6:30 pm (Yato)
The CBD was as busy as ever, and hundreds of people walked from one store to another. The chill air swished through my hair, cooling me down, and the sky turned into a vibrant violet. I pulled my hoodie further down, hoping to obscure my face as best as possible. My duffle bag weighed heavily on my shoulders, but the pain would soon be worth it all. Despite it being so late the shopping centre was still busy, perfect for what I had planned. Hundreds of people walking in and out of shops buying food and clothing in the vibrant lights of the mall. I stepped towards a rubbish bin and dropped a charger. Then walked to another and kept dropping them. Twelve in total. I turned towards the bathroom, lucky for me it was empty. To my left I found an air vent. Crawling inside I set a few more chargers and a few fire crackers. Then I turned to crawl out.
"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THERE." My vision focused nehind me. A janitor stood there mop in hand and an angry expression.
"H-hello sir. I aaah...." I fell to the floor and bolted towards the door. The janitor chased after me but I was too quick. Before long I had left the shopping centre and was jogging outside. I pulled out my phone and sent out a text to the others "Phase 1 complete."
7:00 pm (Hidaka)
"You feeling nervous?" Asked Vesta as she cleaned a table after a group of drunk teenagers vomited all over it. The thought of the upcoming robbery had me on edge, but lucky for us, this was a VIP room, so we had a bit of privacy. The walls were covered in soft velvet carpeting, and the couches were a leather mat black; those trinkets meant nothing to me, however. No, the real prize here...no cameras. The boom of the music in the main room became a defend twing thanks to the soundproof padding in the walls, not enough to bother but enough to know that there is an entire world out there partying like animals. Lady Sif says that it encourages the VIPs to relax more.
"Ya, but I'm okay for the most part, just need to get this job done, then I can finally leave this place for good."
"Leave?"
"Ya, my brother wanted me to live a decent life of peace, I only ever joined to help Hisashi out, but... losing Sweet...this wasn't worth it." I looked down as the sting of tears welled up in my eyes. Vesta grabbed my hand and hugged me.
"Go, once we are done, go. Find joy in life again." Vesta smiled at me so warmly that I couldn't help but relax. I straightened myself out and then turned to the door. "Alright, Vesta, let's get started." I walked out of the VIP room and turned down the hallway, It was dark with long strips of neon illuminating the corners. At the end was the back door leading outside. I stepped towards it and pushed it open. There stood a veritable giant in a tuxedo, the security guard.
"Barry, you doing okay?" I asked.
"Oh, Miss Shitarin. I'm okay, just cold, is all. Suites aren't meant for this kind of weather." His gruff voice shuddered a little as the wind blew.
"Ya, forecast expects rain tonight." I took out a needle, dexmedetomidine. Courtesy of Vesta and Yato. I quickly stabbed his neck, as he turned to me, I could see pain in his eyes. He may not know what my goal was, but he knew I had betrayed him. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. I whistled, and Liam, Hisashi, and Candra emerged from the shadows. They all had masks on and what looked to be two duffel bags. Liam and Hisashi wore our signature gas masks, but Candra had a creepy clown mask on. Liam stepped up and then handed a bag to me, "Nice work. Get changed, I'll need backup."
"Not yet, they'll do a roll call once Vesta hits the alarm. I'll be back soon."
07:20 pm (Liam)
After Hida walked off, I texted Vesta to hit the fire alarm, emptying out the kitchen. As everyone poured out to the front of the club, we snuck into the kitchen office and to the secret safe. Candra pulled away the painting and got to work breaking it.
"Lucky us, the safe is mechanical. I can work with this. She pulled out a drill and what looked to be a large canister of compressed air."
"Won't that make noise?" I asked.
"Do you wish to get in or not?"
"Damn, hold on." I texted Vesta again, then put my phone away.
"Liam." Hisashi yanked my arm. We are running low on time here. What are you planning? Suddenly, music in the club boomed once more, but far louder than before. "Candra, drill. Quickly." Without hesitation, she punctured the safe, drilling as quickly as possible. Hisashi tried to yell something, but I couldn't hear him. Once she finished drilling at a corner piece of the safe, she funneled a pipe from the canister to the hole. Then out came a smokey liquid...liquid nitrogen. She then pulled out a hammer and chisel and began banging on the edges of the safe. With one last heave, she yanked the safe door off its hinges. That is when the music stopped.
"I believe that is a new record. Good thinking with the music, that was Miss Moichi, correct?" She asked.
"Yah. Alright, I'm going in." I said confidently.
"No, wait for Hida, you never know what you might find down there, and you might need backup." Said Hisashi, "I won't lose any of you today, so play it safe. If it's a choice between the artifact and your life, leave the damned thing."
"R-right"
"Don't forget, what we need is a blue folder with the demon head symbol on it. The blueprints depict an air tank of some sort. As for where it's located or how big this lab is..." He shrugged.
"Ya, figured it would be like that." I stuck my hand out to him. "We'll get through this, brother," I said softly. he smiled back, but he looked unsure. I pulled him in for a hug, then let him go. Hida returned all suited up. "Let's get going," she said with a determined look in her eye. I pulled out my phone and texted Yato. *Begin*
08:00 pm (Yato)
"Loud and clear, boss," I whispered to myself. I stepped to the centre of the mall and jumped atop the water fountain. I then pulled the bomb trigger. Suddenly, loud punk music boomed through the mall as trash cans all over exploded with bright paint. "Experiment on me!" The song's lyrics got me singing like a madman. People panicked and ran in all directions like a horde of roaches that had just been illuminated. Mall security ran towards me, stun guns in hand. I turned and pulled it out, Hida's Magnum Opus, The Negotiator. A large minigun capable of firing rounds loaded with my chemicals. I grabbed the cable, attached it, and stabbed it into my bag's ammo cartridge. "SAY HELLO!" I cocked it, extending the six barrels. "...TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!" I pulled the trigger and shot pure glory. Rounds the size of ping-pong balls filled with tear gas.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" I yelled like a Viking who had just pillaged a kingdom, pure primal pleasure. The security stood no chance as they coughed and cried from the waves of tear gas. More came from a different direction, but I wasted no time in giving them the fight they were looking for. I turned the turret towards them and spread bullets like a hosepipe. Soon, gas filled the room as the security guards lay on the ground coughing heavily. (Things are going according to plan, but I need more chaos, otherwise, the police won't focus on me.)
As I thought that a fireball flew right by my head, I leaned back, just barely dodging it as it singed my hoodie. Knocking it off my head. I back-flipped, landing just behind the fountain, taking cover. I looked over the porcelain, and that's when I saw it, bright red orbs dancing in the distance. They would sway one way, then the other, then suddenly...stop.
"YOUUUUU!" a deep, gruffy voice bellows from the smoke. "You were at the jewellery store three months ago." I recognised it, it's the enforcer, Liam's Uncle, Herald Jackson, he stood there in a business suit, as tall as a mountain and built like an ox. (What is he doing here... civilian clothes...was he busy shopping?) He lifted his arms as they began to glow, and the temperature in the room spiked. He fired off a tsunami of flame in the shape of a fist. I stood up and ran for the adjacent corridor as fast as I could, just barely escaping. I turned to look back and found the once beautiful fountain in a molten mess. (This guy has no problem killing me, I'd best get out of here... no, not enough chaos. If I run just because a hunter showed up, the cops will get comfortable, the others will get swarmed. I need to make my stand and win this fight.)
I replaced the cartridge on the mini gun and reloaded it. (A little liquid nitrogen should cool him off.) I stood up and aimed my gun in his direction, but found it empty. My eyes darted left and right, but the tear gas I was spreading was now working as a double-edged blade. The hallways were too foggy, and even the mall officers were gone. Just then, a spike of heat washed over me from above, as I looked up, a wall of flame came crashing down on me. I just barely managed to dodge it, but my jacket was set alight. I tossed it off and reoriented myself. Aiming my gun up, looking for him, but nothing, my heart began to race as my breath became heavy. (Damn it, he's stalking me like an animal) I took a deep breath, (no, calm down. Rememver what Vesta says, people become stupid when they panic. My best bet is to get out of the fog and fight him in the open, sure I'll be exposed but at least I can see him) I jumped up and dashed for the exit as fast as I could. On que, as if he read my mind. Jackson created a wall of fire, blocking me in. I quickly got my gun ready to fire some rounds at the floor, but then another flame fist came my way, forcing me to dodge. (He's keeping me trapped, and if I try to put out the flames, he'll cook me alive...this has gotten interesting.) The wall of fire kept burning, so I turned around and carefully walked back to the destroyed fountain.
"Don't bother surrendering, you ruined my off day, for that I'll make it my mission to destroy every last trace of you." Said Jackson. His voice was like a cool breeze nipping at my spine. He meant what he said, he truly felt no qualms about killing me... could I do the same, could I so coldly take life? Another fire fist came hurling my way, but I rolled. (Focus Yato, what can you make that will help you right now...think, think, think...wait, fish, black beans, the roasted nuts I had earlier today, plenty of kale and a few other vegetables and dark chocolate over the past few months...what do all of these have in common?) a smile slashed across my face. (I need high temperatures to light it, and would you look at that, the walking candle stick is busy hurling fire at me... perfect.) I focused my mind on the element I needed, "Mg". I gathered as much as I could in my hand, 710 grams. (Luck my body can store elements better than most people.) I got the gun ready and began to fire rounds of nitrogen at the ceiling, limiting his hiding places.
"Coward, running from a little kid, you scared chicken." A few more fire fists came my way, but I dodged them easily. "Looooser, your aim sucks dude." Another came my way, that shot was so unbelievably sloppy that I barely had to dodge it. "That's the best you can do?"
Suddenly, like a comet from space, he barreled from the sky, just barely missing, landing just behind me. I didn't have time to escape. If he was on target, that would have been it. "Damn, I missed, don't fret child. I won't miss again." He stood up and readied his fist for another charge. I began to hyperventilate as I turned and panic ran towards the exit. "Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god." I dropped Hidas' mini gun and ran for my life. My legs felt heavy, like running through molasses, but I had to keep going, I had to get away. "Too late for prayer." He dashed at me, fist raised. I turned around and smiled at him, "Loooserrr." I pressed a button, causing the mini gun to explode into a cloud of ice, freezing his feet in place, then I threw the ball of magnesium at his burning fist. The ball exploded in a flash of white, illuminating the room like a little supernova. I use this opportunity to dash for the exit, throwing nitrogen on the flame wall before reaching the exit. I turned around and yelled to him once more. "You shall always remember this as the day you ALMOST caught the great Captain Shockwave.... no... just Shockwave, ya Shockwave." I dashed off as I heard him yell in rage, (That should do it, cops will be all over me in no time.) I ran for my bike and raced off as a swarm of police came after me...(Oil slick, check. Makibishi, check. Nitros engine, check. Escaping should be no problem. Hisashi, Liam, big sis, Vesta. Please...be safe)