[October 7th, 2022 : 7:02 AM]
Clickity. Click. Clack. Clack.
The computer screen reflected in the woman’s glasses. Fingers mercilessly hitting against the keyboard, embracing the momentary relief of a dopamine rush once she clicked submit.
Now she’d need to do it ten times over.
Already an hour of her time. She could spend ten more.
Her arms stretched forward as she cracked her knuckles with a low pop. Yet, once her fingers made contact with the keys…
Ding!
Time wasn’t wasted in clicking on the notification, opening to an email.
———
To: D.Mendall ([email protected])
From: R.Nelborn ([email protected])
Subject: Investigation
Look over any disturbances within Bellridge Bay. Another Key is believed originate besides [ 0294#Richter | Tactile Fragokinesis ] and [ Maxwell King#0545 | Hyalokinesis ]. Relay any information related to high physical prowess, anything in regards to the formers’ abilities aren’t to be taken into consideration.
The suspect is named [Noah] with no public information regarding any history.
Find information regarding his appearance here. Check if there has been any additional tampering in said photograph. Don’t need false accusations.
Rita Nelborn, the Impact Ring.
Attachments: [IMG4002.png] The image was a sleeping Noah, his battered and bandaged chest exposed at the dead of night in his bed with his Key symbol at the center of the image’s focus and dead-center on his chest.
Captioned: Noah, age 16, works at Jung’s Cafe in Bellrige on N 16 St. Key relates to high physical aptitude.
[Tip:] Tunnel vision. Direct his attention to something. Work or his job. It’s best to get him when he is focused on something else. He will know if something is up.
—
To: R.Nelborn ([email protected])
From: Mendall ([email protected])
Subject: Re: Investigation
Thanks for the tall order. I got a chance to look into it.
I found a bit about “superhuman body” but nothing about Noah. He’s a real person, looking at the image I found countless others. Jung’s Cafe employee photos on their websites are the only thing I can find on my side, nothing even close to a school photo or parentage. Not even a social. I can’t tell if he even exists.
If he doesn’t have a Key, it’d be best to just turn him over to the authorities and have them clear things up. Nothing related to explosions of any magnitude or glass.
February 3rd, 2019 – (www.abc-news.com/appearance-of-an-unknown-key-in-bellridge?)
“Unknown entity appears at a burning building, evades capture before the appearance of law enforcement via scaling the building by hand.”
December 20th, 2021 – (www.united-news.com/bellridge-bandit)
“Shortly following a gas station robbery, robbers were apprehended outside of the gas station with the door of the vehicle torn off.
They plead to have been stopped by another assailant who caught up to their vehicle.”
March 22nd, 2022 – (www.bellbay-news.com/alley-assailant)
“Bellridge Bay’s alleyways have seen an uptick in crimes caused by an individual believed to possess a Key. Bellridge News spoke to a woman during a violent altercation in an alleyway. Watched as her attacker was thrown several feet into the air by an unknown individual, both the woman and the unknown assailant left the area from her words.”
July 28nd, 2022 – (www.bellbay-news.com/suspicious-nighttime-runner)
“Numerous sightings of an individual crossing over buildings at the dead of night has spooked citizens of Bellridge Bay. Video evidence of an entity leaping from rooftop to rooftop exists. Law enforcement unsure of how to approach. ”
[4 other links in file… click to reveal]
October 6th, 2022 – (www.insider-informant.com/streets-of-bellridge-to-nighttime-brawl)
“The city of Bellridge Bay had become the center of a warzone following what many expect to be a brawl between many unidentified Keys. Much of the citizens residing within the Kinstein Street area awoke to the sounds of shattering glass late within the night. Causing considerable damage to buildings within what investigators believe affected all-related material within a mile of where the Key may have been used.
The investigators also believe that the same individuals capable of wreaking havoc by Martin’s Docks by Keagle Rd are the ones responsible for the destruction here.
A Key by the name of ‘Richter’ was detained at the site. Rendered unconscious with fractured limbs before law enforcement set upon his location. After detainment, Richter spoke about the presence of two other Keys present within the destruction.”
David Mendall, the Repair Ring.
———
Rita closed the tab for the email, rubbing the base of her chin. Richter had spoken much in detail on two of the two “assailants” he faced that night–especially her current target. It only boiled down to the obvious points, likely ethnicity based on the tone of the attacker’s skin tone and the gender and overall height.
A male with tanned skin of an above average height and an ectomorphic body type. With a likely tell being any injuries or markings. It matched the details in the photo, it could’ve been fabricated, but with so many checks.
She needed to check it off herself.
She closed the tab of the email, opening another and tapping relentlessly against the keys of her keyboard.
———
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
To: Request Department ([email protected])
From: R.Nelborn ([email protected])
Subject: [Required] [Request] Reinforcements for the Detainment of an Unregistered Key
Requesting the establishment of a perimeter for capture and evacuation of the blocks in a 3x3 matrix surrounding Jung’s Cafe in Bellridge Bay.
Requesting additional support. Specifically Keys capable of capturing or subduing targets.
Rita Nelborn, the Impact Ring.
∎∎∎
Civilian eyes turned their heads to watch two members of the Black Ring Organization escorted the large elderly man that was Mr. Jung. He tried to plead, speaking to those who walked passed him that things weren’t right. He wasn’t a Key he kept trying to spout to everyone nearby.
To both the members of the Organization and the civilians, his words had fallen on deaf ears.
People didn’t dare look at him with pity. If their eyes met the man it was met with nothing more than disgust.
The group crossed into an alleyway and approached a parked vehicle. Rita’s head turned to the side, gesturing the smaller member by her side to escort Jung into the vehicle while she pressed her body against the cold concrete wall of the adjacent building.
Minutes seemed to become an eternity as Rita waited. She pulled aside her sleeve, glancing at her watch.
“He should be here by now.” Rita groaned, her finger tapping against her arm.
“I hope he doesn’t take toooo long.” Her partner complained, twirling the edges of her brown curls between her finger tips. Crouched down against the door of the vehicle. “I wish we brought something. I would’ve liked something to drink. Something sweet. I bet anything there would’ve tasted sooooo good.” She huffed, holding her head in both her hands.
“We don’t have time for that or to complain, Ada.”
“But you just—” Ada replied.
“If anything, maybe after this is all settled. We just need him to be here.” Rita cut-off.
“Who do you need to be here?” A man’s voice entered the alley. He held a paper bag in his hand, as the other brushed through messy black bed hair which was littered with numerous red streaks.
He shook his hand violently, trying to shake off any dirt he may have collected from his hair before pulling a glazed donut from the bag, shoving the fried pastry into his mouth. Eyes which glistened a dim golden light raised themselves, staring at the women before him as he began to chew.
“I kham heer kwikwe.” (I came here quickly.) He swallowed between chews, having to gulp down whatever was in his mouth. “I came here twenty minutes before–” He raised his hand holding the paper bag, looking at the time on his watch. His eyes settled as he nodded, lifting it back up to the two. “I came twenty minutes after the scheduled time. My bad.” He offered a half-assed salute before directing his full attention now onto Ada as he held the bag into the air.
“Curls, I got you something!” He shouted, tossing the brown bag towards Ada. To which she was happy to catch without a care in the world besides getting something sweet. Ada’s eyes went wide, pulling apart brown parchment paper to set her eyes onto a glazed apple fritter. Not wasting any time in indulging her gluttony to completely forgive the wait. The male could only help but smile, before his head noticed the scornful stare directed his way. “I didn’t get anything for you, Rita.” He shrugged his shoulders, sticking out his tongue with a black expression.
In relation to the others, he was dressed in a similar palette but fitting his own style. Black jeans, black shirt underneath, along with a jacket possessing the Organization's bold white logo on the backside of his apparel. Like Ada’s, his clothes were a bit loose, allowing for less restriction of tightness. However, while on their fingers they wore rings of black–his was of a crimson red.
“So, how’s the plan coming up? You guys frame the innocent guy yet, Ree-Ree!? We got it, right? Hopefully you weren’t too worried about me to forget something like that.” He criticized, chuckling under his breath. “Quite the plan, wouldn’t have planned it in a million years.” He smirked.
Rita’s glare intensified, her scornful gaze turning into an infuriated scowl as the veins on her face became more prominent and defined. Nearly bursting a vessel. “You sidetrack the objective, and criticize the plan? You—” She approached with fists clenched, having nearly bit her tongue.
He raised his hands into the air, shaking them with exaggerated haste in an attempt to get her to back down. “Hey! Hey! I was just speaking out loud!” He stumbled back on his feet, trying his best to calm him down. It may’ve been better if he wasn’t chuckling as he spoke.
“I did what I was asked. I investigated the area around here. Many of the people around here are sticking clear of the area today; probably because someone worked up a bit of a storm. Maaan, I even heard that a cafe owned by a single man may be shutting down because of accusations against his good name. Something, something… Bung.. Lung… Jung’s cafe?” He hummed, listing off the names as he stared at the holed up in the vehicle. Jung had been looking at something outside of the male’s periphery, likely down at his cuffs. “Anyways, I already did what I needed to do. Informed the businesses nearby to close up business at the same time the cafe would—if they disobey then they’ll be fined–yada yada.”
He waved his hand, gesturing to the fact he was skipping past much of the unnecessary legal vomit. He lowered his head a fraction, giving Rita his attention now. “That should be all, anything else you need. Ri-ta?”
Rita’s anger had become more apparent. Frustration built up to the point where she wanted to harm the person standing before her. It was at the rationalization when she both couldn’t harm him and shouldn’t where she clicked her tongue. The ball of red hot anger in her face calmed once she composed. “You’re undeserving of that rank. You’re just an off color.” She snapped, turning around to make her way back to the car.
The impact in which Rita expected to leave with a compact never came, instead, it seemed to cause the male to pause for a moment. Moving his hand up to his chin as he contemplated silently to himself. “Yeah, I do outrank you. Make sure I don’t take this as insubordination!” When she turned his head back at him, he simply raised his hands up in faux surrender with a low whistle leaving his lips. “Kidding. Kidding.”
“What’re we waiting for again…?” Ada’s voice entered the scene as the conflict died down, taking another bite of her pastry. She contributed all she needed to for now.
“We’re waiting…? Oh! Yeah, we went off the tracks there. Anyways, going through all the rigamarole. Hopefully the target fell for it, the Noah kid. None-the-wiser, right? It’d be a bit of a bummer if he was completely unphased like a kind of sociopath.” He whistled a bit, steadily turning his gaze back towards Rita.
“Yes.” She tightened her fist, gritting her teeth to avoid snapping or any other regretful action. “It is likely no one will return to the area. With his boss in custody, he shouldn’t be believing there is any threat to him at this moment unless he acts again.” She took a moment, nearly meeting the golden shine of his eyes before instinctively turning away. “I tried encountering him in the street earlier, he evaded me before I could make contact. At the very least, it's a subconscious trait of his. It was best to lower that guard like we were informed.” She added, leaning her body against the car door.
“Great!” He hummed, turning on his heel as he began taking a stroll out the alley. “Ah, wait. What’re we doing with this one?” He asked, raising his brow to face the two women.
“Protocol hasn’t changed.” She replied, with her brows furrowing low at the crimson ring. “Is anything unfavorable?”
“Hm? Nah, I got this.” He whistled, beginning to walk forward before he scrunched his nose, snapping his head back around to glance at Ada. “Aye, Curls! Remember to take that thing from him. Protection won’t work if that’s still there.”
Ada’s eyes opened again, turning her head to the door. “Dhat’s wite!” (“That’s right!”) She exclaimed, hopping onto her feet and pressing her palm flat against the vehicle’s door.
The Key mark on Jung’s chest came to life. It peeled itself off his skin, leaving a red marking in its stead as it slithered off his chest and through the cracks of the vehicle; returning into Ada’s sleeve. “Wooh, that would’ve been bad.” She huffed, wiping the sweat off her brow. Her expression was still casual, but Jung’s turned to that of fury. Anger that would’ve spilled to trying to rebel was quickly shot down as Rita’s fist slammed against the concrete wall, the impact leaving the imprint of her fist in the center of a cracked stone crater.
“Rita?” Ada’s voice spoke up, looking at her partner and what came of her rage. “You okay—?”
“Let’s get moving. We need to prepare.” She insisted, waiting for Ada to enter the car. Her head turned to where the male had left. She scowled for one last time before they would enter the vehicle.
∎∎∎
Rita’s eyes tracked the boy from the lens of her hunting rifle. A moment of respite as she pulled the trigger, only to watch as his body immediately descended the moment her finger pulled back and the projectile began moving from her firearm.
Her immediate intentions weren’t to kill. Her choice in ammunition was practically unlethal to where she speculated his durability to stand. However, it was watching him evade the shot which had momentarily perplexed her.
She didn’t wait long to change her tactics. As the first shot had managed to pierce the glass of the café, she decided it was in her best interest to continue keeping him trying to play evasion. She pulled a pager from her pocket, clicking it before reloading the rifle with a true-to-form bullet. Taking aim for the table and firing, watching from afar as the table recoiled.
“Don’t allow him to breach the perimeter.” She reminded the others, before standing to her feet. With a huff, she looked at her watch and nodded. Once she snapped her fingers, the table exploded with the audible boom of wood being torn apart.