Spectacular World

Her Name Was River Sini

"This movie sucks."

River let out an offended huff and slapped Jack's arm. "A lot of people worked really hard on this movie."

"That just makes it worse." Jack snorted. "The plot barely makes any sense, and all it does is yap on and on. That actor doesn't even look like you."

Jack Larison and River Sini wouldn't exactly say that they viewed one another as friends. Their relationship was the kind in which neither of them could stand the other for very long. It was the kind of kinship that had been formed only due to how much time they had been forced to spend around one another. Constantly coming to each other's rescue was part of the job, after all.

Today had been a calm day. Zoo, Bad Timers, and the Wandering Coin seemed to be gone for good. All the other small fry villains in Oleander seemingly sensed it as well and went underground to lay low. Hope and the others had come to the mall to have fun. He had been expected to stay in the parking lot waiting for hours when he spotted River, who had come to drop her own kids off.

That was why the two of them found themselves inside a movie theater in the newly built mall, watching some cheesy action movie following the origin story of Ocean Empress. The CGI was pretty bland, and the actors weren't even remotely close to looking like the real heroes. A lot of liberties had been taken as well, making up a brand-new backstory for the hero, which was bland and typical. If it had been another movie about the Victorian or Pretty Face, the budget would have been huge. For someone like Ocean Empress, all her legacy gave her was some bland B-tier project.

"I didn't have any say on the movie." River finally said. The movie room they were in was mostly empty. They had a front-row seat. "I knew they were making the movie, obviously, and they ran some stuff by me, but I never really gave it much thought after that."

"You don't watch the movies based on you?"

"I don't really have a need to fuel my ego." The Enforcer snorted. "I know I'm not the strongest or the smartest member of the Enforcers."

Jack stared up at the screen, watching as the actor playing Ocean Empress fought some weird giant robot for the climax of the movie, saving Lillian City. "You're kind of like Snowdawn in that regard." He said after some time.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?"

"It's a compliment." Jack shrugged. He clasped his hands together and leaned forward, watching the woman in the movie throw herself in front of a crowd of people the robot fired at. "Snowdawn is a good hero. He's a lot stronger than anyone thinks. In fact, I bet he could become a member of the Enforcers if he tried a little harder. Next time you're free, you might consider giving him a few tips. His powers are similar to yours. He's a good kid. He just needs to live long enough to see it."

"That's the same story for every hero." The robot in the movie finally collapsed, falling apart, but the damage was too much for Ocean Empress. Her eyes slowly glazed over, and she died in the arms of the crowd. "Guess I won't be getting a sequel movie..."

Jack watched the credits roll. The movie ended by killing its main character. It's something you never really see with movies based on big heroes, but Ocean Empress had never been a popular Enforcer member. "Nothing wrong with going out in a blaze of glory, right?" He questioned, standing up as he and River began to head for the exit. They didn't even bother waiting for the post-credit scene.

"You should know. You're the one racing for an early death." The hero sighed. Jack just shrugged as they made their way out of the mall and stepped out into the parking lot. The others would likely still be hanging out and partying. Everything seemed calm and peaceful for the moment, and the sun was still high in the sky. "The Victorian told me of the offer she gave you."