The Advocate

Heroes for Hope

The agent exits his cab, a weight upon his brow as he struggles to look upwards, the skyscrapers towering above.

"....The boss isn't gonna believe this at all...." he grumbles as he passes people in well-dressed suits going about their business. He fumbles his hand across the buttons before keying in his destination - Floor 31, the headquarters of Heroes for Hope.

The female receptionist smiles in the agent's direction as he scans an ID card hidden in his suit pocket.

"Welcome back, Marcus," the blonde woman greets cheerily, "but.... why are you back so soon?  Is everything OK?"

His fifth heavy sigh for the day escapes his lips. "No. No, Talia, it isn't. Is Mr. Osman in?"

"He is, but he's in a phone conference right now. Can I give him a message for you?"

Sigh number six, followed by a forced laugh. "OK... Fine. Then can I see him after the call? This case is serious."

"Every case is a serious matter, Mr. Newall," Talia informed as she glared at him down her black-rimmed bifocals, "and we treat every child with care and respect they need in these difficult--"

"Has a child ever asked for a villain, Talia?! Tell me that one."

Her glasses slide down her nose, his outburst leaving her shocked at both the sudden emotion and the revelation.

"I.... I, uhh.... Let me message him."

Talia feverishly types on her keyboard and waits a few moments before a reply chirps from her computer.

"Victor see you now."

Marcus cautiously opens the fogged glass door, the figure in the executive chair staring at him intently. Victor Osman's slick brown hair extended past his shoulders and a manicured goatee gave the branch manager the appearance of a welcoming gent. The rewards of valor and distinction for service to his country decorating his office spoke another story, telling volumes of a man with a shrewd intelligence.

"This had better be good, Marcus. Is what Talia saying the truth? This kid wants to see a villain?"

".... Yes sir. But not just any villain. He-He wants to see...."

Marcus's voice fails him as the name catches in his throat.

"Speak up!"

"Quantum Breaker! Seamus Finn... wants to see Quantum Breaker."

The room falls into a silence, the faint squeak of Victor's chair clearly audible, before the manager erupts into fits of uncontrolled laughter. He spins in his chair, unabashedly giddy with delirium, before returning his focus to Marcus Newall.

Victor's laughter quickly dies down as a glare of pure earnest, the likes he'd only seen from his former commanding officer, looks back at him.

"Wait, you're serious?"

"Yes sir. I don't understand it either. Isn't he one of the most dangerous villains in the world and enemy to Every Man?"

The crash of a nearby window throws both men off-guard.

"Did I hear someone call... for Every Man?!"

A boisterous laugh followed as a figure clad in white spandex, a blue flowing cape and a giant red E across his chest flew into the room from outside.

"Oh wait," Every Man adds, "Of course I did! I have Super Hearing! Greetings, gentleman!"

"Hello, Every Man," both men say in the same annoyed tone.

"But seriously," the hero deduces, "does this kid have a screw loose? You can't seriously be considering this. You're Heroes for Hope! Anything to do with villains... Well, it's just unheard of!"

"I understand that," the manager explains to the floating spandex figure, "but the request does come a terminal child with brain cancer.  A child's last request is to be respected, right?"

"Yeah, of course.  Duh," the hero openly mocks, "but you can't honor that kind of request!  To seek out Quantum Breaker would be a death wish!"

"And we honor death wishes, Every Man," Victor retorts, "but we'll need time to figure out this one."

"Well, figure it out without me, because Every Man is everywhere!"  He guffaws once more in his heroic demeanor before flying out the broken window, leaving the men exasperated and frustrated.

"Marcus, remind me.  Why did we ever hire that guy?"

Sigh number seven.  "He's popular with the kids."

"I'm going to send a corporate email, see who responds.  Perhaps someone might be crazy enough to try it."

"Umm, excuse me." A slender figure stands in the doorway. "I am interested in taking this case."

Marcus condensendingly asks "and you are?"
To which the man retorts "I'm the man  who's going to answer this poor kids dying wish. My name is Joe Stevens."

Marcus sighs one last time, mutters "your funeral" and bumps Joe while leaving the room.

"So, Joe," Victor asks cautiously, "what exactly is your plan?" Joe walks in and says "Well I've been told Quantum Breaker hangs out at a local bar called N3rf Th!s. I'll stake the place out and see if I can get a word with him." Joe turns on his heel and calmly walks out giving the chief the peace sign.