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IAmEnzo

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Humanity. It was something common to all of us, much like stupidity. It seemed that even we humans, a superior race capable of dominating a planet, couldn't even cease killing each other knowing that our future hangs in the balance.

Nuclear war between countries broke out over the smallest of matters; an opinion, a different belief, emotions. It dug our grave more quickly than any natural disaster would. Elder men sent young souls into battle to do their bidding. Families training their youth to use weapons as soon as they could speak properly. Cities falling into complete chaos as riots ravaged through streets and shops alike.

And for what?

Extinction wouldn't come in the form of a great meteor, or a tidal wave that could consume cities. It would come from our own hands, our ignorance. Those unfortunately enough not to know the outside world, had their lives taken by those who knew.

We should have all died.

But it wasn't to be. A solution came forth, a mysterious liquid was created that could alter our genes, and force us to grow in ways nature never could. We became better than our old selves, and we realized the errors of our ways, sought out to rebuild, repopulate. For several years, human beings learned from history. We learned to get along with one another, but that didn't last very long. Soon, we would put ourselves at the gallows once more, it was inevitable.

Our collapse began in Pacifica City, in 2021. The very core of Charge, and currently leading the world in having the most Charge-using inhabitants in the world. At the moment, crime was low. You could to get to point A and back without many problems.

However, this was going to change. One Charge manufacturing company, PharaCell, was actually at the top of it's game. The company was world-famous for it's reliable charges and services concerning them. For the more 'faithful' bunch, PharaCell became the devil in human skin. To tamper with God's creation meant violation. Violation meant hell would return as it was with World War 3.

Like in the past, riots were formed at the front of the major PharaCell building, and with the police department being vastly outnumbered against the raging protesters, shots were fired, and blood was spilled. That was the spark to the fuse.

It was all we needed to grease the gears of extinction all over again.




Arc: I​|Bottom of The Food Chain​
​

The weather was at it's usual level; hot. It warranted light clothing for the people of Pacifica city. The time was just before noon, when the sun was nearing it's highest point in the sky. Nothing in particular happened recently, except for a few reports of gang shooting here and there. No city was short of it's violence, so it wasn't exactly 'out of the picture' just yet.

People were getting out of bed and heading to work, so that meant high traffic and high frustration from the regulars. It was like any other day for Pacifica City, but little did we know, today was the beginning of our downfall.

This is the story of how we died.


Locations
Pacifica Bank [OPEN]
Mega Shopping Center [OPEN]
The Spacebar [CLOSED]
P.C.P.D [OPEN]
Average Financial Buildings

PharaCell [OPEN TO EMPLOYEES]
GeneGenius [OPEN TO EMPLOYEES]
Average business buildings [OPEN TO EMPLOYEES]
Coffee Shop [OPEN]

Homes [High tier]
Homes [Medium tier]
Homes [Low tier]
Apartments [High tier]

Apartments [Medium tier]
Apartments [Low tier]
Homes [Low tier]

PharaCell Manufacturing plant [RESTRICTED]
GeneGuru Manufacturing plant [RESTRICTED]
Power Plant [RESTRICTED]
Water towers [RESTRICTED]
Sewers [Up to you I guess. I don't judge.]
 
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The suns blazing radiance had shined through a cracked window shaded off by lace curtains wafting from the short winds that leaked through window gap. A pointed chin was resting on the back of a bent hand in front of a desktop monitor. On the monitor was a Craigslist of available jobs, and small owned businesses in the area. Green eyes scanned the interface for links to promising positions at decent pay and preferred work hours. Long sighs hummed inside the closed mouth of a bored individual who has been searching for a place of business to work at for over a couple of hours. His desktop also sharing in the suffering with the fan whirling louder and louder on the hour because of the heat trapped in the small room it's confined within. The disgruntled gentleman had stretched his back with a loud groan to loosen his stiffened limbs, following up with a strong huff that unluckily blew away his looseleaf filled with written down positions that has taken his interest. The paper airborne, the man had reached up to grab it but the quickness of his hand had kicked up a short gust that only blew the paper further away. "Like hell if you think you're fluttering away." He said sharply. He rose from his desk chair and whipped his hand toward the paper and grasped it with the tips of his index finger, middle finger, and thumb. A "fwap" had fired off into the quiet of the room, reassuring victory. "Fufu.. Stylishly done." Witout warning, the room door opened with an aged woman behind it. About in her early 50's, slightly graying dark brown hair that curls up at the ends. Despite her age she looks pretty youthful. A rough estimate that she's kept at lest 10 or so years on her body. She also shared the same green eyes as our victorious paper-snatcher here who was in a foolish pose of having am arm reached into the air with a wilted piece of paper hanging from his fingers. This only led to an awkward yet curious glare of the older woman ho just entered the scene. "Leonard, what are you standing like that for?" The young mad snapped himself back to a normal composure, folding the paper and stuffing it into his pocket while clearing his throat. "Morning to you too Mother. I should file a charge of you breaking and entering with how quickly you can open my door without any warning." The man who we discovered named Leonard said in jest. "You'd charge against your own Mother who lives here? Shame on you Leonard. Your Father would've set you straight right about now!" She replied with an unamused tone. "Relax, Mom-ma. I'm just joking. Now that the festivities are done with, what did you need?" "Oh, I was hoping if I could use your height Chocolate Drop. There's this bag of powder I need to grab from the cabinet--" "Say no more. Has Bella awoken yet?" "I haven't seen her lurking about yet, so I can only assume no." "Odd. She's like a Drill Sarge with getting up early to pester me about waking up. I was hoping to best her to the punch this time. Though, I guess it would be satisfying for her to walk into an empty room trying to wake me up." Leonard snickered. "But aah, let me get that powder down for you." The two started downstairs into the kitchen. The cabinet containing the powder had already been opened and the white pack had stood out almost obnoxiously to Leonard, considering it's the brightest shade in the cabinet and the only shade of it's kind on the shelf it's on. Simply reaching up he grabbed the pack down and flipped it in his palm, having it face the long way when giving it to his mother. "Oh thank you dearest, you're so good to your mother." Leonard chuckled with flushed cheeks. "It's why I stick around." He said confidently. His mother only smiled and gave him a little peck on the cheek before continuing her duties in the kitchen. Leonard's shoulders relaxed as he watched his mother prepare breakfast. "Hey, Mom-ma! I'll be out in the back for a bit. I'll come back in once breakfast is prepared." "Okay dearie, enjoy yourself!"Leonard had started his way through the dining room and living space to a sliding door that led to the spacious back yard. Currently it's only decor is a stone path that cuts off in the middle of the yard but plans are in consideration to make the place more lively. Leonard walked under a single tree found in the yard and sat under it, enjoying the shade while he awaited for his mothers cooking to be finished. He figured he spent enough time inside of his room on the desktop.

(For some reason the coding is going AWOL and I can't seem to fix it. I've tried switching to newer colors but I still get the same result. So just.. Ignore the riff-raff for now.)
 
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The heat in the room poor Bellatrix was sleeping in was too much for "normal" people. It was the stuffy heat of one who forgot to keep a window open and turn on a fan the night before, and for this reason, she overslept. She turned over in her sleep, holding her little stuffed bear close to her chest as she dreamt. The dream she was currently seeing was not a pleasant one, filled with memories and images she wished to forget, only to forge new images, as if predicting the future. One in particular disturbed her so much she let out a quick scream, jolting awake. Bellatrix sat up, looking around to see that everything was indeed normal. Placing her hand on her forehead, she sat up, just then feeling how hot it was. The window was still closed, she realized as she got up to open it. Giving her bear a quick hug, she let out a sigh and shook her head.

"I bet Leo is still in bed, that lazy runt," she mumbled to herself as she put on her usual clothing. Anyone looking at her could tell she had a very "military-like" style about her, though none knew why. It took her what seemed like forever to get herself ready, only to find disappointment in Leonard's room when he wasn't there. "Well, at least he's not still asleep," she mumbled, putting her hands on her hips. Bellatrix quickly made her way down to the kitchen, where his mother had been preparing breakfast. She stood up straight, arms behind her back in a respectful manner. "Good morning. Has Leonard gone outside again?"
 
Steam filled the kitchen, intensifying the already overbearing heat. Leonard's mother was already sweating with her recently donned hairnet. "Oh~! Bella hun! Why good morning to you! You just missed Leo, he did indeed run off to the back. I figure he got tired of being coped up in that room of his. He's been in there job searching for the whole week. But I keep telling that hermit to go out and see what places are open and have to offer but he insists just looking online." She had sucked her teeth while shaking her head disapprovingly. "But, this is his task. I'll let him handle it how he figures. He is a man now. But... Bella..." She had turned around, bowl and rubber spatula in hand. A thick vat of batter could be seen churning within the bowl. "Take him out around town and at least see him through a few places... You have that dominance over him that I don't. The woman giggled coyly and shot a wink at Bellatrix's direction, turning back around and getting back to her cooking.
 
TIME: 1123 HOURS | LOCATION: PACIFICA CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT

Seven minutes.

...gang shootings. Local resident [Greg Campbell] reported hearing gunshots... at 0200 hours in the South District apartments... no casualties, no reported injuries, no property damage...

Five minutes.

No injuries, no property damage, no lawsuits filed, no paperwork. The city had been peaceful as of late: there were no major events (news agencies had resorted to cheap propaganda and even positivity to fill headlines), criminal activity was at an all time low, and most officers had been reduced to traffic cops. Police loitered unproductively at the station. Cells were empty aside from the occasional drunk and there were no emergency dispatches. It was insufferably boring. Just the way she liked it.

Jasper Real looked up at the clock again. Four minutes until break. A pile of paperwork sat on her desk that still needed to be addressed, the station needed to be patrolled to keep the (inevitably) slacking officers on edge, a newly transferred officer required assignment, and she had a meeting with upper management at 1600. But they could wait until after lunch.

While a laptop also shared the space on her desk, it rarely saw use. Even though most data was stored virtually and all correspondence done online through email, she insisted on working with pen and paper. All reports were to be submitted to her as hard copies, preferably hand written. She could be reached via portable radio, telephone, or mail. She did not own a cellphone. Perhaps it was because of her lack of skill when it came to technology. Or the ridiculous notion that the use of traditional medium was a sign of true effort and dedication (if "dedication" is determined by how much of a pain in the ass it was to get something done, this was true).

She took a sip from a cup of coffee that had sat at her desk since she had arrived there at 0630 that morning. It was cold. She didn't notice. In contrast to the hot weather outside, the AC in the office had been set to frigid levels. Real hated the heat, which meant that living in Pacifica with its constantly blazing temperatures was hell. It also added to her distaste for field work. There was nothing appealing about running around outside, sweating like a dog while the sun fried your skin to a crisp. She couldn't understand why some of her lackeys thought that being assigned desk work was a form of punishment.

One minute.

At this point, most people would have just gotten up and left. She was not most people. It was impractical and made life highly inconvenient, but she despised the idea of breaching policy, even one as insignificant as this. She stared at the clock and willed it to move faster.

Break time.

Real exited the building, still in full uniform with receiver and gun strapped to her waist (she was never "off duty"), and started for a coffee shop nearby that she often frequented.
 
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The alarm went off. "Is it morning already?", Genka sighed lazily a he slapped his alarms snooze button to shut it up. He slid out of his bed and walked into his bathroom to freshen up for the day. Leaving the bathroom, he headed towards the bedroom window on the second floor of his apartment and muttered, "Another warm and typical day, huh?" Now dressed for the day in a nice black and white T-shirt with some black jeans, he walked into his living room where he saw his cat Uri sitting in the couch. "Oh, there you are Uri. Did you sleep well?" Genka said to his pet cat as he walked over to his couch, sat down, and started to pet him. He turned on the television and started watching the news. "--In other news, Pacifica police investigate the gang shootings in downtown Pacifica." "...Gang shootings.", Genka thought with an expression of anger growing ever so steadily in his face. Gangs reminded him of his past--the accident. He looked at his hand and watched as a small ball of lightning formed from his palm. He closed his hand and it was gone. Uri looked at him and let out a loud meow. "Haha. Sorry about that, Uri." Genka looked up at the ceiling. He thought about his life. A life he doesn't like to think about. "Well, Uri, it's about time to head out.", Genka said getting up from the couch and heading towards the door. "Don't mess up anything while I'm gone."
 
Throwing the dishes into the sink letting it the fork and knife bounce around noisily against the stainless steel, the slide of a plate across the counter to bump against the ceramic tile backsplash echoed through the rather hollow looking abode.

The alarm in the single bedroom place was blaringly loudly down the corridor without its sole residence to wake from the bed, the small portable TV sat propped up against the side of the bread box prattling about the recent occurrences in the city. Like it was brand new information that would impede the entirely of human's comprehension of violence.

Fingers twiddled upon the counter with no specific pattern half watching the screen flickering from scene to scene and half peering out the large half drawn windows that filtered the pale light into the sterile place. Everything was white, off white, eggshell white or snow white. It reminded her from the first day of a hospital that she had done very little to decorate or implore the thought of decorating.

A sway of a foot back and forth in opposite rhythm to her tapping fingers, the strawberry blond woman straightened her torso with a huffing breath as if the very existence of air around her face was bothersome.

She should be going. But she should shower first and maybe turn off the alarm but that seemed like a lot of effort for something that seemed so needless.

Rolling a shoulder upwards picking the wide neck of her shirt up from drooping across her one side, Saige nodded in a short affirmation to showering later. Following a similar fashion to that of her shirt, fingers tethered around her belt loops to tug her jeans up to sit properly around the rise of her hips, footsteps echoing her advancement to slip her well worn sneakers on before stalling a brief moment. "Overshirt or hoodie?" she mused brushing the tip of her thumb across her bottom lip with the thought. It was warm enough outside, she didn't need either. Another nod as if to affirm herself of that, plucking up the keys from the corner table that sat at the end of the hall and to the side of the front door, tumblers released to the outside hall.
 
A blush crept over Bellatrix's face as the older woman spoke, letting out a quiet sigh as she turned away. "Of course, ma'am. We will do that soon." She shook her head as she walked away, straightening out her jacket once more before going out to find Leonard. The heat was near unbearable, but she still wore a fully concealing, thick outfit for some reason that only made sense to her. Everyone else thought she was insane, as any normal person would. Walking outside and into the direct sunlight, Bellatrix quickly cringed and put on some high prescription sunglasses she's had for a while. Her eyes were the most sensitive part about her. Light bugged her more than anything, and perhaps that was why she didn't mind staying inside with Leonard all the time. Nevertheless, she glanced around, only to find him not too far away, being the dork he usually was. She crept up behind him, seeing as he almost never noticed she was there, and slowly inhaled. This is where the drill sergeant bit came in.

"ATTEEEEEEEENTION!" she spoke in her normal, loud, drill sergeant voice, hoping to make him jump. It almost always did, and she was ready to hold back her giggles if necessary to not make him too mad.
 
The door shut behind him as he walked out of the apartment building and into the streets of Pacifica City's suburbs. Genka was headed for the Central District, a place of business. He was following his morning routine which, at this point, had become some what of a ritual. A cup of coffee. That's all he wanted right now. A nice cup of coffee from the Coffee Shop in the Central District. He let out a loud whistle, attracting the attention of a cab nearby. The cab drove up to the curb of the street, Genka climbed into the back. "Where ya' headed?", the cab driver asked blantly. "Central District coffee shop.", Genka told him hoping he'd know where he was referring. "The one near Pharacell?", the driver asked attempting to make sure they were on the same page. "That'd be the one.", Genka said quietly.

The cab pulled up to the coffee shop. Genka paid the fare and started to advance towards the coffee shop. As he walked in he was greeted with a welcoming hello from the woman on the other side of the counter. "Why hello there, Genka. What'll it be?", she asked him with a smile on her face. "You should know by now, Hannah.", he said in a playful manner. "The usual." Genka had been coming to the coffee shop for as long as he could remember. He was considered a regular. Hannah came back with his coffee and buleberry muffin that he gets every time he goes there in the mornings. "And here you are.", she said grabbing his attention. "Thanks", he said taking bite of his muffin. "Just as good as always."
 
And there it was. The flow breaking shriek of a wanna-be drill sergeant as Leonard always jokingly referred to her as. His shoulders reached up from the shock of being startled so immediately. While he wasn't surprised to hear Bellatrix yelling at him for God knows what reason, he was surprised to see she'd sneak up on him. An unfair tactic of you asked him. His shoulders lowered as he blew out a long, slightly agitated sigh. He looked over his shoulder to notice Bella in all her militant glory. The outfit she chose to wear in this heat would warrant a heat stroke. Seeing her in it made him uncomfortable himself. Leonard slowly rose form his splintery support and carelessly let his head drop to the left, giving her an unamused glare. "Was that really necessary? Was it, Bella?" He slowly shook his head and regained his posture, giving her eye-contact before speaking again. "But good morning to you too. I finally beat you to waking me up. I'm a bit proud of myself to say the least." He dug his right hand into his pocket. "So what is it this time? You're going to make me run? Jump up a flight of stairs? Carry you around the premises? There has to be a reason for you screaming like a damned banshee to get my attention like that." He said progressively getting more and more stoic in tone.
 
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The front doors of the coffee shop opened and a woman dressed in a police uniform stalked in, looking generally pissed off. She hated the walk there, and wondered why no one could set up a cafe closer to the Department in East District. Of course there were a few dotted here and there, but they were cheap chain businesses that were always crowded. And the quality of the coffee just didn't cut it. As the cold air of the air-conditioned building hit her, she visibly relaxed.

To her distaste, there was already another customer in line, and he was wasting time exchanging small talk with the employee. She stood directly behind him, staring daggers into his back as she waited her turn. Finally, the waitress greeted her, but with much less warmth

"Hello, welcome to the Coffee Shop. What would you like to order?"
"Extra large coffee. Black. One sugar. And a turkey sandwich."
No greeting, no please.
The food was placed on the counter, and she paid with her debit card.
No tips.
"Have a nice day."
No response, no thank you.

Scanning the shop, Real selected the largest table and sat down. Noticing a newspaper on a nearby table, she retrieved it and started to scan it. It always amused her to see the discrepancies between actual events and how the media presented them.

Taking a sip of her coffee, she looked outside the window into the blistering heat and shuddered thinking about the walk back. She was almost tempted to call a cab, but she didn't get paid enough to spend on such luxuries. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a group of men lighting up in a no-smoking zone. And trespassing on PharmaCell property. She looked back down at her paper. She was off-duty - it didn't concern her. She would enjoy her break. Ignore the offense. Not do her job.

She slapped the paper down onto the table, and stood up abruptly. Leaving her food on the table, she walked outside to confront the offenders.

The men didn't even bat an eye as a police officer marched in his direction.
"Can I help you ma'am?" One of them asked in an annoyed tone when it was clear she was not going to leave.
 
Genka looked towards the door that the woman who has just come into the Coffee Shop left out of. "I wonder what her issue was.", he told Hannah. "Who knows. Cops these days. Thinking they can just barge in, bark orders, and have no manners.", she replied as she took the woman's leftover food and disposed of it. "Oh, Hannah. I'm sure she has a good reason to act the way she does. You know what they say--You can't judge a book by it's cover." Though Genka failed to mention it out loud, he noticed that the police woman who walked out had headed towards PharaCell to, what he assumed, disperse a group of men who were tresspassing on it's restricted property. "That's something I don't want to be apart of.", he thought to himself. He walked out of the coffee shop after exchanging goodbyes with his friend Hannah and continued onward with his day.
 
The plaza outside of Saige's apartment couldn't be any less noisy. To add onto the sun's heat cooking the entire building as if it were in an oven, loud noisy blared throughout the halls and out into the murky, polluted air that surrounded them. The people were no less rude, either. Such was the way of life there.


The same could be said for the coffee shop. The sidewalk was more of a motorway for walkers and the coffee shop acted as it's gas station. One 'speeder' in the crowd of people did well to stick to the buildings' walls and slip by the crowd easily - that was until Genka emerged from the coffee shop and became an immovable wall for said speeder.

BAM

The man tripped up after their collision and ended up face first into the ground, an open box leaking blue fluid and broken glass beside him. "Oh no.." The man quickly grabbed the box, still unaware of Genka completely. His hands worked to place the broken glass back inside of the box only to realize how hopeless it all was now. "Fucking idiot!" He shouted toward Genka, finally taking notice of him.

The man rose to his feet, rage fresh in his face. As far as appearances go, he couldn't have been no older than 40, relatively unkempt at that and a now dusty suit to add onto the body. "Watch where you're going when you exit buildings! You're lucky I don't demand money for this!" So it seemed, even against Genka's wishes, trouble was going to find him.


An audible grumble escaped past one of two bodies sitting at a group table beside the coffee shop's mirror. The source of the noise came from that of a man with his head perched against a fist, his ghostly blue eyes skimming the coffee and menu on the table. "What kind of coffee shop offers Japanese noodles?" He clicked his tongue in minor annoyance to the matter and used his other hand to take a sip of his coffee.

The sizable group of young adults gathered at one corner of the shop seemed to have drawn some attention, as a female police woman approached them looking as if she wanted answers for their behavior. The man's eye shined through the shade of his jet black hair towards the commotion. Whoever that police woman was, she was clearly outnumbered if anything was going to happen.

"Didn't see you there, miss. Care to join the boys for a night out?" teased the eldest of the group, followed by hushed laughing from the surrounding bodies. It seemed they all took the same dress-code. Light brown with hints of red. Every single one of them donned a similar symbol; an upside down cross. It was the symbol of a known street gang called Exmortis. Feared Charge users who took to making fun of the more 'religious types' by doing all they could to defile the human body with modifications. "Don't look so tense, we'll take care of you alright."

"This is going to be troublesome."

 
Genka's mind wandered while he walked out of the coffee shop, unaware of his surroundings, he ran into a man. The man yelled at him in serious aggression. Genka snapped out of his confusion and turned around already ahead of where he had bumped into him and thought, "Did I do that?" Pacifica City is a busy place. Things like that happen all the time. He was sorry, but it was nothing to stress over. "What's done is done." he thought to himself while moving on. With his hands in his pockets, Genka walked around looking for a place to be. Having been recently unemployed, he didn't have much to do with himself during the day anymore. His real day started at night, but for now, he was headed for the Mega Shopping Center in East District.
 
Clicking her tongue in evident disapproval to the sight and sounds not to mention rising heat of the day that lingered far too close to herself, Saige watched as a pair of bodies clashed at the shoulders in front of her only to have each round about and snap snide remarks to the other.

This place was hell and the people were nothing less than griping little monsters that bit at everything and anything they could.

Stale suffocating air clung low to the earth creating a fog of disgust, she preened her fingers through the cuff of her strawberry blond tresses.

"Ain't nuttin good guna come from the day at this rate." muttered of lips and teeth alike, she gave a stern push to the front doors of the apartment building letting her exit fully into the venom riddled metropolis.
 
Bellatrix couldn't help but giggle a little bit at his reaction, finding that it never really got old. She regained her stoic, almost robotic expression and nodded. "Your mother has requested I take you into town to help you find a job. Besides the fact that this was a request from your mother, I would like to go into town." She glanced down at her jacket, picking off a piece of lint that somehow managed to cling onto the arm of her otherwise perfect-looking blue jacket. It was odd, it looked almost brand new, as if it had never been worn by anything, and yet...

"This one is clearly getting old. Look how worn the sleeves are. I must get a new one. Maybe red this time? Or black. Perhaps I'll venture out from my normal style and buy a white or beige one instead. Oh my.. The thought itself is thrilling." As she spoke, her eyes lit up. Bellatrix got so easily excited when it came to clothing, something you might never expect out of a girl like her. She giggled again as if the thought of a white jacket was just scandalous, but again quickly regained her composure, clearing her throat.

"Well, come now. You appear to be dressed.. Decently, enough," she commented, briefly looking him up and down and shaking her head. Bellatrix kept her stone cold face as she pulled something small out of her pocket. "Here's your wallet, by the way. You know leaving it out in the open is never a good idea.. Do at least run your fingers through your hair a few times. It looks horrific, like a bird has nested atop your head." She turned sharply on her heels, walking back towards the door she came through. However, she stopped once she set foot in front of the closed door. "Do whatever else you need. I will be waiting out front. We can walk from there, a little exercise will do you good. I'll bring my parasol so neither of us get burnt. Hurry along, now." She finished her little speech, tilting one corner of her mouth up as she went inside, pleased with the way she presented herself just now. Sister? No. Mother? Noo way.

Authority? Oh yes.
 
Leonard rolled his eyes at Bella's subtle criticism of his current attire. While it was simply a slightly unbottoned dress shirt and loose pants it helped ward off the merciless heat. He had half the mind to ridicule Bella on her overdone outfit considering the weather. Donning a jacket in this climate was completely superfluous, and an obvious health hazard. Despite this, Leonard knew there was no arguing, or there was no point. He's seen Bella commit this sin one too many times to care at this point. Backtracking what Bella fed into him, she mentioned being told to go out looking for a job, a task only his mother would employ Bella to do. "Mom-ma put you up to this, hmm? Eh. I was attempting to avoid as much human interactivity as possible but if she's really going to go out of her way to ask you to persuade me then fine. I can see how much she wants this for me. I'll go grab a--" Leonard took a brief pause to raise his hands. "Better outfit." He said while making air quotations, mockingly. He kept walking before halting once more and peering over his shoulder with his eyelids fallen lazily over his eyes. "Go for beige." He said before finally returning to his room to fix himself up.
 
Location: Unknown/ Abaddon

"Is it ready yet?" A sinister voice resounded. It was muffled by the military grade helmet meant to stop low velocity rounds from fulfilling their purpose--to kill. "I can't wait to make my debut..."

The helmet was further modified to carry a very realistic skull as a face plate. Abaddon's eyes could be seen peering out of the skeletal features that did its job well and that was to scare the hell out of most. It also was a sort of 'trademark' for him. His face was made to purposefully be easily recognizable. No matter where he went, people knew of him. They screamed his named. He was famous. But it wasn't actual fame, no, it was more like infamy.

"A-Almost s-s-sir..." The technician responded, quivering as sweat was easily seen pouring down his face.

The technician was about to create a live feed. One that would hijack every television, every monitor--even the billboards that spouted of nonsensical things for everyday life. With a few taps on the keyboard in front of him, the camera behind the technician spotlighted a woman who was gagged and tied to a cross in the way of a crucifix might occur. She was a blond haired, and seemed to be around thirty years of age. It was Sandra Jobrowski, a woman who was reportedly missing just days ago.

As she awoke, obviously unaware of her current situation and what might follow--the whole scene seemed, surreal. For both would be viewers as there were certainly a plentiful amount, and Sandra herself. Then she looked up and the camera focused on how large her eyes dilated at the sight of Abaddon. She knew he was a wanted terrorist, a criminal of the worst kind. Perhaps the most dangerous kind. Because what looked back at her off screen, held no semblance of being human.

Not just for the way he looked; it was frightening for sure, but the way he held himself. The way he carried himself. Almost like he were half dead and only his body were working from memory of a more violent time. Abaddoned sauntered forwards, and behind him he drug a sledge maul and in his other hand were were twelve inch refurbished rebar 'nails'. This of course scared the hell out of the woman who visibly fought her restraints but to no avail. Abaddon then turned in front of her, facing the camera as he lifted the sledge hammer and set it maul first to the ground, standing on end, with his hand loosely clutching the handle.

"Good afternoon" the voice of evil sprang audibly through every speaker. "I am, Abaddon. Some of you out there know me as a terrorist--pray-tell, what gave you that idea? I see myself as more of a philanthropist; I bring people together under a united cause! However, to do that this world really must have a real reason to band together, right? Now, since we have introductions out of the way, let's say we get to work, shall we?" Abaddon lifted the hammer and signaled two men to lower the cross and one to hold the 'nail' in place.

"What we are all going to do, is play a little game. Hide-and-go-seek. But, their are stipulations. I'm going to give the police three separate locations,spread out over length of an hour to get to each location. Every hour, I will nail one of these lovely improvised rebars through her arms and the tops of her feet. Kinda like that Jesus fellow, you remember him right? And if you fail, I'll even shave her pretty blond head and put this crown of thorns on her," Abaddon lifted up a tangle of razor and barbed wire fashioned into a "crown". "and set her in a place for the world to see!"

Setting the crown down on the alter, he stepped over to Sandra, and with here eyes pleadingly upon him--swung the maul up and then struck the blunted end of the rebar driving it through he space between the bones in her forearm. The pain was excruciating and this was heard in muffled screams and her body visibly contorting.

"People, are. you. ready?"

The feed then cut to three images, live feeds from three different sectors. Industrial, Business and the Suburbs.
 
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BADLANDS- Morning. Overlooking the Northern Liberty Apartments alleyway
Way too early for this shit...these assholes couldn't just deal after 12PM? Better call CH.
"I'm on the roof. 6 people total, only 2 have firearms though. What's the angle?"
"Any identification?"
"3 of them at the truck are repping the 5's, I'd know those colors anywhere. The other half, I'm not too sure...don't necessarily look affilia-Wait."
"What's wrong?"
The leader of the group near the fire exit walks towards the truck, extending his hand and quickly twists his fingers.
"Outriders. He just threw up the hand sign...since when the fuck did they deal with 5th Street?"
"Not sure, but this is still the same operation regardless. You get a look at the truck?"
"Yeah. Filled to the brim with product...they're hiding it within the interior, but my chem-sensor went crazy. These scumbags are doing an exchange, there's no doubt about it."
"That's all we need to know to confirm. Take em out."
"I can easily get these fuckers from here with the subm-"
"No guns, Jet. I've alerted the police about this, they know what's going on, but not who's doing it. Leave no ballistic traces, do you hear me? Any shell casings will be collected as evidence and traced back to ONI by PCPD Forensics. Drawbacks of providing your own equipment."
"Fine...but this is gonna be wetwork. I'm using the HF and the Charge...and I thought we were going to stop that Jet shit. No one else calls me on this frequency except you and it's ID locked for your use only."
"Fine...Eirsith. And do whatever you want, you can beat these sons of bitches to death for all I care. Just remember...no bullets, from either you or them. Citizens are already grilling me about the scattered shootings...no need to put even more heat out there. I'll meet you back at the shop when this is all said and done with."
"How lovely, I'll make sure the staff has some coffee and donuts when you come in."
"Black, 3 sugars and a glazed."
Suit and tie campaign assholes...rich, but dense as all hell."You really haven't gotten any better with this sarcasm detection...it's whatever though. We'll hit the cafe when I'm done here. Engaging targets, Eirsith out."
Money aside...I miss when I was just a gunsmith.Jacen made his way quietly down the fire escape, making sure to stay out of the gangbangers' field of vision.
"So what's up, you got the stuff or what?"
"Yeah yeah, we got it...where's the money?"
"Right in the case...we go on 3."
Jacen drew his sword and moved behind the truck, readying his hand to strike.
"1."
"2."
"3!"
"What the fuc-"
Jacen quickly bolted the two gunmen before slicing their necks, bodies limp and bleeding out. Guns hit the ground, safety never disengaged.
The other two thugs suffered similar fates, a quick stab through the heart reduced them to casualties. The right hand man tried to rush in and got a hilt to the side of the head, and lost both arms for his trouble. Jacen just stood there and let him bleed out. It was just business after all...albeit cutthroat.
"You know what you doing!? This official 5th Street Soldier business, who you rep!?"
"Nothing in particular...I know I just stopped a bunch of drugs from heading out."
"You must have lost your fucking mind, boy. Soldiers gonna handle yo-"
The gangster's threat was cut short as he had a cord around his neck and Jacen's sword on the side of his head.
"They're going to handle my what? Laundry, cable bill? Couldn't quite catch the end of that."
"Hurgk-what...the fuck....is this?"
"Throw and Release Tension System...too bad this is the first and last time you'll ever hear of it. But consider yourself lucky...you've been able to get an up close and personal look that not even the richest developers could."
Jacen released one end of the cord, connected to his sword's hilt...it dropped the sword and gravity did the rest. The blade came down easy, slicing the ear from the gangster's head before slowly sliding through his shoulder; cutting through the flesh like a literal hot knife through butter.
"And that? That's the HF Blade...short for high frequency. The blade itself resonates at a frequency so high...anything it comes into contact with has its molecules shaken up and split. Now you're a street thug, so that's a little bit too advanced for you...so I'll give you the simple version..."
The sword had run its way through the thug's shoulder, taking the entire arm and part of the torso before dropping to the ground, covered in blood.
"It can cut through anything."
No words came out the thug's mouth, simply gurgles and gasps as the tension cord tightened around his neck.
"Hope you enjoyed the little demonstration...but I'm late for brunch. Sorry to...heheh. Cut this short. I couldn't resist."
Jacen tightened the cord once more, and in the blink of an eye...broke the thug's neck. He finally released the grip and the cord came reeling back into a slot on the underside of Jacen's wrist, part of his custom made combat armor. He walked over to the thug's now lifeless body, retrieved his sword and shook some of the blood off.
Ugh...I got a little carried away...but it was business.
Jacen thrust the sword into the sheath on his back, and quickly made his way back up the fire escape. He took off his armor and threw it in the bag left on the roof before tossing it on his shoulder and traveled over to the apartment's roof access door. Quickly picking the lock, he walked down the steps and took off the mask he wore to hide his identity, stuffing it into the bag's pocket. A simple athletic duffel and a guy wearing jeans and a t-shirt...nothing out of the ordinary in Northern Liberty. It was a joy to be able to operate and then hide in plain sight...no stuffy uniforms and boots like back in the IEDF...he stuck out like a sore thumb in civilian areas.
It was nice and warm, but would no doubt heat up to normal Pacifica temperature. Jacen walked down the busy street after exiting the building. He walked a few blocks down to where he had parked and tapped a button on his watch to unlock the car. He tossed his bag in the back and sat in the driver's seat for a few seconds before pulling out of the space to head back to the shop.
Just another morning at the office...

 
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"Oh come on." Leila grumbled under her breath as she was forced to sit in traffic. She had had a late start this morning and when she had finally managed to get out and get the packages awaiting delivery, traffic was already crazy congested. She was beginning to think that getting the Jump charge wouldn't have been such a bad idea. I guess my parents are right sometimes. Although their reasons for me getting it was for something totally different...

A loud horn blared in front of her, as the driver of the truck two cars in front of her decided that he was going to pull off into a side road. And of course that created even more problems because he was an aggressive ass hat and everyone was struggling to pull out of his way before he smashed them to pieces.

"Hey WATCH IT!" She shrieked, as the car next to her began to veer towards her. She revved her scooter and swerved into the other lane, avoiding the impending accident but causing a chorus of loud cursing behind her. She ignored them and glowered at the stupid trucker, who was speeding away down a side road.

Finally the traffic began to move, but stopped just as quickly as it had started when the large billboard looming on the side of the road changed from it's sparkly 'Fashion Week' commercial, to that of a woman gagged and tied to a chair.

"What the fu--" Leila began but quickly bit her own tongue when a man with a creepy skull helmet type thing, stepped into view. When he hammered the nail into the woman's arm, Leila nearly vomited, but steeled herself as the drivers around her were starting to panic. As they should.

Her phone buzzed against her thigh and she fished it out, as she began to maneuver herself out of the way of panicked drivers.

"Hello--

"Oh God, Leila good lord. Thank the lord you answered. Did you see that just now? Forget the packages, get back here right now you hear me?" Her bosses voice crackled out through the speaker.

"Yes sir." She answered, and sped off down the side road that she had seen the trucker go down.
 
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