Kai
Saturday, 17th of October, 198 A.C, 14:45
“VA is for more than just aspiring couriers. Offering unparalleled academic options and a sense of privacy rare in today’s world, it is the university of choice for the world’s leading scientists, doctors, engineers, and businessmen” - Viridian Academy promotional letter
Where was she? I scanned the streets for the umpteenth time, searching for any sign of Beck. Was she gonna be a no-show?
To be honest, I was more than a bit pumped. I had only been in Spark City for a few months and my run-ins with Veiled had become plural! The folks back in Frontier had all sorts of tales about them, but last week was the first time I had seen one for myself.
At last, I spotted a tiny figure rushing towards me, long, red dyed hair flying freely behind her. She doubled over as she reached me, wheezing desperately.
“So sorry I’m -*huff*- late,” she began, “I was having trouble making up an excuse for my dad. Ended up just saying I was hanging out with you. Also, it’s -*heff*- really hard to run with a bad arm. You wouldn’t -*horf*- wouldn’t think arms would get so much action in while running, but I guess they do.”
Suddenly, she stood up straight and beamed at me. “I’m glad that you didn’t decide to ditch me. I don’t know if I’d be able to handle this if I didn’t have a backup.”
“Erm, don’t worry about it,” I began, “it’s not like I could’ve ditched. You weren’t the only one that got a calling card, remember?” I paused. “You look in high spirits for someone who was freaking out about this a few days back.”
“Well…,” Beck thought for a second, “I would still argue that this is a terrible idea. Like, punch-a-watchman terrible. But I think *not* going would be an even more terrible idea. Also, having a second helps out.” She squared her shoulders. “So! Are you ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
The school was cordoned off and positively swarming with watchmen. Giving them a wide berth, we ducked into the appointed alley.
As we entered, we came face-to-face with a man wearing what looked like a martial arts uniform. He had beige skin and long black hair that he kept out of his face with a red headband - a striking choice of Veil as it left his face completely uncovered.
Seeing us, he spoke up. “Let me start by saying that I am deeply grateful that you two decided to show up. I know that the Deadeye can be… difficult to deal with, so thank you for coming to hear us out. Apparently you two can hold your own surprisingly well in a fight?”
Beck began to object, downplaying her participation in the fight, but the Veiled cut her off. “Don’t deny it. It takes guts to face down a pack of Lupi. I’m sure the rest of the squad would love to trade stories with you once we’re done introducing ourselves. Come on, follow me.”
With that, he started off towards the building on his left, one of the many abandoned warehouses that dotted the city. Beck and I looked at each other. She shrugged and we followed him inside.
The inside of the warehouse was dark, though we could make out seven figures on the open floor.
“Beck, Kai,” the Veiled said, nodding to each of us in turn, “allow me to introduce you to Impulse.” With that, he flicked on the lights.
I immediately recognized the Deadeye on the far left, in the same garb as before.
To her right was a tall man with a dark complexion. A bright blue rod of Asclepius was emblazoned on the back of his black lab coat. He didn’t look to be older than 30, but his hair, kept short and neatly parted, was almost entirely greyed. Above the surgical mask he wore was a set of well-used worry lines. He would be the Surgeon, the one who had treated me and Beck after the attack.
The Deadeye spoke up. “Ah, nice, you decided to show up after all. The others made the mistake of putting me in charge of introductions, so let’s get into it and not prolong their suffering. I’m sure you recognized me and the Surgeon. I’m good for all your long-ranged gun firing needs, and he’s our resident medic. He’s also a total pansy - or, sorry, he prefers ‘pacifist’.”
“Steady there, Deadeye.” the Surgeon said, almost to himself. “I would not advise making jabs at the one responsible for pulling bullets out of you.” Turning to us, he said, “Ah, sorry, just making a little joke. Pleased to meet you again. I’m glad to see your wounds are doing well.”
The Deadeye continued, this time gesturing to the man who had brought us in. “The Pugilist over there is one of our frontliners, and the de facto leader of the group. He likes to pretend that he knows what he’s talking about.” The Pugilist bowed.
Then there’s the Berzerker.” The Deadeye pointed to a young woman in a ceramic mask who looked a bit like a porcupine with all the weapons poking out of her black combat armor. Her left arm in particular was heavily protected with white armor styled similarly to her Veil. “She’s one big bundle of stress, but she’s also pretty handy in a fight. Just try not to surprise her, or you might end up with a sword between your ribs.”
As we looked over at her, the Berzerker fidgeted a little and turned her head away.
The Deadeye continued down the line. “This one is the Runner.”
The man she was indicating had light skin, short brown hair, and stood at about average height, the kind of person you’d easily lose in a crowd. He had black running shorts and tights and a white t-shirt under a black and green running jacket.
“He’s new, and kind of shit in a fight.” The Runner shot a sardonic look at the Deadeye. “Of course, we’re still figuring out his skillset. Hasn’t even gotten his Veil yet. He’s constantly spacing out, but I will say that it’s usually because he’s doing some good thinking.”
“Moving on, we have the Aegis.”
The young woman in question was mostly hidden behind a hooded white cloak fringed with blue. The cloak ended a handful of centimeters above the ground, revealing a pair of heavy-duty blue boots. Her face was covered by a Veil made of horizontal splints of blue metal. In the gaps between splints I could make out light skin, a few tufts of short blue hair and blue eyes, and, as we looked her way, a bright smile.
She poked a hand, covered in a blue fingerless glove, out of her cloak in a small wave.
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“Yup,” commented the Deadeye. “She’s the one you’ll want to be hiding behind when the bullets start flying. She’s also more than willing to take on bullets of the emotional variety, but please try to go easy on her. She already has more than enough on her plate.”
Seeing the Aegis’ face flush with embarrassment, the Deadeye decided to continue on. “Next up, the Scout.”
The teen in question was hanging out in the back of the room, leaning against a wall. He wore dull green cargo pants, a crimson hoodie, and a crimson painter’s mask. Next to him was a gigantic backpack, the kind you’d see couriers use on long-haul missions.
“He’s umm… a bit reclusive. Still, he’s a good transport specialist, and he’s got all sorts of tricks up his sleeves.”
The Scout fiddled with his hands a bit and looked in our direction, but otherwise made no acknowledgement of our presence.
“And finally, we’ve got the Heister.”
The Heister was a tall woman, just a centimeter or two shorter than the Deadeye, with light skin, a full mane of dark hair and striking emerald eyes. Grey wrappings covered her torso and arms, and she wore black, pouch covered sweatpants, boots, and gloves. On her face was an ornate masquerade mask.
As she was introduced, the Deadeye leaned casually on a metal bat, gave us a smirk, and did a sloppy salute.
“She’s who we go to when we need to take the subtle route, though she’s ironically also the most brutish of us.” The Deadeye looked pointedly at the bat. “Watch out around her. She’s a bit of a kleptomaniac.” the Heister only grinned in response.
“Sooo… yeah. That’s our merry bunch.”
A silence fell over the warehouse. The members of Impulse had said what they wanted to for now, and were waiting for our response.
Suddenly, Beck spoke up. “Erm, it’s great to have introductions and all, but you still haven’t said what you want with us.”
The Pugilist responded. “I suppose there’s no point dragging this on. We’d like to take you on as the ninth and tenth members of Impulse.” He paused for a second to let that sink in. “You’d get a Veil, and I can assure you that, in terms of the money you’ll be making, you could do much worse than join us.”
Beck and I were paralyzed. Was this for real?
“I’ve got a few questions before I decide,” I said, doing my best to hide my giddiness. “First off, how do y'all plan on getting us Veils? Aren’t those under VA’s lock and key?”
The Surgeon stepped forward. “It’s only natural you would have a few questions. The Pugilist managed to get his hands on five spare Veils a while back, before Impulse was founded. The legality of that acquisition is… a bit complicated, but he saw it as a great opportunity for people like you who wouldn’t be able to afford VA’s costs.”
The Pugilist spoke up. “That’s where you come in. If you decide to join, all five of my spares will have owners. I won’t lie. If we’re not very careful we might end up with both VA and the watchmen after us. But if you want to help people, Impulse is your best bet. You won’t be forced into any missions. If you’d rather focus on your schooling or hobbies we can pick up the slack in your absence.”
I was sold, but Beck didn’t seem so convinced. “What kind of jobs do you do?” she asked.
This time, it was the Aegis’ turn to speak. “It really depends. We’re all here for different reasons, so we all take different jobs. Nothing really icky though, I promise. We try to do stuff that helps people.” She glanced at the Heister. “Some of us do it as more of a self-preservation thing though. It’s less likely that Veridian Academy will make a move if people like us. The academy has to keep up some level of PR or else risk being at the receiving end of a corporate war.”
That seemed to finally sway Beck’s decision. She beamed and said, “Alright then! Sounds like fun! You seem like decent enough people, so I’ll stick with you for now, scope things out a bit.” I was a bit concerned by the sudden change of tune, but glad that she seemed on board.
“That’s good to hear,” said the Pugilist. “Now that’s out of the way, why don’t we introduce ourselves a little more directly?”
One by one, the members of Impulse took off their Veils, with the exception of the Aegis, Veil instead collapsed into a single band which she wore like a circlet under her hair, and the Heister, who decided not to remove her Veil in any capacity, something that the rest of the squad seemed used to.
The Pugilist stuck out his hand. “I’m Sable. Sable Marten”
As I shook his hand, I heard Beck snicker. “Your first name is Sable?”
“That it is,” Sable answered.
“And your last name is Marten?” Her shoulders began to shake.
“Where is this going?”
“Soooo… That makes your full name Sable Marten?” This time she failed to hold in her laughter.
Sable looked thoroughly unimpressed. “Yes, that’s my name.”
Beck fell on the floor in a fit of hysteria.
For his part, Sable turned to me and said with a mock graveness, “Kai, I want you to know that I appreciate your maturity about my name. My parents have some… eccentric naming habits.” I accepted his compliment soberly, deciding to not mention that I didn’t see what was so funny.
I looked around to see if anyone knew what Beck was talking about, and saw a variety of responses. The Surgeon and the Scout looked amused, though most of the others seemed to be having similar reactions to me, with the Aegis in particular having a puzzled look on her face.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
The Scout spoke up for the first time, addressing the Aegis. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not funny enough to survive being explained.”
The Aegis sunk into her cloak a bit. “Come on, you’re always leaving me out of your jokes.”
After a bit of dramatic pouting, she perked up and turned to us. “Oh, right! Introductions! I’m Sarie and, as the Deadeye said, I’m the one you’ll be wanting to stand behind if you want to keep bullets away from your squishy bits.”
“I guess I’ll introduce myself next,” said the Scout. “I’m Trevor, and I’ll warn you that Darren over there is going to baby you even more than the rest of the squad.” He pointed to the Surgeon, who bristled a bit.
“It’s my job to keep you all safe,” said the Surgeon, whose name was apparently Darren. “If I had my way you three wouldn’t even be a part of this, but seeing as I was outvoted, I don’t see why I can’t at least try to make sure you make it home without any lasting injuries.”
The Runner cocked his head and said wryly, “What, so you’re not doing that for the rest of us? That’s cold, man.” He cracked a grin. “I’m Axel, by the way. Pleased to meet you.” He walked over and shook our hands.”
“Casey,” the Heister called out suddenly. She waited until all eyes were on her before continuing. “The name’s Casey. Don’t forget it, and I’ll try not to forget yours.” She stretched lazily before saying, “Oh, and that one’s Yumi.”
Casey pointed her bat to a flustered Berzerker, who said, “I’m perfectly capable of introducing myself, Casey!” Realizing that everyone was looking at her, she took a second to compose herself, before curtly saying, “I’m Yumi. Nice to meet you,”
Casey snickered, clearly satisfied with herself.
Finally, the Deadeye introduced herself. Now that she had taken her Veil off, along with the bandages covering her right eye, I noticed something strange. Her eyes were different colors, her left red and her right violet.
“I’m Lilith, but most people just call me Lily. I’m looking forward to working with you. We’re a strange bunch, that’s for sure, but I hope in time you’ll begin to think of us as friends.”
“Alright,” said Sable, aka the Pugilist. “now that you know us, we’ll move on t-”
I cut him off. “Got a question real quick. How come y'all are just fine giving us your names and whatnot?”
Sable quickly recovered from being interrupted. “Pretty simple really, it’s a show of trust. I’m sure you both have your doubts as to our sincerity, I want to prove to you that we have nothing to hide. If you ever have a question, don’t be afraid to ask.” Finished with his explanation, he returned to his original topic. “In any event, it’s time to move onto the next thing on our agenda. Time to get you your Veils.”