Chapter 16

16

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Pick the mad scientist.”

“What about the guy who talks to fish?” asked Dustin.

I shook my head. “Scientists. They’re an evil lot. If he’s been spotted at the chemical plant, I’m sure they’re up to no good.”

Dustin stood naked with his hands on his hips. “Fine, but next time I choose the villain.”

I pressed the button on the HeroApp?, claiming the villain as our own. Meanwhile, Dustin hopped about on one foot, trying to squeeze himself into his spandex. I couldn’t help but giggle as his cock flopped about before he stuffed it into his suit. When he pulled his cowl over his head, I couldn't believe this man had been on top of me an hour before.

We snuck out the window in the living room, bolting into the sky. Going from sexy, naked time to saving the city… I could get used to this life. As we zipped around buildings, Dust… Discord picked up speed, and tried to pull ahead. If he wanted a race, I’d gladly show him how it was done.

As I pushed ahead, I spotted the chemical plant. Of all the places in Vanguard, this was one of the most attacked. It was also responsible for creating half the villains. Humans broke in, time and time again, wading around in glowing green goo, hoping to gain superpowers. They should at least up their security. A chain-link fence with a padlock begged bad guys to enter.

I spotted an open skylight and landed on the roof. When Discord caught up, I tapped my wrist. “What took you so long?”

“Show off!” He poked me in the belly before jumping inside the building.

I drifted behind him. The stench of chemicals made my nose twitch. I had to hold off sneezing. The room stretched the length of a football field, lit only by dim red security lights… and glowing vats of deadly chemicals. There were at least a dozen containers rising out of the ground like above-ground pools. Walkways and stairs hung above the pools, begging for average humans to jump in. What exactly did Vanguard need this building for?

“Are you sure you don’t want to revisit the fish guy?”

“Who’s the scaredy cat now?”

I landed between a glowing blue sludge and a container of purple. At this point, I couldn’t smell anything. It had filled my lungs, and I considered that might be what my father had warned me about? The very thing giving people their powers could be the one that sent me to an early grave.

“You okay?”

I lied and nodded. I didn’t want Discord to see me flinch, not in the middle of a mission. He gave me a pat on the back. It wasn’t much more than a quick assurance, but the reminder I wasn’t here alone provided the push I needed. With my newly minted sidekick, I could do this.

“You two, again?”

I spun around, searching for the voice. In a maze of pools, our villain could hide anywhere. Discord pressed his back against mine as we turned about, looking down the long aisles between vats. With the echo in the building, it’d be impossible to pinpoint his voice.

“How do we find him?” asked Discord. “Should I look for the lights?”

I knew exactly how to lure him out. All villains had a weakness, a button that would render them all but helpless. It was almost mean to manipulate our unseen guest… almost. If Discord wanted to be a proper hero, he’d need to learn these tricks of the trade.

“We can head out,” I shouted. “This one isn’t worth our?—”

“Our what?” yelled the voice.

Discord leaned over my shoulder and whispered, “Are you bating him?”

“Let a vigilante have this one,” I shouted.

I gave Discord a slight nudge toward the front door. He looked perplexed. He had a lot to learn about villains. I’d have to see if I could find my first edition copy of So You Want to Be a Superhero for him to study. Throwing punches might be useful at times, but often, the deadliest blow was striking their ego.

“We’re not really leaving, are we?” I wanted to chuckle at my sidekick.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

On a walkway connecting the two closest vats, a man stood with a gun at his side. The scientist had traded his white jacket for a black trench coat. The glow from the vat beneath him glinted off the goggles he wore. I was about to ask what he was doing when I spotted the container by his feet filled with red ooze. Whatever schemes he had in store, he needed something from the plant to complete them.

“Oh, look, there you are.” Keep him feeling insignificant and he’d walk right into my trap. “A scientist? This isn’t worth our time.”

“Should we be poking fun at him?” Discord asked.

“What’s he going to do?”

“You question, Disaster?”

Before I could comment on his lackluster codename, he grabbed the tube of chemicals and jumped off the walkway. Pointing his gun at the floor, he pulled the trigger. A loud boom cracked the concrete and slowed his descent. It wasn’t much different from Discord’s powers. Okay, maybe our scientist deserved a little attention.

“I came to do a little shopping. Killing the two of you is an added benefit.”

“What are you planning?” Discord shouted.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Discord didn’t understand villain etiquette. Directly asking them for their diabolical plans never worked. They’d hold the information back, acting as if they were superior. It needed to be coaxed out of them.

“He’s just a crook,” I said. I lifted off the floor, Discord following suit. “He’s nothing more than a common crook.”

Disaster laughed. “With this…” He hoisted the container against his chest. “I’ll have all I need to complete my experiment. Then bumbling heroes won’t be able to stop me.”

“That’s our goal,” I whispered. “Get the chemicals.”

Discord pushed off, flying low to the ground, fist forward to strike the scientist. The high-pitch scream from Discord would blow away the average human. Disaster raised his gun, firing, and the loud boom negated his powers. With a second pull of the trigger, it sent him flying to the side. We had underestimated the mad doctor’s arsenal.

I shoved the fear aside and flew toward Disaster. When he pulled the trigger, I rolled to the right, feeling the vibration ripple along my skin. He’d have to be?—

Disaster dropped the gun and threw back his jacket. He grabbed a gun on his hip and, with lightning reflexes, fired. I switched directions, but the glowing projectile followed. Just before it struck, it shot out a net. I was going to laugh when it dragged me to the plant floor. I tried freeing myself, but it was like the planet’s gravity had increased a hundred times.

“You’re not going to get away,” I grunted. He had me pinned. Mr. Supreme defeated by a net. I should have listened to Dustin and gone after the villain who spoke to fish.

“Not so tough, are you?” I tried tearing at the ropes, but they stretched, making it impossible to break free. “And here I heard you were one of Vanguard’s finest.”

As Disaster walked closer, admiring his handiwork, Discord let loose a sonic screech that shook the entire plant. Disaster appeared inconvenienced at best. When he tapped a button on his chest, a shimmering blue light surrounded him. Great, he also had a personal force field.

“Did you think I came here without ways to neutralize your powers? You realize I’m a scientist, right? Heroes, you don’t deserve your gifts.”

Discord swooped in and landed between me and Disaster. His hands were balled into fists. The scientist let loose with maniacal laughter. Rushing in had been a bad idea. It was like Disaster had prepared for an encounter not with any hero, but with us.

“You might want to help your partner.”

That didn’t sound good. The netting constricted, tightening until it dug into my skin. Oh great, he was going to slice me like a block of cheese.

“Stop me, or save Mr. Supreme. The choice is yours.”

It didn’t hurt… at first. Like a thin wire, it dug into my skin. I tried lifting into the air, but his tech made it feel like I was buried beneath a mountain. The tighter the ropes grew, the more I worried that it’d be something as mundane as a net that did me in.

The screeching tore through the net. It shredded into ribbons and the pressure vanished. I jumped to my feet to see Discord wailing in my direction. It was another ruined suit, but at least I’d be alive to stop?—

“He’s gone.”

Discord spun about to where Disaster had been standing. We both launched into the air, scouring the chemical plant for any traces of the scientist. This hadn’t gone according to plan. Not only did we not catch the bad guy, but he had bested us at every turn.

“I couldn’t let him hurt you,” Discord said.

Hovering near the roof, there was no sign of Disaster. “I appreciate the save,” I said. “You can’t win them all.” It didn’t make the situation any better. “We’ll get him next time.”

“Did you get the feeling that he knew us?”

I nodded.

It wasn’t him getting away that concerned me. I didn’t like an evil scientist running loose, especially not one who took a special interest in me. I patted Discord on the shoulder. If it weren’t for him, I’m not sure I’d have survived the encounter. We might need more work as a team, but I was grateful to have him at my side.

My belt vibrated. Pulling out my phone, I held it up for Discord to see. “Want to try again?”

He gave a slight nod. “What’s next?”

I flicked the screen open. “Looks like the old folks’ home is being attacked by… the Brotherhood of Retirees?”

He chuckled. “Vanguard, never a dull moment.”

Stopping a bunch of retirees from destroying Vanguard would serve as a distraction. However, I couldn’t stop thinking about Disaster. Try as I might, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we’d see him again, and it wouldn’t be good.