Legal Disclaimer: I do not own Red vs. Blue or any of the show's characters. They are the rightful properties of Rooster Teeth.
Prologue: No Normal
Richard "Dick" Simmons hurried through the crowded streets of Blood Gulch, the name given to the city of Chorus' "poorest" area. Blood Gulch certainly wasn't the fanciest neighborhood, but the place suited his current needs just fine.
It was easy to avoid eye contact and awkward conversation when a person was just hiding as one in a crowd. Well, once he got past the nerve-wracking moment when he left his apartment anyway. Truth be told, he still felt a surge of anxiety being out in the open, an inner panic at being surrounded by other people.
The redhead was currently trying his hardest to ignore the growing chill in the air, as well as his bones and metallic parts, due to the fine rainy mist settling over everything in sight. Simmons shivered, grateful for the fact that he was wearing a loose-fitting maroon hoodie. He pulled the material over his upper body tightly for added warmth.
It was the end of the day for most people, including himself. Right now, Simmons was on his way to his favorite convenience store to grab something to eat. It was an act that he forced himself to partake in every day, even though being amongst people still made him incredibly nervous.
He was overly-cautious and self-conscious about how he must appear to others, even though he logically knew that the synthetic skin covering the metal plating on his face made it hard to notice that anything was off there. Unless someone looked at him directly for a lengthy period of time, that is. Simmons tried very hard to avoid being stuck in that situation, having developed a habit of darting from place to place like a frightened rabbit.
The convenience store was located on the cusp of the imaginary border between Blood Gulch and Rat's Nest, the other poor district of Chorus. Though Simmons had been born in the more "well-to-do" district of Armonia, this area of the city was easier to lose oneself in should one have a reason or need to do so.
That's why Simmons had been making something of a "home" for himself here ever since he had managed to escape from the lab in Valhalla. Due to the lesser focus on maintaining security that took place here, this area of Chorus was the perfect place for Specials to try to hide undetected in. Simmons just used that common knowledge to his own personal advantage.
A tan car sped by, splashing water from a puddle on the street. The action nearly threatened to drench Simmons. He tensed, nervous when he glanced up at the offending vehicle and noticed that it was near a black van that looked eerily familiar to the one that had grabbed him back in Armonia.
"It's not the same car. You have to stop doing this to yourself!" Simmons thought, shaking his head as he desperately tried to ignore the increased pumping of the gear that had replaced his heart.
Still, with adrenaline coursing through his body, the lanky man quickened his pace. With the ever-growing distance between himself and the offending vehicle, he managed to quell his panic down significantly.
Ever since the Specials group known as Freelancer had dissipated, Simmons had heard some troubling rumors that the "collecting" of Specials from the lower income regions had started to increase. But, he had been trying for his own peace of mind to equate it to just your typical gossip and nothing more. After all, surely it would be covered more on the news if that was actually the case, right?
Lost in his own thoughts, Simmons finally reached the familiar safe haven of the convenience store. Like clockwork, the redhead went inside and immediately made his way over to the store's premade dinners. Not even glancing at the packages, he grabbed one before making his way over to the cashier.
The woman behind the counter appeared to be in her late middle ages with graying hair. Considering how often Simmons came to the store, the clerk was a familiar face by this point. She even shot him a tired smile as she rang up his transaction.
"You could stand for a few home-cooked meals, you know." She informed him gently in way of trying to start conversation.
Simmons couldn't help but smile awkwardly at her concern, "I…I'm fine…" he tried saying reassuringly just as the commercials on the television terminal hanging overhead switched off and a news program kicked into full gear.
"…Despite how today marks the five-year anniversary of the destruction of the Freelancers, the government is still debating the legality of a possible registry for the Specials in our midst." A female reporter evidently named Dylan Andrews stated on the screen.
Simmons swallowed nervously, his attention turning to the report. He tried not to make the anxiety that had just knotted up in his stomach obvious on his face. Luckily, he was so pale naturally he doubted his complexion had blanched enough to be apparent.
"As most of our viewers are undoubtedly aware, due to the potential for damage that so many Specials bring to the table, an ongoing debate has lingered on ways to keep them in check—the supposed registry being one such avenue." The reporter,Dylan, continued, "Though certain influential people, such as Chairman Malcolm Hargrove," a picture of a wizened old man appeared in a graphics box over the reporter's shoulder, "Of Charon Industries, continue to voice concern that doing so could crush their personal liberties."
"Isn't that guy just saying that because Charon is in charge of security for Chorus now?" A customer who had been apathetically picking his nose, much to Simmons' inward disgust, asked, "Specials committing crimes willy-nilly keeps them in goddamn business."
The woman behind the counter decided to voice her opinion just then even though no one was soliciting for it, "Personally, I think that even the Freelancers did more harm than good with all of the damage that we had to pay for. Who the hell else was going to pick up after their fights?" She stated rather emphatically before shrugging her shoulders, "Having some way to control or know about Specials beforehand just seems like good old fucking common sense to me."
Simmons remained tensely silent as the cashier lady and nose picker continued their conversation, thanking the woman with a quick nod of his head for his change and receipt before hurriedly leaving the store. He was suddenly immensely grateful for the gloves and long sleeves he wore to cover up his cybernetic arm and hand.
Personally, he wasn't sure what exactly to make of the whole Specials debate. Particularly since, on a rather technical level, he probably wouldn't even count as one despite what some might say on the subject. Not to mention that he was fairly certain that the people who had kidnapped him weren't Specials either, so he knew just how capable regular humans were when it came to committing crimes too.
Simmons shook his head, not really wanting to dwell on that particular topic of debate for too long in order to avoid another string of flashback-induced nightmares. Instead, he focused on climbing the stairs to his Blood Gulch apartment so that he could finally force himself to eat a little something.
His apartment was a one-room affair that could be considered drab and sad even by his own personal standards. But, it had been all he could get on a very limited budget. Until he made a steadier income doing low-key tech repairs to avoid catching anyone's eyes, this shitty apartment was home.
Simmons absent-mindedly turned his computer on as he got ready to eat his rather bland and tasteless dinner, frowning when the news report that popped up just as his browser opened was yet another discussion on the Specials registry.
…His father's name was listed on the news article as a proponent of it.
That gave him pause. Simmons stared dumbfounded at the familiar name staring back at him. The letters were so emotionally unavailable that it was as if his actual father were in the room with him now.
The maroon hoodie wearing man distantly wondered if his parents even missed him. His mother? Maybe. But, his father? He was probably just happy that his useless son was not around anymore to embarrass him. He probably hadn't even bothered searching for Simmons when he had been held captive for months.
Simmons hastily wiped the sudden tears from his eyes, turning to put the half-eaten convenience store dinner plate in the apartment's small sink for later cleaning.
"Fucking finally!"
Simmons spun around at the unfamiliar voice suddenly exclaiming expletives in his apartment.
To say he was shocked to see the translucent form of a goateed man wreathed in cobalt blue energy standing in the middle of his room was an understatement. It even hurt slightly to stare at the figure directly with his cybernetic eye, which was suddenly throwing statistics in his face that made no fucking sense. Even if the man was a Special, his cybernetic eye didn't normally react like this. What the hell was going on and who the fuck was this guy?
"Hey! Are you Richard Simmons?" The strange man asked the dumbfounded redhead, snickering slightly when he added, "Dick?"
Oh, like he hadn't heard that one before from every bully ever. Simmons couldn't help but roll his eyes at that old joke. So, whoever this projected guy was, he was an asshole with a middle schooler's sense of humor. Fucking great. To avoid freaking out even more, Simmons simply nodded his head in response to the newcomer's question.
"Good." The man, who at closer inspection with Simmons' regular human eye appeared to be around his own age, grinned, "I have a damned good proposition for you, if I do so say so myself. And, believe me, I fucking do."
Author's Notes: Who is enjoying Season 15 so far? I can't wait to see what will happen next in it! :)
So, in light of Season 15, I am bringing to you the start of a new story. I know, I know! I hate myself because evidently having four ongoing stories all at once seems like a good idea all of a sudden. XD But, this idea for a Superhero AU just wouldn't get out of my head, so I had to write it out. Truthfully, I blame my sister who has me watching all of those Arrow-verse shows. :)
Pairings for this story will be Grimmons, Tuckington, Kimbalina, Chex, Docnut, Sheila x Lopez, Doctor Grey x Sarge, Bitthews, Jensen x Palomo, Kaikaina x Volleyball, and Sherry x Ohio. :)
I will probably be posting the first chapter of this story next just to get more into the story-verse before going into my regular posting schedule again for all of my other stories (Remnants, When We Were Soldiers and Shiny Things).
At any rate, I hope you enjoyed this small prologue and hopefully the rest of the story will make for an enjoyable read too! :D