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There were better ways to spend a Saturday night, of that much they were sure. Safer ways too… Actually, most ways were safer than this way. But Morgan wouldn’t let the fear stop them. After all nothing else gave them a thrill like a good heist, and this was shaping up to be the greatest heist of their life.
…And possibly their last.
Morgen slid as quietly as they could through the narrow vents, their small frame just the right size to be able to maneuver. This type of infiltration rarely worked, something they had found out the hard way on an early heist, but thankfully, the climate control for a lair like this was plenty robust enough to support their weight.
Two more rights… Then a left… There!
Morgan could see the intake grate that would be their entrance point to the archives. This was it. In and out. They could do this.
They reached down into their satchel to pull out a small item that looked a bit like a credit card and set it down before them. They tapped it in four specific places, then slid it through a slat in the grate.
The card shook a bit as thin, spider like legs unfolded from it, allowing it to stand and crawl up onto the grate. Green eyes followed it as it found its way along the edge, stopping to lower onto the screws holding the grate in place. As it rose again, the screw came with it, and it moved on to the next. It was only a minute before the machine made its way back to the start and folded itself back up.
Slowly… Morgan pushed the grate away and slid it to the side, just far enough that they could get out. They grabbed the card and tucked it away as they slid out of the vent and into to cool room.
They were in.
Morgan let out a breath they didn’t realize they had been holding as they looked around the room. It was massive, rows and rows of darkened shelves that went all the way up to a ceiling that must have been at least two stories high. They held, priceless books, documents, artifacts from who knows where.
Morgan swallowed hard as they felt their fingers itch. So many treasures so close… but no… they had to stay focused. They were on a mission after all.
The path they walked may have seemed random to another, but they had planned it meticulously, using blind spots and the few cameras they had managed to hack in order to avoid detection as they made their way to the back of the archives. A silent turn down a darkened corridor of shelves and they saw it. The unmistakable sight of rolled blueprints.
They moved closer and pulled out a roll, unfurling it to find exactly what they were looking for. The blueprints to the very base they were in. They rolled it back up, tucking it in their satchel and moved to leave when something caught their eye. Another blueprint was slightly unrolled, and they could see the edge of a familiar structure.
A glance back to the empty corridor assured Morgan that they were still alone before they moved to pull out the second roll. As they unfurled it the rest of the way, their green eyes widened in surprise. It was another blueprint for the lair. A sense of dread began to set in as they grabbed another and unrolled it to find the same thing.
The sound of footsteps made their heart stop for a second. No. They’d come this far, they weren’t going to give up now. They pulled all the blueprints out, stuffing them as quietly as they could manage into their satchel and they padded away, hearing the footsteps getting closer.
They moved to duck into a gap in the shelves, holding their breath as the slow steps came closer and closer. Who was this? They hadn’t even turned the lights on, and they didn’t seem to be making any attempt to stay quiet.
The steps got louder and louder. Closer and closer.
A dark form passed Morgan’s hiding spot, the steps not even slowing as they passed right by. This was their only chance. They stuck their head out to watch the shadowy figure walk away as they slowly pulled themselves out of the gap. When the stranger turned a corner, Morgan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to make their way back to the vent.
They glance behind them once more as they moved, but grunted when they hit something unexpected. Morgan looked back, seeing a pair of fluffy plaid pants tucked into bunny slippers in front of them. Their eyes traveled up the comfortably dressed frame, and finally met the last gaze they wanted to meet.
Fierce, golden eyes shone in the dark. The eyes of a predator. And Morgan was the prey.
“Leaving so soon? But we haven’t even had tea yet.” Alex’s sickly sweet tone was enough to snap Morgan out of their frozen state and they turned to sprint the other way, no longer bothering to stay quiet.
A dark chuckle filled the air as the footsteps started up again, still that same, unhurried pace. “I’ll admit, I’m impressed, little one.” Alex said as he followed his fleeing prey slowly, hands folded behind his back. “It was quite… audacious of you to attempt to steal from me…”
Morgan wasn’t really listening as they scrambled to get away. They knew Alex didn’t see them as a threat. The supervillain wasn’t even using his powers yet. That was Morgan’s only chance of escape, though a very slim one. If they could just get to the vent, then maybe… just maybe… they might survive this.
They were almost there, skidding around the corner. Their eyes locked on the intake grate and they slid to a stop. Their heart sunk as they realized what had happened.
The grate was welded shut.
They had no escape…
It was over.
The footsteps came closer, and another dark chuckle sent a chill up their spine as they turned to see Alex coming around the corner. “Don’t stop running.” Alex purred, smirking at Morgan, who squared his shoulders to face their fellow villain. “You still have time to escape.”
Morgan glanced down at the words and gave a single, small laugh. “We both know that isn’t true.” They said, looking back up at the feline eyes.
Alex slowed to a stop, arching a brow at the sight of this little D tier villain standing before him. “True… but it’s more fun when they run.” He said. “Go ahead. I’ll even call off my minions, give you a fighting chance.” He continued, gesturing towards the main entrance theatrically.
He paused at another laugh from the thief, and he watched as Morgan shook their head. “I… I’m not going to help you have more fun killing me.” They said standing their ground, surprising the supervillain. “If you’re going to do it… then do it.”
Alex eyed the other with a bemused gaze as he approached. He could see the other tensing, clearly fearful… And yet, they didn’t even step back from him. “How… defiant of you.” He hissed.
“Thank you.” Morgan said with a small smirk.
Alex grabbed the other by the wrist and pinned them to the wall, wrist held above their head. “Or… Perhaps just foolish… not fleeing from those who can kill you so easily.”
Morgan grunted in pain, hanging a few inches off the ground now. They looked up at their restrained wrist, then back at Alex, giving another chuckle. A bit more of their nerves were showing now. “If I ran from everyone who could kill me, I would never stop running.” They said. “You’re special in a lot of ways. Your ability to kill me is not one of them.”
Alex tilted his head, a bit taken aback by the way this person was speaking to him. “Is that so?” he hissed, letting the metal of the wall move under the hand that restrained the other to bind them to the wall. He released his grip on the hanging villain and moved to grab one of the blueprints from their satchel. “And what, exactly, are you hoping to do with this?” He asked.
Morgan shifted a bit, not even struggling. “Nothing.” They said, shrugging as Alex leveled a suspicious glare at them. “Really. I just didn’t want Man Landscaper to get it.”
Alex paused at the words, staring at the other. “I’m sorry… what?” he asked
Morgan sighed and looked down at his satchel. “You know… Man Landscaper… one of the Chartreuse Candelabra Corps… He is planning to try and steal those blueprints today.”
Alex paused and arched a brow at the other. “And you decided to risk your life to steal them first because…..”
“Mostly to fuck him over.”
Alex could only stare at the other for a moment. “Wait wait wait…” he finally said, trying to understand. “You came all the way here… to break into my lair… to try and steal blueprints you didn’t even want… just to fuck over a hero?” he asked.
Morgan swallowed hard and looked away sheepishly. “Well, when you say it like that it sounds kind of dumb… but yeah…”
Alex stared for a long minute, struggling to wrap his head around this person’s motives. “….Why?” He asked. “There has to be easier ways to fuck over heroes…”
Morgan nodded at the words. “Your right. But I knew he wasn’t going to survive trying to steal these from you, so if I wanted to get him it was this or leave a bag of flaming dog shit on his front porch this morning… which I mean, I did. But it didn’t seem like enough.” They said, glancing up at their wrist. “Look, this kinda hurts… and he’s going to be here soon, so if you’re not going to kill me…”
They were interrupted as the far side of the room was lit up with a green light. “That’s him!” Morgan said in an excited whisper, reaching out to grab Alex’s wrist in a futile attempt to keep him from confronting the hero yet. The thief hissed and yanked their hand back as contact with the man’s skin burned as if they had grabbed a hot coal. “Fuck, what was that for!?” they hissed quietly, getting a confused glare from Alex.
“Why are you whispering?” Alex asked, though he whispered too as he looked up at the shelves. He was able to see through them to the sight of a glowing green drill boring through his wall.
“I don’t want him to realize anyone is here yet.” Morgan explained, wanting to hear the hero discover the missing plans.
“Why? I’m just going to kill him anyway.”
“Come on, please?” Morgan begged. “I’m probably going to die for this, at least let me enjoy the spoils for one minute?”
Alex stared at the other, dumbfounded at this strange person. He looked back at the entering hero, staying quiet for now. He watched the drill finally stop, and the green clad hero moved in through the hole.
Man moved right to the blueprint section, only to freeze when he saw the empty space. “What?”
Morgan beamed at the sound of the hero panicking and searching for the plans.
Alex glanced down at Morgan, eying the satisfied smile on their face. “Worth it.” He could barely hear the words the other whispered, but he found a smile force its way onto his own face at the sight of the other’s joy.
He looked back up as a torrent of muttered swears began to come from the other side of the room itching to get in and fight this little hero.
“Thank you.” Alex blinked at the words and looked down to meet the other’s green gaze. “Go ahead… I’ll be hanging out here when you’re done.” It was clear that the joke was meant to make light of the situation as Morgan seemed resigned to their fate now, and yet, still smiling.
Alex stared for a moment before turning back to the room.
One step. His clothes changed to the formal red and black attire he preferred to do battle in.
Two steps. He flicked his wrist, a golden light glowing on the other side of the room now.
Three steps. He watched through the bookcases as he manifested a light construct of a hammer that struck the hero, sending him flying and kicking off the battle. He would have fun with this pathetic hero, then decide what to do with that strange little villain later… if they even survived.
Morgan chuckled as they heard Man get thrown across the room. The shelves in front of them blocked the view, but what they heard was enough to tell them that Alex was toying with that stupid A tier hero. Good. That bastard deserved to die. Cracks started to form in the walls and some of the shelves started to shake as the battle raged on.
As Man got more desperate, Morgan started to notice the cracks deepening and spreading. Things were starting to fall to the floor. Finally, one shelf came loose at a particularly nasty blow and toppled over, landing hard right in front of them, making a five foot high barrier between them and the rest of the room. They cried out as they were struck with the shrapnel, cutting their side badly. Green eyes darted around the room in a bit of a panic, watching weight baring pillars starting to buckle, the cracks starting to move to the ceiling. This whole place was going to come down on top of them.
They looked up at their wrist and finally began to struggle to get out. They took their free hand to smear the blood from their side onto the bound wrist as lubricant, flexing their hand as they began to slide down. A little more… a little more. More debris was flying and Morgan looked out into the room again, seeing the hero crash into the base of a buckling pillar and slumping, beaten and bloody, to the floor.
“Is that really the best you can do?” Alex taunted as he stepped out, seeming completely unphased and uninjured from the battle. “I’m disappointed… I was really hoping for a decent fight.”
Morgan flinched at the sound of an awful crack, and he looked back up to see the ceiling about to go.
“Well… I suppose this is game over… hero.” Alex hissed as Morgan finally dropped to the floor.
Alex snapped his fingers, a light construct forming in the shape of a hammer and driving into the hero with a sickeningly wet smack. It left a red smear at the base of the ruined pillar as the entire room began to collapse.
Morgan didn’t have time to react to the gruesome sight as they ran to the fallen shelf, hoping it might create a pocket of relative safety in the collapse. They slid up against the shelf, everything seeming to move in slow motion as another shelf started fell towards them and the ceiling broke, sending thick masonry raining down. They caught a glimpse of a huge chunk of the pillar falling and they panicked. A snap of their fingers teleported Alex right in front of them. Golden eyes looked up at Morgan in shock as they dove to pin the supervillain in the cubby they had made, protecting him as another shelf fell against the first, raining treasures onto Morgan’s back, but providing a safe cave for the two as the building crashed down around them.
Finally, the crashing started to quiet down. Morgan panted heavily, slowly opening their eyes and meeting the stunned golden ones. They shrank back a bit and swallowed hard. “heh…. Sorry… I panicked…” they said, pulling back and moving to dig in their satchel.
Alex could only stare at them for a moment as they pulled out a flashlight and looked around.
Morgan was looking for a way out of the rubble, scanning the debris and treasures around them. They paused as their light shone off of a light yellow gemstone bigger than any they had ever seen. “Woah… is that… the Florentine Diamond?” They asked, smiling a bit in spite of the pain they were in.
“Um…. Yeah…” Alex said, slowly sitting up. “What… the fuck was that?”
Morgan flinched a bit at the question and smiled sheepishly at the other. “I uh… I can teleport people to me once a month and…”
“Once a month?”
“Yeah.” Morgan said. “And I saw the room collapsing and I just-“
“You know I’m invulnerable, right?”
Morgan paused and looked down, slowly nodded. “Yeah… yeah, I know that…” they said.
Alex blinked a few times, not sure what to make of this. “So… you used your once-a-month ability… to teleport… the man you thought was going to kill you… to safety…. Knowing he was invulnerable…” He said, summing up the events of the last couple minutes. He looked up as Morgan chuckled nervously, watching the other rubbing the back of their neck.
“You’re… really good at making my actions sound stupid…. But… yes… I did.” They said, smearing blood as they pulled their hand from their neck. They grunted in surprise as their wrist was grabbed again and they were pulled towards Alex.
“You’re bleeding.” Alex said, not really understanding why he cared.
“Um… yeah… I’m…. I’m not invulnerable…” Morgan said, flinching a bit and closing his eyes as they teleported into a brightly lit room. They shielded their eyes at the sudden light, stumbling as they were thrust into a chair.
“You. Dress their wounds.” Alex commanded, and Morgan squinted to see the man talking to some of his minions. “And you. Get a group started on fixing the lair.”
Morgan watched as the supervillain walked away. They grunted as the minion ordered to dress their wounds started to get to work on them. “Um…. Why?” They asked.
The minion didn’t even look up at them, going about his work. “I don’t ask questions. I just follow the boss’ orders.” He said as he began the process of stitching up the other’s side. “And you would be wise to do the same.”
Morgan chuckled a bit at the words. “I’ve never been good at that.” They said, flinching a bit as the stitching went on.
“Listen to me.” The minion said. “I have never been told to do this for an outsider before, which means I don’t know what his motives might be. It might be really good for you, or really really bad for you. So just… don’t do anything stupid. Ok? There’s already enough damage for us to fix.”
Morgan rolled their eyes as the other finished bandaging their wounds. “Now… make sure you keep these clean… You know… as long as you’re still alive, that is.” The minion said, looking up as his phone went off. He checked it and sighed. “I have to go. Just… stay here… and don’t touch anything.” He said, getting up and leaving Morgan alone.
The room was quiet for a while as Morgan looked around. This was some fancy ass shit. Nothing like their little capital city apartment. They managed to wait five minutes before growing tired of it. They weren’t lying when they said they weren’t good at following orders.
They riffled through their satchel, pulling out the remaining blueprints and setting them on a coffee table before moving to find the exit.
They moved through the sleek, technologically advanced base, noticing the damage had indeed spread as they found cracks and holes in walls, and one room was half gone, just overlooking a pit into the rubble that once was the archives.
As they came across the main entrance, they paused, hearing Alex’s voice from the other side of a different door. They moved closer, barely making out a conversation between the villain and a minion about how long the construction was going to take, given the extensive damage. Morgan looked back at the entrance, knowing they should be trying to escape, but somehow, they doubted their getaway vehicle had survived the onslaught.
They heard the minion being dismissed and they took a deep breath, pushing into the room. “You know… If you need a place to crash for a few weeks… I have a spare room.” They said, enjoying the surprised look from Alex. “It’s nothing like this, but you know… It’s a roof over your head.”
The supervillain turned to face the other, giving them a confused glare. “Why?” He asked.
Morgan swallowed and rubbed the back of their neck again. “Um… well… you didn’t kill me… and you had your minion stitch me up…. So…” they sighed and shook their head, shifting to set a hand on their good side. “Look, we’ve established that I make poor decisions already. Do you want the room or not?”
Alex’s glare softened a bit at the words, and he scanned the other. Even now, they stood squared up to him. They weren’t pandering to him, and even as he scanned the satchel, he saw no stolen goods. “Where are the blueprints…?” he asked.
Morgan blinked at the question before turning and pointing back where they came from. “Back there… On the coffee table of the room you left me in.”
Alex tilted his head, looking through the walls to see that they weren’t lying. “You’re not even taking the things you risked your life for?” He asked.
Morgan chuckled a bit and turned back to the imposing man standing fairly close to them. “I told you, I don’t want those. I just wanted revenge on Man Landscaper, and since that is….” They glanced over at a crack in the wall. “Finished…” they said, clearing their throat and looking back at the man. “I figured you would need them now anyway, and I’ll save so much money trying to mail them back to you.”
Alex listened closely, lost for words for a moment. Started to speak, but then stopped, looking away.
“So…” Morgan broke the silence, feeling a bit awkward. “Do you need help packing your stuff, or….”
Alex shook his head. “You are the strangest person I’ve ever met….”
Morgan chuckled and offered a small smile. “Thank you.” They said. “I’ve never liked to match anyone’s expectations.”
Alex opened his mouth, but quickly realized he had nothing to say. He looked back at his crumbling lair, then back at Morgan and let out an almost defeated sounding sigh. “Where are we going then?”
~~~
Alex looked around the room. This apartment was indeed nothing like his lair. It wasn’t very bright. It was a bit cluttered, but it was comfortable. He sat on a couch in the living room, not really sure what to do. When was the last time he had stayed over at a friends house? Were they even friends?
The sound of a muffled swear from the other room broke him from his thoughts and he looked over at the door. “Are you ok?” he asked.
Morgan pushed through the door with two cups in their hands. “I’m fine. It’s just the hand you burnt is all.” They said, moving to offer the other one of the cups.
Alex slowly took it, looking down to see the badly bruised wrist from where they had been hanging. He took the cup, knowing that all of the other’s injuries were his fault. “Yeah… sorry about that… reflexes.” He said, moving to take a sip of his coffee as Morgan sat beside him.
Morgan chuckled, drinking their own coffee and slumping comfortably in the overstuffed couch. “It’s fine. You didn’t know what I was trying to do.”
Alex watch them for a moment, shifting his own posture a bit as he tried to relax. After all, if this little D lister could be so relaxed in his own presence, why couldn’t he manage it? “Yeah… And… what was it you were trying to do”
Morgan sighed and rolled their eyes. “I already told you…”
“Yeah, I know, but.” Alex looked down at his own coffee, swirling it a bit in thought. “It just doesn’t make sense to me… Why would you go to all that trouble? What made him worth all of that?”
Morgan grumbled a bit, taking another sip as they looked at their own messy coffee table. “He is my sister’s ex fiancé….” they confessed. “Or… was, I guess… He cheated on her and she refused to get revenge on him because she is a hero and that’s ‘against her morals’.” Air quotes and a mocking tone accompanied those last words. They sighed and shrugged. “I knew I wasn’t strong enough to go up against him directly, but I had to do something. I mean, she’s my sister.”
Alex blinked a few times as he watched the other get so fired up about this. “So…” He was trying to make sense of it again. “You risked all that… to fuck over a hero, just because they cheated on your sister… who is also a hero…”
“Ok, can you stop doing that, please?”
Alex actually flinched slightly, having not expected Morgan to snap at him like that. He looked up at the other, his confused glare returning. “I could have killed you. Or worse!” He hissed.
Morgan met the golden glare fearlessly. They relaxed a bit, taking another sip of their coffee. “But you didn’t…” They observed, making Alex’s glare melt away. “Why?”
That was a perfectly reasonable question. Alex just hadn’t been prepared for it. Why hadn’t he just killed the other? He’d been planning to. He looked away, scanning the papers on the table in front of them and he sipped his own coffee. He paused as he saw notes for the heist of his own lair, chuckling a bit as he saw the footnote including the bag of dog poop. That was why.
“Well… I honestly have never met anyone like you…” he said. “I left you hanging on the wall expecting you to be collateral damage in the fight because I didn’t know how to deal with you. And… when you not only survived… but saved me… albeit unnecessarily wasting your power…”
“Hey!” Morgan snapped, but Alex kept going.
“I knew I didn’t want to kill you… you just… keep surprising me at every turn… and I don’t get surprised easily.” He said. “I just can’t seem to put you in a box…”
“Good.” Morgan said, chuckling. “Fuck your boxes. I don’t want to fit into anyone’s boxes.” They continued, propping their feet up on the coffee table and taking another drink.
Alex paused, staring for a moment before a soft smile crossed his face and he let out a little laugh. “Well, you don’t. Trust me.” He said, leaning back a little as he finally began to relax. He looked around the room again. “Um… Thanks for letting me crash here.” He said.
Morgan nodded. “No problem. It’s what friends do.” They said, chuckling at the look of surprise he got from the other.
“Friends?”
Morgan shrugged. “I mean yeah… If you want to.”
There was a long pause as Alex nodded. “Yeah… Friends…” he said, taking another drink as he smiled a bit. “I like that.”