The Boomerang Patient

It had been a long time since Elliot had seen a city like Illium. True even with its shiny new futuristic towers it still wasn't what it had once been, but since the destruction of the San Antonio facility over half a decade ago, all he'd seen was ruins, and trading towns on the border between the ruins and civilization. He might have spent his whole life doing moving salvage without any real aim or purpose, that was until he had stumbled across an appropriately inactive DEAD drone while salvaging an old radio tower. It looked fairly new which surprised the salvager, frankly he thought the organization would have been long gone by now; after their disastrous fortune at the hands of the Omegas. Curious to see if any of the old Agency was still around, he loaded the drone into his rusty truck covered in spikes and barbed wire, and headed for Illium where he recalled their old headquarters was located. DEAD raised him, the least he could do was bring them their drone back, besides agency technology falling into some random mad scientist's hands out in the wasteland could spell disaster. As bad as things were they could always get worse. So that was why, in a truck coated in rust and blood, Elliot found himself driving into the new city of the future.

For the uninitiated, especially those who hadn't seen a city of such scale before, Illium was nothing short of a wonder. The skyline was something to behold, shining crystal spires rising up above the clouds, looking as though they could almost scrape the moon itself. Holograms, massive illusions of color and light, floated from the surfaces of these impossible buildings, displaying brand names, advertisements, and local news bulletins. While the darkness of the sky would occasionally be broken up by the floating silhouette of an airship. Meanwhile, the streets below teemed with all the movement and population of bees, people of all different colors and creeds going about their lives and barely looking up at the wonders that surrounded them. Yet what they did notice, was the truck in the street that looked like it had just ripped out of a Mad Max movie.

Elliot drove nice and carefully through the city streets, he didn't want to get pulled over on account of not having a license which he had gathered was something of a big deal in cities like this one. He knew that if he had to go through the police force with violence he could, but didn't want to by any means. If they did stop him he was willing to get out and walk if he had to, but he wasn't going in a cell. With luck no one would want to tangle with the man in a gas mask and ragged armor driving a wasteland death machine. If they did, well then at least he couldn't fault their bravery. Only their good sense or lack there of. As for the city; it was a beauty to be sure, but it was rather amazing to see people getting on with their lives as if the Omegas didn't exist, as if they couldn't all be snuffed out in an instant, building monuments destined to fall.

As he made his way through he got to see a bit more of the downtown city for himself. The area was packed with all sorts of activities he'd probably never even partaken in before, towering art museums, sleek nightclubs that filled the air with music, and huge monuments to the city that had come before this one. The largest of which being a massive shining black obelisk that seemed to be marked with the names of victims. Yet none of this was what he was looking for, D.E.A.D procedure meant that safehouses were always in areas that were inconspicuous, the kind of place you'd never take a second look at. But with a city as new and bustling as this, that was probably harder to come by then one would think.

Elliot wasn't easily deterred as to give up by a myriad of fascinating sights, he looked for a generic office building. It would likely be in one of the older styles so as to look less impressive, or in one of the new budget styles. It was going to look like the last place one would expect to find a shady government agency base. While he had an old list of company names for which it might be labeled under those were from before the Omegas, and he wouldn't be surprised if DEAD had changed those, after the destruction of so many facilities.

With that knowledge in mind, eventually, he found himself on a street that seemed to be near exclusively office buildings of one kind or another. From there it wasn't hard to pick out the most generic of them all, an uninspiring bland square-shaped office building that seemed to be closed. Sitting by the front door of the establishment was a small brick sign that read 'Orme Family Insurance'..bingo.

Bearing in mind how distinctively generic it Ironically was, Elliot brought his truck to a stop in the parking lot. Truth be told he looked as much trouble outside of the truck as in it with his strange fallout like attire, and gas mask that showed neither face nor eyes. He locked the doors of his truck, and covered the drone in the back with a steel covering which he padlocked down, before heading to the door of the office building. He didn't want any local kids or something getting the idea to steal the robotic drone riddled with advanced, and frankly rather dangerous technology. He approached the door of the company to see it was closed. In reaction to this inconvenience, he walked around to the back door and slammed his boot into it, kicking it right open. Elliot knew someone was going to be there, probably in the sub level, it was just going to be a matter of getting their attention, and preferably not being killed doing so.

However, despite the seemingly empty street surrounding him, he was not nearly as alone as he may have thought. In point of fact, somebody was watching him. Rene folded his small portable telescope as he watched the man kick in the door from his perch on a nearby roof, confirming his suspicions. Beneath his white mouth mask, the corners of his lips turned upwards into a smirk as he prepared for action. Without a moment's pause, he somersaulted from his perch atop the rooftop, his shadow passing over Elliot as he hurtled through the air.

Noticing the shadow of someone soaring above his head, the salvager, just went ahead, and stepped inside, eyes on the doorway behind him. Elliot didn't want to give anyone the chance to pounce on him from above, if there was going to be an ambush he'd face it inside, where he held the advantage over a more nimble foe. Regardless the masked man made his way into the building, occasionally checking behind himself. He had to get to the sub level where he could make contact with an agent, or handler.

The office building would have most likely been a bit foreign to Elliot, who most likely hadn't been inside an (unruined) building of this type for quite a while. However, it didn't take too long to find an elevator. Meanwhile, his pursuer was hot on his trail, hand sitting near the hilt of his blade as he dashed after Elliot.

Perfect, now there was some maniac with a sword chasing him down at the speed of a motorcycle. Well he wasn't getting into an elevator while someone with a sword was behind him, that was frankly just asking them to cut the suspension wires and send him plummeting toward serious injury at best. With that in mind Elliot decided to face his pursuer. A cold darkness began to surround his left hand which he held up forming a wall of shifting and writhing as energy between them; as Elliot requested of the charging swordsman "Hold a moment there's no need get violent..."

Rubber soles slid against the carpet as Rene came to a sudden stop, hand still on the hilt of the sword strapped to his back " Oh? Mind explaining why you kicked in the door of the place mon ami? That seems quite violent to me." The swordsman replied with a quizzical tilt of his head.

"Last I checked violence against hinges was several levels beneath charging someone with a sword, but perhaps the customs are different here." Elliot Glibly remarked, and didn't let the wall between them fall quite yer. "Unfortunately I'm on official business, and can't really explain why I'm here, but I'd still rather not have to fight you; now you seem like a trigger happy hero sort so here's what I'm offering. I need to speak to an associate of mine I have reason to suspect is in this building, you can follow me and make sure I don't steal anything or hurt anyone."

"Swords don't even have triggers" The swordsman replied flatly, slowly drifting his hand away from his blade and not seeming all too surprised by the wall of dark energy " Hard to buy you're on 'official business' if I'm to be completely honest, one would think if you were meant to be here you could get in without damaging property no?" He pointed out "Plus, walls of dark writhing energy? All seems quite...I don't know, how you say, super-villainy."

"I believe the word for that is profiling. It's not as if I was given offered a choice of superpowers to choose from one day, it's just how I was born." Elliot calmly explained, as he slowly let down the wall as the man's hand moved away from his blade "The short of it is there is an organization I believe is based here, that I... well let's just say used to have connections with before the Omega incident. I thought they were all dead, and now I'm here to return some of their technology I found in the wasteland. I could be wrong, and if I am I'll leave quietly and I'll even fix the door."

"Oh, it's most definitely profiling yes." Rene admitted shamelessly and with an almost audible smirk, yet made no move towards him regardless and seemed to listen intently to what Elliot had to say "You're telling the truth, or you're a very good liar. Suppose there's no way to tell just yet eh?...Go on go on, make your delivery homme d'el lombre." He said and waved his gloved hand dismissively, as though shooing off a child.

"Alright, if you're going to keep an eye on me, they'd be in a hidden sub level so into the elevator we go..." Elliot said as he stepped into the elevator entering the date of the agency's founding on the elevator panel. "By the way, let me do the talking down there, I doubt they're expecting anyone, so expect a few guns pointed our way." Frankly this sounded shady even to him, but he didn't want the sword man to think it was some kind of ambush.

This was suspicious as hell, and part of him wanted to just call it off, he felt like he was stepping into a situation a bit too complex for his first night on patrol. But he knew he wouldn't, his pride was too strong, couldn't just run off like a coward. For a moment he didn't move, seemingly taking a moment to size Elliot up. But eventually, he relented with a nod and followed the wastelander into the elevator.

As Elliot entered what he suspected was the code to take them down to the sub level and the doors closed behind them, he gave small talk a shot with the strange swordsman "So do you do this hero thing often, I'm new in town but I thought they all bit the dust fighting the Omegas."

"And you thought no one would show up to replace them?" He replied indignantly, arms folded behind his back. Taking in a clipped breath, Rene mentally prepared himself for any sort of ambush or attack as the elevator began to descend. This situation was taking a turn for the strange rather quickly, and he wanted to be ready for anything. After all, he was already riding an elevator into the secret sub-level of a building he'd never been in before with a complete stranger who seemed to have some form of the shadow magic. If that wasn't a sign tonight was going to be quite peculiar, the swordsman didn't exactly know what was.

Yet the elevator ride was long, peculiarly so in fact, as there seemed to be floor after floor to pass through, so reluctantly he decided to engage in some small talk himself "So, how do you do that thing you did with the shadows? You some kind of demon or witch breed?" The swordsman questioned with an almost accusatory tone in his Parisian lilt.

"The thought that most sane individuals would want to avoid the attentions of the Omegas had crossed my mind." Elliot responded as his Affirmative to the indignant swordsman, he didn't fully understand the indignation, but the man had made a fair enough point he supposed. Rarely did people learn their lesson the first time, and Elliot honestly saw that as a point in their favor, not against them. "I don't know what the deal is with them to be honest, I grew up institutionalized, and didn't know my parents or what happened to them. I know I'm not some kind of demon or mystic; there were a few of those in the facility I grew up in. I suppose the main thing I know about them, is that when you look up into the night sky, and see a tranquil and still darkness... that's just your mind playing tricks on you. The night sky writhes and whispers, and there is no safety in the great void beyond the stars.

Rene smiled beneath his mask at the words, pleasantly surprised by the sudden bit of prose "How morbidly poetic." He remarked with an appreciative nod "You make me feel embarrassed monsieur l'ombre, I just have a sword." Was that a vast simplification? Yes, but Rene liked to keep his cards firmly pressed to his chest.

For a while there was naught but silence in the small elevator car, as the two strangers descended to who knows where. Then suddenly a shrill ding broke the symphony of quiet breaths and Rene snapped to attention, steely blue eyes snapping to the floor indicator above the door. Displayed on the small square was no floor number, but a symbol, a black O split horizontally in two by a line in the middle. "You think we've arrived?" Yet before he could even finish the question the doors began to open, revealing a long black hallway, the darkness broken up by cones of white light projected by lamps on the roof. The hallway was long, and on each of its sides were a variety of doors, each ever so slightly different in design, and at the end was an open doorway that seemed to lead on into the sub-level.

"And you run at speeds more comparable to a motor vehicle than a human." Elliot added as a reminder that if the swordsman was trying to hide that he had powers outside of a sword, he had already seen at least one of them; bluntly he added a moment later in reference to the "Poetic" statement. "Honestly I hadn't meant it to be that poetic, just don't go into space friend there's some crazy shit out there." As they stopped and the symbol appeared Elliot gave a nod toward his companion "Yeah seems like the logo alright, keep your hand away from your sword, and prepare to either have a firing squad or something to that effect to meet us, I'll give my designation and that should settle them down a bit..." Elliot explained to the swordsman how he figured this would probably go down. He wanted to make sure the person with him didn't make any rash decisions and get himself shot. He had never done this before, but the swordsman didn't exactly need to know that, did he? Elliot did his best, which was fortunately quite well to seem casual and confident about this situation even though in reality he had no idea what he was doing aside from just completely winging it.

Normally Rene would chide himself for being reckless, but at the time it seemed as though enhanced speed would've been to his benefit. " If not, then it would be good to prepare for a fight." Rene replied smoothly, fingers twitching a bit in apprehension. He didn't like it but, if things went to hell, shadow man would be his only backup. Besides, he was just a little too curious at all this to turn back, for good or ill.

Suddenly, as they began to near the door, there was a loud 'click' and without any more warning, the floor fell out from beneath them!

In response to the floor giving out Elliot sprung into action as best he could. He had done a lot of climbing in his salvaging career, and with that had come a lot of falling, do something enough and you get an instinct for it. Beneath them as they fell Elliot made a blob of soft padding, a cushioning mass of writhing darkness that essentially acted as a mattress, but with the added benefit of being a bit creepy, disturbing, and honestly more than a little invasive as cold shadowy tendrils brushed over their skin upon landing. Still most people would agree it beat hitting the ground.