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Post by Father Tinsley on Jun 8, 2023 17:34:27 GMT -5
On the night of the day the Betadron attack took place, Tinsley arrived at an undisclosed location. He was escorted into a warehouse. When he walked in, he saw his boss, Houston Keene, pacing back and forth.
”...Something’s not right… I can negate Houston… What’s going on?” Tinsley wondered in his head. Tinsley looked around to see if there was anything amiss. The Secret Service agents with him didn’t show any indication that anything other than ordinary business was happening.
”What’s going on, boss?” Tinsley asked out loud, forgoing the usual ‘salutations’ greeting.
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Post by Houston Keene on Jul 5, 2023 11:52:43 GMT -5
Houston stopped in his tracks once Tinsley spoke up.
“Can we have the room please? Thank you,” Houston requested, seemingly declaring that they were going to do it and were going to leave now. The agents excused themselves, but obviously stayed in the immediate area just in case something happened.
“Sorry for calling you out here tonight, but I thought we should talk face-to-face without any technology recording us,” Houston started. “You remember me telling you all about the Hurranian situation when you first came on? That was really bad... The league can’t handle anymore incidents involving any brawlers associated with us. Congress has been foaming at the mouth just waiting for us to mess up again, and now they got us with what Calvin and Jimmy did.”
“Calvin’s case was outrageous, but slightly mitigated since his wife’s a traitor, but Jimmy… He was deliberately doing what he was doing under our noses, and we didn’t realize it… Just like with the Hurranians, people will hold us accountable for continuing to give criminals a platform to scheme, operate, and profit. There’s Congress, the court of public opinion, and crazies… There will be protests and threats against us. You could be a target when you’re out in the field now. We’ve had a couple almost get killed back then… One was… Now, you can make your own decisions, but if you don’t hit your numbers because you’re tip-toeing for your safety, I got you. I’ll take the heat for whatever happens because of that. You just can’t tell anyone I told you this for...obvious reasons.”
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Post by Father Tinsley on Jul 5, 2023 11:53:21 GMT -5
”...Oh...” Tinsley was taken aback by these comments. He didn’t know what to expect, but hearing this made the face-to-face meeting make sense to him. ”I understand. There’s something I want to ask though even though it’s beyond my pay grade or expertise. Is there a way that we can have background investigations conducted on brawlers prior to becoming professionals?”
“That sounds extreme, I know. I ask because we’re in a unique situation compared to the other pro organizations. People aren’t handling a ball or swinging a hockey stick. They’re handling potential weapons of mass destruction. I figure that it might help absolve the association of any liability if we did everything in our power to ensure that no gang leaders, fraudsters, or traffickers get in. Right now, it seems like I’m just looking for people who are strong regardless of their background.”
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Post by Houston Keene on Jul 5, 2023 11:53:50 GMT -5
“Makes perfect sense and I fully agree. Unfortunately, the board doesn’t,” Houston revealed. “They claim that it could hurt our pool of prospects. The scum that gets into the NBA or NFL should never be in the PBL for every reason you laid out. If I had it my way, people like Maurice would never set foot in the arena again due to the recency of his antics. It’s all about money instead of safety, and when money is prioritized, then our safety is jeopardized.”
“But that’s just my opinion. All you can do is your best. If they’re not a good fit for whatever reason, you better have a good excuse for not labeling them a prospect. Saying someone’s apart of a gang means nothing to them. Maybe being a known murderer would get them to say no thanks, but...I’m sure I’ll be surprised by someone.”
“Anyway, that’s all I called you here for. We’re still in preseason, so take it easy. Whatever anyone puts out doesn’t matter. Stay safe and be smart. That’s all I want.”
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Post by Father Tinsley on Jul 5, 2023 12:01:00 GMT -5
”Absolutely, sir,” Tinsley accepted. ”I’ll be on the lookout.”
With that said, Tinsley went back outside. Secret Service agents immediately took control and got him into a dark-colored SUV and drove off.
”Still negateable...” Tinsley thought to himself. ”…This is starting to bother me… Someone may be trying to play tricks on me, and if that’s the case, I’ll need to find out who. I may be compromised...”
Tinsley was taken back to the safe house. Upon his return in the evening, everyone was in their rooms aside from some agents bumming around in several rooms.
”...These ones aren’t...” Tinsley kept to himself. ”...Shit… Someone IS on to me...”
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Post by Noland Hardy on Jul 5, 2023 12:01:29 GMT -5
The next day…
Noland sat in the middle of his bed in the same way he did the previous day. He blankly stared at a wall in complete silence. He only moved when he heard and felt his BrawlX vibrate, and even then, it took him ten seconds before he acknowledged it and took a look. It was a text message that read,
”Hey! This is Trinity. Maurice gave me your number. He’s fine. I’ll be training him the next day or two. I’d love to meet up some time afterwards though. Just the two of us. *heart emoji* I’ll be in touch.”
Noland looked very confused while reading that. He was motioning to type something in response, but ultimately closed it while shaking his head in disgust.
“I can’t believe this shit is happening…” he mumbled.
”What happened now?” Drago asked. He was hanging out in his robed form in one of the room’s corners.
“You wouldn’t believe it,” Noland responded. “I wish I could just wipe out all of these beings who can’t leave people alone or want to cause trouble for whatever reason…”
”Yeah… These situations are getting more annoying the longer they go on… On the bright side, we know who most of our enemies are. We’re getting closer to being able to deal with them all.”
“True.”
”Until then, we have to do our best to pull our punches…depending on the situation. It’s possible that someone may want us to destroy everyone just so society finally exiles us from the planet. We should consider that a possibility since terrorists see us as friendlies. For example, Crimson may not want us to not be here so he can do whatever he wants. He hasn’t tried us again after the Maverick situation.”
“Possible… My care for that is fading away the longer this stuff goes on.”
”...”
Noland got up to walk towards the door. He opened the door to see Allen about to knock.
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Post by Allen Silva on Jul 5, 2023 12:01:49 GMT -5
“...Good morning…?” Allen asked in bewilderment of Noland appearing to know he was coming. He shouldn’t be surprised by that for obvious reasons, but it was too early in the morning to expect anything different.
The door closed behind him as he came in.
“So you had trouble sleeping too?” Allen wondered as the scene cuts to their conversation. “I thought I had it bad, but it’s nothing like what you’re going through. I’m sorry about Jimmy. I know he did what he did and he should pay. Still, he WAS your friend before this...I think?”
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Post by Noland Hardy on Jul 5, 2023 12:02:12 GMT -5
“I haven’t talked to him or anyone from Team Blaster since everyone found out I was Gundalian. Based on what I heard Jimmy say to me before we fought, I can guess why,” Noland sighed. “Anyway, I’ll be fine. It’s hard not to be happy with what’s about to happen to him. He had it coming.”
“But for your situation, I’m sorry. I should’ve checked on you yesterday about that.” After saying that, Noland thought back to when he discovered Karen being the ‘daughter’ of Nero when he was a villain.
“Things like that will change your view of people forever. You’ll never be the same. I don’t need a chill dude like you ending up like me,” Noland expressed. “With that said, you’re a level-headed guy. I know it’s hard now, but in the end, you’ll make the right decision. If you need help on what you should do, I’m here.”
After saying that, Noland mouthed, “We’ll talk about that later,” to signify that they shouldn’t be saying anything about Jenna while Tinsley is in the building. He pointed to his left to let Allen know that Tinsley was in that direction.
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Post by Allen Silva on Jul 5, 2023 12:02:28 GMT -5
Allen nodded to acknowledge Noland telling him to keep his mouth shut.
“Yeah...I might need it. Thanks,” Allen kept short. An image of Jenna popped into his head. He quickly shook the thought away...literally. He then moved on to a more interesting topic.
“Something happened with Alana yesterday,” he sprung on Noland out of nowhere. “She was worried sick about you. You were all she talked about. Then later on, when I went to check on her, I got a pillow thrown at me when I caught her curled up in the corner of her room. I dodged it. Me being the one wishing for death, I stayed and asked her what was wrong. She threw another pillow at me. This time, I got hit in the face. All I got was a glare, so I left. Her face was hot pink though…”
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Post by Noland Hardy on Jul 5, 2023 12:02:57 GMT -5
“…” Noland knew he wasn’t crazy after hearing that. There’s no way someone would be acting like that unless…
“I think...she almost confessed her feelings for me yesterday,” Noland revealed. “It was the way that conversation we had was going. She was afraid that yelling at me over the Maurice situation was the last interaction we’d have instead of her telling me that she…an ‘l word’. She cut herself off before she said the word, but I’m positive that either ‘like’ or ‘love’ was about to be said. Those are the only word choices that make sense…”
“And if that’s the case, then...I wish she never did that… I don’t know what I’m gonna do with her now...”
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Post by Allen Silva on Jul 5, 2023 12:03:15 GMT -5
Allen’s ears perked up when he heard all of that. That explains everything he saw from Alana.
“I didn’t think she’d actually say it,” Allen sighed, indirectly confirming that Alana did have some feelings for him. “I’m not sure what to think about that. A few days ago, she seemed confused on how she really feels about you. How you two are with each other and the comments about whether or not you’re together has her thinking about you… Maybe a lot… I don’t know.”
“I wanted her to figure out how she truly feels about you without anyone else’s input. So, if she ends up confessing after giving it some thought, then I guess she means it. As for what you should do, if it were me – knowing what I know – I wouldn’t do anything yet. We still don’t know for sure if she really means what she was about to say, or if she’ll tell you at all.”
“With that said, that all depends on how you feel about her almost saying that. Sounds like you’re not too thrilled about that idea…”
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Post by Noland Hardy on Jul 5, 2023 12:03:34 GMT -5
“...Makes sense…” Noland understood from hearing how Alana has struggled understanding her feelings. “And no...I’m not… I was hoping this day never came.”
“That sounds bad… Well… I… Um… There’s...definitely...something...between us…” Noland struggled to admit. “After Annapolis Mall...the way I felt about her changed. Having survived Betadron and Fury and listening to her yesterday, I fully understand what those changes are. Despite that, I can’t do it… It’s not supposed to be me.”
“She reminds me about who I was when I was ‘evil.’ She said multiple times that she’s afraid that I could become that person again. When it looks like my back is against the wall, I look at her. I see the fear in her eyes, the concerning look on her face. I can feel the thoughts of ‘what if he turns’ emanating from her…”
“It’s not her fault. It’s just how it is. She deserves someone who won’t trigger those fears… That’s just not me… I want someone who I have a clean slate with, someone who only knows about the current me and not who I was in the past… I thought Petra was that someone since she didn’t fully understand what happened with me nor was she aware of what I’ve done… Maybe we wouldn’t have worked out anyway since she made such a big fuss over being friends with Alana, but...considering everything that has happened, she was probably right to be concerned...”
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Post by Allen Silva on Jul 5, 2023 12:04:05 GMT -5
“…” Allen was surprised to hear Noland open up about all of this. He was more surprised that Noland possibly – more likely than not – admitted that he likes Alana. That alone deserved five seconds of silence for that to settle in. After that,
“Not really. None of that stuff with Alana happened while Petra was in the picture,” Allen rejected. “Now, if she was, and you came out with this information, then yes, she would’ve been right to be concerned.”
“But more importantly, what you said just now is...very sad… You know that you’re basically my brother even with your past, present, and future. No matter how hard you try or hope to keep them hidden, whoever Mrs. Hardy is has to accept all of that. You told me that for you to get Duality, you had to accept that you have darkness within you. Almost the same thing here. You have to be ready for anyone you become close with to know about it as well.”
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Post by Noland Hardy on Jul 5, 2023 12:04:20 GMT -5
“I’m not ready…” Noland confessed. “It was hard enough facing you and Alana after all of that… Anyone else knowing what I’m capable of doing… I’m not at the point where I can handle that…yet.”
Drago was off to the side listening to all of this. He hung his head down in shame. There was nothing else for him to do anyway. He was in the same situation, but was better off since he didn’t have any women lining up for him.
Noland then continued, “If she really is catching feelings for me, and she confesses… I can’t lie to her, but at the same time, I don’t know how she’d react to what I’m thinking…”
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Post by Allen Silva on Jul 5, 2023 13:40:07 GMT -5
“Me neither…” Allen admitted. Secretly, he was really thinking, ”That would shatter her heart if you reject her due to the past… Maybe I can get Tracy to save this relationship, because I got nothing else...”
A few minutes later, Allen and Noland walked into the commons area. Tank and Markus were watching the Bakugan Brawling Network with the hosts, Yuji and Miko.
“This attention we’re getting is great, but...these hours are getting crazy. Can’t someone else say the damn news? It’s always us,” Yuji shared with Miko while not being aware of them being live. Miko mouthed ‘We’re live’, which snapped him back into reality.
“Sorry about that, folks upstairs. No need to worry. Love being here. Now, ladies and gents, we have a lot to unpack here, and it’s scaring me. The future isn’t looking so good for the brawling community right now… So, let’s start off with the ongoing breaking news with New England Dominion’s Jimmy Kyudai. If you haven’t heard, in the midst of all of the chaos going on in New York City, Jimmy was arrested by the FBI for charges stemming from his company’s involvement with producing and trafficking illegal weapons.”
”Jimmy has allegedly used Heronix’s powers to create weapons for certain police departments across the country. Edin Ryu, Jimmy’s former best friend, published a spreadsheet online last night that lists every weapon Jimmy created, when they were used, and the video showing what they did... If you haven’t already, please don’t look at it… If this is all true, then these weapons have been involved with several gruesome injuries and deaths, many of which are so graphic that we’re not allowed to describe them or show them on TV. The victims that are still alive may have an answer as to why they ended up the way that they did...” Miko added on.
“Edin goes on to say that he’s extremely happy about Jimmy being brought to justice and that he’ll go out of his way to cooperate with the authorities to put him under the prison. You can read what he said on Twitter if you’re curious. Just...you know...viewer’s discretion is advised if you look at that spreadsheet… I’m very serious about that. In fact, if it hasn’t already, that may get his account banned.”
”Interestingly, he mentioned that Jimmy’s arrest is what happens, quote, ‘after being educated on the reasons behind Noland’s attack on law enforcement and military officials, supply police with firepower to ensure they can match overwhelming force with intentional disregard for why it happened in the first place,’ end quote.”
“Very serious allegations that will probably have political ramifications for sure. Several representatives and senators in Congress have already announced their intentions to probe the league and implement stringent laws on Bakugan ownership and usage. Even the president is sounding off on this as well. We’re about to have a rough time, and what a shame that is. We had such a great event in the Showcase, and now here we are. I’m very disappointed in the ones who continue to put us in this situation. We were doing so well.”
”Also, on that same subject, we still haven’t heard anything new about Calvin or Drake as of right now. We’re still hearing that Noland ‘destroyed the threat’, but we don’t have an official confirmation on Calvin and Drake being alive, dead, in custody, erased from existence, etc. The authorities are being very secretive on what that battle’s result was, and I don’t like it. I think there’s something else going on here that’s making them keep us in the dark. We don’t know where Rumiko is either, but that’s probably a secret for...obvious reasons.”
“Resistors, if you’re watching, we’d love to interview you to get some information about this. We’d be more than happy to save you from a potential visit to Capitol Hill. Well, let’s face it. That might happen anyway. You’ll be asked questions by people who have no idea what they’re talking about and will base their conclusions off of their political agenda instead of what the cold, hard truth is.”
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