by Brandy Gaye
The next day after work, Victor decided it was well past time that Sam met Maurice. Maurice had already inquired about Victor's new "friend" several times anyway. So it was only fitting that the two people who were now closest to him were introduced. Victor took Sam to Maurice's apartment so they would be able to speak freely without fear of being overheard in public.
"It's about time he brought you to meet me," Maurice said. "I was beginning to worry you were a side effect of trauma."
"Well, I am very real. And pleased to meet you." She handed him a small plate covered in foil. "Victor said you liked these so we whipped some up."
Maurice peaked beneath the foil and inhaled the aroma of homemade gooey butter cookies. "Yes Victor, she's a keeper."
"I know. Not every girl is good enough for me."
"So, Vic tells me you volunteer down at the prison. What made you decide to do that?"
"Oh, um. Well? After my friend's mom was put away unjustly, I thought there might be more people that needed someone to help them."
"Very noble. And you're right. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people in prison who would be better served at mental institutions. A lot of them come out of the system worse for the wear."
"Yes," Sam noted. "I know."
Maurice sensed the sensitivity of the subject and changed it. "Did Victor tell you I was a hero?"
Sam's eyes widened. "No!"
Maurice nodded proudly and then he eyed Vic severely. "Thanks a lot. Proud of me, huh?"
"I hadn't gotten around to it," Vic defended.
Maurice went on. "Well it just so happens I was the Karate Cowboy."
"You still are, Maury." Victor added.
"Get out!" Samantha exclaimed. "Karate Cowboy took down Dr. Gladys. She was like the super villain of super villains! Victor, how could you not have told me that this was your friend?"
"I hadn't gotten around to it! Geez! There's more going on in my life than just you two!" He realized the absurdity of the statement after he'd made it. "Well, I have been fighting a lot of crime."
"About that," Maurice began, "any news on the Ball Bombing?"
Victor shook his head. "No and it's not for lack of trying. I've made so many lowlifes pee their pants I'm surprised the streets aren't yellow. But no amount of interrogation or intimidation has yielded any results. All I know is that The Mob Boss is looking for who is responsible as well."
"Yes, I bet losing all those corrupt politicians has put a damper on his pocketbook," Maurice said. "I had a meeting with Mayor Bombay. She's still not quite over the flu she's had the poor thing is just grateful that it saved her life. As deputy mayor she was supposed to be at the ball. She said this wasn't how she wanted to win the mayor's seat. She is more angry than sad. Her aura gives that away. I know she wants to ever was responsible to be brought in. But she's also glad to be mayor."
"She's run four times and always lost by a mile. I like her too though," Victor admitted. "She's pro-superhero so that can only be a good thing. We haven't had a straight mayor in quite some time. The higher-ups were all pretty cliquey and she didn't have the financial support to win them over. Disgusting but true."
"Yes," Maurice answered "she and I agreed that we will make a good team when I win. She already has a special task force picked out to find whoever was that killed your family, Vic. She knows this is personal for me too."
The doorbell to the apartment rang and the pizza was delivered. Over dinner they talked about lighter topics like movies and food. Maurice shared several stories about Victor learning to use his powers much to Victor's chagrin.
Near the end of the evening it was decided that Captain Famous should indeed pay a visit to The Mob Boss. Victor didn't like the idea but they had run out of options. If the biggest crime lord in the city couldn't help point them in the right direction they feared things would be hopeless.
Samantha thanked Maurice again for dinner and sincerely hoped they could do it again soon. She desperately wanted to introduce her parents to Victor but it would be a big burden on them to keep his secret. They would definitely recognize him because her father was a bit of a conspiracy theorist and followed the police ball bombing story. He had all sorts of crazy ideas about who was responsible for it. On second thought, she and Victor maybe should pick her father's brain. There might be something there after all that they hadn't thought of.
The Mob Boss wouldn't be found so easily. Captain Famous checked with all the local dive bars with no luck. He left word with each of them that he wanted to speak with the crime king. He was particularly suspicious of a girl with cat ears in one of them and made a mental note.
It took two days but finally, Mayor Bombay alerted channel 7 that she needed to speak with Captain Famous. Sheila Gibbs relayed the message via the airwaves and Victor showed up to her office. He had not met her in person yet. Not even when she had been deputy mayor. She was petite, a few years older than him and attractive with dark hair, bronze skin and a pleasant fruity scent.
She welcomed him into her office and closed the door. After sniffling and apologizing for still having flu remnants, she went on. "Thank you for coming. And thank you for everything you've done so far for the city. Maurice speaks very highly of you. I suspect he knows who you really are but I'm going to do us all a favor and not dig for that information. Ignorance can be bliss," she smiled. Her smile disappeared as she handed him a note. "This was brought to me this morning. It was found in an abandoned car with a broken body."
Victor read the note.
"Captain Famous, I do apologize for the crass way I've delivered this. Please pay no attention to the body. That is just personal business. Never borrow money you can't pay back. I would wonder when people would learn that but I hope they don't. I look forward to meeting you in person. At midnight follow the bird." Victor looked up from the note. "Follow what bird?"
The mayor shrugged. "You know how he is. He likes to play his games right under everybody's nose. In any case, I'm going to let you handle it. I've got too much on my plate as it is and let's face it you have more of a chance of getting something out of him than anybody else."
"Do you want this back?" He handed out the paper.
"No, keep it. I'm literally up to my eyeballs in paperwork." She gestured to a stack of paper behind her that was indeed as tall as she was. "But I did want to meet you so thanks for coming and thanks for everything you've done so far for the city."
"I'm glad to do it ma'am."
"You should go with me to see The Mob Boss," Victor told Samantha that evening.
"We already talked about this. I am not superhero material."
"But you can pack quite a punch. I'm sure I have a weakness and it would be just like the Mob Boss to accidentally discover it while I'm alone with him and his goons."
"Really? You don't have any known weaknesses?"
"The key word is 'known' and it's kind of scary. I'm not afraid to admit it. I don't even know where I came from."
"That bother you? I mean, not knowing where you came from. Being adopted."
"You are playing psychiatrist again."
"Kind of, but it is a very common question to ask adopted kids and I am curious."
Victor shrugged. "Up until a few days ago I've lived an extremely charmed life. Obviously whoever gave me up did it for my own good. They dropped me off on the doorstep of the police station."
"Do you think they knew you had powers? Whoever gave you up?"
"I'll probably never know and honestly I'm okay with that. I ended up with seven parents who protected me and loved me. Some kids don't even have one."
"You're not a normal kid."
Victor heaved another shrug. "I can't argue my awesome factor. But enough about me. Back to you. I want you to go with me. I want back up."
"I just don't know. I have a lot of laundry to do what with the guest bedroom being used and all."
"I don't have to use the guest bedroom forever do I?"
She'd walked right into that one.
"Victor, I've only really known you for a couple of weeks. What kind of girl do you take me for?"
"A good one apparently."
They both laughed. It's not that Sam didn't want to take the next step but Victor hadn't really made any moves since that first night he stayed. She appreciated it in hindsight but she had to let go of her past and her insecurities and be strong.
"They'll be a spot right next to me when you get back from your meeting with The Mob Boss."
"Half a night," he bobbed his head thoughtfully, "it's a start."
She flicked some water at him from the sink and he gasped.
Samantha turned on him, worried. "What is it?"
He began to shrink.
Samantha panicked as he moaned. "I'm shrinking! Help!"
As he grew smaller and smaller Samantha began to cry. "I don't know what to do! What happened!"
"You must have found my weakness! It must be dish soap!"
"You use this dish soap all the time!"
He shrank smaller. He was now only a foot tall. "Say you'll come with me tonight! It's the only way!"
She was on to him now and she didn't appreciate it. She dumped a bowl full of soapy water on his head. "I want a full list of everything you can do. That was not funny."
Laughing, he quickly returned to normal size. "It was though."
"No. It wasn't"
He spun quickly to dry off, flicking water on her as he did so. Before she could complain about that he grabbed her and kissed her in such a way that she forgot everything. That kiss sealed the deal. There was no going back now.
She decided to accompany him to his meeting anyway. The kiss, and what followed, had been very persuasive. He insisted that she wear a mask at the least. She had an old, orange eye mask that she donned and, just to be fashionable, she wore a white Jacket and orange pants. As the clock ticked closer to midnight they still wondered what kind of bird they were supposed to follow. At 11:59 the roar of a plane filled their ears.
"Need I remind you that I cannot fly," Samantha offered.
"Did you ever want to?"
She couldn't lie.
He picked her up outside and just like that they were in the air. "This is amazing."
"I know. It's so nice to finally have somebody to share it with."
She hugged him tighter and they flew on for quite some time. They left city airspace and somewhere over the countryside the plane ejected a small box attached to a parachute. They decided it wasn't a good idea to grab it out of midair so they met it on the ground. The little wooded box fell apart upon impact revealing yet another note. Victor knelt down and read it without touching it.
"Turn around."
He and Samantha did so only to be greeted by The Mob Boss and several of his colorful goons. They each had on suits in varying shades of red, but none so bright as their boss.
Samantha spoke first. "Where did you come from?"
"We all have our secrets my dear."
Victor protectively took a step forward. "This is where you want to talk?"
"I find the night air refreshing and I find the solitude reassuring. With your ability to fly I thought you may be more comfortable out in the open. I mean you no harm Captain. In fact we are after the same thing at the moment which is why I agreed to this meeting. You see I have lost a lot of money with the deaths of certain, corruptible public officials, as you must know. I can give you a description of a man who I think is involved but my people have yet to track him down. Perhaps you will have better luck."
"The mad scientist you brushed off."
The Mob Boss didn't bother to hide the surprise from his face. "My, you do have powers. Yes. However you know of him is no matter. I want him found dead or alive and there is a bounty so you may have some competition."
"All you have is a description? Something beyond scruffy I hope?"
"I must have the name of your informant. Yes. In fact, I have a picture."
He held out a black and white photo of a dark, wiry man with hair styled by an electrical socket and clothes too big for his thin frame. "I take surveillance very seriously at my establishments."
Victor nearly bored a hole in the paper, racking his brain, trying to recognize the face.
"You understand," The Mob Boss continued, "I wanted to deal with him on my own. But because he has eluded me, perhaps the public can be of more assistance."
"I have a couple of contacts at the station," Victor said. "I can run this for facial recognition."
"No need. Not all of my little minions died in that explosion. There was no match. I thought, perhaps, you may have already picked him up and he's rotting away in the new city jail, otherwise known as the old city hospital."
"No. I'd recognize him."
"Manners have eluded, you, Captain. You have neglected to introduce me to your moll."
Samantha sniggered at the suggestion, and quite technically, the truth that she and Victor were criminals.
"Oh, she's not my moll," Vic casually stated as he examined the photo. "She's my backup."
Samantha couldn't resist. She'd never really been able to let go before and she whooshed one of the goons away with nary a flick of her mind.
The Mob Boss didn't glance away from her. "Impressive. You heroes are going to be a problem, aren't you?"
Victor looked up at him. "Eventually. But for right now let's find this crackpot."
"This is personal for you isn't it, Captain?" The Mob Boss suggested.
"Any crime committed in the city is personal to me, sir."
"Yes well I just don't want it to be forgotten that I cooperated in this instance."
Victor smiled. "I won't forget it, but as far as I'm concerned, as a citizen it is your duty to cooperate in this instance."
The Mob Boss bowed his head. "Of course, Captain."
"You can contact me via the mayor if you have anything to report. She knows how to get a hold of me."
"Everyone does, Captain. Miss Gibbs prides herself on being your personal PR director."
"Right. Well, I'll be in touch."
"I do hope so."
Victor picked up Sam and flew back to her home, disappointed that all he received was a picture of the offender but excited that he would not be sleeping alone tonight.
The emergency elections were to be decided tomorrow. The people would vote in the new DA and new positions would be finalized within the police and fire departments. Mayor Bombay had already chosen a new deputy mayor and recruits for the police force were being pushed through training and certification.
Nine days had passed since the Ball Bombing and the city was just finding its feet again. Thanks to Captain Famous, the streets were clean of criminal commotion and the citizens were safer than they had been in years. Maurice won the DA slot by a landslide due to Captain Famous's backing and Tate took the loss like a gentleman. He and Maurice even hugged on stage in front of the cameras. And truly, Tate didn't seem too upset to go back to his post at the city council. After all, the DA needed approval from the council to do many things in this town. There would still be bumps to overcome. The police station had bounced back after days of funerals and memorials. There were still a few memorials to come but for the most part, goodbyes had been said and people were back at work full strength. The new police commissioner was a relatively young officer by the name of Sean Dashbord. He'd climbed his ranks almost as fast as Victor had and excelled at Detective and SWAT. Victor had focused mainly on SWAT work when not patrolling. The title of commish had never really appealed to him. Most of the veterans had been at the ball and so pickings had been somewhat slim when it came to promotions. Mayor Bombay oversaw them and after she and the city council had poured over the applicants, Dashbord was chosen to lead the Law Enforcement Agency.
Victor had known of Officer Dashbord, but had never met him. His reputation was solid, however, as a good cop and a family man. A few new Captains were also elected and several Lieutenants and Sergeants promoted. A call was pu
t out for new recruits to the police academy, with the added bonus of full paid tuition for qualified graduates.
Victor was glad of one thing; he wasn't in the middle of that mess.
As for the scruffy little scientist, his picture was plastered all over the city and on every website, blog, billboard, outhouse and milk carton they could put it.
He never surfaced.
The Mob Boss remained adamantly defensive of anyone who accused him of hurting the little guy. He still wanted his vengeance, too, after all.
As weeks went on, Samantha worried about Victor and his lack of justice for those responsible for killing his family and friends. but Vic cried when he had to, fought crime when needed and remained a strong well of confidence. He had unwavering faith that those responsible would eventually be found out. No one could keep a crime like that quiet forever.
He came home one night in a particularly giddy mood. He'd just been with Maurice and it made her suspicious. "And just what were you two up to?"
"Just an idea," Vic kissed her.
"Oh dear."
"Well, since Maurice finally got the ban lifted on super heroes, we were thinking of something big."
"Riiiight...?"
"A league of heroes. A united team. Organized super crime fighting."
"Didn't they try that decades ago?"
"Yes. When Maurice first started out, but he recognizes the mistakes they made and he's confident that we can do it better."
"So he's coming out of retirement? Will he not be DA anymore?"
"Oh no. He's through crime fighting. At least on the big scale."
"So who is this 'we'?"
"Well, you know there've been several people to come out since this who thing started and there are still some old timers who still play the game."
"I still don't like where this is going."
"Sam, seriously. You have a gift."
"Here we go."
"You've already been training with Maury-"
"That's just to trim up this tummy--"
"You like using your powers. I know you do."
"That doesn't mean--"
"Start GALA with me."
"--that I, what? Who now?"
"GALA. The Guardians And Allies Looking After America."
Samantha had been rendered speechless.
"Come on Sam. If I do this alone, I'll be away from you too much. And I know you can't live without my charm for more than ten minutes."
"Victor, this is insane. You can't run a...a...whatever this is."
"And why not? I'm dead. I don't have a lot of other prospects. At least this way I can still be out in the world making a difference. And did you forget that I led a very successful SWAT team?"
"You are out making a difference. The ban just got lifted. You're a free super being now."
"It's not enough." His tone changed severely. "You said it yourself. There's a piece of me missing that will never fill. I have to keep striving for something better. Something more."
"And when you've peaked? And you will peak. Then what?" Sam tried to make him see reason. She suddenly was very worried.
"Once I've gone as high as I can go an done everything I can do, I'll know it. But until then, I can't stop climbing. I could never stop. Before the bombing, I held the record for the youngest ever to receive a Lieutenants rank in this city. I can do so much more for not only the city, but the country. Maybe even the world with GALA."
"So what? If I refuse to do this with you, you're going to break up with me?"
"What? No! Of course not. "
"Then fine. Do what you have to. I would never deny you anything that you need to cope with your loss. But you forget. My best friend is a super villain."
Victor rolled his eyes. "Here we go."
"And I know you hate the fact that I consider him my brother but that happened a long time ago and there's nothing you can do about it. I would hope that you would be able to understand that family has nothing to do with blood."
"Of course I do, but--"
"So I cannot, in very good conscience, become a super hero, now, can I?"
"Pft. I know who he is and I'm doing it."
"You would also arrest him if given the chance. I would not."
"Sam--"
"The answer is no. It was hard enough to decide to date you in the first place but this is too much. I'm sorry."
Victor took a quiet minute while Sam went back to her book. She wasn't reading it, of course. Her mind was too busy trying to comprehend what was going on here. She didn't have terribly long to dwell on it before her boyfriend spoke up.
"You're right, you know."
She breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"About me arresting him."
Her anxiety rose again but she let Vic prattle on.
"I will take him out the first chance I get. I think we all know that. But if you were with me, if you had a better pulse on this city and knew how to deter him before it got that far..." Vic trailed off and Samantha slammed her book down on her lap.
"Seriously? You're going to bully me into doing this?"
Victor sat down next to her. "You haven't even heard from the little weasel in weeks. Come on. Look at me and tell me that you didn't get a huge thrill from sweeping that Mob goon across the field. Even Darrin doesn't deny himself use of his powers. Samantha, I don't need you. We both know that. But I do want you. Isn't that better?"
She thought hard for a long minute. "If I have to do this to keep Darrin safer, then I will. But I do not appreciate your tact in this situation."
"You don't have to appreciate it. You'll thank me later."
"Sometimes, that arrogance of yours does grate."
"I love you." He kissed her quickly and wasted no time calling Maurice. "Ya! She's in. Nah, she's excited! Really!"
He left the room, still on the phone and Sam shook her head wondering what new disaster she'd just gotten herself into.
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