Night Ninety Six
Age 1991
The Hotel...
A chill ran into the hotel as the wind blowed through the hole in the wall that led outside. Alarms were going off through out the entire building as the robot butlers ran around in confusion not knowing what to do in this situation, many of which began to randomly explode and burst into scrap metal.
Meanwhile the Enforcers, all stood around also not having a clue as to where they should go next in this situation. After everything they had seen. Irene and Nick were both on the ground both of them unconscious from either the missing arm, or whatever that power Irene had done... The rest of Squad Seven were in the hallway with Squad Six as a silence passed over them all.
They all had their own way of dealing with what they just witnessed...
Hero paced back and forth down the halls as Dawson stared out the hole. Serenity was silent no doubt deep in thought and considering what to do next. Sera was on the ground trying to keep her lunch down after watching a man's arm literally be sliced off. Light was polishing his gun and letting out several hums. Ken and Emma were both saying prayers, while Lucy, the only one with medical experience was checking on Irene and Nick. Kitsune was in a corner punching the wall over and over again as he let out loud growls and hisses. And Sif... She was somehow asleep in all of this. And finally was the Noble William... He looked casual reading a book and sipping tea some of the robots brought him.
"Remind me again why we can't take Irene or Nick to the hospital?" Hero asked letting out a sigh. "Nick is in a pretty bad shape. Even I can see that."
"To dangerous." Dawson said in a simple tone. His eyes refused to stop looking out of the massive hole in the wall. "I need to figure everything out... Right now there are four known threats. Two Organization members, a figure in the white robe, and the assassin... We need to know if the group is tied together and why they're striking... This Hotel is on lock down making it nearly impossible to get in."
"There is litreally a massive hole in the wall..." Hero said flatly.
"Hence why I am standing here." Was Dawson's response.
"Well..." Ken said with wide eyes as her and Emma finished their prayers. "That was certainly something... That fight was... Intense. I don't even remember what really happened? Just a flash of pain and I was back with Labby being healed up... How did I die?"
"You were kind of cut in half..." Kitsune sighed. He was silent for a moment then slammed his fist into the wall as hard as he could. "God damn it!" He screamed. He took a deep breath for a moment slowly calming himself down. "I... I feel so God damn useless... I couldn't do anything... And Irene is... Now she's... Damn it! Why the hell did something like this happen..."
"Will you shut up God Damn it!" Hero cursed hitting the wall as hard as he could and putting another hole in it, out of frustration. "I wasn't strong enough! That guy!" He took a deep breath calming himself down. "Damn... I couldn't even touch him... It was impossible for me to even keep up when he entered that form... And Reaper... Every time I think about him my head feels like it's gonna explode! What did he mean... Crests? Asleep? What? I don't get it... My head hurts so much..." Hero growled grabbing at his head. For a moment he was back in that void and he saw that bed where a younger version of him slept. "Who the hell is Reaper anyways?"
"Calm down Hero," Dawson said simply. "You did well. You had no time to plan and fought someone able to perform high-speed combat. Frankly, it is amazing you were able to even touch the guy. All of you did well... I'm the one at fault... I should have come... If I only heard... I've heard of someone having two Equations and I've never heard of a Crest..."
"It sounds so familiar but I can't wrap my head around it..." Hero sighed as he punched the wall next to him once again out of frustration.
"Interesting..." William hummed. "So the man trying to kill me has this... With him and the Organization being here things could get nasty real quick couldn't they..."
Light frowned for a moment as he slowly set his gun down. He cocked his head to the side as he let out a loud hum. "You don't think that man is a part of the Organization? I was under the impression that the Organization was tied in with the assassin but you claim him, and the Organization? As in two different groups?"
"I... Err... Well..."
Kitsune let out another sigh for a moment as he pressed his back to the wall and folded his arms up. "A Crest huh... I don't know anything about them... But now that I think about it... Way back in the day... The being we call God rose up and was worshipped by man... Those closet to him held the title of Dragon... It was also said he made them things known as his 'Crests' which many people, myself included believed were just prototypes to the Equations, or what Equations were once called... But I don't know anything else... That's some pretty far back time... Like before even Age 1 far back... Back then the sky was still said to be blue."
Hero pulled his fist out of the crater of the wall for a moment as he nodded his head. "So Ken... Emma... Let's say that your whole religion with the Great One is correct do you guys know anything about Crests?"
"No... I'm sorry." Emma said shaking her head. "We wouldn't study anything that far back, and even if we did like Kitsune said it was likely rewritten and updated with time... Our story says that God created the Equations for man. If these Crests were real they'd have to be even older than them. They really are like Proto-Equations... I also never heard of a Dragon Clan?"
"So nobody knows anything..." Hero sighed. "Great... Well... I'm not 100% sure on it but I think I may have one in me? But I don't know about it or what it is..."
"...I... I might know..." Ken slowly shrunk down when everyone turned to look at her.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"What!?"
"Ken you knew?" Dawson asked.
"No! Well... Not exactly..." Ken shrunk down more. "It was just something Labby told me?"
"Who the hell is Labby?"
"The talking lab coat that lives in my head."
"Oh is that all he is!"
Ken let out a small sigh as she slowly pulled herself up into a makeshift ball ducking her head down from all the looks everyone was giving her. She looked kind of like a cat who knew it was in trouble so it did its best to look cute to try and make you forget the fact that it did something bad.
The strategy might have worked if the group wasn't filled with very pissed off and confused people.
"He just... Told me three of them were in here and they were related to the Dragons... That's it..."
"That's something at least." Everyone turned seeing Sif was now up. The small girl let out a hum. "Hero. Come over here."
"What?"
"If you do have a Crest I want to look you over with my power for a moment." She patted her lap for a second and Hero sighed slowly walking over to her and laying down as he placed his head in her lap. "I'm going to scan your body and see if we can maybe remove the Crest inside of you, if you do have one. That way we can study it more."
"Okay but do you have to pet my head?" Hero asked as his eye twitched. Sif's hand moved over his hair as she pet him as if he was a cat or dog.
"Sorry... Katrina tells me about you a lot and she told me she let your head rest in her lap so I was curious."
"That's kind of creepy..."
"Lucky bastard..." Kitsune sighed.
"I want Hero's head in my lap..." Light pouted.
"Us to..." Emma, and Sera sighed.
Sif raised her hands up and placed them on either side of Hero's head. "This isn't going to hurt right?" Hero asked.
"It won't hurt a little bit."
"That's good-"
"It's gonna hurt a lot."
"Oh you bit-" Hero was cut off as he let out a loud scream of pain and his back began to ache. Black mist seeped out of Sif's hands and slowly covered his head and went into his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, as they flowed down his throat. His body was chilled from the inside out. It was ice cold and he couldn't stop shaking.
After a few moments of this it finally died down as Sif let out a sigh and nodded her head. "I don't know what a Crest is but if I had to guess you do have one... Within your heart is a small rock around the size of a small pebble that has pierced your heart. The pebble has a 'D' carved into it. It's in pretty deep though. We'd have to carve into your heart to get it out which would kill you."
"So I guess we're not getting it out." Hero sighed.
"Well actually I'm totally fine with killing you to remove it?" Sif shrugged as the darkness covered her right arm and Hero's eyes went wide. "Sorry kid. This is for the greater good-"
"And that's where I put my foot down." Dawson growled now standing behind Sif and gripping her wrist. "Stop... It..."
"We could study it more if we got it out." Sif sighed.
"I. Don't. Give. A. Damn." Dawson said slowly as his red demonic armor formed around his body.
"You can't stop me. I'm the forth strongest Enforcer."
"Stop. It."
Silence passed as all the recruits, especially Hero gulped as a ton of killer intent and air pressure could be felt.
"Guys... Please don't fight..." Serenity asked. Waves of happiness filled the hallway as she used her power. "Don't do this... I'm begging you both... I don't want anyone else to die or get hurt..."
Dawson and Sif didn't respond to her. They simply stood there. The aura of power grew around them as Sif's entire arm was covered in the darkness and Dawson's flames formed as he jumped to level two.
"I'm gonna die..." Hero realized his head still in Sif's lap as the two got ready to strike.
It was as if a battle would go off at any second.
Finally the darkness left Sif's arm as she let out a heavy sigh. "What ever... I'll wait until the brat gets himself killed... I'm going to bed." She growled standing up and storming off.
A few seconds passed as Dawson's armor vanished and he fell back into a sitting position. "I almost died..." He said with wide eyes showing fear for the first time. "She was gonna kill me and then you."
"I am now very scared of tiny girls..." Hero sighed.
***
The Nobles Manner...
Underground In The Room Beneath The Vault...
"I can't believe you let the Butler get away you idiot!" Viper yelled slamming her fist into the white robed figure and throwing them back. "You didn't even kill any of them! You just sliced one of their arms off! How worthless can you be!"
"You didn't do so well either Viper!" Mr. Hyde laughed. "After all you and your partner let the Vice Captain get away you fools!"
Ben, and Turron both sighed and shook their head as Mr. Hyde and Viper began to yell at each other and got ready to fight.
Off in the corner Jester ignored the people all fighting as she stood in front of a large metal box that looked kind of like a telephone pole but had several black rods coming out of it. Behind her Fox, and Mr. Snow both stood.
"So..." Mr. Snow said slowly. "Is it ready?"
"Yes..." Jester said slowly reaching out and touching the metal box. "In just a little while longer it will be time for us to make our debut."