《[Backup Online]》Chapter 18 - {[Things Are in Motion]}
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A man called Overheal stood at the window of the office reserved for him in the caliver city branch of the hero’s guild. It had been so long since he had gone by anything else that he couldn’t quite recall his original name, not that it mattered. That man was long since dead. Now, the only thing he was called other than Overheal was number two, and that was only by very specific parties, one of which he was contacting now.
The holo-phone buzzed through its tone twice before it was answered. There was no real reason for the wait. Overheal was sure she had known he was calling as soon as he dialed the first digit, and likely long before. She always knew when you were calling, she just never answered unless she wanted to speak. There was only one reason for the delay, she just wanted to make him squirm.
“Number two,” she purred into her receiver “How nice to hear from you again. It’s been a bit.”
Overheal glared, even though they weren't using video call, “Quiet three. I have something… interesting to discuss.”
“Rude and straight to the point as always I see.” he could almost hear her fake pout through the phone “conversations are supposed to be enjoyable you know.”
“Cut the shit and just get to the point, I know you know why I'm calling. So, let us stop beating around the bush. What do you know, Butterfly?” He gritted his teeth on her ‘True name’, It sounded so much simpler than the person it represented. “about one.”
“if you want answers from someone, you're going to have to learn to be nicer,” Butterfly ‘whined’
“We don't have time for this. this is urgent. How is he back and what is his interest in this ‘facility,’”
“Excuse me, only one of us can see the future. Let me decide what is urgent and what isn't, but I digress. Now, despite your ungraceful conversation skill, I am a benevolent woman, So I'll answer one of your questions.” she cleared her throat in an exaggerated manner, “I'll put it this way, there are things in the facility that will be instrumental in bringing about a change of the world. I don't know much else. The future isn't certain and all I get are possibilities. I can't say for sure but, it may just contain the final step.”
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“T-The final step…? Tell me more.”
“Can't do that, two. If I did it may mess up the delicate game we're playing…”
“Do you think this is a game!? Do you know what it could mean if he if One got the final step?”
“I know better than anyone O.H., but I also know what happens if you get it, or Paragon, or Faust. I make no secret that I have plans of my own, and I can't quite have you messed them up, can I?”
“then why tell me at all!?” Overheal growled.
“Because I know what you'll do next. Even without foresight, it's obvious. And even if you know that I know there's only one path forward…” She paused as Overheal fumed “By the way what you're about to do don’t d-“
Overheal grabbed the nearest thing with his telekinesis, which just happened to be a statue molded from gold and encrusted with diamonds and other precious stones, worth over 50,000,000 dollars in total, and crushed it until it was nothing but a super-dense ball of compressed metal. His eyes widened at what he had just destroyed, the money was barely a drop in the bucket for him, but it had been custom made over a hundred years ago and the artist was long since dead.
“Well, there goes that one-of-a-kind piece of art, I tried to warn you.” Butterfly said, but Overheal could practically feel her smirking on the other end. She was mocking him.
“You little…” he hissed before he calmed himself “If our business here is done, I need to contact the others”
“Don’t do that,” Butterfly almost snorted, “You'll regret it, I'll take care of it instead. You just go play with the little plan you just came up with and I'll see you later.”
Overheal wanted to deny her. Out of spite, he wanted to go against what she said simply for the sake of doing so. But fighting a seer, especially this seer, when they gave you instructions or advice was just asking for trouble in the long run.
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Gritting his teeth, Overheal made a noncommittal sound of agreement and simply hung up. His fists clenched as he enhanced his strength and punched a hole in the wall of the office, before turning on his heel and walking out, outwardly completely calm despite the roiling broth of hatred that he felt for the seer of the five.
Jackson Sat where he always did this time of day. He sat beside a hospital bed, surrounded by large beeping monitors and tubes connected to sacks, connected to one machine after another, all connected to one girl who seemed much too small for all she had gone through.
Jack sipped his coffee as he stared down at his sister, the only family he had left, and the one person he would do anything for. Yet, he could do nothing to help her as she was now. There was only one person who could do that. That person was the reason she was alive for him to worry for now, but he was also the reason she lay in this bed rather than running and playing as a young child should. A man which he despised and yet owed everything to. As of now, that man was standing behind him.
Overheal sat down next to Jack, who tried to suppress a glare. Glaring at this man wouldn't do anything, and at the very most it would make him mad, and that would not turn out well. Any day he decided not to treat Macey her condition would get worse, and it would become harder for her to recover later. That thought begged the question of why he hadn’t treated her yet. He usually came here used his power and left when he decided to physically come at all, the only exceptions were… days where he decided that Jack needed to earn his sister’s health. ‘Payment for the service that he was providing and his valuable time’ As Overheal put it, despite the fact that he didn't have to be here to treat Jack's sister. With his power, he could do that remotely. Still, Jack had no say unless he was willing to put Macey and danger for it, He waited for the ‘hero’ to speak.
“Hello Jackson, I'm glad to see you here today. I have a bit of a job that will require your particular talents…”
“What kind of job” Jackson inquired not that he would say no. No wasn't an option.
“nothing too complex a simple infiltration and undercover mission,” Overheal showed his teeth in an obviously faked smile. “Think of it as part of your training as a future member of the heroes Guild.”
Jack internally groaned at that “and Macey?”
“She’ll be well taken care of while you're gone, in fact, if you can get me what I want, I may find that I have the power inside of me to completely cure her condition.”
Jack involuntarily perked up at that, he knew Overheal saw it and he knew that the hero knew he had him, but he didn't care, “What do you need?”
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