The Vespidian Arc 2: Me, Myself, and Neon Nurse

Chapter 3

Just thinking about Molotov made my carapace crawl like somebody was watching me. My eyes darted about the gloomy surrounding buildings. I was starting to realize it was quiet here, much too quiet. My wasp senses were tingling! What does that even mean?!

My antenna flicked about, sniffing out my surroundings. They were sensitive, picking up on a familiar smell. My eyes squinted as I peered around alleyways and rooftops. I know this smell. I took a few more deep whiffs, my face scrunching up in apprehension. It was Molotov. Oh fuck me, speak of thy demon, and it shall come, huh? I didn't see her, though. I didn't hear her, but I could smell that little monster. I looked harder, surveying all around me with a paranoid gaze. Still, I couldn't locate the menace.

Was she actually here, or was I just so scared that I was hallucinating?

"I can smell you Molotov." I stated more to myself.

"Well, well, well." Replied that deep manly voice, "Did you have a nice little walk?"

Molotov emerged, peering down from a rooftop before leaping down in front of me with a super hero landing that dented the concrete with her fist. I took several steps back.

I squinted at her, "Never been peachier. What do you want?"

She replied with a bit of a tut, "Now, now, I have been watching your struggles."

"Have you now?" I replied, a bit skeptical.

"But of course, you been making a hell of a racket tonight. It would be hard not to see what you been doing."

"I have?" I asked.

"Da. You have the local heroes up in arms. You killed one of them. Da, I am proud of you, popped that villainous cherry." Molotov replied.

I grimaced and punched the brick beside me, "It was self defense. He shot me. My body went into survival mode or something and attacked him."

"They won't see it that way. Don't you know better than to oppose the system? Unless of course you actually want to be a villain. You are already wanted for murder."

"I have told you, I don't want to be a villain."

"Vesper, you have already experienced the welcome of the so called Heroes."

I stared at her. Well. She wasn't wrong. Today had been one of the shittiest days of my life. My dreams shattered, meeting one of my heroes and finding out he a complete piece of shit. I got shot, my neck broken, and I was dumped into a sewer to fight for survival against mutant animals. I rubbed my face looking away from Molotov. She had a point, and I fucking hated that.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Don't you want revenge?"

"Revenge?" I gasped, "I… I never even thought about that."

"You sure?" Molotov asked, gazing at me, "Can't lie to me. The betrayal as Captain Metal shot you rather than listening and Panther breaking your neck and kicking you off of that roof to die. They never even bothered listening to you. But I listen to you. I have taken you in and rather than rejecting you, I have embraced you."

I growled back, "You are just using me."

"Da, I am using you and you should be using me. Give and take. Think about it this way. Do my bidding willingly and win my trust or do it grudgingly. Either way you have no options. The heroes wont accept you as things stand, but I have my ways. I have need of someone on the inside of the Hero League. As such I can manipulate things so that you can wiggle your way into the league. You will be my agent on the inside."

That took a long moment to process, "Wait, you can get me into the Hero League?"

"Da. Who do you think I am, little Vesper. All that it will take is a bit of acting on your part."

Acting. Ugh, I am not good at lying.

"I am not confident I can lie to the heroes."

Molotov nodded, "You don't need to lie, you simply need to omit some facts. It is not lying you are simply not telling them the whole story."

"Pretty sure that is lying by omission and will get me in hot water in court."

"Not if you are under duress and coercion, which you certainly are."

I held my chin, rubbing it slowly. Technically she is right. I put up a clawed finger, "I see. What exactly do you want me to do?"

Molotov's smile spread, making me shiver, "For now, nothing. I expect you to earn their trust and more or less, just be a hero. You know, save people, become a well respected individual within the local hero league."

I frowned at that, "If I just do things as a hero and they accept me, what is stopping me from saying fuck you, I am a hero now?"

Molotov chuckled darkly, "Da, that is your cover story. You escaped my clutches and just want to be a hero. It is perfect for you. The more you embrace being a hero the more convincing it will be. They never suspect a thing. Well, besides any prejudices you might encounter from being a wasp monster. Besides, we both know you will fold faster than a wet noodle when push comes to shove. As such, I have little concerns about you escaping my grasp."

"I am not your little minion. I won't do it."

Molotov stared at me, losing interest, "Keep telling yourself that. Either way, your best option is to try and buddy buddy up with Heroes. Though without my help, they will naturally be extremely suspicious of you. With my help, I can get you in; what you do with it is up to you."

"How will they believe that?"

"Simple, I will make them believe it. Leave that to me. Death threats go a long way you know. You just be a little do gooder and buddy buddy up with those idiots."

"Ok, but how am I even going to get in there?"

"Simple. Turn yourself in. Act as though I am hunting you, after all I will be if you fail to infiltrate the league tonight."

My chest seized, "Tonight? That is a bit much don't you think? I, I don't have any training. I have never done this before. What if they catch on and lock me up?"

"If you fail I will simply leave you to rot in there. I thought that is what you wanted, to escape my grasp. So do be convincing, your life might very well depend on it."

I vented to try and destress, sweating bullets as I thought it over, "I, eh never agreed to this."

"I never gave you a choice. If you have not gotten in by sunrise I am coming for you. When I catch you I will beat villainy into you until you become the monster people think you are. So really it is win-win for me. You will either be a double agent or I will turn you into a real villain."

I glared at her, "I am going to find a hero stronger than you and you will regret this."

Molotov burst into hysterical, deep evil laughter that made my carapace crawl, "Da ha ha. That is the spirit. Who said you are bad at lying? I almost believed that."

"I meant it."

"Da, da, da, of course you do," Molotov wagged her hand at me dismissively, "Now then, off you go. Remember. By sunrise or I am coming for you. Let that desperation fuel you."

With that, Molotov walked away. She didn't bother slinking around on rooftops or scuttling through alleys. She just walked down the street and turned a corner out of sight. Leaving me to contemplate things. Now things were more pressing. It was abundantly clear that I didn't have a real choice in this. Molotov is a fucking monster, but what choice do I have? Her plan is the only way to escape her, so I will have to try it as best as possible.

Where the fuck do I even begin? I have to turn myself in, but there is no telling if the Heroes will listen to me. They will likely just shoot me. I slammed my head against the wall, bricks cracking and crumbling as I tried to think.

My mind calmed, and I sat there gazing out over the streets. The plan had stayed the same. I would find a phone and call them. Turn me in. If they don't see me, they won't flip a lid, right?

A patrol car drove by, and I was tempted to reveal myself, but I was too scared. Getting shot more was not appealing. Not that mugging somebody was much better. Molotov had planted plentiful doubts in my head, and the visit to my parents backed up much of what she was saying. I needed some insurance. I had nothing to leverage, though.

After wrestling with my thoughts for a bit, I made up my mind. I would show myself to the police and talk it out with them. Civis would be much more manageable than supers.

If it was just handguns, I had a feeling I could handle it, but if it was a Super... well, I had a bad feeling about that. It was not hard to track down where that patrol car had gone. I followed it. How was I going to get their attention without meeting resistance?

It meandered along the road but then stopped. The police got out and made their way over to an abandoned-looking building. It was all tagged up, like something that a gang would use. The idea that I could just sit in the backseat of the armored patrol car for when they came back was thrown out when I realized how they might react to finding me there.

Cautiously I made my way over and peered into a broken window. They were talking to somebody. There were about ten people in there, as far as I could smell and see. They did not reek of sweat and garbage, so they were not homeless, those bastards. What I sensed was gunpowder and blood. This was not a nice place at all. Voices were rising, and it sounded like some dispute. It wasn't looking good for the officers. If I saved them, then that would be my ticket in. They would vouch for me. I would hope, anyway. Maybe if I did this right, I could even get out of going to jail! I could barely contain myself. Superhero, here I come!

I crawled up the side of the building and broke into a window upstairs. It made more sound than I wanted it to. There was yelling now below, and the floorboards rumbled as somebody ran up the stairs. I clung to the ceiling and waited for whoever was coming. My eyes could see very well now that the lights were not interfering. Everything about the guy who appeared said, thug. He had a tank top, ripped jeans, tattoos, and a Glock out. His head was shaved, and he had lots of chest hair. He looked over the room, walking towards the center. Not once did he look up. Why does nobody ever look up? I mean, it is the first place I look when there is creepy shit going on.

I pounced, dropping down with my taloned tripod. It grasped his neck, and I thrust him into the floor with a thud. I stood over him, ready for a fight, but he was not moving... shit is he dead? Not another murder, fuck! I lowered my antenna by his face. Fuck, he had bad breath! He needs to lay off the booze. He was not dead, though, and that was what mattered. I sighed with relief, but now there was a problem. There were still seven criminals down there with two hostages.

Somebody was yelling, and a gun went off. My heart sank as I bolted to the stairs and crashed down to the floor below. I got up and found many more people here than I thought. They all looked angry and were armed. Most were pointing the guns at me.

I could smell their fear. It was making me tremble with excitement. Thoughts that they were my prey filled my head. I was something they were not expecting; well, who would be? Something inside told me I had to be aggressive here and dominate, or else this would go very badly. My legs steadied themselves, and I hissed. Just that much was enough to send three of the closest running. I was more scared of them than they were of me, but that was my secret. I took a step, and they took several, backing away. I hissed again. That was a bad idea. Several of them shot at me, which set off a chain reaction of itchy trigger fingers. The whole room exploded into gunfire. I fucked this up badly. I hope those cops are alive after this.

Dodging bullets, I dove to the side, still a few hit me, but they only dented my carapace. It was resistant to small-arms fire; that was good to know. It emboldened me, and I embraced the monster. I made every man in there scream like a little girl when I scuttled across the floor. Took ten bullets in the process, but they were scattering like roaches as I chased after them, hissing and screeching. I lunged and pulled one down. His buddies turned to help. They took one look at what I was and turned blue. I was a whole bag of nope that they were not going to deal with. They abandoned him.

I raised my fists while my lower hands held him down and started wailing on him. I will teach you to shoot me! He was screaming bloody murder as I pounded him out cold. I stood with a wide grin; it felt so good to just let it out. My face must have looked beyond terrifying because they were all gone. I stood there blankly looking around, but everyone was gone... even the cops. Fuck! Now, what am I supposed to do? Wait, they can't have gone far yet. I will chase them down and explain.

I strode out, knocking over a motorcycle that was on the sidewalk. I peered down the street and saw the patrol car swerving around the corner. My gaze fell upon the bike. I didn't know how to drive it, so I left it alone. My feet clacked down the road as I reached the corner. They were long gone.

I held my head; it hurt a bit. It was pretty damn obvious that this was a bust. My mandibles ground together. Damn it to hell! Wait, that guy in there should have a phone or something, right? I quickly returned, lording over him. My hands rifled through his pockets, and he did have a phone. He also had a banana in his pocket for some reason. I pulled them out, but the screen was locked. This banana sure is tasty, though. I picked at it a little to no avail. Then I remembered that you could call 911 without getting in. I smiled wickedly to myself and hit the emergency call button.

It rang a few times, then someone picked up. "Hello, this is 911. How may I help you? Hello? Is anyone there?"

It was weird holding the phone in front of my face. It took a moment to gather my thoughts. I needed to sound natural, like I do this shit all the time. "Hello? Ah, yeah. Yeah, I have two criminals knocked out over here, and I need somebody to take care of it. There were two officers here, but they ran away... I think they were scared of me. Or something."

"Where are you?"

"Good question... where the fuck am I? Hold on, I will see if there is an address here." I lowered the phone a little and took a step outside. Despite looking all over but there were no identifying marks on the down-run place. I ran a hand down my face. "I don't see anything here. Can you track the phone?"

"We can. Alright... actually, there are already units on their way to that location. So just hold tight. What is the situation there?"

I glanced over the unconscious man, then walked upstairs and dragged down the other guy, laying him next to the other one. "Looks secure. By the way.... tell them not to shoot me."

"Why would they shoot you?"

"I kind of look like a monster. Now I know what you are thinking, but I am a nice person. I just need some help."

There was dead silence on the other end before she said. "So you are a Super?"

"Yeah I guess I am."

"What is your identification name?"

"My what?"

"You know your Hero name."

I thought for a while, but what the hell was that? So I need to register or something? "I don't have one, but I am called Vespidian."

"Vespidian... just hold still right there and wait for the people to show up. Don't be surprised if a Super shows up."

"Why would a Super come?"

"They were already dispatched before you called. Just stay there and stay calm."

She seemed a little frantic there. Did I say something wrong? Word has already spread about what I did, didn't it? I wonder who is coming? I sat pondering, half-submerged in the shadows. It took a little bit of time for the police to arrive and the Super with them. It was.... who was that again? I really should pay more attention to Heroes. Wait, I remember he is the Fire Chief.

He used a mechanized suit with foam and water to kill fires. I mean, the guy was a firefighter and was usually out on a call with the teams. The suit was a dusty red color striped with grungy yellow with thick armor plates. It was ten feet tall and looked like it could take some severe damage. Two heavy cannons were built into the arms, and a third on his shoulder. I could see the massive tanks on his back and the reinforced hoses that led to the guns. The head looked like a sizeable mechanical firefighter helmet and mask. The lenses were glowing blue. It was intimidating, to say the least.

Light flooded into the building, and he stepped about thirty feet away. He had a god damned searchlight on his shoulder. It burns, oh god, it burns! "Come out with your hands up. You have ten seconds to comply."

Was he talking to me? He must be, right? I am blind here, you know? Warily I put all four of my hands up and showed myself. "There are two guys in there you should take."

"Get on your knees and put your hands on the back of your head." Bellowed that mechanical voice.

I slowly complied. The ground rumbled with his every step. Behind him, I saw a swat team with shotguns and shields approaching. He stood guard over me, and they rushed into the building. The lights would scald out my eyes, so I just stared at the ground. Yet another weakness, the new me has a lot of them. It feels like I got the shit end of the stick for Super Powers. The thought that this was a terrible idea began to gnaw away at me. Fire Chief did not say a damned word. He just stood there like a statue.

"I might be radioactive. I was in the sewers for a bit." I tried to make small talk, and it would probably be good to tell him about that.

He took a step away before hosing me down with some foamy stuff. It bubbled, and I sat there, letting it soak in. It reminded me of a bubble bath as I blew a few through the air. It had been about a minute or so before he shot me with water to clear the suds away. Those guns were serious business; it felt like I got punched where it hit me. As the suds slopped off of me, I was so damned clean there must have been a sheen coming off my carapace. I was wet and cold, though.

"What was that stuff?"

"It was a counter agent to neutralize radiation." Fire Chief replied, then the silence returned, and we were just sitting there. I hated the awkward muteness.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

"No." He replied.

"Wait, but I killed Captain Metal." After I said it, I realized that I should have kept my mouth shut.

The head looked down at me. "Killed Captain Metal? Oh, so you are the one who attacked him? Well, he is not dead, so calm down a little, will you. At most, you will be charged with assault."

"It was self-defense. He shot me like five times." I cringed before his words actually registered; wait, then Molotov had lied to me.

"You don't look like you have been shot by his sonic gun."

I held my head, realizing that all the evidence had already healed. "I regenerate. Please, no more hurting. I will come in without a fight; just protect me from the bad people."

"Bad people? Which group did you get in too deep with?"

"Mo-"I started before my voice seized. Molotov didn't say that it was ok to reveal that she was here. "I can't say they would kill me."

"You are rather chatty considering your position." He said a little uneasily.

"How does this work?"

"You are unregistered, so we are taking precautions, especially with the way you look. We have been getting reports of some monster running around the city all night. The descriptions match you."

"I am a nice person, see." I grinned, and my mouth spread wide. Somehow I am feeling that he does not believe me, which just made it worse.

"Sure you are." He said it so sarcastically! "We will find out after a little questioning."

My eyes opened wide. "Questioning?"

"Yeah, you know. Talking? We are going to figure out what the hell you are up to."

"Oh god, you are going to torture me too?! No. No more hurting." I flinched like a whipped dog.

"No one is going to torture you."

"You are lying. That is what they all say!" I reeled back away from him into the shadows. He turned, and the spotlight followed. The swat team formed a wall of shields with guns bristling toward me like a porcupine. I jump up on the side of the wall, making a break for it. Water slammed into me, and the claws detached from the building. I raked at the air turning my body to land on my feet. The ground was layered in foam when I squished down into it. The stuff was like flypaper, and I barely managed to drag myself out of the primary layer of it. It stuck to me, and I struggled, but it became harder to move with every second. Fear pulsed through me as it solidified. I was trapped.

"Calm down, will you." Said Fire Chief walking over.

"Torture me all you want I know nothing!" I snarled back at him.

"Well, that is typically what people with things to hide say. Now listen no one is going to hurt you unless you give us reason to. Alright? We are going to go back to headquarters."

"How can I trust you?" I cried, trembling like a leaf. "Captain Metal would not even listen to me and started shooting."

"I am listening." He replied.

"Really? You won't try to hurt me?"

"If I wanted to hurt you, I would have already done it."

"Alright, just don't hurt me or throw me into the slums." I nodded warily.

He started cutting me mostly free from the foam. My hands and legs were still weighed down so that I could not run though I could walk. He led me to a treaded tank-like fire engine opening a side compartment. It was a holding cell. I was prodded in and sat down.

"Alright, I got her taken care of. You guys deal with that." He shouted at the officers. Several of them nodded. He closed the door, and it hissed, sealing shut.

If I was claustrophobic, I would be losing my shit right about now, but luckily that was not the case. Red light illuminated the inside; it blinked in a slow strobing fashion. It could be worse; I mean, he only shot me with water and foam. I was not stabbed or had my fingers broken. So, all in all, this is going pretty well. I am surprised that the bullets did such minor damage too. Most of it was already healed. It goes to show how much of a monster Molotov was... damn it.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.

If I can take him at his word, things are going to be alright. I thought for a while about the Fire Chief; I had never heard anything bad about him. If anything, the guy was a legitimate hero. He has saved countless lives, and his inventions have helped combat crime. His central role, though, is search and rescue when there are fires or disasters. A warm fuzzy feeling filled my chest. If it was this guy, I might be safe.

The vehicle slowed to a stop, and the door opened. White glared in, and I was blinded despite covering my eyes. Somebody grabbed me and pulled. At first, I seized up. The images of Molotov came flooding back. I have been bamboozled! I wanted to scream and run, or curl up in a corner and cry. She lied. I thought the deal was until sunrise!

"Come on, you look hungry." Said Fire Chief tugging slightly.

The realization that it was not her allowed a tidal wave of fatigue to wash over me. Was I safe? I had been on edge for so long it felt like I was going to overheat. He cuffed my hands and draped a blanket over me, even wrapped it a little to cover most of me from view.

"Why did you put the blanket..."

"You don't want people staring, right?" He cut me off.

"Thanks," I murmured, holding onto his hand.