[center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/3ro0Tub.jpg[/img] [h2]TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows[/h2] [/center] [hr] [u][url=https://goo.gl/maps/FpH6B4XGad6hC8ic6]Love Street[/url][/u] [i]Lincoln Park, Tenebrae[/i] [@Lady Seraphina] Glossy wood floors splayed across the smoke-filled bar, music overhead drowned out by tables full of mismatched patrons, nursing drinks and tossing cards. The bartender, dressed in a silken tie and black veil over his nose stood behind the dark counter, shining a cup. [i]‘Speak no evil’[/i], the motto written in chrome cursive on the back wall, the only bar in Lincoln Park that could boast about being a new-age speakeasy. A place that promised a good drink to their patrons no matter who, or what, they were. Men and women dressed in full costume walked in on a regular basis, and brawls were usually done with superpowers. Metahumans regarded it as a safe haven, and tonight was no exception. On a red leather stool, clad in black from head to toe, a single cape tumbling off his left shoulder, a man sat nursing his drink. The people gave him a wide berth, taking care not to stare at the red insignia on his right shoulder. He paid them no mind, merely giving his empty glass to the bartender. A new one replaced it, rocks clinking as the man took a sip. 12:25 am. The man’s masked eyes slid to the door, peering at the street outside. The portfolio he skimmed over earlier that week denoted basic information on his group of interset, particularly one of their more powerful members. Phantasm, the fighting spirit of the Valkyries. Largely unknown, but he was aware of the rumours. A girl with a terrifying meta-ability, intangibility. [i]“Come with or without your friends, I have something that I know you’ll like. Not a weapon, per se, or a drug, but of use to someone of your… skillset.”[/i] The message he sent to her phone the day before, giving details on where and when. Look for the man with the red moon on his shoulder, briefcase at his feet. And so he sat, sipping his drink, eyes narrowed hard in thought. If she accepted his invitation, not only would she immediately become more powerful, but they would all be one step closer to freedom. [hr] [u][url=https://g.page/artinstitutechi?share]The Museum of Historical Sciences, a few blocks away from The Art Institute[/url][/u] [i]Loop, Tenebrae[/i] [@Shu] The Museum of Historical Sciences, known for its rich history and exquisite pieces. Along with the royal heirlooms and weapons from lost wars, a new velvet pedestal lay empty and bare. The foam under the velvet was cut perfectly to hold its new valuables. [i]“The Lady Queen’s Diadem: New showcase at the Museum of Historical Sciences—Unveiling this week, patrons will be star-struck seeing treasures from the 14th century, along with the queen’s crown inlaid with all of the original 28-carat rubies. It truly is a spectacle fit for royalty.”[/i] An excerpt from the local newspaper that week, with details on location and how to purchase tickets for the unveiling party. Of course, for those interested in a bit of fame and wealth, a party was out of the question. If the diadem disappeared the night before the unveiling, the televisions city-wide would have that broadcasting as breaking news. [i]“The diadem is on the third floor, in a storage room across from the director’s office. It’s heavily protected, so be careful.”[/i] An anonymous note, the handwriting scribbled and messy. Left in a way that only his person of interest would find it. Scarlet Shadow, the master thief with the golden fingers. Reputable, notorious, and known for their limelight heists. The five-story museum gave few points of entry. One being the front and back doors, locked with a keycard. The next being the windows along the second floor, all the way to the fifth floor, locked with a metal latch. These windows all belonged to offices, as the storage rooms were always windowless. The third option was the vents along the rooftop, steel piping large enough to fit a person, and closed only by steel grates. The ventilation system ran through every floor, but only piped to hallways and never piped into offices or storage rooms. Each floor had its share of guards patrolling the hallways, and each floor had its share of CCTV cameras, but both the guards and cameras only ever monitored the main lobby, the hallways of the upper floor, and the storage rooms, never the offices. Inside each locked storage room, along with a single camera, there were also green laser motion sensors strewn across the room, linked up with the security office and the silent alarm system. The security office on the second floor housed the feeds of all the cameras in the building, along with the locked electrical panel to the silent alarm system. A control panel for the feeds, with the options of ‘loop’ and ‘turn off’ was positioned on the left side of the desk. A guard sat with his feet up, hat tipped forward as he dozed, the master keys in his pocket. An elevator sat at the left middle of the building, while the two sets of stairs ran along beside the entrances. The sign read ‘Sorry, we’re closed.’ The time was 12:25 am. In one of the windowless storage rooms, past the maze of green lasers, lay a safe three feet high and two feet wide with a large turn-dial lock on the front. Sitting on top of the safe, rag-wrapped boots hanging loosely, a shadowy figure in black lay waiting, red insignia on his shoulder. His gloved hands fidgeted with a zippo’s cap, the metal echoing off the empty walls. Dark-rimmed, burning eyes glared at the door, mouth pressed in an expectant line. He knew she would come. [hr] [u][url=https://goo.gl/maps/i9kiS3LzRpuwGXX1A]One333[/url][/u] [i]Near South Side[/i] [u][h3]Dream[/h3][/u] Ah, at long last. One single, peaceful night to herself. Purposefully circled in red marker on the calendar. No midnight chases, no heroic antics, and absolutely no dodging tasers and police fire. Just one night, all to herself. She turned off the lights and stepped onto the cold cement of her balcony, hot coffee in hand and eyes basking in the downtown view. The city never slept, she knew that. Cars blurred down the streets below, spreading out into a web of light that pulsed through the city. Hypnotic, in a way. That’s why she was here, leaned up against the railing, resisting the urge to dive in again. She pressed the coffee to her lips, sitting among the chairs and blankets padding the balcony. Her outfit purposefully let in the cool air, simple sweatpants, a jogger’s jacket, and a black bonnet wrapped around her head. She gave a contented sigh, assured in the fact that nothing would disturb her evening. Until she heard a knock at the door. The balcony door. At 12:25 am. She turned her gaze up, almost spilling her coffee in shock. A small, hovering drone, one of its four metal appendages curled in a fist was knocking on the glass. Its red camera light stared directly at her. Coffee splashed as she raced to her feet, putting a fist up. “You wanna go, buddy?” The drone regarded her silently, fist hovering in the air before it edged closer. “H-hey!” she yelled, shaking her fist again. Its appendages swung forward, and she prepared to throw her coffee. “Package for Miss Dream,” it said. A small brown parcel was pressed into her hand. Unlabeled, and without a return address. “Uhh… from who?” she asked. “Dr. Takeda,” it said. Perplexed, she gave the box a small shake. Something bounced around on the inside. “I, uh, don’t know any doctors.” “The doctor knows you, Miss Dream. Have a good night,” it said, moving off the balcony. “Hold on, I want to know more,” she said, but the drone continued. Her eyes squinted as she tried to spot it in between the buildings. Gone, just as quickly as it arrived. “Hmm… this is interesting,” She said, cracking open the balcony door and stepping inside. “Maybe it’s a dead drop?” [hr] [u][url=https://goo.gl/maps/6ESdBqzvrfTfA6Ze8]James & Sons Fine Jewelers[/url][/u] [i]Near North Side, Tenebrae[/i] [@Blizz] Shaking hands held a wire up inside an electrical box, cutters pressed against the rubber coating. He held his breath, snipping the cord and sending sparks off in all directions. The entire ten-block radius fell into darkness. The man, dressed in a traditional robber’s get-up, clicked on a flashlight and ran from his nook in the alley to the street. Not a single streetlight or electrical source could be seen, and the backup generator he sabotaged a half-hour earlier was still offline. Thank God. The man quickly checked the vehicles along the street, ensuring all were empty before pulling out five small disks. Each disk was placed near the engines, and, hiding at the corner of the jewellery store, the man pressed a remote in his hand. The street lit up like fireworks as vehicles exploded, shooting flames and shrapnel up into the sky. The man raised his arms to fend off the waves of heat pouring off the wreckage. Surely, this would be enough to get her attention. She was known to frequent these parts of the city and was sighted here many times. Surely, the girl with the powers like the sun, the unnamed fists of fury would appear. That was all he needed. Four minutes. That’s how long he expected until the police arrived. But heroes always showed up first, didn’t they? With one last disk hurriedly pressed against the window, he stepped back as glass shattered along the street, leaving a hole in the jewellery store’s showroom. ‘James & Sons’ read the sign as he stepped inside. The backpack swung off his shoulder as he went through the damaged showcases, scooping precious metals and glass alike and tossing it into the bag. Three minutes and twenty-nine seconds until the police arrived. The time read 12:25 am.