Lockness (Locky) Nessgray - Shortly after Michael Hayes arrest.
I watch as Michael holds his arms out and is willingly placed in the Suppression Jacket, the crystal placed over the well will keep Michael from using his Powers, the City Guards and Captain Lincastle surround Michael as he is walked down the road. As they start walking I yell out, panicked.
“Michael! I’ll get Master Carson!”
I turn toward one of the side streets and make my way to the most direct path to the Society, pushing onlookers out of the way, the City Guard normally take any prisoners they have down the main road as it is safer than going through side streets where you can get ambushed. So because of that they will be a bit slower to reach the Guard Headquarters.
The crowds around for the street markets block a lot of the roads, there are even some people just watching the market and festivals from their windows. The city has a law that you cannot use any Powers in the city unless they are used in an emergency, on a willing participant or a passive Power or Ability that does not affect anyone, like communications, lights, maps and the like.
A pity, if there was no one or not many people around I could use Lightning Travel to get me most of the way there but as the Guard know who I am and the likelihood that Institute are involved I could definitely see them detain me as well.
I run as fast as I can, slowing down to dodge either people, stalls or carts filled with items, food, drinks and all manner of stuff for sale, as I run I try to pull up the Interface that Michael has but it is gone, I saw a brief message that I was disconnected but it was acting strange and breaking apart before it disappeared.
I run through side streets, fewer people here but some small stalls are around, children selling old toys, sweet drinks and cakes either they or their parents cooked for them. As I break out of one alleyway and along a main road I know I am only a few minutes away from the Society building. As I run toward it I hear my name yelled behind me.
“Lock! Locky! Slow down a moment!”
Slowing and turning around I see three Michaels running toward me, one or two people in the crowd notice the duplicates but are soon back drinking or bartering with the yellow lights still lighting overhead.
“Michael’s been arrested by the Guard, he’s been accused of murder and they are taking him there now, I’m”
“What! Murder!?” interrupts a clone with one or two heads turning around upon hearing that.
“Yes, I don’t know all the details, it just happened a few minuets ago. I’m going to talk with Master Carson right now.”
The clones look ready to start running again but before we break into a sprint one clone slows and asks “Wait, would he be at the Guard building yet?”
“No, should be a few minuets now. Why?”
Grinning he takes off running down the main road, as we follow and run alongside or behind he says, “I was training our newer Kage from the sewer mission, I can see if I can get them to infil.”
“Smart!” replies another clone, “Go 4, we’ll sort things out from back here. Drop them off and report back, remain unseen if you can, if not, poof.”
“Rogger Number 1.”
Soon enough, Number 4 breaks off and heads toward the Guard Building with the rest of the Kage. Despite my feelings of the entire Power being a bit skin crawling it is certainly a handy Power.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
We quickly arrive at the Society building and there run in dodging a few people who are about to leave and run directly to the reception desk, a newer receptionist I have met before watches us run in and instead points his arm toward the Hoist room, or elevator as Michael calls it.
“Master Carson is waiting for you, go up now.”
Turning almost 90 degrees we sprint into the Hoist room and I fill the crystal with mana, it takes a normal amount of time to get up but it feels like an age, we are all out of breath and the clones are leaning forward taking in deep breaths.
As the Hoist reaches our floor we run through the carpeted hallway and reach Master Carson's office, before we even knock his secretary, Hope, opens the door to let us in.
“Go all the way in” she says as we barely slow down to a jog through her office and through the door to Master Carson’s. As we all enter I see him seated at his desk with a hand firmly placed on a mana crystal. Gripping it hard, his brow scrunched and looking serious before noticing us and directing us to sit.
I do and so does Number 1 but the others have to stand, Hope closes both sets of doors behind us and enters Master Carson’s office. Master Carson holds up his other hand gesturing to wait a moment. As we take a breath for a minute before Carson takes his hand off the crystal and looks at us.
“I was informed about a minute before the Institute arrested Michael, there was nothing I could do.”
“Carson, how do we get Michael out of there? Also, shouldn’t we try and get a lawyer or something?” asks Number 1.
“I have already begun talks with some contacts I have in the Guard and the local governance. If there is something that can be done it will be, as for this murder I lack a lot of details. And I have already contacted one of our lawyers…”
Another of the clones speaks up, “Sir, knowing Michael, as ironic as that sounds, he would delay. He knows that at the very least you and Lock would try to get him out. And if there are Institute there then he’ll feed them dummy information.”
“What kind of information?” I ask?
“Number 5 and Michael had a discussion before we left for Oghqoa about some things, tongue twisters, fictions, stuff like that. We hope small things like that would be enough to keep them occupied.”
“Also Sir.” I add, “Michael took with him both Koda and Wojek, I don’t know what effect the Suppression Jacket would have but it definitely interfered with that Interface Power he has.”
The clones then all utter sounds of “Uh-Huh” with Number 1 saying “Yea… That makes sense.” He turns to Master Carson and says,
“I suppose at the moment this Suppression Jacket was put on then the Interface was cut off, it barely works for us right now. We figured something had happened and came running which we then ran into Lock.”
Master Carson nods his head before asking, “How many duplicates are there right now?”
“Five of us, Number 4 has taken some newer Kage to the Guard building to see if they can get in and infiltrate, but he will be cautious. Number 5 took another small job for the sewers, he’s been underground most of the day but with Interface out he should be on his way here.”
“Yes, he took on a job that came in midday to determine and chart the wear and tear of some of the more distant parts of the sewer system, I signed him off myself actually…”
“Speaking off, yesterday we did have an abnormally large number of people take jobs, every single Hasmange ranked job has at least one person on it. I wonder if that was the Institute?”
“Makes sense, if they get at least one person on each job then the Basswood Chain job that Michael and Lock took would have had at least someone there. But how did they get past the Map Mode?” asks Number 1
“Ill look into it” replies another clone before Master Carson takes over.
“No matter how they did it, Michael’s safety is paramount. As unfortunate as it is for his capture we must tread lightly, we do not want to accidentally reveal ourselves or any plans we may have. Number 4 and the Kage is a risky move however the information that we might gain would be of great use.”
He turns to me and asks, “Lock, do you know the name of the person Michael is suspected of killing?”
“Um, uh.” Sogh!, in my rush to get here I forgot who this victim was. I am about to say that I cannot remember before a clone behind me passes a memory crystal which I take. The crystal has an image projection ability so I replay the events of Michaels arrest from my view point.
Once the name is said by Capitan Lincastle, Master Carson presses on the same communication crystal as before and as it glows a little he begins to silently speak to someone again. Like the rest of the clones and Hope I stare at Master Carson, waiting to hear an update.