Abnormal Norman 23: Recklessness Bites

Abnormal Norman 23: Recklessness Bites

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Be Lyra

Secret facility of Nolan's factory

Cornered by Gilda and Amy

 

>Shit, too dizzy to stop time, and I don't have my bow with me.

 

>Amy throws a knife at where you're standing. You dodge it in time.

>She's trying to disable your feet!

>"HURAAAGH"

"ARGH"

>Gilda grabs you with a bear-hug grip.

>Dammit, if only she had testicles, I would have stomped it off of her.

>Amy walks at you. You struggle in Gilda's arms.

 

>"I won't ask again. What are you doing here?"

>After much struggling, you bite Gilda's arm.

>"AAAHRGH!"

>You escape her grasp and you proceed to kick Amy in the stomach.

>"UMF!"

>Time to get the hell out of...AHHHH!

"SHI...ARRGHAA..."

>Another vision clouds your mind and sight. You're paralyzed.

>"Quick, tie her up!" Amy said, leaning over from the stomach pain.

 

>         {THE VISION.}

>        {WHAT'S HAPPENING?}

>       {FROM ACROSS THE THUNDER IN THE CLOUDS}

>      {FROM BEYOND THE BUILDINGS OF THE CITY, IT IS LOUD}

>     {NOIR-MAN AND COMMANDER UNDERWEAR}

>    {TATTERED AND BLOODIED THE COSTUMES THEY WEAR}

>   {THEY FIGHT EACH OTHER IN THE WINTER NIGHT}

>  {AS A MAN FROM THE DISTANCE READIES HIS RIFLE AT THE FIGHT}

> {A SHOT WAS HEARD AS RAINBOW DASH AND PINKAMENA LOOKED ON}

>{IT IS NOW DAWN}

 

 

>"I got the tranq dart!" yelled Gilda.

>"She proceeds to stab your arm with the dart.

>It took only 4 seconds for the tranq to spread in your body.

>You pass out, with the vision imprinted on your mind.

 

Be Norman

Following Nolan through the factory's tour

 

>Lyra's been gone for a long time.

>Luckily, Brad's acting too much like a kid in a /toy/ store for Nolan to notice other normal people.

>I hope she's alright...

 

>*RING*

>"Excuse me, fellas. I have to take this."

>Brad finally caught on, whispering to me:

>"Psst, yo! Where's Lyra?"

"She went out..."

>"So that's why I feel pretty good for the past half-hour. No bitch to ruin the moment!"

>Aww, you guys are like sibling children.

 

>After Nolan puts away his phone, he tells us the news.

>"Sorry, fellas. There's been a...family emergency, so I guess the employment would have to wait."

"It's no problem, Nolan."

>"Say, weren't there three of you guys?"

"Lyra had to leave early."

>"I see...Well, it's nice to have some company in my factory. I'll see you two tommorow, I guess.

>"Aww man, we never even got paid!"

"Brad, we barely did anything useful except follow Nolan around."

>"Hey, you wanna go fight crime tonight or something?"

"Ehh, sure. Why not."

>"Bradical!"

 

>Great, I got a date with Brad...

 

Be Lyra

Nolan's interrogation  room

>Waking up from your slumber.

>You feel a prick by your arm.

>It's a dart. Probably a sleeping dart.

>Damn my visions. It's not even winter yet.

 

>You're alone in a small dark room.

>Only the lightbulb above you provides some light.

>You deduce that this is a place for hostages, or interrogations.

>Despite the darkness, you can see several torture tools by the far end of the room.

>Crap.

>You struggle but you're tied up, hanging from the ceiling.

>You try to scream, but your mouth has been duct taped.

>Not even your powers can save you now.

 

>Someone opens the door. It's too dark to see who it is.

>"She's here, sir."

>Sounds like Amy's goon's voice. Gilda, if I recall.

>Nolan comes to me from the dark.

>His eyes glaring with distrust and annoyance.

>He gently takes the duct tape off of my mouth.

 

>"Lyra."

>You don't answer him.

>"Would you mind telling me how you managed to pass through three whole areas of my factory without a single camera catching a glimpse of you?"

>Staying quiet.

>"I've put up hundreds of cameras with only a blindspot for rats and insects."

>...

>"Alright, I suppose it's not too important to thoroughly discuss. Let's talk about why you were in my office."

>Oh boy here we go

>"My cameras spotted you reading specific files. Most of them related to 'Noir-Man'"

"Look, Nolan. I only saw your goons arranging weapons and packing in narcotics in the van."

>"So you're an undercover cop?"

"I was just looking around your factory, and stumbled upon the secret wall Amy activated."

>"And your first instinct is to suspiciously crouch-walk..."

"...yep."

>"sigh, looks like this is gonna be an all nighter."

>Nolan walks to what appears to be a switch on the wall.

"Look, Nolan. We've err... barely known each other for a long time through Vinyl. Let me go now and I promise I wo...AHHH, WHAT THE HELL!?"

>The ground below you opens. A small pool filled with piranhas.

>"Lower her down."

"NOLAN, WAIT. YOU'RE SERIOUSLY GOING TO KILL ME?"

>"I'm sorry, Lyra. Friends or not, I can't trust you with this secret, unless you provide me with something of long term interest."

>Gilda lowers your rope down. Piranhas jumping from it's liquid home to try and get a bite of your shoe.

 

"W-WAIT! NOIR-MAN? YOU WANT NOIR-MAN, RIGHT?"

>"We already have our best men investigating him."

>Your feet have submerged in the pool. Piranhas already attaching their teeth through your jeans.

>Faust, this guy has no mercy, even to his schoolmates.

"L-LISTEN. I KNOW WHO HE IS!"

>"So do I. Theoretically. Besides, why would you know who he is?"

"S-SHIT. OKAY! VINYL!"

>"Hmm?"

"Y-YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENNED TO VINYL? HOW TO SAVE HER?"

>"...Gilda, pull it up."

>"Yes, sir."

 

Be Norman

Up the rooftops with Brad in costume

>"OHH YEAAAH. TWO BROS FIGHTIN CRIIME!"

"Shh, Brad. I'm trying to hear for people in need of our help."

>"You got super hearing?"

"Yeah, I'm like an owl, or Daredevil with radar sense."

>"Bradical! I wish I had an artifact too. Freaking Lyra and Vinyl got some before I did."

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I can talk to the manager and see if he can send some for you."

>"Talk to the manager?"

"Some nights, I have these weird dreams that I'm in another universe, one filled with people that spectates you and me.

>"Holy shit, you're talking to God and His brothers from different religions?!?"

"Not exactly, I don't know. Just some green people in suits, a giant pink pony whose face I can't see and this girl in a coat and a fedora with short purple hair."

>"Damn, Norman. You get all the action. Did you do it with the purple-haired girl?"

"Fuck, no. Like I said, I was half awake. I barely had control of myself."

>"But would you still have done it?"

"Brad..."

 

>Just then, a cry for crime is heard from miles away.

 

>"This is highway robbery!"

 

"Brad, sounds like a mugging!"

>"Aww, I was hoping for something along the lines of stopping a bank robbery."

"Come on!"

>You and Brad jump from building to building, following the voice.

>Atop the roof, you look down an alleyway to see two people conversing.

>"Jesus, the prices of these things are a highway robbery!"

>"Sorry, asshole, but that's for the quality. The Saint's Bro delivers good stuff, and we demand good money in return."

>"Ahh, you ass-heads, FINE."

 

>Brad comes in, panting.

>"So what's the plan, homey?"

"I'll jump on the dealer, and then deal with the buyer."

>"What do I do?"

"Look out for trouble. If there's back up, you go in for a surprise and we'll finish it off together."

>"Right on, bro!"

>And then you two proceed to brofist with the force of a hundred suns.

 

>You jump directly on the dealer and the buyer, who in turn, is about to hand over the drugs to the buyer.

>"WHAT THE...OOFF!" they say in unison.

"Come on, guys. Didn't your mother tell you guys not to do drugs?"

>"NOIR-MAN, VAN!" Brad yells.

>"HEY, THERE HE IS, GET HIM!"

>Brad jumps in, with his legs bare and his underwear bulging.

 

>"AHH, WHAT THE HELL!"

>Brad lands on one of the guys, trying to knock him out with his fists.

>"BEHOLD THE FISTS OF JUSTICE!"

>Everyone cringes for 3 seconds. A faint 'awwww' can be heard.

>One of them takes out a pistol.

>You take the cash the buyer brought and threw it at the man with extreme precision.

>"AHH, PAPERCUT!"

>The thug lets go of the gun. The chunk of money you threw went down a drainage pipe.

>You and Brad battle it out, two against 5.

"You ready for this?"

>"Always."

>You jump torwards one of them while Brad slides down the other.

>"DON'T JUST STAND THERE, GET THEM!"

>You kick the head of a goon while Brad grabs a branch nearby and attacks two others.

>The goon's slow speed is nothing against you.

>One of them tries to bear hug you, but you jumped in time and countered it with a kick from behind.

>He recoils to another guy, knocking both of them out.

>Brad tackles the remaining two guys while spouting terrible one-liners.

>He grabs one of the guys' belt and uses it as a makeshift whip.

>You come in to help up, grabbing the end of the belt while Brad holds of the other end.

>You both charge in, effortlessly tackling the two with the belt.

>Finally, the two bump their heads to the ground, all of the gang members lying unconscious.

 

>A flash from a distance grabs your attention. A news media taking photographs before running away.

>Just another day for two-

>"HEY!" yelled the buyer.

>"Where the hell is my money!"

"Look sir, take it as karma fo-"

>As you look behind to talk to the buyer, his face emerges from the shadows.

>Horror comes to your eyes as you recognize the man.

 

>GOOD GOD IT'S YOUR FATHER!

 

>"YOU MASKED FREAKS. YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST TAKE MY MONEY AND USE IT TO FIGHT CRIME?"

>Your father's a JUNKIE?

>Brad tries to calm him down

>"Sir, you have to understand-"

>"NO, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"he yelled

>He gets something from his coat. It's a badge.

 

>"Listen here, maggots. I'm an undercover cop trying to get leads on this 'Saint's Bro' gang, and I nearly had that gang with the money that had MY tracer."

>"S-sorry."

>"Alright, you two masked menaces are under arrest for concealed vigilantism!"

>You grab Brad by his arm and jumped all the way up to a short building.

>"HEY! COME BACK! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HANDCUFF YOU!"

>He yells, waving his fist in anger.

 

>"MENACE!"

 

 

>"Wow, Norman. That was awkward as hell!"

"No shit, Brad. I didn't know my dad was a freaking police officer!"

>"Dude, what did you even think his job was?"

"I don't know! Something normal, like a desk job or something! He never spoke much about his job!"

>"Hahaha, wow. What a night!"

 

"I need to check up on Lyra. She hasn't called since she disappeared at the factory."

>"Yeah, go check up on your girlfriend." Brad teased.

"Hey, we're just partners in crime fighting, same with you."

>"Not my fault people think you're dating her while Octavia stands by the corner, wrecked and filled with jealousy.

"Yeah, yeah."

>You open your phone to call Lyra. Someone answers.

"Lyra, you there?"

>No one answers.

"Lyra?"

>You hear a faint 'hm'. A female voice.

>However, your enhanced ears sensed something different.

 

>It's not Lyra.

>You close the phone.

>"What's the matter, broseph?"

"It's Lyra. I think her cover's blown."

 

End of Chapter 23