Haze & Chaos - The Hunt Part 2
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“Good lord, Specialist, are you just going to do that on a regular basis?” Marcus questioned.
“With all due respect, Colonel, there’s no point in wasting time with a road trip,” Will pointed out with a laugh as the trio approached the big table. The soft, white lights and sounds of humming computers were a welcome comfort amidst all of the uncertainty.
“There you are, Will,” Mayhem said as he stepped over. “Sorry you couldn’t go to Japan...”
Will took a seat at the table next to Reynard. “We’ll figure something out. Hey, Dr. Reynard.”
Reynard adjusted his glasses and smiled. “Good to see you, Will. Well done on the void door–did you even use your void spells for that?”
“Nope, all I had to do was snap my fingers.”
Reynard then snapped his fingers, “Ah-ha, kid’s a natural. I’m honestly starting to question which his aptitude and speciality really are, ha.”
“Simply fantastic,” Erika pointed as she walked over with a folder, setting it down on the table. “Hello, Will, Sam, Barry,” she said as she shook the latter two’s hands.
“Heya, Erika,” Morrigan replied. “Did you get that message Ellen sent you?”
“Mm-hm, and the alchemical formulae she dug up worked wonders in dealing with that portal 4276 discovered–”
“A portal?” Barry inquired.
“Oh don’t worry, dear, it’s nothing related to The Lost Era,” she reassured him as he sat down. “It’s Xtilxis again–he’s fairly serious about becoming 4276’s partner. And speaking of The Lost Era, we could use your help taking a quick trip to COEXLE-9457 in the near future–Stolas wants to check something there, but he’s a little too afraid to go by himself.”
Barry nodded, feeling a mild tinge of concern. “I see… I’ll get on it as soon as we’re done here.”
Will nodded, thinking about the planet in question with some of his Men In Black expertise. “It will never not be terrifying how we’re just now seeing what the universe actually looks like–”
“Yes, I’ve heard about how good the MIB telescopes are,” Marcus put in. “What once were glimpses of the past are now focusing on the present.”
Mayhem chuckled and bounced around a little. “If I may, Colonel, as this subject always gets me going–The danger of space travel is not the expansion of the universe, but the fact that there’s all sorts of anomalies we couldn’t see before.”
“Indeed, Mr. Highland. Now before we go off on a tangent, Will, I’m sure you're familiar with what’s going on with Jun and Nobu?”
“I’ve read the documents, Colonel, sir,” he answered. “I don’t need to encounter Nobu to know he’s nothing but trouble–”
“This isn’t related to Karnage in any way, is it?” Morrigan put in, wanting to get this subject settled so her anxiety did not flare up.
“It shouldn’t be, Devilfay,” Marcus answered. “This is primarily an Earth issue–”
“Actually I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Marcus,” Reynard cut in. “Everybody’s been trying to figure out the anomaly behind the source of Nobu’s stolen power, a shinigami going by the name of Tomoya Higashi, and allow me to reveal that that shinigami is the reincarnation of The Dying God, a former member of The Eternal Order who went rogue after learning about The Lost Era.”
There was a stunned silence in the room, even if the full context was lost on some, but Barry nodded. “Yeah, I remember that one–didn’t the hunt require several Pure Gods to get involved? I think The God of Logic was involved in that one…” Reynard nodded to confirm his recollections.
Marcus took a breath to keep his nerves calm. “This isn’t going to be a problem, is it?”
“Not at all,” Reynard answered with a shake of his head. “If anything this has been a boon for Tomoya, and we may see him return to his divinity–hopefully a little less paranoid and on the right side this time around.”
“Well then…” Marcus remarked. “Now, Will? Several members of your squad are already here looking for Jun, and he’s here because of a misunderstanding in Japan that Itet herself wishes to discuss. She’s ready to talk over video call if you’re ready.”
“Sure, call her up,” Will replied as they all turned to face the big screens, with Reynard getting out a remote and pressing a few buttons.
The centermost screen showed a ringing telephone icon for a few moments and coming to view on the screen was a beautiful, Egyptian woman sitting at her desk in an opulent office. “Hello there, dears! Will, it’s wonderful to see you again!”
“Hey, Itet–so, I heard Jun caused some trouble?” he inquired with a chuckle.
“Unfortunately. I can’t reveal the particulars of what I was doing, but I was meeting with Perkele for an exchange of intel when that pest, Nobu, just strolled into my casino trying to offer his services to me. And then Jun caught wind of this and started to cause trouble, so I had him all wrapped up–”
“Wait, what?!” Morrigan interrupted with a laugh.
Will had an awkward smile on his face. “Magically restrained him…”
“Boyo, is this something else you’re not telling me about?” she asked with a knowing smirk, with Itet unable to hold back a chuckle.
“Let’s try to stay on topic, everyone,” Marcus interjected.
“So I take it Jun escaped your grasp, Itet?” Mayhem inquired.
Itet nodded and sifted through some papers on her desk. “Thankfully Ryota was present to chase Nobu away and handle Jun, but Jun managed to escape and went after Nobu before I could question him. I wanted to turn him over to The Liger Brigade, but obviously he’s over in the states now.”
“I see,” said Morrigan. “Well hopefully he didn’t cause too much damage…”
Itet could sense what Morrigan was about to say and put her hands up to catch her before she did. “Oh no, sweetie, don’t worry–I have more than enough money to buff out the scratches they caused.”
Reynard nodded and leaned in. “Given that Itet uses her casino to collect intel for The League, she has to run it in a way where people are happy, unsuspecting, and keep coming back–ergo her casino has a better reputation and sees more consistent and loyal customers. And the fact that The League lends her some funds here and there also helps–”
“Which I will never not be thankful for,” she added.
Erika smiled and gave her a finger gun. “And it’s no problem, dear.”
Will thought for a second as he stroked his chin, trying to put it all together. “So Perkele is involved… is Valentin here at the moment? He’d be interested in this…”
“He’s been in and out,” Marcus answered. “We’ve been trying to get a hold of him, of which I have been getting on Antares’ case to finalize his recruitment into The Liger Brigade.”
“Well we’ve been trying to, it’s just that–again–he’s all over the place as of late,” Will asserted.
“You can’t keep someone like him pinned down,” Mayhem stated. “Take it from me, as someone who has adventured around with Tusk and Randalph before…”
Itet then seemed to notice something off screen and started to get up. “What’s wrong, Saadia? Ooh, that’s not good… Everyone, I need to go take care of something. Don’t worry, I’ll keep the lines open just in case. Bye for now,” she said as the screen closed, returning to the telephone icon.
Marcus nodded and sighed. “Alright then, we’ve got enough information to work with–”
“Colonel?” Will interrupted. “Quick random thought, but you seem a lot more happy, despite what’s going on right now.”
“Well, not having Sebastian to deal with certainly helps,” he pointed out with a chuckle. “My wife, Aislin, got on my case for how… harsh I was during The Red River Incident, making it clear my work ethic wasn’t making things better…” There was a slight hint of resentment of someone who still wanted to argue that he was right, but he let it go. “I also did a little research into The Unlight, and suffice it to say I need to apologize to Vlastimir and Ekaterina.”
Will gave a light laugh to that. “Don’t worry, they don’t hold grudges…”
The group glanced over to the doors, as Trumna entered followed by a man in burgundy tuxedo and black top hat. “Oh, Will, perfect timing!” the director said.
“Hey, Trumna–we’re already on the clock.”
“Good to hear,” he said with a smile. “Will, I’d like you to meet Milford Henley, the chief financial officer for The League, and an advisor to Dietrich over at DELTA Corp.”
“A pleasure and an honor to meet you, Mr. Ford,” the man said as he held out his hand. He had a professional accent to his words accompanying his baritone voice, and had the physique of a man who watched his diet, but was not one to get out as often. His dark brown hair was combed to the sides underneath his hat, and his mustache was groomed in a way Will certainly related to–one who hated it when it was too long.
“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Henley,” he replied as he shook his hand.
“Please, refer to me as ‘Milford,’ as we have quite the history, even if you don’t realize it yet.”
“I’ve been told more and more about that past life of mine–I can definitely say I remember being a New England professor in my past life.”
Milford nodded to this, pleasantly surprised. “Sublime indeed. We’ve been hearing great things about you–not as one who focuses on wealth or status, but as someone looking to truly expand their horizons, much like Professor Marcel so long ago.”
Reynard stepped over and patted Will on the shoulder. “I think he’s going to make a fine member–and given that Dorian and The Red Man have been pushing for him to join…”
“Mm, yes, those lads have been quite vocal on that front,” Milford concurred.
“Hold up,” Morrigan interjected. “What’s the difference between Boyo joining The League and being a part of both the Brigade and the Guild? Aren’t they both connected to The League?”
Mayhem nodded and said “Yes, but this would be a more professional membership, you could say.”
“He would be working directly with us and would have access to more information and resources,” Milford added. “As opposed to just going on missions with his organizations. And it goes without saying that it would be more convenient to manage him if he was within our ranks proper.” Everyone was agreeing with Milford, as he seemed to have a hidden charisma layered in his logical deductions–to be fair he was right, but it never hurt to make things crystal clear.
Barry nodded and tapped Will’s shoulder. “Also hey, Raziel might consider you for joining the Fellowship.”
“Doesn’t he already have Animus though?” Milford joked, warranting a chuckle from Barry. “By the way, William, what is that strange bodysuit you are wearing?”
“Oh, this is Haze–ACF-008,” he answered as he held his hand up, with Haze’s mouth appearing in his palm.
“Sorry I didn’t say anything, Mr. Henley–I try not to talk when Will’s talking or focusing on important stuff because it gets a little distracting.”
Milford nodded, utterly impressed. “Ah yes, I’ve heard about how 008 got out and about–and polite to a tee, quite astounding.”
Trumna laughed in a knowing way. “You should have seen it when he was in our custody back in October…” Haze felt a little embarrassed and lowered Will’s hand, but before anything else could be said, an alert icon displayed on the big screen. “Uh oh, that ain’t good…”
Reynard clicked his remote again and spoke. “What’s the details, Jurgen?”
“We’ve got a situation near Bethany’s tomb–it’s Ernust, and it looks like he was investigating something, but appears to be fighting ULTRAMagic Devil now…”
“Aoife?” Will questioned, with Mayhem clearing his throat and nudging Will. “Right–err, what’s my mom up to?”
Mayhem chuckled. “Well, Will, as you know Faustus, Mira, and Cliff are helping Akaya and Liss at the moment, so Aoife called in an old friend of hers who wants to work with you.”
“And she’s fighting with Ernust why exactly?” Milford questioned. “While Mr. Brantley isn’t a member of The League and…” He paused to groan. “Has worked with Sebastian before, I’d hardly call him an enemy.”
“She’s probably just saying hello,” Erika deduced. “We all know how she gets when there’s excitement like this.”
Marcus inhaled and groaned. “Well… wait, I thought Will’s mother was…”
Will raised his hand. “It’s a little complicated, involving previous iterations of this universe–”
“Iteration 4 to be exact,” Barry put in.
Utterly dumbfounded, Marcus just stood there with a befuddled look on his face. “Okay then… Will, take Sam, Mayhem, and Barry and go see what’s going on with your mother…”
“Already on it, Colonel, sir!” Will said as he was about to snap his fingers.
“WAIT,” Marcus cried as he held his hand up. “Will, I get that you’re excited to use your void magic, but please report down to Garage XA–Jack and Adrien have the Marauder ready to go.
“But…”
“Specialist, please.”
Reynard then went and patted Marcus on the back. “Oh come on, Lad, it won’t hurt.”
“Reynard, I would like to keep things calm and organized, given how big of a problem Nobu is–let’s not have a repeat of September...” Marcus finished with a serious look that was more pitiful and pleading than commanding and authoritative.
Reynard sighed in resignation and nodded. “Will, could you go with Jack and Adrien this time? I doubt Aoife and Ernust are going to tear each other apart.”
Will said nothing, but nodded. “Can I at least open a void door to the garage?”
Marcus hesitated, but relented. “Alright, go ahead, Specialist.”
“Alright then, I’ll keep things calm,” he replied with a laugh and a snap of his fingers, summoning his void door.
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ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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“Good lord, Specialist, are you just going to do that on a regular basis?” Marcus questioned.
“With all due respect, Colonel, there’s no point in wasting time with a road trip,” Will pointed out with a laugh as the trio approached the big table. The soft, white lights and sounds of humming computers were a welcome comfort amidst all of the uncertainty.
“There you are, Will,” Mayhem said as he stepped over. “Sorry you couldn’t go to Japan...”
Will took a seat at the table next to Reynard. “We’ll figure something out. Hey, Dr. Reynard.”
Reynard adjusted his glasses and smiled. “Good to see you, Will. Well done on the void door–did you even use your void spells for that?”
“Nope, all I had to do was snap my fingers.”
Reynard then snapped his fingers, “Ah-ha, kid’s a natural. I’m honestly starting to question which his aptitude and speciality really are, ha.”
“Simply fantastic,” Erika pointed as she walked over with a folder, setting it down on the table. “Hello, Will, Sam, Barry,” she said as she shook the latter two’s hands.
“Heya, Erika,” Morrigan replied. “Did you get that message Ellen sent you?”
“Mm-hm, and the alchemical formulae she dug up worked wonders in dealing with that portal 4276 discovered–”
“A portal?” Barry inquired.
“Oh don’t worry, dear, it’s nothing related to The Lost Era,” she reassured him as he sat down. “It’s Xtilxis again–he’s fairly serious about becoming 4276’s partner. And speaking of The Lost Era, we could use your help taking a quick trip to COEXLE-9457 in the near future–Stolas wants to check something there, but he’s a little too afraid to go by himself.”
Barry nodded, feeling a mild tinge of concern. “I see… I’ll get on it as soon as we’re done here.”
Will nodded, thinking about the planet in question with some of his Men In Black expertise. “It will never not be terrifying how we’re just now seeing what the universe actually looks like–”
“Yes, I’ve heard about how good the MIB telescopes are,” Marcus put in. “What once were glimpses of the past are now focusing on the present.”
Mayhem chuckled and bounced around a little. “If I may, Colonel, as this subject always gets me going–The danger of space travel is not the expansion of the universe, but the fact that there’s all sorts of anomalies we couldn’t see before.”
“Indeed, Mr. Highland. Now before we go off on a tangent, Will, I’m sure you're familiar with what’s going on with Jun and Nobu?”
“I’ve read the documents, Colonel, sir,” he answered. “I don’t need to encounter Nobu to know he’s nothing but trouble–”
“This isn’t related to Karnage in any way, is it?” Morrigan put in, wanting to get this subject settled so her anxiety did not flare up.
“It shouldn’t be, Devilfay,” Marcus answered. “This is primarily an Earth issue–”
“Actually I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Marcus,” Reynard cut in. “Everybody’s been trying to figure out the anomaly behind the source of Nobu’s stolen power, a shinigami going by the name of Tomoya Higashi, and allow me to reveal that that shinigami is the reincarnation of The Dying God, a former member of The Eternal Order who went rogue after learning about The Lost Era.”
There was a stunned silence in the room, even if the full context was lost on some, but Barry nodded. “Yeah, I remember that one–didn’t the hunt require several Pure Gods to get involved? I think The God of Logic was involved in that one…” Reynard nodded to confirm his recollections.
Marcus took a breath to keep his nerves calm. “This isn’t going to be a problem, is it?”
“Not at all,” Reynard answered with a shake of his head. “If anything this has been a boon for Tomoya, and we may see him return to his divinity–hopefully a little less paranoid and on the right side this time around.”
“Well then…” Marcus remarked. “Now, Will? Several members of your squad are already here looking for Jun, and he’s here because of a misunderstanding in Japan that Itet herself wishes to discuss. She’s ready to talk over video call if you’re ready.”
“Sure, call her up,” Will replied as they all turned to face the big screens, with Reynard getting out a remote and pressing a few buttons.
The centermost screen showed a ringing telephone icon for a few moments and coming to view on the screen was a beautiful, Egyptian woman sitting at her desk in an opulent office. “Hello there, dears! Will, it’s wonderful to see you again!”
“Hey, Itet–so, I heard Jun caused some trouble?” he inquired with a chuckle.
“Unfortunately. I can’t reveal the particulars of what I was doing, but I was meeting with Perkele for an exchange of intel when that pest, Nobu, just strolled into my casino trying to offer his services to me. And then Jun caught wind of this and started to cause trouble, so I had him all wrapped up–”
“Wait, what?!” Morrigan interrupted with a laugh.
Will had an awkward smile on his face. “Magically restrained him…”
“Boyo, is this something else you’re not telling me about?” she asked with a knowing smirk, with Itet unable to hold back a chuckle.
“Let’s try to stay on topic, everyone,” Marcus interjected.
“So I take it Jun escaped your grasp, Itet?” Mayhem inquired.
Itet nodded and sifted through some papers on her desk. “Thankfully Ryota was present to chase Nobu away and handle Jun, but Jun managed to escape and went after Nobu before I could question him. I wanted to turn him over to The Liger Brigade, but obviously he’s over in the states now.”
“I see,” said Morrigan. “Well hopefully he didn’t cause too much damage…”
Itet could sense what Morrigan was about to say and put her hands up to catch her before she did. “Oh no, sweetie, don’t worry–I have more than enough money to buff out the scratches they caused.”
Reynard nodded and leaned in. “Given that Itet uses her casino to collect intel for The League, she has to run it in a way where people are happy, unsuspecting, and keep coming back–ergo her casino has a better reputation and sees more consistent and loyal customers. And the fact that The League lends her some funds here and there also helps–”
“Which I will never not be thankful for,” she added.
Erika smiled and gave her a finger gun. “And it’s no problem, dear.”
Will thought for a second as he stroked his chin, trying to put it all together. “So Perkele is involved… is Valentin here at the moment? He’d be interested in this…”
“He’s been in and out,” Marcus answered. “We’ve been trying to get a hold of him, of which I have been getting on Antares’ case to finalize his recruitment into The Liger Brigade.”
“Well we’ve been trying to, it’s just that–again–he’s all over the place as of late,” Will asserted.
“You can’t keep someone like him pinned down,” Mayhem stated. “Take it from me, as someone who has adventured around with Tusk and Randalph before…”
Itet then seemed to notice something off screen and started to get up. “What’s wrong, Saadia? Ooh, that’s not good… Everyone, I need to go take care of something. Don’t worry, I’ll keep the lines open just in case. Bye for now,” she said as the screen closed, returning to the telephone icon.
Marcus nodded and sighed. “Alright then, we’ve got enough information to work with–”
“Colonel?” Will interrupted. “Quick random thought, but you seem a lot more happy, despite what’s going on right now.”
“Well, not having Sebastian to deal with certainly helps,” he pointed out with a chuckle. “My wife, Aislin, got on my case for how… harsh I was during The Red River Incident, making it clear my work ethic wasn’t making things better…” There was a slight hint of resentment of someone who still wanted to argue that he was right, but he let it go. “I also did a little research into The Unlight, and suffice it to say I need to apologize to Vlastimir and Ekaterina.”
Will gave a light laugh to that. “Don’t worry, they don’t hold grudges…”
The group glanced over to the doors, as Trumna entered followed by a man in burgundy tuxedo and black top hat. “Oh, Will, perfect timing!” the director said.
“Hey, Trumna–we’re already on the clock.”
“Good to hear,” he said with a smile. “Will, I’d like you to meet Milford Henley, the chief financial officer for The League, and an advisor to Dietrich over at DELTA Corp.”
“A pleasure and an honor to meet you, Mr. Ford,” the man said as he held out his hand. He had a professional accent to his words accompanying his baritone voice, and had the physique of a man who watched his diet, but was not one to get out as often. His dark brown hair was combed to the sides underneath his hat, and his mustache was groomed in a way Will certainly related to–one who hated it when it was too long.
“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Henley,” he replied as he shook his hand.
“Please, refer to me as ‘Milford,’ as we have quite the history, even if you don’t realize it yet.”
“I’ve been told more and more about that past life of mine–I can definitely say I remember being a New England professor in my past life.”
Milford nodded to this, pleasantly surprised. “Sublime indeed. We’ve been hearing great things about you–not as one who focuses on wealth or status, but as someone looking to truly expand their horizons, much like Professor Marcel so long ago.”
Reynard stepped over and patted Will on the shoulder. “I think he’s going to make a fine member–and given that Dorian and The Red Man have been pushing for him to join…”
“Mm, yes, those lads have been quite vocal on that front,” Milford concurred.
“Hold up,” Morrigan interjected. “What’s the difference between Boyo joining The League and being a part of both the Brigade and the Guild? Aren’t they both connected to The League?”
Mayhem nodded and said “Yes, but this would be a more professional membership, you could say.”
“He would be working directly with us and would have access to more information and resources,” Milford added. “As opposed to just going on missions with his organizations. And it goes without saying that it would be more convenient to manage him if he was within our ranks proper.” Everyone was agreeing with Milford, as he seemed to have a hidden charisma layered in his logical deductions–to be fair he was right, but it never hurt to make things crystal clear.
Barry nodded and tapped Will’s shoulder. “Also hey, Raziel might consider you for joining the Fellowship.”
“Doesn’t he already have Animus though?” Milford joked, warranting a chuckle from Barry. “By the way, William, what is that strange bodysuit you are wearing?”
“Oh, this is Haze–ACF-008,” he answered as he held his hand up, with Haze’s mouth appearing in his palm.
“Sorry I didn’t say anything, Mr. Henley–I try not to talk when Will’s talking or focusing on important stuff because it gets a little distracting.”
Milford nodded, utterly impressed. “Ah yes, I’ve heard about how 008 got out and about–and polite to a tee, quite astounding.”
Trumna laughed in a knowing way. “You should have seen it when he was in our custody back in October…” Haze felt a little embarrassed and lowered Will’s hand, but before anything else could be said, an alert icon displayed on the big screen. “Uh oh, that ain’t good…”
Reynard clicked his remote again and spoke. “What’s the details, Jurgen?”
“We’ve got a situation near Bethany’s tomb–it’s Ernust, and it looks like he was investigating something, but appears to be fighting ULTRAMagic Devil now…”
“Aoife?” Will questioned, with Mayhem clearing his throat and nudging Will. “Right–err, what’s my mom up to?”
Mayhem chuckled. “Well, Will, as you know Faustus, Mira, and Cliff are helping Akaya and Liss at the moment, so Aoife called in an old friend of hers who wants to work with you.”
“And she’s fighting with Ernust why exactly?” Milford questioned. “While Mr. Brantley isn’t a member of The League and…” He paused to groan. “Has worked with Sebastian before, I’d hardly call him an enemy.”
“She’s probably just saying hello,” Erika deduced. “We all know how she gets when there’s excitement like this.”
Marcus inhaled and groaned. “Well… wait, I thought Will’s mother was…”
Will raised his hand. “It’s a little complicated, involving previous iterations of this universe–”
“Iteration 4 to be exact,” Barry put in.
Utterly dumbfounded, Marcus just stood there with a befuddled look on his face. “Okay then… Will, take Sam, Mayhem, and Barry and go see what’s going on with your mother…”
“Already on it, Colonel, sir!” Will said as he was about to snap his fingers.
“WAIT,” Marcus cried as he held his hand up. “Will, I get that you’re excited to use your void magic, but please report down to Garage XA–Jack and Adrien have the Marauder ready to go.
“But…”
“Specialist, please.”
Reynard then went and patted Marcus on the back. “Oh come on, Lad, it won’t hurt.”
“Reynard, I would like to keep things calm and organized, given how big of a problem Nobu is–let’s not have a repeat of September...” Marcus finished with a serious look that was more pitiful and pleading than commanding and authoritative.
Reynard sighed in resignation and nodded. “Will, could you go with Jack and Adrien this time? I doubt Aoife and Ernust are going to tear each other apart.”
Will said nothing, but nodded. “Can I at least open a void door to the garage?”
Marcus hesitated, but relented. “Alright, go ahead, Specialist.”
“Alright then, I’ll keep things calm,” he replied with a laugh and a snap of his fingers, summoning his void door.
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ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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