Two Halves: chapter 3A Chapter by aaaa chapter three, not much more I can say... Nicolas leaned against the cold concrete of the TeraFlex building. He had ran all the way through the tech districts as he had escaped the police. Most had been thrown off when he had cut through the alchemist’s quarter, but a few had gotten lucky and chosen the correct alley. He had lost the last one when he collapsed that warehouse’s roof. Those other two had fallen into the chemical vats in that polymer factory, and their hound-mod had passed out when they went through the sewage treatment facility. All in all it had been a good chase, thankfully not to eventful. His clothes were covered in mud from the various falls and tumbles during the chase. He couldn’t go back onto the street like this, he thought. Far to suspicious he would be brought in for questioning for sure. “Third Law of Separation, I invoke thee.” He muttered under his breath as he ran his hand over his clothing. The various flecks of dirt began to siphon themselves off of him and pool in a globe of muck in his hand. The ball of earth splotched onto the ground as he walked out into the street, looking left and right in order to get his bearings. He seemed to have arrived near downtown. The TeraFlex here was much higher quality and the streets were thronged with people. The bars were over flowing, as he melded into the crowds. He strolled slowly down the streets refusing the calls from the various stands trying to sell him the latest E-motions. The small faintly glowing pills littered the store fronts. Boxes labeled Excitement, Joy, Arousal, and Calm were filled to the brim. The fake emotions were good for a high. He would have liked to take one of the pills and calm down, but the things clouded your minds far more than necessary. One of the stalls down the street seemed to be in uproar. The stall owner was being held by the scruff of the neck by a policeman, about seven feet off the ground. It was one of the aerial-mods. His large leathery wings pumped powerfully as he hovered above the street. The two bat like appendages sprouted from each of his shoulder blades. They looked low quality though, just what the police health care could afford. They were abusing their power, again! He thought as he tried to walk past without looking. Then he heard the shop owner splutter as he chocked. He couldn’t just watch as the man turned blue from lack of oxygen. “Rule of Iron, Gravitas.” He muttered as he pointed at the policeman. It was a simple spell just a counter weight charm. He had transferred the weight of the stall keep to the policeman, as well as about five pounds from every person in the crowd. The policeman plummeted and smashed into the concrete cracking it. One of his colleges who had been standing laughing at the spectacle turned around to try and find the source of the magic. “Hey you!” Yelled the other aerial as Nicolas hurried away. Damn, he had been too hasty. Not one had left the circle of onlookers. He should have stayed and watched. It was too late now; he pretended not to hear the aerial as he drew closer. Then as he felt a hand grasp his shoulder he shut his eyes and turned around. “Rule of Flame, Lux Lusis!” He held his hand in front of him. It burst into flame. The sudden burst of light was so intense in the dark streets that the aerial stumbled back in surprise and pain. By the time he had regained his eyesight Nicolas had disappeared. He had again run into one of the back alleys of the town. The back alleys always calmed him. They were the real heart of the city, as he skirted between dumpsters and under cat walks he began to grow tired. The magic was starting to catch up with him, burning as many carbs as possible to supplement the extra energy he had used. Half an hour later Nicolas stumbled into his apartment. This was the most magic he had used in months, and now he was running on reserves. He tore open a meal pack from inside his pantry. He dumped it into a bowl as he walked over to the sink and filled the it with water. The powder began to react and form a strange lumpy porridge. It wasn’t exactly gourmet, but it contained exactly what he needed right now. Carbs. He turned on the television as he ate his slop, and flipped through the channels for any mention of the police raids or the magic district in general. There was none. So it was either something they didn’t want the public to know, he wondered, or it was one of the private security details. He finished his bowl and dumped it into the sink. Then entered his room and searched under his bed. An assortment boxes full of magic implements filled the space. He eventually pulled out a large radio. He began to spin the dial and to speak short phrases in some indistinguishable language. Eventually he got through to the police channels, and the only thing being discussed was the aerial he had dispatched earlier. So it wasn’t the police. It must have been one of the corporate security teams. With the backing of some of the worlds largest corporations behind them they were far better equipped than normal police, and followed far less rules. What had Ernie done that had landed him the security corps? He had always been a freedom fighter, of sorts, but he had never done anything to extreme. He merely lived his double life as an artifact collector and a mobster. Yes he had some powerful things in his collection, but nothing compared to the strange fusions of science and magic the high-end labs were pumping out these days. He slowly replaced the radio in the cavity under his bed. Ernie had said they would talk later, so that most likely meant he would be receiving a messenger before long. Ernie didn’t enjoy letting loose stings hang unattended. As if on queue there was a bang on his front door. He pulled down one of the video monitors that showed him the camera stationed around the door. It was his friend, the tea man. Nicolas was surprised that he had escaped the police raiding. Now instead of his working clothing he wore a dark Chameleon body suit. The suit was shut off at the moment, but when activated they would allow the wearer to literally disappear. They were expensive, and Ernie would not have given one to just anyone. He would have to watch the tea man. “Hello.” He said as he opened the door. The tea man’s body had been disguised by his baggy work clothing. Now with the skin tight suit Nicolas could see his well-developed muscles. “Mr. Ernie would like to see you.” Spoke the tea man. He turned around and began to walk away, giving no indication on whether Nicolas was to follow or not. He decided that he was meant to take the tea man’s lead. They made their way out from the apartment into the night. © 2010 aaaaAuthor's Note
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