Chris Huisjen

B2 25-26 - Upstage the Villains and Car Keys

Added 2023-11-17 15:16:29 +0000 UTC

Two notes here:

First, my editing might be weaker on these two chapters. I typically edit before posting, but I've had a massive migraine for a couple of days now, and my head's just not in the game here.

Second, I'll be taking next week off to build backlog and take a breather after working on this story nonstop for five and a half months. I've been burning out for the last couple of weeks, and now that Book One is finished on Royal Road, I feel like a break is in order. Thank you for reading, and for your patience. I really appreciate it!

25 -Upstage the Villains

“Today’s…practicum will allow you to put your discussion about hostage rescue to the test from both a villain’s and hero’s perspective,” Doctor Mindstorm said as we looked at the absolute maze of an obstacle course that filled TU’s training room. “From a villain’s perspective, keeping hostages alive and out of the heroes’ hands increases the likelihood your…polite requests will be met. Therefore, you’ll want to defend each hostage intensely.”

“Right,” Doctor Tennyson cleared his throat. “And from the heroes’ point of view, the most important thing is that the hostages survive, followed by safe rescues, with the villains’ defeat last in importance. We’ve discussed all this, though, so here are the rules.”

I peered down into the maze. Doctors Jackson and Mays, as well as Underdelver outside of his mech suit, stared back up from a small room in its center. They each sat on a folding chair, a single loop of used Christmas tinsel ‘tying’ them in place, with a placard on their chests reading ‘Hostage: Do Not Kill.’ Underdelver raised a hand and waved at me, showing that the so-called hostages weren’t reallyprisoners.

Doctor Tennyson clapped his hands. “We’ll divide you into teams of three, with a mix of villains, heroes, and vigilantes on each when possible. Team One will play the villains first, and Team Two the heroes. Then they’ll switch. The goal is to rescue all three hostages as fast as possible. For each villain your team defeats, we’ll take a minute off your time. For each hostage that the heroes hit with a power, we’ll add three minutes. If a hostage gets hit by a villain during a rescue attempt only, we’ll add a minute. So, speed, safe passage for the hostages, and defeating the villains.”

“This is a no-holds-barred practice. Superhero damage is at 50% of normal, and if you drop below half your HP, you’re considered unconscious. Heroes, you can make up thirty seconds by saving an unconscious hero…if you want to take that risk. The fight ends when all hostages and unconscious heroes are safe or when 15 minutes is up,” Mindstorm said. “Team One is Gourmet, Candi Crush, and Understudy. Team Two is Waterspout, Flare, and Grapple. Team Three is Punch, The Crumb, and Fursona. Team Four is…”

I didn’t listen to the rest. Gourmet and Understudy, teaming up? The battle was as good as won if we could avoid killing each other. The food-powered villain and Magical Girl Candi Crush seemed like a weird pair, though. I wondered for a moment if Gourmet could power up from eating Candi’s dog. Then we headed into the maze, a blinking line of LED lights guiding us.

“Hey, here’s the plan, Snack,” Gourmet said. “We’ll all go bruiser and try to gun down Flare fast, then get back to the hostages. We can defend a three versus two fight forever. They’ll lose for sure.”

That sounded shockingly reasonable. Sure, Underdelver was shaking his head, but Candi seemed all-in. She changed from the diminutive blue-dressed form into her hulking form with the candy-cane mace, then summoned her dog. I shifted into Copy Cat, letting Tails merge with my mind.

<Oh, hunting Flare today? How fun,>the plushie cat said.

“Begin,” Mindstorm’s voice echoed over the intercom.

Gourmet started running through the maze, Candi, the [Hard-Candy Hound], and me following in her wake. The heroes hadn’t had time for a better plan, so surely they’d still be talking through their assault. They wouldn’t expect a raid. They couldn’texpect an attack.

But by the time we maneuvered our way out of the maze, they were nowhere to be seen.

“Spread out. If you find one, shout. We’ll beat them together!” Gourmet shouted. It felt weird listening to her orders, of all people, but I dutifully dove back into the maze. Twists, turns, and empty rooms were all I could find.

Then Candi Crush shouted, ”I’ve got one! East side!” I looked toward the windows far above; they were west, so I’d go the other way, and I’d find her. I ran faster and faster through the walls, Tails urging me on. I turned a corner, and there she was, the ridiculously buff girl swinging her candy mace for all she was worth. But she hadn’t cornered Flare. She’d caught the absolute worst of the heroes for our plan.

The candy mace smashed against Waterspout, then through his arm, which turned to water for a moment before solidifying again. We’d caught Team Two’s tank, not their speedster.

As if to drive the point home, a bell rang. “That’s one rescue,” Mindstorm’s voice echoed.

I growled in frustration, used [Cat Scratch Fever] and [Leaping Leopards], and jumped through the air. We needed Waterspout down so we could focus on stopping the rescues. I crashed into the watery warrior, scratching for all I was worth. But even though a jagged cut opened on the hero’s ebbing skin, it hadn’t accomplished my goal. The poisonous fever washed straight through him instead.

[Badass Damage! +1 Badass Point]

[Poison Negated! -1 Drama Point: No Drama Points Available]

Candi used my distraction to pull her mace free while the [Hard-Candy Hound] harrassed Waterspout. For his part, he pressed the attack against Candi Crush, slamming her with watery tendrils.

The bell rang a second time.

“Change of plans,” I said, dashing for the door. “We gotta go, or we’ll lose!”

Candi Crush nodded. “Right behind you.”

But as we reached the door, a shimmering liquid barrier covered it. “Water you running away for?” Waterspout asked. He slid toward us, leaving puddles behind. We’d have to beat him to get out. Candi and I both nodded and ran toward the hero. I used[Doom Ball], my most potent move as Copy-Cat, and scratched and clawed the hero.

[Badass Damage! +1 Badass Point]

A gong sounded. Mindstorm’s voice cut through the fighting and shouting. “A hero is down!”

I stared at Waterspout. “That you?”

“Nope. You nearly scratched my armor, though!” He surged backward away from us. We hadn’t broken free yet!

[Badass Damage! +1 Badass Point]

[Stylish Assist! +1 Flamboyance Point]

[Badass Damage! +1 Badass Point]

[HP 7/8]

As we fought back and forth, slowly wearing Waterspout down, the bell sounded. “The downed hero has been rescued!”

Then, finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I heard another sound from the intercom. But it wasn’t the gong I’d hoped for. Instead, the bell rang again. “Enough. The last hostage has been saved. Final time: Five minutes, thirteen seconds. Switch sides. Superhero damage and powers are reset,” Mindstorm said.

The room shimmered. So did Candi Crush. When she stopped, she’d returned to her small blue form, and I knew I was Understudy again. We stomped our way back to the heroes’ rally point, passing the professors on their way back to the hostage room.

When we got there, Gourmet was livid. “What the hell happened? I took down Flare as planned, by myself, but you left me in a two-against-one. Is it because I’m a vil?”

“No, it’s because Waterspout is a problem. He’s ridiculously strong,” I said.

“Oh really? How much damage did he do to you two?”

“Two points.” Candi Crush looked ashamed.

“One point,” I said. “But he locked down the whole room, and he takes barely any damage. He might be able to fight all three of us without losing for five minutes. We need a plan to take him down.”

“Yeah, we do. What’ve you got,” Gourmet asked.

“How about I stay Understudy and try landing a [Ride the Lightning] combo? He might have a natural weakness to lightning. He’s gotta be weak to something, right?”

“Right,” Candi said. “Gourmet can push hard and try to stomp Flare again, and I’ll attack the hostage room from the flanks because I can summon [Hard-Candy Hound].”

“It’s aggressive. I like it,” Gourmet grinned and snapped off a bite of jerky to grow her horns.

“Begin,” Mindstorm said over the intercom, and I started jogging into the maze. Gourmet smashed through a wall ahead of me while I turned toward the same room Waterspout had trapped me in before.

Behind me, Candi Crush shouted, “It’s not working! [Big Rock Candi]! [Hard-Candy Hound]! Something, come on!”

I poked my head back around the corner. Candi stood there, face red and eyes squeezed shut from concentration, still small and still dressed in her blue dress, not the candy colossus she needed to be. Something felt…off. Really off. But I couldn’t place it.

She definitely wasn’t faking, though. I’d been an actress, and I knew acting, and you couldn’tact this well on a dime. “Doctor Mindstorm, something’s wrong! We’re tapping out!” I shouted up to the glass.

A buzzer sounded. “Enough. Team One forfeits their attempt.”

◄▼►

Gourmet was pissed.

The whole way up the stairs, she screamed and shouted. I wasn’t sure why she was so upset, since she’d never been like this last semester, but something had her more worked up than a power malfunction should have. She would not leave Candi Crush alone, though, so finally, I’d had enough.

“Gourmet! Enough! Holy shit, enough! It’s not her fault,” I snapped. “She wanted to win as much as you, got it!”

“Really? You screwed up the villain run, then botched the hero side completely. I’m not sure you two know how to win.”

Mindstorm cleared her throat from the stair door. “Enough. Candi, you’re with me. If you give me permission, we can find out what’s going wrong quickly. Just step into the…hall with me. Gourmet, Understudy…wait here.”

Candi nodded slowly, tears in her eyes. She was already talking before she even got to the observation room. “I can usually summon [Hard-Candy Hound] anywhere, even if I’m not in [Big-Rock Candi] form. I couldn’t do either. Then I tried [Flavor Ray] or even getting my wand to change. It felt…” her voice faded away as the door shut.

Professor Tennyson clapped his hands. “Teams Three and Four, head down. We’ll start your runs in three minutes. Remember, three minute penalty if you hit a hostage, heroes. Villains, you can take advantage of that. Do so.”

Fursona shot me a look; I couldn’t see it through her kangaroo head, but I could picture the mix of concern and confidence. She was going to kick Team One’s butt on time, but her thoughts had to be on Team One. She wanted to know why we’d bailed. At least, I told myself she did.

“Begin,” Tennyson said a few minutes later, and I watched as Fursona and her team defended the hostages. Unlike us, they’d adopted to all stay nearby but spread out. It seemed to work better than our aggressive, all-in strategy had, but then again, Team Four didn’t have an area-denial tank like Team Two had.

I reevaluated Waterspout’s power level. He’d barely gotten a functional combo together the first day of Combat Styles Forum, but his power wasn’t in damage. If he used it right, he’d be a fantastic teammate, even if he never landed a blow.

Candi came back, somehow more distraught than before. Mindstorm had asked for permission; she’d probably been inside the Magical Girl’s head. I put an arm around her shoulder, commiserating. I’d felt bad after registration last semester, and I’d been in a good mood before. Mindstorm herself whispered something to Tennyson, who shook his head.

Eventually, Fursona finished her two runs: eight minutes thirty-one seconds as villains and six minutes nineteen seconds as heroes. The moment Teams Three and Four reached the observation room, accompanied by the ‘hostages, Mindstorm cleared her throat, looking worried.

“We’ll have Teams Five and Six run on Monday. Meet us here for Forum instead of in the classrooms,” Mindstorm said. “Class dismissed. And Understudy, we have a meeting next Wednesday right after Ilneat Politics.”

“That seemed abrupt,” Fursona said as we exited the observation room. I nodded. It wasabrupt. And the meeting with Mindstorm weighed on me. That wasn’t our regularly scheduled meeting time.

Then Gourmet shoved past me and hurried down the hall, a set of keys jingling from her hand.

Car keys.

◄▼►

26 - Car Keys

“Are we gonna talk about Candi?” Fursona asked as we hurried down the hall. “That was wild. I’ve never seen powers fail except with Jackson, and this wasn’t Jackson, or it’d be everyone, so what happened?”

“I have no idea. Mindstorm seemed worked up about it, though. I don’t think it’s a common issue.” Candi’s transformational dysfunction wasn’t my main concern. I only had eyes for Gourmet. What was she doing? A lot of students had cars, but she’d have to be pretty stupid to get in hers as a supervillain unless…

…Unless the car was Gourmet’s, not her alter ego’s. In which case, she probably wasn’t cruising for fun. She had a plan, and if Gourmet had a plan, maybe that meant an Episode. “Want to see what she’s up to?” I asked.

Fursona nodded. “Just be careful. No Episodes on campus, remember?”

I gritted my teeth. That rule was going to get me in trouble one of these days. “I know.”

The tunnel ended at the Mister Felsic ramp, and Gourmet hurried out. We waited ten seconds, then pushed the doors open. It wasn’t like she’d be hard to find; she was probably the least subtle villain on campus, and she routinely spent time in costume on campus. I remembered when I’d had to feed her in the dining hall, and we’d all eaten as supers—how awkward had that been?

The moment we stepped out of the doors below the repaired and renovated Mister Felsic, we got our Casting Calls. I hesitated, thinking about my on-campus Episode ban, then shrugged. I just wouldn’t report it, and wouldn’t do anything until I was off-campus. It’d be like it never happened.

[Casting Call]

[Episode: Braking and Entering - PG-13]

[Role: Flag Girl! Do you accept the role? (Yes/No)]

[Role Focus: Flamboyance+Badass]

“Minor league,” I muttered, frowning. I wasn’t so sure about this. We could probablyhandle Gourmet. We might even be able to two vs. one against Theseus. But the minor leagues weren’t the friendliest, and we could easily run into a real loose-cannon villain.

On the other hand, dealing with a minor-league Episode without help from Tele-Portal would do wonders for my community ranking. Fursona accepted. I waited; the longer I could put it off, the more deniability I’d have if TU’s administration got upset.

As we tailed Gourment, careful to keep our distance even though she didn’t seem focused on checking for followers, Fursona cleared her throat. “I mean, it didn’t happen to anyone else, right? You could still use your powers, and Gourmet had no problems. So it’s gotta be a Candi Crush issue.”

“Yeah.” I ducked around a scooter, stepping off into the snow-covered grass to avoid it. Its clattering wheels faded into the distance, and I cursed myself for not buying one from Walmart when they were on sale. “Whatever it was, hopefully it’s a one-off problem. It’d be awful if that happened to her in a real Episode and not training.”

“I hadn’t even thought of that. Getting cut off from your powers would suck in an Episode.”

“It happened to me once,” I replied. Gourmet angled toward the massive parking structure on TU’s east side. While Bianca had parking near her dorm, most students ended up in the parking garage. Honestly, I thought they had it better than Bee since they didn’t have to make their girlfriends scrape the windows. Bee disagreed, but her butt wasn’t out there scraping. I’d never gotten my license, and I didn’t have a car even if I had. She drove, and I scraped, and I only complained a little.

“It did, huh?”

“Yep. Orientation Episode. I didn’t have Tails when it started because Peter couldn’t fit her into my backpack. But I didn’t know that, so I accepted the role, went to transform in the bathroom, and couldn’t. The waitress at the No More Mr. Rice Guy? She was in the bathroom when it happened. She probably still thinks of me as Toilet Girl.”

Gourmet dipped inside the towering parking garage. It paused. If we followed her in, we could have our fight right here. But in that case, we wouldn’t figure out the rest of the Episode, and it wasn’t a Short. The only way we’d be able to figure out the plot was if we followed her in her car, and I doubted Fursona could keep up.

However, I had a terrible idea. “Want to go plain clothes for the first part of this one?” I asked.

“What are you thinking?”

I told her. She was not happy. But after some back-and-forth, she nodded. “I don’t like it, and I don’t think it’s the best strategy, but I’ll do it. Just be careful, and stay in touch.” She hopped away, back toward her dorm, and I knew why she wasn’t happy. I wouldn’t be there to scrape her car!

◄▼►

I’d never been more jealous. How did a villain score that as their getaway vehicle, and why didn’t I have one of my own?

The Mustang was, in fact, cherry red with sparkly paint and two white racing stripes, immaculately clean, with not even a smidgen of dust on it. Gourmet’s arm stuck out the window, tapping lightly on the car’s side as she pulled out of her spot. It purred as Gourmet slowly drove it through the parking garage and out the exit—two floors below my perch.

Then she pulled out onto University Drive.

<Got her. 70s Mustang, cherry red, extra-loud engine - Understudy 3:42>

<West on University. License plate 378-XLG - Understudy 3:42>

<On it. Gonna tail. Im the gray civic - Bianca 3:43>

<I know lol - Understudy 3:43>

<Shut up - Bianca 3:43>

By the time I’d finished texting Bee, Gourmet was halfway down the block and stopped at a red light. “[Starwave Sail],” I said, stepping off the parking garage and into thin air. My sailboard caught me, and I rocketed up until I circled overhead, even with the twelfth-story windows. She probably wouldn’t notice me here. Probably. I accepted the Casting Call and flew off-campus. Total time in-Episode on TU grounds? Three seconds.

[Braking and Entering: Act One in Progress]

[Good Thinking! +1 Cunning Point]

Bee’s gray Civic pulled onto University Drive a few blocks back, and I sent her one more text.

<Hey. After I get her location, change back - Understudy 3:45>

<You got it boss-lady - Bianca 3:45>

The lights changed from red to green one after the other, with only a second between each. Bee crept forward behind a semi, but Gourmet floored it the second a space opened up in the traffic. I quickly learned that the woman was a speed freak; my sailboard’s sail shook and rattled as I dove to keep up.

And worse, as she swerved between a pair of Extras and slid through a red light, I realized she wasn’t just fast—she was a menace. Bee’s Civic wouldn’t be able to keep up, and without her costume, she’d be out of the fight anyway. I took a deep breath and plunged downward; it was up to me to stop her.

With the extra speed from the dive, I caught up—but that wouldn’t last. I had to slow Gourmet’s hot rod down somehow, or I’d lose her. As she whipped left around a delivery truck, I angled so I’d pass it on the right, just a few feet above a busy sidewalk. The Mustang cut in front of the semi, I ducked in the other way on my sailboard, and I let go of my steering bar with one hand.

“[Stellar Ray!]”

[Dramatic Damage! +1 Drama Point]

The beam punched through Gourmet’s open window, catching the villain on her shoulder, and the Mustang wobbled back and forth for a moment before correcting. The window started rolling up, and I tried for one more shot. The [Stellar Ray] crashed into the passenger-side window, leaving a ripple of cracks across it.

[Dramatic Damage! +1 Drama Point]

I got points for damaging Gourmet’s car? That hadn’t happened during either of the Jumper Episodes last year. I fired off one more ray, which dissipated harmlessly on the car’s cherry-red door.

Then Gourmet turned off University and onto the narrow, two-lane Lincoln Street. I bit back a curse; Lincoln was tight, with overhanging fire escapes, lots of stop lights, and an ancient overpass-turned-walking park. Gourmet would have to drive more slowly, yes, but she’d have plenty of obstacles to shake me on.

It’d be like the Trench Run in Star Wars, especially if she could shoot back.

I dove into the oncoming traffic, trying to get on her left side this time. The shattered passenger window had to be blocking her vision—if I could knock out her driver’s side, it’d—

“Shit!”

I dove for the sidewalk, barely avoiding the balcony that loomed out in front of me. As I hit the ground, I rolled once, scraping my legs and shoulders on the cracks in the cement. “[Starwave Sail]!”

[HP 7/8]

[Dashing Dodge! +1 Flamboyance Point]

[Gritty Recovery! +1 Grit Point]

I didn’t feel dashing as I ducked between street signs and dumpsters. I felt out of control, on the edge, and behind. Gourmet’s tail lights flashed at a red light, and she pulled into an alley. I raced to catch up, eyes tearing up from the cold air. If I could stop her, maybe she’d tell me what was really going on. We were friends, after all. Kind of.

WHAM!

[HP 6/8]

A white ball slammed into me, sending me into a spin. As I recovered just inches above the dirt alley, I saw Gourmet’s left arm reeling back to toss another softball at me. Her mouth chewed furiously on something, and I doubted it was jerky. I pointed my wand.

“[Stellar Ray]!”

[Dramatic Damage! +1 Drama Point]

[HP 5/8]

The sailboard vanished as I slammed into the ground. I’d scored a hit, but so had Gourmet. I couldn’t trade damage like this! She was too tough.

Then her brakes flashed at the end of the alley. A car blocked the way—a gray Civic.

Bianca screamed dramatically, opened her driver-side door, and ran for a nearby monorail station.

“What the fuck?” Gourmet yelled. Her door opened, too, and she got out. The Civic was still running, and she headed straight for the open door.

I couldn’t let her get there. She’d steal Bee’s car! And even if she didn’t, she’d move it and carry on with this crazy car chase.

And I couldn’t use [Bit-Part Barrage]. Sure, I’d probably hit Gourmet a lot, but any misses would wreck the old Civic.

I [Checked the Script]. There was only one good choice. So as Gourmet clambered into the Civic’s driver’s seat, I rushed into the Mustang’s. She started driving, and I honked the hot rod’s horn. “Hey, Gourmet, going somewhere?”

[Good Thinking! +1 Cunning Point]

The Civic stopped. Gourmet got out and stomped toward her Mustang. I’d rarely seen her truly angry, but from the furrows on her brow and her clenched fists and jaw, I’d succeeded in getting her there twice today.

Yay, me.

I pushed the door lock down and started rolling up the window, but before I could, her arm shot through and grabbed my neck. As her fingers tightened, I aimed my wand, but not at her. Instead, I pointed it down, next to my feet. “I’ll…I’ll fry your engine. I just…just want to talk,” I coughed.

[HP 4/8]

[Gritty Sacrifice! +1 Grit Point]

Her grip tightened again. What had she eaten? I waggled the wand meaningfully, and she let go, slamming me into the seat. “Fine. Neutral Field. Right here, right now.”

“Terms?” I coughed again as air rushed into my lungs.

“I don’t mess with the Extra’s car, you get out of mine, and we don’t kill each other until we’re done talking,” Gourmet said. “Best deal you’re going to get.”

“Agreed.” I opened the door. “You were so easy to please last semester. Now you’re a race-car-driving hardcore villainess. What’s with the hot rod?”

[Cool Under Pressure! +1 Drama Point]

[End of Act One! Act Two in Five Minutes!]

[Alias - Understudy] [Archetype - Magical Girl] [Community Rank - 315/523]

[HP 4/8]

[Styles and Skills]

►Archetype Skill - Transformation Sequence

►Badass (18)

►Cunning (13)

►Drama (28)

► Stellar Ray 1

► Bit-Part Barrage 1