AN: Before we can begin, I like to do a huge thank you for all who read this story and follow through it. And all the reviews so far are welcoming and help me a lot. It had been so fun taking the perspective of Diane and exploring new horizons while also taking them apart literally for realistic purposes. :3 And surprisingly, this is my first ever story that is complete for 2022 (and I really need to get back on my other stories, ha ha ha).
Special thanks to I.M. Rally for being a good sport with letting me use Mr. Hornet and contributing to this story!
So, just to note that with the decision I am making with the Bad Guys has been thought through and even discussed with my friends about it. I loved the film for its crime genre, its quirkiness, its mischief and having an interesting analysis of the 'bad guy' trope. It's a full 'Evil is Cool' movie. I really want to explore more of the crime, vigilante and anti-hero genres, so I decided to take a risk. I know it may not be what you guys expect, but I like how the Bad Guys are and I imagine them as the perfect 'anti-heroes' who don't go by the law. As long as they show style and give out a good image that they may be mischievous, but helpful, then that is the flow for me.
Speaking of which, I have a special sneak peek (or two) at the bottom of this chapter! It's going to catch you interested, so stay tuned for more updates (hopefully)!
And warning as there will be a scene where it might scare readers...or it is a mind screw. It's a bit of a horror scene, but...it's a message that my plans are going to be...eclectic.
Just to note, this chapter takes inspiration from Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, Arcane, Meta Runner and K/DA: Harmonies - Issue 5.
And with that, let's go onto the last chapter!
Recommended Songs
[1] Big Bad Wolf (from The Bad Guys) - Daniel Pemberton
[2] Adebayo (from the Peacemaker Soundtrack) - Clint Mansell & Kevin Kiner (0:00 to 1:16)
[3] Howlin' for You - The Black Keys
Chapter 10 - We Make Our Own System of Society
One Year Later
It was two weeks ever since the Bad Guys were free from prison and returned to the city. Deciding to meet up with them again, Diane invited them over for a special lunch at the same bar she usually goes to. She even invited Kitty and Doom over despite their hesitation at first. [1]
As the trio wait, they are greeted by the Bad Guys coming in.
They could have been called the 'Good Guys', but they still use their old name since it would help them be more recognizable.
The good thing is that nobody inside the bar fears them. Sort of since some of them look a little intimidating, more of the fact that they prove to be some of the toughest heroes and criminals around. Their fooling of Marmalade's plan erupts their reputation to a greater level which makes everyone have nothing but respect for them. Half of the customers of them are surprised, but they continue with their day. The one thing that they all agree is that seeing them being humble is essential to earning their respect in the world and whoever the Bad Guys want to be.
The Bad Guys look a bit surprised by this. They are still new to how people react to them, but it feels good to be treated as an equal.
Speaking of which, Wolf spots another wolf sitting at another table. A teenage wolf who dyed his fur turquoise. He looks up from his phone and waves. Wolf is baffled by this before glancing back at Diane. She is right. There are other wolves out there and his actions probably help improve the social life of wolves in America.
"Hey, guys!" called Diane. "Took you long."
"Sorry," said Wolf coolly. "We got stuck in some business lately."
"Coming through," said Shark, trying to make his way into the stall on Kitty's side.
Kitty chuckles and makes way for him to take his seat. She sits down next to him, but she freezes when she feels somebody ruffling in her afro.
"Hey!" she said. "My hair is not a seat!"
A head pops out from it.
"Oops!" said Webs cheekily. "Sorry, Ms. Kat."
Wolf makes himself comfortable, sitting next to Diane. Though, he is also sitting next to Snake who is on his right, glaring at Diane jealously. And on Snake's right is Doom, staring at him in scepticism.
"You look delicious," said Doom. "You look more scalier up close."
Snake snorts. "Well, you look like a meal for me. I haven't even ordered fried chicken in months now!"
Doom responds by pecking onto Snake's nose. "Oh, sorry. Did I touch a sore spot?"
Before Snake can counter that or Diane tell Doom to be on good behavior, Piranha arrives, carrying a huge tray of drinks and snacks to share. Some cocktails and chicken nuggets and fries. Whatever is on there, it's Piranha's choice.
"Drinks up, papa!" he calls as he jumps onto his own seat.
This gets a look from Kitty. "You might need to switch out from that baby seat right there."
"What? I'm short!"
There is some chatter about the gossip and new events all around in the city as they munch on their meals.
Of course, this lunch couldn't go on without some wackiness as Shark and Snake compete in a marshmallow-eating competition with the former ultimately winning due to how large his mouth is. They could have ordered 100 plates of the homemade marshmallows of the bar, but they have to stop by 7 orders since the bill is piling up and nobody is willing to pay more.
Doom, once again, casually orders a tall fruit plate which Piranha is more than happy to tear down. Diane wonders where Doom is able to catch all of those fruit plates from. Guess she might never know as she shields herself with a menu as Piranha casually sends the fruit tower down on her and Wolf due to his craze for the juiciness. And oh, Diane got some juice all over her, but at least she isn't working today.
Wolf nearly fell asleep due to how many cocktails he took. They tried seeing who can stand the longest by drinking a variety of cocktails. Wolf, at first, seems fine, but apparently grew intoxicated. At least he is fine now after he went outside to barf out everything in his stomach. His face isn't pale white as his clothes now.
But above all, they are having a good time.
"Anyway, maybe we can talk a bit about business?" asks Kitty.
"Oh, right," said Diane.
"We heard about Marmalade," explained Wolf. "Upon looking through the evidence - most of them being burnt from the meteorite explosion including his little mansion - he is not labelled as the Crimson Paw. There wasn't enough evidence. Regardless, he is behind bars forever since he has been caught with other things, including work at Sunnyside Labs and contribution of illegal experiments."
"Then who is the Crimson Paw?" asks Doom.
"Nobody knows yet," said Snake. "We may never know."
Diane keeps herself from laughing out loud.
"We even heard that Diane is funding your new career," continued Kitty without batting an eye at Diane. "May you explain more about it because the rumors aren't really enough?"
"The government tried to find ways of how we can integrate to normal lives," explained Wolf. "However, they looked through our files and we haven't really reached the point of gaining a bachelor's degree in education or eligible to have proper jobs, considering knowledge, safeness and integrity. The…only way we can continue what is 'normal' to us is to use what we do best."
Doom raises an eye. "Oh really?"
"Marmalade may be finished," said Diane. "But it will be a matter of time before a jerk would finish what he started. The Bad Guys have mixed around with other criminals, so they know how to think like one. Keeping an eye on making sure that nothing as large as harming people would ever happen. So, the Bad Guys started a mercenary-for-hire business and I funded it to help them kickstart."
"And returning us our personal belongings," snarks Webs. "We can't start from skeleton dry!"
"So…basically you are going to try to be good, but are you doing it for the law?" asked Doom.
All five Bad Guys shrug.
"We don't know," said Shark. "We don't go for politics."
"Good point," said Kitty. "Besides, Diane still has a lot of spunk in her."
There is a loud rumbling from Piranha's stomach. [1s]
"Uh oh…" He leaps out from his seat and makes a beeline to the toilet. "GANGWAY!"
Doom looks away, embarrassed. "Erm…I need to go take a whiz as well, but fish guy is using the bathroom, so…"
The crow flies right out of the window, but none of them bothers. Kitty stands up, deciding that they should pay the bill for the food already. While the rest of the Bad Guys chat, Diane taps onto Wolf's shoulder, pointing to an empty hallway. He raises an eyebrow before shrugging, following her. [2]
The two of them make sure that nobody is listening to them before Diane clears her throat. She pauses again, unsure what to say about all of this. As her ears flatter a little, she remembers back to the Bad Guys choosing to arrest themselves before Diane could reveal that she is the Crimson Paw. She is planning to, but with the work pile and the shock that the Bad Guys kept her secret, she hasn't even thought about it ever since.
"So, Wolf," she said. "I…appreciate that you did cover for me, but you…don't really need to."
Wolf frowns. "I know that, but it wouldn't be right. You…don't really have anything to do that is wrong."
"Except for the fact that I partially blew up a high-security prison island, yeah, I didn't do anything wrong."
"But…I think that you shouldn't give up on your good life," said Wolf. "I mean, you didn't even need to turn yourself in. You returned everything that you have, you already finished university years ago and now you're so high at this level."
"But I hid behind a mask as the Crimson Paw," points out Diane. "It would be a matter of time before someone finds out and people see that I was lying the whole time."
"But the people would love you still. You took responsibility for your own actions as well."
Diane sighs, knowing that Wolf has a point. "I'm still going to tell people about it eventually, Wolf. Maybe when I'm done being governor."
Wolf looks like he wants to protest, but he pauses as he thinks about it. His eyes turn glassy as he raises one ear upwards. It is as if he is hearing something. Diane nearly comes close to asking if he is OK, but Wolf raises his hand. His ears kept twitching until the voices around him seem to have fade away. With a clear mind, his eyes are clear as well. Then, he finally comes to a decision and let go of his worry for Diane.
"OK then. I won't stop you." He pauses for a while. "You know…you can call me Oliver now."
The fox takes a step back, surprised. "What?"
Wolf chuckles nervously. "It's…only Snake who somewhat knows my real name, but…you helped us a lot so far. And…it is…nice for someone who does care about us, even though all of us…messed it up." He points a finger at her. "I trust you on this one not to share, alright?"
Diane blinks. She isn't sure what to say about this. She thought that Wolf would still be in denial of calling himself 'Oliver', but now that he has become more idealistic in his life…he must be learning to open up.
"Alright then, Oliver," said Diane.
Oliver smiles. His eyes seem to soften. This is the friendly side of him that he hid so long ever since he was young. Diane can only be happy that she finally found trust and even earned his. Maybe with him, she might have a guiding light in understanding more about criminals in the future. The road to solving all the problems is still long, but she feels that she might be on a right path she can travel on. [2s]
"So, what do you want to do now?" asks Diane. "Maybe we can set up Just Dance now?"
"Well…about the…other day," said Wolf. "Should we tell your friends about it?"
Diane thinks for a while. "I think-"
VROOM! VROOM! [3]
The returned Doom and Kitty gasp in shock as they spot Kitty's Ferrari speeding right past the window. To their dismay, Snake, Shark, Piranha and Webs are already boarded there with Snake taking the wheel. Right in front for everyone to see them driving away. Though, only half of the customers paid attention to that stunt as if they dropped ice cream.
"THEY STOLE MY FREAKING CAAAAAAAR!" screeches Kitty.
"WHAT?!" squawked Doom in disbelief.
Seeing this, Diane starts laughing in bemusement. She didn't expect that to happen! When her two friends glare back at her, she stops.
"Oh," she said sheepishly. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah," explained Wolf calmly. "Some bad habits die hard."
Eventually, A Few Days Ago…
"So, with you undertaking this business, not only it will help you with using your skill set for good, but also getting intel into the criminal world and how to settle it down."
"Correct. You know, this isn't exactly our first time going into vigilantism."
"Oh really?"
"We got into some scuffles with other criminal gangs, but…we were trying to get the prizes before them."
"OK, that makes much more sense."
"Well, we never bargain for profit over vigilantism, but there will be more criminals around the block, so we can do that."
"You know that this 'mercenary-for-hire' might include assassinating people, right?"
"I know. But we are keeping our limits straight. And we aren't murderers…say, Diane, may I tell you a secret?"
"What is it?"
"Me and my team have been thinking about it for a while. It is nice that you are trying to help us, but…after a while of talking, we decided that…we may not be ready and we would want to try to figure things out now that the world doesn't see us as monsters."
"I know that…it's going to take a while to adapt to the new changes, but…you won't have to be feared or hurt again."
"Yeah…though…we are still figuring out and…we agreed that we might continue being criminals as well for the time being."
"..."
"...sorry, am I repeating history?"
"Not really. I heard that a lot of people are starting to like the Bad Guys more, even thinking that your crimes were in style. The police caught a few punks for spray-painting your names on a billboard."
"Oh really? Ohohoho! I didn't know that!"
"Yeah, but seriously. That might put you and your friends back at risk of getting arrested. Not only that, unless I managed to scrap a really strong reason, I may not be able to help to bail you guys out."
"I don't think we will be asking anyone for any protection now. You said that this is the chance for us to find a better story. Maybe we have one, but for now, baby steps. If what you said is true about people liking us, then would they fear us again?"
"No. You left a huge impact on the city ever since taking down Marmalade."
"Besides, it will take a while for these 'bad habits' to settle down. I mean, we are not and never will go along with the law. I know that it's not gonna be great, but we cannot lose that side of us. Not all of us are ready to change and sometimes, I wonder if there is still some bad in me. Believe me, I really want to be good, however, I haven't really thought everything through. I'll stay low since I want to be good, but there might be times when me and my gang are out. Also, you might think of it as remaining in the criminal world; if we still have the label 'criminals', then they wouldn't shun us out so that we wouldn't hear anything that is more bad than what we do."
"OK then. I'm game. Though, I have to warn you. If the police catch any of you doing any crimes, then you're gonna have to be careful. I mean, REALLY careful. If I am called to action and if it becomes a thing, then we would need to discuss what we should do next or I would have to do what is fair according to the law."
"And what do you propose for us to do for now?"
"Just keep it subtle to not cause too much attention from the authorities on you and your friends. And if you are able to use your mercenary and criminal careers together and balanced nicely, that might salvage a good reputation for the police to not come after you. But choose wisely."
"We'll see about it. Got to keep the pack flowing with what we like and what we can do to help."
"So we have a deal?"
"Deal! And besides, I heard that you might want to do a challenge with us."
"I'm still thinking about it. However, I heard that from Hornet's department, there is a mission that requires…stealing. And some black market trade. Maybe we can use that as our competition?"
"Sure then! Hopefully, Hornet won't mind us fighting over the mission. And he is on my team, so don't think of getting him on yours for the contest!"
"Well…you can say that one Crimson Paw up against six criminals is a fair fight."
Indeed. While Diane has funded the Bad Guys for starting a mercenary-for-hire business, that doesn't really mean that the Bad Guys are fully restricted. They are still a mischievous crew, except that they don't show how stereotypical their species are. They show more of themselves when being criminals. Not as 'monsters' like how everybody said them to be. Most of Los Angeles is already alright with them doing what they want due to knowing that they aren't exactly the type of monsters they think they 'were'.
Wolf thought of doing a bit of some small heists, graffiti and trolling with a few people, but for now, he and his team decide to simmer down on not going on larger heists that require more effort to be done or stealing a huge amount of money. Just on what they want for fun. Besides, Wolf still wants the opportunity of being good, so that door is still opened for him while he taps into both sides of himself. It is good that he informed Diane about it as they discuss about his idea for a mercenary business or who knows what she would do immediately when she found out that they were making chaos.
The whole adventure a year ago isn't all for nothing. Diane knows that the Bad Guys are still figuring out their story, so it would take time and their crimes are not so harmful. And they get to run around the city without being feared now that they got respect from the people.
Diane knows that she might get into trouble, but at least the Bad Guys won't try to show off too much since that can cause too much attention from the cops and the government. After all, they are still needed to save the day when the call comes. Besides, Diane owes them for the things she did and they did plan to have a competition for who can be the fastest in stealing a diamond from a black site.
As she feels Wolf rubbing her shoulder as he reassures Kitty and Doom that his crew will return the Ferrari, she believes that things are going to get better after all. [3s]
...
You're still here, huh?
...
Well, I guess that we all expect something else from this story.
Not gonna lie, it's still a stretch, but what good will come out of it when wondering about it?
And when you wonder, what are the good things will come out of it?
You know, we are all creators in this game.
Souls of creating the most enchanting, surreal or tragic stories of all time.
What is it like living under the impression that you're in the right?
...
You know that I'm not talking crap here. I'm serious.
An escape from reality and onto here, huh? Well, life isn't fair to say the least. And you're wondering when I will be able to continue this. OK, honestly, it is going to continue, but I want you to think for this moment.
Life can hurt a little, right? It may as well seem that it hates you so much that you keep burying into the dirt harder with every hit. Is it the gods who are doing that or is it you placing more pain on it when you should be thinking of how to learn from it and make it into something better. I despise how people sulk and second-guess since it is like there is no more faith in living anymore.
It hurts.
A lot.
And for those who really want things to go their way, a happy ending, you might as well face it. You will all go through ups and downs. An eternal world of happiness is fake. A fantasy world of happiness is fake. Fake fake fake. We are all growing up now, so there should be no turning back to being kids anymore unless you have an age-decreasing machine to turn yourself back into an egg.
Now try wondering if the world revolves around you or not.
...OK, I might have lost my temper right there. I didn't mean to shame people. But...in order to survive, to fight for what you need, you need to take effort and strength to pull through this. It's going to sting, but whatever doesn't kill you, indeed makes you stronger.
Maybe I'm talking nonsense. Wait, what am I supposed to be consistent with?
Never mind. Inconsistency is one way of boggling our minds of what we expect.
Never fall for all of your expectations.
It makes me feel as if I'm weak.
I feel like I'm lying in my bed and wishing that I could go to hell to overrule all already.
Things that go to hell, however, can become the most devious beings.
But there are more devious people.
There are still bad people.
There are still bad people.
There are still bad people.
There are stillantiantiantiantiantiantiantia̶̩͛̉n̶͔͉͛̌̈́͜͝ẗ̴̩̠̥́̽̏̊͘ͅͅḯ̶̜̈́a̴͔͙̫͉͑n̴̦̺̐ṱ̴̨̠̀͜ì̵̃̈́͊̉ͅa̷̦͆͒̌͐ṉ̷̰͑̍͊̕͝t̵͈̀ḯ̸̱̻͖͕̻͋̃ą̵̢̃͂n̷̛͈͔͔̫͌̔̀͝t̸̮̆͆́i̵̛͇̙̒a̵̭͕͍̞̳͂͗̑̔͘n̸̘̪̲̭͋́̋͆̋ţ̶͓̍͂͌i̵̤͛͝
[CLICK!]
he is behind the keyboard
...
But you think the Bad Guys are 'bad'.
That might due to the new predator in the room
Well, let's say that...
T̵̠̯͓̰̟͚̱̥̱͚̒̽͋̿͒ͅh̸͖̪̐̊͐̍̃e̴̗͂̑̂́̿͛́̇͒̕͝ŕ̸̨̞͈̙̿̃͐̿͒é̵͚̖͈̒̽̒̌̔͘̚ ̷̧̹̠͉̥̻͖̭̦͉̙͑i̷̧̛̙͂͌̇͐͒͝ṣ̵̨̖̥̗͍͉͎͙͆͋͌͌͛͆͑̕͜͝͝ ̶̛͚̫͇̳͉̥͛́͐͒̇á̶̳̪̭̮̜̘͂̓̍͗̈́͒̄ ̷̗͉̜͉͇̇̇̓́̇͐̑͘m̵̯̯̤̤̗̯͋̉͛͝ͅṳ̵̧̈́c̵̡̧͍͚͔̱͚͔̗̣̞͒̾̇́̏̋̕h̴͉̤͕͈̖̣̹̱̎̾͑ ̶̡̦͓̮̫̙̰̯͎̖̞̓͒̎͗͛̿͆̎d̷̪̥̍̑̂́̋͂͘͝͝͝͠a̶̲͑͐̽̆͋r̴̹̘̎k̵̹̉̍ḛ̴̡̧̰͕̙̱͕͂̓̄̀̓͆̃̑͜ͅr̸͇̰̣̲̙͚̠̙͔̯͌̒͘ ̷̦̥̥͖̕s̸͙̼̤̫͍͆̅̅̇̕͠i̶̢͚̣̬̻̤̗̬͚̯͕̿̀̃̓̔̏̌̚̚d̶͍͍̂ͅẹ̸̢͉̜̜͍̥͇͇͍͂̅͂̆̀̓ ̸̧̯̟͔̱̺̯̥̣̊̀̈́͂̍̈́t̶̖̊̈́̐͗̓̽̉̎͜ò̵͙̼ ̸̰̼̔b̵̛͓̳͍̘̾̍̓̓̍͒͒e̷̞̖̣͙̣̤̹̽̐̊̈́̄̋̈́͘i̸͖̜̗̗̣̦̦̱̜͋̓͂́̏͆̏͠ǹ̵̜̭̗̠g̴̛̪̘̥̬͐͊̈́̄͋͛͂̇̋̒ͅ ̷̜̯̪̈̂̊̄̀̌͘͝͝ḃ̴̤̼͙͔͔̱̝͊̔̚͝ä̴̫̪̩̮̟́̌͛̽͜d̶̜̪͓̫͙̳̮̞̲́̀̽̂̅͌͘ ̶̹̯̗̱͖̰͖̖̭̝͑͆t̸̛͉̺̞̠̱͜ḩ̴̮̼͔̣͚̬̣̲̌͛͊̈́ȃ̷̪̗̭̤̞̲̖̈́̇̾̅̎̽̚͘͜͝͠ͅn̶͈̙̪͕̥̰̑̈́͊͛̂͒̂̑̀̄̒ ̴̲̫̲͙̻͕̦̠̋͗̈́́̾̚ẃ̵̡̡̧̛̳̗̰̬͙̹̩͈̏͗̕͠h̸̠͉̹͈̲̤̱̺̤͎̏̈́͗͌̾͊͐̎͜ą̷̢͖̝̻̮̳̭̍t̶͖͙͔̐̄̏̕ ̸͚̩̗̲̘̙̥͇͗̍̇̈́̈͐̄͐y̶̨͍̻̮̣̒ó̷̱̤̥̤̮̟ư̴̙̌͊̆̿̕ ̴̧̧̭̥̯͔̯̮͙̽ͅs̸̢̫̤̫̗̝͇͉͔̗̼̎̈́̚͘a̸̗͍͆͜w̴̨̠͍̕.̴̨̤͎̎͌͊̎͗̈́͒̿͛͂̚
...
and he is near
the new villain
?
Stanley has been waiting for a while on the same steps near his house. His lonely house. Isolated away from the big city, the old wolf can wonder how he ends up being here. He wonders if moving here when he was a child was a good idea since he learns that this place isn't friendly to wolves. However, he grew over it and persisted in his life. He had a beautiful wife. He had a beautiful son. His family was safe.
Until…a few years ago.
His wife was killed by a hunter. His son, unable to grieve properly due to all the pressure going around them, fled away from the country. He hadn't seen Oliver in years. In fact, he doesn't know where he is at all. He doesn't know if he is alive or dead. He thought that he could bring his family together despite everything they went through, but…trouble finds them.
He thought that he would be able to look out for his son, but due to taking too much time trying to scrape together enough money for a better school, he fails. Too much time is needed to give them a better life. He wonders where he went wrong and when Oliver accidentally slaps him, that makes him feel more down than before. In fact, the trauma of losing his wife and Oliver lashing out at him for what he went through hit Stanley hard that he became insecure about doing his job right.
Stanley wishes that things could go back to normal. Every night, he has been waiting by the door, hoping that Oliver might return and tell him that it was just a prank. But his imagination is not reality, so he is only associated with the silence. What once used to be the most calmful thing turned into the most depressing thing in his life.
The silence.
He doesn't even know if he can remember Oliver's voice since the poor kid became quieter around him.
His ears perk upwards when he hears rustling in the bushes. Slowly taking out a shotgun, he leaves his house and enters the narrowness of the forest. He has already gone through those woods several times, so he is familiar with the different paths there.
The darkness had already become his friend since he gave into the silence. At first, he used to fear it. Pretty ironic since he is an animal of the night. However, it became like a sort of blanket for him. A place where he could hide, away from all the bright and overwhelming neon lights around him. It is one place where he can let out his rage when he feels riled up. Even somewhere he can sleep in and watch the stars. Might be a risky thing, but thanks to the law, there is less activity of hunters around.
What he is not familiar with is two figures talking in the darkness, their eyes glowing.
They are obviously not human.
Stanley hides behind a tree, keeping his shotgun close to his smelly brown coat.
"You got to be kidding me!" hisses one of the figures, a man in his 20s. "Out of all the things, you decided to steal those boxes that can contain something that is supposed to be not of our business?!"
"What choice do we else have?" said the second figure, a woman with a British accent. "The world is growing smaller every day as the leaders leave everyone behind. It's about time we have our hands on their toys."
"Sunnyside Labs…wasn't that the American laboratory that closed down last year?"
"Yes."
"Isn't it government-supported?"
"I think so."
"Then why did you steal from them? If they found out that we have a couple of them, they are gonna be crazy and hunt us down."
"Then what's the alternative?" said the woman coldly. "We give it back? They never shared any of their treasure, so it's about time we use them for our own deeds. With Sunnyside Labs shut down, it's gonna take more than a warrant to find their leftovers."
"I still think it is still dangerous."
"Do I need to remind you again? You see…" The woman pauses for a moment, placing two hands on the man's shoulder. "True power…doesn't come to those who are lucky enough or wealthy enough or strong enough or intelligent enough or even crazy enough. It comes to those…who would do anything to get it. Problem is that the world is already broken. Deformed into ugliness and privileged by higher ranks who took the high platform, forgetting all the good deeds that got them there. It is time…that we make our own system of society."
Stanley isn't liking this. It seems that whoever - or whatever - those two are, they seem to be scheming something…much horrible. A revolution. He tries looking in the dark with his night vision, but it is already night-time that it is nearly pitch black at this point.
Surprisingly, he can't see well in the dark. It feels as if…those two are inhibiting his vision.
"You're sure that you'll be careful with those things?" asked the man. "Because I can't have you destroying things recklessly."
"Don't worry," reassured the woman, surprisingly sounding sympathetic. "I made mistakes. We will know what not to do when we experiment on them."
The two figures come to an agreement and walk away. However, they nearly trip over each other, spilling a few…boxes from their cart. After quickly picking them up, they walk away, pull their cart and into the thickness of the woods.
Only one box remains, forgotten.
Stanley brought it back to his house and placed it under the light of his kitchen lightbulb. it does come from a lab. It nearly looks like something from a sci-fi movie, having a stylish appearance and several buttons. He expects it to be in a grey metal material, but it is painted light blue with dark blue stripes on the side. Whoever made this probably wanted to make sure that the invention really stands out as cool-looking.
Stanley snorts. He may be old, but he sure knows how people these days want to appear 'hip'. He remembers one time when Oliver tried out wearing clothes that were said to be 'trending'. Though, the way he was heavily costumed and the slangs he tried to learn himself to say make it look like he grew up in the wrong country. It made Stanley think if he should try to catch up as well.
However, the old wolf is all too aware that pretty things – especially for a box that could be a product for a phone company – can hide the dangerous things.
He wonders what could possibly be inside that is considered a dangerous weapon.
He hesitates to press the large button.
He isn't tech-savvy, so it would be too dangerous. If it turns out to be flashy, he might be caught by the two people before.
Would it be worth his life opening a small box like that?
But he has to find out.
After all, he was a police officer, so he has the right to inspect suspicious items.
He presses the large button and like a flower opening its petals, the thick walls of the box fold onto themselves. They open to reveal something that is sitting on tiny, metallic arms. A sharp, electric zap makes his ears pressed against his head.
Stanley gasps at what is right in front of him, glowing in an eerie teal color.
Something that is out of his range.
Or anyone else's range.
?, Somewhere in the mind…
The sound of guests chatting fills the entire room. Flashes of cameras and mutters from the stage crew working on adjusting the cinema stage. The entire stage is covered in blue, purple and pink, neatly in stripes. On stage, Wolf is preparing his early speech at a podium.
"How many times are we going to shoot this?" he asks.
"Shut up and say the lines!" hisses a voice off-screen.
Wolf sighs before putting on his charm and tapping on the microphone. "Hey! Hey, you there. Get over here."
The camera barely moves.
"Closer."
The camera moves a bit closer.
"A bit closer."
The camera zooms in onto Wolf's chest…around where his breast plates might be at.
"OK, OK. Not too close, geez."
The camera zooms back.
"Hi! I'm Mr. Wolf of the Bad Guys. Well, maybe you can call me…" Wolf hesitates to open this up to the crowd watching. "…that doesn't matter. So, I'm here to talk to you about one valuable thing every civilian, criminal and presidents has: being open-minded."
"I guess that took a lot of people a while to figure out, but it's not about the winning majority. It's about being open to all ideas. Interpretations. Be open to all opinions. You never know if they are reasonable or not. Some of them might be the more truthful and supportive ones."
He sighs a little.
"The truth can be hard to follow, but it's the only way to accept than living a lie. Cause, the lie corrupts the mind and God knows that I'll never be corrupted ever again. Sometimes, it leads to something that you didn't expect. Sometimes, it might be worth it or not. Sometimes, it might lead you wondering 'why can't it go this way?' And I'm proud to tell you this; you may never know the importance behind it."
He chuckles, looking at his script. He has been waiting to say these words in public.
"For example, you may never know why a guy on social media bullies people for 'insulting' his likes…and his ways of insulting others are so extreme. And childish. And shows that he is the one who is self-loathing. And the kind of pictures he follows is extreme."
He raises his finger up like a teacher.
"Extreme pictures especially can impact people." He suddenly went monotonous. "When you think about it, the sharing of this content through mass media has influenced all of us to act like this way." And he switches back to his lively, suave tone. "But don't worry about that! One way to not lust for these kinds of extreme pictures - even when you're feeling horny - is to shake it off. Copyright not included."
He starts to shake his shoulders and fists together.
"Just make sure to shake around. Shake your shoulders."
His tail is starting to wag in the same movement as his shoulders.
"If you have a tail, wag it around like you just grew one. I know that you love your tail."
He lifts his tail a bit high.
"A bit more higher. Higher."
He lifts his tail high enough that the tip of it nearly curls a little. He continues to dance teasingly, much to the confusion of the people watching.
"There. Now you're feeling high than feeling lustful. When you're dancing, make sure to keep your tail curled."
Eventually, Diane cuts in, stepping next to the podium.
"And we're done here," she said. "Thank you very much, Mr. Wolf."
"Well, thank you all for seeing this!" said Wolf, deciding to wrap things up. "I hope you enjoy this story. Make sure to leave a favorite or a follow. Leave a review here as well to let us know what you think and what can be improved. If you dare make a scathing comment…" His smile drops. "Then I'm coming for you."
He growls lowly.
Diane blinks, a little dumbfounded.
"You can…um…check out other works by the author that…do gooder," said Diane before chuckling. "Or not."
"Hang on!" calls the same off-screen voice. "You're supposed to say 'Stay tuned for The Bad Guys - Bigger, Better, Badder'!"
"Oh, right," said Wolf nonchalantly. "Stay tuned for The Bad Guys - Bigger, Better, Badder! Which will be coming out…when?"
"We don't know!"
"Next year?" When he doesn't get a response back, Wolf grins and lifts up a thumbs-up. "Got it!"
Stay tuned for...
The Bad Guys - Bigger, Better, Badder ️🐟🐝
COMING SOON IN 2023 (if we are rad enough, date is subject to change)
Once again, G̴̬͐̄Ȩ̷̉T̶͙͇͆̅ ̶̱̇̒R̷͕̜͝E̵̗̓̚Ä̴̙́D̵̺̍͋Ȳ̸̭͉͠ ̵̰̓͛ͅT̶̨͊ͅŎ̷ͅ ̶̝̓Ȩ̴͊̀X̸̢̩͊͋P̶̧̳̀̑L̷̩̀O̶̟̮̾͌Ȓ̵̜̳̕E̴̯̔̋ ̴̝̺̀A̸̳͆͌ ̵̢̻͂͌N̸̛͉E̵͉͔͛W̸̢̌̐ ̷̡̯͛̄S̷͎͇̔̎I̴̺͓͆̉D̵̺̝͑E̴̞̜͂̋ ̷̘͐̋Ō̴̦̈́ͅF̶̨̣͛ ̶̞̩͛B̸̨͉̾́A̶̤̔͘D̷̨͌.̶͔͓̑͠