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Post by Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) on Sept 26, 2016 16:16:02 GMT -5
You guys have no idea how bad I felt doing this. It failed, anyway. XD
For the umpteenth time in at least as many years, Mizshu was hiding.
Mr. Boorish had been searching for her all over the place, and she absolutely did NOT want to face him, especially after that crazy deal with the concert the night before. Mizshu shuddered at the memory, or rather, lack thereof.
She did remember attacking Sonar, but only in self-defense, as she was attacked first. Still, it felt completely wrong to hurt her...then the memories came back, and next thing she knew, she’d awakened, completely bruised and with a bloodied lip.
That could only mean that she’d hurt someone first--why else would they attack...no, Mizshu could definitely not think about that now. There were too many unpleasant memories associated with that to dredge up right now.
She was nowhere near brave enough to leave Heraclia and try to escape the government--Stan had forced her to be registered, and, as far as she knew, the government would always find a way to find its heroes, no matter where they were.
But she was brave enough to do something about her predicament, really show everyone that she meant business when she said she really didn’t want to do this, and was not a hero besides.
Hence the hiding in plain sight.
If a staff member of HCN checked its vents, it would notice one was completely unscrewed, just wide enough for an animal, or even a child, to crawl through.
Mizshu crawled through the vents, gritting her teeth, ignoring all of the dust and rat evidence her gloves were sifting through. Pure determination and subtle rebellion kept it going.
Subtle rebellion--that was the way to do it.
Mizshu poked her dusty head out of a vent. Nope. Just a bunch of people around a lunchroom table.
“Crazy concert last night, huh?”
Mizshu didn’t need to hear any more. She crawled backwards to exit, her foot banging against the side of the vent.
“Huh?” A bright flash peered through the holes in the vent. “Who’s there?”
Mizshu’s blood froze. The child scurried backwards, struggled to turn around, and crawled as quickly as she could.
“Someone’s broken into the building!” she could hear someone cry.
The many twists and turns were passing her vision so quickly that she could scarcely keep up with the map inside her head. Any second now, she’d become very lost.
A little to the left--oh dear, there were so many people after her! Mizshu began trembling as she crawled, bursting out of the next vent she saw--
and there it was. The Camera Room.
Mizshu didn’t have a second to spare--she just started hitting as many buttons, switches, and levers, as she could--and managed to hit them just enough times that only one hero’s camera feed was switched to OFF instead of all of them, including herself, like she’d originally planned. It would have to do.
The girl dove back into the vent, trembling at her deed. “Am I really a bad guy?” she wondered, closing her eyes and dashing through the vents, forgetting to shut the vent behind her.
She gulped. All that was left to do was to find a way out. If she could get on her bicycle, she’d be safe...
***
During the commotion with the intruder, not one staff member of the Hero City Network noticed Fireflyman’s camera feed switched to OFF.
At least, not until it was too late.
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Post by Ginz ❤ on Sept 26, 2016 18:08:00 GMT -5
Dossier Dame vs Kitten  I mean, the mission was successful, but it didn't quite go according to plan. I call this: "trying to lure kitty with the toy mouse, accidentally lure kitty with hair bun!" |
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Post by Liou on Sept 30, 2016 15:21:31 GMT -5
>_> <_< She fills me with VENGEANCE  |
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Post by Twillie on Sept 30, 2016 16:35:42 GMT -5
Mizshu, how could you?? Grocery shopping should never have to be such a huge ordeal. However, as usual, Natasha found herself preparing for the mundane task (at the very least) one hour in advance. Lying on her bed, she quickly flipped through her phone, scrolling past snaps and screenshots of faces other than hers. Natasha Lee definitely wasn’t the one going out shopping-- fat chance she’d be doing anything anymore--but the only thing Natasha was even more sure of was the fact that she was not going out in her natural appearance. Her phone halted on a sharp featured redhead.
Good enough.
Propping the picture for reference, Natasha turned to the mirror lying atop the bed covers. Every new face took some time their first go around. Rather than being slipped on, each disguise acted as though they were a portrait in need of painting. Thus, extra attention to detail was required from Natasha in order for them to be realistically crafted, and then from there much practice in order to do so without guidance.
This time, the face didn’t have to be perfect. Since it was for such a small job, as long as she didn’t make heads turn, no one would notice a difference or two between Natasha and the photo on her phone. Once she was satisfied with her new appearance-- shoulder length red hair, pale skin and freckles, grayish blue eyes-- Natasha moved onto the next step of her plan: her purse.
Unfortunately, her shopping “method” disallowed any heavy loads, and it all had to be concealed in the guise of a harmless container. Her purse often did the trick, but before every trip it called for a thorough cleaning to ensure maximum space. Opening it up, Natasha saw little inside already. She still wasted no time removing the items, though, piling them onto the bed. Her fingers brushed against something soft. Curious, Natasha paused her work and took a glance into her purse. Still sitting inside from the premiere sat Mizshu’s small satchel of healing powder, unopened and forgotten. Until now.
Natasha remembered Nyx’s story after their recovery of Tim; she had run into the tiny hero alone, only just getting away as another hero caught the two of them together. Mizshu had apparently tried to act casual, but Nyx still learned her identity, and she never heard how Mizshu excused herself for playing with such a notorious villain. Thinking on it now, Natasha realized that Mizshu’s whereabouts and behavior could perhaps be taken as... suspicious. Where did the two of them meet? In the park, wasn’t it? Natasha mapped its relation to the her destination: not an unreasonable distance.
There would already be a small ruckus later at the store because of her visit. Why not make it a little more interesting? Why not get some higher authorities involved, one way or another? Although having no personal affairs with the child, her being a hero was justification enough for Natasha to leave the pouch resting in her purse as she clasped it shut and hopped of the bed.
Her typical outings consisted of the same precautions, but if she were actually to follow through with this, Natasha would need to be even more careful. First, she quickly outfitted herself with fresh clothing, making sure none of it carried debris of the Villains’ lair to deposit at the scene and be tracked later. Second, she pulled up a picture of some easy-to-do sandals and quickly etched them in her mind, ready to fashion them as soon as she hit the city streets. Speaking of which, she would be near the park, wouldn’t she? A likely place for any little girl to get dirt stuck to her shoes to track around later… Natasha made a mental note to stop by on her way to the store.
Finally, in case of any emergencies, she grabbed some small bottles at her bedside: memory potions, air borne and weak, although potent enough to make one forget the past couple minutes with a single blow; and a small hypnosis potion, the same used the night as the concert.
Once she felt prepared, Natasha began her trek.
The Heraclia supermarket did not lie near the city’s park, but Natasha had no intent of attending to business there. Too many witnesses, and too much floor space to cover before you could get out. She preferred to get her groceries from the more obscure corners of towns, and if it meant travelling to where there was more greenery and less people, she’d do it. The tiny corner store came to her view, but before Natasha approached it, she veered towards the Heraclia park.
Just a quick walk, nothing too fancy… She just wanted to get enough exposure so as to pick up some dirt on her makeshift shoes. Making sure to avoid close contact with any other potential park visitors, Natasha set a course to the store again, opening its doors to a tired cashier and empty aisles.
Perfect.
Journeying deeper in, she found the aisle holding her items of need, but before heading in, she looked around.
The cameras.
It didn’t take another moment to notice one in the corner, capturing and timestamping her disguise’s entrance into the store.
Not a problem, not a problem...
Natasha tried to ignore it as she crouched before the aisle’s wares. Opening her purse, she silently starting sticking them inside. While doing this, she glanced from side to side, making sure no surprise customer turned the corner or looked through the window. All safe. It didn’t take long for her purse to fill, and once satisfied with her haul, Natasha carefully pulled out Mizshu’s pouch, untied it, and sprinkled some dust on the now empty floor of shelf.
Easy part’s done. No more time for breaks now.
Natasha straightened up, looking once more at the camera locations: one in the corner, one by the door, one by the cashier. Nothing too hard. She’d just have to be quick about it…
Not wasting another moment, Natasha gathered up a bright whip from her right hand and headed towards the cashier.
They momentarily looked up from their phone as she approached, doing a double take when they saw her whip.
“Huh?” They stuttered, “Wait, what’re you-”
They were cut off by a silver grasp around their throat, pulling them towards Natasha as she force fed them her hypnosis potion. Rapidly muttering the accompanying spell, Natasha said her finals words to trigger the effect. The cashier took on a rather dazed look, and she let them go.
“I think you’d better wipe the camera footage as though nothing happened.”
The cashier vaguely nodded, and Natasha watched as they disappeared into a back room. They might not be an expert on the security system normally, but she knew that they wouldn’t return until the task was taken care of, one way or another.
She was glad to see when they did finally come back.
“Good,” she purred, “Of course, nothing did happen…” She pulled out the memory potion out and gently blew a whiff in their direction. They kept their blank look for another moment before blinking and uttering in confusion, “Uh, you, wha-”
“Thanks for letting me use the restroom,” Natasha told them sweetly, holding her purse close as though shyly addressing the stranger.
“I… Yeah, no problem.” They replied.
Natasha walked out, maintaining her smile well out the door. Although she was unsure if anything were to actually be made of the scene, she hoped that the extra trouble was worth it. Lowering her head a little, Natasha’s smile turned into that of a nasty grin.
Can’t wait to hear about it soon.
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Post by ♥ Azzie on Sept 30, 2016 16:42:16 GMT -5
Just a little anecdote from the night of the premiere! (Also why Dynamic was so darn tired the next day!) Why did this always happen?
After the premiere of Hero City, Dynamic had hopped on the bullet train home. There were a number of other people on the train, despite the late hour, so Dynamic had removed their costume in the safety of the dressing room, mussed up their hair, and put on a baseball cap. Karo was not, as a rule, fond of baseball caps, but it obscured their hair and face fairly well, and this one in particular served an additional purpose. So they boarded the train, costume safely wrapped in their purse, cap proudly bearing the insignia of Kizuna, and sat down, trying to settle down.
But of course, they couldn't. Public events like that always got Karo's adrenaline pumping, and they could never sit still, either during or afterwards. Tonight was no exception, and no sooner had Karo gotten off the train than they realized they weren't getting to sleep any time soon.
It wasn't particularly surprising, but they wished this wouldn't always happen after these things. They relied on a good night's sleep to do their job.
Oh well. At least they could sleep in tomorrow, right?
Fifteen minutes later, Dynamic sprang out their door, They'd dropped off their clothes and purse (and that hat) and redonned their uniform and boots. They were perfect for tonight; as full of energy as they were, it was nice to be able to bounce on their heels as they walked.
They highly doubted there'd be any crime tonight, of all nights, but it never hurt to keep vigil. A couple of hours, Dynamic decided, and they would go back home and get some sleep. If nothing came up, anyway.
It was quiet in that part of Heraclia, apart from the ringing of the miniature clocktower in the park. It was supposed to be modeled off of some place in Manhattan, but in Heraclia it mainly served as the park's primary light source at night. It lit up the path, the garden, the rattling dumpster- huh?
Cautiously Dynamic approached. It might be just an animal, but vandals were sadly not uncommon in this part of town- mostly just attention-seeking youngsters, but they made as much of a mess as anyone else when they set their minds to it. And unless it was a bear in that dumpster- and Dynamic very much hoped it wasn't- it was likely just this sort of vandal they were dealing with.
"Who's there?" they demanded, reaching the dumpster. The shaking stopped. Okay, definitely not a bear... Dynamic rapped the side of the dumpster with their boot. There was a yelp inside the dumpster.
Bewildered, Dynamic opened the lid and peered inside...
"Please don't hurt me!" The inside of the dumpster was in shadow.
"What the-" Dynamic peered in. "Who's that?"
"My friends know I'm here!" came the small voice. "They'll be right back!"
Dynamic raised an eyebrow and gave a small smile. "Will they really? You don't need to worry, kid. I'm with Hero City. I was looking for criminals, not kids... on a dare, is it?"
A small blond head appeared over the edge of the dumpster, looking very sheepish. "Yeah, my brother- Oh! You're Dynamic!" The boy looked up with renewed interest. Dynamic grinned again.
"Yep. Here, can I help you out of there?"
"No, I'm okay." The boy hopped onto a garbage bag and climbed out. "I'm sorry. My brother bet me his new comic book I wouldn't spend the night out here."
Dynamic frowned. "You know there are supervillains all through this city. It's dangerous."
"I know!" the boy fretted. "But it was the new Iceman! And... I thought I heard something so I started making noise because I thought it was a bear and I wanted to scare it away." He grinned in embarrassment. Dynamic had to stop themselves from laughing.
"That was probably me. Do you live far from here?" they asked.
"No, I'm just down the road."
"All right, lead the way."
And so Dynamc followed the boy down the road, glad that at least they'd been able to do a good deed while running on their extra adrenaline. |
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Post by Jayeee on Oct 3, 2016 16:30:48 GMT -5
DUDE BRO™ downtime is a glorious thing! While some people claimed that it wasn’t a hobby at all, CAPTAIN BROMERICA™ was adamant that it was the most noble of pass-times. He couldn’t imagine any other way of spending his weekends than in the company of such killer babes. Those competitions were made for him.
The Miss Heraclia Beauty Pageants.
CAPTAIN BROMERICA™ had been a steadfast judge of beauty pageants since he’d first arrived in the City of Heraclia. There was almost always some kind of contest going on - usually cosplay, and he attending anything that featured pretty ladies dressing up and flaunting how attractive they were. It was his favourite hobby, coming in just before his trips to the gym, or his dance performances.
Soon enough, word had spread that if pretty women were present, then CAPTAIN BROMERICA™ was sure to follow. The pageants were held as side-events for charity functions, food festivals, and even auctions, all to guarantee his attendance as a VIP.
“I don’t know about the nine you gave to that one, bro. Her baton twirling was totally not killer at all,” CAPTAIN BROMERICA™ loudly whispered to a fellow judge with the shake of his head. “Took me a while to get over that crazy red dress, but you’ve gotta see past those things. Be more like me, bro - you need to focus if we’re going to find Miss Heraclia Antiques Auction #7!”
It all came with experience, really. In truth, he couldn’t have cared less about baton twirling, or piano playing, or interpretive dance (that wasn’t his own). But when it was a hot babe in a low-cut dress, suddenly he was an expert.
“That pirouet was perfection,” he exclaimed after watching a ballet performance. “Dudes, you could totally almost see up her skirt when she twirled like that. Killer outfit choice.”
In the swimsuit round, almost all of them wore some variation of his trade-mark golden speedos. It was an automatic top score for anybody who did. He’d begun selling the DUDE BRO™ brand line of Little Miss Pageant Speedos for the very occasion, and was always glad to see them being used.
But in truth, CAPTAIN BROMERICA™’s favourite part of the pageant was always the question and answer section. Many of the girls knew that he was watching, and it was always nice to receive a little shout-out.
“My goal for the future is to be married to CAPTAIN BROMERICA™,” announced one contestant. “I can cook him food while he’s off saving the world - I want nothing more than that in life.”
That was a solid four. CAPTAIN BROMERICA™ wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment.
“My inspiration to be here tonight is CAPTAIN BROMERICA™, Weisle. He gave me a special dance once, and told me that my body was just made to be in a tight dress. So here I am, ready to show him - and the world - just what I can accomplish.”
CAPTAIN BROMERICA™ gave her a ten. |
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Post by Ginz ❤ on Oct 3, 2016 22:09:27 GMT -5
I present to you.... Heraclia's Monument to Heroics!This sculpture was inspired by ancient Greek marble statues, which I thought was fitting given the name of the city as well! And who could that person be, looking all heroic and such while wearing a toga inspired outfit? (Well, it may or may not be a younger version of Dossier Dame! =O) |
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Post by Thorn on Oct 5, 2016 3:56:20 GMT -5
Thorn had to dress snazzy for a mission and it was super fun! (ignore the SIX BILLION WRINKLES, my tailcoat doesn't fit perfectly but it is a Most Treasured item all the same. <3). BONUS: Thorn is the dancing queen |
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Post by Pixie on Oct 6, 2016 23:26:32 GMT -5
Felicita's Nightmare: “Now presenting, Felicita Martin.” The announcer boomed, and she drank in the round of applause that followed.
When she raised the instrument to her mouth, no sound came out. She tested at it again and again, determined to play, but nothing happened. When she tried to speak, to squeak out an apology, claim technological difficulties, she cried wordlessly. Her voice was gone. The crowd before her stood watching with their mouths agape, their appraising eyes shifting in discontent.
The spotlight, which once felt warm and bright, seared her skin and hurt her eyes. It was electric, now.
She was stuck on the stage in a tight-fitting dress because, Felicita recalled, her favorite blouse and dress slacks had been ruined with blood. She couldn’t wear bloody clothes on stage, and the dress was all they could get, strapless and itchy and awful. It didn’t suit her.
The light that blinded her held her in place, voiceless, defenseless, as masked individuals with deadly weapons descended upon the crowd. Her screams would have mingled with theirs if she could scream, but when she tried to scream, trying to slip from the paralysis, her throat rippled with pain, and nothing escaped her lips.
“Scaletta, Scaletta, please! Save me! We’re all going to die here if you just stand there and do nothing! Scal- Felicita!” the voices cried, and she could do nothing. Her feet were glued to the stage. “Felicita!”-- agonized shriek after agonized shriek.That last one sounded exactly like Mandy, but her vision had darkened completely, and she couldn’t make out a single face or mask in front of her. It was unbearable. The silence and the sound were both unbearable.
She felt something pierce into her back as her legs gave out beneath her, and her body crashed onto the stage with a heavy thud. |
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Post by Celestial on Oct 7, 2016 12:12:05 GMT -5
My mission was to draw a 'ship. I shall let this speak for itself.  (Special thanks to Jayeee and Moni for letting me use their characters. And special thanks to Twillie for tampering with my mission so I had to shade it and add a background. Without you, it would not look anywhere near as beautiful nor would I have had so much fun with it. <3) |
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Post by Jayeee on Oct 7, 2016 12:54:51 GMT -5
It seems fitting that along with Celes' fanart, I present some fanfiction!! 8D
Also I can neither confirm nor deny whether this was written by the real DUDE BRO™!
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Post by Gelquie on Oct 7, 2016 23:36:11 GMT -5
Iiiiii forgot to post one of my Mission Works from Round 4. Go me! It's pretty self-contained though. Here's one of Espin's "what if"s. (Tagging Draco because it concerns his character.) Espin leaned back in his office chair, finally taking a moment to relax by himself and take another break from reading the files. It had been a long day, and he had barely left the room save to fulfill basic needs. Though he was accustomed to looking through screens all day, his eyes were beginning to feel the strain, and he shut them as he leaned back, deciding to give them a break. Still, he rubbed his forehead at the small headache that was beginning to form from all the light exposure. It wasn't much, but it was enough to annoy him. And it was also enough that he wanted to deal with it quickly, lest it grow into something greater and impede his thought process.
Where is it...? Espin thought to himself as he felt around his desk for painkillers. I hate these, they always grow if I do nothing about it... If only I could just give this to somebody else, let them deal with it...
The thought made him stop. True, he didn't have the capabilities to do that. But he remembered one all-star hero who could; someone he'd occasionally seen on the show.
Kizuna. Not the most outspoken of heroes, nor the most flashy. If not for the cloak and utility belt, he might have passed for an ordinary civilian. His actions didn't even make up for it. He wasn't one of the most interesting heroes to watch.
But when he was in action, Espin couldn't help but wonder about his abilities. The ability to transfer pain, taking it on himself or passing it along to another villain. It was an enviable ability... perhaps not so much the ability to take it on himself, but the ability to pass it on, let someone else suffer it... If only there were a way for Espin to accomplish the same thing, albeit in a different manner than magic.
Generally, Kizuna would take the pain away and keep it for himself except for some cases. But Espin began to wonder if he would do the same if he were facing the villains like himself. He'd done it before; no reason to think that he wouldn't. Which struck Espin with a conundrum. How do you get a hero like that out of the way if they can take away part of what would put them out of the way and backfire it on a villain? It would certainly be a lot trickier...
Espin found his bottle of painkillers and took one of the pills, flushing it down with a sip of water from a nearby glass before setting it down and leaning back in his chair, waiting for the medicine to take effect and pondering how he could defeat Kizuna if it came to it.
It would be so much simpler if Espin just didn't face him one-on-one. It wasn't his ideal anyway; he was not a strong fighter, and relied on other ways to get the upper hand in battles, or hid behind another villain with more brawn until he could come up with a new plan if all else failed. Kizuna could transfer pain, but that would be harder if there was no pain to transfer. Even if Kizuna brought the pain with him when coming to meet Espin, it wouldn't matter if he didn't know where he was. Especially if he was led into a trap. Espin could leave something to lure him to a place of his choosing, and when he was close enough, he could activate the trap. Trapping him inside a room and treating it as his prison, waiting for the clock to run out on his life. He could even implement a screen, from which he could watch, or talk to the hero without risk of having pain being transferred over. Or perhaps there was the more burly sort of trap, being caught in a place with deadly devices, waiting to give him all the pain he could handle, with no one to transfer it to. Save for, perhaps, a hero if they managed to break in and save him, at which point the pain would only go to a hero.
And even if he did transfer the pain, it didn't transfer his wounds. So perhaps Espin could lay a trap to hurt Kizuna that would start out with a painful wound, painful enough to transfer. Perhaps with a villain present and willing to volunteer, the pain could be transferred to them just to ensure that it would be done. Because the thing about pain was that it was a warning sign. Transfer away the pain, and if something grows worse, well... even if the pain increased, it wouldn't be so much, not enough for one to really pay attention to. Something ignorable and undetectable if you weren't looking for it. But without that warning of pain, the symptoms get worse without any hint at what was happening, at least not until it was too late. Or if there was, even if they'd escaped from Espin's enclosure, they may still be some distance away from a place where they could get proper treatment. Either way, the delayed effect of an attack could get the best of Kizuna; painless, but incapacitating all the same...
Espin smirked. When he thought of it like that, pain transfer suddenly didn't seem so great of a thing to do. Not when it could do so much damage if it were something serious, and pain was the only indicator that something was wrong...
...Of course, it would be hindered by the fact that Kizuna was a doctor. Not a doctor in the way Espin was, but a medical doctor. (Espin scowled at this. Although Espin had never had a chance to show off his status as someone with a doctorate thanks to his scandal and his time on the run, he had heard the stories of people with Ph.D.s being questioned for not being real doctors. He had already prepared some choice words should any doubts about his claim come up, from anyone and in any situation.) In other words, Kizuna's specific specializations was in relation to the human body. He would be aware of other signs, and if he knew to keep an eye on his wound, it's possible he could see something more. But at least if he did transfer the pain, he'd be out on that indicator. And without a common indicator, it would be entirely possible for a doctor to misdiagnose what was wrong. At least, it would be until it was too late to truly rectify the damage.
Medical doctors, after all, were only human. And for certain, they made mistakes.
Espin continued resting and toying with the idea of trapping and injuring Kizuna, or turning his ability against him. Some minutes later, when he woke back to reality, he realized that his headache had mostly faded away. He was so lost in his thoughts that he'd forgotten all about the headache. Satisfied, he straightened himself and turned back to his work.
It would still be nice to transfer pain to someone who deserved it more. But in the absence of such a person or such abilities, a distraction or medicine often served well enough for most purposes, barring the most extreme of conditions. And since Kizuna was with the heroes and not a villain, that much would have to do should he ever be in trouble himself. |
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Post by Dju on Oct 8, 2016 12:22:51 GMT -5
Ah-ha. So dumbucks Dju did not know about the existance of this thread - in other words, there's much to catch up to. 8D Also, here's some extremely delayed Timothy Hikes breaking in at HCN in between rounds 1 and 2. XD darn that's been a long time ago. When Tim thought of William Sinclair, he couldn’t help but feel his stomach sink a little bit. He had seen the CEO of Hero City Network on many, many occasions – opening ceremonies, live interviews, magazine photo shoots and meeting rooms - yet he couldn’t shake off the unnerving feeling Sinclair had on his wits.
Maybe it was his powerful position, maybe it was reputation in the Hero City games, or perhaps it was the way he always managed to make eye contact when he wanted to. Glitch’s all black helmet kept his face well hidden from the rest of the world, but that never worked with Bill Sinclair. If the CEO wished to look at Tim in the eyes, there was no face shield that would stop him.
He can see through the Glitch when he wants to, Tim thought, and I fear of what he finds in there.
Or maybe that’s just paranoia and it’s just in my head.
Regardless, now standing in the middle of Heraclia’s most successful man’s office, that uncomfortable sensation still lingered. It was not Tim’s first time here – he had met the CEO for his first contract signing on this same spot – but never before was he left alone in the room.
Sneaking inside Hero City Network wasn’t particularly easy, even for a time bender. He knew that as soon as he walked in there, he’d have to keep moving or else the cameras would catch a glimpse of him, even if it was for just a mere second. Also, not much point in being as fast as lightning if you keep walking into dead ends – he had to be efficient, fast and reasonable if he wanted to make in and out of the building – or else he’d lose control of time, and would certainly be caught.
before leaping into action, Tim found himself pondering over what moment of the day would be best to sneak inside HCN’s main building: During nighttime, the number of witnesses was considerably less, but security was certainly at its maximum. And during daytime…well, too many witnesses on the other hand. One mistake and he’d be seen, no doubt.
So Timothy went for what stands in between them – dawn.
After 2 years of sleepless nights, he had come to observe that dawn had a strange effect on most people – it was the moment in which the silence of the night prevailed, yet filled by the strange feeling of security and peace brought by the daylight. It was the moment the world slowed down by itself and people let their guard down the most - no time bending required, just nature’s own magic.
Luckily for Glitch, Heraclia was having the worst hangover of the year after the big games' opening ceremony yesterday – so this morning was particularly slow. Dressed up as plain old Timothy Hikes, he cycled his away through Heraclia's dim streets around 6 AM. When he got close enough to Hero City Network's main office building, he hid himself and his bike in a nearby alley and took off his jacket, revealing his all black suit, clad in bullet proof vests and utility belts.
He put on his helmet and watched from across the street as the night guards opened the massive doors to let in the first employees.
That’s my queue! He sped himself through the doors, making sure to avoid the metal detectors. Can they even trace me at such speed? Doesn’t matter, I don’t want to find out.
Alright. Alright. I’m in, clock is ticking. Sort of. Gotta get up to Sinclair’s.
He checked the level guidelines hanging behind the reception desk’s office – apparently the CEO’s was on the last floor.
Of course it is. He’s the top man, after all. Now, how do I get up there?
He gazed at the elevators on the side. In his past visits to the HCN, Timothy was properly escorted by an employee whose card granted access to specific levels of HCN, if he wanted to get to Sinclair's office, he'd have to find himself one of those.
But where can I find it?
He began searching the reception desk as fast as he could, and despite finding a considerable amount of access cards, none of them could take him all the way up to Sinclair’s level. Things like these are not handed to anyone.
But just as soon as frustration started to kick in, hope reemerged – and it was walking right towards the elevators.
It was a secretary – and not just any secretary, for the matter - her name was Kyoko, and Tim remembered her well. She was Sinclair’s personal assistant and just the person he needed right now.
"Excuse me, ma'am." He said as he opened her purse and took out her wallet. "I need something yours."
"Bingo!" He screamed to the air – the access card was right there next to her ID. "I promise I’ll give it back to you, just stay right there where you are."
He walked over to the elevators and calmly pressed the button. He crossed his arms and waited.
…
That elevator won’t come, you stupid. You’re on a different rhythm.
Tim let out a deep sigh of disappointment and looked around – all what he could find were the doors to the emergency stairs. Ultimate buzz kill.
----
An endless amount of steps later - breathless and reddish - Tim finally reached the correct floor. The emergency stairs did not require the access card, but the doors to the main office area did not disappoint – he laid it on top of the sensor and let satisfaction wash over him when a green light appeared on the doorknob. He was inside at last.
Sinclair had a privileged view of Heraclia – heck, it was probably the best, no doubt. From his office, one could be marveled by the bold glass buildings that emerged from the ground far below – not only was their structure impressive, but they had so much greenery coming out of their balconies and roofs that one see how Heraclia is one big, endless forest for human life.
That’s why I moved here, he recalled. But no time to gaze out the window, I gotta get this done.
Yes, of course – he had to get this done. He didn’t know why, but he just had to – it was important, and he cared about it profoundly for some reason. He was being counted on.
What was it that I had to get done, anyway? He looked down at Sinclair’s desk and discovered he was being observed. Well – not quite observed – but the portraits of William’s wife and children certainly made him feel like it.
I didn't know he had kids. Or twins, for the matter. He stared back at them. But something is different about one of his girls. She doesn’t seem content about family portrait time.
Turning away from the photographs, he began searching Sinclair’s desk – every corner of every drawer, every book, every envelop, every little box he came across – nothing. What he was searching for was not here.
He then turned to investigating walls in hopes of coming across a safe hiding behind a painting or something, but then again his gaze met Sinclair’s angry little daughter’s.
She has his hair, and his freckles, too.
“Tell me – is he a good dad?” He asked her, “I can’t imagine him on your school meetings.”
He picked up her portrait and gazed into her impatient expression.
“If he was my dad, I’d be even more scared of him than I already am. But you don’t look afraid at all. I bet that…I bet that he’s afraid of you instead. You seem like you got him on the palm of your hands. Everyone has a boss, right? Now I know who is Sinclair’s.”
And as soon as he said that, he felt something different about this portrait’s frame.
He examined it and found a small rectangle drawn on the side – he pressed it and a small silver object was ejected from the top of the frame.
The flash drive.
Much obliged. He smirked at the little girl and took it from the frame.
After going down the emergency stairs once more, Tim made sure he had put Kyoko’s card back inside her wallet. She had already made her way to the front of the elevator by the time got down,
He ran towards the door and made his way outside - he noticed people were starting to move faster now. Time was pushing against him and he knew he would have to let go of it soon.
Timothy took off his helmet as fast as possible and shoved it inside a backpack. Once again he covered his costume with civilian clothing and took out his bike to the street , finally letting Time resume its natural flow – but as soon as it did, however, the entire street was surprised by the alarm sound coming from Hero City Network’s entrance.
Oh no oh no oh no. The wretched metal detector! I went past it on my way out – argh! Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Idiot. How could you let this happen?!
He cycled away from HCN as calmly as he could, trying to take hold of his racing heartbeat.
Just a student, mate. Keep it cool, don’t draw attention. It’s just a metal detector, not a robbery alarm. No biggie. These things go off all the time. They’ll take it as a false alarm, just act normal. Act normal, darn it.
After joining the other cyclists on the bike lane, Tim tried not to look back – his only comfort now being the flash drive safely stored in his pocket, and perhaps the chance to meet Natasha later this week.
The thought of her calmed him.
All is good. All is under control. Deed is done. I don’t know why, but it’s done…and I am content.
And what deed was that? It slipped his mind, all of the sudden, and the morning became some sort of blurry memory to him.
Something is not right in my head.
He felt a nosebleed on its way, but he kept cycling nonetheless. Work was waiting. Aaaand Scenic Route! Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Heraclia's University of Applied Sciences! ... Or the H.U.A.S! (hu-aaaaahs) Okay, lame. Let's just scrap that ahahaha Not too far away from the city center, amongst the trees and shurbs of the National Botanical Garden, stood Heraclia's University.
Like the rest of the city, the university's architecture was extravagant and dynamic - it rose from the soil like a mountain of glass and steel that bent around itself, shattering its walls into dozens of green terraces and stair cases that blended the building with its green surroundings.
It was a breath taking sight.
But the true charm of the place wasn't really it's mouth dropping structure, but the people who circled through it and brought it to life - the students, professors and even the occasional visitors.
Timothy loved being amongst them.
Ever since being glitched on his final year, he knew he'd had trouble progressing from that point on in his life - not only was his body paused, but part of his mind as well. Everyday felt the same, and so he still felt like a college kid.
And so now and then, he'd find himself wandering through the corridors of the building. It was one of the few places in the city that gave him some sense of belonging.
There, amongst the young and ambitious, Timothy Hikes was just another face in the crowd. Just another college kid stressing over deadlines and looking forward to the next barbacue.
The most reasonable side of his brain, however, told him to stay away from the university. It told him he no longer belonged there and that he should just let go of that place, or else he would indeed never progress.
But reason always sounded so harsh and stiff.
So as an excuse to remain part of the campus life, Timothy worked on the side as a tutor.
And so those hallways became his guilty pleasure.
Timothy was now sitting by the cafeteria, gazing from the massive windows the botanical garden below. He could see the countless amount of bikes piled up near the entrances of the building and students going about their days.
I wil let go of this place someday. I know I will.
But there's Time for that.
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Post by The Scrac that Smiles Back on Oct 10, 2016 11:25:49 GMT -5
This was for a mission a few rounds back. |
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Post by Twillie on Oct 10, 2016 21:31:14 GMT -5
This is from a while ago, but I never had the heart to post it before because it has a very rushed quality to it. I can show it now though because it comes with an updated version! |
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