Renegades Stories

Chapter 3: Callum

Callum stood on the side of the council hall, tapping his foot impatiently. They would be here any minute now.

    He was ecstatic when he discovered he would be working with Nova Artino. The niece of Ace Anarchy, an Anarchist, and the infamous Nightmare.

    He would be supervising her work in the Renegades Vaults. As part of her punishment, Nova had to do community service. The council had decided part of that would include working for them. It was twisted in a way; forcing a former Anarchist to work for her enemies.

    Next to him, Oscar Silva, or Smokescreen, as he was known on the streets, looked straight ahead. Although, Callum knew it was only a matter of time before the man broke and started talking.

    As soon as he had that thought, Oscar looked to the side. "Callum?" he asked.

    "Yeah?"

    "Do you want to see pictures of my kids?"
    Callum smiled. Oscar had married his long time crush, Ruby Tucker, three years ago. Now, they had two kids: a one-year-old and a newborn. Ruby was on maternity leave for the next three months.

    "Sure, Oscar."

    Oscar's smile brightened and he took out his phone. Pulling up the photo app, he showed Callum a picture of Ruby holding a baby in a blanket. They were still in the hospital.

    "This is Ruby holding our baby. Her name is Blake." He scrolled. "And this is Jackson meeting Blake."

    He continued to show him more pictures. Callum was sure he would have gone on for hours, but soon, four people walked into the room.

    Prism, her multi-colored glass reflecting all sorts of colors across the room. Adrian Everhart and Danna Bell, both looking a little grumpy. And her.

    Nova Artino was far from what Callum had expected. Her black hair was long and in great need of a haircut. She was skinny, skinner than was probably healthy. Her blue eyes were darting around the room suspiciously, taking everything in.

    Oscar waved at Adrian and Danna. They waved back.

    Captain Chromium, from where he had been sitting in his chair, stood up and made his way to the group. The rest of the council followed.

    Thunderbird gestured for Callum and Oscar to join them.

    "Hello, Ms. Artino. Welcome back," said the Captain, watching Nova closely.

    Nova licked her lips. "Hello, Captain."

    "We have a few details to go over. Prism, why don't you take us to a conference room to discuss."

    Prism dipped her head and led the group to the council's meeting room, where they would go over details in private. Once everyone was in the room, she closed the door and left.

    The council took their separate seats. Callum sat across from Adrian, on the other side Nova. He felt elated being so close to her. This woman had tried to assassinate Captain Chromium. She was a legend.

    "I doubt you remember, Ms. Artino, but after your 10 years in prison, you have to begin mandatory therapy, as well as 100 hours of community service. Half of that must be spent working here. The other half is up to you," said the Dread Warden.

    Callum turned his eyes towards Nova. She gave a short nod, her eyes still unsettled.

    "Your job here at Renegades Headquarters is working in the vault. This is where we keep all our weapons and historical items. It is simple. We trust the head of the department, Callum Treadwell, to look after you," Tsunami said, gesturing to Callum.

    He waved at her, smiling reassuringly. He had been the head of the department (and the only member) for the last two years, when Snapshot, his old boss, had retired.

    Nova's eyebrows raised slightly, as if in disbelief.

    "Your therapy will begin next week. A counselor here will work with you," finished Thunderbird. "Any questions?" She looked around the table.

    Nova raised her hand cautiously.

    "Yes?" said Blacklight.

    "Um, where will I be staying?"
    Captain Chromium coughed uncomfortably. "Right. That's what I forgot to say earlier." He glanced at his husband, the Dread Warden. "You tell them."

    The Dread Warden shot him a glare, but turned towards the group. "We meant to mention this earlier, but," he looked at Adrian and Danna, who were sitting next to each other. "She's going to be your roommate."

(sorry for the cliffhanger besties. i'm going to be going on a short break, only like 3 weeks. i have 2 vacations and going to camp for a week, so i will have no time to update. you can expect the next chapter to come out on july 11 or 12.)