Chapter Text
Impulse was having a rough day even before he got the call, scratch that, rough week.
Because it was the third time this week the BEST, the infamous villains if you were willing to believe that, had hit something oh so important, so of course it was his job to go and fix it. As well as fight them.
Hello, anybody here remember that Impulse was in fact only one person? And that BEST definitely consists of four people, even if they weren’t always out at the same time.
Why were they so insistent as well? Impulse felt like no matter how the fight went, his own personal nightmares was back in the field in no time at all.
That was perhaps a bit harsh. Angel (what an ironic name) was always a fun conversation, even if Impulse wasn’t sure how he hadn’t been brought in yet. Really, the man was always failing at his various schemes, quite ridiculously too, Impulse might add.
Zip was a fun fight, sparring at the speed of light (quite literally too), but he always had a chipper attitude ready, and Impulse had no small amount of fun during their fights.
Charge and Rewind were both terrifying, but at least half of the team were bearable.
It helped that though the villains were often together, they just as often split up, meaning Impulse rarely had to fight more than one person at a time. Usually at least.
The last couple of times, the Agency had sent him out alone even when two or more villains had been spotted. Backup had come in the end, but what painful fight it had been up until then.
The Agency had healers, but it wasn’t like they could do all that much other than patch him together. Not if they didn’t have time or Impulse had another mission.
And Impulse always had another mission.
Not that he was going to complain. Impulse was out there, saving lives and helping people. It was a dream come true every day he woke up.
So sure, he was running on a few too little hours of sleep and was still a little banged up from fighting Angel, of all people, a few days ago, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.
So, when Zip was spotted among some abandoned buildings, Impulse was sent there almost immediately. Apparently, he was one of the few people capable of keeping up with the man, given his teleportation and everything.
It wasn’t clear exactly what Zips villainous plans were, but after how active BEST was being, there had to be some sort of master plan. Better respond fast than let the villains execute their plans.
Besides, there was an arrest warrant out for Zip's head, so the Agency would very much like him brought in regardless, thank you very much. Especially since he was part of such an influential villain group, none of whom had even been caught.
Impulse was in his suit in no time at all, and on his way before even a minute had gone by. Practiced routine made for a quick response time, one would almost think Impulse was the one with super-speed.
The area was empty when Impulse got there, abandoned and collapsing structures giving Zip plenty of room to hide.
Impulse rolled his eyes; he didn’t have time for this. In two hours he had another PR interview and the Agency would skin him alive if he was late again.
Straining his ears, Impulse tried to catch a sound. Anything that would give up Zips whereabouts, and a clatter caught his attention. It was coming from a half-open building to his left.
Got you. Let the games begin.
Impulse only had to get the drop on him, and for that he simply had to find the villain and then teleport to a spot behind him. If only he could see from outside the building. Where none of the normal cracks or holes were present.
A fact which could very well mean Zip knew he was coming, given his strategic choice of a battleground. That might be a bit of a problem. If only the Agency could remember they employed more than one high ranking hero.
Carefully approaching the edifice, Impulse looked for cracks or other ways in that didn’t feel like stumbling into a trap designed specifically for him.
At last, there was a gap big enough for Impulse to look through, and there he could see Zips distinctive red costume. Bingo.
Teleporting inside should be quick work, even if Impulse was already feeling a little tired. Pre-battle jitters certainly. Not that they were needed, Zip was a good sport at the best of times and didn’t really pose that big of a threat if Impulse messed up.
Which he wasn’t going to do.
Zip was similar to Angel in that manner, even if both Charge and Rewind were known to fight dirty and go for the kill if they felt it necessary to get out uncaptured.
Sometimes Impulse wondered how they had all become a team with such different fighting styles and sets of morals.
They worked so well together too, so it wasn’t like it caused any conflict or anything of the like either. Impulse sometimes wished the Gs could have something similar.
But there was too much crime to stop, so teaming up was rare when unnecessary, leaving it just something of a private fantasy rather than anything tangible.
Zip was just standing around, tinkering with something Impulse couldn’t see, which was slightly unusual for the villain. He was always moving around, getting jitters when he was standing still for too long.
Still, Impulse ignored it.
At the HQ, a shower was waiting, and a bed with his name on it. If he was really lucky, he might even have time for a quick power nap before the interview.
Teleporting left his vision swimming a little more than normal, but in no time, he was there, face to face with Zip.
“Give up foul villain” Impulse stated loudly. “Your schemes will never work on me”
If Zip was going to take precious time out of his day to make Impulse deal with him, at least Impulse could have some fun with it.
“Come on man” Zip complained. “Why are you like this?”
Impulse only grinned at him in response. Maybe this fight could be fun after all.
He grabbed his staff, and soon they were exchanging a flurry of blows, dodging and weaving at a speed unmatched by anybody else.
Impulse smiled, adrenaline pumping though his veins as the fight picked up. This was what the press liked to talk about, what every interviewer kept harping about.
How he was the only able to keep up with Zips super-speed for longer periods of time, and with such seemingly ease too. Impulse was already sweating, but they didn’t need to know that.
The public could sleep soundly knowing they had a hero to protect them for any dangers they might face.
Panting, Impulse spotted an opening in Zip's defense, aiming to strike his shoulder and leave his opponent off balance. Right as he was about to connect, a heavy force knocked his staff off course.
Charge had joined the fight.
Which didn’t make Impulse freeze for a second in the slightest. Because for that to happen, he needed to actually be afraid of the villain, something that was. Well, entirely reasonable.
Charge was horrifying. Able to shake buildings with his blows, fighting to kill or maim rather than incapacitate. People had lost their ability to walk after an encounter with him, and those were the lucky ones.
Impulse wasn’t really counting on him being a special case.
Well, that could be dealt with easily enough. Impulse just had to call for backup and somehow not die while waiting for it.
Easy peasy. Or not.
Reaching for his communicator, Impulse got ready to send a request for Pearl maybe? She was a really strong fighter. Add to the fact she could fly, and it was a solid plan. Or maybe Cleo, she was often put against the Charge and they hadn’t died yet.
In the end, Impulse didn’t have to make the choice at all, because Charge knocked the com out of his hands. It landed behind him, and Impulse turned around in a hurry, trying to grab the com again.
Which led him face to face with Angel, who muttered a quick “Sorry” before crushing the com under his foot. This was bad.
Not only had Impulse lost his only way of connecting to the Agency, it was becoming more apparent by the minute that this was an ambush.
Which Impulse had just walked right into. With no backup. Wasn’t that just peachy?
That meant Impulse had to get out now, by any means possible. Getting captured would only cause the Agency headaches, not to mention him a great deal of pain. That was, if they didn’t intend to kill him then and there.
Impulse hadn’t exactly pegged either Zip or Angel as the kinds of guys amendable to murder, but maybe Charge had some sort of special privilege among them.
Scanning his surroundings, Impulse looked for a way out the trap. The fight with Zip had left him pretty drained, but a few teleportations to save his life would have to be possible.
After all, power-exhaustion was a lot better than being dead. After the worst of it had passed at
least.
Impulse had just found something amendable when the air around him seemed to turn into molasses. It seemed the last member of BEST had finally joined them.
Rewind was looking quite pleased with himself as the villain entered Impulses’ vision. Panic started flooding Impulses veins at being so irreparably trapped.
“Nighty nighty” Rewind sang-spoke as he touched Impulses forehead and everything went dark.