Though the Network seems to only categorize all villains in terms of class, mentally Jay has separated villains into three different types; [https://img.wattpad.com/570af204504f4caf74eac442f6fc88a635686a80/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f424c6635335355687275586749413d3d2d313338363837303135302e3137386131366265356561346531376635373131333134383430372e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Though the Network seems to only categorize all villains in terms of class, mentally Jay has separated villains into three different types;
1.) Petty criminals.
These are the villains who technically have powers, but rarely use them for anything more than petty crimes. AlleyCat is a prime example of such a villain; although she can be a challenge to face off with (if she's managed to break into the Houston Zoo's big cat exhibit), most of the time she can be wrangled by the non-supers at animal control. Provided they bring enough catnip...
2.) Trouble makers.
This, by far, is the most common type of villain in Neo Houston. Individuals such as Stygian, Razzmatazz, Texas, Taurrage, Hurrikate, etcetera, belong to this tier. Villains in this category are a bit more threatening, mostly because of their unpredictability; sometimes they have a short-term goal and sometimes they just wanna fuck shit up.
3.) Maniacal Evildoers.
One might hope that villains with the power and know-how to bring Houston to its knees were rare, but unfortunately, they are not. Even without being Class - S, these supers are incredibly dangerous, so Jay always dreads the inevitable weekly city-ending headaches they plan.
And this week, it seems it's Techtra's time to shine...
Jay and Delta are just finishing setting up for their latest ffan meetwhen their phones buzz in unison with everyone else's across Neo Houston. Except, instead of the familiar scowl of Darius, the hero and sidekick are met by the eerie sight of Techtra; villain, cyborg, and sentient AI all in one.
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"Hello, Neo Houston," the phones crackle, "with the return of my nemesis it is too time for the return of us [https://img.wattpad.com/67ecb3481455edad2846cc44ebcde0763375dbfe/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f67645f34646a2d555465394977413d3d2d313338363837303135302e313738613136616463633035636666363934323136393633393831302e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"Hello, Neo Houston," the phones crackle, "with the return of my nemesis it is too time for the return of us. Prepare yourself—soon your city will be purged of the malfeasance you call the Network."
The villainess tilts her head, her mask-like face glinting ominously in the dark. "The age of heroes is at an end. The age of intellect is just beginning."
With that last ominous warning, the phones fizzle out, leaving nothing but black screens to reflect the confusion of the onlookers. Immediately, panic breaks out. The gaggle of fans who had before been patiently waiting for Delta scramble to her table, wildly demanding answers and protection.
Of course, nobody thinks to ask Quickwit, who could've told them that this is yet another typical villain tantrum that will be dealt with by the end of the week. But then again, even if they did, they wouldn't have gotten an answer; Jay has completely and utterly checked out of his job as ha ero. After all, how should he react to learning his entire life is a lie? He's stuck in a paralysis, not quite sure what move to make next. So he just carries on with the repetitive motions, doing the bare minimum as he tries to process it all.
The sidekick watches idly as Delta is swamped, only intervening to help her into the van when the Network sends out an order for a curfew. The heroine sighs as she slumps into the passenger seat, weary. Jay glances at her as he pulls onto the road, the path now eerily empty with everyone sheltering in preparation for Techtra's return.
"You okay?" Jay asks.
"Yeah. It's just—I was hoping she wouldn't come back..."
"It was inevitable that as soon as you returned, she would too."
Delta glances at the empty highway morosely. "...did I ever tell you the story of how she became my nemesis?"
"No, you haven't."
"She was the one who made my prosthetic. She worked for Netscie.
"The Network's pharmaceutical company?"
"Yeah. She was their top scientist working in prosthetics and AI. She was my friend, and she worked hard to help me when I was at my lowest."
"So what happened?"
"There was an accident. She used her knowledge to replace the parts of her body which were damaged...including her mind. She was infuriated that I was allowed to be a hero with the enhancements she gave me, but for her..."
"They wanted the AI she used to repair her mind back. Right?"
"Right, but the point of this story isn't just so you understand her motivations. Quickwit, I'm telling you this for a reason..."
"Yeah?"
Delta turns her gaze away from the road to face her sidekick, blue eyes serious. "I've noticed how you approach villains like Razzmatazz and Recluse. It's commendable that you try to reason with them...but they've made their choice. You're only going to get hurt trying to reach them."
Jay clenches the steering wheel, attempting to bite his tongue. "You think so?"
"I know so. Techtra used to be my friend. I relate to what she's been through and I know why she's upset. But we have a job to do, and that's to protect Houston, even if it means fighting villains who might be misguided."
The van rolls to a stop at HQ as Jay clenches his teeth. "Don't tell me what to do."
Delta blanches for a moment, surprise coloring her features. "I'm not, but as your partner—"
"Are you my partner? Did you ask Darius to make me your permanent sidekick?"
"Well, no, but I wanted to give you some advice before—"
"I'm sick of people 'advising' me. Just because I'm different doesn't mean I'm wrong," Jay growls.
"I'm just telling you how it is. You have to protect what matters."
Something snaps in Jay. He must lose control of his facial expression for a moment because Delta flinches when she meets his eyes. His voice lowers as he glares, eyes wide.
"That's exactly what I'm doing. Don't get in my way."
The heroine doesn't argue. She only nods before exiting the van, making haste to her apartment.
The blond watches her go, surprised that he doesn't feel any guilt for unsettling his partner. It was hard to feel bad when a dark sense of satisfaction for putting her in her place settles over his mind. He locks the doors to the van and walks out, already looking forward to the change of pace the lockdown will bring.
This new attitude follows him throughout the weeks as he prepares for Techtra's attack. Well, "prepare," is a strong word; In reality, he's mostly chilling in his apartment, video chatting Gannet. With even other villains cowering in fear of Techtra, he's had a lot of free time.
Today is no exception. Not even putting in the effort to get dressed, he's still in his pajamas by 1:30, only wearing his mask. The hero finds it's quite freeing to just not care anymore. He ignores all the frantic channels on TV which pretend Techtra's arrival spells Neo Houston's doom. If Houston gets destroyed, so be it—Jay has done enough. It's not like defeating Techtra will save the city from the Network anyway.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He sighs, trying to return his thoughts to his conversation.
"Wait, so what happened?"
"It turned out his powers are fueled by love!" Gannet chirps through the speakerphone.
"Man, you really go for the cheesy books don't you?"
"Asshole! It's not cheesy, It's sweet and cute!"
Jay laughs, stirring his pot of instant noodles. "It's corny. Way too corny."
"What's your favorite book, then?"
"Heidi."
"Heidi?! What adult man likes Heidi?!"
"I do. It makes me want to visit the Swiss alps and pet goats."
"Okay, that does sound fun. I've always wanted to try goat yoga," Gannet laughs.
"It's a good book. If you read it, I'll read one of your trashy fantasy romance novels."
"Deal! But you have to come with me on a coffee date while we read them."
"Of course. You have to let me pay this time though."
"No way—way—way—wa—"
Jay looks up from his food, startled by the sudden glitching of Gannet's voice. Just as he picks up the phone though, all the lights in his apartment go dark in tandem with the device.
Jay's stomach drops as he sees her; replacing the happy grin of Gannet is Techtra, her expressionless face slightly tilted.
"The time is now, Houston. As I absorb the energy from the Bellaire Power Plant, my power grows. Soon, I will free you all from the spell the Texan Hero Network has put you under. Do not resist."
With that, Jay is left in the dark as the phone goes completely dead.
The sidekick scrambles blindly for his suit, resisting the temptation to just let the other heroes handle it alone. Once dressed, he jumps in the van, hastily driving exactly to where the villainess has claimed she will be, the Bellaire Power Plant.
When he gets to the cold fusion power station, the sidekick is immediately greeted by an intimidating sight; hovering in the bright blue sky is a massive hovership, dark tentacles draping down and latching onto the structure.
Already, Delta is on the scene, attempting to freeze as many of Techtra's robots as possible, completely focused on stopping her nemesis. Jay is only given a moment to analyze the scene before he too is thrown into the action. An arachnid-like robot skitters toward him, sounding unsettlingly biological as it gives a glitchy roar. The sidekick is able to punt the bot away with his staff, but it's no use; with the falling of one robot, another takes its place. Soon, Jay is overwhelmed as he's completely surrounded.
"Delta!" Jay yells, "help!"
The heroine gives a quick glance at the sound of her name being called, but it's for naught. She turns her back on Jay as she sprints into the building, pursuing a large bot which has just blasted its way through the door.
Bitterness rises in the hero as he's pinned down by the robots, the largest one roughly binding his arms with long metallic tentacles which latch him onto its back. Immediately, the arachnid bot begins to scale the power plant, reaching nausea inducing heights as it does so.
The airship descends lower, an ominously glowing port opening as the robot holding Jay hostage nears the rooftop. Accepting his fate, the sidekick goes lax as he's guided into the villain's lair. The spindly arms of the robot skitter against the metal hull as it traverses the bowels of the ship. Just when Jay thinks he might hurl, the bot drops into a darkened room.
It takes a moment for the sidekick's eyes to adjust to the pitch black. He just barely makes out some pale blinking lights, wiring, and tubing. Only, he quickly learns he's not alone as Techtra glides forward, suspended in the air by thick cables and wires. The sidekick squints in the dark, the only source of light being the diamond shape on her chest.
"I thought AI was supposed to be smart, Techtra. Your grunts grabbed the wrong super."
The villainess tilts her head. "What makes you think we made a mistake?"
Oh, Jay does not like that.
"Do you have a need for a Class-C sidekick? More than you would for your Class-A nemesis?"
"We do, actually. You're quite the interesting specimen, Quickwit."
Jay slumps against the robot. "Glad someone thinks so."
Techtra approaches closer, her dead eyes peering at Jay from behind her mask. "Don't be so sour, hero. I'm hardly your only fan, right?"
The sidekick shifts uncomfortably, averting his eyes. "Is this how you treat people you like? God, I don't envy Delta..."
"This conversation isn't about my nemesis. As much as we would love to give into our more emotional urges, and put her in her place, we have much more to learn from you, Quickwit."
"You need some common sense? I'll say it then—is that diamond on your chest the source of our power? Why would you draw attention to your biggest weakness!?"
Techtra pauses for a moment, covering the diamond in slight surprise. But quickly she recovers, lifting her hand to activate a holographic screen. Jay reads the text that appears rapidly.
I'll never give away anything to you, villain! Justice will prevail!
"What is this?" Jay asks.
"That, Quickwit, is what you were supposed to say. That is what we predicted based on our model."
"Doesn't sound much like me."
Techtra dismisses the hologram with a wave of her metallic hand. "No, it doesn't. Which is odd. Very odd."
"I tried to write a paper about Alphaman with AI once when I was a teenager. It switched him up with Calamity halfway through and gave him a non-existent sidekick named Omegaboy. So it doesn't sound too strange to me that your AI isn't so smart after all..."
A robotic chuckle echoes about the dark room. "We are more than a browser add-on, hero. You have met Echo, correct?"
"Her and her sidekick."
"She was our first prototype. Though she's a failure of a daughter, her powers are a testament to our intellect. Like her, we can calculate almost everything a person will say or do, given enough computing time and energy. Only we are much more competent...
"I know! Again—why does everyone feel the need to constantly explain their powers!? Just get on with the evil plan, I want to go home..."
Another hologram appears.
What does this have to do with me, Techtra?
The villainess turns her head to the hologram. "Our accuracy is typically somewhere around 99.2%. With others."
"With others?"
"With you, it's somewhere around 30%."
"So you're mad because your program can't figure me out?"
"It's not our program, Quickwit. It's you."
"What?"
"You are a statistical anomaly. You don't just act irrationally, you act in a way that goes against every trend we have observed."
"So I play by my own rules, so what?"
"No, Quickwit, you don't just play by your own rules, you play by a different set of laws. Your power is allowing you access to knowledge nobody else has access to. If your powers had more destructive potential, I would categorize you as S-Class..."
"What?! No, I just—"
"Stranger than that though, is that you have the ability to change the predictability of others too. Pixamena dropped to 80%, Razzmatazz 75%, and even Massasauga dropped to 90%."
"So what? What do you want?"
"You're smart, Quickwit. Of all the supers in Texas, who do you think I'd use this power against? Who could reach us in this airship, and would be of use to me?"
Jay laughs as he realizes. "You're seriously trying to lure Alphaman here? You're insane! Besides, Darius refused to send Walljumper to save me last time. You think they'll send their best hero? Their one and only S-class?"
Techtra tilts her head in an uncanny way. Despite her mask lacking any discernible features besides eyes, Jay swears she's smiling. "Very close, but try again."
"I'm not going to play your games, villain."
"Do you need a hint?"
Another holographic screen appears. Jay is greeted with a familiar sight—it's CCTV footage of him and Pixamena from the beginning of the year, at their last fan-meet. Is Techtra referring to Pixamena? No that's not—
"Hello!" The recording of Pixamena greets. "Thank you so much for waiting so long! I'm so happy to have such a dedicated fan!"
"Um, I'm actually here to see Quickwit." Gannet coughs nervously.
Jay's heart drops as the video pauses, zooming in on the dark-haired man.
"I don't—he's not involved with me!"
"I wouldn't have thought so, if you didn't conveniently bring this to my attention the very next day."
The hologram goes fuzzy as the scene switches. It's Jay and Pixamena from a low angle in the magical girl's apartment. Pixamena's doggy cam, he suspects...
"Pixamena, I have some alarming news. It's about our last fan-meet..."
The hologram of Pixamena appears to tear open a packet of dog food, beginning to pour it into a bowl.
"What is it? I'm a little busy here..."
The hologram of Jay pulls out his phone. "Pixamena, this man who came to see me? He's a villain—the one we fought off the other day, to be precise."
"So you're saying this man is the supervillain Stygian? How did you come to that conclusion?
The hologram pauses. Techtra studies it intently.
"We also would like to know how you figured it out. We had our doubts, but after running it through multiple simulations we do believe you are correct. Regardless, your theory will be tested in a moment."
"There's no need to involve him! I'll tell you, okay?! I'll tell you how I do it!" Jay begs.
"I respect your willingness to defy the Network, but I'll have to decline your offer."
"Why do you want him to be less predictable? What does this achieve?"
"Before you came into the picture, there was a 99.999% chance that opposing Stygian was a death sentence. With you, his actions are uncertain, unclear...I'll take those odds, if it means I have a chance to use his powers for my own purposes."
"You can't! He—"
Techtra's eyes glimmer in the dark as the hovercraft shudders, as if some force has just made contact outside with the metal hull.
Dread fills Jay's heart. He's here. Stygian is here...
"Don't worry. Both of you will be vital instruments in enacting my new era of intellect," the villainess whispers.
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