Stand Out Stories

Stand Out Stories is a name of a series of short interconnected stories involving the slowly expanding cast of Standing Ripple Users and their Standing Ripples. Each chapter focuses on a different character to a point and take over the same course of events across the same time period. The stories were written by as the introduction of Standing Ripples and their significance to the New Fantendoverse.
==Story==
===Chapter 1: Sabrine Lee===
Normal Nate stands behind a desk that is separated by a pane of glass. A asian woman with red hair and exhausted eyes glances at him from behind the glass.
:Normal Nate: Name?
The woman looks at him.
:Woman: Sabrine Lee.
:Normal Nate: Power?
:Sabrine: Alien Ant Farm.
Normal Nate chuckles.
:Normal Nate: No, not the band you like. Power.
:Sabrine: Look, here.
Sabrine Lee pops her back out as a alien figure emerges. The screen flashes with the name『ALIEN ANT FARM』as the figure poses.
:Normal Nate: So… projection then?
:Sabrine: No, look. The thing's name is Alien Ant Farm. That's the only thing I've been able to get out, word-wise of it since I got this fucking thing.
:Normal Nate: Yeah, but like, what does it do?
:Sabrine: IDK, cloning or shit? Like… the clone kind of comes a bit exaggerated and different and they fight the original.
:Normal Nate: That's… definitely odd. I would almost call it bizarre.
Normal Nate seems to wink to the camera, which is revealed to be a CCTV camera in his office. Sabrine just rolls her eyes.
:Sabrine: Any odder or bizarre than you introducing yourself as Normal Nate?
:Normal Nate: Any other abilities or powers? 
:Sabrine: I can make it bite people and they get injected with a status effect that infects electronics with viruses. 
:Normal Nate: Well, don't bite me, haha…
Normal Nate looks at her.
:Normal Nate: Please, I'm begging you.
:Sabrine: Relax, you bitch. I'm not going to bite you. 
Sabrine glances at a cowboy hat hanging on the wall.
:Sabrine: Is this yours?
:Normal Nate: You can't just take it...
:Sabrine: Wow, assuming much? I wasn't going to take it I was gonna…
Sabrine lays back.
:Normal Nate: Anyway, these reports… they're not good. You've been stealing a lot of shit.
:Sabrine: It's not stealing if your clone does it, right?
:Normal Nate: No, actually it is. See, we have a handbook at FANT covering all kind of powers, general stuff… 
:Sabrine: Well, what are you gonna do, lock me up?
:Normal Nate: I mean, that's the protocol for superhumans that are doing crimes…
Sabrine sits for a moment before rushing out of the chair and grabbing the cowboy hat. Normal Nate stands up and then closes his fist in frustration.
:Normal Nate: Damn it, shoulda know she would have gone and done that. 
----
Sabrine puts on the cowboy hat and slams across a bunch of cubicles as Alien Ant Farm follows her. She steps on Logia's desk as she leaps across the offices.
:Sabrine: Sorry, gotta get out of here!
:Logia: Ah, my coffee!
Logia watches helplessly as his coffee spills to the floor as Alien Ant Farm poses, creating a clone of Logia that attacks him with his own telekinetic powers. Sabrine rolls onto the ground, clutching onto the cowboy hat as she jumps onto the floor, taking off in a sprint.
:Sabrine: Nghh… where's the exit…
Sabrine keeps running around, barely missing a baseball to the face from Mittsy, a FANT agent. 
:Sabrine: Shit!
Sabrine runs around in a drunken way, twisting and contorting past tasers and stun guns while drunkenly swinging around her arms.
:Sabrine: Motherfuck!
Sabrine kicks her legs forward onto Zane, another FANT agent that resembles a giant blue bird. He groans as he hits the ground Sabrine kicks a set of glass doors open only to see a gushing of water over a concrete, thin bridge.
:Sabrine: F.A.N.T. is dam powered?
Sabrine glances back as Blank appears to be just behind her.
:Sabrine: Damn!
Sabrine runs across the concrete bridge, sending Alien Ant Farm to bite Blank but he misses and Blank kicks him as he attempts to interact with the enviroment. Sabrine stops and pulls Alien Ant Farm back to her as she jumps down the dam.
:Blank: What the f-fuck…
Blank brings her attention back up as she sees Sabrine still running. It was a clone.
:Blank: Goddamn it.
Blank takes off running again as Sabrine makes to the other side of the dam. Blank slows as Sabrine holds out her arms.
:Sabrine: Say, this is a dead end, huh?
:Blank: Yeah, it is. Under the jurisdiction of FANT, I place you under arres-
Sabrine climbs up the wall of the dam.
:Blank: You really are a ride or die type, huh?
:Sabrine: Eh, it's just a distraction. 
:Blank: Wait, what the fuck are you gonna do…
Sabrine watches as Alien Ant Farm bites into a generator, which suddenly causes the dam to stop and shudder as the power in the building goes out. Sabrine goes into the less intense dam water close to her and begins swimming.
:Blank: What?
Blank looks around confused.
:Blank: Miss, what the fuck and where the fuck?
Sabrine leaves the water and shakes the water out before running across a metal railing that leads around the building.
:Blank: Okay, I'm going to need back up…
Blank pulls out her phone and dials up Logia.
:Blank: Come on, pick up…
Blank hears a beep and Logia's prerecorded message.
:Blank: Shit.
----
Sabrine rolls across the grass in the front of the F.A.N.T. building as Gearma, Stell, and Zeni from Squad 420 prepare to fight against her. Sabrine extends out her arms as Alien Ant Farm creates duplicates of the three that immediately begin attacking them.
:Sabrine: Woof… who knew that escaping a governmental facility would be this rough?
Sabrine looks to Alien Ant Farm.
:Sabrine: Right, I forgot you don't talk. 
Sabrine runs past them and jumps up the fence around the building. She lands on the other side on her two feet.
:Sabrine: Well, escaped that. I suppose I should get something to eat, I am kind of famished. 
Sabrine glances around and sees a jeep parking in front of the building driven by a Pikachu in a FANT suit. She runs towards the jeep, which slowly tries to back out but is punched in the face by Sabrine who carjacks the jeep.
:Sabrine: I'm out, losers!
The Pikachu rubs their head as Sabrine drifts off.
----
Blank kicks the cloned Logia in the face, freeing Logia from an intense mind to mind battle. She helps her boyfriend up.
:Logia: Ugh… great. The whole system's down and we have no idea how to deal with the virus she inflicted on the dam that powers the whole building. To make matters worse, the back up power is not going up.
:Blank: Great. We're completely blind then?
:Logia: Yeah.
:Blank: Well, this isn't great. How long until power comes back on?
:Logia: Could be a while. 
:Blank: Ughh… that was embarrassing. She barely had to lift to take down FANT on their home turf!
Blank shakes her head.
:Blank: Well, what now?
:Logia: I mean, we gotta find her. 
:Blank: I don't want to deal with her. 
:Logia: Nobody does! Especially not Squad 410, who's already booked for this Thursday to watch Unten's party on the 18th. 
:Blank: Like… seriously, who do we get to do this? 
A portly man, who has been hiding behind a pillar this entire time, pokes his body out.
:???: How about me?
Logia and Blank stare at him quizically.
:Blank: Who is this guy? I've never seen him in my life.
:Logia: Yeah, me neither.
:???: It's me, Wayne. Wayne Goldrien. I deliver your mail?
:Blank: Oh… we still have a mail room?
:Logia: I mean, packages can't be sent digitally yet.
:Wayne: Come on, I'm willing. I can show you my potential as a FANT agent, just like you guys!
:Blank: Mm…
Blank looks to Logia, who is staring at his double in the corner who is out cold.
:Logia: Jesus, you kicked him in the head, huh? 
:Blank: I feel like you should know how rough I can get at this point…
:Wayne: Well, maybe I can get rough too! Come on, give me a chance! You won't regret it.
:Blank: Fine, whatever.
:Wayne: Yes!
Wayne raises his hand in the air and runs off to begin his mission. He then immediately comes back in.
:Wayne: So… what Squad am I in?
:Blank: I dunno, Q? Is that a number?
:Wayne: Squad Q… works for me!
Wayne goes off running again as Blank presses her fingers against her forehead.
:Blank: Yo, fuck mondays. Really seeing the wisdom Garfield was attempting to impart on us.
----
Sabrine runs out of a gas station, carrying a package of bread, powdered donuts, a jar of salsa, and some pretzel bites. She slams the bread into her cowboy hat and continues to run past a highway bridge before making a turn towards the giant concrete pillars.
:Sabrine: Woof…
Sabrine sits down against a pillar as she sits down on piece of cardboard.
:Sabrine: Let's see…
Sabrine pops open the bag of powdered donuts and grabs one, biting into it as powder spills back into the bag. She sees a woman approach her from not too far away and waves. This woman doesn't look too pleased with her.
:Sabrine: Eyo, you look mad.
The woman places her hands on her hips, Sabrine able to recognize now that she has horns on her head.
:Sabrine: Lilith?
:Woman: Leelith, actually. This is my pissing spot.
Sabrine glances down and then back to Leelith.
:Sabrine: No, this is where I was hanging out for the last couple days. I placed this piece of cardboard down myself from a flat screen TV I stole.
:Leelith: I dunno what to tell you then, because I marked my territory here first.
:Sabrine: We're not going by dog rules!
:Leelith: Yes we are! That's how Crow decides everything, you wanna fight with her?
:Sabrine: Admittedly no, but she doesn't really come here that often when she's actually in town.
:Leelith: Crow rules are dog rules! Come on! I don't got much, anyway. 
:Sabrine: Yeah, well neither do I…
Sabrine stuffs another powdered donut into her mouth.
:Leelith: Fine, have your space then. It was smelling pretty bad anyway.
:Sabrine: I WONDER WHY THAT IS!
Leelith throws her hands up as she moves away from the conversation.
:Leelith: I dunno, maybe you can tell me because you're SO SMART!
Leelith turns her back on her as she goes behind the other concrete pillar.
:Sabrine: Whatever.
Sabrine opens up the jar of salsa and unscrews the lid, drinking from it.
:Sabrine: Mmm… chunky.
Sabrine wipes her lips as she sets down the salsa bottle. She sits in the silence for a moment before she hears a police siren.
:Sabrine: Ah shit, they saw me.
Sabrine grabs the cowboy hat and the pretzel bites as she looks for somewhere to hide. She glances at the sewer grate.
----
Wayne is in his truck, looking around for suspicious activity. He heads into the gas station because he's hungry and grabs a half dozen donuts and pays at the counter.
:Register Girl: Hey, you're with F.A.N.T, right?
:Wayne: Wear the badge proud and loud!
:Register Girl: We saw this red haired jackass shoplift and try to be sneaky about it? She shouldn't be too far.
:Wayne: Sabrine… thank you for your tip!
Wayne goes out running before coming back in to grab his donuts and gets back in his truck. He flips on a switch that makes a police siren blare out as a light on his truck weakly flashes in the daylight.
:Wayne: See, this was easier than I thought! All I have to do is catch her and they'll have to make me an official F.A.N.T. agent! Maybe in the fabled Squad 410…
Wayne goes down the road, looking for Sabrine as he passes through the highway bridge, not spotting anything.
:Wayne: Well, she's gotta be here somewhere…
Wayne keeps driving, intending to circle around a couple times.
----
Sabrine goes down the ladder into the sewer as Alien Ant Farm follows her, clipping through the environment a tad. Sabrine pops off the ladder and lands on the concrete ground.
:Sabrine: Cool. I don't think anyone would be smart enough to look down here, although it a bit oddly spacious for a sewer. And pretty brightly lit. 
Sabrine glances at the long tube that stretches across the center of the sewer and then at the lights above, which slowly flicker out.
:Sabrine: Hmm…
Sabrine glances around, looking for a possible cause. A rat scurries past her, with Sabrine grabbing it.
:Sabrine: Hmm… might need this for later.
Sabrine puts it in her pocket for now and heads down the slowly darkening sewer. Unknown to her, there is someone with powers similar to her's that is heading down the sewer this very instant.
Her name is…
===Chapter 2: Juliani Crimoze===
A indian woman finishes her hair, which is marked up in buns out through a mirror in a small dark room with a single light hanging from the ceiling. 
:???: Hey, Juliani, are you coming out or what? It's been a hour.
The woman, Juliani, rolls her eyes as she finishes tying the ribbons in her hair and comes out.
:Juliani: Beauty like mine doesn't come fast, you know. Actually, you don't, do you Arthur?
The voice from earlier, a man with a mysterious blank eye and a bandage over his head, just growls.
:Arthur: Yeah, whatever. Honestly, you're not even the prettiest woman here, so I wouldn't push it.
Arthur suddenly shakes his limbs as they start to lose blood circulation, making them "sleepy". Juliani has a determined look in her eyes as her Standing Ripple, a robotic figure by the name of 65daysofstatic, hovers behind her.
:Arthur: Alright, jesus! Feeling fierce today, aren't we?
Juliani releases 65daysofstatic from using their powers on Arthur, who kicks the wall to get feeling back into his leg. An imposing man wearing sunglasses with a scar on his right eye looks at Juliani.
:Juliani: Is Hammerhead still not here? 
:Man with Sunglasses: Hammerhead said he needed to clear his head. These past couple days haven't been great.
:Juliani: Oh no! What happened? Robert, you simply must tell me!
The man with the sunglasses, Robert, just glances at her and sighs.
:Robert: He told me that it was not privy for anyone but me and him to know.
:Juliani: Fat chance! You know, if you keep withholding info from us, you could get in a lot of trouble.
:Robert: With who, exactly? I'm not sure you're aware of this, but we are cousins. Hammerhead does not let family come behind his own dealings with his mob. He does not care about you. 
:Juliani: Oh, you're just saying that. 
Juliani waves her hand to signify that she is paying no mind to Robert's comment. Robert just grumbles to himself as he grabs a pistol.
:Robert: Hey, Juliani, our target today is a bit… unpredictable. So… just keep that in mind, alright?
Arthur lounges back in a chair. Robert glances at him.
:Robert: Where's Eric?
:Arthur: Eric? As in Puddle of Mudd Eric?
:Robert: We only have one Eric. Where the fuck is he? He's supposed to be collateral in case things get ugly.
:Arthur: Oh, was he not supposed to know that?
:Robert: Fuck. Where did he go?
Arthur shrugs as he grabs a pipe and flicks a lighter onto the end.
:Robert: You're not supposed to be telling people that, you know.
:Arthur: Well, excuse me. I'll never do that again if it makes you happy.
:Robert: It would, yes.
:Juliani: Well, are we going to get going or what?
:Robert: Where's Circe? I don't want to leave without a third member.
:Arthur: Oh you know Hammerhead wouldn't like you using her for this.
:Robert: Yeah, you're right. I guess it is her off day too…
:Juliani: Can we just go already?
:Robert: No? 
Robert grabs a notepad and glances over it. It's a informational sheet of the mob members and their times.
:Robert: Fuck, it it just us four today huh?
Robert glances over to Arthur.
:Arthur: You know I won't be useful for you and I'm too valuable to just be used willy nilly.
:Robert: Guess it really is just going to be us two on today's route then.
Juliani walks past him.
:Juliani: Well, are we taking a car or walking?
:Robert: Walking. It's not that far.
:Juliani: Better be not that far.
----
Juliani and Robert emerge from a door hidden away from public sight as they enter the front for their mob, a restaurant called Sea Legs and Wings. The time is 9:00 AM, not quite open for the day, so they have the staff wipe down the tables to make sure they're clean. Juliani and Robert walk past a pale skinned woman with black hair and face paint that resembles a skull who is wiping down one of the tables.
:Juliani: How are you doing, Mia?
The woman, Mia, sticks out her middle finger at Juliani. Juliani just looks back at Robert.
:Juliani: Rude…
:Robert: It doesn't matter. She does a fine job making sure we look like a legitimate business.
:Mia: Oh I see, a legitimate business huh?
Robert and Juliani freeze. They didn't assume her hearing was that good.
:Mia: I see… the ol' Yoshi scheme. I know that you guys don't pay any taxes, but you know what, me neither, so let's keep this on the downlow.
Robert and Juliani shrug.
:Robert: Sure. On the downlow.
Mia nods her head as she gets back to work.
:Robert: Yeah, that's a note to make about her…
Juliani opens the door for Robert and they enter outside.
:Robert: The nice summer breeze.
:Juliani: Mm… hopefully it isn't too hot.
:Robert: You worry too much about petty stuff.
:Juliani: What do you know about Hammerhead? Is he… like available?
:Robert: Hammerhead is a very reserved man. I would not call him available in any sense of the word. He hardly talks to me these days.
:Juliani: I see…
The two continue to walk down the road, their Standing Ripples inactive and in hiding.
:Robert: While we're asking dumb questions, can I ask what's up with the outfit? 
:Juliani: It's… you know, nice looking.
:Robert: You look like you came out of a Final Fantasy game.
:Juliani: Well, is that a bad thing?
:Robert: Depends. Hammerhead isn't particularly one for flair.
:Juliani: Mm.
:Robert: Not that it matters. Do what makes you happy. 
The two continue to walk down the street, passing a black woman cop who is directing traffic.
:Robert: What's the accident, miss?
:Cop: Eh, some woman got hit by a car and then the vehicle crashed into a wall of a Starbucks.
:Juliani: Oo! I haven't had my coffee for today. Can we go get some?
:Robert: The Starbucks was hit by a car.
:Juliani: There's more than one Starbucks.
:Robert: We need to stay focused.
:Juliani: Yeah, we can focus after I get my coffee.
:Robert: I will get you coffee if I don't have to hear anymore dumbass questions from you.
:Juliani: Fine, it's a deal!
They shake on it.
----
Arthur Magus turns the pages of a newspaper he's reading as a strange looking woman with green skin and wearing a one piece swimsuit comes down the stairs.
:Arthur: Oh ey, Skimp and Yung Bae.
The woman sits down as she sticks out her tongue out of her mouth, revealing a small shrimp. The shrimp, Skimp, retreats back into the woman's mouth, Yung Bae.
:Skimp: Oh, you know, I thought I would come back here because I don't have anything going on today.
:Arthur: Nahhh… I don't trust like that. You're an evil shrimp, you have your actual reasons for going here, don't you?
:Skimp: Evil? I hardly think so.
:Arthur: Mm. Okay. 
Yung Bae pops Skimp out of her mouth, setting him on a table to set in a small bowl of water.
:Skimp: I'm a shrimp. I have very few pleasures in life as an immortal one. 
Skimp leans against the edge of the bowl.
:Skimp: I think it would be very funny if I set a bunch of lobsters at the sea food market free today. But I need your help. 
:Arthur: Yeah, no you don't. The last time I was involved in one of your "sea food pranks", everyone died. 
:Skimp: That was the plan!
:Arthur: Evil shrimp.
:Skimp: Well, if you're not going to help me, who will?
:Arthur: I dunno, can't you just genetically sample a monster together or whatever?
:Skimp: Those never go well for these kinds of things.
:Arthur: Well, I don't know what to tell you, today's kind of a lowkey day.
:Skimp: What about uhhh… Anubi or Bienna? They in today?
:Arthur: No. Robert just checked.
:Skimp: Damn.
:Arthur: Don't even think about asking the vampire up stairs. I asked her for a cup of joe and she just bared her fangs because she know I won't pay for it, even though I kind of own the place. 
:Skimp: Well, duh. Your capitalistic society doesn't translate well if you try to get people to do things for free when they know they can get a tip and get paid from it.
:Arthur: Yeah, yeah. Whatever. 
Arthur keeps reading over the news.
:Arthur: Hrm. Superhuman Act? That's never passing through any court…
Arthur keeps pursuing through the newspaper.
:Skimp: Looking for the comics?
:Arthur: No. The reviews for the new Marvel movie.
:Skimp: They only have one in the newspaper, so you wouldn't use the plural term of that…
:Arthur: I know you're a hyper intelligent immortal shrimp, but do you have to be so obnoxious about it?
Skimp just clicks his vocal cords and retreats back into the water.
----
Juliani and Robert enter the Starbucks, lining up behind a pink haired girl. Juliani glances over at the menu as Robert just stands still.
:Juliani: I know what I'm getting. What are you getting? 
:Robert: Nothing.
:Juliani: Come on, you should at least energize yourself before we track this scum down.
:Robert: Eating before physical activity is generally not recommended.
:Juliani: Fine, have it your way.
:Robert: This is a Starbucks.
:Juliani: What?
:Robert: It's a joke. You said the Burger King slogan in a Starbucks.
:Juliani: Oh.
Juliani watches as the pink haired woman orders from the barista.
:Juliani: You sure you don't want anything?
:Robert: Certain.
:Juliani: Suit yourself…
The pink haired woman sits down as Juliani walks forward to the register.
:Juliani: Tall with half and half mixed in to the point where it should look like this color…
Juliani pulls a Pantone color swatch from her pocket, giving it to the barista. Specifically, it is PANTONE 7591 C.
:Barista: Is… that all? I feel like there should be more to this if you're going to hand me a Pantone color swatch.
:Juliani: Oh yeah, drizzle in about three spoonfuls of sugar and then stir.
:Barista: Will that be all?
:Juliani: Yes. He's paying.
Robert sighs as he holds out his hands. Juliani turns to him and puts a hand to her hip.
:Robert: Jesus kid, you really know how to perform a racket.
:Juliani: I'm a woman who knows what she wants, alright?
:Robert: You're making me pay for it…
Robert puts his wallet down on the counter and pays for the damn coffee. Juliani goes to sit down, watching the TV.
:Juliani: Mmm… hey, isn't that her?
Robert turns his head as he exits from the counter with his wallet.
:Robert: Penny Loafer? Yeah.
Juliani nods her head as she glances around the Starbucks. A girl, sipping on bubble tea, is reading tweets on her phone.
:Juliani: Hm…
Juliani glances at the TV, seeing the super star Penny Loafer sit opposite of Vicky Victorious, who is interviewing her.
:Vicky Victorious (subtitles on TV): How did you get this talent? Many suspect you have some sort of… power.
:Penny Loafer (subtitles on TV): Oh, believe me, my talent is raw and earned.
Juliani smirks, knowing the truth. She came to Ocean 11 for powers and hasn't been paying royalities to the Ocean 11 mob. That what brings them to seeking her out.
:Juliani: Ey, Robert. You were right. The walk wasn't long at all.
Robert glances at her.
:Robert: The hell are you talking about? She was last spotted 5 blocks from here…
Juliani points to the woman sipping her bubble tea.
:Robert: Oh.
Robert looks to Juliani.
:Robert: Numb her hands. Cut off circulation as much as you can. We can't be distracted.
Robert pulls out his gun secretly.
:Robert: I'm gonna give her hell. Just a knick in the shoulder or something- something precise and to let her know it's about to get a lot worse if she doesn't give us the money back soon.
Juliani nods as she brings out 65daysofstatic, which begins to cut off Penny Loafer's blood circulation in her hands. Penny Loafer freezes up with terror and then drops her phone as she begins to run. Juliani squints at the sheer power she's doing to hold her back as Robert pulls out his gun out of his jacket and is about to pull the trigger.
:Penny Loafer (subtitles on TV): I tell you, it's a snap. 
Penny Loafer snaps her fingers on the TV, which brings attention to everyone in the coffee shop to the TV instead as Robert misfires, shooting Penny Loafer's phone on the table instead. Robert snaps back to looking forward, only seeing Penny Loafer run off leaving. Juliani, having lost focus on her, growls.
:Robert: C'mon!
:Barista: Juliani? Order ready...
Robert and Juliani run out of the coffee shop- albeit Juliani is lagging behind because she went to go get her coffee.
:Robert: Damn it! Damn it! We lost her.
:Juliani: Yeah, I don't think so.
Juliani points to an open sewer hole in the road. Robert takes a sigh.
:Robert: Well, it's worth a shot I suppose.
----
Juliani and Robert enter inside the sewer, 65daysofstatic sapping light from the lights suspended against the sewer ceiling.
:Robert: You're way smarter than I took you credit for. I suppose you're using this light to build a static charge?
:Juliani: Absolutely. Albeit, it'll give us lower visibility, but that hardly matters.
:Robert: I mean, it does, my eyesight is evidently shit.
:Juliani: I'll just show you where to point the gun!
Juliani laughs as Robert sheepishly grins.
:Juliani: Now where is this bitch…
The two continue to walk down the sewer as on the opposite end a red haired asian woman enters the sewer to escape the police siren.
:Sabrine: Cool. I don't think anyone would be smart enough to look down here, although it a bit oddly spacious for a sewer. And pretty brightly lit. 
Sabrine glances at the long tube that stretches across the center of the sewer and then at the lights above, which slowly flicker out.
:Sabrine: Hmm…
Sabrine glances around, looking for a possible cause. A rat scurries past her, with Sabrine grabbing it.
:Sabrine: Hmm… might need this for later.
Sabrine puts it in her pocket for now and heads down the slowly darkening sewer. Juliani and Robert continue down the sewer before spotting the woman, who glances around with a rat in her pocket.
:Juliani: Jesus christ, what a freak.
:Robert: She has a Standing Ripple too? What the hell? Have you ever seen her?
:Juliani: You've been part of Ocean 11 longer than I have! I don't know her! All I know is she's fucking filthy looking!
:Robert: What is the cowboy hat about?
Juliani blows on her coffee as she takes another sip.
:Juliani: I dunno. You wanna blow up this bitch?
:Robert: Nah, let's not do anything rash. We don't know what she might be capable of.
Juliani sighs as she rolls her eyes.
:Juliani: Fine. Well, what do we do?
:Robert: Evade sight.
Sabrine leans against the sewer pipe between them.
:Sabrine: Oh hey! What are you guys doing in the sewer?
:Juliani: God damn it! Bitch! Where the fuck did you come from?
:Sabrine: I walked here. That outfit is cute, where did you get it?
:Juliani: Flattering. I made it myself, if you must know.
:Sabrine: Oh, you're a seamstress? Maybe you could whip something up for me if you know, you're interested in that.
:Robert: Mm… well, she doesn't seem to be a threat.
:Juliani: Who are you? What is that?
Juliani points to Alien Ant Farm.
:Sabrine: Oh, that's Alien Ant Farm. My Standing Ripple from um, that Russian company.
:Robert: CHELPRO?
:Sabrine: You know em?
:Robert: Depends. 
:Sabrine: Well, I'm just gonna hide out here, if you don't… mind…
:Robert: We don't.
Juliani leans against the sewer wall.
:Juliani: Hey, maybe your ratty ass can help us. Do you know a girl about um… this high…
Juliani pushes her hand down to about her waist level, then pushes it down a bit lower.
:Robert: You guys are the same fucking height. This is not helpful. She has purple hair, is mixed race, wears heart shaped sunglasses.
:Sabrine: Oh, no, I haven't.
:Juliani: Mm. Was the rat here before you came into the sewer or… did you just pick it up from the ground?
:Sabrine: Oh, I just picked it up.
:Juliani: Disgusting. 
:Sabrine: He's cute... 
Sabrine nods her head to the left.
:Sabrine: So, what's up with the dark side?
:Juliani: I sap light to build up electrical charges for my Standing Ripple 65daysofstatic. 
:Sabrine: Cool. I clone people and inflict viruses onto electrical devices.
Juliani steps back.
:Juliani: Could you be my perfect counter against my Standing Ripple?
:Sabrine: I dunno. 
:Robert: Don't start needless fights. Come on, we gotta find Penny.
Sabrine walks towards the darkness, because that's where she would go to hide.
:Juliani: Well, I'm glad that's over with. 
Robert takes out a sigh of relief.
:Robert: Hey, maybe she can help find Penny for us.
:Juliani: I guess. That dirty animal is already going towards the darkness, so…
:Robert: What, do you have an allergic reaction to her or something?
:Juliani: She just pisses me off… looking like that, being like that...
----
Sabrine stumbles around in the darkness, squinting.
:Sabrine: I can't see shit. Do you have like any way to light up the area?
Sabrine looks to Alien Ant Farm.
:Sabrine: Come on, at least give me an yes or no answer.
:Alien Ant Farm: No. That doesn't fit any of my ability descriptions.
:Sabrine: Oh, now you want to talk. Jesus christ superstar.
Alien Ant Farm goes back to silence as Sabrine sighs and holds her head back in her arms.
:Sabrine: That lady was a bit rude huh? Shame she's kind of cute. 
Sabrine steps in a puddle, sloshing water. She hears a small gasp and turns her head, adjusting to the darkness as she spots Penny Loafer pressed against the wall.
:Sabrine: Oh, it's…
===Chapter 3: Penny Loafer!===
Penny Loafer sips on some bubble tea as a man with a beard trims her hair.
:Penny: James! You about done?
The man sighs as he clips off some stray hairs.
:James: Yeah, just about.
Penny swirls back to face him as she gets out of her chair. A heavy set black guy, Bronson, gives her a pamphlet.
:Bronson: Alright, Penny, here is a quick overview of what Vicky is like. It's important you at least give this a glance. She's a political pundit and not very appreciative of superhumans. Lie your ass off it comes up, girl. 
Penny nods and skips down the hallway as she glances through the pamphlet. She looks up as Sonya, her lawyer, approaches her.
:Sonya: Good luck out there. James did a great job getting your hair cut, I assume Bronson was being his perfectionist self and gave you the pamphlet last minute as usual?
Penny nods up and down.
:Sonya: Yeah, that bastard. Alright, don't say anything stupid.
:Penny: I won't… try to!
Penny gets behind the stage, awaiting for herself to be called out. Sonya glances at Bronson and James, who entering out from her make up room.
:Sonya: Leah could get a bit rough sometimes, but jesus christ this girl is too damn bubbly. James, you mind making me some damn black coffee? Bronson, what the hell man, she's supposed to have read that during her dollying up. 
:Bronson: I want it to look nice in case we have other clients!
:Sonya: Leah's not coming back. Hell, I don't even know if Sarah is judging from what we heard from Susan the other day.
:Bronson: Yeah, but…
:Sonya: Just do better, please. I'm not asking for much. 
Bronson leans back into a chair as he watches the live broadcast.
:Bronson: Gotcha.
:Sonya: Shh… it's about to begin.
:Vicky (audio from the TV): Please welcome my first guest, the ever-talented Penny Loafer that's taking the world by storm!
----
Penny Loafer walks onto the stage as Penny sits back in a chair, legs crossed. 
:Penny: Hi!
Penny sits down on a couch, putting her hands in her lap.
:Vicky: So nice to have you on. You provide such a great example of a person that can make it in a society like ours, that's being slowly taken over by superhumans and aliens… I mean, come on, enough with that nonsense, right?
The audience cheers.
:Penny: Yeah, I totally get you! There really isn't much room for artists to be artists anymore and I think that's a real shame! 
:Vicky: How did you get this talent? Many suspect you have some sort of… power.
:Penny: Oh, believe me, my talent is raw and earned. 
:Vicky: Well, I believe you. 
Vicky pulls her legs up onto a footrest as she lays back.
:Vicky: I mean, just look at this amazing piece. Gorgeous rendition of the red haired woman that landed in the park not too long ago, with the bat-girl and frog-girl aliens that came out of that pod. I was never able to follow up on that report, but you've done this stunning piece.
:Penny: Well, it just kind of came to me in a vision, you know? And then when I saw your report, I was like holy shit!
Penny covers her mouth.
:Penny: Am I allowed to cuss on the show?
:Vicky: Eh, it's fine, we bleep it out all the time. 
The audience laughs.
:Vicky: Truly remarkable woman. We should be looking up to her instead of like, those guys from the "Fantendo Firehouse". Where are you getting all your ideas? Someone as multi-faceted like you hasn't been seen since like… Donald Glover.
:Penny: I tell you, it's a snap. 
Penny snaps her fingers.
:Penny: Just, like, bam, I find inspiration all the time! You know? I'm sipping my bubble tea this morning and I think, oh snap, nobody's ever done a concept album on Clifford the Big Red Dog. And I think about that for a bit and realistically, what would be the impact of such a huge dog in our society? That thing would be shot down, like instantly with tranquilizers by F.A.N.T.! So, you know, it's just this unavoidable presence that scares people and we gotta deal with it!
:Vicky: Yeah. You get it! So, what do you say America about this new icon of standard human brilliance? Leave us an email on our webzone at https:///www.channel17.com/emails and we might read it on the show later. As I understand it, you're a very busy woman. 
:Penny: I am!
:Vicky: Well, hope to see you back on the show when you have the time.
:Penny: Same!
Penny and Vicky shake hands as Penny heads off stage.
:Vicky: Next up! A psychiatrist that treats supervillians. Right after the break. You don't wanna miss it, I got choice words for this guy.
----
Penny is on her phone as she sits in a limo driven by Bronson.
:Bronson: What's sounding good to you? I'll drop you off for a bit and then you can text me when you want me to pick you up.
:Penny: I could go for another bubble tea!
:Bronson: You… just had one.
:Penny: Yeah, but I like one to sip down on as I read Tweets and look at porn!
:Bronson: Alright then, Starbucks.
Bronson makes a left and pulls up to a Starbucks. Penny leaps out, bouncing as she moves towards the door and enters inside.
:Bronson: Hrm. Looks like it could rain today. 
----
Penny grabs her bubble tea and sits down at a table near the window, sipping through the straw as she looks through her Twitter feed. Two suspicious individuals are behind her, talking to each other about inane nonsense.
:Juliani: Ey, Robert. You were right. The walk wasn't long at all.
Robert glances at her.
:Robert: The hell are you talking about? She was last spotted 5 blocks from here…
Juliani points to the woman sipping her bubble tea.
:Robert: Oh.
Robert looks to Juliani.
:Robert: Numb her hands. Cut off circulation as much as you can. We can't be distracted.
Robert pulls out his gun secretly.
:Robert: I'm gonna give her hell. Just a knick in the shoulder or something- something precise and to let her know it's about to get a lot worse if she doesn't give us the money back soon.
Penny continues to scroll through her phone, oblivious to the people behind her as she keeps scrolling through her twitter feed. Suddenly, she feels her hands get all sleepy. She pushes the chair behind her and tries to run. Juliani squints at the sheer power she's doing to hold her back as Robert pulls out his gun out of his jacket and is about to pull the trigger.
:Penny Loafer (subtitles on TV): I tell you, it's a snap. 
Penny Loafer snaps her fingers on the TV, which brings attention to everyone in the coffee shop to the TV instead as Robert misfires, shooting Penny Loafer's phone on the table instead. Penny runs out into the street and looks for an quick hiding spot, noticing the sewer grate on the ground. She pulls it up, grunting and then jumps down into the sewer.
:Penny: Bap!
Penny lands on her feet as she looks through the sewers.
:Penny: Hot damn, when did Seattle's sewers look like this?
Penny pats the sewer line as she starts running down the sewer, before hopping over to the other side somewhat uneasily.
:Penny: That was definitely Ocean 11… Hrm. What to do…
Penny goes to check her phone, only realizing that she left it at the Starbucks.
:Penny: Damn it. I guess I'm gonna have to try and lose them with my feet.
----
Sonya sits in her office as she stirs her coffee. Someone taps at her door and she opens it, revealing Xerox.
:Sonya: Ah shit, security?
Sonya goes back to her desk to try and get back to her phone but Xerox grabs her arm.
:Xerox: Can you just calm down for a minute?
Sonya tries to yank herself out of her grip but gives up. Xerox sighs.
:Xerox: I want to apologize. Can a bitch apologize?
:Sonya: Fine, but let me sit down.
Xerox nods and Sonya sits at her desk. Xerox pulls up a chair and lays her hands across it.
:Xerox: I'm so sorry about what I did to your client, I'm sorry what happened to her, and I'm sorry for almost literally everything I've done to harm you and your agency.
:Sonya: Mhm.
:Xerox: I've been meeting with a psychiatrist who's really helped me make some breakthroughs and this is one of my last steps to recovery. I really hope I come off as sincere here.
:Sonya: Yeah, you do… I don't think any of us can go a day without mentioning her name. It's weird how abrasive she was, yet brought a lot of us together in weird ways. I guess due in part to her death a lot of us have gotten closer together as a result… which is not something people typically do, but I digress.
:Xerox: We're good?
:Sonya: Yeah.
Sonya brings out her hand to Xerox and they shake on it.
:Sonya: It's… weird, I feel like I should have heard something about Penny a while ago.
Bronson bursts open the door.
:Bronson: Penny is not at the Starbucks. I don't know where she…
Sonya presses a button on the remote on her desk as a tv screen glows in the relatively dark room. On the screen, Vicky can be seen in front of a Starbucks.
:Vicky: Another incident has occured at a Starbucks… this is breaking news I think? It didn't happen too long ago. In fact, hey, follow me in here, get a good shot of my ass while I come in here…
Vicky walks through the Starbucks, which is closed off partially as she comes around the crime scene being investigated by a black woman police officer, who was previously seen earlier redirecting traffic.
:Cop: Mam, I advise you to step away from the crime scene. This is not a place you were told to be.
:Vicky: With all due respect, I'm a reporter with integrity and a active resolve. I will use gorilla tactics to find out the truth.
:Cop: Guerilla. Tactics.
:Vicky: I know what I said.
:Cop: Mam, just keep away from the scene, okay? 
:Vicky: Do you have anything from eyewitnesses?
:Cop: Yeah. Two mobsters attempted to shoot up Penny Loafer in the middle of a damn coffee shop. They shot the phone and she ran. Where to, nobody knows as they were all distracted by the TV, somehow. 
:Vicky: Must have been the interview we captured earlier. We're both very captivating figures.
Vicky poses for the camera as the cop rolls her eyes. Sonya, back in her office, grits her teeth.
:Xerox: What's this about?
:Sonya: None of your business. Sorry, rude, I know. Would you excuse me with my staff for a minute?
:Xerox: Yeah, I was just about to leave.
Xerox leaves the room. Bronson leans on her desk.
:Sonya: This is… not good. Shit. Ocean 11 might have found her by the sounds of it. 
:Bronson: I told you, you need to hire a bodyguard for a client like this.
:Sonya: Now is not the time for I told you so!. Jesus. 
Sonya sips her coffee.
:Bronson: Well, what are we going to do?
:Sonya: I don't *fucking* know. We find her first, I guess. Watch reports until she starts turning up and bring her back her and we can talk about security with her, because she isn't going to like us just deciding that for her.
Bronson nods.
----
Penny Loafer creeps against the walls as the lights have dimmed. She takes a moment to stand completely still, not trying to make a single breath in a tunnel that would echo her sounds with her two menances nearby, searching for her. She can hear someone coming and tries to blend in. 
:Sabrine: I can't see shit. Do you have like any way to light up the area?
Sabrine looks to Alien Ant Farm.
:Sabrine': Come on, at least give me an yes or no answer.
:Alien Ant Farm: No. That doesn't fit any of my ability descriptions.
:Sabrine: Oh, now you want to talk. Jesus christ superstar.
Alien Ant Farm goes back to silence as Sabrine sighs and holds her head back in her arms.
:Sabrine: That lady was a bit rude huh? Shame she's kind of cute. 
Sabrine steps in a puddle, sloshing water. She hears a small gasp and turns her head, adjusting to the darkness as she spots Penny Loafer pressed against the wall.
:Sabrine: Oh, it's Penny Loafer!
Penny Loafer puts a hand over her mouth.
:Penny: SHH!
Sabrine nods her head. They talk in hushed whispers.
:Penny: Those two are looking for me. I need help. 
:Sabrine: Are… they bad guys?
Sabrine looks back.
:Sabrine: Eh, I can see it.
:Penny: Can I trust you?
:Sabrine: Yeah. I think so. I mean, I don't want to kill you or anything like that.
:Penny: Cool…!
The two begin running down the sewers as Sabrine grabs Penny's hand.
:Penny: Are you sure you know where you're going?
:Sabrine: I dunno, but I've been down my fair share of sewers before.
:Penny: What for?
:Sabrine: I dunno, money, frogs, there's cool stuff in the sewers. Typically you gotta do it naked though.
:Penny: Why naked?
:Sabrine: Cuz you don't want to get your clothes wet when the water comes in. 
:Penny: Is that going to happen in here?
:Sabrine: Nah, the pipe is a waterline I think.
They make their way up to a mysterious, obviously older built part of the sewer.
:Sabrine: Hrm. Lot of cobwebs around here…
Sabrine and Penny make their way through a bunch of cobwebs and distract the spiders with Penny's snapping. A breakage can be found, leading to a cave.
:Penny: This looks like a dead end!
Sabrine sniffs the air.
:Sabrine: Certainly smells dead too. 
Sabrine and Penny hop into the cave portion as they glance around. A sign in the distance reads "SEATTLE BEORN HALLOW" with smaller words stating "ESTABLISHED BY UNTEN, 2016".
:Sabrine: Weird place.
:Penny: Yeah, I don't like it!
Penny kicks a dead bit of Spewage, which squirms in a uneasy way.
:Sabrine: I just need a minute to rest. Those sewers are cramped as hell in a way that this isn't.
Penny glances around the sewers, looking at the destroyed tunnels and water that flows across some of the cave landscape- untamed and unnatural. Sabrine takes a minute to snack on frozen pretzel bites as Penny nervously taps at her fingers.
:Sabrine: You nervous, girl?
:Penny: Well, this place isn't exactly the most pleasant place to look at!
:Sabrine: Eh, it's fine. I'll keep you safe.
Penny blushes.
:Penny: Really?
:Sabrine: I mean, I don't mean to flex, but I kind of took down F.A.N.T this morning. 
:Penny: Is that what caused the power outage there?
:Sabrine: Ayup. All me.
:Penny: Damn, that's so punk and cool! How did you do it?
:Sabrine: Oh, my Standing Ripple, Alien Ant Farm.
Alien Ant Farm appears from Sabrine's hand and splits off, floating in the air. Penny nods.
:Penny: I mean, I have my own named Gorillaz… I haven't had a very good handle on it though. Hang on, can you keep that a secret? I'm not really… allowed to tell people that.
:Sabrine: Ay, who the hell would I tell? I'm homeless.
:Penny: Oh!
Penny looks concerned. Sabrine bites into another half-frozen pretzel bite.
:Sabrine: I mean, it's not a big deal or anything, I'm doing well for myself.
Penny hears a rock come down from the cave entrance as Juliani and Robert jump down into Beorn Hallow. Sabrine gets in front of Penny and activates Alien Ant Farm.
:Juliani: Oh, so you've taken up protecting our hit for the day, huh? I knew I didn't like you.
:Sabrine: You're being kind of a rude bitch yourself, you know?
:Robert: Jesus christ, are we really doing this? 2 v 2 Standing Ripple battle?
Robert activates his Standing Ripple, Black Caviar, which roars to life behind him. 65daysofstatic lingers close to Juliani as a lumbering blue ape pops out from behind Penny.
:Sabrine: I mean, shit, I guess we are. 
Penny nods as Gorillaz beats his own palm with his fist.
:Juliani: We already know your abilities. I say we have the advantage here!
Juliani grins as she poses, pointing her finger to Penny to numb her hands. Penny watches as Sabrine splits into two clones, running towards Juliani in different, wildly out of control directions before kicking her in the face in a drunken manner. Penny rolls across the ground and snaps her fingers as Juliani and Robert look in her direction as Sabrine remerges and tackles Robert from behind.
:Robert: What the hell are you doing…?
Sabrine grabs his hair and kicks into his side, waving the cowboy hat.
:Sabrine: Giddy up, you piece of shit!
Black Caviar slams a metal spike into her side, immediately kicking her off. Robert stands back up and pulls out his pistol.
:Robert: Alright, I'm ending this madness right now.
Robert points the gun at Penny. Juliani leans against the wall as she attempts to dispatch a blood flow disruption to Sabrine Lee's heart, but goes awry as Alien Ant Farm bites into 65daysofstatic, causing them to erratically shake.
:Juliani: 65!
Juliani rushes towards 65daysofstatic, seeing the effects that Alien Ant Farm's Bug Bytes ability has inflicted on her Standing Ripple. Robert attempts to pull the trigger, but finds his nervous shaking to be a little too much.
:Sabrine: Are you going to fire, you dumb idiot?
Robert smirks as Black Caviar encloses around him and he is able to hold the gun steadily, firing a round at Sabrine, who dodges it with a drunken looking swerve.
:Sabrine: Ho shit!
Sabrine spins around as Penny furrows her brow and lifts up her arms, a giant carousel emerging from the ground, spinning Robert around wildly as Penny wags her finger wildly, causing it to spin wildly. Robert can barely aim or manage to get off safely as Penny grabs Sabrine by the hand.
:Penny: Come on!
Sabrine and Penny leave as Juliani attempt to fire at them with her own firearms, but Sabrine just sends Alien Ant Farm to clone Juliani and come back to her. The clone tackles Juliani as they leave.
:Sabrine: Jesus, who were those guys?
:Penny: I'll tell you when we find a safer spot than this!
Sabrine and Penny run and climb a ladder out into a park, taking a minute to catch their breaths before Sabrine drags Penny.
:Sabrine: Come on, I know a good place for us to hide out in.
The camera spins to reveal a mall in the distance. It then cuts over to Wayne Goldrein in his truck, who is snacking on a donut with Leelith tied down in the back of his car. He notices Sabrine and his eyes go wide.
:Wayne: Pursuing target!
Wayne starts his car as Leelith struggles in the the ropes.
===Chapter 4: Wayne Goldrein===
Wayne is sitting in the mailroom, folding his arms as mail drops from a chute. 
:Wayne: Lets see here…
Wayne shuffles through the mail, categorizing it by department and even in some cases, specific agents as a man sweeps in the otherwise empty room.
:Wayne: GARY!
Gary stops sweeping as he looks at Wayne.
:Gary: What?
:Wayne: Jesus christ, you know I can't focus when you're doing the schweep schweep thing.
:Gary: Well, it's my job…
A F.A.N.T. agent by the name of Tobias James opens the door.
:Tobias: Ey, Wayne?
Wayne straightens his outfit as he stares at Tobias.
:Wayne: Yes, Tobias?
:Tobias: Can I see you in my office?
Wayne raises an eyebrow as he walks towards Tobias and shuts the door behind him. Gary aggressively sweeps in the room.
----
Tobias and Wayne enter Tobias' office- a small room with a desk featuring a picture of his friends Arial and Amanda and a small, overstuffed trash can. Tobias sits down at his desk as Wayne leans against the chair opposite of his desk.
:Tobias: Hey, so, we need to talk. Why don't you sit down, I think that would be much more comfortable.
:Wayne: I prefer to be tall.
:Tobias: That's perfectly fine, but you're leaning against it pretty hard. 
:Wayne: I prefer to stand.
Tobias smiles to mask his slight annoyance.
:Tobias: Okay. Hey. So I don't know how else to tell you this, but you're fired.
:Wayne: Hang on, what? Who will gather the mail?
:Tobias: Simply put, having two mailmen, one of which has to sweep the mailroom to pass the time because of your hang-ups about focusing just doesn't really make sense to us. Gary is hardworking, doesn't let things bother him so bad that it doesn't disrupt workflow, etcetera. 
Tobias hands him a pink slip.
:Tobias: You have a week left here and since… you really don't have a office or anything like that, I don't really think you'd need to pack anything up.
:Wayne: You have to understand! I would like to work here! With the agents!
:Tobias: It doesn't really make sense to do that when you've failed the field test five times in a row, with fifty shades of gray. Frankly, the only reason I'm executing this firing is because I can be nice about it. I'm not exactly a senior position. 
:Wayne: You can't do this to me!
:Tobias: You're right, but Sinn can.
Wayne leans against the chair so hard it breaks. Tobias sighs as Wayne storms out of the room.
:Wayne: Fucking… good for nothing me…
Wayne heads into the bathroom where he slams his fists into the walls, yelling.
:Wayne: RGH!!!
Wayne slams his head into the wall and steps back as he holds his head for a moment. He looks into the mirror before suddenly the lights go out.
:Wayne: Oh woah, what the fuck?
Wayne rushes over to the agent working room, staring around as agents seem to be confused and panicked. A knocked out clone of Logia lays in the corner as Blank kicks it in the head and Wayne hides behind a pillar, watching carefully.
:Logia: Ugh… great. The whole system's down and we have no idea how to deal with the virus she inflicted on the dam that powers the whole building. To make matters worse, the back up power is not going up.
:Blank: Great. We're completely blind then?
:Logia: Yeah.
:Blank: Well, this isn't great. How long until power comes back on?
:Logia: Could be a while. 
:Blank: Ughh… that was embarrassing. She barely had to lift to take down FANT on their home turf!
Wayne tries to follow along, making notes for himself on what just happened.
:Wayne (to himself): Someone was able to take down FANT… hrm.
Blank shakes her head.
:Blank: Well, what now?
:Logia: I mean, we gotta find her. 
:Blank: I don't want to deal with her. 
:Logia: Nobody does! Especially not Squad 410, who's already booked for this Thursday to watch Unten's party on the 18th. 
:Blank: Like… seriously, who do we get to do this? 
:Wayne (to himself): Now's my chance…!
Wayne pokes his body out from the pillar
:Wayne: How about me?
Logia and Blank stare at him quizically.
:Blank: Who is this guy? I've never seen him in my life.
:Logia: Yeah, me neither.
:Wayne: It's me, Wayne. Wayne Goldrien. I deliver your mail?
:Blank: Oh… we still have a mail room?
:Logia: I mean, packages can't be sent digitally yet.
:Wayne: Come on, I'm willing. I can show you my potential as a FANT agent, just like you guys!
:Blank: Mm…
Blank looks to Logia, who is staring at his double in the corner who is out cold.
:Logia: Jesus, you kicked him in the head, huh? 
:Blank: I feel like you should know how rough I can get at this point…
:Wayne: Well, maybe I can get rough too! Come on, give me a chance! You won't regret it.
:Blank: Fine, whatever.
:Wayne: Yes!
Wayne raises his hand in the air and runs off to begin his mission. He then immediately comes back in.
:Wayne: So… what Squad am I in?
:Blank: I dunno, Q? Is that a number?
:Wayne: Squad Q… works for me!
Wayne goes off running again as Blank presses her fingers against her forehead.
:Wayne: YESSS! Oh my god!
Wayne suddenly realizes he has no idea who he's looking for and makes a quick swerve back into the room.
:Wayne: Hey, so who am I looking for?
:Blank: Red haired asian. Has a green and blue demon floating off her sometimes. Stole a cowboy hat. Wears a fake Beorn coat and a Leah shirt.
Wayne runs back out and heads for his truck.
:Wayne: My first real mission! Oh, this is so exciting!
----
Logia cleans up the mess made from his desk as Eric Sinn approaches him.
:Sinn: Logia.
Logia just about drops his mug before setting it down.
:Logia: Hey. What's up?
:Sinn: The hell is Squad Q?
:Logia: Oh, Blank sent some guy Wayne to take care of Sabrine.
:Sinn: Who told you that you could do that?
Logia raises his hand before putting it back down.
:Logia: I mean, we are pretty high up.
:Sinn: Listen, that man is supposed to be out of here in a week. You know why you don't get your mail? Him. He's been a drain on resources for years and it just now came to my attention. 
:Logia: Oh. Hm.
:Sinn: Honestly, you don't have to do anything about him. It's not like he ever did his job to begin with. But, I do need you to get an actual professional to do this.
Alena Carter slams down a manilla file.
:Alena: Hey. So, I was doing some research because I knew I had seen this phenomenon before. This concept of a… standing "ripple". 
Eric Sinn and Logia redirect their attention to her.
:Alena: Turns out, there was a woman named Mary Azkaban who works closely with our departments but isn't actually part of F.A.N.T. that is the first known instance, as far as our understanding goes, of a user of a Standing Ripple.
:Logia: Can… can you get her on a line?
:Alena: Yeah. She's actually on the streets right now.
Eric Sinn starts to walk away.
:Sinn: Glad to see this is potentially taken care of already.
----
Wayne gets out of his truck, going into a gas station. You've seen this scene before, because he goes over to grab donuts and puts them down on the counter. Exactly like the first time you saw him do this.
:Register Girl: Hey, you're with F.A.N.T, right?
:Wayne: Wear the badge proud and loud!
:Register Girl: We saw this red haired jackass shoplift and try to be sneaky about it? She shouldn't be too far.
:Wayne: Sabrine… thank you for your tip!
Wayne bursts out of the store and then reverses course to grab his donuts and goes back into his truck. He puts on his installed sirens that flash and wail weakly.
:Wayne: See, this was easier than I thought! All I have to do is catch her and they'll have to make me an official F.A.N.T. agent! Maybe in the fabled Squad 410…
Wayne goes down the road, looking for Sabrine as he passes through the highway bridge, not spotting anything.
:Wayne: Well, she's gotta be here somewhere…
Wayne keeps driving his truck, trying to loop around like he thinks cops should. Someone runs from the pillar but trips. It's Leelith Nuuda. Wayne pulls over the truck to the side of the road and jumps out, preparing a stun gun.
:Wayne: Subject has red hair… I mean, she looks like a demon, what did they tell me she looked like?
Leelith glances up at him.
:Wayne: I dunno. Best to keep this one on file just in case.
Wayne wraps some rope around Leelith. Leelith yelps and is just really confused by the events occuring.
:Leelith: What the hell is going on?!
:Wayne: Shush, I'm going to bring you back to F.A.N.T. where they can lock you down in the bunker. 
:Leelith: BUNKER?
:Wayne: Prison? ...Containment? I dunno, I just work in the mail room.
Wayne throws Leelith into the back of his truck as he gets back into the driver's seat as Leelith struggles in the ropes.
:Leelith: You can't do this!
:Wayne: You see the badge?
Wayne points to the F.A.N.T badge on his jacket and Leelith groans.
:Leelith: So what, that gives you the opportunity to do whatever you want?
Wayne shrugs as he puts on his seatbelt and Leelith continues to struggle in the ropes.
:Leelith: God damn it!
The truck roars to life.
----
Sabrine is dragging Penny by the hand as they head to the mall.
:Sabrine: Come on, don't be difficult.
:Penny: Where are we going, though? You just looked in the distance and then grabbed my hand!
Sabrine glances at Penny.
:Sabrine: Do you really think it's smart idea to just tell you out in the open with a mob and the police presumably after us? Look, I'll point.
Sabrine gets behind Penny and points to the mall.
:Penny: Oh! I see! I get it now!
Sabrine pats her shoulders.
:Sabrine: Just keep following me…
Sabrine looks over her shoulder to see a truck with a police light.
:Sabrine: Actually, hang on.
Sabrine pulls Penny towards the bushes as two clones pop off from them, Alien Ant Farm appearing half transparent behind Sabrine.
:Penny(whispering): What's going on?
:Sabrine: That's a cop. I don't like cops. 
Sabrine squints her eyes.
:Sabrine: Damn, that's a big fucking guy. 
Penny holds onto Sabrine's arm.
:Penny: Where are our doubles going then?
:Sabrine: They're going to the beach and then I'll dismiss them after a bit. Guy probably has no idea what he's looking at… yeah, look at that truck, tailing them. 
:Penny: So wait, you can control them?
:Sabrine: No, but I was able to make my clone imbued with a beach-wanting personality. Your clone, I honestly have no idea, but she's following her so things are fine. I can only control what my clone's main personality trait will be from a pool of my own emotions I'm currently feeling, as well as dismissing and creating clones as I see them.
:Penny: I see!
:Sabrine: We just need to lay low while he follows them. Kaphese? 
:Penny: Kaphese!
----
Wayne's truck pulls up to the beach as he gets out. Leelith continues to be tied up in the truck's back, grunting. 
:Wayne: Where those two go?
Wayne puts his hands on his hips.
:Wayne: Especially in this heat?
Wayne squints his eyes as he covers his forehead with his hand, searching.
:Wayne: Wait a minute…
Wayne notices something of a blur in the distance and walks across the sand, getting close as he does.
:Wayne: Hrm. Is this a smudge on my glasses or something?
Wayne takes off his glasses and he breathes on his glasses to wipe them off, cleaning them off.
:Wayne: Nope, still there…
Wayne cautiously walks towards it, submerging himself in a thick pillar of mist. Inside is a man with an eyepatch and hair done in fins. He wears an expensive looking suit. He takes a drag from a cigar that appears wrapped- no, entirely constructed out of seaweed.
:Wayne: What the-
The man turns to him.
:The Man: Hello?
:Wayne: Oh, uh, hi…
The man takes a glance at him as a shadowy black bird creature emerges from behind him.
:Wayne: Wait, you're a Standing Ripple user too? How many of you exist? 
:The Man: Mm. You're not the person I wanted to speak with at all.
The man eyes his badge.
:The Man: Quite the opposite, really. 
:Wayne: What are you eyeing my badge for, huh? I'll report this whole area for this if I have to….
:The Man: What am I doing wrong here?
:Wayne: ...soliciting? This amount of Distortion Mist probably should be illegal… you probably got something to hide… some kind of mob shit…
:The Man: He's not a professional. Hardly seems like his first day on the job…
:Wayne: Who are you talking to?
:The Man: Myself.
The Man taps at his cigar and encases it in a glass bottle, staring back at Wayne.
:The Man: A curious question for you- how did you find me? I've been on this spot for weeks back and forth and not a single person has ventured forth until… about now. 
:Wayne: It just looked… blurry. Wasn't sure what was going on… still don't.
:The Man: Hmph. You seem lost and confused.
:Wayne: Well, yeah, trying to chase two girls who went down here and now here I am at the beach, talking to a man and his giant bird person thing in a pillar of highly concentrated Distortion Mist…
:The Man: It'd be a lot easier if you had… help, wouldn't it?
:Wayne: Well, yeah…
:The Man: Tell me, what's your name?
:Wayne: Wayne Goldrein.
:The Man: I can offer you power, Wayne, if you offer yourself to me. But be warned, it comes at a chance and I only want your silence in return. 
:Wayne: I don't even know your name… 
:The Man: The name I go by these days is Hammerhead.
:Wayne: Then, Hammerhead, give me whatever you've got!
Hammerhead opens a bottle filled with a shard of a mysterious metal, Ripplite, and another bottle containing a laser pointer and a black pyramid.
:Hammerhead: This could kill you if you don't have what it takes. But… if you bail now, your death is certain.
Wayne gulps.
:Wayne: Do it already, I can't take the suspense…
Hammerhead points the beam through the pyramid, which reflects quickly inside before forming a rainbow colored beam that shines through the Ripplite.
:Wayne: AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
Wayne screams as his veins pop out and appear rainbow colored, his eyes roll back into his skull, and his body contorts violently before a spirit of a yellow and green samurai warrior emerges from his back.
:Wayne: Ahhh….
Wayne glances up at the being behind him.
:Wayne: What the… what is that?
:Being: I AM『LEMON DEMON』!
:Wayne: Shit, that's basically how I was going to describe you…
:Hammerhead: Leave me be now. Don't forget our agreement. Silence.
Wayne nods as he emerges out from the pillar, Lemon Demon by side. He glances at Lemon Demon.
:Wayne: Well, let's see what you can do…
----
Sabrine and Penny arrive at the mall and enter inside.
:Sabrine: We should be safe- that guy is completely off course and those mafia guys are probably far behind…
:Penny: So, what now?
:Sabrine: I dunno, you in the mood to do a little window shopping and hanging out?
:Penny: Yeah!
The two women head towards the escalator. The scene cuts back to Juliani and Robert emerging out from the sewers.
:Juliani: That was a complete embarrassment. Taken aback by the likes of those two… unbelievable! 
:Robert: Well great, now where did they go? My sense of direction has been completely messed up…
:Juliani: I won't be able to tell until 65daysofstatic gets fixed and I'm not sure how we're going to do that… probably rebooting the damn thing or something… 
Juliani growls.
:Robert: Well, we need to widen the net a little. How is Circe?
:Juliani: She's not supposed to be on today. It's not her shift.
:Robert: I'll tell her to keep an eye out.
Robert pulls out his phone and starts dialing.
:Robert: Hey, Circe?
The scene cuts over to a blonde woman with red eyeliner and a fancy suit, Circe on a bench with her sister Pasiphae, eating pretzels at the mall.
:Circe: Yeah, what's up?
:Robert: You particularly busy?
:Circe: A little… what's the situation?
:Robert: Technically two at this point.
Circe pulls out one finger towards Pasiphae as she moves towards the restrooms.
:Circe: There's two runners you can't handle?
:Robert: Well, not exactly, but we lost them after a skirmish that went pretty poorly. We want you to keep an eye out for Penny Loafer but also a red haired asian woman who dresses in a orange fuzzy coat.
Circe files her nails a little.
:Circe: Fine. I'll keep "an eye" out for them.
:Robert: We're going to call everybody, relax.
:Circe: Yeah, well, I don't wanna do this full time so…
Circe rolls her eyes and looks over to her sister as Sabrine and Penny Loafer walk in the background. She reacts for a second before realizing she can't do anything yet.
:Circe: I'll update if I find anything.
:Robert: Great! Just-
Circe hangs up as she walks back to the bench, her eyes on Penny and Sabrine as she does.
===Chapter 5: Circe Lotte===
Circe sits back on the bench with her sister as she watches Penny and Sabrine walk by without being able to do anything, as it'll blow her cover with her sister right there.
:Pasiphae: What happened? You seem tense after the call.
:Circe: It's nothing. Hey, why don't we go into… the… 
Circe squints as she looks at both Penny and Sabrine as they start to disappear into the crowd, glancing at where they could be possibly be going... 
:Circe: Does a trip to an Belk sound good?
:Pasiphae: Yeah, alright…
Circe helps her sister up by holding her hand and then moving at a somewhat brisk pace into the general direction of where Penny and Sabrine were going.
:Pasiphae: Hey, hold up! I can't walk that fast! Remember, the doctor said my ankles would fully heal in about a week, which means that they aren't healed yet!
:Circe: Just… you know, excited for Belk…
Circe sighs as she squints her eyes.
:Circe: (to herself) Don't think you can just walk away…
----
Sabrine and Penny hold hands as they walk towards a pretzel stand.
:Penny: Ooo! I like soft pretzels!
Sabrine glances over at the pretzel stand and nods sagely.
:Sabrine: Yeah, they're pretty good.
:Penny: I got money, you want one?
:Sabrine: Sure!
Sabrine smiles as Penny breaks away from her to walk up to the pretzel stand.
:Penny: Two soft pretzels please!
Penny leans against the register as the man behind the cash register looks at her weirdly.
:Register Man: Oh hey… don't I know you from somewhere?
:Penny: People know me by the name of Penny Loafer if that rings a bell…!
:Register Man: Oh… yeah, I'm thinking of someone else.
The man behind the register watches the pretzels turn in the pretzel oven. His eyes have shadows under them, as if he hasn't gotten any sleep.
:Penny: ...wait, then who were you thinking of?
:Register Man (not even looking at her): Eh… it doesn't matter. 
:Penny: Mm… okay!
Sabrine leans against a concrete pole in the mall.
:Sabrine: Hmm… you got anything interesting to say, Alien Ant Farm?
Alien Ant Farm, whose face only forms out from Sabrine's back, shakes his head.
:Sabrine: Hmmph.
Penny walks towards her with the two pretzels, passing one to Sabrine, who messily scarfs it down.
:Sabrine: Oh man, fuck, that's good.
:Penny: The butter really brings out the flavor of the salt, huh?
:Sabrine: Hell yeah.
:Penny: Where do you wanna go after this?
:Sabrine: I should probably find a better outfit for this little number…
Sabrine swings the cowboy hat on her finger, which she stole from Normal Nate's office.
:Sabrine: Of course, I don't have any money, so it'd be either window-shopping or shop-lifting. 
:Penny: I have money, you know! Lots of it!
:Sabrine: You'd spend money on me?
:Penny: You got me out of that situation in the sewer! It's the least I can do!
:Sabrine: Huh. Well, I guess that makes sense…
:Penny: It's not a problem at all, I'm pretty loaded!
:Sabrine: You got a real spring in your speech huh…
:Penny: Yeah, sorry about that, it's how I let people know I have their attention!
:Sabrine: No, it's fine! I think it's kind of cute, really.
:Penny: Aww!
----
Wayne walks back to his truck as Lemon Demon follows him.
:Wayne: Hrmm… now how does this thing work…?
Wayne hits the buttons on his truck to unlock the truck as another truck passes down the road. Lemon Demon shrieks inhumanely as the two trucks meld together like liquid before fusing together to split evenly between a white and black truck with eight wheels.
:Wayne: Did… did you do that? Can I do that?
Lemon Demon nods. Leelith frantically tries to get out of the combined truck along with the new driver, who seems very confused by his new surroundings.
:Trucker: What the…
Wayne gets into the truck, pushing against the trucker.
:Wayne: This is my truck, buddy!
:Trucker: Oh yeah, where's your proof?
Lemon Demon points to the glove compartment of the truck. Wayne nods as he opens up the glove compartment and pulls out a booklet for the truck, flipping through the cover. On the back is inscribed "Property of Wayne Goldrein".
:Trucker: Bullshit. What kind of magic bullshit are you pulling here?
Lemon Demon nods towards Wayne's coat pocket. Wayne pulls out an official F.A.N.T. squad badge.
:Trucker: You're with F.A.N.T?
:Wayne: Yes, and if you don't comply I will have to arrest you.
The trucker shrugs as he leaves the truck. Wayne takes the driver's wheel and takes off as the trucker walks around aimlessly without a purpose.
:Trucker: I knew being a vegetable shipper in Washington was going to end something like this… maw always told me…
Wayne bobs his head up and down as he takes the super-truck down the road.
:Wayne: What a rush! I feel like such a gangster! 
:Leelith: That's great, can I please be untied? I'm not asking for much, just human decency… even though I'm a demon.
----
Circe and Pasiphae make their way to Belk. Circe watches as Sabrine and Penny enter the store to the right- barely within reach of her firing range. Pasiphae grabs her arm.
:Pasiphae: You seem really distracted.
:Circe: A little… I'll let it ease from my mind now.
Circe shakes her head as she looks at her sister.
:Pasiphae: There you go!
:Circe (to herself): There they go...
Circe and Pasiphae take the escalator to the floor above. Circe and Pasiphae walk towards the mattresses.
:Circe: Wait, what are we doing here? You don't need a new mattress, do you? If so, you don't have to do it at Belk of all places...
:Pasiphae: Calm down, I just need to take a minute to sit down.
Pasiphae sits down on the mattress and looks at Circe.
:Pasiphae: You find a cute boy? Or girl? I dunno, it's been a while.
:Circe: It's been a week and no.
Circe tightens the cufflinks on her suit.
:Circe: To be frank, I don't know if I'm going to meet anyone at this rate.
:Pasiphae: You're swimming too fast to even look at the fish in the sea, sister.
:Circe: Mm… perhaps. Or maybe it's that all the good men are gone.
:Pasiphae: What about good women?
:Circe: Hah… I dunno. 
Circe scratches her hair.
:Circe: You done resting up?
Pasiphae nods as she slowly slides down the mattress.
:Pasiphae: Sorry about that.
:Circe: Nah, take your time. It's my fault if you feel rushed at all.
Pasiphae nods as they walk towards the shoes.
:Pasiphae: I bet you could use a new pair of heels.
:Circe: Admittedly, I do wish I had a red pair…
Circe and Pasiphae head over to the shoe section.
----
Sabrine and Penny are trying on new outfits. Penny walks out in a black sleeveless shirt with yellow roses and green shorts, posing for Sabrine who is sitting on a collection of hangers.
:Sabrine: Mm… you need to find outfits that suit those heart shaped glasses better. 
:Penny: Yeah? Hm? Alright!
Penny spins around as Sabrine gets up with a collection of clothes. She quickly puts them on and walks back out, wearing a double breasted short jackets in blue, with a black t-shirt underneath and a pair of black shorts that don't really go past her waist.
:Penny: Damn girl! That's nice!
Penny puts her finger to her chin.
:Penny: Isn't that gonna be a bit hot for the summer? I mean, like, temperature wise… not how hot you're looking right now!
:Sabrine: Yeah, I'm planning ahead a little.Thinking of wearing it for the fall. Also, I mean, I'm wearing a fuzzy jacket, heat's not really a primary concern. 
:Penny: True… you seem awfully overdressed for the summer!
:Sabrine: It's just what I have… been wearing this for months in case my stench didn't tell you that.
:Penny: Well, find something cute for the summer! I don't want you to suffer a stroke!
Sabrine nods as she laughs.
:Sabrine: Having a rich friend is fun!
----
Wayne arrives at a restaurant named "Dominic's Wings and Rings", pulling the super truck over onto parking. The thing is so big that it has to take two parking spots. Leelith keeps squirming in place as Wayne opens her door.
:Wayne: I'm gonna go get something to eat. You stay tight!
:Leelith: I'm hungry too!
:Wayne: Well, I can't just have you all tied up in there while I'm trying to eat wings… I'll order some extra and give you them when I come back.
Leelith hisses and growls and attempts to bite Wayne, but the door is shut before she can even realize that he's already moved on.
:Leelith: Damn it…
'Wayne enters inside. A woman behind a desk looks up at him, adjusting her rectangular frame glasses. Her name tag reads "Charlotte Webb".
:Wayne: Table for one, please.
:Charlotte: Sir. Sir, it's packed to capacity tonight.
:Wayne: What? What's the occasion? 
:Charlotte: We're always this busy? If you have a reservation, then I can work with that. 
Wayne feels the hand of Lemon Demon tap at his pocket.
:Wayne: I do, in fact, have a reservation.
:Charlotte: This is news to me. What's your name?
:Wayne: Wayne. Wayne Goldrein.
:Charlotte: Wayne Wayne Goldrein?
:Wayne: No, it's just Wayne Goldrein.
:Charlotte: Why did you say it twice then? 
:Wayne': I don't know. It sounded better in my head. Whatever. Just Wayne Goldrein.
:Charlotte: I'm gonna check the system…
Charlotte taps at a tablet computer and waits for it to load.
:Charlotte: Well… what do you know. I guess we do.
:Wayne: Are you usually this passive aggressive?
:Charlotte: No… it hasn't been a great couple of weeks for my family. Whatever. I'll show you to your seat.
Charlotte guides Wayne to his seat- a two seated table next to the bar. The bar has a TV that is playing Channel 17- the second segment of Penny Loafer's interview plays on the TV. Two truckers sit at the bar, drinking ale.
:Trucker 1: She's got a lot of talent. 
:Trucker 2: You don't think it was supernaturally derived or something like that? Like some kind of meteor fell down and gave her powers?
:Trucker 1: Well, I never would suspect that because of how many times she says her talent is completely natural. Come on, you can't let her have this without suspecting something more to it?
:Trucker 2: I guess I can. I just feel a little at unease when so many of these… superhumans start popping up outta nowhere. Then you have people like Mingyu Li advocating for the bad ones… like, oh, you can shrink very small and get real big. Real cool. Meanwhile I have to keep an eye on my stomach when it does that.
:Trucker 1: Hey man, we came here to help you confront your anorexia. I'm here for you man.
Wayne watches with some interest, feeling somewhat uncomfortable now that he has his own set of powers. A waitress finally arrives with the name of "Calia".
:Calia: Hi, I'm Calia. How can I help you today? Have you looked at drinks?
:Wayne: Yeah, I'll have a Coca Cola.
:Calia: Oh, I'm sorry, we're out! How about a New Coke?
:Wayne: New Coke? I thought they stopped making that thing decades ago.
:Calia: To celebrate Stranger Things 4, they're bringing it back! Just like you remember back in 1985! 
:Wayne: ...I was five in 1985.
Calia does the math in her head.
:Calia: Alright, old man. What do you want to drink?
:Wayne: Sprite sound fine?
:Calia: Sprite… okay…
Calia jots that down in a notepad and walks away without further word.
:Wayne: Man, what is happening?
----
Sabrine steps out of the dressing stall in a white polyster jacket with thin, transparent sections across the main part of the jacket, wearing a white strapless crop top and a pair of denim jean shorts and a pair of black boots. Penny looks up and claps.
:Penny: Oh my god, you look so good! Mhm! 
:Sabrine: I dunno, I feel like it's missing something…
Penny looks at her for a moment before Sabrine spins around and puts on the cowboy hat.
:Penny: AAAAHHH!! Oh my god, you look irresistible! We are buying that!
Sabrine giggles.
:Penny: Alright, I'm gonna put on my outfit now!
Sabrine sits down atop a bunch of hangers as she waits. Penny swings the door open, wearing a beige sleveless blouse and a black, high waisted pencil skirt with some brown colored heels. Across her neck is a necklace of black and white stones roped together.
:Sabrine: Wow. You look good. 
:Penny: Yeah, keeping it neutral was a good call huh? The black really forms around my butt though!
:Sabrine: Heh. Hey, I don't mind.
Penny blushes as she looks back at Sabrine.
:Penny: You're kind of pervy, huh?
:Sabrine: Oh, what? You started it!
:Penny: Oh what, you're the one who mentions you go into the sewers naked to the questioning of no one!
:Sabrine: Heh… well, you're the one who called me hot and over clarified.
Penny and Sabrine giggle.
:Sabrine: Say, you think being punk is cool, right?
:Penny: I'm listening…
:Sabrine: Let me in the changing stall and I'll tell you what I have in mind.
:Penny: Oh…! Mmmm…!
Penny backs into the stall, giggling and blushing as Sabrine walks into it, closing the stall door.
----
Circe and Pasiphae walk out of Belk. Circe carries a bag containing red heels. 
:Circe: Where to next, sister? Sorry they didn't really have anything at Belk.
:Pasiphae: Ah, it's fine. 
Pasiphae pauses for a moment, thinking.
:Pasiphae: I wanna go to Barnes and Noble, if that's okay?
:Circe: Yeah! That's clear over to the other side of the store. Sure.
Circe tries to wince sublty.
:Pasiphae: Great! It's nice to spend some time with you.
:Circe: Yeah…
Circe leans her head back.
:Circe: Today's been… uh, hectic. Apologies if I come off uninterested or scatterbrained, just two big things on my mind.
:Pasiphae: Oh, is the bank giving you trouble again?
:Circe: ...bank?
:Pasiphae: I dunno what you do! You seem to handle a lot of money…
:Circe; That we do…
Circe thinks about her last sting with Ocean 11. It was Friday the fifth by the docks…
----
Circe holds Penny Loafer with her hands. Her Standing Ripple, a humanoid figure in a fancy red outfit and a kitsune mask, named BABYMETAL, stands nearby with hands folded as Circe keeps her hand in a fist against Penny's head. Yung Bae approaches the two, opening her mouth as Skimp the Shrimp climbs out onto her hands.
:Skimp: You really dogged up. Where's our money?
:Penny: I donated it to charity…!
:Skimp: God, you are such a liar. Look at her face. God, she's so peppy and disgusting. 
Juliani leans against a pole, her Standing Ripple, 65daysofstatic, floating next to her.
:Juliani: I mean, I wouldn't say disgusting.
:Circe: I mean, I wouldn't either.
:Skimp: She clearly has a muffin top!
:Circe: Look, my hands are full, I don't think I can verify.
:Juliani: I'm not touching her, that's gay.
:Circe: And what's wrong with that?
:Skimp: And how would that be gay?
:Juliani: S-shut up! Whatever, it's not gay. There's nothing wrong with being gay. I'm not gay. 
:Penny: What is happening?
:Skimp: Alright, girls, focus. Jesus christ. Who thought it was a good idea to put three people with ADHD together?
:Juliani: I don't have ADHD! I was just defending myself!
:Circe: And I was calling out her comments.
:Skimp: You guys are not exactly proving my point wrong.
:Penny: Look, I got a credit card! Will that tide you over?
:Skimp: Hmm… we could max it out. Make her really suffer… through crippling debt!
:Circe: I'm kind of in favor of just crippling her.
:Juliani: Yeah, same.
:Skimp: Financial woes are way worse than any missing limb could solve. You guys aren't super level geniuses like me, so I wouldn't expect you to understand, but trust me on this.
:Circe: Fine. Whatever.
Circe dismisses BABYMETAL and opens her hands to free Penny Loafer. Penny Loafer rustles through her purse, looking nervous.
:Circe: Are you trying any funny business?
:Penny: No…!
:Circe: Hand me the damn purse.
Penny nervously hands her it as Circe rustles through it.
:Circe: Let's see… we got Starbucks gift cards… Zyrtec… a Nintendo 3DS… a Nintendo Switch…
:Juliani: Do you really need both?
:Penny: I like to get StreetPasses!
:Circe: ...razor lip gloss… a half drunk cup of bubble tea… a sketchpad… a bunch of colored pens… jesus, where is the wallet… concert tickets to your own show… a black bra… 
:Juliani: Why do you have half a cup of bubble tea in there?
:Penny: I like bubble tea, what more do you want from me?
:Skimp: Your wallet is in there, right?
:Penny: It's been a busy day…!
:Circe: I'll say…
Circe keeps rummaging through.
:Circe: ...deodorant, a universal tv remote, three different types of condoms, birth control pills, a doctor's note... here is the damn wallet.
Circe pulls out the wallet and realizes very quickly it's just as stuffed as her purse.
:Circe: Alright, where's the damn credit card?
:Penny: It's the purple one with Leah's purple cross symbol!
:Circe: Oh damn, I didn't even realize they were still making the Leah one.
:Penny: Actually, they aren't! I asked the bank to specially make mine!
:Circe: Cool. Well, swiping it.
Circe pulls the credit card and puts the wallet back into Penny's purse, tossing it back to Penny.
:Circe: Well, I guess we're done here. 
Penny grabs her purse and rummages to make sure everything is there and then leaves. Circe hands the credit card to Skimp.
:Skimp: Her torture will be worse than she can possibly imagine…
:Juliani: Mm… I think she likes to get more than just StreetPasses from strangers.
:Circe: Mhm. Well, if you excuse me, I'm fucking done for tonight. Peace.
----
Circe is walking back through the mall with Pasiphae. She ponders over the memory in her head.
:Circe (internally): And as we later found out, she already maxed the damn card. All of that was for nothing.
:Pasiphae: Hey, let's rest at those benches over there.
:Circe: Sure thing, sis.
Circe and Pasiphae sit down on the benches near the fountain as Pasiphae stretches her legs out. Circe checks through the bag to make sure the boots are still in there as Pasiphae pats her on the shoulder.
:Pasiphae: Hey, you see that guy over there?
Circe glances over to see a man with black hair done up messy and… cat ears? He's wearing a low cut black shirt and cargo shorts. It doesn't work well at all. He's hanging out with a white haired alien with red skin.
:Circe: Oh hey, isn't it those two from the Fantendo Firehouse? Nycho and Obena?
:Pasiphae: Mhm. Is that Nycho guy a stunner or what?
:Circe: Aren't the clothes a bit tack?
:Pasiphae: Ah, he doesn't know the value of looking his best and he still looks good. 
:Circe: That… is an entertaining proposition. Hm.
----
Sabrine and Penny walk out of the changing rooms in the original outfits they had coming into the store, carrying their clothes that they intend to buy. Penny fans herself a bit.
:Penny: Jeez, when did it got so hot?
:Sabrine: You have money, right?
:Penny: Oh… yeah!
Sabrine nods as they move through the store.
:Sabrine: I mean, I'm asking because the mob was after you because you stiffed them… which couldn't happen if you didn't have money.
:Penny: I got it, don't worry!
Sabrine nods again. She cocks her head to the side, not sure why she's worried at all.
:Penny: That was fun!
:Sabrine: Yeah, it was… heh.
Sabrine puts her clothes on the register desk as Penny does the same. The register woman scans the items in a bored way and then looks up at Sabrine and Penny.
:Penny: I'll be paying!
Penny slips the credit card to the cash register woman, who grabs it like a goddamn preying mantis and swipes it.
:Register Woman: It's maxed out.
:Penny: Wait, what?
:Register Woman: I'll scan it again…
A low beep can be heard as the woman scowls.
:Register Woman: Maxed out.
Penny turns to Sabrine.
:Penny: You remember how to shoplift right?
----
Penny and Sabrine run out of the store, carrying the bags.
:Sabrine: I thought you said you got it!
:Penny: I guess things didn't work out like I thought it would!
:Sabrine: ...do you not know how much cash you have on you?
:Penny: I get other people to handle other aspects of my life including cash! I guess I just haven't been updated on finicals!
:'Sabrine: Well, let's take a minute to pack in our bags.
Penny looks around curiously.
:Penny: How… how are we gonna do that?
:Sabrine: Oh shit, you don't know the cool trick huh? Your Standing Ripple can carry things for you. Here, I'll demo.
Sabrine summons Alien Ant Farm from her back and passes the bags to their arms and represses Alien Ant Farm back. She cleans her hands off as Penny nods.
:Penny: Ah, I see…
Penny summons Gorillaz from her back, straining as her weight is slightly displaced, and hands the bags off to them before repressing them back. Little do they know that Circe is across from them, watching the whole thing.
:Circe: Damn it.
:Pasiphae: Ah shit, actually, I need to take a bathroom break. You mind if you just warm the bench while I'm gone?
:Circe: Yeah, sure!
Circe leans back as she watches her sister walk towards the bathrooms. As soon as she has a reasonable enough distance, Circe summons BABYMETAL to her side, who phases through the bench due to their intangibility. They are carrying a bar of chocolate.
:Circe: Finally.
Penny and Sabrine take escalator up towards the exit of the mall, but as they do Circe prepares to utilize her Standing Ripple's power as she bites into a bar of chocolate contained in BABYMETAL's hand.
:Circe: Hrm… need to enact as little damage possible but still keep Penny down for the count. Like, cutting off the tip of a finger or some hair… 
Circe squints her eyes and holds up her hands to create a frame, following the two before suddenly executing a karate chop with her hands. As the scene plays in slow motion, Penny stumbles forward across the upper walkway as Sabrine jumps over a bench. Two women, in a heated argument are on the upper floor bridge walkway. A black cutting line appears from an upwards diagonal angle and slices off the tip of one of the woman's scalps, causing the top half of her hair to slide off.
:Scalped Woman: OUGH!!!
The top part of her hair falls in real time as Penny takes notice and realizes that Circe is here, reflexively glancing at the lower level through a glass half-wall to see her sitting on the bench.
:Other Woman: ...wig?
Penny ducks down as she runs, terrifed.
:Penny: SABRINE! WE GOTTA RUN FASTER! CIRCE IS HERE!
:Sabrine: Circe who? What are you talking about?
:Penny: I'll explain later, just RUN!
Circe grits her teeth as she line up another shot using the frame method with her hands.
:Circe: Damn it… did it way too early. Hard to get a good shot when they're running- especially now that they've noticed me…
Circe squints her eyes again before pulling her hand back with an open palm and then striking. A black line cuts through the air again, missing Penny Loafer's shoulder to puncture a small hole into a man's left leg. He howls as Penny pushes against the exit as Circe prepares to take another shot before hearing footsteps from the bathroom on the right. Circe sighs as she unsummons BABYMETAL, returning the chocolate to it's hand as she crosses her legs.
:Pasiphae: Sorry for being gone so long. 
:Circe: Aw, naw, you're fine.
Circe watches out of the corner of her eye as Penny and Sabrine leave the mall. Circe gets onto her feet.
:Circe: Let's get to Barnes and Noble then…
----
Wayne finishes a 10 set of chicken wings smothered in barbeque sauce and waits for Calia to get back. The truckers are still talking as they watch tv, still tuned into Channel 17.
:Vicky Victorious (subtitles on TV): This is Mingyu Li, a psychiatrist for supervillains. Tell me, Ming, what makes you think these people are worth reforming at all? Especially when they run such a risk on humanity?
:Mingyu Li (subtitles on TV): Please don't call me Ming. As for your question…
:Trucker 1: Man, just look at this guy. Advocating for people who already messed up with their powers- I don't think they deserve a second chance, do you?
:Trucker 2: I mean, realistically, there are going to be some bad eggs, and some of those bad eggs may need therapy, but to be frank, putting them back into society with those kind of abilities is not what I consider a PHD-worthy idea.
:Trucker 1: Really well put. Well, I gotta pick up my daughter from school for her dentist appointment.
:Trucker 2: Oh right, yeah, that's today huh? What's her deal?
:Trucker 1: Courtney's got a cavity. Yeah, her teeth's weak, but that's from my side of the family.
:Trucker 2: Drive safe! Some maniac is out there fusing trucks and stealing the results.
:Trucker 1: I'll keep an eye out.
The trucker steps off a bar stool and heads out. Wayne looks away to hide himself conspicuously.
:Wayne: Some maniac… that's me!
Wayne starts to sweat for a minute as Calia walks over to his table with a receipt book.
:Calia: Sir. 
Wayne picks his head back up and looks at Calia.
:Calia: Here's the receipt. Why are you looking away? 
Calia looks over to the television and is left scratching her head.
:Calia: I'll be back in a minute to collect.
Wayne looks over the receipt and puts his debit card in the book.
:Wayne: I've officially crossed the border between one world and the other, huh?
Lemon Demon pokes at his jacket pocket. Wayne fishes his wallet out of it. His information is blurred as the numbers and letters keep changing.
:Wayne: Huh. I guess it doesn't matter who I am with my powers. I can be anyone…legally speaking anyway.
Wayne grins.
:Wayne: I think there's some files back at F.A.N.T. I should take a look at. I'll have the clearance to look at them and change them as need be...
Calia comes back to collect the receipt book and scans the card and gives it back to Wayne.
:Wayne: Here you go. 
Wayne gets up and walks out the door.
:Wayne: Well, that was a pretty good meal.
Wayne unlocks his truck and gets into the driver seat. He puts his hands on the wheel as Leelith moves frantically.
:Leelith: Where's my meal?
:Wayne: Shit, it totally slipped my mind. Well, I can't go back, it'll just be awkward.
Leelith groans and pouts, but she can't do anything about it at this point.
----
Sabrine and Penny run out into the parking lot.
:Sabrine: Well, that was a rush.
:Penny: Sorry about all that. I wanted to just have fun with you at the mall, but well… we saw how well that worked out!
:Sabrine: Don't apologize. We still had a lot of fun at the mall… and then some…
Sabrine winks and giggles.
:Penny: Hah… well, great, now what? We gotta keep moving before Circe finds us…!
:Sabrine: Hmm… we could hide out at a museum or something like that…
Penny sighs wearily.
:Penny: How much longer do we have to keep running…
Penny drops her cheery facade as she sits down on the parking lot asphalt.
:Penny: I don't have the money they want. The Ocean 11 gang is going to manhunt me until I can cough it up.
Sabrine glances at the Seattle skyline in the distance.
:Sabrine: Hmm…
A police car pulls into the parking lot. Penny gets up as Sabrine watches for a second.
:Sabrine: Shit, it's the cops…
The door to the cop car opens. A black woman in a police officer's uniform steps out, carrying a baton as a bunch of golden frame creatures hop out from the back of the cop car.
:Cop: You're under arrest, Sabrine Lee.
Sabrine tenses up as Penny grabs her hand and starts running.
:Cop: Digitalism! Pursue subjects, Go Time!
===Chapter 6: Mary Azkaban===
Hours earlier…
Eric Sinn stands behind a desk as the door in front of him opens.
:Eric: Mary Azkaban, that's your name yes?
:Mary: That's correct, sir.
:Eric: We have a Standing Ripple user on the run that's managed to bring our whole department down in a fell swoop. As you can tell, by the lack of power in our building, we're dealing with someone immensely powerful.
:Mary: What makes you so sure it's a Standing Ripple?
:Eric: Well, they appear to operate exactly like your powers. Another being gives them powers and it lines up pretty well with the research we gathered from you.
:Mary: Huh. Well, we knew about Ocean 11, are they affiliated?
:Eric: Unlikely. Background checks actually suggest a correlation with a Russian company called CHELPRO. We're… running an investigation on them too, but we haven't found much. We also don't think she's fully associated with them either.
:Mary: Well, you have my interest. What's the name? The deets?
:Eric: The name is Sabrine Lee. Red-haired asian woman in a tacky set of clothes. I'll give you what we were able to gather from other sources today.
:Mary: Other sources today?
:Eric: She was originally brought in here due to shoplifting. There was another incident not too far from here after her takedown here not too long after. 
:Mary: Why would she just focus on shoplifting if she's capable of pulling this organization to this extent?
:Eric: That we're not sure about. We did kind of put her in a tight bind to act out like this…
Eric gestures at the nonfunctioning lights.
:Eric: ...but an ulterior motive for anything has not been established.
Mary crosses her arms and folds her legs.
:Mary: You have a bunch of people at your disposal already. Why me?
:Eric: Standing Ripples are something we don't really have much information on. You're basically the only person we have a full profile on this kind of phenomenon. Besides, your abilities are great for investigations, yes?
:Mary: Digitalism is good for a lot of things relating to my line of work, yes.
:Eric: We'll provide you with some back-up if you need it. I will say if you manage to capture Sabrine, we will reward you quite handsomely. 
:Mary: What's the reward?
:Eric: We can talk it over depending on your level of success.
:Mary: Hm. Alright, I'm game.
Mary and Eric shake hands. Eric presses a button on his desk.
:Eric: Akilah, meeting was successful. Can you bring in my coffee?
:Mary: ...I hate to point this out, but your power is off, remember?
Eric looks at her and then nods.
:Eric: Right. Forgot.
Mary leaves the room, awkwardly waving as she does.
----
Mary begins at the gas station that Sabrine robbed not too long ago. She crouches down at the ground as three small creatures with heads of crystal and bodies of gold- Digitalism- surround her. The cashier sips on a Slurpee as they watch.
:Mary: You were here when this occurred, right?
:Register Girl: Ayup. About a half hour later this big portly guy came in claiming to work with F.A.N.T. also came in and asked. Are you running a parallel investigation or something?
:Mary: Mm. I wasn't aware of this man.
Mary stands up.
:Mary: What did he look like?
:Register Girl: He was kind of big- I don't wanna say fat, that's rude, but you know, kind of ballooned out from the waist.
:Mary: That's… more rude. Focus! Okay, other identifying traits? Digitalism, record, go time!
:Register Girl: Well, he had a pair of circular glasses. Kind of sweaty. Had black hair. Black jacket. F.A.N.T. pin. He had gray slacks and a pair of black and blue tennis shoes. His blue shirt was kind of dirty.
:Mary: Did you get a name?
:Register Girl: No… he just bought a box of donuts and left with his car, which had a police light on it.
:Mary: Strange. F.A.N.T. vehicles don't have sirens.
:Register Girl: That's all I know.
Mary nods as she looks to a Digitalism unit.
:Mary: Digitalism, stop record, go time.
Mary walks out of the gas station.
:Mary: Hmm… not sure if I got much info about Sabrine from this, but if a parallel investigation is taking place it's likely they may have crossed paths. Digitalism, scan area using protocol Holograms, go time.
A Digitalism unit scans the parking lot and then shows Mary a blue 3D render of the area, combined with previous movement patterns etched into the ground marked in red.
:Mary: Hmm, he went to the left over to the highway bridge. Sounds like a good spot to check.
----
Mary searches across the highway bridge with a couple of Digitalism units by her side, who scan the area.
:Mary: Hmm… doesn't look like much. 
Mary's eye suddenly darts to the sewer cover as a Digitalism unit steps on it, creating a metallic collision sound.
:Mary: Hang on. 
Mary hoists the sewer cover up for a Digitalism unit to scan it.
:Mary: Digitalism, project hologram, go time.
Digitalism shows her a scan of the sewer grate, which has a variety of clean and fresh thumbprints.
:Mary: They went down to the sewers with a couple other possible leads. Sabrine, you sloppy bitch.
Mary grins as she starts to climb down the ladder, some Digitalism units dropping down alongside her, lighting up the area with blue projection light.
:Mary: Let's see here…
Mary traces down the path of the sewer line, following some scant pieces of evidence such as wet footprints. She arrives at the Beorn Hollow, which has been damaged somewhat from a fight earlier.
:Mary: Interesting. There were some bullets fired here. Digitalism, collect bullet casings, go time.
Mary puts her hands behind her back as she glances around, seeing a circular burn-in on the ground.
:Mary: Hmm. Not sure what could have occured here- doesn't really seem like it'd be possible with Sabrine's powerset to cause this kind of burn in. Is there another Standing Ripple user here at play?
Mary glances back at the Beorn Hollow surroundings.
:Mary: I think I may have to look at the sewer prints before I can get any further here. Something happened here, but I don't know who was involved. 
----
Mary opens the door to her office at the Seattle Police Building. Digitalism units march in. Mary pulls back her desk a bit to make room.
:Mary: Digitalism, protocol: Data Gardens. Go time.
The Digitalism units combine together to create a cube with a computer screen projected out from the outstretched head of a Digitalism unit. Mary taps at the screen projection and looks through the data.
:Mary: Hmm. The thumbprints belong to three people. Oldest thumbprints belong to Penny Loafer, which is… hm, surprise. Not sure why she's involved. Second oldest belong to a man on file known as Robert Tuvillo, noted suspect member of Ocean 11. Finally, Sabrine Lee. And then mine. 
Mary rubs her chin.
:Mary: Well, that's three leads. Let's start with Penny Loafer. New articles…
Mary brings up some Google News results for Penny Loafer, quickly scanning them over.
:Mary: Hmm. It appears an altercation occurred at a Starbucks… well, that's worth investigating.
----
Mary arrives at the Starbucks. She slaps a warrant on the register desk. 
:Mary: I need to investigate what happened earlier this morning. I have a search warrant, but this will require some closing off for proper analysis. 
:Barista: You want us to close so you can investigate?
:Mary: Yeah, unfortunately. I will try to be quick about it. 
:Barista: Dude, I'm fucking escatic. Do you have any idea how much I've dying for a break? Take as much time as you need.
Mary nods as the barista hangs up their apron and heads to the back of the Starbucks. Mary looks to her Digitalism units.
:Mary: Digitalism, cover premises in police tape, go time.
Mary watches as police tape is wrapped around the premises as the current customers are escorted out. Mary looks over to the table Penny was sitting at and picks up her phone.
:Mary: Thing's fucking shot. Not that I could look through it anyway. Might be noteworthy though. Digitalism-4, collect evidence, go time.
A Digitalism unit with a purple crystal in their head walks over and collects the phone before merging into Mary through her back. Mary's spine shudders for a second before she gets back to focus.
:Mary: A shooting altercation occurred here as well. Eye witnesses were not able to see the event occur as it happened or who shot, although if the evidence from the sewer was from today, that means Robert Tuvillo could have been here earlier. Does Penny Loafer have connections to Ocean 11? Worth investigating… 
Vicky walks through the Starbucks, ignoring all the police tape as her camera crew follows. Mary turns around as she groans.
:Mary: Mam, I advise you to step away from the crime scene. This is not a place you were told to be.
:Vicky: With all due respect, I'm a reporter with integrity and an active resolve. I will use gorilla tactics to find out the truth.
:Mary: Guerilla. Tactics.
:Vicky: I know what I said.
:Mary: Mam, just keep away from the scene, okay? 
:Vicky: Do you have anything from eyewitnesses?
:Mary: Yeah. Two mobsters attempted to shoot up Penny Loafer in the middle of a damn coffee shop. They shot the phone and she ran. Where to, nobody knows as they were all distracted by the TV, somehow. 
:Vicky: Must have been the interview we captured earlier. We're both very captivating figures.
Vicky poses for the camera as Mary rolls her eyes.
:Mary: Mam. I'm trying to complete an investigation here. Please get out.
:Vicky: Do you see people? The cops are in on this too! Trying to prevent me from covering this story! 
:Mary (as quietly under her breath as she can): Ohmygodyoufuckingbitchjustletmefuckingdothis
:Mary: Mam, you can cover this story much better if I'm allowed to do my job. Do you understand?
Mary smiles patiently as Vicky just stares at her.
:Mary: ...do you?
:Vicky: What are you doing that's even considered investigating?
:Mary: Well, for starters, I've already found evidence that connected to this another occurrence that happened earlier that shut off the power at F.A.N.T. and a gas station shoplifting incident. If my timeline of events are corrected, Penny Loafer was tracked here by two mobsters and then they ran into the sewers into a cave where another altercation occurred. However, this is mostly guesswork so I wouldn't run with it as the objective truth if I was a reporter worth my salt.
:Vicky: ...do you wanna go?
:Mary: No, I'm making good progress on this case and I don't think getting into a fight with a reporter is a good use of my time, which is why I need you to stay out of this so I can focus.
:Vicky: Alright, this is turning into dead air. Cut it. Let's get out of here- just air the Mingyu stuff from earlier until we can figure out what to do.
The camera man nods as Vicky leaves. Mary leans against a booth seat and sighs.
:Mary: Goddd… well, at least she's gone now.
Mary looks up at the TV, still tuned into Channel 17, although on break for commercials.
:Mary: Why did everyone suddenly look at the tv? That's some supernatural shit…
----
Mary is back at her office, looking over the evidence through Digitalism's Data Gardens form. 
:Mary: The only problem now is where they would have gone. They couldn't have gone far, but… as far as I know, this story ends at the cave in the sewer. 
Mary taps her cheek as she leans against her desk.
:Mary: Well, now what?
Mary grunts as she looks at the shot phone in a ziploc bag,
:Mary: I can't get anything from this beyond the bullet it was pierced with, which we already know from a prior crime scene… hmm… well, I guess there's no harm in reporting what I already know.
Mary then clasps her hands together as she calls Eric Sinn over the phone. Eric picks up his cellphone from his dark office.
:Eric: Eric.
:Mary: Is Eric Sinn there?
:Eric: Yeah, this is Eric.
:Mary: Well, this is Mary.
:Eric: I know.
:Mary: Alright. Hey, so made some interesting breakthroughs. We might not just have Standing Ripple user here on the case, actually. If my predictions are right, we're actually looking around two. 
:Eric: I'm with you.
:Mary: And to further complicate matters, it seems like the mafia group Ocean 11 is involved as well as super star Penny Loafer.
:Eric: Wait, how is Penny Loafer connected?
:Mary: That's the thing. I don't know why Ocean 11 is after her. The scenes I've been able to investigate suggest two groups- one possibly consisting of Ocean 11 member Robert Tuvillo and an unknown and the other consisting of Sabrine… and possibly Penny Loafer.
:Eric: So, have you cracked it yet?
:Mary: Mm. Not yet. I still don't know where any of them went. To further complicate matters, you sent an unqualified parallel investigator on the hunt as well.
:Eric: Yeah, don't worry, he's getting fired.
:Mary: Why didn't you inform me?
:Eric: To be quite frank, we figured anything he was investigating might be bogus for your investigation.
:Mary: His path led me to the sewers where I've found the most amount of evidence so far. Bullets, burn-in marks, etcetera. 
:Eric: Well, I don't know about any of that.
:Mary: You need to tell me these things, Eric. Do you have tabs on him now?
:Eric: Even if we did, there's no way we could tell because all the systems are still offline.
:Mary: Hm. Couldn't you just track his phone off a mobile device?
:Eric: Well, we could if we had his phone on file. But considering he was literally just a mailroom guy, it never got brought to our attention. 
:Mary: Run a real tight ship over there at F.A.N.T, huh?
:Eric: Hey, you… you shut up.
Mary sticks out her tongue as she leans back.
:Eric: Hol' up. Just getting a report that a red haired asian woman and an accomplice were seen… shoplifting at the mall. It might be nothing but…
:Mary: A potential lead is a lead. Send back-up over to the parking lot in case it is actually them. Digitalism, disassemble and follow, go time.
Mary hangs up on the phone and runs towards her car, Digitalism disassembling and following her closely behind as they merge back into her.
----
Mary pulls up to the parking lot and spots her suspects. She chews on a piece of beef jerky and then swerves towards the two, stopping the car. Mary Azkaban steps out, carrying a baton as Digitalism units hop out from the back of the cop car.
:Mary: You're under arrest, Sabrine Lee.
Sabrine tenses up as Penny grabs her hand and starts running.
:Mary: Digitalism! Pursue subjects, Go Time!
The Digitalism units run after Sabrine and Penny as Mary launches forward on foot, chasing them. Sabrine glances up in the distance.
:Sabrine: There's a big building in the distance that's about three blocks from here. Do you know what I'm talking about?
:Penny: The clock tower?
Sabrine nods.
:Sabrine: The clock tower. Meet me there. We're going to split up.
Sabrine lets go of Penny's hand and the two proceed to split directions.
:Mary: Five five split, go time!
Mary can't figure out exactly who to follow, but decides to go with Sabrine as she's supposed to pursue her anyway. Suddenly, Sabrine splits into two, also running in seperate directions.
:Mary: That's her power, huh?
Mary watches closely as one of them runs towards the parking lot while the other runs away from the parking lot. She chases after the latter.
:Mary: You'd make this a lot easier for yourself if you just stopped right here, I guarantee it!
Sabrine laughs as she runs, which is a bad idea.
:Sabrine: You think I like doing things the easy way?
Sabrine coughs but refuses to stop.
:Sabrine: There are at least five different people after me at this point, maybe more- 
Sabrine coughs again.
:Sabrine: -and you think I would choose the cops as the people who succeed in my capture?
Sabrine jumps over a fire hydrant and lands on her feet as she continues to rush down a block.
:Mary: It's your choice, I'm just telling you the option to cease easily is here.
Sabrine summons the legs of Alien Ant Farm to help her jump high onto a brick building, grabbing the ledge of a window and pulling herself up as she takes a breather. Mary and two Digitalism units join her as they glance up at Sabrine.
:Mary: I'm not tasked with killing you, so that's already a preferable option to Ocean 11, right?
Sabrine cockily shrugs as she glances at her phone. 11:50 AM.
:Sabrine: I mean, look, I'd love to talk, but I got somewhere to be. 
Sabrine jumps down, summoning back the legs of Alien Ant Farm to cushion her fall so she doesn't break her own legs and then proceeds to do a sweep kick that Mary dodges with ease.
:Sabrine: Ah shit, you know how to actually fight, huh?
Mary swings her baton at Sabrine's legs, who appears to just barely miss it with a drunken swerve before standing up to push her.
:Mary: Ah, Zui Quan, huh? Unusual, but nothing I haven't seen before.
Mary swings the baton onto Sabrine's left hip, connecting. Sabrine yelps in pain and appears to crumple onto the ground.
:Sabrine: Ah shit, you got me good chief! You got me real good. 
Mary stands for a second before backing away as Sabrine attempts to hit back with a strong kick with her right leg. Sabrine twists over to her front and does a somersault against the pavement, getting up quickly.
:Sabrine: No winning with you, huh…
Sabrine takes off, summoning Alien Ant Farm to take a baton swing that could have hit her but instead knocks off him with no effect. Sabrine then desummons Alien Ant Farm as she has a slight lead in the chase now.
:Mary: Come back here…!
Mary continues to chase Sabrine Lee, who grits her teeth as she holds her damaged side and glances upwards to her destination: the clock tower.
===Chapter 7: The Clock Tower===
April 17, 1776
Seattle looks a lot different in the time of the American Revolution- being much more akin to an old town village with stone paved roads and horse drawn carriages. A giant clock tower- of mysterious origin- sits in the center of the frame, and in the front of that is a guillotine presentation. A man in the redcoat attire is held in the guillotine as a blue bear-like creature holds a rope that will cut his head off. A man stands before the crowd in plainsclothes- but he is no ordinary man. His name is Richard Independence. 
:Richard: The man before you still sides with England after Concord! What do you say to this, the American people?
Booes can be heard, with the occasional "chop his damn head off already!" shouts coming from the crowd.
:Richard: You heard the people, Unten.
Unten lets go of the rope and the redcoat's head is chopped off. The clock tower rings a loud bell as 12 PM arrives.
----
Cut to modern day, where the bell again rings to signify it is 12 PM, ringing a total of 12 times. The clock tower looks different, albeit still with some of it's history in tact. A tour guide stands in front of the building with a tour group. In that tour group, Unten and Sakeena look at pamphlets. Unten has a fishing cap on and Sakeena is wearing a red hoodie- attempting to blend in with the crowd. 
:Tour Guide: Hello, welcome to our tour of the old Seattle Clock Tower. The Clock Tower was first discovered back in the early 1700s, but it's origins remain unknown. It was here that the town of Clockinstein was established and remained prominent during the American Revolution.
:Sakeena (whispering to Unten): Look at this… they used to have a gulliotine set up in front of the building to execute redcoats. Led by Richard Independence. How do people not know about this?
:Unten (whispering back to Sakeena): I mean, it's pretty old news, Sakeena. Also a really old incarnation of Richard Independence. 
:Sakeena (still whispering): I guess… still, isn't that crazy? We met the guy and all.
:Unten (still whispering)': I just wonder if this is going to explain that painting I saw years ago.
:Sakeena (still whispering): The painting of what? What are you talking about?
:Unten (still whispering): Me and Rachel went to a museum. It was right before I went down into Beorn Hallow. I saw a painting there of… get this, me. Painted back in 1778.
:Sakeena (still whispering): No… what?
:Tour Guide: Enough talking about the clock tower, let's head into the building itself!
The tour group heads inside, with Unten and Sakeena lagging behind as they continue to talk.
:Unten: I didn't take pictures and when I went back, the show they held there had ended. I never got answers. 
:Sakeena: Freaky.
A woman with purple hair cuts through them rudely.
:Woman: Sorry!
The camera spins around- it was too fast to tell before, but now that we have a clear shot, it was clear this person was Penny Loafer. Penny Loafer glances around before running up the stairs as a bunch of Digitalism units run between Unten and Sakeena.
:Unten: Go around!
:Sakeena: Christ, what are those things?
:Unten: Hell if I know… 
Sakeena and Unten shrug as they follow the tour group.
----
Wayne is driving towards the F.A.N.T. building as he passes by the Clock Tower. He takes a cursory look out his super truck and spots Penny Loafer running towards the building. He immediately takes a brake and swerves towards an open parking spot against the sidewalk.
:Wayne; That's one of the women I saw earlier! Shit!
Wayne struggles with unbuckling his seatbelt as Leelith groans hungrily in the backseat.
:Leelith: Food…
Wayne opens the door with a large swing and steps outside as he walks towards the building. He attempts to look inconspicuous as he watches Penny Loafer run up the stairs.
:Wayne: Well, great. Gotta run up the stairs… unless…
Wayne cranes his head and spots an elevator.
:Wayne: Bingo.
----
Juliani and Robert stand in a car garage as Juliani opens the back of 65daysofstatic. Robert puts a mug filled with coffee on the counter, glancing over to Juliani. 
:Robert: So, your Standing Ripple has robotic properties or something?
:Juliani: Something along those lines, yes. That bitch totally broke it with her Standing Ripple though…
Juliani grits her teeth.
:Juliani: I guess it has those properties because it can be used like a television set as well as store light… 
:Robert: Kind of interesting how that works. I wouldn't think something derived from the self-conscious could do that.
:Juliani: Yeah, kind of weird considering. Well, I'm gonna put it to "factory" settings.
Juliani flips a switch in the back of 65daysofstatic's head and then flips it back.
:Robert: Did it work?
:65daysofstatic: I AM『65DAYSOFSTATIC』!
:Juliani: Yep. 
:Robert: Well, we should probably get back to base…
:Juliani: No. 
:Robert: No…?
:Juliani: I gotta hunt down the bitch that did that to 65daysofstatic. 
:Robert: ..she never did tell us her name, huh?
:Juliani: If she did, I sure don't remember. 
:Robert: Well, you can run with that, I'm going back to the base.
:Juliani: Fine! Be like that!
Robert opens the garage door as he pulls the mug off from the counter and drinks some more coffee as he walks away. The camera pulls back to reveal the two are at a closed off car garage with the name of "WARMANN'S MACHINES".
:Juliani: Not exactly like you were much help anyway…
Juliani crosses her arms as a woman runs down the block, covering her side. Juliani recognizes her a second later.
:Juliani: It's that bitch…!
Juliani leaps onto her feet as she gets running on her own. She summons 65daysofstatic to her side, attempting to make Sabrine's limbs feel sleepy, but in this tight chase environment she can't quite manage to do that.
:Sabrine: Ah jeez, you're here too?
Sabrine looks ahead towards the Clock Tower and then back as she sees Juliani, Digitalism units, and Mary after her. She laughs and coughs, wincing in pain as she continues to run forward.
:Sabrine: Gotta… make it there.
----
Penny Loafer runs up the stairs, before suddenly turning into a small room at the middle of the stairs. She looks around as tons of paper is stacked on a desk, filled with various memorabilia from America's history.
:Penny: Huh…!
Penny crouches down as she hides from the Digitalism units. They continue to run up the stairs as Penny just stays quiet. As the last of them disappear from sight and hearing range, she gets up in the dark room.
:Penny: Well, this is a nice office. Must be some kind of archivist…!
Penny finds a small window with the blinds down and pulls them up curiously. A giant blue, beating heart can be seen through the window. Penny shuts down the blinds halfway before it goes all screwy and she just leaves it there.
:Penny: Mmph!
Penny peeks out the door and then heads back downstairs. She spots a vending machine near the entrance.
:Penny: Oh shit, they got a vending machine?
Penny rifles through her purse and pulls out some spare change.
:Penny: Hey…!
Penny walks down as quietly as she can as she approaches the vending machine.
:Penny: Let's see here…!
Penny taps the glass of the vending machine a little as the camera turns away from her to Wayne at the elevator.
:Wayne: What is taking this thing so damn long?
Penny snaps her fingers as she finds something she wants- a bottle of apple juice. Everyone looks over to her.
:Wayne: You!
Penny quickly jams in the coins into the machine before realizing she really should just run for it, going back up the stairs before she's cornered by the Digitalism units and Wayne on the stairs.
:Penny: Ah crap!
Penny quickly attempts to dodge Wayne, before summoning the fist of Gorillaz, who is still holding on the shopping bags from the mall. Wayne is launched into the wall as the elevator doors finally open. Wayne groans as he heads inside.
:Penny: Huh, okay.
Penny punches the Digitalism units as they leap towards her, able to stave them off for a short bite before they leap over the fists and crawl towards her. Penny desummons Gorillaz and screams before suddenly someone grabs her hand.
:Sabrine: Come on!
Sabrine pulls her by the hand as they run up the flight of stairs. Digitalism units crawl across them as Juliani and Mary enter inside the Clock Tower with more Digitalism units following them.
:Sabrine: Aghh…!!!
Sabrine tears a Digitalism unit off her, throwing it towards Juliani as she falls down the stairs and halts Mary who bumps into her.
:Juliani: AGHHH FUCK!!!
Penny and Sabrine make it to the top of the Clock Tower as tourists glance at them weirdly before going back to seeing the view.
:Penny: Well now what?
Sabrine and Penny watch as Juliani and Mary enter out from the stairs. Sabrine takes a fighting stance as Penny hides behind her. Juliani pulls out her twin pistols and summons 65daysofstatic to her side as Mary gathers Digitalism and swings her baton. Tourists gasp and scream as a fight's just about to break. Suddenly, the elevator dings and opens to reveal Wayne.
:Wayne: Aha! I knew you would be here with your friend and… oh. 
Wayne glances at Mary and Juliani.
:Wayne: You know what? Not my fight. Hey…!
Wayne is pulled towards the back of the elevator as a crowd of tourists enter inside, trying to get out of a dangerous situation. Wayne grunts as the elevator doors close, leaving surprisingly only just the four on top of the building. 
:Sabrine: Alright…
Juliani cocks her guns.
:Mary: Hold on, who are you?
:Juliani: I don't gotta answer to you, cop! These two are my only primary concern. She infected my Standing Ripple with some kind of virus…
Juliani points to Sabrine with a gun.
:Juliani: ...and she owes me money.
Juliani points to Penny with another gun.
:Juliani: Just some Ocean 11 business until that ratty ass bitch made it personal.
:Mary: Oh, hold on.
Mary turns to Juliani, pulling out her own gun.
:Mary: Ocean 11?
:Juliani: Dunno why I thought that was gonna go any different. Well, fuck.
All four of them are at a stand still, waiting for the first move. Tensions run high.
:Penny: You know… maybe we should just put the guns down and settle this calmly…
Mary eases her gun as Juliani squints her eyes.
:Juliani: You think I'm just gonna settle this calmly when you screwed us out of money and Sabrine humiliated me? Not to mention this cop is going to arrest me either way…
Sabrine glances over her back. Juliani shouts.
:Juliani: Pay attention me, dolt! That does it…
BANG!
----
DING!
Wayne exits out of the elevator with a bunch of other tourists as they flee the scene. Unten and Sakeena look at him and the crowd emerging out.
:Unten: Woah, hey, what's going on?
:Wayne: There's uh, going to be a gunfight of some kind on the roof. I imagine F.A.N.T. or the police is going to close off this area soon. 
:Unten: Damn it! Guess I'm never getting answers about that painting.
:Wayne: What painting?
:Unten: The one painted of me, apparently back in the 1770s. 
:Sakeena: I've never seen it so I just kind of took his word on it.
:Wayne: Wait a second… you two are Unten and Sakeena! Damn, why did that take me so long to register?
:Unten: The fishing cap and hoodie, I guess.
:Wayne: Well, the building's not cleared out yet. I might still be able to help you somehow...
Wayne spots a woman with frizzy hair at the vending machine with a name tag.
:Wayne: She must work here… hold up, I'll get her.
Wayne speed-walks over to her, tapping her shoulder. The woman spins around to look at him. Wayne can now clearly read her name tag, which reads "Janice".
:Wayne: Janice! Hey. I have two friends that have a question.
Wayne gestures over to Unten and Sakeena, who wave.
:Janice: Oh!
Janice straightens out her big circular glasses and walks over.
:Janice: What's your question?
:Unten: There's a painting that's haunted me since I've seen it… it's of me, painted apparently back in the 1770s, and this very clock tower is in the background…
Janice nods.
:Janice: I think I may know what you're talking about. Follow me to my office.
Janice, Wayne, Unten, and Sakeena walk up the stairs to her office.
----
Juliani's hand shakes as she has shot Sabrine clean in the shoulder. Sabrine groans as she crumples to the ground, although not dead or passing out as she holds her injured shoulder.
:Sabrine: Gah…
Penny jumps to her side as Mary kicks Juliani in the shin, pinning her against the wall as she pulls out a pair of handcuffs, figuring she's distracted enough. Her hunch is right as the handcuffs tightern around Juliani's hands- although she is soon punched by 65daysofstatic immediately afterwards and tumbles towards the edge of the roof, with a bleeding nose. Juliani escapes down the steps.
:Penny: Sabrine! Sabrine, are you okay?
Penny looks worried for her friend as Juliani struggles with the handcuffs.
:Sabrine: It's just a graze… god. Fuck. 
Sabrine glances behind her again.
:Sabrine: Alright, we need to get down the clock tower and fast. None of us have any way to stop the fall…
Mary gets up, wiping her mouth of blood.
:Mary: Where do you think you're going?
:Penny: BYE!
Penny grabs Sabrine's free hand and pulls her up as they run down the steps. Mary runs after them as Digitalism units chase them down the stairs.
:Sabrine: Ouch… ouch…
:Penny: Just a little further, come on…!
Penny manages to punch Mary in the stomach with Gorillaz quickly as they make it to the ground floor. Mary slams against the wall, groaning.
:Mary: Agh...
Sabrine grins weakly as Penny holds her hand tighter, as they make their way to the ground floor and exit out of the building as a police car pulls up. The window pulls down to reveal Sabrine is the one driving it.
:Penny: You summoned a clone to steal Mary's cop car?
:Sabrine: I knew the bitch was competent, so I knew I wouldn't make her lose sight of the "real" me, but I still split myself off because I knew she left the car behind. Help me in. You're gonna have to drive.
Penny nods as Sabrine's clone merges back with herself. Sabrine lays in the backseat, groaning as she covers up her bullet wound.
:Sabrine: Oof… fuck.
Penny pulls out of the clock tower and drives.
:Penny: Where should we head to?
:Sabrine: I dunno, as far out of town as you can…
Penny nods again. Sabrine's head leans to the left.
----
Wayne, Unten, and Sakeena gather in the archivist room as Janice pulls out a photocopy of the paining Unten was talking about- featuring himself in revolutionary army clothes and the clock tower in the background.
:Janice: The Clock Tower has a mysterious origin- the settlers that came here built the town around it and it has remained in the same spot ever since. It adapts on it's own, and as you can see, in the center of the Clock Tower, it pulsates with it's own giant heart.
Janice points to the window behind her, which has the half closed blinds that Penny fumbled with earlier. The blue heart beats through it.
:Janice: As for your painting- well, that's Unten, the Cubchoo, who was a noted American revolutionary that faded away into history due to his uh… "kill the rich" rhetoric. Not really popular after the American people took control over their own colonies.
:Sakeena: Cubchoo my ass! That's clearly Unten…
:Janice: I don't write the history dear, that's what I studied back in my college days.
:Unten: Well, great, now I have even more questions.
:Janice: Not much I can do there, unfortunately. Information is scant on this Unten.
:Sakeena: At least we got some context…
Wayne looks towards the door and opens it.
:Wayne: Well, I guess we're done here.
:Janice: My pleasure.
Unten and Sakeena walk down the stairs as they see four F.A.N.T. agents enter the building. Mary can be seen talking to a redhaired woman.
:Mary: All three escaped… just great. Blah. 
Mary sits down on a chair as a male asian F.A.N.T. agent can be seen marking off the exit.
:Asian F.A.N.T. Agent: Oh hey, you guys need to leave. Whole area is under investigation now.
He looks at Wayne.
:Asian F.A.N.T. Agent: Oh hey, aren't you Wayne?
:Wayne: Yeah?
The man laughs.
:Asian F.A.N.T. Agent: Dude, you are so totally fired.
Wayne walks away embarrassed, not really sure what he meant by that.
----
Juliani snaps off her handcuffs with the help of 65daysofstatic in a bathroom, which is dimly lit as 65daysofstatic used the light to store and then blast energy onto the handcuffs. Juliani grunts as she attempts to get off the metal stuck to her wrists to no avail.
:Juliani: That went poorly. Again. At least I grazed that bitch on the shoulder…
Juliani looks in the mirror.
:Juliani: Sabrine… was that her name?
Juliani tugs at the metal hoops still stuck around her waist, causing 65daysofstatic to gather more energy as the bathroom goes dark.
:Voice from stall: What the fuck?
65daysofstatic lightly blasts off the rest of the handcuffs, freeing Juliani's hands completely.
:Juliani: C'mon, we need to go if we're gonna find Sabrine again. Although, wouldn't mind a lunch…
:Voice from stall: WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?
:Juliani: Just on the phone! Mind your own damn business!
The toilet flushes as the person gets up with a loud stomp. Juliani decides to make a run for it.
----
Penny parks in front of a CVS and opens up the backseat of the cop car.
:Penny: You gonna be okay? I'm gonna grab stuff for first aid…
Penny grins nervously, never have been shaken up this much before.
:Sabrine: Sounds good… yeah… just stop the bleeding at least, ouch.
Sabrine has dug the bullet out of her shoulder and places it outside. Penny holds it and puts it in her purse.
:Penny: I'll be right back!
Penny runs into the CVS as Sabrine barely holds onto consciousness. She leans forward a little.
:Sabrine: Wait… how is she gonna pay for stuff?
===Chapter 8: Trent Corona===
==Cast==
SabrineAlonePainted.png|Sabrine Lee (debut)
NormalNate.png|Normal Nate
AlienAntFarmAlonePainted.png|Alien Ant Farm (debut)
Logianew.png|Hugo Logia
Mittsy.png|Mittsy
ZaneExo.png|Zane
BlankNewPainted.png|Blank
WayneGoldreinPainted.png|Wayne Goldrein (debut)
LeelithNuudaPainted.png|Leelith Nuuda
JulianiCrimsozePainted.png|Juliani Crimsoze (debut)
ArthurMagusPaintedNew.png|Arthur Magus (debut)
65daysofstaticAlonePainted.png|65daysofstatic (debut)
RobertTuvilloPainted.png|Robert Tuvillo (debut)
MiaSkellPainted.png|Mia Skell (debut)
MaryAzkbanPainted.png|Mary Azkaban (debut)
YungBaeAlonePainted.png|Yung Bae (debut)
Skimp the ShrimpPainted.png|Skimp the Shrimp (debut)
AlexaFV.png|Mysterious Pink Haired Woman
VickyVictoriousNewPainted.png|Vicky Victorious
CameronMannPainted.png|Cameron Mann (unnamed)
PennyLoaferPaintedAlone.png|Penny Loafer (debut)
JamesVinquePainted.png|James Vinque (debut)
BronsonVinquePainted.png|Bronson Vinque (debut)
Sonya RenoPainted.png|Sonya Reno (debut)
XeroxNewPainted.png|Xerox
BlackCaviarPainted.png|Black Caviar (debut)
AlenaCarterPV.png|Alena Carter
HammerheadPainted.png|Hammerhead (debut)
BlackwayPainted.png|Blackway (debut)
CirceLottePainted.png|Circe Lotte (debut)
PasiphaeLottePainted.png|Pasiphae Lotte
BabyMetalPainted.png|BABYMETAL (debut)
Digitalism1Painted.png|Digitalism (debut) 
==Bonus Content==
===Story Board: Sabrine vs. Blank===
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==Trivia==
*This story establishes that the F.A.N.T building in Seattle is dam-powered. 
*This story includes possibly the most debuts of new characters in a New Fantendoverse story.
*Sabrine, Penny, Juliani, and Robert fight in what is the original Beorn Hollow from Beorn Hallow, as indicated by the freshly painted sign tacked into the breakage. Multiple references to the miniseries, such as the cobwebs and spiders, dead Spewage, and the wreckage from Unten and Tweeky's battle can be seen. 
Category:Short Stories
Category:Xenoro
Category:Fan Fiction
Category:Original Fan Fiction