The shadow of a creature shot over rooftops in Villainopolis, its ragged dark cloak and featureless mask an unnerving sight for those with eyes fast enough to follow. It zipped through stairways, flew over rooftops, and skittered between alleyways, like a phantom chasing its prey.
After a moment of travel from its entrance to the villain underground, the figure stopped in front of a vending machine. With fingers as quick as the figure’s blurring visage, the machine let out a beep after they entered a string of numbers. A metallic clank signaled the unlatching of the mechanism's lock, letting him open the machine and enter into the abyss that welcomed him within.
“Hey! You’re here!” A voice as light as it was cheery called out through speakers as the figure entered fully. “Wait! I’ll get the tea!”
Mechanical claws attempted to grab the figure, only to find their form disappear like mist in the wind. With a simple step from the phantom, he arrived near the center of the base, where a cheery little girl was happily pouring tea into two cups.
“Sam!” The girl threw the teapot in the air, caught by mechanical claws, before lunging towards the man. She buried her face on his cloak, her shout muffled by the cloth. “I missed you!”
Sam took off his mask, making it disappear into his pocket with a flick. He sported a smile, prying off the kid with one hand and lifting her to eye-height. “Hey, Dox. What happened while I was gone?”
“A lot! Vanguard HQ Exploded! A war is brewing with the allied cities! And kidnappings here and there! Vanguard even raided Villainopolis to find the terrorists!” She recounted joyfully. “I also made some headway with that research you needed! It’s so interesting! I have to show you— come!”
“I won’t be here long, Dox. I need to go out again, maybe longer this time.” He put the girl down, walking towards the tea table she prepared.
“Oh.” Dox deflated, slumping and letting metallic claws carry her over to the table, sitting her defeated figure across Sam. “Did you find it?”
“I found where I can get more clues to find it, at least.” Sam stared in the air, sending a file to Dox with his implant.
Dox waved her hand and a display screen appeared in midair. It was the image of a super, a meaty device, and an otherworldly white orb in the middle. The same picture that was sent to him by the poisonous old man.
“Is that—” Dox’s eyes went wide. There was a pressure within her, building up with every second she stared at the image. An instinctual and primordial voice screaming to look away, but she kept her eyes peeled over the image.
“The very same.” He nodded as Dox finally waved the picture away. “Whoever invented those machines and those flasks is connected to whatever this is. It might be inspiration, or a direct apprentice, or even the person themselves might still be alive and continuing their work.”
“I’d love to meet them!” Dox announced. She felt tired just from looking at the picture, but her wide excited eyes told Sam of the little girl’s priorities.
“Maybe if I ever find them.” Sam said as shook his head lightly at the little genius. “How’s the kid, by the way?”
“Calvin? Oh! He’s fine! He keeps tabs on the yellow flask he gave me every now and then. Sometimes he asks questions about the holowatch, but not much really happened.” She spoke before scrunching her face, feeling like she was forgetting something.
“That’s good. Keep an eye on him for me, will you?”
“Okay!” She spoke with a sweet smile. “You’re not going to tell him you’re leaving?”
Sam sighed, “No, I don’t think I should be in that kid’s life anymore. I— just can’t, Dox.”
Dox ran around the table without hesitation and hugged Sam.
“Thanks kid.” Sam patted her back and pried her off again. “Anyway, just keep an eye on him, help him if he needs it, okay? I’ll try and send you a message every now and then.”
“I will!” She nodded, eyes tearing up.
Sam was about to leave before he paused, turning back while taking something out from his pocket. “I almost forgot, here.”
He tossed the item, a spherical object that almost looked like a metal ball, towards Dox. A metal claw flew in the air and grabbed it, placing it gently on Dox’s hand. She carefully and meticulously examined the ball, grabbing a magnifying glass from a claw that handed it to her.
“This is a blueprint?” She asked, looking at Sam.
He chuckled, walking away into the darkness. “You’ll figure it out. I’ll see you later, Dox.”
----------------------------------------
An old man was sitting on top of a pylon in the outer wall. He laid his head back on the lounge chair he had brought up, reaching over to the side to grab a bottle of beer while watching the sun sink below the horizon.
An ear-splitting boom exploded behind him, followed by a shockwave that blew the little amount of hair he had left on his scalp. He didn’t need to turn to know who had arrived, all he did was wave his hand and summon another lounge chair beside him.
The woman who arrived let out a chuckle, tapping on her neck twice to change the regal latex suit and cape she wore into a casual but still elegant set of clothing. She walked up to the lounge chair beside the man and sat down, leaning forward instead to rest her arms on her legs.
“You got what you needed, Esther?” The old man spoke, reaching out the bottle towards her.
Esther smiled, taking off the bottle cap with a flick before grabbing a bottle of her own. “It was a dud. It looks like they really didn’t bring it here.”
“No luck on our end too, I’m afraid.” He spoke without betraying any emotion, taking a gulp of beer before continuing. “Unfortunately.”
“So what? It’s not real?” She turned to him with a cute pout.
“I don’t believe so. It’s much too blatant of a bait.” The old man shook his head. “In addition, they brought ‘evidence’, despite doubtful validity. Records of experiments, methodologies and such. That’s why they were here, if you recall.”
“Not as senile as you yet, old man.” She chuckled, resting her chin on her hand. Her eyes glazed over the horizon, watching the final rays of sunlight dim and fade away. “To think they wanted to continue their barbaric practices here.”
“We’re all barbarians, just some making an effort to be civilized.” He muttered.
“You know you sound like a three-hundred year-old sage sometimes.”
The old man ignored her, “It’s the perfect deal for them, either way they’d get what they want. War or no war they’d get their ‘resources‘ one way or another.”
“War was the best choice for us and the worst for them.” Esther spoke as she shook her head. “It’s been two decades since the last hatchling came close enough, people are getting restless. And with all the new supers—”
“I know, Esther. I can read reports just as well as you can.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Just saying, old man.” She chuckled, sipping the beer with a contemplative expression.
The two enjoyed another moment of silence while dusk kept encroaching the sky. The ambience of peaceful nothing was a luxury to the both of them, now more than ever.
“There’s still some time. Skirmishes might start in a few years, but it won’t be until at least half a decade later before the battlefields get bigger.” The old man stated while peering into the distance.
“That’s a hopeful prediction, even coming from you.”
“It’s the most realistic one. The theft was a spark, but the fire still hasn’t warmed up. They’ll gather strength.”
“So will we.” Esther stated.
The two of them turned to the horizon simultaneously, their sight looking into the unknown. Half a second later, the sky started lighting up. A ball of fire, much like the sun, was shooting through the air in a parabolic meander towards the city of Bastion. One look and it would be obvious that a large section of the city would be bathed in fire when it lands.
If it lands.
“Did you want to deal with this?” The old man looked to Esther.
The woman shrugged, laying back and watching the fireball’s descent. “I’m in my casual fridays.”
“I see.” The old man got up, his frail withering figure like an old drying flower bowing in the wind. “I suppose letting this old man stretch in the evenings can be considered healthy.”
“Ha, healthy.” Esther chuckled.
As the looming fireball the size of a moon neared the city, the old man raised his hand in the air. With billowing wind, a cloud of green and purple spewed out from his palm, its speed superior to the fireball as it sped towards it. The cloud spread, catching the fireball like a net. Without pause, it enveloped the city-destroying attack in its misty arms, covering it from front to back.
The ball of fire disappeared within, replaced with a ball of poisonous mist.
The old man beckoned with his hand.
Like a dog finding its owner, the cloud swirled to life and rushed back to the old man’s palm. Within seconds, the sky was clear once more, leaving a beautiful scene of the night sky.
“You’re getting rusty, old man.” Esther spoke with a smile as he sat back down.
“Comes with age, I’m afraid. Not everyone gets immortality as a power.” He said, raising a brow and sending a look towards her.
She chuckled, finishing her beer. “So, what did you call me here for? I assume it’s not small talk.”
“It’s not. Remember the kidnapping incidents a few days ago?”
“You know that wasn’t me. I can’t control all of Villainopolis.” She spoke with a groan, raising her hands in frustration. “I was gone for one day, and a bunch of terrorists pop up out of nowhere.”
“They were always there, Esther. And I’m not blaming you, I’m not even talking about the kidnappings themselves.”
Esther tilted her head, looking at the man with non-understanding. “What then?”
“A few of the groups had those machines.”
Her brows raised. “How? I’m sure I regulated all incoming tech— ah, damn. They’re not tinker tech.”
“No, they’re not.” The old man nodded. “They dug through the first site, the one outside of the walls, and excavated them from underneath a mile of stone.”
“And somehow got it into my territory.” Her tone shifted, the air started trembling as the woman clenched her fist lightly.
The old man coughed, making the air still once more. “The machines were confiscated after the raids and were sent to a secure place.”
“I sense a ‘but’.”
“—but a few went missing during transit.”
Esther shook her head scoffing, “you gotta get more security, old man. So, what do you want me to do? Keep an eye in Villainopolis for the machines? It’s too big and apparently there’s a gaping hole in my walls that lets power-draining machines in.”
“No.” The old man shook his head.
“What then?”
“I want you to steal the rest.”
----------------------------------------
“I’m home! Mara! Tali!” Merri called out to her daughters as she entered their home.
“Hi mom!” Immediately afterwards, hurried footsteps came downstairs, her youngest daughter had a look of excitement plastered on her face. “You’re back!”
Merri received her embrace, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the girl’s scalp. With a subtle lean to the side, she peered into the kitchen and noticed the sink was without any dishes. Her eyes started darting around the home; the cat was fed, the floor was mopped, the shelves were dusted.
“Mom?” Tali released her embrace and looked up at her with a raised brow.
“Tali. What do you want?” She smirked at the girl trying to be as good a kid as possible.
“W— what? I don’t want anything? No—” The girl furiously denied it, but her glances and embarrassed movements were clearer than her glasses.
“Tali…” Merri crossed her arms.
“There’s this new limited holowatch that came out that’s like a glove and it also comes in blue with gems and—”
“Tali—”, she kneeled down to her level, “—what do we do when we want something?”
“But the request form is so long and you don’t read it immediately and the limited edition might be sold out—”
“Tali.” She stood her ground sternly.
The girl slumped her shoulders, looking down at the ground. “Okay, mom…”
Merri sighed, shaking her head. Watching her smallest waddle away like a wounded penguin made her chuckle and, with a sigh, concede to her demands. “Okay, fine. I’ll waive the form this one time.”
“Really?!” The little girl perked up, turning to her with a wide smile and sparkling eyes.
“Yes, yes. This is just because your sister also got something nice, okay? This won’t happen again.”
The little girl ran up to her and hugged her with more genuinity than previously. “Thank you!”
She just smiled and ruffled her hair. “Where’s your sister, by the way?”
“Downstairs, as always.” Tali muttered with a pout.
“She’s excited, you know how much that means to her.”
“I know, but I barely get to play with her.”
Merri chuckled, ushering her forwards as she stepped into the hallway, “go on, call her up, I’ll get dinner ready. Don’t fight, okay?”
“Okay!” She ran towards the stairs and disappeared into the basement.
Merri smiled as she watched her little ball of energy run with delight. A feeling of satisfaction came knowing the two of them are happy and growing, her little children growing up.
“Hah… dinner.” She muttered, heading for the dining room.
With a thought, she changed her suit and tie into a rather loose shirt and pants, stretching her back to alleviate the stiffness of sitting behind a desk for too long. The recent kidnapping, attack, and thefts have been a headache to deal with, but getting home and seeing her kids gave her enough strength to keep on.
She waved her hand on the table, setting a full meal on top from her pocket. ‘Chicken, vegetables, some cak—’
“Nice meal.” A voice interrupted her thoughts.
Merri’s face darkened as she turned around, glaring at the trespasser.
The person was dressed in full black, with no defining feature in their torso every limb. Male or female, old or young, fat or thin, the tech it was wearing blocked any recognition to determine that. They were like a void standing in front of her. A void she’d rather not see.
“What are you doing here?” She spoke, almost with a growl.
“Some of the machines have been recovered, just enough to continue our research.” The person reported in a monotone voice, not minding the woman’s poisonous stare.
“‘Our’? What does that have to do with me? I’ve done enough to pay you back.”
“Oh, dear. Did you really think that was enough?” The person’s voice was as vague as their figure, but she could feel their malicious smile through the mask.
“You said that was enough.”
“Ah, did I?”
“You did.”
“Can I take it back?”
“No.”
The person scratched their head embarrassedly. “Hm… well, anyway, I’m here for a favor and an offer.”
Merri crossed her arms, “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Oh, but I think you might want to, as it concerns one of your ‘precious’ over here.” The shadow spoke before raising their hands as Merri glared at them with bloodthirst, “hey, I’m here as a friend, okay? Just hear me out.”
She stared for a moment more before breathing out and clearing the air, “okay, fine.”
“You see, we still need to observe them for a few more months. There’s a… minor complication with the implanting.”
“Minor complication?”
“Yes, specifically, death.”
A large gun of an unknown model appeared in Merri’s hand, pointing directly at the shadow’s head. Clicks could be heard as the gun readied itself to fire.
“You goddamned—”
“Hey, hey! I’m just saying. We need to observe all successful subjects to figure out the kinks before we can go commercial on this.”
“You’re treating my daughter as a fucking experiment.” She flipped the safety, letting a soft whirr ring from the gun.
The shadow scoffed, “please, she was an experiment from the first day. You of all people know that, you signed the contract. Look, don’t worry about the death thing, we can do something about that.”
Within the shadow’s hand appeared a small rod. Upon closer inspection one would see a minute circular impression on one end. The shadow pressed on the impression and out came a finger-long needle from the other end.
“If you stab this when the signs come, she’ll be okay for a while more.” They spoke.
Merrie tried to grab the syringe but the person put it back in their pocket. “Ah ah, we’re not done. That’s just the offer, we scratch your back, you scratch ours.”
“What is it?”
“Something that abates the symptoms. Just stab it in her system, then boom, she'll be fine until the next time.”
Merri kept glaring at him, not breaking eye contact. After a long staredown, she let out a sigh and put her gun away. “A favor for a favor.”
“Exactly. On to— ah, we’ll talk another time. Think about it, okay?”
“What are you—”
They disappeared as quickly as they came, like a shadow suddenly banished by light. Merri was confused at first before she heard footsteps coming from the stairs.
“Mom! Look!” Her oldest went up to her, carrying a small fruit knife. With a swift swing, she made a small cut on her finger.
“Mara!” Merri almost fainted seeing that.
“No! Look!” She glared at the finger.
Within seconds, the wound disappeared, not a mark in its place.
“I’m okay! Ow—”
“Don’t ever do that again!” Merri said after slapping her head. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“That’s okay! I can make that disappear too! Ow—” Mara massaged her head.
“Ha! Stupid!” Tali was laughing at the side.
“I know you’re excited with your power, but please, you’re almost an adult now. Control yourself. Don’t do that again, okay?”
“Okay…” She muttered, sitting on the dining table.
Merri had on a wry smile, sighing as she sat across, “so that’s your power? You can heal wounds?”
“Not just wounds! I can make anything bad disappear. Headaches, dizziness, everything! It only works on people, though.”
She smiled, happy for how useful her girl’s power is. “That’s good enough sweetie. Just, moderation, okay? You can use it however you want in the academy, they have trained people there that’ll help you be stronger.”
“And become a superhero!” Tali screamed in joy. “Can I design your costume? Please?”
“If you make one I like, sure.” Mara smiled at her sister before looking at her mom with a concerned face. “Uh…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Is it okay? I’m almost three years older than most people that’ll be there…”
“Oh, you’ll be fine. A lot of older people will be there too, it’s open to everyone.” She smiled. “You’ll be okay, Mara. If anything happens, just tell me okay? I’ll do anything for you.”
“I know mom.” She scratched her cheek. “Thanks…”
“Now, let’s eat. Tali, vegetables—”