ARC-Chapter 4

Instructions

Chapter 4: Despair is necessary, but do not let it rule you In the garage of the base, Mel is seen, clinging to a wall, as she is fixing a machine from a rather odd angle. Snipe, on the couch, asks lazily, “How are you on the wall? That should not be possible, physically speaking”, Mel, not paying attention to Snipe, responds with, “I just increased the friction on this surface, that is all.” Irat walks in and tells Snipe, “You really need to read the dossiers for the members if you are ever going to learn anything, Clearsnipe.” “Oh buzz off, Vexa!” Snipe blew Irat off, but still looked at the dossier. “Huh, did not know you registered your Gift Name as Diluted Lubricant/Flimsy Sandpaper” Snipe remarked at Mel. “At least it is more accurate than YOUR Gift Name! ‘Chemical Overhaul’? Really?” Mel retorted at Snipe. “Also, do NOT bring me into your guys’ middle name joke, only my mother gets to call me Yasmine” Mel warns the duo. Mel jumps off the wall and lands, and she takes off her goggles and puts them on her head. “So, what client do we have today, ReDirector Annotying?” Mel asks, and then an alarm blares out. Irat was already wearing his special headphones. “HOW THE HECK IS IRAT ALREADY WEARING HIS HEADPHONES?!” Mel screams out. “HE INSTALLED AN AIR JET THAT GOES OFF 5 SECONDS BEFORE THE ALARM GOES OFF, AND BEFORE YOU ASK, IRAT HAS SENSITIVE HEARING!!.” Snipe screams back(That alarm is L O U D). Snipe disables the alarm, and pops a headache pill. On the monitor, there looks to be a Vane, or a Lapse that is born when someone’s Direction is separated. As a contrast to the pale humanoid like appearance with the Atoners, Vanes are more akin to black roosters. “What sucks is that these types of Lapses are usually Disabled, which means that I am practically useless, since they cannot use their brain” Snipe moans. “What does ‘Indifferent’ mean?” Mel asks. “Not Hostile nor Passive, but not Neutral either, basically Snipe at 7 in the morning” Irat responds, with Snipe giving Irat a dirty look. “Looks like it is located in the Family District of Aquaterratropolis” Mel observes. Mel presents to the duo what she has been working on: the ARC van(We will get into details later). About 30 minutes later, in the Family District, everything is rather calm, and actually kinda fun for families, as there are playgrounds, and even a lenient but reasonable dress code. And there was a bit of a commotion as there were people screaming as there was what looked like a black rooster dashing and making quite the commotion. “There is the Vane…” Mel remarks. She gets out of the van and places her hand on the ground, and she focuses, as she uses her Flimsy Sandpaper to make it ridiculously hard for the Vane to move. Irat points the PACU at it, and begins to absorb it, and it breaks out and begins running around again. “Forgot they were a tad bit Brittle…” Irat sheepishly remarks. And thus began the wild rooster chase, and even Mel is having a hard time keeping up with the Vane, and even more surprised at Irat keeping up with her WITHOUT BREATHING, “I have no need for my lungs, have you studied Undead Anatomy, Professor Runner?” Irat asks mockingly. Irat also explains that Vanes have an incredible sense of direction, so he decides to use his shadows to block it in, and potentially weaken the Lapse. Mel is panting, and Irat finally captures the Vane. Back at the base, Snipe is laughing his butt off as he was watching Irat and Mel chasing a rooster all over the place, and he gets subsequently knocked out by Mel, as she “Resets” him with her wrench. Irat is taking a shower, and is wincing as the scars on his body when he was being prepared for burial still hurt. He finishes, and dries off. And collapses on the couch, as he looks pleased, as the very first ARC mission was a success, if not chaotic.