Duty Calls
New York, Queens
Aaron's Apartment
23:12
"Hey, good job on your first assignment slowpoke!"
Is the first thing that Aaron hears as soon as he picks up his phone. The voice on the other side comes from none other than the mad scientist he's inevitably acquainted with: Isaac Steinn, or as he likes to be called, Dr. Steinn.
"Umm, thanks! Although the slowpoke part was unnecessary…" The teenager replies as he jumps straight to bed, for the 3rd time this day. "So how did the gadgets work? Any problems?" The man inquires. "Nope, not any problems in particular… If I had to say something, my wrist is a bit sore." Aaron answers playfully. "And what does that have to do with my gadgets, punk?!" Dr. Steinn gives off a satisfying reaction, in which Aaron laughs at, in response.
"Anyway, as a working man as myself has a ton of research to conduct, I'd have to cut this call short."
"Working late again, I see…"
"The night is still young, kid. Goodnight."
"G'niight!"
And with this exchange the call ends and the young man lying on his bed is left staring at the ceiling.
During those 48 days that Aaron was training in the facilities of B.L.U. he gradually grew closer to both Agent Rodriguez and Dr. Steinn. More so to the scientist though, as he too has no family of his own. Divorced, and having lost his daughter at a very young age, the young man quickly realized there's more to the scientist than meets the eye. Behind his abrasive facade seems to be hiding a man who's too afraid to grow close to people.
*Bzzzzt*
The vibration of his phone indicating a message gradually snaps Aaron out of his trance. Without even having to check the name of the sender, his eyes grow wider than ever as he sits up on his bed.
"OH CRAP! AGAIN!" He shouts as he unlocks his phone and notices he still hasn't replied to Olivia.
O: Ignoring me mister?
Sent
What should I say?
A: Haha sorry! I was running some errands!
Sent
Hope this works…
O: Grocery shopping?
Sent
A: Yes! Forgot to do that earlier with all the gaming and stuff…
Sent
O: Sounds fair enough. So what you up to?
Sent
Phew… Dodged a bullet there…
Wait, she texted me again?
O: You won't believe what happened!
Sent
Oh now I'm intrigued!
A: Oh, what?
Sent
O: I'll tell you tomorrow!
Sent
OH COME ON!
A: Okay then…
Read
"And now she left me on read… Great!" Aaron voices as he locks his phone and puts it on his desk.
...Tomorrow, huh?
New York, Queens
Aaron's Apartment
10:06
*...Ring*
*Ring…*
*Riiiing*
"What…?" Aaron mumbles underneath his breath while repositioning his head on the pillow.
*Riiiiiiing*
"Oh crap someone's at the door…" Aaron realizes as he hears another ring. "And they're also persistent as hell…" He comments as he groggily gets up and walks to the door. Before opening though, he peeks through the door's little peephole. OLIVIA!" He instinctively yells as soon as he realizes the blonde girl is standing outside his door. "The one and only." She replies playfully and Aaron quickly runs away from the door and into his room. "How do I look? How do I look?!" He mumbles in a hurry as he stands in front of the mirror. But as he does, he notices something far more important than the look on his face and his bed-head. He still hasn't taken off his suit...
CRAP I DOZED OFF WITHOUT REALIZING LAST NIGHT!
"Aaron? You there?" Olivia's voice can be heard from the other side of the door.
"Yeah! I'm just… naked!" He blurts out the first thing that comes to mind as he attempts to remove his suit.
Why the hell did I just say that!!!
"Naked?!" She exclaims completely shocked.
"Yeah but don't worry I'm getting dressed now!" Aaron announces as he puts on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
"O-okay…" Olivia voices as he runs to the door, stuffing the suit and the gadgets underneath his bed in the process.
"Hey!" Aaron says with a smile as he opens the door.
"Uhm… good morning. Glad you're not naked." Olivia replies as she tilts her head to the side. "May I come in?" She asks while he nods enthusiastically. "Haha, sure."
"Thanks."
"Woah! It's a lot more proper than I expected! It's clean and tidy!" Olivia exclaims, surprised. "Well yeah I try to keep it that way. Wait… what DID you expect?" Aaron asks with a judgemental look. "Oh well you know… Since you're 16 and all, running a house on your own might have proven difficult…" She says while looking away. "Oh please, difficult is my middle name!" He comments sarcastically while Olivia chuckles.
"So what's that you got there?" Aaron asks, noticing the oven pan on her hands.
"Oh yeah, this! My mum told me to bring it to you." Olivia explains while handing it over. "Your mum did?" He asks with a perplexed expression.
"It's apple pie. She baked it this morning." She replies while rolling her eyes for her mother.
"What? All this? For me?" He exclaims even more confused than before, while Olivia nods knowingly. "Well yeah she told me: "We need to help dear Aaron out, now that he's living alone!" or something along those lines." She says with a perfect imitation of her mother's voice while Aaron laughs as he puts down the pan on his counter. "Still this is too much…" He says while scratching his chin. "Not for my mother though." Olivia comments with a smile. "Thank you, really." He says as silence falls between the two. "... Anyway, since this is too much, will you help me eat it?" Aaron says with a wink. "No no my mother made this for you! She'd be mad if I ate it! Also she made one for us too." Olivia protests with her hands up. "Come on, just a slice!" But Aaron persists.
"...Okay." She lets up after a defeated sigh.
"Roger!" He says while taking out two slices, one for him and one for her, from the pan and putting it inside the fridge right after. "Come on." He motions for her to sit on the couch with him, and she complies.
"So what was that thing about me not believing what happened yesterday?" Aaron brings up yesterday's topic.
"Oh yeah! That! I completely forgot!" Olivia exclaims before taking a bite out of her pie and letting the plate down to emphasize the importance of the matter. "Yesterday…" She says "Yesterday…" Aaron repeats.
"My dad…"
"Your dad…"
"Met a superhero!"
"Met a- WHAT?!" Aaron yells in utter surprise. "Exactly!" Olivia says cheerfully. "What do you mean exactly?!" But Aaron is having none of it. "He wanted to buy me a gift so he visited a 24-hour jewelry store, but a group of thugs tried to rob the place. They also threatened him with a gun but a man in black jumped onto the scene and took them out. He could teleport and he also had some weird thingies on his arms! My dad also talked with him! It's all over the news as well!" Olivia explains as Aaron's mouth falls agape in complete and utter shock.
THAT GUY FROM YESTERDAY WAS OLIVIA'S DAD!?!?!
"Surprised?" She voices, trying to show off. It was then that Aaron noticed the golden pendant from yesterday, hanging from Olivia's neck.
THAT WAS DEFINITELY HIM!
"Surprised?! I'm shocked- I mean that's so cool!" He turns his expression from shocked to excited in a split second. "I know, right!? Check it out!" Olivia taps away at her phone showing him an article from a website. The headline reads:
MYSTERIOUS VIGILANTE DRESSED IN BLACK STOPS JEWELRY STORE HEIST IN NEW YORK, QUEENS!!
I'm already on the news!!!!
Aaron practically screams inside his head.
"Do you think he's here to stay? Like our own spiderman or Ironman?" She says excitedly. "Yes- I mean who knows?" Aaron replies without thinking but quickly salvages the situation.
"I wish he was…" Olivia voices as she picks up her plate and rests her back on the couch.
"So, wanna play some Older Scrolls 6?" Aaron casually asks while Olivia's eyes light up.
"You bought Older Scrolls 6 already?!"
"Yep!"
"Why didn't you say so earlier?! Let's do this!"
New York, Queens
Aaron's Apartment
19:20
*Ring ring*
"Wait, my mum's calling.. " Olivia says as she pauses the game and picks up the phone.
"You coming up Oli? Lunch's ready!" Her mum's cheerful voice can be heard from the other side of the phone. "Dinner? You sure you wanna eat dinner this early?" Olivia asks quizzically.
"It's 19:20." Aaron replies with a perplexed expression. "What? When did it get this late?!" She exclaims while looking at her phone.
"Okay mum I'll be right there!" Olivia replies while hanging up shortly after. "We've been playing for almost 10 hours… Wow…" Aaron voices as he lies down while staring at the ceiling. "Sure didn't feel like 10 hours though…" Olivia imitates him. "Anyway, I gotta get back downstairs. We'll talk later." She announces as she gets up and fixes her black shorts and white oversized T-shirt. "Okay then. We'll talk later." Aaron grins as he walks her to the door. "Oh and thanks for having me." She says with a smile as she starts going down the stairs.
"Don't mention it…" Aaron watches her go and as soon as she's out of sight, he closes the door behind him and sighs contentedly. "You're welcome any time…" He mumbles. "...Today sure was fun…" He voices while grinning to himself.
Not long after, he walks back to his room and picks up his phone.
3 missed calls...
Uh-Oh... That can't be good, right?
I was so absorbed that I forgot about everything else…
And with that thought he unlocks his phone and tracks the calls he missed.
Dr. Steinn?
Before he can call the grown man back though, yet another call pops up on his screen, which he accepts with zero hesitation.
"Aaron!" His voice comes off as hurried and loud. "What-" "Where the hell were you?!!" Aaron tries to speak but the scientist cuts him off.
"There's been an accident! You need to come to the B.L.U. facilities right now!" Dr. Steinn voices hurriedly. "What? What happened?!" Aaron asks, taken aback. "The building's on fire! There are people trapped inside here with me! Only… only you can save them! You have to hurry you hear me?!" The scientist explains in a stressed tone. "Aaron hurry!" He shouts one last time before hanging up. "What the hell…?" The young man mumbles to himself as he looks at the disconnected call. "I need to hurry!" He swiftly realizes as he reaches for his suit that's still lying below his bed.
Only… Only you can save them!
Isaac Steinn's words linger in his mind, his heart pounding furiously against his chest.
I messed up... I should have picked up my phone sooner...
What if there are casualties because of me?
Their lives are in my hands…
All these thoughts race through his mind as he gears up.
This kind of thinking will get me nowhere...
"Only I can save them… And I'm not planning on letting them down." He voices determined as he goes into Wraith form and lunges outside his window and into the dimly lit city.
Aaron's Apartment
23:12
"Hey, good job on your first assignment slowpoke!"
Is the first thing that Aaron hears as soon as he picks up his phone. The voice on the other side comes from none other than the mad scientist he's inevitably acquainted with: Isaac Steinn, or as he likes to be called, Dr. Steinn.
"Umm, thanks! Although the slowpoke part was unnecessary…" The teenager replies as he jumps straight to bed, for the 3rd time this day. "So how did the gadgets work? Any problems?" The man inquires. "Nope, not any problems in particular… If I had to say something, my wrist is a bit sore." Aaron answers playfully. "And what does that have to do with my gadgets, punk?!" Dr. Steinn gives off a satisfying reaction, in which Aaron laughs at, in response.
"Anyway, as a working man as myself has a ton of research to conduct, I'd have to cut this call short."
"Working late again, I see…"
"The night is still young, kid. Goodnight."
"G'niight!"
And with this exchange the call ends and the young man lying on his bed is left staring at the ceiling.
During those 48 days that Aaron was training in the facilities of B.L.U. he gradually grew closer to both Agent Rodriguez and Dr. Steinn. More so to the scientist though, as he too has no family of his own. Divorced, and having lost his daughter at a very young age, the young man quickly realized there's more to the scientist than meets the eye. Behind his abrasive facade seems to be hiding a man who's too afraid to grow close to people.
*Bzzzzt*
The vibration of his phone indicating a message gradually snaps Aaron out of his trance. Without even having to check the name of the sender, his eyes grow wider than ever as he sits up on his bed.
"OH CRAP! AGAIN!" He shouts as he unlocks his phone and notices he still hasn't replied to Olivia.
O: Ignoring me mister?
Sent
What should I say?
A: Haha sorry! I was running some errands!
Sent
Hope this works…
O: Grocery shopping?
Sent
A: Yes! Forgot to do that earlier with all the gaming and stuff…
Sent
O: Sounds fair enough. So what you up to?
Sent
Phew… Dodged a bullet there…
Wait, she texted me again?
O: You won't believe what happened!
Sent
Oh now I'm intrigued!
A: Oh, what?
Sent
O: I'll tell you tomorrow!
Sent
OH COME ON!
A: Okay then…
Read
"And now she left me on read… Great!" Aaron voices as he locks his phone and puts it on his desk.
...Tomorrow, huh?
New York, Queens
Aaron's Apartment
10:06
*...Ring*
*Ring…*
*Riiiing*
"What…?" Aaron mumbles underneath his breath while repositioning his head on the pillow.
*Riiiiiiing*
"Oh crap someone's at the door…" Aaron realizes as he hears another ring. "And they're also persistent as hell…" He comments as he groggily gets up and walks to the door. Before opening though, he peeks through the door's little peephole. OLIVIA!" He instinctively yells as soon as he realizes the blonde girl is standing outside his door. "The one and only." She replies playfully and Aaron quickly runs away from the door and into his room. "How do I look? How do I look?!" He mumbles in a hurry as he stands in front of the mirror. But as he does, he notices something far more important than the look on his face and his bed-head. He still hasn't taken off his suit...
CRAP I DOZED OFF WITHOUT REALIZING LAST NIGHT!
"Aaron? You there?" Olivia's voice can be heard from the other side of the door.
"Yeah! I'm just… naked!" He blurts out the first thing that comes to mind as he attempts to remove his suit.
Why the hell did I just say that!!!
"Naked?!" She exclaims completely shocked.
"Yeah but don't worry I'm getting dressed now!" Aaron announces as he puts on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
"O-okay…" Olivia voices as he runs to the door, stuffing the suit and the gadgets underneath his bed in the process.
"Hey!" Aaron says with a smile as he opens the door.
"Uhm… good morning. Glad you're not naked." Olivia replies as she tilts her head to the side. "May I come in?" She asks while he nods enthusiastically. "Haha, sure."
"Thanks."
"Woah! It's a lot more proper than I expected! It's clean and tidy!" Olivia exclaims, surprised. "Well yeah I try to keep it that way. Wait… what DID you expect?" Aaron asks with a judgemental look. "Oh well you know… Since you're 16 and all, running a house on your own might have proven difficult…" She says while looking away. "Oh please, difficult is my middle name!" He comments sarcastically while Olivia chuckles.
"So what's that you got there?" Aaron asks, noticing the oven pan on her hands.
"Oh yeah, this! My mum told me to bring it to you." Olivia explains while handing it over. "Your mum did?" He asks with a perplexed expression.
"It's apple pie. She baked it this morning." She replies while rolling her eyes for her mother.
"What? All this? For me?" He exclaims even more confused than before, while Olivia nods knowingly. "Well yeah she told me: "We need to help dear Aaron out, now that he's living alone!" or something along those lines." She says with a perfect imitation of her mother's voice while Aaron laughs as he puts down the pan on his counter. "Still this is too much…" He says while scratching his chin. "Not for my mother though." Olivia comments with a smile. "Thank you, really." He says as silence falls between the two. "... Anyway, since this is too much, will you help me eat it?" Aaron says with a wink. "No no my mother made this for you! She'd be mad if I ate it! Also she made one for us too." Olivia protests with her hands up. "Come on, just a slice!" But Aaron persists.
"...Okay." She lets up after a defeated sigh.
"Roger!" He says while taking out two slices, one for him and one for her, from the pan and putting it inside the fridge right after. "Come on." He motions for her to sit on the couch with him, and she complies.
"So what was that thing about me not believing what happened yesterday?" Aaron brings up yesterday's topic.
"Oh yeah! That! I completely forgot!" Olivia exclaims before taking a bite out of her pie and letting the plate down to emphasize the importance of the matter. "Yesterday…" She says "Yesterday…" Aaron repeats.
"My dad…"
"Your dad…"
"Met a superhero!"
"Met a- WHAT?!" Aaron yells in utter surprise. "Exactly!" Olivia says cheerfully. "What do you mean exactly?!" But Aaron is having none of it. "He wanted to buy me a gift so he visited a 24-hour jewelry store, but a group of thugs tried to rob the place. They also threatened him with a gun but a man in black jumped onto the scene and took them out. He could teleport and he also had some weird thingies on his arms! My dad also talked with him! It's all over the news as well!" Olivia explains as Aaron's mouth falls agape in complete and utter shock.
THAT GUY FROM YESTERDAY WAS OLIVIA'S DAD!?!?!
"Surprised?" She voices, trying to show off. It was then that Aaron noticed the golden pendant from yesterday, hanging from Olivia's neck.
THAT WAS DEFINITELY HIM!
"Surprised?! I'm shocked- I mean that's so cool!" He turns his expression from shocked to excited in a split second. "I know, right!? Check it out!" Olivia taps away at her phone showing him an article from a website. The headline reads:
MYSTERIOUS VIGILANTE DRESSED IN BLACK STOPS JEWELRY STORE HEIST IN NEW YORK, QUEENS!!
I'm already on the news!!!!
Aaron practically screams inside his head.
"Do you think he's here to stay? Like our own spiderman or Ironman?" She says excitedly. "Yes- I mean who knows?" Aaron replies without thinking but quickly salvages the situation.
"I wish he was…" Olivia voices as she picks up her plate and rests her back on the couch.
"So, wanna play some Older Scrolls 6?" Aaron casually asks while Olivia's eyes light up.
"You bought Older Scrolls 6 already?!"
"Yep!"
"Why didn't you say so earlier?! Let's do this!"
New York, Queens
Aaron's Apartment
19:20
*Ring ring*
"Wait, my mum's calling.. " Olivia says as she pauses the game and picks up the phone.
"You coming up Oli? Lunch's ready!" Her mum's cheerful voice can be heard from the other side of the phone. "Dinner? You sure you wanna eat dinner this early?" Olivia asks quizzically.
"It's 19:20." Aaron replies with a perplexed expression. "What? When did it get this late?!" She exclaims while looking at her phone.
"Okay mum I'll be right there!" Olivia replies while hanging up shortly after. "We've been playing for almost 10 hours… Wow…" Aaron voices as he lies down while staring at the ceiling. "Sure didn't feel like 10 hours though…" Olivia imitates him. "Anyway, I gotta get back downstairs. We'll talk later." She announces as she gets up and fixes her black shorts and white oversized T-shirt. "Okay then. We'll talk later." Aaron grins as he walks her to the door. "Oh and thanks for having me." She says with a smile as she starts going down the stairs.
"Don't mention it…" Aaron watches her go and as soon as she's out of sight, he closes the door behind him and sighs contentedly. "You're welcome any time…" He mumbles. "...Today sure was fun…" He voices while grinning to himself.
Not long after, he walks back to his room and picks up his phone.
3 missed calls...
Uh-Oh... That can't be good, right?
I was so absorbed that I forgot about everything else…
And with that thought he unlocks his phone and tracks the calls he missed.
Dr. Steinn?
Before he can call the grown man back though, yet another call pops up on his screen, which he accepts with zero hesitation.
"Aaron!" His voice comes off as hurried and loud. "What-" "Where the hell were you?!!" Aaron tries to speak but the scientist cuts him off.
"There's been an accident! You need to come to the B.L.U. facilities right now!" Dr. Steinn voices hurriedly. "What? What happened?!" Aaron asks, taken aback. "The building's on fire! There are people trapped inside here with me! Only… only you can save them! You have to hurry you hear me?!" The scientist explains in a stressed tone. "Aaron hurry!" He shouts one last time before hanging up. "What the hell…?" The young man mumbles to himself as he looks at the disconnected call. "I need to hurry!" He swiftly realizes as he reaches for his suit that's still lying below his bed.
Only… Only you can save them!
Isaac Steinn's words linger in his mind, his heart pounding furiously against his chest.
I messed up... I should have picked up my phone sooner...
What if there are casualties because of me?
Their lives are in my hands…
All these thoughts race through his mind as he gears up.
This kind of thinking will get me nowhere...
"Only I can save them… And I'm not planning on letting them down." He voices determined as he goes into Wraith form and lunges outside his window and into the dimly lit city.
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