Broken Down Apartment

A broken apartment down in the slums of New York. It was a piece of crap, so renting a room wasn't difficult at all. Especially with the money a certain speedster had been stealing from around town. Walking up the crooked stairs, the speedster, named Tara, was heading up to the second floor. She wasn't in her usual costume, and instead was wearing a white tanktop with blue jeans and white shoes. In her arms were various groceries she had bought with the stolen money, and in her mouth was the key to open the door to her room. She usually jumped crappy hotels, apartments, and motels simply because no one important was ever there. As she made it to her room number "202" she would shift the bags into one arm and place the key in the lock. With the simply turn, she was in the room and kicking the door behind her. With a slam it closed. The room was simple..One couch, a TV, a small table with a few plastic cups, and a crappy light hanging from the ceiling. Placing the bag onto a table, she reach within it and remove a half eaten pasty. Placing it in her mouth, she'd hold it with her teeth while walking over to the TV and pressing the button to turn it on. Right on cue, the music would begin to play through out the room and she'd dance around to it. "Life in the Fast Lane! I'll run till dawn! I'm a lunatic, I'll move so fast it'll make you sick. I'm loosin it, my head starts spinning and I gotta quit!" The girl sang the lyrics, but most was mumbled from the pastry in her mouth. Grasping the bun, she'd spin before landing down on the couch and tossing her feet up. "This is the life..Kind of." Tara would continue to bite at the snack while watching TV and wasting her day away, Her shoes were kicked off and her hair was let down for once in weeks.

"Is it....really" a voice stated from a darkened corner as the music came to an abrupt end. If she had scanned the room she would find the master key laying on the night stand. "I hope you don't mind I observed you coming from the grocery store and certain qualities you had peeked my interest. So I asked the owner of this fine establishment where you resided, He insured me that he takes the up most discretion in his residents privacy but with a little persuasion he saw things my way." he would swirl around a glass of scotch that he had taken from the owners stash. His voice was neither deep nor high pitched but several combinations of both. It was as if several beings were talking at once. "I know a lot about you Tara ... is this really The Life as you put it. You wander around stealing with no purpose no aim a drifter. What if I could offer you something much more valuable than a few dollars here or there. What if I could offer you purpose?" A maw opened up from the mouth of his mask and he poured the chilled liquid into his mouth giving the woman time to mill everything over and give a response.

The music came to a stop, and another voice made its presence known within the room. On super speedy reflex, Tara jumped up and moved to the opposite corner of the room, looking towards the..strange..man? He began to spoke..saying things that no one should have known. No one saw her when she stole..She was fast enough to get in there and get out before a blink of an eye. Who the hell was this guy? "You know what? I didn't steal anything from anybody. If you want to keep accusing me.." She disappeared and reappeared to a corner that was against the same wall as his own, in a blink of an eye. "..you should have some proof. So if you're not a cop, I think you've made a mistake because..This is my room, and I paid for it fair and square." Even though she never trusted a soul, his mention of purpose did intrigue her. She'd never let him know that through word of mouth. He'd have to be some kind of mind reader to know that. "Look here man. This is an invasion of privacy. So either you're lost, or you're looking for me to call the cops." A bluff..Would she really risk calling the cops and busting herself? That would be a dumb move. Hopefully it worked on this guy though..If he even was a guy. His voice was strange and she couldn't pinpoint if he was using a voice modifier or if it was naturally so odd. Even his appearance was something nightmares were made of.

A hand rose to his mask that ended in a failure to suppress his chuckling at what she said. "Bluffing doesn't suit you. Though you have worked very well at keeping that poker face. If you were not so fast you would have a rap sheet that could fill this entire room." With that said a dark mist would rise and carry the rooms phone next to her. He would then point to it in a nonchalant manner. "Be my guest" he said sitting back in the chair placing his feet up. "Now if we are done playing this little game I have a proposition. I am assembling a team to maintain certain balances in the world. I would like you to be the first member of this team." he would pause again placing the glass down he previously sipped the scotch from. "You are used to being quick....so I'm sure you won't mind me telling you that I need an answer most urgently. I have pressing matter that need to be dealt with and I'm sure if you decline you will have to get back to plotting your next penny hustle or two bit scheme." With that said he would rise from the chair and give a slow pace toward the door giving her enough time to respond.

Tara's eyes would widen slightly..It was almost like this guy could read what was on her mind. The phone would begin to float towards her next, making her shift her green eyes to look towards it. If he could read minds AND manipulate other objects..that would be..Ugh, she didn't know the words for it. He went on to saying he was assembling a team to keep balance..Balance was a term used loosely. What was balance, exactly? Was he looking at the balance of good and evil or the balance of society? Tara's sole mission was learning what happened to her father during his time in the lab, and joining a team would surely take her away from that. But on the other hand, being around those like her could possibly make her find a second home. Maybe she wouldn't need to steal from innocent people to stay off the streets at night. Her lips were closed the entire time, as the man began to walk towards the door and wished to hear and answer immediately. Her green eyes only watched him as he edged closer and closer to the door, and her one chance to change her life was almost gone. When the man was a few inches from the door, the girl would reappear infront of him with her back pack on her bag, and dressed in her usually hoodie and shades. "Alright, I'll join you. But only on one condition.." She looked him up and down before shifting her gaze back towards his face. "I want a cool suit! Something..Flashy!"

He would merely give a nod as he opened the door and he would make his exit now confident that she would follow.

exit

submitted for presitge