The next morning started like usual. My alarm woke me up and I took my time scrutinizing my eyes in the mirror. No change.

I sigh and start to get dressed. Only two more days until I'm 18, I think to myself as I pull on my pants and shirt.

I still have a couple hours before my first day at my new job would start, and the address is only a 30 minute walk away, so I walk into my small kitchen and heat up a piping hot pile of government issued sludge.

As I forced myself to swallow the bland food, I think about just what I might be getting myself into. I had been full of piss and vinegar yesterday after seeing the amount of money but now I'm not so sure, especially after the possibility of bodily harm I might receive.

I finish my food, stand with a sigh, and deposit my plate in my sink. I slip into my worn out sneakers and exit my apartment, walking down the stairs and out onto the street.

I take a left away from my apartment building and head towards the address of my new job. I arrive at the building ten minutes early and I'm a little disappointed at what I see. The building is basically a rusted metal shack, with corrugated steel walls that looked like a breeding ground for tetanus, and a roof that had more holes than not.

The door to the building wasn't much better as it was made out of thick steel plates with a rusty handle mounted to it. I grab the rusty handle carefully with two fingers but the door doesn't budge, so I wrap my hand in my shirt and use it to pull as hard as I can but the door refuses to move.

I ball my hand into a fist and bang loudly on the door three times and nothing happens. Suddenly, a seamless panel on the door slides open at eye level, revealing a glass lense. There's a loudly beep and the panel closes again, blending back into the door perfectly.

There's a loud click, and the door swings inwards, revealing a dark room, and I walk inside as the door shuts behind me.

After the door shuts, the lights come on, revealing the dark room to be an elevator. There's only one button that reads "Evil Lair" and I press it inwards.

The elevator lunches into movement, causing me to stumble a bit, and I start descending at high speed.

I wait for a few minutes and the elevator continues to move without any sign of stopping. I figure I must be nearly 40 stories below ground by now.

Suddenly, the elevator slams to a halt, causing me to fall to the floor as the doors open.

"HAHA! Get's em every time!" Says a gruff voice as the door opens.

Someone grabs my arm and I'm lifted straight up off of the ground and stood up on my feet, coming face to chest with a giant man.

He's nearly 8 feet tall with biceps like a bull and thighs that could crush my head like a grape. He's wearing a pair of worn blue jeans and a white wife beater with a large W on the front. His face is obscured by a black bull mask that seems a bit too small as his ears stick comically out of the side of the mask.

Despite the mask, I can still hear his voice clear as day. "Sorry about that newbie but it's way too funny to see people hit the ground when they enter the lair for the first time!"

"I'm Whey, nice to meet you." He says as he takes my hand an crushes it within his massive palm.

"Th-thanks, it's nice to meet you too, I'm Corsair." I say as I struggle to retrieve my hand from his grasp to no avail.

He finally releases my hand and pushes me forward into the lair with a massive pat on the back.

"Let me show you around! It's been along time since we've had a newbie in the lair so this will be a treat."

He continues to push me further into the lair and I'm amazed at what I see.

The room is the size of an small warehouse, with hallways leading off into separate rooms. The entire room must have been modeled after some kind of mansion, with expensive marble floors and large marble columns stretching to the ceiling.

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In the center of the room is a massive polar bear rug with two heads, no doubt some kind of trophy from a battle. Surrounding the rug are several comfortable leather couches accompanied by a soda machine and a fully stocked snack bar.

Whey lead me towards the chairs and pushed me down into one of the chairs and headed over to the soda machine before turning towards me.

"You want a drink kid? It's on the house." He said while gesturing towards the machine.

"I'll take a water, thanks." I responded, causing him to burst out with a booming laugh.

"Water he says, WATER! You crack me up kid. Here, try this." After speaking he fills up a cup and attaches a lid to it before inserting a straw and handing it to me.

I cautiously take a small sip of the drink and I'm pleasantly surprised. The drink tasted like a mix of grape soda and orange juice and was incredibly refreshing.

"What is it?" I ask

"It's my personally EVIL blend of grape soda and orange juice!" He says while waving his hands dramatically in the air.

I roll my eyes and continue sipping my drink, and Whey makes himself a grape and orange concoction before plopping down in a massive beanbag on the opposite side of the rug.

"So kid, what made you want to try henching?"

"I want to go to college eventually, but I can't afford it so I heard I could get a scholarship through a job like this."

"Ah I gotcha. Honestly that's one of the better reasons to do this. Some people try to get into this business to hurt people and end up screwing up our standing with the heros."

"The doctor and the other two henchmen are out shopping for evil gadgets so they left me behind to make sure you got settled in okay but they should be back before too long."

"We've got a full set of living accommodations set up for you if you'd like. I know the projects isn't exactly living in paradise so you're welcome to stay here while you're working with us." As he finished speaking he gestured towards one of the hallways that surround the room and took a huge slurp from his drink.

"Thank you." I reply. "I'll probably take you up on that offer since I'm about to turn 18 and be evicted from my apartment."

"No sweat kid. So, you're powerless huh? No wonder you'd be going for a college degree. Not much money for unpowered people without one."

"That's the plan. I've pretty much given up on having power at this point so I'm trying to make the best of my situation."

"Have you ever tried putting yourself in a life or death situation? Alot of people awaken their powers that way."

"I hadn't thought about that, but now that I think of it I've never really been in danger before."

"Well, hopefully you won't see much danger while working with us, but you can never be too sure. Just don't give up hope yet, there's still a chance they might develop."

"I don't think danger is really what I'm looking for. I'd very much like to stay living."

"The heros won't kill you since you're unpowered, they might just rough you up a bit. Even if they do, we've got your back. The doctor doesn't leave his henchmen behind, since he prefers to have a tight knit group."

"That's reassuring. I'm sure with someone as powerful as you watching my back, I'll be fine."

"That's the spirit! Just don't get sloppy, I might be strong, but there are heros and villian MUCH stronger than I am. That's why I'm just a henchman."

"I'll keep that in mind." I say and we continue to talk for around another hour before the sound of the elevator starting to move interrupts us.

Whey and I both get up and walk over to the elevator door and wait for a few minutes before the doors open and reveal it's occupants.

Within the elevator are two people and a giant bipedal crocodile.

On the left is a short woman who's dressed in a black wizards cloak with purple trim around the edges, and wearing a purple hyena mask. The crocodile on the right is just as tall as Whey but without all the muscles. Not to say it didn't have any however, as it could definitely out lift my scrawny self. The crocodile was wearing a sharp tuxedo with a golden cane in his hand and a black pair of sunglasses over his eyes.

And finally, the man in the middle must be Dr. Finklestein. He wore a dirt lab coat that was stained with suspicious, colorful liquids that were now long dry. He wore a plain blue shirt and black, unflattering skinny jeans underneath his coat. Atop his head was a pair of old welding goggles with a strap that caused his white hair to stick out at odd angles.

"Doctor Finklestein." I say as I reach out to shake the scientists hand. "I'm Corsair, it's nice to meet you."

Instead of shaking my hand, the scientist looks and me strangely, before turning to the crocodile and laughing.

The crocodile takes my hand and shakes it before speaking in a raspy voice.

"Nice to meet you Corsair. I'm Dr. Finklestein. I hope you'll enjoy your time working with us."

I gave him a sheepish grin before offering an apology.

"Sorry sir, I figured the man in the lab coat was probably the doctor."

He laughed loudly before waving a claw in dismissal.

"Don't worry about it. My doctorate is in stage play, so it's really just a title. With that out of the way, you've already met Whey so let me introduce you to the other henchmen on the team! This is Royal Pain and this is Eye wash." He explained as he gestures to the woman in black and the man in the lab coat.

"It's nice to meet you all." I say and they all return the greeting.

"Now!" Spoke the doctor. "We need to get you a costume!"

"A costume?" I ask, confused. "But I don't have powers, shouldn't I just wear a mask or something?"

"Nonsense, my bright new employee! If you're going to be on my villian team, you've got to hench in style! The doctor finished with a dramatic crescendo and a wave of his hands.

"Come! We have work to do! Oh and Whey? Could you help Royal and Eye unload the supplies from the truck? I bought more than I thought I would."

"Sure thing boss."

And with that, the doctor began to lead me towards a hallway with the words "Costume Design" on a sign above the doorway.