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