A dying man is given a second chance. This story is a fan fiction that takes place in the Whateley Universe.

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The villain was probably called something like Frog Man, Leapfrog, or something equally ridiculous. His costume was a bright green spandex outfit and he had a pair of large goggles over his eyes, which helped give me the impression that he was doing some kind of frog theme.

I was watching the villain from a good distance away, through the window of the jewelry store he was currently robbing. He’d been there for about half an hour, taking his time as he tried to get every piece of jewelry he could.

There had been more than enough time for any super heroes to show up and stop him, but none had. Lately, the local heroes hadn’t been doing very well, with their numbers being reduced either to injury or to the Marquis. As a result, small time villains were starting to take advantage of the opportunity.

My attention turned from the villain to the news reporter who stood outside the jewelry store, holding a camera and filming the entire thing. It was her footage that told me the robbery was occurring and where. It said something that this guy had been sticking around long enough for not only the reporter to get here, but me as well.

“And where are the damn cops?” I muttered.

There were some cops present, but they seemed more interested in blocking off the street and keeping anyone from getting close than they were in actually catching that guy. Then again, he probably had some unknown powers that they were afraid of. In fact, the cops were probably waiting for either the MCO or some hero to show up and deal with him.

Since the villain didn’t appear to be in any hurry, I’d taken a look around and found his transportation hidden on the other side of an alley. It was some kind of small two person hover car, which I knew was his because the whole thing was the same bright green color as his costume. I’d flipped it over to make sure he couldn’t escape that way, then I’d gone to work setting my trap.

Suddenly, the hover car thing began to hum and I could see jets activating on the back and bottom. It looked like it was about to take off, or at least that it was trying to. The fact that it was currently upside down meant that it wasn’t going anywhere, a fact that made me chuckle.

The villain came out of the jewelry store with a pair of large duffel bags hung over his shoulders. He looked around, appearing to be confused and frustrated, probably by the fact that vehicle wasn’t flying right to him so he could escape.

After several seconds and a profanity cried out loud enough that I could hear it, he ran across the street and in my direction. I couldn’t help but thinking that if his name was Frogger, having him get hit by a car while running across the street would have been hilarious.

It didn’t take long at all for the villain to come towards me, running down the alley so he could get to his vehicle. He didn’t seem to notice that the alleyway was covered with brightly colored ribbons, all of which had a single end coming right to me.

Holding the ends of the ribbons, I stretched out my power to control them, and as one, every one of them came alive and began to attack him. The villain cried out in surprise as ribbons wrapped around his arms and legs, holding him tight. In mere seconds, I had him wrapped up like a mummy, all except for his head, and hanging upside down from a fire escape.

“Hello mister villain,” I said in my best innocent voice as I came out of hiding and walked up to him. He was hanging at the right height so that his eyes were at the same level as my own. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions? It’s for my school paper.”

“What the fuck?” the villain demanded, staring at me with a completely confused expression.

“Naughty naughty,” I teased him. “My ears are far too young and delicate for such language.”

I could only imagine what he thought about seeing a cute little girl with a frilly dress, who obviously wasn’t afraid of him. I just gave him a smile, and not a pleasant one, letting my image soak in a little more.

“First off,” I continued, my expression going serious as I gave him a cold look. “I want you to tell me where the Marquis has been hiding out.”

“The Marquis?” he blurted out, still confused.

I shook my head, wondering if there was some kind of IQ test before you could be a villain. If there was, the bar must be set pretty low.

“You know,” I continued, “The villain who’s been kidnapping heroes…”

“And villains,” he blurted out. “He’s grabbed a couple villains too…”

“Now that, I didn’t know,” I responded, giving him a thoughtful look. “Now then, Frogger…”

“That’s not my name,” he protested.

I gave him a gentle pat on the check, then responded, “I don’t really care. Now then…Frogger…do you know where the Marquis is?”

“Hell no,” he said, looking nervous.

I smiled at that, deciding that he must be about as nervous of the Marquis as the heroes. Then again, he’d come out and wasted a lot of time, so maybe he just didn’t think his powers were good enough for the Marquis to bother with.

“Are you sure?” I asked, putting a pleading note in my voice, the same one Kimberly used when she was trying get something her parents.

He nodded at that, then demanded, “Let me go…”

“Not until you finish answering my questions,” I told him firmly. “Do you know who might know where the Marquis is?” When he shook his head at that, I let out a sigh. After several long seconds, I hesitantly asked, “How about Lady Havoc? Do you know where I can find her?”

“No,” he answered, but there was something a little off about his reaction.

I grabbed the side his face and held it firmly, giving just enough pressure that I wouldn’t hurt him, but that he’d see it wouldn’t be a good idea to piss me off. “Now then Froger,” I insisted in a cold tone. “Let’s try that last one again…”

After just a little more prompting, Frogger told me, “There’s a club…a bar where villains hang out and socialize.”

“I bet the heroes would love to find out about that place,” I mused thoughtfully.

“They already know about it,” he explained nervously. “There’s sort of a truce… I mean, they leave our club alone and we leave Freelancer headquarters alone…”

I nodded in understanding, definitely seeing the appeal of such an arrangement to both sides. Both sides have a place where they can hang out and socialize without worrying about being ambushed. I absently wondered what Rachael’s attack on the Clinic meant for the truce, then decided it didn’t matter at the moment.

“And Lady Havoc is at this club?” I calmly asked my prisoner.

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “She likes to show up every week or two…usually on Thursday nights.”

“And the Marquis?” I asked Frogger. “Does he hang out there?”

“No,” Frogger answered. “He’s not a local.”

I nodded at that, then asked Frogger a few more questions, such as where the club was at and what I could expect. I had to give him a few more ‘gentle nudges’ to encourage his cooperation, but I got what I wanted

When I was done, I gave Frogger my best sweet and innocent smile before saying, “Thank you for being so helpful.”

“But you can’t go there,” Frogger insisted, looking worried. “The treaty… Heroes aren’t allowed.”

I just laughed at that before asking, “Do I really look like a hero?”

With that, I turned and walked away while he cried out, “Hey, let me down…”

I’d finished with my business with Frogger, who was much more helpful than the last two villains I’d talked with, but I wasn’t ready to leave quite yet. There was still something that tickled my curiosity, so I started towards the jewelry store, and more specifically, to the reporter who was still hanging out there. I remembered from the local news that this reporter was named May O’Connel, and she always seemed to be the one who rushed out to cover the hero and villain fights.

“Hello Ms. O’Connel,” I greeted the reporter pleasantly.

“Oh, hello,” she responded, giving me a look of surprise.

“I was just wondering,” I commented, gesturing to her outfit. “Why do you always wear a yellow jumpsuit? I mean, doesn’t that make it easier for these bad guys to see you?”

May stared at me for a moment, then started to chuckle. “Actually, that’s the entire point. I wear the bright jumpsuit for the same reason a hunter wears orange…so other people can see me and don’t hurt me by accident.”

“That makes sense for heroes,” I pointed out. “But villains…”

“Let me tell you a secret,” May said, looking quite amused. “Most people who wear these costumes do it because they like attention…including villains. A lot of the villains want to be on TV, so when they see me and my camera, they usually leave me alone…and sometimes even show off a bit for me.”

I shook my head at that, thinking that was rather crazy. Then again, this whole super hero and super villain thing was crazy to start with, so why should the reporters who cover them be any more sane than they were.

“And speaking of unusual outfits,” May commented, gesturing to my dress. There was a spark of sharp interest in her eyes that made it clear she wasn’t fooled by my ‘innocent little girl’ routine.

“You know,” I said as innocently as I could. “I think I heard someone calling for help from over there…” I gestured to the alleyway where I’d left Frogger tied up.

May hurried off to go check out the tip I’d given her, and though I should have hurried off immediately, I couldn’t resist hanging around for another minute, curious to see what her reaction to finding Frogger. Then I heard Frogger calling out, “It was a super hero… A BIG one…”

I chuckled at that, then finally hurried away. However, I didn’t get very far before someone dropped out of the sky and landed right in front of me. I nearly jumped at first, until I realized it was only Pinnacle.

“You know,” Pinnacle commented pleasantly, “I come to deal with a super villain, only to find you beat me to the punch. I didn’t know you wanted to go into the business.”

“I have no idea what you mean,” I responded.

“How about the other two villains who were found tied up in ribbons?” he asked me with a chuckle. “It seems you’ve been pretty busy over the last couple days.”

“Shouldn’t you be out looking for the Marquis?” I demanded a little sharply.

Pinnacle’s expression turned grim at that. “We’re still looking for him. He’s taken a third of the local heroes, some of them friends. Trust me, I’m not about to let him get away with this.”

“I looked him up online,” I admitted grimly, clenching my fists and nearly shaking in anger, frustration and even fear. “I heard about what he does to his prisoners…”

Pinnacle nodded at that, giving me a sympathetic look as he said, “Don’t worry. We’ll rescue Shortcut.”

I nodded at that, not sure I trusted myself to speak at the moment. The Marquis was a monster…and a powerful one. He kidnaped mutants to steal their powers, and then he tortured some of them until they died. From what I understood, the only reason Champion had beaten him before was because the Marquis had accidentally killed a couple of his most powerful donors before their fight.

“I’m getting my son back,” I stated firmly, refusing to accept any other alternative. My eyes were starting to tear up at that and I simultaneously wanted burst into a violent rage, turn into a sobbing mess, and just go and get plastered so I wouldn’t have to think about it. “I’ll be damned if I let that bastard hurt him.”

Pinnacle gave me a worried look, then promised, “I’ll do everything in my power to help.”

A few seconds later, Pinnacle flew off, leaving me behind. I snarled in rage, then turned and punched the side of a building, smashing the brick wall with my bare hand and leaving fist sized hole right through it. My hand felt vaguely bruised for a moment, but then that brief pain faded away. Or at least, the physical pain faded away.

Years ago, I’d been helpless to do anything as Rachael’s life was destroyed, as our family was nearly torn apart. And now, when I was stronger and tougher than I’d ever even imagined, I’d been helpless to do anything when the Marquis took Rich. I was bursting with frustration, feeling helpless to protect my family.

“Not again,” I whispered, knowing that I couldn’t bear to lose Rich as well.

I remained where I was for several minutes, waiting until I calmed down a little more. Since I’d finished what I needed to do for now and there was nothing else I could do at the moment, I went to find a bus stop so I could catch a ride home. I was desperately worried about Rich, but I wasn’t the only one. Melanie was having a hard time dealing with it as well, and I had to be there for her.

When I arrived home, Kimberly immediately rushed over and gave me a hug, exclaiming, “You’re back…” There was more relief in her voice than excitement, which made me scowl. If kidnapping Rich hadn’t been enough, I’d be more than pissed at him just for what he’d done to the girls.

“Of course I’m back,” I assured her, giving her a gentle hug. I wanted to squeeze her with a comforting bear hug, but I didn’t dare do anything like that.

Kaylie looked relieved when she saw I was back safely, but she didn’t say anything. She was still a bit shocked over her close call with the Marquis, and last night she’d even woken up screaming from a nightmare.

“Everything is going to be all right,” I assured both of my granddaughters, praying that I wasn’t lying.

“You were at the library for a long time,” Melanie told me, giving me a knowing look.

I nodded at that, then once I was out of earshot of the girls, I admitted, “I wasn’t at the library. I was trying to find Rich.”

“Please don’t get hurt,” Melanie told me, looking more than a little worried. “We came so close to losing you before. I don’t know what we’d do if we lost you now.”

“I’ll try to be careful,” I promised her with a sad shake of my head. “But I can’t leave Rich… I can’t just leave it in the hands of those heroes…”

Melanie nodded at that, then had a look of determination on her face as she said, “Then if you do find him, you’d better kick his ass and bring back my brother.”

“Of course,” I agreed. I fully intended to either do that or die trying.

Melanie nodded again, this time looking a little more comforted. She glanced back at Kaylie, then whispered, “I’m worried about Kaylie… She hasn’t said anything about what that guy said…but…”

I understood exactly what Melanie meant. The Marquis had seemed pretty certain that Kaylie was a mutant and that she was getting close to manifesting. I wasn’t sure if she’d been so scared by what was going on that she hadn’t noticed that, or if she was trying to pretend that she hadn’t heard it.

“If she is a mutant,” I told Melanie quietly, “then we’ll deal with it when the time comes and help her adjust. For now, treat her the same as you always have.”

“Thank you,” Melanie told me, giving me a hug and admitting, “I’m not sure how I’ll raise a mutant…”

I smiled faintly at that, remembering my own difficult experiences. “You’ll do the best you can,” I assured her gently. “And you’ll do fine. You’re a good mother.”

“Thank you,” she told me again, giving me a nervous smile.

After this, I started back towards my room, only to find Kaylie standing in front of me. She stared at me for several long seconds, looking uncertain and afraid. Then she grimaced and had a look of determination that was very much like the one her mother possessed. In fact, it also reminded me a great deal of Meg.

“When you find that bad guy who took Uncle Rich,” she insisted. “I want you to kick his ass good.”

“You know I will,” I assured her, giving her a hug and promising, “I won’t let anyone get away with hurting this family.”