[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/HxzDbDBL/jointbanner-MCn-E.png[/img][h2][color=gray]Back to Base - Running Hot[/color][/h2][sup]Everyone is here![/sup][/center] [hr] Water splashes over Eclipse's face before he finally leaves the school, back in his usual armor. Helmet comes on next, as usual, and he finds himself inside a dimly lit janitor's closet to teleport back to base. Lightning Girl's defeat of the all-terrifying Brick Frog rings over comms, and he has to stifle a laugh. [quote][color=skyblue]"Wow, well done, Eclipse. I know that wasn't your strength, but you smashed it anyway. They've already sent me an email about how happy they were with you. Good work."[/color][/quote] The statement gives him pause. [color=gray]"... Thanks."[/color] Should he say something about calling this dispatcher an idiot? Would that ruin the moment? Cause it'd totally ruin the moment, but now he was feeling bad. He didn't think he did that well, not by any means. Crowds cheer for just about anything, and frankly, he hated public speaking. [color=gray]"... And sorry."[/color] He sighs. [color=gray]"[i]Don't[/i] send me on another dispatch like this again. I got lucky."[/color] He tunes out the rest and starts his slow descent into shadows. He’s hoping he never gets another job like that ever again, email recommendation or not. [hr] Meanwhile, Madcap is carrying the remains of his ruined, dented motorcycle back to the office. He listens to each and every word of praise James gives out to the rest of his team. Lightning Girl defeated his arch-nemesis Brick Frog?! Something about a school speech? Ahh, chess geeks! The metro's worst enemies. Then thievery, a newly scheduled drug talk (someone got high on the job?), and makeshift animal control by the amazing Hat Trick! Ohhh, this team is on [b]FIRE![/b] He is so happy to be here, working with [i]real[/i] heroes! And... [i]villains.[/i] Who definitely didn't belong with big names like him, Hat Trick, and Lightning Girl, no way. [quote][color=skyblue]"Madcap, what the fu....."[/color][/quote] [color=dodgerblue]"Huh? What did I do?!"[/color] He has to duck into an alleyway when some ruffians get sight of him. More people against the great Madcap! [color=dodgerblue]"It was a perfect job, [b]right?[/b] [b][i]RIGHT?![/i][/b]"[/color] [i]"I thought the police got your ass weeks ago! Piece of shit!"[/i] [color=dodgerblue]"Oops, gotta go."[/color] More villains are chasing him; it's just like old times. Madcap runs further into the alleyway. [color=dodgerblue]"I'm enroute to base!"[/color] [hr][h2][color=gray]Drugs in The Workplace[/color][/h2] The rest of the afternoon is spent mostly doing busywork. Time sheets, marketing (that, thankfully, Eclipse didn't get assigned to), and other kinds of menial work. Madcap was lucky enough to guard his favorite bakery and surprisingly [i]not[/i] fuck it up, earning some free food to share. Eclipse, on the other hand, just followed police patrols in the shadows, occasionally pointing out secret drug deals and the like happening in any blind spots. Can't say he enjoyed it though, he hated being a narc considering his old occupation, but snitches get... rewards. Then came the 4pm meeting with James about drugs. Don't do drugs on the job, blah, blah, blah. Eclipse is already zoning out; he's heard this crap a thousand times before coming into Phoenix Program, and two thousand times more from concerned family and friends back in college before he finally left with Red Ring. It was a load of crap. [quote][color=gold]"If you really, really needed to take drugs to keep your powers, as per your contract with SDN, wouldn't that be a breach of contract because you'd be out of work here? Like you are, addicted to Fisherman's Friends."[/color][/quote] [quote][color=skyblue]"It depends. The policy has more details. And you all need a break."[/color][/quote] If it weren't for his helmet, everyone would probably laugh at the uncharacteristic surprise on Eclipse's face. He needs to see more on that policy. [i]Desperately.[/i] And he'd have to thank Lightning Girl for bringing it up in the first place; that was... unexpected. Highly unexpected, and he can't quite pinpoint why she'd do that for him, but he's thankful. [color=gray]"I-"[/color] Madcap leaps from his seat and does the most Boy Scout salute he's ever seen. [color=dodgerblue]"SIR, YES, [b]SIR![/b] No drugs will be done in the workplace regardless of policy exemptions. Because drugs... ARE. [b][i]EVIL.[/i][/b]"[/color] This guy is not real. After the meeting ends and every hero leaves for break, James finds Raúl, the resident IT guy, tapping him on the shoulder. [color=lightsalmon]"Got your Dispatch account ready, gonna be a bit lacking compared to Riley's, but I'll get it all in order tomorrow. Oh, and, found another dispatch terminal for you to use. Sacred stuff, keep it clean, use it carefully. I'll take you to it right now."[/color] [hr][h2][color=gray]Break Room[/color][/h2] Eclipse finds himself reading over the SDN Employee Handbook. He needed to find out more about SDN's drug policy. A special exception could be made for him? He needed to make his darkness drug to keep his strength up, and no one wants a regular guy out on the field, right? Excluding Mecha-Man, obviously, but that's another case entirely. Having an expensive, high-tech mech counts as a superpower. Most of what he's reading is gibberish. Just a bunch of corporate-speak in 12px Times New Roman. Double-spaced? Double-spaced. He groans. Lightning Girl appears in front of him and produces a Cheetos bag. [quote][color=gold]"Crisps for you. Don't inhale them all at once....sounds like you did a nice job at that school, inspired a lot of kids. If you ask me, sounds like something a hero would do."[/color][/quote] [color=gray]"Don't think of me as a hero yet. And I--thank you."[/color] He clears his throat awkwardly, the hero comment catching him off guard. Frankly, everything about Lightning Girl caught him off guard. When was the last time someone paid to attention to him outside of drug stuff? It's been a while. [color=gray]"About earlier, I mean. You didn't have to say that."[/color] Another page turns, more corporate bullshit. He doesn't want to admit he read from page one to now instead of following the table of contents. His finger twitches as he swipes to another page; he really, really wants to start over. [color=gray]"Do people actually read this? It's like a corporate suicide note."[/color] He opens the bag of Cheetos, leans back, and gets right back to reading. He occasionally intercepts on the others' conversations on how badly the handbook is written and how stupid company policy is. Otherwise, he's trying hard not to run the hell away from all the heroes in the room. Hat Trick and Lightning Girl were the real deal, and if this were a few years ago, he'd be getting his ass kicked by them. Or maybe [i]he'd[/i] be kicking their asses. He was strong back then. The break room door slams open, and Madcap barges into the room. [color=dodgerblue]"[b]Hello, A-TEAM![/b]"[/color] He raises a plastic bag and begins to walk by everyone. [color=dodgerblue]"One pork bun for everyone! And if you can't eat pork, then custard! And if you can't eat custard, then air!"[/color] Madcap goes by Payback first, haphazardly tossing two buns in her direction. [color=dodgerblue]"Don't even [i]think[/i] about stealing the others' snacks, I. Am. Watching. You."[/color] [color=dodgerblue]"And one for your highness!"[/color] He gracefully hands Princess two buns, then moves over to Asteroid and Hat Trick. [color=dodgerblue]"And one for you, make it float! And one for my. FREAKIN'. [b]HERO![/b] God, this is so [b]cool[/b]! I am such a fan of your work, Hat Trick!"[/color] [color=dodgerblue]"Oh, and Lightning Girl!"[/color] Like usual, Madcap is quick to hand her two buns; one custard, one pork. Cantonese bakery staples. [color=dodgerblue]"I am. [b]SO[/b] here for this! It's like all my childhood heroes coming together and kicking ass!"[/color] He practically leaps into the air, hands a disgruntled Eclipse two buns, and leaves the room. Just one more round of gifts to go! A little after, Tyler arrives in the break room and makes his presence known. Eclipse says this mostly for himself. [color=gray]"Another one?"[/color] More and more people were getting added to the... What the [i]fuck?[/i] He knows this kid. Vaguely. Recognizes the face a bit, and swears he's seen someone from DTLA with a similar look back when he was with Red Ring. But, he just... can't pin point who this person is. He remembers some RR members quitting after encountering a hero named [i]Sin Eater,[/i] total villain name, but a good hero from what he's heard. [hr][h2][color=lightsalmon]Dispatch Terminal Setup[/color][/h2] [color=lightsalmon]"Alright, sticky note with your temporary account on it,"[/color] Raúl slaps the top of the old terminal a few times, it turns on shortly after, [color=lightsalmon]"loads up just fine. Should be good-to-go next shift."[/color] The dispatch terminal and the cubicle it's in are a far cry from Riley's. Dusty. In fact, everything is covered in a fine layer of dust. This cubicle hasn't seen action in a while. The terminal works just fine, though, and despite it being in the corner of the office, it's a decent spot, albeit somewhat isolated. Should James try to test logging in, the dispatch screen takes a few minutes to boot up, but works perfectly fine after. The dispatch roster is filled out, at least. The hum of the AC is broken as Madcap loudly marches over. [color=dodgerblue]"Found you! Catch!"[/color] Two buns are launched at James and Raúl. The latter is quick enough to catch one, and should James fail to catch this, the bun slams into the terminal monitor and falls onto the keyboard. [color=dodgerblue]"I'm giving out snacks to everyone in A-Team,"[/color] Madcap salutes again, [color=dodgerblue]"'cause we are [i]AWESOME!"[/i][/color]