《Part Time Hero!》


 Spilled Morning Coffee

    The clock had just turned twelve, ordinary people were scattered about the city of Luxor, a bustling place of commerce and culture centered in the heart of Nouveau Tokyo. Scavenger birds beat the air with a fervor in an attempt to get the scraps of food either left on patios of restaurants or dropped onto the ground in a hurry. Many citizens and tourists of Luxor enjoyed the opportunity of a nice, clear, oceanic sky to view the sights and converse with their loved ones and others simply bided their time with a good meal to relax from the hustle and bustle of the workplace.


    One such person sat in a bright pink foldable lawn chair pressed against the soft white concrete wall of their place of employment, a quaint little convenience store with a cartoonist¡¯s impression of a rotund and brash-looking man with a wide smile on his darkly bearded face and a thumbs up towards the street placed neatly above a sign in sleeping blue and yellow neon that said ¡°Gabe¡¯s,¡± with smaller signs beneath it in both French and Japanese in that order.


    A bushel of wild and wavy amber hair jostled to and fro as the young man took bites out of some omelets that were both dense in size as well as stuffings and took sips from the straw stuck through the lid of a large styrofoam cup with Japanese lettering that said ¡°Hiro¡¯s Hot-Pot.¡± Underneath his neck was a napkin forming a makeshift bib stuffed into his white long sleeve sweatshirt with a retro print of a black and white photograph of a modified Peugeot 206 seemingly meant for drifting or rally-sport, over this was a navy colored apron with vertical white stripes, all of which he was careful not to make a mess of though he thoroughly devoured the omelets on his plate as if he had been starved for the past week. His legs sat cross over one another at the ankle in a pair of cuffed dark blue jeans which were accentuated by a set of white and gum colored retro Pumas which bobbed as if he was listening to a song though no music was playing nearby. He sat alone outside the little store against the backdrop of the bland concrete and the garishly hot pink lawn chair, the foot traffic of his little street was low at the moment and though there were people, it was mostly the local neighborhood populace that passed him by, offering small smiles and waves which he responded to with a casual nod and a raise of his cup-filled hand.


    One of these passerby¡¯s was an elderly Asian woman of staunch stature and great age, tapping her hooked walking cane as she went and pushing up her almost comically large straw sun hat with a greeting in her native language as she stopped in front of him which the young man responded to in kind after swallowing and cleansing his lips of his second-to-last omelette.


    ¡°Good morning, Andr¨¦.¡± She said in her motherly tone.


    ¡°Good morning, Miss Chiba.¡± He responded and went to set his food and drink to the side and stand though the woman waved her hand dismissively.


    ¡°No, no, no, you don¡¯t have to stop eating for me, a young man like you should eat as much as he can at this age.¡± She smiled warmly as she said it.


    Andr¨¦ chuckled as he continued to stand anyway, ¡°If you say so, Miss Chiba.¡±


    She sucked her teeth at him, ¡°I thought I told you to call me Auntie.¡±


    He nodded with a small smile, ¡°Sorry Mis¡ª¡° he stopped himself before continuing, ¡°Auntie.¡±


    Miss Chiba¡¯s smile grew twice as wide as before, ¡°Good boy. Working hard?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat, there aren¡¯t that many people coming around this time of day except the regulars like Antoine and Mister Kato.¡± He said while shrugging.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not in the middle of Central like the other stores and it¡¯s a lazy neighborhood.¡±


    ¡°But not you, Auntie.¡±


    ¡°Never! I have to work hard to keep myself strong, age is a curse and a blessing my boy!¡±


    ¡°That it is, Auntie. Are you going for your record today?¡±


    Miss Chiba grinned, ¡°I just might, maybe I¡¯ll beat you sometime this month.¡±


    Andr¨¦ perked up, ¡°Oh? Is that a challenge?¡±


    She just shook her head, ¡°I think I¡¯d die before I got that far that fast, boy.¡±


    He shrugged again for effect, ¡°You never know! Mister Kato¡¯s getting close.¡±


    ¡°That fool¡¯s half my age! Of course he¡¯d be quick to the draw, but I swear it on my family name that he¡¯ll be the first to drop. I¡¯ll be damned if I let that idiot beat me in the marathon of life!¡±


    ¡°I swear, Auntie, talking to you is my favorite part of my day.¡± He said while laughing.


    ¡°To you as well, my boy. But I¡¯m always surprised that you¡¯d listen to an old hag like me.¡±


    Andr¨¦ wrapped her in a tight hug, ¡°Oh, Auntie, you¡¯ll always be my favorite hag.¡±


    Miss Chiba immediately started to hit him with her cane, spitting out an expletive before actually responding, ¡°Boy! You better be glad I like that you keep me young or I¡¯d tear you a new hole! I swear it!¡±


    Andr¨¦ laughed a little more as he blocked the hits with his forearm and calf before he smiled down at the little old woman who did the same back to him, ¡°Best get to it then, Auntie, you don¡¯t want to get swamped with traffic. And remember, call me anytime those inner city idiots try to mess with you.¡±


    She chuckled, ¡°I can handle my own, but I¡¯ll always call on my little L¨¦on if I need to. Be well, my boy.¡±


    ¡°You too, Auntie.¡±


    He watched her shuffle away with a wide smile on his sun kissed face, waving as she turned the corner and disappeared behind the building at the end of the street before dropping back into his chair and going back to his lunch with a quick glance at his watch under his sleeve before trying to speed up his eating. It wouldn¡¯t be long before he had to properly reopen the shop and tend to the aisles and the register while keeping his eye on the clock, a shipment of Miss Chiba¡¯s favorite chips were coming in soon and he wanted to keep the snack shelf fresh for her and for her grandkids, he couldn¡¯t let her return from her daily walk without them of course.


    Andr¨¦ LeVerne was a young store owner and was very well aware of the size of his business and the tenets of being a good local, which meant keeping to a fairly strict standard and schedule to keep the neighborhood coming back, so he was set on making sure he had enough stock of the local favorites and a few new products every now and then to test if people liked them as well as some seasonal varieties to bring some semblance of a tradition of customers arriving in larger quantities which he felt added a good amount of weight to his business both in the prospects of profit as well as local interest. Andr¨¦ loved his store, and though he internally wished to own a solely mechanical shop to appease his childhood dreams, he felt he could do enough with both the convenience store model and his personal garage as he was known locally as a handyman whenever he wasn¡¯t working at the store itself.


    And though the locals knew it, many tourists and outside visitors didn¡¯t know that the attached garage to the side of the store was also owned by Andr¨¦ and functioned as his spare-time workshop as well as his actual home. It wasn¡¯t a lavish life, but he was content with the simple lifestyle he¡¯d crafted for himself and the impact he had on the neighborhood and how it had turned out in the years he¡¯d immigrated to Panagoa from France.


    It also helped that whenever he looked up at the neon sign on the front of the store he was reminded of one of his most cherished and memorable people in his life besides his immediate family, though sometimes it would sadden him for a moment before he remembered that the man who the sign was based on would be proud of what he¡¯d accomplished so far; Gabriel LeVerne was a great and loved man who deserved to be remembered and honored. And Andr¨¦ felt he¡¯d done just that in his relatively short time in Nouveau Tokyo.


    So as he finished his lunch and the last of his omelettes, he carried his drink inside and began his routine double-check of the store¡¯s products, the sliding double doors¡¯ bell, and finally the essential equipment such as the freezer and storage fridge. Then the security cameras and backroom computers and monitors, the TV above the front counter positioned just right for people to see it as well as Andr¨¦ himself, the cash register, the ATM, the multi-platform grill filled with various pre-heated food items, and finally the lights for the outside sign which he lit up with a click of a button on underside of the counter, stepping outside for a moment to watch the lights and even offer his own cheesy smile and thumbs up towards the man in the neon before heading back inside and sitting down in his office chair behind the counter with his feet up on a stool meant for when some of the local kids came to work with him during the summer.


    Sometimes he¡¯d even let the ones closer to his age try their hands at running the convenience area of the building while he worked either in the garage or out and about the neighborhood mostly doing odd jobs, though he preferred to be the one running things, it did help give them work experience and some extra cash in their pockets.


    He looked over his check-up with a proud grin for a moment before turning on the TV and beginning his daily routine; waiting until someone came in and grabbed what they needed and struck up some casual conversation as he rang them up or maybe ask for his help later whenever he wasn¡¯t working and then leave which then introduces the second part of the process where he sits back down and waits for someone else to come into the store and make him work, though he would often do some casual exercise in between customers whenever he wasn¡¯t watching the TV, listening to the radio, or playing the portable game console in the drawer of the counter.


    It was a simple life, but Andr¨¦ enjoyed what he did and his position in the neighborhood wholeheartedly. And every now and then, he¡¯d think of the man the store was named after and ask himself; He¡¯d be proud, right?


    Some time during the near ending of the day, Andr¨¦ heard some chatter on the TV about an incident happening about an hour or two away in Kirokawa, something about a criminal Super turning some police officers into stone while robbing a bank before being caught up with another Super trying to be a hero using his super-speed to create some small tornadoes. Apparently they caused a fair bit of damage though Andr¨¦ admittedly wasn¡¯t paying that much attention considering he was sitting back in his chair with his feet up on metal stool in front of him with his eyes closed and the radio turned up to listen to one of his favorite songs. Humming along to the beat while randomly whisper-singing the words, he rested with his arms behind his head.


    ¡°Encore sourd de la veille. Alors on sort pour oublier tous les probl¨¨mes. Alors on danse¡­ Alors on danse¡­¡±


    He sang along while moving his leg to the beat and swinging his finger to the harmony with a small, content smile on his face before he slowed his movements and his brow furrowed, hearing something strange from outside the store. He immediately clocked the distance as less than 25 kilometers away and as something resembling two small twin-jet engine aircraft in the way the wind blew off them, he wondered what they were for a moment before realizing soon after his mind jumped back to the news report.


    Shit. He thought before sitting up to prepare to run to wherever they landed to help begin planning out repairs in case they hit some place local, though he didn¡¯t need to as he suddenly realized where they were going to impact just less than a quarter of a kilometer away before they landed directly in the middle of his store.


    Dust, debris, and various assorted goods and snacks flew in several directions and pelted and painted the walls and the remaining window that didn¡¯t shatter immediately on impact. Andr¨¦ disappeared within the enormous plume of dust that consumed his body in a split second and raised his hand with a large grimace on his face as he already understood the extent of the damage. Then, as he heard the sounds of struggling and two people in a tightly locked encounter of grappling, his teeth set against one another in an intense grinding motion, his hands tensed and his veins began to swell from the rush of blood due to the tightening of almost all the muscles in his body.


    In a split second, Andr¨¦ went from having a calm and casual day, to a day that seemed to beg for some skulls to be caved in. And so he walked over to the small crater in the middle of his store where he saw two people in costumes wrestling with one another. A man and a woman.


    The man had his hand over the eyes of the woman as he attempted to keep the woman¡¯s left hand from gouging out his own, his costume was one of simple blacks accented by sharp sky-blues and covered almost his entire body, spare for his head where he wore a black domino mask with white eye-contacts which let his wind-whipped black hair shuffle across his face as the two rolled around angrily. The woman wore a black and red outfit that fit tightly against her voluptuous body with a mainly red corset made of what seemed to be some sort of silk with red boots, red fingerless gloves, and a strange red and black luchador-style mask that let her wild golden-brown hair flow loosely in the ponytail that now struggled to hold her locks in place with admirable desperation.


    Andr¨¦ said nothing as he approached, not that it would have mattered since the two didn¡¯t seem to notice his presence at all as he stood directly beside them both. Though after a moment or two, they seemed to slow down to take in the scene and finally lay eyes on Andr¨¦ who¡¯s eyes were as wild as a raging animal¡¯s. The supposed villain stared on in silence through the gaps in the fingers of the Super who considered himself the hero as he turned his head to the young storekeeper.


    ¡°What are you doing?! Get the hell out of here man! I can¡¯t fight with this criminal and keep you safe if you just stand right there! She uses her eyes to freeze people in place, turns them to actual stone!¡± He yelled, his voice hoarse and slightly panicky as he fought to keep the squirming villain in his grasp.


    Though as he went to turn his attention back to the villain, he suddenly couldn¡¯t move his head anymore though he strained his neck as much as he could. His initial thought was that he¡¯d let enough of the woman¡¯s eyes visible for her to use her powers, though he soon noticed he could look around and move his arms and legs. Then the confusion came as to why he could no longer control his head.


    ¡°What the fu-¡° He started to say before he suddenly saw a single image before his entire face began to scream in pain. It was the ground, rapidly approaching at such a speed he could only see it for a single second before his face came into brief but intense meeting with it. He groaned an expletive as he felt the wind pass through his hair and his consciousness slipped for a moment before he felt his nose pour a stream of blood from its constrained nostrils and his jaw drooping from it actively cracking in several places.


    This time he didn¡¯t say a word, but just groaned again as his understanding of the situation wavered and his consciousness began to slip in and out for a moment before his face suddenly became good friends with the ground again. Then a few more times before his hands went limp and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The hero had, in truth, lost full consciousness by the third impact but his head was implanted into the ground several more times which caused a noticeable indentation of his face into the dirt beneath the broken rubble.


    The villain watched with a mouth agape as the young storekeeper stepped across the rubble of the ceiling with the black haired hero¡¯s head in his palm, dragging his unconscious body towards the automated doors which slid open with a jingle of a bell and closed behind him with another one. She watched as the young man looked up into the sky for a moment or two when he reached the street before suddenly taking a pitcher¡¯s stance and launching the hero straight up at such an immense speed that she could only see the initial pause of the stance, the beginning of the throw, and the young man¡¯s foot hitting the ground again as he kept looking into the sky. Her brain tried to understand what she¡¯d just witnessed but every equation came up empty and only served to fry her already dried up and frazzled mental muscles.


    But they still worked just enough for her instincts to kick in when the young man turned his head back towards the store, his eyes glaring at her with such a piercing gaze she felt her entire body begin to shake and shiver with a psychological response she hadn¡¯t felt since she was a fledgling villain and she tried to attack the No. 1 super in Nouveau Tokyo, Hyro. A man who dominated the city¡¯s villains for years before suddenly disappearing like he was one of the Greats, but while he was around he held a stranglehold on the villain populace like none had done before, and though he appeared to the civilians of Nouveau Tokyo as a cheery and friendly individual, the villains new very well what he was actually like. A brutal, vicious, and sometimes cruel man who seemingly took pleasure in harming villains. Gorgon knew this well when her and over fifty villains forged a coalition to try and take Hyro down for good, which resulted in a devastating defeat on the villain¡¯s side and caused the deaths of several of the ones who had erected the coalition, which Gorgon had witnessed firsthand when she was only 16 years old and consequently affected her so deeply that she continued to have nightmares about Hyro hunting her down to this very day.


    And on this very day, in this very moment, the horror she witnessed and the terror she felt erupted within her like an electric fire from the deepest parts of her cerebellum as she screamed internally at herself in utter desperation to move, to run, to flee as far as humanly possible away from the young man who was now walking back into the store. But she couldn¡¯t move a single inch. Her body had completely shut down from the traumatic reminder so badly that she couldn¡¯t feel a single thing other than the fear. Tears welled up in her eyes and her lip quivered like a child who just fell and scraped their knees.


    The young man stood in front of her, and when he leaned down towards her, she could see the emotion hidden behind the calm and seemingly apathetic mask of his face. It was a similar thing to how Hyro looked at her, but he seemed to enjoy what he did, at least on the surface. This young man looked as if he had just taken the trash out to the dumpster. He seemed outwardly numb and dead. But Gorgon could see what was behind his eyes, the utter contempt and hatred that boiled in an endless sea of writhing vipers formed from malice itself. She felt that just from seeing the amount of violence hidden within him that she would simply drop dead on the spot like a wild rabbit that was terribly frightened by a dog.


    ¡°You hurt Gabe.¡± He suddenly said in a low, dry, monotone voice.


    Gorgon¡¯s voice finally came to her and she intensely begged for forgiveness though it outwardly sounded as if she was a blacked out drunkard sobbing and ridding herself of her emotions. Pools of tears formed inside of her mask and snot ran down her lips, staining her makeup and causing it to streak across her face in wavy black and red lines.


    ¡°You. Hurt. Gabe.¡± He repeated, his voice unchanging and his hands tensed with immense muscles that seemed abnormally prominent through his baggy shirt.


    She was practically screaming now, her body collapsing in on itself as she prostrated herself in front of the young man with her hands held above her head in prayer to whatever god held dominion over this world to save her with all her strength.


    The young man stared at the blubbering mass of a villain who was apologizing so profusely and intensely that she had stabbed her nails into her own palms accidentally.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    This continued for a few more moments before he spoke again in a more assertive manner, ¡°Look at me.¡±


    Gorgon couldn¡¯t hear him over her own apologies and cries for mercy and forgiveness, but she heard him when he dropped down to her level and his voice was directly against the back of her head.


    ¡°Sit. Up.¡±


    She hesitated for a second or two in contemplation of death before slowly raising her head to look up at him as he stared down at her. It didn¡¯t seem like he had blinked since he first turned his attention to her.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± He asked without breaking eye contact.


    ¡°Gorgon!¡± She immediately answered which seemed to make him angrier since she actually heard his fists clench into fists.


    ¡°I won¡¯t repeat myself again.¡±


    She swallowed and watched him for a second and how his eyes seemed to be cast in shadow but the glare was extremely visible to her before she opened her mouth again, ¡°Isabelle.¡±


    His eye twitched for a moment, then he spoke, ¡°Gorgon is dead.¡±


    She stared back for a moment in silent contemplation before nodding aggressively, ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°I know your face. I know your voice. I know your smell. If I hear that Gorgon is back, I will find you.¡±


    She nodded again.


    ¡°Who did I throw?¡±


    ¡°A-Class Hero, Jett Black.¡±


    ¡°Reformation Society.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go everyday for the rest of my life!¡±


    ¡°No. You go until Gorgon is dead to you, then Isabelle works to make sure all the people she¡¯s hurt get what they deserve.¡±


    She paused again for a moment and then nodded, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°This place is a monument to someone I loved, and you put a hole through its roof. You will replace every piece that you broke and you¡¯ll ask him for forgiveness everyday with everyone you¡¯ve ever touched as Gorgon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°I hate repeating myself. So when I find out you went against what I said¡ª¡°


    ¡°I won¡¯t! I swear on my life!¡±


    ¡°Your life isn¡¯t worth anything to me. It never will be. But if it might become worth something to someone who needs it, maybe, just maybe I¡¯ll change my mind. Until then, don¡¯t let me see you, because you won¡¯t see me when it comes.¡±


    She immediately understood what he meant and quietly nodded her head, unmoving from her place on the floor as the young man straightened up and took a single step back.


    ¡°Get out.¡±


    She didn¡¯t wait for another word, she shot up and practically leapt out of the front doors before launching herself into the sky and towards the city limits. While she tried to calm her heart down, she tore off her costume with reckless abandon as she flew through the air towards her hideout. And when she returned to her hideout, she immediately went to the shower and stayed there for what felt like hours in an attempt to decompress from the short but hellish encounter at a small convenience store with a young man that reminded her of the worst moment in her life.


    It was during this time she realized the strange humor and irony that while her endeavor with Hyro traumatized her, it was the young man who actually broke her resolve as a villain. She wondered who he was. Even amongst the worst of the worst Supers, he was in a completely different league of his own. And in her attempts at regaining her sanity did she suddenly realize that she¡¯d have to do everything within her power to never come across him again for as long as she lived.


    After some time when the villain had long been gone from the store, Andr¨¦ set up the aisles again and set a pair of traffic cones in front of the impact crater and taped it off with some caution tape he¡¯d gotten from a friend he met his first year living in Nouveau Tokyo. Then, after he had cleaned up the rubble from the crash and placed some wooden pallets over the hole in the roof and covered them with a tarp to try and keep any rain out, Andr¨¦ was finally back inside when he noticed a small laminated card on the floor which he picked up and examined as he sat back into his chair behind the counter in the front. It was a registration card for the Association of United Heroes, Nouveau Tokyo Division, and on the front was the name, picture, and details of the identity of Jett Black. Andr¨¦ made a ¡®huh¡¯ sound when he read his name and saw that his moniker was the same as his legal name.


    ¡°That¡¯s stupid.¡± He said out loud to no one even though he recognized the irony in his statement.


    Then he slid the card into a lockable drawer in the counter where he kept counterfeit bills and his portable gaming console, and locked it in as he took out the console and turned it on, watching the screen light up with a familiar jingle that made him smile slightly before he started to play a 2D, 8-bit side-scrolling action game about a futuristic samurai killing gangsters.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The clock tower located almost directly in the center of Luxor chimed as Euphrasie Harukiya rode in the back of her luxurious black Mercedes-Benz GUARD, peering down through her freshly styled and lightly curled black hair which came down in two strands that evenly framed her beautiful and rounded face. Her dark, almost black eyes which were accented by a dark purple eyeshadow that intentionally matched the interior accents of the car¡¯s black leather and indigo seat stitching, stared at a tablet screen that showcased a scene of destruction on the streets of Nouveau Tokyo.


    Shattered glass and crushed concrete littered the ground outside of the Kings & Wey banking complex, and the obviously young representative of the company they sent could be seen talking to the local news in the background of a few of the pictures. Euphrasie¡¯s teeth set against one another and she had to fight to keep the strength in her hands in check, she¡¯d already broken a tablet on the way to her car and felt it was unbecoming of a woman of her stature to have such leniency with her emotions, though it didn¡¯t seem to stop her from burrowing five finger shaped holes into the edge of her seat.


    ¡°Carlo?¡± She called from the backseat, alerting her head of security in the passenger seat to turn a rugged yet handsome face hidden behind a pair of sunglasses her way.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± A slight accent pulled at his vowels as he responded.


    ¡°Call Jeremy Kings and Wey Kong-sang and request a meeting before they go to the mayor for their reimbursement for the damages, I want to get my teeth in their before they have a chance to speak against us. That fat-cat bureaucrat is definitely going to try and weasel his thick head up their asses the second he hears about the Kirokawa situation.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Miss Harukiya.¡± Carlo nodded and immediately whipped out a large, black smartphone and began to dial some numbers.


    A B-Class Hero and a supposedly high C or low B-Class Villain in the middle of an area that gives a huge advantage to our financials. Couldn¡¯t those little shits have the decency to at least do their back-and-forth outside the bank first? Euphrasie thought as she perused through the tablet¡¯s information some more, immediately answering her own questions after checking the available records on the two Supers. Then an interesting statement caught her eye as she was evaluating the last known location of the Supers.


    Luxor? That¡¯s hours away. How did Jett Black end up out in the Guillaume Plains?


    The mystery bothered her enough to personally delve into the details of the villain. Known only as Gorgon, previously spotted in Spain and France working with a small gang of other low-concern villains, notably considered a skilled thief by the accounts of hero¡¯s and independent Supers who¡¯ve encountered her before. Yet, unlike her description as a rather boisterous and arrogant person, she¡¯s been uncharacteristically quiet since the robbery and fight. Of course this could mean many things, but Euphrasie settled on two for the most part; either she was lying low and healing up from her fight with Jett Black, which she doubted heavily, or she had decided to leave Panagoa entirely. The latter idea confused her but seemed the most likely, even if Jett Black hadn¡¯t lost the battle, her skills and reputation indicated she would likely be working within the underground circles that she normally used to fence her goods and turn a profit by now.


    However the villain hadn¡¯t even been heard from, let alone seen after the encounter. Which was a point of mental contention to the so-called ¡°General Queen¡± of the Association of United Heroes who often prided herself on her ability to discern a person¡¯s next move, especially if it would affect her, her subordinates, or her employers. Euphrasie hated losing, much more so than others. So in her rising annoyance at the confusion from the situation, she sent a message to one of her contacts at the Nouveau Tokyo Internal Security Department requesting their help in identifying both the most current location of the villain as well as the exact place in which the fight ended.


    Just as she was about to send another message to another person of higher significance than both herself and her contact, Carlo cleared his throat and leaned back with his phone to his ear before speaking.


    ¡°Miss Harukiya, we¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    Euphrasie looked up from her tablet to Carlo and then the right passenger window before nodding and shoving the tablet into her light grey designer pocketbook, running her fingers along the leather for a moment before nodding to Carlo who was already turning to exit the car and make his way around to her place on the left passenger side. After helping her out with a gentle hand, Carlo¡¯s eyes continued to scan the area from behind his pitch black sunglasses as the driver of the car exited and stood with his hands crossed watching the road and entranceway into the parking area around the large building they were in front of, waiting to be relieved. During this, as the following car arrived, a glossy black Range Rover Sentinel, the matching lead car opened its doors and expelled seven well-built security guards dressed in slick black suits who took their positions at the entrance doors of the building that Euphrasie walked towards with a confident stride and piercing gaze as the rest of the fourteen guards secured the surrounding area while the two most important guards followed Euphrasie into the building on both sides of her.


    A man stood in their way in the hall with his hands on his hips, his height was highly above average and he towered over all all three of the people from the Association and his build was almost disturbingly muscular, as if his musculature was intentionally over exaggerated like a comic book character. He wore a simple white t-shirt and a pair of navy blue suit pants that stretched across his legs like skinny jeans, further revealing his immense body. His darkly bearded face morphed into a wide and bright white smile as Euphrasie approached, craning her neck high up to look at the massive man who peered down at her through a pair of strange single lens white glasses that seemed attached to his eyes like a mask, though no thread nor metal temples could be seen beneath his thick black hair which was styled in a loose crew cut which slightly hung over his forehead.


    ¡°Shepherd, glad you got my call.¡± Euphrasie said, her demeanor retaining her staple professional status though she was almost two heads shorter than the massive man.


    The man chuckled, a deep and boisterous sound that reverberated through Euphrasie¡¯s entire body, ¡°You used my real name. Is this something serious, or are you just trying to keep my ego in check?¡±


    She made a quick humming sound before speaking, ¡°We both know it¡¯ll take more than that to bruise your ego, Shepherd. It¡¯s twice the size of your body anyways.¡±


    Shepherd let out a hearty laugh and threw his head back slightly before nodding, ¡°I am quite vain, Miss Harukiya, but that¡¯s another thing. What am I doing here, exactly?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I want you to keep an eye on, your connections are valuable to the Association and we need you to make sure nothing problematic is going to happen.¡±


    The massive man leaned in and smiled widely, nearly an inch or so from her face, ¡°And what am I supposed to do if I find something problematic?¡± He asked, emphasizing the last word slowly.


    Euphrasie took a slow breath, her eyes unmoving from the giant¡¯s, ¡°Eliminate it if necessary.¡±


    ¡°May I ask what would prompt such a response?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you more details when I have them, but unless a immediate issue arises, I suggest you simply observe and report back to me. We wouldn¡¯t want another Hyro Incident would we?¡±


    Shepherd¡¯s face twitched for a moment though his smile didn¡¯t slip, ¡°No. No we wouldn¡¯t.¡± He said, entering a silent understanding of the woman¡¯s veiled threat.


    ¡°Good. Now, have you already spoken to Jett?¡±


    The big man nodded, ¡°He¡¯s been conscious for about an hour, but he can¡¯t move very well right now. His legs and arms are shattered and he has some spinal damage, but the treatment is working and he should recover in the next few days.¡±


    Euphrasie nodded and walked around the massive man, her two guards following behind with Carlo placing a friendly smack onto Shepherd¡¯s shoulder as he passed which the big man chuckled at as he made his way out of the building, his boisterous voice echoing through the halls as he exited and greeted the exterior guards.


    Jett Black laid in his sterile hospital bed, an IV drip connected to his right arm underneath a thick cast which was mirrored on his other arm and both his legs, a cervical hard brace around his neck with a thoracolumbar brace that stiffened his movements even further and several thick bandages wrapped around most of his face and head which allowed for sight out of only one eye. He watched as the heavyset man with gentle eyes beside his bedside reacted to the door to his room opening by standing with his hands fidgeting in front of him anxiously, shaking the clear tube connected to his arm which fed blood into the blood bag above Jett¡¯s bed and into his other arm.


    ¡°Chen?¡± He said, trying his best not to move too much to catch a glimpse of his next visitor. He¡¯d already just gotten over the shock of seeing the No. 1 Hero in Nouveau Tokyo beside him when he woke up, not saying a word other than reassuring words like a mentor should. He hadn¡¯t seen the Warden since he was a fledgling Hero, and even then he only saw him once or twice at the annual ¡®Heroes Unite!¡¯ convention, let alone speak to him.


    ¡°Mr. Black.¡± He heard a woman¡¯s voice say, though it took him a moment to recognize the oddly familiar voice.


    ¡°Come over here, I can¡¯t see out of my left eye right now.¡± He said, racking his mind for the origin of the familiar voice which rushed back into his mind like a speeding bullet as a well-dressed and beautiful woman entered his line of sight and stood beside his bed next to Chen.


    ¡°Mr. Chen, whatever you hear will not be spoken again. Understood?¡± She said, her intense gaze falling on the timid Chen Hao who nodded aggressively without looking her in the eyes which slowly turned onto Jett.


    ¡°Madame President, what uh¡­ what brings you here?¡± Jett asked, trying to mask his nervousness with a thinly veiled false confidence while his mind raced with reasons as to why the President of the Association of United Heroes would be in his hospital room.


    Euphrasie Harukiya was obviously unfazed as one of her guards approached and brought her a chair to sit in which she did with elegance and authority. Jett found her to be extremely attractive even though he was admittedly terrified of her, but his train of thought was derailed almost immediately when she spoke again.


    ¡°Your encounter with the villain known as Gorgon has caused some rather¡­ annoying issues with a prominent patron to the Association, and your notably brutal incapacitation has been noticed. She¡¯d be considered a rather simple problem to deal with, especially for someone of your rank, or should I say previous rank.¡± Her voice was cold and smooth, her steely eyes unmoving from his single eye which twitched slightly as he stared in disbelief.


    I got fucking demoted?! He thought incredulously, his heart beginning to race which caused the EKG to beep more intensely beside his head, only furthering his increasing rage and frustration.


    ¡°Mr. Black, I don¡¯t suppose you have some unsavory feelings to let me hear, do you?¡± Euphrasie asked, her head cocking slightly though her face didn¡¯t move.


    Chen made a face that Jett caught out of the corner of his eye that said everything he needed to know, so he took a few breaths and tried to shake his head before wincing in extreme pain for a few seconds before grunting and answering.


    ¡°No, Madame President. I was just thinking about that bitch who put me here.¡±


    Euphrasie straightened up and made a face that Jett couldn¡¯t read as she spoke, ¡°Is that so?¡±


    He knew she didn¡¯t believe him, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do. He couldn¡¯t tell her of all people that he got absolutely crushed by a goddamn store clerk of all things, he might¡¯ve been a regulated hero of a considerably high caliber, but he was still a young and prideful man.


    ¡°Yes, Madame President.¡±


    She stared at him for a few tense moments, and though sweat built up heavily underneath his bandaged forehead and seeped into his wounds which stung harshly, he met her gaze and didn¡¯t look away until she slowly nodded.


    ¡°Alright then, though you understand that even though you are a valued asset to the Association, your demotion is warranted due to your past behavior at those many, many clubs and karaoke bars. You¡¯ve been a naughty boy, Mr. Black, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll commit yourself to righting your wrongs and will stand out as a model ambassador for the Association and its many members and staff.¡±


    ¡°Of course. But what about Gorgon?¡± He asked, immediately knowing he steeped slightly over the line but he just couldn¡¯t help himself. He had to make it look like he was ashamed of losing to her. And it apparently worked since Euphrasie stopped halfway as she went to stand.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of her. Nobody gets away with making the Association look like cheap shit.¡± She said as she fully stood and turned to leave, waving a hand behind her head as she walked past Chen who bowed his head towards her respectfully.


    Jett was surprised at the coarse language she used, but felt as if he had learned of a new side about Euphrasie Harukiya he¡¯d only heard about in offhand rumors. And as her guards followed her out of the room, Chen turned to Jett and shook his head slightly.


    ¡°You got off easy, Mr. Black. She doesn¡¯t normally let someone off the hook that easily, especially if the make the Association look bad.¡± He said, his gentle voice slow but serious.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m still alive.¡± Jett replied with a slight grin which immediately faded as he winced hard and accidentally licked his lips on instinct, running his tongue over a deep gash that split both his upper and lower lip on his left side.


    ¡°You¡¯re not in the clear yet, Mr. Black. She¡¯ll have someone keeping an eye on you for a long time now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Jett was confused, he¡¯d never seen Chen this serious before. It didn¡¯t fit his usual ¡®teddy bear¡¯ personality.


    Chen just sighed and flexed his muscles, causing more blood from the blood bag to flow through Jett¡¯s veins much more quickly, ¡°Don¡¯t let my youthful features fool you, Mr. Black, I¡¯m twice your age and I¡¯ve been a part of the Association since Mr. Harukiya was the President.¡±


    Jett¡¯s good eye widened in shock at the reveal. He knew that Chen was older than him, but only a handful of Association veterans were still around since Luther Harukiya was President. That must¡¯ve made Chen at least forty to fifty years old, which was shocking considering the fact that he looked to be a young man in his prime twenties. Jett thought that his power of highly-advanced cellular regeneration must¡¯ve been the cause for his youthful visage.


    ¡°Sorry, Chen. I didn¡¯t know.¡± He said earnestly, he had a deep respect for Chen due to his supportive capabilities which were caused by his power. Even though he wasn¡¯t very useful in combatting villains and criminals directly, his skills and use of his power allowed hundreds of Heroes and independent Supers to recover at almost five to ten times their original potential for strength and healing, giving them a chance to get back into the action in extremely an short timeframe. Though he was disappointed to learn that his adaptability ratio to Chen¡¯s power was much lower compared to other Supers, he still considered him a keystone in the Association¡¯s Support League.


    Chen nodded as he glanced over Jett¡¯s body for a moment, ¡°You should bite down on this,¡± he said as he grabbed a thick cloth and went to put it into Jett¡¯s mouth, ¡°A reformation surge is about to hit your body. And trust me, it¡¯s going to hurt quite a bit, so do yourself a favor and bite into this so you don¡¯t crack any more of your already broken teeth.¡±


    Jett glanced between the cloth and Chen for a moment before slowly opening his mouth to bite down on the thick fabric which filled his maw and kept his jaw from closing before a sudden and intense and steady pain akin to lighting coursing through his entire body roared into him, which tensed his body into a steadfast locked position that caused his limbs to straighten uncomfortably. He could feel a strong sensation of hateful heat pour across his body as his skin came to life with a series of sharp bursts that were like his epidermis was being pulled apart and slowly pushed back into place. This was followed by such a pain it nearly knocked him unconscious which erupted from each and every bone in his body as he felt them crack, split, and reshape around themselves. He couldn¡¯t move, he couldn¡¯t even see through the pain which poured out of him in the form of an incoherent and muffled wail of horrific proportions through the cloth in his mouth which nearly suffocated him as he tried to breath through the pain as best he could though he could only manage to squeeze a few breaths through his trembling nose which unluckily pulled some snot that came from his losing almost all sense of his bodily controls back into his nasal passage.


    This continued for what felt like hours until his body suddenly loosened up and he collapsed back into his original position, sweat coating his entire body and his eye drooping while he tried his best to catch his breath. Though he suddenly noticed something strange. His damaged eye no longer hurt and his left arm was easier to move now, and though it still hurt when he moved it, it hurt considerably less as he reached up and slowly pulled off the patch covering his eye. As he slowly blinked, he realized he had his original vision quality and could fully see the room now.


    ¡°Holy shit¡­¡± He said in disbelief, glancing over at Chen who just smiled and offered a thumbs up. Jett couldn¡¯t help but chuckle which hurt for a second but he threw up back to him in appreciation as he spoke, ¡°How many more times do you need to do that?¡±


    Chen looked him over for a moment before placing a hand gently over his body with his eyes closed, seemingly meditating for a second before opening them and nodding, ¡°Roughly four or five.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± He said, his eyes slowly rolling into the back of his head as his exhaustion suddenly caught up to him and stole him away into unconsciousness.


    As Euphrasie Harukiya sat back in the seat of her bulletproof luxury car, she was contacted by her associate in the Internal Security Department who told her that Gorgon had been sighted flying towards the southeastern end of Luxor¡¯s outskirts before suddenly disappearing into a set of billboards on an empty apartment building that had been leased out to a small law firm before a woman that matched the physical description of the villain appeared in civilian clothing a few hours later. Apparently she went to a coffee stand before heading straight to a local branch of the Reformation Society and had been reported as signing up as a volunteer under the name of Isabelle Rosen which was discovered to have been her legal name. This was a strange occurrence to the seasoned ¡®General Queen¡¯ considering her previous exploits, even stranger was the fact that according to the Society¡¯s records, they had received a donation that was approximately half of the amount of money stolen from the Kings & Wey banking complex.


    What happened to you that would make you give up half the spoils? Obviously something strong enough to send you into the arms of the Reformation Society, but what could it be? It couldn¡¯t have been Jett Black¡¯s doing, he was charismatic, but judging from the two of them¡¯s encounter it didn¡¯t seem like the either of them would be willing to even begin talking to each other besides insults. Something¡¯s going on here, and I¡¯m convinced that it has something to do with the place in which the two of them separated. Euphrasie thought to herself as she went through more of her associate¡¯s email and saw that the last place of convergence between Gorgon and Jett Black was somewhere in the outskirts of Luxor, just a few miles away from the Reformation Society in a considerably simple neighborhood without a name. Apparently having to do something with an area of a block inside the neighborhood, though her associate was disappointingly unable to figure out the exact location due to the lack of surveillance in the area because of the size.


    After some time, she assembled enough information to send to the Warden who responded shortly after with a single smiling emoji face with sunglasses on it and a thumbs up. Unconsciously rolling her eyes, she tossed her tablet into her pocketbook and stared out of the tinted window to her left, finding herself being pulled back to the mysterious reason as to why Gorgon suddenly joined the Reformation Society and donated half of the money stolen from the banking complex, and why Jett Black was laid up in the hospital in such a state that if he weren¡¯t a part of the Association and capable of a slow but noticeable regeneration factor he would likely be a cripple until the day he died.


    Though for some reason, she had a strange feeling regarding the situation and decided to check the registry for Supers in the past few years, yet after coming up empty, she switched over to the immigration list purely on a whim. Suddenly, after about an hour¡¯s worth of information checking, she came across a name that sent chills down her spine before she nearly jumped up into the front seat and ordered Carlo to take her to the address she was pointing out on her tablet immediately. Carlo obliged without hesitation and informed the security team of their sudden detour as they swerved into a backstreet with haste.


    Euphrasie tried to call the Warden several times, her eyes locked onto the screen as she stared at the name she saw in the immigration records, yet as each call fell into a prerecorded message of the Warden¡¯s voicemail a single word popped in her mind in a surge of anxiety.


    FUCK!


    End of Chapter I

 Late Night Snack

    Isabelle ran her hand through her hair as she let out a deep yawn, her eyelids weighed down by the growing exhaustion she felt from her continuous exertion. She¡¯d been put to work almost immediately after she volunteered at the Reformation Society, and though she still felt strange about being treated so kindly by the official staff, she couldn¡¯t lie and say she didn¡¯t enjoy helping out the community. They¡¯d sent her a few blocks away to help clean up a church after a group of teenagers broke in and vandalized it severely; putting spray paint everywhere, trashing the pews and windows, robbing the donation box, and burning several holy books. But after her continuous work she managed to make half of it seem somewhat normal, though she admittedly wasn¡¯t that skilled with a paint roller and had to fix several of her mistakes many times before she figured out a solution.


    Yet she wouldn¡¯t have minded a somewhat easier job that made use of her powers, but she accepted her abilities did indeed have a limited scope of effect. And she didn¡¯t mind too much at least since she was able to meet several previous ¡®acquaintances¡¯ from her younger days, specifically Luka and Ashton, previously known as Jumper and Virgo. She¡¯d hadn¡¯t even known the two were in Panagoa, though from the understanding of the two¡¯s stories, she agreed with their decision to not contact her after they joint the Society. Yet, it still stung a little to hear it. The two of them had just completed a job in Catalonia and were arriving in Nouveau Tokyo when they came across an enormous man.


    ¡°He had this big, pearly, toothy smile like a shark high on laughing gas. And his muscles were fucking insane! He looked like one of those illustrations you see of the Greats where their body is accentuated more than you¡¯d expect.¡± Luka¡¯s eyes were wide and his hands were moving rapidly around his body as they often did when he was excited.


    ¡°Man was a big fock.¡± Ashton said calmly, her thick Birmingham accent slipping through as she sat with a coffee in her hand.


    ¡°Yeah! And of course we were just chilling, waiting to hear from our contact in Luxor when he came up to us and just stood there, smiling at us like a weirdo. Then he said he knew why we were here and that he was supposed to make sure we didn¡¯t get to Luxor.¡± Luka said, putting a hand on his head and fluffing his short dark hair, a consistent nervous tic of his. ¡°So I grabbed Ash and tried to get us the fuck out of there, but the guy was way faster than I thought and grabbed me by the head. My whole fucking head, Izzy!¡±


    ¡°I tried to use my charm on ¡®im, but ¡®e just did the same thing to me so I couldn¡¯t say anything.¡± Ashton said with a wry chuckle.


    Isabelle nodded and took a sip of her coffee, ¡°He had a weird pair of glasses on his face right? Looked like something from an 80¡¯s movie?¡±


    Luka and Ashton nodded without saying a word.


    Isabelle sighed, ¡°You guys didn¡¯t stand a chance. That was the Warden, he¡¯s the Number One Hero in Nouveau Tokyo and the replacement for that guy I told you about a few years ago.¡±


    The two ex-villains shared a look before Luka just shook his head, ¡°Honestly, I thought I was about to die. I could feel how strong he was just from his fingers digging into my skull. But I guess he didn¡¯t want to kill us since we¡¯re still here, thankfully.¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, he¡¯s a lot more stable than Hyro was. At least he doesn¡¯t actively try to hurt villains when he fights them unless he thinks he has to, but that¡¯s just my opinion, I could be wrong. I¡¯m just happy you guys are still alive.¡± Isabelle said, a smile curling up at the sides of her lips.


    Ashton didn¡¯t say anything but put a hand over Isabelle¡¯s and squeezed it softly, ¡°Same here, Izzy. But yeah, he gave us a choice. Either get back on the boat and go back to Spain, or quit our jobs and join the Reformation Society. Probably the easiest choice I¡¯ve ever made, we made a few enemies while we were in Catalonia.¡± Luka smiled and sat back in his chair as he spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re both here. Actually, I had a kind of similar experience that brought me here earlier today.¡±


    Luka perked up, raising an eyebrow, ¡°Yeah? You met the Warden too?¡±


    Isabelle¡¯s eyes darkened for a moment before she shook her head, ¡°No, a different guy I really hope I never see again. He scared me more than Hyro did. Hyro enjoyed hurting villains, but the guy I saw just seemed to¡­ hate us. I¡¯ve never seen that much rage behind someone¡¯s eyes before, honestly, I¡¯d rather fight Hyro again than meet that other guy ever again.¡±


    Luka¡¯s eyes softened as he leaned over to put a reassuring hand on Isabelle¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Shit, I¡¯m sorry to hear that, Izzy.¡±


    She shrugged and patted Luka¡¯s hand, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m just glad he gave me a chance to set things right. I¡¯ve been wanting to get out of the game for a while now anyway. Guess it was fate or something.¡± She said, looking off into the sky for a few moments before speaking again. ¡°I wonder what happened to the Hero I was fighting after that guy showed up. He got thrown pretty hard.¡±


    Ashton spoke this time, ¡°¡®e threw a ¡®ero? Maybe ¡®e was a Villain in disguise or something.¡±


    Isabelle shook her head again, ¡°I don¡¯t think so, he looked like he hated what I was, not who I was. And he was really pissed off about us wrecking his store, I think that¡¯s what set him off.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you think, I trust your judgement, you were always better at reading people than me.¡± Luka said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a gift.¡± Isabelle said with a chuckle.


    ¡°It¡¯s a gift the three of us got to see each other again, the Terrible Trio are finally back together! Viva la Trio!¡± Luka said, raising his cup of coffee in a toast which the other two met with smiles on their faces.


    ¡°Viva la Trio!¡± They answered with laughter.


    The three of them shared some stories of their lives away from each other and caught up on their missed experiences and memories together for a while before they went their separate ways to finish their work with the Society at the church with Ashton taking care of the neighborhood kids who often played at the church¡¯s playground, Luka using his teleportation power to quickly repair the harder to reach places up in the rafters and replacing some of the unstained windows, and Isabelle finally finishing her duty of painting over the graffiti. After the three of them had completed their work, they got permission to leave and went for a walk to a nearby cafe for some pastries that Ashton wanted to show Isabelle. During this time, Isabelle noticed that Luka and Ashton had become much closer to each other and were apparently living in the same building just a few blocks away from her, which made her snicker whenever Luka embarrassed himself with his overconfident attitude regarding the history of certain pastries he pointed out which Ashton calmly corrected with a look on her face that told Isabelle everything she needed to know about their current relationship.


    She¡¯d always known about Luka¡¯s crush on Ashton, but she was slightly surprised to hear that the two had finally begun seeing each other which apparently ¡®just sort of happened¡¯ a year or two before the two left for Panagoa. The way they looked at each other whenever Isabelle wasn¡¯t talking was sweet and heartwarming, with Luka looking flustered and often blushing as Ashton just stared at him with such a face that screamed ¡®I love this adorable doofus.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t help but wonder how long Ashton had felt this way about Luka, but as she watched them, she began to feel a strange sense of envy that she didn¡¯t understand the origin of. Isabelle had lived in Panagoa since she was sixteen, and as she neared her twenty-fourth birthday, she realized she hadn¡¯t been in an actual relationship for five years. Sure she¡¯d had little flings and trysts here and there, but she hadn¡¯t dated anyone seriously in a long time. It bothered her in a way she didn¡¯t expect to feel, but she tried to suppress it as best she could so she didn¡¯t make her friends feel uncomfortable.


    They continued carrying on for some time before Ashton and Luka eventually left because the two of them had work in the morning at their respective jobs, apparently Luka worked at a construction company and Ashton was employed by a kind older man at a flower shop. Isabelle waved to them as they walked down the street together hand in hand, smiling to herself as she went to begin her trek back to her apartment with her hands in her black jeans. She¡¯d slipped her earbuds into her ears and put on some breakbeat music as she walked, bouncing to and fro as she casually busted out some shuffle moves, her mind clearing enough for her to forget her issues for just a few moments of calmness.


    It took her some time, but she eventually made it back home to her small apartment that was quite clearly modeled after her personal interests with several posters of EDM musicians and concerts and raves plastered across the walls and ceiling, art of Arthurian legends, and black and red furniture and decorations. After tossing her backpack onto her floor beside her bed, she ended up laying down onto her couch and staring at the ceiling, her eyes closing almost immediately and her consciousness fading away as she slipped into sleep. She saw herself in a familiar place, her hand was smaller than normal and everything was larger. There she saw a man with a wide smile and loving eyes who spoke words to her she couldn¡¯t hear, then the world changed and she saw the same man, ragged and bloody with the same smile and eyes though they were now tired and glossy. She knew the man and the situation immediately as she cried out for her father and outstretched her small hands to try and reach him, but she could feel herself being pulled away as if she was being stolen by the overpowering tides of the ocean. She didn¡¯t want to lose him again so she fought as hard as she possibly could, but the tide was stronger than she was and pulled her further into the darkness, calling his name the entire time as she saw him become smaller as the tide pulled her farther and farther away from her beloved father. Her voice echoed into the darkness as it consumed her and covered her vision in its entirety, there she floundered and screamed at the top of her lungs. It was suffocating.


    On the inside, Isabelle was suffering immensely as she was witness to one of the worst moments of her life. And on the outside, she laid on her couch in a curled into a ball with a cold sweat, tears streaming down her face and staining the dark couch in a pool of salty wetness. Sadly, this was a normal occurrence for the young woman since before she moved to Nouveau Tokyo and would continue to be for some time. As was the life of Isabelle Rosen, the recently retired Villain known as Gorgon.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The neon sign on the front of ¡°Gabe¡¯s¡± was bright in the afternoon as Andr¨¦ sat outside once more after getting off the phone with a local contractor for some work for his roof and floor, eating a package of fries and drinking a dark soda from a blue can while sitting in his pink lawn chair, simply enjoying the dusk sky with a small smile on his face. He¡¯d gotten some work done on the things he could repair with the resources he had in storage in between serving customers who asked about the damage which he casually passed off as simple construction failure, Miss Chiba came as well and obviously seemed suspicious of the extensive damage but went on her way after receiving her chips and a few bags of free candy for her grandchildren. A few minutes after he finished his fries and his drink, he noticed a man at the end of the street who seemed painfully out of place. He¡¯d never seen him before, but his absurdly muscular physicality seemed familiar to Andr¨¦ who simply glanced over at the man who¡¯s face was alight with a sharp and clean smile.


    Who the hell..? Andr¨¦ thought to himself as he watched the man walk towards his store with his large hands on his hips, it was when the man got much closer that he realized that he was quite the giant, easily standing at over six-foot and towering over the young store owner. The man¡¯s strange glasses caught Andr¨¦¡¯s attention for a moment but it was the way he looked at the store with a much wider smile that began to bother him.


    ¡°Are you open?¡± The man asked, now standing in front of the store with his hand outstretched to point at it casually.


    ¡°Not for long, what are you looking for?¡± Andr¨¦ answered, standing up to throw away his trash into the trash can just a few steps away.


    ¡°Nothing in particular, but I wouldn¡¯t mind a snack while I¡¯m here. You have any spicy stuff?¡±


    Andr¨¦ nodded, ¡°We have some chips and sauce, cup noodles too.¡±


    ¡°How hot are the noodles and sauce?¡± The man asked, cocking his head slightly.


    ¡°Very, I get some myself now and then.¡±


    The man¡¯s smile transitioned into a giddy smirk and motioned to the automatic doors, ¡°If you¡¯d please.¡±


    Andr¨¦ nodded and waved his hand behind his head as he walked inside and stepped past the caution tape around the hole in the ground to grab a bottle of the hottest sauce he could find, pointing over the shelf to the next aisle as the man came in and telling him where to find the noodles. After checking the sauce at the register, the man approached the counter and placed the hottest noodles his store had in stock beside the sauce, and as Andr¨¦ checked them and calculated the price, the man spoke.


    ¡°What happened over there?¡± He asked, tossing his head backwards toward the hole.


    ¡°Roof collapsed.¡± Andr¨¦ replied, pointing up at the ceiling without looking.


    The man¡¯s eyes followed Andr¨¦¡¯s hand, ¡°That must¡¯ve been a very heavy roof to make a hole that big.¡±


    Andr¨¦¡¯s eyes scanned the man for less than a second, having a strange feeling arise in his stomach, ¡°It had a ventilation box on it, I¡¯ve got a second on the backside so the air conditioning isn¡¯t out luckily.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, those tend to be pretty heavy. Still really unlucky it happened though.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Andr¨¦ had put the noodles and sauce in a small paper bag and grabbed the money from the man after finishing the calculation on the register, that strange feeling of familiarity coming back through his mind for a few moments as the man took a slow look around the store for a few moments.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have happened to have heard about those two Supers fighting earlier today right?¡± He asked without looking at Andr¨¦.


    ¡°On the TV, don¡¯t know much about the whole thing though, I was taking a nap.¡± Andr¨¦ said, looking up at the back of the large man¡¯s head.


    The man made a humming sound, ¡°Is that so? They crashed somewhere around here, but the Villain vanished after the Hero was incapacitated.¡± He said before slowly turning back to look Andr¨¦ in the eye. ¡°You sure you didn¡¯t hear anything weird today?¡±


    Andr¨¦ didn¡¯t look away, an unreadable expression on his face, ¡°No, but if that Hero got messed up enough to let a Villain get away, I guess they weren¡¯t as good as the Association thinks they are.¡±


    The man¡¯s face twisted into a smile with a strange tone to its shape, ¡°Yeah, I guess they wouldn¡¯t be. Thanks for the help.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    The man looked around again for a few moments before finally stepping out the doors and looking into his bag, taking out the hot sauce to examine it more closely and remove the seal to casually take a sip of it. Andr¨¦ watched through the glass while the man stood there, analyzing the taste and texture for a while before strutting away with that weird smile again, removing the strange glasses over his eyes for a second to wink at Andr¨¦ as he passed by the window.


    What a weird guy. He thought to himself as he sat down into his chair and pulled out his game console to play something, though his mind seemed to wander back to the man after a few minutes, unable to place where he¡¯d seen him before as sat there and simply stared off into nothing as his mind fogged over in deep thought. People in his neighborhood knew him as he presented himself now, though they had their suspicions and certain people across the globe were aware of his identity, mostly those particularly close to his history and all those in his family. Maybe he¡¯d gotten careless, let his emotions slip a little too quickly. He didn¡¯t want the Association or the government figuring him out, he didn¡¯t trust them. The only two people he knew for certain that could spill their guts regarding his abilities were that Jett Black guy and that Villain. He hoped he put enough fear into the woman to keep her lips as shut as they could be, all she knew was the store and his face, same as the Hero. He also knew he threw the Hero hard and far enough to cause considerable damage to his body, hopefully enough to cause some sort of amnesia but that sort of skill was hard to perfect into an exact science even if you knew exactly how to shake the brain without causing permanent damage, he¡¯d already practiced enough over the years to learn that the hard way.


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    But now he figured that somebody was onto him or at least keeping an eye on him because of the obvious signs of impact in his floor. He¡¯d have to lay low for now, make sure that it seemed as if he was just a normal store owner. The big man aroused his suspicions, but if Andr¨¦ could just figure out who he was working for he could possibly make sure it stays quiet, he didn¡¯t want to have to owe anyone of any particular power anything. The big guy seemed strong, Andr¨¦ could tell he was probably a Super from the way he carried himself and the physicality he had. And if he was one of the more powerful ones, that meant that the Association could be aware of him. His name was public record but he hadn¡¯t registered with either the Association or the government as a Super which he knew could be an issue, but he figured it was just a matter of time before someone noticed that he was here anyway, he just wished they would be smart enough to take the hint and stay away and leave him to his store. He didn¡¯t want to be an independent Super, they had their own issues that he didn¡¯t want to be bothered by, and he especially didn¡¯t want to be a registered Hero under the control of the Association. He¡¯d met several before migrating to Panagoa, their obligations seemed mostly pointless to him and were more like chains that restricted the potential of any Super wanting to do some real good in the world. Politics pissed him off. He¡¯d rather go rogue than be a lapdog for any bureaucrat, especially one with powers.


    A few seconds after he¡¯d left, Shepherd sat on top of a rooftop just down the street from the convenience store with the young man who wasn¡¯t overtly problematic, but the situation surrounding his store roused his suspicions. True, it could¡¯ve simply been an unlucky situation, but Shepherd didn¡¯t often believe in coincidences and the way the kid looked at him didn¡¯t hold any passing judgment past a simple glance of attention. Most people, even if they respect him, hold a little bit of fear or envy for whatever reasons lie hidden in their hearts. But not that kid, he barely even acknowledged him, and not actively so either, he genuinely seemed to not care that he was there except when Shepherd brought up the hole in the ground of his store. And even then, he just seemed irritated rather than cautious or blas¨¦.


    Strange kid, I like him. He thought as he stood on the edge of the roof, scanning the area with his hands on his hips for quite a while before hearing the skidding of several tires a few blocks away. Turning his head to catch three familiar cars speeding down the road adjacent to the convenience store before slamming on the brakes almost simultaneously with each other just a few feet from the building he stood on. It was then that he decided to check his phone and noticed a bunch of missed calls from Miss Harukiya, making him smirk for a moment before he saw the lady herself step out of her car and raise a hand up with a single finger saying ¡®come here.¡¯ He didn¡¯t appreciate the way she did that, but shrugged it off and casually hopped down three stories to the ground which cracked a little under his weight as he landed before walking up to her beside the car with his arms crossed.


    ¡°Miss Harukiya, I didn¡¯t know you were one for performing personal surveillance in situations like this.¡± He said, his smirk still wide.


    Euphrasie Harukiya¡¯s face was stern and intense, her voice calm but very evidently hiding a rising anger, ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for jokes, Shepherd. I came to make sure an incident didn¡¯t arise.¡±


    His brow perked up, ¡°What kind of incident?¡±


    ¡°One neither of us would come back from.¡±


    The tone in which she spoke clearly reflected the seriousness of the situation that he was apparently unaware of, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Answer my questions, now. What have you been able to figure out?¡±


    Shepherd shrugged his massive shoulders, ¡°Not much, the people around here are very friendly but they keep a pretty close knit community that doesn¡¯t take well to people asking too many questions.¡±


    Euphrasie nodded and kept glancing down the street towards the convenience store, ¡°Did you see anyone acting weird? Like they had something to hide?¡±


    ¡°Not really, but by the way you keep looking at that store I just came from is really interesting to me.¡±


    Euphrasie paused and took a slow breath before speaking, ¡°Was there a young guy working there? Reddish brown hair, taller than me with a slight accent?¡±


    Shepherd¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°Yeah, said it was his store. Looked like a good candidate for where Jett and Gorgon landed before they ended up where they are now. Saw a big ass hole in the roof and the ground, easily could be an impact crater.¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Euphrasie¡¯s hand went to her forehead almost immediately after hearing Shepherd¡¯s answer.


    The big man raised his hands to his sides in confusion, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Not right now.¡±


    ¡°¡®Phrasie, I know you enough to be able to tell when something big is going on. What the hell am I missing here?¡±


    She glanced around for a few moments before suddenly waving off her security team who walked away immediately, though Carlo hesitated for a moment before joining his men. Then Euphrasie took a deep breath and held her hands in front of her together, her eyes slightly wide and her demeanor drastically altered from the usually stoic and serious woman she normally was. She seemed very unnerved by whatever was going through her mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you something that as far as I¡¯m aware, only I know. Carlo will be able to figure out that where we are is very important but he won¡¯t know anything beyond that. This stays between you and me, Shepherd, no one can know or else a series of events will happen that will change the very face Nouveau Tokyo.¡±


    Shepherd dropped his hands and leaned in, his face filled with confusion and concern, ¡°Whatever it is, it dies with me.¡± He said, his signature smile gone, replaced by a deathly serious expression.


    ¡°That kid you talked to is one of the grandchildren of L¨¦on LeVerne, his name is Andr¨¦ LeVerne.¡± Euphrasie said after a moment of tense silence.


    Immediately Shepherd removed his glasses which showcased his beautiful blue eyes, but now they were much wider than normal as his entire face was filled with shock. He instantly understood the depth of the issue Euphrasie had entrusted him with, and though he was arguably the strongest person in Nouveau Tokyo, his hand began to tremble.


    Holy shit. He thought, his mind rushing back to the encounter with the kid he now knew as Andr¨¦. At first he just thought he was just a young man, either unaware of Shepherd¡¯s position and reputation or trying to look cool in front of him. Now he knew it was neither. He¡¯d just walked into the store of his childhood hero¡¯s grandchild and tried to look tough.


    ¡°You¡¯re going back to the Association, right now. We can¡¯t let anyone blow this up any further than it already has. If L¨¦on himself ever found out about what we did¡­¡± Euphrasie said, but Shepherd held up a hand to cut her off.


    ¡°I know.¡± He said, his eyes locked onto the store with a look that made it seem as if he¡¯d just seen a ghost.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you when I get back, this never happened.¡± Euphrasie turned to leave but stopped when she noticed that Shepherd hadn¡¯t moved. ¡°We are leaving. Now.¡± She said, her voice returning to its normally serious tone.


    Shepherd shook his head, ¡°It¡¯ll be better for us if we keep an eye on him. If that Gorgon chick let it slip to any of her buddies, we could have a serious problem on our hands. Even if we can¡¯t put on the ground surveillance on him, we need to at least aim a satellite at his store to make sure we know what¡¯s going on at all times.¡±


    Euphrasie¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°Are you fucking stupid?! If he even catches a whiff that we might be watching him, who knows what¡¯ll happen!¡±


    The big man nodded before turning back to her, his eyes locked onto hers with an uncharacteristically serious gaze, ¡°I know it¡¯s a risk, but it¡¯ll be an even bigger one if some dumbass Villains decide they want retribution for their friend and come looking for him. We¡¯ve seen what can happen when those pesky idiots decide they can take someone way above their caliber.¡±


    Euphrasie¡¯s mind flashed with the memories of crippled and brutalized Villains, pinching her brow with her fingers and groaning trying to shake the images that flew through her mind, ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m well aware of what could happen if it comes to that, but we likely can¡¯t just watch him without him noticing. We don¡¯t even know what kind of powers he has! He¡¯s a Third Generation Super!¡±


    ¡°I know, ¡®Phrasie, but we can¡¯t just wait around to see if it happens anyway. It¡¯ll be worse if it does and we¡¯re not around to mitigate the damage. I¡¯ll take the blame for anything if it goes sideways.¡±


    She knew his decision was most likely the correct course of action, they couldn¡¯t act on information they didn¡¯t have. And if someone decided to try something and they weren¡¯t looking, they¡¯d have to deal with a considerably worse fallout, though she wasn¡¯t happy that it needed to happen this way either.


    Why did he have to be here of all places? She asked nobody in particular as her mind raced with the possibilities that could come from assigning a satellite for a single person, then she switched her train of thought to assigning the satellite to the block as a whole to mitigate the chances of people learning that a LeVerne was living in Nouveau Tokyo. It could work, especially if she delegated the task to someone she knew from the Security Department under the guise of analyzing traffic in that area due to a possible threat. But no, that wouldn¡¯t work exactly if she didn¡¯t speak directly to the Director which would open up its own can of worms. Though, she truly didn¡¯t have that much of a choice in the matter since she personally knew the Director and he owed her a couple favors.


    Ultimately, after all few moments of calculation, she decided to give a call to the Internal Security Department and speak directly to their Director who wasn¡¯t too excited to hear her voice or the fact that she was calling in such a hefty favor. The Association itself had several outlets to use for security and surveillance purposes with the permission of the government, but that came with a clause that stated that the Association could only use those facilities in reference to Supers of suspicious nature. By calling in her favor to the Director of the Internal Security Department of Nouveau Tokyo, Euphrasie could bypass this clause, albeit while putting herself in a legal grey area due to the possibility of it becoming a matter of public concern if anyone ever found out about it. Though this would be an issue for a later date as while the Director was reluctant to agree to the idea of using on of their satellites, he couldn¡¯t say no because of his history with Euphrasie and the fact that he knew she wouldn¡¯t just call in a favor of this level on a whim.


    After the phone call and a very intense conversation, Euphrasie let out a sigh and turned back to Shepherd who had been watching the store for some time, only losing his focus when Euphrasie put a hand on his arm and looked up at him with a serious but oddly gentle gaze.


    ¡°It was your idea, but I¡¯m the one who put in the call. We¡¯re both a part of this now, whatever happens, we¡¯re responsible.¡± She said, her tone much softer than normal.


    Shepherd nodded and put a massive hand over hers, ¡°If anything happens, I¡¯ll take care of it. Make sure the people who¡¯re running the satellite know their first call should be to me, I¡¯ll get here as fast as I possibly can.¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ Try not to get hurt.¡±


    The big man smiled, a peaceful and soft smile that seemed much more earnest than any he¡¯d put on earlier, ¡°I promise.¡±


    After the two of them stood there for a few moments in silence, staring into each other¡¯s eyes, they both turned and began to head their separate ways as Euphrasie reassembled her security and mounted up into her car and Shepherd walked around the corner before crouching down and leaping high into the sky on a trajectory away from the block with the convenience store, holding his grocery bag against his chest. Admittedly, he was weirdly excited to see how the noodles and sauce tasted. However, high above the clouds where the two of them couldn¡¯t see nor were able to sense, a figure hovered in the air. His eyes dark and his sights set on both of them for much longer than either could have known. There he stayed, watching the two depart towards their respective destinations with Euphrasie heading back towards inner Luxor and to the Association of United Heroes Headquarters, and Shepherd heading off to make a roundabout path towards what seemed to be his house which the figure followed him back to. It was a large skyscraper with almost a few hundred apartments within, though Shepherd¡¯s was obviously the penthouse as he landed on the roof of the skyscraper and disappeared into the box-like structure which held both the elevator and the stairs. There the figure watched through the glass from a considerable distance as the big man removed his goods from the back and set to work cooking them with a blue pot with a wooden handle and a pair of chopsticks. Obviously he did not, and could not see the figure as he watched for some time in silence, his hair shifting lazily in the wind as he simply stared at the No. 1 Hero of Nouveau Tokyo in his most private setting.


    The figure scowled slightly, turning his head up and away towards the sky for a few moments before shifting his body and rocketing into the distance, disappearing into the clouds within a second, his mind set on a certain location where he knew he would find information.


    Chen Hao sat unconscious in his chair inside the room, snoring softly with his head back as he slept peacefully. Jett Black on the other hand, was shifting restlessly, moving from staring down at the tube in his arm that connected him to the blood bag and the IV drip to staring up at the ceiling. He¡¯d just gotten back some use of his legs though it still hurt quite a bit to actually move them, but at least know he could walk somewhat with the help of crutches, though he was relegated to using the wheelchair beside his bed whenever he needed to use the restroom. It had been just over an hour since his last ¡®reformation surge¡¯ and he was still quite sore, but he wanted get some fresh air very badly. So he had concocted a plan.


    As Chen slept, Jett moved as carefully as he could to disconnect the IV and blood bag, feeling his muscles ache every time he even breathed though he persisted in his journey to escape his hospital room. After a few moments of tense silence and waiting for Chen to fall back into full sleep since his snoring would choke him every so often, causing Jett to pause like a teenager trying to sneak out of their parent¡¯s house, he finally managed to squeeze out the tubes and carefully lift himself into his wheelchair which he clicked the locks of and slowly rolled out of the room.


    Finally! He thought to himself as he cheered himself on and pushed himself down the hall, glancing back every so often to make sure Chen hadn¡¯t woken up. And as he rolled down the hall, he caught sight of a few open doors that held other injured people within, some of which Jett recognized as lower ranked Heroes that had been hospitalized due their fights. One of them was a woman who¡¯s power was the ability to belt out supersonic sound waves, though he remembered her mostly because she often came across as very shy and quiet, Jett thought it was ironic in a funny way. Another was a man who¡¯s entire body was covered in a titanium-like metal who used his nearly indestructible body as sort of a tank for his team who had similar metal and element based powers. As he rolled out of the hall, he passed by a man who laid unconscious with a giant shadowy beast beside him, Jett thought it looked like some sort of mix between a wolf and a fox, but he didn¡¯t stay long enough to figure out what it was since it growled at him and he didn¡¯t particularly want to see what kind of teeth it had.


    Soon, Jett made it to the elevators where he slid into one that just happened to be open and hit the button for the roof, taking a second as the elevator shifted and began heading up to flex his hands and legs a little while he waited. As he did so, he couldn¡¯t help but think about the store clerk from earlier that day, wondering who the hell he was with a growing frustration in letting himself get caught by some freak who spent his time working at a convenience store instead of making use of his powers in some way. Jett considered it a waste of talent and potential, though he had to admit he didn¡¯t know if he could¡¯ve taken him on in a fair fight since he didn¡¯t know all his powers, just that he was stupidly strong and very capable of inflicting pain onto someone even if they were a Hero. He wondered what kind of guy he was, what kind of life he¡¯d had, what could¡¯ve led him to be just a store clerk in some random part outside of the city. And as he was lost in thought, he suddenly realized he was staring at the sky since the doors to the elevator had opened. Slowly, he wheeled himself out of the elevator and gazed up at the dark sky, catching a few stars that had just begun to show up in the darkness as the day passed into night.


    He¡¯d always enjoyed stargazing, his mom told him a lot about the stars and constellations. Though his friends always joked about how his favorite was the Little Dipper, he couldn¡¯t lie and say it wasn¡¯t since it was that exact constellation that reminded him of his mom whenever he saw it. He wondered if she could see it wherever she was now, and if so, maybe the two of them were watching the same stars just from different places. Jett sat there for a while, just staring at the stars and reminiscing about his mother, finding himself lost in memories as he thought about the first time she showed them to him. He couldn¡¯t have been more than a few years old, but he remembered it as clearly as yesterday. She took him out onto the roof of the building she worked at, her eyes were tired but they were full of life and love whenever she looked down at him. He thought she was so beautiful. The way she spoke when she pointed up at the sky and explained the way the stars worked and the names and history of each constellation was sugary and sweet in his ears, her passion for it all was admirable and was one of the things he loved about her the most. She was so smart and awesome it made him proud to call her his mom. But with the happiness he felt in reminiscing, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of melancholy as he thought about her face, how tired she looked and how she smiled through it all anyway. Jett missed her. He missed her so much he felt like he¡¯d explode any second. Then he thought about where he was, how much he¡¯d accomplished and how proud of him she¡¯d be if she saw him now.


    I love you, Mom. He thought as he stayed like that for a while before feeling a weird sensation like someone was watching him. His mind turned back to Chen and his sucked his teeth before whipping his head around.


    ¡°I just wanted some fresh air, is that so much¡ª¡° he started to say, but stopped halfway when he saw who was there. In an instant, his heart began to race and his breath hastened as he felt a rush of anxiety and adrenaline dump into his body. His brain raced with the intensity of a race horse on enough drugs to kill an elephant, sweat pooling on his forehead and hands and seeping into its wounds, but he didn¡¯t even notice the pain.


    Floating a few feet above the ground, was a painfully familiar face who stared down at him with a cold, unmoving expression, wearing the same clothes as Jett remembered with a dark hoodie over the top of his shirt. His eyes locked onto Jett¡¯s with an unreadable gaze.


    Jett swallowed and shouted at him, attempting to retain whatever confidence left in him, ¡°What! Come to finish what you started?!


    The store clerk didn¡¯t move and simply spoke in a calm, monotone voice that sent chills down Jett¡¯s spine, ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    End of Chapter II