After Flint had told Conner and John to inform their loved ones of the former’s secret life as Incognus, they agreed to include William, Carl, and Lana among those they would tell.

Using their first paychecks from Death Head, the boys invited their friends out to eat as their treat. The plan being to inform them of the secret during the meal.

|X|

Having bundled up for the Fall weather, the group enjoyed pizza and burgers in a secluded section of the park and spent their first hour making simple small talk.

“So, Will. How’s the Junior Marines going? Still plan on joining up with the real deal after you graduate?” Conner asked as everyone ate.

With no small amount of pride, William smiled, set his lemonade down, and answered, “My future is all but ensured if I stick to this path. It’d be premature career suicide if I gave up at the last second.”

“Makes sense. Just don’t get shot or whatever, big bro,” Conner told him.

“It’s my enemies who’ll need to worry about a bullet between their eyes!” Will stated while pulling out his straw and aiming it like a firearm.

Keeping the conversation going after everyone had finished laughing, John added, “Speaking of careers, how’s baseball going, Carl? Sorry that Conner and I haven’t been able to make it to your last couple of games, by the way.”

Rolling his shoulder, Carl smirked and answered, “It was your guys’ loss. I’ve been dominating. With all the home runs I hit, the last game ended twelve to three for us.”

“Wow! I wish I’d seen that. Good job, man,” Conner told him.

“Same here. Sounds like it would’ve been fun,” John remarked.

Leaning back in his picnic table seat, Carl went on, “Eh… I gotta admit, it’s not all great. There are these three Junior year jerks who can’t keep up with me, so they won’t stop picking on me off the diamond.”

His grip on his cup tightening, Conner asked, “Are they getting physical? You want us to teach them a lesson?”

Sitting up straight and picking up his burger, Carl replied, “Ha! No, no, no. They’d already be dead if they tried that! But, nah, none of them have put a hand on me. They’re just being non-stop ass hats, is all.”

“Hrm… Either way, sorry to hear that,” Conner told him.

Waving off the concern, Carl said, “Eh, enough about my problems… What about you, Lana? How about you tell Conner how the anime club’s been doing since he quit?”

Feeling somewhat guilty after Carl’s question for Lana, Conner unconsciously shrunk back a fraction.

Taking notice of Conner’s embarrassment, Lana put on a disarming smile and said, “Honestly, nothing too interesting. Last week, we voted on which anime were the best in each genre, but nothing else after that. Just sitting and talking between the club members.”

With a melancholic smirk, Conner replied, “Oh… Heh, sorry I’m not there to help make things interesting.”

“What? You think I can’t be interesting on my own?” Lana bantered with an intentionally playful tone.

Growing a genuine smile, Conner defended himself with the same joking mannerism, “Oh no, you misunderstand. You’re the main dish for keeping the anime club fun. I was just acting as a bit of seasoning.”

“Ha! You’re damn right,” Lana exclaimed.

While Conner and Lana started laughing, the rest of the group exchanged glances of amusement and slight confusion.

The group’s banter went on in this manner for the rest of the hour. It wasn’t until everyone had nearly finished their meals that Carl got up to walk off a bit of what he’d eaten.

Pausing to lean against a tree, Carl asked what had been on his mind the whole time, “So… Are we here for you guys to come out of the closet or something…? If so, congrats.”

Simultaneously, Conner pulled away from his drink, accidentally pulling his straw from his cup, and John choked on the last bite of his food at Carl’s question. While John panicked for air, William cocked an eyebrow as Lana looked slightly worried.

“Is that a yes?” Carl asked with amusement as John hacked up the pizza clogging his airway, and Conner smacked his back to help.

As John breathed in precious oxygen, William asked, “Really, guys? I never pegged either of you… that way. It just shows what I know, I suppose.”

Her panic changing to aggression, Lana yelled, “No way! Conner isn’t- I mean, John and Conner aren’t gay!”

Looking almost offended, John half-glared at William and Carl as he exclaimed, “Dudes, you both know I’m a Lutheran! I’m not gonna judge other people for being like that, but that’s a sin for me.”

“Oh, right…” Carl replied with guilt in his tone before focusing on Conner. “What about you, Conner? How are you feeling about this?”

Putting his straw back in place, Conner raised an eyebrow, chuckled, and explained, “Uh… No. Trust me, Carl. I’m a hundred percent straight. That’s not why John and I wanted to meet up with everyone.”

Once Conner explained this, he heard Lana let out a subtle sigh he only managed to pick up on thanks to Death Head training his senses. Simultaneously, he noticed Carl almost seemed disappointed.

“Alright, fair enough. So, would you explain what we’re here for, then?” William asked with a relaxed tone.

Tapping his finger on the table, John explained, “Well, we do have something to tell you guys, but it’s nothing like… that. It’s… How should I say this?”

Cutting John off, Conner bluntly stated, “Like this. Death Head is training me to be a new Mask, and John is working as our tech support. That’s what’s been keeping us so busy, and it’s how I bulked up so much.”

Hopefully, that gets the point across. Conner thought as he stared at his friends’ mixed expressions, focusing slightly on Lana.

“Really…? I just assumed your parents got you a gym membership. Sounds exciting, though,” William replied flatly as Carl and Lana were stuck in disbelief.

Jumping onto the table and grabbing Conner by his shirt collar, Lana yelled in his face, “What?! Are you kidding me?!”

Getting off the tree and stumbling forward, Carl exclaimed anxiously, “Of- Of course, he’s kidding! There’s no way a guy like Death Head would pick people like us for that!”

John had also been slightly surprised when Conner revealed their secret so immediately. But he dismissed the shock when it became apparent that the time for explanations was now.

Speaking as confidently as he could, John explained, “No, he’s telling the truth. Death Head said Conner was tough enough to train, and he thought my tracking device was proof I could do the job of the guy in the chair.”

Looking at Carl, Will remarked, “I don’t get why you think none of us could become a Mask. We’re all pretty good in a fight. And, I mean, I suspected it a little when John said Conner was meeting up for an autograph with Death Head. What kind of Mask would take that much time out of his day just to give someone an autograph?”

Loosening her grip on Conner’s shirt, Lana asked with a pained voice, “But… Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“Well… We’d have been fired if we told you guys… Death Head only gave us permission a couple days ago,” Conner explained hesitantly as he tried to avoid any more hurt feelings.

Raising his hand to get attention, John added, “He also gave us our first paychecks at the same time. It’s how we’re treating you guys to lunch.”

Letting go of Conner and sitting down on the table, Lana asked, “I… So, what does this mean? You know, going forward?”

“Well… If everything goes as planned, I’ll spend the rest of my life as a Mask to clean up all the crime in Miracle City,” Conner answered honestly.

Stepping up to the table, Carl said, “Still don’t know if I believe any of this… But it sounds like a surefire way to get yourself killed, man.”

“It doesn’t sound any more dangerous than the warzones I’m heading to. Sort of like becoming the cop equivalent to special forces,” Will remarked.

Frowning slightly, Conner replied, “Well, hopefully, I won’t be as corrupt as our city’s police.”

The moment Conner mentioned his hopes, though, Death Head’s warning about Powerhouse struck his mind like a lightning bolt. Once he saw John with a similar expression to his own, he could tell his brother had the same thought.

Standing up and planting his hands on the table, John exclaimed, “Alright, the point is, this job isn’t any more dangerous than being in special forces. And the pay is actually pretty good. Do you guys have any questions?”

For a moment, Carl, William, and Lana seemed to be contemplating their next words.

This silence was broken almost immediately when Will asked, “So, wait… You actually get paid to be a Mask? How does that work?”

|XXX|

Some weeks later, Conner made time to attend one of Carl’s baseball games alongside Lana. As he watched the game unfold, Carl’s claims of athletic greatness were confirmed before Conner’s very eyes.

By the end of the final inning, Carl had hit three home runs. As if to cap off this amazing performance, Carl’s last home run coincided with full bases, winning the game for their school in spectacular fashion.

|X|

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Walking away from the bleachers alongside Lana, Conner was heading for the gymnasium to meet up with Carl.

Shaking his popcorn box, Conner exclaimed as he cut across some grass with Lana, “That was incredible! Holy crap! Carl could go pro!”

Smirking with amusement, Lana replied, “Yeah. That’s why we’ve been trying to get you and John to come and watch… Hey, what’s going on over there?”

As Lana leaned forward to stare at the gymnasium, Conner focused on whatever caught her attention. In the distance, the Mask in training saw Carl, just outside the gymnasium’s entrance, surrounded by three individuals. Presumably, it was the trio Carl mentioned had been giving him grief.

Without saying a word to each other, Lana and Conner picked their pace up to a jog and rushed to Carl’s aid.

“Listen, you shitty little shit! I set up those fucking full plates for you!” The largest of the pack growled.

“Your point? You want me to pat you on the back for not hitting a home run?” Carl asked dismissively while trying to free himself.

Grabbing Carl’s shirt, the Neanderthal nearly foamed at the mouth as he yelled, “Just stay the fuck out of my way in the finals! Better yet, just fucking quit-!”

As Carl tried to pry himself free from the Junior student’s grip, the big guy was disoriented when he was suddenly struck in the head with a popcorn box.

Letting go of Carl’s shirt, the Junior yelled, “Who the fuck threw that?!”

Walking up with Lana behind him, Conner waved at the Junior and answered, “That’d be me, coward.”

“Huh? Coward…?! Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?!” The Junior yelled while his buddies kept Carl pinned.

Cracking his knuckles, Conner replied, “Apparently, I’m talking to a brain-dead idiot. Seriously, can’t you string a sentence together that doesn’t need a curse word?”

“Conner, I can handle this!” Carl shouted while trying to push the other two juniors off of him.

“Oh, be quiet, Carl. You can’t expect us not to help you out here,” Lana replied with folded arms as Carl averted his gaze from her in shame.

Stomping over to Conner, the biggest Junior seemed to be drooling now. But when he tried to grab Conner’s shirt the same way as Carl’s, he nearly tripped as Conner side-stepped him.

While the Junior tried to straighten himself out, Conner planted a half-hearted kick in his side. This served as more of a push than an actual strike, knocking the guy over.

As Lana and Carl laughed, Conner told the Junior, “Keep your hands off my friends and me, or I’m sending you to I.C.U.”

Jumping up, the Junior rushed at Conner like a feral animal, only for Conner to move aside again and trip him with a leg sweep. This process was repeated three more times.

The Junior’s humiliation only stopped when Conner decked the guy squarely in his face on his fourth grass-covered attempt at tackling him.

“The Hell’s wrong with you? I could’ve broken your nose there. Stop!” Conner yelled with real concern and judgment.

Grabbing his face as he slowly climbed to his feet, the Junior seethed, “Fi-fine… Shit… I’m tired after the game anyways… I’ll get you for this later…!”

“Frank tried crap like that, and now he’s in juvie. Besides, Conner’d just kick your ass again. But try it if you’re fine with that,” Lana remarked arrogantly.

“No! Please don’t try it again. I don’t want either of us in jail or the hospital,” Coner added hastily.

The Junior seemed ready to pounce again at their comments. But he stopped when one of his friends walked away from Carl and up to him.

Putting a hand on the Junior’s shoulder, his friend said, “Dude, these pukes are annoying, but this isn’t worth it. We’ve got it handled, right?”

“Uh… Ugh…!” Wiping the drool from his face, the Junior replied, “Yeah, fine. Let’s just fucking go.” Without another word, the Junior and his pals trudged off toward the parking lot.

As they left, Lana asked Conner, “So, that guy was drooling, right…? Do you think he’s on something?”

Answering the question for his buddy, Carl replied, “A second-rate piece of shit like him probably needs steroids to keep up with a star like me.”

Smiling at his friend, Conner stepped up and told him, “First off, are you alright? Second, congrats on the game. You were awesome!”

“Yeah. I’m good,” Carl answered with a bit of embarrassment. But he was fast to replace that attitude with pride, stating, “And, yeah. I know I’m amazing. Those guys just wish they were me.”

“I thought you said they weren’t getting hands-on with you,” Lana remarked while leaning to look around Conner.

Folding his arms, Carl said, “Yeah… That was a first. Seriously, I think the big guy might actually be on steroids or something. He’s been getting crazier lately… But, shit, Conner. You handled him like he was a half-dead drunk… Wish I could’ve done that.”

With that last remark, Conner picked up on a hint of depression and hastily replied, “Carl… There were three of them. Most people can’t handle that. Hell, I doubt I’m good enough to fight three guys by myself yet. I was lucky they didn’t try ganging up on me.”

“Right, I just… Eh, whatever,” Carl replied.

Tightening a fist, Conner chastised himself, Idiot! Why did you say ‘yet,’ huh?!

Subtly nudging Conner, Lana cut back in, “Well, whatever. Nobody who matters got hurt. So let’s take Carl out to eat like you were saying we should, Conner.”

“Hu- Oh, right! You feel up to celebrating you literally knocking it out of the park, Carl? It’s on me!” Conner offered.

Raising an eyebrow, Carl slowly asked, “So… Anywhere I want?”

Smiling with relief, Conner answered confidently, “Of course!”

Grinning, Carl stated with apparent sarcasm, “Oh, Hell yeah! I’m gonna bankrupt you tonight!”

His brow raising while his smile remained, Conner added in a mixture of dread and amusement, “Oh… Crap.”

The joy Conner and Lana experienced with Carl that night would be the last for a long time.

|XXX|

The following Monday, Carl failed to arrive at school. Although initially confused, Conner and his friends learned the reason for his absence alongside the rest of their classmates.

The principal announced over the PA system that Carl had been expelled after steroids were found in his gym locker after the last baseball game.

|X|

Naturally, Conner and the gang rushed to Carl’s home as soon as school let out. It was there, while his parents were at work as always, that Carl told them the full story.

Over the weekend, the police had been anonymously tipped off that Carl was in possession of steroids and were given permission to search his gym locker, where they found his stash. Soon after, Carl was taken into custody and subjected to a drug test. Despite the complete lack of the substance in his system, the police and the principal agreed that him having the drug in his possession at all was grounds for expulsion.

Although all of Carl’s friends were confused by this string of events, Carl had figured it all out.

“Alright, get this. George, that prick who Conner whipped, is actually our principal’s son. So, that shitheel is definitely on steroids, and he must have snuck some of his stuff into my locker. The principal’s probably on board with that plan to boost his precious crotch spawn’s chances of making it as a big-time baseball star without me in the way.”

“Those pieces of shit!” William immediately exclaimed.

“I can’t believe…,” Conner began as his gaze violently darted around the room before focusing on Carl. “Did you try telling this to the cops?

Lighting up slightly, John added, “Hey, yeah! They should test that failure’s blood and prove that poison is his.”

With gritted teeth and folded arms, Carl told them, “I already did! Those assholes just don’t care!”

“What?! What do you mean, They don’t care?” Lana snapped.

“I mean, they don’t care. They’re lazy and useless pigs who don’t want to put in more work than they have to!” Carl exclaimed.

Unable to keep his calm, Conner gnashed his teeth and growled, “Of course they are… They’re our city’s cops.”

“I- Oh... Ugh,” Lana remarked with realization.

Folding his arms with frustration, Will remarked, “At this point, it might be better for this city to get rid of cops and replace them with Masks.”

Pointing at Conner, Carl said, “Yeah! So, here’s what I was thinking. You’re a Mask now, so you can take care of George and his pals for me, right? Just beat their heads in until they confess!”

Concern replacing his anger, Conner relaxed his jaw and said, “Uh, well… First off, I’m still in training, so-.”

“So get Death Head to help you! This is my entire future on the line here, bro,” Carl interrupted, equal parts angry and desperate.

“Yeah, that’s what I was getting at,” Conner replied. “I can’t do anything, but Death Head might be able to… I just don’t know how soon you should expect his help on this.”

“What?! Why?!” Carl yelled.

Grimacing, Conner explained, “Well, when he’s not training me, he’s usually out patrolling or going on missions… No. You know what? I promise you, I’m gonna make sure he gets on this case by the end of the week.”

For a tense moment, Carl stared at Conner until he eventually released a sigh and said, “Okay, fine. I guess I can wait for that.”

|XXX|

When Coner next saw Death Head at their headquarters, the man was in their armory working on weapon maintenance. It was then Conner tried to ask him for help.

However, as his mentor was sharpening their machetes, he told him, “Sorry, but I can’t do anything directly about that, Maggot.”

Genuinely shocked, Conner asked, “I… What?! Why not?!”

Speeding up his work on the sharpener, Flint explained, “Listen. I can’t just go after high school kids. If I terrorized them or, God forbid, roughed them up, my reputation could be ruined. My brand would plummet, I’d lose my revenue, and I wouldn’t be able to keep fighting crime as I have been.”

Flabbergasted, Conner exclaimed, “But… What are you talking about?! You broke Frank’s wrist when we met!”

Setting down the first blade, certain it was razor sharp, Flint got to work on the second as he explained, “I just dislocated it, actually, Maggot. And there’s a difference between stopping some psycho brat from murdering another kid and hunting down a pack of high schoolers on a suspicion.”

Disheartened, Conner’s bravado died down as he replied, “I… Uh… Okay, yeah, that makes sense. But isn’t there anything we can do?”

With an especially flourished swipe of his sharpener, Flint answered, “If you stopped interrupting me, I would’ve told you that I can pass this case onto my police partner. It’ll take longer, probably a month. But I can promise she will get the case resolved.”

“Whoa, really? Oh, Hell yeah! That’s an absolute win! Thank you, boss!” Conner cheered.

“No problem, Maggot… Now, can you pick up the spare sharpener and help me with maintenance?”

Seeing the spare tool Flint was talking about on the table below the blade rack, Conner jogged toward it and said, “Right. Sorry, boss.”

|XXX|

Unfortunately, the next day, when Conner tried to explain to Carl how his case would be handled by Jericho instead of Death Head, he didn’t take it well.

“Just another worthless cop who’s gonna treat my case like a waste of time. What a ripoff. Sounds like Death Head’s just some useless asshole,” Carl complained as he laid on his bed.

Having taken a seat in Carl’s swivel chair, Conner tried to assure his friend, “Dude, that’s not true. I know Detective Jericho. She’ll take care of this.”

“Yeah, sure…,” Carl bemoaned as he rolled away from facing Conner.

Getting out of the chair and walking up to Carl’s bed, Conner asked, “Carl, don’t you trust me?”

Turning his head around, Carl’s frown lessened slightly as he answered, “Well… Yeah, I guess so.”

“Then, believe me when I promise you you’ll get justice! That bastard isn’t gonna get away with this!” Conner exclaimed.

Mulling it over briefly, Carl let out a sigh from his nostrils and said, “Okay… I’ll trust you, bro.”

Unfortunately, Carl’s word on the matter would ultimately prove unreliable.

|XXX|

The next week, while Conner and John were working at Death Head’s lair, Lana at her club, and Will at the Junior Marines, Carl’s patience and trust had run out. So, he went to settle his scores himself. It wasn’t until the next day that Conner and his other friends learned of what Carl had done.

All three of his bullies had been hospitalized. Carl had attacked them with an aluminum bat after school, especially focusing on George. According to rumors, Carl had damaged George’s spine so severely the principal’s son would never walk again.

Unable to get far, Carl was caught by the police the same day. With this crime added to his prior accusations, Carl faced serious charges. He would stay in Juvie until he was eighteen and then would be sent to prison for another five years.

There was a possibility of Carl posting bail for twenty grand, but his parents lacked the funds or willingness to pay.

When everything was said and done, Conner blamed himself for how things had unfolded, believing he should have done more. Although his loved ones did their best to assure him that his guilt was misplaced, it did nothing to lessen the weight on his heart.

As such, Conner resolved he would save up his funds as much as he could to pay Carl’s bail one day. Unfortunately, this was a process he knew would be delayed by needing to focus on financially supporting his family.