26. Hard Day's Work (Patreon)

As the sun descended toward the horizon, the flying supers swooped, taking out the last of the herd from above. On the far side of the stone wall, lower-level supers worked hard, cornering the escaped monsters. Levi darted in, slicing the neck of a horse Bear Arms held. Blood fountained out, pouring onto the street, and the horse slumped to the ground. Bear Arms staggered back, grunting with exertion and exhaustion. She shook out her arms and cracked her neck.

“Is that all of ‘em? Anyone else want to make a break for it?” she asked, glaring at the far side of the stone wall.

A muscular super chased ten or so horses, herding them toward the wall. Overhead, Blasterman swooped down and beamed a red-hot red line through the center of the herded monsters. The stench of burning meat filled the air, and the last monsters fell.

Levi breathed a deep breath. “Mmm… barbecue.”

Bear Arms looked at him. “You are one weird kid.”

“Hey, we’ve all eaten monsters in our time. Right?”

All the supers stared at him.

Levi laughed awkwardly. “Right…?”

The pirate stepped in. He slung a friendly arm around Levi’s neck. “I haven’t seen you around before, Night Sparrow. You’re registered, right? You’re getting a percentage for very battle you’re in?”

Another awkward laugh. Levi shrugged. “I’m not big enough to be registered yet. Have you guys ever heard of exposure?”

The quill-shooter shook his head at that. “Man.”

Bear Arms nodded. “I remember that grind.”

The pirate patted Levi’s shoulder. “Let’s get you dinner. How’s that sound?”

Levi nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve never said no to free food.”

“Hey, what about the whole no shirt, no service thing?” Bear Arms said, nodding at Levi’s bare back.

“I’ve got extra shirts. By the way, you can call me Crossbones,” the pirate introduced himself.

The quill-shooter coughed. He ran a hand through his hair and looked aside. “I’m, er, Porquillpine.”

Levi shook his head at him. “You need better marketing, my man.”

“I know. I’m working on it,” he muttered.

“What do you guys think? I’m in the mood for pub food,” Crossbones said.

Bear Arms harrumphed. “Break out of character for one dang second, man. Let’s go get some fish instead.”

“Who’s in character? Me, or the you who wants salmon?” Crossbones argued.

“I never said salmon! Fish can be a lot of things,” Bear Arms returned, crossing her arms.

“But was it going to be salmon?” Crossbones wondered.

Bear Arms pursed her lips. “Salmon is delicious, dude. That’s not just a bear thing. People like salmon, too.”

“Yeah, but so do bears—”

“Guys, guys!” Levi stepped between them, putting his arms out. “Why don’t we compromise? We can all get pizza!”

Crossbones and Bear Arms exchanged a look. After a moment, Bear Arms snorted. “Come on. We’ll find something on the way.”

As the other low-level supers started on monster cleanup, the four of them wandered off into the city.

In a short time, they found themselves in a diner, sitting in a line at the bar, still in their costumes. Levi wore a ragged-sleeved white shirt with a low lace-up neck, pirate-style, that had come from the trunk of Crossbones’ car. The waitress jotted down one last note and bustled off. Leaning on one hand, he kicked his feet and yawned, exhausted.

Crossbones looked at Levi. “You weren’t serious about that Extractor thing earlier, right?”

Levi shook his head. He looked down at the table, which made his mask’s beak almost touch the sticky countertop. “No…it was a friend of mine. And it killed them. The effect spread, and they froze to death, I…you know.” He took a deep, ragged breath, then looked up, a small, bitter smile on his face. “I laugh to hide the pain. It wasn’t a funny joke, I guess. I’m sorry.”

Crossbones put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright, man. I understand. God. That must have been horrible for you.”

“But enough about me. What about you?” Levi asked, smiling. It pulled a little at his cheeks, as if he was forcing it.

“Us? We’re just worried that you’re not registered,” Bear Arms said, thumping her elbows on the counter behind him and knitting her fingers together. She leaned her chin on her hands, looking down at Levi. “So? Why aren’t you registered?”

Levi narrowed his eyes and struck a neat pose. “I work in the dark. A hero of the night. I have no need for the fixings of society!”

“Right…” Porquillpine said, raising his brows.

“I’m not strong enough to be registered as a hero. My only skill is regeneration,” Levi confessed, spreading his hands to the ceiling.

Crossbones grimaced. “Ah, yeah. That’ll do it.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t get ability hunted. Alpha was going nuts on regenerators ten years ago,” Bear Arms commented.

Crossbones nudged her. “He probably didn’t have his skill ten years ago. He’d have had to awaken at, what, eleven?”

“Something like that,” Levi said, with a sly grin.

Food came. Levi sat back as a steaming plate of steak and mashed potatoes slid in front of him, complete with a worn-handled steak knife. Bear Arms clapped at the sight of her salmon filet, while Crossbones shook his head at her from the far side of a big pub-style hamburger. Porquillpine ignored all of them and poured syrup thick over a stack of fluffy pancakes.

“How’re things going with you, Bear? Any progress?” Crossbones asked, lifting the burger in both hands.

Bear Arms grimaced. “You gotta ask just as the food comes, huh? No. There is a surprising lack of cute little pixie girls who want a big woman like me. Where’s the justice in this world, huh?”

“Cute is justice,” Porquillpine murmured from behind Bear Arms.

“And I can’t find anyone cute, so there’s no justice.” Bear Arms looked at Crossbones. “What about you? Find that, what was it, goth kitchen witch yet?”

Crossbones pursed his lips around a full mouth. He chewed and swallowed, then set the burger down. “How do you think it’s gone? Girls find the pirate thing cute, but only until they find out I’m actually into it. And then it’s a big poof all around.”

“Sucks about the thinness of the full-time-role-play community, huh?” Bear Arms said, a smirk on her face as she nudged Crossbones in the back hard enough to thump him against the table.

“Oh, shut up. Not like you’re any better, Miss Bear.”

“That’s only a stereotype in the gay community, thanks.” Bear Arms nodded at Levi. “What about you, Night Sparrow?”

“The Night Sparrow flies alone,” Levi grumbled mysteriously, his brows furrowed with the seriousness of the phrase.

Bear Arms and Crossbones both stared at him. Behind him, Porquillpine continued to stuff his face with sugar, paying no mind to either of those.

Levi snorted. He waved his hand. “I’m forever alone. Broke and weak, what are my chances?”

“Hey, you’re cute. I think,” Bear Arms reassured him.

“And I have a great personality,” Levi informed her, nodding. He grinned. “It’s no big deal. After all…” He lowered his voice to a growl again. “The Night Sparrow can’t afford love.”

“Right…” Crossbones said, giving him a flat look.

Levi chuckled. “Seriously, though. I’m broke, and I got things to do. I can’t worry about love. Not until—”

His phone rang. Levi jolted. He jumped up from the bar and stepped away, scything his finger across the other supers as he backed toward the door. “’Scuse me. Gotta take this. No one eat my mashed potatoes. I’ll kill you.”

Crossbones waved him away.

As the door shut behind him, Levi raised the phone to his ear. “Hey, Kella! Great to hear from you—”

The door shut.

Bear Arms and Crossbones exchanged a look. Bear Arms waggled her brows. “No time for love, huh?”

Crossbones shook his head at her, unable to stifle a grin of his own. “He’s still got time. He’ll figure it out.”

Outside, unaware of their misunderstanding, Levi nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

Kella sighed. “Oh, thank goodness. I heard about the Outbreak. We were safe, out here in the suburbs, but when I heard it was headed for the city, I—”

Levi gasped. “Kella, were you worried about me?”

“Always,” Kella returned, a little exasperated.

He chuckled gently. “No, no. Don’t worry. I’m fine. Central City is huge. I didn’t even see the Outbreak!”

“For reals?”

“For real for real. Didn’t see a thing. Totally unharmed.” A couple glared at him as they had to release hands to walk around him, so he retreated to the glass front of the diner.

“Thank goodness.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re safe, though. So glad.” He relaxed against the glass, letting his guard down for a second.

After a moment, Kella sighed.

Levi stood up straight. “What?”

“Did you send that poor man all the way here from the no-man’s-land?” Kella demanded.

Levi cleared his throat. “No. Maybe. Did you get the cash?”

“I couldn’t take it! How could I take cash from a homeless man? Levi, come on. Stop these ridiculous pranks. Come on home and say hi. I’d rather see you than five hundred dollars.”

“Really?” Levi asked.

Kella thought for a moment. “Okay, maybe two hundred dollars.”

Levi chuckled. “Smart kid.”

“But seriously, Levi. Come home. We miss you. Mom especially, she—”

Levi hissed into the mic. “What’s that? We’re breaking up!”

“Leeeevi. Phones don’t even drop like that anymore!”

“Whoaaaaa, bzzt, going through a tunnel! Hey, keep the money next time, okay? And I’ll get you some more ASAP. I’m going to help. I swear.”

“You really don’t have to—”

Levi hung up. He took a deep breath, smiling for a moment, then stowed his phone and his smile and walked back inside, the usual sleazy grin on his face. He slid up to the counter. “Nice, potatoes all present. Nice, nice.”

Bear Arms nudged him. “Who was that?”

“My sister,” Levi deadpanned.

Porquillpine laughed. “I told you two. ‘Has to be a relative.’ Called it!”

Crossbones shook his head. “Damn.”

They finished their meals in relative silence, too focused on eating to talk much. At last, the waitress thumped the plastic tray down in front of them with four mints and a receipt and hustled off again, no time to waste on small talk.

Crossbones pulled out his wallet and peeled off a few bills. He nodded at Levi. “I’ve got it. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks! You know, it’s nice how supers always carry cash,” Levi commented.

“Makes it easy to split bills,” Bear Arms agreed, setting down her portion.

“Can’t exactly use cards, if we’re trying to keep our identities secret. It’s not as big now as it was back when the villains were a serious threat, with their own organization system and all, but…” Crossbones shrugged.

“Yeah,” Levi said, a slow grin spreading over his face. “Sure is nice.”

Bear Arms clapped him on the shoulder with enough strength to jolt Levi where he stood as she headed for the door. “See you around, kid. And good luck. If your levels are good, you might be able to crack it with nothing but a healing factor.”

Levi nodded. Following her outside, he clenched his fist. “Thank you. I believe. If I work hard enough, I should be able to do it!”

“That’s the attitude,” Crossbones said, chuckling. He glanced back. “And, uh, keep the shirt. And catch a shower, if you can.”

Porquillpine nodded at him. “See ya. And I’ll think about the name.”

Levi stood there, fist clenched, staring at the sky with determination. The three of them walked off in their own directions, vanishing into the darkening twilight. In the distance, he heard Crossbones mutter “weird kid” to Bear Arms.

When all three of them had left him behind, Levi finally released his fist. He lowered his hand, letting something invisible fall from that fist to the ground. “Yeah. Try hard, huh. ‘Cause that’s how it works.”

He spat. “Fucking… tell Alpha that.”

Shaking his head at nothing, he walked away, leaving the diner in the dark.