Mr. Kartswield stumbled through the hallway yawning, the brief power outage had awoken him from a nap. He clutches a device on his chest that regulates his heart. "Almost got me, didn't cha?" He mutters to himself. Kartswield walks past the renovated storage closet, eyeing the duffle bags and the bed, but not paying it too much mind. As he approaches the windows he can see Ginrō sparring with that Konza boy, there's a blue haired woman sitting on a bench watching them as well. Despite being behind her and through a sheet of glass, she turns around and waves to Mr. Kartswield, who reluctantly waves back. "How did she?" Karstwield questions then looks back at the supply closet, then back to Leo. "No. No way."
Kartswield breathes heavily as he stands over the water fountain.
"I obliterate every single one of you that are currently in this room"
"No. Karl, you're losing it." Kartswield splashes water into his face. "Every child from that scheiße year, acts just like that cosmic terror! How am I to discern which one?"
In the pristine office of none other but Victor Caine, two separate phones ring on his desk. One contact reads "My Favorite Son," the other is just a number, he answers the latter first. "Why, hello, whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"
"Caine. It's Kartswield."
"Why if it isn't Karl Kartswield, formerly known as the Wraith. How are we doing, old friend?"
"If I'm to be honest? Anxious."
"What's on your mind? Aren't you enjoying retirement?"
"I was, until that boy arrived?"
"What boy?"
"The son of your dog, Lefarious Konza! Apparently, he just got out of jail and is working here now. And today! I find that he even has his own room here!"
"Most interesting…are you afraid that he will best you as his father did before him?"
"Yes! But for what reason is what haunts me! Caine, you were in that room, you heard what it said! Everyone who stood in that room would be in direct opposition to it in the future! There's no mistaking it!"
"So you think he is the boy. Interesting, indeed." Victor Caine stands up and walks to his detective board full of pictures and red string. He unpins the picture of a boy named 'Eon Draco' and moves it to the edge of the board. "I don't suppose you think this for every 19 year old you meet?"
"YES, I do actually, ESPECIALLY when their father has KILLED me before!" Kartswield takes a second to look around before putting the phone back to his ear.
"I'm sure you've made many enemies in your service to King-"
"Don't say his name!"
"...during your time as a Warlord." Caine corrects. "It's not too far off that you'd meet someone in this generation with connections to that era, especially now that you live in the country that you once deemed an enemy. I believe you're being paranoid."
"Paranoid, huh. I pray I can take your word."
"There's no word better than mine. Get some rest Mr. Kartswield. Give me a call back if the boy makes any developments."
"Y-yes. Yes, sir." Then Kartswield hangs up the phone.
Caine unpins a few more pictures, one reads 'Eol Hardy' another 'Rex Williams', the last 'Ava Gonzo.' He pushes them all to the side then steps back to look at the full board. Leo's picture sits in the center, one thread connects him to Roy, Murphy, and Ishikawa, another thread leads to Trevor and Sigurd Gunn, the last thread connects him to Lefarious, Wraith, King Lumon, and the name Solus with several question marks behind it.
Speeding down the street on a motorcycle is none other than Bulletproof and Selene. "Pig fucker didn't answer the phone, now what?" BP says weaving in and out of cars.
"It's okay, baby, let me handle it. We'll kill the bad people who hurt your friends in no time." Selene says into a bluetooth helmet, hugging BP tighter. Selene leans backwards then taps a button on the side.
Brnng, brnng, brnng
"Rex Williams, Boy Genius speaking, how can I help you?" The boy appears on a screen in her helmet, sitting in a gamer chair in his all white room.
"Rex! It's Selene!"
"It's Seleeeeeeeeneeeee!" Rex says excitedly, spinning around in his chair. "Have you been taking the vitamins I made you? They don't just help you pass identity checks when you shapeshift, eventually you'll start to gain the memories and powers of the-"
"Save it for someone who cares Rex! There's a kid by the name of Owen Murphy I need you to find."
"Coming right up, Leeeenie!"
"Leenie!" BP whips his head back furiously while still maneuvering through traffic. "When the fuck did that start?"
"Relax, the boy is like 12. Focus on the road, baby." Selene dismisses.
"I just turned 11 in March but technically I'm supposed to be 19, hehehe…" Rex chuckles.
"Wha-a?" Selene and BP question.
"Leenieeeee! I've told you almost a 100 times now, during last year's science fair; my project was a-"
"Owen Murphy! Location, now!"
"Oh right! I forgot, hehehe." Rex says as he clicks and clacks on his keyboard until multiple surveillance images appear in both of their helmets. "Seems like this guy is headed to Richville. I'd assume to the Port of Richville."
"God Damnit, we were just over there! I wonder if the ice in my margarita has melted yet?" BP says in frustration, whipping the bike onto an exit.
The images show Reiko/Owen, head resting on his fist looking out the window. "What's his deal anyways?" Rex asks.
"Got what I needed. Thank you, Rexy! Bye." Selene clicks her helmet again, hanging up the call. "See baby," she hugs forward once more, "mama's got it under control."
"Oh how I adore you."
"I know." Selene jests as BP jumps the motorcycle off a construction ramp into the streets below the highway.
Back at Pepper's, a mild-mannered hitman named 'High Roller' twirls a revolver in one hand and taps his foot. "Oh yeah? Well…" He reaches into his back pocket.
"Wait, no! I promise that's all I know." The manager of Pepper's pleads.
"Here you are." High Roller gives the manager a wad of cash and puts his gun in his empty pocket. "Don Cugliano put a big hit out on Bulletproof and his girlfriend before he got busted, and I think the odds are in my favor to take that. Thank you for your time."
"I-I-I…Thank You." The manager stammers.
"Don't mention it. It's your lucky day." High Roller says as black truck with tinted windows speeds past, blowing High Roller's trench coat up. He steps into the street and watches it zoom up the block, High Roller turns around as he hears a motorcycle revving loudly. "Might just be mine too."
Brnng, brnng, brnng
Brnng, brnng, brnng
In Salem Supermax Prison, Don Micky Cugliano answers his cell phone angrily. In the background you can see several of his goons holding a prison guard and beating him with his own baton. "Speak!"
"Calm down, Mousey. I think I've found your two birdies, getting my stone ready" High Roller says as a motorcycle carrying two people wisps pass. "I know your hands are pretty tied in there, but you got any disposable bodies I can throw at this guy?"
"My reach in the underworld is so vast, no prison could deter my vengeance." Don Cugliano says shaking the gate to the outside world.
"Alright, cool. Looks like Bulletbitch and his lady are tailing a black armored vehicle to what I can only assume to be the port. Think you could get some guys you don't care about in Richville?"
"They're on the way."
"Perfect. So am I." High Roller hangs up then walks back into Pepper's. "Hey, I heard you guys do $2 margaritas here." He hops up on the swivel stool and rests his arm on the bar.
While a crowd of paramedics and government workers formed around Murphy's former office, Roy and Skai commandeered another space next door to use their computer. Roy plugged in the microSD he found in Murphy's prosthetic eye and has been combing through files for several minutes, finding nothing of use but recordings of 'The Old and The Tiresome.' "Come on Murph, you left this for a reason." Roy throws his hands up in frustration and pushes his chair back."
"Calm." Skai says as she places her hands on his shoulders. "Let me try." She picks up the prosthetic and observes it a moment, bringing it closer to her face then all of a sudden it lights up. The prosthetic scans Skai's eye and she jumps back, dropping the eye onto the table. It rolls to the edge before stopping and projecting a hologram of Murphy.
"Hey Kiddos, it's your ol' Uncle Murph!" The flickering hologram greets. "If you're watching this video then that means I'm dead. Isn't that exciting?"
"Not at all." They both respond back.
"Yeah I didn't think so. I'm assuming you said no, that is, this is a pre-recorded conversation after all. So in the event that I'm killed in the near future, here are all the possible candidates…"
In the all black armored vehicle where Owen was, the driver looks in the rear view mirror to Reiko. "Horikoshi-sama? There seems to be a motorcycle approaching us."
Reiko in Owen's body looks amused. "Oh really? They're after us already!" Reiko sticks his head out the window and looks back at the two figures rapidly catching up on the bike. He waves and sticks his tongue out before sitting back inside comfortably. "Let's give them a little chase, shall we?"
"Horikoshi-sama!" The driver informs.
"What!"
"There seems to be a blockade up ahead. Seemingly unrelated."
Up several cars a bit of a traffic jam occurred as more black trucks parked horizontally on the street. Don Cugliano's leftovers lock and load automatic rifles and talk amongst themselves.
"So this guy is really Bulletproof?" One thug asks.
"I think it's just a title, even if he is, his girlfriend ain't. She's the Shapesister, a shapeshifter." Another responds.
"The chick from that TV Show? I thought she was just an actor."
"Yeah." The second guy laughs. "A damn good one too."
"Convoy approaching! Eyes up!" A third mobster says while raising his rifle up.
"So wait, are we taking out the armored car too?" A fourth asks.
"Don't know. Wasn't told anything about it outside of they were tailing it." One of them responds.
"Let's not take any chances. We don't wanna get FlameGuard'ed." The first goon says as they all aim their rifles at the incoming traffic and begin shooting.
BRACKARACKARACKARCAKARACKARACKA
Bullets peck Reiko's windshield like flies while civilians flee in terror as cars flip and explode. "Blow straight through!" He commands.
"Looks like this is our stop, things might get messy, feel free to bail at any time." BP says back to Selene, speeding towards the chaos. "But, first hold on!" Bulletproof weaves through the gunfire and wheelies up onto an overturned car, using it as a ramp to leap over all the nonsense below.
Reiko's truck blows through the blockade without losing an ounce of speed and turns goon number one into a meat sandwich. Overhead, BP's bike turns to the side as he overtakes Reiko's escape, landing in an Akira-slide up ahead and aiming his pistol at them. "HAHAHA!" Reiko screams in laughter. "Does that imbecile truly believe that he can just-'
FAHHHH
BP finds the shot and fires. The bullet drops low and bounces off the ground underneath the armored vehicle, finding itself through the undercarriage and into the fuel tank. Blowing the vehicle sky high before crashing and flipping several times coming to a full stop on its roof. No time to admire the view as BP and Selene get off the bike and duck incoming fire from the remaining gunmen.
BRACKARACKARACKARCAKARACKARACKA
Owen, waking up in a burning haze, crawls out of the overturned vehicle before the fire consumes him. "Huff….huff…where…am I? Where's my dad?" Owen limps from the wreckage before seizing and falling to his knees as Reiko's driver and bodyguard crawl from the wreckage as well.
Owen's body then stands up and walks back to the wreckage and kicks his bodyguard in the face. "You fools! You almost let my host escape." Unbeknownst to Reiko, Selene was already on the other side of the truck choking his driver to death. "Now get up! Both of you!" Reiko commands.
The bodyguard and the driver get up nervously.
"Issho, lend me your body. Ganto, take my host to the Port and I'll repossess him later after I'm done here." Reiko orders as the two enforcers look at each other nervously.
"M-me?" The driver asks.
"Well your name is Takanawa Ganto, right?" Reiko sarcastically questioned.
"Y-yes sir." The driver responds as Reiko suddenly collapses, the bodyguard stumbles too but regains his posture and fixes his collar.
"Now, let's see who today's attackers are?" Reiko says, now in the body of his bodyguard walking towards BP's gun fight and unsheathing a tanto.
The driver picks up Owen's body and places it in the back of an abandoned car. After getting in and looking for the keys. Owen suddenly wakes up and pleads with his captor. "PLEASE! I JUST WANNA GO HOME!"
"There's no home to return to, kiddo." The driver turns around and looks at Owen with a stern face. "But I can think of a few places better than wherever he plans on taking you." The driver smiles as he shapeshifts back into Selene.
BRRRRRRRR BRAP BRAP BRRRRRRR BRAP BRAP
BP was effortlessly taking out the hired thugs one by one. With a drum and a lemon-squeeze trigger, the streets fill with shell casings. The notion that BP's left gun isn't lethal is often misconstrued, while it isn't lethal initially, Lefty contains a high octane pressurizer that can shoot pellets at speeds that can penetrate skin and even bones. The two remaining goons hid beneath a car and blindly fired towards Bulletproof, scared shitless.
Vrrb, vrrb
BP's phone vibrates and he looks down for a moment. It's a message from Selene. A picture of her making a kissy face with Owen crying in the background. Her message said "Kid acquired. Going to get some ice cream." With ice cream and kiss emojis.
As he's reading, the two goons take their chance thinking BP is distracted but the moment their heads look over cover they're both popped and dropped. "Whew. Alright, now time too-" Before BP can relax, Reiko drives his tanto into BP's back. "Grrrh." He grunts, turning his head around to see one of Reiko's bodyguards. "Is this how you say hello?"
"In most cases, yes." Reiko says as he brings the blade out but BP spins around and lets off shots again.
BRRRRRRRR Ting BRAP BRAP Ting Ting BRRRRRRR BRAP BRAP Ting Ting Ting
BP keeps Reiko at a distance while his wounds close as Reiko deflects his shots. "So, I'm under the assumption-" BRRRRRRRR "-that you're this Reiko guy huh?"
Ting Ting "The one and only. Whom do I have the pleasure of killing today?" Reiko says, lunging towards BP.
BP rolls to the side and fires two more shots. BRAP BRAP. "Murphy, I guess, cause you ain't killing me."
"To be determined" Ting Ting.
"Mmmm hmmm mmm hm mmm" High Roller hums walking up the street. He sips on his margarita in a to-go cup and holds a half eaten burger in the other hand. Gunfire from the fight wisp and weave past him but he continues on his carefree stroll. "I believe-" SLURRRRRP "that you're currently fighting Quintin Cassidy AKA Bulletproof. Powers of Perfect Aim-" SLURRRRRP "-and Regeneration." High Roller announces, approaching the two, drink still in hand.
"We'll see about that!" Reiko yells as he pounces on BP, blade raised. BP cranks the dial on Lefty and VVVRRRRRR goes his gun as Reiko is riddled with bullets. "GAHHH!" Reiko yells as he falls onto his back, trying to stay awake.
"Billy "High Roller" Bloom." With the powers of probability manipulation." BP says as he looks towards Reiko who's leaving a trail of blood as he desperately crawls away. "Guess, some of it rubbed off on me."
"Who knows? Might just be your lucky day." High Roller says as he shrugs, tossing the empty drink aside and unwrapping his burger.
"IS-SHO! DON'T DIE YET! GET ME CLOSER TO MY HOST!" Reiko screams, desperately trying to return to Owen's body before Issho dies. "CURSE THIS WEAK BODY…"
"Hold on one second, just need to take a picture for a friend." BP says, pulling out his phone and taking a picture of Reiko crawling away before sending it to Roy.
"Oh no." MUNCH MUNCH "-go right, ahead-" MUNCH MUNCH "-take your time." High Roller says as he finishes his burger.
"Okay, now that I got that out the way. Wait." BP puts his phone in his pocket and turns around to shoot Reiko twice more. FAHH FAHH. "Can never be too careful, ya know?"
"Completely understandable." High Roller says, wiping his mouth and throwing the burger wrapper aside.
"So, I take it, this is all your handiwork?"
High Roller shrugs, "Ehh, more than less. Don Cugliano put a big hit out on you, so I figured I'd take it, ya know? No hard feelings."
"Completely understandable. So, any chance we can both walk away and promise to fight another-"
FAHHH
High Roller's revolver barks and blows a hole in BP's face. He falls backwards onto the ground, lifeless. "Can never be too careful, ya know?" High Roller says as he walks over lazily, snaps a picture, then observes the scene. Bodies and overturned cars scattered the ground. High Roller just shrugs his shoulders before sending the picture to an unsaved number, he waits a moment for the money to transfer before walking off. "This was easier than I thought."
PEW PEW PEW PEW PEW
Five shots…that all miraculously missed.
High Roller turns around curiously. BP is now standing, he spits out a bullet into his hand as his face finishes reforming. "Nope, it's exactly what you thought." BP chuckles.