Slip

The Exaggeration

For the next few weeks, I was out on the streets nightly to recapture Wainwright Asylum escapees. Oftentimes, I was interrupted by the SCU or the villain's designated hero - both situations would immediately signify a hasty retreat. I didn't want to accidentally trigger heroes and I wasn't exactly the SCU's favorite Super. A lot of people held me personally responsible for the breakout and I didn't blame them. It was only as I started reading some of the articles about my efforts that I noticed a change. People were talking about me and unfortunately the stories were getting a bit out of hand. It began with Demo and Maestro.

I put in earplugs as I stepped into the club. Bodies were writhing and grinding to the hypnotic rhythm that Demo was playing. The lights were strobing through a rainbow of colors and the air was hot with the smell of human sweat mingled with the scent of alcohol. Demo sensed my presence before I'd even reached the center of the dance floor. I locked my gaze on his digital robotic eyes and he grabbed the microphone attached to his spin tables. "Welcome Slip to the arena!" His electronically altered voice barked.

Everyone stopped moving in eery synchronization. Demo had held the patrons hostage for three days now and his hero wouldn't be helping since he had lost himself to the villain's musical mind control some years back. The two now often served as partners. William Horn - Demo's real name - gained his powers during a terrorist attack at the mayor's birthday celebration.

"This is too much, Demo!" I called out, "Can't we keep this small?"

Demo chuckled wickedly and said, "Tell you what... If you can beat my Maestro I'll let these darling people go...." With a wave of his hand, the crowd tilted to either side in a dance pose, allowing a man in a fancy, black and white suit to walk through them.

I grimaced at the ornate pearl mask which covered the fallen hero's face. Yes, Maestro was Demo's ex-hero. Maestro's real name was Jacob and his abilities included gigantic metal musical notes. They were heavy, sharp and he summoned them at will. As I evaluated the situation, I realized I would have to face both but part of me only wanted to free Maestro.

"I want to keep you in a pretty little pen..." Shane's voice haunted my memories.

I aimed my wristshot at Maestro and fired. Classical music began to play cacophonously against the deeper revertebrating bass beat of Demo's tune. I couldn't hear the DJ's song, or I too would have fallen prey to its control, but I could definitely feel it. It pulsed through my muscles like an electric shock. A shield of silver musical notes encircled Maestro, blocking my initial tranquilizer. I changed ammo and launched a smoke pellet instead. The air was filled with a thick gray cloud, obscuring everyone's vision. The smoke also elicited some light coughing from the patrons. I activated my thermal vision and headed towards Maestro.

Demo wasn't blinded by the fog however, and ordered both Maestro and the multitude to throw themselves forward into a crouch. The result was that fog rushed towards me and cleared slightly. I rolled through what clung to the floor still thick enough to conceal me but only just.

"Feet!" Demo warned Maestro who then launched me up into the air with his power. I struggled to keep my balance on the awkwardly shaped platform, but rode on the note until I saw an opening. I deactivated my thermal vision and dove gracefully onto Maestro's back, locking my arms around his neck to knock him unconscious. He clawed at my arms while I attempted to put him down. Maestro was much larger and stronger than I was. It was a sharp contrast to his delicate sense of style and melodious powers. Eventually, he collapsed beneath my weight. "Damn it!"

I stood, straightened my clothes, and tucked a gold curl of my hair back into my hood. I faced the remaining Super once more. His oversized robot head made no expression, but I knew he was glaring at me. The animosity was prevalent in the empty space between us. "So... just us now, right?" I asked calmly.