"Where's Arthur?" The Tick stood in the doorway of Commander Rathbone's office, glancing curiously around the doorway and behind the coat racket, as though he half-expected Arthur to appear out of nowhere and shout "Surprise!" The day's events had left him in a daze, blank and confused. Now, he was being asked to sit in the captain's chambers, and that only happened if there was Very Good News or Very Bad News. This time, since Arthur wasn't with him, the Tick could only surmise that it was Very Bad News. And it was likely going to be Very Bad News, indeed.
"He's not here. Have a seat, Son." The Commander gestured towards the empty seat in front of his desk.
"WAIT—JUST—A—MILLIsecond!" The Tick's eyes widened with shock. "Did YOU just say—that I'M your—SON?" He nearly lost his footing as he stumbled forward awkwardly, arms opening wide and preparing to give the Commander a hug—but Rathbone, in astonishment, held his hands up abruptly with protest.
"HAHAHA! MY GOOD LORD, NO!" The Commander was practically choking with laughter, as though the Tick had just said the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "NO, siree! 'Son'-that's just a term of endearment—rather—something I call everybody….everybody who's got some significance as a member of AEGIS, that is."
"...Oh…" The Tick's antennas drooped slightly with disappointment.
"So–uh…" Rathbone forced a smile, trying to diffuse the awkwardness of the moment. "Why don't you uh—take a seat and—and we'll get right down to business."
" 'Business'?" The Tick grimaced. "Is it paperwork?" He wrinkled his nose at the thought (he hated paperwork). "Because I've gotta tell you—I'm really not that good at paperwork." He paused for a moment, looking around. "By the way—did you see Arthur?"
"Forget about Arthur for just a moment." Rathbone shuffled some papers around, avoiding the Tick's startled gaze. "Look. I know you're new to The City but—here at AEGIS we've got protocol, sir, and as a member of the Flag Five—you've got to follow said protocol."
The Tick blinked at him for a moment in silent confusion. "I read the entire handbook," he declared proudly, "if—if that's what you mean?"
"That's good, Sir, but here at AEGIS we have a strict protocol when it comes to who we let into our vicinity on a daily basis. And—talking to traitors and—villains—are NOT one of them!" His voice ricocheted up a notch, causing the Tick to jump with surprise (he wasn't used to people yelling at him unless they were villains). "What happened in the Flag Five breakroom today was UNacceptable!" Rathbone slammed his fist down on the desk with resolve. "If, at any time, THAT WOMAN—" He spoke the two words as though they were the most incorrigible of the English language— "EVER shows her face in here AGAIN—" The Commander, red-faced, placed both palms on the desktop as he leaned forward. The Tick drew backward as though he had completely forgotten that he was nigh-invulnerable, "You LET ME KNOW IMMEDIATELY! Understood?"
For once in his life, the Tick suddenly understood how the world must make Arthur feel. He felt small and insignificant—like a tiny blue bug on the windshield. "Are we…" he swallowed hard. "...in trouble…?"
"Not yet," said Rathbone. "I'm keeping an EYE on you, Sir…So….do your very Flag Five Best!" The Commander-in-Chief leaned even more forward, to where the Tick could almost feel small puffs of air on his face—and he said not a word. "-Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" the Commander demanded.
"Yes…Sir!" returned the Tick, his entire body rigid as he leaped upwards to his feet and promptly saluted in response. "Anything you say, Commander, SIR!"
"Ok. Now, gowan, git. I've got some important business to attend to."
The Tick left the room in a hurry. He was now more determined than ever—he had to find Arthur, and make sure that his friend was okay—because after that strange conversation, "okay" was suddenly everything that the Tick suddenly wasn't.
Usually, the walk home was something Arthur looked forward to because, usually, it was a walk that he and the Tick took together.
Today, however, Arthur walked home alone.
He stopped at a cafe and got himself a coffee. He was going to need the energy in order to explain this strange decision. He knew the Tick probably wouldn't understand either way why he was suddenly giving up his position at the Flag Five—and anyway, Arthur surmised that the Tick probably wanted nothing to do with him now. How could he—after Arthur had so selfishly betrayed him?
He probably hates me, thought Arthur grimly. He'll probably want to find a new partner and forget all about me, forget I even exist.
He tried to imagine going back to accounting. It was what he knew besides being a so-called "superhero"; office work was, after all, what he did best.
He took his time walking the last block home, dreading the moment he'd have to look the Tick in the eye.
He almost wondered if the Tick would even be home—and partially hoped that he'd have the place to himself because solitude was not something Arthur experienced a lot of these days.
It came as quite a shock to find someone waiting for him—and not just any someone—but a beautiful young Indian woman who was sitting casually right in front of his apartment. She wasn't sitting on his stoop, but rather to the side of it, in the old armchair that belonged to his homeless friend, Tinfoil Kevin. She was reading a book—he noticed it was "Watership Down" by Richard Adams—and she seemed completely comfortable in her surroundings, as though the chair belonged to her, and this was her living room.
When he approached, she didn't move or look up from the book. "Um…" He had to clear his throat just to get her attention. "Excuse me—but that's erm—private property you're sitting on—"
"Forgive me," smiled the woman, stopping Arthur in his tracks, "I thought Arthur Everest and the Tick lived here—so I figured all of this belonged to him."
"Um…no—" Arthur blushed. "I mean—yes—the Tick and I—we do live upstairs in my apartment, but—all this stuff out here—it belongs to our, um, homeless neighbor, Tinfoil Kevin—" He paused then, realizing how absurd this conversation was. "Wait a sec-WHO are you, again? And—how did you know where we i lived /i !?"
"I met your friend Overkill last night when I was down by the docks."
"Overkill?" Arthur echoed dumbly. (Since when did Overkill see him as a 'friend'?) "He helped you… to find me?"
"Yeah, he did. Kind of embarrassing actually." She winced at the thought. "I scraped my knee, and he bandaged me up…let me spend the night."
I must be hearing things again, thought Arthur. Since when did Overkill help strangers in the dark?
"You know when I met him?" she laughed. "I thought I was seeing things!"
Arthur blinked. Had she just read his mind?
"This man—who seemed more like a cyborg than a human—was acting more human than most humans I've met!"
Arthur practically choked on whatever possible response he could have. Overkill—acting human? Now he was certain that he was hallucinating.
"When I told him who I was looking for…he immediately gave me the directions." With that, she jumped to her feet and promptly extended her hand out to him. "Nice to meet you finally, Arthur Everest! I'm Destiny."
"Destiny?" Now he was sure that he must be hearing things again. "Wait a sec—your name is 'Destiny'!?"
"Well hey—it's not as cool as Everest," she smirked, "but at least you've got the suit to make up for it! Hmmm…" She peered closely at him, too close for his comfort. "...You know….you're not exactly how I pictured you," she remarked, as though studying his every aspect from head to toe, "but—then again—nobody ever is!"
Still stunned, Arthur could only grunt unintelligibly in response. Yeah, I'm the one who's the big surprise.
"I see you've answered the call," she smiled at him broadly. "And it seems that you've answered it well!"
"The call?" he repeated, as though on autopilot. "I-I'm sorry I-I'm not sure I understand—"
In a flash, she was inches direct from his face. "This is real, Arthur." She placed a firm hand on his shoulder, but all he could do was stare down at it as though it were an alien species (which he feared it was). "You're not hallucinating, old friend."
" 'old…friend'?" Arthur echoed back. "But-I don't even know you—!"
"I'm DESTINY, silly!" And she pinched his forearm so hard Arthur yelped and jumped backward, staring back at her in open-mouthed shock. "Where is the Tick?" Destiny twirled around, looking high and low. "I haven't seen that Big Blue Yonder in ages! Is he still as dense as a wet sponge? Is he still as soft as a fresh fruitcake?"
"Ummm…" Arthur shuddered, unable to focus as he was currently fearing for his very sanity. "He's just….the t-t-t-Tick…" Damn, his stutter was back….He'd done all that speech therapy for nothing. "What do you—er—want with us—anyway?"
"What," Destiny giggled, "an old friend can't pay a visit when their old friend is in need? The City is in trouble, Arthur….and the Tick is the only one who can save it from complete destruction and total annihilation."
" 'Annihilation'!?" Arthur gulped, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. "That—that's not true," he stammered. "The City's safe. We're protecting it! It hasn't been under siege since the downfall of the Terror—"
"Who thanks to you is now rightfully in captivity." The woman who called herself Destiny took a few dramatic steps forward. "But—there is trouble afoot, my friend! You are well aware that your celestial leader, Superian, is missing?"
" 'Celestial leader'?" Arthur muttered, finding it almost impossible not to laugh at that a little. "He-he's hardly a 'leader'-more like a novelty. Um—"
"Destiny," she said, "or if you prefer, you may call me 'D'."
"D," Arthur agreed, because the other was far too awkward for him, "Superian went 'missing' as you say, about a month ago. They said he was last seen on the moon, but—he disappeared and—for all I know he chose to leave—"
"Why would Superian abandon his post?" Destiny's voice rose sharply with disgust and disdain, and Arthur winced, hating to explain the possible, but most likely, answer.
"He wasn't really…well….getting along with Earth's—uhh—inhabitants–as well as he would have liked." He couldn't help but wince again at the memory of Superian's attempt to get back into humanity's good graces by carving a statue of himself into a national monument. Then, the absurdity of everything suddenly came into sharp focus, and Arthur whirled around to confront this strange new visitor.
"Okay—HOW do you know Superian? And HOW do you know the Tick?"
"You mean…" Destiny's shoulders fell. "...he never mentioned me..?"
"Well…okay—kind of," Arthur allowed, as carefully as possible without sounding too crazy. "He was always talking about 'Destiny' this, and 'Destiny' that—but—but I thought he meant figuratively! I—I didn't know that you were like, you know, an actual person…." He blushed in spite of himself and drank the rest of his coffee. "You know what he's like. He….he can be one of the wisest people I know—like when he talks about love but then—he forgets his way to the bus terminal and—and he's like a little kid I have to take by the hand to show how to cross the street."
"So then…" Destiny sighed. "...they haven't fixed him." She spoke so plainly that for a moment, Arthur wasn't sure he understood.
"I'm sorry…" He gazed at her, dumbfounded. " 'Fixed…him'? What…what do you mean by that?"
"It's…." She smiled at him-or rather, she tried to, but the corners of her mouth fell slack with sadness. "...not my story to tell."
"Destiny…" Arthur shivered a little at the name. "How long has it been since you've seen each other?"
"A long time." The answer was purposefully vague, and Arthur knew better to keep it that way. "Where is he, anyway?"
"Ummm….Last I saw him—" Arthur shielded his eyes as he gazed down the street. There was no giant blue figure in the distance. "It was about—let's say I guess an hour ago—back at AEGIS—"
"WAIT just a SECOND–" Destiny whirled about, her face suddenly red as though she'd been winded. "YOU TWO are WORKING for AEGIS!?"