“Thank you,” she says suddenly then sighs. “I'm not used to saying it, and I'm terrible at it but…” her eyes meet mine in low light. “Thank you, Eugene.”
I nod. “You're welcome.”
Keisha exhales like she's been holding it in for a while.
“Goodnight,” she says.
“Goodnight,” I say back and watch her walk away.
—❈—
*smack* *smack* *pa-pa-papa-pa-pa-pow*
I stand watching Keisha, eyebrows raised and just a li...
2024-03-20 12:53:20 +0000 UTC
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Seriously, Chavez? I help you save your kid and you leave me with the bill for your coffee? For shame, man.
—❈—
The girls watch me as I walk back to our booth, and before I can sit down, Annie asks; “You told him?”
I nod. “He's rounding up the cavalry right now.”
“You think it'll be enough?” Keisha asks, watching as Det. Chavez jumps into his car and peels out onto the street, uncaring of incoming vehicles.
“Something tells me it is,” I say ...
2024-03-18 19:26:51 +0000 UTC
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“Who's he?” Annie asks of Detective Chavez, having noticed my interest in him.
“That's Detective Anthony Chavez,” I say. “And he needs help.”
—❈—
“So, let me get this straight,” Keisha says, after I explain what's going on with the detective, “even though we already have a whole revenge plot going on with two arsonists and a fuckface landlord, you wanna throw in a damsel in distress side story?”
I shrug. “Pretty much.”
Keisha looks a...
2024-03-16 22:41:32 +0000 UTC
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Well, it's been a minute, hasn't it?
I need to get better at not letting my life affect my writing.
Enjoy the chapter.
—❈——❈——❈—
Carter holds out a hand.
“This is my wife, Susie Whitfield,” he says, holding onto her as she leans into him. “I’m Carter.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, shaking his hand.
—❈—
Alert!
You have received a quest!
Quest [Connect with T...
2024-03-14 22:42:18 +0000 UTC
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“I’m gonna kill them,” Annie says simply.
…
…to her sister's declaration of intending to commit murder, Keisha's only reaction is a shrug and a “Yeah, I'm down.”
Because, why not, right? This is Gotham after all.
—❈—
“No,” I say. “You’re not down. No one is down, because we're not killing anybody.”
Keisha begins to speak, but Annie stops her with a hand on her shoulder.
They glance at each other; an entire conversation ha...
2024-02-28 17:14:57 +0000 UTC
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Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The next time I see Armsmaster after the memorable event of Saturday, is Tuesday, my fourth day as an official member of The Protectorate.
I have another power testing session scheduled for today, and apparently, Armsmaster has made some decisions that I'm not privy to, because he asks me to bring my fellow Wards along when I portal to the power testing facility in The Rig.
“Hello, Musa,” the armoured hero says in greeting as I st...
2024-02-23 07:32:57 +0000 UTC
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Sorry I vanished on you all the last week. I write with my phone, and the screen broke, so I took it in to get fixed and they held onto for a week, and gave it back to me unrepaired when I complained that they were taking too long.
Fortunately, the crack in the screen actually doesn't affect performance at all, so... 🤷🏾♂️
Anyway, here's the chap.
—❈——❈——❈—
Monday, March 21, 2011
I head home after school, ...
2024-02-20 00:30:08 +0000 UTC
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Monday, March 21, 2011
"Mr. Whitaker, welcome," Principal Nomad says as I enter his office. "Please, have a seat."
"Thank you," I say, taking the offered chair across from him.
Montgomery Nomad, Principal of Arcadia High, is a short man; it is evident even seated at his desk as he is.
I mean, I'm 5"5, and yet this man looks like he'll be a couple inches shorter than me if we stand beside each other.
For a moment, I wonder if Arcadia kids are just...
2024-02-12 10:04:29 +0000 UTC
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And I'm back with this.
Sorry, it took so long, life was life-ing.
Enjoy the chapter.
—❈——❈——❈—
It's Sunday and we're moving.
Most of the stuff we own is, to put it nicely, ill-fitting for our new abode, so most of what we move from our old house today, we will be giving to charity.
It's just me and Mom and Hannah here to do the work, and honestly, between my super strength, Mom's improved...
2024-02-10 10:42:13 +0000 UTC
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Hey, guys. This story will be going on a short hiatus for the next two weeks so I can work on Smells Like Teen Spirit.
I apologize to those of you who prefer this fic, but needs must.
I hope you enjoy this chapter at least.
—❈——❈——❈—
Annie looks like she desperately wants to wring her landlord's neck like a dish towel.
“That bastard,” she growls.
Keisha however, has other concerns. “Who the fuck are Kero and Gasoline?” she asks.
2024-02-02 20:41:05 +0000 UTC
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I'm sorry this took so long. I had this chapter pretty much done, but then Microsoft Word crashed and corrupted the file.
Had to start over.
Suffice to say, I'm no longer using MS Word. Or, more like BS Word.
—❈——❈——❈—
…and when I make it through the door, I see her crumble to the ground beside the body of a very old and definitely dead man.
Keisha reaches down and gathers the frail body to he...
2024-01-30 11:51:37 +0000 UTC
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It is a strange thing, knowing that some unsexual action I performed has turned on at least one of the two incredibly beautiful women with me right now.
It is especially strange because, the unsexual action I’d performed was something as (in hindsight) ridiculously edgy as snapping a dude’s fingers to ‘teach him a lesson’.
Personally, I would have thought that most women’s reaction to witnessing such an act, would be discomfort at best and disgust and disapproval at wors...
2024-01-25 19:00:48 +0000 UTC
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A/N: to all who may be wondering about the status of Smells Like Teen Spirit, please know that it isn't abandoned, I should working on new chapters again from next week.
—❈——❈——❈—
Alert!
You have received a quest!
Quest [Retrieve LaKeisha “Keisha” Houston] received!
Keisha is being held hostage by Big Ray. Help Annie get her sister back.
Reward...
2024-01-23 17:46:50 +0000 UTC
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~can’t read my~
~can’t read my~
~no he can’t read my poker face~
~she’s got me like nobody~
I shake Annie, coiled up and pressed in next to me.
“Annie.”
She mumbles and stirs.
“Annie,” I try again harder. “I think your phone’s ringing.”
Annie opens bleary eyes, the soft morning light complementary on her sleepy face.
You know, the more time I spend around this chick, the more I susp...
2024-01-22 20:52:31 +0000 UTC
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“I’m gonna jump in the shower real quick,” Annie says after closing the door. “I need to wash today off me,” she adds in a mutter as she walks away.
I take in the apartment again.
The tiny living room is basically also the kitchen and dining area, and it has a single window which leads to the rusty fire escape I’d seen from the outside.
There is a ratty couch, no TV or stereo, and I have a clear view of the doorless bedroom from here.
In said doorless bedro...
2024-01-20 20:12:44 +0000 UTC
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“I’m feeling peckish,” I say as we watch Mr. Rapist’s body roast in the dumpster. “You know any good burger places around here?”
Annie doesn’t answer for several seconds.
Finally, she says; “Yeah, I do. Let’s go.” And she picks up her backpack and walks away.
“So long, Keith,” I say to the burning corpse. “I didn’t know you for very long, but you were a piece of shit and you deserved this.”
I turn, and find Annie watching me carefully.
...
2024-01-20 20:08:10 +0000 UTC
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Why me?
A question probably as old as the human species, but one that continues to be asked all the same, for the simple reason that none of us have any clue what the fuck is going on.
I don’t know why me. I don’t know how me, I don’t know what me, and I barely even know who me.
What I do know though, is where me, and where me is, is Gotham, the gothest city in the fucking multiverse.
Like, it’s so fucking goth, it’s name is a literal declaration of its gothn...
2024-01-20 20:04:27 +0000 UTC
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So, I started another story; a Gamer!fic set in Gotham... as anyone can no doubt deduce from the title.
Please, consider checking it out on QQ if you're interested. There's more info there.
—❈——❈——❈—
My name is Eugene Berger… and I’ve been isekai’d.
Location? An empty ...
2024-01-20 20:01:24 +0000 UTC
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…just as scheduled, Armsmaster shows up to take me for my first (as a ward, but second overall) power testing session, and when he does, I ask my new teammates if they’ll like to come along.
They agree eagerly.
—❈—
“I was thinking about testing your physical abilities today,” Armsmaster says, as we step out of my portal into the same power testing facility we used last time, “but since your teammates are here, I suppose this is as good an opportunity as any t...
2024-01-15 15:27:32 +0000 UTC
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“So, what’s with the name? Musa?” Missy asks when we’ve settled down.
“Yeah, there’s clearly a story there,” Chris says.
“There is,” I agree. “It’s my name. I changed it to Aiden when my family moved to Brockton Bay less than two years ago.” I pause for a moment; the pain never really goes away, does it?
“My Dad got a job here,” I continue. “At Medhall. It was a good job, came with a house, a car…” I shrug. “Anyway, we moved here. And my p...
2024-01-14 10:43:38 +0000 UTC
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It’s Saturday, the 19th of March, and I’ll be meeting The Brockton Bay Wards for the first time today as an official member of their team.
“You don’t have to be nervous,” Mom says, watching me with some amusement as I fuss over my outfit in the mirror.
We’re still in the sweet hotel suite The PRT put us in after The Coil Incident.
Not for long though, as we’ll be leaving soon; tomorrow, in fact.
We will not be returning to our shitty apartment though… w...
2024-01-13 19:58:02 +0000 UTC
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“So, let me see if I’ve got this right,” Mom says to the woman on the screen, Rebecca Costa-Brown, Chief Director of The PRT, “you want my son to help your organization, after a villain—who was working for you guys, I might add—got his identity from you and almost succeeded in killing him?”
“Yes,” Chief Director Costa-Brown replies unflinchingly. “Because there are over a dozen other heroes in The PRT ENE, some of them teenagers like your son, whose safety a...
2024-01-13 15:38:25 +0000 UTC
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I wake with a start, and Mom hugs me 0.5 seconds later.
“Aiden,” she says with relief, doing her damnest to crush me with her recently muscled arms.
I hug her back just as hard.
Someone clears their throat.
Mom and I separate, and I look to see Armsmaster standing at the door; the door to a room which, I only notice for the first time, is either a hospital, or more likely a med bay of some sort.
“I hate to interrupt,” Armsmaster says, “but time is of th...
2024-01-10 19:16:50 +0000 UTC
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eI place my hand over hers. “For Dad,” I say.
Mom’s eyes water. “Yeah,” she smiles. “For your Dad.”
She pulls my head down and kisses me on the forehead, and as I lean back up, a bullet flies through my throat, splattering Mom’s face with my blood.
—❈—
Mom starts as my blood splatters onto her, then her eyes widen in horror as the understanding of what just happened sinks in.
“Aiden,” she screams.
I gurgle, blood pouring through th...
2024-01-09 19:20:52 +0000 UTC
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Thomas Calvert frowned as he watched the security footage of the prospective ward, Musa, (literally) sniffing out Shadow Stalker’s secrets simply by being within proximity of her.
“Well,” the surreptitious villain muttered, fingers interlocking before his face, “this is not good.
“This is not good at all.”
—❈—
Aiden Whitaker
Apparently, when The Protectorate wants to burn a person, they don’t hold back.
Shadow Stalker (w...
2024-01-06 17:24:33 +0000 UTC
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“Are you ready?” Armsmaster asks through the phone.
“I am,” I reply.
“Okay, open the portal,” he says.
I reach down, find that odd, little zip that’s always where I reach for it, and open a hole through space.
“The portal’s open on our side,” Armsmaster says. “You can step through.”
Mom goes first, then José, and finally I step through, coming out the other end in a familiar conference room in The PRT HQ.
Twice I’ve been in this b...
2024-01-04 18:42:16 +0000 UTC
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Sorry for the short chapter.
Won't happen again. I promise.
—❈——❈——❈—
Mom is surprised and appalled.
I’m a little disappointed and more than a little pissed off.
The only one among us who isn’t particularly bothered by the Shadow Stalker revelation is José, and I wonder if it’s because he’s just that jaded in general or if he’d somehow known this would happen. After all, he’s the one who’d insiste...
2024-01-04 18:40:20 +0000 UTC
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Hey, guys. I'm back.
PS: please, do know that I've added more chapters to the Patreon, so if you're reading this in the Jackpot!!! tier, then the Jackpot Sr.!!! tier is now two chapters ahead of you.
That said, thank you all for being here and for subscribing as a patron, regardless of tier.
You're awesome.
—❈——❈——❈—
Emily Piggot (Director PRT ENE)
2024-01-04 18:37:01 +0000 UTC
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“How do you know so much about the workings of the PRT anyway?” I ask José the following morning as we head to the meet-up spot with Hannah.
It was 7:49 in the morning, and we’re to meet Hannah there at eight.
“I was in Military Intelligence in the Army,” José says. “Then I was a journalist and a cop; you hear things.”
That makes sense, I suppose.
To the average person, the workings of government agencies may seem inscrutable, but I guess once you peer ...
2024-01-01 00:05:32 +0000 UTC
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“You have complaints with the terms of the contract?” Mr. McGill asks, automatically winning himself a spot among the nominees for the ‘Stating the Obvious’ award.
“Yes,” Mom says, still sounding quite calm, “I have ‘complaints’; like the fact that the contract is written in such dense legalese that I can’t, for the life of me, fathom how you could realistically expect the average person to comprehend half of it.”
“You seem to have comprehended it just fine...
2024-01-01 00:01:26 +0000 UTC
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