Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High.
Read on, oh faithful ones...
...
The quality of the video was poor to say the least, but considering the store had installed the security system in the 1980's and hadn't updated it since, it was hardly surprising. Detective Alan Fisher looked away from the grainy picture on the computer screen to look at his partner, a young thing that probably wasn't even a month out of the academy. It wouldn't be long before he asked for a transfer, just like the other new recruits the Captain had tried to saddle on him over the years, Alan Fisher thought to himself. Knowing this, he hadn't bothered to remember the kid's name; he'd be gone sooner rather than later, anyway.
He could tell just by looking at the kid just how nervous he was, his first real investigation, and barely refrained from rolling his eyes. Instead, he just nodded at the boy to start reading from the notebook in his trembling hands.
"The details we've managed to gather so far have all said the same thing: Shifter, aka, Magenta, the fiancée of Airborne, a.k.a, William Theodore Stronghold, was lured to the music store by Poison, a.k.a..."
"We know who they are, pick one pseudonym to call them by, stick with it, and hurry up," Fisher muttered at the boy.
He blanched slightly, then nodded and quickly looked to his notes once more. "Poison lured Shifter to the music store, and they left after a few minutes of talking."
In the video, Poison was talking to Shifter. There was no sound with such an old surveillance system, but the police force had used lip-readers to transcribe what was said. Fisher didn't bother looking at the notes; after pouring over them for the last two days, he already knew what they were saying.
Poison was excessively polite with her words, her expressions all looked spot on - from the worrying bite of her lip to the fearful widening of her eyes - but it was the split-second expression she had when leaving with Shifter that made Fisher's blood run cold. She let Shifter out of the store first, and as Poison closed the door, she looked directly at the camera and smiled, her expression cold and calculating despite the turn of her mouth.
The video quality improved slightly as it changed to the street camera following them outside. They were still talking, Shifter animated with her words, and Poison's arms wrapped around her body as if she was afraid to make any movement that could result in a hand to her face. For the next ten minutes, the video switched between four cameras - ATM, another street corner, speed camera, a grocery store across the street - following their progression through Maxville until they arrived at the scene of the crime.
Fisher could see the exact moment Shifter realised that something was wrong. She stopped in front of the gate to the Botanic Gardens, her eyes widening as she looked at Poison. She must have seen the cold look in Poison's eyes that she had sported earlier, and tried to run. It was ridiculous to attempt it, which was made obvious in the next second when the hedge that doubled as the wall for the gardens grew to an enormous size and swallowed Shifter whole.
"That's the last time anyone saw Shifter alive and that was almost three days ago. We've destroyed the hedge since then, but there's been no sign of her."
Fisher nodded to his partner, indicating for him to shut up now, and thankfully, the boy seemed to get the message.
There was a knock at the door, and it opened at Fisher's grunt to reveal their precinct's Chief of police.
"We've got a call from Chaos; they're stating their demands. Chaos have specifically requested you, Fisher," the Chief added, looking to him with as much confusion as Fisher felt.
Standing slowly, Fisher tried to think of Chaos' reasons to request him. Despite his years on the force, he wasn't the most senior of staff, nor the one who had the best track record. His temper and inability to let cases go had led to a bout of alcoholism, compulsory anger management sessions, and a rehabilitation stint that had only made him less patient with people on a whole. His past six partners had all requested to be relocated within months of working with him; one memorable pipsqueak hadn't even lasted a full day.
Unable to think of a reason, Fisher followed the Chief out of the room, his new partner hurrying to catch up with them.
Stepping into the room, Fisher was surprised to see that the call was actually a video call, and the Chaos duo were both clear on the screen. Neither one was wearing a mask, which made Fisher wary; they either thought that they wouldn't be caught, or more worryingly, that there was no need for a mask because they knew that they would win against Jetstream and the Commander whenever their inevitable showdown began.
"What do you want me for?" Fisher asked.
Poison simply smiled, as if his blunt tone was amusing rather than hostile. "It's not what we want you for; it's what you want us for," she replied pleasantly.
"We have Shifter and if you don't find us by midnight, she'll die. Trust me when I say that hers will be a slow, agonising death," Fire added with a smile.
"Most of my department's already looking for you, what makes you think you won't be found?"
"We never said anything about them, Fisher. We specified for you to find us, not the others in your department," Poison said, smiling.
"We'll even be generous and let your little sidekick help you try to find us," Fire added, nodding to Fisher's partner with a smirk.
"You'd better hurry. The ten hour deadline begins at two o'clock sharp," Poison said.
Fisher looked up to the clock - it was five minutes to two! - and by the time he looked back down at the screen, the video call had ended. Not caring what emotional management class his Chief put him in, Fisher cursed loudly and heatedly.
"Get going, Fisher. You too, rookie. You've only been given a small window of time," the Chief said, overlooking his cursing; hell, he felt like swearing himself.
Still cursing, but now under his breath, Fisher left the room, his partner in tow.
"Where are we going, Fisher?" the kid asked curiously.
"The music store, where it all started."
...
There wasn't much to find, every piece of the store had already been searched with a fine toothed comb by the rest of the force. By the time Fisher and his partner appeared, a thin layer of white dust covered everything, and the kid spent most of his time coughing miserably into a handkerchief.
"Useless," Fisher muttered to himself, tempted to throw something or drown himself in a bottle.
"Why'd Poison choose the music store?" the kid asked, frowning.
Fisher blinked, the question not occurring to him earlier. "Good point, kid. There are other places closer to the Botanic Gardens that'd serve as neutral territory."
The kid seemed to brighten up at Fisher's unexpected praise and looked around hopefully, as if the new thought would magically make the answer appear. He obviously had a lot to learn about the real world, Fisher thought to himself, shaking his head.
Despite his own thoughts, Fisher walked around the store once more, trying to think of why Poison would choose this place. The owners of the single storey music store were planning on closing down, considering most people bought or downloaded music online, but that hadn't been public knowledge and there were no signs in the window to advertise its closure. In fact, looking out of the front window now, Fisher could see that a lot of the surrounding stores had posters or signs advertising sales or low prices in store, and nearly every window was blocked in some way. The music store was the only one that didn't have that sort of thing on the front window, allowing passersby to see directly into the store where the internal area was covered in posters and advertising instead.
"Poison needed the window to be clear. Has anyone canvassed the area to see if Fire was seen?" Fisher asked, looking over to his partner.
"Everyone was focusing on Poison and Shifter," the kid replied, flipping through his notes to double-check.
"Poison is rarely seen without Fire - there's a reason they're called Chaos as a duo, not separately; has anyone checked surveillance records for the surrounding stores?"
"Only the ones that followed Poison and Shifter towards the Botanic Gardens."
"We need surveillance footage from the three stores across the road that see directly into this place," Fisher said, leaving the music store to cross the road.
The kid hurried after him, tucking his handkerchief and notebook away in his pockets.
...
Three and a half hours into his ten hour deadline, Fisher was scouring through footage from the hole-in-the-wall restaurant across from the music store. His partner was looking at the footage from the small greengrocers. Unfortunately, the footage from the third store's security camera hadn't revealed anything about Poison, Fire, or Shifter.
"C'mon, Fisher. Let us handle this; you won't be able to meet Chaos' deadline," Tyrone said, sitting on the edge of Fisher's desk and smirking down at him.
Tyrone had been one of Fisher's former partners, and Fisher found that the only way he could deal with the self-serving, narcissistic bastard was to tune him out completely. However, his new partner hadn't dealt with Tyrone before, and he took the bait easily.
"Chaos said for Fisher to find them, not you. Although, if you think you're God's greatest gift to detective work, why aren't you out there looking for them yourself?" his partner snapped.
Fisher was surprised at the kid's response, and by the expression on his face, so was Tyrone.
"You obviously don't know who you're talking to, rookie, but let me tell you this: talk to me like that again, and you'll regret it," Tyrone snarled, standing and leaving abruptly.
"Tyrone's not the kind of person you want to get angry, kid; he's got friends in high places. Better to keep your mouth shut where he's involved," Fisher added, even though he did kind of appreciate the kid sticking up for him.
The kid scoffed. "I've dealt with worse than that slimy little worm; I can handle myself."
"At the academy? They're nothing compared to - " Fisher trailed off, catching a glimpse on his screen. He frowned, rewound for a few seconds, and watched the footage again. "There he is."
"You found something, Fisher?" the kid asked eagerly, looking over the top of his computer to where Fisher was seated.
"Fire. He was in the store across from the music store, watching Poison and Shifter," Fisher replied, frowning when he saw Fire stand and leave after a few minutes. "Bring up the footage of Poison and Shifter, see if there's some sort of signal Poison gave him to leave, or if he just followed them."
Thankfully, the kid didn't ask many questions and was pretty good at following orders; he had the video up in a matter of minutes and they both watched as Poison and Shifter talked in the music store, Fire sitting in the hole in the wall across the road.
"You have to help me, Shifter. Fire... He's hurting me, forcing me to stay with him and do all of these horrible things to these poor innocent people. I can help you and Airborne defeat him, but I need to get away first," Poison said, eyes wide and flinching back when Shifter reached out to touch her.
"We'll help you, I promise," Shifter said, withdrawing her hand with a look of anger at Fire's treatment of Poison.
Poison crossed her arms over her chest and turned away, and in the second video, Fire stood up and left the tiny restaurant.
"Fire's not at the hideout now; he said he had errands to run for the afternoon. I've got things there that I need to beat him. I couldn't bring them with me now, it was too obvious. Can you... I know it's a lot, Shifter, but we used to be friends, and I just..." Poison broke off, tears in her eyes.
Shifter edged closer and hugged Poison gently. "I'll help; whatever you need."
Poison sobbed for a few more seconds and then pulled away, wiping her eyes. "I need your help to get some things out of the hideout before he comes back. Will you call Airborne when we get there to carry them? It'll be easier to use the tracking device on your phone when we're already there."
"Of course. Let's go now before Fire gets back," Shifter suggested, and Poison nodded timidly in return.
Poison led Shifter to the doorway, looking up to the camera with that cold expression that still sent a shiver up Fisher's spine before she followed Shifter outside.
"You saw the signal, didn't you?" the kid asked, grinning and as eager as Fisher hadn't been in years.
"Yeah, kid, I saw it. Calm down before you get Tyrone back over here," he muttered. "We know there was a signal for them, but that doesn't give us squat. No one's been able to get a position on Shifter's phone either, so that doesn't help. Let's see if the footage shows where Fire went," Fisher said, rewinding the footage again, but this time to look past Shifter and Poison to the restaurant across the street.
He watched as Fire stood and left, the supervillain not hesitating as he turned and walked down the street, past the very same cameras that Poison and Shifter's progress followed mere minutes later.
Fisher swore, scrambling to find the footage to focus on Fire's progress rather than the two women instead. It wasn't much help at first, the footage already edited to what they thought they needed, but then Fisher recognised Fire in the ATM camera, and saw that his path deviated from Poison and Shifter's. While they headed straight towards the Botanic Gardens, Fire went into one of the side streets. None of the camera views pointed towards the side street, so Fisher and his partner would have to go there for themselves.
"Found something, rookie?" Tyrone called mockingly as they left.
"Yeah, your dick. We're heading to the lab to see if they can see it under a microscope," the kid called back, not even hesitating as he flipped Tyrone the finger on the way out.
Fisher considered learning the kid's name after all.
...
"Fisher! I'm a reporter from Labyrinth; is there anything you can tell us about Shifter's kidnapping? What are Chaos' demands? Why did they request you specifically?" the reporter asked, shoving a recording device into Fisher's face.
"Hey! Back off! Who've you been talking to?" the kid demanded, glaring at the reporter. "Did Tyrone call you?"
The reporter grinned broadly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Tyrone, huh?"
"Hey! Ignore that; the kid's new. C'mon, we've got actual work to do, not stand around harassing people who're doing their jobs," Fisher snapped at the journalist, taking his partner's forearm and practically dragging him down to the car.
The kid looked abashed when they were seated in the car, and Fisher kept silent until they were out on the main road.
"Didn't you learn anything in the academy, kid? They oughta teach you how to deal with press in that place," Fisher muttered. "You don't confirm or deny anything; it ain't your job, and the PR department will wipe the floor with your shiny new uniform if you fuck things up for them! Even silence can be confirmation to those vultures, so just say 'no comment' and keep fucking walking past 'em," he snapped, irritated by the journalists now more than he ever was.
Damn Chaos for singling him out!
"And never, ever say anything off the record. It always has a way of coming back to bite you on the ass," Fisher added as a final warning.
The kid didn't start crying, thankfully, but he took a while to respond, focusing on his breathing instead. "Sorry, Fisher. Won't happen again."
"Good. Now, keep an eye out for that side street, I forgot the name of it," Fisher lied, hoping to make the kid feel better.
"Water Street," he replied immediately, looking out of the car window intently.
...
Five hours into his deadline, Fisher was walking up and down a side alley trying hard not to breathe in the stench from the garbage skip that was in the middle of the alley. His partner had a handkerchief pressed against his face again, looking close to throwing up at the smell.
Fisher looked up, silently asking for strength, and grinned when he saw a camera's red light blinking at him from the coffee shop, a direct line of sight to the alleyway. "Kid, see if you can get footage from that camera," he called over to him.
His partner nodded, relieved to be leaving the smelly alleyway, and Fisher almost envied him his departure. When he was out of sight, Fisher looked at the numerous doors in the alley, wondering which one Fire had used. The footage from the grocers was obviously focused more on internal shoppers rather than pedestrians outside, and the footage had been edited for Shifter and Poison, not Fire's progress.
He walked up and down the alley one more time, noticing padlocks and heavy bars on most of the doors. Taking out his phone, Fisher rang his direct line to the station so someone would answer.
"Maxville Police, Detective Fisher's desk; this is the Chief of Police," the Chief answered.
"Chief, I wasn't expecting you," Fisher replied, wishing that anyone - even Tyrone - had answered his phone instead.
"We had an anonymous tip on Chaos, most of the department's following that up. What do you have, Fisher?" the Chief asked bluntly.
"According to the street cameras and footage, Fire was in the area at the same time as Poison and Shifter. I'm in ... Water Street, where he was last seen, according to the footage. I need to know who these stores, buildings, and apartments belong to. Either Fire and Poison own one of them, or someone's aiding and abetting them," Fisher said.
"I'll have someone on it straight away. You'll be contacted with the information as soon as possible," the Chief promised. "You're almost six hours into your deadline, Fisher. Do you need anything else?"
"Yeah, my new partner... What's the kid's name?"
The Chief didn't seem to take his question seriously, because Fisher was listening to a dial tone a second later.
While he waited for his partner to return, Fisher thought about the first time he'd seen Fire and Poison on screen. They'd fought Earthstone, a large bulking superhero made of rocks. The superhero had had an impressive record, second only to Airborne in villains defeated. Everyone expected Earthstone to win, as he usually did, and even Fisher himself had been tempted to turn off the TV, already certain of the outcome, but he'd found himself watching the fight intently instead. Earthstone had fought as he often did, smashing and roaring in an effort to distract and capture his opponents, but the tactics didn't work as both Poison and Fire dodged his large fists and, as seen on a close-up of their masked faces, had stuffed their ears to lessen the impact of Earthstone's loud roars.
Poison had wrapped him in several thick vines, but before Earthstone could even attempt to break free of the confines, the vines had buried their way in to his body, dividing the stones and disappearing as though they'd never even been there to start with. It had startled most people, and Fisher distinctly remembered feeling nauseous at the thought of those vines burrowing their way into him. The fight continued in earnest until most people forgot about the vines, and then, when it looked as though Earthstone might actually win, his grip firm around Fire and making the supervillain's face turn a shade somewhere between red and purple, Poison laughed. It was a chilling laugh that made Fisher's stomach turn all over again and the cameras focused on the laughing supervillain in time to catch the cold expression on her face, the same expression she wore only a few days ago when leading Shifter away.
Before their eyes, Fire began to heat up, literally. His hands caught fire, the flames racing up his arms and across his torso, down his stomach to engulf his legs and up past his shoulders and neck until he was completely aflame. No one had even had time to question each other what they thought he could do, since everyone knew that it took an immense amount of heat to harm Earthstone, because as soon as Fire was wrapped in his flames, the vines buried in Earthstone forced their way to the surface and caught fire. Encased in his body the way they were, Earthstone had no way of ripping the vines out without damaging himself, but even still, he tried to do exactly that, tearing the vines and his own body to pieces as he screamed in the all encompassing flames.
In his mind, Fisher could still see Earthstone's lifeless form, shifting back to nothing more than a frail and freckled redheaded young man, probably no older than his new partner, and at that moment in front of his TV, it felt as though the world itself fell silent for the superhero's demise.
Chaos had disappeared as Earthstone died, departing as suddenly as they'd arrived despite there not being a vehicle or jetpack in sight. There were news stories, with flora experts coming on TV to talk about the vines Poison had used - Chalice Vine, extremely flammable and poisonous if ingested, and probably the main cause of Earthstone's inability to fight back - and a minute's silence for the late superhero. People talked in hushed whispers for days afterwards, claiming to have seen this or heard that, but nothing came of it, and people of the world returned to their usual lives eventually. Just when people thought they might be safe, that Chaos had died in a fire of their own creation, they returned with more villains behind them.
"Got the footage, Fisher. Did you find anything?" his partner asked, hurrying over with a tablet in hand.
"All of the doors are locked, some with padlocks. Either Fire and Poison own one of these buildings, or someone helped Fire escape," Fisher replied. "You sure the footage is on that thing?" he asked warily.
"Yeah; the store upgraded their security a month ago, so they can transmit via wireless."
Fisher had no idea what that meant, but the kid seemed to know what he was talking about, and they both went silent as the footage loaded on the screen. People milled about on the street, the weather nice considering it was nearing winter, and Fisher pulled his jacket in close around him at the reminder with today's bitter wind. It took him a moment to recognise Fire in the crowd. He was surprised to see how well Fire blended in, despite being tall enough to tower over most people. Fire glanced to the street behind him, presumably to where Poison and Fire were still walking, then headed into they Water Street alleyway. People walked in front of the alleyway and Fisher blinked when Fire just wasn't there when the people had passed by.
"Where'd he go?" his partner asked, frowning and replaying the last half a minute.
Again, Fire walked into the alley and Fisher watched the top of his head carefully, the only part he could see of the supervillain. He heard a soft noise and looked from the video to his partner.
"Does that thing have sound too?" he asked.
"Oh, uh. Let me see," the kid replied, fiddling with some buttons on the side of the device.
Almost immediately, they could both hear chattering and a roar of traffic that definitely wasn't a reflection of the present. Again, the last thirty seconds were replayed and Fisher watched Fire's head once more, listening carefully. He heard a scraping noise, barely audible over the people's noise and traffic, but it was definitely there. Fire's head disappeared completely, again with no indication as to which door he might have entered. Fisher walked up and down the alley once more, looking from door to door intently.
"What're you looking for?" his partner asked curiously.
"Metal doors or coverings. There's a scraping noise in the video, one that's only made by metal on concrete, and that grocery store doesn't have a concrete floor," he replied, certain despite not seeing any doors with metal guards.
In fact, the only metal thing in the whole alleyway was the garbage skip. Fisher hurried over, the kid following after him curiously.
"Help me move this thing out the way," Fisher said, struggling to budge the heavy container.
His partner pushed as well and the skip bin moved inch by excruciating inch. Fisher was covered in a sheen of sweat by the time it had moved enough to reveal another doorway.
"You really think Fire moved that in the time it took people to walk past the alley?" his partner asked between wheezing breaths, handkerchief dabbing at the sweat on his forehead.
"He doesn't have super-strength like Airborne, but Fire is stronger than most men," Fisher replied. "You remember him destroying Leadweight, don't you?" he asked, recalling the event from almost six years prior, a year or so before he and Poison had teamed up.
Fisher vaguely remembered the sidekick Fire had had back then, and something niggled at the back of his mind. His partner scoffed and stood up, drawing his attention back to the present.
"Of course I remember that! I'm not that young, geez, Fisher," he muttered, moving beside him to look at the revealed door. "Do we go in?"
"You kidding, kid? We're not supers who can go into any place they like, consequences be damned; we need a warrant," Fisher replied, already taking his phone out to call the precinct.
Chief answered the phone again, sounding a touch frustrated at the task, and Fisher frowned. "Where's Kelson, Chief? Shouldn't he have answered the phone for you?" he asked, referring to the Chief's assistant.
"You rang your own line and Kel's in the kitchen. Where are you?" came the blunt response.
"Still at Water Street. I've found a hidden doorway that Fire may have used to escape. Any chance of getting a warrant this late in the afternoon?" Fisher asked, looking at his watch; almost six hours into his deadline, and night was fast approaching.
"I'm sure someone will be available for Airborne's fiancée," Chief deadpanned. "I'll have Kel organise the warrant for you; Carmel should have compiled the list of owners for Water Street apartments and businesses by the time you arrive. Cordon off the area so no one will contaminate it, and organise the nearest unit to cover it until you return."
"Yes Chief," Fisher replied.
The kid had heard the Chief's instruction and was already radioing the nearest unit to Water Street by the time Fisher had hung up from the call. Unfortunately, Tyrone was the closest to their position.
"Need someone to hold your hand, rookie?" Tyrone snickered over the radio.
"Need someone to help you find your dick, Tyrone?"
"Fuck you, rookie."
"Not if you were the last dick on earth," the kid replied cheerfully, ending the radio call abruptly.
"You realise that everyone at the station probably heard that, the Chief included?"
His partner shrugged and gave a grin. "Might give them some entertainment until we get back for the list of people and warrant." He paused and sighed, looking back to the alleyway again. "You sure we can't go in there?"
"You itching to be a superhero, kid?" Fisher asked.
"Nah," he replied with a laugh. "I just want this over. I mean, Airborne's fiancée is probably terrified, right?"
Fisher frowned at his tacked on response that seemed more of an afterthought than anything genuine. "Probably. You know when this is over, we've got a mountain of paperwork to do, right?"
The kid winced. "Damn, I forgot about that. My boyfriend'd love it," he added, grinning. Then his eyes widened and he looked to Fisher warily.
"I don't care who you love, kid. I just don't want details. Didn't want 'em from Jimmy about his wife, nor Carmel about her husband and kid, or Mia and her wife; I ain't gonna change and be wanting details from you now," Fisher added.
"No problem. Can you not tell the others, though? Tyrone'd be a bastard about it."
"You got it, kid. Come on, not much we can do here; I'm going to need a coffee if we're going to be following these breadcrumbs for the rest of the night," Fisher muttered, heading over to the coffee shop that was tucked between the grocery store and a hair salon.
...
Half an hour later - six and a half hours into his deadline - Fisher was back at the station, the kid chattering away beside him. Hindsight was a bitch, and apparently, the kid on caffeine was even worse.
"When we get the warrant, can we go storm the place then? How long do we have to wait? Is there anyone that's got a battering ram, like in that movie? Do we get SWAT, too, since they're supers?"
"Are you all right, Fisher?" Chief asked, looking between him and his partner meaningfully.
The kid finally stopped talking, though Fisher would've sworn that the kid was actually vibrating with the effort.
"Fine, Chief. Did Kelson organise the warrant?"
"Yes," Chief replied, handing him a signed warrant. "Carmel has the list for you, as promised. You might like to look it over before you go storming the place," he added, glancing to Fisher's partner briefly, the kid flushing red as the Chief passed by to go back to his office.
"Hey, rookie, did you get lost on your way to the lab?" Tyrone sneered.
Fisher paled, turning to look at his colleague. "Why're you here? You're meant to be at Water Street!"
"I just got back from dealing with an anonymous tip about Chaos," Tyrone replied, too surprised at Fisher's response to be his usual egotistical self.
"Then who... You..." Fisher said, unable to complete a coherent thought. "Tyrone, someone might've stolen your car. Go check the lot," he said, and Tyrone left without questioning his reasoning. "Shit, c'mon, kid, we've got to get back to that alleyway. Wait, grab that list from Carmel, I'll meet you at the car," he said, rushing as fast as his old body would allow.
"Who's Carmel?" he heard the kid ask someone as he left.
God damn rookie.
...
Seven hours and fifteen minutes later, Fisher and his partner were back in Water Street. He sent his partner to secure the area, not wanting any civilians trapped, harmed, or used as hostages if the supervillains were still in their hideout.
Tyrone's car was gone, the obnoxious red vehicle as obvious as the man himself, but now neither were to be seen. The police tape still cordoned off the alleyway, the skip bin still pushed aside to show the doorway, but even from the alley's entrance, Fisher could see that the door was wide open now. A chill ran up his spine that Fisher couldn't blame on the cold winter air, and he had a vague dread of what he and his partner would find inside.
"Fisher! God dammit, Fisher, answer me!" Tyrone's voice came over the radio, angry and loud.
"What is it, Tyrone?"
"Where the fuck is my car, Fisher?"
"Well, about an hour ago, it was here at Water Street. Someone fed that anonymous tip to the station to get everyone out; looks like whoever stole your street was a super, since they looked and acted just like you," Fisher replied, sighing heavily.
He vaguely looked over the paperwork Carmel had given them, tuning out Tyrone's ranting about his car and supers in general. Fisher frowned when he saw the same name appearing on several ownership papers for the surrounding buildings and apartments.
"Fuck. Me and Monty will be there in fifteen; hold until you get there," Tyrone snapped, his tone and words enough to make Fisher listen again.
"I've already got a warrant, Tyrone. Me and the kid are going in," Fisher replied, but there was no response.
"There's no one in the area; most of these stores close up around nine, and it's already half past that now," his partner replied, looking to his watch.
"Good. I'll be going in first, you stick behind me, and keep an ear out for anything you think sounds suspicious," Fisher said.
His partner nodded firmly in response, unclipping his holster and drawing out his gun.
"And don't shoot me, dammit," Fisher added, heading up the alleyway towards the open door, with his partner a step behind him.
Fisher stopped on one side of the door, glancing in quickly. Across from him, his partner did the same thing, then gave a firm nod. He had to trust that his partner was correct, that the coast was clear, to put his life in another person's hands, and Fisher inhaled to steady his nerves as he stepped into the dark doorway, gun and flashlight both raised.
The supervillains hideout was stereotypically dark, lights flickering overhead uselessly now and then, and from the smell of it, the place was damp as well. The odd flickering made it difficult for Fisher to see much and his flashlight only provided so much light at a time. Behind him, the kid's flashlight wasn't helpful either, the damn thing flickering even more than the lights overhead.
"Either fix your flash or turn the damn thing off," Fisher hissed, voice as soft as possible.
"Sorry."
There was a brief smack of the kid's palm against the flashlight, and the light flickered back to life properly. It still didn't help much. Before Fisher could go through the next doorway, the lights overhead switched off completely and his flashlight flickered and died. He smacked it as the kid had done, but nothing happened. He pressed the on/off button a few times, but the light was as dead as Shifter if he didn't get a move on.
"Fisher?" the kid asked, voice high with worry.
"Quiet, kid. We don't know who's in the dark," Fisher replied, voice rough and soft.
"Right, sorry," his partner whispered.
From outside, they could both hear a screech of sirens. That'd be Tyrone and Monty; subtle as ever, Fisher thought. It was probably the first time he'd ever been glad to see Tyrone.
Looking behind him, Fisher waited and watched as two flashlights flicked into the darkness surrounding them. He wasn't entirely sure what made him look, but there was movement to the side that Fisher was positive wasn't the kid. He kept his eyes on the spot in the darkness, and on the next flash of light from Tyrone or Monty, Fisher saw what had moved. It wasn't a person, not Fire or Poison or even Shifter as he might have expected, but instead, it looked like a large vine. Large vines covered the wall, which attributed to the damp smell, and Fisher had been so focused on looking into the doorways that he had barely paid attention to the green patterned walls.
"Shit, it's a trap. Kid, Tyrone, Monty! Get back!" Fisher cried out, just as a vine shot out from the wall and wrapped around him.
Vaguely, Fisher heard yelling from the other three, but the vine covered him so completely that the noise was blocked sooner rather than later. He struggled to breathe, the vine tightening around him, and then just when Fisher thought his lungs might explode from lack of oxygen, he fell unconscious.
...
When Fisher woke up, he thought he was dreaming because he was obviously floating on clouds as there was no such mattress in the world that was as soft as this. He could feel pain though, scratches from the vine that had wrapped around him, so maybe it wasn't a dream after all. He blinked his eyes open slowly, sitting up carefully, unsure of how stable the cloud-like substance was beneath him. A bed of flower petals, he realised, looking down. Well, it was definitely one of the weirder things he'd slept on in his life.
"Careful, Fisher. We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself after we've gone to such pains to keep you alive," Fire said, smirking at him from across the room.
Fisher's whole body tensed at being so close to the supervillain, every part of his body screaming that the person across from him could only mean danger. It was a physical response that most citizens had when faced with supers, hero or otherwise, but at least with heroes, the general public knew they weren't going to die.
"Calm down, we're not going to kill you," Fire said, rolling his eyes and pushing off the wall to walk over to where Fisher was sitting. "You want anything to eat? Drink? We've got nearly everything, so long as you don't mind vegetarian food."
Fisher shook his head, trying to ignore the sharp pain that accompanied the action. "Where's the kid?"
"Safe. So is Tyrone and Monty, though Tyrone might not stay that way if he keeps hitting on Poison the way he is."
"Didn't peg you to be the jealous sort," Fisher replied, a little surprised, especially after that business with Lustful.
"Oh, I'm not. I'm far more secure than that," Fire said with a smirk. "Poison however, hates being objectified, and Tyrone is just this side of being a misogynist dickwad with no sense of self preservation."
Fisher gave a short laugh. "Doubt that'll ever change."
"Probably not, which is why you shouldn't be surprised if Poison kills him later."
"Later? I'm being kept around, then?"
"Something like that," Fire said, shrugging.
"Why would you need a human pet? An old man with no claws or bite," Fisher asked with a laugh.
"A human pet? Definitely not. We both know you're more than that."
Fisher frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Now, now, Fisher, there's no need to keep up pretences with us," Fire said with a smile and left the room without another word.
Fisher listened as the door was closed and locked, then stood and walked around the room to ease his aching body. His watch had been taken, so he had no idea what time or day it was, and there was no window to help him determine if it was day or still nighttime.
He thought over Fire's words some more, focusing on the things he'd said about his colleagues rather than Fire's departing words. Poison was obviously dealing with Tyrone, but what about the kid and Monty? Fire had assured him they were safe, but did a supervillain's word really hold that much weight in the grand scale of it all?
Fisher sighed and sat back on the bed of flower petals, deciding that Fire's word was all he had to go on for now. The door opened and a woman stepped inside with a tray of fruit and a glass of water, the door closing shut behind her firmly.
"Who're you?" Fisher asked, curious and wary. He'd never seen this woman associated with Poison nor Fire before.
The woman smiled brightly. "My name is Honey. I thought you'd be thirsty or hungry, despite what you told Fire, so I brought you a drink and some food."
"Honey," Fisher echoed, trying to remember where he'd heard the name before. Realisation dawned and he stared at the voluptuous woman. "You're Honey Olgestein; you own most of the buildings in Water Street."
"Actually, as of next week, I'll own all of them," she replied confidently. "And in three months' time, I'll be Honey Harrison," she added, Fisher noticing the engagement ring as it flashed in the light.
"Congratulations," Fisher said, feeling awkward because this woman was probably helping Chaos and therefore could be considered one of his captors.
"Thank you," Honey replied with a broad smile that made Fisher wonder just why a woman as sweet as her seemed to be helping supervillains.
"Are you a super, like them?" he asked as she set the tray down on the flower petal bed beside him.
The petals didn't even waver and the tray stayed where it had been placed. If Fisher survived this, he wanted to ask Poison for a bed like this because it was kind of amazing.
"Yes, although not as powerful as Chaos are. That doesn't mean you should underestimate me," she added as an afterthought.
Fisher shook his head, not daring to do such a thing when any kind of super was involved, hero or otherwise, and took a piece of fruit from the tray. Honey stayed with him while he ate and drank, but despite the hundreds of questions that he had, Fisher stayed silent and forced himself to finish instead. He didn't know when he'd be fed again and didn't want to become malnourished. When Honey didn't seem inclined to move even after he'd finished eating, Fisher tried to think of the questions in a logical form, and which one might actually be answered.
"Is Shifter still alive?" he asked.
"Yes. Airborne will arrive soon enough, thanks to the tracking device on your phone."
"So, I was simply the bait? Shifter and the whole elaborate kidnapping and ten hour time limit was nothing more than to bring Airborne to Chaos?" Fisher asked, a little annoyed at being treated in such a way.
"Not entirely. Chaos also wanted to see if you could find their hideout. Security measures will take place to ensure that it's not so easy for the next person."
Fisher noticed that Honey didn't say that he would be the next person. "Are they going to kill me?"
Honey seemed amused at his question, and finally stood, taking the empty tray and glass. "I think we both know the answer to that, Fisher."
She turned the light out as she left, locking the door behind her. Sitting in the darkness, Fisher decided that now would be a good time as any to sleep. He sighed and settled down on the flower petal bed, his brain turning over the events of the last week since Shifter had been kidnapped.
Just as he was thinking that he'd never be able to get to sleep for his brain continued to replay the last four days on repeat, Fisher fell asleep.
...
Fisher was woken by the door opening and light turning on, and he blinked wearily, only for his body to fill with adrenaline, every cell and fibre of his being shouting 'danger!' at the realisation that Poison was standing in the doorway. He sat up as fast as possible, eyes wide and certain that she'd come to kill him.
"Relax, Fisher. I'm not here to kill you," Poison said, rolling her eyes. "I thought you'd like some company, so I'm taking you to your colleagues. Oh, and ignore Tyrone, the gag's temporary."
She left without waiting, leaving Fisher very confused, wary, and still a little tired on top of it all. He'd had a surprisingly good sleep on the petal bed, but it hadn't been long enough for his old body and mind. Poison looked back in the room, frowning over at him.
"I understand you're old, Fisher, but I'm positive you can move faster than that. Come on now."
He stood and followed her, wary of getting too close to the poisonous vines and flowers that twisted through her hair. They were just as much a part of Poison as her natural red locks, though in the beginning, some fools had thought that they were fake and part of her floral persona. He'd been proven wrong, blue-black veins stark on the screen as he was killed by her flowers and vines' poisons.
Fisher followed Poison through the doorway to see Tyrone hanging from the ceiling by a vine, a large yellow flower protruding from his mouth. Tyrone whimpered and tried to call out to Fisher when he saw him, but the words were muffled. It must have caused him pain to talk, because tears rolled down his cheeks, trekking down to join the trail of blood that seeped out of his mouth.
"Don't worry, he'll live. Hopefully with fewer comments about women and their bodies," Poison said, voice sweeter than her namesake and just as deadly.
Tyrone whimpered again. Monty wasn't strung up to the ceiling, thankfully knowing better than his partner when to keep his mouth shut, but he was seated on a chair made from a thorny vine and from the pool of blood beneath him, the thorns hadn't been retracted from the seat itself.
"Did Monty say or do something to offend you as well, Poison?" Fisher asked, hesitant at how she might respond.
"He insulted a dear friend of mine, actually, which is close enough," Poison replied off-handedly. "Now, please, sit down," she said, indicating to the couch rather than creating a vine seat for him as well.
"Where's my partner?" Fisher asked, sitting down slowly and hoping no vines would come out to ensnare him.
"Oh, he's fine. In fact, here he is now. Blaze, please explain to Mr. Fisher that we're not as evil as the media portrays us; I do believe he thinks we mean to kill him."
Blaze - whoever he was because it certainly wasn't his partner's name, no matter that Fisher actually couldn't remember his name - snickered and walked into the room behind him. He was tempted to turn and see, but then the newcomer walked around to face him instead, and Fisher was confused beyond belief to see his partner, his arm slung around the shoulders of a dark young man that Fisher swore he recognised as well.
"Kid?"
"Blaze, actually. Well, if you'd remembered my name, you'd know me as Zach, but 'kid' works for whoever you want to forget in a hurry, right?" he replied, grinning.
Fisher turned his attention to the kid's boyfriend. "You're that reporter from earlier! You... you said you worked at Labyrinth," he added with a frown as he tried to recall all of the details from that brief meeting.
"Oh, I do," the man replied brightly. "I'll be reporting on the crime of the century in tomorrow's early edition."
"I'm confused, honestly. I don't know how I fit in with this, or what you expect me to do," Fisher said, looking from the two men to Poison and Fire, who had walked in moments ago.
"You know exactly what you're here for, Fisher. And we can either do this here and now, or later when Airborne arrives with his camera crew," Poison replied.
Fisher looked over to where Tyrone was still hanging from the roof and Monty was still seated on his sadistic seat, then to the four supers. "Do they need to be here?"
Poison looked between the two men for a moment, then to Fire beside her. They seemed to come to some sort of agreement, because seconds later, two vines pulled up through the ceiling completely, the wood parting and reforming as if they'd never even been there. In fact, if not for the blood stains that remained, Fisher might have thought he'd imagined it all.
"Where's Shifter?" Fisher asked, almost desperate to know whether the woman was still alive or not. He guessed that they'd keep her alive until Airborne arrived, but Fisher doubted he'd be alive to see for himself.
"Honey is taking care of her. She's not been harmed," Fire replied.
"Well, not much. I do get very offended when people insult those I care about, and Shifter had quite a lot to say about the few I do care about," Poison added, shrugging.
Fisher nodded, not sure what else he could do, and sat up, preparing himself to die.
"You need to relax, Fisher. We're not going to kill you, really," Blaze promised, looking amused at his determination.
"But I don't... I don't understand why else I'm here," he replied, beyond confused.
"Would one of you get Cee in here before I have to drag him here myself?" Poison muttered, looking to Blaze and his boyfriend.
"I'm here, no one needs to drag me anywhere," Cee said with a laugh.
"I should've killed you years ago," Poison said, though her voice lacked any heat or conviction.
Cee just snorted in amusement and made his way around the couch to face Fisher. Unlike Blaze's boyfriend, Fisher had no idea who this person was. Cee hummed under his breath and grabbed Fisher's wrist tightly, his eyes closing as something passed between them. Then Cee opened his eyes again and Fisher watched in shock as the man's face changed to become an exact replica of his own face.
"Whoa, man, you're like super old," Cee said, standing and laughing at his joke. "Now, Poise, think about what you're gonna do, 'cause this might not actually - "
He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence because Poison was suddenly wielding a sword and cut his head off in one swift move. Blood spurted from the decapitated neck, and Fisher watched in horror as his body's replica fell forward onto the floor. Fire grabbed Cee/Fisher's head as Blaze and his boyfriend lifted the body. Fisher stared as Fire placed the head back on the body, watching as the skin knitted back together without a trace of damage. It was like he hadn't even been decapitated at all. Fisher touched his own neck, eyes wide, stomach churning.
"Damn it, Poise, at least let me finish talking!" Cee muttered, Fisher's features slipping away to his own once more.
"We'd never get to testing it, then," Fire taunted with a smirk.
Poison ignored both of them, turning to face Fisher instead. "Just how old are you, Fisher? The records we have only start in the 8th century, but you were already old then, weren't you?" she asked.
"How..." Fisher started, his hand sliding away from his neck as he suddenly felt every bit his age. "How did you know?"
"The accident six years ago; you were one of four people to walk away unscathed. The other three are with us, so we knew that there was something special about you. Molten is a fantastic researcher, and you're not quite as good as hiding as you thought you were."
"The invention of the camera must have really frustrated you," Molten, Blaze's boyfriend, said sympathetically.
"I thought it would be a passing fad, but I was wrong. Unfortunately, it happens more than I'd like," Fisher murmured, shaking his head. "What are you going to do with me now that you know the truth?"
"Well, Molten probably has hundreds of questions for you, but we're going to let you go. After we've defeated Airborne though; it would be a shame to have you caught in that crossfire," Poison added.
"What about the others? They're not supers," Fisher said, looking up to the ceiling where Tyrone and Monty had disappeared.
"They'll be returned with their memories wiped. Unless Tyrone offends me again," Poison added with a shrug. "They're not your concern, and neither is Shifter anymore. Honey will take you back to your room. I suggest you wait there until someone comes to get you."
Feeling weak and still shocked to see himself decapitated in such a way, Fisher was quiet as Honey led him back to the room. She departed with a kind smile and again, Fisher wondered how she'd become caught up in all of this.
...
Some time later, Fisher's door opened. He expected Poison or Fire, or even Honey again, but instead he saw Airborne standing there, hands on his hips and covered in spandex from neck to toe. He was also hovering in the doorway and had splatters of blood on his outfit.
Fisher remembered when Captain Stronghold had been the reigning superhero of the day, and his son, The Commander, after him. The Commander and Jetstream were still considered the best, despite Airborne's efforts to surpass the shadows he had risen in. As Fisher stood to join his rescuers, he wondered if he would live to see Airborne and Shifter's child take over their reign as well. After all of this time, living, dying, and repeating the process all over again, century after century, Fisher only doubted the child rather than his own continued existence.
"Are you all right, sir?" Airborne asked, cape fluttering behind him. Shifter was glancing down the hallway with a frown, her purple hair bright in the light above.
"Fine, thank you. I've been treated well," Fisher replied. "Are they alive?"
Airborne dropped a few centimetres, his concerned expression falling way to a brief moment of grief. "No. They're... The villains have been defeated," he said formally, fiercely.
"How many?" Fisher asked.
Airborne seemed surprised at the question. "Uh, five."
"Who? Quick, boy, who did you defeat?" Fisher snapped when Airborne just stared at him in utter confusion.
"Lay- Poison, Fire, Molten, Blaze, and Honey."
"How did you kill them?" Fisher asked, waving the superheroes out of his way so he could walk briskly down the hall.
"Crushed sternum for three and broken neck for two," Airborne replied, still confused and hesitant, but now sounding a little sick as well.
Fisher guessed it was the first time he'd had to kill someone who'd been a friend. He doubted it would be the last time.
"You're going the wrong way; the exit is the other way," Shifter said, reaching out to grab his shoulder.
"Don't they teach you anything?! You always check the bodies are dead before leaving," Fisher snapped, shrugging off Shifter's hand and continuing down the hallway.
Fisher arrived at the same room as before, stopping short in the doorway as he saw the carnage that had taken place. He could see Poison's broken body, Fire lying beside her, and across the room were Blaze and Molten. Honey was nowhere to be seen, Fisher realised vaguely as he made his way through the room to where his partner lay with a broken neck.
"We have to get out. Please, Will, I don't feel safe. Something's wrong," Shifter whispered urgently, looking in to the room where Fisher was standing staring at Zach's body.
Will nodded reluctantly, giving the old man a final look before he grabbed Magenta and flew them down the hallways and towards the exit. He could see daylight at the end of the hall, but the door slammed shut abruptly, and Magenta cried out in surprise. Will came to a complete stop, looking around for another exit. The only way was up.
"Hold on," he warned Magenta, creating a fist before flying upwards to break through the ceiling, plaster raining down around them.
Blinking out the plaster and debris from his eyes, Will realised that the ceiling had led to another floor, and they weren't free yet.
"Please don't go through this ceiling as well; it would be a shame to ruin two floors," a woman said from the side.
Will and Magenta both looked over, frowning at the unknown woman in confusion. She simply smiled back at them and before either one could say anything, Will was plummeting back down to the ground, Magenta slipping out of his grasp. They both screamed and crumpled when they hit the floor.
"Glad to know the forcefield works; that thing was expensive," Poison muttered from beside their unconscious forms, pressing against her tender sternum.
"I'm more glad to know Fisher's DNA worked," Blaze quipped, rotating his neck slightly.
"You and me both," Fire muttered. "Fisher, in thanks to you, you get to leave without being harmed and we'll let you save one of their lives."
"Wh-what?" Fisher stammered, eyes wide.
"Airborne or Shifter?" Blaze asked, grinning.
"You... I can't... I'm not," Fisher stopped, looking from the two unconscious superheroes to the supervillains surrounding him. "What's to stop me from coming back here?"
"Nothing, but we won't be here," Honey replied from the floor above.
"Come on, old man. Shifter or Airborne? We've got things to do," Cee - Carbon Copy - said impatiently.
"Patience, Cee. You should know better after being in the body of someone as old as the Earth itself," Poison reprimanded lightly.
"Sorry, Poise."
"Shifter," Fisher said, interrupting their conversation.
Poison seemed surprised at his choice, but Fire nodded in understanding. "You think that Airborne will have a better chance of surviving or escaping."
Fisher shrugged. "He might, might not. It's not for me to say."
"You're right though," Poison said, looking to the two fallen superheroes. "You can take Airborne."
"What was the point of me choosing then?" Fisher snapped.
His throat went dry when Poison glared at him, but her expression faded to a smirk. "This way, every time you see or hear about Airborne or Shifter, you'll know that you could have saved her," she said, sweet and sadistic.
Fisher nodded briefly, not wanting to offend Poison further. Fire picked Airborne up easily and led the way to the exit, Fisher following after a moment.
"Hey, Fisher?" Blaze called. "Why'd you stop being Phoenix? I've seen your work; you could've saved the world."
Fisher sighed, the heavy and wearisome sigh of a man who had seen too much and lived far too long, and turned to look at his former partner. "I decided a long time ago that the world no longer deserved to be saved."
"You might reconsider that view in a few years' time," Honey said from overhead.
As he walked away with Airborne's unconscious body being carried out before him, Fisher seriously doubted it.
...
A few years later, Chaos controlled the world completely and utterly. Walls made of thick dense vines and foliage were constructed between countries and even some states, but despite the confinement, life flourished. Some people thought that it was a cruel irony that their best chance of freedom lie in walled confinements, but most people accepted their new lives for what they were.
Fisher no longer knew what to think. He was fast approaching his rebirth, his limbs too weak and heart too tired to continue with this bodily form for much longer.
As his last hours approached, Fisher found himself reconsidering his view, just as Honey suggested he might. He wondered just how different his life would be this time around. Perhaps it wouldn't be as bad as he'd originally imagined it would be?
Fisher took one last breath and then his body lit up in a fierce flame that he doubted even Fire could withstand. The flames consumed him entirely, destroying his body and leaving behind only what was needed to start his life anew.
As the flames died down completely, Chaos moved into Fisher's bedroom and looked down at the tiny child, curled up and innocent and somewhat sooty.
"He looks like a raisin."
"Newborns generally look like that, Poison."
"Been around a lot of newborns, have you?"
"If you two can make a decision, I'd like to get this done sooner rather than later. We're here for a reason, remember?" Honey asked pointedly.
Fire and Poison looked at the newborn, then each other, and finally turned to face Honey. "He's yours and Simon's."
"What? I thought Wendy - "
"Wendy's already got Gwen. You and Simon have wanted a kid for ages, and who better than a super like him?" Fire asked.
"Simon will," Honey trailed off, eyes focusing on the near future. "Be surprisingly supportive of this decision. You two already discussed it with him, didn't you?"
"We might have mentioned it in passing," Poison said, smiling. "Now, grab your kid and let's get out of here."
Honey was quiet as she approached the newborn, hand outstretched and trembling. The baby opened its eyes, blinked at her, and smiled happily at its new mother. This life was already looking better than the last few centuries combined.
...
The end.
Thanks for reading!