Short Story: Academic Rigour
Tales of Hero City Collection
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Wordcount: 13,584
Synopsis: Tessa Kwells is a brilliant student, top of her class, and the kind of women who can clear a room with a sharp glare. But, when she finds herself in competition for the top spot, she realises she might need an extra edge if she wants to hold onto her future, and get that extra credit for her grades.
Luckily, she has a supervillain in the family, and a loose enough moral compass to use that.
Witness the origin of Madame Mechanism.
Author's Notes: This short story is one my favourite things I've ever written. I've come back to it repeatedly over the years and that opinion hasn't changed. Tessa has become one of my fave characters, and I really think you'll enjoy seeing her origins.
Please enjoy.
AO3 Link for that that want it:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/63767050
Full Story Under The Break
Academic Rigor
Tessa sat outside the office, her nerves rattling to her core. She clutched her papers so tightly her hands ached. Feeling the pain, she put them on her lap, but that only drew attention to how her knees shook. She took a deep breath.
“Calm down, Tessa,” she muttered to herself, breathing in and out. “You are a strong, confident, and beautiful woman, with the body and musculature of a ballerina. You are a force of nature and have nothing to be scared of.”
A smile broke over her face and she turned to a tall mirror positioned in the waiting room. She was certainly right about the first half. She was a tall, slender, bright-haired redhead with the kind of determination that could scatter crowds with a glare. She winked at her reflection. Then she checked to see if anyone saw that. The only other person nearby was the receptionist, busying herself with a crossword book.
The book was upside down.
“Good crossword?” Tessa asked casually, her words tinged with danger.
“Yes. Yes it is,” the receptionist stammered, throwing the book into a nearby plant. Tessa glowered like a venomous snake as the receptionist frantically got back to work.
That’s right, Tessa thought to herself. You don’t make fun of Tessa Kwells. Tessa Kwells fears nothing. Why should she? Nothing can phase her. Not with her family history.
At that moment, the doors burst open and another student came out. Tessa couldn’t work out where she knew him from, she was too distracted by the tears streaming down his face, the paleness of his complexion, and how he was currently stuck between wailing, screaming and dying. In the end he met somewhere in the middle, and fainted with a squeak.
“I think you’re next, dear,” the receptionist said, and came out to retrieve the fallen boy. “The academic committee will see you now.”
Tessa stood and entered. The room was pitch black, the light of the waiting room vanishing as the doors slammed shut. Then the lights came on. Massive spotlights above that made it difficult to see. When Tessa’s eyes adjusted, she could just see them.
The Academic Committee.
There were five of them, all sat in a semi-circle around a curved desk. The desk stood high, like the gallery of a court looking down. Each of the committee were clichés of bureaucracy, an old, enfeebled, monocle wearing bunch, but they also had the final say.
The leader amongst them was Everton Clark, a fat, smug-looking man with a crown of grey hair at the edges of his head. Beside him sat Elizabeth Vault, an old, elegant woman wearing full makeup. On the other side was Myra Clips, who was quite the opposite. Somewhat younger, she huddled, scowling and sickly pale. The last two Tessa didn’t recognise, but by process of elimination they had to be Victor T Victor, who looked like a wax model of an old war general, and James Crisper, who looked to have been baked on a sunbed.
Tessa stood before the committee. She smiled politely.
“No time for your pleasantries, girl,” Everton Clark barked. “Get to the point.”
“Don’t call her ‘girl’ like that,” hissed Elizabeth Vault.
“She is just a girl. Look how scrawny she is,” spat Myra.
“We all look down on her, don’t we? Our chairs are quite high up,” Crisper said with a cheesy grin.
“Are you being literal or figurative?” Vault asked.
“Don’t start that again,” groaned Myra.
Soon enough Myra was shouting at Elizabeth, Elizabeth was debating with Crisper, and Crisper was insulting everyone else because of their weak complexions. Everton Clark however sat in silence. He scrunched up a paper ball, threw it at Victor, and the old man miraculously sprang to life.
“Order, order,” the old general roared. “Quiet in the ranks, I say, quiet in the ranks. If you don’t quiet down, you will all run laps, I say, you’ll all run laps.”
Everyone fell silent. Tessa was glad, but that feeling quickly left as all eyes returned to her.
“What do you want?” Everton asked again.
“My name is Tessa Kwells,” she said, her stomach in her knees. “I wanted to talk to you about my grades.”
“Your grades? What about them?” Crisper asked smarmily.
“Well, I was hoping to gain something towards extra credit,” Tessa stated hopefully.
“Extra credit?” Myra sneered. “And what have you done to earn extra credit?”
“Well, on top of my main project, which is due next month, I am also working to create a documentary showing the complexities and real life applications of my project. For fun.”
“And what is your project?” Vault leered.
“My thesis is several papers on the physical, theoretical, and societal impacts of superheroes on the economic and philosophical state of our country. How do people like Justice Man or Stealth Watcher affect the world around them? And I’m not just talking about making insurance companies rich,” Tessa joked, trying to break the ice. The ice actually grew thicker.
“What a boring subject,” Crisper criticised.
“Very boring. Very boring,” Victor echoed.
“I guess if it’s factually accurate, it can’t be faulted,” Vault admitted.
“But who would want to see that drivel as a documentary,” Myra drawled.
“You thought we would be interested in that?” Everton finished. “If it weren’t against the rules, I would actually deduct points for that tripe. But I can’t. Instead, I’ll just tell you to get out.”
“Please, I need the credit!” Tessa pleaded.
“Begging will get you nowhere. It’s never worked on any of us before, and it’s not about to start now. Come up with something actually impressive and maybe we’ll reconsider. For now, get out.”
“Yes. Get out!” Crisper, Elizabeth and Myra agreed.
“Yes, yes. Get out, get out,” Victor prattled.
Tessa dropped her head, turned, and walked out. The research in her hands had been useless. The speech she’d memorised was pointless now. It was over.
She couldn’t help but remember the events that had led to this.
* * *
It had been six months ago. Exams and projects were under way and panic reigned supreme. But Tessa had always been a bright girl, and as such took her natural place at the top of the class. Every class in fact. She aced every test and project, because that was how hard she worked. Sure, she was a bit of a social outcast. Sure, many of the other students were scared of her. It wasn’t her fault her confidence was frightening. And it didn’t matter much that one cold glance from her could clear the computer room. Tessa kind of liked being feared. Life had been good.
Then two bad things had happened. The first was that she was late. Once.
She’d been on the bus when a superhero fight levelled the motorway. It was over two hours before they could get everyone over the resulting chasm, and by the time she arrived for class, the lecture was over and she’d been forced to rely on someone else’s feeble notes. Notes which no one had taken. All because of the arrival of the second bad thing.
Brian Heed. A new genius student, who’d spent the entire lecture proving he could recall all the essential facts from memory. Everyone had been so wowed by him, that no one had written anything down, and thus everyone else forgot the lecture. Tessa eventually asked Brian for his notes, but, as it turned out, Brian wasn’t just a genius. He was also a total trash bag.
“Well, this is what happens when you’re late, Tilly,” he had condescended.
“A superhero fight stopped my bus. And it’s Tessa.”
“Well, you should have been listening to the news. They would have told you where was safe. You only have yourself to blame, Tiffany.”
And that was how it started.
That one petty act set a fire of hatred in Tessa. Partially because she couldn’t argue, and partially because he was still insufferably clever. But Tessa took it as a challenge. She kept pace with him, much to Brian’s chagrin. Neck and neck in the run for academia. Nemeses.
But then came the test. The test with question eight on time travelling superheroes. The subject taught in the lecture Tessa had missed. She didn’t know the name of the first ever time traveller, scheduled to be born three years from now. She got a 99%, while Brian got a 100 and crept inescapably into the lead.
And now, as the year was drawing to a close, they were both applying for the same hyper advanced program. The Technology, Electronics, Chemical, Hypothesis, Analytics, Acronym program, or TECHAA for short. There was only one spot and whoever got in would be set for life.
And Brian was in the lead. Tessa had needed the extra credit to make up the difference. And now she was screwed.
* * *
Tessa returned to the present and the waiting room, and her distress turned to fury when she saw who was waiting.
“Hello, Brian,” she snarled through clenched teeth.
“Hello, Tabitha,” Brian grinned, his strangely large head only mildly distracting.
“We see each other all the time-”
“Mores the pity.”
“- so why do you insist on getting my name wrong?” Tessa finished unflinching
“I don’t know what you mean,” Brian said calmly, then walked through the open door into the office. As the doors closed, Tessa could just about hear the words, “Everton Clark, my main man. Father sends his warmest regards, and thanks you for the gift basket.”
Then the doors slammed shut and Tessa felt her spirit leave her.
* * *
Tessa sat at the dinner table, stirring her mashed potatoes with a fork. She looked lost in thought but her mind was blank. Four days had passed. She was closer to the deadline and now further behind Brian. The infuriating brain box had apparently made a functional digital model of Earth, which by the time he showed the committee had already evolved tiny dinosaurs. He was getting extra credit on top of his perfect score. Now Tessa felt truly doomed as she continued stirring her potatoes. Even so, her dread didn’t stop her dodging an incoming sprout launched by her little brother.
Outside of Tessa’s depression, the table had descended into chaos. Mum and Dad were dealing with little brother Magnus and Cousin Greg as they launched sprout after sprout at their respective parents. The grandparents and other relatives were either slightly drunk or overly fed, so every child was functionally unsupervised and hyped up on sugary drinks. Those adults who were still functional were locked in arguments over how the lamb should have been roasted, or how the sports season had been going. Last but not least, Edwardo Zanzibar, the dog belonging to some branch of the family, was running wildly between the table legs eating scraps, making it almost inevitable that someone would trip or the dog would eat too much and throw up.
This was all pretty standard for the Kwells family dinner. Only one chair sat empty, right next to Tessa.
On the other side of the room, Mum had finally managed to wrestle the plate of sprouts from the two boys. They were flinging cutlery now, but not at people, and they soon ran out. With the situation in hand, her mother turned to Tessa and finally took notice of her mood.
“Honey? What’s the matter?” she asked in her best mum tones. She was a short, thin woman with deep walnut hair.
“Just everything I’ve ever planned coming apart at the seams,” Tessa muttered.
“Oh, no need to be so dramatic.”
“I’m not being dramatic. I’ve always wanted to get into the TECHAA. Now Brian will instead and I’ll be left with nothing.”
“That nice boy Brian? Wish him the best. There are other things to do, Tess. Don’t wallow in all this.”
“The person I hate most in the world is about to beat me at my own game, rob me of my dreams, and look annoyingly smug while doing it. I’d sooner send him a lit firework than any well wishes.”
“Don’t be rude, Tessie,” her father chimed in. He was a taller man with the same bright red hair as Tessa.
“It’s not rude if it’s true, and Brian’s not here to be offended.”
“It’s still not nice,” her mother returned, then stopped. “What was the name of that program again?”
Before Tessa could answer, the entire room was brought to silence by a sound. The doorbell had rung. A few nervous people glanced around, counting who was and was not there. Dad hurried to answer it, while Mum seemed to be gathering storm clouds on her brow. Tessa however felt her heart leap. After a minute and some muffled distant talking, the visitor entered.
He was quite the sight to see.
The man who entered was of medium height and quite healthy looking. It was difficult to tell this however, as his skin was a deep sapphire-blue. A great silver beard and moustache jutted from his face, with each and every hair naturally forming into lightning bolts. His scalp meanwhile was bald and shone like a marble. His eyes were bright, with one coloured a sharp green, the other replaced with a mechanical orb which glowed a similar shade. Similarly, one arm was entirely mechanical, gleaming metal and made of pistons. An imposing figure, the entire image was offset by his clothes. He was wearing a brightly coloured Hawaiian shirt, brown shorts, and a pair of sunglasses designed to resemble palm trees. He stood in the doorway, smiling brightly, as people stared nervously or pretended not to notice.
“Hello, everyone!” he greeted joyously, his voice revving with a smooth robotic tinge.
“Hello, Frank,” Mum groaned.
“Uncle Intellitron!” a couple of the kids chimed excitedly.
“Hi, Uncle Frank,” Tessa greeted, smiling broadly.
“I’m glad to see you made it,” Mum said through clenched teeth. “What a surprise to be graced by the infamous Mr Intellitron.” Her eyes darted to her husband, who had sent the invitation against her instructions.
“Good to see you too, Minnie. And thank you, Kent, for sending the invite this time,” Intellitron said in good humour.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” Mum offered unpleasantly.
“Don’t mind if I do, sis.” The blue man walked over and sat himself beside Tessa. “And good to see you too, Zapper.”
“Didn’t think we’d see you today,” Tessa returned, beaming.
“Me too actually, but business was slow. Then there was a bit of an incident during the six o’clock plaza show, so we had to send the customers home.”
“What? One of your secret projects get loose?” Mum derided.
“No, no,” Intellitron answered calmly, long since used to it. “Not one of my experiments anyway. During the show, one of the animatronics stopped working, then it decided to leave the stage and go ride the rollercoaster. Someone was messing with the protocols and accidently changed the personality subroutines to Child Mode. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but the protocol got uploaded to the network. Now every animatronic on the island is riding the rollercoasters or playing in the arcade. But I know my workers can handle it, so I left them to it and came here. As I left I saw Henchman 12 trying to lure the Justice Man animatronic off the flume ride,” he chuckled, wiping a tear from his bionic eye.
“Well, something like this was bound to happen, using death droids as children’s entertainers.”
“Minnie, it’s nothing like that,” Uncle Intellitron countered. “I had the battle androids decommissioned years ago. These ones are entirely child safe, and only made from recycled battle android parts. Now, can we please be civil? I’m not a supervillain anymore and I’ve missed you and the rest of the family.”
Mum seemed to consider it for a moment, then noticed Tessa looking at her with massive puppy dog eyes. She relented and looked back to her sibling.
“Fine. But no shop talk at the table.”
“Agreed,” Frank smiled through his beard. “So, how has everyone been?”
* * *
The dinner went on peacefully and the former supervillain sat and ate pleasantly. He laughed at stories and occasionally related humorous events from his work. Tessa hung on every word. She had always admired her uncle, even before his big change.
Uncle Frank had once upon a time been one of the world’s leading supervillains. Up there with the likes of Annihilator, the Boar-gular, and even Dark Dragon. Mr Intellitron had been feared and hated the world over. Hell, his official nemesis was Justice Man, perhaps the most super of all heroes. While the family had never approved, Tessa always found a certain glee in it, hearing her uncle’s booming mechanical voice delivering fearful speeches from on high.
But then he retired, out of the blue, no warning, and opened a beautiful island resort. The resort had been the cover for his secret lab, but then he saw the profit margins and decided to go legit. The transition had definitely been awkward, but soon enough Intellitron Resorts was one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world, even if most holiday makers still looked at the staff a little nervously. They were all former evil henchmen, after all.
Tessa still admired this change. Uncle Frank had finally found something that made him happy, and wouldn’t put him in prison. It also made the family dinner’s slightly less awkward, though Mum still had difficulty letting go of the past.
As Tessa’s father began to serve up coffee and after dinner mints, the room had lowered into a comfortable quiet. Everyone appeared to be listening to a cousin tell a story about stamps, but honestly no one was paying attention. They were all either blissed out on food, or already asleep. That was except from one corner of the table, where Uncle Frank was chatting with Tessa. He was relating the problems with converting an underwater sub-bay into an Ocean Tours attraction.
“…And of course, the main issue is pressure. Not the water pressure, but launch pressure. Escape subs are designed to go really, really fast, but tourists want a slow trundle. Have to be careful not to set the launch pressure too high, or whoosh!” He mimed something flying off at high speeds.
Tessa giggled. “You could always turn it into a rollercoaster?”
“That’s a good idea. Maybe I will,” he considered. “But enough about me, Zapper. What about you. How’s school going?”
“Oh, right…” Tessa deflated.
“Not good, huh?”
“I don’t think I’m getting into the program I wanted. Instead, Brian Heed-” she whined his name- “is going to get it.”
“Better connected is he? Because there’s no way he’s smarter,” Frank winked his real eye.
“Annoyingly, he might be smarter. And better connected. He’s also smug as the day is long.”
“Oh…” Frank patted her on the shoulder. “What program is it?”
“The TECHAA.”
“Ah, one of old Everton’s creations. He always was as cruel as he was boring.”
“No shop talk at the table,” Mum suddenly shot across at them, hard faced.
“Minnie…” Frank looked back, then gestured at Tessa.
“I said no,” Mum argued, then zipped her lips. The argument was apparently over.
“Mum!” Tessa complained. This argument wasn’t over. “This is important to me.”
Her Mum’s features softened. “I’m sorry, dear, but maybe the TECHAA just wasn’t for you.”
“And what! It is for Brian Heed?” Tessa shouted, shooting up from her seat.
Suddenly all eyes were on her as she realised her outburst. She looked back at her Mum, who looked more concerned that Tessa was causing a scene. With a snarl, Tessa kicked her chair into the wall and stormed out.
“Tessie…” her Mum said meekly.
“I’ll talk to her,” Frank intercepted, and followed Tessa out of the room.
Tessa stormed upstairs and into her room. Of course, it wasn’t exactly a usual bedroom. Research notes plastered one wall, while another had a poster of Mr Intellitron, back from the strange days where companies made merchandise for supervillains. Her bed covers were floral print, but she hated them. She preferred her circuit diagram patterned carpet. Then there was her desk, huddled in a corner, papers piled high, with a video camera, various books, and several action figures of famous heroes and villains. It was easier to get those than actual statuettes.
Tessa flung herself onto the bed, lying on her back so she didn’t have to look at the duvet. Then she rolled over, torturing herself with the floral pattern. She deserved it. She wasn’t good enough to not have flowers on her sheets. When the floral design became too much, she stood, thudded over to her desk, and threw herself down amongst her papers. She looked up and focused on a small framed photo. It was of the academic committee, originally placed to motivate her. Now it simply mocked her.
Knock knock.
“Come in,” Tessa said, pressing her face into her papers again. She knew it wasn’t Mum. It had been a metal hand on the door.
“How are we doing in here, Zapper?”
“Just being completely destroyed, hopeless, and without future purpose. How are you?”
“Look, your Mum didn’t mean that. She’s just worried about you getting your heart broken.”
“She just doesn’t get it. I was so close. But one class, I missed one class, and now I can never overtake Brian.”
“Well, I know a thing or two about an insurmountable foe,” Frank nodded.
“I can’t vaporise Brian,” Tessa groaned. “I’m pretty sure the committee wouldn’t allow it.” She picked up the photo and glared at it. Stupid laws.
Frank reached over and took the picture from her.
“You might be right. Everton certainly wouldn’t approve, but the man wouldn’t rob a bank without filing paperwork at the scene.” He pointed a finger to James Crisper. “You might have a chance with Crisper though.”
“Wait…” Tessa sat up. “You know them?”
“Sure. I didn’t get on with most of them, but you could always go to a club with Lady Lock, not that her husband was happy about it. Of course, you’d always end up paying for the drinks. What is her name now?” He turned the photo over and read the back. “Elizabeth Vault! That’s it. Tsch, nominative determinism runs rampant in our community.”
“Who’s Lady Lock?”
“An old villain from back in the day. Could open any lock. Favoured stealing gold. She broke into my lair once,” Frank reminisced.
“Wait. Chancellor Elizabeth Vault was a supervillain?!” Tessa almost yelled, then stared in disbelief at the photo.
“Of course. All of them were.” He pointed at all five. “I’d always assumed it was just an open secret, I mean, who else could be so evil to run the academic committee?”
“What do you mean all five of them?” Tessa said in utter shock.
“Look,” Frank began, casual as you like. He pointed at Everton Clark. “He used to be Bank Breaker, a banking themed villain. He would only steal bearer bonds and other boring stuff. Mainly does admin stuff for the Villains Bureau nowadays.”
His finger moved over to Elizabeth Vault. “Bank Breaker was married to Lady Lock. She stole gold, he stole bonds. You’d think it was a match made in heaven, but no. They argued constantly.”
He moved on to Myra Clips. “She was Eternal Eclipse. The eyebrows are a dead giveaway. She was a moon themed villain who used magical darkness to commit her crimes. Effective, unless anyone was carrying a flashlight.”
On to Victor T Victor. “Now his name was The Victor. A strange one that. His whole gimmick was that he always won, no matter what game he was playing. He made millions gambling, then turned to supervillainy when the casinos wouldn’t let him in. Had an odd habit of repeating himself. With how long villain monologues are nowadays, it was half the reason he got beaten so often.”
Finally he moved to James Crisper. “Now, Crisper was The Torch. Everyone knew that. Fire themed villain, had a magnifying glass as a weapon, was trying for a sun gimmick. All the insect themed heroes were terrified of him. Honestly though, it was a bit strange as he was already pyrokinetic. I even remember when he was a hero called Burno, with The League of Titans. That was back when I was a kid though, back before he turned evil.”
Tessa sat stunned. All of them. All of them were supervillains. Sure, it explained why they were so cruel, but seriously, all of them?
“Were they like a team or something?” she asked.
“No, no. Sure, they teamed up occasionally, but it never worked out. No, these guys were just separate villains who all wound up in the same place.” Frank paused, remembering he was here to cheer her up. “My point is, you really shouldn’t be seeking the approval of these old codgers anyway. All of them are past their prime, half mad, and not worth your time nor effort.”
“Right, Uncle Frank,” Tessa nodded.
“You feeling any better?”
“Yes, Uncle Frank.”
Tessa wasn’t really listening. She didn’t even notice as Uncle Frank left. He’d given her the perfect idea. The perfect way to undo Brian Heed.
* * *
It had taken some doing, but she’d found it. As an avid fan, Tessa knew where all her uncle’s old hideouts were. The closest one was two miles away, hidden under an old hospital. The hospital wasn’t in operation anymore, but that secret floor was still there. Some technical skills with the lift and hey presto, she’d made it down. Down into the dusty remnants of long forgotten projects, where she found precisely what she’d been looking for.
Now she was sat outside the academic committee office again. The receptionist looked at her sceptically, never having seen anyone visit twice. Finally, her time came, the doors opened, and Tessa walked in.
“What do you want?” Everton groaned. Then he looked down over his monocle. “Wait. Weren’t you here the other day?”
“Yes, Mr Clark, I was,” Tessa answered.
“Well, why should we care?” Elizabeth Vault sighed.
“Because I have a new project that might interest you.”
“I hope it’s more interesting than the last one,” Myra Clips said snidely.
“Oh, it will be. Would you mind inviting your receptionist in here? I’ll need her to demonstrate,” Tessa said politely.
“What is this? What is this?” prattled Victor.
Crisper looked down with a gleam in his eye. “I’ll allow this.” He pressed a button on his desk. “Cynthia, could you come in here please?”
Behind Tessa, the doors opened and the receptionist entered. She looked terrified, struggling against the blinding spotlights.
“Yes, Mr Crisper?” she asked meekly.
Tessa didn’t wait. She pulled a small blue cube from her pocket, pointed it at Cynthia, and fired. In a second, Cynthia glowed blue and vanished. The cube’s glowing surface showed a tiny silhouette of her.
The committee sat in shock. Then, as Vault raised a hand to object, Tessa pressed another button and the cube glowed again. Cynthia was returned unharmed, but looked quite dizzy.
“That will be all, Cynthia,” Crisper dismissed her. Without a word, she toddled out.
“Alright, you five,” Tessa began, a manic grin on her face. “If this doesn’t impress you, nothing will. This is a Containment Cube, designed by me, and if you don’t give me the extra credit I want then you’re all going in here. Forever.”
This was a lie. Tessa hadn’t invented it. She’d stolen it from the forgotten lab. She also couldn’t go through with her threat. There was a reason Uncle Frank had abandoned it. The Cube only had a capacity of one and a time limit of twelve minutes. Intellitron had used it once to catch Justice Man, but it had failed while he was stuck in a tiny lift. Justice Man had pummelled him senseless.
“Well?” Tessa prompted. “You all want to go in the box?”
All five of the committee burst out laughing.
“Well, well, well. The girl does have some fire after all,” Myra praised.
“I’ll say,” Crisper agreed, giving Tessa a sleazy wink. She repressed her urge to vomit.
“Quite the little gadget? Quite the little gadget,” Victor agreed with himself.
“Still, of course, it won’t work,” Vault smiled.
“No,” Crisper agreed. With a gesture, a tiny bolt of fire shot from his finger and knocked the Cube from Tessa’s hand. She recoiled, now a little frightened.
“Hold on,” Everton interrupted. Everyone else fell silent. “Miss Kwells, if you’re trying these methods, you almost certainly know who we are. As such, it takes incredible gumption to try and threaten us. If you did indeed build this little device, then you may have a truly impressive project. Something like this could revolutionise the world of villainy. However, you would have to prove it. Prove your talents using this gadget and others like it.”
“And… how would I prove it?” Tessa asked, daring to interrupt.
“How does any villain prove anything? Through villainy. There’s a museum exhibit on the west side showing off the famed Stone of Stevenson. The five of us have been talking recently and found ourselves quite jealous of the museum curator having such a prize. Were we any younger, one or all of us would certainly try to steal it ourselves. So, you come back to us with the Stone of Stevenson, and we’ll give you what you want.”
“And I can get the place in the TECHAA rather than Brian Heed?”
“Miss Kwells, if you bring us the stone, we’ll make sure Brian’s project gets an F.”
* * *
Tessa wandered the halls of the college, not really paying attention to her surroundings. She had a lot to think about. Sure, using a stolen gadget to impress the committee was one thing, but stealing a famous artefact was quite another. It was being held in the West County Museum, one of the most secure locations in the city. Well… secure by museum standards anyway. Even so, it was a tough task. And did she really want to become a criminal just to get a pass?
Her thoughts were interrupted as she bumped into someone.
“Tessa? Watch where you’re going, girl,” said the obstacle. Tessa looked up and smiled. The woman before her was about her age, dark skinned, with frizzy black hair and a sturdy, full frame. Rather than be embarrassed to walk into her, Tessa was relieved to see her.
“Sorry, Jude,” Tessa sighed. “I was a million miles away.”
“The project keeping you busy?” Jude said with a charming smile.
“You could say that,” Tessa dodged. “How about you? Run any interesting stories recently?”
“Urgh, hardly. Last story I wrote was about that superhero, Judgement. Bleh.”
“Again? Though, what’s wrong with Judgement?”
“I don’t know. Super strength, flight, energy blasts. Everyone keeps saying they’re the next Justice Man. They’re such a goody-two-shoes though, right? And my editor is always asking for photos of her. I’d rather not think about it.” Jude shrugged. Then she looked at Tessa again. “You sure you’re alright, Tess?”
“Just stressed. Very stressed,” Tessa answered, struggling not to clench her teeth. “Hey, hypothetical for you. Say I had to do something really bad to beat Brian Heed. Like, I had to kill someone. Would you do it?”
“To beat Brian?” Jude stopped to think. “I don’t think I’d kill someone, but how much would I have to hurt them. Or could I just hurt Brian?”
“Unfortunately, no. What’s that thing you always say? ‘The hardest battles are the ones you can’t punch your way out of’?” she recited. Jude did say it strangely often.
“Sure, but…wait, Tess.” Jude was suddenly serious. “Are you thinking about bribing your teacher?”
“Oh, god no,” Tessa stressed. Or was she? “I’m just wondering how far you would go to stop that jerk Brian.”
“Okay, okay,” Jude calmed down. “I like to joke, Tess, but honestly I’m pretty straight edged. I couldn’t cheat to beat him. Not really. Not even to knock the smug smile off Brian’s face.”
“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Tessa accepted. “So, are you on your way to class?”
“Just meeting Ben. And speak of the devil.” Jude lit up as she set eyes on her boyfriend.
“Sorry, sorry I’m late,” Ben apologised. He was a scrawny young man with the complexion of a nocturnal librarian. Even so, there was an optimistic charm to him. “I was on my way here when there was a Judgement sighting!”
“Where?” Tessa asked. That was something she hadn’t considered. Superheroes.
“East side of campus. She landed, then vanished. Maybe there’s a crime being committed right here, right now,” Ben snort laughed with excitement.
“Oh, I doubt it,” Jude dismissed. “I think Judgement was just stopping off briefly, before going on her way.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because this is a college, Ben.”
“Yeah. No super crime happens here,” Tessa stated. Wait, there were five super villains on the academic council. What the hell was she on about?
“Anyway, good to see you, babe,” Jude smiled and gave Ben a peck on the cheek. “I just needed to tell you I’m busy tonight. I’ll have to skip the movie.”
“Again?”
“Sorry, but I think a juicy article might be opening up. Corruption, theft, the whole nine yards. I’ve just got to be there. The greatest obstacles are the ones we can’t punch. We must report on them.”
“Alright,” Ben reluctantly accepted. “But we’re doing a creature double feature to make up for it next week.”
“It’s a date,” Jude smiled. “Now, I’ve got to fly. I mean… I’ve got to go. See you.” She gave Ben another kiss, then hurried away down the corridor.
“Always so busy,” Tessa commented. “Last Tuesday, we had plans to go to that new restaurant but she cancelled. Was she with you then, or….?”
“No. No idea where she was,” Ben shrugged. “Journalists, am I right? I’m still so proud though, every time I see an article written by Judith G. Mint.”
“Yeah. And honestly, it was a good thing we missed the restaurant. There was a super fight like three streets away. It would have ruined our meal.”
* * *
Two weeks to the deadline, Tessa made up her mind. She’d been unsure at first, unsure if she could actually be a criminal, until she saw Brian in the common area showing off his project to everyone. His evolution simulation was still on dinosaurs, but to put a spin on it, he’d made it simulate the evolution of an alien world. Everyone was transfixed by the alien dinosaurs, with only Tessa apparently realising he might as well be showing them science fiction, for all of its accuracy.
With her rage renewed, she came up with a plan. Meeting up with Jude and Ben, she convinced them to join her for a little vacation. They’d been working hard, Jude and Ben’s exams weren’t for a few weeks, and Tessa needed to blow off some steam. Her friends had been hesitant, but they soon came around. And so, using a family discount, Tessa booked them all a couple days at Intellitron Resorts.
Still, she didn’t want anyone finding out, so booked the trip under the fake name, Marge M. Mechanism, and didn’t worry her friends with the price. Not that she didn’t intend to also have fun.
Ben wanted to try every cocktail going and ride every ride. Meanwhile, Jude was planning a review of the resort, though was understandably hesitant on the cocktails. Intellitron Resorts tended to put mint in drinks, to reflect the cold machinery of Intellitron himself, and Jude had a mild but significant peppermint allergy. One sip and she’d break out in rashes, dizziness, and it would generally ruin her day.
For the first few hours, Tessa joined them. Riding the rollercoasters, watching the parades, and going to the re-enactments of famous super battles. The weather was pleasant, as the island’s volcano created a balmy humidity. It was just what they all needed to relax. Then, as they stopped for some drinks, Tessa set her plan in motion. She devised a division of fun, with the happy couple having some time alone, while she went to the legendarily unpopular “History of Villainy” ride, siting it as research for her project.
The ride was a relic back from Intellitron’s evil days, and was a slow historical lecture that played like an ego trip to the villain. In truth, it was built by his henchmen to please him. While Jude was reluctant to split up, wanting to spend time with her friend, Ben had been perfectly happy for some alone time. He planned to take Jude on the “Tunnel of Love” ride, unaware that the ride was actually an intense, unpleasant rollercoaster based on Intellitron’s feelings towards romance.
Once Tessa was out of sight, she slipped away towards the Volcano Tours. She paid her entry fee and headed in, then almost immediately snuck away into the employee area. Darting between the corridors, she eventually found an elevator. It required a code to operate, but it was easy enough to guess. Frank Intellitron’s birthday, a day that always caused a certain tension in the Kwells household.
The buttons for the lift detailed floors 1 – 5. Below that was labelled Basement, Storage, Lab, then Sub-Lab, and then Secret Sub-Lab. She hit the lowest button.
It took a solid ten minutes to descend to the Secret Sub-Lab, gentle elevator music warbling the whole way. When the doors opened, blue light flowed in. It was either blue bulbs, or the walls themselves were blue, but the entire lab was engulfed with a cobalt radiance. Various artefacts and machines were all locked in cases or sealed in glass chambers. Lifeless robots sat idle, guns sat dusty on racks, and hovering drones flew in small circles. One box just contained a swarm of bees with massive warning signs pinned all over it.
Tessa entered and began her search. If she was going to rob a museum, she’d need the gear to do it. But what to take? Doom Blaster? A bit violent. Wrecker Droid? No, she was trying to minimise damage. Invisitron 5000. No, she remembered hearing about its test subjects. They were never visible again.
She rounded a corner and stumbled across a sight which filled her with awe. A gigantic robot with a dozen arms, each weaponised and surrounding a central dome like a spider or a crab. She recognised it as Mr Intellitron’s first giant robot, once defeated and crushed by Justice Man himself. Still, it wasn’t what she was looking for.
Then she saw it.
It was a chrome coated gun, the engraved plaque reading Stun Cannon. Perfect. She reached forwards and pulled it from its plinth. It was surprisingly heavy and gently buzzing, but every sense told her this was what she wanted.
Ding!
Her reverie was broken as the lift arrived. The doors hissed opened and a man exited. He was in his early forties, old for a henchman, but was wearing the uniform of the resort staff. His hair was thinning and his skin was just starting to wrinkle, but there was a youthful vigour to his movements. He was also carrying some kind of energy weapon and grumbling. As he got closer, Tessa could make out a name badge that simply read “14”.
“If this is you again, Justice Man, I swear to god…” he grumbled. Then he spotted Tessa, standing out in the open. “What are you doing down here?”
“Umm… Just looking for my uncle. Have you seen him?” she tried to lie. 14 just raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, no. Tell me the truth, or I’m going to call him.”
“Wait! Please don’t,” she begged.
“Why are you here?”
“Okay. I’ll be straight with you,” she gave in. “I need to commit a robbery. I won’t tell you what or where or why, but I need some gear. Just a little something to make the job easier. And since my uncle was one of the best villains ever, I thought why not take advantage of that?”
14 sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Tessa…”
“I know, I’m putting you in a difficult position, but I wouldn’t be doing this if my entire future wasn’t on the line,” she pleaded.
“And me telling you ‘no’ wouldn’t stop you?” he asked, holstering his weapon.
“Not in the slightest. In fact, I’d be liable to knock you out and leg it.” She’d never hit anyone before but there was a first time for everything.
“Ha. Good luck,” 14 smiled. He looked her over. “I know you’re a smart girl, so you really wouldn’t be here if you had any other options,” he reasoned. “And the boss would kill me if anything happened to you out there. But,” He held up a finger, “I’m not letting you have any of the weaponry, or anything dangerous. Most of this stuff is decommissioned for a reason,” he said sternly, snatching the Stun Cannon from her grasp.
“I’m not looking to hurt anyone. Just get in and out.” She held up her now empty hands.
14 thought for a moment. “Come with me.”
He led her through to a small chamber, built like an isolation room. Tessa entered, where a device like a silver backpack sat on a pedestal. Without prompting, she walked over and picked it up.
“User detected,” a mechanical voice uttered. The backpack opened and a swarm of something emerged. Noiseless, but they swarmed like flies, swirling around her. She felt them on her skin, her hair, her clothes, and for a moment she froze in sheer terror. Then it stopped. When she opened her eyes, the backpack had mysteriously moved to her back and a blue suit had morphed around her like a second skin.
“The Nanosuit,” 14 explained. “It should keep you safe. It heals injuries, can function as stealth camo, and can morph to fit your needs.”
“Wow…” Tessa looked down. Then her brow furrowed. “Oh, thanks!” she jeered. “Of course the super tech has to be a sexy, skin-tight cat-suit, which frankly leaves very little to the imagination. Very little at all.” She suddenly felt outstandingly exposed. It really clung to every curve and she didn’t know where her clothes had gone.
“It’s intuitive. Responds to what you want.”
“Are you saying I wanted this?” she asked angrily. Then she stopped. The suit responded and was constructing armoured plates, turning the cat-suit into combat armour. “Ooo,” she cooed. The armour was azure-blue, suitably modest, and very agile. “Can it build weapons too?” she grinned.
“Just for self-defence, young lady,” 14 interrupted.
Tessa raised her hands to show she understood. As she did, the gauntlets over her forearms shifted, the fingers becoming sharp as blades. She gave them a few test swings and then mentally commanded them to return to normal. They did. She smiled broadly.
“Wait.” She caught her reflection in a shiny surface. “I’m going to need a mask or something.”
The suit responded, the material stretching up to her chin and producing two plates as a mouth guard. It wasn’t much of a disguise though, still pretty recognisable with her hair and face and everything. The suit responded and she felt a tingle across her scalp. It was like the flies again. She turned and looked at her reflection to watch her hair changing. It was turning grey and being shaped into jagged zigzags, just like Uncle Frank’s.
“So that’s how he does it…” she muttered. “Can I turn back?” she asked 14.
“Yep. Just think about it.”
She did, and watched her as reflection changed again. Her hair returned to its natural red and the suit vanished, replaced seamlessly with her original clothes. All the armour vanished into the ether and all the Nanosuit materials were sucked back into the backpack. She tried not to think about whether her clothes were technically the originals or if this was a Ship of Theseus situation. She instead turned to 14.
“Why are you doing this for me?”
“As I said, the boss would kill me if something happened to you,” he shrugged.
“But you don’t even know me. You’re just… a henchman.”
“I know enough,” 14 said with a keen eye. “You’ve had a few birthdays here, Tessa. You were one of the first when we officially opened as a non-evil resort. Plus, Intellitron keeps a photo of you on his desk. He’s so proud of you. I’ve worked for him for a long time, and before he retired, he only ever smiled when he was talking about you. That or when he was briefly winning.”
“Aww,” Tessa said, her heart aglow.
“But, let’s get some things straight.” He pointed a stern finger. “First, you’re bringing that armour back when you’re done. The boss does inventory on this place regularly. Second, if he asks, you stole that by yourself. Third, if he asks me, I’m going to have to tell him everything. I can’t risk lying to him.”
“What would he do if you lied to him?” Tessa asked, suddenly a little worried.
“He could fire me!” 14 said, sounding genuinely terrified. “And what am I going to do then? Who’s going to hire a 15 year duty henchmen, out on his luck, with more knocks and bruises to his name than an average fight club?”
Tessa smiled. “Maybe if I ever need a henchman, I’ll look you up.”
“I’d honestly enjoy that,” 14 nodded, almost surprised to be saying it. “I’d take fighting superheroes over picky customers any day.”
* * *
The rest of the vacation went well, with Tessa letting her hair down and relaxing. On the outside anyway. Inside, she was planning. Every free moment, she researched the museum and its weaknesses. She even got chatting with a few resort staff, all former henchmen, on tips and tricks of the trade. Then finally, when the fun was over, Tessa, Jude and Ben all headed back to the mainland, and back to their college campus.
And Tessa prepared for her heist.
* * *
The night eventually came, and Tessa got to work.
Getting into the museum went off without a hitch, just walking up and disguising herself in her nanosuit once she was on the grounds. She’d also designed a device, which the nanobots constructed, which she fed it into the power systems to disable all exterior alarms. The walls proved no problem either, the nanosuit turning her hands into claws, she clambered up the outside, in through a skylight, and crawled along the ceiling. None of the cameras were aimed upwards, so she was free to move and disconnect them from above. Finally, she was in the room with the Stone of Stevenson. It was an unremarkable chunk of granite with a few words carved into one face, housed in a glass case on a plinth. Security lasers surrounded it on four sides and she knew from her research that the plinth was rigged with pressure plates to alert at any change in weight.
So she dropped straight down from above, down the middle of the cage of lasers, and plucked the entire plinth from the ground with suit-enhanced super strength. The plinth rose and all its wires snapped with an obliging fizzle. With the security disabled, she cut open the case with a sharpened finger and took out the stone.
That was when a guard walked in.
He paused. She froze. He was just a night watchman, holding a torch. She was in full supervillain garb, grey lightning hair and armour, and holding the Stone of Stevenson. But she didn’t know what to do.
The guard did though. He sprinted, slapped a button on the wall, and suddenly alarms were blaring. Tessa cursed herself. No more need for stealth, she pulled a Containment Cube from her belt, stored the Stone of Stevenson inside, and got moving. She then raised a hand, fired a grappling line, and jumped to the ceiling again, where she formed a gauntlet into a drill and tunnelled her way back out.
The night air was crisp and cold and the view of the city from the museum roof was spectacular. However, Tessa was too busy to enjoy it, as she desperately fled the scene. Sounds of guards swarmed below. She ran to the edge of the rooftop and formed a jetpack using plans she’d uploaded to the nanobots. They worked fast and by the time she leapt from the roof, the thrusters were finished and she flew out across the city with a rocketing whoosh!
The wind rushed against her skin. The cold was blistering, but thrilling all the same. She had to resist crying out into the night in joy. This was fun! And she’d gotten away, and there was no way anyone was tracking her now.
That was when something hit her. Something hard.
She wasn’t sure what it was, but it knocked her off balance. Her thrusters spiralled and she was sent hurtling towards the city below. Aiming herself, she just managed to fall towards the roof of a block of flats. Then the thrusters kicked in and span her so she landed uncomfortably, but safely, on her rear.
“Ow,” Tessa complained, rubbing her butt, “but it could have been worse.”
“It’s about to be worse!” a triumphant voice shouted.
A figure leapt across several rooftops, then landed without even disturbing the rooftop gravel. It was a woman, stood tall and proud. She had dark skin, slicked back black hair, and had a full, sturdy figure, plump full lips, with muscles to die for. Gorgeous by Tessa’s standards, though the attraction caught her by surprise. Maybe it was the adrenaline.
Whatever she was feeling, it was lessened by the outfit. A black spandex bodysuit with yellow accents. A logo of a set of scales printed across her chest. There was even a small eye mask concealing only a fraction of her face.
She was a superhero. Oh crap.
“Stop, you vile villain!” the hero proclaimed.
“And who are you supposed to be?” Tessa asked, stumbling to her feet.
“I am the warrior of truth and justice. I am Judgement!”
Judgement! Oh, double crap.
“Look, there’s no need for a fight here, Judgment,” Tessa tried not to beg. “Can I call you Judgement?”
“You can call me your doom, you treacherous thief. Where is the Stone of Stevenson?” She glanced up and down Tessa’s figure, trying to hide her confusion that the stone wasn’t there.
Tessa pretended to look for it. “Oh, would you look at that. I must have dropped it.” For all her skills, Tessa was not an actor. Even she could hear how stilted it sounded. “Wait, hold on! Was that you who knocked me out of the air? You could have killed me, you cretin!”
Was Judgement a hero who killed villains? Or was she one who just took them to jail? Tessa couldn’t remember.
“My strike was calculated, and I didn’t see you drop anything. Now give me the stone and I’ll make your trip to jail minimally painful.”
Tessa heard the word jail. An icy dread froze her stomach. She couldn’t go to prison.
“Nope!” she blurted, turned and ran. She had intended to fly away, but one thruster was damaged and fired before the others. She tried to compensate but failed. Instead she just span a cartwheel in the air and fell back to the roof in a pile.
“Ha! That was pathetic!” Judgement judged, striding closer. “Look, how about this? You give me the stone, I tell the police that you cooperated. Might cut down your sentence from fifteen years to ten. It’s the best offer you’re going to get.”
“Says you,” Tessa answered, spitting out some gravel.
“What do you even want with some old relic anyway? I’ve checked and it doesn’t have any magical powers or anything. It’s just some old rock from another country.”
“A holy relic stolen from another country,” Tessa argued.
“Hey, that’s colonialism for you. That kind of politics is above my paygrade. Not that I get paid for this.”
“Then why does it matter to you? Why stop me?” Tessa pulled herself back to her feet. She needed a plan.
“You broke the law. Simple as that. You’re guilty, and I judge you as such.” She gestured to the Scales of Justice depicted on her outfit.
“And who put you in charge?”
“Well, the police can’t stop people like you, can they?” she stated. “Besides, you still stole it. What right do you have to be above the law?”
“Oh, shut up,” Tessa dismissed. This was getting sanctimonious and she just wanted to escape.
“No, really, what’s making you do this? Is it money? Power?”
“What? No!” Tessa was almost offended.
“Is it influence? Ego? Do you just have to prove you’re the best?”
“No!” That last part hurt a little. It was slightly true.
“Then what? Why steal some ancient chunk of rock? Did the museum curator kill your family or something?”
Tessa stared at her. “…What are you on about?”
“Then why? Did you lose something? Did you fail? What did you fail to be driven to this?”
“My exams!” Tessa blurted. The interrogation had been getting fraught and she just wanted her to shut up.
“What?” Judgement processed what was said. “You’re doing this because you failed an exam?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say failed. I got an A-.”
“And this will solve everything? Stealing this relic?” Judgement asked genuinely.
“Without it my entire future slips away. All because of stupid academia and one stupid jerk. This is my only hope, and you aren’t going to stop me, Judgment. I’ll do anything to get past you, so get out of my way.”
The conversation had gotten strangely real, Tessa noted. Judgement looked saddened, but sympathetic. Meanwhile the weight of it finally hit Tessa. This was all or nothing for her. Like a mouse backed into a corner by a cat. And Judgement knew that.
“Look, whoever you are, I still can’t let you leave with that stone. There are always other ways out of situations like this. So please, just hand it over and you can walk away. Because you can’t fight your way out of this. The hardest battles are the ones you can’t punch your way out of.”
Wait, what?
Tessa froze as reality imploded for her. It was like looking at a magic eye picture and suddenly seeing the image. It hit her like a truck how little was actually hidden by Judgment’s mask and outfit. And yet only now could she see it. The skin, the hair, the facial features, the body.
It was Jude!
Her mind frenzied. She didn’t know what to do. A thousand thoughts vied for attention. How Jude’s strange behaviour and disappearances suddenly made sense. How she always had the inside scoop on superhero events. That time she had been in a collapsing building and somehow emerged unharmed. How Tessa had found Judgement so attractive! Did she have a crush on her best friend? These were all thoughts for later.
For now, she just had to find a way out of this without revealing herself.
“Sorry, but I can’t. I need this stone,” Tessa apologised, subconsciously lowering the tone of her voice to hide it. The nanobots picked up on her anxiety and added a robotic reverb.
“So be it,” Judgement shrugged. She attacked.
In a single step, Judgment was on her. The first punch hit Tessa in the jaw and sent her sprawling. She thudded into the edge of the roof, dazed and dizzy. She could feel her jaw buzzing as the nanobots fixed any damage. But it still hurt. It really bloody hurt!
Suddenly, Tessa’s blood was up. Her friend had just punched her and now she was mad. Sure, Jude didn’t know it was her, but Tessa didn’t care. Brian Heed couldn’t stop her, the committee couldn’t stop her, now neither could Jude. It was time to fight back.
Activating her thrusters, she launched herself at Judgement, punching her in the chin. She threw a right hook, then a left, then another right. Tessa had taken boxing once for a summer alongside ballet. Even so, she was punching a superhero. Judgement’s head barely moved.
Oh crap, Tessa swore to herself, as Judgement raised her fist.
Another punch, this one to the chest, and Tessa thudded to the floor. It hit her armour but she still felt the nanobots buzzing behind the plating, mending ribs. Jude was strong. Really strong. Tessa struggled back to her feet, a little wobbly, as the hero cockily watched her.
“Had enough?” she smiled.
“Not yet,” Tessa hissed. She had to think. How did Intellitron ever beat Justice Man? Well, he didn’t, did he? That sent her heart into her stomach. But how could Intellitron beat Justice Man. Brains vs brawn? Uncle Frank would outsmart him.
Judgement just shook her head disappointedly, then swung her fist. Tessa raised her arms to shield herself, taking the next blow to her gauntlets, and the next. Jude was clearly toying with her, but that was her mistake. With her forth punch, Tessa channelled several thousand vaults through her gauntlets. Jude’s fist landed and her entire body flashed with lightning.
“OW!” the hero recoiled.
“Amateur. Your gloves aren’t even shock proof,” Tessa grinned. She launched a barrage of sharp jabs, each one delivering a payload of electricity. She was careful with the voltage, worried she might actually hurt Jude. In actuality, it was likely too low from the start. While the blows stunned her, the hero was recovering quickly.
She caught one of Tessa’s fists.
Judgement stared daggers. Tessa struggled to escape, and not to do anything embarrassing out of fear. The hand was like a vice. And under her fist, Judgement’s palm began to glow.
Oh, right. Judgement can fire energy blasts, Tessa reminded herself.
The blast released and hit Tessa like a hammer. It sent her flying. She cleared the edge of the roof, cleared the alley, and then cleared the next two buildings. When she landed she was a couple of blocks away and lying in a rooftop flowerbed, the nanomachines buzzing all over her body. Her arm especially hurt, like she’d punched a wall at high speed.
She needed a plan. Judgement would be on her any moment, and she was a novice supervillain at best. She needed an edge. She needed Judgement’s weakness.
A metaphorical bulb lit up over her head.
Sure, she didn’t know Judgment, but she knew Jude’s weakness. Peppermints. She was allergic. It was a mild allergy, sure, but it should be enough to stop her. Even as she thought, the nanosuit crept out into the flowerbed and consumed any of its regular mint for a base. But Tessa also had to explain why she was spraying her opponent with peppermint.
Judgment landed on the roof, her features creased with annoyance. She was done playing. Tessa stood before her, wearing a fake smile. She needed to stall. But with that surge of adrenaline, an idea took form. She stuck out a hand and an array of harmless lasers shot out, cascading over the hero. Judgement flinched, and looked confused. They’d done nothing. The lasers stopped and beeped like a barcode scanner.
“Hahaha,” Tessa laughed theatrically. “And my scan is complete. Now I have a complete analysis of you, Judgement.”
“Pardon?” Judgement paused.
“Oh, yes. My technology has made a complete assessment.” A small screen slotted down over Tessa’s eye, displaying meaningless information. “You’re strong, can create energy blasts and fly. You’re not indestructible, but you’re tough. Also, it looks like you have a genetic abnormality that reacts negatively with Mentha balsamea.”
“Mentha what?”
“Peppermint!” she proclaimed and sprayed the synthetic peppermint her suit had finished.
The spray hit Judgement. She leapt back, but the mist clung to her. She swatted at the cloud around her, then it dispersed and she fell to her knees.
For a moment, Tessa worried she had overdone it. It was a mean thing to do, but needs must. Fortunately, Judgement started to move. And glow. Her skin changed from its usual coffee-black to a dull orange. Then to yellow. Jude stood up, her eyes glowing white and her skin shining like purest gold.
Tessa backed away slowly.
“I think your machine made a mistake, you vile villain,” Judgement announced, her voice now echoing ethereally. “Peppermint doesn’t hurt me. It just makes me lose control of my powers. It’ll also make me sick as a dog in about twelve hours, so thanks in advance for that,” she snarled. “But please, I don’t want to be rude. I’ll show you the wonderful power you’ve let loose.”
Judgement charged.
* * *
Tessa awoke about nineteen seconds later. She was on another completely new rooftop, her entire body hurt, and the nanobots were working overtime to fix her injuries. There was a massive dent in her chest plate and she was pretty sure her hair was scorched. She could see Judgement flying after her, glowing like the sun, but Tessa was out of tricks. She might have to fight this properly. She tried to command her suit to make an anti-peppermint compound, but the suit was too busy fixing her bones. She swallowed nervously. This would be the most difficult fight of her life... It would also be her first.
Judgement landed and marched forwards. Every step, her golden form scorched the ground and left blackened footprints behind her. Tessa got to her feet, which only made Judgement smile. Tessa couldn’t smile. She was scared. Really scared.
“Stop right there, young lady!” a voice yelled from above. As they both looked up, a metal platform descended. On the platform was a blue skinned man with a bionic eye, wearing full cerulean robes, and a look of absolute annoyance on his face.
If anything, Tessa was even more scared of him.
“Mr Intellitron!” Judgement exclaimed.
“You, butt out of this. This is between me and her,” Intellitron dismissed the hero, stepping off the platform and marching towards Tessa. “Hello there, M. M. Mechanism,” he said mockingly. “14 told me everything.”
“Okay, look, I can explain.” Tessa put up her hands as if she were praying.
“Can you?”
“So you’re behind this!” Judgement realised wrongly. “I knew we couldn’t trust a villain like you, Mr Intellitron.”
“I said, butt out!” Uncle Frank growled back. “I’m still retired, I just need to deal with this. Run along. I’d like to talk to her alone.”
“Not on your life. I can finally do what Justice Man never could, and put you away for good.” Judgement hovered, aiming her body threateningly.
“For god’s sake…” Intellitron grumbled, then looked Judgement square in the face. “Hey! Watch the birdy!” He pointed to his robot eye. It glowed blue as Judgement looked on in confusion.
“What are you-” she began, then a beam fired and froze her to the spot, a glowing aura holding her in mid-air.
“Tsch. Call yourself a hero? Even Justice Man would never have fallen for that,” Intellitron critiqued. “These young bloods need to learn.”
“Does Mum know you had that in your head during dinner?” Tessa asked.
“There’s a lot of things your mother doesn’t know.” He rounded sternly on her. “You said you could explain?”
“Yes… Where to start?”
“Let’s start with what, then why, then we go from there,” he pre-empted. “So, what did you steal?”
“The Stone of Stevenson…”
“And where is it?”
“In here.” She held up the Containment Cube.
He nodded. “So it hasn’t been gone long. Twelve minutes, if I remember correctly.”
“Actually, it’s been longer. While testing the cube, I discovered that with a few modifications it could store inanimate objects for almost eight hours,” Tessa explained, turning the cube in her hand.
“What do you mean?” Uncle Frank asked, some of his sternness fading into curiosity.
“Well, a small change to the energy frequency and it becomes a lot more stable. However, the change means it can’t contain anything organic safely. Specifically anything alive. The results are a bit unpleasant. I tested it on a houseplant and it came back inside out.”
“Huh.” Intellitron stared at the cube. “I’d never considered just using it for storage.” Then he got back on track, his annoyance resumed. “I’m assuming you’re stealing it for someone else? My guess is the academic committee.”
“Got it in one, Uncle Frank.”
“Why do they want it?”
“Jealousy? Boredom? Who knows?” she shrugged.
“And yet you’re getting yourself beaten up to steal it.” He shook his head.
“Hey, it’s not like the museum deserves it anyway,” Tessa argued. “They stole it from its indigenous people 200 years ago, and now it’s just on display. I did my research to make sure I wasn’t hurting anyone innocent.”
“And the committee will give it back?” he doubted
“No, but I think it’s better than nothing. It’ll defame the people who stole it by showing how they can’t protect their property. I know it isn’t perfect, but I just couldn’t miss my chance. Not with Brian ruining my life.”
“I see,” Intellitron thought for a moment, his sternness faded. “Zapper, I’m going to ask you a serious question here. Are you really doing this for the TECHAA, or are you doing this just to beat Brian Heed?”
Tessa considered it, then pouted a little. “I can be doing it for both reasons.”
“And this TECHAA thing is really worth all this? And taking down Brian?”
“Honestly, it’s all that I live for at the moment. Victory and revenge.”
Intellitron shook his head again. “Headstrong, obsessive, selfish,” he judged. “God I miss those heady days,” he sighed nostalgically.
“Pardon?”
He smiled. “I get it. Sometimes you need to be a bit hard headed, don’t you? Refuse to give in. Never relent. Some days you have to be so driven it hurts. And yes, sometimes you have to be a bit selfish. Do something for you, even if it isn’t the best for everyone else. I remember why I became a villain. I thought the world would be better under my rule. That I alone could fix all the world’s problems. I was wrong, of course, but all that started from that one selfish idea.”
“I thought it was because you got denied for a bank loan because you were blue,” Tessa remembered. She’d been told this story before.
“Well, yes. That too. I wanted money for an invention. They said no, so I robbed the bank that denied me. Okay, petty at the time, but it made me understand the corruption in economics. The inequality of opportunities. It made me fight back. If I hadn’t, I’d still be a bricklayer like your grandfather, god rest him.”
“Okay?” Tessa said cautiously. She wasn’t sure where this was going anymore.
“But now look at you! You’re going toe to toe with a super. You’re doing your research and making your moral judgments. You’re refusing to accept the world’s unfairness, even if the law wouldn’t agree. My only complaint is that you stole my tech to do it, but even then…” He couldn’t help but grin.
“You’re not mad?”
“Of course I’m mad,” he continued, still smiling. “Your mother would be livid if she ever saw you like this. And there’s no way she’d believe I wasn’t responsible. She’d never speak to me again. But, by fate or by function, you’re following in my footsteps.”
Tessa looked down at herself. Azure armour, grey lightning hair, a general use of gadgets. She did look like a knock-off Mr Intellitron.
“You always were my role model,” she justified. “You’re the reason I worked so hard. I wanted to be as clever as you.”
Intellitron smirked. “You know, your mother would say villains make terrible role models. And for the most part, she’d be right. Criminals, tyrants and self-centred jerks, the lot of them. But at the core of it all is a desire for change. Sure, for most of them it’s change that puts them on top, but it’s change nonetheless. Heroes just enforce the rules. Yes, they save people, but they don’t fix the problems. They won’t change the laws to help the oppressed. No, they’ll just beat up that oppressed person when they’re forced to steal to survive. Well… some of them anyway,” he conceded. “Overall, they just enforce the status quo. But I always saw the need to change the status quo. To try and fix the unfairness of the world, even if I had to do it by force.”
He paused, a nostalgic look washing over his face.
“Justice Man used to say to me, ‘The world ill needs a saviour such as you’. My response was always ‘I don’t see anyone else doing any better’. And now here you are, your future at stake, and you fight back against it. Doing anything to make your dreams come true.” His anger was gone and he beamed, looking her in the eye. “I’m so proud of you, Tessa.”
“Thanks, Uncle Frank,” Tessa blushed.
“Now, what do we do with her?” Intellitron turned to look at Judgement, still frozen nearby and still glowing yellow. Tessa suddenly remembered the hero was there. “This is Judgement, right?”
“That’s her, Uncle Frank. Will she be alright?”
“Basic stasis field. She’ll wake up feeling no time has passed.”
“Good. Because it turns out she’s my best friend from school.”
“Really?” Intellitron said curiously. He thought for a second. “That girl Jude you’re always talking about?”
Oh god! She was always talking about her! Maybe it really was a crush!
“Um…yes,” Tessa said embarrassingly.
“The world is peculiar,” Intellitron admired. “You know, one of my first heroes turned out to be your mother’s hair stylist?”
“Huh… That must have been a let-down.”
“Hardly. He was a demon with those scissors,” Intellitron recalled. “You see all this?” he gestured to his grey lightning hair and beard.
“Yes?”
“This is all natural. Your mother has it too, her stylist just cuts and dyes it with such fury it’ll never spring back. That’s the man I fought… And, don’t let on to your mother I told you that. She’d kill me.”
“I’m just sad I missed out on that gene.”
“Perhaps. It does look good on you,” he admired her disguised hair.
“So, Judgement?” Tessa got them back on track.
“She’ll wake up in an hour and we’ll be gone. Does she know who you are?”
“Don’t think so.”
“Good. That can get messy. You’re giving the Stone of Stevenson to the committee?”
“I can’t miss my chance. Besides, a few plans are forming on that front.”
“That’s my girl,” he smiled again. “And is this villainy going to be a onetime thing or an ongoing project?”
“I’m not going full time,” she dismissed. Then she thought. “But then again… it could be useful. It really would put Brian in his place if I robbed him. He’s a trust fund brat and I’ll need capital for my research.”
Uncle Frank chuckled. “People like that sometimes need reminding they’re not invincible. In that case, I guess I’ll leave you with the Nanosuit. Might as well. The cat-suit look never suited me.”
“Thanks, Uncle Frank. I’ll be careful with it.”
“And call me if you ever need anything. For the time being, you can use my lab if necessary, but I’ll give you the number for a guy who can get you your own lair. Cosmo works wonders.”
“Um… Thanks, Uncle Frank,” she said a little less assuredly.
* * *
The next day, Tessa stood before the committee. They all waited until the doors were closed, as Everton Clark looked down with a leering smile.
“Do you have it?”
“I do,” Tessa answered. She pulled out the Containment Cube and pointed it, materialising the Stone of Stevenson on Everton’s desk. The five of them all stared at the dull hunk of rock as if it were a diamond.
“Suitably banal,” Everton admired. “Now, you can be off.”
“Not without my reward. I was thinking a full star grade for me, while you drop Brian down to a B+. It’s low enough that he won’t get the placement, but high enough that no one will feel sorry for him.”
“A suitably cruel retribution, but we have the stone now. You don’t have anything else to offer. It’s a rookie mistake,” Everton grinned maliciously. Around the desk, all the other members began to chuckle.
“You’re really going for the old backstab?” Tessa said incredulously. She’d expected it, but still…
“Well what are you going to do about it? Report us?” Crisper laughed. The others joined in.
Tessa stared up at them, waiting for them to stop. When they didn’t, she raised a hand and her pinkie ring sent a bolt of energy whizzing past Elizabeth Vault’s ear. The laughing stopped, with them honestly more annoyed by the hole in the wall than the danger.
“You really think I didn’t come prepared?” she smirked. “I’m a villain now, and I have the weapons to fight all five of you. So try it, why don’t you?”
“You little…”
“Or maybe I should just tell my Uncle Frank. Then you’d be in trouble.” She inspected her nails condescendingly.
“Why would we ever be scared of your Uncle Frank?”
“You know him, don’t you? I know at least one of you does. Frank Intellitron.”
All their faces fell.
“I’m sure he’d love to hear how you’ve been picking on his favourite niece.”
They all turned pale, even Crisper with his ridiculous tan.
“Now, about my grades?” Tessa grinned.
* * *
That afternoon, Tessa walked through the college green, her heart alight with success. Across the campus she noticed a crowd surrounding the music hall, a deep and frenzied wailing coming from within. No one outside appeared worried. The reactions ranged from curious people trying to see what was happening, and people irritably waiting for it to stop.
She walked past, heading out onto the veranda where Jude was waiting.
“Hey, Jude. How are… Oh my!” Tessa stopped. Jude didn’t look well. She was sniffling with a runny nose, occasionally coughing, and her skin was a jaundiced yellow above her usual tone. She blew her nose loudly into a hanky.
“Hey, Tess,” she said, her nose bunged up.
“What happened to you?”
“Oh, all this?” Jude gestured to her whole head. “Allergies. Someone blew one of those vape pens in my face and it was laced with peppermint. Been fighting the damn symptoms since yesterday.” She snorted again, clearing her nose.
“Oh...” Tessa felt a little spike of guilt. “Maybe I can use chemistry to make you an antihistamine or something.”
“Don’t worry, Tessa. It’ll pass.”
From behind, the wailing in the music hall grew louder, then faded again. Tessa turned and briefly saw Brian Heed sprinting away in tears.
“What’s going on there?” she pointed.
“Oh, you didn’t hear?” Jude blew her nose again. “Brian decided to hand in his project early, just to be the smuggest he could be. But it turns out alien dinosaurs aren’t scientific fact. They said it was just meaningless sci-fi and a betrayal of the original concept. But they still accepted his submission and graded him at a B.”
Tessa tried to be humble, she sincerely did. She failed utterly.
“Oh nooooooo…” she grinned.
“No need to pretend, Tess,” Jude stopped her with a similar grin. Then she sneezed into her hanky, groaning at the discomfort of it. “Urgh, I hope this clears up soon.”
“Hey guys!” called Ben, running up to the pair. He headed up to kiss Jude, only to recoil from her snot.
“Sorry, honey. No kissing today,” Jude groaned.
“That’s fine with me.” Ben stepped back. “Anyway, did you hear, Tess? There was a huge superhero fight last night!”
“Oh?” Tessa tried to look innocent.
“I tried to call you? Thought it would be good for your documentary. Where were you?”
“Busy. I was visiting my uncle.”
“Well, listen to this,” he said excitably, pulling out his phone and reading the article aloud.
Last night, Hero City was shaken by a robbery at the West County Museum for Art and History. The theft resulted in the loss of a famed antiquity, The Stone of Stevenson, a disputed artefact that has been the subject of multiple protests and debates. However, it was not the theft itself that caused such an uproar, but the emergence of yet another villain onto our streets.
As described by a museum security guard, the villain was female and used various gadgetry to slip in and out of the museum almost undetected, only spotted by one patrolling guard. The villain, identified by local superhero Judgement as Madame Mechanism-
So that name’s going to stick, Tessa thought to herself.
-is described as being six foot with a lithe and impressive combat suit. She has grey, lightning hair, but this fails to distract from her firm and shapely figure. While no people were directly harmed, she is considered to be armed and dangerous, no matter how alluring she might be. However, many readers will find the description of “Grey Lightning Hair” familiar, as a key feature of former villain and resort owner, Mr Intellitron. According to Judgement, Intellitron was sighted that night conflicting with Madame Mechanism. When questioned over his involvement, Intellitron had this to say.
“This new villain is clearly an upstart, and has taken to likening herself to me. But, even so, she is formidable. She managed to infiltrate my own labs and steal an archived and unfinished project, and then completed the design herself. Imagine that! I think the world should be ready for this new villain’s rise to prominence.”
Speculation continues to churn concerning a connection between Intellitron and Mechanism, but as of yet no further proof has been established. Judgement was reported to have attempted to apprehend Madame Mechanism, but failed due to Intellitron’s interference, or so the hero says.
As of yet, The Stone of Stevenson has not been located, nor the reason for its theft. And now yet another villain has risen. Watch out citizens of Hero City! Madame Mechanism is on the loose.
“What do you think? Isn’t that the coolest? Have you ever heard anything like it?” Ben said excitedly.
Jude just raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Ben. I wrote it,” she said flatly, sniffing again. “What else was I going to do, laid up in bed all night, unable to sleep? I had to pay someone over the phone to get me that Intellitron interview.”
“…I was more talking to Tessa there,” Ben deflated. Then he eyed Jude again, and the state of her. “Let’s get you home and back into bed. You look like you need it.”
“Sure… I don’t deserve you.”
“Well, you have me. So there,” Ben teased.
“For how long?”
“Forever. Didn’t you know? College romances always stand the test of time.”
Jude smiled through her snot.
“Hey, did you say the Stone of Stevenson was stolen?” Tessa refocused the conversation.
“Yes?” Jude nodded.
“Oh, man,” Tessa complained. “I was planning to go and see that.” Of course, that was a lie.
Ben looked puzzled. “Why? It sounds so dull.”
“It has some fascinating history,” Tessa said promptly “It was stolen ages ago by settlers from its native people, and now it’s being held in the museum… Well, it was. In all honesty, it’s just a rock, but a rock with cultural significance. There are laws in place, that should it ever make it back to its homeland, then it automatically becomes their property again, no questions asked. Some hero could send it back and legally everyone would be in the clear. It’s a fascinating prospect.”
Ben kept his puzzled look. “How do you know all that?”
“Everton Clark,” Tessa sighed, displaying pretend boredom. “He rambled on and on about it this morning. All I wanted to do was talk about my project, but he had a replica of the stone on his coffee table and kept talking about how much he hated the museum owner.” She performatively quirked an eyebrow. “Though, now that I think about it, I do find that strange. I wouldn’t have thought they’d make replicas of something that dull.”
“It does seem unusual,” Ben agreed.
“And now the real stone’s been stolen.” Tessa watched Jude as she drip fed the information. “You know, it’s funny. When I was researching for my documentary, I had a theory that Everton Clark was actually the villain, Bank Breaker. I could never prove it though. What do you think, Jude?”
Finally the pieces fell and a look of revelation crossed Jude’s face.
“Yes,” she said, hiding her revelation. “And he knows all about this stone, doesn’t he? Maybe I should interview him? A private interview to get the truth.”
“You should do that,” Tessa agreed. “You should definitely do that.”
Tessa smiled. Bank Breaker was getting a visit from Judgement, Brian was ruined, and she’d survived a superhero fight.
She couldn’t have been happier.