[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210708/1a8bc7e6a7a873ddb8984a515ec0fc01.png[/img][/center]
[center][sub]September 21st, 2064
Unspecified Apartment
Brookside, Castleburg[/sub][/center]

[center]"Holy shit, now [i]that's[/i] what I call hot."

"Let me see! Let me see!"

"Ooh, yeah, talk about an hourglass bod, that one!"

This type of locker room chatter was flying around a small apartment in Brookside. The studio room was not being used to live in, however. It was a temporary hideout being used by the Rocketeers for their next big sting. The peeling wallpaper was covered with blueprints, maps, and photographs, the kitchen counter and table covered with all manner of weapons, and dirty rug covered in beer cans. A group of stocky, armored pirates were gathered around a coffee table, looking at holographic projections of a group of heroes that were supposedly aboard the train. The Captain had said that there might be a heightened response to this heist, so the pirates had simply kidnapped the family of one of the waiters aboard the N-Train and coerced him into working for them and getting photographs and ID from the passengers onboard. This was simply matched with the HERO database to get some dossiers as to who the pirates would be up against. Their 'research' and 'preparation,' however, had quickly devolved into a comparison of all the female heroes onboard. 

As the pirates continued to ogle the holo-images they had, the door to the apartment swung open, and a woman walked in. This woman was Captain Sam Everett, suited up in her armor and with her jetpack at the ready. As the men she commanded shuffled to attention, Sam ran a hand through her half-shaven head of blonde hair while scrunching up her face in disgust. [color=thistle]"Holy shit,"[/color] she reprimanded. [color=thistle]"Cool the fucking jets, you apes. The testosterone in here is starting to smell worse than the fucking mildew."[/color]

A chorus of "Yes, boss" and "Yes, captain" filtered through the room. An outside would certainly be surprised at how much respect this short, regular human woman had over this group of hardened pirates. An insider would run and hide, lest Sam laid a few bullets through their skull for even daring to shit-talk her. Sam Everett was a no-nonsense type of woman. 

[color=thistle]"Let's go over the plan again, because clearly we have some fucking middle-school IQ pirates here,"[/color] Sam said, changing the holographic image to a projection of the N-Train's path with a swipe of her hand. [color=thistle]"Train should be crossing towards Brookside now. Means we gotta start getting ready to fly. Once it passes by this apartment, Strike Team C is going to launch a rocket at the rails right here, just by the river. [i]Bammo.[/i] Train has to pump the emergency brakes. Then, Strike Team B lands on the northern end of the train, makes a distraction, forces security to defend the civilians instead of the mark. Then, Strike Team C moves in on the Vulture, picks up our cargo, and ships off to our HQ. That crazy Iranian terrorist guy meets us there, we give him the nuke, he gives us the cash, we kill him, take the nuke back, and done. Any questions?"[/color]

One of the pirates tentatively raised his hand.

[color=thistle]"Yes, dumbass?"[/color]

"What about the heroes, Captain?"

Sam laughed. [color=thistle]"Heroes? That's who you're worried about? Let me let you in on a little secret. Heroes are just beauty pageant winners, but dumber, weaker, and with more spandex. You do to them what we do to anybody else- [i]put them down like dogs.[/i]"[/color] Sam cleared her throat. [color=thistle]"Just don't be scared of them. We're Rocketeers, for Christ's sake. We scare the daylights out of this damn city. The heroes may look tough, but believe me, they're just a bunch of softies on the inside. Now, let's go!"[/color][/center]
[hr][center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210704/13350b3180ac178e15e786ba11151834.png[/img]
[center][sub]September 21st, 2064
Aboard the N-Train
Watervale en route to Brookside[/sub][/center]
Meanwhile, Miles was busy being a softy. 

In all fairness, he had expected the girl that he had almost skewered like a shish kebab to maybe hate him forever. He had considered that the most reasonable course of action, and had fully prepared for that reality. Instead, however, the pretty blonde girl sat [i]next[/i] to him, immediately shattering any rules about personal space, and Miles felt her arm rub against his. Miles immediately developed several theories as to how what was going on. Either this blonde hero was a vampire hunter trying to get Miles to lower his guard, a double agent working for the pirates, or she was just a regular old hero that was perhaps trying to hit on him.

Somehow, Miles felt the first two options were more likely. 

The lanky vampire hero shifted uncomfortably as he processed the situation. This had never quite happened to him before, especially mid-mission, so he was definitely trekking into uncertain territory right now. Miles made the immediate decision to simply try and act as natural as possible, and so he spoke up. [color=D2042D]"I guess. Still, I should have recognized that you weren't a pirate. You're m-missing the eyepatch,"[/color] Miles said, giving a thin but warm smile at his nearly-botched joke, a smile that just barely showed a hint of his two, inhumanly large, serpent-like fangs. 

Through his peripheral vision, he noticed that the girl was showing him a book. A book! She was giving him an out! Miles looked down at the cover of the book, before speaking again. [color=D2042D]"That's a really great choice of novel, by the way. Urban fantasy is just such a killer genre. Did you know that the book was actually adapted from a TV series? It aired all the way back in 1996, way before they had holo-screens. I don't mind the old-fashioned plasma TVs though, they definitely bring a lot to the table in terms of quality. Anyway, ramble aside, really really great, intelligent, fun book by a really great, underrated author."[/color] Miles took a breath. [color=D2042D]"I, uhh, never caught your name, by the way. I'm Miles. Err, or Dhampir, if we're doing hero names. I never really know which way to go. You?"[/color] he asked with a weak smile, his pale cheeks still tinged with a touch of pink as he held out a hand for her to shake. 
[/center][hr][hr]
[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210709/7e6acff86d620e3dbdb844565042976d.png[/img]

[sub]September 21st, 2064
'Totally Innocuous Warehouse'
Brookside, Castleburg[/sub]

Piranha Man looked down at the smaller, younger, newer hero. "Hey there, newbie. I'm Piranha Boy. Not that I'm a boy, just that my [i]dad[/i] was Piranha Man, so that name was taken...anyway, no, the other guy isn't here yet. Still waiting for him to show up, as well as the mark. You can hang around here until she shows up, no need to rush, oh, and be sure not to snort anything. I know I shouldn't have to say that, but I will just in case." The fish-faced man then looked down at his watch. "Never mind, we got a sighting. Everybody, in position. Alright, so remember the plan! I'm the guy running this place, so I'm gonna lure the girl to me. Once she attacks me, just take her down. Should be a quick and easy paycheck! Places, everybody!"

Meanwhile, outside the building, Firestarter smiled from her apartment perch. Her job was already done. Now, she just sat back, made sure this superpowerless vigilante didn't single-handedly wipe out a two B-tier heroes and a room full of interns, and collect her cash. As she sat back with a cocky grin on her face, though, she didn't notice the group of men approaching from behind her. In an instant, a black bag wrapped around the girl's head. The hero screamed and clawed, but her cries went unheard as the well-dressed men behind her waited for her to pass out from a lack of oxygen before allowing her limp body to fall to the floor. [/center]
[hr][hr]
[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210709/b22ae4be00e0e4b32bde4de9ad8fe516.png[/img]

[sub]September 21st, 2064
Academy of Young Heroes
Lighthouse Island, Castleburg[/sub]

Principal Lee smiled fondly (or at least, she appeared to smile fondly) at the arrival of the young heroes. She greeted the two alumni that she did recall. "Oh, of course I haven't forgotten you two! Lucian and Aurora, two of my [i]favorite[/i] students," she gushed, pretending that the memories of hypnotized teachers and destroyed faculty bathrooms had never actually happened. "And it's wonderful to meet the rest of you young men and women too! I do have to insist that we treat these children with kindness and dignity, though. They are just kids, and our goal here isn't to incarcerate them, but to reform them!" Principal Lee smiled, before turning to the older man of the group. "Well, first and foremost, welcome back to Castleburg, Mr. Lindall! And second, I don't have too much personal details on them. I just have a gist of the situation. Our four miscreants are Ricky Sullivan, Jack Fernandez, Michelle Lewis, and Drew Reedworth. They were caught after going on a 'shopping spree' across Castleburg. Of course, by shopping, I mean shop[i]lifting,[/i] and in the process they did cause a few injuries, though nothing severe.  Sullivan's power is some sort of vibration manipulation, Fernandez's power is pyrokinesis, Lewis's power is electrokinesis, and Reedworth's power is gravity manipulation. They are...quite bull-headed,” the Principal said. “Let’s go meet them.” 

Principal Lee guided them through the polished halls of the Academy. Well, ‘polished’ was a bit of an overstatement- the Academy was about as polished as a building could be for one that was routinely destroyed by pubescent, superpowered kids. She then opened a heavy, steel door to enter the room where the delinquents were being kept for the time being, inside their little plastic bubble. The smoke from Drew’s cigarette had formed a small cloud at the top of their cell. 

Principal Lee looked at the heroes. “Hopefully, the group of you can show them the meaning of being a hero. Or at least, convince them to stop robbing people. If you need any help, find me in my office or call one of my staff. I need to go attend to a kid that is currently puking lava.” With that, Principal Lee gave a polite wave to the gathered group before heading off to make sure that the science lab wasn’t turned into a caldera. 

The kids just absent-mindedly sat there in their little cell. Eventually, one of them spoke up with a single word- “Laaaaaame.” 
[/center][hr][hr]