie said.
"Hey Arnold, you were asking about that copy of Maus?" Chris asked.
"Yeah, you got it?" Arnold asked.
"Right here."
Chris handed out the copy of the aforementioned book, which Arnold approached and took in anticipation.
"Perfect. I was just about to ask you about it." Arnold said.
"Yeah. I got the complete edition, just like you asked for." Chris said.
"Great. Thanks a lot."
"Hey, man, that's what I'm here for: The comic nerd who has access to both a college library and a bookstore."
"Man, I remember the days when them comic books were just tales of flying supermen and caped crusaders, and those things were just in the comic books. I still find it hard to believe that all that stuff happens everyday now." Barry said.
"Oh, this one's not anything like those comics. It's a retelling of the Holocaust told from the perspective from the writer's father. People often hail it on the same level as regular books, you know."
"So I'm told."
"The Holocaust? That was when all those Nazi people wanted to kill all those other people, right? Why would somebody put that in a comic book?" William asked.
"The writer put it in his book because he wanted people to know how horrible that was, and a reminder that we should never try anything like that again." Arnold said.
"But what kind of nasty person would want to kill people like that?"
"There are a lot of people out there like that, Will. I pray that you never meet one." Aayliah said.
"You mean, there were people like that where you were from?"
"Yes. It isn't something I like to talk about, but I would not lie to you and say there are no bad people in the world."
"People like that hold onto certain belief systems because they don't have anyplace else to go sometimes, so they stick to people and beliefs like those when they get desperate for help. It's up to each other to make sure we don't end up in those places. That's why we all stick together and help one another." Arnold said.
With the dark direction that the conversation could have gone, Arnold's own comments saved the discussion from ruining any appetites. For Aayliah, however, she had no such appetite for her bacon as due to her faith, instead passing it to Arnold for someone not minding consumption of pork.
"Then, perhaps, Arnold, would you like to help yourself to my bacon? I can't eat it." Aayliah said.
"Well, I won't be, but I know someone who will." Arnold said.
Arnold took the bacon from the plate and offered it to Phil, giving him a snack of the bacon for himself. While Arnold seemed to take no mind to this act, the rest of the individuals at the table found his offering not as amusing.
"Uh... that's kind of creepy, don't you think?" Chris asked.
"What is?" Arnold asked.
As Arnold seemed oblivious to the unintentional act of cannibalism he had his pig take, none of the tenants chose to pursue their argument; instead focusing on their own breakfast.
"Sorry for putting bacon on your plate, Aayliah. Having to feed 7 hungry mouths, you forget some little things." Miles said.
"It's alright, Mr. Shortman. It was an honest mistake." Aayliah said.
"Hey Arnold, won't you sit down to eat? We've got plenty of pancakes." Stella asked.
"No, thanks; not hungry right now. Besides, now that I've got the book I wanted, I'm going to bring it to the person it was intended for." Arnold said.
"Who's that?"
"Like I said, we have to make sure people don't end up in certain belief systems looking for answers to their lives. I wanted this to help someone else out of that belief system. Hopefully, it does the job."
Bidding his temporary goodbyes to his family and the tenants, Arnold began departing from Sunset Arms, ready to head out to his intended destination with his gift to be delivered. Not having any reason to be fast or rushed in his delivery, Arnold instead took a more relaxing stroll of the city, wishing to indulge further on its sights and sounds.
Always in tune with his city, Arnold opens his own heart to the city's heart, feeling the emotions, thoughts, and dreams of every citizen of the town. Each mind speaks to him in its own tongue; many sounding alike, with many similar things to say, but all unique with their own hopes and beliefs. They all come to him at once, each thought pouring into his mind as a melting pot of ideas and culture.
Throughout known history, humankind has been at war with itself; each man and woman trying to establish a one and true philosophy and belief system, but none successful in winning their side in the war. At best, humankind has merely alienated one another, segregated by differences of language and culture. At worst, it has slaughtered all those who do not fit the other's beliefs and forcing them into their own.
The Green Eye, however, is above such ruthless tactics. His goals and philosophy are only for the betterment of his fellow brothers and sisters on Earth, in hopes that his own species may at last reach the unity it needs and perhaps achieve greater things together. If peace were a kingdom, Arnold would surely be the prince of peace, but he would never accept such nobility.
His goals in achieving peace have found their roots in his own home city, with all the training received from his birthplace of San Lorenzo. These are the beginning point of his agenda, with the endgoal of eventually helping all brothers and sisters on Earth achieve peace and liberty as they so desired. In just the span of little over a year, he has gotten far in his goals.
The organized crime element is non-existent; Big Gino's empty throne never been filled since his death. Drug use is lower, and those who indulge in it are not money-obsessed drug dealers, but psychonauts who wish to explore the inner space of the mind safely and help others tweak their consciousnesses and perception of reality safely and with little risk. Those with problems are treated as sick men, not as criminals, and given the help needed.
Violent crime is also significantly down. Rapes, burglaries, robberies, and other transgressions are significantly lower in count. Those who try to steal for money are not blindly put down, but are given their chances to reform and seek out paying jobs. With much political and social activism from the citizens of Hillwood, and a little assistance from Buckley Lloyd in more higher circles of society and politics, social welfare programs have found increases in funds, leading to more people finding the financial stability needed.
The youth, the most vulnerable of society and the future of the world itself, also find an outlet they can indulge in safely. With crime being cleared up from the streets and businesses returning once again, hangouts like comic book stores and coffee shops are made in subsitute for joining gangs or damaging property for fun. The Hillwood Youth Center is the best example, established by the city government, and funded by Buckley Lloyd in memory of Rhonda.
The football head has a long way to go in his quest for achieving world peace, but... he thinks this is a good as start as any could hope to get. Most would tend to agree.
As Arnold continued his stroll around the city of Hillwood, continuing to make his way towards his intended destination, there are many hearts and minds that speak to him, and each are carried on by some form of his influence in the city. He sees their hearts and minds filled with joy and cheer; each feeling fulfilled in their own lives. He looks on their thoughts and dreams, and he smiles on with pride, knowing that his work pays off.
Throughout the sea of minds, however, there is one mixture of thoughts and feelings that he can barely even hope to distinguish. There is something strange about this mind; something vaguely familiar about its feelings and own way of speaking. The thoughts are focused and clear on the surface, but they seem to serve a purpose only to suppress other thoughts beneath it.
Having plenty enough of time on his own journey to reach his own destination in a reasonable time, Arnold chose to investigate this strange mind to investigate. Curious and intrigued on why this mind struck him as familiar, the confusion and analytical thoughts rushed through his own mind at speeds that he could barely stand; the thoughts pushing and driving him to find an answer to satisfy them.
Looking to the source of the mind, Arnold soon found the owner of the mind, putting an end to search for the strange and confusing mind that he encountered. This individual was a young woman standing on the street, handing out church flyers and religious tracts to random individuals on the street. Where the sight of a street preacher was not too common a sight on the streets of Hillwood, the most uncommon feature was the fact on who this individual was:
Lila Sawyer.
The sight of the young woman in his eyes was a strange occurrence for the football head; arousing a slew of emotions he never knew he could feel all at once. He was absolutely loyal to Helga as his fiancee, but the sight of his first 'official' love interest was bringing back some warm feelings that he would rather not feel. These emotions might have offered some form of comfort, but this comfort was only coupled with guilt, still trying to stay loyal to Helga.
His first instinct was to avoid his old crush, choosing to continue on his own way without returning to some unwanted feelings. As Lila's eyes soon met with his own, however, Arnold's choice in the matter was soon and swiftly taken away from him, inevitably leaving the two to converse shortly. Recognizing him within the very instant she saw him, Lila made her approach to Arnold, giving him a warm greeting on her approach.
"Hey Arnold! I haven't seen you in a long time, you came back to Hillwood?" Lila asked.
"Uh... Yeah. I've been back for the past year now." Arnold said.
"Wow, I had no idea. I was so surprised when I heard you ran away, I thought I would never see you again."
"Well, uh, I honestly didn't think I'd see you again, either. I mean, I remember you had to move before we went on our trip to San Lorenzo."
"Oh, well, I've been living back in Pleasantville for the past few years. My father was laid off, and jobs were starting to be scarce, so we had to head back."
"Oh, I see. Well, uh, what brings you back?"
Lila handed Arnold one of her church pamphlets, showing her new business in Hillwood.
"I've come to share the good news of Jesus Christ. I proposed to my church the idea of starting a branch here in Hillwood, and, so, I'm here to promote it." Lila said.
"Oh, okay, great to hear." Arnold said.
"Yes. It's the First Baptist Church of Hillwood. You ought to attend, you know. You'll like it there."
"Yeah, uh... To be honest, I'm not so sure I would."
"Wha- Whatever do you mean? Oh, that's right, you're Catholic. That's okay, you should at least give it a try and see how you like our style of worship better."
"Right, about that... I'm not completely sure I consider myself Catholic, either."
Confused at Arnold's statement, Lila stood in a brief moment of silence, trying to process the sentence that came to her head.
"So... You're saying you don't believe in god anymore?" Lila asked.
"It's not that. You know when I ran away?" Arnold asked.
"Yes?"
"When I left, I spent a lot of time back in San Lorenzo. I was living among a lot of people with... different worldviews. I never really put much thought into religion since then. I got shown a way to see the world differently, in a way I never thought of before."
"'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding.' Proverbs 3:5. You wouldn't take the understanding of man over the lord's, would you?"
"Lila, that's a dangerous way to think."
"I beg to differ, Arnold. I let the Lord, my god, guide my actions. I was in a far worse place of my life once, and it was he who healed me and rebuilt me from being broken."
"I don't doubt it. I've been there before; I know what it's like."
"Please, Arnold, I implore you, I'm ever so certain you should attend. Just once? For old times' sake?"
Lila again handed the pamphlet to Arnold, urging him to join the church in at least one attendance. Growing skeptical of Lila's reinforced strength in her faith, Arnold began to ponder if this was even the same girl he once knew and shared some feelings for. For someone so kind and gentle as he remembered her, how could this strange new woman be the same Lila?
It seemed that the girl he knew before had been through her own share of emotional turmoil during his absence, leading her to indulge in something that changed her own lifestyle. When putting it this way, it made him ponder further: Does that make her any different from him in his own life choices, and perhaps the two are just two of a kind in terms of experience?
Unable to reach the thoughts in her head, he knew not what sort of experiences could have led her to delve into her own faith, but the interest in analyzing what could have driven her this far began to show intrigue to him. The idea of getting to know another woman, however, left another question to burn at his conscience: The possibility of cheating on Helga.
Before, he had shared very strong feelings towards this woman, and it led him away from the eyes of Helga once before. Now, being engaged to Helga, how would it be fair to her to try and get to know another woman? But, no, that's too irrational. Never would he cheat on Helga, and he would not pursue a relationship with Lila when he was knowingly engaged.
Thus, Arnold had made his decision. Taking the pamphlet from Lila's hand, Arnold took a look at the address of the church, memorizing it for later. Proceeding with caution on his endeavors with Lila, Arnold made an agreement to attend her church, wishing to fulfill his curiosities towards the changed Lila and see where the young woman now laid in her life.
"Okay. I guess I can stop by for a visit." Arnold said.
"Great. Listen, I'm sorry if I sounded a little hard or harsh a second ago. Like I said, I've had my share of bad experiences in life, and I sort of... pushed myself into my faith to find a place where I belong. I guess that would be kind of hard for you to understand." Lila said.
"Not at all, Lila. Like I said, I know what it's like to be there. I'd love to see how you've done these past years. I mean, you helped build a church, that's got to be an achievement all in itself."
"It is. I'm blessed to be able to do this. For now, though, I've got to help get more attendees. I look forward to seeing you Sunday, Arnold."
"Thanks. I'll be seeing you soon."
With his pamphlet put into his pocket, Arnold began continuing on his path, hoping to reach his destination in a reasonable time for his purposes. The experience of being stopped by Lila was an unprecedented one, and had led to many unexpected conversations, but it formed the promise of rebuilding a friendship.
Before making his way proper once again, Lila stopped Arnold for one last piece of conversation, giving him another prospect of meeting her.
"Hey Arnold! By the way, if you ever want to go get something to eat, or maybe get some coffee together, I'd like that a lot. You know, if you're interested. We haven't seen each other in a long time... and it'd be nice to catch up." Lila said.
"Oh... Sure, sure, but... I don't know if you've heard the news, but... Helga and I are engaged to be married." Arnold said.
"Oh, wow! Really?"
"Yep. It's true."
"Wow, great for you guys. I had a feeling about you two, you know. Though I don't see what that has to do with- Oh! You mean- No, no, no; I just meant food or coffee as friends, nothing like that."
"No, of course not."
"Right. Well, I'll see you some other time, Arnold. Hopefully at church."
"Yeah, maybe."
Having finally brought their conversation to an end, the two friends part ways on their own missions, each fulfilling the plans made up in their daily schedules. Lila continued on passing out flyers and tracts to many passerby citizens, and Arnold continued on his way to deliver the book.
Still, a few certain thoughts could not make their way out of his mind. As Lila was his first love, it was only human nature that those same feelings arise once again. A human mind can remember and forget many of its loves, but never, ever can it forget its first love, whether the mind wants to... or not.
With these feelings arising at a time when he already had his own feelings for Helga, these are not easy thoughts to bear, and he tries to plan them out in his mind in a manner more suitable for his own life. The promise of knowing Lila again intrigues and invites him to go further, leading him to plan out their next meeting. The strange and unreadable state of her mind plagues his curiosity; demanding an answer to its constant questions.
Now, he treads dangerous waters. As the Green Eye, he is suited in all manners of self-defense, but he is hardly suited for a situation as this. As Arnold Shortman, all he can do now to manage these emotions are the same efforts as any other human being on Earth:
To do their best.
The area of big business is not too large a concern on the minds of many citizen in Hillwood; most of their thoughts lie on day-to-day survival and how to put food on the table for themselves and/or their family. An average Hillwood citizen might be eager to spring to action to protest towards an unjust or illegal action committed by a local business or large corporation, but otherwise it lays low on the concern of the people.
For the man named Buckley Lloyd, however, big business is his business. Versed in the area of stock broking, his large wealth was amassed not with ease, but with cleverness and smart tactics. It was his one and only concern in his life, caring for nothing more than to increase his own profits, but the death of his daughter changed this forever, causing him to turn to the armored knight known as Valiance by night.
That being said, he never strayed far from his habits in business; nurturing his wealth so that it may serve him on his own new crimefighting crusades. With one of his purchases being a takeover of Membrane Laboratories to develop his weapons and tools, he is always on the lookout for a budding young company to buy up to seek out new technology for his equipment, placing it under the umbrella of Lloyd Enterprises.
This time, however, he seeks not to find new equipment or technology to further his own crimefighting affairs, but to find the missing piece to raise the dead itself. And, this time, instead of trying to buy out some smaller business and utilize its assets for his own purposes, he instead seeks out the partnership of a larger corporation for assistance in his goal of bringing his daughter back.
After making a long flight from out of town from Washington to Wisconsin and stepping through the large doors to the office of the owner this particular corporation, Buckley Lloyd finally comes face-to-face with the man he sought out an audience with. Adjusting his suit nicely in the presence of his host, Buckley Lloyd makes his first impressions to the head of this corporation named...
"Vlad Masters. A pleasure to finally meet you." Buckley said.
Giving a smile from his expensive leather seat, the aforementioned head of the corporation, VladCo, Vlad Masters returned the greeting to his guest; giving a friendly hand gesture from one debonair man to another.
"Buckley Lloyd, the world-famous stock broker on the rise in the business world. The pleasure is truly all mine. Please, my friend, take a seat, make yourself comfortable." Vlad said.
Acting on his host's request, Buckley Lloyd seated himself down in the guest chair across from Vlad's desk. Now, with the two comfortably seated and sitting face-to-face, the two businessmen can follow out their planned discussions.
"So, you said you were interested in doing some kind of business. I'm aware of your procedure of buyouts of various laboratories, you recently helped finance the opening of one facility in Plainville, but I doubt even you have the money to try to buy out my company, and I've no interest in selling, so that cancels out what this discussion was meant to be about. Tell me, then, Mr. Lloyd, what brings you to my desk today?" Vlad asked.
"You're a quick man, Mr. Masters. Very to-the-point."
"I do my research on my partners and potential partners. As of right now, you fall under the 'potential' category, so, care to tell me what prospect you and I have in sharing a partnership?"
"Gladly. Just as you look into your potential partners, I do as well. I read that you studied under Paranormal Sciences at your alma mater, the University of Wisconsin, under one of your other studies, am I correct?"
"Correct you are, Mr. Lloyd. It was an interesting little stunt, but it came only second to some of my other studies and ventures. To tell you the truth, I even stopped for a while after contracting a bad acne case. Didn't look so good for the ladies."
The two shared a slight chuckle under Vlad's joke, both taking a small diversion of laughter from serious business matters.
"Yes, of course. I understand that you had studied in the department with classmates Jack and Maddie Fenton, am I correct?" Buckley asked.
"Her last name wasn't 'Fenton' then; they married after graduating." Vlad corrected.
"From the tone of your voice, I take you were interested in doing so first?"
"Perhaps... at one moment in time. But, please, let's focus on the question at hand. You have an interest in Paranormal Sciences?"
"I do. I've tried speaking to your former classmates about working under me and furthering their research, but they've shown less than no interest in returning."
"I could've told you they'd no interest in going back. I tried to hire them under my wing, have all 3 of us working together, but they wouldn't hear of it; saying they didn't want to take charity. At least Jack made a living for himself becoming CEO of that ho-hum food company, turned it into the big player Fenton Foods, home of the world-famous Fenton Fudge Pancakes. I admit, they're quite good on the tastebuds, but bad on the waistline."
"Right, and I do believe their son's that comics writer who wrote Danny Phantom?"
"Indeed he is; sharp boy he is. His comics are really big with the kids these days, you should see the discussion circles I see around it. I've even heard that there are some fringe groups claiming they've lived out the events in the comics, going so far as to change dialogue around what they think they remember. If you look into how many of them have overlapping and corresponding stories, it can be quite spooky."
"So I'm told."
"But, I digress. I can't help but think about good friends every once and a while. I'm sure you do enjoy gossiping over friends every once and a while?"
"I'm not exactly a social butterfly, Mr. Masters. My mind is on my money."
"Of course you are. Well, as your time is money, forgive me for taking so many distractions from the topic at hand: Your interest in Paranormal Sciences. We don't put too much focus on the paranormal anymore; our focus mainly lies in applied sciences, weapons manufacturing, robotics, and other consumer goods. Really, it's more of my own morbid interest that keeps that department alive rather than actual financial gain."
"Then how about taking up a partnership with someone who shares that interest? You once sought out your old classmates to revive the division. Perhaps it's not just minds you need, but money. I have plenty of minds in my employment, and I have plenty of money to fund the project."
"As do I, Mr. Lloyd. I fail to see how I couldn't just put more focus on this myself."
"Let me ask you this, then: Do you know how a movie lot works?"
"Admittedly, no."
"A movie lot is typically owned by a major studio; an empty lot made to be used for filming. Practically speaking, they're just space for rent, but the main importance is who rents them out. Producers are the ones who rent out the space, fill it with sets and props, and they move their director and actors to create a film on the lot."
"I fail to see how your analogy applies here."
"It's quite simple, Mr. Masters. Your laboratories focus on paranormal studies are the empty lots, and I'm the producer. You let me rent out your space, I can fill it with all kinds of minds and inventions that can change the way we see reality itself. Think about it. We can prove whether or not there is a god, find ways to communicate with the departed, or even resurrect dead loved ones."
"Like your daughter, Rhonda?"
While Buckley should have expected that name to be dropped any moment with someone as well-informed as Vlad knowing his background and intentions, the name was still never easy to hear as before.
"Yes, Mr. Lloyd. I'm more than familiar with your daughter's untimely and very tragic death. I am sorry for your loss, I truly am, but I also do see what you're doing. I won't try to pretend that I know what kind of pain you go through, or how her death impacted your life, but I cannot agree to the idea you are suggesting. What you are trying to sell to me is not science. It is obsession, to put it lightly." Vlad said.
"If you know that I need to bring her back, then why waste my time by even letting me make my proposal?" Buckley asked.
"I may not understand the pain of losing a daughter, but I understand losing a loved one to someone else. I was hoping that perhaps I could convince you to give up this idea in your head, but it seems that I may not have much progress on that front."
"Really? You've lost someone like I have?"
"Yes. Let's just say it was in another lifetime."
"Heh. 'Another lifetime', right. Well, then, I think a simple phone call would have taken care of this talk easy enough."
"I'm a man who prefers face-to-face meetings. You can call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to know all my partners and potential partners."
"Of course. Apparently, I don't qualify as either of those, so I believe I'll be making my leave now."
Buckley picked himself out of his seat, preparing to make his way to the exit to Vlad's office.
"I don't recall saying I wasn't interested in a partnership... Valiance." Vlad said.
Hearing the name of his nightly alter-ego spoken from the mouth of Vlad Masters, Buckley Lloyd's hand, just before reaching the doorknob of the office door, faltered in its movement to a freeze. Unable to believe that he had actually heard this name spoken by a man he previously had no acquaintance with, Buckley turned to face Vlad once again, watching the white-haired man return the look with a smile.
"Yes, Mr. Lloyd. I'm well aware of your... how would you call it? Nocturnal crimefighting activities?" Vlad asked.
"How do you know that name?" Buckley asked.
"Like I said, I do my research on my partners and potential partners. The financial and business records I find like anyone else: The internet. The more private matters, however... Well, would you believe me if I said I can walk through walls?"
"If it's blackmail you're trying for, then, if you know me, you know I won't let you-"
Before Buckley Lloyd finished his sentence, Vlad had flashed a pair of red eyes towards him, signalling that he was not someone to be taken lightly.
"Sit down, Mr. Lloyd." Vlad said.
Following Vlad's firm order spoken through a harsh and ghostly voice, Buckley Lloyd returned to his seat, keeping himself composed for whatever may be said next by the strange man.
"Mr. Lloyd... Buckley... I'm really not the kind of person to use blackmail against someone else. Well, not anymore, at least. No, sir, I'm well aware of your identity as Valiance, but I'm not going to use that information against you in any negative way. See, you're entering a world you've just barely dipped your toes into, and I want to issue this simple warning to you." Vlad said.
"What are you talking about? What 'world'?" Buckley asked.
"The new world you and I live in. The Age of Heroes."
"You mean all these other superheroes created by the Hillwood Effect? Created by us? You need to warn me about my own world?"
"No, Mr. Lloyd. You nor Mr. Shortman created this world. It's been here once before, in another lifetime, and I've lived through it. What you and your little ragtag team are little league. I've seen things that no human being was meant to see, and fought forces beyond human understanding itself. You think a world where gravity-defying skaters and kids who throw energized cards is strange? You haven't seen anything, and I pray that you never do. But one warning I will sharply issue to you is this: Don't go tampering with things outside of nature. There are many things that human beings were not meant to control or overcome, and death is no exception to that list. I urge you, Mr. Lloyd, this passion you have for trying to see your daughter again, I implore you: Let it go. Whatever feelings or regrets you have towards her, bury them. Death is not to be trampled with. Let it go. Let. It. Go."
Vlad's warning came through as a mixture of a plea and a threat; trying to urge Buckley to stay far away from the realm of the supernatural and cheat death itself. The warning might have worked wonders on anyone else, and been effective enough to discourage anyone from tampering with the paranormal. Listening to a man like Vlad Masters make a plea as intimidating as he can, anyone would surely falter under his warning.
But, for a man who has nothing left to lose, it has no effect on Buckley Lloyd.
"I can't let my own baby girl go. And there's nothing you can show me that could surprise me anymore." Buckley said.
Finally complete with his discussion with Vlad Masters, Buckley Lloyd began making his way out of his office, preparing himself for an expedient flight back to Hillwood, Washington. Having his guest leave his office without heeding to his dire warning over the supernatural, it became clear to Vlad that it would be up to him to take some preventative action.
Causing a transformation that he had not made for some time now, Vlad gave way to a change in his own body to better suit himself for dealing with the obsessive Buckley Lloyd. Letting a pair of rings made of black light appear from his midriff, both heading in opposite directions up and down his body, Vlad Masters changed to give way to the world's first half-ghost/half-human being:
Vlad Plasmius.
"Fine, then. If I can't get you to believe in ghosts, then maybe seeing one will change your mind." Vlad said.