Meap Me in St. Louis

Chapter 2: Young Heroes Meet

UNIVERSE 525

—

It's been a rather uneventful day at the MIPS headquarters. Actually, it's been an uneventful year. During the Powerful Kids "golden age", there were all kinds of crazy malefactors that Mr. Button could send their recruits after. Nowadays, it seems as though no one either on or off the planet is crazy enough to even attempt to challenge the might of the Powerful Kids. For the past two years, all Mr. Button has been able to give their little helpers is small-scale crime. Petty theft, burglary, the occasional domestic dispute. It is a nice change of pace from the frantic, possibly catastrophic events of the past, but Mr. Button will occasionally vie for the old days, where the stakes were much higher.

Early in the afternoon, Mr. Button finds himself in the middle of a video call with the leader of PAC, the People Against Crimes. They are a separately run government organization that partnered with MIPS several years ago, and the two have worked in close tandem with each other many times. "So, what's been happening in the outside world?" Mr. Button asks, after they've caught each other up on their personal lives.

"Nothing too out of the ordinary has popped up on our radar for a while now," the PAC leader replies. "At least, nothing we needed to label a PK-level threat."

"Wasn't there that school shooting down in Parkland?"

"Yes, but the local authorities took care of that. I heard they almost sent the Florida PKs in, but by the time the police got there, they didn't need to."

Mr. Button chuckles, then looks at a photo he has framed on his desk, showing the five most prominent MIPS PKs on the night they were promoted to the "elite" ranks. They are the ones who've grown the most in their abilities and who have fought harder than anyone else, and he couldn't be prouder of them. He treats all MIPS children as if they were his own, but these five are special. He reserves them specifically for the most dangerous of threats. Sadly, however, he hasn't had anything to give them for over two years.

The PAC leader notices Mr. Button drifting off. "You alright, sir?"

"Oh, yeah," Mr. Button answers. "Just thinking about the good 'ol days, when things were more exciting."

"I get it," the PAC leader nods. "The world's not the same as it used to be. How are the new recruits?"

"I haven't been able to give them much outside of dealing with typical vigilantes. They enjoy the work, but I just wish I had something bigger for them."

All of a sudden, into the office comes Archie Smith, Boy Wonder, the boyfriend of Mr. Button's daughter, Hannah, and a mid-ranked MIPS PK. His power is being able to predict a person's next move, an ability that's only really useful in the heat of battle. "Mr. Button?" he asks, a worried look on his face.

"I'll call you back later," Mr. Button says, hanging up the call. He places his hands on his desk and smiles at who he imagines will eventually become his son-in-law. "What can I do for you, Archie?"

Archie hands Mr. Button his phone, displaying a photo of the MIPS radar system with a large cluster of red dots near the St. Louis area. "This just popped up on the radar," he explains. "What do you think it could be?"

Mr. Button raises his glasses and squints so his aging eyes can make out every detail on the image. Archie already knows what his answer is going to be before he even says it, and he knows it's one that will get the 43 year-old man up and running for the first time in years: "An Alpha-level threat."