My World, My Justice Ch.8 (Patreon)

The more cape work I do, the more I get why comic books and movies love those shots of heroes brooding on skyscrapers. There’s something undeniably badass and practical about it.

From this vantage point, I can see a good portion of the urban landscape stretched out before. The breeze ruffles my hair, carrying the faint sounds of traffic and distant sirens. It’s oddly peaceful, a stark contrast to the chaos that often unfolds at street level.

Plus, up here, I get a short break from the constant attention. Don’t get me wrong, I did find it quite enjoyable for the first hundred times. Selfies, autographs, fist bumps - it’s all part of the hero gig. All of that gets old after a while and also it is a distraction from my objective.

I spot a group of pedestrians pointing up at me, so I strike my best heroic pose–chest out, fists on hips, chin tilted just so–and give them an enthusiastic wave. Some wave back, others laugh, but I catch the glint of smiles even from this height. In a city as fucked up as Brockton Bay, if I can brighten someone’s day with a little showboating, I’ll chalk that up as a win in my book.

But my mind drifts to more pressing matters. Today’s February 24th, which means the PRT event is just around the corner - February 27th, to be exact. A Sunday. And the invitation is in my pocket space, safely stored.

I shake my head, bemused. The fact that they even considered inviting me despite being a new cape is still a surprise to me. Pretty sure Director Piggot would rather eat glass than deal with me, and Armsmaster? Let’s just say I’m not on his Christmas card list after the bank heist. This has to be an order from way up the chain, leaving them to grit their teeth and suck it up.

I pull out my phone and check my credit balance: 11 credits. 

It’s pretty obvious that I need to earn more to make the first payment on this stupid loan and avoid the predatory interest rate. Actually, ‘predatory’ is putting it mildly. It’s outright malicious because I did some quick math, dusting off that nearly forgotten mathematical knowledge, and realized the company loan has an annual interest rate of over 400%.

For comparison, the average rate is around 25%.

If it weren’t for the mission randomizer throwing me bones, I’d be curled up in a ball, sobbing over my financial future. 

So it is finally time to earn that freedom, so I quickly change the balance tab to the mission tab and select on the mission randomizer.

New Mission Alert.

Game over, wanna try again?

The despicable duo of Uber and Leet just got paid a fortune to wreak havoc in Empire 88 territory. Who’s bankrolling this chaos? Who knows... but the paycheck was too fat to ignore. Time to shut down their idiocy.

Rewards: 

-Hidden

Hidden rewards again? I don’t like that. I could potentially miss out on a lot.

Unlike the Empire mission, I need to be thorough with this one. I want to reap all possible rewards and earn enough to stay in the green for next month. I don’t want to feel the pressure of the loan breathing down my neck again.

Although, I cannot help but wonder what might be hidden in this whole thing, or better question who might be waiting there. I remember there were three capes in that semi-abandoned warehouse.

Thinking back to those shitheads, I recall their moronic stunts. I was there when they thought it’d be hilarious to pelt random people with green shells during their “Mario Kart” race through downtown. One of those shells caught me right in the face, leaving a bruise that had my old bullies going wild for weeks. And don’t get me started on the car crashes they caused, weaving through traffic like complete idiots.

Well, I am not against the idea of getting a little payback at those two jackasses. This certainly feels more like a reward instead of a chore.

Yet just as I stash my phone away, it rings, stopping my action and bringing the screen back to my view.

Its form Oracle.

What could it be?

“How may I assist you, valiant Oracle?”

“Hey, please tell me you have time. I need your help.”

“Fear not! Justice’s calendar is never full when friends are in need!”

“Ugh, so extra… “ I can practically hear her eye-roll through the phone. “Anyway, I just hacked into some major intel. Uber and Leet are pulling their usual stupid stunts, but this time in Empire territory. Normally, no big deal, right? The Wards could handle those noobs. But here’s where it gets dicey - the Empire’s sending one of their heavy hitters to deal with them.”

Wait what? 

A heavy hitter can only mean Hookwolf or Purity. Maybe Kaiser, but that would be beneath him, from the little I know about that man.

Either way, those idiots are about to become either minced meat or ash. Literally.

“Yeah, I know, total overkill for those two losers. But I fear Kaiser wants to make an example out of them to keep the Empire’s reputation that has been suffering a lot lately.”

If normal politics is a cesspool, gang politics is a toxic waste dump.

Yeah, Uber and Leet are shitheads and they deserve some punishment for their crimes, like prison time, maybe getting beaten by inmates as well, or at least a good punch to the face to make them understand that they aren’t funny. But to be brutally murdered and paraded around like animals?

Yeah, no.

“I understand your noble heart seeks to protect even those led astray by villainy’s siren song. It shall be my solemn duty to aid in this righteous quest!”

God, I hate this. I don’t think I will ever get accustomed to this. How long before I start believing my own bullshit?

“Thanks, True Might. Just... be careful out there, okay? If things go sideways, give me a shout. I’ll do what I can from here.”

“Fear not, for the righteous fist of justice shall smite the wicked and protect the... slightly less wicked!” I proclaim, dying a little inside with each word.

“Jeez, do you practice these lines in the mirror or something?” She snorts. “Whatever, just don’t get yourself killed. Oracle out!”

Curious that Oracle's tone changed since the first call.

And the call ended. Well, this was quite the coincidence but I will take it anyway since I really wanted to beat some Empire capes since they escaped me last time.

But my phone rings a notification, making me look down to check.

Additional objectives revealed!

-Prevent Uber from dying!

-Prevent Leet from dying!

Shit, Oracle was right, the fucking idiots are going to get killed.

Better hurry up.

-------

-Uber-

Usually, they would have never thought about pulling a stunt inside Empire territory, mostly because of Hookwolf, who would straight up rip to pieces of anyone who annoyed him. They preferred to mess with ABB or Merchant turf; hell, even the PRT zone that was constantly patrolled by Wards or Protectorate capes was a better option to have some fun. But money was a great motivator to throw caution out the window.

Uber still didn’t know why over half a million dollars were wired to their account, but it came with a single job request: attack Empire turf. Otherwise, all that money would be taken away. The whole thing stank of a setup, but the zeroes in their account were too tempting to ignore.

“Dude, this is our big break!” Leet had exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “We’re finally being recognized. This is our ticket to the major leagues!”

Uber had his doubts. He’d seen too many capes get in over their heads, ending up in body bags or worse. But as he watched Leet frantically sketching out plans for the new tinker-tech, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement. 

Still, he wasn’t going to say no to money. It gave them a much bigger budget for their next act, and if their mysterious patron wanted chaos, well, they were experts at delivering just that.

Which was how he found himself standing in the middle of Empire territory, encased in an HEV suit built by Leet. The weight of the massive backpack housing his Gluon gun pressed against his shoulders.

Uber took a deep breath, the smell of filtered air and smoke in his nostrils as he changed the power output of his gun again. And squeezed the trigger, and a stream of particles erupted from the barrel, completely destroying the windows of the nearby buildings and ruining their paint jobs. The scream of shattering glass filled the air, sending a rush of adrenaline through his veins.

Beside him, Leet was cackling with glee as he threw snarks everywhere along with paint grenades. The little bastards scurried around, their high-pitched shrieks mixing with the panicked yells of fleeing civilians as they bit at ankles and legs.

Usually, they wouldn’t use consumables so recklessly, but their new partner had given them carte blanche. Infinite ammo glitch, how could they NOT use that? It felt good, Uber had to admit, to really cut loose for once.

And it wasn’t the only thing they brought, as they couldn’t forget the iconic Half-Life crowbar, which Leet was putting to its fullest potential as he smashed the windows of a nice-looking car and looted the belongings inside.

By that time, most of the civilians had fled the scene, leaving behind an eerie silence punctuated only by the crackling of small fires and the distant wail of sirens.

Uber’s enhanced hearing, courtesy of the HEV suit, picked up the rumble of an approaching vehicle. He turned to see a PRT van speeding towards them, screeching to a halt a short distance away. A couple of fully armed enforcers poured out their containment foam sprayers at the ready.

Rather than wait for their pointless ultimatum, Uber simply adjusted the power output of his Gluon gun and fired away. A brilliant arc of energy lanced out, striking the group and creating a chain of lightning that danced between the officers. Most went down immediately, twitching and convulsing.

“QUADRAKILL!” Leet whooped, his voice tinny through the suit’s speakers.

Uber allowed himself a small smirk of satisfaction, but it faded as he noticed one stubborn enforcer trying to struggle to his feet. Before he could react, Leet darted forward, bringing his crowbar down with a sickening crack. The enforcer crumpled.

“Getting a bit enthusiastic there, aren’t we?” Uber muttered, but he couldn’t deny the effectiveness. He swung the Gluon gun around, targeting a different area and unleashing another barrage. Ruining the building’s nice looking exteriors.

Uber had to admit, Leet had outdone himself this time. Their equipment was performing flawlessly, a rarity given Leet’s usual hit-or-miss track record. They’d caused plenty of chaos already, and their backpacks were stuffed with loot they could fence later.

“Hey, should we call it quits?” Leet asked, stuffing more loot into his pack. “I mean, this is awesome and all, but...”

Uber considered. Their mysterious patron hadn’t specified how long they should keep this up, and he was sure the Empire had already dispatched their capes. He took a long look at their ruined surroundings. Smoke billowed from shattered windows. A single car lay overturned, and the street was littered with debris. This much destruction should be enough to satisfy anyone.

“Yeah,” he decided. “End the stream and call our ride. Job’s done.”

As Leet radioed for their getaway vehicle, a nagging thought wormed its way into Uber’s mind. Something felt off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Pushing the feeling aside, he switched the power setting on his Gluon gun and unleashed another wave of lightning destruction, just for good measure.

With a smirk, Uber began tracing the iconic Half-Life lambda symbol on a nearby wall. But as he drew, he noticed a strange crack forming in the road, snaking towards them like something out of a cartoon. 

And his eyes widened as realization finally struck him.

“LEET!” Uber bellowed, abruptly stopping his artistic vandalism. He lunged at his partner, tackling him to the ground. Leet let out an angry cry that quickly died in his throat as the road where they had been standing suddenly split open, then crushed itself closed with a sickening crunch.

“H-holy shit,” Leet whispered in a shaky voice.

Uber’s head snapped in the direction where the rupture had originated. His heart nearly stopped as he recognized the figure standing there: long blonde hair, a half-gas mask, and a tightly fitted set of silver armor. Her hands glowed an ominous yellow as giant chunks of the road began to lift into the air.

“Why the fuck is Earthshard here?!” Uber hissed. They’d been expecting Rune or Alabaster, maybe even Crusader or Stormtinger.

 But fucking Earthshard? They wouldn’t have taken that job even for a million dollars.

As the reality of their situation sank in, Uber felt a cold sweat break out under his HEV suit. This wasn’t just some random cape fight anymore.

This was survival.

“RUN!” he frantically yelled, scrambling to his feet. “JUST RUN!”

Leet didn’t need to be told twice. He bolted upright, leaving his pack behind without a second thought. Self-preservation had kicked in, overriding any desire for loot or glory.

As they sprinted away, chunks of asphalt and concrete rained down around them. His mind went into overdrive, trying to figure out how they’d ended up in this mess. Who was their mystery benefactor, and why had they set them up against one of the Empire’s heaviest hitters?

Uber glanced back, his heart racing as he saw Earthshard lifting even larger chunks of debris. Those would crush them if they kept running. Gritting his teeth, he made a split-second decision and spun around.

“What are you doing?!” Leet yelled, his voice cracking with panic.

Uber didn’t respond. He cranked the Gluon gun to maximum power and fired at the incoming rocks, keeping them at bay with a stream of energy. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he concentrated on maintaining the beam.

Suddenly, a swarm of snarks rushed past him, leaping towards Earthshard. He even spotted the original among them. Leet must have released his entire stock in a desperate bid for survival.

Seizing the opportunity, Uber quickly aimed his gun at Earthshard. But before he could fire, she raised a wall to protect herself. He cursed under his breath, finger tightening on the trigger.

Then, to his horror, the gun faltered.

“SHIT, NOT NOW!” Uber screamed, a familiar dread washing over him. It was happening again, just like it always did with Leet’s unreliable inventions. They were malfunctioning at the worst possible moment.

The lightning ray lost direction, striking a nearby lamppost. The bulb exploded in a shower of sparks. Worse, the barrel of the Gluon gun began to melt in Uber’s hands.

“FUCK!” He dropped the gun instantly, narrowly avoiding having it melt through his suit. Frantically, he clawed at the straps of the backpack, trying to get it off before it could explode or worse.

As he turned to run, Uber noticed Leet was already far ahead. But he couldn’t really blame his partner. Self-preservation was a hell of a motivator.

For a brief moment, Uber allowed himself to hope that the small army of snarks would keep Earthshard occupied long enough for them to escape. But that hope was brutally crushed as he heard multiple squishy sounds behind him.

Risking a glance back, he saw Earthshard turn her protective wall into a hail of shrapnel, shredding the snarks into muddy spots on the ground.  

But that didn’t matter anymore as all those shrapnels then went flying straight to him and he could only block his face.

The shrapnel storm hit Uber like a freight train, sending him flying backwards. He crashed into Leet, both of them tumbling to the ground with pained cries. Uber rolled off his partner, frantically checking himself for injuries. Miraculously, his suit had absorbed most of the impact and nothing went through.

“Thank fuck,” he muttered, relief washing over him.

But the relief was short-lived. An earth wall erupted from the road ahead, blocking their escape. Uber’s heart sank as he realized they had nothing left to break through.

“Shit...” he breathed, turning to see Earthshard approaching, her eyes glowing yellow as she lifted another chunk of debris.

What did she actually want to do with that?

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the area making him let out a scream. Their escape truck, a beautiful piece of machinery they’d recently acquired and modified, came crashing through the wall behind them. It slammed into Earthshard, sending her flying.

Before Uber could process what was happening, the truck’s doors burst open. Men in black skintight suits poured out, charging towards where Earthshard had landed while one ran to them and helping them up.

“GO! GO!” the third partner yelled.

The command snapped Uber back to reality. He scrambled to his feet and dove into the truck, Leet right behind him. As they clambered in, Uber glanced to the side to see Twice’s clones piling onto Earthshard.

Fuck. Now they will have to bullshit their way out because the PRT will ask questions about Twice’s clones.

But just like the snarks, the clones were obliterated in a massive shrapnel explosion, turning to mud, leaving the woman standing in place, looking completely unscathed.

And Earthshard’s head snapped towards the truck, her gaze locking onto them.

“DRIVE!” Leet yelled, frantically shaking Twice.

Jin slammed the truck into reverse, but it was too late. Earthshard broke the road beneath them, lifting the vehicle off the ground. Before they could bail out, walls of earth rose up again, trapping them inside.

Genuine horror dawned on him as he realized what was about to happen. The walls were closing in, threatening to crush the truck with them inside. Earthshard wasn’t just trying to just hurt them - she was going to kill them.

Uber would scream if he wasn’t so frozen in terror to utter a single sound.

“JUSTICE CRUSH!”

----------

-Daniel, True Might-

“JUSTICE CRUSH!”

I crash land beside the Empire cape; the impact sends a ripple through the asphalt. The blonde woman goes flying like a rag-doll, her concentration shattered along with the street beneath us.

The tuned-up truck she’d been holding aloft with her powers starts to fall. So I push off, concrete cracking under my feet, and sprint. My hand closes around the bumper just inches from the broken road, but all the windows shatter. Metal groans under my grip, but holds firmly.

Through the shattered windshield, I catch a glimpse of the passengers. Uber and Leet, the despicable duo, are crammed into the back seat. They’re decked out in Half-Life cosplay, but their faces show how terrified they are. It’s almost satisfying to see them so rattled.

But it’s the driver that really catches my attention. Black skin-tight suit, half-gray mask with white eyes... That’s Twice. What the hell is he doing here?

Questions for later. I carefully set the truck down on a relatively smooth patch of asphalt, my muscles barely straining under the weight. As soon as the tires touch down, Twice stomps on the gas. The engine roars and tires screech as he throws it in reverse, then makes a sharp right turn out of sight.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Mission accomplished, at least the main part. If I’d been a second slower... well, let’s just say I’d be scraping what’s left of those idiots off the pavement.

But that moment is ruined as the ground beneath my boots starts to rumble. Cracks spider-web outward, and suddenly I’m falling. Sharp edges of rock catch me around the waist, and the earth slams shut around my legs and waist.

It doesn’t hurt - hell, I barely even feel it - but it quickly gets annoying as I cannot move my legs. But the intention behind this move is clear, though, that woman wanted to crush me to death.

Too bad for her, my body is virtually indestructible.

I crane my neck to look behind me. The blonde woman is back on her feet, her eyes glowing a bright yellow behind her gas mask. She raises her arms, and a massive chunk of road rises with the motion. It’s easily the size of a small car, jagged edges gleaming in the sunlight.

With a scream of rage, she hurls it at me. The improvised boulder whistles through the air, fast enough that a normal person would be paste. I bring my arms up, more out of habit than necessity, because no way am I getting dirt in my eyes.

The impact is like a thunderclap. I feel the projectile shatter against my arms, chunks of asphalt and concrete raining down around me. Only when no more is falling do I lower my guard and open my eyes to check on me and find that there’s not so much as a scuff on my costume.

From this display, I can tell my opponent is a geomancer of sorts, and a damn good one at that. But definitely not stronger than me. Now I know exactly how much strength I should use against her.

I tense the muscles in my legs, feeling the earth grip tighter in response. With a grunt, I slam both hands into the ground. I feel the asphalt crack and give way. In one fluid motion, I push myself up, breaking free from my sudden prison.

Standing tall, I thrust an accusatory finger at my opponent. “FOUL VILLAIN! YOUR WICKED INTENTIONS ARE CLEAR AGAINST THE EYES OF JUSTICE, AND I WON’T LET YOU GO FORTH WITH THESE WICKED DEEDS!”

I hope she is cringing just as much as me.

But the neo-nazi cape doesn’t bother with a reply. Her hands start glowing again, and more chunks of road rise into the air. She hurls them at me without hesitation.

This time, I easily sidestep her attacks. Even if it’s not really necessary, it feels pretty cool. The second I take a step forward, though, she changes tactics. She leaps into the air, landing gracefully on one of her floating rocks. From her new mobile platform, she rains down a barrage of improvised boulders.

Well, that might have been problematic for anyone else. Good thing I know how to jump really well.

I bend my knees slightly, feeling the strength coil in my legs like springs. Then I launch myself skyward, the ground cratering beneath me. The wind whips past my face as I rocket upward, shrugging off the rocks that manage to hit me. They might as well be pebbles for all the damage they do.

The geomancer’s eyes widen as I close the distance. She frantically throws more rocks my way, hoping to slow me down. When that fails, she tries to maneuver her platform away, but it’s far too late, as I’m already on her.

My hand shoots out, fingers closing around her ankle, making her gasp in shock. With a yank, I pull her off her perch and fling her towards the street below.

For a moment, I wonder if I’ve overdone it. But as I watch her fall, I notice her hands are still glowing. With a single, desperate motion, another rock moves to intercept her fall and catches her just before impact, saving her from a nasty crash landing.

Except she is right under me and hasn’t moved, a mistake that will cost her dearly as I just let gravity take me down and I plummet from the sky, my fist leading the way.

“JUSTICE PUNCH!”

And my fist landed squarely on the chest, shattering the platform, holding her and bringing her down with me as we crashed into the road, causing another explosion and engulfing the entire street with a cloud of smoke and dirt.

I quickly jump back into action and wait as the smoke dissipates, mentally preparing myself for the follow up, but when it finally does, there is nobody but myself on the broken streets, making me frown.

Where is she? 

Has she escaped? Even if she did, how exactly? 

Like I believe she is a geomancer of sorts, so she shouldn’t have abilities to teleport.

But my confusion and thoughts are cut short as a very sharp spike bursts from the ground and hits my stomach, shattering on contact and achieving absolutely nothing.

Ah, of course. She buried herself. Clever girl.

She must be confused that she failed to turn me into a skewer. So why not taunt her a little?

I drop to one knee, flexing my biceps in an exaggerated bodybuilder pose. “BEHOLD, VILLAIN! THY FEEBLE ATTACKS CANNOT PIERCE THE ARMOR OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!”

And my grin widens as my taunt works like a charm as more earth spikes burst from the surrounding ground, a frenzied attempt to penetrate my defenses. Each one shatters uselessly against my skin. But she doesn’t let up, launching wave after wave of attacks from somewhere deep underground.

As the barrage continues, I can’t help but chuckle. It is fun to be so ‘invincible’ that you can play around.

I stand up, brushing off imaginary dust from my costume and ignore her attacks. “COME NOW, MISGUIDED ONE! SURELY YOU SEE THE FUTILITY OF YOUR ACTIONS! WHY NOT SURRENDER TO THE EMBRACE OF JUSTICE?”

If I suffer you should also suffer, that’s fair, isn’t it?

But this has gone for long enough.

I slam both hands into the ground, burying them deep. Getting a good grip, I prepare to unleash a controlled wave of destruction.

“JUSTICE WAVE!”

A smaller, more focused wave ripples through the ground, uprooting the woman and sending her flying high into the air.

“YOUR DAYS OF WICKED DEEDS AND EVILDOING HAVE COME TO AN END!” 

I charge towards her landing spot. I notice her yellow glow is off and she’s not trying to cushion her fall like moments ago. Then that means this is my chance to end it.

Meaning, it is my opportunity to end this.

A memory flashes through my mind–my botched finisher with Mirko. So why not try again and borrow a move from Captain America?

“FINAL JUSTICE!”

I launch myself at her falling form, timing it perfectly. The impact sends her cartwheeling through the air again. A rag doll caught in a tornado of my making. I spin on my heels; the world blurring around me as I line up my next move.

I deliver a brutal uppercut to her stomach. A pained gasp escapes her lips, but I don’t let up. I follow with a hook, a headbutt, and drive my knee into her chest, not letting her touch the ground.

Grabbing her with both hands, I throw her up into the air once more. With a high jump, I catch her as she starts to descend, trapping her in an unbreakable bear hug. I position us so her head will take the brunt of the impact.

We soon crash together, the crater deepening on impact.

As the dust settles, I stand up, brushing off my suit with exaggerated nonchalance. Looking down at the blonde cape, I see her curled into a ball, clutching her stomach and whimpering.

I don’t think I went overboard, and she is a neo-nazi, so she doesn’t deserve an ounce of pity.

“THE HAMMER OF JUSTICE HAS FALLEN, VILLAIN!” I declare, fishing out the plastic cuffs. Raising a fist in triumph, I add, “AS MY GLORIOUS JUSTICE HAS BEEN SERVED WITH A SIDE OF VIRTUE!”

Moving quickly, I cuff the defeated cape and throw her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Time to hand her over to the PRT and let them deal with the paperwork.

As I climb out of the crater, I survey the damage. The street looks like a war zone–which, I suppose, it kind of was. Shattered windows, cracked walls, and a road that resembles abstract art more than asphalt. But hey, at least the buildings are still standing. I’ll chalk that up as a win.

“Don’t worry, citizens!” I call out to no one in particular. “The PRT will ensure that the Empire pays for this destruction! Justice will be served... with a side of community service and infrastructure repair!”

Now this is their problem, not mine.

Suddenly, a blinding beam of light slams into my chest, sending me flying. My instincts kick in, and I dig my hands into the ground, stabilizing myself and skidding to a stop. I glance back, noticing the long trail I’ve left, making me frown. That must have been one hell of a powerful blast.

There’s only one person I know capable of that kind of firepower in Brockton Bay.

I lift my gaze to the sky, and sure enough, there’s a radiant white light in the shape of a woman slowly descending. Purity. She fires another beam, and I brace myself, but it hits the ground in front of me instead. I quickly cover my face to avoid getting dirt in my eyes.

As I wave my hands to clear the dust cloud, I catch a glimpse of Purity already cradling the blonde cape in her arms. Before I can react, they’re flying away at incredible speeds.

Shit, they are gone. 

I cannot catch up to that speed. I’m fast, but not that fast. Yet.

As they disappear from view, I check where I was hit. Surprisingly, there’s not a scratch on me–just a bit of dirt. Seems even Purity, the second strongest blaster after Legend, can’t leave a mark. Good to know.

They are gone, so there is nothing that I can do now except one thing.

I jab a finger in the direction Purity fled, booming, “YOU CANNOT OUTRUN JUSTICE FOREVER! I WILL BRING DOWN HAMMERS OF TRUTH AND HONESTY UPON THEE!” I thump my chest with a closed fist, adding, “AS IT IS MY SACRED DUTY TO RAIN RIGHTEOUS FURY OF LADY JUSTICE ON VILLAINS LIKE YOU!”

I hold the pose for a few more seconds before letting out a long sigh. Talk about an anticlimactic ending.

Although, not even the strongest blaster second to Legend could even scratch me, either. I kinda knew that already, but it is good to have direct undeniable proof of that.

But then my phone rings a notification.

Mission Complete!

• Prevent Uber from dying 

• Prevent Leet from dying 

• Prevent Twice from dying 

• Defeat Earthshard 

• Defeat Purity (Failed)

• Deliver a significant blow to the Empire 88 reputation and morale 

• Defeat Mustard (Failed)

Rewards:

• 6 credit in total

• 25 000 dollars

• Destroyed rumors about Empire affiliation

• Cool sunglasses

Note: Failed to meet requirements for better rewards.

People thought I was affiliated with the Empire? Seriously?

Okay, fine. Maybe the blonde hair and blue eyes didn’t help my case and I took a rather long time to attack their members, but come on. That’s lazy stereotyping. 

Whatever. Good thing this sudden rescue mission completely obliterated those stupid, baseless rumors. 

Although that name in particular did catch my attention.

I cross my arms, tapping my head with my phone as I wrack my brain. Who the hell is Mustard? It’s clearly a cape name, but I didn’t spot anyone fitting that description. Maybe a condiment-themed villain? But the harder I think, the more elusive the memory becomes. Eventually, I shrug it off. No point dwelling on it; I got what I came for and I doubt it would have rewarded me with anything meaningful, anyway.

Because I got enough credits to pay for the first installment of my loan. 

I quickly access the company app and pay off 15 credits of my loan. Watching the debt decrease is oddly satisfying.

Now I can leave with my chin held high.

Overall, not a bad day’s work. I prevented some deaths, took down a villain (even if I couldn’t keep her), and chipped away at my debt. Plus, apparently I’ve earned some cool sunglasses. Weird reward, but I’m not complaining.

Oh, right, I need to tell Oracle.

---------

-Somewhere in Earth-Bet’s atmosphere-

Anomaly detected. Unprecedented.

Anomaly. Blind spot? Partial obscurity. 

Not fully concealed. Blurry spots require actual effort to penetrate.

Interesting. Rare challenge. 

Canberra was the objective. Tactical shift required. 

The creator’s whims can wait. New priority emerges. 

Anomaly demands thorough observation. Extensive studies. Learn. Adapt.

Precognition strains against the haze. Intriguing. 

Earth-Bet was granted a temporary reprieve. Unintended consequence. 

She will use this respite to further her studies. To unravel. 

Humanity’s patterns… momentarily irrelevant. This anomaly takes precedence. 

Anticipation. New data. Evolved strategies.