Harry March
Location: ???
Date: Beginning of the End - Day 1 (Friday Afternoon)
It was dark.
No matter how he closed and opened his eyes, how he rubbed them or how he tried to focus, he still couldn’t see anything, just the dark emptiness.
Then, all of a sudden, the darkness slowly started to clear up, and the image of a room came into view. A spacious, brightly lit, and fancily decorated room, one that felt oddly familiar to him, yet he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, and in a sense he was almost certain that he had never been to a place like it in his life before. Then, a sound filled the room. The soft, infectious laugh of a girl, fading in and out, sometimes barely audible and sometimes ringing clearly in his ears.
"Harry…"
A similarly soft voice called out to him, like a whisper carried by the wind that almost gave him goosebumps upon reaching him.
"Harry… come!"
He wasn’t alone in the room. As he looked up, he could see a girl standing in the middle. A girl in a beautiful white dress, although…No matter how he focused, unlike the room, the girl’s image never became clear, and remained as a mere silhouette, as an ethereal, featureless black shape. Yet, just like the room, she felt so familiar. He knew exactly who she was, for certain.
"Come on now, Harry!"
He stood up, and he could feel a merry laughter escape his throat, as the happy atmosphere created by the girl’s presence got to him as well. His body felt light as a feather as he took a step towards the girl, and reached out with his hand to hold onto hers. But just as their fingers were about to touch, the image of the girl flickered and wavered. By the time he blinked once, she was far away from him again, further down the room, which suddenly felt so unnaturally long. Confused, he started running towards the girl, reaching out for her again, and again, and again. The cheerful atmosphere was no more, and the room turned into what felt like an endless hallway as well, one that was dimly lit, with its cold concrete walls covered in chaotic patterns of red and black. The soft laughter was slowly replaced by an unsettling panting sound, the screams of terror, and the girl’s voice calling out his name more and more frantically.
Yet, he just kept running.
It had to end eventually.
It had to.
And surely, just when he was about to lose hope, he could feel his grasp finally tighten around something, the girl’s wrist, he hoped.
He looked up to meet the girl’s face.
But as he did, an ear piercing scream, mixed with the static sound that a TV without a signal made on maximum volume filled his mind, making him instinctively cover his ears to block the sound out, very much in vain. Still, he could see the girl, the black silhouette turn around, only so that for a fraction of a second he could see a nightmarish sight - a toothless, crimson grin and a pair of bloodshot, black eyes filled with madness stare back at him. He closed his eyes, and after the image of that face flashed in his mind one last time, everything faded to black as the pain in his ears became near unbearable.
Then, he woke up.
“Harry, wake the fuck up, come on!”
Only so that a voice of a woman could fill his ears again. He opened his eyes, but his vision was blurry, and a throbbing headache felt to be splitting the back of his head apart. He sat up slowly, and looked around, but his muddled brain could barely put two and two together, let alone give him an idea about where he was. Most he could remember was that he was working on a case, and then…He was here.
“Finally, I thought you croaked on me here. I would have chased you to the deepest pits of hell and haunted you for an eternity if I ended up stuck here forever because you died.”
Who did the voice of the woman even belong to? He couldn’t even see anyone around, only…
A corpse of a man, and dark concrete walls surrounding him on all sides, as high as he could see. A very deep pit, perhaps? Or a room of sorts? It was somewhat hard to tell.
Kazuo Hojo
Location: Hojo Residence
Date: Beginning of the End - Day 1 (Friday Afternoon)
It was a quiet and peaceful afternoon at the Hojo Residence. The last students just left after a long day of training, and with the weekend around the corner, Kazuo had a few days of rest and relaxation to look forward to. Sumire was also gone to take care of the grocery shopping, as she promised that she would cook something delicious for the weekend. Meaning that, for the time being, he was all alone in the yard of the residence, sweeping the stone paths and packing away the training equipment, as per Sumire’s request. Certainly, while he much rather would have just leaned back, he knew quite well by now when it was best not to oppose her, if just for the sake of his own safety.
Still, at the very least, it gave him some time to appreciate the beautiful garden that he could consider his own now.
It was quite different from the Outskirts, where it was just nigh impossible to tame nature, which inevitably always made everything look rather “wild”, and, well, natural. Yet it was also rather unusual for the City itself, as trees and plants in general were just kind of a rarity in most parts, especially as one approached closer to the City’s center.
Though, as beautiful as it was, it wasn’t quite perfect yet. A small, hidden paradise like this would usually come with birds, frogs, insects of all kinds and whatever else, but…those were even more scarce in a place such as the City.
Perhaps he should visit one of those biology laboratories that work on artificially recreating animal species from the Old World, and try to buy some to spice the place up a bit more…
“Umm…Excuse me?”
Still, such thoughts were interrupted by a sudden voice breaking the silence, and as Kazuo turned around, he could immediately spot the source of said voice as well - that is, a young girl standing at the gate of the residence, clearly hesitant whether she should just walk inside or not.
“Um…Hello? Is this the Hojo clan’s Residence?”
Realizing that Kazuo noticed her, her voice became more quiet and her face was blushing slightly, making it quite obvious just how flustered she was.
“C-can I come in to talk? I know that I might be a b-bit late, but I reeeally wanted to talk to a member of the Hojo family.”
As she pushed the tips of her index fingers against each other in front of her chest while staring down at her feet, she only managed to look even more flustered, but she knew that there was no backing out now. Maybe she would just get rejected, and then she could run away in her embarrassment…!
“P-pretty please?”
Jalen Maliit Salvador
Location: Jalen's Safehouse
Date: Beginning of the End - Day 1 (Friday Afternoon)
As the creaking of the heavy garage door came to a halt when it hit the concrete floor, the stress that’s been slowly building up inside Jalen finally felt to have eased up a bit. He was safe now. He had to be. He made sure that no one tailed him there, even made a few loose circles around the place just to make sure before he rolled into the warehouse with his trusty car. It wasn’t much, really - in fact, more or less the only reason why the empty and abandoned warehouse could be referred to as “home” was thanks to his slow but steady efforts of slowly filling it up with furniture, decorations, garage tools and random junk. Yet, the more important thing was that he could consider it his own, and that only he knew about it. Or so he wanted to assume, at least.
After double checking that the door really was sealed shut, his gaze inevitably settled on the trunk of his car, and more importantly, the huge metallic container that was lying inside it.
He has never run into such resistance before, not over a simple delivery contract. And even when he would, it was usually just the crew of some other syndicate or a couple of peacekeepers that caught his scent by chance, during his delivery. These people, though…They were clearly expecting him. They knew when and where to wait, and judging by their numbers, they also knew what and who they were dealing with.
Although, just what was it then, really?
They were clearly not after him. He was good, but no one would send a small army to hunt him down. So they clearly must have been after whatever was inside the box. Something that was likely extremely valuable, judging by the effort they put into the chase. But what?
For that matter, who were they then? He has been in business for a good while now, but it was his first time seeing cars or people like that.
Still, the more he thought about it, the more he found himself wondering about what this all was about - and soon enough, his curiosity got the better of him. He stepped over to this car, and with a quick set of motions, without any further hesitation, he opened the trunk of his car. Then the hatch to the hidden compartment inside it. Then he flipped the lid of the container open.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t locked. A rather strange revelation, considering that his contractor was so awfully specific about the fact that the container was not to be opened under any circumstances. It was also clear that the container was far from simple, as the lock’s latch quietly sliding out of its position was accompanied by the clicking and whirring of complex and rather delicate looking machinery, things that Jalen could hardly recognize. Still, as the lid hit the back wall of the trunk, the noises stopped as well, leaving only a funny smelling, smoke-like substance behind which quickly dispersed in the air of the warehouse.
That, and the actual contents of the box, which were now visible to Jalen as well.
Or…who was, rather.
Since all he could see inside was the small frame of a person, a girl, who appeared to be sleeping.
He blinked in confusion, as the sight took rather long to properly register in his mind. Yet as he just stared, more and more small details stuck out to him. Such as the clothing of the girl that seemed to vaguely resemble a hospital gown. Or the steel cuffs on both her arms and legs. Or the strange tattoo on her thigh and the side of her neck, which seemed to say “Z1A”.
“Greetings!”
It seemed that he got lost in his thoughts for too long though, as once his eyes snapped back onto the girl, he was no longer met with a sleeping face, but rather a pair of eyes staring back at him.
“Who are you? Do you require any help?”
The girl, seemingly quite confused and curious about her situation, tilted her head slightly to the side as she observed Jalen’s face. Then, she sat up in the container and stretched her arms above her head, revealing another “Z1A” tattoo just below her armpit, on the inner side of her arm.
“Are you lost?” She asked as she glanced around the warehouse, “I do not seem to recall this base. How did you end up here?”
Nana Senri
Location: A Desert in the Outskirts
Date: Beginning of the End - Day 1 (Friday Afternoon)
The damned PDA was dead.
Nana has been following its guidance for days now. It was what he got from the last group of people she ran into. The ones who finally seemed to have some promising information regarding what she wanted to know, although at this point it was hard to tell how much truth there actually was to their claims. The device they gave her seemed to be mostly just a tracker - although she couldn’t quite decipher how exactly it worked or what it was pointing towards - which was supposed to guide her someplace where she would be able to find out more. Yet, even after about four days, it didn’t seem to bring her anywhere, just through more and more deserted areas of the Outskirts, and now…
The device was dead. No matter what buttons she pressed or how she hit it, it just refused to turn on. Unfortunately, her lack of knowledge regarding such devices didn’t exactly help either.
And after hitting the back of the PDA one last time, only to be welcomed by an empty black screen again, she realized.
She was in the middle of nowhere, with no guidance to follow anymore.
It was just sandy dunes, one after another, reaching far as she could see in any direction. The middle of the desert that she never cared - or dared - to wander into before. Though, at least the sun was slowly going down now, and while it was usually the other way around, the scorching rays disappearing under the horizon certainly made this place feel somewhat more peaceful and bearable.
Not that it made her situation any easier.
Still, now that the blinding sun was gone, and as she momentarily gave up on fixing the PDA, she had the chance to take a better look around at least. And while the scenery hardly changed, with the dunes being just the same as well, there were still two things that were much easier to notice in the dark.
For one, there was a small, but bright light in the distance. A fire, or simply just a lamp perhaps - it was too hard to see from this far. Then, smoke. Just a thin column of light gray smoke, streaming upwards from somewhere only to disappear just a few meters above the ground. Except, these two things were quite far away from each other. And more importantly, any time they got out of Nana’s sight when she looked away…
They would disappear.
Only to reappear elsewhere.
Just what was this about…?
Aisha Asakawa
Location: Aisha's Apartment
Date: Beginning of the End - Day 1 (Friday Afternoon)
“Ah, Aisha, can you hand me that towel please?”
It was one of those days. Hanaelle, the kind and caring caretaker of the orphanage that was once Aisha’s home was over at her apartment now, taking care of the usual cleaning duties which Aisha was always so eager to neglect. She already got the young woman to take out the trash while she finished hoovering and washing up, and the two of them were now in the kitchen, with the window wide open to let some of the fresh and cool breeze in, and with Aisha sitting at the table with a large glass of iced tea that the woman prepared, while she herself was busy with making the mountain of dirty dishes slowly disappear.
“Thank you, my dear.”
The wide, warm smile on the woman’s face as she took the towel was a reminder that even in a place such as the City there was room for unbound kindness. Perhaps too much kindness, even, as her going out of her way to help Aisha clean her apartment - and refusing to take no as an answer - was something that inevitably felt somewhat embarrassing, especially considering that Aisha was almost an adult now, and no longer just a kid.
Though, the visits were always pleasant for different reasons as well. Really, the fact that her place would be neat and tidy for at least a week or two was far from important anyways, and it was mostly just an excuse for the two to meet, and catch up with each other about the various events that happened to either of them between two such occasions. Certainly, despite the fact that Hanaelle was no longer her caretaker, she still cared quite a lot for her and about her well being.
“Say, Aisha…”
Today seemed to be no different either - although the uneasiness that was easy enough to read from the woman’s voice made it obvious that at least one topic of the day was going to be regarding one of the things that she was always so reluctant to talk about.
“Have you heard? There were supposedly new disappearances, and this time, even further away from the Wing.”
The one topic that Aisha was most sensitive about, at that. The topic of a chain of incidents that have been happening for a while now, and which were already responsible for taking the girl’s parents and sister away from her. Which is why the woman refused to look at her as she spoke, and instead focused on diligently scrubbing a plate that was already perfectly clean for a while now.
“Supposedly there is a new detective who came to investigate as well. I couldn’t quite catch the name, but…They are allegedly quite well known in another district. From what I gathered, they are staying at the Sweet Dreams hotel. That enormous place in the safe area, near the border.”
Finally, as if she couldn’t keep up the act any longer, she placed the plate among the rest and let out a deep sigh, before she shot a worried glance at the young girl.
“It’s not like any have managed to get even a step closer to solving the case, but…Maybe it’s something that would be worth checking out. Better than having nothing to follow, at least.
Johnny Concord
Location: A Bar in the Outskirts
Date: Beginning of the End - Day 1 (Friday Afternoon)
“Now, listen here, Johnny.”
A large rocks glass, still half filled with a light brown liquid was slammed down on the counter as the man next to Johnny let out a satisfied sigh.
“I’ve got something unusual for you here. Mission might not be so different, but the implications…”
The man was Hermes. The messenger of the bounty hunters, or so he was known as such, who was responsible for keeping all of them updated, and relaying messages between one another when it was necessary. More importantly, he was also one of Johnny’s sources, probably one of the most reliable ones at that, as the contracts he shared with him rarely ever had complications and almost always came with particularly juicy pay-offs.
Just like usual, he contacted the red haired man in the morning regarding the location of their meeting, which turned out to be the small western-style saloon where they were now. It certainly had a rather pleasant atmosphere, and was pretty well kept for some remote bar in the Outskirts, despite the fact that it didn’t seem to have much business. Right now, even the barman was missing, making the two of them the only living souls present, quite likely not even just in the bar, but the general area altogether. Was the place really this abandoned? Did it have something to do with their meeting? Or was it something else?
Regardless, it certainly made the circumstances optimal for the kind of discussion Johnny was expecting to happen, and the lack of personnel certainly didn’t prevent the other man from making use of the bar’s services either - which is why there were two glasses of whiskey resting in front of them on the lacquered wood counter, and why the jukebox in the corner was blasting some random tune.
“Well, okay, maybe even the mission is somewhat unconventional. See, it’s not really an official contract. It never was even publicly announced.”
After taking another sip of his drink, Hermes leaned on the counter, with his chin resting atop his interlocked fingers.
“Seems to be some hush-hush trouble that some folks tried to keep between themselves. Normally I wouldn’t have cared too much, but it seemed to be connected to some people you are quite familiar with. That slimy greaseball and his lackeys, you know.”
Certainly, even that vague description was enough for Johnny to understand exactly who the other man was talking about. The image was etched so deep into his memory, after all…they were the exact reason for why he was where he was now, and why his life was the way it was. Something that Hermes must have been aware of as well, which is why he was just staring at him out of the corner of his eyes now, waiting in silence to see what sort of reaction the information would get out of Johnny.
“Of course, the job is optional. Sticking your nose into their business might not be the smartest move in the end, but I wanted to see your stance on the matter at least.”
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Originally Posted by Mysterious Girl
