Super-Powered Rookie Seeks Out A Retired Villain [M4M] [Strangers To Mentor/Student]

Transcript

Hmm, this has to be the right house, right? 418 Harmony Lane. Was it supposed to be 814? 218.

No, no, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address. No, no, no, this is the right address. No, no, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address.

No, no, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address. No, no, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address. No, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address.

No, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address. No, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address. No, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address.

No, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address. No, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address. No, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address.

No, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address. No, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address. No, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address.

No, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address. No, no, no, I'm sure I've got the right address. Right, right, I'm sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself.

My real name's Ares. I've been looking for you for a long time now. I, uh, well, um, I'm sure you don't like to talk about it anymore, or, well, you wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to hide this, but I know about your time as a, uh, as a villain.

Really, I like to think of you as, like, an anti-hero, but technically, I don't know if that's true, because your motives were always pretty obscure, like, really, really obscure, if you know what I mean. Half of the time, I'm not even, I'm not even sure you knew whose side you were on, but, oh, yeah, right, focus, sorry. Okay, uh, that's why I've been looking for you.

I'm looking for a teacher, and, well, who better to teach me than the best villain ever? Oh, please, please don't deny it. Um, I'm definitely sure I got the right house.

I promise I have not told any authorities or anyone who couldn't handle secrets, and I made extra super sure to never tell anyone more than they already knew. I just, uh, got a lot of bits of information from a lot of people and put it all together. No big betrayal, just, uh, just me.

Ah, um, right, very right, uh, I should just show you, then you'll get it, you'll get it, no worries. Uh, here, let me. ..

Right, uh, gotta close the curtains, too. Okay, alright, here we go. Ready? Because I don't think I'll be able to do this for very long.

What am I doing? Um, I'm showing what I'm doing, just, uh, here, watch. See? Or, more accurately, don't see? Get it? Because I, uh, faded into the shadows, yeah? I've been workshopping wine liners, and I think that's one of the better ones, but, uh.

.. And there's the vertigo. Oh, that never gets any less shaky.

Oh, one second, I can't really hear you, my brain's still a bit scattered. Oh, can we, oh, can we just sit back down before I fall over? Much better.

Now, uh, I think that explains why I've, uh, you know, dragged you down. Oh, no? But you should.

.. Oh, wait, wait, wait. This is like a strategy thing, isn't it? Not exposing anything, playing info, close to the chest, all that stuff.

You're exactly as good as they say you'd be. Yes! Okay, uh, so, since you're not going to admit to anything, I'll, uh, I'll just lay out the board.

Ah, this is great practice, I love it. So, as you can see, I'm not exactly normal. I mean, how many people do you know who can just fade into shadows? I'm going to guess exactly two.

Me, and you. And since I definitely know you're, uh, you know, on account of this nice but unassuming house, and, uh, that little scar under your ear, and the fact that you recognize your old activation phrase, I know you're the only person in the world who understands what I'm going through, how I think. And if there was even one person who could show me the ropes of how to be that perfect, uh, suave, evil, but they have a good point villain, it's you.

See, that's, that's exactly why you're perfect. Any lesser person would be dying to take all this phrase, recollect every single detail, and then maybe kill me for knowing too much. But that's not you.

You always have things under control. I mean, still do. I had to, like, bribe and blackmail so many people just to figure out you were still alive, much less where you were or when I could find you.

This is, this is why I need you to teach me. Oh, it's, it's not like you won't get anything out of it. Believe me, I've been considering how to properly compensate you for your knowledge for ages now.

First, I am willing to offer you 20% cut from all of my heists, thefts, and ransoms for the first, uh, 24 months of my career. Second, I have perfected a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I would be happy to provide in two batch installments per week over pleasant conversation. So, uh, that's free food, and, you know, you get someone to talk to about all your past exploits.

And thirdly, as I've alluded to, I know about your time in, uh, let's, uh, let's call it experimental custody, yeah? I know you never managed to catch all of the people who hurt you. And since I don't have a cool tragic origin story, I am more than happy to make it my personal mission to finish what you started and hunt down every single one who tried to make you into a weapon.

Let me cut you off right there and quickly run through my qualifications, okay? Right. I have a perfect criminal record, and I've kept my alias intact, so my secret identity is in the bag.

I have bachelors in computer science, youngest in my class, and I love tinkering, so, um, I can make all of my own gadgets. I'm already diving and maintaining a workout schedule for any physical aspects of villainy. I'm a quick learner.

I've often been described as a person who always gets their way. And I can sew, stitch, and embroider, so, uh, free costume. Oh, I hear what you're saying, but I really must insist.

There are only, like, twenty people in the world who have actual superpowers, and, like, three-quarters of them are heroes. Plus, none of them have your record, or, like, the same superpower as me. You're perfect for this.

Ah, come on, you're stonewalling me here. You've got to give me something. I mean, aren't you curious about how I found you? Why we have the same power? Why I want to be a villain? Because all of those have the same satisfying answer, and would work great as a call to action for a mentor.

Ah, there you go, dodging again. Man, you're great at this. I mean, really, really flawless.

No, no, that means I especially have to tell you. Otherwise, you might say no, and, like, that's not an option. Okay, here, flashback with me.

You've been out of the lab for a little over two years. You're a sizable weight through your headless. You've already become the most successful cat burglar of all time, and you've been dabbling in espionage.

That's when you really got under the radar of the world's government, and they started sending their heroes, hitmen, and, well, whoever else they could scrounge up. You were in Paris. It was a rainy night, so perfect shadow conditions, I know, right? You had just stolen a cassette tape, or USB drive? No, compact disc.

Ah, you know, whatever people stored information on back then. And then you ran into trouble. A special agent had managed to track you down through your crazy shadow escape route and follow you back to a safe house.

An agent with no superpowers, no flashy tech, no moles, just good old-fashioned detective work. As she tells the story, you were impressed that she had actually managed to follow you. You chatted her up, had what she calls a very one-sided fight, and then you escaped.

Except you didn't really escape. With the stuff you left behind in that safe house, she managed to track you down six more times, each time getting to know you a bit better. Until one day, you set a trap for her.

Some words were exchanged, and you two started seeing eye to eye. And from then on, she tossed you a bone when she could. You helped out her agency a few times, and then one day, you stopped answering her death drops.

The next week, news about your death came out. Which was a real shame in timing, because if you had stuck around for two weeks longer, you would have gotten the news that she was pregnant. Ah, no, no, no, not blaming you, by the way.

I'm not calling you a deadly dad or anything. Unless, uh, unless, you know, that is somehow true, and you intentionally fake your death because you actually knew you would have gotten my mom pregnant, but. ..

Oh, this is, like, this is going in a weird direction. Bottom line, I'm your kid. Surprise! Oh, oh, whoa, oh, seeing actual emotion on your face is, uh, weird.

But, like, oh, good, good, kind of weird, not bad, or anything, it's, like, great. Was only there for a second. You hid it so well.

Oh, yeah, right, um, yeah, that's why I've got your powers. No, uh, no weird government projects, just, uh, genetics and one little near-death experience, but, uh, that isn't relevant right now. Oh, uh, moms, moms retired too, but she still has a ton of contacts and, well, she told me plenty of stories, so I was in a pretty good position to find you.

And since I heard all of these stories, I, uh, I've idolized you since before I could remember. And in my upbringing with professional spy for a mom, surrounded by secret agents, and with your blood in my veins, it's no surprise why I'm so okay with the, uh, moral grace. Although I like to think of them as moral rights, and that everyone else is great, but that's not a very popular opinion, so.

.. Yeah, yeah, um, I'm the perfect candidate for the role. I'm your legacy.

We can both make some money, and be friends too. And if you think about it, you kinda owe me, like, uh, 18 years of child support, so. ..

Wait, how about it? Uh, wait, what? Uh, please? Oh, oh, I, um, I hadn't expected that I.

.. Uh, yeah, yeah, I know, I know, but. ..

Um, sorry for wasting your time, then, um, sir, uh, I'll, I'll, I'll go. Oh, uh, hey, before. ..