Chapter 1.2.41 — Approach

When Emmett was young, he’d read a memoir written by the super, Wave Warrior. It was one of hundreds of memoirs written by capes, masks, and villains, but it was the first one Emmett read and so it held a special place in his memory. It was somewhat dated, being almost thirty years old now, embellished, and edited. That last part was something Emmett only came to realize in the last month and a half after becoming a super.

There was nothing about the Code or about the stalemate that existed between powerful heroes, villains, and organizations. To Emmett, those two things were perhaps the most important aspects of this new world that he half-existed in. For them to be hidden from public knowledge was unacceptable.

But all through Monday, there was one thing from that memoir that was constantly on Emmett’s mind:

“People always underestimate how heroes spend their time. Sure, there’s the throwdowns and they are totally righteous when they happen, but most of being a hero is waiting. Waiting for work to be done, waiting for a brawl, waiting for someone who needs saving. Sure, if you’re one of those rich supes then you can wait in style, but it’s still waiting.

“It’s like surfing. A lot of time is spent sitting out past the breakers, waiting for a primo swell. After the violence, that’s probably the second biggest thing that heroes have a problem with.

“So, yeah, it’s a lot like surfing. Or working in IT.” — Wave Warrior; Catching Waves, Chasing Bad Guys

They’d decided on hitting the mutagen manufacturing building on Wednesday night. Emmett tried to tell himself that it was only two days until then, but that didn’t help the week go by any faster.

Wave Warrior’s words came back to him, and Emmett realized just how difficult waiting would be.

So he spent those two days burying himself in schoolwork and double checking his preparations. He made sure his utility belt was stocked, and his mods and connectors were in perfect shape.

Emmett went to the lab Tuesday night just to get out of the apartment, but Dr. Venture and Clara were preoccupied with their own preparations.

Lock was busy, too. It felt like Emmett hadn’t seen him at all this past week.

By the time Wednesday night finally arrived, Emmett debated leaving a note for his roommate, saying that he was at Marianne’s… Just on the off chance that he didn’t make it back. It was a morbid thought, and Emmett immediately pushed it from his mind.

They were going to succeed. They were going to bring down the factory and put a stop to the knock-off mutagens—

And no hired supers were going to stand in their way.

~

It was 10:51 PM Wednesday night—nine minutes until a Fast-Response Drone would pick up Emmett on the roof of his apartment.

Emmett killed the music and stared at Lock’s empty room. He was hoping to see Lock on the way out, but his roommate hadn’t come home yet. Even though Emmett kept thinking positive, he had at least wanted to see Lock. Just in case.

He contemplated leaving a note on the kitchen counter—seeing Marianne—or something like that. But he didn’t.

Emmett had to keep thinking that he would make it back without an issue.

And if there was an issue, if things went sideways, it likely wouldn’t be his problem anymore.

Emmett sighed and walked away without leaving a note. He climbed out to the fire escape and shut the window behind him. Then he went up to the roof and waited for the Fast-Response Drone.

He didn’t have to wait long.

A moment later, Emmett heard the telltale hum of the drone as it approached. It decloaked, appearing as a sleek, dark metal box some ten feet tall and six feet wide. It split open, and Emmett climbed inside, settling into the cool mesh as it enveloped around him. The whole process took only a few seconds, and then Emmett was completely encased in the protective matrix.

It didn’t matter how many times Emmett had been inside one of the drones, it still took him a minute to get over the claustrophobia.

There was a quiet rumble and a soft lurch as the drone took off toward the outskirts of the city.

TINA’s voice came through the intercom. “Mod is en route.”

Then there was nothing to do but settle in for the ride. And wait.

~

Thankfully, Emmett wasn’t alone with his own thoughts for too long before the doctor’s voice came through.

“Mod, we’re dropping you at the rendezvous point outside the city limits, just East of the highway. Arsenal, McGuire, and Athena’s group are a few minutes away. From there, cloaked drones will scout your approach on foot over those last two miles.

“After that, you’re on your own. Even staying low, the drones can only take you so far without risking being discovered.”

“Yeah, but the drones can still pull us out if things go sideways, right?” Emmett asked.

“Yes. But you won’t need them.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

By the time the drone finally split open and dumped Emmett out onto the grass, he was getting antsy.

He was in the middle of a sparse cluster of trees—what passed for a forest this close to the city. The highway drifted over from the East, and the lights of Belport were surprisingly bright to the South. But then Emmett’s eyes adjusted to the darkness than they used to.

Emmett waited in the cover of the trees for the rest of the group to arrive.

McGuire was the first to arrive, and Emmett heard super breathing heavily long before he saw him. McGuire came trudging through the brush with his cobble-together night vision goggles, scarf and long coat, and sounding like he was going to keel over at any moment.

“Did you run the whole way here?” Emmett asked.

“Yeah,” McGuire wheezed, leaning over with his hands on his knees. “How—how did you get here?”

“I flew.”

“You suck.”

Both Emmett and McGuire shared a laugh before Clara arrived. She flew in low and fast, setting down smoothly beside Emmett.

Emmett and Clara said a quick greeting before Clara turned to McGuire. “Are you alright?”

The gadgeteer was just starting to catch his breath. “Arsenal. I see you suck as well.”

Clara scoffed in confusion. “What did I do?”

“You flew,” Emmett replied.

“Yeah… That’s what I do…”

McGuire replied, “Don’t rub it in.”

Athena arrived with two teammates. All three jogged over the slope and into the cluster of trees—none of which were out of breath. She introduced her teammates quickly and Emmett did the same.

Luna looked like she could’ve been Athena’s twin sister, except that her hair was jet black instead of white and she seemed even more no-nonsense than Athena. She wore a thin cloak over leather armor and pulled out a folding compound bow, which she unfurled as they spoke… She didn’t seem to have a quiver with her, but Emmett didn’t get a chance to ask before Athena introduced her other ally.

Borealis was short and stocky, sporting a thick beard and heavy furs that at first looked weirdly out of place for a springtime mission, even if it was at night. His cryokinesis both kept him comfortably cool now and allowed him to run long distances without overheating.

“Wait a second,” McGuire said. “Do you guys all have special running powers?”

Borealis laughed heartily. “I keep myself cool. Athena uses her forcefields for a longer stride, and Luna used to run marathons for fun—who does that?”

Luna shrugged.

McGuire sighed. “Note to self, make spring shoes—no… Make pop-up, all-terrain rollerskates…”

Clara interrupted, “You should just make a hoverboard after we’re done with the mission.” She’d clearly meant it as a joke, but McGuire’s eyes lit up.

“Yes. All the yes.”

Emmett thought he could hear Clara’s eyes roll behind her helmet.

This time Luna interrupted. “If this is everyone, we should go. Every minute we delay, we risk detection.”

Athena turned to Emmett and a moment later, everyone else’s eyes settled on him.

“Oh, right…” Emmett reached into his utility belt and pulled out to intercom earpieces—one for Borealis and one for Luna.

But even after that, everyone continued staring at Emmett expectantly.

Emmett held up his hands and muttered, “Oh no. I’m not that guy.” Then he cleared his throat and in a more even voice, he said, “Doctor, we’re ready. Lead the way.”

Venture’s voice came through to everyone. “The drones will find you a clear approach to the warehouse, but you’ll be on your own for the last half a mile. From then on, the drones will stay just outside the perimeter and will only engage in case of an emergency. I’ll stay on the line.”

With that, Emmett watched as several drones emerged from the skyline of Belport. Each shimmered, their cloaking barely visible in the UV parts of his vision. From there, Emmett and Clara followed the drones on foot, while their teammates followed just behind them.

~ ~ ~