Futuristic Synchronicity

[mikaluvkitties]

22/06/2279​

Two days before the birthday of one of the most notorious villains in town, and despite finalizing the details of tomorrow's heist, she's nowhere to be seen. In her stead, she has left her close friend and compatriot, Boogieman. Whether the villains are still plotting or have finished and are now enjoying a drink at the expense of their patron is up to you.

For heroes, things are much less... pleasant. Your job is to protect the people, but there is nothing you can do right now but wait. You know something will happen tomorrow- you even know what that something will be- but that doesn't make you any less powerless in this exact moment. What a bummer.

Phoenix​

Phoenix lay back in the comfortable seat she had co-opted of the house she had snuck into. It had looked expensive, like something she would never be able to own, so of course, she had felt the impulsive need to sit in it as she drank the fanciest wine she had ever had in her life. Of course, she reasoned, this was the consequence of removing your chip.

One was no longer a part of the system, unable to go back even if one wanted to, and it meant you lost certain privileges. Privileges such as the ability to standardly accrue digitized currency- a system which had been in place Phoenix's entire life.

She still had funds, of course, stored in the form of physical objects she obtained from the digital currency others gathered in her name in exchange for even more physical objects (Oh, it was enough to make her head hurt. No wonder she preferred to trade in favors whenever possible.), but a chair was much too easily burnt for her to use it as a store of her wealth.

We all make sacrifices, don't we?

Well. Except maybe this man. Lyle Valor. Usually, she would have avoided this part of town like the plague, aware of just how conspicuous she looked. It had been such a hassle to even get here she'd rather just not think about it. If there hadn't been such dire need to communicate with this man, she would have stayed far away for the rest of her life.

But of course, there was dire need. He ran Valor Industries, of course, and that was where her plan of attack began. If she could gain his help- well, it would make things much simpler at the very least.

And really, will he even notice I took a bottle of his wine? she thought to herself, once again taking a sip and letting it roll across her taste buds, imagining a world where she was rich like this.

Lexielai​

Miracle​

If there was one thing Mira could not stand, it was waiting. Whether it was for a grade to be posted, someone to respond to a message, or for a doctor to give her the diagnosis, it set her on edge. Ever since the month had started, she hadn't been able to keep her mind off tomorrow.

And now that tomorrow was just a day away, she couldn't focus on anything but that day. Something always happened on that day. And for once, she knew exactly what was happening tomorrow. She knew she should be working on her homework, but instead, she found herself lying upside down on the couch, trying to focus on anything other than tomorrow.

[OPEN]​

Links:
OOC
Lore and Rules
Character Sheet
Discord​

 

[Epiphany]

 

[Elle Santiago]

Boogieman​

In the room, there was an assortment of different kinds of people seating on chairs around a large, round table lit up by candles of various heights, lights flickering slightly when one of them spoke or breathed. They all had focused expressions on their faces, gazing seriously at the physical map before them. They spoke in quiet, but firm voices as they pointed out locations to enter from like windows and doors, the places that would have cameras directed at an area or where a blind spot would be, sharing precious information about guard posts, and discussing how fast the heroes of New Rhyne would arrive on the scene.

They had been finalizing the kinks of the plan since they met, reminding everyone their roles and what was expected of them for the night. Phoenix hired these people to do what they do best, and Lynn was tasked with keeping these people in line. Honestly, the specifics of it all was a bit difficult to comprehend, but she knew enough of the gist of the plan.

All around her, her shadows stretched, having solidity in the empty spaces. In here, in this cramped hiding place, she was most powerful and most comfortable. In the cover of her shadows, she spoke, calm voice echoing in the dark. “Is your plan finished?” At once, the hired assortment tensed in their seats, and Lynn could feel their suspicious gaze directed in her shadows. They relaxed soon after, though.

“We are,” one of them answered, “It would be difficult, but it is manageable. If all comes to hell, we’ll just cut the power supply and let you do the stealing.”

Lynn frowned, although no one could see it. “I will not be with you.” Although she would be close just in case. No one wanted to work with a deserter, after all.

One of the women rolled her eyes. “We’re joking, Boogie.”

“Ah.”

“Quite.” Another responded. “We shall be meeting here tomorrow as well?”

“Yes,” Lynn responded, watching the others stand from their seats as they stretched their muscles, “just to be sure. Phoenix might want to hear your plan again.”

“‘Course, she would.” The fourth one responded. “Woman likes her parties grand. Can’t do the job without the celebrant’s approval.”

The rest made noises of agreement before going their separate ways. When she saw, through her shadows, that they were gone, Lynn closed the door with her shadows before retreating into the next building over using the cover of the night. She turned to her human form, removing her mask as she sat on the large windowsill padded with pillows and comforters, a book in hand as she stared at the midnight sky.

The full moon was beautiful tonight.

[OPEN] ​

 

[Steve Freeling]

Steve Freeling sat on a chair. He hadn't given himself an official "hero" name. For the past eleven years, he'd been known as "the unknown strongman" all over TV and he was honestly okay with it; he didn't care what they called him just so long as he was making a difference for the better. He was uncharacteristically silent. Why did they have to wait for the villains to strike so they could pick up the pieces?
"Ah, dammit." Steve muttered. He did not like this, not one bit.
Mira could be seen on the couch. She looked to also be troubled by the situation.
"You don't like it either, do you?" Steve didn't need to ask - no one liked it - but it seemed like a good bid at conversation.
mikaluvkitties

 

[DiamondJack]

H8CR1M3
​

The night air was rich with excitement. Tomorrow was that day. The day where everything went sideways. Chance walked along happily down a dark alley. He had a bag of junk food of some kind or another and was happily munching as he walked along. He was headed to surprise the Boogieman. He was under the assumption that she had no idea that he was coming to see her on this night.

She hates you.

Chance stopped dead in his tracks. "Bullshit," he said quietly to himself.

How could anyone ever be friends with a murderer?

Chance kept walking. The old voice in his head wasn't gonna get to him tonight. Too much to deal with as it was. Chance dropped the snack bag on the ground and looked up at the closest building. He was pretty sure this was the place. Lynn would be here, she always was.

The superpowered freak jumped up and began scaling the building. Lynn's window wasn't on this wall, but he wanted to get to the roof first, to see if he could get the drop on her. He reached the roof and began walking across.

She doesn't want to see you. You're a danger.

Chance stopped.

You're an unlovable monster.

"No," Chance said to himself, "She's my friend."

Psychopath!

Chance walked to the edge of the roof.

Just jump.

Chance took a seat on the edge of the roof. He had to calm down. As his mind actively tried to get him to kill his body, though he was pretty sure he was invulnerable, a song came to mind. Chance began whistling in order to calm himself, the shrill sound piercing the night.

You're j... P..th...c

Elle Santiago​

 

[QizPizza]

Raijin​

Another contract huh? Those are rare these days. Raijin pressed the text-to-speech option on his tablet. As he listened to the details, he cleaned his sword, keeping it in perfect condition. The contract was signed by Phoenix, the infamous villain. Personally, Raijin would never do such a high profile job, but the credits that Phoenix paid would be enough to buy him an actual safe-house, instead of dingy hotels across the city. Even still, taking part of Phoenix's "Birthday Bash" would earn him plenty of rep, rep that he need to get back on track.

As famous as Phoenix was, Raijin was just a famous too...just not to the heroes. Every mob boss and corporate shark knew the name of Ashikaga, the man whom no security system could stop. But, that was previous life. Now, Raijin had to rebuild all he lost, and this contract would be a great start... as long as the heroes don't get him on their list.

When his sword was properly cleaned, Raijin pressed accept. The contract said that further information would be given when he arrived at Phoenix's house for the "Pre-Party." This girl must be short a couple of screws. Her heists get bigger and bolder every year. One of these days, it's going to come crashing down upon her...I would know.

Given the "occasion," Raijin decided to brush off his old outfit: a custom made tuxedo with numerous hidden pockets for hiding files and gadgets. He knew that it still looked good; he recently had it restored by a trusted, but nonetheless shady, tailor. He donned the suit and packed a duffel bag with his sword and current infiltration suit, complete with a budget optical camouflage cloak, voice modulator, and bullet-resistant polymer armor weave. That suit cost Raijin all the credits he had stashed in his previous safe-house before it became an "unsafe" house.

When finished packing his gear and getting dressed, Raijin decided to stop by a stylist for a quick "touch up," before making his public appearance. Not that they'll actually see my face though... Still, gotta look my best for the crazy lady's birthday.

Raijin chuckled. If he could get onto Phoenix's side, he would be able to regain all that he lost, and have protection from the heroes and authorities in the form of the one of the most dangerous women in New Rhyne. When the stylist was done, he took a mag-lev train to the edge of middle-class ring, close to Phoenix's territory. On the ride, Raijin put a pair of hearing aids. He wasn't deaf, but the aids allow him to hear minuscule noises whole lot better, and increase his awareness.

Raijin took until sunset to reach the coordinates of Phoenix's house; two, three hours at most. This is it. The first leap in my comeback and revenge.

 

[Lexielai]

Lyle "Bard" Valor
It was a cold night. Lyle half-grimaced, half-smiled to himself, tugging the hem of his jacket a little tighter. Hardly anyone was out this late in the evening; partially because most people were wary of encountering supervillains, as the dark was their domain, though perhaps more so because they would rather not be mistaken for one either.

He steadily marched up the steps to his home. Near Valor Tower was an exquisitely carved landscape, designed to seamlessly intertwine civilization and nature by the finest architects of the time when his parents first commissioned the building. Hundreds of colorful lights embedded in the ground were beacons, inviting him closer and closer to the skyscraper’s stainless steel doors.

Lyle paused at the entrance. He waved and Vivian, his receptionist, waved back. Sure enough the automatic doors slid open, allowing him to rush inside the lobby’s warm embrace.

“Welcome back!” Vivian said cheerfully like it wasn’t 4 AM. “How was your trip?”

“Terrible. The alcohol was puke-worthy and the women even worse,” Lyle moaned dramatically.

Vivian laughed as she usually did with his antics. “Oh no! The horror!” she said, tapping a button on her desk. On cue the elevator opened behind her, and Lyle stepped towards it.

“You know,” Lyle said, spinning on his heel to face Vivian while walking backwards, “You should take a break sometimes. Grab a coffee. Go on a date. You work way too much.”

She laughed and flipped her blonde hair teasingly. “Oh, I don’t know. Someone has to keep all the evil villains outside. Besides, you pay me way too much.”

Lyle grinned as he leaned back against the elevator’s cushy velvet-wrapped railings.. “Ha, Vivian, what would I ever do without you?” he called back just as the doors closed shut, leaving Lyle alone to his thoughts. Automatically the chamber started ascending towards the top floor, and Lyle turned to gaze at the city through the elevator’s glass wall. As the world below became smaller and smaller it almost seemed to burst into life. Lights glittered across the landscape, noticeably different enough from one zone to the next. There, he thought, was a birds eye view of one of the glitched zones. Not a terribly pleasant place in his experience, but plenty safe for someone of his caliber.

Eta Alphon looked almost like a whole other world when he finally reached the apex, so distant it was. He turned away from it to step out the elevator into his own personal lobby, absent-mindedly running through the biometric scanners like he did every day. The lobby itself was already the size of some full-sized houses, fully furnished with as many unique plants and paintings as he could get his hands on and a real hardwood floor. He stepped past all of that as he made his way inside the front door.

“Lights!” Lyle called out while hanging his jacket. The automated system immediately brightened, and as he looked up, he freezed.

There, sitting on the sofa, with a glass of his wine in hand, was a girl. He opened his mouth. Then closed it.

“...Can I help you?”

mikaluvkitties​

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Phoenix​

As Phoenix heard the elevator door open, she froze, thinking quickly, before she remembered that, oh yeah, she wanted him to catch her here. His first introduction to her might as well be this. Thus, she promptly crossed one leg over the other, lifting the cup regally, looking towards the door.

It was when the door first opened that she realized she may have made a slight miscalculation. See, Phoenix had been sitting in the dark for quite a while and when the light first streamed in she began to squint, pulling a face. Ugh, get out of here, light. Thankfully, she recovered well enough that by the time the light turned on she was smiling enough she looked less in-pain and more like she was about to laugh.

"Yes, Mr. Valor, you most certainly can. Close the door, will you?"

Lexielai

Miracle​

Mira to look at Steve, simply frowning for a moment before she shook her head. "No, I really don't. Not one bit. We know exactly where they're going. Why aren't we doing more? Like... like preparing the area for the attack. Or warning people. Maybe even getting the stuff in there somewhere else. Then even if they get inside it's just property damage!"

She looked away from Steve, back towards the wall, silent for a moment before she continued, much quieter, "I think I'd feel better even if we were just going to be there as soon as everything started. I just... I don't understand why we're the last resort. We're superheroes, for gosh sakes! Shouldn't we be more than a last resort?"

Steve Freeling

 

[Steve Freeling]

"This smells." Steve muttered in agreement. "What's their game? They know full well what kind of damage these people can deal on a normal human. It's like they want the bastards to steal stuff and get away with it all." Steve shifted uncomfortably in his chair, his blue eyes uncharacteristically full of worry. "There's something wrong with this. There's something very wrong with this."
mikaluvkitties

 

[Lexielai]

Lyle "Bard" Valor​

Lyle mulled over the woman’s request for a moment. He had no idea who this was, or how she snuck into his home. Yet she had not presented herself as a threat...yet. There was an opportunity to learn something here.

“Door,” he said, stepping closer towards her. He heard the automated system swing it shut. “Lock.”

With that, the front doors, window, and all openings in or out locked shut with a resounding, final click. He smiled warily at her as he snatched an empty glass from a nearby counter and sat down on the sofa across from his household intruder. “So,” he said, pouring himself a glass. “It seems you know me. But I don’t recall knowing you.”

He then raised his glass, now full of the dark and fruity dessert wine she had chosen, to her. “Introductions seem to be in order then. Who are you?”

mikaluvkitties​

 

[Elle Santiago]

Boogieman​

Lynn loved the night. Sometimes, when she found herself unable to sleep back Home, she'd sneak out of her bed and simply gaze up at the evening sky. There were stars, and they were beautiful; but, they weren't as beautiful as the moon. At times, its silver rays were comforting, like how she'd imagine if Mother was a nicer mother and would pull a blanket over her body as she slept.

At least, that was what she got from one of the books she read. It had large images and very colorful pictures. The words were simple and straight to the point, making it one of her favorites. Other books that other people liked to give her were hard to read, sometimes, and it irks her so much that she had to get another book that would help her understand the difficult words from the other book.

The simpler ones were nicer, but Lynn didn't like it when Phoenix caught her reading one. The laughter that woman had when it came to Lynn's particularly colorful books was sharp in a way Lynn didn't like. It was a good thing that the woman gave Lynn some good books.

It made Lynn realize that she really liked princesses.

Her thoughts were disturbed, however, upon hearing something in the midnight air. Lynn became the Boogieman within an instant, hands snagging her taser gun and knife before becoming the shadow. She watched with many eyes as she extended her senses, letting the darkness feel and see.

The Boogieman went up and up and up, feeling the moonlight upon her shadows, feeling some of her strength ebb away at the light. It wasn't as intense as the sun and the artificial lights, but the rays of the moon still had an effect, no matter how faint.

Boogie traveled to the other side of the building to catch a glimpse of the intruder, thinking of ways to get them out of her home, when she saw who it was. It was Chance, sitting on the roof of her building, creating strange sounds with his mouth.

Lynn, not seeing the danger, returned to her own building, traversing through the shadows and stepping into the gentle rays of the moon at the building's veranda directly under Chance's seat. She tilted her head as she asked,

"Hello. What are you doing, and how are you doing it?"

DiamondJack​

 

[DiamondJack]

H8CR1M3​

Oh look, she's mocking you.

Chance had been deep in thought, calming himself, when he was addressed by Lynn. He looked at her and stopped whistling. He thought hard about her question. Did she mean whistling? She had to. He had to think of a way to answer the question without sounding condescending.

"I was whistling," replied Chance, "As for how... I guess you kinda just push air through your mouth like this." Chance then pursed his lips and let out a piercing whistle. "Like that."

Chance sighed, "I was gonna surprise you with a visit, but it looks like you caught me."

That's because you're a fuck up big boy.

"So... Tomorrow's the big day huh?" Chance said, not really knowing how else to progress the conversation. Tomorrow was the big bad boss lady's birthday and she always threw the biggest bashes. It was strange that Chance had almost no idea what was going to happen this year. Probably because there was no way to contact aside from finding him. Not an easy task.

Because you're a violent, crazy homeless person that could uppercut somebody to the moon.

Elle Santiago

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Phoenix​

Phoenix couldn't completely prevent a smirk as the door shut, eyes flitting to look at the door before going back to Lyle's face. Of course, she had to be careful now, as there wasn't an easy way to escape, but she had her foot in the door, and that was the most important thing right now.

"My name's unimportant, but you can call me Phoenix. You may be aware that one of your facilities is going to be attacked tomorrow, and if not, well." She shrugged.

"Now you are. No matter what you do, I will be leaving with what I want. However, you can lower the risks of property damage and human casualties, if you even care about that, by granting me access. It would be so much easier to take what I want if I don't actually have to break in... and I'll owe you a favor. You might not know me, Mister Valor, but trust me when I assure you I am a powerful ally to have."

Lexielai

Miracle​

Mira tsked Steve, frowning. "I doubt they want things to get stolen... What do they even want? Do we know? What if it's something bad?" Oh no, Mira was starting to panic. "Why won't they just put us on the front lines????"

Steve Freeling

 

[QizPizza]

Raijin​

Pretty sure this is it. Crazy guy jumping onto roofs? Check. Crazy girl that isn't scared of him? Check. Where else would you find such people? Raijin decide to not interrupt them, lest they try and jump him. He didn't come here to fight other "supers." He came here to do a job. Hopefully, one that will pay well and earn him some reputation again.

Raijin waltzed up to the front door of the house. It seemed a bit bland for the infamous Phoenix, but it could just be a proxy. He himself would not like to reveal his own housing, lest someone take advantage of it. Besides, being able to afford safe-houses on a whim just flaunts your power and wealth even more. Raijin took the liberty of temporarily disabling the cameras with his powers and sneaked in through a window, disabling the digital lock.

Once inside, he took care to disable the internal alarm system and make his way through the house. He eventually came across a room that held a large round table. He walked up to it and frowned. All the plans were in paper. He took out his tablet and scanned all of it, converting all the documents to digital files which he could "read" and "see." The blueprints and notes were detailed, but the people running this op had obviously stashed the actual plans somewhere else.

Raijin began a methodical search through the stacks of paper and folders. It had been sometime since he had looked for information like this, but it was definitely the first time he had done it with his vision.

 

[Steve Freeling]

"I don't know, but I really don't like it." Steve replied before turning to the other heroes in the room. "What do the rest of you guys think, then? You haven't said a word since we started talking."

mikaluvkitties (open)

 

[Kodi Ly Antoniusarson]

Samuel Grey​

Samuel had been enjoying a peaceful nap, until two of the others in the room started talking. It didn't take long for their conversation to disturb his beauty sleep, and he was a little more than annoyed because of it, but tried to let the annoyance pass. The big man Steve sat on the chair parallel with the recliner he had been napping in, Mira lying in some strange upside position on the couch to his left.

It seemed that they were talking about the big day tomorrow, or rather, worrying about the big day tomorrow. Samuel found that he didn't share their concerns. Life did what it pleased, and sometimes it didn't agree with how you wanted things to be. He knew that fact all too well.

What I wouldn't give to go back to working on machines, he thought wistfully, a slight frown painting his face. He didn't dislike the heroes, not at all. He just had different life priorities than most of them did. He was content with letting the others handle issues such as this, but such was not his situation. He had to play ball. But it wasn't all bad. He had a comfortable place to live, and, while he wouldn't admit, he was surrounded by good people. Good, but infinitely strange people.

As Steve addressed the rest of the room, Samuel sensed that he might have to respond. The man clearly wanted everyone to chime in on their conversation. Quite frankly, Samuel didn't really know what to say. That he wasn't concerned? Hell, he had no idea what part he would play, let alone how the whole thing would go down. It wasn't worth the energy that concern demanded so much of.

"It is what it is." Samuel said, his voice just loud enough for the room to hear. Feeling that he contributed enough, he turned his head to the side and tried to sleep some more. A most likely fruitless endeavor.

 

[Lexielai]

Lyle "Bard" Valor​

Lyle leaned back in his chair, carefully sipping the wine. It was delicious, and went down remarkably smooth. He ignored how she brushed off his gesture, but made a point to finish his drink, letting the tension sit for several moments, before he responded.

“I’ve heard about this,” he echoed. “The heroes paid my secretary a visit earlier today to warn me about it. You’re after the power blockers, right?”

Threats to Valor Industries were no surprise; his company was the leading innovator in advanced technologies and had direct support from the government. Every villain and their mother had their eyes on his new projects. R&D tried their best to keep it all confidential, but leaks on their experimental prototypes were known to happen, albeit rarely. He was just glad his secretary, Melanie, tended to deal with it.

Thinking about her reminded him of a rather unpleasant conversation they had the day before. She was really frustrated he missed a meeting with the heroes again, but he’d been skipping the last few dozen of those so what did it matter?

In any case, the power blockers were indeed valuable equipment, but he doubted all that important. Hell, he forgot whose idea it even was to commission those. Compared to the value of earning a favor from Phoenix? Considered by some to be the most legendary villainous of Eta Alphon? If this woman was indeed who she said she was, then a favor from her was a huge deal. Her reputation stemmed from the infamous favors she always requested for her services, but never gave. Nobody received a favor from Phoenix.

“So, let’s say I agree to this. What exactly would you be asking for?” he said. Then Lyle poured himself another glass from the bottle, which he noticed, was starting to dip a little below half. It was really quite good.

mikaluvkitties​

 

[Elle Santiago]

Boogieman​

As Chance explained and moved his mouth in demonstration, Lynn attempted to copy it, puckering her lips until it made a small ‘o’. At first, only disgusting spittle escaped her mouth accompanied by a sound similar to what her stomach makes when hungry. But the more she blew air out of her lips, the more she could hear the faint whistling sound until she managed to do it. Once she ran out of breath and her cheeks felt sore from doing so, she looked up to Chance with a happy smile accompanied by a thumbs up. “I did it. It’s very nice. Thank you.”

Lynn wondered if whistling was possible in her shadow state. Considering that she could speak while in it, it should be possible. She was eager to try it but thought it best to try out later when she was alone. “I was gonna surprise you with a visit, but it looks like you caught me,” Chance said.

She tilted her head a little bit in thought, crossing her arms as she leaned against the stable-looking veranda. Or was it a balcony? Balcony sounded right in her head. She’ll search it up later on. “Surprise me?” She asked in thought before remembering that friends did that. She nodded, more to herself than to him. “I think you did. I didn’t know you were coming.” Then again, that was how they usually met. No one knew when they were going to see each other. She was always surprised that he always came back.

Lynn nodded again at his question. “Yes, tomorrow’s the day. We were busy finishing the plans, and we just finished.” She hummed in thought, wondering if she should share information. No, probably not. Phoenix wouldn’t like it if she found out. Better stick with what they usually did. “How about you? How are you?”

DiamondJack ​

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Phoenix​

She nodded, smiling a bit as he asked what she wanted in return. "A map, an open door. What are you willing to give?"

Lexielai​

Miracle​

Mira elected to give Samuel's response a frown, thinking for a moment before she decided to say, "That's so vague."

Steve Freeling Kodi Ly Antoniusarson​

​

 

[Kodi Ly Antoniusarson]

Samuel Grey​

Samuel smirked, eyes closed, his head turned away from the others. Of course it was vague, he didn't know any more than the others. Waiting was the game they were all playing. He turned on his side, back to Miracle. Her frown told him all he needed to know about how she felt, concerning both the situation and his comment.

"What would you prefer I say?" he quietly asked. He summoned a Replicant, suddenly seeing himself standing directly in front of the couch. The Replicant spoke, followed by the first, "I could state the obvious, I suppose." He separated the statement between the two bodies because it was an instinctual habit, despite just how jarring it sometimes was for others. They viewed his Replicants as separate entities, while he knew no such concept. They were him and he was them, one and the same. More than just connected. Connection implied two different objects linked together, he was simply expanding himself further than others could, so to speak.

"The fact of the matter is that we're limited, controlled, there's no point in questioning why or how things get done.", the second Samuel said, followed by the first with, "Unless, you'd prefer to disregard the powers that be, and go out on your own."

The first Samuel flicked his hand, gesturing it to the door, and out went the other. He was tired of lying on the couch all night.