Of Heroes And Villains: The Ties That Bind By Minikisa An assassin. A fallen hero. An unlikely meeting. The road to redemption is long and hard and filled with explosives.

Caroline was curled up near the glowing spire, watching the world reshape itself around her. As violent as the earth was shaking, there was a certain joy in watching rift after rift close and heal before her eyes.

She’d not broken him after all.

In fact, she thought that she might have inadvertently helped in some way.

Two more cliff sides collided, grinding against each other to form a raised crust. The canyons did not close neatly – she could see the fault lines running all over his mindscape, fanning out like an intricate spider web.

But there was no shame in scars.

Caroline had always thought they quietly spoke of strength. The hallmark of a survivor. To bear no scars was to have not known pain, and she wouldn’t even begin to know how to relate to such a person.

She raised her head to what had once been the tower. Although she had refrained from touching it a second time, her gaze was drawn to it time and again. Just looking at it made her heart over in the real world beat faster. She wanted to understand what she was seeing, and the longer she looked, the more she thought she might. There were so many elements entwined within the structure, and when she focused on them individually, she could almost pin words to them. Some drew her gaze more than others.

Cunning.

Pride.

Devotion.

A deafening rumble woke her from her reverie, and the ground ceased shaking.

A moment later, the landscape lit up with the golden glow of joy, suffusing every remaining crack. Caroline sighed happily at the beautiful sight, laying on her back and watching the sky. It had been grey and cloudy, but now there was pale light filtering through the mist, reminding her of an aurora.

And as she basked in his happiness, the lights started changing hues, turning into a deep and vibrant red that had pleasure of a different kind entirely prick her skin.

Caroline.

Her name echoed through his mind and she shivered. There was joy in it, and gratitude, and longing. Caroline’s eyelids grew heavy and she allowed herself to be lost in the sensations suffusing his mind.

And then he showed her an image.

He was kneeling in front of her, lovingly kissing her most intimate part and it was accompanied with such an overwhelming torrent of desire that she woke up, thrusting against the sheets, her fingers wrapped around a rockhard cock.

She groaned in his voice, and that was enough to send her tumbling over the edge.


***


Caroline folded her arms over the railing of the balcony, gazing at what had once been her home.

Paragon City, being on the forefront of interdimensional and extraterrestrial research, had some of the most unique architecture in the world, some of the skyscrapers made of material that was simply not found elsewhere on earth. She could see the skyscrapers rising high into the clouds in the distance.

However, she was in Founder’s Creek, one of the older districts, untouched by such technological revolutions. It had been flooded by a villain named Riptide once, and Paragon had just rolled with it, as it always did. The old brick buildings were now surrounded by water canals, creating a little slice of Venice. Just with more capes and spandex.

Due to construction being difficult in such an area, it was one of the least populated areas, with high property values. People loved its old-fashioned atmosphere.

Caroline had chosen a hotel here for the silence.

The voices were now a distant murmur. Still there, and louder the closer they were to her, but bearable. She’d rented all surrounding hotel rooms, too, just to have some quiet, and it was a testament to Paragon’s weirdness that nobody even blinked an eye.

Her gaze dropped to her hands, and she traced the lines on his palm with long fingers.

It had been a long time since Radiance had wanted anything.

Her life had settled into a routine long ago. She lived from contract to contract, fulfilling the minimum requirements of the Order, and made the best with what she had. She had the occasional fling with men who knew nothing about her, and left them before any attachment might form. Fellow assassins who took an interest in her were violently rebuffed. She looked forward to her monthly visits to Ian, as depressing as they were. And she covertly investigated other operatives who’d escaped, but all she found were bodies.

To want anything was to set herself up for disappointment. To make plans of any kind was to either accept her circumstances as permanent, or to die trying to escape them.

But now she wanted Stephen.

And she wanted Ian, too.

Stephen had made it clear her brother was looking for her, and now that she knew him, she didn’t think he’d been lying when he said Ian would have been happy to see her. Knowing that, a glimpse once a month just wasn’t enough anymore.

How pathetic that it would scare her. She’d been so self-confident once, with not a doubt in her mind that she would get exactly what she wanted. She had been Caroline Reynolds, wealthy and ambitious, easily mastering the obstacles in her way, and there had not been a single reason to suspect she would not go on to live a full and happy life.

When had she become such a coward?

With a sigh, she picked up her phone when it rang.

“Radiance.”

“Executioner.”

She’d called him not long after she’d woken, but he hadn’t picked up. Presumably busy with a contract, and she knew better than to call twice. Just like he knew better than to not call her back once he was free to do so.

“About the favor I called in a few days ago…”

There was a scream of pain on the other end that abruptly cut off.

“Apologies.” Executioner’s voice was clipped. “My guest has no manners. Yes, I’m working on your favor, and would have called you once my investigation concluded.” On a purely professional level, Radiance had to admire people who could make scolding her for bad manners sound like a threat.

“I’m not calling to check on your progress.” She sighed. Ian truly was in no danger, she was convinced of it now. “You can drop it, the matter has resolved itself.”

There was a long silence on the other line.

It was the distinctly unhappy silence that preceded someone, somewhere getting eviscerated.

Radiance frowned.

“You’ll still be paid.” Payment being a favor from her in return.

“Of course. You are, after all, not fool enough to waste my time for nothing.” Pause. “Ian Reynolds is very interesting. And marked. Why the investigation?”

“My business is mine and mine alone.”

He grunted, and hung up.

Radiance gazed at the phone, disquieted. What had he turned up on her brother?

She supposed she would find out soon enough.

From Ian.

She was done running away.


***


“And where have you been?”

Psy paused, feeling like a teenager caught by parents past curfew. Which was not really an experience he ever had, and he didn’t appreciate it as an adult.

He absently tugged at the scarf around his neck.

Kara had that crazed gleam in her eyes again.

She really was not making it easy to push the memories of a violently unstable vigilante away.

“Visiting an old friend.”

Kara exhaled and ran her fingers through her short hair.

“Ah. Good for you.”

She didn’t come right out and say it, but he responded to it anyway.

“I’m not going to run off to become a villain.”

Her icy gaze lingered on him for just a moment before it slid away; she still had trouble looking at Caroline.

“I made you a promise I’d keep you from following your programming.” She made a frustrated noise. “I know I’ve been distracted and probably not…helping. But I intend to keep it.”

Psy blinked, and his voice softened.

“You don’t have to, anymore. I’m getting better.”

Shade met his eyes for just a moment, and he was struck by just how closely she resembled Caroline.

“…okay. I’ll trust you on this, PsyKick.”

There was a warning in there somewhere, but he appreciated it just the same.

“Psy.”

“Hm?”

“My friends call me Psy.”

She blinked, taken aback, and then blushed, crossing her arms in a weirdly defensive posture.

“I’d rather…not.”

It was his turn to be taken aback. That stung more than he thought it would.

“Why?”

“How’d your meeting with your old friend go?”

“Stay on topic.” He did not approve of this not-knowing-what-people-were-thinking business.

“I’m not your friend, PsyKick,” she said with a sigh. “I’m your substitute until your real friends remind you how much of a psychopath you think I am.”

Psy stared at her. Then he guffawed at the absurdity of that statement.

“I’m actually leaning more toward idiot right now.”

She narrowed her eyes in a glare.

“Do you really think I will just forget the things you’ve done for me?”

Shade said nothing for a long moment.

“Dawn…” She paused, seeming to struggle for words. “Nowadays she smirks right along with Texplosion when he…” She trailed off, making a frustrated gesture, and Psy’s expression sobered.

“…is an asshole to you?” One of his friend’s less endearing traits, which Psy used to tolerate and rein in as best as he could. He closed his eyes at the painful reminder of just which words he’d used to drive Tex away forever.

“That.” Her voice was laced with scorn. “My gender change is evidently just an endless source of hilarity.”

Psy winced with guilt, remembering his own laughter at her fetish.

“…I like the woman you are now much better than the man you used to be.”

Shade blinked rapidly. Then she coughed into her fist.

“…I’d return the sentiment, but I like you better semi-brainwashed does not sound like a compliment…” She trailed off once more, seeming embarrassed.

Stephen grinned anyway.

“Lucky for you, I’m rather good at picking up what people are actually thinking rather than what they’re saying. I believe it’s called being psychic…?”

“Smartass.”

“Yes.”

Her lips twitched into a small smile as well. Briefly.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, so…”

Kara huffed. “Keep it down. Seriously. I do not need to hear what I heard last night.”

“I make no promises.”

“Understand that the basement of this house is filled with deadly weapons.”

“…fine.”


***


Executioner calmly wiped away the red stains on the pristine blade.

Interrogation was such a waste of his talents, but he was nothing if not efficient.

His contract at last fulfilled, he turned to the other matter on his mind. What had started as nothing more than a favor to another operative had truly captured his attention when he noticed a certain hero lurking at the edges of Ian Reynolds’ life.

It was really quite remarkable just how many villainous plots involving Reynolds Industries had been taken down by Shade.

Shade.

In a city filled with demigods, it was the underpowered vigilante who was an eternal thorn in Executioner’s side.

Most heroes were overconfident idiots. They did not have training. They relied on their powers. Above all, they had weaknesses that were all too easy to exploit. A well-placed power suppressor, a certain green rock or a pathetically obvious distraction and most heroes were simply useless in a fight.

He turned over the katana in his hand. A ruby crystal glittered within the hilt. The Maw of Unquenched Thirst cut through anything, be it titanium or invulnerable skin, and with every drop of blood it was fed its power grew. With every hit Executioner landed, he took away a fraction of his opponent’s strength and temporarily added it to his own.

The likes of Captain Patriot could not hope to touch him.

Nor could any tech-based hero, whose equipment his blade cut to pieces.

Shade, however…

Shade was that dangerous combination of low-powered and highly skilled. If he had not had a power, as was the case for most of the heroes who boasted actual combat training, the blade would have drawn directly on his life force and weakened him thus. But reducing his teleport range did nothing, and that was assuming Executioner ever even landed a hit.

A few months ago Executioner had struck him down within two blows. When he later found out that it had been because Shade had been turning into a woman, he had allowed himself a rare smile.

Weakness at last.

His elation had turned into dismay when they had crossed blades again, and Shade had won. Oh, she’d been weaker. But she had known her limits, and adjusted her fighting style accordingly. They had been almost as evenly matched as before.

Then Executioner had landed a blow.

And it had healed instantly.

The scales had tipped in Shade’s favor. Executioner had lost.

What’s more, the loner had started teaming up with other heroes on a more regular basis. It was only a matter of time until her brain cells rubbed off on them.

Shade was getting more dangerous, not less.

Executioner slowly sat down in front of various monitors displaying all he had found on Ian Reynolds. A year old picture, showing his profile and build. Medical records indicating a severe back injury at the time Executioner had defeated a young and inexperienced Shade. Undisclosed funds of Reynolds Industries going toward purposes unknown.

Surveillance photos showing a red-eyed former villainess strolling through the gardens of Ian Reynolds’ home.

An announcement that the reclusive billionaire would be attending a charity event tomorrow on short notice, sending high society into an excited frenzy of gossip.

And lastly, his name on The List.

The List that made him untouchable.

Presumably placed there by Radiance. Not that it mattered at this point. Whatever her business with the CEO had been was no longer Executioner’s concern.

He smiled.

Being marked would not save Shade.

“Ian Reynolds” was, after all, a man’s name.