Slip

The Costume

Betsy and I returned to my house and had lunch together before she received a call from the SCU about the escapees. "Yes, Sir, I'm on my way."

She hung up her cell and I asked, "What's the plan?"

"Well, since the SCU is more about containment than fighting, we are seeking out the surviving heroes in hopes that they'll assist us in acquiring their villains."

"There are surviving heroes?"

"Yeah, but not enough of them," Betsy explained, before getting eerily quiet.

"What's wrong?" I asked suspiciously.

"Most of the retired heroes don't want to assist... they have families now..."

"Don't worry about that. If my power has taught me anything about the Nemesis Complex it's that they can't ignore it no matter how hard they try." I thought back to Shane grimly. "Besides, since I let them out, I'll get them back or at least Freudian Slip will..." Betsy seemed only slightly reassured. "What else?"

"They've decided you're Dirk the Demon's archenemy.... So I need him to be your first priority." I grimaced but agreed. "I'll be back a little later, okay?" Betsy said. I nodded and she left.

I changed my clothes and headed into the streets to see what I could do about the escapees, specifically Dirk. Where could he go? What would be his end goal? I knew his goal would somehow involve upsetting me enough to make him my proper nemesis, and he did know me fairly well. I ultimately decided to patrol the cemetery that day because that was where everything and everyone that mattered to me would be - except Betsy- but Dirk wasn't stupid enough to outright attack the SCU.

I watched Shane's funeral from June's headstone which was about 400 yards away. The air was beginning to turn warm now. Spring was just around the corner. I sadly observed George's sobbing, and shortly after placed my fingers against the rough stone etchings of June's name. We'd seen too much death of late.

It was that moment that I saw him. Dirk appeared to be directly parallel to me. Also 400 yards away from the active gravesite. My lungs tightened at the sight of him like I was about to scream out a warning to George, but I kept it back. I casually moved around the perimeter towards my ex-mentor.

Dirk noticed me before I reached him and smiled the same warped grin I was so very familiar with, but then he walked away. I followed close behind and the funeral goers were none the wiser. I pursued Dirk to a public park where a boardwalk disappeared into some trees. The area was meant to be a forest and wetland preservation project, but was mostly just a lovely scenic hike attached to a park. I'd taken June to this exact park a few times when she was younger.

I stepped onto the wooden planks with an audible tapping sound. I followed the path for a few minutes and passed a cute girl who seemed enthralled by a miniature waterfall. The sound of the trickling water was calming and subtle, but my anxiety worsened. Dirk had seemingly just disappeared.

Unfortunately, it was at that moment that I figured out I wasn't pursuing Dirk at all. The girl I'd left several feet behind me had followed me to the most isolated section of the boardwalk before pouncing on my back. The force threw through both of us into the wet dirt and trees. My face hit the mud and the grit scraped my cheek.

"Freudian Slip, I assume?" she asked me once I was successfully pinned beneath her. She was stronger than she should have been according to her slight build.

"No," I lied.

"Really?" she asked, dropping her facade. She was a he, or perhaps they would be a better pronoun. They were bald and androgynous with vibrant rainbow colored eyes. I immediately knew who I was dealing with. I'd read their profile: The Actor was a shapeshifter who could be anyone. Their real name was Jessie Alva. Their powers erupted when they were in a theater fire, supposedly making the skin liquid and easily able to adapt to the user's desired form. The Actor had been sent to Wainwright Asylum after an attempted murder suicide in which their hero, Daniel Westmoor - better known as Destiny - was permanently disfigured.