The Curtains Part Episode 1 (Superhero RP IC)

[Flarbinia]

Los Angeles, California
"Shit. This setup makes our previous mark's high-tech security system look like a Trash-80." Three, the Hacker for the Tech Wizards, said to One as she typed codes into her device, her voice heavily distorted. "Doesn't matter how long it takes, three. Just get the security down before anybody gets suspicious. The fact that this fashion designer is more loaded than our usual targets means that the list of clients is worth every penny our client has paid up front and every penny we will be paid when the job is done." One, the leader of the Tech Wizards, said to Three. The Tech Wizards were a high-tech heist crew for hire. Gold, jewels, company secrets, priceless works of art, whatever the highest bidder wanted was fair game. To ensure complete anonymity, every member was given a number when they joined the crew and never saw each other without disguises that concealed their faces and voices to prevent any potential snitches from identifying them. Three successfully hacked into the security system after four hours, turning off the security measures one by one. However, they had already been spotted by a hidden camera.

Inside Caldera's Mansion
Upon seeing the intruders, Janus Caldera pulled a lever, the bed automatically sliding to the right as the floorboards parted, revealing a hidden passage. Janus immediately headed down it, knowing that she was vulnerable while she was still on the ground floor. The passage was illuminated by red light as the floorboards closed behind her and the bed slid back into place. Within five minutes, she was inside a panic room with access to security cameras that weren't connected to the main system. She pressed a button, causing a drone to pop out from the ceiling of the room where Alice Jade was staying. The drone's holographic projector humming to life loud enough to wake up Alice as she stood on the pad. "Sorry for disturbing you, Alice, but it appears that you will see action earlier than expected. The Tech Wizards have hacked into the main security system and are shutting down the automated defenses. They are most likely after the contents of the safe in my office. Head to the bust of Trajan next to the bookcase in your room, turn it counterclockwise, and slide down the pole behind the bookcase. Once you're downstairs, head to the room with an Omega symbol on the door and type in 3574. You should find everything you need down there." Janus Caldera said to Alice Jade via the holographic projection.

[Odinburgh]

Alice Jade was in a trance. Where was she? Is this the same reality? Maybe a different reality? Everything looked strange. Then a man started asking her questions. Maybe she was induced with a drug and now waking up somewhere else.

"Where am I?", Alice Jade replied.

[Flarbinia]

"Now is not the time to have a flashback! We can figure out what happened to you later! You need to get moving!" Janus Caldera shouted at Alice Jade, rousing the new kid on the block from her stupor. She did not know what the Mephistopheles Institute had done to the poor girl, but it must've been severe. Her money was on attempted brainwashing. To the public, the Mephistopheles Institute is a Canadian think tank that specialize in designing armored vehicles and defense systems for the highest bidder. To Supervillains and Henchmen, they were a potential employer. To those who worked with the Cape and Cowl community at one point or another, they were an organization that sought to create Super Soldiers-For-Hire that would give them a cut of the profit. Janus had learned the truth about the Mephistopheles Institute in 1977. The Tremor Triplets showed up on her doorstep with their costumes tattered, the result of a battle with the Punk Rockers, a Supervillain Team whose shtick was that they had Audio Based Powers and a Punk Rock Motif. Lionel, the leader of the Tremor Triplets, told her that the last few times they fought them, they were just Punk Rock loving thugs who had the rotten luck of being on the payroll of their Villains Of The Week: Miss Moonbeam, Red Knight Robot, Nuke-A-Saurus, Tidal Waver, Professor Fog. No powers, no costumes, no Supervillain names, nothing special outside of ending up in Derry Penitentiary (the prison where ASHA sent captured Henchmen and was shut down when it was replaced by R.A.G.N.A.R.O.K) after the defeat of Professor Fog. The Mephistopheles Institute had bought them as test subjects from Warden Bowers, the man seeing it as freeing up the cells for new arrivals. Two weeks later, the thugs had returned as the Punk Rockers and defeated Captain Rock N' Roll. The Tremor Triplets defeated them in a rematch and the Punk Rockers retired from Supervillainy three years later, but this was not the first time Janus would hear of the Mephistopheles Institute.

[Odinburgh]

"Now is not the time to have a flashback! We can figure out what happened to you later! You need to get moving!" Janus Caldera shouted at Alice Jade, rousing the new kid on the block from her stupor. She did not know what the Mephistopheles Institute had done to the poor girl, but it must've been severe. Her money was on attempted brainwashing. To the public, the Mephistopheles Institute is a Canadian think tank that specialize in designing armored vehicles and defense systems for the highest bidder. To Supervillains and Henchmen, they were a potential employer. To those who worked with the Cape and Cowl community at one point or another, they were an organization that sought to create Super Soldiers-For-Hire that would give them a cut of the profit. Janus had learned the truth about the Mephistopheles Institute in 1977. The Tremor Triplets showed up on her doorstep with their costumes tattered, the result of a battle with the Punk Rockers, a Supervillain Team whose shtick was that they had Audio Based Powers and a Punk Rock Motif. Lionel, the leader of the Tremor Triplets, told her that the last few times they fought them, they were just Punk Rock loving thugs who had the rotten luck of being on the payroll of their Villains Of The Week: Miss Moonbeam, Red Knight Robot, Nuke-A-Saurus, Tidal Waver, Professor Fog. No powers, no costumes, no Supervillain names, nothing special outside of ending up in Derry Penitentiary (the prison where ASHA sent captured Henchmen and was shut down when it was replaced by R.A.G.N.A.R.O.K) after the defeat of Professor Fog. The Mephistopheles Institute had bought them as test subjects from Warden Bowers, the man seeing it as freeing up the cells for new arrivals. Two weeks later, the thugs had returned as the Punk Rockers and defeated Captain Rock N' Roll. The Tremor Triplets defeated them in a rematch and the Punk Rockers retired from Supervillainy three years later, but this was not the first time Janus would hear of the Mephistopheles Institute.

"Lionel you say. He seems familar. I know I was kidnapped and I had to go into hiding. Now that you tell me perhaps that too is a lie." She stepped forward to Janus Caldera and spoke. "What is the truth? Why exactly did I flee to Los Angeles because I was afraid of some men wanting kidnap me. The Mephistopheles Institute it seems I been there before but I never been to Canada. Unless I was their experiment."

[Flarbinia]

"I didn't mention anyone named Lionel and if I did, it wouldn't be the same Lionel you're thinking of. You need to focus on the here and now and right now, there are people breaking into my mansion. We can discuss your past once you've put the Tech Wizards in traction. As how you are going to do that, head to the bust next to the bookcase, turn it counterclockwise, and slide down the pole behind the bookcase. Once you're downstairs, head to the room with an Omega symbol and type in 3527. You should find everything you need. Shit. You need to hurry. They just deactivated the laser turrets on the front lawn and are opening the gate. I'll contact you again once you've gotten what you need. Spoiler Alert. One of the items has a built-in wrist communicator." Janus Caldera said to Alice Jade before stepping off the pad, the drone turning around and pointing its holographic projector at the bust, illuminating it. The holographic projector then deactivated, the drone heading back into the ceiling, the hatch closing behind it.

[Odinburgh]

"I didn't mention anyone named Lionel and if I did, it wouldn't be the same Lionel you're thinking of. You need to focus on the here and now and right now, there are people breaking into my mansion. We can discuss your past once you've put the Tech Wizards in traction. As how you are going to do that, head to the bust next to the bookcase, turn it counterclockwise, and slide down the pole behind the bookcase. Once you're downstairs, head to the room with an Omega symbol and type in 3527. You should find everything you need. Shit. You need to hurry. They just deactivated the laser turrets on the front lawn and are opening the gate. I'll contact you again once you've gotten what you need. Spoiler Alert. One of the items has a built-in wrist communicator." Janus Caldera said to Alice Jade before stepping off the pad, the drone turning around and pointing its holographic projector at the bust, illuminating it. The holographic projector then deactivated, the drone heading back into the ceiling, the hatch closing behind it.

"Okay if ya say so." Alice Jade headed toward the room where she punched in the code a code 3527. She quickly got the Omega Armor, the utility belt and the Active Camouflage Generator. She tested all the gear and appeared fully functional.

She heard a voice coming nearby of two men which they did not notice her. They went on about there business and she was quickly thinking how to get out. Then the thought came that she passed near tunnel entrance that led outside where it led back to the woods. She proceeded and was correct which hurried into the woods a bit to hunker down to turn around to see she wasn't followed.

[Flarbinia]

"Hello? Alice? Can you hear me now? Janus Caldera said to Alice through the Wrist Communicator, the static clearing up. "I see that you have retrieved the Omega Armor. It's bulkier than contemporary designs and its built-in night vision goggles, built-in Wrist Communicator, and arm mounted heat rays are not the most high-tech features one can have in Power Armor, but the lack of modern electronics makes it immune to hacking. I modified the charging port in the back so that you can just plug it into most outlets if it starts running low on power. Not to mention that the Tech Wizards won't be expecting a fight anyway. The Active Camouflage Generator is a marvelous piece of stealth technology. Once it's been mounted on your shoulder and activated, it will make you partially invisible and one hundred percent undetectable by infrared cameras, laser tripwires, motion detectors, and RADAR. Just don't get it wet. A Utility Belt is not as fancy as Power Armor or an Active Camouflage Generator, but it makes up for it with the number of options at your disposal. Feel free to keep them once you're done. You never know when they might be useful." Janus said to Alice before ending the transmission.

[Odinburgh]

"Hello? Alice? Can you hear me now? Janus Caldera said to Alice through the Wrist Communicator, the static clearing up. "I see that you have retrieved the Omega Armor. It's bulkier than contemporary designs and its built-in night vision goggles, built-in Wrist Communicator, and arm mounted heat rays are not the most high-tech features one can have in Power Armor, but the lack of modern electronics makes it immune to hacking. I modified the charging port in the back so that you can just plug it into most outlets if it starts running low on power. Not to mention that the Tech Wizards won't be expecting a fight anyway. The Active Camouflage Generator is a marvelous piece of stealth technology. Once it's been mounted on your shoulder and activated, it will make you partially invisible and one hundred percent undetectable by infrared cameras, laser tripwires, motion detectors, and RADAR. Just don't get it wet. A Utility Belt is not as fancy as Power Armor or an Active Camouflage Generator, but it makes up for it with the number of options at your disposal. Feel free to keep them once you're done. You never know when they might be useful." Janus said to Alice before ending the transmission.

Alice looked at her wristwatch and flipped up top part where there was small computer pad. Some tech wizards came shortly in to show how to use the fancy gadget watch. She activated her suit which quickly morphed around her body as her armor. The armor deflected all incoming shots at her.

"Well this is some fancy armor I got here.", Alice replied. "I think I got this armor handled perfectly."

The tech wizards seemed satisfied to an extent.

[Flarbinia]

"You're lucky we showed up when we did. If you had been an hour slower, those shots would've killed you right then and there." The naturally blue-haired woman wearing a Stola (female equivalent of a Toga) said to Alice Jade as she pointed her wrist at the Tech Wizard and Security Drones that had opened fire on Alice, the gush of water from the swimming pool sending them flying backwards, the Drones being smashed against the nearest wall while the Tech Wizard hit the ground. "Ten, please respond? Ten? Ten! Shit. Ten is down. We've got hostiles!" A heavily distorted voice said over the earpiece of the unconscious Tech Wizard. "Shit, they know we're here. I would advise that you use the Active Camouflage Generator to avoid being detected by any cameras. It saves energy for when melting a hole through reinforced titanium alloy plates. Judging by how easy it was to put on the Omega Armor, I can only assume that Janus modified it." The man in the Spider themed suit said to Alice before shrinking down and jumping towards the building. "Don't mind Jumping Spider. He's not one for conversation. In case you are wondering, press the switch near the place where the shoulder meets the upper arm to activate the Active Camouflage Generator and press it again to turn it off. " The woman in the Stola said to Alice as she helped her put it on, the shoulder mounted device going click as it attached itself. She then put the utility belt on Alice Jade before heading inside.

[Odinburgh]

"You're lucky we showed up when we did. If you had been an hour slower, those shots would've killed you right then and there." The naturally blue-haired woman wearing a Stola (female equivalent of a Toga) said to Alice Jade as she pointed her wrist at the Tech Wizard and Security Drones that had opened fire on Alice, the gush of water from the swimming pool sending them flying backwards, the Drones being smashed against the nearest wall while the Tech Wizard hit the ground. "Ten, please respond? Ten? Ten! Shit. Ten is down. We've got hostiles!" A heavily distorted voice said over the earpiece of the unconscious Tech Wizard. "Shit, they know we're here. I would advise that you use the Active Camouflage Generator to avoid being detected by any cameras. It saves energy for when melting a hole through reinforced titanium alloy plates. Judging by how easy it was to put on the Omega Armor, I can only assume that Janus modified it." The man in the Spider themed suit said to Alice before shrinking down and jumping towards the building. "Don't mind Jumping Spider. He's not one for conversation. In case you are wondering, press the switch near the place where the shoulder meets the upper arm to activate the Active Camouflage Generator and press it again to turn it off. " The woman in the Stola said to Alice as she helped her put it on, the shoulder mounted device going click as it attached itself. She then put the utility belt on Alice Jade before heading inside.

"So it's just coincidence that I showed up. As far the jumping spider well I don't do spiders.", Alice replied as she put the shoulder mounted device and utility belt. "But I didn't say I killed them." She handed some sort of colon card to the blue haired woman with a symbol and below said The Order.

"What is The Order?", Alice asked. The blue haired woman seem startled as she was showing dirty look toward Alice and reached for a telephone to speak someone. Then she kind of mumbled with the words with "none of your concern".

[Flarbinia]

"On paper, The Order Of Cronus is a New Age Cult that worships the Titans. The reality is far more mundane than the organization's name suggests. Donations from the suckers who fall for the Greek Mythology bullshit gets mixed with money from protection rackets, gun running, and drug deals. The Mob's blood money goes in as cash and comes out as checks, all without Uncle Sam getting a single dime. Their biggest branches are in Chicago, Detroit, and NYC, but Cali was its birthplace and its original headquarters is still too heavily guarded for any Superhero in the state to handle on their own. We can talk more about it later. Right now, we need to focus on taking down the intruders." The blue haired girl said to Alice Jade before escorting her inside the mansion. "Are you there? I need you to focus on taking out the Tech Wizards who are breaking into my safe. Nonlethally. We need R.A.G.N.A.R.O.K to believe that I am still a fashion designer who retired from the Cape & Cowl Community if I am to help you get started and Superhero related fatalities will draw a lot of unnecessary attention. I see that you've already met Neriad and Jumping Spider. They can handle the rest of them. Once you're done with them, hide in my spare Panic Room until the police leave with your defeated foes. It is behind a fake wall in the Art Gallery. You should see five busts in front of it: one of a bull, one of a tiger, one of a dragon, one of an eagle, and one of a snake. The combination is Tiger turned clockwise, Dragon turned counterclockwise, Eagle turned counterclockwise, Snake turned clockwise, Dragon turned clockwise, Bull turned counterclockwise." Janus Caldera said to Alice Jade through the Wrist Communicator, Neriad heading to clear out the halls on the west wing of the mansion.

[Flarbinia]

"What the fuck? Our employer never told us we had to deal with a discount bin Iron Man with wrist mounted ray guns and some blue haired girl cosplaying as an ancient Roman woman. " Three said to One as she looked through the camera before she continued hacking the Safe containing the list of names their client wanted. "Whoever these fuckers are, they won't make it in time to stop us. And if they do, I'm gonna have to kill 'em myself." One replied as he ripped off one of his sleeves, revealing a cybernetic arm with the logo of Hecatoncheires Prothetics LLC. (a subsidiary of Hephaestus Arms) on it. He then pressed two buttons, causing the hallways leading to the office to be sealed off with reinforced titanium shutters and activating the ceiling turrets. "If you had a robot arm which can turn security systems against their owners this whole time, why do you need me?" Three asked One as she looked at his robot arm. "My arm needs access to the security system to use any part of it. Besides, you're better with computers than me, hence why you're the hacker instead of the dumb muscle. Now get back to work. The sooner we get that safe open, the sooner we can get out of here and the sooner we can get paid." One said to Three, the Hacker returning to the task of hacking the safe. "Shit. The leader of the Tech Wizards is a cyborg. I need to warn Neriad." Jumping Spider said to himself before heading through the vents, his small size making it impossible for anyone in the office to hear him. After a few minutes, he reached Neriad and dropped down, reverting back to his normal size, landing on the man holding a gun to her head. "The leader of the Tech Wizards has sealed off the hallways leading to Janus' office and activated the automated defenses with a stolen Hecatoncheires VII. Until Janus can regain control of the Ceiling Turrets, we ain't goin' anywhere." Jumping Spider said to Neriad.

[Odinburgh]

"What the fuck? Our employer never told us we had to deal with a discount bin Iron Man with wrist mounted ray guns and some blue haired girl cosplaying as an ancient Roman woman. " Three said to One as she looked through the camera before she continued hacking the Safe containing the list of names their client wanted. "Whoever these fuckers are, they won't make it in time to stop us. And if they do, I'm gonna have to kill 'em myself." One replied as he ripped off one of his sleeves, revealing a cybernetic arm with the logo of Hecatoncheires Prothetics LLC. (a subsidiary of Hephaestus Arms) on it. He then pressed two buttons, causing the hallways leading to the office to be sealed off with reinforced titanium shutters and activating the ceiling turrets. "If you had a robot arm which can turn security systems against their owners this whole time, why do you need me?" Three asked One as she looked at his robot arm. "My arm needs access to the security system to use any part of it. Besides, you're better with computers than me, hence why you're the hacker instead of the dumb muscle. Now get back to work. The sooner we get that safe open, the sooner we can get out of here and the sooner we can get paid." One said to Three, the Hacker returning to the task of hacking the safe. "Shit. The leader of the Tech Wizards is a cyborg. I need to warn Neriad." Jumping Spider said to himself before heading through the vents, his small size making it impossible for anyone in the office to hear him. After a few minutes, he reached Neriad and dropped down, reverting back to his normal size, landing on the man holding a gun to her head. "The leader of the Tech Wizards has sealed off the hallways leading to Janus' office and activated the automated defenses with a stolen Hecatoncheires VII. Until Janus can regain control of the Ceiling Turrets, we ain't goin' anywhere." Jumping Spider said to Neriad.

Alice looked over to reply, "I found them on ebay from Russian supplier Mirov Olegovich that I found online. These wrist mounted ray guns are great!"

Alice got dirty looks immediately ween they heard the name Mirov Olegovich. It appeared she crossed a line that she wasn't supposed to do.

"Yeah Mirov Olegovich. Did I do something wrong?", she asked.

One guy replied,"Yes you did. You might have blown your cover and all of us here to this location. Now you have put us in greater danger. Now the boss may have to relocate all of us. No telling what he will do. This makes the job for Janus even tougher."

[Flarbinia]

One turned around to see a partially invisible figure and opened fire, the rounds bouncing off the Omega Armor like pebbles thrown at a tank as the Active Camouflage shimmered for a few brief seconds. "Fuck! We ain't equipped for this Superhero bullshit. We need to get the fuck out of here!" Two said to One as he fired an EMP round from his wrist mounted machinegun. The round hit its mark, the shock shorting out the Active Camouflage Generator for a few minutes, three immediately pulling out her laser pistol and opening fire, the hit failing to penetrate the armor. "And how exactly are you going to do that? Your leader lowered the reinforced Titanium shutters to prevent Star Sentinel and her new friends from reaching you, only to end up cutting off your escape routes and trapping you with a partially invisible Superheroine. She could've taken you out without you knowing who hit you if she kept her mouth shut instead of cracking a joke about her ray guns. Who am I? I am Janus Caldera, the fashion designer you were hired to steal from. The woman who is rebooting her security system. I hope you enjoy getting your asses kicked by her." Janus Caldera said to the remaining three Tech Wizards over the Wrist Communicator, quickly ending the transmission.

[Odinburgh]

One turned around to see a partially invisible figure and opened fire, the rounds bouncing off the Omega Armor like pebbles thrown at a tank as the Active Camouflage shimmered for a few brief seconds. "Fuck! We ain't equipped for this Superhero bullshit. We need to get the fuck out of here!" Two said to One as he fired an EMP round from his wrist mounted machinegun. The round hit its mark, the shock shorting out the Active Camouflage Generator for a few minutes, three immediately pulling out her laser pistol and opening fire, the hit failing to penetrate the armor. "And how exactly are you going to do that? Your leader lowered the reinforced Titanium shutters to prevent Star Sentinel and her new friends from reaching you, only to end up cutting off your escape routes and trapping you with a partially invisible Superheroine. She could've taken you out without you knowing who hit you if she kept her mouth shut instead of cracking a joke about her ray guns. Who am I? I am Janus Caldera, the fashion designer you were hired to steal from. The woman who is rebooting her security system. I hope you enjoy getting your asses kicked by her." Janus Caldera said to the remaining three Tech Wizards over the Wrist Communicator, quickly ending the transmission.

Alice yelled, "To the cars! Must flee now! Follow me! Quick throw that grenade at that canister, it will explode to buy us a few minutes to get in the cars outside and make it to the highway."

[Odinburgh]

Then as Alice Jade walked out she beat up three members of the heist crew.

"Full smack down party!"

Janus Caldera looked at Alice in a strange way. Alice felt empowered but maybe her moves were questionable.

[Flarbinia]

"Perfect. The post-ass kicking one liner was a nice touch. Now that the Heist Crew is no longer a problem, head to my Art Gallery. The cops will be here soon. Once you get there, turn the five busts and head into the spare panic room. Remember, the code for the door is tiger turned clockwise, dragon turned counterclockwise, eagle turned counterclockwise, snake turned clockwise, dragon turned clockwise, and bull turned counterclockwise. What? A keypad with a five-digit code would've stuck out like a sore thumb and been easily cracked by any hacker with the right tools. Anyway, stay in the spare panic room until I call you. You can watch the heist crew be loaded into ambulances. Considering that the victims of their previous heists were corporations and rich well-connected men, I highly doubt that their lawyer will be able to keep the courts from tossing them in federal prison and throwing away the key once they've recovered enough to stand trial for their crimes, even if they get off the hook for the illegally purchased firearms." Janus Caldera said to Alice Jade as she pointed in the direction of the art gallery, the reinforced titanium shutters going back into the ceiling.

[Odinburgh]

"Perfect. The post-ass kicking one liner was a nice touch. Now that the Heist Crew is no longer a problem, head to my Art Gallery. The cops will be here soon. Once you get there, turn the five busts and head into the spare panic room. Remember, the code for the door is tiger turned clockwise, dragon turned counterclockwise, eagle turned counterclockwise, snake turned clockwise, dragon turned clockwise, and bull turned counterclockwise. What? A keypad with a five-digit code would've stuck out like a sore thumb and been easily cracked by any hacker with the right tools. Anyway, stay in the spare panic room until I call you. You can watch the heist crew be loaded into ambulances. Considering that the victims of their previous heists were corporations and rich well-connected men, I highly doubt that their lawyer will be able to keep the courts from tossing them in federal prison and throwing away the key once they've recovered enough to stand trial for their crimes, even if they get off the hook for the illegally purchased firearms." Janus Caldera said to Alice Jade as she pointed in the direction of the art gallery, the reinforced titanium shutters going back into the ceiling.

Alice Jade replied as she was headed to the spare panic room, "Yeah I watch a lot of action movies but yes nice touch. Understood! To the art gallery..bada bing!"

[Flarbinia]

Janus Caldera headed to the front door as Jumping Spider changed out of his superhero outfit into a suit and tie and put on sunglasses. The cops arrived at the mansion, Janus Caldera opening the front door with Jumping Spider by her side. "We received an alarm from this mansion. Can you explain to us what happened?" The first officer to arrive on the scene said to Janus as the rest got out of their cars. "A heist crew broke into my mansion and tried to steal my list of clients. Luckily, I was able to get inside the panic room and pressed the silent alarm as fast as I could." Janus Caldera replied, the officer immediately turning his attention to the man in the suit and tie. "And who is this?" The police officer asked Janus. "Tyson Longjohn. Security Consultant. I was about to head home when they broke in. When I saw them on camera, I immediately called in my client's private security team. One that is very hush-hush, in case you are wondering." The man in the suit and tie said as he handed the officer his ID. "That team is only to be deployed if hostages were taken and were expected to die before the police could arrive. Any additional expenses are coming out of your pay." Janus said to "Tyson" as she glanced at him. The officer simply nodded before heading inside with the other officers. Within three hours, the Tech Wizards were loaded into ambulances. "The Tech Wizards? The Feds have had that Heist Crew on the Most Wanted List since 2005. Your clients must be big names if they were hired to rob your place." One of the detectives said to Janus Caldera. "Big names willing to pay big money for anonymity." Janus replied, the detective writing it down before heading back inside his car and driving away with the rest of the officers. Janus smiled as she went back inside. He clients list was no longer in danger of being stolen, the three rookies who were staying at her place had defeated their first villains, and the faces of the Tech Wizards would be on every news channel, newspaper, and news site. "You can come out now." Janus said to Nereid, the aquatic Superheroine walking out from behind a fake wall with Alice in tow. "You three did well against the most dangerous High-Tech heist crew on US soil. You've got a good career ahead of you." Janus said to Jumping Spider, Neriad, and Star Sentinel.

[Flarbinia]

Queen Hornet and Iron Law entered the parking lot of an abandoned office building, the dust covered sign on the door reading "closed", grass growing out of the cracks. They parked their truck in what was a loading zone, fading paint being the only remains. "Welcome to our place. Not exactly the Ritz, but it's better than nothing. The fact that it's been abandoned since 2013 means we shouldn't have to worry about anyone spotting us leaving the building." Iron Law said to Marcus and Player as he turned off the engine. He and Queen Hornet escorted them inside the building, the interior of the lobby being no different than the lobby of any other abandoned building. They entered the elevator, Queen Hornet pressing the button. The elevator made a quiet "ding" as the rusty doors closed, Marcus, Queen Hornet, and Iron law patiently waiting as it began heading up several floors. "Did you fight any big names before you retired?" Iron Law asked Marcus. "Nuke-A-Saurus, Professor Squid, Ice Age, Red Dawn, Titanium Gorilla, Magma Man, Doctor Typhon, Tankules, Luna Scythe, Emperor Octopus, the Living Mountain, and Professor Fauna. Not bad for a Superhero who was only in the game for three years." Marcus replied. Two hours later, the elevator doors opened, revealing an impressive and elaborate base. In contrast to the rest of the building, the room looked like it came straight out of a comic book. Multiple screens were mounted on the walls, each one tuned into a different news channel. A futuristic supercomputer sat in the center of the room, several of the screens showing streams of binary code. On the back of the wall were racks to store weapons and gadgets when they weren't being used and multiple stands for body armor. "Like it? The Supercomputer and the screens on the wall were spoils of war. as well as the generator that powers it all. What? We're small-timers. We can't afford to look a gift horse in the mouth." Queen Hornet said to Marcus and Willis.

[Observation Post 13]

Willis walked around the base, taking in the equipment that surrounded him. He stopped in front of the massive supercomputer and began checking its specifications. "I can't believe it," he muttered in awe. "How'd you get it and what is this thing used for?"

He slowly walked around it, taking in the sheer power emanating from the machine. He ran his fingers over the RGB keyboard and felt the hum of energy coming from the cooling fans. He could feel the heat radiating from the machine, but it was nothing compared to the excitement and thrill he felt in his chest.

"This thing must cost a lot to pay for electricity," he said to Queen Hornet. "With this NASA-level computer, I can finally run S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 with no problem. Or hack into the United States federal reserve database."

[Flarbinia]

"They took it and the generator for this entire base from the lairs of the villains they beat. As for hackin', we need to focus on Giovanni if we want him to fall. The security systems for his fronts, the hard drives containing records of every deposit and withdraw and transfer he and his lieutenants have made, the phones his men use, law enforcement databases that we can use to identify weak links in his organization, the works." Marcus said to Willis before looking up at the screens. On one screen, Fox News was covering Oceanus Manufacturing's buyout of Sindri Automotive. On another, NBC was reporting that Daedalus Aerospace had secured contracts for the Athena Attack Helicopter with Australia, Italy, and the United Kingdom. "Looks like Hephaestus Arms is gonna have a new competitor gunnin' for Marine Corps contracts." Marcus said before he saw the story he was interested in. "The Tech Wizards finally got busted? I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of the new kids on the block were the ones who kicked their sorry asses and left them for the cops and the Feds. Janus Caldera occasionally gives Hand-Me-Downs to beginners when she ain't designin' clothes for the rich and famous. We should talk to her about gettin' you body armor when we have the time." Marcus said to Willis. "We have already identified three of Giovanni's fronts: Plutus Pay Day Loans, William Tell Pawn, and Capua Jewelry. Smaller targets than that dilapidated factory Willis blew up, but each one is a link in one of the chains holding his empire Together. Chains we will have to climb if we wish to dismantle it. Plutus Pay Day Loans is obviously used for Loan Sharking, William Tell Pawn is used to launder money from sellin' weapons on the streets, and the backroom of Capua Jewlery is an illegal gambling den. Cracking the code on their systems should be a piece of cake, though Giovanni has most likely sent some addition muscle to protect them from potential attack due to the destruction of that cache of Hephaestus Arms weapons he was gonna sell to customers in war zones around the world." Iron Law said to Marcus and Willias as he walked to the Supercomputer and repeatedly pressed the button to zoom in on three locations in the city.