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Post by Gray Callahan on Jul 26, 2013 9:39:54 GMT -5
The city.
Exhaust fumes choke his nostrils and the artificial noise deafens whatever sounds of nature might remain in this place. The bustle of the streets is almost immediately jarring to him, a melancholic nostalgia suddenly blooming in his heart. The last few years had made him forget the way of the city, the sea of strangers of whom he would never get to truly know or love, strangers whom he could only look upon and wonder, wonder whether they enjoyed their lives as they moved from A to B, earning green paper, worthlessly stained ink with which to exchange for food to feed their families. Gray Callahan wonders if they realise that without the artificial constructs given to them by society, they would all die. If a disaster occurred and this city was plucked from the Earth, the people within it would eventually starve, die of thirst... or worse. Murder one another. The human animal does not like being pushed into a corner, and could become wild, ferocious.
Gray Callahan continues to ponder as he strolls casually into the vacancy's office, a small building only three stories high in comparison to the surrounding sky-scrapers. The irony isn't completely lost on the hybrid, but right now he can cope with this sort of existential duality. He needed to be able to feed while in the city, after all, as it wasn't exactly a teeming wilderness - and nor could he any longer tell himself that stealing food was acceptable. People had 'worked' for it, in their own way. And so, while he explored the city that he had once exiled himself from, he had to fund himself.
That was decided.
The entrance room was stuffy and hot, dimly lit by outdated bulbs. There was still a smokey taste to the air, but this time intermingled with synthetic air fresheners that made Callahan want to choke. The young man moves up towards the front desk; fortunately, this early in the morning, the place was empty, and so there weren't any queues to deal with. The woman behind the desk looked extremely bored, nonchalantly chewing a piece of gum. Beside her on the desk was a collection of plastic flowers, colourful and sterile.
"Hey there, how can I help?" Forced politeness, a slight twitch of the lips that could count for a smile if not for the lack of any other change in her facial expression, and the lack of emotion reflecting in her eyes. Callahan sighs.
"Yeah. Well. This is the job office, right? So uh.. yeah. I'd like to apply for a job." He licks his lips.
She gives him a quick look from head to toe, as if properly seeing him for the first time. Her eyes linger on his bare chest beneath his jacket for a few seconds longer than the rest of him, and then her eyes reach his face once again. She instinctively moves to a sheet of paper and hands it to him. "Well, you're going to need to fill in... this form, I mean." She blushes.
Gray is oblivious. He scans the form and frowns. "This is gonna take a while..."
By the time he had finished the form, a steady queue had formed. Many of the people there weren't even looking for a job, most of them had simply come to get paid because they didn't even have one. The concept that they could live like this, and be allowed to live like this, without even trying to find any semblance of work wa astounding to Callahan. They had designer clothes, the latest gadgets... they certainly weren't struggling to live on the benefit.
The assistant checks the form, although judging by how swiftly her eyes dance across the page, one could assume she was merely skimming. "Gray Callahan, huh... no formal qualifications... athletic and survival experience, yeah... Mister Callahan, there aren't a lot of openings for someone of your skill-set." Her gaze had becoming disapproving.
"You mean I just spent half an hour filling this thing in just to fuc-"
The door bursts open and a masked man wielding a pistol stumbles through. "This is a god-damn robbery, everyone get down on the flooooof!"
Gray had appeared to teleport across the room, his natural speed astounding after years of training and survival in the wilderness. His strength had also increased to far beyond that of a normal humans... indeed, Callahan was not. One hand had been used to smack the gun, cold metal bending out of shape and dropping to the floor, and the other was embedded in the assailant's stomach, hence the 'oof'.
The young warrior removes his hand and the would-be robber slumps to the ground. "You'd rob a job centre? How much money do you think these guys have?" Gray quips, before realising everyone else was gazing at him with awe. The girl behind the desk was blushing again, jaw dropped almost to the floor.
It turns out they had a job for him.
Callahan sits in the limo, opposite a beautiful woman in a expensive red dress. Her name is Eliza Straub and she is an actress. She is attending the premiere of her new movie, a political thriller with chick-flick flavouring. She is the biggest draw of the movie, attractive smiles, blonde hair and voluptuous figure. She is also, Gray realises, a complete bore. It is difficult to stop his tail, covertly wrapped around his trousers like a belt, from reaching out just to frighten her into silence. She kept complaining that her hair was going to get messed up, could the limo go any slower, could the limo go any faster, you know.
It turns out her previous bodyguard had recently retired, but had failed to inform the company until the previous night. While it was very unlikely Straub was going to get in trouble, she insisted on one just in case, to keep all of the 'filthy perverts' away. Gray had thought the job sounded decent for his first day back in the city, as it meant he was going to pretend to be the date of a beautiful star... but it turned out she was quite the irritant.
Still, it could be worse, right? He probably didn't even have a job to do.
"Your dress looks good..." the hybrid murmurs absently, responding to the star's need for self-assurance and watching the road roll by. The streets were getting busier, and that probably meant they were close to the premiere. Close to the hoard, the journalists, photographers, paparazzi, fans, stalkers... and, on turning the next corner, Gray could see how this could get complicated. There could potentially be assailants in that mob, which had to hold at least two hundred people.
Eliza seemed oblivious to the potential hazards, muttering something about a rain-storm that could occur. Although it would only take a few minutes at most for her to get inside, a FREAK STORM could occur and ruin her make-up... as if. Still, Gray nodded - it just made his job easier.
They pulled up outside, cameras beginning to flash with intensity that could rival that of a Solar Flare. Callahan slides on the tinted shades they had supplied for him, before stepping out and holding the door open. The crowd roars.
In this light, Liz did appear stunning. She took Gray's hand and pulled herself from the car. The flashes increase in dazzling succession, and her hand lingers in Callahan's for perhaps a moment too long; the tabloids would surely mention that. She tips him a wink, and then moves down the crimson carpet. Callahan would follow in pursuit.
And that was when the gunshots rung out.
An explosive concussion blooms in Callahan's chest and he is thrown back into the lime, the door crumpling inwards. His ears ringing, he barely makes out the screams. His head rolls downwards, his vision blurring, as he sees a black-clad figure sweep Liz off of her feet, silver revolver discarded and shining in a dazzle of camera flashes...
Darkness.
A fit of coughing.
Callahan comes to, his face wet. His shirt had been ripped open, and there was a massive bruise on his pectoral were the bullet had bounced off of his skin. He looks up, two faces peering down on him, when he realises where he is.
He grabs one by the throat. "How long was I out?"
"T-two minutes. But you should go to the hospital-"
Gray shoves them both back. "Which direction did they go?"
"Uh.. up through North Street. But man, you took a bullet, you're not gonna-"
Callahan was gone, the wind whistling in his absence. A shadow passes across the moon.
The car is speeding. It is black and unassuming, and unfortunately for the captor, Straub's red dress is clearly visible to Gray's trained sight. The warrior stands atop a church, his feet resting delicately on the spire. He had learned that he could now jump tremendously high. He hadn't been sure before... but it was now evident that he could now leap buildings in a single bound, much like a certain alien boy scout.
And he had a similar strength.
He leaps again, hurling himself towards cold metal.
He lands with a crunch, feet causing folds in the roof of the car. The driver, the kidnapper, slams upwards with the impact, head busting into the metal roof. The car swerves and Straub screams, a high-pitched cry of fear that would have been worthy of an Oscar. Quick as a cat Callahan slides down the car, which is rapidly steering out of control, and drops his feet against the tarmac. Sparks fly from his black shoes which quickly burst into flame as he pushes himself against the car, acting as the brakes. His feet begin to rub into the road, his fingers curling into the metal of the car door and crushing it with pressure, ensuring he has a grip. He groans with exhaustion and pain as he feels his soles begin to tear...
And then, the car stops.
Smoke rises from the bonnet where he had landed. Gray releases a sigh, his feet raw but fine, his arms aching but relaxed. The bodyguard can hear sobs from inside the van, which is good news. She wasn't dead, or badly injured.
Gray slowly pulls his fingers out of the dented metal. His own strength surprised him, now. Perhaps he would have to find a local dojo to hone his skills, to apply this strength. He had always been good at MMA, even though he rarely took lessons.
He turns to face the car door, opening the back door. And, sarcastically, he extends his hand in the very same manner Eliza Straub had taken on the red carpet.
Her sobs slowly die, replaced by long, drawn out breaths. And then, a small hand is placed into Callahan's palm.
"Should we go back to your place for coffee?"
"I think so, Gray Callahan."
The city.
He loved it.
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Post by Gray Callahan on Jul 29, 2013 14:45:00 GMT -5
Finished.
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Post by Serori Yakedo-Satsumaimo on Jul 29, 2013 15:28:32 GMT -5
1850 powerlevel rewarded. Thank you, and welcome to the site!
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