Part 2
The knocking continued as Bluedarky walked over to the door, he carefully looked through the peephole and almost groaned as he saw a very angry Positron banging on the door. He pulled the door open and stood blocking his entry into the flat.
There is a doorbell you know, said Bluedarky coolly, It has the added advantage of not waking up Laura and annoying Mel.
Your sister was in my lab last night, replied Positron angrily, She took the chip I was working on.
Was it important? asked Bluedarky.
It was one of a kind, replied Positron, The materials to make another dont exist, and if it falls into the wrong hands...
What do you expect me to do about it? asked Bluedarky, Im not responsible for her actions.
Youre the one she turns to when she needs help, replied Positron, Has she contacted you in the last twenty-four hours?
No, replied Bluedarky, Besides, would she let something so important get into the wrong hands? She is an undercover Longbow agent after all, did anyone else get into your lab last night.
We had an Arachnos invasion last night, replied Positron sourly, They reached the lab as well.
You got lucky then, replied Bluedarky, From what youve said, Arachnos hands would most definitely be the wrong ones.
Yeah, replied Positron, But now I have no idea where it is, Crimson confirmed that Rebecca had been hired to keep it from them, but now no-one can locate her or the chip.
Bluedarky moved aside to allow Positron to enter the apartment, the pair walked down the hall and into Bluedarkys office. Bluedarky motioned towards a chair whilst he pulled open a drawer in a filing cabinet, Positron sat down and Bluedarky placed a thick file on the desk. Positron read the upside down name on the file as Bluedarky sat down.
You have a file on me? he asked looking up into Bluedarkys face.
I have a file on most heroes, and all major villains replied Bluedarky, opening the file. He shuffled through the paperwork and whistled as he found the one he was looking for. Did she steal Project Runabout by any chance?
How did you know about that? asked Positron, Its a top secret project.
I collect information, replied Bluedarky, Ill admit, most of the information on the Freedom Phalanx just gets put in the folders without me looking at it. If my data on the project is correct though, then I know who led the Arachnos attack last night, and its another relation within my group.
Tech Queen? replied Positron, Not personally, we got Shadow Kitten and Alpha instead.
Ill check the files, replied Bluedarky standing up, Give me a day or two to look, I cant guarantee anything though, shes a tricky one when she wants to be.
She doesnt have to stay on the right side of the law, replied Positron standing, That gives her the advantage. Not that you always stick to the law.
I was cleared of all charges, replied Bluedarky placing his hands on his desk, Besides, you yourself know that sometimes we need to treat the law as a guideline rather than something to always follow. That shiny suit of yours for example, is legally the property of Crey Industries.
Im surprised a member of Bane of Crey brought that up, replied Positron.
Sometimes we need a reminder that we arent all perfect, replied Bluedarky, Allow me to escort you out Dr. Keyes.
Part 1 - Acquisition
The computer lab was dark and quiet, even when he hadnt needed to sleep Positron had slowed down at night, reading, watching tv, meditating or just spending time outside the lab that hadnt involved fighting crime. With his bodys return, he had gratefully welcomed back sleep and ensured that he spent a healthy 8 hours asleep per day.
A shadow detached itself from the ceiling and dropped to the floor soundlessly, it moved over to the nearest workbench to the project that Positron had left behind. It was a small black microchip, about the size of a Quarter. The shadow carefully lifted the chip from its indent in the bench and transferred it to a pouch on its waist.
The light snapped on to reveal a young woman in a grey uniform with a hood and goggles covering her face, she span around to see the purple and red costume of the Freedom Phalanxs speedster Synapse. He wore an expression of shock on his face.
Midnight-Strike? he asked confused, What are you doing in Paragon City?
Midnight-Strike didnt respond, she didnt have time to handle an interruption, she drew Con Actuo from its sheath and charged Synapse, he quickly dodged but she used the flat of the blade to hit the lights and spread caltrops over the ground with her free hand. By the time Synapse had maneuvered his way across the floor she had already made her exit through the air vents. She moved quickly as she heard the perimeter alarms sound, she had completed her mission with little time to spare.
She rested on the rooftops, listening to the sound of the city whilst the pouch seemed to weigh heavier than ever, she had been requested by Longbow to remove the chip before Arachnos got to it, the Phalanx believing their security could fend off even the most powerful villains had ignored the warnings from Longbow. So they had hired an undercover-agent to steal it.
But she knew what the chip was, and she also knew that every villain who knew of its existence would be on her tail before the night was over. But handing it over to Longbow or the PPD wasnt the answer. To be truthful, she couldnt think of an organization that she could entrust the chip to, even the Freedom Phalanx couldnt be trusted with this chip. That was part of the reason she had agreed to steal the chip in the first place.
Right now she knew, she had to take it to the one person she knew who wouldnt look too closely at it, and would keep it from anyone who could abuse it. Sighing she headed in the direction of Kings Row, shed have to catch a ride on an Arachnos vessel in the morning.
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Bluedarky awoke as the sunlight streamed into the bedroom, he felt Amandas arm across his chest and smiled as he remembered the previous night. Then he remembered other things and frowned. He carefully removed Amandas arm and quietly left the room.
He had first met Amanda 3 years ago now, he could still remember when the 18 year old girl had shown up on his doorstep, sent by Sister Psyche to learn how dangerous it really was out on the streets of Paragon City. But he had first seen her around 5 years ago, shortly after he became a hero.
He had been involved in returning an artefact to the MAGI vaults, a mirror that showed an image of the future, no matter if it was good or bad. He had frowned upon the legend, believing that the mirror was fake, until he caught a glimpse of his own reflection in it.
He had seen himself on a battlefield, cradling a young woman with brown hair in his arms and sobbing. He had felt he had stood there for an hour watching the images as he saw the life leave the body of the young woman, and the matching rings on their hands.
He had told no one of the mirror until he met Sister Psyche at that party, he hadnt meant to then, but she had been so kind and interested in his past that he found himself blurting it all out to her. She had told him it was nothing to worry about, that what would be, would be, and that worrying about it wouldnt help at all.
And then, a week later, she shocked him by sending him the exact woman he had seen to be trained by him. He had recognised her straight away, the eyes of the young woman had been burned into his memory, and here they were again, asking for him to train her.
He had kept his distance at first, but quickly warmed to the young girl, then the day came that she chose to leave the group, and he realised just how much she had come to mean to him, and how he couldnt stand not to be with her.
A few months later, after a few incidents she rejoined the group, and although he became closer with her, he refused to get to close. He wanted to avoid having to watch her die in his arms again, and it nearly destroyed him.
When he had recovered after losing nearly everything that he held dear to him, he told Amanda everything. The mirrors images, how he felt, how he had used his own methods to keep an eye on her, even after she left the group. He waited for her to leave, to say she never wanted to see him again, instead, she took his hands in hers, and told him that shed never leave him, even if being with him meant that they only had a few years together, shed stay. That had been six months ago.
He got dressed and walked into the main living room, he picked up the mail and went to sit down before he noticed the envelope on the table. He picked it up, opened it, and tipped out a note and a computer chip barely the size of a quarter. He quickly read the note, it read;
Stephan, guard this chip with your life. Dont let anyone know you have it, and I mean no-one. This needs to remain a secret between us.
Your Sister, Rebecca.
What have you done now Rebecca? mutter Bluedarky slipping the chip into his inside pocket as a loud knock came at the door.