Sep

Vanguard: Calder City

<Snipped quote by Hound55>

[e-mail]

@Stormyx

You just want to make 'Dusky' happen 😂

Vanguard: Calder City

<Snipped quote by Sep>

Yeah, Microsoft does not give those out anymore. Though Albert is certainly borderline old enough to have one.

@Lord Wraith

He isn't borderline old enough he is, same age as me and my main email address is still a Hotmail one

Vanguard: Calder City

<Snipped quote by Sep>

He has enough money for a Gmail account, and he's taking out a payday loan to get himself a replacement 'N'...

@Hound55

I was tempted to give him a Hotmail, but that would have dated Dusk... And myself.

Vanguard: Calder City

Dusk will get a moment of peace when he fixes this damn door.

@Lord Wraith

Please, you think Dusk has enough money to own property? In this economy?

Vanguard: Calder City

Dusk just trying to exist:

Vanguard: Calder City

Alexa, what are real life goals?

Vanguard: Calder City

The Rat Reaper

Simon happily shook the hands of the customers, picked up the box with his new rodent friends in it and returned to his van. Turning the keys of the ignition the radio instantly popped on. "-now to those of you just tuning it, welcome to 104.5! Calder Cities most popular, and only, talk radio station! Remember to turn those dials to 104.5, or simply ask your smart-speaker to tune to CCT-Radioooo." Handbrake off, vehicle in drive. He merged effortlessly with the traffic, hands navigating the wheels by instinct more than any concious effort to control the vehicle. He knew where he was going, and could likely make this trip from anywhere in the city without looking at a map or a street sign even once.

The sound of the city, helped guide and push him. It wasn't echo location, and he couldn't fully describe the sensation but certain parts of the city just seemed to excude certain frequencies. So he followed the trail of the dull thud and the ebb and flow rhythm of the docks. "-I have to say for the first time since as far as I have known it really feels like the city is on the precipice of something major. We've become used too, and dare I say desensitized to the daily comings and goings off these heroes and villains as they tear their way through the city, used to cars brandishing the Vanguard emblem just driving down the street-"

Simon noticed a strange sound as he turned down Douglas Avenue through Lower East Calder. It was a strange buzzing that he wasn't used too, he could feel it in his head. Foot slightly heavier on the accelerator he pulled away from it, until moments later it caught up with him again. Frowning he looked in the rear view mirror, but, nothing out of the ordinary. Taxis, commuters, small trucks delivering goods to businesses. Various vans, many of them much like his own. "It is not just "edgy" or "rebellious." It is a direct incitement to violence. In what world is it acceptable to market a track that explicitly encourages teenagers to harm their parents? We are living in a society that is falling apart at the seams, and this DJ Wretched Rat is actively pouring gasoline on the fire for a few streams on TockBox and SnapShot."

Something caught his eye, a large black van. Had that been behind him before? He felt like he had seen that logo for most of the morning, had he seen it before? It was a circle with a graphic of a man inside it with his hands in the air. It wasn't a company he recognised, nor saw all over the city. Though he was sure it was a coincidence that he was noticing it now, just stuck inside his head there was nothing to worry about. "Yeah, so like, I was, like, talking to this friend of me, and he, like, totally said that his, uh, girlfriend or whatever, like..." No, had that van just made this turn? Was it the same one as before or were there multiple?

Shaken out of his reverie as he approached the docks, he ignored the buzzing in the back of his head and instead focused on the box ont he seat beside him. This was his favourite part of the job, Simons dad and all his coworkers killed the rats, rodents and other so-called 'pests' that they found. Simon however, he called to them. He captured them and he moved them to somewhere safe, somewhere where they wouldn't get into any trouble. As he approached the spot in the docks he always went too, an old abandoned warehouse with a public park out the back he slowed as the buzzing got louder. A second van already sat at the spot where he was going, but before he could reverse out the lane the van from before shot in behind him.None of you are young enough to remember, but I do. This happened before, back in '45, when the Equaliser-" The radio cut out at the same time the engine did.

This had to be a misunderstanding, right? Yeah, he told himself. These were likely either contracters or the new owners of the facility, probably had cameras set up and had seen him coming. Didn't want him releasing more pests here, that made sense. That was probably it. Stepping out of the vehicle, his heart-rate quickened as he saw a group of three men exit the truck behind him. They were all wearing black BDUs, dark sunglasses covering their eyes. The leader held some form of baton in his direction. He spat before he spoke, his voice coming out as a growl. Simon couldn't see his eyes, but he could feel the malice in them as his foosteps thundered closer.

"Just you stop right there. Freak."

Vanguard: Calder City

"I'll tell you now Little Albert," the man coughed, his breathing heavy. Gurgling in the back of his throat. His entire body was failing him, anyone would have been able to notice. At this point the only remaining life on his face resided in his eyes. Somehow against all the odds they still held a spark, that pierced through the bleached white hospital room and somehow managed to inject a strange spark of optimism. The teenager sat beside the bed, holding the mans hand. Felt none of the optimism, his clothes were slightly tattered, and his shirt could likely do with a clean. Yet there was little the eighteen year old had in the way of capital, and what little he had was spent on rent.

Yet that wasn't going to stop him visting his Grandfather in his last days.

"Your father was always this man. Stubborn," he coughed again. Otto Lichtenstein, the man formerly known as the Lightkeeper. One of the original altered to follow in the footsteps of 'Vanguard' to try and change public perception about his fellow plague survivors. A beacon in the community, he had come to America at a time when Germans let alone 'Greys' as they were so often called weren't welcome. Yet he had changed perception about himself, and his kin. Calder had been a hub of change for altered, and Otto Lichtenstein was a large driving force behind that."-It's something that runs in the family."

"Well, he's made his choice and I've made mine." Otto chuckled at his choice of words, and Albert realised how it sounded the moment the words had left his lips. "It's not the same."

"It is exactly the same. It is about, legacy." Otto pointed to a variety of photographs on the table beside his bed. A variety of photos, some in colour and others in black and white. Some were just propped up against other objects, others were in frames. Some nice, some handmade and others in a state of disrepair. Some of the ones that were the most worn, seemed the most simple. Candid shots of friends and family enjoying themselves. "I wasn't the best father. I was too focused on my work, on what I had to be, what the job entailed. What my family should look like, it was all about curating an image," he sighed heavily. "I didn't realise my mistake, till too late in my life."

Albert rolled off the sofa and stretched, trying to shake the aches and pains of a night days sleep on the Sofa. Picking up a nearby mug, he walked into the bathroom. Running cold water he splashed it over his face, washing off the night. Washing off the failure that sank through his chest at the discovery of Paloma. A woman who just wanted to find her fiancé. Wash off the discovery of Scott, another would be hero trying to stumble down the path that would lead to either fame or an early grave. Then the night of gifts just kept on giving. As he returned to the office, looking into every last note he had ever made about Palomas case, there had been a knock at the door. Rock. Another ghost from the past, and the worst kind. One who had seen through his alias almost instantly, even these days he couldn't escape the shadows of his fathers legacy.

Rock had been an unwelcome shock to the system. In hindsight he should have known that the death of Saw would have brought him home, but he hadn't expect it to bring Rock knocking on his door looking for Saws killer. He had to admit that in his ignorance he hadn't even put a second thought to the death of The Mountain, why would he? He had virtually nothing in the way of resources. Vanguard was an organisation with thousands of employees. If Vanguard wasn't able to find Saws killer, what hope did he have?

Albert put his hands back down on the sink, as he closed his eyes. He thought he had brushed his mug, he was sure he heard it fall, he heard a scrape as he opened his eyes and noted to his surprise that the mug was still there. Rinsing the mug out he swirled the cold water in his mouth, washing out the days overindulgence of coffee. Spitting it out in the sink, he poured the mug out and sighed. From his pocket he heard the familiar tone of his phone. Slipping it from its position within his pocket he flipped it open and looked at his caller id. [ANDREW SAMPSON] Pushing the answer button he placed it beside his ear, and leaned his head to hold the phone in position while he finished washing his hands.

"Mornin', what you got for me?"

"Afternoon Dom, I've got a Paloma Torres here on the table. She one of yours?"

Dominic Dusk smiled a sad smile to himself in the mirror. This wasn't over yet, he'd find her killer and when he did, he'd see how just he was feeling.

Vanguard: Calder City

Sorry I've not got my post up today as promised have a friend going through a bit of a crisis.

Vanguard: Calder City

<Snipped quote by Sep>

Working up to it! 😊

@Stormyx

Oh we have our thing set all Gucci