The Adventures of "Fish Guy" (Superhero fiction)

[BoloOfEarth]

I enjoyed the encounter with Whale Guy.  "...together, we'll fight crime."  Loved it!

 

I'll be interested to learn how the spear was able to harm him.  Since you mention "supposedly nigh-invincible" I suspect you have a reason in mind. 

 

Nice way to end this piece.  Just don't be surprised when we show up at your doorstep tomorrow demanding the next installment.

[DasBroot]

The spears were made out to be a Big Deal in the dream.  In HERO terms I slap Penetrating on weapons like this in my games all the time - a magic spear thrown by an an athletic man won't destroy a tank but it's sticking out of it now and it shouldn't be, dammit.

[Marcus Impudite]

Ah, so his pal Mayo has finally made an appearance outside the dream. It's going to be interesting to see if he in turn recognizes Caleb...

[Lawnmower Boy]

Seems to me that Aaron doesn't like the establishment any better than a certain vigilante that Fish Guy's recently encountered. And who better to disguise their voice than a trained vocalist?

 

I was going to post a link to a short-run comic book about a superhero/supervillain room-mate combo from about a decade ago, but it turns out that the Net is so overrun with fanfic along these lines that I couldn't find it. I don't know whether that means that the market is crying out for it, or it's an overdone cliche. "It's time for a new twist on an old theme," maybe, already?

 

One thing I know that this market is demanding is a ghost or two, secret doors, passages and sub-basements. All the classy old joints have them, and this base has an Orange Julius, too.

[Doc Shadow]

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[Hermit]

I enjoyed the encounter with Whale Guy.  "...together, we'll fight crime."  Loved it!

 

I'll be interested to learn how the spear was able to harm him.  Since you mention "supposedly nigh-invincible" I suspect you have a reason in mind. 

 

Nice way to end this piece.  Just don't be surprised when we show up at your doorstep tomorrow demanding the next installment.

 

Sadly, Whale Guy may have too much survival instinct for the crime fighting biz. 

But thanks

 

The spears were made out to be a Big Deal in the dream.  In HERO terms I slap Penetrating on weapons like this in my games all the time - a magic spear thrown by an an athletic man won't destroy a tank but it's sticking out of it now and it shouldn't be, dammit.

 

Right on the nose.

 

 

Ah, so his pal Mayo has finally made an appearance outside the dream. It's going to be interesting to see if he in turn recognizes Caleb...

 

Same Fish Guy Time, Same Fish Guy Channel...

(Well, time may vary)

I was going to post a link to a short-run comic book about a superhero/supervillain room-mate combo from about a decade ago, but it turns out that the Net is so overrun with fanfic along these lines that I couldn't find it. I don't know whether that means that the market is crying out for it, or it's an overdone cliche. "It's time for a new twist on an old theme," maybe, already?

 

One thing I know that this market is demanding is a ghost or two, secret doors, passages and sub-basements. All the classy old joints have them, and this base has an Orange Julius, too.

 

 

I was wondering, Hermit, do you have a Champions write-up of Eel, or any of the other characters , that you're working from?

 

Nope. I have played characters with similar powers but no write ups yet. Who knows. Maybe.

[Marcus Impudite]

BTW I took the liberty of doing a write-up for Magic Word, based on what we've seen of him in story. He still needs a background story, I have a rough idea in my head what it might be, though since he's adapted from your story it seems only fitting that you have some input on the matter. Look for him in Downloads.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Nope. I have played characters with similar powers but no write ups yet. Who knows. Maybe.

 

You better write up Whale Guy at least.

[Hermit]

We have guests today so I didn't get as far as I'd like, but hopefully it's not too anticlimatic a resolution to yesterday's cliff hanger.

 

 

 

Blood trailed from my shoulder into the water behind me. I've been cut before. There's a reason terms like invulnerable or invincible come with qualifiers in the super biz; qualifiers like 'nigh' 'relatively' 'virtually' or my personal favorite 'close enough for government work'. Certain lasers had sliced me when they'd have severed someone else entirely in half. There are metals, rather expensive ones, that can cut through anything, even yours truly. And damn it if Bloodwatch wasn't right that a titanium bullet at point blank in my eye would be a severe downer on my day. 

 

But I was surprised, the spear didn't exactly seem high tech. Wait, what was it from the dream? The spears were 'blessed' by the Eldest One. Crud, I hate mysticism.

 

"Head towards the shore," I ordered Ariana, "Now."

 

Floating under the water as we were, I got to talk, she didn't. She did shoot me a briefly defiant look before breaking through the surface, stepping up onto the water as if it were solid, and running towards the shore!

She could walk on water?

 

Later, no doubt when I had time to think on it, my carnal desire for the girl I was dating would conflict strongly and uncomfortably with my religious upbringing.

 

Right now, I had a fight on my hands!

 

The fanged behemoth they were riding and I closed. It's maw opened and I felt the pull of water rushing in threatening to drag me in like an undertow. I resisted the pull, and managed to avoid getting swallowed. The creature clamped down with a thunderclap of a snap on empty water ! Its red eyes blazed with hate. 

This thing hated me, or maybe it just hated. It hated with an almost human capacity for the emotion. And that was spooky as hell.

 

Instead of in its mouth, I landed on the top of it where its riders awaited me.

 

The golden skinned fellow with catfish like bristles on his skin was the one who had thrown his spear at me was drawing a knife. I didn't know if that could hurt me, instead I focused on the spears that I pretty sure could. I moved to the side as the next fellow, a blue-green guy with something like a gladiator movie set for armor attempted to stab me. I grabbed the incoming spear while it was extended, and then yanked it as hard as I could.

 

He tried to out-muscle me.

 

Big mistake. The soldier was strong, probably stronger than the average human athlete, but he wasn't in the super range.  For him, it had to be like playing tug of war over a rope with a speedboat. That's called water skiing.

 

His grip came loose and he shot behind me like a piece of luggage falling off the back of a truck.  For a moment, I was terrified that the behemoth was going to devour the new target right in front of it's ugly face.

 

Thank god, it didn't. Two spear-less, three to...

 

I managed to block a third spear with the one I had just taken mister aqua marine there, but here's where the trained soldier has an advantage over the insanely gifted. They coordinate, they work together and know moves like flanking. So while I did a pretty impressive block of magic spear number three, the fourth guy had circled and got me in the side with his own. 

 

I cried out in pain as three inches of the weapon head drove into my flesh. Judging by the look on the attacker's face, he was surprised  it hadn't gone deeper, but if he'd gotten an inch and a half lower, that would have been plenty to skewer a kidney!

 

I swung the spear I had just blocked with at the warrior who got the hit on me. I did not think to pull my blow! This guy had more armor than some of the others, and it was a good thing because I broke it open and probably a rib as well with the staff part of the weapon in my hand. 

 

What was the shaft made of anyway? It wasn't like your typical sources of wood abounded in the ocean, at least not in plain old tree form!

 

A knife hit the side of my neck as the guy who had thrown the first spear rejoined the fight with the weapon he had. I guess it wasn't 'blessed' because it fractured without so much as raising a welt. I kicked him hard end over end in the water where he lay still and moved no more.

 

Served him right, I thought mercilessly eager for the next...

"What the hell?" I said out loud.

 

How did I get from shielding gangbangers and pulling punches on supervillains until I knew their limits to cutting loose on soldiers who, except for magic spears and water breathing, didn't seem much tougher than your average trained goon?

 

That's not me!

 

The tail slap from the behemoth caught me as flat footed as one can get while under water. That's the problem with moments of desperate introspection, the folks trying to kill you do not respect them as legitimate timeouts.

 

Even in the buffer of the sea I found myself tumbling end over end until I actually found myself breaking the surface of the ocean and facing open sky. That sea-beast had really run my bell. I'm sure, but I think it hit harder than I did.

 

I wanted to kill it.

 

I wanted to hurt them all.

 

I glanced at the spear still in my hand. Why was it still in my hand after a surprise slap like that? If anything, I  figured I should have lost my hold on it. Instead I'd tightened my grip subconsciously.

I found myself almost missing the straight forward and relatively clumsy mind whammy Magic Word had laid on me at the bank.

 

This thing wasn't blessed, it was cursed.

 

And I didn't want anything to do with it.

 

I dodged the next spear from a pale warrior who...

I'd almost forgotten about Mayo! I mean, maybe it wasn't him. Maybe it was another albino like merguy. Yet if I had good money, yeah, it was him.

 

"Mayo, it's Caleb..." I wanted to keep my eyes on him, at the same time I knew any second the sea monster and other warriors would be joining us. I did something a superhero isn't supposed to do in a fight.

I took my mask off, goggles and all.

 

In the dream I had been wearing some kind of headgear, but my face was visible. If I remembered the dream, maybe he would too?

 

"Caleb!" His eyes blinked, and I realized the light up here must be near blinding to him, but he clearly made me out. He gritted his needle like teeth as if ...

as if he were trying to block out pain and hate.

 

"Yeah, I feel it too, and I've been holding onto this for just a few seconds," I suddenly had a lot of respect for Mayo.

 

Mayo knew my name, but the rest was a babble of a language I felt like I knew once but had forgotten, like that Middle school French class you let deteriorate until you're pretty much back to square one.

 

His inhuman face lit up with determination, and then as if he was trying to exert every inch of might in his body... he let the spear fall from his finger tips and fall down into the depths below.

 

The expression of conflict from his face eased and I swore for a moment he was about to cry with relief.

And a scream of outrage, some word I didn't understand, came not from him, but one of his peers riding the back of that sea beast. And they weren't gunning for me. They were going after Mayo! 

 

It's mouth opened and Mayo began to be drawn towards the gaping maw as I was, but Mayo wasn't as strong as I am. 

 

Without even thinking about it,  I threw the spear I had been carrying (Or had it been carrying me?). Once again I blessed being a family that was so old fashioned that chucking rocks for distance was part of the ritual for passage into manhood. I'm no Payton Manning, but I had a big target, a magic spear stronger than steel, and a whole lot of upper arm strength!

 

The spear drove deep into the left eye of sea monster! It thrashed and twisted in a fashion more suited to a beheaded snake than a marine mammal! It's rider was thrown clear off! And given the reaction of the sea-beast, that was probably a good thing for him because I wasn't sure he'd survive the same blow that had taken the breath out of me.

 

Speaking of Breathing, Mayo had submerged! Of course, maybe I was amphibious, but these guys couldn't stay topside long. 

 

It was time to change tactics. I'd gotten spoiled by my durability. I had neglected my speed. I plunged in after Mayo and shot past him. The remaining warriors were wisely staying away from the rampaging sea monster, but each had recovered a spear. I shot towards them, and they braced, probably expecting to take me down like a united phalanx of pikemen handling a mounted knight of old.

 

Sorry guys, no joust today. 

 

I twisted just out of the range of a spear lunge and circled them, faster, and faster, the force of it building around them as I created a localized whirlpool.

 

I'd like to say this was old hat, a trick I'd pulled off dozens of times and had mastered but that would be a lie.

I was a whirlpool virgin.

 

Okay, that sounded wrong. I'm going to leave that phrasing out of my future autobiography.

 

Imprecise and imperfect as my first attempt was, it was enough to send the remaining soldiers battering against each other helplessly  until they were out cold. I glanced up to see the Behemoth finally slowing in it's thrashing. It lay very still...

and changed.

 

The fangs receded. The eyes were were no longer glowing with hellish red light, and the blights along its skin cleared.

 

It was a dead humpback whale.

 

I guess whatever magic had transformed it in life had let it go in death. I moved towards the embedded spear in its socket, and steeling my resolve pulled it out.

 

It was there again, unreasoning rage, unthinking hatred, it was like my soul was rolling in an oil spill.

All those destructive urges I had ever suppressed, some I didn't even know I'd had, were bubbling up to my consciousness. I hadn't realized how much I hated that supervillain team back home that had humiliated me. I wanted them dead. Some part of me had enjoyed the idea I might have broken Magic Word's shoulder. He deserved worse, didn't he? And if I ever ran into that reporter for news 3....

 

I glanced down at the spear, "The one ring," I told it, "You ain't." 

 

And I snapped it over my knee!

 

There was a flash of hellish reds and venomous greens that filled my vision.

 

I thought I had known hate and anger a moment ago? 

 

I knew nothing of either.

 

I was an insect moving soil and calling it civilization. I was a flea on the back of greater beasts I couldn't even begin to comprehend and congratulating myself for discovering this particular square inch. I was a speck; an irritation pretending at person hood. 

 

The entirely of my worth was defined only in that something real had noticed me, something far more ancient than I could ever fathom and more powerful than I could grasp. Science had not yet made measurements that could quantify the disparity to how little I mattered compared to the being that had graced this spear.

 

I was nothing, less than nothing.

 

Compared to the Eldest.

 

A pair of pale hands grabbed me, and  began to carry me away towards the shore as I clung into a fetal position trying to feel my body, and I couldn't. I couldn't feel anything but how little I mattered.

 

I had lied to Ariana earlier. It turns out there was something in the ocean I very much could not handle.

 

And it knew me now.

[Lawnmower Boy]

 

 

 

But I was surprised, the spear didn't exactly seem high tech. Wait, what was it from the dream? The spears were 'blessed' by the Eldest One. Crud, I hate mysticism.

 

Ariana . . .  did shoot me a briefly defiant look before breaking through the surface, stepping up onto the water as if it were solid, and running towards the shore!

She could walk on water?

 

 

 

That ain't normal. Girl should definitely ask her pharmacist about whether she should be combining her prescriptions.

[Hermit]

That ain't normal. Girl should definitely ask her pharmacist about whether she should be combining her prescriptions.

 

Ask your doctor if Miracleium is right for you...

[Hermit]

BTW I took the liberty of doing a write-up for Magic Word, based on what we've seen of him in story. He still needs a background story, I have a rough idea in my head what it might be, though since he's adapted from your story it seems only fitting that you have some input on the matter. Look for him in Downloads.

Wow.

Okay but I draw the lines at T shirt revenues! Those are mine..

and movie rights

 

and those cereal box deals

 

You better write up Whale Guy at least.

 

Oh, that's easy. Just take the stats from HERO Bestiary for Whale, and either bump up his Comeliness or give him a level in striking appearance.

 

"Ladies love the Whale Guy" 

 

You may wish to add the 0 point psych lim /complication "Has more common sense than your average human superhero and actually listens to it" to complete the effect.

 

[BoloOfEarth]

Not anticlimactic at all.  I rather enjoyed it. 

 

I like the way Eel handled Mayo.  Nicely written.  And since Mayo is now likely merpersona-non-grata, I hope Eel will be able to offer him sanctuary in some way. 

 

Interesting side effect on the destruction of the spear.  It illustrates the sheer power of the Eldest without having to introduce them directly. 

[Pattern Ghost]

Pretty epic installment. I suggest you have guests over more often.

[Tom]

 

 

like a united of pikemen

 

I think the word you want is 'phalanx' once you go into editor mode.

 

On a less critical note, very nice job on the after-effect of breaking the spear...

[Hermit]

Not anticlimactic at all.  I rather enjoyed it. 

 

I like the way Eel handled Mayo.  Nicely written.  And since Mayo is now likely merpersona-non-grata, I hope Eel will be able to offer him sanctuary in some way. 

 

Interesting side effect on the destruction of the spear.  It illustrates the sheer power of the Eldest without having to introduce them directly. 

 

Mayo's immediate fate will be revealed soon. And thank you, the 'Big bad is built on an obscene amount of points isn't it?' was kind of the vibe I was going for.

 

Pretty epic installment. I suggest you have guests over more often.

 

I would have gotten another thousand words if they hadn't been  

 

I think the word you want is 'phalanx' once you go into editor mode.

 

On a less critical note, very nice job on the after-effect of breaking the spear...

Nice catch! Thank you for it.

 

And it's good to see that the folks enjoyed the backlash bit.

[Doc Shadow]

.

[Hermit]

The problem is that you've set up a big bad that is so over-powered that he can incapacitate the hero with a flick of his finger. I think having Eel curl up in a fetal position was going too far. He should have been rocked by the villain's power, not mentally crushed by it.

 

mmm, that's a fair complaint. I will say , at the risk of spoiling too much, this is a superhero story, not a lovecraft one despite the liberal sprinkling of bits from the latter. Hope is stronger than despair, Love stronger than hate, and Justice is possible in this world and not just the next...

 

Not saying it might not be at a cost or that it will be easy, and even I'm not sure yet exactly how,  but yes, the Eldest can be defeated... 

 

Then again, I am very fond of G.K. Chesterton's quote

“Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”

 

and as the ancient philosophizer Fredrickus Mercurius told us, "No one but the Pure at heart may find the Holy Grail"

 

I think I'm getting off the subject.

Ahem.

 

Anyway I hope to find that balance. 

[Iuz the Evil]

Then again, I am very fond of G.K. Chesterton's quote

“Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”

 

Great quote, been a while since I've heard it.

 

This is really good, Hermit. Like it a lot. But then again, I've always wanted to fight a desperate battle against incredible odds...

[Hermit]

Got a bit more done tonight before midnight. 

 

 

 

Someone caught my scream in hand made of light, brought her glowing fingers together, and muffled it more and more until it just silenced.

 

I could hear other things now.

 

"He told me to get to shore and I did," a woman's voice, one filled with shame and frustration, caught my ears, "I left him to that..."

 

"Hey, this is not your fault, you did nothing wrong," A man's voice this time. Similar sounding, consoling and reassuring to her.

 

"Except knock out the guy who rescued him," Another man's voice. 

 

"I didn't realize that at the time," Protest from the first voice, more embarrassment.

 

"We can sort things out later," A second woman, a voice of authority and calm. Concern was there too, "For now, let the Doctor do her work."

 

"It's done," a voice said, another woman, filled with power and I could read nothing else. The hand was hers, I knew that much, "He's awake now. I've taken the barbs from his soul. He'll be fine, against all odds."

 

I opened my  eyes. I was in the med-bay, half submerged in a box/slash bed they'd arranged for me, and there was a pretty big crowd around me.  The wounds the spears had inflicted on me were gone, but more importantly? I didn't hate myself anymore. I didn't feel like an unworthy bug that had somehow gained the notice of a mountain side it had dirtied by landing on it.

 

"Doctor Salem, I presume?" I gazed at the woman before. She had not aged as gracefully as Lady Obsidian, but then I imagine most women didn't. Doctor Salem's wrinkles ran deeper into, she didn't stand quite as straight, and yet her eyes were surprisingly clear still. Her costume had a 17th century vibe to it, mostly in a blend of dark blues and purples. There was an almost mesmerizing torc about her neck with skull designs at the end. I could see echoes in the frame of her cheekbones to the beauty she must have had as younger woman but if her beauty had faded, it hadn't touched one bit of her poise. Like Lady O, she had an aura of command.

 

"You didn't tell me he'd come up quipping," Doctor Salem glanced over at Lady Obsidian.

Lady Obsidian was in her armor, perhaps ready for trouble, perhaps already having faced some, "Young people," As if that explained it all.

 

Doctor Salem nodded to her and turned back to me, "How are you feeling?"

 

"Not...as shaken as I should be," I confessed, "And I'm very confused," More realizations came to me as I took in the crowd , team mates and more. My eyes shot to Ariana who gotten out of her wet suit and was now wearing a light blue blouse and darker hued jeans that fit her nicely. The others were in costume, "What happened? Where's Mayo? Did anyone get the other spears? Did they find the other underwater soldiers? I knocked some out but when I broke the spear... and who's protecting the city?"

 

Everyone tried to answer me at once.

 

"I went to the shore and called for back up, but the others were facing another threat...."

 

"Nothing we couldn't handle...."

 

"We almost had to pry you out of that fetal position you were in, Jesus kid, what did you see?"

 

"Lady O called Doctor Salem, when she realized it was probably mystical... and we have Valorous picking up our slack... again I might add."

 

"Seriously? You're going to bring up your boyfriend when Fish Guy got the mother of all magic whammies?"

"But you're okay now, right?"

 

"Wait, is Mayo the pasty guy Ari knocked out?"

 

"Okay, I'm really feeling bad about that now..."

 

"You called an Albino looking guy Mayo? Isn't that a bit...well, racist?"

 

"Ahem," Doctor Salem said, her finger tip suddenly glowing with a blue light that filled the room. Everyone shut up, except for Lady Obsidian who had been letting the others ramble, "If you all don't act in a more orderly fashion I'm going to ask Lady Obsidian to order you out of the room. If you don't mind, let me answer the young man's questions on the mystic side?"

 

Murmurs and mumbles of compliance.

 

I was the one who spoke up, at risk of rousing a wizard's...err witch's wrath, "Actually, I need to confess something. I screwed up. I had this dream, and thought it was just the dream. It was actually the sending. I don't know why I picked it up. I'm not Atlantean or anything, but I guess I got caught in one of those contingencies. Even after you mentioned visions I didn't think it through and equate it with dream. If I had bothered to put two and two together I would have never let Ariana near the ocean," I said in a rush.

One of Ariana's elegant raven brows shot up in an arch at the word "Let" but she let it slide, for now.

 

Rather than being annoyed with me, Doctor Salem was quite calm, "None of this surprises me in hindsight, Eel and you were hardly the only one who missed some clues. And as the mystic expert, I should be the one to know better. Whatever spell was cast was meant for sentient waterbreathing peoples. You maybe a surface born man, but you still fit the required qualifications. Add to that a possible subconscious command for not sharing it with anyone not of their ranks, and of course your mind would rationalize it as a dream. I'm the one who ignorantly assumed any sending would be for land dwellers. It all makes perfect sense actually. Now tell me about this dream, and tell me what happened out there as best you can remember and I will tell you what you need to know. "

 

The way she phrased that was not lost on me. I was the one who got whammied, didn't I need to know everything?

 

I gave her everything I could recall of the dream, and it came to me in alarming detail. I found myself recalling some of the armor worn, the various types of sea people I saw, and even some of the words chanted though she shushed me when I started to repeat those. 

 

Then I described how the perfect date with a great girl went south. Ariana gave a slightly pleased smile at being called a great girl but her features grow more somber as I covered what happened after her departure. 

As if it were her fault what happened next just because she could have stuck around. Some people take too damn much on themselves.

 

 

"You are, " Doctor Salem's response after hearing my response to the mystical onslaught from my vandalizing a 'blessed' spear caught me quite by surprise, "a remarkable young man."

 

"For curling into a ball after breaking a pointy stick?" I snorted.

 

"The compulsion from that spear being broken was far more powerful than anything tied to the sending," Doctor Salem said to me as if explaining the obvious, "You shattered a conduit. An anchor used by the Eldest to strengthen his ties and influence to this world. It's the last thing he wanted, and so that thing was trapped to curtail such ever being tried again..."

 

I started to wave it off again...

 

"By driving you to suicide," she finished.

 

"I'm sorry, try that again?" I said after a moment to let it sink in occurred.

 

"That despair, that worthlessness, that wasn't just a byproduct of interaction, that was meant to erase your very will to live and destroy your ability to feel joy," She steepled her fingers.

 

"Reminds me of my Ex," Pinprick muttered.

 

"How come I... how come I didn't kill myself then?" my throat was dry.

 

"Strength of will, true faith? Purity of heart? Perhaps you even have a destiny and other powers have need of you, but something," She continued, "Or someone, shielded you. If from within, you are very rare. If from without? Someone powerful loves you, or at least finds you useful. And that has cost the Eldest much."

 

"From one spear?" I raised a brow.

 

"The next time you do break one," She explained and I fought a cringe at going through that again, then heartened at the rest, "It will have less of an effect on you. It will never be completely safe, but you are now a greater threat to him than anyone else on this team just because you can destroy his anchors. Destroy them all, and the Eldest may find his ability to affect this world reduced to a phantom."

 

"First thoughts," Tornado said, "I think I saw this movie, but the good guys won so...yay. Second thought, how many of those guys in that sending had those spears?"

 

"All of them," I said trying to sort how I could even begin to track them down.

 

"And how many of them were there?"

 

"At least a thousand, maybe thousands," I said still stunned.

 

Tornado thought about how to put a positive spin on this, then smiled weakly and slapped me on the shoulder, "Hey, man, job security!"

[aylwin13]

Doc Salem left out "hardness of head" in her list of things that probably protected Eel.

 

More good stuff there. Nothing better than the hero being the center of the Big Bad's attention.

[Hermit]

In which a lovable character shows a less lovable side, and a less lovable character shows where she stands on somethings

 

 

I really wasn't that tired, and whatever cleansing Doctor Salem had performed on me had worked. No, any terror or insignificance I now felt was now entirely the doing of my own overwhelmed concerns and imagination. How does one hunt down hundreds of spears over seven oceans, and snap them all?

Doctor Salem was working on it. Maybe she had a plan for a tracking spell.

I was told by Lady Obsidian to get some rest.

 

I told her flatly that wasn't happening.

 

She sighed, and allowed me visitors, but only one at a time. I knew what she was doing. The "only one at a time" rule meant that that I'd be granting audiences like a bed ridden prince rather than just getting it over with in one swoop. Then again, I figured most of the team had better things to do.

 

Boy was I wrong.

 

"So you're okay, right man?" Tornado inquired of me, "Magic is crazy stuff. I once got popped into a dimension where everything was bright red and blue roads, and every cobble stone showed you one of your memories. Going up and down the roads, were feet, no bodies attached to them, but the had mouths where the ankle stumps would be and they would ask you riddles and not even wait for the answers. It was weird, but it sounds like what you went through was worse."

 

"Thank you, Tornado, I'm honestly... okay. I'm just feeling overwhelmed, but I'm not lying in the pit of mystically induced despair anymore. I'm good. I'm recovered, and I can handle anything," I assured him with more bravado than was probably warranted.

 

"Fantastic,"  He smiled, then, then while it didn't turn into a frown, the smile vanished "You took my niece on a date? She's a kid."

 

"Your 'little' niece is twenty, just two years younger than I am?" I pointed out, "So yes, I asked her out. She said yes. Going to the ocean was something she wanted to do, and I could show her things no one else could."

 

"What things?" He said suspiciously.

 

"Barnacles," I told him with a sigh, "Come on man, give me some credit. Do I look or act like a player?"

 

"The good ones never do," He stated matter of fact "She's my blood. You've got family, right? You can't expect me not to get protective."

 

I thought about my own family, particularly the women in it. The ones that had been hurt by some jerk, and the ones who had yet to be hurt but would be putting their hearts on the line. I considered we were in a modern age where we had to recognize the rights of our fairer sex relations to make their own choices.

 

The fact we had to recognize and respect their choices didn't make the protective urges any less genuine.

 

"No, I can't blame you," I said, "All I can do is tell you the truth, that I have never intentionally in my life hurt a woman who put her trust in me. I've screwed up, and I've done it accidentally, yes, but I've never been deliberately cruel."

 

He began to pace, which given he was floating was an odd visual. He didn't quite stay even, so he bopped high at one side of the room, then low at another, and I began to imagine him at one of those primitive blip in an ancient video game folks used to play in the seventies.

 

Tornado glanced over at me, thankfully pausing, "Okay, you're a good guy. That's great. You're a superhero, and she's tempted enough."

 

"Enough?" I must have looked a bit too pleased at the idea she was tempted.

 

"Check the ego, I mean she wants in our world, she wants to fight crime," He said, "And I've tried to shoo her away from it, and she scoots back in. You know that fiery Latina stereotype?"

 

"Yeah?" I raised a brow, "She actually didn't seem like that."

 

"She's not," He nodded, " It would be easier to handle if she were. Her temper would flare up bright and frightening for a moment and then after she petered out, you could handle her again. Ariana isn't 'handled', she's more like water. You think she's soft, that she'll go along, but actually..."

 

"She waits you out, and then finds the way in and takes it anyway, and has a lot more force behind getting places than you ever imagined," I said admiring, "She does keep a level head on her shoulders," I took a deep breath, "Okay, I understand why you'd want her away from this life, it's dangerous, but  Valentino," I said using his name even though he was wearing the mask, "Come on, with you in the biz she's already invested emotionally in the world of supers whether I date her or not. And maybe, even if neither of us was involved, she'd take up the calling if she could. You said it yourself, she's got her own brand of stubbornness."

 

"Well, I don't have to like it," He snorted, "And if you loved her..."

 

"Pump your brakes, I barely know her, though I like what I know," A lot, I thought, "But I don't know her well enough to be using the L word. Come on, man. She clearly has powers."

 

"Not enough," He looked grateful that was the cause, "But I'll let her tell you the details on that one. Just, go easy. She's only twenty. It's possible she's drawn to you because of what you are, not who you are. If she can't be part of our world as one of us, she could be part of it as a romantic interest."

 

I frowned at that, "She's only into me because I breathe water and am super-strong? Is that what you're saying?" At first it sounded insane, but then, I had used my powers to impress her in the first place. And maybe she might be looking for a vicarious kind of belonging on the team she could not, for some reason, join herself.

 

"I don't know that. Subconsciously ? Maybe. I'm saying she's young, idealistic, and brave. She's a kid, and even if you don't mean it intentionally, you could hurt her badly. Let's face it, superheroes are worse than cops and doctors combined when it comes to the time we can devote to a significant other," He said, "You want to put any woman through that?"

 

My mouth opened, and I felt both horrified at the idea of some as yet nebulous love interest waiting, miserable, for the latest newsfeed to tell her if I lived or died, and angry that Tornado seemed to think that because I was a superhero I should die alone and without anyone to come home to. Both reactions were a bit extreme, and I took a deep breath rather than respond.

 

Then again, I was supposed to be trying to be a hero, and that didn't stop when I wasn't wearing the costume. Innocents first.

 

"No, I guess I don't," I frowned, "It was just one date. I can distance myself... for her sake."

 

"What. A . Load. Of. Crap." came from the door way. It was said with such utter disdain that even if the owner of said voice didn't have cold powers, I would have felt a chill.

 

"Hey, Arctic Fox, one at time," Tornado said irritably, "That was Lady Obsidian's orders."

 

"I assure you," The queen of cold and ice said loftily, "If Dr. Vernon had just heard the utter drivel tripping out of both of your mouths right now, she would shake my hand for this intervention. Valentino, your niece is what, three years younger than you, four?"

 

"Something like that," He shrugged, "I'm not sure what your..."

 

"I've seen you date girls her age, in both costume and not," Arctic Fox went on, "But Ariana, who has more sense than some thirty year old women I know is a delicate Mex-american flower who can't stand the first harsh winds of romance gone wrong? She's twenty, and by now,  she's had at least one crush that ended up crushing her. Possibly hard. Given your juvenile manipulations of a man you claim as a team mate and friend, I can can see why she wouldn't tell you about that."

 

"Hey, go easy on the guy," I found myself defending Valentino.

 

"No," Tornado's jaw set, "Maybe I am too protective and ...too close to the situation. Fine, later Caleb. Sorry, for... coming out of the gate with this one, " He moved past Fox with a dirty glare and moved on.

 

"He was just looking after his own," I said to her after Tornado was gone. I was surprised. Arctic Fox was the one member of the team I wasn't expecting a visit from.

 

"And that makes it right how?" Arctic Fox snorted, "If Ariana knew he'd tried that, 'fiery latina' or not, she'd have his ass and he'd deserve it," She had folders in her hand, but didn't hand them over yet, "Do you like Ariana?"

 

"Yeah, but the danger..."

 

"Let me try again, in your own language," She put two fingers together against her mouth and gave a pretty piercing whistle that made me whistle before saying in the worst imitation of a Southern Accent I have heard,  "Hey Bubba, you think that there latina philly is nice and purrty? Then you should see if she wants to mosey on over to the footbridge after dark!"

 

I winced at the pitch of the whistle and glared at the accent, "Do you have to be a b*tch?" 

 

"No, it's a life style choice I merely gravitate towards, but it gets people to listen," She took a deep breath, "Look, it's no secret I would rather have my boyfriend on this team than you. But you are a part of the team whether I like it or not,  and even you weren't, the idea that we should avoid love of all things is poisonous. Love isn't something you run from, Love is something you strive for. You open a little bit more each day, and the person you're with, he or she does the same, and then hopefully, once both of you have seen all the crazy in each other, rather than be repulsed, you...join, and I'm not talking sex. You hold onto each other and you stand no matter what against the world. That's what love is supposed to be. That's the dream, the only dream worth having in this crapsack world as far as I'm concerned. And it is not a reason to not save the world, it's a reason to save it, because with love and only love is this stupid planet worth saving."

 

I was stunned. I had not thought of her as a romantic. I mean, yes, I knew she had a guy she was gaga over, but that was still not what I expected, "So does everyone on this team have someone, or are you the lucky one?" I said, and I didn't mock when I said it. 

 

"Just me," She smiled sadly for a second, clearly glad at her own fortune, and sad that others didn't have what she has, "Valentino plays the field, and plays it well, probably afraid of commitment. But that might be my own biases involved. I like him, but men." 

 

I smirked at that, "Oh yeah, we suck."

 

"Fine, obviously men are no more monolithic than the more sensible sex, but I reserve the right to gloat the day Tornado meets his match and ends up wrapped around some woman's finger," She said sans mercy.

 

"Mean," I said, but smiled.

 

"If she's a good woman, he'll count his lucky stars," She added, "As for Doctor Vernon, she dates. At her age it's easy to dismiss her romancing days as done, but as she hinted earlier..."

 

"That was a hint?" I inquired thinking the comments on Denzel before but Fox went on.

 

"...She's not dead yet," There was admiration in her voice, "She's also a lady old school so if there's some peer at those science meets or senior superhero gatherings she's seeing, I'm out of the loop on that one."

 

"And here I thought you two were at loggerheads," I muttered.

 

"Logger what? speak a real language," She told me.

 

"It means you seem to argue a lot," I sighed at the lack of education big city superheroes had.

 

"Yeah, we do. Because I think I'm right and she's wrong on some things. If I didn't respect her, I'd do what I'd want and not even bother listening to her, but I do, so I argue," Her expression indicated worry that I wasn't very bright.

 

"And Pinprick? He mentioned an Ex..." I started to say.

 

"I hope she rots in hell," Arctic Fox said before the full question had left my mouth.

 

"Whoa," I blinked, "What did she do? Cheat on him?"

 

"Eventually in every way possible," Fox answered with such seething contempt that I was very glad it wasn't directed at me, "I shouldn't be surprised you don't know. Pinprick might make jokes about her when Glen isn't about, you know, those little jokes we tell because they're true and we hope the truth will hurt less? But even then he tries to stay out of the habit of openly talking trash about her because she's the mother of his son. And he never, ever, even jokes about her where Glen can hear."

 

"Well, that's...decent of him," I said curious as hell as to what the lady had done or not done. I guess Arctic Fox picked up on it, because she went on.

 

"She swore through good and bad, sickness and health..." Arctic Fox explained, "then he had his origin. He came out shrunk down, and feeling like a freak. She agreed with the feeling and left him. She took their son with her, and he had to go through hell to prove he was a person let alone the boy's father and fit enough to be so. She left him because she was embarrassed by his new stature and couldn't handle the scrutiny. She told the courts it was 'traumatic' for her. For her! " The temperature in the room was dropping, "And she lied whatever lies it took to try to keep Pinprick from being able to see Glen. Pinprick's ex didn't just bail on him, she betrayed him utterly. Frankly, I've met supervillains with more honor. If I could vote other females off the Island of womenhood? She'd have been sucking water a loooong time ago. You don't swear to love and cherish and then pull that crap and get a pass from me. I don't care if it's on some team mate or a man or woman I don't even know. You. Don't. Do. That."

 

"Sometimes people divorce," I said, stunned at the heat in her words even as it was accompanied by a chill, "Sometimes marriages are a mistake."

 

"I know that," she raised a brow, and the cold backed off, "My own family has more than one. And I feel sorry for those who find it necessary, but there's divorce, and there's betrayal. One does not have to be the other. Someone else's heart is a sacred trust."

 

She put the folders in my hands, "Sacred." She said in one word as if this discussion was over.

 

"You didn't strike me as the church going type," I admitted.

 

"I'm not," She shrugged, "I don't believe in God. It doesn't mean I don't have a sense of the sacred. Now read those."

 

"Sure," I said, "What am I reading?" The papers were notes on , what was this, T shirt patterns, action figures?  And the first pages some kind of trademark clarifications for New Samaritan Non profit?

 

"Ways and means to protect your super identity from becoming some other company's trademark," She answered.

 

"Wait, they can do that?" I blinked.

 

"Of course, I thought you were into history, surely you remember the Emerald Avenger and what happened to him?" 

 

I winced, "Yeah, some company trademarked his name and costume and then put legal papers and motions out restricting his use of it."

 

"Do you want that to happen to you?" She raised a brow.

 

"No," I admitted, "But, this feels a bit like selling out."

 

"There are options in there to have proceeds from your action figure sales and t shirts to go any charity you like, either all of it or a percentage. So unless you really think helping St. Jude's or Project Innocence or the Make a Wish foundation is 'selling out'..." She shrugged.

 

"No, I get it," I was overwhelmed by this. How much would be greedy? Did I really need a job after all? What charities should I give it to? As much to buy myself thinking time, I asked, "If Pinprick's Ex tried to screw him over so he couldn't even see Glen, how does he have visiting rights?"

 

"If I had to guess, it would be because he got rich with investments after the divorce and she couldn't touch the money, oh, and he hired a real attorney, one of the best divorce lawyers in California," a smirk, "Who threatened to take the story mega public and portray her as the atrocious and traitorous spineless b*tch she is."

 

"Pinprick would never do that," I countered, "Because it might hurt Glen."

 

"She didn't know him well enough to realize that," Arctic Fox answered, "Sad, isn't it?" 

 

Then she noticed me sussing the papers out, "Relax, you don't have to sign it right away, think it over, and if you need me to I'll walk you through it later," She started to leave, "Don't tell Pinprick I discussed his dirty laundry so much with you. I hate being shrunk."

 

"Promise," I said, then something in the paper work caught my eye, "Hey! Some of this is to trademark "Fish Guy" as well as Eel? And next to Eel there's a notation of..what is this?"

 

"First of all, you may not like the name Fish Guy, but even if you don't it's got Brand power now thanks to your exploits," She said at the door, "Secondly, you might might to reconsider the name Eel. It's not testing well."

 

"Not testing well?" I gaped at her, "It's a sea creature, like me. I can even..."

 

"No one cares, Eels are slimy and gross. I suggest go with Fish Guy or find something new," Arctic Fox's amber eyes locked onto mine, "If you want to have any marketability at all."

 

"But..." I protested.

 

"Slimy," She said withdrawing, "and gross."

[Kaeto]

Nice to see Fox has a good side.

[aylwin13]

Oooh, people/relationship-type stuff. One of my favorite parts of books/comics/role-playing. Your characters are fleshing-out nicely.

 

I'm really enjoying Fish-guy. Maybe one day it will be a comic or a CW TV show.  

[Hermit]

Nice to see Fox has a good side.

 

I think "Mean Girl for Justice" continues to suit her, but it felt good to peel back a bit of her and find out where  she stands. She's harsh in a lot of ways, but the intensity is tied to some idealism after all.

 

 

Oooh, people/relationship-type stuff. One of my favorite parts of books/comics/role-playing. Your characters are fleshing-out nicely.

 

I'm really enjoying Fish-guy. Maybe one day it will be a comic or a CW TV show.  

 

If I could draw, I'd probably see if Image was interested. And I like some CW superhero shows despite their flaws so I sure wouldn't say no but I doubt they'd go for a lack of brand recognition

 

Of course, if it became a comic I'd have to scramble to down play the inner commentary on Fish Guy's behalf. Otherwise I'd make Claremont look down right laconic.

 

Thanks for the compliments, and I'm glad you're enjoying the fleshing out moments. I'm trying to give glimpses (Some subtle, some not so much) into who they are, and what they value.