The Street, Midnight, Sega City
In the pitch darkness the streets were deserted, there wasnt even the sound of a car alarm in the distance. Even the all night clubbers had gone home, abandoning the city centre for their own reasons. Despite the complete absence of any life the streets were still illuminated by the street lamps, the white billboard on the cinema proudly proclaiming the films currently showing. Billboards and restaurant signs glowed blue and white against the dull black of the city background, small specks of light in the middle of the shadows. All of them were reflected on the puddles in the ground, the sheet of water that had covered the road and the continuous disturbance as the rain pelted into it.
In the centre of the street a man walked alone, his head covered by a black hood. The cloak the hood was attached to was pulled around his shoulders and zipped at the front where it formed over him like a tube right the way down to his feet. His wet footsteps echoed around the empty street, the rain dripping from his cloak. Even if anyone had been watching they wouldnt of seen him.
The rain rose around him, falling up to the sky as if eager to go back the way it had come. As he walked the water pooled around him but quickly refilled the space as he stepped on, leaving no wake in his trail as if hed never been there. Droplets of water lifted from the puddles around him and catapulted themselves back to the clouds above, the stranger didnt seem to notice. Slowly the puddles thinned and returned to nothing, the last sheets of water rising up into the sky. In the distance there was a strange screeching noise followed by a backwards engine and a car speedily reversed around the corner, a driver looking straight ahead as he checked his wristwatch. As the car disappeared the stranger came to a stop and watched as the car sped towards him, its wheels running backwards.
At the last second he stepped aside and the car passed straight on, the driver didnt even blink. He was still looking straight ahead and he hadnt noticed the stranger. Then for a second everything froze, reality jumped and the world seemed to shake. For just a millisecond nothing happened, then the shapes started to emerge. As the world flickered back into place something new had appeared, a small black shape somewhere between a man and a monkey was flying through the air towards the car which was still reversing straight towards it. The creature passed straight through the cars rear windscreen as if it wasnt there and reaching out with its arms reached for the man. The hooded man watched with a grimace as the creature finished its mission, there was nothing he could do. Its smooth pitch black skin glowed for a second as it crashed into the driver, he didnt even look up. Then, as its claws slashed through his heart he suddenly jerked and fell face forward onto the dashboard. There was a momentary pause and then things turned into rewind, suddenly the car was shooting forward at an unimaginable rate and the drivers foot was still on the accelerator. The car swerved and narrowly missed the hooded man as it crashed straight into the Chinese restaurant, ploughing through the entrance with a great crash. The strange black creature that had been in the car had disappeared, but the hooded man had much more to worry about now, he slowly turned around to face a dozen more behind him. They were crouched, watching him with beady yellow eyes. There movements were quick, fluid and deliberate as they waited. The stranger reached for something in his cloaks pocket, unzipping it slightly to pull out a small black rod with a strange resemblance to a sword. Pulling his cloak back up he made ready, already aware that two dozen more of the creatures had crawled up behind him. He stood waiting, trapped on all sides as more and more of them slid out of the darkness to face him, their emotionless yellow eyes glowing in the seminal light. A grin spread over his face as he waited for them to make the first move.
The first creature leapt at him and with one fluid movement he caught it across the side with his sword, cutting it in half as it cut right through the creature like a knife through butter. The creature jerked for a millisecond before it exploded, dark blobs pulling themselves apart and disappearing into the night sky. The stranger didnt blink, he was already spinning around to face two more which were leaping at him from behind. With two slashes he destroyed another two, kicking one in the chest and sending it flying into a nearby building. It passed straight through the wall and disappeared. More of the creatures had gathered now, they were circling him looking for opportunities to attack. As each one leaped in it met the mans rod and one by one they were all destroyed. But for everyone that was lost was replaced as hundreds more of the creatures appeared down the street, watching and waiting. Twirling around in the centre of a gigantic mass of blackness the stranger punched and kicked them out of his way as the rod in his hand twirled through the swarming darkness.
Several of the demons tried leaping into the air to catch him from above but as they came down he quickly sidestepped the first before plunging the rod into the second and third. With one quick spin he threw a dozen of them into the air, throwing his rod like a boomerang to cut through more and more of them. Catching it expertly he swung around behind him and plunged into battle with another.
The creatures continued to amass, as if drawn to him like moths to a flame. Leaping into the air the man cleared the heads of the first row who were advancing on him again and he started running through them towards the cinema. As he ran the heavens opened up and it started to rain again, this time the droplets of water streaming down from the sky to cover the pavement. As the hooded man continued to fight his way through them he pulled his cloak tighter around him as the water bounced off his coat. The rain was hard and strong, covering the road in no time with a thin sheet of water which continued to thicken, the measly drains no match for the torrents that were raining down on top of it.
Stepping back the stranger had reached the front steps of the cinema and for a moment the monsters backed away. The streets were covered in a swarming mass of darkness, a moving twirling black mess interrupted only by the yellow glow of their eyes. They waited only for a second before charging, but he was already ready and with one jump cleared their heads and landed on top of the entrance, standing above the purple neon signs that littered the road. Turned to run he put one foot on the wall of the building and with a jerk the world tilted, he was running straight up the roof as if gravity had shifted to stay on his side. As he ran forwards the creatures leaped onto the sign he had occupied before and followed him up, scrambling up the wall with short sharp hops. As he ran more of them appeared above him, but swinging the rod in front of him they all disappeared before they got close enough to touch him. As his feet pounded up the concrete wall, passing over the occasional window he looked straight up at the roof, only twenty feet above him. As the last of the creatures above him exploded into nothingness he kicked away from the roof, and as if gravity had taken over again he started falling. Pushing himself around to face downwards he swung out with his rod as he plunged towards the swarming mass of darkness beneath him. They continued to surge up the roof towards him as their impending doom plummeted towards them. They didnt seem to care if they died as there were a thousand more to replace them.
Swinging his sword from side to side the stranger crashed through them, falling like an untouchable missile through there ranks as he cut a path straight down. Ten times quicker than he had ran up he was half way down in no time, and a surreal grin passed over him as the ground rushed up to meet him. One of the creatures on the cinema steps looked up to see him crashing down towards it, the beady yellow slit that passed for eyes didnt even wince as he crashed into the creature. The blackness around it swelled an faded away as the man plummeted into the ground, and with a flash he disappeared straight through it. All around him the creatures looked at each other uncertainly, before they quickly started returning to the shadows they had come from. Within moments the scene was clear and everything was back to the way it had been before, the ground covered with rain and the streets deserted.
Everything was the same as it had been except for the car now embedded in the Chinese restaurant wall, a mangled mess containing one body whos injuries wouldnt explain his cause of death to the forensic team who would arrive in the morning. His body, although bruised and battered by the crash had been saved by his seatbelt. His death had been caused when, just before the crash, his heart stopped for no explainable reason.
But the most unusual thing was that when they went to talk to the victims friends and family, some of them could swear they remembered seeing him again the next day, one woman had even insisted that she had been speaking to him on the phone not half an hour since. The car was even found on CCTV footage as the dead man stopped to refill for petrol and bought a packet of peanuts, although strangely on repeat viewings the car and its owner had all disappeared.
Swifthom's funeral was a strangely sombre affair, although dozens of people turned up to pay their respects nobody stayed for long.
Only the Admins knew that something strange was going on, on their scanners they had picked up unusual activity in the area. A flicker on the edge of their sensors and then in the last second they had detected 'someone' who had been there the entire time, but nobody seemed able to work out who...
Usual RP rules apply, and although thisisn't an official Group Mission I'd like to try and fit into the MoFo world as best as possible.
Sorry for the unexplainably long post, but I just sat down last night and started writing, and continued to write untill I'd killed myself. There's a reason for everything though, and I can assure you this ISN'T just a self centred RP.
So, come one come all and find out the truth about the latest attempt to bring down the MoFo...
If everyone could either report to the funeral and/or do their own thing I'll post again once enough people have joined and then kick things off properly.
Harley, the MoFo's official Forum Skank (or at least, the only person who had applied for the job), was also at the funeral. Harley was possibly the only Gender Neutral person alive, though most days s/he went for female.
Harley got everywhere in the MoFo. Especially on people's nerves. She spread like a rash. She poked her nose into everything. If anybody knew what was going on, she'd probably heard them talking about it at some point, although that didn't actually mean she understood it.
She hadn't really known Swifthom, but the guy was important in the MoFo, so she had attended for reasons of respect, so that people wouldn't get at her.
Then again, she considered, there were newbies who were more important than her.
She blew her nose absentmindedly in self-pity. To the casual observer it would seem like mourning, but anybody who actually knew Harley also knew that she was one of the most self-centered people alive, and wouldn't be taken in for a moment.
"This isn't right," she thought aloud.
OOC: Aside from Festival of Fun, this is my first real MFW RP Ive been in, so if Im not totally correct on the universe and various things about it, just mention it and Ill try and edit it as best as I can. 
Im slightly confused by your initial post though, Swift. I dont know your character at all since Ive never RPed along him, but in your post was there something to do with time in there such as the car and rain drops going backwards, and gravity as well for the character to walk up a wall? Just curious.
IC:
Ash didnt know the person whose funeral this was for, and he wasnt even on the site where it was taking place. He had lived on the MFW world for about a year or so, and so wasnt entirely versed in the history of the place, or the unbelievable things that had happened on it. So to speak, while he had some knowledge on the more important members of its society, he still wasnt that knowledgeable about them, although he was trying to understand what had happened in the past more and more.
But no, this guy he didnt know. If anything, Ash would have been at home, doing what he did best: Painting. He stood against a gate in his normal every day clothes, a pair of jeans, white T-Shirt and black hoodie, the funeral ceremony behind him, as he gazed at a newspaper. It was strange. Normally he wouldnt be here, instead trying to get on with his own life, not dwell on anothers misfortunes. But something was incredibly strange here, and it piqued his curiosity.
The death was a strange one, and the rumoured events of last night appeared crazy, confusing not right. Again, normally he wouldnt have been interested in it, after all, this entire world was crazy and not stably right. But he felt it affected him too, because of what happened last night.
He had pulled another all-nighter, doing yet another painting, and trying to finish the details on it, when something strange happened. The picture became warped, twisted, and it gave off a weird vibe towards him, almost as if it refused to let him get close, kept him at bay until it stopped. All of this only lasted a short time however, although it had positively freaked him out.
And all of this occurred at the same time as the car accident the other night. It couldnt have just been coincidence, there had to be a link. What and how he didnt know. But he aimed to find out.
Ash turned around, and inspected the crowd. Perhaps someone in there would have known something, of the strange circumstances of how the person died, and how there might have been a link to what had happened to him. Ash picked up the bag which he had dumped on the ground next to his feet and slumped it over his shoulder, waiting to see if he could spot anyone whose identity might be suspicious enough to know something.
OOC: Well, rain falling upwards is kind of weird isnt it Pac, even for all the MoFo RPs that have happened so far.
Im so sorry for all these long posts but I need to get these things out of the way before I move everything off.
Still looking for a few more people to join, but here we go:
IC:
Somewhere Not Far From Sega City
The admins know everything in Sega City, he mused agitatedly scratching his chin. He was sat in the middle of a small clearing, a tent erected behind him and a small pile of firewood hed prepared for later.
The admins know everything that happens in the city, and quite a lot of what happens outside of it, he repeated, slumping onto his back with a sigh. But what dont they know? What happens that their not aware of? If they know everything then what else is there he flicked open his cell phone to check the time, Swifthoms funeral should be closing down right about now.
Part of Swiftbomb felt bad for missing the event, but another part of him couldnt care less and as a whole this was more important. Ever since Rachel had rang him to give him the news hed suspected something. Rachel thought he was paranoid but these hunches didnt come often and when they did it meant something important. Swifthom was a good driver, he had a safe car and nothing in the world would of made him crash like that, and the crash hadnt even been the cause of death anyway. Something had happened that night, something that had gone completely unnoticed by everyone else. Even half way across the city Swiftbomb had felt something incessantly wrong happen. It hadnt been until later when Rachel had called him that hed learnt what it was.
Thats why Swiftbomb had fled, get out of the city where it would be quiet and he could ponder the questions alone with no one watching him. Hed disconnected the signal on his mobile so that they couldnt even track him via that, he hoped Rachel was happy with his last message because he didnt know how long hed be out here. He was busy wandering something that he, once the leader of the MoFo Mafia, had been asking for years: How do you evade the Admins detectors? How do you operate under their noses without them finding out? The simple answer which him and every supposedly evil forumer before and since him had concluded with was; You cant. They didnt bother themselves with petty theft and personal issues, but when it came to murder or anything important, they were on the ball straight away.
You can, a voice echoed behind him as another black haired stranger strode into the clearing, flickering out of the tree behind him. He was decked out in black with a hood pulled over his face to keep him hidden. Go home, this isnt your fight. Get out of here before they find you to, the newcomer warned, raising his hand in warning. In it he was clutching a large black rod which shimmered in the darkness.
What the hell are you talking about, who are you? Bomb shouted at the figure but he ignored him, glancing skywards. In the distance they could hear a rustling sound as something moved in the trees, Run before its too late.
Bomb didnt need telling twice, he didnt like to EVER think of himself as a coward but this once he did as he was told and pelted for it. There was movement behind him and he could hear a strange inhuman warbling in the distance followed by a scream, it was his scream in his own voice. Ducking under some low hanging branches he carried on running until his lungs were ready to burst, and then huffing and panting he emerged from the edge of the trees to the edge of a road where hed left his car. Parked behind it a large van had rolled into place and three foxes were standing around the perimeter looking menacing.
In the middle of it all a woman poked her head up from the side of the car as she pulled out a tracking device, she was grinning as she spotted Swiftbomb. You wanted to borrow a car but you wouldnt tell me where you were going? Then noticing the concerned look on his face asked; Whats wrong with you?
Didnt you hear the scream? Swiftbomb asked concerned as he bent over, hyperventilating slightly to get his breath back. Rachel froze, Screams?
There was someone, back there in the forest. Said he was going to there were creatures. Rachel nodded to one of the enforcer foxes who rushed back to the van to check the equipment in there, Rachel strode over to Bomb to help him up and check he was all right. What? Then suddenly she let go of him and reached for her ear, the live feed between herself and her headquarters giving her information. Theres no one in the forest, she repeated as if word for word, He checked with the tower, back over the last quarter of an hour and there was never anyone there but you. Then she froze, Are you all right?
Im fine, Bomb replied annoyed, Out of breath but
Apparently, you died. She replied, Your life signs disappeared, then suddenly came back.
Look, there must be something wrong with the scanner then, because Im fine and I saw
Well send the foxes into check then, Rachel waved her hand nodding to the Enforcer Foxes who filed out to head towards the forest. They were in the woods looking for twenty five minutes and they found no one, not even the traces that anyone had ever been there. Annoyed Rachel was already driving Bomb back into Sega City; You should have been at his funeral, it was the least you could do to actually turn up.
Then she suddenly let go of the driving wheel and reached for her earpiece as some unwelcome news started to come through
Five Minutes Before, in Sega City
At the back of the hall the cloaked figure watched the proceedings with mild disinterest, not that any of that was unusual in Sega City. Intensely private people trying to keep themselves hidden from everyone around them were two a penny, and several of the people who had actually turned up werent interested in the deceased. The figure watched and waited as the food hall was opened up and the mass of well wishers made their way to the refreshments. Swift had done all right for himself working in the HQ Tower and everyone who had bothered to turn up had a delicious choice of everything they could ever imagine to eat.
As the organiser who had known Swifthom pointed out; He would of wanted them to have something to remember him by, even if it was just the good food rather than the work he did. There was so much food that even CJ Tails could have been kept in check, if not completely content.
As they ate the cloaked figure approached the casket where Swifts body lay, he was going to be cremated as per instructions. No one was really looking, the crowd in the other room was keeping people busy. He didnt open the casket he just reached through it and there was a blinding flash of light and a fizzing noise from inside the casket, and then the cloaked figure vanished as if he had never been there.
The attendant who hadnt really been paying attention jumped in shock and fell backwards knocking over the hat stand he had been standing next to and it crashed into the fireplace with a loud Hrumphh and set all of the hats on fire.
With both the flash from the casket, the vanishing visitor, the collapsed attendant or the burning hats everyones attention was now firmly taken off the food and put back onto the scene in the mortuary. Someone get a fire hose, quickly someone shouted in the distance as panic broke out.
Harley groaned. This was the sort of thing that always happened when there was free food.
She looked at her paper plate. It wasn't piled particuarly high, but it was her fourth helping. While everyone else was worrying about their hats, she grabbed some more sausage rolls, crisps, and chicken nuggets, along with the slices of cake people had so carelessly forgotten to eat. All food disappearance was normally blamed on Ceej.
"This is all wrong," she said again, as she picked somebody's pocket.
"Woah, Trippy", Silver Said for both the Third and Fourth time today, though to him, he had only said it twice. Once when he thought about flight last night, and again when he could have sworn he said it again without trying, as if time warped. "Gah! This jet lag is making my brain explode!" He had just gotten of the plane at the MF airport, and on the plane, it seemed that he was sleeping and awake at the same time. "Probably just a dream...", He said to himself, walking on, noticing what seemed to be a funeral gone haywire.
Justin Hobbes stood out in the graveyard, his shoulders sagging under an invisible weight as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his suit. He had worn a proper black suit to the funeral, looking very crisp, yet he himself felt like he was out of place in such a suit. And looking through his shades at the tombstone right in front of him, he was still having a hard time believing this was happening.
"Swift, what happened to you?" he asked aloud.
The gray gravestone did not answer.
He turned and headed back to the mortuary, his feet dragging as his gaze lowered to the ground. Doesn't make any sense, he thought as he walked heavily. Swift held up better than most anybody when we were on Hinoke. He's been in good health every time I've seen him. He was happy, had a good job...why him? What happened to kill him? We have no witnesses, no evidence that anything happened besides what the doctors say. But it doesn't add up.
His hands clenched into fists briefly. Swifthom, I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm going to find out what did this to you. And if this has been a murder, then I'll bring your killer to justice.
He looked up as he approached the mortuary, a new sense of purpose in his heart. Not that I need more on my plate, he thought somewhat selfishly as he opened the door. What with Vector sending me on digs and Stahlmansche plotting her little schemes, I've got-
He stepped through and happened to glance toward the casket when suddenly, he tensed as he saw a shadowy form disappear into thin air where it had been standing next to the coffin. The sudden disappearance seemed to startle one of the mortuary's employees, who toppled over and knocked a hat rack over into the fire, which suddenly became wildly ablaze and started to spread onto the carpet.
Justin's arm was up near his mouth in an instant as he struck a button on the side of his watch with a finger. "Commissioner, this is Hobbes, we got a fire at the Sega City Mortuary! I'm gonna try to put it out!"
"We'll send a fire truck along just in case," responded a gruff voice. "Thanks for the heads-up."
"Roj," answered Justin and he turned off the watch as he plunged forward into the crowd that had arisen at the sight of the flames, fighting his way past a feminine-looking cat with a huge plateful of food to get to the front of the group of people. "Calm down, folks, and get outta here!"
He closed his eyes, trying to shut down the sounds of the people around him as he focused on the fire ahead and extended one red-fingered gray-gloved hand. C'mon, just like Red's been teaching ya, he encouraged himself as he thought of his Moderator powers, emanating from the Figment Keys within the SHQ Tower. Just relax, think about this fire going out 'cause it's not supposed to be here...
To his frustration, his ears picked up the sounds of people still yelling around him, though the employees of the mortuary were getting their heads back on and trying to usher the confused crowd outside of the building. He had to think harder to focus on True Red's training he had received. Her experience as a psychic had helped him figure out what he had to do with his Moderator powers more quickly than any instructions he could have received at anyone else's hands, but now even her careful instructions were hard to think about when there were people nearby who were confused and frightened, people who needed his help-
Darn you, stop! he thought through gritted teeth as a thin sweat broke out over his body. This was the closest he would ever get to using any supernatural power, and it still felt alien enough that he wasn't comfortable with it. But there hadn't been a choice, he didn't have time to run about looking for a fire extinguisher...
The sound of sirens nearby caused him to open his eyes, and he saw to his grateful surprise that the fire had gotten smaller in front of him, having been forced to withdraw, but small as it was it was still on the carpets of the mortuary and were already beginning to spread again as Justin's concentration was broken.
"Aw snap!" he exclaimed as he focused again, keeping his eyes open as he tried to will the fire to stay down, but his feeble attempt wasn't holding back the fire anymore. It roared with new life, and it viciously began to spread once again-
-Until a powerful stream of water hosed down the carpet, dousing the fire with such finality that Justin had to wonder for a moment whether he had summoned up the water somehow. But reality pulled back in on him even as one of the firemen patted him on the shoulder. "Good job, you kept that fire from going out of control and everyone got out safely," Justin heard himself being congratulated. "We'll handle the clean-up from here, don't worry about it."
"Yeah, sure man," responded Justin, feeling tired in a way he didn't know how to explain as he turned around and walked out the front doors as firemen and paramedics streamed past him.
But who was that guy near the casket before the fire started? thought Justin as he now had the time to think over the incident. This is getting weirder and weirder, and that means something is going on here. I'm going to check the grounds real quick for any trace of that guy, maybe ask around and see if anyone else saw him. I can't be the only one...
So he began to do as he intended.
OOC: Hope that was all right for a start out.
OOC: I've been thinking about doing an MFW RP, so this would be a good start for me, maybe get a feel for the genre. Looks good!
IC:
Among the crowd that was milling about the outside of the mortuary building after the fire, stood a tall...man. He had been inside, and had been forced out by the crowd as the fire went out of control. Now, he stood apart from the crowd, brooding in the shade of a tree.
The man was known only as The Wayfarer. An eight-something foot tall thin human-shaped person. His body was entirely wrapped in bandages, granting him the appearance of a Mummy. His clothing articles on top of the bandages were all dust-brown, and included: a trench coat, a cloak, a cape, a poncho, and a backpack. He also had combat boots on his feet, and a set of goggles over his eyes.
He also had a dust-brown hat, but not at this time. He was sulking a bit beneath the tree, as his hat had been among the ones caught in the flame.
With a sigh, he leaned against the tree, and closed his eyes. His eyes snapped open as his right arm went into a convulsion! In an instant, he had his left hand holding his right arm down! "What the-" Way thought to himself, still in shock. After the span of a minute, which seemed like an eternity to him, his arm finally stopped. Breathing heavily from the sudden exertion, he looked around and saw that no one had noticed. "The last time my body did that, there were things that did not belong. Before I came to this world, I had to deal with possession, among other things...the last time."
Way pulled from his self-thoughts as he witnessed the fire truck arrive. He felt sorry such an event occurred at Swifthom's funeral. It must have had something to do with That Man. Yes, playing his mind back over the events, That Man, that strange figure, had startled that person, which started the fire...and caused his hat to be among the first to go.
Wayfarer had never met, in person, Swifthom. Swift had never known Way, but Way had known about Swift. In fact, he had gathered a surprising amount of information about a lot of people in the short time he had been here, but yet could see no reason why Swift could have died. Murder? The thought was there, but a remote possibility, it seemed.
Way looked up again as the man by the name of Justin Hobbes left the building. Justin seemed to be looking out at the crowd, watching for...something.
Silver walked to the funeral site, which seemed to have settled down, he read the headstone. "Swifthom... Great, I come back from a vacation to find someone's died..." He picked up a paper flying by. BAM! front page, he found all the info he needed. "Hmm... an odd death indeed...", He said to himself as he read the story over, paying particular attention to the veiwings of the video and the after death stop at the gas station. "I wonder where I put that, 'Craig's Paradox dive goes haywire, you could be next!', Sign..."
Ash looked up towards where the fire had once been however now it had thankfully been put out. He hadn't been in the building, gorging of food that no doubt others were... it didn't feel right. He didn't know Swift, so he didn't feel he had the honour too. As such, he didn't know about the cause, of that man, but still...
A fire suddenly springing up at the funeral of a person whose death was strange and not understood, which also happened at the same time when his painting had gone terribly strange. It was all too much just to be coincidence.
He walked into the grounds of the cemetery, searching for anything suspicious which could explain the strange circumstances.
As the jeep came to a stop outside the graveyard the hall which the funeral had been arranged in was leaking smoke through the windows and the roof, even though it looked like the fire had gone out.
People were milling around in confusion and Swiftbomb recognised a few people, most prominently Justin Hobbes emerged, coughing slightly but standing tall and proud. Was anyone hurt? Rachel shouted across to the moderator, and Justin shook his head . Rachel quickly ran towards him to find out what had happened leaving Bomb standing in front of the car starring at the mess.
Typical of Swift, he always tried his hardest but he could never do anything right. Instantly he approached the scene waving his hands in the air, following Rachels rapidly disappearing form towards the smog. Can anyone tell me what the hell happened? he shouted into the Chaos noticing that Justin had disappeared.
"So you want to find out what killed him too."
Rachel looked over at Justin as the two of them re-entered the building, which was being cleared out of firemen as they walked in. "Do you know anything about it? Anything that the Admins aren't telling?"
Justin had to chuckle at that, staring up at the ceiling as he dug his hands into his pockets. "Heh, you're asking the wrong guy for secrets. I know about as much as you, probably. Except for one thing..."
He could see Rachel out of the corner of his eye. She was a voluptuous woman, and had Justin been the sort to mess around, he might've given her more of his attention. But besides the fact that he wasn't that kind of man, she certainly wasn't that kind of woman. And even he could see that she had already made a choice for herself.
"One thing."
"Yeah," Justin said, snapping out of his brief daze as he raised his head back up to its normal position. Whatever else he may have thought of the former "Hot-Shooter," he felt she was on the level after she had betrayed her former employer. "I saw a shadowy figure near Swift's casket right before the fire started. Whatever it was, it vanished into thin air before I could make out any details. That makes me think that this death wasn't an accident. Maybe we can figure it out."
There was a brief silence between the two, and then Justin shrugged, not moving from his sideways view of Rachel. "Oh, and thanks," he said, closing his eyes.
"For what?"
"Not killing me back on Hinoke." He opened his turquoise eyes as he turned to look at her. "I had a lot to live for back here. Didn't thank you earlier for it."
He turned around, feeling strangely enigmatic at the moment. Oh yeah, I have a lot to live for, he thought. Getting married soon, and I don't have much time to get Stahlmansche before I kick the bucket. "So, I'll probably see you around. Us forumers have a way of bumping into each other on weird cases like this. Oh, and Swift's casket is there in the corner, if you'd like to pay your respects. It wasn't touched by the fire, thankfully."
He walked out, feeling like he needed a shower and a change back into civilian clothing. I hate suits, he thought as he wiped his forehead. But if that culprit is still here, it might be easier to get information now. Better keep my eyes open for any suspicious characters.
What he didn't know was that there were several pairs of eyes that had already recognized him as a Moderator. He also didn't see the crimson-haired woman who had visited earlier and who had left in a limousine, nor the cloaked figure who watched from a nearby rooftop and then vanished.
OOC: Just making preludes to some of my other characters who may or may not be taking part in this RP in some way or other.
THE FUNERAL
"We got a picture," someone shouted in the background as they held the picture up to the light to get a better look at it.
The Digital image appeared on the small camera screen and they could clearly see the robed figure, crystal clear in colour reaching through the casket, a flash of light inside it. "How the hell did you get this?" Swiftbomb asked quickly as he took the picture, "Can I get a copy?"
"Sure," the stranger nodded before dissapearing into the distance. Once he was gone Swiftbomb starred at the image closer before asking around; "Has anyone seen this before?"
ADMIN TOWER HQ
True Red Glanced over the monitoring equipment scratching her head as results bled through agonisingly slowly, they might have the best computers in the world working on this case but whatever it was they were picking up she didn't know.
But, it did nicely co-incide with events. "What is it?" she asked the technician starring at the relay in front of her...
"It's nothing," he replied impressively, "Zilch, naddar, zero."
"And why am I looking at nothing?" she asked, her tone light yet commanding.
"That's the weird thing, we were picking up some kind of signal since the other day, it just suddenly started. No idea where it was coming from or going to, but it just cut out like that." He clicked his fingers impressively.
"It cut out at exactly the same time as the fire," True Red murmoured, "And it started..."
"When the guy kicked the bucket," the technician finished impressively. "We've got everything recorded and..."
"I want everything you find by the morning, as soon as Vec's finished his pet project I want to show him this, see what he had to make of it."
"Yes mam," the technician nodded and quickly returned to his desk. Biting his lip in frustration, whatever the signal had been it didnt look like anything he'd every seen before.
Harley scratched her ear and looked at Tergonaut, "The thing that's really weird is that there are hardly any cars here in Sega city," she said, "An awful lot of the people who live here aren't old enough to drive."
"You're old enough to drive," Tergonaut said accusingly.
"I can't drive," Harley replied, "I'm a student, what the hell do I want with a car?"
OOC: Ah, here's my excuse to link this page for Official MFW Info.
For those of you just beginning to get into the Mobius Forum World RP setting, I'd really recommend that you look at this site to get a better idea of what you're getting into. Quick breakdown, this is not merely a digital world version of the MoFo, this is an actual world much like our own, with its own unique twists. Sega City is just that: a bustling city filled with people and hovercars (the technology level is higher than on our standard Earth) and things besides the main characters.
And Harley, my character's name while he's in his current form is Justin Hobbes, I want to make that clear now because it'll help prevent some confusion later on when he does transform into Tergonaut. Since he's never met Harley IC, this conversation looks pretty weird as it's laid out at the present time. I think I'm gonna have to request that either you edit your post to reflect that, or talk with me (either here or via PM or IM or whatever) about perhaps Justin and Harley having past experiences together, because it just doesn't quite make sense unless I assume that they've already met each other before.
OoC: I think it would be better if I left. I'm not doing much here, and not much is happening. And I'm confusing everybody else as well as myself.
OOC: And without further ado...a post!
IC:
Justin felt frustrated. There didn't seem to be any other clues to what he had seen just before the fire broke out, and for that matter he hadn't picked up any other clues. And in a crowd like this one, it was hard to pick out anyone who looked especially suspicious or shady. If this was Earth, it'd be easier, but it's harder for me to read anthros and aliens and whatsits. If only...
That was when he caught sight of the incredibly tall mummy-wrapped man who was standing somewhat apart from the crowd. Huh, why didn't I notice him before? He's WAY taller than anybody else here!
He approached him, finding it harder to feel authoritative as he approached the bandage-garbed man. Justin's 5'10" just felt tiny as he looked up at him. "Excuse me, I'm investigating the situation with the fire that happened here...have you seen anything unusual in the past hour?"
Wayfarer had been watching the interactions of various people, and was actually surprised to hear Justin's voice so close to him! "Sir Hobbes, I am aware of a couple of unusual things. I am certain that you, too, saw the suspicious character inside vanish like that, before the fire...but there are other presences running around, too. I can't see them, and I doubt anyone could see them now, but they are there...watching."
Justin was surprised. "Wait, 'sir'?" he asked. "Have we met before?"
The tall 'man' laughed for a moment. "No, we haven't. But I do know a bit about you. I know a little about a lot of people here. Anyway, if there's anything else I can try to help you with, let me know, eh?"
OOC:
Okay, I'm making some stuff up here about staffers, IE. People who work in the HQ Tower but aren't Admins or Mods, people like, um... me 
IC:
Swiftbomb appeared between them triumphant as he waved a thin slip of film in front of Justin's face, "Oy, Justin, you're a Moderator?"
The question was pointless as they all knew the answer, even though Swifthom and Justin had known each other loosely Bomb had never bothered to get to know him properly. Justin had promised to help Swift rescue his friend, somethign Bomb appreciated but didn't see the need to bring up. "This stranger you saw, we got a picture..."
Justin had a look at it and frowned, "It's just a guy in a cloak..."
"Yeah," Bomb shrugged, "But look what he's doing, look at his belt."
Justin's eyes thinned as he examined the strangers waistline, then widened in shock. "I need to..."
HQ Tower
"Hey, look at this," True Red looked up in surprise, Its a message from Justin, hes at the funeral and hes seen something.
Slowly a picture came up on the screen, a tall dark haired cloaked figure standing next to a coffin, reaching into the thing. His arm was clearly disappearing into the wood, melding through it as if it wasnt there. But that wasnt what attracted the Admins attention the most
Thats a staff pass, she yelped in surprise. A small ID Tag all staffers who worked in the HQ Tower who werent Admins, Moderators, Guests or Security had to wear. With that pass they could enter or leave the HQ Tower at will, under constant surveillance but the doors would open and close. Waving the pass around would also open a lot of doors elsewhere in Sega City, We did a recall last month, none were missing.
We found the one that Swifthom had on him in the car accident, True Red nodded, So where did he
Weve got a picture, and an ID. A technician two desks along called his boss over and showed True Red the screen, an identical cloaked figure could clearly be seen leaving the RP Guild, apparently it had been taken six months ago. He had been seen fiddling around inside the Guilds workings, but the technicians hadnt found any damage or input material and he hadnt been seen again.
Heres another one, True Red pointed at another security record, taken six months before that. A cloaked figure exactly matching the other two skulking around the set of Vortexs Box, a popular TV Entertainment show.
Looking through the archives they found more random shots of him skulking around the Paprini Polls, the MoFo Mafia, the FPA, somehow they even found someone that looked very like him on Hinoke Island standing on the beach. How didnt we notice him before?
He never did anything before, True Red spoke softly, This is impossible, how can he of compromised our security? Hes been around for years and we never noticed. But who is he?
Back at the Funeral
Okay, thats right. Rachel checked her earphone and grimaced, striding through towards Justin. Looks like weve got our work cut out, she grinned, The Admins want to know if anyone has any information on this character, looking through the records hes been skulking around for years. They want to know if anyone else knows anything about him.
Ash was now in the funeral room where the majority of other people were, confused by what had just happened earlier with the sudden fire. He was still curious about what had happened and definitely sensed a connection between this whole series of sordid events and what had happened to him, and so he desired information as well.
He was sitting in the corner of the room, his drawing pad out, sketching. However wasnt drawing random things, he was drawing the situation here as he saw it. He was also close enough to hear what a group of people were saying, mainly about this strange cloaked man and as such, Ash was drawing them, for reference. He wasnt a detective, far from it, but he had to try and work out what was happening.
He couldnt just walk up to them though, and interrupt them. Whoever they were, they seemed incredibly important, and so Ash couldnt just walk up, invite himself to a conversation in which he hardly knew anything. No, he would sit by, listen to them and wait, see what information he could acquire.
OOC: My character profile's going to be updated in a bit; once TR uploads the update to her MFW info page, I'll link there. However, for more detail on my character, go here.
Begin!
xxxx
"Hmm...odd."
A set of green eyes watched quietly as the fiery hats burst into fire were suddenly put out again. The one behind those green eyes was a 5'0" blue hedgehog wearing a black shirt, khakis, classic Sonic sneakers, and a red cape that looked like it had been run over by a train. Yeah, it was REALLY tattered. But alas...
This certain hedgehog was known as Ultra Sonic 007, real name: Jonathon Redley. However, aside from Vector, his evil clone Ultra Shadow, and his Sailor alter-ego Sailor Ultra, no one knew that.
Besides, he didn't much care for his real name anyway. But then again, this isn't his story now, is it? Go read his story on the link! NOW!
...wow, you read it already?
No, of course you didn't, you LAZY, LAZY BUM!
Oh well. Onward!
Ultra remained silent as he stared at the little congregation of Justin Hobbes, Swiftbomb, Wayfarer, and Rachel. Elsewhere amongst the crowd, he saw Ash drawing. Finally, he noticed Silver standing near Swifthom's tombstone. Out of all these people, the only one he knew well was Swiftbomb.
He had only been back at the Mobius Forum for around a month now...not a lot of people knew he had returned (aside from the Staff, which included a very angry Rico). Heck, the amount of people who knew he was back could be counted on two hands. He still wasn't comfortable coming out into public...heck, the only reason he had come was because the funeral had been Swifthom's.
Swifthom, thought Ultra with a grimace. The forumer, along with Swiftbomb and some others, had been instrumental in rescuing him from the viral entity known as Mr. V. And now he was dead...
His death does not register...
Ultra scowled. He didn't need the voice of the assassin Redley bounding through his mind. What do you mean?
I am experienced in death...
I know.
Swifthom's death is not like a normal one...
This got Ultra's attention. How do you know?
Intuition...
That's no help.
Why not ask them...
Ultra glanced over at the aforementioned group surrounding Swiftbomb. Why? The only one I know is Swiftbomb. I recognize that Justin Hobbes guy...he lives a few floors beneath my apartment. It had been by coincidence, really; he had seen the man by accident a few times in the apartment elevator, starting up a casual conversation once. That's how he had gotten the name...but Justin hadn't gotten his. Oh well...might as well break the ice.
I know who Justin really is...
What are you talking about?
I have ways of reading people you can't even fathom...
And?
Body movements are a bit different...
And?
But they are similar enough...
So who is he?
I'm not telling you...
Ultra grimaced. The assassin was just trying to lull him into a false sense of security...but tough cookies to that!
Finally putting it to rest, Ultra walked over to the group. He felt a bit of a smirk coming up; Swiftbomb had once been his enemy while he had been head of the FPA. He wondered how Bomb would react if he saw his left arm.
Oh, did I forget to mention Ultra's left arm is now robotic and made of adamantium?
Oops.
He walked up to Swift and tapped his shoulder. As the forumer turned around, he said, "Hello Swiftbomb. Remember me?"
xxxx
OOC: Don't worry Terg; Redley's not gonna relinquish any info.
OOC: Hi, welcome back Ultra...
Sorry about the abruptness, I just didn't think Bomb would be the person most happy to see you back, but if Swift was still aroun he'd appreciate it 
IC:
Swiftbomb swiveled around in surprise, shivering as cold metal fingers brushed against his shoulder. "You've been gone a long time," he murmoured offering his hand.
Surprised Ultra took it, shaking it firmly with a vice like grip. "What did you?"
"I got a pardon," Swiftbomb smriked, "Not that I ever did anything wrong in the first place, no evidence to pin me down or anything. But the admins put out a statement quashing any 'rumours' that I ever MIGHT of done anything wrong," he was grinning broadly. "So, if you're planning on starting up the FPA then you'll need to find someone else to arrest."
"Woah," Ultra stepped back in surprise, "No hard feelings, I was just saying hello."
"Yeah, so was I." Swiftbomb grinned broadly. Then he glanced behind him at the woman he'd been talking to before. "Hang on, Rachel, Ultra, you two might have a lot to talk about."
Rachel, now a member of SONIC, the organisation that had effectively replaced the FPA looked at the hedgehog in surprise. "Hello," she offered her hand, looking at Bomb worriedly. "And you are?"
"Ultra Sonic 007, former founder and all around head honcho of the Forum Protection Agency," answered the hedgehog as he shook Rachel's hand. "I have no intention of restarting the FPA by the way."
The former head of the MoFo Mafia looked a tad relieved by this. "Is that so?"
Ultra nodded. "Yeah. Been through a lot in the past two years, as you can see." He tapped his adamantium arm tentatively. "So whose the photo of?"
As he glanced at the photo, he frowned. "Huh...I've seen him before..." He wracked his brain for answers.
Then it clicked.
"I remember now! I was reporting to work one day and I saw him standing outside the FPA Headquarters!" Then he blinked. "Wait...why do you have a picture of him?"
"Apparently he's been everywhere," Rachel paused, "And we think it was him who started the fire."
They all glanced back at the burning building, "This is chaotic, we need to regroup somewhere without so many people milling around."
"We can always start again tommorow, send the people home and ask them to come back tomorow" Swiftbomb laughed, "Anyone got a megaphone?"
Rachel shot him an annoyed look, "I'll ask Justin to do it, he's the actual moderator around here. If he tells people to come to the City Hall tommorow if they have anything unusual to report, concerning this picture or otherwise. We can get all the info collated together so we know what we're dealing with in the mean time..."
They all glanced at Justin who was disentangling himself from a worried reporter. "Did you hear that Justin?"
In the distance, from the roof of an adjoining building, a cloaked figure glanced down at the mayhem, scratching its head in annoyance.
As Ultra Sonic glanced up towards him he retreated away just in time, swearing profusely. This operation had been going fine untill now, nobody had noticed.
He had made just one mistake and now everything was unravelling. He could go back and undo things but that would cause larger reprocussions, especially now that the admins were involved.
Swearing one last time he stamped angrily on the floor and vanished.
There is someone watching...
Hmm?
Follow...
Why should I?
You know you want to...
Ultra grimaced as he stared, unknowing that he had nearly seen the mysterious person in the photo. "I'll join up with you later...call me. I live on the 7th floor of Sega City Apartments."
With that, he broke off into a run, bursting in the direction he had been staring.
Wayfarer had effectively been ignoring Ultra Sonic. He looked at Silver, then had his gaze fixed in the direction of Ash. Then, he snapped his head back around as Ultra said, "I'll join up with you later...call me. I live on the 7th floor of Sega City Apartments."
Way didn't hesitate, but immediately began to follow Ultra, not saying a word. He knew that this behavior was not typical, and he wanted to be a part of it. Ultra moved fast, and Way was losing ground to him, but he made sure to keep him in his sights.
OOC: Does Ultra have Sonic-level speeds? If so, then Way has no chance of keeping up.
OOC: Yes. Ultra Sonic 007 is actually the Sonic from another forum world...and since his cape is weighed down, he can actually run a little faster if he takes it off. Of course, he doesn't need to go sonic speed just yet. 
xxxx
Ultra knew someone was following him.
Behind you...
Having a trained assassin living in your head DID have perks...but not so many as to outweigh the cons. The hedgehog took a brief glance at the mummified man. Something about the man was odd...REALLY odd. He looks suspicious...
Don't stop...
Don't care what you have to say.
You'll regret it...
Ultra didn't listen.
He skidded to a halt and whirled around, aiming his left arm at the man in the trench coat. A hole in the arm opened up, revealing the charging green glow of a laser cannon.
Wayfarer skidded to a halt.
Ultra calmly asked, "Who are you, and why are you following me?"
Wayfarer stopped, and percieved a second presence somewhere inside of Ultra, but only for a moment. He waved his hands complacently. "I'm Wayfarer, but you shouldn't let whoever you're following get away. I'm just a harmless 'civilian' who's too curious for his own good, Ultra. I'm intent upon helping you."
Heed his advice...
Since when did I start listening to you?
He's hiding something...
You're contradicting yourself!
But the one you're chasing hides something greater...
...
I'll gain control...
...
Might as well let you have your 'fun' for awhile...
Ultra said nothing. Finally, he held out a hand to Wayfarer. "If you're truly curious...then come with me."
Wayfarer made the assumption that the hand offered was a formal greeting, so he took it and shook it. "I am. Let us make haste."
"Good."
Ultra's palm cannon closed...and suddenly, his left hand detached itself from the adamantium arm, launching at Wayfarer. It was grappling hand, connected to his arm by a tether of titanium fibers tightly woven together.
The tall man of 8+ feet could only blink as the hand wrapped tightly aroud him before eventually stopping, clutching onto his collar.
Ultra grabbed him with his other hand and held him up over his head (in odd sight, when you think about it; a 5'0" hedgehog hoisting a man three feet taller than him). "Hold on."
The hedgehog took off running, moving at a few dozen miles BELOW sonic speed. Still, it was quite fast. Wayfarer impulsively cringed as Ultra ran up the side of a building and onto the rooftop; he continued on, hopping from rooftop to rooftop in the direction that the other man had (supposedly) gone.
xxxx
Meanwhile, back with Swiftbomb, Justin, and Rachel...
"Squeeeee!"
The three blinked. Rachel confusedly asked, "Was that a pig squealing?"
Sure enough, it was.
A large, 4' tall, 6' long, 2'6" pig skidded to a halt beside them. Sitting atop the pig was a hedgehog that looked a lot like Shadow the Hedgehog, down to the black-and-red quills and the jet shoes.
Thing is, he was wearing shades...and a tuxedo.
He waved at the three bewildered people. "Yo. Ultra Shadow 007. Anyone seen my rival around here?"
Wayfarer closed his eyes. "Well, this is new. In all my years, I don't think I've ever been restrained by a fast cybernetic hedgehog. At least, definitely not on the day of a myesterious funeral in a place I've only been for a month or so."
He peeked his eyes open, and was mildy surprised that he wasn't experiencing any motion sickness. It made sense; he was naturally resistant to a lot of natural forces. It only took a little bit for him to adjust, and soon he was happily watching the scenery flow by.
As Ultra sped along, hopping from rooftop to rooftop, the wind brushing through his quills...
Who are you...
It was at that moment that Redley decided to take a peek at Wayfarer and see who he really was.
Seconds later, the mummified man felt a horrible sense of violation.
xxxx
Ultra Shadow 007 hopped off of the pig and lightly patted her. "Okay Betty, go and have some refreshments."
"SQUUUE!" happily squeaked the now-named Betty before she jumped onto the table, scarfing down on the food (and ticking off the funeral-goers).
"Eh, forgive my little chickadee; pigs have to eat!" said Ultra Shadow with a goofy grin.
To Redley, countless aeons of travel, thousands of worlds, millions of people, and uncountable adventures poured into his mind! It was too much, and he couldn't look for long without being lost forever in it! As he pulled out briefly, 'for air', he detected locked memories of who Way was, before he became The Wayfarer...but they were so deep in, and so heavily entrenched, that even Redley's impressive talents might never reach that deep. Redley discovered that somehow, Way's mind was alive, an entity of its own, and that it would defend itself. This point was proven as a memory that appeared as a mansion came alive and lunged at him!
Wayfarer felt somebody go in and out of his mind for a moment. "Wow. I'd forgotten about that mansion...I'm glad I don't go wandering in there, it seems like the invader is having a spot of trouble."
OOC: I don't know Redley's capabilities, but any psychic/mental/soul searches in Way's mind are potentially fatal. Anyone trying to look in there is in danger, as I guess I made obvious. And being attacked by rogue memories is what will happen to those who aren't overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of Way's history! It's no wonder his conscious mind forgets a lot of stuff!
OOC: Ironically, Ultra's mind was like that too; once he remembered all of his memories as Jonathon Redley (because Ultra was Redley before coming to the MoFo; due to an accident, he had amnesia and forgot all about the assassin), he nearly tore himself up at the thought of killing over 5,000 people.
As for Redley, his little 'probing' is more due to the fact that, since he is the Sonic of another world, his body is capable of transmuting large amounts of energy. He is accessing that ability by 'shifting' his mind into yours momentarily, so to speak. He's not a psychic though...and there are still things about the body that Ultra's not aware of that Redley is though.
And by the way, Redley is also an emotional husk; he has no emotions to speak of. He doesn't feel surprise, curiosity, fear, or hatred. He reacts, and nothing more.
Begin!
xxxx
Hmm...
Ultra felt a recoil of pain lash out into his mind. OW!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
Letting you handle the pain...
Ultra momentarily growled. What?!
Your acquaintence is most intriguing...
Who? The mummy-dude?
Indeed...
Ultra shook his head to clear the cobwebs as Redley retreated back into the recesses of his head. The hedgehog continued on, not knowing what exactly Redley had seen.
"Uh huh," Swiftbomb replied with an echausted glower, "Sped off about five minutes ago." Reaching down he pushed Bettie the pig backwards, rolling the animal off the table and back onto the floor.
The food might of dissapeared but that hardly mattered, he wasn't about to let himself get annoyed by a hyperactive Pig loving hedgehog. "Ran off with some other bloke, said he'd be back tommorow."
"Really?" Ultra Shadow asked amused, "Really...."
"Yes, really." Swiftbomb glanced at Rachel, "This is your department. I'll see if Justin has anything and meet you later."
"At the apartment?" Rachel asked surprised.
"No, I'm tired, I'll see you tommorow. I'll stay at my own place tonight."
"Oh, Ok," She shrugged slightly dissapointed as he stalked away from Ultra Shadow. "So... How long have you been in town?"
Ultra Shadow lightly replied, "Eh, I've been living here ever since I was created." At this point in time, Betty jumped back onto the table, much to the hedgehog's delight. "Yeah! Good girl! Show that Bomb who's boss!"
Rachel sweatdropped. "I...see..."
"As for where I live, I live in the Piggy Fortress outside the Sailorness District," continued the black-and-red hedgehog as he lightly swung a pig keychain around his finger.
Rachel nearly facefaulted. Does he have a pig fetish or something...?
Meanwhile, Ultra Shadow had something interesting happening in his head...
Follow him...
Eh, I'll follow Ultra when I feel like it.
My body...
Not anymore, bub.
You'll regret it...
Ultra Shadow momentarily shivered; whenever the voice of Redley echoed through his head...there was no anger or hatred. Just...nothingness.
It made him wonder how the heck Ultra Sonic could've ever BEEN Redley.
"But enough about me!" Ultra Shadow got right into Rachel's face. "Let's talk about you!"
xxxx
OOC: I know what you're thinking; TWO Redleys? It's odd...but it's clarified in Ultra's Return.
"And that's all that happened, just an accident," finished Justin as he broke away from the reporter who was harassing him and managed to get over to Swiftbomb. "Yeah, I hear ya," he said with a friendly nod at Rachel's suggestion, and it was a quick thing to find a megaphone from one of the police officers who had arrived to investigate the scene. He hopped up onto one of the tables and addressed the crowd.
"Attention please, people," he said into the megaphone, looking around the crowd as he authoritatively addressed them. "What just happened was an accident, somebody tipped over the hat rack into the fire. But if anyone has any information on anything funny they saw before the fire started, or if you've found or noticed anything else unusual, please report to City Hall as soon as you can today. The funeral service for Swifthom will be concluded tomorrow at around the same time. Until then, go back to your business and try to vacate this area quickly so the police and firefighters can clean up the mess."
The crowd, silent at this authoritative command, now bustled noisily as the majority of the people went their separate ways to leave the funeral home. Satisfied that he had gotten his message across, Justin hopped down from the table and handed the megaphone back to the female raccoon officer he had gotten it from, and turned just in time to see Swiftbomb approaching him.
"So, what's the deal?" asked Justin once they were close enough to talk quietly.
"Here's a photo that was taken just before the fire," answered Swift as he handed the picture to Justin.
Justin took one glance at it, and his eyebrows rose. "That's the guy I saw right before the fire!"
"You saw him?"
"Yeah...it was like he was just fading out just as I walked in, but he seemed to be messing with Swift's casket...but he didn't start the fire, that was some joker who freaked out when he saw this guy and tipped over the hatstand." Justin scratched the back of his head as he looked quizzically at the photo. "Whoever he is though, y'think he might have something to do with the murder?"
Swiftbomb and Justin looked at each other in the eyes with a certain seriousness that hadn't been there before. "Murder," repeated Bomb slowly.
"Yeah," said Justin. "That's just what I think, but it's too weird not to be. This has foul play written all over it."
"But who would want to kill him? And why?" asked Bomb, and Justin was having a hard time telling what sort of emotion Bomb was feeling. Maybe annoyance?
"That's exactly what I wanna know," said Justin grimly. "And that's why it's crucial that we figure out who this guy is and where the heck he came from."
"Who're you?"
Justin blinked as he felt a large weight stand upon him...literally. He lookd up to see Ultra Shadow standing on his head, having forgotten about Rachel's reply for the moment.
The black-and-red hedgehog tapped the back of Justin's head with his foot. "Hello? Yoohoo! ANSWER!"
Swiftbomb, Rachel, and Betty sweatdropped.
xxxx
Ultra impulsively skidded to a halt on a 30-story building's rooftop, causing an unpleasant jolt for Wayfarer. The hedgehog uncoiled his left hand - letting Way down onto the ground - and reeled it in, causing a snapping sound.
"Why did you stop?" asked the cryptic man.
The hedgehog quietly replied, "I've been thinking...considering who we're trailing...I don't think we could catch him if we wanted to...if anything...he'll be coming to us...or perhaps...merely watching us...LIKE BEHIND YOU!!!"
Ultra pointed behind Wayfarer...
And saw that nothing was there.
Wayfarer frowned out of exasperation. Ultra sweatdropped. "Darn. I was SURE someone was there..."
Wayfarer and Ultra stared at the nothingness in confusion for a second, "Drat."
"No, wait, there's nothing there," Wayfarer replied mistily. "I mean, literally, the shadows are too thick." It was still reasonably sunny and daylight, the shadow from the building to their left covered the ground behind them, but that didn't explain why everything had gone so black all of a sudden.
There is something there, Ultra replied squarely, slightly disappointed. Whatever it was that they had found it wasnt who they were looking for.
No, its nothing, Wayfarer replied pointing at the shapes forming in the darkness, Absolutely nothing.
GET DOWN, a voice echoed from behind them and both of the figures glanced behind them. The cloaked man was back, zipping through the air somewhere high above them and throwing something small and black at the shadows. There was a flash of brilliantly white light and the crash of an explosion, Ultra and Wayfarer were blasted clear of whatever it was that had been stirring in the shadows.
The cloaked figure landed squarely in the spot where the darkness had been, grunted and then as if he was annoyed across his shoulder at the couple who had been following him. There was no damage to the ground where the explosion had come from, the pavement wasnt even scorched, but the shadows had disappeared. Satisfied he crossed his arms, putting away a long thin sword like weapon and grunting.
SLAM!
And the man was suddenly tackled from behind by Ultra. The cloaked man gagged as he was forced to the ground by the hedgehog, pinning his adamantium arm against the back of his neck.
Ultra remained silent, looking at his face. As Wayfarer walked up towards the two, the hedgehog said, "You're the one in the photo...who are you?"
Ultra remained silent, looking at his face. As Wayfarer walked up towards the two, the hedgehog said, "You're the one in the photo...who are you?"
Everything froze as the words left Ultras mouth, the cloaked figure not bothering to struggle. He lay perfectly still beneath Ultra... Ultra waited perfectly still, waiting for an answer. Wayfarer stood perfectly still, hanging in the air in mid step as he walked.
Then slowly Ultra started talking again, this time in reverse. "?uoy era ohw ...otohp eht ni eno eht er'uoY" Then with a creak Ultras adamantium arm unpinned itself from the back of the cloaked figures neck and Ultra was flying backwards away from him. Wayfarer took a step backwards away from the scene...
Above them a bird was flying backwards through the sky.
It only lasted half a second and both Ultra and Wayfarer were aware of it as it happened. Ultra goggled as he fell back the way he had come, the Cloaked Figure shimmering and reappearing several feet to his right.
Then things were back the way they should be, Ultra was tackling thin air and struggled not to collapse in a heap. It was as if history had just been rewritten and he had never managed to grab his opponent.
The cloaked figure smirked and pushed away at Ultra.
"I helped you, but that's always the way of the world. We always bite the hand that feeds us. Don't worry, I'm no one." His voice was familiar, but distant.Then without another word he faded away, shimmering into nothing as if he had never been there.
Ultra was left with just the memory of his face, it had been blank. Two eyes, a nose and a mouth, all perfectly arranged where they were mean to be. His skin had been pure and unblemished, his eyebrows were practically unexistant, his expression unreadable.
It had looked like nobody, and yet you got the impression that he could be anybody...
Back near the Cemetary
Everyone had heard the explosion in the distance, and everyone felt the strange feeling, a momentary flicker and then silence.
A deep calm descended on the crowds and Swiftbomb felt a sudden urge to flee. To run back home, to get away and escape...
Blinking to hide his fear he bit his lip. That wasn't natural, he wasn't scared of anything. He was wary of the admins, of heights and sharp objects but that was just precaution, he didn't stay up late at night dreaming about them.
This was something different. He blinked, not sure if anybody else had felt it...
"YO!"
Swiftbomb yelped as Ultra Shadow jumped off Justin's head and onto his, making him momentarily forget his panic. The black-and-red hedgehog glanced down at the forumer. "You look pale. Terrified of the explosion?"
However, despite his supposed nonchalance...Ultra Shadow felt something was off as well...
xxxx
Ultra grimaced as he stared at the space where Mr. Anybody (that's his current name. THE RPER HAS SPOKEN! *thwaped*) had been. "What the...what was that?"
You know nothing...
What are you talking about?
He saved you...
Huh?
Redley said nothing else. Ultra just shrugged as he stared at Wayfarer. "So...what now?"
Way took a thoughtful pose. "That was unique. The shadow, I got the same feeling from it as I did earlier. Whatever it was, it isn't as 'solid' or 'real' as most people. I believe it to have been what I picked up earlier. Creatures like that and I share one thing in common: our bodies aren't always solid or real. Therefore, my primary concern is that my body can be possessed by such creatures. Eh, but as what to do? I think we no longer have a trail to follow. While the mystery man may have stopped the shadow creature, whatever it was, he's gone now, as far as I can tell. If you have nothing else, I think I'll report to Justin and the others what happened."
At that moment, with one sudden push, Ultra's psyche was pushed away...and replaced by one certain assassin...
"Very well."
Wayfarer momentarily blinked; it was Ultra's voice...but it sounded so...cold...and emotionless...
He turned around.
And to his eternal surprise, saw that Ultra's eyes were now red.
Jonathon Redley was now in control. He calmly said, "If that's how you feel, then go ahead. I'll track this man down on my own." As Redley spoke, Way suddenly a deep chasm of coldness emanate from the hedgehog...and he felt a strange kind of fear.
It was...the essence of death.
With Redley in command for the moment, the hedgehog's body was REEKING of it.
"Farewell," replied Redley. He calmly jumped off the building and ran off.
Unfortunately, this left Wayfarer on the roof. "..."
xxxx
OOC: You get my message Swift?
OOC: Leaving. There's no real point in me staying since I'm not important to the storyline at all, and this seems to really no longer interest me anymore.
OOC: Sorry if you feel that way Pachamac
I was trying to move this in the direction of a mission, but we needed to finish at the cemetary first...
I got your PM Ultra...
I'm moving on Swiftbomb's own storyline but if people still want to carry on at the cemetary after Bomb's left that's fine, but I've been itching to get this out for a while:
IC:
"I'm not scared," Swiftbomb sighed as he struggled to knock the irate hedgehog of him... "No more than you are anyway." He nodded back at the others, "I'll see you tomorow, I'll see if I can dig anything unusual up between now and then."
THAT NIGHT
The streets were getting darker and darker as night descended over the streets of Sega City, and despite the unusual events most people had shrugged off the sudden disappearance of one member and a fire at the funeral.
Camden Bayfield in particular hadnt been affected, as shed been half way across the city visiting some friends, and now she was looking for a taxi to get her back to the Sailorness District, or anywhere she could get some sleep. Shivering in the cold she wished that Sailors wore something a bit more concealing and hurried onwards, unaware of the thousand eyes watching her from above.
In the distance she could see a taxi pulling up and she hurried towards it as someone familiar got out. As she broke into a half run to catch the car before the driver pulled off something happened. Part of the darkness broke away from the shadows in the alleyway and jumped her, something small squat and hard thumped against the back of her head and she stumbled, grazing her knee as she tripped; Ow.
Her head was ringing and she had the strangest feeling something was missing, but no, everything was still in her handbag.
Whos there? Swiftbomb shouted out, pausing as he made ready to slam the doors. Glancing down the alleyway he noticed the kneeling woman checking her raw red legs, biting her lip in frustration. The familiar red hair and scowl made him chuckle as he saw Camden climb to her feet dust herself off. Hold the taxi, she shouted as he broke into a giggle. You never change do you, laughing at people when they hurt themselves. Shame on you Bomb, it was true and Swiftbomb had to admit it. He had been a complete @#%$ back then when he had last met Camden
Hang on, you werent at the funeral, he realised. He had missed most of it, but he hadnt seen her anywhere in the crowds outside, he would of recognised her straight away with that hair. But surely Camden would of turned up? Swift had, sort of, known the old Craig and they had usually gotten on quite well with the new Bayfield on Hinoke Island all those months ago. What happened, something important come up?
No, Camden dusted herself off, What funeral anyway?
Swifthoms funeral, Bomb repeated annoyed, You got an invitation, you were on the list they asked me to check. Camden frowned trying to remember but nothing caught her mind.
You mean that guy who was in the papers? she asked confused.
Swifthom, he He was on Hinoke with us? Bomb pressed her, Come on Camden, whats wrong with you?
I didnt go to the funeral because I didnt know him. Look I know you like to play games with people but can I just get in the taxi? Camden asked nodding to the driver, I havent got time for this, its late and I need sleep.
But, you were Bomb tried to say something but got caught in his own words as Camden climbed into the car.
Did you know him then Bomb? she asked through the window, screwing her face up in concentration as she thought about things. Oh, yes, Swift-hom, another Swift? A brother perhaps?
Before he had time to reply the taxi had started moving and Swiftbomb was left standing on his own, watching Camdens head in the back seat of the taxi fade away into the distance.
She hadnt been joking, she really hadnt known what he was talking about. Besides, she was too nice to play a game like that.
Sighing he headed towards his bedroom, glancing up at the alleyway Camden had emerged from. He peered into the shadows and then moved in, the shadows watching him as he walked away.
Ultra Shadow remained silent as Swiftbomb finally left. "...hmm...he sure seemed in a hurry to leave..." He glanced back at the others. "Pardon moi, but I have things to do. BETTY!"
The pig immediately ran off, with U-Shadow leaping onto her as she left a trail of dust in her wake.
xxxx
That night...in the Sailorness District...
The shadows had just attacked.
And all the while, two hedgehogs were watching the shadows.
Ultra Shadow 007, who had been trailing Swiftbomb.
And Jonathon Redley, who had been searching on his own.
U-Shadow was on the ground.
Redley was on the rooftop.
And they both knew they were being watched as well...
