Chapter Text
"Famous villain Zee has been spotted carrying money out of the central bank on NY-41, local officers are requesting backup now." a news reporter showed on the billboard, it plastered on the side of the building. Zee's arch-nemesis, Sargent Alta, (dumb name if you asked Zee) was elsewhere. Alta had been tracking and racing after the villain for months, so today he stood ready to, hopefully, catch the villain. The hero felt bad for setting up that robbery, the bank spent weeks printing fake money and the entire plan would be ending in about twenty minutes– that is, if everything went smoothly. The plan was to sneak into Zee's hideout and wait until he gets back from the robbery, armed and ready to arrest.
Alta had been surprised to find that a villain who's number one crime is to rob lived in such a run down building. It was old and it looked like the only bill being paid was the electricity bill. The building was big and empty with lots of rooms, if Alta didn't know any better he'd say it's the most run down mansion he's ever seen. When he climbed out of his truck the hot wind moved his blond curls around wildly. Alta was tan, freckled, and extremely buff (had to be for the job) but he was really just a ball of anxiety most of the time. Climbing the stairs made him nervous, he felt as if he'd fall through them any second.
He slipped through the second entrance door at exactly 8:03 and found a small, sick looking girl bedridden exactly ten minutes later when he stumbled upon her room. Her room was the most decked out, Alta observed. The girl looked to be sleeping but Alta still kept his distance for the time being. At first Alta thought maybe the poor girl had been kidnapped, but then he took note of how even Zee's room (Alta assumed that was the villians room, decked out with several bank's floor plans) wasn't as nice as hers. 'Maybe.. Maybe the girl was his ward or something.' the long-time hero thought. Seeing that the girl hadn't moved and the rhythm of her breaths were still even, Alta moved a little closer to inspect the girl and the things on the table beside her bed. The room was decked out in medical gear, telling Alta that the girl was indeed sick. She was pale, and couldn't be older than fourteen or fifteen. Alta imagined she was probably a very beautiful girl, but her beauty was cloaked in pale skin and sweaty sickness. Alta pitied the girl, still stuck on why she was here. For the moment though, he moved on to inspect the array of items cluttering her side table. There was a cheap game-boy and cups of water littering the table as well as a plate of barely touched food. There was also a piece of paper, which Alta picked up gently to inspect;
Moon, LIllian November 7th 20== 7 am
Patient's fever is getting worse and chills are increasing exponentially. If patient is not treated with a certain amount of surgery's symptoms will worsen. The patient's father is slowly gathering enough payment and if I can get the hospital workers to keep quiet a few more weeks the payment and surgerys can be done.
Moon, Lillian November 10th 20== 12 pm
The patients symptoms have worsened to the point of needing sedation to ease pain. If she has to wait more than another month she will fall into critical condition.
Moon, Z==== November 15th 20== 1 pm
Patient suffered from a severe cold for several days because of refusal to leave daughters room and take care of himself. Medication helped but still lost patient several days of work and now the payment date is pushed back a week. Name is blacked out for the privacy of the patient.
Moon, Lillian November 20th 20== five hours ago
The medical room's equipment has become practically useless against patients' illness and the need for surgery has increased. Waiting for payment.
Alta blinked rapidly at the paper, almost in shock. Not only does Zee have a daughter but she's sick. 'This is why he steals so much money. His daughter is sick!' Alta stepped out of the room, worried he would wake the girl if he stayed. She needed the rest. Alta didn't know what to do, he knew he wouldn't be arresting his former arch-nemesis. 'Yes, definitely my former arch-nemesis, I can't believe I fought someone who was just trying to save his daughter.' He was pacing now, trying to think of what to do. There was only one idea coming to mind that he wanted to do. Zee and his daughter couldn't stay here, Zee needed money for surgery. What better way to fix both problems but to offer them a place with him and a way for Zee to pay for surgery AND pay the bank back?
Alta, knowing he probably shouldn't have left the room with the paper in his hands, turned it over. On the back, or wait, maybe it was the front. Anyhow, their was a diagnosis on the front with all of Lillian's measurements and information. Alta tried hard to read the diagnosis but someone had took to scratching it out. He imagined it was Zee. 'He can't even look at her diagnosis.' the latex clad hero thought sadly.
Well, if the hero was going to do anything about this, he was going to have to go down and dis-arm his waiting vehicle. So that's what he did, he re-discovered the exit and disarmed his ride and stood beside it, waiting. It wasn't three minutes before Zee pulled up. He jumped out of the black van in a hurry when he saw Alta and, with a worried look in his sage eyes, stood in front of the van waiting for the hero to explain himself. The wind wipped at his dark hair like it did the heros. He stood with a firm stance, the black leather and jean material stretching to fit around his lithe figure as he got ready to swing.
"Zee, I have a proposition for you. But we need to talk first–" Alta had barely got the sentence out before Zee had noticed the paper clenched in his fist and fear mixed with anger overtook his features.
"What did you do?!--" Alta soon realized Zee's reaction to seeing the paper in his hands and put his hands up in a surrendering gesture.
"--Noting! Nothing, look! I know- I know about your daughter! I didn't do anything! I didn't even wake her!" Alta was dodging swings by the end of his explanation. After one more attempt of violence from Zee, the villain calmed down and stood stiffly.
"I swear if you hurt her–" Zee cut himself off when he saw Alta shaking his head violently, hands still held in the air. "What do you want, then? You saw the report sheet, my daughter is dying..." Any villainous trait about the man seemed to fall to the ground and seep into the dirt. Alta looked on at the sad scene in front of him and stood a little straighter, ready to give his proposition.
"That's where the proposition comes in," he paused to see the reaction of Zee. After a nod of the man's head, Alta continued, "You and your daughter– you can't live in this dump. And you need more money to pay for the surgery. You've broken into my base before, it's huge. I've got plenty of space for you and LIllian–" Zee twitched at hearing the hero say his daughters name. "--come stay with me, you and your daughter. You can work a real job and get paid enough money to eventually pay all the banks back for what you stole. And, I can pay for her surgery. All I ask is you give the villainy up and get your daughter back into perfect health. Deal?" Zee was staring wide eyed at his long time arch-nemesis. Whatever he expected, it wasn't this. Could he even take this offer? The hero could be lying. Lilly's been sick for so long that he didn't know how she would react to other people. But then again, this was it– this was how he lived through getting Lily healthy again. Zee didn't think he would live through it. He was so sure that he'd get shot down one day after he had gotten enough money for his daughter's surgery. If he had ever gotten that far. Can he really live in the same house and eat the same food as his arch-nemesis? After a brief second he shook his head and lifted his hand to shake Alta's.
"Deal." As their hands shook Zee thought, 'Nothing is too out of the question if it cures my LIllian.'