The usual interval between Intelegant sightings has passed. Most people haven’t even noticed, but Naturalist has and it’s stressing him out.

The last time the hero and villain met, Intelegant fell off a building, and because of that Naturalist saw her scared for the first time. He decided that she’d blame him and become scared of him if he didn’t do something so, the next time he sees her he plans to confess. The only problem, that Naturalist sees, is her lack of recent appearances. This has prompted him to start looking for her, both in and outside of his superhero facade.

At the moment he’s in his civilian form. As a civilian he’s Billy Thompson, the truck driver.

He never stayed in one place for very long until he met Intelegant. Before meeting her there wasn’t a fun part about being a hero. To him all being a hero was, was running around trying to save everyone and blaming himself for every horror story he heard.

He first time he ran into Intelegant he was just passing through. She’d been a villain for about two years or so and had fought and beaten most of the villains and the heroes in the area. “My town!” she would declare, though she never hurt anyone the way a villain typically would. In her early days the only notable things she did, other than her theatrics, were the territory fights she’d force all the other heroes and villains in the area into.

Because of her, two heroes were put in jail. In her banter she made them reveal evil things they had done in the past. Most people think that she planted evidence, but both times the court sided with her.

When Naturalist met Intelegant he was in town dropping off a refrigerated food truck. He heard she’d taken an entire plaza hostage and went to help. It was a charity event. Everyone was dressed fancily and it was decorated like a high school prom. All the people were laying on the ground. Most looked bored, and some were complaining about their situation, though Intelegant, deaf to them, was standing on a table with a small gun in her hand, ranting away.

“I’m going to turn you all into living bananas!” she proclaimed with an evil laugh.

“Stop right there,” Billy said as he always did when he first approached a villain.

She gave him a once over, before dismissing him with a quick. “Go away.”

That threw Naturalist for a loop. “What, no!”

“Why not?” she whined. “You don’t get anything out of this. If you leave, I’ll give you…” She scans the area. Her eyes land on a table covered in food and she yells, “That pizza!” After she said that he burst into a loud laugh.

“Why are you laughing? I’m being serious.” She pouted at him but he just kept laughing. All he could think at the time was, ‘This can’t be real!’ That’s all he’s been able to think about her ever since, except for when he saved her from falling off a building and saw the terror in her eyes. That scared look turned their comic-like interactions to reality.

Billy is walking through the streets looking for ruffians and other dangerous people. He’s doing so in the hopes that he’ll find someone who’ll be able to help him, or at least connect him to someone that can help him. He wants to find Intelegant’s real identity.

To most people, his plan would seem idiotic, which it probably will end up being, but Billy does have some logic behind his actions. In the past, he ran into a street vendor who claimed to be able to get anyone’s secrets. He’s already gone to the place where he found her but she wasn’t there, so he’s wandering through the city looking for her, or for anyone that can do what she claimed to be able to. So far he’s had no luck.

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He notices a guy leaning against a wall in an alley; he looks like he’s waiting for someone, anyone to approach him. Billy walks over to him.

The man, who is there for a reason that has more to do with who just walked up to him than what he can offer, turns toward the newcomer. “What do you want?”

“You’re not selling something?”

“... Depends. What are you looking for?”

“Some information.”

He pulls out a cigarette and lighter from his coat. He lights it and takes a puff before saying, “Name?”

“I don’t see why you need to know what my name is.”

He pushes off the wall and walks towards him. “Look, you want info, but how am I gonna tell you anything if I can’t find you?”

“... Billy Thompson.”

“Billy Thompson?” The man smiles to himself as he thinks about how lucky he is.

“Have you heard my name before?” Billy can tell something’s off, but he’s not prepared to leave yet. This man might still be able to help him.

“Nah, it just sounds like it’s made up.” The guys is playing a part.

“It’s not,” Billy assures.

“Got any proof of that?” He doesn’t want to scare off the hero, but he knows that if he acts abnormally the hero will pick up on it.

“I can just give you my number instead.” Billy’s hesitant.

“I’ll still need your real name.” The man has decided that while playing his part, he’s going to confirm the hero’s identity.

“Why?” Billy raises an eyebrow.

“None of your concern.” He drops the cigarette and stomps on it.

“If I don’t know why you need my name I won’t show you proof.”

“Then you aren’t getting any information.” The man is starting to get tense, but refuses to give in.

Billy sighs and pulls his wallet out of his pants.

The other man has won.

He takes out his ID. At the moment he isn’t worried, but he is uncomfortable. “Satisfied?”

“Yeah,” the man from the alley says with a smile thinking about how stupid this ‘hero’ is. That’s when alarm bells start ringing in Billy’s head, but it’s already too late. In less time than it takes to blink, things go wrong. A needle pierces Billy’s neck.

The man with the syringe had snuck up behind him.

“What the-” Billy grabs the second man and throws him across the alley.

As the mHis hand flies to his mouth as he swallows vomit.

“I was ordered to figure out who you are, Naturalist,” the first man says. He’s caught up in the moment and decides that it’s a good decision to tell a very powerful super that he alone is responsible for what’s about to happen to the hero.

“N-no.” Naturalist tries to crawl away.

The man walks over and steps on his leg. To Billy’s surprise, it hurts. It shouldn’t, but it does.

“Superhero extraordinaire. You are going to make me a lot of money,” the man says while leaning over him as he passes out.an flies into the wall all he can think is, ‘I should have called in sick today.’

As quick as Billy can, he grabs the needle still sticking out of his neck and throws it aside. He is naturally more resistant to harm, so that shouldn’t have been able to get through his skin, but he can feel something inside him. Whatever they shot him up with, it’s in his bloodstream and it’s making him dizzy.

He tries to fly out of the alley, but it doesn’t work. He can’t even activate his powers. He falls forward onto his hands. The world is spinning around him; it’s nauseating.

“Wh-what did you do to me?” he mutters as he tries not to puke.

“I told you. I get info,” the man says with a smile as a third person walks up beside him. Her face is somber.

Billy looks up at his attackers. “What does that have to do wi-” Before finishing his sentence, he passes out.