Super

It seemed Finn was more popular than he'd thought; as soon as he'd opened his mouth and said he wanted training, an argument started up about who would get to train him. Honestly, he didn't mind the idea of either Zen or Wither doing it, but he'd asked Zen, which was partially because he felt like he owed it to her. He was already on good terms with the nice lady, so he didn't really need to have any action montages to help bond with her. Regardless, though, he certainly didn't want the two fighting over him! He'd wanted to do training partly to ease tension, not to make more!

Luckily, the ringleader cleared things up before they could end up as an issue. It seemed training would include both of the eager women, which he liked and all, but even someone as oblivious as him had to wonder if that was a good idea. The two didn't seem very fond of each other, and he didn't want them getting into a fight at all, let alone over him.... Well, maybe this was best; if he was there, he could try to mediate if anything happened. He knew he wouldn't be able to forcefully pry the two apart of they decided they wanted to kill each other or something, since he had pretty much no combat experience at all and they.... well, they did. His words, however, had a chance of helping.

Eager to start training and see what they were going to teach him, the boy got to work inhaling his food like oxygen. It really was delicious and he imagined it'd taken a while to prepare. Was Shade perhaps a gourmet chef? Was that the guy's "normal" job? He didn't know and he wasn't going to pester about it, but he really hoped he'd get to experience food like this again. When he was about halfway done with his plate, he paused momentarily, remembering something that was rather important. Or at least, it was important to him, if not to anyone else.

"Oh, did you all get your gifts? Zen, yours is- ....I don't remember where you threw it," he spoke up in reference to the candy he'd bought for everyone.
Nick had just left, so he could only hope Nick's gift was received, but he could ask everyone else personally. However, this brought up the still-recent memory of Zen declining his gift to her, which made him a bit sad. He just tried to ignore it and continue, "And uh.... I didn't get anything specifically for you, Wither, since I didn't know you'd be here. But I've still got the bag of taffy you liked so much, so it's all yours."
It was fortunate that he'd happened to buy something Wither really liked.

Despite his rejection to the jacket-boy's pleas to follow, Nick watched the male grow closer to the door as they slowly closed. He made no attempt to hold the door for Roy as he saw the boy close in. The opening sealed itself and a rather loud thunk against the door caused Nick to slightly regret not holding the door...only slightly. Nick was not keen on letting anyone know where he lived, even though Shade and Zen knew...one of them knew at the least. Even if he was going to move again after all of this was over, the fewer that knew the better.

The elevator began its slow ascent as it creaked and whirred to life. During the ride up, he realized something-something important. First off, he had no ride. He had been taken here in Shade's car. Usually he would sneak into someone's phone or local computer and have Lucy download him by shooting a message to his computer to perform a specific tone that would prompt her to press a button that would then download his information. Considering the rat had sneaked away with him, that was out of the question. Second, he had no money. He had gone to the meeting point with empty pockets and did not expect to out overnight. He could not call a taxi or take a bus. Thirdly, he had no covering for his arm. He would stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd, and would only terrify people probably by walking around like this.

He could have easily gone back down and asked for a ride or something, but he had thrown that out of the question faster than it had popped into his mind. There were very few people he currently trusted to drive. Shade was probably still pissed about his car, Wither's everything was currently shattered, Zen would be looking to his arm rather than the road, and everyone else he could imagine things going horribly wrong in many different ways. Lucky would swerve into the river to avoid hitting a bird, Yuliya was too short, Sera definitely would have terrible road rage, and Roy...Eh maybe he'd be decent. Did not change the fact that there was a complete lack of a vehicle however.

The elevator doors swung open to the outside world. He stepped out with Lucy to his side as the doors slid shut behind him. He looked down to the rat as she darted a foot or so ahead before stopping and standing on her hind legs to sniff the wind. He needed to get to his place without being seen, and they were quite a distance away. He knelt down and touched Lucy's collar as he gave her a pet. He disappeared into the collar, and she began to bolt forward as quickly as her little legs could take her as she eventually joined the streets filled with people.

Nick's mind went to work as Lucy dodged the sea of shoes with ease, keeping to the side near the buildings so that there was less people and crawling under the stands of the street salesmen. This would have been a good opportunity to recharge his mechanical arm, but it would definitely attract attention if he walked around with it on display. He needed Lucy to be his legs for a bit. He also needed Lucy to perform his plan of getting home as he spotted a bright sign just ahead a top of a bus, a bus that just so happened to be heading near where he was going! He relayed the instructions to Lucy and she put two and two together that she was supposed to hop onto the bus.

The rat picked up her pace and flung herself onto the steps as people boarded the public transportation vehicle. She hugged the wall with her flank as she moved out of sight before she could be seen. She could hear the pumps and squeaks of the door as it closed. The bus moved forward.

Nick could pick up on the chattering of people in the bus. People making important business calls, talking to family, a child crying in the back with the voice of a stressed mother trying to balance a work call with hushing her child. People stood, people sat, and people waited. The bus sure was stopping a lot, traffic? Nick would of grumbled in irritation if he were outside. He wanted to make this fast, snappy. Get it over with. The bus's doors opened with one last stop. Finally!

The rat darts out, startling a woman to high heaven as she does so. Quick to flee to cover, Lucy left a fainted woman in her wake. Honestly, why were people so scared of rats? Nick would likely never understand. Back on task, they should not be too far from home now. Where was he exactly though? Let's see...Starbucks...Croc Shop...Panda Express...oh...oh fuck no.

His attention zeroed in on a familiar looking shop. Its windows were boarded closed, looking as if they had been smashed in. Yellow caution tape was spread across the Mom and Pop antique shop. The door was barely hanging on its hinge and there were some officers standing around outside...DETOUR!

The rat diverged from her path suddenly and darted towards the shut down antique shop. She paused underneath an officer's vehicle which allowed the camera to look into the scene a bit more. He could hear the authorities speaking a little bit, but he could not make out what exactly they were saying. The rat rushed out from her cover before diving into the shop through the ruined door.

All the precious antiques inside the shop had been smashed. Glass, plastic, and many other materials that made up many near priceless objects now littered the floor. Lucy's nose wrinkled at the smell of gasoline and burnt...she did not even know what. She skittered across the floor, finding little places to hide in the ash covered floor yet blending in near perfectly with her dark fur. She hid away in a dark spot in attempt to make the chances of being seen as minimal as possible.

The officers continued to speak, talking about the situation along with some jokes mixed in as they spoke among themselves. The place had been broken into in the middle of the night. The place had went up in flames after being brutally vandalized. The elderly woman who had stayed over night in order to check the stock was currently in critical condition in the hospital, it was unknown whether she would survive. It seemed that they were currently investigating the place in search of evidence in who might have done it.

He gave no order to Lucy as he thought about the situation. It had to be those thugs that had been chasing him yesterday. They were sour about the old lady having chased them out. Still, he had to make sure. The collar beeped ever so lightly and the rat darted towards the back of the store, unseen in the shadows and ash. He spotted it, the security computer. It looked damaged, the monitor was broken but it seemed to have been relatively left alone.

He would have to be quick, and going inside the computer would likely be a bit too dangerous. He exited the collar and quickly hooked up his arm to the computer as it struggled to boot up, it was only a matter of seconds before the files had been copied into a memory chip in his arm. It was not capable of storing large amounts of data, but the security footage of a single night was not all that big. The computer shut down before it could fully boot, but he had managed to nab a copy of the footage from the computer. It would likely take the police a few days to restore the computer and the files...if they even could.

Before the police could even suspect that someone was there who should not be, he disappeared into the collar of the small rat. The collar beeped a tone and the rat took off once more. He had successfully left the store without being even noticed. He shouldn't have done that, it was too risky. He should have just kept walking, but this was partially his fault. He had rushed into the antique store, he had led them there. He knew the culprits.

First, he needed to get home. He could not do anything from the tiny little collar he currently resided in, and he needed to take care of business there too. The rat scurried through the streets, dodging the legs of the people as she did so.

--

He was back home, thank everything holy. He had already run a scan through his computer to check for any foriegn code, already searched his house for any hidden cameras or microphones. He was searching for anything that group he had apparently been scouted by had planted in his room. He found nothing. Once he was sure everything was good, he viewed the footage. It was indeed the thugs that had chased him in there that had attacked the store. They had beaten the woman too, a good crack on the back and likely a broken leg. The footage cut out as the flames started setting in, he assumed that the fire fighters had gotten there in time to carry her out and into an ambulence.

He sat back in a chair, leaning back as far as the chair would allow him as he stared at the paused video. It was his fault. He was the cause. He should do something about this. Nick was hesitant though. He knew he should be prioritizing the terrorist threat that he had been informed of, not wasting his time with the smaller crimes. It was still his fault though. He could not just sit around and ignore it! He definitely did not want the others mixing in his problems, especially the particularly odd ones of the group.

He crossed his arms, his metallic one now covered by a jacket along with dark black gloves. His eyes stared at the footage as it replayed. The door was busted in, the stupid bastards didn't even wear masks. The antiques were being attacked, they poured the gasoline, the elderly woman came at them in defense of her store only to be anticipated and attacked from behind with a bat. One man threw down one match, and the place went up in flames. He could do something about this, but there were bigger things at hand.

...

Fine. If everyone was going to go off clothes shopping or having some happy go lucky day off when the city was in danger of a terrorist threat, then he was going to at least spend his time doing something more...productive.

((Part I of Nick's adventure by himself))

(Shade)

Well then... That was that. I'm left with my little troop. Now I just have to figure out what in the hell to do with them.

"Okay. Let's all head out to my car."

I lead the three of them up the elevator and out to where I've parked the Lincoln. I unlock the doors with the small remote in my pocket. The car chirps, almost as if she's happy to see me. I smile. I love this car.

I slide into the driver's seat. I adjust my mirrors and then pause.

"Okay. Ground Rules for today:

"1. Don't ruin my car. That means no food, no drinks without lids. If you have a drink, they go in the cup holders. No feet on the leather. Do not scratch or tear anything. And do not, for the love of God, put another hole in the top."

I only just sealed the hole with duct tape. The whistling from the wind was driving me nuts.

"2. Don't do anything stupid or anything that could get us killed. Use common sense.

"3. This is the most important one. Do not venture too far from this car. I won't put a short leash on you, but at the same time I don't want to be responsible if you get hurt.

"Does everyone understand?"

No complaints.

"Oh, and I'm not a fascist with my radio. This is a democratic vehicle. Majority rules on what we listen to."

With that, I turn the engine and we start into the city.

---

I pull up next to a Starbucks. My favorite one around here.

Open the glove box and hand a small stack of bills to Roy.

"Get the three of you whatever you want. I'll have a tall, caramel latte, two sugars, skim milk, tell them to hold the whip. Got it?"

-----

(Zen)

 
I watch the lot of them walk out. I finish off my bacon.

"Well, I'm ready. So let's do this."

I show the two of them into the training room.

I wave my hand at Shade's... 'friend' in acquiescence.

"You have the reins, right now. Where do you think we should start with him?"

The Big Apple wasn't without its fair share of worms crawling around in it. But when you were busy running around knees deep in a rotting fruit, you had to ask yourself, what if you're one of the worms?

The seconds were raindrops, pitter patter, pitter patter, tick tock, tick tock. Passing the time until the ball dropped, or until they dropped the ball. On that note, who were they? I had just as much knowledge to my name as an Irish Wriswash...Iris Wrishwas... Irish Wriswa-fuck it, European Wristwatch had hands. That was three. Three knowledge to my name.

We had the shadow watching us, and suddenly the shadows felt much more welcoming. And yet, at the same time, they felt colder than an ice box shipped aboard the Titanic. This mysterious Shade...the Mr.Grey we knew, or better yet, didn't knew, was the jersey barrier standing between our fragile egg case of a team and the off-road unknowns, leading to certain destruction.

The shadow lead us out of his hole, and for the first time since I'd known him(which was a matter of hours), he seemed to be about to shed some light on things. In more ways then one. It was time for the shadow to be brought out into the light.

Not without a re-introduction to his incredible, all-legs, gorgeous dame. The one he brought by yesterday, with the Bionic Man. Although, he was dame enough as it was...

She was a wounded panther, a sheen of black showcasing her most recent hunting wound. Wounded, but still a predator. The dame was a trap, through and through. You underestimated her once, and before you knew it her claws would be slicing into your back and her hot breath would be the last feeling you had on your neck before the jaws came down. But I was sure. I knew that kindness in her state could lead to a new path. The old adage about the lion's paw and the mouse came to mind. And like the hunter she was, she belonged to the shadow. Or rather, she had a symbiotic relationship with Shade.

What a day, to be able to get inside her, to set foot in her reaches, with the blessing of the shadows himself. I could feel the surroundings, like the finest of leather, my hands tracing the wondrous material as I got comfortable. I ran my hand across the scenery, and her roar was a mix of a choir of angels waging a vocal war with the very beasts of the underworld, both voices coming together as one and yet competing for vocal dominance. The car's engine was truly music to my ears as I sat inside the automobile...

So yeah, the car was nice. Roy liked the cupholders.

Without Guy to take him elsewhere, Gumshoe Roy Carter, Private Eye, followed the rest of the group to the elevator and up to the car. It was a brand new day in New York City, disappointingly enough for his little detective monologue, one without any rain. Once inside the...admittedly very, very interesting car, the teen had kicked back in the back seat and actually listened to the rules Mr.Grey was laying down for them. He was fine with them, actually. He didn't like rules, but he wasn't about to mess with such a gorgeous car out of spite...

It was then, a short drive later, that Shade entrusted Roy with some money. And it was then, that Shade (hopefully) knew, he fucked up. Grabbing the wad of cash, the teen winked at the masked man and popped the door open.
"Don't worry boss, I won't let you down." With a mock-salute, he hopped out of the car and made his way towards the door, not waiting for the others to come with him. He figured they would catch up. Probably. Though, as he left the car, he made sure to loudly add a little something that sounded much too chipper.
"I've never been to a Starbucks before, I can't wait to get a burger!"

Roy stepped inside the coffee shop and made his way to the line, standing close to the front as he peered up at the menu board. Of course, he knew Starbucks was a coffee place, but that didn't mean he couldn't have some fun, right? That said, he was still going to grab Shade's drink, and his own, and whatever the other two wanted. Examining the board, he couldn't help but notice the strange language there. Venti? Grande? Trenta? Short? Tall? What the hell kinds of sizes were these? He just wanted a simple large or medium or something, what kind of elegant fast food bullshittery was this?!

"I can't read pretentious, but do either of you know what you want?" He questioned, glancing back to check if the other two were with him only after he asked the question.

(I'm just going to spoiler this because it's huge and doesn't really contribute anything right now)

Spoiler:

(Part II of Nick's adventure by himself. Next time: The final part.)

I smile at the fluffy puppy child. He doesn't actually comprehend how much Laffy Taffy actually means to me, and I don't think I have the time to explain to him why that is. Still though, it makes me smile in genuinely touched way.

"Trust me, Fluffy, the Taffy is more than I could ask for. I really appreciate it," I smile. I feel like that's not enough, so I go over to hug him as well. It really does mean a lot. Kindness isn't something that's common in this line of work.

Something breaks my comfortable line of thought. My phone. On the counter. It's vibrating. My brow furrows in frustration at being interrupted, but they're calling my work line so it has to be important. I love my secratary, but nobody without a good reason wants to go through her to try and reach me that way. I snatch it off the table before anyone sees the caller and pick it up. I answer the call and hold the earpiece up to my ear.

"Go for NOA." I say flatly.

"Nei. We have big problems," a familiar voice says. That thick Austrian accent.... it's... Evony. But why is she calling through my business line? I have a separate line for them.

"Ev..... what? This isn't the best line for this, and... nor is it the best time."

"I'm sorry, I know. I heard you're laying low and trying to get clean, but.... She's back."

"Wha-? She as in...?"

"Ay."

I look back at the other two. It's only Fluffy and the kid left; it's probably not the end of the world if they overhear. Still, I decide to switch over to my native tongue, and hush my voice, just in case.

"Okay, losgadh. Tha seo a bhith luath ge-tà. Dhaoine eile a cluinntinn."

"Thank you. Things are just a mess here. She's torn through three nearby farms already; she's clearly got no definite information, and she may have passed us by."

"Ma tha sin fìor .... Ach carson a tha i fiù 's gnìomhach a-rithist? Cò tha a 'pàigheadh oirre? Tha e fiù 's putadh air ...?"

"I know.... and I don't know. I have a feeling it's the US though. They're trying to remove the blinder law. That's why it's a problem."

My heart practically stops. I almost drop the phone. "Dè?!?!"

"Yes, it's insane. It's a rumor now, but.... apparently the US wants the records to be public. I personally think that's why someone re-hired her."

"Chan eil iad dha-rìribh a 'smaoineachadh mu dheidhinn .....?!?!"

"I really don't know. It's a rumor. But it's strange, what she's doing. It feels like she's biding time, building up a ruse....."

I look back at the other two as she speaks to me in my panic. My voice got a little loud there, it would be easier to hear. I try to correct that.

"'S e seo trioblaideach ... ach is urrainn dhomh a dhèanamh a-mhàin uiread bho mo cheann anns a' bhad. Dìreach innis h-uile duine a chumail an cinn fiù 's nas ìsle na b' àbhaist dhaibh a dhèanamh airson nis, agus mi ...... Dia Chan eil fios agam, ach nì mi rudeigin. Criosd. Mi .... Chan eil seo rudeigin 'S urrainn dhomh barrachd a dheasbad an seo."

"I figured. I've already contacted Chisholm to send you more details. I just thought you needed to know now, she explains apologetically.

"I know. It's alright, thank you for warning me." I respond. She's silent for a moment, no doubt an uncomfortable pause for her.

"I'm sorry that, after all these years, our next phone call would be something so gri and undesirable."

"Don't worry about it. We can't help what we can't help," I reassure her. "Stay safe."

Then I hang up.

Shhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

I look at the other two. I shoo them towards the training room, and start to make my way there myself. I'm INCREDIBLY concerned, but I can't share my thoughts with those two. For now, this is far too big for them.

-~~~-

Sera crossed her arms in a huff when she heard about the mall day, but in the end she begrudgingly obliged. She really didn't have much else to day, and if they were going to have this group off-day she figured she didn't have much choice. It certainly didn't seem like anybody was going to listen to her if she objected, so she just grabbed her wallet and stood to leave with the rest of them. She noticed that the child was still asleep, and since nobody else seemed to care enough to do anything about it she went over and picked her up, carrying her to the car.

Yuliya slept for most of the ride, only blinking awake as they arrived at the Starbucks. The tiny Russian looked around, entirely confused about how she had gotten here but she was sitting next to the firey lady so she had a decent idea about how this had all happened. The red-headed kid took drink orders for some reason, flame on stating that she wanted something called a "flat white." The red-headed kid then started getting out of the car, and she called after him.

"Wvait!" she yelped as she hopped out, following him into the store.

They stood in the line together. It was nice. Yuliya had never actually been in one of these places, let alone with someone. She stayed close to red-head, leery of all the other people within the establishment.

"Uh... I'm tze only vone," she answered him, "but I wvould prefer sometzing wvarm wvith tea. Tze repurposed cardboard tzey're brewing and calling coffee in tzis place smells like it'll burn a hole in tze floor if you wvere to spill it. And I tzink tze flamer said she wvanted a.... flattened wvite? Is that some kind of pastry?"

The teen blinked as he heard Yuliya mention that she was the only one there, turning around and taking a look for himself. Sure enough, Sputnik 1 seemed to be the only one who had followed him in from the car. The human torchette must have either not wanted to get out of the car, or she still had some misgivings against him for the morning's events. Which he had absolutely no fault in. His phone was an undeserving victim of the chaos, and he would go down on record with that until proven wrong.

"Aha, yes! A Flattened White, of course. I...have no idea what that is, at all..." He stated, sounding fairly confident at first before trailing off into the uncertainty he felt about it. Maybe he could find it on the menu or something? He turned back to the board above the counter and looked it over, searching for any sign of this flattened white. Eventually, he did manage to find it, under the drinks. It was some kind of coffee thing.

"You see, a Flattened White..." Roy turned back around to Yuliya, crouching down slightly to be on her height level. With his eyes closed, he raised a hand in sagely wisdom, before pointing to his own chest. "The real flat whites are the friends we make along the way. In due time, you'll come to understand." Opening his eyes up once more, he gave her a grin and stood up, turning back around to the counter. Now that everyone else in front of him had gone, and they had everything figured out, Roy made his way up to the counter.

"Hi, can I get a tall caramel latte, with two sugars, cream, and hold the whip?" The man behind the counter glanced up at him, taking the order down with a very nonchalant and bored expression on her face.
"Anything else?"
"Yeah, uh, a flat white please."
"What size?"

Roy blinked. Shit. He hadn't thought this part through. What size did Mario wants again? Yuliya hadn't mentioned a size, had she? What if he screwed up the order and Sera incinerated him on the spot?
"Uh...what's like, a medium or something?"
"There is no medium here, sir. Use the menu." The man stated, side-eyeing him as he continued to show his lack of amusement.
"...tall. Tall flat white. And then a Peach Tranquility herbal tea for the kiddo."
"What size?"
Well...Shade got a tall. Sera was getting a tall. Tall was the only thing he knew here, and as such, that was what Yuliya was getting.
"Tall. That's it." He stated, nodding his head. As he did so, he leaned forward onto the counter, resting his elbow there and putting his palm on his cheek.

"Y'know, that's all for friends. I was thinking of getting something for myself, but...you're the only flat white I really care about. I guess I could go for your number, though." The man stared at him, showing no sign of reacting to what he had just said.
"A whole menu of options. Literally a whole menu. And you went with flat white? You went with that? And you're hitting on me?"
"Bad choice? Bad choice."
"I'll get your drinks. Don't say anything that isn't professional to me after this moment unless it's a significantly better pick-up line."
"Gotcha. Sorry." Leaning back up off the counter, the teen snapped his fingers and looked back to Yuliya, mouthing the word "darn", before looking back over the counter, setting his sights past the man at the counter and to the barista a little further back.
"So...I'm not using the same one on you. But are you doing anything later?" She stared at him for a moment and shook her head, before getting back to preparing drinks.

---

The teen stepped outside of the Starbucks, holding Shade and Sera's drinks as he made his way back to the car.
"Fudd, y'ever hear of the saying 'do as I say, not as I do'? This is one of those moments. Never, ever forget that no matter how crafty the pick-up line is, you shouldn't point out if somebody's flat. Or white. Maybe it was the white part that offended him. Whatever, point is, that was bad, and don't do that. Unless you're talking to Sera. She's problematic and destroys phones. Just don't tell her I said that. Oh, and hitting on two people right in front of one another doesn't typically work well." He remarked, pausing for a moment before opening his mouth again.
"I don't get it though, he's a guy. All guys are basically flat. What's his problem?" He added, genuinely confused as he reached the car, opening the door and hopping inside. Once in, he handed Sera her drink, before holding out the other drink for Shade.
"Here y'go, one for Mario, and one for Mr.Gray. Let's hit the road, huh?"