Blaze1992: I have no idea what this arc was based on.
Re: Country road~
Take me home
To the place~
I belong~
Jebest4781: this was a fun chapter as always. and once again, harem routes need time to properly build up and adjust. so take your time with the girls you have planned and make it flow naturally instead of rushed
Re: Thank you. No-one seems to understand that. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither were harems; real or fictional.
Or at least not the "instant gratification" variety.
OmegaDelta: Well wonder if Virgil beat the fortune hunter home or did they beat him? keep up the good work.
Re: Well, you're about to find out~
justinq719: Damn, Virgil's not wrong about not being able to save everyone.
Re: That line I actually got from Fate/Stay, because like the old adage "he who chases two hares catches neither" says… Well, it's pretty self-explanatory. Virgil, and those like him, recognize that if you leave the Policing of an entire planet to only a couple individuals, scads of people will fall through the cracks; metaphorically and literally. His own parents were one such example, which is why he reviles the "institution" that superheroes represent; because even if he's able to recognize now that he wasn't "let down", they still "weren't there" when he needed them most, he just had the bad luck to survive what happened way back when.
superpierce: Now I'm really curious about these sponsors for Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E. I also completely agree with the needed buildup for a Harem route. theirs needs to be real development instead of all the girls and the guy immediately falling for one another. of course that all depends if Athena swings both ways.
Re: Yes. It does.
thebeast29: Athena is gonna be down for the harem once see meets the girls and discovers she's bi
Re: We'll see. We'll see.
Raidentensho: very nice. hmm, I do wonder if Artemis will have a hero name change to 'Atalanta' from Virgil's suggestion instead of taking the mantle of 'Tigress'? will Virgil take an Artifact to lead to his own style of magic instead of invocation? will runes be the way? is Virgil going to mimic 'Karna' after getting something different instead of the nano-suit for armor? their both so blunt. the skill "Discernment of the poor", fits his analysis of what action to take, and find 'true value' in something labeled useless. looking forward to more. this will be epic. until then, later!
Re: Technically, it wasn't "Virgil" who suggested that to her, but "Special Agent Washington", but I get what you mean. I mean, people wouldn't SUSPECT that Artemis' REAL name would be Artemis, at least in-universe, but that'll be an interesting piece of dialogue to touch up on. There isn't anything wrong with "Tigress" that Virgil would find fault in.
As for what style of magic Virgil uses, it'll mostly be [Reverse Invocation] because that's the style he's most-familiar with and he can't spend a lifetime adapting to magic; he's dipped his toes into that world, but as Kent Nelson said about Wally West- "The kid's soul belongs to the world of science, not sorcery." As for Runes… They're easy to use if you have a steady hand and decent writing implements, so I don't see why that would be ruled out. Runes are a "soft magic system" so I don't have to derive from any single IP for Crossover.
His main go-to when he's doing his mercenary work will still be the Nanosuit or Sneaking Suit, though he does have an excuse lined up for when any of the sidekicks see him using Sneaking Tech under his costume. However, his mercenary work will take priority over any superhero work he might be doing, since that is an institution he doesn't believe in. If anything, guys like Wally West would put him in the "angsty anti-hero" camp.
As for [Discernment of the Poor], I'm not overly familiar with Fate/Stay, so that wasn't my intent to have him be like Karna. Virgil just looks at things extremely "objectively"; like why he told Zatanna straight-up that she CAN'T "save everyone". Similar to Tatsumaki from One Punch Man who got a wakeup call when Blast told her flat-out- "When the time comes, don't go expecting someone to come save you." -, Virgil knows that he can be "let down" by Heroes, which is why he doesn't worship the ground they walk on. He can acknowledge and respect Heroes, but he still casts them with suspicion & scrutiny instead of "hero worship".
Rubeneliasrivera: See your story has a good premise but there are too many crossovers to keep track of and it makes following the story very difficult. I originally started reading this fic because I thought it was ONLY going to be YJ and Crisis. Not Borderlands, Marvel and multiple other video games. This story technically isn't even a YJ or justice league crossover anymore. I mean this with great respect but I think you should change the title and crossover categories since half of the story has nothing to do with YJ. But all in all the story is still good.
Re: Not sure why this was split into 3 Reviews, but…
First off, the reason it's set as a Young Justice/Crysis crossover is because it's set in the DCAU's "Earth-16" universe, and the character basis is rooted within the world of Crysis. I have no idea how to make it a "Young Justice/Multi-Crossover", so that's why I didn't do that. The story is still a Young Justice/Crysis, I just have some add-on's because a straight A-and-B crossover would be boring and predictable.
More-important than avoiding "predictability" though, is having Crossovers to this level stops the story from becoming over-saturated with OCs, since as long as I use Crossovers, the Supporting Cast doesn't start to blend into itself like in many OC-saturated stories I've happened upon.
If there is a Multi-Crossover tab available on-site and you can tell me where it is, I'll move it THERE, but until then I won't make it a Straight Young Justice or Crysis story.
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
Bludhaven
November 21, 18:13 EST
"Virgil."
*Snooore*
"Viiiirgiiiiil."
*Sno-
"WAKE UP, MEAT-HEAD!"
*SLAP*
"YOW!" Virgil yelped as he sat up from the water bed-like space he'd fallen asleep on. "What happened?! Where are we!? Are we under attack?!"
"No you dope," Zatanna huffed, hands on her hips. "We're here."
"Really?" Virgil asked getting to his feet, the floor at his feet turning transparent, allowing for the Moxxxi's Red Light sign to be seen from their perch. "Huh. I guess we are."
"Honestly… this place looks a little bit seedy," Zatanna pouted.
"Only a little?" Virgil asked skeptically, searching the ship for his bag.
"Well… Are these people nice at least?"
"They're cut from the same cloth as the guys that helped save you from the Royal Flush Gang. You tell me."
"Umm…"
"This is my first time seeing a place like this," M'gann hummed from her own seat. "I admit, I'm curious; we do not have establishments quite like… this on Mars. And they most certainly never showed places like this on the programs J'onn allowed me to watch."
"And for good reason," Virgil hummed as he spotted his bag in the corner, shouldering it with a huff.
The Sneaking Suit which he was barely able to squeeze in made it way heavier.
And don't even get him started on the Teleporter Belt.
"So… You wanna go in through the front, or the back?" Virgil asked. "Please say 'back'."
"That's what she said!"
"M'gann!/Megan!" the other two yelped with red cheeks.
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
The door pushed open, the three of them were immediately greeted with he sound of grown men arguing over sports, the smell of alcohol, and the sight of men drinking their miseries away trying to find some form of salvation in the bottom of a bottle.
"Stay close to me and none of the drunks will bother you," he muttered to them, the girls nodding lightly as they followed close by.
"Sug', is that you?" Moxxi asked looking up from what she was doing, blinking wide-eyed at him. "You're back early."
"Yeah. I managed to book a flight and get home ahead of the others," Virgil answered casually, Zatanna averting her eyes with a flush on her face due to the woman's choice in attire, while Megan looked on in mere curiosity.
"And who might these two be?" she asked curiously.
"Some friends I made on the flight over. They're on layover for a while before they go home, so I thought I'd show them around," Virgil answered with the story they'd agreed upon.
"Glad to know your trip was fruitful," the woman chuckled, wolf whistles and catcalls sounding from the bar as attention began to fall on the two girls.
"Hands off, assholes! They're both minors!" Virgil spat.
And like that, the rowdy bar patrons turned away.
Most of them at least.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm a minor too~" a drunken man who was most-definitely not a minor said from the bar as his arm snaked around Megan's shoulder, his fingers wriggling as they ghosted down her arm.
Virgil, grabbing the nearest bottle off the bar, smashed it across the back of the man's head showering him in booze and broken glass. Zatanna's eyes in turn went wide at the brutal, blatant display of over-the-top violence, while Megan was more preoccupied with swatting the drunkard's hand away.
"That was my bottle you son of a bitch!" somebody shouted.
And in an instant, the entire bar erupted like a volcano. Dirty, sweaty, drunk men began to indiscriminately swing roundhouse punches at one another, breaking chairs, glasses, bottles, and anything they could get their hands on.
"Oh fuck!" Virgil swore as he wrapped his arms around the two girls' shoulders before throwing himself to the ground, ducking them out of the way as a grown man was sent flailing haplessly through the air they once occupied. "SORRY, MOXXI!"
"Don't worry, sug'! We haven't met our bar brawl quota anyway!" the woman said amicably, pulling a ruby-colored pistol from her cleavage and whipping a man across the head when he tried to get a little too fresh with her. "You head on upstairs! I'll be fine!"
"Good to know!" Virgil returned, taking the two by the hand and crouch-walking through the violence and chaos to the rear of the bar, opening the door with his room key and ushering the two girls up the stairs and away from the carnage.
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
"What the heck was that?!" Zatanna gawped openly as they escaped the chaos downstairs.
"Was that one of those 'bad touch' situations?" Megan asked innocently.
"Yeah, let's go with that," Virgil nodded plainly.
"Oh haiii!" Tina greeted from the living room, scraps of metal and spread out on a work mat before her as she assembled what looked like a MacGuyver-style grenade. "Who that?"
"Friends of mine from out of town," Virgil answered.
"I'm Megan," the disguised Martian said chipperly. "What's your name?"
"Tina! Wanna lollipop?" Tina groused holding one out.
"NOOO!" Virgil shrieked as he swatted the candy out of her hand and through the nearby window, a loud *BANG!* sounding from out in the alley.
"What the heck was that!?" Zatanna shrieked, this time not at Virgil.
"Whoops! Wrong pocket," Tina chuckled. "So, ya get me anything? Ya get me anything?" she asked with a manic grin on her face as she got up in Virgil's grill.
"Got you an early Christmas gift," Virgil said taking the "Superman Bullet" out of his luggage and holding it out for her, the girl's eyes going wide in awe. "You wanna put it up on the wall so everyone can enjoy it?"
"Sure! I'll get the nail gun latah'!"
"Um, before we go that far… You know where Athena is?" Virgil asked awkwardly as the girl worked, since setting her off literally or metaphorically was not a good idea.
Especially after the exploding lollipop incident and the sequel no-one asked for.
"Oh, she's in her workshop," Tina said lazily as she started assembling whatever it was she was working on in full. "Come on, I just finished this badonkadonk and you gave me the perfect field test," she said making her way down the stairs, Virgil and company following after her as Tina stopped at the bottom, one hand on the door knob and the other on her grenade, thumb freeing the pin. "FLASH BOMB! BITCHEEEEEEES!" Tina shrieked manically tossing the improvised weapon into the bar before slamming the door shut, a flash of light and a *BANG* echoing under the closed door.
"Aaahhh! What the hell was that?! I can't see anything!"
"Aaah! What was that?!"
"I think it was a flashbang. I can't see!"
"WHAT?!"
"Well it's a good name because it definitely went flash and bang!"
"WHAT?!"
"Oh my god, are we under attack?!"
"I don't know, I can't see anything either! My mom always said I would go blind, but for a totally different reason!"
"WHAAT?!"
"Okay we can go," Tina said satisfied with her work as she turned for the backdoor, Zatanna gaping open-mouthedly while Megan only tilted her head in confusion.
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
The two making their way to the phony fuse box, Tina opened the lid before hitting the intercom button connecting to the lab within. "Thena. 'Theeeeena," she manic teen crooned out. "GET THE FUCK OUT HERE, BITCH! YOUR BOY-TOY'S BACK!"
*BOOM!*
"He-He is?!" Athena's voice gawped in turn, the frantic noise of tools clattering to the floor sounding from the other end before the door whooshed open, a bit of smoke spilling out of the top as Athena stepped out into the alley.
Clad in an oil-spattered cover-all and welder's goggles, her face and hair covered in soot, the latter of which was blown back, Athena wrenched her goggles free before blue eyes locked with crimson.
"Virgil…?" she breathed, hands going to her mouth. "YOU'RE OKAY!" she cried with tears in her eyes as she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around him. The next moment to Virgil's shock the girl genius pressed her body against his before pulling the two of them back against the nearby wall, hungrily devouring his lips as her hands roamed his body.
While Tina quickly lost interest and wandered off, Zatanna and Megan both flushed bright red, hands going to their eyes before the two of them peeked between their fingers a couple seconds later, the two looking on with a mixture of shock and fascination as Virgil's hands went to Athena's frame to reciprocate the gesture, moments before the two separated and came up for air.
"Whoa…" Virgil gawped, wide eyes. "Maybe I should leave town more often," he chuckled with a lop-sided grin, uncaring of the soot on his face.
"Not too often. And not after kicking up so much trouble," Athena pouted, hands going to her hips as she huffed at him. "Lilith didn't tell me everything, but she told me enough to know… Who are they?" she suddenly asked, realizing they weren't as-alone as she'd thought, a light dusting of red forming on her soot-marred cheeks.
"Friends of his from out of town," Zatanna answered awkwardly. "If… you two need a moment alone-"
The next moment Virgil was drawn into the dark confines of the lab, the door slamming shut in their faces.
"Sooo… What now?" Megan asked awkwardly after a pause, delicately shutting off the intercom as the sound of moans and wet, sloppy kissing sounded from the fake fuse box.
"I… think we've seen enough for one day," the magical girl said awkwardly as she eyed the pock mark in the ground from where the lollipop grenade had detonated.
"Yeah… That, and hanging around here might be cramping his style," Megan added, face still flush from what she'd just witnessed.
80s sitcoms had nothing on the real deal.
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
Virgil's luck when it came to the opposite sex had been abysmal until he'd met Athena, so suffice it to say, the girl genius' ministrations were still a little overwhelming.
It was one thing to have an attractive girl you'd just met in a "geeky girl-next-door" kinda way ogling you, but to have the girl you were actively attracted to you staring at you like a hunk of meat…
It was definitely enough to get the blood pumping, and the lighting she'd dimmed on the way in didn't exactly help matters.
Or hurt them depending on your view point.
"Athena… You're scaring me a little," he said nervously, her eyes the most-intense she'd ever seen them as he was backed into the dimly-lit room.
"Lilith said you got injured protecting Black Canary," she said as though she hadn't heard him, eyes roving up and down his body. "I need to make sure your flight back didn't aggravate your injuries."
"Uh-"
"Strip."
"But-"
"Strip," she repeated, more-firmly as she unbuttoned her coverall.
His heart skipping a beat, doubly-so as her tongue ghosted her lips, Virgil shed his coat and raised his shirt over his head, depositing both on the couch.
After almost-dying so many times on his quote/unquote "vacation", he deserved to indulge himself. Even if only a little.
As his eyes adjusted to the light however…
Lunging forward with an intense gaze, Athena's eyes widened in anticipation, the girl following every flex of his toned muscles as he rushed toward her.
That anticipation however turned sour when she found herself pressed against a wall, his left forearm across her throat.
"Who are you and what've you done with Athena!?" he demanded, eyes narrowing angrily.
"What…? What are you…?"
And then she saw it, in the mirror she kept across the lab.
"Aw crap."
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
"Sooo… I guess I have some explaining to do," 'Athena' said nervously.
"You're damn right you do. Like what's with the blue hair," Virgil demanded, his libido sufficiently quashed as he spat the 'aftertaste' from his mouth.
"It's actually dark-indigo-"
"Explanation. Now."
"Well… Athena, as you know her, has Dissociative Identity Disorder," the indigo-haired version of his crush began.
" . . . Seriously?" he asked after a long moment.
"All the weird shit you've put up with and this surprises you?" 'Athena Alter' asked brusquely. "The guy who was live bait for a possessed muscle car and performed a damn exorcism? On said muscle car?"
"Not by my own volition," Virgil huffed. "And don't change the subject. I'm feeling really dirty right now," he said wiping his mouth.
"We're still the same person, just different sides of her, so it doesn't count as cheating."
"I'll let the Athena I know be the judge of that."
"And as done-to-death as this metaphor is… We basically have a 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde' thing going here," 'Athena Alter' said pointing to her head and making a circle. "Minus the chemical-induced transformation from tainted salts."
"You still didn't answer my question about the blue hair."
"I don't know, alright? Neither of us knows," she said bluntly. "The 'me' you're looking at didn't even exist until high school. Maybe it's a Meta-Gene activating, or maybe it's the X-Gene. I don't know. That was never important until now when someone who wasn't a family member saw me like this."
"So… what, you're all of Athena's repressed feelings she hides under a 'shame blanket'?" he asked.
"I dunno," she shrugged. "I guess I'm the version of her that would've toughed it out through high school and embraced my 'inner badass'. Like I said, I don't know."
"Any idea why Athena pulled an 'Inverse Launch' on me?"
"I'm Athena too you know," she said sounding hurt.
"I'll get a second opinion on that sentiment. The question. Now."
"Well, you were gone for a while, and Athena did get really pent up and horny-"
*BAM*
"You take that back!" he said slamming a fist on the table.
"I don't mean that as an insult. I'm just saying, when the other Athena reached her 'tipping point'… Poof."
"Poof?" he asked incredulously.
"What onomatopoeia would you use?" she bit back.
"Alright, alright, so let me get this straight… Whenever Athena gets too angry, or too horny, she turns into a badass doppelganger of herself?"
"Yeah, pretty much," she shrugged. "That shield of yours used to be mine by the way, you're welcome, and onto the other thing that's been bugging you, we both like you. We just happen to share the same body."
"Why?"
"I don't know why we're like this," she groaned.
"No, I mean why do 'you' you like me? Why does Athena like me?"
"Well, to be honest we each have our own reasons, but some of them overlap like a Venn diagram," she said making two linked circles with her index finger and thumb.
"What am I even supposed to call you?"
"Athena."
"No, I call the girl I actually know, Athena. You, are the 'twin sister' I accidentally made out with in a dimly-lit room that I didn't find out about until five minutes ago and is giving me a really confused boner and I'm going to stop talking now before I say anything else embarrassing and/or damning."
"Hey, the two of us are a package deal!" she said slamming her palms on the table.
"I'll let her be the judge of that!" Virgil snapped, mirroring the motion.
The two narrowing their eyes intently at one another, after a couple seconds 'Athena Alter's' arms buckled underneath her, eyelids fluttering as she stumbled forward. Expression immediately softening, Virgil reached up and grabbed her shoulders before she could facepalm the table, her dark-indigo hair bleeding into blond from root to tip. A low groan leaving her lips, eyes fluttered open before she raised her head to look up at him.
"I… Um…" she began nervously. "I guess I have some explaining to do, huh?"
"Yeah, cause sucking face with your evil twin made the whole thing really awkward. And uncomfortable."
"She wasn't my 'evil twin'… She's… She's just another side of me. The more-confident side of me," Athena elaborated.
"And… you aren't pissed I made out with her?" Virgil asked awkwardly.
"No no, we both like you, and some of those reasons happen to overlap like a-"
"Like a Venn diagram. She told me. What am I even supposed to call her anyway?"
"Athena."
"Wait, really? Because I was going to go with 'Athena Blue', or…"
"No, no, I acknowledge that she's a part of me, it's just… I thought I was strong-enough to face you as me in case I ever got that randy and… I don't know. Usually I'm very good about not losing my grip on reality…" she trailed off. "Look, if this is too weird for you I understand-"
"Athena."
"Yes?"
"I'll admit, it's a little weird…"
At this her shoulders slumped.
"But I'm plenty weird too," he continued. "You won't scare me off that easily."
"That… That's…" she said trying to find her words. "That's actually a huge load off. I was actually afraid my 'Mrs. Hyde' would scare you off."
"Well, I mean, I only knew her for five minutes, so I wouldn't really call her a 'Hyde'," he said awkwardly scratching his cheek. "Is she listening in on us now?" he asked nervously.
"Well… Most of the time it's like she's 'asleep'. I only ever really 'see' her whenever I'm heavily conflicted about something or under a great deal of stress," she answered. "I guess another way I'd put it is… whenever my emotions reach a 'fever pitch', that's when she shows up."
"So… Did you really get 'pent up and horny' while I was away?" he asked making air quotes.
Athena could only blush up to her ears.
"May… Maybe a little…" she admitted bashfully. "I'm not as libidinous as my mother or anything, but… Damnit, I'm a woman too, you know," she pouted. "I'm allowed to get 'pent up and horny' as my alter ego so-bluntly put it."
"Oh… Well…" he paused, scratching the back of his head and looking to the side. "I'm kinda new to the whole boy/girl like-like thing, so I don't really have a benchmark… So I'm not really sure how much 'canoodling' is 'too much', and I'm afraid if I ask your mom, then…"
"Yes, Moxxi is a little more… free-spirited, than most women her age," Athena admitted. "Or half her age… Or any age, really."
"So… Where do we go from here?" Virgil asked after an awkward pause.
"Well, first off, I want you to tell me everything that happened on your vacation," Athena said in a serious tone, her embarrassment bleeding away.
"And after that?"
" . . . You wanna make out?" she asked hopefully, an embarrassed flush on her features.
"I… uh, wow, no-one's ever asked that so-directly of me before…" Virgil returned awkwardly. "That being said… I'm not necessarily opposed," he said taking a seat beside her, their fingers interlacing. "Well, the whole thing started when the Fortune Hunters asked me to be a getaway driver…"
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
"So wait, you're legit magic now?" Athena asked after the part with the lightning bolt.
"That's the first question you ask? Not, 'how'd you get wrapped up fighting super-criminals modeled after playing cards'? Or 'how'd you get wrapped up in fighting evil government stooges and an evil rock bitch at the Hoover Dam'?"
"Well, you were running around with Lilith's crew, so getting into trouble like that… It's a bit of a given."
"Not even anything about how Roland gutted a terrorist on the airline like a god-damn trout? While he was still alive?" *Urp*
"That's actually more-common than you might think."
"What, terrorists on the airline or gutting a 'rag-nigger' like a god-damn trout? Pardon my French."
"Yes."
"That explains so much… and absolutely nothing."
"So what happened next?"
"Really? You don't even want me to show you my magic?"
"Oh, I think we'll have plenty of time for that later~" she purred.
"Have you been talking to Moxxi? Because it sounds like you've been talking to Moxxi."
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
"So you took an alien shapeshifter… clothes shopping?"
"That's what you're surprised about? Nothing about the Oreo cookie-induced roid rage? Or the fact that I actually know an alien shapeshifter?"
"Well, I mean, you telling an alien shapeshifter to wear clothes and her agreeing to it is just more-interesting," she answered. "In context," she amended after a moment.
"I sometimes forget what weirdness you already live with… I'll have to make an effort to remember that the next time we have storytime."
"Well, don't leave me in suspense, what happened after that?"
"I'm unsure whether it's more flattering or insulting that you're more-interested in my vacation than making out," he said only half-seriously.
"Oh trust me, there'll be plenty of time for that later~" Athena purred dragging a finger down his chest. "Until then, storytime. Or are you saying I have to be worried about being alone in a sound-proofed room with you?"
"How sound-proofed we talkin'~" he asked waggling a brow, only for Athena to let out a giggle. "What, too much?"
"Maybe a little. Wait a couple years 'til you're a little more 'manly', and you'll leave the girls swooning."
"What? You saying I'm not manly-enough right now?" he asked with mock hurt.
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
"Sooo… Let me see if my Hero count's accurate…" Athena said raising up her hands. "Zatara, Martian Manhunter and The House, Hawkman & Hawkwoman, Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E.," she listed off. "I missing anything?"
"Flash Girl and her 'Purple Slasher' notwithstanding, all I really did for Black Canary was take an arrow in the left peck for her," he answered rubbing her chest, Athena now sufficiently caught-up for his tastes. "Of course, it goes without saying that I don't want you spreading this around. Only reason I'm telling you this is because you opened up to me. I mean, I know 'Athena Blue' kinda forced that to happen by accident, but still…!"
"Don't worry, if there's anything the people in this house are good for, it's that we know how to keep a secret," Athena said making a lip-zipping motion. "And you're sure you're okay?"
"I'm a little sore, but otherwise I'm fine," he said rolling his left shoulder.
"That's good to hear, and maybe now that story time's over we can-"
*Bzzzt*
"Athena, if you aren't too busy practicing your 'parallel parking', dinner's ready."
"M-MOM!?" Athena cried with a flushed face.
"Moxxidon'tyoudarecockblockme!"
"Oh hush you two, there'll be plenty of time for 'this and that' later,"Moxxi said with what sounded like a dismissive wave. "Now come on up. Food's getting cold."
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
"Well now, I'm glad the two of you could take time off from 'Driver's Ed' to show up~"
"Mom, you're killing me here…" Athena groaned.
"Like I said, there'll be plenty of time for 'this-and-that' later," Moxxi said with a wave of her hand. "In the meantime, I have something for you~"
"Uh… Phrasing?"
"I have the paperwork you'll need for your next gig," the woman said holding over a sheaf of papers.
"Um… What is this?" Virgil asked confusedly.
"While you were out of town, I registered you for the Firearm Freedoms Act, as well as a Bounty Hunting License," Moxxi answered. "After what happened during Halloween, a few Fortune 500 companies took an interest in Athena's work. They've been pestering her for a while about joining their R&D divisions after those YouTube videos caught their radar, so once I have everything lined up, you're going to take her to the pick of the litter and see if anything catches her fancy."
"Wait, for real?" Rina gaped.
"So you want me to chaperone Athena to see some company big-wigs, and these papers will let me carry firearms?" Virgil asked looking over the documents.
"That's right. President Sears saw the importance of regular people being able to defend themselves from the rising frequency of mutant, meta, and super-criminal-related incidents. Of course… everyone nowadays is so squeamish about killing the bad guys, the Freedoms Act hardly gets used any more, though it couldn't be rescinded after the Sears Administration because its rooted in the Second Amendment," Moxxi sighed with upturned hands and a shake of the head. "Of course, seeing as how you'll be going into the hearts of Gotham and Metropolis for this Fortune 500 Tour…"
"Um… What?"
"Oh, have I not mentioned? Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp have both shown an interest in Athena's talent, so they're hoping for an interview," Moxxi answered. "And of course, we also have Stark International and Hammer Industries on the west coast too, so once you finish off the local flavor, you'll have to fly cross-country."
"So the biggest tech firms in the country are interested in Athena's work, huh?" Virgil hummed aloud. "Sounds like an opportunity for you to make boatloads of cash," he said turning to the blond.
"I'm… uh… I'm not really sure about this…"
"Athena, honey, just because you're interviewing doesn't mean you have to say 'yes'. All I'm saying is, hear them out, and if any of their benefits packages catch your eye… Do you know what you'd be able to build if you weren't working on a shoe-string budget?"
"Mom, has it ever occurred to you that I'm happy with the way things are now?"
"Sure, you're happy, but are you 'satisfied'?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Athena, I'm your mother. You think I don't notice you looking longingly at all that state-of-the-art super-science and meta-material stuff from your magazines, and then sighing in disappointment at your own cobbled-together setup?" Moxxi asked, her daughter averting her eye. "Athena, I'm not trying to get you out of the house. I just want you to try to network, so that way when the time comes you want to get out of the house and make something of yourself, you'll be able to instead of going all 'mad genius super-villain' because you don't know anybody."
" . . . I'll think about it," Athena conceded after a moment. "I'm not sure I'm ready to throw in with Luthor… But Wayne and Stark do have top-of-the-line facilities," she hummed thoughtfully.
"What about Hammer?" Rina asked.
"Well… Honestly, compared to Tony, Justin seems like a bit of a 'loser'," Athena hummed. "There's been this weird competitive thing between Justin Hammer and Tony Stark, and I don't just mean corporately. Justin trying to be 'cool' just seems a little… I dunno… Pathetic?"
"So basically a man-child trying to one-up a guy with more swagger than him?" Virgil asked.
"Something like that," Athena answered. "Plus, Justin is trying to compete with Tony, but everyone knows the real back-and-forth is between Stark and Luthor. Luthor gets the US' weapon contracts, Stark gets defense contracts… Hammer tried scooping up the weapons contracts for the military after that incident in Afghanistan, but LexCorp has a better product history and Hammer only stuck it out because everyone who can't pay Luthor's fees goes to him."
"What about the guy in the armor that went nuts?" Tina asked.
"Better product history and a killer PR group," Athena finished. "Still… This is a lot to think on."
"Hey, even if you do wind up saying 'no' to all of them, at the very least it'll be free air fare," Moxxi shrugged. "While you might wanna get the fuck out of Gotham as soon as physically possible, for obvious reasons, Metropolis… If you've ever been to Metropolis, superhero opinions notwithstanding, the place is just gorgeous," she sighed. "Definitely more-appealing than Gotham at least."
"Ugh, Gotham…" Virgil shuddered, remembering the last time he was there. Sure, he hadn't run into anyone from Arkham, but the whole place just made his skin crawl… "If I see the Joker while I'm there, I'm putting a bullet through his head, I don't care how bad the Batman beats the shit out of me for it."
"Well, like I said, until I get the meetings all lined up in a row, that's still only in the near future," Moxxi hummed. "So, while we're all eating, you can tell us how your vacation went."
"Yeah, did anything interesting happen?" Rina asked.
"Ugh, all kinds of bullshit," Virgil groaned.
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
With a blabbermouth like Tina in attendance, obviously the version of events that Virgil retold was a bit watered-down compared to what he told Athena; which in essence meant he nixed anything about learning magic or alien shapeshifters. Everything else on the other hand was fair game.
Though he may have neglected to mention anything pertaining to Gaige trying to get into his pants…
As for the galivanting-around with Martian Manhunter's niece… That was nixed out as well.
Still, everything from Las Vegas to St. Louis was fair game, and those in attendance were enraptured by it.
"So how much'd you win in the casinos?" Tina asked.
"I didn't because I'm too young to gamble," Virgil said flatly.
Only reason he was even there was because he -indirectly- blew up some Rednecks and some Irish and had to get out of town a couple of days until the heat died down.
That was the good thing about procuring explosives from someone with a short attention span like Tina; she didn't ask questions because she couldn't really care less.
"Anyway, enough about me and my disaster of a vacation… Athena, what was it you were working on when I got back?"
"Oh, a train company overseas wanted a suit of steam-powered power armor for an event, and I was just working on the engine," she answered.
"Never a dull day, huh?"
"I should be saying that to you. Royal Flush Gang, DUP, Purple Slasher, Übercow…" she listed off with her fingers. "All that you still manage to get skewered by a supervillain."
"It was just the tip."
"That's what she said~" Tina cackled.
"That vacation of yours must've sucked," Rina said curtly. "Why'd you have to skip town again?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. All I did was go out of town with some friends because we came into some money," Virgil waved off.
Even if FOXHOUND did have the clout to make any crimes he committed -within reason- "go away", he wasn't willing to take advantage of that kind of privilege; assuming they would actually go that far for him.
"Ah. Right. That's what happened," Rina corrected, albeit sarcastically.
"So… The vacay was a wash then?" Moxxi asked, genuinely concerned.
"Not totally," Virgil admitted. "It was definitely fun, though I pray my vacations don't all turn out like that. At the very least, I hope the others leave the chocolate I left in the RV alone," he sighed. "Athena, if any free time opens up, do you think you could-"
"Your Teleporter Belt? I already have some ideas," Athena said happily. "I'm thinking… Haptic Optic Interface if you wanna go really high tech. The Recall feature as you described it has some potential as well, though tele-fragging will be a concern unless I can install a Variable Coordinate Processor…"
"I don't wanna put you out of work or anything. I can pay you for your services," he offered.
"No, please, you don't have to-Well… Maybe a little money sent my way would be appreciated," she reiterated. "There's this new 3D printer I've had my eye on and-"
"How much do you need?"
"Athena, I hope you aren't soliciting your boyfriend for sex, young lady," Moxxi said as she came up the stairs.
"M-MOOOM!" Athena cried, red in the face.
"Oh you know I'm just teasing you~" Athena cooed. "Sug', you think the others will get back in time for Thanksgiving?"
"Assuming they come straight home and don't get sidetracked by any time-wasting nonsense… I wouldn't hold my breath," he admitted flatly.
"Yeah… Those guys can get distracted rather easily," Moxxi admitted. "I can't even begin to count the number of times they were on layover in another country before going home, only to cancel their flights home at the last minute because something came up and they had to drop everything for it. Storing all their crap long-term is a real pain if you ask me."
"Well, just a forewarning… They picked up a stray on the way home. Something about a sabotaged robot at the Star Academy science fair turning another student into a greasy smear."
"Star Academy? Hey, isn't that the fancy schmancy nerd school you turned down going to?" Tina asked aloud.
"I… wasn't really all that fond of people during high school, so after I completed my GED I went into self-study," she said turning Virgil's way.
"Hey, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Virgil waved off. "I'm no super-genius but assholes still gave me a hard time. Who knows how bad you had it."
"You really think it's my smarts that alienated me?" she asked.
"I… figured but didn't want to assume," he said as his eyes listed away from Moxxi.
"Don't worry, I'm not offended," the voluptuous woman said with a soft smile. "I won't deny… Athena's lineage was part of what alienated her, and my choice of lifestyle didn't really help things."
"Mom, I'm not ashamed of you," Athena said in a tone that hinted a numerous repetitions. "My alienation in highschool's on them, not you. You might be more-libidinous than any parent I knew about, but you showed me more love and care than even the most morally upstanding person."
"*Sniff* Athena…" Moxxi sniffed, wiping a tear from her eye. "You're too good for this world!" she cried happily, rubbing her cheek against her daughter's.
"Mom! Quit it! Your makeup's running!" Athena yelped lightly as clown-like makeup ran onto her face.
"It's good to be home," Virgil hummed with a smile.
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
Bludhaven
November 22, 6:35 EST
Waking up to an incessant buzzing of his phone, Virgil rolled over in his bed and looked at it before grumbling-
"God damn it."
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
"What?! You have to go? So soon?" Athena cried, her breakfast all but forgotten.
"Yeah… It's a work thing…" Virgil nodded sadly, angrily tapping his phone case through his pant leg. "Can't really put it off."
"That's… That's fair, I guess," she admitted. "I just… I just wish we had more time… together," she said with an embarrassed flush.
"Well, I did just come back from 'vacation', sooo…" he said making air quotes. "I was told it'd be a short assignment, so I'm fairly certain I'll be back in time for Thanksgiving."
"That isn't what I'm worried about…" Athena trailed off. "I have something for you. Follow me," she said leading him by the hand to her room.
"Make sure you use protection!"
"SHUT IT, TINA!" Athena cried with a red face.
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
"I… Um… I'm not sure what I'm looking at," Virgil stated as he was handed what appeared to be a fountain pen; and a high-quality one at that. "Does it explode?"
"No."
"Does it shoot lasers?"
"No."
" . . . Does it turn into a heat-seeking missile?"
"No, but I'm flattered you think so-highly of me," Athena answered with a soft smile. "What you're holding in your hand is a blow dart pen based on the 'Mandate of Heaven' from the science fiction novel Shadow of the Giant by Orson Scott Card back in 2005. One of the more-avid fans found their way to my site and asked me to make a working model."
"Is this anything like that working Power Armor from Fallout?"
"Close, but no," she answered. "I completed the commission and got paid in full, but I held onto the design and made a few extra because of the sheer utility of something like this. The original I loaded with round toothpicks because that's what Han Tzu practiced with in the book, but this one can be loaded with paralytic-tipped darts I procured from some of Dr. Zed's chemical stores. It's no laser pen, and you might have to practice a bit, but its innocuous shape means you won't be bothered by metal detectors."
"I'm both amazed and horrified at what you've created," he said looking at the instructions that came with it. Maximum capacity was 4 darts which were kept in the cap, with a maximum effective range of six feet with a one-foot drop-off; definitely a close-range weapon. The mechanism was cleverly designed to rotate automatically with each discharge around a central shaft holding real ink; effectively, a blow-gun revolver.
"I take great pride in my detail-oriented work," Athena said with a beaming smile. "The paralytic I got from Dr. Zed is weak, but definitely enough to slow a grown man. Obviously it can't pierce armor, but you hit someone in the neck or the face and they'll feel it. Well… not literally, but you know what I mean."
"Once again, I'm both amazed and horrified at what you've created," Virgil said committing the instructions to memory before pocketing the pen.
"Which is all the more reason you shouldn't cheat on me~" the girl genius said sweetly. "Now," she said grabbing his collar and pulling him in close. "Before you head out of town, I have something else for you~"
*Gulp*
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
The Bunker: War Room
November 22, 7:40 EST
"For the love of god, please tell me this will be an 'easy' assignment," Virgil said to the AR hologram of his boss.
"Don't worry. After the vacation you've had, this will be strictly non-combative," Re-l stated to him. "Do you remember Peter Parker, from your previous mission?"
"The kid with the super-jumping and super-strength? Kinda hard to forget."
"Yes, well, his uncle, Ray Palmer, took him under his wing and it seems like they're quantifying what abilities he does and doesn't have, and why, at Ivy University."
"And this has to do with me because…?"
"You're the closest in age to him, though he doesn't know that about 'Special Agent Washington'. What we want you to do is meet up with him and convince him that it's not in his best interest to put his Civilian identity 'in the backseat' behind any potential Hero career he may be contemplating. This being because you have the best shot of being able to do so; since you're closer to his age group, you'll be able to converse with him without any condescension that a grown agent might employ."
"Am I allowed to ask why?"
"FOXHOUND is keeping him out of the hands of paramilitary organizations by keeping him under their observation, so at the very least, we're hoping if he develops an adequate control of his abilities, that he might be able to become a field asset someday."
"Makes sense. With Mutants and Metas propagating more and more each year, eventually the population saturation would reach a point we'd begin a new arms race."
"Our thoughts exactly. FOXHOUND did have an Esper of tremendous ability on its roster in the past, but that was a long time ago and they haven't been able to find a replacement of similar caliber. Some of the 'army brats' related to FOXHOUND operatives have awakened to superhuman ability, but it never hurts to add another egg to the basket."
"Alright. So I take it I'm going to Ivy University?"
"Yes and no."
"Please explain."
"You will be going to Ivy University and intercept Dr. Palmer as they run Peter's tests, but to avoid compromising 'Special Agent Washington', you don't be going as you. Further details will be explained in-transit, and Agent Maine will be your backup."
*NO REST FOR THE WICKED*
Bludhaven Airport
November 22, 8:26 EST
Following a ride via chaperone to the airport, Virgil was driven to a hangar where a private jet was awaiting him, Agent Maine guiding him inside.
Maine was a very large man, bald of head from a recent shave, and in all honesty he looked a bit like the bastard love child of Brick and Agent 47 from Hitman. He was built of a physique between the two of them, but he had multiple bullet wounds on his throat -9 to be exact-, and heavily scarred knuckles.
And those were just the wounds he could see.
Getting shot in the throat once could easily kill a man, so Virgil shuddered to imagine the kind of willpower Maine had if he could handle being shot in the throat NINE TIMES and still keep going.
He also shuddered to imagine what Maine would do to the guy who shot him in the throat; if he hadn't gotten to the guy already.
The door closing behind them and the hangar doors beginning to open, as Virgil was about to take a seat, he noticed a conspicuous cardboard box in the center of the aisle. Having used something similar in Gotham to great effect, he couldn't help but wonder if it was a feint or not.
Tiptoeing his way over, before he could flip it over the forward flaps facing him burst open and a body slid out on its belly. His feet knocked out from under him as he was bowled over, the next moment Virgil found himself bodily crashing atop the now-empty block of corrugated cardboard, wincing as the reinforced fibers broke his fall on the way down.
" . . . Ow," Virgil groaned after a couple moments, Maine letting out a growl-like chuckle before turning back to the magazine in his hands.
"Hey there, kiddo. How you feeling?"
"Like crap," Virgil said to CT's question as he rolled over, wincing as the pointed corners of the wreckage poked at his tender areas. "What're you doing here, Connie?"
"Well, I got some time off after that rad scrubbing, so I thought I'd train you how to use the new gear in person," she said holding up two items. One of them was what looked like a full head mask made of synthetic fibers, colored black and gray. The other looked like a high-tech eyepatch. "I'll explain more once we're in the air. Until then, you can tell me how your vacation went. Anything interesting happen?"
"Ugh, all kinds of bullshit…"
To Be Continued…