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Post by Moe on Nov 16, 2023 17:21:25 GMT -6
Mark smiled as he could see the kids playing outside, through the windows. The last couple years had their ups and downs for sure, but today was one of the good days. Nothing going wrong for once, and everyone seemed happy. At least, for the time being. His conversation with Apollo gave him a sinking feeling that something really bad was about to happen, and soon. He debated with his own thoughts whether he should confess to Ikuki that he'd been talking with Apollo, and finally decided he should say something. "Ikuki, I-" he didn't get a chance to speak, before the front door was thrown open.
"I PASSED CLEARANCE." Nathan shouted. He had been in and out over the last couple years, but mostly he had been out training for clearance to travel to the Expanse. "I officially have a pass to travel by rail, and I leave tomorrow!" he said with a proud, toothy grin. "That means I'm gonna have to miss your birthdays, though..."
"Nooo...!" Tiffany whined, latching onto her uncle.
"Sorry, Doodlebug. I gotta go help people on the other side of the world." he said as he lifted her up. "I got you a birthday present, though. You're just gonna have to wait to see what it is."
"But I'm gonna miss yoooou..." she continued to whine.
"I'm gonna miss you too, kiddo." Nathan gave her a big hug, before setting her back down. "I'm gonna miss all of ya'. This is like, the first meaningful thing I've ever done on my own. It's honestly kinda scary, getting to the Expanse is one thing but getting into the city is another thing."
"I'm sure you're going to be just fine." Mark smiled; he had already told Apollo to ease up on security and let Nathan through, but it was honestly still a little bit scary as Apollo was losing control of himself.
"Oh! We should do something back at the hub! I could order pizzas for everyone or somethin'. Y'know, I just feel bad leavin' everyone without sayin' anything. I haven't really had time to hang with anyone back there anyway, so it'll be like lettin' everyone know what's up while just having a fun pizza party." Nathan suggested, but Mark and Ikuki weren't really too keen on the idea of taking everyone there.
For one thing, Tiffany would give Hyper X's identity away. For another, Mark and Ikuki had been practicing what they had done with the blood magic book. They had raised the dead, but because both of them were unstable, it was out of control. Mark didn't really want to be a part of it and power like that made him anxious about his own destiny, but it was something Ikuki was passionate about as she had finally discovered that her element was dark magic. There were a lot of factors into bringing a soul back with their mind intact, and there was one such candidate back at the hub who was perfect for practicing on.
They hadn't told anyone what they had done, and had no intention of it. Bringing the dead back was generally frowned upon, and if Lux had learned they managed to do it without them being a mindless zombie...that was something they didn't want to risk. "I don't have a sitter for Tiffany." Mark said, trying to grasp at any excuse to not take them all to the hub and give their secrets away. "Mom and Alex went to some church thing, and Uncle Argon lives too far away, he wouldn't be able to get here in time."
Nathan was disappointed to say the least, but he understood and accepted. "That's okay, we can have our own celebration. I'd still like to hang out with the others though, if that's okay."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 16, 2023 20:31:04 GMT -6
The trio flopped onto the grass and looked towards the sky. All three of them were breathing heavily after their laughing fits and horsing around. Their moods have been significantly better since things started to settle down with the brothers.
Nox had to take off his glasses and clean them, as they had gotten dirty at one point. Josephine smiled brightly as she watched the clouds drift by once again. And Lux, glanced between his brother and his friend. For once, he could feel himself being at ease. He was surrounded by friends that were pretty much family to him.
“Guys…I hope I never stop being friends with you two. I really like hanging out.” She said with a smile. “I don’t feel so alone.”
“We hope you don’t stop being friends with us too!” Nox chimed.
Lux nodded. “We’re going to be pals forever.”
“So what do you want to do now?” Josephine asked as she hugged the plushie she used against Lux.
“Not sure… but whatever it is, I’m sure we’re going to do it together.” Nox said to her.
“How long do you think you guys will be living here?” Asked Josephine.
“I’d like to live here for as long as possible.” Responded Lux. “I don’t want to go home to Reese. Plus I don’t know where you live. I’d hate to be separated.”
———-
Minka walked over to Jet and threw a newspaper at him. Speaking in Russian she said: “Vam sleduyet prochitat' eto.” (You should have a look at this.)
Jet grabbed the newspaper and read the title out loud. “Banned from Elisum Bookstore, family somehow managed to grow a Corpse Flower and allowed it to bloom by using unknown magic.” He looked to Minka and Roach. “Wha the hell is a Corpse Flower?”
Roach had the answer but unfortunately she was incapable of speaking. So she motioned to him, indicating that it smelled. Minka on the other hand, mocked her in Russian as she was clearly not capable of understanding what Roach was trying to say. However, Jet understood her and returned his attention to the paper.
“So it appears the boys were in that town fairly recently.” He said as he pointed to Nox. “Odd that the other one isn’t there though. Must not have caught him in the act.”
“Chto vy planiruyete?” (What are you planning?) Minka asked him.
“Well, since they were in the Elisyum then that means they live close by. Because I doubt that they traveled very far to get there. So. My idea is, we lure them out. We know the boys want to become heroes. It’s a part of everything they’ve been trying to do.” He grinned.
Roach shifted in her place as Minka thrusted her fist into the air in enthusiasm. But Jet immediately shot her down by saying; “You are not going to go for the kids. I want you to be the reason why they’re being lured out.” He grinned more. “Roach and I will do the dirty work.”
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Post by Moe on Nov 16, 2023 22:01:51 GMT -6
As the kids continued playing outside, Mark couldn't help but have a feeling wash over him, wondering how long this could possibly last. He regarded the boys as his brothers, but the truth was, they weren't. Although he wasn't sure if he could predict the future just yet, he couldn't help but feel like something really bad was about to happen. It was the same unmistakable feeling he had when he met the boys, and Ikuki. Something nagging at him, telling him to brace himself for something.
The feeling did not fade, as the day went on. It kept growing stronger and stronger, to the point where he was sure that it was his future self telling him that something bad was about to happen today. It finally grew so strong, that the worry was visible on his face. Ikuki knew that look, the look of the inevitable panic attack creeping up on him. Whatever was bothering him, had been building up for a while and it was about to all come exploding out. Before she could ask him what was bothering him, somebody video called him, and who it was caused the panic in him to worsen.
"Hey, sweet thang." Ripley called Mark, to his annoyance. "So the Apollo avatars have started getting a little more bothersome. So far, it's nothing the Freaks can't handle, but city security is asking for Hyper X, specifically. They want you to do some updates to the system to see if we can't hit them with one big EM pulse, and deactivate them for good. Figured that should be quick and easy enough, yeah?"
"I...guess. As long as the bots still have the same signal as the one we captured a couple years ago, we should be able to link all of them and deactivate them pretty quickly. It's not really necessary for me to be there, but heck with it." he shrugged. "You boys wanna see how the city security system works?" he asked Nox and Lux, figuring it could be a good thing for them to learn. Nox would be more interested in the technical part of it, while he was sure Lux would take an interest in the organic security force.
"If it's alright with you, I think I'll sit this one out." Ikuki said as she wrapped her arms around Mark, from behind him.
"Ew, gross, I'm out. See ya' at HQ." Ripley hung up on them, suddenly and quite rudely.
Ikuki thought it was amusing, while Mark rolled his eyes, more annoyed at Ripley now than when he was a ghost.
"You know, that does bring up a question of why you haven't done this, before." Ikuki questioned him.
"Because we still haven't figured out who's puppeting Apollo." Mark answered. "They just keep blowing up, every time we catch one. They're not leaving any room to be traced, and if we destroy them all, there won't be any hope left to find them. Apollo said something really, really bad was about to happen. If we don't figure it out, what's left of the world could end up looking like the Expanse. I don't want to have to shut them all down...but with them going rogue, I can't risk the city, either." he sighed a deep sigh. "We're going to have to take them out...and....we might have to pay Apollo a visit, in person."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 16, 2023 22:43:19 GMT -6
Josephine had gotten a call from Davis, stating that he would be sending Kyra over to pick her up rather early. When she asked what it was about, he simply said it had something to do with her parents and that he didn’t want to talk to her over the phone over it. Worried, she obediently agreed to have his half-sister stop by. And so, she gathered her art supplies and sat outside on the steps with Lux. She expressed her worries over her parents and hoped that everything was going to be okay. Lux reassured her that things would be fine.
While Ripley had called Mark, Kyra showed up to grab Josephine and bring her home. She recognized the boys from the whole carnival incident and promised them that Josephine was in good hands. After all, she only wanted to do the performance. She didn’t want to do any of the dastardly stuff that happened otherwise. In fact, she was one of the main folks that vacated the innocent out of the area.
Of course, she couldn’t leave without giving Nox an autograph. He was really fond of her and how happy she looked when showing off her magic tricks back at the Elysium. It was then, she mentioned that her Father ran a shop there and she was helping him out. But she knew she couldn’t stay long. She didn’t want to overstay her welcome at Mark’s house. Plus, Davis was weary about telling Josephine about what was going on so she knew she had to hurry. And with that, Josephine gave Lux one last hug, a tight one.
“Tell me what happened.” Lux said to her while hugging her goodbye.
“I will.” She said as she stepped back. “I just...hope it’s...okay...” Josephine wasn’t so sure about her own comment but she gave Lux an unsure smile before turning away. “See you soon, Lux.”
After she had left, Lux had walked into the house and sat down beside Nox. The two of them did some small talk before Mark had approached them about going with him to the City Security System. At first, Lux wasn’t sure if he wanted to go because he was more worried about the outcome of the important discussion with Davis and Josephine. But Nox was eager to accept this offer, which then led Lux into nodding in agreement.
Then the boys began to talk to one another again about what they could possibly see. That was...until Nox got a phone call. He looked down at the caller ID and frowned. When he showed the screen to Lux, Lux immediately pressed ignore.
Then the call happened again.
Nox decided to answer it this time but he and Lux went into another room to talk to him without disturbing Mark and his call. “Bonjour frère, comment vas-tu?” (Hello brother, how are you doing?)
“Do not verbalize so politely to me when you’re inconsiderate enough to hang your phone up on me. This is absolutely consequential. You must peregrinate home this instant! The next train going from your habitation to ours, is the one you WILL be taking.” Reese’s voice was rather sharp and annoyed over Lux hanging up the phone.
“Oh, don’t get nasty with Nox. I hung up on you.” Lux spat back. “And what’s so dang important?”
“It is not of your solicitousness, you charlatan.” He hissed at Lux. “I request-no. I authoritatively mandate the both of you to return home, immediately. There will be no hesitation about this.”
“Reese, why do you always have to act like this?” Asked Nox.
“Yeah, aren’t you glad that neither one of us are around to disturb you from...whatever it is that you do?” Lux frowned.
“If you do not return home immediately, then I shall take authoritative action against the ones that are housing you. After all, they don’t have sanction to be keeping you this long. I have the rights to be optically canvassing over you. And I’ve been too accepting of you both being gone for this long. Let alone, staying with complete strangers.”
“Wait...what? You’re going to take legal action?” Lux hissed. “They treat us better than-“
“Shut up, you fool.” Reese snapped at him. “I am not calling you for a simple debate. This is a command and you WILL obey. The NEXT train out, is the one you WILL be taking. That is final. And if there is any resistance against this, then legal actions will be pursued. And I will ensure that I will win.” Then there was a click.
And just like that, his day was ruined. Lux was seething with absolute rage. It was to the point where he dared not to say much other than; “Nox...you tell Mark...” Then he left it at that by storming into the room where Mark was. He walked past him and threw himself on the couch.
Nox sighed and slumped into the room. “Mark...Ikuki?” He was trying his best to remain cool. Though, he was relieved to see that Lux was attempting to keep his temper at bay. “We...have...a bit of an issue...” He then walked over to them with his shoulders sinking and gaze fixed down at the floor.
“Reese just called. He...is demanding us to return home on the first train back. Which...upon walking back here, is really soon...” Nox then glanced at his phone with a bigger frown. “Reese is petty enough to pursue legal action against you two if you guys stop us from going home. I...don’t know why he suddenly decided that he wants us home...but...yeah...”
“He’s a pitiful piece of-“
Nox interrupted him so that he didn’t finish the sentence. “We don’t want him to attack you. Because even though he’s really unfit to keep us at his side, we know that he has ways around the legal system to manipulate it into making you both look terrible. And...as much as we want to stay with you. We can’t let him do that. He WILL destroy your reputation and he will make sure of it.”
Lux mumbled something incoherent in French. But it was more of a bunch of curses and hateful words, directed at Reese. “Every...time...”
“So...We don’t have too long to stay around. But...I want to do whatever I can to enjoy our stay.” He forced a smile on his face. “Please, let’s go check out the Security System. Both Lux and I would love to go see that.”
Lux was beginning to feel sick to his stomach. A part of him wanted to heave his lunch. But it was mostly his anxiety and anger that was beginning to rumble within him. “Please.” He said, though a bit sharply to Mark. “I...want to go to the place and check it out. Maybe we can do a school transfer thing or something to come back here. I dunno. Reese will probably screw that up too...”
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Post by Moe on Nov 17, 2023 18:18:17 GMT -6
What the boys had told him felt like an absolute gut punch. He knew they couldn't stay here forever, but he still wasn't fully prepared for it. He didn't even know how to react. Anger, sadness, hate. There were so many ways he could retaliate, but ultimately, it wasn't his place to do so. He sighed a heavy sigh, and sat down between Lux and Nox.
He threw his arms around both boys, and tried to keep a calm demeanor. "We knew this day was coming. I don't have legal custody of you, and I'm not a blood relative so there's no way I can beat him, that way. I can call on Athena to stall the train for a few more hours, while we try and figure this out, but that's all I can do right now. I don't care what he does to me, but he seems like the sort of person who would play victim even if I bounced everything right back to him. And legal systems are always going to favor blood, no matter how awful they are."
"Even if I played the god card, he'd probably see that as fighting dirty." he leaned back into the sofa, contemplating what to do. Outside, he was calm and logical for the sake of the boys. Inside, he was screaming about ways to delete Reese from the flow of time. "Honestly..." he had been debating on telling everyone the truth about talking with Apollo, but he still wasn't able to force himself to say anything. Instead, he decided to share the conversation he and Ikuki had been having. "If you guys can hang in there just a little bit longer, with Reese...I think...Ikuki and I are going to have to visit Apollo, in person. I know how badly you two want to be heroes, but the Expanse is a whole different ballpark. At least with Reese, you'll be safe. Out there, I don't want to have to worry about you two getting hurt. There are things out there a whole heck of a lot more dangerous than what we've dealt with, here. Not to mention the heaps of leftover radiation, degrading ozone layer, and lack of uncontaminated food and water sources. The situation sucks. No matter how you look at it, it's going to suck. But I promise you that I'll figure something out, with Reese. I'll find a way to kick him to the curb, legally. Just...hang in there, okay? You both know you've always got a home, here." he proceeded to hug them both. He was trying his best not to show it, but the hurt and sadness inside him was immense. Lux and Nox were his brothers, and he hated giving in to Reese's demands. He hated letting them go back to an abusive situation. But, there was nothing he could do about it.
Ikuki, on the other hand, was not so good at hiding her emotions and they all came bubbling out as she tackled all three of them in a giant hug. "I'll summon a demon! Or eldritch horror! Or sick zombies on him!" she kept throwing out absurd ideas, while sobbing.
"Ikuki, that would make things worse." Mark tried to still be logical.
"I don't care!" Ikuki sniffled. "He can't just do this! He can't...even if we technically kidnapped them...ugh..." she let them all go and flopped on the couch with them. "You're right." she sighed. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to summon a demon, to eat him."
Mark faked a laugh, at that. But, time was running out and he didn't want to just spend it, sulking about. "So, if you two still wanna check out city security HQ, I'll go suit up and get in touch with Athena about stalling that train for as long as she can. I'm sorry it isn't anything more exciting..."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 17, 2023 19:47:50 GMT -6
Lux felt like the world was fighting against him. Every time he felt happy it was always torn away. Never once could he just be content with everything. And the more he thought about it, the more depressed and angry he got.
That was, until Mark sat between him and his brother, looping his arms around both boys in comfort. It shook away his bitter thoughts for the time being and he silently listened to Mark speak to them about hanging in there, they still have a place to call home and go to, and that the two of them would figure out a way to get custody over the boys. It was all nice to hear but Lux knew better than to expect that outcome.
Those thoughts were not doubting Mark’s ability. He knew that he would pull through with what he said. After all, Mark made it well known to them both that he loved them like brothers. But he remained silent. Listening to him speak.
Nox on the other hand, threw himself into Mark’s side, sobbing. He didn’t want to go. He wanted to stay. He liked it there and leaving wasn’t going to make things better. Nox also knew that Lux was going to fall into another endless trap, a cycle that never seems to end.
After Nox simmered down, Ikuki blew up. Saying some stuff that even made Lux snicker. Both boys appreciated their affection towards them. They were once complete strangers that turned into family rather quickly. It was something that neither boy wanted to lose.
“I still like the idea of trying to make the best of this.” Nox said to them both. “I want to make sure I leave with some good memories. Because so far, all the good ones I’ve had were from meeting you both.” He looked to Lux and said: “Right?”
Lux wasn’t in a good mood at all. Inside, he was so cross and down, that he was struggling to bring a smile to his face. However, Nox did have a point. He wanted to try and make things better with a good memory. “Yeah.” He only could manage to say with a nod.
“We both are still very delighted to go and do this. So let’s have fun.” Nox chimed. “Lux can draw some stuff while we are out too!”
It was a struggle but he nodded and said; “Yeah. I’ll leave behind some pictures for you guys…” He then turned to Ikuki and added; “If you do anything to Reese…um… Switch out his shampoo with syrup.”
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Post by Moe on Nov 17, 2023 20:58:03 GMT -6
As the four of them talked and got emotional over the situation, Tiffany was trying to figure out what was going on. They talked about leaving, and that made everyone sad. It was only logical to assume that somebody was going away. She hopped in Mark's lap and crossed her arms in a pout, stating a very firm "No." at the thought of anyone going away.
"Tiff, they have family, somewhere else." Mark tried to explain in a way a toddler would understand.
"Nuh-uh." she was still firm.
Mark was finding it really difficult to keep his emotions in check, and explain to Tiffany why they had to leave. He was also feeling guilty himself over planning on going to the Expanse, and leaving her behind. The last thing he ever wanted to do, was end up like his dad. But, the fate of the world was at stake...though a child wouldn't understand that. He tried to keep all his anxieties, fear, worry, anger, and sadness bottled in. Now was not the time to let emotions just run wild, he had to keep it together for everyone else.
"How about you stay here with your mom, and she teaches you how to summon demons?" Mark suggested, but then looked over to a very excited-looking Ikuki, and mouthed to her Not really.
Ikuki instantly frowned. She was really going to teach Tiffany the dark arts. After all, she would've loved having a mentor at that age. But, she respected Mark enough not to do it, but still played along.
Tiffany continued pouting for a few seconds, thinking about the suggestion. After contemplating it for a little while, she agreed and moved to Ikuki's lap, looking at her, smiling. Ikuki couldn't say no to that face, so maybe she would just summon a little demon.
"I guess we're just delaying the inevitable, then." Mark sighed. "I haven't frozen time in a while, might as well give you two one heck of a last ride, on Hyper X's bike."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 17, 2023 21:22:51 GMT -6
Nox hopped to his feet and patted Tiffany on the head. He knew he was going to miss her babbling and cooing every morning. She was always so happy to see everyone. It was nice to be a witness to such innocence. It made him smile whenever she giggled at him or Lux being silly. Or even when Mark and Ikuki were messing around and being comedians. He then stepped aside to allow Lux give her one final goodbye.
Lux reached over and hugged Tiffany. He didn’t want to go. He wanted to stay and play with her and see her grow. She was already showing great signs of having a personality. The child was stubborn but innocent enough to be adorable. To him, she was slowly becoming a little sister. But now, he had to do the inevitable and leave her behind. And he was sure that Reese was going to pull in the reigns a lot harder this time. Because after all, the twins had been away from him for a long time now.
After he let go, Lux fought back his tears. He was so tired of feeling depressed and crying all the time. There was so much light now, surrounding him with emotions he thought he could never have. And he cherished it all. But like always, Reese was being Reese and that was it.
They then took turns with hugging Ikuki. She was such a great help for everyone. Her calm personality countered the chaos that were the twins, Tiffany, and Mark’s various bouts of depression. For someone around such insanity, she was certainly very strong. And she always made sure there was a platform for them to be standing on whenever they were done swimming in their emotional whirlpool.
Mark brought up something interesting. A ride on X’s bike? The boys looked at each other. Nox was just slightly more excited than Lux, but that was mostly because he was quite happy in personality anyway. The twins then eagerly cheered together. “WOAH REALLY?” They said in unison.
“This is AWESOME.” Nox chimed. “We’re going to be so cool.”
“Let’s go!” Lux cheered as he eagerly gathered his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He decided to leave a lot of his art supplies behind. Just in case they do get a chance to return here, to home.
Quickly they got onto the bike and placed on their helmets. The boys were more eager than anything to get this chance. And after one final goodbye to Tiffany and Ikuki, the boys all rode off towards the City Security System. For a field trip they will never forget.
Once there, Nox jumped off the vehicle in excitement. The wind rushing past him, the speed, the fact that he was just on a motorcycle. It was all so amazing to him. He had to bounce around the parking lot to get the expendable energy out before they headed into a more serious area.
Lux was way more calm about the whole thing. He debated on whether or not he should have his helmet kept on. He then slid towards the side, waiting for Mark to get ready to walk them into the area. And so far, to Lux; things looked alright. There were cars, of course, but nothing...scary yet.
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Post by Moe on Nov 17, 2023 22:06:34 GMT -6
Upon arriving at security headquarters, Mark had almost forgotten the situation at hand. It was like just another hero outing, with the boys. Nothing off or no looming threats. They had done this before, and it was just another day. At least, that's what he was going to keep telling himself. Inside looked not unlike a normal police force, though they all wore the same owl-like symbol in place of a badge.
He lead the boys to a room full of computers and servers, that controlled the airborne security network. There were monitors everywhere as cameras were placed on every security blimp, watching the edge of the city to make sure nothing from the Expanse made its way through. A low-ranking officer walked next to them, narrowing her eyes at him. She was holding some paperwork, presumably to take to one of her commanding officers. She and Hyper X both stopped dead in their tracks, recognizing each other.
The woman opened her mouth to speak to him, but he raised a hand to stop her. "Not today, Rachel." he shut her down, immediately, knowing she was about to start something.
She scrunched her nose at him, but could tell in his tone that something more important was going on. "You here about the robot problem?" she spat, bitterly, trying not to start anything but she simply couldn't keep her tone from sounding bitter.
"Yeah. Giving my brothers a tour of the place, while I'm at it." he gestured to Lux and Nox.
"Brothers?" Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Okay. You do you." she looked away from him, starting to walk off. "How's Tiffany?" she asked, not bothering to look back at him.
"She's good."
"Oh. Good."
"So anyway, work to do."
"Right. Me, too."
The two of them went on about their business, feeling the awkwardness in the room so thick you could cut right through it. He didn't want to dwell on the encounter and make emotions any higher than they already were, but still apologized to Lux and Nox. "Sorry if that was...awkward. That was Tiffany's mom...she left to pursue her career as a cop. I try to avoid coming here in person, just to avoid running into her. Let's just...keep focusing on the fun stuff though, yeah?" he said, continuing into the main surveillance room, to start working on the EM pulse that would shut down the Apollo avatars. He had input the data scavenged from the old avatar scrap, telling the cannons to focus on every robot in the city that had the same signal, that would send one massive burst of energy specific to their code, shutting them down. It was a little anticlimactic, but it got the job done.
"Well, that was boring." Mark sighed. "Sorry I couldn't give you anything more exciting, other than a security force and some big computers."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 17, 2023 22:27:33 GMT -6
While the brothers were walking with Mark in the Security building. A group of Cornelia Corp robots were standing at the front counter of a city donut shop called; Jolly Smackin’ Donuts. The woman behind the counter was looking skeptically at the three robots as Jet had ordered the hottest coffee they could create. After all, the word on the street was that; one could order a coffee and five hours later, it would still be hot to the touch. And he wanted it.
“Sir...Are you picking this up for a human?” The woman asked.
“No. I am here to chug the lava you call coffee. Of course I’m here for that.” Jet retorted. “So stop asking stupid questions and please, get me the coffee. We’ve been standing here for five minutes with you judging me.”
The woman rolled her eyes and went to fetch the coffee.
Jet looked to Roach and Minka. “Sorry, I know we’re supposed to be doing something. But this is extremely important.”
Minka stomped her foot, clearly looking agitated with her brother wasting valuable time on their mission. “Ty idiot, my teryayem vremya, stoya zdes’. Mal’chiki skoro uydut.” (You moron, we are wasting time by standing here. The boys will be gone soon.)
“Shut up.” Jet hissed at her. “Why can’t you be like Roach? She’s so quiet.”
Roach had no other choice but to be quiet. After all, she had no voice box to speak with and could only just stand there awkwardly. Every. Single. Time. However, she was seemingly the least objective robot out of the group.
The woman handed the coffee over to Jet while wearing a heat resistant glove. And after he had paid for the coffee, he turned to leave outside the building. Minka then questioned him why he bought a coffee when none of them were capable of having something like it. And that’s when Jet dumped the super hot coffee onto her head. Angering her instantly.
“You look steamed...”
Minka screamed in her native language and pulled out a massive canon. Roach instantly bounced away from her, fearing for her own life being ended abruptly. Minka didn’t care about her at all and aimed her weapon at her brother. Cursing more in her language, she began to rapid fire rockets at him. Missing him as Jet was easily capable of maneuvering out of the way without an issue. He then grinned, knowing that his plan worked. Jet then guided her over towards the area where Mark and the boys were.
Roach, planned on zipping on ahead of them. For reasons, unknown.
Meanwhile, there was the awkward encounter. Nox and Lux still kept their helmets on to hide their identities. Nox sheepishly waved to Rachel but got a disinterested response from her. Lux on the other hand, refused to say anything to her because it was clear to him that she wasn’t exactly the friendly type.
They then watched as Mark began to work on the EM pulse mechanism. Nox was fixed on it with how it seemed to have no problem with leveling Apollo’s avatars. Lux however, was more interested in a news channel that was silently playing in the back with subtitles. A woman, that he had recognized from Alibert’s Boutique was on the face of the news report. Apparently she had two jobs.
While Nox was fixed with Mark, Lux kept watching the news. “Woah, X!” He suddenly said to get their attention. “Look, the news is talking about something interesting.”
“What? What?” Nox asked as he shuffled over to Lux. “Oh! That’s the lady from-“
“She was saying that there’s a robotic duo that suddenly started wrecking havoc near us. That would explain the faint boom sounds I am hearing now...” He fell silent to allow the others to listen. “I thought it was a machine or something that was malfunctioning. But it’s...” Lux froze in terror. “Oh no...”
“Oh hey! It’s that robot that’s been hunting us. Wait...he’s...here now? How did he know?”
Lux turned to Mark. “We need to help those people. Jet is going to destroy everything in his path to find us. We can’t let him and that other robot do that.”
“What can we do?” Asked Nox.
“Well...We’re going to try out our powers.” He said with a smirk which faded quickly as he realized, he had been struggling to hone his skills. “...Well maybe you and X can do something about it. I can try to think of another way to stop them from hurting others. I’m...not going to stand here and do nothing.”
“But what if we miss the train?”
“We will find another way.” He shrugged.
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Post by Moe on Nov 18, 2023 17:08:40 GMT -6
While Mark was fixated on deactivating the Apollo avatars, it seemed someone else had taken the opportunity to cause some trouble. The security officers had received the reports and started rushing out to provide aid, but they were trained for more normal criminal activity and left the big stuff to the heroes. In a case like this, however, they would provide backup and help to evacuate people from the vicinity.
"If that's the robot that's been hunting you, I don't know how safe I feel letting you get near him." At the same time, Lux was right. They couldn't just let Jet hurt innocent people. He sighed and decided it was the right thing to do. "Okay, but let me lead. I swear if he goes after either of you, I will reign down the wrath of god on him. I'm already in protective mode and if anything else happens to you two, I can't make any promises that I can keep holding it together."
He was very much on edge over the situation with Reese, and very close to letting all of his emotions spill out at once, and he wasn't sure what kind of power he was capable of if that happened. As they headed out, he stopped Lux, setting a hand on his shoulder. "If your abilities work by channeling high emotions, then do it. I know you can do it. Just think about how angry you are at this robot, or at Reese, and try to focus all of that anger into bursts of energy. You've got this." though his face couldn't be seen behind the mask, he was smiling proudly at Lux. "It's okay to be angry, at the right things. And if I'm being honest? I'm actually really angry, too."
On the ride to the area that was seeing the attacks, he had called Ikuki to let her know the situation. He was insistent that she stay at home, but she proved to be more stubborn than him and planned to suit up and meet them at the location. Tiffany gladly stayed behind with her uncle, and Nathan was glad to get to spend some time with her before he traveled to the Expanse.
The closer they got to the reported area, the more evident the destruction was. People were running screaming, being evacuated out by city security. There had been fires, explosions, cars turned over, windows to buildings shattered. Mark almost couldn't get to the area, between all the debris and the crowds. He stopped his bike before they got to the worst of it, for fearing of somebody running into them. "I really don't like you two being here..." he said. "Security seems to be handling the evacuations, and with Reese choosing this exact moment to get you to go back...this whole thing is just screaming trap."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 19, 2023 0:12:30 GMT -6
The boys understood where Mark was coming from when he mentioned his concern about them being involved with the fight. If Jet was out to get them, then there was bound to be a reason. But what reason, was still unknown to them both. Was he after one or the other? Did he want to capture both? Did he want them dead or alive? Nox stood and watched as the wreckage was happening. Minka was blasting her rockets into buildings, creating craters within their walls as debris sprayed onto the city streets below. People screamed and cried as they fled the area. Some tried to stand and fight but the explosions and threats were far too terrifying to deal with, and so they turned tail and ran. It was then that he noticed that there were more than just the two robots wrecking havoc. As he adjusted his glasses, he recognized some of the zombie-like enemies. Their movements were seemingly controlled. Manipulated like puppets. It dawned onto him that there was a distinct possibility that Entertainer was also present. Helping these two destroy the city. Nox wanted to say something to Mark but when he turned to face him, he saw that he was speaking to Lux about using his anger as a weapon. If his ability was triggered by such a negative response, then let it go and use it against them. And a part of Nox, agreed with the idea of honing this skill. But the other half of him, was worried if there was an issue with a control. “Okay...” Lux responded with an unsure tone. Nox yelped as something was tossed in their general direction. He threw himself towards the side, away from Mark and Lux. But he was unscathed as he managed to avoid a bouncing car door, which was the item hurled at them from Minka. “G-Great.” Nox gulped. “She spotted us.” Minka couldn’t even move towards them because Roach had used her as a diving board, launching herself at Lux and Mark. When she landed, she drew her blades and stared them down. She then jerked forward, swinging her blade at Lux who had already called for Nox to transform and become a sword. When she slammed her blade down at him, Lux blocked her with Nox. He knew he couldn’t overpower her and had to find a way out of the situation at hand. Lux also saw Minka making a mad dash towards them. Lunging with the intentions of destroying them both. “Mark! That psycho robot!” Minka unleashed an array of rockets at them. She didn’t care if the boys were blown up or not. All she wanted were explosions and craters. Minka also didn’t realize how strong X was. Nor did she know what abilities he had to use at his disposal. Seeing this, Roach had quickly kicked at Lux. Her foot made contact with him, sending him backwards. He tumbled and rolled, losing his grip on Nox before he finally stopped. Both boys were slightly dazed but Lux was the one who could pull himself upright to see that Roach had saved them both from a misfired rocket that exploded near where they stood. Seeing that X was more of a threat, Minka made sure that she was more focused on him. She wanted to see him pop like a soda that was full of too much gas. The crazy robot shouted at him, but it was is Russian and difficult to make out what exactly she said. However, the zombie-robots did make their move towards X. It apparently was an order for them to initiate a group attack on X, as an attempt to distract him from Lux. Meanwhile, Roach continued to approach Lux and Nox. Her blades were still drawn and her gaze was fixed on Lux. And whenever he tried to make a run for it, she would move in front of him. Blocking him. She was becoming a barrier against the boys. Pushing them back, away from the fight between Minka and X. “I don’t know what you guys want with us.” Lux shouted at her as he backed up into his brother. He held onto Nox’s hand but never diverted his attention away from her. There was too much worry that, with her speed, she’d zip over to them and grab them. “I’m tired of you guys doing this... Please tell me, why? Why are you after us?” Roach made no response. She just kept walking towards them with her blades drawn. Jet then appeared from the side, smashing his elbow into Nox’s side. He had launched the boy over towards Mark. A move that clearly gave Lux the indication that it was him that they wanted, and not Nox. “Oh! It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you. Kid.” Jet grinned at him. “NOX!” He called out to him. Lux could feel the panic boil within him. But as he turned to face Jet, he was promptly greeted with a backhand to the face. Lux staggered back and fell onto the ground, holding his cheek as the pain burned. “You’re much weaker than I expected.” Jet mocked him. “Come on, short stuff. Let the Boogy Man win.” He pulled down his goggles, which was what Lux recalled the most about him. With the goggles down, he appeared like a vulture. Something that hunted dead prey. His height and mass were intimidating to see. He towered over him like the monster that hunted him each and every night. Fear rolled into him as he scooted away from the two robots. Jet was terrifying to look at. Roach, although less aggressive than Jet and Minka, was also scary to see. With her four arms, each holding blades, she could easily dice him up into a meat salad if she wanted to. What made it worse about her was, she didn’t talk. Or couldn’t. Lux was unsure. “No one really cares about you, kid. Do they? They always tell you that you’re a good kid. That you’re loved. That they care about you. But all they ever do is hide the truth. Don’t they?” Jet actually didn’t know what was really going on with Lux. He was mostly trying to rile him up. Just to see what he could do. What he was capable of unleashing. “They don’t want you to do anything. Right? Is it because... YOU’RE A FAILURE?” He then launched a rocket at him. Which was a purposeful misfire. Lux rolled away, avoiding the small explosion. He staggered back, trying not to trip over himself. From the side, he could see Nox struggling to stand back up. He was in danger from Minka ripping him to shreds. He could see Mark, fighting against her. Other heroes had entered the area. They were fighting off the zombie-like creatures that fought with the robot trio. Entertainer had broken his promise, and decided to help these robots out instead. There was so much on his mind that he had to hold his head out of frustration. Everything was coming at him. All at once. Jet’s comments. His mockery. The truths that he knew were being hidden from his brother and Mark. They never told him everything and always left details vague. Nox knew more than he led on. Reese knew a ton about Lux and refused to relay any information. And the more Jet mocked him for his stupidity of believing them, it was all beginning to boil. Then there were innocent people screaming. Children crying. Cars being blown up. Buildings crumbling under the pressure of rockets hitting them. Things were falling apart around him. Mark was doing his best to fight against these enemies. Even Nox was doing his best with wielding his newfound abilities. He was summoning plant-like barriers to protect him from some of the incoming attacks. He was even showing signs of being a strong hero. But Lux? All he could see was, that these robots were always following him and his brother. However, it suddenly became very clear that the robots didn’t care about Nox at all. They were after him. Jet and Roach completely ignored him. Their focus, was mostly on himself.
Roach seemed very reluctant to approach Lux any further. Her gaze had suddenly shifted towards Nox. Lux couldn't figure out why, nor could he really remain focused on her anyway. Because Jet was now his biggest threat and annoyance to deal with.
Jet continued to mock him. Egging him on. Saying comments that were both hurtful and true. “Come on you weakling. You expect everyone to cater to you? What are you, some sort of princess or something? There's nothing that special about you, is there? You just think you're a normal little boy with a weird brother. Hm? Is that right?” “S-Shut up...” Lux said to him. His fears were bubbling up as this massive behemoth was approaching him. “Stop... You don’t know me.” “Oh I know so much about you.” Jet said with a condescending tone. “I also know more about you than you know about yourself. Boy.” He laughed coldly at him. “That opera was so much fun to waltz in and destroy. You boys escaped, which was unfortunate. But-“ “YOU KILLED MY MOTHER.” Lux yelled at him. His anger was beginning to grow.
"Mmm..." Jet shrugged as the truth, he was unable to decide on whether or not he wanted to tell him. "Maybe. I don't remember."
"You...KILLED her on stage!" Lux hissed at him. "And you don't remember her?"
"Boy, faces come and go." He grinned. "Some are forgettable. Others, not so much." He aimed his weapon at Jet with a smug grin. "Your brother is going to be no different."
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Post by Moe on Nov 19, 2023 9:30:07 GMT -6
Minka unleashed an array of rockets at them. She didn’t care if the boys were blown up or not. All she wanted were explosions and craters. Minka also didn’t realize how strong X was. Nor did she know what abilities he had to use at his disposal.
Mark was not having it. Not after Reese basically declared war on him, not after running into Rachel, not after being forced to shut down all the Apollo avatars. All his emotions were beginning to surge; if they were a tsunami, this would be the tidal pull where all the water disappeared, right before the gigantic wave. "Not today." he said through his teeth, as he froze all the rockets right where they were, made a clockwise motion with his hand and sent their time so far into the future that they corroded right before everyone's eyes.
Seeing that X was more of a threat, Minka made sure that she was more focused on him. She wanted to see him pop like a soda that was full of too much gas. The crazy robot shouted at him, but it was is Russian and difficult to make out what exactly she said. However, the zombie-robots did make their move towards X. It apparently was an order for them to initiate a group attack on X, as an attempt to distract him from Lux.
Mark's focus shifted over to the decommissioned Apollo avatars that were left strewn about the city; he technically did have the power to take them all on at once, but it would use all of his reserves unless he accepted the very thing he'd been fighting against. Before he had a chance to think about it any more, a barrage of shadowy tentacles erupted from the ground, grabbing and tossing about and some even impaling the shells.
"When the heck did you learn that??" Mark said through the helmet's comm system, since he didn't actually see where Ikuki was.
"It's a lil something I've been working on. Uses ectoplasm from the ether. Pretty cool, right?" she replied, smugly.
"Yeah, pretty dang cool." he said to her, surprisingly proudly, as he held Minka frozen in her spot. However, it was taking a lot of power to do so and he couldn't keep it up for long, if he wanted to stay in the fight. "If you can keep those guys off my back, I'll take care of this one." he couldn't keep her frozen any longer, and lost control. It would send her continuing on her path of lunging toward him, but he was ready. He grabbed her by the arm and flipped over her, letting her use her own momentum to send her crashing into a nearby building wall.
That gave him just enough time to catch Nox, as Jet set him hurtling over toward Mark and away from Lux. All Mark could do was watch as Jet threatened the boy, but unable to get over there as barrage after barrage kept them separated. He could see Lux starting to lose it, and everything in him was screaming to rush in and help him. But that would make everything worse. Jet was trying to tell him that he was weak, but Mark knew otherwise. "Lux!" he shouted out to him, hoping he'd hear through all the chaos happening around them. "Use that against him! Let him make you angry and give him everything you've got!"
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Post by Banshee on Nov 19, 2023 11:03:31 GMT -6
Minka was launched into a nearby building. Her heavy weight crushed the bricks and mortar like a marshmallow under pressure. Bits of rubble and debris fell down as her body slipped forward and tumbled onto the ground. With the abrupt infliction of her being launched, her systems malfunctioned for a moment and forced her into a reset.
Once back online, she snapped her arm back into place and rose to her feet. She could see the Apollo avatars being more and more of a nuisance to the heroes defending the city. One hero even tried to stop her from continuing her destruction but she grabbed a hold of his arms and bent them back, snapping them. Minka then discarded him like trash as she was focused on beating down Mark and keeping him from obtaining Lux. Nox however, she didn’t care if he was harmed or not. He wasn’t the item of interest.
Minka then charged at Mark once more, her primary goal was to beat him down. But if she was best used as a distraction then so be it. As she lunged at him again, because she learned that the last time it didn’t work, her body was suddenly wrapped in thick vines. It stopped her from rocketing into Mark’s backside. And when she did a double-take, Nox was the culprit that stopped her from harming Mark.
He was struggling though. Nox was by no means an expert with his newfound ability. And with the immense weight and power that Minka had at her disposal, she was relatively difficult to keep her at bay. Once she ignited the vines on fire with one of her guns, the vines broke which made Nox lose control of his power and it fizzled.
“ACK!” Nox yelped as he staggered back and tripped over his own footing. “X! Behind you!”
Minka charged at Mark with the intentions of smashing him down hard. She doubled up her fist and swung at him.
Lux could hear Mark tell him to unleash his anger. But fear was seemingly locking him in place. Preventing him from being able to do anything at all. His heart, felt like it launched itself into his throat, clawing and thumping its way out. Jet was definitely the embodiment of all of his fears. But when he mentioned that his brother was no different than mere trash on the streets, a small twinge of anger was sparked.
Roach silently stood behind Jet, following in his footsteps with approaching the boy. She didn’t make any aggressive moves towards him. There was even a slight hesitation, to the keen eye, as she was seemingly reluctant with getting closer to Lux.
“You...keep...entering my dreams...” Lux said out of panic. He knew Mark wanted him to unleash his anger. But to what degree would his anger result? Would it be catastrophic? Would it be self harming? Would he hurt his brother and Mark?
He could see heroes being slammed around like useless trash. People were being hurt. People were scared for their lives, wishing a hero would come and save them. He even saw Finch make her return but was promptly slammed in the chest and pinned against a wall by one of the zombie-robots that were working alongside Jet and his crew. She couldn’t move.
Another hero shielded a small family from an onslaught of shots being fired. The hero took all of the hits, bullets and all. Just so he could save the family from meeting their demise. And yet, he still stood strong as his ability apparently was some form of steel. He had made a shield but it broke during the barrage of shots. But he struck the opponent hard, not once giving up.
Voices repeated in his head. Jet’s cackle, his taunts. Reese’s devilish but cold smile, taunting Lux. He suddenly felt insignificant again as the towering behemoths of his fears and self doubts, loomed over him like the monsters they were. He wanted to throw himself onto the ground in fear. Lux wanted to hide and fade away. He even closed his eyes as he covered his head from a possible head trauma, waiting to happen from Jet.
“You’re useless. A coward. Insignificant. Get lost Changeling.” All of Reese’s insults echoed in his mind. “You’re nothing to me. What good are you if you can’t land a hit? Your brother is better than you. Nox is better. Even an infant is better. You should’ve been taken instead of my Father.” Everything ballooned into a massive echo in Lux’s mind. Drowning out the extra sounds around him.
“Let him make you angry! Give him everything you’ve got!” Mark’s voice echoed in his mind.
Then the thoughts of never seeing his Mother again because no one would help him bring her back. The zombie out break. The fact that he was left alone because of his own actions. Josephine getting mad at him for him being the way he was acting. Nox shying away from him when he was feeling defeated against Lux’s antics. These thoughts played in his mind along with the flurry of intimidation and degrading moments between Reese and others who felt Lux didn’t matter, when compared to his brother.
His heart beat as he listened to Jet mock him more and more as the seconds drifted by. The chaos. The stares. All of his self doubts, swirled like a maddening tornado. How could he handle this? Why was the world so against him? Why did many hate him? What was wrong with him? Why was Nox better when they were twins?
“Shut up...” He said to Jet before he was met with another backhand to the face. Lux staggered back but didn’t fall. Jet then shoved him, mocking him about how he was too weak to fight back or even look at his fear. Then there was Roach who was once again, reluctant to get any closer.
“Come on kid...” Jet groaned as he was growing bored with Lux. “Fight back. I’m looking to see what you can do and right now, you’re pathetic and insignificant.”
“SHUT UP!” He shouted at Jet before he was met with a mocking laugh from him. “Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!” Lux placed his hands against his head again. “Please...”
“What a wimp.” Jet scoffed. “Your brother is at least trying. You’re so weak.”
He saw in the corner of his eye, Nox get smacked by one of the zombie robots. Nox was living off of his fear for fighting but he was standing up. Still, smiling his way through the pain he was enduring. His hands growing green as he forced nature to grow around the zombies, locking their legs in place and stopping them from moving forward. But Lux could see that this was draining him. Nox was struggling.
Then it snapped when he watched one of the bots backhand his brother again. Knocking him down for the count. Nox couldn’t move anymore. A simple, knock out perhaps? Lux suddenly recalled that Reese was going to be the final nail to the coffin. He was going to take the boys away from the better life. And like that, the switch flipped.
“LEAVE. US. ALONE!” He screamed angrily as all of his anger, fears, and self doubts consumed his thoughts. An emotional purge happened. It sent out a powerful and explosive wave of telekinetic energy out from him.
Jet was launched back by twenty feet. Roach had quickly darted away but still suffered a partial blast and did end up flying off further than Jet did. Minka was stopped in her tracks and fired back after she had been knocked around a few times by the monsters Ikuki summoned and Mark stopping her. The blast was so powerful that it leveled Minka onto the ground, skidding her backwards as her weight ground up the cement. Some of the closer buildings were hit, furthering their damage from the robots that struck.
And the blast, didn’t have the ability to differentiate friend from foe. The telekinetic blast headed for Nox as he struggled to build up a natural barrier between him and the incoming energy. But he didn’t have enough power within him, to help anyone else for that matter. Lux’s telekinetic blast had also been aimed at Mark, though not on purpose.
“SUCH...POWER...” Jet laughed as he flew back and landed hard onto the ground a good distance away. “Hah! Hahaha!”
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Post by Moe on Nov 19, 2023 18:25:19 GMT -6
Mark was prepared for Lux's outburst; he had never seen it on such a large scale, but he knew to prepare for something powerful. After all, he had been dealing with similar influxes of power, lately. Everything had to be timed just right, but lucky for him, that was his whole thing. He rushed over toward Nox to protect him, freezing time and everything around them.
As the world around them was frozen, Mark moved Nox to safety and out of range of the blast that was about to hit them both. Thankfully, Ikuki was out of range and focused on the robot shells. So long as Mark kept his hand on Nox's shoulder, Nox was moving at the same time with Mark, but he wouldn't be able to keep it up. If he could just make himself accept, then he could easily win this fight. He could speed up or reverse time on Minka and Jet, he could erase them from existence, he could freeze them in time and leave them there, but that would mean making a sacrifice he wasn't ready for.
As he could feel his power reserves fading, he looked to Nox. "There's gonna be a whole lot of stuff happen, all at once. It can be really jarring since time is going to be rapidly catching up to itself. It might feel like a really bad trip, but I promise, you're gonna be okay. Okay?" he warned Nox, as he allowed time to start moving forward until everything was happening in the present, again.
Mark appeared next to where he calculated Jet would land, and grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him from getting up again. "I kindly suggest you and your goons leave these boys alone. I know who you really are, Jet. I've been in your head. I saw what really happened at that opera, and I know what Lux is. I know that you had a part in silencing their mother. What he is, will never change who he is. He's my brother, and I will do anything to protect my family. So unless you want me to reverse your age to where you were young and helpless, then I suggest you call your army off. I swear to..well..me...I am right on the edge, and you do not want to send me over."
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