Autumn & Winter (A Villains & Monsters Novella)

Chapter 8

He remembered the first time he went to Base C, which was the small underground office that the heroes owned. He was silent the entire trip, following close behind Jamie and Aniya and listening to her rant about hero duties.

The tunnel was quiet, and Simon whistled a small tune to himself as he approached the small office. He wore his suit because he knew he'd be using quite a bit of his flames tonight. Once he got there, he broke the lock on the door and left it open so there would be some air circulating as he lit various documents on fire.

He found a yellow flash drive in one of the cabinets and stashed it into his pocket. Simon wanted all of Aniya's secrets, or even Ian's secrets if they remained anywhere. While stealing from their bases was rewarding, he was also enjoying the news of the heroes' being stressed out. He wanted them worried. He wanted them to be afraid. He wanted them to know that one way or another, they would die painfully.

Comfortably leaning against a wall, Simon remained in the office for a while, slowly burning documents and watching the way his flames spread across the paper, dissolving until it was nothing but ash. Soon, he heard quiet footsteps approach, and a small smile spread on his face without knowing.

"Why did I get the feeling you'd show up tonight, my pretty hero?" he asked as his eyes rested on Daija. His rival turned around, and her eyes immediately fell upon his suit, his figure, then eventually his eyes. It made him grin. "You like it?"

"I didn't know you had a suit," she replied.

"Of course I do. I only wear it when I'm really going to be using my powers though."

"Is it fireproof?"

He nodded. "Mhm. I can't have my clothes burning off when I use my fire, right?" He then gave her a teasing wink. "I mean, I don't think anyone would complain."

She scoffed, then put her bag down. Simon watched as she loosened the jacket she had tied around her waist before putting it on top of it. Without stopping, she started looking through filing cabinets, which made him raise a brow. "And, what do you think you're doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked without looking up at him. "I'm looking for anything interesting."

"I was here first."

"I don't particularly care about that."

At the irritation in her voice, he chuckled. It was then she faced him, and he smiled as he recalled the memories in the cabin. "Someone's a little crabby. Are you still upset with me?"

Daija only rolled her eyes, which was something he expected. He held up the flash drive he took for her to see. "By the way, this is the most interesting thing here. So, I wouldn't waste your time." Then, he put it back in his suit.

She smiled sweetly, but sarcastically. "Like I told you before, Simon, go fuck yourself."

He sighed amusingly as he met her eyes. "Daija, you and I both know that you'd rather have me fuck you, so how about we not go there, hm?" Her eyes widened slightly, and his gaze dipped to her body. The heroes' suit was still awful, and it wasn't fair since she looked so good in it.

Simon shook his head softly to keep his thoughts together. Since when were superheroes allowed to be this attractive? "You have no idea how much I hate that suit," he said.

"Well, I have to wear it on missions, like a good hero should. The same way you have to wear yours," she said, and she walked into the other room, probably looking for something else within the office. But Simon already checked, and he knew that nothing was there except for a desk and chair.