Today’s story takes us back to the Team Prototype “mirrorverse”; called “Trouble Making”. Ezskar continues to work on trying to build his team up.
I hope you enjoy!
--
There had been a lot of recent rumors of someone stirring things up in Lower Union; some referring to them as a 'troublemaker', though others have said that they've been a great help, almost a 'hero'.
And it had certainly caught Ezskar's attention.
If there was someone there causing some trouble for the criminal elements in Underside, then maybe he could try and find him and ask for their help, and he had gotten a good lead from Tink so he had a good idea of where he could start looking. It was a long shot, but it was worth a shot. Ezskar never liked visiting the area most refer to as 'Underside' though; there was too much trouble from gangs and other illegal activities there, and the black market was rampant. Funnily enough though, it seemed like the ideal place for a would-be 'hero' to try and start making some changes, even though that was a very dangerous prospect; all the more reason he wanted to fine them.
He walked around the streets of the area, trying to be inconspicuous...or at least, as much as a pink mutant alien could be walking in the less safe areas of the planet. He didn't want to come right out and ask people for any information, so he tried to play it subtly, looking for hints or rumors or stories about this would-be vigilante. He was getting some information, but nothing concrete. All he knew for certain as that it was another alien of some variety, and he had an unorthodox way of fighting...at least, that's what he heard from the few he walked with. Some said he had a weird form of fighting, but then there were those that mentioned that he had used some kind of electrical weapon, nothing lethal but it seemed to be rather effective. While he was intrigued by what he heard, he was not really getting closer to finding out who they actually were or where he could find them; the alien population on Union was significant enough that doing a systematic search would take months.
It was starting to get late and Ezskar sighed as he checked off the last of his leads. "That it..." He said, Chompski snaking up over his shoulder. "We only know a little more now, but...it still seems pretty monumental here." He sighed, "Well...we tried our best, but I guess we should head back home." He started the long walk back towards the ship port to head back to the station, but as he walked, he started to get the creepy feeling that he was being followed. He gave a casual glance back to see that he was in fact being followed by a small group of shady looking creatures.
He started to worry a little and he tried his best to loose them, taking a few detours but that only seemed to make his own situation worse as he was getting a little lost. He ended up in a less populated part of the city when the group of five started to become more bold in their approach, starting to surround him.
"What do we have here?" One of them asked; a stout Needlex that Ezskar assumed was the group's 'leader'.
"Can I help you with something?" Ezskar asked, his tone sounding steady to mask his own nervousness; he wasn't much of a fighter and he really didn't like the idea of getting stuck with five thugs.
The Needlix laughed, "Oh, I think you can help us, pinky. We been hearin' rumors of someone looking for that trouble-making punk. We don't got much love for that guy."
"That's a shame." Ezskar said, "And what does that have to do with me?"
"Ain't see you before," The Needlix said, "Which means you ain't part of the locals 'round here, which means you ain't one of us, and if yer looking for the punk, that don't do us any good." He snorted, "Besides, fancy looking bloke like you probably has some good loot on ya."
Ezskar twitched and he grimaced. "Well...you might be sorely disappointed." Chompski came up and gave an angry clomp and Ez watched the group starting to approach him, some starting to brandish some weapons.
"Hey!" A new voice sprang up behind the goons and they all turned. It was an alien, one that Ez had never seen before. He had an almost Narth-like appearance, mixed in with something wolf-like: long ears, blue hair and fur, even clawed hands and feet. He gave them this stern look with gold-colored eyes, crossing his arms across his chest. "Causing trouble again? Didn't you guys learn your lesson the last time?"
"It's him!" One of the other thugs said, sounding a bit worried.
The Needlix just sneered and shouted out. "Get him!"
The alien let out a laugh, "Heh, guess you guys need a refresher!" He started to bounce on his feet as the four thugs charged him. He immediately ducked down, sweeping his leg out into one of the thug's legs and sweeping them out from under him and knocking him down, then in one fluid motion he swung his legs upward, launching himself up into the air and spun, launching a kick into a second thug's head and sending him flying back.
The other two thugs attacked him, one swinging his club down while the other one tried to punch him, but the 'hero' used his momentum to dodge around them in a backwards flip, and as soon as he landed he pulled out some kind of device and held it out. There was a sudden green flash and a new figure appeared between him and the thugs: it was a strange serpentine creature in green armor, his arms seeming to float in the air connected to the body by a green energy field. The thugs saw the new creature's appearance and they yelped out before it launched itself at them, swinging its arms out and decking one of them and flattening him out on the ground. It then turned around to face the last one as he swung his club down at him, lifting its arm up and catching the swing and bouncing it off and then quickly countered with a swing of his own, hitting him in the gut and causing him to stumble backwards. The other thugs were starting to recover by now, but before they could really react, the alien had moved in next to the other creature, standing back-to-back as they took on the thugs.
Ezskar stayed back and watched the fight play out: it was him, it had to be! It was strange, almost mesmerizing to watch them: the alien moving around with flips and weaves as he kicked two of the thugs around while his companion took on the other two, swinging its fists out and punching the others while blocking any attacks that were aimed at him or the other. The two moved and fought, in sync with each other, moving quickly and taking care of the thugs, soon leaving them out cold on the ground.
The alien 'hero' looked over to the Needlix, the last one standing, "'Right you, feeling lucky?"
The Needlix looked at the two, shaking in fear as they turned to him, "Gaaah...aah...uuunnnh..." He had nothing to say and he finally just ran away in fear, leaving the others.
The alien laughed and he looked over to his companion and the two high-fived before the one disappeared in an electrical zap, going back into the device, then turning towards Ezskar. "You okay?"
Ezskar blinked and he nodded, "Oh! Yes...thank you for the help there."
"No worries. Just be careful 'round here." He started to turn and leave, Ez's memory snapping in and he called out. "Hey, wait! Can I have a word with you?"
"Rather not." The alien replied.
"But I've been looking for you all day!" Ezskar said, following after him. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you after I heard about what you’ve been doing here!”
He stopped, "Eh? Why? You want to interview me or something? I'd rather not have my face plastered on all the news feeds."
Ezskar shook, "No, I'm not a reporter, I'm...well, a business man." He quickly explained, "I'm actually trying to form a team of my own; a team of, well, heroes."
The alien raised a brow, "...oh yeah?"
The mutant nodded, "Yes! I heard about your exploits here and I wanted to find you so I could ask you if you'd be interested in joining me."
He thought for a moment, "Eh...I dunno, was getting used to doing things solo with my partner..."
Ezskar frowned a little, but he kept trying. "Perhaps...but many see you as a troublemaker as much as a hero, and if you would get caught\ you wouldn't really have any legal standing for what you’re doing. However, if you decide to join me, then you won't have that trouble! And there are the other benefits I would be offering as well, such as wages and a place to stay!"
The alien was quiet, "Well...you do have some fair points, and I definitely don't mind the idea of getting outta here. Plus, doing things with an actual team would be a lot easier." He took the device in his hand and looked at it, "What do you think Aero?" The device gave a loud been and the alien blinked before he grinned and laughed. "Yeah, I guess it would be dumb not to." He looked back to the mutant, "Well, I guess there is no harm in it, or at least in discussing it."
"Splendid!" Ezskar smiled and Chompski gave a happy clomp. "Come! We can return to my space station, you can see what we have before we talk about the final details, Mister..."
"Den." The alien said, "Just Den." He gave a small laugh, "Let's see what you've got."
