Mission- Interrupted (Tag)

[Calahan Witt]

It was a standard, easy job, nothing that he hadn’t done before. Just a simple swoop in, help some dealers take a nap, take the money and the drugs, and deliver the drugs back to his contact. Sure the stakes were a little bit higher as he was taking on some larger kingpins, but the mission was the same.

That led to Cal crouched in the shadows between a pile of discarded cardboard boxes and an old crumbling building waiting for his time to strike. It had been about 45 minutes, in which Cal had peeled a significant amount of paint off of an old piece of metal siding, when the first man came into view. He locked his eyes on the man and silently thanked the universe that the man wasn’t wearing any sort of mask. He was good with his powers, but sometimes not being able to see someone’s whole face because of a mask could make things ever so slightly harder when he needed to target them. He didn’t have to wait long before the second dealer showed up, also not wearing a mask. He took a deep breath as he examined the other man, preparing to get to work. The problem with working on two targets at once is that he would need to move fast. If one went out too soon, the other could panic and leave. It was a narrow window, but Cal had become more skilled the longer he worked on it.

With one last bracing breath, Cal started focusing all of his energy into the first man, projecting the feeling of complete exhaustion onto him and then giving his body a strong boost of melatonin, making his body go limp in sleep. Before the other man could react, Cal shifted his focus on him and did the same, however this man was slightly harder to control as Cal had already used a lot of power to get the first man sedated. All in all, after about a minute, both men were down and would be for at least another 5 minutes.

Cal moved from his spot, looking around the area for the first time since he had arrived and stopped in his tracks, blood running cold. Directly behind him, lay the unconscious bodies of three other men, all large and burly. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that they were most likely bodyguards of some sort and they probably would have found him. What he couldn’t figure out, however, is what had happened to them. A spike of fear went down his spine as he visually scanned the area, who was out here with him? He knew he needed to keep moving, so he began to move towards the dealers before he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and froze once more. “Who’s there!?” he called out, attempting to make his voice sound gruff and intimidating.

John Elsven

[John Elsven]

Colonel liked to stretch his legs from time to time. He was getting up there in years, and a rather public figure when it came to Aegis, so he didn't do it often, and when he did it was generally rather low-stakes missions like this. At least, that's what he told the other Pillars, especially Abraham. In reality, there were a handful of vigilantes out there that he kept his eye on. Kids that reminded him of Bradley and Madeline, when he first met them. Kids like this one.

This kid didn't really do too bad of a job, really. He was being fairly careful, focusing on the main threats. Well, at least the ones he could see. What this kid hadn't realized was that he was establishing a pattern. The local drug barons were starting to catch on that sometimes, everyone just fell asleep on a deal and all the money and drugs vanished. They bulked up security, security that this kid wasn't looking for.

That's fine. It's what Colonel was looking for. He kept his anti-sound field up, and moved silently through the shadows, making himself transparent to catch them silently and unawares. It was what the army made him to do, really. By the time he was done there were three unconscious people lying on the ground that would have caught the budding hero had he not stepped in.

Once the kid stepped out and moved toward the shipment, freezing when he saw what would have happened, Colonel knew that now was the right time to make his presence known. He stepped out from the shadows, making his body opaque once more, and smiled at him. "You know it's dangerous to be out in this part of the Abandoned Warehouse District at this time of night. You never know where a drug deal might be going down, or a dangerous criminal might be taking a nap."

His tone had a joviality to it, a sense that he knew exactly what the boy was getting up to, but wasn't about to call him out on it or turn him in, despite being one of the heads of Aegis. "You haven't gotten yourself into any trouble, have you?"

Calahan Witt

[Calahan Witt]

Cal mentally swore upon seeing the man phase into existence, he had been caught red handed committing a crime. A very serious crime that could get him into very serious trouble. A spike of fear shot through him as he realized just who the man was- Colonel, one of the pillars of Aegis, one of the undeniable good guys. Of course it would be, that was just Cal’s luck.

He wondered why Colonel didn’t sound angry, in fact he sounded almost friendly? That is when it hit him, someone had taken out those three men. It had to have been Colonel, so maybe he wasn’t in as much trouble as he could be, maybe he could talk his way out of this.

“Um… Yes sir, it could be very dangerous and that is why I am not doing anything illegal and just taking a walk in the dark… in the abandoned part of town…” In his panic, Cal just spit out words, not considering how nonsensical they sounded. “And I just… found this guy asleep, what an interesting and random thing that I discovered!!”

He tried to grin but he was sure it looked more like a grimace, but he hoped that it would be convincing. Hoping that he looked like a normal young adult and not a borderline criminal. “I would never get into trouble Mr. Colonel sir. I’m just… uh…” he trailed off trying to think of what to say to come to his own defense, but quickly realized that his statements he was making were not convincing. He had basically ratted himself out and now wouldn’t be able to complete his task. Shit that wasn’t good, he would lose the trust of his ‘clients’ but there was nothing that could be done now. He would have to bite the bullet. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Cal locked eyes with Colonel. “Please don’t call the cops.”

[John Elsven]

Colonel couldn’t help but chuckle at the poor kid starting to panic. He got a bit of a kick out of watching them realize they were in a bad situation, but the next part was really his favorite. It was the part where he got to reassure them.

He pulled out cuffs and began restraining the unconscious dealers and buyers. “Technically, I could be considered a cop. I have the authority to detain anyone I believe to be involved with a crime that superpowers are a part of. If there was anyone here still conscious that I felt needed to be arrested, they’d be in cuffs already.”

He winked at him, to make sure the point behind his statement got across.

“Whoever this hero that made things a lot easier for my old bones is, they need to be careful. If they keep doing things the same way every time, eventually people are going to notice that sometimes everyone at a drug deal just falls asleep and the goods vanish. They’ll start trying to figure out why. What’s your name, son?”

Calahan Witt

[Calahan Witt]

The low chuckle that emanated from Colonel did nothing to soothe Cal’s anxieties, the pressure building causing him to bounce on his heels and shake his hands momentarily in a bout of nervous energy. He watched Colonel pull out handcuffs and his heart immediately dropped, scared for what would come next. He moved to place his hands in front of him, hoping that if he gave Colonel minimal struggle he might not take him to the police station, however, he was stopped in his tracks as the handcuffs were not placed on him, but on the unconscious individuals splayed out on the ground.

He dropped his wrists lamely and stared at Colonel as he spoke. The fact that he was not about to get arrested took a second for him to process, but when it did, he allowed himself to relax just slightly. The wink took him by surprise, but allowed him to relax even more.

As he listened to Colonel, a single word stuck out to him- Hero. The title coming from one of the pillars meant a lot and Cal let the weight of the statement settle into the back of his mind so he could ponder it further later. He had more important things to think about at this moment, like that he was getting too predictable. “Yes… I’m sure that would be something that the person would need to know,” He slowly stated, carefully choosing his words this time. “I hope that the… they can figure out something to make themselves less… predictable.”

When prompted for his name, Cal had a brief moment of panic; should he introduce himself by his real name or by his alias? After a beat, he decided on his alias, just to be safe. “I’m Nightwalker. I would ask your name but… yeah.”

John Elsven

[John Elsven]

Colonel smiled as he continued to pull the unconscious bodies together and prep them for pickup. He was going to have to radio about that soon, but he was going to wait until "Nightwalker" was gone.

"I'm not going to lie to you son, it can be awful strange to have everyone know your name as soon as they see you. I can't tell you how many times I've put on a ball cap and sunglasses just to go get a coffee without people knowing exactly who I was."

This kid had promise. He seemed a good sort. He'd start with the obvious question. "So, Nightwalker. You think whoever the hero that broke up this drug deal was has considered joining Aegis? They have a lot of resources, training, support. Lot of good that can be done with a little help."

Calahan Witt

[Calahan Witt]

Cal continued to watch Colonel gather the unconscious bodies as though he had done it millions of times before, which, he thought distantly, he may have. That would make sense considering all that Colonel had done in his life.

Nodding along, Cal couldn’t help but agree, having everyone know your name and face would be a nightmare, one that he would never want to get into. “That’s a lot of work for a coffee. I don’t think I'd be able to do that, too much attention.”

Of all the things that Cal imagined would happen in this encounter, somehow, Colonel’s next statement took him by surprise. It almost seemed like he was being invited to join Aegis, which…. Didn’t make sense. He had just committed a crime. He should be in jail, not being asked about joining an organization. Cal stared at Colonel, unable to speak for a moment as he struggled to think of what to say.

“You would probably have to ask whoever did this… But… they would have to think about it. It’s a big decision.”
John Elsven

[John Elsven]

Colonel nodded. This kid was smart, never really giving his full name, never making any direct statements, making sure to distance himself from the situation. In a weird way, Colonel was proud, even though he hadn't had any direct influence on this kid. Yet.

"It is a big decision, but one worth thinking about. Aegis has a lot of resources that can help people do the most good they can. I do understand not wanting to be part of a big organization and having to take orders and whatnot too, though."

There. All the bodies, restrained and set up neatly, ready for pickup. He pulled out a notepad and started cataloging the drugs and cash that was there while he continued to talk.

"I'd like to get a coffee or ice cream with whoever pulled this off. Maybe give him some tips, some advice to help keep him safe and keep him from drawing the wrong kind of attention, from Aegis or otherwise. Plus, I'd pay. Shame I don't know who it is, but I'll treat whoever happens to meet me at Bean Me Up tomorrow, around 1."

He smiled over his shoulder at Nightwalker. He hoped this sent the right sort of message, that he was chill and was just wanting to help him out. Of course, he realized this could all be viewed as a trap, but that was something he was just going to have to prove false by not, well, trapping him.

Abraham would hate it if he knew that this was what Colonel set his Tuesday afternoons aside for every week.

Calahan Witt

[Calahan Witt]

Being part of a large organization was something that Cal worried about, with his nightly activities being questionably legal. Joining Aegis would be a huge thing and open a lot of doors, but for all Cal knew, Colonel’s offer to join could be a trap. He chewed the inside of his lip before replying. “This person would probably appreciate the resources, but they would have to think about what resources they would need.”

He numbly watched Colonel write in a small notebook, likely taking notes of the event. Cal realized with a jolt that he was not going to be getting these drugs, which would be getting him in some pretty hot water. Taking the safety tips would definitely be in his best interest now. He briefly considered trying to use his powers on Colonel, but quickly changed him mind, he couldn’t do it and not just because he was tired. “Hopefully the person that did this doesn’t need those drugs… because they aren’t going to be getting them from you… probably?”


It took a moment for Cal to process what he was being offered, a chance to have a low stakes meeting with a pillar of Aegis with a bonus of free coffee. If there was a quick way to Cal’s heart it was free things- he was a college student after all. His attention was suddenly directed towards his fingers that he had been picking at with anxiety during the conversation, realizing that three of his fingers were now bleeding. He nervously wiped the blood onto his pants and gave Colonel a tight smile. “I hope that they hear this conversation. They should probably accept the offer. I guess you’ll have to see.”

John Elsven

[John Elsven]

Colonel nodded sagely. "That's right. These will need to go into evidence. Hopefully, if whoever knocked these guys out was taking them elsewhere, their buyer will understand that Aegis got tipped off and took care of things, and he'll rethink passing them off to just another drug runner that will get them onto the streets, hurting people."

Colonel kept getting things ready for the rest of the Aegis team to come in. He really hoped this kid would take him up on the offer. This kid had good instincts and some talent. Colonel wanted to help develop that into skill. There had been too many kids over the years that took after his example and gotten themselves hurt or killed. Colonel did all that he could to help make sure as many as he could find got the training and advice to do it as safely as is possible, because he knew he couldn't stop them.

"I guess I will have to see. Would be nice to not have to have my coffee alone."

He shrugged and chuckled. "Ah, but I'm just an old man. I'd probably bore whoever came to visit with old stories. Well, anyone that doesn't want to be detained for statements better skedaddle, because the rest of the Aegis crew will be here any minute. I'd get lost myself but, well, I'm kind of the boss." he said with a laugh.

Calahan Witt