Penny decided the first thing she needed, besides answers, were clothes. She rummaged around Billy's bedroom until she found a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt. They were both too big for her, but a belt secured the pants and she didn't mind that the shirt was baggy. Anything was better than the drafty hospital gown.
Next, she decided she wanted something to eat. But if she'd been dead for two years, would her stomach remember how to process food? Billy had said he'd kept her organs running – had he given her stomach material to process? Was she starting to believe this crazy story of his?
She stepped to the refrigerator, found an apple, took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. Everything seemed to go down fine. And then, after a few minutes without any sign her stomach hadn't cared for her offering, she selected a few more items from the fridge and sat down at Billy's computer desk where she ate and poured over the various newspaper clippings.
Things had gotten bad over the past two years, really bad. Without Captain Hammer to protect the city, crime had doubled in just a few days. The city's police were overworked, and in many cases, Los Angeles citizens had to protect themselves. There were several cries of help for Captain Hammer, but he never appeared.
And then, as the Evil League of Evil made attempts to take over the city, a new hero had emerged. He didn't have any super powers, but he had a way with speech. Overnight, he had persuaded the people to stand up for themselves and rally against the forces trying to destroy them. For over a year, this hero, dubbed The Voice, had helped the city hold back the League and its henchmen.
But it was only a matter of time before The Voice was found and killed. There had been many security measures put in place to keep him safe, but they had failed. Without their leader, the people scattered and succumbed to the League. It had been two months since the League's takeover, two months of the city's citizens living in fear. And things had fallen back into chaos, just as it had been before the Voice's appearance.
Penny rubbed her hands over her face. She couldn't believe that Captain Hammer would leave the city to its own defenses. Nor could she believe that Billy, as a member of the League, was a part of the city's fall. That wasn't the guy she had known at the laundromat. But then, how well could she have truly gotten to know him?
She sighed, and even though she thought she had learned all she could, she went back to the clippings, just in case she'd missed something. And once she'd finished, she unfolded today's paper. It was full of ELE propaganda.
As she was skimming the paper, she heard the front door open. "Billy?" she called. No answer.
She put the paper down slowly. As she stood from the chair, a man with a mop of black hair and a sweaty face peered around the corner.
She screamed and backed up toward the wall.
He screamed as well, backing away from her.
They exchanged screams back and forth until they realized the other person was just as afraid of them as they were of the other person.
"Oh, my, god," said the man, dropping the mail he held. "He did it! He actually did it!"
Penny stared at him. Who was this strange person? To her horror, he started walking toward her.
"You-you're-you're alive! You're standing – walking!" he added as she backed up from him.
"Leave me alone," she begged him.
"You can talk!" he said. When she backed away further he held up his hands. "No! No, it's okay. I-I'm Dr. Horrible's henchmen – uh, friend! B-Billy's friend." He smiled at her. When she continued to stare, he added. "My name's M-Moist – Simon! You can call me Simon."
"So," she said, still unsure. "You just barge into people's apartments?"
"No!" he laughed. "Gods, no. Th-the door was open, so I assumed Dr. – Billy was home. He hasn't let me come by in a while. He said you were in critical stages." He stared at her like she was some kind of experiment.
And, she supposed in a way, she was. "So, I was dead," she said, voicing it out loud more to convince herself than to explain to Simon. "For two years."
"More or less," said Simon, his eyes running over her.
"Please, stop starring at me."
He jumped. "Sorry! Sorry!" He bent to pick up the mail and then handed it to her. "It's just, uh, you look great for a – for a dead girl." He gave a nervous laugh.
She wasn't sure how to respond, so she took the mail from him and dropped it onto the desk.
Simon rocked on his feet. "So, uh, where is Billy?"
"I don't know." Penny shrugged. "His phone rang, and he ran out."
"Oh!" said Simon, excitedly. He pulled out his own phone and almost dropped it, his hands were so slick. It was warm outside, but Penny found it odd he was sweating so badly. "Did it sound like this?" He played back the catchy jingle.
"Yes," she told him.
Simon pumped his arms in victory. "Oh, this is great! This is … great! It's the League!" he added to her befuddled look. "He's been in such bad straights with them since … well, since he began his experiments with you." He grimaced in apology. "He was so preoccupied - missing meetings, not showing up to raids, forgetting plans … they've been ready to drop him these past few weeks since he's locked himself in here. This might be his only chance to get back in their good graces."
Penny turned away from him and studied the news clippings on the wall. She'd much rather they did drop him. She couldn't accept the Evil League of Evil as something to aspire to. She wished Billy wasn't one of them.
"Hey," said Simon carefully as he noticed her sour look. "It's just a job, right?"
"It's extortion," she said, not looking at him.
He fidgeted. "Now, come on." He didn't sound confident of his ability to convince her. "It's not like that. It's …" But he could think of no explanation to give her. "He's crazy about you," he said at last. "He's given up nearly everything to bring you back."
Penny shook her head. Somehow, her life always turned out like this. Someone she'd trusted, someone she'd cared for, had turned out to be someone not worth having around. She'd thought Billy to be a friend, only to discover he was working to hurt the people she'd tried to help. And it wouldn't just be the homeless who suffered in these dark times – everyone would.
She felt Simon's hand on her shoulder. "Give him a chance," he pleaded. "He's a good guy."
She shrugged Simon's hand off her. Couldn't Billy see the harm he was doing? Did he not care? So what, if he'd brought her back to life? If she was the only innocent person he cared about… what did that one good deed amount to amongst a sea of bad ones? She couldn't see him using what he'd learned from reviving her to save other people's lives. He never would have helped her if she hadn't been important to him. No, he wasn't in the business of generosity, just the business of self-fulfillment, just like Captain Hammer had been.
She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice when Simon left.
Penny walked the ruined streets of Los Angeles. No one had seen Captain Hammer for years. No one even knew if he was still in the city. But he had taken her to his place before, even shown her his secret lair. If anyone could find him, Penny was certain she could.
She just wasn't certain her decision to walk the streets alone had been a good idea. She hadn't been able to wait until Billy got back. She was sure he wouldn't want her to find Captain Hammer. And if she was truthful, she wasn't sure she wanted to see Billy again, not now that she knew who he was.
Still, some company on the streets would have been better than going alone. There was litter everywhere. Certain areas were starting to smell from unattended garbage. And evidence of looting was apparent - smashed windows, broken doors, trails of unwanted goods leading from entrances …
The city wasn't safe anymore. And the more Penny walked it, the more she was certain someone needed to step up and help. She couldn't do it on her own, and Billy wouldn't help her, not when he was part of what had caused this. She needed Captain Hammer.
Their relationship hadn't been the greatest - she could see through his pony smiles and half-truths now as she looked back on their time together. She'd always been a little uneasy around him. Maybe, somehow, part of her had known he wasn't what he'd appeared to be. But she'd told herself it was just nerves from letting herself be open enough to fall in love. She'd gotten caught up in the idea of it all - in having not only someone love her but help her and to seem to want to help her help others. Everything had been perfect - too perfect. And his display at the opening of the shelter had revealed him to her for what he truly was… even if no one else had realized it.
Still, part of her felt he had cared for her, on some level at least. Hadn't he mentioned he had been with her the longest out of all his previous girlfriends? That had to count for something. If nothing else, it seemed proof enough she was the one person in the whole city with the greatest chance of talking him around… If she managed to reach his apartment in one piece.
She had just resolved herself to putting her head down and walking as quickly as possible when a man stepped out from a side alley holding a knife.
"Hey, pretty lady," he smiled.
Penny backed away from. "Please. I-I don't have anything." It was true. If she'd had cash, she would have taken a cab instead of walking... not that a cab was any safer than the streets. But she had no wallet, no credit cards, no form of ID. She just had the clothes on her back and the shoes she'd pilfered from Billy's closet that sloshed back and forth on her feet because they were too big - even when she'd worn an extra pair of socks in an attempt to fill them.
"That's all right," said the man, advancing toward her. His teeth were yellow, his eyes wide, his facial hair long and scruffy like he hadn't shaved for days. "You can …" His eyes flicked over her body. "Repay me in other ways."
"No. Please." Penny backed up until she hit a wall.
The man laughed as he continued to advance, knowing as she did that she had nowhere to go.
Penny closed her eyes, not wanting to witness what the man was about to do to her.
There came a cry, one that wasn't hers or the man's. Penny opened her eyes to see that someone had come to her rescue. She had red hair and a small frame, like Penny's, but she stood up to the man.
"Why not pick on someone who can fight back?" she asked. She swung her leg and punched the air, demonstrating some form of martial arts.
The man hesitated. The girl might know how to fight, but he had a knife and she was otherwise unarmed.
Just then, two other figures leapt from the shadows. Another small-framed girl with dark hair, and a large blonde man. Penny's attacker, seeing he was outnumbered, turned and ran.
"Are you all right?" asked the red-headed girl as she came over to Penny.
Penny nodded. "Th-thank you," she managed once she'd found her voice again.
The girl shrugged. "It's easy when you make it look like you know what you're doing – which I do." She gestured behind her, beckoning her friends toward her. "And numbers help. This is Maurissa." She put an arm around the dark haired girl, then gestured behind her with her free hand. "And that's Steve. I'm Stacy."
"Hi," said Penny. "And thanks again."
Stacy shrugged. "Don't mention it." She removed her arm from around Maurissa's shoulders. "Although, you know, you really shouldn't be walking around the city by yourself."
Penny nodded. "I know. I just – I really need to get to my friend's house."
Stacy stared at her.
"It's important." Penny explained.
Stacy looked at her friends, then back at Penny. "Where are you headed? Maybe we can escort you."
Penny smiled, and soon the group was off, keeping visible and out of easy reach of those looking to do them harm by walking down the middle of the deserted street. Their tactic wouldn't do much to protect against super villains, but then, as Maurissa pointed out, if they were looking for you, they'd find you. Regardless, they made it to Captain Hammer's apartment complex without incident.
"Hey," said Stacy as they approached. "Isn't that Captain Hammer's place?" She looked back at her friends. "No one's seen him for years…"
They all looked at Penny.
Maurissa gasped and jumped back into Steve. "Oh, my, god! I know you! You're that girl from the shelter! You're his girlfriend!" Stacy left Penny's side to stand amongst her friends as Maurissa cried, "Ghost!"
"No!" said Penny. "I'm not a ghost!" She placed a hand on Stacy's arm to prove she was solid. "I'm –"
"Poltergeist!"
"No!" Penny cried as the group turned and ran away from her. "Please!"
But they ran without turning back. Was that how she could expect everyone to treat her? Like she was some spirit that haunted the city? Searching for her lover who had long since disappeared?
Sighing, she turned to face the apartment complex. It seemed to have held up better than some other buildings she had passed. There were still smashed windows and graffiti on the walls. It had the same tired look as the rest of the city, but at least it appeared mostly clean. With any luck, there wouldn't be a serial killer lying in wait for her around some corner.
She pushed open the security gate – the key pad members were supposed to punch the security code into no longer worked. Captain Hammer's apartment was on the first floor, so she didn't have to go far. She was surprised to find the door ajar.
The apartment itself was a wreck. Anything worth anything was gone. Cabinets had been ripped out of the wall, carpet had been torn from the floor, and the only evidence there had been any appliances were shadows of darkened paint on the walls. Everything was gone… Everything except a bookshelf in what had formerly been Captain Hammer's study.
There were deep gouges on the floor and on the legs of the bookshelf where people had tried to pry it away. The books held scratches, but they too remained. The bookshelf and its contents had refused to be removed, no matter how hard people had tried to take it.
Penny stepped forward and tried to remember the correct book to allow entrance into the secret lair. Eventually, she found it on the second shelf from the top. The fifth book from the left was the only one that would budge, and the entire bookshelf slid to the right to reveal a descending staircase.
Penny descended slowly, listening for any indication that someone was down there. Would Captain Hammer be there? Or had he fled the city completely? Was it possible someone else had found the secret book and the lair was now occupied by unsavory people she wouldn't want to encounter?
Or maybe a group of homeless lived down there, and she could join them? After all, it wasn't like she had a home anymore or a job, and she didn't know if staying with Billy was an option. Maybe even while being homeless herself, she could still find ways to help. She had nothing to lose, at any rate.
She received a shock when reaching the landing. All of Captain Hammer's special items were still there. His uniform hung in a glass case against the wall. On the far side of the room sat a large station of computers, which Hammer had used as a command center to communicate with police and monitor criminal activity through social media. Beyond that, hardly able to be made out from where she stood, sat the Hammer Cycle and the Hammer Jet.
Directly in front of her sat everything that had been ripped out of the apartment above. The luxury couch, seventy-two inch television, and the extensive DVD collection made a nice sitting area, the floor covered with ripped up carpet. The kitchen counters and appliances had been moved against the wall down from the sitting area. And standing in front of the microwave in a white bathrobe was talk, dark, and handsome – Captain Hammer himself.
The microwave dinged. He removed the previously frozen dinner from it, then turned and dropped the tray when he caught sight of her. "P-Penny?"
"Hey," was all she could think to say.
He stared at her in much the same way Stacy, Maurissa, and Steven had – like he'd seen a ghost. "But … you died."
She shifted on her feet. The explanation still seemed too crazy to her. "Dr. Horrible brought me back."
"Oh." The fear dropped from his face, like that was the only explanation he needed. He stooped down, picked up his dinner, and carried it over to the sofa. He sat down to view reruns of himself beating up the city's criminals.
"So…" she said when she realized he wasn't paying her any further attention. "So, you've been hiding down here all this time?"
"Yep." He took a bite of what might have been Salisbury steak. Then he let out a laugh. "Have you seen it up there? Whoo! It is much better down here." He went back to his steak.
"But you're the city's hero," she told him, walking around the couch to face him. "You are supposed to protect it."
He looked up at her, his face serious. "Do you know what pain is, Penny?"
"Of course I do," she said.
He shook his head. "Terrible feeling." He laughed again and pointed at the ceiling. "Up there, there are plenty of chances to feel it." He took another bite of dinner. "I am not doing that again."
She stared at him. What was he talking about? People felt pain everyday. How could that be the reason he wouldn't protect the town?
"You felt pain?" she asked, trying to get him to explain.
"Never did before," he said, still intent on his dinner. "But that day at the shelter opening –" He shook his fork at her like it was her fault. "That death ray exploded and –" The color drained from his face. "It was the most terrible feeling … all over." He stared over her shoulder, his eyes growing wide with fear at something that wasn't there. Then he gasped. "This will completely undo my counseling."
He stood from the sofa and walked briskly to the counter where he picked up a phone and began dialing a number. Peggy was still trying to wrap her mind around what he'd just told her. He'd never felt pain ever?
"Hello, Dr. Wellington?" said Hammer into the phone. "I think I'm having a slight relapse. I'm going to need to schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience."
So what, if that had been the first time he'd felt pain? Sure, it must have been a traumatic experience. But to hide away down here just to avoid experiencing what normal people felt every single day? She had a hard time feeling sorry for him. People were being hurt. People were dying. Their lives were worse because he wouldn't help.
"You can't just stay down here," she told him once he hung up the phone. "People need you."
"They seem to have gotten along just fine without me," he said as he strode over to her.
"Do you even know what's going on up there?" She wouldn't be surprised if he watched reruns of himself all day everyday.
"No," he admitted with a smile. "That's why I'm down here. In fact –" He took her arms, pulling her toward him. "What would you say about staying down here with me? You seemed to enjoy that one night we had." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
That one night was not on her top list of memories. "People need your help," she minded him.
He dropped her arms and rolled his eyes, as though she had completely spoiled the moment. "Why don't you help them, then?" he asked, striding back to the couch. "If I remember, that was your ex-per-tise."
She stared at him as he sat back down. "I don't have any super powers. How could I possibly stand up to the ELE? How could I stop Bad Horse?" She'd be splattered in a matter of seconds.
Captain Hammer studied her for a few moments, then leaned back in his seat. "What if I could give you my super powers?"
Her mouth dropped open. That was the last thing she would have expected him to say. "You can do that?"
"Maybe," he said, abandoning the sofa to walk into a small room that held his sleeping area. Penny made a point of not going into it. At last, he emerged with a green, glowing hammer. "I was found with this when I was child. I've been told it hit me on the noggin'." He tapped his head. "I don't remember anything before that, but the theory is this is what gave me my super powers." He flipped it in the air, and Penny took a step back to avoid it. "It's drenched in plutonium." He held it out to her. "Want to touch it?"
She shook her head.
"Shame," he said in mock disappointment. "I guess we'll never know." He turned to head back into the room.
"Wait!" she said. "That will give me super powers?"
He shrugged. "I don't really know." He didn't see much concerned about it either. "No one else has ever touched it. They were all too afraid of it." He held it out to her again. "But if you're so eager to save the city…"
It was like he was taunting her with a choice: risk radioactive death, or stay in the lair with him. There was no way she was staying with him, even if she did decide not to touch the hammer. But could it really grant her super powers? And if it did, was she the right person to have them? Surely, there was someone else better suited for this… But the city had been crying out for a super hero for years. If she didn't answer the call for help, who would?
But what if it didn't grant her super powers? What if it killed her? Well, she'd died once all ready, right? How bad could it be the second time around?
Captain Hammer smiled at her, confident she had already made her choice. He turned again to leave, but Penny reached out and grabbed the hammer by the head.
Green light filled her vision and she shot backwards through the air. She hit the ground with a force that should have at least knocked her out, but she picked herself up she'd fallen onto a cushioned surface. No part of her was scratched. Nothing was even sore.
She looked down at her body in disbelief. Something had to be broken at least. Maybe something was, she was just in too much shock to notice.
But then she turned around and saw the dent her body had made in the concrete.
Captain Hammer walked up to her, throwing the hammer casually into the air as he walked. "Hm." He said once he took in the hole she had made. Then he turned, like it was of no consequence and went back to his spot on the sofa.
Penny kept staring at her hands. She flexed her fingers, and then – just to give herself another crazy thing to do today – she turned to the concrete wall beside her and punched it.
Her hand went right through, like it had been paper. Her knuckles wouldn't so much as bruise.
She withdrew her hand and looked back at Captain Hammer to see if he cared about the destruction she'd brought upon his home. But he was too busy laughing at the image on the screen of himself punching the daylights out of a super villain.
"I love this part!" he said, slapping his knee.
Penny looked around her at the command center, the Hammer Jet, the cycle. Then she glanced back at the staircase that led up into the city.
She had super powers…