Of Heroes and Villains

The Chapter Where You Get the Tragic Backstory

The next few days were spent in the same way.

Don would wake up at the office, which was where he now slept. He would clean the bathroom, and by the time he'd finish, the rest of the team will have arrived.

This day, however, was special.

Dean arrived before Sean, which was unusual.

"Your date's husband come home?" Don teased, but the look Dean gave him made it clear the man was not in the mood for jokes.

"You didn't hear." Dean realized how dumb that was. "Of course not; You sleep here now. Unbound was attacked."

That was shocking news, indeed. The man's power was the stuff of legends. He was a modern day Hercules. His existence alone was what prevented all-out war on espers. Despite the advancement of nuclear weapons, humanity did not want to take Unbound on. A research had once been conducted, and the leading scientists had come to the conclusion that it would take the force of around five hundred nuclear bombs to take Unbound on. His vapor of darkness was that powerful.

If someone dared to attack him, it must've been another incredibly powerful esper.

"Tell me everything."

The two went over to the counter, where Dean poured himself a drink. "He was heading to London for his next job, and got attacked out above the sea. Apparently, the guy who did it was another high-class esper, and his vapor let him control light. It was all over the news last night. The guy actually managed to do some damage, and even got away. Man, if someone like that is climbing the criminal ladder, the police are screwed. It gets worse, too."

'Worse than an all-powerful enemy?'

"What is it?"

Dean downed his drink in one go, then slammed the glass on the counter. "It's that bastard Omen again. He started a petition to organize an esper registry."

"That doesn't sound good."

Dean was already pouring another drink. "You're damn right it's not good. He's proposing putting chips into all espers, so they can track us all down, as well as forcing us to register our abilities in public files. If shit like that passes, we're all screwed."

"Doesn't sound any more screwed than we already are."

Dean shook his head. "You're not getting it. It's not about the step backwards, it's that we won't be able to step forward. No better future. No equal rights. No nothing. We'll basically be slaves."

Sean then entered the office, stomping angrily.

'Guess he got the good news, too.'

"The bathroom's clean, boss."

Sean ignored him, instead cursing under his breath.

"The phone rang," Don then said. "They left a voice mail, but I didn't listen to it. Might be a job."

Sean took a deep breath, then stomped over to his office with barely contained rage. He nearly took the door off its hinges when he slammed it shut.

Lan then walked in, doing the same thing to the entrance door. "That fucking shit-eating motherfucker."

"So you've heard, too," Don commented.

"Lick my hairy ass crack, you twink."

"Touche."

As the girl stomped over to the couch, Don asked a question, "Say, Lan, back when I went at it with Val, the boss seemed to know what I had done by the time I returned. That was your vapor, wasn't it?"