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Chapter 14
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“And that’s the first act, everyone, good job,” said the teacher right before the bell rang. Everyone put away their copies of the book the class was reading—an old and classic play about a prince whose widowed mother married his father’s brother—when the teacher also reminded them, “Don’t forget your two paragraphs on the subject of revenge like we discussed. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

Judy joined everyone in filing out of the door when she heard a familiar and welcome voice call out, “Hey, Judy!”

She turned to Denise, who caught up with her. Judy said, “Hey, you. I was wondering where you were today. I was starting to wonder if you disappeared on me or something.”

“Yeah, right. So,” Denise leaned in and whispered, “how did it go?”

“Still going, actually. I can’t talk about half of it just yet, even in private, but it’s so exciting. I wish I could tell you everything.”

“I thought I was supposed to be helping.”

“I’m not sure how you can. Ugh . . . It’s that kid.” They stopped a distance away, but could plainly see the smug boy who was known for taking what we wanted, bullying any of the students who lifted a finger against him, and got away with it for unknown reasons.

The boy saw Denise and Judy, and his smug expression changed to a frightened one as Denise smiled his way. The boy checked his bag, and ran.

“All first period,” said Judy, “Robbie was saying that his homework was stolen, probably by that kid.”

“Robbie?” asked Denise.

“He sits next to me in Science. The school authorities didn’t bother helping until after class was over. I see it didn’t go anywhere.”

“Probably because someone stole from the school bully. Come on, let’s go. My folks are probably waiting by now. What? I heard about it in the nurse’s office.”

“Nurse’s office?”

“Long story. Hi, Dad! Where’s Mom?”

It took Judy a moment to recognize the car and what corner of the parking lot they were standing in already.

“Hey there, kiddo,” said Henry from his front seat. “Your mom had to pick up something she forgot at the store, and will meet us at home. Did everything work out alright?”

Denise said, “Yeah, thank you. I was able to return to class during fifth period.”

“That’s good. Hopefully, you don’t miss half your classes again like that. How are you doing, Judy?”

“I’m good, Henry. How are you?”

“I’m hanging in there. It was a busy weekend for half of the city’s morgues, mine included. We’ve had busy days before, but the mayor sent men in suits and their waivers after us to make sure we don’t talk about who died, or how.”

“You’re talking about it now.”

“I’m not giving out any names or causes of death, am I? I suppose you’re right, though. Anyways, do you have any plans this Friday?”

“Friday?”

“Yes, on Halloween.”

“No plans, no.”

“Well then! You can let your mother know that the two of you are welcome to join us. We’re heading to a party downtown. There will be games, food, dancing—“

“The horrid smell of beer,” interjected Denise.

“—and this year’s crop of the local brew.” His cheery attitude remained undeterred. “Be sure to let Mai know, will you?”

“Sure thing,” said Judy, though she was sure her mom was helping with something related to the big holiday.

With a smile and a nod, both visible in the rearview mirror, Henry turned a dial on the car stereo. The news was on.

For the past week, the news around the city had been in extremes of good and bad, but mostly in the former. It wasn’t until the time when Captain Patriot met with the National Guard outside city limits that the reports settled closer to a middle ground. Judy was expecting almost anything to be possible with the first report she was going to hear.

But she was not ready for this one, as the reporter said, “I’m standing on the corner of the convenience store at the corner of Fifth and Davis, with a fine gentleman who has saved the clerk and another customer from a would-be robbery.”

“Hello,” said a man’s voice. “How do you do?” Judy bit her lip when she knew who it was.

“Well, thank you, Mr. Dallevan. I understand that you were just standing inside the store when it happened?”

“Yes. I thought I might take a look at the tea selection and magazines when a number of poorly masked men ran in with assault rifles. No hesitation, no questions, no quarrels about taking life. It was all just as much a bother as a friend of mine told me things were around the city, so I decided to step in and take action.”

“You took down all three men without any weapons of your own, no powers, and no costume. That’s the astounding thing.”

“No costume? My dear, this suit is as much my costume as any other hero’s costume might be their suit. Anyone can be a hero, you know, or I suppose a villain. The point is that you have to take action in order to make a difference.”

“Oh wow, a philosopher over here. OK. Back to you in the stu—“

“I’m in the business of saving lives now. Yes, I’ll return your microphone in a moment. Hello, Paragon City, my name is Walter Dallevan. You may have already seen some of my flyers recently. Rest assured that, among the many new heroes, there is a new supergroup here to serve and help you. Like Captain Patriot and so many others, we will make a difference every day until the city is a better place than ever before.”

The sounds that followed were akin to a blowing breeze and the handing of the mic, before the broadcast switched back over to the main reporter of the broadcast.

The man talked, but Judy couldn’t hear him over her own laughter.

So began the campaign by the Dallevan League to spread the group’s name across the city, or, more importantly, make the place safer for everyone.

Somewhere in the Talos district, a maniac was setting a small copying store on fire with molotovs and flares. Before the fire could grow too big, the maniac was tackled by a man wearing ice like a suit of armor.

He took the man down, and ordered the few people to get out, taking the maniac with him to the nearest light pole. Once the people were out, Adamast Cross forced the ice armor to eject from his body into the surrounding flames.

Barely conscious after the effort of at least slowing the flames—the Fire Department showed up in time to keep it from spreading too large again—Adamast Cross stumbled out to the arsonist to keep him under watch until the police arrived.

On a corner of Galaxy Park, a trio of low-class villains were running from the park’s center to get away from a trap that had sprung on them. Unfortunately for the villains, the device was not the whole trap.

The two heroes chatting at the street corner were the jaw.

Princess Undercut smirked at them and threw up her half-eaten apple. Her partner in anti-crime stood back, both levitating the apple in the air and ready with a magical barrier in the event that one of the bad guys tried to get away.

The heroine went to work beating up the villains with her martial arts moves. She knew a fair number of stances and styles, but she barely had to switch it up, to her disappointment.

One villain raised his pistol and shot her in the back. Princess Undercut only looked at him with a scolding stare before rushing in, kicking the gun out of his frightened hands, and spin-kicking the same man in the head.

That was when the third villain panicked and ran for it. A barrier of arcane energy was waiting for him to bounce off of it. Princess Undercut walked over to him to deal the finishing punch in the face.

Seconds later, she had one hand in the air, ready to catch the apple, and the other ready to clap against one of Mortar Mage’s hands.

The device-wielding magician was using his power now to bind the villains’ hands.

In the alleys near Siren’s Gauntlet, a villain was running and hiding. He had been laying low since Captain Patriot returned. The city was being watched inside and out, but this villain had to flee. Today was his only chance to finally escape, despite being a highly wanted man for his crimes. He steeled his nerves, certain that he was just imagining that anyone had seen and recognized him.

He ran through the alleyways until he heard a haunting echo.

The villain Crescendo searched all around. Grasping for breath, he figured it was just his imagination.

Crescendo then saw it high up on a wall nearby. First, it was the shadow of a couple making out. He looked in the sun’s direction to find no one casting it. He stared back, and found that the shadow had changed to a bird flapping angrily in its cage.

He wiped his eyes. Now it was of a man stabbing something, or someone, and the shadow went so far as to show the splatter. It made Crescendo stagger back.

His body met with another that was waiting for him. He turned. A tall black man in a costume said, “It’s high time you were brought in.”

The villain took two quick glances at the wall, finding that there was no shadow that didn’t belong. Not knowing if running was even an option, he took a swing at the costumed man and ran anyways.

Something grabbed his feet, and he fell to the mucky pavement, face first.

In the shanty slums beneath the bridge south of Paragon, Pixeletta and Psi Wizard had tracked down a pair of high profile smugglers, and were chasing them down. she wanted to take a shot at one of the bad guys before it got any darker outside, and harder to aim, but there were too many people. So many opportunities to miss.

Luckily, she was gaining on one of them.

She barely heard a “No, wait!” behind her before Pixeletta found herself crashing through a door while tackling the smaller of the two smugglers. The man must have tripped over something, because he fell forward. And she did too.

The smuggler tried to break free, but Pixeletta had a clear shot to concuss him with one of her attacks she was still practicing.

Her electric shockwave hammered through the building, and Pixeletta heard a few startled screams. As she got up, she saw a few girls barely older than herself, and wearing barely less. She averted her eyes tried to pull the unconscious smuggler out of the building.

Psi Wizard joined. “I got him. I got him.” He did most of the lifting.

It was too bad super strength wasn’t one of the powers that Pixeletta had.

Her partner said, “There, I think we did enough damage to the criminal underground. Shame about that door, though. And about those girls.”

“Who are they?” Pixeletta asked in a whisper.

“Prostitutes, some of them not even legal age.”

“Shouldn’t we do something?”

“We just took down two men—I left the big guy RIGHT HERE OH HERE WE GO—known for trafficking people into the country and selling them into slavery. And we probably scared those girls. I think we did enough for now. Not to worry, I’m trying to soothe and enlighten them from here, but the decision is theirs to walk out of here and live different lives if they truly wish to do so.”

“Exactly how strong are you, as a psychic?”

“More than I care to think about. It’s why I prefer to heal when I can. Now, let’s see about getting these men to the police. I think that wheelbarrow over there will do.”

Many new heroes made strides to improve the city that day, but the new supergroup, the Dallevan League, was among the more undeniable of impactful entities.

When asked by the mayor what he was doing, Walter assured him with a couple of his recruits present that they were sending garden variety spiders back to their holes so that the main game would be easier to see. The mayor waved it off begrudgingly, and left the League to do its job.

The one encounter, however, left Judy thinking she didn’t like the city’s mayor.

Judy turned on the kitchen light so she could grab dinner. Upon the fridge, she saw a note from her mom:

“I’m working late tonight. Don’t forget about dinner or your homework tonight, or your appointment after school tomorrow.”

Oh right, my doctor’s appointment.