Heroic Villains: Toxic Hero

Headline Ten: Bargaining for Power

Toxic, Hero of Riverbrae

Toxic had just began dozing when he heard a buzzing, after a few moments he realized it was probably his phone and went looking for it. He found it in his pants on the floor and glared at the screen marked with a message about an urgent Vast sighting and the request he come lend assistance.

He was getting called in on his day off... Again... Toxic sighed and was half tempted to ignore it and go back to the warm bed, but he'd never hear the end of it if something truly bad happened. But at most it would be a sighting of Vast dropping off the necklace he stole, and he'd spend an hour in a search pattern over the city. Toxic grumpily thought about all this while he stopped at the precinct to get suited up and headed to the indicated address which wasn't too far from the precinct. When Toxic noticed all the cop cars, he hurried it up a bit just in time to see Beast and a man wearing dark clothing fighting with Glimmer and a dozen or so downed cops scattered around them.

Toxic landed just as Beast fell on top of the young man who was wearing a mask. Were they dealing with a vigilante? But then what about the Vast sighting? Toxic went to check on Glimmer first since his squad of Saving Grace members rushed Beast and the other guy. Toxic helped Glimmer to her feet, noting her torn cap and disheveled mask.

"Is Vast...?" She started but her voice cracked, and the rest of the sentence was interrupted in a coughing fit. Dark marks were starting to form around her neck and arms, some bruises, and other places just irritated skin. She looked over as Beast was rolled to the side to let the other guy squirm his way free. The squad backed away then like they were afraid of the guy who dusted himself off and turned to look at Toxic and Glimmer.

That's when Toxic got a look at the mask he was wearing.

"Vast!?" Toxic sputtered out in surprise. Vast's old mask. The full faced piece with the red V splashed across it was oddly a relief to see. This mask didn't have a record of mindless killing behind it like the one that once belonged to Phantom. Though it had been nice to see at least a part of Vast's face, to learn that he had brown eyes. Toxic wouldn't mind breaking the one important rule all heroes and villains followed, never remove yours or other masks. Privacy was important it may not seem sensible to normal people but every superhuman abided by that law.

"Toxic, you bastard!" Vast spat out.

"What did I do?" Toxic asked as Vast approached him. It was strange to see him in civilian clothes, granted both his uniforms had been clearly homemade creations. Toxic enjoyed the idea of Vast sewing his own outfit.

"You weren't here!" Vast gestured wildly then flinched and favored his right shoulder, Toxic noticed then the dead mixed in with the wounded and his smile vanished. "You're supposed to watch her, how could you leave her alone with a fucking nightmare on the loose?!"

"Then... I'm glad you were," Toxic said with a nod of acknowledgment. "Why are you here, like that?" Toxic asked.

"I-" Vast started then straightened his spine defiantly. "That's none of your damn business. I haven't done anything illegal."

"Yet," Glimmer croaked out.

"I just saved your bimbo butt!" Vast pointed at her as he snapped.

"Well... It looks like you handled the nightmare pretty well to me," Toxic said, trying to defuse the anger.

"What are you stupid?! The mutt is a fucking puppy com-" Vast stopped short and scoffed. "Never mind." For a moment Toxic thought about the people who'd gathered in an alley but pushed the thought away, there was no way Vast would know anything about that; everyone in the intelligence sector were shitting themselves because they couldn't figure out what had happened.