DIFFERENT FONT STYLES USED:
"STORYLINE" "'SPECIAL SKILLS OR MOVES'" "SPEAKER" "SPEECH" "THOUGHT"
SCENE: Kalahan Manor.
Candy runs down the pavemented ground of the sidewalk to Kyle's mansion. She stops in front of the large white gates and presses the button of the face of the fence to which on one-half of the gates is attached to.
DING DONG!
The doorbell rings and the gates automatically open, she runs in to meet Alvin.
Alvin: Lady Candice. Quite grateful I am that you could arrive on such short notice.
Candy: Don't mention it. Where's Kyle? You called saying it was urgent. I had leave my parents back at their abattoir and fruit stand so I really can't take long.
Alvin: Yes, that's why I called you here. (leads her into the mansion to Kyle's room) In here. (he opens the door and sidesteps to let her in. Candy walks in and is shocked to see both Kyle and Neil in the former's bed, bandaged up but unconscious)
Candy: (frantic) Wha…wha…what happened to them?
Alvin: From what I understand, the mission failed.
Candy: What? What mission?
Alvin: Lady Candice, please. You can ask all your questions later, the two are very hurt. I managed to treat what I could, but the injuries were too severe, they may not regenerate in time, so please…
Candy: (sighs) Alright.
She walks up to the foot of the bed and powers up, eyes glowing and hair turning green as she fires beams of green energy from her hands at them; scanning and healing the remaining injuries instantly. Each injury takes about 5-10 seconds and within a single minute the two are completely healed. After about another 12 seconds they both begin to stir awake. They groggily lean up, looking around their surroundings to get their bearings and figure out where they are. When their sense of perception and interpretation returns fully they gaze forward to the sight of a very unhappy Candy who has a questioning look on her face. Kyle looks down at his and Neil's bandaged bodies and then back up to Candy and quickly understands the situation.
Kyle: (speaking in a tone and with a smile as casual as if talking about the weather) Oh hey Candy, thanks for saving us.
Candy: (a vein popping on her forehead) You two…explain.
SCENE: Enforcement HQ.
The guards clean up the scene, removing debris and helping out the enforcers. They carry the unconscious ones to the recovery room and put the dead ones in body-bags. Bishop, Anastasia and the last two armors stand by watching.
Bishop: (to a female guard) Status report.
Guard: Sir, total destruction to immediate sectors of the fifth and sixth floor, multiple damage to various points of the entire wing.
Anastasia: What about injured personnel?
Guard: (stares down at the holo-screen clip her hand) Estimation: seventy-eight mortally injured, twelve enforcers and sixty-six guards. Six casualties, four guards, two enforcers in total of both first and second attack.
Pink Armor: Who are the two enforcers?
Guard: (hesitates) Yellow and Blue Armors.
Pink Armor, a slender female of average height, dressed head-to-toe in hot pink armor with rosé accents. The armor is based off a mediaeval version and shows off her feminine figure, complete with a metal skirt and short-heeled boots. Her helm has an odd design, be shaped with horn-like protrusions from the sides that curve back and sky-blue visor in front in the shape of a fanged beast's open mouth; giving the entire helmet a monster's head-like appearance. Attached to her waist is a white, metal whip, with a small jingle bell attached via a tiny chain to the other end. She freezes in shock for a few seconds before collapsing to her knees and begins sobbing through her helmet.
Pink Armor: First Black Armor, now Yellow Armor and Blue Armor. More than half of our team is gone.
Red Armor: (growls) Seventy well-trained security guards and fourteen high-ranking enforcers. How did two teenagers beat them so easily?
Red Armor, a strong male with muscular upper build. He wears a black, one-piece suit under a red one. The red armor consisting of a chestplate, back and pouldrons connected by straps, shoulder-length gauntlets and a pair of red armor pants and boots. His helmet has a similar design to a mediaeval style with three vertical slits in front. His weapon, a longsword with a wooden pale-brown and green hilt sheathed in a black scabbard strapped to his waist.
Bishop: Yes, it is peculiar. Obviously, those are no ordinary teenagers.
Anastasia: Given that could even outmatch several tier-queen enforcers, I assume they're probably both tier-king.
Red Armor: (grits his teeth behind his helmet) … Just great. (turns to Bishop) Prof. Cunnycut. Can you track them down?
Bishop: If it's still looking to engage them you hoping for, you can forget it.
Red Armor: We have to make them pay.
Bishop: You're not strong enough.
Red Armor: They're injured and weakened. I'm not, I can--
Bishop: Get in over your head and get killed too. Yellow Armor and Blue Armor were both tier-queen fighters, strong enough to almost even qualify as tier-queen, yet a kid not even one-tenth they're age beat them both to death singlehandedly. (waves his hand adamantly) Forget it.
Red Armor: But--
Bishop: I'll hear no more of this, understood? (a long silence spreads over the two for a few moments before Red finally gave his response)
Red Armor: Understood.
Bishop: Good. (turns and walks away, muttering under his breath) Just great. Two team deaths in just twelve hours, how am I supposed to explain this to the elders.
Red just watches his retreating form silently. Standing on another part of the room, someone watches the whole scene with a smile on their face. Anastasia turns away from the heated situation to see two guards struggle to carry Laz's sword.
Anastasia: I still don't understand how Blondie can use that thing when nobody else can even lift it. Or why that Kyle kid tried to take it. (later that morning, someone speaks secretly over a comm to the person on the other side)
Unknown: Yellow Armor, Black Armor and Blue Armor are all dead sir, and from what I hear, Draconic's team is also all dead and he's in the recovery room, currently on life support. He's alive but incapacitated, doesn't look like he'll be waking back up anytime soon.
Receiver: (over comm) Fantastic. What is the status on their new project? The La rose kid that slipped through our fingers.
Unknown: Seems all the hype was for nothing. Kid put up a good fight, but in the end couldn't last 10 mins against the other one. Then again, that other was ridiculously strong. He took out an army of guards, beat several high-tier enforcers to a pulp, killed three of them and left the whole building in ruins to boot; all by himself. His friend was no joke either, breaking and entering without triggering alarm, beating several guards and incapacitating both a top-tier and high-tier enforcer. I suggest keeping an eye on them, they may prove useful latter.
Receiver: Very well then, find out as much as you can about those two and report back. Further orders will be given thereafter.
Unknown: Yes sir.
SCENE: Kalahan Manor.
Kyle and Neil had told Candy everything, she contemplates what she heard as the two finish taking the last of the bandages off.
Candy: I see. So that's why I couldn't cure him, and why he's been absent from school all this time.
Kyle: Yeah, and it gets worse.
Neil and Candy: Worse?
Kyle: Bishop did something to him, he no longer remembers me or anything about who he is. He's totally brainwashed.
Neil: Just great. We risk our lives to save a friend that doesn't even know us anymore. What do we do now?
Kyle: Well I don't know about you two, but I'm not resting to I get Laz back.
Candy: How will you do that though? You said it yourself that their supported by the government, doesn't that essentially make them part of the bureau? Going against them would be like going against the entire country security force.
Kyle: So like what, they're just allowed to do whatever they want because of their political power? Well if those're the rules of the game then two can play. You two can tag out if you want, but I'm not abandoning my best friend for anything in the solar system. Period! (the other two share a look for a moment then sigh)
Neil: Alright, we'll stay.
Kyle: Thanks.
Candy: So, what now?
Kyle: First, we need to get Laz out of there.
SCENE: Enforcement HQ.
Anastasia enters Lazarus' room where he's still recuperating. Lazarus sitting on his bed, looks up from the book his reading at her, his ever-present expression of emptiness on his face.
Anastasia: How're you doing?
Lazarus: Anastasia, I still can't stop thinking about that boy with the white hair.
Anastasia: About what he said?
Lazarus: (shuts and sets down the book) Yes. Everything he said is just…and isn't helping. I know he's an enemy and I shouldn't believe a word he says but… (sighs) Everytime I think about him these blurred images appear in my head. I assume they're supposed to be my missing memories by Terror. Bishop says I lost my memories in an accident in an attack gone wrong, but…
Anastasia: You're wondering if it's really true.
Lazarus: (nods) Anastasia, do you know how I lost my memories and skills.
Anastasia: (hesitantly) Uh…no, not really.
Lazarus: She hesitated, why?
Anastasia: Anyway, I'm here because Bishop wanted me to continue training you.
Lazarus: Why?
Anastasia: Well, after your ah…defeat, Bishop realized you may not be as strong as he thought.
Lazarus: So, he wants me to continue my training to level.
Anastasia: (perking up) Yup! Looks like it's back to the training wheels. (turns to leave but Lazarus stops her)
Lazarus: Anastasia, do you trust Bishop.
Anastasia: (turns to him in shock) Huh?! What's bringing this on now?! (Lazarus juststares silently at her, she sighs) I'll admit, Bishop's methods can seem alittle…unorthodox, maybe even unethical. But he's a reliable and respectable member of Enforcement.
Lazarus: Hmmm. (she leaves and he goes back to his thoughts, experiencing more blurred flashbacks)
SCENE: HQ Conference Room
Bishop stands in the center of the room, facing the silhouettes of the four elders projected on the screens.
Elder 1: So, if we're understanding this correctly, two teenagers broke into the New York branch building, heavily injured multiple guards and enforcers and even killed some, including three of the Armor-clad Five? The strongest enforcer group in the entire branch? Not to mention caused great damage to about one-third of the building?
Elder 2: And prior to even that, almost the entire second elite team has been annihilated and their leader is comatosed?
Bishop: All…true.
Elder 1: This is unacceptable Bishop. You promised as the head of the branch that you'd develop a new power to strengthen Enforcement as a whole. This is quite disappointing.
Elder 3: That said, we also learned that your new enforcer lost to one of those intruders as well. Wasn't he supposed to be Enforcement next generation of soldiers? Is all our funding and support being mismanaged?
Bishop: Forgive me, please. These were just momentary setbacks caused by unexpected situations. I've already prepared measures to deal with the situation. We're preparing to find the Terror agents responsible for the deaths of the enforcers as well as working on apprehending the two teens that attacked the branch. As for the boy, he's not a failure. I had failed to consider his limited mastery of his current skills would affect his current overall level, but I'm working to fix that as well. So please, just give me a little more time. (silence grips the room as the elders think over his words)
SCENE: HQ Training Room. (Later that afternoon)
Inside the room, Anastasia discusses the new training regimen with Lazarus to help him raise his level.
Anastasia: Okay Blondie, initially we had trained in how to use and control your new skills but since you've already mastered that, we'll move on something new. You already know but today we'll be learning how best to apply your skills to any situation at hand, particularly in combat scenarios. You're a skilled fighter, that much is clear, but you're being severely held back by your current level right now; and that's what we aim to fix.
Lazarus: I thought my training was complete.
Anastasia: (rubs the back of her head) It was...but...after your loss to that Kyle kid, Bishop wants me to continue your training. Teach you more things.
Lazarus: I see his point. Even with all the training I did before, I still lost. (squeezes his fist hard)
Anastasia: So...are you ready? (Lazarus nods) Okay let's begin.
Anastasia: First though, are you sure you want to do this now? You're not completely healed yet.
Lazarus: It doesn't matter. I need to get as strong as possible as soon as possible, I don't have time to laze in bed all day. Also, I need to find that Kyle bot and have another confrontation with him.
Anastasia: (sighs in resignation) Fine then. So, we'll be training in five important areas of mastering any skill: power, defense, range, recovery and trick. (she counts them each off on her fingers) Power and defense are centered around direct combat, trick is centered on indirect combat while range and recovery are in-between. These five fields are traits that all skills share, they determine the individual capacity of each skill and how far they can be mastered. You're gonna learn how to adapt your skills to them.
Lazarus: (expression turns to one of determination) Very well.
Anastasia: Okay then. Let's begin.
SCENE: Kalahan Manor, Kyle's lab.
Kyle sits in the lone chair in front of his computers, typing away as Neil and Candy stand at his sides. He types a few keys on the keyboards and then gestures towards the display on the monitors. The screens all show various detailed layout and blueprints of Enforcement HQ building from different angles, both in its finished form and in its current partially destroyed state.
Kyle: I released hundreds of tiny survey-bots when I stormed Enforcement, just after entering the building. They're powerful enough to survey the layout of any building and relay the info back to me and too small to be noticed unless someone was looking for them. Few of them were destroyed in the fights but there's still enough left to get the building entire interior and exterior design.
Candy: And that's good for us because…?
Neil: Because, now we'll know how to get in and out of the building this time without getting caught again.
Kyle: Exactly. If we want a second chance at getting Laz back, this'll be very invaluable.
Candy: Okay. Speaking of which, you just attacked their base…like…twice. And if this is anything to go by, totally trashed it too. Don't you think they're gonna want revenge? Also, they saw your faces and know your names, meaning they could track you down easily.
Neil: Most likely, but I'm not afraid. They can try whatever they want, even if it means tracing me to my home. It nots like I have any family worth protecting there anyway.
Kyle: I don't think they'll be coming anyway.
Candy: What makes you so sure?
Kyle: With how much destruction me and Neil caused back there, I imagine that they'll be forced to reserve all manpower to rebuilding and tasks already at hand prior to our attack, meaning they won't have any manpower to spare.
Candy: You sure?
Kyle: 50% sure. A hunch actually.
Candy: You sound pretty confident for just a hunch.
Kyle: Nah, that's just how I talk.
Candy: Anyway, I was thinking, if we're gonna do this, then we'll need some help. As in, more hands on deck--
Neil and Kyle: No!
Candy: What?
Kyle: It's best not to invite any more people into this party than we have too.
Neil: The only reason you're in the loop now is because we had no choice and you already knew about Laz's attack.
Candy: (sighs lightly) Alright.
SCENE: Enforcement HQ. Training Room.
Lazarus stands in front of several targets ready to attack.
Anastasia: Okay Blondie, let's take it from the top. Power focuses primarily on offense, it deals with how much damage you can deal with your skill in one go. Defense focuses on protection, revolving around protecting the user and others from danger. Range is how far the skill's effect can reach, Recovery is how well they can heal injuries, snap out of stuns and just overall reverse any kind of damage the user and\or others sustain, while Trick refers to how well you can use them to turn the tables on your opponent. Let's start with Psychic Will. Okay, we'll start with Power. Let's see how hard you can deal damage to the targets, their nigh-invincible and are able measure your attack power via how much you attack them. Go!
Lazarus powers up as his eyes begin glowing, he raises one hand and fires a telekinetic blast-wave at one. It hits square, measures the damage output and replies with the results.
Robotic Voice: Damage level per impact: 64.
Anastasia: More. (Lazarus fires with both hands this time)
Robotic Voice: Damage level per impact: 140.
Anastasia: Harder! (Lazarus does a Kamehameha pose, generating force energy in his closed hands and fires it out at the target, cracking it greatly)
Robotic Voice: Damage level per hit: 235.
Anastasia: It needs be higher than that. In order to level up, it requires more than just pouring more minergy into your attacks. Find a way to deliver just as devastating attacks while use just as little minergy as possible.
Lazarus: (pauses and closes his eyes in thought) Hmmm.
After several minutes, he inhales deeply and raises his hands, spreading them wide to clap and then slams his palms together. Suddenly all of the targets are crushed and flattened together like a pair of giant invisible hands had destroyed them.
Anastasia: (shocked) Woah! I didn't know you could do that with that skill.
Lazarus: Neither did I, until now.
Anastasia: Okay, impressive. Well, the targets can't read the damage output now that they're destroyed, but I'll just say it's good enough. But, that's just for physical damage, Psychic Will is capable of inflicting both physical and non-physical damage.
Lazarus: But to test that I'll need to use it against a sentient target.
Anastasia: Don't worry about that, we can get to facing living foes later. For now, we'll use this. (gestures a device like a treadmill facing the other way) It's for measuring Psion waves and varying frequencies and wavelengths and amplitudes.
Lazarus: (confused) This is supposed to help measure my aptitude dealing mental damage?
Anastasia: Skills that inflict some form mental manipulation until the target do so by releasing Psion waves which affect the perception and interpretation of the target, making them susceptible to users will. The Psionometer measures these waves and estimates how much damage is dealt. Just place your hand on the device and focus your will onto it.
Lazarus does as told, placing his hand the console like part of the device and focused a telepathic attack into it. The belt of the machine begins moving, measuring his psychic output. Anastasia looks at the tablet in her hands connected to the machine, it displays: 500 W/m2.
Anastasia: Not bad, but remember I said it doesn't matter how much minergy you pour into the attacks power, what matters is how you attack. But… (sighs) I guess for mental attacks it's not that easy to tell with just a mindless machine. In any case, let's see if can at least get the number up. (he focuses more power, raising the meter up to 750W/m2, 845W/m2, 990W/m2)
Anastasia: Oookay Blondie, that's enough. No need to go over--
BOOM!
Anastasia shields her eyes from the explosion and then looks to find the machine covered in smoke, burn marks and partially flames.
Anastasia: (sighs) Are you gonna destroy all of our training equipment? This stuff costs a fortune and all our resources are still been pulled into recovery from your friends' attack.
Lazarus: Sorry. My friends huh?
(flashback)
Kyle: It's me, Kyleo Kalahan, your best friend.
(flashback ends)
Lazarus: …
Throughout the day, the two test Lazarus' aptitude for all five fields in each of his skills and Lazarus learns new ways to use them.
Anastasia: Okay, now let's see how well you can defend with Polycreate. Defend against cannonballs using of the power of creation. Cannonballs are powerful and fast, with devastating power and if their marksman is good, have terrifying precision. But they're not strong enough to deal significant damage to metas due to their superhuman durability so they're non-lethal. The worst you'll get is a few bruises, so they're perfect for crash courses.
Several cannons fire cannonballs at him, he raises his hands above his head and from purple energy a large crystal dome around himself. The balls break through the dome easily, on hitting him square in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him and sending flying out of the dome.
Anastasia: (unimpressed) Try again.
Lazarus: (gets up, clutching his chest and squeezing face in pain) …
He raises his hands again, this time in front of himself, erecting a large metal wall to protect himself. The cannonballs hit the wall and dent it, repeatedly until one manages to break through an already damaged and weakened spot. Lazarus just managing to dodge it due to his accelerated reflexes.
Anastasia: Again.
Lazarus: …
Lazarus tosses the wall away with his telekinesis before creating a new one, this one reinforced with diamonds. The new wall actually manages to defend against the cannonballs.
Anastasia: (impressed) Good, now keep it steady. You need focus your minergy into it so it doesn't weaken too quickly. (Lazarus struggles to keep the barrier strengthened; the training moves on)
Anastasia: Let's see how far your skill effects can reach. Try using your skill on the special litmus paper hanging 10, 15, 25, 35, 50 and 70m. First, try igniting the litmus paper 10m away. Ready when you are. (Lazarus stares at the new target: a sheet of white litmus paper suspended on a line by clothes pegs; he focuses his chemist skill on one of them and inhales)
Lazarus: Now. (Anastasia taps a button on her tablet screen)"COMBUST".(the sheet bursts into flames in what seems like seconds; Anastasia checks her tablet)
Anastasia: 10m check. And in 0.2 seconds too; not bad.
Lazarus: (turns to face her in confusion) 0.2 seconds?
Anastasia: (nods) The farther a target is from a meta, the longer it takes for the skill to take effect. Now, try the 15m one. (Lazarus sets it sheet ablaze) Check. 0.8 seconds. Huh, the range is great; but action time is a little slower. Try again. (another ablaze) 1.4 seconds. Even slower. Your range is good, but it definitely gets slower the farther away the targets.
Lazarus: So what do need to do?
Anastasia: Well, it's still pretty fast; so it's not that bad. We should test the limit of your range first, before we figure out how to speed it up.
Afterwards…
Anastasia: Metas fight a lot and thus, get hurt a lot. So healing skills are highly sort out for. But they're so rare, so skills that help their user heal or at least reduce the severity of their injuries even a little bit are very valuable. It's important to know if your skill is capable relieving injuries or regaining lost strength. (extends her hand) Give me your hand. (he does so, she rolls up his sleeve and in one swift motion, she pulls out a short blade and slices his hand clean off at the wrist, shocking him)
Lazarus: (shocked) WHAT TH--!
Anastasia: Try to treat it.
Lazarus: … (glares at her) Bitch.
He focuses Psychic Will towards his arm as rejoined the two parts, trying to remerge them. He manages to keep them together with telekinesis but can't heal them. He stops and the hand slides off.
Anastasia: Try again.
Lazarus: (angry) …
Later on, Lazarus – now with his arm fully reattached, courtesy of the medical crew – continues with his training.
Anastasia: Trick is centered around being able to deceive or outmaneuver your opponent. So, let's see just how tricky you can be. (several robots activate and surround Lazarus) First, Psychic Will. Obvious attacks and barriers are one thing, but you could face an opponent that knows all your moves or can't be easily beat by them. Learn how to always stay one step ahead of them.
Lazarus looks around. He's surrounded on all sides by about 20 robots, all humanoid in design, about twice his height; most likely programed with info of his usual fight pattern. He raises his hand high above his head and then drops it back down, crushing all the robots in an instant.
Lazarus: (turns to Anastasia) How was that?
Anastasia: (scoffs) Hmm. Show off. Okay, you obvious have no problem escaping predictability with Psychic Will. Now, let's test that with the others.
TIME: Few more hours later.
The two wrap up Lazarus' training. Anastasia looks at the results on her tablet, quizzically.
Psychic Will
Polycreate
Chemist
P
High
Mid
Mid
D
Mid
Mid
Low
R
High
Low
High
Re
Low
None
Low
T
High
Mid
Mid
Anastasia: Hmmm. Not bad, not good, but not bad. Still, not good enough. That Kyle kid was no joke in his fighting ability. He had all his bases covered. His defenses were impenetrable, his speed unreal, even our accelerated perception couldn't follow it, he had no problem recovering from any injury he did sustain, his arsenal was clearly vast and worst of all was his attack power, I can believe he could destroy and entire wing with just one hand. No doubt he's a very powerful tier-king, I can't believe Blondie knows someone like that. He said they're best friends, do friends fight like that? Furthermore, he was surprised he won so easily. if that's their usual sparring regimen, then Blondie must be at least as strong as him. But without his real skills or even his memories, can he still get that strong? (to Lazarus) Hey Blondie, you can go rest now, meet me here again in 2hrs to begin real-life fighting against—
She cuts herself off when turns to Lazarus to find him looking weak and sickly, looking like he's about faint, which he does. Lazarus falls over but Anastasia rushes in time to catch him.
Anastasia: Hey Blondie, are you okay? Hey, hey! (her attempts however fall on deaf ears as Lazarus has already fallen into unconsciousness)
SCENE: HQ Recovery Room.
Lazarus lays unconscious in bed as the medical workers hook him up to the Infusion machine.
Anastasia: Is he okay?
Bishop: Yes, he's fine. This is actually a situation of my own fault really.
Anastasia: (surprised) What do you mean?
Bishop: Well it seems I had failed to consider the possibility of his minergy running out.
Anastasia: His minergy running out?
Bishop: (nods) Indeed. Since the minergy in his body is artificially infused, it is bound to run out eventually, especially with excessive use.
Anastasia: But people are always overusing their skills and running out minergy, that doesn't mean they'll just pass out.
Bishop: No, but their minergy is natural. Their bodies have adapted to it over time. But this minergy is natural to Lazarus' body at all. It's technically a foreign object, so his body is yet to fully adapt to it. this could also possibly be what's holding back his strength too. And of course, since it isn't produced naturally within his body, it can't replenish itself.
Anastasia: So he has to be hooked to that thing every so often like cellphone that needs its batteries recharged.
Bishop: I'll begin working implementing a way ensure permanent infusion in the finished project right away, but until then, I recommend having here for re-infusion at least once every week.
Anastasia: (clearly upset with the situation, warranting sarcasm) Great.
Bishop: Well, he'll be out for about an hour. Watch over him.
Anastasia sighs in defeat as Bishop leaves the room. As he walks Bishop thinks to himself. The workers turn the machine on and begin pumping new minergy into Lazarus.
Bishop: Hmm. I hadn't expected this at all. It'll definitely require more work, but…it's just a minor setback. Lazarus La rose is certainly an excellent test subject, his progress though not without its setbacks is steadily increasing. Surely with him, I'll get all the research needed to complete the Infusion Tech.
SCENE: Kalahan Manor.
The trio of Kyle, Neil and Candy still remain in the former's lab, brainstorming about how to get their friend back.
Neil: Since I was able to break in without anyone figuring out, at least for the most part, security will be tight now. Even if most of their resource and manpower is focused on rebuilding, I doubt they won't still be ready for another attack.
Candy: But if most of their attention and strength is focused on rebuilding, won't it be easier to sneak in now or even make another attack?
Neil: You have a point, but as Kyle said, Laz no longer remembers us. He probably doesn't even know who he is anymore. If we go, even if we do find and manage to subdue him with his now above-average strength, it'll still be three reckless higher-ranks kidnapping a weaker kid.
Kyle: I don't think we need to worry about that.
Candy: What do you mean?
Kyle: (points to flash drive already inserted into a port) I was able to copy all the info I could get from one of their computers into a flash drive. (types some keys to open the files) According to this, Laz's set to go one some kind of field test alongside other rookie enforcers to gauge their effectiveness as such and rank them up if they pass. Unfortunately, the date, time, location, and other details are here, I guess it's still in the planning phase. We can get him there.
Neil: So it's utterly useless?
Kyle: (offended) You know you won't drop dead from showing a little optimism.
Neil: (sarcastically) I probably would.
Kyle: Just have a little patience, I'll figure something out.
Neil: (sounding unconvinced) If you say so.
Kyle: (rests back in his chair with arms wrapped behind his head and a sigh out of his mouth) I can't believe we're going through all this because some no-good as*holes tried to kidnap Laz.
Candy: Oh yeah, about that. Terror, right? A corrupt supervillain organization that forcefully recruits people?
Neil: Yeah? What about them?
Candy: If they really want Laz, who's to say they won't try again?
Neil and Kyle: (eyes widen in shock as they stare at her bewilderment) Oh sh*t!
SCENE: Unknown location.
Scratch Mark: With EHQ now in partial ruins, it'll be easier to act. Kill all the Enforcement staff. You two, go.
Unnamed Subordinates: (both) Yes sir. (they flash step out of sight)
The scene fades to black as the CHAPTER ends.
STORY CONTINUES IN CHAPTER: 9 (RECOLLECTION)