Shaking off the rust

This technically belongs in the FF/RP forum, but Matt was posting stories here just a few days ago

So I used to write quit a bit on the FF/RP forums back in the day. I used to have the best time writing and discussing writing with Jaffa and Cez.

Unlike Cez though, I've never really been committed to seeing something through. And I haven't actually written anything for years. But November is NaNoWriMo and while I'm way behind on the goal of 1667 words per day at least I've managed to churn out around 2500 so far. So it's encouraging for me to try and give it another go, and to try and work through something.

While writing I can definitely feel the rust, some of what's written is downright clunky, but if I can get it all done I'd consider this a first draft to be edited anyway. So hopefully you guys might consider reading it and hopefully enjoy it. We'll see how far I get this time.

Chapter 1

The city of Aria, Oregon has a reputation for being a less than desirable tourist destination at the best of times. Today however, you'd be forgiven for questioning why anyone actually lived here. It was small, cluttered and devoid of any real skyline to speak of; construction had stopped almost as soon as it began only ten short years ago. The final product was a mix of crumbling tenements all tightly packed together with large, run-down estates on the outskirts.
Very few people did live in Aria; very few even knew it existed. It was hidden away in the mountains a far way off California Highway 96. Every time someone added it to a map it was removed just as quickly. Still, a few thousand people had gathered there over time. Most were government employees working right in the heart of the city.
A massive storm roared overhead, the streets were being relentlessly pelted with rain. The drains that lined the roads spat back out the latest of it, content to declare themselves free of any further responsibility. Only a handful of people dared wade through the streets. They all looked extremely uncomfortable, pushing ahead desperately trying to make it home; among them only one young woman looked to be having a good time.
Syndiel Noel was clad in a long, navy parka that was clearly a size too large; her jeans were barely visible between it and her large, black boots. Hazel hair poked its way outside of her hood and covered up most of a pale white face that had rarely seen the sun. Attached to her back was a small backpack that looked ready to break, straining under the pressure of whatever she'd packed inside.
The water splashed against her shins as she carefully trudged towards a building in the centre of town. This weather was to her benefit, she had arrived a few hours earlier when signs of the storm had begun to show. In any other city the infrastructure would have taken care of the matter, but here it collapsed under the weight of its own ineptitude.
She was on her way to the largest building in the city. It was an ugly thing, a giant grey monolith that only stood to worsen one's impression of the city. It could be seen for a few miles around the countryside, dwarfing all other buildings around it; the next greatest was a mere five storeys. Normally it would be surrounded by a large contingent of security. As it was now though, only a handful of men stood around its perimeter; most of them looked utterly miserable and disinterested in anything going on around them.
As Syndiel approached the building she crouched down, the water splashed against her knees. Carefully, she ducked and weaved her way between the cars on the street. As soon as the closest guard turned away, she made a move towards the nearby alleyway; Syndiel was careful not to make too much noise, but the rain drowned out most other sound regardless.
As soon as she entered she began to count the windows. Was it the fifth across or the sixth? How could she have forgotten? With a shrug she approached the fifth window across and slowly cut through it with a small laser hidden between the second and third fingers on her glove. Hoisting herself up, it was a much tighter squeeze than she'd thought. Forcing herself through, she tumbled down onto the floor below with an audible thud.
A minute passed and there was no investigation, the sound of footsteps absent outside in the hallway. Syndiel stood up and made her way across the small storage room. Her ego had taken a hit, but thankfully everything was still going according to plan.
She tossed her backpack to the floor and opened it up. Inside was a mask, an ID card and a multitude of various devices she thought she might need; things she would need if this all went south. For now though, the mask and ID card would suffice.
Glancing down at the mask, she picked it up and admired it. It had been a while since she last wore it, too long for her taste. It was standard issue in her ever-dwindling line of work; a domino mask, black, with gold trim on the outer edges and around her eyes. These personal touches were far more style than function and her mother had strongly opposed them. But what was the point in wearing a mask if you couldn't make it your own?
Syndiel slipped the mask on and covered it with the hood of her parka. Tapping a small switch on its side, she grimaced as it tightened around her face. The worst thing that could happen would be for it to fall off in the middle of a fight. Not that she was expecting to get in one.
The door creaked open and made her heart skip a few beats. She was completely out of practice. It had been a year since she'd done anything like this, but she expected better from herself. The hallway stretched out for an eternity in either direction; thankfully her bearings were one thing she did have. She'd studied the plans for the building for weeks. Every detail was firmly burned into her brain.
The building's size was deliberately manufactured as a trap. It stretched so far up that very few people would think to look down. But underground was where everything truly valuable was kept. Just one of the many reasons she'd needed to get her hands on the building's layout. Who knew a piece of paper could be so expensive? Thankfully money was of no consequence.
Syndiel sped through the labyrinth of hallways as quickly and quietly as she could. Every now and again her foot would make contact with the tiles and the sound would reverberate through the surrounding halls. The lack of security inside was interesting, but not entirely surprising. What was there to be afraid of? Everything dangerous was on the inside.
To those without the proper clearance this was Vandar industries, a highly profitable weapons research facility under a cushy government contract. Top secret research nestled out in the middle of nowhere. What demanded more secrecy than that? Underground, below the basement was a prison. No ordinary criminals were kept here; this prison housed only those that couldn't be contained by conventional means.
Every inmate rotting below Vandar Industries was extraordinary. Each one above and beyond anything once thought impossible. Syndiel had put many of them in here herself. Along with her mother she had patrolled the streets of Los Angeles that she called home. On occasion they would travel anywhere in America - on Earth even - if that was where they were needed most. Vigilantes armed only with their wits, reflexes and gross sums of money. Lots and lots of money; fill a swimming pool with hundred dollar bills for the hell of it kind of money. Unlike the prisoners here, Syndiel and her mother weren't extraordinary, they weren't superhuman. They were just Crow and Cardinal, mother-daughter crime fighting duo. Not that they ever identified themselves as relatives, but it didn't take a genius to make the connection.
And now Syndiel was here to break out someone she'd worked hard to put in. For the first time in over a year she was the Cardinal again. The black and yellow kind; certain diehard sports fans in Arizona had their grievances. She'd wrestled with doing this for the better part of three months. As her options dwindled she finally decided it was the only thing she could do. It pained her to admit it, she needed him. Her every second thought was to reassure herself that he wasn't anywhere near as dangerous as most of the others down here. He was, however, infinitely more trouble to handle.
She stopped in front of a door tucked away at the end of a hallway. Ignoring the vast number of 'warning' and 'danger' signs plastered all over it, she swiped her I.D. card on the panel to its side. It slid open with a satisfying whoosh. Wasting no time, Syndiel nearly sprinted down the stairwell inside. Around and around it twisted until finally she reached the bottom... and ran straight into a manned security desk.
"How did you get down here?" the guard asked, dropping his legs down off the desk and leaping from his chair.
"There... there's been a problem with one of the containment cells down here. I've been sent to check it out." Why was she even lying? She had just sprinted down the stairs wearing a parka and a mask; nobody would be that stupid. And this guy certainly wasn't; his hand slammed into the alarm on the wall. A few seconds passed, silence. And then the lights went out.
"Sorry, I'm quick on the draw," Syndiel said with a smirk as she pulled her hand out of her pocket. Inside was a device of her mother's invention; a small EMP capable of knocking out anything powered by electricity within fifty feet.
Suddenly everything around her was illuminated in a flash of green. A night vision mask, yet another one of her mother's brilliant ideas. Everything that had gone right today could be traced back to the Crow. Meanwhile, the blame for every blunder, misstep and outright failure lay squarely on her shoulder. She might be out of practice, but that was no excuse for this terrible showing. It was amateur hour featuring Cardinal.
The guard was reaching for his gun now. By the time he had a hand on it Syndiel had closed the gap between them. Step one: wind him; she aimed her first punch at his gut. She stuck her right leg out, ducked low, and spun on the other. This was the second step, grounding the opponent. There were more steps of course, but the guard's head had hit the floor hard and he was out cold.
Syndiel checked him for a pulse and found one. That was a relief. She'd been trained to take down her opponents non-lethally. There was a certain appeal to using a firearm. It was quicker and took less effort; her mother used to constantly remind her that everyone has a family, friends, people they care about. Still, she regularly practiced using them and had brought a tranquiliser gun if she needed it. On second thought, that might have been the better option, the guard would probably have a concussion when he woke up.
Oh well, Vandar Industries probably had a good health plan. There was no need to over think it; she had wasted enough time already. Syndiel made her way down to the end of the hall where the power was still working. Each cell had its own backup generator to act as a failsafe.
She ran her I.D. card past a scanner on the wall and entrance to the cell slid open. It was a small room split in two by a transparent containment wall designed to resist everything the prisoner could throw at it. Not that they could do much anyway. The real reason the prison was so effective was because scientists had developed a serum that prevented them from making use of their superhuman abilities.
Her target was lying down on his bed sleeping, oblivious to all that had gone one just a room away. The rooms must be soundproof she guessed. Yet another way in which these people were kept isolated from the outside world. And the world was better for it, but yet here she was. She took a step into the room and the dim lighting was replaced by an influx of near-blinding light. It took Syndiel a few seconds to recover and get her bearings. She found herself staring straight into the eyes of her former nemesis. He looked liked he'd seen a ghost.

« Last edited by TestVirus101 on Nov 6th 2014 »

Very nice, especially when you take in the fact that it has been a while for you.

Great job.

Thanks mate.

By the way if anyone is wondering where this is all going the gist of it is:

Syndiel and her mother were "Crow and Cardinal" two billionaire superheroes without superpowers i.e. a Batman and Robin-esque mother daughter duo.

About two years ago they finally locked up a guy who they could never capture due to his abilities. Now Syndiel's breaking him out so that he can use his abilities and his criminal contacts to help her track down her missing mother (one of many superheroes and villains who have been vanishing over the past year and a bit)

Thanks for the info.

I love reading that type of stuff. Never really was into comics, but loved superheroes and stories about them.

Chapter 2

This wasn't the first time Desmond Okhan had seen Cardinal in two years. He saw her frequently, when he slept, when he reminisced, whenever his mind went idle. So it wasn't too surprising to see her standing outside of his cell glaring at him. It had taken him two years to suffer a mental breakdown.
Was this good or bad? What was the average time for someone to remain sane under these conditions? How long did the average person take before they snapped and started seeing things that weren't there? She seemed so real, so lifelike... why was she wearing an oversized parka?
So there were a few quirks to this hallucination, all to be expected. It was surprising that he even remembered her as well as he did. One of the few saving graces was his access to a television. It had taken some convincing and bribery but he'd been given one. It was out of date, small and came without cable television (although that was a positive, hundreds of channels and nothing but reruns; it would have only driven him mad sooner). But the television aired the news and he hadn't seen anything about Crow and Cardinal for over a year.
"Aren't you going to say something?" he asked. "For an element of my subconscious you sure are dull Cardinal." He always found their aliases outright ridiculous. Running around answering to the name of a bird and he was the one that needed locking up? To be fair his own codename was Conductor, but it's not as if he picked it. They had, his friends, his partners in crime.
It's simple and to the point. It references your abilities, is short enough that people will remember it and, best of all, it'll make for a good headline. Picture it: 'Crow and Cardinal capture cagey Conductor'. Alliteration, journalists eat that crap up.
"Your subconscious? What the hell's wrong with you?" she said.
Desmond looked up and her expression was still as rigid as ever. It was unnerving, but she was speaking now. He was short on company, it would have to do.
"This was a terrible idea. I knew it was terrible but I told myself otherwise," Cardinal said, glancing at the door as if weighing up her options.
"What was a terrible idea?"
"I thought I needed you, that if I got you out of here you could help me find someone," she looked him up and down. The way a child does as it passes the older dogs in the pound. Sympathetically certainly, but nothing compared to the way she looks at that puppy.
The gears spun in Desmond's head. He was being promised freedom. Suddenly Cardinal was not only real; she was the most important person in the world. And she was walking out the door. "Wait!" he screamed, pounding his hands against the wall in desperation. "It was just a joke! Don't tell me you've forgotten how I love to kid around." Cardinal turned back around to face him. He smiled and to his surprise she returned it.
She approached him cautiously and placed her hand up against his on the other side of the glass. "Yes, you always did love to have fun. I can't imagine you're having too much in here though." She had all the power here and Desmond knew it.
It used to be the opposite; he was the one guy they couldn't catch. The one that got paid to break out everyone they did manage to lock up. Now he was a caged bird and she looked to be enjoying the change of pace. "Oh don't you worry about me. Everyone could use a sabbatical." He said. Playing it cool was the way to go. Convince her that he was what she had come here for, that he was the same guy that had evaded her for years. He needed to convince her that he was still of use.
There was a long pause. Desmond felt like he was being graded. Cardinal just stood in front of him running every conceivable scenario in her heard. Finally, she said "Ok, I think we can come to an agreement that will be mutually beneficial." She reached into her pocket and produced a card. It looked exactly like what the guards used to get around. "Here's the deal: I let you out and you do whatever I say."
"What are you planning to do to me?" Desmond asked with a wink and a grin he'd heard described as roguish and on occasion goofy. A matter of perspective, certainly. Cardinal rolled her eyes and once again turned to leave. "I was joking! We just went over this remember? Handsome rogue with a heart of gold and a silver tongue?" Desperation had crept back into his voice.
"One more stupid comment and I'm gone," she warned him. "I need your help finding someone. And trust me, I wouldn't be asking if I thought I had any better options. I've exhausted them. I let you out and in exchange you use your criminal contacts to help me, and - if necessary - your abilities."
Abilities, just hearing the word lit something deep down inside him he'd long ago thought lost. How he had longed to use them again, to be free of his cage. For Desmond, nothing was worse than being stationary. Outside of this prison - free of this formula, he felt like a god.
He could transfer energy from one entity to another, from one place to another. There was nothing he wanted more than to use his abilities again. He'd use them as he always had, to travel across the world in less time than it took to blink. He wanted it back, the freedom to go wherever he wanted.
"Do we have a deal or am I wasting my time?" she asked. He nodded, grinning from ear to ear.
Cardinal ran her card across the panel near his cell door. It slid open with a familiar whoosh, one that had never sounded so satisfying. Even so, he was hesitant to step out of his cell. After a few seconds - filled with impatient foot-tapping from Cardinal - Desmond finally set foot outside of his cell for the first time since he'd been assigned to it.
"You can take time to savour it later," Cardinal said with no hint of empathy in her voice. She'd put him in here, and even if she was getting him out, the least she could do was give him a minute or two to enjoy it. "Here, you might find this interesting."
She handed him a phone broadcasting what it saw from the front end of its camera. He'd used the reflection of the blank television screen in his cell to look at himself from time to time, however the image in front of him now was much clearer.
His brown hair was the only thing that had stayed consistent. It was short and spiked, slightly wavy. He'd allowed the staff to cut it every two months or so because he couldn't stand the thought of how he'd look with hair running down all the way to his neck. Down below his walnut-coloured eyes was a thick beard covering his face and neck. His skin had gone pale, nothing like the olive colour he'd inherited from his parents. "I look terrible. I could really use a shave," he said, handing the phone back to Cardinal.
"I just thought you'd want to know you aren't quite the uh... what was it? The Handsome rogue you used to be," she said, giving him a rare smile.
He almost returned it, until he remembered where he'd seen that smile before. It was on the day that Crow and Cardinal had captured him. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't look so great if you'd just spent the last two years underground either."
Desmond walked alongside Cardinal now as they passed by the guard she'd taken care of outside and headed up the staircase. Standing alongside him, Cardinal was at least a head shorter, she barely reached his shoulder. Given that he was just less than six foot, this wasn't too surprising. Still, in all the memories he had of their encounters she was a lot taller, more intimidating. Capturing him and getting him thrown in prison must have muddled his perception, exaggerating everything about her and her partner to mythic proportions.
Finally they reached the top of the stairs. Enjoying the renewed use of his legs, Desmond nearly sprinted for the door despite the protests from Cardinal to be more careful. He pushed a button to the side of the door but it did nothing. The door remained closed. He turned anxiously to Cardinal and pointed at the card in her hand.
"Don't run ahead," she said, clearly frustrated. "You'll follow my instructions. I don't want you screwing up and blowing my cover. Do you understand? I don't want you getting us both locked up in here."
"Maybe we could share a cell. It gets boring by yourself, trust me," he said with a grin, "Not that it'll come to that. I don't know why you're so worried, I'm a career criminal remember? I always got into buildings undetected."
"Didn't you always just teleport inside?"
"Oh... right, well, you've got me there. Who needs stealth and careful planning when you can be in and out in less than twenty seconds?" Memories began to flood back. State of the art security systems, the finest mercenaries, superhuman guardians. None of it was worth a damn against him. All he had to do was learn the layout of the building, locate the room he wanted and he could be in and out while he waited for the bread to toast in the morning.
Cardinal nudged him out of the way and put her card up to the panel beside the door. Again, nothing happened. She tried a few more times, to no avail and began cursing under her breath. "Why won't it work?"
"We don't even need to go out this way," he replied, "Just get this device off my arm and give me some time to shake off this serum. I'll have us out of here in a flash."
"Yeah... no, not doing that. We'll get out of here on foot."
"What's the matter Cardinal? Don't trust me?"
She rolled her eyes. "Sure I trust you," she said sarcastically. "So long as you're in the same room as I am. And as long as you've got that device on your arm, yeah, I trust you."
He couldn't blame her. There was definitely a part of him that wanted to leave her here. To have her suffer as he had. If the cell was what had kept his abilities subdued, he'd have dispersed as soon as he set foot out of its confines. She was still fruitlessly swiping her card against the panel, hoping her luck would turn around. She only stopped when the sound of footsteps could be heard flooding the hall outside.
"How did they know?" she asked under her breath. Her eyes were darting back and forth between the door and the stairs behind them; equal parts planning and panicking. She looked to him, open to suggestions. Her assertion of leadership called into serious question.
"Did you trigger any alarms on your way in?" he asked with a shrug.
"No. Of course not. Our friend downstairs got close, but I deployed a localised EMP burst to shut down the electronics down there."
"...And that included the computer?" She gave him a hesitant nod. "All of their computers are networked. They can see that the computer?s unreachable... they know something's wrong. Although, I must admit, I'm unimpressed with their response time."
"A computer goes down and they send that much firepower?"
"Any irregularity is approached with suspicion." Why was he suddenly the one with all the knowledge? Hadn't she done her research before coming to break him out? Every second he spent with this woman made him feel worse for having gotten caught. Crow must have been the brains of the operation.
Cardinal took a deep breath, turned around and pointed back towards the stairs. "We'll head back down and take cover. They'll probably send half of their team down first. If we get the jump on them it'll make the rest of this significantly easier."
Growing visibly frustrated, Desmond shook his head. "No, that's a terrible idea," he said firmly. "Please, they're almost at the door. I need to get us out of here. You broke me out for my abilities; it's time to use them."
Wasting no more time, she reluctantly reached into one of pockets and produced a small syringe. "This will temporarily fight off the serum; give us enough time to get out of here." Without waiting for a response, she grabbed his arm, lined it up and injected him with whatever was in the needle.
The new formula didn't immediately make its mark. He tried several times without success to transfer himself away. He looked over at Cardinal expecting her to be a wreck. To his surprise, she was eerily calm, her eyes were closed and she was taking deep breaths. She was focusing, he realised, and preparing for the worst should he fail. But failing was something Desmond was not known for.
The doors slid open and they came face to face with a horde of guards training their guns on them. He flung his arm out and caught Cardinal's shoulder; he closed his eyes and imagined someplace better. Before the guards could even tell them to surrender they were halfway across the world.


« Last edited by TestVirus101 on Nov 11th 2014 »

Once again, great job. Good cliffhanger at the end of that chapter.

Can't wait for the next!

Thanks for reading mate, glad you enjoyed it.

Geez some people can write...

I'm a big fan of escapism.

Test: Sure thing.

Matt: I know, right?