Return of the Wicked Sickness

Fear and the Restless

   "Here you go, guys," Heather says whilst laying down the Alta Heroes' food and drinks.
    Ashley says, "Thanks, Heather." She then takes a drink of her Coke.
   "How's your day been? Sunny?" Shadow Bird remarks.
   Heather chuckles and remarks back, "Funny,     Shadow Bird, and yes." Heather finishes the good food delivery there.
   "Well, enjoy your meals," Heather says as she gets her stuff.
   "Will do," Jayden says for the group. Heather has the tray carried with her to the kitchen. Dishes washed and utensils put back in their places later, Heather pushes a button which carries the order to the next cook to, well, cook for the customers.
   "Heather!" An older boy calls out to Heather. She quickly goes to him.
   "Got a new one for ya," He says, handing her a less heavy tray. She goes to carry it like an Earth school lunch tray. As she walks out of the washing dish room, and just when she turns a corner, Heather turns back, her ears catching something she's trying to leave behind.
   "Mommy!" A sobbing boy whines.
   "Walk!" His mother snaps after shoving him to the ground whilst holding him. She continues to stare. It's... Not fair. So... So not fair.
   A voice yells, "Yo, Chick!" Startling her, Heather still grips the tray firmly. Looking down, here and there, she walks slowly yet not too slowly. She doesn't wanna keep this guy waiting, after all. Heather'll get in deep trouble if she even thinks of doing so.
   "Thank you," He rudely says as she sets his lunch on the table. A part of her wants to snap back, but not now. He'll get punished later. Heather goes around picking up empty trays and dirty plates, bringing them to the kitchen where she'll clean them and whatnot. This routine of cleaning, serving nicer customers and other duties as a waitress continue for a good minute or so, but it soon stops as Heather looks for more people to help.
   "Thomas!" Terry calls out. Heather, not fearing this yet having anxiety tingling in the back of her mind, walks straight to the man in charge to his office.
   "What are ya meaning, sir?" Nevin asks, him having arrived a minute later.
   "I mean, for our safety, we're closing shop for the time being," Terry bluntly declares.
   "Ok..." Heather stops herself from speaking further. She's disappointed on the outside, yet pissed on the inside. Goddamn him.
   "I know, Kid," Terry says, hating the bastard just as much as his employee.
   "We'll close at one-thirty," Terry says as everyone gets back to work.
   "Damn," A voice whispers as he speaks with an employee breaking the bad news. Yeah, it sucks, but Terry would rather have his employees alive to serve than die screaming. Heather and the others understand, but still, that bastard better get it soon.
   "Alright, we better get going," Jayden says as he and the team get up from their seats.
   "Well, guys," Heather begins as she gets a broom and its essential partner in crime. "Glad you guys came and I hope you come again." The Alta Heroes nod to her.
   "We will," Aubrey confidently declares.
   Asori asks, "Hey, Heather? You got a minute?" Heather, broom in hand, looks here and there before looking at Asori.
   "What's up?" Heather quickly asks.
   "Oh, I'm just wondering if you had any info on Alex?" Asori asks in a similar fashion.
   "Oh. You should definitely read her first Screech Creeps when you get a chance," Heather suggests.
   "Thank you," Asori says after a nod. Both of them smile.
   "See ya, Heather," Asori says before quickly following her team outside.
   "See ya," Heather says, quietly yet happily. Awesome. She has a friend now who likes her likes. She can't wait to talk more about this with her soon. This becomes more evident as Heather hums whilst sweeping up the messes left behind by those they serve. So far, Heather's ok. After those bumps, she's still alive and hasn't caused any problems. The Alta Heroes are now outside as Jayden gets a call.
   "Hey, Dennis," Jayden says.
   "We're getting ready. Be here in ten, kay?" Dennis asks.
   "Ten-four," Jayden says before turning off and putting away his phone.
   "Ready?" Jayden turns to the squad as he asks this.
   "Let's go," Jayden asks, nodding from the group beforehand.
   "Alright," Jerry starts as the squad enters the room where their cars are. "How many we talkin' again?" Jerry gets his answer from Peter.
   "Twenty-five of us in whole, five each," Peter says nonchalantly.
   "Detectives, you're in the opera section,"  Dennis says, pointing to them.
   Dennis goes to the soldiers and says, "Two groups of five will be outside. One on the roof. The rest on the ground." Alfred appears from the shadows by way of his voice.
   "Make us proud by keeping us safe," He loudly addresses his men. They nod in respect and fear.
   "Dennis," Alfred goes to his ear. "keep 'em close but lure the enemy closer." Dennis nods to him. He nods back before looking at his men. They each exchange a solute. Alfred then leaves to go back to the council.
   "Alright, officers. Soldiers. Alta Heroes." Dennis addresses everyone before continuing. "Follow me." All follow him.
   "Buckled up?" Kaylee asks bluntly. Everyone nods: and that's Asori, Shadow Bird, Jerry, and the last two detectives nod.
   "Good," Kaylee says in joy. Everyone else is buckled up for this case as Dennis leads with his car followed by Kaylee and then to Peter's squad. Two soldier cars follow suit.
   "Today on Hogus-Bogus news, the police and soldiers of Isaac Malik Maximum Security head to an unknown destination. Hopefully, it'll have some concrete details of dealing with the morbid threat known as Fearmeister. A monster who's been terrorizing our city for two years now, this menace has taken several lives and ruined several more," Pamela utters professionally yet respectfully. Joshua, as he works on his English assignment, keeps his ears perked for any detail of the Alta Heroes. Right now, all he hears are the basics of this menace's actions as his anniversary arrives soon.
   Pamela says, "In other words, the Alta Heroes have reportedly joined the crusade against Fearmeister." Joshua abruptly turns around in his seat. He smiles brightly. All of them are shown having bested a bad guy a while ago whilst looking all heroic and stuff. Oh, he can't wait to one day go on adventures with them. They'd fight bad guys, see pretty sights and-
   "Momma?" Joshua says, afraid he might've screwed the pooch.
   "Don't focus on that. It's not your problem," His momma sharply says whilst pointing to his assignment. She then walks out of the room. Joshua, knowing to never test his mother's patience, gets back to work, disappointed that he didn't get to hear how the Alta Heroes are gonna stop this guy. Breana, sighing with relief at his son's obedience as well as his safety, goes to make a call.
   "As advised by our council, we're still expected to lock our doors and keep our windows closed," Pamela warns as Monica and her mom sit close to each other.
   "What's going on?" Monica asks as Pamela gives more warnings.
   "Just bad people making bad choices," Monica's mom says, Matilda scowling at one of the cars carrying those kids. How can the council? The police?  How can the people ever think this was a good idea? If this was Monica out there, Matilda would have their heads.
   "Come on! Let's go!" A mother hurries her children whilst people do the same to others. The people lock their doors, close their windows, check their food and water supplies, and make sure their electronics are all sturdy and aren't compromised by Fearmeister. None are so far.
   "Hey, Heather," Sam says whilst she finishes checking on the powerbox and going to her. Heather drops her coat off at the rack after closing the door.
   "Hey," Heather says softly whilst walking up to her. The two kiss. Then the two embrace.
   "How are you?" Sam says, both girls holding each other's mid-back whilst talking. Heather nods.
   "I'm good," Heather says before the two exchange another kiss.
   "So..." Sam begins whilst Heather goes to sit down. "You heard?" Heather nods in an acknowledging manner. Sam sits with her, picks up the remote, but before she shuts it off, she keeps the news on. Something Sam agrees with Bradford about when talking about how everyone needs to know of hard topics or whatever. Sometimes but not all the time. Just so that nobody's in a "lovely fantasy" as Bradford put it.
   Sam puts the remote down and says, "Yeah. I hope he dies when they get their hands on 'em."
   "You and me both," Heather says seriously. Fearmeister's putrid face shows itself as Pamela ends the broadcast.
   "With that, I'm Pamela Anderson of Hogus-Bogus News and we thank you for tuning in," Pamela says as the news goes bye-bye. Seeing her stress, Sam goes to get 'em some tea. Heather, meanwhile, can't get the ugly mug out of her head. Those sharp fangs. Those eyes made by the fires of hell. His wicked cackling. God... this guy better die soon. If not: then Sam, Nevin, Bradford, and everyone else she cares about. They're all gonna die. And... God, please don't let it happen.
   "So..." Aubrey begins as she sits with Ashley. "We're catching a serial killer. Not how I planned for the day to go, but ok."
   Damian scoffs and says, "Trust me, Aub. This asshole isn't gonna get through us."
   "Oh, I don't doubt that," Aubrey says in similar confidence.
   "So... you're helping us out?" Damian rhetorically asks. 
   "Yeah. This guy isn't gonna take away what makes the city great and we're here to make sure of that," Aubrey says whilst pointing her thumb to herself. Then she points to Ashley with a nod from the redhead.
   "Ok. Well, what do you like about this city?" Damian asks. So, these guys think they can steal his shtick and act all tough?
   "Well, we like a lotta things, Damian," Aubrey says before being followed up by Ashley.
   "We like the people here and the tech. Not to mention a lot of the restaurants and shops here," Ashley says, mentioning others that aren't Dustin's, Anything, Nerd, and Oscar's.
   "Really? What other shops did you guys go to?" Damian asks. Not one to disappoint, Aubrey pulls out her phone.
   "Check this out," Aubrey says, Damian leaning in with his hat still over his slicked-back red hair.
   "Hmm." Damian is impressed. After all, this gal's a good photographer with those killer shots of... Shit. Dennis and his Marvelous Misfits crew went out with 'em last night. Good for 'em. Damian's even more impressed when it comes to these photos. The crystal clear framing as that music blared is a nice touch and it's not even edited that way. If it was, it'd look like some poser attempting to be quirky or whatever Sam and her friends say.
   "Heh heh heh," Damian chuckles as Sam and Dennis laugh at each other. In the first photo, Sam's choking on fiery sauce she pouted on one slice. She drinks huge amounts of water in the other. Then, sweat still caked on her face, she flips him off, Dennis laughing from behind as he's laughing at her. But the next set of photos depicts Dennis getting his just desserts.
   "Hah!" Damian follows this up with laughter from him and Aubrey. Dennis loves that cheesecake so much that he embarrasses himself in front of a girl whilst eating it dumbly? Poor guy.
   "That is hilarious," Damian says as the photo collage continues. Here's some with her and her group at the arcade with those gigantic varieties of games behind and in front of them. Asori kicking ass. Ashley kicking ass. Everyone's kicking ass, especially her. At least what he knows and what Aubrey'll never tell him. A photo of her and her team eating dinner at home here and the sightseeing they did last week there, a beat-up criminal group here and there, and Aubrey puts it away.
   "Thanks," Damian says, loving the photo college though and through.
   "No prob," Aubrey brags.
   "So, you like taking photos, huh?" Damian questions.
   "Yeah. Been taking 'em since I was a kid," Aubrey plainly says.
   "You know, Jerry, my good friend, loves taking photos too. Almost as much as Pamela and other people I know," Damian confidently says.
   "Glad I'm one of them," Aubrey says with pride.
   "You know, I liked some of those photos too," Ashley says with positivity matching her friend.
   "Thanks," Aubrey says.
   "And..." Ashley pauses. Aubrey raises an eyebrow.
   "Oh, well..." Ashley takes a moment to find her words. Soon, she finds them.
   "I just saw you've gotten a bit of muscle back there," Ashley says as she's respectful about how Aubrey sees more attraction towards guys compared to Ashley being into "both sides" as Asori once put it.
   "Thanks. Been practicing," Ashley's strong-willed teammate makes a fist in front of her. "for me kicking your ass in revenge for two days ago over those s'mores."
   "I'll be waiting," Ashley says before enhancing a fist bump with Aubrey.
   "Hey, both of you," Damian says to both of 'em. They turn to him, half-expecting him to scold them for their "strong wills" and how they're being "overconfident." Instead, he encourages it.
   "Save it for the fight," Damian says, tipping his hat to 'em. They nod to him with utter confidence. Damian looks away from them and cracks his knuckles. Aubrey looks to the sky. Ashley does the same through a different window. Ashley's concerns remain with the people they must protect. The men. The women. The children. Everyone. And all she cares about is being ready, her hands opening and closing for training purposes. Aubrey, meanwhile, is just excited about the experience. The justice they'll dish out. The things they'll see. The people they'll make happy. This is gonna be so good. 
   "Asori, SB," Jerry addresses them after Kaylee's drive past Dustin's and whilst they're staring off into space.
   "Got 'em loaded?" Jerry asks. Asori pauses and answers for them both when it clicks in her mind and not Shadow Bird's.
   "Oh! Yes, yes," Asori says. Not wanting to feel dumb, the cool guy adds his own colorful words.
   "I don't need to load any guns," Shadow Bird says.
   "We got these." Shadow Bird begins by pointing to his head. "These." Shadow Bird points to his belt. Before saying anything else, Jerry stops him, SB taking this kindly by shutting up.
   "Just keep up your guard, and make sure what you're workin' with," Jerry points to those said belts. "works."
   "We're good, Jerry. We had some training before coming here," Asori says.
   "That matters if you guys can keep it together and use it well," Jerry firmly tells the two. Asori, wanting the conversation to not turn sour, speaks up more once fifteen seconds come and go.
   "Is this the first time?" Asori asks. Taking a moment, Jerry is quick to answer her question before Kaylee gives her own answer. 
   "I've known about him," Jerry honestly admits.
   "I got a good look at 'em once. He's... quite the monster," Kaylee says with a speck of uneasiness.
   "He's just a man, Kaylee, and we'll show all of Fic-City they don't have to fear him anymore," Asori bluntly declares. 
   "Yeah, and we'll clobber him when we catch him," Shadow Bird says with a pointed thumb to his chest. Kaylee, feeling generous, indulges this little thing he's got going on.
   "You're a big comic fan, I see," Kaylee cooly comments.
   "Wasn't the costume obvious?" Shadow Bird sarcastically questions. Kaylee lets out a laugh.
   "My son likes the same stuff you do. You know, SB?" Kaylee says with pride.
   "Ohh," Shadow Bird emotes.
   "Tell me more," Shadow Bird says, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed.
   "Gladly," Kaylee says.
   "So, he and I have seen every Batman movie there was," Kaylee says as Asori and Jerry take the stage of focus.
   "Really?" Shadow Bird says, slight disappointment in his voice.
   "Yeah, the ones with Christian Bale are the best in my opinion. That, and Robert Pattinson," Kaylee says whilst Jerry takes notice of Asori yet again staring at the sky.
   "Oh, Robert Pattinson? He's the best one to play Batman," Batman's fanboy says with great pride.
   "No, no. The best one was Adrian Finholm," Kaylee says, reminiscing on Nevin's old babysitter and his stellar performance.
   "Really?" Shadow Bird accurses playfully. Tuning it out, Jerry opens his mouth, deciding to get to know this kid more.
   "You still think we're gonna take 'em down?" Jerry asks. Asori pays no mind due to his focus as of now.
   "You still think we're gonna take 'em down?" Jerry asks again, slightly louder after a light pinch that snaps her outta her little trace. Asori nods, a tad bit nervous, but swallows that before the nod.
   "Well, don't get so bold. All our heads need to be leveled when we're finding and fighting Fearmeister," Jerry advises.
   "You don't have to tell me twice," Asori bluntly says as she stretches.
   "So, Jerry..." Asori pauses before she plays with her words and gets them out.
   "What's your experience like being a cop?" Asori genuinely asks.
   "It's just work. Hard work but interesting when it comes to that," Jerry says. Sure, he enjoys his work, he really does, but there are things this kid doesn't need to know yet. But also, this kid doesn't need to know all that about him. What they have right now is a professional working relationship with cops keeping an eye on these kids to keep 'em safe and so they'll not do anything stupid.
    "Really? Have any favorite cases?" Asori asks.
    "Not one. Why do you ask?" Jerry admits. Truth be told, he has a lotta cases he likes, so he has not a favorite. Asori shrugs her shoulders. Jerry nods.
    "I figured," Jerry says before the two turn from each other. As they go back to their respective starring and mental preparations, SB and Kaylee speak of comics ranging from Batman getting SB into Nirvana and Kaylee having loved Batman from the start. Neither brains here care too much. They're too busy with their own mental preparations for the fight to come. Jerry travels in his mind, praying for everything to go to plan today. Asori thinks of various possibilities for stopping Fearmeister. Her eyes are wide open. Inside, she feels the stress of what's been placed onto her by Jayden. She doesn't wanna let her team down or the people of the city. Anyone who clearly believes in her and her capabilities of heroism. She's also excited. Yes, Asori is excited, excited about fighting this guy along with being in this detective case. She loves mysteries and solving issues. So, as soon as more positive thoughts get into her head, a smile goes to her face, almost as if Kaylee and SB's talk of comics is catching her attention. Jayden and Dennis sit whilst other officers, Nathan included, say nor do anything. As he drives, he sees his newfound ally drawing on his phone. Dennis, wanting some conversation starting up for some humanity around here, opens his mouth.
    "What's on your mind?" Dennis asks his young ally.
    "Not a lot," Jayden says. With that, he puts his things away.
    "Really? You don't look like a blank slate to me," Dennis says with a remark.
    Jayden remarks back, "Heh. Very funny. But still. I'm just getting prepared." This is when he was drawing Fearmeister himself with a black aura around him. Putrid. Dark... Evil? Is he truly evil? Jayden will find that out when they fight him.
    "Sure. You drawing like that is training," Dennis says with a grin.
    Jayden laughs and responds with, "And you driving us and saying nothing is any different."
    "Hah!" Dennis and Jayden high five. "True, true. But still."
    "Whatcha drawing, Jayden?" Nathan asks.
    "It's just what I do," Jayden nonchalantly answers. 
    "So you just draw randomly?" Nathan asks, wanting more info.
    "Yeah," Jayden says nonchalantly.
    "What? Is it anime, superheroes, or... what?" Nathan asks.
    "Well, that's pretty simple," Jayden says, appreciating Nathan's interest.
    "I draw how I feel, what I would do in other universes, and sometimes what the other Alta Heroes want from me," Jayden says, turning to him before speaking. Nathan smiles brightly, his tone just slightly chipper.
    "That's nice. I know many drawers like you, Jay," Nathan says as he points to a billboard.
    "Sweet," Jayden says, marveling at the billboard of Joyous' recent performance coming up this weekend should Fearmeister not screw it up.
    "Yeah, sweet," Dennis says, he and Sam in love with Joyous' vocals.
    "You know her?" Jayden asks both men. Nathan leans forward in his seat.
    Dennis follows this up with, "Hell yeah, been in contact with her the day before she got famous. Also, Sam's known her all her life and had gone to school with her, and we've gone to her many concerts. Her first one is our favorite."
    "I took a fan of hers to her latest one as her last wish," Nathan says, Jayden's face softening.
    "Oh, umm..." Jayden is prevented from bringing up sad memories for Nathan.
    "It's ok," Dennis says, the two policemen nodding to each other. Jayden shut up in respect of their wishes. Nathan breathes a sigh of relief before sitting up. Closing his eyes, Nathan gives out some deep breaths and focuses on letting these sad thoughts occupy his mind 'fore he can keep the positivity he can today. Thank god for Mark of RSBC.
    "Whatcha gonna draw now?" Dennis asks.
    "It's for someone," Jayden says as he gets the drawing app going.
    "For someone?" Dennis asks. Jayden draws and then, seeing Dennis' interested look, hesitates.
    "I don't care," Dennis compassionately says. Jayden, feeling safe, takes a minute before admitting the truth.
    "For myself," Jayden says, softer than how he'd spoken previously.
    "From where?" Dennis asks.
    "Long time ago," Jayden says, sadder. Dennis, understanding the underlying melancholy, shuts up, continuing to drive whilst Jayden draws and Nathan lets his negative emotions run their course. At least he got some emotion outta this thing. He just hopes it can keep up the more they work together with the Alta Heroes, and right now, he just hopes Fearmeister doesn't crush their hope by the end of this. He'd never forgive himself if it happened again.