Society of Justice 3: Crisis on the Earth

[Lizmichi]

"Let's just keep going guys. We can't stop now, Victor is a bigger issue then the dark Leland. Go wet your bed while and big kids fix this." Alex said with some venom in her words. She was tired of trying to make nice with Leland. There was no use in trying so fuck it.

 

[CounterAttack]

"Alex... not now," Katie quickly interjected, putting herself between the water-controller and Leland to prevent them from coming to blows. "Both of you, just focus on the task at hand. No offence to either of you, but Levi's wellbeing is more important than your little feud." Turning to Leland, she added, "That's kinda what the Society is about, really. Overcoming obstacles. Can you do that? If not for yourself, then for Levi?"

 

[NeoAC]

Brian finally woke up and looked around. He definitely wasn't in Kansas anymore. Or maybe he was, it was that dingy and grimy. Only an orphanage stood in front of him. He could hear voices though. The others must be around. "Damn it. Knew I should have been quicker getting out."

He got up and dusted himself as he headed inside the orphanage. The others were fighting. Katie was trying to quell it but it didn't look like it was working. Once again it looked like Canada would have to play peacemaker. "Yeah, for fucks sake guys," he told them, no accent present here. "You guys can have your little catfight outside someone's mind. Right now, let's just do what we're supposed to and get out of here. Oh and thanks for that hit Tyson. Remind me to spike your next ten drinks with laxative or something."

 

[blaze96]

"Alex there is no need to worry about me. At worst Leland has to emergency teleport my ass out of here." Richard said before Alex made her comment about Leland as he caught up to the others.

"I have to agree with Katie, let's just focus on the job." He decided to take somewhere in the middle of the group, if for no other reason than if they were ambushed he wouldn't be killed.

 

[socialtangent]

As the double doors creaked open, the sound of laughter suddenly stopped, as quickly as it had begun. The room momentarily returned to its tomb-like silence until another quiet sound broke the silence. It was fainter than the laughter, but upon closer listening, it sounded like...crying. A small child crying. Judging from the sound, it appeared to be coming from down the hallway. If one looked down the hallway hard enough, they could see a small figure curled up against the wall in the darkness.

 

[RBMidknight]

'Electric girl?' Taryn was a little unsettled by what appeared to be two Jasons talking to her. "Um?" she picked the one that was Jason sans-suit. "I'm not sure, really but-" she stopped speaking as she noticed Garrus opening the double doors. "It looks like we're going that way." Taryn finished. She nodded toward the now-open door.

Taryn started to walk toward the open doorway then paused. "Wait." Turning around, Taryn held up her hand. "I have to ask. Why are there two of you now?" she pointed to the suit-clad and regular Jason then continued walking toward the door.

 

[tsatoma]

Leland turned and opened his mouth to go off on a rant to Alex when Katie got in the way and numerous members told them to don't even start. He muttered something about how, even though he didn't like Alex since the Battle Royale, since then he hasn't said or done anything harmful and just preferred to completely ignore her lest something like this were to happen.

Instead he replied back to Katie, "Yeah I understand the overcoming obstacles parts. It's just we're here in one of those 'anything could happen without any explanation' and that is the stuff that freaks me out. We're here for a reason though, so we'll get it done."
"So are you willing to head down there where that creepy, sad child is?" Garrus asked as he first noticed the small child, getting a stern 'no' as a reply.

As Garrus took a step towards the hallway where the crying child was, Ethan pushed him aside and walked down it (doing his best to do a brave stride). Once he neared the child close enough he made a light

beep

sound to try to get it's attention, raising his hands slowly to show that he meant no harm.

 

[socialtangent]

The boy stopped crying and looked up at where the beeping noise came from with a sniffle. He recoiled back at the sight of a scary-looking robot monster. Terrified and trembling, the child looked at Ethan and closed his eyes in fear. "W-who are you? Are you why everyone's gone?" he asked timidly while looking away. With his face in the (sparse) light, the group could see that this boy couldn't be any older than seven years old with short brown hair. He was wearing what could have been this orphanage's uniform, albeit in dismal condition. His shirt and trousers were barely being held together by random patches of sewn-on fabric.

 

[Pm0n3y]

The two followed behind her, Taking turns to explain to her about the separation anxiety.

"Well, in my Mindscape, Erebus and I are two separate entities, sharing my body. When Victor started his siege on Levi's mind, I activated Erebus in defense, just in case Victor actually succeeded. Having doing this, I was concentrated on him, linking us consciously. With me concentrating on him, while entering Levi's Mindscape, brought him through with me. That, and we can't really be connected while in the Mindscape anyways, since it would be like having thoughts inside of thoughts." Jason educatedly informed the Technopath, Erebus taking this turn to talk.

"And since i'm not human, the only way I would appear in the Mindscape would be as the way you see Jason when he's using me. It also explains why I have a gruff, manly voice, and why Jason still sounds like a scrawny soprano."

"Ero, you know damn well that I have the voice of an experienced tenor." Jason spoke defensively, attempting to deepen his voice, before turning his attention back to the task at hand. Jason walked up to Ethan and the boy, kneeling down to the frightened youngling.

"Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you. We're here to help. What's your name?" He asked, reaching out to him, in attempts to help him up.

 

[RBMidknight]

Taryn listened, nodding occasionally, as Jason and his counterpart explained themselves. She smiled briefly at their bickering before her attention was caught by the small child. 'What is he doing here?' Taryn wondered. She walked in a slow half-circle around the child to give the others space. Taryn remained silent as Jason attempted to talk with the boy. 'This is no place for a child.' she thought. Taryn tilted her head as she looked at the boy's tattered clothes and appearance.

 

[socialtangent]

The boy took Jason's hand and stood up slowly. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and saw a perfectly normal looking man...with a lot of other weirder looking people. Although the light of the hallway was dim, the green of his eyes was clearly visible. Avoiding eye contact with Jason, the boy opted to look at the ground. "Bartholomew...sir," he said after some hesitation. "But I really don't like that name".

 

[Lizmichi]

"Richard I won't back down on standing by you. I love you and I can watch my back and yours." Alex said to Richard refusing to change her mind. She then looked at Katie and sighed. "Fine you have a point." she said reluctantly and crossed her arms.

"God will you two just kiss and make up already guys god." Eric said sounding pissed. "I'm sick of you two acting like this. Leland ignoring Alex and Alex pulling shit like this." Eric said about ready to lose his cool.

 

[CounterAttack]

"No need for that, Eric, just as long as Alex and Leland can remain at least civil towards one another, if not polite," Katie said, taking her boyfriend by the hand and leading him into the building after the others. It seemed they had found someone, though she didn't know who.

[hr]

Rowan was further ahead, standing a few feet behind Taryn, Jason and Erebus. He stepped forward and crouched down before the child, to talk to him at the same height. "Bartholomew, my name is Rowan. We need your help, we're looking for a guy named Victor. Have you seen anyone else around here recently? Someone you don't know who isn't one of us?"

 

[RBMidknight]

"Bartholomew...sir...But I really don't like that name"."

Taryn made a small startled sound but quickly put her hand up to her mouth to mask it. She bit her lip and very slowly stepped to one side. Her foot slid against glass as it landed but she paid no attention to the ground. Her attention was fixed on the boy. As the child's face came into her view Taryn glimpsed a familiar shade of green eyes.

'Bartholomew...' "...Levictus Harland." Taryn whispered quietly with her mouth still partially covered. She lowered her hand mechanically and out of the corner of her eye saw Rowan join the group of people surrounding the child. The...

'Levi.'

 

[Pm0n3y]

Jason's eyes widened as the boy said who he was. The gleam in his scared, green eyes only confirmed his thoughts. The more he looked at him, the more he was able to see the resemblance.

"Called it." Erebus said from behind Jason, clapping his claws together. Jason slowly let go of the boy's hand once he stood up straight. He stood next to Rowan, who began questioning the young Leviticus.

"You think he's heard of Victor at this point in his life?" Jason quietly asked the shapeshifter as he looked on, still somewhat astonished at the revelation.

 

[socialtangent]

The young Levi backed up slightly from the two strangers mentioning something about a "Victor" and stared at them in confusion. "I...I don't know who you're talking about...I don't know anybody named Victor..." he said, debating whether to tell these strange people something else. The child took a deep breath, obviously reluctant to reveal what he was about to say. "But there was a bad man that went through here, a few hours ago...he made everyone disappear and everything turn old and dark...and scary," he said, tears welling in his eyes.

"I think he was the Devil. He had black eyes and a really deep voice...there's nobody else he could be..." he added fearfully.

 

[blaze96]

"Why am I not shocked at either of these revelations?" Richard mumbled sarcastically before turning to Erebus.

"Well we are in his mind. Who else would we run into? Honestly I'm rather surprised anyone would by shocked by this information. Oh, we never did get to formally meet, you being only in his head and all. Richard Masterson." Richard said as he switched one sword so that both were being held in one hand as he held his arm out to shake Erebus'...well, claw.

 

[RBMidknight]

'The Devil. Fits better then Victor. So there used to be people. And this place wasn't always so run down.' Taryn sidestepped to remain in line with Bartholomew but maintained some distance between herself and the boy.

"Hey..." Taryn said gently. "It's okay. We're here to help." she glanced at Jason and Rowan and the others behind them. Richard appeared to be greeting Erebus. 'Well, some of us anyway.' Taryn shook her head and focused back on the boy. "Do you know which way this...Devil went?" she asked.

 

[CounterAttack]

Looking up at Jason, Rowan answered, "The recount makes sense if Victor's taking control. If he's gaining power over parts of Levi's mind, then we've gotta find him sooner rather than later."

Something else struck Rowan as a bit of a cliché, but it needed to be asked in addition to Taryn's question. After a second to word it properly, he looked back at Bartholomew and asked, "Also, do you know why you're still here when everyone else just went away? That could be a big help to us."

 

[tsatoma]

Ethan had backed up when the small child recoiled at the sight of him, letting Jason and Taryn do the talking as he stayed back.

"It's alright Ethan, it's not your fault children are scared of you. Not sure if there is a way to fix that or anything though..." Garrus muttered to his brother as they watched as the child revealed who he was and who had caused this, deciding to just stay out of it for now and let the others get the information they'd need.