Viper's Bite

Chapter 21: Rooftop Research

The heroine swung over to the top of the two story building that housed both the convenience store and a small apartment complex. Upon reaching the roof, she was greeted by Jaden, as well as spotting Herman nearby typing away at a multi-screen monitor.

".....What are you guys doing up here? It's, like....10:00PM!" The Viper exclaimed.

"Herman and I snuck out of our houses. Glad to see you made it out of there okay," Jaden commented.

"Hey, listen....I want to apologize for not keeping you in the loop about all this....." The Viper said remorsefully. "Are you mad at me?"

Jaden sighed heavily. "Well, I mean, this is probably one of the most important things that's ever happened to me, and it involves my best friend whom I've known since childhood, so yeah, I might be a little bit peeved." She paused for a moment. "I'm just wondering why you held off on it for so long....?"

"Well....I know that your family's always been averse to the idea of superheroes. That they're a complete fantasy and a waste of everyone's time. I just didn't think you'd react well to the news either," The Viper explained. "I really messed up.....I'm sorry."

"Hailey, come on now," Jaden replied. "Sure, I'm a little upset, but it'll take a lot more than that to lose me. I could never hate you, no matter what happens. ....Unless you start doing illegal stuff," she joked.

The two girls laughed and shared a hug, keeping their hands joined even as they split.

"Okay, but like, no joke, this is seriously incredible," Jaden continued. "I've been friends with a superhero for the longest time, and I had no freaking idea."

"That was my reaction when I found out, too," Herman remarked as he turned his chair away from his monitor to look at them.

Jaden clasped her hands together as she looked at Hailey once again. "So....how long has that been going on....?"

"I.....uhh...." The Viper stammered.

Jaden laughed. "Haha! I'm just joking. Herman already told me everything. It makes sense that you would tell him first instead of me, anyway, given the situation at hand. I'll admit that I'm not as smart as he is...."

"Neither am I," The Viper agreed. "Why'd you think I turned to him for assistance?"

"Yeah, good point. So, let's see....." Jaden muttered as she pulled out her phone to check her recent texts. "Herman gave me a holler about some dude called 'Duncan Drevis'? He said the doctor had a burgundy suit, though, and neither of the bad guys we ran into at the concert arena had that." She snapped her fingers. "And are you going to explain what Mitchell, of all people, was doing there?"

The Viper laughed nervously. "Yeah....funny story....."

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"He what?!" Jaden exclaimed as The Viper finished detailing Mitchell's situation. "So does he, like, have superpowers now, too?"

"I wouldn't say that," Herman piped up. "From what I can deduce from Jaden's retelling of recent events, it would seem that Mitchell's abilities are a direct result of the power suit. It grants him flight via rocket boots, plasma beams, and vastly increased durability." He paused for a moment. "Such a suit could be incredibly useful for those who were not given innate powers like The Viper. Why haven't I taken some time to analyze this design?" the boy pondered to himself.

"There was also some weird human-lizard monstrosity that chased me back at the concert hall," Jaden added.

The Viper was quick to answer. "That's The Crawler; he's Duncan's top minion. You can thank me for taking out one of his eyes," she bragged.