Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Eye of Eternity ❯ Interludes: Some ( Chapter 5 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: 117 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 12.03.2014 | Updated On: 12.03.2014 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 491 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 12.03.2014 | Updated On: 12.03.2014 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 491 | Status: Completed
Interlude: Armsmaster
"So .. Colin, can you tell us what happened last night?" Director Piggot asked.
"I was riding out on patrol when there was a power outage. I told Dragon to send a message to the power company so they could get to work on the power grid. After that, I went to investigate the cause of the power outage just in case it was the work of an overzealous Tinker with an energy-intensive device. You know the drill. When I got to the area, the whole place was on fire," he answered.
"Did you see anything else?" the Director asked again.
"Nothing that I can remember," the Ward leader replied without any hesitation.
"What about when you called Dragon about alerting the fire department to the fire problem in the area?" It was Hannah this time.
"I remember that," he added.
"And then you cancelled it when you saw Lung in the area," the Director explained.
"Cancelled it? For what? I didn't see Lung at all," he replied in bewilderment.
"Dragon, play back the footage from Colin's suit. Dragon has confirmed that the footage itself has not been modified in anyway," she ordered.
Armsmaster watched the footage intensely while the Director and Hannah observed his reactions in silence.
"Danny Herbert's a cape? That's not possible. I would have remembered all of it if it had happened," he objected strongly to what he was seeing.
"It gets better," she added.
"Taylor Herbert? Impossible! I didn't see her at all at the place. Her eyes ... they're ... chang ... ing ... red ..." Colin began to drawl on listlessly.
"Of course not! By the time we found you, you were out cold by the roadside but your suit's builtin cameras recorded everything. You were unconscious for a total of six hours, Colin. Your memories have been altered, somehow," the Director answered.
Colin went silent and then drool began to appear from the side of his mouth.
"By her. Dragon ... what happened to Colin? He's out again," she pointed out.
"It appears that looking into Taylor's eyes again have caused Armsmaster to relapse back into unconsciousness ... possibly some kind of unintended side-effect or secondary effect of the memory modification process. Can't really be sure unless we have him watch the footage with Taylor Herbert's eyes in it again. Do you wish for that to happen, Director?" Dragon asked.
"Do it. When Colin wakes up again, play back the footage for him to see. And note his reactions. We have to know exactly what we're dealing with. And if it's true that this Herbert girl somehow changed or altered his memories, you know what has to be done," the Director got up from her chair before leaving the room with Hannah.
<>
Location : Brockton Bay Protectorate HQ
Type : Security Briefing 107643 CODE BLACK
Date : 06161999
Time : 1200
Authorization : Director Emily Piggot
"Thank you for coming to the briefing, everyone. OK ... Listen up! This is our target ... Taylor Herbert. Gender ... female ... Age ... fifteen years old ... Current school ... Winslow High. Hobbies ... unknown ... Mother ... Deceased ... Father ... Danny Herbert ... Age ... forty-two years old ... Current occupation ... Leader of the Dockworkers Union ... Past Occupation ... NYPD ... Elite Narcotics Tactical Division Chief ... Quit after five years due to too much stress and dangers from gangmembers with cape powers ..."
"We need more information on the target ... where she goes ... what clothes she wears ... who her friends are ... what tampoon brands she uses ... whatever you can get your hands on ... include it in your report ... now some of you may ask why we are taking steps that may seem quite over the top about a fifteen year girl who hasn't even been out of high school yet ... I would like you all to review what we have on this footage that we got from Armsmaster. Take note that the recording has not been modified in any way ... "
"As you well know, Armsmaster's memories have been altered. She also persuaded her father by looking into his eyes. It's not yet proven ... but due to this incident, we have reason to believe that her memory-altering powers have something to do with eye contact. Meaning, whatever you do, none of you ... I REPEAT ... NONE OF YOU WHATSOEVER ARE TO LOOK DIRECTLY INTO HER EYES under any circumstances. This fact cannot be overemphasised enough. We cannot risk a security breach due to the target reading whatever's in your mind."
"For all purposes, Taylor Herbert has been classified as a Master Eight ... Stranger Eight ... Mover Eight ... Remember everyone ... this is just an information gathering mission. None of you are to do anything to confront, fight or subdue the target in any way unless it's been cleared through me, first! We only get one chance at this, SO MAKE IT COUNT!"
"Why just one chance some of you may ask?"
"Because logic dictates that once action has been taken against Taylor Herbert, she will take precautions the second time round after the first attempt failed ... and this will of course include her father, Danny Herbert. Take note of what her father is capable of ... That's right ... Her father basically kicked Lung into low-earth orbit while he was having a casual conversation with Armsmaster! Dragon's satellite feeds have confirmed it. Danny Herbert has been classified with a Brute Eight and Blaster Six rating from what we know about him. Things will get messy once he gets involved and we all don't want that to happen, do we?"
"Remember, what's spoken in here, stays in here. If I find out that any of you breathed any of these parts of the security briefing out to anyone ... and I literally mean anyone including your grandmothers ... in your sleep ... you'll get sent to some place where the sun don't shine for the rest of your life, you got it? That's all. Any further questions? Otherwise, you're all dismissed."
<>
Interlude: Danny
Ten hours ago, Danny Herbert was just an ordinary man living an ordinary life in Brockton Bay. That changed when his daughter got back home from school that night. In actuality, change was too mild a word for it. A proper description for his situation would have been his world had just been turned upside down when she began to describe what was going on with her social life both in school and out of school.
He was terribly shocked to learn from his daughter that one of the main bullies was none other than Emma, his precious daughter's childhood friend. What could have caused such a drastic change to make a sweet thing like Emma turned on Taylor as if she was nothing more than garbage?
Danny was no fool. His years on the force had sharpened his detective skills to razor-sharp. Something drastic had to have caused Emma to leave her friend. But what could it be? How could he, a professional investigator, have missed all of these things that were going on right under his nose in his very house?
He left the force when the last drug bust by his narcotics squad ended up in a massacre which hammered into him the danger of capes becoming involved in the drug trade to police personnel. He didn't want Annette to end up dead or worse as a result of the job he was doing. Law breakers like drug pushers tend to become unhappy when law enforcement officials try to bring down the law on top of them for their illegal activities.
And when they become unhappy, bad things happen. One of his officer's family had been killed in a suspicious fire at their family home after a successful drug bust. Everyone on the force knew it was revenge but they just couldn't prove it. The officer himself was killed in a hit-and-run accident not long later. Then one of the SWAT team members asked for a transfer. He was soon followed by another. Then another ... and another. Very soon the entire task force dealing with serious crimes had either resigned or asked for a transfer to another safer place.
Before long, he was the only veteran member left on the force ... the rest being newbies who were either desperate for a job or triggerhappy gunghos too dumb to understand the dangers that they were facing on the frontlines. The drug bust that went bad was but one example of what happened when greens or inexperienced people filled the positions of what used to be the sole purview of experienced well-trained law personnel. Unfortunately, the NYPD had become rather shorthanded and they were forced to take in anyone they could. This incident had also served to strengthen the notion of finding a safer job as soon as possible when he could.
He thought he had it when he began working as an ordinary pencil pusher for the city council. He was wrong. Things went from bad to worse for New York city when the gang wars intensified with the entry of the E88, the ABB and the Merchants. The older gangs like the Golden Posse, the Black Crescent and the Warlords were either pushed out or eradicated, their bodies left to hang in public places such as trees or bridges as a warning to interlopers.
Then as if it couldn't get any worse, the socio-economic situation began to decline with the appearance of the Endbringers. The shipping industry which held the last hope for many people in New York for a decent life suffered a crippling blow as Leviathan's presence in the ocean made certain that transporting goods by sea a risky proposition.
The Graveyard, where all the destitute and desperate gather now, was one such result. Now he was stuck trying to make ends meet for himself and Taylor as head of the Dockworkers' Union. Things had certainly gone to hell in a basket. And now this ... His daughter had suffered so much at the hands of school bullies that she had become a cape.
Just as he had become one, he thought grimly as he studied the sparking arcs of electricity that danced in his palms before shifting into blue flames and vice versa whenever he wished it. Oh ... he had plenty of time to experiment with his power. For one thing, he no longer felt fatigued. That much, he deduced since he was still feeling rather invigorated by his night's activities. The induced high of the energy rushing through him ensured that.
Although he could only wonder at his daughter's strange behaviour at insisting he studied some exotic meditation techniques. Meditation techniques which he didn't feel like doing until she had used those dreaded puppy-dog eyes on him again. He finally gave into her wishes and began practicing them.
Interestingly enough, the induced high that had been clouding his mind began to clear up like a fog disappearing, enabling him to think clearly again. And now that he was finally able to think clearly, he realised just how reckless and foolhardy he had been behaving as he began to go though the night's adventures again in his mind.
For one thing, what kind of sane person would be willing to fight two capes in one night? Especially when one of them was Lung? Danny clearly remembered the feeling of being able to take on the world and win, the unforgettable feeling of invincibility ... of never being defeated again ... by anyone ... by anything ... was this how champions always felt? He wondered. For the first time since Annette's death, an old familiar feeling began to creep into him.
It was hope.
Danny Herbert was a man of action. Coming tomorrow, the first thing he was going to do was to go to Winslow High with his precious daughter and tell the school administration what he thought of them in a rather delightful and colourful language. Wait ... on second thought, if he did that, it would make the lawsuit harder to win ... if he had the money that is ... Maybe he could ask one of his friends that he had usually worked with on the force in the past for some advice.
And the first name sprang to mind.
<>
Interlude: Shadow Stalker
"Hello Emma."
"Hi Sophia. Good to hear from you," came a familiar voice from the other end.
"Where are you right now?"
"At home ... in bed and watching TV."
"Are you alone?"
"Yes. Mum and Dad are both out at the moment. Is anything the matter?" Emma asked.
"Something's come up. I'm not supposed to say this to you but I just couldn't do it without warning you," Sophia explained.
"What's up Sophia?" she queried.
"Whatever you do, do not make eye contact with Taylor." Sophia warned.
"Taylor? What about her? What is wrong?" Emma asked, suddenly concerned.
"She triggered, Emma. The PRT is taking it very seriously. According to what I heard, Taylor could alter a person's memory with her power. She altered Armsmaster's memory and the worst thing is he doesn't even know it until the PRT told him. And even then, he has trouble recalling what happened."
"Taylor can change a person's memory?" Emma asked with more than a hint of fear in her voice.
"That's not all. She can teleport. The PRT has classified her as a Master/Stranger/Mover 8 on all counts. They're not sure but they believe that she can turn invisible because Armsmaster's video recorder never even saw her coming before he was knocked unconscious with his memories changed."
"That is scary ... What do we do?" Emma breathed out.
"We leave her alone for the time being. Tell Madison and Julia to back off as well," Sophia answered.
"What if they asked why? What do I tell them?"
"Emma ... this is just between you and me. I could get into a lot of trouble for telling you this. I was not supposed to let anyone else outside the PRT learn of this. So don't tell anyone the reason, okay?" she asked.
"Sure, Sophia. Thanks for telling," Emma answered.
"One more thing ... I also know I'm not supposed to say this but her father is also a cape."
"Her father ... Mr. Herbert? Crap!" Emma swore.
"You can say that again. Her father sent Lung flying into low-earth orbit with one kick!" Sophia exclaimed.
"That's seriously ... badass!" Emma could barely keep down her panic.
"It is ... That's why I'm warning you in advance. This is just between the two of us, okay? Don't even tell Madison. I could get into a lot of trouble for this," Sophia warned.
"Okay ... No one else will know. This is just between the two of us," Emma answered.
"Just the two of us. Somebody's coming. Talk to you later. "
And Sophia hung up quickly.
<>
Interlude: Lung
Lung flew.
He had no idea how long he had been flying through the skies and the clouds ... but still he flew. He wouldn't have minded it, rather enjoyed it ... save for the fact that he was clearly not flying under his own power at the moment, even though he had the wings to do so. Ironically enough, he was flying through the sky courtesy of a kick, he recalled, a single kick by a lone unmasked cape unknown to him. And had fought him easily to a standstill in close quarters combat.
Standstill?
If the fight could be called a standstill.
Lung easily recalled what had happened during the fight. He had fought the new cape tooth and nail with his flames and claws. But nothing he did seem to even hurt or affect the unmasked cape. When he struck the cape with his claws, the new cape would block the blows seemingly without effort and then retaliate with fast punches. Punches that hit hard. Really hard.
Lung could still remember the strength of those blows on his body even in his dragon form. They were strong, really strong like Alexandria's blows, a member of the Triumvirate. In fact, the punches that the new cape was throwing at him seemed to be becoming stronger and stronger as the fight progressed ... just like him.
It reminded him of an old enemy that he had fought a few times, back in the old days before he had obtained his parahuman powers. An old wizened master of an ancient martial art style known as taichi which utilised the strength of an enemy against the enemy itself. In short, the harder an enemy struck a taichi master, the harder the returned blow would be suffered by the enemy. The old taichi master had taken down Lung's earlier gang back in Japan when he had tried to take control of the neighbourhood.
Lung could not forget what had happened. After he had obtained his parahuman powers from a drug overdose, he had gone in search of the ancient master once again to settle the score. He was going to pound the old taichi master's face into the ground ... only to find that the old man was no longer in Japan. He had asked around but no one seemed to know where the old man had gone. Then Leviathan had attacked and Lung had bigger things to worry about.
Still, he would not forget this face. The unknown cape's face. Like the ancient taichi master he had fought. Since in a roundabout way, the unknown cape reminded him of someone very familiar ... Lung himself.
<>
"So .. Colin, can you tell us what happened last night?" Director Piggot asked.
"I was riding out on patrol when there was a power outage. I told Dragon to send a message to the power company so they could get to work on the power grid. After that, I went to investigate the cause of the power outage just in case it was the work of an overzealous Tinker with an energy-intensive device. You know the drill. When I got to the area, the whole place was on fire," he answered.
"Did you see anything else?" the Director asked again.
"Nothing that I can remember," the Ward leader replied without any hesitation.
"What about when you called Dragon about alerting the fire department to the fire problem in the area?" It was Hannah this time.
"I remember that," he added.
"And then you cancelled it when you saw Lung in the area," the Director explained.
"Cancelled it? For what? I didn't see Lung at all," he replied in bewilderment.
"Dragon, play back the footage from Colin's suit. Dragon has confirmed that the footage itself has not been modified in anyway," she ordered.
Armsmaster watched the footage intensely while the Director and Hannah observed his reactions in silence.
"Danny Herbert's a cape? That's not possible. I would have remembered all of it if it had happened," he objected strongly to what he was seeing.
"It gets better," she added.
"Taylor Herbert? Impossible! I didn't see her at all at the place. Her eyes ... they're ... chang ... ing ... red ..." Colin began to drawl on listlessly.
"Of course not! By the time we found you, you were out cold by the roadside but your suit's builtin cameras recorded everything. You were unconscious for a total of six hours, Colin. Your memories have been altered, somehow," the Director answered.
Colin went silent and then drool began to appear from the side of his mouth.
"By her. Dragon ... what happened to Colin? He's out again," she pointed out.
"It appears that looking into Taylor's eyes again have caused Armsmaster to relapse back into unconsciousness ... possibly some kind of unintended side-effect or secondary effect of the memory modification process. Can't really be sure unless we have him watch the footage with Taylor Herbert's eyes in it again. Do you wish for that to happen, Director?" Dragon asked.
"Do it. When Colin wakes up again, play back the footage for him to see. And note his reactions. We have to know exactly what we're dealing with. And if it's true that this Herbert girl somehow changed or altered his memories, you know what has to be done," the Director got up from her chair before leaving the room with Hannah.
<>
Location : Brockton Bay Protectorate HQ
Type : Security Briefing 107643 CODE BLACK
Date : 06161999
Time : 1200
Authorization : Director Emily Piggot
"Thank you for coming to the briefing, everyone. OK ... Listen up! This is our target ... Taylor Herbert. Gender ... female ... Age ... fifteen years old ... Current school ... Winslow High. Hobbies ... unknown ... Mother ... Deceased ... Father ... Danny Herbert ... Age ... forty-two years old ... Current occupation ... Leader of the Dockworkers Union ... Past Occupation ... NYPD ... Elite Narcotics Tactical Division Chief ... Quit after five years due to too much stress and dangers from gangmembers with cape powers ..."
"We need more information on the target ... where she goes ... what clothes she wears ... who her friends are ... what tampoon brands she uses ... whatever you can get your hands on ... include it in your report ... now some of you may ask why we are taking steps that may seem quite over the top about a fifteen year girl who hasn't even been out of high school yet ... I would like you all to review what we have on this footage that we got from Armsmaster. Take note that the recording has not been modified in any way ... "
"As you well know, Armsmaster's memories have been altered. She also persuaded her father by looking into his eyes. It's not yet proven ... but due to this incident, we have reason to believe that her memory-altering powers have something to do with eye contact. Meaning, whatever you do, none of you ... I REPEAT ... NONE OF YOU WHATSOEVER ARE TO LOOK DIRECTLY INTO HER EYES under any circumstances. This fact cannot be overemphasised enough. We cannot risk a security breach due to the target reading whatever's in your mind."
"For all purposes, Taylor Herbert has been classified as a Master Eight ... Stranger Eight ... Mover Eight ... Remember everyone ... this is just an information gathering mission. None of you are to do anything to confront, fight or subdue the target in any way unless it's been cleared through me, first! We only get one chance at this, SO MAKE IT COUNT!"
"Why just one chance some of you may ask?"
"Because logic dictates that once action has been taken against Taylor Herbert, she will take precautions the second time round after the first attempt failed ... and this will of course include her father, Danny Herbert. Take note of what her father is capable of ... That's right ... Her father basically kicked Lung into low-earth orbit while he was having a casual conversation with Armsmaster! Dragon's satellite feeds have confirmed it. Danny Herbert has been classified with a Brute Eight and Blaster Six rating from what we know about him. Things will get messy once he gets involved and we all don't want that to happen, do we?"
"Remember, what's spoken in here, stays in here. If I find out that any of you breathed any of these parts of the security briefing out to anyone ... and I literally mean anyone including your grandmothers ... in your sleep ... you'll get sent to some place where the sun don't shine for the rest of your life, you got it? That's all. Any further questions? Otherwise, you're all dismissed."
<>
Interlude: Danny
Ten hours ago, Danny Herbert was just an ordinary man living an ordinary life in Brockton Bay. That changed when his daughter got back home from school that night. In actuality, change was too mild a word for it. A proper description for his situation would have been his world had just been turned upside down when she began to describe what was going on with her social life both in school and out of school.
He was terribly shocked to learn from his daughter that one of the main bullies was none other than Emma, his precious daughter's childhood friend. What could have caused such a drastic change to make a sweet thing like Emma turned on Taylor as if she was nothing more than garbage?
Danny was no fool. His years on the force had sharpened his detective skills to razor-sharp. Something drastic had to have caused Emma to leave her friend. But what could it be? How could he, a professional investigator, have missed all of these things that were going on right under his nose in his very house?
He left the force when the last drug bust by his narcotics squad ended up in a massacre which hammered into him the danger of capes becoming involved in the drug trade to police personnel. He didn't want Annette to end up dead or worse as a result of the job he was doing. Law breakers like drug pushers tend to become unhappy when law enforcement officials try to bring down the law on top of them for their illegal activities.
And when they become unhappy, bad things happen. One of his officer's family had been killed in a suspicious fire at their family home after a successful drug bust. Everyone on the force knew it was revenge but they just couldn't prove it. The officer himself was killed in a hit-and-run accident not long later. Then one of the SWAT team members asked for a transfer. He was soon followed by another. Then another ... and another. Very soon the entire task force dealing with serious crimes had either resigned or asked for a transfer to another safer place.
Before long, he was the only veteran member left on the force ... the rest being newbies who were either desperate for a job or triggerhappy gunghos too dumb to understand the dangers that they were facing on the frontlines. The drug bust that went bad was but one example of what happened when greens or inexperienced people filled the positions of what used to be the sole purview of experienced well-trained law personnel. Unfortunately, the NYPD had become rather shorthanded and they were forced to take in anyone they could. This incident had also served to strengthen the notion of finding a safer job as soon as possible when he could.
He thought he had it when he began working as an ordinary pencil pusher for the city council. He was wrong. Things went from bad to worse for New York city when the gang wars intensified with the entry of the E88, the ABB and the Merchants. The older gangs like the Golden Posse, the Black Crescent and the Warlords were either pushed out or eradicated, their bodies left to hang in public places such as trees or bridges as a warning to interlopers.
Then as if it couldn't get any worse, the socio-economic situation began to decline with the appearance of the Endbringers. The shipping industry which held the last hope for many people in New York for a decent life suffered a crippling blow as Leviathan's presence in the ocean made certain that transporting goods by sea a risky proposition.
The Graveyard, where all the destitute and desperate gather now, was one such result. Now he was stuck trying to make ends meet for himself and Taylor as head of the Dockworkers' Union. Things had certainly gone to hell in a basket. And now this ... His daughter had suffered so much at the hands of school bullies that she had become a cape.
Just as he had become one, he thought grimly as he studied the sparking arcs of electricity that danced in his palms before shifting into blue flames and vice versa whenever he wished it. Oh ... he had plenty of time to experiment with his power. For one thing, he no longer felt fatigued. That much, he deduced since he was still feeling rather invigorated by his night's activities. The induced high of the energy rushing through him ensured that.
Although he could only wonder at his daughter's strange behaviour at insisting he studied some exotic meditation techniques. Meditation techniques which he didn't feel like doing until she had used those dreaded puppy-dog eyes on him again. He finally gave into her wishes and began practicing them.
Interestingly enough, the induced high that had been clouding his mind began to clear up like a fog disappearing, enabling him to think clearly again. And now that he was finally able to think clearly, he realised just how reckless and foolhardy he had been behaving as he began to go though the night's adventures again in his mind.
For one thing, what kind of sane person would be willing to fight two capes in one night? Especially when one of them was Lung? Danny clearly remembered the feeling of being able to take on the world and win, the unforgettable feeling of invincibility ... of never being defeated again ... by anyone ... by anything ... was this how champions always felt? He wondered. For the first time since Annette's death, an old familiar feeling began to creep into him.
It was hope.
Danny Herbert was a man of action. Coming tomorrow, the first thing he was going to do was to go to Winslow High with his precious daughter and tell the school administration what he thought of them in a rather delightful and colourful language. Wait ... on second thought, if he did that, it would make the lawsuit harder to win ... if he had the money that is ... Maybe he could ask one of his friends that he had usually worked with on the force in the past for some advice.
And the first name sprang to mind.
<>
Interlude: Shadow Stalker
"Hello Emma."
"Hi Sophia. Good to hear from you," came a familiar voice from the other end.
"Where are you right now?"
"At home ... in bed and watching TV."
"Are you alone?"
"Yes. Mum and Dad are both out at the moment. Is anything the matter?" Emma asked.
"Something's come up. I'm not supposed to say this to you but I just couldn't do it without warning you," Sophia explained.
"What's up Sophia?" she queried.
"Whatever you do, do not make eye contact with Taylor." Sophia warned.
"Taylor? What about her? What is wrong?" Emma asked, suddenly concerned.
"She triggered, Emma. The PRT is taking it very seriously. According to what I heard, Taylor could alter a person's memory with her power. She altered Armsmaster's memory and the worst thing is he doesn't even know it until the PRT told him. And even then, he has trouble recalling what happened."
"Taylor can change a person's memory?" Emma asked with more than a hint of fear in her voice.
"That's not all. She can teleport. The PRT has classified her as a Master/Stranger/Mover 8 on all counts. They're not sure but they believe that she can turn invisible because Armsmaster's video recorder never even saw her coming before he was knocked unconscious with his memories changed."
"That is scary ... What do we do?" Emma breathed out.
"We leave her alone for the time being. Tell Madison and Julia to back off as well," Sophia answered.
"What if they asked why? What do I tell them?"
"Emma ... this is just between you and me. I could get into a lot of trouble for telling you this. I was not supposed to let anyone else outside the PRT learn of this. So don't tell anyone the reason, okay?" she asked.
"Sure, Sophia. Thanks for telling," Emma answered.
"One more thing ... I also know I'm not supposed to say this but her father is also a cape."
"Her father ... Mr. Herbert? Crap!" Emma swore.
"You can say that again. Her father sent Lung flying into low-earth orbit with one kick!" Sophia exclaimed.
"That's seriously ... badass!" Emma could barely keep down her panic.
"It is ... That's why I'm warning you in advance. This is just between the two of us, okay? Don't even tell Madison. I could get into a lot of trouble for this," Sophia warned.
"Okay ... No one else will know. This is just between the two of us," Emma answered.
"Just the two of us. Somebody's coming. Talk to you later. "
And Sophia hung up quickly.
<>
Interlude: Lung
Lung flew.
He had no idea how long he had been flying through the skies and the clouds ... but still he flew. He wouldn't have minded it, rather enjoyed it ... save for the fact that he was clearly not flying under his own power at the moment, even though he had the wings to do so. Ironically enough, he was flying through the sky courtesy of a kick, he recalled, a single kick by a lone unmasked cape unknown to him. And had fought him easily to a standstill in close quarters combat.
Standstill?
If the fight could be called a standstill.
Lung easily recalled what had happened during the fight. He had fought the new cape tooth and nail with his flames and claws. But nothing he did seem to even hurt or affect the unmasked cape. When he struck the cape with his claws, the new cape would block the blows seemingly without effort and then retaliate with fast punches. Punches that hit hard. Really hard.
Lung could still remember the strength of those blows on his body even in his dragon form. They were strong, really strong like Alexandria's blows, a member of the Triumvirate. In fact, the punches that the new cape was throwing at him seemed to be becoming stronger and stronger as the fight progressed ... just like him.
It reminded him of an old enemy that he had fought a few times, back in the old days before he had obtained his parahuman powers. An old wizened master of an ancient martial art style known as taichi which utilised the strength of an enemy against the enemy itself. In short, the harder an enemy struck a taichi master, the harder the returned blow would be suffered by the enemy. The old taichi master had taken down Lung's earlier gang back in Japan when he had tried to take control of the neighbourhood.
Lung could not forget what had happened. After he had obtained his parahuman powers from a drug overdose, he had gone in search of the ancient master once again to settle the score. He was going to pound the old taichi master's face into the ground ... only to find that the old man was no longer in Japan. He had asked around but no one seemed to know where the old man had gone. Then Leviathan had attacked and Lung had bigger things to worry about.
Still, he would not forget this face. The unknown cape's face. Like the ancient taichi master he had fought. Since in a roundabout way, the unknown cape reminded him of someone very familiar ... Lung himself.
<>