By:
Prologue
Today was supposed to be one of the greatest days of my life.
It was supposed to, but…
Status: ongoing
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-03-16
Words: 60508
Chapters: 24
Original source: threads/689488
Exported with the assistance of
ProloguePrologue
Today was supposed to be one of the greatest days of my life.
It was supposed to, but it wasn't. Not even the kind of day that starts out bad, but where you are totally blindsided by what came to ruin it.
For me that was when the lab exploded. With so my friends, my colleagues, and me along with it.
Well, technically me along with it. For all the evidence there is, i've probably been counted amongst the casualties. But I digress, that's not why it happened, only how. To understand that portion we need to go back, far before the day had even begun for me to properly explain where the realization turned it into a train wreck of a memory that still haunts me.
It had all begun when I dreamt of moonlit man in a samurai costume.
Dream.
Dreaming is a strange phenomena, it calls to the deepest parts of our brain, the most primal thoughts that we instinctively ponder every day of our lives. We are left with only the purest forms of who we are, even if we can't recognize it.
I wandered, aimless through the void, my emotions in a state of calm as I simply did what I thought was natural in a dream, a subconscious state of being that lulled me into moving forward as a wave would roll onto a beach. I didn't question it, or myself, I simply was.
For a second I felt a presence, lean over mine, as a adult would look over a newborn baby, and for a immeasurable period of time I was afraid, frozen in place as my mind struggled to comprehend the weight that had settled near it. It lingered for a second more, and then it seemed to realize something, quickly moving back and off the space it was occupying before, further away but not gone. I stuttered in place for a minute more, movement unsure, then continued my aimless path, unnerved but not unbowed. As quickly as my initial ordeal had come, a new one rose to take it's place. A twin pathway cut itself from the void, different but merely a simulacrum, orderly in a way that seemed more substantial than my mind should have produced, though with a mere vague memory I could not make out these details for myself beyond a certain point.
In the depths of my mind, a voice that wasn't mine rang out. A mere whisper barely heard but further niggling into the mindscape in a way I couldn't describe.
What would you do. What would you give for a chance, a chance to gain more, become more, do the things many could not. What would you do to prove it?
The form of my spirit, my soul and will made manifest answered for me, walking onto the path I knew it would.
The answer was clear from the start. This was just the confirmation needed, an ultimatum to the thing that haunted my dreams.
Too much to count.
A pause, the silence deafening in it's own way. Then, a response.
You will suffice.
It wasn't a question, merely a statement. The erratic nature of the dream halted, my mind spreading out in a method that was designed to make way for a new presence. And oh boy, was it a large one. Black melted into different colors, but this figure, this figure was a distinction. They didn't need to stride towards me, because by the time I had finished walking down the path they were at the end.
They were an enigma, a fluctuating form composed of something I still couldn't comprehend. I was able to make out a very particular note about their vague physique, composed of energy and a low brightness, like a eclipsed moon made manifest.
It was a samurai, though only the vaguest idea of one, as if just a simulacrum taken from multiple sources, into what someone thought a samurai looked like. It's face completely blank, marked with a lack of features that suggested someone had tried to make a face, but composed of everything that might have vaguely been suggested as one. The only true feature being the eyes, comprised of a myriad of colors that came together to form something bigger. They stared through me, as if looking and judging me for my true worth.
They held out their hand, and I took it.
Something flowed from their limbs, curling past their fingers and onto mine, almost alive in the way it moved, made out of the same thing they were. It crawled it's way onto the back of my hand, and arranged itself into a shape I recognized in my thoughts after a few seconds.
it is done.
Pain stabbed through me, shaking my arm as the enigmatic form disappeared and the spiral melded onto my hand, flowing through my veins and flooding my soul with whatever energy that had taken hold.
The shock smashed my mind into overdrive, my senses relit, and the finer workings of my consciousness once again in motion.
I woke up in a cold sweat. Back in the hotel room, and with the sunrise peeking out from the horizon as I realized something terrible.
I was late for the internship meeting.
I was going to be in so much trouble.
Yep, I was pretty much right.
was currently giving me what was probably a glare that would have made me burst into flames if it got any more intense. The others were sitting in the lobby with all their things packed up the moment I got downstairs.
"So, Mister Kade Wilson." She said, causing me to flinch. Full names are never a good sign.
"Would you care to explain why you were the last one to make it downstairs?" from the way she phrased the question it sounded like she already knew what the answer was. She pushed her glasses up on her face, and I hesitated before tentatively answering.
"Because… Iwokeuplate."
"I'm sorry would you care to repeat that?"
I let out a sigh and responded a little slower, in full detail. "Because I woke up late this morning, I did go to sleep early but I guess I overslept. I did like you told me though, and set up an alarm on my phone, but I guess the sound setting wasn't enough to wake me up." I was pretty sheepish, to have woken up so late despite taking active precautions.
It was weird, especially considering my rapidly fading memories of a really strange dream. Not like it mattered anyway, I needed to focus on what was happening right now.
kept up her stare for a few more moments, accentuated by her sharp features and no nonsense facial features, before letting out a sigh that reeked of resignation, gesturing towards the others. "Very well, just please keep up for this trip, you're very lucky the bus hadn't already arrived. We cannot afford to let this opportunity pass. Go meet up with the others."
I gave her a salute of respect, which might have been interpreted as being cheeky considering she just pointed me towards the rest a little firmly. I gripped the bag over my shoulder a little tighter, and made my way over to my group of fellow classmates/interns.
David was the first to speak to me, a note of amusement tinging his voice from the way he talked. "So, you woke up late huh, didn't happen to blow up anything or knock yourself out this time." He said, with a cheeky grin on his face.
He knew damn well that was a one time thing, I didn't plan on heating up the glass so much and certainly wasn't expecting to get struck in the face with pressurized steam after I released the lid, but that was like the first or second experiment we did in freshman year. He was never going to let me live that down.
"No, I didn't, Davy. Are you ever going to stop bringing that up?"
"Only when it stops being funny, which it won't."
"Goddamnit." I said, the exasperation finally catching up to my voice. We spent a few more minutes simply throwing barbs at each other, which eventually deescalated into talking about other things more on topic with this trip. It wasn't often that anyone not a professional or an expert in the field of quantum physics was invented to demonstrations and job offers like this one.
It wasn't a second later that one of the others decided to butt in on our chat to tell us the bus had arrived.
It's showtime.
It was not showtime. Not even close.
It had taken almost an hour to make our way to the facility, not even counting all the countermeasures and time spent just getting signed in. All the while a bus full of bored university students who weren't even seniors did all they could to alleviate their boredom, which was predictably stupid crap.
It was an agonizing wait, but finally we were able to go inside.
The whole place was huge, multiple complexes arranged in a particular manner. The speaker that had been assigned to us was pointing out some of the center's various labs and their respective workers in the groups dedicated to different results.
"Holy shit Kade, I didn't think you were the kind of guy to get a tattoo." turning around I saw that it was David who said that, a genuine look of surprise on his face.
What?
"David are you messing with me?"
He leaned closer towards me as we walked, pointing down towards my right hand.
Sure enough, a black spiral tattoo was sitting right dab in the middle of the back of my hand. A uncomfortably scarily familiar spiral that I couldn't quite place.
"What the fuck?!" I nearly shouted, clamping my mouth shut just in time to keep it to a low but startled whisper.
David saw my expression and a look of baffled confusion passed over his face, finally ending when he whispered back to me. "Are you seriously telling me that you got a tattoo on your hand without even knowing about it? I didn't take you for the kind of guy who sneaks into bars, Kade."
My baffled response was interrupted before I could even say a parting word. Overshadowed by a sudden screeching noise. Which was rapidly becoming louder and louder with every moment.
David was the first one to respond to it. "Do you hear that? What the hell is that noise?" he said, with a slight look of burgeoning worry.
The speaker had stopped talking by that point, a expression of befuddlement replaced by a worryingly pale look. It seemed like he had come to a realization that none of us knew about.
"Alright ev-everyone, I need you all to start moving towards the west wing now. This is not a drill something has gone wrong in one of the labs and we need to start leaving." He was frantic by this point, pushing everyone in one direction as the sirens overhead blared louder.
That's when the glass started shattering. People started screaming and rushing towards the direction he had pointed out. Bits of glass were strewn across the ground and in bits of the lab equipment, cameras, tech, equipment, nothing was safe. Those who had somehow snuck their phones past the entrance had shouted as the bits that made up their screens and cameras started blowing up in their pockets and hands.
It quickly got worse as all things metal started warping in a specific direction. People were struck and pulled to the ground as devices and metal components flew off in a specific direction, some being beaned across the head and out cold. I dropped to the ground to avoid a chair that flew past my head. I was very thankful that I hadn't brought anything made of metal in my bag.
Unfortunately, my luck ran out as what was probably the biggest cabinet i'd ever seen came barreling at me, slamming me in the chest and carrying me a great distance back in the air, before leaving me to come to a sliding stop on the ground. My chest in agony and the wind taken from my lungs. I heard someone call my name, but at that point I was already out of it. My hands tried to support me but failed as the pain came back in even fuller force, causing me to cry out and nearly bite my tongue. I was vaguely aware of something moving overhead and casting a shadow, but I couldn't be bothered to worry about that in favor of my more pressing issues.
I raised my hand in front of my face, trying to block a stray piece of metal, failing as it clipped me over the head and sent my vision swimming. I felt blood but didn't realize it until I touched my forehead.
As things became more and more hard to focus on, I realized that I had never gotten to acknowledge where the tattoo had come from. Raising my right hand in my last moments of clarity I wished for nothing less than reason for why any of this had happened, the sound of collisions and screams overhead drowned out as I gazed at it. Rethinking my desire, I thought of something else I desperately wanted in those moments, clouded in pain and the ambiguity of my situation.
To have another chance.
The last thing I saw was the soft glow that marked itself even as my vision faded to darkness.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Authors Note: Three cheers for this is the first official fanfic that i've ever uploaded to this site. And technically the first one i've ever made with an audience. I'd appreciate any feedback for this short prologue and setup for the story. And anything I could do improvement wise. Planning on uploading the first real juicy bit of story tomorrow. Thank you and stay tuned for more.
Last edited: Jan 29, 2019
Rude Awakening 1.1Rude Awakening 1.1
Jamie Griffin was an average man. He didn't have any special skills or traits, he barely even made it through high school.
What he did have was muscle, lots of it from constant gym exercise, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to use it.
So when the time came and he realized his old man was kicking him out the house, he did what any guy would do in his situation, turn to crime.
Jamie was not a very smart man.
Sure, he didn't really expect anything when he joined the underworld, but then again, he wasn't one for expectations. Working for Yama though… that turned out to be a blessing in disguise, all he had to do was act as the bouncer, and make sure some of the other punks that came through knew their place and didn't try anything funny.
Jamie pulled out a cigarette and made his way to the back of the alley, past the others and into some of the deeper territory, having another one of the guys cover his post on the outskirts of Good Luck Alley. Taking a cig break was something most of the guys understood, and as long as he made it quick there wouldn't be any problems.
Reaching into his back pocket Jamie searched for his lighter, fingers finding purchase on its smooth metal after a moment of grasping.
Before he could light the cigarette Jamie was startled by a loud noise directly on his left, twirling around in a panic and momentarily forgetting about his previous tasks.
It took a few more seconds for his brain to catch up to what he was seeing, and when it finally registered he wasn't sure whether or not he was hallucinating.
A light purple vortex was hanging in mid-air, facing downwards and about at face height, swirling back in forth in a vaguely spiral-like formation. It casted a light glow over him and the surrounding area, like a tinted flashlight.
Not even a second later, a body fell out of it, still and unmoving. The portal closed only a few seconds late, returning the alley to it's previous low light condition.
Jamie dropped his cigarette, spun around, and hightailed it back towards the entrance of the alley to get the others.
Jamie was not necessarily a dumb man either.
Waking up in an alley would probably be one of the top 10 worst moments of my life.
Finding myself waking up in an alley with a rat chewing its way into my jacket and not being able to see it due to not wearing glasses rated somewhere above that.
My return to consciousness came accompanied by a large amount of pain. It felt like i'd been turned into a chew toy for a rabid Rottweiler, and the fact that I was laying on hard pavement did not help assuage those thoughts in the slightest.
As I blinked my eyes out of habit and instinct to clear up my vision, I knew that I had somehow lost my glasses, probably due to the events that had unfolded, which were rapidly coming back to me and leaving me with a lot of questions. The one first and foremost on my mind being the fact that I was definitely not anywhere near the facility or even the hospital. Even through my decreased vision and blurry sense of sight I knew that I was not anywhere near those two locations, but rather some dimly lit alleyway.
I felt something scratching at my left shoulder, tugging at the fabric of my jacket. Looking over my shoulder to see what it was I came face to face with the blurry outline of a rat, beady eyes staring into mine as it took me a second to realize what was happening.
I panicked.
I shot up from my laying spot on the ground, swearing under my breath and ignoring the lance of pain that went up my side from the sudden motion. I felt the little thing start making its way further up my jacket nearer to my neck, likely aware of the sudden turn in the situation just as much as I was. I did the first thing I could think of, grabbing the damn thing by the back and nearly curling up in disgust as it squirmed in my grasp, before chucking it as hard as I could at the nearest wall.
The rat slammed into the wall with a loud thump, headfirst and with enough force to probably kill it considering the bloody spot it left from where it impacted. For a second I caught my breath and then became frustrated as I still couldn't see for shit, and had no way of knowing if anything else was near me, feeling a little anxious.
That was around the moment that the mark on my hand started glowing a silvery white, and I let out gasp as my vision cleared and my perception became sharper, eyes becoming watery as they readjusted to the changes and sent pulses of a headache to my brain. During all of this I never looked away from the glowing mark on my hand, bewildered and transfixed as I felt a tingle of some unknown energy surround it as soon as the process had begun. A few seconds later, the mark stopped glowing, settling back into it's original black form on the back of my hand.
What the hell just happened?
Words did not describe the amount of confusion I was experiencing at that moment, which only became worse when I heard footsteps suddenly enter my range of hearing.
"I swear Jamie you are an idiot if you think I'm going to believe that horseradish of a story, how would he even have gotten past us."
"I'm not lying, I swear to god that I saw it."
Sure enough, about three guys rounded the corner, all heavily muscled and wearing an assortment of clothes. They all paused when they saw me, and it became clear that everyone was somewhat taken aback, me included.
I contemplated running for a moment but then discarded that idea very quickly when I realized that I had absolutely no clue where I was and where to go.
So I did the next best thing I could.
"Heya fellas, you wouldn't happen to be willing to help a man out would you." I said, with the most casual tone I could muster.
They all simultaneously looked at each other, some unspoken agreement passing between the three of them, before looking back to me.
I was probably being dragged to my death.
Wasn't that a pleasant thought.
Truth be told so far the three of them hadn't done anything more than rough me up and drag me through the alley towards somewhere. Considering I didn't put any resistance and simply went with them, it might have been a factor of effort.
I had asked one of the guys grabbing me by the shoulder where they were taking me, and he simply smiled in what I assumed was a generally smug manner and told me that we were going to see Yama.
I had let that thought stew for a little while after in silence. It took me a minute to register that I had heard that name somewhere, I just couldn't exactly recall where.
We soon came upon a guarded doorway with Japanese paper lamps hanging overhead. The designs and artistic style were appealing, but I had much more important things to worry about then art choices and home design. One of the thugs not grabbing me went over and talked to another person standing at the gate, a guy with asian features, a stern face, and a large robust build clearly meant for a bouncer.
"Move." said one of the men next to me, pushing me inside and nearly sending me stumbling forward. I sent the best glare I could back at him before just deciding to walk the rest of the way at a brisk pace.
The inside was just as decorative as the outside, the whole place being surprisingly large in size, with a plethora of Japanese decor. What really stumped me were the Shoji walls that were apparently electronic. I nearly tripped over myself when the first one opened up as I walked towards it. There were a couple of other guys here too, most of them sending glances as we passed by that were generally dismissive towards me.
I did not like where this was going.
Finally, we came upon a set of walls that opened up to a particularly spacious room, with one very large figure sitting behind a desk crosslegged on the floor, wearing a blue and yellow jumpsuit.
Wait a minute.
One of the guys who led me here spoke up, from the respectful tone in his voice I could only figure that this was the Yama they were talking about. "Yama, we found this kid hanging back in the alley, he somehow managed to get past us without anybody noticing."
The ma-no Yama gave the thug who had spoken up what seemed like a annoyed glare, and then responded. "And what does that have to do with you bringing him to me.
That's when one of the others stepped in to talk, a guy wearing a t-shirt and baggy pants. "See that's the thing boss, I swear up and down that the kid just appeared out of nowhere, fell out of a damn hole in the air. Like it was the the craziest thing and it was glowing and swirling and everything, i'm not lying."
Wait what.
Yama gave the dude a somewhat skeptical glance after he finished talking, not that I blamed him, since I myself was finding that hard to believe, even after what had happened earlier.
Thinking about it made me shudder, and I suppressed that memory as soon it had popped back up, this was really not the time to focus on that.
What I really wanted to know though, was why this fat guy seemed so damn familiar for some reason, then it hit me.
"Umm, excuse me Yama."
I had to fight the urge to look away as he settled his glare towards me.
"Where exactly am I?"
That made the big man pause, looking at me critically for a few more seconds before responding in an even tone that hinted at nothing.
"San Fransokyo."
I nearly passed out right there, stumbling forward for a second, taking in his words like a blow to the chest, and took a few deep breaths before regaining my balance. A nearly silent whisper leaving my mouth at the same time. "Oh."
So that's why he looked so familiar.
"Gentlemen, this has been a waste of my time. I do not pay you all to bring in random street trash and make up fantasy stories. Please escort my guest out and get back to doing your jobs."
I did not like how he put emphasis on the word escort.
The three men silently nodded, shameful at their mess and went to grab me again. I ducked out of the grip of the guy on my left and before the others could go to surround me yelled out to Yama in equal parts desperation and will based fervor. "Wait!"
Seeing that I had at the least gotten his attention I continued with my train of thought and/or incoherent babble, for the sole sake of making sure I didn't end up a outline on the street. I steadied my quivering breath and continued talking in what I dearly hope was a firm tone of voice.
"I want to work for you."
Yama's eyes widened for a moment, and then he burst out into laughter, chortling as he and his henchmen standing around me shared a laugh like I had just told him the funniest joke on the planet.
His laughter died away, and was replaced with something that looked like amused contempt.
"And why exactly would I need someone like you, you don't exactly look like much."
It only took me a split second to come up with a reply.
"Because I don't exist."
Yama gave me a confused look, and then responded in a rapidly darkening tone of voice.
"Explain."
Ignoring the sweat coalescing down my head I explained my reasoning to him.
"Search up the name Kade Wilson. You will not find me anywhere near here. Functionally, I don't exist in the system. Therefore, you can use me to do stuff that you otherwise wouldn't be able to. The cops would be able to match your men and your associates together, which is what i'm guessing happened awhile ago."
The grunt and unamused glare Yama sent me said I was right on the money, but even more not to push my luck.
"Look, Yama, i'm not going to lie to you, I have no idea how I got here and where to go. I have no ID, no money, and no-one to rely on. I could not be in anymore of a bad space. But if you were to give me even one of those things, you'll be gaining an asset to some of your less than legal ventures."
For a moment I was afraid that he wasn't going to take the bait, resolved to do my best to book it out and hope I didn't end up dead in the process.
Yama tilted his head for a few moments, stroking his neck chin.
Finally, he responded, making me release the tension I had built up in one motion.
"Fine, your job starts in two days."
He reached under the desk in front of him, pulling out a compartment and threw something at me that I barely reacted to in time to catch."
My breath hitched in my throat as I realized what I was holding was in fact almost 500 dollars.
Yama continued talking as my brain caught up to me. "There is a place nearby called The Old Times Inn. That will be enough to cover you for a week."
"But-" the sudden dark tone making me look back to face him, "-if you get any funny ideas on skipping out or trying to hustle me. I will personally drop you from the top of a skyscraper." by now Yama was standing up and had closed the distance between me and him, at his full height, only about a foot taller than me, but somehow still really intimidating.
"Remember-" He said, as he poked his finger in my chest, sending another flare of pain through me as I stepped back. "-that no-one hustles Yama."
And with that last remark, he went back over to his desk, snapping his fingers and signaling a cue for his men.
I realized as they once again dragged me out that I hadn't gotten one crucial detail.
"Wait where exactly is The Old Times Inn!"
With a somewhat unpleasant smile Yama gave me a parting retort.
"Figure it out."
And with that I was shoved back through the gate, and out into the alleyway. With no directions, no clue as to where I was going, and about 500 dollars in cash in my pocket.
I was already starting to dislike this place.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Authors Note: And with that, we conclude the first official chapter of the story, with a good hint of what lies ahead and the underlying mechanics of our SI's mysterious power. More will be revealed next update, but in the meantime, if anyone wants to tell me what you think feel free to leave your thoughts and notes for improvement. Stay tuned for more.
Last edited: Oct 12, 2018
Rude Awakening 1.2Rude Awakening 1.2
Three hours.
Three Goddamn Hours.
That's how long it took me to blindly run around in the dark of the night and find the apartment building.
I didn't even get time to enjoy the sights and get my bearings before it started raining sometime between the second and third hour, forcing me to run around like an idiot trying to figure out where to go.
Eventually I ran into an old lady that told me where to find it, even giving me a lollipop to cheer me up. Bless her soul.
Though my slowly rising mood went down the drain again when I realized I had past it four times already.
The scream of frustration probably scared a few people nearby, not that I cared about that at the moment.
Finally though, I managed to reach the Old Times Inn, a complex which had definitely seen better days. Stains from rainfall, cracked paint, and a host of other things marring it's walled surfaces.
I felt a pit form in my stomach, but eventually shook it off as just nerves.
Denial had carried me this far, what was a few more minutes?
I stepped through the front door and was met with a suprisingly pleasant entrance room, something that wouldn't look out of place in a nice hotel or large building. My expectations soared, with me silently grateful that it hadn't been as bad as it seemed.
There was a woman, with pure blonde hair and soft features who couldn't be in less than her 30's but somehow still maintained a youthful figure. She had a smile that conveyed sugary sweet and was standing in a relaxed position behind the counter.
Steeling my nerves, I walked up to her as I prepared to ask for a room.
"Hi Mrs….." my voice trailed off for a moment as my eyes searched for a name tag but were left wanting.
"Karla Sofen. Just call me Karla sweetheart." She said, a remarkably wide grin spread across her face.
Thrown off a bit from her answer, my response was much more mild than the first and came out a little disquieted.
"Ok. So umm, I was going to ask if you had any rooms available for a week. Taking out the money Yama had lent me, I pushed it onto the desk to show to her.
Not even a second later her hands moved like a blur, grabbing the cash I had put down before counting it in a practiced gesture of dollar bill flipping. She looked back to me, with a near calculative look, before giving me another smile that seemed much more predatory than her previous one.
"Well, I do have a room left open, let me see if I can find the key for you." And wit that parting remark, she disappeared through a door exactly behind her, one I somehow hadn't seen coming in.
That sinking feeling had returned.
A minute or two later, Karla returned with a key pinched between her fingers, sliding over the desk and allowing me to grab it.
She looked up at me again. "Now it's the last room on the second floor. Don't lose the key, wouldn't want you to have to pay for a new one." winking at me as she said the last part.
I thanked her and then made my way to the end of the hall, stalling out for a moment when I realized that I hadn't even finalized the payment and that she had just taken all the money I had.
Well, when life gives you lemons.
You make life take the lemons back.
I sighed, now was not the time to be having stray thoughts. I just needed to get to my room and then lay down on my perfectly good bed.
I've been hoodwinked.
That was my first thought upon opening the door and seeing the hellhole that was supposed to be my room.
The walls were plaster, with hastily covered holes in them.
A small bed started in the middle with a ragged sheet and a blanket that looked like it had been thrown into the ocean and left to star in the movie Castaway alongside Tom Hanks and Wilson.
A singular lightbulb hung from the ceiling, illuminating a small portion of the room whilst a curtained window did the rest, a roll arm chair sat in the corner, small chunks of foam sticking out various holes in its surface.
I heard shouting coming from different sides of the room, echoing further through the many hastily fixed gaps littered throughout the walls.
My thoughts were filled with murderous Cave Johnson quotes.
It took me a good hour or so of copious swears that I would not repeat in good company to finally calm down and come to grips with my living space, leading to a painful conclusion.
I didn't have a choice. I couldn't stay anywhere else and I didn't have the money to try and find somewhere better. Until that time came I was completely helpless as to where I was living and whose rules I was living under, so far now I would just have to make the best of it.
I saw something underneath the bed move, and resolved to sleep on the much safer chair. Thankfully the bathroom was not nearly as horrific as the rest of the room, that was apparently the dealbreaker for this whole sham. Deciding to check on myself for the first time that day, I gazed at the mirror hung up over the sink.
My head injury was still cut but was starting to heal over with a small scab inching forward. I dabbed away most of the smeared blood that had clumped some of my black hair. Wiping it with a wet towel before disposing of it in the small trash can in the corner.
I hesitantly lifted up my shirt and ran damage control over the various injuries I had sustained from the accident and my rough treatment. I had never particularly exercised at the gym, but I had been athletic enough to not gain weight since I was young, that and a high metabolism, about 50/50.
The mildly dark skin of my stomach and chest was marred with bruises of different size and color and a large skin deep cut that stretched across my lower abdomen.
Definitely from the cabinet. I mentally remarked dryly. That would explain the various pains I'd been having over the day, and why it hurt to move my upper half so much.
Cleaning off the mostly dried blood, I did my best to create a makeshift bandage, something like what I and the rest of my classmates had been shown in some of our Biology courses.
It occurred to me that some of the others might not have made it out.
Why are my hands shaking?
David. . The others…
My family.
They probably don't think I'm alive do they?
I wanted to cry, I'd never felt this strongly about anything for a quite a long time, not since my grandparents had passed. I never appreciated what I had before, not until it was gone.
The wraps around my hands became wet.
I need to go lay down.
I methodically cleant up the mess I made, trudging my way back into the main room. I couldn't even be bothered to complain about it anymore, my thoughts were preoccupied with more personal issues.
I felt myself fall into the seat, springs creaking beneath the surface, but not uncomfortable enough to make me change my opinion.
I don't know how long I sat there before I fell asleep, at one point I just stopped caring about it and drifted into unconsciousness.
I dreamt of samurai, spirals, and winged snakes demanding sacrifice.
I woke up with a gasp, memories of strange dreams and images rapidly fading despite how much I tried to hold on to them.
I rubbed away the sleep and dried tears around my eyes, inwardly declaring to myself that I'd focus on something else today.
Opening my eyes further, I saw the black spiral shape from yesterday on the back of my hand, visions of it glowing from yesterday and my sudden improvement in sight returning to the forefront of my memories, and with a small self approving nod, I decided that it was as good of a start as any.
The only problem was figuring out how.
I quickly came to a realization that I had no idea how it had worked yesterday. A few fruitless attempts at summoning something, anything had yielded absolutely zero results. I tried pulling off my best Magneto and willing something to happen but I just ended up feeling stupid and probably looking like I was constipated.
An hour of frustration later I was ready to give up when I suddenly realized that I had missed that the Spiral only glowed after I had killed that rat, all on its own without me even doing anything, and it was afterwards that I wished I had been able to see better.
A cold chill settled over me as I realized the implication of it.
Please don't tell me that means what I think it means.
My grip on the chair had tightened enough to dig into the foam underneath the surface.
Of course, that was about the moment that another rat peeked it's head out from underneath my bed. Looking me dead in the eye before going back to its hiding spot.
Fuck my life.
I had done it.
I had finally worked up the nerve to test my hypothesis on the poor thing, crushing it with a well placed chair attack.
Sure enough, the Spiral started glowing, and I was filled with a sickening feeling of disgust, horror, and curiosity.
I had dissected animals before in the lab, even tested with some. But I had never gone out of my way to harm them, I didn't know what to feel at the moment.
Dropping my impromptu murder device back in its original spot I turned my attention to the mark still glowing on my hand. A spiral shape that tapered off into the middle, looking like it formed a mix of a crescent or possibly even an eclipse. The soft glow coalesced off of it, and where it touched my skin I felt a tingle move throughout my body, as if waiting to be formed and released.
I made certain to not stray towards thoughts related to my earlier experience, fearful that it would stop and fade back to its original state. I was still uncertain about what would happen if I tried to gain the same thing twice.
What if though…
"Hearing." I said, verbally sounding out my intent. The spiral continued glowing for a few seconds, no change evident. Suddenly a new idea came to mind.
Hearing.
Sure enough, I felt a ringing instantly happen in my ears, an uncomfortable feeling as I felt the insides shift for a moment and then settle back into place, the ringing suddenly absent.
The spiral had stopped glowing, and for a moment I became indecisive about what to do next.
I did the first thing that came to mind and brought my hands together in a loud clap.
The echoing tone was much finer then I should have picked up on, enough to hear the small vibrations left in the air, but not much else. Still, it had a visible effect on my hearing, and therefore I had been correct in my assumption.
I had superpowers, and they fed off the death of living creatures.
I felt a mix of awe and dread about what this made me in a world filled with Superheroes.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Authors Note: Finally, the second bit of the first arc is done. Our SI is slowly coming to grasp what's up. Hope you guys don't mind the bits of personal oh no woe is me, tried my best to make it believable but not overbearing. Next one is going to detail the days to come before our SI finally goes to meet back up with Yama for his job. As always, criticism and suggestions are appreciated. I'll answer certain questions. Stay tuned.
Last edited: Oct 16, 2018
Rude Awakening 1.3Rude Awakening 1.3
It took me a second to realize that I should probably clean up the dead rat I killed.
Naturally, my methods began and ended with throwing it out the window.
Though I did make sure to clean up the spilled blood so no one got the wrong idea and called 911 over a suspected murder.
With that done I figured that now was probably the best time to go see San Fransokyo in its entirety without being in the rain or accosted in dark alleyways.
With one last look at my pitiful temporary shelter, I made my way out of the door and to the streets below.
San Fransokyo is a beautiful place.
It is also extremely busy and ripe for a Skynet apocalypse.
I didn't make it ten feet down the street before I noticed the crazy amounts of semi-futuristic technology scattered around the place. It was even weirder considering how similar everything was compared to San Francisco, but just different enough to leave me confused. I had seen pictures of San Francisco and had stayed in it for weeks for the lab trip. So it was especially confusing to have so many similar structures and landscapes but with distinctly Japanese overtones and decorations.
I thought Yama's place had been interesting, but it didn't hold a candle to the rest of the city itself.
Craning my neck to get another look at the tethered blimps that dotted the landscape, I nearly ran headfirst into another person as I crossed the street.
Papers spilled everywhere as the near head on collision was diverted and we both tripped over ourselves in the aftermath.
"Oh no, oh I am so sorry this is-"
"No it's my bad I should've watched where I was going-"
"No don't blame yourself this is clearly my mistake-"
"Look I'll help you pick these up this isn't your fault-"
This exchange continued for a few more moments as we both dashed for the obviously important items that had been scattered across the ground, ending with me grabbing a loose paper out of the air as it nearly drifted off into the breeze.
With that I spun in place and handed it back to the stranger in front of me, a girl slightly shorter than me wearing summer yellow clothes and colorful glasses. Before the situation could get anymore awkward I gave her a quick goodbye and speed walked around the corner, hearing her fading sorry echo off my improved ears.
About ten minutes later I realized that I had just ran into Honey Lemon.
I was such a dumbass.
I had managed to make my way across San Fransokyo, and was heavily regretting it considering how utterly destroyed my feet felt and how my lungs felt like they had ran a marathon. I ended up splaying myself over a park bench pathetically whilst joggers in much better shape than me passed by and gave me looks of pity and/or amusement.
At some point I managed to rouse myself from my state of half-death and looked over the Park I was situated at, nothing but squirrels, geckos, and other park goers all around.
It was then that I had an idea.
Granted, it was a terrible one. Something that young me would probably consider the act of a sociopath disguised as him, but then again young me wasn't involved in a freak accident and sent to a parallel universe now was he?
All I had to do was murder some park geckos and not get caught.
Yeah even present me thought that was still a terrible idea, but not like i'd get a better one anytime soon.
It took a moment for me to steady myself, grasping the park bench heavily to get my bearings and begin the hunt.
Finally after a while of silently scanning my surroundings, I saw one hidden by the grass, scaling a tree.
I steeled myself for what was going to come next, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then broke off a suitably sharp stick from a nearby bush.
I essentially crouch walked my way over to the tree, slowly, like in a Metal Gear Solid game, and once I got close enough to the lizard without disturbing it, shot forward like a snake with my arm, perfectly skewering it through the chest.
I felt a pang of guilt seeing it squirm for a few seconds and then die, feeling like I had done something terrible to the world. I had loved lizards and reptiles as a kid, and intentionally hurting one made a small part of me feel shame that it had ever come to that point.
Then the Spiral started glowing, and I nearly flung the stick I was holding backwards.
"Oh shit. I really hope this works and I didn't just kill an innocent animal for nothing." I whispered to myself, half out of some desperate feeling to have my terrible act matter, the other half out of a certain anticipation.
I envisioned the crawling ability of a gecko, their amazing skill to walk along any surface with their limbs due to Van Der Waals, The little pads and intricacies in their feet that gave them such a power.
I felt a tingle spread across my limbs centered around my hands and feet, and let out a gasping breath as I realized what might have just happened. The Spiral returned to its dormant state, and I placed the stick with my victim still on it slowly on the ground.
This is it, the moment of truth.
I put my fingers along the trunk of the tree, felt the intuitive grip alongst my fingers settle into place, and lifted myself up using my forearms and nothing else.
Only to have my grip fail and fall down, back first onto the ground, knocking the wind out of my lungs and leaving me breathless.
Ow.
Welp. Guess I'm not Spider-Man yet.
I rolled over in place, trying to plant my arms back onto the ground so as to gain leverage and ended up coming face to shin with a little kid.
I looked up a little higher and saw the face of a blonde haired kid standing just a few feet away from me, with an unreadable expression across his face, wearing a dark shirt with a skull on it.
I tracked his eyes and realized he was looking straight at the stick with the lizard skewed on it.
Fuck.
Great. Looks like I got caught and managed to traumatize a little kid who couldn't be in more than elementary school.
The kid looked at the lizard, then looked back to me, then looked at the lizard again, and then looked back to me a final time. The pieces apparently falling into place, seemingly making the image of a deranged lunatic who climbed trees in the park and killed lizards with sharp sticks in broad daylight.
"Cool…"
Once his response registered I could feel the flaps of my mouth open and a bewildered expression start to stretch across my face, thankfully the ensuing train wreck was averted as I heard a somewhat stern feminine voice call out across the park.
"Sidney Meadows get back here this instant young man!"
The kid took one last look at me, gave me a really weird smile that wouldn't look out of place on a serial killer, and walked off in the direction the voice had come from.
Not for the first time did it strike me just how weird San Fransokyo was and the people that lived in it compared to my previous universe. Looking down at myself, I realized the irony of that statement and shook my head in shame.
I really didn't have the room to talk.
At some point I managed to get up and assess myself, my clothes slightly dirty from the tumble I had taken. My attention however, was focused on how mind boggling the test had been. Everything had been the same as last time when I killed those rats, and I even managed to make the Spiral light up again, yet for some reason I had been unable to stick to horizontal surfaces like the gecko had been.
Sighing in defeat I went to pick up the murder stick I had left on the ground, maybe to feed it to a bird or something, not like I should waste a precious life for no reason.
I barely touched the stick when I felt it stick to my hand, dangling by the edge of my finger, not latched on but still secure.
"What the heck!?" I nearly shouted. Now was when it decided to do the thing. After that crappy display and making me look like an idiot in front of a child.
Firmly grasping the stick again I swung my hand around smacked the tree trunk with my palm, hoping somehow it would provide the same tension I had felt on my hand.
Indeed, I felt the same circulatory tingle spread across them, but a quick hop told me that it didn't yield the same suction as with the stick I was currently grasping.
So I get lesser versions of the same thing? Is it a cumulative thing or is it just an overall thing? Is it cause I'm bigger than the animal I've killed? How did it work with the rats?
My mind spun with questions, all of them related to just what funky mechanics dictated the effectiveness of my murder powers.
Eventually I settled into a singular goal, a way to test whether or not my power worked through stacking traits, or simply through some other means.
I was going to have to kill a few more geckos.
I silently prayed that this wouldn't end up like earlier.
It took me almost five more tries and stealth hunts to confirm that my powers stacked, up to a point.
It had been abundantly clear that my wallcrawling abilities grew as I offed the second gecko. Instead of the nigh instant decline I had experienced when trying to cling to the first tree, I had managed to maintain a firm grip that nearly held as I tried jumping up onto it. After that I had set to working at a faster pace, simply wanting to get it over with.
Upon the fifth and final kill, I managed to crawl and stick upwards on the tree without any difficulty. I nearly let loose a victory cry when I managed to cling upside down on a branch of a planted cherry blossom tree. This was cut short by me falling again as the branch snapped trying to sustain my weight. Though I consider the fact that the branch never left my grip a plus.
It startled me when I realized that my feet were also able to cling to lateral and horizontal surfaces, despite the fact that I shouldn't have been able to, considering the basis of the power.
I had wanted to do more testing but realized that the sun was descending and that I really shouldn't be hanging out in the park at night climbing things.
Feeding the last of my dead benefactors to a collective of birds and burying the rest, I dashed off towards the direction of my apartment.
The lights of the city were all too beautiful at night, and I laughed as I passed underneath a holographic sign, a pep to my steps as I raced with a new vigor towards my destination. Now I atleast had a goal, something to strive for, though the fact that I had to take from lives of living beings set me back, the truth that I was capable of things that others couldn't meant I could pay back that sacrifice tenfold.
I'd get through this, whatever it takes.
And I know just where to start…
"I'm sorry, you want me to hire you as what?!"
"I told you, I want to help you get rid off your pest infestation."
Karla stared at me with a expression that screamed suspicion, likely due to the fact that I had just run in out of breath and immediately asked to kill all the things in her building.
Her current demeanor was a far cry from yesterday, which only made it clearer that Yama had baited me into taking this job with somehow who he knew, either that or out of spite.
Karla soon replied again, the skepticism clear in her tone of voice.
"And what exactly are you asking for?"
The inner nerd in me wanted to reply with Unlimited Power!
Thankfully common sense won out and I went with the less nerdy and worrying option.
I leaned over the counter, doing my best to project an aura of coolness.
From the snort that followed I probably failed.
"60 dollars. That's all I'm asking for, besides that, just give me whatever rat poison, traps, and whatever else you have stashed away that could help, and I'll get rid of anything I can find. You get more business and at a cost much less than if you just hired an exterminator."
This time her response was much more speculative, leading me to believe that she was considering.
"And what exactly do you get out of this?"
This time I couldn't resist making a stupid reference, my earlier successes putting me in a quipping mood.
"Because my dear Karla, there is a time for all things, a time to live and a time to die, a time to build, and a time to destroy."
Karla gave me a look and then sighed and finished off our conversation with a curt remark.
"Fine. Keep to the empty rooms, don't break anything valuable and I'll start you off tomorrow."
I nodded vigorously, already making my way back to my quarters, though with my hearing I managed to catch her parting words as I left.
"What kind of dork quotes video games?"
Today had been a good day, and hopefully tomorrow would prove just as fruitful.
It needed to be, if I was going to make it through whatever job Yama wanted me to do without ending up dead.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Authors Note: Another day, another fateful character encounter. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring, this was meant to transition into the next phase and clear up some more stuff as well as give our SI a new goal, or something to strive forward. As always, comments and criticism are welcome. I look forward to sharing the next chapter with you guys, Stay Tuned.
Last edited: Oct 16, 2018
Rude Awakening 1.4Rude Awakening 1.4
I woke up bright and early the next day, ready to complete my new job and maybe discover more things about my power. As far as I was concerned, having a measure of professionalism and cheerfulness in the morning was not a tough price to pay for what seemed like an amazing opportunity to gain superpowers.
The same could not be said for Karla.
I tapped my foot between the laminate floor and the chair I was sitting at as I waited in the main lobby, a certain amount of restlessness coloring my attitude and actions. Reading using a holographic pad had held me over for about an hour due to the sheer novelty, but at some point I had gotten bored and started focusing on what possible applications I could use with my power now that I knew it had a stacking effect. Apparently Karla was not a morning person considering it was about 8:00 in the morning.
I wonder what other traits rats have. I know for a fact that rats have less than stellar vision compared to humans, but that didn't stop me from upgrading my own with theirs. Unless… it's relative to my own perception, seeing as I simply went from bad vision to good vision, but not anywhere above. Maybe that would explain why I had to kill multiple geckos in order to gain an improved version of their ability. It's not something I had in the first place, and not on the same scale. Would larger animals provide bigger boosts then? If I killed a grizzly bear and wanted it's strength, would I become immensely stronger in relation to my own?
My internal musings were interrupted by the sound of a door opening, and I swiveled my head around to witness a very groggy looking Karla Sofen walk in from the back.
Her hair was disheveled, with smudges covering parts of her clothes, and eye bags accentuating the scowl she wore on her face, which only worsened when she saw me sitting in the lobby.
"What the hell are you doing up so early in the morning?" she grunted, reaching underneath the counter to pull out an assortment of things, most likely to prepare for the day.
"Why, to get ready for my new job of course." I replied smoothly, without a hint of negativity in my voice.
"Whatever, just give me my HoloPad back, that things expensive as hell and if you break it i'll have to kick your ass." she said, still shifting through things underneath the counter without even bothering to get up to face me.
I retorted in a semi-curious tone. "Then why did you leave it out on the counter."
This time she surfaced from her lower position, head poking out with a nonchalant expression on her face, as if she was explaining the weather to a child. "So that I can blackmail whoever's dumb enough to try and steal it. You wouldn't believe how many idiots get caught on the camera and then baited out of every penny they have so long as I don't tell their bosses."
This time my question came out in a slightly disturbed voice. "And why exactly are you telling me this?"
Karla grinned and then gave me her answer. "Because we wouldn't be having a conversation at all if you had stolen it. Think of it as… a test of character."
I blinked, and then shrugged. "Yeah, ok I guess that makes sense."
Karla did a double take, and then returned to her default scowling expression. She muttered something about weirdos and mentally disturbed children before finally pulling out a shiny object from beneath with a cry of triumph, finally back to her standing position.
She threw it at me, a silver blur sailing through the air, and my reflexes kicked in just in time to get a metal box to the face.
"Ow." I said, both verbally and mentally.
I rubbed my face with my free hand, the other one still latched onto the box as I brought it to waist height.
I cracked open one of my eyelids, both having been squeezed shut from my impromptu assault. I gave Karla a halfhearted glare, who simply shrugged and pointed down the hall while giving me verbal instructions.
"Third room down the hall, there's a key inside that box along with rat poison, some traps, and a sprayer. After that go floor by floor until you hit the roof. Remember, abandoned and maintenance rooms only. I'll kick your ass otherwise. Got it?"
Absorbing her instructions I couldn't help but blurt out my feelings on the whole situation. "Geez, what happened to the nice and sweet treatment."
Karla raised an eyebrow.
"Are you serious? I think both you and I should be on the same page about now."
I couldn't find it in me to try and argue, so I just silently made my way down the hall to the first room.
The door itself was slightly worn compared to its surroundings, and brushing off the doorknob left my fingers marked with dust. Taking the aftermentioned key out the box, I inserted it into the keyhole and stepped inside the dark room.
Flicking the switch only left me with a dimly lit pathway, scattered old supplies and cobwebs decorating every inch of the various pipes and wooden covers.
I heard shuffling sounds in the corner, and knew it was time to get to work. Even then, it took me a second to hype myself up for this.
"Alright Kade, this is what you signed up for, just don't think about it. Do your job, don't think about Ratatouille, or Disney films with talking animals, or other…. crap."
This was going to take a while.
I had managed to get over my fear that I was murdering Disney animals after a while. As far as I knew, that one theory about the shared Disneyverse had been debunked upon close examination of my kills and the fact that they weren't pleading for mercy and/or talking to each other in animal speak. So far I had managed to clear multiple floors over quite a few hours, stretching into the afternoon. Most of the time I just set up traps and waited outside the rooms for the Spiral to start glowing, though sometimes I needed to take more direct responses in the cases where that didn't work. Overall it proved to be a tedious affair, but one that was way more than worth it once everything was said and done.
Over the course of the day I had managed to rack up almost twenty kills, things had started ramping up after I used those first few to see if I could upgrade my hearing further, along with my sense of smell.
I could hear things even better than before, enough to pull off a good impression of Daredevil when I walked with my eyes closed, and my sense of smell had sharpened to where I could smell the scent of rats in certain rooms.
It had been an utterly awesome experience to be able to detect and attack a stray rat through a wall, simply by listening to its footsteps.
Interestingly enough that was where I capped out in capabilities, after a while of continuous upgrades I had reached a point where the differences became minute and barely visible, at which point I stopped focusing on improving my hearing and smell.
Trying to improve other things I could think of, such as strength, or something entirely unrelated to rats yielded similar results. If anything happened, I didn't feel it, and the Spiral softened its glow when I tried, only to return in full force, leading me to believe it hadn't done anything.
At this point I had managed to make my way up to the last few rooms, only one floor down from the roof and was struck with the idea for a avenue I hadn't tried.
With only a few rats left, I focused carefully on trying to envision and channel the raw agility that some of them displayed.
Sure enough, I felt my sense of balance change, and I nearly toppled over before righting myself at a immensely quick pace, drawing an odd look from a lady walking from her room into the hall. I waved at her, and she started walking a little faster while avoiding eye contact.
Testing it out yielded slightly peculiar results.
I hopped from foot to foot in place, the movement much easier and more efficient in a way I couldn't describe. Then, in a moment of truth, I performed a backflip. I could feel that the gesture was much more clean than if I had done it before, graceful in a way I hadn't been. Probably not incredible or amazing by Superhuman standards but would certainly help me parkour or do acts of agility a little easier, especially when coupled with my enhanced senses and wallcrawling abilities.
Not content with stopping there, I tried a somersault, flipping forward into the air with a strange amount of certainty, before sticking the landing and following up with a front aerial flip before taking a bow before an imaginary audience.
I hummed in satisfication, the ringing tone vibrating in my ears despite how low it was, and got ready to finish my job for the day, ignoring the sore feeling that had returned after pulling off those acrobatic movements.
Not a few moments later, the last of the rodents I had encountered died, quick and painless like the rest of its brethren.
This time, when I tried to make myself even more agile, I was met with the same resistance as when I had tried to upgrade my other traits too many times.
Weird, so there's different limitations for different attributes.
Looking down at the still active mark, I tried to think of something else rats might be capable of upgrading doubled with my own.
Finally, I came to a decision.
I'd try to heal faster.
Sure enough, as the thought solidified in my mind, I felt the Spiral's stored energy spread throughout my body, the constant aches from my previous injuries dulling slightly, not by a lot, but enough to notice.
A smile spread across my lips, and the negative thoughts I'd had about my powers were quickly becoming overwhelmed by all the perks.
The task for the day done, I marched myself back down to the first floor, intent on gaining my secondary reward, and riding high while doing it.
"So… you finally finished. I'm honestly impressed, I didn't expect for you to actually go through with the whole thing." Karla said, her earlier crankiness was gone, along with the dreadful state of her clothes and hair. She had practically undergone a metamorphosis back into the lady from a few days ago.
I had taken the dead ones out back in a trash bag, to a large dumpster on the side of the building, coincidentally the same rat from yesterday had somehow managed to land right in front of it. Which seemed like a metaphor for something, somehow.
"Welp. A deals a deal, you take this-" she handed me a bundle of money, which I counted for a second to be exactly 60 dollars. "-and go buy yourself a new pair of clothes, can't have the exterminator wear the exact same thing everyday." She finished with a smirk, making my ears burn slightly at how she had picked up on my less than stellar condition.
"Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks, Karla."
She waved off my reply, only giving her own response in a curt manner.
"Least I could do kid. Take care of yourself."
I nodded and looked at the clock, I still had a hour or so before nightfall. Enough time to pick up some new clothes with my new cash. With that in mind I made my way out of the door, only to hesitate when I heard Karla say something else.
"Wouldn't want to keep Yama waiting."
I looked back at her, and she gave me a polite smile, before shooing me off with a gesture.
No, no I most certainly did not.
The shopping trip wrapped up fairly quickly. I had enough money to buy some casual clothes, a plain T-shirt, some jeans, and new socks. Besides that, I had decided to grab the cheapest meal I could find, instant ramen and plain old water. I stashed the remaining amount of cash away to save for buying essentials after my job was done. After an entire day and some change of eating nothing, I devoured the food like it was the greatest thing in the world.
Now it was the moment of truth.
I stepped into Good Luck Alley, intent on bringing more confidence than during my original arrival.
Navigating was made slightly more easy by the fact that I could hear a helluva lot better than everyone else. I could hear shuffling, the noise of cats and arguing people, even the sound of a person sneaking up behind me.
I lashed out my hand, gripping the wrist of a kid trying to pickpocket me from behind none too gently.
I calmly turned to face him as his eyes widened and his heart beat became loud enough to hear thumping.
In an entirely even tone I whispered to him. "Keeping your hands to yourself is a good way to make sure they don't get chopped off. Don't you agree?"
The kid became more frantic, nearly in tears, and an uncomfortable knot twisted in my stomach as I realized he was probably only a few years younger than me.
I sighed, then reached into my pocket and took out a ten dollar bill, shoving it into his hand.
I let go of him and the kid stumbled back before looking at the bill I gave him.
"Try not to go after people who walk into dark alleyways kid, that's a pretty fast way to get yourself killed by thugs." I said, emulating the tone my dad used to have when he told off me or my sister for something dumb.
He looked back to me and nodded before taking off in the opposite direction.
There goes my adequate blanket money.
No sense in standing around, might as well get this over with so I don't get stabbed by a hobo or something.
Eventually my walk ended, with me standing in front of three familiar figures.
"Heya fellas, you wouldn't be willing to help a man out, would you?" I recalled, my voice not too different in the confidence and cool demeanor I had tried to project a few days ago.
This time, I genuinely meant it.
I looked at them, they looked back to me, and all four of us shared a silent agreement for what was going to happen next.
I nursed the headache that was forming around my cranium, replacing my earlier injuries as the prerogative pain.
All things said, I got off way easier than the three of them.
The tall guy on my left, who I had quickly learned was named Jamie after my brief interrogation, had taken the rest of us back to Yama's base. As of now all four of us stood, waiting with the rest of Yama's goons in what I could only guess was the main room for business. Stairs leading up and down the lower levels, where I could hear shouting taking places and what I could only presume were Bot Fighting matches.
Thomas was laying over the table next to mine, rubbing an ice pack over his bruised eye and stomach. Jamie sat right next to him, snatching the ice pack from Thomas for his own turn before he had to hand it back. Katou sat slumped over nearby, out cold thanks to being clocked over the head by Jamie and falling onto a wooden pallet, his silence punctuated by brief groans of pain.
Yep, I definitely got off lightly compared to them.
Soon enough a roar increased over the crowd below, agitating my headache but also giving me an idea that things had finally finished up down below.
Soon enough, Yama himself came up, followed by a group of his lackeys and/or goons.
Yama gave me a surprised look once he saw the state of his henchmen and then laughed out loud.
Once he finally calmed down from his laughing he turned and gave a nod to one of the guys following him, who walked over to me holding some kind of wrapped box.
Yama passed by me and continued walking, before snapping his fingers and signaling for a group of his men to break off, apparently to do some important task based on the way they scattered and ran off to do different things.
I turned my attention back to the guy before me, who was fixing me with a critical look, made all the more intimidating by the variety of tattoos across his arms.
I tried not to let my discomfort show as he started talking to me.
"So the boss says your story checks out, which means he lets you do the job for him. You take this package-" handing me the box before continuing. "-and you deliver it down the street from where my guys drop you off."
After giving me a glance to confirm that I was following along, he continued talking, this time with a lot more emphasis in his voice.
"Do not open this package. Do not talk about anything you see unless you want to lose some fingers. And if we find out you spilled the beans to anyone, then you're not going to wake up one day to tell anyone otherwise. Is that clear."
I did my best to ignore the bead of sweat dripping down my back, and simply give him an answer that would suffice to get the point across.
"Crystal."
He found that good enough, nodding before showing me where I was supposed to go. A backdoor hidden behind the staircase up that led outside, a pickup truck with the others in it.
I took a deep breath, in and out, before making my way over and hopping in the back with two other guys, still grasping the box firmly and praying that we would get this whole thing out of the way quickly.
The ride was over suprisingly quick, with the truck driver dropping me off like a block away from the destination.
Sure it had been awkward riding with them for a while, but the two guys in the back with me were suprisingly cool dudes. One had even told jokes all the way there, though the other guys seemed to be used to them and responded with groans and shouts for Wade to shut the hell up. Overall they were way more friendly than I had originally thought.
Walking around in the dark made me a little uneasy, especially with my enhanced hearing letting me pick out every single little movement and sound around, though the glow of the city lights helped assuage those fears a small amount.
Walking up to the front, I was met with a steel door with a eyehole cover. Knocking on it made the cover open, two eyes peering through to scan me and settled on the package I was carrying. After a few more moments, the door was unlocked and I was greeted by the sight of a tall Asian man dressed in a business uniform.
He gestured me inside, and I hesitantly took the invitation. Looking around I realized that everyone inside was actually dressed in fairly conservative suits, giving them a look of uniformity.
I handed the man his box, and he took it before handing it off to someone else, who quickly set forth on opening it.
I was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the situation, seeing as I could pick up on someone behind me closing the entrance, and the quiet shuffling as some of them reached inside their pockets and clothes.
Eventually I broke the silence, a quiet tone masking the fear I was feeling overall.
"So… fellas, I'll just be taking my leave if you don't mind, seeing as Yama just sent me to deliver a package, and I can't have myself being late to report back to him."
The man who had let me in gave me a once over and then said something that made my heart skip a beat.
"Yama sent you, so he agrees to our deal, unfortunately… this also means you've seen too much, and are not one of Yama's men."
By now I was in full blown panic mode, hastily backing up before being reminded of the fact that there was a guy standing behind me also, armed with what looked like a silver baseball bat. A faint thumping noise entered my field of hearing, but I was too engrossed in my current situation to really care about that.
The main man spoke up once again, this time addressing his fellow Yakuza.
"Remember, we don't leave any evidence we were here."
It was about at that point that Fredzilla crashed through the window and the room erupted into chaos.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: And here. we. go.
Next update marks the last part of the Rude Awakening Arc and afterwards a short interlude from Yama's perspective. Ladies and gentlemen be prepared to see Big Hero 6 assembled for the first time in the story. The SI is even going to get his own action scene next update, think of it as an apology, considering how I technically skipped the one featured in this chapter. As always, comments and criticism appreciated. Stay Tuned for more.
Last edited: Oct 16, 2018
Rude Awakening 1.5Rude Awakening 1.5
The Yakuza wasted no time in attacking 'Fredzilla'. Unfortunately, that proved to be a really hard undertaking in an enclosed space, with multiple guys and a bouncing lizard man who breathes fire.
The guy behind me shoved me out of the way as he went to go help his compatriots, while I was still trying to process my first true sighting of the real deal in action.
I snapped out of it quickly when I realized that they had left the door unguarded.
Pushing myself off the floor, I casually walked towards the door, cracked it open just wide enough to fit myself through, and left without saying a word. The chaos still going on inside fresh in my ear.
I took off running.
No way in hell was I getting caught up in that.
I thundered down the street, uncaring if anyone saw me, intent on making my way back around the block and seeing if the other guys had left.
I turned the corner and nearly cursed out loud when I saw what had happened to the truck and the other guys.
The vehicle had been coated from the front to the back in what looked like gooey chemicals. The truck itself looked like it had come up a little more, presumably from the driver trying to take off but failing. The thugs who I had ridden with were tied up across the back of the truck, bound tightly by what looked like rubber coating. Down the street I could see other people, four silhouettes that appeared to be talking to each other. The biggest one in bright red and with another person hanging off their back.
I didn't even need to see them in full detail to know who they were.
I practically dived back around the corner to avoid being seen, silently panting and hoping that I wouldn't get jumped as I made my way back down from where I had come.
Scanning the buildings around me, I saw an open alley, clotheslines strewn between open building windows and decided that it was as good of a place as any to try and flee.
The thumping sound returned, and my heart plummeted as I remembered what had happened a few minutes ago.
I'm so screwed.
Sure enough, as I sprinted inside the open passage, a colorful blur landed right in front of me.
I had skidded to a stop moments before, hearing the whistling noise pass overhead.
I got my first full look at 'Fredzilla' himself, costume colorful and vibrant, complete with three yellow eyes, a tail, and horns across the back and arms, with a surprising amount of detail up close.
Fred struck a pose, gloved scaly hand held out in the sign for stop, and gave me a loud declaration in probably the most stereotypical hero voice he could.
"Halt evildoer! You face the mighty Kaiju of Big Hero 6, surrender now and i'll go easy on you!"
I blanked out for a second, and my brain spewed out the first few words that came to mind.
"Isn't it supposed to be Fredzilla?" I instantly clamped my mouth shut, deeply regretting my moment of stupidity.
Fred's pose slackened and he raised one of his hands to his top eye. "Huh, you know I was hoping that name would catch on. The others said it was a bad idea, so I figured I might as well go with something more general. I can't wait to tell them how wrong they were!
Then he paused and looked back at me, as if realizing something, and struck a general combat stance. "Right! Yeah, we were about to fight weren't we. Totally slipped off my mind."
Inwardly I was screaming at the fact that this was the guy who was most likely going to put me in jail.
With one last second standoff, both me and Fredzilla burst into action.
Fred leaped way over my head, spewing jets of fire right in front and in the back of me. My mind working in overdrive meant it only took me a split second to realize he was trying to box me off from escaping.
I dashed to my left side, barely dodging Fred's attempt to jump on and presumably incapacitate me. Not wasting an moment, I jumped up and planted my feet on the left side of a surrounding wall, using my sticking ability and momentum to seal the deal as I ran across the wall for an instant before flipping off sideways like Neo from the Matrix, crossing the fiery barrier.
My feet struck the floor, and I spared a look behind me to see the still form of Fred, staring with an unreadable expression behind his eyed mask.
"Woah."
I didn't look back again, instead choosing to run towards the opposing end of the alley.
"Hey! Hold on, your supposed to stop!"
I heard Fred spring forward once again, and it only took him a few seconds to close the gap forming between me and him. This time when he landed, I lashed out with a closed fist towards his mask.
I felt the hard material give only a little before pushing back and making my fist recoil in slight shock and pain. So that confirmed that whatever their suits were made of, they were durable as hell and I had zero chance of hurting him physically.
The distraction did its job, and Fred rolled back just enough to indicate surprise. I pivoted around him and planted one of my legs behind his. I swept his feet out from under him, straining in exertion as the heavy springs and metals in his suit that made up his jumping ability worked against me.
Fred grabbed my arm and pulled as he went down, nearly wrenching mine out its socket. With his grip on tight I chose to roll with him, sending us both tumbling backwards, with me being flung a short distance away from him. My back hit the ground and I let out a short wheeze, before hastily trying to get back up.
By the time I had managed to right myself Fred had already bounced back up like nothing happened, performing a kung fu flip to get back up and then striking me straight in the chest with an open palm.
My world exploded into pain, and I stumbled back a few feet and ended up grabbing hold of one of the hanging clotheslines, a red shirt nestling itself between my face and arms as I pulled it backwards on its wire.
Wait. I can work with this.
Fred strided towards me, probably thinking that since I had stopped moving I might have given up.
"Alright, since this is probably your first time seeing Big Hero 6 and that was a pretty sick move back there I'll give you one more chance to surrender."
I replied in a curt and polite voice.
"No thanks."
I let go of the wire, aim sailing true and smacking Fred in his main eye, the one hiding his true head.
Before he could even begin to get the wayward piece of clothing out of his face, I sprinted forward and tackled him head-on.
'Oh, come on! That's just dirty." Fred yelled out, unprepared for my sudden linebacker tackle and cloth tactics.
I gave him the best excuse I could come up with at the moment. "Hey, as long as it works."
I ducked underneath a swat from Fred and went to work wrapping the red piece as best as I could around his horns and eye, holding on for dear life as Fred righted himself and jumped up high.
I screamed as I held on for dear life, windows sailing past as we went further and further off the ground. Fred started falling backwards, and we both collided with an assortment of clothes hung out to dry.
My grip slipped and I ended up tumbling a few feet further to the ground, positioning myself at the last minute so that my upper torso took the brunt of the blow.
The collision hurt like hell, and I had to stifle the swear words and cries of pain at my injury.
I looked up and saw Fred, hanging tangled on multiple clotheslines, squirming and shooting fire out of chest mouth as he did his best to free himself to no avail.
I flung myself forward on the ground, adrenaline coursing through me as I nearly tripped trying to continue my escape further away. Smell of singed clothing wafting after me.
"Hey! Get back here, we're not done yet, just let me get- out- of these- stupid clotheslines, ahh! CURSE YOU ARTIFICIAL FIBER!"
I hopped over a nearby trash can, using it's higher position to vault myself onto another wall and cross over a tall chain linked fence.
The loud sounds and multiple voices entering my field of hearing told me the rest of Big Hero 6 was soon making their way over, and like hell was I going to stick around and guarantee an even worse butt kicking.
I emerged back onto a main street, filled with cars passing and other people, some giving me odd looks at my disheveled state and sudden appearance.
My adrenaline died down and I took on a calmer state, digging out a piece of paper I had kept from earlier that gave me a general idea of where I was.
I took on a brisk pace and headed down the street towards the way I knew led back to Good Luck Alley.
A cold seething rage bubbled to the surface now that I was out of danger, my fists curling up in anger as I thought back to what those guys had said in the building.
Yama had a lot of explaining to do.
I nearly burst through the gate, silently furious at being set up and wanting to get answers as to what the hell that had been about.
I saw Jamie and the other goons still sitting around the table, apparently playing some sort of card game, their eyes widened once they saw me and they quickly went back to the cards.
The rest of Yama's men let me through as I made my way to his office. The shoji walls barely had time to open before I barged in.
Yama was sitting with his back to me. He turnt around and looked at me with a vaguely intrigued face, which confirmed that he was probably surprised that I was even alive.
I had to rein in my anger before I could begin to even speak, reminding myself that he probably had men waiting to off me, hidden whilst I talked to him. Not to mention that I was not confident in my chances at taking him on in a fight. Superpowers or not, he was Kingpin size for a reason.
In a slightly edged tone, I asked him my first question.
"Did you know."
He didn't bother with any pretenses.
"Yes."
I bit my lip and the clenched my fists so hard my knuckles were probably turning white.
Yama was unfazed my violent reaction, and simply continued talking.
"What happened to the others."
That was just enough to take my mind of the sudden revelation, turning my hateful sneer into a neutral expression before I responded.
"Big Hero 6 caught them. The guys in suits you sent me to deliver to also got caught."
This time it was Yama who had a violent reaction.
He flipped the table he was sitting at, sending it flying across the room and through one of the walls. My eyebrows shot up in surprise as one of the biggest criminals in the city had a miniature temper tantrum, yelling and banging his fist against the ground hard enough to crack the wood.
A few seconds later, he took a deep breath and calmed down, returning to his previous spot and acting like nothing had happened.
By this point I was beginning to get a little freaked out, considering the stark difference between the guy a few moments ago and the guy I had been dealing with up until now.
"How did you escape?"
I didn't realize he was back to talking to me until he coughed and gave me a hard stare for me to answer him. Still caught up in thinking of his previous actions.
"Oh. Right, so umm… I ran down an alley, and had to fight the lizard guy. You know, the one with the three eyes and breathes fire and jumps around."
"I am not an idiot. How did you escape when my other men, and apparently, an entire group of Yakuza failed."
Fuck. He was getting angry, he probably thought I sold them out.
Alright moment of truth time I guess.
"Yeah, so see about that. The truth is… that I have some unique abilities. Not much, truthfully but it did help me get away from the lizard guy and his friends without being noticed."
Before Yama could say or do anything drastic, I jumped in place, pressing the top of the wall with my hands. I felt my power take hold and I hung in mid-air, attached to the ceiling by only my hands and fingers, dangling a few feet off the ground.
Yama's eyes nearly bulged out their sockets. A flabbergasted look passing over his face, before a more nasty grin took its place.
"Well, that is certainly interesting…" he trailed off, looking pointedly at me.
I sighed, and then gave him my name, feeling a sad amount of irony in the fact that Yama hadn't even bothered to learn it knowing that I was that expendable.
"Kade. Kade Wilson."
He continued on, now with a proper word for me.
"Ah! Kade, well then… I feel like this could be the start of something great. You need me, and I could use your special… skills for some of my work."
He got up and made his way around me, clasping me around the shoulder.
"Work for me kid, and I'll be paying you a lot more money than that measly amount from earlier."
Not a chance in hell.
That was my first thought.
Who was this guy to think that he could write me off as a sacrificial sheep for some gang I knew nothing about?! I was still mad as hell about being played like that, but the more I thought about, the more I realized that I really did need him. I only had enough money for a week at a crummy apartment and a lousy meal. No one would help me otherwise, not like I had any friends or family to contact. So my options were pretty much become a homeless dude or work as the pawn of a sleazy crime boss.
Then an idea popped into my head, and I started thinking about it in a diffferent light. If he really did employ me, I could start buying things, animals, pests that people fed to their animals, maybe even exotic ones that I couldn't get elsewhere.
There were tons of things out there that I could kill and become strong enough to beat down Yama and his crooks with, with enough time. All I had to do was play the long game and find a way to get my hands on a source willing to work with me.
I looked back at Yama, still standing there with a self-pleased grin on his face, probably thinking he had me, hook line and sinker.
And I knew just who to get it from.
I held out my hand, and gave him the most pleasant smile I could.
"Yama, you've got yourself a deal."
He laughed and took my hand, I laughed with him.
I'd burn his little empire to the ground one way or another.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: And so ends the Rude Awakening Arc. Next update is going to be a short Interlude from Yama's perspective and what he's been up to the past couple of days. As well as a look into the other criminal elements of San Fransokyo. The SI will return in the next arc, hopefully fulfilling you guy's curiosity for more power related stuff, as well as some daily life shenanigans. As always, comments and criticism appreciated. Stay Tuned for more.
Last edited: Oct 17, 2018
Interlude: YamaInterlude: Yama
I am not the most charming man.
Some would say my reputation within the underworld of San Fransokyo was tenuous at best. That Keisuke Yamada, 'Yama' as I am known to my underlings, had only risen from his status as underground wrestler and hired muscle thanks to the one known as Obake, the boogeyman of San Fransokyo's underworld.
In a way… that is true.
Now, after the disappearance of my contributor, rivals had smelled blood in the water, the Fujitas had begun growing restless, ambitious fools had started to contest my men.
The deal with the Kuroten Clan was no doubt ruined, again by Big Hero 6!
They have been a recurring pest for far too long.
I would deal with them in time.
For the past few days my position had been threatened on all sides, just as it had been when I first became the Kingpin of San Fransokyo. I was not willing to bow then, and I won't now.
The 'Mountain' of San Fransokyo would yield to no one, not as a wrestler, and not as a Oyabun. Those who opposed me would be crushed like the gnats they were, sooner or later, and I would not need to be charismatic for that.
The newest of my underlings had learned that quickly. A mere boy, Kace, Kane, or whatever his name was, heeled when he realized the strength of the Yakuza, and fallen in line. His anger meant nothing, at the end of the day his strange ability would not save him against my wrath should he strike out against me, whether he was a means to an end or not, it made no difference.
Yes. Soon the rest of them would see that Yama was not a man to be trifled with. I would prepare, hire thieves and mercenaries to steal the best weapons they could find from that idiotic Krei corporation, gain men like the boy who could prove useful but still malleable under my grip.
My men had started with research on rumors, with me funneling out news reports of goo men sightings, and focused on the more useful to my cause. It proved more than worth it, information about a mercenary and cook for hire working in the city, at an underground cooking competition being set up right in my own alley.
I did not need to persuade those around me, merely show them their places in the world.
I flipped through the holographic images a little faster, grinning at some of the footnotes attached by my men working on the inside of Kreitech. Word of a gravitational disruptor kept hidden by Krei himself, powerful, and maybe just enough to be used against my enemies.
Yes, I would prove the error of their folly in going against me.
Time to make a call.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: Real short interlude featuring Yama, and a general idea of what he's been up to. Probably going to upload a full chapter later today, so just thought I'd get this out early. Upload speed after that might slow down a little, but I mostly expect to keep a similar pace. Feedback is appreciated and I'd like to know any ideas for improvements you guys might have. Getting into Yama's headspace was a little difficult. As always, Stay Tuned.
Last edited: Oct 18, 2018
Test Run 2.1Test Run 2.1
Up. Down. Up and down. Come on Kade you can do this!
I had no idea how long I'd been up here on the roof. Only that the sun had risen at some point and was currently making my exercises even more stressful as a result.
My knees were screaming at me, and my arms had started shaking tremendously at some point. The only thing keeping me going was my own thoughts of encouragement, hyping myself up so I could continue.
I pulled myself up with one last Herculean force of will, keeping the stance for what seemed like the third or fourth hundred time. I had genuinely lost count at some point, not that it stopped me.
I fell, and rolled over onto my back. Too tired and strained to continue, any normal human being who knew about my exercise would call my actions reckless and liable to wreck my body.
After about fifteen minutes of laying on the apartment roof my muscles were back to feeling as good as new. Like I hadn't just been doing a death regimen that would make any experienced gym rat pass out.
Anyone who called me reckless didn't know anything about healing factors.
Four weeks ago I had been worried about pushing myself too hard and destroying something vital, the very day after the job I had thrown myself into improvement. As I continued on I had to come to a slow realization that the periods of recovery I had were unreal in gym terms, I recovered faster and came back stronger each time, all in the span of a day. As time went on I started doing more and more, in shorter spans of time.
Sure, I wasn't currently built amazingly or even in perfect shape, but I was getting to that point. Way faster than I should. Already my stomach muscles had tightened, right alongside my arms toning.
I sighed, finally getting up from my spot on the hard surface of the roof, stretching myself in what most would consider an uncomfortable manner.
Heh. If only my dad could see me now. Guess having superpowers is a good motivator to get in shape.
Walking over to the entrance back inside, I reached for a stash of snacks and fatty food I had bought a while ago.
I scarfed it all down in one quick motion, like a man who had been starved at sea.
Of course healing factors came with a downside.
I had to eat a lot of food. At first I had figured it was just me being greedy, but at some point I had come to the realization that I had to fuel my regeneration with foreign components, as much food as needed until my hunger went away. So far it wasn't too much of a big deal, but inwardly I wondered if it would become a abnormal problem if I started enhancing my healing factor further in the future.
Not like I hadn't been busy with other things besides exercising though.
Done with my quick snack, I looked over the side of the building, checking my surroundings to make sure no one was passing by down below, and that the coast truly was clear.
Then I vaulted over the edge, one hand pressed to the side of it.
I slid down, wind whistling past me as I went the long way down, friction abusing power kept at a fine tuned pace.
A grin broke out on my face as I focused on suppressing my improved gecko-like ability. The tingle of power receding as I willed for it to stop being active, submerged but not gone.
My grip broke about ten feet away from the ground, with me pushing off the wall as I went for a tuck and roll, a gesture practiced over days and yet intuitive as walking.
I came up in a standing position, the sting of the fall fading fast as my minor but useful healing factor went to work.
I took off around the block, beginning the second part of my daily regimen, with lungs altered from the sacrifice of many pigeons and agile legs carrying me on my path as I pushed myself further than any other time in my life.
Yes. I had been very busy.
After that day with Yama I had become more focused then ever. It was partly out of a mix of emotions, fear, hatred, even anticipation.
Yama had given me a goal to strive for, even if it was getting out from under his grip.
That night I had lost my hold over my emotions, loathful at the fact that I could have prevented what had happened, a good deal of it spent tearing apart my own rash decisions, and another bit stinging at the perceived betrayal on all sides.
I could have done anything else, talked it out with Fred and told him my situation, skipped out and ran off, but I didn't. I did the dumb thing and tried to confront Yama about what he had done, and only ended up sinking myself deeper.
When I had come back to the apartment, I had been furious, and took it out on Karla for essentially knowing that Yama sent me on a suicide mission, despite the contradictions and the doubts I had. She had read my face as soon as I came back and knew that something was wrong, and from the way she reacted, she had guessed what the problem was pretty quickly.
We didn't speak much after that, mostly because I went out of my way to avoid her when it wasn't necessary. Though after a while I calmed down enough to realize I was being an idiot, though I hadn't confronted her about it yet.
I lost myself deep in thought, body running on autopilot as I ran my way around the block in a constant cycle.
"WEEOOH WEEOHH WEEOOHHH!"
I winced, being snapped out of my solemn silence by the sound of a fire truck vibrating in my ear. The truck was far away enough that I had to squint to see it, but the noise it brought was loud and clear to my enhanced hearing.
Focusing on it, I felt the ringing dim as my hearing was toned back to manageable levels, and was silently grateful that I found out that application of my power while experimenting.
So far I had been playing my cards close to my chest, making sure to keep Yama in the dark about the true extent of my powers. Afraid that if he knew what I could be capable of in time, he could put on a tighter leash, or even have me offed before I could become a risk. I hadn't yet bothered to ask him for much, fearful of overstepping and making him suspicious, though the steady pay I had gotten from then onward had opened up more options for me in my free time.
He had even given me a cheap phone, though it did literally nothing, no matter what I tried. He had told me that it would serve as an alert for when he 'needed my services', ending on a somewhat ominous note.
I had went and explored different places in the city. Places that dealt in animals, particularly restaurants, where it wasn't entirely far fetched that I simply wanted to buy live fish and Crayfish for just home cooking.
I did have to careful with my spending though, as the amount Yama had given me so far was just enough for daily pursuing my goals but tight enough that it wouldn't satisfy all of them for quite some time.
I strollled onward, the hours of running and breaks to recuperate leading into nighttime.
Finally I came back to the entrance.
I hesitated for a moment, thinking back on the awkward interactions I had been having with my apartment landlord, ultimately shaking off the fleeting thoughts of simply climbing up the building to avoid interaction with her.
Avoiding my problems only meant they'd get worse. I needed to think smarter, not harder if I was going to stand a chance of making it through to the end.
I took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.
Karla was sitting at the main desk, an unreadable expression across her face that quickly turned into surprise at seeing me.
It took me a second to realize that she had probably not seen me come down the elevator or stairs.
I swallowed back a nervous cough. "Hey Karla."
She gave me a nod of acknowledgement. "Kade."
I began forming an apology "Listen… I'm sorry about the way I-"
She cut me off. "Don't. You were mad, I would be pissed too if someone had did that to me. What happened is none of my business, and if you're willing to move on with it, then so am I."
I stood there shocked for a few seconds, then hastily replied. "Y-Yeah. Thanks, really it means a lot."
The both of us gave the other, small but happy smiles. I couldn't help but crack a joke, my mood becoming happier all the while.
"Heh. Guess I made this out to be something it's not. Good thing we didn't Fallout!"
"That was a terrible pun. You should be ashamed of yourself for making it."
"Look I'm not the best at witty banter, the fact that you realized the joke is what makes it funny to me."
We both chuckled at that, the previous status quo restored to its former glory.
Just then I felt a ringing in my pocket, and the atmosphere changed from pleasant to tense, my previous mood quickly changing as I realized the only meaning that ringing had.
Looks like Yama needed my services.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: And so our SI begins his road to power. Determined to make his way out of the Kingpin's grip and now realizing the need to grow from more than just his swanky powers. I think we all know what job he's being called in for, and if you don't, well then keep that excitement for later. As always, comments and criticism appreciated. Stay Tuned for more.
Last edited: Oct 18, 2018
Test Run 2.2Test Run 2.2
I'd like to say that I walked into Yama's base with style and grace, but that would be a lie.
I practically ran there as fast as my feet could carry me. I'd been prepared for whatever job he would've have wanted me to do but he had still somehow managed to blindside me.
Though at least I was somewhat ready.
Grasping the phone currently hanging from my fingers tightly I hopped up the stairs to the second floor. Jamie and the three stooges looked up from their Poker game as soon they saw me come up.
Jamie grunted. "You're late."
I didn't break my pace as I retorted, vaulting myself over one of the tables set up and running down the hall to Yama's headquarters.
"Better late then never."
I didn't bother to stick around for his reply, already far enough down the hall that it was useless to try.
I stepped past the retracting walls as always and walked into Yama's room, where he was talking to a lady dressed up in… ninja gear?
She looked me up and down, and then scoffed, as if I hadn't passed some unknown test, strutting past me as she exited the room and didn't give me a second glance.
For some reason I felt like I recognized her, but couldn't put my finger on it. Not for the first time did I regret not re-watching the series that came out for Big Hero 6.
I stopped tracking her as she left, and turned back to Yama, who was now looking at me with a disgruntled face. "You are late, Kane."
I didn't try to stop the annoyed response that slipped out. "It's Kade."
"I don't care."
Yama gestured towards the door, presumably referencing the woman that just left. "That was Momakase. I hired her to retrieve a very valuable device from KreiTech. One that will help me greatly in the coming weeks. Your job will coincide with hers."
I gave him a shrewd look. "So… what's my job supposed to be then."
"You're going to be sneaking into KreiTech under an alias, as an intern."
I snorted, because of course the universe had to make it ironic.
Yama raised an eyebrow and then continued, ignoring my snickering.
"After that you need to make your way into this specific division." He brought up a an elaborate map, presumably of the inside of the building, with an area highlighted with a circle.
"You're going to retrieve the data for a weapon. It's stored on one of the computers in the facility."
"What kind of weapon are we talking about?"
"The kind you don't need to know about to do your job." He said, in a tone that brokered little tolerance for questions.
"Fair enough."
This is way too sketchy to not try and find out.
"You're going in tomorrow, at exactly 6:00 pm. Don't be late, and don't get caught, or else." He said, the implication very clear about the consequences if I got caught and tried to whistleblow.
"So is that it? How exactly am I supposed to grab the data and get out?"
Yama turned away, waving me off.
"I'm sure you'll figure something out."
I felt a sudden spike of familiar rage, and forced it down with a strong exertion of willpower. Soon, but not now. I just had to wait a little longer.
The forced grin I had been holding slipped off my face as I walked out, one last falsely cocky reply slipping out my lips.
"You got it, boss."
So far KreiTech was really starting to remind me of InGen, specifically the downright hilarious negligence and security problems thanks to people like Nedry.
I had gotten in on time, worried that something would go wrong from the beginning, but nope, everything had gone smoothly at that point.
The front desk lady had issued me a pass once I told her my name. Though I nearly bit my tongue when it registered me as 'Kane Winston'. Fucking Yama trying to take the piss out of me.
The halls were neat and tidy, with smooth metal and stylistic rooms all around. I tugged uncomfortably at the business casual suit I was wearing. It had cost me way too much money to buy, and I was regretting buying it altogether with the itchy feel that cropped up.
The room I was in consisted of a few other people around my age, all talking to each other and typing away on the computers while they chatted. I tried to focus on something else, the interactions reminding me a little too much of home.
Finally the guy I had been waiting for showed up, scanning the room before focusing on me. He ushered me out whilst telling everyone else to keep up the good work.
We walked out silently, footsteps echoing across the mostly barren first halls, before eventually reaching an executive room, with him swiping a keycard across the front and us proceeding to go inside.
He turned towards me, finally speaking in a deep voice that complemented his heavy features.
"Here-" he said as he slipped a small usb drive into my hand. "-Momakase is already talking to Krei in the upper levels. You have about thirty minutes before she's done and people start to arrive. Don't get caught."
And with that final warning, he drifted right past me and back into the hall. The lights dimming within the room as I stood there silently and contemplated my plan.
My gaze drifted towards the windows, and I smiled to myself.
I pulled the mask I had been carrying out of my drawstring bag, securing it around my face.
It's showtime.
Have you ever run alongst the side of a tall building?
Let me tell you that it is way more fun than you'd think it would be.
I kept up a steady pace as my feet glanced off the smooth glass, I pushed on and off silently as I took in the heights of a nightly San Fransokyo from the side of one of its decently tall buildings.
I looked at the map downloaded on my phone, realizing that I was a good deal above my current target, straight below was where I could drop to the facility it was kept in.
Slowing my breath, I partially released the hold of my grip, and went sliding down the side, fast.
The insides of the KreiTech's headquarters flew past my eyes as I dropped, rooms and occasional people flashing by, though I didn't get to take in their reactions as I moved past.
My heart pounded in my chest as the wind whistled by me, until I finally decided to apply more friction and came to a rapidly slowing stop just a few feet from the seperate roof of my target.
I pushed myself off the window, landing on the floor and strafed right into the bushes, just as a man with a goatee and janitorial gear came out.
He yawned, looking tiredly around him and walking straight past my hiding place.
I heard the door click shut from the room he had just been in, and saw the flash of an ID around his neck.
I glanced around the field, scanning the open space in front of us, and started reversing up alongside the wall I was near, inside his blindspot.
I dropped silently to the floor, inches away from where he had left his gear at, fingers curling around the edge of the mop handle.
The janitor stood off to the side, holding his phone and utterly oblivious to my sudden appearance.
Quick as a flash I swung the mop at his head hard, the dull thwack echoing in my eardrums as he dropped like a stone.
I rushed over, pulling the ID card from around his neck and gently tugging his body out of sight and into the bushes. With a single dexterous movement I swiped the keycard into the slot and made my way into the room he had exited from.
Inside it seemed like everything was kept darkly lit. A huge room with a mutitude of stations set up. I made my way over to a monitor lined up along the furthest corner. I turned on the screen, and the blue glow lit up the room, the proud KreiTech logo flashing on it before it cut to a standard computer.
It took me a full few minutes of searching, scrolling through lengths of miscellaneous information before I found what I was searching for.
One of the guys I had talked to yesterday said all I had to do was hook it up, and the drive would do the rest, downloading all the information and leaving them to sort through it later.
I wasn't going to do that.
I wanted to know damn sure what kind of weapon Yama was planning on stealing, no way in hell did it have to be something small, or else he wouldn't have sent for me to retrieve it.
Sure enough, as I enlarged the image of the blueprints, as well as various notes on the side and even test logs. I realized that the weapon being designed was for a directed energy one. One designed for releasing strong bursts of encapsulated plasma, contained like grenade launchers so that they could be detonated afterwards, acting as supercharged incendiaries and EMPs all at the same time.
I wracked my brain, the sheer damage these things could cause if mass produced on the streets was massive, and I was under no illusion that Yama didn't plan on outfitting them for each and everyone of his goons. I had heard about the territory struggles, and read up on the robot attacks that had happened in the streets. It was something of an open secret amongst his thugs that Yama had orchestrated that, Big Hero 6 being the only ones that had stopped that situation from escalating out of control.
I couldn't bring this back, not if I wanted to keep innocent people from the crossfire. Though how I was supposed to stop that, and keep my job while not dying was the hard part.
What if I didn't bring back the whole thing?
An idea came to my head, and I got to work, scrolling through the notes, altering mathematical notations so that the results were skewed. I altered the composition of the blueprint, making it so that the energy output and technical information were correct but also more likely to lead towards error, even erasing portions of underlying information so that the errors couldn't be traced and fixed.
I rushed through the process, still nervous that my time was running out. Finally the data had reached a point where the key information was still there but heavily traced with artificial errors that could be written off as mistakes of prototyping. I planted the usb drive and watched as the data downloaded into it.
Suddenly I heard noises in the outer edges of my hearing.
Oh shit.
I watched helplessly as the download percent rose, egging it on desperately as footsteps became louder and I heard voices begin to shout.
The download reached 100 percent, and I yanked it out of the slot instantly, sprinting towards the exit nearest to me as I burst through the door.
I activated something I had been saving for a long time.
My vision altered, pupils contracting and shifting in shape and I suddenly became able to see the perfect thermal outlines and heavily heated faces of two security guards standing in front of the other door.
They saw me, and I took off running.
"Hey, stop right there!"
I ignored their shouting, sprinting full force across the field, able to see the obstacles in my path clearly, I saw outlines of light wrap around my shadow and knew they had taken out flashlights as they pursued me.
I was silently thanking my past self for deciding to invest in better lungs and endurance.
I reached one of the outer sections, coming to a stop before running to the edge of a building and leaping up with full force, climbing up the side with the dexterity of a ninja with superpowers.
I looked back one more time, the heat signatures of my two pursuers accompanied by a few more further away, presumably others come to inspect the commotion. Satisfied with the results, I finally turned it off, the experience proving disorienting before in the few chances I had taken to use it.
I hopped from building to building, my enhanced balance and dexterity keeping me steady before eventually coming to the last gate. I took a few steps back, then ran and leaped across the clearing, sailing far above the fence and onto the pavement of the street, coming up in a roll.
I glanced back, taking a good long look at the darkened KreiTech building before bursting into laughter.
That was awesome.
With my mission complete I walked off at a quick pace to put some distance in between me and KreiTech. I was content to call a taxi back to Good Luck Alley, especially after a night full of stunts like that.
High overhead, a shadowy figure sat perched as she watched Kade walk his way down the street. She smirked to herself, content to stalk him for a little while longer before she made off. He had surprised her, and had proven himself more competent than she had initially been led to believe.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: I'M BACK! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, tried to include some fun elements that I've been playing with having incorporated. The arc has still just begun, and I look forward to sharing some more fun stuff as we go on. Next one is going to focus a little more on our SI's completed goal and finally have him truly interact with resident Ninja-Chef. Comments and criticism is appreciated, and as always… Stay Tuned.
Last edited: Nov 15, 2018
Test Run 2.3Test Run 2.3
Yama had been very happy to know that I had succeded in my mission, less so when his tech system replicated the guns and revealed they were less than reliable.
Despite the failure he was still impressed by my success and gave me a respectable sum of money, he even wanted me to accompany him to meet Momokase tomorrow night to see the results of her job.
This morning I kept myself busy by testing out the WiFi on my new laptop. It was a cheap thing, bought locally and not nearly as hi tech or cutting edge as what was typical, but it did get the job done, which was all I could ask.
I sat in my room, wheeling across the floor on a refurbished swivel chair I had gotten, while surfing the web for some info that could prove handy for me.
So far I had learned a lot about the applications of my powers, as well as limitations that I hadn't thought about before.
My healing factor had been useful so far, just with the drawback of causing me to consume more food. It turns out that the energy I'd been using to accelerate my healing had to come from somewhere, which I guess was from essential components. That meant that I had to supply it with certain types of food, or otherwise risk cannnibalizing important body resources. However, that fact still made absolutely no sense by itself. I'd been exercising nonstop over large periods of time, which should have burnt through more than what I had, and left me crippled from the exertion. Instead, it only came with semi-mild munchies, not to mention that some of the essential amino acids I'd read about were not found in some of the junk food I'd eaten in substantial amounts.
That led me to conclude that either A) the healing factor also made my internal energy system much more efficient than usually possible. B) I was somehow converting the multitudes of oils and fats found in junk food into a sizeable amount of essential amino acids. Or C) My powers worked off some weird shooby doobie Magic that did things half-assed.
At that point I turned my attention to other things that wouldn't make my brain hurt.
Like figuring out where I could buy rabbits to murder off the Internet. They were some of the most agile little suckers on the planet, and having even an ounce of that agility and speed would make me faster than the Usain Bolt, especially with my already impressive rat agility.
Plus they were considerably easier to get ahold of compared to kangaroos or a cheetah, and probably less illegal.
Unfortunately it seemed like I would have to wait a little longer, the only places I could go to to get more than one at a time in the city would be unavailable for about a week. Soon, but not right now. Which brings me to the newest and most recent problem.
That I had no idea how to professionally fight. Sure, I knew basic stuff, how to hold a fist, focusing and stance, but otherwise I was completely out of my depth.
I thought back to last night, the reckless swipe I had taken while trying to knock out that Janitor, and had to suppress a wince. Not knowing what I was doing could get someone killed in the long run, and the fight I had gotten in with Jamie and the stooges went in my favor due to me cheating with super hearing and getting lucky that they had been just as bad as me in an actual scuffle.
If the rumors about the escalation in gang fights and burgeoning territory struggles were true, I'd need a lot more than pure luck and some fancy tricks to make it through the next few weeks.
Pondering it for a moment, I typed out a list of notes about what to do in the next few weeks. My fingers zipped across the keyboard methodically as I went to work finding online videos and tips, all for the purpose of making myself a more competent fighter.
There was… quite a lot of stuff I found interesting. Martial arts, boxing, holds and grapples, and a few others that I didn't have the time to de-compact were all on the list of things to research and learn, though bo staff fighting and the impressive sai demonstration videos I glimpsed had grasped my interest more than others.
I wonder… what if I could get Yama to make me a good weapon?
There was a certain thrill to that thought, as unlikely as I was to admit it.
The timer next to my new mattress went off, and I realized it was time for my daily exercise routine.
Small steps Kade. Small steps.
It had been an easy affair for me once I left the apartment, with Karla sending me off once more with a single wave, too engrossed in whatever trash novels she kept stored on her HoloPad.
I think it said something about me that I was beginning to recognize most of the people who frequented Good Luck Alley. Whether that was good or bad was up to interpretation.
Akiro and I greeted each other, and with a push of a button the gate into Yama's citadel once again opened.
Suprisingly enough it appeared that Yama was actually in the front for a change, ordering around some of his men before he saw me and approached.
He then directed me right back out the gate whilst talking over my shoulder, some blue paper that looked like blueprints for something I couldn't make out in his hands.
"Good, you are here then. That'll make this quicker. Momokase's base is just down the alley. Follow me."
Seeing as Yama obviously knew where he was going, I did as I was told, waving and saying goodbye to Akiro after the very brief time of my entry, who gave me a polite wave back.
I matched pace just behind Yama as we cut further into alley, further I realized, then I had ever been before, leaving me to wonder just how much I'd been missing on all my previous visits.
Eventually we reached what appeared to be a large building, guarded by two musclebound guys. One I realized, was Felony Carl, though how he got that name I had no idea. It was weird enough that he seemed like a pretty cool dude in the few times we had met, just giving me even more questions that I was too scared to ask.
Nonetheless I greeted him like everyone else. "Hey Felony Carl."
He responded in kind, giving me a brief sign of acknowledgement. "Hello Kade."
Yama ignored our interactions and simply stated his business to get past. "We're here to see Momakase."
The two bouncers nodded to each other wordlessly, then opened the door so we could get past.
I silently followed Yama, taking in all the sights of this new underground building.
Yeesh, this place doesn't look like much, a little rugged and scratched up.
Those were my thoughts up until we entered the main rooms, then everything got a whole lot more impressive. Walls furnished with Japanese imagery and a smooth granite floor made my earlier opinions do a heel turn.
All in all it looked like the inside of an expensive sushi restaurant.
I snapped back to attention once I realized Yama was talking, drawn out of my reverie and focusing on the task at hand.
"Do you have the gravitational disruptor?"
"I have acquired it."
It took me a second to register the figure in front of us as the same woman dressed in ninja gear from the previous days. She looked different wearing a robe and with her hair tied back, but not different enough for me to see the resemblance after a few seconds.
My analysis must not have gone unnoticed, she glanced at me from the side of where Yama was standing, we locked eyes for a moment, an imperceptible gaze passing through hers.
Just as soon as the moment had happened it ended, with Yama launching into a sudden tirade, breaking the standoff.
"This is only half of the device. You expect me to pay you for only stealing half?!"
Momakase calmly responded to Yama's accusations. "You hired me to get the device in Krei's safe, this is what was in his safe. So… yes. I expect to be paid."
Yama became frustrated, crushing the blueprints he was carrying in his grip. "This is useless to me without the other half!"
Momakase replied in what sounded like a completely condescending tone. "Well I guess you'll just have to hire me to steal the other half?"
Yama grinded his teeth and the two engaged in what looked like some kind of standoff, edging on confrontation, the sheer tension in the room could have given someone a heart attack.
Yama hopped up for a second, as if just realizing something, then looked at me.
I felt a butterflies start forming in the pit of my stomach from the sheer smugness radiating off of the grin he gave me.
"Well, I'll just have to get my man Kace-"
"Kade."
"-to retrieve the other half. Then I'll pay you for this one."
Wait what?
Momakase looked surprised for a second, then fixed me with a heated glare, like I had just done something terrible. After a few seconds she took a deep breath, then gave me and Yama a leering smirk.
"I'm sure your little helper and I can work something out. After all, I'm the only one who knows where the safe is. I'm sure Big Hero 6 wouldn't mind the company."
Ahhh, bollocks. They're roping me into this.
Yama frowned for a second, then began stalking out.
"Fine. You two are going to work together, when the device is complete, I'll pay you both the amount of the original."
And with that Yama left, leaving me alone, with the ninja thief lady with sharp knives.
Despite the impossibility, I felt the temperature drop instantly throughout the room.
I was starting to regret coming here.
I swiveled around on my feet, intent on clearing up things with the potentially deadly sushi chef with multiple knives on hand.
I blinked my eyes just in time to catch a knife sailing through the air right towards me.
Time slowed down as my pulse quickened, and seconds stretched out just enough for my brain to register the projectile currently soaring towards me.
Everything moved slower, like someone had hit the slow mo button on a movie. My hand moved in slow motion as I reached out and grasped the object in the air by the hilt, the air as thick as molasses.
My mind caught up to my actions and everything sped back up.
"Impressive. Maybe the rumors about you were true."
I couldn't focus on her words at the moment, the realization that I had just had a knife thrown at me and caught it with my bare hands still fresh in my mind, with my heart beating like a drum in my chest. The only thoughts In my head were silent fervent praises to my past self for investing in Crayfish reaction times.
The rest of the incoherent babble is what made it through my mouth.
"Bwuh?!"
Much like that.
Momakase ignored me, in favor of continuing her train of thought.
"Well… since we're apparently working together, you and I are going to share a little chat. First and foremost, don't get in the way. I can handle myself in a fight, whether or not you can depends on you and you alone. I won't have you slowing me down. Second, I already have a plan. If any of those interesting tricks you pulled out yesterday are still there, then you can follow my lead without a problem. Do that, and I think this will work out just fine. You agree yes?
"Uhh…."
"Good. Glad to know we're on the same page."
"Meet me in two days on 23rd Street, it's the place you landed when you escaped Krei Tech last night, I'm sure you can track it down. Off you go now."
At this point I was completely lost, and just a little bit peeved at the stunt from earlier combined with her just dismissing me. At the same time I knew that she was probably way more competent than me and could likely kick my ass or call guards if I tried anything. Not to mention the deal with Yama.
I sighed, and walked towards the exit that me and Yama had entered through.
Wait a minute.
I stopped walking for a moment, then looked back at Momokase, who was still watching my silent form.
"Do you have something to say to me?" She said, it coming out as more of a question than anything else, as if egging me on to see what I would do.
"You don't intend on giving it to Yama do you?"
Her shocked look told me all I needed to know. She straightened up in alarm, fingering some of the daggers in her strange knife collection.
I let out an amused chuckle. "Heh. Can't say I'm particularly motivated to stop you, think of this partnership as one made of a mutual dislike. I'm not going to be particularly mad if you sell it to someone else."
She relaxed again, arm still holding on to her knife, but with a distinctly more curious gaze than before.
Finally she spoke up. "You truly are an interesting one, or maybe just strange."
I grinned at that, and continued making my way out.
"It's all a matter of perspective really."
Sooner or later I'd be getting my chance, in the meantime I might as well make it hard as I can on the lousy Kingpin.
Time to start taking a few more steps.
I'm thinking of getting a Bo Staff.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: Finished this one up yesterday, was too tired to upload it after a day of college exams and work. Hope you guys enjoy it. Next update will focus on the big heist team up and our SI getting a full set of gear, though a few details might be different this time, especially considering it was two thieves on the same night instead of just Momakase. Just something to consider. As always, comments and criticism appreciated. Stay Tuned for more.
Last edited: Oct 24, 2018
Test Run 2.4Test Run 2.4
I have come to the conclusion that hitting people with sticks is very hard to get right.
After the whole debacle with Yama and Momokase I had pretty much went straight to Yama and asked him to make some gear for the heist, seeing as according to Momokase, Big Hero 6 was definitely going to be there. As cool as my powers were I would be kidding myself if I said I'd have a chance at beating a souped up Baymax with my current abilities, much less the others.
Of course when I showed him the designs I had drawn up he rolled his eyes and gotten it over with in only a few hours. The finished product coming out in record time, because apparently the future could afford to 3D print and design literally everything with the push of a few buttons.
Whatever smarmy comments I'd had stored had died off my lips once I saw the completed project in all it's glory.
A bo staff, made out of carbon fiber, flexible but insanely strong and durable. It wasn't just that though. The staff was collapsible, intricately made so that it could be brought down to a size that I could strap to my waist, or carry around in a shoulder bag. The best features were what was inside it though. By twisting it apart I could turn the staff into two twin Damascus blades, for if I ever needed to penetrate something sharply or slash. For the coup de grais of the whole thing, the bottom caps on both sides opened up to taser nodules, allowing non-lethal incapacitation with the push of a small button.
Overall it was probably the most badass weapon I have ever or will ever own.
Now if only I could figure out how to use it properly.
Today was a new day, with a brand new attitude that I utilized for making progress on bettering my own skills by practicing on the roof. Karla had let me use a sack she had lying around in storage, and so far it had been a very reliable and very useful punching bag filled with sand.
I swung the staff around in a defensive maneuver, the black material arcing through the air once again as the sun beamed through the clouds and sweat glistened off my forehead. I practiced the katas over and over again, my dexterity and reflexes making the stances and gestures easier to work into and maintain. I needed to have these memorized, seared into my memory for when the time came for them.
I had to remember to keep my breath steady, and not overshoot myself time and time again. The staff thumped against the sandbag as I switched to a more aggressive stance, vision split in focus between the view of the computer screen and my current task, as to perfectly replicate the images. I sped up, pole finally fast enough to blur through the air, then switched stances, then switched back again after repeating the gesture, and so on and so forth for almost half an hour. My lungs breathing in and out at a steady pace even as I worked myself hard enough that my muscles were beginning to strain miserably.
After a few more moments the routine ended, and I flipped the staff over in my hands before tossing it onto the ground. I'd take a moment of rest, then start again, this time without looking at the sheets and videos and working entirely from memory to get it right. Hopefully I'd manage to have the basic movements down pact before the end of tomorrow, the holds and grapples weren't nearly as complex as staff wielding. I'd considered practicing with the daggers but ultimately decided there wasn't any time nor would I really be needing to go lethal at any point. I was not nearly good enough to wield them without risking harm to myself or others.
The last thing I needed was to end up murdering someone by accident because I didn't know what to do.
I don't know how long I sat there on the gravel pondering that. When it came down to it, I hadn't given things much thought before. What would happen when I ended up going rogue? It had been almost a month, maybe more, since I had originally gotten here, and already I was doing things my old self would never even contemplate. How far was I going to go before I put my foot down, before I had to start getting into fights of life and death? I had more than a few ideas about simply just leaving and disappearing into another state. Yama wouldn't bother to try and track me that far, so why was I still here?
An uncomfortable silence took hold in my mind as I thought back to what my family would think of me. Working with a Crime Boss, being a law breaking criminal. How would they see me now, never mind my intentions?
Time to get back to work.
I gripped the staff very tightly as I shifted focus back to training.
I'd find a way to make up for it and take Yama down. I just had to wait for it, just a little longer.
I sincerely hoped those words weren't as hollow as they sounded to myself.
The rest of the day went by fairly quick. At some point I had finished practice with suitable progress, katas and basic stances were easy now, and I retained the muscle memory and mental acuity to successful pass through them with no outside help. After that I went back to my daily workout, and ended somewhere in the late afternoon. I lamented the lack of hobbies I had to pass the time, and spent a good portion of time 'dorking' out in my room as Karla put it. So far I have yet to utilize the gills I had gotten weeks ago from killing freshwater and saltwater fish, and that lack of use meant I spent a good amount of time shoving my face under the sink faucet and manifesting and de-manifesting the mutation. It was fun for a little while, but got boring very quickly after the hundredth or so time of seeing gills disappear and reappear on my neck, plus they made breathing normally extremely awkward, like forcing myself to breathe through asthma.
Which brings me to right now, finally forcing myself away from procrastination via stupid crap and focusing on what was really important.
A costume.
Turns out that combining clothes is a lot harder than you would think, and the end result was what you'd expect from someone with zero skill in stitching and weaving.
All things said and done, it came out looking pretty awesome.
This was 90 percent the mask I had gotten for the previous heist and 10 percent stylish clothing.
The mask was simple, featureless save for the reflective lenses I had inserted where the eye holes were, the only other things notable being the length of the horns, which peeked out holes in the hoodie I had cut to fit it through. The lightly dark hoodie undershirt went well with the brown jacket I wore over it and I had fixed the edges so that they were bunched together in an orderly manner. It was at that point that I ran out of ideas and settled for just wearing jeans with boots at the end for the pants, and decided to add a black bandana for the lower half of my face because why not?! Just about the only cool thing I had made for it was the hand glove braces that capped over my knuckles and thumb and edged across my forearm, and that had taken hours to make.
My respect for the sheer bullshit real comic book characters have to go through has doubled after all of this is said and done.
I put my hand up to my face, tapping the edges of my mask and checking the back to make sure it was secure. The reflective lenses stared back at me from where my eyes were, and I couldn't help the feeling of childish wonder at the fact that I was essentially a superhero, dressing up for the first time.
That faded once I realized I was more like a Super Villain suiting up, considering what I was going to be doing and who I was working with.
Suddenly the mask didn't feel so good to be wearing.
Goddamnit.
I should just get to bed. Tomorrow is another day, and I couldn't afford to waste it.
Besides, I'm going to need it if i want to wake up early enough that I can prepare strategies. No-one wants to be up in the moonlight while working.
Dream. Dream of our serpent and the moonlit form of the chosen.
I slept well, surprisingly. Some faint traces of something tinged my mind, but almost out of habit I brushed it off and moved to get on with my day. I needed to be focused, and for that I was going to have to come up with plans and drag up whatever memories of Big Hero 6 I still had left in my brain from countless moments of movie and cartoon show binging.
Hiro Hamada. A boy genius and a prodigy, apparently the mastermind behind the rest of the group, without him none of the others would be out stopping crime. I couldn't remember much else besides the death of his brother and him having no real powers besides leadership and Baymax. Though I feel like I might have missed something in that assessment. Might wanna avoid trying to fight him, since the others would probably immediately gang up and kick my ass over him.
The next one was Honey Lemon. Probably the second most dangerous and definitely most memorable member, and not just because I thought she was cute in person. I think she used a… purse as a weapon? It apparently used chemicals and could generate practically any effect possible on the chemical spectrum, which meant she could pull literally anything out of it that could permanently incapacitate me, ranging from sticky goo, foam, ice, and whatever else she felt she needed. I don't remember her having anything else besides that, so if I have to fight her I do it fast or somehow get rid of her purse.
GoGo. The bubblegum girl and progenitor of dozens of horrific internet memes and impure content that has been seared into my mind until this day. Speedster, who uses frisbees to beat people over the head. I think she was the most competent member when it came to combat. She'll probably lap circles around me, so it would be best to aim for the feet and trip up her balance.
Wasabi. The dude with the panic attacks and chronic nervous breakdowns. I can probably take him if I avoid the plasma blades. Seriously, how has he not accidentally sliced someone's arm off?
Fredzilla, or just Fred. Fire Breath, high jumps, and a hell of a punch. Seeing as we're going to be in an enclosed building, I don't think he'll be able to use the jumping all that much. I could fight him back as a gangly nerd with just wall crawling powers, hopefully the same stays true if he cares about collateral damage.
Finally… Baymax. I don't stand a chance in hell at beating him. He's pretty much prime tank material wearing that big red suit, and i'd be lucky if he went easy on me and just acted like his normal self. I remember someone stating he was made out of a titanium exoskeleton and could lift 1000 pounds as his normal self, and watching some of those videos with the rampaging bots. I could totally believe that. Pray to god he doesn't use rocket fist on me.
I looked over the notes I had typed, satisfied with whatever analysis I could scrounge up from old memories and internet videos.
My alarm rang and I did a feeble attempt at cracking my neck in preparation of continuing yesterday's practice.
The clock was ticking, and sooner or later it would be go time. I just hoped i'd be able to pick up the slack.
This is it. It was officially go time, and Momokase wasn't here to see it.
I'd traveled all the way back to 23rd Street, which I just now realized was exactly where I had jumped over the gate. Creepy on all levels if that meant she had been watching me for who knows how long that night.
I had just been sitting up here on the roof of a nearby building, bored out of my mind and waiting until it became night time. Once again practicing my staff swings and Katas to pass the time while I waited.
"Alright… so here. Then like this…"
I pivoted to the right, motions quick and precise, exercising as much control as I could.
I am completely-
"Nice footwork, could use some practice but it's pretty good for an amateur."
The only reason I didn't fling my staff into the air in surprise was from my gecko grip, otherwise I nearly jumped out my skin and quickly turned around. I practically locked myself into a combat stance I learned yesterday, before calming myself when I realized it was just Momokase. Standing a good ways off the edge, and dressed in the ninja getup from the first meeting with Yama.
She smirked at my alarmed reaction, then beckoned me with her hand, stepping out onto the ledge and hopping off.
I was stunned for a second, then leapt into action, running towards the edge of the roof, only to look down and see her already making her way up another building, lit up by signs and colorful balloons.
I dropped down, collapsing my staff as I took chase.
I braced for impact moments before landing, rolling off the ground and continuing my run. Momokase was already high up the building, which I could now see was labeled Benito's Burritos. It was trivial to stick myself onto the side and I began scaling at once, accelerating up the building slightly fast enough to close the distance between her and I.
I made it to the top seconds after Momakase, only to watch her hop off and land on another building a short distance away.
Son of a-
Alright fine I guess we were doing this then. This time I sprinted after her, desperately trying to close the distance between us as she parkoured her way across a multitude of buildings, showing off as she did so and leaving me helplessly in pursuit.
She came to a stop at one of the larger buildings, only a short distance away from KreiTech and hurled a knife across the distance, which I could see land dead center on the top of the building.
I couldn't help but be impressed by her aim, but I was even more concerned with catching up to her.
Finally, I caught up to her. With the both of us standing on the high walls surrounding KreiTech's inner section.
Momakase looked at me and then said aloud. "Age before beauty."
Without even being able to respond, she kicked me off the ledge, with only my quick thinking and solid grasp on collapsed staff bringing me to slide down the line. I had to clench my eyes shut to avoid screeching once I felt the open air beneath me, dangling helplessly as I ziplined down the wire.
I bumped my nose on the glass of the window, and successfully detached from my precarious transport, hanging onto the much more secure glass and loving every second of it.
Momakase followed soon after me, coming to a stop and positioning herself upside down, taking out her signature knives and cutting a perfect circular hole in the glass. I watched her, slightly awed at her symmetry and attention to detail.
She finished, and the hole fell open, with the both of us swinging our way inside.
It was dark, and everything seemed to in place. I was honestly kind of surprised.
"Huh, that was way easier than I thought it would be. Guess they weren't here after all."
Murphy proved me wrong.
The lights turned on, and I got to see all six members of Big Hero 6 for the first time in person.
"Guess you spoke too soon." said Hiro.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: I'm sure anyone who's watched the show would have seen this coming. Too bad the SI hasn't watched it in years. Next chapter is going to star our heroes and villains in typical cape fighting fashion. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be passing out at midnight. Comments and criticism welcome, and Stay Tuned.
Last edited: Mar 10, 2019
Test Run 2.5Test Run 2.5
If Momakase was surprised, it did not show at all on her face. She was as calm as ever.
I on the other hand, was really grateful that I was wearing my mask so the others couldn't read my expressions. I must have looked like I had swallowed an entire beehive, silently lamenting my idiocy in turning off my enhanced senses, the feedback from turning them on filling me on just what I had been missing.
Momakase spoke, in a very smooth tone, with an ample amount of cockiness. "It's cute that you think you got the drop on us."
And just like that, the fight was on.
Wasabi sprung into action, moving to face Momakase while Hiro moved to flank her. I didn't have anymore time to focus on what was happening with Momokase as Fred came at me, throwing a straight punch.
I dipped sideways with my shoulder, moving backwards a bit as Fred's punch went wide, making sure to keep my focus on both him and the two members behind him.
Fred followed up on his attack, trying to land blow after blow on me, while I did my best to evade, blows occasionally glancing off me whilst I struggled to keep myself righted and with a steady stance.
"So-"Fred tried to hit me again, forcing me to back up further. "-you wouldn't happen to be new at this right. Because we searched everywhere-" I barely dodged another fist, Fred switching it up by jumping a little higher and slamming his fist into my previous spot, leaving a crack on the ground as he completed his dive. "-and couldn't find any records about you, Demon Dude. You know-" I reached the edge of the room, pressing up against the glass."-cause of the mask and the horns."
Fred must of thought he had me dead to rights, with me backed into a corner and all. Out of the edge of my vision I saw Honey Lemon preparing to throw a chem-ball, and had a glorious idea run through my head within those few moments.
I tilted my head at Fred, facing his main suit eye and therefore his real head. "Demon guy is a terrible name. Call me something cool, like I-dunno, Ifrit."
That's a terrible name.
Fred threw one last punch, and this time I swerved around it, getting in the back of him. I heard GoGo and Honey Lemon approach, as well as smelled the chemicals in the ball she was about to throw. I grabbed Fred by the tail of his suit, and with one herculean tug pulled him off his feet into the direct range of Honey Lemon's chemical bomb. It splashed against his suit, exploding into a colorful foam. I didn't waste a single second, kicking Fred away with as much force as I could muster, causing him to collide head on with Honey Lemon, and the two of them both went down, covered in the foam.
My reaction rate went into overtime as I saw a golden disc fly straight at me, with it grazing my head as I ducked backwards to avoid the projectile.
I came up, and received a blow to the back of the head instead.
Oh right, those bounce off things.
That was as much time as I had to think as I saw GoGo's fist fly into my face directly afterwards, helpless to react in time as the world exploded into pain and I was sent skidding backwards from the force. I momentarily lost any semblance of thought, nearly blacking out for a few seconds, before the world returned to me in full force, finally getting to think my piece.
Holy shit that hurt.
I was starting to be glad that I had invested in a durable mask. Because that would have definitely cracked a normal one.
GoGo didn't give me any time to collect my bearings after that punch, catching the now returned disc and following up with a left hook. I moved with the punch, feeling it glance off the fabric of my bandana and nearly send me spinning backwards.
It was becoming increasingly clear that GoGo was in fact, definitely the best martial fighter.
I took advantage of the minuscule amount of time she had given me to react, finally getting the chance to properly grasp my collapsed staff, with only a moment of contemplation I tapped the main button to send it out of it collapsed form, positioning it between the open air, and GoGo's own body.
The staff sprung out with a good amount of force, hitting GoGo square in her midsection. She faltered for a second, and that was all I needed as two days of constant practice took hold and I intuitively moved to sweep her feet out from under her, swinging the staff with a good deal of momentum. GoGo hit the ground hard and I could hear a small oof as the breath was knocked out of her.
That was about as much time as I was given for a reprieve before I realized Honey Lemon had gotten back up, and was now throwing more chemical orbs. I just barely managed to dive behind Krei's desk as the first thrown exploded where I had been standing, a small wall of ice instantly frozen in it's landing spot. I peeked over, and watched as Honey Lemon prepared another one, presumably to incapacitate me from behind my hiding spot. I watched and waited, ready for the perfect moment.
Honey Lemon threw it, and I watched it sail right towards me.
I rushed into action, seeing my own body move in slow mo, getting to process the entire event that transpired.
I had swung my staff in a circle, before transitioning into a full on bat swing, striking out at the chem-ball like a baseball player would a baseball. My aim was true, and the ball curled around the black surface before springing back towards it's sender.
That was of course, the moment Fred decided to get back up, and intercepted the return perfectly, the ball flying straight into his chest mouth.
The image of a blue reptilian monster puking chewing gum and spitting out smoke filled bubbles would stick with me forever.
I heard something right next to me, and turned just in time to see the equally surprised face of Hiro Hamada, tinted glass partially masking the upper portion of his face, but leaving enough detail to make out his vaguely startled expression, with one pointed tip missing from his helmet.
"Uhhh…"
I was the first to break the awkward atmosphere. "Sup. It sure is a lovely night for a roll."
I didn't give him the chance to reply before grabbing him, shoving him into the rolling chair next to us, and kicking it straight towards a recovered GoGo, only hearing the startled cry of alarm that came from the both of them and the sudden collision.
A sharp whistle pierced through the air, causing me to flinch slightly, because of course now was the time for things to be painfully loud. Not when I had actually needed good hearing.
I looked over towards the source, and saw Momakase, standing next to an empty safe and the fallen form of Baymax, and with a small orb in her hand.
Putting together the pieces, I nodded, eager to get the hell out with what we had came for and nothing more.
Momakase dropped the ball, and smoke rapidly filled the room. I felt her grab my jacket and pull me towards the open window, both of us jumping out and back into the night.
Mission accomplished.
I was nervous as hell.
Sure, it had been interesting, no… downright amazing, to know that I had held my own against an entire team of genuine superheroes. Except no, not really, since half of them had been taken out by someone immensely more experienced than me, and the ones I had fought had been out of sheer luck, if we had stayed any further, there's no doubt they would have regrouped and kicked my ass.
Still, I couldn't help but feel like a winner, up until the point where Momakase left, and I was left with the statement to meet her at a specific time in her underground 'cooking arena', whatever that meant.
I had spent the rest of the night laying awake on my bed, occasionally pondering what would be the ramifications of tonight. The whole thing had felt so… familiar. I had been playing the events over in mind, bit by bit. Something added up, and I felt like I might have just participated in a event in a episode from the series. Which one I had no idea, only a general feeling and a hunch. That predictably led me into a self-conscious circle, seeing as I didn't feel like an kids cartoon would end an episode with the bad guy of the week winning.
That had led into today.
I walked my way out the apartment building once again, seeing as it was reaching night time.
Sofia noticed me leaving, and gave me a simple question as I opened the door to leave. "Heading out again?"
I nodded, and she sighed. "Just… stay safe kid, don't hang around there too long."
I hoped that was a worry I could dissuade.
Which brings me to right now, standing right in front of Momakase in her own private headquarters, with two robed guards keeping watch.
It was deathly silent between us, the only sounds being the periodic chops of sushi as Momokase worked.
Finally, she spoke.
"So, first and foremost I would like to congratulate you. You have succeeded far better than I originally thought. The assumptions I made based on hearsay being completely incorrect." she said, her eyes never straying from mine as she effortlessly continued.
She became silent once more, and I took that as my cue to speak.
"Umm, thanks I-"
Momakase cut me off, with one raised finger, not even raising her voice in any way as she continued.
"But. I think I could offer you something better than what you currently have in place."
What?
Momakase finally looked up at me, with a smirk forming on her face as she stabbed her knife into the wooden block she used for cooking. The finished product staring up at us enticingly.
"I've seen the way you act around Yama, the suppressed contempt, the loathing, you hate working underneath him, on a leash like a dog. If you work with me, I can refine your abilities better than Yama ever could.
By this point Momakase's smirk had turned into a smile.
"You're still an amateur, the raw talent is there, but you need someone who will give you the chance to become something more. The shoddy getup you had on yesterday was proof of that. Yama won't improve you, only hinder what you already have.
Momakase held up her hand, and clenched it into a fist, in what I could only assume was meant to be a gesture of metaphorical strength.
"I on the other hand, would make you a master, an unstoppable killing machine to all who stood in your way."
"All you have to do, is say yes."
She stopped, a full grin on her face, waiting for my response.
"No."
The smile fell off.
"No?" she said, more than asked.
"Not just no, but Hell No." I said, a little more forceful this time.
I was getting worked up.
"You want to know why I'd rather continue working for that asshole of a boss, compared to this practically leagues better offer?"
Momakase had gone back to gripping her knife, sliding it out of it's previous spot and now moving on to cutting an unidentifiable type of fish.
"It's because I never wanted this job in the first place. Yama is a unrepentant jackass who I will continue to undermine and eventually push off somewhere along this road. But compared to him, you're way more terrible."
"Yama is an idiot, and it's because of that that I still have my freedom and sense of self. You'd be nothing like that. You're ruthless, cold, the only person you care about is yourself, and the only reason you would be willing to work for others is for your own means. Much like how you're going to betray Yama now and sell the Gravitational Disruptor on the black market."
Momakase's eyes widened at that last comment, clearly not expecting me to know about her intentions with it. I didn't even bother slowing down, words spewing full force now, with no intention of stopping.
"If I stuck by you, you'd worm your way into my thinking, trying to mold me to be a perfect weapon for you. I can deal with Yama on my own, without having to compromise myself any more than i've already done. I certainly don't need your 'help' in that regard."
"I see…"
Momokase's knife cutting quickened, and I finished off my rebuke with two last comments.
"It's been a hell of a time working with you Momakase, but hopefully… this will be the last. Now if you'll excuse me, i'm going to head down to see the Food Fight."
And with that I turned around to walk out the door.
"Wait."
Oh shit… I fucked up by running my mouth didn't I?
I tried not to let my worried thoughts show as I just registered the most likely negative repercussions of my speech.
"Yeah?" I said, uncertainly.
Momakase was looking at me with an unreadable expression.
"Did you want to try any of my sushi?" She said, in a distinctly soft and quiet tone, holding a piece off the flat surface of one of her knives.
I looked at her, then looked at the piece of sushi.
"Nope."
Then I ducked smoothly underneath the outstretched arms of the guards, running as fast as my limbs could carry me, and hoping to god the guards wouldn't follow me.
Only to run face first into Yama, neatly bouncing off his gigantic mass.
"Khan? What are you-"
I cut him off before he could finish, quickly regaining my balance and sidling away.
"Don'tbotherwiththepaymentIdon'tneeditMomokasehastheDisruptorI'mtakingthedayoffbyeeeeee!"
I rushed off, content to put as much distance between myself and what was about to go down as possible.
First thing's first, let me take off this 'shoddy' getup. Then I can blend in with the crowd and just enjoy whatever ridiculous competition this wacko city had come up with for food.
God knows I needed the relaxation.
It was certainly a spectacle all right, and it only became better as the night went on, up until I finally went home.
I had ended up changing in the bathroom, removing the excess layers of my costume and leaving me in my typical wear, a simple shirt and jeans. I ended up discarding my stuff in the rafters, so that i'd get the time to enjoy the show without worrying.
What was really interesting was running into Big Hero 6, and pretending they weren't there.
I had kept my enhanced hearing and smell active for a while longer, determined to be on guard so that I wasn't ambushed or anything, maximum paranoia after my fluke on the previous night and the tenuous situation I had just escaped from.
Imagine my surprise when I heard the murmured whispers of Hiro's familiar voice, as well as those of Baymax and the others. I could also smell the scent of their costumes, which was honestly kind of weird, but useful, in a certain way. I passed the corner, and could almost feel them clam up. I couldn't help it, but I stopped right while I was passing, pretending to stretch and making an active attempt to keep my eyes closed so that I didn't glimpse them. Then slowly, almost leisurely, I kept walking, fully aware of their presences.
That was a fun moment.
It was only a while later, that I finally sat down amongst the crowd, and watched as Cass faced off against Momakase.
I cheered for Cass the entire time, delighting in the growing frustration that grew on Momakase's face.
The clock ticked down, and the moment of truth arrived in the most spectacular fashion, with the climatic finish and Momakase being captured, all while in zero gravity, which was probably the coolest thing I had experienced during my time in San Fransokyo.
I realized somewhere in-between all of this that this was the first time I was having pure genuine fun, not related to powers, not to crime, and not even to money, but just truly enjoying myself.
It was great, and more than anything, It reaffirmed my true goals even further.
I'd get out from under Yama's grasp, and I'd do it my way.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: WOO! The End of the Test Run Arc. I hope you guys enjoyed the fight scene, lord knows I had to plan it out properly, and even now I'm still iffy on whether or not it would satisfy you guys. Let me know what you think, comments and criticism welcome. Next up, an interlude from Hiro's perspective, and then the beginning of the 'Aggravation' Arc. As always, Stay Tuned.
Last edited: Nov 2, 2018
Interlude: HiroInterlude: Hiro
"No-one steals from Alistair Krei and gets away with it. And no-one tells Alistair Krei how much soy sauce to use."
The news report continued, and I turned back to focusing on putting away the dishes.
Aunt Cass said something, in a slightly disbelieving tone.
"Wow. Can you believe that woman was a dangerous criminal?"
Oh you couldn't begin to imagine.
I smiled, the truth was apparent. My Aunt Cass had been the one to beat her, not Baymax, not me, and not even Big Hero 6 altogether.
"And you stood up to her. Sometimes I forget how amazing you are Aunt Cass."
And I truly meant that.
"Oh… Thanks Hiro." Aunt Cass smiled, and then brought me into a warm hug.
The door chime rang, and we broke off the hug, some guy with blonde hair and a turtleneck walking in. Aunt Cass walked away, and the two of them started talking, probably about something to do with the Food Fight, judging from how they walked off into the back of the cafe.
I sighed, things were good for now, but I still couldn't shake the worried feeling that had been plaguing my thoughts.
The news report had stated suspicions of Momakase also causing the related vandalism charge. Someone had broken into Krei's weapons division on the same night, and left many files deleted and/or vandalized. They had pinned the blame on Momokase, especially with it happening at relatively the same amount of time.
The others and I knew the truth.
Momakase had been working with a partner, and if last night was anything to go by, he was working for Yama and not her. We hadn't been able to catch him, and that meant he was still at large, with who knows what kind of plans happening.
Even so, Big Hero 6 can handle it, we're superheroes, and that means we help people, because someone has to. If he shows up again, we'll be ready for it.
Tadashi would expect nothing less.
The chime rang again, and I was snapped out of my deep thoughts. I looked at the customer who had entered, a tall dark guy wearing t-shirt with a good deal of muscle, he was young, and looked like he could be a student at SFIT.
I realized Aunt Cass was still in the back, and did my best to convey that she'd be back to serve an order in no time. "Oh! Uhh… sorry sir the owner's currently busy helping someone right now. It'll probably only take a minute."
He smiled softly, like someone had just told him a joke that he found a little amusing. "It's fine, i'm not in a rush. I just came by to check out the cafe for the first time. You might recognize me."
It hit me that I actually did recognize him.
"I was one of the spectators at the Food Fight, from yesterday."
Oh. Right, he was the guy that walked past us, for a second I'd been worried he had recognized me out of costume. Despite the fact that he hadn't seen me and the others.
"Oh. Well, I'm Hiro Hamada, Cass's nephew." I held out my hand, familiarized with handshakes from countless hours with Baymax.
He gripped mine firmly and we both shook on it. "Good to meet you Hiro. My name's Kade Wilson. I hope I can enjoy sticking around here."
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: Surprise daytime update is a surprise. Might not be able to upload the next arc today. Though if I feel like it, I might give you guys a preview. Comments and criticisms welcome, etc etc. Stay Tuned.
Last edited: Nov 2, 2018
Aggravation 3.1Aggravation 3.1
"COME ON, BRING IT!" I shouted, feeling the stings from the slashes and mild scratches across my body, yet too hopped up on adrenaline to register them as anything more than a nuisance.
I swung my swiss army knife, bringing myself into a ready stance.
I was quite possibly, about to be killed by a grizzly bear.
The bear charged at me, roaring while chugging at full speed, closing the distance far too fast for me to handle.
I gave it a roar of my own, one filled with desperate rage and fear, the cries of a caged animal emanating from my lips.
I leaped up high, too high to be safe, but enough to give me the height needed to make my blow worth it. My momentum followed and I fell downward, brandishing the knife for a downward stab not unlike a Wrestler coming in from above.
The bear screeched, I screeched, and then plunged my arm with all my might as we collided.
Earlier that Day…
Things were looking up for me.
Yama hadn't been bothering me much after the night with Momokase, probably hesitant and trying to save face. I feigned innocence and told him Momokase had given me a job offer I refused, which seemed to appease him.
It had been a few days now, and I had been left to my own devices to mostly continue the hunt to expand my abilities, even continuing my lizard hunting and finally getting to settle an order and agreement for the jackrabbits I'd been interested in, ending up with me selling the meat after going to a butcher's place for the kills.
Now, I was more agile then ever before.
I hopped from building to building, performing death defying jumps that my previous self would never be able to make. I could scale skyscrapers now, easily, and it wasn't a stretch to say that I was probably faster than any athlete in the world, without even sprinting.
I enjoyed the breeze as I went, practically sailing on the wind as I went, before coming to a stop by swinging myself onto a pole on the side of a building.
I sat leisurely, soaking in the sunlight of the morning, confident in my impossible balance.
Then, I stepped off, and dived below, drifting close to the clear panes at my side.
My heart raced as I fell, blood pumping fast and a not entirely unpleasant rush filling me as I came to a stop near the bottom, sliding off the side with leisure before kicking off with all my might.
I felt incredible, invincible even, like I could take on the world, it was an intoxicating feeling.
I felt the sting of my calves, which reminded me that I was still vulnerable and mentally remarked to myself not to push it, since there was only so much my athletic but still human body could take.
I had learned that the hard way after I had tried jumping more than 15 feet in the air straight up.
My foot settled onto the side of another building, and I repeated my actions, this time with a little less force, hopping back and forth between the sides of buildings performing a real life version of wall jumping.
I saw my destination, and abandoned my wall jumping for a leap towards it, not unlike that of a graceful cat or panther, or dare even, a rabbit.
I landed on the ledge, scattering gravel across the rooftop as I rolled to absorb the force. A group of pigeons were frightened by my sudden entrance, and took flight just as I came within inches of them.
I ripped off my mask, finally taking in the fresh air without a hindrance, and still breathing hard. Being super fast and agile didn't seem to come with a natural stamina boost, so I had to be careful not to overwork myself, and ease into it.
I laughed, joyously and turned around to head back to my room.
Karla was standing right beside the doorway, mouth agape and eyes wide.
Ahh… crap.
"So.. let me get this straight. On top of taking jobs for that portly blockhead, you're jumping around the city like a lunatic and messing with those kid vigilantes."
"That's not quite how i'd phrase it, and you're kind of oversimplifying it."
Karla had been glaring at me for the past 30 minutes, and had absolutely refused to let me out of her sight since I had gotten back, not until I told her the full story.
"And what exactly am I simplifying about, besides the fact that you're risking your life doing stupid nonsense because Yama tells you to, I wouldn't be talking to you if I didn't think you were worth the effort kid."
I was getting slightly agitated at this point. "Look, it's not just that, I have abilities, useful ones that keep me from getting into life threatening danger. But I have to cultivate them first, and this is the only way I could do that. Where else am I supposed to go, to do. In case you didn't notice, I can't afford anything on my own and there's no evidence that I even exist. So who would bother?"
I looked her straight in the eyes. "I'll make it past this, and when I do, i'll be able to do make some real changes. Make things better for everyone, so that innocent people don't get caught up in all of this, and that the real criminals can't take advantage of good ones in the wrong places."
Karla doubled down, trying to stress her point. "But there are better ways of doing that then doing dangerous stunts with the hardened ones. You're a good kid, you're polite and you have a good heart, which is why I say that you're not ready at all to handle any of what your getting into."
She poked me in the chest, fixing me with an intense stare as she said her next words. "One of these days, you're going to run into someone who won't be nearly as kind or moral as you're used to, and then you'll end up tossed in a ditch somewhere because they decided you rub them the wrong way, or worse."
She sighed, the turned away to walk back inside. "I don't want to see you disappear kid. Even if your heart's in the right place."
On that note we went our separate ways, Karla leaving through the outside door, and me still standing on the rooftop.
I took a deep breath, my previous good mood soured. I needed to do something, do an activity to take my mind off this for now, just to decompress.
I came up with an idea.
Wait, I haven't visited Muirahara Woods yet. It's further away then I usually venture, but I could potentially get some new powers if I ran across any mundane animals, plus I could use the practice with my agility. So long as I didn't go full idiot and try and wantonly murder protected woodland critters.
Well it was settled then.
Into the woods I go.
The trek there was mostly uneventful. I had to stop a few times to make sure I wasn't noticed while traveling during the day but as a whole nothing of importance was done.
The woods itself was nice, but so far I had found nothing of note. Hopping along the river had gotten me nowhere, and I hadn't seemed to find anything worthwhile to kill.
Eventually I just decided to enjoy the sights and abandon the whole animal hunting thing. Not like I was really worried about it as much.
The natural environment was engrossing, and being able to smell and hear beyond usual human limits was especially interesting in such a place.
I sat down next to a fallen log, simply engrossing myself as I quietly measured Karla's words from earlier.
I mean… sure i'm not the best when it comes to decisions, but what else am I going to do? This place has grown on me, and i've made it through so far.
Besides… i'm living in the world of a Disney children's cartoon. The bad guys aren't nearly as terrifying in person or even in their original animated forms.
Yama wasn't going to be my downfall, If anything it was myself that stood in my way.
Wait a minute.
I smelled something off. Something different from the rest of the normal scents of the woods.
I looked to my left, trying to pinpoint the source, and came face to face with a Newt. Specifically, a poisonous one.
I froze in place, locking my gaze to the small critter across from me, and it soon started crawling out of my range of sight.
I contemplated stabbing it, and taking it's poison powers, but came to the realization that I would find absolutely zero use in them in my current path. I had no intention of murdering others by shoving them full of animal poisons, which was a liability and something that would put me on the radars of the police and Big Hero 6 even more than I currently was.
I wasn't a killer, not like that.
Even so, I was wary of letting it out of my sight, and stood up from my spot lying next the log.
I heard something rustle through the leaves nearby, and turned around just in time to see a grizzly bear walk through the bush.
Oh what the hell.
I did a double take, staring at the huge furry carnivore.
Nope.
I twisted around, prepared to flee for my life with my rapid agility.
Only to feel the hoop of some natural rope clamp down on my leg after taking my first step into the brush.
I stifled the startled scream that creeped up, but was too late to prevent the beginning whine creeping past my lips, alerting the bear.
I practically scrambled to release myself from the trap, grasping the rope with both fingers as I fought to pry it off desperately.
Why! WHY THE FUCK is there a rope trap here! I thought this was a National Park! Who did this! WHY?!
Finally it came loose and I stepped out just in time to get swiped across the chest.
I let out a cry of pain and fell back onto the ground, rapidly scooting away from the advancing predator.
I made for a quick escape, leaping to my feet and rapidly scaling a nearby tree, doing my best to put distance between me and it. I curled around a branch, and leapt over to another, only to feel the second one break under my weight, leaving me helpless to do anything as I fell from my perch.
I hit the ground hard, trying my best to right my position but not having enough time to do so. I felt pain spread across one of my legs, and a sense of dread crept up on me.
The bear lunged again, and this time I dodged and came up in a backflip, nearly toppling over as I felt a sprain beginning to form in my ankle, ignoring it through sheer willpower and boatloads of the adrenaline that was rushing through me.
I couldn't find a way to flee, my sprain preventing me from running off without possibly tripping and resulting in a quick death via mauling. I knew bears could be fast when they wanted too, and i'd need a few moments of recovery time to properly make it away.
I was cornered, and most likely not going to make it.
I took out my swiss army knife, pathetic in the face of a goddamn grizzly bear, but it was better than nothing.
If i'm going to die, i'm going to die fighting alongside whoever it was that put me there.
"COME ON, BRING IT!" I shouted, feeling the stings from the slashes and mild scratches across my body, yet too hopped up on adrenaline to register them as anything more than a nuisance.
Now…
I finished my leap, and slammed into the bear, being carried forward by it's superior momentum.
The bear roared in agony as my knife slid directly into it's jugular, and then bite directly into my left arm.
I screamed, I screamed so much.
But I didn't let go.
The bear kept mangling me as I fought blindly through the pain, stabbing it again and again in a general spot.
It tried to pin me down, and I worked around it, doing my best not to get caught underneath it's weight while it still bit down, crying out as I did so.
Eventually it let go, and for a moment I was given a single second to breathe before it took a swing at me in the chest.
It felt like getting hit with a concrete block, and I was fairly certain one of my ribs had snapped on contact.
I let go, hands now bloodied and slick with it's blood as my knife remained in it's neck.
I fell weakly to the ground, and was helpless to try and claw at it as it picked me up roughly and slammed me back down, knocking the breath I so desperately needed out my lungs.
The bear slinked off, wheezing from it's injuries, trailing blood out it's wounds as it went, as I finally registered that it was gone.
Too bad I was probably going to bleed out.
It was humiliating, to have apparently been given powers, but die thanks to a common animal and chance. Ironic even, considering how many I had murdered to develop my own powers.
Bears had such bullshit strength, to be able to throw around people like rag dolls, superpowers or not.
Wish I had been anywhere near that strong, maybe then I wouldn't be dying like a punk.
I drifted in and out of consciousness for a few moments, trying desperately to keep myself awake, before the lethargic grasp took hold, and my vision faded, leaving me with the final image of a purple streak amidst a sea of white and gray staring down at me.
GoGo had been taking her break for the day, after the fiasco with Hiro and Fred, she had been a little more than angry at them, though anger came second after the worry for their safety.
It wasn't like it mattered now, her 'secret' hobby was no longer a secret. Her friends and teammates now knew about her daily ritual, but somehow, she couldn't be pushed to care.
They might have been nosy boundary pushing dorks, but they were still good people, so they didn't make a fuss over it after her initial scolding.
GoGo watched a Scrub-Jay perch on a nearby tree, and quickly went to work drawing a general outline of it, making sure to establish the shape before the outer details, learned after months of trial and error.
A scream sounded out through the forest, and the Scrub-Jay flew off.
GoGo was annoyed for a second, before becoming very very worried.
Without a moment of doubt, she tucked her sketchbook back into her jacket and made off deeper into the woods, following the loud sounds that rang throughout the brush.
After a few minutes of traveling, GoGo spotted something that startled and horrified her enough to drop her guard.
Someone was laid out across the sparse floor of the forest. Multiple lacerations and wounds across their body, and what looked like a mangled arm hanging limply to their side.
Blood pooled out around them, and GoGo realized that she might be witnessing someone dying.
She didn't hesitate.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: I have come bearing gifts. A new chapter and therefore new arc. I've been a little busy with College prep exam stuff so I haven't been able to consecutively post like before. Hopefully the quality and quantity is sufficient to tide you guys over. I'll be posting an update to the informational sheet so stick around for that too. As always, comments criticisms appreciated. Stay Tuned.
Last edited: Jan 29, 2019
Aggravation 3.2Aggravation 3.2
My first thought upon waking up was simply acknowledging the obvious.
Wow. That is bright.
My second was cringing at the pain I felt all over.
I sat up, slowly, trying to ease into my motion as I felt the dull itches and aches of my wounds. I was honestly thankful for that healing factor, cause if it hadn't gotten it, I'd most likely be dead or crippled beyond repair.
Scanning around the room I realized I was in a hospital setup, and with a slight tug and look downward, saw that I was wearing a hospital robe.
I moved my arm, the one damaged, and flinched slightly at the uncomfortable feeling that flared back up.
My mind pulled up visceral images, of seeing myself get savaged by the bear's jaws, arm limp, and cuts stacked lethally around me.
I observed my body a little more, and found that my wounds had sealed over, with the only evidence left being slightly pale scars from where my injuries had been.
Yeah, really feeling thankful for that healing factor right now.
Then my mind came to a screeching thought, frozen as I came to realize a few very crucial facts.
That I didn't have money, an official identity, and that my wounds healed overnight.
That last fact was a very concerning one, mainly because I didn't want to find out how the doctors would react.
I was a biology major, I knew how that would go down.
Panicking slightly, I looked over the side of my bed, an IV drip in place and attached to my arm.
I reached with my free hand, trying to tear off the gauze wrapped around my savaged arm and detach the IV.
Imagine my surprise when I barely had to exert any effort, and ripped the medical gauze clean off.
My eyes widened, and for a second I was a little confused, before turning my focus back to trying to find a way out of this situation.
I pulled the IV out, watching enraptured for a moment as the small incision closed up in a few seconds before my eyes, then threw the needle to the side.
I lurched into action, pushing myself off the bed.
I grabbed the metal side as I steadied my feet on the ground, and nearly lurched over as my fingers sunk into the metal from my tight grasp.
I nearly tripped, only saved by my enhanced balance, before looking back at my handhold, bewildered.
Sure enough, where I had touched it there was now a notable indentation in the shape of fingerprints.
Before I could even begin to ponder it, I heard voices growing louder outside the room, and looked around feverishly for my old clothes.
I saw them, folded in the corner by the window and sprung towards them in desperation, trying to get my belongings and get out, because in no way did I need to get asked questions for any of this.
I felt my fingers wrap around them, and then in a very smooth transition, swiftly made my way towards the window.
I pushed at the lock, trying to slam the window open quickly, only for the edges to fly clean open and release an audible crack as the glass shattered.
What the hell?!
I couldn't waste time trying to question it, too desperate to escape, hearing the click of the door handle turning and audible conversation.
I leapt out, gracefully, still cradling my clothes and belongings with my sensitive arm, while dropping down from my third story height.
I realized a second too late that I had overshot myself, and was too far away in the air to grasp the side of the building.
I braced myself in a protective curl, fully prepared to end up with more injuries, and fell.
I felt myself land on concrete, and let out an oof as I felt the force shove a breath of air out of me.
I got up quickly, and looked down, seeing a small crack in the ground formed around the spot where I had hit it.
I was somewhat surprised, sure that I would have felt more pain from the fall, making my way into the furthest bushes of the parking lot to escape notice.
I stood there, still dressed in my hospital gown at dusk, trying to connect the dots.
Weird. It's almost like…
I looked at my hands blankly clenching them back and forth for a moment, then looked around me, deciding that I needed to get dressed before someone saw an escaped hospital patient and assumed the worst.
Then I would test it.
I did my best to get dressed quickly, putting on my clothes in the most efficient manner possible.
I frowned once I finally put them on, gazing directly at the gaping holes lined across my shirt and along the edges of my pants, with the dark smears of dried blood still flecking them.
It would do for now, hopefully people would just assume I was a hipster.
It was time now however, to test my hypothesis.
Carefully focusing on using my one good arm, I walked towards one of the trees planted around the lot, a cherry blossom.
I breathed deeply, in and out, whilst working up the nerve to actually go through with it.
Finally, my curiosity overcame my caution, and with admittance that it couldn't be any worse than getting mauled by a bear, drew back with all my strength and unleashed a straight forward punch, aimed straight at the trunk.
I kept my fingers clenched tight, thumb on the outside as my fist flashed through the air in a blur, before crashing straight into my target.
The wood resisted for a single moment, then bent around my fist and shattered, a good amount of splinters and bark flying out from the impact.
I felt the shock, and shook my fist as the slight sting that came with hitting a hard object faded in a few seconds, mirthful at the fact that I at least didn't break my hand trying.
I gazed at my handiwork, confirmation ringing in my brain.
The tree had a good portion taken out of it, a quarter missing from it's wooden body, as if somehow had taken to the bark with an ice cream scoop, leaving the entire thing a little less stable.
I had no doubt that I could send the entire thing tumbling over with just a few more hits.
Yeah, I definitely had super strength now.
Awesome.
I hesitantly went back to recollecting those violent events, trying to remember if I had channeled my power at all, and realized that it must have recognized my intent when I had been delirious, and retrieved whatever soul power it had needed once the bear died, giving me it's strength.
With my test complete, I decided to rummage through my pants pockets to make sure I hadn't missed anything.
I dug out my phone, and then paused as I read the message that popped up as it reacted to my movement, screen alit with a text that dated nearly hours ago.
'Come to Good Luck Alley in two hours. Extremely important announcement. Do NOT be late!'
I let out a sharp hiss, voice caught in my throat as i realized that I only had 5 minutes to get there.
This is gonna suck.
Come on come on comeoncomeononononFuuuuuuuuuuu-
That was most of my thought process the entire way through.
Turns out that bear strength came in handy when it came to pushing myself physically. I no longer needed to worry about accidentally breaking my bones jumping too high, and my calf muscles could take a lot more punishment than before, meaning I could reach crazy speeds that much faster with their new strength.
How I found out about that…
"Sorry! Coming through, just passing by! Watch the hood! 'Scuse me…" and a host of other responses came out my mouth as I zoomed past cars and pedestrians whilst running haphazardly on the street.
My feet pushed off and on and the ground as I bounded forward in leaps and sprinted as fast as my legs would carry me. I had long since accepted that I may have been giving up a small sort of anonymity by doing this, but pushed that aside in favor of hauling ass. Besides, i'm pretty sure no one was going to be able to track my features with how fast I was going.
I rushed down a hill, my padding trot sending me flying high through the air with every step, to the point where I would probably be able to sail above a few buildings on the way down.
I landed and used my momentum to push me forward, doing a cartwheel in the air to preserve my inertia, and then coming back onto the rapidly leveling out concrete.
"HONK HONK!"
I had just enough time to react as two vehicles entered my field of vision, one a large truck, and the other a smaller car, both barreling towards me from opposite sides, with headlights flared in the darkened afternoon.
Time slowed down, and I reacted in slow motion, having only enough time to force a small hop, before the road intersected and the cars came screeching between me.
I flipped over in the air, hood barely grazing my lower half as the higher elevation of the truck's mirror clipped my arm in passing.
I spun around with it, and ended up overshooting, coming to a crash against the wall of a building near the sidewalk, temporarily disoriented as I felt the brick cave in slightly upon my impact.
Time sped back up, the sudden reflexive nature of my reaction time going dormant again, and I let out another pant as my heart continued beating fast in my chest.
I took in the situation for a moment, gaze flickering across the small crater formed from my sudden collision, then back to a couple of onlookers who had seen what had just happened, standing silently and in shock.
I gave them a sheepish grin. "Nice day for a jog, huh folks?"
Then I took off again, never breaking my stride and looking back before getting back into the rush.
This time though, I decided to take the higher route.
I hopped up the nearest dumpster, and then pushed off as hard as I could, sailing through the air much higher than I had before with my reinforced legs making up for the strain.
I went clean over the side and landed on the top of a small building, before continuing my run.
It was only after I had gotten over a few more hurdles that I realized that I was getting closer, a few of the more questionable landmarks of the district showing me that I was red hot when it came to my destination.
Holy shit I'm gonna make it.
Sure enough I quickly scaled the side of a familiar building, vaulting over a few vents and with all the grace in the world leapt down from my high perch.
I flew down through the air, falling through the narrow niche that marked the edges of Good Luck Alley, in the only gap big enough to fit a large group of people.
I hit the ground, coming up in a sudden resting position, before realizing that my entrance might have been really noticeable.
Sure enough, like half the people I had ever seen in Good Luck Alley were now staring at me, and a good few that I hadn't seen before.
I stood there awkwardly, bent over at the knees and trying my best to play it off, failing as I let out a loud series of gasps, taking in as much air as I could.
"Su-Sup fellas. Ju-just making it on time, nothing to see he-here."
There was a long pause after that, and then almost in tandem everyone turned their attention back to staring at a podium resting on the edge of the circle.
When I finally regained my breath I strained my neck past the crowd, standing on my tip toes before gaining a good deal of leverage by sticking a few feet onto one of the pipes on the alley walls.
After a while I finally managed to glimpse the form of the Kingpin himself, standing on top of the podium which I was acutely aware creaked under his weight.
A hush fell over the crowd, and Yama began speaking.
"My brothers and sisters, those under me, and those that simply occupy our territory, it seems that the Kuroten Clan has decided to spit on the deal for peace, and have begun escalating against our own."
A sudden wave of murmurs and panicked whispers rise up amongst the crowd, and I get to be privy to a lot of worried conversations, some discussing attacks and aggressive plans against the Kuroten, while other possess more worried and heart wrenching tones, too many young voices that don't sound like they belong, and hysterical mothers cradling them whilst whispering empty promises.
Something twists in my stomach, and I realize I might be witnessing the start of an actual gang war.
Yama continues his speech. "That is not all, it seems the Kurotens have also allied themselves with the Fujitas, and word has spread that the Kuroten Clan members are now recruiting those they can off the street."
The disruption gets worse, this time escalating into a frenzied state all around. Yama holds up a hand, and the crowd quiets down.
"Know that it will be dangerous to wander out during the night in the coming days, and that it's important that you all prepare for what's coming. As of now, anyone on the outskirts may not be safe."
An uproar happens, and Yama calmly walks off, leaving behind the chaos and heading back inside his own domicile.
A small voice speaks up inside me.
This could be your chance. You could finally get rid of Yama, put an end to all of this, take him out and run home with no-one the wiser. Like you are now, you could sit this out and go ask Hiro and his friends for help, or get a job that would pay you simply to use or study your powers.
I could do that, and then it would be the end of this.
"Oh my god Susan I can't believe this is-"
"Are you kidding me! Jimmy lives in the outer district, I'm not leaving him-"
"Mom please I don't want to die, are we gonna be ok-"
"Ssshhhh, I promise sweetie I'll do everything I can, oh god please-"
I- I couldn't do it. Not like this, not when there were innocent people involved, if I just took advantage of that and left dozens of people to be hurt or killed in the crossfire…
Dad would never forgive me for it.
Looks like i'm getting involved.
God help me.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: It's time…. ohohoho is it time to party. I've been waiting for this arc, and by god am I gonna make the most of it. As always, comments and constructive criticism appreciated. Stay Tuned for more.
Last edited: Nov 4, 2018
Aggravation 3.3Aggravation 3.3
Phenomenal superhuman power was mine, and the first thing I was going to do with it was juggle eggs.
The second one had come down again, and I did my best to catch and throw it back up as lightly as I could.
I clenched it just a bit too tightly, and it exploded, sending bits of eggshell flying off and causing me to get splattered by the yolk.
The first one followed suit.
With a sigh, I threw the remains into the small trash can I'd brought up on the roof, along with it's other smashed brethren.
I wiped my hands and t-shirt off with a towel, and pulled another two eggs out the other cartons I had yet to use.
That was better.
I'd been doing this for a while now, slowly but surely it was paying off.
However frustrating it was.
Learning how to control my new muscle strength was an immense priority, especially once it became clear I was definitely going to need to hold back my punches, soon, If I didn't want to end up accidentally making someone's head into chunky salsa.
Already I was adapting to my new strength, learning how to manage delicate situations and control myself better with the added leverage it gave me, I didn't need a repeat of the door handle nor the sandbag incidents.
This time I held on for much longer, following through the motions as the eggs flew up and down in a circular arc. The inevitable slip came but instead of getting mad, I merely redoubled my efforts, again and again.
I kept focusing, and slowly but surely added more and more to the act, soon enough juggling four eggs altogether perfectly as I concentrated.
Then, as quick as I could, started tossing them one at a time.
One.
The first impacted on the center of the dartboard I kept many feet away.
Two.
The second followed, curving through the air perfectly with a flick of the wrist.
Three.
The third I tossed high, sailing upward before crashing right onto the second.
Four.
The final one was done with the most precision, tossed gently and landing without smashing on top of the pile of eggshells.
I gazed at my handiwork, satisfied with the results and ready to move onto the next exercise in muscle training.
Alright then, time to thread the needle, both figuratively and quite literally.
As I said, phenomenal superhuman power.
After I finished those grueling tasks and had successfully gotten a read of my current abilities, I decided to head down to Cass's Cafe, just to check in and catch up on whatever it was the Gang was doing on a Sunday. It didn't hurt to associate with them, hopefully to help get to the point where I felt comfortable revealing myself and not instantly becoming an extreme threat via proxy.
The door chimed as I went in and I saw Cass standing at the counter as usual with no Hiro and Nerd Gang in sight.
Probably still out patrolling or doing superhero stuff.
I walked up to the register, and Cass gave me the usual friendly greeting.
"Oh hey! How can I help you today Kade!"
Wait she knows my name?
Apparently Cass could read my expression, or maybe I was just an open book, either way she interrupted me before I could say anything.
"Yes I tend to remember my customers, especially those who hang around my adorable little nephew and his friends." She said that last part with no little amount of teasing affection, too sweet for me to handle.
"Oh. Uhh… ok then, how are you doing?"
Cass practically lit up, and further cemented her spot as number one best aunt in my heart. "I'm doing fine, same stuff as always… which is taking care of the cafe. But enough about me what are you going to be having today!"
And from there the conversation dived into simply taking my order, a breakfast omelette and some orange juice. Cass ended up having a new wave of customers shortly after and I offered to help her manage things after a little persuasion. Eventually it settled down and I simply took a break to eat my food and relax at one of the tables.
Finishing my omelette I heard the bell chime again for what seemed like hundredth time, sparing only a quick glance before making a double take as Hiro, Honey Lemon, Wasabi, GoGo, Fred, and Baymax all walked in with each other.
And there they are.
My gaze passed from each one, none of them noticing me for a few moments.
Then GoGo saw me, and immediately froze on the spot.
We locked eyes, and for a moment I was bewildered and irrationally afraid I'd done something that had revealed my identity.
Slowly, she blew a bubble and then popped it, not taking her eyes off me the entire time. Then, she whispered something to the others, and they all turned around to look at me.
I wanted to bolt right then and there, only the context of the whisper keeping me from making any sudden moves.
"That's him, that's the guy I told you was in the woods."
Hiro was the first to directly speak to me, walking over with a concerned look on his face and no small amount of recognition.
"Kade?"
I did my best to play it nonchalant.
"Hey Hiro. What's up?"
He cocked his head, and then replied in a tone that made me think even he was disbelieving of his words.
"My friend GoGo said she found you out in the woods, attacked by a bear and bleeding out. She had to rush you out and call an ambulance."
I froze, then silently screamed in my thoughts as the pieces came together.
Of course. GoGo hangs out in the woods. Which means she saw me nearly die, and not a few days later out the hospital despite being savaged by a bear.
Fuck.
I sighed, doing my best to come off as melancholic and emotionally distraught.
"Yeah, that was me. I had a bad run in with a Grizzly bear, and if she hadn't been there I'd probably be dead. Doctors said I could have bled out, but thankfully the wounds were superficial enough to be patched up and leave me good to go. Tell her I said thanks, and that if she needs anything from me don't hesitate to ask."
That last part was the truth and I meant every word of it.
Hiro's eyes widened, and he quickly started moving to bring Baymax over.
"Oh! Well in that case I hope you're healing alright now, I can have Baymax take a look at you to see if everything's alright!"
I replied with a simple ok before it fully hit me what i'd just walked into. Baymax was a health care robot, which meant he would get a good look at me, which meant finding out literally everything about my internal bodily system.
I'm screwed.
The huggable robot made his way over next to me, and perhaps in another time and place I would have found his marshmallowy balloon presence calming and delightful. Now however, with his two beady black eyes looking at me, I felt dread and pangs of fear as I waited for an uncertain discovery.
The others had scooted over at some point, and were now listening in, GoGo especially close by.
His scan passed over me, and then he tilted his head minutely before vocalizing.
"You appear to be in excellent physical shape, with an equal amount of muscle mass and tissue indicating a healthy lifestyle, faint traces of damaged skin being the only indication of injury. Your vitals however are. Unusual."
Hiro mimicked my own frown for a second, before stating the question that was on everyone's mind.
"What do you mean 'unusual', Baymax?"
Baymax waited for a few agonizing seconds, and was mostly likely trying to process a way to vocalize it.
"You have small differences in respiration, heart rate, and pulse. Signs also indicate that certain portions of your organ systems have been altered, and I am unable to determine the cause, nor the details for each one."
By now it seemed everyone was alarmed, and looking towards me as if I had the answer.
Well, I did. Not that I was going to tell them that.
I cleared my throat while wracking my brain to come up with some sort of excuse.
"That may be a small hereditary gene that runs in my family, it just makes things a little weird sometimes for us, it's been pretty helpful when it comes to physical activity though, makes us work to stay in shape." I ended it off with a sheepish grin, hoping to god that they would buy it.
Hiro gave me a strange look and then shrugged, moving back to where his friends were sitting, who had rapidly tried to save face and act like they weren't listening in, except for GoGo, who didn't exactly care.
"I guess that makes sense, there were bound to be some things harder to interpret than others. Right Baymax!"
Baymax was still looking at me, and for a moment there was an awkward silence before he pulled a lollipop from somewhere and handed it to me.
I took it gingerly and gave him a small nod of appreciation.
That seems like the best place to end this on.
"Now. I am satisfied, thank you Baymax."
The robot blinked, nodded, and then waddled back over to the group.
GoGo was still looking at me with a unreadable expression, blowing her gum one last time before huffing and turning away.
For a moment I contemplated telling them about the Gang War that was bound to happen, but seeing Hiro, and the laughter and goofy expressions on their faces, I decided against it.
They were just kids. Kids playing superheroes, and nowhere near ready for something like this. It might have been stupid of me to not say anything since they were likely the second most qualified to help next to the police, but thinking about Cass's sheer love for Hiro, the camaraderie and affection they all had for each other. I couldn't bear to be the reason that he ended up shot because of a lucky hit from some gangbanger. How would she feel, knowing her only remaining nephew had died, because I was that guy who had pushed him into it. Hiro wouldn't hesitate to jump in because he was a good kid, and Tadashi's death had made him driven towards it, unhealthily so.
I had no delusions about it, even now I doubted that not telling them would keep them out of it at all, and just maybe I was underestimating their skills and heroism.
That was fine too, I just didn't want to be the guilty one when it came down to it.
Does that make me a coward?
Probably, not that it mattered at the moment.
I got up, fully making up my mind, waving goodbye to both Cass and the rest of the Nerd Squad, pointedly ignoring the look GoGo sent me on my way out.
I had people to protect.
Here I was, sitting stories above the streets of San Fransokyo, bored out of my mind.
I was decked out in my usual gear, save for a few minor adjustments I had made to keep things practical and orderly, compressed staff in hand as I listened in on the small majority of conversations taking place.
I had stuck to the outskirts of Yama's territory so far, doing my best to make sure that if anything was going to go down, I was there to prevent harm.
Nothing had happened, no skirmishes, no threats, nothing. It was as if every expectation Yama had drilled into the heads of his subordinates was nothing more than filler and propaganda. In the meantime, the few guys Yama had spared to be on the lookout were wasting time below acting like idiots and insulting each other with mom slurs.
I rolled my eyes as Jamie said something to another guy that made him get aggressive, and casually slid down the side of my perch to make myself noticeable.
Their heads snapped up, and they all immediately went quite, only just now realizing my presence. I waved at them up from my vantage point, and then casually slinked out of sight by crawling alongside the building, still present, but hidden from their views on the ground.
I couldn't help but wonder what people had been saying about me to make them react like that.
The panicked whispers were pretty funny though.
Just as I made my way back up though I heard something from a new direction, loud sounds and what seemed like a lot of banging and shouting emanating from down the street.
I looked in the direction I had heard it from, and was surprised by the appearance of a couple of seemingly normal people rushing down the street and inside, even more-so when they were soon followed by what appeared to be a large group of women in roller-skates, armed with various items ranging from what looked to be umbrellas, baseball bats, maces, and… fans?
It seems like I wasn't the only one to notice. I heard a few of the guys from below start yelling a specific name.
"The Fujitas!"
And so it begins.
I watched, as the Fujitas soon skated their way down the street, almost six in total, a surprisingly small amount given how everyone's been making a big deal of them.
They weaved through the streets, gracefully passing cars, the sidewalk, and bobbing past each other and random people still caught in the streets.
Of course, all that grace was accompanied by an equal mix of violence.
They laughed and hollered as they put their weapons to good use, smashing car windows, breaking things, and generally terrorizing anyone unlucky enough to still be in their path.
I frowned as they nearly ran a older man over on the sidewalk, laughing as he stumbled and fell.
Finally, they skated their way over to Jamie and the others, circling them in a shark-like pattern below, hooting as I picked up faint bits of conversation.
"I think you ladies are a bit lost, in case you weren't aware, this is Yama's turf, and you stopped working for him for-"
"-we're all well aware, it's just that we have a different boss now, and it seems like he's not really fond of Yama at the moment. Isn't that right girls!"
A cacophonous chorus rang out. "Ahahahaha!"
A voice I recognized as Jamie's spoke up, with a noticeably nervous tone. "Look ladies… i'm sure we can work something out, we don't want any trouble, just pass on by and nobody has to get hurt tonight."
"Awwwww… that's too bad sweetheart, trouble is exactly what we do! Go for the legs!"
Yeah, time to intervene.
I stepped off the ledge, and dropped downwards steeply, the two story drop being nowhere as stressful as it's higher counterparts, hopping in place for a moment before striking a martial pose right in front of the leader.
Her makeup covered face widened at my sudden entrance, and she nearly stumbled back before righting herself.
I grinned beneath my mask.
"Howdy ma'am. I just so happened to be passing through and noticed your little predicament. I'd like to point you to the nearest Tony Hawk convention."
I savored the absolute look of confusion on her face.
The moment passed however, and her expression quickly morphed into one filled with rage and disgust.
She shouted in a very unladylike manner. "Break his legs ladies!"
Then she swung a baseball bat at me.
I ducked underneath it, feeling the breeze pass over me, then retaliated with a swift kick to the chest, hard enough to send her sprawling across the street.
She cursed like a sailor, and the others sprang into action.
One of them, a shorter one with blonde hair and armed with a mace, swung out at me, intending to hit me in the legs or lower torso.
I watched as the tiny spiked orb passed, then did the equivalent of lethal jump rope, hopping over it once, twice, then three times.
She let out a growl after the third and shifted her swing so that it would fly at me almost vertically.
I smoothly shifted out the way, and then released and swung my staff in an a complete 360, sweeping her legs out from under her, and the one that had approached me from behind wielding what looked like an assortment of very sharp pins.
They both went down hard, and I had just enough time to see that a majority of Yama's men were lying on the ground before I heard someone scream from behind me.
Time slowed down as I processed the spiked bat headed straight towards me and twisted sideways almost by instinct to avoid it.
I gained my bearings, now critically alarmed at the close call i'd just had.
Fujita Number Uno was now looking somewhat injured but too pissed to care, sending me a glare that sent shivers up my spine.
She started talking, a terrible high pitched voice tinged with exhaustion. "When i'm over with you, you're going to be living the rest of your life in a wheelchair! If you live at all!'
I let my thoughts flow freely out my mouth.
"What is your deal with crippling people?"
She let out an unholy screech and then charged at me swinging.
I backpedaled, and bent backwards just enough to avoid the closest of her wild attacks.
She overextended, and went toppling forward right onto me.
I didn't have enough time to register the impact before we were both sent to the ground.
We both recovered at the same time, but I was the only one that attempted to get up instead of continue the brawl.
She grasped me around the neck, fingers digging into my skin, before attempting to throw a left hook straight at my face while she straddled me.
I saw it coming, and intercepted her fist easily, instead using the moment to grab her around the arm and yank her off me in a throw.
My strength made it ridiculously easy, and I watched as she went skidding off in a collision course with another Fujita, who tripped over her and fell, entangling the both of them.
I got up trivially, pushing myself off the ground to come up in a standing position that may have been more flashy than I intended. My fingers had stuck themselves to a sewer grate, and I had been too surprised to stop myself from carrying it along with me due to the strength I put behind the motion.
I looked around, staring from behind my mask at the uncertain gazes of most of the Fujitas. A good half either favoring their sides or attempting to shake off certain wounds they had sustained.
"Hey freakshow!"
I swiveled around to face whoever the insult had come from, and then froze once I registered what I was seeing.
One of the Fujitas had Jamie in a chokehold, and was currently holding a few knives extended from a fan pressed to his neck, blood already drawn. Jamie's eyes were darting wildly between me and her.
I clenched my fist, a little more than angry but mostly filled with dread at having to be in a hostage situation.
In a low rumbling tone, I made my demand.
"Let him go. At the very least don't make this harder on yourselves than it already is."
She actually hissed at me, then started talking in a accusatory tone.
"I have a better idea, you drop your little stick, the grate, and get down on your knees, and I won't slit this guys throat. That sound alright, sweetie?"
This has gone on long enough.
I didn't bother to hide my burgeoning anger as I gave her my reply.
"I have a better idea-"
Then I threw the grate.
It went sailing past both her and Jamie, embedding itself in the wall, and letting out a land bang once it impacted.
She let out a shriek, and turned around to face the impromptu projectile before looking back at me with a decidedly more fearful and less confident expression.
The others had gone silent, and you could barely hear the brief sounds of the city in the background.
I chose that moment to continue.
"-You release him, leave, and the next shot doesn't involve my staff and your head"
She threw Jamie to the ground, and almost in unison the Fujita Gang collectively fled.
Well. That was a terrifying experience.
Somehow I felt like it would only get worse.
I sighed, then made my way over to Jamie, who was currently still staring at the sewer grate comically sticking out of the wall of the building next to us.
"You alright Jamie?"
He looked at me quizzically, as if just now realizing something, and then gave a sound reply.
"Yeah. Yeah i'm alright kid. Thanks… for you know, saving my ass back there."
"Don't mention it, i'm just trying to make sure nobody dies out here."
He gave me a weird look, then just walked off towards the guys still laid out on the ground, some groaning in pain.
Somehow I felt like tonight was going to be a big deal somehow.
That was not a pleasant feeling.
Aikido Watanabe was not in a good mood.
Her girls were supposed to be going out a joyride tonight, tearing up the city in a night on the town that just so happened to send a message to Yama.
Instead, they had been jumped by some costumed bozo in a mask, working for the tracksuit wearing idiot himself.
The Fujitas were supposed to feared, tsunamis of terror and chaos that did what they wanted, when they wanted, and only answered to their own.
At least, that was how they used to be.
Sitting here now, cradling her bruised ribs and trying to appeal to this scary and creepy bastard was as far from in control as Aikido had ever felt.
She sat, anxious and in silence as she waited for the boot to drop from none other than the Big Man of the Kurotens himself, Anakuma.
He drummed his metallic fingers on the table, each tap sending a spike of terror through Aikido and the rest of the Fujitas.
Finally, he spoke up, deep and distorted voice rumbling from his vocal chords.
"I see… so the rumors about there being a… unique individual under Yama's employ are true. It seems i'll have to apply different tactics if what you've reported is correct."
Aikido swallowed down her apprehension.
"Si-Sir we were caught off guard, and that-"
"Silence."
Aikido shut up quickly.
"As the leader of the Fujitas, I expect results, I pay you, and you are under my employ. I don't tolerate excuses, so if you have nothing more than empty platitudes, I suggest you keep your lips sealed."
"Yes sir."
Anakuma gestured to his side, and a girl Aikido hadn't even seen stepped forward out the shadows. Dressed in what seemed like casual clothes compared to the comparative uniforms Anakuma and his usual subordinates wore.
Anakuma spoke.
"Kamaitachi. I want you to follow and scope out this new individual, see what he is capable of, then when the time is right in the following days, utilize the plans I have set up."
Kamaitachi was silent for a few moments, expression unreadable and lacking of emotion.
This time Anakuma spoke a little more forcefully."Is that understood."
Quietly, the girl responded. "Yes sir."
Aikido felt the urge to just take her girls and get the hell out the city while she could, but quickly changed her mind when she remembered the rumors about what had happened to the last few guys that had tried to skip out on Anakuma.
Not for the first time did she wish she was still working for Yama.
Anakuma finally waved her and her sisters off, and together they hightailed it out, dreading the days to come. Anakuma's voice still echoing as they left.
Soon, things were going to be changing.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: And so exit the Jet Set Radio characters. We might be seeing them again, maybe not soon, because in the coming days Kade is going to have a lot more to worry about. In other news we're now getting see some things that aren't shown in normal canon. Comments and criticism are appreciated. As always, Stay Tuned.
Last edited: Jan 29, 2019
Aggravation 3.4Aggravation 3.4
It was a bitter feeling to be right sometimes.
The whole debacle with the Fujitas had ended up being spread around. I had overheard countless rumors that were more often than not, completely inaccurate and occasionally stupidly ridiculous. No doubt some of the guys trying to cover up how badly they had failed against the Fujita Gang, and were working me up to make themselves look good.
Some were about how I was a demon of the night, swooping in from the shadows to abduct and kill people regardless of who they were, and that Yama had managed to capture me and force me to work for him. Others were about how I was seen crawling along skyscrapers like a monster movie villain, and that I had been about to harvest the Fujitas souls before they fled. It was honestly weird to think that Yama's men and some of the Alleygoers were more scared of me than the actual enemy on their streets. The worst part was that while Yama had dismissed most of the dumb stuff, I did pick up on the difference in the way he regarded me now, a clear calculating look that did no favors in assuaging my dread. The last thing I had wanted was for Yama to start taking me seriously, but it looks like that ship has sailed.
It didn't matter anyway, not in the long run.
Rumors, they were nothing more than superstition and propaganda that made my life harder than it already was.
I watched silently from my vantage point as a thug cornered an old man in the dark alley, his intent clear from the way he was raising his voice aggressively, and holding a knife up to the senior's chest.
Slowly, I crawled my way down from my side of the building, behind the mugger and not clearly in his line of sight. I landed silently on the ground, taking in the struggle and watching as the old civilian noticed me from the corner, eyes widening.
I held a finger to the lower portion of my mask, in the universally known sign for shushing before creeping up behind the mugger, who was still unaware of my entrance pushing his knife against the innocent man's chest and growling deeply.
"Listen old man, give me your wallet and your phone, and I'll stop my knife from cutting your jugular, do as I say and you might not get hurt!"
I tapped the mugger on the shoulder, and watched as he practically tripped over himself trying to spin around, before doing a double take as he realized who I was.
"Oh shit."
I grinned beneath my mask.
"How's it going Katou?"
He sputtered for a few seconds, backing up further and further, past the old man, who had sidestepped him and surprisingly wasn't running away yet.
"L-look man I was just… talking to the old geezer, that's it, messing with him a bit. It's was nothing serious."
I tilted my head and adopted a mock thinking pose, all the while keeping pace with Katou, who was now rapidly nearing the end of the alley and looking all the more stressed at that fact.
"Funny, could've sworn you were threatening him, after all you did poke him in the chest with a knife. Weird that you of all people are doing this, especially considering the 30k you make working as hired guard."
I cut him off, fully poising myself over him and adopting a deeper tone of voice practiced from countless nights.
"So… I think you might be owing that old man an apology for such a cruel prank, yes? You wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea, otherwise I might have to handle it. And no-one wants that. Right?"
He nodded furiously, and I rolled my eyes from behind my mask. I stepped out the way and gave him a clear sign to go.
Katou practically spilled over himself trying to get away from by me, uttering a loud rambling apology to the old man, who was still standing by the entrance, and then sprinted off past the corner.
I sighed, no doubt I'd be hearing about complaints to Yama.
I walked over to the older man, more than a little confused as to why he was still here and not running away like the countless other people I'd saved from similar attacks over the past week. The situation was high-strung, and crime was happening a lot more often in the day than I would have liked.
I couldn't see his eyes past the glare of his spectacles, but he gave me a soft smile, with not a hint of worry on his face.
He was familiar in a way I couldn't quite place.
He opened his mouth to speak, and for some reason I was entranced by his words.
"It won't always be this way kid. Trust yourself, you'll do the right thing."
And with that, he walked out, and I was left there alone.
The world seemed a little bit brighter now.
Sure enough, I got a few hateful glares the next time I walked into Good Luck Alley.
I ignored them, since it was painfully clear they were not going to try anything based off what had happened to a few of the others.
Yama had given me a cold stare, and was more than a little interrogative about why I had been harassing some of his men, which I was rather blunt about in saying that if it was a problem, then they were doing something they shouldn't have done.
He growled but otherwise dismissed it, probably weighing his options about what I could get away with and how useful I was currently.
Despite the problems, it was painfully clear that I was dealing with rival criminals or hoodlums on the street, which meant less competition for him and more focus on pushing back against the Kurotens.
Big Hero 6 had their hands full, with secret identities, having to deal with the increase in crimes, and all the while still partaking in college. They were being stretched thin as a group, and I had watched it happen in real time every moment they stepped in the cafe.
Which meant during the night, the streets were left to me.
At least, up until now.
I watched overhead, tracking a black van through the streets below, hopping from rooftop to rooftop and easily scaling the walls in my way as I kept pace with them.
I had been scouting out the darker portions of the district, warehouses and places populated by the kind of people you knew were up to no good in the dark.
I had seen a couple of suits unload the van for a while before swapping it with cash with another group of sketchy dealers, and it hadn't taken me a moment to connect the dots.
I had called the police and reported, making sure to bring one of the disposables I had bought for such an occasion. They'd be there soon to bust the place, but it was up to me to follow the sources, who had driven off soon after the deposit.
They came to a stop inside a driveway, parking near the entrance of a small and unremarkable building before getting out.
I watched them all go inside, and launched myself over to the side of the occupied building, scaling the lengths of concrete before finally flipping myself over the top and onto the ceiling floor.
There was a skylight, and I peeked into it to watch and see what was going on inside.
Two of the men from before had broken off, and were chatting to about six others who looked to be holding small firearms. There were two floors inside, and the whole place looked to be something much fancier on the inside than out.
I heard the slight almost imperceptible sound of scraping metal, and it was only that and my inhuman reflexes that saved me from being skewered from behind.
I had barely glanced to the side before I brought my hand up almost automatically to clasp at the flat surface of the knife's blade, inches away from my neck.
I locked eyes with my attacker from behind my lenses, a petite girl wearing what looked to be a visor akin to sunglasses and a dark form fitted suit.
I didn't even register the sudden kick she had sent into my abdomen until after.
It was much stronger than you would expect from someone her size, and I fell back-first onto the glass of the fragile ceiling, feeling an inch of resistance before it shattered and I went tumbling down into the room below.
I hit the ground, a rain of glass falling after me. The sting of the fall barely registered, my adrenaline already kicking itself into overdrive as I saw the metallic glean of a dagger falling towards me just in time to roll out the way to avoid being skewered through the face.
I sprung up, and that's when everything went to hell.
Noise erupted around me, and I had a moment to realize I had most likely been led into a trap before the guns started firing off and I flung myself into cover.
"Pin him down!"
"Flank him to the sides."
"Get Kamaitachi on him!"
Ahh… shit.
I heard and felt the whoosh of gunfire pass by me, a worrying amount of holes filling the ground and walls near my position.
I was hidden behind a marble pillar, but I doubted my cover would last long before they managed to pin me down and fill me with lead.
Fighting past the burgeoning panic, I spotted a wooden bench and some plants in the small enclave in front of me, an idea springing to mind.
I pushed myself off the floor, and went zooming towards the two items, heedless of the gunfire whistling past my ears.
I grabbed the potted plant, and then lifted up the bench, both extremely easy thanks to my strength.
I twisted around, and then chucked the plant as hard as I could to my right, in-between the pillars lining the floor and second floor as supports.
It flew off and shattered against the furthest walls with a resounding crack, and I immediately sprung towards the opposite direction, taking the bench with me.
The gunners had been momentarily distracted by the sight of my plant projectile, and had looked away long enough for me to swing the now airborne bench at their direction.
The bench splintered and shattered as it connected, sending two of them flying and skidding across the ground.
I didn't waste time trying to attack the others in my brief opening, and instead bent down and sprung backwards in a flip, sending myself high into the air and clearing the gap to the second floor.
I landed on two legs with one hand to the ground, and had enough time to register the appearance of my original attacker before immediately having to start dodging the flurry of knives she had started throwing at me.
I leaned out the way of the first, watching it move in slow mo before hopping in place to dodge two aimed for my abdomen and lower body.
She abandoned her original throwing method, and retracted a pair of blades from what looked to be sleeve pockets in her suit.
I sprinted at her, invested in closing the distance between us and ready to grab her by the arms from her stationary position.
I brought my hands around her wrist, and that's when I felt her tilt her body weight just enough to send me sailing over her and into the air.
I righted myself, instantly coming into a frame of balance only to catch a knife to the shoulder.
It ripped through my clothes and nicked a cut in a portion of my skin.
When I landed, I went to grab it from where it had stuck, only to have to fend off my mysterious female attacker immediately.
I launched an uppercut at her, and she ducked smoothly under it, coming up to stab me in the chest with her single remaining dagger.
I caught it, saved by reflexes, and with all my might swung her by the wrist and forearm away from me as hard as I could.
Her arm wrenched back and I heard her let out a cry of pain before being swung over the side of the railing, her body disappearing from view.
I felt an immediate stab of pain in my left arm, and looked across the bridge to see two of the remaining gunmen pointing their pistols straight at me.
I ducked just in time to avoid getting my head blown off as a bullet whistled by my ear. I hid behind the railing, knowing fully well it wouldn't protect me from sustained fire.
It only took a single look at my arm to realize I had been shot. A hole in the fabric sticking outward and a sharp and painful sensation lining it. It took everything in me not to immediately go into shock or let my panic get the best of me, my brain fully dedicated to trying to rack up a solution to escape or fight off my attackers.
A piece of tiny shrapnel struck my cheek, and I had to suppress a wince at the loud bang that went off as another hole in the wall appeared in front of me.
I didn't dare try and use my left arm, for anxious fear of the crippling pain that would follow, simply cradling it steadily. I had no way out, and that meant I would have to try and blitz them.
I stowed my panic, and lunged forward on the ground to come up in a slide to the side of them.
Everything went slower as my reaction sped up, and I had enough time to register the flicker of realization and the slowly aligning movement of muzzles before a big red figure came crashing down from the open ceiling.
Everyone stumbled back at the sudden entrance, and it hit me like a blow to the face as I realized who had come and interrupted our short brawl.
Baymax rose over both me and the Kurotens, and the panicked shots of pistol fire were met with pings of resistance from red armor.
"Hello. It seems I will have to detain you all for disturbing the peace. Along with, unlawful gun violence."
I looked up further, and saw the familiar costumed form of Hiro peering in from the skylight, just in time for an explosion of foam, other voices from below, and quite a few more familiar voices shouting to come from underneath us.
My swelling feeling of relief turned to dread as Baymax looked back to me inquisitively.
Tonight wasn't a good night for me.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: And so we reach more action and a short explanation as to the after effects of the previous chapter. Intended on making this a little bigger and not on such a cliffhanger note, but decided i'd cut it into two parts. Next time we continue onto the skirmishes and have a little more interaction with Expert, as well as some unforeseen effects before the true showdown begins. As always, comments and criticism appreciated. Stay Tuned for more.
Last edited: Nov 22, 2018
Aggravation 3.5Aggravation 3.5
"It seems you've been injured. Please lay down so that I may treat you. Attempts at escape may aggravate your injuries."
If this was any other situation I would've been happy to cooperate with Baymax, even tickled by the understatement and his focus on helping despite the juxtaposition.
Right now I was slightly amused with a heaping of wariness.
"I'll pass on that Ba-Big Red."
I didn't wait to hear Baymax's reaction, already motioning to jump over the side of the bridge.
I went over, and with careful precision used my good arm to swing from the lowest bar to the one on the opposite side, catching it with just enough momentum to flip around and plant my feet on the opposing end.
I stuck to the wall with both my legs and good hand, catching my bearings before I looked forward from my vantage point.
A large wall of ice blocked the main entrance, with Honey Lemon and Wasabi standing close by, the Kuroten gunmen from before encased in her foam prisons.
I had another second or so before Honey Lemon stiffened and spotted me, reaching for her purse and yelling.
"It's him, he's on the side of the bridge!"
Fantastic…
I released my hold on the side of the wall, dropping down and landing on all fours, gritting my teeth at the flare of pain in my injured one.
I rolled to my feet just in time to avoid a sudden burst of ice from my side, feeling the chill beyond even my costume.
Oh for heaven's sake…
With no small amount of urgency, I yelled at the top of my lungs, frantically bringing my hands and arms into a T shape.
The sudden gesture was enough to cause the two of them to pause, and if my hearing was anything to go by, the others coming up from behind me.
In an entirely serious voice, I gave them an completely true statement.
"I'm not affiliated with them. I was just going on a walk. They're the ones who tried to shoot me."
I gave Honey Lemon the finger guns, then jumped as high as I could into the air, sailing back onto bridge.
"Alrightsituationexplainedi'llseeyouguysanothertimehaveabeautifulnightbyeeee!"
Baymax was still standing over the Kurotens he had captured and I took the initiative to use him as a spring board while his back was turned.
I kicked off of him, pushing off with all my might as I tried to gain as much height as possible.
I stalled out, fingers reaching out to the edges of the skylight.
Just a little bit further.
My heart stopped, and the very tip of my fingers clasped around the edges of the metal frame, broken glass shifted aside from my initial downfall.
Ohoho… holy crap I made it. That was a close one.
I dangled off the edge for single second before pulling myself over with ease, back into the dark atmosphere of the night…
And face to face with Hiro.
We both paused, equally surprised by the appearance of the other.
I pulled myself out the rest of the gap, and I guess that's about when Hiro realized that he was still right next to the enemy.
"BAYMAX!"
Ahh damn it.
I heard the steady sound of rockets rise from behind me, and immediately got into a fighting stance, suicidal plan already forming in my mind.
The hulking figure of Baymax rose in front of me, bursting from the inside of the building and leaving a trail of smoke from behind him as he flew into the air.
I needed to fight him, it was the only way I was going to get the chance to escape. Baymax would be able to keep track of me from the air, and there was no way I was going to outpace them unless he was grounded somehow.
Oh god I was going to have to fight him.
I looked back at Hiro, who had stepped back quite a distance from me, motioning to Baymax's airborne figure.
Not far enough.
I sprinted towards him, Hiro yelping as I closed the distance between us near instantly.
I grabbed him, hurling him into the air in one quick motion, praying for my idea to work out.
Thankfully, Baymax did exactly what I expected him to, slowing down in mid-air to catch Hiro with both his arms.
Here we go.
The moment Baymax had come in to catch him I was already in action, leaping forward and over the duo as I executed my stunt perfectly.
I landed on Baymax's back with a thump, holding back another wince as I used my injured arm to keep hold.
I unholstered one of the batons, instructions memorized from long bouts of practice as I flipped the taser cap, ends lighting up sparks.
"Sorry about this big guy."
And with that, I plunged the taser into the gap between Baymax's armor.
It went straight through the bottom of his neck and armor.
For a harsh second I was afraid it had done nothing, then Baymax started twitching, and I regretted that I didn't think this through.
His angle jerked and the three of us were sent in a spiral downwards.
Baymax's robust form skidded against the concrete ceiling, and Hiro and I were sent tumbling forward as Baymax's momentum cut off suddenly as he hit the side.
I felt open air suddenly, glancing down to confirm that we had been sent flying off the building.
I heard Hiro scream from next to me, acting without thinking and grabbing him as the both of us fell.
I curled protectively around him, not a few seconds too soon as the first impact hit, and I let out a strangled gasp as the distinctive hood of a car crumpled around my back, followed by the shattering of glass as it compressed from the impact.
We both went tumbling to the pavement, the constant ringing alarm the only sound in the otherwise total silence.
Surprisingly, I was the first one to recover.
I groaned, aches flaring up all across my body from the impact, and slowly pushed myself off the pavement.
I glanced at Hiro's prone form, purple costume and helmet scratched and dented, but overall he was in much better shape than me. Unconscious, but definitely still breathing.
It was time to leave.
Limping forward, I did my best to shake off the shock and pain, bruised and battered but still functional enough to pick up the slack.
Eventually the short bursts of pain stopped and I started walking, then eventually running down the street full speed.
My sense of time was thrown off, and I can't remember how long I ran, only that it didn't take less than an hour for me to make it back to my apartment.
I went in through the roof entrance, breaking the lock off the door as I went inside, tired, drained, and more than a little shell shocked from the events of the night.
I went in my room, tearing off my sweaty mask and jacket before simply letting myself fall onto the bed, mental and physical exhaustion catching up to me.
I stared at the ceiling wordlessly, thinking over everything and taking it all in.
I could have died tonight.
Wasn't that a sobering thought?
They could have shot me dead, stabbed me in the throat, and that would have been it. I would be dead.
I-I didn't know how to feel about that.
I had been terrified, completely and utterly. There was no doubt that if Baymax hadn't been around, they might've filled me with lead before I could take another step. I was fast, but I wasn't fast enough if the bullet in my arm was anything to go by.
I glanced at said arm, finally paying attention to it now that the action was over.
There was a large red mark, outlined in the shape of a bullet hole. I could see where the bullet had entered, but not where it had exited. It took me a moment of frantic prodding to realize that the wound hadn't actually sealed over it, but instead pushed it out.
Weird.
How exactly was I supposed to go about this now? There was no doubt that what I had just experienced had been the real deal. The typical might that a criminal empire could bring to bear and what would presumably happen again. That woman, and those guys had been waiting for me. Not for Big Hero 6, but me, laying out a trap designed to murder me.
This is what I was getting into, not just street crime.
For a brief moment, I considered simply running away, leaving, taking what I had and going. Yama definitely wasn't worth this, and neither were Superhero shenanigans if my current luck was anything to go by.
'You'll do the right thing.'
That's what that old man had said, back in that alley.
What was the right thing?
It wasn't running away.
It was sticking up for the little guy.
How many people had I saved like that man this week? 5? 10? 15?
That was enough for me. Enough to think about how much of an impact I could have by doing the right thing. I wasn't a superhero, not in the way I should be. But at the very least I could be something, to all those people who needed someone like me willing to have their back. To prove that they could do the right thing sometimes, despite being in the wrong place or the wrong situation.
Sure, this could be a hollow sentiment, that maybe that man, that woman, those kids, didn't really think much of it, that they were simply in the middle of a terrible situation, and that everyone in Good Luck Alley and in the underworld thought I was some sort of demonic maniac with a habit of preying on other thugs, but goddamnit I wasn't going to let that get to me, not now, not when I needed it the most.
I needed to see this through.
Morning came, and I felt slightly less terrible than I did last night.
Explaining to Karla why the chains on the roof entrance were broken was a little awkward, but she took it in stride once I promised to pay for a new one.
I went through my daily routine for the rest of the day, left to contemplate the events of the previous night a little longer and silently lament that I had so much free time, not like I could re-enter college.
I should get hobbies.
Practicing hand to hand could only hold me over so long, especially with my strength. Last night had left me feeling more vulnerable than I used to, and I had quickly made plans to visit some of my old staking grounds for power sources.
Which meant seafood restaurants and fishing locations.
So far I had managed to come to an agreement with one of my suppliers, a kindly asian man who didn't ask many questions as to why I wanted to simply cut up and prepare live crayfish and other seafoods. Only that I keep to the hygiene code and prepare them right.
Experimenting by the boardwalk had been fruitful, but only in the way that I had no idea how to interpret it. Crabs and other invertebrates had exoskeletons, so I figured that I might be able to do something with that.
Things had gotten a bit strange from that point.
For the first time, my power decided to manifest itself visibly and noticeably in a way that I wasn't prepared for.
At first, it was nearly unnoticeable, a faint itch and thump against my skin, before the sudden crack that reverberated through my ears, after that it progressed with lightning quick speed, a thin sheen that burst from my skin and ended up covering every portion exposed by my clothes.
I was startled to hell and back, senses set alit as everything realigned, with dulled feeling against my skin, a weird film across my eyes, and my smell in particular picking up an alternating set of aromas.
Overall, the transformation was disorienting.
Things felt stiffer than usual, and that made me uncomfortable, compared to how much freedom I had previously experienced with my agility. Reaching into my pocket was a little less dexterous than I was used to, and I nearly dropped my phone while trying to get the right angle to see my reflection.
I was a Sentai monster.
There was no other way to describe my appearance. I looked like a knightly demon, one that would fit right into a Kamen Rider show.
Clawed fingers, bug-like eye sheen, imposingly purple and greyed colors mixed with a stocky frame, the only trace of my previously human form being the swim trunks I had brought with me.
It was ridiculous, and I absolutely loved it.
I tested out my exoskeleton, thumping one hand against my chest, a near imperceptible knock and couldn't feel a single thing.
I hit again, harder, and with still no result.
I gave it one final thwack full force and with nothing held back, and flinched as a lance of pain shot out.
I looked at the impact, and noticed a thin web of cracks spread out from where I had hit it.
So hard and armor-like, but still natural. Good to know.
The best part was that I could likely make this even better, given a little time, it was awkward, but could be useful to protect myself if I could make it better by killing a few more crabs. This was only the bottom of the barrel, so who knows what would happen once I got stronger.
Maybe things weren't so bad.
"OH MY GOD, IT'S A MONSTER!"
Why.
I turned around slowly, watching the sunlit forms of two beach suited adults and a child stare at me in horror.
I waved mechanically, unsure of how to approach the situation, and probably making it altogether worse considering I was standing menacingly underneath the pier.
The two screamed in equally high pitched voices, before hightailing it as fast as they could, tripping a few times in the sand.
The little boy stared at me, before waving back whilst being dragged away by one arm.
I stood there for a few more moments, listening to the calm pace of the waves before deciding to shift back into my original form, exoskeleton receding as I calmly stretched myself, swim trunks now fitting loosely around my waist.
Today seems like a good day for swimming.
I spent a little more time on the beach afterwards. It wasn't often that I took breaks like this, but add that to a list of things that made me appreciate San Fransokyo a little more. It was quiet and enjoyable, and it gave me time to decompress that I so woefully needed. Despite the interruptions.
I shuddered at that last thought. Too many older woman wanting to spend time with me. Too many.
At the very least, sticking my head in the ocean told me that my gills did in fact work with both freshwater and saltwater thanks to the variety of fish sources I had chosen.
It had become late, and even with my powers lending a hand I still didn't want to chance being left in the dark without my gear.
I parkoured my way across town from building to building, having become somewhat familiar with the general layout for getting to my own apartment the fastest.
Close to my destination I picked up the pace, running faster and crossing the gaps with practiced ease feeling the soft breeze whistle by as my loose t-shirt caught air.
I smelled something off, puzzled enough to come to a momentary stop at this newest set of smells, familiar, but not from something I could place.
That was all I knew before something sliced against my thigh, and I saw the edge of a knife come sailing down towards my eye.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: Happy Thanksgiving Afterday everybody. Rushed through this one a little, hopefully didn't make it as aimless as I think it might've come across as. Promise that things will soon be coming to fruition, in other news, so begins the Legend of The Trunked Beach Devil. As always, Comments and criticisms appreciated. Stay tuned.
Last edited: Nov 26, 2018
Aggravation 3.6Aggravation 3.6
I caught it.
It wasn't so much as an action as a reflex, and in this case, reflexes saved my life.
The blade nearly nicked my skin as it was brushed to the side, my left hand firmly grasped around the wrists of my attacker.
It was her, that lady from before… Kamaitachi.
She had hunted me down out of costume.
My face probably matched the shock I felt internally, as my mind rapidly connected the dots and came to a terrifying conclusion.
She knows who I am.
In the briefest moment of thinking, her and I stared at each other. My face exposed whilst her visor masked her upper face, the only exposed features being her gritted teeth.
Then I flung her over me.
I had stumbled, going into a kneel on the ground as my injured leg fought to keep steady. I had turned the motion into a judo-like throw, only with a little more oomph than necessary.
Kamaitachi flew through the air, but instead of hitting the edge of the rooftop, maneuvered herself into landing gracefully on her feet.
In the precious few seconds that her throw had taken, I rubbed my left fingers together anxiously, a sense of moisture spread over them.
Then my fingers went numb.
She's poisoned her knives, fuck me.
She reached to her side, seamlessly pulling out three small pieces of metal, which glinted in the sunset.
It took me a second to realize they were throwing pins.
She flicked her wrist, but I was already ducking out the way.
All three pins whistled past me, and I immediately decided that close quarters was better than having poisonous projectiles thrown at me.
I ran forward, and Kamaitachi stiffened, getting into a stance I wasn't familiar with.
I went in for a fake out, throwing a quick right punch towards her head.
She ducked, then went in for a stab at my ribs.
I bent out the way, then twisted backwards into a martial kick too fast to comprehend.
She flung herself back, dangerously close to the side, as my kick went over her head. A hairsbreadth away from connecting.
I followed up, launching a fist towards her position on the edge in the hopes of just ending this.
She rolled to the side, and my fist impacted against the concrete, sending a spray of gravel on impact as it broke under my strike.
I cursed, feeling the sting of pain settle into my arm, before rapidly backing up as she regrouped and kicked at my legs in an attempt to swipe them out from under me.
She was definitely trying to kill me, each lash made in such a way that there was no doubt that it would be fatal if it connected, never-mind the poison.
I went on defense, dodging strike after strike as signature knives threatened to embed themselves into my skin.
There was no getting out of this, not like the previous fight where Big Hero 6 was around to interrupt. That was fine, that meant less distractions for me.
This ended now.
Though the leg she had slashed had gone numb a while ago, I still retained control and the adrenaline pumping through my veins was enough to convince it not to give up.
I threw myself into this next move, summoning all the my lower body strength to really seal the deal, then with as much force as I could, tackled her head on.
Her yell of surprise was cut off as the air exited her lungs from my force, and was helpless as I carried us both upwards into the air, my jump not measuring up to the usual, but still far more than a usual human could.
And then I slammed her into the ground.
To say that she was floored would be an understatement.
Her knives flew out from her grip as she screamed in pain, and despite her best attempts, was too incapacitated to collect herself and get up.
Not that I was going to let her.
I held her arms back, kneeing her in the small of her back to keep her down before she could get up.
I interrogated her with no small amount of genuine rage, doing my best to keep the desperation and anxiousness out my voice.
"Who sent you?! Why the hell are you attacking me?!"
The chuckle and reply she said only made me more angry.
"You know full well who sent me. Don't ask questions you already know the answers too." she said in a mildly sing song voice. It actually surprised me how young she sounded, though I didn't let it show on my face.
I growled. "Yeah well, maybe the Kurotens should have minded their own business, and not start gang wars on the street."
She actually snorted at that. "Oh, because Yama is so different. You're wasting your breath if you think I buy that."
Well… god damnit.
I spent way too long hesitating before I replied. "Look, I didn't really get the choice to join Yama. I despise him, but until the time comes I'm stuck roaming the streets and fighting goons like you and the other bozos so none of you end up killing innocent people."
She tilted her head to the side, and while I couldn't see her face, I had the feeling she would be staring at me if she could.
"No-one chooses a life like this, you think I like being an assassin? Everyone talks about what they would and wouldn't do, until they find themselves in it. Some don't even get that luxury and are just born into it. So please spare me from your self-justification if you aren't going to do a damn thing to change it."
Ouch. She's got a point there.
I paused, a moment of silence passing between us, the breeze of the wind and sunset painting a strange picture for this situation.
She was the first to speak up.
"So are you going to kill me or not?"
i reeled from that, internally and almost physically.
"NO! I'm not- That's not- I wouldn't do that."
I wasn't going down that road. Not like this.
She let out a huff, tinged with… annoyance?
"You're an idiot if you think that there's any other way this ends besides one of us being dead. I'm sure the police would happily let you drop off an unconscious girl without any questions, or maybe you'll deliver me to Yama yourself, and let him do it. That way you can keep on playing hero to your little enclave, just like those kids playing dress up on the street. Face it, I know what you look like, so long as the Kurotens exist, they'll just keep sending me after you."
That… that was true. But still, I couldn't just- fucking- WHY!
I was wracked with a mix of feelings, indecision, fear, anger, anxiety, just why did this have to happen to me of all people?!
I could just do that couldn't I? Drop her off, then wipe my hands of this, pretend it never happened, or maybe risk just delivering her to the police, If I could somehow cart her to my apartment and back, which was not happening if I could so much as help prevent giving her more reason to slit my throat while I was asleep.
Then an idea came to mind. Granted, a stupid one, but an idea nonetheless.
"Look, assassin… girl. Maybe we could work together. You said that you didn't get to chose, and neither did I. I'm not Yama's lackey, and despite whatever notions in your head, I'm not going to be working for him much longer. I've seen what's happened to people, innocent people who do nothing to deserve this, and I'm going to do my damnedest to stop it. I don't trust you, and you don't trust me, but even so, I'm willing to give you the chance to be your own person, and taking them out is the only way either of us are going to have that chance."
Oh god this is so stupid.
I inhaled deeply, then let go, backpedaling at a controlled pace to give the illusion that I was even half as certain as I was trying to convey.
She scrambled up, and for a minute we stared at each other in a deadlock, my poker face staring at her own masked one.
For the slightest second I could detect traces of confusion and disbelief in the way she regarded me, before fading as quickly as it came, hardening into a unreadable expression.
"Idiot."
And like that, she free ran off the building, the slight limp in her gait the only trace of her being unsteady as I watched her gracefully run off, rapidly fading into the distance.
For some reason, I felt the same way.
The rest of the day was me being paranoid about literally everything.
I greeted Karla wordlessly as I went in, doing my best to hide any traces of a struggle as I made my way upstairs, before silently freaking out as I digested the ramifications of today. The most important fact being that I had let a trained assassin free, who knew my face worked for a fucking gang!
What if she was messing with me? Trying to catch me off guard and then fishing for information to report back to her boss, how stupid did I have to be to fall for that?! She could very well have figured out more, and scouted me out, I had no way of knowing, and that was understandably terrifying.
Calm down, calm yourself down Kade. It's too late now, all you can do is roll with it. Whatever happens next, you'll just have to deal with it.
Pacing around was doing me no good, which meant I had to approach this problem differently.
She worked for the Kurotens, and if her words were anything to go by, someone gave her the orders.
Which meant I had to take care of them, and soon considering they had shifted to trying to murder me specifically.
The logical problem with that being that I had no idea where to start, and no way was I capable of taking them on by myself, as yesterday had proven.
I was stuck, plain and simple.
At least until my phone started ringing.
Yama was planning an assault.
He had called me, and a load of others to discuss it, but that was essentially what it was.
Things had been ramping up, and while I had mitigated a lot of the lesser stuff, along with holding off a lot of the more violent actions amongst everyone, it was still nowhere near enough to cover all the gang violence happening. Yama was desperate, and he had finally decided to make a power move to end this once and for all.
That meant attacking the Kuroten headquarters.
Apparently they operated in a inconspicuous high-rise, which was an oxymoron if I'd ever heard one. He wanted everyone down there, so when the moment came, we'd be able to initiate a full force strike together and then hopefully flush out the ringleader himself, some man by the name of Anakuma.
He wanted me to be the one to bring the man in.
Frankly, I was inches away from telling him to go fuck himself, considering how much hell he had put me through, but held myself back enough to take a look at the bigger picture.
If this worked, then the rest of the Kurotens would either dissolve, pull back, or quit altogether.
Which meant that the streets would be safer, and I could finally focus on giving Yama the boot, once and for all. The fact that Kamaitachi might leave me alone was a bonus, a heavy one at that.
I was snapped out my trance by Yama, who had spoken up over my initial silence. "So? I'm waiting… demon."
His smug grin made me want to punch him and not for the first time was I grateful for wearing my mask, my grip on my armchair tightening enough to bend the metal. Still, I swallowed my anger and gave him my honest answer, focusing on the future rather than the present.
"I'm in."
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: Next time on Man With The Spiral Tattoo. A certain superhero team crashes the party, things go horribly wrong for Team Yama as bootleg Shredder gets off his ass, and the SI regrets every choice in what is likely to be his very short life. As always, comments and criticism appreciated, and stay tuned for more.
Last edited: Dec 4, 2018
Aggravation 3.7Aggravation 3.7
I was beginning to realize that I may have jumped the gun a little bit.
Things had gone swimmingly in fact, everyone on the block and even loosely affiliated with Yama had decided to pitch in, a couple of people in vehicles, in the streets, and even on adjacent buildings to scout and prepare. For all intent and purposes Yama had mobilized literally everyone he could feasibly get away with for this assault in the middle of the night.
And here I was, ready to break into a high rise and drag some crime lord out kicking and screaming.
And just what would happen to him then?
'Like Yama is so different.'
I had signed up for this, and now of all times I was having second thoughts, scrambling to avoid what should be an obvious conclusion.
So what if he dies, he's a crime lord, there's no way he hasn't killed people, sold drugs, ruined the lives of innocent people to make money, that's practically in the job description! He sent an actual assassin to kill you, and men armed with guns. You really think anyone's going to miss him?
Another smaller voice rang out inside me.
Is that really for you to decide? There's no going back.
"You ready kid?"
I snapped out my contemplation, turning back to my partner, the one supposed to be lookout and keep track of things.
"Yeah. Yeah I am." I said, feigning absolute confidence.
Like it or not, this is happening. If there's a chance, i'll find a way to incapacitate him, but there's no way I'm letting this continue and getting myself or other people hurt or killed by hesitating.
Jamie nodded, no further questions needed, and with that the excursion began.
We were stationed over the top of a roof adjacent to Anakuma's base, the gap between them far larger than a normal human could jump and succeed on climbing, coming in from the front would be suicidal with all the guards and men most likely lurking inside, making it a fool's errand to try unless I had enough backup to outnumber them 2 to 1, which I didn't.
Thankfully, I was capable of other things.
I stared off into the empty space between my building, and the slightly large one, taking a deep breath as I steeled my nerves, backing up further, further, further until I reached the absolute edge of the roof, with Jamie watching on silently.
Then I ran.
I pumped my legs, as fast and with as much force as I could as I rapidly accelerated towards the other side, crossing the distance within seconds of running time, and then threw myself into the air with as much force as I could muster.
I went flying over the gap, wind rushing by as my momentum carried me across the air, before landing with a flat thump on the side of the glass, sticking easily as I settled into position.
Bringing my hand up to the earbud behind my mask, I gave the signal, and heard the go sign ring out for the grounded members to move out.
So there I sat, waiting, a mix of eager dread and broiling anxiety running through me as I waited for the inevitable.
Tonight was going to be something.
Jamie was an average man, so a large part of him was screaming at himself to ask when the hell had he suddenly gotten roped into all of this.
This had all started so simple, be a bouncer in an alley, threaten some people, and then make ends meat.
Then that kid had come around.
Sure, he didn't look like much, tall maybe, but still lanky, with a look in his eye that spoke of someone who had never spent a day on the streets, naive even.
And then he had started changing, coming in with more muscle, a little faster, and a little more quick on the uptake. Soon everyone was trying to outdo everyone to prove themselves better, stop Yama from giving them the boot because they didn't match up to some punk in a mask.
For most of the other guys it was something that came out of nowhere, some random kid had suddenly become hotshit and Yama had taken notice.
Not for Jamie, Jamie was there from the beginning, watching him change, grow, turn into something else as time went on that was frankly, absolutely terrifying and freakish.
He had seen the things that kid had done firsthand, hell, he even fought him, but that night with the Fujitas had made him realize something, something he doubted anyone else had.
Namely, that he was still a kid.
Granted, a really scary kid, one that could throw a damn sewer grate and fight a gang of street thugs without breaking a sweat, but still a kid.
Throughout all these months, all those moments of hiding behind a mask, smartass comments, and stunting, that look had never changed in his eyes, not even once.
He'll never make it.
He might've been a freak, but he wasn't a monster. Which was exactly why he didn't have a chance.
Because as far as they came, Anakuma was the realest monster there was.
Something had gone wrong.
The connection between me and the others had been silent for far too long, and I getting anxious about the possibility of no-one radio-ing in.
Just as my doubts were about to hit the tipping point, I heard someone sound off from the other end, a report.
"Big Hero 6 has been spotted, they're coming up on us over in the breakoff point."
Of course they are.
A small part of me was a little resentful and annoyed, to have them show up on the worst terms.
That small part was swiftly squashed once I remembered that Baymax was the one to prevent me from becoming swiss cheese via bullet holes.
Still, it was definitely a problem for tonight of all nights.
I responded. "Do you need backup, I can stop infiltration and meet up with you guys if needed."
A heavy response came out, not even seconds after I finished. "No. Continue your part, we can handle it on this end, just make sure you complete the mission, it's time."
"Roger that then." Jeez.
Nonetheless I sprung into action.
Shimmying to the next pane I tapped the glass of the window surface, testing the strength for a moment, then gave the parallel pane a strong punch.
The glass held, but only barely, cracking underneath the pressure to a point that almost guaranteed it's collapse the next point around.
Without any fanfare, I tapped it again, lighter this time, still shaking the sting off my hand. That time, it shattered, leading into the dark unlit interior of the building.
It was showtime.
I flipped myself in, dropping onto the hard floor without a single sound. With my night vision active I could see the layout of the room without a problem, and so far it looked like a storage space.
Walking over to door I pressed my ears to the surface and listened carefully for anyone on the other side.
It was quiet, and for a second all I heard was silence before the sound of voices became noticeable.
I listened closer, ready to take action.
That's when someone started unlocking the door.
Without a moment of hesitation, I jumped up and over, clinging to the ceiling right above the entry door, just as it was flung it open.
"And so that's when-"
"What the hell?!"
Two men in suits walked in, focusing entirely on the open window.
I silently crawled out, still clinging to the ceiling as I made my way into the hall at a fast pace to avoid being spotted.
The hall itself was clear, and I relaxed my fingers, letting go and dropping to the ground floor.
With that over with, I wasted no time in running down the hall, stealth exchanged for pure speed to get where I needed to, listening to the progress of the others in one ear the whole time.
"We've broken through the front, guards have been taken care of, let's go! Everyone by the entrance!"
"We're being cut off, they knew we were coming!"
"Goddamnit it's a fucking ambush out here!"
"We're being-"
That didn't sound good.
I tapped in over the comms, desperate to get info. "Hey! What's going on out there! Status! Something?! Guys?"
Nothing. Just a bunch of garbled shouting and loud commotion.
Looks like It was up to me then.
I picked up the pace, bursting into an open room on the furthest end of the hall. A lounge, with stairs down and up the level, along with a sitting area, all the while wondering to myself where exactly it was I was supposed to find Anakuma.
Four men in suits sat up from the couch circle, a second of rapid panicking from the barge-in. They stared at me, and I stared back.
"Would any of you gentlemen happen to know where Anakuma is?"
I was already next to them before they finished drawing their pistols.
I threw a punch at the closest one, colliding against his chest and sending him soaring backwards with a sharp cry of pain, with enough force to almost definitely break some ribs and keep him out the fight.
My heart beat sped up, and time slowed down as I spotted out the corner of my eye another one taking aim point blank at me.
I twisted, grabbing and jerking their arm to the side and slamming them into the ground before they could pop off the shot, only to have a horrific bang sound off anyway as they went down, making me flinch from the intensity as excruciating pain went through my ears.
Gunshots are loud, gunshots are bad, but they're even worse when you have super hearing.
My brief moment of hesitation was enough for the one of the other two to take advantage, and I felt a hard blow come crashing into my stomach, not enough to down me, but enough to take the wind out my sails.
I shook off the ringing, hearing slowly coming back in as I snapped my attention to defending myself.
Another gangster tried to throw a punch, having taken out knuckledusters somewhere in between the beginning, and I caught it just in time to avoid being knocked over the head and sent sprawling.
I grabbed his arm, then hurled him over my shoulders and straight into the glass centerpiece table.
It shattered with little fanfare, totally obliterated under his collective weight and motion.
I turned towards the last one, who was backing up and nearly tripped as I descended on him.
I grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up with one hand into the air to meet him at eye level.
"So, could you kindly point me to him?"
Turns out I was only about two floors off.
The last guy I had interrogated had been rather open about it, which I realized, was simply because I was already on the trail, and therefore it was pointless to keep sealed lips, not like those four gangsters in the lounge or the lone ones I had encountered in the halls.
Throughout it all, I hadn't run into Kamaitachi, which I wasn't sure was a good thing or not.
The fact that no-one had stopped me on the way here I could chalk up to the attack, but I was still expecting more than just a few people, no matter how much I wanted to avoid it.
Either way, I had a mission, and within my current timeframe, I couldn't afford to waste a single moment.
I skidded to a stop, in front of what had to be Anakuma's private lair.
How did I know this? Because the twin doors gave it away.
It was ornate as hell, pillars on both side blending into the metal, and some kind of Japanese symbol imbedded into the door itself. Plus, who the heck uses gold plating and door knockers in a skyscraper in this day and age?
I moved to use the knockers, then stopped, realizing how stupid that would be in this situation.
I pushed the doors open, doing my best to keep it quiet.
The creaks echoed through the air, and inside I was grimacing at the sheer loudness of it.
Stupid crappy doors… messing up my stealth.
Those train of thoughts came to a very sudden halt once I saw the inside.
The room was huge, with more than enough open space to fit dozens of people, and with two huge centerpieces on each side of the room, marked with gold dragons and windows to the outside.
Those weren't the things I was focusing on though, that title went to the center.
A long table, stretching across the room, up until the very back, where an actual goddamn throne seat was at, complete with a torii gate behind it and who I could only assume was Anakuma himself, sitting there by his lonesome.
I froze up, staring him eye to eye for a moment, complete and utter silence filling the room.
My eyes flickered to his arms, the metallic gleam catching them as a feeling of dread crept upon me.
"So…"
He had gotten up, standing at his full height as he addressed me. I looked at him, scanning his features, a perfectly blank expression on his face that betrayed nothing.
He was not young, but he wasn't quite old, with sharp asian features and a widow's peak that went back with his short and jet-black hair, though for a fraction of a second I thought I glimpsed a silvery line across the side of his head, but only for a moment.
He continued talking, in a low weirdly distorted flat tone that only served to heighten the edge I was feeling, perfect calmness in the face of the situation.
"You are the one Yama sent to kill me."
He scoffed. "I'm less than impressed."
I cracked a joke, eager to shrug off the tension pervading the room.
"Hey, if you give a guy a chance i'm sure I can surprise you, like a raccoon in a garbage can, or a particularly inconspicuous beehive."
His eyes trailed across me, and by sheer instinct, I assumed one of the many martial poses I had become associated with from countless training hours.
"Besides, who's to say this has to end with one of us dying?"
Anakuma tilted his head, a look of momentary contemplation on his face, that quickly shifted into something… else.
He gave me a hard stare. "Do you want to know how the world works?"
He cut me off before I could say anything, and then, at a leisurely pace started walking towards me.
"Amongst all the 8 billion people in the world, there are only a few capable of achieving greatness."
I edged towards him, tuning out whatever villainous monologue he was about to spout off.
"And the reason for that, is that few-"
I lunged.
I had been hoping to catch him off guard, to hit him in the solar plexus and the finish it with a blow to the head.
Anakuma weaved around me, with a practiced ease that I couldn't begin to imagine doing.
I didn't know what hit me.
A hard punch impacted my stomach with enough force to send me airborne, and it wasn't even a second later that another struck out against my face, hard.
I went spinning to the ground, cracks lined through my mask.
I landed on my back, with my hands on the ground to recover only to have a boot plant itself on my chest with enough force to knock me back down.
"-are willing to forge their own paths."
His fists tightened, and his voice took on a more vibrant tone, speaking of passion behind the words he spoke.
"So many are accepting of attaining just enough to be comfortable, complacent in minor success. To the point that a man can be best be summarized by the life he lives, as another cog, or as a cornerstone in the progress of the world."
My head was still reeling from the punch, but I had enough sense to bring my hands to my side, unholstering my knives and bringing them up to slash at his calf.
He caught my arms, bringing his foot off my chest and lifting me into the air with inhuman strength, sleeves now fallen back to reveal the whole of his metallic arms, innumerable components whirring away.
"I intend to be neither."
He threw me across the room, and I skidded over the top of the long table, falling off the side and coming to a stop next to the throne piece.
I hopped up, and had enough time to witness him flying towards me from across the room before having to duck and avoid getting my head caved in.
He hit the ground, and a spiderweb of cracks formed from the impact of his fist.
I slashed at him, thoughts of holding back completely override by my sense of self preservation as I brought them in a downward arc towards his neck.
His fists flashed out like a blur, and I heard the ungodly screech of metal on metal as he caught both weapons with his bare fists, with one nicking his suit, revealing a hint of silver underneath it.
He looked me straight in the eye as he flexed his fist, before my knives bent and shattered in a heartbeat.
I kicked at him, and he slipped my leg behind his before bringing down one of his fist.
I screamed, in complete and total agony as my leg bone shattered.
My grip on my weapon long forgotten, I swung my arm, with as much force as I could muster behind it in a reckless attempt to fight back.
He dove underneath it, and smashed his head into my mask, shattering it further, the left lens shredded, along with a chunk of the mask itself simply breaking off in pieces.
"A mark of a Legend, is to make their way up from nothing, and drag those beneath them across that path. To prove their ideals through any mean necessary, and be remembered forever."
He uppercutted me, metal striking against my chin and making me see stars as the clear taste of blood bloomed in my mouth.
I struggled to keep standing, shattered leg lame as I pushed my weight onto the other one, nearly tipping over.
A fist strikes out at me, and I catch it with far more effort than I'm used too, muscles straining as I fought back against the initial force to keep my balance.
Anakuma's eyes widened, then hardened into a imperceptible glare.
I couldn't block the other fist.
Pain flared through me as I felt it embed itself in my ribs, and I nearly threw up then and there.
"Despite your immaturity, I can see that there is potential in you."
I looked at him blearily, words lost in the midst of my excruciating agony before doubling over, blood spilling out my mouth.
"It's a shame that you're an aggravation I can't afford to make use of."
I was helpless, completely and utterly as Anakuma grabbed me by my shirt, dragging me across the room as I feebly fought back, fist pounding against him uselessly.
With little warning, Anakuma swung me around, and slammed me against the glass, shattering it.
A feeling of complete and total despair overtook me as I realized just what he was about to do, and I meet him eye to eye one last time, hanging over the streets below as the faint sounds of gunshots and screaming became clear.
I watched, senseless as he flexed his free hand, and a foot long blade sprung free from his forearms, ripping through the sleeves of his suit like a sword to butter.
"This is where we depart."
I closed my eyes, too much of a coward to face my impending death head on.
And that was when the explosions went off.
The building shook as the shockwave hit full force, Anakuma's grasp loosening just enough to send me falling into the streets below.
That was all I knew before things went white.
Where had this all gone wrong.
The mission was gone, a disaster, every man scattered to the winds as the gap became distressingly clear.
Jamie had watched, seen people he had known, Katou, Thomas, all the guys get gunned down in the streets.
The lucky ones had been caught by the cops.
He had signed up for this, but to say that he wasn't prepared would be a understatement as to what he had witnessed.
Naturally, he ran like the chump he was, like so many of them had.
If it wasn't for that red guy and those kids, he'd have been shot and left to bleed out.
Inside his head, he wondered to himself bitterly whether or not the Kurotens would expand now that they had so utterly crushed Yama.
Who knew what had happened to the kid, though from the way things had gone down, he wouldn't be surprised if he was found de-
Wait.
Jamie paused his frantic running, seeing an eerily familiar shape, embedded in the brush off the street.
He contemplated just ignoring it, in favor of just getting to his car as fast as he could and making it far out the district and beyond the chaos of the streets, but the sheer curiosity in him made him take a second look.
Holy shit.
It was the kid.
He looked like hell.
His face was beaten and bruised, and the mask he wore all the time had been split into pieces, hanging by straps along his neck.
The rest of him looked even worse, and from the angle that his leg was tilting, it wasn't hard to infer that he had quite a few broken bones, on top of the blood splattered across his lower face and chest.
For a second Jamie was caught in indecision, gunshots still echoing in the background as the violence of the night made itself clear. Who was to say he was even still alive?
The low wheezing told him all he needed to know.
Goddamnit.
I didn't expect to wake up.
After the fall, I had figured i'd be dead. Either by the impact, or from one of the gangsters below putting a bullet through my head while I was unconscious.
Needless to say, I wasn't exactly expecting to wake up in someone else's apartment.
Everything hurt, and I woke up screaming with tears in my eyes. Even with my powers, the pain I felt from the fight with the bear was somehow less than what had happened tonight, and despite the healing factor, I was still having trouble moving.
I steadied myself, coming back to my senses quickly after my initial outburst.
Of all people, Jamie was the one to rescue me, apparently finding me splayed out in the bushes and taking me with him back to his place.
He had left soon after I woke up, apparently to go check and see what the hell was going on back in Good Luck Alley.
Now, I was simply laying in the front room, splayed across his couch and doing my best to rest after the hell of tonight, a thousand thoughts threatening to overtake me as I internalized.
Jamie burst back through the front door, a startlingly intense look on his face as he addressed me directly.
"Yama's dead."
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: Writing this has been a fun experience.
Last edited: Mar 10, 2019
Interlude: GoGoInterlude: GoGo
This was a disaster.
GoGo had known that from the start.
They had all chosen to be a part of this, but GoGo doubted the reality had sunken in, not from the beginning.
Not like this.
They knew the danger, fought villains, fought gangbangers, but not like this. GoGo had been the only one of them to ever experience a genuine gang struggle, and not one on such a large scale.
Whilst she was able to handle herself, GoGo had seen it in her friends eyes how the events of that past night had shaken them.
They had watched people get killed in front of them, gunned down and left to bleed out, and not everyone had made it out alive after all was said and done, even when they intervened.
Hiro had taken it the worst, and if she was being honest, she couldn't blame him, it wasn't the first time he had come to grips with one of the most terrible facts of life.
You couldn't save everyone.
If she could've, she would've made him stay home with Aunt Cass, he was just a kid. Deep down though, she knew that would've only made things worse.
She couldn't bear the thought of losing another friend.
GoGo sighed, pulling herself out of those thoughts as she halfway listened in on the group conversation, something about how to deal with Globby the next time he showed up so they didn't have a repeat of the painting incident, and Fred saying something about comic books… again. For once, she wasn't complaining, anything was good enough if it could take their minds off Hero stuff for a while.
The chime rang, and GoGo spared a glance before her she processed who it was, attention instantly piqued.
It was him.
Kade. That's what Hiro had said his name was.
There was something off about him, she knew it.
Nobody got back up from near fatal injuries like that, from being on death's door and then perfectly fine in the span of a few days.
GoGo didn't know what to think of him, and frankly, maybe it was better if she didn't ask questions.
Hiro had enough on his mind, he didn't need to know how their mistakes had almost killed someone. Not when that same person was fine within only a few days.
Still, that didn't stop her from scrutinizing him at every opportunity, which had been informative to say the least.
Namely, that he was hiding something.
He had been a little too hasty when talking to them, and every little flicker of eye movement he made towards her suggested he was wary of something.
She would have written it off as some sort of nervous tic around girls or something if not for his attempts at casually dismissing Baymax's help.
He wasn't a bad liar, but he also wasn't good at it.
Even from across the room he seemed to radiate an aura of weariness, like he'd been put through the ringer. GoGo had recognized that same feel countless times from her grandparents whenever something was especially bad news.
He walked over, rather awkwardly and with a layer of nervousness GoGo couldn't help but be somewhat relieved by.
He was weird, but it wasn't like he was dangerous. Plus, he wasn't that bad on the eyes, in a dorky sort of way.
"Um, hey, do you guys have a minute to talk. I'll be on the corner outside?"
Then something changed. His entire posture shifted and the look in his face became serious, more intense. It was jarring enough for GoGo to blink twice.
There was a questioning tinge to his voice as he spoke. "It's important, and I promise I'll explain things if you let me."
GoGo reconsidered her verdict about him not being dangerous.
And then he was gone in an instant, the door chiming behind him, and with nothing but a strangely shaped piece of plastic spinning flat on the center of the table.
No-one reacted for a moment, confusion paving to hesitation, and finally curiosity.
Hiro was the first to reach out, and with a ginger touch, turned it over.
Everyone froze, and GoGo felt a chill run up her spine.
It was his mask, chipped, broken, but still recognizable.
Ifrit.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: And so the penny drops. Welcome back everybody. Next arc begins tomorrow, when I upload 4.1. As always, comments and criticism appreciated. Stay Tuned for more.
Resolution 4.1Resolution 4.1
*Click*
You know… I was picking up some real heavy connotations about my life right now.
*Click*
The worst part is….
*Click*
It felt like things were only going to go downhill from here.
*Click*
And for some reason…
*SNAP!*
I can't help but feel it's somehow entirely my fault.
I sighed, staring at the broken mechanical pen in my hand, before letting it fall off my open palm, onto the booth table with the scribbled on napkin I had been using to brainstorm.
The confrontation between me and the Nerd Gang had been… tense. Even if things hadn't come to blows, and I had left them with a way to contact me, it had still been a risky and volatile affair.
"You expect us to believe that!"
"GoGo calm down!"
"No! He knows who we are! He knows who you are! Every one of us, our families, where we live, and he worked with Yama! Of all people! How do you know he's not going to attack us or worse!"
"He's right here, isn't he? Why would he tell us then, instead of just doing that? We wouldn't have known!"
"And that doesn't terrify you?!"
"I'm not here to blackmail you, attack you, or anything like that! Just let me explain before you pick a fight you can't win!"
"Or maybe it's just because you've picked a fight you couldn't win?!"
I tapped my fingers on the table, humming to myself as I contemplated what was at stake. Namely, my life.
I had been lucky that Jamie had found me. Even more lucky that he actually decided to save me, phrasing it as 'becoming even' after I saved his own against the Fujitas.
If it had been anyone else, a Kuroten, or a random person in Yama's gang. I would have either been left to bleed out, or gotten a bullet in the head.
I had gone back to my apartment after I had recuperated from my wounds, somehow even more sore and extensive than the bear fight I had been in. Knowing that with Yama out of the way, I needed to move out, to find somewhere else that couldn't be tracked by loose lips, which had made me come to a ephipany after stewing on it for a while.
That this was far from over.
If Anakuma was anything to go by, he was a very determined, very dangerous man, who never accepted loose ends, and would know if I suddenly showed up on the streets in costume again.
Good Luck Alley wasn't a place I could consider going to anymore, if Jamie's word about what was going on up there was any indication. It had been effectively assimilated into Kuroten territory.
Even so, anyone could have guessed that Yama's whole organization would have imploded the second he dropped dead, and in the midst of the chaos, I had been one of the few able to grab the stashes he had kept to himself, and in his warehouses, just one among many.
Which meant, with Yama dead, the gang no more, and my own relative obscurity coupled with stacks of cash, I was a free man with a budget to spend.
That would be a comforting thought, if it wasn't for the calvacade of problems that it had incited.
And so, that left me with one final question.
What happens now?
I had no real reason to stay in San Fransokyo, I knew that. Yet for some unintelligible purpose I felt hesitant to just pack my stuff and leave.
This was a dangerous place, and so far I had no one to help me through it, relying on myself, a couple of neat tricks, and a faulty network of cutthroats that had just been tanked.
Karla had warmed up to me, but she was still just a person making a living, the same as Jamie, I wouldn't drag them into this, not without being a coward. Big Hero 6 had effectively been frightened off by the prospect of one of their villainous rogues turning out to know their identities and the place they thought was safe, for who knows how long.
I had no one, against everyone.
And yet, I couldn't, wouldn't, end it like this.
I paid my meal, standing up straight before nodding at the owner, some older man who had named the diner after himself. Most likely this place was going to be my new hangout, at least until I somehow managed to get around the tension between the six and I.
I left, walking into the rainy night as I paced myself.
When did I become a part of all of this?
I had been putting off that question. Not that it mattered, as it was already a foregone conclusion, one that I hadn't wanted to wrap my head around.
Everything I had done, since the moment I got here, had only been through the direction of someone else.
Yama.
I had been helpless to do anything of my own accord, I had simply gone along with it, scared of the consequences, and coincidentally found myself getting myself dragged into worse and worse situations without a fight. Just like in my old life, always allowing myself to be led around, never the one doing the leading until it was far too late.
I never wanted that again.
Everything I needed to do would be through my own action, good or bad. Not Yama, not Anakuma, and not even Big Hero 6.
Mine.
I needed this, to find out why all of this was happening. To find a way back to my own world if I can, and I feel like the only way I can do that is by sticking around in this beautiful dumpster fire of a city, and not running off to the furthest reaches of normality this world had to offer.
For better or for worse, I had to face this.
Which opened the door for a simple question, with a simple conclusion.
I needed to get stronger.
Not just stronger, but harder, better, faster, and smarter, more proactive in how I approached things.
I wasn't going to back down, but that didn't mean I had to be an idiot about how to approach it. The Spiral, and whatever weird powers it gave me were my greatest tool right now, but they didn't have to be my only tool.
I hit the steps, and seamlessly drew my keys out my pocket, opening the door to my residential office, and place of stay. It was cheap, and rundown by all appearances, but I would make it work.
My phone rang, and I knew who it was before I even hit respond. Them being one of the only few I'd expect to have my number or even call me.
"Hey. This is GoGo. Listen, because I'm only going to say this once. Meet me and the others at this location that I'm sending you. We need to talk about this whole… situation, and you."
I had the resources now, if only for a while, and if my plans for this place were going to come through, I'd have more in the future, more to devote to investing in upgrades, in powers, to make myself a force of nature that would be able to stand against the worst this city had to offer.
"Look. The others wanted me to be the one to call and tell you the fact that if anything goes wrong, we will take you down. So it's best you not try anything funny, if you know what's good for you."
I brushed my right hand with the left, taking one long look at the black symbol that was likely the source and solution to many of my troubles.
And then, maybe I'd finally get some answers.
And if I made a few allies along the way?
"Alright then, I'll see you there."
That was fine by me.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: Little shorter than usual, but only because it was taking me a hell of a long time to get my stuff together irl and figure out how to write this chapter properly when the time came. Let it be said that rewrites are a pain. Hopefully the next update will make up for it, as our resident SI will effectively have to actually talk out his problems with six very disgruntled and/or wary individuals, brainstorm, and generally plant his feet in the ground for what comes next. This is far from the end of things, and the SI now has a clear goal in mind when it comes to what he's going after next. As always, comments and criticism appreciated. Stay Tuned for more.
Last edited: Jan 7, 2019
Resolution 4.2Resolution 4.2
Hot dang that is a nice mansion.
I'd forgotten that Fred was rich, but seeing was believing, and oh boy was I doing both.
The place was gorgeous, and just getting to the doorstep made the feeling of hilarious inadequacy between my own place and this verifiable palace ever more evident.
Not that it bothered me… that much.
Surprisingly enough though, it hadn't been gated in the slightest, nothing to keep out trespassers besides a blatant security camera. Idly I wondered whether or not that meant that whoever lived here was just secure enough to not feel like it was necessary, but discarded that in favor of focusing on the important things.
Which would be confronting Big Hero 6. Joy.
I approached the front door, stepping forward to knock before nearly being thrown off balance as the door opened itself.
I straightened up, recovering in a millisecond before peering ever so slightly inside.
Two feet stepped from out behind the door, and I was greeted by the most butler-ish butler to ever butler, who could probably have gone as a stunt double for Alfred Pennyworth himself.
I looked at him, letting my face betray nothing as we both stood there for a moment, with my poker face meeting his own stern expression.
He stepped aside, gesturing me in.
I walked in, giving him a curt nod before letting him lead me to wherever it was that the six had decided to do this, taking in the sheer vast decor that practically dominated the entire place.
God this place was stupidly high class.
A loud whoosh noise interrupted my sight gazing, and I looked to Alfred only to find an open door, leading into a bigger room.
Without an ounce of hesitation, I stepped in, coming face to face with the Nerd Gang in their entirety.
I spared a glance at every single one of them, taking in the differences in their postures, from aggressive to nervous to excited, and what I could only assume was the Baymax pose. The tension was oh so very palpable.
I clasped my hands behind my back, stretching backwards casually whilst I drew out my next statement. "So… I bet you all have a few questions. Go ahead, talk to me."
Of course, GoGo was the first one to speak up.
"Yeah, I've got one! Why is it that-"
I cut her off, agitation flaring up slightly.
"GoGo. Before you speak those next words, think before you antagonize me. I can appreciate you looking out for your friends but quit acting like i'm going to attack you all. If I intended to do anything like what you keep accusing me, I would've done it without telling you that I knew."
Sure enough, she went quite, but not without throwing me a glare meaning I could only assume was 'this isn't over'.
Hiro was the second to talk, getting up from a red beanbag chair on the floor.
"So… why did you tell us, anyway?"
I inhaled a long breath, trying to figure out the best way to word my response.
"Because, it makes things easier on myself."
I hastily added on after I saw his look of confusion.
"Look. Now that Yama is dead…"
All five of them yelled out in unison, save for Baymax, who was as stoic as ever.
"YAMA'S DEAD?!"
Oh shit. Right, they probably didn't know that.
I held my hand up to my ear, wincing at the sheer volume of which they had said that before continuing.
"Yeah. He's dead, got killed in that gang war that happened. The Kurotens took over."
Hiro had a gobsmacked look on his face, like I had just told him something unbelievable.
"Look. What i'm trying to say is that he's dead, and now that I no longer have the constant threat of having a bullet to the head hanging over me, I'm going to stop working with him, so as of now, I'm 100% done with crime."
It wasn't a lie either, I had already grabbed all the stuff I'd needed over the past week, so it wasn't like I was going to need money for a while at least.
Fred leaned over the couch,, Hiro sitting back down on his bean bag chair as he stared off in what I think was contemplation.
"Wait so like, are you saying that you're not going to be going out in that Ifrit costume anymore or is it just like… entirely the crime thing?"
Oh boy…
I rubbed the back of my neck, eyeing the wall as I tried to phrase my response.
"I'm not sure… ish? I mean, i'm not entirely adverse to doing it, but there's not really a point I guess."
Then I remembered.
A flying fist, claws, a cold derogatory voice, excruciating agony…
My fists tightened, and I tried to reign in my surge of anger.
"Well, except for one."
They seemed to pick up the sudden tension in the air, some wave of concern passing over them before dying down as the anger bled off in that instant.
GoGo asked another question, this time in a much less antagonizing tone, but still somewhat curt.
"What was so important about you that Yama decided to keep you around."
Ohh… I was hoping for that one.
I couldn't hide the small grin that spread on my voice as I said my next words.
"Oh. That's easy, i'm from another dimension."
…
Wasabi spit it out first, a disbelieving squeaky voice breaking the silence.
"I'm sorry, you're what now?"
I held up my hand, taking the glove I had put on off, and exposing the glowing insignia that I had grown used to for far too long, my kill from earlier still stored inside.
"Yep. I'm from another dimension, and I have superpowers."
The chaos was entirely worth it.
"So you're like an actual superhero! No joke! Like, an actual genuine superhero, with powers and everything!"
GoGo popped her gum, casually inserting her opinion into the conversation from her position against the wall in the corner. "I think we already established that he's not a hero Fred."
I smirked, thoroughly amused by GoGo's attempts at being passive aggressive. "Love you too GoGo."
"Go to hell."
I winked at her, giving her what was almost certainly my best cheeky smile. "I'll send you a postcard when I get there."
She rolled her eyes.
I turned my attention back to Fred, who was almost certainly invading my personal space as he practically outright beamed at me.
"Yes Fred, I have superpowers and everything, though as GoGo eloquently put it, I'm not exactly a hero, if these past months have been any indication."
I felt a small lance of shame after admitting that, but didn't dwell on it.
Fred took it in stride. "So, you're an antihero then! You know, being all scary and brooding and stuff, while still fighting bad guys and saving people. Granted, you still kind of fought us, but hey, you saved Hiro's life!"
"Right…"
I had honestly forgotten about that.
I took a look at Hiro, who was facing me again, a questioning expression on his face, before he eventually said something.
"Why?"
I was equally confused, tilting my head slightly at the ambiguity of his question.
"Why what?"
He narrowed his eyes, not accusingly, but with something else behind them that I couldn't quite place.
"Why did you save me, back when we fought you, at the gallery building. You could have let me fall, or just had Baymax do it, but you saved me instead."
That was…
I had the sense to look abashed about it.
"Hiro. I wasn't going to let you fall because that would have killed you. I'm a lot of things, but i'm not a murderer, and I'm not going to let someone like you die just because you attacked me. Don't read into it, it was just the right thing to do, okay?"
He sunk back down in his chair, then got up wordlessly, heading over to Baymax.
"See, that's totally what an anti-hero would say!"
"Fred no."
Despite mine and nearly everyone else's protest, Fred continued on.
"So… what are your powers anyway?"
I contemplated leaving them in the dark as to the context of what I could do, but decided that would just be a dick move.
"Remember in the alleyway when you tried fighting me and I ran on the wall?"
Fred practically tripped over himself as he sat up. "That was you! You're the Parkour Guy?!"
"Yes Fred. I'm the parkour guy."
I demonstrated said title by jumping and promptly sticking onto the ceiling.
I treasured their stunned silence.
Honey Lemon expressed her shock first.
"I thought that was just a gimmick!"
I proceeded to crawl towards her, sticking to just my knees as I swung my upper half down inches in front her, drawing a short shriek of surprise.
We both stared at each other awkwardly for a few good seconds before I got the sense to outstretch my arm for an upside down handshake.
She took it hesitantly, maintaining complete and total silence as we both participated in what was probably the most awkward handshake known to man.
I dropped to the floor completely, spinning around in place to avoid any more prolonged contact, clasping my hands together.
"So then! There's more to it than that. As for what else I can do…"
I scanned the room for a target, finding the giant monster statue in the corner suitable enough for a demonstration.
I walked over to it, grabbing it by the bottom as I got ahold of the weight, and promptly lifted the entire thing into the air with one hand.
"I can lift quite a bit."
I dropped the statue, letting it fall back to the ground with a satisfying whump.
Keeping with the casual tone of my reveals I kept the momentum going by listing off just a few more.
"I also heal fast, can run and jump far, and have some pretty good senses."
Wasabi waved his arms in the air back and forth, a disbelieving look on his face.
"Okay but how?! That doesn't make any sense?! Superpowers, real ones don't make any sense? None of this fits into science?!"
Fred answered before I could.
"Obviously he has some sort of super cool origin story behind them, probably a lab accident, or some sort of super secret experiment to create a super soldier."
I promptly told him the truth.
"Actually it's magic."
Every single one of them looked at me like I had just grown a second head, save for Fred, who looked like he had just swallowed a goose.
"What."
I shrugged, showing them the still glowing tattoo again.
"Yep. Woke up in Good Luck Alley with this tattoo on my hand, after some freak accident happened on this internship trip I was going to, apparently I had fallen through some sort of portal. Ever since, I've started gaining superpowers gradually. Wouldn't be surprised if I gained more in the future."
It was the technical truth, since I didn't lie about the gaining powers part. After all, they didn't need to know about the whole ritualistic slaughtering thing.
Wasabi only became more distressed, reverting to almost entirely incoherent babbling.
"Magic doesn't- that can't- You can't- not in the system- I don't- Ohhhh my gooddddd-"
Wasabi promptly fainted.
Fred stroked his chin in contemplation.
"So I was half-right. Still that's even cooler than if it was just science! Magic is an actual thing!"
Hiro shook his head, waving his arm in denial.
"No Fred. There's got to be another explanation. Magic doesn't exist, it's probably something else."
Hiro's eyes snapped open, and he looked at Baymax as if just realizing something.
"Baymax, can you scan Kade, this time with those upgrades I gave you, and try to find out what's going on with his internals?"
Hiro looked back at me.
"You're alright with that right?"
I shrugged.
"Yeah, sure, knock yourself out."
Honestly I was kind of curious to see what he would find now that I no longer needed to hide my identity from them.
Baymax waddled over, staring me straight in the face as he began scanning, a thin green laser passing over my body in an instant.
"Scanning complete. Diagnosis is… strange."
Hiro frowned.
"What is this time?"
"Scans indicate that further mutations have occurred, and amongst the changes I am detecting a plethora of alterations. Search indicates that cells have further changed, and are unrecognizable by the standards of my database. Though I am finding slight matches to animal genomes, and variations in the muscle fibers consistent with that observed within the common Grizzly Bear, though structured in a way that seems to go further down to a molecular level."
"In english?"
Hiro answered Fred's question, frustration evident in his voice.
"It means that he has bear DNA, somehow. And a bunch of other stuff that doesn't make sense."
Cool! So you're part bear man! Like in the comic The Red Rider, where the main character has super awesome gadgets and a cool bike, and his arch nemesis is a guy who infused himself with the DNA of a Bear, and both of them face off against each other and-"
He kept going, for a long, long time…
Thankfully though, everything after that was easy, and the tension from before had disappeared, the rest was only mundane questions about my powers, and where I'd go from here…
The oddest one had been from Hiro himself, who had asked if I was going to work together with them, with Fred fully onboard with just making me a member of Big Hero 6 on the spot, turning them into 'Big Hero 7'.
I shot that down so fast it wasn't even funny. And judging from the rapid reactions of the others, that had probably been the right call.
Thus, Big Hero 6 and I left on a good note.
For now, at the least.
I still had my own problems to deal with.
"Hello, victim of the evening."
I paced around them, their wide, fearful eyes only heightening the sheer ominous tone of the atmosphere.
I held my arms behind my back, looking upon them with a malevolent wicked gleam. "You, will be the first amongst your kin to die, and after you, they too will perish."
I reached my hand out, letting it drag across their glass as I drew out my next words.
"But know this, you will be contributing towards something great. And with every drop of blood I take from you, you will fuel the flames for something bigger than you could ever comprehend."
I picked up my butcher's knife, wiped clean in preparation for this event.
"You will also taste really fucking good when I grill you."
With that, I plunged my knife downward, and filled the watery tank with the blood of the first but nowhere near last innocent cuttlefish.
The meat sizzled in my skillet as I cooked, soft but tense squid muscles melting in the pan as I gazed outside, the soft light of the morning peeking into the windows.
I timed myself, flipping the meat over one last time before finally spreading it out onto the plates I had prepared, on top of the barlotti beans and sage.
Task done, I spread an even amount of salt and pepper onto every single one of the dishes. Then, I wrapped two out of three in plastic, and shoved them into the mini fridge I kept in the corner.
My phone went off, and I checked the alarm to confirm that it was almost time for the opening.
It's showtime.
After all, opening an Arcade was tricky business, seeing as I needed a way to get a steady source of income. It just so happened to be that the only arcade in the city was miles away, and so notoriously difficult to access that it was nothing more than a rumor at best.
I shoved the rest of my food down my gullet, having only a few seconds to savor the taste of the dish I had prepared before I hauled ass outside, crossing the short distance and heading right through the back of my office.
I walked past the plethora of classical machines, the investment for each and every one of them more than a little tiring on my account, but nothing I couldn't handle if I played my cards right.
I pushed open the doors, a top hat on my head and a 8 ball cane in the other with a painfully wide grin on my face as I did my best to make this announcement have that much more weight to it.
"Welcome my friends, welcome, to Arcadia!"
I think this'll work out just fine.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: He totally jinxed it. You guys know the drill, comments and criticisms appreciated, and as always Stay Tuned for more.
Last edited: Feb 26, 2019
Resolution 4.3Resolution 4.3
"Well, that took way longer than I was expecting."
I locked the door for the day, already late in the afternoon as I put up the closed sign and calmly headed out back.
Arcadia had been a lot more popular than I thought it would be. At least, popular enough to warrant me having to sink much more time into keeping everything up and running. Turns out a city filled with nostalgic pop culture nerds and tech geeks had plenty of people wanting to play old school arcade games. Who knew?
Granted, I was making a lot of money for an opening day, so I'd count my blessings there for sustainable income. Still, I might need backup or better time management if I planned on doing anything else during the weekdays.
I stepped over a pile of leaves, leaving a mental note to myself to clean off the steps to my office as I went inside.
It was small and unassuming, a textbook portable office with a small desk, my laptop, and the mini fridge being the only things in it.
In other words, exactly what I wanted to be. Kind of.
I threw the 8 ball cane in the corner, along with the top hat, cringing to myself at how badly that reference had flown over customer heads. Plus the fact that it made me look like an idiot.
I sat down in the desk chair, opening my laptop to read over the notes I'd been compiling.
A digital map of San Fransokyo greeted me, along with the countless x's and circles spanning different districts, sections, and places in the city, all where I had scoped or at least suspected Kuroten operations at. Next to all of this, my list of orders and animal information that I'd recorded off different circles of the internet.
My funds would last me a while, enough to sink a certain amount into buying a few off the internet. The cuttlefish had been proof of the success of that endeavor, and now all I had to do was play my cards right.
All that was left… was to decide on what I was going to do.
I logged out, closing the laptop and chewing on the back of a pencil as I pondered.
Launching attacks on their bases, scouting for info, and generally keeping myself out of sight seemed like the best course of action, but I wasn't actually sure how to go about said action. One wrong move, and I could have every gang member in his circle on my doorstep. Considering what happened with Kamaitachi, that was the last thing I wanted to repeat.
All the power in the world would be useless if I didn't make the first move.
Patrolling was out of the question, as it would send the wrong signs, and Big Hero 6 already had that covered, they didn't need to hide themselves from the public like I did, because they were a group, a big colorful group of heroes, destined to be in the spotlight.
Me on the other hand? I worked best where I wasn't noticed. Big Hero 6 worked as a team, like the police. Without a unit, they're vastly less capable on their own. The same could not be said for me, as helpful as said unit would be anyway.
That's it!
An idea came to mind, and I immediately went back to jotting notes, physically this time, as paranoia made me cautious of revealing things I didn't want to be seen digitally.
I needed to hit hard and fast. Get in and get out before they have enough time to realize they're being attacked by me specifically. Like guerrilla warfare, if I could collapse the infrastructure over time, it would cause more trouble for them. All the while I can collect evidence, leave clues for the actual police force, and then maybe even gain enough power to take the fight to Anakuma!
My pencil snapped.
I took a deep breath, and picked up the lead tipped piece, writing at a much less frantic pace.
It wasn't perfect, not even close, not taking into account the structure and formation of the Kuroten's Yakuza organization, but it was a start. I'd just need to be smart and patient about it.
More research was needed, and the suspected positions I'd scouted haphazardly would need more concrete information before I could conduct anything close to what I was planning. Luckily, I had a great solution for that, where it came to stealth.
A slight grin formed on my face, and I took a few seconds to test out my latest power by hand again.
My skin flickered in shade, for a split second, before my entire body vanished, replaced by a replica of the environment surface, and an almost perfectly matching laptop. If I looked down, I would've probably seen the chair I was sitting in.
I wiggled my fingers, brief disturbances appearing that outlined my hands before disappearing again.
Camouflage, verging on invisibility. Truly cuttlefish were some of nature's most gifted cephalopods. Not only that, but the fact that my clothes took on the effect too, so long as they were wrapped around my skin. As odd as that was. Secondary powers for the win, I guess.
Eventually I deactivated it, a slight chill traveling all over my body as my skin went back to it's normal mocha color.
That would come in handy when it came to scouting, especially when it came to the possibility of being followed…
Again.
I got off my chair, standing up and stretching myself like a pretzel for a moment before being satisfied by ensuing pops. I had time to kill, and I'd use that time to better myself, train to fight, run, anything that would help me in the long run.
I was painfully aware of how inexperienced I was when fighting, Anakuma had seen to that. I'd need to practice better for when the time came, if ever that I had to get into a straight fight where my abilities couldn't carry me. Hand to hand, martial arts, boxing, I'd learn from it all, and become more skilled for it. No more of… ugh, bo staff knife combo. That was a dumb idea, and I shouldn't have done it, no matter what anime told me.
I went outside, but not before checking the clock on my phone, it being around 6:00 pm. More than enough time to go a few places around the city. Ones that could be relevant if need be for the future. My memory was shoddy at best, but I did recall quite an assortment of locations that appeared in the movie and series. If I needed to get somewhere, it was best that I knew ahead of time where I was going. The better that was, the faster I could react and use it to my advantage.
Regardless, I wasn't exactly in a rush to get back into super business, not when I was just acclimating myself. Like I said before, time was the best thing I had, not like with Yama, where it was never a sure thing. Besides, it wasn't like there was anything else high priority that would happen anytime soon. For now, Anakuma and the Kurotens could wait. I had things to take care of.
Things that were related to home.
I had been… investigating, a little bit, about the portal from the movie, thoughts that had been haunting me for a while. About whether or not whatever had happened with that in the movie had something to do with me and my sudden arrival. Lab accidents seemed to be what tied my world to this world, albeit with drastically different circumstances. The fact that I was sent here via such a similar but unexplainable event was something I desperately hoped could give me some answers.
I couldn't afford to leave that alone. To not make an attempt, I owed my friends, my family that much.
I miss them.
Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to do so, I was having a hard time figuring out how. I sincerely doubted I could break into KreiTech again, at least, not without shattering the fragile truce and therefore trust between me and Big Hero 6. In the long and short term, it just wouldn't be worth it. Any evidence online was only related to the incident that happened with Callaghan, but even then…
Wait.
I needed to go make a visit.
I ran out the door, taking a frantic moment to lock it behind me, and start checking on my phone, searching for who someone who I knew might be able to provide me with the answers I was desperate for.
I found it, contact info spotty, but a website for a facility, a science facility, still open, and with exactly the one I was looking for listed amongst the members. It closed within a few hours, and was located out of the way, but still within city limits.
I took a glance back at the phone clock one last time, then started running, a manic determination in my steps as I sprinted back to my living quarters. One blank, absolute thought on my mind.
I'm gonna need a suit for this.
San Fransokyo Aerospace Robotics Laboratory, or the SFARL for short. Beautiful name there.
It wasn't nearly as well known as say… SFIT, or KreiTech and the assortment of other tech centric places in San Fransokyo, a city where technology was anything and everything. Smaller labs just didn't stand out as much as the giants, even if they contributed.
That didn't stop me from finding the webpage, and taking a good look at the staff onboard.
Here, though, was definitely the place I'd been looking for. Cozy, out of the way, and screaming small time.
I walked in through the front door, electronic jingle sounding off behind me as I went inside.
An asian man wearing circular glasses sat at the desk, acne and soft features telling me he couldn't be beyond high school age.
He looked up, glazed eyes widening into abstract surprise as he noticed me. A few moments of shuffling later, and a sharp plop told me he had just dropped something on the floor, colorful purple and red metal gleaming for a split second before it fell out of sight.
"Uhm, hey. Welcome to the lab. You work here, or do you have a meeting with someone?"
I nodded politely, answering in an calm tone of voice, as I subtly patted down the wrinkles in the business suit t-shirt I was wearing.
"I'm here to see Abigail Callaghan."
~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Author's Note: Bet you'd thought you'd seen the last of me, huh? Nah, sorry to say that ain't happening. Even if life kicks the shit out of me, and the muse takes a vacation for a month, I'll always be back. Hopefully. Enjoy the new update, for I haven't, considering the multiple attempts, and still finding it lacking. Sorry if this one seems lackluster compared to others, promise that things pick up in the next one. Where stuff happens. By which I mean robot Kaijus happen, Abigail is plot relevant, and snakes talk to Kade in his dreams. Stay Tuned for more.
Last edited: Mar 16, 2019