Dray walked into his usual meeting room and found that only Fillian and Emi were present. He locked the door behind him and surveyed the area. Eliza is getting treated at Jinmed...Maxie is out on the job I gave him and... "Where's Riley?"
"Working on some, experimental armor for you. I told her to continue working on it since she's not needed for this discussion anyway."
Oh boy, here we go.
Dray took a seat across from Emi and Fillian. The scene in front of him looked eerily like a police investigation, what with Fillian and Emi on the other end of the table looking at him disapprovingly. Emi raised an eyebrow which prompted Dray to roll his eyes, taking off his helmet and glaring at them both. Emi and Fillian returned the gesture, Emi taking off her fox mask and Fillian taking off his eye mask and bucket helmet.
"Finally. So, Dray. Where have you been?" Emi started.
"It's only been two days. Can we just not do this Emi? We haven't done this in years. I don't think it will change anything."
"Be that as it may, Boss. We still need to keep you in check. Emi is just worried for you after all." Emi slapped Fillian's shoulder which he brushed off. "It may have been years since we've done this but you haven't done something like this in years either."
"What exactly have I done, Fillian?" Dray retorted. Emi came forward.
"Well, around two days ago we had a deal with one of the high-runners of our little world. Then, you messed the deal up and probably put our organization within the sightlines of said high-runner. The only reason I could see as to why was so that you could save Talon which has been a thorn in our side for a very long time. After that, you scattered the team and disappeared. No contact back, no reassurance of your status, nothing. Then, I suddenly receive a very expensive invoice from Lilian who knows your face apparently. Then, you suddenly call me from the other side of the district, talking about how you wanna look for Skelter? "
Dray looked away from Emi's burning gaze.
"So, Dray, to recap. You put a giant target on us, disappear, suddenly spend a lot of money, and then pop up in an overpriced coffee shop."
Dray slowly nodded.
"I thought you were kidnapped and being taken advantage of. But you suddenly come back with your face all bruised up and you talking about doing something that you would never do. Are you being threatened, Dray? You need to tell us."
A rare look of worry flashed on Emi's face. Her short, black, and wavy hair messily rested on her face after her tirade. Fillian glanced over at Emi before looking back at Dray, gesturing for him to say his excuse. Haah...I'm pretty lucky all things considered. Fillian and Emi have been with Dray for several years at this point. Since Dray started relatively young compared to his closest associates, if they knew Dray from his teen years, they would baby him quite a bit. This is especially true for the two people in front of him.
I...can't reveal Amirah's identity to them. That's not my decision to make. Technically, it could work out. Revealing it here to these two wouldn't do much. I could have it contained between the two of them. They've been with me for years after all. But I managed to calm Amirah down once, I'm not going to risk it again.
"The deal...was a fluke the second Talon appeared. I was never really going to make a solid deal with our mysterious stalker. I didn't want my name tied to the death of Talon, okay? I ran away but was pretty injured so I laid low. I wanted to ask Lilian how to deal with our new threat and had to do so out of costume since...well, I didn't want to rot in it. Don't worry, she only saw my eyes and hair. After that, I went to GoSip to relax a bit." he explained.
Emi leaned back and folded her arms. The two of them stared at each other, Emi trying hard to break Dray's composure. Fillian simply took another sip of his coffee. The two siblings have gone through this song and dance plenty of times before. Yet, all those times were when Dray was much younger.
Emi sighed, pinching her brows. "And what about your wife? Does she suspect anything? If I can already see how injured you are, she must've thrown a fit."
"Uhm...she did. But it's fine, I told her that I was attacked. She helped me treat my wounds," he replied. "And she believed you?" Emi questioned.
"..Yep. I'm still in the clear."
Emi rolled her eyes. "You are seriously so lucky to have her. I've never met someone so lenient before, let alone to you," she exclaimed.
"Hey, I'm not that bad. You don't know my home life."
Fillian snickered, earning him another hit. Emi sighed heavily yet again. "What are going to do now Dray? We haven't gotten any word from the other party. I've instructed all our hires to stay low."
"...Let me handle this."
"What do you mean by that Boss?" Fillian piped up.
"Just...you're right. we should stay low and cover up our operations. Go quiet for a while until we're sure it's safe." Dray explained. Emi looked at Fillian for guidance but Fillian simply shrugged. The truth of the matter was that they didn't know who they were up against. Judging by his stunt, it was clear at the very least that their mysterious stalker was not afraid of anything. Their existence and cleverness posed a threat to both heroes and villains, as such was the case whenever a very strong villain or villain group made their rounds. The three of them spent the next few hours discussing the status of their assets and their next course of action. Where to hide, what to hide, and what to get rid of.
It's not like I'm not going to see them ever again but... we need to stay low and maintain proper correspondence until we're sure it's safe. I still have access to my files and information. My rep is still also worth something for the time being at least and I have some money to spend. My generals are always at hand too. If Amirah and I are gonna take this on together, I need to be careful where I step.
...Looks like, physically at least, I'm going solo for a while. I need to get prepared for that in the meantime.
"Emi, you said Riley was in R&D right? I'm going over there and stocking up. You should too. Keep in contact with Maxie and let me know what he brings back. Fillian, you stay with Eliza and tell her the news when she's recovered," instructed Dray. Fillian finishes his cup of coffee and placed the empty mug back on the table. "Got it, Boss. I'll leave soon as I get my things." Dray then turned his attention to Emi.
"Emi, I won't be coming back to base anytime soon so just, keep in contact in case anything happens." Emi scoffed in response. "Dray, I have no issue keeping in contact. You better answer my calls," she retorted.
"I will. I promise." And with that, Dray put his helmet on, stood up, and left the room. He made his way to his R&D department. On the way there, he was greeted by a few of his usual staff who make an effort to move out of his way. Once he finally reached the big steel door, he took one quiet moment to take a deep breath.
He was in quite the perilous situation. A predicament that Dray feared would be his biggest challenge yet. In that quiet moment, he fished his wedding band out from his back pocket and brought it outside his cloak. He held it in his fingers for a while, feeling the engravings made of both his and Amirah's initials. A loud bang from inside the department pulled him back to reality as he kept his wedding band and went inside.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
It was an average-sized workshop that was filled with equipment. Dray had to watch his step so as to not kick any of the unused or failed prototypes and experiments. He found Riley on the other end of the workshop, carrying a large sledgehammer and bashing in what looked to be a bucket helmet. "Uh...Riley? Is...this the armor you were talking about?"
"Oh, Boss! Yeap, this is the armor. That plastic you nicked was perfect. It's tough, flexible, and surprisingly light. It isn't exactly the best stuff on the market but I assume it was supposed to be sold cheap anyway. However, the best thing about the material is that it gives me space." Dray tilted his head. "That means, I can fit some of my own tech in this armor. Which, I have done. Take a look." Riley handed him the sledgehammer to test it himself. She looked up at Dray with a beaming smile on her face, the fear that usually came with having your boss breathing down your neck being entirely absent. Dray shrugged, winded up a swing, and brought the hammer down on the helmet.
Dray eyes widened as the sledgehammer was violently pushed back, the force hurting his wrist to the point that he had to let go. The sledgehammer dropped behind him, causing him to jump slightly and move out of the way. Riley looked expectantly at Dray, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "...So, what was that?" Dray finally asked.
Riley smiled. "Well, that was the sledgehammer fighting back. I rigged the chest piece with my own special brand of hydraulics. It spread out the force from the sledgehammer and bounced it back at the point that the sledgehammer hit. So, you won't feel the full force of the blow but the person hitting you will. Pair that with the toughness of the material that I layered, and you got some good, easily reproduced armor with special tech in it." Dray nodded slowly as Riley continued her sales pitch. "This is just the base too. I can mod this thing up with anything you want. Think of the possibilities! Shock-lining, thorns, a charge attack. I have a list of materials that I would need to make all this stuff if you could-"
"We're not going on supply runs for a while," interrupted Dray. Riley stopped talking as her smile dropped. "Oh. Uh...for how long?" she politely asked. "I'm not too sure. Until I can guarantee our safety to continue normal operations. In the meantime, you can still test things out as much as you please with the materials you do have."
"Ah...well, we don't much but I'll make do." Riley walked over and sat down on a random stool in her workshop. She picked up a bottle she somehow knew was on the floor and took a long sip of water. ...Now I just feel bad. Riley was in no way the example of innocence, what with her designing weapons and armor she knows would be used for illegal activities. Yet her energy and enthusiasm when creating these tools were infectious. It used to annoy Dray, that she was so hyper all the time but she kept producing results so he kept her around. Now, several years later, Riley was sitting at the big boys' table, having cemented her usefulness as a team member. As such, Dray had a fondness for her that was on the level of a close friend.
He walked up to the chest piece and inspected it. Even though he had just hit it with a wide swing from a sledgehammer, the damage was minimal and his wrist still stung from the knockback. The armor itself was not figure-hugging but it was thin. I could easily be packed in Dray's current backpack too since it looked like it had separate pieces which could fold in on each other. The design was simple and could also be improved. Yet for a first, prototype, it seemed usable. In Dray's eyes at least. He was never really the smartest when it came to judging quality. "Hey, can I take it with me?"
"Hm? Do you mean the armor? I only have the chest piece ready so it wouldn't be very effective," she replied. Dray took the chest piece out from its rack and inspected it closer. If I'm going to be running around with Talon... I should at least try to get an upgrade. "Hm. I'll try it out regardless. I'm bringing this and another full resupply." Riley tilted her head at Dray. "Are you going on another raid? You just said you were staying low." Dray shrugged her shoulders.
"You never know. I...just have a feeling I might need to use it soon." If Talon's way of doing things is what I think it is, a semi-expensive black shirt will not be good protection. "Don't worry. In the off chance I use it, I'll report back to you." Dray disassembled the armor piece and shoved it in a bag, going around and picking up a few of his weapons and gadgets. Riley rested her head in her palm, watching as Dray plucked all her various gadgets and weapons up from the ground. There was no rhyme or reason to the items he picked up, each gadget serving a different purpose.
"Don't go running away now," Riley teased. Dray turned and stared back at her. She was blankly looking back, evidently unnerved by the Technus helmet. It was simple fox racing helmet that was modified to have sharp ears and drawn on whiskers. Riley had made it to Dray's specifications, making sure to build it with the best protection and design in mind since it was her first 'order'. Through constant use and the occasional outburst, the helmet is covered in scratches, dents, burns and whatnot. In spite of Riley's insistence for Dray to replace it, he never did, letting its battle scars build up.
"I won't. Keep your phone online and don't get distracted. If things start crumbling, run. You know the protocol." Dray picked up his bag of weapons and gadgets and left the room. He looked back one last time to Riley waving at him. He nodded curtly and made his way back home.
-------
When he eventually reached home that night, Dray found Amirah sitting at the dining table. They were both out of costume and Dray walked into the apartment with his backpack and an extra bag. Amirah raised an eyebrow at him as he walked in.
"What's in the bag?" she questioned. Dray set the bag and backpack down, rubbing his shoulders when his hands were free. He sat down across from a weary Amirah. "It's...a lot of my Technus stuff. SInce we're going to do this together, I might as well keep these things with me," he explained.
"Okay...so, did you get anything from 'base' about Skelter or Omnipresence?" Amirah asked.
"No. Not yet at least. The person I sent to do so has not returned yet so we'll have to wait. At max, give me another day or two."
Amirah slowly nodded before pulling out a worn and tattered notebook. "I had more success on my end. I know where Yuri is. He's about a 2 hour bus ride from here or 45 minutes by taxi. It would be best if we went tomorrow evening since it's too late today and he has strict guidelines on the HA coming to him for help."
"Wow. He must pretty powerful to be putting rules on the Hero's Association," Dray remarked. I wonder if I could squeeze anything else out of him while we're there. Amirah snickered, shaking her head at Dray's statement. "No...from the looks of things, he's just some old man with an ego. He was apparently a pretty big rat so he has security personnel with him at all times." Ah...she's smiling. Dray couldn't help but smile too.
However this happiness was short lived as their eyes met for a split second before they both looked away. It was unlike them to be embarrassed or uneasy around one another, what with them having been married for almost a year now. Yet it felt wrong to feel comfortable with the other person. After the revelation, they both felt like they physically couldn't despite both of them longing to do so. It's only been a few days. Let's not try to rush things.
"So...we go to his house tomorrow, get the info we need, if he has it, then we...just tackle Skelter?" Dray asked. Amirah nodded in response. "Once we get the info, we should act as soon as we can. Whether Skelter is tied to Omnipresence or not, they're both big threats to get off the streets."
"But remember, we shouldn't rush things. We need to plan this out properly and take them out efficiently. The last time you rushed in, it almost didn't end well for you," reminded Dray. Amirah looked at Dray and he must've looked worried or unsure because Amirah suddenly smiled widely.
"Yes, I am aware. Don't worry, that was a one time thing. Now, you'll see the real reason why villains are scared of me. I am the best of the best after all," Amirah gloated. She held her head high and placed a hand to her palm, her smile still as bright as ever.
Hah...I would have never expected this from Talon of all people.
In fact, nobody did. The cold and ruthless Talon did her job with frightening efficiency. Having come from a humble start, she rarely gloated nor seem to smile very much. She took her job very seriously after all. As Dray found out, she took her job a little too seriously. Talon would never say or do anything like this but the cool and cheerful Amirah definitely would.
Dray smiled properly after the display, the nerves he felt earlier in the day almost completely dissipating. Amirah peeked at Dray smiling in front of her and relaxed, her previous grin softening to a more relaxed look. They both felt calm in other's presence for the first time in a while, both secretly hoping the moment would last a little longer.