New York
Spectrum flew under the radar and landed in an old warehouse. He walked over to a small platform outside and fired black energy, making a hole. The silver-haired man pulled out a magnetic trap and picked up the fractal he had placed in it.
«Well, so much for the new neighbour... - Arthur looked at his fractal.
***
Arthur walked quietly and looked at the new fractal he had placed in his new bracelet. He was wearing a black coat, trousers and winter boots. He had a scarf tied around his neck and earphones to protect his ears from the snow. He had winter gloves on his hands.
«So... One transforms the energy source, the other makes it invisible and intangible to everything around it, and this one's a wha...? - Evans asked.
The brown-haired man used invisibility and intangibility to make a black strand appear, then started trying to use the new fractal.
«What am I doing wrong? - he asked.
Looking at the fractal again, he made an angry face at the lack of effect. The shard didn't even glow like the others on contact. After examining it for a few more minutes, he relented.
«Okay, I guess I want too much... - Evans lowered his hand and deactivated the invisibility.
Looking around, he realised that invisibility was useless. There were suspiciously few people on the streets of New York. Probably because of the winter.
«Yeah... - Arthur moved on.
Suddenly, however, he was distracted from his thoughts by a collision.
«Oh, sorry - it was a frail-looking girl a head shorter than him. She was wearing a black coat with two rows of buttons, trousers and boots. Her face couldn't be seen because of her scarf and large sunglasses, but her pale skin was visible. In her hands she held a large map.
«Yeah... That's okay," Evans smiled.
«Sorry, I'm not from around here. Can you tell me where I'm going, cos I'm a bit lost? - she asked, showing the map.
«М? - Arthur looked at the map. - So it's upside down.....
«Oh... Thank you - the girl turned it over.
«Yeah, you're welcome, he replied.
But at that very moment a purple gas suddenly came out of her wrist, straight into the guy's face. Evans rolled his eyes and went to sleep, but the girl picked him up on her shoulder.
«Oh, he's so heavy. - she dragged him into the alley.
Meanwhile, Domino was on the roof, watching the whole thing.
«It's a bit too cool for a schoolboy... - she said, then pulled out her mobile phone, but it wasn't working. - Did they switch on the jammer?
***
The first thing Arthur saw when he woke up was darkness. He wanted to grab on, but he couldn't. The brown-haired man looked back and saw that his hands were bound with chains, and there was some kind of column between his hands.
«And who the hell did I piss off...? - Evans asked.
Arthur looked around. It was just an ordinary warehouse, and it looked abandoned. On top of all that, it was cold as a refrigerator. The brown-haired man started to try to free himself as best he could, but it was no use at all. He tried to remove the chains, but the bracelets were in the way.
«Shit, ah... - Evans tried to pull the chains off, even though he couldn't see them at all.
He stopped trying because the warehouse gates opened. One familiar face and four unfamiliar ones entered. The first was Z-01, aka the familiar face, and the other four were human, well, or not. The first was a pale beauty with shoulder length black hair and black mascara and shadow on her eyes, black lipstick on her lips. By the style of dress it was a gothic lolita. The other was a pretty pale girl, hair and skin, and her eyes were completely red. She was dressed in a black tight suit with a sigma symbol on her shoulder. The third was either a robot or a human in mechanical armour the size of an average human. The body was black with a light blue backlight. The head looked like a knight's helmet and the body like armour. The fourth was a girl of medium height and frail build wearing what looked like a diving suit that hid her face. On her face were goggles and a gas mask, as well as the rest of the suit.
«You're awake," said Z-01.
«And who are you kind people...? - Arthur asked.
«We are Sigma units, he replied.
«Who are you, and why have I surrendered to you...? - Evans asked.
«You don't have to fake not knowing.... You probably know about Sigma from your... Compeon Spectrum, said the robot.
«Who?
«Don't play such jokes with us - said the girl in the protective suit, and then brought her finger close to Evans' face, which was cold.
«I understand everything... But if you didn't kill me at once, then you need me alive and unharmed...? - Evans asked. - Then it's worse for you to freeze me.
«He's smarter than he looks. - said the red-eyed girl.
«Thanks for the compliment, but seriously, what the fuck do you need me for?..? - he asked. - I'm just an ordinary schoolboy...
«Not exactly ordinary. Besides that, we need to lure out your companion," Z-01 said.
Evans looked at the other pile of iron.
«Why isn't this one talking? Or isn't he supposed to have a voice box? - he asked.
The black robot squeaked something quietly.
«Is he a Bumblebee or something? - Arthur asked.
«His model does not imply voice communication - answered Z-01.
«А... Pity him...
«Sympathise with the machine? - asked the lolita.
«You don't say anything, I understand that you gassed me, that my head is still buzzing! - shouted Evans.
«I'm sorry... - The dark-haired girl sobbed, turning away and squatting down, hugging her knees.
«Hey, Lolie, what are you doing? Calm down... - said the white-haired one. - Why are you hurting my Loli?! - she shouted at Arthur.
He tried to crawl backwards, but he was obstructed by the column.
«T-07, calm down, said the robot.
«Hmmm... - she headed for the exit.
«Now, let's wait for your companion to come to your rescue - said Z-01, returning to Arthur.
«Shit... I'm so screwed... - said Evans, and at the same time he discreetly pressed the button on his bracelet.
***
Leo sat quietly on the roof with Spider-Man and watched the city. Suddenly, our Japanese man's watch beeped.
«Nani? {?}[What?] asked the Japanese man.
«What is it? - Peter asked.
«You won't believe it... Arthur needs help... - he showed the screen of a watch with SOS and coordinates on it.
«What? - Parker asked. - What are we standing here for?!
«I do not know, you are standing, and I ask for reinforcements ... - replied Morris.
«Fury! SOS! There's something wrong with Arthur! He sent a message to Leo! By the way, how could he send it to you...? - Spider asked, taking his eyes off the communicator.
«Long explanation...
«Okay, whatever... Fury, Do you hear that?! - Peter asked.
«I hear you, I'm already sending out heavy Alteria...'' - said Nick.
«What? - asked Leo and Peter.
«Have you boys been waiting?! - asked the Hulk Woman who landed nearby.
«Hulk-woman...? Really heavy altheleria.... - said Parker.
«So, where are we going? - Jen asked.
Leo showed his watch.
***
«I sit behind bars in a dank dungeon.
I'm a young eagle raised in captivity,
My sad mate, flapping his wing,
Pecking at the bloody food beneath the window,
He pecks and flings and looks out of the window,
As if he had one thing in mind with me;
He calls to me with his look and his cry
"Let's fly away," he says.
We're free birds; it's time, brother, it's time.
To the place where the mountain is white behind the clouds,
Where the sea is blue,
Where only the wind and I can walk. - Evans was humming.
«Would somebody shut him up? - said the white-haired girl, covering her ears. - This is already the fifth poem, I'll soon hate Pushkin....
«But I like it... Do you know any others? - Loli asked, reading the book.
«Ah, I know a good one... - Evans said, and T-07 covered her ears. - I hate lies in people.
It comes in different ways to everyone,
♪ Very skilful or idle ♪
And unexpected like a knife
I hate lies in people
# The ones they think are harmless #
That I'm ashamed of
Even though it's not me, it's you who lies to me.
I hate lies in people
And it hurts my soul
When they give it to me with a smile
That you can't tell at first.
I hate lies in people
It's half a step from lying to betrayal.
Once upon a time, the sword was the sword.
Nowadays, the old style's no good.
I hate lies in people.
I don't accept explanations.
For a man is like the spring rain,
And as pure as the April rain...
«AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I can't! - the white-haired woman headed for the exit again.
The black robot squeaked something.
«What, you don't like Dementiev, let me remember something by Lermontov? - Arthur asked, and then began another: - The poet is dead! - A slave of honour»
He fell, slandered by rumour,
with lead in his breast and a thirst for vengeance,
with his proud head bowed down.
The poet's soul could not bear
The shame of petty offences,
He rebelled against the opinions of the world.
Alone, as before, and murdered!
Murdered! Why weep now?
The unnecessary chorus of praise.
And the pathetic babble of excuses?
The judgement of fate has been passed!
Did you not at first so wickedly persecute him.
His free and brave gift
And fanned for fun
and fanned the fire that was just lurking there?
Well, rejoice... He was tormented...
He could not bear his last torment:
His marvellous genius, like a light, was gone,
His solemn wreath withered.
His murderer, in cold blood.
He struck the blow... there is no escape:
The empty heart beats still,
The pistol in his hand does not tremble.
And what a marvellous thing, from afar,
Like hundreds of fugitives,
To catch fortune and rank.
He's brought to us by the will of fate;
Laughing, he scorned with impudence
of the land's language and manners;
He could not spare our glory;
He could not realise at this bloody moment,
What he had raised his hand to!
After that, the robot and the frosty girl left. Only the lolita was left.
«What, to read more...? - asked Artur.
«Yeah - she nodded, and the brown-haired man was ready to kill himself.
***
Domino sat on the roof of a building near the warehouse with a wire.
«God, he's a pain in the arse. I wish he'd shut up. - she said, listening through her headphones.
But then she saw a group of heroes from Spider-Man, Leo and the Hulk walking towards the warehouse.
«Okay, what the fuck is that? Did they send the heroes after the schoolboy, or did I misunderstand? - Nina asked. - Something I missed in the information about this boy.... What's his name? Arthur Evans. Wait, Evans?! - and that's when the mercenary realised who Evans was.
She pulled out a bag from which she later pulled out laser pistols.
«Oh, for God's sake, let him live in there. Thurman took the safety off. - If she finds out I was here and didn't do anything, she'll kill me and bury me, and she won't forget ...
***
Arthur sat and prayed to God in his mind.
«"God, sometimes I wish Spectre and I were the same person..." - Evans thought, and then he started a new fractal.
There was a flash and at that very moment, Loli returned to the warehouse. As soon as she looked forward, she froze in shock. The brown-haired man looked round and was a little taken aback himself. There stood the most unexpected character that no one could have expected.
«Did you call for help? - Spectre asked.
Arthur only glanced at the bracelet with the new fractal.
To be continued...
***
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