A/N: Hello everyone! Before we get started, I just want to ask that you please read to the end. The ending author's note has some important questions and such that will need answers from all of you! Enjoy!
Ryan Holland and Morgan Gates are sitting in the diner, in the far back and away from anyone else. They have just been staring at one another for the past couple minutes, neither knowing what to say. Finally, ready to cut the tension, Morgan speaks up.
"I had a hunch, but I wasn't sure. You should invest in a voice modifier. Most heroes use them." Morgan calmly suggests.
"All this time… It's been you...and me." Ryan speaks slowly, stunned.
"That makes what I have to do easier." Morgan leans forward. "I have a mission for you."
"What is it?" Ryan raises an eyebrow as he leans forward as well.
"We've had problems with the Mad Dragons lately. Are you familiar with them?" Morgan inquires.
"I don't believe so, outside of their name." Ryan shakes his head.
"The Mad Dragons are kind of like a street mafia, built from the bones of thugs and hardened criminals. They have advanced tech due to their association with some gangs in Arcstein. They have been causing a lot of problems recently, especially for the wealthy. There are reports that they will be having an arms deal tonight with their Arcstein associates." Morgan informs, stern and professional. "You will be working with Wings."
Ryan's eyes go wide at the mention of Wings. Wings is a unique hero with the ability to grow, well, wings, as well as feathers, talons, and claws. Another thing that makes Wings unique is that no one can decide on their gender. Some news outlets say girl, some say boy, some say non-binary. To make this worse, Wings certainly doesn't help, finding it funny to tease the reporters.
"You think I'm ready to work with...Wings?" Ryan asks, concerned.
"Yeah. Wings is a solid hero, one that Tormenta and I have worked with numerous times. You two should be able to handle the Mad Dragons." Morgan nods.
"Alright. Just one question…" Ryan starts out.
"I will tell you if you don't tell anyone else. Don't ruin Wings' game." Morgan interrupts. Ryan nods in agreement. "She."
"Wow, really?" Ryan blinks a couple times, shocked.
"Yeah." Morgan nods again. "She likes to take heroes out on dates, a way to get to know them better."
"Wait, does that mean-" Ryan begins to put two and two together.
"Shut up, kid." Morgan scoffs.
"I'm just saying… If you know her gender…" Ryan teases.
"She told me. Get your mind out of the gutter, kid." Morgan playfully punches Ryan. "You should get going. I told Wings you would meet her in the town square."
"Yes sir." Ryan nods and gets up. He prepares to leave when Morgan speaks up.
"Remember to play her game for the interviews. He likes to confuse them." Morgan winks. Ryan smiles before leaving. Morgan then turns his head to the television, where Mayor Bill Smith stands at a podium.
Standing at 5'5" and chubby, Mayor Bill Smith isn't an imposing figure. It certainly does not help that his hair has been falling out ever since he got elected four years ago, now practically having a half wreath around the back of his head. The fifty-nine year old has dark brown eyes and a five o'clock shadow.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is once again time for me to discuss re-election." Bill speaks, his voice somewhat shaky. He never carried himself with much confidence. Honestly, he was probably elected with pity votes. "Now, my opponent is a smart man, he is. But he is also unknown. Hell, he isn't even from Reaverfall City, he's from Arcstein. Do you really want an outsider in power? What if he sells us to Arcstein?" Bill speaks, still shaky, but preying on the fear of the crowd, who begin murmuring. "Mr. Okada is not your mayor. Mr. Okada does not want what is best for you. Bill Smith wants what is best for you! Vote Smith!" Bill gives a thumbs up as Morgan shakes his head.
"What a buffoon." Morgan scoffs.
Nightbolt perches on top of a building in the town square, looking around as the sun begins to set, though light still fills the sky. After a moment, he notices someone crouch down beside him. He looks over to see Wings.
The 5'4" Wings is very slim, borderline scrawny-looking, and pitifully flat-chested, obviously the reason behind her being seen as androgynous. Her eyes are golden. Her skin is pale with a warm undertone with a splatter of freckles across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, as well as her chest, arms, legs, and shoulders. Her hair is fluffy and soft, curling up at the ends of each choppy strand. It's a warm, light shade of honey blonde. She has it cut short, especially in the back- not a fade, but definitely a boy's cut, and it curls up at the nape of her neck. The top is longer, parted haphazardly on the right side, and has a tendency to fall into her eyes. It's windswept, playful, and bouncy. Her face shape is somewhere between a heart and a circle. Her eyebrows are thick, but shaped well, and not messy. Most notable is the near black skin around her eyes, mimicking the markings on a kestrel's face, and the feathers across her back, arms, and even up her neck and onto her cheeks.
Wings is wearing a shirt that is tight, form-fitting, and reaches up to her collarbones in the front, but rather than the straps going over her shoulders, it loops around her neck, allowing for the feathers to grow more naturally and for her wings to burst out of her back. In the back, the shirt is almost completely open, just connecting at the base of her spine. The shirt itself is solid black with gold trim, but is quite simple overall. Her pants are loose, but not baggy, allowing plenty of room to move, and are dark gray, held up by a yellow belt and with gold stitching on the sides. There are plenty of pockets. The pants tuck into her combat boots, which are yellow in color and reach halfway up her calves. They've got black toe tips and laces, and are a little bit worn out. She wears yellow fingerless gloves as well, and a yellow-and-black checkered scarf around her neck. She dons the typical pilot's goggles made of black leather, with a rose gold polycarbonate lens. Her eyes are still visible underneath.
"Hello!" Wings says, followed with a chirp similar to that of a bird. Even her voice is androgynous, somewhat deep. As she greets him, she reaches over and hugs him with one arm, catching him by surprise.
"Hi." Nightbolt responds, unable to contain his smile.
"You're Nightbolt, yeah? I've heard so much about you! Stick with me, kiddo, and I'll make you...A STAR!" She waves her hands through the air dramatically, surprisingly getting a laugh out of Nightbolt, which causes her to smile, revealing a left dimple. "Did Blitz already fill you in on the plan?"
"Yes ma'am." Nightbolt nods.
"Uh uh uh, booboo, no ma'ams. I'm not an old lady." Wings playfully says before she leans forward, getting a close look at Nightbolt. "Dang, you are cute." Wings flirts.
"Oh… Thanks…" Nightbolt blushes, scratching the back of his head.
"I'd ask you on a date like I normally do if it wasn't for me being asked not to." Wings shrugs as she looks forward.
"Someone asked you not to? Who?" Nightbolt scrunches up his face in confusion.
"Your secret admirer." Wings winks. "We can still have a friend date though. Maybe after we deal with the Mad Dragons."
"That sounds nice, though I am concerned about the admirer thing…" Nightbolt chuckles.
"No worries, rookie! Let's go!" Wings exclaims in excitement before the extra set of bones hiding beneath the skin on her shoulder blades burst and stretch out, creating large, dappled brown wings. They reach fifteen feet from wing tip to wing tip. Wings takes flight, flying into the sky. Nightbolt watches in bewilderment for a moment before she swoops back down and flies in front of him. "Oh. You can't fly. My bad." She childishly giggles before grabbing him and surprisingly lifting him.
"Woah…" Nightbolt can't help but show his amazement at seeing the city from above.
"Yeah, it's beautiful." Wings lets out a happy sigh.
In the outskirts of the city, Wings and Nightbolt come across an abandoned parking lot. "That's the supposed destination for the arms deal." Wings informs as she flies down to the rooftop of the building the parking lot belongs to. They crouch down behind the old sign, using it for cover.
"Any idea on who The Mad Dragons' associates are?" Nightbolt inquires.
"There are a couple I've heard of." Wings mutters as she sees a truck driving towards the parking lot. "The Harvesters, The Thirteen Street Jackals, possibly a rogue group from The Initiative." Wings informs as she crouches down further.
The name that catches Nightbolt's attention the most is The Initiative. The Initiative is a military organization that is designed to deal with any and all terrorism committed by super powered beings. They occasionally have a rogue sub-group, though they are quick to exterminate them.
The truck stops in the parking lot and several people step out, all wearing dragon masks that hide the majority of their faces, only showing the chin and lower jaw.
"Mad Dragons?" Nightbolt whispers.
"Pretty sure. Maybe I can throw a rock at them and ask." Wings quietly jokes. After a couple moments, a black van pulls up.
"That must be their associates…" Nightbolt watches closely.
"Harvesters, Thirteen Street Jackals,-" Wings begins to list off names before the back doors of the van opens, revealing a man wearing a black hoodie, hood up, with a futuristic faceless mask. "Oh shit…" Wings goes quiet for a moment.
"Who are they..?" Nightbolt inquires as several more people leave the van, wearing hoodies and faceless masks as well.
"Faceless Ones. I don't know much about them, but they are bad news…" Wings grits her teeth, preparing herself for a fight. The first Faceless One approaches the driver of the Mad Dragons' truck.
"You have our merchandise?" The Mad Dragon Driver asks, his voice carrying a Brooklyn accent.
"We never come alone." The First Faceless One responds, his voice cold and distant, as two of the others reach into the back of the van, pulling out a weapon crate, while also revealing several more sitting inside. "It seems like you did not come alone either." He continues to face forward. He takes a step closer, causing Wings to focus her hearing so she can barely catch what he is saying, "You have two guests on the rooftop. At my order, they will be executed." He coldly whispers, causing The Mad Dragon Driver's eyes to move towards the rooftop, scanning it. Wings notices this, but Nightbolt remains in the dark due to his lack of heightened vision or hearing.
"No." The Driver shakes his head. "I have the money, you have my merchandise. After trade, we'll use them as target practice." The Driver hands The First an envelope. The First opens it and flicks through it before nodding.
"Pleasure doing business with you." The First turns away as the other Faceless Ones bring over several of the crates. Inside are dozens of futuristic red and gray guns, resembling an assault rifle except for the scope, which is shorter, wider, and more high tech, and the barrel, which is thinner and has one opening at the end with four hooks meeting in the middle in front of the opening.
"The Arc Blaster-20. What a majestic piece of equipment." The Driver admires the gun. "Let's try this out…" He aims the gun at the sign. It begins to charge a blue energy ball in between the hooks and the opening.
"Oh shit!" Wings screams as her and Nightbolt leap backwards, just as the energy ball is fired. It moves fast, though not as fast as a bullet. When it hits the sign, the sign explodes, sending Nightbolt and Wings even further back.
"You good?" Nightbolt asks Wings as she begins to stand up.
"Better than good, rookie." Wings winks before running and jumping down. Nightbolt runs to the end of the roof, just in time to see Wings catching one of the thugs with a flying kick, only to kick off him and lunge towards another. She grabs him around the head and rolls behind him while keeping hold, kicking the Driver to the ground before backflipping, smashing her captive's head into the ground. The Faceless Ones don't respond to this, casually reentering their van as The First sits on the bumper, watching. Two more Mad Dragons charge up their Arc Blasters as they aim at Wings, only for Nightbolt to catch them with a shadow ball in between them, sending both flying to the side as they lose their grip on their guns.
The Driver gets up and tries to tackle Wings, but Wings catches him and, while pushing her feet against his chest, falls backwards, kicking him into one of the other thugs, while Nightbolt hits the final one with a second shadow ball. With that, The Mad Dragons have been taken down.
"I can't allow you to hurt my clients." The First stands up straight before his mask turns blue for a second, before returning back to white. "Unfortunately, now is not the time." The First turns around and enters the van.
"Stop him!" Wings yells as she rushes forward. Nightbolt joins, only for The First to drop a small metallic ball as the van drives off. As Wings and Nightbolt reach the ball, they realize it is an electric grenade, but it's too late. It jumps into the air and explodes, filling both Wings and Nightbolt with just enough electricity to temporarily stun them. Both scream in pain as they fall to their hands and knees. "Dammit!" Wings screams in anger as she hits the ground, her body shaking with electricity. She lets out a sigh before perking up, giving a small smile. "At least we got these guys." She manages to stand up and points at the unconscious Mad Dragons.
"Yeah, better than nothing." Nightbolt smiles as he too manages to stand up. "I wish we could've gotten the Faceless Ones too."
"Trust me, I understand." Wings nods in agreement. "Get going, kiddo. I'll get the police to arrest these guys." Wings smiles brightly.
"As you wish, Wings. It was a pleasure working with you." Nightbolt gives a two finger salute before he turns away.
"Oh, and Nightbolt!" Wings calls out. He looks back at her. "You owe me a friend date." She giggles, causing Nightbolt to chuckle and nod.
"Of course." Nightbolt smiles back before taking his leave.
Ryan Holland sits on his couch, holding his tape recorder. "Subject: Wings. Ability: The ability to sprout wings and feathers. Notes: Wings is an interesting person, one that I wouldn't mind calling a friend. He is charming and charismatic, keeping her smile strong." Ryan speaks, swapping the pronouns. "They mentioned a secret admirer to me. Must look into that for safety reasons." Ryan says before ending the recording. With that, he turns on the TV…
Happy Paddy's Happy House!
Happy Paddy is seen on the TV, inside the Happy House. "Hiya kids!" Happy Paddy smiles widely as Ryan is confused, not remembering putting on the kids channel. "Oh boy, I hope I didn't surprise you with this episode!" Paddy laughs innocently as Ryan narrows his eyes. "I'm so happy to see you again! I hate long goodbyes, but I'm a big fan of long hellos! Unfortunately, this one must come to an end." Paddy says, causing the sound of childrens' boos to be heard. "It's okay, kids! Oh!" Paddy tilts his head to the side, like he is listening for something. "Is that… IT IS! Listen kids! It's Turkey In The Straw!" Paddy informs as the sound of the famous Ice Cream Truck song plays in the distance. "I hope you find The Ice Cream Man! I'm sure he has something for each and every one of you!" Happy Paddy stares forward with his smile. Ryan can't help but feel like Happy Paddy is staring directly at him. "Bye! Bye kids! Buh bye! See ya!" Happy Paddy happily waves goodbye as the song gets louder, slowly drowning out Happy Paddy.
Ryan turns off the TV again, looking confused. "What the hell..?" Ryan rubs his forehead.
A/N: Hello! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I have some questions for you!
1. I am considering writing this story in a Television Series style. This would mean there would be seasons rather than all the "episodes" being in one story. This would help me with planning and story arcs. This would also mean I would reference cameras (The camera zooms in on character/the camera zooms out, revealing the extent of battle/etc.) Would you like me to write it like that or keep it in its current style?
2. If it becomes a "TV Show", how would you all feel about "movies"? These would be one-off adventures, possibly focusing on various characters and one-off villains.
Thank you for your time and, if you don't mind, please leave a review! I would love to know your feedback on the story so far!