Chapter Text
“Neptune, report to these cords immediately. A random person decided they want a bonfire, a huge one.”
Wilbur groaned as he received the cords and forced himself to get up from the ledge at his post.
He's been chilling out on the roof of a random tall building in district four. It's not usually where he patrols normally but he decided to change it up for once.
Apparently, that one minor change decided to just fuck up his whole ass day.
The message he received from headquarters caused him to jump from the peaceful atmosphere that he had been reveling in.
Not much crime happens in district four around this time so Wilbur hadn't been doing much at the time besides watching the scenery and waiting to see if someone was going to actually commit a crime.
Can a hero just catch a break?
Wilbur tapped his earpiece a few times before finally managing to turn his mic on, “I'll be there in five, tops.”
The man on the other side barked a laugh at the sarcastic tone before they both turned their mics off.
Wilbur knew he really wasn't going to make it there in time before some real damage happened. He just hoped that he could stop it from spreading far. What district did Bob- or whatever his name was- say again? The third? Fuck he hated that district.
‘The great and most fabulous top hero’ threw himself over the edge, expertly landing on the rooftop of another building top just to the side of the one he was just on.
He made a few more running jumps from building after building until he approached the edge of a short apartment building that didn't lead to any other rooftops, just a rickety fire escape.
Great, he couldn't rooftop jump anymore so he's going to have to join the sea of people down below. His ‘favorite’ form of travel.
Wilbur grabbed the side of the rusty fire escape, swinging his legs over, and made his way down.
For the entire length of the climb, he silently prayed he wouldn't get tetanus. Or fall to his death. Can't forget that one.
Wilbur made it to the bottom after a few close calls that got his adrenaline pumping. He looked around the alley before spotting the exit and running straight towards it.
Buildings blurred and turned into blobs of color around Wilbur as he picked up his speed yet again. Civilians swerved around him trying to get out of his path. Wilbur muttered apologies to those he accidentally knocked over. He's almost a hundred percent sure that none of them heard him over their own cursing and shouting.
Today was supposed to be one of the more chill days.
Go on patrol for an hour or two and finish up some paperwork before going home and watching the finale of stranger things.
Maybe even get some take out too. There was this new restaurant that he had been dying to eat from. He just wanted a normal day, not this.
Soon the smell of smoke overwhelmed Wilburs’s senses.
Fuck, he wishes his mask filtered smoke as well as Techno’s did. Why did he have to be the nearest hero on scene? That was just completely unfair.
Fuck the system and their poorly designed suits (they're not, the suits are actually quite lovely. Fashionable too.)
Just as soon as he smelt the smoke he was able to see it. Black columns of smoke filtered through the air. It took a bit for Wilbur to actually find where it's coming from. A large apartment building of some sort and a few undistinguishable buildings surrounding it were on fire.
Wilbur slowed down as he approached the scene of the crime and took a deep breath to settle his nerves.
He took a look around assessing the damage and how to move forward. Most of the surrounding buildings were on fire by now but there was no sight of the cause of the fire.
Wilbur silently cursed under his breath. It seems like the man who set the fire already fled the scene.
This is fine.
Wilbur adjusted his mask to better cover his mouth and nose as the smoke was starting to tickle his throat.
He can do this.
Wilbur was late to arrive so the least he could do is help the fire department clean up the damages. Mostly the fire. Wilbur glanced over the huge fucking bonfire. Wilbur whistled a fire indeed.
A beam from one of the buildings came crashing down to the road and luckily avoided any people who may have been nearby. Though judging from the sight of a crushed car, someone may have a bad day soon if the apartments were not already the cause of that. The alarms from the car started to blare loudly. Seems like he's going to have a headache by the end of this.
Wilbur tapped his earpiece and was more successful with turning on the mic this time than last.
“Can you get me a report? How many buildings are affected and are there any civilians trapped inside?”
The man on the other side hummed on the other side as the sound of keys typing filled his ears making him cringe.
The sight of the fire was worrisome. Wilbur could tell that the fire started in the apartment building and had spread to the others as it was the most charred. Fire trucks lined the street with hoses trying to put out the fire before it spread any further. It seems that they were not making progress at slowing it down.
The mic crackled back to life as Dave spoke, “Uhm, the rest of the block is pretty fine, no damages so far but these buildings aren't doing so great.”
Wilbur hummed and made his way over to the nearest and unoccupied fire hydrant.
“Reports say that the fire is managing to relight itself and that's why they are making zero progress in putting the fire out.”
Wilbur approached the fire hydrant and crouched in front of it confused. Fire relighting itself? Is it an electrical fire?
“Can you elaborate on the relighting part?” Wilbur asked perplexed.
“Yeah! Uhm, we think it might be due to its more magical properties. Regular water isn't doing the trick in putting it out. Some fire powers can do that but not to this extent. We think that the culprit might have been trained or they are just extremely powerful naturally.”
Wilbur muttered a thank you quietly.
“Anyone trapped inside?”
“No! At least I don't think so.” Click. Click. Click. “Nothing has been reported so far. The apartment was undergoing renovation and the only people who would have been inside would be construction workers. All the workers already clocked out and went home by now.”
Wilbur let out a small sigh of relief. At least he didn't have to go in and save people. “Alright, alright. I'm going to help them put out the fire.”
Simon responded in a playful tone, “I don't know how much you can help if the fires refuse to be put out, Neptune but go for it I guess.”
Wilbur huffed out a laugh, “Bet, I'll put the fire out.”
“It wasn't a bet-”
“You'll owe me,”
Wilbur chimed in before he turned off his mic to focus on the task at hand. He got down on both of his knees before the fire hydrant and placed his hands on the cold hard ground. Rocks dug into Wilbur's skin and made him uncomfortable but that's the price he has to pay.
To be a ranked A hero you need to be in complete control of your powers. You need to be level headed in situations where all you want to do is shout and act out, in anger or fear. You need to stand tall in the face of danger and be the rock that the people need to lean on when things get tough.
It takes a lot of guts to become a hero.
It's not what most people think it would be like. Most people assume that heroes were born perfected. Everything came easy to them because they were powered. They think that heroes receive special privileges and are favored above all civilians. They think we are stuck up rich pricks who only lift a finger to look good and get even richer. That couldn't be so far from the truth.
Wilbur was a hero who had been humbled. He knew the hardships everyone faced, powered or not.
It was his job to protect them no matter what. He had to sacrifice his body and mind to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. He spent years to get here, to train and use his powers to help the public. And that's what he plans to do.
When Wilbur touched the ground and focused on the tingle in his hands he felt something shift inside him. He felt the shift as he called upon his powers to search. His conscious mind almost slipped away with the ebb and flow of his powers as they searched.
You need to be in complete control of your mind to be a top hero. He used to have a bad habit of letting his powers take the reigns as he slipped into the calming waves of a dark and deep ocean.
Now? Now he reeled his conscious mind back in and shuddered. Wilbur had a duty as a hero and he would be damned if he could not complete it.
L’manburg had an underground water system that most cities had. But, it's a little more special than the average system. Since this city is filled with powered people, they had to take precautions with simple systems and technology to better cater to the powered needs.
Wilbur had a power that worked and weaved around water, Hydrokinesis if you will. To be able to use his powers, he would need a safe source to draw water from.
The water system was enchanted some time ago to have an endless supply of water. The city would never have to deal with a lack of water. It would never have to deal with not having anything to set out an occasional fire. And it helps those who are powered with things similar to his water abilities.
Wilbur focused on his powers and dove deep into the pipe system. It was a weird sensation. It was almost as if he was in two places at once. It took a long time to perfect this too.
He couldn't let himself get unnerved with his extra sense. He had to cultivate it and mold it to his will. Right now it was pretty easy to do, all he wanted to do was find water and that is what he eventually did.
He lifted his hands from the ground and moved up and up and up above the fire hydrant. Water spilled out of the hydrant and spewed up towards the sky before he directed it towards the apartment building.
The water was stronger and more powerful than the hoses on the trucks. It was an almost immediate success as Wilbur heard the sizzling and watched as the licking flames were finally put out.
The sight was almost mesmerizing, and Wilbur was careful not to get too lost and focused on the sight to not lose control. The water looked like beautiful crystals and the fire that reflected off of it made it look like a stunning waterfall that reflected the blazing setting sun.
Wilbur audibly sighed when he managed to almost completely put out an entire building. His relief was short lived as a voice called out behind him. “Stop what you're doing, or I will kill him.”
Wilbur quickly turned to find a hooded man using a random person as a hostage. He could see the orange glow of a hot weapon. It drew a sharp breath from Wilbur as he quickly reclaimed his confidence.
The hot weapon was pushed deeper into the civilian's back when no one met his demands immediately. Wilbur swore that would leave a few marks. Instead of giving a reaction that the man behind him wants (or what Wilbur assumed he wanted), he raised his hand in a placating manner as the water shifted with them.
The water plunged to the bottom of the street soaking everybody's shoes and pant legs. The firemen reluctantly followed the hero's lead and stopped what they were doing, backing away from their equipment with their hands behind their heads.
“What do you want?” Wilbur asked.
The hooded man growled and readjusted his grip on the weapon, unintentionally lessening the pressure from the civilian's back before pressing back harder than before into their skin causing them to cry out in pain.
Damn, that's definitely going to leave a mark.
“I just want you to stop putting out the fire hero, fuck.”
Wilbur pursed his lips before lowering his head in defeat. He looked back up at the fires he had just recently put out and grimaced as they started to light themselves again.
It seems that the man who set the fire never left at all. He was just nearby making sure the fire couldn't be put out.
“They've done it. The fire isn't being put out.”
Wilbur stiffened further trying to keep his posture weak and nonthreatening. It was hard to do when all he wanted was to retaliate or flee from the pressure, but he couldn't just do that. Wilbur had to think of the civilians and the cops who were nearby.
“Why did you want to burn this apartment down out of everything here?” The man shifted behind the civilian that was openly crying now.
Wilbur wished he could see the facial reaction of the man. For now, though, he had to rely on the body language he can see.
“I-” The man started. He sounded upset and scared as if he didn't know he could say what he was stuttering about.
“They- He owed them money.” Then the man shuddered completely, shaking the other person which made them sob.
“The owner refused to pay up…”
The attacker quieted again, not speaking a word out of fear. The windows in the apartment shattered from the overwhelming heat. Shards littered the floor and sunk in the water flooding the streets.
Officers and firemen moved their arms to shield their faces from the glass. The attacker didn't seem fazed by their sudden move because the noise caused both of them to flinch. Thankfully the civilians had evacuated a while ago, so no one got majorly hurt by the glass and the hostage seemed fine.
Wilbur realized he didn't have the time he thought he had for this. He needed to do something quick, and he needs to do it now.
The arsonist shifts again in unease and watches with Wilbur as the building crumbles faster than it had before. “I- I'll let them go when the building burns down. I only need to see ash, nothing more. I just need to see that its gone."
Wilbur didn't react to the arsonist trying to reassure him or themselves, he schooled his expression, posture, and everything else he's too tired to mention- to seem neutral.
Wilbur focused on the water that flooded the streets. He needed to really focus without the usage of his hands. He's finally been able to achieve this trick recently. Though if he were to be asked if it was stable…
The water that was pooled around their feet rose up like a wave casting a dark shadow over a few trucks but most importantly him and the arsonist.
It completely blocked the view of the burning building and the people on the other side from seeing them.
The guy squeaked in fear and dropped his weapon fast peddling quickly to get away from the multiple feet tall wave. The civilian was grabbed by a police officer and took cover abandoning the guy. The water underneath their feet was being pulled towards the wave causing the arsonist to trip and fall with a small splash.
Wilbur faced the man whose hood fell down with him. His head was shaved, and his outfit was perfectly normal a striped shirt and overalls. Besides the 3D glasses that were crooked on the man's face, he looked like every other citizen.
Maybe this man was just a citizen and got mixed up with the wrong crowd. Too late to back out now, you've made your bed.
“Put your hands up and behind your head!” Wilbur commanded.
The bald man looked at Wilbur before raising his shaking hands from the water and placing them behind his head. Wilbur opened his mouth to address the policemen who were slowly approaching from behind before he felt it snap.
The huge wave behind him began to crash.
It was definitely not stable. He almost forgot that.
Wilbur lifted his hand up and tried to redirect the strong ass currents. There was not much he could do rather than redirect it at this point, and that is just what he does. He turned to face it and raised both hands in the air and braced himself before he pushed.
The wave was getting closer and closer until it froze inches away from the first fire truck. It slowly backed away until Wilbur pushed harder with a strained grunt and sent it crashing into the burning building putting everything out almost instantly.
—-
“That's pretty much everything I can recall about the fight.”
Wilbur leaned back into the plush chair in the supervisor's office. It wasn't very comfortable and it was clear that no one really sits here by how tough it was. Though Wilbur couldn't complain much, this seat is way better than just a wooden chair, especially with how tired he was.
Apparently, the powered attacker was a big enough issue for the supervisor to call him in instead of letting him clock out. In all honesty, Wilbur couldn't care less about the man at that moment, he just wants to go home and sleep.
The supervisor was sitting at her rather undecorated desk across from him. She seemed bored and unimpressed with Wilbur's story.
She's probably heard way more interesting stories from other more talented A heroes than his newbie ass. (He wasn't that much of a newbie) She continued typing away on her keyboard, probably not even writing down his report that was so important that she called him here so she could listen to it herself.
“What else can you recall from the fight?”
Wilbur hummed as he laid his head back fighting against the urge of falling asleep right then and there.
“Well… the fight was pretty tame now that I think about it. I just can't help but think about how the attacker was blackmailed.”
The supervisor stopped typing and peered over her framed glasses to level Wilbur with a look that screamed snobby. She tapped her fingers along the desk in an off beat pattern that absolutely annoyed Wilbur beyond belief.
“What do you mean by blackmail?” She asked.
Wilbur tapped his thighs as he looked up at the ceiling to think. “The guy said something along the lines of ‘he owed them money which I guess is kind of a stretch from him being blackmailed. But he was scared of something, and I don't believe he was scared of me or the police surrounding him.”
Wilbur leaned forwards, “I believe he was being blackmailed to carry out someone's punishment for a past due debt.”
The supervisor nodded and turned her head towards the computer. The annoying clicks filled the room.
“That is quite an assumption but it is completely plausible.” Her hands hovered over the keyboard for a moment as she thought. “Could you tell me about the event that followed after the attack?”
Wilbur nodded and leaned his head to rest on his fist. He was so very tired from this long and tedious day. “I got pretty exhausted after I pulled off that practical tidal wave without using my body to channel it-”
The supervisor looked up from her computer and stared Wilbur down. “Wilbur.”
He gulped. “Yes ma'am.”
Wilbur closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and recited everything he remembered. The police handcuffed the arsonist with little fight as the man was completely out of it muttering vague sentences under his breath. They ended up throwing him into the back of one of the unflooded police cars.
They were probably taking him to Pandora's vault for safekeeping until the trial if he even gets a trial. Wilbur helped clean up some of the mess he caused for a little bit until he had to go back to headquarters to write his report and sign off patrol to another unfortunate soul.
“That's all that happened ma'am.” The supervisor hummed and grabbed a sticky note writing something quick on the small piece of paper. Wilbur looked around the office in boredom noting that it looked like she hadn't personalized it at all.
Yeah, she seemed like the type.
She dropped the pin on her desk adjusting her glasses as she peered over at Wilbur.
“Is that all the information you have?” She said in the same tired and completely done with this tone as Wilbur was talking in earlier.
“You think I would withhold information when I know it would not only get my ass kicked, it would also increase my load of paperwork.”
The supervisor nodded and sighed, “You're dismissed.”
Wilbur perked up at that before the supervisor spoke up at his retreating form.
“But you will be given a few more files and the responsibility to give that man a background check. When you're done, send those files to me. I'm pretty sure you have my email for this.”
Wilbur bit his tongue to stop anything unwanted to come from his mouth and quickly rose from his seat. “I do.”
She nodded. “Good, you can go now.”
“And Wilbur.”
“Yes?”
“You might have to do overtime with all the paperwork you piled up.”
When the door shut behind him Wilbur let out a groan and suppressed the urge to either scream or punch something. He rubbed his temples with the upcoming headache and succumbed to his fate of paperwork. Now that he got that done, he needs to write the fucking report and do a lot of paperwork over this. Damn, it seems tonight is going to be a very late night.
He really hopes he doesn't have to stay the entire night.
—
Wilbur sat down another empty coffee mug to join the dozen that were scattered across his desk. It seems that the supervisor is more of a bitch than usual because she threw some of her work- on top of the criminal- on top of the mission he took- on top of patrol- on top of dealing with fucking Fundy at the front desk- on top of his normal flood of paperwork today.
The research on the arsonist was pretty easy and fairly quick to do. The man- named Jack Manifold- was just a normal citizen. Well, he did have some legal history but nothing major. Just a few unarmed robberies of small stores and he had already served his time for them.
Which wasn't much but he still did his time.
That paperwork was fairly easy to put together. If only everything else wasn't so difficult this could have been done in no time but these things don't make a lick of sense to him.
There was not one report that says he had ever used his powers during robberies or anything similar. He took classes to help control his pyromaniac needs when he was younger but eventually dropped out due to financial reasons. Which was fairly common around that time.
Not one crime ever had anything written about any planned or accidental arson on Jack's part. He seemed to be very careful and not easily provoked to use his powers as others are prone to do. There were also no reports of him being in any gang or participating in any gang activity. He had a normal job with normal pay and he lived in a normal apartment and normally pays rent when due. All this just seemed odd to him.
Wilbur continued to look through Jack's files.
Other than his history with the robberies, no other charge was there. He never committed assault or was the victim of it. He never gambled or was ever caught gambling. No drugs, no charges of arson, no drunk driving, nothing! This guy was almost as clean as could be beside his few minor charges.
Why would this man just suddenly burn an apartment building down?
So the next thing Wilbur did was pull up the apartment that was earlier burnt down and the owner of said apartment's files. Now that gave him some ideas. The owner did involve himself with gambling, drugs, shady deals, and the underground. The owner had just gotten off parole and visited his apartment for the night to check up on how everything was doing there.
If the owner had an involvement with the underground then the reasoning for what Jack did makes a little more sense.
The guy must have missed a few payments due to his time in prison. The people in the underground have to ensure their position of power so if they let one man get away with it then the people there would make them seem weak.
Just how did Jack get involved-
Wilbur's door slammed open and made him jump from the sudden intrusion. Technoblade- another A class hero- was standing there with an evil grin and a box of donuts.
“How's the paperwork?”
Wilbur groaned and threw himself backward in his chair so he could better talk to Techno.
“It fucking sucks Tech. I have no clue how you do this shit every day, I almost miss being a B class hero. At least then I wouldn't have to do this fucking type of paperwork!” He dramatically threw his hands in the air to insinuate his point.
Techno invited himself in and laid the box on Wilbur's messy desk before he sat in a chair that Wilbur got just for him.
He huffed in amusement at Wilbur's antics and grabbed himself a donut from the box that sat open between the two. Techno and he have been friends for a long time, a few years in fact.
Techno- being a higher classed hero- always helped Wilbur when he needed it and he in turn helped Techno whenever he could. Techno always visited Wilbur before he clocks out so Wilbur shouldn't have been that surprised he showed up. It has been routine for a while now but he still appreciates Techno taking time out of his busy day to talk to him.
“What do you've got? I wanna see if I can help.” Wilbur rolled his eyes fondly and still sat up in his chair and turned his monitor to where they could both view.
“Jack Manifold,” Wilbur pointed to the photo of the bald man.
“Had been charged for damage or destruction of property. Or that's what I assume they're going to charge him for. To be fair I don't know much about the legal system especially when it comes to this shit.”
Wilbur then guided the mouse and pulled up the news article of the burning apartment to show Techno.
"Imagine burning down an apartment building, cringe.”
Wilbur snickered.
“Jack said he was burning the apartment down because the owner owed money to some people and refused to pay up. I then looked into the owner's legal history and found that he had been running around the underground for some time.”
Techno nodded and opened his mouth to speak before a tiny catchy jingle sounded from his phone.
Wilbur stopped talking when Techno lifted the phone to his ear and mumbled some things. He watched as Techno raised a finger asking for a moment before he stepped out of the room.
Wilbur leaned back and stared at the closed door. He was kind of upset that Techno had to leave earlier than he usually would but he could live with that.
Wilbur reached out and grabbed a donut from the abandoned box and happily took a bite. It wasn't warm but at least it wasn't stale, he could live with that.
A few minutes of typing was all Wilbur got in before Techno walked in, phone neatly tucked away.
He turned to give Techno his full attention as the man had an indecipherable expression. “Hey Tech, do you have to go?”
Technos' lips curled up as he snatched the box noting the missing donut, yet not commenting on it.
He looked up and met Wilbur's gaze. “Guess who's getting their first S class mission?”
Wilbur paused with a frown, “You?”
Techno snorted. “Yes, you.”
And Wilbur was baffled.
Techno huffed, “Pack your stuff seems like Philza wants us. Hope you don't mind putting off your paperwork longer.” He waited by the door as Wilbur quickly grabbed his phone and rushed out of the door following Techno.
The S class hero wants him for a mission?
—
Techno seemed to know where he was going which wasn't as odd as Wilbur had first thought. Of course, he would know where the S class heroes office was. Wilbur wouldn't be surprised if Techno had told him that he joined Notus in a few high classed missions. He was a great hero and could easily be an S class if it wasn't such a fucking tedious rank to join.
Wilbur followed Techno around like a lost puppy which he kind of was, to be honest. They weaved through a few hallways that he didn't recognize and finally ended up in front of an elevator. No one was waiting for it so the wait wasn't long and soon the pair stepped onto the top floor.
The floor wasn’t as remarkable as Wilbur thought it would be for the higher ups. It looked like a standard hallway, with white painted walls, and wooden flooring.
There were doors that had a number and nameplate ever so often down the hall and a huge window at the end of the hall that looks over the city. Neat.
“So this is where the S class people work?”
Techno hummed.
“I thought there would be more of I dunno, hero stuff?” Wilbur looked over to Techno who was scanning every door they came by. Most of the nameplates were empty but there were some names here and there.
“I thought the same thing. I don't know what I was thinking when I first got here. That the whole place would be marble? The only special treatment is the view but since they’re all locked up in their rooms all the time it's kind of a waste.”
Wilbur nodded, he genuinely thought they would get better treatment but apparently not. “Huh.”
Techno snorted, “Yeah.”
Philza's door wasn't any different from the other doors in this hall. It wasn't remarkable either, just a wooden door with his full name on a plaque. ‘Philza Minecraft - Alias Notus’. Techno knocked upon immediately approaching the door probably wanting to get this meeting over with as quickly as possible. Wilbur knows that he does.
A faint ‘come in’ sounded from the other side of the door. Techno gripped the doorknob and easily opened the door. He walked in casually and without hesitance and looked back at Wilbur to make sure he was still following. Which was very rude by the way! He's gotten way better at dealing with his social anxiety than Techno was normally.
Wilbur shut the door behind him and took a quick glance around the room. Unlike the supervisor, Philza's room was decorated which caused him to feel a lot more human.
There were potted plants that seemed well taken care of and pictures hung lovingly on the wall. There were plush armchairs that were adorning pillows and a fluffy rug that Wilbur just wanted to shuffle his feet in.
Then Wilbur drifted his attention over to the man that was sitting at his own desk.
Philza looked like just any other man if you ignored the black wings on his back. He had dirty blonde hair that reached his shoulders. He wore more comfortable work attire, just a green button up and a black tie that had a heart charm. The hat that Philza is usually seen wearing is sitting on his desk, all in its striped fanned bucket hat glory.
Phil had a smile on his face and beckoned the two to step further into the office.
“Come in, take a seat, mate. You look like you need it.” Phil said teasingly.
Techno took the chair off to the left leaving Wilbur to sit on the right. He plopped down and had to stop himself from sighing at how good the chair felt.
Techno leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees with his hands interlaced. His pink bangs got into his face but he didn't seem to mind which never failed to infuriate Wilbur.
Techno at some point had even begun to let his hair become a rats nest or come into work with pink tails to purposefully piss off Wilbur. Can't one person just take care of their hair and fashion sense?
“What was so important that you couldn't say over call?” Right, Wilbur is in Philza's office discussing important things. Don't doze off.
“You know how much I hate walking.”
Phil snicked. Wilbur kind of felt like a third wheel.
“Alright, alright, leave it to you to stop all small talk.” Phil looked over every detail of the two before sliding a file over to them.
Techno grabbed it and shuffled his chair closer to Wilbur so they could both read. It would have just been a normal file to Wilbur if he didn't read the label first ‘High classed villain Hex’.
Wilbur whistled, “Is this really-?”
Philzas' face looked grimmer by the second as Wilbur looked up at him to gauge his reaction. His wings puffed up with his mood casting a shadow before lowering.
“Yes, mate. That's him alright.”
He looks back down in time for when Techno opens the unsuspecting file.
The first thing Wilbur noticed was the picture of Hex. He was wearing his signature white smiley face mask that covered his entire face. He was wearing a black coat that flew easily behind him dramatically in the wind. The cloak hood shadowed Hex’s face making him scarier. A leather strap over his chest was holding a bag not seen in the picture. Hex was holding an axe leisurely as if he was just taking a stroll.
Techno pulled the picture from the paperclip holding it in the folding. He placed it delicately on the office desk.
Philza hummed, “Hex has been terrorizing this city for years. One of the only villains I've gone against and lost to.”
Wilbur's eyes widened as he looked at Philza with disbelief. Philza just looked a tad bit pissed with what he had said.
“The higher ups are telling me that my first and foremost priority at the moment is capturing Hex and bringing him to justice. Prison, death, they don't care, they just want him off the road.”
Wilbur grabbed an info sheet on the debut of Hex and the first thing he saw was blood. The count of citizens injured and casualties were monstrous, the damages were catastrophic and that was only his debut.
Wilbur searched for what powers the man has. Allegedly Hex has the power of luck and if you put two and two together it makes sense. That does not settle any nerves Wilbur has about that guy though. He had fought someone today with clear fire powers. That is something he could handle, but luck? He would be doomed the second he takes a step on the battlefield.
Techno snatched the paper out of Wilbur's hand when he was done reading and skimmed it over. Wilbur turned towards Philza with an uneasy feeling in his chest.
“I can see why they want this guy gone quickly. He's one of the worst villains I think I have ever had the displeasure of knowing,” Wilbur said.
Philza nodded, “I've been trying to lock up this guy for years now. He's just always one step ahead like he knows where we're going to be and when. I can't do this by myself.”
Wilbur guessed that. Philza was a strong S class but a man who literally possesses the power of luck is going to be one hard man to catch for just one person.
“That's why I went to the higher ups recently and requested for some S class to accompany me. The request was denied as they all had their respective missions to go on. So they recommended a few A classes to me.” Philza smiled a tad bit at that.
“I've already been on a mission or two with Technoblade, isn't that right mate?” Techno gave an agreeing grunt as he flipped to another paper in the folder.
“We work really well together so that was obviously my first pick. So then Techno recommended to me that you were a really talented A class.”
Wilbur's eyes widened and he sputtered in shock, “R-really?”
Philza gave a more genuine smile. “Yes, mate. I looked into your files and he was right. You are very talented with your powers. And not just with that, you're very good in high pressure situations and diffusing any ticking time bombs. I've always had a hard time dealing with those types of people. You're a great pick for this team, Mate.”
Phil clasped his hands together. “Now I think I should get on and say what my plan is to capture Hex.”
Techno reached over to the picture on the desk out of a sudden. He slid the picture into the paper clip and quickly closed the file. He slid the file into the place where the picture was laying previously.
“You already have a plan?”
Phil took the file and placed it into one of the drawers at his desk.
“It's not foolproof but it's a plan nonetheless.”
Techno huffed out a laugh. “That's how your plans usually are, Phil. No shock here.”
Phil let out a laugh, “You little shit!” Wilbur smiled at the obvious friendship the two had. It was nice.
“The plan Phil. We don't have forever to sit here like you do, old man.” A half hearted glare was thrown his way before Philza cleared his throat.
“There's been something going on around media recently about a murder case that caught my interest. I looked into it and apparently, they were talking about the anniversary of the murderer being sent to prison.”
Wilbur nodded confused. Why is he talking about a murderer?
“I looked into the guy's file and found out he has a very useful power that could curve Hex’s luck and help us finally catch him.”
Technos eyebrow raised in a questioning manner. “What powers could have that capability?”
Philza scooched over another file on his desk that Wilbur took this time. The cover of the file was just some normal orange folder so it must have just been recently made for Phils use.
He flipped the page and an image of a child was all he saw. It was a mugshot of the kid. His hair was tousled and he had bags under his eyes. The light in the shimmering blue eyes was dim and dark. Wilbur couldn't tell what emotion the teen was wearing.
He looked over the crimes before he read the name. He was charged with the murder of Oliver Smith, Charlotte Johnson, Davis Miller, John Brown, Richard Jackson, Anthony Wilson, Kevin Lee, Micheal Jones, Brian Clark…
A few more names were listed and it made Wilbur a tad sick. A kid had done this. He had murdered several people and was planning on murdering more.
Techno reached over and pointed towards a separate paper that listed the characteristics of the child. The picture wasn't up to date apparently. It's a few years old and Wilbur knows how Pandora treats its prisoners.
The child was never going to see the light of day again. This will probably be one of the last pictures to ever be taken of him. So Wilbur skipped over all the data that was out of date and ended up on the powers.
Wilbur traced the set of words in shock.
He quickly flipped to another paper that held the name of the teen. Tommy Innit , a serial killer that allowed himself to get caught by the police and showed no remorse for the deaths of those he killed, was just a teenager.
A teenager who had the powers to see the future.
There was a lump in his throat, he felt like there were no words he could say to this. Though Techno did not share the same sentiment.
“I see now how you think that power is going to be useful.”
Philza nodded, “We have an appointment with him tomorrow so you two should get home and rest for that.”
Wilbur looked up at the rustle of clothing as Techno rose out of his seat. He looked at Philza who was reaching for his hat.
“How did you get that? Pandora doesn't allow visitors.”
Phil smirked and winked. “I have my ways, Wilbur.”
Philza lifted his hat above his hat and dropped it. "I expect you two here in my office at eight am sharp. Though you might want to grab a large coffee for the long day we're going to have tomorrow.”
Techno nodded and left out of the door being trailed by Wilbur and lastly Phil who shut off the lights and locked the door behind him.
Wilbur almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of what was happening. He never thought he was going to ever go on any S class missions let alone on one this important and dangerous. All he wanted to do was watch the finale of Stranger Things, not get a meet up with a serial killer who may or may not help them find one of the world's greatest villains, Hex.
Fuck, this is going to be a long week…