Futuristic Sparked

[MidwayLives]

BYOB froze in his tracks looking at Stun blankly through the lenses of his gas mask. The sudden demon revelation took everyone for a loop. But Father Death would hear none of it. Demon or not, life-binding or not, Stun was a loose end and he would be cleaned up. "Mr. Bob? Why are you hesitating?"

"Sorry, Reverend. But if we kill him-"

"Kill him. Now."

"What?! But we'll all die if you do that-" Jean shouted but Father Death paid her or Odd's complaints little mind. "Now."

Not wanting to disobey the Reverend's orders even if it cost him his life, BYOB gripped Stun by the neck and paused. "...What am I doing...?" Due to MJ's interference, he couldn't activate [BYOB] anymore, let alone know he had access to it to begin with. Watching in surprise as Beckett started to float off BYOB's back, Father Death had seen enough. Something was clearly going on here beyond dealing with Stun. A wave of static lurched forward, seeking to grab onto Beckett and absorb them and end this farce. But the static diverged upon coming into contact with the barrier around Beckett. Recalling the static, the leader of this band of criminals sighed. "I can't quite put my finger on it but something seems off..." A quick scan around showed nobody here inside the factory but them. Given that Beckett had been floating upwards however..

"[White Noise]."

The static burst upwards, seeking to smash through parts of the ceiling to get at whoever was out there.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"[White Noise]."

The static burst upwards, seeking to smash through parts of the ceiling to get at whoever was out there.​

"Oh shit."

 

[Indolent]

BYOB froze in his tracks looking at Stun blankly through the lenses of his gas mask. The sudden demon revelation took everyone for a loop. But Father Death would hear none of it. Demon or not, life-binding or not, Stun was a loose end and he would be cleaned up. "Mr. Bob? Why are you hesitating?"

"Sorry, Reverend. But if we kill him-"

"Kill him. Now."

"What?! But we'll all die if you do that-" Jean shouted but Father Death paid her or Odd's complaints little mind. "Now."

Not wanting to disobey the Reverend's orders even if it cost him his life, BYOB gripped Stun by the neck and paused. "...What am I doing...?" Due to MJ's interference, he couldn't activate [BYOB] anymore, let alone know he had access to it to begin with. Watching in surprise as Beckett started to float off BYOB's back, Father Death had seen enough. Something was clearly going on here beyond dealing with Stun. A wave of static lurched forward, seeking to grab onto Beckett and absorb them and end this farce. But the static diverged upon coming into contact with the barrier around Beckett. Recalling the static, the leader of this band of criminals sighed. "I can't quite put my finger on it but something seems off..." A quick scan around showed nobody here inside the factory but them. Given that Beckett had been floating upwards however..

"[White Noise]."

The static burst upwards, seeking to smash through parts of the ceiling to get at whoever was out there.​

"Oh shit."

"Serious question..." Jacks managed, MJ decidedly privy to the line of thought before she was thrown aside to avoid the incoming attack as Jacks simply dove headlong into the warehouse to draw fire. Minimal fire, as Father Death would make note that her appearance was not without its caveats. Such as the sense of impending doom for the man with the sobriquet of death, as immense weight pressed down broadly to force him prone with the chest compressed to inhibit breathing.

That was one caveat. Another came in the form of an exasperated question.

"Do you guys really have to announce your attacks like anime?" Her arms were splayed out in front as she took in the scenery, noting her objectives making for the exit roof-side. "Stand down and I won't kill your boss. Or you subsequently. Try me and see if I'm sympathetic to your cause of murdering innocents."

 

[MyrtenRose]

MJ decidedly privy to the line of thought before she was thrown aside to avoid the incoming attack as Jacks simply dove headlong into the warehouse to draw fire.

"Wait what are you--oof!" She grunted as she rolled to a stop on the roof, out of the way of that attack. "...…..oh."

"Do you guys really have to announce your attacks like anime?" Her arms were splayed out in front as she took in the scenery, noting her objectives making for the exit roof-side. "Stand down and I won't kill your boss. Or you subsequently. Try me and see if I'm sympathetic to your cause of murdering innocents."

She tilted her head when she heard that. A quick burst of intense concentration later, this time all the Crusaders could suddenly recall watching the news and seeing a figure disguised exactly like this going full on Punisher on some asshole murderer. A fake memory of something that never happened, but they didn't know that and if it helped sell the bluff, then...good enough. Right?

Nevertheless, once that attack passed by, she started to crawl back over to a spot that let her see what was going on down below.

She didn't make it that far.

The sudden force of something pressing against her back brought out a loud gasp of pain. Or it would have, if a hand hadn't moved to muffle her mouth. What the shit??? She tried struggling against whatever the hell was happening but...too little, too late. There was a slightly sweet smell, then...nothing. Just blackness as her vision went dark.

 

[MidwayLives]

"Serious question..." Jacks managed, MJ decidedly privy to the line of thought before she was thrown aside to avoid the incoming attack as Jacks simply dove headlong into the warehouse to draw fire. Minimal fire, as Father Death would make note that her appearance was not without its caveats. Such as the sense of impending doom for the man with the sobriquet of death, as immense weight pressed down broadly to force him prone with the chest compressed to inhibit breathing.

That was one caveat. Another came in the form of an exasperated question.

"Do you guys really have to announce your attacks like anime?" Her arms were splayed out in front as she took in the scenery, noting her objectives making for the exit roof-side. "Stand down and I won't kill your boss. Or you subsequently. Try me and see if I'm sympathetic to your cause of murdering innocents."

The ground where Father Death had been standing cracked as he was forced to the ground. [White Noise] immediately receded from the rooftop which it'd absolutely demolished. Devouring roof tile and narrowly avoiding grabbing MJ before she'd been pushed by Jacks. Circling around Jacks while FD could barely crane his neck up to stare his attacker down. "...Gravity manipulation...?" He inquired before the sudden input of MJ's memories made him stop for a moment. The other Crusaders had varied reactions.

Jean was terrified out of her mind. Killing Stun made her sick when Odd had used him for his own odds and ends. But the idea of being gunned down like a dog in the street by some Punisher-style killer made her scared as shit! Odd couldn't quite picture what Jacks looked like but the sound of gunfire and the news reports of a 'vigilante going around slaughtering criminals' got through to him alright. Picking himself up from where he'd been knocked down by Stun, he didn't make any sudden moves with his revolver.

BYOB? BYOB was...upset.

"YOU CAN'T KILL HIM!!! YOU CAN'T!" He screamed. He didn't care who this intruder was. Or what they'd done to other 'criminals.' Father Death had taken him in when no one else would. He convinced him that this was the right thing to do. That in the years that would follow, more and more of those with 'gifts' would come to praise them. It was the validation he'd craved back home and had failed to find. Even if he couldn't remember how to use his power, he'd gladly die before letting the Reverend come to any harm. Charging straight at Jacks with nothing but his own two hands, he screamed. "YOU CAN'T!!!"

"Stop....Mr. Bob...." FD croaked out, his voice strained by the weight being pressed down upon him. Coming immediately to a grinding halt, BYOB's body language said it all. He couldn't understand why he'd been asked to stop. From what he understood, this person would gladly kill all of them for being scum and the like. How could he live with himself if he let something like that happen to the man who had saved him?

"...It's alright...Mr. Bob...I promise."

He couldn't muster up the strength to look directly at Jacks. "Kill me if you want. It doesn't matter." He hadn't done all of this to expect a warm welcome from those who simply didn't understand. Though he had to admit to himself that he was surprised things had fallen so far so quickly. Their first showing and they'd already been pushed into a corner. What...a shame. But to show fear would only weaken his resolve in the eyes of those who truly believed in him like Odd and BYOB. What kind of leader begged or pleaded for his life when faced with the threat of death? Not he.​

 

[Indolent]

"I don't much care for your posturing, I didn't come here to kill." Jacks' eyes flicked to Becks and Vasquez, satisfied they were floating away like wisps on the wind through the gaping maw in the ceiling. The force bearing down on Death strengthened to showcase her alertness and she cast a glance over the shoulder toward someone in particular.

"You're coming with, 'less you want to die." And so the same effect was exercised upon Stun, seeking to remove him from harm's way at the hands of the Crusaders. A protracted fight wasn't ideal in her mind, especially when they had two innocents and an unsuspecting fop caught in the fray. She follow out the three, borne on the winds seemingly with no exertion to it as she gave a once over to them all.

"Mount another attack and I will find you once again, like today. And eliminate you once for all." Her words a warning farewell of a kind, Jacks would cross the threshold of the ceiling and out into the sky, glancing around to look for MJ immediately to depart with everyone on hand.

 

[MyrtenRose]

Her words a warning farewell of a kind, Jacks would cross the threshold of the ceiling and out into the sky, glancing around to look for MJ immediately to depart with everyone on hand.

Said roof was devoid of any adorable intelligent small memory manipulators. No matter where Jacks looked, there was not even a trace of MJ lurking about. The only ones around were Jacks herself, the ones she’d just saved, and the Crusaders down below.

—————

Her awareness was slowly returning, eyes groggily opening...and then nearly immediately shut again with a wince at the practically blinding white fluorescent light hanging over her. When she opened her eyes again, it was with a lot of blinking before her vision adjusted. It didn’t take long for her to recognize the fact that she had no idea where she was. Or that she had been tied down and restrained to a chair.

Stubbornly she struggled against the restraints, to no avail. The only thing the effort seemed to award was somebody else’s attention. The noise made someone at the far end of the room perk up. “Oh, good. You’re awake.”

“Point out something else obvious, why don’t—“

There was a popping sound and the guy just utterly disappeared from view. That caused her to fall silent mid-retort, MJ turning her head to look around frantically. She needn’t have bothered. A few seconds later and there was another popping sound. That stranger was back, and now standing much closer, almost close enough to touch. At this distance she was certain she had never seen him before. But to her surprise and worried dread, she did recognize the man standing next to the stranger.

How could she not?

“Hello, daughter. We have much to talk about.”

 

[Indolent]

Jacks did a bloodcurdling screech.

 

[MidwayLives]

Father Death didn't bother trying to lift his head any higher. "Tell me, young one. Is it posturing if you're truly willing to die for what you believe in? I don't think so." Noticing BYOB getting antsy about the imminent danger he was in, Father Death shook his head from side to side. The increased amount of pressure on him elicited a groan from the priest but he wouldn't give this one the satisfcation of crying out in pain. Despite how much this 'weight' felt on his old bones. But as Jacks left the four with a solemn warning and floated off, BYOB immediately rushed over to help Father Death back to his feet. "I'm so so sorry, Reverend! I..I think one of them did something to me! I couldn't activate my power! I couldn't-"

"It's alright, Mr. Bob. Don't worry."

Watching as Stun was carried away, Jean sighed. "Wasn't that the whole reason WHY we came here??? What's the point if all we managed to accomplish was terrifying a police officer-who WE didn't even kidnap-and mutilating the guy? What. Was. The. Point?!" Odd was equally as flustered but more so focused inwards. This whole mess had been his fault and if he'd done more, maybe he could have killed one of these two. Not the one who could apparently control gravity though. He doubted he had much of a chance against her. But the other one? The one who'd affected BYOB? He could have killed her, he was sure of it. But as he heard Stun's frightened grunts as he and Vasquez were carted off, he said nothing.

Brushing himself off, Father Death picked up his hat from where it'd been knocked off and reset it atop his head. "Take this as a lesson, Odd. One will always make mistakes, there's nothing you can do to avoid that. You can only...keep moving forward. Let's go." Walking for the door with his static trailing behind him, Odd and BYOB both followed. Jean paused for a moment and listened to Jacks's scream. This chick had managed to pin down the old man and possibly(?) could have killed him. Who knows what the old man had up his sleeve that he hadn't revealed to any of them. The idea of asking what was wrong approached her mind and even seemed to be picked up on by the others.

"It's not our problem, Jean. Let's go." Odd called out and Jean took one last look at Jacks...before following suit.

For his part, Vasquez was cool and collected. He'd have a nasty bump on his head from where Odd had kicked him. But otherwise he'd be alright. The same couldn't be said for Stun who was down an arm and didn't seem to be taking the fact that everyone he'd trusted was either dead or betrayed him very well.

​

 

[MyrtenRose]

As if it wasn't enough that she was tied down to this chair, or that there was that stranger right there(and she could only guess how many more she couldn't see were around), but the way he had said that...the words themselves were innocuous but the way he had said them made her dread asking what about. She had far more difficulty trying to get the words out here than she had right before Jacks had gone for it. The sight of her struggling to speak made him chuckle. "Don't worry, daughter, I know what's on the tip of your tongue. Talk about what, that's the gist of what you wish to know." He smiled, a sight that was far from comforting.

He stepped closer to the chair, hands clasped behind his back. "The answer, is about you. Tell me, did you truly think we had no reason for letting you run about as you have? To let you run around as you have been, tarnishing our family name? Wearing formal suits instead of the dresses you should be wearing, cutting your hair into that ridiculous messy mop, playing at being a pizza delivery driver when you should be so much more and even lying to me, pretending to have been drinking to cover for your absence. The family name is everything, and there was a reason we allowed you this freedom instead of cracking down on you as we have in the past." He leaned in close, cupping her chin with one of his hands and forcing her to look him straight in the eyes.

"It is because we knew it would not last."

"What d--do you mean?" She questioned in a shaky voice.

He pulled back and nodded to the stranger, who promptly stepped up to them both, one hand resting on her father's shoulder and the other grabbing hold of the chair. In an instant, the surroundings warped and a strong sickening sensation overwhelmed her so badly that she feared she would vomit. She managed not to. When she had that in control, she realized that in front of them now was a large tank, full of some sort of liquid. Beyond the glass she could just make out a shadowy figure, floating in there. "Wha--what is this??" She asked in confusion.

"This?" He was no longer facing her anymore, stepping up to the tank and peering intensely at the figure inside. "This is the solution to the problem of you." He tapped on a console and the glass gradually became more and more clear until all present could plainly see who was inside.

It was her. The hair was a lot longer, but everything else? Height, weight, eye color, hair color, facial structure...it was unmistakably her. MJ was so taken aback by the sight she was stunned into complete silence, it was almost impossible to hear her so much as even breathe. "Speechless, hrm? That's quite alright." She could practically hear his smug grin through his tone. One of his hands reached up to press up against the glass. "This is Project Mirror. Or rather, Project Mirror Mk.7, if you will. Yes, before you ask, the answer is yes. This is the seventh attempt we've made at cloning you. To have a version of you that will honor the family legacy, not trample all over it in some rebellious childish phase."

"..." She still couldn't speak.

"What happened to the others? A fair question, and why you are here today, being informed of this. All six before the current seventh one, they were all your physical match. Any could have passed as you...if not for a major issue. Their minds. You see, they had no brain activity of any kind. They would not wake, no matter what we experimented with. Failures, one after another. Empty shells. But this time-" He finally turned around to face her once again.

"-this time we have you." He laughed that infuriating laugh of his, clearly amused by her look of confusion. "Come now. Do you really think we wouldn't notice what you were up to? You have been acting strange as of late. Bringing unconscious people here, cooping yourself up in your room for extended periods of time, sauntering down to crime scenes as if you own the investigation? We've been watching you. Keeping an eye on you is easy, thanks to the gifted Malcolm here." He nodded to the stranger. "Especially if you eschew subtlety to fly around. So stupidly reckless...but I digress. We know what you've been doing. And we believe we know what you can do."

He stepped up until he was right in front of her, looking down at her as she looked up at him. "You have power over memory. Enough to make some forget who they even are, or to make others remember things that never occurred. That, is why you are here. You see, this is your moment. You have never been as important to our family legacy as you are right now. All six times before this, our attempts to remake you more in our image were never more than braindead reflections. But we believe this time can be different, thanks to you. If you impart all the knowledge we gifted onto you through our teachings, if you create memories of all our good times, if you leave out your pathetic attempts to be someone other than what we intend you to be...we believe all that stimuli will bring life to the brain, will make it active. You do that...and we can finally have the perfect child. The best parts of you, with none of the flaws."

"...................." Her whole head lowered, MJ staring despondently at the ground. She couldn't look at him, at his eyes. The sheer happiness in them as he spoke. "...Why would I do that for you, after hearing this?"

"Because, daughter, you have no choice. Not if you want that despicable drunk you've been spending time with to remain unharmed."

"..." She could feel the tears forming in her eyes. "What stops me from erasing you, right now? To make you as much a blank slate as the me you got in that tank?"

"Nothing. You can do it and I would become that. But the people watching from far off, out of your reach? Any messing around with my memories, or Malcolm's memories(believe me, we'll know)...if we start to act off? Then the drunk would be punished in your stead, by their hands. So. What will it be?"

"...If--if I do this for you...you'll leave her alone?"

"You have my word."

"And...what happens to me?"

"Oh, daughter. We raised you to be smarter than that. We can't have two Melanie McKinneys running about."

The room was so utterly quiet after that, one could hear the sound of the teardrops hitting the floor. MJ couldn't hold them back. Not after that. She wished she could reach out to Jacks, give her the memory of where she was, right this second...but she didn't know. And there was too much risk in trying to find out by poking around in the memories of either of the two other people in the room. "Okay." She agreed to her father's demand. What other choice was there?