[Appetite for Destructo: Act Two in Progress]
We hadn’t even found the door to the Victoria’s Secret storage rooms when a massive boom shook Broadway Mall.
Every pane of glass in the mall shattered. My Extra covered his face, while Fursona’s civilian screamed and put her hands over her ears. The building shook a second time, and a familiar voice filled the building, playing from every loudspeaker.
“[I’m The Star]. Attention, ‘Heroes’ of Tokyexico City. This is Golden Goose. Stand down. I’m taking over. Villains on-site at the Broadway Mall, I had to fly down here for this? I’ll give you one minute to disengage and surrender. After that, your ass is mine!”
[A Powerful Hero is Joining the Fight!]
[Name: Golden Goose]
I flinched; if Golden Goose was here, getting out was even more important! Rocko had said we could bail on any Episode she got involved in, but one look at the increasingly terrified Extras and we knew that wasn’t an option. Worse, mustard-colored smog seeped through the Victoria’s Secret’s storefront, past mannequins and shelves, creeping closer to us. We couldn’t stay here either.
A figure appeared, wading through the sickening sulfur smoke. “I said I wanted that car! Golden Goose or not, you took it from me, and I’m going to get it back,” Haze-Matt said.
“Plan?” I asked.
“With the Extras? Siegecraft Three, maybe?” Fursona said.
“That works. You two, go in there and try to find a way out.” I pointed to the supply room door. I didn’t have any illusion we could handle Haze-Matt, but whatever his obsession with me and my mom’s car was, he wasn’t going to give us a choice. If we could hold him off until The Triad bailed us out, that’d be ideal. If not…maybe we could keep the Extras safe, at least.
We took a step back as Haze-Matt advanced. The Siegecraft battle plan involved finding and defending a choke point; Fursona was usually the wall, and I served as the archers and boiling oil. I didn’t think it’d work too well against Haze-Matt, but we had a few tricks up our sleeves.
I was up front for Siegecraft Three, and Eagle-Sona took a position right behind me, wings spread. Haze-Matt’s noxious, foul-smelling cloud rolled toward us, covering lace bras and bodysuits, and I fired a [Starlance] at the villain. It hit, knocking the villain back dramatically.
[Dramatic Damage! +1 Drama Point]
[High-HP Hit! +1 Drama Point]
I got bonus damage against high-superhero damage enemies with [Starlance], so I quickly fired another, but Haze-Matt leaned over, ducking the beam at the last moment. He pulled a gun from his tattered suit, pulled the trigger, and sent a cloudy jet of poisonous fumes my way. I pulled back into the storage room’s door just as Fursona’s wings beat, sending twin tornadoes rippling through the fumes.
Still, I couldn’t help but catch a breath of the toxic mixture, and I went down on one knee, coughing.
[HP 3/11]
[Last-Used Power Disabled]
Okay. Standing and fighting wasn’t going to work, not without [Starlance] to equalize the fighting. I spun and fired a [Bit-Part Barrage], the beams leaving swirls in the puke-colored fog, but only caught Haze-Matt with a single ray. Then we retreated into the storage room, past boxes and plastic bags filled with lingerie.
[Dramatic Damage! +1 Drama Point]
“This guy sucks,” Fursona said, flapping her wings again to ward off another blast.
“Yep, sure does. Don’t know why he’s got it out for me,” I coughed out. “I think Siegecraft Three’s the wrong call. Improvise?”
“Sure.”
I [Quick-Time Changed] into Rainy Day, then used [Wind Front] to shove Haze-Matt’s gas cloud back into the store. “Any luck with a way out?” I shouted.
[Flashy Fitting-Room! +1 Flamboyance Point]
[Heroic Protector! +1 Badass Point]
“No! We’re dead. We’re so dead,” one Extra moaned.
I nodded slowly and started up a [Thunderhead]. If we couldn’t get out, my only option was to—
CRASH!
The ceiling caved in around us, exposing the whole Victoria’s Secret to the bright sun overhead and dispersing my [Thunderhead]. The rough circle still glowed molten-hot from where the world’s mightiest hero had cut it open, less than a foot from our Extras. Tangled, half-melted steel beams hung overhead, forming a metal net over us; that wouldn’t be a way out, either—especially not with what hovered above.
Golden Goose’s eyes still glowed a dangerous red as she hovered with one hand on her waist and one pointing at Haze-Matt. Her green-and-gold costume shimmered in the sun, but her face looked anything but glorious. It looked furious. And…bored? “Time’s up. You’re going down,” she said, and dove, crashing through the steel beams.
The villain tried to turn and run, but Golden Goose was too fast. She grabbed him, slammed him into the floor, and fired her laser eyes. The heat rippled outward, the dusty, gas-filled air shimmering, and then, suddenly, the gas ignited.
I watched in slow motion as the Victoria’s Secret went from a rubble field to an inferno, and the flames started roaring toward us—and our Extras. I’d probably survive the explosion, and Fursona would definitely be fine, but the Extras wouldn’t be. They’d be cooked alive. I remembered my therapist saying that Golden Goose’s body count was higher than most villains.
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And I couldn’t let that happen here.
I only had one line of play, but at least I had one. I [Quick-Time Changed] back to Understudy, then used [Hog the Limelight].
[Rejuvenation Activated: HP 7/11]
[Eye-Catcher! +1 Flamboyance Point]
As the camera drones all turned from Golden Goose to me, the massive gas fire changed shape. It rushed toward me with a roar, then collapsed onto me. I could feel the flames licking against my skin, my dress and hair bursting into flame, and pain across my whole body.
[HP 1/11]
Then, as suddenly as it started, it was over. I panted from the heat, but my suit and hair seemed suddenly intact. I’d successfully eaten a Golden Goose attack, and Golden Goose hadn’t even noticed. The Extras screamed behind me, and I felt like joining them; even though the superhero damage had eaten the fire’s worst effects, it still hurt.
I couldn’t move much, or do much of anything, as Golden Goose slammed Haze-Matt into the ground once…twice…a third time. His hand reached up, tearing at the shining heroine’s costume, and his nails tore into her sleeve. A small piece tore free. Then, a moment later, the heroine’s fist slammed into his face, and she tossed him onto the ground.
“Such is the end for all villains in my world,” Golden Goose said, and I shivered. “I’ll see the earth burn before scum like this go unpunished, and put an end to this joke of a Power War.”
Before I could say anything, she grabbed her torn sleeve from the floor and stalked off, firing her eye lasers into the Victoria’s Secret’s door with an accompanying gas explosion.
----------------------------------------
“Holy shit, hoooly shit,” the woman Extra said, hyperventilating behind me. “That was…that was…”
“Golden Goose, yes. We were here, we saw it, now what’s next?” Fursona snapped.
“I’m not sure, but I think we need to leave. This place isn’t safe,” I murmured. I’d been eying that torn sleeve; it wasn’t given, per se, but it’d still be something for Pataki to work with on their super-secret project. I shook my head, dispelling the idea. It didn’t matter how brilliant or far-fetched that plan was because I didn’t have the sleeve. But I did have a couple of Extras, a mall that looked more and more on fire with every passing moment, and—
“Shit. Theseus,” I said, just as the Style System sent a new message.
[The Dark Hand of Capitalism: Act Three in Progress]
“Do we have time to stop him?” Fursona asked.
I checked my phone.
“No. We can’t get there and save these two. So, given that, I guess we take the loss with Theseus and focus on the support role for ‘Appetite for Destructo?”’ I said.
“Got it. Let’s get out of here. You two follow me. Understudy, watch our backs. And if you see Golden Goose, say something, then run,” Fursona said. I pushed a little pang of jealousy down. She’d just…taken control. And, honestly, her plan was good. It just didn’t feel right not calling the shots.
Still, we had a goal, so I shifted back to Understudy and hurried along behind the two Extras as we weaved through burning kiosks and collapsed security gates. Golden Goose clearly didn’t care about keeping property damage to a minimum. I stole a look at Haze-Matt, then shook my head. If she’d killed him, she’d killed him, but I didn’t have the time to check. Hopefully, a healing Elementalist hero was on the way. If not…
No, that wasn’t my concern. I’d talk it over with Dr. Ayers later, but right now, we had a job to do.
Smoke choked the air, fighting against the last vestiges of Haze-Matt’s toxic gas, and Broadway Mall’s halls were choked with rubble. In the distance, Golden Goose’s laser eyes lit up a blacked-out department store’s entry, and we waited for it to fade, then kept moving toward where there should be an exit.
Fursona stopped suddenly, and the Extras ran into her. “Don’t tail me that close. We’re an easy target that close together.”
“You sure are,” Lord Destructo said, stepping through the rubble. “You two, I have no beef with, but I need the Extras. Hand them over, and I’ll let you leave.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How about no?” Fighting Lord Destructo on one superhero damage wasn’t a good idea, but I couldn’t hand the Extras over.
“Please,” Lord Destructo said, an edge of something similar to fear in his voice.
“No.” Fursona crossed her wings. “We can’t. It’d be a violation of our codes. If you want to take them…good luck.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. Our best bet was to negotiate and stall for time, not to flatly state we’d fight a top-tier villain. But she wasn’t backing down.
“Fine. I’ll—“ Lord Destructo started, then stopped as one of the Extras disappeared. A moment later, Fursona tackled the other one into the shimmering portal that’d opened up behind him. They both disappeared even as the supervillain roared and swung his hammer my way.
I ducked the blow—barely—and threw myself into the portal, appearing outside. A tired, worried-looking Tele-Portal stood over me. She offered a hand, and I accepted, letting her pull me to my feet. “Good job, kid. You played it cool and did exactly what a support auxiliary should. Consider yourselves part of the Triad team.”
I nodded slowly as another laser—this one tripled thanks to Lightbeam’s power—sliced into the mall. It felt like a Pyrrhic victory at best. We’d saved the Extras, yes, but Golden Goose, the Triad, and the villains had combined to wreck the best mall in Tokyexico City. A single camera drone hovered nearby, recording, though it wasn’t close enough for a speech. Not that I’d earned one.
I pushed myself to my feet and started saying something, but Tele-Portal held up a hand. “Gotta go. We’ll talk later, Understudy.” Then, she dropped a portal at her stilted feet and disappeared.
I turned, shaking my head, and checked on the Extras. “You two okay?”
“Yes. I think so. Maybe,” Rob the Extra said.
“Yep, thanks to you. I’m not sure where my keys are, though. Probably inside.”
“We’ll figure out how to get you home,” Fursona said. “I think the Council of Heroes has something for situations like this. If not, Understudy and I will figure it out. It’s what we do.”
I opened my mouth to agree, but a new message interrupted me.
[Episode Finished!]
[The Dark Hand of Capitalism - PG-13]
[Penalties: N/A]
[Episode Finished! +3 of each Style Point]
[The Agony of Defeat! +1 of each Style Point]
[Role Focus: Cunning+Badass - Goal Unmet]
[Alias - Understudy] [Archetype - Magical Girl] [Community Rank - 215/523]
[HP 11/11]
[Styles and Skills]
►Archetype Skill - Transformation Sequence
►Combo Skills - Power-Weaving
►Badass (30)
►Cunning (48)
►Drama (63) (Skill Roll Available)
► Bit-Part Barrage 2
► Starlance 1
►Flamboyance (42)
►Signature Skill - Adaptive Armoire 3
►Stored Costumes: (Rainy Day, Copy Cat, Lab Assistant Panic)
►Solar Wing 1
► Quick-Time Change 3
► Hog the Limelight 1
►Grit (9)
► I-Frame Transform 3
I groaned, even though I’d expected the loss. It still sucked; we’d run into Theseus so many times, and this time, I’d been convinced we could get the win. It wasn’t fair that Power Wars had run over our Episode. And we’d definitely need to figure out how to operate with Golden Goose dropping in. We’d only survived her collateral damage through luck; she was a whole level above Stella-Lunar.
[50 Flamboyance Credits Used. Rolling Skill!]
[Rank-Up! Starlance 2: The Starlance tracks targets better, with improved handling]
But, on the other hand, we’d nailed the support auxiliary role, with the Triad watching, and that counted for a lot. I couldn’t wait to get a proper support hero’s Costume, either. After some debate, and knowing I had the new Costume coming soon, I decided to save my Skill Roll for later. Instead, I turned toward Fursona. “Let’s call in to the Council of Heroes, get these Extras figured out, and get back to base.”