Chapter 1

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You saw a lot of weird shit walking around the city at night.

For one thing, Tommy saw a lot of rats. Big, fat rats scurrying into gutters, looking like little more than blurred shadows in the gloom. He also saw drunk people stumbling down sidewalks, sometimes laughing in groups, sometimes alone, usually muttering strange things under their breath. And of course there was the occasional vigilante he'd pass by, patrolling the smaller neighborhoods that so often got overlooked by heroes. Tommy always made sure to wave at the vigilantes whenever he saw one.

But his current situation was one he hadn't actually come across before. He'd been taking the closing shift at Puffy's cafe for nearly a year now, and had gotten used to the strange shit he'd on his walk home after the sun had set. At this point, Tommy was pretty convinced he'd seen every weird thing this city had to offer after dark.

However, finding one of the city's most wanted supervillains bleeding out in an alleyway wasn't something he could say he had experience with.

It was a miracle Tommy had noticed the guy at all. He'd just been strolling down the sidewalk, humming to himself while he thought of what he was going to harass Ranboo into making for dinner tonight, when he'd heard a loud thud come from the alley he was passing by. Now usually when you heard a strange noise coming from a dark alleyway at night, the smart thing to do was to mind your own damn business and walk away. But Tommy could admit he was a bit on the impulsive side, and his curiosity immediately flared at the strange sound. So he turned on his phone's flashlight and went to check it out.

Which was how he ended up in his current position. Squatting in the corner of a dark alley, staring at the unconscious body of one of L'Manberg's most wanted supervillains.

Tommy had recognized Siren the moment his flashlight had landed on him. Although Tommy had never had very many run-ins with supervillains in the past, everyone knew who Siren was. He was one of the Big Three Bads in the city. It was Siren, The Blade, and Zephyrus who made up the Syndicate—a trio of supervillains that had been terrorizing L'Manberg for years now. No matter how many times they'd gone up against the city's best heroes, no one could take them down. They were beyond dangerous, and in a way, Siren was the worst of the trio. His power made it so he could coerce anyone into doing his bidding just by using his voice. Mind control was a terrifying power, and Siren made sure to put it to good use.

When Tommy had realized the unconscious figure was Siren, he had considered simply turning around and pretending he hadn't seen anything. While the 'noble' thing to do was probably to call the police, Tommy wasn't an idiot and wasn't going to get himself on the Syndicate's bad side by turning him in. So, the logical thing to do was to turn around and let fate run its course. This wasn't his problem. Siren was a supervillain. Normal people like Tommy needed to stay far away from supervillains.

But as Tommy had been approaching the unconscious Siren, he heard a splash and realized he'd stepped in something wet. Shining his flashlight on the ground, Tommy's jaw clenched when he saw he was standing in a pool of blood. Siren's blood.

Siren was hurt, and badly so. There was a gaping hole in his stomach, and although his coat was already dark, Tommy could tell it was soaked through.

Tommy had no idea what happened. He hadn't heard anything about a fight going on while he'd been at work, and usually the news made sure to keep citizens updated on any hero-villain altercations going on so they would know to avoid the area. That night, he hadn't heard a single thing about Siren.

But here he was, and Tommy knew it was him. The dark blue stretch of fabric that covered the upper half of his face like a blindfold almost glittered in the harsh light of his phone. Siren's curly dark hair splayed out behind his head in a mess of knots. Lips that were always seen curled into a dangerous smirk weren't smiling for once. Instead, his mouth was slightly open, with no words coming out.

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