Author's Notes: I intend to eventually continue this, but right now it's not getting very impressive traction with you readers. Which is to say, after my plea for input and new followers in the last episode, I got one suggestion and one new follower. Not exactly a resounding response.
Just to clarify, this isn't Youtube or some other monetarized site and we "content creators" are making zero money off your views of our stuff. Personally I'm doing it in the hope that people are enjoying my stories, but it's hard to keep up my enthusiasm when so few people seem to think my writing is worth Following and/or commenting on. If you want to see more of this, do those things. Pretty please, with a cherry on top.
EPISODE THREE: A New Foe Arises. Or Arouses. Actually, Both Those Things.
When you're a hero you tend to accumulate loads of items that normal people rarely see, let alone own. Some of it is specifically for your unique line of work, some of it is trophies you took off memorable villains, some of it is simply really neat stuff that's up for grabs so why not take it home? Since until recently you and Paragon shared the house, you still have some of his junk around as well as all your own.
Which is why as soon as you get back after the "super, glued" incident you're able to go to the garage and dig out a very powerful adjustable-beam laser wand (confiscated from a villain who called himself "Merlix the Technowizard" shortly before he got sent to an alternate universe where magic and technology don't mix), suitable for attachment to a standard flexible bench clamp.
This thing cuts the polymer, but not very fast and of course you need to be careful because you don't want to burn yourself. Separating one hand from the other is the easy part, after that you have to spend almost two hours freeing individual fingers. At the end of your efforts you still have glue on your hands and it feels like you're wearing a very clunky pair of stiff gloves, but at least you can perform basic tasks like dressing yourself.
One good thing is that while you're working on this a package arrives. It's the new costumes you ordered from Professor Stitch. Same basic look and even tougher than the old ones, but his efforts now include a special electromagnetic mesh that automatically fits itself to your body no matter how it moves and even if you change shape (as in, gain or lose a little weight, not change shape like Rubberguy). This also means no more monkeying with secret catches to remove your costume, instead there's a code you tap into one of the concealed pads at your waist and the whole thing comes off without any fuss. On the other hand, when you put it on you discover that the cleavage window is even deeper than on your old costumes, reaching almost to your navel. Apparently old Stitch is only getting kinkier with age.
After another unsatisfying conversation with your son ("So, what did you do last night?" "Just some stuff") you return to the government lab that created the glue gun. Displaying the residual glue on your hands you tell the scientists that you'd found the prototype and the criminals who'd stolen it, but the device was deployed against you and you were therefore unable to retrieve it.
Which, strictly speaking, is all true. You've just left out the details about exactly how that had happened, which is none of their damn business anyway. To prevent further questions you go on the attack, declaring that the reason you'd failed to get the prototype back was because they'd not prepared you properly for what you faced, so what were they going to do about it?
The eggheads direct you to a lab bench where they use a solvent that depolymerizes the glue and makes it soft and pliable. Once that happens you can simply peel it off your hands. After some discussion and messing around in the lab they bring you a spray bottle containing the same solvent, which should help you get out of similar sticky situations in the future. You put it in a pouch on your belt, thank them and head out.
You're sure you'll be able to find Tyrell once he starts using the device again. The question is, when will that be? He's a smart kid, he's demonstrated that. His intellect will tell him that he should engage in prolonged training and planning before he tries any heroics, because that way he'll be better prepared for the sort of unexpected situations a vigilante crime-fighter always ends up running into. For instance, being glued and screwed by one of your young fans.
On the other hand, the fact is that no matter what Tyrell's intellect tells him, he's still a naive fanboy. One who is convinced life is passing him by and that he has to get into the hero business as soon as possible. Each day that passes this part of him will be fighting harder to convince the cautious part of him that he's ready to go out on the streets as a hero.
You don't know the kid well enough to predict which way he'll jump. Your bet is it will be sometime between a couple weeks and six months before he makes his move.
* * * * * *
Four weeks of mostly uneventful patrolling pass. You haven't detected the scent of glue yet, but there is definitely something strange going on. It's mostly at night, frequently you'll be on patrol and sense someone not far away. It can be a scent (one of those weird body sprays the teenagers like, though only a hint of it) or the sound of someone creeping around, or a vibration on a fire escape. On very rare instances you catch a glimpse of a dark form, though it always vanishes before you can get a good look. It's like you have a stalker, except it's got to be one that can climb tall buildings and jump from rooftop to rooftop the way you do.
You try following the mysterious stalker, but he or she or it seems awfully shy and flees long before you can get close. Laying an ambush doesn't produce any results. Whoever or whatever it is doesn't seem to be interfering with you, so you shrug and go about your business.
A couple nights later you smell glue near the docks. You hurry to the scene, but nothing is there when you arrive. Nothing that is except a new scent, an odd, ozone sort of tingle in your nose. It's similar to the smell near an electric substation but not the same, more earthy somehow.
From the glue smell you figure there's a good chance Tyrell is hiding out (or rather, "has established his secret base," as you're sure he thinks of it) in the area. There are lots of derelict docked ships and vacant warehouses that he could break into and hole up in. So over the next few nights you concentrate on the harbor.
Tonight as you're passing by one of the warehouses you detect that ozone-ish smell again. Since last time it was associated with the glue odor you climb to the roof, pry open a skylight and enter. It's a moonless night and therefore dark as sin inside. You have cat's eyes, but even cats require a certain amount of light to see. You do have a small flashlight in a pouch on your belt (and of course the light on your phone) but you feel using it would make your presence too obvious. So instead you creep through the shadows, searching the moldering contents of the warehouse for signs of occupation.
There's the sound of a door swinging open on well-oiled hinges, followed by footsteps far to your left. You get up to the top of some old crates and look that way. Sure enough there's a light over there now, someone's come out of an interior office or something. You lower yourself quietly back to floor and pad in that direction.
You come upon a figure standing in a dimly-light open area of the place. His back is to you and he's doing something to what looks like an old electrical control panel. He's wearing a ridiculous purple costume with a hood and cape, and though he's hunched over to work the panel he looks to be about Tyrell's size. Most importantly you can see he's wearing a clearly home-made cross-body holster which presumably is holding the glue-gun in front where he can grab it quickly. Bingo.
The safest course would be to sneak up and bash him over the head, but you don't want to do that. You've got mixed feelings about the kid but you certainly don't want to risk hurting him seriously. So instead you silently move closer until you can touch him. You're a lot stronger than Tyrell is, if he tries something you can overpower him easily.
You drop a firm hand on his shoulder. "Fun time's over, kid."
He jerks upright, lays his hand over yours and BAM! Your whole arm blasts away from him, spastically quivering. You reflexively backflip away and he turns to confront you.
Your right arm is still numb and tingling though already starting to recover when you land in a fighting crouch facing the guy. Now you see this isn't Tyrell after all, it's some pasty white dude with a soul patch. His purple costume has a chest emblem, a black reversed S that appears to be surrounded by wavy hair for some reason. But the important thing is that he's indeed wearing the prototype glue-gun in a patched-together Velco holder.
"Who the fuck are you?" you snarl.
