fluxscape | July 3rd: Seek and Destroy

Beck had been doing his own research into the craziness of the glitching. It felt familiar in some way and he was as determined to solve it as much he was disturbed by the feeling. But the latter was winning and even in the midst of his exploring, finding oddities that he thought he was picking up through his equipment, he was struck by his despairing past brought on by some memories. He kept on, sifting through the mall but finding nothing.

Keeping in the loop, Beck got the app uploaded as soon as he could and the signals led him eventually to the hospital. He went up and up, reaching the roof and being temporarily dizzied by being at the top...

But the app brought his attention back. He set his jaw; renewed his determination and followed the signal again. It was stronger now and soon he discovered the uncloaked device, glitching out itself. He picks it up, thinking to take it home and examine it but he shivers, recalling how the glitches make him feel. No, this should be destroyed.

He throws it down then stomps hard on it with his boot, crushing the device. It gives him a sense of satisfaction. It may be psychological but his mind also feels lighter. Still, he pockets the remains of the device and looks again to the app. There were more out there and he starts heading back toward the mall, searching for the others.

Ever since the announcement about the devices on the network, Miles had been waiting for more news about how to find or track them down. So far no one seemed to have reported any kind of health concerns besides the loss of powers, which was good. But if this kind of glitching was anything similar to how Gwen and the other Spider-heroes were glitching when they'd been pulled from their worlds to his, then it was only a matter of time until they were all in trouble. And he wasn't about to let that happen.

After receiving the code for some of the devices, Miles found himself at the abandoned school. The code didn't show exactly where the devices were, though, so he would have to look around to find it.

He was just glad the suns were still out, because otherwise this had all the makings of a really bad horror movie.

The glitching has managed to make a shitty place even shittier. The first thing that Malcolm wants is for it to stop. It's hard to even think when the glitching starts because it feels like his body is being ripped apart. It's taken him down a few times. After Tess found the first device that was causing the glitching, Malcolm was hell bent to track these things down and destroy them. Then he can work on figuring out who put these devices out in the city in the first place.

Unfortunately, it's like a needle in a haystack. The devices could be anywhere, and Haven is a big place. At least the app is helpful.

Malcolm and Nick decide to get together and go looking for one that appears to be in a run down mall. They step inside, the whole place looking like a memorial to a better place and time. This mall was nice once. Now, like so many malls back home, everything is run down and boarded up.

Malcolm glances down at the green dot flashing on his device. "Have you ever watched any of those videos of tours through old malls on YouTube?" he asks.

It wasn't just the glitching that had made things shitty, it was also the lack of powers. That wasn't something that everybody would pick up on unless someone with powers announced it. Nick kept the issue to himself, especially the fact that he hated it since he knew already what it was like to lose his powers and feel helpless without them. Even more so in a place like this.

But the news that they could somehow fix the issue is a relief and he is more than ready to do whatever it takes to destroy the devices. So when Malcolm suggests getting together to find one, he is ready to go without hesitation.

Holding a flashlight, he flicks the light around, scanning their surroundings while Malcolm studies the app. "Not really. I didn't have a lot of time to watch videos on youtube but I'm guessing it's a lot like this."

It's a little spooky but not the worse place he has ever ended up.

"Kind of brings back flashbacks, doesn't it?" Tandy did her best to make the comment sound light and airy but still, even nearly a year later, she was still affected by what had happened the last time she was in an abandoned looking mall.

Glancing over at Ty, she sent a tight smile before looking ahead to where Zorro was sniffing around. The puppy had already grown quite a bit and seemed more comfortable with his blipping abilities though he hadn't used them since Tandy and Ty had lost their own. Which made her wonder if he was affected as well or just sensed that maybe he needed to stay close to his owners.

Pausing, she glanced at her device to look at the app, pursing her lips a bit. "I think we're getting close."

Not having powers in the first place means not having any to miss in Malcolm's case. He wouldn't have guessed that Nick had powers, and he's not used to looking for something like that in a behavioral profile. It's one of the many things he'll have to adjust about his methods while being here.

He nods. "It is." They walk through the halls, eerily silent and dark, their flashlights shining into the nooks and crannies around them. "Somehow less creepy though."

Malcolm consults the green dot on his phone again. "Turn right here. It should be about fifty yards on."

"This must be the right place," Lydia glanced back to where Shadow was trailing behind, looking around the strange setting that was supposedly a skate park now even though it had been a parking garage at one time. At least until it caved in on itself or something.

"It says we're close but where?" Looking at her device again, she studied the small blipping light before turning around slowly once more. A part of her wished she could 'hear' it but that was pretty much impossible since her powers had been on the fritz since the glitching had started.

Then she was looking down again as she moved forward, briefly checking where Shadow was or what he might have to say.

Haven had been one nightmare after another and Shadow didn't trust anything about the town. He kept a vigil eye around as Lydia led the way. "This place looks like a trap," he muttered after she had glanced back to him.

It wasn't as if he had super strength (that he knew of) or was bulletproof where powers glitching worried him any. The glitching was painful but he'd been through worse before Haven. Mostly, it bothered him when Lydia went through it. He walked behind her just in case she did so he could catch her and stop her from falling.

"Does it say what we're supposed to be looking for? A picture or description of it?"

While there had been some good moments and she was grateful that Shadow was with her in Haven, she would definitely understand his feeling that it had been one nightmare after another since their arrival. "I would say I'm surprised they use it as a skate park but look at the rest of the town."

She was praying that another glitching episode wouldn't hit her or him while they were out looking for the device. She worried about him and the shared memories...well, there were things she had told him about but she hadn't necessarily wanted him to see.

"I think it's a small device of some sort?" She offered a little shrug as they wandered closer to the edge of the skate park before she paused with a frown. "It should be right here. It says we're on top of it."

The last thing Ty thought he'd be doing again so soon was entering an abandoned mall. A year ago for Tandy but it had only been a couple of months for him. It was also under equally disturbing circumstances. "Yeah, it does," he'd told her solemnly with a worried gaze.

Glitching was terrible enough to go through without having to add the loss of powers and seeing her memories. Ty had seen some before Haven but not the crash into the water when Tandy lost her dad, alone at the church, and her recent kidnapping. He didn't leave her side other than to take Zorro out.

Zorro seemed to share the sentiment, not teleporting all over the place. The pup had grown in the couple of months since Tandy found him in her house. Ty didn't think he was as comfortable as she was with the dog but had a routine with him until the glitching began.

"Zorro seems alright," he offered Tandy. The dog not being alarmed had to be a good sign that they weren't heading for some kind of trap. Ty continued looking around, a hand holding hers.

Edited 2021-07-12 02:40 (UTC)

"Something doesn't bode well with this place," he muttered although there were a handful of skateboarders. "Not that I'm sensing that with my abilities or anything."

Nothing of her memories bothered him other than Shadow being angried she had to go through some of the things she had. Lydia was smart and strong. He knew that the moment they met, her strength only further substantiated by being a single mother in his absence.

He looked in the direction she spoke about where the device should be located. "Maybe it's underneath? In a basement?" he offered while looking around.

It had been strange seeing Ty's memories, some of which she had known about but most of them she hadn't. Especially the memories with his mom. Still, she was more comfortable sharing those (involuntarily) with Ty over anyone else. Plus the fact that he had stayed with her, once again proving how dependable he was and how he cared about her meant a lot.

Of course, she had done her best to do the same for him. She might have checked in on a couple of people but she never strayed for his side and, whenever he had a glitching episode, he would usually come to with her sitting beside him and petting his head. Sometimes Zorro would be there licking his face too.

"That's because nothing really phases him," She murmurs, not really thinking about the wording as she glances at her device and then looks up at the store in front of them. An abandoned shoe store where she could see fallen shelves and boxes all over the place. "I think it's in here."

"Maybe because it looks like it might fall in some more?" Lydia replied, glancing at the skateboarders too. They were watching them now and then, glancing over curiously as they wondered what the two of them were up to since they were there without skateboards.

"If it is, I'm not going down. That's just screaming for trouble." She hummed as she studied the screen, moving forward slowly to where she could see a spot to jump down. As she peeked over the edge, she noticed there was an opening that looked like a drain. One of the large ones that someone could wander into if they needed.

"Shadow, can you help me down?"

He wondered if anyone else had seen their memories the way that they saw each others but Ty never voiced it. Tandy was smart enough to have the same question and also hadn't said it out loud. Or maybe the suffering from glitching silenced the thought like it had much of the conversation in the time that it started.

"Hopefully that means that there isn't anything here that'll harm us." Ty was worried about how well he could fight without his powers. He'd gotten into plenty before discovering he had any but Haven was a strange place.

Without letting her hand go, he reached and opened the door to the store. Zorro immediately entered with a look around then back at his owners. "Can you find it?" Ty asked the pup who tilted his head before panning his gaze around the dilapidated store.

He stared back at the skateboarders who stared at them until they went on about their business. Shadow hadn't meant any harm but under the circumstances, looked like someone none of them would want to anger.

"Yeah," he answered and finally broke from staring down the onlookers. Only when Shadow looked to where Lydia was referring to, his head shook in disapproval. "Unless you can see what's down there, I'll go first and catch you. Or I'll lower you but hold onto you until you can see what's there."

Tandy was hoping that no one else had seen their memories as she wasn't comfortable with the idea. But, then again, she was more guarded than Ty was. Not that he was an open book by any means but there were times when she closed herself off completely just so she didn't have to reveal or deal with anything.

"It seems like this place is kind of quiet and I haven't heard anyone mention monsters in here," Even as she said it, she couldn't help but look around somewhat warily. Almost like she half expected something to come jumping out at them. Which normally wouldn't be a problem...if they had their powers.

Tandy watched as Zorro looked back at them as though he were waiting for permission which was given by Ty's question and Tandy's nod for him to go. Almost immediately he started to sniff the ground, his tail wagging while he moved forward. Tandy looked at the device again before pointing in the direction Zorro was heading which was to their left. "That way."

Lydia remained quiet as he stared the skateboarders down, knowing full well that he was using his size and his presence to intimidate them just in case they had any ideas for causing trouble. It didn't surprise her when they all looked away, deciding to focus on their skateboarding and chatting rather than paying the two any mind. It made her smile briefly as she reached to give his arm a gentle squeeze before turning away.

She was peeking over the side, gauging the drop when he told her that he wasn't going to just drop her down. Which, again, didn't surprise her.

"Okay, you can go down first as long as you're careful," Because his safety mattered as much to her as hers did to him. "Maybe peek into the drain and see if you can spot the device we're looking for?"

Her smile elicited one from him. Albeit, soft but genuine and as smitten as ever. They were assessing the location she felt they needed to get to when Lydia agreed to let him go first. He gave her a nod and began to lower himself into the spot.

"There's something flashing," he called up to her after a look into the drain. Shadow stepped further in for a look around then moved back to where he could catch or help Lydia down if she chose to join him. "Looks clear down here."

The way he smiled at her was one of the reasons that Lydia was as equally smitten with him. Shadow wasn't afraid of showing the fact that he cared about her. If anything, he seemed to crave the affection between them and she was happy to reciprocate.

She moved further down, following him quietly until they found a spot where it wouldn't be such a drop or so hard for him to help her down. It took a bit of maneuvering since, of course, she was wearing a skirt but they managed it when her feet touched the same ground he was standing on a moment later.

Making their way back to the drain, she peeked in before nodding and looking at him. "I think that's it. It's in the right spot."

He could hold her with one arm and not be showing off. Shadow wasn't the type to brag unless joking or pulling off a con which he wasn't doing either with Lydia at the moment.

In fact, it had been a long time that he'd done a con at all. He preferred a con over all the fighting he'd been in the middle of but at least the practice helped while they were in a place like Haven.

Shadow caught Lydia and set her easily down in one swift motion. They headed to the drain where she confirmed it was the device. He bent over and grabbed the grating with both hands, using strength to remove it. "We destroy it, right?" he confirmed with her immediately after.

"I miss him looking like a puppy but if there is anything down here? Pretty sure it'll think twice about messing with Zorro," he added when Tandy spoke about no mention of monsters where they were at.

The dog still had a very youthful energy and curiosity about him where Ty continued to see him as a puppy but Zorro had physically grown closer to an adult than he was to being newly introduced into the world.

It was scary how mean he could look when Tyrone would roughhouse with him, yet it never went too far with Ty. If the dog would accidentally catch him with a tooth and Ty jerked back with pain, Zorro immediately would lick him frantically. Under the circumstances, Ty was glad he'd seen that furious side to him.

Zorro let out a very big dog growl then a high pitched bark to indicate he'd found whatever they were looking for. "Good boy!" Ty rewarded the pup verbally.

The truth is that Nick is used to hiding his 'powers' even though it wasn't always the easiest thing to do. There were too many odd situations and things that didn't add up like his strange hours or absences. Not that any of that comes into play here since there isn't much of a need for him to be a Grimm despite there being monsters outside the walls.

"It makes you wonder what this place used to look like, doesn't it? There must have been more people here at one time," He shines his light around, checking behind them until Malcolm looks at his phone again.

"Okay," Turning right, he continues to walk as they move past some tables in an area that must have been a food court at one time.

"I miss him looking like a puppy too," Tandy offered a slight pout as she glanced at her boyfriend, knowing full well that he would understand since there had been a lot of cuddling with Zorro at first. Of course, Zorro tried to get as much cuddling as he had before but it was a bit harder and a lot more amusing when he did.

But Zorro was a great dog and it was clear that he was above average intelligence. He understood everything so well and sometimes it felt like he was reading their moods or even listening closely. Plus he was protective of them both. She knew Ty would probably say it was only her but she had seen how much Zorro cared about him as well.

She jumped at the sudden bark before blowing out a breath as she realized that Zorro had found something. Hurrying forward, she reached to touch the back of his neck before spying the device he was sniffing at. It was small, seemingly flickering in and out as it sat in a shoe box on a shelf. "Do you think it's okay to touch it or should we just crush it with something?"

Anyone who looked at Shadow would think that he was strong, but Lydia knew just how much. She knew he could pick her up with very little effort on his part which was a strangely nice feeling since it made some part of her feel small and delicate. Which was a feeling she would normally scoff at since she wanted to be a strong, independent woman but no one had to know but the two of them.

"That would be the idea whether they said to or not," She replied, waiting for him to move the grating away before she squatted and started to reach down into the hole. She felt his eyes on her which drew her gaze upward since she knew he wanted to stop her. "There is no way your hand would fit."

Even as she told him as such, she continued to reach until her fingers were brushing against the device and she could get a hold of it. It felt a bit clumsy and awkward as she pulled it up, but she was holding the device out to him a few seconds later. "Here."

There was no hiding the worry on his face as she reached down even if she was right about his hand not fitting. It wasn't that Lydia needed someone to take care of her, she had endured a pregnancy and the first year alone with their son while working and going to school. The memories he'd seen had only substantiated what he knew about her. She was stronger than anyone might think by looking at her.

Just because terrible things had happened to Lydia, it didn't stop her from smiling or sharing affection with him and Leo. She was beautiful and intelligent... Shadow could go on and on. He might have had concern about her reach for the device but trusted for Lydia to do her share.

He took the device when she handed it to him and bashed it along the wall immediately after. "There. I think that's the end of that."

It wasn't just the things that had happened to her that mattered as she had seen a hint of the things that had happened to him and she marveled at times over how he was able to remain the man he was. All the things that had happened to him, all the things he had lost or had been taken from him? She thought it was a miracle that he was as sweet as he was and wanted what he did. It made her appreciate him all the more.

Which was partially why she trusted handing him the device and watching with a small sense of relief when he smashed it against the wall. Then she stood there for a few seconds, almost holding her breath as she waited to see if she would feel anything different but she didn't.

"Maybe the other devices aren't all destroyed yet," She looked up at him before blowing out a little breath and glancing around. "Let's get out of here."

Zorro really didn't seem to have an idea that he'd gotten bigger, still climbing onto the couch and trying to curl up with them. Bed was even worse. Ty had only caught a break since the glitching began. The pup seemed not to have any sympathy prior to that, getting into bed to where Tyrone had better sleep on the couch. Until the dog blipped and nestled on top of him there too.

But when the glitching began and both were dropped to the ground in agony, the pup became super concerned. Zorro didn't disturb their sleep in bed but stood watch. He quietly walked from one side of the bed to the other, leaving only his head on the bed when he approached, curling up on the floor in a spot where he could see both to rest.

Now he was excited to be out with both who hadn't dropped to the floor in pain and doing what they asked of him.

It was tempting to have Zorro destroy the device but Ty didn't want to chance putting him in worse danger than the already had. "Better be safe than sorry," he answered Tandy while carefully grabbing the box it was in and placing it on the floor.

He looked around for something to smash the device with when Zorro took matters in his own hands--rather, his jaws and attacked the box.

"Zorro, no!" Ty exclaimed with worry not reprimand.

"Then maybe we can look for more and speed up the process," he offered then headed to the exit.

It wasn't that Shadow went unaffected from glitching. The pain was intense but he could take it. He wished he could take Lydia's, prompting his words about finding the rest.

Shadow linked his hands together and crouched down so she could step into his hands to hoist her back up. It was too easy to see up her skirt but the mood wasn't light under the circumstances.

"Yeah," he says. "It seems... normal enough." From what little evidence he's gathered so far, life here used to be relatively normal comparable to what Malcolm was used to back home. He still wonders what happened that changed everything.

The two of them walk through the food court moving around overturned tables with cobwebs on the legs. It's eerily quiet here and Malcolm's glad that he's not alone. The green dot appears to be in one of the stores across from the food court. He shines his flashlight up at the store name.

"It's a bookstore," he announces, turning to Nick. "Weren't you looking for a bookstore at one point?"

It had certainly gotten tricky a time or two when Zorro tried to crawl up onto the couch or bed just to be with them and those times when Tandy didn't have the heart to make him get down. There seemed to be times too when he tried to take over Ty's space instead of Tandy's who had merely tucked herself in against the wall and slept on, somewhat unaware of what was happening.

At least until the glitching started happening and Zorro got very worried over the two of them. Now he was almost trained to sleep on the floor rather than crawl up onto the bed with them and she wondered if it would stay that way now if they managed to fix everything.

Taking a step back, she started to look around for something to smash the device with as well but it seemed Zorro had other plans as he attacked the box. She stepped forward to stop him but she was the one to stop when she heard a crunch a couple of seconds before Zorro spat the now destroyed device on the floor. She looked at Ty warily before quickly moving forward enough to stomp her foot down on the device, breaking it further and grinding it with her heel Then she jumped back like she expected something bad to happen because of it.

The dog seemed to meet his worry with determination. Ty now had a new concern should anyone remotely seem like a threat to them, Zorro might take a limb. ...Tandy might want to warn her trainer on her next session. There wasn't a way to stop a teleporting dog that he could think of.

Tandy looked as if she was going to get Zorro to stop chewing the device until the very clear sound of metal crunching rang in the space where they stood. She immediately went to stomping on it when their dog dropped the device. Both of those who teleported stared with some confusion at her.

"Are we supposed to take it somewhere?" Ty broke the silence and crouched down to take a closer look before standing on it and also stomping on the pieces.

Unbeknownst to her, Tandy was thinking the same thing as she really realized for the first time just how protective their dog was over them. There had been no hesitation on his part to do whatever was needed to do what he thought was the right thing to protect them and she wondered now what would happen to anyone he viewed as a threat. So yes, maybe she should make sure Zorro was with Ty whenever she went off to one of her lessons.

"I don't know, it doesn't really matter now?" She shrugged a little bit as she looked at the device and then at him again. "I mean, do we really want to give them something that could do something to hurt us or others? You and I know all about big shadowy corporations. Maybe it's better to destroy it and leave it at that."

And she stomped on it again, just for good measure.

"I thought they had different people designated to go after different devices," Lydia mused as they walked towards the exit. "Let's check the app once we get back up. We should be able to see if there are fewer blips than before."

If the little blips were disappearing off the screen, then she would take that as a good sign meaning that other people were finding the other devices.

Pausing to tuck her phone into the front of her bra, she glanced over at Shadow as he clasped his hands together and crouched down. Placing her hand on his shoulder and the other near the edge, she kept herself steady when he hoisted her back up. Despite his strength and her agility, it was trickier to get back up than it had been to go down.

Still, she chuckled as she glanced back at him. "Are you peeking, Mister Moon?"

"As normal as it can be, right?" There are still many strange things about the place that seems like they might have been that way before whatever it was that had changed it all. But, he spends a lot of time wondering too.

It is nice to have company too. Not that he isn't used to walking through creepy or strange places but it is nice to have someone else nearby, just in case.

"I was," He confirms when they come to stand in front of the bookstore, shining his light through the opening. "I just didn't think about checking here once I saw the place all boarded up and closed. How far in is the device or whatever it is?"

Shadow wanted to speed up the process but could also stand to wait how Lydia indicated. As long as they were together and preferably not glitching.

"I mean, why let that view go to waste?" he quipped with a tease in his tone and on his face.

More than lift her back up, Shadow repositioned to palm each of her heels and push her up before reaching to grab a hold so he could pull himself up. Rock climbing or scaling walls weren't something he practiced but his arms had more than enough strength to get back up.

Malcolm's used to it to, even used to doing it by himself. What is Gil always telling him? Call for back up? He's kind of glad to have it while they explore this abandoned mall. There are certain dangers here that can't be talked down.

"Neither did I." He checks the device again. "Looks like it's about 20 feet in. Not sure if it's in plain sight of if it's hidden."

Having it in plain sight would be way too easy, he's sure.

July 3rd: Seek and Destroy - A Party-Style thread.

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