No time like the now

"Huff… Huff.. Huff.." 

Ronnie slumped to the ground, more tired than he'd ever been. The trio had failed gloriously once again, something Dr. Aurora could not accept without restitution. 

 He had met the doctor when he, Dante and Louise were chased out from their gang ultimately saving their lives. Ronnie met Aurora the same day Dante and Louise's old gang turned on them. The doctor would never let them forget how he had saved their lives. Ronnie never thought of himself as special, he was just a street thug. But now he was augmented with animal DNA and considered "part of the puzzle". He was in debt, and as much as he hated the old bastard, he had no choice but to pay him back. At times like this, the regret he so often ignored crept it's way to the forefront of his mind. He wished life could have been different for him. 

"That's enough for today. You may leave. " 

Edgar watched as he limped away. Behind the doctor, the silhouette of a womanly creature chuckled, an unnerving sound. Her voice rumbled in delight as the doctor stepped out of her way. "Kill him, Cass. And please," he continued. "Be hygienic." 

Ronnie barely had time to register what was happening before he was tackled to the ground. Within moments he was made unrecognizable, his legs left untouched, dangling from the mess of flesh that had once been his torso. Rough hands ripped and tore him apart, guts flying every which way. Edgar sighed as the woman began shoving Ronnie's muscle tissue into her slobbering mouth. Rows of sharp teeth fulfilled their divine purpose. As she ate an eerie, unnatural orange aura seeped from her body. she reared back and let out a guttural, screechy roar.  

"How funny," another voice chided. Doctor Aurora looked over his shoulder in acknowledgment. "I suppose Silver, if cannibalism is your definition of comedy. Soon she'll be able to advance as you have. "  

Stepping out from the shadows was a tall man with long dark unruly hair that reached past his shoulders. His eyes were amethyst in color, nearly glowing in the dimly lit bunker. He wore a white T-shirt that read Big Man and loose fitting shorts. He stood much, much taller than the doctor, well over 7ft.

"Yeah, 'm excited to see her next form.." 

Silver and Doctor Aurora watched as the woman continued to eat away, completely unbothered. 

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"Morning Alex!" 

The familiar and welcoming voice of Charmaine called out to him. He had arrived at her store a few minutes before opening, mind racing a mile a minute. He had so many questions for the woman, all involving his powers, the girl, and what it all meant. She gave him a small hug before digging for her keys and unlocking the door. 

"Oh I hope you weren't waiting too long, it's pretty chilly." Legitimate concern in her voice. "Excited to see the suit huh?"  

"It's okay, I like the cold!" He followed in after her. 

Leading him to the back, she began speaking again. 

"So how did you and Stefani become friends? She told me you've known each other for a little over a year now, right?"

"Heh, it's sort of a crazy story…" Alex began. "It was by chance really.  I caught her changing out of her hero suit, she threatened to sue if I exposed her. In reality, I was just trying to go to the store. After that we kept in touch, hung out a few times and now we're here."

The woman laughed a good, hearty laugh. It was pleasant to hear, Alex thought. 

"And.." She removed a large sheet that hid the mannequin underneath. As if he just saw a spotlight cast on the outfit's display, Alex's jaw dropped. 

"Holy shit! You really went all out!" 

Charmaine watched as Alex circled the suit, pride clear on her face. He traced his hand along its surface and admired the belt. 

"It's flawless…" He murmured, looking back at her. "Can I try it on?" 

"Hell yeah you can!" 

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Moments later he stepped out of the changing room, costume adorned. He noticed she had gone to her desk, reading something on her phone and sipping a cup of coffee. He walked over and nervously cleared his throat. 

Looking up from her phone she grinned. "Looking good! How's it feel? Need any adjustments?" 

"No, all good."

He did several different poses, taking precaution to not stretch his arms too much. He felt shy showcasing his powers, but the woman was so comfortable to be around he eased up. As he tested his suit she returned to her desk, staring at a framed photo that faced her. 

"Do you mind if I ask about your powers? Stefani briefed me, something about pink slime?"

He gave a curt nod, inspecting his utility belt. "That's right. I was attacked and then that stuff was shoved into my face. It was almost unreal the way it all happened so quickly."

"Were you able to find out who did it?" She asked. 

"It was too dark for me to see anything so...No." Pausing to look at her head on, he inhaled preparing to ask her about the girl and refuge. 

"Do you-"

Ring ring ring

"Hold on one sec Alex, hello! Thank you for calling Charamines capes and suits!"

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' That went as well as one could imagine… '

Alex sat waiting for his bus, the conversation replaying in his mind. He felt the weight of their conversation, the suit in his backpack, everything that had happened up to the present. 

' How did things happen this way..? ' 

He thought back to the talk he had with Hazel, thinking about his parents. The last time he had spoken to them, all those years ago...He remembered expressing his disinterest in the hero's career and both of them agreeing with him. He wondered what they'd say now.

"Dude I'm telling you General Freedom claps Diamond and Hellrad easy.  They should've promoted him instead of that Alien."

"Nah, they did good with Diamond Alien. He was in the #1 spot for the A-Class way too long..He defended us from an alien invasion like three times." 

"No duh, he's an alien himself. He probably knows their weaknesses or something." 

Alex listened as the two people continued to chat, a young girl around his age and a man a little older. Their conversation soon became bickering as both grew stubborn in their opinions. Soon, the girl turned to Alex, gently tapping his shoulder. 

"Hey, sorry to bother, but what do you think? They should've made General Freedom the sixth S-Class, right? Not an Alien? My brother Mark and I have been having this debate all week!" 

He shouldered his bag and laughed nervously. "Well… I'd love to help but I don't really get the ranking system myself.." 

"Oh, no worries!" She scooted over to him, her brother, Mark, rolling his eyes. Pulling out her phone she showed Alex a website with a large roster of heroes, split into three factions: S, A, and B. Clicking the "S-Class" list showed pictures of six heroes, from top to bottom. 

"Here you can see Prominent, Luxury Macallen, Hellrad, Lazerblitz, Whiroman and Diamond Alien. It's like, stupidly hard to join the S-Class. Unlike A and B, where you start at B and work your way up, you have to be elected by the Cardinal Council. It's kinda bull if you ask me." 

"Cardinal Council?" 

"Yup!" She nodded. "They're this group of 7 old rich people, leaders from every continent. They head the Coalition. "

"Denise quit boring this guy out. The bus is here anyway." 

Alex sat in silence the whole bus ride, opening the website Denise had shown him and searching for his rank. 

B-Class rank 130 : Hero identity - Livepink 

"I'm ranked last?!"