Disclaimer: I don't own victorious or any of it's characters. Of course, givne how much fun we had chancing t hem, are these really the same? Of course they are, and so, I don't own them. So we give a disclaimer, and act nice about it.
Warning, don't let perfectionism get in the way of good enough.
:}
A few years later:
Andre walked out of the club, still vibrating from his bands recent performance just a couple of minutes prior. Already partied out, he was ready to head home, satisfied with his current lot in life. Around his other work schedule, the musician had managed to build a small following, and it was looking more and more like Neutronium wanted him to keep writing songs for them. Future secured, he was for the most part happy. Still, movement in the shadows caught his eye. "Vinny, how's it hanging?"
Just in the shadows, the hero Margoyle looked around, seeming on edge for just a moment. Then, he relaxed, his body shifting back to his taller, more solid looking human form. The shorter form was denser, and as a result, stronger, but also far more conspicuous. "Dre? Great, I was looking for a way out of here. The paps, they're all over the place, and the perp I helped bring down, Phantom took him, and I was left here, looking for, well, I WAS looking for a possible accomplice, but when that fizzled, I wound up looking for a ride home."
"Yea, my band just finished our set, and I don't have any meetings with other artists for a while." The musician worked through his thoughts. "I should be able to get you home. Just, let me check in with my guitarist, see if maybe he can give you a ride. I believe he lives closer to you…"
"I live in the same building as your cousin… Which is why we're avoiding it, isn't it?" Vincent realized. "Yea, lets see if he won't mind… ROB!"
Robbie Shapiro, who in addition to every other part of his complex life, often made extra money as a session player, was part of Andre's current band. The Jewish boy was more then talented enough on the guitar, and was willing to work with Andre, play whatever kind of music the other boy might want. Given Dre's desire to be a music writer, they'd experimented with just about every small band genre.
"Vinny." Robbie greeter. While Vincent didn't know most of the real identities of the original heroes at Project Redemption, Robbie was one of the few who seemed always willing to let the new guys in, just as soon as they proved trustworthy. It helped, more then just in that Vincent could trust the boy, but now that Dahlia was being used, more and more, as a deterrent to major crimes, Vincent had because the one they used to help break in new recruits. Knowing someone he could talk to helped him deal with the stress.
Project Redemption was still a small program, but far larger then just a few years ago, and they now had six former criminals rehabilitating there, with many of those being redeemed attending Hollywood Arts. The real problem for the project, which weighed heavily on Vincent, was he graduated high school. In fact the entire first class from Project Redemption, the members of the Blue Generation initiative, and the original members of the Metahuman Internship Administration all had graduated high school and moved on to collage, as well as whatever careers they may have wanted to peruse. Vinny was just more relatable then the powerhouses who had come before, and often more accessible.
"Vin here needs a ride." Andre told his guitarist.
"I can see that." Rob agreed. "Costume can shift with your body, but not your regular clothing. I keep telling you, man, you need The Enchanter to magic you up some kind of cover illusion thingy so you can look all normal when you need to shift back."
"Look, I don't need the lecture, just a ride home." Vincent insisted. They all followed the rule of not asking the police for too much, as the force often didn't know things like where the project was, or where anyone in it lived. At least, not the one's not directly involved. Made this kind of request more necessary, as well as building the trust between the original class at Project Redemption.
"On it." Rob nodded. "Cat's gonna love this. She hasn't really had a chance to hang out with you since she was recruited into LA Justice. I just, no idea why Misses V insisted she go ahead and take up the offer?"
"Her probation was over, and she didn't fit in with Blue Generation." Andre shrugged. "Plus, we had the whole MIA problem, what with Masters trying to take that one over. Can't believe how close he came, too. Damn politics. Man's evil, even if he's technically on our side. No, Misses V built the police metahuman resources, recruited or maintained every member, and she has every right to decide how they're used."
"Plus, Masters is a jerk." Vinny added, smiling. "So, I get to see Cat again, huh? Promise me she's not gonna try and set me up with one of her friends again."
"No promises." Rob smirked. "Dre, any chance you're seeing Trina tonight? Cat might want to send her greetings."
Vincent didn't know the identities of Warpath, Wildcard, or Dahlia, having never convinced the dangerous goth he was harmless or trustworthy enough. The Velvet Phantom worked with him enough to earn some level of trust, but in the end, they just had a professional relationship, again leaving him the man outside with knowing who's behind the mask. Instead, the petite girl made it a point of seducing Techbanger, using the hints she could read between the lines that the Thai girl was interested, and was building some kind of relationship there. Vincent suspected about several identities, but the one person he knew the best was Andre, often called "The Friend".
"I'll see her. I mean, I live with her." Dre sighed. "I'll have her call Cat, tomorrow, when it's not so late. As is, she's gonna be pissed, cause we both know she auditioned for something, really wanted that part, only until Jade starts directing, Trina just doesn't have the talent to win herself anything. Once Jade does, however, we'll get to see what my girl can do with the right kind of director. I do see awards in her future. Just, loads of patients to get that kind of acting out of her." Mentally adding 'And possibly some dead production assistants.' But he understood, Jade knew Trina enough to know, just as she'd made Warpath such a different person, Trina could act. She just needed help, a coach, every time she tried a new role.
After years of resistance, Andre agreed to let the Enchanter and his circle craft a few trinkets for him, enhanced by Jade's magic and Sikowitz's knowledge. What he got was an empathy field, that let him project an emotional state around him, easing the way towards calm discussion. He was also gifted with a force field that could repel a major attack, essential for the man who often went in to talk to someone, with the goal of seeing if this was a kid who could be saved. Not everyone was going to be a hero, but that was just the pubic face of the project. The real goal was helping the kids learn how to use their abilities, and then how to make the best choices for who they were. Like Sam.
Samantha Puckett could have all kinds of powers, for a short time, if she so wanted. But the often psychotic blond hated the idea of being someone's tool, and so instead was working on becoming a writer, hoping for a place at some sitcom, or on some other kind of show, where she could make a decent, reliable paycheck and be creative. Her powers were a reserve for when the city really needed her, and under almost no other condition would she ever bother to power up. Her sister Melody, with almost identical genetics, had proved to have a very different reaction to the same procedure, and after developing healing abilities, became a rescue hero Caduceus, working against disasters, but leaving dealing with the bad guys to those with the firepower to ward them off.
Sam sat in the office of the show she was currently interning at, not happy about the requirements to become a writer there. "Like only collage graduates can be funny." She again sniped.
Virginia, one of the other interns, just looked at her. "You're going to UCLA, I know, I go there, and I saw you, just the other day. You know, near the opening of that new building. Can you believe they got The Black Dahlia to show up for that? She's a major hero, so naturally it was an event, and I remember events. I almost assumed you were there for the event, regardless of what you say about that kind of showboating, except I saw you coming from a class building. Need our student ID's to get in, so, you're a student." She smiled at her display of logic.
"First, Loads of people get in every day without the ID's." Sam grumped. "And second, yes, I'm a student, studying writing for television. Doesn't mean I'm happy that they say I'm gonna need that degree to be a writer. I was one of the writers for iCarly. I know whats funny. I can write a show, make it funny, or dramatic, or surprise my co-host with a speed dating contest to find her a date for a special event. Just, yea, I totally can do that. So, why do I need collage to be a writer?"
"No idea…" The other intern was cut off by the sound of Sam's phone.
"Yo!" A moment as she confirmed who it was. "Gotta take this." Then back to the phone. "Okay, Tori, what did Jade do this time?"
"Jade didn't do a thing." The lucky girl said. "Just wanted to let you know I'm almost done finagling that show I was gonna do for Trina. You know, the one where we use her one real talent, other then, well, you know, and I just wanted to see if maybe you'd be interested in being a number two again."
"You have no idea how many parts of that offer you'd want to reword." Sam chuckled. "Made it sound like Trina's real talent was sexual, and made me sound like a piece of crap." A moment ticked by. "I am interested, but I'll have to make sure it was okay with my current bosses, who'll probably not want me to do it, cause they have my slave labor for a few more months, and want every second they get for my collage credit."
"I heard Jade was on campus the other day." Tori shifted.
"Yea, wish she was getting her degree there." The blond nodded. "Only, her grandfathers money, she's going to CalArts, and doing okay. Of course, given the conditions of her probation, she kinda has to wow Misses V, and it gets harder every year. Her grades must be amazing."
"Misses V is very reasonable." Tori felt she had to defend her mother. "Look, this is strictly an on line webisode based show, for now, but I suspect we'll be able to sell it, get it on local television, and from there, who knows."
"And I'm telling you, Trina needs to start working on her stand-up, cause they only give the really good shows to those who've already made some kind of a name for themselves, and for this kind of show, they want funny." Sam sighed. "Look, I'll work with her, write for her, cause this may just work out, give her the kind of fame she craves. Just…."
"Yea, just." Tori replied. Neither said it, but both understood, Warpath was too valuable a commodity. LA Justice had been after her, from even before they snagged Bastion. Her strength and endurance, reflexes and abilities were beyond most supers ability to handle. While she lacked the raw power of some of the heavy hitters, with all the extra training she'd received, as well as the gadgets she'd started carrying, she was able to hang with the best of them. Techfire was already providing her with all kinds of equipment, more for variety then firepower. It made for interesting times when she did choose to patrol the streets.
"Jade?" Sam chose to shift topics.
"Almost too busy." Tori complained. "Only my dad, he makes sure she schedules her time, so she has free time, as well as date time, patrol time, school time, everything time. I take my part when it comes, but they want so much from her. I mean, full time, and that includes showing up at the opening of a new building at UCLA, or other similar public relations type activities. Jade just has to do so many things that aren't dangerous, just, wow. I never realized how much my dad did before I was dating someone who also had loads of obligations hanging over her."
"And she's directing this new project." Sam finished for her. "Look, I need to get back to work. I'll avoid letting them know you called."
Given Tori's second album had just released, and was charting very well, that had become the standard practice for those who wanted to avoid mentioning they knew someone famous. Both her and Cat found themselves talked about in the oddest ways sometimes, to protect their secrecy, a courtesy provided by their friends and sometimes colleagues.
Cat, unlike Tori, had made the very odd decision to peruse a career in heroing, with a side in something involving children and animals. Both girls were looking at life and fame and how their choices were influencing how they'd need to live their lives. Tori had chosen to get her degree on line, because she needed the convenience, while Cat was physically attending classes at Northridge Community Collage, but looking for the right degree to help her craft a cover life for the life she'd chosen, one of a professional hero. Overall, both had a strange set of decisions to make, oddly similar, with the big difference being that Cat wanted to keep her true identity secret, while Tori, being an entertainer, didn't have that option. At least not the singer part. Wildcard she kept to herself, except when her mother twisted her arm...
Jade was working on her grandfathers dream, of being a filmmaker, and had already directed several police training films. The latter an odd distinction that still gave her practical experience while also letting the police benefit from her training. Beck had agreed to star in a few, though the boy and his team liked to keep his face out of that kind of production, least someone on the street somehow recognize him. Jade understood, the thrills of going undercover, gathering information, it was the thing Beck had been looking for his entire life.
Beck was loving this new life.
"Okay, Beck, looking good. We just need to find out if anyone here knows how the money laundering is happening, so we can put an end to it. All kinds of money is being made cleaning up bad peoples cash, and we don't know how it's being done." Dominic, the lieutenant for the special investigations and Metahuman relations unit briefed his best man.
Beck continued to be the best single street investigator of the entire Police Metahuman Projects, beating out Meredith, despite her ability to read surface thoughts. Beck the actor could assume roles, and the investigator then used whatever role, something he all but lived, to win the trust of his target, and gather information from there. He'd even mastered the art of the hidden wire, often letting himself be searched, cause no one would recognize whatever Techbanger had built for him as a recording device, thus his targets had no idea they were being recorded. And when the time came, his team would be there, to get him out, or help him suit up. Steel Copper did a marvelous job of stopping threats to the city, and his team was responsible for going after any threat they could dig up..
"I'm doing what I can, but this isn't just another investigation." Beck warned as he walked confidently into the shop. "We've been after this guy for years, or at least, I'm thinking whomever is behind this, they're the same scum who were behind the attack on Los Angeles back when Dahlia proved herself." He'd dressed as a man out on the town, an attractive young women hanging near him. "Okay,
phantom, I know how uncomfortable you are working under cover, but this is how the game is played. You're just looking for something to feed me, to get information from the clerk. Or, if he doesn't know anything, we find out if anyone here does. Got that?"
"Love the new gadgets you're carrying." Meredith said. It had taken time for her to trust the unit, but they were Beck's men, even if he wasn't really in charge. He'd gone to the police academy, over one summer, and while he was taking classes, he was also working, using his position as a police specialist to cover the income he made busting crime. Dominic had been the one who's career went from stalled, because he lacked the community awareness for promotion, to becoming the lieutenant of the unit, and as such helped them forge their special place in the LAPD. "I have to admit, she does good work. Too bad we need Techfire to mass produce so much of her stuff."
"I kinda like Lenard." Dominic noted. "He's so much easier to deal with now. Plus, my unit gets all kinds of fun gadgets to play with cause of him. He even helped maintain and upgrade Copper, as well as giving us that drone, Copper 2."
Phantom laughed, trying to act like it was something funny on her phone. "Okay, that is fun. God, this unit, you're like, the most fun in the LAPD, understand us, and have the best toys. I do like working with you. Just, I'm a solo act, usually. These team-ups, have to keep them on the minimum, cause my girl…."
"Women problems?" Beck asked as he hesitated, looking around nervously. It was part of the act, getting ready to talk to the clerk, find out how they were laundering money.
"Her family accepted me, so why is it she has to act so… I don't know, Thai? We have to immerse in that culture, which is fine, except she is American, and can be that too. I swear, I eat Thai so often… I saw that!"
"I'm back in the van, thinking only pure, happy thoughts." Dominic said. "No one is thinking anything else about you and your girl. Just, understand, it's not her family, but her community, that's putting so much pressure on her to represent. Keep understanding, she's compensating for schtuping a whitey, and everything will be fine. At least until you're older, cause if anyone figures out a device to get one of you preggers, it's gonna be her, and I know you two will mismanage your kids even better then you were mismanaged by your mom."
Meredith just growled. "Okay, I so owe you for that… Wait, Beck you're approaching?"
Beck approached the desk, managing to stumble as he checked, again, to make sure the clerk wasn't some under cover cop. Instead, she was some Northridge girl he'd knows before he'd discovered the thrills of being a super hero slash detective. A HUD built into his glasses flashed her name and what hadn't been sealed of her juvenile record. "Kylie?" He pulled off his makeshift disguise, more then he should have, and presented himself as himself.
"Beck?" The girl asked, not quite believing her eyes. "My god, it's been forever. I mean, I'd heard you went and left acting behind, and… What brings you here?"
"Kinda embarrassing, actually…" He looked around. "Not wanting to tell you, cause I don't want you getting in trouble, but…"
"Oh, I get that." She looked around. "I don't handle it, but a lot of shady types come here for payday loans, and my boss handles them. Let me get him, cause I don't need to be involved… That is, unless it's about that bitch of a girlfriend you used to have."
"No, it's money problems." He looked so defeated, it almost broke her heart.
"Okay, girls being honest, she's too honest to do crime, but too scared of her boss to report her suspicions." Phantom informed everyone. "And get all thoughts about me and Thai food out of your minds. We need to be serious."
The manager stepped out, looking down on Beck like he was better then the Canadian. "So, it's you? God, been a minute."
Beck couldn't remember this guy, but figured he was someone they'd had a run in with, back in the day. "I don't let personal feelings get in the way, as long as you can pay the premiums." The man added.
"I…" Beck gulped, showing intimidation. "I have money, or rather, I got a hold of some, but it's not, I mean…"
"Not legally yours?" The man smirked. Beck made sure his name tag, saying "Brock", was visible to his glasses camera. "Not a problem, as long as it's not something easy to trace. Just, tell me, what do you have, and I'll tell you the best way to fence it. Hell, I'll show you how to make it clean, assuming it's enough to worry about. So, what do you have?"
"I got my hands on a trinket from one of Jade's new friends, and I sold it, to this pawn shop, but the money, more then expected, and I do worry about the sudden increase in my bank account."
"Not a problem." Brock smirked, enjoying this. "We add a surcharge to the transaction, and I give you a loan. The loan is legal, can be traced and everything, and isn't taxable. No one asks were you got the money to pay me back, and the interest, it's my cut. That, and the charge. You just…"
Several members of the unit had entered, acting as if they were police officers looking to buy whatever from the shop. In actuality, Dominic felt something was off with the manager, and sent them in. "Those with you?"
"Only if Jade rated me out. I mean, what are the odds?" Beck said, looking helpless.
"Gentlemen, can I have a moment of your time?" Brock asked, drawing the cops to him. "Are you looking for this guy? He was acting a little shady."
"Okay, lets talk to him…" One of the officers said, pulling Beck out. Phantom, as much as she wanted to watch, followed them out. "We got what we need, so…"
"No, you didn't." Meredith said. "That form of laundering is watched, cause it was in a movie, years ago. I'm thinking he was setting Beck up. Hell, I read it in his mind. The way they launder money here is a mix. People pay him for a job with one of his other businesses, jobs that don't really exist, and are hard to disprove. Records in his office in the back will show what he's been doing. The people who hire him pay him the salary they're getting plus ten percent, and it's hard to notice cause so much money comes into this shop cause of the payday lending, and he reaps the profits of those other, fake companies. Man's scum who wanted to hurt Beck cause back in high School, Tori chose him over that jerk. Don't blame her, even if Beck here wasn't the one she chose."
Beck smiled as his lieutenant used the earlier, not quite confession, as reason to get a warrant to search the office, and found the books that would put this man away for a while. Put him away, as well as the names of his clients, and enough to put away a good dozen plus mid level drug dealers.
"Not as exciting as people might think, but hay, I did good today." Meredith told Beck.
"Yea, and you can celebrate by eating Thai tonight." Beck said, even as he slid out of reach, least she do something to retaliate to the ribbing.
"So, big day tomorrow, right?" Meri asked Beck as they went through the ritual of the fake booking, something done to protect Beck. He'd be released on a technicality withing minutes.
"Yep." Beck agreed. "Truly the end of an era. Still, we did great cause of it, so not complaining. Just, what does V have planned for tomorrow. You know, to celebrate?"
The Velvet Phantom only smiled, letting that look cover her face before saying "I gotta get going. I have Thai to eat."
Jade walked into the project, already tired from her day, and it'd barely even started. The pale girl was hidden in her layered costume, a precaution she'd started taking once the project got more then a few subjects involved, because she'd become a target. Not Jade, but The Black Dahlia, and the goth knew better then to bring trouble around her lover, her family, or her friends. Misses V allowed it, feeling that those who'd earned a touch of trust had the right to choose who they told. It was why she never got too upset at Cat for telling, and never insisted anyone had to tell.
"Dahlia, slumming?" Dan, one of the guards, asked. They'd come a long, long way since she'd been thought of as a prisoner needing to be broken, to the point that she'd been involved in the upgrade project. Techfire had rebuilt the armor, fitted to the guards, and now they moved better, just in case. Dahlia had vouched for the tech hero, while Warpath had talked the tech boy into helping. It also helped that his abilities, plus a fortuitous attraction to nerds, had helped him start dating Caduceus, the healing hands, also known as Melanie Puckett. The boy felt better about himself, and had even stopped insulting Techbanger, even if his jealousy still shown in other ways.
"Dahlia." One of the techs greeted her. He was working with a girl names Brittany who was a pyrokinetic. Not that powerful, compared to Dahlia, or Bastion, this teen was still a potential threat that had nearly roasted Margoyle. Only the bravery of the young man, backed by the sudden appearance of Achilles Junior, who could be all but immune to fire, had saved her from making a few really bad decisions. Then The Friend convinced her to join up, learn to use her powers. Today, they were teaching her defensive techniques, so she could maybe defend herself if in danger. Her heat shields were slowly forming, showing a touch of limited psychokinesis, combining to make a force field. Jade suspected flying was next.
"Burnout, you just hang in there." The experienced hero encouraged her. "I know it's hard, but in time, even if your never in a fight, that power will come in handy. Especially if you can fly. Trust me, they expect so much more once you can fly, but it really is a gas, being able to just take off, hover, see the world…."
"I just…" Brittany looked aside, not sure how to address such a well known and respected member of the superhero community. It could be intimidating, something Jade excelled at.
"Just, no expectations, right?" Dahlia shifted tactics. "Just work with the lab guys, learn your limits, and maybe, maybe you'll fly. If not, at least you'll be in control, and not letting some doofus convince you that you can force people to just do whatever. I mean, we need to be responsible for our own actions, and that includes making sure we're the one's who are choosing what actions to take. That guy, he wasn't the one who would have to live with the memories of those people burning, had Margoyle not saved them."
"I get it, I fucked up." The young woman with the naturally red hair groaned. "Look, I'm trying, okay?"
"That's all we ask." Jade promised. "Those of us with the heaviest probation, we do need to do a little, or a lot, of public service. But that doesn't mean taking risks, or putting your life on the line. The police have loads of training's, and your powers, they can be hella useful in those. Or, given how you're almost immune to heat and fire, maybe you could help Junior with some of his fire rescues…."
"Well, he is hella hot…." For the first time that day, she smiled.
"And older then you." The lab tech warned. "Lets focus on learning your powers, and save dating for those in your own age group, kay?"
"Give her a break." Jade chuckled. "I get it, the hero's body, way hot. Just, that's not him, not the real him. Just a mystical construct he can make. The real him is older, and very much involved. Trust me, he's a friend."
"Did you make him?" Brittany wondered.
"No, enchanting is it's own thing, and I like to leave that to the professionals." Jade sighed. 'Mom's actuality happy with a man, and it's a man who doesn't bother me. Carl's good to me, and mom, she's actually happy dating him now that he's got a good job, and can provide. Just, mom doesn't understand. This life, even being tangentially involved, it can pull you in. I may have had to use enchantments of my own to make sure the power never once went to my head, but I feel I've made the right choices…. Speaking off...'
Jade walked into Misses V's office, and saw the woman in charge. "Okay, what was so urgent I just had to show up today?"
"Oh, you're too big to show up at training, now that you've graduated from Blue Steels sidekick?" Holly asked, but there wasn't that much bite in her sarcasm.
"A, we agreed, Vinny needed that gig more," Jade counted off, "and B, you've had me training with Blue Generation, or the MIA, or even LA Justice. I'm good with the training. Normally, since you can go over chiz with me at home, you keep me out there, so why show my colors here?"
"You just said it, I sometimes like to show you off to the recruits." Holly sighed. "But the reason I called you in was I have a problem, and I need your advice…" She gestured to a chair, but knew her charge would remain standing. 'Even with her power, she feels she needs the psychological edge. And I was going to sit on the edge of the desk, all casual like...'
"Go on?" Jade pushed.
"Frankly, you're aging out." The director explained. "You were put in Masters care as a youth offender. He never cared for long term complications, cause he expected to either break you, or destroy you. Either way, no way you'd last that long. As a result, they just had a hearing, to discuss your situation, and while you do have a few months left on your probation, as the law is written, they'd have had to shift you to adult probation, and that'd be a thing. So, after much negotiation, including the absurdity of handing you over to adult probation, we reached a sorta compromise. Bottom line is, we're working on an adjustment to your sentencing."
"English?" Jade asked.
"I want to hire you." Holly clarified. "I know, you have a career in mind and all, plus your not Bastion, who's better off being full time in LA Justice. You, however, you're an inspiration for the kids we get, and having you involved helps have that example right here. Just, we're losing you, one way or another, and I want to shift to a work study type thing where you spend a year working for us, then are free to choose where to go after."
"Why didn't you offer this to Cat?" Jade asked.
"Cause I had to give LA Justice something." Holly deflated. "Plus, Cat… We both know, given some of the hard luck stories we get, she's not hard enough to work with those kids. However, Lane thinks you are."
"Man is a believer." Jade sighed. "Okay, lets do this. I like my freedom, but working here, maybe…" She pondered a second more. "Even if it's just so the new kids know there is a light at the end of the tunnel."
Jade knew, the circle turns, and she long ago become the master helping the new kids adjust. 'This way, I make my girlfriends mother happy, AND I can keep my hand in, even as I get my degree. Plus, there is that project Tori's been talking up, the one where I make Trina a star. Yea, life is gonna be interesting…'
:}
So, that was your epilogue. Hope you enjoyed this story, or remembered I was writing it, since I spent so long trying to make it feel right...