25 years after Houston was destroyed in a brutal supervillain attack, Jay Martin is accepted into the Texan Hero Network. Tasked with this sacred duty, he takes on the alter ego of Quickwit and vows to always protect Neo Houston.
Unfortunately, desp...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Not just in their powers, but also in their outfits, motivations, cultures, races, etcetera.
To Jay, it does make sense that in a melting pot like Neo Houston, there would be many types of heroes to represent the unique populations that called the city home.
He liked that a lot, actually. In his hometown there'd been a lot of negative attitudes about anyone who didn't fit the stereotypical mold, so he'd always struggled to find his place.
It was a contributing factor for why he came here, actually. He'd been hoping that life in the big city would be different. Specifically, he'd hoped to work with a hero who would make the effort to try and understand him, maybe even embrace his differences...
It didn't look like his next partner, Brighteyes, was going to be that person though. The woman is tense, fidgeting anxiously as she tucks a stray strand of dark hair into her hijab. "I put in a request to be assigned to Ravenette, you can't pair me with her?"
Darius smiles, straightening his tie. "As we discussed before, Brighteyes, we believe both you and Quickwit have something to gain from this arrangement. Especially after your fiasco with Razzmatazz...take this time to reflect on how you can improve and grow as heroes."
The woman stands, hands balled into fists. "You can't—you can't partner me with him! When I signed my contract I was promised—"
"It's stated clearly in your contract that the Texan Hero Network can choose your assigned sidekicks at will. You agreed to these terms when you signed."
Brighteyes bows her head, defeated. Jay takes her silence as an opportunity to interject his thoughts. "Can I ask why you consider our encounter with Razzmatazz a failure? I understand that I was supposed to be off that day, but I wanted to assist...I actually was hoping you could assign her as my nemesis. I understand Razzmatazz better than anyone, so I could be of use being assigned as the primary hero to handle any breakouts..."
Darius grimaces. "The issue isn't that you were off duty. The problem is, Quickwit, that a Network contracted hero called a supervillain his friend on live TV. You understand the position that puts us in, right?"
Jay frowns. "Razzmatazz isn't malicious, she was just reacting poorly to a bad situation. I'd even hesitate to call her a vill—"
"Furthermore," the director snaps, "we do not assign heroes their nemesis based on how well they understand a villain. They're chosen with consideration for how capable a hero is at subduing threats to Houston. A C-class hero with slightly enhanced intellect is hardly up to par with an A-class villain of Razzmatazz's caliber."
The sidekick sighs. "...I understand."
Darius leans back in his seat, eyes cold. "Good. At the end of this week you and Brighteyes will be assigned parade duty—make sure to keep an upbeat attitude to properly represent the Network."
