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Chapter Text

A sudden and loud repetitive knocking on the front door of the mansion nearly made Flug jump out of his skin.

It had been a long day that had evolved into an equally late night for the scientist and to be frank, he was famished. His latest project having absorbed virtually all of his time, leaving him unable to stop for a lunch or even dinner break. But since Black Hat had retired to his bedroom for the evening a few hours ago and the whole house had gone eerily silent… Flug figured that it couldn’t hurt to take just a small break in order to microwave a hot pocket. The considerably less evil alternative to sandwiches, although they still needed to be handled with caution. Normally 5.0.5 would get food for him, but it was late and the bear was currently sound asleep in his usual place in Flug’s room. So he’d decided to just go and get it himself rather than wake up his lovable blue fuzzy creation… But no sooner had he opened the door to the microwave and pulled out the warm mostly edible sandwich-impostor did the frenzied knocking begin and that promptly sent both Flug and the hot pocket crashing to the floor.

For a moment everything was blurred between confusion and fear; but Flug quickly got to his feet realizing that the sound was someone at the manor’s door and not his nightmarish boss waking up and catching him snacking before finishing his latest experiment… At least not yet anyway… That thought alone made the scientist panic somewhat as he began running towards the door. After all it was only about 1:30 in the morning and nobody else was up. Black Hat rarely slept and when he did it meant that he was genuinely tired... It also meant that if his boss was disturbed from this rare instance of sleep that it would be a severe understatement to say there would be hell to pay! Even Demencia never dared to mess with their boss when he went to sleep. Stare at him lovingly while he slept? Yep. Do anything that may wake him up? Hell NO! Whoever this individual knocking at the door was they were either unaware of this fact or didn’t care.

But Flug did care, he cared a lot... because if Black hat woke up at this ungodly hour, he’d be in a far worse mood than he usually was, if that was even somehow possible.

He rushed to the front door and just as he began to fumble with the lock… the knocking abruptly stopped. Cautiously Flug cracked open the door, only to witness a lone figure running down the walkway that led up to the house with such speed that one would have almost assume that their ass had to have been on fire. He opened it a bit more, trying to get any better views of the fleeing person. From the behind it looked a bit like Lucinda the Terrible. If only because of the flowing mane of ebony hair tipped with blue that was her trademark. She was a frequent customer of Black Hat, although he had grown annoyed with her moreso recently as her once fearsome reputation had begun to fade as she’d suffered more and more defeats at the hands of her various heroic nemesis’s. Something which had also led her to start to having money troubles. In fact, Black Hat had even stated that her most recent purchase from his catalog had been made using ‘Natures Credit Card’ whatever that meant and he had only accepted the payment because he was bored at the time... Still what had she been doing here at this hour? And why was she running away now? But before Flug could ponder this confusing situation any further a small sound made him look down, and his heart nearly stopped.

There, on the mansion’s stoop was a basket…

And in that basket, he could make out the outline of a tiny sleeping baby…

Flug stared… He stared for a long time… before it occurred to him that he needed to have a word with his boss in the morning. Whatever hell-based demonic drugs he had sold to Lucinda had led her to kidnap a baby! But what had led to her to dumping the child on Black Hats front door? Dear God above was this supposed to be some sort of payment? Flug had always wondered if the rumors that Black Hat ate children were true, but it was information that he could’ve lived happily for the rest of his life never knowing. The scientist was eventually drawn out of his mind by the child moving slightly in their sleep and making a low, pathetic whimpering sound. It positively tugged at his heartstrings and in spite of the fact he knew it was one of the worst ideas he had ever had in his life, Flug cautiously picked up the basket and brought it inside. However, he had no intentions of letting Black Hat find out about this. Nope. No, he is going to call the Hat Island child services… and hope to whatever deity was up there that the kid was taken back to wherever they came from.

Of course, no sooner had he returned to the kitchen did Flug nearly drop the basket as he was greeted with the sight of Demencia crouching atop the counter and happily munching away at the Hot Pocket he had left on the floor. She smiled evilly at the sight of the Bag Headed scientist as she shoved the remains of what was now her snack into her mouth and swallowed without chewing.  “Whatcha’ doin Fluggy-Wuggy?” She teased.

“Damnit Demencia!” Flug hissed lowly trying his best to keep his voice low as to not wake either the baby or worse yet the sleeping demon in the other room. “If there was ever a time for you to not be… You! This is it!”

Demencia didn’t even frown at Flug’s words but her eyes did drift to the basket he was holding. “Ohhh! What do you got there?” She moved as fast as greased lightning and in under a second was peering into the basket at the sleeping child. Her eyes growing wide as she looked at the baby.

“Lucinda the terrible just left it on the doorstep. I think it was supposed to be some kind of offering to Mr. Black Hat; possibly as payment-”

“Flug…”

“It’s completely inappropriate, I know that Black Hat let her pay in some unconventional way the last time with whatever credit card she hadn’t maxed out, but come on… a baby? Really?”

“Flug!”

“So now I’m calling child services. I don’t think we need to bother Lord Black Hat with this. He doesn’t like kids after all and if he finds out what Lucinda left on his doorstep, I’m afraid he’d completely lose it at us-”

“HAVE YOU ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THE BABY DUMBASS??!!!” Demencia screamed so loudly that it once again, nearly made Flug drop the basket to the floor, but thankfully he somehow maintained his grip on it… in spite of the fact the girls shriek did succeed in knocking him off his feet and caused him to fall backwards onto his butt. Just as he was about ready to start shouting back at her he paused… Demencia looked genuinely shocked, and she must have been because she wasn’t talking anymore. Something Flug had only been trying to do since the two had first met. Unsure what the crazy woman was referring to the scientist turned the basket in order to get a better look at the child sleeping in it, as admittedly he had been unable to make out any specific features of the baby when he had noticed it back on the doorstep.

The blood froze in his veins…

He was greeted with the sight of a child that was seemingly oddly small even for a baby, maybe it was premature? There was a thin dusting of black hair on its little head… and skin only a few shades lighter than that of his boss… it coughed weakly a few times before the tiny eyes opened. Showing a pair of lavender eyes that looked up at Flug and blinked slowly before a small smile appeared, showing a tiny pair of fangs were already starting to come in.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Flug said as he was now unable to tear his eyes away from what was so very clearly the unholy offspring of his boss. The little monstrosity now starting to reach up towards him, as though it wanted the freaked-out scientist to pick it up. Something he was trying to determine if he wanted to do… or if he REALLY didn’t want to do.

“Flug,” Demencia said with a really unnerving calmness in her voice. “Who is the mama?”

“I.. I don’t know! All I know is Lucinda dropped it off and-”

“Lucinda!!!” Demencia roared in unbridled fury. “Lucinda slept with my beloved Black Hat?!! I will crush her! I will break her bones to dust!! I will-”

“What is going on in here?!” The last thing anybody wanted to hear; the sound of Black Hat storming down the hallway. The shadows rippling and writhing as the angry demon approached and out of habit more than anything else Flug quickly put the basket behind him, hoping with some misguided unrealistic hope that his boss would not see it, nor find out about its tiny occupant.

“Um, nothing boss!” Flug said hastily. “I was just uh… getting something to eat!”

“Who said you could eat anything until you finished constructing the Cryogenic Death Ray for my catalog?!” The demon snarled venomously.

“Ah yes, well sir it’s very difficult to categorize something as ‘cryogenic’ and yet also call it a ‘Death Ray’ due to cryogenics usually being used to prevent death… Unless it’s being used after death to preserve a body-” Black Hat snarled and grabbed Flug by the front of his lab coat, his teeth rapidly sharpening and his hands changing into claws. Just as it looked like he was about to physically strike Flug, Demencia’s giggling drew his attention… As did the sound of a giggling he did not know. His eyes went to the demented girl who was now crouching down behind Flug seemingly playing peekaboo with-

“What is this?” He hissed finally taking notice of the basket. “Demencia what are you doing?”

“Playing with the baby.” She answered simply as she hit her face behind her hands and then open them up revealing a far sillier face. The motions of which clearly the child enjoyed as it laughed loudly and clapped its tiny hands in amusement.

Of course, the revelation of a baby in his house clearly pissed off Black Hat all over again...

Three tentacles burst out of his back and grabbed a hold of the basket so tightly it nearly crushed it as it brought it up to his eye level. “Wait boss-” Flug started earning a continually glare from Black Hat with a look that just dared him to continue to speak. “Don’t… Don’t hurt it!” Believe it or not this tiny show of bravery actually got Black Hat to raise an eyebrow… as Flug had somehow work the guts up to continue talking even under the gaze that normally shut him up. His attention returned to the basket and its contents.

Now it was Black Hats turn to visibly freeze…

As far as Flug was concerned this was officially uncharted territory. He had never even once seen his boss become flustered. And even now he was not sure he was actually flustered. He was certainly staring, but flustered? He… didn’t look upset, his wrath had melted away almost instantaneously into an expression that was more intrigue than anything else. It still made Flug jump when Black Hat reached in and picked the child up. Holding the little one up to his better meet his gaze; his fingers were still razor-sharp talons, but he held the baby with a surprising amount of care. The baby itself didn’t seem afraid and was actually looking around and waving its little arms, seemingly unaware of the malevolent entity whose grip it was in. Or how Black Hat could very easily end its life in one second if he wanted to.

But then… a strange deep rumbling sound suddenly filled the kitchen; something that could be felt almost as much as it could be heard. Flug looked around as did Demencia, before they stared at each other and then stared at Black Hat upon realizing that he was in fact making this sound. There was a brief pause before he produced the strange noise again, sending it reverberating through the pair of onlookers once more. Flug took notice that the sound was a pretty specific sequence that ranged between a deep rumbling to a surprisingly high clicking. But… why was he doing this? The baby in his grip had definitely taken notice of the strange sounds he was making and was staring at him with those wide light purple eyes. Black Hat repeated himself several times, each time he seemed to becoming more frustrated. Just when it looked like he had lost his patience entirely and was right about to chuck the child out the window, the baby smiled and produced an equally strange melody. It seemed like the exact same pattern, albeit with a different tone to it. But the sequence was in fact the same… the little one sounded like it was either attempting to imitate the sound that the demon had made… or it was answering a question… somehow? Flug didn’t get a chance to think about it for very long because the most unexpected thing, probably the last thing he ever expected to happen… happened.

Black Hat… laughed…

“Well, well, well, it would appear that I have sired a living progeny!” He sounded… absolutely thrilled. This whole situation, his boss’s reaction was so crazy that it made Demencia seem sane! Flug was dumbfounded.

“You’re not mad?” Flug asked, his voice all to obviously betraying his disbelief at the situation. Unfortunately it only took a second for Black Hats good mood to sour and he looked at Flug and snarled inhumanly at him! Causing the bag-headed scientist to immediately recoil and hide behind Demencia.

“Why would I be mad?!” He roared, before casting a glance back to the child he still held in his claws… the tiny thing now seeming half asleep in his grip. His gaze lingered for a few moments before he clearly had to force himself to calm down… even if he was obviously still seething. “This was unexpected, but not unpleasant!” Black Hat continued; his voice lower but his tone no less wicked. “Any offspring of mine will surely fill the world with darkness and send countless heroes howling down to the pits of hell! This is nothing short of grand!” The usual menacing smile returned to his features and he began to chuckle very lowly, just as Demencia’s smile got considerably larger and she raced right up to Black Hat, but put her face maybe a few centimeters away from the baby’s face.

“Yay! We are keeping Sable Hat!” Demencia giggled. “She’s preciously evil!”

“She?” Flug asked confused.

“Sable Hat?” Black Hat muttered ignoring Flug and pulling his offspring further away from Demencia. He looked at the baby and a malevolent grin spread across his features. “I like that, I think it suits her quite well.” Demencia beamed, looking expectantly at her boss with that ever-present insane smile… the demon just rolled his one visible eye. “That was almost useful of you Demencia.” Probably the closest he had come to complimenting her… ever. And Demencia reacted predictably, with hearts in her eyes she made a fainting motion before slithering back to stand next to Flug. Black Hat just glared at the pair before turning around and walking away, back towards his private chambers. But just as he was seemingly swallowed by the darkness of the hallway his voice echoed back into the kitchen. “Oh, by the way Flug…”

“Um, yes sir?” He answered nervously.

“If you don’t finish my Cryogenic Death Ray by sunrise… I will rip out your spine and floss my teeth with it.” His voice boomed like a sonic blast and actually shorted out the lights of the kitchen leaving the scientist and the psychopath alone in the dark.

“…yes sir…” Flug squeaked as the foreboding presence of his boss lifted, letting the scientist exhale a long-held breath. To which he then cast a glance in the direction he knew Demencia was still standing. “How did you know it was a girl Demencia?”

“How else ding-dong? I checked!” She replied flatly. “What? Did you think that girls can just magically tell when there is another girl in the house? No! I can only magically tell that if there is another girl hitting on Black Hat!”

Flug just sighed. “You know what? Never mind… I have things to attend too.” He mumbled as he put his hands in his pockets and walked away. Every bit as hungry as he was when he first came into the kitchen, only now he had a headache adding to his discomfort.

(About an Hour Later…)

If taking the baby into the house was one of  the dumbest things he’d ever done, what he was doing now was by far the most dangerous and stupidest thing Flug had ever done in his life… but he just… had too. He had to know if this was some kind of sick joke or if whatever the hell had happened was actually real. Flug didn’t really put it past Black Hat to create some sort of elaborate and mind twisting situation that could make an individual doubt reality. And he certainly didn’t mind testing these various tortures on him of all people, as he seemed to like to do that. But there was no way on heaven and earth… Or probably hell… That he would actually be happy about having a child. Black Hat was… well, Black Hat. The only thing he seemed to care about was himself and his company. So this whole thing had the stench of a bad joke.

Which led Flug to doing what he was doing now… Standing outside the door to his employers’ private bedroom and carefully, ever so carefully… turning the doorknob, opening the door as silently as he could possibly manage… and peeking inside…

Much like the rest of the house, the primary decor of the room was black and dark red. A fireplace at the far end roared with an eerie green flame, there were several bookshelves loaded with arcane and undoubtedly evil tomes. But the most prominent piece of furniture in the room was the massive black and red canopy bed easily double the size of a California King… And right in the very center of the bed was Black Hat, his eye was closed and he appeared to be asleep and emitting faint growls with every shallow breath.

Even though most of his body was hidden underneath the black comforter, it appeared that he still wore most of his clothes as well as his namesake hat even when he was sleeping, while the only thing he was obviously not wearing was his trench coat. His waistcoat and red undershirt still appeared to be on as well as his tie… but there, curled up and sleeping soundly against his chest was the baby… Sable Hat… she was still there, still alive and not some kind of puppet or another manifestation of Black Hats evil abilities. His hand was resting on top of her, in an oddly protective sort of manner. No doubt if she was to show any distress or discomfort while she was sleeping he would instantly be awakened… Flug could hardly believe it, but there was the scene before him and not wanting to risk his life and mental well-being any more than he already was, he closed the door as silently as he had when he’d opened it and raced down the hall. But then he stopped dead in his tracks as another thought suddenly crashed into him like an aircraft spiraling into a mountainside…

…Ewww, he now knew what Natures Credit Card was…

Chapter Text

In the three weeks since Sable Hats arrival at the mansion, Flug was convinced that Black Hat had not put her down even once…

It had been an… interesting three weeks as well. Naturally upon discovering there was now a baby in the mansion, 5.0.5 was ecstatic. The giant blue bear had rushed forward fully intending to snuggle the little thing in Black Hats arms; only to be roared at by the Eldritch being and promptly scared back to hiding behind Flug. Contrary to his usual cruel nature, rather than getting a chuckle out of causing 5.0.5 mental torment, he immediately looked down to thoroughly check the infant he held in the crook of his arm. As though he was concerned he may have accidentally caused her distress. But the loud roar had apparently not disturbed Sable Hat from her slumber. Once assured of this he then turned his attention back to the trio of his employees and instructed them to go into town and purchase the things he would be needing to take care of his offspring. An activity that was well outside of Flugs area of expertise; which he had tried to point out… but the glare he received from his boss silenced any further complaints he may have had.

Which led to an extremely awkward trip to the baby store…

It was safe to say that between himself and Demencia it was a miracle they were even allowed to set foot in the building. They definitely didn’t know what the hell to get this kid. So, it was all guesswork and admittedly Flug tried his best… And some of the stuff in here was actually pretty cute. Who would’ve guessed that there were so many variations of baby clothes? While Demencia proceeded to get into a fist fight with a store employee Flug worked on procuring little onesies, blankies, and diapers. God bless 5.0.5, the bear had an absolute gift for this. As he picked out some of the cutest things they got for the baby, and he seemed to be going with the theme of purple with most of the items. Blankets with embroidered purple flowers, lavender colored onesies that were a surprising match to the baby’s eyes and of course a fuzzy purple and blue stuffed owl with large black button eyes. Still, in spite of 5.0.5’s talent for picking out cute and adorable things with a well-chosen color theme, Flug took the reins on picking out some of the larger things that they were going to need such as the crib, changing table as well as a few other things along those lines. After all, he took things like safety ratings and customer reviews into account. Now this was a task he was better suited for. That being said, he found that he was powerless to resist the pull of an airplane themed mobile to hang from above the crib.

And once Demencia had returned from her fight, not only did she have the salesperson’s bloodied tie as a war trophy, but she had commandeered a shopping cart and just filled it full of baby formula and diapers. In a surprising note, she had chosen diapers meant for premature children which even Flug had to admit was probably pretty smart. After all Sable Hat was so particularly small. In fact the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if she actually was premature. She was little enough that she could fit comfortably in the crook of Black Hats arm even when completely swaddled in blankets. Perhaps his species was just naturally smaller than human children when they were born. It was certainly an interesting question to ponder...

All in all, the shopping trip could’ve gone a hell of a lot worse. But honestly Black Hat didn’t like most of the things they had picked out anyway. Which again wasn’t really surprising; he glared at the purple flower motifs with utmost disdain and mentioned something about needing to get his trademark hat icon added to the blankets. But his overall discontentment at the purchases seemed much more muted than usual. Well, that was at least until he looked at the crib that Flug had picked out and just finished setting up. Now as soon as he saw that, his head snapped towards Flug and he grabbed the scientist by the front of his shirt and pulled him right up to his eye level.

“Why did you buy her a cage?!” He demanded, and in spite of the dangerous situation he found himself in Flug couldn’t help but be extremely confused. Which for the first time, actually lessened the fear he felt towards his boss.

“I-It’s not a cage sir!” He defended. “It’s a crib.” There was a pause as Black Hat looked once again at the aforementioned crib that Flug had assembled. Only now it was his turn to be confused… and not wanting to waste the opportunity to calm his boss down, he quickly continued. “A crib, it’s something parents put their children in. Typically used when parents want them to go to sleep. It’s like a bed they cannot roll out of, and it’s one of the basic things you’ll need for a child sir.” Black Hat turned and stared at him with a look that could only be described as silent revolt written clearly on his face and he slowly released his grip on the young man’s shirt.

 “You mean to tell me, that humans put their progeny in cages… willingly?” He questioned. Although his tone now lacked any malice at all.

“A-Again sir it’s not a cage. But I assure you that it is completely safe.” Flug said as he patted the soft cushions that 5.0.5 had just dropped into the crib while this little event had been taking place. But Black Hat still did not seem overly thrilled with it, even once everything had been explained. Actually, he didn’t say another word on the subject. He just sprouted a few extra tentacles from his back, gathered up the majority of the baby’s new things and headed off to his room. Leaving his henchmen behind… along with the crib.

Which had now sat unused for the past 3 weeks…

And just as what was mentioned before; Flug was certain that Black Hat had actually never put his child down once in these last three weeks. Because every time Flug saw his boss Sable Hat was with him, either in the crook of his arm or wrapped in several tentacles should he have should be needing to use his actual arms for whatever reason. He had also been unashamed for clients to see him with his offspring. They’d had several meetings with a few of their regular super villain clientele. Several had even commented about the little baby that Black Hat held. The Eldritch demon had been only to content to introduce his heir and he continued to display that he was happy to be a father. But one client, a villain by the name of Riptide. A tall, muscular man with teeth, fins and gills like a shark and glowing red eyes who wore some sort of diver’s wetsuit, had stupidly commented that Black Hat made one hell of a mistake as kids were nothing but trouble. And he should’ve known better and kept it in his pants… and then the shark man had laughed at him.

To say Black Hat reacted badly to that comment may have been the understatement of the century, because as Riptide opened his jaw and laughed at him… The demon chose to turn his hands into razor-sharp talons and promptly removed his said jaw in a single fluid movement. In fact, the poor bastard probably didn’t get a chance to realize his jaw had been disconnected before Black Hat had shifted Sable to the newly formed tentacles on his back and pounced on the man and tore him to absolute shreds. And as Flug had found out… there was no amount of rug cleaner in the world that could remove those stains. Now Riptide’s cleaned jaws had been bronzed and mounted on Black Hats wall, while what was left of his skull had been turned into a particularly large coffee cup. After word got around about that little incident, no one commented about Sable Hat’s presence. In fact, they made a big effort to avoid even so much as looking at the baby. In fear of unintentionally doing something that would earn them the demon’s wrath.

But with each passing day Flug found to his surprise that he was growing more and more productive, although it shouldn’t have been surprising… as it was now easier to concentrate on his work, and there had been quite a bit less of it lately. After all his boss was far more preoccupied with his new child than he was on making the scientists life a living hell. He also found that Demencia was off pursuing her own little side project at this point too. Near as he could tell she was hunting down a laundry list of different heroes and either killing or maiming them. Her reasoning was very simple, she was going to present tokens of her gruesome work to Black Hat in her eternal hope of earning his affection… more like a cat than a lizard, but hey the world had gone crazy lately.

And while Flug would admit that being able to sleep a little bit better at night and having meals at a more regular time was a nice change of pace, it didn’t change his drive to create newer and deadlier gadgets. After all he enjoyed his work, he always had…

Which was what led him to his situation right now. As he had just drawn up a blueprint for a brand-new type of laser guided missile. The design calling for a unique laser that when locked onto its target the infrared beam would contaminate the victim with a very mild and very specific radiation pattern which the missile would lock onto… And it would proceed to follow the unfortunate hero where ever they went and there was absolutely no hiding from it. Flug found himself to be very proud of this schematic, so proud that he was absolutely certain it would please Black Hat. Which was why he was now walking into his boss’s office on his own accord. No prior call for his presence, no thinly veiled threat for him to get his ass up there… He was just hoping that this wouldn’t end badly.

Still, as confident as he was that his latest invention would finally earn him his boss’s favor… or maybe even a frickin’ compliment for once… he still exercised extreme caution as he entered the room. Though he was somewhat put at ease to find the demon sitting at his desk with his attention focused, at this point unsurprisingly, on Sable Hat. Cementing his shaky resolve, Flug took a deep breath and walked inside.

“Lord Black Hat sir,” he said as he approached the desk and he noticed his boss gave him a half-interested glance mixed with an unamused frown. “I believe that I’ve devised an ingenious new weapon for the organizations next catalog. I brought the blueprints here for you to… approve?” Flug found himself trailing off when he noticed Black Hat was not paying any attention to him at all. “Um, sir?”

“What is it Flug.” The demon grumbled… Making it apparent he really had been completely tuning out everything the scientist had been saying. Which was more than a little insulting and Flug found himself gritting his teeth as his agitation rose. This was Black Hats company, something that he was normally micromanaging to the point of obsession. It was understandable that he was concerned about his new daughter; but to show this level of disinterest in his company was downright uprofess-

That was when he finally let his gaze drift down to actually look at Sable Hat; and while she was obviously asleep in her father’s grip... it was very clear that it did not look like it was anything near a peaceful rest. She looked uncomfortable, shifting ever so slightly and coughing lightly as she did so. But she was not crying. Come to think of it, he’d only heard her cry a few times over these last few weeks. A cold weight started to form in the pit of his stomach, as it began to occur to him that something wasn’t right with the little girl… and that thought alone suddenly made him feel more than a little foolish. No wonder Black Hat had seemed so distracted lately; Flug gulped and opted for a very risky maneuver. “Are you all right sir?” Under normal circumstances this would have earned him an agitated ‘Of course I’m fine you idiot!’ or the lesser-known but still effective. ‘You should be more concerned about yourself doctor…’ the fact that Black Hat didn’t immeadiately answer him was cause for alarm.

“This is not going as I had expected.” He muttered so quietly that Flug wasn’t sure if he was actually addressing him, or if he was just talking out loud to himself. “The human part of her has made her so much smaller and frailer than the offspring of my own kind. At this point I would’ve expected her to at least be getting a little bigger. But her weight seems to have remained nearly the same from the first day she arrived.”

“Actually sir, she’s small even for human child.” The words left Flug’s mouth before he could stop them. So when Black Hats head snapped towards him with his mouth just starting to open the bag-headed scientist had started to brace for a verbal tongue lashing… but it never came. Instead, he saw the rage melt away into that look of concern that he’d only just recently started seeing Black Hat display. So testing his luck again, Flug decided to ask another question. “You mean the offspring of your… um… species? Are they supposed to be larger?” His boss stared at him; his eye boring into the very depths of the scientist’s soul. But there was something else contained within his gaze, something that forced Flug to stare right back at him and not break eye contact with him, no matter how much he wanted to.

He saw stress…

Something was clearly bothering him; he was worried. The infallible demon businessman who so many believed had no feelings, no fears… no soul… the fact that he was being bothered by something caused Flug to actually feel concerned about him! Oh, what a fool he felt like…

…but he couldn’t help the fact that he felt that way.

“She must weigh 5 pounds… I think… and perhaps I’m being generous on that estimate. A typical Eldritch cub is about 12 pounds. But that also does vary a bit with the genetics of the sire and dam.” Black Hat muttered, his attention leaving Flug and refocusing it on Sable. Carefully adjusting the little blanket she was wrapped in. It was a… surprisingly gentle action for such a normally violent being.

“Sire and… dam?” Flug repeated, not fully grasping what he meant at first. But his words seemed to annoy Black Hat, who shot him an extremely dirty look.

“If you’re going to be useless you can leave!” He hissed.

“I…” Flug almost did start to leave, but something inside prevented him from doing so. Perhaps it was bravery, perhaps it was irritation; but whatever it actually was it boiled up and wouldn’t let him just not say anything. “Well, you’re not explaining it very well sir!” He snapped at his boss.

At first Black Hat just blinked at him, quite shocked that the scientist had the gall to talk back to him. “Flug-” He growled dangerously, his one visible eye starting to turn red before the scientist actually interrupted him!

“You’re acting like I should already know all of this information, but there is no way I could have…” He swallowed hard. He could feel this bravery starting to wain, but he also knew that this was probably his only chance to ever find out more about his boss... Let alone earn his respect… So he continued, albeit in a calmer tone. “Perhaps if you explained to me a bit about your kind, I might be able to help you with Sable Hat?”

“And what could you possibly know about Eldritch cubs?!” Black Hat scoffed dismissively.

“Probably about as much as what you know about human babies.” Flug stated matter-o-factly. “Probably not a lot, but… sometimes it’s better to say things out loud to someone else, another living person, rather than always keeping your thoughts to yourself.”

A silence fell over the room and Flug knew that his boss getting ready to pounce on him. He was beyond dead and the panic was starting to overtake him. “…Fine.” The word had barely left his mouth before Flug dove to the floor with a scared yelp. Having expected his boss to try and attack him before actually listening to what he said. So… he was quite surprised that he wasn’t dead.

“Really?” He asked looking back up at Black Hat who was looking down at him from his seat with a deeply unamused look on his face.

“Don’t make me rethink this so quickly doctor… but I suppose you having some knowledge of my kind could have some benefit.” He stated flatly before exhaling a low, hot breath. “Firstly, a ‘sire’ is the term my kind use for a father, whereas a ‘dam’ is the carrier, or I suppose the term you would liken it to is a mother. Although for my species the dam isn’t always a female. Occasionally a males needs will align more towards carrying… shapeshifting takes the rest from there.” Black Hat stopped when he noticed Flug had pulled out a small notebook and had been jotting down notes while he had been talking. He loosed a low growl that definitely got Flugs attention. He laughed nervously before flinging the little book to the floor. Where Black Hat willed it to combust; and only once it was a small pile of ashes on the floor did the demon continue speaking. “Secondly… my species is nothing like you humans. While our abilities and strengths may vary, even the very weakest Eldritch in existence could annihilate all life on this entire planet with little difficulty.”

Flug blinked, his mind now registering how his boss had been referring to himself and his child and connecting that to all of the books he had read in his youth and still occasionally re-read to this very day. “So your… an… E-Eldritch-?”

“An Eldritch god… yes.” A smile returned to Black Hats features as he took note of how uncomfortable this new information made Flug. Making the scientist distressed was never not amusing in his opinion. “That Lovecraft fellow did his research properly when he wrote his little stories. And before you even think to ask… yes Cthullu, Nyarlathotep, the Shoggoths, The Brooding Star, they are all real. But they are nowhere near as strong as I am. Further explaining the differences between our species, my kind do not suffer from old age. Quite the contrary actually! The longer you live, the stronger you are! We also don’t die… well, unless you get killed by something. Usually another Eldritch. Fighting over domain and territory can be very… bloody.” Black Hat stopped and shook his head, now seemingly annoyed for a different reason. “I am… getting off topic.” Which was true but, honestly Flug didn’t really mind. The information may have been terrifying, but it was also fascinating at the same time. He also had a feeling Black Hat may have wanted to say everything he did, because he really didn’t have anyone else he could actually say it too.

…wow…

That was actually kind of sad…

“In regards to our offspring…” He continued. “Typically, my kind live secluded from each other. Seldom interacting outside of seeking another out when we seek to expand our domains by conquering all of our enemies! Driving them away or crushing them, tearing them apart limb from limb-” He stopped again realizing he was not only deviating from the topic again, but his form had begun to mutate into a more demonic appearance… and a slick of his acidic green drool had dripped onto the blanket his daughter was tightly swaddled in and was starting to smoke. He hastily put his finger over the spot, reabsorbing the acid through his skin before it ate through the blanket. Although now the aforementioned blanket had a hole in it. Still… he did his best to continue and act like that didn’t happen. “The other time my kind would deliberately seek another out would be when their body desires to procreate. I guess the term you humans would liken it to would be entering a ‘heat.’ From that point its just finding a suitable and interested partner.”

“So, I guess it’s not just like asking someone to go out to dinner.” Flug half asked/ half joked. Although this just earned him a roll of the eye from Black Hat.

“Humans… so easily swayed by such a mediocre gesture. Your kind don’t even kill the food yourself!” He snorted in a semi-revolted manner before continuing. “When the dam is impregnated, the sire will stay close. Due to pregnancy being taxing, and in the ever-waging war over territory, it is the duty of the sire to watch over their partners holdings and of course their partner in general. Until the progeny emerges.” He stopped talking once again, only this time it was because Sable Hat had woken up. Her little lavender eyes opening and looking around, but it was hard for Flug to not notice that his earlier observation about the baby not looking very well. Something that Black Hat himself was also very clearly aware of, as he shifted his daughters’ position in his arms and began trying to rock her. Occasionally patting her back ever so gently. Still he continued with his story after a moment, although his attention was no longer directly fixated on Flug anymore. “After the birth, the cub will resonate with one of its progenitors. Mimicking the specific vocalizations of one parent. These patterns are unique, ingrained deep within an Eldritch’s being. Whichever one the offspring resonates with is the one who raises it.”

“Wait… so you don’t raise your offspring together?” Flug inquired.

“No, why would you need two individuals to do the job of one?” Black Hat responded without an ounce of hesitation. “Not to mention that it is quite rare for my species to be able to tolerate each other for long periods of time. A reproductive cycle can be an unpleasant thing to those whom desire solitude.”

“Is the err… dam? Usually ok with that if it resonates with the sire?”

“Why wouldn’t they be? They bore it, the biological need to reproduce has been sated.” The Eldritch stated flatly and gave the distinct impression he was getting annoyed with all of the scientists’ questions interrupting his story.

Sensing that sentiment growing, Flug opted to try again to quell his boss’s annoyance. “I was only asking because humans usually tend to raise their children in families.”

“I am aware of that Flug, but I am also aware of how often those families fail.” He stated flatly. “At least my kind are smart enough to realize this beforehand and wouldn’t bother wasting time or effort with something that doesn’t work.”

“I wouldn’t say that it never works…” The scientist started to defend but stopped when he realized it was definitely not the time for this discussion if he wanted to continue being able to walk. “S-so um…”

“The progeny will stay with its sire or dam until it is strong enough to survive on its own, then it leaves. The cycle is completed.” Black Hat concluded his explanation of his species.  

“Wow.” It was so sad but it was the only thing that Flug could truly think of to say at that moment. But it was quickly replaced by a more… concerning… question. “Sir, h-have you ever been-?”

“Been a sire before?” Black Hat finished his sentence as a broad, evil smile spread across his face causing the nervous scientist to cower slightly in his chair “Know something Flug… among my own kind my power is immeasurable. There are none stronger than I. None.” He sat back in his own chair, his gaze far away and he was clearly reminiscing about the past. Even though he was clearly distracted, he still continued to gently rock little Sable Hat. “I controlled a territory that was triple the size of this entire universe and I had the power to transverse any dimension I wanted. To those in heat seeking a strong sire, if they had the courage to dare approach me and if I found them worth my time… then yes… I have sired many, many times.”

“S-so you have a lot of kids out there?” Flug asked now starting to become nervous at the thought of just how many other versions of his boss existed out there. At least it explained how he reacted so well to Sable Hats unexpected introduction into his life. He didn’t take notice of how Black Hats face fell, and how the almost aloof look he’d had just changed into one of a cold indifference.

“…no…”

“Wha-?” This answer had caught him off guard. “But you just said-”

“Every offspring I have ever sired has died.” The Eldritch stated coldly and without any hint of emotion or care detectable within his tone. “I have had mating partners before; most miscarried within a few months. But far more often my young were stillborn.” He paused for a moment as Sable started coughing harder than before and he shifted her so that she was now laying against his shoulder and he began rubbing her small back. “I only had one offspring survive to term… and he died a mere 8 minutes after his birth. He was far too weak to live.”

“So Sable Hat…” Flug began…

“Is the first progeny I have ever sired… to live… and I intend to keep her alive doctor.” Black Hat finished, actually sounding vaguely tired. “Now tell me doctor; what do you think you could ever do to help my daughter? As far as I am concerned, I’m the only one capable of properly caring for her.” His words were clearly demeaning and Flug knew it. But he found that he was unable to be offended by them, given the information he now had.

“Well… I uh…” He stopped just as he remembered something that Demencia had showed him a few months ago that had seemed so trivial he’d forgotten about it until just now. “I could go and talk to Penumbra.” He offered up. “She just had a baby a few months ago. Maybe she has a few suggestions? I mean technically Sable is at half human… right?”

“It’s probably closer to 20 percent; our genetics work differently than yours and a stronger bloodline will always be dominant. Not to mention that her own genetics may change over time, re-writing whatever is in that frail human genome as she ages.” Black Hat mused, again, more to himself than to Flug. “But you do make an… adequate… point. Consulting Penumbra may not be a total waste of time, especially since concerns Sables health.”

“I will get right on it, Lord Black Hat Sir!” The scientist stated firmly and he finally stood up and went to leave the office.

“By the way Flug;” Black Hat commented causing the scientist to suddenly freeze in his tracks.

“Um, yes sir?”

“I will expect you to get working on the project you mentioned earlier after you conclude speaking with Penumbra.” He said, his gaze now completely locked on his employee, no doubt surprising him with the fact he actually had been listening earlier. “That laser sounds promising, provided you can build a working prototype in the next few days.”

“Y-yes. I will get right on that.” He said with a slight nod.

“Good… now get out.” Flug didn’t need to be told twice, the words his bosses tone indicating that he’d had more than enough company for the day.

----

Black Hat quietly watched Flug leave; while it was amusing watching him get scared like he always did… the fact that he had somehow worked up enough of a spine to actually backtalk him was a little surprising… hell, he couldn’t help but respect him a bit more after that! Although if it became a more regular event, he wouldn’t hesitate to put the scientist back in his place. Still, if the human believed he could be of some use in regards to his daughter, whether it was meant for the sake of gaining the Eldritchs favor, or him just genuinely wanting to help Black Hat wasn’t sure and frankly he didn’t care. Because even though he would never admit it, deep in the pit of his evil being, he did hope that Flug could be.

Black Hat hadn’t lied…

But he didn’t tell Flug the whole truth…

He… he had dramatically understated how bad the situation had been. He didn’t give any outward hints to the things that had happened, things that even he, the pinnacle of evil, wished he didn’t have to see… and didn’t have to remember.

After all, Black Hats power had been obvious since he was young, and he grew to be a god among gods. An alpha that always was and would always remain unchallenged and undefeated. When he became established as one of the most dominant creatures of his realm, unsurprisingly a few of his kind sought him out to be a mating partner. But only the truly bravest of souls though; as most Eldritchs even in spite of being tortured by their heats, chose to avoid him out of fear. They would have rather had a weaker partner than risk his disinterest and be killed for straying into his domain. Which to be fair, he did kill off quite a few whom he would have never bothered with. But his own instincts did lead him to mate with the ones that were worth his time. Which was where the problems began…

Time after time the same results occurred, but in the beginning it was just miscarriages. A weakened dam, in spite of his own best efforts to care for them, admitting that the flickering life within them had been snuffed out. Originally he had been in denial that what was happening was his fault, but as it continued to happen he started to believe the problem was his choice in partners. His previous mates weren’t strong enough, the gap between his power and theirs being far too great and it resulted in offspring that were not viable. In an attempt to correct this, he became far choosier in his mates. But while that did seem to help, it did not change the results. Lifeless offspring that couldn’t survive… there had been one that had ended particularly badly, with the dam writhing in agony as her body spasmed before forcefully evacuating a bloody gruesome mess of half formed bones and tissue from her body. She had cursed him for the pain and misery she’d felt. Though he would never admit, but that burned... and it came as close to pain as he had ever felt.

Worse yet, in spite of his species tendency to avoid one another… the rumors spread. Of the countless miscarriages and stillbirths all of his mates had endured. Tales of the often-horrific failures… soon what few individuals would have ever dared to seek him out faded away, leaving him well enough alone for millennia after millennia. None of his kind were willing to risk the mental pain of a stillbirth or miscarriage in choosing him as a sire.

But he could have lived with that…

He could have accepted the fact of his sterility, his inability to sire a viable offspring as being a tradeoff that came about due to his abnormal strength and powers…

What he couldn’t live with…

Was that he was not hindered in the same way…

The other him…

White Hat…

The only other being in existence who had the same power as him, who bore the same strengths and controlled just as much territory as he did… he was not hindered by this curse. Black Hats polar opposite, that soft fool… he had no difficulties siring offspring. His more pleasant demeanor and milder nature drew a fair number of brave beings to him and time after time he produced healthy offspring. The ones who resonated with him, White Hat would lovingly raise. The few times Black Hat had crossed his twins path he would just be… struck… by the sight of the progeny near him and how they resembled him. How they followed him around like a duckling… and how his offspring would even return to him just to visit when they were older, just for the sake of company. Because the only truly strong bond an Eldritch ever formed was with their offspring.

…and for those rare few who against the odds found love with a permanent mate…

Black Hat didn’t want to think of that, he didn’t want to think of any of it. But such memories were difficult to crush and even then, they still bled into his thoughts. Along with the memories of White Hat rubbing his evil brothers face in his obvious happiness. Smug bastard… but it was the only thing he could truly say he beat his dark twin at.

Still, as much as Black Hat would love nothing more than to brag about not being truly sterile… he was not sure that this was not some sort of fluke. And the feeling of his insides churning at memories of the past threatened to make him believe just that, that the tiny child he held in his arms truly was a fluke. Worse yet, she was showing signs of weakness… of withering like a flower trying to survive in a desert. He couldn’t imagine what was wrong though.

Damn it to the deepest pits of hell…

He just may need the help of his employees…

...sigh…

…May God have mercy on his poor daughter…

Chapter Text

Flug did as he was told and called Penumbra…

That conversation resulted in what was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous situations he could’ve ever found himself in.

Penumbra had been truly eager to help; it had been so long since she had first come to the Black Hat Organization seeking aid with her own hero problem. Apparently, the opportunity to repay Black Hats ‘kindness’ resulted in her being more than willing to offer her assistance. The downside of this however was that even though she’d stated that she would be happy to take a look at little Sable Hat, as she did have some medical training… Penumbra had invited them over the very next day. Which was the only convenient time she had free, since she was going to be heading out from Atreno city for a few weeks in order to visit her father who had recently moved away from the super hero infested city. This would be the only opportunity she had to help. Which was not good, considering that Black Hat had a crucial meeting that day. As focused on his offspring as he was, there was simply no way he could get out of it. Or that’s at least how Flug explained it to the demon as he glared at his doctor. Black Hat was more than willing to reschedule the meeting, but as the scientist continued to explain it had taken months to arrange it so that everyone who needed to be there would be there. There would simply be no way he could do both.

It was that realization that had led to the current situation…

Namely Flug was now begrudgingly entrusted with his boss’s sick daughter.

But he was warned, in vivid detail, what would happen to him if anything happened to his little girl. The images his mind conjured alone made him want to hide under his bed and cry… Because he knew without a doubt, they were not idle threats. They were outright promises of torture and torment the likes of which the human mind could barely comprehend should something happen to Sable Hat while she was in Flug’s care. With those threats still at the forefront of his mind, Flug took little Sable in his arms ever so carefully, gathered up a baby bag filled with everything he thought he would possibly need, and he and 5.0.5 headed off in one of the organizations hat ships to Penumbra’s home that evening.

The flight was the very definition of nerve-wracking, Flug was barely able to keep his gaze on the navigation instruments as his eyes kept shifting over to where 5.0.5 sat with Sable Hat cradled in his paws. Flug knew that 5.0.5 would never harm the baby… deliberately… but sometimes the bear could underestimate his remarkable strength. But his nearly constant checking on them only showed 5.0.5 carefully holding little Sable, occasionally petting the babys head or making a few cute sounds in her direction. Actions that actually managed to earn a few giggles and weak laughs from his tiny charge. The sounds made the scientists insides squirm uncomfortably. The little girl really wasn’t doing well. The more he listened to the interactions between her and 5.0.5 the more he hoped that Penumbra could shed some much-needed light on what they needed to do to help her. Partly because Flug was truly afraid of how Black Hat would react if his child died, and partly because he himself didn’t want to see the little one die… she had only just come into this world and already everything was stacking up against her survival. While Flug may not have been fond of kids in general, he would certainly never wish anything like what Sable Hat was going through on any child. In his heart he truly hoped Penumbra could actually help the Eldritch’s daughter, because he had a sinking feeling they were rapidly running out of both options and time…

Upon finally arriving Flug was quite surprised, as her residence was considerably less villainy than he had expected. Set in a nice suburban area that had a fair amount of distance between each house, her home was an old tudor-style house, two stories that sported several beautiful and extremely well-maintained gardens in the front and ivy growing up one side almost completely, but the house also sported heavy black curtains and all of the windows to keep the sun out. The sight of this made Flug wince a little, clearly Penumbra had not succeeded in her attempts to find a cure for her condition and by extent all of the Numbras that dwelt in Atreno City. Taking Sable into his arms and he shifted her slightly into what he hoped would be a more comfortable position, but couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous as he listened to her cough weakly as he walked up to the door and cautiously knocked several times.

It took a moment, but the door eventually opened and Flug was greeted with the sight of Penumbra looking almost exactly as he remembered. Although her eyes certainly seemed to be shining more vividly than the last time they crossed paths. As her dull grey eyes now looking to be more of a silver than grey. Perhaps she had made some headway on curing the Numbras after all… or perhaps it was just due to her being far happier than before. Since there was no way to deny that she was absolutely beaming, smiling broadly as she opened the door.

“Dr. Flug it’s good to see you again!” She welcomed him warmly, motioning for him to come inside which he and 5.0.5 hastily did. Although that was when something caught his eye that he had actually overlooked until this point… settled snuggly in Penumbras arm was a young baby. Judging by the blue onesie, it was a safe guess the baby was a boy. He had very pale skin, not quite as pale as his mother but quite a bit paler than a normal child should be. The baby’s eyes seemed to be a unique grey/blue color while atop his small head was a dusting of black hair… but emitting from the ends of the boys hair seemed to be moving shadows, like a plume of smoke. Or more like the wispy shadows that had long replaced penumbras real hair. “It’s good to see you again as well Miss Penumbra.” He replied, smiling a bit behind the paper bag that hid his face. “And who might this little one be?”

Penumbra shifted the baby in her arms causing the tiny child to giggle happily in its mothers’ grip as she brought her son up and gave him a quick peck on his little head. “Ah yes, where are my manners; Dr. Flug meet my son, Apollo.”

“Apollo?” Flug echoed while raising an unseen eyebrow inquisitively. Obviously the choice of a name for the child was… interesting. “You named him after the Greek god who drives the sun chariot across the sky?” While it would certainly not be his first choice, the meaning behind the name was not lost on him. 5.0.5’s eyes lit up at the sight of the other little baby and with the utmost care, the blue bear reached out and petted the child’s head with a paw. Doing so immediately made the baby laugh smile and clearly Penumbra thought the whole sight was absolutely adorable.

“You know your mythology Doctor.” She chuckled a bit as she adjusted the wiggling baby to a more comfortable position in her arms. “My husband and I were trying to think of some unconventional names, eventually we decided that if it was a boy his name would be Apollo. Whereas we chose the name Artemis for a girl.”

“I like the symbolism.” Flug said with a slight nod. “And you can always save the name Artemis for next time if you decide to have another child.”

“Actually, I had twins.” She replied. “I had a little boy and little girl.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I was not aware of that.”

“It’s all right. Artemis is inside, napping with her father. Last I checked they were both sound asleep.” She said as she stepped aside and let the scientist and the bear enter her home. Still, the ghostly looking woman’s gaze shifted down until it rested on Sable Hat and her eyes widened a bit. “Oh, is this her? Sable Hat? Oh, what a little darling.” She cooed leaning in close to get a better look at the little girl. Although after a moment or so her smile obviously began to fade as she took note of Sables seemingly labored breathing and her barely open eyes… although the smile came back slightly when, even in spite of her not feeling well, the baby Eldritch made an effort to reach out to her. Which Penumbra responded to by gently reaching out and petting her little cheek. After a moment or so she returned her attention to Flug and 5.0.5 and motioned for the pair to follow her, which they both did without question.

“Thank you for seeing us so quickly. I’m sorry to say that Lord Black Hat simply could not join us for this meeting. He sends his apologies.” The scientist added that last part, even if he knew it was an outright lie. The Eldritch being never thanked anyone for anything, he knew that better than anyone else.

Penumbra nodded as she quietly led them both down the hallway towards her living room. Surprisingly the whole house was not only significantly larger than Flug had originally thought, but its interior was very well lit. Apparently false light from light bulbs did not damage Numbras the same way that sunlight would. Deducing that, it wasn’t surprising at all that Penumbra would try to keep her home brighter on the interior in hopes of replicating the real sunlight she was no longer able to enjoy.

“I understand Black Hat must be very busy and that’s fine. I am just happy to be of help.” She said with a smile and Flug internally grimaced, knowing that Penumbra was very lucky to have chosen that way of thinking. After all no one ever just said ‘no’ when Black Hat wanted something… Unless of course they were looking to die in a creative and yet disturbing way. “I do apologize about the timing though. It’s just I haven’t seen my father since my wedding; he has a lot of difficulty with traveling lately because of his arthritis and while we skype call frequently, there really is no substitute for actually being with your family physically.”

“I wouldn’t know, I do not have any family.” Flug muttered with a surprisingly noticeable chill in his voice. “But given that you are actually close with him I suppose it’s under…standable?” He trailed off as the group had just entered the tastefully decorated living room; there were dozens of potted plants, some of which Flug could readily identify such as chamomile and lavender and in spite of his limited overall knowledge of botany, Flug could still tell that most of these plants were very rare. Hell, one particular plant that appeared to be a very large, very beautiful red rose he was pretty sure he had seen… on a list of plants that had gone extinct within the last century. It was quite striking to look at and given what he knew about Penumbras talent with bio-engineering and chemistry he had no way of knowing if such a plant was a natural version, or if his hostess had created a similar version as some sort of side project. Penumbras plants aside, the room also contained a medium sized desk that was covered in what appeared to be a stack of research papers as well as large, ornate terrarium where a white rat could be seen happily munching on a sunflower seed. Overall, these were things that Flug had mostly expected to see in Penumbras house, these sort of things made sense… but he had never expected to see in a hundred million years what was displayed in front of him.

There, sound asleep on Penumbra’s couch…

Was Sunblast…

He was apparently back to his true size again, but contrary to how the last time Flug and seen him he was not wearing his superhero costume. Wearing instead a white T-shirt with light blue pants and his feet were bare. About the only thing that was the same from their first encounter was that he still had his trademark headband on… Not to mention his blonde hair was an absolute wreck and looked like it hadn’t been brushed in an age. But perhaps the most frightening thing of all, was that sound asleep in the crook of his well-muscled arm appeared to be the small form of Penumbra’s other baby. Following Flug’s petrified gaze, Penumbra actually smiled at the sight of her nemesis.

“Hard to believe he can punch through steel, fly and manipulate solar energies; but one night with a pair of colicky babies and he’s completely drained.” She said with a very low laugh and a smile that was much broader and happier than Flug had ever seen her have. The scientist couldn’t help but stare at the woman as though she had just grown a second head, as his mind reeled to comprehend what was going on in front of him.

“W-What-? He’s your enemy!” He stuttered, barely able to comprehend the words the shadowy woman was saying. “And how is he his normal size? I distinctly remember shrinking him down! How is this-”

“It’s all right Mr. Flug,” Penumbra stated simply although her smile faded a little bit at Flug’s tone. “the shrink ray you used on him wore off after several months. By the time he returned to his normal size we had managed to work through some of our differences. He’s actually a very good man when you get to know him.”

Flug could barely believe what he was hearing; quite frankly he didn’t like what it all. He dealt with heroes all throughout his professional and even through a large portion of his personal life prior to his employment by the Black Hat Organization. Contrary to what Penumbra was saying, these individuals are very often two-faced and not in any sort of redeemable way. If one side was rotten, the other side was even more rotten. But something else occurred to him at that moment that actually twisted his stomach.

“Wait, is Sunblast… is he the father of-?”

“Yes, Artemis and Apollo are his.” Penumbra said as she slid off one of her long black gloves to show a gleaming golden wedding band with the emblem of a blazing sun shining clearly on its surface, as well as another ring seemingly made of rose-gold that resembled a rose with a thorny stem making up the band but at its center, in the actual ‘rose’ was a beautifully cut stone of amber. A custom engagement ring no doubt… “We were married last year.”

Flug couldn’t help but stare at her as Penumbra slid her glove back on. She seemed to be unaware of how behind his bag and goggles the stare was slowly becoming a scowl. To think that he had liked Penumbra, he had done what he could to help her with her research… and she goes and falls for a complete meat-headed hero like Sunblast?! Oh, if he didn’t need her help with Sable Hat he and 5.0.5 would be out the door and he would never speak to her again!

Wait…

“Wait where did-” Flug started upon realizing that 5.0.5 was no longer standing behind him… The bear had silently walked around both Flug and Penumbra and was now smiling down at Sunblast and the baby in his arm while gently petting his messy hair. The breath caught in Flug’s throat as he watched his fuzzy creation, while being adorable as he always was, was clearly rousing the slumbering hero.

“5.0.5 no!” He started to shout only his efforts came too late as Sunblasts eyes fluttered open and he was greeted with the sight of the large blue bear smiling down at him whilst petting his hair.

His freak-out was completely expected…

Sunblasts eyes snapped completely open and going from 0 to 300 in about two seconds, he shot upright and planted his fist in 5.0.5’s face, sending the fuzzy bear flying clean into the wall! Only narrowly avoiding hitting both Flug and Penumbra. Flug swore and ducked down, quickly covering Sable Hat with an arm as he tried to move to one of the far corners of the room as the superhero lunged forward and scooped up Penumbra and the baby she held before putting them behind him and while also shielding the child he was holding; he extended his arm menacingly towards the scientist as his hand began to glow with a rapidly increasing light-

“It’s all right Sunny! Calm down hon; you’re scaring the kids.” Penumbra stated putting her free hand over his chest and slipping in front of him, hopefully barring him from attacking again. The child Penumbra held, Apollo, was not crying per say but he was starting to whimper a bit at the sudden and violent outburst. A sharp contrast to the little girl still in Sunblasts grip who in spite of being rather abruptly awakened from her nap was not crying at all, but rather clapping her tiny hands and laughing at the sight before her. Flug could see that this child was pale, but not to the level of her twin brother. Her skin looked healthier and her eyes were a vibrant blue like her fathers and her small tuft of hair was clearly blonde… although trailing off of the hair was a shimmering golden haze. Much in the same manner of Penumbra and Apollo only whatever she had appeared to be its polar opposite… a most curious mutation; had the situation been different Flug would have been interested to discuss further with Penumbra. But now he was far more worried that he was about being blasted through something.

But that fear began to slowly dissipate as he watched the aggression rapidly leave the blonde mans face, as he seemed to be coming more to his senses. His gaze moving over to where 5.0.5 lay on the floor before sitting right up with an adorable look on his face and just casually waved at Sunblast. Completely uninjured and unoffended. The muscular man took several deep breaths before visibly calming down and sighing. “Right, sorry Penny I forgot they were coming over.” He said with the slightest hint of embarrassment present in his voice. Something that surprised Flug, recalling his prior interactions with the hero he didn’t think the man had the ability to get embarrassed. Also the noticeable pet names they had for each other, Penny and Sunny?

God it was so sweet it could just make the teeth rot in his mouth…

“It’s alright sweetheart, you did make me feel safe…” Penumbra added with a small smile before returning her attention to where Flug was still cowering in the corner, not entirely sure he should stand back up yet. Seeing his obvious fear made the smile partially fade away. “Although I can’t say the same for our guest.” She muttered. “It’s alright Dr. Flug, he won’t hurt you!” Her voice meant to convey a sense of reassurance but the scientist was far from reassured, even less so when Sunblast stepped forward looking him up and down as the recognition of who exactly Flug was clearly dawned on him.

“Hey nerd, long time no see.” He chuckled before moving towards the thinner man and offering him his hand to help him up. Which Flug obviously declined and managed to push himself upright, while still being extremely careful not to jostle Sable Hat any more than necessary, all while he glared at the superhero. He was just about to make an icy comeback to that nerd comment when he witnessed Penumbra roll her eyes before lightly smacking Sunblast upside his head.

“Sunny, be nice!” She growled in annoyance before she shifted Apollo in her arms before carefully handing him over to her husband. He seemed surprisingly comfortable with holding both of his children and his attention completely left Flug as he started floating in a laid-back pose making all sorts of ridiculous faces at the two babies he now held. Surprisingly earning giggles and laughs from both of the infants. As he preoccupied the kids, Penumbra made her way over to the desk which had fortunately not taken any damage from when 5.0.5 had been sent flying into the nearby wall and she started removing a few things from one of its many drawers, most noticeably a stethoscope and a few other medical tools before turning around to face Flug again with her usual friendly smile. “Now let me see our little patient.” She said holding out her arms for Sable Hat.

Admittedly Flug hesitated, suddenly having more than a few second thoughts on whether or not this was a good idea. He cast another glance at Sunblast who as it turns out was now eyeing Flug with a certain degree of interest. And while the hero’s presence made his blood boil as he despised hero’s for reasons that were his own… reasons he forbid himself from thinking about even on his darkest days… he wasn’t here for himself, he was here because of the sick baby girl of his boss that may not survive without Penumbras help. So with that knowledge at the forefront of his mind, he cautiously handed the child over to the Numbras waiting arms.

Penumbra proceeded to give Sable Hat a check-up, carefully looking her over and checking her vitals. But the longer she examined the child the more her friendly smile began to fade. Eventually disappearing altogether and a stomach-turning look of fear and worry fully wrote itself upon her face, especially when Sable began to very weakly cry in discomfort due to the examination. Sunblast floated over after a few minutes and managed to get his first look at the baby his wife was checking over.

“Geez she’s tiny.” He muttered as he cast a look back to the twins he still held, both of whom had apparently fallen asleep in his arms. “And here I was thinking our kids were small. I don’t think they were that small when they were born.”

“I imagine that most everything seems small to you.” Flug started flatly with a tiny hint of sarcasm. But in his defense the observation seemed quite accurate, as Sunblast was not only quite tall but was built broadly with muscle. The fact he was handling his own children with such care and not dropping them still surprising Flug greatly, although internally he was more than ready to dive to catch the twins should the meathead suddenly drop them.

“Well yeah, but… she also doesn’t look too good.” The tone of his voice changed, now holding the same concern that was now very evident in Penumbras demeanor. Flugs stomach painfully rolled over as Penumbra turned to face him with a very grim expression on her face as she tried to re-swaddle the now squirming Sable Hat.

“She’s premature all right. Very premature…” She stated as Sable apparently tired and gave up whatever tiny show of discomfort she was making. Now reduced to making a very low and weak panting sound. As though she could barely pull any air into her lungs but still refused to stop trying. “I’m actually amazed she’s not an incubator right now. Have you been keeping her in one?”

“N-No.” Flug nervously stuttered as he got a cold feeling in his heart that this meeting was not going to offer anything much in the way of good news. “Lord Black Hat never puts her down. He keeps her with him at any given moment.” He could feel his anxiety levels beginning to rise and he knew he was starting to wring his gloved hands as he began to imagine multiple worst-case scenarios for both the baby and himself. Given what Black Hat had explained about both his species and his own personal experiences as a sire… if anything happened to this child it was extremely likely he would burn the whole world and every soul in it down to nothingness. And he would most likely start with Flug… these thoughts continued to march through his mind while he nervously continued talking. “She hasn’t been in an incubator, but I suspect he has been regulating her body temperature for her. He has abilities I don’t fully understand and... he is not forthcoming about them, even now.” He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down somewhat as suddenly a large blue paw was placed on his shoulder as 5.0.5 looked at him with his big sweet eyes. He didn’t hug him, but began to emit a low rumbling sound that had always helped to ease the scientists usually frayed nerves. Given the circumstances it didn’t help all that much right now, but the act alone and the bears mere presence did help him pull himself together to ask the question that he could absolutely no longer avoid. “Please tell me Miss Penumbra, exactly how bad off is she?”

At first Penumbra didn’t answer as she began to gently rock Sable Hat, her intent only to try and lull the little one into a calming sleep. Only after a few minutes it became painfully clear that her actions were in vain as Sable wouldn’t drift off. In fact, a wave of fresh tears began to well in her little eyes before she began to try and free herself from the blanket she was wrapped in once more. Penumbra couldn’t help but sigh sadly before finally speaking again. “Well, her lungs are weak. Very weak. And she’s also disturbingly underweight. I don’t think she weighs more than five or six pounds; and you said that she’s about three weeks old? She should have put on at least some weight by now.”

“We’ve only had her for the last three weeks. Before that she was with her mother who’s a frequent client of Black Hat, a woman known as Lucinda the Terrible.” Flug clarified. “Honestly I’m not entirely sure how old she actually is, I’ve just been assuming Lucinda dropped her off about one or two days after she was born.”

“Lucinda, Lucinda… why do I know that name?” Sunblast suddenly asked with a look of unease starting to settle into his eyes. A look that was in fact mirrored by Penumbra as she too clearly knew the name but seemed unable to place it with its owner.

“She’s a pretty well-known villain. She once controlled massive swaths of coastline and is based in a mansion out at the Blackblood Coast… she extorts any ships that entered into the area to either pay her, or she will sink their ships with sea mines she rigged along the seaways.” Flug paused this time as he noticed absolutely no further recognition show in the eyes of either Sunblast or Penumbra and he rubbed his temples through his paper bag. “She’s also known for her trademark blue and black hair, her sharp taloned gloves and a ‘battle-suit’ black dress. Also, she had a small tattoo of a teardrop with a star in it on her left cheek.

Clearly giving her physical description did the trick as the look of dark realization immediately dawned on the faces of the happily married couple “Wait… that bitch?” Sunblast muttered lowly to Penumbra whose eyes shone with a rapidly growing horror.

“You… you two know Lucinda?” He questioned.

Penumbra bit her lower lip, once again casting her gaze to Flug and the look in her eyes began to sour his stomach. “Not on a personal level, we only met a few times… and those times were all in a Lamaze class.” She paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to phrase the next part. “Let’s just say, she… was not exactly happy with her situation.”

“That’s an understatement babe.” Sunblast stated bluntly, interrupting his wife. “That crazy bitch was either grumbling about something or getting into a screeching match with that boyfriend of hers. They would go at it right in the middle of the class. Apparently, she had an affair on her boyfriend and that’s how she got pregnant. He was angry at her but he was sticking around and she was being a total monster to him… and every goddamn person she spoke too for that matter.”

“Sunny, mind you’re swearing.” Penumbra scolded lightly before sighing. “But he’s not wrong. The last time we saw her was about 2 months ago, the week before I had the twins. It was the day her boyfriend dumped her and they both stormed out of the class.”

Flug stared, mostly lost for words. “Oh my...”

Penumbra nodded but stopped abruptly, as a thought suddenly occurred to her and she returned her gaze to Sable Hat. Studying the infant with a more intent look, before turning her attention back to Flug. “But only three weeks ago?” She questioned. “Well, she is premature. Lucinda must have been only about five months in. That… explains a bit. But not everything…” Flug didn’t like the way she said that, not at all. Not to mention that if the look that was starting to creep into Sunblasts face was anything to go by, he didn’t like it either.

“Penny you don’t think that she tried to do something… do you?” He asked lowly.

“Actually… I think that is exactly what happened. You remember how she kept saying she wanted to get rid of the baby; but she was too far along to have an abortion. I don’t have a doubt she would’ve tried to miscarry deliberately.” Penumbra stated glumly. “With her profession she certainly would have easy access to pills, and I know certain plants that can be easily found that could result in a miscarriage if consumed. I don’t want to say this but I have too… I think that is the most likely scenario we are looking at. This would also explain why her lungs seem so weak and why she is having trouble putting on weight. Her digestive tract must be underdeveloped as well. No doubt whatever methods Lucinda used could be responsible for all of these problems… I imagine she must have been very surprised that the baby lived in spite of whatever she tried to do.” Now at this point Sable just started crying, or rather she tried to. Her cries coming out in broken hiccupping sobs as she started struggling to bring in any air. The sound was absolutely heart wrenching to listen to and after listening to Penumbras tale, Flug felt physically sick and 5.0.5 was now hovering near Penumbra. A look of nervousness and fear growing with every sound Sable Hat produced.

“P-Please Penumbra, is there anything you can do to help her? She looks like she’s fading fast…” Flug stuttered as he stepped closer… something that was noticed by the tiny sick baby and she paused in her crying. In fact, she reached out for him. This made him pause, the action catching him off-guard. Penumbra however immediately moved to shift Sable Hat back into the bag-headed scientists’ arms. No sooner was she back in Flugs grip did her tiny hands wrap around one of his fingers allowing him to notice something he hadn’t previously... on Sables palms and fingers were tiny pads, like that on a cat. Sable Hat looked up at him with her tired purple eyes, still glassy with tears. As awkward as he felt in this situation, Flug very gently rocked the tiny child while making a very low ‘Shhh…’ sound. The motion and his quiet voice succeeded in doing what Penumbra had not been able to do; and that was lull the weak child back into what was hopefully a peaceful sleep. She released her grip on Flugs fingers but still gripped onto the front of his lab coat as she snuggled into him, her labored breathing seeming to become easier as she began to sleep.

“She sure likes you.” Sunblast commented with a slight laugh as he nearly made Flug jump. As he had not heard him get so close. “She probably has a thing for nerds.”

Penumbra chuckled slightly herself before her smile faded and her expression became serious… but there was a firm determination in her eyes now. “Well, I’m not gonna lie to you Dr. Flug, she is in a dangerous spot. But… she has been able to make it this far, so she’s got a strong will to live for sure. I do think we can get her through this.” With that Penumbra began going through multiple drawers in the desk, pulling out papers and notes and after taking a seat began to look through them. “Firstly, you’re going to need to get a special formula for her. Something rich with nutrients that’s easy to digest. I have a friend who can whip this up special for little Sable Hat; she runs a pediatric clinic. I’ll call her in a bit and you’ll probably be able to pick it up tonight before you return home. I would also recommend incubator if you can get one… and a ventilator for infants would be a good thing to have if things truly go south. I would also invest in a thermal blanket just to be sure.” After a few more minutes Penumbra selected several of these papers and went to hand them to Flug, but seeing as how his hands were now occupied with holding Sable Hat, she instead handed them to 5.0.5. To which Flug was able to see that the papers were filled with information about pediatric equipment, much like the ventilator that had just been mentioned.

“I…” Flug started but whatever words he intended to speak just evaporated in his mind. Frankly he didn’t know what he should say in this situation. But… at the very least he was grateful to Penumbra for the information… and the revelations… she had provided to him. “Thank you, Miss Penumbra. Lord Black Hat will undoubtedly be pleased with your assisting his daughter.”

“It’s no problem at all Dr. Flug. I am just happy that I could be of some help.” She said with a smile returning to her ghastly features. “Who knows maybe; when she gets a little bit bigger Sable and the twins can play together.”

That was an interesting thought…

But it was also a pleasant one that made Flug smile throughout the remainder of his visit…

Upon returning to the mansion and after informing Black Hat of every detail that Penumbra had gleamed about Sables health and the likely causes, Flug had to admit something very frightening…

He had never seen Black Hat so mad…

The demon was so enraged that he was well beyond flames and explosions, in fact he looked like he had gone outright insane with hatred. He’d even had to shift his daughter to a tentacle he formed from his back due to how he was alternating between clenching his fists so tightly that he was drawing his own green blood from his palms and trailing his nails across his desk, leaving deep gouges in the wood and trails of bright green as he did so. Flug actually had pause in his retelling of the events twice in order to allow his boss a few minutes to calm down. His anger stemming from the actions Lucinda had apparently taken to free herself from being pregnant with Sable and how that was the most likely reason for his daughters’ poor health. Only once he was sure Black Hats attention was back on his story did he continue on. Further explaining about the special baby formula that they had picked up, as well as the new pieces of medical equipment they had acquired on their return… equipment that 5.0.5 was currently taking down to Flugs laboratory in order to be properly set up. The only thing that they hadn’t been able to get was the thermal blanket.

Once the scientist finally stopped talking, Black Hat inhaled a single deep breath and exhaled it very slowly. “Is that everything?”

“Y-Yes sir.” Flug answered casting his gaze to where Sable Hat was currently sleeping, tightly wrapped in one of her fathers tentacles. “That’s the whole story.”

Black Hat remained where he was for a long moment, his one visible eye boring into the thin, gangly doctor like a deep earth drill. He then stood up and looked between his daughter and Flug several times before speaking again. “You said that the thermal blanket was the only thing you weren’t able to get?”

“Um, yes sir?” The tentacles holding the slumbering Sable Hat moved over to Flug, who without needing any prompting carefully took the little one into his arms just as Black Hat stood up from his seat and started walking towards the other side of the room.

“I will get her something far better than a mere blanket!” Black Hat growled as he was surprisingly rolling up his sleeves, glancing over at Flug once more. “Watch her!” No sooner did these words leave his mouth did razor sharp talons burst from his gloves and in a single swift movement he used those claws to slice through the air. Creating some sort of tear in the very fabric of time and reality! There was a brief flash of white light before it faded… and Flug would swear he was looking into some sort of massive cavern that was covered with crystals and glowing algae… and… what looked like thousands of strange flying creatures…? The scientist didn’t get a chance to observe for very long before Black Hat leapt through the portal. His body twisting into some other monstrous form as he did so, but the portal closed behind him before he finished taking on this other form, so Flug could only guess what it would have actually looked like. Although his imagination provided more than enough frightening images than necessary.

For a while Flug thought about getting up and making his way down to his lab. But to be honest he didn’t have any outstanding project that he was working on and currently the only thing he could do would be to oversee 5.0.5 handling the equipment they had obtained earlier which he was certain there was no need for. And Demencia had been given a task by Black Hat earlier in the day, something about stealing a canister with a dangerous mutagen… so the ever-psychotic woman was off to perform this job, always hoping her work would earn Black Hats non-existent affection. So… with no major emergencies, jobs or… well, anything really pressing to do… Flug sat back in the chair and just slowly rocked Sable Hat, humming very lowly as he did so. While she didn’t stir from her sleep, one tiny little hand reached out and latched onto his lab coat like she had done before. He figured this action must have been something that gave the little one comfort in some way and he smiled beneath his bag and he just sat there. Humming quietly and watching the child’s barely noticeable breathing, occasionally interrupted with a weak cough or a whimper.

Still, she seemed to mostly be at peace…

And for a while, so was he…

That was until about a half an hour to forty-five minutes later when a loud ripping sound resounded throughout the room as Black Hat returned. Shifting back from whatever form he had taken while dragging something very large through the portal with him. All manners of unnatural screeches and cries echoed from the portal as the flying creatures of that world seemed extremely agitated, one particular that looked to a large black winged axolotl was actually flying at Black Hat emitting a horrible shriek… but probably for that creature’s benefit, the portal Black Hat created closed behind him before it could get close enough to attack him.

Flug stared at his boss who seemed completely unfazed about his interdimensional trip and without saying a word to Flug as he turned to whatever he had just dragged out from that other hidden world. The sight of the animals impressive, if not outright terrifying head would have made the scientist bolt upright with a frightened yelp… had it not been so obviously dead and its lower jaw clearly sliced off. A thick red scaly skin was still visible on what was left of the creature, it looked like it had once had wings before one appeared to have been torn off and the other badly mangled; a trail of guts and organs were currently spilling out from its belly that had been completely ripped open. Black Hat didn’t even look at Flug as he set to ripping at the beasts carcass; razor sharp claws ripping through the scales of the creatures hide like tissue paper. He continued his work for some time, not paying any mind to the blood and gore he was splashing around his office like spin art. Within a few minutes and a particularly loud squelching sound, Black Hat had freed the beast of its skin and somehow removed the majority of the blood and… some sort of gloopy gel, that had been directly underneath it’s skin… with the pelt in hand, he walked over and plucked Sable Hat from Flug and carefully swaddled his daughter in this new blanket. Perhaps reacting to being moved, Sable Hat stirred. Opening her little eyes and looking up at her father and smiling weakly as he brought her close and just cuddled her for a few long moments. It was a surprisingly sweet scene, so much so that Flug was just about to very quietly dismiss himself from the area when the demons eye snapped onto him. All of his rage from earlier clearly still burning hot within him and Flug froze mid-stand.

“I have… something that I need to take care of.” Black Hat growled in a low dangerous tone. His gaze shifting to his daughter and then back to Flug once again. “You have… proved, that you can be trusted with my daughter. So, you will watch her tonight.”

“O-of course sir.” He said as the Eldritch handed Sable Hat back to his subordinate. “Um, where are you going sir?”

“I am going to feed…” His answer was short, dark and full of promised malice.

Needless to say, Flug didn’t ask any further questions.

He really didn’t want to know…

That night Black Hat made his way to the Blackblood Coast…

He made his way to a large gothic mansion situated like a crown jewel upon the shoreline…

He found Lucinda…

And now…

…He was eating her alive…

She had fought of course, but her efforts were beyond useless. Her battle suit had not offered any protection when this demon had appeared and he had managed to lay waste to her in only a few short seconds… His claws tore through her flesh with barely any effort, ripping muscle and sinew from the bones. Broken and torn limbs littered the floor with their marrow sucked clean out as what had once been Lucinda the Terrible had been reduced to a twitching pile of raw red meat that the Eldritch held in an unbreakable grip. A single eye staring up from a bloody socket, while her face was scarcely identifiable as such as there was barely any skin and what little there was left was torn and bloody. Black Hat paid that staring eye no mind as his jaws clamped around another portion of her arm and tore off nearly all of its meat with a sickening squelch. Forcing another pained gurgle from the still living form as it was forced to watch the demon she had bedded in exchange for weaponry, now slowly devour her. Somehow unable to die in spite of injuries that were only comparable to falling head first into a meat grinder.

Yet amidst this gruesome act, Black Hats mind was elsewhere. His thoughts racing back to the new information Flug had gleamed from his meeting with Penumbra. His anger burning like a wildfire at the reveal that Sable Hats survival was directly compromised by her Dam… had this woman not tried to terminate his offspring she would have been perfect. She would have been viable. Yet still, in spite of this Sable Hat was showing that she was a fighter. Fighting for her life right from her very moment of her birth and she was still there, still lingering in spite of challenges no cub should have to face. She was strong, she had a will to live and it made his wicked heart swell with pride. He wrapped his claws around what little remained of Lucinda’s neck and as the twitching mass of blood and tissue couldn’t even muster a scream as Black Hat dislocated his jaw and in a single swift motion clamped his jaw over her head and bit it completely off… having already made sure that he would swallow her soul when he decided to finally end her life. He emitted a sound that could only be compared to a contented purr and he stood up, preparing to head back to his home. Even though Flug seemed to be surprisingly good with his daughter, that didn’t mean he wanted her to be out of his sight for too long. Especially with how weak she was at this point… but she would get stronger and she would grow healthier. He would make damn sure of that.

Although that was when his mind went down an unusual route… How strange was it that, a human… a weak sniveling human, would have been capable of carrying his offspring to term whereas some of the strongest amongst his own kind were unable to do so without disastrous results. Was this a fluke as he had originally believed? Or was there something more to this species than he had grown to accept? After all, he had spent millennia in this world filling their hearts with dread and terror the likes only a truly evil being such as himself was capable of. This was probably the most interesting development that the species had shown throughout the long years he had been observing them.

Well no, that was technically incorrect…

If he was going to be honest, Flug was the most interesting human he had ever met and certainly the only one was able to ever surprise him. This thought, one he had long acknowledged, caused Black Hat to shake his head with a harsh snort. Even if the scientist was brilliant and unique, he was by no means any form of equal to the Eldritch god… and by the laws of strength, that alone meant Black Hat would never respect him.

Nonetheless…

Those were thoughts for another day…