Blizz
Noctis
Xaltwind
rabidbacon
Sky Blue
Kalas
pkken
Izurich
Lildear18Interested - I'll probably make a Paladin or some other Martial guy.
Duoya
Member
STATUS:
Graduation has happened - I am no longer a teacher. Won't have to work 12 hour days + weekends anymore, so maybe I'll actually have enough time for hobbies.
7 mos ago
Status
Recent Statuses
7 mos ago
Current
Graduation has happened - I am no longer a teacher. Won't have to work 12 hour days + weekends anymore, so maybe I'll actually have enough time for hobbies.
10
likes
9 mos ago
I sound like a broken record, but only 2 months left till I'm done teaching. Not sure what's next, but it feels like anything would pay more and be less stressful lol
5
likes
1 yr ago
Only 6 more months till the school years over. If I renew my contract, someone kill me lmao.
3
likes
2 yrs ago
Teacher update: I feel like a villain from a cartoon. The laughter of teenagers gives me migraines, and I no longer feel guilt when giving bad grades to kids that sleep through my lessons.
10
likes
2 yrs ago
First day as a Biology Teacher tomorrow - hopefully the kids will be able to read my handwriting.
10
likes
Bio
User has no bio, yet
Most Recent Posts
The building was dilapidated and abandoned, windows shattered years before Stacy ever owned the place. Graffiti lined the outside and stood proud for at least a decade, and just looking at the structure could cause someone to start sweating and hurrying to pass it by.
Within, however, things were clean and orderly - a small oak desk and several office chairs adorned the ‘office’, with a dozen or so similar chairs right outside the barely intact door in the ‘waiting area’. All things considered, it seemed like the person behind this moved in only a day before.
And that’s exactly what happened - this was one of Stacy’s more rundown properties, one she had bought in Watervale purely for the land, only for it to turn into a terrible business investment. Far from the roads, out of sight, and already have destroyed - not exactly the best place for a business.
Perfect place for criminal activities though.
Outside her office door were at least a dozen applicants for her ‘Villain Team’ - the group that would assist her in world domination, or whatever cliche goal she sets her mind on. She hadn’t even thought of a name yet, so that would probably need to come first though...
“Next applicant please!”
Outside of the office, Abby rose from her hard plastic chair and brushed the dust off of her dress slacks. Finally. She had been waiting here forever, it seemed like, although it had really only been an hour. The grande mocha frappuccino she had bought that morning had long since been finished, and she was itching for a puff off her vape. If it was her turn, that meant that she could leave soon enough. And hopefully get a job, but whatever. If this didn’t work, she could always rob another liquor store to pay her rent. That usually worked.
It certainly seemed to be her turn, because nobody else was standing. Abby could barely hold back a smirk. Good. They probably couldn’t match her anyways. With that, Abby opened the door and entered the office room.
The door swung shut quietly, and Abby appraised the room- and her potential employer. Simple. Basic… underwhelming. Nothing to turn her nose up at, though. She grinned and pulled up a seat, adjusting her domino mask as she did so. It wasn’t something she’d usually wear, but she had replaced her usual ski mask with it today to be presentable. Other than that, she wore black dress slacks, a polka-dot collared shirt, and flats, with a purse by her side. Interviews were supposed to be business casual, right?
Abby held out a hand to Stacy and put her elbow on the table, still smirking. “I call myself Duplica. It’s nice to meet you.” She then leaned back in her chair, acting with all the fake swagger of an insecure teenager. “If it isn’t obvious, I can self-duplicate. Any other questions?”
Stacy frowned slightly beneath her own mask, although the papercraft blocked her mouth enough to cover the movement. She’d need to work on Duplica’s manners… but without a doubt, a duplicator would be more than useful in the future. Besides, villains weren’t exactly known for their workplace etiquette - Stacy could learn to adjust, if she needed to. She shuffled some papers around on her desk, more so to fill the silence and give herself time to think than to actually organize anything.
“Impressive - duplication is always a useful ability. I have several questions, such as your upper limit of Duplicates and level of control, but those can be saved for when you are actually hired.”
No sense lying to the girl - most of the respondents to the interview had been quite… inadequate. Hair manipulation, slow healing factors, and even some strange-looking fellow calling himself ‘The Shocker,’ who just seemed to be pretty tall and strong before Stacy dismissed him. Even if she was inexperienced, Duplica offered versatility that the others did not.
“Rather, I am more curious about how you’ve prepared yourself for this meeting - do you have any weapons on you? Have you mapped out your points of escape? If I was really some Hero who laid a trap, how would you avoid capture?”
Stacy leaned back in her chair and coughed slightly, realizing that her last question might make Abby uncomfortable.
“Hypothetically, of course. As long as you are in this building, I guarantee your anonymity and security.”
At Stacy’s surprisingly detailed questions, Abby sat up a bit straighter in her seat and began to think. She hadn’t been expecting questions of this detail from a villain, but just from the woman’s mannerisms and her compliment on her power, she knew she wanted to impress her.
“Of course I have contingencies. Who wouldn’t have contingencies?” Abby scoffed, although she sounded the tiniest bit nervous underneath. I have a gun in my purse,” she started, slowly. It wasn’t a lie, but it was something she hadn’t been planning on revealing. “There’s one clone in the waiting room, and two outside. That’s how I’d escape. I told them to come running if I scream, and three people together are more than enough to take your average person down. I…” She hadn’t really thought about escape routes. Shit. “There are a couple windows I could jump out of. Clones could cushion my fall.”
Stacy nodded as she listened, the colored slips of paper on her mask shifting slowly. It was good that Duplica had a gun, although Stacy doubted that the young girl was especially skilled in its use. At close ranges, even a complete novice could horribly injure a person with no Durability enhancing powers. And thanks to her clones, she had covered back up fairly well - she was right in her statement that three people could take down most.
At the very least, Stacy had no doubt that three people could take her down, even if she could reach her own gun in her desk before she was attacked.
“Smart choice - you should always carry a weapon on you, even if you feel safe. I learned that before I even entered the criminal world.”
“And, while I wouldn’t describe your escape plan as safe, I have no doubt that you’d succeed. As long as you’re not running from someone with a vehicle or movement power, of course. But even in that case, screaming and alerting the others in the waiting room would ruin any advantage a trap would have.”
Stacy gently raised her hand from the desk, as if to punctuate what she was about to say.
“However, you’ve revealed information to me that you would want to keep hidden from others. I know you can create at least three clones, and that you do not have any direct line of communication - you need to scream to get their attention. You can also generate them fast enough that you can break a fall from a second-story window - enough to dissuade a direct approach.”
“Of course, telling me this was not really a fault of your own. I asked you, and you were in the right to tell me - this is an interview, after all. But in the future, keep your plans close to yourself, and anyone you are involved with. People are far more cautious of an opponent that is armed, and even more so when they know they have a plan.“
Stacy reached into one of the drawers in her desk, and grabbed a plain, white business card inside. It lacked any insignia, phone number, name, and anything else one would expect of a similar card - instead, there was simply an address, which led to one of Stacy’s Laundromats in Watervale. She then handed it off to Abby, as if their 5-minute interview was enough to come to a final decision.
“Congratulations - I would be more than pleased to accept you into my operations.”
“You could stay here if you like and wait for me to finish the other interviews - it would be a good chance to meet your future coworkers. Otherwise, please go to that address in three hours, and you will be able to meet them there.”
Abby’s mouth twitched with badly-concealed surprise. That was it? Just 5 minutes, and she was in? Weird. It sounded almost suspicious.
Or maybe she just nailed the interview that hard! Her look of surprise morphed into a victorious grin, and Abby took the card and pocketed it. “Awesome!” She stood from the chair and smoothed her slacks. “I’m gonna go. No offense… but I don’t really wanna stick around. See you then, boss.”
A few moments later, Mallory Doyle lumbered into the room. Standing at a staggering 6 feet, 4 inches, the woman was hard not to notice. Disheveled brown hair hung down in front of her face, which was shadowed by the hood of her hoodie. She took a seat, but it was a little too small. Frowning, Mallory hovered over the chair, holding it by the handles and trying to adjust. This quickly grew frustrated by this process and shot back up to her feet, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. She glanced over at her potential new employer.
“...’sup?”
Stacy leaned forward in her own seat, frowning beneath her mask - she had chosen to bring foldable chairs due to convenience, but it seemed like that had bit her back when it came to some of the larger applicants. That ‘Shocker’ fellow from earlier had the same problem as Mallory.
At the very least, she wasn’t making a big deal about the lack of seating. Agreeability was a plus for an operation like this...
“Not much. May I please have your name, Ma’am? And while I’m asking - I would also be pleased if you could let me know about your power, before we continue.”
“Pfft,” the interviewee began. “Wasn’t expectin’ you to say ‘not much.’ You seem pretty busy to me.” She rolled her shoulders.
“Uh, yeah, anyway, my name is Mallory Doyle. And I’m made of strings. You can just call me Mal, or whatever.” She added with a shrug, clearly impartial to the subject. Seemingly glazing over her oversimplified explanation of her powers.
Stacy attempted to refrain from sighing - she didn’t expect to be given this person’s actual name. Perhaps they simply didn’t think of a villain name yet, or it wasn’t very important to share their real name - whatever the case, Stacy now needed to be sure not to spread that information around. If she was lucky, it was just an alias and it would be cleared up at a later point in time.
“Looks can be… deceiving, Miss Doyle. Really, this is more of formality rather than an actual interview - not to mention paperwork is pretty easy when no one is turning in resumes.”
“And while I’d prefer to be more informed of your powers, keeping that information close to your chest is a habit that is good to get into - I don’t need much more than you’ve given, anyways.”
Turning into string - obviously some form of transformative or shapeshifting ability. While Stacy knew nothing about it’s limitations or capabilities, it could prove especially useful for traversal and reconnaissance…
Stacy turned to her computer, one of the few things that actually sat on top of the desk other than the various sheets of copy paper. Opening a Word document, she was prepared to begin typing.
“Do you have any preferences for this kind of work, Miss Doyle? Robbery, Assault, or something else that you have experience in?”
“I don’t need references, of course, but I’d like to know what you’re used to.”
Miss Doyle scratched the back of her head, reaching her hand under her hoodie. She took another glance around the room and then focused back on the woman sitting behind the desk.
“Yeah.” She said.
This time, Stacy did not repress her sigh. Normally, she was a fan of people with few words - they didn’t put up much of a fuss and were great conversationalists. It was quite difficult to learn more about someone like this, however…
Stacy spared a glance at the metal chair folding chair in front of her - it was fairly small, but if this woman was unwilling to talk…
“Miss Doyle, could you please break that chair in front of you? I don’t mind how, so long as you don’t damage my desk in the process.”
Doyle furrowed her brow, looking between the interviewer and the chair. She stood up straight from her leaning position and glanced to the door she had entered from.
“Uh, sure.” She said. She took a step forward and extended out her palm. From the center of her hand emerged a loop of string. Miss Doyle closed one eye, lining it up. Then, her entire left hand came away, becoming a bundle of white strings. They lashed out and latched onto the chair. Wrapping around every leg and support, Mal brought her elbow in and “clenched her fist”, as it were. The chair was crushed as the strings squeezed tight, a few bolts coming loose, some metal bending under the pressure. Once she was sure the chair was no longer usable, Miss Doyle reached her arm out and the string receded into the hole where her wrist used to be. Her hand reformed and she held it briefly.
“...I’m not payin’ for that.” She added, but it might have been an attempt at humor.
Stacy nodded, any hint of possible amusement hidden behind her mask.
“Of course - I do not have much use for these chairs after today, so it is fine if a few are ruined.”
It was not like Stacy had expected - rather than rely on her brute strength and working against the weak points of the chair, like Stacy expected she might, Mallory relied on her power in order to crush it using the pressure of her ‘strings’.
Seeing how her power operated directly, Stacy felt much more comfortable in assessing the woman before her. Stacy just needed to put her questions into actions, rather than words.
“One more question before we end the interview, Miss Doyle - If I asked you to do the same thing you did to that chair on a person’s arm or leg, would you?”
Stacy stared at Mallory directly, her expression hidden behind the darkened lenses of her mask.
“Yeah.” Mallory replied simply, checking her hand for holes. She looked back at the mask, raising an eyebrow and thinking for a moment. “I mean…” She hesitated. “No, yeah. Yes.” She jabbed an affirmative finger at the woman behind the desk.
This time, Stacy’s amusement was easier to notice - just a small chuckle, but considering the last time she really laughed was over a year ago, that was pretty impressive.
“I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I doubt we will be in a situation like I suggested for quite some time. I was asking just to see if you would be willing to do some of the other things I would ask of you while working with me.”
Just like with the previous applicant, Stacy reached into one of her Desk drawers and pulled out one of the same, near featureless cards.
“This address leads to another, more secure location - please come there in around three hours, and you will be able to meet your coworkers and discuss your pay. Alternatively, you could stay here until I am done, and I can drive you there.”
Stacy looked at the crumpled folding chair next to Mallory, and grimaced slightly at the thought of moving it later.
“If you do go, however, please take that chair with you - there should be a dumpster in the alley to the right of the building.”
“Sweet,” Mallory said. “Uh, to be clear, I’m not, like, a sicko or anything. I’m not excited to cut people’s arms off. But, y’know, I’ll do it.” She looked down at the broken chair, poking at it with the tip of her sneaker.
“...Yeah, I really don’t have anywhere better to be in the next three hours. I’ll stick around.” She unfurled her hand and used the strings to gather the broken chair, and then slung it over her shoulder like a backpack.
Once the discussion was over Mallory left the room, carrying the broken chair. That was easier than she had expected. She knew this whole little scenario was legit thanks to her sources, but it was not what she thought it would be like. She was expecting at least a couple of goons.
Stacy didn’t say anything to Mallory in response, simply nodding her head in acknowledgment. She could say that amputations weren’t on the table, and as long as Stacy was leading operations they wouldn’t be, but the reassurance wasn’t what was important. Mallory’s insistence that she’d be willing, albeit reluctant, was preferable to Stacy rather than a cold-blooded monster who’d do it without a second thought.
There was a trait that mattered far more than any power or experience - Obedience. And unlike Duplica, Mallory seemed to have that in spades. Stacy didn’t have the first clue why, whether it be some inborn trait or just desperation, but it didn’t really matter in the end.
Villains in the shows and movies were always missing a crucial factor in their hiring process - Loyalty. Stacy wouldn’t make that mistake.
Unfortunately, the next few hours had been fairly fruitless when it came to applicants. More of the same - goons from other gangs looking for a big break, debtors trying to find a nice source of income, and delusional people trying to send some kind of message. Some of them even had decent (although in Stacy’s opinion, somewhat generic) powers… but they weren’t what Stacy needed.
It seemed like Abby and Mallory had been a coincidental hot streak. Stacy organized her papers and began packing up - she’d been hoping to hire at least three members, but she could always hold auditions at some later date. Maybe scoop someone up from the Bruisers - she heard they were having some difficulties recently, and she felt that Midas knew a thing about aesthetics.
“Well Miss Doyle, we shouldn’t keep our coworker waiting too long. Let’s leave-”
As she was talking, Stacy heard some sound coming from the waiting room. Almost like a… scurrying. All the applicants had already left for the day, so Stacy had no clue what could have caused the noise, other than a rat or some other animal…
“Fuck was that?” Mallory asked, taking a couple steps towards the door frame. She pushed the door open and peaked into the waiting room.
Alright, this was it. He’d been waiting hours for this moment, but it was finally time for his badass entrance! Carefully, silently, he removed one of the panels of the roof and peaked his head out. They were looking towards the waiting room, perfect! Right below him was his target, the chair. Thankfully, the one string lady had obliterated had been replaced, so he wasn’t aiming for a sharp, shrapnelly mess. Everything had lined up, and now it was time to put all his planning to work.
And so, he dropped down from his spot in the roof, planning to fall perfectly into a seated position in the chair. Upon contact with the chair, his perfect form immediately fell apart because metal chairs hurt apparently, his limbs sprawling across the dented seat before he slid down to the ground in a writhing lump.
All in all, far from the worst way to meet Marco Shaw for the first time.
"Oh! Oh jesus! Oh it hurts! I-it’s bad!"
After a few more seconds of rolling around and regretting his poor decisions, he eventually managed to collect himself enough to get back up, grabbing the desk and leaning on it for support.
"Ok, so I’ve been listening to the interviews for the last few hours, and I’m interested. So I’m in! You’re welcome!"
He paused briefly as he shakily managed to stand without the table, turning to face Stacy and Mallory.
"Ok that’s not necessarily true actually, ‘listening’ might be a little too strong a word. I’ve been hearing the interviews. I might’ve been a bit too distracted to pay attention to a good chunk of them."
Mallory didn’t outwardly react. She turned back into the room to look at her new potential employer. “Some guy just fell outta the ceiling.”
Stacy nodded at Mallory’s statement, before turning back to the strange man that just appeared. She had heard about dynamic entrances before, but the only impression this guy managed to leave was a strange one. Seriously, who hides in ceiling panels, other than stalkers?
...Well, the robbers and gentlemen thieves in the movies sometimes hid in air vents, but that was different.
Stacy reached into her desk, this time pulling out the gun that she had been eyeing every time a scarier applicant came into the room. Of course, compared to a trained professional, she would be quite a poor shot - but she had a few months practice, and at this close range, she could shoot this mysterious person.
Stacy raised her voice a few decibels, but it had the same monotone as her normal speaking voice. As she did so, the pistol was immediately pointed towards the new arrival.
“Please state your name, any powers or skills you may have, and what you were doing in my ceiling.”
She felt a lot more comfortable with this situation, now that she had a weapon. It helped that Mallory was there as well - Stacy didn’t feel like killing some homeless person, so she could drag him out if he didn’t pass the interview.
"Ok, first off, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t yell at me." Marco said. "Not sure if you noticed, but I just went through a bit of a rough experience there, could really do without the extra stress. Also you should probably actually work on that if you didn’t, seems like pretty poor form for an employer to not notice when their employees are havin’ a rough time."
He grabbed the chair as he spoke, moving it back into its normal upright position he’d just knocked it out of, and sat on it backwards, leaning forwards onto the back.
"So, let’s get started." He said, tilting his head up as he thought through Stacy’s questions. "My name is Marco. I can teleport when no one’s looking, to any other spot no one’s looking, and people forget about me after a day. Sometimes two if you’ve got a good enough brain. Don’t worry though, I’ll introduce myself again tomorrow. And I was up there because you said I could live there last time we met. Which might I just say, I’m hurt you’ve already forgotten..."
Stacy kept her gun trained on the guy that just appeared, not wavering through his response. If Abby was rude, then this guy was just annoying as hell… Luckily, Stacy didn’t really care about that. What mattered more was what he said.
The teleportation was fine - she’d seen a speedster during the interviews, and he would have been able to fill a similar niche if she called him back. What intrigued Stacy was the second part of his power. If he was telling the truth, then he would be a great addition - someone people can’t remember, committing a crime? That would be great for robberies...
But he was also living in her property for who knows how long, and was saying that she had talked to him before - which Stacy really doubted.
…Well, it didn’t really matter. His power was useful, and if she did agree to let him live in this abandoned building, then it was no skin off her back. She kept the gun locked on him, but began moving closer.
“I’m going to pat you down for weapons, and you can’t take anything with you other than your clothes - I don’t want the police to come to my place of business. If you can keep still and quiet, then we can see if you’ll get that job.”
“And if this doesn’t work out, here’s a tip for your next job interview: Don’t drop from the ceiling after interviews are over.”
"Still and quiet? Hell of a lot you’re askin’ of me, don’tcha think?" Marco said, reluctantly allowing himself to be searched. "But hey, if you do decide you don’t wanna hire me today, I’ll keep your advice in mind when I apply again tomorrow."
Stacy finished the search as quickly as she could, before retreating back behind Mallory. At the very least, her gun was no longer pointed at Marco. If he had a wire or tracker of some kind, it would have to be in a particularly… intimate location, and Stacy doubted Marco was the kind of person to do that. He was, in all likelihood, just not very bright.
“Alright, my car is parked nearby - I don’t want this distraction to make us late.”
The thought of just ignoring this guy crossed Stacy’s mind. But if he really could alter memories or something similar, he’d just apply again the next day like he said he would - dealing with him while she could remember his behavior was the smart thing to do.
And besides - she was desperate to get this started as soon as she could.
While the abandoned building was decrepit and clearly been out of use for years, the laundromat they had just entered was clearly well-used and taken care of. Even though they were still in Watervale, the difference a few miles made to the quality of the buildings in this city was staggering. Hell, the building could almost be described as pretty by comparison
Almost being the keyword. After all, it was still a laundromat - Washers and Dryers lined most of the walls, and the smell of detergent and bleach hung in the air like a vapor. Dry Cleaners in the back rooms weren’t much better, like kerosene… Clearly, the employee didn’t clean up when Stacy said he could leave early today.
Stacy flicked on the lights, leading the others to the basement. It was primarily used for storage, but there wasn’t exactly much to keep around. A few containers of cleaning solution, a bench and some chairs, the odd tool or battery - really, it was just a big empty room that was only used by her employees to sleep or make out, or whatever else they do when they should be working.
Stacy motioned for the three to take a seat and began speaking, the slips of paper on her mask growing more animated as she did so.
“I’m pleased to have you all here - As I’ve yet to introduce myself, I will do so now. You may refer to me as ‘Confetti’.”
“As you are aware, I have gathered you all to act as enforcers. Your job will entail robberies, Crimes against the public order, and hindering operations of both HERO and ICOSA.”
“In exchange for your services, you will be paid in cash, in amounts depending on the difficulty and danger of the task I assign you. Typically, this will range in the thousands. Alternatively, either for convenience or if you are worried about unreported income, I could provide you with a card and private account.”
Marco raised his hand.
Stacy eye’d Marco from beneath her mask, speaking as she did so.
“I am also willing to provide housing, if you lack that at the moment.”
Marco lowered his hand.
“If the dangers of the tasks I’ve mentioned are too great for any of you, you may leave now - your privacy and safety is guaranteed, so long as you do not report anything you’ve heard to the authorities.”
Stacy paused briefly, and when no one got up, she continued her long-winded monologue.
“Excellent. If any of you have any questions or requests to make of me, please let me know now.”
Abby leaned on a wall in the back, a Juul in hand and her skateboard leaning on the wall beside her. She (and the room- she had been smoking in there) reeked of a sickly sweet blue raspberry scent. She had been waiting here for about 20 minutes. She was a bit annoyed that she had- time was always a strange thing with villains- but now that she had seen her new coworkers… well, she was still annoyed. Freakishly tall girl and malnourished-looking, bad-smelling man seemed like they would be a drag to work with. Somehow, Abby guessed that housing comment was directed towards him. Really? Confetti had just hired a random homeless guy? How desperate.
Abby made a grimace at the word “enforcers”. Seriously?
“I didn’t sign up to be somebody’s goon,” Abby remarked. “I thought this was going to be… some sort of team thing. Something more equal. Not like a gang boss and his enforcers, y’know?” She tossed her vape idly in the air and caught it. “Doesn’t a team need a name or something? We’ve got some good material here. Freakishly tall girl, homeless boy, and me. Hm. What could it be?” She put her fingers to her chin almost as in thought, sounding sarcastic, almost, like she really didn’t care. Or she was just making fun of everyone.
Mallory turned over her shoulder, furrowing her brows at Abby. “Hey, fuck you.” She said from the chair she was sitting in.
Abby made a very fake giggling noise at that, and shook her head. “Oh, you’re so funny, aren’t you? We’re gonna have so much fun.”
Mallory felt a spike of anger stab into her spine, but she suppressed it. She instead made a confused gesture. “The fuck?” She glanced back at Confetti, then to Abby.
“Like, fun? You know what fun is? It’s that thing when you do something you like and you like it and it’s fun? Yeah, that. We’re totally gonna have it, if you know what I mean.”
"Well, before you two rip each other in half, I’d just like to say it’s so nice to finally meet you in person." Marco said, the expression on his face clearly showing how hard he was trying to keep himself from laughing. "I’m gonna go ahead and guess that you are who I’m thinking of when I say that. Replica, right?"
He gestured back to Mallory.
"Don’t worry about Mallet there, it sounds like her anger gets the best of her sometimes. You should’ve seen what she did to that poor chair, just because Stac-, Confetti asked her a simple question! It was terrible!"
“It’s Duplica. But it’s alright, I forgive you.” Abby’s voice dripped with venom. It was clear she didn’t. She hated it when people got her name wrong.
Mallory glanced back and forth between the two, looking genuinely baffled for a moment. The anger made itself apparent, though, and she shot up to her feet, knocking the chair on its side with a crash. “Do you two have a fucking problem with me or some shit!?” She asked, rising to her full height and taking a step forward.
"Good god, she did it again!" Marco shouted, a mixture of poorly faked horror and sadness on his face as he pointed at the chair she’d knocked over. "Will nothing stop her in her rampage against all of Chairkind?!"
His face quickly returned to a smirk again after a second though.
"But yeah nah, I’m pretty sure Replicant has a problem with everyone. I, on the other hand, am merely a lovable scamp. No problems with any of you! Mostly.”
Despite fear shooting visibly through her face (Jesus, this woman looked tall and angry), Abby laughed high and loud. She smacked her knee. “Oh god, you’re taking this so seriously! I’m just poking fun at you, you know ribbing you. There’s some banter going on here. Just roll with it, Amazon. Nothing to get angwy about here.”
“And again, it’s Duplica. I didn’t catch your name, though. Any chance I could get it wrong, too?”
"Well, if you’re really so interested, sure! I, my miserable, vapid friend, am the amazing Mar-”
”Shut the fuck up!” Mallory shouted, her voice echoing. “Holy shit! You’re so fucking annoying!” It wasn’t clear exactly who she was talking to. Probably everyone. She grabbed the sides of her head. She looked between the girl and the boy with wide eyes. Whoever talked next was in trouble. Her fists were clenched and she was grinding her teeth together. Even worse, it looked like she was literally coming apart at the seams, the skin of her face becoming disconnected and loose in a few places as the white strings that made up her form began to lose tension. The string loops writhed in the air like worms beneath dirt.
Abby eyed Mallory nervously. It belatedly occurred to her that she didn’t know what this girl’s power was, which could be concerning. But, still… she got that rush that one gets when meanness hits in the exact right spot. Abby definitely wasn’t going to give up now- she couldn’t back off and seem weak. Instead, she giggled, high and nervous and mocking. “Chill out! Jeez, you’re really overreacting. I hope you’re not like this on the battlefield, for all of our sakes!” Abby laughed again and ran a hand through her blonde hair. “Sorry that I’m annoying you. Didn’t realize you got so easily annoyed. Maybe you should work on that? You know, on your anger issues? Looks like you have them. Or maybe that’s good in this business, I wouldn’t know. I don’t have ‘em.”
Mallory locked eyes with Abby. “Okay.” She said, eerily. With that she began to storm over the girl with long, fast strides. She reached her hand out, and it dissolved into a mess of grasping, cloying, thin white tendrils.
The loud ringing sound of a gunshot pierced through the room. Stacy was standing calmly, arm pointed up and at the roof, although beneath her mask she cringed slightly. She had to remember to wear earplugs next time she planned on using her gun.
“We should probably calm down - after all, it is like Ms. Duplica said earlier - we’re a team. And I’d prefer it if we could have our first meeting, without it dissolving into bickering among each other and hurling insults.”
Lowering her hand and holstering her gun, Stacy continued. Normally she’d be more reluctant to shoot a firearm in a residential area, but she’d soundproofed the basement when it was first built… And to be honest, gunshots probably weren’t too uncommon in Watervale.
”Now… Can we all apologize to each other and act with some professionalism? We are coworkers, after all - and the last thing I’d want is for workplace… complications. Especially before we finish our introductions.”
While Abby did start the conflict, and Marco helped, Stacy didn’t excuse Mallory from what was happening - if she hadn’t stepped in to stop them, Stacy might have been reduced to 2 villains instead of 3.
And to be honest, she’d rather have Mallory get rid of Marco instead of Abby.
Mallory paused, a few feet from Abby. Her hand reconnected into its normal state. She was shaking, but quietly she exhaled and turned back. She trudged over to her seat, flipped it back onto four legs and sat down, crossing her arms.
Abby rolled her eyes, although her heart was thumping from that extremely close encounter. What the hell even was that power? “I… apologize. I was just joking, though! But I’m sorry.”
"I’m not and I wasn’t. I’ll give you a break for now though, because when it all comes down to it, I’ve gotta admit I’m really liking this team. Great dynamic."
He turned to Stacy.
"You’ve got a good eye for fun people Stacy! Talented, a little more questionable, but definitely fun!"
Mallory’s eyes widened, and she began tapping her foot. “...You’re gonna have to help me out, here, boss.” She begged quietly. Maybe she should just leave. Mallory felt wound up, and she was barely keeping herself under control. And this fucker just wouldn’t shut up.
“Mr. Marco, I’d appreciate it if you could act with more tact. Purposefully egging on your coworkers is an easy way to earn a bad reputation.”
Stacy spared a glance in Mallory’s direction.
”And if you do not feel like you are capable of that, silence will work just as well.”
Stacy suddenly felt the veracity of Marco’s powers were finally revealed - she had never told him her name. Or, more specifically, she didn’t remember telling him her name. She must have told him when she (apparently) agreed to let him live in the roof of her building… Suddenly, she felt much more threatened than annoyed. If he knew her identity, she needed to keep him on a much shorter leash - at least, until she had managed to win some loyalty. Plus, it’d be easier to tell if he’d turn traitor and if she needed to put a bullet in his skull.
Stacy sighed.
“Alright, where were we? Ms. Duplica, you asked about team names? Unfortunately, I have yet to decide on one - I felt it would be more appropriate if we chose one after interacting and getting to know each other...”
‘But now, I’m having second thoughts.’ Stacy thought. If they nearly got into a fight after just a few minutes of talking, who knew what would happen in a debate over their name. Really, Stacy didn’t have the creativity to come up with a name on her own - if she didn’t think it would piss them off, she’d have just looked up a name on one of those silly online generators.
“Any other questions? ...Maybe an introduction?”
Mallory shot her hand up. While Confetti talked, she seemed to have calmed down a little. “My name’s Mallory. And, holy shit, yeah, I have anger issues, okay? Fuck. I mean- I mean- it’s not like I was planning on hiding it. I just didn’t even get a fucking chance to even say one word before-” Mallory cut herself off, making a frustrated hand gesture and groaned.
She swore again. “Sorry.” She grumbled, rubbing her face.
”Thank you, Miss Doyle. I’m glad you are informing us about this topic, and I am sure that our coworkers will be both receptive, as well as accommodating.”
Stacy didn’t really believe this - however, maybe by saying it, Abby and Marco would feel motivated to avoid stepping on toes.
“This is a good time to share information that may cause issues in the future, if anyone has something to say. Or anything you may think is nice to know - medical information, perhaps?”
Stacy had planned to just let them fill out a survey with their blood type and medical conditions at a later point in time, but getting that out of the way now would save her the effort. She thought about mentioning Marco’s Memory Manipulation, but that would probably be better coming from him. She didn’t really know much about it in the first place, so talking about it would just end up causing unneeded confusion.
”I’ll do the same - Many of my associates have described me as ‘distant’ or ‘cold’. I prefer ‘professional’, but apologize in advance if my actions may upset any of you.”
“Ah, I get it. Hopin’ to figure out my weakness and get me outta the picture straight away, huh? Well, can’t say I blame you.” He said, grinning at his employer/landlord. “Oh well, I’ll tell you what I can. Like I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted, my name’s Marco Shaw! I can teleport anywhere as long as nobody’s looking at me or the spot I’m teleporting to, and people forget who I am after a day or two. Here’s the bit you were hoping for though Boss, people knowing who I am is the only thing that keeps me anchored to the real world. If nobody remembers me, odds are I’ll end up slipping into the void with no way back. So that’s why I have to make people feel strongly about me, and unless any of you have some tips for how to make someone fall in love with me in a day, rilin’ all of you up is my only option.”
His grin grew a little wider as he rocked back and forth on his chair.
“Of course, I also do it because it’s really fun. Not starving to death in the space between spaces is just a nice little bonus.”
Abby stared, dumbfounded, at Marco for a moment. Then, she laughed. “That is an insane power, dude! So what, I’m just gonna think you’re a stranger in a couple days? How can I be on a team with someone I forget? Should I what, set a reminder in my phone? Not like that face’ll stick out to me again, no offense.” Abby thought this was hilarious, for she was laughing with her head thrown back now.
Eventually, she stopped laughing and wiped tears from her eyes. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop. I’m Duplica. Although since I know all your real names… Stacy, Mallory, and Marco, I guess I should share mine. It’s Abby. Spelled A-B-B-Y, for any illiterates present. But that’s not what’s important. What’s important is my power. Basically, I duplicate myself.” Abby stopped talking to make a sharp whistling sound. At the sound, three exact replicas of herself, masks, clothes, gun and all, emerged from the corners of the laundromat- two even came out of the washers and dryers.
“I got here early and hid them for some dramatic effect. Sorry not sorry.” Abby grinned shamelessly. “I can create up to 18 of these bad boys- sorry, girls, at a time. Any more gets a bit… well, messy, but I find that 18 works just fine for my purposes. Basically, they do whatever I want. They’re all dumb as a rock, though. No free will of any sort. I’ve never actually taken one apart because I’m uninterested in doing surgery on an exact version of myself, but I suspect they have very minimal organs. If any at all. They’re just… well, puppets. My little brainless me-slaves, I guess you could call them. They only live for a few days at most, but they’re just as strong and durable as another human.” Abby waved one of the duplicates over to her. “You! Come here!” she barked.
The duplicated walked over dutifully, without a single expression on its face. Abby smiled. “Kneel.” It did. “Now stand.” It did. “Now do the Renegade dance.” It started dancing, still emotionless, although its dancing was very good.
“Good, good! You’re awesome at that.” Abby patted her clone on the head, almost motherly-like. Then, she pulled the gun out of its holster on her waist. She handed it to the clone. “Now shoot yourself in the forehead.”
The clone raised the gun to its forehead, its expression still blank, and pressed the trigger without hesitation. It went off with a resounding bang, and even Abby winced as she was sprayed with blue goo as the clone turned back to goo. The other two clones stood stock still in the background.
“Woo! That was a fun demonstration!” Abby plucked her gun off the floor and holstered it again, a wolfish smile on her face. She bowed to her shell-shocked audience. “See. Total control. Cool, huh?” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.
Mallory’s eyes widened, she scoffed slightly in disbelief.
Stacy nodded her head in response, wiping a small amount of blue goo that had splattered on her mask from the suicidal clone. It left a stain on her paper mache mask, but her clothes were at least untouched - and those were honestly harder to clean than it was to make a new mask.
“Well, I’m glad that we could all get to know each other better, even if it was a bit… messier than I would have preferred. I’ve prepared dossiers for each of you, containing some of the materials and information you will all need for our next meeting.”
Stacy passed out the cheap clasp envelopes to everyone in the room, before returning to her position in the front of the room. Inside each were a burner phone, several addresses to abandoned buildings and laundromats that Stacy owned, and a questionnaire, asking various medical questions.
“Please keep the phone on you at all times - that will be our primary means of communication, and they have all of your numbers in the event you wish to talk to each other. If you need a safe house or lack a place to sleep, please visit any of the addresses I have provided.”
Stacy paused for several seconds, checking her own burner phone to make sure that she had saved each of the numbers. Verifying this, she turned up again.
“I will text you all with our first job within the week - if you need a costume, or have any further questions, you can contact me and we will be able to meet before then. I will be leaving now - if any of you wish to stay here, please leave a note for the night shift employees. There is a couch in the break room if any of you are sleeping here.”
And like that, Stacy simply left. She didn’t even lock the store up behind her - it wasn’t like she cared about a robbery, especially when she was doing much worse, legally speaking.
“Haha, that was horrific.” Marco said, the smile still wide even on his now notably bluer face.
Within, however, things were clean and orderly - a small oak desk and several office chairs adorned the ‘office’, with a dozen or so similar chairs right outside the barely intact door in the ‘waiting area’. All things considered, it seemed like the person behind this moved in only a day before.
And that’s exactly what happened - this was one of Stacy’s more rundown properties, one she had bought in Watervale purely for the land, only for it to turn into a terrible business investment. Far from the roads, out of sight, and already have destroyed - not exactly the best place for a business.
Perfect place for criminal activities though.
Outside her office door were at least a dozen applicants for her ‘Villain Team’ - the group that would assist her in world domination, or whatever cliche goal she sets her mind on. She hadn’t even thought of a name yet, so that would probably need to come first though...
“Next applicant please!”
Outside of the office, Abby rose from her hard plastic chair and brushed the dust off of her dress slacks. Finally. She had been waiting here forever, it seemed like, although it had really only been an hour. The grande mocha frappuccino she had bought that morning had long since been finished, and she was itching for a puff off her vape. If it was her turn, that meant that she could leave soon enough. And hopefully get a job, but whatever. If this didn’t work, she could always rob another liquor store to pay her rent. That usually worked.
It certainly seemed to be her turn, because nobody else was standing. Abby could barely hold back a smirk. Good. They probably couldn’t match her anyways. With that, Abby opened the door and entered the office room.
The door swung shut quietly, and Abby appraised the room- and her potential employer. Simple. Basic… underwhelming. Nothing to turn her nose up at, though. She grinned and pulled up a seat, adjusting her domino mask as she did so. It wasn’t something she’d usually wear, but she had replaced her usual ski mask with it today to be presentable. Other than that, she wore black dress slacks, a polka-dot collared shirt, and flats, with a purse by her side. Interviews were supposed to be business casual, right?
Abby held out a hand to Stacy and put her elbow on the table, still smirking. “I call myself Duplica. It’s nice to meet you.” She then leaned back in her chair, acting with all the fake swagger of an insecure teenager. “If it isn’t obvious, I can self-duplicate. Any other questions?”
Stacy frowned slightly beneath her own mask, although the papercraft blocked her mouth enough to cover the movement. She’d need to work on Duplica’s manners… but without a doubt, a duplicator would be more than useful in the future. Besides, villains weren’t exactly known for their workplace etiquette - Stacy could learn to adjust, if she needed to. She shuffled some papers around on her desk, more so to fill the silence and give herself time to think than to actually organize anything.
“Impressive - duplication is always a useful ability. I have several questions, such as your upper limit of Duplicates and level of control, but those can be saved for when you are actually hired.”
No sense lying to the girl - most of the respondents to the interview had been quite… inadequate. Hair manipulation, slow healing factors, and even some strange-looking fellow calling himself ‘The Shocker,’ who just seemed to be pretty tall and strong before Stacy dismissed him. Even if she was inexperienced, Duplica offered versatility that the others did not.
“Rather, I am more curious about how you’ve prepared yourself for this meeting - do you have any weapons on you? Have you mapped out your points of escape? If I was really some Hero who laid a trap, how would you avoid capture?”
Stacy leaned back in her chair and coughed slightly, realizing that her last question might make Abby uncomfortable.
“Hypothetically, of course. As long as you are in this building, I guarantee your anonymity and security.”
At Stacy’s surprisingly detailed questions, Abby sat up a bit straighter in her seat and began to think. She hadn’t been expecting questions of this detail from a villain, but just from the woman’s mannerisms and her compliment on her power, she knew she wanted to impress her.
“Of course I have contingencies. Who wouldn’t have contingencies?” Abby scoffed, although she sounded the tiniest bit nervous underneath. I have a gun in my purse,” she started, slowly. It wasn’t a lie, but it was something she hadn’t been planning on revealing. “There’s one clone in the waiting room, and two outside. That’s how I’d escape. I told them to come running if I scream, and three people together are more than enough to take your average person down. I…” She hadn’t really thought about escape routes. Shit. “There are a couple windows I could jump out of. Clones could cushion my fall.”
Stacy nodded as she listened, the colored slips of paper on her mask shifting slowly. It was good that Duplica had a gun, although Stacy doubted that the young girl was especially skilled in its use. At close ranges, even a complete novice could horribly injure a person with no Durability enhancing powers. And thanks to her clones, she had covered back up fairly well - she was right in her statement that three people could take down most.
At the very least, Stacy had no doubt that three people could take her down, even if she could reach her own gun in her desk before she was attacked.
“Smart choice - you should always carry a weapon on you, even if you feel safe. I learned that before I even entered the criminal world.”
“And, while I wouldn’t describe your escape plan as safe, I have no doubt that you’d succeed. As long as you’re not running from someone with a vehicle or movement power, of course. But even in that case, screaming and alerting the others in the waiting room would ruin any advantage a trap would have.”
Stacy gently raised her hand from the desk, as if to punctuate what she was about to say.
“However, you’ve revealed information to me that you would want to keep hidden from others. I know you can create at least three clones, and that you do not have any direct line of communication - you need to scream to get their attention. You can also generate them fast enough that you can break a fall from a second-story window - enough to dissuade a direct approach.”
“Of course, telling me this was not really a fault of your own. I asked you, and you were in the right to tell me - this is an interview, after all. But in the future, keep your plans close to yourself, and anyone you are involved with. People are far more cautious of an opponent that is armed, and even more so when they know they have a plan.“
Stacy reached into one of the drawers in her desk, and grabbed a plain, white business card inside. It lacked any insignia, phone number, name, and anything else one would expect of a similar card - instead, there was simply an address, which led to one of Stacy’s Laundromats in Watervale. She then handed it off to Abby, as if their 5-minute interview was enough to come to a final decision.
“Congratulations - I would be more than pleased to accept you into my operations.”
“You could stay here if you like and wait for me to finish the other interviews - it would be a good chance to meet your future coworkers. Otherwise, please go to that address in three hours, and you will be able to meet them there.”
Abby’s mouth twitched with badly-concealed surprise. That was it? Just 5 minutes, and she was in? Weird. It sounded almost suspicious.
Or maybe she just nailed the interview that hard! Her look of surprise morphed into a victorious grin, and Abby took the card and pocketed it. “Awesome!” She stood from the chair and smoothed her slacks. “I’m gonna go. No offense… but I don’t really wanna stick around. See you then, boss.”
A few moments later, Mallory Doyle lumbered into the room. Standing at a staggering 6 feet, 4 inches, the woman was hard not to notice. Disheveled brown hair hung down in front of her face, which was shadowed by the hood of her hoodie. She took a seat, but it was a little too small. Frowning, Mallory hovered over the chair, holding it by the handles and trying to adjust. This quickly grew frustrated by this process and shot back up to her feet, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. She glanced over at her potential new employer.
“...’sup?”
Stacy leaned forward in her own seat, frowning beneath her mask - she had chosen to bring foldable chairs due to convenience, but it seemed like that had bit her back when it came to some of the larger applicants. That ‘Shocker’ fellow from earlier had the same problem as Mallory.
At the very least, she wasn’t making a big deal about the lack of seating. Agreeability was a plus for an operation like this...
“Not much. May I please have your name, Ma’am? And while I’m asking - I would also be pleased if you could let me know about your power, before we continue.”
“Pfft,” the interviewee began. “Wasn’t expectin’ you to say ‘not much.’ You seem pretty busy to me.” She rolled her shoulders.
“Uh, yeah, anyway, my name is Mallory Doyle. And I’m made of strings. You can just call me Mal, or whatever.” She added with a shrug, clearly impartial to the subject. Seemingly glazing over her oversimplified explanation of her powers.
Stacy attempted to refrain from sighing - she didn’t expect to be given this person’s actual name. Perhaps they simply didn’t think of a villain name yet, or it wasn’t very important to share their real name - whatever the case, Stacy now needed to be sure not to spread that information around. If she was lucky, it was just an alias and it would be cleared up at a later point in time.
“Looks can be… deceiving, Miss Doyle. Really, this is more of formality rather than an actual interview - not to mention paperwork is pretty easy when no one is turning in resumes.”
“And while I’d prefer to be more informed of your powers, keeping that information close to your chest is a habit that is good to get into - I don’t need much more than you’ve given, anyways.”
Turning into string - obviously some form of transformative or shapeshifting ability. While Stacy knew nothing about it’s limitations or capabilities, it could prove especially useful for traversal and reconnaissance…
Stacy turned to her computer, one of the few things that actually sat on top of the desk other than the various sheets of copy paper. Opening a Word document, she was prepared to begin typing.
“Do you have any preferences for this kind of work, Miss Doyle? Robbery, Assault, or something else that you have experience in?”
“I don’t need references, of course, but I’d like to know what you’re used to.”
Miss Doyle scratched the back of her head, reaching her hand under her hoodie. She took another glance around the room and then focused back on the woman sitting behind the desk.
“Yeah.” She said.
This time, Stacy did not repress her sigh. Normally, she was a fan of people with few words - they didn’t put up much of a fuss and were great conversationalists. It was quite difficult to learn more about someone like this, however…
Stacy spared a glance at the metal chair folding chair in front of her - it was fairly small, but if this woman was unwilling to talk…
“Miss Doyle, could you please break that chair in front of you? I don’t mind how, so long as you don’t damage my desk in the process.”
Doyle furrowed her brow, looking between the interviewer and the chair. She stood up straight from her leaning position and glanced to the door she had entered from.
“Uh, sure.” She said. She took a step forward and extended out her palm. From the center of her hand emerged a loop of string. Miss Doyle closed one eye, lining it up. Then, her entire left hand came away, becoming a bundle of white strings. They lashed out and latched onto the chair. Wrapping around every leg and support, Mal brought her elbow in and “clenched her fist”, as it were. The chair was crushed as the strings squeezed tight, a few bolts coming loose, some metal bending under the pressure. Once she was sure the chair was no longer usable, Miss Doyle reached her arm out and the string receded into the hole where her wrist used to be. Her hand reformed and she held it briefly.
“...I’m not payin’ for that.” She added, but it might have been an attempt at humor.
Stacy nodded, any hint of possible amusement hidden behind her mask.
“Of course - I do not have much use for these chairs after today, so it is fine if a few are ruined.”
It was not like Stacy had expected - rather than rely on her brute strength and working against the weak points of the chair, like Stacy expected she might, Mallory relied on her power in order to crush it using the pressure of her ‘strings’.
Seeing how her power operated directly, Stacy felt much more comfortable in assessing the woman before her. Stacy just needed to put her questions into actions, rather than words.
“One more question before we end the interview, Miss Doyle - If I asked you to do the same thing you did to that chair on a person’s arm or leg, would you?”
Stacy stared at Mallory directly, her expression hidden behind the darkened lenses of her mask.
“Yeah.” Mallory replied simply, checking her hand for holes. She looked back at the mask, raising an eyebrow and thinking for a moment. “I mean…” She hesitated. “No, yeah. Yes.” She jabbed an affirmative finger at the woman behind the desk.
This time, Stacy’s amusement was easier to notice - just a small chuckle, but considering the last time she really laughed was over a year ago, that was pretty impressive.
“I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I doubt we will be in a situation like I suggested for quite some time. I was asking just to see if you would be willing to do some of the other things I would ask of you while working with me.”
Just like with the previous applicant, Stacy reached into one of her Desk drawers and pulled out one of the same, near featureless cards.
“This address leads to another, more secure location - please come there in around three hours, and you will be able to meet your coworkers and discuss your pay. Alternatively, you could stay here until I am done, and I can drive you there.”
Stacy looked at the crumpled folding chair next to Mallory, and grimaced slightly at the thought of moving it later.
“If you do go, however, please take that chair with you - there should be a dumpster in the alley to the right of the building.”
“Sweet,” Mallory said. “Uh, to be clear, I’m not, like, a sicko or anything. I’m not excited to cut people’s arms off. But, y’know, I’ll do it.” She looked down at the broken chair, poking at it with the tip of her sneaker.
“...Yeah, I really don’t have anywhere better to be in the next three hours. I’ll stick around.” She unfurled her hand and used the strings to gather the broken chair, and then slung it over her shoulder like a backpack.
Once the discussion was over Mallory left the room, carrying the broken chair. That was easier than she had expected. She knew this whole little scenario was legit thanks to her sources, but it was not what she thought it would be like. She was expecting at least a couple of goons.
Stacy didn’t say anything to Mallory in response, simply nodding her head in acknowledgment. She could say that amputations weren’t on the table, and as long as Stacy was leading operations they wouldn’t be, but the reassurance wasn’t what was important. Mallory’s insistence that she’d be willing, albeit reluctant, was preferable to Stacy rather than a cold-blooded monster who’d do it without a second thought.
There was a trait that mattered far more than any power or experience - Obedience. And unlike Duplica, Mallory seemed to have that in spades. Stacy didn’t have the first clue why, whether it be some inborn trait or just desperation, but it didn’t really matter in the end.
Villains in the shows and movies were always missing a crucial factor in their hiring process - Loyalty. Stacy wouldn’t make that mistake.
Unfortunately, the next few hours had been fairly fruitless when it came to applicants. More of the same - goons from other gangs looking for a big break, debtors trying to find a nice source of income, and delusional people trying to send some kind of message. Some of them even had decent (although in Stacy’s opinion, somewhat generic) powers… but they weren’t what Stacy needed.
It seemed like Abby and Mallory had been a coincidental hot streak. Stacy organized her papers and began packing up - she’d been hoping to hire at least three members, but she could always hold auditions at some later date. Maybe scoop someone up from the Bruisers - she heard they were having some difficulties recently, and she felt that Midas knew a thing about aesthetics.
“Well Miss Doyle, we shouldn’t keep our coworker waiting too long. Let’s leave-”
As she was talking, Stacy heard some sound coming from the waiting room. Almost like a… scurrying. All the applicants had already left for the day, so Stacy had no clue what could have caused the noise, other than a rat or some other animal…
“Fuck was that?” Mallory asked, taking a couple steps towards the door frame. She pushed the door open and peaked into the waiting room.
Alright, this was it. He’d been waiting hours for this moment, but it was finally time for his badass entrance! Carefully, silently, he removed one of the panels of the roof and peaked his head out. They were looking towards the waiting room, perfect! Right below him was his target, the chair. Thankfully, the one string lady had obliterated had been replaced, so he wasn’t aiming for a sharp, shrapnelly mess. Everything had lined up, and now it was time to put all his planning to work.
And so, he dropped down from his spot in the roof, planning to fall perfectly into a seated position in the chair. Upon contact with the chair, his perfect form immediately fell apart because metal chairs hurt apparently, his limbs sprawling across the dented seat before he slid down to the ground in a writhing lump.
All in all, far from the worst way to meet Marco Shaw for the first time.
"Oh! Oh jesus! Oh it hurts! I-it’s bad!"
After a few more seconds of rolling around and regretting his poor decisions, he eventually managed to collect himself enough to get back up, grabbing the desk and leaning on it for support.
"Ok, so I’ve been listening to the interviews for the last few hours, and I’m interested. So I’m in! You’re welcome!"
He paused briefly as he shakily managed to stand without the table, turning to face Stacy and Mallory.
"Ok that’s not necessarily true actually, ‘listening’ might be a little too strong a word. I’ve been hearing the interviews. I might’ve been a bit too distracted to pay attention to a good chunk of them."
Mallory didn’t outwardly react. She turned back into the room to look at her new potential employer. “Some guy just fell outta the ceiling.”
Stacy nodded at Mallory’s statement, before turning back to the strange man that just appeared. She had heard about dynamic entrances before, but the only impression this guy managed to leave was a strange one. Seriously, who hides in ceiling panels, other than stalkers?
...Well, the robbers and gentlemen thieves in the movies sometimes hid in air vents, but that was different.
Stacy reached into her desk, this time pulling out the gun that she had been eyeing every time a scarier applicant came into the room. Of course, compared to a trained professional, she would be quite a poor shot - but she had a few months practice, and at this close range, she could shoot this mysterious person.
Stacy raised her voice a few decibels, but it had the same monotone as her normal speaking voice. As she did so, the pistol was immediately pointed towards the new arrival.
“Please state your name, any powers or skills you may have, and what you were doing in my ceiling.”
She felt a lot more comfortable with this situation, now that she had a weapon. It helped that Mallory was there as well - Stacy didn’t feel like killing some homeless person, so she could drag him out if he didn’t pass the interview.
"Ok, first off, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t yell at me." Marco said. "Not sure if you noticed, but I just went through a bit of a rough experience there, could really do without the extra stress. Also you should probably actually work on that if you didn’t, seems like pretty poor form for an employer to not notice when their employees are havin’ a rough time."
He grabbed the chair as he spoke, moving it back into its normal upright position he’d just knocked it out of, and sat on it backwards, leaning forwards onto the back.
"So, let’s get started." He said, tilting his head up as he thought through Stacy’s questions. "My name is Marco. I can teleport when no one’s looking, to any other spot no one’s looking, and people forget about me after a day. Sometimes two if you’ve got a good enough brain. Don’t worry though, I’ll introduce myself again tomorrow. And I was up there because you said I could live there last time we met. Which might I just say, I’m hurt you’ve already forgotten..."
Stacy kept her gun trained on the guy that just appeared, not wavering through his response. If Abby was rude, then this guy was just annoying as hell… Luckily, Stacy didn’t really care about that. What mattered more was what he said.
The teleportation was fine - she’d seen a speedster during the interviews, and he would have been able to fill a similar niche if she called him back. What intrigued Stacy was the second part of his power. If he was telling the truth, then he would be a great addition - someone people can’t remember, committing a crime? That would be great for robberies...
But he was also living in her property for who knows how long, and was saying that she had talked to him before - which Stacy really doubted.
…Well, it didn’t really matter. His power was useful, and if she did agree to let him live in this abandoned building, then it was no skin off her back. She kept the gun locked on him, but began moving closer.
“I’m going to pat you down for weapons, and you can’t take anything with you other than your clothes - I don’t want the police to come to my place of business. If you can keep still and quiet, then we can see if you’ll get that job.”
“And if this doesn’t work out, here’s a tip for your next job interview: Don’t drop from the ceiling after interviews are over.”
"Still and quiet? Hell of a lot you’re askin’ of me, don’tcha think?" Marco said, reluctantly allowing himself to be searched. "But hey, if you do decide you don’t wanna hire me today, I’ll keep your advice in mind when I apply again tomorrow."
Stacy finished the search as quickly as she could, before retreating back behind Mallory. At the very least, her gun was no longer pointed at Marco. If he had a wire or tracker of some kind, it would have to be in a particularly… intimate location, and Stacy doubted Marco was the kind of person to do that. He was, in all likelihood, just not very bright.
“Alright, my car is parked nearby - I don’t want this distraction to make us late.”
The thought of just ignoring this guy crossed Stacy’s mind. But if he really could alter memories or something similar, he’d just apply again the next day like he said he would - dealing with him while she could remember his behavior was the smart thing to do.
And besides - she was desperate to get this started as soon as she could.
While the abandoned building was decrepit and clearly been out of use for years, the laundromat they had just entered was clearly well-used and taken care of. Even though they were still in Watervale, the difference a few miles made to the quality of the buildings in this city was staggering. Hell, the building could almost be described as pretty by comparison
Almost being the keyword. After all, it was still a laundromat - Washers and Dryers lined most of the walls, and the smell of detergent and bleach hung in the air like a vapor. Dry Cleaners in the back rooms weren’t much better, like kerosene… Clearly, the employee didn’t clean up when Stacy said he could leave early today.
Stacy flicked on the lights, leading the others to the basement. It was primarily used for storage, but there wasn’t exactly much to keep around. A few containers of cleaning solution, a bench and some chairs, the odd tool or battery - really, it was just a big empty room that was only used by her employees to sleep or make out, or whatever else they do when they should be working.
Stacy motioned for the three to take a seat and began speaking, the slips of paper on her mask growing more animated as she did so.
“I’m pleased to have you all here - As I’ve yet to introduce myself, I will do so now. You may refer to me as ‘Confetti’.”
“As you are aware, I have gathered you all to act as enforcers. Your job will entail robberies, Crimes against the public order, and hindering operations of both HERO and ICOSA.”
“In exchange for your services, you will be paid in cash, in amounts depending on the difficulty and danger of the task I assign you. Typically, this will range in the thousands. Alternatively, either for convenience or if you are worried about unreported income, I could provide you with a card and private account.”
Marco raised his hand.
Stacy eye’d Marco from beneath her mask, speaking as she did so.
“I am also willing to provide housing, if you lack that at the moment.”
Marco lowered his hand.
“If the dangers of the tasks I’ve mentioned are too great for any of you, you may leave now - your privacy and safety is guaranteed, so long as you do not report anything you’ve heard to the authorities.”
Stacy paused briefly, and when no one got up, she continued her long-winded monologue.
“Excellent. If any of you have any questions or requests to make of me, please let me know now.”
Abby leaned on a wall in the back, a Juul in hand and her skateboard leaning on the wall beside her. She (and the room- she had been smoking in there) reeked of a sickly sweet blue raspberry scent. She had been waiting here for about 20 minutes. She was a bit annoyed that she had- time was always a strange thing with villains- but now that she had seen her new coworkers… well, she was still annoyed. Freakishly tall girl and malnourished-looking, bad-smelling man seemed like they would be a drag to work with. Somehow, Abby guessed that housing comment was directed towards him. Really? Confetti had just hired a random homeless guy? How desperate.
Abby made a grimace at the word “enforcers”. Seriously?
“I didn’t sign up to be somebody’s goon,” Abby remarked. “I thought this was going to be… some sort of team thing. Something more equal. Not like a gang boss and his enforcers, y’know?” She tossed her vape idly in the air and caught it. “Doesn’t a team need a name or something? We’ve got some good material here. Freakishly tall girl, homeless boy, and me. Hm. What could it be?” She put her fingers to her chin almost as in thought, sounding sarcastic, almost, like she really didn’t care. Or she was just making fun of everyone.
Mallory turned over her shoulder, furrowing her brows at Abby. “Hey, fuck you.” She said from the chair she was sitting in.
Abby made a very fake giggling noise at that, and shook her head. “Oh, you’re so funny, aren’t you? We’re gonna have so much fun.”
Mallory felt a spike of anger stab into her spine, but she suppressed it. She instead made a confused gesture. “The fuck?” She glanced back at Confetti, then to Abby.
“Like, fun? You know what fun is? It’s that thing when you do something you like and you like it and it’s fun? Yeah, that. We’re totally gonna have it, if you know what I mean.”
"Well, before you two rip each other in half, I’d just like to say it’s so nice to finally meet you in person." Marco said, the expression on his face clearly showing how hard he was trying to keep himself from laughing. "I’m gonna go ahead and guess that you are who I’m thinking of when I say that. Replica, right?"
He gestured back to Mallory.
"Don’t worry about Mallet there, it sounds like her anger gets the best of her sometimes. You should’ve seen what she did to that poor chair, just because Stac-, Confetti asked her a simple question! It was terrible!"
“It’s Duplica. But it’s alright, I forgive you.” Abby’s voice dripped with venom. It was clear she didn’t. She hated it when people got her name wrong.
Mallory glanced back and forth between the two, looking genuinely baffled for a moment. The anger made itself apparent, though, and she shot up to her feet, knocking the chair on its side with a crash. “Do you two have a fucking problem with me or some shit!?” She asked, rising to her full height and taking a step forward.
"Good god, she did it again!" Marco shouted, a mixture of poorly faked horror and sadness on his face as he pointed at the chair she’d knocked over. "Will nothing stop her in her rampage against all of Chairkind?!"
His face quickly returned to a smirk again after a second though.
"But yeah nah, I’m pretty sure Replicant has a problem with everyone. I, on the other hand, am merely a lovable scamp. No problems with any of you! Mostly.”
Despite fear shooting visibly through her face (Jesus, this woman looked tall and angry), Abby laughed high and loud. She smacked her knee. “Oh god, you’re taking this so seriously! I’m just poking fun at you, you know ribbing you. There’s some banter going on here. Just roll with it, Amazon. Nothing to get angwy about here.”
“And again, it’s Duplica. I didn’t catch your name, though. Any chance I could get it wrong, too?”
"Well, if you’re really so interested, sure! I, my miserable, vapid friend, am the amazing Mar-”
”Shut the fuck up!” Mallory shouted, her voice echoing. “Holy shit! You’re so fucking annoying!” It wasn’t clear exactly who she was talking to. Probably everyone. She grabbed the sides of her head. She looked between the girl and the boy with wide eyes. Whoever talked next was in trouble. Her fists were clenched and she was grinding her teeth together. Even worse, it looked like she was literally coming apart at the seams, the skin of her face becoming disconnected and loose in a few places as the white strings that made up her form began to lose tension. The string loops writhed in the air like worms beneath dirt.
Abby eyed Mallory nervously. It belatedly occurred to her that she didn’t know what this girl’s power was, which could be concerning. But, still… she got that rush that one gets when meanness hits in the exact right spot. Abby definitely wasn’t going to give up now- she couldn’t back off and seem weak. Instead, she giggled, high and nervous and mocking. “Chill out! Jeez, you’re really overreacting. I hope you’re not like this on the battlefield, for all of our sakes!” Abby laughed again and ran a hand through her blonde hair. “Sorry that I’m annoying you. Didn’t realize you got so easily annoyed. Maybe you should work on that? You know, on your anger issues? Looks like you have them. Or maybe that’s good in this business, I wouldn’t know. I don’t have ‘em.”
Mallory locked eyes with Abby. “Okay.” She said, eerily. With that she began to storm over the girl with long, fast strides. She reached her hand out, and it dissolved into a mess of grasping, cloying, thin white tendrils.
The loud ringing sound of a gunshot pierced through the room. Stacy was standing calmly, arm pointed up and at the roof, although beneath her mask she cringed slightly. She had to remember to wear earplugs next time she planned on using her gun.
“We should probably calm down - after all, it is like Ms. Duplica said earlier - we’re a team. And I’d prefer it if we could have our first meeting, without it dissolving into bickering among each other and hurling insults.”
Lowering her hand and holstering her gun, Stacy continued. Normally she’d be more reluctant to shoot a firearm in a residential area, but she’d soundproofed the basement when it was first built… And to be honest, gunshots probably weren’t too uncommon in Watervale.
”Now… Can we all apologize to each other and act with some professionalism? We are coworkers, after all - and the last thing I’d want is for workplace… complications. Especially before we finish our introductions.”
While Abby did start the conflict, and Marco helped, Stacy didn’t excuse Mallory from what was happening - if she hadn’t stepped in to stop them, Stacy might have been reduced to 2 villains instead of 3.
And to be honest, she’d rather have Mallory get rid of Marco instead of Abby.
Mallory paused, a few feet from Abby. Her hand reconnected into its normal state. She was shaking, but quietly she exhaled and turned back. She trudged over to her seat, flipped it back onto four legs and sat down, crossing her arms.
Abby rolled her eyes, although her heart was thumping from that extremely close encounter. What the hell even was that power? “I… apologize. I was just joking, though! But I’m sorry.”
"I’m not and I wasn’t. I’ll give you a break for now though, because when it all comes down to it, I’ve gotta admit I’m really liking this team. Great dynamic."
He turned to Stacy.
"You’ve got a good eye for fun people Stacy! Talented, a little more questionable, but definitely fun!"
Mallory’s eyes widened, and she began tapping her foot. “...You’re gonna have to help me out, here, boss.” She begged quietly. Maybe she should just leave. Mallory felt wound up, and she was barely keeping herself under control. And this fucker just wouldn’t shut up.
“Mr. Marco, I’d appreciate it if you could act with more tact. Purposefully egging on your coworkers is an easy way to earn a bad reputation.”
Stacy spared a glance in Mallory’s direction.
”And if you do not feel like you are capable of that, silence will work just as well.”
Stacy suddenly felt the veracity of Marco’s powers were finally revealed - she had never told him her name. Or, more specifically, she didn’t remember telling him her name. She must have told him when she (apparently) agreed to let him live in the roof of her building… Suddenly, she felt much more threatened than annoyed. If he knew her identity, she needed to keep him on a much shorter leash - at least, until she had managed to win some loyalty. Plus, it’d be easier to tell if he’d turn traitor and if she needed to put a bullet in his skull.
Stacy sighed.
“Alright, where were we? Ms. Duplica, you asked about team names? Unfortunately, I have yet to decide on one - I felt it would be more appropriate if we chose one after interacting and getting to know each other...”
‘But now, I’m having second thoughts.’ Stacy thought. If they nearly got into a fight after just a few minutes of talking, who knew what would happen in a debate over their name. Really, Stacy didn’t have the creativity to come up with a name on her own - if she didn’t think it would piss them off, she’d have just looked up a name on one of those silly online generators.
“Any other questions? ...Maybe an introduction?”
Mallory shot her hand up. While Confetti talked, she seemed to have calmed down a little. “My name’s Mallory. And, holy shit, yeah, I have anger issues, okay? Fuck. I mean- I mean- it’s not like I was planning on hiding it. I just didn’t even get a fucking chance to even say one word before-” Mallory cut herself off, making a frustrated hand gesture and groaned.
She swore again. “Sorry.” She grumbled, rubbing her face.
”Thank you, Miss Doyle. I’m glad you are informing us about this topic, and I am sure that our coworkers will be both receptive, as well as accommodating.”
Stacy didn’t really believe this - however, maybe by saying it, Abby and Marco would feel motivated to avoid stepping on toes.
“This is a good time to share information that may cause issues in the future, if anyone has something to say. Or anything you may think is nice to know - medical information, perhaps?”
Stacy had planned to just let them fill out a survey with their blood type and medical conditions at a later point in time, but getting that out of the way now would save her the effort. She thought about mentioning Marco’s Memory Manipulation, but that would probably be better coming from him. She didn’t really know much about it in the first place, so talking about it would just end up causing unneeded confusion.
”I’ll do the same - Many of my associates have described me as ‘distant’ or ‘cold’. I prefer ‘professional’, but apologize in advance if my actions may upset any of you.”
“Ah, I get it. Hopin’ to figure out my weakness and get me outta the picture straight away, huh? Well, can’t say I blame you.” He said, grinning at his employer/landlord. “Oh well, I’ll tell you what I can. Like I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted, my name’s Marco Shaw! I can teleport anywhere as long as nobody’s looking at me or the spot I’m teleporting to, and people forget who I am after a day or two. Here’s the bit you were hoping for though Boss, people knowing who I am is the only thing that keeps me anchored to the real world. If nobody remembers me, odds are I’ll end up slipping into the void with no way back. So that’s why I have to make people feel strongly about me, and unless any of you have some tips for how to make someone fall in love with me in a day, rilin’ all of you up is my only option.”
His grin grew a little wider as he rocked back and forth on his chair.
“Of course, I also do it because it’s really fun. Not starving to death in the space between spaces is just a nice little bonus.”
Abby stared, dumbfounded, at Marco for a moment. Then, she laughed. “That is an insane power, dude! So what, I’m just gonna think you’re a stranger in a couple days? How can I be on a team with someone I forget? Should I what, set a reminder in my phone? Not like that face’ll stick out to me again, no offense.” Abby thought this was hilarious, for she was laughing with her head thrown back now.
Eventually, she stopped laughing and wiped tears from her eyes. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop. I’m Duplica. Although since I know all your real names… Stacy, Mallory, and Marco, I guess I should share mine. It’s Abby. Spelled A-B-B-Y, for any illiterates present. But that’s not what’s important. What’s important is my power. Basically, I duplicate myself.” Abby stopped talking to make a sharp whistling sound. At the sound, three exact replicas of herself, masks, clothes, gun and all, emerged from the corners of the laundromat- two even came out of the washers and dryers.
“I got here early and hid them for some dramatic effect. Sorry not sorry.” Abby grinned shamelessly. “I can create up to 18 of these bad boys- sorry, girls, at a time. Any more gets a bit… well, messy, but I find that 18 works just fine for my purposes. Basically, they do whatever I want. They’re all dumb as a rock, though. No free will of any sort. I’ve never actually taken one apart because I’m uninterested in doing surgery on an exact version of myself, but I suspect they have very minimal organs. If any at all. They’re just… well, puppets. My little brainless me-slaves, I guess you could call them. They only live for a few days at most, but they’re just as strong and durable as another human.” Abby waved one of the duplicates over to her. “You! Come here!” she barked.
The duplicated walked over dutifully, without a single expression on its face. Abby smiled. “Kneel.” It did. “Now stand.” It did. “Now do the Renegade dance.” It started dancing, still emotionless, although its dancing was very good.
“Good, good! You’re awesome at that.” Abby patted her clone on the head, almost motherly-like. Then, she pulled the gun out of its holster on her waist. She handed it to the clone. “Now shoot yourself in the forehead.”
The clone raised the gun to its forehead, its expression still blank, and pressed the trigger without hesitation. It went off with a resounding bang, and even Abby winced as she was sprayed with blue goo as the clone turned back to goo. The other two clones stood stock still in the background.
“Woo! That was a fun demonstration!” Abby plucked her gun off the floor and holstered it again, a wolfish smile on her face. She bowed to her shell-shocked audience. “See. Total control. Cool, huh?” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.
Mallory’s eyes widened, she scoffed slightly in disbelief.
Stacy nodded her head in response, wiping a small amount of blue goo that had splattered on her mask from the suicidal clone. It left a stain on her paper mache mask, but her clothes were at least untouched - and those were honestly harder to clean than it was to make a new mask.
“Well, I’m glad that we could all get to know each other better, even if it was a bit… messier than I would have preferred. I’ve prepared dossiers for each of you, containing some of the materials and information you will all need for our next meeting.”
Stacy passed out the cheap clasp envelopes to everyone in the room, before returning to her position in the front of the room. Inside each were a burner phone, several addresses to abandoned buildings and laundromats that Stacy owned, and a questionnaire, asking various medical questions.
“Please keep the phone on you at all times - that will be our primary means of communication, and they have all of your numbers in the event you wish to talk to each other. If you need a safe house or lack a place to sleep, please visit any of the addresses I have provided.”
Stacy paused for several seconds, checking her own burner phone to make sure that she had saved each of the numbers. Verifying this, she turned up again.
“I will text you all with our first job within the week - if you need a costume, or have any further questions, you can contact me and we will be able to meet before then. I will be leaving now - if any of you wish to stay here, please leave a note for the night shift employees. There is a couch in the break room if any of you are sleeping here.”
And like that, Stacy simply left. She didn’t even lock the store up behind her - it wasn’t like she cared about a robbery, especially when she was doing much worse, legally speaking.
“Haha, that was horrific.” Marco said, the smile still wide even on his now notably bluer face.
Villain takeover is now. Pretty tired when posting this, so I might need to clean it up tomorrow.
"Ah... Yeah, cool. I mean, I'd already figured you weren't, but I guess it's good to know for sure."
Apparently Magus must have been a bad class, or at least one that Alex didn't seem to like. Hopefully he had the wrong idea about Yousef though - the guy seemed nice. Really, the only thing he did that was a little annoying was stopping their game, and Chad had gotten used to way worse stuff, like people saying his Hero name wrong.
"Yes of course I know where to go Chad. Well its, uh, pretty simple... Its just a matter of picking whats first. Lets think uh..."
“If we don't wanna play anymore we could… go to the bar! Ooh, piña coladas are so good. We can get the drinks with the little umbrellas and everything!”
While Chad was up for most stuff, and going to the bar might be interesting... Chad would need to be a little older. As it stood, going to a bar was illegal for him! Illegal things are bad! And even if it wasn't, Chad wasn't exactly a fan of alcohol - it made people act funny, and not in a comedian way...
"Yes, what she said. Lets go to... the bar?"
Then again, all the cool people at Chad's old highschool drank alcohol - even Chad's ex-girlfriend drank Bourbon that she stole from her brother all the time, and she was one of the coolest people he knew.
"Now we're talking! I've been sober since just after we got on the plane, which was a big mistake. Turns out they're still scary even when you aren't drunk."
Oh, Alex drank pretty often - maybe Chad could ask him what didn't taste icky when they got to the bar...
"A-alright, if that's where we want to go... I think it's this way."
Chad started walking towards the beach bar, a sizable pavilion near the edge of the beach. The roof was decorated to look like it was made of straw and dried leaves, and the entire thing clearly was going for a tropical look. Or at least an appealing tropical look. A place as swanky as this resort obviously had more impressive places, but Chad could always go to an indoor bar back at Castleburg - the point of a vacation was experiences, and this was one that he couldn't have back home.
That, and it's much closer to walk to.
As it turns out, bars have bartenders, and the woman behind the counter wore the fake smile everyone in the service industry adopts as she saw Chad walked up. This was Chad's chance out of here!
"Hey there man! What would you like?"
Dammit! Chad was really hoping that she'd card him and he could avoid this situation. Chad briefly wondered - why the heck didn't she card him? Unbeknownst to him, the combination of his dyed hair, face tattoo, and numerous scars made Chad appear several years older than he really was.
"D-don't you need to card me?"
"Oh, uh... Alright."
Chad smirked slightly as he sat on one of the stools - he was only 18, so there was no way he was allowed to drink. Hopefully it didn't ruin it for the others, Chad could always wait for them to-
"Alright dude, what are you having?"
Chad took his card back from the Bartender's outstretched hand and quickly pulled up his new phone. As if he was checking a text, Chad made a quick google search, and grimaced - the drinking age in the Virgin Islands was 18. Thank god he wasn't breaking the law - the sentence for underage drinking was 25-to-life. Chad's mother told him-
He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that.
...Still, even if it wasn't illegal, Chad really didn't want to drink anything if he could avoid it. It just didn't feel right - ever since he got to this place, something felt a little off. Chad thought keeping his wits about him might help later...
...Nah. That was just an excuse to avoid drinking.
Suddenly, Chad was hit with genius inspiration!
"...You guys order first, I'm still thinking."
The perfect maneuver - now Chad could just copy someone else!
For some reason, the idea to simply say 'I don't want to drink' didn't occur to Chad. Maybe he's just not very smart.
Chad tried to think of possible things to talk about - Yousef came to mind since he was so recent, but Alex really didn't seem to like the guy, so that was probably a no-go talking point. Chad's main go-to talking point, Starbright, also seemed to be something Alex wasn't fond of, so he was struggling to find something to fill the void. Chad's blog? Down right now. Superpowers? He already knew everyone's except Alex's, and he said that he didn't want to share. Forums? Way too much creepy stuff.
Maybe TV? No - One of Chad's favorite shows, Keeping up with the Wings, was cancelled ever since the Eagles incident a few months prior. Mentioning he was bummed about that might have been bad since, y'know, the main actor tried to kill them all.
"Are vacations like this a usual thing? Mr. Powers never really struck me as a 'vacation' type of boss, but I've only worked at HERO for a little bit."
Chad decided to just say the first question that came to mind and it ended up working out. Hopefully these vacations were pretty common - Chad still felt a little guilty that he was on a vacation when someone like Firebird, a much more experienced hero, wasn't.
The game started quickly enough, and Chad was having a pretty fun time! The tall guy on the other team didn't seem to be very dexterous, but he probably just needed some practice - Chad used to be pretty bad at sewing, but he eventually got pretty good at it as he did it more. As the game went on and the ball bounced off of his face a few times, Chad purposefully tried to avoid aiming towards his side of the field whenever he was serving or spiking. He's been hit in the face with balls before, and it usually sucked the fun out of things pretty fast.
At least Quake was doing pretty good! Maybe she played before, or just had better hand-eye coordination. As the game went on and Chad realized he might be trying too hard for just a fun little game, so he shifted towards a purely supportive role, passing the ball to Starbright and defending. He was probably way better at playing anyways.
Suddenly, as the ball was about to land on Quake and J-somethings side of the net, the ball was grabbed by a new arrival. Chad didn't even notice the new figure on the court until he had already caught the ball, and was a little shocked. Usually people jumping in mid-game was pretty bad etiquette - Chad learned that when he was freshman during a basketball game...
Then again, he looked friendly enough, and he might have just wanted to play too! Chad could always just take a break and let him have a turn.
"I believe you aren't supposed to let this hit the ground, I'll give you a pass, though. Sorry for interrupting your game. My name is Yousef."
Chad smiled and waved at the new arrival, finally getting a good look at him. He was very tall (Were most heroes here tall? At least he wasn't like The Shocker) and seemed to have a darker complexion than most. Chad immediately noticed the tattoos all across his body, and was even more impressed - they looked super cool! Chad had a face tattoo, but that was nowhere near as big and Chad cried the whole time because it really hurt. This guy had to be pretty tough to have so many tattoos...
"I'm a hero from Egypt...ah, but no need to introduce yourselves. I'm, of course, very familiar with your work. Well, most of you, at any rate. I look forward to getting to know some of you, but I'm also happy to be in the presence of such hero legends. Starbright! We've heard of you around the globe now...oh, and you must be Ms. Jamie Stewart. Quake."
"I've read about you in the papers, but you seem even lovelier in person. I'd love to get to know you better. After this game, perhaps? It's always good to spend some...quality time on vacations. Well, I best not interrupt your game any longer."
Chad was normally incredibly oblivious to most things, but Yousef's words suddenly struck Chad with full force - this guy was hitting on Quake! Woah! He did it just like the movies and was suave like James Bond. By this time, Chad had decided that even if this Yousef guy had a funny name, he was, like, super cool. Not Starbright cool (obviously) but it takes some guts to just walk up and introduce yourself to a bunch of Heroes, right? Chad didn't do that, and he works in the same organization as the others - this guy is from halfway across the world. Maybe he'd hang out with him later and ask who the coolest Heroes in NAEA were.
"Enjoy your game."
"Y-yeah, you too..."
Chad immediately closed his eyes and bit his cheek in embarrassment. Maybe he wouldn't ask to hang out after all. By the time he opened them again, the Egyptian Hero was already walking away.
"Man, that guy seemed pretty cool, huh?"
J-something seemed to whisper something to Quake as Yousef left, but Chad didn't really want to listen in on their conversation (that was rude, right?). Luckily, he turned to address all of them soon enough.
"Also, if anyone asks, my name is Alex, and I'm new to HERO. None of you have seen my powers yet. No matter what, I'm not a magus, ok?"
Chad had no clue what a Magus was (A class in Dungeons and Dragons maybe?), but he felt like kind of an idiot. He was calling this guy J-something the whole time when his name was Alex! That starts with an A! And if he's new to HERO too, maybe that explained why Chad couldn't remember him.
"Ok! I'm not a magus either then."
Was this that LARPing thing? Maybe Chad should be a Fighter, those sound cool!
"Should we keep playing? I-I wasn't really keeping score, sorry..."
Alex seemed pretty upset by something - maybe he didn't want to play volleyball anymore cause he kept getting hit by the ball? That would make sense. Chad once got tackled by Kevin 'Chainsaw' Charles, a 325 pound monster from another school, and he felt like he might have quit football right there. Chad had to go to the hospital after that because he fractured a rib...
"Starbright, you've probably been to places like this before, right? What's the best stuff to do while on vacation?"
"Oh, right, sorry Brad. That's my bad."
Chad frowned a little bit, not sure if J-something was purposefully trying to say his name wrong as a joke or something. He was about to comment and correct the guy, before he stopped himself. Chad still didn't know his name, so it was pretty hypocritical to want the guy to say Chad's name right... Right?
Whatever - even if it wasn't that big of a deal, he and Quake were being nice enough to hang out with Chad, when he didn't have any friends here. Chad knew Pandora for a few weeks now, and even she still got Chad's Superhero name wrong most of the time!
"Don't worry man, you've come to the right people if you want to unwind and pass the time. Jamie's one of the funnest people I know, and wasting time just so happens to be my specialty! Though it does feel a little weird to do it out of work hours... Ah well, I'm sure it'll work out fine. Oh, and don't worry about being too good at volleyball for us, I'm pretty sure I have a decent handicap for you in mind."
"Thanks, I'm glad we can hang out! But is making new friends really wasting time?"
Chad was excited to hang out with two other heroes, especially considering how he had relatively little interaction with the others in the organization. That was one of the reasons Chad was so eager to drop going to the gym - normally he'd want to make the most of his time and not waste it. It just so happened that the best use of his time here would be to make friends with the others - he'd be back the usual patrols and weight training when he got back the Castleburg, but Chad didn't normally have much free time to just get to know others.
"Well, I'm sure Starbucks'll show up eventually. Until then, I guess we can figure something out."
That part threw Chad off again - who was this guy J-something kept talking about? Maybe Starbucks was a corporate Hero that Chad had never heard about, but Starbuster? That just sounded like someone trying to get popular by having a name that sounded like Starbright's!
...Which Chad had thought of doing, but decided against it when he realized the legal trouble he could of gotten in. It all turned out for the best though, didn't it?
“The gym? On vacation?! You must be crazy. I don’t even go to the gym while I’m working. Come on. We’re gonna go have some fun and play some volleyball. We don't have even numbers, but it's not really that big a deal. We'll just do a 2v1 or maybe a three-way. I’ll race you to the court!”
Chad jumped back as Quake began running towards the volleyball court, kicking sand back as she did so. The Three-way thing sounded weird - could you have a three-way in volleyball, when there was only a single net? Chad shook his head and quickly followed after Quake, trying to avoid getting lost in his thoughts again.
While he could have gotten to the court in a matter of seconds, Chad chose to not use his power during the race. He wasn't sure what the tall guy could do, but Quake's power was shaking the ground - it wouldn't really be fair for Chad to win the race instantly without the others having a chance, right?
...That was kind of a hollow statement, really. Chad won the race pretty easily, not even being winded as he reached the court. It was hard to compete in a fair race against Chad, when he was one of the best Runners in HERO.
When the others arrived to the court, Chad had begun stretching, getting ready for the match. Percy always told Chad that stretching was always important, even if it was just a light game. Chad stopped pretty quickly though - it might make him look like a tryhard, and Chad wanted these people to like him.
"Alright, team time! How're we playin'?! One on two, or one on one on one?! I'm sure Starbright'll get here soon, but we can probably fit in at least one game in that time!"
Chad suddenly stood up straight, surprised to hear Starbright's name. Was he here? Chad knew that he wasn't selected by HERO to come on the vacation, and Chad hadn't seen him yet-
Then again, Chad wasn't really on the lookout for anyone, was he? He kind of wanted to unpack all of his things as soon as possible and didn't even stop to make plans with people before he went to his hut. It would be easy to not see someone.
"Starbright is here. And he is in to win."
Chad covered his eyes a bit as Starbright posed nearby, a burst of light signaling his arrival. That definitely answered Chad's question.
"Alright what does everyone think about teams?"
Well, a three-way was out of the question now. Chad quickly raised his hand and hopped on his toes, as if he was a child trying to be picked to answer a question by a teacher.
"Oh, oh, I call dibs on being the same team as Starbright!"
Chad felt a bit bad that he was trying to be on the same team as Starbright - he was probably, like, super good at volleyball. And Chad was pretty good at it too, even if he probably wasn't as good as Starbright. Maybe the handicap J-something was talking about would make things fairer, or Quake and him were really good at Volleyball!
"Wait, how'd you get here Starbright? I thought HERO didn't pick you to come on the retreat?"
Chad noticed that there was a sizable amount of Volleyballs nearby, ready to be used by guests at the resort. Chad smiled as he jogged over and grabbed one - the staff here were pretty nice, huh?
Chad tossed the ball to Quake and started walking towards the opposite side of the net.
"You guys can serve first! Let's have fun!"
It'd probably be nice to let them have the advantage, especially since Chad basically picked the teams. Hopefully Starbuster and Starbucks would be fine being on the same team when they showed up.
“Hey, Chad!”
Chad jumped as he heard the voice, turning quickly to see who called out for him. It took him a second to recognize who he was looking at, but she was pretty easy to put a name to. She was Quake - one of the S-tiers in HERO. Chad had met her very briefly during the EAGLES incident in Hero One, but hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her yet. He regretted that - being a Hero fanatic, Chad was very excited to meet an actual S-tier.
“This place is so nice. There’s a beach, and a bar, and an ocean, and a lot of cool stuff… wanna hang out, maybe? We have a lot of time until dinner with the director. We could build a sand castle or, like, go swimming… it’ll be fun!”
And, more importantly, she wanted to hang out! 'Operation: Make Friends' was turning out to be far easier than Chad had thought it would be! Maybe Chad was actually super cool and just didn't know it?
...Well, Chad liked the compliment to himself, even if it wasn't true. Chad was about to suggest hitting the gym (Imagine how strong a pro hero must be! She probably knew a good routine!) when someone else came up to them.
"Hey, Jamie! Chet! You guys got any plans on what to do yet? Because I don't really have any ideas except sleeping, or waiting for Starbuster to finish unpacking so I can obliterate him in beach volleyball."
While Jamie's name came to Chad instantly, he had no clue who this guy was. The guy definitely looked familiar - Chad had seen him around HERO One before, and his file was one of the ones given to Chad on his very first mission. They hadn't talked at all, so it was understandable that Chad would forget his name.
...Chad still felt pretty bad about that though. Maybe that was why he wasn't as upset as he usually was when people got his name wrong.
"Actually, my name is Chad... Uh, I'd love to hang out with you guys! I was going to go to the gym, but I'd be cool with building sandcastles or playing Volleyball!"
The gym could wait - Quake and the nameless guy (J-something?) were both pretty fit, but even Chad knew most people didn't lift weights during their vacation. Well, they don't in the movies - most he's ever seen was in the romance films where the pretty boy is swimming laps, and the love interest sees him while he dries off his chiseled abs-
Why the heck was he thinking about movies right now? Chad tried to focus - he was on an actual vacation for once, not watching one. Crap, he stopped talking - had to keep the conversation going.
"I-I'm pretty good at Volleyball though, so watch out haha..."
Smooth as sandpaper. Chad bit his cheek to stop from cringing. Time to think about something else - finding J-something's name...
Chad smirked slightly - he'd just wait until Quake said the guy's name! Chad wouldn't have to ask and seem rude, and he'd have something to call this person that was better than 'J-something'.
It was pretty incredible how quickly Chad could become lost in his own delusions and imaginary situations.
Lucky for Chad, neither Starbright nor the guard he was with noticed the inexperienced Hero's presence. They moved through the halls of the complex, Chad following as silently as possible for someone who could only hobble. It wasn't a long struggle for Chad, however - before long, the pair he had been tailing arrived at a dead end. Chad was initially confused, before seeing the guard level his gun at Starbright's head. Chad's mind took a few seconds to process what was happening, and he was too far away to hear anything very well. But if Chad was able to do anything well, it was move fast.
Chad ran towards the guard as fast as he could with his injury, vision and hearing dimming as his power intensified. Chad probably could have run a bit slower - but the situation really didn't let that thought cross his mind. As he ran, he misstepped, losing his grip on the wall - his injured foot landed on the ground, and the broken ankle once again reminded Chad it was there. Chad was able to react in time, however - while the misstep took him off his course towards the guard, Chad managed to throw his arm out in time, catching the guard in the skull as he fell. The blow on the guard made a disturbing whacking sound, similar to a baton. Chad didn't have time to worry too much, as he crashed into the floor from his run.
Chad pulled himself towards the wall, and located Starbright quickly - he appeared unharmed, so Chad must have not accidentally hit him while trying to save him. Totally intentional. Chad managed to stand by using the wall.
"You had to go and beat the guard up. I obviously had it under control. Honestly, it..."
Chad felt nervous as he looked at the guard - Chad didn't like using his power on normal people, and the guard effectively got hit by a high-speed Clothesline. He was still breathing, even if he was unconscious, but Chad was a recent high school dropout - he had no clue if the guard was internally bleeding or had any other injuries. If the situation was different, Chad probably wouldn't have hit as hard as he did...
"S-sorry Starbright, I was worried-"
Chad was cut off as Starbright pulled him in for a hug. Chad bit his lip slightly, being reminded of the burn on his back - he'd have to talk to ask the Shocker to apologize for that when this was all over.
"I'm just glad you're alive."
Chad returned the hug, cautious at first. It was a little weird, being so close to someone that you idolized from behind a screen for so long. It was nice though - Chad had been in more danger today than any other day in his life. Hell, he fell off a buidling. And despite the threat of death, Chad didn't really know if many people would care. Percy would, maybe Powers after he was found? Chad didn't really know most of the other heroes that well (or at all), and Pandora... Well, She didn't really seem like she'd lose any sleep if Chad died. And as for his parents...
It felt nice knowing that someone was happy Chad survived.
Eventually, Starbright broke the hug, turning to look over at Sea Serpent as he spoke.
"Oh, right, I probably shouldn't let her drop like that huh?"
He picked her up again and turned back to face Chad as he continued speaking.
"We have one more to take down, Seraph. He's at the top of this tower, we take him down and it will all start crumbling. If it isn't going down already, we need to hurry."
Chad nodded in agreement. Chad had seen some of the collateral damage that Heroes could cause, and while this building was fortified, Chad had no doubt that someone like Quake could bring it down if she wanted to. The sooner they found Powers and escaped, the better...
"You smashed it pretty hard in the fall then? Not to worry, I have three words for you, privatized HERO healthcare. I have the best medic in HERO on speed dial, he can patch that up good as new. We just... have to finish this first."
Chad looked down at his ankle as he continued after Starbright. Even with a boot and legging covering it, the damage was easy to see. Chad smile behind his mask - getting his leg healed would mean he wouldn't have to stop his training. Depending on how good Starbright's Healer was, maybe Chad would be able to get back to HERO work in a matter of days!
"I'm glad to hear that... Thanks, Starbright."
Chad's mind began to wander towards the others - Chad had gotten lucky being in the same minijet as Starbright since he was such a good pilot and took them to the top of the complex immediately. But the others might not have been so lucky - The minijet that saved Chad's life when he fell was abandoned other than a single guard, and the rumbling and shaking the building experienced was concerning, to say the least...
Chad tried to stop worrying about them. Grace could teleport, Pandora could just swim through the ground, and Quake was an S tier Hero. If things got bad, they would probably be fine. Besides, Chad had enough on his own plate right now - he glanced at the unconscious Sea Serpent, hoping she remained knocked out until they could reasonably restrain her. Chad had dropped Starbright's belt during the fall, otherwise he would have used that to at least bind her legs.
Not like that would have done much to stop her powers though. Chad was still soaking wet, so she wouldn't even need to look far for a water-
"Bullet, I'm not going to force you into this. I'm going up these stairs to confront Seraph and it may not turn out well. I'm giving you an out here, you can take it or you can stay. But that decision rests only on your shoulders alone."
Starbright broke Chad's train of thought - they were in front of the stairway to the next floor. Chad did his best to not be surprised at what Starbright had just said - Chad was being given a way out of the fight against Seraph. Normally, he'd probably leap on that opportunity - Chad didn't feel like he'd win against Seraph even if he wasn't injured. Seraph can freaking fly for God's sake. That alone pretty much made Chad worthless against him.
Chad followed close behind Starbright as they ascended the stairs, not bothering to respond to his statement. Running away wasn't an option this time around. Seraph killed dozens of people in Club 27, kidnapped Powers, framed Aria, and who knows what else. Even if Chad couldn't do anything to help, leaving just wasn't something he would do.
Besides - it wasn't like they were going to lose the fight. Starbright was here, he had Sea Serpent as a bargaining chip, and they were indoors - Seraph wouldn't be able to make much use of his flight because of that.
But Chad didn't think they were going to win for any of those reasons - no, the reason he thought they would win was that he didn't want to consider failing. Thinking about what you didn't want to happen meant it might be an option - so as long as Chad felt he and Starbright could win, they would!
Chad did his best to cling to this delusional belief as he limped up the stairs.
Seraph was drinking heavily from a dark bottle as they opened the door to confront him. Chad's eyes darted around the room as Starbright spoke, searching for anything that might give them an advantage - a weapon, or something to stop Seraph's wings. The opulent golden desk that Seraph stood at was too large and most likely too heavy to serve as a weapon, but maybe it could serve as cover from Seraph's feathers. Various paintings covered the walls, and while most of them were too large to make use of, there were a few plaques that Chad could throw. Potted plants? Too cumbersome.
Chad slowly lowered himself, kneeling down to pick up a sharp glass shard next to the door. Chad recognized it as soon as he saw it - broken wine glass. Nothing compared to Seraph's feathers, but it was sharp and might cause Seraph to start bleeding.
That was a lot better than punching Seraph. If Chad hit him too hard, Seraph might die from internal bleeding or something Chad couldn't recognize. At least with this, Chad could try and staunch Seraph's wounds when he was knocked unconscious-
"Yes...yes...yes....the POWER! I can feel it! The limitless power! It's...it's overwhelming! Yes! Yes! ARRRGH!”
Seraph was changing, dropping the bottle that he was drinking from as his flesh warped and bulged. His legs and torso seemed to elongate and pull themselves apart, and muscles began ballooning to monstrous proportions all across Seraph's body. His shirt burst as additional wings sprouted fully formed from his back, and his head almost seemed to warp and cave in on itself. His eyes bulged in their sockets from the pressure, and Chad feared that they might pop out of Seraph's skull and hang down near his cheek.
Chad immediately began questioning what the hell was happening - years of seeing Seraph on reality TV and other media have never prepared him for this. He had no reasonable explanation for this sudden change...
Suddenly, he remembered! Supernova! That was a drug that Supers could take to boost their powers! Chad shuddered as Seraph completed his transformation - it was no wonder his school told his Superpowered classmates to avoid the stuff, if this is what it caused.
”Now, let me unleash the power upon my enemies!”
Chad tightened his grip on the shard of glass, his mind racing to figure out what the hell he could do to stop this monster. Seraph threw his arms and wings out seemingly at random, swiping chairs and other pieces of furniture around the room with the same ease a toddler might throw a wooden block. But he was also clutching at his head and screaming...
As Seraph flailed around, he accidentally did something Chad had been fearing his entire time in this tower - he broke through a window. And while Seraph could usually fly, this monstrous form seemed too heavy for his wings to support himself.
”NOOO!”
Chad stared as Seraph fall into the ocean waves, water shooting up dozens of feet from where he crashed. Chad's grip on the glass shard loosened, and he let it fall limply to the floor - thanks to the window Seraph just broke, it joined the many other shards with a clinking sound. Was... Was that an Overdose?
Things turned out just like Chad expected - somehow, Seraph was even less difficult to fight than Sea Serpent. But despite winning against an A tier villain, Chad didn't feel very happy. If he had only been a little bit less lucky, if there wasn't something to break his fall only a few dozen minutes ago, Chad would be in the ocean alongside Seraph right now.
Luckily, they didn't need to kill Seraph directly. If Chad had to look directly at Seraph's body rather than the ocean, he probably would have been a bit more shaken than he already was.
"Oh... right, yes. I knew that was going to happen."
"Th... That's not a common thing... is it?"
If that was how most villains were taken care of, Chad felt it'd take a bit longer than expected to get used to the job. Starbright placed Sea Serpent down on an area of the floor that was relatively free of debris and glass from the short fight, before moving alongside Chad.
"This though, this just won't do. We can't have Seraph just die from going ghoul. Wheres the drama in that? Wheres the pizazz? There is no value in any of this."
"Lesson 2 Bullet, this ones important. Do you know the value of a story? What happened today will be remembered in history. We can't have it ruined by, well this." He gestured over to the hole. "Looking like a hero can be just as important as being one. Think about this, what criminal is going to want to fight the two who destroyed that monster in seconds? No conflict, no casualties, no collateral damage."
"You and I are the only ones who saw what happened here. We did this. We pulled out and new, never before seen, combo that finished Seraph in seconds. Who in their right mind would go up against something like that? ...I won't go through with saying that if you aren't on board with it. But if you do, I think there's going to be a big future for you coming up."
Chad turned away from Starbright when he finished speaking, gazing back at the large hole that Seraph had left in the wake of his rampage. Lying wasn't really a good thing to do - especially not for something this big and important. And not just that, but something really messed up happened with Seraph - his fans deserved to know what really happened to him, right?
Chad pushed down these bad feelings. Starbright was right, like usual - If villains thought that HERO had people who could take out someone like Seraph in seconds, than they would surrender the second a Hero showed up to fight them. Or even better, they just wouldn't commit crimes in the first place. People could sleep easier, knowing that there were heroes that could stop villains with a single blow.
And THE BULLET could be one of those Heroes.
"No, you're right... I-I think I can do this. I trust you, Starbright..."
Chad really hoped he was making the right decision. Even if it was for the right reasons, he could feel a stab of anxiety at the thought of lying to all of Castleburg.
The pair began moving, ready to meet up with the other heroes and bring Sea Serpent to Coldwater. Chad lingered a little bit longer than Starbright did, however.
On the ground, was a beautifully ornate bottle - somehow, the bottle that Seraph had drunk from survived his death throes, while his desk and many other pieces of furniture were reduced to splinters. A single crack marked the area near its ornamental leaf, and at the bottom of the otherwise untouched glass, were the stains left from Seraph's last drink.
Chad took the bottle without even stopping to consider it, the last dregs of liquid dripping from the crack as he did so.
After all - what would make a better souvenir for your first mission?
3 days later...
"Damn, wish I was on Starbright's payroll - the report said your injury would require an internal fixator and at least 2 months of rest, but you're walking as if nothing happened. The healer must have been something, huh?"
Chad scratched the back of his head, nervous about how to respond to the light conversation. He was in the office of Dr. Illin, the chief proctor of Chad's Aptitude Tests. Thankfully, it seemed like she was unphased by the recent events that had occurred - she was the same as always, even after EAGLES.
Things had been hectic the last few days, and they only seemed to get more intense by the day. Everyone bought Starbright's lie at face value, and HERO did little to fight against his telling of the events. Chad was lucky his costume concealed his identity fairly well - defeating Seraph and Starbright's praise had catapulted The Bullet to popularity that few new heroes ever experience, and if they knew his identity, Chad was worried they might actually find where he lived.
Several of the heroes that had raided Elmore Island were injured in some way, with Firebird apparently having gone crazy for a bit, and Quake being shot by Winterfall. Chad dropped off flowers he bought from Pandora, but he didn't stick around to talk with them... It would kind of be awkward to officially meet a coworker while they were in the hospital, wouldn't it?
"Anyways, here's the file - just be sure to hand it back before you leave, I'm already breaking rules just showing it to a greenhorn like you."
Chad was thankful to be here - it was like a small break from everything. He took the manilla folder that Dr. Illin had given him, opening the contents quickly.
Dozens of pictures, all in various positions and focusing on different body parts. Seraph's corpse had been in the water for an hour or two before they managed to find and dredge it up - not that Chad could really tell how waterlogged the body was. His vision swam slightly as he tried to read the text, moving the pictures out of his view.
'Extreme mutations across the body - muscle tears in several locations indicate high-speed growth.'
"Fall didn't kill him - that stuff he drank was good shit. He didn't have enough control over his body to tread water, so he drowned."
'Autopsy shows presence of Mutagenic Compound, presumed to be Leftover blood. Testing to determine the origin of the blood is still underway.'
Chad's eyes nearly glazed over as he continued reading the Forensic Report on Seraph. Apparently, his file was a bit larger than most heroes who die on the line of duty - most likely a result of his massively altered body.
'Blood adopted darker coloration and is highly viscous - possible clotting from substance?'
Chad closed the folder and held his hand to his mouth. He'd been relatively unscathed mentally the last few days - he didn't directly cause Seraph's death, and Chad didn't see him die. But looking at someone you always looked up to on TV, deformed and cut open and dead, made Chad feel like-
"If you're going to puke, you're going to be taking my trash out."
Dr. Illin was holding a small wastebasket towards Chad, who took it and breathed slowly. He didn't end up puking - Chad knew how to stop himself when he was feeling terrible. He kept breathing and closed his eyes till the nausea left him.
"Bullet? I know you're dressed and everything, but maybe you should take the chance to relax for a bit. You seem pretty out of it. Plus if you get injured again, I have to write it up, and I hate the paperwork."
"It's THE Bul... Nevermind. Sure thing, Dr. Illin, I'll take a few days off. Have a good day."
Chad came down from the sixth floor of HERO One after completing the Monkey Run for the second time - even after intense training in the gym, he was able to complete the course in just over a minute. Not too impressive for a Speedster considering his lack of dexterity, but Chad's time was much faster than most of the Heroes who had attempted the obstacle course. Of course, he still failed the course most of the time he tried it, but Chad decided to blame that on leftover nausea.
As the elevator opened to the third floor, Chad came face to face with The Shocker, the massive electric superhero. His popularity, while hardly exceptional before, was outright detrimental after his 'killing' of Starbright. Many fans of the more popular hero were demanding The Shocker to be fired immediately or to even be imprisoned.
He walked into the elevator, bumping Chad into the wall as he did so. Chad frowned from behind his damaged helmet - it was probably because he had been healed from his back wound and he got a new phone, but Chad felt bad for The Shocker's predicament. Even if he was misguided and attacked them before, he was still a Hero.
Chad decided to forgive The Shocker for injuring him earlier and planned to be nicer to him in the future. He could probably use a friend right now - maybe they'd go out to eat sometime! Starbright could come to, then their fight would just be a funny bonding story!
Chad moved over to the nearest silver booth, entering it casually. Apparently, it was possible to use an app to create patrols or apply for assignments, but Chad wasn't exactly a very tech-savvy individual. Chad planned on asking someone how to download and sign up for that later - Starbright had replaced the phone Chad lost a few days prior.
"Okay... What have we got today?"
Talking to himself, Chad went through the various job listings available to pick from. As usual, Chad pretty much signed up for everything below a certain level of difficulty - finding lost animals, a few Slime Cleanups, and busting drug dealers in Brookside.
Y'know, things that the police usually do. Or at most, something a Hero may do for the publicity.
Chad, obsessive about cheesy heroic fiction and cartoons, found these to be the perfect tasks for him. He didn't cause much property damage, and it allowed him to interact more closely with the people he was helping. Not to mention, the risk of ending up in a fight was pretty low - and while the Seraph Situation made Chad pretty confident most criminals wouldn't want to fight The Bullet, he didn't want to push his luck that much. Especially not today, after seeing those photos.
Of course, Chad wasn't going to be paid much for these lower-grade missions. That's why he took up a Patrol as well! He got to run around Watervale and Brookside, looking for crime as it happened - the old fashioned way of heroics! Not to mention, patrolling those areas paid a bit more than the other boroughs.
Chad didn't realize it yet, but there was a reason Brookside and Watervale were patrolled by very few heroes. They were hives of villainy, with the vast majority of gangs within Castleburg being based in one of the two Boroughs. Not to mention, with the recent EAGLES fiasco, even some of the normal citizens were becoming upset with heroes.
Finishing up, Chad decided to get to work fast - the sooner he finished up his jobs for the day, the sooner he could start his patrol.
His first mission: A Derek Jackson reported a lost Climber Cat somewhere in the East Flank.
"Shouldn't be too hard - those things are Leftovers. Can't be too many of them to look for..."
1 Week Later...
"You Nervous?"
Chad moved over slightly seeing his boss, Percy, standing in the doorway of the bathroom. Chad was nearly done dyeing his hair, and sitting on the edge of his bathtub.
"I guess. Yeah, I'm super nervous... I'm going to be on live television - that's pretty cool!"
Chad was ecstatic to see his name in The Castleburg Times, even if newspaper was kind of dead. Sometime in the last few days, however, Castleburg Today, one of the biggest talk shows on the East Coast, wanted to have him come in for an interview. Chad wasn't sure if this was purely from his role in the defeat of Seraph, or if Starbright had pulled any strings. Whatever the reason, Chad was still thrilled at the opportunity.
"I'm sure you'll do fine Chad. Just try and be yourself, that's all they can ask of you."
Chad nodded. He had already prepped some things to talk about during the interview! The correct pronunciation of his alias, the people he's met with the last week during his missions and patrols, the Climber Cat that took him 13 hours to find (WHY ARE THERE SO MANY OF THESE THINGS!?), and some of his hobbies. Yesterday The Shocker denied going out for lunch with Chad (and said some pretty mean words...), so Chad also wanted to try and mention him to help boost his popularity.
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to recommend his blog to people currently - when he updated it a few days ago, it was taken down. Apparently, the web host thought that it was someone trying to bash on The Bullet, rather than Chad posting it himself! If it wasn't for his Hero work taking up so much time, it probably would have been back up by now...
Oh well! No sense in being upset about something else when there was good news to celebrate!
Percy left a few moments later - it was still business hours, and he needed to cover for Chad's absence. It didn't take long for Chad to finish his hair and shave (and he didn't even cut himself!), and looking at the mirror, he felt pretty happy with his appearance. It didn't fit Chad's personality whatsoever, but his ex was a big fan of the look, and it grew on him as time passed on. He especially liked the tattoo - while others called it lame, he thought it made him look super cool!
Chad's phone began to buzz beside him, displaying the cover of Starbright's newest album. Chad quickly answered it - Chad didn't want to assume things, especially since famous people don't seem to like clingy fans, but he was starting to think that Starbright and him were friends now!
"Bullet, how are you doing? Look remember you got that Castleburg Today interview coming up today. This will be the first time people get to hear from the man himself, no pressure. Anyway, I got some clothes for you to wear, just to help establish your image some more."
"Uh, scratch that actually, you can buy your own clothes. I'm sending you over some money for them. 5 grand should be enough right? Nah we will make it 10 grand to be safe. Anyway, yeah, knock yourself out. All I want to see when I look at you on that show is something that screams 'THIS IS THE BULLET'. I think you best know what that looks like. Oh and no Gucci stuff, thats all bargain bin trash anyway. Again no pressure, just a few million watching."
Chad could see himself pale in the mirror, blood rushing from his head as he heard the ridiculous amount that Starbright was giving him. He'd already bought Chad one of the most expensive phones on the market, but 10 grand was more than Chad had ever held in his life.
"A... Are you sure about giving me that much money? I don't think I'd be able to pay you back for a few months..."
More than a few months - Chad accidentally crashed through a building while running from a pack of M.W.E.s his last patrol, and his pay this week was cut pretty drastically as a result. Chad felt justified in his dislike of animals after that.
"Not that I don't appreciate it! I don't own many outfits, haha..."
The call ended shortly after, and Chad struggled to cope with his sudden influx of cash. People online talked about Heroes making a ton of money, but Starbright was able to throw around what most people made in months like it was nothing. Of course, Chad didn't consider that Starbright's money was supplemented by his massively famous singing career.
Chad went to his room, and quickly started rummaging through his closet for something to wear - eventually, he decided on polo shirt and khakis, one of his more common outfits. As he reached around, however, he accidentally dropped a shirt from its hanger. Behind it was a partially filled Helium tank, very out of place for the otherwise comfy bedroom Chad had made for himself. Chad quickly covered it again, heart racing as he closed the closet door. No time to think about that kind of stuff - Chad had a busy day ahead of him!
Chad knew exactly what to wear to an interview that would be seen by millions - a brand new costume! It'd have an air of mystique since his identity hadn't been revealed to the public yet, and superhero costumes were way cooler looking than a suit or something. And since Starbright had given him such a windfall, it was the perfect time to replace his damaged costume!
Of course, buying a complete costume was pretty difficult within such a short time frame. As a result, Chad had to rely on the same strategy he used to make his last suit - taking random pieces he found that looked cool, and slapping them together. This time though, instead of barely having a hundred or so dollars, he had 10 thousand...
Chad originally wanted to buy Riot gear and possibly avoid hurting as much from collisions or getting stabbed, but the nice officer he asked said that he needed government identification to purchase that. Chad wasn't sure if being a Hero counted, but he could always worry about it when he didn't have a deadline - his interview was only a few hours away. Instead, he bought an armored one-piece suit, like the motorcyclists and daredevils wore - that was still pretty cool!
Chad's purchases were fairly nonsensical and sporadic after that - a cool looking helmet from the same bike shop, ballistic plates from some shady guy Chad found in a gun shop, a bunch of zip-ties to capture bad guys, and some white steel-toed boots.
Chad paused as he continued his shopping, however. While buying all of these things was cool, Chad's mind flashed back to his fall and the broken leg he earned from it. He really lucked out - He could have died so easily if he missed the minijet, and even if he didn't miss it, he could have cut an artery or something and bled out.
The first aid kit that Chad bought was pretty expensive for Chad's taste, but it was compact and could save a life in an emergency. Not to mention it was less expensive more useful than a parachute. Next time he breaks his leg, Chad will have a splint!
Chad really hoped he wouldn't need to break his leg again...
After all of that, Chad hadn't made much of a dent in the funds that Starbright had given him - at least, not until he got to his final purchase. Chad could almost feel the looks of reproach as he arrived at one of the most high-end fashion store in Kingsdale. Chad was dressed in one of his better outfits, but considering he was a pizza delivery guy, he wasn't exactly blending in. Chad kept his head down and tried to avoid making eye contact with others as he started looking for the belts.
Starbright was the person that had helped Chad the most so far - heck, even over the last week, his interactions with the other heroes have been limited. Chad didn't think most of them even knew his name - not that it was their fault. He'd been pretty busy the last few days, but Chad probably should have tried a little harder to get to know his coworkers.
The one that Starbright wore obviously wasn't available - Starbright must have bought his belt from abroad, or maybe it was custom-made. But Chad picked the one that seemed most similar, and they looked close enough, right? Chad paused - after making sure it wasn't Gucci as per Starbright's request, Chad quickly made his purchase, questioning why a belt was worth more than the rest of his costume combined.
Chad shook the thought from his mind as he walked home. He didn't have a right to complain - after all, it wasn't his money. He'd pay Starbright back later
For only having a few hours to get ready, Chad had managed to fix up a pretty good looking costume. Sewing was one of the few things Chad felt confident in, and while he wasn't an expert, it was the best he could do with what he had available. He even managed to sew the plates into the suit! And the cape didn't turn out as bad as he thought it might have.
Of course, functionally, the thing was pretty pathetic. Chad effectively just threw together what he thought would look cool, not taking into account if it would actually help protect him in a fight or if it would fall apart the second he took a hit. Chad mostly just wanted it to look nice before being gawked at by millions - he could make it work well after he was done his interview.
Chad felt pretty confident as he left his home - this interview was going to be great!
Somehow Chad hadn't screwed himself over by thinking that. The interview actually did go pretty well.
Surprisingly, Chad's decision to wear his new costume had actually worked out - his desire to maintain a 'Secret Identity' wasn't common among most of HERO, at least not for the last few decades. That, combined with his loud and boisterous personality, had managed to make him stand out more than he expected.
"Let's get this out of the way right off the bat - how did you and Starbright manage to take down Seraph so fast? Starbright and some HERO officials said the confrontation was over in seconds!" "W-well, Starbright is really strong and cool and powerful and awesome, so it wasn't too bad... A-and I'm pretty fast, y'know? Haha..."
"How is HERO handling the loss of three A tier heroes? Seraph was a major face for HERO as an organization, and they haven't commented on his current situation. Could you tell us - is Seraph dead?" Chad's mind flashed to the pictures of Seraph's bloated and deformed corpse, and he was suddenly glad he was wearing a helmet - it meant no one could see the color drain from his face.
"I don't think I can talk about that, sorry..."
Eventually, the interviewer grew frustrated and started asking about other topics, and Chad visibly relaxed. The interview went much more smoothly when Chad began talking about how he was acclimating to HERO, and his actions in costume after EAGLES was disbanded.
The interviewer looked a little disturbed when Chad described smashing in one of the heads of a MWE, only to be bitten by another. And no one ever wanted to listen to a Slime Cleaning. But Chad's patrol route was what caused the most interest.
"I'm sorry, your patrol goes through Brookside?"
"And Watervale! I think I do a pretty good job too, I arrested some drug dealers already and the officer that came to get them let me use his Siren-"
Chad was incredibly lucky to not have faced any problems yet - few heroes interact with Brookside or Watervale in any capacity and both boroughs were filled with gangs and criminals, but the only injury Chad received so far was a bite from a Leftover.
Then again, Chad was probably one of the people in HERO who could avoid trouble on a patrol in Brookside. Even from a fairly short distance, his all-black costume looked just like a villain - along with the fact that Chad's patrols were done at relatively high speeds, he probably hadn't been attacked simply because he wasn't noticed fast enough. After making his patrol common knowledge during this interview, Chad had probably made things much more difficult for himself.
Not that Chad knew that of course - he was just answering questions as they came to him, ignorant of what consequences they would have.
As the interview came to a close, Chad made sure to give out his message to 'Stop bullying The Shocker' (Which was met with many confused looks from people who had no idea who that was), and he left the building, eager to tell Starbright how the interview had gone.
Who knows - maybe some of the other Heroes had watched it, and Chad could talk with them about it.
Chad shakily stepped out of the plane, doing his best to keep his three bags of luggage from falling into the water. He wasn't wearing his new costume - a benefit to this being a Superhero-only resort. Instead, Chad was wearing a button-down dress shirt, khakis, the belt he bought recently, and a pair of Oxfords that his father had gotten him for a school dance a year or two ago.
In short, not something you should wear to a resort. Chad felt a bit anxious as he saw that most of the others who had also come were dressed in far more casual clothing. He hadn't brought a swimsuit since he couldn't swim didn't like hanging out in the water, but he probably should have dressed down a bit more than he usually did...
No sense in being upset though! Chad was lucky to have come on the resort trip since he was so new, so being upset just cause he wasn't dressed properly was dumb. Chad had been working every day since the EAGLE incident, so he should try and get the most out of this vacation time.
As they arrived at the resort itself and were handed their brochures and villa keys, Chad smiled brightly. He'd never been on a vacation before, so this was all very exciting and new! He could go build a sandcastle on the beach, check out the gym they had here - maybe he could even ask some of the staff to teach him how to swim!
"Before you all go, I have reserved a late dinner at the Solaris, which is the resort's five-star restaurant. If you could join me there at 8:00 PM, that would be excellent. Until then, make sure you enjoy yourselves.”
Chad grinned, making an alarm on his phone (He learned how to put alarms on his phone! How cool was that!!!). Chad had never really eaten at a five-star restaurant, to so that sounded like something he wouldn't want to miss!
Chad quickly made his way to his villa, and after oohing and ahhing at his temporary accommodations, he unloaded his luggage and changed into his workout clothes.
Chad nodded his head to himself. First things first - 'Operation: Make Friends' was a go! A vacation was the perfect time to get to know your coworkers better, right? So he just needed to look around for people to hang out with! Unfortunately, Starbright hadn't won the drawing on who got to come on the vacation - if he had, Chad could have asked to been introduced to some of the others. Starbright was probably beloved by the other heroes, right?
Nodding to himself, Chad left his villa and started to look around the resort for the gym or someone to hang out with, whichever he found first. That's when he realized... He probably should have asked to hang out with someone before he left for his villa in the first place, huh? Chad groaned - stupid move. Oh well, he had 7 hours to find someone to hang out with. Worst case scenario, he could always make plans with someone over dinner tonight.
The security guard that Chad was talking to was clearly uncomfortable with his position and decided to leap at the opportunity to escape that the inexperienced hero offered. He bolted straight to his feet and ran towards the elevator - he could run as fast as he wanted since the traps that had originally lined the hallway were taken care of only a few minutes ago. Chad watched as the guard ran, following at a pace far too quick for a person with a broken leg.
Thankfully, Chad currently had a wall to lean on. If he didn't, Chad doubted he would be able to move safely, let alone use his power to keep up with the guard. Compared to what Chad was used to, it was pitifully slow - but Chad didn't feel comfortable using his power at higher levels right now. If he made a mistake as he did on the jet and accidentally used his injured leg, Chad would experience incredible pain. Even worse, he might fall - and getting up from a fall would cost Chad time he really didn't have.
When Chad caught up to the Guard, he was slamming on the call button to no avail. Looking at the display right above showed that the elevator was actually descending, rather than rising to the floor Chad was on. It wouldn't be long - maybe a minute, two at most until the elevator comes back up.
Chad immediately walked to the stairs, much to the confusion of the Guard. It took Chad a few seconds to realize what was really happening - if the elevator was going down, that clearly meant someone called for it. And while it might be someone who could help, it was just as likely that the person coming up was a member of the Wings of Law! Chad didn't consider it, but it also could have been a guard with a gun, which was just as dangerous as someone with a Power. Chad was not in the condition to fight someone on equal footing, and even if he managed to get into the elevator without conflict, there was no guarantee someone wouldn't call it back down.
Of course, the reality of the situation hadn't crossed Chad's mind at all - he was seeing Cora and Rumi's OMNI descend. It was to be expected Chad was feeling pretty paranoid right now, so the possibility that someone was leaving the floor rather than coming up hadn't occurred to him.
Chad sighed in relief as he came to the stairs, seeing that there was a firm metal railing along the side. If there wasn't anything to help him climb, Chad would have had to risk the elevator. Hopping on one foot, Chad climbed the steps to the next floor. Chad bit his lip hard as his left foot smacked against one of the steps - too low. Luckily, he didn't scream or fall down the stairs.
The last thing he needed was to break his other leg
15 Minutes Later
Chad was really hating himself right now.
WHY DID HE TAKE THE STAIRS!?!? At the time it seemed smart - avoiding an immediate confrontation that Chad might have lost, and not run the risk of being trapped in an elevator in enemy territory. As it turned out, going through the evil hideout crawling with henchman was a lot more risky and dangerous than taking a single elevator, which might have had an enemy inside.
It could have been worse, if we're being honest - Chad was able to mostly evade any Guards he saw. Although, that was less because Chad and his broken leg were amazing at stealth, and more because they were being invaded. It didn't help that most of them weren't exactly the best Security material out there, considering they were relying on Television ad recruitment. Really, one of the Guards even saw Chad, and purposefully ignored him in order to escape without having to deal with someone with a superpower.
Not that Chad knew, of course. In his mind, he was displaying a hidden talent for covert action that even James Bond would be impressed with. If he wasn't wracked in pain, Chad might have attributed his stealth skill to all the times he snuck snacks from his parent's pantry late at night, or how he managed to hide his face tattoo from his Mom for nearly 2 weeks.
Not important right now. Chad could feel the swelling in his boot - it had set on especially hard after he started climbing the stairs, and his ankle felt as though it were constricted with a vice. And though it was uncomfortable, Chad knew messing with his foot was the worst thing he could do right now. Chad had at least a few broken bones, and the first aid training he received at school was woefully ill-equipped to handle such an injury. No, the tightness of his boot probably served as a better splint than whatever Chad could fashion out of Table legs and duct tape, or whatever other materials he could manage to scavenge around here.
Not to mention it didn't take time. How long had it been - 10 minutes? 15? Chad hadn't seen any clocks yet, and even if his phone hadn't been destroyed by The Shocker, he wouldn't have been able to use it after getting drenched by Sea Serpent.
Chad grimaced slightly beneath his tarnished helmet. Things were not turning out as glamorous as he thought they would. It would take several weeks to heal his broken ankle, his costume would probably need to be completely recreated after all the damage it sustained, and there was a fair chance that Starbright had gotten injured because Chad got caught early in their fight. Heck, the fight might even be over already - Starbright probably won though, if it was over. He was really strong, after all.
And how come, despite all of that, the only thing Chad was focused on was that he was wet? It was stupid - it's the middle of July! He wasn't going to get sick from being a little damp in one of the warmest months of the year. Chad had broken many bones before - he had the scars to prove it, and Chad could even recall Percy lecturing him about safety with that light accent he had when he was concerned...
So why did none of those memories come back to him instead? All he could focus on was coming in after playing in the rain, many years ago. A scraped knee, covered in mud, soaking wet - much to the amusement of his parents, who seemed so much bigger back then. Chad could almost feel the soft cotton towel his mother used to dry him off back then-
"Starb-!"
It was instinctive. As Chad blinked away tears from something that had gotten in his eye, he saw his ideal walk from around the corner - and the fact he was accompanied by an unconscious Sea Serpent made it all the better! The only thing that stopped Chad from limping straight towards him was the fact that Starbright was accompanied by a guard. Chad cut off his scream (especially good, considering he was still in the middle of enemy territory), and threw himself behind the nearest corner.
Luckily, he caught himself on the corner of the wall before he fell to the ground. Chad didn't see if the guard was armed - but if he was, Chad wouldn't be able to help. While Chad might normally be able to move fast enough to charge someone before they could shoot their gun, there was no way he'd be able to do it with a broken leg. At best, he might be able to use his arms to keep himself from skidding across the floor at over a hundred miles per hour, and pray the guard was a bad shot or wouldn't expect him.
Chad made his plan in only a few seconds. He'd follow Starbright, and swoop in to destroy the guard (NONLETHALLY!!!) when he was distracted or Chad got close enough! And they'd begin searching for Mr.Powers!
It was pretty surprising, honestly - despite vastly overestimating Starbright's combat abilities, Chad didn't seem to consider the possibility that Starbright had already talked the Guard over to his side. Maybe cartoons and movies had rotted his brain? That or the pain and possible internal bleeding were messing with Chad's head.
Chad couldn't hear what Sea Serpent was saying to Starbright from within his bubble, but he could still see her raise her hand into the air. Chad was prepared to move the moment Starbright gave him an opening - maybe that was why he was so prepared. A sudden change in pressure overcame Chad, as the water lost all form and began to drop to the ground. Chad activated his power, pushing forwards with all his might - if he could reach the side of the ledge, he would be able to charge at Sea Serpent from this angle!
How does someone push themselves off of water and thin air? Chad was able to run on water, but swimming through it as it was falling just wasn't within his abilities. He missed the ledge by a dozen or two feet, only managing to slam headfirst into the side of the building. The plastic of his helmet screeching as his head collided with the wall. Chad forced his gaze downwards, ignoring the sudden impact - the minijet was still there. It looked a bit closer than it did when he was in the bubble, but that made sense - he was falling towards it. In his newly oxygenated and adrenaline-soaked mind, Chad realized his plan was a bit stupider than he probably gave it credit - Not only did he actually have to land on the minijet, it was pointing out of the wall of a concrete building and looked like it was far from the most stable of landing points.
It made Chad happy that he didn't take this path of his own volition, He would have felt like a scumbag if he left Starbright on his own against Sea Serpent, and then just ended up dying while he was running away.
2 Seconds. Chad tucked himself in, tried rolling, was using his power as he fell - anything to try and make the landing as smooth as possible. He even aimed for the green goo that coated the jet, believing it may soften his impact somewhat. Within his limited skills and knowledge, Chad managed to fall perfectly. But Chad was not used to falling off buildings.
A sharp, blinding pain shot through his left leg as he crashed into the minijet. The sound of metal screeching on concrete as the minijet absorbed the impact and pressed against the building. Chad displayed more agility than most uninjured Speedsters as he catapulted himself forwards, diving for the safety that the interior of the building presented.
Another pain - not instant and overwhelming, but more like a slowly growing ache in his left foot. A very distinctive crunching sound reached Chad's ears as he pushed off the same foot he injured less than a second earlier. Stupid mistakes from Chad. What a surprise.
Thankfully, the building was designed with defense in mind, and Chad had no time to accelerate. Chad smashed into the interior wall of the building at nearly a hundred miles per hour, and while the green goo that coated his (heavily damaged) armor helped to lessen the impact, Chad still groaned as he hit his right shoulder into the concrete.
He paused, breathing heavily. Chad was in extreme pain, but he was still very much alive - that was good. It meant he could still find the others and reach Starbright before Sea Serpent tries to kill him. Chad looked down at himself. He was safe for now, so finding what he had done to his body would be a smart idea.
His shoulder was completely fine - it would bruise later for sure, but compared to his other injuries it was a nonissue. His back hadn't been hit in the fall, but it did feel like the exertion might have torn the skin open. Staying wet for too long might lead to an infection. Chad knew what was wrong with his foot the instant he felt the pain - looking at it pointing an unnatural direction only confirmed his belief. He twisted his ankle pretty badly. Could still move his toes, but the pain involved in doing so made it hard to tell if there was a fracture. Chad tried touching it to the ground to support himself but pulled it back into the air the second he felt the pain.
Chad didn't like pain. But he was still alive, and he could still move - even if he needed a wall to lean against. That was a lot better than most people who jumped off buildings. Looking in the room he found himself in, Chad found it nearly discernable. An explosion had pushed a table against the wall and broken what Chad believed were once chairs, along with leaving those weird black marks that explosions leave all across the floor. Chad had no idea what an explosion did outside of look really cool in movies, so he didn't question its presence or the fact he didn't hear it.
Far more importantly, there was someone still in the room. They openly gaped at Chad, as most reasonable people would upon seeing someone fall into the side of a building. Chad managed a strained smile beneath his mask, which had most of its paint scratched off and was heavily damaged.
"A-are you okay? Sorry if I scared you, hehe. HERO is attacking right now, so you should probably, uh... leave. Do you mind taking me to the elevator?"
Chad noticed the gun in the room - it was pretty close, and lying on the floor. Why was a guard not holding his gun- Stupid question. Chad had to stop himself from cringing at the question he asked himself - it was obvious that whoever was in the minijet just tossed the gun aside. The guard couldn't go for the gun without passing Chad, and even if he tried because Chad was injured, the Hero's speed would let him take the gun instantly.
But approaching the situation with diplomacy rather than violence was how Starbright handled Sea Serpent, so that was probably how most heroes tried to handle bad guys. There was no need to grab the gun yet - not only because it would be a little scary for the guard, but also because Heroes didn't use guns!
"Oh, and can you just leave your gun here for now? I-I can get it for you later, I just don't want anyone from HERO to try and attack you cause you're armed..."
Chad didn't realize that having a gun would greatly assist him in his upcoming fight against Sea Serpent - she could control water, not survive getting shot. In Chad's mind, a hero using a gun was preposterous - that would make them an anti-hero at best.
Of course, he also didn't know how to turn the safety off, so maybe bringing the gun wouldn't be as useful as one would think.
© 2007-2025