Summary: Long ago, something escaped from your organization, while it did set back you and your benefactor’s program, it was of very little consequence, as you had other assets to worry about and manage. One escapee didn’t matter, and so, days turned into years. It isn’t until a mission with one of your investigation teams brings the escaped Asset back into your crosshairs.
Roles:
-Major:
- The Director |D|: The speaker who is in charge of a shadowy group, and was a member of it at one point.
-Scene: box truck, outside of Operational Area
[There’s radio chatter, along with the sound of multiple people typing on keyboards, each typing at their own pace.]
|D|: Infiltration assets, the central records have a heavy guard presence during visiting hours, so take as much time as you need to get through undetected, though be aware that, at most, we have until the end of the day if we’re lucky.
[There’s a response coming over the earpiece, though it’s muffled and hard to hear for anyone who doesn’t have it up to their ear.]
|D|: That’s fine, we need to make sure that we’re not going for the wrong individual. We haven’t come this far being sloppy; Let us know once you’ve all made it through undetected so that we can better monitor the situation.
[The sound of a large box truck door being opened is heard]
|D|: Coordinators, send me a message if the infiltration assets make it in, I’m going to get something to eat nearby.
[The large door is closed, which gives way to the sound of a lone pair of shoes hitting the concrete. As they get closer to the street, this gives way to a lot of people out on their daily commutes. A bit later the sound of a store doorbell ringing is heard.]
|D|: Hello there, it’s nice to see you again. I’ll take my usual if you don’t mind, though instead of coffee I’ll take an orange juice please, thank you.
[There’s a bit of walking, followed by the sound of a chair being pulled out and the rustle of a paper bag as the director pulls out the food.]
|D|: (Internal monologue starts) If this lead ends up being right, then I can finally correct a blemish on my otherwise, perfect, record. Don’t worry Asset, we have time, and all the patience it affords us; We’ll get you, and we can finally put this all behind us; Oh poor Asset, grew too fast too soon, I can’t wait until we see each other again. A meeting that has been fated for a while now. We created you, and now it’s my job to bring you back into the fold. Truthfully, I could’ve sent someone else in my stead, I’ve got the power and influence to do that now, but this, this is something that I needed to do, personally. So run, hide, do whatever you want my little Asset, in the end, I will find you and bring you back. (Internal monologue ends)
[The sound of a busy food joint soon overtakes the scene as it slowly fades into nothing]
-Scene: Still box truck, outside of operational area
[The sound of multiple keyboards being tapped on is once again heard]
|D|: Infiltration assets, report on progress? Have you all managed to get past security?
[Once again the earpiece is filled with a muffled voice that is hard to hear for anyone but the person listening in]
|D|: (Irritated) Understood, just hurry it up, the longer you spend in there, the greater chance there is of the superheroes returning to base, and then we’ll have to exfiltrate and do this some other time. Just know that we’re in a time crunch. We didn’t facilitate a prison escape of all those supervillains just for us to fail now.
[The sound of a beeping is heard]
|D|: Infiltration assets, I’m passing you off to Coordinator Williams, there’s something else that needs my attention. (Pause for 1 beat) Coordinator Garcia, you may transfer the Observation assets to my line. (Pause for 1 beat) Observation assets, this is Director Miller, what do you have to report?
[The earpiece goes off again with inaudible voices speaking]
|D|: I see, standby. Coordinator Williams, you should know that the heroes are almost done gathering up the prisoners we released this morning, just a little information, enough to let you know how tightly the razor is to our throat. Observation assets? I’m passing you back to Coordinator Garcia; Coordinator Garcia, keep me informed if any new developments form. Coordinator Brown, have a saboteur team orchestrate another breakout in sector 10. Before you say it, yes, I do realize that two prison breaks in one day would draw a bit of attention, however, if memory serves, Phobus lives near that area. The same Phobus who once leveled ten city blocks in their fight with Shieldwing; In addition to Phobus, I also believe that the area is patrolled by Thundersurge, a notoriously reckless hero. So if we pit them against each other, I’m sure the results will speak for themselves. That said, I don’t like leaving things to fate. So, Coordinator Brown, go ahead and task a telepath from one of your teams to implant suggestions into Phobus’ mind, have them pick a fight with Thundersurge, and ensure that the fight leads to the prison; If the fight accidentally leads to damages on the nearby prison, well, it was only a matter of time that it happened, right? Just in case though, task a team to be on standby near a nuclear reactor, if all else fails, our final card will be to orchestrate a nuclear meltdown.
[The sound of tapping away is heard, though it is once again many different individuals going at their own pace]
|D|: Coordinator Williams, I trust that the infiltration team has entered the central records, yes? (Pause for 2 beats) Perfect, have you included Coordinator Smith into the call now? Their experience and the Cyberwarfare assets under their command will be invaluable in cracking the central archive’s security system. (Pause for 2 beats) Good, we’re in the final stages of this investigation, let us not get sloppy now. In the meantime, I’ll help Coordinator Garcia run interference for any heroes looking to go home, their more zealous fans would be quite interested in knowing where their heroes are and what they’re up to; So much so, that they would very likely move to intercept them.
[The silence soon gives way to the chaotic typing that is going around, slowly slipping into nothing]
-Scene: In unknown room, at unknown location
[The sound of people talking fills the room, followed quickly by the sound clapping that seems to echo on for a while before going silent]
|D|: (With a slight echo) Division leaders quiet down please! Today’s session will discuss various topics, however the first thing on the docket is an update on the ongoing investigation into the escaped assets. As you can see in the information gathered before you, we’ve already gathered 10 of the 15 rogue assets, that leaves 5 unaccounted for; Of which, we know the location and identity of 2, 1 whose identity and location are as of yet unknown, and the remaining 2, we know the location of, but not necessarily their identity.
[The room breaks out into chatter once more, before going silent]
|D|: Division Leader Kim has so graciously gifted us the resources of the Asset Reclamation Division in our ongoing investigation and repossession of the misplaced assets. And I’d once again like to thank Division Leader Wong for allowing me to head one of their investigation teams, the effort and dedication that the Covert Intelligence Division has taken to rounding up the assets hasn’t gone unnoticed.
[The room begins to clap for a bit, before it returns to silence]
|D|: Now that the update is out of the way, we can get on to the rest of the topics we were going to discuss. Let us move on to the first official topic of our gathering this morning. Thanks to Division Leader Moore, and the efforts of the Finance Division, we have come up with an efficient allocation of funds to all of our respective divisions. Now if you were to all look at the provided information, you can see how much funding your division will be getting this quarter, however, if you feel that this funding is not adequate then by all means state your case as to why the funding should be changed to better reflect the funding you believe your division should be getting; That way we can all discuss among ourselves and come to a proper decision as to the validity and strength of your case. (Slight echo ends)
[The silent murmur of a room coming alive with discussion is heard, then it begins to slowly fade into nothing. A bit later the sound of a door opening and closing is heard]
|D|: Another morning, another meeting down. Now that they’re done combing over the gathered files, let’s see what Division Leader Wong sent me. I do hope it’s something of note.
[Various mouse clicks, along with the tapping of a keyboard fills the air, and the humming of the director as they go over the notes of the gathered files]
|D|: (Interested) Oh!? Now this is interesting, yes, mhm. (With a bit of a smile) Found you, I do hope you’re ready for a wonderful reunion, Asset.
[The director picks up a phone and presses a key that automatically dials a number)
|D|: Ms. Da Silva, could you please let Division Leader Kim know that I wish to have a meeting with them, as soon as possible. Thank you
[The phone is hung up]
|D|: It’s time for the prodigal child to return home, whether they want to or not
-Scene: In box truck, outside of operational area
[The sound of weapons being loaded and gear being checked fills the air]
|D|: Coordinator Muller, our escaped Asset is on their way home, at least according to Coordinator Garcia and the observation assets. I want your assets in position before they arrive. Alright, it’s almost time for us to reclaim our lost Asset; I also trust that you’ve dispersed the sleeping gas to the other occupants of the building? (Pause for 2 beats) Good, and what of the sound dampeners? Have they been put in place as well? I don’t want people in the other buildings hearing our little commotion. Don’t forget, do not turn on the nullifiers until the very last possible second, any sooner and it will tip off our Asset. Last update from Coordinator Smith told us that their assets are connected to the power grid and ready to cut all utilities in and out of the building.
[The sound a smart tablet being tapped at, fills the air]
|D|: Alright, Coordinator Smith has us patched into the cameras, good, now we can track their every movement from the parking lot to when they finally enter their room. Hm? Oh, already here I see. Coordinator Muller, get the assault and containment teams ready, the Asset has just left their vehicle and is now heading inside the building. (Pause for 3 beats) They’ve entered the main lobby and has just passed the front desk, (pause for 3 beats) they’ve just gotten on to the elevator. Coordinator Muller, if your team was to move in, now would be the time to do so.
[The doors are opened by the occupants of the truck, and soon they rush off into the building, the sound of their boots thudding against the ground the only signal that they are on their way.]
|D|: Well then Coordinator Muller, I’m leaving the rest to you. I have to be there when the Asset is captured; I must do a field appraisal to gauge the amount of superficial damage we might need to repair thanks to this mockery of life our Asset is living.
[A pair of shoes hits the concrete and slowly make their way into the building, only for them to slowly fade into silence]
-Scene: In unknown room, at unknown location
[The sound of a heart rate monitor starts to slowly be heard as the Asset recovers consciousness]
|D|: (Speaking softly, to themselves) Time is 13:30, Asset has finally recovered consciousness. (Speech becomes cold and clinical) Did you believe you could escape us? Your rightful masters. The people who created you? Did you think that we wouldn’t find you eventually? Not like you made it difficult, what with you playing at being a superhero. Once we matched your superhero identity to your profile before your escape, our eyes were paying close attention to you. Once our suspicions were confirmed, we moved in and made sure to bring you in; And now that you have been returned to your rightful place, we can go about ensuring that you do not try yet another foolish attempt at pretending to be human.
[The heart rate monitor is still a dominant sound, however there’s the sound of struggling that joins in, followed by an electroshock]
|D|: As you can see, we have reviewed and increased our security measures since last you were here; So in a way, you did assist us in increasing the percentage of assets retained. The electroshock system was my own personal touch, you know; Sometimes some assets are less cooperative than others, so a little shock is administered to get the asset to “cooperate.” Hm? Are you attempting to use your powers? (laugh a bit) Do you even need me to explain why your powers don’t work in this room? Please tell me that you remember what nullifiers do. Regardless, try as you might, your powers are useless here, just like you. But worry not, for now that you are here, we can remind you that we can make you useful, that we alone have the power to make you whole once more, that is…after, we reset and retool you. Perhaps then you will be of more use than when you were a hero.
[The scientists tip taps on a nearby console as the noise it makes combines with the sound of the heart rate monitor]
|D|: Don’t worry, this time I’ll personally lead the team in charge of resetting you; And I will be. Quite. Thorough in my task; According to my projections, your reset will very likely require overriding the safety locks on the reset machine’s software; In addition to a second go around with the machine shortly after. (Pause for 2 beats) You look concerned, quite the opposite actually, you should be thankful, Asset. You won’t remember a single thing, your life as a useless hero, the pain it caused you, the bad memories will all be gone; You’ll return to your natural state, thoughtless, unfeeling, only looking to please us; Your benevolent masters and creators, it’ll be as if you were brand new. Of course, the possibility that your reset might damage a neuron or two is extremely high, at least according to the experience from resetting the others we’ve captured; But worry not, we have the technology to fix those damages. You’re in good hands. And once the damages, if any, are fixed, we’ll have to retool you to ensure future compliance, and increased efficiency. Although you should consider yourself lucky, you’re a generation 5, still useful and the most modern generation. Though that might be changing soon, considering we’re in the process of phasing out the older generations, predominantly gen 1 and 2, those that can be, are getting recycled. Why? Well we’re currently focusing on the creation of generation 6 assets, all the strengths of older generations, with a lower chance of them developing deficiencies like their older generations; And preliminary tests are very promising. So, who knows, maybe in time you’ll be phased out too.
[The heart rate monitor begins to speed up, while the sound of someone struggling against restraints is audible; This is then followed up by an electric shock]
|D|: How many times do I have to say this Asset, you can struggle all you like, but no one is coming, not your supposed friends, not those super heroes you have befriended; Not a single soul; After all, a group such as ours doesn’t remain in the shadows if we aren’t experts at covering up our tracks; Those skills also apply to making escaped assets like yourself disappear, never to be found again. Well, it’s not like you’ll remember any of this when we’re done resetting you, still, I suppose you deserve one final conversation before the procedure begins; So if I were you, I’d try and make this a pleasant one, no focusing on your fate, no talking about you being saved, no talk about you escaping. Simply, accept it and let us talk like good friends, yes? That is, if you’re even capable of understanding the concept of friendship. Otherwise I’ll be forced to sedate you until after the procedure is finished, and I don’t think you’d like that much.
[The director moves about the room, though the Asset can only hear the steps they take]
|D|: It’s been a while since you and I were in this room, you know. I was here, just another faceless member of the Bio Engineering R&D Division; Of course, that was before it and a few other divisions were rolled into the all encompassing Life Sciences and Medical Research Division. But the point still stands, you thought you could just live freely out there, knowing full well we were looking for you. Don’t get me wrong, you might’ve been able to, if, and only if, you had found some small little town in the middle of nowhere where you could live silently until we either marked you for dead, or you did die. But no, you wanted to live the life of a superhero. Well guess what, the end of a hero isn’t always a nice one; As you will no doubt come to find out in the next couple of hours. So until then, let us just work on making sure that you haven’t ruined our investment too much.
[There seems to be a cart with metal implements squeaking across the floor until it comes to a stop]
|D|: Although I must admit, you look rather tense, if we are to go through with your examination, we need you to calm down; Though something tells me that you won’t do so willingly, so how about we give you a muscle relaxant so as to not cause any unnecessary damage.
[The sound of a rapid heart rate monitor is the only thing that remains audible as we reach the end of the scene]
-Scene: In unknown room, at unknown location
[Once again, the sound of the heart rate monitor rapidly beeps into existence, though there’s also the various clacking of many keyboards being typed on]
|D|: (Softly) EKG machine is showing 200 beats per minute, give them some Nitrous oxide, it should help them relax and bring down that heart rate to a more natural state. (normally) Take deep breaths of the gas, Asset, it’ll help you relax before we begin the operation. And we need you to be relaxed and docile to ensure that you are still capable of listening, heading our commands, and responding to them. (Softly) Nurse, prepare the EEG machine, I want to make sure that we can actively monitor their brainwaves during the operation. How is the setup of the resetting machine going? (Pause for 2 beats) Excellent, the machine is ready.
[The rapid heart beeps start to gradually slow down to a more stable beats per minute]
|D|: Asset, remember when we had to have an entire room dedicated to the reset machine, and now, look at it, all of the functions and more have been compressed into the size of a refrigerator. The miracles of modern technology. Anyways, this’ll only hurt for a second, and then, peaceful nothingness. So relax and just let go. It’ll all be over soon, gone, nothing left, and that is fine. You have experienced a human life, and now that it’s out of your system, it is time to come home. To return to the family, and to let us mold you into the tool we envisioned you could always be. So, keep taking a few more strong and deep breaths of that Nitrous oxide, because what’s going to come next, may be rather unpleasant. (Away from the listener) Ensure that the EEG sensors are secured in place. Excellent, very well, let’s begin the procedure then. (Back towards the listener) We’ll see your body on the other side, Asset.
[The sound of small hydraulics moving, followed by the sound of a mechanical machine starting and whirring up soon overtakes the slightly fast, but still calm heart rate. The clicks and clacks of keyboards soon become faster as the team works diligently to ensure that the operation goes well. The noises caused by the actions soon start to fade into quietness, leaving only the sound of a heavy machine buzz as the last thing heard before ultimately ending]
Divine Writings 
Leave a comment