June 25, 2016
Phoenix, AZ; 9:40 pm
"Alpha Leader, are you in position?" Max spoke into the microphone.
"Affirmative, Ground Leader, the target is within our sights. Permission to fire?
"Negative," Max let out a sigh. As much as he would love to kill the bastard and call it a night, he must follow protocol. "The target must be captured alive."
Comms went silent, prompting Max to tense up. The Plumbers had been tracking Zombozo since he left Chicago. Through sheer coincidence, he set up his latest scene at the same time as the concert. His Grandchildren had finally begun to move on from the Chicago incident, and he wouldn't allow this operation to cause them to relapse. So when he got the call to lead the mission, he sent the kids off without a second thought.
He assigned Alpha Team to infiltrate the school, Bravo Team was backup, and Charlie secured the exits. They were elite soldiers trained to fight intergalactic battles against a single clown, yet he couldn't help but worry. Zombozo was a lot of things: a vampiric clown, a psychotic genius, and, above all else, a masterful escape artist. No one could afford to put their guard down. And like clockwork, his worries were justified when a large explosion went off within the gymnasium.
"Alpha Team, do you copy!?" Radio silence. "To hell with protocol. Bravo Team, evacuate the injured. Charlie, keep your eyes peeled. He should be making an escape any second now. You have permission to fire on sight. I repeat, fire on sight! We're not letting this son of a bitch get away again."
Another explosion goes off, followed by the sound of gunfire. It isn't long until a crowd of civilians forms as well as half a dozen news vans. The police handle damage control while the plumbers continue their mission. Max was preparing to go in there and kill the bastard himself when communications with Alpha Team resumed.
"Status report!"
"Target has been eliminated, Ground Leader."
"Are you positive?"
"Yeah, Max. We got him."
Relief washed over him, but only for a second. Even though he's dead, they're still not done here. They had to extract the dead and injured, snuff out any fires/bombs left behind, and hand over Zombozo's corpse to the local police. All the while, they were being watched by the entire town (possibly the country).
Max wished for the days when phones were wires and cameras took weeks to develop. It's a lot harder to stay out of the public's eye, but he's a professional when it comes to secrecy, much to his sons' dismay.
"Sir," a Plumber spoke over the radio, "we have an issue at the police line."
"Great," he thought, "what is it now?" He mulled over the possibilities: civilian casualties, reporters forcing their way in, frantic parents. It ended up being worse than he thought.
"Grandpa!" Max winced.
Ben knew better than to draw attention to himself. Max quickly pulled his grandchildren through before a reporter caught sight of them.
"You shouldn't be here," Max said, "I'll get a car to drop you off at the concert. Then, if you're lucky, you can catch the rest of their set."
"The show was canceled," Gwen said.
"Then they'll take you to the hotel."
"Where's Zombozo!" Ben screamed. "We're wasting time; we need to get him before he hurts anyone else."
"He's dead." At that moment, two Plumbers wheeled out an oversized bodybag on a stretcher. Another body bag was brought out as well as the rest of Alpha Team. They were a mess covered in blood and soot. It's a miracle that there was only a single casualty.
"Why didn't you tell me," Ben had his grandfather by the collar, "I could have done something!"
"That's not for you to decide, Ben." The two men glared at each other before Ben let go. "You want to be a soldier so damn badly, then shut up and do as your told, Tennyson."
The silence was deafening. No one dared to move, not even the Plumbers. Nobody had seen the man this angry, let alone at his grandson. Finally, it was broken when Ben let out a soft "yes sir" before storming off the school grounds.
Gwen looked bewildered. She looked up to her grandfather, but the man looking back at her may as well have been a stranger. Unsure of what else to do, Gwen ran to catch up to her cousin.
"Well, look who's all grown up," the Alpha Leader spoke. "Not as spunky as I remember, though."
"If you have time to gawk, then you should be cleaning up this mess. I want to be on the road within the hour, soldier."
"Sir, yes, sir!" He didn't even bother to hide his smirk before rounding up the rest of his unit. Max continued to bark orders, but he couldn't stop the voice replaying in his head.
"I don't want my son to end up like you."
Gwen remained a few feet behind her cousin as they walked. She could tell how furious he was and didn't want to disturb him, but she was worried. It was only after they passed the hotel and entered the nearby park did she finally decide to catch up to him.
"Ben, the hotel is back that way."
He didn't speak.
"Can you at least tell me where you're going?"
Nothing.
"Ben, please!"
Silence.
Gwen was beginning to get fed up with him. If he wanted to throw a tantrum, then who is she to stop him? He brought this on himself. And yet, she couldn't help herself.
"Hey, Doofus!" Ben stopped and stared at her in disbelief. It was only there for a moment before he let his anger take over again.
"Leave me alone." Finally, a reaction. Gwen ran over and grabbed his shoulder before he could storm off again. Whether intentional or out of instinct, Ben threw her over his shoulders. Gwen, realizing what he was doing, dragged him down with her.
What started as a well-intended gesture turned into a full-on brawl. Neither was holding back as they pounded into one another. There were busted lips, black eyes, and bloody knuckles, a far cry from their childhood spats. Gwen could tell right away that Ben was used to these dangerous, anything-goes fights, but the difference in skill was still apparent. It didn't take her long to have him on his stomach with his hands behind his back.
"Had enough!?" Gwen screamed. She hoped he'd tired himself out so they could have a civilized conversation, but she was sorely mistaken. A flash of green blinded her, and soon she felt her palms burning. She retracted her hands, wincing in pain. Heatblast stood up and continued to grow hotter, causing her to cower in the fetal position in a desperate attempt to protect herself.
"Had enough?" He teased. Blisters were forming on her arms, but he continued to ramp up the heat just to make sure. Only after he was sure she was receiving third-degree burns did he finally let up. There was a black spot below him from the scorched earth and burned grass. "Stay down." He ordered before turning to leave.
At that moment, a pink energy bolt shot into his back. Gwen was now standing. Her arms were chard. Pus and blood were oozing out, but it didn't stop the energy from flowing through them.
"You.. don't get to tell me… what I can and can't do!" Her eyes began to glow. Dark clouds were forming over them, and the wind was picking up, sending anything not bolted to the ground flying. Ben slammed his fist into the dirt to keep himself grounded. Gwen began to float into the air and hovered above him.
"Do you think you were the only one suffering, Ben? While you were off playing hero, I was playing the good child doing her best to keep her family from falling apart. I sacrificed everything because I was too scared and weak to protect them. But I'm not useless, not anymore." She raised her arms, and a cyclone formed around them. "I am powerful, and there's not a god damn thing you or anyone else can do about it!" She threw her arms down, and lightning struck the ground. Ben had never been in so much pain. All he could do was scream as the lightning destroyed his body.
Eventually, the lightning stopped, and the storm dispersed. Gwen stared down at the molten remains before a red flash returned them to her Doofus of a cousin. All of the emotions she had been holding in up until that point were gone leaving her feeling numb. The energy left her body as she plummeted to the ground.
All that remained were their mangled bodies.