Workaholic, finding work while on the job
Richard ran after Janette to try and make amends, soon after he ran out of the orphanage he began looking for Jannette all around town since she couldn't of gotten far. He turned the corner onto an alleyway and was taken surprise by an unknown person. The assailant covered Richard's mouth and nose with a cloth that was dowsed in chloroform and he was pinned against the wall. Richard tried to get a look at the person but he was never able to before he passed out.
He was awakened with smelling salts within an unknown building, Richard knew he was still within the town though since Richard had studied chloroform as a form of home defense and anesthesia possibilities. It is potent but for brief exposures it couldn't knock someone out for long unless exposed for it for long duration, since it can cause brain damage. Richard didn't know how long he was exposed but he can deduce if someone did want to capture him, making sure that Richard's mind was undamaged would be a priority.
Furthermore if he was awakened with smelling salts Richard could conclude that his captor was on a tight schedule. Richard's head was pounding and the room was spinning from being exposed to the chemical. Richard winced his eyes to get everything back into focus, he knew keeping his senses keen could be the meaning between living on past today or not.
The man set Richard's belongings on a table out of Richard's reach at the far corner of the room. The masked man turned around and approached Richard. He was roughly the same height as Richard, had short slicked back black hair, a black militarian style uniform, a belt with two guns within holsters which looked to be antique pistols from the twenty ten generation, and a satchel that the man had to his side.
He was obviously a professional; but his specific occupation was still unclear. Richard was bound to a chair with his hands behind him, but he was still alive. Chances were the masked man wasn't an assassin if that was the case. Richard looked up at the masked man and went to speak but the man asked him to be quiet.
The man informed him that he was well aware who Richard was, who he cares about, and what he does. Richard saw that formalities didn't matter so he asked what the man wanted. As Richard talked though he tried to reach up his sleeve to activate one of his small robots that he keeps hidden for emergencies within his shirt. It was frustratingly close but just out of reach, Richard kept secretively trying to reach it.
The masked man spoke "I am part of a league that has taken notice of your abilities, we would like you to help us on an investigation". Richard remarked "One heck of a way to ask for a favor, binding me up and stripping me of my possessions". The man went on to say that he wasn't asking for a favor; this was an employment offer. "Well, I got to tell you, out of all the job offers I've been given this is the most unorthodox" Richard smirked, "What do you want me to do and what are you offering"?
During this time Richard was finally able to reach up and flip the switch on the small robot he had hidden within his sleeve. It stirred around underneath his shirt sleeve and started gnawing through the rope that binds Richard's hands quietly but proficiently.
The masked man went on to say that should Richard choose to accept; his employer will invest more into his business and ensure it's growth continues exponentially, all he wanted Richard to do was help his associate track down a murderer that has been last seen in the Harlington District.
Richard knew that this man knew of his plans to go to the District anyways, simply by the way he told him the details of the job. Richard told him that he is no private investigator or bounty hunter, what could he possibly do to help. The masked man pulled out a glove that Richard recognized, it was something he made to help emergency care professionals take care of patients quickly.
The robot finally gnawed completely through the rope around his hands and had begun on the rope binding him to the chair. The masked man didn't notice though and Richard was now more intrigued with the man's investigation. "Do you recognize it?" The masked man asked. Richard nodded and told him it was from his workshop, it was called a U.M.G. which was an acronym for Univeral Medic Glove. Richard designed many tools within the glove...
An AED, an access tool for medics to make field reports on the go, access ports in the grips of the gloves so medics can give medication to patients through their skin, and the glove could project fields of thin holographic barriers to be used as straps so patients won't be injured in transport. Richard wanted to know the connection the gloves had to the murderer and the man told him that it is their corporation's belief that he was using it as his murder weapon.
Richard didn't want to hear that, the reason why he stopped making guns was so no more innocents can get hurt... Now he's being told that the very thing he designed to save lives was being used as a murderers swiss army knife. Richard got sad and then mad at his situation, was he doomed to repeat his mistakes over and over?
No, even if it was a tool that he did design he wasn't responsible for those peoples deaths, Richard's hands were clean. The robot finished gnawing through all the ropes and it crawled onto Richard's hand. "Your just full of surprises aren't you?" the man monotonously stated. The robot looked like a brass robotic beetle and Richard designed it to eat through any material and create cartridges of the material within the mechanical beetles body that can be used later to recreate things of similar material with it.
Richard had always had a fascination with insects, since through the entirety of history insects were the one consistency. To him, they were the perfect survivors, although his clients never shared his fascination; Richard enjoyed making robotic insects for various uses as a personal hobby of his.
Richard didn't run though, considering the man had yet to draw his weapon after seeing that his captive was free. He knew that the masked man already said what he needed to. Richard looked up at him and asked "What if I refuse?". The man was skeptical if Richard really would but he let him know that it would behoove Richard if he did; "Well... the first thing my organization would do is pull their shares from your business and stop investing in you".
Richard was caught off guard with that "You guys are the reason of my financial success?" The man smirked "You honestly thought you earned that kind of success on your own? Yes my employer saw much potential in your business and began investing into it heavily the past couple of years. If you upset him, I can't say that he'd continue to do so or not."
Richard didn't like that this unknown investor held so much power over him involving his finances, but it didn't change Richard's resolve. Deep down, he wanted to capture this man anyways; for warping his creation into something that it was never meant for.
The masked man saw that Richard was on board when he saw how the look of determination was etched into his face. "The broker boy is going to be leaving soon, you will go to him without saying goodbye to anyone. Nothing will change from your other work schedule. Do your job during the daytime hours; my accomplice will find you and seek your assistance at night once you arrive at Harlington."
The man said this as he pushed the table to Richard's side, which held all his belongings. The man then removed his gloves and placed it within his bag and started to walk out, before idly pausing and turning around to say one last thing "Oh, and just in case we are unclear... This meeting had never happened".
For a time Richard sat there in the chair processing everything that just happened, but soon after he got up and put everything back on. He idly noticed that everything he owned was cleaned thuroughly by the man, most likely insurance to ensure that he never left a trace of meeting Richard. Richard set out of the empty house and starting crossing the one and only bridge out of town to meet up with Daniel and Tim.
ns 172.70.100.146da2
