#7

Damn, I'm bored. Did I have to take some time off right at the start of winter break? I mean, it's not like I had a way of taking Batman off my tail with a bored mind. I could actually do something stupid instead, like giving him a hint that I knew of his poor disguise as Bruce Wayne.

"Hey Vic, why are you looking out the window?" Kyle approached me while sipping some hot cocoa.

"I'm bored, Kyle. Ms. Garcia won't let me go outside to play in the snow," I half-lied. Indeed, I wanted to play in the snow and sure, Margaret didn't allow it after last year's winter break, but I'm bored because it's been a few weeks now and I miss the action.

"And since when did you listen to her?" Damn, he's right.

"You're right. Let's go," I said, putting on my jacket, and we both went outside, just to meet with the rest of the gang.

The fresh snow crunched under our boots as we stepped into the yard. There was already a group of kids building forts and forming snowballs.

"Hey, Vic! Hey, Kyle!" shouted Helen, waving from atop a mound of snow. "We're having a snowball fight. You in?"

Kyle and I exchanged a glance. "You bet we are!" he shouted back, already bending down to scoop up a handful of snow.

I joined in, quickly forming a snowball of my own. The cold air nipped at my cheeks, but the exhilaration of the game quickly warmed me up. This is like a gunfight, but more fun.

"Duck!" Kyle yelled, and I barely had time to dodge as a snowball whizzed past my head. It splattered against a tree behind me.

I retaliated, aiming for Helen, who was commanding her fort like a general. My snowball hit its mark, because I'm just that guy, causing her to shriek in surprise and laugh. "Nice shot, Vic!" Shut up and fire back, Kyle!

We played for what felt like hours, our shouts and laughter filling the air. I love being a normal kid; I don't even remember why I started my career as a mad scientist.

At some point, we decided to take a break and build a snowman. Kyle and I worked on the body while Sarah and a few others found rocks and sticks for the face and arms. We even managed to scrounge up an old scarf and hat to give our creation some character... Shut up brain, I don't need to turn this thing into an unstoppable murder machine that uses snow puns.

"Perfect," Helen said, stepping back to admire our handiwork. "What should we name him?"

"How about Frosty?" suggested one of the younger kids.

"Nah, too cliché," Kyle said. "How about something cooler, like Ice King?"

"Victor Von Frost," I said with a smirk, causing Kyle to laugh and Helen to roll her eyes.

"Of course you'd suggest that," she said, playfully shoving me.

Just then, Ms. Garcia called us inside for dinner. We reluctantly left our snowy battlefield and headed back to the warmth of the orphanage. I'm really a godsend for these guys, huh?

As we filed inside, shaking snow from our boots and jackets, I couldn't help but appreciate this change of pace, this normalcy... Yeah, that ain't the life for me. I wonder what Evelyn is doing?

[Camera pan to Evelyn in a micro bikini drinking a generic tropical drink and being worshipped by three oiled-up men as if she was a goddess]

Do you think she misses me?

[Oh absolutely... Not]

Damn, fuck you too, disembodied voice... God, I went back to talking to myself when bored. I thought I stopped doing that when I was three.

"If you keep scowling at your plate I'm afraid it'll end up crying." Ah, Margaret, I can always count on you.

"That's the plan. I want to replicate Batman's gaze for next Halloween." I turned to her with a smile before deepening my frown and glaring at the plate of soup as if it were a sin for just existing.

She sighed?! What do you mean she sighed?! Am I really that miserable looking?... Oh right, I'm an action junkie who can't do anything for the next month or so... Wait... I got it! Aha!!

"Good to see you worked out whatever was bothering you. Now eat up and go do it." Would you look at that? Who'd've thought she'd know how to work with kids?

"Thanks, Ms. Garcia, really." I said to her, feeling a little better before quickly finishing the soup and running to my bed, where I opened a fake wall to retrieve an untraceable phone of my own creation.

Dialing Evelyn's number, I waited a few more minutes than usual before she picked up. "This better be good." Ha! Would you believe her? Two weeks away and she thinks she can treat me like that? Good girl.

"Let's enter the superhero business," I said with my biggest grin.

"Didn't we join the hero business after YOU goaded THE Batman into our business, mister lay low?" Now that just hurts. "Good, it means you know you did wrong." Stop reading my mind, woman! "Don't need to."

"*Sigh* Alright Evelyn, I'm sorry, okay? Didn't I make it up to you with a vacation and money?" I gave up; it's not like I can win against her anyway. "But I'm bored, Evelyn, and wouldn't it be good PR if a new hero appeared, made some noise, and was eventually taken down by Dr. V who returned after a hiatus?" I pitched the idea.

"And have a vengeful Batman coming after us? You know you can't stop himself from getting deeply emotionally attached to one of his sidekicks." Wow, no need to be a party pooper.

"So what do I do?" I asked, throwing away the poor sketch I made of my superhero suit.

"Relax and enjoy the calm while it lasts. If Batman linked us to the death of those 'tunnel snakes,' we need to stay low for the entirety of the break and some more time before actually returning with a boom." Mhm mhm.

"So no Autismo?" I asked.

"No Autismo." She replied before hanging up.

Well, so much for that idea, I guess. Well, I think I can use this time to up my equipment, maybe finally create the nanobots so that I can fix this whole place up with just a thought. Yeah... God, this will be unbearable.