Just An Ordinary Henchman (Yandere Superhero Harem)

Interlude #3 - Into The Shade Of The Night

Nightshade sat atop a tall building, staring at the shining lights on this starry night. He slowly closed his eyes, pulling off his lower face mask and taking a deep breath of the crisp, night air.

"I'm free." He whispered, staring up into the sky. "I can hardly believe it."

He felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. A very, very large weight. He had been under his father's control for so long.

He had managed to escape once before, bloody and battered, on the edge of the death. Then that damn Vandercourt helped him. What great help that was, as it led him right back into the hands of his father.

And then he had to work for two different absolute assholes. Two different scum of the earth.

He sighed. Disgusting. He hated it so much.

He was surprised when Checkmate had found him and Kasai, locked in the middle of a battle. He was even more surprised when he offered a plan to the both of them.

One that could eliminate his father.

He took the risk, and it worked. And now that his father no longer had control over him, he no longer needed to try to work his way under Vandercourt and Stromford to get the hold on him relinquished.

There was one final thing he needed to do.

He grit his teeth, shadows wrapping around his hand and creating a small, sharp claw. He moved it to the back of his neck, bracing for impact. And then he stabbed it in.

His teeth grinded together as he dug into the back of his neck, blood trickling down from where the shadows entered. And then finally he tore the claw out, holding a small, metallic piece of technology.

He crushed the tracker in his hand, before allowing the shadows to move from his hand to the back of his neck. It covered the wound, acting as a temporary bandage until he could actually wrap the wound shut.

Now he truly was free. Fully.

And as he stared up at the night sky, he couldn't help but feel a little bit...lost.

He had wished for this moment for so long, spent endless nights dreaming about it. But he didn't actually know what he wanted to do now.

What was he supposed to do with this newfound freedom? The only desire he could remember himself holding was the desire to escape.

Honestly, he wasn't sure if he would ever make it this far. And yet, here he was.

He supposed he should find a way to thank Checkmate once more in the future. It was thanks to his plan to make his father overuse his power.

After all, his father already had multiple commands activated on him all times for multiple years . Enough that he needed a special suit to perform normal functions nowadays. A few more was able to do the trick and overwhelm it, causing him to release all of them.

"Nightshade?" A voice spoke from behind him.

He glanced backwards, seeing Prototype standing there, staring at him with her sparkling, green eyes. Her blonde hair was styled in the side ponytail as usual, and she looked much more alive than Nightshade found comfortable.

He still had trouble fathoming that those two were actually robots. Same thing with Checkmate's lackey, The Maid. He wasn't too good with tech himself, let alone high advanced ones such as them.

"Why are you here?" Nightshade huffed.

"Your tracker went out." Prototype tilted her head. "And here I was worried you got hurt!"

"Right." Nightshade replied, not believing a word about her "worry". As if she actually worried about him. Just like her, he was just another pawn.

But he was tired of playing the pawn.

"Don't come looking for me again." Nightshade ordered. "You can tell Vandercourt I won't be returning."

"What...why?" Prototype's eyes widened, as if she was taken off guard.

"Because I don't want to." Nightshade replied, standing up. "I'm finally free from my father...and I'm going to be free from him too."

"You're leaving because...you want to be free?" She asked. "Emotions really are complicated!"

"Of course they are." Nightshade replied, turning away. He was about to leave, only for Prototype to speak once more.

"What does it mean to want...?" Prototype asked.

"What does it mean?" Nightshade raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, I don't really care about philosophical bullshit."

He stayed still for a moment, before sighing and turning to look at Prototype. Their eyes connected, and he could almost see the curiosity in her eyes.

"It's something you desire. Something that makes you happy." Nightshade replied. "And I desire freedom more than anything else."

"Listen close." He frowned. "Don't come looking for me again. Or else the next time we meet it won't just be talking. If anyone comes after me, I'm taking them down."

Nightshade stared off the edge of the building, before hopping off and disappearing into the dark night. Prototype continued to stare at where he was just standing, before slowly bringing a hand to her chest.

"I should probably tell Boss about this betrayal..." Prototype spoke to herself. "...but a part of me is saying not to."

She stood there in silence for a moment.

"Oh, I see. I don't want to tell Boss."