Society of Justice 3: Crisis on the Earth

[Pm0n3y]

In the Mindscape...

Jason found himself busily at work in his mind, he and Erebus repairing the damaged confides of his more dangerous side's prison, spiritually welding and hammering away at the large, heavy door that kept it at bay. Halfway through completion, the door exploded open, knocking the duo off their feet. Stunned, Erebus struggled to get up as Jason slowly rose, his eyes glued in the direction of the now opened door. His expression went blank as he slowly approached the darkness that seeped from beyond the prison. As he neared, the darkness grew, tendrils and tentacles lashing from beyond the confinement, large claws forming and reaching towards Jason, icy cold and dripping drops of black. Erebus slowly began to rise, the sound of panic in his voice.

"What are you doing?!?"

"Can't you hear it? It...needs me...I need it...It says that it can help...it can help it all end..." Jason replied softly, a hand of his reaching out to one of the claws. Erebus begged to differ however, quickly scrambling to his feet, rushing and tackling Jason before he and the abrupt force of evil could ever connect.

"No! You're dreaming! Wake up!! You hear me?! You have to wake up!!" He exclaimed, shaking Jason's mental manifestation as a large claw of darkness began to loom over them.
[hr]
Jason jumped into consciousness, breathing heavily as he wiped drops of sweat from his brow. He got out of bed, distraught at what previously unfolded.

"It can reach me in my dreams now...I was so defenseless...what am I gonna do?" He said exasperatedly, turning on his TV as he sat at the foot of his bed.

"We need to stay vigilant. As the monster nears, we must persevere. Mediation has been helping us for this long, it only makes sense that we keep at it." Erebus replied as Jason found himself slowly losing control of an imminent danger.

 

[blaze96]

Richard had walked down by that point. He still had a few small bites and scratches and he knew at least a few of them would leave some fairly nasty scars. Not even the nanites could keep him from scare tissue. For some reason he knew by the end of this he would probably have more scar tissue than actual skin. He had heard Garrus talking about adamantium and decided he could have a little fun with that after being nearly eaten yesterday.

"You would be surprised what gets classified even above you Garrus. Sometimes the only people who know what does and doesn't exist are the highest levels of government, the guy who created it and his team, their boss, and the guy who owns the company." Richard said as straight faced as possible as he sat down nearby.

 

[tsatoma]

"It doesn't exist! It can't! Why would it be in comics if it was such a secret? Why would the government let them tell the world that? I think you're just trying to mess with me," Garrus replied stubbornly, slightly uncertain as to whether he was actually right or not. It was then that he noticed someone that he hadn't seen for a number of weeks sitting across from him eating a bowl of cereal.

"Holy shit Ethan...I forgot you existed," he said. Ethan finished letting the milk drain from his spoon before replying to Garrus, making a number of beeps before taking a bite. There was a moment of awkward silence before Ethan scrolled what he had said across his visor.

"Oh, well there was a zombie attack where we all almost died. Except for Mr. Sleeping Beauty over there. We managed to beat them though; saving Halloween in the process. However the Promenade needs to have another month or two of construction work to fix the damage," Garrus responded, waiting for Ethan's next message to scroll across before continuing, "Yes, everyone. Including her. I think she's fine. Nice to know your priorities."

 

[Captainguy42]

" Well I think I might have thought of a way to get to Promenade to fix itself. I can access a power source for it, but there are some other components I don't have and some research I need to do, but I've got a hunch some of the answers will be among your library Leland. What do you think? Should I ask Richard for a research grant?" Tommy had finished his breakfast by this time and was simply leaning on the table. " That way you'd never have to hear construction again because this place would quickly and quietly fix itself."

 

[socialtangent]

Levi exited his bedroom and closed the door behind him. The metal lock turned itself seemingly of its own accord as he walked away. Entering the Lounge, he saw that a handful of the team were already there. Some eating breakfast, and others simply talking. He approached the group in time to catch Garrus mention the imminent repairs to the Promenade.

"...the Promenade needs to have another month or two of construction work to fix the damage"

"I thought we'd never have to deal with that construction crew again," Levi quipped as he passed by Garrus. He pulled open the fridge in search for something to eat for breakfast. Thankfully the zombies were kind enough not to raid their food when they attacked.

 

[tsatoma]

"It's not my fault we have to have more construction. What I did was necessary...or at least it seemed to be at the time," Garrus replied to Levi after folding up the newspaper and placing it on the table. Seemingly his chance to read it had come and gone, and there was no point trying to hide behind it anymore.

----

"That's a good idea Tommy...definitely get the grant too if possible. I know of a few books that mentioned it, I'll point them out to you whenever you want to start. Can't be today though, I have a meeting soon enough. Should be short though, so maybe tonight if you're up to it?" Leland asked, both interested in the idea of no more construction and looking through the books for the information.

 

[Captainguy42]

"Sounds good, I'll put in our application." Tommy leaned out until he had a clear line of sight to Richard, his chair creaked as he did so. "Rich! Hey Richard!" He shouted, trying to get Richard's attention.

"I'm gonna pull 4 million out of the Society account to buy some magic shit, is that cool?" He asked casually

 

[blaze96]

"Who's gonna believe a comic writer? If they haven't seen it put to use they won't be as ready to believe it exists." Richard continue to joke before looking at Tommy.

"I don't know, are the magic items baby proof? Or at least going to be put out of arm's reach. Would rather not have the baby find a wabbajack that works on people too or something." He said sarcastically.

 

[Pm0n3y]

Jason's usual morning ritual was a short, quiet one. After dressing himself, he exited his room, making his way towards the commons. No pep in his step, not whistling a jaunty tune. Instead, he kept his eyes affixed on his sneakers as his mind raced with thoughts of defenselessness and paranoia.

"I...I need some help."

"You have me bro, you know that."

"Yeah...I know. But it's not enough. You saw what happened, hell, you prevented it from happening! But I don't know if you'll be there every time to prevent something like that."

"Well, I am integrated into your DNA, so it's not like i'll be going anywhere anytime soon..."

"Obviously, Ero. But that's besides the point. I need to find assistance from an outside source. I'm tired of facing this problem alone." Jason decided bluntly. Looking up, he realized that he arrived in the kitchen, taking notice of the classic scene that usually takes place in the area. He began to scan the room, noticing that the person he wanted to talk to was right in the room.

"Levi? Can I talk to you for a minute...I-in private?" He quietly asked the master magnetic.

 

[socialtangent]

It was a cruel irony. The Society had almost every decent breakfast food imaginable, but Levi still couldn't figure out what to eat. Hrm. He wasn't in the mood to cook anything, so that ruled out eggs and bacon. He also didn't feel like cereal or cold foods either. Maybe when the morning sluggishness passed he could decide...

"Levi? Can I talk to you for a minute...I-in private?"

Levi closed the fridge and turned to face Jason. His tone of voice implied that he was concerned about something. What it had to do with him, he could only guess. "Yeah, of course," he replied. Dropping his tone to a more sober one, he continued. "Is there something wrong?"

 

[Pm0n3y]

Jason nodded solemnly, eyes shifting anxiously as he led Levi out of the kitchen. After moving to a less populated area, Jason cleared his throat quietly before talking.

"Victor...I'm sure you had him within you, possibly longer than the time you've spent with the Society. I just wonder, how did you keep him at bay for so long? Did you undergo some sort of mental readjustment? See a therapist? Did everything just fall in place subconsciously? I mean, yeah, there was that one time at that museum, and the time when we actually went into your mind to fight him, but...I just want to know how or what you did to keep him from doing any real damage while he was a part of you. I've been meditating, but it's not enough..." Jason asked in length. While his statement started off calmly, the talk grew into frantic rambles varying in different speeds, the last sentence blurted out almost mistakenly.

 

[CounterAttack]

"Hey, look, I apologised countless times for sleeping through the entire dang mission," Rowan answered Garrus at the mention of him being called Sleeping Beauty. "I get that I screwed up. That's twice now, but I have every intention of redeeming myself somehow for those mistakes. It won't happen again." He went back to his cereal, ears reddening out of embarrassment. Maybe he would go down in Society history as the guy who slept through a zombie invasion... that would not be amusing.

[hr]

"Right, that's about as done as I can be bothered to do right now. Finish it later," Katie declared at the sight of the half-complete hedge statue. The life-size green Taryn was missing her head and shoulders, plus a lot of the details in her clothing. True to her word, she would go back to the topiary later; her stomach had begun to poke at her despite having eaten a fair bit three hours earlier.

Maybe a small snack would do, though Katie's breakfast had been grown from the wall of her room. She wanted something that she didn't have to produce herself; the kitchen had such things. With that in mind, Katie wandered out of the gardens and through the hall to the kitchen. A fair few of the others were sitting around the table: Rowan, Garrus and Tommy were among them. Leland, however, was on the couch over in the lounge, and Katie hadn't seen him that morning. A snack could wait. She took a seat beside her boyfriend on the couch with a smile, giving him a kiss on the cheek and sliding an arm around his waist as she did so.

"Hey, how's it going? Any word on the repairs? 'Cause I don't wanna have to put up with construction workers everywhere for another month or two," she said with a slight grimace.

 

[RBMidknight]

There was a pillow tossed haphazardly on the carpeted floor. The pillow was slowly being squished by a sock-covered foot. Taryn's foot. Still in her pajamas the young technopath was seated on her bed with one leg stretched to continue its prodding of cotton. From the phone pressed against Taryn's ear a fast-talking accented voice was telling her to come home. Mothers tended to do that after seeing their child's home invaded by the undead on the six 'o clock news.

"But I'm fine, really." It was the assurance Taryn had been giving since the phone call began. Some forty five minutes ago. Some of her exasperation much have showed because her mother finally switched topics. But only slightly. Taryn stopped moving her feet when she replied. "Tell Tío James he can stop building his monster truck. There are No. More. Zombies. And I'm pretty sure those blades he stuck on the front aren't legal. Yes, I got the picture. He sent it twice, actually." While she had been impressed with her uncle's craftsmanship Taryn wondered just how long he'd had the vehicle modified. Ah no...now they were back to how dangerous the Promenade was to live in.

"I know what the news is saying." The swarm of reporters after the fight had almost been as bad as the zombies. Mostly because the team wasn't allowed to silence the living humans no matter how vocal they were or how personal the questions they asked. Taryn had been asked about her change in costume while under the effects of some powerful headache and pain-killer the Doctor had given her. The nosy reporter's question wasn't about the obvious lack of protection and injuries but rather the obvious showing of skin caused by the fight. Taryn still didn't recall what she'd said to the European reporter exactly.

"Wait, they said I said what?" But it certainly hadn't been that! "No, no, they lied, Mama. It wasn't that...bad." There was a slight pause and some static as someone pulled Taryn's mother's attention away from the conversation at hand. For which Taryn was grateful. Until the question was repeated for her. "You can tell Tía Carmen, for the third time, that I'm not getting her any 'zombie apocalypse' souvenirs. She can sell that ancient sofa of hers if she wants something for eBay."

Taryn's mother relayed the answer and an indignant snort was just barely audible in return. "So", there was a noticeable change in tone. Taryn tensed instinctively, uncertain what the next question would be.

"How is Levi?"

'Aiyee...' Taryn sighed quietly as she hung up her phone ten minutes later. She'd relayed the nice dinner she and Levi had a few nights ago. Though she'd left out the half-bottle of Chambord liqueur they'd enjoyed. Taryn grinned slowly. It had been a nice night...

"Ack!" Reminiscing was put on hold when Taryn caught sight of the clock.

[color=green]9:30[/color]

The numbers blinked bright green and vibrant, completely unapologetic for the time she'd lost. Much later and it was going to be time for lunch! So much for her pancakes plan... 'Better get going.' Tossing her phone on her bed Taryn gathered up some clothes and headed for the bathroom.

After a quick shower Taryn dressed and made up her bed. As she passed her desk she flipped open her laptop and hit the power button. The chipper start-up noise sounded, accompanied by several loading bars appearing on-screen. "Aww." She'd forgotten to shut off the network drives. 'This might take a while.' With another quiet sigh Taryn ran her fingers through her short hair. "Food it is then." Leaving the machine running Taryn secured the doors to her room and began to walk down the hall.

 

[tsatoma]

"Stop messing with me Rich. I know you're lying," Garrus told Richard before hearing Tommy ask about taking a large sum of money out of the Society account. "No! That's too much! Do we even have that? How will we pay for anything else? I think that's a bit steep there Tommy...surely it doesn't cost that much, right? Or is everyone really just trying to mess with me today?" he asked partially to himself, wondering if he should just take the day off. 'It's not like there is anything going on that I'm needed for right now. Yeah I think I'll do just that,' Garrus thought, a smile forming on his face as his phone started ringing.

He took it out of his pocket and looked at the number, his smile disappearing as he recognized it. Putting the phone to his ear he braced himself for what he figured was coming. "Hello? Yes...really? Do we have to? I suppose so...fine. Yes we know where it is." Garrus closed his phone and placed it on the table, about to say and expletive before looking over at his son and simply saying, "This sucks."

----

Leland smiled once Katie took a seat next to him, returning the kiss before saying, "Construction begins tomorrow. I'll be staying at the Lodge for the duration of it, you can join me too. So not the greatest beginning of a day, but it's not that big of a deal. I have a quick meeting today too, but it should be quick so I should be able to get back here within an hour of leaving or so. How are you doing today?"

 

[socialtangent]

"Well..."

Levi paused briefly to figure out what exactly to say. The unexpected question had struck him like a freight train. Even in the months after the incident inside his mind, he was still reeling from the trauma Victor managed to inflict on his way out.

"...I tried a lot of things. There was a lot of meditation involved. A lot of mental conditioning. I used to do a lot of prayer as well, back when I believed it would work..." After another moment of thought, Levi's eyebrows furrowed and his attention refocused on Jason. "Why do you ask?" It was a legitimate question. Why did the Keyholder suddenly have an interest in how he contained Victor?

"And if I may ask, what seems to be bugging you?" he added on top of his previous question. It was obvious that Jason was in distress. If he had a guess as to what was troubling him, it was at least tangentially related to Victor. But how?

 

[CounterAttack]

"Mmm... could be better, really," Katie answered with a small sigh of discontentment. "The gardens are more or less fixed up apart from a couple of things. Damn zombies tore clean through my room and nearly wrecked a few of my more exotic plants. I had to practically re-create the Bimini you gave me; it was ruined near to the point of dying. Still, I saved it." She cuddled up to Leland as she spoke, resting her head on his shoulder and lightly poking his foot with one of her own.

"Apart from that... I guess I'm just a little sick of things being destroyed once they're back in working order," Katie continued quietly. She hadn't liked having to rebuild the gardens after the Union attack, and while the construction work had proven to be of decent quality, Katie liked things to remain standing once they were built. If something had to be taken down, she thought, then its replacement should be better in some way to the original.

"Isn't there something you could do to make the Promenade indestructible, sweetie?" she asked, reaching up and giving him another playful peck on the lips. She briefly thought up some things that could probably be done with magic: if Tommy had made a pair of Taryn's pants indestructible for Christmas, the same could probably be extrapolated to cover the whole building, she reasoned.

 

[Pm0n3y]

"Why do you ask?...what seems to be bugging you?"

Jason sighed reluctantly at Levi's questioning. He knew that he wouldn't get through this conversation without referring to the more crucial details of his dilemma. For a microsecond he considered lying to his friend, trying to back out, out of fear of what might follow. Just as quickly as the thought was sprung, he decided against it. Levi's intrigue was practically the reason why Jason approached him in the first place. He figured that if he told a friend that had a problem similar to his, that he would feel a little better about his well being, knowing that someone knew about the problem. However, even as he expected this inevitable outcome, Jason found himself mentally stumbling for words that he could use to describe the apparition that was imprisoned in his subconscious.

"A power...an unwavering power. Referred to as a 'Keybeast' by my family, I've only heard about it one other time through a bedtime story, like a boogeyman that would get me if didn't eat all my vegetables or something. It's been described as a powerful monster that will destroy everything, including the body and soul of the host that brought it forth. What stays behind is only the armor of the former Keyholder. It takes full advantage of the armor, becoming indestructible, and forming powers that could easily level mountains...at least, that's what I've heard. Since it is mindless, it lacks any strain of rational thought, and it cannot be reasoned with. All it knows is destruction. All it feels...is rage." Jason said, letting the thought sink in before continuing.

"I've been considered by some to be a fairly emotional person. However, ever since I've joined the Society, certain emotions in me have brought out a evil force that I cannot control. If I find myself losing my temper, or getting too excited, I feel myself losing grip over my actions. Eventually, it dawned upon me that I may have a Keybeast of my own. Every emotional incident has caused a ***** in my armor, so to speak, leaving this crooked crack in my faceplate, along with other physical traits and actions that could be said to be related to nonhuman species."

"I've been able to keep it at bay through meditative techniques, strengthening some mental abilities in the process, but it hasn't been enough. Recently it attacked through a dream, where I was defenseless. Even through my mental prison, it was able to reach me. That only means that it's getting stronger. That's why I approached you. When we learned about Victor, it let me know that someone else out there contained a force that had to be apprehended. It told me that I wasn't the only one in the world slowing losing their sanity on a parasite that fed on their will." He admitted, almost feeling a weight lifting from his chest, now that he's been able to tell one other the truth.

 

[blaze96]

"Umm Garrus, you do know we have the money right? I mean me and Lillian do happen to cover the vast majority of your expenses if not all of them except the ones that are paid for by grants from world governments. So we have the money, I just want to make sure it is baby and or idiot proof." Richard replied.

 

[socialtangent]

Levi listened to Jason's plight with a sympathetic understanding. It was odd, knowing that he wasn't the only one who knew what it was like to fight an incomprehensible evil inside his own mind. The 'Keybeast' even operated in the same way Victor did, if the description was any indication. Levi would never forget the ways that the British apparition attacked him in his dreams. Whispering in his sleep about how he would destroy everything he knew and loved. How he would watch as Victor spilled Taryn's blood...

Mark my words, Bartholomew. I will ruin you. I will destroy you.

One mistake, and you lose everything

You will watch as I tear her limb from limb.

It is inevitable.

YOU WILL NOT HOLD ME BACK FOREVER, BARTHOLOMEW!

Levi inhaled sharply. He let the breath out shakily. "I...uh...sorry. It's still a tough subject for me".

He took a moment to regain his composure.

"I know how it feels, Jason. Victor tormented me in my dreams for years. Constantly eroding away at my will, trying to take control. And as you know, he's succeeded more than once. I've only been able to regain control of my body after he's taken a severe beating, when he was weakened and vulnerable. But even then, I never stopped fighting him. I think it damn near killed me, but I fought Victor until the very end".

"I guess that's what I can say to you. No matter how grim it looks, never stop resisting the Keybeast. The moment you resign yourself to failure is the moment it wins. If meditation isn't working as well, double your efforts. You at least have a voice of reason in your head as well. I had to face Victor alone. And if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask me. If you need someone to meditate with, spar with, whatever, I'm here. I know what it's like. And it's something you definitely don't want to face alone".

 

[tsatoma]

"That still seems pretty steep though Rich. I'm sure it can be lowered," Garrus replied after he made a quick call, standing up and announcing to everyone, "Listen up, we have a mission. Seemingly our favorite mad scientist is causing a ruckus over in Kent. From what I was told there are numerous 'unidentified flying vehicles' spotted around his house, though most of them have parked if the information is right. The way the officer described it makes it sound like a party or some sort. I guess we'll see what's going on. We leave in ten."

----

"Tommy brought up something that could potentially work with some time. Imagine the Promenade being able to just fix itself...it could be the best thing ever if it's done. It will probably take some time though, but it should be worth it in the end," Leland replied quite cheerfully, his expression changing when he heard his brother's announcement.

"Seriously? Well I won't be joining you guys, at least not immediately. Do you want me to drop by once my meeting is done?" he asked his brother who nodded. Turning back to Katie, Leland continued with an amused smile, "Guess something will be happening today. Let's just hope it's a routine check and not anything worse."