HumanSuperiority

Mimic (spidershim thread)

Jun 2nd, 2016
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  1.  
  2. ---update 1--- Mimic
  3.  
  4. >Tick...
  5. >Tock...
  6. >Tick...
  7. >Tock...
  8. >the silence in the room is deafening, students sit quietly around you each concentrating on tests set in front of them
  9. >Twilight of course is as confident as ever, her pencil calmly moving across the page with precision and purpose
  10. >behind her is Flash, and of course he is just the opposite.
  11. >you cant help but smirk at his look of pure terror as he likely forgot to study for the test all together or simply doesn't remember the answers
  12. >there is a loud and expecting cough
  13. >the eyes of Ms Harshwhinny bore into you like a drill to plywood.
  14. >"I suggest you keep your eyes to yourself... this is your only warning."
  15. "yes ma'am."
  16. >you hate this class...
  17. >you especially hate that its your first class of the day and you already have a test
  18. >leaning on your desk you look over the test paper in front of you
  19. >there is only one question filled out on the whole thing.
  20. >your name.
  21. >"thirty minutes remaining."
  22. >well at least class is half over. Maybe you can just flub this test and ask for a retake sometime at lunch-
  23. >suddenly the door to the classroom swings open and a exhausted looking Sunset Shimmer
  24. >all eyes are on her, including those of Ms. Harshwhinny.
  25. >"I'm sorry I'm late. I uh... Got a little tied up on my way to school today."
  26. >"you have already missed half of the class period. You will be marked as absent and your test will need to be rescheduled."
  27. >she quickly walks over and takes a seat next to you at her desk shoving her backpack below her seat
  28. >"That's fine I'm sure that I can-"
  29. >you tune out the rest of the conversation and look back to your test
  30. >well better get started on it...
  31.  
  32. >Finally the bell rings signaling the end of first period
  33. >Everyone stands up and slowly make their way out chatting with their friends about how easy or hard they thought the test was.
  34. >you look down at your test again
  35. >Name: Anonymous
  36. >Question one: "blank"
  37. >god damn it.
  38. >well... Looks like you are going to have something to look forward to in study hall.
  39. >standing up from your desk you nearly run into Sunset as she reaches down for her backpack
  40. >luckily she saw you coming and avoided the would be collision
  41. >"Hey! watch what you're doing!"
  42. "Sorry, I didn't see you."
  43. >Sunset retrieves her backpack from under her chair with a huff
  44. >"just be more careful."
  45. "sure thing."
  46. >Shimmer walks off her bag slightly opened with some sort of red fabric barely sticking out
  47. >"Hey Anonymous! how do you think you did?"
  48. >within seconds of his outburst Norman warps an arm around your shoulder
  49. >"that test wasnt so hard huh? to think we thought it would be a pain to deal with this early in the day."
  50. "it wasn't so bad, But you could say I ran into a few rough spots"
  51. >and then stopped immediately
  52. >the two of you eventually walk out of the classroom and into the halls of Canterlot High
  53. >students bustle about with their momentary break between classes as you and Norman stop at his locker
  54. >"so did you hear about that Spiderwoman chick today?"
  55. >you lean against the lockers and wait for your friend to gather his books
  56. >why he doesn't just carry them in his bag like you do, you'll never know.
  57. "nah, what happened?"
  58. >"apparently some guy was holding up the store next to the Sweet Shoppe, "BuyMore" or something?"
  59. >Norman takes out his phone scrolling through his many notifications on the subject
  60. >"the robber took off down the street and he was found hanging from a streetlight with the cash left back at the store!"
  61. >He hands you his phone so you can get a look for yourself
  62. >and honestly, the image of a man tied to a streetlight in a cocoon of webbing is a lot cooler than you expected.
  63. >though somewhat gross.
  64. >you hand the phone back to Norman and he quickly pockets it with a smile on his face
  65. >"dude isnt just awesome how we have our very own Spiderman?! its just like in the comics!"
  66. "I mean, yeah. It is really cool and all but--"
  67. >"I wonder if that means there are more heroes like that out there. Stopping crime all over the world and we just don't know it yet?"
  68. >you place your hand on his shoulder and shake him back to reality
  69. "calm down buddy. You're starting to fangirl, they could have at least picked a better hero to copy than Spiderman-"
  70. >there is a loud slam of a locker just a few feet away from you as you see Sunset walk off a in a rather annoyed hurry
  71. "sheesh whats her issue?"
  72. >Norman gives a shrug in response
  73. >"shes probably just mad about Harshwhinny.."
  74. >yeah that's probably it...
  75. >after heading to your next class the rest of the day goes by as usual
  76. >eventually you got caught by Harshwhinny in the hall and were... "Asked" to take the test again during study hall
  77. >but all in all it wasnt so bad.
  78. >books in your bag and bag in hand you walk outside the school just as the bell rings signaling the end of the day
  79. >maybe you might get lucky and make it home without someone shouting at you about Spiderwoman
  80. >shes cool and all, but people have a tendency to obsess over things like that and really it just bores you.
  81. >you take out your phone and plug in your headphones for the walk home
  82. >normally you'd drive home but its Friday and paying for gas sucks when you don't have a job.
  83. >it usually involves asking your dad for some cash and getting a fifty fifty shot of actually having gas for the weekend
  84. >so walking home from school now and then can save you the trouble of being car-less for a weekend
  85. >your phone bings with a notification interrupting your music for a second
  86. >taking it out you read the Facebook post
  87. >"New Images of SpiderWoman! Never Before Seen!"
  88. >it already has a good hundred or so likes and even more comments
  89. >why does Facebook think this is relevant to your interests?
  90. >(38 friends have liked this)
  91. "ah, That's why..."
  92. >after browsing the less than impressive images you pocket your phone and arrive at home
  93. >the door is unlocked so Dad must be home already
  94. >with a slight squeal the door opens and you head up to your room
  95. >Dads likely working in the basement like normal, so he wont even know that you are here until later in the day.
  96. >it used to bum you out a bit, but you got used to it.
  97. >besides it gives you more freedom than most kids have.
  98. >just as you sit down on your chair and boot up your PC your phone rings
  99. >checking the caller ID you see its your Dad.
  100. >you answer it
  101. "uh, hello?"
  102. >"hey boy! listen, I'm in the basement and I heard you come in but I cant step away from my project quite yet. Mind coming down here and giving me a hand real quick?"
  103. "uh, yeah sure. I'll be right down."
  104. >"alright thanks!"
  105. >click
  106. >the sudden end to the call surprises you a bit
  107. >and now that you think about it... Your dads tone was a bit off.
  108. >you shrug it off and assume it has something to do with his project
  109. "always working on something.."
  110. >the door to the basement is slightly open and there is a single light on at the bottom of the stairs
  111. >as you make it down to the bottom step you freeze in place
  112. >in front of you, your dad is tied to a chair with a man holding your dads phone in hand
  113. >"come here, kid."
  114. >it doesn't take a super genius to tell you this is fucking bad
  115. >the last thing you remember is having a black bag pulled over your head and getting hit. Hard...
  116.  
  117. >you awake sometime later in a sitting position
  118. >where you sit is kinda soft but its holding you down by your wrists and legs
  119. >are you in some kind of chair?
  120. >"god damn it just tell us where you kept it and we will let you and your son go!"
  121. >"I don't know what you are looking for-"
  122. >thump.
  123. >"don't lie to me! you know exactly what im talking about!"
  124. >"please just let Anonymous go! he has nothing to do with this!"
  125. >thump! thump! thump!
  126. >you can hear the sound of your dad coughing from each impact
  127. "Dad! whats going on?!"
  128. >"well looks like the kid is awake.."
  129. >the bag over your head is ripped away by one of the voices
  130. >you are suddenly greeted with a blinding light in your eyes and suspicions from before are confirmed
  131. >you are indeed in a chair with your wrists and ankles bound to it by rope
  132. >but besides that you cant really make out anything in the room because of the light
  133. >"enough games! tell us where you stored it or ill shoot him here and now!"
  134. >WHAT?!
  135. >if there was a time to piss yourself in fear the time has arrived.
  136. "D-Dad! do something! whats going on?!"
  137. >you feel the cold kiss of a gun barrel to the back of your head
  138. >"Alright! ALRIGHT! just let Anonymous go!"
  139. >"then tell me damn it or ill-"
  140. >a strange sound of two "THWIP" noises silence the gunman
  141. >"or you'll turn yourself in like a upstanding citizen?"
  142. >"awh shit. Its her!"
  143. >"sooo... Is that a 'no'?"
  144. >there is the sound of a gunshot from somewhere in the room behind you
  145. >"yeah im pretty sure thats a no. Too bad. You could have got off easy."
  146. >more shots quickly follow
  147. >"shes fast!"
  148. >THWIP!
  149. >THUMP!
  150. >those sounds continue on for a few seconds then the light in front of you crashes down and breaks from the impact of a unconscious body
  151. >your eyes finally adjust and you can see you were facing a wall the whole time
  152. >you can also see a man knocked on the ground in front of you with...
  153. >is that webbing?
  154. >...
  155. >Facebook, you were right!
  156. >SpiderWoman is now the top of your interest list now for sure!
  157. >you do your best to look back and see whats going on
  158. >unfortunately the way you are bound prevents you from seeing much of anything
  159. >the voice from before comes again
  160. >"god damn freak!"
  161. >CRASH
  162. >"take another step and the doc here takes the fast way down to earth!"
  163. >theres another duo of THWIPs and you can hear the sounds of a scuffle
  164. >then another crash.
  165.  
  166. >you are Sunset Shimmer
  167. >The one, the only, Spiderwoman!
  168. >no matter what comics say.
  169. >and-- holy shit!
  170. >you did not expect him to actually drop him like that!
  171. >without thinking you propelled yourself forward with your webs and knocked him out the window with you
  172. >the two of you fall out of the building towards the earth below
  173. >the man who was previously held captive just a but further ahead of the two of you
  174. >there isnt much time
  175. >your web shoots out at the criminal sticking him to the side of the building before you turn your attention back to the civilian plummeting down
  176. >you dont have much time
  177. >aiming at the man as you dive you shoot another rope of webbing in an attempt to catch him
  178. >...
  179. >unfortunately... You didn't...
  180. >before you collide with the ground yourself you create a web and launch yourself forward and eventually land on a stoplight and look down at the scene
  181. >you were too slow to save him...
  182. >you force yourself from crying as you look back up at the building from under your mask
  183. "Im sorry Anonymous..."
  184. >Im so sorry.
  185.  
  186. >its been silent for a while now...
  187. >you tried calling out for whoever might be there
  188. >Dad, Spiderwoman, anyone at all.
  189. >but there wasn't any responses
  190. >eventually you start to struggle against your binds having little other options
  191. "damn it, damn it, damn it!"
  192. >after enough wrist wriggling goes by you finally get one loose enough to slip out
  193. "HAHA! success!"
  194. >the rope has left a dull red ring around your arm where you were once tied
  195. >the air feels cold and refreshing against your unbound skin
  196. >how long have you been tied up?...
  197. >with your free hand you eventually get the other one out of its binds, followed by your legs.
  198. >as you stand up the chair falls to the ground and you can finally see the room behind you
  199. >several bodies are either tied up or unconscious spread around the room
  200. >one is even webbed up into the wall with some around his mouth
  201. >but there is no sign of your father
  202. >or Spiderwoman
  203. >even though you tried calling out before you do so again.
  204. "Dad?"
  205. >slowly you walk over to a large broken window with some webbing still stuck to the sides
  206. >you can feel the wind as you get closer and the city below starts to peek more into view
  207. >just from a few of the buildings you can already tell you are downtown.
  208. >its one of the few places that have buildings this tall
  209. >you get within a step or two from the ledge when a sudden rope of white webbing sticks to the are just inside the window
  210. >you nearly fall over in surprise.
  211. >Now standing before you is the person who has been driving everyone in school crazy
  212. >Spiderwoman.
  213. >you're not sure if its you finally feeling excitement for her mere existence or the hope that everything turned out alright
  214. >but you feel your legs wobble and your voice shake
  215. "what happened to my dad?.."
  216. >before she can answer the door to the room is kicked in
  217. >BASH
  218. >"Freeze! everyone get down on the ground!"
  219. >police rush into the scene and Spiderwoman holds up her hands as you turn around to do the same
  220. >the police quickly start to check the suspects vitals and secure the room
  221. >"alright everyone stay where you are."
  222. >the police point their weapons at Spiderwoman
  223. >and from behind you there is a soft and shaky voice just above a whisper
  224. >"Im sorry..."
  225. >you dont see what happens but the sound of a THWIP and the sudden rush of the police over to you give you a clear idea
  226. >as you are safely secured by the police only one thing stays in your mind.
  227. >she said she's sorry
  228. "Dad..."
  229.  
  230. >its been a few weeks since that day.
  231. >your mother was informed and came home from her business trip as fast as she could
  232. >she seemed to take it rather hard at first, but now-
  233. >"Anonymous? Im heading out for work."
  234. >now she acts like nothing has changed
  235. "Alright mom."
  236. >today is the first day you are going back to school since the event and your mother is already taking off
  237. >you cant really blame her for working though.
  238. >now that its just you and her, she is the only one able to pay for the house.
  239. >"I left some money in the kitchen ill be back in a few days."
  240. >you can hear the door close shut downstairs and you come out of your room ready for school
  241. >how are you going to be treated when you get there?
  242. >are people going to baby you? or treat you like some outcast?
  243. >no... Most likely everything will be the same
  244. >they will think the whole thing was just some stupid adventure
  245. >or a chance to see Spiderwoman.
  246. >your fist starts to tighten around your bag unintentionally as you think of that 'hero'
  247. >the hero who chose to save your fathers murderer instead of him
  248. "a hero wouldn't have saved the bad guy and let the innocent die."
  249. >she isn't a hero.
  250. >your alarm on your phone goes off breaking you from your thoughts
  251. >taking out the phone you unlock it and turn off the 5 minute warning
  252. "well no use in standing here getting angry."
  253. >you spot the money on the kitchen counter and go to retrieve it but something catches your eye
  254. >the door to the basement is slightly open
  255. >you dont know why, but you make your way over to the door and peer down into the basement
  256. >besides when the police checked for evidence its been left alone
  257. >that was the one thing you insisted on despite your mothers wishes
  258. >she eventually gave up and assumed it was some coping deal
  259. >but you haven't been down there since then
  260. >you open the door the rest of the way and walk down to the bottom step
  261. >the room is as you remember it from that night, minus the chair and the man
  262. >on the desk all of your fathers papers and notes remain untouched and his small science lab of test tubes and chemicals still stand perfectly fine on the opposite end of the room
  263. "okay... That's more than enough time down here for now-"
  264. >you turn to leave and accidentally knock over one of the office toy snow globes
  265. >it collides with the floor shattering and the water spreads out on the floor
  266. >until it eventually stops and forms a slight line
  267. >you look at your phone and check the time
  268. >10 minutes until your first class starts
  269. >you don't have time to goof around at home
  270. >but you cant help but wonder about the water..
  271. >kneeling down and getting a closer look you see a slight crack in the floor
  272. >no, not a crack
  273. >a perfectly straight line.
  274. >in fact the line eventually makes out a small square in the floor
  275. >you take one of the pens off the desk and use it to leverage the tile
  276. >it finally comes loose and inside is a small compartment with a glass vial inside
  277. >you reach down and lift up the sealed container
  278. >the liquid inside is clear and void of bubbles
  279. >you bring it closer for a better look
  280. >suddenly your phone rings causing you to jump and in effect drop the vial
  281. >it too shatters on the floor and the liquid quickly dissipates into the air
  282. >it smells like a mix of sulfur and strawberries gone bad
  283. >you cough deeply over and over again as the smell eventually wears off
  284. >your phone is ringing, you just breathed in some unknown chemical, and you're late for class.
  285. >what a great start to the day
  286. >you answer the call still coughing slightly from the smell
  287. "He- -cough- hello?"
  288. >"Hey Anonymous. Its Norman, you said you were coming back to school today right?"
  289. >you forgot you had already talked to Norman about coming back to school yesterday
  290. >he said he was going to wait for you by the entrance to welcome you back
  291. "yeah, yeah, I'm just a little late. I slept through my alarm."
  292. >"Ah, Alright, well listen, class is starting in like two minutes..."
  293. "yeah no its fine man, go to class. I'll be there soon, I'm sure ill get excused if I'm a few minutes late."
  294. >"alright man, and uhm... some of the other guys wanted me to tell you there is going to be a party to celebrate your return. I uh, wanted to give you a heads up on it."
  295. >yeah, you can only imagine who would throw a party on your first day back...
  296.  
  297. ----- update 2 -----
  298.  
  299. >as you approach the doors to your old school you check the time on your phone
  300. "and I missed about half of first period... Nice"
  301. >no real point in showing up to it now then
  302. >you walk in the double doors of canterlot high and are greeted by the same old hallways
  303. >it gives you a strange sense of security knowing this place is still the same even if your life has changed
  304. >with nothing to do for the next few minutes you head down to the library
  305. >the librarian Miss Cheerilee looks up from her book and over to you as you sit you bag down at the table
  306. >"Anonymous, what are you doing here?"
  307. >looking at the clock you notice there's probably only fifteen minutes of class left in first period
  308. >Miss Cheerilee walks over to you with her arms crossed
  309. >"well?"
  310. >you sigh and sit down in a chair
  311. "I accidentally slept through my alarm and was a half hour late for first period. By the time I got here I would have been marked absent and probably receive a lecture from Harshwhinny about being punctual and professional"
  312. >Miss Cheerilee looks to the clock
  313. >"I heard about what happened Anonymous. I wont make you leave if you don't feel ready, but you will have to go to your next class on time."
  314. "so, you're going to let me skip class?"
  315. >she laughs a bit
  316. >"just this once. I better not find out that this is becoming a normal thing"
  317. >she gently places a hand on your shoulder as a show of understanding before walking away
  318. >you always knew she was a cool teacher
  319. >taking out your cellphone you text Norman "sorry I missed class. I'm waiting in library for next one to start"
  320. >bing
  321. >"np man c u soon"
  322. >well there you go.
  323. >everything is just like normal again.
  324. >as you sit there in your chair you glance around to room until your eyes come across a poster on the bulletin board
  325. >you cant read it from here but the drawing of Spiderwoman is pretty obvious
  326. >you get up and walk over to the poster to get a better look
  327. "You might not fight crime, but YOU can be a superhero and save the world too! Recycle!"
  328. >you reach forward and unpin the poster from the board and smash it up in your hands
  329. "what a stupid poster"
  330. >you toss the trash into the nearest can and grab you backpack
  331. >the bell will be ringing soon anyway
  332. >on your way out you wave to Miss Cheerilee
  333. "thanks for not turning me in."
  334. >"have a nice day Anonymous, I hope things get better for you soon."
  335. >walking down the halls you make your way to the locker room for your second period physical fitness class
  336. >this was you choice of elective class simply to get out of having extra homework
  337. >and luckily for you the class after is regular Gym so you dont even need to go anywhere afterwards.
  338. >well besides the showers that is.
  339. >RIIIINNNNGGG
  340. >as the bell rings you take your phone out again and message Norman again
  341. "going right to locker room to avoid being late."
  342. >bing
  343. >"k"
  344. >again the phone goes away as students make their way out of the locker room giving you a chance to enter
  345. >a few of the guys recognize you and give you short welcomes
  346. >"hey Anon"
  347. >"glad to see you again buddy"
  348. >"sorry about what happened man, hope you have a good day though"
  349. >etc etc
  350. >honestly its kinda nice that they are making short little comments to show they care
  351. >its far better than the long drawn out pity parties that your family gave you
  352. >that only made it feel worse because you were constantly reminded that you are feeling bad
  353. >somehow despite you waiting outside for the locker room to open Bulk is already inside and changed
  354. >does he like live in here or something?
  355. "whats up Bulk? you going to welcome me back too?"
  356. >he runs over to you in a way that can only be described as charging and gets you in a headlock
  357. >"YYYEEAAAAHH!"
  358. >he does a short bit of tossing you around jokingly before letting you go
  359. >you laugh a bit and start to get changed into your workout clothes
  360. "thanks man, glad to be back really, if you can believe it"
  361. >"Yeah?"
  362. "yeah, it nice to be back someplace that's still the same after whats happened you know?"
  363. >Bulk ponders what you said for a moment before a grin comes across his face
  364. >"YEAH!"
  365. >soon the rest of the class starts to file in and get changed after a few give you the same greetings as the others
  366. >Norman however looks a little upset that he lost his chance to be the first to welcome you back but gets over it quickly once the two of you start talking like normal
  367. >that's kind of his thing anyway.
  368. >once you leave the locker room you and the rest of the class are standing in the weight room
  369. >Bulk has already picked out the machine that He, Norman, and yourself will be using
  370. >"Bench pressing again?"
  371. >Norman gets a loud "YEAAAH!" and a flex as a response
  372. >"great..."
  373. >it takes both you and Norman to have a hope of properly spotting Bulk
  374. >he can pretty much bench press the combined weight the two of you do and then some
  375. >"yyyeeaaah... yyeeaaah.."
  376. >the bar is placed back on the top with a loud clank once he finishes his first set
  377. >"YEAAAH!"
  378. "who's next then?"
  379. >Norman pats your back with a smile on his face
  380. >"all you buddy"
  381. >"yeah!"
  382. "alright then."
  383. >you make sure to wipe off the bench with a towel before laying down on it and you get a nice weight on the bar
  384. "alright, its been a while so don't expect me to do too well"
  385. >3... 2... 1...
  386. >lift!
  387. >you struggle a bit at first having not worked out in a while
  388. >eventually you get your rhythm and you set the bar back
  389. "add a bit more will ya?"
  390. >about twenty more pounds are added
  391. >lift!
  392. >you struggle even more than before
  393. >there was this old saying you told yourself whenever you worked out with Bulk
  394. >if he could do it, then so could you.
  395. >of course it was hard to believe it but it helped on occasion
  396. >you finish your set and take a minute to breathe
  397. >strangely you recover quickly and are already set to do more
  398. "hey.. Norman, mind if I take your turn?"
  399. >"ha! are you expecting me to say no? go ahead!"
  400. "sweet... Add more."
  401. >your workout has started to gain the attention of the class, including the teacher.
  402. >everyone crowds around you as more weight is added again
  403. >it feels like you are just a few pounds away from Bulks level of workout
  404. >ready, set, lift!
  405. >Bulk cheers you on as the bar makes its way down to your chest
  406. >"YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEEEAAAAHHHH!"
  407. >with a bit of struggle you lift the weights like all the others as you repeat to yourself
  408. >if Bulk can so can I...
  409. >if Bulk can so can I!
  410. >you lift the bar again and again feeling sweat pour from your body from the workout
  411. >as you lift the bar again you see something strange in the mirror on the ceiling
  412. >why do you have Bulks eye color?
  413. >they fade away and it suddenly feels like you are holding up the entire world
  414. >you arms cave in but luckily Bulk and a few others grabbed it in time before you were cut in half from the impact
  415. >"you okay Anonymous?!"
  416. >you lay there breathing for a moment as everyone looks on in worry
  417. >you force a laugh and smile
  418. "I- I guess I hit my limit"
  419. >"Man you crushed your limit! that was intense!"
  420. >"Yeah!"
  421. >"do you even know how much you just did? you were ten under Bulks personal record!"
  422. >holy shit, really?
  423. "no way."
  424. >Bulk points to the weights on the bar and holds up two five pound weights
  425. >"Yeah!"
  426. >the bell rings, the universal signal that class has come to an end
  427. >"damn Bulk, better watch yourself Anonymous might just beat you next time"
  428. >he rolls his eyes and gives Norman a slight shove
  429. "alright guys, we better get ready for our next classes."
  430. >back in the locker room you take a longer than average shower since you don't have to go far to get to the Gym
  431. >why did you have Bulk Biceps eyes when you were lifting weights?
  432. >water runs over your hair and face for a moment before you shrug it off and change into casual gym clothes
  433. >Gym class is co-ed so the appropriate level of clothing is a bit more strict than the workout classes
  434. >you grab a spare towel and head out to the gym
  435. >there a few students already waiting there for the class to start
  436. >Twlight Rainbow and Applejack chat in their little group and eventually welcome Sunset when she arrives and joins the conversation
  437.  
  438. >you are Sunset Shimmer
  439. >the girls have been talking about a party Pinkie has planned for anonymous to welcome him back to school
  440. >they were never really good friends with him, but they knew him enough to come up with the idea for a party
  441. >from the corner of your eye you can see Anon standing near the door with a towel just looking around at the gym
  442. >he almost looks lost in a way.
  443. >"so what do you think Shimmer?"
  444. >the sound of your name brings you back to the conversation
  445. "Huh? I'm sorry?"
  446. >Rainbow wraps an arm around you
  447. >"about the party for Anonymous! you think you could get him to come?"
  448. "well, i guess so. But why me? Why not one of you girls? You know him better than I do."
  449. >"well duh! because we have been working on the actual party, so this is your part to do."
  450. >great...
  451. >the person who failed to save a kids father from falling from a building has to now invite him to his welcome back party.
  452. >you feel a lump in your throat and your heart sinks a bit when you think about what happened
  453. >with a sigh you nod to the girls
  454. "alright, its only fair that I do it then."
  455. >"that's the spirit suger cube!"
  456. >at least if he blames Spiderwoman for his fathers death, he doesn't blame Shimmer for it.
  457. >maybe you can somehow make things a bit easier for him now that he's back to school
  458. >or... Something...
  459.  
  460. >"Anonymous?"
  461. >you raise your hand
  462. "here."
  463. >the gym teacher who's name you never really cared to remember looks over to you
  464. >"welcome back. Im sorry to hear about your father."
  465. >you just nod as she goes down the list of students for attendance
  466. >a few more names get called out with "here" following each one
  467. >putting down the clipboard the teacher looks around at the students
  468. >"well originally I had planned for us to run the track, but right now its being redone, so I guess that leaves one option..."
  469. >a smile comes over her and everyone else as the word "Dodgeball" leaves her lips
  470. >"alright! everyone form into two teams ill get the equipment out."
  471. >the class divides into two sides
  472. >you find yourself on a team with Rainbow Dash as you go against Applejack, Twilight, and Sunset on the other.
  473. >at least the girls were nice enough to not take both Rainbow and Applejack
  474. >that wouldn't be fair to anyone
  475. >everyone gets into a ready stance as the balls are placed in the center of the gym
  476. >"watch out Rainbow, ah'll be sure to take you out first!"
  477. >"HA fat chance Applejack."
  478. >well least the two heavy hitters are already going for each other.
  479. >standing directly ahead of you is Sunset
  480. >so you suppose she should be the first one to go for.
  481. >as the whistle blows the class rushes to the center of the gym to grab a ball
  482. >the first four outs happen in a few seconds leaving the teams a little uneven with your team Dash down three and team Apple down one
  483. >you elected to stay back to avoid the initial fight
  484. >Rainbow slowly makes her way over to you dodging shots and returning fire when possible
  485. >"Hey Anon, here."
  486. >she tosses you one of the two balls she had in her hands
  487. >"when I give the signal focus on Applejack, if we take her out this game is as good as won!"
  488. "alright. I got your back"
  489. >"alright. NOW!"
  490. >the two of you wind up and launch your shots at the blondie scoring one hit
  491. >"out!"
  492. >just as the two of you go to high-five to celebrate the victory a throw from Sunset takes Rainbow out of the game
  493. >Rainbow is surprised, but takes her seat without too much of a fuss.
  494. >just Rainbow levels of fuss..
  495. >she and Applejack give each other looks of mixed victory as the two sit down on the bench
  496. >the teams have come down to you versus Twilight and Sunset
  497. >honestly you never expected Twilight to be one of the last two
  498. >Sunset and twilight each have a ball in hand as you lift one to your chest to block
  499. >with a laugh she tosses the ball in her hands up and down
  500. >"well Anon, heres your shot! we wont throw until you do."
  501. >looking at the gym you can see why
  502. >you have the only ball on your side of the field in your hands
  503. >well you might at least get an out if you throw at Twilight
  504. >you wind up and throw the ball right at her legs making her drop the ball and it rolls to your side of the gym just close enough for you to reach it and block the shot from Sunset
  505. >its down to a one versus one
  506. "Im sorry, I thought you were going to try and get me out with that shot? Guess not.."
  507. >you hear an "OOOoo" from the spectators
  508. >"alright, but I wont hold back just because you have been gone for a while like the others have."
  509. >the class goes quiet at her words but you just smile back at her
  510. "good, thats all I wanted from the school anyway."
  511. >you raise you arm with the ball and target the girl
  512. "Im glad at least one of you understands!"
  513. >you feel that same level of strength from when you were lifting with Bulk come back just as you release the ball
  514. >or to put it more accurately...
  515. >as you fire that ball from a cannon.
  516.  
  517. >you are Sunset
  518. >"Im glad at least one of you understands!"
  519. >your spider-sense suddenly goes wild
  520. >you watch as the ball comes blasting at you and the world around you begins to slow as you react to the incoming projectile
  521. >without thinking about what you are doing you jump and twist yourself over the ball while throwing your own at Anonymous
  522. >the onlookers eyes go wide, along with Anonymous'
  523. >... Did he always have eyes like Bulk?
  524. >the ball he launched at you bounces of the wall with a hard smack as the one you threw back heads right at him
  525. >by the time you land on your knee the whole Gym is deathly quiet
  526. >maybe you should have just let the ball hit you
  527. >looking up from the floor you can see why the class is so silent
  528. >standing opposite you in the gym is a completely shocked Anonymous...
  529. >staring at the Dodgeball in his hands
  530. "I'm, I'm out?..."
  531.  
  532. ---update 3---
  533.  
  534. >"oh my gosh! that was the most Awesome thing I've ever seen!"
  535. >"ah' have ta' admit, that was pretty darn impressive."
  536. >the whistle blows signaling the end of the game
  537. >dropping the ball to the floor you look over to Shimmer who looks just as amazed as you do
  538. >you cant tell if its that you caught the ball with you issue or that she just did some slick ninja shit to dodge your shot
  539. >Rainbow quickly runs onto the gym floor along with the rest of the class
  540. >"you guys HAVE to show me how you did that."
  541. >Rainbow does a pose like shes throwing the ball
  542. >"Anonymous was like BOOM! and Sunset your jump thing was sweet!"
  543. >Sunset gets up off the floor and brushes the hair from her face
  544. >"I think it was just a one in a million thing Dash. I doubt I could do it again, besides a lot of good it did me. Im still out and lost the game."
  545. >Twilight is quick to chime in in an attempt to compliment her friend
  546. >"Its not about wining Shimmer, it about how you play, and id say you played great! you too Anonymous!"
  547. "Thanks."
  548. >Sunset looks over to you with a smile
  549. >"So Anon... You doing anything later?"
  550. "what?"
  551. >you almost feel a blush come over you but you push it back
  552. >its unlikely that's why shes asking.
  553. >besides Norman already gave you the heads up on your surprise party.
  554. >Sunset is likely the one who's supposed to ask, or convince you to be, conveniently, where the party takes place.
  555. >"care to hang out with us after school today?"
  556. >Applejack Rainbow and Twilight all look to you with smiles on their faces
  557. >yeah that's definitely what it is.
  558. "sure. That sounds good to me."
  559. >the teacher dismisses class so everyone has enough time to change and wash before next hour
  560. >you do so then decide wait in the hall outside the locker room for the bell to ring
  561. >whats been going on with you today?
  562. >sudden bursts of strength? your eyes changing like that?
  563. >how were you able to react as fast as you did to Sunsets throw?
  564. >and another thought pushes to the front of your mind
  565. "what was in that vial?..."
  566. >it must be what is doing this to you.
  567. >"Hey Anon."
  568. >looking up from your arms you see that Sunset is standing in front of you
  569. >how long was she standing there?
  570. "oh hey Sunset."
  571. >"so, I'm sure you're tired of hearing this but-"
  572. >you hold up your hand to silence her before she can say it
  573. "I know what you're going to say, and thanks for being concerned."
  574. >a soft smile is her response
  575. "I also want to thank you for something else."
  576. >"whats that?"
  577. "for not going easy on me like you said the others did."
  578.  
  579. >"Seriously, it means a lot to know someone is treating me like they would before."
  580. "oh! yeah sure thing..."
  581. >well its not like you could just come out and say sorry for being the reason you are in this situation.
  582. >no matter how much you'd like to.
  583. >"so about this party you guys have planned for me after school-"
  584. "You already knew?!"
  585. >that came out a bit louder than you wanted it to.
  586. >Anon just laughs at your sudden outburst
  587. >"Yeah, id tell you who let me in on it but... Well we all have secrets."
  588. >yeah you're telling me.
  589. "well the surprise part is ruined then."
  590. >"Im sure I'll still have a good time. It will help take my mind off things"
  591. >before you can say anything the bell rings
  592. >Anonymous grabs his bag and starts to walk off down the hall before stopping for a moment
  593. >"So... That party... Are you going to be there?"
  594. >what?
  595.  
  596. >Did you really just ask her that?
  597. >of course she would be, shes the one who asked you to go!
  598. "Nothing, never mind. Just thinking out loud is all. OH, don't tell Pinkie I know about her party."
  599. >you leave a pretty confused Sunset behind near the locker rooms as the halls begin to fill up with students
  600. >well that could have gone a bit better.
  601. >least it didn't go too badly though.
  602. >the rest of the day passes without much incident
  603. >most of your classes usually consisted of the same pattern
  604. >a welcome back, then a I'm sorry, then class as normal.
  605. >all up until the end of the day when you are scheduled to go to your 'surprise' party
  606. >you stand at the doors to the school as Sunset makes her way over to you
  607. "Hey Sunset."
  608. >"Hey."
  609. >the other students start to leave and enjoy the rest of the day while you and Sunset just stand there kinda awkwardly
  610. >she scratches the back of her head unsure of what to do
  611. >"So... I was supposed to have you distracted for a about an hour or so before taking you to the party.."
  612. >you check your phone for the time
  613. "one hour huh? Mind if I stop by my house and drop off my bags?"
  614. >"sounds like a plan."
  615. >before the two of you start walking off there is the sound of an explosion and sirens from the direction of downtown
  616. "oh my god! Did you see that?"
  617. >Sunset quickly turns into the direction of the chaos and starts to run towards it
  618. >"yeah! I better see if everyone is okay at the party setup."
  619. >the others could be there?!
  620. >you quickly take a few steps forward ready to follow Sunset
  621. "they could be around that?! I'm coming too."
  622. >then Sunset turns around stopping you in your tracks
  623. >"NO!"
  624. "what?! why?"
  625. >"B-Because... Uh... I don't want anything to happen to you?"
  626.  
  627. >the words just sorta came out of your mouth
  628. >and now you have Anon looking at you like you just asked him on a date
  629. >"uhm... Okay? Even so they are our friends and classmates you cant expect me to just run home and wait!"
  630. >God damn it Anon!
  631. >why are you being so stubborn?
  632. >just panic and run like everyone else.
  633. "No Anon! please, stay safe. I'll be back soon."
  634. >before he can answer you take off with your bag down the street and eventually get out of sight leaving him behind
  635. >you pull your mask out of your bag and change into your spider-suit as quickly as you can
  636. >as soon as you are changed you toss the bag in a safe place and web swing your way towards the scene
  637. "looks like its time for Spiderwoman to join the party."
  638.  
  639. >so that's it then?
  640. >she expects you to stand around and wait for something to happen?!
  641. "that's not going to happen Sunset.."
  642. >you follow her down the street but you end up losing her somewhere near the edge of downtown
  643. "damn it shimmer. You could of at least told me where the party was before!"
  644. >at least then you could have an idea of where to look
  645. >guess the only thing you can do is rush towards the sound of the sirens
  646. >the closer you get to the sound of sirens the more crowded the streets get
  647. >apparently whatever is happening is getting quite a lot of attention
  648. >you pull out your phone and call Norman
  649. >...
  650. >...
  651. >"heya this is Norman-"
  652. "Norman is everything okay?! where is-"
  653. >"I cant make it to the phone right now so ple-"
  654. >damn it Norman!
  655. >you hang up and try to shove your way to the front of the crowd
  656. >once you get close enough you can see what everyone is staring at
  657. >a gas station exploded causing a the building next to it start to crumble and catch fire
  658. >the fire department is doing their best to contain the damage
  659. "well wheres our local hero now?"
  660. >just then you hear the sound of web swinging and the crowd begins to cheer as Spiderwoman starts to web the building to the surrounding ones keeping it from collapsing in the direction of the crowd
  661. >while everyone is looking at that and cheering they don't see that inside the building a woman is trapped under a caved in support
  662. "Hey.. HEY! someones still in there!"
  663. >no one notices your pleas for the woman
  664. >and Spiderwoman is too busy webbing the building into place
  665. >you struggle to get closer to the firemen trying to put the fire out
  666. "HEY! there's still a woman in there!"
  667. >no one is listening or just cant hear you
  668. >there's only one thing to do then
  669. >and its a really REALLY stupid idea
  670. >you break through the crowd and charge towards the building getting various cries of shock from the crowd and protests from the firemen
  671. >the woman in the building can see you coming for her and screams reaching out for help desperately
  672. "Im coming!"
  673. >you can feel the heat of the flames as you get closer to the building
  674. >"HEEELLLP ME!"
  675. >you are only a few feet away from the inside of the building when you are suddenly swept away and into the air
  676. "NOOO!"
  677. >the ground gets further and further away and you look to see Spiderwoman holding you by the waist and swinging you back to the edge of the crowd
  678. >"what the hell were you thinking kid?!"
  679. >you try to run past her just for her to grab you again and force you back
  680. >the woman inside screams one last time as the ceiling above her caves in trapping her inside...
  681. >you reach forward hoping with all hope that something will happen and that she somehow got out
  682. >"oh my god did you see that?!"
  683. >"Spiderwoman saved that boy!"
  684. >"she really is a hero!"
  685. >you cant believe it...
  686. >falling to your knees you stare at the pile of burning rubble where the woman once was
  687. "there... There was someone..."
  688. >you can hear the sounds of camera phones and normal cameras alike snapping shots of Spiderwoman and the fire slowly begins to burn itself out as she stands next to you looking down at you
  689. >you look back up at her and eventually stand up
  690. >her voice is casual and almost joking in nature
  691. >"that's twice I've saved you now, you seriously have to be more careful.."
  692. >saved you...
  693. >but not the ones in real danger...
  694. >your hands become fists and you grip your teeth
  695. >"seriously what were you-"
  696. >you swing at her and she simply grabs your wrist and the crowd including the firemen are shocked
  697. >"hey! what the heck!?"
  698. >tears stream down your face as you shout at her
  699. "there was still a woman in there! she was right fucking there!!"
  700. >your anger now turns to the crowd
  701. "She was screaming for help! and none of you did anything!"
  702. >then the fireman
  703. "Not even the ones who are supposed to protect her! I yelled over and over trying to tell you!"
  704. >and now back to Spiderwoman who even while wearing a mask you can tell shes shocked at your response
  705. "but they were too busy looking at you! too busy to save a life BECAUSE OF YOU!"
  706. >she lets go of your wrist and takes a step back looking around at the crowd and the building
  707. >"there was..."
  708. "you're not a hero! you're a distraction!"
  709. >if you had her power you wouldn't show off for the cameras
  710. >you wouldn't waste time when you see someone in trouble
  711. >you know this, you know it because you were willing to save that woman without any powers of your own.
  712. >suddenly your wrists start to burn and ache, as does your head.
  713. >looking at your wrists it appears that your veins and muscles are...
  714. >are they shifting?!
  715. >a small tube appears to form in your wrists with a white coating around it
  716. >then you look back to Spiderwoman
  717. >she appears to be staring at the same spot you were in silence
  718. "you could have saved her... Or just let someone who could do it... But you didnt."
  719. >she doesn't say anything before she eventually shoots a web and takes off down the streets
  720. >you watch as she get further and further away
  721. >just as she is about out of eye sight your wrists begin to burn a second time
  722. "ah!"
  723. >and when you look down at them as they turn back to normal
  724. >what is going on with you?
  725.  
  726. >the firemen and police eventually start to make everyone disperse
  727. >but not before Norman and Sunsets group of friends, now including Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity rush over to you.
  728. >"Anonymous dude, you okay? What happened? and why did you try to hit Spiderwoman after she saved-"
  729. "she didn't save me."
  730. >"Anonymous dear, you could have been hurt doing that!"
  731. >Rainbow Dash walks in front of you and looks down at you with her arms crossed
  732. >"yeah, or maybe you didn't notice? but that building was on FIRE!"
  733. >she motions to the slowly burning building
  734. >you hear Twilights voice from behind you
  735. >"has anyone seen Sunset?"
  736. >you turn to look at the group of girls and Norman
  737. >shes right, Sunset isnt here.
  738. "she said she came looking for-"
  739. >you are interrupted by the voice of Sunset down the street a ways
  740. >"there you guys are!"
  741. >she looks exhausted
  742. >"what happened? I was looking everywhere for you guys."
  743. >you feel the burning in your wrists come back as she joins the group
  744. >glancing down you see the same exact formation on your wrist again.
  745. >you can feel your heart beating in your chest as you look at the white material closer...
  746. >its webbing...
  747. >"Anonymous, are you okay?"
  748. >the everyone looks at with with a bit of worry in their eyes
  749. >Sunset more than the rest.
  750. "yeah.. I'm fine."
  751. >you place your hand in your pocket to act like you were checking your phone
  752. "I think I might just head home though."
  753. >Pinkie is quick to interject
  754. >"A-are you sure?! I mean, we had some really fun stuff planned and-"
  755. >you place you hand on her shoulder
  756. "Its okay Pinkie, thanks for trying to welcome me back with a surprise party but I'm not really in a party mood after seeing-"
  757. >"a whole building catch fire?"
  758. "Yeah, that. I'll see you guys at school"
  759. >you take a step or two before you feel someones hand on your arm
  760. >once you hear the voice you know its Sunset
  761. >"Anon.. Mind if I walk you home?"
  762. >you want to say no.
  763. >but you dont.
  764. "sure Sunset, if you want to."
  765. >with a soft smile she proceeds to walk with you
  766. "oh and Norman!"
  767. >"yeah?"
  768. "answer your damn phone next time something like that happens..."
  769.  
  770. >you are Sunset Shimmer
  771. >what Anon said earlier, about you being just a distraction.
  772. >is that what he really thinks of you?
  773. >or rather, Spiderwoman?
  774. >the two of you walk down the streets eventually leaving the scene behind you
  775. >"so where were you at?"
  776. "what do you mean?"
  777. >Anon stops walking and turns to you
  778. >"you said you were going to look for the others, and you took off before I did."
  779. "oh, well.."
  780. >"How did I find them first? Not only that, you came from the opposite direction.."
  781. >oh man, think Shimmer...
  782. "I was looking for them, the first place I went was the place we had the party set up for you. When I didn't see anyone there I came back"
  783. >Anon looks at you with mild disbelief
  784. >"Is that what happened?"
  785. >you make yourself laugh a bit to seal the deal
  786. "Yeah of course it is. Why what do think I was doing?"
  787. >there's a brief pause before Anonymous laughs a bit and continues walking with you
  788. >"Its nothing, just a crazy thought. Dont worry about it."
  789.  
  790. --- update 4 ---
  791.  
  792. >Could Shimmer be Spiderwoman?
  793. >walking next to you she remains quiet only smiling when she notices you are looking at her
  794. >sure, the coincidences line up, but coincidence isn't evidence.
  795. >and there is not reason to start getting mad at her if you turn out to be just thinking crazy
  796. >you eventually arrive at your house and look over to Sunset
  797. "Would you like to come in?"
  798. >She laughs a bit
  799. >"You sure your parents would like you bringing a girl home?"
  800. >as she says it there is sudden expression of shock on her face as she heard her own words
  801. >"N-no I didn't mean to say that. I-"
  802. >you cant help but smile at her sudden damage control
  803. >there's no way a girl like her could keep a secret like that and still slip up this much in casual conversation.
  804. >you had to be over analyzing things
  805. >you walk up to the door and step inside as Sunset stands on the porch
  806. "Oh don't worry about that girl, I'm home alone."
  807. >you leave the door open as you walk into the living room and shout back
  808. "You can come in if you want, if you don't then that's fine too."
  809. >you take a seat on the couch and turn on the TV as Sunset slowly walks inside and closes the door
  810. >as she looks over the house you make a quip
  811. "Better hope your parents don't find out you are alone with a boy in his house."
  812. >"haha.."
  813. >She takes a seat on the couch as you flip threw the stations
  814. >eventually you stop on the local news channel
  815. >"-owntown where we have footage of the vigilante Spiderwoman assisting with the fire."
  816. >you lean in and watch the footage of Spiderwoman swinging around the building webbing it up
  817. >"and here you can see the boy mentioned previously rushing towards the blaze, just before being stopped by the masked hero"
  818. >you watch the scene unfold from the worlds perspective, to them it just looks like a idiot was trying to get himself killed
  819. >and that you were that idiot.
  820. >"the boy has been identified as Anon Ymous, known as Anonymous or Anon by friends and relatives. Whose father was recently found dead outside a building where an apparent drug deal gone bad-"
  821. >a drug deal?!
  822. >you stand up knocking the small end table in front of you over causing Sunset to jump
  823. "A DRUG DEAL!? Is that what they are saying it was?! Never mind the fact that my father and I were tied up and kidnapped, no! Its a damn drug deal!"
  824. >you toss the remote aside as Sunset tries to calm you down
  825. >"I-it was probably just a mistake, they will correct it on the next report."
  826. >looking over to Shimmer you start to relax a bit but tears begin to form in your eyes
  827. >its just one thing after another recently
  828. "Yeah."
  829. >shes right.
  830. >they will fix the mistake, it was just a slip up.
  831. "Im sorry for scaring you like that, I just... Things have been hard recently."
  832. >not to mention the sudden changes with your body
  833. >"Don't worry about it, I wouldn't know what to do if I was in your position either."
  834. >she scratches her arm for a second before continuing
  835. >"and well. If you need someone to talk to, I could listen if you like."
  836. >that's really nice of her.
  837. >wiping your tears away in the most manly way you can you let out a honest chuckle
  838. "Thanks Sunset. Id like that."
  839. >"well what are friends for Anon?"
  840. >Sunset holds out her hand and you shake it
  841. "Thanks again... Ill see you at school then?"
  842. >"of course you will."
  843. >after the shake she puts her hands on her hip
  844. >"You cant get rid of me after we just became friends Anon."
  845. "No I suppose I cant"
  846. >you share a smile before Sunset leaves with a "see ya round"
  847. >standing there the TV accidentally set to mute from tossing the remote that same burning comes to your wrist
  848. >it burns much less than before but its noticeable
  849. >and looking down you see why.
  850. >as Sunset leaves so too does the tubes of webbing embed in your wrists
  851. >No more questions, you need answers.
  852. >stepping over the fallen table you head down to the basement where the shards of glass and upturned tile remain where you left them
  853. >you search the pieces for any sort of identification
  854. >finally you find one on the cap in white letters
  855. >Item DDC95.
  856. >you take the cap and quickly scan through the many files belonging to your father
  857. >whatever this stuff was, it has to be whats causing all these changes.
  858. >including your fathers death.
  859. >now you just need to learn what it is.
  860.  
  861. --- update 5 ---
  862.  
  863. >the files are spread out across the table as you wake up the next day
  864. >all the previous day and night you were reading everything you could
  865. >every file, every page, every side note and scribble.
  866. >most of it you couldn't understand, and what bits you could just seemed to be out of place or mixed up.
  867. "Item DDC95..."
  868. >picking up the cap from on the desk you look at the numbers and digits. As if they would just suddenly make sense
  869. >but of course the don't.
  870. "what time is it anyway?"
  871. >you pull your phone out of your pocket and see you have a few missed calls
  872. >most of them from your mother and various family members who you don't really know and only met after your father died.
  873. >they can wait.
  874. >but there is a missed call on your phone from a number you don't recognize
  875. >you open the message and listen in
  876. >"before you get any ideas, this phone has been made nearly untraceable, and will be destroyed immediately after this call has been made."
  877. >great way to start a conversation
  878. >"Your father has been working for us for a while now, and his project is long overdue."
  879. >your eyes glance over to the broken vial on the floor
  880. >"what it does shouldn't concern you, but its very valuable to us. If you don't want another 'Drug Deal' to occur, you WILL find what he has completed and bring it to us."
  881. >well that is more or less-
  882. >"or alternatively..."
  883.  
  884. >you are Sunset Shimmer
  885. >and as the name Sunset would imply, you hate mornings.
  886. >as the combined assault of the rays of sunshine and the sound of your alarm clock beckon you awake from your slumber
  887. >grudgingly you remove the blankets from your body and make your way to the bathroom and peer into the mirror
  888. >your hair is scraggly and unkempt from a restless sleep and your eyes are slightly bloodshot
  889. "I am still a hero... right?"
  890. >you failed to save two people in a row now, possibly even more that you just didn't know about.
  891. >you force a smile just to see one in your reflection
  892. "Yeah, of course I am. I cant save everyone, but I'm doing my best. That's what matters."
  893. >removing your shirt and underwear in the laziest way possible you reach over and turn on the shower and set a reasonable temperature
  894. >even though mornings suck, this is always your favorite part of the day.
  895. >the nice, calm, relaxing feel of warm water running down your hair and skin is simply bliss
  896. >stepping inside you are greeted by that exact feeling
  897. >for a minute you stand there letting the water run down your body to the bottom of the shower before you reach for the shampoo
  898. >stepping out of the shower you feel rejuvenated and ready for the day
  899. >taking a towel you give your legs a quick wipe down
  900. >then the same for the rest of your body before drying your hair and getting dressed
  901. >you take your spider-suit and neatly fold it up to hide it easily in the bottom of your bag and set off to school
  902. "Hope Anon is doing a bit better..."
  903.  
  904. >the bell rings at the start of first period and you take your seat at the desk next to Sunset
  905. >you have a lot to think about.
  906. >Harshwhinny begins class with attendance then without missing a beat starts to write notes on the chalkboard on today's topic
  907. >nobody wastes time and notes are being copied as quickly as they can be without taking the time to really understand them
  908. >Harshwhinny is known for being very efficient with class time and slowing down when its available on the board is a waste of time to her
  909. >the only one who ever seems to be happy about the pacing of the class is Twilight since she can 'learn more and faster'
  910. >you look over to her and see a smile on her face as she easily keeps pace while processing everything on the board
  911. >it must be nice to be that smart-
  912. >you look back to the chalkboard and somehow the notes start to make sense
  913. >the words leaving Ms Harshwhinnys lips only aid in your understanding
  914. >why the sudden change?
  915. >wait-
  916. "Ms Hrashwhinny!"
  917. >"If you have questions you can ask after the notes are finished. Please follow along until then"
  918. "Its not that, you have made a mistake on the notes."
  919. >the chalk in her hands stop and the classes eyes are all on you now.
  920. >"I'm Sorry? Where do you believe I made the mistake Anonymous?"
  921. "it just, yesterday we learned that output, or national income, can be described by the equation Y = C + I + G + NX where Y is output, C is consumption spending, I is investment spending, G is government spending, and NX is net exports."
  922. >of course the only people who actually understand you are Twilight and Harshwhinny but you continue on anyway
  923. "and on the notes here you say that the equation to represent taxes is Y equals C(Y - I) plus T plus G plus NX..."
  924. >Harshwhinny turns to look at he board
  925. "and, well.. it should be Y equals C multiplied by the product of Y minus T then adding I plus G plus NX."
  926. >"ah, I see, thank you for bringing that to my attention Anonymous."
  927. >she picks up an eraser and starts to correct the mistake and those who made it that far in the notes do the same
  928.  
  929. >you are Twilight Sparkle
  930. >He... He was right.
  931. >you were about to say the same thing but the fact that anonymous knew AND figured it out just as you did is crazy.
  932. >its not that Anonymous isn't smart or anything like that, but you never thought he was as smart as you are.
  933. >and from the look on his face right now, he didn't think he was either
  934. >in fact, he has the same expression on his face as everyone else in the class.
  935. >Confusion
  936.  
  937. >Ho-Lee Shit
  938. >what just came out of your mouth?
  939. >you look down at your notes then back at the board
  940. >you don't understand any of this! How did you manage to notice AND correct a incorrect equation?
  941. >It doesn't make any sense, the only thing you thought of before somehow correcting a mistake was how smart Twilight was.
  942. >looking over your shoulder you catch a glimpse of Twilight smiling and giving you a thumbs up
  943. >she had to have noticed it if you did
  944. >alright, time for a little experiment then.
  945. >you repeat what you did before, and suddenly the board couldn't be simpler
  946. >well, it could, but you understand it all the same
  947. >quickly you scramble to take notes and catch up with Harshwhinny, making sure to put the notes in the simplest terms possible that you might understand them later
  948. >time flies by and eventually the bell rings just as Harshwhinny sets down the chalk
  949. >a few students take a few extra seconds to finish the notes while Twilight smiles and heads off to her next class with a few of her friends
  950. >but you just stand there as the knowledge you possessed while taking the notes slip away leaving you with just what you wrote down on the page
  951. >You are starting to get and idea about Item DDC95 and what it does...
  952. >or rather
  953. >what YOU can do.
  954.  
  955. --- update 6 ---
  956.  
  957. >"Anonymous."
  958. >Sunset stands next to you with her books in hand and her bag
  959. >"you feeling any better today?"
  960. >you stand up from your seat and get your own stuff ready to go
  961. "Yeah, I'm feeling great."
  962. >the two of you kinda stand there awkwardly the little event from last night still fresh in your minds
  963. "again, I'm sorry about that-"
  964. >Sunset gives you a slight shove with a smile on her face
  965. >"I already said its okay Anon, don't worry about it. You were under a lot of stress and that's how you dealt with it at the time"
  966. >the two of you share a smile before Twilight calls to Sunset from the hall
  967. >"Sunset you coming?"
  968. >she signals 'just a sec' to Twilight before turning back to you
  969. >"and like I said Anon, I'm here if you need to chat."
  970. >she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a piece of paper with her number on it and hands it to you
  971. >"Seriously, let me know if you need me."
  972. >and with that she walks off to join Twilight
  973. >does sunset have a thing for you? or does she honestly feel bad about what you are going through?
  974. >you look down at the paper and put the number in your pocket just as Norman makes his way over to you with a grin on his face
  975. >"Well well Anon, are you getting close with Shimmer?"
  976. >you smile back at your friend and laugh a bit
  977. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."
  978. >"what was that paper she gave you? It was her number wasn't it?"
  979. >the two of you are now walking out of the classroom and into the hall leading to the locker room
  980. "Wouldn't you like to know."
  981. >"Uh, Yeah! What kind of friend wouldn't want to know if his best buddy was making it with one of the most popular girls in school?!"
  982. "its not like that, I dont think anyway. See last night she-"
  983. >Norman smiles back at you
  984. >"Oh I was there, I remember what happened."
  985. >Norman does his best to mimic Sunsets voice
  986. >"Anon, you're looking so upset. please let me take you home and 'take care' of you. We can have our own party just the two of us~"
  987. >you give him a push and he accidentally bumps into another student who he quickly apologizes too
  988. "Yup, that's EXACTLY what happened."
  989. >"I bet, now seriously, whats going on with you two?"
  990. >the two of you enter the locker room where Bulk is waiting for you already changed
  991. "She is just offering to be there if I need someone to talk to."
  992. >"that's pretty cool of her. I still think shes got a thing for you though."
  993. >you start to change into your workout clothes
  994. "really? Whys that?"
  995. >Norman finishes changing about the same time you do and turns back to you
  996. >"Its not like she offers to be there for everyone in school, right?"
  997. "Maybe you have a point."
  998. >"Of course I do."
  999. >the three of you, now including Bulk, head into the weight room where the rest of the class has started to do their routines
  1000. >in the corner you see two squat racks facing the same direction
  1001. >you did it once, why wouldn't it work again?
  1002. "Hey Bulk."
  1003. >Bulk looks over to you as a grin forms on your face
  1004. "How about leg day?"
  1005. >He grins back understanding your challenge
  1006. >Norman looks back and forth between the two of you and takes a step back with his hands up to get out of your way
  1007. >"uhh... you guys go ahead, I think ill just take a few dumbbells over there."
  1008. >Bulk and yourself take positions at the squat racks add apply the same amount of weight as the other
  1009. >Bulk smiles and pops his neck as he gets ready staring you down
  1010. "Three... two... one..."
  1011. >Lift
  1012.  
  1013. >"So what did you Anon talk about?"
  1014. "Huh?"
  1015. >Twilight smiles at you as Rainbow and Fluttershy join you on the way to class
  1016. >Rainbow is quick to join in the conversation
  1017. >"Oooh, talking with Anonymous huh? Did you ask him why he ditched Pinkies party that we worked hard on?"
  1018. >Twilight gives Rainbow a disapproving look that you share
  1019. >"What? We did!"
  1020. >"Anon had a perfectly understandable reason to not want to go Rainbow."
  1021. >"I know, I'm just annoyed that we put all that effort into it and he didn't want to go"
  1022. >your voice is almost as quiet as Fluttershys
  1023. "He's going through a lot right now. I just offered to be there if he wanted to talk about it."
  1024. >you barely hear Fluttershy over the other noise in the halls
  1025. >"that was really nice. I'm sure Anon really appreciates it."
  1026. >Honestly just hearing that from someone else makes you feel glad about your choice
  1027. >You hope he does decide to talk to you
  1028. >It might help you make up for your mistake, even if its just a little bit.
  1029.  
  1030. >When did Anon start to get so damn strong?
  1031. >you sit next to Norman and grab a set of dumbbells to join him
  1032. >the two of you don't really say anything to each other besides "hello" before you are both watching Bulk and Anonymous going at it
  1033. "When did Anon suddenly get so competitive?"
  1034. >Norman looks around to see who you might be talking to before he realizes its him
  1035. >"Oh, you're talking to me?"
  1036. "Yeah. Who else would I be talking to?"
  1037. >he stops his reps to talk to you
  1038. >"I just wasn't expecting it, sorry Flash"
  1039. "No problem, but seriously, Anon."
  1040. >you motion over to him and Bulk
  1041. >"Not sure, he's been getting like that since he came back."
  1042. >you nod understanding
  1043. >He's probably just using his anger and emotions as motivation.
  1044. >Still, being able to match Bulk suddenly is strange.
  1045. "Did he ever talk about doing any training or workouts or anything like that before coming back?"
  1046. >Norman shakes his head
  1047. >"Nah, but he really didn't talk about anything, He might have started to work out to help cope?"
  1048. >you smile, set down the dumbbells and pat Norman on the back before standing up
  1049. "Yeah that's what I was thinking too."
  1050. >...
  1051. "Think he's any good at football?"
  1052.  
  1053. >looking ahead at Bulk you see he is straining just as hard as you are right now
  1054. >you both have reached your limit and are doing everything you can to do just one more squat than the other
  1055. >you've never felt your legs burn this much before
  1056. >and the sheer amounts of sweat pouring down your face makes you feel like you have been standing in the rain
  1057. >the two of you go down once more and you can feel the weight getting to you
  1058. >this is it
  1059. >whoever finishes this one wins
  1060. >you hear the clank of the bar lock into place along with the one at Bulks machine
  1061. >falling to your knees you look over to Bulk to see his bar all the way up as he smiles back at you
  1062. >you turn to look at your own
  1063. >its also at the top, but yours locked into place first
  1064. >you laugh despite the protest in your lungs
  1065. >each laugh escaping you burns like fire but you don't care
  1066. "I-I cant believe it."
  1067. >from your place on the floor you smile back at Bulk
  1068. "I cant believe I won!"
  1069. >in the mirror behind Bulk you can see your eyes slowly change back to their original color and the strength you had possessed leaves you
  1070. >Bulk raises his hand and gives you a weak thumbs up in response
  1071. >"Y-Yeah!"
  1072. >you hear the bell ring for the end of class as Bulk and yourself take a few extra seconds to breathe
  1073. >everyone else files out and the teacher waits by the door
  1074. >"Come on boys."
  1075. >the two of you respond with the same amount of enthusiasm
  1076. "yeah.."
  1077.  
  1078. >Meanwhile somewhere outside of the city...
  1079. >"He's listened to the message Ma'am."
  1080. "When?"
  1081. >"This morning. It was the only message on the phone he listened to."
  1082. >you lean over the uniformed man at the computer to see the details
  1083. >the glow of the screen illuminates your face and that of the man in the dim room
  1084. "He knows the offer now. The only thing we are authorized to do until a response is given is wait"
  1085. >"and what if he doesn't give us one within the allotted time limit?"
  1086. >you smile like that of a predator eyeing a meal
  1087. "Then we will have to get in contact with him without making our presence known."
  1088.  
  1089. --- update 7 ---
  1090.  
  1091. >the shower after the workout was the most amazing thing you have ever felt
  1092. >alas, all good things must come to an end.
  1093. >after your shower and change into your gym class clothes you already feel like a million bucks
  1094. >In fact, after you dropped the strength you seemed to be copying from Bulk you started to feel better
  1095. >though at the time you were too exhausted to notice your body recovering
  1096. >and now you stand in the gym with the rest of your classmates ready to take on your next challenge
  1097. >and whatever it is, you plan on coming out on top.
  1098. >It doesn't take long for Rainbow, Applejack, Twilight and Sunset to come over and stand with you as attendance is being taken
  1099. >each of you sound off at the appropriate times and the class is lead out to the track
  1100. >you cant help but notice Applejack and Rainbow smiling at you as Sunset walks next to you out of the gym
  1101. >you give Sunset a nudge at point to the duo over your shoulder
  1102. "is there something going on that I should be worried about?"
  1103. >the two of you look back and suddenly AJ and Dash find everything else around more interesting than the two of you
  1104.  
  1105. >as Anon turns to look back to you AJ and Dash turn their attention back and give various approving looks and gestures
  1106. >you blush slightly before shaking your head 'no' to them
  1107. >"Uh, everything okay?"
  1108. >Anons voice brings him to your full attention
  1109. "Yeah, everything is fine. Just girl stuff..."
  1110. >Anon glances back at the two again receiving a wave from Rainbow before shrugging and returning his attention to the track the class was lead to
  1111. >"Alright class, we originally had this scheduled for our last session but we were unable to due to the contractors taking a day longer than planned."
  1112. >the new track looks amazing, the lines are all still perfectly visible and unworn, the Turf is bright and new, and the bleachers have all been replaced
  1113. >its looks like something you might see at Crystal Prep rather than Canterlot High
  1114. >the teacher walks over to the starting positions with a timer and list
  1115. >"everyone will do one lap as quickly as they can and I will record each of your times, at the end of the year we will compare this time to your final time and see if you improved"
  1116. >seems pretty simple
  1117. >and the best part is your abilities as spiderwoman wont be a factor
  1118. >you can run your hardest and still look like an average student!
  1119. >for once gym is easy.
  1120.  
  1121. >you smile to yourself
  1122. >Ha! Gym will finally be easy.
  1123. >If your experiment with Twilight in first period and Bulk in second are anything to go by, then you can just replicate the agility of the fastest runner in class
  1124. >you turn your head to Rainbow Dash who already looks ready to go
  1125. >a challenge like this is right up her alley.
  1126. >her only natural competition would be Applejack but she isn't much of a sprinter, more of a long distance runner.
  1127. >your choice of who to mimic is easy...
  1128. >the class gets split into groups so the teacher can do more than one student at a time while not being overwhelmed with too many times to track
  1129. >and wouldn't you know it. you get grouped with Apple and Dash
  1130. >"don't worry Anon, it isn't a race so dont be too upset when I leave you and AJ in the dust."
  1131. >Applejack speaks up from opposite Rainbow
  1132. >"ha-ha whatever you say Dash. You don't know if you will finish first or not."
  1133. >Rainbow looks back at the two of you with a grin
  1134. >"well then what would you call before either of you in our group of three?"
  1135. >you just smile back as the teacher tells your group to get ready
  1136. "We will see about that crayon box, don't count me out just yet."
  1137. >the teacher raises her arm and places the whistle to her lips
  1138. >as she blows the whistle she drops her arm as a signal to go
  1139. >the three of you take off at about the same pace getting a feel for each other's speed
  1140. >while the purpose of this isn't to make it a race its been turned into one.
  1141. >"well its been fun running with you guys, but ill have to leave you now!"
  1142. >Rainbow picks up her pace and starts to take a lead on the two of you
  1143. >"oh no ya don't!"
  1144. >Applejack does her best to speed up but falls just short of Rainbows speed
  1145. >now its your turn to make your move
  1146. >as your foot hits the ground you feel yourself increase in speed
  1147. >your strides feel longer and you push yourself further with each step
  1148. >you swing your arms and slightly bend forward and eventually you are neck and neck with Rainbow
  1149. >with a smirk you slowly begin to pass her and Applejack.
  1150. >as Rainbow pushes herself to her limit you match it equally and leave AJ in the dust as you near the end
  1151. >"w-wow! You have been. Really. Busy. I-if you can match. Me!"
  1152. "Ive. Had some. Real. Motivation!"
  1153. >the two of you can see the end just a few meters away
  1154. >then you have a sudden moment of realization
  1155. >slowly you start to lose speed, which Rainbow Dash quickly capitalizes on
  1156. >she passes by you laughing
  1157. >"it was a good try Anon!"
  1158. >it was more than a good try, its was just as good as her own
  1159. >only you had surprise on your side.
  1160. >your pace starts to slow even more as you let Rainbow get further and further away until Applejack passes you putting you in last
  1161. >"nice try partner! but ya'h better learn ta' pace yourself!"
  1162. >you breathe heavily and smile back
  1163. "y-yeah! god I'm tired..."
  1164. >you are the last of the three to finish, but even then your time is still impressive compared to most
  1165. >taking a seat on the bench you try to relax and take large breaths
  1166. >just as you lean back a towel hits your face and you nearly fall from the surprise
  1167. >as you remove it you see the girls standing or taking a seat around you
  1168. >you can feel your legs weaken slightly your copied agility leaving you.
  1169. >Rainbow punches you in the arm jokingly
  1170. >"nice going there Anon, you almost had me beat. Almost."
  1171. >taking the towel you wipe your face and neck of sweat as your body already starts to recover from the borrowed abilities of Rainbow
  1172. "It was fun while it lasted."
  1173.  
  1174. >you are a spectator inside the school
  1175. >the world has always been different through your eyes compared to those around you
  1176. >you remove your specially made tinted glasses and look out at the track from your desk in class
  1177. "that was pretty interesting to watch..."
  1178. >in the distance you can see the slightly glowing trails of sweat on the track along with the individuals running
  1179. >the last three were the most fun.
  1180. >from the looks of it, they were Anonymous, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash.
  1181. >and while Anonymous lost the race you have a feeling it was intentional.
  1182. >he didn't start to sweat until he let Rainbow Dash pass him.
  1183. >"Vinyl... Vinyl!"
  1184. >you remove your headphones so you can hear the teacher clearer
  1185. "Yea, Harsh?"
  1186. >Ms Harshwhinny glares over to you from her place at the front of the class
  1187. >"Please pay attention and follow along. You'll need this information when you come back here during study hall to make up for wasted time in class today..."
  1188. >with that she turns around and continues to write on the board about economics or math or whatever this class is.
  1189. >you just put your headphones back on and let the music take priority
  1190. >besides, you learned a lot already.
  1191. >Anonymous is a pretty interesting guy...
  1192.  
  1193. --- update 8 ---
  1194.  
  1195. >when class ends you are one of the first in the hall
  1196. >the music in your headphones constantly playing drowning out the noise of the students around you
  1197. >as the hall fills up with more and more students it gets more difficult to see things clearly
  1198. >beads of sweat, droplets of saliva, and even fingerprints are clearer the more recent they are.
  1199. >when you were younger this would have been overwhelming and likely painful to see all at once
  1200. >but you have found ways to cope with this over time
  1201. >music was one of those ways.
  1202. >you scan the halls looking for someone
  1203. >finally you spot him walking with Sunset in your direction
  1204. >casually you walk towards them much like any student in the hall
  1205. >and as you walk up to him you give him a pat on the shoulder
  1206. "that was a pretty nice trick out there."
  1207.  
  1208. >The words you just heard send a slight shiver down your spine
  1209. >Relax Anonymous, she might just be talking about passing Rainbow for a while
  1210. >But still, her wording "nice trick"
  1211. >She walks down the hall giving you a wave as she turns down a hall
  1212. >You start to follow after her her telling Sunset you will see her later
  1213. >You make it to the hall just in time to see her turn down another
  1214. >Again you follow her and as you turn the corner she stands there in front of the door to the auditorium leaning against the wall.
  1215. >"Ha I knew I was right."
  1216. >You step forward closing the distance between the two of you slightly
  1217. "Right about what?"
  1218. >The girl takes off her headphones and the music echos quietly in the hall
  1219. >"About if you were, different."
  1220. >Then she removes her glasses
  1221. >Her eyes reflect your face in them perfectly but there is something different about it
  1222. >Then you notice her pupils are incredibly small as if reacting to too much light
  1223. >"Different... like me."
  1224. "I don't know wha-"
  1225. >the girl puts up her hands in a mock surrender with a chuckle
  1226. >"heh don't worry, I wont be spouting your secret to the world or anything. But you cant deny it bro. You wouldn't have followed me unless I was on to something."
  1227. >she smiles putting her glasses back on
  1228. >"and you wouldn't have started to sweat as much as your currently are either."
  1229. >It seems she has you in a tight spot
  1230. >even if you continually denied it, her logic is sound, and she would always have suspicion.
  1231. >but that brings up another question
  1232. "You said different like, you? What is-"
  1233. >she steps back opening the door to the auditorium and motions for you to follow her inside
  1234. >hesitantly you do so.
  1235. >"You're Anonymous, right? The guy who's been having a bit of bad luck recently?"
  1236. >you could say that.
  1237. >being kidnapped and losing your father for it to broadcasted on the news as a drug deal gone bad along with being seen running into a burning building for apparently no reason might be seen as 'bad luck'
  1238. "Yeah, that's me... the unlucky guy..."
  1239. >she turns back to you with a bit of worry in her voice
  1240. >"oh, shit. that's right. I'm sorry about your-"
  1241. "Thank you, but its fine. You seem to know more about me than I know about you though."
  1242. >the girl takes a seat in one of the chairs and relaxes
  1243. >"well everyone in school knows you because of recent events. I just happen to know a little bit more because of my... condition."
  1244. >condition?
  1245. >she lowers her glasses slightly, just enough to peer over them as she smiles
  1246. >"the name is Vinyl Scratch by the way. I was the DJ for your party that you decided to not go to."
  1247. >you raise your voice slightly
  1248. "Vinyl, you said you had a condition, and that I was different like you. What did you mean by that?"
  1249. >"waoh relax Anon, I don't have anything to hide, all you had to do to find out was ask"
  1250. >did you already do that?
  1251. >"I see things a bit differently from everyone else."
  1252. >Vinyl points to the open auditorium ceiling
  1253. >"for example those lights."
  1254. >you turn to look where she is pointing but see nothing there besides a plain old ceiling
  1255. >"I can even change them and the different aspects of them. Heh, if I wanted too they could be as hot as the sun, and don't ask how i found that one out. That was a interesting day of third grade for sure."
  1256. >honestly at first you think shes bluffing, or at least a bit crazy
  1257. >but then you look back at her and see her honestly smiling at the sight before her as her music still echos in the room
  1258. >"its kinda why I do what I do now... I can see these beautiful lights everyday, like a never ending party."
  1259. >her tone has changed from her earlier joking and half caring one to on of honesty and sincerity
  1260. >"and when I play my music, and work these lights in a blacklight room. I can share that experience with others."
  1261. >she takes a moment to let her words sink in
  1262. >and they do.
  1263. >she has done something with her abilities that isn't making her be some hero in the news, or having to make choices between life and death of innocents.
  1264. >shes bringing joy to those who appreciate her skill
  1265. >"So, big guy."
  1266. >your thoughts of her are interrupted by her voice
  1267. >she smiles at you noticing you got lost in thought
  1268. >"whats your special talent?"
  1269.  
  1270. >you look at Anonymous from the slightly less than comfy seat in the auditorium
  1271. >he moves to take a seat next to you
  1272. >you don't really mind, you did just have a feelsy heart to heart kinda moment just then
  1273. >"so, you say you see things differently compared to everyone else, and that you can manipulate lights like that at a party?"
  1274. "manipulate and create. Usually when I tell people about this, they assume its part of my rig at the event, but it isn't."
  1275. >the lights around you start to swirl and dance onto the floor making various shapes then vanishing and returning at your will
  1276. >"right."
  1277. >you lean in pretty closely to Anonymous you face just a few inches from his and you pull your glasses down again so you can look into his eyes
  1278. >you getting a good deal of enjoyment out of finally meeting someone different
  1279. "Just like Snapchat big guy. I showed you mine, now show me yours."
  1280. >Anonymous smiles at you and looks down to the floor where your lights continue to dance
  1281. >"so you weren't lying then."
  1282. >huh?
  1283. >wait
  1284. "can.. can you see them?"
  1285. >you change the lights to the formation of a middle finger pointing at him
  1286. >and to your astonishment he raises his hand and does the same thing to you causing you to laugh
  1287. "no way! How can you suddenly see them?!"
  1288. >you change the lights again to a very intricate image of a DJ booth shooting lights out of it
  1289. >Anon smiles at you and laughs at your excitement
  1290. >"like my trick? You said you saw me do it on the track. Why couldn't I do it here?"
  1291. >the DJ booth suddenly gets its own operator in the form of a little DJ vinyl whose hair changes color to match the lights
  1292. "so that was your trick?! You can literally mimic someone else's? dude that's the tits!"
  1293. >looking at him his eyes look similar to yours
  1294. >his pupils are small like your own even here in this dark room
  1295. >you find yourself pointing at his eyes
  1296. "just like mine.."
  1297. >you take your glasses off completely and the two of you look into each others eyes
  1298. >then his eventually return to normal and the little DJ at the booth vanishes
  1299. >"exactly like yours. So? happy with the Snap?"
  1300. >you cant help but laugh as you stand up and put your glasses back on
  1301. "I've seen bigger... But that doesn't mean I didn't like it"
  1302. >you give him a wink before making your way out to the door
  1303. "See ya round, Mimic. I have a class to show up late to."
  1304.  
  1305. --- update 9 ---
  1306.  
  1307. >"ma'am. our time is running short. Do we have orders?"
  1308. >its only been two days.
  1309. >are the higher ups really THAT impatient?
  1310. >you sigh loud enough for most of the room to hear you
  1311. "fine, if they are really that impatient and require an answer this quickly I suppose we will need to step in"
  1312. >the room of various uniformed men and women respond with a "yes ma'am!"
  1313. "get me a list of possible covert contact locations, along with his most likely routine, I know we have only been tracking him for two days but get me what you can."
  1314. >the screen in front of you lights up with possible locations with images provided then another screen gives you a likely timetable for contacting him
  1315. >"Ma'am we have a few additional numbers recently added to his phone, along with the most called numbers, they are likely friends we could use to get more information or contact"
  1316. >the list of numbers add themselves to your personal monitor with images of the phones owners
  1317. >the list is pretty typical of a teenage boy.
  1318. >his best friend, Norman.
  1319. >a relatively attractive female with red and yellow hair named Sunset Shimmer
  1320. >then a party girl with blue and white hair who seems to always be sporting the same style of glasses
  1321. >followed by a list of all contacts in the phone, most of whom are female.
  1322. >you smile softly and place your hand over your heart
  1323. "its a great feeling when a mother finds out her son is popular with the girls."
  1324. >you remove the list of regular contacts and decide its best to focus on these three
  1325. >"do you have a plan ma'am?"
  1326. >you cant go and contact him yourself, that would raise too many questions from him
  1327. >and questions lead to doubts...
  1328. >you scratch your chin slightly before a plan starts to form in your mind and a wicked smile on your lips
  1329. "how are our captives from the Wonderbolts? doing?"
  1330. >"ma'am?"
  1331. "forgive me, what I meant to ask was, how are their uniforms?"
  1332. >"they are still intact.. what damage has been done to them can be fixed in moments if nessisary."
  1333. "Do so. We are not going to make a bad first impression... the Wonderbolts are."
  1334.  
  1335. >damn these bastards!
  1336. >how did they discover your base of operations so quickly?
  1337. >you sit in your cell beaten burned and bruised.
  1338. >looking to the cell across the room you can see Soarin slowly beating his head against the wall out of boredom
  1339. "Soarin.. Soarin!"
  1340. >he looks over to you
  1341. >"yeah Spitfire?"
  1342. "what do you know about these guys? they had you questioned the longest out of all of us."
  1343. >he takes a seat on the floor facing you before rubbing his head
  1344. >"uh, not much really. Clearly they are not a big fan of us though."
  1345. "did you see anything on their uniforms that might give them away? Do they work for someone or-"
  1346. >Soarin stands up in his cell and shouts back at you
  1347. >"I SAID I DON'T KNOW! I- I don't know anything..."
  1348. >you see a few tears streaming down his face
  1349. >"I don't know anything..."
  1350. >he takes a few steps back before going back to his wall and slowly starts to beat his head against it again
  1351. >with each impact you hear him repeat himself over and over again
  1352. >"I don't know anything..."
  1353. >thump
  1354. >"I don't know anything..."
  1355. >thump
  1356. >you hear the voice of Misty Fly one of your newer members from the cell next to you
  1357. >"I think they've broken him Captain."
  1358. >you place your hand on the cells containment field in a attempt to reach out to Soarin
  1359. >you get a mild shock but you ignore it as long as you can before pulling it back when the sight of a few armed guards enter the holding area
  1360. >the stop in front of several cells, but not your own and raise their weapons at those inside
  1361. >"We require your uniforms resist and you will be eliminated with extreme prejudice!"
  1362. >you stand closer to the containment field and your arms start to produce flames as you shout to the guards
  1363. "Hey why don't you pick on someone your own size huh?! leave them alone!"
  1364. >one of the men walk over to your cell and stand in front of you
  1365. >"We plan to. Trust us on that this world has far too many things dividing us from uniting as one."
  1366. >he leans in closely as he presses a few buttons on the panel next to your cell
  1367. >a gas starts to fill your cell and your powers slowly drain away as you fall to the floor
  1368. >"but for now we will have to settle for you and your little team."
  1369.  
  1370. --- update 10 ---
  1371.  
  1372. >the school day has ended, your encounter with Vinyl easily being the most memorable moment of it
  1373. >she was a reminder that you need to keep yourself in check, and confirmed that you and Spiderwoman are not the only ones out there with
  1374. >as she put it, 'special talents'
  1375. >and there is no one who would want to know more than the guy walking down the street with you
  1376. >Norman.
  1377. >"and after that my day is pretty much clear. A few of the guys wanted to head over to Flash's and hang out if you're interested."
  1378. >for once you are excited to say these words, and not because you are blowing off Norman.
  1379. >that would be a dick move.
  1380. "I have a lot of homework to do. I still have to make up that stuff from before."
  1381. >"you sure man?
  1382. >you nod
  1383. >"well, alright. You'll know where I'll be if you want to meet up later. Or just give me a shout and we'll hang!"
  1384. >you wave as Norman heads down the street as you turn down your own
  1385. >your house is a welcome sight and you casually walk inside dropping your bag to the floor and taking a seat on the couch
  1386. >reaching down into your backpack you pull out your notebook with a few simple doodles inside with names and words spread out over the page
  1387. >words and names like "Copycat" "Ditto" "Reflection" "Duplicate" "Mockery"
  1388. >the last one just ended up reminding you of a rather funny Canadian
  1389. >you drop the notebook on the table to your side
  1390. >why are you even bothering with all that nonsense?
  1391. >you stare at the page for a moment in silence
  1392. >If you do what you were just imagining on that page then you would be no better than Spiderwoman
  1393. >you reach for the page to rip it from your notebook as someone knocks on the door getting your attention
  1394. "someones here?"
  1395. >the first thought that comes to mind is the possibility of news reporters or some journalist who wants to get more information on your recent history
  1396. >both with the fire downtown and with your father.
  1397. >you get up from the couch and close the notebook before answering the door
  1398. "hello?"
  1399. >you are taken aback by the sight of several uniformed personnel standing on or near your yard
  1400. >the man at the front smiles and extends his hand to shake your hand
  1401. >but to his unnoticeable disappointment you don't shake it
  1402. >"Hello my name is Agent Orange, my colleagues and I would like to talk to you about recent events."
  1403. >Uniformed men outnumber you at home
  1404. >one is Agent Orange
  1405. >and you could swear you hear "It Ain't Me" start to play in the background
  1406. >Orange smiles nicely and keeps his hand extended now motioning to the house
  1407. >"may we come in?"
  1408. >you take a second to look over all the individuals in the group before deciding you don't really have a choice
  1409. >if they really wanted in they would already be there
  1410. >At least this why you are avoiding any conflict
  1411. "sure."
  1412. >Agent Orange lightly speaks the words "thank you" as you let him and the others inside
  1413. >In all five enter your house and one waits outside by the door closing it for you
  1414. >the ones who do enter, excluding Agent Orange, stand in the four corners of the room while Orange casually walks into the living room
  1415. >"this is a really nice house."
  1416. >slowly you follow him inside the living room as he looks around admiring the place
  1417. >or at least acting like he is.
  1418. >he motions to the chair next to the couch
  1419. >"may I?"
  1420. >it takes you a second to realize he is asking to sit down
  1421. "sure, make yourself at home."
  1422. >again he smiles at you and takes a seat with an exaggerated "Ahhhh"
  1423. >you take a seat on the couch furthest away from where he is sitting and look around at the others in the room
  1424. >they all have black shades covering their eyes and you spot a gun under one of the men's uniform
  1425. >it gets you a little on edge
  1426. >Agent Orange sees this and sits up properly and takes on a business tone
  1427. >"So, Anonymous."
  1428. >your attention goes back to being on him
  1429. >"We understand that your father has recently passed."
  1430. >you remain silent, but nod.
  1431. >"Well, he was working on something really... really... dangerous. Both to himself and everyone else."
  1432. >he leans in a bit staring you down slightly
  1433. >"Do you know anything about it?"
  1434. "No. My father kept his experiments to himself, the only time I ever got a chance to see anything was the night he died..."
  1435. >Agent Orange nods
  1436. >"I understand. I know this must be difficult for you, but Im going to need you to tell me the truth Anonymous."
  1437. >one of the people in uniform, the closest one, a woman, takes a step forward putting her right next to you
  1438. >"Its very important we know the truth here. And we will get it, by whatever means nessisary..."
  1439. >you feel a cold sweat come over you and your heart starts to race nearly bursting from your chest
  1440. "I- I dont-"
  1441. >the woman places her hand on your shoulder causing you to flinch slightly
  1442. >"Anonymous, Where is your dads lab? Maybe that can help us."
  1443. >your eyes glance over to the door to the basement as you rack your brain trying to remember if you cleaned up the glass on the floor or if you put the tile back
  1444. >for the life of you, you cant remember.
  1445. >Agent Orange looks to where your eyes pointed and he points to the door
  1446. >"there?"
  1447. >your voice is too shaky to speak so you nod your head
  1448. >with hand motion two of the four uniformed personnel go over to the door and go down to the basement
  1449. >"while my friends check the lab, perhaps I should tell you about why Im here."
  1450. >Agent Orange takes a pistol out from under his uniform and places it on the table
  1451. >"I represent a special division of government dedicated to protecting the citizens of the world from that which they cannot understand and in most cases, even know about."
  1452. >your force yourself to laugh and wipe your forehead of any sweat
  1453. "What? like the Men in Black or something?"
  1454. >Agent Orange chuckles a bit
  1455. >"something like that."
  1456. >one of the agents comes back from the basement
  1457. >"Orange sir, we have enough salvageable research from the lab. But no sign of the experiment"
  1458. >there is a wave of relief that washes over you at those words
  1459. >you must have cleaned up the mess
  1460. >after a brief acknowledgement Orange turns back to you
  1461. >"well thats that."
  1462. >Orange stands up grabbing his pistol as he does so and takes a few steps towards the door before turning around waving his finger
  1463. >"Ah, there's just one thing though..."
  1464. >Orange flips the safety on his sidearm off
  1465. >"see, this information needs to stay hidden."
  1466. >that relief you had seems to have vanished again
  1467.  
  1468. >the sound of Agent Orange voice echos in your radio
  1469. >"this information needs to stay hidden."
  1470. >that's the signal the commander informed you about
  1471. "Let go! we have a few seconds to secure the package and the asset!"
  1472. >the sound of your team readying their weapons in the armored van is all the acknowledgement you need
  1473. >you grab your MP5k quickly loading a mag and chamber a round
  1474. >the voice of your operations leader comes over your personal comms
  1475. >"the Agents in Wonderbolts standard personnel uniform are to be treated as hostiles. Their sacrifice is nessisary for the greater good"
  1476. "Understood."
  1477. >the Van comes to a quick stop and the back door is quickly opened as your team rushes out of the Van weapons ready
  1478. >the Agent at the door doesn't react to your advance and nods at your arrival just to be shot by suppressed weaponry tearing a hole in the door behind him
  1479.  
  1480. >there is the sound of something smacking against wood as Agent Orange points his sidearm at you
  1481. >the both of you look to the door and see several holes letting light shine through before its quickly kicked in and men in black and white uniforms rush inside weapons drawn
  1482. >one of the agents draws their own weapon and takes aim
  1483. >"what is thi-"
  1484. >the coordinated team fires taking him down cutting his sentence short
  1485. >Orange is distracted and the other Agents are reacting to the sudden assault by taking cover in your house
  1486. >you feel your body reacting out of reflex as you kick Orange in the stomach causing him to drop his weapon
  1487. >you stand up as fast as you can and throw a punch which he easily blocks before his own punch impacts with your gut
  1488. >he's clearly been trained for this
  1489. >so that means you have too.
  1490. >you feel your body again go into a strange auto-pilot state
  1491. >Orange goes to punch you again, but this time your body reacts for your mind
  1492. >as the punch comes at you, instead of blocking it you pull your arm up and deflect it leaving him open
  1493. >with your other arm you strike swiftly like a snake
  1494. >your fist forms mid punch and connects with his trachea crushing it
  1495. >he grabs his neck desperate for air and you unleash a quick barrage of strikes putting him on the ground
  1496. "I suppose I knew a few more things about it."
  1497.  
  1498. >the whole scene is playing out in front of you from your monitor
  1499. >as the fight goes on and the lambs are sacrificed before your eyes all you care about is what just played out in the corner of the screen
  1500. >you reach for your communicator and speak to the operations leader in charge of this whole facade
  1501. "Package is no longer required, the asset is your only priority."
  1502. >You know what you saw
  1503. >Anonymous has found what his father was working on
  1504. >not only did he find it, but he tested it.
  1505. >you smile and put down the communicator
  1506. >over the fight you barely make out his words
  1507. >"I suppose I knew a few more things about it."
  1508. "That you do Anonymous. That you do."
  1509. >he clearly takes after his Mother.
  1510.  
  1511. >before you can celebrate your awesome victory the men in black and white uniforms rush over to you while continuing to fire at the Agents
  1512. >one of them pushes you down slightly making you duck
  1513. >you would resist but he seems to be doing it more for your safety than for any harm.
  1514. >"Package and asset are secure!"
  1515. >some of the armed men start to pull you away from the fight covering you with their own weapons and even their bodies
  1516. >quickly you are rushed outside your house and to the Van where a few more men are standing guard
  1517. >the man ushers you inside the van and closes the door as the men outside pile in leaving the group inside the house behind with another van waiting for them
  1518. >before you can get you bearings in the armored transport the men inside are already checking you for wounds
  1519. >"Are you alright? Do you feel any pain or bleeding?"
  1520. "Im fine, Im fine."
  1521. >the van bumps every few seconds causing you to lose balance now and then
  1522. >one of the men removes his white mask and goggles and smiles at you
  1523. >"good."
  1524. >he reaches up grabbing one of the radios
  1525. >"Asset is secure and unharmed. How's clean up?"
  1526. >there is a bit of static before he gets a response
  1527. >"House is clear of hostiles, all targets accounted for."
  1528. >ok you have to ask
  1529. "What the hell is going on?"
  1530. >the Man smiles again and relaxes as best he can in the roughly bouncing vehicle
  1531. >"You're real lucky kiddo. You were almost 'protected' by the Wonderbolts."
  1532. >Wonderbolts?
  1533. "who are the Wonderbolts?! And for that matter who are you guys?"
  1534. >the man reaches forward and pats you on the shoulder
  1535. >"don't worry kid, we are the good guys."
  1536. >one of the other men by the door speak up followed by the other
  1537. >"Freedom Fighters."
  1538. >"Fighting for the freedom of all men and women who want peace from captivity."
  1539. >the man in front of you speaks again
  1540. >"we are S.O.M.B.R.A."
  1541.  
  1542. --- update 11 ---
  1543. >the sounds of sirens echo down the street
  1544. >the tell tale sign that something has gone wrong
  1545. >THWIP
  1546. >THWIP
  1547. >you are unable to swing down the streets since the buildings here are so low, but you can pull yourself towards each building
  1548. >its not as effective as traveling downtown but its faster than walking
  1549. >the sounds of the sirens get louder and the lights brighter
  1550. >but something is worrying you the closer you get
  1551. >this neighborhood is looking really, really familiar.
  1552. "please don't let this have something to do with Anon."
  1553. >eventually you get close enough to the scene to see whats going on
  1554. >Police and SWAT teams have surrounded a house
  1555. >Anons house.
  1556. "damn it Anon."
  1557. >as you watch the SWAT and police coordinate some sort of plan a armed man in a white uniform opens a window and shouts
  1558. >"you fascist goons fight for the enslavement of mankind!"
  1559. >a police officer with a loudspeaker tries to talk the men out
  1560. >"Come out with your hands up and we can all walk away without getting hurt."
  1561. >the man steps away from the window presumably to take cover
  1562. >"think of your families and children, what will this accomplish? Jus- hey!"
  1563. >your eyes go to the new negotiator who has taken control of the speaker
  1564. >Her uniform is different from the police and SWAT, it much more high-tech and seems to be build for a mix of functionality and visual appeal
  1565. >he tone is commanding and right to the point
  1566. >"Sombra this is your only warning, stand down and surrender yourselves to incarceration and interrogation the normal Law-Enforcement way or answer to the Wonderbolts"
  1567. >the who?
  1568. >the woman walks away from the speaker as the previous officer can be heard angrily talking to the woman
  1569. >"how was that supposed to bring them out? What if they have hostages? They might execute them just for that!"
  1570. >the woman turns back to the officer
  1571. >"they wouldn't execute anyone in that house. Sombra has known ties to this family and we have been watching them closely."
  1572. >the woman walks over to a SWAT team and immediately starts to issue orders as similarly dressed personnel as the woman equip themselves with SWAT gear
  1573. >"who is Sombra anyway?"
  1574. >you don't have time to stand around and watch the police and "Wonderbolts" act
  1575. >Anonymous might be in danger in there despite what that woman said
  1576. "I'm going to get you out of there Anon."
  1577. >as stealthily as you can you move from building to building until you are on the neighbors house peering into a open window of Anons house
  1578. >inside a armed man has taken a desk and table to make a small barricade to the hall where he waits with his weapon ready for police to come from the stairs
  1579. >he doesn't see you creep along the house
  1580. >you shoot two webs at the sides of the window and try to line yourself up with it
  1581. "okay, this is going to work."
  1582. >you take a few breathes to ready yourself
  1583. "please work"
  1584. >you launch yourself at the window just as you hear a SWAT team breach the front and back doors of the house
  1585. >luckily you pass right through the open window
  1586. >your legs collide with the armed man and you jump off him landing on your feet in time to web him to the floor before he can react
  1587. "Do you feel a draft? nah, its probably just me."
  1588. >gunfire is heard on the floor below along with various sounds of resistance to arrest
  1589. >Anon has to be here somewhere.
  1590. >another man in white and black comes from the stairs and is shocked to see you standing there over a unconscious comrade
  1591. >"you bitch!"
  1592. >he raises his weapon and bullets spray the wall as you jump from the floor to land on the ceiling and fire web clogging the barrel and receiver of his weapon
  1593. "that's not very nice."
  1594. >THWIP
  1595. >the shot of web impacts his chest and you pull him towards you while at the same time pouncing towards him mid swing
  1596. >your fist collides with his face knocking him to the floor where you hold him to eye level
  1597. "Where is Anonymous?!"
  1598. >before the man can respond a SWAT team is moving up the stairs and spots you weapons ready
  1599. >"FREEZE! get on the ground!"
  1600. >damn it
  1601. >you throw the barely conscious man at them
  1602. >the stumble just enough for you to leap over the railing down to the living area where you are stuck between both SWAT and armed men
  1603. >they all seem surprised to see you and they stare for a moment before going at each other again
  1604. >but now you are stuck in the fray
  1605. >where the hell is Anonymous?
  1606.  
  1607. >you cant believe what you are seeing on the news
  1608. >you take off your tinted glasses as you read the headline
  1609. >Local residents home now battleground between terrorists and law enforcement
  1610. >"-today as the residency of previous news story subject "Anonymous" has become a war zone between police and the terrorist group calling themselves SOMBRA"
  1611. >a image of Anonymous appears next to the live report
  1612. >"Anonymous' father was recently thought to have been killed in a drug deal a few days prior, but with recent development one has to question what exactly the resident was involved in"
  1613. "no fucking way."
  1614. >the sound of gunfire comes from the building on the feed and in some camera angles give glimpses inside
  1615. >"wait- wait- whats this? we have reports that Spiderwoman is involved in this conflict."
  1616. >a man gets kicked out one of the windows for police to quickly rush and arrest him before he can get away
  1617. >you reach for you cellphone and search for Anon's number
  1618. >you find it in your Facebook contacts and call him up
  1619. >Hell, what do you say?
  1620. >you just met the guy today.
  1621. >but he's like you, he's different, and you guys have to stick together
  1622. >the phone rings for a while
  1623. >...
  1624. >"hello this is Anonymous please leave a message"
  1625. >beep
  1626. "Uh, hey Anon, its uh its Vinyl. Your house is all over the news big guy. So.. so give me a call and let me know you're okay alright?"
  1627. >you hang up quickly
  1628. >wow that sounded like a stupid voicemail now that you think about it.
  1629. >looking back to the news you look around at the various buildings and the street
  1630. "I think I know where that is.."
  1631. >you quickly put your glasses back on and grab the keys to your car as you rush out the door
  1632. >You're not going to sit here and wait to find out whats happened to him
  1633.  
  1634. >the ride in the van has become a lot smoother
  1635. "What's Sombra?"
  1636. >one of the men speak up
  1637. >"S.O.M.B.R.A, it stands for Secret Organization Mobilized to Battle Repressive Authority"
  1638. >Repressive authority?
  1639. "it doesn't really seem bad enough out there to have some sort of rebellion"
  1640. >the Sombra solider laughs
  1641. >"this coming from the guy who just guy who nearly got shot by a Wonderbolt for simply being born."
  1642. "that's another thing! Who are Wonderbolts?"
  1643. >"Wonderbolts are one of the reasons many of us have joined S.O.M.B.R.A, if you ever needed proof that the worlds governments are working together to keep their control over us, look no further than the Wonderbolts."
  1644. >"yeah, to sum it up, the Wonderbolts are a world funded organization where they use technology and beings of great power to fight 'terrorism' and keep citizens in check."
  1645. "if that's so why are they never on the news or internet? surely someone with a phone would have snapped a image or got a video."
  1646. >"oh I'm sure they have. But I'm also sure that you are using search engines like Google or Bing or whatever. All of those can be censored"
  1647. >well, sure they COULD, but it still seems like a image or video would still be out there that just got missed.
  1648. >hell Facebook would explode if something like that was posted then taken down.
  1649. >you ride in silence processing everything that has been told to you
  1650. >clearly the Wonderbolts are dangerous, but you know just as little about Sombra
  1651. >the only difference is they happened to save you at just the right time
  1652. >which brings up a new question
  1653. >how did they know?
  1654. >eventually your ride comes to a stop and you feel the vehicle shake and slowly move downwards like that of an elevator
  1655. >once the feeling of motion stops the driver opens a small window to the back of the vehicle to speak
  1656. >"We're here"
  1657. >the window closes and the back of the van gets opened from the outside revealing to you a vehicle depot
  1658. >the two men by the door step out first followed by you and the last Sombra trooper
  1659. >there are hundreds of Sombra personnel loading and unloading crates and maintaining various vehicles
  1660. >a PA system catches your attention as you are led by the men through the depot
  1661. >"Wonderbolts activity sighted, stand by for further information in regards to operations in the downtown sectors."
  1662. >this place appears to be pretty organized.
  1663. >a door slides open and you are now walking down a longer hall with various rooms on each side
  1664. >as you walk by you get a few short glances inside a few of them
  1665. >one appeared to be a break room and lounging area
  1666. >another was clearly a armory of some sort with large barriers inside and a few armed guards protecting various weapons
  1667. >along with those you also spotted more hallways, the occasional restroom, and small medical stations
  1668. >of course you expect there is much more to this place then what you could see from just one walk down a few halls
  1669. >but after a good deal of walking you make it to a elevator where the men leading you pile in and leave room for you
  1670. "where are we going?"
  1671. >one of the men push a few buttons on the elevator panel
  1672. >"deeper into the pit."
  1673. >then another trooper speaks
  1674. >"that's the name of this location. The Pit, and as of right now, that's all we are allowed to tell you."
  1675. >the elevator ride is rather quick, so you must not have gone too far underground
  1676. >the ding and opening of the doors reveal a man in a white cloak and skull mask, a round shield and sword on his back.
  1677. >the men in the elevator quickly snap to attention at his presence
  1678. >"I'll be taking the boy from here."
  1679. >"y-yes sir. As you wish"
  1680. >the sudden change in the Sombra soldiers is enough to warn you of this mans importance
  1681. >his eyes bore into you as he waits for you to come with him
  1682. >"well? lets get moving. I don't want to keep my employer waiting."
  1683.  
  1684. ---- update 12 ----
  1685.  
  1686. >you are the only one to step out of the elevator and as soon as you do its doors close leaving you alone with the intimidating figure
  1687. >this hallway is far shorter than the previous ones and it leads to one single door
  1688. >as it opens a room awaits you
  1689. >its wide open and there is a small observation point high above on the far wall with a few speakers below it
  1690. >on the ceiling is a device that looks like a weird mix between a cannon and a flashlight
  1691. >it doesn't appear to be able to move but the end of what you can only describe as a barrel is a opening where a bright blue light is held
  1692. >a distorted voice comes over the speakers as the man leads you to the center of the room
  1693. >"Taskmaster, I see you have met your newest trainee already."
  1694. >Trainee?
  1695. >do they just expect you to be some sort of soldier fighting for them just because they saved you?
  1696. >Taskmaster looks you over his expression unreadable under his mask but he makes his thoughts pretty clear
  1697. >"he isn't what I expected. He wont last long if he is under my tutelage. There is a reason I require them to be adults before they begin"
  1698. >"Perhaps you should test his ability before you dismiss him Taskmaster. Besides we pay you to train ALL our recruits, that includes him"
  1699. >now you speak up
  1700. "Hold on a minute here! I didn't sign up to join your fight, and all I know about you is that you seem to be fighting some group called the Wonderbolts! Who I know an equal amount about."
  1701. >a different voice comes over the speakers
  1702. >"It will of course be your choice to stay here and work with us, but what are your other options?"
  1703. >the first voice returns
  1704. >"you could go back home, go back to that school forever on guard knowing that they will be hunting for you."
  1705. >"or you can stay here with us, you will have protection from them and you will be able to help free the world from their control."
  1706. >the words themselves might not be that convincing, but the more you think about it the truer they seem to be.
  1707. >if you go back you will be constantly on guard.
  1708. >not only that, but you might be putting innocent people at risk if they come after you at school or when you are out with friends.
  1709. >heck, they might even use your friends against you.
  1710. "I suppose I don't really have a choice."
  1711. >you look up to the observation area
  1712. "So, what kind of training will I have to go through to be a S.O.M.B.R.A. soldier?"
  1713. >there is a silence that is eventually broken by Taskmaster
  1714. >"If they want me to train you one on one. Then you are not going to be just a normal soldier."
  1715. >a light from the device in the center suddenly changes the room
  1716. >instead of it being a large open area it has now become a gladiatorial pit with random weapons, bits of armor, and other scraps laying about
  1717. >even the temperature of the room has changed to match the environment
  1718. >whatever this room is, its incredibly high tech.
  1719. >"And now that you have agreed to the training I'm going to test you-"
  1720. >Taskmaster takes the shield of his back and holds it like a Frisbee
  1721. >"-so do your worst!"
  1722. >the shield is thrown at you at an incredibly fast speed and you barely manage to duck under it as it continues on
  1723. >just as you look back to Taskmaster he is already upon you with his fist coming down directly at your face
  1724.  
  1725. >your car comes to a quick stop just a short distance away from Anons house
  1726. >you knew that you could find it.
  1727. >as you step out and rush over to the police line you are stopped by an officer
  1728. >"hold on there."
  1729. >one hand comes up to stop you while the other goes near his gun
  1730. >"you cant go in there. Its too dangerous."
  1731. >you try to look around the lines of police and cars
  1732. "Is Anonymous okay? Did they get him out?"
  1733. >"its still pretty hairy in there-"
  1734. >the door to the house opens and SWAT teams bring out a few of the terrorists in cuffs and one signals the all clear as the fighting comes to an end
  1735. >after a few seconds of waiting a woman in a sweet looking uniform comes out with-
  1736. >holy crap is that Spiderwoman?!
  1737. >she isn't in cuffs but she is escorted by two others in similar gear as the woman
  1738. >they look important so they have to know whats become of Anonymous.
  1739. >you walk around the police using your vision to keep better track of where the small group is headed
  1740. >while the terrorists were all escorted into one vehicle spiderwoman is being led to a different one with a strange badge or logo on the side
  1741. >a golden lightning bolt with two white wings on each side.
  1742. >eventually you get close enough to hear the woman in the front speak
  1743. >"-you don't have anything to do with these terrorists. We have been watching you for a while and that simply does not fit your behaviour Spiderwoman."
  1744. >she turns around to face the seemingly captive hero
  1745. >"so why were you in there?"
  1746. >Spiderwoman quickly responds
  1747. >"I needed to get Anonymous out of there I- I owe him for what I failed to do..."
  1748. >the woman in uniform nods for a moment
  1749. >"His father, right?... Well you just might be able to make it up to him if you work with us. He's been captured by S.O.M.B.R.A and if they want him, then so do we."
  1750. >you didn't even notice but you were walking over to them and now you are standing pretty close and very clearly staring at them
  1751. >how they didn't spot you, you'll never know, but you cant waste your chance
  1752. "I want to help."
  1753. >the group all turn to look at you and the woman in charge stares you down
  1754. >"this isn't some after school club."
  1755. "don't give me that bullshit. I'm not stupid. I may not have known Anonymous personally for very long, but I cant just sit here and do nothing."
  1756. >the woman smiles at you knowingly
  1757. >"and how do you plan on helping us Vinyl?"
  1758. "I can- wait... You know my name?"
  1759. >the woman takes a step forward leaving Spiderwoman with the others momentarily
  1760. >"Vinyl, I am Commander Daring Do, and as the head of the Wonderbolts its my job to know everything I can about you."
  1761. >Commander Do comes to eye level with you still smiling
  1762. >"so, what do you plan on doing to help us Vinyl?"
  1763. >slowly you reach up and remove your glasses revealing your eyes to her
  1764. "everything I can."
  1765. >Daring Do reaches into her jacket and pulls out a badge like the one on the vehicle she was leading Spiderwoman to
  1766. >"then welcome to the Wonderbolts Vinyl. You will be riding with us."
  1767.  
  1768. --- update 13 ---
  1769.  
  1770. >you attempt to rise from the ground with a nearly broken jaw and a cut lip
  1771. >Taskmaster stands over you and reaches out to catch the returning shield
  1772. >"so far I am not impressed."
  1773. >you can taste blood in your mouth from you bleeding lip and the dirt from the floor covers your face
  1774. >as you get to one knee you are kicked back down to the ground and Taskmaster places his foot on your chest
  1775. >"are you worth my time? Are you worth ANYONE'S time?"
  1776. >Taskmaster looks away from you up to the observation deck
  1777. >you feel the pressure on your chest from his foot start to lessen
  1778. >then all his weight is on his back foot
  1779. >your body reacts just like before when you fought Agent Orange, the martial skills from your opponent taking control
  1780. >twisting yourself you kick with all your might tripping Taskmaster as you grip the foot placed on your chest
  1781. >as he starts to fall you wrap your legs around the leg that was pushing you down and grab his boot with both your arms putting him in a leg lock
  1782. >you have to stop yourself from attempting to break his leg
  1783. >Taskmaster lets out an amused laugh
  1784. >"perhaps you are worth taking a look at."
  1785. >the voice from the deck returns
  1786. >"Anonymous release his leg."
  1787. >you hesitate for a moment before eventually doing so
  1788. >both you and Taskmaster stand up eyes locked
  1789. >"Now... do it again."
  1790. >you can feel the skill from Taskmaster flowing into you
  1791. >he throws a punch at you which is easily dodged but left you open to his shield arm
  1792. >it bashes into you causing you to stagger just enough for Taskmaster to get a clear shot
  1793. >he grabs your arm and rotates you with enough force to make you fall to you knees where he put you in a choke hold
  1794. >as he holds you in place in the hold you use all your weight to pull yourself forward and roll
  1795. >Taskmaster keeps his hold on you as you end up laying with you back on top of him on the floor
  1796. >he tightens his grip trying to get you to pass out
  1797. "W-who knew that skeletons were strong?"
  1798. >instead of pulling his arm off of your neck you grab your arm and with as much force as you can muster you smash your elbow backwards into his ribs
  1799. >you hear a grunt as the grip around your neck tightens even further before you repeat your strike again where it loosens just enough to break free
  1800. >as soon as you are free from Taskmasters grip you roll forward to get a bit of distance
  1801. >as you roll and stand you grab one of the discarded shields from the sandy floor
  1802. >honestly you didn't expect to be able to pick it up, but you do.
  1803. >the weight of the object in your hand confirms that its real enough to use
  1804. >instead of immediately standing up Taskmaster throws a handful of sand into your eyes blinding you
  1805. >as you wipe the foreign material from your eyes you instinctively raise the shield just as Taskmasters fist collides with it
  1806. >"Impressive. Are you reading my moves that quickly?"
  1807. >reaching forward you grab Taskmasters arm and put him in the same choke hold he just had you in
  1808. "you tell me."
  1809. >Taskmaster throws himself backwards catching you of guard and with his momentum he tosses you a few feet away
  1810. >somehow you land on your hands and feet and ready yourself with your shield
  1811. >Taskmaster takes his own and throws it directly at you
  1812. >you mirror the move perfectly and the two metal missiles collide mid air knocking them both into the sand
  1813. >Taskmaster stands there for a moment watching you and you do the same
  1814. >"I wonder, are you learning my skills? Or just copying them?"
  1815. >you can feel your lungs burning with each breath and your muscles are aching from this short encounter
  1816. >even if you can mimic his moves and skills he can simply wear you down
  1817. >your body isn't used to the amount of physical punishment his is
  1818. >"Are you tired already?"
  1819. >you don't respond and instead keep taking breaths to get precious oxygen
  1820. >"Your training hasn't even begun."
  1821. >Taskmaster draws his sword and charges at you
  1822. >"Lesson one."
  1823. >as he swings his blade you dodge out of the way
  1824. >"Once you reach your limit, you are training."
  1825. >he slashes at you over and over again
  1826. >each time he strikes he gives you a window of time to dodge out of the way
  1827. >you wait and learn the timing of his strikes
  1828. >it must be his own skill that is giving you the ability to learn it so quickly
  1829. "so that's what you do."
  1830. >the strikes stop momentarily and he gets into a defensive stance
  1831. >"explain."
  1832. >you never learned any sort of combat on your own, and you know for a fact that you couldn't execute the moves you have before
  1833. >not only that but just watching his moves is allowing you to nail down even the most minute details of his techniques
  1834. "Your 'Special Talent' I know what it is..."
  1835. >you reach over to a sword stuck in the sand and pull it out
  1836. >the blade of the gladius looks to be pristine and untarnished as you point it at Taskmaster
  1837. "You watch the moves of your opponent and pick them apart. Not only that, but you memorize them and use them yourself when needed."
  1838. >With the gladius in your hand you mirror his pose perfectly
  1839. >and he takes notice
  1840. >"Very observant. I see you can do this to an extent as well."
  1841. >he changes his stance and you move copying it down to the last detail
  1842. >again he changes and you mimic it perfectly
  1843. >"you might be able to mirror my stance, but can you properly counter by attacks!?"
  1844. >midway through a change in stance he throws his sword right at you before quickly following his throw
  1845. >the large metal blade soars at you like a spear point first you bring up your gladius and deflect the blade just enough to make it impact the wall behind you
  1846. >just after doing so you jab your blade forward at the oncoming Taskmaster who grabs the blade on the side with a flat hand pushing it away
  1847. >his other hand shoves you back into the wall next to his sword
  1848. >as you are pressed against the wall you can almost feel the presence of another ability
  1849. >its barely there, it feels so faint that you might just be imagining it
  1850. >you reach out to it and go to strike at Taskmasters chest with your fist
  1851. >to your surprise your fist is on fire and you can feel it spreading over your whole arm as it impacts exploding and knocking him back a sizable distance
  1852. >your own eyes go wide as you stare at your extended fist burning in a constant flame
  1853. >Taskmaster gathers himself and gets to his knees before looking at you and your flaming arms
  1854. "Okay, this is pretty cool."
  1855. >this new found skill fills you with confidence
  1856. >not only do you have Taskmasters skills, but apparently you have someone else's too.
  1857. >you clear your throat and do the best voice imitation you can muster
  1858. "NYEHA-HA! Now with this newfound power, I shall rule Eternia!"
  1859. >with your arms alight you take a few steps forward towards Taskmaster closing in on him
  1860. >then the flames on your arms start to die down and eventually extinguish
  1861. "wait, what?"
  1862. >there is a loud buzz and the room changes back into what it once was
  1863. >all that remains in the room is Taskmaster, his equipment, and yourself
  1864. >you look back to the wall behind you and walk up to it placing your hand against it
  1865. >that feeling of power returns and your arms again are set alight
  1866. >a voice breaks you from your thoughts
  1867. >"Anonymous. You have done well. Taskmaster will take over your training from here out."
  1868. >you can hear Taskmaster approach you as you continue to stare at the wall
  1869. "Whats behind this wall? sir."
  1870. >"Your next sparring partners... courtesy of the Wonderbolts."
  1871.  
  1872. >after an awkward amount of time riding in the back seat of the vehicle you look over to the named Vinyl
  1873. >she has been quiet for the ride
  1874. "so... You know Anonymous?"
  1875. >she nods but doesn't speak
  1876. >you do the same and look around the vehicle for some idea of what to say next
  1877. >does she know who you are then? Daring Do apparently knows about her, so that should mean shes like you right?
  1878. >at the very least she should different from normal students.
  1879. >that brings up another thought
  1880. >Why is Daring Do interested in Anonymous?
  1881. >your thoughts go back to the game of dodge ball and his 'race' with AJ and Dash
  1882. >Anonymous wasn't capable of that kind of stuff before he left school.
  1883. >If he was he surely would have been just as popular as Flash or even the girls
  1884. "Why are you so interested in saving Anon?"
  1885. >Vinyl looks over to you confused for a second before reaching up and taking out a earbud
  1886. >"I'm sorry, did you say something?"
  1887. >you stare at her unamused under your mask and you open your mouth to respond before you are cut off by Daring Do
  1888. >"We're here."
  1889. >you and Vinyl both look out the window
  1890. >you have apparently just stopped in the middle of an open field with nothing around
  1891. >turning your head you look back at Vinyl who's mouth is slightly agape
  1892. >"Holy crap. That is awesome..."
  1893. >she opens her door and steps out of the car into the field staring up at the sky
  1894. >you follow suit and step out trying to see what she is looking at
  1895. >all you can see is the clear blue sky with a few clouds
  1896. "Am I the only one not seeing anything here?"
  1897. >Daring Do walks over to you and places her hand on your shoulder
  1898. >"Vinyl is unique, we might not see it, but I can assure you. Its here."
  1899. >Daring Do raises her badge and a small beam of light comes out of nowhere and scans it
  1900. >after the light vanishes a large airship materializes out of thin air in front of your very eyes
  1901. "You took the words right out of my mouth Vinyl. Holy Crap."
  1902. >Daring Do steps forward as the ship lands and a ramp is opened up allowing you to step inside
  1903. >"Welcome to the Wonderbolts Helicarrier. Your new home away from home."
  1904. >you enter the large airship and the first thing that greets you is a team of security guards in Wonderbolt combat uniforms
  1905. >the lightning bolt and wings glow slightly on their uniforms as they scan you and eventually add your DNA to the security system under Daring Do's order
  1906. >"So.. how long do you expect us to be here?"
  1907. >Daring Do looks over to Vinyl as she takes both her ear buds out
  1908. >"As long as it takes to get Anonymous, and if I can convince you to stay, much longer."
  1909. "Well what are we doing waiting around, lets go out there and get Anonymous back!"
  1910. >Daring Do calls a elevator for the three of you while the other Wonderbolt agents go their own way
  1911. >Daring Do's voice is sarcastically soft and she places her hand on her chest
  1912. >"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had such a busy schedule. No, No, yes we should go there right now without either of you having any training or idea of what might be waiting for you."
  1913. >by now the elevator has opened and the three of you start to walk down a hall as she continues
  1914. >"yes, that sounds like a excellent plan. Thats why you are in charge of a secret organization dedicated to saving the world on the daily"
  1915. >Vinyl pipes in stopping Daring Do's rant
  1916. >"alright Do we get it. We just want to get our..."
  1917. >she looks over to you for a second looking for the right word
  1918. >"our friend, back"
  1919. >Daring eventually leads you to a large open room and stands in the middle before turning around to face you and Vinyl
  1920. >"I can understand that, but in the Wonderbolts we do things differently than you might. For instance, we work as a team."
  1921. >Daring Do extends her hand and motions to each of you
  1922. >"And you two are going to be the start of a new one."
  1923. >she reaches into her jacket pocket and takes out a bright blue ring about the size of an apple
  1924. >"So, team building exercise."
  1925. >She holds out her hand and a metallic post comes out of the floor and locks the ring inside a shield floating above it
  1926. >at the same time several other posts appear from the floor, walls, and ceiling.
  1927. >"Retrieve the ring."
  1928. >as she finishes her order two hatches in the ceiling open and several on the floor do the same as different drones and turrets appear
  1929. >Both Vinyl and yourself take a step back at the sudden changes to the room and you look over to her
  1930. "I hope Anon appreciates this..."
  1931. >Vinyl takes off her glasses and her eyes begin to glow slightly
  1932. >"He better. This is the most I've ever gone out of the way just for a guys Snapchat."
  1933. >uh, what?
  1934.  
  1935. --- update 14 ---
  1936.  
  1937. >"AGAIN!"
  1938. >you turn back and face the trial for your third time without stopping
  1939. >your arms and legs burn more than you have ever thought possible, and you feel strained just keeping yourself from falling down
  1940. "I- I cant... I cant take another step."
  1941. >Taskmaster pushes you forward roughly
  1942. >"Would you be saying that if this was a battle of life and death? I can't do it?"
  1943. >you look up and ahead of you is a large ladder looking obstacle with logs that are about the length of your body away from each other
  1944. >"What if there was someone you cared about at risk? Would you just leave them to their fate?"
  1945. >No.
  1946. >despite your body screaming at you to stop you take another step forward and begin the course again.
  1947.  
  1948. >"Is that entirely necessary Taskmaster?"
  1949. >Standing just next to the starting line you observe Anonymous do the course again
  1950. >those in the observation deck have been watching Anonymous' training with great interest
  1951. >He's improving. Even if he doesn't see it.
  1952. >"You've been making him do this course for several days now."
  1953. >you speak into your masks communicator
  1954. "I have seen all I need of his combat skills. He held his own against me by mirroring my tactics down to a detail. Not to mention his apparent mimicking of abilities from the Wonderbolt in the holding cell"
  1955. >"We don't know if that was a replicated ability or not. He might just be capable of pyrokinesis like she was."
  1956. "Then explain the near perfect form and quick adaptation of my fighting styles when he has had no prior training."
  1957. >the silence is all you need to know that they recognize your point
  1958. >"We have no real evidence that he can mimic the abilities of others."
  1959. >very well.
  1960. >after he finishes the course his ability will be tested again.
  1961.  
  1962. >you smile as you release the talk button on your console as you watch Taskmaster train Anonymous down below
  1963. >"Ma'am, are you planning something?"
  1964. >you lean over to get a closer look at Anonymous on the course as a few members of your team file in around you
  1965. >each of them have been recording data on Anonymous from his heart rate, to mental status.
  1966. "What do we have doctor?"
  1967. >the scientist who spoke looks over to you slightly confused
  1968. >"Pardon?"
  1969. "The Wonderbolts have Captain Armor, the Hydra has their "winter soldier" but doctor what do we have?"
  1970. >you look over to him and your eyes peer right into his own
  1971. >he quickly gets uncomfortable and adjusts his collar while looking to the others in the room
  1972. >they provide no assistance and stare at him just as you.
  1973. >"w-well we have Taskmaster."
  1974. >he motions to the monitors with his clipboard
  1975. "Who is a hired mercenary, at the end of his contract he will leave. Not only that, but we have evidence that he also is training Hydra's soldiers and agents, so doctor I will ask again."
  1976. >you make your way over and get face to face with the now terrified scientist
  1977. "What. Do. We. Have?"
  1978. >the beads of sweat on his face have collected up enough to drip from his skin
  1979. >"Nothing. Ma'am, w-we have n-nothing."
  1980. "Exactly. Now not only do we have a chance at having a weapon capable of confronting those threats, it can replicate and overcome them."
  1981. >and whats more, you have his willing cooperation. Which makes him even more valuable.
  1982. >walking back to your position you smile as Anonymous finally completes the first obstacle on the course for a third time
  1983. "he always was such a good boy."
  1984.  
  1985. >despite your body and it continual effort to collapse under your own weight you eventually finish the whole course
  1986. >and immediately fall to the floor in a heap
  1987. >you lay there wheezing as the sound of heavy footsteps draws closer
  1988. >there's no doubt in your mind of who it is, and you imagine that a punishment of some sort will be given to you
  1989. >"Are you laying down on my course Anonymous?"
  1990. >the footsteps draw closer, and you lack the energy to even respond to Taskmasters question
  1991. >eventually the sound of footsteps stop just behind your head and you can hear him search through his pockets
  1992. >a small syringe drops just in front of your face
  1993. >"use it."
  1994. >it hurts, but you get out a small laugh
  1995. >"whats so funny Anonymous?"
  1996. "winners... don't do drugs."
  1997. >there's no response from Taskmaster besides the sound of his footsteps walking away
  1998. >the sound of the large mechanical door opening then closing is the only sign that you are now alone in the room.
  1999. >you stare at the syringe on the floor for a long while before you force your arm forward and grab it in your hand
  2000. >you bring your other arm around and hold it with both hands as you attempt to find any label or distinguishing features on the syringe
  2001. >there are none. besides instructions on how to use it.
  2002. "I really hate needles..."
  2003. >taking the needle in your hands you force yourself to sit up before plunging the needle into your leg
  2004. >suddenly the feeling of exhaustion leaves your body
  2005. >it still burns and aches like hell, but at least you can move without your body fighting against you
  2006. >pulling yourself off the floor you drop the syringe on the floor and walk to the door
  2007. >you watch the room glow a bright blue from the light in the center and slowly return to being an empty room
  2008. >the lights in the observation deck go out and eventually the room goes dim with only a slight illumination from the light in the center
  2009. "another day in SOMBRA"
  2010.  
  2011. >"the longer we wait the more likely it gets that we wont get Anonymous back."
  2012. >Spiderwoman is having this same argument with Daring Do again as she has everyday for the past week
  2013. >each time Daring just shuts her request to go get him down and its really starting to get on your nerves.
  2014. >"For the last time Spider! NO! I told you we found his location but now that we know where he is it only makes your training more important."
  2015. >usually you would turn your music up and do your best to block this constant argument out, but today...
  2016. >today is different.
  2017. >"Vinyl, would you please talk some sense into your teammate?"
  2018. >both Daring Do and Spiderwoman look to you for your take on the situation
  2019. >and you feel torn right down the middle.
  2020. >on one hand you KNOW where he is, or at least Daring Do does, and you want to get in there and bring Anonymous back.
  2021. >But on the other hand if Daring Do, the leader of a international anti-terrorist organization says you aren't ready...
  2022. >well, it carries some weight to say the least.
  2023. "I don't know."
  2024. >you look over to Daring Do
  2025. "But you said you know where he is, shouldn't we at least try something? perhaps try to contact him in some way?"
  2026. >Daring Do takes a step over to you turning her back to Spiderwoman
  2027. >"I don't think you fully understand the situation. "The Pit" is one of the most secure SOMBRA strongholds we have knowledge of. Essentially they have enough firepower and manpower to take on a small country inside that location."
  2028. >your eyes drift behind Daring Do as you see Spiderwoman slowly reaching for something on Daring Do's person
  2029. >and you don't say a word about it as she slips one of Daring's key-cards into her pocket
  2030. >looking back to Daring you sigh
  2031. "well then I guess we don't have any other options than to train until you say otherwise..."
  2032. >"smart. Perhaps Spiderwoman will eventually listen to her common sense as much as her spider sense one day."
  2033. >Daring Do turns back to Spiderwoman who does her best to look innocent before she walks out of the hall laving the two of you alone
  2034. >you look over to Spiderwoman
  2035. "you grabbed her security bypass. Didn't you?"
  2036. >Spiderwoman lifts up the key-card from her pocket
  2037. >"perhaps."
  2038. >well the two of you are already going to get it when she finds out.
  2039. "we better make the most of our opportunity. Daring is going to throw a fit when she finds out."
  2040. >the two of you start to make your way down the halls acting as casual as you can
  2041. >Wonderbolt guards give you occasional nods or flat out ignore you since you have become a regular sight
  2042. "So my first question."
  2043. >you take out your headphones completely and place them in your Wonderbolt uniforms pocket
  2044. >"yeah?"
  2045. "once we find out where he is, How do we plan on getting there?"
  2046. >Spiderwoman puts her arm around you and holds up some keys
  2047. >"last time I argued with Daring, I borrowed her car keys."
  2048. >this is not going to go well
  2049. >but you like the idea all the same.
  2050.  
  2051. ---- update 15 ----
  2052.  
  2053. >your footsteps echo in the hall as your office slowly gets closer
  2054. >a blue light comes from the hall as you approach the door at the end of the hallway
  2055. "those girls dont know what they are getting into. They need to be ready."
  2056. >you direct your eyes directly into the lights and a computerized voice speaks
  2057. >"Do, Daring, Head Director of the Wonderbolts. clearance level 10, Alpha, and Omega. Welcome back ma'am."
  2058. >the doors in front of you open with a heavy metallic grinding sound
  2059. >remember to get them cleaned and oiled in the near future.
  2060. "speaking of cleaning and oil, the car will be needing its routine maintenance soon-"
  2061. >your hand reaches for an empty place on your belt
  2062. >where are your keys?
  2063. >the computerized voice speaks up in your office
  2064. >"Director Do, your personal vehicle is currently in process of leaving the secured area. Is this known to you?"
  2065. "WHAT!?"
  2066. >"Im sorry, I didn't catch that, please say it again."
  2067. >you turn your head to the large wall on the opposite end of the room
  2068. "Bring it on screen."
  2069. >"yes Director."
  2070. >the wall flickers for a moment and the image of your vehicle speeding away from the landed airship kicking up dust takes up the screen
  2071. "who the hell has stolen my car?! Zoom and enhance the video!"
  2072. >the pixels become larger before eventually clearing up to get you a view inside the windows
  2073. >the windows are a little too dark to see who is inside
  2074. "Filter the window tint and adjust brightness."
  2075. >"yes Director."
  2076. >in the passenger seat the sight of a blue haired girl nodding her head with large headphones is all the identification you need.
  2077. >if Vinyl is the passenger then only one person could be driving...
  2078. "Spiderwoman"
  2079. >quickly you rush to your desk and open up the computer
  2080. "get me a list of all nearby and available agents to that vehicles location."
  2081. >"the Director's vehicle has left the secured area. Is this known to you?"
  2082. >you glare at the screen for a second
  2083. "No. I was completely unaware, thank you for telling me. Now please, get me that damn list before they get too far away!"
  2084. >"yes Director."
  2085. >sometimes you hate modern technology
  2086.  
  2087. >this is crazy.
  2088. >gripping the wheel the high tech vehicle takes semi control over the off road driving and a computerized voice speaks to you
  2089. >"Driver has possible internal brain damage, assuming control over the route to destination. Taking quickest route."
  2090. "wow. that's pretty coo- Brain damage!? What is that supposed to mean?!"
  2091. >the voice makes a incredibly loud silence for a moment before eventually responding to your question
  2092. >"would you like to avoid toll roads?"
  2093. >Vinyl starts to laugh in the seat next to you
  2094. >"I think that's the cars way of saying your driving could use some work Webs"
  2095. >ouch, you just got told by a machine.
  2096. "Ha-ha. You can drive next time then."
  2097. >she looks over to you and lowers her glasses with a chuckle
  2098. >"yeah, okay, next time we steal a car belonging to a leader of a top secret organization that knows more about us then we probably realize. I'll drive."
  2099. >you huff before crossing your arms and leaning back in your seat as the car drives itself.
  2100. "Darn right you will..."
  2101.  
  2102. >click...
  2103. >your breathing slows to a crawl and you whisper to yourself "safety is off."
  2104. >you can feel your lungs and heart inside your chest as you peer down the scope of your training rifle at the target
  2105. >the target being a model of a Wonderbolt agent in full field battle armor
  2106. >a voice chimes over your ear piece.
  2107. >the more you listen to it the more familiar it feels.
  2108. >its being intentionally distorted but even then it has a strangely familiar, tone?
  2109. >is that the right word?
  2110. >the voice you have been told to refer to as 'Watcher' speaks again
  2111. >"take the shot"
  2112. >they cant seriously expect you to know what you are doing.
  2113. >not only have you never held a gun, the man who instructed you on how to use it seemed to have only the same basic knowledge that you do.
  2114. >and that information just came from video games...
  2115. >"I said take the shot."
  2116. "understood Watcher."
  2117. >you line up the sights crosshairs on the distant target and grip the weapon as your finger slowly pulls back on the trigger
  2118. >BANG
  2119. >the sounds intensity makes you jump and you were unprepared for the recoil of the weapon as it nearly comes out of your hands
  2120. >nearly.
  2121. >luckily you were able to keep a hold of it and you look down the scope again at the target
  2122. >"you missed the target, you position is compromised, and the Wonderbolts will be quick to respond. Mission failed Anonymous"
  2123. >well what did they expect?
  2124. >you don't know the first thing about real firearms.
  2125. "I'm sorry Watcher."
  2126. >"place the weapon on the table, we will try again momentarily."
  2127. >you step away from your position and place the weapon down on the table provided and you step back
  2128. >the sound of the doors opening surprises you slightly but you don't react to it as you stand at attention
  2129. >Taskmaster has made sure you learned to not jump if something startles you.
  2130. >three men walk in and stand near the table behind the weapon and they too stand at attention
  2131. >"do it again, and this time... DON'T miss the target Anonymous."
  2132. "Yes Watcher."
  2133.  
  2134. >your finger comes off the button controlling your microphone and its connection to Anonymous' communicator
  2135. >Taskmaster stands beside you watching the camera feed
  2136. "You trained each of the individuals in the room just as I instructed. Correct?"
  2137. >"I have. Might I ask as to why you requested me to teach each of them only a small portion of proper marksmanship and target acquisition?"
  2138. >one of the scientists in the room answers for you
  2139. >"If what we have theorized about Anonymous and his abilities are correct his next attempt will be significantly better than his previous attempt."
  2140. "And if they have been trained as well as I expect not only will he improve, but the target will be eliminated cleanly."
  2141. >Taskmaster steps a bit closer to get a clearer look at the screens
  2142. >he crosses his arms and watches
  2143. >"then you are assuming he can replicate the skills of more than one individual at a time?"
  2144. "that is what will we see."
  2145. >"this next shot will be interesting then."
  2146.  
  2147. ---- update 16 ----
  2148.  
  2149.  
  2150. "And that class is what was the ignition for the first war of-"
  2151. >your lecture is interrupted by a knock at the door grabbing both the classes attention as well as your own.
  2152. "excuse me a moment please."
  2153. >setting down the marker by the whiteboard you walk to the door where the familiar face of the Dean greets you
  2154. "Cadence?"
  2155. >"hello Shining Armor. I need to speak with you for a moment."
  2156. >you turn your head back to the class
  2157. "Just a second. while I'm out please read the next segment of your textbooks alone."
  2158. >after stepping into the hall you are sure to close the door behind you as Cadence holds out a phone
  2159. >"you left this in my office again."
  2160. >blushing slightly you quickly take the phone and pocket it
  2161. "Well I did have to leave in a hurry. It wasn't like I had much warning-"
  2162. >the phone begins to ring cutting your sentence short
  2163. >taking it out you read the caller ID as does Cadence
  2164. >"the Director? who is that?"
  2165. >you sigh at her question
  2166. "Its that other job I told you about... I'm sorry, but I have to take this."
  2167. >Cadence crosses her arms at you
  2168. >"You are lucky that I was told about this by your friend Daring before you started working here... otherwise I would have had to let you go a long time ago."
  2169. "let me go? you can't keep your hands off me Cadence."
  2170. >you answer the call before she has time to come up with a response
  2171. "Hello? this is Armor."
  2172. >Daring Do's voice comes over the phone
  2173. >"Captain. I'm in need of your assistance."
  2174. >you walk away from the classroom and Cadence heading out of the building
  2175. "Whats going on Do?"
  2176. >you hold the phone away from your ear and look at the screen
  2177. >several images of a vehicle and two Wonderbolt recruits appear on screen
  2178. >"Long story short, two recruits have stolen my personal car and I need you to retrieve it and bring them back to the carrier."
  2179. >seriously?
  2180. "So you are sending me to catch two teen girls gong for a drive?"
  2181. >"Its not that simple Captain, both of those girls are unique individuals like yourself."
  2182. "So what? Why not send one of your many troopers or field agents?"
  2183. >"Because they have already made it out of our secured area, and their destination is fast approaching."
  2184. >you walk out the front doors of the school and make your way to the parking lot where your motorcycle is waiting for you
  2185. >you attach the phone to the front dash between the handlebars of the bike and the devices connect to one another making Do's voice come over the speakers
  2186. "and that destination is?"
  2187. >"they are heading for The Pit."
  2188. >Oh. That's why shes calling you.
  2189. "Why? Do they have ties with SOMBRA?"
  2190. >you reach into your saddle bag and pull out your helmet.
  2191. >on the top of it is the letter "A"
  2192. >for Armor of course.
  2193. >"That's where its getting a bit more complicated."
  2194. >the bike starts up and you roar down the road away from the school as the integrated GPS plans the nest route.
  2195. >"They are going to try and break into the Pit on their own."
  2196. "that's pretty brave of them."
  2197. >"More like foolish Captain.
  2198. "I've heard that before, but why are they so determined to break into the Pit?"
  2199. >Daring is silent for a brief moment
  2200. >she tends to do this when she is thinking of a way to avoid or redirect your question
  2201. >"I'll inform you when they are safe again. Director out."
  2202. >typical Daring...
  2203. >Still, you cant let two recruits charge head first into the Pit
  2204. >alone they would be captured or hurt or worse.
  2205. >the voice of your GPS speaks up
  2206. >"Would you like to avoid toll roads?"
  2207.  
  2208. >"this is astounding!"
  2209. "Indeed it is doctor."
  2210. >standing there with your scientists and Taskmaster you re-watch the video footage again and again
  2211. >"his technique has completely changed from before."
  2212. >"he no longer is allowing himself to stand out in the open to take his shots and is adapting to changing scenarios effectively."
  2213. >on the screen you watch Anonymous taking precise long distance shots while keeping himself relaxed and focused
  2214. >his heart rate remains at a constant beat showing little signs of increasing from the stress
  2215. "You have trained him well in such a short time Taskmaster. He is able to remain far more relaxed in stressful situations than when he first arrived."
  2216. >"desensitizing him to stress was one of the first steps in his training. Whenever he slips up he quickly corrects himself in fear of punishments."
  2217. "Punishments?"
  2218. >"you wanted to make him a solider of SOMBRA, a man needs to be broken before a soldier can be built."
  2219. >You know you should feel guilt for doing this to a child, especially to him.
  2220. >But in the end he has come out alive, so there is no need for regret in your decision.
  2221. >the rifle fires on screen and the target information is displayed
  2222. >the round makes impact with the intended target entering through its neck and continuing out through where the spine would be
  2223. >finally you are making something worth using against the Wonderbolts and Hydra.
  2224. >Sombra will be pleased with your report.
  2225.  
  2226. >there is the car.
  2227. >its driving down a dirt road not too far ahead of you
  2228. >you should be able to stop them before they get to far into hostile territory
  2229. "get me in contact with the Directors vehicle."
  2230. >"Identification required."
  2231. "Captain Shining Armor, clearance level eight."
  2232. >you let the dash of the bike scan your face and it approves the command
  2233. >"establishing contact..."
  2234. >the sound of a phone ringing echos over the speakers for a moment before you get a call ended sound
  2235. >cute.
  2236. "force the call."
  2237. >"yes Captain Armor."
  2238. >a small beep is heard signaling the connection has been established
  2239. "Recruits. This is Captain Armor."
  2240.  
  2241. >a voice comes from a screen on the window
  2242. >"Recruits. This is Captain Armor."
  2243. "what the heck Vinyl, I thought you blocked the call!"
  2244. >"I did. But its not like I know everything about this car we stole Webs!"
  2245. >the screen shows the face of a man in a helmet with a large A on it as he appears to be riding a motorcycle in pursuit
  2246. >"please pull over so we can talk this out. Id rather not use force."
  2247. >you open the window of the car and look back to see the bike following close behind before pulling your head back inside
  2248. "Im sorry Captain, but we cant just leave our friend in the hands of SOMBRA."
  2249. >"your friend?"
  2250. >Vinyl opens her window and leans out looking back just in front of the bike
  2251. >"Sorry man. But we aren't going to give up just like that."
  2252. >looking over you see Vinyl remove her glasses and her eyes start to glow before a beam of light fires out of them
  2253.  
  2254. >they are trying to rescue a captured friend?
  2255. >why would Daring keep that from you?
  2256. >you don't have too much time to think as a beam of light strikes the ground in front of you leaving a long scorch mark
  2257. "well, there goes talking things out..."
  2258. >reaching back into your saddlebag you pull out your shield and place it on your back
  2259. "sorry kids"
  2260. >you give the bike full throttle and speed forward towards the car the girl with the apparent laser eyes looks back at you again
  2261. >quickly raising your shield you block the incoming blast and it gets deflected away
  2262. >before the beam of light ends you direct the reflected beam at the rear of the car melting the tire and some of the bumper grinding it to a stop and nearly causing it to crash at the sudden stop
  2263. >you ride a bit closer before stopping your bike and dismounting shield in hand
  2264. >as you approach the car the two individuals step out of the car.
  2265. >one dressed in a normal Wonderbolts recruit uniform and the other in some sort of red and blue suit with large white eyes.
  2266. >after a short stumble the two get closer together and ready themselves to fight
  2267. >this will end badly if you fight out here, you are too close to the Pit already.
  2268. >so instead of readying yourself for a fight you place your shield on your back and raise your hands in surrender
  2269. "easy now. easy. Lets just talk about this for a second here."
  2270. >they two girls don't let their guard down but do seem to relax
  2271. >if only slightly
  2272. "What did you say about saving a friend?"
  2273. >the one in red and blue tights speaks first quickly followed by laser eyes
  2274. >"his name is Anonymous"
  2275. >"Anonymous was captured by SOMBRA agents from his house, we joined up with the Wonderbolts to have a chance to get him out."
  2276. >"But all Daring has done is train us for Wonderbolt operations, and she has kept everything she knows about where he was taken away from us."
  2277. >"Well until we broke in and found out on our own."
  2278. >laser eyes holds up a small data file
  2279. >"Turns out Anonymous isn't the only captive in the Pit either..."
  2280. "okay, this is good, we are understanding each other."
  2281. >you place your hand on your chest
  2282. "like I said before, I'm Captain Armor. What are your names?"
  2283. >"Im Vinyl.. the one in tights here is Webs."
  2284. >Webs glares over at Vinyl receiving a grin in return
  2285. >"its Spiderwoman."
  2286. >"that's what I said."
  2287. >you take a few steps closer now that everything has calmed down
  2288. "So the two of you are risking your lives to save a friend inside a hostile fortress?"
  2289. >Vinyl puts her glasses back on with a cocky grin
  2290. >"yeah, thats pretty much what we are doing."
  2291. >you cant help but smile at their confidence
  2292. >you rub your forehead a bit and laugh
  2293. "gosh, you kids remind me of me."
  2294. >the sound of your bikes communications is going off behind you
  2295. >its probably Daring asking for a progress report
  2296. >you look at the bike for a time before turning back to the girls
  2297. "You said there are more Wonderbolts held captive inside the Pit?"
  2298. >Vinyl takes out the data file again and tosses it to you as Spiderwoman speaks
  2299. >"apparently, there is a whole team held captive inside."
  2300. >you take the file and pocket it yourself
  2301. "Seems there is only one thing to do then."
  2302. >you reach behind you and take your shield in hand
  2303. "We are going into the Pit."
  2304.  
  2305. ---- Update 17 ----
  2306.  
  2307. >you set the rifle down for the final time as instructed by Watcher and wait for your next orders
  2308. >this is your life now...
  2309. >training, testing, improving.
  2310. >its not an ideal way to live, but at least you being here can keep your family and friends safe.
  2311. >"the men in the room will be leaving now. Our test has been completed for today Anonymous."
  2312. "yes Watcher. Understood, do you have new orders for me?"
  2313. >the words leaving your mouth seem foreign to you like someone else is speaking them
  2314. >you're a high-school student. Not a solider.
  2315. >yet, here you are training and acting just like one for an army of freedom fighters.
  2316. >"None as of yet. We are going to compile the new data from your-"
  2317. >Watchers voice gets cut off for a moment before an alarm is sounded and Watchers voice is replaced with Taskmasters
  2318. >"Anonymous, there has been a security breach. Meet me at your Private quarters for further orders."
  2319. >a security breach?
  2320. >this place is a fortress who would be dumb enough to try and break in?
  2321. "Yes Taskmaster. I'm on my way"
  2322. >you eye the rifle on the table debating on if you should take it with you or not.
  2323. >your quarters aren't that far away from here, it will just be needlessly added weight for now.
  2324. >as you run towards the door it opens allowing you to pass right through without stopping
  2325. >the alarm is blaring louder in the halls and fellow SOMBRA soldiers are rushing to the armory to kit up
  2326. >you rush through them going the opposite direction knocking an occasional trooper out of the way who tries to direct you another way
  2327. >"the armory is that way!"
  2328. >"where are you going?!"
  2329. >most of the attempts to stop you end once you explain your actions with a single sentence
  2330. "I have orders from Taskmaster."
  2331. >the hall eventually clears of soldiers as you pass the group
  2332. >you can hear gunfire echoing down some of the halls and it seems to be getting closer the nearer you get to your room
  2333. >perhaps you should have taken a weapon after all.
  2334. >your room is just a few doors away and you quickly reach it punching in the code to open the security door
  2335. >it slides open and you step inside as the lights flicker on
  2336. "Taskmaster?"
  2337. >the room is empty and just as you left it.
  2338. >after taking a few steps further inside your communicator activates again with Taskmasters voice greeting you
  2339. >"Anonymous. There is a cache inside your mattress. locate it."
  2340. >without wasting any time you rip open the bed as quickly as you can and shove your hands inside searching for it
  2341. >eventually you feel it.
  2342. >gripping it in your hands you pull it out and plcae it on the now destroyed bed and unlock the case
  2343. >as it opens up what greets you is a modified version of Taskmasters mask and uniform.
  2344. >"Have you located it?"
  2345. >you slowly pick up the mask looking at it as if it was Taskmaster himself
  2346. "Yes sir."
  2347. >"equip the gear Anonymous. You will be tasting real combat soon. Wonderbolts are in the base."
  2348. >your grip tightens slightly and you can feel a bit of anger rising inside you
  2349. >Wonderbolts...
  2350. >If it wasn't for them you could still be back home.
  2351. >you could still be with your friends.
  2352. >You could have been the hero Spiderwoman never was.
  2353. >slowly turning the mask around so its facing away from your own face you place it on your face
  2354. "I will not disappoint you Taskmaster."
  2355.  
  2356. >"This way recruits! stay as close together as you can and don't fall behind!"
  2357. >this really is a dangerous place.
  2358. >gunfire rings out from around almost every corner you turn
  2359. >most of the work is done by the Captain while Vinyl and yourself say out of the way of the bullets
  2360. >a team of SOMBRA troopers burst through a door behind you
  2361. >"Wonderbolt fascists!"
  2362. >a large pipe hangs on the ceiling above them and you quickly snare it up with your webs before pulling it down with all your might blocking the path
  2363. "how much further inside do we need to get?!"
  2364. >a turret comes out of the floor ahead of you and a bright beam of light destroys it before it can fire
  2365. >"It shouldn't be much further now. Right Captain?"
  2366. >Vinyl and yourself turn to the Captain as he takes out a small group of troopers who were foolish enough to get into hand to hand combat with him
  2367. >he bashes one aside with his shield before kicking another into his comrade neutralizing them quickly
  2368. >"No, not much further. The captives should be just through this hallway and past a large centralized room."
  2369. "sounds like a bad place to be breaking into..."
  2370. >the Captain shrugs with a grin
  2371. >"well the whole place is to be honest. You're lucky I'm here with you though."
  2372. >one of the troopers tries to get up only to get the Captains fist introduced to his face knocking him back down
  2373. >"Come on, before more show up."
  2374. "Right."
  2375. >jumping up you attach yourself to the ceiling and crawl along while Vinyl and the Captain run down the hall to the next room
  2376. >the three of you stop just before reaching the door
  2377. >"this is the last room between us and the captives including hopefully including your friend."
  2378. >"its probably going to be guarded well since they likely don't want to give up a whole team of Wonderbolts."
  2379. >so Anonymous is right through here then...
  2380. >you are so close to getting him out of here you can feel it.
  2381. >no... that's not what you're feeling, you're feeling your-
  2382. "spider-sense?"
  2383. >the door to the next room opens slowly and a single person stands there waiting for you as you step inside
  2384. >out of the three of you standing there facing him his eyes go directly to you and his fists tighten
  2385. >Captain Armor steps in front of you and Vinyl and takes a far more serious tone than before
  2386. >"Taskmaster..."
  2387. >Taskmaster? Is that who this guy is?
  2388. "Nice get-up. what makes this guy so special?"
  2389. >Armor pulls the two of you behind him just as the doors behind you locking tightly
  2390. >Taskmaster speaks before Armor can
  2391. >"I've been waiting for you Spiderwoman... I've been waiting a. long. time."
  2392. >For you?
  2393.  
  2394. >Shes is here!?
  2395. >of course she would be with the Wonderbolts!
  2396. >was taking for father not enough for her? She has to take your old life from you and now your new one!?
  2397. >you can feel your fists tightening and your heart rate start to increase
  2398. "I've been waiting for you Spiderwoman... I've been waiting a. long. time."
  2399. >Taskmasters voice comes through your personal communicator
  2400. >"Calm yourself. You are not Anonymous now, now you are Taskmaster. Act like it."
  2401. >you switch the communication to just speak with Taskmaster
  2402. "Yes Taskmaster. I understand, I will not embarrass you."
  2403. >"The Captain is your biggest threat. Keep that in mind when you fight. He has far more experience than the others do."
  2404. "Yes sir, The others are secondary tar-"
  2405. >wait.
  2406. >is that Vinyl?!
  2407. "Vinyl?..."
  2408. >Vinyl looks surprised as you call her name in the external communications by mistake.
  2409. >"You know who I am?"
  2410. "Wh-what are you doing with-"
  2411. >The Captain steps forward making himself the center of your attention
  2412. >"Careful girls, Taskmaster likely has more information on you than you would expect. He has broken into Wonderbolt systems on more than one occasion."
  2413. >So... Vinyl is a Wonderbolt too...
  2414. >you close your eyes and regain your composure
  2415. "Whatever you plan on doing here Wonderbolts."
  2416. >you ready yourself by taking out your own shield and mimicking the Captain stance perfectly
  2417. "It ends now."
  2418.  
  2419. ---- update 18 ----
  2420.  
  2421. >its a three on one fight, like it or not you are going to have to be on the defensive.
  2422. >The Captain is the first to make a move, charging right at you at full speed as Spiderwoman and Vinyl split going to each of your flanks
  2423. >Captain Armors fist impacts your shield with enough force to put a small explosive to shame staggering you just long enough for him to get in two more hard strikes
  2424. >one being with his own shield across your face.
  2425. >"You're getting sloppy Taskmaster."
  2426. >instead of coming back from the punch you roll with the force or the impact and move into a high kick knocking away his shield
  2427. >it clatters to the floor before being caught up in a snare of webbing and thrown back to the Captain by Spiderwoman
  2428. >"But the Captain has a team behind him Skeletor."
  2429. >something about Spiderwoman's voice sounds familiar but you cant quite place your finger on it.
  2430. >although you don't have much time to think about it as you see in the corner of your eye that Vinyl has removed her glasses and her eyes are already aglow
  2431. >you dodge out of the way as quickly as you can stealing Spiderwoman's agility and flexibility just as a bright beam of light just barely sears under you as your body twists like someone pole vaulting
  2432. >the blast impacts directly into Spiderwoman knocking her to the ground a large scorch mark on her costume
  2433. >you stick the landing a few feet away from the Captain letting Vinyl see her handiwork on her "teammate"
  2434. "I'd hardly call you a team. More like an unorganized rabble."
  2435. >"oh shit! Webs are you okay?!"
  2436. >she is given a response in the form of a groan as she forces herself to sit up now with a bit of her skin showing through the costume
  2437. >"anyone get the licence plate on that car?"
  2438. >"Get a hold of yourselves recruits. We need to stay focused or Taskmaster will take advantage of-"
  2439. >your Shield makes contact with Armors face quickly followed by the same two strikes he gave you previously
  2440. >the physical onslaught goes on for another second or two before each of your fists are snared by webbing
  2441. >THWIP-THWIP!
  2442.  
  2443. >your muscles strain as you pull his hands back away from the captain but he is fighting back as best he can.
  2444. "you need to learn to play nice with others. Captain, Vinyl, I got his arms wide open!"
  2445. >Armor pulls himself together and with all his might punches Taskmaster directly in the gut
  2446. >the strain on your webs quickly dissipates as he collapses to the floor.
  2447. >wasting no time Vinyl rushes over and holds him down as you web his arms and legs to the floor before he can stand up again
  2448. "you guys go on and get the captives out. I can handle this guy."
  2449. >"Are you sure Webs? I mean, he did fight off the three of us pretty well."
  2450. >you wave the argument away.
  2451. "He's tied down out of air, and you will only be one room over. Besides, it wont take all three of us to open a door and loosen some ropes right?"
  2452. >"I don't think they would hold Wonderbolt prisoners with just ropes Webs..."
  2453. >Armor quickly brings the conversation to an end with orders"
  2454. >"We are running out of time, the longer we wait the harder it will be to get out of here. Spiderwoman will watch over Taskmaster while we get the others out of the holding room. Vinyl, lets go."
  2455. >"Whatever you say Captain."
  2456. >the duo run over to the door leaving you and a tied up Taskmaster in the room as they rush inside the holding area.
  2457. >smiling you take a seat next to Taskmaster and look over his uniform
  2458. "Nice threads. Where did you pick them up?"
  2459. >Taskmaster doesn't say anything, instead he just looks at the door as Captain Armor and Vinyl Scratch close it shut behind them
  2460. "Hey. Don't be like that, sure you lost a fight but that's no reason to give me the cold shoulder."
  2461. >you reposition yourself to be in front of him blocking his view and lift his head to face you
  2462. >the two of you look to one other in silence for a time before he starts to laugh quietly
  2463. "huh, what's so funny?"
  2464. >the lenses on the mask covering his eyes slide up revealing them to you.
  2465. >"Now its just you and me."
  2466. "what is that supposed to mean?"
  2467. >his eyes begin to glow like Vinyl's
  2468. >"What it means, Spiderwoman. Is That your friends cant help you now."
  2469. >Taskmaster raises his voice loud enough to echo in the room
  2470. >"Training course setup 2-C."
  2471. >the room begins to glow with a bright blue light and the doors in the room are sealed up again before the whole room shifts and changes
  2472. >instead of a wide open area with nothing blocking sight or view the room is now a mish-mash of various obstacles scattered around
  2473. >just as you look back to Taskmaster his eyes release its blast
  2474. >you are thrown back into a large pillar
  2475. >all you can do for a short while is groan at the sudden pain, both from the blast and the sudden impact into a VERY hard surface
  2476. >with a cough you force out what can barely be called words
  2477. "oh, that's what you meant."
  2478.  
  2479. --- update 19 ---
  2480.  
  2481. >this little prison break is just the thing you needed.
  2482. >SOMBRA's contract expired a week ago and now your payment has been confirmed which means.
  2483. "do tell your superiors that this is nothing personal."
  2484. >moaning troopers lay about the room alongside several dead comrades
  2485. >you step on a wounded troopers leg where he was shot as you approach a large mainframe
  2486. >his screams of pain fall on deaf ears.
  2487. >your new employer has paid a great deal for the information stored here.
  2488. "Research data, list of active members, funding, high priority locations, passwords."
  2489. >a small click is heard as a small panel lifts from the console letting you connect a data storage and begin your transfer
  2490. "all of it stored here, and now.."
  2491. >ding!
  2492. >reaching forward you remove the data storage device and hold it up to your eyes
  2493. "here..."
  2494. >the door to the room opens suddenly and your previous employer along with a few other troopers rush in
  2495. >"we need to secure this room in case the Wonderbolts-"
  2496. >she stops mid sentence and witnesses the macabre scene of broken and bloodied soldiers laying about before noticing you at the mainframe
  2497. >"TASKMASTER!"
  2498. >you draw your sidearm and gun down the guards before they can react in time leaving just you and her left
  2499. "like I told the others, this is nothing personal. Your contract expired and another was accepted."
  2500. >you slide the data into your pouch and step towards her, weapon still trained on her chest
  2501. >"There really is no honor with you Mercs is there? You don't even bother to leave the facility before breaking into it?!"
  2502. >shes holding you up buying time for someone to notice you.
  2503. >its not going to work.
  2504. "If I was sorry for this, id say it now."
  2505. >...
  2506. >you pull the trigger discharging your weapon the bullet striking true dropping her unceremoniously to the ground with a-
  2507. >BANG!
  2508. >you reach up to your communicator and remove it from your suit dropping it on top of her limp body as you walk past her
  2509. "Hyrda is paying too well for this information. I barely had to do any work on this one."
  2510.  
  2511.  
  2512. "Captain, over here!"
  2513. >you cant believe it, Captain Armor is here!
  2514. >beating your hands against the cells force shielded door you get the Captain Armors attention and he rushes over to you
  2515. >"Spitfire? How long have you been here!?"
  2516. "I've lost track of time. it could have been weeks or it could have been months. Please you have to get us out of here!"
  2517. >Captain Armor looks over to the girl with him as she guesses at the code a few times before she opens one of the other doors
  2518. >a worn and weakened Wonderbolt steps out and wraps her in a hug
  2519. >she seems surprised at the act but doesn't resist it until it eventually comes to an end.
  2520. >"Vinyl. can you open this one?"
  2521. >the blue haired girl rushes over to the door and peers over her glasses to the panel of buttons
  2522. >"yeah it should be easy. their fingerprints are still clear enough for me to see them. I just need a second or two to get the correct order."
  2523. >luckily she gets it on the first try and the shield drops letting you out.
  2524. >"there we go. easy."
  2525. "We need to get everyone out of here Captain."
  2526. >"yes we do. everyone."
  2527. >he looks over to Vinyl as she nods before moving to the next door and repeating the process
  2528. "who is she Captain? a new recruit?"
  2529. >"as far as I know she is. She and another recruit stole Daring's car to try and break in here and I was sent to stop them."
  2530. >so, he didn't know about you being here.
  2531. >now you feel incredibly luckier than before.
  2532. "but you didn't, why?"
  2533. >Armor smiles as the next cell opens and Soarin slowly steps out in a similar way as the previous
  2534. >"Because they were on a mission of their own. They were the ones who wanted to break in and free prisoners."
  2535. >you cant help but stare at the girl as she releases the last door with a somber expression on her face.
  2536. >"Vinyl, whats wrong?"
  2537. >Vinyl looks over the group again as if looking for someone.
  2538. >"he isn't here."
  2539. >"He isn't?"
  2540. >in a rage she smashes her glasses on the floor revealing her brightly glowing eyes
  2541. >"No. Where else could they have kept him though?! This is the prison holding area!"
  2542. >the Captain raises his hand in a effort to calm her
  2543. >"Calm down. We will find him. I'm not leaving anyone behind."
  2544. "who is she looking for?"
  2545. >"one of her friends was kidnapped by SOMBRA, his name is Anonymous. Any idea where they might have kept him?"
  2546.  
  2547. >as Spiderwoman slowly lifts herself up you take this chance to burn the webbing away from your hands with the powers so graciously given to you by Vinyl.
  2548. >or stolen, poh-tato pah-tato.
  2549. >your knuckles crack as you tighten your hands then let them loose, now free from any restrictive webbing
  2550. "My orders were to delay you and the others as long as I could."
  2551. >Spiderwoman is standing though still shaken and slightly wobbly as you step forward
  2552. "and with it being three on one, I think I did just fine. But now"
  2553. >you roll your sleeves up slightly exposing your wrists to the air
  2554. "Its one on one."
  2555. >THWIP!
  2556. >a rope of webbing shoots out from your wrist into her chest quickly snapping her out of her trance
  2557. >"Huh? What the-!"
  2558. >gripping the rope of organic web in your hand you pull her into you with all your might
  2559. >since she wasn't fully recovered nor expecting it she put up little resistance as her body comes flying towards you
  2560. >or rather, into your fist.
  2561. >you look onward as her body collides with your strike and her head moves close to yours and slightly over your sholder from the sudden impact
  2562. >a wet and uncontrollable cough is all you hear from her as you whisper to her
  2563. "And you are outgunned."
  2564. >slowly her hand comes up from behind you and it grabs your shoulder weakly before she faces you under her mask
  2565. >under your own you smile at her
  2566. >"Thats okay..."
  2567. >suddenly she seems to have recovered from the strike and raises her own fist and smashes it into your mask while the other hand pulls your head into it.
  2568. >with a quick leap backwards she sticks the landing in a classic superhero pose ready to fight
  2569. >"I"
  2570. >she coughs momentarily
  2571. >"I like it when boys play rough."
  2572.  
  2573. >god that hurt like hell.
  2574. >and you were certainly not expecting him to be able to copy abilities along with moves like Armor warned you about.
  2575. >that would have been pretty important to know before hand.
  2576. >Taskmaster shakes his head and readies himself
  2577. >"Then you're going to love me."
  2578. "Whatever you say Batman."
  2579. >you swiftly shoot web projectiles as fast and numerous as you can.
  2580. >but to your disappointment none of them make contact as he dives behind a large climbing wall out of your sight.
  2581. "Oh so now you're going to run?!"
  2582. >with a jump and a web swing you chase him around the wall where you lose sight of him
  2583. >"not exactly."
  2584. >you look to your side to see him sticking to the wall like you would just in time to dodge a jump kick.
  2585. >he lands just past you and quickly follows his first attack with a round house which you block with your arm and return with your own
  2586. >he also blocks it leaving the two of you kind of awkwardly in the same position as the other with one arm and one leg extended
  2587. "so I was outgunned? we seem to be pretty even so far."
  2588. >the slides in the mask drop down again as his eyes begin to glow
  2589. "shit... I forgot about that."
  2590. >"already? That's a shame."
  2591. >the blast comes too close for comfort just grazing your mask and giving you a half burn half cut cheek where it is now exposed
  2592. >but the wall behind fares much worse with a small smoking crater where it struck
  2593. >with all his might he shoves himself forward pushing you against the wall.
  2594. "AGAIN WITH THE WALLS!"
  2595. >you cant get yourself in a position to fight him effectively.
  2596. >that means its time for a move where nobody wins.
  2597. >you smash your head forward into his getting both of you to stubble or fall slightly
  2598. >"ah, that was cheap."
  2599. >you shoot web at his legs and swing him as hard as you can into the same wall as you were just pressed against.
  2600. "Now how do you like it?!"
  2601. >he groans as he frees himself from the web and stands back up.
  2602. >"about as much as you will like this."
  2603. >his web strikes your face as he pulls off your mask revealing your face to him.
  2604. >you stand there stunned that he would go through the effort to remove it before beating you
  2605. >and he stands there motionless as the web covered mask lays on the floor
  2606. >"Shes... You?"
  2607. >there is a loud blaring of a alarm and the room speaks
  2608. >"Room returning to previous layout. Prisoners being moved."
  2609. >Taskmaster looks up to the light
  2610. >"no!"
  2611. >then over to the door where Captain and Vinyl went into
  2612. >it opens revealing both of them along with numerous others in Wonderbolt uniforms or SOMBRA prisoner attire.
  2613. >Vinyl is first to react.
  2614. >"Sunset?! is that you?!"
  2615. >she then faces Taskmaster
  2616. >"Lookout!"
  2617. >her eyes glow brightly as she charges another blast
  2618. >Taskmasters eyes do the same just as Vinyl releases her energy
  2619. >the two beams of light collide with one another mid air and colorful beams of various different shades come from the midpoint
  2620. >Captain Armor raises his shield covering his eyes and those of the prisoners nearest to him
  2621. >you raise your own arm to save your eyes from the intense light
  2622. >this continues on for a short time before both beams of light dissipate and the room seems three shades too dark from your eyes trying to adjust.
  2623. >Taskmaster stands there breathing heavily facing Vinyl who is in the same situation as he.
  2624. >Captain Armor steps forward
  2625. >"Taskmaster wouldn't be able to mimic that..."
  2626. >so whoever this is..
  2627. >"you aren't Taskmaster, are you?"
  2628. >everyone looks to the one who was assumed to be Taskmaster for an answer
  2629. >all besides Vinyl who seems to be near the point of crying.
  2630. >"Don't tell me that's you... It isn't you right?"
  2631. >isn't you? what is that supposed to-
  2632. >Your eyes widen slightly, his actions suddenly making much more sense.
  2633. >his knowledge of Vinyl, his anger towards you, and his reaction to removing your mask.
  2634. >you stare at the mask of the person in front of you.
  2635. "Anonymous?..."
  2636. >the masked villain faces you slowly as he speaks.
  2637. >"you got my father killed... saved the killer and let the innocent die."
  2638. >he then turns to the prisoners
  2639. >"and when I was trying to recover those damn Wonderbolts tried to kill me and steal my fathers work!"
  2640. >Anonymous' voice is getting louder and angrier by the second as he speaks even jabbing a finger at Vinyl
  2641. >"They took what little bits of a life I had left away from me! And now the one person I let myself be revealed to sides with them!"
  2642. >in a quick rage filled motion he grabs his mask tearing it off to reveal his face to everyone including you.
  2643. >"and to put the nail in the damn coffin the one place I was told I could be safe from you. From the Wonderbolts is broken into by one man and two teenage girls!"
  2644. >Anonymous looks at the mask in his hand before placing it back on his face his eyes showing though the unsealed slots
  2645. >"you are all nothing but villains out to make the world a worse place than it already is."
  2646. >even now when he is hopelessly outnumbered by different heroes he readies himself to fight, though no one else does.
  2647. >"I can't let that happen. I won't let it happen."
  2648. >a woman in Wonderbolts attire with orange and yellow hair steps forward from the group with Captain Armor.
  2649. >"look, kid... I think you have things mixed up-"
  2650. >"I won't listen to lies! I've been betrayed enough! Training room, setup course D-1!"
  2651. >as soon as the words leave his mouth the room goes black and the hard surfaces are replaced and removed.
  2652. >once your eyes adjust the room now looks like a wooded area in the middle of the night with trees and foliage all over.
  2653. >but Anonymous is gone.
  2654. "Where did he go?"
  2655. >Vinyl races off to where Anonymous once stood and looks around at the grassy floor
  2656. >"his footprints lead in that-"
  2657. >a computerized voice comes back
  2658. >"Trainee has left the area, room resetting."
  2659.  
  2660. >you couldn't have taken all of them on even if you wanted to.
  2661. >rushing through the halls you sound as many alarms as you can trying to get as many troopers to this area as fast as possible.
  2662. >some should have already been here in guard.
  2663. "where are the-"
  2664. >your feet come to a stop as you see a mix of broken and beaten down soldiers laying around the halls.
  2665. "oh. that's where they are.."
  2666. >you open up your communications
  2667. "Taskmaster sir, the prisoners have been released. I cant take them all on, what are my orders?"
  2668. >silence
  2669. "Taskmaster?"
  2670. >again silence.
  2671. >you switch the line over to the training signal
  2672. "Watcher, its Anonymous, the Wonderbolt Prisoners have been let free. I cant fight them. What are my orders?"
  2673. >for a third time your answer is silence.
  2674. >what the hell is going on, where is everyone?!
  2675. >one of the soldiers reaches up and tugs on your pant leg
  2676. >"protect the mainframe... its the heart of the facility."
  2677. >you kneel down next to the trooper his face disfigured from a fight
  2678. "where is the mainframe?"
  2679. >with all the energy her can muster he pulls off his wrist device and gives it to you
  2680. >"follow the coordinates, good luck."
  2681. >you don't say anything to him.
  2682. >at least these are some form of orders to follow.
  2683. >following the coordinates on the gps in the device you eventually make it to the area you were instructed to go.
  2684. >just to be greeted by numerous more defeated troopers, only now some of them have gunshot wounds and other lethal marks.
  2685. >cautiously you step inside the room.
  2686. >your heart stops as you see who lay on the floor in a pool of blood.
  2687. "mom...?"
  2688. >you slowly kneel down beside her
  2689. "what were you doing here?"
  2690. >"what were you doing here?"
  2691. >surprisingly you hear your own voice coming from her pocket.
  2692. >reaching inside you pull out a small communicator
  2693. "no."
  2694. >your voice is heard again from the device
  2695. >"no."
  2696. >as you hold it in your hand you notice another one that appears to have fallen off of her and into her crimson pool
  2697. >fingers trembling you lift it up closer to you.
  2698. >your voice didn't come though this one when you talked.
  2699. >pausing you look over her body
  2700. >there is a clear gunshot wound right through her heart.
  2701. >gunshots...
  2702. >you switch the communicator over to Taskmasters signal.
  2703. "a Wonderbolt didn't do this."
  2704. >"a Wonderbolt didn't do this."
  2705. >crushing the device in your hand your rage builds up even more than before
  2706. >your mother was Watcher!
  2707. >she knew who you were and never once told you she was here!
  2708. >and she was the only parent you had left.
  2709. "and Taskmaster killed her."
  2710. >you turn your attention to the large computer system and walk over to it.
  2711. "protect the mainframe."
  2712. >a small latch is open where various connections could have been made
  2713. "I'm too late to even do that..."
  2714. >looking around at the bodies your rage reaches it peak.
  2715. >you gather all the weapons and ammunition you can scavenge and place them on the system.
  2716. >various small explosives that the troopers carried you now arm and place around the room before syncing them to a detonator like you were trained to do
  2717. >by Taskmaster and by Watcher, your mother.
  2718. >walking out the door you ready the detonator while you step into an elevator and ride it up to the vehicle bay
  2719. >the door opens just in time for you to spot the Wonderbolts and Sunset finish loading up into a vehicle and drive off leaving a number of guards incapacitated on the floor and walls
  2720. >you press the button and the sound of the explosion echos throughout the garage and the pit loses power as you take keys off a garage worker and unlock a car.
  2721. >the door clunks shut and you start the engine as what SOMBRA members are close enough to this garage rush inside desperate to escape the powerless and now unstable location grab whatever vehicles they can
  2722. >you drive out of The Pit up a ramp and continue on before wondering where you will go.
  2723. "there isn't that many places to go"
  2724. "I guess I'll just go home..."
  2725.  
  2726. --- update 20 ---
  2727.  
  2728. >Once you get a decent distance away from the now ruined facility you park the car near the top of a hill where you can see the city in the distance.
  2729. >The engine hums softly and you get out and stand there gazing upon your old home your mind trying to make sense of everything that has happened to you in this short time.
  2730. >How you went from being a normal High-school teenager, to a gifted freak, then made into a soldier for a organization you had no idea existed.
  2731. >Leaning inside the window of the car you turn the car off and the sound of the engine dies away leaving you in peace as you look down to the keys in your hand
  2732. "What a mess of a life I've been given"
  2733. >What do you do now?
  2734. >Your old house will soon be taken by the bank since you don't have any income.
  2735. "Mom was part of SOMBRA. So its likely that other members of my family might have ties."
  2736. >If you were thinking clearly you would have snatched something that might get you some funds for a while
  2737. >Alas, you didn't.
  2738. >Tossing the keys up and down your attention slowly moves to the trunk of the car.
  2739. "I'm going to need to get a source of income somehow."
  2740. >with nothing to lose you walk over and unlock the trunk
  2741. "A job, a career."
  2742. >the trunk lid opens up and a set of dim lights turn on revealing a very small arsenal of small arms.
  2743. >you reach down into the selection and examine a set of 9mm Compacts and a SOMBRA standard issue MP5k each weapon having a single spare magazine loaded.
  2744. >Taskmasters voice echos in your memory
  2745. >"Calm yourself. You are not Anonymous now, now you are Taskmaster. Act like it."
  2746. >You will make do with what you have.
  2747. >but what you need is...
  2748. "a contract."
  2749.  
  2750. >the ride out of that prison has a mixed feelings of emotion from each passenger in the armored vehicle.
  2751. >the prisoners you have come to know as Spitfire, Misty fly, Soarin, and others all look to have a great weight lifted off their shoulders
  2752. >But Sunset and yourself feel nothing but disappointment, failure, and betrayal.
  2753. >not even the sound of your music in your earbuds can alleviate that feeling.
  2754. >pulling out your Wonderbolts Identification you look at your image staring back at you.
  2755. >Vinyl Scratch, Wonderbolts Recruit.
  2756. >"You okay Vinyl?"
  2757. >you stare at the photo for a few moments longer before pocketing it.
  2758. "No, I'm not okay Sunset..."
  2759. >you feel her hand on your shoulder before she speaks again
  2760. >"I know it wasn't what we expected, but we did get to help those who needed it."
  2761. >you roll your shoulder sliding her hand off leaving a loud silence hanging over the two of you as the ride goes on.
  2762. >after a few minutes of that you speak to her again
  2763. "The only reason I joined the Wonderbolts was to get Anonymous out of there. Not only did that not happen, he thinks I did it to betray him."
  2764. >"-but you didn't. You did it to try and save him, that's what matters Vinyl that's what a hero does."
  2765. "Im not a hero."
  2766. >you snap at her a bit louder than intended
  2767. "I was just trying to help someone I had a connection with... Trying to help a friend."
  2768. >the vehicle comes to a stop and everyone starts to get out
  2769. >you and Sunset are the last to step out as Wonderbolt security surround the vehicle and get aid for the freed captives.
  2770. >the voice of Daring Do cuts through the air like a bullet
  2771. >"SPIDERWOMAN! VINYL SCRATCH!"
  2772. >the two of you turn your attention to the approaching director
  2773. >"Do you have any idea how stupid and risky that was?! Not only that! you stole Wonderbolt property!"
  2774. >Captain Armor steps between the two of you coming to your defense against Daring Do.
  2775. >"In order to save the lives of fellow Wonderbolts and their friend, Daring."
  2776. >Daring now turns her anger onto the Captain
  2777. >"and you! I gave you an order to return them!"
  2778. >Armor waves you away from behind his back
  2779. >"I did return them. Along with a team of captives you had full knowledge of."
  2780. >the others start to look over to Daring while she starts to take notice of the situation and simmer down.
  2781. >"I was working on a plan to get them out with minimal casualties and likelihood of failure, Wonderbolts don't leave each other behind."
  2782. >"Indeed they dont."
  2783. >the conversation trails off as the two of you get further away from the titans of the Wonderbolts verbal battle
  2784. >you end up standing by the large door of the carrier and looking out towards the city
  2785. >"what are you thinking Vinyl?"
  2786. >you reach into your pocket and pull out the ID again and give it a good long look before tossing it to Sunset.
  2787. "I think I'm going to go home. I need time to think."
  2788. >"I'll see you at school soon then?"
  2789. >your voice is soft and laced with uncertainty as you turn the volume of your music to its maximum
  2790.  
  2791. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSoYMTOB9sg
  2792.  
  2793. "yeah, I'll see you there Shim."
  2794. >with that you walk away burning the Wonderbolts logo off of your uniform.
  2795. >you wont be needing it anymore.
  2796. >you did what you came to do.
  2797. >now you're just Vinyl Scratch.
  2798. >and you are heading home.
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