The portal appeared without a sound. One moment, there was nothing there. The next, a portal appeared out of thin air and an old man stepped through. Victor look around the basement and was glad to see that it was empty. The villain walked up to the ground floor and out onto the street. The street was empty, but the sun was setting, and Victor thought it should be late in the afternoon. He began walking towards Jennifer Place. His daughter should be at the diner, and Victor found that he missed her. It was a strange, and slightly disturbing feeling for the villain. He wasn’t used to it. As his foot pound the pavement, Victor mentally called up the task he had been handed. A thin mist visible only to him appeared.

Can you be a villain if you haven’t committed a crime? Of course not! Commit a crime. Make it known that The Sweet Fist is back in The Game. You have seven days to complete the task. If you fail to do so, you will be terminated.

Reunion had given him the task three days ago, so he only had four days to finish it. Luckily, the task wasn’t difficult. In theory, Victor could hold up a liquor store and the task would be done. In his youth, he may have done just that but unfortunately, the Sweet Fist is now known as a C-rank villain. Victor need to have some standards. Only common criminals hold up liquor stores; the Sweet Fist must be more than that. That meant he need a job, a criminal one that H.A.V.E could provide. Now he only needs to get a secure hand-phone, and someone to teach him how to access this app the company have. You could miss out on a lot after twenty years.

Victor turned into an alley and the hero jumped down from a building. The hero landed in front of him, and Victor look at the hero in surprise.

“What the-”

“Stop villain! Your days of crime are numbered! You stand before the Green Leaper! A hero of Velocity City! Beware my ‘Spit of Justice’. A super corrosive spit that could melt metal. My jump is superhuman, and my sense of justice is unmatched. Surrender or be pounded into the pavement like the scum you are!”

The hero posed in front of Victor. She was in a tight green suit that played up her curves. The suit had a bunch of black spots on them and a big letter ‘L’ on the chest. A shiny green helmet covered her face with only her mouth and chin visible. Victor looked at the hero and didn’t know what to say. Silence reigned in the alley. A silence that last, and last, and last. Finally, Victor had to ask.

“What’s the warrant for?”

“What?”

The hero clearly didn’t expect the question. So, Victor had to try again.

“The warrant. What am I wanted for?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What am I wanted for? I don’t recall doing anything illegal since coming out of prison.”

The hero’s mouth momentarily dropped. “Nothing! You are a villain. I am a hero. I don’t need a reason to beat you up!”

Victor scratched his head in bewilderment. This was one of the strangest conversations he had in his life. And he talked to a system on a regular basis.

“Uh … yes you do. I haven’t committed any crimes. I’m not wanted by the authorities. By the stars, I’m not even in costume. You can’t just beat up a regular guy walking along the street, can you?”

“Costume? Why do I … oh, the chat said you just got out of prison after twenty years. Sorry old timer, there’s no such thing as a ‘secret identity’ anyone, and I am a celebrity hero. We don’t need to wait for villains to commit your crimes before teaching you a lesson.”

“What’s a celebrity hero?”

“Are you trying to embarrass me in front of the live audience? What do you mean by ‘what is a celebrity hero’?”

“No, really. I have no idea what …”

It was at this point that Victor noticed the three drones flying above them. He remembers the old villainous saying; Villains fight for wealth, and heroes fight for glory.

“Are those drones recording this?”

“No, they are streaming this.” The hero paused for a moment. “Please tell me you know what streaming is. I feel like I am going to beat up an old fossil.”

Victor had no idea what streaming was, but he wasn’t about to admit that. A famous villain once talked about the ‘Flying Pants Theory’. Basically, it means that if one wanted to make it as a successful villain, the most important thing wasn’t your powers, or even your intellect. It was to take advantage of any opportunity that came your way. This was one of those opportunities.

Victor may not know what streaming is, or whatever this chat is about, but the drones meant this fight was being recorded. He was ambushed by a hero while out of costume, and it sound like the hero had a superpower. Honestly, it didn’t even matter if Victor lost. The Sweet Fist just needed to put up a good fight, and his name would spread. This was the perfect opportunity to get his name out there. To show the world he was back in the game. Victor cracked his knuckles and thought.

“She said her spit was corrosive. That usually means …”

The moment Victor saw the hero’s mouth moved, he ducked and rolled forward. A green spit shot out of the hero’s mouth like a bullet. It flew over Victor, at the same height Victor’s neck was just moments before. It hit into the wall of a building. Victor didn’t turn around to see the effects, and he didn’t need to. He could hear the bricks melting.

That was dangerous!