Julia gestures to Ray; “Elio, this is my brother, Ray,” she then gestures to Elio; “Ray, this is Elio, the new employee, as well as a new friend I made.” “It’s… nice to meet you.” Ray says awkwardly as he stands up from his chair and walks over to Elio, slowly holding out his hand. Elio takes a quick glance at his hand while eyeing his surroundings; “Well, his hands look clean, and the space here’s tidy as well. I guess it’s ok.” Elio shakes his hand, giving a firm grip; “Nice to meet you too.” “Why’s his handshake so limp? This guy’s weird…” They break the handshake.
“Well, now that you’re both acquainted, Elio, tell him what it is you wanna know.” Julia says with a bit of forced enthusiasm. “Right, anyway, Ray, what I wanna know is how do I make money here quickly? Julia told me you know this city like the back of your hand, so surely you must know some way to make easy money.” “Oh…” Ray responds, sounding disappointed. He takes a deep breath; “How important is it?” “My cat is having surgery for his back, but since I’m not from here, I don’t have enough to pay for it. And I don’t wanna have to be working here for who knows how long, just to get back on the road.” “Sorry about your cat, but you’re just gonna have to work for that.” Ray quickly shuts him down. “Wait what-” Elio tries to question him, but sees that Ray’s already left the attic.
“Y-you’re kidding me, right?” Elio asks as he looks at Julia. She sighs; “I’ll go talk to him. He’s… complicated, I’ll try to see what I can do to convince him. Just wait here.” She starts climbing out of the attic. She leaves through the backdoor of the restaurant, entering a somewhat dingy alleyway, where she sees Ray, sitting against a wall. Julia crosses her arms; “Ray… how long are you going to keep this up? I hate seeing you cooped up in that attic all day. Seriously, everyday when I see you up there, you’re looking at some new weird thing on the internet.” “Believe me, Elio looks like a nice person, but I’m not about to go back to that just to help him with something he can do by just working.” Ray retorts while leaning his head back.
Julia sighs before crouching down to his level; “I know, and I want you to know that I’m not trying to make you feel bad. It’s just, you’ve been like this for three years now, and it worries me to no end. I don’t know how much more I can help, but you can only get better if you’re willing to put in the work to help yourself,” she puts her hand on his shoulder; “at least consider that, please? I want you to get back up on your feet, but nobody can help you if you can’t help yourself.” She pleas as she looks him in the eye. “No. I just don’t want to risk that again. I just wanna be alone right now.” He responds tiredly. “Alright, if that’s what you want…” Julia stands up and starts walking back inside, she takes one last look at Ray before opening the door; “As if you’re not alone enough. Dammit, I didn’t even say that aloud and I feel bad for thinking that.”
June 1st, 2018. 8:30 PM.
Elio meditates in the attic before hearing footsteps; “Hmm?” He looks down, seeing Julia, right as he’s about to ask how it went, he notices her face. Her eyes are desperately trying to hold back tears; “Oh…” Elio frowns. “What exactly did he say?” “He just blew it off, saying he wants to be alone…” Julia sighs, “it’s to the point where I genuinely don’t know what to do, and it’s frustrating me. I feel like I’m losing hope, despite sacrificing so much of my time to help him.” She vents as she gets inside the attic, she then sits next to Elio. “Wait, what’s happening with him, exactly? From how he looks, I assumed he was pretty well off, given his build, how tidy the attic is-” “I know, I know. Just… he’s been through a lot, and I don’t know how to help him… he may not look it, but he’s depressed, and as much as I don’t want to imagine it, I fear he might be suicidal…” She stops as she feels herself about to cry.
Elio quickly picks up her heat signature, sensing that she’s trying to fight back her tears; “Shit, I didn’t know it was that bad. Lemme talk to him again, from what I just heard in your voice, him helping me would help himself as well. I’ll make damn sure that he tries to help me.” “Elio…” Julia says in soft surprise. “Hold back those tears for now, let them fall when the time is right. If him helping me help Reggie means that it’ll help him, then I’ll gladly help him out.” Elio stands up. “Wait right here, I’ll talk to him.” He then hops down from the attic before she can respond. Julia lets out a hopeful smile.
Ray hears the backdoor open; “I already said-” “Yeah, about that, there’s some things I need to tell you, and they’re exactly why I need your help on it.” Elio cuts him off, sounding incredibly stern and serious. Ray quickly picks up his tone; “What things?” He asks, trying to sound aloof, but his curiosity gets the best of him. Elio pounds the side of his fist on the wall; “My cat. I already told you earlier why I need money, here’s the thing, I was originally planning on working. I was fine with that, till something hit me.” “And that is…” Elio pounds his fist on the wall again; “I’m a superhero, and so is my cat. He recently got injected with a thing called The Nightmare Serum, which granted him the power to turn into a giant, ferocious beast. He can control it and transform into it and back at will, but in that form, a huge drawback is if he picks up a scent or taste he’s unfamiliar with, he goes into a primal rage. That vet he’s at, he’s never been around Plutonians before, so if he sniffs them once while turning into the Nightmare after his surgery, it’ll be a massacre.” He explains.
Ray stares at him for a bit before doing a double-take; “Wait, huh?! Are you serious?!” “And I know that the only way for you to help yourself is to step out of your comfort zone. Think about it, helping me would also be helping yourself. Does the sound of getting better not sound good? In a way, I’d be helping you as well, it’s a mutual benefit!” Elio finishes explaining while looking at him with a crazed grin. “Hmmm…” Ray groans, really trying to figure out if he actually wants to go through with helping Elio. “Oh, and most importantly for you…” Elio slams his hand against the wall one more time to emphasize his point; “this benefits Julia!”
A small silence dwells, Ray stops looking at the ground and faces Elio, he stands up; “Are you sure this will help her out?” “As sure as I can be!” Elio smiles. Ray, finally smiling, stops contemplating. “I feel awful about how I’ve been acting. So knowing that there might be a way for me to get back on my feet and take that weight off her shoulders, how could I turn down the offer?” Ray offers his hand for a handshake. Elio shakes his hand, but then he immediately lets go from the crushing force of Ray’s handshake. “Fuck, oh my God, that fucking hurt!” Elio shouts as he rolls his wrist, making sure his hand’s alright. “What’s with the vice grip?!” “I’m sorry about that, it’s why I always just give limp handshakes-” “You’re saying that was a regular grip?!” “Yeah, I apologize about that. The thought of not leeching off my sister any longer got me all giddy.” “It’s alright, I just wasn’t expecting that. Damn, I feel like Curley from Of Mice And Men!” Elio comments. Ray has a light chuckle; “That’s a sad book. But yeah, meet me in the attic tomorrow at eight in the morning. I’ll fill you in on the details then. Till then, I’m just gonna chill out here for a bit longer. You can head out if you want.” “Alright, cool! I’ll see you then!” Elio responds happily before walking back inside. Ray smiles; “I’m sorry, Julia, but I guess it’s better late than never. I’ll make sure to make it up to you.”
June 1st, 2018. 8:40 PM.
Elio climbs up the attic, he pokes his head inside; “It’s a go!” “Ray agreed?!” Julia asks with excitement and optimism. “Hell yeah!” He returns the excitement. “Oh my God, thank you, Elio!” Julia squeals as she kneels down to hug Elio tightly. Elio wraps his arms around her; “Aye, no problem!” They hold the embrace for a bit longer before breaking it. “Anyway, Ray told me to meet him up here at eight tomorrow morning. By the way, if it’s alright, could I crash at your place for the night?” “Of course! It’s the least I could do for what you’ve just done!” She answers happily. “Cool, cause I am BEAT.” Elio climbs down.
The two start walking down the road, making their way back to Julia’s apartment, Elio takes a glance at a passerby’s shirt and laughs. “What? What did you see?” Julia asks; “Someone who just passed us was wearing an off-brand shirt that had a poorly drawn Peter Griffin on it. It said ‘Everybody loves a big guy,’ except, Peter didn’t look happy, he looked like he was angrily explaining it.” Julia laughs from that, pinching the bridge of her nose; “Probably the funniest thing related to Family Guy in a long time.” “Dude, that shit hasn’t been good since like… 2007.” “It’s so bad, it’s giving me goosebumps just thinking about how bad it got. Seriously, look at my arm.” She holds her arm up to him. “Oh my God, I can see the peach fuzz standing up! You must really not like anything past season six, don’t you?” “No, I do not!” She responds with a quick laugh as she puts her arm down. “Hey, Elio?” “Yo.” “Off the top of your head, think of an unfunny cutaway.” “Unfunny cutaway? Uh… Peter’s trying to climb the flagpole in Mario, but the joke is he can’t climb it because he’s fat. Oh, and there’s a poorly drawn Princess Peach looking at him, Peter gives up and looks at her, then he says ‘Well, are you gonna fuck me anyway?’” Elio answers. “Yeah, that sounds like modern Family Guy.” Julia grimaces.
June 1st: 2018. 8:55 PM.
Elio coughs as he steps inside the apartment; “I thought you lit a bunch of candles.” “My roommates must’ve blown them out since the scent for them is strong.” “No offense, but your roommates sound like losers.” “Oh, you have no idea.” Julia shakes her head, emphasizing her agreement. “They both do pot, act like hipsters, and leave trash around.” “Jesus, that sucks. Though I’m surprised, we’re speaking pretty loudly-” “That’s cause they both take sleeping pills cause of course, they have to have anxiety..” She explains. “As if you’re not the most stressed out person in the house.” “Exactly! Anyway, lemme go get you a blanket and pillow.” “Nah, it’s cool. I got a pillow in my backpack, thank you though.” He responds while digging through his backpack. Julia raises an eyebrow; “And no blanket?” “I don’t own a blanket, I usually just sleep without one.”
Julia crosses her arms and tilts her head; “Really?” She asks with slight surprise. “Yeah.” Elio answers, Julia shrugs; “Alright then. Well, if you’re all set, goodnight, Elio!” Julia waves as she starts walking to her room; “Goodnight!” Elio replies. Julia then looks back; “By the way, don’t worry about those bags, I’ll put them away tomorrow morning, you just go meet up with Ray.” “Got it!” Elio gives her a thumbs up as he sets his pillow on the couch, Julia smiles before going to her room. Elio fluffs his pillow and sets his hat on the coffee table before laying down; “Reggie, I’ll soon have enough of those shiny doubloons to get you back. Just wait, buddy…” He smiles before closing his eyes to go to sleep.
June 2nd, 2018. 8:00 AM.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Elio, now dressed in a red tank top and black joggers, pulls the string and makes sure to lower his head before the steps fall down. “Yo, what’s good Ray?” He asks as he climbs up; “Good, it’s the earliest I’ve woken up in a while. Anyway, here’s the plan, Elio.” Ray beckons for him to come over and look at his computer. Elio walks over and pops his shades up; “What’s this?” He asks as he looks at the computer, seeing two images on each monitor. The first, a colossal casino shaped like a majestic jungle temple, adorned with intricate carvings of roaring lions, slithering snakes, and soaring eagles. Lush greenery cascades down its walls while vibrant LED screens mimic cascading waterfalls, creating an immersive wildlife oasis in the city.
The other, an atrium, resembling a lush rainforest, complete with towering trees, exotic plants, and a glass ceiling that allows natural light to filter through. Guests are greeted by life-sized animatronic animals, including a huge tiger, a swinging monkey, and a colorful array of tropical birds, while the sight of flowing waterfalls add to the immersive ambiance. “Well, that place looks like fun. Is that where the plan’s taking place?” “Yeah, this is the Animal Kingdom Casino. We’re gonna take however much you need in order to pay for your cat’s surgery. Speaking of which, how much did it cost?” Ray asks while looking at him.
“I think it said around twenty-five grand.” “Not surprising, this city’s inflation only keeps getting worse, so much so, a lot of working class people rely on the casinos in Violet Paradise in hopes of making enough to make it through the next few months.” “Seriously?” Elio raises an eyebrow. “Why does it keep rising? More people moving here for opportunities?” “Dumbasses demanding higher wages.” Ray answers, Elio nods, fully understanding now. “And this city’s unforgiving and brutal when people can’t pay up.” “What’s worse than getting evicted?” “That’s what leads us into the next thing I wanna talk about.” Ray responds.
Ray pulls up a new tab, going onto a website meant for superheroes and their information, three hero profiles pop up. The first profile, a name that says ‘Mig Acrid,’ the picture below showing a tall, lanky humanoid figure resembling a bug, its brown exoskeleton covering its body with a tan underside. His long tail, adorned with spikes along the spine, tail, and forearms, adding to his menacing appearance. His face is dominated by four striking red eyes, giving an eerie, otherworldly intensity. A Saturnian. Mig’s body is incredibly shiny and reflective, making it slightly difficult for even Elio to make out all the details.
The second profile describes the man’s name as ‘Guerilla,’ his picture shows that he’s a muscular man donning loose, reflective attire enveloping his entire body, from head to toe. His headgear hanging down.
The last profile shows the name ‘Gastronaut,’ his appearance shows his boneless body, giving away what he is, a black Martian. His attire includes a silver space helmet with a striking gold lens, concealing his face. He wears a sleeveless baggy suit in matching silver, exuding a futuristic and enigmatic presence. Completing his ensemble is a box-shaped jetpack.
“You notice anything about their profiles?” “They all have a green ‘E’ icon next to their names.” “Exactly right, Elio. This shows that they’re part of the Emerald Faction. I’m sure that since you’re a hero, you've already heard of the four factions, right?” “Yeah, Indigo, Ruby, Emerald, and Amber.” Elio answers. “Good, so I’ll make it quick. The Emerald Faction watches over the top left side of Kosmesen, meaning that we’re in Emerald territory. These three, Mig Acrid, Guerilla, and Gastronaut are all especially dangerous. Not just that, they watch over this city, though I should be saying that more loosely. They’re here because of the mayor granting them special rights in this city, speaking of which, this is her,”
Ray shows a tab with a picture of her, her appearance showing she’s a woman of Indian descent with long, lustrous black hair cascading down her back. She’s dressed in a sleek maroon suit that accentuates her confidence and sophistication. “Nasuka Khatri. These four, you want to avoid them at all costs. Those ‘heroes’ like to attack in a pack, so fighting them is incredibly risky, and if you piss off Nasuka or any other officials in this city, she’ll likely have them go after you, and even if all three of them are beaten, someone is going to alarm the Emerald Faction, and the people in it are thirsty for revenge, so it’s just a nasty chain reaction if you mess with any members. The key to this plan going successful is that we don’t alarm them with our presence, if they detect what we’re doing, they’re going to go for the kill. Understand?” Ray looks at Elio with a stern stare.
Elio nods; “I understand. So, what’s the plan to reach the top of the food chain? More importantly, nobody’s listening in on this, right?” Elio asks with concern on the last question, crossing his arms. Ray taps his computer; “Nothing to worry about. I have a Plutonian jammer chip in my computer, it’s like a permanent VPN.” “Oh good.” Elio sighs in relief. “Anyway, here’s the plan,” Ray pulls up the tab with the atrium, zooming in somewhere in the picture; “see this door right here?” “That ‘STAFF ONLY’ door?” Elio asks. “Yes, that door right there, there’s a ventilation shaft that’s big enough for someone like you to crawl through. As for how to get in there without security spotting you on the cameras, you need to wait for this fountain in particular to spray water. Due to it being made of real gold, it has a reflective surface, so much so to the point it’s almost blinding, the water only adds to that. When the fountain sprays, it makes a temporary blind spot that will keep you safe from the cameras. When you get inside, I’ll reseal the vent so nobody detects it.” Ray explains.
“That sounds like a good plan, but… where are the cameras? I don’t see any-" "Those bird animatronics on those perches throughout the building are security cameras.” “Oh.” “Yeah, that’s why we need to be quick. Now, as for what your job is, once you’re inside, you need to find your way to a place known as the ‘switch room.’” “Switch room?” “It’s the reason people keep coming back to these casinos. Unlike the ones you’d expect in other places in the world, here in Violet Paradise, the casinos are legitimately rigged. You’ll lose every machine, but at a random hour, someone from the switch room will make it to where the game will give you a one-hundred percent chance at winning. By doing that, people will earn a ton of money and hope that they’ll earn more, and those who don’t win will start gambling even more.” Ray elaborates.
“That’s fucked up. Anyway, I’m guessing I have to go into the switch room and allow you to win a game?” “Yes, and my part, I’ll have to steal some money to play the most expensive game there, the seventh slot machine. That one in particular gives more money than others, I don’t know why, but it just does, so when I play it, I’ll give you a signal with this.” Ray holds out an earpiece. Elio takes it; “Got it.” “Alright, so let’s review real quick. What are you gonna do?” “I’m sneaking through the vent, finding the switch room, and waiting for your signal, all while keeping watch for those three that you mentioned.” “Great! Then let’s get going, alright?” Ray asks as he stands up from his chair, turning off his computer. “Let’s get to work!” Elio responds.
Ray puts on a pair of sunglasses and opens his drawer, grabbing a dagger; “Just in case things go awry.” He says as he casually twirls it before storing it inside his pocket, he then starts to leave the attic. “Well… for what I saw last night on that computer, I should just be grateful he didn’t grab a katana.” Elio comments to himself before hopping down after him.
June 2nd, 2018. 8:45 AM.
The two walk in silence as they make their way down the road. Ray takes notice of Elio’s silence; “You’ve been quiet for a while. You’re not feeling anxious, are you?” “No, I’m just thinking about what to do after I get Reggie back. Not just that, I’m also on the lookout right now.” He responds. “Lookout? You haven’t been turning your head at all this whole walk.” “My power allows me to manipulate heat, and one of the things I’ve learned over the years is detecting heat signatures, so I’ll be able to know where others are. Martians and Saturnians are cold-blooded, so I’ll be able to distinguish them by feeling out other heat signatures.” Elio explains. Ray looks impressed; “Well, I’ll be! That might just make this easier for us!” “For sure, it saved my ass countless times.” Elio responds.
“So, how does it work? Is it like a radius?” “Yeah, whenever I try to detect heat in all directions, I’ll feel everyone’s heat within a ten-meter radius. Though if I focus in one direction, I’ll be able to detect heat much further away at the cost of sensing from other directions.” “Alright, then start using that, just check each direction with it, switch every ten-to-twenty seconds. That should keep us from running into them.” “Good idea, Ray.” Elio responds. He then closes his eyes, checking each direction. Right as he’s about to check northeast, he senses distress in someone’s heat.
“Wait!” Elio shouts as he checks east again. “Huh?” Ray asks as Elio focuses. “Distress… it’s lower than a man’s temperature, so that’s a woman who’s in trouble… two heat signatures right next to hers, both-” “Shit!” Elio yells as he rushes towards where the trouble is. “Elio?!” Ray watches him start moving, quickly trying to keep up with him. Elio sprints at high speeds until eventually spotting where the trouble’s happening, inside of a black limousine; “There it is!” He slides on his feet, coming to a grinding halt. He takes a quick look around; “Damn, everyone’s acting like they don’t care, they just keep moving along! I wanna say they’re awful, but I can’t blame them, they’re aware of what happens if they try to interfere! I’m sorry, Ray, but I gotta do something!” Right as Elio’s about to move, he feels someone’s arms wrapping behind him.
“Elio, you idiot! What are you doing?!” Ray yells, sounding a bit worried. “That woman’s being assaulted-” “I know! I wanna help her too, but even if we do, we’re gonna have targets on our heads! And once we’re busy having to deal with Nasuka’s bodyguards, those men are going to go right back to what they were doing, and she’ll have to suffer what’s happening to her for even longer!” “I don’t care, let me go!” “You’re acting off of emotion!” Ray retorts loudly.
Elio starts getting angry with Ray and starts heating up his body in order to force him to let go. Ray takes notice of his action; “If you’re really going to go through with trying to save her…” Ray then lifts up Elio; “you can forget about Reggie then!” He yells at him as he piledrives Elio to the floor. Other citizens watch as Elio hits the floor, he gasps from the impact; “Damn! That handshake was already painful enough, I can already feel my head throbbing…”
The men in the limousine take notice; “Heh, you see that?” “Yeah, that kid has no idea how lucky he is that his friend stopped him.” The woman hears what they said and looks down, completely defeated; “Please… someone help…”
Elio lays on the floor for a few seconds; “You’re right, Ray… if I act out now, more people, as well as the Plutonians, are gonna get torn to shreds.” “Thank you.” Ray reaches out his hand; “I’m sorry I had to do that by the way.” “It’s cool, you’re just trying to help me and the others.” Elio takes his hand, being pulled up. Elio then dusts himself off; “Ok, let’s keep going…” Ray says hesitantly as he tries to hide his own disgust. “I can’t believe I just stopped someone from trying to help someone being assaulted…”
Elio detects that Ray’s lost in thought, he looks back at the car; “What do I do? I have the power to stop them…” Elio ponders as he digs his hand in his pocket; “Hmm? Loose change? Wait, that could actually work! First, I just need a safe distance!” Elio deduces as he holds a coin in his fist. He follows Ray while channeling heat into the coin, he eventually smelts the coin into a small metal sphere. Elio then turns back and closes his eyes, sensing where they are; “There you are!” Elio then holds his palm out, channeling heat into his hand, aiming at one of the two men. “Ma’am, consider your debt paid off.” Elio flicks his finger, launching the coin and sending it flying like a bullet. In a flash, the bullet reaches one of the men, passing through his head, killing him instantly, his body falls over as the other man notices. The only sounds heard were a whistle in the wind and the sound of glass shattering.
The woman notices the dead man and she looks at his corpse in fear, yet satisfied by knowing that she was miraculously saved. Elio stares in that direction, his face lacking all possible emotion; “That… I don’t even know how to react now. I guess that’s it… I killed a man... I’m glad I saved that girl, but…” His thoughts get interrupted as Ray looks back; “Elio! You coming or what?” “Huh?” Elio responds while looking back at him. “Right, my bad…” Elio then runs over to Ray. The two continue to make their way over to the casino while many blocks down, people are screaming at the site of the dead body.