Duoya

Fate/Glimmering Oasis

Charlotte nodded as King Mu spoke - surveying the area was important, especially when there was so much devastation nearby. Charlotte mentally checked in with her familiars as Mu continued to speak, attempting to find the source of the flames as he asked. They were somewhat difficult to tell from the ground because Charlotte could only use the smoke as an indication, but with an aerial view from her familiars, the flames seemed to be strongest to the East of the bridge. It was also the most noticeable thing about the place they found themselves in and considering Charlotte's natural affinity and the durability of Servants, they would have an advantage in the place where flames are strongest.

When Charlotte unlinked her senses from her Familiars, she was greeted with Yasuke dressed in his Noble Phantasm. She jumped back in shock before regaining her composure, remembering that the man was not some metal demon looking to kill them, and was just her ally.

Yasuke's request was reasonable enough - Charlotte didn't doubt her own abilities, especially in a place covered in flames like this. Daniel however, at least to Charlotte's knowledge, wasn't resistant to fire - and even if he was, he might get crushed with rubble or choke on the smoke before he burns to death.

"I already sent out some familiars, and I know where the flames seem to be strongest. I'll have them keep an eye out for the others, but spotting a single person in this place might be a bit difficult - especially since it's already dark. I'll keep at it, Lancer, but we should head to the most noticeable place if we want to meet up."

Turning to her final ally, Charlotte continued to speak.

"Do you have any ideas for what else we should do, Arc-"

A chunk of clay flew up from the riverbed a short distance away, stopping Charlotte mid-sentence. Followed by another, slightly closer impact. The impacts continued to occur, and Charlotte could see the Bridge that served as a landmark appeared to be collapsing. Well, collapsing more than it already was - several of the impacts tore through it like wet tissues.

Charlotte spotted it, flying high up in the sky and moving incredibly fast. Far, far faster than any bird or airplane that Charlotte knew of - and it was flying straight at the small group.

Whatever the flying machine was, it was dangerous. Charlotte could tell that staying still and doing nothing would get her and possibly even her servants killed. Her mind faced as she thought of possible actions she could take. Her familiars weren't high enough to damage the plane, and even if they were, it was so much faster than them that it wouldn't make a difference. Lancer couldn't fly, and she didn't know if his musket had enough range or accuracy to hit a flying machine that high up. That left only Mu and Medb.

First of all, Charlotte needed to find cover. She was standing in the middle of a barren riverbed, and the minuscule cover that the bridge provided was scattered to the wind. Charlotte felt she could climb out of the riverbed before getting shot, but then she would have to find cover that was stronger than the bridge of metal and concrete.

"Lancer, I'm in your care - cover me!"

Charlotte made a break for the Western side of the riverbed, running as fast as she possibly could. It led to an area that was less destroyed, and which may have even a small amount of cover leftover. In most normal situations, Charlotte would run headfirst into a conflict gun blazing. Whatever the hell was chasing them was clearly not there for a fair fight though, since it was flying thousands of meters in the air. And if that thing wouldn't fight on the ground like a man, then Charlotte didn't feel guilty running away.

As she made it to the wall, Charlotte sent out a message to all of her servants using her mental connection with them.

"Archer, Caster - how many Command Seals would either of you need to bring that thing to the ground? I have three left!"

Charlotte was very thankful she hadn't already used those brands on her hand during her brief stay at Chaldea. After being explained what they did by some Chaldea staff, Charlotte wanted to avoid using them due to the fact it forcefully manipulates a Servant... But if there was a time her servants could use a boost, it was probably now.

If she was lucky, she would have enough to avoid getting hit by whatever destroyed the remnants of the bridge. And if she wasn't that lucky, at least she could use them to help everyone escape more quickly.

@Heavy Snark@Scallop@Red Alice@Reflection

《 H. E. R. O. 》

@Hitman

---

Running was one of the things that Chad liked most in the world - even before he received his powers, He was one of the best running backs in the entire state. When he scored touchdowns and heard the cheering of his teammates and fans, Chad felt useful and appreciated. Chad enjoyed that feeling, and even though he didn't feel it as much since gaining his powers, he still liked to work and help Percy with anything he could.

As he flew down the various offroads and alleyways of West Watervale, he wasn't feeling very useful at all. His first interaction with a Hero ended with him getting mocked - Chad even began to think that Pandora was making fun of his name and saying wrong on purpose! That caused him to stew somewhat, since it happened all the time on his blog. Pandora, now that's a weird name - it had nothing to do with digging through the ground! Street Shark, now that would be a cool name. Or Malicious Mole, if she was a villain.

A sudden beeping and vibration of the IDD he held caused Chad to slow down, skidding to a stop a moderate distance away. It couldn't have been Pandora, could it? Chad had run the complete opposite direction that she seemed to swim in, so unless he was really unlikely, that had to mean he was kind of close, right? Chad continued to lightly jog in place as he pressed the small button on the side of his device, attempting to use the communicator function.

"Hey, uh, I got a ping off my IDD, I think I might be clo-"

Halfway through his sentence, the device began vibrating and beeping again - Coordinates were coming in, Chad had watched enough Spy Movies to know that they were coordinates by just looking at them. They seemed t automatically go through the GPS on the device, quickly showing an area that the kidnapped heroes were probably located. Downtrodden from his lack of usefulness, Chad pressed the side button once more and spoke into it.

"False alarm, I'm going to the coordinates now..."

Well... So what! Sure, Chad couldn't find where the heroes were, but at the very least now he knew where they were, right? That meant he could be totally badass and save everyone, and then say a sick oneliner just like in the movies! That helped raise his spirits significantly. The real question was what to say...

Chad blasted down the side of the road, headed to the area that was sent to him.

---

Chad had originally scouted out the eastern border of the location, having been unable to see the massive movie set that occupied most of the area. He hadn't seen Pandora on his way there, but he wasn't especially worried about her - If Chad could swim through the ground, he probably wouldn't hand out on top of the land too much either. By the time he finally encountered the concrete cube of a movie set, the beeping on the IDD was becoming incessant. Chad found how to mute it fairly quickly, and chose to do so now that he had finally found the kidnapped heroes.

Chad clearly knew he was dealing with, seeing the advertisement for Marcus Aurelius on the side of the set. He had watched the film, and while it was fairly accurate to the actual Roman Emperor's life, the Marcomannic Wars portion was a total snoozefest and the ending was anticlimactic as hell. Chad was apparently in the minority since everyone on the imageboards he went to said that he 'just didn't get it.'

Chad shook his head, trying to remember what his train of thought was. That's right - Nero. If anyone decided that a movie set for a roman Emporer was a good idea, it was most likely that guy. But how the hell did he kidnap a bunch of heroes, one of which could teleport? That thought bounced in his skull, and Chad began to sweat in the heat and anxiety. Why was it so freaking hot suddenly!?

Chad ran straight towards the building. Thinking never worked out - he spent a month thinking about how to join H.E.R.O and it did nothing for him. The second he started actually doing something, things seemed to work out just fine. The ground was littered in gravel, holes, and various other obstacles that Chad avoided with fast reactions. The heat was more concerning than anything else - Chad's suit did not breathe well at all.

Chad had to circle the building before he managed to find an entrance. Whether it was to remain inconspicuous or simply because they were busy restraining the kidnapped heroes within, there were no guards posted outside. Of course, the door wasn't unlocked - supervillains were evil, not stupid. Chad paused briefly, before running away from the doorway. Even if the doors were locked, they were still made of wood.

A loud crash could be heard by anyone even somewhat close to the entrance, as Chad ran through one of the doors. He then proceeded to tumble across the ground for several feet before slowing to a stop and slowly rising to his feet. Thanks to his durability he didn't break anything, but he would have some bruises the next morning from that tumble. It was at that moment Chad realized, instead of charging at the door like a bull, he probably could have just punched through the door really fast and unlock it.

He would probably avoid telling that to anyone that asked.

Fate/Glimmering Oasis

After Medb arrived, Charlotte quickly relaxed from the anxiety she began to feel. It would have been very unfortunate if the group was going to Ray-whatsit without her, especially considering the fact that it seemed like a big deal. And while Daniels's suggestion was probably the smartest thing to do if Charlotte was not in contact with her servants, Charlotte didn't feel very comfortable using the mental link that she shared with her servants. It always felt... a little invasive? Charlotte just didn't like to use it outside of an emergency.

Charlotte tried to ignore the more lewd connotations of what Medb had told her via their link, and just flashed a smile.

"I'm just glad you managed to find us, Archer."

As Mu began to leave the canteen for the Rayshift chamber, Charlotte made sure to try and remember the word for the next hour or so. She had no idea how long these things usually took, but it would have been pretty lame if she needed to ask her servants for help and ended up embarrassing herself.

"Alright, lead the way Caster! C'mon Archer, Saber - it's time to finally let loose!"

The Rayshift Chamber was truly incredible, even by an institute like Chaldea's standards. Charlotte couldn't even begin to understand the pieces of technology around her, and instead chose to mimick whatever Daniel or Raphael did. After all, They had to have been in this room a few times at least, right?

When Raphael said there was no time for speeches, Charlotte frowned slightly. She hadn't been planning one, but at the mention of them, she realized now would have been the perfect opportunity to give an inspirational speech, or at the very least have a cool monologue! Thoughts of what she would have said were wiped away when she saw the coffins, however. Even if they were all hi-techy looking, they were still clearly coffins...

It only took a reminder of the schedule for Charlotte to go inside, however. She wasn't scared of something like a coffin, even if it was incredibly unnerving. She chose instead to think about whatever mission she was about to do. From what little she remembered when the process of Rayshifting was explained to her, it was kind of like teleporting... just through time and dimensions.

Any thoughts she had were blocked by the Coffin closing and the deafening silence that followed. That was pretty concerning.

Next thing Charlotte knew, she wasn't in a coffin anymore.

---

Charlotte could tell there was fire without even seeing it. It was the smell - choking, but faint. Something that shouldn't burn was on fire, but it was a fair distance away. This suspicion was confirmed when she opened her eyes, seeing smoke rise into the sky from a bridge a distance away. While most would be terrified of the experience, the smells and sights had the reverse effect on the previously anxious Charlotte.

Rising to her feet, Charlotte calmly investigated her surroundings. Clay was beneath her feet, cracked and dry, and there were fish bones scattered all around nearby. A river that had dried very suddenly, and judging by the presence of the bones and the burning city, it was probably pretty recent. Just from the way the smoke rose in the air and the direction of the wind, Charlotte could already tell where the flames were strongest in the city.

When she finally noticed that Daniel and his servants weren't present, Charlotte came back from her almost dream-like stupor. She didn't have time to get lost in the fire around her, even if this was the biggest one she had ever seen. What was more important was finding the others, and more importantly, finding out why the hell they were sent here...

Then again, they could have been sent to worse places, right? At the very least, this was something Charlotte was used to.

The first order of business was finding the others, especially before anything bad happened to them. Just because Charlotte was able to handle fire better than most and Servants were far more durable than a human could hope to be, she didn't know how well Daniel could handle flames this intense. And besides, something that started a fire this massive was probably more dangerous than the fire itself.

Charlotte pulled down her sleeve, revealing a damp cloth bandage wrapped loosely around her arm. One of the symbols engraved on the bandage seemed to smolder and burn as Magical Energy flowed through the Code, and a small ball of fire seemed to erupt from it in a burst of embers and ash particulate. The Wisp quickly began to ascend into the sky, already aware of its Master's desire. Three more burst outwards and followed the first into the air, before splitting up and moving towards different directions. While it was far from an incredible method of searching, it could cover a lot more ground than Charlotte could alone.

When she realized her Servants were only a short distance away, Charlotte jogged over to them, taking care to avoid the larger cracks that had formed in the riverbed. She didn't even need to crouch to avoid smoke, since the riverbed itself was fairly deep compared to the street.

"Hey guys, how awesome is this! Talk about a first mission, this is badass!!"

Charlotte paused and quickly tracked back, remembering what was important.

"Oh, uh - where do you guys want to check out first? I was thinking we could probably go towards the source of the fire. Y'know, to find out what caused all this?"

Unlike her fellow Master, Charlotte didn't even think of trying her communicator. She wasn't used to the device and didn't realize that in most other situations, it would be incredibly useful for finding the location of allies.

@Scallop@Red Alice

Fate/Glimmering Oasis

The fact that all the cooking roles were occupied by a single person was still a bit confusing to Charlotte - even if calling them a single person was wrong, and they were all really machines that looked like the same person. Charlotte hardly understood the concept of an animatronic in the first place, even when it was explained to her by some of the Chaldea staff.

It didn't matter much when the food finally came out, however. Charlotte was excited to start eating and quickly poured enough syrup on the stack to cause any reasonable person distress. She noted that there weren't any peppers - a disappointment, considering her affection for spicy foods. She was only partially into her meal, however, when another person joined the table.

"Apologies for my absence, the pursuit of eternity brought me away from my usual duties. Lancer, I am pleased to see you have kept us tethered to this mortal coil whilst I was busy, Master I suspect you engaged in behavior with risk attached? A treacherous road that could harm not only yourself but the three of us as well."

"Caster, we were just going to start looking for you! My skill as a Master must be so great, I didn't even have a chance to do anything risky before our quest was completed..."

Charlotte rubbed her chin and adopted a smug grin, before returning to her meal. She listened to Rapahel as he talked to the others at the table, but perked up and stopped finished her meal as he addressed her.

"Miss Charlotte, I will not be able to assist you in finding Miss... Medb, simply because her entire existence offends me in much the way Daniel's Saber candidate does."

"Dang, that's pretty crappy... Well, we'll probably be able to find her on our own. Especially if finding Caster was any indication!"

Charlotte didn't process the insult that Rapahel directed at her servant, more distracted by the fact that she would need to find her final Servant if she wanted to go to the Ray-something place without feeling guilty. After all, they were all a team, so they'd need to meet up soon, right? Charlotte turned to Yasuke and Mu as Raphael left the canteen.

"Alright... Do you guys have any idea where we could find Archer? I'd really like to find her before that storm Rapahel was talking about shows up."

@Reflection@Scallop@Heavy Snark

《 H. E. R. O. 》

---

Chad did his best to listen and comprehend the situation he was in - he was a HERO! The thing he had been dreaming to be since he was a child! And that wasn't even including the fact that he had just been assigned a badass mission from THE INVINCIBLE WARMONGER! If Powers' slap hadn't hurt as much as it did, Chad would have removed his helmet and pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Because of all of this, Chad felt that listening to Powers was of vital importance. Not even mentioning Starbright distracted Chad, although the young hero did strike a small pose when he heard the name. It was a force of habit from listening to the celebrities' songs, one that Chad was trying to break since he was entering the field of Hero work like Starbright. He immediately stopped posing, however, when he learned about the nature of his mission. A group of heroes were kidnapped? Chad didn't have any idea who they could be considering it happened only recently.

Chad paused as he started to think more deeply on the matter since it wouldn't help, and he didn't want to lose track of what Powers was saying. When the older man pulled out a small cube, Chad became especially focused. He leaned in slightly as he spoke.

"What's that thing?"

"This device is a multi-purpose tool called an IDD. Irregularity Detection Device. It's a very common tool for our restorative units, and its interface allows for the detection, isolation, and identification of nearby scientific anomalies. In short, unless all of the heroes are really drugged up, this device should flare up once you get anywhere near them."

Powers tossed a small cube towards Chad, which the Hero caught easily. The thought of using his powers to catch the device and appear cooler crossed Chad's mind, but he avoided doing so - while it did look much cooler, the last time he had tried to catch something using his power, Chad ended up smacking his phone into the floor at over 80 miles per hour. And he assumed that the IDD was significantly more expensive than a cheap phone.

"Wow... This is one of the coolest things I've ever gotten, maybe ever..."

"The profiles of the missing heroes are also loaded into the device. Obviously, it's a big city, but your powers let you cross it fairly quickly, I imagine. I'd check out Brookside and Watervale first- it's probably easier to abduct people there than anywhere else."

Chad poked the device inquisitively but made sure not to touch any unlabelled buttons. It was lacking a bit in aesthetics... but it was still SO COOL!!! Although it did make Chad wonder - would it react to him running around while carrying it? That would complicate things a bit. Maybe that was what Powers was working with when he tapped the interface?

"Once you've found them, report back using the device. There should be a communication button on the side there. We also have a GPS on that device, so once you give us the call we can get reinforcements into the area ASAP."

When Powers began to leave, Chad nodded in response to the man's advice. Searching Watervale and Brookside first was a great idea - Chad was aware of the kidnappings and crimes that were common there, but more importantly, Chad was familiar with the region. The rest of Castleburg would be much more difficult to navigate since Chad would have to run slower or risk hitting buildings or other people.

Messing with the IDD was unfamiliar, but Chad managed to find the profiles that Powers had mentioned. The information there might be able to help narrow down the possible locations...

Tempest - he was a Hydrokinetic, so maybe they would take them somewhere without much water? Then again, water would be helpful against Firebird... The next few people didn't give much information. Aria could be stopped with powerful headphones, Spacewalker's countermeasure was difficult to replicate - most of their weaknesses didn't rely on locations!

Wait, they had Bypass?! How the hell did they stop her from just teleporting away? Chad shook his head and stopped reading there. He had limited time as it was, and this was clearly not helping him. It was at moments like this Chad wished he had Super-Reading along with Super-Speed...

Chad probably should have known he wouldn't have deduced their location from their weaknesses - if it was that easy, H.E.R.O would have done that already. He'd have to just brute force the search, starting at Watervale and moving from there. Chad made sure to have a good grip on the IDD, angled himself towards Watervale, and started running.

Slowing down was not as successful as it was arriving on Savior Island. Chad barely managed to avoid crashing into a building on the waterfront and had to slow down over another 30 feet before he came to a stop. The device hadn't seemed to react in any way while he ran, so Powers must have set it to not trigger in response to Super-Speed! Or it was broken, but Chad really didn't want to consider that possibility.

Chad attempted to reach for his phone before realizing he didn't have it on him - he left it at home to avoid losing it while running. Instead, he opened the GPS on the IDD and found a good route to follow. Chad usually avoided the seedier parts of Brookside and Watervale, and as a result, was less familiar with those areas. But those were the places he was checking out first - if Supervillains were going to keep Heroes kidnapped and secured somewhere, it had to be somewhere without many people. And if it wasn't in Watervale or Brookside, Chad would check... East Flank, probably? And then... Well, Chad would decide what to do if things came to that.

Chad nodded as he finished plotting his route. Then, he started to run.

Fate/Glimmering Oasis

Charlotte was only a few feet away from the others when she heard another person begin talking, and she turned to identify them. She nodded at the new arrival as he addressed her, flashing a grin as she did so.

"Good to hear you're joining, Raphael! I'm always willing to share a meal with others, even if you guys don't really need to eat! You don't mind, right Lancer?"

Charlotte didn't even register the physical contact as Raphael placed his hand on Charlotte's back, considering she was fairly open with physical contact. She was more so focused on the whispered comment on Daniel's compatibility. She ordinarily would not condone talking behind someone's back, but it would have made everyone upset if she called Raphael out on that at the moment. Instead, she quickly whispered a response to the painter.

"I don't mind Daniel, I've known far less agreeable people. Besides, being difficult to work with isn't that important to me - as long as you guys think he can help, I'm plenty happy."

When they've finally arrived at the Canteen, Charlotte tried to spot her other servants - Caster specifically, since she had questions to ask him about Flame Magecraft. When she failed to spot them, she resorted to moving to a random unoccupied table instead. She'd have to find them at a later time, it seemed.

As the others ordered, Charlotte spent time perusing the menu. Normally she would have gone with something like Barbeque, but since it was morning, it didn't appear like the Canteen was serving any... The thought of making a request came to mind, but it wouldn't be worth all the effort when there were plenty of other things to eat. Besides, she was new here - pissing off the chefs wouldn't be cool.

"I guess I'll have Pancakes - do we have any peppers that I can have?"

She missed most of what Yasuke and Raphael were talking to each other about, but now that she had ordered her breakfast, Charlotte's attention was brought back to something important.

"Actually, do either of you guys know where Caster and Archer are? I haven't seen them yet today. If not, we could go on an adventure searching for them, Lancer!"

Charlotte paused for several seconds, mulling over Raphael's responsibilities and tasks at Chaldea. She eventually decided that it wouldn't be a problem to invite him, even if Yasuke didn't seem to be too friendly with him.

"You could come too if you want, Raphael - you're probably busy with the whole Ray-whatever thing, though."

@Heavy Snark@Reflection

《 H. E. R. O. 》

---

"Yes, for the love of God, please get up."

Chad rose to his feet somewhat unsteadily, more a result of his anxiety at the prospect of going to prison rather than the collision. Chad was a few feet away from Powers when he found his balance, and on guard, in case the older man attempted to slap him again.

Chad couldn't tell if Powers noticed this in any way, but the older man probably did notice Chad's posture becoming less tense as he spoke. For a normal person, the thought of putting themselves in harm's way was an incredibly dangerous, terrifying, and usually unnecessary prospect. Even a person with superpowers would prefer to avoid a situation like Powers was describing - a terrorist with the ability to destabilize an entire city was horrifying to imagine, let alone directly go up against.

And if it wasn't the prospect of fighting a superpowered terrorist that scared a person, the very real fact that death was extremely common in the field would probably do it. Chad had actually never thought about dying as a hero before - his visions of death were usually much more mundane. Things like getting hit the wrong way in a tackle, or falling from too high, or breathing too much helium for too long. Maybe it was his love of the theatrical and dynamic, but rather than turn Chad away from the job, Power's statement only made the young man more excited to become a hero. Dying in a blaze of glory, after all, was far superior to sputtering out with a whimper. At least, in Chad's mind it was.

And that wasn't even mentioning the fights! Slamming into another person with all his power was exactly the thing that Chad needed - at least, in his opinion. He had been training his power ever since he discovered it, and while running down the road was pretty fun at Mach speed, Chad knew that H.E.R.O was the best way to master his ability. Percy had always told Chad that becoming the best version of themselves was what a lot of people would wish to accomplish - and Chad had followed that advice as much as he could ever since he heard it in Middle School. He trained hard, followed a strict diet during his cuts, and he studied things as long as they actively interested him.

Becoming a hero was simply the place Chad thought he could be the best version of himself. And being able to help people wasn't bad either!

When Powers extended his hand and finished his warning to the man in black, Chad was slightly taken aback.

"Wait, I'm starting right now?"

Chad shook his head and zipped over to Powers, grabbing Powers' hand in both of his own and shaking it very quickly.

"I-I mean definitely! I'm in, I'm in, I promise! Oh god, I haven't been this happy since I became a Co-admin on the Heroes in Lavender Fanclub! Hell, this is infinitely better! You're a God, Mr. Powers, I swear you won't regret this - I'm pretty fast, y'know?"

Chad finally let go of Powers' hand and did his best to adopt a more serious demeanor, considering how serious Powers' speech had been only a minute or so prior. As a matter of fact, he even held back from asking again about the Invincible Warmonger poster!

"But, um... if you don't mind me asking, what's so important that we're skipping over my registration papers?"

Fate/Glimmering Oasis

"One hour. That's how long I've been gone and you already burnt something down Master, that's a new record,"

Charlotte stopped in her tracks as she was making her way to the canteen, and she barely made it a few steps out of the training room. She recognized the voice and turned to meet her new Servant.

"Maybe I should get one of those 'fire extinguishers' for my stay as your Servant. What do you think, Master?"

"Like a pail of water? That's rude of you, to assume such a thing could stop my Burning Soul!"

Charlotte chuckled a little too loudly for comfort at her own statement, before nodding her head to herself.

"And I would think you'd be appreciative that I withheld myself for an entire hour. The last time I remember doing that was on the plane ride here, and that was awful..."

She stopped as she listened to the new discussion underway between her Servant and Daniel. While she didn't really care for the morality behind becoming a 'Magus Killer,' especially considering her willingness to be a regular killer, she never really considered the Church or the Clock Tower to be especially corrupt. She even visited it one time with her family, and while she refused to take classes, the Clock Tower itself seemed like a very respectable foundation... If a bit elitist.

Well, a bit was pretty generous, considering some of the things she saw in her very brief visit.

Charlotte knocked herself out of her trance when she heard her name being spoken, specifically focusing back in when Daniel complimented her. She smugly nodded at the recognition of her skills. She didn't really understand the part about timelines, even when members of Chaldea Staff explained it to her in detail, but she didn't really mind ignorance unless it would become an issue later on.

"There you have it, Lancer! And I would call what I do to my room 'making it homey' rather than 'making a mess.' Anyways, I'm going to the Canteen to get some food, and maybe look for Caster afterward - you guys are welcome to follow if you want. Just be sure not to babysit too much if you come, Lancer."

《 H. E. R. O. 》

---

Lots of things happen when you ran especially fast. You get lightheaded after sprinted long enough, your blood sugar drops, and your body feels like it's on fire. This, combined with the dozens of other minor effects from exertion and fatigue lead to people being a bit less perceptive than usual.

Chad was running far from his maximum speed, and he felt none of these symptoms. He'd definitely lie and say he did if ever questioned about what was going to happen, however.

As he neared Savior Island, barely saw the figure of a person in front of him appear before he collided with them. Chad was immediately hit with a sense of unease since he just slammed into what he thought was a person at just under 100 miles per hour, but this was washed away with pain as he was forced back from the collision. Chad was initially very perplexed why he felt so much pain - he ran into brick walls at the speeds he was running with little more than bruises and aches, but this felt like getting hit by a 250 lb Tackle.

To Chad's credit, he didn't fall from the crash - he was only pushed back a few feet and left staggered, thanks to his temporary durability and padded armor.

"Oh shit... Are you oka-"

It was easy to tell Chad's surprise when he noticed who he ran into, even when Chad was wearing a helmet. His arms shot in the air as he screamed loudly.

"OH MY GOD, ARE YOU HUGO POWERS?! Do you have any Invincible Warmonger posters I can-"

Chad might have been able to dodge the blow if he hadn't been distracted, but he wasn't as blessed as other Speedsters when it came to reaction time. Powers slapped Chad with incredible force, and while the helmet may have absorbed some of the blow, Chad didn't have any of his temporary durability to protect himself. He collapsed to the ground on his stomach and reeled for several seconds as Powers spoke.

"You have ten seconds to tell me your name, occupation, and why the hell you're here, or else I put you in a cell with the meanest bastard in all of Coldwater. So if that idea doesn't sound appealing to you, start talking."

"I'm sorry, I don't need the poster, please don't shoot-"

It took a second to fully process that Powers didn't have a gun, and understand what he was saying before Chad instantly relented.

"I'm Chad Connors, Pizza Delivery Man at Porter's Pizza. I want to be a super cool badass Hero, a-and I thought you came to H.E.R.O to be a Hero cause it sounds cooler than I.C.O.S.A. P-p-please don't put me into Coldwater, The C-chainsaw Charlatan will kill me for throwing him in prison!"

Chad might have been slightly concussed from the collision, or too frightened by the prospect of prison to think clearly, or maybe he just talked when he was under stress. Whatever the reason, he kept on talking when he clearly should have been silent.

"My Boss is Percy P-porter, and my hours are 10 to 7. My favorite food is P-pizza, even though I eat a ton of it since I work at a Pizza p-place. My blog is The Bullet Chamber and it's super c-cool, and I don't want to go to prison!!! I-I think my Social Security is 318-"

Chad paused as he struggled to remember his Social Security number, before eventually giving up.

"I think it's on my phone... C-can I please get up? My suit is really hard to clean..."

《 H. E. R. O. 》

---

...Chainsaw Charlatan was a dangerous opponent, with all the destructive power of a Chainsaw and none of the fuel requirements. With a swipe of his hands, he could slice clean through 5 men, and that wasn't even counting the power of his WEAKEST LINK form. A mighty foe the likes of which was unseen in the entirety of the American Northeast for... well, at least a week. Probably. Of course, a man who had the roaring fury of a Chainsaw would turn to crime - unfortunately for him, there was someone ready to stop his Mutilation Menagerie before it even began!

"Hahaha, FOOLS! You think your puny firearms can stop the might of my TWO-STROKE ENGINE!?"

The gloating form of The Chainsaw Charlatan was easily twice that of a normal man, but it may have been hard to tell since he was doubled over with laughter. He wasn't laughing long, however, before the sound of a sonic boom ripped through the afternoon air - along with the arrival of a warrior in black. The nearby police cheered at the arrival of their Hero.

"Look! It's The Bullet! We're saved!"

"Hey, It's THE BULLET! You have to shout it, it's written out in all caps... Your reign of terror ends here, Chainsaw Caper!"

"Oh really, Bullet? I doubt that - How can your pathetic Super Speed stop me, when I can simply saw your Super Legs off! MUAHAHAHA!"

The Chainsaws that adorned the Charlatan's arms appeared to double in length as he entered his UNDERCUTTING mode. He swung his right arm into the earth below him, and moved it up and towards The Bullet's legs with a speed that should have been inhuman, even without considering the hundreds of pounds of earth that came between the blades and their victim. They came out of the ground at a blinding pace, and the sun still reflected off of their dirtied teeth as the Chainsaw was held in the air.

Dirt was the only thing covering the Chainsaws, however. In the instant the Chainsaw Charlatan began his attack, The Bullet had already devised a genius counterattack. When the Charlatan began attacking, The Bullet ran up to him - and with blinding speed, he yelled out his signature attack.

"It's time to Eat Lead, Chainsaw Charlatan! Special Shot: 9 Millimeter!"

And in an instant, the fight was over. The blow connected solidly with the Charlatan's chin, and he fell to the ground lifelessly. (HE WAS VERY MUCH ALIVE, JUST UNCONSCIOUS!!! PLEASE STLP LEAVING COMMENTS ABOUT THAT, THE BULLET DOESN'T KILL!!!)

One of the officers thanked The Bullet as the others struggled to find a way to handcuff a man with chainsaws for arms.

"We would have been goners without you and your hot lead of justice, Bulle- I mean, THE BULLET!"

"It was my pleasure, Officer. There's always a BULLET in the chamber for evil-doers! Now that my deed is done, I must continue on my neverending quest for Justice - Goodbye, and continue your good work!"

The Bullet ran off from the scene, leaving a smile on all those he passed. With the Chainsaw Charlatan behind the bars of Coldwater, people could sleep soundly knowing their lives wouldn't end with the roar of a toothed-blade and an engine thirsting for blood. Crime never stops, but with The Bullet around, it would also never be able to rest.

THE END

---

Chad smugly hit the submit button on the prompt he had spent the last few hours writing. Ever since gaining his powers, he had started writing a blog on his future exploits, eager to spread the word of his superhero identity before he even began. He tried not to let it go to his head, but... I mean, 126 VIEWS EVER was pretty impressive, if he said so himself. There were, of course, detractors who sought to cause a bit of ruckus in the comments, but Chad was a very patient man and quickly eased their complaints with logical rebuttals.

And if that didn't work, he could just ignore them.

Unfortunately, Chad didn't have time to wait for the 2-3 comments that would flood in over the next 12 hours - He needed to get to work 15 minutes ago! He quickly shut off his laptop and ran to his doorway, from which his uniform hung. Chad thought it was a bit more stylish than most fast food uniforms, especially the crossed P's that looked like Pizza Peels that served as an emblem. He changed into the red shirt, khakis, and hat in less than 5 seconds, and left his room at a normal jogging pace. Percy was standing at the register, a job that Chad usually performed unless there was a delivery that needed to be made. The older man frowned when he saw Chad jog up to him.

"Jesus, took you long enough. I've been standing at this register for what, half an hour? Even if this is a part-time thing, you need to take me seriously as your boss."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Porter. I was working on something really important."

"Whatever, you're here now. You know, for a Running Back you sure move slow when you want to..."

Chad froze at the words. Running Back. He hadn't played football ever since he got his powers - ever since his parents started to hate him. He hadn't even touched a football since his mother-

Chad's breath came out in fast, ragged-sounding croaks. Percy quickly noticed the sudden shift in demeanor and brought the younger man into a tight hug.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's alright, relax. I'm sorry about that - I forgot for a second, that's all... Tell you what, take your mind off of it and get to work, okay big guy?"

Percy clapped Chad's shoulder and broke off the hug. Chad did feel a lot better after that physical contact, even if it was brief - he hadn't touched someone in months.

"Thanks, Coach."

Percy paused slightly but continued to the Manager's office. Chad turned his attention to the uncomfortable and slightly confused customer, welcoming them with the standard company greeting that oozed with the faux-optimism he had grown so accustomed to displaying.

"Welcome to Porter's Pizza, home of the 'Heavy-lifting' Watervale-Style Pizza. How may I take your order?"

---

"...and the flower was DEAD! Can you believe that? That lady at the store said they were easy to take care of, but even when my daughter watered it every day, it still ended up dying! My little girl was crying so much, I just had to get her favorite pizza to make it up to her. Oh sorry, was I talking too much again? My husband always says I do that!"

A small line of impatient customers had formed up behind the droning woman, but Chad had barely noticed. He was too busy focusing on her story. He had learned at a young age that listening to everything a person says was very important to make them listen to your own opinions, and Chad found listening to be much easier than arguing.

"Oh not at all. Trust me, I understand how confusing those florists can be with instructions. I once got a 'low-maintenance' Cactus when I was a kid, and they died on me constantly! Wasn't until I got 'Lenny XIV: Bamboo Blaster' that I finally stoped getting new plants. Not even mentioning the dog-"

"Yes yes, dear - I'm on a bit of a schedule, however, so can you give me my order?"

"Oh, of course, Mrs. Jackson! You wanted a 'Mini-Porter' Combo, with an additional order of 'Carrier-sized' Chicken Wings - plus 3 orders of 'Heavy-Lifting' Watervale Style Pizza. Is that all?"

"Yes, that's right! You're a better listener than my husband, dear!"

"Alright your total is-"

Suddenly, Chad was pulled away from the register by two small arms, and Percy's familiar voice rang out from behind him.

"Jimmy, Chad is going on his lunch break, take the register please!"

The next thing Chad knew, he was sitting in the Manager's office, with Percy pacing behind his desk.

"Chad, great work with Mrs. Jackson - she's one of our best clients. As, uh, a show of appreciation for you toughing out her monologue, you can take the rest of the day off. Congrats."

Chad paused. Percy was relaxed when it came to taking time off and moving schedules around, but he never offered free time unless he got into one of his moods like this. Chad chose to spoke very carefully, afraid to set off his boss like he did that one time...

"Um, are you sure about that, sir? I don't mind dealing with Mrs. Jackson, she's a nice lady when you get to kno-"

"YES, Chad! I'm sure. Look, everybody needs to be out by 12:30, and while you get us good reviews, you're slow as hell at the register. Just... Take the day off, okay? And get back home a bit later than usual."

Chad stayed silent as he rose from his seat and left the room. He likes the free time, and he especially likes the free time. He just didn't like the feeling it left in his gut when Percy started acting like this...

---

Chad liked running. When you were running, everything melts away except the ground beneath your feet and the wind flying past you.

When you stayed still, you were unoccupied. When you didn't move, all you could do was think. Think about everything you once had, the feeling of resentment mixed with shame when you saw people you thought cared about you walking down the streets without a worry in the world. The fact that you couldn't play a game you dedicated your life to because it reminded you of things you didn't want to remember. When you were forced to think, you were forced to reflect on every choice you made, and wonder how you could have done better if you had a second chance.

Chad didn't like thinking. He liked Running. Even more than Running, though, Chad liked Acting.

Chad had spent countless hours laying in his bed, tossing over how to properly contact H.E.R.O about his addition to their ranks. He thought about emailing them, purposefully getting rescued by one of the members, and even using his Super Speed to contact Starbright backstage after a concert (as well as get an autograph or seven). But no matter how much he thought it over, he could never find the proper plan of action, always second-guessing himself and finding flaws and holes in his plans he so carefully built up.

That was his problem. Chad thought too much. That's why THE BULLET needs to act.

That's why, currently, Chad was racing to HERO One, the Headquarters of H.E.R.O. The shores of East Flank were a bit difficult to move around, considering how much wealthy people seemed to be obsessed with waterfront property and the trouble it was to find a clear shot to Savior Island that wasn't blocked by a building. Luckily, he eventually found his straight shot, and Chad did the (somehow) easier part.

People usually think you need to be running at an incredibly fast speed to run on water, and while it's true that it is impossible for a normal person, Chad was faster than most people. Even he thought running on water would be difficult at first, but after his first three weeks of training, he could do it with little discomfort. Of course, it was probably made easier by the fact his vision was much poorer at the speeds he was moving and he didn't need to worry about looking out at the seemingly endless ocean. Chad was more nervous about stopping on the island without crashing, and while it was a bit difficult considering he had never been to Savior Island, he managed to slow enough near the end to land himself safely near H.E.R.O One. Chad allowed himself to grow a smug smirk beneath his helmet. He couldn't have managed that when he first got his powers, no way in hell!

"Let's Go! It's Bullet Time, baby! I'm gonna be a hero, I'm gonna be a hero, WOOOOOO!!!"

Chad should have been feeling fear, and some anger at his stupidity. While Chad thinks and THE BULLET acts, Chad has never committed a major crime before. The Bullet, however, had the bright idea to run from a Villain-infested city to the Headquarters of H.E.R.O, dressed in an all-black armored costume that concealed his face, and shouted the words "It's Bullet Time" very loudly. Most people would call this a bad start to their hero career.