Roxy placed down her cup of coffee on the side of the squat rack and rubbed at her eyes.

  “I just don’t see how that turned into a net positive for you.”

  I shrugged. It had taken almost a full twenty-four hours before the news of my exploits had met the super’s ears. Maybe the League needed time to spin it, but the story was pretty accurate to what had gone down. There were certainly a few loud voices who didn’t appreciate me breaking, entering, and leveling threats at the populace.

  But on the whole, people were supportive. Not only were heroes generally well-liked by the public, but there had been a specific streak of anti-cyberbullying sentiment among the public as of late. The news that I had put an online troll in their place was received with praise. It was good for the League in general for their heroes to take the high road and be above petty squabbles, but there was space for one asshole.

  [Sorry I didn’t let you know sooner. I figured you would have tried to stop me.]

  “Of course. It was a terrible idea.” She leaned against the gym equipment and sighed. “But I trust that you know what you’re doing. That said, you’re probably the only person that could get away with it.”

  [Good. The League doesn’t need a whole gang of wild animals on their roster.]

  “But there’s enough space for one asshole?”

  I nodded. Although we were mostly on the same page usually, since the basement reveal it appeared we were sharing even more of our handful of brain cells. Roxy was more relaxed than ever. Knowing how her power might work like a pendulum, that was a good thing, if not slightly concerning.

  My eyes went around the room, taking in all the pictures and information she had collected.

  [I’m surprised you didn’t remove his information.]

  The super raised an eyebrow and looked over at the photo of her ex. “Hmm? Oh, I didn’t see the point. You were going to find out either way and hiding it makes it feel suspicious. He’s an asshole, but he lives in the past. We have more important shit to deal with.”

  [Like our date night.]

  “Like our duo mission.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure we’ll have some fun with it, but it’s not a date.”

  [Oh. You’ll have to excuse me while I go make some cancelations, then.]

  Roxy glared at me as I set off for the stairs. Her expression changed once she realized I wasn’t going to turn back. “Wait, Dubs. What did you book?”

  [Nothing. Don’t worry about it.]

  “Dubs?”

  I was already halfway up the stairs, unable to hear the murmured curses. Given that the purpose of the mission was to get the both of us some limelight together before our talk show appearance tomorrow, it was difficult to consider it a normal mission. It wasn’t even a difficult one, given how strong we were.

  A gang had taken over an abandoned warehouse and were trying to repurpose discarded robotics to make some manner of exo-suit or something. Considering we had fought against the ancient nigh-indestructible mechs before, I was sure whatever the criminals had cobbled together wouldn’t pose much of a threat.

  Especially with Roxy there. I seemed like more of an accessory at that point, with how our power levels still differed. That said, I would catch her up. Clara would make sure of it, no matter what it took. Once I had some better defense and my new arm, my effectiveness should rise by a great deal.

  I stepped through into the lobby and paused by the kitchen. Doctor Jarl was in the living room, sitting on the couch and looking rather exhausted.

  [Everything okay?]

  He blinked and turned his head to me. “Yes, I’m just… I’m not sure how Clara has the energy for how much she works. And the things she conceptualizes…”

  [Like the war-crime things?]

  “No.” He paused and furrowed his brow. “Although, yes, those too. But it’s more the application of knowledge. While she doesn’t have the technical experience, she is constantly finding novel solutions to problems that someone like me is too set in their practiced ways to consider.”

  [She had you sign a non-disclosure agreement as well, correct?]

  “Yes.”

  I sighed and left the house. There wasn’t much preparation I needed to do for the mission, so I planned to take it easy. Part of me was apprehensive about the talk show tomorrow, but that was mostly due to the coaching I’d have to give Roxy. Not that I wanted anything out of her other than to be genuine - but there were a few facts about how we met and the like that we needed to iron out before getting questioned about it.

  No doubt I’d get a few questions leveled my way, given I was previously such an unknown in the city. For a man with no mouth, I had no worries about talking and winning over the crowd.

  Warlock was lying on the garden table, spread out and absorbing the sunshine. I pulled out a chair and sat down by him.

  [Feels strange to be… accomplished, in a way.]

  I let the silence sit as the kitten paid me zero attention. His presence was enough. That and the odd connection to one of my old friends I had labored him with.

  [Despite the sins of my past, I know I deserve happiness and a future. But I’m not too blinded by the haze of contentedness to ignore the fact that there are people who want to take that away from me.]

  With a sigh through my re-breather, I relaxed and looked up at the blue sky. The warmth was nice. It was quiet out here, and for a moment I felt like I had no cares in the world. Eventually, I closed my eyes.

  [Let them try.]

  Roxy’s short cape fluttered in the breeze as the pair of us stood at the edge of a building overlooking the warehouse.

  “Do I get to look forward to only going on night missions as well now?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

  I shrugged. Not really my call, but it suited me. The others in the group weren’t as used to it as I was, although I was pretty sure that they had the occasional night patrol. This was my bread and butter, and the inclusion of the super changed the way I approached the mission.

  [There are more exit points than anticipated. Runners might be likely.]

  “I’ll call in police assistance to cordon off the area and catch them. Our avenue of entrance?”

  Given our power set, we could basically have our pick of how to engage with the enemy. Even knocking through a wall or crater through the roof. Unfortunately, the risk of killing a criminal in the process was too high.

  [I’ll go in through the upper window. You take the main door. We’ll meet up inside on the warehouse floor.]

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Alright, sounds good.” She stretched out her arms. “On your word, then.”

  As much as this duo mission was to get some good publicity of us as a pair before being seen on the show, it wasn’t as though we were going to stand about smooching and fawning over each other. We had both agreed that we stick to keeping things all business, as usual. Our work was something we took seriously. There was a ranking list to climb, and the next week or two of patrols, missions, and public appearances would determine if we could take ninth position or not.

  [Let’s move.]

  Grapple went out as the super leaped into the air. It felt good to have some actual mobility now. A shame that I was one mistake away from smearing myself against the scenery, but my STAR helped calculate all the maths and physics behind it all. I just had to point and click, for the most part.

  The air rushed past me as I swung up and the end of the grapple disconnected. I fell for a second before hitting the roof of the warehouse, rolling to absorb the impact. Up to my feet, I walked to the edge of the roof. Grapple on the edge as Roxy landed in the debris-strewn parking lot. She looked up at me and gave me a nod - which I returned. I gave her a few seconds to reach the door before I turned around and jumped backward off the roof.

  Line swung me against a window, which I burst through. I then slid over a table cluttered with metal parts, arriving in a small room with two people in. They had stood to see what the large thump was out front and instead gotten a figurative flash bang as I made my entrance.

  Nerve shot into the first while the second grabbed at a large wrench from the space beside him. As the empty cartridge popped out the side of my gun-arm, the man swung for me. Clumsy and desperate. I sidestepped and grabbed his arm, pulling him past me while I reloaded. Nerve shot to the back of his head and he fell onto the table.

  They were dressed as expected. Grease covered clothing and overalls like mechanics, but a little rougher around the edges. A quick glance around the room didn’t clue me in to what sort of robotics they were building, as everything here looked random or incomplete.

  //Clara: Rockslide is moving toward the rendezvous point.

  //Clara: Updating route.

  The STAR told me which way to go. From the wireframe estimate of the building, it looked like they’d try to hold Roxy back at the entrance to the main workshop floor. Unfortunately for them, the staircase taking me down from this area came down into said workshop floor.

  I stepped toward the door leading out of this small room. Shouting and aggravated voices came from the other side. One of which was coming closer.

  One hand on my vest, I lashed out with my right foot. The force of some brief V-Force power popped the old door straight from the hinges, sending it into the figure approaching. As soon as it connected with a loud clang, the Flash grenade pulled from my torso went off.

  I sidestepped the blind-fire of a small pistol, hitting them with Nerve shot. Door guy was out cold. Third in the room had just cowered down. I strode over toward the door opposite, empty shell bouncing across the stone floor as I spent another Nerve shot to clear this space.

  One more room and then the corridor, and I’d be able to descend the stairs.

  //Rockslide: Be careful, they are armed.

  //Gunquake: Understood.

  //Gunquake: Status?

  //Rockslide: Just waiting for my dance partner while they have me suppressed.

  //Gunquake: On my way.

  The super wasn’t immune to bullets, but could weather them pretty well. So, even if she could solo this mission with no issue, she wasn’t about to wade into a hail of bullets either way. Feigning being pinned so that I could join the fun was a little performative… but so were a lot of things about being a hero.

  I kicked the next door out with my left leg. This one didn’t collide with anyone, but slid across the floor until it hit the wall opposite. I ducked back around the corner as a few pistol shots whizzed through the open doorway. If I got hit, I’d blame Kingston for being slow on giving me something usable.

  From my vest, I grabbed a Smoke grenade and dropped it by my feet. The dense cloud burst up around me, clouding through the door and partway into the next room. Of course, they were still trained on the entrance and if they had any sense, would stagger potshots through it to ensure I couldn’t come through.

  I had other plans, of course. A few steps back and my right leg charged up. Chamber loaded up with a triple shot of Tazer. I lashed out and blew through the stonework, even as they fired through the fog at where they thought I’d be. As soon as the debris was out of the way, I emptied my gun-arm.

  Lightning arcs crackled and split between the three figures and all the metalwork in the room, bouncing back and forth. They shook and were stunned. I emerged from the smoke and powdered wall to elbow the first in the head. Nerve shot into the one in the corner. I grabbed the third by his dirty bandana and slammed his head on the nearby table.

  The exit into the corridor was already opened, and I stepped into it. To the right was the start of the stairs leading down to the workshop. Over on my left were more rooms. I didn’t have the time to sweep through each of them if I was going to-

  I rolled to the floor as someone peeked out of one of the doorways further down, letting off a salvo from a sub-machine gun. Ducking back into the room gave me enough cover, but prevented my route. Another Smoke grenade bloomed up around my location, and I turned and shot out the window.

  //Dubs: Do me the honors, please.

  //Clara: I thought you’d never ask.

  The drone disconnected from my backpack and flew out of the opening I had made. I stretched out and waited for it. The sound of breaking glass down the hall came right before the shout of a man getting Tazered by the techie.

  //Clara: Clear.

  I stepped out into the smoke and made my way to the stairs. The harmony of shouting and gunfire came from below, echoing down this short chamber before the wall then opened up. Halfway down and I could see the main workshop floor. The edges were cluttered with tables and parts, but the space to my right—the back of the building—had been cleared for the construction of their… robot.

  It had a similar blocky humanoid design as the ancient mechs we had faced, but it was much more mechanically amateur and exposed. Wires and pipes were clearly visible between gaps in grubby metal plates. Rather than being an autonomous being, it looked as though a human was meant to be placed in it, much like a large exo-suit where they could control the limbs with their own.

  The fact that one of them was partly in the process of being strapped in was the other clue to the operation of it.

  While a couple of the gang helped the potential pilot, the rest had flipped a couple of tables and were using them as cover to pepper wherever the super was. There were maybe a dozen of them armed with pistols and light machines guns. She must be somewhere on the left underneath these upper floors based on where they were aiming and firing.

  //Gunquake: Making my entrance now.

  //Rockslide: Ready.

  There was a gang member at the bottom of the staircase, and he looked up at me descending. Wide eyes, confused as he had been expecting allies and not whatever I Iooked like. My gun-arm came up, and I fired a Quake shot just behind him. Four of them were caught in the vibrating V-Force aura, and dropped their weapons.

  My grapple struck the next table and pulled me from the stairs. I activated both of my feet, bursting through the masses of robot parts and spreading shrapnel around two of the other shooters. Another table rushed through the air beside me as Roxy threw part of her cover. She struck three, knocking them down like bowling pins, without turning them into mush.

  Reflex burned through my synapses and I fired off six shots of Nerve into those remaining. The last shot hit some manner of shielding around the mech suit, saving the man locked into the tech.

  The whole machine groaned and pneumatic pistons hissed as it came to life. One arm came forward, the hand just four prongs designed for crushing. The end of the right spun up as a circular saw. Slowly, the mech took one heavy step forward, venting steam and sparking as it did so.

  “I was talking to Roy,” the super said, tilting her head at our opponent. “He says I should take up kickboxing to help with my offensive arsenal.”

  [Oh, I see. I get the ability to kick and now you’re worried I might be better than you.]

  She scowled at me. “Ass. I can already kick harder than you. It’s so that I have an effective non-lava attack when my arms are powered.”

  [You didn’t think to discuss this with your team leader?]

  The robot swung their big fist down at the super, the mechanical parts screaming as the full force of the hydraulic tech punched down. Roxy caught the blow in one hand, her arm barely flexing, as she continued to stare at me.

  “That’s what I’m doing now, isn’t it?”

  A little put-on disagreement wasn’t what the League were after, probably, but I didn’t think they were inside watching us. As long as we exited with forlorn and smiling looks on our faces, it would sell the tale. I’d do my best in that regard.

  The spinning saw arm lashed toward me. It stopped about two feet away, smoke and sparks sputtering from the working innards as it seized up. The drone hovered nearby, the second Tazer shot having saved me.

  Roxy twisted the mechanical arm, tearing it off from the shoulder joint. Hydraulic fluid and oil spurted from the robot like it was a flesh wound. I fired a Tazer into the left leg and then kicked it, causing the machine to topple. As it hunched over, I reached in and grabbed the man inside. Brought him in for a headbutt. Out cold.

  “I kind of like it when you fight dirty,” the super said, crossing her arms.

  I grunted and looked around at the workshop. Other than a few injured criminals groaning, the job had been done. I had been worried that we might have missed some upstairs, but the message from Clara came in before I could vocalize it.

  //Clara: All clear.

  //Clara: Top floor checked already. Cordon is in place.

  //Clara: Hand over when ready.

  [Well, perhaps I can show you a few other moves later?]

  She gave me a wry grin and rolled her eyes. “I didn’t get much of a workout here, so perhaps we can find another way to use up some energy.”

  While our spirits were high as we left the building, the parking lot now awash with the flashing light of the local police, there was a very real problem that we were both ignoring.

  The true thing that we would be using our energy for tonight. Something we couldn't—or at least shouldn't—fight our way out of.

  Preparing for the talk show tomorrow.