"What are you doing to me..?" [A Chamika story]

Chapter Five

Mika lingered on her last phrase. "If everyone was going to see her as a villain, what was the point of trying to be something else?"... It kind of stuck with her. Although she didn't approve, she understood. The pressure from the media would've been enough to make Mika go M.I.A., dropping her dreams of becoming a pro hero forever. But becoming the villain the media saw in her? Becoming their worst fear, ultimately proving them right while simultaneously handing them the blame? It was something so oddly petty she knew only someone like Chapa could pull off.

She paused for a moment "Miles... I remember him saying something similar. Although whenever I asked him about what happened he would... get quiet and just tell me to stay away from you." Her brother was overprotective, and she knew Chapa wouldn't be able to deny it. She had witnessed it herself. Isolated until she was pushed to the breaking point. As she continued to overthink about it, Mika couldn't help but feel guilty.

Chapa's expression remained the same "Can't blame the guy. If he stepped in, maybe two seconds earlier, I would've sent him into cardiac arrest," she shrugged, "If I was in his shoes I would've done the same, considering how close he was to learning what an electric chair is like" Any guilt Mika had felt was slowly replaced with anger as Mika dwelled on the fact that her brother could've gotten seriously hurt. Chapa immediately reacted to the switch of moods, raising her hands defensively "Woah c'mon what was I supposed to do? We were on a mission, I knew there was a criminal somewhere, and I could hardly tell up from down. Yes, I know, I should've just fired the surge into the floor or something but it's really hard to think straight when your superpowers are in overdrive!"

It took a lot of effort from Mika to prevent herself from getting angry and arguing. Arguing would just ignite the situation, may lead to a legitimate fight, and then the situation is blown out of proportion. That definitely wasn't what she needed right now. Instead, she took a deep breath and held her hand out "I know you didn't call me here just to argue. The reason I came was because the note said I could retrieve Schwoz's book of blueprints." she beckoned, gesturing for Chapa to hand it over.

Chapa groaned "Ugh, you heroes are so boring. Always getting straight to the point," she trailed off as she stomped over to the fallen newspaper stand. Mika could hear her mumbling something about 'not being able to have a good conversation anymore-' as she made her way back over, holding a book in her hand. It was no larger than a spiral notebook, but the pages were sewn together and held in place by a strip of leather. Chapa shoved it into Mika's hands, and she was able to notice the front cover was labeled "Super Secret Sciences!". She figured the sciences were no longer super secret, considering how long they had been in Chapa's possession. 

Mika flipped through the pages, and noticed a few were ripped out. Before she could ask questions about it, she turned to face Chapa again, just to notice she was rummaging through the backpack she had thrown against the wall. It took her a second, but she promptly pulled out her gum container. Mika had been so focused, that it took her a second to find her voice. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"Since working with villains is 'strictly against hero code', I guess I'm off to find that thief on my own." She slung the backpack over her shoulders and headed for the staircase, "I think I'll head over to the beating dungeon and crack some skulls until some information surfaces. Feel free to tag along."

Mika found herself following Chapa, her feet moving without being commanded. "It would be a lot more effective if you just found someone who has purchased one of their devices and dismantled it to see if you could find an IP address to track them with-" she murmured subconsciously. The challenge of effectively tracking down someone automatically got Mika's brain working, and she found the idea pouring out of her mouth before she could think twice about it. She didn't realize how much she had helped the villain until she finally looked up and noticed the wide grin forming across Chapa's lips. Mika could only wonder if the girl had purposefully crafted her words to pry ideas knowing how much challenges excited her. She mentally face planted, upset that she had fallen for it.

Chapa laughed, except it sounded more childish than villainous. It was the type of laugh you'd hear in the hallway passing between classes, not the type you would hear as the bag guy reveals their big bad plan. It was almost.. Charming? It reminded Mika that underneath the masks and powers, they were still just kids. They were kids who were supposed to be nothing more, but they were given powers, and were expected to act as adults and be heroes and protect swellview without protest. She should be spending her afternoon watching a movie with her friends, not bargaining with a villain that has been terrorizing her for the past couple of weeks.

Mika was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of electricity. She looked up and noticed the sparks dancing around Chapa's palms. "Wonderful plan but someone is going to have to get hurt tonight. Electricity is starting to build up again and why waste it on casting a blackout when you could put someone in the hospital?"

"Well now I have to come," Mika said, rolling her eyes, "At the very least I need to make sure you don't murder anyone." She dug around her pockets to find her own gum container, and followed Chapa up the stairs and into the night.

God, this was going to be a long night.