"Soo, what did you say to her, or should I ask what did you do to her?" Visi wiggled her eyebrows after she introduced Sean to the coffee machine and watched him make a mug. The coffee tasted the same as back on his Earth, which was still bad. Never was a coffee drinker, but Sean did use it sometimes for the caffeine. Of course, nowadays there were better ways to get your caffeine, like energy gels or drinks, and they tasted better too, but for him it didn't really matter. Food and drinks were just fuel, their taste was second priority.
"Just told her the truth." Caffeine also temporarily suppressed appetite, which might take the edge off his monstrous hunger long enough for the next meal.
"Come on, give me something! What, did you kiss her or something? She certainly looked rather flustered. Maybe slip a finger in?"
He almost spit out his coffee. "The fuck?" She showed him her middle finger.
"Anyway, we can't forget to get our earpieces. By the way, do you smoke? Don't try to do it in the bathroom, it will cause the smoke alarm to go off even with the window open. Trust me, I tried it. You already done with your mug? Here is the dishwasher." He placed the mug inside, noticing several other mugs inside already. Considering dispatchers had their work cubicles, those were probably from other heroes who would be out and about once work started.
It was strange to notice that, but everything was new. The start of a job as a hero was exciting and he couldn't relax, trying to absorb everything around him. Partly because he knew what responsibility he had. Being a hero wasn't something he wanted to take lightly, even if it was done out of necessity. Besides the metaphorical weight on his shoulders, there was also the fact that he was surrounded by strong people.
More heroes had arrived by now, and each of them was rather formidable. He was probably somewhere comfortably in the middle field, but sensing those strong individuals excited him. He almost feared he would get a hard-on, which, fortunately, was unfounded…
Visi continued to break into multiple topics and trivia while he tried to remember everything, even if he wondered what the use of knowing where the staplers were hidden was. It was clear that she was eager to share everything she knew. "No, but really, what did you tell her?" she eventually circled back as they arrived at the R&R area. He watched the sign for a bit that declared entry into the area. The sign was just two white 'R's inside a red rectangle with a white outline. It looked like a certain insignia if you squinted your eyes hard enough…
A deep breath later, he ran his hand through his hair. He couldn't keep doing this. 'It's just my brain searching for evidence to confirm my fears, nothing more,' he told himself. "I just gave her a pep talk. We are criminals who can't help ourselves but pressure-test our dispatcher. She shouldn't take it to heart, yada yada yada." They sat down at a small coffee table, Visi throwing her boots onto it.
"For real? That's it?"
"Yep." Sean pushed her boots off the table. "Some people put their food on there."
She just rolled her eyes, but his attention was captured by two in costume staring at them. One of them was somewhat familiar. He had been there when Sean was fighting Jeremy. He couldn't remember who he cheered for, though.
"You sure you didn't threaten her?"
They were approaching. He leaned into the chair, just observing for now.
"Sometimes a person just needs another perspective to reframe theirs. Before, it was just us bullying her, and now she has some context. It's easier to forgive and even feel compassion for someone if you know the why."
"…I guess that makes sense?" Her tone grew a bit softer at that.
"I saw the fight the other day." One of the two heroes spoke up as they came to a stop just a few steps away, finally attracting Visi's attention as well. A frown appeared and her relaxed posture disappeared. A slight shift, her boots pushing into the ground, her hand gripping the armrest harder than necessary, and her eyes narrowing.
It was strange to notice these little switches and movements. In truth, these things were perceived in their totality and he didn't need to parse their individual meaning intentionally, he just knew what the other wanted. A mix of his tension and his Saiyan's biological, almost prodigious, affinity to read body language. The foundations to be part of a warrior race, he supposed. Perhaps, it was the ki sense as well. There was a certain texture to anyone's ki, like it reflected the person's nature.
As for the two approaching heroes, he dismissed them. Not because they were weak, they weren't. Even relative to his newfound strength, he wasn't sure he could beat them yet.
"Jeremy was being an ass and you stood your ground. Honestly, I was impressed." He gave Sean a thumbs up, to which he just nodded. They didn't have any hostile intentions.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Knuckleback, and this is Thundersize." Knuckleback had a bright orange tight suit mixed with some yellow and white. He was an absolute unit, similar to Thundersize. The other guy had a darker theme going on, some shades of dark green and black. There were also some protrusions on his shoulders that reminded Sean of those horns of naval mines.
"I don't condone beating weaker people, even if it's about dickheads like you," Thundersize snorted. "But two wrongs don't make a right. At least you weren't pathetic." It was clear that Thundersize did not like Kohjin. Sean couldn't really claim that it was unreasonable, he had to live with his reputation, deserved or not.
"Anyway, it was some metal shit, and I thought he would fit well. I was asked if I knew someone who'd join the superhero bare-knuckle fights next weekend. I figured you would be man enough to step up and make an interesting fight." Sean couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. It was honestly perfect, he needed more fights under his belt, especially early on before he got too strong, where every loss would mean the end of the world.
"How much for a fight?" Obviously, he couldn't just agree. No matter his current funds, he would eventually need more to sustain his future training equipment.
"Asking the right questions, hah! It's one thousand dollars for every round you fight. If you win, you get the one thousand for each of the six rounds and another ten thousand on top."
"Sixteen thousand for a single fight? That sounds a lot."
"Yeah, you know most of what we are worth goes to all the infrastructure, equipment, and other benefits we get here at SDN. If you want to earn more, there is a lot of interest in seeing superheroes fight close up."
"It's legal." Visi suddenly interjected as if she could see his skepticism. "All above the board, enabled through some rich people with influence. If you dance for them, you get a pretty penny."
Knuckleback nodded. "Indeed, all professional, with referees and medical personnel present. SDN actually advises their heroes to participate once in a while, good training. Happens about once a month. There have rarely been any heavy injuries, and if there are, you get a Wonder Pill, the same ones that are sponsored to the SDN."
"A Wonder Pill?"
"Ah, shoot. Right, memory loss. Depending on the team's rate of success, your dispatcher can hand out these Wonder Pills that can heal most injuries in a few minutes. Idremotopilica- andremtop… yeah, no idea what the correct term is, but it works and that's all I need."
"Right."
"So, you in?"
"Sure."
"Great, I'll bring you to see the Contractor later this week."
Sean watched the two leave, while feeling Visi's eyes on him.
"…You sure about this?" She finally asked.
"Not really."
"Huh? Why the fuck did you agree then?"
"Knuckleback seemed a bit… he probably earns a commission for recommending me, right?"
"No shit, Sherlock. Probably gets a hard-on seeing you get beat up as well. He most definitely will bet on your loss too!"
"…And only we know that I'm a lot stronger than two days ago."
"Oh… OH. Yes, good thinking! We'll be striking-"
"Okay, Team!" Stacy's enthusiastic voice suddenly sounded out through the earpiece. It was a bit too loud for his taste. Sean watched Visi grimace, but didn't make any moves to adjust the volume. It seemed like there wasn't a secret finger swipe over the earpiece, or she never cared enough to figure it out. He hadn't read anything about volume adjustments in the manual either. "Let's get our morning started. We have a call near the harbor. Golem, please take a look."
Sean expected a more detailed explanation of what Golem should do at the harbor, but after a moment of silence, Stacy continued.
"Near the refinery is a group of fugitives running away. Flambae and Punch Up, apprehend them." Sean had read that there are different channels, so perhaps Stacy debriefs them there to avoid sharing unnecessary or sensitive data with the entire group? The channel switch was supposedly automatic once the heroes were assigned in the dispatcher's system. It was possible to change between the team's and the tactical or mission channel. There was also an emergency call the heroes could initiate that would establish a direct channel with their dispatcher.
"The Torrance High School needs someone to give a motivating speech. Prism, you can handle that."
Bzzzt
There was a sound as if a TV channel was changed before a deep voice Sean recognized as Golem's, "Hey, what am I supposed to do at the harbor?"
Bzzzt Bzzzt
"How the fuck should we find those fugitives? Should we guess the fuck they're wearing?"
"Are they armed? How many are there?"
"Ehm, Golem. It's something about a flood. They didn't say much besides that. And the fugitives are a larger group. Not sure if they are armed. They didn't say."
"Well, ask them! The fuck do you expect us to do? Just run in blindly-?"
Sean scratched his head as the voice call got more and more heated, barely catching sight of Golem rushing out and mumbling, "This is bullshit."
There wasn't really a way to get more information besides the mission details on the SDN employee app. He looked into the missions the others were just assigned, but he couldn't find more information than what she had said, which was basically nothing.
Visi scowled as she continued to listen in on the team channel, occasionally throwing something in. The channel quickly devolved into a buzz of insults and complaints.
Given the mood of the team and the exchanges, it was easy to get riled up as well. Their complaints seemed justified, after all. He tried to keep his tone calm, to remain unaffected by the emerging hostility. "This is a mess, isn't it? How is this supposed to go? What can we expect as heroes?" Visi's attention switched when she heard his question. The group channel, fortunately, was quiet for a moment as well.
"Usually, we get debriefed in the team channel, so everyone is on the same page and can assist if there is need. Briefing is about what the client wants and what might complicate the mission. The dispatcher is supposed to have already asked all the details from the client, so that we can just hear all we need to complete the mission while already moving there. Not whatever this-" She started rather serious before huffing, and Sean could already guess what was coming next.
"I see…" he interjected. "So, at the very least, we should know the danger rating and have a way to classify the mission type. Whether it's about rescuing, pursuing, investigation, and so on. The mission tickets can be categorized this way, so knowing these two would probably be enough for most missions, right?" Sean thought about the four classes of the Destructive Output Rating System, D.O.R.S., that he read in the guide.
"Anything would be better than whatever these assignments were!" Flambae's voice suddenly sounded out in his ear. It was only then that he realized they had spoken to the entire team.
"S-sure, I can do that! Just give me a chance." Stacy responded, her voice wavering, on the verge of tears.
Bzzzt
"Bitch, the school didn't need no damn motivation speech! I was entirely unprepared to talk a kid from jumping! Your empty head is in your goddamn ass if you think that wasn't relevant information!"
"Don't worry, I will be better!" She sounded desperate before she went silent for a moment.
"I mean, how the fuck are we supposed to work like this?"
"A flood at the harbor… The waterfront collapsed, with a bunch of cars filled with people sinking. I've already lost a third of my size rescuing them. I need backup"
"I can't believe we got someone this incompetent again!"
"Jin and Invisigal," Stacy spoke up again, "somewhere on Maricopa St., a cat escaped their home and was last sighted on Hawaii Ave, heading north. The owner wants him retrieved unharmed, so it’s a pursuit and rescue mission. The cat is rather feisty and is currently attacking a family in a car, so you can expect some resistance."
"Great. A decent callout, and it's for a fucking cat retrieval!"
"I can't believe-"
His earpiece suddenly grew quiet, obviously meaning they had been switched to the mission channel. "I guess it’s a good introduction to our work," Visi said as she pushed herself off the chair and started jogging. Sean was on her heels.
"So, Maricopa St., you know where that is?"
"Yeah, it's not that far. Maybe a mile or two."
After jogging out and down the street, Visi suddenly slowed down. "Okay, first rule as a hero," with her finger pointed up while nodding sagely, "always seem busy even if you aren't, especially with these cases that aren't really time-critical."
"…That's just normal corporate job advice, also not really fitting for a hero. Besides, I don't want to search every bush once the cat has disappeared God knows where. Let's be quick about this."
Visi rolled her eyes. "Of course you would say that. Did anyone ever tell you to remove that stick up your ass?"
"Yes, I've heard it more than enough from my brother. Never been a party guy or broke many rules despite having him as a role model." He loved his family, and even with all their 'flaws', he always thought fondly about them. He would love for his brother to abstain from drugs, for his little sister to stop trying to emulate Tommy while documenting everything about her life online. Sometimes he wanted his mother to be less overprotective and… for his father to be alive again, at least for a final goodbye.
"Ha, he sounds like we would get along. How about you introduce me someti- oh, right. Well, shit... Alright, let's fetch that cat."
He hated how the memory of them was now tainted with that sting. He had always figured he wouldn't be able to handle another loss. Always figured he would have more time.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Sean finally managed to say, trying to get his attention back to the present as he followed her over the street.
"I wasn't- whatever." Visi was similar to his little sister besides having the same name. Her crass mannerisms and emotional ineptitude reminded Sean of Cory. He shook his head. 'Focus! No time for projecting. Wallow later!'
"By the way, are the things we say over communication recorded? I've read in the contract that the company needs to keep them for evidence."
"Hm? Only those from the mission channel. They use those since they can't really force heroes to wear body cams."
"They can't? Why?"
"Moron, you think any hero wants to have the details of their powers leaked? Villains would salivate over something like that, and with the kind of money criminals can move, there is no one that wouldn't be moved."
"Makes sense… Can we mute ourselves?"
"Yeah, it's just one tap on the earpiece, another to unmute," Visi answered as she turned invisible and weaved through the crowd. Sean almost lost her. Although her powers didn't erase her ki, it certainly made her less noticeable. He needed to stay close, otherwise he would lose her for real.
With a jump, he leaped over a small crowd, using the wall of a building to push himself into an alleyway. The brick wall almost felt brittle under his feet.
Just jumping off a wall and he felt like his descent was being slowed. It was strange to move this fast. The resistance of wind was noticeably strong despite it not being windy. The sensation tempted him to try his hand at flying again, to try and use his ki to keep himself afloat for longer. The fleeting thought passed, worried he would accidentally fire his ki and cause an explosion.
"Here we are," Visi said as she became visible again. "I know it will be your first time seeing one, but let's find the pussy."
"…You're soo funny."
"Don't I know it?"
His ki sense was admittedly not great. Normal people barely had enough ki to be noticed, even heroes like Visi only stood out a bit. Searching for a cat? He doubted he would even notice it.
"Hm?" A relatively large ki source close by. His legs carried him there without any deliberate intent. It was almost like he was pulled there magnetically, his mind already conjuring up a fantasy of being able to rough up whoever that was.
"Hey! Wait for me."
His eyes drifted around before finding a large bush rustling. A deep breath, his body adjusted, lowering its center of gravity. Suddenly, a blur of orange shot straight at him. His hands found the ground below him. His legs shot up, digging into the stomach of a leaping tiger. Sean's head tilted back as he completed the flip.
"Woah!" Visi shouted as she dodged the tiger while it flipped and landed on its feet, staring at him.
Grrrr A deep rumble as it bared its teeth at Sean.
"Is THAT the cat? What the fuck?!" Visi appeared beside him, visibly nervous. The tiger's eyes widened and it tilted its head before snarling at her.
"Watch out." He pushed her to the side as the tiger finished shifting its weight onto its forelegs. The leap came as predicted. Sean pushed forward, his speed making it possible to slide-tackle on the street, narrowly avoiding the tiger's claws. He turned and pushed himself off the ground with all fours.
The tiger turned.
"Too slow!"
Sean grabbed it at its midsection. His feet dug into the ground. His legs straightened, pulling it up. His back arched and his legs bent again as he slammed it on the ground behind him. A picture-perfect German suplex.
As soon as he connected it, he adjusted his grip, sliding up to the tiger's neck, applying a rear naked choke, and squeezing.
"Holy shit, that was- Jin! It's already out!"
"Huh? Wha- awww, man, already?" He let it go slowly, almost expecting it to try and escape. Its ki was steady, at least he hadn't killed it accidentally. The tiger was at least five times stronger than a normal human. To be knocked out in a single move was disappointing to Sean, but not shocking. It fell with all its weight plus momentum into a hard surface. It must not have landed on its head directly, otherwise it might have died on impact.
"Is that blood around its muzzle?" Visi pointed at the dark red stain.
"Seems like it- didn't Stacy speak of it attacking people inside a car?" He glanced at the unconscious tiger. He couldn't just leave it alone.
They didn't have to search for long. The bush was at the corner of the street. Turning into the side street, there was a white car, half its tires in the air, leaning against a tree. Its windows were spiderwebbed, there was blood at the corner of the door. "It must have cut its mouth open when trying to crack it open."
"Hey, you alright?" Visi asked, getting the attention of the terrified dad and his two children in the back seat.
"There is a tiger! It's- that's the one!" He pointed at Sean, who was carrying it on his shoulders. It was obvious that it was unconscious, but the man was still too terrified to open the door.
"What a shit-show. The police are on the way, and we have to contact the client to safely deposit the tiger."
"The tiger is just going back to its owner? Shouldn't we bring it to the zoo or some professional animal handler? How is owning a tiger allowed anyway?"
"When you have a lot of money, a lot is allowed." Visi scoffed before contacting their dispatcher. "Hey, bitch. Next time ask the client if the cat is a fucking tiger." With that, she pulled the earpiece out.
A moment later, Stacy contacted Sean. "Sorry, I-I just can't deal with all this. Everything is just- this is insane. How was I supposed to know it’s a tiger? How am I supposed to know that the guy had a C4 vest or that the lizard was a seven-foot human-eating plant called leezart? I thought this was about robbers and thieves! Not this! I'm sorry, Jin. I can't help with this."
Sean had told her that they were a criminal group, afraid to make deep connections as they were disappointed with the world. That they needed help which would stick around and not abandon them. He had bombarded her with some emotional arguments about cliché scenarios one would find among criminals trying to be heroes, even if some of them were just here to lessen their sentence.
For a moment, he thought about appealing to her emotions again, but then he glanced at the car. Its windows smashed, the tires popped, a gap between the door and the frame bent open, and the car almost flipped onto its side. If the tiger had persisted, it would have been a matter of time before it got inside.
He figured the job would demand a lot, but was there room for mistakes? Lives were on the line, and despite being a Saiyan with strength that would be unrivaled, it wouldn't mean much if he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I think it was just your approach that was wrong. You're trying too hard to be effective." It was clear with how fast she assigned people to missions that she was stressing about being quick, causing her to make too many mistakes. However, failure didn't mean there was no way to improve.
"Slow down." She just needed actionable advice. "Take your time with each case, no matter how minor it seems, ask the client for clarification even if it seems trivial. It's not about doing it fast, it's about doing it right, by being accurate." Honestly, shouldn't some other experienced dispatcher mentor her first, so she could get a hang on it? What was SDN doing? "Also, if you're unsure about something, take your team's opinion into account. You're not doing this alone. It's a cooperation. Don't quit now, it's your first day. You were bound to make mistakes, now it can only get better. Believe in yourself and your team."
Perhaps it was just his ideal of a hero. There were things one could be better at and specialize in, but one should at least be able to deal with most situations. If the dispatcher wasn't assigning perfectly, then it should be up to the heroes to pick up the slack.
Perhaps she truly wasn't fit for the job. She wasn't dealing with failure well, already speaking of quitting. It was obvious that she didn't have a high resistance to pressure. However, it wasn't about being perfect, it was about learning and being better the next opportunity. She could learn how to ask the right questions and even learn to deal with pressure.
There was no guarantee that the next dispatcher would be better. From what he had heard, the team had already gone through a few dispatchers without success.
"That- I think with your help I can do that." At least she bounced back quickly.