[New York City, New York (May 2023)]
The mean streets of Manhattan glittered beneath a sky colored by charcoal clouds, neon signs, and headlights painting streaks of red, white, and blue across the wet pavement.
For most people, it was just another ordinary evening in New York City. But for two young DPA agents by the name of Desmond Reed and Sabrina Taylor, it was the end of yet another grueling day of work.
Well…almost. They still had about thirty minutes left until their shift was over.
"I don't care what you say, I'm still putting it in the report." Sabrina, a young woman of average height with fair skin, brown eyes, and long black hair styled with wispy bangs, said from the passenger seat while staring through the windshield. "Jersey Devils should be classified as the single most annoying cryptid in the entire Northeast."
Desmond, a young man only a year younger than his partner with golden-brown skin, deep brown eyes, and short black hair styled in a burst fade, laughed from behind the wheel. "You say that every time we have to deal with them."
"Because I'm right. Every. Single. Time."
As the two young sorcerers continued their conversation, their blacked-out DPA sedan rolled through Manhattan traffic as the glow of the streetlights slid across the dashboard. Desmond, despite still being tired from the long mission they had just finished, wore his signature confident smile to hide the fatigue he felt as he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. All while Sabrina sat beside him with her arms crossed as her brown eyes remained firmly fixed on the road ahead.
"You know…" The young man said. "For someone who spends her off days skating professionally, you'd think chasing monsters through Queens for the better part of three hours would be easy."
"Last I checked, skating doesn't usually involve getting tackled by rabid goat-dog hybrids with wings." The woman quickly shot back.
"They weren't that bad."
"One of them threw a trash can at me." Sabrina scowled.
"You dodged it, though."
"It still threw a trash can at me."
Desmond grinned. "You have to admit, though, that was pretty impressive."
Sabrina shot him a look. "I'm so glad you found it entertaining."
"I sure did!"
The young woman simply sighed and sank lower into her seat instead of responding to the obvious provocation.
The cryptid hunt in question, a Jersey Devil infestation, had started with a few reported sightings in a semi-abandoned section of the lower part of Queens earlier that day. Then the sightings multiplied enough to bring up an alert on the station's radar barely an hour later. And by the time the two young DPA agents arrived on the scene, a small horde of the ugly-looking creatures had taken over an abandoned warehouse.
Three hours, several bruises, and one very unfortunate incident with an old vending machine later, the situation was handled without additional complications.
Sure enough, the cryptids had been contained and destroyed. The mission was over. And all that remained now was the dreaded paperwork. The one thing that every agent in the entire department agreed sucked almost as much as the actual work itself.
"Think we can get back to Station Two before midnight?" Sabrina asked.
Desmond glanced at the clock on the dashboard. "If traffic doesn't hate us."
"Traffic always hates us."
"Well, you're not wrong about that."
"Gotta love New York, right?"
The duo drove in silence for a few minutes after that. That is, until Sabrina's stomach suddenly growled loud enough to be heard over the radio.
Desmond slowly turned his head toward his partner and gave her a dry look. "No."
"I didn't say anything." The woman quickly got defensive.
"You didn't have to."
She folded her arms tighter. "Look, dude, I haven't eaten anything since four. And all I had was a damn breakfast bagel with a side of hash browns."
"That's tragic. Almost as tragic as-"
"I swear to God, Desmond, if you make another music joke-"
The young man quickly changed what he was about to say before continuing. "Actually…I was going to suggest we stop for food."
Sabrina paused. "Oh."
"See? I'm a thoughtful and considerate partner, aren't I?"
"Since when?"
"Since always. Why do you think me and Amir get along so well?"
Despite herself, Sabrina laughed.
-(o)-
A few minutes later, the duo pulled into a small convenience store parking lot that was just a bit further down the road. The store was still open, judging by the fluorescent lights shining brightly against the dark street. Which was all the confirmation that Desmond needed before he killed the engine and opened the door.
"Five minutes." The young man said. "Snacks, drinks, then headquarters. No more detours."
"Deal." Sabrina nodded.
The two then stepped out of the car and made their way over to the store. However, the moment Sabrina pushed open the building's glass door, she froze.
Desmond nearly walked into her.
"What?"
The dark-haired woman didn't say anything. Instead, she just pointed in front of her, right where three masked men in all black stood near the front counter. All of whom were holding guns.
One guy had the cashier pinned against the register while another emptied money from the drawer. The third, meanwhile, stood near the counter to keep watch.
The cashier barely looked old enough to be working the night shift. His face was pale, and it was clear that he wasn't exactly having a good day.
Sabrina stared at the scene, then she closed her eyes. "You've gotta be kidding me…"
Desmond looked at the robbers.
Then at Sabrina.
Then back at the robbers.
Then, for some unknown reason, he started laughing at the nonsense playing out right in front of them.
Sabrina slowly turned toward him. "What?"
"We can't catch a break, can we?" The man replied with a smile.
"This isn't funny."
"It kind of is."
Only then did one of the masked men finally seem to notice the two of them.
"Hey!" Desmond stopped laughing as soon as the masked man raised his gun toward them. It was a small pistol, one clearly meant for concealed carry. The kind that's only been legal to have in the city for a few years. "Get on the ground! Both of you!"
The cashier flinched.
Sabrina's expression darkened. "Seriously?"
"Hands where we can see them!" Another robber shouted. "And empty your fucking pockets while you're at it!"
Sabrina stared at the criminal before muttering something under her breath. "We just finished fighting monsters. And now we have to deal with this shit?"
The robber blinked. "What?"
"Nothing."
Desmond glanced sideways at Sabrina. Sabrina looked back. No words were necessary. After all, they had worked together long enough to recognize the look. It was the look they gave each other whenever they were both thinking the exact same thought.
'Let's get this over with.'
"Sure, bro..." Desmond smiled as he raised his hands. "Whatever you say."
The nearest robber stepped toward them. "On the floor!"
Before the guy could get another word out, Desmond snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, the air in the room changed. Then a razor-thin shriek of sound instantly appeared inside the robbers' ears. The frequency was too high for normal human hearing to tolerate, but Desmond's magic wasn't limited by normal physics.
To anyone who knew him, or at least heard about him, Desmond Reed was a wielder of the unique magical attribute known as 'sound magic'. A strange and mystical ability that allowed the young man to generate and manipulate any type of sound wave at his disposal.
Okay, technically that wasn't the entire truth. In reality, a much more fitting name for his powers would've been 'vibration magic'.
In its most basic form, this power allowed Desmond to manipulate kinetic energy, acoustic waves, and resonant frequencies to varying degrees, resulting in him being able to influence physical matter, energy, and human perception. This also included the acute manipulation of acoustic qualities such as pitch, amplitude, intensity, frequency, and tone.
However, 'vibration magic' sounded kind of dirty to the young man touted as America's newest S-rank sorcerer. So he chose to go with 'sound magic' since it was more in line with the way that he preferred to use it.
"What the-?!"
All three men immediately screamed the moment the high-pitched whining reached their ears. They all then dropped their weapons and staggered backward, clutching their ears to try to defend themselves from the sudden acoustic onslaught.
Desmond kept his hand raised as he allowed the sound to pulse for another few seconds. And he would be lying if he said that he didn't take great pleasure in watching the would-be robbers double over in pain. These guys had the nerve to point a gun at him, so they had to pay the price for their foolishness. And if that price resulted in a bit of short-term hearing loss, then so be it.
Once it was clear that the three robbers were sufficiently incapacitated, Sabrina took the chance to make her move. A sudden gust of wind exploded around her feet, and she closed the distance between them in an instant thanks to her using her body reinforcement.
"Good night, losers!" The 'wind magic' user declared right before her fist struck the first robber squarely in the chest.
WHAM!
The man instantly flew backward and crashed into a display rack.
The second robber barely had time to react to what just happened before Sabrina spun around and used her momentum to deliver a fist that connected with his jaw.
CRACK!
He dropped.
The third guy smartly saw the writing on the wall and tried to escape toward the back door. However, he wasn't fast enough to avoid the sharp burst of wind that slammed into his legs and sent him stumbling forward.
In the time it took the masked man to hit the ground, Sabrina caught up with him. And without any ceremony, the young woman delivered a devastating right kick to the back of his head. The kick wasn't strong enough to cave his skull in, but it was more than enough to knock him out cold on contact.
With that little nuisance out of the way, silence finally returned to the store.
Desmond quickly released his magic, allowing the ringing to vanish. But either way, the three unconscious criminals lay scattered across the floor.
The cashier stared at them.
Then at Desmond.
Then at Sabrina.
It was safe to say that the guy was totally confused by what just happened. One second, he was being held at gunpoint. The next, he heard an oddly loud snapping sound before all three of his assailants were clutching their heads in pain. And then, the pretty lady with the black hair moved across the aisle with such blinding speed that he was barely able to see her knock all three of them out with what looked to be relative ease. He had seen some strange things in young life, but this certainly took the cake. And that was saying something considering where he lived.
Sabrina brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "Well?"
Desmond shrugged and smiled. "That was easy."
She gave him a flat look. "You say that about everything. Mr. Rookie of the Year."
"Because nearly everything is easy."
"See, this is exactly why people don't like prodigies like you." The 'wind magic' user replied. "Your whole concept of difficulty is completely messed up."
"I said nearly."
"Yeah, sure, whatever man…." She then said with what almost looked like a grin.
The cashier slowly emerged from behind the counter. The guy was obviously still shaken up by what just happened, not that either of the two agents could blame him. But at least he seemed to have the wherewithal to form a coherent sentence.
"A-re... are you two police?"
Desmond shook his head. "Not exactly."
"Security?"
"Sort of."
Sabrina picked up one of the fallen guns and emptied the magazine before carefully placing it on the counter, well away from everyone. She then pulled her badge out of her jacket pocket and showed it to the young cashier. "We work for the government. Department of Homeland Security, to be exact."
The cashier stared. "That doesn't really explain anything."
"It's better that way, believe me." Desmond said with a reassuring grin. "Just accept the blessing and don't ask too many questions."
The two agents then casually began looking around the store as if they hadn't just busted a robbery in progress. Their mission was technically finished, along with whatever the hell this apparent robbery was supposed to be. So, naturally, Sabrina headed toward the snack aisle to get her reward for a job well done.
Desmond followed.
"Chips?" The 'sound magic' user asked.
"Obviously."
"Chocolate?"
"Of course."
"Energy drink?"
"At this hour? Hell no! Besides, it's not like it would have any effect on me. I am craving a yogurt, though."
Desmond cringed and gave the dark-haired woman an odd look. "That's a terrible combination."
"Okay, well, I'm dealing with period cravings right now. And that terrible combination is going to hold me over until I get back home."
"Fair point."
-(o)-
A few minutes later, the two agents approached the register with their snacks in hand. The cashier was still visibly distraught and very much confused, but he managed to ring everything up without any trouble.
When Desmond reached for his wallet, the cashier quickly shook his head.
"No. D-don't worry about it."
Desmond paused. "What?"
"Your food. It's on the house."
Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
The cashier nodded. "You...you just saved my life."
"Appreciate that." Desmond smiled.
He put the money on the counter anyway. Desmond Reed was many things, but he wasn't the kind of person who would take something when he didn't think that he deserved it. He wasn't his mother, after all. Besides, not paying for his food just wouldn't sit right with his conscience.
The cashier stared at the money for a couple of seconds before looking up at the two. "I said-"
"We heard you." Sabrina said kindly. "But that's not how we operate."
Desmond nodded toward the money. "You're running an honest business. We don't need free food."
The cashier hesitated before accepting the payment. "Thank you."
"You can thank us by calling the cops." Sabrina then said, gesturing toward the still-unconscious robbers with her thumb. "They'll be out for a while, but you better get that done sooner rather than later."
"Right."
The cashier immediately reached for the phone.
As he began making the call, Desmond and Sabrina headed for the door. They still needed to head back to the station. And the sooner they got back in their car and hit the road, the sooner they would finally be able to clock out and go home.
"Have a good night!" Sabrina said.
"You too!" the cashier replied, albeit with a wobbly smile.
The moment the two agents stepped outside, the cool night air hit them. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Desmond looked at Sabrina and gave his partner a satisfied grin.
"So…." The 'sound magic' user said.
"So?" The 'wind magic' user looked up at him.
"Snack run successful?"
Sabrina stared at him. "We almost got robbed."
"Not us."
"We interrupted an armed robbery."
"But we still got the snacks, though."
Sabrina shook her head. "You're impossible."
The duo then climbed back into the car, and Desmond wasted no time starting the engine.
As they pulled away from the curb, Sabrina opened her bag of chips.
She ate one.
Then another.
Then another, before swallowing it and looking at her partner.
"You know…." She said while picking another chip out of the bag. "For a city this big, there's always something happening. Like, seriously, it's like there's something going on every day. It's not like this in New Jersey. Cryptids don't show nearly as consistently."
"That's New York for you." Desmond smiled. "And bigger cities always have a higher frequency of cryptid appearances."
"Next time, though, we're taking the express route."
"Why?"
"So nothing else like this happens on her way back."
Desmond laughed. "You really think that's going to work?"
"No."
"Good."
Sabrina looked over at him. "What?"
"Because I'd hate for us to have a boring day."
She sighed. "I'm counting the minutes until our next day off."
"Same."
"Two days."
"Three."
"Two."
"Three."
"Two."
Desmond grinned. "Three if we finish the paperwork early. But I wouldn't count on it since Chief Chandler and Deputy Chief Jackson are still at the station."
Sabrina slowly turned toward him and gave the young man a dry look. "You really had to ruin my good mood, didn't you?"
The car disappeared into the Manhattan night, carrying two exhausted DPA agents toward Station Two, their snacks safely in hand and their paperwork waiting patiently for them when they got back.
Somewhere behind them, sirens began to echo through the streets.
Desmond glanced at the rearview mirror. Sabrina looked too. But neither said anything.
Then Desmond smiled. "Not our problem."
Sabrina opened another chip. "Definitely not our problem."
And for once, they kept driving.
-(o)-
Character Profile: Desmond
Name: Desmond Jalen Reed
Alias: Soundwave, Rookie of the Year
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Birthday: February 17th
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States of America
Height: 73in.
Weight: 184lbs.
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Magic: Sound
Occupation: DPA Agent, Musician
Stat Chart: S
-Physical Strength - 4
-Intelligence - 3.5
-Magic Amount - 5+
-Magical Control - 4
-Magic Sensing - 5+
-Special - 5
Fun Fact:
-Favorite instrument is the bass guitar.
-Knows how to play seven different instruments.
-Favorite food is a pastrami sandwich on rye bread.
-Hates his mother.
-DPA Rookie of the Year (2021).
-Once destroyed a New York City Council Member's car while hunting down a cryptid. He vehemently denies that it was him who did it (No one believes him).
-Once fought off an entire nest of cryptids known as "sewer gators" directly below the Rockefeller Center.
-(o)-
Character Profile: Sabrina
Name: Sabrina Dakota Taylor
Alias: N/A
Gender: Female
Age: 21
Birthday: December 30th
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
Height: 66in.
Weight: 127lbs.
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Race: White
Magic: Wind
Occupation: DPA Agent, Pro Skater
Stat Chart: B
-Physical Strength - 2
-Intelligence - 4
-Magic Amount - 3
-Magical Control - 4
-Magic Sensing - 4.5
-Special - N/A
Fun Fact:
-Has been a professional skater since she was 16.
-Favorite food is pork rolls.
-Plans to compete in the X-Games this year.
-Favorite movie is Mulan.
-Awoke her powers after falling out of the window while trying to sneak out of her parents' house.
-Once snuck into the observation deck of the Statue of Liberty with her cousin.