Ch. 2 Neighbors in Disguise

Mike the Real-estate agent has been in the business for several years now. He had a real knack for matching buyers to the right properties well within their budget, below it, or if the conditions were right, just above it without breaking the bank. He took pride in his observational skills, his eye for detail, and had many successes throughout his career. Yet once in a while there came a challenge that really put his skills to the test, and none more so than the Lunis family.

A single father from what he could make out with a bubbly daughter well into her teenage years. The large man held himself straight and somewhat stiff, quite possibly a retired soldier from how broad he was. He spoke very proper and polite with the air of intelligence one may associate with a professor. The young lady was very open and sweet, but just as poised and proper as her father with an air that spoke of breeding. They seemed very well off and were very eager to find a new home for themselves.

A home that had the most specific, if oddly worded, list of necessities he had ever seen, and no apparent budget limit. He had to do quite a bit of footwork to locate the ones that came closest, but the electrical needs were, apparently, essential. When asked why, the only answer he received was that Mr. Lunis works with very sensitive research and in order to conduct it properly they need a very energy efficient home. Definitely a university professor, if nothing else. The man also mentioned that, even though she hasn't shown it, his daughter was somewhat homesick and that she used to have a wonderful view from a balcony of their old home. So he was encouraged to try and find a location that had strongall/strong of their requirements. It was a search that had him going all over Sherman City until eventually he tracked down a house out in the suburbs. A two story property painted white with dark accents, and a garage.

It was a search that had him going all over Sherman City until eventually he tracked down a house out in the suburbs. A two story property painted white with dark accents, and a garage. A little more researched proved that the neighborhood had a number of community based activities, is kept relatively clean, and so far never had a history of any crimes committed. It was admittedly pretty big for only two people to live in, but considering the fact that they were quite specific with their request and weren't too worried about the budget; there was a good chance he could convince them on the property. As agreed upon, he picked up the duo up at the park and drove them through the city and straight towards the suburbs. Almost immediately the daughter was in awe at the sight of the residential area and was practically fawning over the house once it came in view. She wasted no time running inside once the door was opened and began exploring the spacious dwelling; leaving the men to tour the place more properly.

"I think this is the one." Mike stated after covering just about every room in the house and allowing his client to go over the structure for himself. "It has everything you're looking for."

The man seemed to be checking the walls for any signs of damage or mold. "We appreciate your help."

"Well, it wasn't easy finding a place with your unique specifications." Mike admitted as he mentally went over his notes one more time. "A balcony with an enchanting view of the villagers." The one here certainly overlooked the neighborhood easily enough and the neighborhood itself was one of the nicest ones he had on his list. "360 degree unobstructed vantage point from every corner of the house." Most likely these people plan to set up some kind of security system on the property. Not uncommon, really. "And electrical capacity exceeding 5,000 amps." Still it was some the strangest and most specific requirements he had ever heard of.

"5,021 amps to be exact." His odd client specified before disappearing behind the wall once again.

Probably checking for sockets and whatnot. "Well, as you can see the neighborhood is very safe." Mike continued as he looked around himself and recalled his notes on the surrounding area. "They have an excellent neighborhood watch and easy access to local transportation. There's also a number of community events to take advantage of, and, of course, you're within driving distance of both the city and a fine local school."

Upstairs

Meanwhile, Ilana had searched through every bedroom until she found the one that had the balcony she noticed from outside. It was a large room, quite possibly the master suite, that reminded her of own old room back in the castle. If she tried she could picture it in her mind, how she would stand out on her balcony and looked out into the village below. Watching the villagers go about their lives happily and at peace. How she loved watching them walk about the marketplace and shops, interacting with family and friends; especially in the spring and fall when the smells of seasons would wafer up into the air. Yes, this exactly what she needed right now. This is to be her new home. With this in mind, the princess quickly turned to hurry down the stairs to thank the kind man that made this possible.

"Thank you so much for your kindness and showing us this wonderful home." The princess in disguise gratefully stated as she shook and held the realtor's hand. "I'm sure it's held many cherished memories for those who have lived in it." And with a little work on their part, she could see it becoming an equally dear place to live. "I think it's definitely the place for us."

"Agreed, it meets all our needs." Her father stated as he approached them, thus more or less confirming that they had a deal.

With a full approval from both the father and daughter, Mike could finally close this case. "Okay… I guess the next step is to apply for the home loan." He began digging throw his portfolio for the necessary paperwork. This was going in the record books for sure.

"There is no need." Mr. Lunis stated while reaching behind his back and pulling out what was undoubtedly the largest wad of cash the agent had ever seen before in his career. "We will be paying cash."

Definitely one of those eccentric families. "Great, fine, everyone pays for houses in cash." Having enough of the odd behavior, Mike decided it was best to simply take the money and take his leave. "Sure, look, here are the keys and I'll send someone else over with the paperwork." With that he handed the keys over to the overly bubbly daughter and promptly made a swift exit. This one was certainly going down in the company's history books.

"We have a house!" Ilana exclaimed happily. This was the beginning of a new life for her and her guardian and she was determined to make the most of it.

Now that their shelter has been secured, it was time to install the security. "I will get our computer grid and monitoring system up and running." He will also need to install a dampening system to hide their Galalunian energy signatures. "Until I secure the perimeter it is best if you stay inside." The mixed of wood and mineral compounds should provide a natural barrier for long range scanning temporarily.

"I will not. Our home needs furnishings." The princess declared as she opened her arms towards the whole of the room they were in. "We need to create a home-like appearance to blend into the society."

All of that was true, however it currently wasn't the priority. "Princess, it is clear that the Mutraddi have taken control of Galaluna." The disguised automaton reasoned as he faced his charge. "Our conflict with their Mega-Beast has no doubt alerted them to our presence here. They will be sending more creatures." Creatures of immense size and strength capable of mass destruction. "Then there's the added threat of that rouge Magnus." A wild factor of which they know next to nothing about. "We have to have our base ready to withstand any kind of attack."

"Sure, but don't you think it'll look a bit odd to start digging trenches around the house?" The princess reasoned with the logic driven guardian. "Isn't the whole idea of us being here is that we hide by blending into normal Earth life?" Wasn't hiding in plain sight one of, it not the best, ways to avoid detection? "And the more normal we appear, the harder it will be for anyone to find us." Surly he could see that.

"Your logic is sound." Octus stated simply enough. Emulating the Earth's population day to day appearances would be the most effective means of concealment. However, it wasn't the natives' they were truly hiding from. "However, your father's orders were clear. Your safety is the first priority. Keeping you out of harm's way is the mission." Before anything else could be argued, the air was suddenly ringing with an unexpected and unfamiliar chiming.

'Ding-Dong!'

"Alert. Unknown audio frequency detected." Within seconds the guardian robot had his charge up against the nearest wall with him pressing close to shield her from whatever was making the strange sound. "Unable to locate possible attack."

With some struggling, the young royal was able to squeeze herself out from under her protector. "What is wrong with you?" Ilana managed to say as she finally was able to free herself. "We're not under attack!" From what she could make out, it was a bell. If anything the sound was more an announcement of sorts.

Within moments of the sound stopping, the front door was suddenly opened to reveal a middle age woman with short brown hair. She wore brown slacks, pink undershirt with a pale blue blouse. "Yoohoo, anyone home?" It didn't take her long to find the occupants. "Oh my gosh, get a load of you two." She commented cheerfully as she invited herself into the house. "Welcome to the neighborhood, neighbors! I'm Barb… but you can call me Barb. Ah-ha-ha! I'm kidding!" She snorted at her own little joke as she made her way to the man of the house before humming in approval. "Mm."

Seeing an opportunity to get to know the locals, Ilana approached the older woman with a smile. "Greetings. I'm Ilana Lunis."

"Oh, so nice to meet you!" The Earthling female greeted cheerfully in response to the warm welcome.

Seeing as they were happily accepted by the native, the princess motioned towards her guardian. "This is, uh-" It suddenly occurred to her that they haven't yet established the dynamic with this current form Octus had created for himself.

"Her father." The robot in disguise clarified in her stead.

"Oh yum, I'll just call you "daddy"." The cheerful woman muttered happily under her breath as she unabashedly hugged his arm. "So is there a missus?" She asked as she began to tug him along towards the open living area on the house.

"A Mrs. Lunis? No."

G3 Base: Undisclosed Location

It had been weeks since the aliens landed and there have been no signs of them nor the giant that had been formed by the combined efforts their battle suites and the Magnus armor. The working theory being that they require compatible tech in order to create it, but without a way to test it for themselves their scientist couldn't even begin to figure out where to start replicating the effects. Both pilot and armor have been tested for any foreign contaminants as well as unfamiliar radiation, and found nothing amiss. Nothing stood out among the readings, as if it never came in contact with anything alien in origin. Which, of course, contradicted what was reported by their agent and recorded by the armors own systems. The only thing out of place was the fact that at one point in the battle there had been a bright light and then everything literally went blank before coming back online long after the battle had been won.

After the incident in Sherman City, the military's gun-hoe attitude, and their own failed attempt at capture, chances are the aliens will, somehow, be keeping a low profile for some time yet. Either using some form of cloaking device as was suggested or perhaps even going as far as to hide in plain sight if they possess the ability to do so. Since both ground zero and the appearance of the giant robot had occur in and around Sherman City, then they will have to appoint their best agents to the area. Luckily they've long since established hidden bases of operations all around the country. The reconstruction of the heavily afflicted area was the perfect cover to insert his people among with the volunteer workforce, thus giving them ample opportunity to collect data for themselves. It was only a matter of figuring out where these aliens were hiding and infiltrating the area. Still, the possibility that they may have moved on was still on the table.

After much consulting, it had been decided that small teams will work in and around the city to act as their eyes and ears on the ground. If they can confirm that the aliens are still located anywhere in or around the city then he'll have to have a team assembled to monitor the situation closely until they could make contact. Then again… Given the nature of the assignment, it may be wise to assign a specialized team to the mission as well. One that not only specialized in their respective fields, and have gone through regulation training for interacting with the civilian populous, but could also act as a humanitarian front that will allow them access to most locations if needed.

Bringing up the special agents file, Solomon checked the roster for the Field Teams, Science Division, and Public Relations. This will have to be a deep cover mission, three to five person team at best, and one that needed troops that can not only work together, but also cover each other shortcomings. Then again, considering the encounters they've managed to have, it may even be wise to add one particular agent that could go into places none of them could go. And it just so happens that the team he was considering was already on the ground and on site.

Sherman Suburbs

Illana really enjoyed getting to know her new neighbor. This woman is a perfect example of what she had been saying all along. Friendly, cheerful, energetic, and such a welcoming aura! They spent time talking, mostly Barb, about the layout of the room, and the many different ways it could be decorated. She would have made a fantastic host at the galas they held back home. Or, at the very least, an interior designer with how she painted a lovely vision of possible furnishing styles for the living room.

"This would be a terrific place for the couch. Maybe even a loveseat." The bubbly woman declared as she indicated at a spot in the room just in front of the window.

"I think that's a great idea." Ilana declared as she approached the two adult figures.

"You know, there's a great furniture place in the mall." Barb stated helpfully. If she remembered correctly, it had very reasonable prices for full sets as well as a wonderful delivery service.

However, the suggestion was meant with mild confusion. "What's a… mall?"

"The shopping mall on Briar!" When she didn't get the spark of recognition she expected, the woman realized that the girl honestly didn't know what she was talking about. "Don't tell me you've never been to a mall? What have you been doing with this poor girl?" This dear family must have moved in from one of those quaint little towns that were too small for a mall. Oh, she was going to be in for a nice surprise then. "Honey, the mall is where we ladies go to just be. There are all sorts of shops and samples." It's really an experience one should have first hand. "If you hurry you can catch the next bus."

The suggestion, however, was meant with some resistance. "I rather not she leave the house unattended." Of course, small town fathers would naturally be protective of their dear daughters.

"Its okay, Dad." Ilana stated, unknowingly sounding just like a typical teenage girl. "I have my communicator band. If something happens I'll call." She added rather dismissively as she crossed over to the native.

"Ilana…"

"Where do I catch the bus?" Ilana inquired of their informative neighbor.

"Just outside, on the corner." Barb directed helpfully, even encouragingly since the girl seemed to be striving for some independence.

"Ilana!" The father sternly called for her attention, once again surprising her, and startling the new acquaintance at the tone shift. "We still don't know our way around yet, and after what happened in the city…" Both tone and features soften at the end. "It simply isn't safe for you to go alone."

Understanding that he was merely thinking about her safety, Ilana approached her guardian and placed a hand on his arm. "I'll be careful, Dad." She promised as she smiled encouragingly. "Besides we need some furnishings for our new home and I know you want to set up the security first. We'll get more done if we split up for a little bit."

"Tell you what? How about I escort her there?" Barb offered in an attempt to be helpful of the situation. "That way she can experience the mall, not be alone, and you can have a little time to figure out how you want to set things up. We could even pick out some furnishing while we're there." She then went as far as to pull out a pen from her pack pocket and scribbled a numerical code onto his palm. "Here, this is my cell phone number, you'll be able to reach me easily."

"That's perfect!" An escort would be the perfect solution to their dilemma. Especially one that already knew the area well enough to travel. "Well, Dad?"

"I promise I won't let her out of my sight." The chipper lady stated truthfully as she respectfully waited for his verdict.

The robot in disguise took a moment to access the local and official databases. This Barbra had no criminal record, no history of nefarious deeds, not even so much as a parking ticket in the last six years. She was single, an active and respected member of the community, and a member of the Neighborhood Watch. She even helps to organized the neighborhood community events ensuring that everyone was included. The numerical code did prove to be a primitive form of getting into contact with her through a system that converts acoustic vibrations to electrical signals that transmit sound over distances using radio waves. It could even be tracked by his systems rather easily.

"It would be more efficient for them to work separately if only to set up their base all the sooner. "It would be more agreeable if she had an escort-"

"Great! I'll go get my purse." Barb stated as she made her way back to the door. "We'll go to the mall, shop around a spell, maybe get a bite if we get hungry." Come to think of it, it's been a while since she's had a girls day out herself, so they might as well make an afternoon of it. "I have her back in a few hours tops."

Once they were alone again, Ilana addressed her guardian once more before taking her leave. "Don't worry, Octus. It's just a simple shopping trip." To further put him at ease, she made sure to synchronize her communicator band with him just so they could check in regularly while she was gone. "What could go wrong?"

Elsewhere

Stationed in the upper floor of the house across the street, a hidden figure kept a close visual on the marked alien base. They had been watching this house ever since they've confirmed that the aliens have made a base for themselves. They watched as a young blonde exit the innocent looking dwelling and met up with an older auburn. Through the use of high-tech surveillance, they were able to zoom in on the younger and send the visual back to their superiors as they made their way to the nearby bus stop. Said superiors were monitoring the situation from their base and were studying the live stream very carefully. Shrouded in darkness.

"This that her?" A bewildered voice asked after a moment. The reports never said anything about these creatures looking like children.

"Affirmative." Responded a more authoritative voice. This has been the combination of years of preparation and hunting. Finally, they will have their proof.

"But… She looks so human." The first voice stated apprehensively. This was clearly not at all what they had been expecting at all.

"Don't be fooled." A third voice scolded as they looked on in disgust at the image before them. "We have confirmed that she's has the same energy signature as the alien we've captured years ago." The level of distain was undeniable in every word.

The less forceful of the three fidgeted in place in nervousness. "What about the male?" They had seen the damage these aliens were capable of first hand and was not too keen on the idea of it still being on the site. "Won't he be a problem?"

"Not to worry." The third authoritative voice stated as they brought up a handheld radio into view. "I've assigned my best men to deal with him." With that, they activated the communication device. "Status report."

Back at the onsite location, the agents kept an eye on the two individuals as they made their way towards the local bus stop. "We've confirmed that the target is heading for the mall in the city." The bugs they've planted within the house once they realized it was being bought up by their targets did their job very well.

"Excellent." This was better than they could have hoped. "We'll have a squad mobilized and waiting." It'll be a simple matter of capturing them just out of sight of the public, then they'll have them. "What the status on the male?"

"We're sending a team in right now-"

Suddenly shouts and sound of a very loud struggle erupted from within the house. Shots rang out, and a window burst open in a shower of glass. A dark-haired teenage, dressed in a dark blue-grey shirt, black plants, and brown boots, burst out of the door and sprinted out into the open. His shoulder length hair flying in the breeze as he dashed across the street and up to the corner. His pursuers not too far behind.

"Get him! Don't let him get away!"

Seeing the bus pull out of the checkpoint, the boy immediately gave chase after it. He was able to gain some ground when it had to stop at a red light, but had to cut across the street as it began to turn left. His speed proved to be to his advantage, leaping over a short hedge so as to not lose momentum, his pursuers hesitated as he soon cut across multiple lane of traffic. Jumping onto the hood of a screeching car, he was soon parkoring his way across the lanes until he threw himself at a passing delivery truck and grabbed onto its roof for dear life. As it drove on, unaware of the tag-long, the boy muscled his way up and kept the bus in his sight. His would be captors could only watch as he escaped.

"Radio our contact in the military."

Meanwhile as the truck was gaining on the bus as they crossed the bridge, the teenager looked ahead to find that the military police were stationed up ahead at the city's limits. Thinking fast, the boy grabbed a solid handhold on the truck's edge and hung off the side facing traffic, effectively hiding from the soldiers and crossing the city boarder. Once he was sure he was far enough away, he climbed back on and stood in preparation to jump for the bus, only for it to turn off to another street on the right. Undeterred, the boy leaped at an oncoming bus stop and used it as a springboard to launch at a balcony seating area. The surrounding people were shock to see the young man literally fall from the sky and continued on to kick jump between an alley space until he reached the rooftop. From there he continued his pursuit of the bus. Leaping onto another roof without a second thought, the only thing that stopped his chase was the fact that his target made yet another right turn, and the gap across was too far to jump this time.

Looking around, his saving grace came in the form of a construction site right next door. A crane transporting a steal beam was swinging its load, and he jumped. Grabbing onto the rope, he swung and landed on the beam and held on at it rotated until he was facing the new building that was still being built. Once the metal beam was align, he immediately ran its length and jump for the open floor, landed and kept going clear across to the other side. Where he jumped onto the safety railing and jumped out into the open air. He flipped and landed on the adjoining roof, committed to the fall, rolled and continued his forward momentum. Without pause he leaped far onto yet another roof and finally caught sight of the bus. He followed it from the rooftops, jumping form one to the other until at last he had caught up with it and even managed to surpass it as it had to slow down for another car. From his position, he jumped from the roof and onto the bus.

"Got ya."

However, before he could do anything else, a low bridge threatened to slam him off the bus in seconds. Thinking fast, the boy jump up to the overhang, ran across the multiple lanes, causing at least two spinouts before jumping off the bridge and back on the bus. From there he made his way to the open window and swung himself in.

Inside the buss, the older brunette left her seat to ask a question of the driver while the younger blonde passenger receive a startling surprise to find the vacant seat suddenly occupied. "Keith?!" The young British sounding lady half shouted in alarm at such an insane stunt. What in the world could the teenager have possibly have been thinking? "What are-?!"

"They know!" He stated with a serious frown, eyes slit like a predator from stress and adrenaline, fangs showing as he fought to catch his breath, conveying the direness of the situation. To which the girl could only look back in abject horror.

"AAAAND CUT!"

A voice declared with the use of a bullhorn. At which cameras, microphones, and surrounding equipment pulled back and allowed those involved to get up and out of the make shift bus interior. "Alright, everyone, good work! Good work!" As the staff began to disburse in order to prepare for the next scene, a production assistant came up to the director with a computer with a live video call. Those in the call were the bus driver, an auburn man in a suit, and a raven haired boy, dressed exactly as the male lead, whom was sweating up a storm. "Paul!" The director singled out the bus driver in the group. "What the heck happened back there?! You were supposed to go straight on the second light, so that Lance could get on the bus earlier."

"What are you talking about?" The bus driver asked confused before pulling out a map and showed it to the director. "I followed the route like it was written."

"Let me see that. Bring it closer." The man ordered as he squinted to see the details better on the screen. "What the-?! That isn't the route we set up!" He exclaimed tersely before shouting to the sky. "Who changed the map?!" After that he was whirling towards everyone and no one in particular as he stormed towards the recording stand. "Seriously, people, we're behind enough as it is, we don't need these kinds of mistakes!" He then began shouting over at his assistant director whom was reviewing what the camera drones had managed to capture. "Bryan! Play back the case! Check each and every drone for the best angles! Maybe we can splice something together!" His frustration and near desperation rang clear as he came up to see for himself.

Bryan had been two steps ahead of him and was already going over the case scene with a crucial eye. "Everything's looking good here, Genndy." The AD stated as they watched the stunt double parkour his way up vertically to the bistro's roof, the adjacent building, and ultimately made a leap of faith towards the construction site. "In fact it looks better than what we initially planned."

Everyone watched as the boy rode the support beam, ran across it like a plank and practically flew onto the upper floor level. Effectively cutting across the incomplete building, jumping and sticking the landing on the much shorter building and continuing on until he caught up with the bus once again. Even the last unexpected issue of the unplanned low bridge was avoided due to his quick thinking and reflexes. Everyone was blown away and overjoyed that they weren't going to need to redo the whole scene again.

As the director was praising the scene and declaring it a wrap, the lead actor took the video call and walk away for some quiet. "Great job, Lance! Not only did you hit every mark right on cue, but ya managed to improvised the last third of the chase without direction!" The actor smiled brightly as he sat down, wincing some, before recovering and began removing his contact lens. "Ya saved us a ton of work and time!"

Truth be told, he was normally the stunt double for the show they were shooting, but due to what had happened in the city, some of their roles had to be switched around temporarily. Being the actual lead actor's stunt double, it made sense for him to take his place while he was recovering at the hospital. Unfortunately, since he himself had been in the city when the initial attack happened, he had gotten injured as well. Thankfully, not to the point of being hospitalized, but enough to discourage any intense physical activities. Such as his actual job. The best he could do was slip into the fake bus through the window prop and land in the seat a few times before they got the angle they needed.

"Thanks, MC." The substitute stunt double nodded at the show of gratitude from his old acquaintance. "I've never done anything like this before. Hope you guys can use most of what was recorded."

"Believe me, you gave us plenty to work with." The actor guaranteed as he stilted the laptop enough to show a very happy director already deciding which angles to use for the final editing. "Thanks again for agreeing to do the stunts today, and for loaning us those new fancy drones. They're going to be a real hot ticket item once they hit the stores." He soon added in a softer and more appreciative tone that also conveyed an apology at the same time. "I know you're not big on the extra attention, but I really appreciate it."

It was true, despite his profession, he valued his privacy very much. However the two of them go back a ways since they first met at summer boot camp as kids and have developed one of the few friendships he had. "Happy to help. Especially after everything that's happened." The thought had him going somber for a moment before deciding to pry a little. "Any word from Artie?"

That fact that he was showing concern for someone he barely knew was touching in its own way. "Good news, actually, the doctor said the burns on his back were pretty minor compare to others." Then again, Lance was actively involved with in his family's business so of course he would want to know how any victims of the attack were doing "He should make a fully recovery in due time."

"That's great." Hearing some good news on a more personal level seemed to have brighten his mood quite a bit. "And… you?" He added somewhat hesitant, not wanting to hit any sore spots.

"I got out of it with mostly just the sprain. As long as I use the brace, I can finish the shoot." MC replied confidently. Today should be the last of it, now that all the highly active scenes were shot. Now all that was needed was to iron out the details. "Artie's character is going be kept off screen for a few episodes, until he comes back. That way we all can recover." He added as he looked back to check on the lead actress, whom was being pushed along in her wheelchair. Any possible cameos will have to be done as video calls for a while.

"Hey Lance!" A call from behind had the teenager turning towards his own agent as he approached. "If we're done here, we need to go to our next event.

"MC?"

"Oh yeah, you're good!" The stand in stated. The way the director was already going over what needed to be done for the last scene of the day it was a safe bet. "We'll call in a couple weeks if anything changes." With any luck they'll have everyone back and can continue with the two part season finale. "Thanks again, Lance."

"Fun as always, MC." With their goodbyes said they both disconnected the call.

At this point, the agent decided to drop the formalities and mess up the teen's hair. "Way to go, kiddo!" He praised much like an older brother, before he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and began leading him towards an RV that had been parked just off the ways. "All that training is really paying off."

Lance gave him a half annoyed half amused look as he allowed himself to be herded along. "Thanks, Andrews. But did you have to pull that prank on Paul?" He had memorized the route too, and the minute he had seen the bus made that turn he realized something had been changed at the last minute as a test. Andrews was always pretty good at doing a bit of slight of hand whenever it was needed.

"Don't blame me. Rudish called and warned that we were cutting it close." Now Andrews was good at what he does, managing the kid's day-to-day schedule, but not even he could quail the strict regiment his personal trainer/bodyguard adheres him to. "I figured this was the easiest way to not only get the scene done, but also get you down here on time." He stated as they began to board the RV. It was really a simple matter of asking for the map to 'double check' where the end point of the chase was and simply hand the altered version that had been hidden underneath the original sheet. "We've already had to reschedule three times because of this and the reconstruction."

The reminder had the youth somber up some. He had been there in the city when that monster sorta blew up without actually blowing up. Even though he managed to escape without getting hurt, many lives were drastically changed by the initial attack and even more hadn't made it. He'd never seen anything like it and his uncle nearly had a conniption over it. His family's company was dedicated to helping the people, and had been working nearly around the clock with city officials and local construction companies to aide and improve the afflicted areas as quickly as possible. This stunt job was one of the many live events Lance had set out to help raise money for several reconstruction projects, including one for the local children's hospital.

"Right." This never should have happened, and he wished he could do more.

Andrew noticed the look and immediately placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "Come on, now, don't make that face." The kid always seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. "Remember our motto?"

The company's motto, or rather, his family's credo. "Passion. Endurance. Intelligence. United for a better tomorrow." This brought a small smirk out of the teenager.

"MmHm, and right now we can help build that better tomorrow by finishing what we started for the children's hospital." With this declaration, Andrews began nudging him towards the back of the RV. "Now lets get you into the shower and me behind the wheel. I'll get us there in 20." Not long afterwards, the manager had their mode of transportation on the streets and heading towards the mall.