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The Sight You See (BBS Superhero Au)

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch4

Chapter 5: Chime of a Bell (also on Ao3)

Brock rubbed his temples, keeping his phone a distance away from his ear. “I hear you, Evan. You don’t have to shout.”

“But Brock! We have no idea when they are going to strike next, we have to be ready!” Evan argued, sounding a tinge hysterical. He knew the other’s concerns were sound, but to be honest, Brock was exhausted.

He and his teammates have been on high alert since the van incident a week before. The clean up took forever to complete. He was getting a headache just thinking about the moment where they had to convince the city to pay for the damage. The reinforcements had the gall to try and force the bill on them. And they almost got their way, too.

The Mayor was all too keen on passing them the responsibility, stringing the idea that since they had a hand on the damage, they should cover the expenses. His arrogance nearly triggered Tyler, who had to be held down by Anthony before he threw reason out the window and strangled the gross pig.

They were saved by Scotty in the knick of time, who nonchalantly threw his arms over the Mayor and pulled him to the side. Scotty commented calmly that if they had to be responsible for other’s actions, then the Mayor himself should more than happily follow his own advice.

The other man pushed Scotty off and haughtily replied he had no idea what they were talking about. The hero gave him a lopsided smile, replying with a little ‘oh?’ before swinging his backpack over and reaching for his laptop. He only gave a few clicks on the thing before he spun the screen around for the Mayor to see, smile positively pleased. Brock had no idea what those numbers meant on the tiny screen but whatever it was had the Mayor turning a shade a white he didn’t know was possible to turn to. He has never seen someone become so pale before; it was safe to say Scotty had him singing a different tune.

The team were able to clean up and help remove rubble from the freeway without worrying about the expenses. No thanks to the police, who only wrote their reports in those tiny notepads of theirs before becoming scarce, leaving the mess for the heroes, sanitation workers, construction workers, and the generous volunteers who helped navigate traffic away from the scene.

“Great work, guys,” Brock had grumbled as the police cars disappeared in the distance, lost in the sea of people curiously watching them on the sidelines. Marcel, Evan, and David took the remaining stolen equipment back to headquarters while he, Anthony, Tyler, and Scotty dealt with the cleanup.

Brock would have thrown a fit about the roles if the former team hadn’t been swarmed by the media. He couldn’t see his teammates through the flashes of the cameras, he could still see the white dots flickering in his visions from those bright lights and it has been a week since then. He was exhausted when they finally made it back to headquarters; all he wanted to do was crash onto their (relatively destroyed) couch and sleep for the rest of his life.

However, the moment they stepped through the door, their composure broke.

“This is bad, this is very bad,” Anthony had begun, looking quite unsettled.

They all gathered around the conference table with various degrees of panic, for the most part, lost for words.

They appeared.

Brock nor his teammates couldn’t believe it.

Terroriser.

Mad Ladd.

Mega Monkey.

Three of the most wanted men in the country, three of the most dangerous men in the country; it was fucked in all the wrong ways.

All of them were suspicious of the three’s sudden appearance; the villains have been under the radar for over three months now. Why choose to return only to hijack another thief’s scheme?

And to make matters worse, the three had somehow become a bit stronger than the last time Brock had faced them. Their attacks had more bite, their forms cleaner. The increase in their ability was not a significant amount but the fact that they were improving at all was worrying. Hell, Mega Monkey was able to handle his own against Tyler, who could bring even the mightiest men to their knees with a single kick and still be able to fight David at the same time.

Brock was surprised to see Mad Ladd in the action at all, the telekinesis user preferring to hide in the shadows while his powers did all the work. No, the man was in the front lines for once, attacking them head-on while protecting his partners from the heroes.

God, partners.

Brock couldn’t believe it.

He never thought he would see the day that the three would be working together over a heist. He never thought they would work together at all. None of them was the friendly type towards their fellow bad guys, each working alone instead of having sidekicks or henchmen to do their bidding. They would take down their own if it meant having the glory and Brock has seen those times where the three had fought one another over the same score.

Especially Mega Monkey.

Mega Monkey was notorious for stringing people together in his schemes, manipulating them to do their bidding and milking all their worth in one fell swoop before tossing them like trash after he no longer needed them. Tongue so smooth with even quicker fingers, the hybrid had taken down notorious mafia families just so he could sit down on their throne of money. Fanning himself with a line of cash while standing over a pile of corpses.

The fortunes he has built up from this ploy were in the millions; Brock wouldn’t be surprised if it was in the billions. Nobody in the crime world wanted to work for him, too afraid to be robbed themselves. He was like the devil himself; luring them in with promises of glory and riches all wrapped nicely in a neat package if they followed his commands. Only for the fools to wake up alone in the middle of nowhere with merely the clothes on their backs and the taste of bile in their mouths.

But all of this paled in comparison to the biggest shock of them all.

Delirious.

Delirious was with them.

The Delirious who strikes without warning. The Delirious who has outwitted on every turn, mocking them with his chilly laughter. The Delirious who only appears in a mist of misery with a chilling cackle and a shadow of a demon looming behind him. He was there with the three villains. He had helped them escape and led them to safety.

No, that’s not right. Commanded them to safety.

Somehow in some way, Delirious had united those three together under his rule.

“Do you think he’s trying to gather them together? To pull off something big?” Marcel had asked, tapping the table nervously.

None of them had a single clue. If Delirious was trying to put together his own force against them then they couldn’t let their guard down. He was already a dangerous threat, now with some of the biggest names of Los Santos history under him, he is beyond a threat. If Ohmwrecker or the late Kryoz get wind of this plot then Team Seven were in big trouble.

He and his teammates tried to gather information on the items the villains were trying to steal from the criminals but it was futile. The stolen foods were bags of cash, jewellery, and tech equipment worth thousands of dollars. Nothing stood out to them. In fact, the goods had felt beneath the likes of those villains. The money in those bags was pennies compared to the fortune Mega Monkey had stored up and the jewellery was useless to Mad Ladd and Terroriser.

Scotty had scanned the salvageable computer equipment from the flood for any malware of information that the villains could have wanted but it came back negative. It didn’t make any sense. What made this crap so important that those four would attack another man’s scheme when they could easily get their hands on this junk someplace else with far less effort? It drove them all insane.

Marcel couldn’t stop mentioning how frustrated he was that he did not make in time to help them fight. If he had got there on time, he could have used one of Scotty’s gadgets to place a tracker on the villains before they got away. Not that it would have made any difference. With Delirious there, he would have found the device before it could be useful and destroy it.

It didn’t matter anymore.

What was important is that they now have to double their efforts to keep Los Santos safe. If four of the cities worst villains are teaming up then it only meant something big was coming, and it definitely wasn’t anything good.

After a full week of paranoia and what if, what if, what if; Brock couldn’t take it anymore.

He asked Marcel to cover him for his daily patrol over downtown for the night, exhaustion winning out over his duty. Thankfully, Marcel understood and agreed to it, shuffling Brock out the door with an easy smile and a promise to see each other the next morning. Brock had tailed out of there as fast as he could, abusing his wings to fly over street lights and traffic laws to get him as quickly as he could.

It was worth having Evan screech in his ears after realising the other had left when he saw the familiar sight of his apartment building, it’s glowing lights and trashy parking lot almost welcoming as he landed in front of it, the darkness of the night shielding his wings from any prying eyes.

“Evan, we can talk some more tomorrow. I’m already home,” he said tiredly, resting his head against the elevator with a sigh. Evan must have heard how winded he was because he stopped his scolding, his own sigh echoing through the phone.

“...Yeah, you’re right. Sorry, I know I’m being annoying. It’s just with the whole Delirious thing-”

“I get it, don’t worry,” Brock reassured, chest swelling as the elevator slowed down to a stop, his floor number illuminating gently above his head. “I’ll lead the patrol tomorrow to make up for leaving early today, deal?”

He could hear Evan grumble over the receiver and it made him smile.

“Fine. But, I better not hear you complaining that Tyler is being mean to you. You know how he gets in the mornings.”

“I’ll prepare myself in advance,” Brock teased.

The two said their goodbyes and Brock finally stuffed his phone in his pocket, quickening his pace the moment the elevator doors opened. He nearly sobs in relief when he sees his apartment number, the number 404 above his door faded in a yellow-y gold. He shuffles inside with a groan, using the door to too keep himself up. He didn’t realise how heavy his legs were. They nearly gave out after the door closed behind him, too worn out to support his weight any longer.

He took a moment to rest there, pressing the back of his head against the door and relishing in the cold it brought him. God, he was so tempted to stay right there, the cool touch of the door felt too good to leave. He stood there for a few moments longer, the thought of sleeping there by the doorway becoming more and more appealing by the second.

However, the lights suddenly turn on and he lifts his head, squinting his eyes from the brightness of the room. The tiredness he felt lifted from his limbs the instant he saw his boyfriend of three years pop his head from the kitchen entryway, brown hair damp on his forehead and a little red towel slung over his shoulder.

Energy filled his legs and Brock straightened. He drags himself over to the kitchen and once he was in front of his boyfriend, dropped his entire weight on him. He smiled happily to himself when the other simply opened his arms and tucked him close.

“Brian…” Brock sighed in content, snuggling his face in the side of the other’s neck.

“What happened, did you have a rough day?” Brian murmured, lifting his left hand over the back of Brock’s neck and massaged it gently. Brock mumbled appreciatively, groaning when those talented fingers dug on a particular knot.

“You could say that,” he replied.

“With all the dumbasses running around, you must have an endless supply of patients,” Brian teased, softly tilting Brock’s head to the side so he could get better access.

Brock laughed nervously, “uh, yeah. You know, the usual.”

Guilt stabbed at his heart like daggers as he relayed his fake day to Brian, the guilt only deepening at the way Brian listened with rapt attention while he massaged his neck. To his boyfriend, Brock was a nurse at Los Santos hospital. It was the cover story given to him by those idiotic Agents when he first joined Team Seven. Because of his duty as a hero, he could not devote time to an actual everyday job. He never knew when the city needed him and having other responsibilities could only hinder him if a crisis hits.

Luckily, his ‘job’ paid well so he didn’t have to worry about being able to support himself and his partner. And he had great connections at the actual hospital so if someone were to ask for him the staff is trained to say that he was busy with a patient or is assisting in surgery.

However, this only furthered his guilt when he had to lie to his partner about his career, especially during the times Brian went to the hospital to visit him or leave him lunch before being dismissed by the staff.

So, Brock did his best to not talk about his ‘career’ as much as possible.

“How was your day?” he asked instead, perking up from his position, “did you get that internship after all?” The fact that he was asking that now made him angry.

Because of those stupid villains, he has been away from home for long hours and when he does come home, Brian was already fast asleep. He couldn’t see him in the mornings either because of their budding schedules. He was seriously thinking about strangling Evan and the others for stressing him out so much.

Brian finished the massage and rested his hands around Brock’s waist, humming unsurely. “Well… it didn’t go well at first. I almost thought I didn’t get it.”

“Yeah? What happened?” Brock asked curiously.

“Uhh, well… I kind of got cocky and messed with one of the engines. Aaaaannnd, I made it explode.”

“You what?! Are you okay?” Brock cupped his cheeks in concern.

Brian placed his hands over his with a laugh, “I’m fine, the explosion wasn’t big so there was little damage. Besides, this was a week ago. If I had any injuries, they would have been healed already.” He said that in a joking tone but his words struck Brock with more guilt. He really has been missing a lot. “But despite my fuck-up, I still got it! I start full time on Monday.”

Brock smiled, “that’s great! I’m glad it went well.”

“Yeah, me too. I can’t wait to get started, I’m finally going to put my skills into good use.”

“What skills? The skill to piss me off with your horrible pranks?” Brock mocked, raising his eyebrows.

Brian smirked, “exactly. Now I have new targets.”

Brock laughed quietly, feeling sorry for Brian’s new coworkers.

“Right now, we’re just settling in,” Brian continued, “we’re deciding whether or not to have matching uniforms or to have different but distinctive outfits.”

“Uniforms? Why would you want that?”

“That’s what I’ve been saying! Seriously, they’re all nuts. Do you know they are also thinking about changing their names, too?”

Brock lifted his head in confusion, “changing their names? What do you mean?”

Brian fixed his hold on Brock, allowing him to shift around in his arms. “There’s not a lot of us so the guys thought it would be cool to use different names when we’re around each other, like a nickname or something. Some of them are taking it seriously so I was wondering if I should get a new name, too. I like the name I have now so I’m not too sure.”

“Well… if you like your name, why change it? You’re going to still be you no matter what you’re called. But, it’s up to you if you want to be called something other than Brian.” Brock replied, slightly confused by his boyfriend’s phrasing.

Brian tilted his head in thought for a moment. Brock was kind of surprised that he was thinking about it sincerely like it was a big life decision. Despite his surprise, he waited patiently in the other’s arms, content with the warmth it brought him. It’s been a while since he got to hug his boyfriend like this. It’s nice.

A few seconds later, Brian turns to him with a large grin on his face. Brock knew that look. He knew it too well. It was a look of mischief and trouble; nothing good came out of that look.

“...What did I just help you with?” Brock asked suspiciously.

Brian patted his head with a gleeful expression, “nothing to worry your pretty head over!”

“Hmm, doubt,” Brock replied, but he decided to let it go, grateful that whatever mess Brian was cooking up didn’t involve him.

Instead, he wiggled his arms around Brian’s waist and began to waddle them both out of the kitchen and towards the couch, too stubborn and clingy to let go of the embrace. Brian followed along with a giggle, taking exaggerated steps besides Brock’s wide ones. His ankles hit the edge of the couch and he braced Brock on his chest as they fell onto the soft cushion with an oof! They both sigh as they sink into the soft pillows.

Brock lied his head on Brian’s chest, the sound of his heartbeat soothing to his ears. He missed this.

“So… what would you like to do first?” Brian asked suddenly.

Brock propped up his chin with a hum, “hm?”

“Do you want to take a shower first? Or do you want to eat? Or…” Brian squinted his eyes and pressed his thumb and index finger to form little finger hearts, “do you want me~?”

Brock stared blankly at him. “...”

Brian didn’t give up, he puckered his lips and kissed one of his finger hearts, sending it out towards Brock with a wink. At the disgusting display of affection, Brock dropped his head and muffled his groan on the other’s chest, fighting off the smile on his face at the sound of Brian’s suppressed laughter.

His own mirth won over and he crawled forward, giving his boyfriend an amusing glare before leaning down to kiss the smirking lips. He kissed back softly, mouthing around Brock’s lower lip before recapturing it around his own.

Despite his suggestive words, Brian did not try to deepen the kiss. Instead, they were both satisfied in pushing their lips together gently, relishing in the softness and warmth of the other’s lips. There was no rush for either of them as they pressed their lips together, each soft kiss a reminder of how much they love each other.

Brock released the kiss with a soft gasp, lips plush from being nibbled on. “...Let’s order some takeout. You didn’t leave out any food to cook, right?”

Brian smiled, his own lips a pretty pink colour, “nope. Besides, I don’t feel like cooking today.”

“Me neither.”

It would have been nice to go out to eat but it was very late and most of the shops have closed for the night. Besides, watching a movie and eating some sketchy food didn’t sound like a bad idea.

“I’ll have to take you out to the cafe Marcel showed us a while back, the food is honestly to die for,” he said, content in laying there on top of Brian as his boyfriend fished out his phone.

“Sounds good, let’s go there for our next date night,” Brock replied.

Brock smirked, “though, if I do take you then I’m going to have to take Evan, too. If I don’t, he’ll never let it go.”

Brian lowered his phone with a raised eyebrow, “why’s that?”

Brock felt his own mischievous smile curl on his lips. Brian always liked it when it appeared.

“Apparently, Evan fancies one of the waiters there. He was practically drooling on his food the first time he met him.”

Brian snickered at the imagery, “I pity the waiter then, that bastard is a handful. Maybe you should warn the waiter before Evan grows some balls.”

“Shut up, don’t be mean to him,” Brock told him with a laugh, “you’re just jealous that Evan’s handsome.”

“Hey, I’m handsome, too! I just don’t like the fact that the bastard is that good looking,” Brian grumbled, probably picturing the Asian man with his hair down.

Brock remembered that Brian had asked him the first time he saw the other with his hair down if Evan had ever done a shampoo commercial because Jesus fuck, his hair was luscious. To this day, Evan has never allowed Brian to breathe in peace.

“What do you feel like eating?” Brian asked, running his fingers through Brock’s hair as he scrolled on his phone.

Brock didn’t answer him, too content with the feeling of the fingers massaging his scalp. He caught Brian’s gaze and the other smiled at him, pretty blue eyes shimmering with fondness. He couldn’t help it, Brock cupped his cheeks and brought him down to another kiss.

Maybe Brock was a little bit needy, maybe a little bit touch starve. But at that moment, he didn’t care. He moaned softly at the way Brian met him with the same gentleness as before, shifting his lips until they fit perfectly against his own.

His own concerns over the resurrection of the villains still ate away at Brock’s nerves but at this moment, with Brian beneath him, those terrible feelings slipped away with each kiss. He knew those bastards were up to something, plotting away in some trash dump and laughing at their confusion.

Whatever diabolical plan they’re cooking up may be, Brock will be ready for it.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

“Do you think purple is a good colour for me?” Ohm asked, shuffling different varieties of shirt colours and sizes over his torso. He didn’t wait for an answer and threw the shirt away, picking up a blue hoodie and pink t-shirt to compare in front of a mirror.

“Purple doesn’t match your bandana,” Luke pointed out, kicking discarded shirts and costume parts into a pile.

“Fuck, you’re right. Should I change that, too?” Ohm asked, gingerly tugging on the familiar grey bandana.

The group has laid low for a week since their first mission on the freeway. After that fiasco, the media blew up with video coverages and news reports from their fight. As expected, it got kind of out of hand.

Their faces were plastered on every news station, dodgy camera shots and low sound quality playing non-stop no matter what channel you switched to. Tv show hosts and reporters couldn't stop talking about the fight between the ‘villains’ and the heroes on that blazing road. Apparently, they made great tv coverage. Especially ‘villains’ who have been on hiatus for over three months.

Of course, the reports conveniently cut the parts where it showed that his team didn’t attempt to steal any of the stolen goods or when they defeated the criminals and the fools up. Nor the part where Brian saved the van and everyone in it from falling to their deaths; none of the parts where the ex-villains were being heroic made the cut.

Instead, the news played the scene where they fought the criminals and destroyed the road during the struggle. Reporters theorised it to oblivion, claiming that Terroriser possibly wanted what was on those computers or Mega Monkey was after the cash and he was using Mad Ladd to help him.

But the highlight of the evening was, of course, the fight with Team Seven.

The camera quality looked like it ran through a toaster from how badly the screen shook, the sound just as bad with only the noise of the helicopter being picked up on the mic. However, that didn’t stop the video to be posted obsessively throughout social media. Most of the customers coming to Jonathan’s workplace were talking about the video, playing the video over and over again on their phones while they ate and talked.

The official story everyone came up with is that Delirious had gathered the three high tiered super baddies to hijack the thieving scheme, not for the stolen goods, but as a statement towards the hero organisation. From the footage, they concluded that the villains were going to destroy the freeway and everyone on it once they stole the van and its contents, using the criminals as their scapegoats.

Team Seven came in to stop them and managed to chase them off before they could do any more damage, putting the fire out that was purposely created by the villains with the water tanker and saving the people on the freeway from their clutches. Ending with Team Seven, once again, saving the day.

It’s utter malarkey.

Brian and Luke seethed and raved about it once they saw the first run of the news story; Jonathan was almost afraid they were going to break the screen from how many things they threw at it in anger.

Though, Jonathan agreed with their fury. He was pretty pissed off about it, too.

Those reports cut out the moment where the fires were created by the debris from the demolished helicopter, not purposefully from them. Jonathan may have targeted the oil tanks from the cars but he wasn’t planning on them exploding. He was hoping for a diversion and the image of the heroes slipping on their asses from the oil spill fueled his half-assed plan to target them. Turns out a little spark was all it needed to burst into flames.

Besides, the fire wouldn’t have travelled as far as it did if those idiot bird heroes didn’t add more oxygen to the flames with their blasted wings.

And he was the one who saved their asses on the freeway!

Team Seven didn’t do anything but scream through the smoke, only caring about catching Brian and the others rather than the actual safety of any of the people trapped on the road. If Jonathan didn’t free the pressurised water, those flames could have reached farther into the road where people were gathering and endangered them.

What annoyed him the most, and the sole reason for Luke's fury, was the main headline of the news report. The single line that everyone was talking about.

Delirious: Leader and mastermind of the League of Evil.

A poor picture of his masked persona with his new teammates photoshopped behind him was the cover for their twisted stories, that headline plastered boldly at the bottom.

Jonathan grimaced the first time he saw it, that bolded line settling uncomfortably under his skin. “I’m not the damn leader,” he spat, flabbergasted at the media’s obvious reach.

“League of Evil? Are they fucking serious? What type of cheesy shit is that?” Luke practically growled, “and we’re not bad guys!”

“Police also suspect that the remaining culprits responsible for the van heist not in custody have been murdered by Delirious and his new gang of villains. Evidence suggests that-”

“Okay… maybe only a little bit bad, but we’re on the good side, I swear.”

“We did leave two alive!” Craig said enthusiastically.

Luke patted his shoulder, “see?”

It still pissed Luke and the others off that the credit for the capture of the remaining thieves was given to Team Seven, even though Craig had left the police a sticky note with their names on it, adding a smiley face under the note for good measure, too!

But, of course, Team Seven got all the glory.

However, the only good that came from the blast of media coverage was that it gave the ex-villains a chance to re-invent themselves. Now that they were a part of a superhero team, it was the perfect opportunity to start fresh. Ohm has been looking for a costume change, Lui was working on a team logo (despite Luke’s exasperated warnings that he shouldn’t bother since they don’t have a team name yet, but that didn’t stop the hybrid from picking out colours and designing cool designs on his free time), and Craig and Brian were discussing their hero names.

“I think I’m going to give up on Mad Ladd,” Craig said suddenly, browsing over a list of names the two had come up with for the others to use, “it’s too harsh, don’t you think? I need something that says, ‘hey! I’m a great guy, please don’t hit me! I’m not mad or crazy at all!’ And, I’m just not getting that feeling with Mad Ladd, you know?”

Brian rolled his eyes with a snort, “nooooo, where did you get that idea? Was it the mad part? Or something else?”

Craig smacked his shoulder with an indignant huff.

Lui and Ohm came over to chat with them, clothes of various colours still clutched around Ohm’s fingers.

“Which name are you thinking about?” Ohm asked, peering down to look at the list. He raised an eyebrow at ‘Easter bunny,’ Brian caught his confusion and smirked at him, pointing at one of the costumes in his hands. It was a grey hoodie that had large floppy rabbit ears attached to the hood and a fluffy white tail on the back end. Ohm frowned, lifting his hand to flip off the bastard for his teasing.

“I was thinking about ‘Mini Ladd.’ It’s close to my original name so people won’t get too confused and it’s cute sounding! Who would be scared of someone who is mini, right?” The moment those words left his mouth Brian and Lui began to snicker to themselves.

“I think it’s perfect,” Brian cooed, draping his arm around Craig’s neck, “you are very ‘mini.’”

Lui took his left side, grinning, “I think it’s great that you’re embracing it. I’m proud of you.”

Craig groaned loudly as realisation struck up. He dropped his head into his hands, “maybe I should change it…”

“Too late! I’m already working on a logo for Mini Ladd~.” Lui sang.

Craig cried in defeat.

As Lui continued to tease him, Ohm turned to Brian curiously. “Are you going to change your name as well?”

Brian perked up, “hm? Why should I?”

Craig widened his eyes, “what do you mean why? Your alias is called Terroriser!”

“That’s not a very superhero name,” Lui said in agreement.

Brian waggled his fingers and tutted, that infuriating smirk curling on his lips. “Ah, but you see, I’m still going to terrorise. But instead of messing with heroes and innocent citizens, I’ll now terrorise the bad guys! So, I don’t have to change a damn thing.”

The others squawked at his bold claim. “That’s not a good thing!”

But, Brian ignored them, too pleased with himself. Jonathan snickered to himself as the guys jeered Brian, trying to convince him to think it over. He knew how excited they all were about becoming a team; he was as well. Even Luke, who attempted to look apathetic about the whole thing, was thrumming with nerves.

They had to explain to everyone that they were not going to go fight crime as a whole like they assumed. That was only reserved for high threat levels or a big name villain attacks the city. Not all of them were needed for certain situations or missions. At most, the common threats were drunken fights, petty crimes, and the numerous cats stuck up a tree calls.

Brian and called them glorified firefighters.

Luke nearly busted a lung at the comment, struggling to say between chuckles that they were exactly like that. Brian and Lui grumbled over their title but it couldn’t be helped. Being a hero didn’t mean just fighting bad guys. They had to deal with anything that threatened the peace, and with a place like Los Santos, that was a scarily great amount.

Ohm shoved shoulder pads over his shoulders and posed at the mirror, lips turned to a frown. “Do these shoulder pads make my butt look big?”

Luke, having got tired of Ohm fussing over costumes, sighed, “Ohm, your ass looks big no matter what you put on. Put those shoulder pads away.”

Ohm crossed his arms with a pout, his ears turning a slight shade of pink, “but I need a new outfit!”

With a pinch to his nose, Luke strolled over and yanked the shoulder pads off. Ignoring Ohm’s yelp, he tossed the offending things to the pile, “you don’t need armour. Your plump ass is going to be staying here at the base 90% of the time. Besides, you don’t even fight.”

Ohm’s pout deepened. Jonathan had to bite his tongue to stop his laughter at the sight of Luke openly staring at the other’s pouty lips.

“But still! I need something that will make me look more hero-like!”

Luke rolled his eyes, tail waving unsurely behind him. He reached over to the messy pile and picked up a dark grey hoodie and some blue jeans, “here just wear this. There’s nothing wrong with dressing up casually. You don’t need anything flashy to be considered a hero costume. I mean, look at Delirious and Lui. Their costumes are literally just hoodies and dark jeans.”

Jonathan waved his hand when Ohm looked over. “But Lui turns into a monkey and Delirious has a cool mask to wear! I don’t have anything like that.”

Luke hummed thoughtfully. He walked forward, grinning at the slight height difference between them. Ohm had to tilt his head up to look at him. “And what about this? This is pretty unique,” Luke replied, pinching the grey bandana covering Ohm’s eyes, “I don’t think anything will beat an omega symbol as an eye mask.”

Ohm ducked his head, a little smile appearing on his face.

“Although,” Luke continued, leaning lower to look at Ohm’s backside, “I wouldn’t be opposed to you wearing some booty shorts. Because, wow. You’ll definitely rock them,” he whistled.

Jonathan choked on his own spit when the other smacked Luke on his head, scowling playfully. “Damn right I would rock them,” he said confidently, turning on his heels and walked over to where Brian and Lui were still teasing Craig. But, both Jonathan and Luke noticed that he took the clothes Luke suggested along with him.

He was a strange guy.

“He actually hit you,” Jonathan mused.

Luke rubbed the spot on his head with a small laugh, “they’re getting more comfortable with us, the bastards.”

They both joined the others by the training room, amused with the others' antics.

“Oh, hey! Can I ask you something?” Lui piped up once Jonathan and Luke were in earshot. Jonathan nodded his head as Luke agreed. “Well, I was wondering if we’ll ever see you guys in your civilian clothes? You two know our real identities, and I’m not asking to reveal yours or anything, but we were hoping to at least know what you really look like.”

Jonathan knew this question was going to be asked sooner or later. But that didn’t stop his heart from beating harshly in his chest, fear drumming low beneath his skin. “Er… Well…” he tried, mouth suddenly becoming dry.

Thankfully, Luke took over. And if anyone noticed how Luke’s wings shifted to the side to shield Jonathan, they didn’t mention it.

“You’ll see me in my human form eventually,” he began as his tail wrapped around his waist, “being in this form for long periods of time uses up a shit ton of energy. I stay in this form because it’s training for me to build up endurance and strengthen my energy consumption. So, even if you do eventually see me in my human form, you’ll most likely always see me like this.” He motioned to his red complexion and floating horns, opening his mouth to show off his sharp teeth. “Usually, it isn’t a big deal to be in my form for so long, but having your dumbasses over here for the past six days has really been taking a toll on me.”

The others suddenly appeared hopeful. “Soooooo, you should change back. Right? So, you can be more comfortable,” Lui coaxed.

Luke grinned at their excited expressions. He shook his head, “not today, we’re still getting to know each other so it’s still too early. But, nice try.”

The four deflated, booing. Luke yelled at them to shut up.

“What about you, Delirious? Uh, sir?” Craig asked. He was still awkward with Jonathan and Jonathan understood his concerns, but the added title made him want to tease him.

He tapped his mask nervously, shifting his gaze to the floor. “For me, I would rather not show my face. To be honest, I like to keep it as a secret for as long as I can.”

At their dejected expressions, Jonathan hurriedly waved his hands, “it’s not like I don’t trust you! It’s just… My identity is kind of important. It has a lot of baggage and shit that I really don’t need you guys knowing about so it’s better to not know. At least for now. I trust you guys enough to fight alongside you and show you guys what we do but for now, can you guys just know me as Delirious?”

The four look at him for a moment, various emotions flickering in their eyes. It was strange how their opinion suddenly mattered to him. He’s only been with them for a couple of weeks and he has dealt with people who had known him longer. It was shocking how relieved he felt when their expressions shifted to one of understanding, it made the tension in his shoulders dissolve in waves.

“Yeah, we get you,” Brian said simply, offering Jonathan a smile.

With that, the subject was dropped and the four pulled him and Luke into their stupid argument about whether or not Brian should change his name. Jonathan was not sure how he felt about them together. All these changes were happening so fast.

Eventually, they will find out who he is. Whether it will be from him or if they find out from someone else, Jonathan wasn’t sure. When it happens, he’ll deal with it with the best of his abilities. In the end, what they learned after knowing who he was worried him the most.

After all, when one secret is told, the rest will soon follow.

“Enough messing around, let’s get some training done and then we’ll call it a day,” Luke called out. Everyone followed the demon to the training room, mostly dreading the hellish torture they’ll soon be put through.

But before they entered the room, their alert system blared.

“Unit 108, there is a disturbance near you in the electrical substation in Rancho, Los Santos. Possible break-in.”

The officer receiving the call answered a second later, “This is unit 108, we’re on our way, over.”

Everyone raced towards the door but were stopped by the flair of Luke’s wings. “Where the fuck you’re going? We’re about to train,” he growled.

“What?” Craig faltered, flailing his arms, “b-but didn’t you hear the alarm? There’s a break-in!”

“A ‘possible’ break-in,” Luke said, crossing his arms, “this is a great example of a situation that doesn’t need all of us. One of us can go check it out while the rest stay here. We’ll be unprepared for a real emergency if all of us leave our post.” Luke turned to Jonathan, tilting his head, “do you want to check it out?”

Jonathan stretched his arms over his head and yawned, “sure, I was getting kind of restless anyways.”

He got ready to leave, not surprised to see the others hover over him.

Ohm rubbed his head hesitantly, “uh, why don’t one of us go with him. Just to be safe?”

Luke snorted as he pushed Ohm into the training room, “Delirious doesn’t need any help. Trust me, he’ll be just fine.”

Jonathan snickered as the others whined. They wanted to be in the action, not cooped up in some training room!

“I don’t get why we even need to train,” Lui grumbled, crossing his arms childishly as he transformed to his hybrid form, “we pretty much mastered our powers and I’m super confident in my fighting abilities so- ah!” he yelped as Luke swept his legs and sent him tumbling to the floor.

He landed face first, butt sticking up in the air and limbs flailing uselessly.

Luke towered over him with a hand on his hip, tsking. “You’re an idiot if you think any of you should stop training. ‘Mastering’ your powers? Don’t believe that nonsense, that is the biggest lie you can tell yourself. You always have room to improve and get stronger.” He bent forward and helped Lui to his feet, smirking at the pout the other gave him. “I know you guys are strong. We fought you enough times to know your punches really fucking hurt.” Luke rolled his eyes when the four turned smug at his praise, “but that doesn’t mean you’re invincible.”

Jonathan finished packing his things and strung a bag over his shoulder. He glanced back at Luke and the others and gave them a little wave. After that, he hopped on their elevating platform and descended up to the dumpster entrance, the ceiling panel closing shut after he disappeared into the darkness.

Luke watched him leave with a hard expression, something unidentifiable shimmering in his gaze.

“One day, you’ll come face to face with someone way stronger than you. When you feel that helplessness for the first time… you’ll understand.”

At their questioning stares, he shook his head, “anyways, let’s start.”

They obediently follow him into the room and get into position. Brian had upgraded the system so it will start at random once someone enters the training area. From robots to lasers; anything could attack them at any moment.

“I fucking hate you, Brian,” Craig whined, hearing the familiar sound of robots turning on.”

“Fuck you, I don’t hear anyone else complaining,” Brian said, “look at Ohm over there. He’s useless in combat and he’s still in here.”

When the other didn’t respond, they both looked up. “Ohm?”

The man jolted at his name and lifted his head from it’s lowered position, “hm? What’s up.”

“What are you concentrating so hard on? We’re about to get our ass blasted by mini terrorisers,” Lui said, nudging his shoulder.

Ohm rubbed his head sheepishly, “sorry I noticed the other training room beneath us and I got curious.”

Luke stiffened.

“Below us? There’s another training room?” Craig asked in wonder.

Brian tapped his chin with a frown, “that’s weird. I don’t remember seeing another training area from the blueprint Cartoonz gave me. What else do you see?”

Ohm looked down, “uhhhh, it’s a bit bigger than this one with steel walls- wow, the whole thing is bolted down.”

Ohm’s frown deepened.

“That’s…. This is weird.”

“What’s weird?” Craig asked worriedly, staring at the spot Ohm was hovering over as if he could see the room as well.

Ohm made a noise in the back of his throat, “ it’s just- well, I shouldn’t be able to see the room.”

Lui furrowed his brows, “what do you mean? I thought your whole thing was being able to see shit?”

“That’s the thing. My ability is brain stimulation and information collecting. I can’t see through walls,” he explained, “the fact I’m seeing the room at all is strange. It’s like… the whole room is splattered in brain matter o-or if the room is a brain itself! I-I can’t explain it but I’m getting the same readings as if I was looking at a breathing person.”

“What the fuck?” Lui exclaimed.

“Let’s go check it out!” Brian said, “how do we get there?”

Ohm scrunched his nose in concentration, “it’s faint, but I think I can see an opening at- HIC?!”

Ohm screeched as a red beam barely missed his head.

The four jolted at the burning energy from Luke’s palms, the demon glaring at them with his wings spread wide.

“No one is going down there.”

He lowered his palm, the dark energy sparking sporadically around his hand, “that is Delirious’ special training room. The only person allowed down there is him, no one else. If I catch any of you attempt to snoop around there, I will kill you on the spot. No ifs. No buts. Do I make myself clear?”

When they stayed silent, he raised his hand and burst another energy beam, the blast nearly singe-ing their hair.

“Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-Yes!”

Luke nodded, “good, let’s get this over and done with. Brian, start the training manually.”

He does what he is told, sharing a confused look with the others.

“W-What type of training does Delirious do?” Craig bravely asked, squeaking when that piercing gaze met him.

“Mind your own business, that’s what he does.”

It was like they were meeting Luke for the first time, the threatening aura and deathly stare nearly suffocating them. The other training room was definitely a land mine they didn’t want to cross again. So, they bit their tongues and shifted into a defensive stance. But in the end, they all couldn’t help but think.

What was going on in that training room?”

-

The sky had just turned dark when Jonathan reached the electricity substation.

The building stood alone in a dirt patch of ground, surrounded by what Jonathan could guess was an electric fence. He stood on top of a light pole and observed the substation. It looked empty saved for two cars parked by the side of the building. Lights were flickering from the inside, the windows illuminating in the dark from its low glow. Jonathan shifted his gaze to the lonely dirt road, free from any vehicles or passing citizens.

“Looks like the cops haven’t shown up,” he muttered to himself.

Two openings, multiple windows, and it appears to have a hatch to the roof; perfect for an impromptu escape route if he needed it.

Satisfied, Jonathan hopped from light pole to light pole, effortlessly scoring the high fence. He somersaults onto the dirt ground and slid onto his feet with light steps. He quickly crept to the side of the building and pressed his back to the wall, listening for any movements. When he didn’t detect any, he hurried over to the main entrance. The doors were chained shut.

He frowned, “doesn’t look like someone broke in…” He looked up towards the roof, “they must have got in somewhere else.”

Using the pipes lining the wall, Jonathan placed his foot on the small curves and began to climb up. He reached the edge of the roof without much trouble and he hopped over. The roof had electric wirings and generators covering most of the space, leaving little room to walk around. He swept his gaze over the area, eyes furrowed in confusion. No windows were broken and the latched door was perfectly intact.

“They didn’t come through here then… hmm.”

There must have been a loose board or a back entrance Jonathan wasn’t aware of. It didn’t matter now. If there was a break-in then the culprit might get away if he wastes any more time.

“Sorry,” he said briefly before breaking the lock on the latch with a quick swipe of his knife. He tossed the lock to the side and slid into the opening, careful not to make too much noise. He landed on the floor with a gentle thump of his feet. He slowly closed the latch behind him and crept forward, straining his ears for any sounds.

He was on the second floor of an open stairway, wires of different sizes taking up most of the wall and parts of the floor. He peered over the railing to get a better view, ducking down once he noticed a beam of light. He peeks through the railing, using the wires to shield himself.

“A security guard,” he noted, recognises the low beam of a flashlight and the clanking of keys. He almost wanted to pop up and alert the guard of the possible intruder. But, seeing as he technically broke in and was an intruder himself, he was pretty sure it wasn’t going to go well. Knowing from experience, people like to shoot at him first and never bother to ask questions later.

So, he quietly said goodbye to the guard and continued forward. He could see a room tucked in the corner of the stairway and Jonathan decides to go for it, crouching low to the ground to avoid being seen by the guard below him. With quick steps, he made it to the room without suspicion. He grabbed the handle and turned it, frowning when the door didn’t budge.

Locked.

He pressed his forehead against the glassed window and peered inside.

“Oh wow,” he whispered, stunned.

The room was tarnished. Cabinets flung open and stacks of paper littered the floor including files and a keyboard. In short, the room was searched.

But, the door was locked and there’s no other entranceway. None of it made sense.

He took a picture of the tarnished room with a portable camera, making a note to show Luke when he got back. Maybe they’ll be able to find a clue if they observed it more closely.

He contemplated breaking the door open to get a better look but the action would make too much noise. He was about to continue down the stairway when he heard light footsteps behind him. Reflexively, he crouched low and slid to the corner, using the shadows as cover. Did the security guard come up after all?

Straining his ears, he kept quiet as the footsteps neared him. The footsteps halted right by the room he was observing a second ago, movements hushed as they looked through the window the same way he did. Jonathan sneaked out of the shadows and circled around them, ready to pounce.

However, a familiar voice made him pause.

“Holy fuck, they messed this place up,” they cursed lowly, “better report this to Wildcat.”

As they reached for their earpiece, Jonathan rushed forward and clamped his hand over their mouth. As expected, they immediately fought back. Jonathan hissed quietly behind his teeth at a particularly hard jab to his rib but he held on tight, quickly dragging them to his hiding spot in the corner. Once there, he turned the person around, just barely dodging another swing.

“H-Hey, it’s me!” he whispered harshly, blocking the swing with his arm. The other man stopped.

“Oh… oh shit, Delirious you scared me. I thought it was someone dangerous.”

Jonathan squawked, “what do you mean? I am dangerous!”

“Dangerous as a mouse, you mean.”

He pouted, “you’re mean, 407.”

407 put a finger to his mouth, grinning, “keep it down, knucklehead.”

They shuffle closer into the darkness, listening for the security guard. After a few moments of silence, the two deem it safe to venture out.

“What are you doing here?” Jonathan asked as they crept towards the staircase. The upper floor was too narrow and in the open for someone to be hiding there and Jonathan had already searched the area so the only place left to search was downstairs.

“My receiver picked up the dispatch message and it sounded interesting enough to check out,” 407 explained, “and I can already guess why you’re here.”

Jonathan smiled to himself.

407, a defining member of Team Seven, was perhaps the only hero that hasn’t antagonised him. Way back in the day when Team Seven was first established, the bat-wielding hero would go after him, and despite being powerless, he had backed Jonathan into a corner numerous times. Jonathan didn’t blame him really, they were given little information during their debut as a hero team and it didn’t help that 407’s first impression of him was when he killed a congressman during a press conference.

But as time went by, the hero attacked him less and less, preferring to stand in the sideline while his teammates chased after Jonathan. Then it stopped altogether.

407 would deliberately pass by him if they encountered each other in the field, turning the other cheek and running in the opposite direction during patrols or villain encounters.

It was when 407 gave him a little smile after he came across Jonathan stopping a teenager from robbing a store that Jonathan understood. 407 acknowledged him. He knew he wasn’t a bad guy! Jonathan couldn’t stop himself from shaking Luke frantically from his euphoria.

He knew! He knew!

Now, he would anticipate encountering the hero alone in action, chest squeezing in absolute joy that the other didn’t look at him in disgust.

In anger.

In fear.

In hatred.

He was only met with exasperated acceptance. It was more than anyone other than Luke has given him.

“Did you see anything when you got here?” Jonathan asked as they made it to the bottom floor. The two used a generator as cover, keeping low to the ground as the flashlight disappeared in a corner.

“Nope. Doesn't look like there was a force of entry. I found the roof latch open but…” he gave Jonathan an accusing stare, making the masked man laugh sheepishly, “I know where that came from.”

“And the police haven’t shown up either,” Jonathan pointed out.

407 scoffed, “of course not. It was reported as a possible break-in. They’re going to take their sweet-ass time getting here.” He reached for his backpack and took out a small tablet, “here is a map of this place.”

Jonathan peeked over his shoulder to look at the diagram on the screen, mentally surprised that the other had access to such information.

“We’re here near the generators,” 407 explained, pointing at little squares bundled up in the corner of the diagram, “if we continue left we’ll reach the main offices and the residential housing. The room on the second floor has been torn apart so I can bet whoever broke in didn’t find what they’re looking for.” He put the diagram away and crossed his arms in thought, “since there’s no obvious entryway, we might be dealing with a super-powered baddy. Or, it could turn out to be a false alarm and the workers are just messy fuckers. Who knows?”

Jonathan looked at him in awe, “whoa, you’re so cool!”

407 lifted a hand under his chin, “I know.”

The two quickly make their way to the main offices, footsteps lights as they keep their backs to the wall. The security guard soon went outside to patrol the power lines and Jonathan sighed in relief.

Once they were close to the offices, Jonathan noticed movement in one of the rooms. He tugged on 407’s shirt and pointed at the room, mouthing out ‘intruder.’ 407 nodded his head and followed Jonathan’s lead, clasping his hand around the handle of his bat in preparation. The once quiet area was soon filled with frantic banging and cursed words. Whoever it was must have also seen the security guard leave and thought the close was clear.

“Definitely not a false alarm then,” 407 muttered.

He and Jonathan took opposite sides of the office door and pressed their ears on the wall.

“...shit! Fuck! This isn’t it, either,” a feminine voice moaned, another crash of drawers and cabinets following soon after.

Jonathan raised both eyebrows in interest. That was a surprise.

“It’s been a while since I had to fight a hoochie,” he commented.

407 grimaced, “it’ll be my first.”

Jonathan snickered quietly, “good luck. They fight dirty.”

The shuffling stopped.

“...! Ahaha… I found it. He will be pleased, “ she said with glee. Her voice made Jonathan’s skin crawl.

He met 407’s gaze and nodded his head. They both braced themselves and counted to three, weapons drawn to their hands.

One… Two… Three!

With a harsh kick, Jonathan broke the door hinge and 407 rushed in. The woman was up on her feet in an instant, snarling.

“Hello ma’am, we kindly ask you to follow us,” 407 said politely, swinging his bat.

“Put the file down while you're at it,” Jonathan cooed, “that doesn’t belong to you.”

She whipped her head towards Jonathan so fast it actually scared him.

She was as tall as he was with a raggedy overcoat and torn grey jeans, a red collar with a little bell was tied around her neck. She looked like the type of person Jonathan would see in the shelters back home from how worn out her appearance was; she almost seemed harmless albeit lost.

And yet, her expression was deranged, the files in her hands were crumbling with how tight she held it. She backed up, slamming against one of the cabinet doors. Her collar chimed.

“Settle down, we won’t hurt you,” 407 said, placing the bat back inside the bag, “if you cooperate, we’ll make sure the police go easy on you.”

She only sneered at them, saliva dripping down her chin. She was definitely not well.

Jonathan didn’t lower his knife but instead let it glint in the dim lighting in a warning. He didn’t like this. During this entire thing, she has not stopped looking at him.

The woman hunched over, back pressed against the cabinet.

Then, she smiled at them with all teeth… before falling backwards.

407 jerked forward but reeled back in shock when she fazed through the cabinet. Upon realisation, Jonathan threw a knife with a tsk. The knife went through the cabinet and pierced the wall, the chime of a bell ringing hollowly in the room.

She was already gone.

“Shit!” 407 cursed, swinging his bat out of the bag and darting out of the room, Jonathan following close behind him. “She has intangibility; she can faze through walls!”

Jonathan growled lowly as he burst through the main entrance, the chains falling uselessly to the ground with a clatter.

“An annoying power for an annoying hoochie, great.”

They caught movement in the corner of the building and they dashed forward. A raggedy overcoat slipped through an electric line. She’s getting away. They both run for it.

“H-Hey! Who goes there? Stop!” another voice yelled behind them and Jonathan briefly glanced back. The security guard finally spotted them.

They don’t have time for this!

“Heads up, he’s going to start shooting us,” Jonathan warned.

“What do you mean- oh fuck!” 407 zigzagged as bullets zoom past them followed by more aggressive yelling.

God, do all of them have to be predictable?

They ran past the overhead service line, quickening their pace as the woman reached the entrance. She passed through without a problem and darted towards one of the cars.

“She’s going to escape!” Jonathan cursed, using one of the generators to fling him over one of the electric lines.

407 stopped in his tracks, “not if we could help it. Delirious, stop her from getting into those cars at all cost. I have a plan.”

Jonathan nodded and sped forward. He planted his foot on the side of a residential building and used it to propel him onto the roof. There, he followed her pace, leaping over gaps of buildings while she went through them.

Her intangibility was making her a hard target to hit. She would sink to the floor to avoid one of Jonathan’s projectiles before slipping back up and continue running. The buildings were giving her great coverage so he couldn’t decipher where she was going to pop out before she did.

He jumped back to the ground as she made it to the parking lot.

“Well, if I can’t hit you then I’ll target something I can.”

With a shout, he flung a knife to his hand and threw it with a large swing. She sunk to the ground to avoid it but the knife flung past her head. Instead, it smashed to the side of one of the vehicles. Directly on the oil tank.

“No!” she screamed, darting back up.

Jonathan didn't allow her to get a footing before throwing two more knives at the remaining cars, effectively spilling oil all over the floor. He snickered to himself as the woman fell to her knees, her escape plan shattered.

“Should have mentioned I have a good aim,” Jonathan sang, stopping behind her, “I also have great practice hitting car tanks.”

She scowled up at him before swinging her arm. Jonathan sidestepped out of the way, not surprised to see her sink to the floor. He followed the path she took and kept up with her, smirking as she reappeared back on the surface a few seconds later. She was gasping for air, exhaustion clear from how she hunched over.

“Your powers must be taking a lot,” Jonathan mused. He flicks a knife into his palms, “give up now.”

She looked at him through sweaty bangs, the same derange smile appearing on her face, “You can’t catch me, you can’t catch me~!” she crowed.

She began to sink back down but her exhaustion made it slower.

She was about stomach deep before a swing of a bat nails her in the back of the head. The hit created an electric spark and she screamed in pain. She dropped forward with a roll of her eyes. Her loss of consciousness cancelled out her and she was spat out from the floor, crashing into a heap of limbs.

407 stood on top of her, panting harshly as he swung his bat over his shoulder. “Nice distraction,” he said between breaths.

Jonathan grinned, “thanks.”

407 kneeled over with a frown. He motioned for Jonathan to mimic him before he began to search her. The two quickly took off her coat and searched it for any information. An id, a wallet, more stolen files or any other item she might have been after.

Nothing.

Jonathan tapped his mask in thought while 407 continued to check her jeans and shirt. If it’s not in her clothing then there is only one other place.

He crouched down and took off her shoes. He shook the two vigorously, letting out a little ‘aha’ when he heard a small clatter. He reached down and picked up a phone.

“407,” he called, handling the device over.

407 took it and began to inspect it. “It’s a burner phone. Shit, this is going to be rough. These bastards are hard to trace.”

He flips his backpack over and takes out the tablet. He connects a cord to the phone, fingers moving rapidly across the screen as it began to scan the device. After a minute had passed, an image popped up. 407 looked at it in surprise.

Jonathan leaned over, blankly staring at the image.

“What is it?”

“It’s a diagram,” 407 said, zooming into the image with a pinch of his fingers, “a diagram of the electric circuits running under Los Santos, to be exact.”

“Oh.”

He had no idea what that meant.

But, it must have been serious because 407 immediately saved a copy of the diagram to his tablet, his lips turned in a permanent frown. He made more swipes to his device, mumbling incoherently to himself as various numbers flooded the screen.

“...What are you doing?” Jonathan asked, lost.

“I’m trying to retrace the last message this phone received. She had this phone hidden for a reason and from the looks of it, she’s working for someone.” 407 cursed, “whoever she contacted must also be using a burner phone. Multiple numbers from different locations pop up, practically untraceable.”

Jonathan glances at the phone, “so… is it useless?”

407 shook his head, “not quite. It's untraceable now, but if I get it back to my lab I can fully analyse it and break it down.”

Suddenly, the two hear laughing and the chime of a bell.

The two turned around to see the woman had regained consciousness. She lied still on the ground, laughing into the dirt. Not taking any chances, Jonathan sat on top of her and smashed her head to the floor, grabbing her arm with one hand to keep her from activating her ability.

She continued to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” 407 asked.

She glanced up at him through her bangs, dirt smudging her cheeks, “it’s useless no matter what you do. He already has all the information he needs.” She cackled loudly.

Jonathan yanked her hair, growling, “who are you talking about? Who are you working for?”

She smiled, “it doesn’t matter. Los Santos will belong to Void.” She lolled her head and peers up at Jonathan through her eyelashes, “Void loves your work. He’s obsessed with you. I like you.”

Jonathan snarled. He lifts his knife and strikes for her throat. He had enough of her nonsense.

However, he was stopped by 407 who deflected his knife with his bat.

“Wait!” 407 cried, “we need her alive! She’s the only connection we have right now. Let me take her to headquarters, I can interrogate her there!”

Jonathan hesitated upon hearing the other’s claim. He wanted to help his friend(?) but nothing felt right. She didn’t feel right. She was still laughing, eyes completely unfocused.

Jonathan froze.

Her eyes…

They were so lifeless, so glazed over with malice and danger.

There was no mistaking it.

His fingers tightened around the blade.

“She’s not going to tell you a damn thing,” he warned coldly, “she would rather die.”

407 frowned, “but still, let me at least try-!”

“Die?! Yes! Exactly, I’m going to die!” she screeched with laughter. Her body heaved with the sound, begging for air as laugh after laugh punched out of her throat.

Jonathan jumped off of her, nerves on high alert.

She jerked up, smile completely unhinged, before smashing her own head to the floor. Repeatedly.

“H-Hey, stop!” 407 yelled, rushing for her. But, Jonathan yanked him by the arm and held him close.

Blood seeped over her face from her own assault and she twitched upward with a gasp. “Ahaha I’m going to die! Void is finished with me now, I’m going to die hahaha!”

She stood to her feet, swaying in place from lack of balance. She looked directly at Jonathan with wide eyes, her pupils nearly glowing in the darkness. She clutched at her collar with desperate fingers, “He welcomes you, Delirious! Join us! BECOME ONE WITH THE VOID!”

The bell rang once more.

The collar around her neck began to glow. Her smile grew, so sickening and demented.

“Fuck!” Jonathan yelped before shoving 407 to the floor, shielding him as the collar exploded, the sound so loud and squishy that Jonathan had to bite his lips from throwing up.

He hears a loud thump a second later. He didn’t have to guess what that was.

He felt 407 squirm from under him and got up slowly, mind racing. He heard 407 gasps followed by a dry heave. There was hardly much of a body to look at. It was nauseating and grotesque but Jonathan couldn’t look away, sorrow filling his eyes.

“I- wha- why?” 407 gasped, skin turning green.

Before he could respond, he saw something glistening on the ground. He goes closer to it, ignoring 407 cries of protest.

By the remains of the body, there it was.

The little bell from the collar.

Jonathan picked it up gently and rolled it in his palm.

“She relayed the message and sent the information she needed to find. After that, she was no longer useful. Disposable.”

In the distance, a siren could be heard. The police, who were called an hour ago, had finally arrived.

Whoever this Void person was, they had no problem taking out one of their own.

A new player has joined the game.

#chapter 5!

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#chapter 5!