No.3984
>Somewhere under Chicago.
>A rat scurries along a walkway, its fur slick and wet from having been in the sewage water it now runs by. Stopping for a moment, it leans on its back legs and sniffs the air. . .
>As the rat's nose twitches, it suddenly has to jump out of the way as a foot slams down next to it, a second foot soon following it as a teenage girl runs past it, dragging along a teenage boy behind her.
>After a few more strides, the boy stumbles slightly, nearly tripping up the girl before she recovers and shifts her weight to partially take some of his weight too.
"Come on, we're nearly there, don't you want to get away from those bastards?"
>Several voices echo down the tunnel, and the girl turns back, a red circle glowing her eyes as she does.
"Fuck. . ."
>Parts of the girl's hair begin to glow.
". . .off!"
—————————————————-
>Sal's workshop, Chicago.
>Kei Yuuki walks out of a side room of the workshop, carefully closing and locking the door behind her. Slipping the key into her pocket, she makes her way over to a woman working away at an old appliance on a workbench.
"I'm gonna head off now, thanks again for letting me borrow the room for free, Sal."
>Sal turns away from her work and gives Kei a grin, pulling up a pair of goggles from over her eyes.
"Hey, no worries Little K, not like we're getting any other business, just don't tell Old Sal, ok?"
>Kei shrugs, moving away from Sal and to the exit.
"It's not like I talk to him anyway. . ."
>Heading out into the city, Kei pulls out her phone, sending a text to someone.
No.3985
>>3984>Location: Chicago - Downtown
>A young man slowly walks down the street, hands in his pockets as he thinks to himself.{"Good going, Kwaku. Now you've definitely made a lasting impression."}
>Groaning internally, he then passes by a few people walking on the street - careful not to bring attention to himself.{"Well, good news is I can at least try out that new resonance disc that he got me."}
>Feeling a rumbling in his jacket pocket, Kwaku then takes out his phone, looking at the number."Oh."
>Texting a message back, Kwaku types out:["What's up Kei? Need something?"]
No.3986
>>3985>Having found something to eat and somewhere to "perch" while waiting for a response, Kei is in the middle of a bite when her phone buzzes.
>"Holding" her food with her mouth, Kei wipes her hand on the wall she's sitting on and picks her phone up, reading the message.
>Grabbing her food with her spare hand, Kei bits down into it and replies with one hand.["Gt smethng t shw, met. . ."]
>Cursing, Kei goes to take another bite, using the same technique as before so she can use both of her hands for the phone.["Meet me at Sal's when free."]
>Satisified with her response, Kei finishes her food and scrunches up the wrapping for it, throwing it at a nearby garbage can. No.3987
>>3986>A while later, Kwaku shows up at the workshop, situated miles away from his original location. As he sees the shop from around the corner, he then take out his phone and sends another text.["I'm rounding the corner to Sal's. What's this about Kei? Is there something you need me to help you with?"]
>Now crossing the road towards the other side - he then reaches the shop's entrance and looks around for a moment. Reflexively, his mind thinks back to his past - as a small burst of electricity surges through his body.{"Aww crap. Come on Kwaku! Control your powers!"}
>Closing his eyes, Kwaku breathes in deep as he slowly controls himself, stopping a surge of bright white electricity from escaping his body. Only a faint static spark can be seen from the edges of his jacket.{"I really hope that Cardinal guy was right. Maybe that suit can
help me regulate the electrical discharges. I'll try it when I'm done helping Kei out."} No.3988
>>3987>As Kwaku reaches the workshop's entrance, Sal notices him, looking over her shoulder from her repair project."Oh, hey Big K, not seen you in ages, how's everything going for you? Any problems at school or anything? Need Sal to knock some sense into anyone?"
>Sal looks Kwaku up and down."Guessing you're here for Little K, she's in the side shop, using it for some big project."
>As if to confirm Sal's comment, a message comes through to Kwaku's phone.["I'm in the side room, Sal'll let you in."]
No.3989
>>3988>Kwaku immediately shakes his head as he raises his hands up, gesturing quickly."N-No Sal! I'm fine! Thank you though!"
>Thinking for a moment, Kwaku looks back at his backpack, aware of the new wardrobe that's inside of it."
{"I might actually need to ask Sal about the internal wiring of the suit later."}
>Listening to Sal as she continues, Kwaku then says:"Thank you Sal. If you want, I can cobble up some money from old devices I've refurbished, and I can help out the shop too!"
>Getting Kei's text message, Kwaku quickly looks at it before saying:"Oh sorry, I know you're busy right now. I'll ask again later. Thanks again Sal!"
>Kwaku then waves at Sal with a smile before he then moves towards the side room of the workshop.{"I really hope this isn't bad news for you Kei. You deserve a win for once."} No.3990
>>3989>As Kwaku enters the side room, Sal looks around the workshop, with most of the work stations devoid of any work."Wish it was actually busy. . ."
>Within the side workshop, an inert robot, slightly slumped over but still towering over the average person, stands, support by a makeshift sling hanging between the arms of a vehicle lift.
>Kei sits on the back of the machine, her tongue stuck out as she works away at some wires within the robot's decapitated head that sits on one of the lift's forks.
>Hearing the door open, Kei looks up from the head and notices who entered."Hey, K.W., be right down. . ."
>Lifting the head up, Kei places it awkwardly on the top of the robot's neck, not securing it in place, and then dismounts from it."So. . . this is what I was talking about. . ."
No.3991
>>3990>For a moment, Kwaku doesn't even register the situation in front of him. It takes a few seconds for his brain to properly process everything, then his eyes widen."What the….Kei is that a bipedal robot?!"
>Quickly walking forward to get a closer look at the machine structure, he then narrows his eyes as he begins looking around at its sides, stating:"Or is it some kind of powered exoskeleton? Are there synaptic controls? Does it have some kind of rudimentary A.I. -"
>Stopping himself for a moment, Kwaku then blinks and says:"No way. This is….where did you even get….how?"
>In complete bewilderment, Kwaku feels a dozen other thoughts going through his head before he sighs."Here I thought
I had a big new gear set to reveal…."
>Kwaku says, pointing to his backpack as he does so:"But I'll get to that after you're done with your story. So what exactly happened Kei? How'd you get an armored robot? I doubt that was a scholarship gift."
No.3992
>>3991"I. . . uh. . . stole it. . ."
>Kei pauses for a second."I know how bad that sounds, but I didn't
mean to steal it. Well, I mean, I was at the place with it to steal things for Drucker and. . ."
>Kei cringes as she realises she's digging herself into a bigger hole."I know
that sounds bad but I needed a lot of money for. . . stuff, anyway it's fine now because S.E.A.R.C.H. is mine now, the guy who was keeping hold of it let me keep it if I did some stuff for him."
No.3993
>>3992>Blinking twice, Kwaku then grits his teeth instinctively as he hears Drucker's name."That guy's bad news, Kei. I told you that I'd fry him if he laid a finger on you."
>Reflexively, Kwaku discharges a stream of electricity from his fingers - striking the ground. Just as quickly, he stops the discharge of electric power, closing his hand into a fist and putting it inside of his jacket."….Sorry about that."
>Silent for a moment, Kwaku then says:"Well, I hope the other guy who let you keep….."
>Pointing at the robot machine, Kwaku states:"…..S.E.A.R.C.H. - I hope this guy's above ground, and not some sketchy guy too."
>Putting his backpack down on a nearby worktable, Kwaku then looks back at Kei, saying:"If you want to make sure that nobody else hears about this? You have my word. But I'm worried about you, Kei. Sooner or later, you're gonna make yourself a target with something like this line of work."
No.3994
>>3993"He didn't touch me, K.W., said I wasn't his type anyway, whatever that means."
>A panel on S.E.A.R.C.H.'s leg opens up and Kei presses it down."And Mr Carpenter could've gotten me arrested, he nearly did, but he dropped everything after I left with S.E.A.R.C.H., he didn't even ask me to do anything. he just asked me if I wanted to help him with something. . ."
>Kei picks up a file from one of the worksurfaces and holds it out for Kwaku to take.". . .it's called the Sentinels project, I figured you might want to be part of it."
No.3995
>>3994>Kwaku looks down at the file that Kei holds out in front of him. Skeptical, he looks back up at Kei for a moment, before sighing and taking the file."If you trust the guy, then I guess it can't be that dangerous. I'm still surprised that he was so quick to
not press charges on you though Kei."
>Looking at the file for a moment, Kwaku then turns to move back towards his backpack, stating:"Well, I guess it's a good thing I brought this with me."
>After placing the file down, Kwaku then goes towards his backpack. The backpack upon closer inspection is much more mechanistic and technological in its aesthetic. As Kwaku opens it up, it reveals a fancy set of clothing - a large folded coat, a body suit, gloves, boots and a face mask with custom lenses."I was gonna tell you this yesterday after it happened, but things came up. I ran into that Cardinal guy - the vigilante. He was stopping a shootout, and I was in the area so…."
>Rubbing the back of his head, behind his dreadlocks, Kwaku continues speaking:"….I sort of….helped him stop the gang members. A bunch of other stuff happened, and he gave me this as a show of thanks."
>Pointing towards the backpack, Faraday then says:"If you're in? For this whole Sentinels project? Then I'm in too. Friends' gotta stick together, right?"
No.3996
—————————————————-
>Long Corporation Headquarters, Central Chicago
>The recently built central headquarters of Long Corporation take up a prime real estate position within the central district of Chicago, showcasing the marvels of 21st century engineering.
>Within the atrium of the main building, an impressive amount of greenery takes up the area, with a wide variety of cultivars flourishing, some native to the area, others taken from further field, and even more unique to the building itself.
>At a desk within this area, a young woman sits, looking at a license for a second before bringing it down and composing herself.
"So, Mr Wyndham, as I understand it, you came here to Long to. . ."
>The woman looks down at the license again, then back at the person she's talking to.
"Remove this issue you're dealing with?"
No.3997
>>3996>A young man in a sleek black futuristic armor continues waving his hands around frantically, stating:"Yeah pretty much! This thing won't come off of me! It's been almost a day!"
>Panicking internally, the young man then begins nervously looking around, his heartrate increasing rapidly as he begins considering the worst case scenarios."What if I never get this thing off?! I can't even sleep properly in this stupid armor!"
>Placing his gloved hands on his helmet, the man continues to panic as he says:"OmigodomigodthisisnotgoodI'mgonnadieinthisarmorIjustknowit!"
No.3998
>>3997"Mr Wyndham. . .
Thaddeus."
>The woman holds a hand out to try and calm the man down."Please calm down, we currently don't know what that armor you're wearing can do, and we would prefer to avoid any incidents happening."
>The woman gives the young man an awkward smile."I can assure you, Long Corporation has the best biotechs in the world available to us, we'll have that armor off you in no time. There's just a matter of payment. . ."
No.3999
>>3998>Thaddeus turns his attention towards the woman for a moment, blinking behind his helmet's lenses before he regains his composure. Exhaling with a deep sigh, he then says:"Yeah…..Right…Sorry. Well uh…."
>Lowering his voice in embarrassment, he then says:"….Give me a moment. They figured this might be needed."
>Taking a card out from one of the slots in his armor - Thaddeus hands it to the woman, still feeling embarrassed."You can run it through that. It's got enough cash - trust me."
>In his head, Thaddeus thinks:{"Ugh, good job TJ. Already felt bad enough asking mom and dad to give me this. They're gonna deduct this from Archeon Chicago's operating budget. Man, if only I didn't get close to this stupid piece of junk armor…."} No.4000
>>3999>The woman's eyes flick down to the card, then back up at Thaddeus, almost seeming to glow for a moment.
>The woman briefly reaches for the card, then stops as an earpiece she's wearing flashes. Pulling back, she taps it."Yes? Hmmm? I see. . . I'll tell him then."
>The woman taps the earpiece again, bringing her hand back down and sliding it across the table back to Thaddeus."It appears that won't be needed, the corporation is willing to waive any consultation costs in return for your co-operation - and the armor, of course."
No.4001
>>4000>Blinking in surprise, Thaddeus then says:"Really? Awesome. That makes things way easier then."
>In his mind, he thinks:{"Also way less embarrassing, thank God. Might as well get this over with."}
>Taking the card with his gloved fingers, Thaddeus then mentally opens a slot in his armor to place the card back into his suit - closing the slot as he looks back up at the woman."Well, I'm ready to cooperate then. As long as you guys can get this thing off of me."
No.4002
>>4001"I'm glad to hear that, and I assure you that these activities will be performed with the utmost discretion. Now, if you could just wait here. . ."
>The woman stands up, leaving Thaddeus to himself for a moment.—————————————————-
>After some time, Thaddeus is escorted out of the Atrium and further into the building, eventually being taken to a sterile, octagonal room several floors up, where he is left by himself again, the corporation clearly having no concerns about him taking anything - not that anything that can be taken is visible, as the entire room appears empty.
>After a few more moments, one of the walls opens up, and a short, green-haired woman steps through, her movements slow and methodical, a pair of slitted eyes taking in every detail possible."Yes. . . I can work on this. . ."
>The woman holds out a hand and slowly "pulls" up with it, causing the floor of the room to shift and develop a mound which quickly shifts into a bed."Sit. . ."
No.4003
>>4002>Looking at the woman nervously, Thaddeus then looks at the morphed structure of a 'bed' that stands in front of him."…Uh….Well, if you insist?"
>Laughing nervously, Thaddeus then slowly moves to sit on the bed - looking around as he then lays down in a supine position."Like this, right? Are you guys gonna pry the suit off with surgical tools or something? Is it gonna hurt? Please tell me it's gonna be painless or something right?"
>Thaddeus feels his eyes widen behind his mask as he begins feeling his heartrate increase rapidly. {"Oh man, I really hope that I don't regret this. Just get this armor off of me, please. Before I start losing my mind even more."} No.4004
>>4003>The woman moves to stand over Thaddeus's head, lowering her head close to it so that he can see directly into her eyes, the expression in them almost looking like she's looking right through him.
>After a few uncomfortably long seconds, the woman brings a finger to the helmet and taps it."No pain. . . it will feel almost blissful. . . just focus on thinking that. . ."
>Moving away from Thaddeus, the woman beckons at a nearby wall, causing a white orb to float out of it, which she reaches into.
>As she holds her hand in the orb, chaos suddenly erupts in the room as something blasts its way through the ceiling at an angle, throwing dust and rubble all across the room.
>After the dust settles, the source of the chaos is revealed, a girl stands just below the entry point, strands of red hair glowing, and grins at the green-haired woman."Said I'd find you, fucker."
No.4005
>>4004>Thaddeus screams in terror, immediately panicking as he rises to his feet."Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!!!! Don't attack me! I'm just a customer!"
>Waving his hands up in a panic, Thaddeus then says:"I mean it! I don't have anything to do with this!"
>Still panicking, Thaddeus stands completely still, holding his hands out in front of him as his arms begin feeling heavy."I just want this armor taken off for me! That's all! I swear!"
>Inside of his mind, Thaddeus suddenly begins hearing a mechanistic voice, speaking to him."External Threat Detected. Combat Measures Ready"
>Out loud, Thaddeus looks down in surprise, bringing his hands up to his helmet, shouting:"What do you mean 'combat measures ready'? I'm not trying to attack her! Wait, who even
are you?! Why are you in my head?!"
>The robotic voice then replies in his mind."Combat and Exploration Infiltration Unit - Designate 'Kuiper'."
>Out loud, Thaddeus then asks, still confused as he does so:"Wait,
Kuiper? That's your name? Is that my name while I'm in this suit then?"
>Thaddeus then begins seeing internal hologram displays of his body, showing his internal organs, skeletal, muscular and neural structures - and much more. At the same time, he sees a list of what seem to be advanced combat weapons listed as items in his visor's H.U.D. visuals."Woah, woah woah! I don't need those!"
No.4006
>>4005"Don't care."
>The girl holds both her arms out, snapping her fingers and summoning a fireball in each hand, which she throws at Thaddeus.
>The girl then charges at him, wreathing a fist in flame, which she aims at his head."Just don't get between me and killing that bitch."
>Just before the fist hits Thaddeus, the flames around it rush forward and explode right before it, a new set appearing over her fist an instant later as it goes to connect with his helmet. No.4007
>>4006>Moving instinctually, Thaddeus holds out his gloved hand - as a bright blue light appears at the base of his palm. After another moment, a burst of powerful energy jettisons from his hand, surging forth as a font of raw power.
>As the energy blast disperses the fireball, Thaddeus finds himself left open to attack - taking the fiery fist attack as it connects with his helmet. "Ack!"
>As the force of the attack staggers Thaddeus, he then thinks to himself:"What?! I thought that was gonna kill me!"
>Taking a moment to hop backwards, Thaddeus is surprised at the sheer speed of his movement, instantly appearing a few meters behind his original position - almost fast enough to appear as an afterimage.
>Shaking off the surprise, Thaddeus then raises his hands up again as he says:"I'm not here to hurt you! I just wanted the armor off of me, lady! I'm serious!"
No.4009
>>4008>Catching himself, Thaddeus instinctively places his hands in front of his body - generating a pulse of blue light."Shitshitshitshitshit!"
>After a few moments have passed, the explosion subsides as a bright blue energy dome surrounds Thaddeus's armored body. Bewildered by the defensive maneuver that he's just pulled off, he then thinks to himself:{"I need to get her out of here before she harms anyone else!"}
>Thinking quickly, he then rushes forward, remembering the brief minutes of experience he had demonstrating the following ability."Sorry about this!"
>In a moment, Thaddeus rushes forward as a blur of blue light, grabbing the girl and flying them both up into the air, through the same hole in the ceiling that she originally arrived in.
>After a few moments, they're both hovering about a mile up into the air. Still nervous, Thaddeus then says:"Will you please stop freaking out! I'm not here to hurt you! I just want to talk!"
No.4010
>>4009"And I said I don't care!"
>The girl clenches her fists, the intensity of the glow from her hair increasing until it reaches a peak, an explosion suddenly emanating from her body, the force of which breaks open a hole in the clouds above.
>During the chaos of the explosion, the girl tists her way out of Thaddeus's grip, letting herself start falling down to the ground."I just want that bitch dead."
>Spinning herself around with a series of small explosions, the girl starts diving head first towards the ground, increasing her speed with a trail of fire behind her.
>When she's below the skyline of the city, the girl calls out."Moon! I need catching!"
>In response to the call, a torrent of water surges up, gently surrounding the girl and slowing her descent enough so that she reaches the street safely.
>Once the girl is on the ground, a boy walks over to her, a look of concern on his face."Star, that was dangerous. . ."
No.4011
>>4010>Quickly flying down towards the ground, Kuiper hovers in midair, pointing a finger at Star, stating:"Moon and Star? Well, it's catchy - I'll give you guys that."
>Pointing back at the Long Corporation building that they initially rushed out of, Kuiper then says:"Killing that woman isn't going to end up well for you guys - and even though I don't know anything about you, I doubt you'd like to spend the rest of your lives in prison for murder."
>Looking at Moon, Kuiper then says:"You seem to be the more reasonable one - so please talk some sense into your partner here. I don't want to have to fight either of you, but I really don't agree with killing intent either."
No.4012
>>4011>Moon holds his hands up defensively."Look man, I don't wanna fight you either, but. . ."
>Star sets her hand on fire, and Moon sighs.". . .we're kind of a package deal."
>Moon closes his hand and the air around Kuiper freezes, trapping him in a block of ice."You've just gotta step aside for a minute, and no one'll blame you when Star does her thing, ok?"
No.4013
>>4012"Ack!"
>Kuiper says as he's frozen in a block of ice. After a moment, a blue light pulse appears around his armor - before blasting off energy, destroying the ice formation around him. Exhaling heavily, he then looks back up at both superhumans.
>Looking between both Moon and Star, Kuiper sighs as he closes his eyes for a moment."…….I'm sorry but I can't stand by while someone gets killed right in front of me."
>Gesturing towards Moon, recognizing his more reasonable behavior, Kuiper then asks:"What on Earth did that woman
do to you? Both of you? If you can explain to me what happened, I can at least help you bring her in to the authorities."
No.4014
>>4013>Moon sighs, twisting a stream of water around his hand."Look, man, I gave you a chance, but we're not here to talk about this."
>The water shoots out from Moon wrapping around Kuiper's feet, trapping him in place long enough for Star to jump forward at Kuiper in a burst of flame, colliding into him and spinning in the air over his head.
>As the flames die down, Kuiper is hit by a torrent of water, then another blast of flame from behind, the two clashing on his body at extremes of temperature.
>Once the attack has died down, Moon sends a blast of ice towards the ground below Kuiper, freezing it and revealing the trick behind the attack as the ground has melted and cooled down around his legs."That won't hold him long, Star, let's go!"
>Not needing a prompt, Star blasts off into the sky, leaving Moon to skate away using a stream of ice. No.4015
>>4014>Struggling against the impromptu restraints placed on his legs and boots, Kuiper begins cursing to himself under his breath as he speaks:"Damnit! Why do they want to kill that woman so badly?!"
>As if to respond to him, the internal robotic voice of his suit immediately replies:"Combat mode willingly disengaged. Query: Why were the targets not confronted?"
>Annoyed, Kuiper then says:"Because there was no point in actually doing that. I'm not here to kill anybody!"
>Suddenly, a voice speaks from above him."Could've fooled me there bucket head."
>Quickly looking up, Kuiper then narrows the lenses of his helmet - seeing a young man around his age standing before him. The man, wearing an elaborate suit and cowl with his own lenses, replies:"I saw the altercation from nearby. I'm impressed that you even survived that."
>Kneeling down next to Kuiper, the man takes a device out from his utility belt - placing two capsules on the sides of Kuiper's tar-restrained legs, immediately freezing them as the restraints shatter."There we go."
>As Kuiper quickly rises to his feet, he then realizes who he's talking to - recognizing his design from the news."Cardinal?! What are you doing here?!"
>Cardinal adjusts his gloves as he taps the side of his cowl - clearly interacting with something."Following up on a lead from a while back. I wasn't tracking those two in particular, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're connected to the Long Corporation."
>Kuiper looks somewhat confused as he dusts himself off, stating:"Why do you say that?"
>Raising the size of one lens in skepticism, Cardinal then replies:"Because one of them just carpet bombed the Long Corporation's building here. What else am I suppose to infer from that?"
>Now turning towards the Long Corporation building, Cardinal then says:"Come on, let's go stop them - then we'll see about getting some answers."
>Immediately, he then rushes forward, moving at speeds clearly beyond that of a normal human, with Kuiper quickly flying after him. No.4016
>>4015>As the pair arrive at the new location of Moon and Star, they find the pair already fighting someone else, a third pair of individuals, these two being much older than any of the others.
>Star flies around the fight, occasionally trading blasts of fire with a blonde woman, who sends similar blasts of an unknown energy back at the girl. Meanwhile, Moon struggles to hold a shield up as a man in his 30s pummels it with his bare fists, each strike chipping away a large chunk of ice.
>Noticing the newcomers, the man sends another strike into the ice, straightening his posture as it shatters, and cracks his knuckles with a sigh."Amp, deal with the newcomers, I'll handle the brats from here."
>The woman narrowly avoids a blast from Star and then looks over at the man."Huh?"
"Those two, over there, handle them."
"How'm meant to do that?"
>The man puts a hand to his head, narrowly sidestepping a torrent of water from Moon."They've got metal on them, haven't they? Just pull their suits apart or something."
"Y'ok."
>Pulling away from Star, the woman kicks up from the ground, flying in the air, and slams into the ground in front of Cardinal and Kuiper, kicking up a pile of debris that she uses to stand above the two."Sorry guys, the boss says it's company business, so you gotta go."
No.4017
>>4016>Cardinal crosses his arms as Kuiper steps back nervously."Uh…..This isn't good. Where'd that other woman go?"
>Cardinal, narrowing his lenses behind his cowl, then says:"Here I thought the Long Corporation was above underhanded tactics. Clearly I was wrong."
>Quickly with a swift motion, Cardinal tosses a pair of flashbang capsules onto the debris formation at Amp's feet - before quickly motioning to Kuiper to rush past her."Come on. She's likely ferrokinetic. I don't know if your suit can withstand her attacks, but mine isn't composed of metals or metallic alloys for this reason. I have experience with these types."
>Kuiper nods as he rushes forward - firing energy blasts at the older man in his 30s as Cardinal begins tossing freezing capsules at the same older man."Apply pressure from all directions! Keep him occupied as long as you can until that Amp woman recovers!"
No.4018
>>4017>Amp blinks in confusion at the flashbang, shaking her head to try and recover from it. Her thoughts, however, seem to be elsewhere."Sage, wa's pharoah-inetic mean?"
>The man, Sage, dodges the blasts and capsules, grabbing a manhole cover and throwing it in the direction of Cardinal."Not the time, Amp."
"Yeah but. . ."
"You're not one!"
>Another torrent of water fires at Sage, this time joined by a blast of fire from a similar angle as Moon and Star have regrouped, both of which Sage disrupts with single clap, the force of which sends a resonding boom throughout the area, sending a wave of force out."Make everything heavy, Amp,
real heavy."
>Having recovered her eyesight from flashbang, Amp does a quick salute."You got it, boss!"
>Suddenly, gravity seems to increase massively in the area, pushing down on everything around with an immense amount of force. No.4019
>>4018>Cardinal reacts instinctively, bending down to avoid the manhole cover - before quickly flipping backwards, multiple times in a row. As he continues doing rapid handstands backwards, he flicks more capsules at Sage - a combination of smoke grenades and flashbangs."Not good. She's more varied than I thought."
>At that moment, Kuiper feels pressure surging down on him - causing him to fall on one knee on the ground. He also sees Cardinal quickly fall to the ground from across the area. Grunting to himself, Kuiper then hears the robotic suit in his voice once more."Abnormal increase in gravimetric readings. Artificial gravity environment detected. Deploying countermeasures."
>Surprised, Kuiper winces as he says:"Wha? What does that mean?"
>Suddenly, Kuiper's armor begins glowing blue as it projects out an energy pulse of blue light. Suddenly, Kuiper and the others begin to resist the effects of the gravity field.
>Surprised, Cardinal looks at Kuiper in amazement, saying:"What kind of suit
is that?!"
>Flailing his hands around, Kuiper shouts:"I don't know! It's what I told them!"
>Pointing at Moon and Star, Kuiper notices that the blue light anti-gravity field is also enveloping them as well."Did I do that?"
>Shrugging it off, Kuiper turns his attention back towards Sage - his gloves glowing blue with spheres of blue light as he aims them at Sage."You keep this up, this is gonna end up with you tossed into space."
>Cardinal slowly rises up to his feet - mostly resisting the strength of the gravity field, though not entirely."I agree. At this point, you've clearly expended whatever good faith you had left."
No.4020
>>4019>Amp goes to move again, but is stopped with a hand motion from Sage, who picks himself up and walks over to Kuiper and Cardinal, looking down at them."You do that, son, and you'll end up responsible for the death of a member of Long's private law enforcement arm, which doesn't look good on any record. . ."
>Sage leans slightly to be near Kuiper's ear, lowering his voice."Is that understood,
Thaddeus?"
>Pulling away from Kuiper, Sage turns his back on Cardinal and Kuiper, waving a hand dismissively."Me and Amp are simply doing our duty as contracted security, Long Corporation has a right to protect its assets, and is legally authorized to do so through the hiring and deputization of private sheriffs like ourselves. So if you could kindly leave and allow us to handle this situation, I'll happily forget that you were ever here."
>Sage continues walking towards Moon and Star, who are still recovering from the increase in gravity, but still manage to try and pick themselves up to defend against Sage's next attack. No.4021
>>4020>Kuiper looks at Cardinal with a worried expression on his face. "I know what you're thinking, but it's an intimidation tactic."
>Pointing at Sage, Cardinal says:"He's trying to divert your attention away from the PR disaster that would occur, if the general public found out that the Long Corporation was experimenting on teenagers."
>Noticing Kuiper's shocked expression, Cardinal then states:"Don't act too surprised. I deduced that was the likely cause of all of this. Those people, Moon and Star as they call themselves - were likely escaped test subjects."
>Making a flicking motion with his hand, Cardinal then dispenses a small chip from his wrist - which rapidly expands into a bladed disc."There's no other reason for them to go to all these lengths,
just to attack a corporate building in broad daylight - and clearly with no structure, logic or any semblance of a cohesive plan."
>Cardinal says with an annoyed tone of voice - looking at both Star and Moon as he does so. Then, turning his attention back towards Sage, he says:"Imagine the damage to their reputation if the truth ever got out."
>Kuiper then immediately flies into the air - covering the distance between himself and Sage rapidly - only to land down in front of Moon and Star."Is that true? Did the company
experiment on people?!"
>Now getting defensive, Kuiper assumes a combat stance - making it clear where his stance is.
>At the same time, Cardinal tosses the remote control disc into the offices of Long Corporation - while everyone is distracted. The disc blade has a glowing red light at the center - reminiscent of a familiar design. No.4022
>>4021"How old are you, son? Because the world doesn't work that way."
>Sage turns around to face Cardinal, nudging his head at Amp, who moves away for a moment."Even if the claim were true, you've got no evidence of it, even if you had that, you'd have to win over enough of the media to make it heard, and. . ."
>Amp quietly walks over to Sage, handing something over to him, which he looks over, grinning.". . .oh, sorry, but this is such an interesting design, did you make it yourself?"
>Sage holds out the disc Cardinal threw, then crushes in his hand, letting what remains fall to the ground."That's a crime, son, corporate espionage, but I'm a responsible adult, so I won't let you go to prison over something silly like that."
>With another sigh, Sage turns back to Kuiper, Star, and Moon."Now-"
>Sage is interrupted by the sound of a synthetic voice from above."I think everyone should just calm down."
>The bulky form of S.E.A.R.C.H. slams down to the ground to the side of the scene, standing up straight to tower over everyone else in the area."That way everyone can go happy without any bruises."
No.4023
>>4022>A surge of bright white and blue electricity crackles down from the skies above - as a figure in a cloak quickly surfs into view. Riding on a customized metallic allow saucer, the hooded and cloaked man hovers in the air - next to the giant helmet structure of S.E.A.R.C.H. - giving a two finger salute."Yeah, what they said."
>The hovering figure looks down at Cardinal, immediately noticing him as he says:"Woah! Didn't expect to see you here!"
>Looking up at the figure above, Cardinal's lenses widen as he states:"So it
is you! How's the suit - 'Faraday'?"
>Looking over the undersuit and the cloak and hood of his outfit, Faraday cracks his knuckles lightly as bright sparks arc off of them. His face mask obscures his identity as his suit also alters his voice via a vocal modifier in the undersuit."Fits like a glove. Thanks."
>Turning his attention down towards Kuiper and the others, Faraday points at him, saying:"You guys good there?"
>Kuiper, still looking confused, nods as he says:"These corporate guys aren't helping anything, but yeah! We are!"
>Cardinal looks up at Faraday, stating:"I'll assume that you and your friend are here to propose a resolution to the situation. If that fails? I'm going with the backup option - something that'll
not end well for the Long Corporation."
>Faraday nods, still handing on his electromagnetic saucer as he says:"Noted. Well, I'll let my friend here take the lead and say what they have to say then."
>Crossing his arms, Faraday then hovers back from S.E.A.R.C.H. - giving them some room to speak and explain the situation clearly."But I'm warning you…"
>Condensed maelstroms of electricity begin to rapidly converge around Faraday's gloved fingers, rapidly ionizing the air around him to create both white electricity and orange flames - that seemingly don't affect him.
>Faraday's eyes, visible through his face cowl begin to glow a bright white - reflecting light off of his goggle lenses as he stares Sage down."If you attack my friend? You're
going to regret it."
>The electricity continues building around Faraday's gloved fingers as he begins building magnetic field pressure around him - alongside the electrical and thermal energy. No.4024
>>4023>Amp seems to perk when she sees Faraday's electromagnetism."Sparky guy! I can do sparky things too! Look!"
>Amp builds electricity around her body, creating waves of sparks that travel from bottom to top, her hair slightly rising as she does."Look, son, I can see you think you have leverage over the corporation, but I can assure you, you don't. But, I can see you're serious, so. . ."
>Sage reaches into his pocket, taking out a phone and pressing a button to speedial a number on it."This is Long Corporation private security, requesting MRD assistance, we have an active containment event in progress."
>After a few seconds, a response comes through."
Acknowledged, units are en-route."
>Disconnecting the call, Sage begins addressing everyone gathered."Now, I can assure you from
personal experience, MRD cells are not comfortable, so I would recommend you all stand down before they arrive."
>S.E.A.R.C.H. remains silent during the exchange, looking over and watching everything, and then sends a private message to Faraday."
I'll try and distract them, you make sure the guy in the armor and the other two get out of here, ok?"
>Without waiting for a response, S.E.A.R.C.H. blasts forward, colliding with Sage as he moves to intercept it, and struggles against his strength."Poor choice."
No.4025
>>4024>Faraday gets the message in his comms link, built into his face mask. As the message is internally read into his ear through vibrations, he raises an eyebrow as he looks at S.E.A.R.C.H."……."
>Turning towards Moon, Star and Kuiper, he then says:"Hey, bucket guy. Help me with these two, alright?!"
>Quickly flying down on his saucer, Faraday picks up Star, carrying her in his arms as Kuiper looks at Moon. Taking after Faraday's lead, Kuiper then quickly picks up the young man - as both superhumans begin quickly flying out of the area.
>Cardinal, who had stayed behind, instead takes a set of small capsules out of his utility belt - tossing them at Sage. The capsules then immediately disperse into a unique substance that converts into a hardening polymer. The polymer material begins constraining itself around Sage as Cardinal looks at S.E.A.R.C.H."Go. There's no history or public identity regarding myself. There's nothing that they can leverage against me!"
>Tossing some more capsules at Amp, these capsules are smoke grenades once more, as Cardinal jumps back - pressing another button on his utility belt."…….."
No.4026
>>4025"Oh, kid. . ."
>Sage casually breaks out of the polymer, jumping over in Cardina's direction with a level of speed he hadn't demonstrated before."You don't need priors, you're already looking at a good amount of time in confinement."
>Behind Sage, S.E.A.R.C.H. begins to try and charge Sage, but is hit by a blast of electricity that arcs out of the smoke, whihc is soon followed by a triumphant shout:"Don't need to see with the sparky stuff!"
>Rolling his eyes, Sage turns his attention back to Cardinal, who he grabs onto the shoulder of hard, the force stressing the material."World's not made of good guys and bad guys, just the law and outside the law, and right now, I'm within the law - and you aren't."
>Still being blasted by electricity, S.E.A.R.C.H. changes direction, charging straight at Amp, who fails to dodge in time, ending up grappled by S.E.A.R.C.H., the smoke clearing as S.E.A.R.C.H. stands triumphant."Hey, mister, how about we trade? My guy for your girl?"
>Sage turns his head to see S.E.A.R.C.H. and Amp, annoyance written all over his face. No.4028
>>4027>Sage looks over at Amp."Amp, why didn't you just shut the robot down?"
"Sparks didn't do anything."
"It's still made of-"
>Sage uses his free hand to rub his eyes in annoyance.". . .fine. I'm sure you can catch him."
>With little effort, Sage throws Cardinal up into the air, and starts to jump towards S.E.A.R.C.H., his path being interrupted by the form of Amp being flung at him as the robot blasts into the air to catch Cardinal. No.4029
>>4028>As Cardinal lands in the grasp of S.E.A.R.C.H. - Cardinal exhales lightly as he regains his footing.
>Turning back to face the large robot, Cardinal then says:"…..Thanks. I appreciate that."
>Landing down on the ground below, Cardinal then finally begins to hear the arrival of a certain machine. {"There it is."}
>Suddenly, a large black vehicle drives into the area - opening up the cockpit in order for Cardinal to jump into it. As he lands inside of it, he then takes the controls as he turns his attention back towards S.E.A.R.C.H."Thanks for the help."
>Looking back at Sage, he then says:"Contractor or not, my problem isn't with you. It's with the corporation you work for."
No.4030
>>4029>Sage finishes helping Amp up after catching her as Cardinal's comment reaches him."I don't care, kid, I'm just doing my job, which includes helping put out a warrant for you."
>Sage shrugs."It's nothing personal, ok? I did try to warn you."
No.4031
>>4030>Cardinal rolls his eyes behind his mask as he taps the side of his head with his finger."What part of 'no history or public identity' did you not understand? For a hired gun, you're not very bright."
>Turning back towards S.E.A.R.C.H., Cardinal says:"I assume you have a vested interest in those two don't you? The guy and the girl that your friend just took."
>Roaring up the engines of his vehicle, Cardinal then taps the side of his cowl as he parses visual information through his lenses. He then states:"I know where Kuiper's going - so I guess I'll see you there."
>Closing the hatch of the vehicle's exterior, Cardinal then floors the pedal - causing the experimental vehicle to immediately reverse backwards at supersonic speeds. Using interia manipulating technology - it then quickly blasts off down the streets of Chicago - leaving almost in an instant. No.4032
>>4031"Every part of it, son, but having that hanging over your head, masked one or not, will make things more difficult"
>Sage sighs as the vehicle leaves."Kids never fuckin' listen. . . can't believe you still want us to have some Amp. . ."
>As Cardinal's vehicle speeds away, S.E.A.R.C.H. follows it, keeping up."I don't even know who they are, but they clearly didn't want to be there, and that didn't sit right. Where're we heading anyway?"
No.4033
>>4032>As he continues driving, Cardinal then says:"Before we arrived to help your friend - I told Kuiper about a rendezvous point outside of the major metropolitan area of the city. Assuming their initial travel speed, they should've arrived there by now. I'll lead the way."
>As Cardinal continues driving the sleek vehicle, the afterburner flames it produces are matched by the speed of S.E.A.R.C.H.'s armored frame, flying beside it.———————————————————————————–
[10 minutes later]
>After arriving at the location, a run-down and abandoned warehouse at the outskirts of the city - Cardinal drives the vehicle towards the entrance of the empty building. Parking, he then opens the hatch and gracefully flips out of the vehicle's cockpit - landing on the ground."They should be inside."
>Cardinal then allows his cloak to cover his shoulders - hiding most of his appearance as he continues speaking."I didn't want to take the risk of leading them somewhere closer to where I operate from. No offense, but we're not exactly on a first-name basis."
No.4034
>>4033>S.E.A.R.C.H. lands on the ground with an audible thud, the boosters in its legs closing up."Sure. . ."
>Within the suit, Kei dismisses a HUD piece that was tracking something."The suit's called S.E.A.R.C.H., by the way."
No.4035
>>4033>Cardinal nods as he walks forward, stating:"Nice name. Probably an acronym I'd imagine, given how general purpose of a name 'Search' is…."
——————————————————–
>Inside of the abandoned warehouse building, Faraday and Kuiper continue talking casually."…..Wait, you
just got that armor yesterday? Where was it from?"
>Hesitant, Kuiper then rubs the back of his neck instinctively, stammering:"W-Well. You s-see. It's a bit of a l-long story there, haha….Really long story."
>Shaking his head, Faraday then waves his hand in a dismissive gesture."It's fine, dude. If you don't want to divulge? It's not an issue. I'm just impressed at just how much it can do."
>Nodding, Kuiper then dusts himself off, although his suit didn't pick up any dirt or debris the entire day."What about you, man? What's the deal with the battery power? You like a living electro-conductor or something?"
>Shaking his head, Faraday then thinks for a moment before sighing."You'd be surprised how many people think that I'm just
the sparky guy. Even before I got this outfit - everybody thought that I was just firing electricity beams and nothing else."
>Holding out his hand, Faraday causes a large metallic device to hover over to him, quickly. As it lands in the center of the room, between the two of them - Kuiper states:"Magnetism?! You've got magnet powers too?!"
>Faraday nods as he crosses his arms."Electromagnetism. Like the fundamental force in physics, remember? As far as I can tell, I can tap into the entire thing. Control on the other hand…..Not quite there yet."
>Then a loud thud can be heard from the hallway outside, immediately catching both Faraday and Kuiper off guard."….Aren't Moon and Star in the other room from here?"
"I think so? In that case…."
>Faraday and Kuiper then begin generating energy around their hands, getting into fighting stances and bracing themselves.
>Only for them to realize that Cardinal is the one who appeared - walking through the door into the large open room."Hey, good to see that you all made it here."
>Turning to Faraday's direction, Cardinal says:"Your friend is right outside in the hallway. Are Moon and Star alright?"
>Cardinal asks, genuinely concerned for their well-being. No.4036
>>4035>In the other room, Moon sits in a chair as Star paces about - occasionally stopping by the wall to punch it with a flaming fist."I had her, Moon! Right. Fucking. There! I could've gotten her if not for that idiot in the armor!"
>As she finishes the sentence, Star hits the wall again, earning a sigh from Moon."Look at us, Star, we look like we owe the Disciples money. Even if you did manage to get her, we'd've probably died. . ."
"Yeah but. . ."
>Star's protest is silenced by a look from Moon."We said we were gonna get revenge on her by killing her
and living, right? Can't do that if we're dead, far as I'm concerned, Armor Dude did us a favor."
"Well said. . ."
>A flickering image of Kei appears to walk through the wall.". . .I didn't really catch your names, you're Moon, right?"
>Kei points at Moon, who nods."and you're. . ."
"None of your fucking business."
>Star throws a fireball at Kei, the plasma flying harmless through the image.". . .prickly."
"That's Star."
"Nice to meet you, Star, I'm guessing you two need somewhere to go."
"Look, we've heard it all before, we're not gonna fall for that one again."
>Kei goes silent for a moment, then shrugs."I'm not trying to trick you or anything, but I get it, how about you come into the main room and I show I mean well?"
>Moon looks at Star, who thinks it over for a moment."Fine."
"Glad you're willing to hear me out,
またね~."
>The image disappears, and Moon stands up, indicating to the door."After you, Star."
———————————————————————————–
>Within the main room, S.E.A.R.C.H. kneels down the get through the door, standing up in a hunched position once it's within the room itself, and then points at Kuiper."Hey, Armor Dude, you were having some problems with your armor earlier, right? Mind if I have a look?"
No.4037
>>4036>Kuiper points at himself for a moment in surprise, stating:"Wait, how do you know about that? Did Cardinal tell you or…."
>Shaking his head, Kuiper shrugs off the thought before saying:"You know what? It's fine. Yeah I'm having trouble with it."
>Walking over towards S.E.A.R.C.H. - Kuiper takes a moment to stare at the large humanoid mech frame in awe, stating:"Woah…..This is insane…"
>Off to the side, Cardinal is still standing in place, surveying the scene as Faraday walks up to him, holding out a fist for a bump."Hey man, thanks for showing up and helping them out. We appreciate that."
>Nodding for a moment, Cardinal slowly shows his hand, giving Faraday a light fistbump tap in return. He then quickly withdraws his hand, stating:"I owe you, given how you helped me with those gangsters yesterday. Here I was, thinking you were going solo."
>He then nods his cowl-covered head at S.E.A.R.C.H. - stating:"They seem nice. Impressive mobile frame there, must've cost your friend a fortune."
>Faraday looks at Cardinal, saying:"You say that like you know from experience."
>Cracking a soft smile, Cardinal replies:"Yeah well, I know a thing or two about having extremely wealthy mentors for vigilantism. Had a bit of a falling out with mine though."
>Taking a device out of his utility belt, Cardinal watches as a nanite cannister forms around the open area of the metallic container on his belt. Handing the sophisticated device to Faraday, he then says:"Signal communicator. Integrate the circuitry into your suit with the function that I told you about yesterday. If you need assistance with anything, I'm a signal activation away."
No.4038
>>4037>S.E.A.R.C.H. takes a step backwards from Kuiper and then kneels down, gas escaping from it as a seal opens as the front folds open, letting Kei slip out of it carefully in front of Kuiper."Hi, the big guy's S.E.A.R.C.H. they'd say hi too but they've not got their own voice."
>Kei taps the suit and it closes itself up."You can call me. . . errr. . ."
>Kei thinks for a moment, tapping the side of her head."Rescue? Yeah, we'll go for that."
>Kei offers a hand out to shake."Now, if you'd like to get a seat or something nearby, I can try and have a look at things? Would also help if you explained what exactly the issue is. . ."
>On the other side of the room, Moon and Star walk through the door, with Star leaning against the wall next to the door, an unimpressed look on her face. No.4039
>>4038>Taken aback by Rescue's sudden appearance, Kuiper remarks:"U-Uh sure? Thanks?"
>Kuiper looks around for a seat to pick up, still somewhat taken aback by everything."Well, I can't really find a seat but…"
>Cardinal then reaches down into his utility belt once more, now taking out another capsule looking device. He takes a second to press a button on it, before tossing it at Kuiper's shadow with precision aim."Give it a moment."
>After a second, a large plume of smoke appears - with a perfectly furnished chair appearing spontaneously.
>Raising an eyebrow, Faraday turns back to Cardinal, stating:"Do you have
everything in that belt of yours?"
>Shrugging, Cardinal then says:"Funny, I said the same thing about my new friend's suit over there."
>Looking back at Faraday for a moment, Cardinal then says:"Miniaturization technology. Courtesy of my old mentor."
>Raising an eyebrow behind his face mask, Faraday states:"Along with the rest of your suit and technology, right? I'd say that both you and Bucket Head are full of surprises."
>Turning back towards Moon and Star, Faraday points at them, saying:"I know it's not the best time to ask, but I've gotta do it anyways."
>Shaking his head, Faraday then speaks, as Kuiper takes a seat on the chair - ready for Rescue to work on his armor."What the hell did those people
do to you two? I knew Corps were shady as hell, but this shit is serious - if it made you two launch an all out attack on the Long Corporation in broad daylight."
>Cardinal crosses his arms in front of him as he mutters:"Exactly what I said…."
No.4040
>>4039>Moon looks over at Star for a second, then speaks up."We weren't trying to fight all of Long Corporation, we just wanted the professor-"
"The bitch."
"-Professor Yamata, she's the one who did this to us."
>Star lights her fist on fire."Treated us like her little playthings, took everything we had left, left behind Moon and Star."
>Moon nods his head solemnly in agreement.
>Elsewhere, Kei takes a small device from her belt and pokes Kuiper's armor with it, sending a spark of electricity into it, then tilts her head, thinking."This is all new to me but. . ."
>Kei runs a finger down the back of the helmet of the armor, tapping at several points, then looks around to make sure no one is looking before closing her eyes to focus on something, tapping a point at the top of the neck, the action seemingly sending a command into the armor for it to open itself.". . .that might work, try focusing on it opening now maybe?"
No.4041
>>4040>Faraday nods slowly, his eyes narrowing in anger as he looks at his gloved hands."….Yeah, that's more than enough reason to want her six feet under then."
>Electricity reflexively flares up around Faraday's hands, before he then quickly controls his powers - dissipating the electrical bolts as he sighs. Now as he lowers his hands, Faraday says:"Sorry about that. I've had flare ups like that before. Anyways, we'll help you get this Professor arrested for her crimes, any way that we can."
>Cardinal keeps his arms crossed as he stares at Star and Moon, stating:"Though I'm not killing anyone, if I can speak for myself. If you yourselves want to kill her? Fair enough. But I don't kill."
>Meanwhile, Kuiper having already shook Kei's hand, then sits in the chair as he answers her questions."Alright, I'll try. Thanks."
>Closing his eyes, Kuiper then focuses as he envisions his original appearance, before he got near the alien nanomesh that was stored in that laboratory facility."….Come on…..Come on…."
>Inside of his head, Kuiper hears the words:"Armor Deactivation Protocol Request Acknowledged. Beginning Deactivation Protocol."
>Opening his eyes, Kuiper looks down at his body as it begins glowing with a bright blue light. After a few seconds, the entirety of the suit begins to turn into a black and gold liquid metal substance - rapidly absorbing itself into his body from the pores of his skin, and leaving only his standard clothing and appearance."….Wha….Holy hell! It worked!"
>Jumping up, Kuiper then shouts in surprise as he says:"Yes! Thank you!"
>However, Faraday's eyes open wide as he then shouts:"T.J.?! You're the Bucket Head?!"
>Cardinal looks at Faraday, stating:"You know him?"
>Nodding, Faraday remarks:"Thaddeus Jason Wyndham. T.J. for short. He's one of my classmates."
>T.J. adjusts his hair for a moment before he panics upon hearing his name."What the hell?! You're in my class?! That's not possible."
>Quickly waving his hands in a denial motion, T.J. then continues saying:"Nononononono that's not possible! Unless you're…."
>Thinking for a moment, T.J. eyes Faraday's appearance more carefully, squinting as he says:"……K.W.? Is that you man?"
>Faraday sighs as he magnetically detaches the face mask on his face, letting it fall down to hang around the collar bone of his body. With his full face now visible, he then says:"Yep. What a coincidence huh?"
>Both of them look at Cardinal, expecting some sort of grand reveal from him."You're not going to be surprised if you see my face. I meant what I said about my identity being wiped."
>Both of them continue staring, as Cardinal sighs and then says:"Fine, whatever."
>Taking off his cowl, Cardinal reveals a surprisingly attractive face with bright blue eyes and black hair."Happy?"
No.4042
>>4041>Star rolls her eyes and scoffs."Yaaaaaay, you all know each other, you can skip the foreplay before-"
>Star is cut off as Moon puts a hand over her mouth from behind to shut up."S-she means it's great that you all know each other, it saves time on having to make introductions, right Star?"
>Star glares at Moon for a moment, then rolls her eyes, relenting and pulling out of the grip."Yeah, that, sure."
>Star looks over at Cardinal and shrugs."Yeah, you're some guy, great."
>Stepping away from TJ, Kei walks up to S.E.A.R.C.H. again as it opens up, providing somewhere for her to sit without resealing itself."So, K.W. can you vouch for TJ here? Because if you can, he might be a good fit for that thing I mentioned."
No.4043
>>4042>Rubbing his eyelids for a moment, Faraday then looks at Kei as he says:"He wasn't exactly the best student in class, but that's due to laziness, not a lack of skill or intelligence."
>T.J. immediately protests, feeling somewhat embarrassed as he stammers a response."H-Hey! I'm not dumb, man! I just don't care about school, that's all…."
>Crossing his arms reflexively, he then says:"Besides, not everybody's a straight A student like you dude."
>Raising an eyebrow, Faraday states:"Why do you think Mary and I offered to study with you after the Calc II exam?"
>Sighing, Faraday then turns towards Kei and states:"I think he'd be fine joining the group."
>T.J. then looks at Faraday and then turns to look at Kei, saying:"Hey wait a minute, are you guys making a superhero team or something? If that's the case, then I'm in!"
>T.J. gives a gesture of excitement as Cardinal looks at Star, stating:"I'm almost certain that my core ability is far more dangerous than yours, but sure let's go with me being 'some guy'. Makes things easier."
>Cardinal says with a tone of amusement in his voice, as he remains leaning on the wall - crossing his arms.
>Faraday turns towards Star, saying:"What he means is that he's not much of a team player. This is the first time he's done anything with a group of people."
>T.J. then looks at Cardinal, stating:"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask you. Did you actually stop that Meta-Human gang that tried to level South side Chicago? Or the dude who was a walking nuke?"
>Cardinal nods slowly, saying:"Like I said, I had a really good teacher. But he's back in Sanctuary - and he's got a bunch of new friends now."
>Cardinal states, clearly a hint of bitterness in his voice.
>Looking back at Kei, Cardinal gives her a neutral but guarded expression as he says:"As Faraday stated, I'm not much of a team player. Not due to spite, but due to efficacy. I generally do my best work on my own - so hopefully you don't need my help."
>Faraday slowly magnetizes his face mask from left to right on his face - hiding it once more as Cardinal speaks. No.4044
>>4043"How about we try that out,
傻屄?"
>Star summons up some flames, only to have Moon step between her and Cardinal, disarming her with a look that communicates it's not the time.
>From her seat, Kei sighs."You'd probably me more of a hindrance than help if that's your attitude, so it's fine. What about you two? Think you can play nice."
>Kei looks over at Moon and Star."I don't think we've really got a choice. You said you've got somewhere for us to crash, right?"
"Yeah. Sure."
>Star gives Cardinal a pointed glance then crosses her arms."And you're still up for it, K.W.?"
No.4045
>>4044>Faraday nods at Kei as he says:"It's like I said years ago, Kei. I'm sticking with you no matter what. It's what friends do."
>Turning towards Cardinal, he then states:"Hey, are you absolutely sure that you don't want to work with us? Sure I doubt there's a stipend or anything but-"
>Cardinal adjusts his gloves slowly as he looks back at Faraday, stating:"You're a good guy, K.W. - I appreciate your concern. But your friend there is correct. I'm not necessary and I'm a bit of a redundancy, if you might consider that."
>Pointing at Kei, Cardinal says:"She's your tactical operations specialist. Knowledgeable, skilled and likely works well under pressure. Good with machinery too. If anything breaks? She can likely fix it - as we've seen with T.J. over there."
>Then pointing towards Star and Moon, he states:"These two are your point men and women. First on the field with synergistic abilities and a personal history together. They also know more about this mad doctor of yours that you're going to stop - so they're valuable in that regard."
>Pointing towards Faraday himself, Cardinal then says:"As for
you, K.W. - you're the generator. If anybody on the team needs a surge of energy to power anything, you're the guy. By my estimations, you can output enough electromagnetic radiation and electricity to power an entire continent currently - even if you can't control it."
>Nodding at Faraday, Cardinal elaborates:"That's what the suit was for. I could tell when you fought those gang members yesterday. Powerful, but not focused."
>T.J. then speaks up, stating:"Wait, what about me then? What role do I have?"
>Cardinal looks at him with a soft smile, saying:"You're the one with a sense of humor and a bit of naiveté. Every team needs an optimist."
>Putting his cowl back over his face, Cardinal blinks twice as his lenses do as well."Oh, and the highly advanced alien tech suit also helps. I'm pretty sure that it channels cosmic energies so have fun figuring that one out."
>Cardinal then takes another device from his utility belt and tosses it to Kei. It's a black and silver device with red electronic circuitry that glows faintly."That's a nanite augmentation frame. Stick it on any electronic device and it'll spread a nanomesh across its surface. Increases energy efficiency and protects from EMP attacks."
>Looking back at Faraday, Cardinal says:"You've got the signal transceiver. If you need help for any reason? Just use it. It'll home in on the device's location, but
only the device."
No.4046
>>4045>Kei catches the device, then tosses it back to Cardinal."Appreciate it, but no thanks, I don't put technology I don't know on my stuff, plus. . ."
>Kei knocks on one of S.E.A.R.C.H.'s hull plates."S.E.A.R.C.H. has a Tenacium weave, better energy efficiency and EMP protection than any other nanomesh weave can handle, very hard to replace too, so I'd rather not risk breaking it."
>Star chuckles to herself, taking petty amusement out of Cardinal's "loss".
>Nudging her to stop, Moon gives Cardinal an apologetic look then adds:"I'd rather not be at the very front, I can't do big flashy attacks like Star."
"Yeah, Moon's a runt."
". . .thanks Star, but you can handle that, right Armor Dude?"
>Moons looks over at TJ. No.4047
>>4046>Cardinal gives a look of genuine surprise and interest as he catches the device with two fingers stating:"Tenacium isn't cheap, nor easily accessible - not bad."
>Looking behind him at Star, Cardinal then says:"Though I'd imagine Tenacium is a
pretty big word for you, so I'll dumb it down. It's a
very strong metal.
Super strong."
>Cardinal says, with a clearly mocking tone towards Star.
>T.J. looks at Moon in response, slowly nodding his head as he states:"Yeah probably. I don't fully know how this stuff works, but I think I've got a handle on it for now….."
>Closing his eyes, T.J. focuses once more as his eyes and body glow a bright blue. In a flash of blue light - his armor is back on as Kuiper once more."Woah! Awesome! That's way easier than carrying a costume around!"
>T.J. says as he looks at both Cardinal and Faraday, stating:"No offense guys."
>Cardinal shakes his head and holds out his hand in a gesture in response."There's more about the suits than you're aware of - which is why your friend over there is smart for being cautious. I don't have any bad intentions - but that's precisely why she should be your field leader in your group."
No.4048
>>4047>Star ignores Cardinal's comment, instead focusing on T.J.'s armour summoning."So how do you, like, pee in that thing?"
"Star, you can't just ask him how he pees in it, that's weird."
"Yeah well I want my own one, I gotta know how it works."
>Still perched on her spot, Kei addresses Cardinal."Is it alright if they stay here a few hours? I just sent a message for pickup but it's gonna take a while."
No.4049
>>4048>Cardinal looks at Kei for a moment, before nodding, stating:"The site's officially marked as destitute, so no issues there."
>Walking towards the edge of one of the windows, Cardinal then says:"The suit absorbs waste material through the osteomuscular extracellular connective tissue in his body. Breaks it down and converts it into energy and actually useful matter."
>Cardinal says as he examines the outside of the windows - ensuring that nobody's tracked them."How else do you think the suit managed to disappear and reappear so quickly? It's stored as a picotech complex in the marrow of his bones."
>Kuiper looks down in surprise as he says:"Wait, this thing basically keeps me clean?"
>Cardinal turns back around, walking towards Kuiper as he states:"That's correct. At least as far as my power can tell me about your suit. Surname was Wyndham, correct?"
>Kuiper nods slowly, stating:"Yeah, why?"
>Thinking for a moment, Cardinal closes his eyes and then laughs as he says:"….
That explains it. Your parents are Derek and Samantha Wyndham - of Archeon's Chicago branch. Which means you accidentally ended up stumbling into something that the company recovered and sent to the Chicago branch."
>Feeling his body stiffen up, Kuiper looks surprised as Cardinal states:"Relax. I'm not going to say anything about that. But it does explain how a teenager stumbled into possession of alien technology."
>Letting out a sigh, Cardinal then says:"…..Remember to appreciate your parents while you have them, alright TJ? I didn't have that luxury as a kid."
>Looking Kuiper directly in the eyes, Cardinal states:"That's part of why I do this. So that nobody else goes through the same thing that I went through."
>Looking at Star, he then says:"That better be where your crusade starts and ends. Got it? Justice,
not revenge."
>He then points at Star as he states:"I've seen far too many cases of wannabe heroes screwing over innocent people as an excuse to get even."
>Faraday crosses his arms as he walks over towards Kei. As he stands beside her, he then says:"….I really hope we're doing the right thing Kei. I don't want to lose-"
>Faraday then hesitates, before he then points at the others and says:"I don't want to lose them. They're innocent people, and I don't know what we're going to be putting them through."
No.4050
>>4049>Kei is silent for a moment, the thought lingering on her head."That's why they have to be volunteers for it, K.W., I can't put them in danger if they don't want to do it. . ."
>Kei mulls over the thoughts more for a moment."Still, I think, if they have the ability to, it's right for them to help."
—————————————————-
>Several hours later.
>Carpenter Mansion, Northern Chicago
>The car sent to pick the group up from the warehouse pulls into a courtyard within the grounds of mansion, the doors opening automatically to let the occupants out, the darkened windows having protected their identities from any onlookers.
>As soon as the doors open up, Star forces her way outside, stretching once she has the room to.". . .man I hate cars. . ."
>Star whistles as she looks around."Sweet digs you've got us. . ."
No.4051
>>4050>Slowly moving out of the car, Kuiper looks around in surprise - taking in the large expanse of wealthy area before him."Woah….This place is huge! I knew North Chicago was full of wealthy people but…."
>Moving out of the car from the other side, Faraday walks over beside Kuiper and says:"I hear ya. If this were any other situation, my guard would way higher."
>Looking around, he then adjusts his gloves and his rolled up jacket sleeves as he states:"Still, I'm willing to give it a shot - if you guys are."
>Kuiper looks down at his armored gloved hands for a moment, opening and closing his fingers as he says:"….Yeah explaining this to my parents isn't gonna be easy. The armor they can accept. The superhero role though? Ehhhhhh."
>Scoffing, Faraday then places his hands in his jacket pockets as he replies:"Well, my parents are out of state - so thankfully I don't have that problem."
>Both of them look up at the mansion for a moment, as Faraday then says:"Hey, it'll work out. I promise."
>Kuiper nods slowly as he replies:"Well, I trust you K.W. - at least when it comes to this stuff. We'll see how it goes."
>Faraday nods in response as he begins walking forward, towards the doors leading into the mansion."Yeah, more or less. Let's see for ourselves then."