Saving Supervillains 1 Chapter 8 (Patreon)

“What’s the report, Sarah?” Kim asked, making me look up from my new tablet. IT had set it up, and I was spending my time looking through reports and trying to understand more about the bactimen.

From what I could tell, they had spread throughout the entire city’s sewer system. And there was a serious risk of overflow, which is what they called the event at the club the previous night. They were filling up the sewers and venturing out for more space.

Sarah sat down with Kim and me in a quiet section of the massive tent. She pulled out a tablet and flicked through menus with a stylus.

“I got her set up with a basic hero suit.” Sarah started off.

I figured that meant Stella must have made it through whatever initial tests they used.

“We have some serious issues that need to be addressed, though.” She looked pointedly at me, as if it was suddenly my problem.

I was about to tell her Stella was her problem, but then I remembered I was supposed to be her manager.

“Can you tell me more about how you found her?” Sarah asked.

Sarah’s question piqued Kim’s curiosity, and she turned, focusing on me.

“She was about to commit suicide.” I was honest. If they were going to be putting Stella out into situations that could trigger her, I owed it to her to not hide the fact.

Sarah clicked her tongue. “Worse than I thought. She seems to have latched onto you on a psychological level. For some reason, you keeping her from that act must have convinced her you were her savior, the solution to her problems. She seems to believe her power is now reliant on you.” Sarah scoffed, as if it was a ludicrous idea.

My mouth twitched as I suppressed a smile at Sarah’s dismissal before even considering I could effect someone’s power.

I understood why Stella would think that. So far, I’d been the only person able to help her control her powers. The crack in her super power was only going to continue draining, leading to her taking it from elsewhere if I didn’t top her up.

Sarah continued. “We have some guides I can send you about how to build up her confidence and empower her to manage herself. Until then, I’d recommend that we keep Miles here in close contact with Stella for her stability.”

“That’s not ideal. Under normal circumstances, we’d reject her for that.” Kim clarified. “What else?”

“She’s intelligent, highly emotionally intelligent. She has huge regrets about the people she’s killed. And she has some serious abandonment issues. Everything points to her using Miles and this belief that he’s helping her powers as a crutch.” Sarah shook her head. “If you walk away from her, she’d likely crumble and become a threat to hundreds, if not thousands, of lives.”

I scowled at Sarah, not appreciating the pressure she was putting on me.

But Kim leveled a look at me of her own, breaking my focus. “Miles, I know you didn’t ask for this, but it seems that she’s put you in a bind.”

“I have to be honest with you, Kim. I didn’t sign up to be responsible for so many lives.”

For so many years, I’d run from my power, using it for small needs or protection and nothing more. It kept me under the radar, exactly where I liked to stay. If I’d known Stella was going to pull me into all of this, I might have left her. But now I was invested, and I just couldn’t walk away and endanger so many.

“We rarely want to be responsible for so many other humans. Let’s be honest, humans are selfish by nature. It is when we rise above those instincts that we become something better.” Kim paused. “Like it or not, the choice is now in front of you. I need you to do what we need for the good of this city.”

Blowing out a huge breath, I wanted to say no. But I was already in so deep. Stepping out would remove Stella from this effort to remove the Bactimen.

And without her, the entire city could go down.

I ran a hand over my face, admitting to myself that it wasn’t only about saving the city. I wanted to help Stella. She’d grown on me a bit. Her bubbly nature was hard to ignore.

“Fine.” I couldn’t believe I was agreeing to work with the BSH.

“Good.” Kim clapped her hands together with finality. “We’ll give you all the support you need. Go reconnect with your hero. If that density under Fifth and Corway checks out, I’d like to send you two on your first mission.”

Feeling dismissed, I stood up and tucked my tablet under my arm, taking two steps before turning and asking. “Where is she?”

“One tent over to the right. That’s where the heroes can take a load off, and we have lockers.” Sarah replied, quickly getting back to work on her tablet. She meandered off, tapping away as she read whatever was on the screen.

Kim gave me a little wave with a grin on her face.

Shaking my head, I pushed the flap aside and left. The tent that Sarah had indicated was obvious. Heroes were walking in and out of it.

Almost all of them were women, but that was to be expected.

“Hey good looking.” One of them cat-called me with a little whistle and blocked my path.

“BSH management. Please step aside.”

“Shit.” She jumped out of her skin. “My bad.”

I tried not to let the surprise show on my face. I hadn’t expected that to work so well.

Stella was in the tent in a very plain-looking blue and red super suit, checking herself out in the mirror.

My eyes caught hers in the mirror and she jumped, spinning around and looking at me with a giant smile on her face. She bounced towards me immediately.

“You didn’t run away!” She squealed.

Her words caught the ears of a few supers lounging in the tent. Most of them were eating and drinking sports drinks while entertaining themselves on their phones.

I held a hand up as she approached. I had a feeling I was about to be enveloped in a hug. She stopped, her head tilting but a smile still covering her face.

“We have a tentative first mission. I wanted to let you know I’ll be managing you on this end while coordinating with the BSH.” I replied.

“So, you’ll be my manager?” Her eyes practically shone with hope.

“Yes.” I let out a sigh. “I’m managing you, for now.” I clarified.

But she seemed to ignore the modifier, her spirits still boisterous. “I’ll be ready. When do I leave?”

“Soon, I think. I’m still figuring this out. We are waiting on the third verification of the bactimen.” I suddenly realized I had no idea how I was supposed to do this new role.

But I’d been a manager of people for a few years, so I tried to use some of that experience.

“Actually, follow me.” I turned and headed back to the BSH tent and pushed into the room with the whiteboard.

If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right. “Report on the situation at Fifth and Conway.” I firmly asked the lady who had been excited earlier.

She held her hand up over her ear and around the bluetooth device for a moment before speaking to whoever was on the other end. “Ratgirl confirmed?”

Then she turned to me. “Beatrix, analyst.” She held out her hand for me to shake.

“Miles, Kim, just put me in charge of this one.” I hooked a thumb over my shoulder at Stella, who waved her fingers at Beatrix.

“Ratgirl just sent some of her little guys down there and confirmed. There’s a huge mass of bactimen just below the intersection.”

I nodded, trying to figure out what that meant we should do next. “Sorry, I’m new at this. What exactly do I do now?”

Beatrix scrambled and snagged two ear pieces off a charging station before fiddling with both of them. “Here. I put these two on their own private frequency. Your job is to go with her and stay nearby. You supply us with updates as she goes in and help instruct her.”

I took the earpiece and put it in while handing the other to Stella.

“Hear me loud and clear, Master?”

I nearly choked at her term for me. “Don’t call me that.” Grabbing Stella, I pulled her out of the tent in a hurry, even as Beatrix and several other girls were giggling to themselves.

“But I told them. I’m like a succubus bound to you, my warlock.” She smiled widely.

“That’s not what happened.” I grumbled.

Stella covered her earpiece and stared into my eyes. “You are hiding your power, so I made up a story that had nothing to do with it. But I kind of liked the sound of it.”

I opened my mouth, ready to argue with her, but then I clicked it closed. She was being considerate, in her own way.

“We’ll figure something else out rather than ‘Master’. I think in the context of BSH, they will find it inappropriate and maybe remove me as your manager if you keep it up.” I tried a new tactic.

The horror on her face told me it worked. She wasn’t going to be calling me ‘Master’ anytime soon.

“Okay, to Fifth and Conway.” I said.

Stella blinked. “I have no idea where that is, or I’d fly there.”

I also needed to get there, and taxis weren’t exactly running during the shutdown. I wanted to smack myself as I said, “This one time I’ll let you fly me somewhere.”

Stella grabbed me before I knew what was happening, and she leapt six stories up into the air. Wings materialized on her back as we moved, and she started flying.

“Which way?” She asked as we soared over the city.

***

We landed down at the intersection fifteen minutes later. It was eerily quiet while all the citizens were in lockdown.

Military patrolled the sidewalks, enforcing the lockdown and protecting any wayward citizens that wandered out.

“Below us is the mass of bactimen for you to suck dry. You handled them pretty well on your own last night. You can do this, Stella. I’ll be right here, and I’ll keep you connected to the greater network. How do you feel?”

Stella was still grinning ear to ear from being able to carry me as she flew. Somehow, that was a big win for her.

“I’m okay, Miles. I just need you close by.” She paused and turned around, her voice low as she asked. “Actually, could I get a little… boost?”

I knew what she meant. Giving her my hand, she wrapped it over her own before pressing my hand over her heart.

I tried to ignore that I was pressing my hand into her soft chest, and the pleasant feeling of the tingles as her ability siphoned power from me.

“That feels so good. Both the help, and knowing you are here. Here to help me.” She looked up at me. “Thank you, Miles, from the bottom of my heart.” Stella let out an enormous sigh as she pulled my hand away.

Dipping her head, she laid a big wet kiss on the back of my hand.

Instantly, I felt the difference. Her lips drew an incredible amount of power in just a short touch. The tingling was several times over what touching her chest had been.

“Did you feel that?” Stella touched her lips with two fingers. “My lips are much better at absorbing.”

I nodded, still a little dumbfounded. “Yes, but I think to remain professional, my hand on your back would work in the future.” I tried to once again put up boundaries.

She glowered at me, clearly picking up on my tactic. “Fine, I’m going down to deal with the mass of bactimen.”

Stella grabbed the manhole cover and tossed it aside like it was a scrap piece of paper. She made her wings disappear as she dropped into the sewer without a care for the fall.

There was a big splash before more sounds erupted from the manhole.

I heard loud gurgles, followed by rumbles from bactimen. The ground shook slightly from the battle that had just started.

I frowned. “Stella, is everything okay?”

A loud boom sounded.

“Yeah, just taking a little frustration out on them first. There are hundreds down here.”

Another boom shook the asphalt under my feet.

“Maybe you should start draining them to thin those numbers out.”

Yet another boom rippled out as she took her frustrations on the green men.

“Na, they make great punching bags. It’s very cathartic when you are frustrated about a boy who’s blind as a bat to romantic gestures.”

I tried not to worry too much as I heard more booms of the bactimen being beaten to a pulp. I let her do her thing, beginning to wonder just how strong she was.

Going over to the manhole cover, I prodded it with my foot without using my super power.

The thing didn’t even budge.

Putting my foot on it, I had to strain to slide the thing.

And she just tossed it to the side like it was nothing.

One giant boom sounded.

“Alright, I think I’m good. Going to start working to eliminate them.” Stella said, panting over the mic.

“Good work, hero.” I encouraged her, but I also kept it distant by not using her name.

“You know, I almost didn’t realize you were talking to me. So weird being called a hero.” She replied cheerfully.

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. This whole situation was messed up. I couldn’t believe I was working for the BSH.

A manhole cover down the street rattled, and just a bit of gunk spilled out onto the asphalt.

“Hero, how are things going down there? I have a manhole cover spilling up onto the street.”

“Busy.” Stella’s voice crackled. “There’s a lot of them down here.”

The manhole continued to dance in its socket as green goop splashed out.

“Stella, I think they are pushing out onto the street.”

“Yeah, the bactimen are trying to run from me now.” She sounded annoyed.

Pulling out the tablet, I tapped on it a few times until our two ear pieces came up on the GPS. Unfortunately, hers was bouncing all over the place; the concrete above her was messing with the signal.

“Stella, how far down the sewer have you gone?”

“Uhh.” She paused. “Unsure.”

The manhole cover down the street waffled one more time before it blew straight up into the air. A fountain of green gunk erupted onto the street.

“Stella, get out of the sewers now. We have a problem on the street. That takes first priority.” I commanded her.

“Yes, Master.” I would have grumbled at the term, but it sounded almost automatic in nature. I didn’t think she was messing with me, but I also didn’t love that it was apparently so comfortable for her to use.

A cover shot into the air as Stella blasted out, catching it. “I see you. Oh god.”

I turned away from Stella to see a five-story bactiman rising amid the large corporate buildings.

The mass was continuing to grow as more green gunk spilled out of the sewer.

And being one of the few people around, it looked like I had the giant bactiman’s attention. But that was fine; it posed no real threat to me except exposure.

“Miles!” Stella screamed as she threw herself through the air and crashed into the massive bactiman with a big wet plop.

With her momentum, she splashed into its chest.

The bactiman paused, looking down at the center of its chest like some big dumb oaf.

Stella screamed silently amid the green gunk as she spread out her body and started to drain the bactiman.

It wobbled on its feet, and big chunks sloughed off its extended arms.

The bactiman pulled its hands up to its face, confused as it watched itself slowly losing more mass and shrinking. Then it looked down at the only thing that had changed, seeing Stella inside of it.

A grumpy look crossed its face before it punched itself in the gut. It managed to hit Stella, launching her out the other side.

Stella bounced off the pavement as she slid to a stop, sputtering out green goo. In a not so graceful manner, she got up to her feet and looked around, panicked until she spotted me.

“Good! You’re okay!” She blurred over to my side, grabbing me and carrying me another block away from the bactiman. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.” I was mostly just shocked at how deeply concerned she was for my safety. Really, it posed me no harm, but she didn’t know that.

I ignored her fuss. “Thanks, now get back in there. It’s still growing. But if you take it down, you’ll take out a large quantity of bactimen in one go.”

She gave me a hesitant pause, like she didn’t want to leave me.

“That’s an order.” I added.

“Yes, Master.” She zoomed off.

Damn it. The term was catching on.

As she headed towards the bactiman, I replayed what she had seen of my abilities so far.

She’d seen me touch her power and felt me use a small amount of kinetic energy to pry her off me, but she’d never seen the extent of my power. And it didn’t seem like she’d pieced together how much it could truly do.

I smiled, happy I could potentially down play my abilities if she let anything slip.

I focused back on the situation and typed out a message on my tablet to the BSH. “Demon engaged with six story bactiman. Requesting additional scouting of the nearby sewers. Demon is handling the situation, but the threat is still growing.”

Immediately, there was a return ping from Kim. “Great work. Analyst team, full resources to Miles. Demon appears to be EXTREMELY effective at destroying the bactimen.”

“One hundred percent effective.” A name I didn’t recognize chimed in.

“Overwatch is five minutes out.”

Putting the tablet down, I focused back on Stella.

She was flying around the large bactiman, landing on it only for a chunk to fall off around where she landed.

I touched my ear piece. “Stella, you are doing great. The whole BSH is impressed with your work.”

She didn’t respond, but there was a renewed vigor as she kept darting around the green gunky figure.

I kept watching, and it didn’t take long before the bactiman realized swatting at her wasn’t doing any good.

Turning, it punched its gunky arm right through a nearby office building.

Office supplies started to flow out of the building through the arm, and I watched as it digested everything and added to its mass.

“Stella, you need to sever that arm if you can.”

I knew it would start adding more mass soon, possibly growing faster than Stella could drain it. I wasn’t sure how long she could go, but I imagined at some point she’d get tired.

There had to be a better way for her to drain the monster.

I paused, an idea came to me. I knew she would hate. But I was fairly certain it would work.

When we’d first met, she could have drained this thing dry.

“Stella, do you trust me?” I asked her.

“With everything I have.” She responded without a moment's hesitation.

“I need you to use as much of your abilities as you can. Wear out your super power.”

“But.” She protested only for a second before landing before the bactiman back on the street. “Okay. But I need you after this; I don’t want to go back to what I was.”

“I’m here.”

Stella screamed into the air, and I could feel the power rippling off of her as she tried to exert as much of her power as she could. But it wasn’t enough. Her tank was still full; she had an astounding amount of power in her.

“Stella, get clear of the bactiman. I’m going to do something, and you are going to feel weak for a moment.” I told her.

I needed the super I met at the manor. The one nearly depleted of power, making her ability so hungry it would feast on anything and everything within reach. And if we were going to do this, it needed to be before the other supers arrived.

So, I focused on her and did something I hadn’t done in a very long time. It was the part of my ability that I knew would get me locked up in some government lab if it ever became known.

Pushing on the power inside of Stella, I removed it, effectively stripping her of her super power until she could recover.

“Miles.” She grunted as she bent over. Her skin was already changing back to the pale gray it had been on the bathroom floor.

But as I’d hoped, tendrils of suckers were rising off her skin, questing for power to drain. Thankfully, there was a massive source right next to her.

I watched as the suckers were like a mass of flies, swarming the massive bactiman.

Each and every one of those little suckers caused a hundred pounds of gunk to fall to the ground, pushing into the massive bactiman and taking more of it down with them.

Stella was curled up on the pavement. “Stella, talk to me. Are you okay?”

“What did you do?”

“We needed your ability to go haywire again. I’m sorry Stella. I’ll help you when this is over.”

She just moaned into her earpiece.

The massive bactiman fell apart while she lay on the ground. Her ability was going wild, draining the thing for everything it was worth.

The bactimen crumbled, green gunk spilling out like waves lapping at the shore.

But even the massive bactiman was only enough for Stella to stabilize, but not return to a healthy state.

The amount of ki she could hold was greater than anything I’d ever seen before.

As soon as the bactiman had collapsed entirely, I was running to Stella, picking her up despite dozens of suckers latching onto me.

I let them feed.

She blinked in my arms, her skin restoring and her eyes fluttering open. “I don’t feel so good.”

“Shh. You’ll be fine in just a minute.” I hoped that was true, letting her take what she needed to fill back up.