William "Will" Campbell's Story

Another day, another dollar. Having pulled an extended shift the night prior, Nisa struggled to get herself out of bed. Her alarm clock blinked unhelpfully, rhythmically spearing her sensitive eyes every half second. She sat up and whistled a short tune, the code for the lights to switch themselves on. She'd replaced all the bulbs in her loft with blacklights, as they were the easiest on her. For the past week, Nisa had been reorganizing the Golem's financial books and it was taking its toll on her. Not only did she need to track down every source of income the Golems made, but she also had to take into account every outbound expense as well. Normally, Nisa did this every quarter, but she'd fallen behind and now she was paying for it big time. Thankfully she was confident that today would be the final day. She had interviewed almost every member of the Golems, noted their responses and documented them in her database. Today she just had to draft up a spending and saving plan, reaffirm their laundering routes, and distribute the orders. She'd already issued a blanket statement that if any member of the Golems ceases or initiates a source of income, he or she has to report it to Mouse first. Not even Caleb was safe from her pestering, though she was at least very respectful of his boundaries and time management.

Nisa got out of bed to start her morning routine, which consisted of some Yoga, making a fresh pot of coffee, and checking for any missed mail that may have come through in the scant hours of sleep she managed to achieve. However, finding her inbox empty and her coffee full, Mouse decided it best to get a jumpstart on the day while it was still early. Parting the heavy blackout curtains in her bedroom, the woman squinted against the dim daylight that filtered through the drizzle. Nisa wasn't a big fan of rain, as the humidity frizzled her hair, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. Resignedly, she grabbed her umbrella, checked over her suit one last time, and began her commute to the old abandoned factory that served as the Golem's HQ. In these early hours traffic was light, allowing her to cut loose and get in a little inclement weather practice. Several times in the past she'd almost wiped out during a race due to standing water and oil on the roads.

At the entrance to the factory, Nisa pulled into one of the bigger rooms used as VIP parking to keep her car from getting unnecessary rain time. She snapped her fingers at two loafing goons, ordering them to dry her ride off and dropping vague, yet terrifying hints about what bodily harm she'd inflict on them if they so much as scratched the protective coating on her prized vehicle. Nisa debated on whether or not to berate the other loafers for wasting time with dominoes and cards, but decided that getting the books done was more important. It wasn't like they'd listen to her anyways. As far as most of the goons were concerned, she was simply Caleb's personal assistant, and even though she exuded an aura of 'Don't fuck with me', she still didn't have any real authority in their eyes. Not yet anyways. Talented as he was, Caleb was still just one man, and he was going to have to accept the fact that more manpower was needed to keep this monstrosity of a crime syndicate running on all cylinders.

At the top of the stairwell, Mouse leaned against the wall, slightly winded from the climb. Cardio was always something she hated, yet simultaneously understood was vitally important to her continued success in this business. After all, if she couldn't run from those damned vigilantes or the police, then one fateful day, the Golems might be crippled until she can bail herself out of jail. That was a risk that was just too high for her to continue to go unmitigated. She'd managed to rig up a treadmill in her loft, and used it every day, but her frail body just didn't take to exercise like normal humans. Damn her parents.

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Will spun around in Nisa's chair impatiently. The chair was really comfortable, that's for sure, he could even take a nap on it if he so desired, but he had been waiting for a while now. He should have timed his "surprise appearance" a little better, and just asked around for what time Nisa normally came to work rather than get here early to wait for her. 'At least I'm getting a bonus off this visit' thought Will as he spun around once more. The chair was entertaining at least. He let the chair spin continuously as he checked his pocket for the package, a package that contained a fairly potent drug. Not for that purpose, mind you, but to give it to Nisa, not for that purpose either. He hoped so at least. As he was closing his eyes, almost falling asleep, he heard footsteps coming from outside the office. Almost falling to the ground, Will clumsily stopped the chair and sat straight up, facing the wall away from the door. When he heard it open, he turned around dramatically and said in a loud voice "There is no place the Almighty Phase cannot reach".
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"Ah! Jesus Christ, Phase! You trying to give me a heart attack!?" Nisa recoiled in surprise as she looked up to see the thief in her chair. She clutched her chest, flooding her system with downers to stop her racing heart. After a few seconds, she managed to calm down, turning to the intruder with her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing here? Why didn't you call me if you wanted to meet? You're just fucking lucky I left my nine in my car."

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Will gave her a grin and continued to spin on the chair. "Well, you see, our meetings at cafe's and restaurants were nice and all, but they were getting somewhat boring, so I decided to pay you a visit at your office. Besides, I have a special package for you."

He stopped spinning and looked at her. "Lucky? Lucky you, since you're more likely to shoot your foot than hit me!" And with that said he once again spun in the chair. This is a nice chair.
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Pushing her glasses back up her nose, Nisa gritted her teeth in annoyance, but chose not to comment on his insult, instead interested in the mention of a special package. Approaching the chair, Nisa held out her hand impatiently, while stopping the constant rotation with the other.

"Show me what you have and don't spin my chair. You'll break it." She briefly scanned the office to make sure nothing was disturbed, aside from her chair of course. "I'll decide if this is worth your breach of conduct."

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As soon as she stopped the chair, Will made a face. "Party-pooper." He then took out a small package from his pocket and held it out in front of her face. Said package contained a very pink substance inside of it.

"Does this little pink thing seem worth my breach? Because if not I can just give it to someone else." He shook the package a little to bring her attention to it.
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"Phase...You broke into my office and almost killed me to offer me a bag of cotton candy? Please tell me this," she indicated the bag, "Is a joke and you have something real to offer me." Skepticism aside, Nisa swiped at the bag in his hands to get a taste. Popping the baggie open, Nisa cautiously sniffed the bag, and what she smelled immediately roused her interest. This definitely wasn't cotton candy.

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"Fist of all, I didn't break per se, I just…went through the wall." He let her take the bag from his hands. "But you see, this is really good cotton candy." He said as she took a sniff of the stuff.
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"Alright. Color me interested. Where did you find this, and how did you know I'd want it?" she questioned suspiciously, pulling a small fluff of the substance out and handing the bag back to Phase. With a small, fortifying breath, Mouse prepared herself to analyze the substance without taking on any of the effects, a very delicate balancing act that took years for her to perfect. On initial contact with her tongue, the stuff immediately dissolved and was sucked into her bloodstream. Her pupils dilated slightly as she almost instantly understood what the drug was supposed to do.

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"Haha! I knew you'd like it! So I was walking around the not so good part of town, and I see every drug dealer, or at least the ones I know are drug dealers, selling these little packages of pink stuff. Obviously it wasn't cotton candy, or if it was it must have been some kickass cotton candy. Anyways, I got close to some guy selling it and eavesdropped into the conversation. So this cotton candy looking thing ended up being some sort of steroids that amplifies your powers." Explained Will with a grin slowly growing in his face. "So I then follow the guy, because I know something like this would interest you, you with all those weird drugs you take and whatnot, and I end up with the jackpot! Crates and crates of the stuff, which I took the pleasure of "peeking" inside some and taking a few samples of the stuff."

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"Holy shit. This...is amazing!" Nisa's face lit up like a child on christmas day as she began to pace the office, rambling almost incomprehensibly about formulas and ratios. "Phase, have you taken any of this? Oh my god!" She devolved back to rambling for a few minutes before surfacing again in the present. "Just this once, you name a price and I'll meet it. I need to get this into the lab now!" She leaned across her desk towards the man, an almost feral hungry look in her eyes. This drug, if she could modify it and mass produce it, could be the Golem's ticket to stomping the annoying Tiger insects out of Fort Blackburn.

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While she was busy quoting advanced math and other sorcery he couldn't comprehend, Will took this chance to spin more on the chair. The perfect crime.

"Nope, after seeing a few of the side effects, I decided against it. People go weird when they take the stuff." Said Will doing a circular motion with his finger on the side of his head. "At least, that's what I've seen so far, so I'd rather not risk it."

Will stopped spinning and his face almost broke with a huge grin. "Any price?"
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Instantly her hungery look vanished, replaced by a more cautious and slightly hurt expression. "Phase...I'm doing this out of the goodwill of my heart. I already know how to replicate the drug perfectly now. If you backstab me on this, I'll be a lot less friendly in the future. Name a price with that in mind," warned Nisa. This was exactly why she didn't trust other people normally, because on the first sign of vulnerability or generosity, they seized the moment to completely fuck you over.

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Giving the chair one more spin Will thought about a price. Although he didn't believe Mouse would give money "out of goodwill of her heart" he wouldn't reject her offer. "Well, I'm assuming you would want more than just a small bag, and following that assumption I would say a hundred grand for an amount of one crate, more or less."

"Oh, and also this chair. I like this chair very much."
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Mouse pretended to be upset, making a show of it, but in reality was relieved that he only wanted that much. When this drug took off, and she was sure it would, the going rate would skyrocket. However, she couldn't just let that deal go as it was.

"Sorry Phase. Its either a flat 100 for the crate, or 80 plus the chair. I'm rather attached to it, you see." She put her hands on her hips, staring the man down.

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"Mouse, please, I am fully aware that once you make your own batch you'll be a millionaire, and that the big boss will be pretty happy with you if you showed him your new acquisition." He put his hands over his heart and said. "You see, I'm doing this out of goodwill of my heart." He was fully aware that the price was nothing compared to the worth of this drug if it was distributed at a large scale.

"Plus, if you play ball, I will get more of the stuff if you needed more of it." Will said as he rhythmically tapped his fingers on his soon to be his new chair. "So, a hundred grand and the chair. Oh, and when you show it to the boss, don't forget to mention my name will you."
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Damn. Of course he was going to play hardball. Still, she needed this stuff for her chemists to study and replicate. His comment about her being a millionaire, however, almost pulled an involuntary chuckle from her. She'd been in the millionaire bracket for quite some time now, though she never touched any of it.

"Fine, Phase. You're a cheating bastard, but this time, I'll let it slide. This time. Take the chair and bring me the crate. I'll have the cash when you get back." She waved her hand at him dismissively, pulling out her cell phone to get ahold of her lead lab guy.

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Will grinned and winked at her. "Pleasure doing business with you." And with that he stood up, took the chair, and dragged it out of the office through the wall. He then spent ten minutes trying to fit the damn thing into his car.

Thirty minutes later, the chair was neatly placed in his house, and the crate neatly placed in his hands and ready to deliver. For the second time today he headed to Nisa's office and phased through the back wall saying "Surprise delivery!" as he shook the crate in his hands.
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Dispite her distinct lack of physical prowess, Mouse managed to clear 3 feet vertically, as did several of her technicians that she'd been meeting with. She whirled about, furious and ever so slightly ashamed at being spooked a second time.

"You fucker! Put the crate down, take the bag with your money and get out!" Nisa practically shrilled at Phase, indicating a large duffel bag with one shaking finger. Her frazzled nerves were just about done with today, and it had hardly been two hours since she'd woken up. Her techs gathered around the crate as they put it on her desk and opened it. She had briefed them about the substance, but of course since they all shared a love of chemistry, all of them wanted to see the substance firsthand. According to what she gleaned from the substance, it would take several weeks for her to synthesize a more stable, less shoddy version of this drug. Still, she could have this version put onto the market in the meantime to boost Golem revenue.

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Well that was unexpected. Will quickly grabbed the bag and left before she lost it completely. Once home he would spend his time sitting in his new favorite chair counting his money.
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"But why does the fire make the log go away?" Big Charles gritted his teeth in annoyance. As much as he liked the Cromwyll kid, Christ did she have the strangest questions, and it was starting to get on his nerves. He turned to her, hands on his hips and flour all over his apron, clearly not happy that she was interrupting his baking.

"Because, Cromwyll. Because the fire makes the log go to heaven. Now...please...go break into someone else's house and play with their TV or something. I need to finish this cake and you're not helping me." She pouted initially, but finally relented, squeezing herself through his barely open window to the fire escape. Big Charles shivered. He could never get used to that shit. Taking a flying leap off the eighth floor of her tenement building, Cromwyll Morganstern plummeted to the ground, landing in a strange fleshy lump which slowly coalesced itself back into her normal form. She flipped her hood up and began to jog down the street, quietly singing the new song she'd been writing for her punk band under her breath as she planned a route. Tonight, the Upper Middle district seemed like a fun place to stir up trouble.

An hour or so of solid jogging found her in her desired neighborhood, though now the difficult choice of picking a house presented itself to her. Several homes she recognized from previous escapades, though one in the distance stood out to her. Slowing her pace as she neared the place, Cromwyll examined the outside for obvious signs of security. Nothing really stood out. Suspicious. Oh well.

"Ding dong, pizza delivery," she whispered as she sidled up to the front door to pick the lock. Locks definitely weren't her strong suit, but a bit of challenge here and there is good for the soul. Thirty seconds later, she was in. The interior elicited a low whistle from Cromwyll. This was a really nice pad she found herself in, so nice, in fact, that her suspicions went through the roof...for about all of three seconds, until she noticed the enormous fridge. Like a reverent worshipper approaching their deity, she slowly grasped the handle to the fridge and pulled the door open. There within, the mystical Fridge Light greeted her like a long lost relative, blowing the cold, refreshing wind of enlightenment upon her. The question: Does the light stay on when you close the door? Tonight was the night Cromwyll felt she would get her answer. Fate, however, decided that would not be amongst the list of activities she'd be performing. No matter how many times she opened and closed the door, she couldn't tell whether or not the light was indeed staying on.

Will was piloting his XC-3 through space, blasting away alien scum and getting ready to attack the mothership. As soon as he was about to bombard the core of the ship he was jolted awake by an unusual sound. It sounded very much as if someone was trying to climb up his house using big suckers, like in those spy movies. Will sat up rubbing his face, already forgetting the dream, and tried to figure out if this was one of those dreams within a dream. Just like the time he woke up and found a leprechaun in his kitchen. Which actually ended up just being a midget trying to rob his place, and it actually wasn't a dream. Dream or no dream, Will decided to at least check out what that noise was, which seemed to originate from the kitchen. Armed only with his wits and his pajamas, which consisted of some shorts and a shirt that said "Feed the Cook", Will felt ready to report whatever he saw to the police.

Tip toeing to the kitchen, Will tripped more times than he could count. It probably wasn't a good idea to tip toe while half asleep. Walking to the kitchen, Will kept hearing that strange noise. It didn't sound like giant suckers anymore, but as if someone was opening and closing his fridge. A sound he knew very well. Edging around the doorframe that led to the kitchen, Will looked at whoever, or whatever, was disrupting his sleep.

To his surprise, a girl stood in front of the fridge opening and closing it continuously. This was a lucid dream Will decided. Just like the time he "woke up" to find an unicorn messing with his toaster. Will tested his theory by trying to make a million bucks appear, which it didn't, so it probably wasn't a lucid dream. Lucid dream or not, Will was just too curious about what the hell she was doing. Being a bit more awake now, he tip toed to her, careful not to make a sound. When he was close enough, he stood next to her and said "Boo!"

Shrieking in terror, Cromwyll leapt on top of the fridge like a cat, leaving the door half open. Once she'd recovered enough of her wits to be upset, she made a pouty face at the newcomer, who she supposed was the owner of the house. Since he didn't appear to have any weapons on his person, Cromwyll decided it was safe to drop back down and continue her quest for enlightenment, though she kept one eye on the man. Literally, one eye examined the fridge while the other kept a laser bead on the owner.

"But does the light stay on when the door is closed?" she asked him, as if it was the most normal situation in the world. People always break into houses and fuck with fridges in the middle of the night. Why not?

Will chuckled as she jumped on top of his fridge. It was always fun to scare an intruder. It was never fun when the intruder attacked you after. This particular intruder, however, didn't seem to want to attack him, and instead went back to messing around with the fridge, somehow having one eye looking at the fridge and the other at him. Creepy. Will tried to replicate her eye motion, but to no avail.

Her question about the fridge light was also unexpected, but at least it gave him an answer to what she was doing. Even though breaking into a house to mess around with a fridge wasn't the most traditional thing done. Mildly amused, he pondered on this. If he were fully awake and rational, he would know that no, the light doesn't stay on. But not being a morning person, or late night person in this particular case, Will wasn't in his full mental capabilities. "I dunno." He said getting close to the fridge to figure out. "Try leaving it only a bit close. Maybe we can see that way."

"I'm bored...You try!" She backed away from the fridge, her eyes back to normal now that she trusted the man. It was his fridge, maybe he knew some secret to getting the answers. Taking a look around, Cromwyll shoved her hands into her sweater pocket, but her attention refocused as soon as the man approached the fridge.

"So...Is this your house?" The idea suddenly struck her that he could always be a guest here, or he might simply be house sitting. In which case, he might not actually know how to unlock fridgevana and true enlightenment. Oh well. Nothing to do but hope.

Will, what are you doing Will. There is an intruder in your house and you are fucking around with the fridge. Will, stop that. Was that the voice of God? No, it was the voice of Will's rational side, however small it was, which was just starting to act as time passed. Playing with a fridge while an intruder was right behind you unmonitored wasn't the smartest thing to do. Although Will had always been a little too trusty, or stupid. Those two words seemed to be interchangeable. Ignoring any piece of common sense, Will kept closing and opening the door. It seemed like a futile mission, finding the truth hidden in the secrets of the fridge, but when he was about to close it, the light turned off. "Aha!" Will said, pride and satisfaction filling him. "Look at this. The light turns off when you close it."

The secret has been revealed! Cromwyll dropped to her knees and touched her head to the floor. "Fridgevana has been achieved. We are the enlightened ones. We must spread the word to the uneducated masses. Praise the Discoverer!" She burst into laughter at the last part, unable to maintain the ruse. Standing up and wiping her pants, Cromwyll extended her hand to the man with a smile, though it was too dark to see.

"I'm Cromwyll Morganstern. I guess since you're awake I won't be robbing you. What's your name?" Her attitude changed drastically from the silly girl only moments before into a normal twentysomething woman. "This is actually a pretty nice place, especially for this neighborhood. I'd assume you have a fair amount of means to support yourself. I mean, this fridge alone probably cost, what, 2 grand? More than most people are willing to spend on a fridge, that's for sure." She felt herself at a loss. Cromwyll hadn't been caught before, and therefore had no frame of reference as to how to handle the situation.

After what would probably be an A+ on theater class, the girl stood up and offered to shake his hand? It was hard to see, being night time and all, so he clapped his hands. Light then filled the room and nearly drove him blind. The light clappers were cool as hell, but the sudden change from dark to light tended to be a pain. When he regained his vision, he shook the smiling girl's hand.

"I'm Will." Both relieved that she wasn't going to rob him, and slightly worried that she was going to rob him if he hadn't woken up. He should probably call the police, but who cared really, she wasn't going to rob him anymore, so no harm done. "Yeah, I do have the money to go by, err.. Chromewhim…?" Once again, too trusty for his own good. Might as well just shout his bank account number.

A bit of the girl came back when he mispronounced her name. "It's CROMWYLL. Crom. Wyll. Not that hard." She shook her head, finally relenting with a shrug. "Well, Will. How's a chap like you make like a bandit with such cash? You some kind of bigshot?" Shoving her hands into her pockets again, Cromwyll began her self guided tour through this elegant house, hoping that Will would tag along. She poked and prodded things, sticking her head into various rooms and looking for infiltration methods. At the foot of the stairs, Cromwyll turned to Will and jerked her thumb towards the second floor.

"That where you sleep?" Of course she didn't wait for an answer, and instead took the steps two at a time. She kept a mental note of all the things she'd seen, planning on delivering a blistering lecture on proper home paranoia once she'd seen the whole place. Maybe there was some hidden thing she was missing. Highly doubtful though. This Will guy didn't seem paranoid enough for his own good. Finally, she stopped at his bedroom, hands on her hips and glaring at it.

"Goddamn if this place doesn't just blow mine out of the water. You could rent my apartment just by selling your bedspread, I bet. Not that I pay for it..." she muttered, arms crossed. Sometimes Cromwyll hated breaking into rich places like these. They reminded her too much of the squalor she lived in now. Faucets that spit rust. A stove that backfires like a goddamn car half the time. Three blankets for a bed. Sharing dinner with cockroaches when she wasn't at someone else's house. Will probably had never dealt with that kind of shit even once in his life. It made her jealous.

Following her, Will tried to keep pace. He probably should be concerned that some intruder was walking around his house, examining everything. But she seemed like a nice person so he didn't really care much for it. Never ask Will for advice.

"Eh yeah, upstairs is my room. As well as the guest room and all that-" He was cut short by her hurrying up the stairs. Normally, the owner of the house would be leading the guest around, and not the other way around. Scratch that, normally one would call the police at the first sign of an intruder, and not let said intruder travel around the place.

Finally, she stopped in front of his room. For some reason, she didn't look to happy with it, glaring at it with contempt. "Well, I do like to live comfortably. Who wouldn't?" Having an expensive house had its rewards, mostly if you could afford it, which Will definitively could. "Where do you live anyways?" Probably not a place as nice as this. Probably not even a nice place by the sounds of it.

"4th and Turnbull," she grumbled. Just about the worst tenement in town, it was a very well known spot for drug deals, murders, and all other sorts of crime to breed unabated. She scuffed the carpet with her shoe a bit, suddenly embarrassed to be talking about her shitty home while standing in this amazing one.

"Your windows in the downstairs bath don't latch right. You should fix that. Also the vent in your laundry room leads straight outside. If I wanted to, I could have broken in through there. Your front door lock also needs some work. You should get a lock with better spacers so it isn't so easy to pick." Brushing past him abruptly, Cromwyll looked through the last few rooms on the second floor, moving without any real purpose. Just to make a point, she nicked one of the bars of soap from his bathroom while staring him in the face, daring him to say something about it.

"Well, Will. It's been an...enlightening experience. I won't keep you from your beauty sleep any longer, though. Have a great one." Cromwyll didn't meet his eyes as she trudged back through his house to the front door.

Oh, well that is a shit place to live. No wonder she was mesmerized by the fridge, poor girl probably didn't even have a fridge. He had to admit, he did like the kid, and the fact that she didn't try to steal from him counted as brownie points. "You know, I do have some extra space here, if you want to stay." He said, before she could leave. "And you could help me with making the house more secure, as you pointed out all the faults before. Plus, co-op games are kinda boring playing alone."

Wait what? Cromwyll turned to Will, eyes wide. Stay in a mansion like this? Not have to go back to the roaches and rats? She dashed forward and threw her arms around Will, hugging him tight. She almost burst into tears right there, but managed to control herself.

"You mean it? Oh thank you! Thank you! I promise I'll make this place more secure than ArmaMax headquarters!" She released her hold on him and dashed around the house, taking the stairs face first. After another hour of excited house touching and happy chatter, Cromwyll finally passed out half draped over the living room couch.