Collaboration with @Ver
Intermission
"Relations of the Real World"
The snow was splattered deep red and a guttural cry echoed out from the alleyway. Alvin found himself tensing at the inhuman sounds the replica made as he collapsed to the ground, twitching like a dying animal. He heard a sound from behind him and turned to find the detective staring at the scene with wide eyes.
When he saw Alvin looking at him, the detective's anger blossomed.
"The hell--?!" he snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at Alvin.
"I didn't give you that info so you could commit murder right in front of me!"
Before Alvin could respond, someone from the other end of the alleyway spoke up.
"You're right, Mr. Hyde, it's murder," said Rowen Ilbert, accompanied by Byakuya Togami.
"But murder that I am unhappy to tell you is necessary." Byakuya paused to examine the corpse while Rowen politely stepped over it, making sure not to step in any of the blood either.
"You can take solace in the fact that this man left no family or loved ones behind."
This barely seemed to appease Kyle Hyde at all, who shook his head vehemently.
"Still, I don't care what your fancy group is up to, you don't--"
"Come on, give it a break," Alvin said with a sigh.
"The man wasn't even human. He was just a replica... and an incomplete one at that." This shut the detective up, but now he just looked confused.
"Look, there's technology out there that can replicate people. It makes perfect clones of them. But, that's not all. The process can be shortened to produce someone who is incomplete... a man or woman who functions as an empty husk that you can fill with whatever you need them to be."
"Avalon is crawling with them," Byakuya said, standing to his feet. He was looking off to the side, as if in thought.
"It's taken a covert joint operation between ODMA and the Coalition, but we have determined this to be the case. It would seem the source of the replicas lies in a certain grand hotel."
"If you don't have the stomach for this kinda stuff, maybe you should just go home then," another voice piped in toward the angry Kyle, the source being a masked man who stood next to Byakuya. Another member of the aforementioned ODMA.
Ka-chack.
Reloading the gun mounted to his wrist, operative Floyd Lawton, codenamed "Deadshot," had little care for the replica he had just put down. Rowen and Alvin were right. The replica couldn't even be said to have been a "real" human. There was no mother to mourn for their death, no child waiting for them to return home, nothing.
One might have found those kinds of thoughts even more depressing, but Lawton never thought of it that way. That kind of situation was black and white to him; if they were not "real" people, then they did not lead "real" lives. Morality and questions about humanism be damned in any case. He was no bleeding heart here. He was just here to do a job.
"I'm sure that... we'll be able to handle the rest from here. Thanks for the intel, detective. And you're welcome for the help," he spoke snidely, almost in a condescending manner as though Lawton found some dry humor in Kyle's anger. If there was one thing that was always a benefit of the job, it was that as someone who was always following orders, whether from a client or a superior, it was always their call.
So they couldn't
really get mad at him, after all.
Kyle had enough sense to not bother responding to Deadshot and simply looked at the man like he was a real piece of work. After a moment, Kyle instead looked at Alvin.
"Whatever you say," he said, his arms still crossed in vexation.
"I'll let Detective Holder know you lot are going to be running around causing trouble. I'll trust you to not cut down any actual citizens."
Kyle huffed and turned to leave, but Alvin spoke up before he was gone.
"Something big is coming, and you better be ready for it."
Kyle turned to look over his shoulder at Alvin, his eyes narrowing on the man.
"What are you..."
Alvin shrugged and said,
"just a little friendly advice. The citizens of this city are going to need you. Keep on a man named Jade Curtiss."
Kyle lingered for a moment. He nodded.
"Fine." Then he was gone.
Once Kyle had left the alleyway, Alvin let out a sigh.
"Speaking of..." He turned and looked at Byakuya.
"Considering how bad things have gotten, would you be able to get ODMA to grace us with some more men?"
Byakuya still looked pensive and Alvin thought at first that the heir hadn't even heard him. However, Byakuya did respond after a moment.
"... No. ODMA is tied up with several important matters. This mission was not meant to be accelerated, but time is of the essence now."
"The Coalition is likewise stretched thin," Rowen said, looking worried.
"Man." Alvin ran a hand through his hair.
"We seriously don't have enough men for this... Well, let's get to work then. Remember, Jade's got something brewing that's likely to coincide with all of the other Revanchist activity. Meaning, he's likely set to go very, very soon. He's got his replica husks marking areas of the city, and whatever that is for it can't be good. We have to split up, kill as many husks as we can and destroy the markings."
Byakuya made a vexed noise and clenched a fist.
"If only there was a pattern. I've not had enough time to find the markings."
"At least Mr. Hyde's intel should help us identify some of the husks," Rowen said.
"... If everyone is ready, please pick a district and get to work."
If anyone could get the job done, it was them, Alvin figured.
... If only he knew what precisely would impede this mission.
