BOOOOOOOM~!
Explosions and screams echoed throughout the streets of Duskdown. Pedestrians ran as yet another one of the five towers was blown to smithereens by the Solanator.
"Muahahahaha! Pathetic weaklings! Run and hide in your pathetic homes!" – the villain laughed.
He was a tall muscular man, blonde hair and blue eyes dressed in black and gold spandex suit with a yellow cape.
It had been a bit over a month since the Solanator had made his 'debut' in Duskdown and already 3 towers were down, also the intervals between his attacks were getting smaller. The cruel, selfish, egocentric man had destroyed multiple properties in his rampages, robbed banks and stores, terrorized citizens and almost killed 5 officers. The worst were the towers though – these towers, also called the "Five shade towers", were the pride of the city. A symbol of unity, acceptance and sacrifice for the wellbeing of others.
Over 40 years ago… Duskdown didn't even exist. There were a few smallish villages that had started to slowly expand towards each other, bound to merge eventually either way. One night, a spaceship crashed there. Thankfully, there were no casualties due to the crash site being away from buildings. People from each of the villages gathered there to see what had happened. The space ship was mostly intact, its doors slowly opened to reveal… a bunch of people. Well, not exactly – these people wore strange clothes and although they looked like humans, their skin was almost ghostly white and their hair was made of shadow, literally. These extraterrestrials looked lost, sad and confused, not knowing the language, nor where exactly they were.
It was a long and slow process of trial and error but the people warmed up to those strangers from space and welcomed them into their community.
It turned out they had come here by accident, after their ship was hit by the shockwave of their sun exploding and collapsing on itself. Their whole system lost, all due to the carelessness and lawless daring of a single man! They assured the people of the villages their sun won't explode because the man responsible had been left on the planet, locked in a cell to witness what his careless meddling and ego had caused. It may have been immoral to let a man be cooked alive, then frozen and shattered due to the pull of gravity but they were MAD! He had sent their whole civilization to ruin.
In the end, Duskdown was officially found 5 years after the crash, all villages merging into one glorious city. The five towers were built to protect the extraterrestrial residents from the Sun's deadly rays, their skin burning due to how strong it was. These towers emitted special field that blocked most of the sun's rays, not a single citizen was against it, showing their sympathy and acceptance for the then homeless aliens. The central tower is the main emitter while the four other towers act more like a barrier to keep the shade in place and not allow it to scatter and become ineffective.
With only the East and Central towers left, only a bit more than a quarter of Duskdown was covered by the field. The Shade people were suffering many burns, even risking their lives every time they went out, despite all the protection they brought with them in the form of wide-brimmed hats, gloves, umbrellas, long-sleeved clothes and etc. The five officers were hurt by Solanator's power. He seemed to be taking his power from the sun and his blasts of light had burned a lot of people, as mentioned above, almost killed 5 officers that were Shade people.
"Oh, God, what should I do?" – the mayor, Penelope Numan Braxton, or just Ms. Braxton wept in her office.
She had to be strong, to assure her people, hence why she cried in her office all alone. They had trusted her to lead them, they depended on her, but… she found herself in a corner. It pained her to see any of her citizens suffering and it broke her heart but she HAD to look strong, despair was the least-needed thing they had to see in her! She had dealt with many problems during her runs as a mayor. She solved the issue with the energy consumption of the towers, built newer, better facilities for hospitals, made a new park for the children, made a trust fund for the homeless… but now, she found herself powerless. All the attempt to talk to or stop the Solanator were met with failure. With how the villain gloated, she was sure he had chosen Duskdown due to a large portion of its denizens being vulnerable to sunlight.
"I-I *hic* I can't take this anymore… Why… why?" – tears streamed down her face.
She had been in the hospital, visiting the injured officers. The place had been full! People with cuts from broken glass waiting to be cleaned and bandaged, children that had been burned by the sun (maybe for the first time in their life) crying their eyes out after experiencing the terrible pain of your skin cooking under the otherwise beautiful rays, people in casts waiting to go home, the nurses and doctors barely managing all the chaos… it was awful.
She wiped her eyes and looked around her office. The curtains were down, only the computer screen illuminating the room.
Ping~! – the noise came from a pop-up ad.
She was about to close it when she was bombarded by several more, all showing the same logo of a white top hat. Some were playing muted videos, others were showing still pictures… she was a bit overwhelmed.
{Having problems with villains? Fear not because we will chase the despair away! Contact us and we will help with whatever problem you cave!}
Was this it? Was this the sign from God she had begged for? Penelope steeled herself and dialed the number – she had almost nothing more to lose and she would give anything if it meant saving her people.
=== White Hat manor ===
Dr. Slug was doing his morning routine when White Hat's voice sounded through the speakers.
[Dr. Slug, 606, Clemencia. Could you please come to my office? We have a client here. Thank you.]
"Ugh… Here we go again, doing good." – Slug groaned.
The curtains in White Hat's office were drawn, making the place look dim. On the coffee table were a pot of tea and a pot of tea, a few cookies were also but there. Clemencia was munching on them while 606 brooded on a nearby chair. White Hat was talking to a pale woman with a shadowy hair when the doctor arrived.
"Thank you for coming here so quickly." – White Hat began.
"Nu prub bufs!" – Clemencia said (no problem boss) with stuffed cheeks.
"I would like to introduce to you miss Penelope Braxton, she's the mayor of Duskdown."
"Oh, I've heard of it – the perpetually shaded town, right?" – Slug poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Yes." she said sadly "I called you because a villain has been terrorizing our town for a while now. He's destroying the Shade towers and endangering the people living there! I can't allow this to continue! I asked for help but with the recent upraise of crime and villains…" - she bit her lip.
"SO! You want our help, right?!" – Clemencia exclaimed loudly, bouncing in one place.
"Yes! Can you please help me? I will do whatever you want if it means saving my people from this terror."
"Don't worry. We will help you." White Hat put his hand on her shoulder, assuring her "Now, let's get a contract and review the conditions."
White Hat walked to his desk, opened something on his computer and turned the printer on, only or it to sputter and die.
"Ah. It seems we have bit of a problem here. Dr. Slug, do you mind getting this printed?" – White Hat laughed awkwardly.
"Where exactly? It is Sunday, the shops are closed, remember?" – Slug grimaced, the coffee had sugar put into it beforehand.
"On the other printer? I remember we had another one-"
"It broke after you-know-what thrashed my lab and went into the city."
"Oh- This is awkward…"
"Why can't you just write it?" – Slug asked with annoyance.
"I can't do that. Why don't you three go to Duskdown and see how to fix the problem while we discuss the contract?"
"But-" – Slug began before he was yanked by Clem.
"Let's GO!"
"AAAAH! It is hot!" – Slug screeched after some coffee got spilled on his pants.
"Grrh." – 606 followed them out with a scowl.
Penelope looked worried at the door from which the group exited.
"Now, Ms. Braxton. Let's discuss the conditions of the contract. We HAVE to make it as FAIR to YOU as possible." – White Hat said, his voice a bit strained, fingers twitching a bit, despite him trying to hide it.
She felt a bit nervous and found it odd how he stressed those words.
"OK! Listen now. I have gathered data on the Solanator and have devised a plan to capture and neutralize him as quickly and efficiently as possible!" –Dr. Slug began to drone on.
"Yeah, but why don't we just… I dunno… hit him on the head while he doesn't look? Sounds simple and has worked before." – Clemencia spun in one of the ship's chairs.
"Do you seriously think that'll work?! Those armed thugs may have been one thing but this is a SERIOUS villain, with POWERS! You can't treat him like the random passerby on the- HEY!"
Clemencia had stopped listening to him and was trying to put a few bows on 606 but the bear swiped them off with a grunt.
"Ugh… just, follow my lead."
"Hey! Who made you the leader, Sluggy? I want to be the leader! I saw we drown that guy in glitter!"
"Grour!"
"I have a bad feeling about this." – Slug groaned.
=== In Duskdown ===
"We have to hold him back! If the towers are gone, we'll be done for!" – a cop shouted before shielding a colleague from one of Solanator's blasts.
"Thanks!" – his colleague thanked him quickly.
Not even a week after the previous tower fell, the villain was attacking the East tower, worst was that the mayor had went out to seek help and the police force didn't know how long they could keep him away from the tower.
"Stop right there!" – someone shouted, making all heads turn.
There stood a purple bear, a man with a bag on the head and a girl with unicorn hat.
"Who are you losers? Don't you see I have business here?!" – Solanator leered.
"We were sent here to stop you!" – Clemencia declared, pointing her bat at him.
"Clemencia! This wasn't part of the plan!" – Slug screeched.
606 just groaned and dragged himself to the side, banging his head on the wall.
"YOU are going to stop ME? Hahahaha!" he cracked his knuckles "I would have some fun beating you up." – Solanator flew towards them.
"Why you?!" – Slug shot his laser gun but the shots didn't seem to bother the Solanator much, managing to dodge them all.
"Yah!" – Clemencia swung her bat but he flew up, out of her reach.
She started throwing things at him but he shot beams at them and they exploded.
"I told you to follow the plan!" – Slug shouted.
"The plan was stupid!"
The two bickered, so Solanator took the chance and Blasted Clemencia into a wall.
"Bye, bye nerd!" – with a strong right hook, Slug was sent crashing into a trashcan.
It was terrible. Solanator had gone to destroy the tower and Clemencia didn't know how much longer the police could hold him back, not to mention that 606 had disappeared somewhere while she'd been down.
"Listen… We have to help these people. They need these towers to live normally. So, what do you say we work on a plan, together. I promise to follow it this time, really." – she looked at Slug.
"Fine, but we better make it work. I won't be getting a bonus otherwise." – Slug huffed and it was a miracle that his goggles hadn't broken.
…
They closed on to Solanator, both Slug and Clemencia ready. The villain was gloating above the downed policemen and was about to head to the tower.
"Start plan 2!" – Slug signaled.
"Hey! Ya can't get me, you glorified lightbulb!" – Clemencia jumped out and made funny faces.
"You- I will kill you!" – Solanator charged at her with a solar-charged fist.
Clemencia steadied herself and held her bat to block it. With a clang the fist connected with the bat. Clemencia was bushed back a bit and she could see her bat getting a bit dented. At that moment Slug jumped and pulled a different device out. He had DIYed a weapon from some extra parts and machinery from a destroyed candy store.
"Eat this, sucker!" – black goop (black liquorice and other sticky components) at Solanator's face.
"Gah!" – the sticky mixture hit him straight in the face.
Solanator landed and tried to get the sticky concoction from his face, just to be hit by Clemencia's bat. He was sent flying into a wall, hitting it with a grunt. A few more shots from Slug found the villain stuck to the wall.
"Woohoo! Nice job, Sluggy!"
"Heh, it was nothing. Let's restrain him and finish the job." – the scientist looked pleased with his work.
"Grr… Fucking nerds… I HATE nerds!" – Solanator screamed.
The sticky mass holding Solanator to the wall began to bubble and boil as he began to glow.
"Duck!" – Slug shouted and they took cover.
PAAT!
The heat released from the Solanator was too much for Slug's mixture, so it boiled and splattered all around them.
"This is it!" Solanator walked towards them, face red with anger "This is the last time you-"
From the alley behind Solanator, a bit to the left of where he'd been stuck to the wall, a shadow jumped out. 606 appeared out of nowhere, glomped the Solanator and pressed a rag over his mouth.
"MHH?! Mmmu- hu…" – the Solanator struggled and hit the bear but the soft fur cushioned the blows, after a while he fell unconscious.
"Six'O! It's you!" – Clemencia cheered.
"Where did you go?" – Slug asked the bear, still holding the villain in a tight hold.
"Grouur." – 606 rummaged through his fur and somehow pulled out a small bottle of chloroform.
"How the heck?!" – Slug stared.
"Good job, Six'O! Now, let's shrink this villain!" – she marched confidently towards where their ship was parked.
"I can't believe it! You actually captured him!" – Ms. Braxton looked in awe as a shrunk Solanator thrashed inside a plastic jar.
"Of course we did it! Because we are awesome!" – Clemencia spun around with the jar, Solanator hitting the walls from time to time.
"Why are you here though? We were going to bring him back." – Slug asked, a bit confused.
"Well, after Ms. Braxton finished with the contract and signed it, I decided to drive her back – it is quicker than taking a plane. Also, I tried calling you but you didn't answer, so I was a bit worried." – White Hat scratched his cheek.
"Daww! You are so cute sometimes, boss!" – Clemencia hugged him and you could hear a crack from the force she used.
"I thank you again for this. I owe you a lot." – Penelope took the jar and bowed.
"You don't owe us anything more than what we agreed on-" White Hat winced a bit but shook it off quickly "It was a pleasure working with you."
"No, the pleasure was mine. If you ever need something, you can call me and I'll help with whatever I can. Now, we'll have a VERY long conversation with the mister in here." – Penelope smiled.
Some time later, an online call came to White Hat manor. It was Penelope and she looked a bit different. Her skin had a tad bit more color to it and her 'hair' was more of a dark gray than the pitch black shadow it was; she also wore a T-shirt.
It turns out that after the Solanator was captured, it was discovered that his powers came from absorbing light, hence why he had been getting stronger. She had found that fact curious and decided to study him and his powers. A medicine had been made and said medicine allowed her and others like her walk under the sun without burning to death. It was still imperfect and had to be taken regularly but the scientists were working on a permanent solution. She hoped to one day all of them to be able to bask under the sun and remove the shade that still had to be kept over the city.