The Silence of a Somber Day

Mother Nature

  "So many memories," Tempest said as he looked up. Standing before him was the Tower of Power, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world that housed the headquarters for the Heroes Association in L'Manberg. This tower was built by the same man who created Pandora's Vault, and it was one of his first creations. The Tower of Power had been Tempest's home when he had been a legal hero. He had spent his first days and last days as Dream's sidekick while sleeping in a room on one of the highest floors. It had been the Muffinteers floor. Tempest had neighbored George and Dream while across the hall from SapNap. He had the best food of his life in that kitchen, sitting at that dinner table with a bright smile and good friends. He snuck his first sip of alcohol in that home. It wasn't as cozy as George's house and it wasn't as filled with hope as his current apartment, but that Tower had been the first place Tommy believed was his home.

        "We'll make more good memories," Halo reassured as he placed a hand on Tempest's shoulder. It all came back to the man in a rush. His memories painted a vivid picture of him under the Egg's influence. Halo was able to remember that Tempest had been evicted from the Tower after his third strike with the Heroes Association. Halo recalled how furious SapNap was, and he could remember staying up with Dream all night as the hero sobbed and self-blamed. The next day, Halo was taken by the Egg, enraptured by the powers that the device held. That was the last time he had seen any of the Muffinteers besides on the news. Halo had planted the bomb a week before the events happening now.

        "Only if we pull this shitty plan off," Tempest said with a disappointed sigh. Tempest pulled his hood over his head, attempting to shadow his entire face. Halo did the same. They both were trying to keep a low profile as they walked into the main lobby. Tempest bit his tongue to keep from making a noise as the familiar smell washed into his nose. He could hear heroes that he had known before talking to each other carelessly. They had no idea what was happening. They didn't know that their lives were in danger. Tempest wanted to let them know, but none of them would believe an exile like him. Tempest had to prove he was trustworthy before he could expect any of them to believe he was telling the truth. There was a chance they would believe Halo, but his unexplained absence wouldn't give them any points in the trust department. No, they would need to deal with the bomb first.

        Tempest pushed the recall button beside one of the elevators. The down button began to glow a soft yellow while the red lines making up numbers decreased above the elevator doors. Tempest stared at it impatiently. His foot began to tap against the tile. To make it more interesting, he only hit the tile when he heard a conjunction from someone in the mass of heroes. Tempest felt anxiety rise in his stomach. They were going to get caught if the elevator took this long to come down. He could feel someone's stare on his back, and he heard the footsteps of someone approaching wearing heels. Tempest heard someone call out a 'hey, you!'. While he couldn't be sure who it was aimed for, Tempest grabbed Halo's hand to yank him into the elevator before the doors opened all the way. Halo muttered some muffin-based curse as Tempest turned around to see the receptionist coming towards them with furrowed eyebrows. The doors shut on her face.

        "Don't," Tempest told Halo before the man could tap a floor number. Tempest put his foot on the railing that went around the perimeter of the elevator to lift himself. Tempest slammed his palm against the latch on the ceiling. It creaked loudly as it opened. Tempest placed both arms around the edges to hoist himself onto the ceiling. He reached a hand down to Halo who stared at him like he lost his mind. Tempest sighed. "The elevator will recognize us as intruders. XD locked me out of the fucking system the moment he shoved my ass out of here. We'll have to climb up."

        "Language!" Halo gasped as he took Tempest's hand. Using his strength and Tempest's help, Halo was able to pull himself up. Tempest grabbed the rope of the elevator with a soft exhale. He pulled on the rope to test it before nodding to himself. Tempest pulled his body up, hand going one over the other as he pulled himself up the shaft. Tempest felt the vibrations run through the rope as Halo followed him up. The thick black rope dug into Tempest's skin, and he could feel the irritation begin. Tempest wanted to let go, but a fall from this height had the possibility of killing him. If it didn't kill him, he would have many broken bodily functions. Thankfully, he would be immune to the Egg. He would be stuck in a world where most people were, however. It would be a long process to cure everyone, so Tempest decided he would deal with the pain now so he could be lazy later.