The living room was filled with the sound of even pacing. Bro was pushing back his hair and tugging at his face, obviously stressed out of his mind. Jackie rubbed at his eyes before he looked back to the hero and watched his path, his face set in a concerned frown.
The table was filled with papers and books and newspapers. Their electronics are all opened and thrown on top of highlighted articles and crumbled up post-it notes. Laptops scrolling through local livestreams- a radio droned low in the background tuned into the police reports. Jackie was scrolling through resources on his phone before growing tired and looking towards Chase. Next to him on the couch is Henrik, nose bent to a book and snapping his fingers- teal sparkles coming from the digits.
Chase cries out in frustration and crumbles up the newspaper he was looking through. He throws the piece of paper so hard at the wall the paint chips.
“Jesus christ man!” Jackie shouts, jumping in his seat. Then, he gets up and tries to approach the angered hero as he digs his fingers into his head again. Jackie is hesitant but eventually he goes to put a firm hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Chase- buddy… You need to take a break dude…” He tries to say as gently as possible.
Chase is still for a second then he shoves Jackie’s hand off. His voice is low and gravelly, exhaustion thick in every word. “I can’t… I can’t take a break!” He suddenly yells, throwing his fist into the wall- making it dent more. “My fucking brother is missing without a trace, Jackie!”
Jackie scowls, “Yes, I know Chase. But, this stressing out isn’t going to find him!” He sighs then gestures to Henrik, “Henny- back me up here.”
Henny’s magic explodes slightly in his face, the feedback on his hearing aid making him jump. “Ah-!” He turns back around to face the others and sheepishly ducks his head. “Oh… I am sorry- I did not catch what you said?”
Jackie blushes then turns so Henny can see him, “Oh… my bad Hen- but uh I was asking if you think Chase’s stressing isn’t helping us find Alt any quicker…?”
Henrik makes a face then nods, “Yes- I do think Chase’s state is not helping currently…” Chase’s eyes blaze blue for a second and Henny quickly waves his hands in distress, “Wait wait! I just think…” His voice goes quiet and he looks up to Chase with concerned eyes. “...Alt would not want you hurting yourself for him Chase…”
The hero's eyes widen slightly and the glow dies out. His lip wavers and he looks away, holding his arms against himself. Jackie’s face falls and he quietly walks over and rubs Chase’s arm. “Chase…”
Chase closes his eyes, letting out a shuddering sigh. His face was so pale and gaunt- the bags under his eyes looking dark enough to be bruises. His knuckles were bruised and bloodied- and god knows how many injuries he was hiding from his friends right now. He didn’t matter. Finding his friends matters… Finding his baby brother matters-
“It’s… It’s so hard guys,” Chase finally whispers, “I… I already failed Jay… and… and now my brother is-” Tears build up in his eyes and he tries to hold them back, but his voice is breaking. “I can’t… I can’t lose him again… I can’t-”
Two pairs of arms wrap around him and Chase stiffens a bit but then sinks into the comfort, sniffling slightly. Jackie pats his friend’s back then mumbles gently to him, “You won’t Chase… we all want to find him- but we can’t find him if we’re all falling apart…him or J-”
Henny nods and holds Chase’s hand to his chest, “And you have not failed him- nor have you failed Jamie… you’re doing the best you can. But.. in order to keep doing your best- you must rest my friend…”
Chase is quiet again for a second before he sighs and nods to his friends, “Okay… Okay- you’re right i… I should.. I should go home and rest-”
Jackie quickly cuts him off and shakes his head, grabbing the hero’s shoulder and steering him back towards the couch. “No you’re not- you’ll rest here in the office with us. There’s plenty of places to sleep- and we’ll regroup in the morning.”
Chase tries to protest but he figures it’d be pointless to argue. He chuckles humorlessly and lets Jackie push him to the couch and make him sit. Jackie leans down next to him and raises an eyebrow, adopting his ‘dad voice’, “Have you eaten today?”
Cheeks flushing, Chase sheepishly shakes his head. Jackie sighs then smiles tiredly and ruffles the hero’s hair. “Don’t worry Bro- me and Hen can get something together- maybe pizza?”
“Ohhh yes! Pizza!” Henny cheers and Chase smiles lightly.
“...thanks guys-” he quietly calls behind him. Then, he looks back towards the mess in front of him. He sighs and is about to start putting stuff up- he won’t be able to rest with all this out…
As he’s moving the papers into piles- something moving on the laptop catches Chase’s eye. It’s a random local livestream… it looks like it’s the town circus. However… it’s not just that that catches his eye… it’s the beast moving across the screen.
A large white tiger is prowling around the stage, eyes locked up on the ringmaster. Chase can’t quite hear what he’s saying but he’s moving in a way that captivates. The hero’s eyes are locked onto his movements as much as the tiger- trying to figure out the story the performer is telling. After a few more grand movements, the ringleader gestures to the tiger. The beast spins then sits in front of the ringmaster. A thick black and green collar rests around its neck- and the feed zooms in to show off the tiger’s face. The tiger has the most striking blue eyes. A text box pops up to introduce the cat, displaying the name Blitz the Tiger. Chase narrows his eyes a bit at that… Why did that name sound so familiar?
“What are you watching, verfolger?” A sudden voice has Chase jumping. Then, he sees Henny smiling at him and Chase laughs, trying to calm down his heart. Why was he watching this livestream so intently? Something is making his instincts go crazy…
“Some circus livestream,” He replies, gesturing to the screen, “There’s… ah- this tiger there. Named Blitz-”
“Oh!” Henrik jumps excitedly and then flops on the back of the couch, grinning brightly. “That is like german word! We use Blitz to mean lightning!”
Chase blinks a bit, then looks back towards the screen. Interesting…
Both the boys look back towards the laptop to watch. The tiger is prowling around the ground as the circus lights loop around him. The ringmaster does another grand gesture, showing off the giant ring in the center. The ringmaster grins- then snaps. The ring gets set ablaze- green flames coating the outside. Henrik flinches at the sight and Chase squints. Huh… it could just be a coincidence… right?
The tiger crouches before the flaming target, tail flicking back and forth. It looks like a tough jump to make- it's very high and there doesn’t seem to be a clear way to get up. Then, with speed almost too fast to watch, the tiger loops back around to pounce against the stand its master is on then on the pole in the middle of the tent- before he sails through the ring of fire. He lands on the other side gracefully on all four- the licking of green flames coming off him looking almost electric. The audience explodes into applause. The camera zooms back into Blitz and he looks to the side before looking straight at the camera. The tiger roars it’s way, showing off its mighty maw- and the camera seems to shake, a collection of glitches gathering at the edges.
Chase bolts upright- his heart racing. He points to the feed in disbelief and looks back to Henrik, “D...Did you see that??” He breathes out. Henny blinks in confusion then looks back to Chase with a frown.
“Ah… is that not what… electronics do now and again?” The gentleman asks with a cocked head. “I… merely thought they usually went… blocky like that…”
The hero knit his eyebrows together at the screen and watches as the show wraps up. His eye is still caught on the tiger, something buzzing in the back of his mind.
“...no yeah… you’re right- it’s… probably nothing…” Chase mumbles, going to grab up more papers and shut the laptop.
-----
A shrill ring on Chase’s phone wakes him up with a jolt. Quickly, he grips the back of the couch to keep from falling over. He blinks a bit in confusion- before remembering the others made him sleep here at the office. He groans and flops back to the cushions as he brings up his phone to read the alert-
***Active Robbery in Progress!!***
Chase’s eyes widen- it’s his crime alert that Alt helped him develop. He opens up the app and scans the info, seeing the robbery is happening only a few blocks over. He looks back towards the others, seeing Henny and Jackie flopped in various positions on the other couches. Chase bites his lip- then hurriedly grabs his backpack to change into his super suit.
By the time he emerges from the bathroom- there’s a stern face in front of him, making Chase literally jump and float in the air in surprise. Jackie raises an eyebrow at him, his arms crossed in disapproval.
“Whatcha doin?” He asks with that stern parent voice that Chase hates. The hero scowls at him and then lands in front of him and pulls down his mask, his hair flaring to bright yellow green,
“There’s a robbery nearby- I’ll be back and go back to sleep before you know it!” He tries to smile brightly and innocently. But, Jackie doesn’t look impressed.
“That’s not resting, Chase.”
Chase pouts slightly then rolls his eyes, “I know it’s not- but it’s my job Jackie! How could I go back to sleep when there’s people I need to save right now?”
Jackie makes a face at Chase- and for a second they have a staring match. Then, Jackie’s shoulders deflate and he sighs. “Fine- better get going then. But, We’re all sleeping in tomorrow-”
Chase grins and salutes Jackie, “Sure thing boss!” Then, he hurries over to the window, unlocks and opens it before jumping out and taking to the skies.
It takes only a few minutes for Chase to find the crime scene. An alarm is blazing loud from the broken window of a small quaint looking shop. It must be one Chase overlooked- he’s not sure he’s ever seen this store before. The inside almost reminds him of the cottage of a witch- it’s filled with big plants and dark furniture. Dark or star filled tapestries cover the walls and ornate knick knacks like crystal balls and totems line filled-to-the-brim bookshelves. Except one of the bookshelves is turned over- glass shattered across the ground and burning sticks of incense smoking before it. Books of all shapes and sizes are scattered on every surface- like some kind of animal shoved things aside. Worse of all- it looks like someone is stuck under one of the bookshelves.
Bro gasps then rockets down through the hole in the window, quickly landing in front of the bookshelf and pushing it up. His hands glow silver blue as he calls on his super strength- putting the bookshelf back in its proper place.
He hurriedly gets back down to help the formerly trapped civilian. They’re dressed in a mix of darks and florals- a long cardigan covering over their comfy looking sweater and slacks. There’s a name tag on their chest- so Chase assumes this is the unfortunate shop owner. They look okay for the most part- disoriented and bruised, not quite passed out yet. Except- there’s a very stark claw mark on their face- and also on their side. Chase hurries to help the shop owner to one of the chairs in the front, then pulls out a roll of gauze from one of his utility packs on his belt. He presses a strip of gauze against the wound on their side- and the shopkeeper hisses in pain. They open their eyes blearily to look at the hero. Chase smiles then gives them a two finger salute.
“Hi there- Bro Fantastic-” He greets.
The shopkeeper gasps slightly through the pain and squints at Chase, “Y-Yeah… the superhero- i.. I know of you-”
“Well pleased to meet you-?”
“Blaise-” They respond, nodding to Bro, “Blaise Redferne.”
“Well, Mx. Redferne…” Chase begins then looks at the shop, just to make sure they’re safe. He feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge- something is telling him to be on alert. “Did you see any hint of the person who attacked your shop?”
Blaise winced then gritted through their teeth as they readjusted themselves, “T’wasn’t a person-” They breathe, before looking back down to Chase with terrified eyes. “It was a beast-”
Chase’s eyes widened as his eyebrows knit in confusion. “A beast?”
“I.. I didn’t get a good look at it-” They look at the bookshelves before looking back at Bro, “But I know for sure it wasn’t human. I saw… what looked like four white paws- huge… like a lion- or... “ They shake their head, then try to sit up, wincing more. “Then- the air burned with magic-! Green but… with the taste of metal in the air-”
Chase feels his breath momentarily taken away. “Wait- what was that-?”
He doesn’t get to hear the answer before there’s a loud bang from the back of the shop. Blaise leaps to their feet, “Goddess above- it must still be in the shop!”
Bro hurries to his feet too- turning towards the back right as something barrels through the furthest room, singes of magic and smudged colors on its fur. It’s that tiger from the livestream- Blitz! It’s mouth is filled with stolen goods- things that look like what Chase can only think are magical props- but the shopkeeper looks horrified.
“Let those go!” They shout at the animal, flaring out a hand towards it. A circle of red with a sigil within appears before blasting out a beam of magic towards the tiger. Blitz jumps back and snarls, crouching down to prowl back and forth in front of Chase and Blaise.
Chase stares wide eyed at the shopkeeper- his mouth falling open. “You’re a magician?!”
Blaise looks at the hero like he’s grown three heads, “Yes I’m a- this is a magic shop?!” They blast out another spell at the tiger, singeing his fur. “You wouldn’t be able to see this shop without having magic yourself-!”
“What???” Chase cries out in disbelief- but he’s cut off by Blitz pounding its front paws on the ground. The air then fills with green blue electricity that zips around, the tiger’s eyes glowing bright emerald.
Chase feels like he’s been hit in the gut- there’s no way… is there?
He steps forward, almost looking like he’s caught in a trance- Blaise does a double take then tries to reach out for the hero. “What the hell are you doing?!”
He has to see- He has to see if it’s true- if he’s right-! He pushes forward towards the tiger, and Blitz backs up, looking cornered and hostile.
But, Chase can see it now- There’s a ring of green in Blitz’s blue eyes.
“...Alt?” Bro asks breathlessly, his voice breaking slightly.
The tiger growls again but slowly it’s eyes widen- its pupils expanding to look almost human. Bro clambers to get to his knees, crouching in front of the beast. He doesn’t care if he gets hurt- he’s finally found him! He reaches out a hand to him, desperation in his eyes.
“Alt please- please buddy it’s me! It’s… It’s Chase-”
The lightning dies down as does the glow in Blitz’s eyes. It tries to back up more, a small whine escaping its lips as it still holds onto its treasures. Bro holds his hand out more, whispering low and gentle.
“C’mon bro- I don’t know how this happened, but we can help you! Just please… c-come home-” Chase pleads.
Blitz looks conflicted- his pupils shrinking and expanding as he looks at Chase then back around at the shop. He seems confused- confused on why he’s here, how he got here, who these people are-
Then, his scrunched up posture loosens as his collar sparks and lights up with green and purple. A purple ring surrounds Blitz’s eyes as they widen once more- then they fall, eyes fully silted again as they glaze over. He stands up fully on all fours- Then he lunges forward, dropping the items to sink his teeth into Chase’s arm.
The hero yells out in pain and tries to pull his arm away. Tears prick in his eyes as he sees his brother look at him with pure hatred- with no recognition in his feline eyes. Blitz shakes Chase slightly then throws him forward- managing to drive the hero into the wall and disorient him. Chase crashes to the floor and bites back a scream of pain as he holds his bitten arm. Blaise cries out in fear and holds out her hand, red energy pulsing as she powers up another spell. Blitz quickly catches on- and his fur starts to stand on end as the air crackles with electricity once more. Then, he starts to glitch- quickly gathering up the goods again- then glitching next to Blaise and around them, managing to throw her to the ground.
The beast looks back at the damaged shop with a proud posture and vacant eyes- then he jumps back out the window and glitches into the night.
Bro cries out and struggles up, reaching out for Blitz- but he’s too late. All he catches is the rough feeling of static electricity and the taste of metal on the air. The hero stares at the space for a second before he yells out in anger and pounds his fist to the floor. “FUCK!”
The store falls into silence as the hero stays curled up on the floor, holding back tears. Eventually, the sound of heels clicking on the floor reminds Chase that he isn’t alone. He flinches then scrambles up to his feet. He winces and holds his injured arm. Wiping at his face, he looks apologetically at the shopkeeper.
“Ah- i’m… i’m so sorry I didn’t stop them from s-stealing your things-” He trips over his words, looking away guiltily. Blaise is quiet for a second before she shakes her head.
“No no… it’s okay,” The quiet witch raises an eyebrow at Bro’s state. Then, she calmly walks over and mumbles quietly under her breath. It’s a language that Chase doesn’t understand- but runes and sigils form in the air. Then, they place soft glowing hands on Chase’s arm, making him yelp in surprise. But, the magic numbs instead of burns- and slowly the gaping wounds from the tiger’s teeth start to close, leaving only a faint indent to where they were. Blaise looks up to Chase slightly as they work before asking, “I take it you know that beast?”
“He’s not a beast-!” Chase snaps automatically, then slaps his mouth shut, surprised he reacted so quickly. “He… He’s not always a… a tiger i mean-” He corrects, rubbing the back of his head. Blaise raises a hand and gestures for him to continue. Chase hesitates before mumbling, “Um… he’s my brother- His name is Alt. He’s- He’s been missing for a few weeks… this is the first glimpse I’ve seen of him.”
“... has he been a tiger before?” The shopkeeper asks in confusion. Chase shakes his head, “No- I’ve never seen him like this before…” Then he clenches his good fist tight as his eyes burn blue, “But- I know who could have done this to him…”
Blaise quickly studied the fuming hero, then sighed and started to clean up the books on the floor. “Well- thank you at least for attempting to save my shop, Chase-”
Chase quickly looked back and waved his hands, “Oh jeez I’m sorry- I can help you clean-!” Then he pales slightly, freezing in place. “Wait uh- what did you call me?”
The witch looks up and smiles, “I hope you don’t mind- I’d much rather call you that name than your hero name.” They pile the bunch of books they gathered and put them back on a shelf. “True Names have power after all-”
Bro looks uncomfortable and shifts back and forth, messing with his hair more. “Oh well- That’s great and all- it’s just ah… supposed to be a secret-”
“Oh I’m aware,” Blaise interrupts, looking back to the hero. Her eyes sparkled with a quiet mischief. “I can guarantee your secret is safe with me.” Then, they turn all the way and lift an eyebrow back at Chase. “It seems you’re dealing with someone with great magic if they turned your brother into… well- that.” They gesture to the shop around them. “Despite the look of it now- I have a decent bit of magical knowledge. Should you need anything… my door is open to you, Hero.”
The green haired hero blinks at Blaise then smiles softly, “Ah… well thank you Mx. Redferne-”
“Blaise is fine,” They interrupted again. Chase laughed lightly.
“Alright.. Blaise then.”
They stare at each other for a few uncomfortable seconds. Then, Blaise makes a face and gestures their hand towards the door. “Well? Why are you still here? Don’t you have a brother to find?”
Chase jumps slightly and then nods, grinning sheepishly. “Oh uh- yeah right.” He hops into the air and waves at Blaise. “I… hope we can meet again Blaise.”
The witch smiles back, “If the fates allow.”
The hero chuckles and then hurries out the window- but before he fully takes off into the sky he pauses. He floats back into the shop and then comes back up to Blaise. “Actually Blaise? Can I ask a favor?”
Blaise raised an eyebrow.
“...do you know a tracking spell?”
The sun is just now revealing the orange glow of early morning as Chase flies back through the window at Jackie’s office. He favors his injured arm, the pain still lingering as he lands. Rapid footsteps catch up to him and before he can even blink, Jackie and Henny look up to Chase in concern.
“Are you alright, Chase? Are you hurt?” Henny asks with concern, catching how the Hero is holding his arm. Jackie knits his eyebrows in confusion, “You don’t… take that long with robberies last time I checked- what happened?”
Chase is silent for a second, looking away. Then, he takes a deep breath and looks back towards the others. He digs a piece of paper out of his pocket, an address sprawled onto it in looped red handwriting. Chase’s eyes glow stark against the orange sky outside as he looks to his friends with quiet determination.
“I know where to find Alt.”
Sorry I just read both pets of Alt.exe and my heart in like “oh no!!! Babies!!! And chase suffering cuz he has to relive the pain of his brother getting kidnapped!! Aaah!!!” But my meme-loving-fuck of a brain is like “wow I can’t believe alt has been assigned a fursona by word of god herself”
Yeah and it’s also basically confirmed that Mag is a furry so it’s fine XD
#project hail mary
#lana del rey
#photography
