[This story is set in Paragon City, taken from the former MMO game City of Heroes. All place names, hero names and registered trademarks belong to their rightful legal owners and are not intended as copyright infringement in any way. This work is purely meant as a piece of entertainment, and not for commercial purposes in any way, shape or form.]
[The precursor to this series is entitled "Mom the Superheroine".]
[Thanks to my girlfriend Ashley for being my muse as always <3... and to AwkwardMD for being such a good reader and sounding board!]
[Oh, and... there's no actual sex in this chapter. Just stating this in advance.]
The man whom Mercedes Sheldon had just identified as Odysseus, the leader of the Warriors who normally operated behind the scenes, smiled and raised a hand. "No need for that, Midnighter. I'm not here to fight you, or your companion. You've more than proved your worth, by so... easily... defeating Menelaus and the men under his command. "
He cast a withering look at the kneeling Menelaus, who mumbled something unintelligible and looked away.
"I am here to strike a deal with you that will be to our mutual benefit. So please, Ms. Sheldon... be at ease. You as well, Battleborn," he said, addressing Cindy directly. "You and I will not fight today."
Cindy couldn't help feeling a small surge of pride. The bad guys really were learning to respect her name! She had to be doing something right.
"You will forgive me for taking whatever precautions I can against the Fists of Vulcan, David," Mercedes replied stonily. The nimbus of energy still played around her hands.
Clearly, Cindy thought, she too should stay on her guard. She didn't know if she could take on such a notorious criminal boss yet, but she had never backed down from a fight and wasn't about to start!
It seemed, though, that the fighting was done, for now. Odysseus -- whom Mercedes had just addressed by his real name, apparently -- chuckled and spread his hands in a gesture of goodwill. "As you can see, and no doubt sense, magician, I have not brought the Fists. I promise you, at the moment you have nothing to fear from me.
"Let me give you the information you want: there is a cargo ship not too far from here, near Striga Isle, and Hector has made that the base of his current operations, along with the Warrior leaders who have defected to him. He has the Crown of Glory. And all I ask, in return for what I have just told you, is simply this: defeat him. Stop him in his tracks. Otherwise, the vainglorious fool will use the Crown in his attempt to take over all of Paragon City.
"He will fail, of course -- eventually. But the Crown will confer upon him enough tactical acumen and leadership to establish his regime, for a time. It will veil his eyes with the illusion of success, since the mightier forces that can and will defeat him are temporarily... preoccupied, though they will return sooner or later. Still, I think the aftermath of his campaign of conquest is not something any of us wants to deal with.
"After you've subdued them in whatever way you see fit, you may retrieve the Crown for yourself. I will then move to reassert my influence and restore unity to the Warriors. Our paths will diverge there, and our interactions will end. Are we agreed?"
Mercedes hesitated for a few moments, then nodded. "What you offer is, of course, a devil's bargain... in other words, nothing we of the Midnight Club are unfamiliar with. We are agreed. Tell us where."
Cindy felt disgruntled. The haughty Mercedes had not even thought to ask her what she felt about this deal. "I suppose she really meant it when she said she would be the brain, and only needed me for my brawn!" she thought.
Well, she was here to discharge the debt incurred when she asked the Midnighters to take care of Debbie Dinh. She'd just have to discharge it the best way she could, even if it meant putting up with the insufferable Mercedes Sheldon.
She wondered how Debbie was getting on. It would be nice to catch up sometime soon.
**
Barbara bent over to check the oven, and smiled.
The pot roast was nearly done, and the aroma filled the kitchen. The advanced ventilation system would soon dispel the esters and purify the air, of course, which Barbara personally thought was a great pity when it came to kitchen facilities. What was a kitchen without the various smells of food and condiments?
Still, that was how it had to be. They were no longer living alone in their modest apartment in Kings Row. This was a fully-equipped Supergroup base. Hospital-like standards of sanitation were only to be expected from the automated systems quietly whirring away in the background.
Still, no matter what their life circumstances were, Barbara Beck would ensure that she could make a nice pot roast for her strong, lovely daughter's dinner -- and for any guests, such as the one who was about to arrive. Barbara had already laid out the tea and cakes for young Debbie, but she would be glad to offer the diminutive Vietnamese woman a slice or two of meat.
Had it really been two years or slightly less since Barbara had been forced out of retirement by the actions of Valerie Phelps? In some ways, it felt as though it had been longer. So much had happened since then. And yet, in other ways, time's arrow had flown so swiftly. Cindy was going to graduate soon, and then she would take on the mantle of a full-time Hero of Paragon, and of the nation!
Cindy had changed so much since the kidnapping incident with Valerie and Elena... and yet, she was still the same at her core. A mother could know this better than anyone else. Cindy before her powers manifested had already been a good, strong woman; Cindy with powers was simply Cindy writ larger, a more empowered version of the same wonderful woman. Her reputation had grown like one of her own unbounded leaps.
How was she getting on with that British magician? Mercedes Sheldon had seemed a little haughty, and somewhat condescending even to heroines in good standing. Barbara wondered if her daughter would work well enough with a wide range of personalities and temperaments. She well remembered her own heroic career, and the people it had brought her into contact with.
So many of them were gone now, especially after the Rikti invasion. Some, like her, had retired and dropped into obscurity; others were no longer among the living. A few, unfortunately, had chosen to follow paths other than that of the Hero. Barbara could not condone their fall from grace; she still held out hope that some day those lost sheep could return to the fold. But it never seemed likely. Not everyone, after all, could be a Frostfire or a Miss Thystle. Not every superpowered being had the same kind of moral core, the one thing above all that defined a Hero: the spirit of self-sacrifice for the sake of others.
Barbara sighed. Regrets were not to be dwelled upon. The only thing one could ever do was to look to the future, and do one's part to make it better than the past.
The base announcement system chimed; a contralto voice that sounded like a blend of Cindy's and Barbara's said, "You have a visitor in the waiting room."
That would be Debbie Dinh. Barbara stripped off her potholders, slipped out of her apron, and hurried to the antechamber. When she saw her guest for the afternoon, she beamed in welcome.
Debbie smiled shyly back at her. She was very different from that pale, frightened and tormented girl Barbara and Cindy had first encountered. Gone were her eyebags and pinched cheeks, her hunched shoulders and sallow skin. She stood straighter now, and she had evidently been eating and sleeping better. Her straight black hair now fell to her shoulders. A black tee and light blue ripped jeans comprised her punk ensemble -- there were various occult symbols printed on her shirt, and she wore a medallion and ring that bore skull designs. In other words... she was the picture of a normal, healthy young woman in her early twenties.
"Battler Babe! Hi... it's good to see you. Again." She half-raised a hand, and then let it fall awkwardly.
