The terror that flaps in the night

Posted on Thu May 16th, 2024 @ 20:17 by Claire Cavendish & Phoebe Hunter & Andrew Hallows

Chapter: Winter's Crest Festival
Location: Manchester
Timeline: 02:30 hours, Tuesday, December 22nd, 1992
2442 words - 4.9 OF Standard Post Measure

The night, like many a Manchester night, was dark and dreary. It was one of those things people would jest about anywhere in the U.K. really. Since it was December, the gloom was punctuated with festive lights and the occasional snowflake. None of which really seemed to bother the two women on top of the building looking out across the street at a jeweller. The darkness cloaked them pretty well, even without either of them using their abilities.

"You're sure this is the right time and place?" Claire wasn't never quite sure just how accurate Phoebe's abilities allowed her to predict these types of things. There were a great many variables at play and the Halloween surge seemed to have affected her compatriot's confidence quite a bit.

Phoebe looked at the woman mock offended that the woman was asking that question of her and shrugged. "I try my best." She said by way of answer before pulling her hood down. "Yes very much correct. This one was very clear if we do not stop him some of my former colleagues will and he will spend many years in prison." She said sadly. The man she foresaw was not a villain like Robert just someone a little lost which seemed to be their specialty.

As if on cue two men on a moped, completely dressed in black, appeared around the corner and got off right at the jewelry shop. It didn't take them long to force the lock on the roll-up shutters, and only a couple of seconds more for them to disarm the alarm. It was clearly an inside job. The two burglars made their way into the shop and started cleaning house. It was only when one of them knocked against one of the display cases that the alarms began roaring. If Phoebe had been correct it wouldn't take long for the vigilante to show up.

Andrew had been making a name for himself, well as Revenant, his chosen alter-ego. It was true that this wasn't where he thought his life would become, but he found that saving people and stopping thieves and thugs was like a drug for him. His father would likely not be happy with these choices, but that was neither here nor there. The information he had acquired about the jewel thieves had been spot on, this was the 3rd store front they had vandalized and stolen from.

He didn't know he had an audience, nor that he was under the scrutiny of MI-13 operatives. When Revenant appeared, he seemed to materialize out of the wall itself. He erupted out of the wall next to one of the thieves and connected with a solid roundhouse kick to the man's left shoulder. "You know, the stores closed if you wish to make a purchase, you should come back when they are open." He was pretty sure that these guys were just regular thugs, skilled yes, but just thugs. The alarms were blaring, so he was on the clock. He couldn't let either of them get away, and he had to end this fast.

Taking a breath, Revenant seemed to shift into the flooring of the shop before coming up behind the man he had just hit like a bullet with a knee strike to the thugs lower back. Putting him down writhing in pain. Shifting his density again, this time hardening his body as the second man with the crowbar swung at him and connecting. This jarred him somewhat as he could still feel the pain and there would be bruising, spitting out a thin rivulet of blood, he spun with a reverse punch. When he connected he felt to thug's body shiver from the shock of the connection, when Revenant connected with a punch in his heavy form, it felt like being hit by a two-door coupe. The whole incident only took about a minute, it was another 30 seconds before the two thugs were tied up with a note. 'Apologies for the damages. Revenant'

He knew he needed to get out of here before the cops did, so he shifted back into the ground and oddly enough shifted out of the ground by a tree not far from where his two watcher's were peeping from. He pulled the hood of his jacket back up to hide his face.

"I guess that makes it my turn." Claire pulled the half mask over the bottom of her face and focused on a spot in the direction the vigilante was headed. She grabbed on to Phoebe as the air started to give off its distinctive sizzle both women disappeared from the rooftop with a soft plop. They reappeared on 'Revenant's route away from the altercation as in the distance police vans were arriving to the scene. The blue lights illuminating the darkened streets that they had just veered off of.

"Mister Revenant, I presume." She folded her arms and stood leaning against the wall, trying to look equal parts mysterious and intimidating. If there was one thing prep school had taught her it was a flair for the dramatic.

Instinctively, Andrew dropped into a somewhat loose looking fighting stance, with his right leg slightly back and his fists ready to strike if needed. He slightly relaxed seeing the two ladies around his age, catching their masked appearances. He knew that would only be a matter of time before his vigilantism would catch the sight of others. If needed he would simply shift into the ground and vanish.

"Who?" To any who just saw him, he looked like your typical bystander out for an evening stroll. One thing that being in the military and years of martial arts training had taught him was to always be prepared and cautious.

“Question really is why we’re here.” Phoebe sighed and reached behind her on her belt for the weighted expendable baton that was fast becoming her weapon of choice whilst she practiced with the other weapon she had gotten ahold of. “If you attempt to fight me I have seen only one future where you get away and you will be hit by a car and die within a hour.” Phoebe said thinking she really needed to come out of this without adding more bruises and cuts to her now that they did not have a healer.

"Curious, though as many have said over the years, death comes to us all in one form or another. No one lives forever and if it is my time to go then so be it." He still had no idea who either of these ladies were, though if he fought it would make a scene which would in turn bring the heat down on him. "Who said anything about fighting you?" They had obviously seen how his powers worked. "Well, I can assume that my recent actions taking down thugs has caught the eye of MI-13. Which leads me to believe that you are either with them or connected to them in some way."

"MI-13 is not the enemy unless you make yourself out to be a trouble maker which you continuing like this will do," Phoebe said quietly surprised that he even knew about MI-13 it was not like it was known to the general population of the United Kingdom.

"I never considered them as an adversary, in all honesty. If you are here, am I to surmise that you have another option." In truth, he had only heard whispers and rumours about MI-13, while he was with the SIB. Subconciously, Hallows may have been hoping to catch the eye of the MI-13. With his knowledge, powers and basic skills, he would be useful to them. As a show of trust, he pulled back his hood to reveal his features.

Phoebe didn't pull down her hood but she did remove her hand from her weapon, leaving it on her belt. "Good because they are not if you keep on the right side of the rules. We do have another option... you have qualifications?" She asked.

He raised an eyebrow at this, so was this in truth a recruitment? Interesting indeed. "I suppose that depends on what you are looking for, I am a trained military soldier as well as a former member of the SIB. I hold a BA in English, as well as the rank of 4th Dan in Hapkido. I am unsure which qualifications you are looking for." He wasn't sure what she was looking for, he could teach if needed and he did specialize in CQC (Close Quarters Combat).

"All military soldiers are trained if they are Special Investigation Branch." Phoebe teased just a little. "Well ..." She blinked a couple of times glancing back at Claire before smiling a little more lowering her hood and mask and shaking out her hair. "we teach and I think you might be a good fit if you can stop all of this." She indicated around them.

"Well, on top of SIB, I passed the SCIC (Serious Crime Investigations Course)." He looked back towards where the police were finishing up with everything that had happened. "At times, we all make poor choices and I would surmise that while trying to follow in the footsteps of my father who had been a Detective, I went down the wrong path. It won't be hard to leave my vigilante path behind me." He looked between Claire and Pheobe. "Teaching what and I suppose the other question is who?"

Claire had taken a backseat in the initial conversation, the most fruitful conversation that Phoebe foresaw allowed for a bit of breathing room for the man calling himself Revenant. Now was the optimal point for her to step forward. The purple woman lowered the half mask from her face. "Have you heard of Avalon Institute?"

Curious, so these two were likely mutants similar to himself, if they were connected to Avalon. They also seemed to want to recruit him as a teacher and perhaps more. He had no reason to tell them no as he was currently without a solid path in life. "You mean the private school, which has been in the news recently due to various attacks by both Mutants and a Sentinel attack." It made sense why they were offering him a position now. He was a trained combat vet, along with his other skills.

Pheobe offered a wave to indicate that they had been the people involved in the news footage which thankfully had been poor enough that for the most part, it allowed them to go about their day-to-day life. "We do."

"The authorities have given us the opportunity to offer you a job with Avalon for the remainder of this school year." Claire put their cards on the table, now there was a choice to be made for the man and like with all forks in the road Phoebe wouldn't or couldn't definitively say which road he'd travel. "A chance to apply your skills towards something more constructive. Something more long term."

So, this was their play, offer the man who was educated and had useful skills and training a way out of the hole he had inadvertently dug himself. Andrew knew he would be a fool if he didn't take this offer, it would make his mother proud and even his deceased father, though he didn't join the police force. "So, you would like me to teach young mutants things like archery, baseball, basketball and other physical educational things. Will I be the one deciding the courses or are there set courses you wish taught?" He looked around where they currently were. "Is there perhaps a better place which we can talk about this? Either way, I accept this offer."

"We can hash out the curriculum.." a police siren blared as the patrol car shot by the alleyway they were secluded in. "Get your affairs in order, come to New Cresthill tomorrow afternoon. I'll have someone pick you up at the station." Claire put out a hand to solidify their agreement.

He shook Claire's hand firmly in agreement of the terms.

The head teacher stepped towards Phoebe and put a hand on her shoulder again. The air hissed before leaving behind an empty pop as the air rushed into the vacuum the two women left behind. Should he not show up tomorrow MI13 would close the net they had put around him. Back on the rooftop Claire leaned on the half-wall. While they had practiced teleporting together, it was still taking a lot out of her. It made her wonder if she'd ever be able to get back to the levels during the Halloween surge, as she stood there catching her breath it seemed unlikely.

Phoebe glanced down at the woman and held out several packets of peanuts and other items that would help provide energy. "Rest." She whispered softly not wanting to reveal to the man below that they were still close. They did not need to rush anything any longer, they had done their good deed and the ball was now in his court.

It would seem that a new chapter was about to begin for Andrew, one which would allow him to utilize his mutant abilities, as well as teach students. He had figured that members of the MI-13 knew of him, however he had not expected the know known mutant academy also knew of him. His mutant abilities had made it easy for him to hide in plain sight, and even live a normal life. Even the best intentions can lead to trouble and that is what almost happened to Andrew, regarding MI-13.

Once Claire and Phoebe teleported away, or at least that is what it looked like to Andrew, he began walking towards his tiny loft apartment. At the phonebooth on the corner of the street he lived on and called the Manchester Piccadily, to order a ticket for New Cresthill. That done he went up to his second floor apartment and began packing his limited possesions, which amounted for one duffel, hard plastic storage trunk and a backpack. In the military he had lived out of the same items he had now, that hadn't changed. He suppose he could be called a minimalist, as he didn't need a lot of items to survive.

That done he left his old place and hailed a taxi to take him to the train station at 7 am. The trip would take him almost 6 hours to get to his destination. Now, all he had to do was meet whoever they sent to meet him at the train station in New Cresthill.