Target Acquired (ID)

[ThePopcornFairy]

Jack's lungs were on fire, each breath wheezing out as audibly as a dog toy. Sweat poured profusely from his brow, and he could tell that the back of his sweater vest was similarly soaked. Even still, with his lab coat flapping in the wind and the loaded gun glove still adorning his clenched fist, he did not slow down, charging through Void City with impressive speed that even the measly intern himself didn't know he had in him.

When he looked over his shoulder, he could see that black Mercedes still following him from a distance. Considering it had been on his tail ever since he escaped the laboratory, he could only assume the worst of the vehicle's occupant. Desperate to shake his pursuer, Jack continued his desperate sprint, somehow building up even more speed as he approached the Plaza. There were no roads for cars to travel on in the Plaza; he could only hope he wouldn't be followed there.

After making a sharp turn into an alleyway, Jack leaped out into the Plaza and continued to run. Potential safe haven though it may be, he still wasn't confident enough to stop here. He had to put as much distance between himself and the mook following him as he possibly could. Thus, he bolted down the sidewalk past the shops, weaving between startled passersby with astonishing grace and ease.

At the far side of the Plaza, Jack ducked between another pair of buildings, disappearing into the dark, dank, unkempt back alleys of the city. Not the most welcoming location for a rest stop, with its chilly, dirty atmosphere and uncomfortably sketchy appearance, but at least here he was well hidden from most unwanted eyes. And so Jack finally slowed to a halt, leaning against a wall to graciously gasp for air. His muscles were sore. His heart was racing. He wanted to collapse onto the cold cement right then and there, but he of course knew better than to let his guard down that easily.

He warily looked down at the glove on his hand, reminding himself of what was at stake. What he was trying to save.

Bracing himself once again, Jack started a brisk but shaky walk, navigating through the alleys, eyes peeled in case his pursuer had followed him on foot.

[DanteMGalileo]

"Ahhh..."

Some distance from Jack, and completely unaware of the situation at hand, Percy took in the sky. An actual, honest-to-goodness sky, not just a mass of clouds that changed light levels to signal day and night. "Just feel that real sunlight, Percy. After all, once this vay-cay's up, you're not gonna feel that again." The brunette seemed genuinely happy to be here, even though "here" could be just as dingy as Purgatorio. A cup of what seemed to be lemonade was in his hand. "This is nice, too. We should bring some of these lemons back, I'm sure they' be popular..."

You'd just be re-introducing the lemon, kid. One of many plants to go extinct. Also, the people don't need more reminders of how sour their lives are.

The brunette frowned. "Don't rain on my parade, Imago."

And aren't we supposed to be looking for the buffoon?

"I haven't forgotten about Will, just let me enjoy my vacation too! Geez..." Percy sighed. "... I probably should find Will."

[ColArana]

Click. Click. Click.

The sound of soft footsteps echoed in the alleyway, before abruptly falling silent.

Yes.... Here is about right... Came the thought to the mind of the Heroic Spirit Edmond Dantes, Avenger Class. Something was drawing him here. No doubt his purpose here. The man chuckled to himself, as he leaped off the floor of the alleyway and alighting himself on a nearby rooftop with a calculated ease, his landing making no sound. He could feel something in the air. Despite lacking any particular special detection abilities, Avenger had a keen instinct for knowing where to go, and walked across the rooftops, his black cloak billowing in a quiet breeze.

The black cloaked man stood well above the alleys, looking down, his facial features obscured by the large brimmed hat on his head, casting his face into shadow. The only thing that could be seen was a pair of crimson irises piercing through the darkness, set in the head of the dark figure overlooking the alley. His eyes peering down from above as he gazed at Jack below. A grin crossed the man's face. "I see then... You must be..." Avenger paced along the rooftops, now making no sound as he did so, tracking Jack's progress. A figure in the shadows, above the young man. He seemed to have something very important clutched at his hand. "There you are, little mortal. Fleeing with all the abandon of a frightened rabbit... Avenger thought to himself.

Someone was pursuing this man, Avenger was sure of it. The Servant hadn't detected the presence of Percy yet, his eyes trained entirely on Jack, his gaze from his perch seemingly piercing through Jack's back and into his soul. He knew the time to make his move was soon. His entry upon the stage. Anytime now.

[ParamountKeymaster]

When the intern escaped into the Plaza, Mr. Stone promptly parked his car and climbed out to follow him on foot. His orders had been to make this affair as inconspicuous as possible, a task made slightly more complicated by moving it into the city and away from the semi-isolated laboratory. He didn't worry about that too much, though. He likely didn't have the mental capacity to worry. All he cared about was retrieving that microchip as quickly and quietly as he could.

The tall, stern-faced man in the black suit and shades entered the Plaza. He did not run. Doing so would only draw unwanted attention to himself, more so than his foreboding appearance already attracted. He simply walked along at a brisk pace, his eyes scanning the environment for the boy that had evaded him.

When he found no trace of Jack out in the open, Mr. Stone's next move was to search the alleyways. For one, hiding out here would provide the intern with a better chance at maneuvering back around to the lab, whereas the Plaza's stores likely had very few inconspicuous exits. And of course, given the instruments at his disposal, Mr. Stone would know almost right away if Jack was lurking about in this cold, lifeless environment.

Alone at the back of the buildings, removing his sunglasses to reveal his soulless black eyes, Mr. Stone's vision changed. From his perspective, the dull red, green, brown and grey tones of the alley became a monotonous, silvery blue. However, almost right away, he saw a trail of green leading around a corner.

Found him.

He quickly followed the trail through the maze of back alleyways, though his pace never exceeded a steady walk. He didn't have to travel far before the green light started turning yellow, at which point he slowed down even more, keeping his movements silent and stealthy.

Soon enough, around a corner and at the end of this stretch of alley, the yellow trail became an orange an red blob surrounding a familiar human shape.

Switching his heat vision off, Mr. Stone quietly positioned himself behind a dumpster, eyes trained on Jack. The intern hadn't noticed him yet, facing the opposite direction as he checked around another corner for the very man who had found him first.

Mr. Stone slowly raised his arm, pointing his finger at Jack as if his hand was a pistol.

[ThePopcornFairy]

His breaths still shaky, left hand caressing the gloved right one, Jack tiptoed down the alleyway and peeked around the corner to see if the coast was clear for him to proceed. So far, he hadn't seen another living thing in this maze, a fact that was in and of itself almost as unnerving as the idea of being stalked. At any moment, anything could jump out at him, couldn't it? He wouldn't have minded finding someone to help him, but he was also pondering the possibilities of finding something worse in this creepy place.

A chill ran down his spine. He swore he could feel eyes on him from more directions than one. It occurred to him that he was so busy looking ahead that he was neglecting to check over his shoulder.

The moment Jack realized this...

SNAP

"!!!" A sharp pain surged through his back, forcing Jack to bite his tongue to suppress his startled cries. At the same time, fight or flight kicked in, prompting Jack to scramble back into a sprint and dash down the next alleyway to escape his attacker.

Only a few steps into his run, Jack felt winded again. After dashing two or three blocks, he ducked into a tight space, hoping he was far away and well hidden enough to quickly get his bearings back. That was way too close. His head was spinning from his rattled nerves. Or... was it from the pain surging through every fiber of his being?

His back stung all over. It felt... warm. And yet the rest of his body was rapidly growing colder, shivers rattling him to his core.

Jack reached under his lab coat. His back felt damp and sticky. His vision was starting to go blurry, but when he pulled his hand back out, he could very clearly see splotches of red on his fingertips.

A shudder escaped his throat.

"..........................."

He had to keep going. He couldn't stop here. That monster would find her in no time if he stayed put.

Mustering a deep breath, his body starting to simultaneously tremble and go limp, Jack stumbled down the alley, desperately searching for something, anything that could stop that brute from getting his hands on Jack's precious cargo.

[DanteMGalileo]

"Who-whoa- WHA?!"

Percy's pointed ears picked up some sort of commotion, and the brunette was surprised, tossing his cup of lemonade into the air, splattering over his head. "Ugh..." He pushed his wet bangs off to the side, plastering them to his temples. "Well. So much for that."

So much for your vacation. 'Bout time. Now it's getting fun!

"I think you and I have very different definitions as to what the word 'fun' means, Imago." Percy seemed to be glaring at the air, before sighing in resignation and calling his sword to hand. "Now... let's see what I can do."

And without any further thinking, the brunette began his dash down the back alleys, keeping his eyes and ears open for anything suspicious or blue...

---

Meanwhile, a blonde human, clad in mostly blue, remained passed-out in a tub of ice water. William was still out, and boy, it was a miracle he was still there!

[ColArana]

"Ahahahaha!" Avenger's voice emitted a mirthless laugh that echoed around the alleyway near Jack and Mr. Stone. Avenger swept down from the rooftop, and landed lightly behind Jack, now an obstacle between Mr. Stone and his target. "I bid you welcome." He stated to Jack, with a cold smile. "You're going to die if you don't get out of here. Shall I become your Abe Fariah and deliver you from your torment?" He asked. Avenger turned about in the direction that the shot had come from. "There's no sense skulking in the dark. I assure you my eyes will find you anyways. Come out." He commanded, and his voice, despite it's coldness held a certain power within it. A voice that contained someone with an immense force of will.

Avenger's ears picked up the sound of footsteps in the distance. Ears trained long and hard in the darkness of the Chateau D'lf, a prison with no light. It was a paltry measure for Avenger to hear it. "That thing on your hand. It's quite important to you isn't it?" He inquired. "Is that the reason you cling so miserably and desperately to life, despite your wound?" He inquired, without looking at the wounded person behind him, his eagle eyes trained ahead to track the emergence of Jack's attacker, and his ears trained to hear the click of a trigger. These alleyways were a maze, afterall, and if Jack's assailant did not emerge as Avenger had commanded, it was a good bet he would try to circle around and attack from another angle, where Avenger was not obstructing his aim.

[ParamountKeymaster]

Mr. Stone retracted his arm, gun smoke flowing from his fingertip. He watched Jack scramble away, an apparent red stain growing on the back of his lab coat, but before he could continue his pursuit of the wounded intern, another figure jumped down from the rooftops, cutting off his direct path to Jack and making clear his intention to guard the boy. For a moment, Mr. Stone simply remained crouched behind the dumpster, assessing the situation.

Jack wouldn't get far with that hole in his back. Mr. Stone could easily cut him off around the opposite corner, but it was obvious that this newcomer meant business. Fighting him wouldn't have necessarily deterred Mr. Stone, but disposing of this pest was not his primary objective, nor did he deem it necessary to accomplish said objective. All he had to do was ward him off long enough to catch up to the intern.

The solution was simple: Mr. Stone pushed the dumpster towards Avenger, propelling it with such speed and power that it went from zero to seventy in a split second, barreling towards the interloper like a truck. At the same time, the dumpster slowly spun in a slight, precise angle so that whenever it stopped, regardless of whether or not it hit its target first, it would block nearly the entire alleyway.

Immediately after making his move, Mr. Stone stood up and briskly marched down the opposite alley, following Jack's trail from one block down, eyes peeled for wherever the intern had stopped or, preferably, collapsed.

[ThePopcornFairy]

"I...? W-W...?" Confused was an inadequate description of how Jack felt when he suddenly heard a bold laugh and turned around to see a man in a cloak jumping down from the roofs, landing at the intersection of the alley where he had been shot and the sidewalk he currently stood. It seemed like this man, who- and whatever he was, was trying to stop Jack's pursuer. If that was the case, he opted to take that opportunity and run with it. Or stumble, more accurately, but still...

Jack had no time to waste. He simply choked up a shaky "Th-Thank you..." as he continued on his way, scrambling to get somewhere safe. Somewhere far away from the maniac in the suit. He wasn't sure how many blocks he had traversed, but he could tell it wasn't many. His body felt frail, the sharp sting in his back steadily growing numb as spasms wracked his extremities. He was losing the energy to go on. The only thing that kept him going was the fear of what would be lost if he gave up.

Veering at an awkward angle, Jack disappeared into yet another dark alleyway, trying once again to be stealthy, knowing that man was still out there and could easily catch him in his vulnerable state if that other figure hadn't stopped him.

The world was spinning. He felt sick, weary, and absolutely terrified. He wasn't even sure where he was anymore. All he knew was that he had to keep moving for as long as he-

"YIPE!!!"

Well, so much for stealth.

Having been so worried about his surroundings that he failed to check what was right in front of him, Jack tripped over what appeared to be some sort of wash basin in the middle of the alley, spilling cold water all over the cement floor. Jack found himself collapsing in the puddle right on top of... a man. An unconscious man who seemed to have fallen out of the tub along with the water and was now pinned face-down beneath the ground and the wounded intern.

Wait... had Jack seen this guy before?

"............"

He couldn't get up. He could barely move. His energy was fading and his body was giving out as his strength poured out of the bullet hole in his back. With a heavy heart, Jack realized that he wasn't getting out of this situation. The pod wasn't safe with him anymore. All he could do now was ensure that it was placed in more capable hands than his.

His options were... limited.

With the last of his resolve, Jack raised his gloved hand, touching his index finger to the unconscious man's rear end...

His thumb fondled the button hidden inside the glove's knuckle...

He took a deep breath...

POP

Then, with the glove's cartridge quickly emptied, Jack rolled off of the younger blond and lay sprawled out on the ground as his blood mingled with the icy water, his hazel eyes growing dim as they stared calmly into the sunlight.

[DanteMGalileo]

...

...

...?

"... Nrgh..."

Willam slowly came to, his vision a blurry haze of greyish yellow. Pushing his sodden hair out of his face, it became a blurry mass of grey, brown, and red. Gazing down at his lap, blue and more browns joined the swirling mass. "Where... am I? ... Ugh..." The blonde placed a hand to his sore head, the headache coming on strong. "Must've... had too many drinks..." Cold! Very cold! And wet! Very wet! "... Oh, dammit. Did I just lose my kidney again?" Feeling under his shirt, there did not seem to be anything suggesting someone had forcibly cut him open. "Oh... nevermind... Where the fuck am I?"

"Will?!"

A skinny brunette skid to a halt, having heard a very familiar voice. Percy looked down the alleyway, finding a very familiar blue-clad blonde, not really noticing anything else at the moment. "Will! There you are! I was looking for you for a good few hours last night after you walked out on me!" Walking into the alleyway, he reached into his jacket, pulling out a pair of glasses. "Here, you need these, I don't know where your shirt and vest went, but whatever."

Groaning, William put on the glasses, squinting a bit. His vision was still blurry, but at least he could make out shapes. "I feel like I got run over by an ox..."

Percy helped the taller man get to his feet. "Yo, Will, pull up your pants..." He chuckled a bit as William did so. "So, uh..." It was then that Percy noticed the elephant in the room. Or more rather, the dead body in the alleyway. "By the wilted dick of Zeus!! Will!! There's a dead guy next to you!!!"

"Guh..." William looked in the direction Percy was, also coming across the rather disturbing sight of the deceased man. "Oh, jeez!! What the fuck, man?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FU- mrph?!"

"Ssh!" Percy slammed a hand over William's mouth. "This place is shady. You probably alerted every character in this alleyway and probably the next few blocks to our presence..." He shot a sad look at the dead man. "Look... we'll give him a burial later. Let's get some shovels and get you sobered up first." Percy hoisted one of William's arms over his shoulder, cringing somewhat at the added weight. "Cripes, Will... You're getting fat again..."

[ColArana]

Avenger's wicked grin turned into a scowl at Jack's expression of gratitude. "There's no need for that sort of thing." He stated, as their pursuer launched a dumpster at the pair. Avenger took a half step back to steady himself, bracing his body, and then hurled his body weight forwards, his force culminating in the palm of his hand, which struck the dumpster hard enough to force it to a sudden stop, the metal bin jolting as it did so, a deep indent in the shape of Avenger's hand pummeled into the metal side. "Hahaha! That's it! Let us fall into the depths of sin together, as only humans know how to do!" Avenger crowed at Mr. Stone, only to be met with no answer.

The man's scowl remained, and then deepened as he realized that Stone wasn't going to be coming forward. That his dumpster attack had been nothing more than a diversion to draw Avenger's focus. His cloak flared as Avenger spun about, and walked briskly after Jack, who had collapsed. It seemed a commotion was going on here, with two others, panicking over Jack's body. "Quite so! You're loud enough to wake the dead!" Avenger snapped at William, overhearing Percy's statement about Will's volume.

"Oh dear. It seems you've met a terrible fate Master." Avenger noted to Jack's body. His face less disappointed, and his scowl having given way to a slasher smile. "How miserable! How tragic! How very human." He mocked. Your task... you completed it didn't you? How disgustingly you clung to life but a moment ago. You wouldn't die with such a look on your face if you had failed. Avenger thought quietly as he looked down at Jack's unfocused gaze.

[ParamountKeymaster]

Needless to say, the crash and the guttural yelp caught Mr. Stone's attention right away. He followed the noise at his usual brisk pace, but by the time he made it to where the wounded intern had collapsed, Jack was already lying flat on his back and bleeding out next to another, unconscious, but perfectly intact man.

Mr. Stone crouched down next to Jack's prone form and lifted the flap of fabric concealing the cartridge on the glove's index finger. Just as he predicted, the cartridge was empty.

The unconscious young man was starting to rouse. Voices and footsteps fast approached. Mr. Stone quickly stood back up and retreated behind the nearest building before anyone could see him, keeping this particular alleyway well within earshot while he mentally weighed his options...

It was unlikely that the intern had injected himself with the glove's contents, as there was no sense in carrying such an important piece of machinery inside a dead body. Considering he had so adamantly protected the glove even after being wounded, he almost certainly had the pod on his person up until this moment. Bearing all of this in mind, Mr. Stone had almost no doubt in his mind who now possessed the pod, but he restrained himself from making another frontal assault so long as he knew absolutely nothing about his new target.

While the three men down the street were preoccupied fretting over the dead body, Mr. Stone removed his sunglasses and stealthily peeked around the corner. His telescopic vision zoomed in on the blond who had just picked himself up. A soft click echoed in his head as the image of the young man was committed to his photographic memory, then he ducked back behind the building with no one the wiser.

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Shortly after mentally photographing the young blond who had just woken up in the alleyway, the man in the black suit heard a low, sultry, feminine voice in his head...

"Mr. Stone? Don't engage just yet. Keep an eye on them from a distance. Figure out what we're up against and how best to subdue them, then whenever possible, strike while their guard is down. There's a very strong possibility that they have no idea what's just occurred."

[DanteMGalileo]

"By the one eye of Odin... it's not even noon (I think), and I've already seen enough weird shit for the day..."

Percy groaned from the added weight of William, and the appearance of Avenger. "Ugh... You certainly would see eye-to-eye with Imago, except that you seem almost cheerful about the death of what I'm going to assume is an innocent lab rat." The brunette turned and looked at the alleyway they had just left. "Cripes... I may be desensitized to this shit, but it's always sad..."

"Nrgh..." William squinted upon leaving the relative darkness of the alleyway, eyes readjusting to the sunlight. "... My ass hurts..."

Percy just barely suppressed a chuckle. "Well, I'm going to assume you somehow fell asleep in a tub off ice water, so I imagine so. Heh... ASSume..." And he actually chuckled a bit at his own joke, as William groaned.

"I need... to lie down... Maybe hair of the dog..." Aaaaaaaad there was the headache. "Fuck! I swear to whatever higher power that may exist that I'm never gonna drink again! Someone just shoot me... No, no, not literally!" It seemed as though the sudden realization of Avenger's presence was unnerving the blonde.

I think we're being watched... nah. I'm probably just imagining things.

[ColArana]

"Hmph. There's nothing cheerful about it. Human lives are ugly and brutal. A scrabbling pillar of rats, each trying to claw its way to the top, regardless of how they must hurt their fellow rat to do so. And their death are no different." Avenger replied brusquely. "A comedy of errors, with only a handful of redeeming qualities among them." He stated. "But then, that is how someone like me must see it." It was ingrained into his very nature. A human could rise above their nature, but a Heroic Spirit like Avenger? That was impossible. Avenger was nothing but a copy. A concept given life. The very same parameters that granted him new life, unparalleled abilities and various other gifts, also bound him to those same parameters. Incapable of true change.

"There's no sadness in a man's death, in any case." Avenger added. "It's just the way of things. Man kills man, for his own gain. It's one of humanity's darkest, most despicable, and most detestable traits." He stated, his tone turning harsh. He gazed down at Jack, but didn't make a move from his body. "A pity, I wondered if he might have been my Master. Ah well."

Avenger allowed William to rise up and begin his cavalcade of comedy, while his enhanced senses... his instincts, picked up on something. Avenger turned abruptly on his heel and his gaze snapped around the alleyway. "....Hmmm...." He stated, but said nothing further. "Do not fear. I've no interest in slaying you. It would be a waste of my talents." He told Will.