Chapter Text
Aaron and Alexander were called, by the annoying emergency alarm, into the 'information room' as Aaron liked to call it, because nobody had cared to tell him the actual name of the room and the name he had given it was just vague enough to fit. He had been accepted into the team with a lot of difficulty. Although, calling this being 'accepted into the team' might have been a bit of a stretch, even if Alexander liked to try and convince him otherwise. It was more of a 'begrudging tolerance but only because he trusts you and would leave if we refused to work with you and he's our best and most important worker' as Angelica liked to remind him. To put it more simply: No, he wasn't accepted, hardly even tolerated, not by a long shot. And he really couldn't blame them for this. After all, he had been their biggest foe for the past ten or so years, who was really counting? Alexander would be. He regretted those years now, a lot. Alexander had made him regret them and had made him promise him to 'strive to be better than that' in the future. A vague enough demand for his trust, but he had taken it. No one in HQ knew how Alexander had managed to bring him, their biggest foe, onto their side, and he and Alexander had made it a bit of an inside joke, especially when John, the only one who was a bit more accepting of his presence (or perhaps he was just apathetic towards it) in HQ and as Alexander's partner (because Alexander had insisted and he always seemed to get his way here), had joked that Alexander had 'probably wooed him into submission'. Alexander had laughed along with those jokes and had begun to make it their joke to make up the story of how Alexander had managed to make this change of heart happen, and the story never stayed consistent, and it became stranger and more outlandish every time it was told, and it was even worse when Aaron and Alexander were both 'telling the story' in the same room, constantly interrupting each other to add details that the other had 'forgotten' ("You forgot the robots, Alexander.", "How could I possibly forget the knife-wielding robots you made? Classic!"). Aaron had been Alexander's partner for a bit over two years now, and they had grown closer than their Villain/Hero relationship had allowed them to be. And now they were called, via annoying emergency alarm, into the 'information room' by Angelica and John. While Alexander rushed into the room, Aaron took his time, because he wasn't nearly as fast as Alexander. The emergency alarm didn't stop even as he finally entered the room, much to his annoyance, until Alexander smashed the red button that had called the alarm and it turned off.
"That alarm is almost as annoying as Aaron's!" Alexander yelled and pouted when Angelica threw him a glare.
"I can vouch for that," Aaron added, "Mine's louder."
"Yeah, you sleep like a rock that's been thrown in the dead sea. If I didn't know any better I'd think you're dead every time you fall asleep," Alexander grinned, eliciting a short chuckle out of Aaron's throat.
"Lovely, really, but the emergency alarm didn't call you for a tea party," Angelica sneered at Aaron.
"Really? I brought tea bags and everything!" Alexander whined, holding up tea bags by their strings, "I got earl grey, green tea, lemonade, chamomile, lavender-"
"Oh, lavender, please," Aaron interrupted and Angelica groaned.
"Enough. We have something big here, and I don't need your joking around, Alexander. If I could direct your attention towards the screen," she said, pointing towards one of the screens on the wall, where John had pulled up a video of a bank being robbed. Though this wasn't the interesting part, far from it, but rather who was robbing it. Alexander and Aaron watched the screen intently, curious to see what would happen. A group of masked people, very original, Alexander muttered, rushed into the bank with guns, yelling for everyone to get on the ground, everything pretty standard stuff to Aaron, as he'd been the leader of such robberies every once in a while to pay for some of his schemes. Being a villain didn't pay well without drawing too much attention to yourself. A bit peculiar was the number of robbers and how there were enough to hold down every person in the room and still have enough to grab the money. But then, and quite suddenly, another person came... floating into the room, hands and fingers outstretched, commanding the attention of everyone inside except for the masked people, obviously their lackeys, as Aaron noted by the way they ignored this person and continued with their work. After a moment Aaron noticed how the masked people were neither masked nor people. They were puppets, as he noticed the thinnest of black strings going to the hands of this person. Gears turned in his head as he tried to remember why this person was so familiar to him, until the robbery was done and the person commanded their puppets out again and turned around, the camera briefly catching their face and it suddenly clicked in Aaron's head. Alexander noticed this shift in his partner immediately and couldn't help but grin. The video ended and Angelica looked at Alexander oddly and with a frown.
"I don't see why you're grinning, Alexander, this is not funny, at all. We are dealing with a new villain here," Angelica frowned and Aaron raised a brow at the phrase 'new villain', "We have no idea who this is, what their motives are or-"
"I think Aaron knows, if his expression tells me anything," Alexander said and Angelica looked at Aaron for a moment, then back at him.
"His face literally didn't change," she replied dryly. Alexander shrugged and Aaron opened his mouth as Alexander nudged him.
"That," he pointed at the screen where John had rewinded the footage to show the person's face, "is the Puppeteer. He is not a 'new villain', you should know. He's been in the game for about... seven years if my math is correct-"
"And it always is," Alexander interrupted with a grin and Aaron rolled his eyes fondly.
"His powers are, as his name suggests, to puppeteer. His first choice for a super villain name was actually 'the Dollmaker', but I could make him reconsider, as his powers had only little to do with making dolls, only to puppeteer them. He can use the strings that come from his fingers to make anyone his puppet, but controlling living things is still difficult for him, I see, so he sticks with the puppets he makes. I must compliment him on his work, one could almost not tell, the way he let them move. He has improved, both in his making of the puppets and his controlling of them, I must admit. Though I am surprised that he would want to make such a statement..." Aaron continued and Angelica and John both raised a brow at him in surprise.
"You know this guy?" John asked and Aaron nodded.
"He's a nice guy, can't hold his liquor, though he's not an absolute lightweight. Back then he preferred not to harm too many people, physically that is, unless absolutely necessary. He could not see blood, at all. I haven't seen him in a long time, I was wondering what he was doing," Aaron explained.
"And exactly how do you know him?" Angelica asked impatiently.
"Teamed up once. Minor scheme from him, that's why you wouldn't know about it. He asked and I helped, split the result 50/50. I did the more bloody work and introduced him to a lot of the resources I used, since he was basically just starting out. The black market, the scarlet market- Ah, you don't know about that one," Aaron said and Alexander excitedly raised his hand.
"I do! You tried to sell me there once!" he grinned and Aaron returned a tiny smile, unnoticeable by anyone who wasn't standing extremely close to him. Angelica glared at Aaron.
"I remember," he said, very fondly and Alexander snorted.
"You were so outraged at how little people would pay for me that you set me free again! First signs of a soft side in you," he grinned and poked Aaron's cheek, "And it was sweet to know that you thought me worth more than a million bucks."
"With your powers, I was surprised not to see the numbers rise to billions. Then again, perhaps too many of them knew your reputation, or rather your mouth's reputation to run off. That would have dropped the price," he let out the softest of chuckles and Alexander beamed. Angelica made a disgusted face. She couldn't believe Alexander could joke so lightheartedly about something like that.
"Continue," she spat and Aaron directed her attention to her again and nodded.
"Of course. I introduced him to the resources I used back then, though, admittedly, some would be outdated by today and useless for a proper villain, super or not. I got to know him a bit over the teaming up, but after that, I hardly ever met him again, let alone heard of him. He used to stay on the down low. I wonder what happened for him to make a statement like that?" Aaron mused and John raised a brow, leaning back in his chair.
"A statement? You call this a statement?" John asked, pointing to the screen with his thumb. Alexander giggled, knowing what was about to happen.
"Well, as I mentioned, he used to stay on the down low. He didn't like attention. He knew, like I, though he was small enough for it to work for him, that attention is the last thing you really want unless you want to be taken down several notches by the local superhero. That's what you don't want," Aaron explained.
"And you only got me glued to you because I met you on the street!" Alexander supplied with a proud grin.
"Yes, that fateful day when we collided and you triggered my powers by accident and compared it to your data of bigger supervillains. I am still not sure whether to thank you or kick you for that day," Aaron said, without any actual malice or threat in his voice and Alexander booped his nose.
"I know you mean you love me!" Alexander laughed, before becoming a bit more serious, "Is that guy a real threat? I mean, like a big threat?" he asked and Aaron shrugged.
"I'm not sure. Like I said, this is a statement. He wants attention. Perhaps even our attention or that of another superhero specifically. He wants the attention of someone who could stop him... he wants to challenge... he wants a challenge. And he knows with a statement like this he'll get it," Aaron answered and Angelica hummed in thought.
"Any clue what he's up to?" she asked and Aaron shook his head.
"I haven't seen him in years, mind you. For all I know, he could have changed into a bloodthirsty, cannibalistic demon with a knack for collecting stamps in the time I haven't seen him," Aaron said and Alexander snorted at his statement.
"So we got nothing. Great," Angelica grumbled.
"That's not true," Alexander defended, "We know now who he is and what his powers are and possibly places where we can find him! I wouldn't call that nothing..."
"But without knowing what he wants to do we might as well have nothing!" she exclaimed, letting herself fall into another chair and crossing her arms, "So unless you got another something up your sleeve, all we can do is wait."
Aaron raised a brow and took out his phone from a secret pocket in his sleeve, the phone he had used when he was still a supervillain, and he looked through his contacts, finding the one he needed quickly. Alexander looked over his shoulder and grinned. Aaron hit the contact and his phone began dialling. He held the phone out, turned the speaker on loud with a straight face and waited a moment, before someone picked up.
"What do you want," came a gruff voice from the phone.
"Hey 'Teer, what're you up to?" Aaron asked, keeping cold eye-contact with Angelica. Angelica and John's eyes widened in shock and they stared at Aaron. Alexander snickered quietly in the background.
"Why do you want to know?" the Puppeteer asked, only mildly annoyed.
"I've been going through my contacts and saw your name and I remembered - I think it was on the news or a hacked camera, who knows - that I saw your face robbing a bank. What's up with that? I thought you don't like the attention," Aaron asked, most casually and Angelica was quietly dying in her chair. John didn't know whether he was dying or wishing he would die that very moment, while Alexander had a field day noiselessly laughing at them.
"It's on the news already?" the Puppeteer asked, "That was quick. Then again, you got a weird way of getting information."
"Like I said, either the news or a hacked camera, I forgot where I watched it on, but I immediately recognized your face. Great work on those puppets, by the way. If I didn't know any better I would have thought they were people. So what's up with the sudden attention-grabbing?" he asked again and the Puppeteer groaned.
"Ha, thanks for noticing! I knew this wouldn't get past you. Yeah, I want the attention of some people, but I mean, the attention of the big fish, you know? What good does it do me to stay on the down low, unopposed, because no one knows of my existence? Nothing, that's what it does," he explained and Aaron rolled his eyes.
"No one knowing you prevents anyone from finding and stopping you. I thought I taught you something that time we teamed up?" he scoffed and the Puppeteer snorted.
"Yeah, you did, but I figured, what good did it do you? You're on the down low right now, the real deep down low, because this one superhero still found out about you! How's that going for you anyways? Did you change locations?" the Puppeteer mused and Aaron shrugged.
"It's been calm, not that I mind. I've changed locations a lot, what about you? Still in the same dump you call a base?" he asked and the Puppeteer scoffed.
"It's a perfectly good location, fuck you," he grumbled.
"Anyway, that was an unforeseeable accident, worsened by the fact that I'm a more known supervillain in our circles. A one in a million type case, and you know that. I was just unlucky," he said and Alexander almost pouted at these words, "But anyway, what're you scheming that you want some big fish attention on you like you have a superiority complex?"
"Oh, it's something big, something gigantic, and it's gonna involve some explosions and some taking over the city, before moving onto the state and then the whole continent," they could basically hear the grin in the Puppeteer's voice.
"So you're going for the 'Big and Loud' aesthetic? I hope for you that you can pull that off without being taken down. Any specifics you'd like to share? Perhaps you'd like my professional opinion on something," Aaron smirked and the Puppeteer laughed.
"Yeah, actually, I could use a second opinion on this. It's so big I'm almost losing sight of everything. I know you got an eye for detail, a better eye for detail than me, so maybe you could take a look at it. Don't be surprised at how similar it may or may not look to one of your plans from way back when... I may or may not have gone through your archive- before you complain, it was the public archive, not the one you once shared with me that one time. I swear I deleted my password of it, I swear. Anyway, I might have gotten inspired by your early prototype of that- what did you call it?- the 'core magnet'?" the Puppeteer rambled.
"The 'core magnetiser'. I recall it being a failure? Did you work out the kinks? Now that I remember it, the mistakes I made were glaringly obvious. The wiring was wrong. Alas, I'm no Electronique. But what would you want with the core magnetiser?" Aaron asked and the Puppeteer grinned (it was accompanied by an audible and pleased hum).
"Well, I reworked it a little bit, repurposed it, if you'd rather call it that. The core magnetiser was supposed to steal electricity, right?" the Puppeteer snickered and Aaron nodded.
"Pretty much, yeah. So, what did you turn it into?" he asked and the Puppeteer laughed.
"Well, I don't want to brag-"
"You totally do," Aaron interjected and the Puppeteer snickered.
"Of course, I do! I repurposed it so it steals energy, but not just any kind of energy-"
"Life-force?" Aaron guessed and Alexander raised a brow, especially when the Puppeteer groaned.
"That obvious?" he whined and Aaron nodded.
"Extremely. I recommend being careful with it, too. Last time I dealt with life-force it didn't end too well for me. I was just lucky I had already had to replace my lungs once, is all I'm saying," Aaron mused and the Puppeteer hissed, imagining the pain.
"Dude, how much actual flesh is left of you?" the Puppeteer asked.
"Still 73 percent," Aaron replied.
"I'm surprised you've still got anything left of you, much less 73 percent, what with all the explosions you were in. What about this organisation or that superhero that was after you?" the Puppeteer asked.
"That's taken care of, but I doubt I'll return from the 'deep down low' as you've called it. At this point, it's too much of a risk," he answered and Angelica raised a brow at his reply. "Anyway, have fun with your plan in taking over the continent. Oh, and Puppeteer..."
"Yeah?"
"Don't rob a bank next time you want to make a statement. Go for something bigger, louder. If you want to attract attention, then do it right," Aaron advised and the Puppeteer scoffed.
"I'd never thought I'd see the day where you of all people give me advice on how to attract attention, Mr Invented-the-Down-Low," he snickered and Aaron rolled his eyes.
"I gotta go now. See you around?"
"Yeah, dude, maybe we could team up again some time?" the Puppeteer suggested.
"Nah, I don't think so. The way you're trying to attract attention I don't think teaming up with you would do my own plans any good," Aaron answered.
"Worth a try. See ya around," the Puppeteer said and Aaron hung up. Alexander grinned brightly at Angelica and John's wide open mouths. Aaron put his phone away in a pocket in his sleeve and waited for the two to say something.
"YOU JUST CALLED HIM!" John yelled, in absolute shock.
"That, I did, indeed," Aaron replied with a shrug.
"AND YOU GOT HIM TO TELL YOU HIS PLANS! LIKE IT'S NOTHING!" Angelica joined the shocked yelling. Aaron gave another shrug.
"Well, it wasn't nothing. It was simple, yes, but not nothing," he simply said and Alexander threw an arm around Aaron, pride beaming on his face.
"See! He's full of great resources! Now imagine if we didn't have him!" Alexander grinned brightly. John and Angelica could still not get over the shock.
"You just fucking called him..." John breathed, hand running through his hair and pushing it back as he processed this. Alexander turned to look at Aaron with a questioning look.
"Wait, you mentioned an Electronique? Who's that?" he asked and Aaron shrugged
"Her powers are based on electricity, as her name suggests. She can make anything a weapon, and if it's already a weapon she can make it an even better weapon. If I recall correctly she was captured some time ago. You wouldn't know her, she was Go City's villain for a while. She was a good friend of mine until we lost touch when she got captured. I hear Go City's team broke up," Aaron answered and Angelica scoffed.
"You had friends?" she almost laughed and Alexander nodded.
"Yeah, he did! Who do you think he got all his supplies from? Really, any villain is not a real villain unless they know Aaron. He knows them all and he's the one you go to if you need connections and favours done!" Alexander said like he was proud of Aaron for this. He was basically bragging for him. Angelica crossed her arms.
"If this is truly the case, then I'd like all of those connections and contacts and what-not right now. Do you know how many villains we could have brought down if we knew this from the beginning!" she growled, "Why did you not tell us sooner!"
"Well, it's simple, really," he said but didn't continue after that.
"What? How is it simple? Come on, tell us!" John asked, more curious than impatient, but not by far as impatient as Angelica was becoming.
"It's simple. I am not a sell-out, and my information has its price, a high price. I'm on your side, of course, but the pay here does not cover for my resources, by far. Honestly, I made more money as a villain, and I was barely scraping by most of the time. Besides, your lack of trust or acceptance towards me does not exactly butter me up to give up any information for free. So I shall tell you to do your job and work for it. This one," he pointed at the screen with the Puppeteer still on it, "Was the only freebie you'll get. View it as a taste of what I could offer," he explained, like it was the most obvious thing in the universe. Alexander frowned a bit but didn't interject. John nodded, but Angelica growled.
"Well, how do you expect us to trust you!" she snapped, "You were against us for ten years, and don't make me list the damages you've done, what you've done to us!"
"The only one I've ever done anything to in this organization was Alexander, and he trusts me just fine. Are you spiteful for him? Because, by all means, that makes no sense. Are you spiteful for all the people for whom I caused damage to their things? If so, that's stupid. In the beginning, I completely understood your mistrust in me, absolutely. I was, after all, just brought onto your side, and I didn't expect anyone to trust me then. That, however, was two years ago. And I'd like to think I have proven my sincerity in my 'turning good' sufficiently. If you disagree, that should hardly be my problem. I am merely doing my badly paid job here. If I can't expect your trust, then don't expect mine," he said with such an eerie calmness that it made a shudder run down Angelica's spine. It reminded her that she had a former villain standing in front of her, who could, with his hands alone, kill her. She'd seen him do it. But she was so angry at him.
"What does that have to do with our trust!" she snapped and Aaron looked calmly at Alexander, who slowly nodded after a moment of quiet consideration. Aaron took a threatening step forward, making Angelica, and even John, flinch.
"Of course, you'd say that. After all, you're the heroes. You're allowed to be hypocritical. It is fairly simple. You don't trust me, you don't tell me a thing, even though we've been colleagues for two years. If it weren't for Alexander- well, I wouldn't be on your side in the first place, but let's imagine I had decided to not be a villain anymore on my own. I would not be here. I'd be very dead, or, at the very best, rotting away in a prison. I won't deny the deeds I've done, I won't deny the damage I've caused. But I will not have you deny that I still have some humanity left in me, and that I can call upon it. I am a human, despite my past," his eyes began filling up with black, and he stared deeply into Angelica's eyes with those black orbs. Her breath hitched and fear grew in her stomach as Aaron opened his mouth to show glaringly sharp rows of fangs sitting in his mouth, waiting and itching to be used, pulsating sickly. Alexander cleared his throat and Aaron let the fangs disappear and willed his eyes to return to normal. "I am as human as you are, though I may not always look the part. I won't deny my past, but it makes me not less human than you. I would like you to remember this."Aaron stepped back to Alexander's side, crossing his arms behind his back and Alexander took one of Aaron's hands in his and looked at him worried. "Remember, Angelica: It was my decision to accept what Alexander had offered me. It was my decision to be on your side. I can just as easily reconsider and become your worst nightmare. It would not be hard."
"Aaron, that's not true, is it?" Alexander asked quietly and Aaron's glare softened as he looked at Alexander with neither threat nor malice in his eyes.
"I'll follow you, Alexander. I remember my promise, don't worry, and I won't break it. I'll follow your decisions. Should you decide against them, I'll be by your side," he assured him, "It was a mere threat. I don't like being treated as though I am somehow not a human or less for my past. I may not have the moral high ground, but as you demanded, I will strive for it. Of course, I haven't any qualms abandoning this for your sake alone." Alexander let out a relieved sigh.
"I'm glad to hear this," he smiled. Then he turned to Angelica again. "So, how will we do this? Should I just go there and... stop him? Or do we wait until he tries it out? What's with this Life-force business, anyway?"
It took Angelica a moment to recollect her thoughts as she answered, "Well, I suggest we fight this while he's still in the process of figuring his things out and-"
"Wait, where's your anti-super bracelet? Alexander, where's his bracelet?" John suddenly interjected, confused, startling everyone except Aaron, who'd anticipated this to happen. Alexander scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.
"I may or may not have removed it for him..." he said, holding up the bracelet that was supposed to stop Aaron from using his powers, "But I have a reason, I swear!"
"No reason is good enough to let him have his powers back! You make him get on that bracelet right now, or so help me, I'll-" Angelica threatened and Aaron sighed, taking the bracelet from Alexander, who protested loudly, and put it back onto his wrist. It immediately shrunk and attached itself to his skin. The feeling was uncomfortable and Aaron scratched at it.
"But Angelica, those things are awful! Not being able to use your powers is like not being able to breathe! It is suffocating!" Alexander whined.
"It's alright, Alexander, really. I've suppressed them long enough for it not to be as uncomfortable. Please don't get into trouble on my behalf," Aaron put a hand on Alexander's shoulder and Alexander frowned deeply at what Aaron had said, like there was a deeper meaning behind Aaron's words that only he could grasp.
"As I was saying," Angelica growled to get their attention, "It's best that we just stop him while he's still in the process of figuring his shit out. Surprise him, get him, capture him. Can you do that, Alexander?" she asked and Alexander nodded, though his soured expression didn't change much.
"I suppose I should take my leave then, or did you plan for me to assist this time?" Aaron asked and Angelica shook her head.
"You'll tell him where he can find him and that's it. I will not risk you getting your powers back. And Alexander. You will not let him get the bracelet off ever again. He wears that for a reason," she snapped and Alexander crossed his arms.
"Yeah, because you force him, because you're afraid of something that'll never happen. Seriously! Take a hint! He's on our side!" he exclaimed and Aaron's grip on his shoulder got a tiny bit tighter, a short squeeze.
"I don't care that you think he's on our side. The boss ordered for this, and I am all for it," she firmly said.
"The boss hasn't even met him!" Alexander groaned and Aaron squeezed his shoulder again.
"Let it go, Alexander. We should get going. I'll drive you to his place so you can deal with him, alright?" he asked and Alexander nodded and they were ready to leave when Angelica shook her head.
"You are not driving him there. I am not trusting you alone with him. You will go into custody here for insubordination," she stated simply and Aaron raised a brow.
"Alright. Then you drive him there," Aaron shrugged and Alexander looked at him confused, before he realised what Aaron was doing and grinned. John piped up.
"Angelica, we don't know where he is. He's the only one who knows," John said and Angelica growled at Aaron.
"You manipulative little-"
"I'd hardly call this manipulative. I am merely withholding extremely important information, without which the entire continent would be at risk, and I know that you know this, all simply for what will appear to you to be for my own personal gain. Ah, I suppose that is manipulative, but what will you do against it?" Aaron said, more smug than Angelica had ever seen him, though his straight-faced expression did not change. She was reminded once again that this was a former villain standing in front of her. She was not equipped to deal with this shit.
"Fucking hell, fine! Fine, what do I care! Just get this bastard in prison!" she yelled, throwing her arms up and walking to the back of the room where there was a door that led into her office and she stormed through it. Alexander grinned and nudged Aaron's side.
"What are you, a former supervillain?" he asked with a grin and Aaron nodded.
"I'm not just gonna get rid of these rather useful traits. Come on, let's go. He won't be defeated by himself if he's any good at what he does," Aaron said, making Alexander laugh as they left the room. John turned around to the computers and shrugged, creating a file for this new super villain and filling it with the information they now had thanks to Aaron. He had to admit, Aaron would be a great resource if the organisation trusted him in any way, shape or form, but as long as Alexander was the only one willing to look past Aaron's past that would not happen anytime soon. He sighed and got to work.