Villains Club Training Camp (5)

Goals

Penelope

"Do you remember how I said, this could be a training exercise?" Lucyfar hedged, looking for something like  might quell the confused and angry stares of all the children around her.

I shrugged, waiting to see where this was  going. "Well, all of you skipped a step early on. Motivation. Never plan a crime unless you have a clear motivation for doing so!"

Tesla's unencumbered coils, the devil woman's words dropped the last part of the puzzle into place. When Lucyfar had contacted me about a job, one that could earn us money; I had genuinely assumed something; "So. There was nothing altruistic about you recommending us for  this job, or letting me know about the portal here, so that we could use it..."

Lucy was shaking her head, her daughter letting go of the older woman. It was hard to tell how old either of them were, Lucy acted like a teenager half the time but she was easily my mothers age. I sighed, "And you needed a way to break your kid out, without it directly being you who did it."

"That's right, you're my excuse!"

"Listen, this is all well and good, but do you really think we should be hanging around?" It was Sharkie's old man, Charybdis who spoke up now. "No offence meant, but the Heroes will be looking for us soon!"

"He's right. First we need photos!" I pulled out my phone, idly noticing the messages from my mother about when  she expected to be home. Having set the phone on a rock I put my helmet on for the group photo, everyone taking goofy poses.

"If that's all, we should probably split up!" Crow added, "Oh, we parked the hopper over there. When I realised you'd left the bracelets with the machine - Charybdis and I used it to get here!" My helmet was still showing a thumbs up icon from the pic, I didn't feel like that currently, but it would do.

Striking out towards the hopper, feeling like the biggest fool ever, I let the group take their own ways home.

Briar, Quinn  and their mother rode in the back seat of Lucyfar's car, Lucy's daughter in the front as they zoomed off into the sunset of. I took the hopper back towards the prison,watching from a distance at the clean up from what i would call a botched job. It wasn't pretty.

While I waited for Raven to finish the cleaning up I checked in with Claire and her mother. More bad news there. The Super Maximum detention was covered in vines, most of the villains were back inside, surrounded by glowing magical force fields.  Night drew on before Raven came out and found me.

She sat on a rock nearby while lights from police, government vehicles and professional heroes filed the desert. There were military forces too, and later, a flying Mech that signified the arrival of at least two Teen Titans members. We watched the fallout in silence while the professionals worked on containing our devestating break out attempt.

"What was the point of doing this? What goal was worth this!"  Raven asked at last.

I sighed, long and deep into the cooling night. "Honestly, I don't know. The chaos that happened was Lucyfar using us  to free her daughter without revealing to the general public she had a daughter!" I told her, the shocked look on Raven's face didn't last long  though.

"I need to be a villain, Raven. All my life I had been lied to, had things kept from me about Ray and Claire, mys boyfriend and my - basically my sister!" I felt myself choking up, scrunched and rubbed my eyes, then spat hard on the ground before rubbing my eyes again.

"If I'm not a villain, they'll be pulled away from me. Made to go off and be henchmen, or work for the Seven and a Half anyhow. I need to be the villain, so I can hold onto them. But I never... This wasn't how i intended things to go down."

I trailed off at the devastation we'd caused. I'd caused.

In the name of money and a good story, proof of what I could do.

"Zantanna said she'd recommend me for the Titan's Hero School!" Raven put in.

"You should take it!"

Silence settled again, my still wound up machine crawling around us and looking at interesting rocks while we talked.

I wished I had tissues, or a handkerchief. Never mind, I stood, stretched and - and Raven was hugging me.

I blanched, confused as to where to put my hands for a second on her scant costume and settled for patting her on the back. "Ah, thanks?" I asked.

"Please look after my sibling!" the demand came from a hoarse voice. "They're all lost in their sins, like you. Most of them don't think they have a chance at becoming heroes. And I'm not disappearing, I'm just going to switch sides! I still want to talk to you and Claire and Ray and everyone regularly!"

Ah! This time I hugged her back. "You feel like this is betraying Jesse?" I used the boy's name instead of his code-name, felt the nod.

"I don't consider us rivals, the Hero School and the Villain Club are just two batches of powered kids trying to find their place in the world. Whichever way works best for them." I tried to sound knowing and reassuring, but suspected it felt hollow. How could it not with the view behind the worried goth.

"Also Penny! I am going to come and hear about those coins! I don't like the look or feel of them! Please, be careful, there's serious evil magic associated with them." I nodded. I mean, I already knew that, but I guess I had explanations.

"Later in the week, maybe meet during or after school, okay?" Another nod in response, before Raven  pulled away, then flew back to the Prison to meet the heroes.

I slapped my face, threw the helmet in the hopper and leaped back towards Central City. Apparently we had some explaining to do.