The Trick to Falling in Style

Trust

Tommy is familiar with radio silence. He had spent an entire year by himself without a word from Arch or the heroes. The only way he knew anything was by watching the news or reading the paper, but Tommy never had the time or energy to do either of those things. He remained suspended in his self-imposed exile, unaware of how the world was faring beneath the glass walls he locked himself behind. He could only pray during those lonely months that Arch wasn't going insane and the heroes were relatively safe.

Familiarity did not stop the anxiety from churning his stomach now. It had been days since he had last seen the heroes or saw anyone from Arch. He had seen in passing on the news that the Pit was officially taken down. The Ravine was being inspected by the heroes to determine who would be permanently moved there, and every website forum Tommy stumbled upon made it seem like Siren or Shadow Queen would end up there. Arch, on the other hand, was going for complete silence. There wasn't a trace of their ugly face anywhere, and that terrified Tommy more than anything else. What were they planning? What was going on, and why was he still worried about something that wasn't his problem anymore?

Tommy should be grateful that he was being left alone. He had spent so much of life trying to escape Arch, and after that, he had spent an equal amount of time making sure they couldn't hurt him. Tommy just couldn't understand why they weren't trying to drag him back. He was, apparently, an important part of their plans. Why would they be willing to let him roam free?

And the heroes... Tommy knew that he wasn't far from their minds, but why weren't they doing anything? If the sidekicks could find him so easily, why couldn't the heroes? Had they finally got with the program that he wanted to be left alone? Tommy didn't know if he was happy about the fact or not.

Tommy sighed into his hands, leaning down onto the countertop at his job. Work had been painfully slow. Mamacita had been overjoyed by the recent news about the Pit and the Ravine, and Tommy hated hearing her sing the praises of Vermillion. MD was milder about it, but even he had one too many good things to say about Vermillion. Sam had disappeared. He gave the excuse that he had a very important business meeting that he couldn't miss. Thankfully, Nook remained constant. He was as stoic and quiet as he was when the two of them first crossed paths. Nook did ask about Shroud, but he didn't say a word about Vermillion or the Ravine. Tommy was grateful for the night shift worker.

Tommy's hands slid off the countertop, allowing his cheek to hit the cold surface. His eyes darted around the limited area he could see, and his eyes stopped when they found the bright red backpack hidden in the shadows. Tommy closed his eyes when he realized he couldn't look away. Tommy's vigilante costume- Vermillion's outfit- was stashed in between the nylon material. It wasn't the safest place to hold something so significant. If anyone were to accidentally unzip the backpack, Tommy's secret would be revealed, and depending on the person, it could be revealed to the whole world. Still, Tommy needed to carry it with him. If Arch came for him, he would need to protect his identity while also protecting his life.

Tommy's eyes opened back up when he heard the main doors open. The sound from the streets mixed with a three-person conversation filled the lobby. Only the street noises disappeared when the doors shut behind the three people that came in. The person in front was wearing a white t-shirt with an abstract pattern on it paired with dark jeans, a green jacket tied around his waist like a makeshift belt. Behind him, there was a guy wearing a blue shirt over what seemed to be a white dress shirt with light colored jeans. The last guy was wearing black track pants with a white shirt decorated with cartoon fires. The three of them were talking to each other with half-smiles contorting their faces and half-hearted laughs hanging off the edge of their sentences. Tommy stared at them with a raised eyebrow.

The guy in front came to the receptionist desk while his two friends plopped down on the arms of the couch in the waiting area of the lobby. Tommy rolled his eyes, taking a single step to get closer to the computer. He entered the password to the device that had gone off due to inactivity. With the screen coming back to life, Tommy asked, "Do you have a reservation?"