The Good Life: Twice as Bright and Half as Long (ch. 5) (Patreon)

A thrill of excitement ran through me, accompanied by a sense of nervousness and anxiety. A foot bounced up and down as I sat in the back seat of an unremarkable van, my mind running through the plan again and again while my gaze was affixed to a clock that seemed to measure minutes in the span of seconds. This was it. That moment that I had dreamed of ever since I was a little kid, my hands clenched in anger and shaking them at the sky, vowing that if I ever got a taste of power, I would be what I am. That I would do what I’m doing.

That promise that had only ever been voiced to myself had been born out of anger and spite, but I was following through now for very different reasons.

“I’ve never seen you nervous before,” Robin remarked from an earpiece that was part of my mask. She was here as support, just in case I did end up biting off more than I could chew, but we both agreed that her involvement was better off left unseen. I was the one that was meant to draw attention. My costume was in place, complete with a ballistic vest underneath my jacket -- it was a good addition. It added a sense of duality to my costume.

I could practically see it now. Vought’s marketing team was ceaseless and never-ending. I’d give it a week before they were selling an action figure of me -- of Heartless -- simply because they were incapable of passing up an opportunity to make a quick buck.

“Course I’m nervous,” I returned, my foot still bouncing in place. I had a lot to be nervous about. “This is it. The moment that changes everything,” I added feeling excitement and anxiety in equal measures. This was the point of no return. As of right now, I could kick my feet up. Buy a villa in every major city in the world, or buy an island with a fuck off big mansion on it. I would never want for anything and I would have enough money to indulge in every single desire. That wasn’t a bad life.

I’m pretty sure that’s what winning at life looked like.

And I’m about to put it all on black. Gamble away that secure future of disgusting lavish decadence for the chance -- the chance -- that I could make it as what I wanted. A supervillain.

“I will admit, it does seem to be an unnecessary risk to me,” Robin voiced her opinion. “It seems that you’re putting yourself in danger when you don’t need to be.”

“Oh, absolutely,” I agreed, forcing my foot to still as the clock ticked another minute closer to go-time. I clenched and unclenched my hands before I reached up to my mask to turn on the voice scrambler. “This is personal taste. Nothing more and nothing less. Could stay in the shadows, work behind the scenes, do some kind of proxy war, and by the time they know I exist, it’s already too late,” I voiced, my voice warbled to my own ears. I had the patience for it. I liked to think I was smart enough to pull it off too.

That was a way to success.

“But?” Robin prompted, seeking to understand why I was risking so much. Security. Anonymity. Success. She hadn’t tried to talk me out of it, but I could tell that she didn’t get it.

“I want them to know it's me,” I answered, standing up. One minute left. “Room,” I uttered, a Room forming and spreading outside of the van that I was in. I became aware of the people walking by on the sidewalk, the building that I was parked across, and the people that were inside. Everything had been planned out in broad strokes, though not by me. Little Nina passed along something for me -- a bank robbery. In this day and age.

The group had planned it out and I passed the information along to Cinder and dropped a bead through a contact that Carl Falcon had inside of Vought crime analytics. Their party was going to get crashed by Cinder and a hero from Vought, though I didn’t know which one.

“Who is them?” Robin questioned and I smiled behind my mask.

“All of them,” I answered, the clock hitting the moment of truth. The bank robbers flooded into the bank -- a good half dozen of them, all wearing masks and heavily armed. The civilians began to drop to the ground, cowering in fear. However, despite going in loud, they did make arrangements beforehand. Such as kidnapping the bank manager’s daughter a few days ago to upload a virus into the security systems of the bank that would disable them even when one of the tellers pressed the button.

I picked a stapler on the second story of the building -- a loan office, I think. With me were a couple of duffle bags that had been replaced with an assortment of items within the office. I left them where they were, stepping out of the office before heading to a railing that overlooked the lobby.

My hands were in my pocket as I closed the Room, only to whisper to myself to create another. The mask required my voice to reach a certain level of decibel before it would activate the voice scrambler, so it went unnoticed as I watched the bank robbers as they beat the snot out of an overweight security guard that thought he was never going to have to deal with anything more than a few angry customers.

The rest slipped into the back to take care of the vault with the manager in tow. I leaned on the railing that overlooked the lobby, seeing that a man was calling the cops. Meaning that they were incoming despite the efforts that the robbers made. Goes to show that no plan was flawless. I let the call happen in favor of paying attention to someone else that had entered my Room. Firstly by two arrows that punched through the thick glass and skewered two robbers in the head, killing them instantly.

Cinder made her presence known, leaping into action with an acrobatic flip as she shot off another shot with her bow and arrow at another bank robber that started to respond to two of his guys falling. The arrow snapped his head back, and he fell on his ass. “Stand, slowly,” Cinder said in a stage whisper, “And evacuate the building in silence,” she instructed and she really expected too much from people.

Almost as soon as the first person leapt to their feet, others were racing to beat them to the door. There were sounds of panic, and shouts of pain when others were pushed out of the way and Cinder’s calls to order fell on deaf ears.

I could see the growing frustration on her face. The anger in her eyes. I had to say, it was different seeing Supernova instead of just Cinder. Especially considering that the last time I saw her, her face was splattered in cum and her perfect makeup was a smudged mess along my cock. Certainly arousing, I had to admit.

If the remaining bank robbers heard the fuss or not, then they didn’t show any signs of it. They were on the very edge of my Room, in the vault below our feet, and loading up duffle bags full of money. They were taking care to flip through it, separating the ones with ink packets embedded in them. However, they missed a few in their hurry. I decided to help them along, replacing them with a few stones that I kept in my pockets.

“Unbelievable,” I heard Cinder curse under her breath, shaking her head as she went about securing the building. I took out the inkpackets from my pockets before setting them down on the rail. I tilted my head when her outfit flashed red in certain spots along her body, highlighting her curves for but a moment. Dust emerged from the spots along with flashes of flames before both condensed into an arrow that was notched in a string. “Completely helpless and too stupid to listen.”

Her words dripped with contempt and I thought she might take a shot at the last one that rushed out of the door. However, as others left the building, I felt another presence entering it. I knew who it was instantly. The sound of his staff beating the ground with every step was a sound that was like an earworm, a noise that I just couldn’t forget. In every movie. In every show. In every fucking comic-book -- there was that signature sound and shot of him planting the staff down.

“Lamplighter,” Cinder greeted, sounding faintly surprised by his presence. I’m not sure what she was expecting, but she was expecting something. I told her too. “I didn’t expect to find you here,” she remarked lightly.

“I could say the same, Supernova,” Lamplighter returned as I slowly walked the railing, getting a look at the superhero. A member of the Seven in the flesh. He wasn’t as tall as I imagined him to be. I always thought heroes would be towering figures, but he was an inch or two shorter than the average height despite all of his official material claiming him to be six feet.

Most of his suit consisted of a large trench coat with a wide flared hood that left most of his face in a shadow. The rest of his costume was a staff that stood his equal in height with a flame burning strongly. He was a character that was marked by an eternal battle with his powers -- fire could only be used to destroy when he wanted to protect. Or so the movies claimed.

“I happened to be in the area,” Cinder returned, her tone guarded before I saw her stiffen. I did as well when I felt why.

Homelander floated through the doors, his American flag cape fluttering in a wind that seemed to exist just for him. His blonde hair was swept to the side, carefully styled to the side, his muscle straining against his blue suit. My face split into a smile the moment that I saw him even as my heart ticked a few beats faster.

This was so not the plan. So, so, so not the plan but at the same time, it was perfect.

"Homelander," Cinder greeted, surprise leaking into her tone. It was the first time I had seen her that she wasn't completely in control.

"Supernova. Putting in the good work I see," Homelander remarked, his hands clasped behind his back as he touched down on the ground in front of her. "Homelander. It's a pleasure. I've heard very good things about you," he said, offering a hand that Cinder shook, recovering from her shock much better than I was.

"I can say the same and please, the pleasure is all mine," Cinder returned and I could hear the sly smirk in her voice. "I do hope that I'm not intruding."

"Oh, not at all. Just some bankrobbers. What can you tell us about the situation?" He asked, throwing a charming smile her way. He was everything I thought he would be. The voice, how he carried himself -- it was exactly like I imagined he would be without the cameras and the editing teams.

"Two are left and they have a hostage. I was going to wait for them to come up and kill them both before they realize what's happened," Cinder admitted.

"A solid plan," Lamplighter voiced, interjecting himself into the conversation.

Homelander glanced at him before he nodded. "It sounds perfect to me," he agreed.

Time for my introduction. I took a deep breath, knowing my heart was pounding and that blood was surging in my veins. I knew everything about Homelander -- capabilities, powers… and I took precautions long in advance specifically because of this possibility.

"Three," I spoke up, my warbled voice echoing through the now empty lobby except for the three suits. I leaned on the railing, looking down at me as their eyes snapped up to me with expressions of surprise. "There are three left, my intrepid heroes. Supernova. Lamplighter. Homelander. Big fan of all three of you."

Cinder's eyes narrowed into slits and my smile widened as Homelander's expression openly displayed his shock. However, it was Lamplighter that spoke up. "Come on, man -- fours getting to be a crowd. This your partner?" Lamplighter asked, looking to Cinder, whose lips thinned in response.

"He said three are left. He… is with the bank robbers," Cinder remarked, coming around to the idea rather quickly but I could see Homelander and Lamplighter were struggling with that revelation. I wasn't surprised by that too much. There wasn't a supe that openly worked with a criminal organization.

"That I am, Supernova," I agreed. "Shambles," I uttered the word, switching two objects from the office, replacing them with the guns that the two gunmen had dropped. Cinder reacted instantly, throwing her hands out between her and the nearest bag that appeared by her, the space around her hand rippling. Not a second later, the duffle bags exploded outward as the bombs that I brought detonated. I felt heat on my face for a brief moment before I found myself standing inside of the vault below, catching the bank robbers by surprise as the vault trembled from the blast.

"Hello there," I greeted them, replacing their guns with a pair of… slightly burnt bananas. I think I might have packed too many explosives in those bombs. "You might want to beat feet while you have the chance," I told them before I popped back upstairs.

It couldn't be understated how much of a difference a couple of bombs could make. The upscale bank in the heart of Midtown was virtually unrecognizable after the explosion with some parts of the building burning while chucks of stone were ripped up or falling while every piece of glass had been shattered to pieces. A perfect battlefield for me.

"What the fuck?! What! The! FUCK?!" I heard Lamplighter shouting, his body slumped at the base of a kiosk, his signature staff knocked to the ground out of his grip. He was coughing as he struggled to push himself to his feet. Supes, as a general rule, had enhanced endurance, durability, and strength. Most people theorized it was a side effect to endure the use of their powers. In any case, it gave Lamplighter enough staying power to survive the two bombs.

Cinder survived as well -- was a little worried about that, but she was quick on her feet. Not only was she fine, but she seemed untouched in comparison to Homelander as she picked herself up from the far side of the room. Homelander, however, was unmoved from where the bombs went off, his face smudged with soot while his suit burned.

"Well, that was new," Homelander remarked, blinking as he waved away smoke, his gaze sweeping over the interior of the bank as flames kicked at the walls, carpets, desks, and chairs. His gaze went to me as I stepped through the rubble and flames, the smoke bothering me none thanks to my mask. "What is this? Some kind of new marketing scheme? I-I wasn't briefed about this. Seems a bit excessive," he added before his gaze narrowed.

"Nope, no marketing scheme. Just a good, ol' fashioned bank robbery," I responded, coming to a stop. The rubble offered a lot of replacements and I heard sirens outside as the police arrived but didn't enter because of the explosion. Little weird that he jumped to the conclusion that this was a marketing scheme, but I guessed I could see it. It made more sense than some punk teenager using their powers to rob a bank -- that I had to admit.

Homelander tilted his head, confusion shining in his eyes but there was a practiced smile on his face. So, I threw my hands out wide. "I see that you don't believe me. How about I make things a little more convincing?" I asked him before I made a switch. My gaze never left Homelander's as a startled shout filled the air, forcing Homelander to look at the source.

Lamplighter was trashing in place, ripping off his coat as it quickly caught fire when I exchanged his position with a chunk of rubble. Even as he tore it off, fire traveled up his boots, catching his pants on fire. His panicked shouts quickly became screams of pain when his attempts to beat the fire out didn't work. The stench of burnt flesh and hair started to fill the air.

That was… huh. "Dude. Your entire thing is pyrokinesis," I reminded him, watching as a member of the Seven began to burn. A member that was retiring, sure, but… a member of the Seven. And in response, Lamplighter just kept screaming. I… I put him in his element. His entire thing was fire. I-... Wait, didn't he have an entire storyline in a comic that he couldn't be burned? "Push the fire off of you, you idiot. Or stop, drop, and roll."

He did neither, just clawed at his flesh, tearing at his clothing as he was engulfed in fire. It was shockingly easy to beat a member of the Seven.

"Holy shit," Homelander breathed, blinking at the scene but making no move to help. That took the edge off of my smile. I thought he'd give more of a reaction. Or, you know, try to save him. "That is… dark. That's so dark. I- you're actually- what, a supervillain? Already?" He questioned and he put the pieces together as Lamplighter continued to scream in absolute agony, collapsing to a knee within the flames before falling flat on his face. "Wow. I'm sorry, just… just wow. So, what do I call you?"

I almost missed every word he said because I was staring at Lamplighter's corpse. I beat him? By teleporting the guy that could control fire -- who had several comics, movies, and a TV series stating that he was immune to fire -- by teleporting him into some fire after he survived an explosion. That wasn't at all how I imagined it would be to defeat the first member of the Seven. I was expecting some kind of climatic battle, a give and a take, while I was forced to reveal a trump card. I mean, these guys fought major gangs and cartels all of the time.

What even was that?

I was broken out of my thoughts when an arrow was launched through the air and I responded out of reflex. A beanbag replaced the arrow, switching places with it from a duffle bag, and it harmlessly struck me in the chest and fell harmlessly to the floor. My gaze flickered to Cinder to see that she was forming another arrow, her eyes narrowed into slits and her lips a thin line as she got ready to take another shot at me.

"You can call me Heartless," I answered him after a moment, Cinder ready to take the shot.

Homelander smiled, looking at me with curious eyes that were twinged with delight. "A little on the nose, I think," he remarked. He was right about that. All of my internal organs were currently resting in a safety deposit box -- ironically, in a bank vault. Safety precaution. "But I like it. It's- Ha- it's bracing," Homelander continued, clenching his hands into fists in front of him and his smile growing. "Okay. So, you're a supervillain named Heartless -- love it. And you're here for… what, exactly?" He asked me, and I realized something.

Homelander was absolutely ecstatic. He was downright giddy. It looked like he was fighting to keep a wide smile off of his face and he was losing that fight.

"You know, I had a big speech planned," I admitted, walking over to the charred corpse of Lamplighter. "About how all the heroes are propagating one big lie, Truth and Justice are a big scam, and blah blah blah. And, I know, killing one of the Seven outright kind of lends credence to that idea. I'm perfectly aware of the optics. But God damn it -- I can't get over it. Lamplighter is a pyrokinetic. Who I murdered by setting him on fire. It's ironic, sure, but what the fuck, man?" I said, planting a boot on Lamplighter's skull and giving it a little wiggle. Sounded like two burnt steaks rubbing together. Gross.

What an absolute dick. He threw me off of my groove. I just couldn't get over it. I was trying, but I couldn't. I just murdered one of the Seven. The Seven. By setting him on fire. Sure, fire was bad. It hurt. It was deadly and all that stuff, but it wasn't like I set Translucent on fire. Or the Deep. No. I set Lamplighter on fire, whose entire fucking motif was fire. "I mean, he went up like a Christmas tree. Did no one bother to make sure his suit was flame retardant?"

"Uh… I think it was run by corporate, but the suit design was shot down," Homelander offered with a small dismissive shrug. He also didn't seem too broken up by Lamplighter's rather antagonizing demise. Was there dissension in the ranks? Lamplighter was an old hat in the Seven of about… twelve years, or so. Perhaps his retirement was less about getting old and that he got pushed out? "But enough about him. Let's talk about you," Homelander said, jabbing a finger at me.

"My favorite subject," I returned, grinding my heel into the charred skull of Lamplighter. "Do you still want me to do the speech?"

"Oh, I would be delighted," Homelander returned. I tilted my head at that. I wasn't surprised that he wasn't worried about me but it did seem pretty weird how happy he was. He was even earning some looks from Cinder, who still had her arrow trained on me.

I never considered it before, I realized. It never even occurred to me.

How utterly boring must it be to be at the top? Homelander was virtually indestructible. Nothing could truly threaten him -- not even me, not at my current level. The moment that he showed up, victory was guaranteed. There was no challenge. No give and take, no back and forth. He had everything -- popularity, looks, superpowers…

I felt a surge of pity for the man. I couldn't even imagine a more hellish existence.

Homelander was bored because there was no one in this world that could hope to challenge him.

"I already gave the broad strokes, so I'll say this instead," I started, looking at Homelander. "This is about everything that you represent, Homelander. This is about tearing down everything that you have ever built up -- the lies to the public, the heroes, and Vought. Everything you have ever worked for and accomplished. This is about beating you," I told him, giving him the cliff notes version of my prepared speech.

Something in his eyes flashed at that. Not concern, but something else. Something close. "It's about me?" He echoed, planting his hands on his hips as he began to float up, his eyes starting to glow a dark and malicious red. "Flattering, but I'm afraid that this little grand plan of yours has come to an end, Heartless," he spoke with conviction.

"No," I told him, a smile on my face. "This is where it starts." Just as I uttered the words, I swapped the rubble for some of my duffle bags, teleporting them to the ground level. Just as I did so, I sent myself down into the vault, a detonator in my hand after taking it out of my pocket. The bank robbers were gone, annoyingly enough. They decided to split while they had a chance. Annoying. Well, I guess I gave them the chance to get away and I got to keep the loot.

Sweet.

"Room," I uttered, closing the one above me before I remade it as I pressed the detonate. There was another explosion up above, but it was a far softer one than the first. Mostly because it was less of an explosive and more of a stun bomb -- flashbangs and stink bombs meant to disorient anyone that came close. That should prevent Homelander from following me -- I had no heartbeat, and his sense of smell would be getting overpowered with smelling salts and stink grenades. I couldn't beat him in a fight, but I could overwhelm his senses to throw him off my trail.

My new Room eclipsed the sewer tunnels that were below us and teleporting myself along with the duffle bags full of money with a couple of rats, I found myself in a dimly lit sewer tunnel beneath the bank. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a bag of marbles and flung them forward, at the very edge of my Room and they spilled out, allowing me to switch with them where I could repeat the process. Hardly ideal, but it sure beat walking.

"That went as well as it could have," Robin remarked in my ear, having watched the entire exchange in silence. "Especially considering who showed up."

"It did," I admitted, teleporting myself down the block with several Rooms until I felt the vehicles that I parked for my escape. The building blocks that I had prepared in the back of a U-Haul truck were just enough for me to switch with all of the duffle bags, all of them pooling up in a single space before spilling out. I was in the back of the truck as well while Robin projected hands on a manikin in the driver's seat to start driving away. "Especially with who showed up."

A small laugh escaped me, adrenaline surging through my veins as delight filled my very being. I felt like a million bucks. I managed to get away and I got to meet Homelander. And as a cherry on top, I killed a member of the Seven, even if I was a little disappointed at how easy it was. I could feel the dominoes starting to fall after I spent the last month lining them all up. "Today is the best day ever," I decided, taking off my mask and getting undressed. I had a civilian outfit ready that I put on before the U-Haul truck passed by a checkmark. When it did, I created a Room, teleporting myself into an apartment before Robin continued to drive the car.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," Robin remarked as I continued the daisy chain of teleportation to get away from the trail. "The news is already reporting about the explosion, but any mention of you or Lamplighter's death hasn't caught on yet. Shall I leak it to them?"

"You're perfect, Robin," I told her, high on life. In response to that, I heard a warm-sounding chuckle.

The money was dropped off in a basement where it was packaged up and labeled for delivery to my penthouse apartment. I didn't really need the money, but I kind of just wanted to fill up a bathtub and bathe in it. Mostly for the giggles.

It was as I was heading back into my apartment that my phone rang with an unknown number. I swallowed my smile as I answered, "Miss Fall," I greeted Cinder, knowing that it was her and wanting to catch her flat-footed. Or, that was the idea, but she barreled over it with a snarl in her voice.

"You made a fool out of me," Cinder snarled into the speaker. "Who was that? Who is Heartless?!" She demanded of me, making my jaw tighten. I expected better. More control from her.

"Even if I did know the answer to that, I wouldn't answer. I hope you understand, but I am, if nothing else, discrete. Something you should appreciate," I told her, an edge in my words, and I could almost hear Cinder taking in a calming breath and holding it in.

I couldn't tell her. I had considered letting her in on my secret identity. It could have been fun with her trying to catch me, arranging public fights, and so on. It'd be beneficial to us both. But, if this was her reaction then I couldn't trust her with the information.

"I do," Cinder returned, her tone far calmer and more restrained. "Less so when it's a hindrance to me." She tacked on, letting me know that she wasn't happy.

"Few are," I agreed, reaching down to pet Black, who watched me from- huh. Did I leave the TV on? I didn't remember watching the news, but it was on. Even better, it was about the bank robbery. "I understand that this may not be what you envisioned, but I have upheld my end of the bargain. As you can see if you turn on the news," I told her, seeing the story break. A camera that survived the explosion displayed me, Homelander, Lamplighter, and Cinder. Naturally, things got blurry when I set Lamplighter on fire.

"The story is already garnering international attention. As promised," I told Cinder, hearing the news playing through the speaker. "And you can expect a substantial offer from Michael Lumen within the hour. To smooth any ruffled feathers, I contribute to your online rumor campaign to push the rumor that you are being scouted for the Seven," I told her, giving Black some chin scratches before walking to the window that acted as a wall, allowing me to see New York's skyline.

There was a telling pause on the other end of the phone, "That is… acceptable. I appreciate your diligence." She told me, her words and tone saying the opposite. She was mad. Not mad enough to destroy the relationship, but I knew she was going to find a way to make things awkward for me somehow. That was fair. That was fun.

"Goodbye, Cinder. I'll be fucking you on the Seven's table soon enough," I promised her before ending the call with confidence. Chuckling to myself, I tucked my phone away and signed in contentment as I gazed out into New York, my eye drawn to the Vought tower.

I smiled, "I always wanted to beat you, Homelander… I never thought I'd end up saving you from your own boredom," I told him. I almost felt a sense of kinship with him now that I saw the depth of his boredom. He was the cure to my boredom as much as I was the cure to his. A match made in hell.

"And what interesting games we shall play."