Ditched… Again?!

In an old, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Metro City, the quiet buzz of machinery sounded.

Kane Vaughn stood in the center of the large building, casually flexing his wrist as he looked over the bulky Pulse Ram strapped to his forearm. The device gave off a soft glow, pulsing with energy as it cast faint flashes of light across his smiling face.

"Yo, Doc, you sure this thing's safe?"

Kane flashed a wild grin and tightened his grip.

His smile grew even wider when he glanced over at Dr. Eden Greaves.

She stood there in her lab coat, eyes sharp, and her mature face seeming colder than ice.

Eden raised an eyebrow.

"Safe enough. It's not meant for 'safe,' Kane. It's a weapon. Hit something with it already."

Kane's grin widened. "Oh, I'll hit something alright."

He turned toward a nearby truck, one they had kept from a previous successful job. Glancing quickly back at Eden, he pulled his arm back and swung it forward. The Pulse Ram lit up with a sharp buzz as it slammed into the side of the vehicle.

… CRAAAAAASH!!!

The truck blew apart into twisted metal, sending debris flying across the warehouse. A loud bang echoed off the walls as the shattered pieces slid to a stop on the floor.

Kane let out a booming laugh, almost like a child.

"Holy shit, that's insane! You see that, Doc? This thing's fuckin' awesome!"

Eden hardly reacted.

Instead, she casually jotted down notes on her datapad.

"You're welcome. It uses a reactive kinetic pulse to amplify the force of your strike. Essentially, you hit ten times harder than normal."

"Ten times harder, huh? Hell, I could punch a hole in a fuckin' tank with this thing!"

"Don't get any ideas…"

Eden replied dryly, barely looking up.

Kane turned toward her.

He was still very excited, maybe even addicted.

"This thing is gold. Where'd you dig it up, anyway?"

"Alien tech. Same ship Ceral's been milking for years. I've just made a few… enhancements."

"Enhancements? More like miracles. This could turn a guy into a one-man army!"

Before Kane could say another word, a shadow appeared behind him.

He turned to see Ceral Fitzgerald, the leader of the Black Mechanica Gang, standing there.

His presence alone demanded silence.

With a dark trench coat hanging over his broad shoulders and his deep Irish voice carrying a heavy brogue, Ceral had a way of making everyone around him feel smaller.

"Take it off, Kane. You've had your fun."

Ceral's voice sounded like gravel scraping against metal.

Deflating slightly, Kane pulled the Pulse Ram off with a hiss and set it on a nearby crate.

"Sure thing, boss. But you gotta try this thing out sometime. It's a fuckin' beaut."

Ceral didn't even acknowledge the comment, his sharp eyes locked onto Dr. Greaves.

"We've got bigger things to deal with. How's the shipment to Russia lookin'?"

Eden tucked her datapad under her arm and sighed.

Her usual confident tone softened slightly.

"We've hit a snag. The equipment we were supposed to lift from the corporate building never came through. The crew botched the job."

Ceral's jaw tightened, and you could hear his teeth grinding as he looked at the flickering TV screen.

The news was showing footage of the aftermath.

Police swarming the scene while headlines talked about a vigilante who'd made the difference in stopping the robbery.

Ceral's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"The vigilante?"

Eden nodded.

Here's the corrected version:

"Yeah, some idiot in tights who isn't even registered with the Hero Agency made it easier for the cops. They're not sure who he is yet, but…"

"They will be soon…" Ceral growled.

His eyes narrowed even more as he grabbed a plasma rifle leaning against a nearby crate. He hefted the weapon easily then felt the smooth surface of the barrel as it started to charge up.

"They'll be sure of who he is once I fry that fuckin' son of a bitch ten times over…"

━ ━ ━ ━

During this time…

The bell rang and that was the end of biology class.

The students slowly filed out with their backpacks hung from their shoulders.

Scott and Jake stayed near the door, still wrapped up in their usual banter.

"Seriously, Jake, you really think Star Conflicts is better than Galactic Legends?"

Scott slung his backpack over one shoulder.

Jake adjusted his oversized glasses.

"Dude, absolutely! The character development in Star Conflicts is next level! I mean, you can't even compare the depth of Captain Zarn to Commander Kira!"

"Depth? Kira has a tragic backstory! Zarn is just a brooding cliché! I can't believe you're falling for that."

Scott rolled his eyes and walking toward the hallway.

Jake followed close behind, gesturing wildly.

"A cliché? Have you even seen his arc? He goes from a mercenary to a hero! What's Kira's growth? Playing sidekick for five seasons?"

After that, the chubby young man laughed mockingly.

"Playing sidekick?"

Scott asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"She literally saves the galaxy multiple times! Plus, her wit is what makes her fun. Zarn's just… moody!"

"Oh, come on! Moodiness is part of the charm!"

Jake argued as he pushed through the throng of students in the hallway.

"Anyway, we need a tiebreaker. Let's ask Maya. She's got the best taste in everything."

Scott paused as a thought struck him.

"Right, Maya… she's been acting a bit weird lately, though. I mean, she left me that empty letter this morning."

Jake looked at him, confused. "Empty letter? What do you mean?"

Scott shrugged, lost in his thoughts for a moment.

The letter had seemed odd, like there was something she wanted to say but couldn't.

"Hey, Scott!"

Jake called, snapping him back to reality.

Still mulling over the letter, Scott turned the moment Jake pointed behind him.

"Look! There's Maya!"

Scott turned around just as Maya spotted them. Her pretty, little face brightened up, and she dashed over and wrapped her arms around Scott in a tight hug.

"Hey there, babe ♡!"

She said, pulling back slightly and planting a soft kiss on both his cheeks

"Hey!" Scott said, smiling mildly. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good! Just the usual boring classes,"

Maya replied before looking at Jake.

"Uhhh, what about you guys? Still arguing about that space opera from last week?"

Jake chimed in by first clearing his throat.

"AHEM! You should really settle this debate for us! I say Star Conflicts is way better. Scott is just being stubborn!"

Maya laughed as her pretty eyes sparkled.

"You two are ridiculous. Can't you just enjoy both?"

"Yeah, but that wouldn't be as fun!"

Scott retorted while thoughtfully rubbing his chin.

"Whatever you say, Captain Cliché," Jake teased before elbowing Scott lightly.

Maya giggled but then looked at Jake with curiosity.

"Oh yeah, what's your next big project, anyway?"

"Oh, I'm assembling the Red Star Battleship. I've got 1,340 pieces to put together!"

Jake announced, puffing out his chest proudly.

Scott's jaw dropped. "1,340?! How do you even keep track of all that?"

"It's a talent," Jake said with a smirk. "You wanna see my progress later?"

"Sure!" Scott replied as they bumped fists. "Good luck with that, man!"

Jake waved as he headed off, leaving Scott alone with Maya.

For a moment, an awkward silence hung between them.

"Uh, so… hey…"

Maya wasn't sure how to start the conversation. She figured he'd bring up the empty letter any moment, and that made it hard for her to focus on anything else.

But somehow, she shook it off by shaking her head side to side and giving him a cute smile.

"So, uh… what's up?!"

"Hey… so, about that letter…"

Scott responded, gently rubbing the back of his neck.

Maya's face changed as a hint of hesitation appeared. More than anything, she wanted to avoid this question because she didn't like lying to Scott. With anyone else, she'd just tell them to drop it or come up with a quick, believable lie (she was getting pretty good at that).

But with her boyfriend, it felt different.

『He's kinda… sigh~ everything to me…』

And yet, she couldn't tell him the truth.

"Oh, that… um…"

Just then, her phone buzzed loudly.

She pulled it out and looked at the screen.

The caller ID said Vincent Lakewood.

『He's calling me NOW──?!』

Scott squinted, trying to catch a glimpse of the message, but Maya quickly shielded her phone by pressing it against her small chest.

"We'll uhhh, talk later!" she said, taking a step back.

"Maya, wait──!"

She was already backing away with awkward movements.

"I-, I REALLY need to take this!"

"What's going on?"

Scott was very confused and a bit disappointed.

Seeing this hurt Maya so deeply that her knees nearly gave out, but she pushed the pain aside and sprinted down the hallway, quickly turning at the nearest corner.

[Ding! You've been ditched by your superhero girlfriend for the 6th time this week!]

[A new mission is being prepared…]

━ ━ ━ ━

Meanwhile…

Maya answered the call in a janitor room.

Her voice immediately dropped to a whisper.

"Vincent, you shouldn't call me at school!"

It was… quite a loud whisper.

Vincent's voice came through.

"I wish I could say I care, but this is important. Suit up and meet me on the roof. We're flying to Fremont."

Smooth and nonchalant as always.

Maya's eyes widened. "Fremont? That's in California!"

"Keep your voice down," Vincent said, chuckling. "We'll take a chopper to my private jet. You know… Fortitude will likely be there."

Maya's heart raced at the mention of Fortitude. "Okay, I'll be there soon!"

Vincent cut the call and took a sip of wine.

"Young women are so gullible. She'll make a great addition to the roster, nonetheless."

Back in the hallway, Scott stood frozen, still trying to process what just happened.

『She really ditched me… again…』

He squeezed his fists until his knuckles turned white.

[Ding! Loading information on Miss Mercury!]