[July 31st, year 2063, 9:00 AM]
The chilly Thursday mornings in Vermilion Blue City were as loud as ever for Shindo East. The constant sound of people, the honks of cars, and the rustle of pigeons. Typical sounds for a typical morning, nothing that would be of particular interest for Shindo.
He couldn’t see anything new from the same raggedy boy he bought today's newspaper from, nor could he see any new success or feel any pity for the young woman selling playing cards on that dirty stall by the garbage-filled. Not even the older man on Murrow's street subway line, who was playing his saxophone skillfully to earn his living, stirred anything in Shindo as he passed him. It was just a run-off-the mill morning. There just wasn't anything to stimulate his interests.
"Um? Sir? Sir? Are you going to buy anything?" The lady in the booth said, snapping him out of his thoughts. Seems like he didn’t notice when he got to the front of the ticket line.
"Oh no, I'm sorry. I was simply deep in thought." Shindo apologized, while he adjusted his green tinted visor in a quick manner. "How much for an all-day pass to the lower sectors?"
"That would be, um… ten dollars and forty cents." She replied with a business-like smile.
"Geez, the price went up again? Last week it was nine with sixty!" He exclaimed with mild annyonance.
"You can blame all that on the villains and this shit-hole of a city. It ain’t my fault they make Sector Seven a shithole for this poor clerk selling tickets."
That brought him a light chuckle, but he had to stop the small talk with the clerk as a line had formed behind him. He bid the woman farewell and quickly boarded the train before it was too late.
However, He still lingered on what the clerk said. To say the city was in a sorry state was an understatement. There's no better example than the subway cart he boarded. The subway used to be one of the cleanest and most well-maintained things in the city, but now? There is dust everywhere; trash, and that godforsaken dried gum ruled supreme these days.
On the bright side, at least the seat he snagged on the subway cart was clean.
Shindo tried forgetting his disgust for a second, unfolding the newspaper he bought earlier, only for him to frown immediately. On the cover page, an image of a superhero covered half of it. Below, an article praising the actions of the superhero dominated the other pieces of news.
Clicking his tongue, Shindo closed the newspaper. It was just a similar article to last week's paper: how a rising superhero saved civilians from a possible accident. In his opinion, superhero publicity was overdone and repetitive. To see that almost every day was growing tiresome for Shindo. Too many praises for too many people, and thanks in no part to his job, Shindo knew full well what overpraising someone did: over-inflated egos.
That is when he noticed a rugged man beside him looking intently at his newspaper, but then looked away in disappointment. He then saw something on the man's shoulder. "Oh, that’s Dr. Steam's Symbol, right?”
The rugged man awkwardly chuckled a bit. "Oh, y-y-yes, it is. He saved me a few years back on the Blanche Street Minute Mayhem. Too bad he retired four years ago..."
Shindo stared at the man, a bit of a grin started to appear on his face. The man, in turn, looked a bit offended.
"Oh, sorry, sorry! I wasn't trying to mock you! I studied a bit of mechatronics, so I know a bit about him."
The man looked at him, questionably.
"When I was studying gadgetsmithing at university, some of his gadgets were the talk between newer students. I happen to use his smoke pellet design for my finals in junior year." Shindo scratched his head in embarrassment.
The man's eyes shined at his words. "You truly know him then! Thank God there’s someone else who knows of him, since not many people today know of Dr. Steam! He was pretty underground after he gained a bit of infamy because of his vigilante activities and..."
Shindo grinned at the man who passionately talked about his favorite hero. Still, he couldn't help but sigh internally. In just four years, this city had truly changed. It was almost unrecognizable.
However, these changes were annoying. The massive rise of new superheroes caused disdain towards the supporters of retired heroes, but what could he do? Even if he started criticizing or hating them, more would only keep rising. They would come flying or swinging by, booming ever since The Night of Fear. Plus, the heroes pay for his work, so there's that.
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As the train finally reached Shindo's stop, his newspaper started smoking. Seconds later, it burst into flames. 'Just great' Shindo thought. He looked through the window in front of him and saw a fiery man with a sadistic grin. His oily black hair flared as a heat aura emanated from his body. He wore a simple trench coat and dirty brown clothing, but it didn’t seem to be affected by his power in the slightest.
Sighing at the situation, Shindo turned to the passengers and saw their scared faces. He then looked through the window again to see the same expression on the civilians in the platform. Fear. They only saw death.
"Everybody, DOWN!" Screamed the villain. Most of the civilians crouched, and some even knelt. However, Shindo didn’t care. He simply repositioned himself and sat comfortably.
This caught the attention of the villain, his smile vanishing for a curious frown. In turn Shindo simply smirked back. Irked by this action, the flaming man started walking towards Shindo, the flames dancing wildly.
Some fled when they saw the villain drawn away. Others, like the rugged man besides Shindo, silently cried. Shindo could feel the subway car at a standstill, waiting for someone to breathe, for a fiery explosion, for something to happen. And that's when he challenged him. Shindo leaned forward, smirking like a fool.
"So, there is a disobedient one, eh? How should I punish you?" The burning man exclaimed. A glint of interest escaped his eyes.
Shindo smiled at the villain, "Oh, why yes, Mr. I don't know your name. I think I need to be naughty every once in a while, so as to not to bore myself, you see?"
All the civilians looked at the exchange in disbelief as Shindo relaxed his posture. "What will you do to me, Mr. villain? Try and burn me? Torture me? Or use me as an example?"
The burning man smiled sadistically, His hands flaring a blinding white.
"You know what? That’s not a bad idea at all. Maybe I should open a wound and cauterize it," The villain commented casually.
Shindo stood and stared right into the villain’s yellow eyes. "I have the balls to take it."
Both men smiled confidently at each other, and in a few seconds, they were laughing together as if they were old friends. The crowd stared in disbelief at the scene, despairing for whatever would happen to the ballsy man. Wasn't he scared? Didn't he see that he was staring right into death itself? Is he going to fight him? Will he save them? All of their eyes asked those questions, praying desperately for Shindo to give them hope.
And only Shindo knew how to answer their plight. He was the only one in this train cart who knew what would happen next: this conversation was over, and that Mr. Villain's time was up.
He stopped laughing as he casually put his hands on his hoodie’s pocket. At the same time, he diverted his attention to his left and frowned.
"Mr. Hero, you are late to the party, could you please take Mr. Villain away?" Shindo asked casually.
The villain didn't have time to register Shindo’s words as his face twisted from a punch to his jaw. A hero in a white pristine costume sent him flying with such force that the villain flew to the end of the train.
The hero readied himself to go after his enemy, but not without stopping to nod to Shindo and smile towards the crowd. Shindo barely acknowledged him with a nod of his own as he promptly sat back to watch the spectacle.
All there was to the fight was a one-sided pummeling. In no less than fifteen minutes, The Hero knocked out the villain. The crowd cheered, but Shindo couldn't care less. He stood up, ready to leave.
"Wait!" someone put a hand on his shoulder. The man turned to see the hero smiling at him. "Thanks for distracting him for long enoug! if you didn’t do anything, there would’ve been more casualties!”
"I didn't do anything at all. You were the one to finish him off after all." he dismissed.
This drew the eyes of the other civilians to the conversation making it all the more awkward and annoying for Shindo.
“Well, I guess I haven't introduced myself." Thehero in white said, "I am Professor White. You really are brave, you know? Not everyone stands up and taunts a villain in the middle of a hostage situation. I need you to come with me to--"
"I'll have to stop you there, sir." Shindo interrupted respectfully. Professor White was perplexed. "If I stay here any longer, I’m going to start running late to my job."
Professor White looked troubled by his answer, but hid it well with a smile. “I’ll still have to insist. Could you please consider my proposition?”
“I’m sorry but I will not go with you, Mr. White. I am not planning on becoming a hero.” Shindo denied profusely while shaking White’s hand off his shoulder.
An awkward atmosphere ruled over them. The hero did not take too kindly to this, but both Shindo and him knew that he couldn’t do more than simply ask him again.
"Could I at least know why?" He inquired. Everyone stared at Shindo, waiting for his answer.
Tired of the insistence, Shindo gave Professor White a cold smile. "Look, I respect that you saved these many people, including me, but I’m quite content with the life I'm leading."
"I see." The crowd stood flabbergasted at Shindo's answer, not that he cared what they thought of him.
Seeing as no one was stopping him anymore, Shindo quickly made his way out of the crowd. The morning sun and the typical sounds of the city welcomed him as he finally walked out of the station, yet he felt a small, satisfied tug on his lips. This had to be one of the most annoying ways to ruin such a typical morning.