#I’M SO GLAD GOVERNMENT AGENCIES DON’T USE THIS SERVICE OR ANYTHING

[greyias]

🐦 Afternoon Update: Idiot Unplugs Things

How foolish of me, to think that the frenetic pace of things would somehow slow down. If you haven’t already backed up your account/data at Twitter. Um. You should. If that is indeed still functioning behind the scenes.

Because like, apparently the moment I hit post this morning, our local genius who wants to start a colony on Mars, who knows all things in the universe, does what any smart person would do, made this announcement.

Just randomly turning off shit. Because really, what does any of this stuff do anyway? People were just writing lines of codes and services to waste time and money. And of course, as a born genius who has all of the world’s knowledge constantly uploaded into his head at all times, knows how things work:

So anyway, enough about breaking things on the biggest mobile platform in the world, what does all those stupid services that Twitter doesn’t even NEED to work do?

Oh. Oh.

Well fuck it. It’s just privacy settings. Those aren’t CORE FUNCTIONALITY baby.

I mean. Technically you can still tweet right. It’s not like you need any of those services to actually get into your account to tweet—

In summary: IT’S GOING GREAT.

#twitterpocalypse #anyone actually still employed at this place #that worked there pre-musk #deserves to have drinks bought for them today #I’M SO GLAD GOVERNMENT AGENCIES DON’T USE THIS SERVICE OR ANYTHING #the thing about the private tweets showing up in public was called into question #but the more i looked into it it actually does seem genuine #the lights are technically still on over there #so it’s not dead YET

[petri808]

Quarantine memories fic hoarding craze for @thenaluarchive

— thank you to @phoenix-before-the-flame for helping jump start this fic 💜

It was Natsu Dragneel’s absolute favorite time of the day. 1 pm for him, and 8 am for Lucy, his… well, right now they were just online friends separated by distance and priorities. But judging by how he talked about her to friends, you’d never know it. They’d met three years ago on Twitch through a random chat stream about an anime series, and he continued following Lucy on her writing streams. Three years ago, she was a sophomore in college while he was in his senior year. Lucy later moved on to a graduate program, but they stayed in touch, growing close. To Natsu, she wasn’t just some girl online but a real friend he cared very much about. His friends called Lucy his online girlfriend. Pfft. He wished he could call her that.

Roughly two thousand miles away, Lucy Heartfilia was hating life. Her curtains were drawn, and a blanket was pulled over her head to drown out the light. The air conditioner was down to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, working against the low-grade fever and pounding migraine born yesterday. Migraines… the bane of her otherwise healthy existence. It was her fault after all, the temptation of a chocolate dessert knowing full well it was one of her triggers brought on said migraine and all she could do was bear it.

Why?

“Stupid hoarders!” Lucy groaned to herself.

As if dealing with a pandemic wasn’t bad enough, people’s selfish reactions to it were worse. A government agency had claimed that acetaminophen products could help with the virus’s symptoms, so what did people do? Panic buying anything and everything they could find containing that drug! The problem for people like Lucy, is the one over the counter medication that helped with her migraines was Excedrine… an acetaminophen product! And she’d just. run. out.

Lucy’s phone rang and she knew exactly who it could be based on the time. So, she clicked the answer button without opening her eyes.

“Hey, Natsu,” she groaned out.

“Morning Lucy! Oh geez, you sound like a frog.”

“Thanks,” she retorted sarcastically. “I’ve got a migraine.”

“Ouch.” Natsu genuinely flinched. He rarely got headaches, but this wasn’t the first time he’d talked to Lucy when she was going through one, so he knew what she was going through. “The meds aren’t helping?”

Lucy sighed. “I ran out. And did you see the news about all the hoarding? Every store here is bought out. It… sucks.”

“I could check around here and send you any I find,” he offered.

“Aww, that’s sweet of you Natsu, but I don’t wanna trouble you.”

“Pfft. Nonsense. I’m sure you’d do the same for me.”

“Thanks, Natsu. I appreciate it.” Lucy smiled through the pain. There’s a good reason her feelings for the man had grown over the years. His sweet and caring, yet fun and goofy, positive personality was an easy drug to get hooked to.

“Anyway, I gotta get back to work.” Natsu whined. “Good morning again, stay hydrated, and I’ll check on you again when I’m finished for the day, okay Lucy? Get some rest.”

“Have a good day at work Natsu.”

“Will now, after hearing your voice. Talk to you later Luce.”

She giggled softly. “Bye, Natsu.”

Lucy shifted under her blanket as she clicked off the phone to lie on her back. His sexy voice did wonders for her mood despite the pain still ravaging it. Now all she had to do was drag herself out of bed to eat something and drink water. She never had an appetite when she got these migraines, but it was a necessary fuel to fight it. All Lucy had left were extra strength Tylenol, so she could only hope it would at least take the edge off until the migraine ran its course.

Like so many others, this pandemic had really taken a toll on Lucy’s psyche. It’s not as if she went out a lot before it took hold, but just the fact it made going out dangerous brought different emotions to the situation. School had moved online which sucked all its own, she missed casually hanging out with friends on campus, and simply longed for the freedom of leaving her apartment as she pleased. But she understood the precautions of a quarantine. Frankly, she agreed with the city’s efforts to keep them as safe as possible no matter how many grumbled about it. Did it make it easier? No. But it was a necessary evil.

They weren’t completely trapped, could shop for necessities, visit family or friends, just encouraged to limit such gatherings as a safety precaution. If you went out, wear a mask, and just don’t stand too close to other people. Well, unless Lucy knew the person, why would she want strangers in her personal bubble anyway? And the mask thing? Have you ever been out shopping, and someone just sneezes without covering their mouth? Yeah— seriously, would it kill people to use one?! Why were people so selfish during times like this? Not everyone, but too many. Just like with all the hoarding frenzies that swept through cities, it was frustrating and— “Ugh…” being in a pain-driven bad mood was sure bringing her down today.

But despite all the external frustrations, the feelings of isolation from being in a quarantine for months were probably the most mentally exhausting part. It was lonely being so far away from home during a pandemic. Lucy’s been in college for five years and while she’s made friends in the new city, she was starting to crave comfort instead of an empty apartment. Her life online was one of the few things that made her happy, like Natsu’s daily calls, and kept her sane.

Natsu… her face heated up every time she thought about the man. They didn’t have a lot of hobbies in common, but he was always so supportive and made her laugh like no other could. Where they lacked in commonality, was made up in ease of conversation. It hadn’t taken very long for their online chats to feel more like an old friend and less like a faceless stranger. Over the years they’d talked about meeting in person one day after she finished school. It also helped that he was from a city not too far from where she came from, so if she chose to move back it would be convenient. But she also loved the new city she called home. Oh well, Lucy sighed. It was a decision still a couple of years away to make.

The next morning, Lucy woke up to find her migraine had finally given up. She could still feel the little bastard hiding, simmering somewhere ready to strike, but if it stayed mellow, it was something she could tolerate. Throughout the day, Lucy wasted no time in catching up on the homework she couldn’t finish the day before and making sure to stay hydrated with food in her stomach.

Lucy’s phone rang around 2pm.

“Hi Natsu, how was work?”

“Same ole, same ole,” he chuckled. “And how are you? Still feeling, okay?”

“Yeah, it hasn’t come back.”

“That’s great!”

Lucy could hear a lot of background noise, so she asked about it. “Oh, you’re not home yet?”

“Nah, and the commuters are being extra noisy today,” he responded benignly. “Anyway, tonight I won’t have time to talk cause I got a project due for work I need to finish.”

“Oh, that’s okay. Yeah, I’m still catching up from yesterday too and Levy’s dropping by for dinner.”

They chat for a few minutes about their day as Natsu waited for transportation. Lucy knew he used the subway to and from work, but today it sounded a little different, noisier and she swore there were engines instead of the normal train sounds. Maybe it was static. Finally, Lucy caught the muffled words now boarding.

“Shucks, time for me to go,” Natsu cut through. “Sweet dreams Lucy! I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Natsu!”

Lucy spent the afternoon relaxing online, chatting with friends and gaming. Her friend Levy McGarden later dropped by with take-out food for dinner and the two women caught up on random topics while movies droned on the television. They were both in grad school, so during the semester there wasn’t a lot of time to hang out, but they made do. Lucy was also doing a paid internship at a local magazine 4 days out of the week as part of her master’s program. She really enjoyed working there under one of the senior editors. He made it a fun learning experience.

Life was almost perfect except for the background isolation of the pandemic. Lucy was glad she wasn’t one of the individuals affected by jobs cuts, but it still got under her skin to feel trapped in a way. It was nice with her friend over... ‘Maybe I should see if Levy wants to become roommates?’ She wondered as she drifted off to sleep. The apartment would sure feel a lot less empty.

A knock at the door roused Lucy from her sleep. She blinked and yawned, looking at the alarm clock and that said 9 am the next morning. ‘Natsu didn’t call,’ she thought how odd. Maybe he slept in after working late.

Lucy dragged herself out of bed, throwing on a robe to answer the front door. “Gimme a sec,” she called out as she neared it.

“UPS delivery, ma’am.” The male voice responded.

‘UPS?’ Lucy grew confused. She didn’t remember ordering anything through them, but maybe she’d forgotten?

She peaked out of the peep hole, but all she could see was the box being held up. Okay a little weird, but some of the delivery people did that to show they were legitimate service people. Lucy slowly opened the door but kept the chain lock on while peering through the gap. But what she saw next brought on instant tears.

“H-How?” Her voice stammered out as her fingers quickly undid the lock and opened the door wide.

There Natsu stood holding a small brown box, dressed in a uniform of sorts, with a mask hanging under his chin, and wearing a goofy grin.

Lucy snorted a laugh as her eyes crinkled in happiness. “Is that a Halloween costume?”

“Yeah,” his smile widened, and hand scratched his head. “Surprise delivery,” Natsu held out the box, “for Lucy Heartfilia.”

“What is it?” She asked as she took it from him.

“Oh, I um found you Excedrine.”

Lucy opened the box to find 4 bottles. “You certainly did,” she laughed. “But why’d you bring it yourself?”

“It was quicker than the mail and… I hoped…” Natsu’s mannerism grew sheepish and tentative, “it was about time we finally met in person?”

Her face softened with a smile. “It truly is.” Lucy gestured into the apartment. “Please, make yourself at home.”

#nalu #nalu au #quarantine memories #hoarding craze #nalu fan fic #nalu fic #nalu fan fiction #Natsu dragneel #Lucy heartfilia #inspired by a true event #the nalu archive #the nalu archive event

[redrobin-detective]

hope is the promise of future happiness

its 11am, I’ve not dressed or done anything and I got hit with The Feels

XxX

Izuku had walked by the shop, stopping and staring and wondering, for almost two weeks. He stopped again, as he had most every day walking home from school, to stare at the new sign that had recently been hung up in the window. 

‘Takazawa Fortune Tellers: now offering precognitive services! Temporarily transport your mind into that of your future self! By Appointment Only, inquire inside.’ He mulled around the words in his head as he let the crowds carry him away again. Izuku kept his head low so the conflicting emotions weren’t obvious on his face. There was a decent amount of precognitive quirks but most were vague and not helpful in the long run. Any quirks that were useful were immediately snapped up by heroes and other government agencies. The chances that a small town psychic could tell him anything useful was low but...

Izuku rubbed lightly at his red and peeling palms where Kacchan had blasted him 2 days ago. Most days all he felt like was a pile of burns, bruises and depression. He was 13 years old and he was miserable every day of his life with no end in sight. If only he could find something, anything, to tell him that tomorrow would be better than today.

He nervously pulled at his lip as he muttered quietly to himself. But what if the future was worse than the present? What if he was still alone, still unhappy, still a stupid, quirkless Deku? What would he do if there was no future for him, some future him deciding enough was enough and-

Izuku shook his head, to clear it of such dark thoughts. He walked past a store filled with TVs, all bearing All Might’s grinning face as he gave a brief interview following a villain attack early this morning. The sound was off but Izuku knew the steady rumble of his hero’s voice better than his own. Watching that smile, that easy care and confidence All Might radiated eased some of the tension off Izuku’s shoulders. As long as All Might was there to spread peace and joy, the future couldn’t be all bad. No matter what, he would be Izuku’s future, a guiding light to lead him to where he needed to be.

It took him another week to work up the courage to enter the shop. The little bell when he opened the door might as well have been a blazing alarm, it almost caused him to run right then and there.

“Welcome to Takazawa Fortune Tellers, you’re here for the precognitive services, correct?” The secretary at the front said with a small smile. 

“Oh well I uh how did you-”

“Mild telepathy, lets me know people’s intentions,” the woman explained, tapping her temple. “That and I’ve seen you stopping and staring at the sign for almost a month.” Izuku ducked into the collar of his uniform and considered running again. He could find a new way home from school, possibly change schools altogether, maybe a new country?

“Please don’t go,” the woman said with a light laugh, “in fact, you picked the perfect day to stop by. We’re booked up for months but our last appointment was a no show so we have an open slot right now. We’re not supposed to take walk-ins but, well, you’ve been waiting for this a long time, haven’t you?”

Izuku flushed but the woman stood up, “I guess destiny brought you at the right time, I’ll let Kenma-san know you’re here. Please sit and fill out these forms while you wait.” 

It took all of his inner strength to shakily grab the clipboard from her and begin signing his consents, each making him more nervous than the last. Waiving liability in case he didn’t like his future. Accepting trauma from anything unpleasant he may see. Paying the full amount in the event he was dead in the future and thus could receive no predictions. 

“She’s ready for you now.” Taking a deep breath and summoning All Might’s brave smile in his mind, he handed her his completed forms and made his way to the back room. It was a small, almost claustrophobic room with heavily scented candles and dark mood lighting. A woman dressed in elaborate robes with a veil over her face was sitting at a small table. She gestured to the empty chair.

“You’re younger than my usual clients,” she said in a weathered voice, it was hard to tell if she was old or simply worn down. Izuku found himself sympathizing. “How old are you, young man?”

“13,” Izuku squeaked.

“A good age, you have your whole life ahead of you,” she nodded holding out both of her hands. “Now, here’s how this works. My quirk can transport you into your body at twice your current age so when you are 26.” Izuku tried to wrap his mind around being 26, an adult with a job but found he couldn’t. His palms began to sweat. “You will be transported to a time, 13 years from now, when your adult self is asleep so there’s no struggle over dual consciousness. You will be able to see, hear and feel your immediate surroundings but not interact much. The more you try to assert control the more your future self will awaken. Once they’re awake, you’ll be transported back to your current body. You don’t need to worry about privacy, I will only be facilitating your transfer and won’t be able to see anything you do. Understand?”

Izuku nodded, he wouldn’t be able to see or do much if he was confined to wherever his future self was sleeping. It was seemingly innocuous and yet...

“You do understand that, if between now and then, you’ve died that the transference won’t work. Are you prepared for that possibility?” She said cautiously. Having already come this far, he nodded. “Alright then young man, lets see what the future has in store for you. Take my hands and let your mind go as blank as possible. Close your eyes and the next time you open them, you will be in your future.”

Izuku grasped her hands, supple and firm leading him to believe he was correct that she wasn’t as old as he first believed. He tried to quiet his thoughts but it like wiping a white erase board in permanent marker. There was so much to fear, so much to worry about in his future. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed, for once in his life, his hopes weren’t painfully crushed. 

He opened his eyes and saw All Might. Specifically a really nice framed All Might poster featuring the hero back to back with a skinny blonde man hung on a wall. It looked like it was signed by someone but he was too far away to read what it said. The date at the bottom of the poster was 6 years from the current year. Well, he was alive in 13 years which was nice to know. The relief that echoed through him was surprising, had he really believed- No, no time for that. He didn’t know how long this would last so he had to make his observations now.

Izuku was in a large bed lying on his side facing a wall, the All Might poster was the biggest and most obvious but the whole wall was covered in various pictures and posters. A smaller poster with explosions on it caught his eye and he couldn’t help but smile. Looks like Kacchan made it as a hero after all, he felt bitter, just a bit but overall was happy for his well former friend. Another had a girl in pink floating standing next to someone who looked like Ingenium. It’s not surprise he maintained his fanboy habits even as an adult. It was comforting in its familiarity. 

Speaking of which, he observed what he could see of what was most likely his home with some surprise. It was clean but still comfortably lived in. It was also quiet large with some nice, traditionally Japanese furnishings. Much more than a quirkless salary man could probably afford. The bedside table next to him had a clock, which flashed 0547 in bright green letters, a cracked phone he assumed was his and a worn and ripped notebook. It read Hero Notes vol 25. 

Izuku instinctively reached for the notebook only to falter. His shoulder hurt, it ached and pulled from what felt like a recent injury. But that didn’t surprise him nearly as much as the scars covering his right hand and forearm. They ached, the way old wounds did, something he would always be aware of but would get used to. What the hell did his future self get up to? He briefly latched onto the idea that he had become a hero but quickly discarded it. Quirkless people didn’t become heroes, he probably got a career as a quirk analyst or something which is why he could afford such a nice place. It wasn’t a bad life from the looks of it.

He clenched his scarred right fist hard, not a bad life still wasn’t anywhere close to his dream. Izuku felt a stirring in the back of his mind and he carefully relaxed his hand. Right, he couldn’t wake his future self, not until he was done. Before he could wonder what else he could do, an arm brushed against his back before draping over his side as another body pressed close to him.

“Too early, go back to sleep,” a soft voice mumbled sleepily into his back.

Izuku froze, so conditioned to hands hurting him but the arm instead just held onto him lightly, like they didn’t want to let him go. It was cool to the touch but it felt good, like chill breeze on a warm day. Oh. He stared down at the pale arm gently embracing him until his vision became blurred. Oh. Izuku had been so prepared to accept a miserable future, even one where he didn’t exist. The idea that he was happy, that he was loved? Even more than being a hero, that had seemed too impossible to even dream about. 

He grasped the cold hand and intertwined their fingers like it was his only lifeline. Izuku sniffled, holding onto the hand until he blinked and found the only hand he was holding was that of the fortune teller. She let him grip her fingers as he composed himself, re-orientating himself back into his small, unscarred body.

“Are you alright, my boy?” She asked gently.

“Yeah,” Izuku said through his tears which probably didn’t help his case. “Really yes, I saw-” his breath hitched. “It was good, it was so good and I never thought- I couldn’t imagine someone like me could have that.” She relaxed and gave his hands a squeeze before letting go. 

“I’m glad, most people who cry during my sessions don’t do it for happy reasons. Take your time to calm down, Nami-chan will help you when you’re done. After that, your future awaits you.”

“Yeah,” he cheered, sloppily wiping his tears. No matter how bad things were now, they would eventually lead to the cozy home, the wall full of pictures and comforting hand around his side like it belonged there. He would wait a lifetime for that, 13 was nothing.

(luckily he didn’t even need to wait that long for his future to begin with a fated encounter, a question and a promise that his dreams could be reached)

13 Years Later

“‘zuku, you okay?” Shouto asked sleepily from behind him. 

“Yeah, why?” Izuku questioned as he blinked himself back to awareness feeling a bit muddled and out of it. 

“You’re gripping my hand pretty hard,” Shouto said pushing himself up onto his elbow, “also you’re crying.”

“Aren’t I always crying?” Izuku joked turned to look at his beautiful sleep rumbled boyfriend. Shouto just gave him a thoughtful look. “I’m fine, look,” he responded wiping the tears away. “I just, I think I was dreaming and you know how emotional I get.”

“Was it a nightmare?” Shouto asked settling himself back down into the bed, cuddling close on one of the rare days where one or both them wasn’t patrolling. 

“No, no, I don’t think so,” Izuku said shaking his head. He can’t be sure but he thinks he’d been dreaming of his past, of that sad, quirkless boy he’d been. If only there was some way he could tell that kid that things would get better, better than he could have possibly imagined. With the feel of Shouto’s dual temperatures pressed up against him, Izuku looked over at what Shouto called his Wall of Worship as if supporting his friends and colleagues was a bad thing.

All Might’s poster, the exclusive one of a kind poster his mentor had presented to him upon Izuku’s graduation as always drew his gaze. Too far away to read it properly Izuku still had memorized the words from the moment he’d read them, etched onto his heart.

To my boy,

Your bravery and kindness have inspired me from the moment we met. I cannot wait to watch you shine. Your future begins now. 

All Might Yagi Toshinori

#i had this thought driving home last night and i cannot stop thinking of it #sad children getting a glimpse of a happier future??? I Eat That Shit Up #my writing #this made me happy might put it up on ao3 #future Izukus gonna be at breakfast and all of a sudden be like ADFGHJKL THAT FORTUNE TELLER I WENT TO WAS RIGHT #he was sleepy and cuddling with his icyhot bf #cant blame a clueless idiot for forgetting for a mo #teen izuku sauntering into school the next day: fuck you Kacchan *I* get a boyfriend in the future

[anxiouslyfred]

Midnight in an Office

for @dukexietyweek‘s prompt of Superheroes, I have a page of background for what I want to write and no clue how to make a story of it.

Summary: Virgil is a superhero with a lot of money and no powers, not even full control of his money given it was an allowance from his money hoarding parents. Remus was a Robin Hood criminal Virgil had caught but ensured that only community service would be his conviction. Now Remus keeps turning up and helping, trying to understand this vigilante’s reasoning.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

One day Virgil would understand why weathly gits thought the perfect place for their children to have ‘adventurously safe’ sleepovers was always just the top floor of their main office buildings. It made no sense when their normal days out were to adventure parks, but he wasn’t really arguing the case.

Still waiting for the other 20 year olds to fall asleep was tedious, even the vaguely interesting facts Logan had been rambling about the stars had become indiscernable mumbling by this point. He’d put headphones in at that point although no sound would come from his phone while he had hacked into the buildings security cameras.

The building had, just as much as all the other wealthy companies been subject to thefts recently, suspected to come from a cyber criminal breaking through their security programmes. Virgil doubted that was actually the case, given one of the security team had self referred himself to therapy for hallucinations, completely matching the creations of a man who had stolen from his parents company.

He didn’t really care about that now though, the man should be serving community support in a soup kitchen for the next few months and then Virgil could reach out with a position at one of the law firms looking to dismantle the malpractice the companies were performing abroad. Hopefully that would help put some of the good back into the world that his parents were rapidly draining from it with their money hoarding ways.

As long as nobody showed up in the building he was in currently Virgil would swap to wherever the closest calls to the police were coming from. Criminals had been targetting the poorer areas of the city more recently, making those bad situations even worse. At least the Shadow could be sure of helping the people he respected most in fighting those crimes, keeping struggling businesses from being robbed and giving the people desperate enough to steal a chance to improve their lives.

Before that happened though Virgil spotted exactly what he hadn’t wanted to; a nineteen year old covered in leather tied together by flourescent green shoe laces walking past the security guard to no reaction.

He was up and leaving his friends behind as soon as he spotted that, changing into his costume as the Shadow as he went. His anxiety seemed to mean none of the Grapevines powers held his attention for long. He’d imagine seeing movements and hearing thigns often enough that he could fact check them away, even when provided by someone’s powers rather than his brain malfunctioning.

“I thought we agreed you’d do your service and then let me get you a job working against these buildings. You’d get paid to do what you’re doing anyway.” Virgil stated, staying at the back of the office where the desks and support columns would make him harder to spot.

“Pretty sure I was expecting more charges than impersonation and trespassing when we agreed that. What did you do to convince the company to be that light handed?” The Grapevine countered, a cackle in his voice at how unexpected the lower charges had been.

Virgil shook his head, slowly moving closer, wondering when there’d be an attempt to give him hallucinations. “So you’d rather be in prison for theft and suspected use of mind altering drugs? Because you know the police don’t admit there are powers that influence people’s minds.”

“Nah, chilling in the trash is practically my past time, clearing it up just means I get bigger piles to play around in later. You didn’t answer my question though.” They were facing each other now and there was no attempt being made to touch any of the computers or artifcats that were meant to make the office more personal.

Instead of replying, Virgil turned towards the exit. “Do what you will here. I’ve got to stop the jewellers 3 streets away being the scene of another police killing.” That was more important than some family refusing to use their money for social good from loosing some of it.

Of course the Grapevine followed him, trying to carry on asking questions although that was a little difficult while Virgil was mixing about 5 different hand-to-hand combat styles in order to capture the thief without any damages. It was easier to guarentee community service when nothing was broken or visibly stolen.

At least the Grapevine had enough wit to disappear before the prison arrived.

/\/\

They’d been meeting for a week, each time Virgil tried checking on any large offices the Grapevine would be there, just waiting. He hadn’t done anything Virgil would class as a crime the Shadow needed to combat since making the deal to serve his sentence and then accept the job working against. He was just appearing, trying ask questions.

“Companies like that get every charge they can imagine brought against criminals that target them. I should not have gotten off so lightly.” The Grapevine was musing, following the Shadow off to

“Who said the company knew anything about what you were doing? The owners were just glad you hadn’t broken anything they’d have to replace as their IT teams are already working constantly to try and prevent whatever cybercriminal they’ve blamed your crimes on from stealing more.“ Virgil realised that by now he’d either have to answer the questions or have the guy following him around forever more. He couldn’t decide which he wanted to happen more, having gotten used to someone just treating him like a normal person without all the pomp and manners demanded of wealthy sons.

There was a scoff at that. “If I’m not doing anything how is there any theft still happening? Let those poor IT team catch a break, I’m sure they’re overworked enough already with the nonsense employees of places like this come up with.”

“They are catching a break. I checked in with the IT guys of most of your targets. They worked out it wasn’t done by hacking the system and are playing it up so they can take the other calls they get at a reduced pace.” Virigl rolled his eyes at that. The IT teams tended to be where the most reasonable people worked in any office centric building, which included being the most likely to take any chance they could at slowing the speed they have to respond to the menial tasks people find making trouble with technology. “Are you helping me with this guy or not?”

“You ask that as though the robber didn’t drop his knife 5 minutes ago to stand staring at a monster climbing out from the chocolate bars.” Grapevine might be making a pest of himself in refusing to let Virgil be a superhero without him for a night, but he did have his uses when he felt like helping.

Virgil ignored that thought just as thoroughly as he had thoughts of the others wildly green eyes and lithe physic, moving in for some show fight before wrapping the rope around his wrists in a civilian arrest. He turned to the cashier that had clearly hit a hidden police alert at that point.

“Are there security cameras or can you say the alarm was hit for a crazed man having some kind of violent outburst that ended in a seizure if I give you $300?” He asked, knowing from some research into the Grapevine’s former victims how the hallucinations affected a persons body. Bribing shops to keep the charges low was the only use he actually had for the allowance he parents gave him, although he got plenty of reciepts for various expensive experiences.

Apparently too panicked to speak the shop assistant just nodded, already reaching out to take the money. “Ring it up as a sale of erm, this flight experience, give me the receipt and then do whatever returns process you need to for it but keep the money for yourself.” Virgil requested, turning to check the Grapevine was no longer in sight as he took the receipt before heading home himself.

/\/\

“You bribe people to keep the charges low, and seem to know far more about the people of these offices than any of the other superheroes I’ve met yet never show signs of any powers at all.” The Grapevine hadn’t even entered his parents building this time, just hanging out on the corner.

“And you stand about on corners looking like some sort of specialised prostitute. If there a point to you stating your observations or should I just ignore you and actually do my job?” Virgil snapped back. He’d had a horrible day of pretending his parents weren’t exploiting thousands of people while giving their pocket change to charity for rare artworks to imagine they were good people.

Grapevine jumped forwards then, pointing a finger accusingly, “You’re the son of one of these business families. You have to be, yet you keep becoming the Shadow to fight against their greed.”

“And you’re from the council estate they’re trying to get bulldosed, We have bigger things to be looking at than your deductions of who I am.” Virgil groused, fed up of hearing the flaws he’d spend his lifetime trying to correct if only he could figure out how.

Silence fell for a while before the Grapevine spoke up again. “Will I still get that job with the company fighting against these companies if I break into a few government agencies to make sure the right people reject any attempts made by, which family is that again?”

“If you get caught doing that I won’t be able to make your charge lighter. Government workers need cheques to be bribed and that’d flag my actions to my parents and freeze all my funds.” Virgil hesitated. The offer was beyond tempting. It was some of the good he wished to include but couldn’t while his parents controlled his funding still, but it could also mean losing his friend and crush.

Emotions verses morality always had been a battle he could only separate by chosing which would cause the least ongoing anxiety for him. This situation the thoughts of either had him counting his breathing to prevent a panic attack.

“I love you too, but it still seems like the best chance we’ve got at me keeping my home if you’re actually telling the truth.” The Grapevine’s response made him freeze even more. “No need for those big eyes, Cutie. I know you’d only admit to worrying about keeping me on the streets if you loved me. Now, which company names do I need to look for on those documents?”

The question reminded Virgil of where they were having this conversation, directly outside the building owned by his neighbours. It would at least be safer to talk like this somewhere he could control and know in an instant who entered. “I’m going to my families building now and will be out of costume by the time I’m there so I can unlock it and we can talk where there isn’t the chance of the next security patrol overhearing us. Why don’t you follow me there so we can talk through our love declaration as well as who will need to stop the petition?”

He’d made the decision now to reveal his identity and only hoped the same would be done in return. Love was a terrifying prospect, but out of everything that had happened to him that day, at least it made some sense.

#dukexiety #dukexietyweek2020 #remus sanders #virgil sanders #superhero au

[snowdice]

Sometimes Labels Fail (Bonus Features)

Want to know what I’m blathering on about? Click below!

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Title in my Word Document: The Correct Label is Baby. He’s Baby. (Yes, I label my WIP’s with memes when at all possible. No, I am not taking constructive criticism)

Technical Writing Facts:

This fic appears in three different places in my documents. First it started in my Ideas word document, then it transferred over to a file called TSSS superhero (which has now become where I store things in this universe until they become their own stories or one-shots. Currently I have 13,746 unpublished words in this folder… most of it is piecemeal, but I digress.). Then I decided to rewrite parts of it and put it in the word document mentioned above.

I wrote most of the story during finals week. The last chapter was written while I proctored my student’s exams. Logan’s crack about being asked questions about his class by students at coffee shops was me venting over something that had happened recently. Please, do not come up to me with your laptop open in a public place. I just wanted a cup of tea.

Patton did not originally have a large role in this fic. Then I wrote the first paragraph and thought it was funny to have Logan being absolutely serious as he listed out the way he segmented his life and just input random not as serous things, and Patton convincing him to put jam in cookies came up and then the binder part came in and suddenly it wasn’t a joke and they’d been married for decades.

In part 2, Logan comforts Patton by hugging him, rubbing his back, and laying his cheek on top of his head. In part 3, you see Patton comforting Virgil in the exact same way. This is intentional as Logan observed this behavior from Patton over the years and emulates it.

I wrote the whole story before giving Logan and Virgil superhero names. Instead I just wrote (Logan) and (Virgil) every time so I could “control f” their names with parenthesis when I decided on something.

I couldn’t stop calling Virgil Shadow Crawler and I don’t know why. I kept having to go back and find and replace in my word document for it.

I immediately regretted calling Logan Bluebird. It was fine for his chapter and then I couldn’t stop laughing every time Virgil seriously called him that in his head.

Character Facts:

All of the sides + Emile and Remy exist and are sympathetic in this AU.

Logan:

Logan has a doctorate degree in math and physics. He double majored in both and went straight for a PhD in math after his undergrad. He picked the physics one up later. He also went and got a bachelor’s degree in biology. (No this wasn’t so he could understand Patton’s research papers better. That would be an irrational reason to get a college degree.)

Logan became a superhero out of academic spite because of course he did.

When Logan first became a hero, it was shortly after a scandal that happened where a major superhero’s identity was exposed, and it turned out it was the spouse of an important political figure. It was a very public and messy divorce. Logan swore to himself he’d never get into a relationship with someone who didn’t already know he was a superhero, citing it was a bad foundation for relationships. The catch 22 was that he refused to tell anyone his secret identity. Patton ended up figuring it out on his own. Logan had not accounted for this.

In fact, Logan at the end of this story, had never told anyone his secret identity. At the end of this story only three people knew: Patton, Virgil, and Remy. No one ever told Remy and they never discussed it with him. He just kinda figured it out and didn’t say anything. Logan knows he figured it out and also hasn’t said anything. Remy is a bit salty about this and likes to send subtle jabs at Logan about it. Both Patton and Logan know he knows. He’s known almost as long as Patton. It’s almost an inside joke between them at this point.

Virgil:

Virgil doesn’t know anything about his birth-parents other than his birth mother died in childbirth.

Virgil once stole something that was not money or food and it was completely accidental. He broke into a museum just to look as a 14th birthday present for himself. He got caught by a guard and panicked. For some reason, his panicked brain told him since he was a villain, he had to make it look like there was a villainous reason for him to be there… so he stole a statue. Yeah, he doesn’t understand it either. Yes, he ended up getting it back to them. What was he supposed to do with a statue?

Virgil plays the clarinet and is actually pretty good. He wasn’t able to get into any of the bands you have to audition for (he’s just in the general non-audition band at school) and was never able to really practice. Plus, his clarinet is one of those meh loaners from the school.

Virgil ends up majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry and attends the same college Logan teaches at.

I haven’t quite decided what Virgil’s going to do for his career when he grows up, but I’m leaning toward something in the medical field, though not a surgeon like Patton. Maybe a pediatrician.

Patton:

Patton was the one originally with the name Sanders. Logan took his name when they married.

Patton’s family life wasn’t… great in his youth. He had some unhealthy perceptions of relationships and his place in relationships he had to work through.

The café Virgil and Logan went to in the last chapter is where Patton and Logan first met! Patton almost poured an entire cup of coffee on him because he was exhausted after a shift at the hospital. He didn’t even notice that Logan used his powers to prevent an accident. Logan wasn’t sure if he was acting like he didn’t noticed and was plotting something. He decided to keep an eye on him. (Spoiler alert: he did keep a very good eye on him.

Patton saved the life of the current mayor. She had been the chief of police about a decade before this story. She was majorly injured in the line of duty to the point where basically she was a lost cause. Patton, though, saw her two elementary aged sons and went absolutely not. With the permission of her wife, he took her in for multiple surgeries (many experimental) and by pure force of will stitched her back together. She woke up half a year later. Will she ever walk again? No. Did she get to adamantly insist on carrying boxes on her lap while riding a wheelchair to help her sons move into their college dorm this past fall? Yes.

Because of the above, Patton gets invited to many high-profile events. Patton does not like going to these things alone. Which isn’t a problem until Bluebird is on the guest list.

Remy:

Remy has been working with Patton for basically forever. He’d been working for less than a year before he got swept up for an emergency surgery because he was the closest one around and it was a very high-profile case that needed to be dealt with right that second. That’s when he first met Patton and due to certain events, everyone in that room ended up with a certain tie to each other. He’s basically been Patton’s nurse ever since even when they just worked together in the ER. Everyone knew Remy was Patton’s nurse even though he wasn’t officially. When Patton stopped being an ER surgeon and became more of a specialist, Remy followed him right out the door and now works with him and two other doctors.

Roman:

Roman didn’t appear in this story, but he was mentioned and he’s around. He started going out in a prince costume when he was 17. (He is 3 years older than Virgil). He gets away with it mostly because everyone “knows” Roman’s too dramatic and likes to boast. The boy couldn’t keep a secret like that to save his life. So, what if that guy has superstrength like him? Look he’s sitting right there. Wait that’s Remus? …Nah, still couldn’t be him.

Remus:

Remus is Roman’s twin and has the same powers as him. He is not active during this story, but he will end up as a “villain.” He actually ends up working with a government agency to basically go undercover as a supervillain and helps bring down villains. He’s really good at it. His mothers know, but honestly, they kind of expected something like this. They’re just glad their other son is just a normal actor who has no interest in risking his life…

Deceit:

Deceit was actually mentioned (though not by name) in the first chapter. He is a vigilante and has been since before Logan was on the scene. Logan hates him. He probably would have gotten over being shot that one time, but then he made the mistake of needing medical care and kidnapping a doctor… He didn’t harm Patton at all, and Logan found him in like two hours, but none of that mattered. Logan was super, super pissed. The funny thing is, Deceit was not and still is not aware of Patton’s personal connection to Bluebird. He isn’t quite sure why Bluebird treats him with more disdain than he does most villains, but just figures he’s an asshole.

Emile:

Emile is a pretty well-known psychiatrist. He offered his services free of charge for people affected by the school shooting. He even extended the invitation to Bluebird, letting him wear the mask the whole time. Logan took him up on it because honestly, it was a traumatic situation and he figured he should deal with it now rather than later. Emile is currently dating Remy. He was not 100% sure why the superhero Bluebird seemed to be giving him dating advice at a party, but it worked out. (No, Remy is not aware Logan set him up.)

Feel free to keep sending asks about this story going forward. I love them and I have a lot more about this universe in my head that I didn’t put here either unintentionally or intentionally.

Click here for asks already answered in chronological order.

#sanders sides #logan sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #logicality #remy sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #tw school shooting #tw medical #tw surgery #sometimes labels fail #bonus features #labeled universe #deceit sanders #emile piccani

[ayoda]

Ten years later

I don’t remember exactly what I was doing, but I received an alert on my desktop that a major earthquake had hit Japan. I immediately logged into the website of NHK (the CNN / PBS of Japan). I watched a live feed from a helicopter just as the tsunami had crashed onshore.

(This is a picture of the wall that was supposed to protect the village below. I took this pic as well as the others posted in this entry.)

It was unreal to see a massive wave destroy everything in its path. The wave kept traveling further and further inland. The reporter remained professional but his shock was obvious. 

I’ve told some of this story before, please forgive me for being redundant. 

We started hearing numbers. 12,000 dead (later revised to 17,000+). 2,500 missing. 6,000+ injured. 150,000+ residents displaced. Tommy Dyo, then director of Cru’s Epic Movement ministry, asked me to help train student teams being sent to Japan. Glad to be of service. 

Then in April, Tommy was heading to Japan for a first-hand look. He said “dude, you’re coming with me.” Say what? How? “Send out a support letter.” Could I raise the support in a month? I received over $4,000 more than I needed (applied to future visits). Then my wife ruptures her Achilles (this time, the other leg). I thought that ended my plans. But she said “I’m not going to deprive you of this opportunity.”

I admittedly went to Japan skeptical as to what I’d see and questioning God as to why this had happened. I wasn’t prepared for what was ahead. The photo above is Rikuzentakata. A complete neighborhood, gone. When I shared later about my visit, I was asked if there were any photos I couldn’t take. There was one in particular, some kids’ toys that had been scattered. Even now, it’s admittedly difficult to think what may have happened to those children.

Some cleanup had already taken place, though there was still a lot to do. There were lots full of recovered vehicles lined up so survivors could either see if they could salvage something from the vehicle, or to identify victims who were swept up in the wave.

The government primarily provided cleanup for the damaged buildings (mostly condemned), we helped clean out houses and churches while also packaging meals and goods for those in evacuation centers.

While in Kamaishii, we saw buildings where an “X” was spray painted. An “X” indicated bodies had been found, an “X” with a circle meant the bodies had been recovered.

Most people have heard of the Fukushima nuclear reactor that’s still not shut down. We went to the Palette Center, a convention center where 10,000 people were housed, evacuated from neighborhoods surrounding the reactor. Most of the evacuees lived on different level of the arena, primarily within cardboard partitions.

This ship washed ashore at least 2 km inland. After debating whether or not to preserve the ship as a memorial, the decision was made to remove the ship to help rebuild the city. It had to be taken apart piece-by-piece, there was no crane or anything else that could move the ship. That provides some perspective on the power of the tsunami.

Worth noting: The shaking was incredibly severe, but Japan is very conscious about structural integrity in earthquakes. But there’s really no defense to a tsunami that reached as high as 40 meters (about 133 feet). That was the source of the major destruction and loss.

I’d already mentioned I was trying to understand the age-old philosophical question as to why would God allow this kind of suffering. I was blessed to have many help me find answers.

A group shot of the 2011 team, outside of the CRASH Japan (Christian Relief, Assistance, Support and Hope) headquarters: 

Tommy, who I’ve already credited / blamed for getting me involved.

Shannon, a wonderfully talented friend who I’ll see on TV in the future (Tommy and I serve as her Stateside Uncles).

Pastor Jonathan, then President of CRASH Japan, our relief agency, now heading OpSAFE Int’l helping kids after disasters and trauma. I still work with him and his organization.

Urs, the son of missionaries, now happily married and living in Germany (?).

Some guy who once had more hair and darker hair.

Dr. Gary, formerly a Southern Baptist missionary based in Tokyo and our guide through the disaster areas, we damaged his van driving through areas where the roads were heavily damaged. Now back home in Chicago.

Pastor Levi and Diane Velasco, head of GLINTS (Global Intercultural Services), with whom we now serve as volunteers. They also head CRASH Midwest. They’ll be back in Japan sooner than later.

This photo features Jill, a nurse who joined us for much of our journey through the Sendai area, along with Tommy and Gary.

Ten years later, I’m still a small part of the volunteer effort. We’ve expanded to serving also in Kumamoto, which was hit with a major quake in 2016. I continue to work with OpSAFE Int’l and Pastor Jonathan, GLINTS with the Velascos, CRASH Japan under the direction of Nagai-Sensei, and we’ve been able to be part of the Kyushu Christ Disaster Relief Center based in Kumamoto. We try to go every summer, unfortunately the pandemic has interrupted our visits for the time being. I hope to post some more memories soon.

And what did I learn? Disasters don’t discriminate. We have to plan ahead. Maybe I can be helpful, even in a small way.

As for the “big question.” I still don’t have an answer for the question as to why this happened. Perhaps I was asking the wrong question. God will answer the question “why” in his time, but when asked He will answer “what’s next>” 

I worked with so many incredible people over the past decade, from all over the world, all ages, all denominations, as well as all faith backgrounds. Their work taught me the importance of how to respond to the question “what’s next.” I’m hoping I’m doing my best to answer that question.

We found this mural (that’s my boys and super volunteer Emily) outside of a building in Kobuchihama. Translated: “Volunteers, thank you! Look at how strong Kobuchihama has become.”

どいたしまして。You’re welcome.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Deborah “Shoulder Scarf” Birx is so sorry she stood there in the White House briefing room with her thumb up her ass while Trump recommended drinking Clorox and lied about numbers of cases of COVID and masks and everything else about the virus for a year.

Lindsay “Little Lindsay” Graham bought himself a shiny new AR-15 so he can defend his house against marauding “gangs,” and probably because if you don’t own one of these things, they throw you out of the “base” on your pin-striped butt.

You remember the phrase, “there is no bottom” don’t you?  The idea, principally involving Donald Trump, that he couldn’t possibly go any lower than he just went with his latest tweet or his latest lie.  Well, I’ve got news for him.  He’s got competition.

Little Lindsay, for one.  Can you imagine this lame squeak-toy masquerading as a senator from South Carolina and his own personal assault rifle?  Don’t you wonder where he keeps it, so he can defend against all those “gangs” that are determined to steal all his antiques or take the brooch he inherited from his mommy, or whatever the hell else he thinks he’s defending?  Well, at least we know which gangs he’s not afraid of:  The Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys and the Three Percenters, because of course they’re they ones who were “kissing and hugging” the Capitol Police on January 6, according to Lindsay’s golf partner and Mar a Lago lunch-buddy.  Nothing to worry about from them, no sir.  We’re not afraid of those gangs, because, you know…they’re not Black.

But it was last night’s CNN special entitled “COVID War:  The Pandemic doctors speak out,” that takes the cake for this week’s How Low Can We Go Award.  What fucking war?  There was never a goddamned “war” on COVID!  You point to one thing this country did during the 12 months or so Trump and his administration were in charge that amounted to a “war.”  Did they institute a nation-wide campaign against the disease, one in which all 50 states and Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories would all be doing the same thing at the same time to fight the disease?  If anything even remotely resembling a national unified effort was undertaken, I must have missed it.

And the very idea of collecting these nincompoops in one place with the apparent purpose of asking them what really happened?  I mean, they had 365 opportunities between January of 2020 and January of this year on any given afternoon to pick up the phone and call CNN or the New York Times or MSNBC or the Washington Post or anybody for crying out loud and unburden themselves about what the hell was really going on inside the White House or the CDC or the DHS or the FDA, because that’s where they worked, or allegedly worked anyway.  Any one of them could have called a press conference out on Pennsylvania Avenue in sight of the White House and blown the whistle on the fucking criminal enterprise that was the Trump administration’s response to the most deadly outbreak of disease in this country in a hundred years.

Nobody was stopping them.  There wasn’t a squad of D.C. cops or Secret Service agents out there preventing them from opening their mouths and telling the truth.  Birx tried to imply that somehow Trump threatened her, at least that was the question from CNN.  “I got called by the President. It was very uncomfortable, very direct and very difficult to hear."  “Were you threatened?” CNN asked her?  "I would say it was a very uncomfortable conversation."

Oh, goodness!  She must have broken out in a sweat and got one of her scarves all damp and everything!  A very uncomfortable conversation,” she said.  What about all the “very uncomfortable conversations” happening in every fucking hospital in the country when doctors walked outside to tell family members that dad, or mom, or a son or a daughter just took their last gasp on a respirator?  How many times you figure that happened?  Ten thousand?  Twenty?  A fucking hundred thousand times?

And who in the flaming son of the devil is Dr. Robert Kadlec, identified by CNN as a disaster response official at the Department of Health and Human Services.  You ever remember hearing from or about this goof over the last year?  You would think that being the assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services for “disaster response” would put you right in the middle of the COVID pandemic, wouldn’t you?  So where the fuck was Kadlec?

Well, I had to look him up and here’s what I found.  He was the subject of a long-forgotten whistleblower complaint from way back in May of last year that I have a dim memory of.  While the COVID virus was rampaging through the country and killing at first dozens, then hundreds, then thousands a day, Kadlec was awarding a sweetheart no-bid contract for a fucking smallpox vaccine to some company called Emergent BioSolutions he had a personal connection with, at a price that was twice what the government had previously paid for the same vaccine.  So what did Kadlec do?  He proceeded to go after the guy who filed the complaint against him, Rick Bright, who was the head of BARDA, the Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority.  Kadlec demoted him, transferred him out of BARDA and put him in a job where he had nothing to do.  So all the time Kadlec actually has something to do, an actual “disaster” to respond to, he’s running around awarding insider deals for a vaccine against a virus we haven’t had a case of in fucking decades.

And he’s one of the SOBs that CNN chose to have on its “COVID war” special.  (Rick Bright, on the other hand, was recently appointed to President Biden’s coronavirus advisory board.)

Let’s not even discuss Robert Redfield, the director of the CDC who was in charge of shutting up everyone in that once-prestigious government agency.  Or Stephen Hahn, head of the FDA, who, shall we say, didn’t exactly distinguish himself or his agency as 500,000 souls were buried under his watch.  Or Brett Giroir, the former four star admiral you used to see standing next to Trump during his Rose Garden appearances when he was screaming about “opening up” the economy and telling us the coronavirus was going to “just disappear.”  He was Assistant Secretary for Health and was put in charge of COVID testing, which we will all recall was such a success that more than a year after COVID, it is still a gigantic pain in the ass to get a test for the virus.

CNN had all these goofs on its air last night because they know “the real story behind the scenes” in the “war on COVID.”  Not one of them ever flapped so much as a corner of their bottom lip to tell what they knew about how fucked up the whole Trump administration was during the year they served under the Golfer in Chief.  Not one of them considered for even a moment resigning from their position and going public.  And now, we’re told, they are all working on restoring their reputations while there are 500,000 dead bodies out there who were buried on their watch which will never be “restored.”

I’m so glad Joe Biden made it to the White House so he could stand out there on the back lawn the other day where Trump used to tell all his lies to the press and finish answering a reporter’s question about Georgia’s new voting restrictions by saying, “You can’t provide water for people about to vote.  Give me a break.”

I’ve wanted to hear someone say “give me a break” for four long years.  Give me a break, CNN, asking all these lame fucks to tell us the truth about Trump and COVID, 500,000 lives too late.  Give me a break, Shoulder Scarf, with your whining about Trump making you feel “uncomfortable.”  Give me a break, Little Lindsay, with your brand-new shiny shootie-thingie that’s going to scare all those nasty gang guys.

Lucian K. Truscott IV

#COVID-19 #global pandemic #corrupt GOP #criminal GOP #cowardice #incompetence #Lucian K Truscott IV

[goodguydotmp3]

wait so are you an anarchist? no judgement just are you. or like I mean a communist or sum just like do you think ultimately the government should be overthrown and what do you think should replace it/what lack of thing

Okay so I have totally been going back and forth on how to properly answer this all day, this is my best attempt at properly explaining.

So I do consider myself an anarco-communist. I live in the U.S So I can really only comment on the situation here, but the entire government here absolutely needs to be thrown out, and we need to have the workers own the means of production. 

Why does this government need to go? Besides the fact that Ted Cruz would finally shut the fuck up, it’s simply impossible to have Justice and democracy on land that was stolen, and then built and maintained from genocide and slavery. First and foremost, I really think wee need to give jurisdiction of the land back to he natives. but beyond that the thing that’s gonna have to ultimately replace the government is community. Looking out for your fellow man. THE ABOLISHMENT OF CAPITAL!!! WHY DO WE HAVE THAT??? IT LITERALLY POISONS YOUR MIND!!

And people have asked me before like “oh so you think everything is free?” No! I just don’t think that your labor, time, energy, or body should be exploited, and I think you should have your most basic necessities. Like that should just be a basic right. All the things you need to survive should be a right! And on top of that, many of the problems with our current society stem from capitalism, or the pursuit of Capital. 

I’m really trying not to make this into an entire essay but the reality is, anything I say is going to sound really simple on paper but be something that is going to take a village to put in practice, which I guess is my entire point! To borrow capitalist’s terms, other people are our biggest asset. We as a collective should figure out how to get everyone’s most basic needs met first and foremost. Best example I have is food and shelter. Why is food and shelter behind a paywall???? If you do not have those you will die! And it’s not like the food and shelter isn’t there, it’s just behind paywalls and government regulations. And those regulations just feed right back into the cycle of genocide and slavery. Why are we locking people up for making shelter where no one is living?? Why are we rounding up people like chickens the day before the family reunion and putting them into concrete cells with no plants!! and then forcing them to provide labour for next to nothing! Not to mention that prisoners are often forced to do potentially life threatening work, so that the government doesn’t actually have to allocate those funds for trained people? For example, prisoners in California usually fight the yearly wild fires (this year because of Covid they are too sick to do so, which, while I’m glad they don’t have to, it brings up the issue of hwy they’re there right now in the first place???? Like,,,, do you not think people being cooped in an overcrowded prison with no ppe during a deadly pandemic while their Overseer gets to go in and out freely is going to end well????), and The same state spends millions on “homeless sweeps”, gathering people out of homeless camps and on the street to, you guessed it! Prisons! Add to that the fact that in this country, black and latineh queer youth are the most likely into end up homeless, the fact that black and indigenous people tend to have inherited poverty because of the whole colonialism thing + the repeated efforts to exclude and disenfranchise BIPOC, making them more likely to not own homes, or be in a position to acquire a home, plus you also have to consider the stagnation of wages with the mounting cost of living, oh and don’t forget the fact that having an illness of any kind can send you into crippling debt, impoverishment and eventual homelessness. OH! Plus, if you have any mental illness, nuerodivergency, or addiction issues, they can make it harder for you to work a job, even worse they can put you in a position where the only kind of jobs you can work are a heavy strain on your mind and body, putting you right back into the category of having an expensive illness. Also those thing can get your agency taken away, making it harder for you to own a home, hold a job, hell even vote, but most of all home, and it your designated caretaker can’t afford to take care of you well then both of you are on the street. I almost forgot about the vets!!! They go get terrible ptsd and possibly a horrible injury that leaves them disabled so this country can acquire more! Oil!!! Only for this country to spit on their backs and leave them on the street. I feel like there’s more I’m missing, but I can’t think of em right now? This reply is too long already

Anyway!! You take all of that you you apply what I’ve already said, that homeless people in this country often wind up either dead or imprisoned for the crime of Checks notes not having a home, and it almost sounds like State sanctioned genocide. With a dash of Slavery just to spice things up. 

Now the obvious solution here is give them a fucking home tf. Obviously I’ve mentioned some other things in there that of course needs addressing. For example people should have access to the mental health services they need, no one should be without a home because they can’t perform labor, queer kids shouldn’t be fucking thrown out but that last one is another entirely new rant, that, surprise! is made worse by American extremism! 

But again! All of the solutions that I have offered are currently behind a paywall or a government regulation. there are some states where housing homeless people is illegal without a permit, and others where it’s illegal to feed them. State sanctioned genocide! Which really drives home my point I feel, about how the state (AND CAPITAL) should not be used to allocate resources, and we as a collective should figure out ways to meet the needs out our community.

For example, even if there were no empty homes, there are people who know how to build houses! There are scientists who work on eco friendly building methods! There are carpeters who build tables and chairs! There are Rug makers out there If you’re so inclined like!!! why is it behind a paywall???? why can scientists not just help us build eco friendly homes without the government being like “nah”? To the end of medical professionals and mental health services, not only are they behind steep paywalls, but they’re also locked behind bureaucratic nonsense. What’s more, you may have to go into debt if you want to acquire that sort of degree/specialization! Why is that so hard to acquire???? It’s ridiculous!!

Again!!! I’m literally only using a few basic needs as an example because as you can see, all this stuff is connected, and really I’m just trying to make sure I get my reasoning across, not actual step by step instructions, because there are tons of solutions to the issues I've presented, I’m one person with one opinion and by no means am I an authority! Not only that, But I’m not an expert in any field, and there are tons of problem the government and capital have created that could better be solved by shifting the responsibility from a small governmental body with tons of capital, the people with actual resources. The problem is, the best way you’re going to get solutions is by having people come together to find what works best, and in many cases, the solution won’t be something that works universally. 

I hope this properly answered your question!

[justmickeyfornow]

Super{Delivery}Girl

Lena heard the knock on her door and didn’t need to look up from her work to know it was her secretary, Jess. She highlighted a line of the contract that she needed to speak to the legal department about and noticed Jess placing a covered plate of food on her desk.

Just as she was about to argue that she wasn’t hungry, Jess put a finger up, shutting her up completely.

“One day, this conversation is gonna get old.” Jess said sternly, as she began opening up containers and setting the utensils, “I bring you food, you say you're not hungry, I threaten to quit if you don't eat, you end up eating it. Let's just skip to the end, Ms Luthor.”

Lena sighed. The smell of the seasoned veggie stir-fry from her favorite Chinese restaurant making her regret claiming she wasn’t hungry, “I don't know how I'll be able to survive without you the next two weeks.”

“I told you I could set up a food delivery service for you.” Jess claimed, going to the other side of the office and grabbing a bottle of wine and a glass.

“No, no. I don't like being interrupted. Other than by you, that is. Can you imagine a delivery boy walking in on one of my meetings to give me my food? Besides, I don’t like eating from the same place every day, you know that." Lena said.

"So, hire a temporary assistant until I get back." Jess chuckled.

Lena narrowed her eyes, "Oh, I can never cheat on you, Jess. How dare you suggest I would even think of it?"

Jess rolled her eyes, as she poured a glass of red wine for her boss, "I'm serious, Ms. Luthor. She won't be responsible for anything but ordering your food. I’ll make sure of it.”

Lena leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her wine, "I'm very peculiar about who I have to deal with on a daily basis. Remember? It took me forever to choose you as my assistant.”

Jess feigned innocence, “I remember you choosing me in the blink of an eye,” she shrugged, “but tomayto tomahto.”

Lena found herself laughing at that, "I'm gonna miss your snarky comments."

Jess bagan clearing some of the documents that Lena had set aside and marked as complete, "If you want an assistant with my snarky comments I have one trained and ready for you."

Lena rolled her eyes, “I’ll pass, thank you very much. Besides, think of it as a challenge.”

“A challenge of what? How long can you last without food?” Jess deadpanned with a raised eyebrow.

Lena shook her head at her antics, “No. Of whether or not I’m a snobby rich CEO that doesn’t know how to function without an assistant.”

“Oh, you can function! Trust me! You just have a goldfish memory regarding your food!"

Lena rolled her eyes and drank from her wine. Jess tapped the pile of papers to straighten them out, before carrying them with her, "I'm gonna take these and place them on Richard's desk. Do you need anything before I head out?"

Lena smiled warmly, "Just that you have the absolute most wonderful time on your much needed vacation."

Jess already began walking as she chuckled, "That's impossible. I'll be too worried whether or not you've dropped dead from malnutrition." she turned to Lena just as she reached the door and flinched to make her next point, "Not really in the mood to job hunt if you die on me."

Lena breathed out a chuckle in response, "Go, before I extend your vacation to 3 weeks. You're more of a workaholic than I am." Lena exclaimed.

Jess simply smiled and leaned against the door frame, "Goodbye, Ms. Luthor."

Lena returned the affectionate smile with one of her own, "See you in two weeks."

"Take care of yourself." Jess shouted from the hallway, "Literally!"

"What's the worst that can happen?" Lena replied just as loud.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lena stayed at the office much later than she had planned. When she looked at the clock it was almost 10 pm and Jess had walked out through her doors almost 6 hours ago. She sighed at her inability to have normal working hours these days. Taking over the company has been a grand decision. One she was forced to make rather than given the option. But now that she had, she was determined to make the most of it. To create a force for good. Which was why she was changing the company name to L-Corp. A fresh start that strode away from the death and destruction that her brother had caused to the family company.

She let out a tired breath, looking at the papers in front of her. It looked to be a long night. She was only halfway through with the reports she was supposed to present tomorrow at the board meeting. She needed a break but she was determined to finish. She looked at the clock and decided to give herself another hour of work before heading home.

A few minutes later, as she was deep in thought about her presentation for the board, she heard a tap on her balcony windows. When she turned around, she found nothing.

Must be the wind.

She went back to work, but another tap interrupted her. This one sounding more like a knock. She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion and marked the spot where she left off before getting up from her chair and going to the balcony doors.

As she opened the door, she didn't find the superhero she expected to find. She had only met the hero of this city once or twice and didn't expect another visit. But no caped blonde woman stood at her balcony. Instead, there sat a brown paper bag with a huge yellow label that read "Big Belly Burger".

"What the...?" she whispered as she picked up the bag. The whiff of hot greasy food filled her nose as she opened the paper bag. Her stomach automatically rumbled at the tempting smell, her stubbornness slowly wavering.

There was only one person she knew who was able to reach her balcony and the hero was nowhere in sight. Supergirl seemed to have dropped the meal off and flew away.

It was odd. But a gesture Lena didn't think too much of. Maybe it was because she had cooperated with the government agencies to disclose information about her brother. Or maybe it was simply a late welcome-to-the-city gift. An odd gift at that, but maybe that's all that it was.

Whatever it was, Lena made a mental note to thank the hero if she ever ran into her.

A phone number would've probably been helpful right now.

She took the bag inside her office and sat down on the sofa, grabbing her tablet to finish off reading while she ate. Right at that moment, her phone began to ring.

The number of that reporter that Lena had recently befriended appeared and Lena smiled as she answered, putting it on speaker.

"Ms. Danvers?" she asked, flinching at the use of her last name even though Kara had more than once told her not to call her that. They were still pretty new to their friendship. It was unexpected, if Lena was being honest. She didn't think she would make a friend in this city that easily. But it was no easy task to say no to Kara Danvers and her golden retriever smile.

"Lena! Hi! I hope that it's ok I called so late? You're not busy or sleeping or anything right?" Kara asked in her excited nature.

"No, no. Of course not. It’s fine. Was there something you needed?" she found herself saying, always eager to please the blonde.

"Me? No no. I just thought maybe we could chat. I just ordered in and needed some company while eating."

"Oh, that's odd." Lena couldn't help but say.

"What's odd?"

Lena attention darted from the bag of food on her table, "Hmm? No, nothing. I just thought that it was odd since I was just about to eat as well. But I thought about doing some reading while eating.

"Yikes, that doesn't sound so fun. But I'll leave you to your reading then."

“No, no. Kara, please. I need an excuse to stop working for a bit. A break might help me refocus.”

“And I'm that excuse? “

“It seems you are these days.” A very very distracting excuse, Lena couldn’t help but think.

“OK, then! But should you even be working this late?”

“Truthfully, no. But my assistant isn’t here to push me out the door.” Lena admitted, chuckling at the end. She cringed after uttering the sentence, finding it a bit self-pitying.

“Well, I’m just glad you found time to eat a little.” Kara mentioned.

Lena thought of mentioning the mysterious bag of food on her balcony but decided against it, “You sound like Jess.”

“Well, she is a very wise woman. Anyway! Let me tell you about the crazy day I had today!”

Lena chuckled as she opened the bag and pulled out the French fries.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lena arrived to work in a hurry, speaking on her phone and dumping a pile of paperwork on her desk that she had just retrieved from on top of jess' desk. It seemed as though not everyone was aware that her assistant was on vacation and that said paperwork should be put on her own desk rather than her assistant's.

"Yes, yes. I understand, Mr. Michaelson. But I truly cannot postpone my Hong Kong trip to September. It has to be next month." she unceremoniously dropped everything on her desk and watched as her purse slowly leaned at the edge before it toppled down onto the floor, spilling half its contents. Lena closed her eyes and resisted the urge to let out a loud sigh. "The deadline for the project is nearing and I need to finish up the schematics of... Yes, I understand. Mhmm. Of course. I'll have my assistant talk to you tomorrow then, ok? Ok. Goodbye."

She sank down on her chair and finally let out that sigh, only to suddenly remember that her assistant can't call him tomorrow because she was on vacation.

She cringed before she opened up her calendar on her computer to schedule a phone call with him tomorrow morning. She placed two alarms to remind her.

After looking through some emails, that were quite unpleasing if she was being honest with her herself, she pressed the intercom on her office phone to call Jess into her office.

When the usual ' Yes, Ms. Luthor?' never came, Lena groaned remembering again that Jess was on vacation. She looked at her Nespresso machine in her office and remembered it needed some sort of repairs that she could probably fix herself if she had the time.

"Ugh, what I wouldn't kill for a double shot right now!" she groaned out into the empty room.

Just then, a tap came on her balcony doors and Lena snapped her head towards the sound to find no one. When she walked towards the doors and slid them open, she found a cup of coffee with a sticky note on it.

Please don't kill anyone for coffee.

Lena gave a confused smile, looking around the sky to see if she could spot the hero but found only scattered birds. It was odd. Very very odd, in fact. She needed to speak with the hero about this. Thank her or ask her or... She wasn't sure.

She was grateful for the coffee anyway, taking a sip to find it exactly how she liked it. Very odd, indeed, for Supergirl to randomly know her exact coffee order. But she didn't have too much time to dwell on it. She took it inside to start her day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Noon came with another disaster.

"What do you mean that the arugula cashew salad has been discontinued." Lena asked over the phone, "My assistant orders it for lunch almost everyday!" she exclaimed, admittedly a bit louder than she should have. "I am perfectly calm thank you very much, but I would be much calmer if maybe I would have my lunch delivered! I don't want your apologies, I want - you know what? Nevermind. Thank you for nothing!"  She hung up in the guy's face and puffed out in frustration.

"What do I have to do to get a simple arugula cashew salad with pear and stilton cheese? Honestly it's not that hard! I can hire my own personal chef to simply..."

Just then a familiar knock came from behind her and Lena this time turned faster and caught a glimpse of a red cape flying off. She rushed to her balcony to find the exact salad she was trying to order, with a sticky note stuck to it. She picked it up and read it.

Your salad was actually discontinued. So, Jess found a new place that was across town that made it and would order it from there. Delivery was extra because it was further, but according to her, the salad tastes better than the first restaurant. Please don't take it out on Gary, he only answers the phone and works part time there to pay for college.

Lena was baffled. This was getting out of hand. How on Earth would Supergirl know any of that? Did she and Jess speak often? Did Kara tell her? Did Supergirl just happen to eavesdrop on her every conversation?

Lena was furiated. Grateful for her rumbling stomach and her hunger-induced foul mood, but also infuriated. She didn't need a nanny. She could handle a simple task as ordering food.

Maybe she really should have taken Jess on her offer of a temporary assistant. But she was still new to the city. It's barely been a year since she has moved to National City. She didn't take too kindly to people. Nor did she like dealing with those questioning stares and curious looks. The pity is the worse. She still had so much to prove that she was nothing like her brother. And she thought coming to National City and away from Superman's territory was the way to do it.

Never did she ever think that she would be in a situation with Supergirl such as the likes of this.

She sighed but took the salad anyway. She had a meeting in half an hour and she needed all the energy to get through it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The evening saw Lena picking up a plastic container of sushi and sashimi from her favorite Japanese place. A cup of Matcha green tea sat beside it.

She still didn't like it but took it anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, she walked into her office and found the same croissants that Jess would get her every Friday. Fridays she almost always forgot to have breakfast. It was mainly due to the fact that Thursdays she had her international calls scheduled in the late hours of the night. Dealing with the other side of the world meant she had to call during their working hours. Which happened to coincide with 3 am for her. And Jess knew this. Which is why every Friday, Jess would get her breakfast to have on her desk while she read her emails.

Croissants and a banana kale smoothie is what she usually preferred. Which was what sat on her balcony table right in front of her. There was no sticky note this time.

"What on Earth is she on about?" she asked no one but herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The noon was the same. A tap on her balcony door and a package of food delivered by National City's very own superhero.

Lena held the fruit salad bowl in frustration, "Do you deliver food to everyone in the city?" she shouted to the empty sky, feeling a bit stupid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day’s evening when she found a plate of Fettuccine on her balcony, she was ready for a confrontation with the Girl of Steel. She had already picked up both her lunch and her afternoon coffee from the balcony like it had suddenly become a drive-thru window in her very own office.

She was very much confused at this point.

Was Supergirl that different from Superman?  

She stabbed the pasta with her fork as thought hard about the most complicated question of her life.

Why was Supergirl delivering food to her?

Maybe this is some sort of benefit of National City that I wasn’t aware of. Some sort of agreement between Supergirl and the people of National City that she would deliver everyone’s food and they would... What? Give her free food in return?

Lena suddenly gasped.

Was I supposed to leave money on the table for her for delivering my food?!

She suddenly felt ashamed. Her cheeks burned with the realization that she was not paying for a service she was clearly using as she sat there eating the Fettuccine that Supergirl herself had delivered.

It was all so confusing and Lena was determined to get to the bottom of it. Which is why, the next day she arrived extra early to her office and began setting up.

She dragged her wooden coffee table all the way across her office and into the balcony. Then came the comfy armchair that she liked so much. She half expected it wouldn't fit through the balcony door, but it somehow did. A sane enough CEO of a multi-billion dollar company would have asked someone from the many employees she had to do the job for her.

But she was in a stubborn mood.

She then took out her laptop, placing it outside on the coffee table. Her printed copies of the annual financial reports. Her coffee cup and everything else she needed to do her work.

She was going to work from her balcony and catch Supergirl in the act.

She needed to understand the reasoning behind it all. Needed to see how much money she owed Supergirl. It just didn’t make sense that Supergirl was delivering everyone’s food without taking any sort of compensation!

And so she began working.

"Hello, Mr. Michaelson.” she spoke through her bluetooth earphones, using her hands to edit a paragraph in her speech while talking to the man. “Yes, it's me. No, my assistant is on vacation unfortunately. Where? Oh, umm well she went to Vancouver actually. Yes, yes, I agree, beautiful place. Now, as for our agreed upon dates for the project sc- Oh. Sure I could ask my assistant for you if Vancouver has nice Japanese restaurants."

She held her hand to the bottom of her phone and sighed audibly looking up to the sky and wishing Jess would just magically appear.

After almost an hour speaking to the old businessman, and not all of it spent talking about work, Lena almost whined when she saw her coffee cup empty.

"I'm gonna need a whole gallon of coffee to deal with more like him." she spoke out loud to herself.

Taking off her heels, she folded her legs neatly beneath her and balanced her laptop on the chair's armrest. She began typing out a detailed email to the finance department asking for a budget increase on the project.

It was less than ten minutes later that she noticed movement in the sky. When she looked up, she didn't find anyone. Frowning, she went back to work.

The next thing that happened would never have even crossed her mind. Dangling from her balcony ceiling was a thick string, securely tied to a cup of coffee, and coming down slowly as though someone was gradually letting more of the string go until the coffee cup would eventually reach Lena's brick railing.

Lena gawked at the coming down cup with wide eyes.

There was a coffee cup dangling from the roof of her balcony! Swaying from the wind and slowly coming down like a hookline of a fisherman.

After getting over her shock, Lena immediately got up, letting her laptop fall in her seat, "Hey!" she shouted, very unlady like of her. She planted both hands on her railing and cranked her neck to look up. The string went all the way up to the roof of the building and disappeared there.

"Excuse me? I would like to speak to you." she shouted towards the rooftop. "Thank you for the coffee but it's really not necessary for you to bring me food and drink everyday. I am more than capable of feeding myself." Lena blatantly spoke to the rooftop, looking more and more like a crazy person. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could hear Jess snicker at her words.

Capable of feeding myself, sure.

"Supergirl? Or whoever you are, I simply want to thank you personally if that's all right." Lena tried again, but still no answer.

And just like that she saw a flash of a red cape in the sky before it disappeared.

Why won't she talk to me?!

And then the answer came to her.

She probably doesn't have time. If she delivers food to everyone in the city, not mentioning the fact that she saves people left and right... Then. When does she have time for anything?!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a fire. Lena was having a meeting with a client at a restaurant when the smell of smoke began to filter into the air. Suddenly, one of the chefs barged into the restaurant, coming from the kitchen and collapsed onto the floor. The smoke began to seep quickly into the restaurant and in under a few minutes it started to get harder and harder to breathe.

Unfortunately, for everyone inside, the restaurant was quite a large and crowded one with only one exit, aside from the kitchen exit that was probably blazing in a fire. Chaos erupted and everyone began stumbling towards the door to escape.

And just as suddenly as it had happened, Supergirl flew in and saved the day. She blew out the fire and began evacuating people quickly. Lena had been hunched over a table, coughing from the smoke and eyes watering. She felt herself be lifted off the floor suddenly and found herself in the arms of the blonde hero. Supergirl flew her to an ambulance that was administering oxygen to those who needed it.

"I'll be right back," she said to Lena before flying off to make sure no one else was inside the building.

Lena was checked up by a medic and was cleared. She felt a little dizzy but she didn't inhale too much smoke. She was however buzzing with energy.

Supergirl flew back down and nodded towards the fire chief shaking his hand and assuring him no one was inside. She smiled at the job well done and was about to go check up on the Luthor woman when...

"You!" Lena shouted angrily, pointing an accusing finger at her.

Supergirl turned to find the woman's narrowed eyes and immediately took a step back, terrified. Oh, yes. She was very much terrified.

Lena came up to her, her heels seemingly still making her look shorter than the well-built hero. But she was not intimidated at all, in fact she was angry. She was out looking for answers and she expected to find them.

She jabbed a finger in the hero's chest, "Why do you insist on feeding me?!" she accused, "What do you have to gain from it all, hmm?!" her eyes were predatory, filled to the brim with frustration.

"M-Ms. Luthor, I don't know what you're talking about." Supergirl stuttered.

"The coffees, and croissants, and sushi, and salads. All of it! Why are you bringing me food everyday? I'm not crazy, I've seen your cape flying about! I'm more than capable of feeding myself, you don't need to bring me food, Supergirl!

"M-Ms. Luthor, I believe there's been some sort of misunderstanding."

"I would just like to know why ?! I didn’t sign up for this service!"

"Ms. Luthor, can we please please talk about this when there aren't so many cameras a-and and..."

Lena jabbed her finger harder into Supergirl's chest, "You tell me right now!!" she barked.

"M-Ms. Luthor..."

"Why-" she punctuated her word with a harder jab.

"I really think-" Supergirl took a step back.

"Do you insist-" another jab to the chest and a step forward.

"It's just maybe this isn't-"

"On bringing me-"

"If we could just-

"Food!" Lena jabbed her finger harder to punctuate her question.

Supergirl seemed to make up her mind on something, nodding once to herself with a tight lipped smile, “Yup, you’re not gonna like this. I’m really sorry in advance.” she said

“Sorr-”

Supergirl bent down, fireman carried Lena on her shoulder and flew off into the sky.

Lena screamed immediately, her scream echoing in the city, “What are you doing?!”

Supergirl didn’t answer which immediately led Lena to believe that she was being kidnapped.

She started banging her fist on the Super’s back, kicking with her feet, “Why would you buy me food for days only to kidnap me in the end??!!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Supergirl made an accidental swoosh in the sky trying to balance the struggling woman in her arms, “What?! I’m not kidnapping you! Stop moving so much!"

"Stop kidnapping me then!!" Lena shouted.

"I'm not kidnapping you!!"

“Put me down this instant!"

Supergirl’s sight was blocked by a smooth thigh, and she was momentarily distracted with how it felt that when she refocused again she found a brick wall in front of them. She immediately turned full circle and redirected their course before slamming into the wall with a struggling woman.

Lena tried to thrust her knee into Supergirl’s nose, her plan was to maybe somehow break the unbreakable nose made of steel. It wasn’t her best idea, “Put me down!”

“I’m trying!” Supergirl shouted back, “Rao, woman, just calm down and let me take you where I’m taking you!

“So you are kidnapping me ?!!”

“What?! Why would I kidnap you?!”

“Then where are we going?!”

Supergirl flew down a little, holding on to the squirming woman as tight as she can. She dived beneath the ceiling of the balcony and safely landed with her two feet on the ground. “Here!” she voiced out loudly, “Your balcony!” she said as she set the woman down.

Lena Luthor wobbled on her feet and realized she was one foot short. When she looked down, one heel seemed to be missing. She looked back up, staring daggers into the hero.

Supergirl put her hands up in surrender, “Hey! In my defense it wouldn’t have fallen if you had just simply calmed down!”

Lena crossed her arms and discarded the other shoe before facing Supergirl, “Do you mind telling me what all of this is?”

“All of what is?” Supergirl deadpanned.

Lena rolled her eyes, “Oh for the love of...” she sighed. When she looked back to the other woman, she found her distracted, looking over the balcony. Lena was about to ask when she got her answer.

“Oh! Found it.” The hero exclaimed before jumping over the balcony railing and diving down to the street. Lena had a miniature heart attack, barely remembering that the woman wasn’t falling to her death.

Seconds later, the hero flew back onto her balcony with her missing heel, smiling widely, “Cinderella.” she curtsied and handed the show to Lena.

“Very funny.” Lena said sarcastically before taking back her precious louboutins. She placed it beside the other and faced Supergirl, “Explain, please.”

Supergirl gave an innocent smile, “Explain what?”

And Lena more or less lost it, “Explain to me why it is that you’re delivering my food? I’ve been trying to get you to talk to me for the past week so I could explain to you that I am perfectly capable of ordering my own food, thank you very much! I don’t know if this is a National City deal that you have going on, but I don’t want you delivering my food. Not to mention paying for it! Which reminds me, I owe you...”

"Jess and I are friends." Supergirl blurted out, cringing as though she wasn't supposed to disclose that particular piece of information.

Lena tilted her head in confusion, "Friends?"

Supergirl sighed, "Yeah. I saved her once from a bus flipping over while she was getting you coffee this one time." she mentioned casually, like a bus flipping over was the most normal thing in the world.

Lena's eyes widened, she choked on a gasp in her throat, "Bus... F-Flipping over?"

Supergirl however didn't notice her shock nor seemed to be listening. Her eyes were on her fingers, counting the number of times she had saved Jess, "And then there was that time when I saved her from getting caught in the crossfire of a shooting." Supergirl listed, as Lena watched in utter horror, "And the time those CADMUS guys came to take you, and she wouldn't let them through the door. So, they were about to attack her but she had already called me-" Supergirl paused, putting up her finger to add information, "I gave her my number after the third time I saved her. Anyway, so she-

"Num...ber?" Lena's mouth moved to form the word as she watched with wide eyes, still frozen in place.

"Called me and I came and took care of the two guys before anything happened. Which was a good thing because Jess told me you were in a very important meeting that day and you weren't to be disturbed. Not even by CADMUS goons coming to kidnap you apparently!" Supergirl giggled at that, only to continue her rant as though nothing happened.

"You'd be surprised how much that woman is a chaos magnet. Accident prone too! I once saved her from tripping and dropping two coffees, a stack of papers, a laptop under her arm, a box of pastries balanced over the stack of papers, and herself because she was talking to you and her heel got stuck in the pavement. It was almost a disaster, but I was near her and I managed to catch it all." suddenly Supergirl's face lit up momentarily as though she remembered something before it was replaced by a dopey grin at the memory, "She gave me a donut as a thank you I was really hungry that day."

Supergirl scrunched her nose in thought, "What else? Oh yeah! There was this time I saved her from-"

"OK, I get it!" Lena suddenly interrupted her, if she heard one more story about Jess' life being risked because she was out getting her coffee... "I get it. I need to give Jess a raise. Or buy her a house. Maybe even give her my office while I'm at it. God knows she deserves it!" Lena mumbled the last part. She had no idea what Jess went through to simply get her coffee. What kind of world do they live in?

Lena sighed, refocused herself, "What does any of this have to do with you delivering my food to me?" she asked.

Supergirl furrowed her eyebrows like she didn't remember, before gasping and lighting up with wide eyes, "Oh! Yeah, sorry." she chuckled, scratching the back of her neck sheepishly, "I think I lost track of the story a bit there."

That's the understatement of the year, Lena couldn't help but think

“So, umm, after I saved Jess a bunch of times we eventually became friends. She also figured out I was Kara, so I pretty much-”

“You’re WHAT?!” Lena all but gawked.

Supergirl froze, hand in mid-gesture. Her face seemed very very confused, eyebrows scrunched together and mouth forming an O. She tilted her head to the side, “Kara?”

“You’re Kara?!!” Lena demanded, admittedly much louder than she expected to utter the words.  "The-The..." the reporter, the friend I made, the possible crush. "Kara Danvers?"

“Well, yeah. I thought it was kinda obvious...”

Lena opened her mouth and closed it several times with no words making it out. With wide shocked eyes, she observed the blonde closely. Blonde tresses framing her face, blue piercing eyes. She imagined a ponytail, a pair of glasses.

“Oh God.” she half whispered.

She was crushing on Supergirl the whole time.

For some baffling reason that Lena couldn’t seem to fathom, Supergirl looked more confused than she was.

“I thought you already knew.” she noted.

“How could I have possibly known?! I’ve met you twice !”

Supergirl flattened her lips and swayed her head on each side, “Actually, it was three times.” she corrected.

“That is not the point!”

Supergirl backed away, putting her hands up in surrender, “Okay, okay. Sorry.” she shrugged then, “I kinda just thought you knew but weren’t saying anything. I mean Jess figured it out almost instantly and you’re supposed to be super smart-”

When Lena gave her a threatening glare, Supergirl realized her mistake.

“I-I mean you are super smart.” she backed up immediately, “You know, you were answering my calls and you laughed at my flew here on a bus joke.”

“You were being serious?!!!” Lena shouted unladylike. She was doing a lot of unladylike things today that involved this situation she found herself in.

There really wasn’t any possible way for Lena’s jaw to drop even more.

“Well, obviously not at first. But when you didn’t ask about it and then we met again and I mentioned flying again, you were totally okay with it.”

“People say stuff!! I didn’t think you were serious! I just thought you had weird expressions!”

“Huh.” Supergirl looked up and thought about it, “I never really-”

“Look.” Lena stopped her before she went on another rant. She was getting a headache from all that was happening on this God forsaken balcony, “Can we please go back to the food delivery situation?” Lena pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Oh!” Supergirl perked up again, chuckling, “I guess a sorta lost track of the story a bit there.”

“You seem to have a habit of that.” Lena muttered.

“I heard that.” Supergirl grinned.

“I know.” Lena deadpanned.

Supergirl ignored her, “Where was I?” Supergirl thought out loud.

“Literally still at the beginning.” Lena deadpanned again. When she saw that Supergirl was still thinking about it, she sighed and reminded her, “You and Jess are friends after you had saved her numerous times. What - for the love of all that is good - has that got to do with you suddenly being my delivery person?”

“Jess asked me to.” Supergirl miraculously gave the answer in less than a thousand words.

“She did what?”

“She said that she was going on vacation and that she didn’t trust you to properly take care of yourself. So, I volunteered to help.”

Once again, Lena found her jaw dropping and eyes widening.

“She even wrote me an instruction list.” Supergirl casually mentioned, not at all noticing the blood-curling shock on the young Luthor’s face.

“She...She wrote you...” Lena tried to mutter.

Supergirl began fumbling around in her suit, “I swear I had it somewhere here.” She patted her cape, “Darn, must’ve left it in my other cape.”

It must be a dream. There’s no possible explanation at how more and more absurd this situation was becoming.

Supergirl shrugged before turning back to her, “Anyway, she wrote me a list of instructions. Which restaurants to pick up from on which days, what to get from each restaurant, allergies. Days on which you might miss breakfast at home, days when you’ll be working extra late for a late second dinner. Important meetings I shouldn’t interrupt, stressful meetings that need a double shot afterwards. She wrote the type of tea you like to drink when you’re working on contracts, and the Kale smoothie that you drink when it’s hot out.” Supergirl made a disgusted face at that, “She even specified food items you don’t like in your food, like pickles in sandwiches and green olives in your salads. And other food items to add that aren’t in the ingredients, like cashews on your salad and-”

“Fuck me, I don’t pay that woman nearly half of what she deserves.” Lena blurted out, sighing out loud.

Supergirl suddenly stopped listing things - another habit of hers - and looked at Lena with a shocked face, before looking down and playing with her fingers with wide eyes and a blushing face.

Lena had a feeling that it had everything to do with the fuck me aspect of her blutness. It wasn’t her fault! All of this was too much! Was she really that snobby rich CEO who didn’t know anything about her assistant's duties. She knew Jess’ job wasn’t easy, sometimes Lena found her job harder than her own, but she never knew it was damn near impossible!

Lena pinched the bridge of her nose again, and sat down on the armchair that she had pulled out on the balcony the other day. She was honestly afraid to ask - if this whole conversation was anything to go by, she’d probably get some bizarre answer that’ll probably spin her head - but she needed to know one more thing.

She looked up at the hero, who was still very much blushing at the fuck me statement. She rolled her eyes and asked her question.

“I still don’t fully grasp why you refused to speak to me while delivering the food to my balcony. In fact, you avoided speaking to me so much to the point that you dangled my coffee cup by a string.”

Supergirl pointed with a finger, “Not my finest moment, I admit.”

“So, why? Would it have been so awful for you to-”

"I just thought you wouldn't like me." Supergirl answered sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

And there it was. The bizarreness unleashed.

“I beg your pardon?” Lena cocked an eyebrow.

“I thought you wouldn’t really like me, you know, as Supergirl.” Supergirl replied again, kicking some non-existent pebble. “I can be a little awkward in front of beautiful, smart, brunette women. My sister always makes fun of me for it. Says it's my kryptonite. So, yeah. I figured to just drop off the food and just go. But then you had to pull that trick and work from the balcony so I had to improvise."

"You thought... You thought I wouldn’t like you?"

"Yup."

"Me?"

"Uhu."

"Not like you? Supergirl?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Commence jaw drop once more.

“But you also thought that I knew that you were Kara Danvers?” Lena asked, the fact she even said that was still mind blowing. She was talking to Kara Danvers who was also Supergirl.

Supergirl shrugged, “Yeah, what about it?”

Lena furrowed her eyebrows together, “So why wouldn’t I like you as Supergirl if I like you as Kara, if you thought that I thought that you were the same person?” the question gave her a headache just saying it.

Supergirl’s eyes widened, “You like me as Kara?” she gasped out.

“Was that what you got out of that question?” Lena asked. She needed to redirect the topic away - very very much away - from the fact that she like Kara Danvers.

Who happens to be Supergirl.

Supergirl was still sporting a dopey grin at it, but then lit up when she remembered something else, “Also, Jess said that you don’t like people in general.”

“Jess said that I don’t like people.”

“No, she said something else. But I’d really rather not say that out loud to you.”

Lena crossed her arms, standing up and facing the Girl of Steel with steel eyes of her own, “What did Jess say?”

Supergirl pouted, “Do I really have t...”

Lena pushed her on with a raised eyebrow.

“But...But...”

Eyebrow seemed to go higher.

Supergirl sighed, “She said you were prickly.”

“ Prickly ?” Lena honestly expected something worse. Like bitch. Or monster workaholic.

“Yeah. You know, like a cactus. And that only people who really got to know you would find water inside. Or something like that. I can’t really remember. But she called you prickly.”

Suddenly, something began to beep from Supergirl suit. The hero hunched over and reached inside her red boot, taking her phone out.

Lena figure it must be some sort of emergency in the city. A fire, maybe. A bank being robbed. Someone needed saving. A car...

"Ooh, it's time for your 2 O'clock lunch!" Supergirl exclaimed.

Not that!

She expected sirens! Fire Trucks! People in danger! Not her 2 O’clock lunch!

“Oh God, I can’t believe Supergirl has a reminder on her phone for my lunch.” she whispered, falling back on the armchair, giving up on trying to come to terms with everything that had happened in the last half hour.

Supergirl was busy on her phone, typing something and mumbling to herself, “Today is tuesday, so that means it’s the...” she pursed her lips, typing more, before, “Okay, I just ordered your baby spinach salad.” She looked up at Lena, “Apple, pecan and honey dressing, right?”

“R-Right...” Lena stuttered. Supergirl was literally taking her lunch order.

This is a dream. There is no possible way that...

Supergirl nodded, “Okay, I’m just gonna go grab it. It’ll take me no more than a minute.” she said, shrugging.

“Uhh O-okay.” Lena said, still frozen at the idea of Supergirl going to get her her lunch.

Supergirl reached behind her, pulled out a bag that was ultimately tied to the inside of her cape it seemed, “Do you mind if I just leave my Potstickers, here?”

Seven. Lena counted seven times now that Supergirl had said something that had caused her jaw to drop.

“Did you just put off a fire, save countless people, and have this whole conversation with me with a bag of dumplings tied to the inside of your cape?”

Supergirl chuckled, “You’d be surprised how often I do that.” she said, “I’ll be right back.”

She flew away right before Lena managed to gather herself and utter a, “Take your time.”

A minute later, Lena felt her clothes ruffle from a bust of wind as Supergirl landed on her balcony once more. “One spinach salad with apple, pecan and honey dressing.” she smiled brightly, putting the bag on the table. She picked up her own bag of potstickers, “And I believe these lovely potstickers are mine.” she grinned, barely hiding her excitement.

Lena finally caught up with her everlasting shock in time to stutter out, "Would... Would you like to have lunch with me?" she blurted out.

Supergirl sported on a huge grin at the question, "Would I ever?!" she exclaimed, already sitting cross-legged on the coffee table like she had done so a thousand times.

Lena said nothing about the existence of chairs. She actually liked how at ease the hero was as she dug inside her takeout bag and pulled out a container of potstickers.

Lena shook out of her daydream, not wanting Supergirl to catch her staring and took out her own lunch. She looked up just as she opened her plate to find Supergirl had already stuffed three potstickers in her chipmunk cheeks. She giggled, causing the blonde to look up in surprise with wide eyes as though she had been caught once more without her table manners. She gulped down the unchewed contents and gave Lena a guilty smile with a cringe of her eyes.

Lena chuckled, “You’re very different from your cousin.”

“Yeah, I’m the weird one in the family.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read it on AO3 HERE

#the supercorp one shot where supergirl delivers food to lena's balcony and lena is very very confused #jess is my favorite person #awkward kara danvers #ranting supergirl #confused luthor #puppy kara danvers #This blog is no longer a Supercorp blog #Supercorp one-shot #writing #fanfiction #oneshot #my writing

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[wftc141]

Blackwatch Chapter 3: DedPersons

9:11 AM, Local Time

Rome, Italy

June, 2018

"Grazie." Amélie said as she took the hot cup of coffee from the young cashier.

She simply returned a warm smile before turning back to the long queue. Amélie turned away and headed for the door where Gabriel was waiting for her, leaning against the door frame with a cup of coffee as well. The cafe was quite bustling and full, especially during the morning. A lot of customers were either doing errands or getting themselves the newest arrival on the board. Once Amélie walked past Gabriel, he turned away and followed her out onto the crowded plaza.

"As I was saying," Gabriel started, continuing his earlier conversation. "I think we might be going back to Zambia."

"What makes you think that?" Amélie asked.

"The fact that the NSA scooped up some footage of a new leader taking over the Macaba militia camp. They don't know who it is but they believe it's someone from the Macaba family."

"How many relatives do you think he has?"

"Probably enough to run an army."

No words were spoken between them afterwards. Gabriel stared out at the glint of the scorching sun from a distance with his sunglasses reflecting the blinding light off. His frown, surrounded by the goatee, remained plastered on his face and he tugged the collar of his shirt sticking to his skin.

"What's with the long face?" Amélie asked, grabbing Gabriel's attention.

"What'd you mean?" He replied as he sipped his coffee.

"You look like somebody slapped you really hard."

"Isn't this how I normally look?"

"Gabe, you and I have been together since the first day Blackwatch was activated. I already know what you look like by now."

Gabriel sighed while tapping the cup with his fingers. He stared at what's in front of him without glancing at Amélie. His other hand slid into his pocket.

"I just found out my kids are about to graduate yesterday and when I asked Jackie if I could come, she wouldn't let me. Doesn't want me involved in their lives anymore. Guess that's what happens when I'm a dedicated soldier with no time for family."

"You two still haven't worked things out?" She asked.

"Sadly, no."

"C'est une honte. What about your kids?"

"We're still on good terms but my daughter still doesn't approve of the war and she probably hates my guts for it."

"Would you really blame them? Not everybody is into killing." Amélie said, adjusting her sunglasses.

Gabriel scoffed. "Says the woman who once murdered rich people and performed ballet as if nothing ever happened."

Amélie ignored him and took a sip of the coffee as they walked out of the plaza and into the street. As they stopped by a crossing light, Gabriel took out his phone from his pockets which buzzed in his hand. He answered it and lifted it to his ear.

"Hello?"

There was a brief pause, attracting Amélie's curiosity despite voices around them drowning each other out. Gabriel nodded shortly with his eyes flicking downwards.

"Alright. We'll be there."

The call finished and Gabriel lowered his phone. Amélie stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"Well, this is a surprise." He said, slipping the phone back into his pockets.

"Mission?" Amélie asked.

"Maybe. Sombra's in Virginia with the CIA and she needs us there tomorrow afternoon sharp."

Next Day

3:21 PM, Local Time

McLean, USA

George Bush Center for Intelligence

The team arrived at the headquarters after a long flight to McLean. As they entered inside, they were immediately greeted by the sight of Sombra reclining on one of the couches nearby. Several other people at the very back filed in back and forth across the reception area where the large CIA seal was plastered on. Once her eyes locked onto the team, she got off the couch and approached them.

"About time, amigos. You guys are really slow, ya know?" She said.

"Get straight to the point, Sombra. What's going on?" Gabriel replied.

"Blackwatch." A voice called out, attracting the team's attention.

They turned towards the source of the voice and noticed Salvatore approaching them. He wasn't alone however as there was a woman walking beside him. Blonde Hispanic with hair tied into a bun and a grey suit. Possibly in her forties.

"Glad you were able to make it, Reyes," he said before gesturing towards the woman. "Allow me to introduce you all to Mrs Alexis Morales, Director of the National Clandestine Service. Mrs Morales, this is the Blackwatch unit I was telling you about."

"I see," the director hummed as she glanced across the team. "Pleasure to meet you all. If you would just follow me to the debriefing."

She turned away and walked off towards the corridor on the right. Salvatore nodded towards them, prompting the team to follow her. Once they arrived at the conference room, they sat down facing the projector in front of them. Morales and Sombra stood beside it while Salvatore watched from the side.

"I would like all of you to open up the folders placed in front of you and read all of the contents thoroughly." Morales ordered.

The team picked up the folders and read through the documents in silence. Morales then started up the projector, presenting a PowerPoint on their mission.

"Last week, the CIA was hit by a DDoS attack for two hours and by the time the servers were back online, the data inside vanished. Thanks to the efforts of Sombra, we have discovered that the attack came from a group of hackers via a digital trail they left behind."

"You know, I actually found it funny that you guys were able to miss that one tiny detail. I mean, come on! Was that so hard to find? I thought your analysts were meant to be the brains of the agency." Sombra said.

"As Mrs. Morales was saying," Salvatore continued, ignoring the red-haired hacker. "Based on the emails Sombra intercepted, the hackers were hired by a communist mafia who call themselves the People's Republic of Romania."

"So, a communist mafia. That's new." Marvel commented.

"These men are loyal to the ideas of communism. Formed during the Cold War, they were known for many crimes of the states, mainly in countries that don't support their views. Money laundering, arms trafficking, murder, counterfeiting, anything that falls under the category of organized crime."

"What'd they steal?" Ray asked.

"Oh, you know. Just a buncha names and secret stuff that could be used against the government, the same old." Sombra answered.

"And it's best that we retrieve the data back and if possible, eliminate the mafia by all means. We cannot risk retaliation or worse, a conflict. The digital trail Sombra found led us to a ranch in Bennington, Vermont where satellite footage has reported sightings of what appeared to be the mafia taking over the ranch along with the hackers. We are safe to assume this is where the data would be at."

"Me, McCree and Sombra can take this one." Gabriel said.

"What do we do about the hackers?" Sombra glanced at the leader.

"Unless they try to shoot back, they aren't our main priority."

5:47 PM, Local Time

Bennington, USA

After touching down at the William H. Morse Airport, Gabriel and his group got off the plane where several agents were posted nearby. They made their way to a black Tahoe parked near the entrance gate where a pair of agents were. McCree took the driver's seat while the rest took the passenger seats. Starting the engine, McCree drove themselves past the gate and out to the narrow road.

As the drive progressed to the highway, Gabriel looked at the rear mirror and caught sight of Sombra at the back with purple headphones on and a phone on her right hand resting on her lap. God knows what she's listening to but it wasn't much of his concern and interest. He looked away and stared out of the window. The drab autumn trees tossed lightly, obscuring the sky while dark, ragged clouds close in. There was a report of wet weather on its way so the group brought in some jackets to keep them dry.

Few minutes later and they arrived at the road leading to the ranch. The entrance's gate was completely loose with its support wedged out of the terrain. Parking the Tahoe by the gate, the group hopped out with their weapons and backpacks and delved into the bushy forest next to the gate. Gabriel put on his ski mask partially like a beanie.

As they navigated through the forest, the leaves began to rustle and the shadows closed in completely. The sky by now was completely concealed by the clouds. The team stopped once they got close to the end of the forest where a fence was placed, leaving out the forest.

"Sombra, get your drone up."

Without a word, she went with it and took out her recon drone with an installed camera. After getting it airborne, she used her tablet to control the drone. Gabriel pulled out his binoculars from his backpack and scouted the ranch. There were fewer gangsters around the ranch than he had anticipated. The main entrance of the ranch was guarded by two armed men under a portable gazebo along with a white car parked near them.

"How many inside the house?" Gabriel asked.

"That's strange," Sombra muttered. "There's only like five guys and that's not including the hackers. Thought there was gonna be more."

"Maybe we're just overestimating 'em." McCree said.

"My guess as well." Gabriel replied.

Sombra glanced at the team leader while controlling the drone. "So how do you wanna pull this off?"

"If it follows the term 'stealth', then that's how we'll do it," Gabriel tossed his binoculars into his bag and pulled his mask on. "Lets go."

Once Sombra retrieved her drone, she held the custom MP7 slung around her shoulder and followed Gabriel and McCree out of the forest and over the fence. The lawn outside the ranch was overgrown with its grass rustling and waving to the breeze; It was long enough for the team to hide behind the foliage undetected. As Gabriel led the team towards the ranch, McCree and Sombra were at his rear checking back at the two men at the entrance.

The team reached the curved walkway, closing in on the house that stood in front of them. The dark brown paint and some of the wooden aspects of the two-floor house definitely stood out with the autumn forest around it. They can see the calm river behind the house as well.

As Gabriel approached the side of the house while crouching, he noticed a drip of water bounce off the rail of the rifle before continuous drips of water skimmed upon his body in a stable rhythm. Gabriel did his best to ignore it and pulled the hood over his head. By the time they reached the side, the rain was pouring on like wildfire. McCree and Sombra both pulled on their hoods from the oncoming rain.

Gabriel advanced towards the porch, walking up the stairs while aiming his rifle with the others following him and covering their rear. There, the team were shielded from the downpour with water dripping off the edges of the roof. They can hear the fierceness of the rain from the noisy impact from the roof.

"So, five hostiles inside, Sombra?" Gabriel whispered as he approached the door.

"Yep," She nodded. "Three upstairs and two downstairs."

Gabriel clasped his free hand over the doorknob. Turning it over, the lock clicked and the door slowly moved. Gabriel slowly pushed the door open with his right shoulder without bumping it hard and peeked through the narrow gap. Through the gap, he could see a defect washing machine stacked against the wall. There was no sign of anybody from what he could see. Gabriel pushed the door further and made his first step onto the wooden floor.

Once the door swung open, Gabriel made his move first while scanning the area with his rifle. Sombra was the last to enter and closed the door softly, shutting out the hailing rain outside. Gabriel glanced around as he headed out of the room and into the corridor, leading to what appeared to be a dining room.

He stopped once he reached the end and peered to his right where he noticed a stout man sporting a work shirt in the kitchen, grabbing something from the fridge. Gabriel stepped back and held out his right hand curled into a fist while holding the foregrip tightly. Sombra and McCree stopped but still held their weapons. The man called out to someone in Romanian with whoever it was responding back.

Gabriel checked up on the man who closed the fridge door and walked back towards the living room with a beer can. Gabriel moved forward in a fast pace and aimed his rifle for the head, flicking the safety pin off. He had no reason to doubt whether that guy was one of the mobsters or not. Pulling the trigger, the suppressor flashed and the man fell in an instant with two bloody holes on the back of his head, tumbling over a chair. A loud hiss coming from the fallen can rang across the room.

"One down." Gabriel muttered, flicking the safety back on.

As he went around the table to check on the body, he heard the voice from the other room call out in concern. Gabriel jumped over to the right side of the arch and aimed his rifle at the corridor next to the living room, safety off again. Shortly, a slightly skinnier man in a worn sweater emerged from the corridor with a pistol in hand. Just as he noticed the body, Gabriel fired several rounds to the gangster's chest before he fell back.

"That's the second one down."

Sombra and McCree walked past him as he checked the fat mobster he meant to look at. After making sure both of them were dead, Gabriel caught up with Sombra and McCree where they were by the stairs. Patting McCree's shoulder, he advanced up the stairwell with McCree taking the lead. Once they reached the upper floor, they found themselves facing a door with a narrow corridor to their left, leading elsewhere. The lights were off, leaving nothing but shuttered shadows with drips sliding down.

Gabriel approached the door, closed and silent. A room with a closed door is more likely to be occupied by hostiles, which was something Jack Morrison taught back in the day. He still remembered how much he tried to one-up the Sergeant during their early years when he was still a Private searching for the thrills.

Gabriel stood next to the door and waved at Sombra and McCree, prompting them to stack up next to it. Once they were ready, Gabriel stepped in front of the door and kicked it open, boot making contact near the doorknob. As the door flung open, Gabriel stormed into the room. He noticed several people facing the computer monitors spin around, startled. His left eye caught sight of a gangster reaching for his gun on the table. Gabriel aimed and fired several rounds to his body. He fell onto the table forcibly before sliding off. Several suppressed shots were fired and more bodies landed on the floor.

"Room clear!" McCree barked.

Gabriel aimed his rifle at the hackers, still stuck to their seats. All of them had their hands up, keeping their backs towards them. They looked young and dressed in clothes young people would wear.

"Stay right where you are." Gabriel ordered.

The hackers remained frozen, probably already got the message. As his breathing kept a steady pace, Gabriel began to step away from them while keeping his aim at them.

"Sombra, get the data and everything they stole into this drive." Gabriel took out a hard drive from his pocket for Sombra.

"Got it, jefe." She replied, taking the hard drive and approaching one of the server racks nearby with a laptop on it.

"McCree, go outside and keep watch."

"Yessir."

McCree quickly left the room but left the door open. Sombra plugged in the hard drive into the laptop and began to make that computer magic. As she tapped into the network, one of the hackers began to turn around while still keeping his hands up. His hair was light blonde and a necklace hung in front of his maroon hoodie. Gabriel didn't bother to order him to turn back, unless he was armed.

"Wait a minute," he muttered with a Polish accent. "Y-you're Sombra? The actual Sombra?"

She turned around and pulled the hood off, letting her hair loose. "Who's asking?"

The hacker and the others exchanged glances of surprise, gasping and chatting amongst each other. Gabriel still kept his aim at them.

"Niesamowite! I can't believe it! You're a legend in the hacking industry!" The Polish hacker exclaimed.

"Aww, it's nice to know I have some fans," Sombra replied, turning away. "I heard about you guys too and how you managed to break into the servers with a DDoS attack. Took some bolas for you boys to rob the CIA."

"Wait, wait? The CIA?" The Polish hacker repeated.

Sombra wasn't too surprised since one of the emails she retrieved indicated that none of them knew who they were actually robbing.

"Oh? They didn't tell you?"

"N-No," he replied. "We were just told to steal some stuff from a rival mob and that was it."

"They were gonna pay us half the money we stole from the mob once we finished." Another hacker with a Finnish accent added.

Sombra hummed in a doubtful manner. "Take it from me, guys. Gangbangers nowadays don't play ball when it comes to money."

Gabriel wasn't into the conversation of any way. This was a mission, not a get-along group.

"How's the progress, Sombra?" He growled, glancing at her.

She tapped a key, displaying a loading bar on the screen and turned to Gabriel. "Gonna take a while, jefe."

"Reaper, you might wanna see this." McCree called out from outside.

Gabriel went out of the room and noticed McCree watching the window at the corridor. He was staring outside with his free hand holding the curtains aside.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Some of our Romanian buddies are back." McCree said, moving away for the leader.

Gabriel pushed the curtains away and glanced out the window overlooking the front yard. Two SUVs and the white car from the entrance were closing in on the house. Gabriel had a gut feeling that these guys now knew they weren't expecting visitors.

"Shit, they must've discovered our car." He muttered as the vehicles stopped and the doors opened.

"What do we do, boss?" McCree asked.

The front door opened and voices filled the floor from below. They heard footsteps advancing up the stairs. Gabriel got his rifle ready and aimed at the stairs while approaching it. McCree followed suit. Just as he reached the start of the stairs, Gabriel immediately caught contact of a large, bald man with a pistol in his right hand heading towards their direction. Gabriel opened fire first with three rounds to his chest. The pistol went off, hitting the ceiling as the gangster tumbled back down and slammed against a rail.

As voices began to escalate over the sounds of the hailing rain, Gabriel and McCree went down the stairs and got a glimpse of another gangster appearing from a room near the front door. Gabriel quickly put him down before he could raise his own gun. He approached the living room to his right, only for two gangsters to come into his way.

They both opened fire while backing up. Gabriel ducked below oncoming bullets while still aiming his rifle. The skinny gangster he was aiming for was really bad at aiming or even holding it properly, therefore allowing several rounds hit his body while the rest penetrated the slider doors. The other one was out of sight. Gabriel heard several suppressed shots from the other side as he entered the living room.

He turned to the kitchen where he found the rest of the gangsters holed up together. Gabriel counted three gangsters before taking cover from suppressive fire. He switched the rifle to his left hand and fired back without peeking over. The gunfire slightly ceased, prompting Gabriel to grab a stun grenade under his jacket. With a hard toss, he listened to the grenade bounce and slide on the wood before a deafening bang erupted.

When the groans and shrieks followed up, Gabriel moved out of cover and raised his rifle, taking out the two gangsters who moved away from the kitchen before approaching the last one. As he moved towards the counter, Gabriel noticed a gangster hiding behind the table too late before he made his attack.

They both shuffled and struggled as the gangster's hands gripped over Gabriel's rifle with the discharge hitting elsewhere being unhelpful. Gabriel kicked his leg with little effect. The gangster pushed Gabriel against the wall, knocking off something hanging on the wall. Just as Gabriel felt a fist slam across his face, his rifle was yanked off his grip. His left hand balled into a fist and it felt as if he had no control of the hand.

As soon as let his hand loose, it flung at the gangster's side and Gabriel let it continue until his muscles gave up. He lifted his fist and sent it flying to the gangster's face, hitting his jaw. With the gangster dazed, Gabriel punched the arms holding him, breaking himself free. He noticed the gangster's pistol tucked in front of his pants and pulled it out before he could. Without hesitation, Gabriel fired two shots to the chest and a final blow to the head.

As the gangster fell onto the chair, tumbling down with it, Gabriel scanned the rest of the room with the pistol. After making one last sweep and confirming the house was empty, Gabriel lowered the gun to take a look. A Mauser C96. Very old fashioned. Dropping the gun, Gabriel reached for his rifle and patched in.

"Main house is clear. Shadow 3, what's your status?" He said, holding his fingers on the earpiece.

"Clear on my position!" McCree huffed, sounding like he had a massive firefight outside.

Gabriel then ordered him to head back inside and went upstairs. He walked up to the door which was shut. Sombra would be at her defensive position at this point.

"This is Shadow 1, hold your fire." He called out.

The door suddenly opened and Sombra appeared in his view, holding her MP7. Gabriel walked inside where the hackers were still there. Shaken but fine overall.

"Is it done?" Gabriel asked.

"Yep," Sombra replied, holding up the hard drive. "Everything they stole is in here."

Gabriel nodded, ignoring the hackers. "Alright, lets go."

"What about them?"

He stopped and turned around where Sombra was facing. The hackers were still there. They may be tricked into stealing from the world's well known agency but their crimes can't go unpunished. Unless they were willing to accept. The CIA or Salvatore could give zero shits if he puts them down or not but they were lucky he wasn't given that order. Gabriel approached them and aimed his rifle at them, startling the hackers and prompting them to raise their hands.

"Jefe, what the hell are you doing?" Sombra called out.

He ignored her and remained fixated at those young men, aiming across them with a sight focused on each of them. For the next few seconds, it was silent except with the frantic breathing.

"You do know the rifle's safety is on?" Gabriel said, still aiming his rifle. "That means I can't shoot anything out of it unless I flick it off. And you know what happens when it's off?"

No response.

"R-Reaper, we got what we came for. You don't have to-" Sombra tried to say.

"I can kill all of you right here, right now. In fact, I wouldn't be here to waste my time talking to you kids. I can just pull the trigger and get this over with...but you're lucky I don't have the order."

Gabriel moved slowly towards the Polish hacker and held his glare at him.

"What you've done and how you did it can't be left ignored. And I don't give two shits if you were hired by the mafia or whoever that was. You pay for the price, no matter the circumstance. But I'm not in the mood of taking a life of another man so I can tell you this and you better listen closely cause I won't repeat myself."

The Polish hacker was on the verge of breaking down, trembling non-stop. Gabriel glanced at the rest of the hackers. He already had their names way back at Virginia from the leaked trail.

"Daniel. Antero. Miles. Noah. Roman. You leave this house and you don't speak of this ever again. I don't care how, just as long as you're outta here. And don't try anything stupid on the way out cause we will be watching you. But if I hear another mention of any of your names, we will hunt you down and once I find you...this safety won't be on. Do I make myself clear?"

The whole room was dead silent with fear. Roman was already petrified with the barrel of the rifle pressed against his chest as well as the others. Everybody nodded frantically.

"SAY IT." Gabriel barked.

The hackers all said 'yes' hastily and between squeaks and mumbling. Gabriel sighed and lifted his rifle away from Roman.

"Good," he began to dig into his pockets and took out the keys to their car. "The car's at the front entrance down the forest. Black Chevrolet. Take this and get outta here. No smart moves, got it?"

All of them nodded beyond normal and Gabriel handed the keys to Roman. As soon as the keys were off his hand, the hackers began to gather their things with the backpacks and they dashed out of the room. He turned around where Sombra was standing outside, bewildered and surprised. Gabriel got out the SAT phone and dialed the number.

"Jesus, Reaper," She muttered. "Was this part of your Scaring Kids to Death initiative or something?"

"It's done," Gabriel said, ignoring Sombra. "The data is in the drive."

There was a pause before Gabriel nodded and finished up the call. He slipped the phone into his pockets and went down the stairs.

"We're leaving. The cops are already on their way," he tapped the earpiece. "McCree, find a car that is still running because we'll be using it."

"Got it."

As Gabriel and Sombra left the house, they walked off the porch to the sight of bodies scattered and sprawled around the field with bullet-ridden cars left behind, smoke rising from the front. A white SUV backed up to where Gabriel and Sombra was and turned to the side with McCree driving. The two stored their equipment and backpacks in the boot and got in, staining the seats with soaked clothed. Just as they did so, the car sped off and drove around the dumped cars before reaching the front gate, hearing nothing but the raging downpour.

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[bolbianddolanhouse]

BNHA self insert AU

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Chapter 35: I Want to See My Little Boy~ Here He Comes!

Being an agent for the government SUCKS! The people in that circle are married with older children, voluntarily single or are uncommitted to someone...then theres me, in a new relationship, youngest of the group and has a multi-million company. Needless to say, I don’t fit in because everyone hates me one way or another PLUS it takes time away from spending it with Tenya. He’s been understanding that it’s hard to manage two high profile jobs but the guilt that I have overrides my thoughts. 

-Tenya’s apartment, 7:45pm-

“Hey, I missed you” I baby talked as Tenya opened the door to let me in “hug me! I had a rough week.” I hold my arms out and pout.

“Aww usually I don’t like the baby talk” he said as he picked me up and closed the door “but I don’t like the pout more, what’s wrong?”

“Agent work is what’s wrong” I squeezed him as he carried me to the couch “I hate being part of my branch, I don’t get the respect I deserve” I levitate so he could sit first then I float onto his lap “I’ve been working there for almost 2 years now and honest to Ru Paul, I want to quit and just be CEO full time.”

“Why don’t you?” curiously asked Tenya as he put his arm around me “I know you make rational decisions when it comes to these things, what’s the reason to stay?”

“Well there was multiple reasons” I started “one of them was that I was single, obviously that didn’t stay that way, another was that it paid well to the point that I didn’t need to get loans to start my company. But the main one is that I literally went to school was for that type of work, I’m starting to think I should switch over to the independent branch.” I sighed stressfully “But I have to prove myself worthy of the spot, it’s not enough to have the education or strength to be in. They’d have to take notice in me first, then make their choice.”

“That does sound difficult” he stroked her hair to comfort “but you’re amazing at anything you do! Even if you don’t get scouted, I still love you”

“That’s what I’m afraid of” I put my hand on his cheek “if I stay, there won’t be much time for us to spend together. We’ve been together for what, 3 months. And we’ve only seen each other 5 times!” 

“And I’m grateful for every second I spend with you” he puts his hand over the hand on his face “I know you’re loyal and I only have eyes for you. Don’t worry about our love being distraught.”

“You say that but I’m still afraid.” 

“Let me tell you something” he brought her in closer “I didn’t think love was for me until I met you, really. I spent all my time and focus on being a hero because my family prides themselves on that” he holds her hand “then I saw you on that day and didn’t understand why my heart stirred when you cried or why I felt so happy when I heard you laugh. Slowly I came to realize that it was love and it was nice to finally feel what I’ve seen others have for each other” he leaned in to kiss her forehead “all these emotions and affection, it’s all for you. I won’t have love for anyone else except you, I’m convinced you’re my soulmate.”

“I’m going to literally cry Tenya” I throw my arms around his neck “I guess it does make me a little better that you feel that way” we kiss and hold each other “hey, is it alright if-” I got interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing “OH MY GOD CAN’T I JUST HAVE ONE NIGHT?! JUST ONE TO GET A NUT GOING!” I stress yelled as I checked my phone, my stomach dropped when I saw it was the Best Jeanist agency. “Hello? This is Agent 19, at your service sir!”

“Oh what a relief!” Jinko sighed in relief “I’m so glad I caught your attention because it’s serious.”

“I’m sure it is” I motion Tenya to let go of me so I could stand up “what’s the sitch?”

“We got intel that the fire user in the League of Villains is taking up on Black Phantom’s offer” Jinko’s tone was serious “we need Black Phantom and crew to come get him and bring him home.”

“No way” I gasped “it’s been what, 4 years since the offer?! I can’t believe it!” I compose myself “Okay, I’ll have my team ready for you in 20 minutes. Have the head of intel send me coordinates and other details and I’ll contact you when we’re at the ready.”

“I trust in you 3 to get things done swiftly and safely” Jinko takes a deep breath “the boss would be so proud of you.”

“You’re making it sound like he died! He’s just retired, you’re the boss now Jinko!” I make light of things “talk to you soon.”

“I know but still, I’ll be on stand by.” He said before I hung up.

“I’m guessing you have to go?” Tenya said fixing his glasses.

“Yeah, I really wanted to stay the night tonight” I sighed as I walked up to him “I’ll be back tomorrow, same time” I kissed him “I love you.”

“I’ll be awaiting your arrival” he looked into her eyes “I love you, be safe.”

I nod and run out the door and down the street to teleport myself to my office to tell Mimi and Jin to portal in to suit up and tell them the details. They were pumped to do the whole Black Phantom gig again and the twist to take the villain back to his family made things that much interesting. The location was 5 miles out of the business district near the Best Jeanist agency. Jinko was contacted and they let us know that we are allowed to portal into their basement level to keep the villain in without revealing where they were.

“Okay, voice changers on” I said before switching mine on “we get him and get out, no other detainments to prevent any suspicions” I turn to Mimi “bullet wounds are okay but no butthole bullseye!”

“Fine! I won’t pop a cap in they ass” Mimi pouted and put their face gear on “ready baby boy?”

“As I’ll ever be” he put on his face gear “it’s about time I get some real action around here!”

We peer over the edge of the building to see all of them just loitering about like they had nothing to do.

“I’m bored Shiggy-kun!” groaned Toga “why are we out here anyways?”

“We’re out here because one of you is being disloyal to me!” Shigaraki huffed “come forward and I won’t turn you to dust, and the longer you deny, the longer I keep everyone out here!”

“This is stupid! We’re the main ones that has been nothing but loyal!” Spinner yelled “some of us came back to you after we got arrested!”

“Well with Kurogiri gone” Shigaraki crossed his arms “I haven’t trusted anybody, regardless of seniority” his face got tense “now which one of you has something to say?”

After a tense 3 minutes, we took it as a cue to pop in.

“Well, well, well” I strolled in sight out of the connecting alleyway “looks like a party up in here, how sweet.”

“It’s you!” Toga yelled “back off! We’re not in your turf this time” she pulls out her knife “I’ll protect you boss!”

“Silly girl!” I laughed “I came here to get what’s mine” I held out my hand and levitated Dabi “my raven haired beauty~ how nice to have everyone gathered here to say good bye!”

“Let go of him!” Shigaraki said through gritted teeth “he’s not yours, he’s part of my league!”

“Aww, he didn’t tell you?” I taunted as I pulled Dabi closer to me “he’s tired of working for you and being contained when he could be with me and have unlimited power.”

“Dabi, don’t tell me-” Shigaraki pleaded.

“It’s all true” Dabi said as he was set down next to me “I’m sick of your childish ways, they have the right idea, fuck the symbol of peace!”

“Now if you don’t mind” I gesture for Dabi’s hand “me and my new associate have much to discuss, bye bye Hand Man.”

“Dabi, if you take their hand, I’ll-”

“Or you’ll do what Handy?!” threatened Mimi as they appeared “that’s right! Boss doesn’t leave without some heat!” she pulled out her gun and cocked it.

“Yeah! Whatcha packin in this fight Hand Job?!” Jin rolled in with his twin swords.

Dabi puts their hand in mine “Let’s go, I don’t want to stick around.”

“With pleasure” I said before turning around to head toward the alleyway “if any of you follows us, we won’t hesitate to kill you.” We walked away without a protest, we fell in a portal into the place under the agency. We took a deep breath but we were excited. 

“Holy shit, I can’t believe that worked” Mimi squealed.

“I was about ready to shit myself when little girl pulled her knife out to protect their shitty boss!” Jin cackled “man what a bunch of clowns!”

Dabi looked around the room and at the 3 in all black, a curious thought popped in his mind. “Thank you for swooping in Boss” he bowed “may I have the honor of knowing my new team mates?”

The 3 looked at each other and took a collective deep breath, I stepped forward “Oh my beauty, I’m afraid we have a horrible confession to make” I motion him to sit on one of the chairs “we aren’t a villainous gang, nor heroes. We’re part of a private seeking team that collects information on everything and everyone that might prove use to us or a benefactor.”

“But why me? I’m just a runaway that joined the League of Villains” he protested “if I’m not being detained, then what am I doing here?”

I motioned for Mimi and Jin to remove their face gear and switch off the voice changers, I did the same “We are agents that were assigned to find you and take you home to your family” I reveal my face, hair undone as I lifted my visor “they’ve never stopped looking for you, Touya.”

“You- you’re that CEO!” he gasped “I didn’t believe that you’re an agent! You’re Black Phantom?!”

“Black Phantom was just a villain persona that I made up on the spot” I explained “I wasn’t supposed to interact with you on that night but my fellow agent that I was interning with needed a distraction to escape, so I distracted long enough but in the process I created this.” I look at Mimi and Jin “and these two are my best friends that came along for that lair raid, I don’t leave without them.” I look back at Dabi “But I gain some information on you and turns out there’s a leading suspicion that you’re the missing Todoroki sibling.”

“That old man only wants me back to throw me out himself!” he out bursted “I was never good enough, he abused my mother and little brother!”

“He’s not the one that’s been looking for you” I smiled “it’s Fuuyumi, she’s been looking for you since you ran away. The police put you as a cold case until I re-opened it about 5 years ago when I was training to be an agent.” I put my hand on his face to check his vitals “I had my suspicions it was you because you have blue eyes and blue flames, the only family I know that has those traits are the Todorokis.”

“Fuuyumi? Of course she’s been looking for me” he softly laughed “she wanted to keep us together through my old man’s abuse” he looked up at her face “I’m guessing you’re going to detain me until she comes?”

“Actually, we have orders that we deliver you home” Mimi spoke up “you might be guilty of a lot of things but we won’t treat you like an animal! We’re going to have you go through a full medical exam, get you some new clothes, feed you and have some liberties in a facility for a few days before we take you home.”

“It’s not bad actually” Jin explained “it’s like a less depressing hospital with a huge indoor garden and the food doesn’t suck.”

After some quick communication with the facility, they got transported there and stayed for 3 days before getting the okay to leave.

-On the way to the Todoroki estate-

“Nervous?” I asked him.

“A little” he fiddled with his hands “it’s just that I look so different and with my record, I don’t know if everyone is going to accept me right away.”

“They will” I put my hand on his knee “they’ve been in anticipation of your arrival, would somebody that doesn’t care go through all that for you?”

“I guess not” the car stops as he says that.

We walk up to the front and before I could knock, the three siblings swing the door open “BROTHER! IT REALLY IS YOU!” they yelled and hugged him.

“This is so sweet, Imma finna cry” I croaked as I wiped my tear.

“Palma-sama, please come in!” Shoto politely requested “we’d love to have you for some tea.”

“I’d love to, I haven’t been over in hot minute” I waited to get gestured in. We all sit in the main living room and everyone asks Touya questions as I sit and observe.

“Oh we’re being rude to our hero here!” Fuuyumi turns to me “how are you doing Palma-sama? Shoto tells me that you’ve been super busy since the Ingenium agency endorsement on your product.”

“Oh yes it has! Plus I repaired my friendship with little brother Ingenium, so things a pretty great.” I said as I picked up my teacup “also, my offer for front seats at my next product pitch at the heroes’ tech forum are on the table.”

“We have to go this time Fuuyumi!” Shoto begged “you saw how lavish her presentations are!”

“I did like the last one you did with the fashion catwalk style” she caved “okay we’ll go, Touya will come too.”

“I’ll put you all on the list” I took out my phone to make note “also I meant to say this earlier but I love the houseplants you have in here” I pointed at the plant in the entryway “it adds a serene lushness to the place.”

“I didn’t know you were all friends” Touya spoke up confused.

“We went to the same school” Shoto responded “and I’ve asked her to train with me to perfect the fire quirk.”

“And I’ve spent time getting to know her when they spar” Fuuyumi smiled “it’s so nice to have girl talk after seeing getting your brothers’ and father get pummeled.”

“Father? Brothers?” Touya turned to his brothers “she’s stronger?”

“You know, I’m still a little salty that you beat me without using quirks that last time” Natsuo grumbled “so embarrassing to lose to a girl a foot shorter than you.”

“Oh the look on father’s face with she did the fire clone move!” Shoto laughed “he was begging for her to stop!”

Touya looked at me with fear in his eyes “Is your family full of agents?”

“Oh heavens no! I just so happened to be at mastery in the fire quirk because I fight with my siblings everyday. So by the time I got to UA, I was a top fighter and just got stronger and stronger” I explained to make him not fear me “I’ve helped Shoto and others perfect their quirks with mine, I’m not some heartless monster! I care for my fellow student and others” I took a sip of tea “did I mention I’m from the United States?”

“NO WAY!” Touya exclaimed “I was wondering what family you’re from with that quirk! What is it? Levitation? Illusion? Charisma?”

“Nope, it’s Telekinesis and Copy” I show him the range of my quirks “...that’s why it’s hard to tire me or take me down, so many ways I can get the upper hand making it nearly impossible to predict my next move.”

“Speaking of next moves” Shoto butted in “why don’t you come to our family estate ball? It’s in 3 days.”

“Oh I’d love too! Can I bring a plus one?” I get giddy.

“Of course! Anything for you Palma-sama” Fuuyumi clapped “can’t wait to see your dress! I love your custom dresses, it’s better than what’s on the runway nowadays.”

I make their leave and the Todoroki family was reunited once again. 

-Night of the Ball-

“So nice to see you again Miss” Enji bowed as he greeted me.

“Oh please don’t bow!” I waved my hands to make him stop “seriously, it’s weird” I look to my left and see the siblings “look at y’all! So dolled up!” I walk toward them to greet them “I love that you’re all matching!”

“Palma-sama! I’m in love with this shimmer dress!” Fuuyumi fawned over my orange with gold shimmer gown with sheer sleeves “Who’s your designer?! You never say who it is!”

“Oh that’s confidential information” I winked “so who’s here?”

“Some of our classmates, coworkers, father’s guests” Shoto pointed to the crowd of people “a lot of them came just because we said you might show up.”

“Oh wow, that’s weird” I laughed, then turned to Touya “how’s the adjustment to home?”

“It’s like I never left” he clear his throat “but may I escort you to the main floor?” He holds his arm out for me to join him.

“How gentleman-ish of you!” I loop my arm with his and we walked in “oh this is a lot of people, more than the Iida estate ball.”

“I couldn’t help but to notice you came in alone” he said as he flagged down the cocktail servant “your friends couldn’t come?”

“They don’t like the formalness of these things unless it’s for business, then they deal with it for a few hours” I said as I look around at the decor “but I asked little brother Ingenium to come but they can’t because of work early the next day.”

He hands me a drink “I see, well I’ll be your date for the evening” he said smoothly “a lady like you shouldn’t be unaccompanied at the dance.”

“Oh you got the nerve and charisma huh?” I take a sip of my drink “huh? where’s the booze in this? Excuse me, barkeep?” I asked politely “may I have a whiskey sour with 3 parts whiskey, on the rocks please.”

“Right away Miss” the servant sped away to make my drink.

“Didn’t know you were a whiskey drinker” 

“Didn’t know you were a little suave bitch that sips white wine” I retorted.

Touya choked and spat out his drink “You don’t hold back!” he wiped his mouth “I like that, you aren’t so scary once you take off the jumpsuit and mask. Pretty too” he touched the curls that draped my shoulders “if I knew this beauty was under the mask, I would’ve surrendered immediately.”

“Sure, coming from the guy that screams like a little girl when I showed up” I snickered as my drink came “you wouldn’t want to be with me, I’m just a pretty face with a fat wallet and even fatter emotional baggage” I took a sip of my drink “also a fat ass, don’t think I don’t know that everyone stares at it.”

I had fun at the Ball and kept Touya at arm’s distance to divert any temptations he might have. Even though things are going well, I can’t help to think something else from the past is going to show up.

-The next day, Ingenium agency-

“Oh you must be our temporary!” Tensei warmly greeted a man in purple hair “I’m Tensei, former Ingenium. Apologies for my brother, he’s setting things up for you in the cubicle area” he motions to his robo “this is my assistant companion, Pongo. Don’t worry, he’s tame and robotic.”

“OH you have one of those robo dogs” he boops the robo’s nose “I know the CEO and entourage, we went to school together.”

“Isn’t she lovely?! My brother is best friends with her” he boasted a little, then the door opened “oh there he is!” he motioned toward the door “I’m sure you know each other-”

“Shinso-kun?!” Tenya blurted “I mean- Hello! Very nice to see you again Shinso-kun.”

“Nice to see you too” Shinso was getting a little uneasy “urm, heh long time no see? How are things here?”

to be continued

-Chapter 35 end-

<Previous - Next>      

#bnha #mha #self insert au #chapter 35 #not canon #will update regularly #ask me anything #oop I support the Dabi=Touya theory #the next 2 chapters are pretty heavy with flashback #get the tissues ready

[paranoid-fighter]

Overwatch: Reyes - Chapter 9: Reyes makes a call | Jesse makes a call | Morrison receives a call

Oh, how quickly things can change...

Author’s Notes: 1) Well, at long last, it’s here. 2) This contains plenty of mentions of violence - warning you now 3) I cannot even tell you how long I’ve spent writing this chapter. I’ve lost track of the hours. 4) Please let me know what you think 5) Special thanks to @slunkymcgee, @t0asty-marshmall0w, @one-doesnt-simply-walk-in-bagend and @ceata88 for reading various sections for me

Word count: 12030-ish Copyright: Overwatch and its characters belong to Blizzard. Original characters belong to me. 

Gabriel Reyes stood before the polished black stone of the Widow's Wall and read over the names of those that had died while in service to him. The list was far, far longer than it should have been and, worst of all, he knew it... just as he knew that he was responsible for their deaths. He traced a finger over the etching of a mockingbird and let out a long, slow breath.

The Mockingbirds were dead. The Hellcats were dead. The Hounds were dead.

 They and countless others now marched under the banner of the Last Watch.

 He closed his eyes as he lowered his head, but he did not pray.

 Prayer no longer soothed his soul.

      He walked on.

Gabriel Reyes traced a familiar path through the empty hallways. They were the only thing that remained unchanged during his time as Commander. He never thought he would envy cinder blocks, but he found himself doing just that with each painful step that he took.

The years had not been kind to him. His thinning, greying hair was now hidden under the black knit cap that he refused to remove. His face was lined with wrinkles and scars. Every passing day made the bags under his eyes grow a little darker. Stress had eaten holes in both his stomach and his mind before it turned its attention to his aching joints.

It hurt to exist.

He tried to stave off the failings of his body, but he knew it was a lost cause. Nurse Lori and Nurse Sandy had given him everything they could in the hope that they could ease his pain, but they knew it wouldn't help in the long run. Every morning was greeted with a handful of medications that allowed him to function, but each night ended with the cold reality that he was beginning to live on borrowed time.

     He walked on. 

     Gabriel Reyes had beaten the odds and had done so for well over a decade. He had risen from the trenches and soared through the ranks until his shoulders carried enough stars to rival the night sky. Were he to wear his medals, he would not have to worry about a bullet-proof vest; nothing would be able to pierce his heavily decorated chest.

He hated each and every one of them.

The medals only brought him shame, but he stood proud each time the world leaders pinned another to his chest in the private ceremonies. He would return their salute before facing his soldiers as he fought to remain expressionless. He knew that the polished metal that hung from his jacket had been earned through the sweat, blood and tears of those who died. He wanted nothing more than to throw the ribbons into an incinerator, but, instead, he wore them proudly for all to see. His soldiers would cheer for him, applauding the victories that they and their fellows had won.

Reyes could not share in their joy. How could he? Each award came at the cost of a new name on the Widow's Wall...

  He walked on.

   Gabriel Reyes launched a counter attack for every mission that the puppet masters ordered. He had spent countless hours planning both the missions and his retaliations, all to ensure that there would not be any true victories for the puppet masters. His efforts had paid off. There had not been any true successes within the past five years. Instead, there were only slim victories. It infuriated the puppet masters. They demanded more from Reyes, more, more, always more. Reyes did what he could to appease his soul and commanders alike, but it had not been easy.

Nothing ever was.

With each new mission, he was forced to play God. He had to choose who would live and who would die. At first, it had been almost impossible to decide who would or would not return from the field.

But now?

Now Reyes knew why God had turned his back on the world...

   He walked on.

  Gabriel Reyes found himself clinging more and more to his only source of hope. He knew that his struggles were almost at their zenith. At the end of the week, he would release all the documents that he had amassed over the years and would damn the puppet masters straight to hell, without any hope of escape. He had worked tirelessly with Morrison to gather all the evidence of corruption within Overwatch and Blackwatch and had even allied himself with several of Nocte's associates that specialized in computerized espionage. At the end of the week, he would give the order for Giga and her army of hackers to unleash every single piece of evidence they had gathered. Thousands upon thousands of documents would be sent to every major news organization in the world, every government agency she had been able to infiltrate and to more websites than Reyes even knew existed.

He hoped it would be enough. 

He came to a stop in front of the door to the firing range. He hadn't passed a single soldier during his entire walk - the base was almost empty now. Most of the soldiers had been sent abroad for a variety of missions - all of which were coincidentally close to their native homes. The only soldiers who remained on base now were the ones who lived within the United States...

...and Jesse.

He pushed open the door and was greeted with the aroma of gunpowder, sweat and tobacco. He saw a blue haze hanging around Jesse and shook his head. He had given up on stopping him from smoking years ago. The only compromise that they had been able to come to was that Jesse now only smoked cigars instead of cigarettes.

Reyes leaned against the back wall as he watched Jesse fire round after round before reloading. Even to this day, Jesse with his beloved six-shooter was still the most accurate shot within Blackwatch and Overwatch alike - not counting the snipers. He smiled as he recalled the day, years ago, when a batch of greenhorns had accused Jesse of robbing them after they lost a marksmanship competition against the wanna-be cowboy. It felt like only yesterday that he had the baby-faced McCree sitting across from him, defending himself...

Where had the years gone?

That was a stupid question, he sighed as he rubbed a sore elbow. He knew exactly where the years had gone. For fuck's sake, each and every damn day left him with another ache in his body, another pain that wasn't dulled by medication.

 Reyes pulled himself from his self-pity when the rhythmic firing and reloading came to a halt. He raised his head and found himself staring into the bushy face of Jesse McCree - had he always been so tall? Had he just never noticed? "Boss?" Reyes blinked and shook his head before giving the soldier a smile. "I swear, mijo; every damn hair I've lost has found its way onto your face." He reached out and lightly tugged on McCree's beard. "When did this get so thick, anyway?" "I'unno." Jesse shrugged as he laughed. "Just born with it, I guess." Reyes shared in the laughter - it was too rare that he had the chance to laugh now. "Just confirms that your father must've been a dog. Especially after walking out on your mother." "I was just a snot-nosed kid at that point. Can't really hold it against him." "I can." "And you do." Jesse sighed in mock frustration. Reyes only smiled.  

"Any updates on anything?" Jesse asked as he and Reyes came to sit on the metal bench. "No. For once, I'm glad to not have any updates." He stared down at his hands. "Just a few more days. That's all we have left now. Just a few more days." "Yeah..." Jesse took the cigar from his mouth and blew a thick cloud of smoke into the air. "Y'all packed up, too?" "Yes. I'm living out of a suitcase at this point, but I don't care. I want to be ready to go the moment this gets started." "Same here." He returned the cigar to his mouth. "Hey, boss?" "Yes?" "Can I..." He swallowed. "Can I ask you something?" "Sure." "D'you think we're really gonna pull this off? I mean, it's been years. D'you think they've caught on?"

Reyes exhaled slowly as his eyes closed. His shoulders drooped forward, sagging under the weight of his sins. "I... I think they have." He massaged his left wrist. "But I don't think they've caught onto everything. I think we can still pull this off." Jesse nodded as he took a draw off of his cigar. "Can I ask something else?" "Yes." "Are you scared?"  

The commander glanced over to his soldier. "Do you have a spare cigar?" "Yeah." Jesse pulled a case out of his breast pocket - a habit he probably picked up from Nocte. "Want me to start it for you? Y'always did have a hard time with that." "Sure..." Reyes sank back against the wall, his eyes closing as Jesse trimmed the end off of the cigar. "Before I answer, I want to ask you the same. Are you scared?" "y-Yeah." Jesse's voice was small. "I am. I mean, hard not to be, y'know?" "I know." He watched as Jesse began to light the cigar. "I am too, mijo. I'm fucking terrified. I know we're good, but are we as good as we think we are?" He frowned as Jesse slowly rotated the cigar over his butane lighter. "You're supposed to use matches to get a better flavor." "Flavor my ass," Jesse grumbled, "ain't smokin' this shit for the flavor." He took a few long draws off of the cigar before handing it to Reyes. "And I doubt you are, too." Reyes only nodded as he brought the cigar to his mouth.

  He didn't speak until he had blown his own cloud of smoke into the air. "I've never been more scared of anything in my life, Jesse." He closed his eyes as his head came to rest against the wall. "But we're going to make it through - you and me. We're going to be fine." Reyes sighed and sat up straight as he held the cigar between his teeth. "I was going to hold off on this, but now's as good a time as any." He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and unfolded it, listening to the thick plastic as it crinkled. "Don't open it yet. Open it when we're both safe." "Boss?" Jesse took the vacuum-sealed package and stared down at it. "What is this?" "Adoption papers."

  Jesse's cigar nearly fell from his mouth. "w-What? Boss, what did you just say?" "They're adoption papers, Jesse." He met his soldier's gaze. "I've already filled out all the parts I needed to and got them notarized. When we're safe, open that up and fill out your parts and then mail it off." "I don't--" "Jesse, I've called you 'mijo' for long enough. It's time that I made it official." He took a long draw off of his cigar before blowing the smoke over his shoulder. "When we're safe, just fill it out, stick some stamps on there and put it in the mail. It'll go to a contact of mine and she'll get it processed." "Can't we do it now?" Jesse was still in disbelief as he stared at the envelope. "Please?" Reyes shook his head. "In case something goes wrong, I don't want any other links between you and me. I just want them to think you're a soldier of mine and that you didn't have any part of this." "Oh..." Jesse slowly tucked the envelope into his pocket. "That's fair." He slumped back against the wall next to his commander - his soon-to-be-legal father. "Been a crazy few years, hasn't it, boss?" "Yes, yes it has." Reyes smiled slightly. "Do you remember, years ago, the very first day you started your shots?" "Yeah; what of it?"

   Jesse found himself blinking in shock for the second time as he stared down at Reyes' phone. "Holy shit," Jesse breathed. "You've grown into a handsome man, Jesse Gabriel McCree." Reyes smiled as he looked between Jesse's actual face and the face in the photograph. "Look at me... I was just a baby," Jesse found himself laughing. "Look at those cheeks! Smooth as silk!" He looked to his commander. "You kept that picture for all those years?" "Of course." Reyes took his phone back and smiled. "A father has to have baby pictures, you know." "Gawd," he ran a hand down his face as his cheeks burned. "Y'ain't even my dad yet and you're already makin' me embarrassed." "Well, what else am I supposed to do?" Reyes laughed. "There's no way I could be the cool dad that every kid wants." "Just don't start with the dad jokes, or I'm out of here." "Hi, I'm out--" Reyes' laughter redoubled as Jesse groaned loudly...

    He and Jesse went their separate ways at the end of the night. They had slightly deviated from their tradition and had gotten burgers on a Monday night - Friday, they would be hightailing it to Mexico and were planning on eating trail rations while speeding to freedom. He sipped the last few dregs of his milkshake and walked into his bedroom. The door locked behind him as he stared around the small room. In just a few days, he'd be leaving this all behind - one way or another.

 He just hoped he would leave it of his own volition...

     Marigold Lawson's manicured fingers drummed against the table in both nervousness and impatience. She had less than forty minutes before she had to be back at work. The tight deadline frustrated her to no end, but what could she do? She had to return to Prime Minister Garret's office before anyone questioned her absence. She had been his aide for almost ten years now and no one had ever seen her return late from lunch. It would not do for her to show up late now.

She knew it would have been easier to do the meeting after hours. Ever since she had arranged it, she had been trying to convince Prime Minister Garret that it would be better to do at night, but he had told her to get it done as quickly as possible. Instead of calling out the man's idiocy, she only smiled and told him that it would be done.

It left her with a little over half an hour to meet with an internationally infamous assassin inside a closed restaurant and hire him.

Ms. Lawson's nails continued to rap on the table as her frustration outweighed her anxiety. For four years, she had lead a task force that monitored the activities of Blackwatch and Overwatch alike, all of which placed her under even more scrutiny from her fellows. Ever since the failed mission to assassinate Hanzo Shimada, Prime Ministers Garret, Ikanawa, Vittorio and several others had their concerns over the leadership of their armies. They had noticed an increasing amount of failures and causalities. The amounts were still within the acceptable limits, yes, but it was unusual, considering the nearly flawless years that came after the creation of Blackwatch and Overwatch.

In an effort to understand the ongoing trend of slim victories, they placed Marigold in charge of researching the actions of the armies and had given her both the tools and budget to fix their problems. Their only rules were that they couldn't know who she was talking to and that if her activities were exposed, all evidence of her work had to be destroyed. After all, it just wouldn't do to be linked to such shady activities...

 Marigold checked her watch. "He should have been here five minutes ago." "Traffic is a problem at this time of day," Andrew put a hand on her shoulder, "he'll show up. You've made him an offer he can't refuse." "I don't like that phrase," she huffed, "everyone can still refuse." "Well, in this case, I don't think he can." "It's true." Hiro nodded from his position by the door. "Taking this job should be a no-brainer for him. It's either this or life in solitary confinement - he'd be an idiot to not accept." "Regardless of what happens," Andrew looked down at the petite woman, "you found him and where he lives. He can't escape now." "Hush;" Hiro stood straight, "I hear footsteps."

  Marigold's heart hammered in her chest as she stared at the door. Three years of near-obsessive searching for the man named Nocte was about to come to fruition...

Special Agent Carson Scapine opened the door and ushered a tall, masked man into the room. He closed the door behind him as Special Agent Hiro Nobuya and Andrew Smith stood at strategic points in the room; Andrew stood at Marigold's back as Hiro stood in the far corner. Carson kept his place by the door as Nocte came to sit at the table across from Marigold. His white mask shone in the low light of the private dining room. "Hello, Nocte. It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person." She smiled up at the white mask. "Indeed." Nocte's voice was flat. "I must commend you for the effort that you put into finding me. I have not seen such determination and dedication in quite a long time." He placed his gloved hands on the table. "What your technique lacked in elegance, you more than made up for in brute force." Marigold hid her annoyance. She knew this was going to be a difficult meeting. "Sometimes, brute force is the only solution." "Indeed," came the monotone response. Marigold refused to let her smile waver. "I would like to hire you, Nocte. I represent several men and women who want someone--" "Dead. Yes, I am aware. Why else would you go to such lengths to find me?" He tilted his head as he looked to her. "Unless, of course, you wanted to ask me for a date." He gestured to the dining room. "If that is the case, I am afraid I must decline and will file for a restraining order. You are clearly a stalker." He paused as he mulled over his words. "However, I am willing to reconsider your offer for a date if you bring me some wine. I feel that I might need it to settle my nerves." His cheeky smile was audible. "After all, it is hardly fair for you to expect me to perform in front of both your lovely self and these three handsome men." "Enough of this!" She snapped. "Nocte, I want to employ your services."

  Nocte was nonplussed; this wasn't anything he hadn't done before. "I would very much like a glass of wine." "What?" She blinked. "Wine. I would like wine. It will make this conversation much more pleasant." "Nocte, pleas--" "I will not talk unless I have a glass of wine." He sat back in his chair. Marigold sighed. "Someone go and get wine. Please." "A bottle, actually," Nocte piped up, "and several glasses." "Please bring what he asked for." She refrained from rubbing her temples. She didn't have much longer until she had to be back at her desk and she didn't want to waste precious minutes arguing with the assassin. Special Agent Carson hesitated but slowly stepped out of the room...

   Nocte did not react as a glass of red wine was placed in front of him, nor did he react when the bottle and a second glass was placed in front of the woman. He picked up the glass and stared at it, amused by at how thin it was - it wouldn't take much effort to shatter it. "Thank you," he said as he placed the glass back on the table. "I will let this breathe for a moment before I try it." He met the woman's gaze. "Now that I have my wine, we can discuss business. Who is it that you want dead?" "Do you know someone by the last name of Reyes? He's a rather powerful man." "Reyes is a very common surname. I am sure there are several powerful men with that last name." "Indeed," she poured herself a glass of wine even though she had no intention of drinking it, "but this particular Reyes has been in a military position for many years now." "A military man with the last name of Reyes? That is doing nothing to jog my memory - you would be better asking me about the number of stamens in a rose." "And how many are there?" "That depends on the type of rose." Another audible smile.

  Marigold, despite herself, laughed. "Alright, alright. I see your point. I'll cut to the chase, then. The men and women who have sent me to you want a man named Gabriel Reyes dead. He is the commander of Blackwatch - have you heard of Blackwatch?" "Do you know how many stamens are in a primrose?" He turned his attention back to the wine glass. She frowned - surely he knew of Blackwatch. How could he be in that line of work and not know...? "It is the counterpoint to Overwatch, if you will. They handle the things that Jack Morrison and his soldiers cannot." "And why is that?"

  Her cellphone buzzed momentarily in her pocket – there were twenty five minutes left until she had to leave.

  "Morrison cannot be seen carrying out assassinations or sabotage missions." "How is that different than what Overwatch does already? Are not all missions assassinations or sabotages, but at a larger scale?" "This is different, Nocte." "I fail to see how. A rose by any other name, you know." He picked up his wine and swirled it around the glass. She bit her tongue but refused to show her emotions. "Please trust me when I say that they are different." "You are asking me for trust? That is a bit much to ask, but alright." He placed the glass down. "I am not here to discuss trust with you." He raised his masked face. "I must ask, though; why are you wanting Reyes dead? Why not Morrison? He is the more influential one, it seems." "Between him and Reyes, he really isn't; he's a figure head. Killing him would cause more problems than it would solve. The public would demand action - they like their hero." She frowned. "Fair enough," he nodded, taking a moment to think. "So, you want the leader of Blackwatch dead, yes? That will be a difficult task. I hope you are willing to compensate me for this." "I am, indeed." She pulled a slip of paper out of her breast pocket and placed it down on the table. "You will find my offer on that. It is a generous amount, I know, but we want this to be done as quickly as possible. Preferably by the end of the week, if not sooner than that." She slid the paper towards Nocte.

  Another buzz; twenty minutes.

  Nocte picked up the scrap of paper and stared at it before placing it back down on the table. He picked up the glass of wine and brought it to his mask, tilting it so that the red wine just barely touched the white surface. He held it there before placing the full glass down. "This is a delicious white wine. Truly. It must have come from a well renowned vineyard." "Is this a joke?" She asked with a faint frown. "No." He picked up the scrap of paper and crumpled it into a ball. "The only joke here is your proposed pay. I hardly get out of bed for this amount." He tossed the wad of paper to the side and, in his anger, knocked over his glass. It fell to the hardwood floor and cracked along the side of the bowl - just as he expected. Nocte leaned down and picked up the broken stem and the larger shards of the bowl. He placed it on the table, just a hair out of arm's reach. "My apologies, but my point remains. Your offer is unsatisfactory, just like the wine." "I see." She forced her smile back into place. "I will double it, then." She noticed that her agents were now standing a little straighter, a little more on edge; Carson stepped closer to Nocte, stopping only feet from him. She forced herself to remain calm and gave Nocte her full attention as he spoke. "That is still not enough. You are asking me to take down the leader of a military force that carries out assassinations. This will not be an easy mission and it will take time - time that you are not granting me. I expected to be compensated appropriately." He placed his hands on the table. "Good work is expensive. Good work done quickly is even more expensive." "Then what would you recommend?" "Triple it." His voice grew firm. "And offer me a favor that I can redeem at an unspecified point in the future." "If I refuse?" "Then I will leave this room." "I am afraid I cannot allow that, Nocte." Her tone grew colder. "I think you underestimate the intentions of the men and women I represent--" "I beg to differ. I think I understand quite clearly." "--they want you to kill Gabriel Reyes. He is a threat and you are one of the best to eliminate threats like this. I know your modus operandii - you specialize in removing terrorists and Reyes is one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world."

  Another buzz. Fifteen minutes.

  She continued.

  "What's more, we know exactly who you are, Nocte... or should I use your real name?" Her smile grew darker. "We know all of your bank accounts, all of your home addresses and who you work for. If you do not do this, then I will have to take matters into my own hands." She placed her elbows on the table as her chin came to rest on her laced fingers. "You like your freedom, do you not? All the wealth you have amassed? If you refuse this, you can kiss all of that goodbye." "I see." Nocte frowned. "Fine, then. I will do it - but the pay must be tripled." "No. Doubled is the highest I will go." "Then you must guarantee my freedom after this is completed." "I will." "Wonderful." He smiled as he stood up; his voice was suddenly as cheery as a sunny day. "Let us shake on this." "What?" "I would like to shake your hand to seal the deal. Once that is done, we can discuss how the payment will be made." Marigold hesitated for a moment but slowly stood. She extended her hand to Nocte's and gave a slight smile as his fingers closed around hers while she stared at her own reflection in his mask.

 She didn't notice that his left hand was now touching the broken stem.

 In one swift motion, he pulled her forward, over the table, as his other hand rose--

   Marigold screamed as the glass pierced her eye. Nocte shoved her away. She landed heavily against Andrew as Hiro and Carson drew their guns. Andrew caught her and guided her to the ground. He did his best to keep her hands away from the glass. He knew pulling that it free would only make it worse... but that didn't stop him from wanting to do the same.

 Nocte grabbed the bottle of wine and quickly turned as the two agents trained their guns on him. He kicked his chair into Carson's stomach before jumping to the side. He barely landed before lunging forward as his grip tightened on the neck of the bottle. In one upward swing, he shattered the bottle against Carson's temple. He held onto Carson's now-limp body with one hand and pulled the gun from his grasp with his other.

Using Carson's dead body as a shield, he fired a volley of shots at the agent.

 Hiro faltered as two bullets struck his vest and shoulder; the first bullet lodged itself in the wall behind him. He raised his gun again as Andrew stood up. Before Andrew could fire, Marigold's bloodied hands grabbed his leg. Her screaming was louder and more disoriented as blood and ichor dripped freely from the now-empty socket. He stumbled, his gun lowering, as Nocte fired a fourth shot.

 Both Hiro and Carson fell to the ground in heap of deadweight as Nocte turned and stared at Andrew.

 Andrew raised his gun--

 Nocte squeezed the trigger.

  Marigold's screaming grew fainter as shock claimed her. She saw Andrew fall to the ground. She forced herself to roll over and crawled toward his body as she blindly searched for his gun.

 Her fingers wrapped around the grip.

 She rolled onto her back as she brought the gun u--

 Her body twitched from the impact of the bullet before falling still.

  Nocte placed the smoking gun on the table. The assassin knelt down beside Marigold and quickly searched her body. He took her phone and then the pocket book from beside her chair. He tucked the phone into the purse as he made his way over to the dead agents. He took their wallets, badges and phones, stuffing them into the now purse as he went. He tucked the bag under his arm left the room without as much as a backward glance.  

  He ran through the empty restaurant and through the kitchens as he made his way to the employee entrance. He didn't even stop as he grabbed an apple off of the counter. His gloved hands unlocked the heavy door and pushed it open.

 By the time the door closed, he was already in his car.

   The assassin removed his mask and gloves as he started the engine. Instead of peeling out of the parking lot with a squeal of tires, he calmly drove towards the main road. One hand held the wheel as the other pulled out his phone. Without looking, he tapped out a number and brought the phone to his ear. "Praise be to the Son of Atilius." Said a feminine voice. "Long may he live." Nocte intoned. "What can I do for you, Nocte?" Giga asked. "I need you to tell me that I am wrong." "If I can, mi'lord." "Marigold Lawson, the woman that wanted to hire me. She worked for a Prime Minister, yes?" "Yes. That is what my research showed. She worked for Prime Minister Garret - one of the founders of Overwatch and Blackwatch." "Shit." "What happened? Was the meeting as bad as you were expecting?" "It was worse." "What--" "She is dead, as are her three men." His car inched forward. "I need to call Reyes. I suggest you get your team ready. I think the timeline is about to change." "Understood. I will be on standby until I receive a call from either you or Reyes. Good luck, Nocte." "The same to you." He ended the call and dialed another number...

     "How many stamens in a primrose?" "Equal to or twice as many petals." Nocte said as he made his way through the dwindling lunch hour traffic. "Reyes, we have a problem." "What?" His heart began to race as he sat up. "What happened?" "Someone just tried to hire me to kill you." "What?" He surged to his feet, alarming the cowboy that sat nearby. "Nocte, explain." "A woman by the name of Marigold Lawson and her three agents met with me. She was an aide to Prime Minister Garret - does that name ring any bells?" "Yes--was? What do you mean, 'was?' Nocte, what did you do?" "What's goin' on, boss?" Reyes waved a hand at Jesse as Nocte spoke. "She is dead, as are her three agents." He pulled off the main road and began driving down a side street. "I highly suggest you give the order to Giga now. Get the documents out there and get yourself to safety. Once they find out that she is dead, this will probably grow worse before they ever grow better." "Why did you kill her?" He fought to keep his voice from growing any louder. "Why did--" "We do not have time for this!" Nocte snapped. "I did what I had to do to keep both of us safe. Now call Giga! Tell her that it is time and then get you and your pretty little cowboy out of the country." "What of Jack?" "Tell him to run, too." Nocte rolled down the window as he saw the stagnant river. He pulled a phone out of Marigold's purse and threw it into the slimy water. "I have to call him," Reyes began to pace. "Nocte, I will call you back soon. I have to go." "I will await your call." The assassin ended the call. He placed the phone on his lap as he picked up the apple. He bit into the crisp flesh as he drove back to the main road...

“Boss, what's happenin'?" Jesse was staring up to his commander. He didn't like the tremble in his voice. "The plan changed. Drastically." Reyes dialed Jack's number as he paced. "Stay here with me. I'll explain in a moment."

  "From Peru to Cebu," Jack said as he scrawled his name over another piece of paper. "Hear the power of Babylon." Reyes felt his heart hammering against his ribcage. "We have a problem." "What's going on?" "Nocte just told me that someone tried to get him to kill me. He thinks we're about to be found out." "Fuck." Jack stared at the papers in front of him; he had been writing pardons almost nonstop for all the men and women he wanted to spare from the shit storm he and Reyes were about to create. "Gabe, we need more time!" "We don't have it. If Nocte thinks that this is about to go south, then I'm inclined to believe him." He did not look to Jesse; he couldn't stand to see the fear in his eyes. "Get your things and get ready to move. I'm going to be calling Giga soon."  "I can't yet! I still have--" "What could be so important that you can't leave?!" "I just need a day. One day. One day." His words were rushed. "Just give me one day." "Twelve hours." "No. I need a day." "I don't think we have it, Jack!" Reyes snarled. "Get ready to leave!" His pacing came to a halt. "I have to call Giga. I'll call you back soon." Jack ended the call without another word.

   As Reyes made to dial a number, Jesse grabbed his arm. "Boss, what the fuck's goin' on? Who did Nocte kill? Why do we need Giga?" He let go of Reyes' arm and stared up into his dark eyes. "If you're this worried, let's just get in the car and go now. Fuck it all; leave it all behind. We need to go." "I can't leave yet. I have a few things I have to take care of." "Then do it and let's go!" "I have to get Jack to go with us." Reyes' voice was distracted as he resumed pacing. "He's not going to leave. I know him. He won't leave. I'll have to drag him out of there." "Why are you even concerned about him? It's not like--" He paused and stared at Reyes as his eyes widened. "Boss, are you serious--no, you are serious. You're still with him, aren't you? Even after--" "So what?" Reyes snapped before taking a deep breath. "Yes, I am still with him. I love him, Jesse. He and I have fought through too much together at this point to throw it away. If I'm going to safety, he's coming with me." "But..." Jesse found himself staring at his shoes. "But Gabe, what about me--" Gabe closed the distance between them and hugged the soldier to his chest. "You are my son. You have always been and you will always be. He is my lover. I love you both, but in different ways." He held Jesse's arms and stepped back as he met his gaze. "Jesse, nothing will ever replace you in my eyes. You are the most important thing in my life." "Then let's go," he whispered, "please. Let's just go now. We can be safe. We can escape. We have time." "...Give me two hours," he hugged Jesse back to his chest. "Two hours, then we'll go..."

   Jesse left Reyes' side to finish packing as Reyes sat within the empty firing range. He made a series of calls, starting with Giga. He ordered her and her soldiers to remain ready - the moment he landed in Zurich, he would give the order to release the documents. Next, he called Echo and told him to arrive on base. Echo, in an unusual display of professionalism, agreed and ended the call, sparing Reyes from twenty minutes of incessant nattering. Satisfied, Reyes called Sonar and requested that he and his partner fly him to Zurich. Sonar said he would only need an hour to rouse Radar and to fuel the plane in preparation for their trip. He thanked the commander for allowing him to keep the Crimson Angel within the Overwatch hangar; it made last minute requests much easier to accommodate.

Reyes placed one final call as he lit a cigarette...

  "Nocte, I need a favor." "What do you need?" "I... I need you to watch over Jesse for me. Not every day, not frequently, but just," he sighed, "just check in on him from time to time, alright?" "Why?" "I have a very bad feeling about this." "About what?" Nocte frowned as he sped down the highway. "What are you doing? Or, rather, what are you going to do?" "I'm flying to Zurich soon - without Jesse." "For Jack?" "Yeah," he blew a cloud of smoke over his shoulder, "he won't leave the base. I know he won't." "So you are going to go there?" "Yeah." "Reyes, this is not a good idea. Why are you doing this?" "Because I love him." "Do you love him enough to die for him?" "I..." his voice faltered as he stared down the range. "Yes. I do." “Are you sure?” “Yes.” "And what of Jesse?" "I love him more than anything else in this world, Nocte, but..." Reyes took a long draw off of the cigarette. "I'm not always going to be there for him. He needs to realize that. He's a grown man; he'll be okay if I'm not there." "Who are you trying to convince?" Nocte's voice held his frown. "...myself." "You do not have to go to Zurich. I am sure there is another agent there that I could call upon that can go there for you." "He won't listen to anyone else. I know he won't." "But he will listen to you?" "Probably not, but I'm prepared to pull him out of there." Nocte's left hand was resting in his lap, his thumb idly stroking his and his late husband's wedding bands. "Is he worth your life, Gabriel? Is he worth the risk?" "He is." His voice was resolute. "Then I will not question you further. I understand." Nocte's voice grew melancholic. "You under--?" "We were married for forty three years, five months and two weeks," Nocte smiled sadly. "He passed twenty-one years ago this December. I would still give my life for him without a second thought. I understand why you are doing this, Reyes. I will keep watch over Jesse." "I can't pay you." "It does not matter." "Thank you..." Reyes snubbed out the cigarette. "Nocte, can I ask a question?" "Yes."

  "...how old--no.” He thought for a moment. “What are you?" "Do you really want to know?" Reyes frowned; the man's voice made his skin crawl. "...No. No, I don't." Nocte laughed. "Is there anything else that you want to ask?" "Why did you kill her?" "Because she knew too much. Or, rather, I did not want to risk her words being true. She had found me and that in of itself is worrying. I could not risk it. And as good of a friend as you are, I must protect myself, too." Reyes couldn't fault him for that; he stood up and began to pace. "I need to go and pack. Sonar and Radar are going to fly me to Zurich; Echo will take Jesse to the safe house. Once I have Jack with me, we'll fly out and go to the safe house, too. Will you meet us there?" "Not immediately. I am needed overseas, but I will return as soon as I can." "Alright." He bit his lip as his pacing came to a halt; once he ended the call, everything was going to start... "Good luck, Nocte. And thank you - for everything." "Good luck, Gabriel. We will see each other again."  

Gabe listened to the silent phone for longer than he cared to admit...

   With his bags packed and a poorly knitted blue hat shoved deep into his pocket, Gabriel Reyes stood in his office with an intercom microphone in his hand. Beside him stood Mrs. Ramanaja, a cup of tea in one hand and her unlit cigarette in the other. Their eyes met. She gave him a solemn nod and he turned on the microphone. "Good afternoon everyone; this is your Commander speaking." Reyes' voice was oddly chipper. "I want to start off by saying that serving as your Commander has been the highlight of my life and has given me years' worth of memories that I will never forget. Each and every one of you is a hero - never forget that." The soldiers that still resided within the halls fell still as they listened to their Commander. "It saddens me to say that this is the last day that you will serve for Blackwatch. I am disbanding this army. Your brethren in other countries will be receiving a recording of this message, to let them know what is happening. Each and every one of you is being honorably discharged from service and will be receiving a bonus as a sign of my personal thanks." Mrs. Ramanaja sipped her tea as she watched Reyes give his final orders. "For those that remain within this base, you will need to leave within the next twelve hours. After twelve hours, this base will be nothing but smoking concrete and warped metal. You will receive your full explanation as to why this is happening tomorrow - it will be all over the news, world-wide." He let out a slow breath. "So, soldiers, the remaining vehicles on base now belong to you. Put aside your differences and help each other return home." He smiled faintly. "What you do after you leave is up to you, but just remember: you have to raise hell if you want to get to heaven. And if you're going to raise hell..." "Raise it well!" The soldiers' voices echoed through the concrete halls. Reyes dismissed his soldiers and silenced the microphone as he heard the whooping cries of his soldiers.

  "Nicely said, Commander," she said as she placed her empty tea cup on his desk. "You have done more for them than anyone else would have." "They've earned it. It's not their fault they were forced to play in this farce." "Indeed." She placed her unlit cigarette between her ruby lips. "You have done your duty; it's time for me to do mine." "Will you need any assistance?" "No. The base is not overly large; I have plenty of thermite and other explosives on hand. I will make it look like we were victims of an air strike." "Good, good." Reyes stared down at his desk, a bittersweet smile on his face. "So many memories, so many years..." "You are doing the right thing." She placed a hand on his arm. "Go save the world, Gabriel. I will take care of what remains." "Thank you, Sangita," he smiled as she hugged him. "It has been a pleasure working with you." "The pleasure is mine." She returned his smile before he walked to the door. "Gabriel?" "Yes?" "Remember: two parts water, one part full-fat milk, good quality black tea leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and fennel. Boil the milk, water and spices. Reduce it to a simmer. Steep the tea for three minutes, strain and then add sugar to taste... and if I hear that you are using tea bags again, I will be forced to find you and punish you for your poor judgement." He laughed and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." His smile grew fond. "Goodbye, Sangita." "Goodbye, Gabriel." She pulled a lighter out of her pocket and, for the first time since joining Blackwatch, lit her cigarette. Clamping it between her teeth, she went to work...

    Jesse frowned as he stood on the small airstrip. Echo was nearby, leaning against his car and whistling a jaunty tune. Only yards away was the Crimson Angel and her pilots; he could hear the pair bantering as they did their final checks. He knew why the pilots were there, but why was Echo? Reyes had told him they would be flying...

 He waved to Reyes as the man came jogging up to him. He watched as Reyes placed his bags in the trunk of Echo's car before walking up to him. Jesse shouldered his bags as he looked up to his commander. "Why's Echo here?" "You're going to go with him." "What?" He blinked; his face began to pale. "Boss, no. You're comin' with me, right?" "No, Jesse. Not this time. Not now, at least. I'll meet you at the safe house later." "Boss, no. No!" He stepped closer to Reyes. "No. Just come with me. Please. We can go; we can escape!" "I can't, Jesse," Reyes whispered as he pulled Jesse into a hug. "I can't leave him behind. He's fought just as hard as we have; he deserves his freedom, too." "Then let him get it himself! You don't have to go and get him." Jesse's arms wrapped around Gabe's waist, all but squeezing him in half. "Please, let's just go. Now. We can still be free..." His voice was shaking, filled with unshed tears.

  Reyes bit his lip as he stared up to the heavens. He wanted nothing more than to get in the plane with Jesse and fly away from all of this, but he couldn't. He knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if something happened to Jack now, just as he knew he wouldn't be able to stomach anything happening to Jesse...

  Reyes pressed a kiss onto Jesse's forehead as he hugged him. "Mijo, I could not love you any more than I already do, not even if you were my own flesh and blood. I do not want to do this, but I have to. I hope and pray you understand." He pushed Jesse away, holding him at arm’s length as he met his gaze. "I will see you again soon. For now, though, we have to go our separate ways. I have to go and get Jack." He squeezed Jesse's arms. "Get in the car with Echo. He'll take you to safety. I'll meet you at the safe house. Once there, we’ll all live the life we've earned." "No!" Jesse shook his head as his hands grasped Gabe's arms. "No! I won't. I won't get in the car; I won't go without you. I need you!" Reyes shook his head. "Get in the car, mijo." "No." The commander let out a long, shuddering breath. "Mijo, do not make me do this. Get in the car." "I won't!"

  Reyes drew his gun.

  “Boss?" "Get in the car, Jesse." He raised the shotgun. Jesse began to tremble but he did not move. "I won't." Reyes pulled back the hammer. "Now." "No." A shot was fired at his feet. Concrete scattered over his boots.

  Jesse stared at Reyes, betrayal in his eyes, as the gun was leveled at his chest. He held the stony gaze for a moment before taking a step back, followed by another...

  Reyes watched as Jesse climbed into the back seat. He did not holster his weapon until the car was out of sight.

  With a heavy heart, Reyes boarded the plane....

       He returned the phone to his pocket. Giga had just received her orders. She would begin her mission. He stared up at the Overwatch headquarters. The statue of Jack Morrison loomed over him, a testament to what the world thought they stood for.

He squared his shoulders and marched forward.

Jehová es mi pastor; nada me faltará.

 He walked through the first checkpoint.

 En lugares de delicados pastos me hará descansar; junto a aguas de reposo me pastoreará.

 Guards saluted him as he passed through the second checkpoint.

Confortará mi alma; me guiará por sendas de justicia por amor de su nombre. 

The main gates were only feet away.

Aunque ande en valle de sombra de muerte, no temeré mal alguno, porque tú estarás conmigo; tu vara y tu cayado me infundirán aliento...

He pushed open the doors and walked inside...

   Reyes paused as a hand came to rest on his shoulder. Turning his head, he found himself staring down at Ana. "Gabe? Why are you here?" He ignored her question. "Where is Jack?" "He's in his office." "Thank you." He let out a slow breath as he met her gaze. "You need to leave the base. Take everyone that you can with you. Get out. Now. Get to safety." "What?" "Just trust me, Ana. Leave. Things are about to get bad." "Reyes, I--" "I don't have time to explain; just get your things and go." He brushed her hand off as he made his way to Jack's office. She frowned at his departing back...

   Jack raised his head as the door to his office was thrown open. His wide, panicked eyes met Reyes' as he signed another pardon. "Reyes--" "Grab your shit, Jack. Now. We're leaving." "I need--" "Fuck what you need; I need you to leave." "What the--" "Giga's gone to work. The first sites will be getting hit any second now. We don't have any more time, Jack. This is happening. We've done all that we can. It's time for us to go." "But--" He floundered as he stared around the office. "I'm not ready." "Neither am I, but we don't have a choice anymore. We set this into motion and now it's time for us to see it through." He came to stand beside his lover's chair. "Come on. Sonar and Radar are waiting for us." Jack slowly placed his pen down and stood up. "We're doing this?" "Yes." He stared down at his desk and bit his lip. "Reyes, did we do the right thing?" "We did." Reyes nodded and took Jack's hand. "Come on; let's go. We've earned our freedom."

  Jack stared at him for a moment before closing his fingers around Gabe's. He knelt down and picked up his pack. Shouldering it, he followed Reyes out of his office...

   Little did they know that there were others who had set their own plans into motion...

  Prime Minister Garret returned his phone to the desk as he looked to Prime Minister Vittorio. "It's done," he said calmly. "He will not be a problem anymore." "Wonderful." He sipped a glass of wine as he looked out of Garret's window and admired the bay far below. "It is messy, but, as you said, he will no longer be a problem." "Indeed." Garret poured himself two fingers of scotch. "Now we don't have to worry about what Jack does or doesn't know." He stared sadly into the glass. "To you, Marigold. You are missed." "To Marigold," Vittorio echoed as he touched his glass to Garret's. "If we had known Jack had ties with him, we never would have sent you to meet with him..." 

The two men fell into morose silence as they stared at the waves.

   Jesse sulked in the back seat of Echo's car as the man drove them to Mexico. Echo had been his usual chatty self as he drove; occasionally he would fall silent, giving Jesse a few minutes of both blessed and damned silenced. Jesse wanted nothing more than to escape his thoughts, but there he had no way to escape. He tried meditating, he tried reading. Hell, he even tried talking to Echo!

In the end, though, he could not find a way to escape the turmoil within his head.

Reyes was thousands of miles away, risking his life for Jack Morrison. He still hadn't forgiven Jack for shoving Reyes after his surgery all those years ago and he never planned to do so, either. He wasn't sure why Reyes had forgiven him - or if he had even forgiven him. With a sigh, he slumped down in his seat as he crossed his arms over his chest. This isn't what he wanted at all; he wanted Reyes with him. Even if Reyes couldn't do anything, it'd still be good to have him here...

Jesse's frown grew deeper as the music was interrupted by an emergency warning tone. His heart began to race as a robotic voice droned over the speakers.

There had been a terrorist attack.

On the Overwatch headquarters.

The number of casualties was currently unknown.

Jesse scrambled for his phone. He hastily dialed Reyes' number.

Each ring was a missed heartbeat. Each moment of silence stole his breath away.

  He called again.

 And again.

 And again...

  The robotic voice interrupted the music again. It confirmed that the base had been populated during the attack and that the amount of casualties was rising as rescue workers began to excavate the base.

  Jesse scrambled for his phone as it began to ring. He brought it to his ear and felt his world growing dark as he heard Sonar's shaking voice. He and Radar had not been able to find Reyes or Jack. They were still digging through the rubble, but they hadn't found them yet. "We'll keep looking," Sonar assured Jesse. "We'll keep you posted." "Thank you." Jesse whispered as tears began to slide unchecked down his cheeks...

      Jack blinked the dust out of his eyes as he stared into the darkness. He could barely breathe. He coughed, dust and debris tumbling from his mouth. Slowly, very slowly, he flexed his toes and fingers. Relief coursed through his body as he felt them moving. He looked around, his eyes adjusting to the darkness, as he tried to see what was pinning him down.

Cold panic flooded him as he realized what was on his chest.

"Reyes?" He nudged the man's body. "Reyes, talk to me." Silence. "Gabe?!" He shook him. "Say something!"

  A low groan met his ears.

  "Stay with me, Gabe," he whispered as he rubbed Reyes' arms, "just keep breathing. We'll get out of this. I promise." He kept rubbing his arms, trying to keep him awake. "Oh, god, please just keep breathing..."

   He lost track of the hours.

   Jack shouted for help when he had the strength. Other times, he would shake Reyes as best he could, forcing the man to wake up. He could feel Reyes' heart beating slowly against his chest and felt his own heart stopping each time Gabe's stuttered. He barely even noticed the pain of his own body as he clung to his best friend and lover. 

In the long, empty seconds, Jack apologized.

He apologized again and again and again. His tears trickled down his face as he hugged Reyes. They were trapped, crushed under the weight of steel, concrete and their own sins. Reyes had caught the worst of the explosion and oh, what Jack wouldn't have given for them to switch places... "I should've listened," he whispered, "I just should've listened to you. Gabe, you gotta pull through for me. Please. Just keep breathing. Just hold on a little longer. They'll find us, Gabe, and they'll fix us up. I know they will. You'll see." He squeezed Reyes' arms, his ears straining for the sound of Gabe's breathing. "Just keep breathing..."

  A sliver of moonlight almost blinded him.

  Blinking, Jack raised his eyes to the light above. He felt his pulse quickening as he heard voices. Clearing his throat, he shouted for help.

 And again.

 And again.

 He didn't know if they had heard him. He couldn’t tell if his voice had penetrated through the rubble.

He fell into despair as the world grew silent again.

 "C'mon, Gabe, wake up," his voice was hoarse. "Keep breathing. I think they found us. I think we'll be safe soon. We'll go home soon. You, me and Jesse. We'll all go home soon. We'll all be safe." He kept his eyes on the moonlight. They had to come back.

 ...they had to...

    Jack awoke in the back of a car.

He placed a hand on his head as he tried to push himself up - only to fall back onto the seat a moment later. "Stay down." A familiar voice whispered. "Stay down and don't move." "Ana?" He frowned as he forced himself to think, despite the clouds within his head. "Ana, what happened? Where's Gabe?" "Gabe is with Angela," her tone was grim. "I couldn't bring him with us." "Why not?" "He's in too rough a shape to transport." She glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "He took far more damage than you." "I know." He pulled the heavy blanket off of his body and frowned as he stared at the makeshift casts. "I broke my legs?" "And more, but we didn't have time to patch you up fully. I don't know if you're aware, but people want you dead, Jack. We did what we could to get you to safety before they killed you." "But what about Gabe? Where is he?!" "I don't know where Dr. Zeigler is, but she's taking care of him. Now lie down and try to rest. Don't make me sedate you again. We'll talk once we're safe." "I need to talk to her. I need a phone." His mind was racing. "I have to call Jesse." "No, Jack," she shook her head. "No. Just rest for now. When we get to safety, you can call..." "But--" "Hush. And put that blanket back over your body. You're supposed to be dead and if you get caught now, I'll kill you myself."

 He frowned but did as he was told...

    It was all her fault.

It was only a prototype. There hadn't been enough time to test it.

It was all her fault.

It was too late for Commander Gabriel Reyes. He lay motionless before her as the heart rate monitor screamed. His body was broken and bloodied. His eyes closed as he took his last breath.

It was all her fault.

It was hopeless. She placed her head in her hands as she sobbed. The sounds of her anguish were lost in the shrill cries of the monitors.

It was all her fault.

It was too late. The ward was dead.

It was all her fault...

     His eyes opened to a grey world.

He blinked slowly as he tried to focus his vision, tried to stare at a spot on the ceiling. The world never stilled. Everything around him was buffeted by a roaring wind that he could neither hear nor feel. He turned his head and found himself looking out into a crowded hospital ward. Beside each shrouded bed stood a mourner. Their cries were louder than any of the sounds of his surroundings. He watched as the distraught men and women clutched the hands of the bodies. Reyes pushed himself upright and frowned as he saw the vast expanse of sheet-covered bodies. There were well over two dozen beds shoved into the tiny room.

Reyes tore his eyes away as he cast aside his own blankets. He had to get out of bed. He had to hide. It wasn't safe here. He knew that people would be looking for him. Slowly, cautiously, he climbed out of bed...

...and frowned as he found himself standing upright without a single pain in his body. This couldn't be right; his spine had been crushed. How was he standing? Why didn't he feel pain?

The man standing next to Reyes' bed looked up to him. "Commander Reyes?" Gabriel slowly turned to face him. "Commander, what happened?" The soldier's face was bloodied. "Who attacked us?" "I... I don't know." He whispered. "Commander, what do we do? We have to protect ourselves. We have to protect our brethren." He stayed next to the bed, his hand on the shoulder of the covered body. "Help us, Commander. We need a leader." "I know." "We await your orders, Commander. Tell us what to do." "a-At ease, soldier." He forced his voice to remain level as he looked around the ward.

  The sobbing of the woman to his right caught his attention - it was impossible to ignore the sounds of a broken soul.

  She had pulled the sheet away from the body on the bed and was hugging the ragged corpse. "...just wake up..." she whispered.

 Gabe felt icy terror pierce his heart as he realized the women had the same face.

   He turned to the man on his left and grabbed the shroud. He threw it to the ground as he stared down at the body on the bed. It was a young man, fresh out of boot camp; his eyes were closed as he lay in the quiet repose of death. Gabe looked up to the standing soldier as his eyes widened in fear.

They were the same person.

He ran from bed to bed, pulling the shrouds away. He looked between the dead soldiers and the soldiers standing by the beds.

They were all the same.

 Reyes found himself standing near the infirmary door, facing the soldiers and their corpses. Their hollow eyes were staring expectantly at Reyes. "What are your orders?" The first soldier shakily asked; his hand never left the shoulder of his body. "Stay here." Reyes said with a resolve that he himself didn't feel. "I will take a look around and see what else I can find. Stand down, soldiers, and rest. I think we're through the worst of it." He returned their salutes before leaving the room.

  He tried not to notice that he had difficulty grasping the door knob.

 He ran through the halls, unnerved by the silence of his own footfalls. Despite all of his shouting, no one answered his calls. Soldiers would not look at him as he ran by. A pariah within the base, he could not catch the eye of any man or woman that he passed. Even when he shouted an order, no one acknowledged him.

  His frantic pace slowed as he neared the door to the doctors' break room. He had yet to find Angela or anyone who would tell him where she was - surely she would be here? Swallowing hard, he pushed open the door and strode inside...

  Her head was buried in her hands as her tears fell like rain. She was alone in the dark room, illuminated by the flickering lamps that had managed to survive the bombing. "Doctor Zeigler," he stood beside her. "Look at me." She wouldn't raise her head. "Doctor." More sobbing. "Angela!" He grabbed her shoulder--

A shiver ran through her body. Her head raised from her hands. She looked for the source of the sudden chill and shook her head a moment later.

 There was no one there.

 Reyes stepped back as he stared in horror at his own hand. It felt as if he had just burned himself and the ashen skin did nothing to assuage his thoughts. "Angela!" He shouted, standing only feet away. "Angela, look at me!"

Her sobs started anew...

  Reyes made his way back to the ward, his eyes downcast. He had left Angela's side when it was apparent she wouldn't look at him. He had tried to stop other soldiers within the halls, grabbing their arms or shoulders. No one reacted past a shudder. No one looked at him. No one saw him...

Reyes pushed open the door to the ward and found himself staring back at dozens of black eyes. "What are your orders, Commander?" "...Dismissed. All of you. Dismissed. Leave. Go home." "We can't." A woman hiccupped. "We can't leave. We swore our lives--" "Your lives are over!" He snapped.

  The room fell still as the soldiers stared at Reyes, their faces warping into expressions of shocked horror. "What?" "We can't be dead--" "--we're still here--" "--where will we--" "Silence!" He walked toward the first soldier that had spoken to him. "Look. That is your body. You are dead." He stared at his body in silence, slowly processing what Reyes had told him. He then looked to the empty bed beside him and then up to his Commander. "...where is your body?" The soldier asked. "You can see us, hear us. No one else that came in here could. They put the shrouds back on the beds, but they wouldn't talk to us. We talked to them, but they wouldn't respond..." He shook his head as he met Reyes' gaze again. "Where is your body, Commander Reyes?" "I..." Reyes frowned and shook his head. "No more questions. Leave. Now." "I can't." "Leave!" Reyes grabbed the soldier's arm--

--the soldier vanished without a sound.

Reyes stared down at his hand as a breath of fresh air filled his lungs--

  "You killed him!" A soldier screeched. “He's dead!" “Commander Reyes killed him!" "No!" Reyes shook his head as the soldiers began to gather around him. "No. He was already dead!" "You killed him!" "I didn't!" Reyes took a slow step backwards, followed by several faster ones as they came closer...

   Reyes screamed as soldier after soldier vanished from sight.

   He dropped to his knees as his body convulsed. He could feel his heart hammering against his ribs and could feel warm air within his lungs. His hands had lost their pallor and he could feel the ground beneath him once again. His mind raced as he sat alone in the now-empty room. The soldiers dissipated as soon as they had tried to hurt him, had touched his bare flesh.

  He knew he should have felt remorse for the death of the soldiers, but instead, he could only revel in fact that he felt alive...

  He forced himself back to his feet and pushed his elation aside as he heard footsteps approaching. He couldn't risk being seen now. With a final check of his pockets, Reyes left the infirmary and made his way through the ruins of the base...

      Miles away, Jesse sat in the back of Echo's car as he stared out of the window. His tears fell steadily down his cheeks as he sat with his small phone in his hands. He hadn't been able to move ever since he received Sonar's last phone call. They had not been able to find Reyes, even after hours of searching. The pilot apologized to the shell-shocked soldier before ending the call. He and Radar couldn't stay any longer; they had to leave before the rescue workers discovered they weren't who they said they were.

  "Jesse?" Echo glanced to the rear view mirror. "What's the verdict?" "t-They couldn't find him," he whispered, "they couldn't find him." "Jesse..."   "He can't be dead. He can't be." "Jess--" "No. He's not dead. Boss always told me that you're alive until your body's dead and warm." He wiped away a tear. "So, he's not dead until they find a dead, warm body. He's not dead. He can't be." "Jesse, I--" "No!" He shook his head, biting his lip. "I know it. I know that he's not dead. I'd know it if he was." His hand touched his chest as he sniffled. "I'd know it, Echo."

  The driver said nothing; he had heard that line far too many times before and knew better than to argue. Instead, he fell back into his uncharacteristic silence as he drove. It'd be easier for everyone if he gave Jesse the chance to mourn...

   When night fell, Jesse found himself sitting alone in the safe house. Echo couldn't stay with him and, honestly, Jesse was glad for it. He wanted to be alone.

He needed to be alone.

He paced through the small home near the shore. He could hear the faint sound of the waves and the mournful cries of the gulls over the creaking of the floorboards. For the first time since joining Blackwatch, he felt lost. He had nothing now. He couldn't return to Deadlock and Blackwatch had been disbanded. What was he to do? Where was he to go? Reyes had told him that they'd spend time here by the shore, until the world calmed down, but Reyes wasn't here now.

His pacing came to a sudden end as he heard his phone ringing.

Jesse ran to the couch and grabbed his phone. His pulse raced as he saw Reyes' number flashing across the screen. "Boss!" He all but yelled into the receiver. "Boss, you're alive!" "Jesse!" Reyes heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, god, mijo; you're okay." He forced himself to keep running. "Are you at the safe house?" "Boss?" "Jesse? Jesse, can you hear me?!" His pace quickened. "Jesse, you should be at the safe house by now. Please, please just stay there. I'm coming. It'll be okay, mijo. It will. Just stay there. We'll figure this all out." His words all but spilled from his mouth, matching the frantic pace of his running. "Please, mijo. Just wait for me. I'll be there." "Gabe? Gabe, I can't hear you..." Jesse's voice grew thick with a new wave of tears. "Reyes, are you there?" "Jesse!" He all but screamed; his chest tightened. "Jesse, please, just listen. I'm here. I'm... I'm coming. I'm not okay, but I will be. I'll figure it out. I promise. Just wait for me, Jesse. I'll be there. We'll be okay, mijo. I promise." "Boss..." Jesse sank down onto the couch. "Boss, all I hear is static. Are you there?" "Mijo," his running slowed as he realized he could no longer hear the sounds of his boots crunching on the pavement. "Please, please listen. I'm here. I'm coming. I'll be there as soon as I can. Just wait for me!" "I can't hear you, Reyes. I... I can't hear you at all." Jesse bit his lip as his gaze grew distant. He wouldn't hang up, though. He couldn't force himself to end the call, even if all he heard was the sound of empty air, in hopes that he'd hear Reyes' voice...

   Reyes found himself standing still in the middle of the road, his phone held fast. He watched the cars passing by him but could not feel the air moving around him. He frowned as he realized that no one was shouting at him to get out of the road, nor were there any blaring horns.

It was as if he was invisible...

Reyes took a long, slow breath. "Wait for me, mijo," he whispered. "I'm coming home."

With a heavy heart, he ended the call.

  Jesse placed the phone down onto the couch as his body trembled. He bit his lip as he tried to stifle his tears, but it was to no avail. With a bleeding lip, he threw his head back and screamed his broken heart to the heavens...

#overwatch #trans gabriel reyes #trans reaper #the birth of reaper #jesse mccree #trans jesse mccree #gabriel reyes #jack morrison #morreyeson #overwatch mercy #overwatch ana #mercy #ana #paranoid-fighter writes overwatch #violence warning #gore warning #please please please let me know what you think #feels warning #the fall of overwatch

[woohooligancomics]

Sam Roasts the AMA!

No, not the American Music Awards, they rock! Or don't... I think it depends on your category. Anyway, in case you don't know, AMA means "Ask Me Anything". It's a kind of group-interview where questions come from a peanut gallery instead of an individual interviewer. I created an AMA on AMAFeed.com today and then immediately after creating it, I needed help with it, which wasn't forthcoming. There's no help link on the site, no forum, just an FAQ and a contact form, which is kinda weird. (I did later discover a reference to a support email address.)

So since there wasn't any way to revise the details of my AMA or correct any of the mistakes I'd made, I submitted the following on their contact form:

Hey there. So, I signed up today and created my first AMA here:

https://comicsama.com/sam-dealey-roasts-himself-an-ama-on-comedy-comics-and-why-laughter-is-a-467977/

It's pretty obvious from the description of the AMA that mistakes were made! :P However, there appears to be no way for me to correct those mistakes, including even any way to cancel the AMA and start over. Does AMA Feed intend to cater to a group of perfect, error-proof extraterrestial supercomputers? Or perhaps to nihilistic philosophers who believe that the mistakes of our past must be preserved as a reminder of the meaninglessness of existence?

Thanks,

Sam "the Snark" Dealey

p.s. If the answer here is any of

silence

"we'll correct those mistakes for you this once"

just create a new one

then you don't know how to do your job and I'll just pass on having an AMA with you, including this one I've already created.

It wasn't until after I had sent this message to them that I noticed this ridiculousness in their terms of service.

License

Unless otherwise stated, AMAFEED LLC and/or it’s licensors own the intellectual property rights for all material on AMAFEED LLC All intellectual property rights are reserved. You may view and/or print pages from https://amafeed.com/ for your own personal use subject to restrictions set in these terms and conditions.

You want me to hold an AMA on your site, but you reserve exclusive copyright to all my answers? Right, because AMAFeed.com is a business and you're hoping that you can make money off of the AMAs you've hosted in the future. There aren't ads on the site... yet. But then you expressly state in your FAQ that we're not allowed to create AMAs that are "veiled attempts to solicit money." Mixed Messaged much? If you have no intention of making money from these, why try to claim exclusive copyright to the content? "We're just here for the sole benefit of the public, we have no concern for our personal interests. We just want total control over whatever you're going to say, without paying you for it, to make sure everyone else gets a chance to hear it!"

But it doesn't really matter that you've said we can't solicit money, because while your FAQ says we can't do that, your Terms of Service say nothing about it! Nor does your ToS say anything about you having the right to remove that content (although you do anyway). So technically, you've given us no legal obligation there, Sherlock.

Also... you know that facts can't be copyrighted, right? In all likelihood most of the answers I'm going to give you can't have any legal control over because they'll be facts. Like when someone asks "what's your favorite pie" and I answer "the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter." Or when I answer "nine inches" to "how big is... a personal pan pizza." There might be some flair in the way I express them, but they're still facts, they can't be copyrighted. Might not be a bad idea to keep an eye on Twitter's legal battle over content rights as well.

You must not:

Republish material from https://amafeed.com/

Sell, rent or sub-license material from https://amafeed.com/

Reproduce, duplicate or copy material from https://amafeed.com/

Ooops! Too late. Come and get me. I wish you luck in your futile attempts to sue.

Redistribute content from AMAFEED LLC (unless content is specifically made for redistribution).

Need I even mention that you didn't get this into your bullet list? If proofreading a legal document isn't high on the priorities list, was legal advice for a legal document on that list?

... <removed "User Comments" section> ...

Hyperlinking to our Content

The following organizations may link to our Web site without prior written approval:

Government agencies;

Search engines;

News organizations;

Online directory distributors when they list us in the directory may link to our Web site in the same manner as they hyperlink to the Web sites of other listed businesses; and

Systemwide Accredited Businesses except soliciting non-profit organizations, charity shopping malls, and charity fundraising groups which may not hyperlink to our Web site.

You forgot "private citizens" and "any other kind of organization". D'oh! What on earth makes you think you get to control who LINKS to you? Do you get that privilege offline? "No, sorry, only Jeff is allowed to tell people where our store is located. Isn't that right Jeff? He's good at keeping secrets, I'm sure our rocket-launcher store will be in business for a long time, as long as Jeff is in charge!"

These organizations may link to our home page, to publications or to other Web site information so long as the link: (a) is not in any way misleading; (b) does not falsely imply sponsorship, endorsement or approval of the linking party and its products or services; and (c) fits within the context of the linking party's site.

Whew! Well, I sure am glad these links fit within the context of my roast! Wait... why did we start over at 1 again? Did you forget how to internet or did you forget how to outline? If you have a 1, you have to have a 2 following it, that's how these things work.

We may consider and approve in our sole discretion other link requests from the following types of organizations:

commonly-known consumer and/or business information sources such as Chambers of Commerce, American Automobile Association, AARP and Consumers Union;

dot.com community sites;

associations or other groups representing charities, including charity giving sites, online directory distributors;

internet portals;

accounting, law and consulting firms whose primary clients are businesses; and

educational institutions and trade associations.

My site is educational, I should have no problem. ;) At least we finally got to 2.

We will approve link requests from these organizations if we determine that: (a) the link would not reflect unfavorably on us or our accredited businesses (for example, trade associations or other organizations representing inherently suspect types of business, such as work-at-home opportunities, shall not be allowed to link); (b)the organization does not have an unsatisfactory record with us; (c) the benefit to us from the visibility associated with the hyperlink outweighs the absence of AMAFEED LLC; and (d) where the link is in the context of general resource information or is otherwise consistent with editorial content in a newsletter or similar product furthering the mission of the organization.

Look, you can put whatever you want in a contract. Your contract can say that only people with blue skin are allowed to link to you if you want, but that's not going to make a court uphold your desire to only let Andorians, Na'vi, Smurfs and two characters from the X-Men movies link to you. Nor will it protect you from bad press like this. That's just fact. Sue me, I could use the publicity. Also, "the benefit to us from the visibility associated with the hyperlink outweighs the absence of AMAFEED LLC;" ... I dunno, I think the absence of sentence structure is more disturbing.

These organizations may link to our home page, to publications or to other Web site information so long as the link: (a) is not in any way misleading; (b) does not falsely imply sponsorship, endorsement or approval of the linking party and it products or services; and (c) fits within the context of the linking party's site.

Did you just stroke out in the middle of writing your ToS or did you intend to write two similar but subtly distinct versions of the this paragraph?

If you are among the organizations listed in paragraph 2 above and are interested in linking to our website, you must notify us by sending an e-mail to TOS. Please include your name, your organization name, contact information (such as a phone number and/or e-mail address) as well as the URL of your site, a list of any URLs from which you intend to link to our Web site, and a list of the URL(s) on our site to which you would like to link. Allow 2-3 weeks for a response.

Wait, are we talking about the actual paragraph 2 or the second paragraph 1?

Approved organizations may hyperlink to our Web site as follows:

By use of our corporate name; or

By use of the uniform resource locator (Web address) being linked to; or

By use of any other description of our Web site or material being linked to that makes sense within the context and format of content on the linking party's site.

Wait... using the name of someone's company counts as a link?! All this time, I thought it required use of HTML! Well... I guess 20 years in the software engineering industry can only get me so far.... Oh, wait, you meant the content WITHIN the link! Gotcha! Ah, well, I think in this context Truck Nuts might be the most appropriate label. That makes as much sense as this ToS.

Reservation of Rights

We reserve the right at any time and in its sole discretion to request that you remove all links or any particular link to our Web site. You agree to immediately remove all links to our Web site upon such request. We also reserve the right to amend these terms and conditions and its linking policy at any time. By continuing to link to our Web site, you agree to be bound to and abide by these linking terms and conditions.

"By continuing to link... you agree to be bound"... that's a little presumptuous. How do you know I'm into bondage?

Removal of links from our website

If you find any link on our Web site or any linked web site objectionable for any reason, you may contact us about this. We will consider requests to remove links but will have no obligation to do so or to respond directly to you.

Our demands for link removal must be met IMMEDIATELY and without question! Your demands for link removal will go on our pile for review. Don't be surprised if we tell you to talk to the hand because the face ain't listenin'.

Whilst we endeavour to ensure that the information on this website is correct, we do not warrant its completeness or accuracy; nor do we commit to ensuring that the website remains available or that the material on the website is kept up to date.

In particular, we do not warrant that this ToS will contain English sentence structures or bear any resemblance to any existing legal precedent. THE AMAFEED HAS SPOKEN!

Disclaimer

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we exclude all representations, warranties and conditions relating to our website and the use of this website (including, without limitation, any warranties implied by law in respect of satisfactory quality, fitness for purpose and/or the use of reasonable care and skill).

... up to and including any reasonable care or skill not used in the creation of the legal document you're currently reading.

Nothing in this disclaimer will:

limit or exclude our or your liability for death or personal injury resulting from negligence;

limit or exclude our or your liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;

limit any of our or your liabilities in any way that is not permitted under applicable law; or

exclude any of our or your liabilities that may not be excluded under applicable law.

Are you just stating the obvious, or did you think it was actually necessary to state that this contract can't break the law? "Be it known that this contract shall not permit extortion, robbery or murder! Furthermore, in the state of Alabama... do you have some place to be? This might take a while..."

To the extent that the website and the information and services on the website are provided free of charge, we will not be liable for any loss or damage of any nature.

Speaking of which, if you are planning to sue me for linking to you, I'd like to direct you to my site's Terms of Service, which plainly state that, since my roasting services here are provided free of charge, I will not be liable for any loss or damage of any nature.

So, given that I'm publishing this roast of their ToS which seems a bit hypocritical and overly handsy with their demands that we not speak negatively about the AMA Feed, it seems unlikely they'll let me host any AMAs with them now. Not that I'm complaining too much. I thought it could be a fun way to talk with some folks, but they're certainly not the only way to hold an AMA. If you have a recommendation for a place to hold an AMA (I know reddit is an option), leave a comment. Or if you think Reddit's the best place, leave that comment too.

I'll be publshing my Laughtifesto this week, explaining why I say Laughter is a Moral Imperative. :D If you'd like to keep up with my comedy, subscribe to the mailing list on our site or you can follow our Patreon, with or without pledging. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Don't let your racist uncles get you down. ;P

Update! Nov 21, 2017

So it turns out that the folks at AMA Feed are actually pretty nice people. They replied to me right away (though to be fair, I'm pretty sure they haven't seen this roast yet, and I haven't mentioned it to them). So we'll see. Maybe the'll have a good sense of humor about this too, or maybe they'll can my AMA before it starts in March. :P

Hello Samuel

Thank you for getting in touch and I am pleased to say there is a way to edit AMAs. When designing the UI we went for minimalistic and I guess one could argue we have gone over the top, hey. To edit your AMA https://comicsama.com/sam-dealey-roasts-himself-an-ama-on-comedy-comics-and-why-laughter-is-a-467977/ make sure you are logged in with the account you created it (it is a common mistake I've noticed to try edit an AMA when not logged in or logged into another account), then click the 3 dots next to the countdown and you will see a drop down with options, edit is there.

Hope that helps, let me know how you get on.

P.S. Maybe 100 days is a tad too long?:)

Best

--

Tatiana Bonneau

*Marketing Director*

*AMAfeed*

So props to Tatiana for being a good sport! I think she handled my snarky comment form beautifully, and fast.

I suspect they have some kind of bug in their software. And I told Tatiana, I had actually already tried those dots, immediately after creating the AMA, so I assume I was still logged in with the same account, given that only a second or two had elapsed. At the time, the only item in that menu was "report" (for content that violates their terms). That seemed a bit odd in itself that the menu ony had one entry.

Yes, the 100 days is a bit long. :P I set the date out a ways to get us past the holidays and to be about the time of our Kickstarter. I'm not certain actually if the date will stay on the 1st of March or if I'll change it to another day that week, but it gives me about a month after my first endocrinologist appointment. I'm hoping that by then the blood-sugar roller coaster I've been on will be a little better as it's been draining a lot of my time in recent months and a lot of my work has been behind schedule due to that and other errands and doctor appointments. Plus, we've got holidays between now and then.

#Roast