"Jane?"
"Yes, Thea, it's me," the lips imparted, shaking but firm, "your best friend."
"Shit, double triple shit," Thea cursed as her hand went behind her back, and her gun disappeared as she raised her hands in a placating manner. "Jane, I didn't mean to scare you. I was trying to protect you."
"I know Thea…" the throat constricted, "but this is too much, I wanted to give you a benefit of the doubt. So why? Why are you in the villain's meeting and why are you waving a gun? If it wasn't me, would you have pulled the trigger?"
"Of course not!" She frowned, "I'm not a psycho. Besides, villains don't kill, they entertain, a spectacle—"
"Entertainment?" the voice rose, not shouting but amplified by the enclosed tiled restroom. "Is that it? For fun?"
Thea groaned, "Look, let's get you home first. We'll talk after you—slept well." I could tell, Thea wanted to say calmed or composed.
"And you?" I felt the fingers clenching. "You'll stay at your apartment—"
"Yes," Thea answered, her eyes locked, not turning away. She stood straight, not budging. If it was the Thea I knew, I would have believed her but now, I couldn't. Not with those pair of eyes. Eyes I had seen since growing up, reminded me of hers.
"Stay with me. I can sleep on the couch for the night—"
A startling notification resounded, echoing within the restroom. Thea slipped her hand at her back, revealing a phone. She sighed after looking at its screen. "We should go, your transporter was already annoyed waiting," she said as her thumb fiddled with the screen. Later I heard a clinking of coins, the sound of a successful transaction. She put away her phone at her back before walking past us.
"You're coming with me, right?" Thea didn't answer, but her footsteps stopped. "Why Thea?" When she still remained silent, I felt a heave of air before the mouth opened. "You better sleep well tonight because I'm dragging you to a sermon tomorrow, no buts."
I heard a loud intake of air before a long drag of sigh, "Fine." The footsteps continued. "Don't forget to wear your veil."
I felt a deep intake of air, causing me to grimace. The room reeked of piss and crap, and pinching my nose didn't help. I felt the arms rose lifting the thin cloth over the head, slightly painting my vision in white.
At the end of the subway, another underground large parking space greeted us. Like the one in King's Chambers Hotel, light pervaded the dim area, not from the embedded wall but from glass bulbs hanging on the ceiling. It wasn't hard to find the transport Thea had called for, as it stood alone in a large empty space. However, my attention focused on the two people in costumes that stood next to it.
The boy was stiff as a ramrod, with a crossed arm that didn't look relaxed and a poker face. He had a faded haircut and a maroon V-style visor over his head, a black and red jacket, and trousers with a large maroon X on the chest. The little boy, who leaned against the transport, and looked at least no older than twelve, wore a simpler outfit. A comically large pair of goggles with circular patterns over its yellow lenses, a bob haircut, and a lab coat, for kids.
"Hey there new member. The name's John Slick." The older boy said in a rather forced and exaggerated baritone, his pitchy undeveloped voice leaking.
The little boy rolled his eyes. "Tantrum," he introduced himself. "Nice to meet you Debbora."
"Hi—Nice to meet you two as well," the lips imparted before the eyebrows creased. "New member? Me?"
"Of course who else would it be?" John asked, losing some of his baritone voice. I felt my vision whirl to Thea, her face contorting.
"Debbora won't be joining us," Cavalier said.
"Damn, and it was a girl as well," and "Why the sudden change, lead?" were their respective responses at the same time.
Thea, no, Miss Behave shrugged her shoulders. "Change of heart, unfortunately."
"You're missing the fun, Debbora. We're hitting the Central Bank tonight. It will be awesome." John opened his arms wide, much to Miss Behave and Tantrum's groans as they palmed their faces. I even heard Tantrum muttering 'idiot'
I felt the fingers clench, "Are you deaf? Cavalier already told you, I am not joining." I grimaced when the foot with a sprained ankle stomped towards the transport.
"Woah woah, okay chill, you got issues—I get it. Know why she's angry, dude? Beats me, she's probably on period." I felt the head turn to the kid and he had the gall to shrug. My vision whirled back and the left hand went toward the handle. As the door opened, a heavy gloved hand pushed the door back. The transporter pulled down the window and shouted profanities and the price.
"Let go, Cavalier—"
"We need to talk. I'll pay for the damage. Miss Behave, take the other two. I'll catch up later." Cavalier said. I then saw the window pull up and click before turning black.
Miss Behave stood silent for a while before ushering the other two, "Don't take too long." Cavalier grunted back.
"Cavalier, I am not joining. I cannot and will never condone robbery."
"I'm with you. Don't join us. Instead, I ask you to leave Miss Behave alone."
"No! She's on the wrong path and I will not leave my best friend—"
"The name of your best friend is Thea." That shut the mouth shut.
A chill ran down the spine and the hairs stood up. It felt like the heart fell off the chest. "…Is she… pretending—"
"I can't deny nor confirm, I'm sorry, but I'll ask you again. Stay away from Miss Behave."
"I don't understand. Explain it to me—No, is this another one of your vows?" I saw his helmet jerk a bit before sighing and placing a heavy gloved hand on the shoulder.
"Trust me, vow or no vow, it's better this way," he said before removing his hand from the door. "Talk to Thea, let her know how you feel. She'll be there for you." He then turned and walked away, lugging his bulky black armor with him. After Cavalier walked a certain distance, I heard a loud honking noise. I felt the body scrambling to enter as the door was hastily pulled open. The transport revved up and went up, riding along the busy night district, full of costumed people.
Looking over the window, buildings blurred as the transport passed through them. Above, I saw massive hexagonal glass patterns spanning across the night sky. A dome. Due to how the lights worked, the glass was barely visible during the day as the sunlight made the sky more prominent. However, at night, the light from the district made the interior brighter and the glass noticeable, in turn, the distant or small stars became invisible. Among these few little flickering lights, a large ball outshone the rest, with its vibrant blue and green hues — the moon, the last arable soil. It spoke measure that terraforming a floating rock in space was far simpler, than restoring a broken planet.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Technically, repairing the damage was easy, but the challenges made it almost impossible. In the last moment of Supreme Order, he made three requests: "Leave the Moon to his rovers, his ship-haulers, and his greencarers," and "Let no foot touch the surface of the Moon." So the heroes kept the promise of the world's first villain's last wishes, much to the chagrin of their superiors. Either way, no one could complain, as the automated Haulers that came every month provided us with all the necessary sustenance we needed.
Tears welled up as the head bowed down while the arms rose up, linking their fingers together. "Please, keep my friend safe. I'm begging you…" the lips mouthed, shaking. All the way home, my future self maintained that prayer position, quietly mumbling and sniffling.
"…Next up, we will call the leader of District C heroes. Let's give Bastion a round of applause everyone," the TV began to produce sounds of clapping hands.
8:04 pm, I read from the upper corner of the desk before my vision went to the keyboard. Tapping on the glass surface, a selection of posts related to District C popped up. The left hand swiped up and the scroll went down through the list. Countless sightings were posted online, each with thousands of likes and hearts as I could see some of the videos had heroes and villains either duking it out or bantering. Those with wittier lines get more reception than the actual fights.
A few more scrolls before a finger moved to tap the refresh icon again. The interface loaded, displaying a new selection of items related to District C. My vision went back to the top corner before I scrolled down again. A minute had not passed. When no new results appeared, the fingers hovered over the keyboard, replaced 'district c' with 'ms behave cavalier john slick tantrum' in the search bar, and toggled both recent and hot before hitting enter. As before, it showed posts going back weeks, up to their first appearance a month ago. Robberies, escorts, villain-to-villain fights, or just plain hero brawls. The search bar then went back to 'District C' and clicked on the newly posted ones, reading and watching the videos.
"…As always, villains will try to disrupt the annual celebration of Liberation Day. They always do. When we celebrate the day of our freedom, they disrupt it reminding us that a villain once ruled us. We were bound to his will, brands on our napes and tools on our hands. We were his property. But no more, today we are free. Today, we strike them hard until they tumble back to their hidey holes…" Bastion raised his fist over the TV.
With a tap, the video began, shaky and loud as people screamed their lungs out, shouting the hero's name. The cheers grew louder every time the man in spandex hit the big guy. On the other hand, when the villain landed a large fist that sent the spandex guy sprawling, a synchronized gasping sound was heard before the chanting grew even louder.
"What's the matter, hero?" he sneered as he approached with open arms. "Couldn't handle the beating?"
"Oh I'm just getting started, pig-face," he spat blood on the concrete street before wiping his lips as he stood up and took a fighting stance. "I'm taking you to a grill house for dinner." His fist burst into flames.
The villain snorted as his fist clenched, veins popping, "Wrong, you bring cattle to a slaughterhouse first." He then threw a wide haymaker that the hero met with his fire punch. The shockwave made the crowd go wild, bellowing their lungs out.
8:32 pm.
"…Thank you for that wonderful reassurance, Bastion. Ooh, now I feel safer at the hands of heroes, right Timmy? That's correct Tommy but I think it's time we introduce the most awaited guest for tonight. One of the seven heroes who survived and witnessed the demise of the first villain, Supreme Order. Let's give a big round of applause toooooo—PHALANX!" the TV reproduced the howling and clapping noises.
A click in the kitchen caught my attention, followed by a soft sigh. The left hand lifted the cardboard cover, revealing a half pie of pizza. With a bite from a slice, the body stood up from the pink couch and walked towards the kitchen. A hand reached for the electric kettle and filled the mug with steaming water. Fingers tore a pack open and its grainy content fell. A spoon dipped and began stirring. Soon the liquid darkened and the rich scent of coffee wafted through the air. With a mouthful of pizza and a hot mug on the left hand, the body went back to the couch.
"… Statistics show that individuals preferred freedom over order. While it may be accounted that the graph was biased because there were more free people than the branded, another survey showed that at least 30% of them secretly wanted to scrub their brand but were afraid, not wanting to be ostracized by their own community..." I sighed. His speech was still boring to sit through.
After picking up another slice, my vision went to the wristwatch. 8:44 pm. With a casual tap on the refresh icon, the screen loaded and a title caught my attention. 'Central Bank got hit by villains.'
A finger pressed the post, loading the video with clear, stable, and dynamic visuals, a drone most likely. Cavalier swung his large mace with a heavy grunt, aiming for the other bulky guy's helmet. The guy, clad in blue power armor, parried the blow, while his other arm whirred mechanically as it transformed into a rocket fist. Cavalier grunted as his armguard caught the blow but got pushed back, digging his sabaton to bleed the momentum.
"Woohoo! Ya' feel that, huh?" he cheered with a synthetic-like voice as he flexed his arms. The core in his chest whirred to life as steam hissed on his back. "That's my hammer fist for you, villain!"
"Hardly," Cavalier rumbled, his voice echoing within the confines of his dark medieval-like helmet except with visors instead of holes. He unstrapped his dented armor, letting out a loud clank as it hit the floor. He flexed his wrist, rotating it at all angles before lifting his mace which made a loud thunk when placed on his pauldron.
"Still cocky ey? No matter, It will still end with Blu-Steel kicking your ass." Another hiss of steam whistled on his back.
Cavalier grunted before hefting his mace for an overhead swing.
I watched as the two fighters traded heavy blows. Views, likes, hearts, and comments skyrocketed with each resounding clash of metal while I grimaced. Blood began to pool staining the tiled floor as the fight continued. I winced as wires connected to Cavalier's torso before blue electric currents were sent in, illuminating the room in hue.
"Jonathan…" the lips whispered.
With a loud grunt, he swung his mace and made a resounding contact, sending Blu-Steel crashing to the floor. The light from his core dimmed and the whirring sound slowly faded.
"Down." Cavalier rumbled. I heard a ringing tone before Cavalier raised a hand and pressed the side of his helmet. "Done. Where? Coming." Cavalier turned and walked away, carrying his mace. It was only when Cavalier stepped further that I noticed the lack of blood on Cavalier except for the soles of his feet.
"I'm fine. Not a scratch." He said before jumping high towards a hole, a destroyed part of the ceiling, and making his exit. The video then followed through the hole. It captured Cavalier hopping from building to building.
With a swipe of three fingers across the desk surface, the screen displayed other related videos. A tap on the most watched video showed a flying man wearing spandex and a cape chasing after a speeding transport in an aerial shot. The transport swerved wildly through a busy road, evading other vehicles as it raced down the wrong lane.
Sitting beside the broken glass window, Tantrum tossed balls of metal. They mechanically transformed into drones mounted with guns, before firing lasers, intercepting the cape. A few hit the cape slowing him down a bit. With a mighty scream, the drones exploded as light bent around his wide-open mouth.
Still preoccupied with the drones, the flying cape failed to notice Cavalier jumping down from a building. Cavalier grabbed the flyer's neck, and dragged him towards a building, creating a massive hole as they crashed. The video ended after the transport drove through a subway. Clicking other related videos showed the same chase but in different perspectives, notably lower qualities, and were on the side of the road.
My vision moved to the corner of the desk and saw 8:59 pm.
"… Which is why it is my duty to fight the evil within our society—smoke?" Phalanx asked, perplexed.
The TV screen flashed to a new scene, showing people coughing and seats ballooning before popping and releasing a cloud of smoke. The stadium was soon engulfed in a white haze, obscuring all details.
"Holy smokes! What is going on, Tommy? I don't know, Timmy, but it seems we're under a villain attack."
"You are correct." A woman's voice echoed from the TV speaker. "For Fascion will be taking the reins of the show."
The wind blew away the smoke, revealing a woman standing on the field below. She was wearing a purple dress, had silver hair, and wore an intricate masquerade mask. Her glass heels were planted firmly on the ground.
"Fascion!" Phalanx roared. "You dare show your face, villain!"
"Why, of course I do, hero," Fascion said, pulling out a glittering silver fan and hiding her chuckle behind it. "I have the face and curves to show off."
"Enough!" a man in violet and white spandex shouted. He pointed his violet-gloved hand at Fascion. "Capture her!" Flyers darted towards her, their capes billowing in the wind.
"You may want to reconsider, Bastion," Fascion said. "You haven't heard the rules of the game yet." She snapped her fingers, and five boxes of different colors appeared surrounding her. "Or you may misheard the riddles. You don't want the district blowing up."
"Stop!" Bastion ordered and the superheroes froze in mid-air five meters away from Fascion. "What have you done, villain?"
"Setting up the game, of course," Fascion said with a purr, fanning herself and covering her lips. She snapped her fingers again, and the boxes opened to reveal five T12 bombs, each powerful enough to destroy an entire district. On their timers, a 2:00 was set. "First rule of the game: These babies are scattered all over District Central."