I opened my eyes to daylight.

A new day, and I was willing to pretend I could be a totally new me.

Whether reality could accept that or not remained to be seen, but despite the thinly veiled threat that Boss had left me with the night before, I slept well. Incredibly well, in fact - no doubt in part because I was partially dead.

Only slightly disappointed that nobody had woken me up, I sat up in the bed and rubbed through my hair. One side of my head felt like garbage, sore to the touch. Blood matted through the hair. My torso ached beneath the swaddled bandages, but my left arm was responsive - I had only just realized it was doing the job asked of it in kneading my fragile skull.

Before I had the chance to get out of the covers to see if Roxy was about, I noticed there were more notifications awaiting my interest.

First was from Hal, confirming my delivery would be later tonight. Van Micheals and his van would hopefully arrive at a time the super was preoccupied, so I could ask for forgiveness rather than permission. Still, it was surely better than me getting injured. Boss had sent me nothing further after I had ignored him. Not a great idea, but I wasn’t sure how to respond just yet.

Most interesting of all was the message from Roy.

Captain Snaps: Let me know when you’re up, big guy.

Captain Snaps: Would like to chat.

A little ominous, but I was willing to see where it went. Sent him the confirmation.

Captain Snaps: Five minutes, outside.

Rolled my eyes and got out of bed. Couldn’t remember when I’d gotten undressed, but compression shorts and the bandages covered enough of me to be considered decent. Opened up the door. Both Roxy’s bedroom and the bathroom were open, and I could hear movement in the kitchen.

Went gingerly down the stairs, some stiffness in my muscles. In reaching the lobby, the super caught a glance at me and almost spat out the mouthful of coffee she had been drinking.

“Gosh, Dubs,” she recovered and wafted air over her face. “A little forewarning would be nice. Thought you’d be asleep a lot longer. I’ve got a meeting this morning, but then my shift isn’t until the evening.”

[That’s a shame.]

That was perfect. It meant she would be away when the delivery came.

She looked me up and down before shaking her head. “Sure is. Clara is coming over this morning to babysit you, though. She has something you ordered, but said it in a rude way that made it seem like something else. I shouldn't be away too long if I can help it. Maybe afternoon if I'm unlucky?”

[Excellent. You’ll be in for a surprise when you return this afternoon, then. Oh, and Roy is popping over to chat with me.]

“Yeah?” Roxy narrowed her eyes at me before tidying up the remnants of her breakfast. “Better not be some bullshit, Dubs.”

[No fighting, I remember.]

“Good. Keep him out of the house, though. I’m not quite ready for you to be hosting guests in my absence.” She stepped out of the kitchen and up to me. “That sounds like I don’t trust you, but it’s not that.”

[I understand. I’m actually about to step outside to meet him.]

The super smiled and put her hand against my arm gently, waiting a couple of seconds before gesturing with her head as well. “Get out then, you goof. I’ve got places to be.”

I nodded and left, unsure what I was expecting exactly. Oh, a new canister would have been nice - I’d need to check if we had any in the freezer, and my overall stock as a whole. Might have to order more from… ah. My waning connection to my prior lifeline put a few things into question.

Roxy placed her hand on my back and then took a few steps away to leap - but stopped just as a small cloud of dust in the direction of the city grew larger - and then the dark figure of the Captain slid to a stop across my yard. After the gravel stopped dancing around and the shockwave had passed through us, he stepped over and gave us both a nod.

“Dubs, Rox, hope I wasn’t interrupting anything?”

“Just heading out, Roy. No doubt the League wants to talk to me about your activities last night.”

He pulled a smile that looked more like a grimace. “Might be the case. Sorry, Rox.”

“Play nice or I’ll break both your necks.” She glared at us before leaping off toward the city, another shockwave causing me to wince.

Roy watched her take another couple of hops in the distance before turning to me. “Fucking hells, I’m surprised you’re even standing, Dubs. You sure you’re not a super?”

I flexed my left arm before giving him a shrug.

[Unlikely. I am many things, but most of that is clouded in a past I do not remember.]

“Sure, sure. But that arm was broken and I could see inside your chest only last night.” He crossed his arms.

[Lucky you, few have seen such an easy pathway to my heart.]

“Enough with the bullshit.” He gestured over to the deckchairs and I sat on Roxy’s while he sat opposite on mine. “I came over because I wanted to tell you… I came clean with the League.”

I nodded slowly and allowed him to continue.

“Told them all the bullshit I’d been doing. With Boss and Romanov. They suspended me for two weeks without pay - which is great because I thought I was about to get struck off. In like a turn-up-murdered kind of way.”

[That’s still a possibility. Boss wants me to kill you.]

“Ah.” He winced. “So if I killed you now while you’re weakened, that’d save me a lot of headache in the short term?”

[If you believe I am capable of dying, yes.]

“Hmm.” His fingers drummed on his leg. “I’m definitely quicker than you, and you’re unarmed.”

[As far as you can tell.]

Roy nodded, a wry grin at the side of his mouth. “Quit fluffing me and tell me your plans, asshole.”

[I’m not going to kill you.]

“Boss won’t like that.”

I nodded and looked out past him to the city. In truth, I hadn’t decided how best to approach that. There had always been the plan to escape his clutches, but… so soon? I had hoped to be entrenched in the safety of the League a little more first. Assuming he wasn’t secretly part of them, of course - which sounded unlikely, even if I couldn’t take the possibility off the table.

[There is the chance he will send other Agents against us, then.]

“Out of the frying pan.” Roy sighed and shook his head, a hand coming up to rub at his beard. “Knowing I’m a speedster, he’ll probably be able to outfit the other assholes to fight against me.”

[Well, you have me as an ally now. I can’t watch over you, but I will stand with you, if you stand with me.]

“Yeah. I think last night cemented the start of our bromance, Dubs.” He grinned and leaned back. “Fine. We’re enemies of Boss together then. Together we’ll kick ass or die trying.”

[I’m assuming you’ll prostrate yourself before Roxy soon.]

Although he didn’t seem too enamored with the notion, he gave a brief nod. “League will be bringing her up to date now. Assuming your pillow talk included our date night, then she already knows and didn’t tear me in half as soon as I got here. I’ll be honest with her about my intentions for the group, you have my word.”

[Thank you, Roy.]

“Asshole.” He rolled his eyes. “Couldn’t just leave me be, huh? Now you got me on the news this morning. Had my parents call me up saying how proud they were.” The speedster looked at the ground and sighed. “Always felt I was letting them down so this… you earned my respect, Dubs, which isn’t something I give easily. Not since leaving the force.”

[I have something akin to military training, so I understand the necessity and strength of a group.]

“I can tell. Private or some secret organization, no doubt, based on how you fight.” With a grunt, he stood and held his hand out. “To our shitty little super group, and being less a sack full of shit.”

I stood as well and shook his hand. Although I could tell there was some apprehension in his eyes, he was being genuine with me. There was the fire - the desire to have some order and efficiency in his life that wasn’t placed on him by the League.

[How was the clean-up with Romanov? What information did he and Boss want from you?]

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Simple stuff. Roster of active heroes and their ranks, which districts each were assigned to. Unfortunately the wheels of justice turn slowly, my friend. They are scouring the bar for evidence today, digging out some of his other residences for data drives and other bullshit. I don’t even know the extent of his dealings, or what he wanted to do with that information.”

Nothing too confidential, but not publicly available either. I could think of plenty of reasons why criminals may want to know that sort of information if they were planning something.

[And my cyborg opponent?]

“Skin suit amongst metal parts.” He shook his head. “Don’t even want to know what you fucking did to him, you scary motherfucker. One grazing shot and he was a walking dead man? Boss would be clever to cut you loose and let you retire.”

[If only life were that simple.]

“Too true. Anyway, that’s mostly everything. It’s just quicker for me to run out here and chat shit rather than type it out.”

[I’m just glad you had no morning-after regrets.]

He grinned. “You’re a rough one, but straightforward. Sometimes we need the blinding sunlight to scour away the gloom we swirl around ourselves. Like you and Rox, no doubt. Patch things up, I take it?”

[Literally, yes. Told off, cleaned up, and sent to my room.]

“Not bunking yet?” He tilted his head.

[No. She hasn’t earned it yet.]

The Captain raised his eyebrows. “You’re one stone-cold killer, Dubs. I knew you’d be one to watch out for when you stood up to me at the housewarming. Anyway, can’t stay and gossip. My ma wants me over for brunch.”

[You take care, Roy. Let me know if anything comes up.]

He gave me a quick salute, and then he was gone. A blur that kicked up dust along the road to the city. I watched him leave, before sitting myself back down on the deckchair.

A speedster was a decent ally to have. I hadn’t really begun to start thinking bigger picture things, not before I had even got the rubber stamp to call myself a hero. Considering the League had tabs on me in knowing I worked for Boss, now that Roy had informed them he had contact too, I wondered if that would harm or assist my plans.

It mostly depended on what the League wanted with me. Poking me to see what I was capable of? How loyal to Boss I was? Did they know more about my past than I did? There was the hope that they would like to train me into being one of their assets, even if our long-term goal was to get Roxy out of the League. I needed backing, especially if I was going against Boss.

About time I ripped that band-aid off.

Agent W: Apologies. I am unable to kill the informant.

Boss: Can’t or won’t?

Agent W: Irrelevant.

Boss: You’ve always been such a good Agent, why the change?

Boss: Has the League managed to brainwash you into thinking you have other options?

Boss: That people seriously think of you as anything more than a killer?

Boss: Wake up, Agent W.

Boss: If you are too far deluded to see the wool pulled over your eyes…

Boss: Then perhaps this should be our final correspondence.

Boss: You are being manipulated. Think.

Boss: Do not reply until you’ve actually considered what you are doing.

Boss: Who you are. How you owe me.

My left fist shook as I watched the messages come in, knuckles whitened as I clenched it in rage. Muscles across my body tensed, aching at my recovering wounds. Raised my hand and unclipped my vocalizer. Stood and screamed in silent frustration. Rage against the thumb that had kept me down. How I had been used by someone so clearly afraid of me. Playing with fire, and now he was trying to get ahead of the inferno.

Hand clasped at my neck again. Nutrition canister popped out and thrown to the floor. Stim pack followed suit. I took a few deep breaths to temper my outburst. Closed my eyes and allowed my recovering body to rest. A calm, meditative state seeped through me as I allowed the darkness to settle my anger.

When I opened up my eyes again, I was someone different. Choices had been made, and I had accepted any potential consequences.

Agent W: Go fuck yourself.

Agent W: I am no longer your tool. You better hope I never find out who you are.

Agent W: Do not cross me. This is your one and only warning.

I waited almost a full minute with no response from him. Figured he would show cowardice when threatened. I had just made a resourceful and powerful enemy, but what was fucking new?

My eyes went away from the closed chat windows to see the sensors light up. A familiar gray van was approaching. Perfect timing and a much needed distraction. Hand went up to reattach the vocalizer.

I stepped over to the edge of the grass and waited for Clara to pull up. Some concern over her eyes, but seeing me in one piece had it quickly melt away to a relieved smile.

“Mr Dubs,” her cybernetic eyes ran me up and down, “now I feel like I am overdressed.”

[Roxy told me you had your hands on my large package.]

“I’ve been very excited. In fact, you also have my small box to play with too. Assuming you promise to be a good boy, Mr Dubs.”

[You have my word.]

She grinned and hopped out of the van, walking around to where I stood. She was wearing her usually slate gray overalls and black tights, a very somber outfit to match her usual passive outlook. Eyes seemed tired, even if she was happy to see me.

“I won’t hug you just now, as we can only stretch plausible deniability so far, but I’m relieved to see you survived another near death experience.”

[My apologies, I didn’t mean to subject you to another play-by-play of the wounds inflicted. Roxy has made me swear off being half-dead for the near future.]

“I will be impressed if that lasts, Mr Dubs.” She crossed her arms and gestured to the back of the van with her head. “Go get dressed already.”

With a nod of thanks, I walked around and popped open the door. There it was - my order from Public Defender. A big one, and a stretch of what Clara could get with her fledgling membership - but this was necessary for my ascension. My rebirth.

“A little bird told me you used the Flesheater on a live target,” she called from near the front of the van.

I had tried not to think about it too much. Mostly because there were too many questions pinned to that whole ordeal. Like, how did she get those bugs? What manner of dark thoughts did she have that something so war crime-worthy was even an option she chose to provide me?

An edge of my gun-arm sliced through the tape holding the box shut, so I could dig into what lay within.

[Correct. It was remarkably effective.]

“That’s all you can ask from something like that, I suppose. If your intention is to become a superhero, Mr Dubs, I will have to tone down some of our options.”

[I think it’s fair to say I shouldn’t need anything for my other role at present.]

She was silent for a moment as I withdrew wrapped packages to place along the back end of the van. “Oh? Are you in someone’s bad books?”

[More appropriate to say I have pissed on the book, set it on fire, and then thrown it into a river. The river is also on fire.]

“I don’t doubt the river is also piss, Mr Dubs. We will talk more about this later.”

The assumption there was that she meant in our Dead Zone room - which was fair. Roy and I had been talking openly, but I don’t think we went over anything the League didn’t already know. If Boss tracked me like that… well, I didn’t care anymore. I had already set forth on my destiny. With things out in the open, everything would get sorted out one way or another.

Potentially with me finding an end. A dead one.

Clara had gone silent again, and part of my tired mind brought up the conspiracy that she might be working for Boss as well. An Agent sent to watch me that could… no, that was madness. She had known Roxy for so long, and was helping me in so many ways that such a betrayal was near unthinkable. Only near, though.

“Did you need a hand back there, Mr Dubs?”

I grunted and deflated slightly.

[As much as I was hoping for this to be a big reveal, many of these items aren’t well designed to be affixed with a single hand.]

The technician came around to the back of the van and bit her lip at seeing me in a muddle. “Oh, Mr Dubs. I cannot wait to see the look on Rockslide’s face.”

[You think she will like it?]

“Have you ever seen those videos where the groom sees the bride in her dress for the first time?”

[No.]

“Trust me, Mr Dubs. She will melt into a puddle of blushing muscles.”

I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. But, with Clara’s extra pair of hands, the rest of my new outfit made its way onto my body into the right places. Took a lot longer than I thought - which made me question my decisions - but there was no denying the excitement on the techie’s face.

One last tightened buckle, and she stepped away to look at me fully.

I gave her a little twirl, and she pouted.

“Before you say anything, check the little box I got you.”

I nodded, to the sound of creaking leather. Picked up the small case with my gloved left hand and popped it open. Three shells within. Placing it back down, I clutched at one between two fingers and brought it up into the late morning sunshine.

[Quake.]

“A superhero needs a signature attack, so what better for Gunquake than a Quake shot?” She beamed, the pride evident on her face. “Only three because they are still in the development stage - but we should test one later.”

[I figuratively cannot wait, Clara.]

I placed it back into the case as gently as possible, half convinced it might shatter and doom us both to something terrible. Turned, and gave her a nod - the excitement was too much for her to contain.

“Now we hug, you more appropriately dressed teddy-bear.” She squeezed up on me and I put my arms around her. “I don’t know why you have to make me worry so much. It seems unfair.”

[I know. Plus, I’m about to ask you for even more things.]

She sighed, but was smiling as she moved away. “I know your type, Mr Dubs - never satisfied. Not content with living your own life, you now want to be a superhero and bend the team back into shape. Don’t tell her I said this, but that prospect is actually very exciting for Rockslide.”

[I figured as much.]

“And it is pragmatic for you to have strong allies to survive.” She maintained the smile and looked over at the city. “I assume you want a more stable source of canisters and stims, correct?”

[Astute, as always.]

“No promises, but I will see what I can do. Is price now an issue?”

I shook my head. While my contract income was all but dried up, I…

[Oh, let me transfer you all my money, just in case I lose control of my account.]

“Are you… sure?”

[Yes. You’re easy to kill if you double-cross me.]

We both paused, and I winced. That wasn’t exactly what I meant to say - my brain was still coming to terms with how out of control my life had gotten.

“I’m not sure why, but that might have been the most attractive thing you’ve ever said to me.” She shook her head and held her wrist out - a digital screen popping up. “I have a secondary account I will put your funds in, Mr Dubs, and will provide you access so it is no different for you - other than being tied to the League’s securities, of course.”

I scanned my STAR across it, and her eyebrows raised as she moved the amount across. Further tied to the organization, but it was more acceptable than Boss removing control of my finances - if that was possible. Not willing to take that risk when we had so much at stake.

“Two things are surprising, Mr Dubs. That you have this amount of credits, and that you have promised to spend such a large percentage on it for my education. Here’s the digital card information so you can access.”

We scanned again. She then gestured toward the city, and I caught sight of Roxy leaping back our way.

[Short meeting.]

“A blessing for us, when there’s so much to do. Quick, Mr Dubs, go and stand in the center of the garden in a dramatic pose.”

I did just that - although my pose was rather neutral. Oddly, I was a bit apprehensive about wondering what she would think of my outfit.

One last leap, and then she landed with a thud just outside her garden. Eyes went to Clara first, to give her a greeting, before they switched to me. Her facial expression went completely blank as her brain short-circuited.

Black boots with thickened soles and metal lined toes. Super suit instead replaced with combat trousers and a vest of dark green. Plates in the thigh pockets of my pants, and across my stomach, chest, and shoulders - made of Vibrum - the slim metal version of the toughened glass.

Over these layers was black tactical gear. Wide belt with enough space for six ten-mags and my drum. Couple of pouches for other things. A vest with either mag storage or places to clip grenades or bulkier items. Holster on my left hip for a pistol. Tac knife around my left thigh. A balaclava-like hood over my head to hide away my skin and hair, that joined up with the edges of my gas-mask near perfectly. Black glove on my left hand.

On the top of all this was a dark green leather trench-coat, which had been cut down to end just before the elbow on my gun-arm side. Hood already up, with a clasp across my collarbone to keep it relatively closed. The green of my goggles practically glowed compared to the muted colors of the rest of my gear.

Roxy took a few steps towards me, her tongue struggling to find purchase on some useful words.

Eventually, she stopped in place and gave both her eyes and brain a chance to take me in fully. “Dubs?” she eventually asked.

I shook my head slowly.

[No, I am Gunquake.]