Volume 2: Prophase

Issue 10: The Bigger Picture

Jannette Adrian Churchwell

By Nova

The “Gray Room” was, as the name implied, a drab shade of gray, giving off a sense of oppressive bureaucracy. That didn’t seem to be entirely intentional—some of the paneling was accented by beige highlights, which suggested the interior designer was at least familiar with color. But, I’d argue it was too little, too late. The furniture itself was strange for a room like this; step-like seating surrounded a central podium, stretching upwards almost like an auditorium. It reminded me of the old Stanford lecture halls, though, admittedly, not quite as large.

Nor was the atmosphere quite as casual.

I sat next to Ripple in the front row. It wasn’t the first time I’d been here, but it was the first time I’d been with her. The Gray Room was where the SFPD liked to debrief heroes after a powerfight in the city. Despite having seating for tens of people, it rarely drew more than a few. The big teams, like Starlight and OhmTech, had their own meeting rooms for debriefings. Even the indie-heroes, like me and Ripple, weren’t guaranteed. In all my years as a hero, I could count the number of times I’d been here on the fingers of my hand.

Of course, a lot of that was because Seraph rarely went… I glanced at the door. She wasn’t here yet and hopefully wasn’t coming. My leg bounced up and down. I glanced at the clock. 9:14 AM. Ramirez had to have invited Seraph, protocol and all, so I couldn’t really blame him. Still though, he was running late and the longer this meeting went the more likely she was to make an appearance…

I felt a hand on my shoulder. “You doing alright?” Ripple asked.

I realized I had been shaking and forced myself to stop. “Mm-hmm.”

Ripple’s hand slowly left my shoulder. “Alright…” she said. There was a pause. “You know, it’s only been two days.” I didn’t say anything. “You went through a lot.”

“I’ve been through worse.”

“That’s not what I mean,” she sighed.

“What do you mean then?” I snapped, sounding a little angrier than I wanted.

I turned to look at Ripple. I couldn’t see her eyes, just mine—two gray irises reflected in her black helmet. “I… I know it’s hard,” she said.

I turned away. “Being a hero is hard, we all know that. I’m not different or…” I sighed, “special.”

“But that’s not what-” Ripple stopped and took a deep breath. “Look,” she said, her voice a little harder than before. “You’re not weak. You’re strong, stronger than almost anyone in the city. You control the very fabric that makes us us. Blood, bone… all this meat, it’s your domain and you’re damn near unparalleled at it in the whole world.” She paused. “And I mean that.”

I stiffened slightly. “So? I’m slow, can’t do much with all this ‘power.’”

“Stitch, you’re not that slow. Plus, you have a regen power that can bring you back from the dead.”

“I’m not afraid of that anymore…” I said.

“I know, you’re afraid of failure, but above all, you’re afraid of being in her shadow for the rest of your life.”

I didn’t reply, but before Ripple could say anything else, the door opened and Ramirez strode in. He looked less tired than he usually looked… and was clean shaven for the first time in… Well, I couldn’t remember honestly. “Heroes,” he said, his tone professional but a small grin betrayed his excitement, “I have… great news.”

Ripple glanced at me with a look that almost seemed to read “we’ll talk later,” but shot Ramirez a smile. “Did Sasquatch crack?” she asked.

“I wish, but next best thing, honestly,” Ramirez said.

“We tracked down those vans?”

“Okay okay, third best thing.”

“Uh… world peace?”

“Alright, alright,” Ramirez said, shaking his head, “we put Sasquatch away, he shipped out to the Rock about half an hour ago.”

“What, really?” Ripple asked, shocked. I was there with her, I’d been fighting on-and-off with Sasquatch for four years, and the older heroes like Ripple had been for longer. We’d put him in prison more than a few times, but supervillains never stayed in prison for long… One way or the other. The Rock however… That was different. It was one of the superhuman supermaxes where the Feds kept the powered criminals who were never again to see the light of day. Every cell was specially designed for its occupant, which meant that incarcerating even one villain cost millions, or even billions, every year. As a result, it was a last resort, not something done without very good reason.

“The Feds just authorized it,” Ramirez said, “said that this whole ‘powerchem’ thing showed that the First Way has gone from ‘villain’ group to ‘terror’ group.”

“It’s about time…” Ripple said.

“W-what happens next?” I asked. I’d heard of villains who had gone a bit overboard, losing the “villain” status, but never seen it myself. Going from villain to “terrorist” was a death sentence for most individuals, but a whole group like the First Way?

That sounded like a recipe for open warfare.

Ramirez shrugged. “For us? Not a whole lot changes. We’re gonna invest a bit more resources into hunting down any First Way still hanging in the city, but other than that… Business as usual honestly.”

“Any leads?” Ripple asked.

I nodded. “Like that monster that attacked that school?”

“We’re still looking into that, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the First Way was operating only a mile away, but, uh, we still got nothing.” He stroked his chin, looking thoughtful for a moment. “That thing is still like nothing we’ve ever seen. No one’s taken credit for the monster either, you’d think if it was a villain-”

“Or terrorist,” Ripple added.

“Yeah, someone would have said something…”

“Is there anything more concrete, like do we have any idea where the vans went?” Ripple asked.

Ramirez shook his head. “We caught their plates going north on the 101, just out of San Rafael, before we lost them.”

“So they’re out of the city?” I asked.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Unless they turned back with a different vehicle.” Ramirez shrugged.

“So… keep our eyes peeled?” I asked.

Ramirez nodded. “Yeah, especially since we figured out what they were doing in that little operation of theirs.”

“You should have led with that,” Ripple said.

Ramirez shrugged. “Don’t get too excited, just confirms what we already thought. Yes, they were definitely dealing in powerchems, but they weren’t just smuggling them into the city.”

“So they were manufacturing them?”

“Yep, in pretty big batches too.”

“How big are we talking?” Ripple asked, a note of tension in her voice.

“Look… I’m not a chemist…”

“But what do your people say?”

Ramirez sighed. “Well, exact numbers are hard to know…”

“Get on with it.”

“But assuming that these were low quality batches, on par with the average black-market chems… So about a 60% rate of fatal failure… We’re looking at, uh, at least ten viable doses.”

“Ten?” Ripple asked.

“T-that, like, doubles their numbers… Right?” I said, just as shocked.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Red-Queen, Dog-Whistle, Hyena…” Ripple trailed off, listing the First Way members we knew about.

“H-how is this good news?” I asked.

“Well, 60% chance doesn’t guarantee that we’ll get ten doses. They could all die.”

“Or they could all survive and we’d have twenty-five to worry about. I know how statistics work too,” Ripple said.

“Sure, but you need to look at the big picture here.”

“Oh? The only big picture I see is that a lot of people are going to die if this gets out of hand.”

Ramirez raised an eyebrow. “Sure, I see that too, but I also see how our side of the board got bigger too.”

“What do you mean?” Ripple asked.

“The bigger teams treated the First Way as a bunch of yokel bandits,” Ramirez said. “Since they mostly stick to the countryside, raiding small towns instead of the cities, Starlight and OhmTech and all them never really treated them as a serious threat.”

“That’s why they didn’t help with Sasquatch…” I muttered.

Ramirez nodded. “Both of them started to gather their D-Teams, but they didn’t scramble their Response-Teams.”

“An active villain situation wasn’t good enough for them?” Ripple said.

Ramirez shrugged again. “I talked about seeing the big picture, that’s all they do. What if a volcano erupted, or an earthquake happened or something? The First Way had never been big enough before, why would it have been any different?” Ramirez said. “Playing devil’s advocate of course,” he added.

“So you’re saying that things have changed?” Ripple asked.

Ramirez nodded. “Starlight and OhmTech have finally agreed to take the First Way seriously. They’re spearheading a new operation the Feds are putting together.”

“New operation?” I asked.

“Operation ‘take-down-the-first-way-for-good.’” Ramirez beamed. “Working title, I’ve been told, but they’re looking to do a decapitating strike on the First Way. Permanently shut them down.”

“That’s…” Ripple started.

“Good!” Ramirez finished. “The First Way has harassed people in NorCal for years, this is our chance to take them down!”

Ripple shrugged. “Alright, I’ll admit, that’s pretty good news.”

I shifted awkwardly in my seat. “S-so you’re saying that my failure led to this?”

Ramirez shot me an odd look, his smile faltering slightly. “I wouldn’t put it like that but, uh, yeah,” he said. “Had you guys stopped the van, the Feds might have regarded it as case closed.”

“Great…” I muttered.

“Still though, you guys did a great job as is,” Ramirez said. “You put down Sasquatch, sent him to rot in the Rock. He’s one of their heavy hitters, it’ll make our lives a million times easier with him locked away.”

I didn’t say anything. Losing an entire van worth of powerchems didn’t feel like a great job to me. Plus… I didn’t take down Sasquatch.

I saw Ripple shoot me the slightest of glances. “Well, my big question is what’s our place in the operation?” she said, turning her attention back to Ramirez.

“You’re invited, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Ramirez said. “You guys are the current experts that San Francisco has to offer, when it comes to the First Way.”

Ripple seemed to consider this. “I know you don’t like teams, Ripple,” Ramirez said, “but look at the big picture here.”

Ripple nodded. “I get it, count me in if they ask.”

“Great,” Ramirez said. He turned my way, as if expecting me to volunteer, but I kept my mouth shut and turned my gaze toward my feet. “Alright,” Ramirez said after a few moments of silence, “well, keep me in the loop with whatever happens.”

“Will do, thanks Ramirez,” Ripple said.

I still didn’t look up as I heard Ramirez’s footsteps leave the room. There was another minute or so of silence as Ripple shifted uncomfortably next to me. “You okay?” she finally asked.

“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just not a big fan of teams, that’s all.”

“Me neither,” Ripple said, “But, well, this isn’t forever, so try not to think about it.”

“It’s not about it being forever or whatever,” I said. “I-I’m just sick and tired of…”

“You’re not weak, Stitch, like I said earlier-”

“It’s not about being weak or whatever!” I sighed. “I’m just tired of relying on someone else. Every time I’ve tried to fight on my own, to be a hero on my own, I’ve fucked it up. I let a murderer get away, I let a van full of evidence get away, I couldn’t beat Sasquatch on my own, I let a van full of evidence get away again!” I clenched my fists. “Every. Single. Time.”

“Stitch…”

“I know I’m not weak, but that doesn’t mean I’m strong enough! Not strong enough to do this on my own…”

“You don’t… have to do this on your own.”

“B-but I do!” I said. “I just do.” I took a deep breath. “I can’t- I can’t need her.”

I took a few shuddering breaths. I looked up toward Ripple, who was staring at me in silence. “I spent the past four years being her little… tool!”

“That’s not who you ar-”

“I know! But I can’t do this… Every time I try to work on my own it blows up in my face.”

“It’s okay to ask for help,” Ripple said softly.

“But if I do, I prove her right!”

“No, you won’t.”

“Y-you don’t understand, you’ve been Ripple the hero for, like, a decade. You’re strong, fast, and don’t need anyone’s help to do anything.” I took a deep breath. “So what if I have a ‘strong power,’ it doesn’t mean anything if I fall apart every time I try to help people… It d-doesn’t mean anything if I’m just an accessory to someone else…”

Neither of us said anything for a few minutes, the silence only broken by my occasional sniffles. Ripple was the first to speak, saying, “Stitch… I can’t pretend like I know what you’re feeling…”

I sniffled again.

“But,” she took a deep breath, “you can’t risk people’s lives because of your pride.”

“M-my pride?”

“Yeah. Look, I’m not saying that you deserve what happened to you, or that that wasn’t bad-”

“B-but you’re saying that, what, I’m just too prideful to let myself become another person’s tool?” I said, anger rising in my voice.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. What Seraph did to you was wrong, we all know that, but… asking for help isn’t turning yourself into someone’s tool.” Ripple paused, “especially if it helps people, protects them.”

I clenched my fists, but didn’t respond. “It isn’t like you’re turning around and just… giving up, you know?” Ripple said. “I know you want to prove that you’re ‘independent,’ and ‘strong,’ and all that, but… well to use Ramirez’s favorite two words, you need to think of the ‘bigger picture.’ Thinking you have something to prove will just get people hurt.” She looked away from me. “Plus… being ‘independent’ isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

“Independent…” I muttered. “Something to prove?” I stood up and started walking away. “You really don’t ‘know what I’m feeling.’”

“Stitch, wait!” Ripple said. I stopped, but didn’t face her. “You’re right, I don’t know what you’re feeling, and I’ve never… really been through anything like you did, but please…” She sighed. “You’re better than you think, Stitch. You’re too hard on yourself. Asking for help isn’t surrendering your independence. After all, didn’t I ask for your help, didn’t that get us into this mess?”

“Ripple…” I said.

“Look, none of what I’m saying is probably making you feel better, but at least consider joining the Fed’s operation. I know it makes you uncomfortable but…” she sighed, “we have a chance to save a lot of people here, and you’re a real asset, whether you realize it or not.”

I sighed. “Alright, I-I’ll think about it,” I said, and I headed toward the door.

“See you around?” Ripple asked.

I stopped at the door. “I don’t know,” I said. “But… I hope so.”

I left the room.