Supplying Supers - Ch. 13 - For Millie - Beta (Patreon)

Monday June 12th, 2025 Miami, Florida Amerika

Velocity

OSDB Hero Rank: X - Criminal

OSDB Threat Rating: 67*

*With weighted unconfirmed kill count, threat rating would be 89.

Velocity watched Team B and C through her binoculars as she sat perched atop the bleachers of Millie’s amphitheater. After letting them in through a side utility gate, James and Franco had backed the semi to Millie’s tank. Once they parked, everyone disembarked and prepared to load the animal.

The engineering of the trailer astonished Velocity. From the outside it looked like a normal trailer with a black covered top. However, once the truck stopped, four bottom stability feet lowered to the ground, pushing the wheels almost off the ground. The back door then folded down to a ramp, along with the sides, giving access to the actual transportation crate inside.

It was a blue metal box with a roll cage welded around it. The top was open, which she assumed was needed to get the creature in and out. Secured straps connected it to hooks on the bottom of the trailer, ensuring it wouldn’t move. Inside was a suspended bed-like shroud which suspended the animal, allowing it to stay in the water but not bounce into the walls.

Millie had obviously noticed. The whale waded at the edge of her tank, watching the unloading process. Her high-pitched whines and shrieks rang throughout the facility.

It surprised Velocity just how loud the creature was. She’d never seen an orca up close before. Her chest tightened as she interpreted the sounds as a mix of excitement and pain. The curved fin and scars along her body felt all too familiar.

Velocity had been there. She knew what it felt like to be trapped, unable to escape a prison. As a flood of repressed memories crashed into her mind, she gripped her chest as her heart pounded. The thought alone took her back to the training room of Madam Chessa’s facility.

Her toes curled as she remembered the cold tile room that was stained pink from all the blood. She remembered Madam Chessa’s cold yellow eyes staring down at her from the observation deck above her. There she watched her and her sisters as they sparred. Her booming voice screeching across the loudspeaker, correcting each mistake with a shock from their collars.

Velocity unconsciously rubbed her neck, reminded of the way it pinched her skin. While she’d proven herself and earned her freedom, it came at a heavy cost. Just like her sister.

Dr. Callahan’s concern pulled her back to reality as her voice echoed through her comm. “Flux, we have a problem.”

“Give me five minutes, we’re almost back,” the mission lead said.

Velocity took in a quick breath as she brought the binoculars back to her face. She cursed at herself, realizing she’d gotten distracted and not been paying attention on overwatch. A rookie mistake that should have never happened.

James and Franco were sitting on the back ramp, sharing a snack. Dr. Callahan and Ricky were sitting on the top edge of the crate while the others were standing off to the side. Dr. Muhammed looked distraught based on the way he threw his arms into the air.

Velocity took one more scan of the horizon. She didn’t see any signs of flashing lights or hear any sirens. And Daniel hadn’t reported hearing anything over the local police channels. That was good enough for her to join the others.

She slipped her binoculars back in their pouch on her belt and descended the stairs toward Millie’s tank. She walked around the transparent glass that allowed spectators to see inside. Only now, the slight green coloration of her water left it murky.

Fucking bastards, Velocity thought. We can’t get her out soon enough.

She rounded the tank and walked behind the massive stage. When she got closer to the truck, she could hear shouting between the three doctors. When Dr. Callahan saw her approach, she stopped speaking, and Dr. Muhammed turned around.

“What’s going on?” Velocity asked.

“We’re fucked!” Dr. Muhammad shouted, throwing up his hands. “That’s what’s happening.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why don’t you calm down?”

“Don’t tell me to calm down! This whole thing has stunk since the beginning. Leah rushing us into this. You and your partner on some secret secondary objective. Supers showing up. Now we get here and we have no way of getting Millie into the crate. What the fuck are we supposed to do?”

Velocity leaned back and tilted her head. “Wait what?”

“What part of that didn’t you fucking get?”

Velocity clenched her jaw as the doctor’s rant started getting on her nerves. “Dr. Muhammad, you need to Calm. Down.”

The doctor made the mistake of leaning over her and shouting. “Don’t tell me to—”

Velocity punched him square in the nose. The man tumbled backward and fell on his back. Dr. Jones gasped while James and Franco laughed.

“My nose!” he wailed. “You broke my fucking nose.”

“Stop whining, I barely hit you,” Velocity said, stepping over him before pointing her finger down at his face. “Now, are you going to chill out, or do you need me to hit you again?”

“No, I’m good. I’m good.”

Velocity held out a hand and helped the marine biologist up to his feet. Blood poured from his nose onto his black wetsuit. He pinched it, trying to get it to stop. Velocity reached into a side pouch on her belt. After rummaging in it for a few seconds, she pulled out some gauze and handed it over to him.

“Thanks,” the doctor said, stuffing his nose.

“You’re welcome.”

When she turned, everyone else was staring at her, looking for direction. She understood why, but she didn’t like it. This was Flux’s show, and she didn’t want to speak for her. But everyone besides James and Franco were on edge.

“You all heard Flux,” Velocity began. “She’ll be back in a second to address this. Just give her a minute.”

“I’m here,” Flux said.

Everyone turned to see her slimy body rise from a cast shadow behind the stage. Once her form solidified, she was wearing the same purple-and-black skin-tight outfit they’d seen her wearing back at the hotel. When Velocity glanced at the rest of the party, they were all starting with wide-eyes and dropped jaws.

Must be their first time seeing a supe with a supernatural ability in real life, the assassin thought.

“So, what’s the problem?” Flux asked, crossing her arms.

Everyone turned their heads toward Dr. Muhammed. When he spoke, his nasally voice compounded his pathetic look. “Well… you see… uh—”

“We need to get her in this harness,” Dr. Callahan said, pointing inside the transportation tank. “Usually, the way this works is that it’s hooked up to a crane and lowered into a shallow section of the tank. Then Millie is instructed to beach herself and we work to fit her into the harness. Once we’re finished, the crane would raise her up and sit her in the transportation tank where we would secure her to the bars. We also need to fill water from her pool into the tank.”

Flux turned around and walked toward the tank. She stopped in front of a square concrete platform where four fist sized bolts protruded from the top. When she slid her hand over each of them, Velocity noticed the unevenness of their tops and the stain from the missing part that was supposed to be on top of them.

“The crane is missing,” Flux said, straightening up. “We’ll have to improvise.”

“How?” Dr. Muhammad asked, throwing up his free hand.

Flux briefly looked up at the stage before turning around and pointing her thumb over her shoulder. “If you can get her in the harness, I’ll lift her out. I’ll secure myself to the stage, reel her up, and then set her in the crate.” She pointed to the two drivers. “James, Franco, you two get off your butts and move the truck closer. You need to get it right up to the edge of the tank.”

“You got it, boss,” James said, rolling to his feet before helping Franco up.

“What about the water?” Dr. Callahan asked.

“I can do that too. Do you need the water in there first or after we load the whale in?”

Dr. Callahan and her crew shared a smile before she responded. “In first. We need it a little more than halfway full, just enough for her to float in the harness.”

“I can do that.”

Dr. Callahan clapped her hands together, drawing her team’s attention. “All right people, you heard her. Team B help me with the harness, and let’s work on getting Millie inside.”

While everyone scurried to their positions, Velocity walked over to Flux, who was looking back up at the stage and said, “Hey do you have a minute?”

“Yeah, what do you need?” Flux asked.

Velocity waved her over and led Flux far enough out of earshot before stopping. She pointed to Flux’s comm and they both double tapped them. When they were set to push-to-talk, Velocity leaned forward and whispered. “So, what happened with the supe? Did you go dump in the everglades or something?”

“No, I drove his car a few miles down the road and then flipped it in a ditch,” Flux began. “Then Daniel and I dropped him in the same ditch near it before calling nine-one-one.”

“You what!” Flux shouted, wide eyed, before leaning back forward, failing to whisper.

“We used his phone, so it shouldn’t be a big deal. We were in the middle of nowhere. No one saw us.”

“Not a big deal? If he’s still alive, he’s a liability.”

“I don’t disagree.”

“Then why on earth would you let him live?”

“Mr. Webb wouldn’t have wanted me to kill him.”

“He said that because he thought it was going to be nothing but civilians here. But he also said if it was us or them, then for us not to hesitate.”

“He doesn’t like it when I kill unnecessarily.”

“I think failing the mission would have taken a bit of priority.”

Flux’s tone was short and direct. “We won’t fail.”

“And what if he squeals?”

“He won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I made a deal with him. I had the chance to kill him. He was nothing, but a broken mess and begged for his life. Because Mr. Webb didn’t want us to kill unnecessarily, I made him an offer. He agreed to keep his mouth shut, and he got to live.”

“And what if he lied just to survive and the cops are on their way right now?”

“I can tell when someone is lying, and he wasn’t lying.”

Velocity let out a heavy breath and shook her head. “Look, this is your op. I’m not going to tell you how to run things, but we’re going to have a problem if that comes back to bite me in the ass.”

“It won’t.”

“Then we’re square. Let’s get this done.”

Flux nodded, and the two shuffled back to the rest of the group, reactivating their always-on setting of their comm. They stood in silence and watched James and Franco back the truck as close as they could to the tank. The tires skirted up to the edge before the trailer settled. The side panels hung over the water’s edge after they dropped them down.

Dr. Callahan and her team climbed into the transition tank and unhooked the harness. It was a dense white material with two holes underneath for what Velocity assumed would be Millie’s flippers. It took all the marine biologists to move the harness from the transportation tank into the water. They walked onto a raised platform near the tank’s edge that had just a few inches of water on top and pulled the harness wide.

“Do you think you can really lift her out?” Velocity asked, looking over at Flux.

“I’m pretty sure,” she said, glancing back up at the stage. “That supe from earlier could make his skin metal. He weighed a lot, but I managed to lift him.”

“Aren’t you scared you’ll drop her?”

Flux shrugged. “We don’t have any other options. If you have any ideas, now’s the time.”

Velocity rubbed her chin as she thought for a moment before smiling. “There was this job that I took. A snitch was on the run from my employer and had barricaded himself in this bunker underground. The only way in was through a tunnel that the snitch had filled with a ton of traps. My employer sent a bunch of his guys in after him and ended up losing half his crew trying to reach the mark. So, they brought in me with a tremendous bonus, hoping I’d sneak in.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t?”

“Nope,” Velocity beamed. “I didn’t have to. The bunker wasn’t actually a bunker. It was a safe room, and it was only a few feet underground. So… I just dug it out and brought in a heavy lift helicopter to pull it out. I set it right on top of the employer’s doorstep. All they had to do was cut him out. Easiest quarter mil—I ever made.”

“So you’re suggesting we get a helicopter to lift her out?”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. But… the more I think about it, the more I think it’s a bad idea. It’s going to draw too much attention, and the noise is probably bad for Millie.”

“It’d probably scare her,” Dr. Callahan said, climbing out of the water and approaching the pair. “The stress alone would probably kill her.”

“Isn’t what we’re doing stressful?” Velocity asked.

“Oh, most definitely. But she’s been through this multiple times before, so it will be somewhat familiar to her.”

“It’s gross what she’s been subjected to. She’s got to survive this. She deserves a last bit of freedom for what she’s been through.”

“Spoken like one of us,” Dr. Callahan said, smiling. “I’ll be honest. I didn’t think either of you really cared about Millie.”

Velocity’s lip curled. “No one deserves to live in captivity their whole lives when they’ve done nothing but exist. It’s a worse punishment than death.”

“It is. Which is why we’re here. We’ll get her out of there and back home. Her last years will be her best years.”

The three stood in silence, watching Millie. The large orca circled her tank, staying up near the water’s edge. Her high-pitched wails echoed through the air as she watched through the side of her eye.

Dr. Callahan turned to Flux. “We’re ready for you.”

Flux nodded and followed Dr. Callahan toward the tank. However, once Flux touched the water’s edge, Millie panicked. She screamed into the air and slapped her tail in the water repeatedly.

“What’s wrong with her?” Abigail cried.

“I think she’s scared,” Dr. Jones said, pointing to the water. “Orca’s will sometimes slap their tails like that either out of playfulness or aggression. The way she’s staying afar, I don’t think she’s playing.”

Millie dove into the depths of the tank, allowing everyone a moment of respite. Flux morphed into an elongated tube that curved over the edge of the transport tank. A sound of rushing water filled the air once she began. From one end, she pumped the pool water through herself to spray into the transition tank, out the other end.

The utility of Flux’s power impressed Velocity. It was so versatile. She guessed, based on everything that she knew about Flux, that her threat rating easily surpassed her own. And if she was a hero, which she clearly wasn’t, she’d fit well as an A and even give some of the S rank heroes a run for their money.

Once she’d filled the tank, Flux resumed her normal body and crossed her arms. “That’s done. What do you need from me now?”

“Get ready to transfer the harness,” Dr. Callahan said, pointing at the stage above them. “Once we’ve got her secured in, you’ll lift her up and then we’ll ready the other tank for you to bring her in.”

“Got it.”

Flux bent down and jumped to the stage above. She extended her arms to grab on the underside of it before flipping upside down and suspending herself. Her lower body expanded into an oval, spreading herself to increase her surface area. Her upper body dangled above with outstretched arms, ready to move the orca.

Dr. Callahan readied her crew as she blew a metal whistle that she wore around her neck. When Millie surfaced, she swam halfway across the tank until she started screeching. She darted back across the water and splashed violently.

“This isn’t working,” Dr. Jones said. “We need to calm her down.”

“Ricky, go check the stage,” Dr. Callahan commanded. “They should keep some fish nearby to feed her.”

When he jumped out of the shallow pool, Velocity jogged up behind him and shouted, “I’ll go with him.”

Velocity followed the student until they reached a solid blue door at the base of the stage. When Ricky tried the handle, he looked back at Velocity and said, “It’s locked. We’ll probably need to find the—”

Before he finished, Velocity leaned back and kicked the door open.

“That works too,” he grinned.

Velocity pulled out a flashlight and led them in. Beyond the door, the stage was full of crossing beams and scaffolding, holding up the large sign and platforms. In the back, rusted pipes protruded from the concrete pathway, humming as they cycled water. As Ricky and Velocity delved deeper in, they found a row of freezers leaning against a nearby wall.

The first one they opened was empty. So were the next three. It wasn’t until they reached the last one that they found stacked rows of frozen herring. The pair grabbed two nearby buckets and filled them to the brim.

When they returned, the shrieking hadn’t stopped. Ricky and Velocity gave the buckets to the marine biologists. With fish in hand, Dr. Callahan called to Millie. It didn’t work.

The good doctor even threw multiple fish into the tank. A feeble attempt to entice the orca to come closer, that Millie ignored. This cycled for the next ten minutes with no further progress.

“Time is running out,” Flux shouted from above. “We’re on a tight window. If need be, I can force her out of the pool.”

“That won’t work!” Dr. Callahan shot back. “We can’t force a harness around a six-ton whale. She’s obviously scared. We need to be patient.”

“We don’t have time for patience.”

“Maybe we could show her she can trust us?” Abigail murmured.

Dr. Muhammad rolled his eyes. “What do you think we’re doing here?”

“I don’t know.”

“Can any of you sing?” Dr. Callahan asked. “I saw a video of her old trainers singing to her when she spent time with her.”

Velocity’s body moved without her control. She stepped into the pool and grabbed a fish from a bucket. She stepped away from the group, on the very edge of the shallow platform, and sang.

Bayu-bayushki-bayu,

Ne lozhisya na krayu!

Pridet seren’kiy volchok,

I ukhvatit za bochok.

On ukhvatit za bochok,

I potashchit vo lesok.

I potashchit vo lesok

Pod rakitovyy kustok.

K nam, volchok, ne khodi!

Nashu Mashu ne budi!

Bayu-bayushki-bayu,

Ne lozhisya na krayu!

Pridet seren’kiy volchok,

I ukhvatit za bochok.

On ukhvatit za bochok,

I potashchit vo lesok.

“It’s working!” Dr. Calahan shouted with excitement. “She’s coming over!”

I utashchit vo lesok

Pod malinovyy kustok.

A malinka upadet

Pryamo Mashen’ke v rot.

Bayu-bayushki-bayu,

Ne lozhisya na krayu!

Pridet seren’kiy volchok,

I ukhvatit za bochok…

By the time Velocity stopped, Millie was wading underneath her. She tossed the orca the fish she held in her hand and the orca swallowed it. The whale clicked a few times, with her mouth open, allowing Velocity to toss a few more fish in.

She continued feeding her until the bucket was completely empty. Dr. Callahan blew the whistle and commanded her to breach. Millie disappeared underneath the water and lunged seconds later on top of the surface. The crew laughed and cheered as they worked quickly to fit Millie in the harness.

Velocity walked to Millie’s front, singing to her; her smile radiating through her song. She brushed Millie’s smooth skin as the rest of the team worked. When Flux raised Millie into the air, Velocity didn’t stop. She sang, holding onto the orca’s flipper as she walked with her.

The marine biologists raced to the transition tank and readied it so she could lower her. Millie’s fight was gone, either exhausted or placated by Velocity’s voice. The assassin hoped for the latter. Once the team secured her inside the tank, only then did she stop singing.

“That was beautiful,” Abigail said. “What was that?”

“It was a lullaby my mother used to sing to my sister and I when we were young,” Velocity said.

“May I ask what it’s about?”

Velocity smiled and closed her eyes before singing a rough translation in English.

Sleep, my darling, tiny one

Tucked within your bed so tight

Else the ol’ grey wolf will come

And grab you by your side

He’ll snatch you up between his teeth

If on the bed’s edge you sleep

And drag you to the forest deep

Beneath the quaking tree

So, close your eyes and fall asleep

Count the little wooly sheep

Tucked so tightly you must keep

Or he will come for you

When Velocity opened her eyes, everyone was silent and just stared. She’d expected the reaction and just laughed it off. They just didn’t understand.

While the others raised the walls around the trailer to hide the contents of their load, Velocity retrieved the last explosives in her bag and placed them around the tank. After arming them, she joined the rest of the crew and waited to leave. Velocity stayed with Millie and Team B during the transport. Dr. Callahan and the others were happy to have her there. It gave her an opportunity to watch the experts in action as they cared for their precious cargo.

When they arrived at the airport, they found the plane with its nose raised in the air. The teams started the same procedure of breaking down the trailer. Only this time, once it was stable, they unstrapped Millie’s transportation tank from the bed, and used a wench and track system to move it from the trailer bed to inside the AN-124. The uplifted nose made it look like the plane was swallowing them as they moved her in. The transfer only took minutes, thanks to the expertise of the plane’s crew.

Velocity and Flux said their goodbyes to Daniel, James, and Franco before boarding the plane. They left Daniel with all their equipment to be taken care of. Her rescue was all but certain.

With Millie secured in the cargo hold, those going to Alaska climbed an interior ladder to the plane’s second level. It lacked the modern amenities of first class, but it was sufficient for the job. They took their seats that sat between decently sized plastic tables. The only exterior windows were on the emergency doors.

As the plane moved onto the runway, Velocity pulled out the remote detonator out of her bag and waited by the west-facing window. When the plane took off just high enough for her to see the horizon, she squeezed the trigger.

“This is for Millie,” Velocity said as she watched the distant fireballs light up the night’s sky.