Society of Justice 3: Crisis on the Earth

[tsatoma]

Garrus opened his eyes to see gray clouds above him, the sight of them making him somewhat uneasy. He slowly lifted himself up, looking around to see the others unconscious around him, except Leland who was sitting on the pavement in front of the orphanage.

"Ah glad to see someone is awake," Leland said as he walked over and helped his brother up, patting him on the back, "Well what do you think? Not that much different than real life is it?"
"You're certainly right about that. I mean, it feels different but I can't put my finger on what it is," Garrus replied as he was led over to the pavement and took as seat, "And why are we here? At the orphanage I mean? And why is it all gloomy?"

"That is something we will learn in time Garrus. Until then we wait for everyone else to wake up," Leland explained simply, focusing on the others in front of him while Garrus focused on his surroundings.

 

[Lefthandofgod]

McPhearson came about quickly, desperately searching in vain for his last drink. "Great. I'm sober again. Seven seconds in this place and I fucking hate it here. Why are you assholes always trying to keep me sober?" Unfortunately, McPhearson took to sobriety like an octopus takes to sushi.

 

[RBMidknight]

Taryn woke up and blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings. 'Did it work?' She sat up slowly and looked around at the neighborhood. 'I guess so. Where. No, what is this?' she wondered. Taryn leaned her head back to look at the large building. 'Wait.'

As Taryn stood up she noticed Garrus and Leland were also awake. She scowled and turned when she heard Steven complaining. 'He could have stayed asleep.' she thought darkly. Ignoring the new recruit Taryn took a step toward the orphanage. She read the sign twice then gestured to it and the building.

"This is Levi's...this is where he was raised." she said.

 

[Pm0n3y]

Jason awoke from his most recent state, uncrossing his legs and rising to his feet. He gave a quick shout-out to his armor, expecting no response.

"Figures." He said shortly.

"Interesting place..." Was the answer in return. Jason spun on his heel to see his armor, scanning the surroundings.

"Erebus? How'd you get linked into Levi's Mindscape?" He asked

"You still had me activated when Magic Man made the jump. So I was involuntarily yanked into here instead of having more headroom to myself." He answered, Jason looking down at his (now) bare arms.

"Crap. That must mean i'm vulnerable now. Whatevs. As long as Levi's conscious doesn't attack us in the form of assorted orphans and nuns, then i'll think we'll be fine." He said, he and Erebus approaching the sign and Taryn.

"Wait, what about...y'know..." Erebus whispered urgently, leaning in close.

"Well, hopefully, it should still be locked up in our Mindscape, since I can't be angry if i'm unconscious." He quaintly answered before spinning to see Garrus and Leland.

"Hey Lee, how're we gonna get out if you're in here? Do we wake up if we die in here, or is the Doc setting up some kicks for us, or..." He asked, leaving it open for answer.

 

[Lizmichi]

Both Alex and Eric woke up at the same time. "Damn that wasn't fun at all." Alex said getting on her feet helping Eric up. "So this is the Orphanage Levi grew up in? This must be old or Levi didn't have good memories from his life there." Alex said walking over to the building and put her hand on it.

Eric got up shortly after Alex walked over to the Orphanage. "Any ideas where we go from here? I don't know minds like Alex does but I don't think this is were Victor will be." he said looking at the others.

 

[tsatoma]

"Well we don't really have kicks here sadly. However if you do 'die' then you'll just be in a coma...in the real world I mean, so try not to die. On the other hand, if I die then that means we all get stuck in 'limbo' to steal a term, and that would be very bad," Leland replied calmly, looking at the orphanage and muttering about how he really liked the name 'Theodore'. "It comes from the Greek word 'Theodorus', which means 'god's gift'," he mused before being interrupted by Garrus.

"So how do we get out?" he asked with a slight chuckle.
"Well once our goal is accomplished it will be easy to get us all out. We'll just wake up in the infirmary," Leland replied with a slight smirk.
"I see...so this is where Levi grew up Taryn? That's kinda sad. Are we going to see other important places to Levi?" Garrus asked.
"We might. It all depends. It is common though to have multiple settings of importance in your mind, though sometimes that isn't the case and it's just your whole mindscape 'theme'," Leland responded, opening and closing the gate to the orphanage as he waited for the others to awake.

 

[Captainguy42]

Tommy awoke with out much trouble or discomfort, he was starting to get accustomed to these out f body experiences.
" Inside I suppose, we need to get to the part of Levi's psyche where Victor is being held." Tommy replied to Alex as he opened the orphanage's door and held it open for the others.
" Mindscapes are interesting places no two are ever alike, that also means getting around them is always different too. However nothing is random, everything has some sort of meaning to Levi otherwise he wouldn't remember it, so in other wards if we are starting here it's for a reason."

 

[blaze96]

Richard woke up to find that he had not gotten his suit while others kept their powers and abilities. After making fully sure he had been left in the stuff he had on him back at the infirmary he spoke.

"Honestly? You'd think Levi's fucking imagination or mental defenses or whatever the fuck it is would give me SOMETHING TO WORK WITH OTHER THAN A GOD DAMN BUSINESS SUIT AND A WALLET! YOU HEAR ME YOU RAT BASTARD, I'M GOING INTO YOUR GOD DAMN MIND TO FIGHT THE ULTIMATE EVIL AND ALL YOU LEAVE ME IS MY FUCKING FISTS?! I SWEAR TO GOD IF I RUN INTO YOU HERE I WILL BEAT THE HIGH HOLY HELL OUT OF YOU!" Richard shouted to the false sky before looking to the others.

"Well great, does anyone have any kind of blade for me to fucking use, preferably two?" he asked.

 

[socialtangent]

As Tommy opened the heavy wooden door to the orphanage, the faint sound of children's laughter could be heard echoing from a distance. The interior was every bit as gloomy and worn down as the outside, with exposed wooden planks and peeled wallpaper. The main room looked like some kind of reception area, perhaps where visitors were once processed. The wood of the desk was rotting and caked with a thick layer of dust. The light fixtures were non functional, their glass shattered and sprinkled on the dirty floor. Past the reception desk, there was a double door that, upon looking through the glass, looked like it lead to a hallway. Beyond the desk, the room was decorated with various pieces of Catholic imagery, all of them old and decaying. Bronze figures of Jesus hanged on the walls, covered in dust. Paintings of the Virgin Mary were faded and falling apart. Just as it was outside, the room was deathly silent, save for the continuing sound of faint children's laughter.

 

[Lefthandofgod]

"I can help you there," McPhearson replied to Richard. "You won't be able to fly, but..." He focused on Richard for a moment and a glowing replica of his armor, with two swords at his side. "This armor should come in handy here. It has no weight, so you won't be slowed down when using the swords. Just be careful at the joints. Its a little weaker there to compensate for flexibility." He flexed his hands for a moment. "The damm numbness is getting worse. Take care of that armor. I won't be able to fix it and keep myself protected, unless I find a way to get electricity back into my system."

 

[elementsoul]

Everything went black for Tyson. A loud scream in the back of his head woke him up. Tyson's vision was blinded with a white light. He started blinking and the sky started to fade in. Once it appeared clear Tyson sat up and took in his surroundings. If it wasn't for that orphanage sign written in English I would have sworn this was Bosnia. Looking at everyone Tyson saw Tommy wanting to move forward into the building, Leland and Garrus talking on a curb, Richard wearing light armor that screamed, "look at me and shoot here!" with Steven talking to him, and Alex and Eric kind of standing around.

After getting up Tyson approached Garrus and Leland and waited for an opening after there conversation to talk. "Leland, if I extend my powers past my point of control I'll need you to remove me from Levi's mind. Can I count on you to do this?"

 

[blaze96]

"This will work for me. Thank you." Richard said as he tested the blade and found it to have the balance and speed one would expect out of a rapier, with two he could at least parry and strike at once. It would come in handy. He looked to the sky before shouting again.

"SEE AT LEAST SOMEBODY KNOWS HOW TO GIVE SOMEONE TRYING TO HELP THEM THE PROPER EQUIPMENT TO DO SO!"

 

[Lizmichi]

Alex walked up to Richard and sighed. "I'll stay near as well love." Alex said determined to make sure Richard would be safe through out the entire mission. She refused to let him sway her from her choice and she damn well wouldn't let anything happen to Richard. "I don't give a shit what you're going to say Richard I'm fighting next to you." Alex said.

 

[tsatoma]

"Why certainly Tyson, though you'd have to give me some sign when you want that to happen. You'll probably feel a bit groggy when you wake up too, just letting you know," Leland replied, watching as Garrus helped the recently awoken Ethan to his feet. He followed them to the inside of the orphanage, hanging back before deciding to just stay outside in the front.

"I think I'd rather you guys go in. I'm fine out here, you know...yeah," Leland told them with nervousness in his voice, keeping himself from looking inside.
"Is now really the time to be a big chicken Leland? It's not that scary," Garrus replied, shaking his head and rolling his eyes as he knelt down to examine one of the fallen Jesus figures. He blew some dust off of it before leaving it there, looking at the double-doors and saying that they might head through there.

"You do that guys. I'll stay here and such," Leland said, taking a seat on the steps and keeping his back against something.

 

[CounterAttack]

"Leland... sweetie, we're gonna need all the help we can get," Katie said gently, taking a seat next to him and looking up at him. She had woken up around the same time as Jason, immediately checking to see if her powers were still operational by weaving herself a suit of armour from a patch of overgrown grass. "I don't know if you're scared or whatever it is, but you know Victor. He's been a... well, a nuisance to fight in the past, for lack of a better word. And you haven't been a deciding factor in either of those fights. Imagine what you could do to him with your power."

[hr]

Rowan was late to wake up after Leland blasted him into unconsciousness, groaning and shuffling around on the ground before he got up. "What in the world... Oh dear God," he murmured, looking up at the orphanage. "Reminds me of a boss battle I played once. That didn't go so well. Anyways. Since we're here now, let's do it," he added, walking over to join the others. "Oh, wait. I should probably check something..."

With that, he turned to a broken window nearby, clapped one hand to the side of his head and fired off a short psychic bolt. What was left of the window shattered and fell in pieces. "Excellent. Anyways, we've got a job to do."

 

[RBMidknight]

'Yelling, destruction, and fluorescent armor.' With a sigh Taryn finished walking toward the orphanage. Her boots kicked up dust as she stepped into the worn down building. Taryn mentally added Richard to the seemingly growing lists of "teammates" to keep away from Levi. But one part of Richard's rant made Taryn wonder about something. Was Levi here, in this 'world' somewhere? Would they see him? Could they find him?

It was then that Taryn felt Levi's absence keenly. Ordinary when the team was on a mission, he'd be close by. But now...Taryn shook her head and focused on a random bronze statue. Everyone was in Levi's mind. Maybe he could be found but they needed to figure out what this building, this neighborhood was for. Taryn slowly swept her gaze around the room and tried to picture what it may have looked before. She began walking around the outer edge of the reception area. She slid pieces of glass to one side with the edge of her boot. Taryn flinched and half-turned when she suddenly noticed the spooky sound of laughter. 'That's...creepy.' she thought.

 

[Pm0n3y]

"Yeah, this place does give off a 'Silent Hill' vibe, doesn't it?" Jason replied to Rowan before he tested his powers.

Following Tommy and Taryn into the building, Jason and Erebus curiously scanned the dingy, dimly lit building, the two instantly raising their defenses as the eerie sound of innocent laughter bounced and reverberated from the walls of the vacant orphanage. Eventually getting over the sound, they continued to move.

"So, Levi lived here when he was younger? I hope it was in better shape back then. This place just looks downright unhealthy." Jason stated, Erebus nodding in agreement. The two stopped at Taryn as she jumped from the sound of absent frolicking children.

"So Electric Girl, where do you think Levi would have us go next?" Erebus asked, mistakenly stepping on a shard of glass, the sound of the crunch echoing loudly.

"Yeah. Like Tommy said, Levi obviously has us here for a reason. Maybe we need to find something...?" Jason added, scanning the room once more.

 

[tsatoma]

Leland was silent as he listened to Katie, nodding halfheartedly as she spoke about needing all the help they could get. "Y-yeah I understand that...it's just as Jason said this place has 'Silent Hill' written all over it," he said as he stood up and entered the orphanage once again, "I guess this isn't too bad...you know I think my fear of, well fear, all started way back whe-"

"Please don't try and say it all started with some small thing. We all know that it started when you were eight and you decided to watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Eraserhead, Jacob's Ladder, The Shining, and The Thing all overnight when mom was going to be gone and told you not to watch anything scary. And that turned out well didn't it? How many years did it take you to even be able to sleep in your own room without being scared?" Garrus asked after interrupting his brother.

"Four...though to not be afraid of my room at night it took a few more..." Leland replied with a frown, deciding to man up and head over to the double doors where his brother was at. "Hah, I guess it isn't that bad," he said as he looked through the glass on the doors before hearing the sound of children laughing and immediately trying to run the hell back out.

"Oh no you don't," Garrus said as he grabbed ahold of Leland and kept him from running out, saying, "Look just calm down and give us a light in here so that we can continue exploring, though if the flashlights follow us we may not need to use it that much." Leland nodded and raised his hand, a bluish light emitting from it.
"There, now let's go explore and don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen," Garrus said aloud to everyone as he opened the double doors.
"Oh god we're doomed," Leland groaned as he was pushed inside the room by Garrus who followed him in.

 

[elementsoul]

"Suck it up Princess. You already agreed to get me out of here if need be and to do that you have to stay in my general vicinity." Tyson said walking past the scared Leland. The sounds of children laughing didn't bother Tyson as we walked into the building. Looking around the little of the room Tyson could see nothing set off any indicators of anything hostel. "Maybe he didn't bring us here. Maybe this was just a past memory he was thinking of when Leland brought us into his mind." Tyson suggested as he walked forward.

I wonder if this will work like it does in the movies. "Little children! I was wondering if you could help us out? We were playing a game of hide and go seek with Levi. He's the last one hiding so we need to tell him he won. Do any of you know where he is so we can tell him he can stop hiding?" Tyson announce into the darkness of the building hearing it echo out through the darkness.