Dark. Quiet. Peaceful.

The park had all of it. It was kinda why I chose it as my temporary home for all those years. Once you got near the middle everything just kinda tuned out. 

The roar of cars and the bustling sounds of the city, gone. The light from street lamps and open windows, gone. The daily threat of heroes and villains fighting in the streets, gone.

In a way, I could understand why I felt the urge to return here.

The swirling of my thoughts, the chaos of ideas and returning dreams that once lay forgotten, the desires I once held coming back with a vengeful fury.

Out of anywhere in Specton, this was the one place to go to clear your head. The one place that gave you the opportunity to think things through.

At least for me.

The core of the problem I had was simple, I couldn’t fall asleep.

Between the fears of having another dream and the anxiety of the upcoming mission, I don’t think anyone would blame me for struggling to get some rest.

I was scared of what would happen in the future. How many torturous dreams will I have to suffer before I'm once again free? How many more sleepless nights because the girl in the back of my mind won't stop letting her presence known?

And who would give up first? Her? 

Or me?

I sighed and leaned back on the bench, letting my eyes gaze upwards at the stars. I was being a bit overdramatic, probably, but it's not like the past week has been bad.

In some ways, this has been one of the best weeks I've had in who knows how many years.

I have a job again, a temporary one, but a job nonetheless. That meant money for food and clothes that I desperately needed. That meant a roof over my head and clean water to drink.

And it wasn't even a job I hated.

Sure fighting villains was a dangerous task, and sure I can't exactly say I'm not afraid of the consequences should I lose to them. But the idea of helping the city by ridding it of the Phantoms was nice to think about, made me feel like I was doing something good for once with my powers.

I quietly chuckled. I was a pretty shit villain, wasn't I?

My expression fell as my eyes turned back to the grass below.

It's not like I wanted to be a villain. Hell, I don't think I ever wanted to become a super at all. Most kids wanted to be heroes, or even a rare vigilante, but not me. I didn’t really care for all that originally.

Now? I don't think I really have a choice anymore. Being a villain is basically all I know, I couldn't see myself doing anything else.

It makes me wonder. When the Phantoms are gone, what will happen to me?

Would Skye and Eve kick me out once my job is done? Our agreement would have come to its end, they would have no reason to let me stay anymore.

A part of me wants to say they would never do something like that, but another part tells me I don't know them well enough to truly know what would happen.

Maybe I could go vigilante? Maybe I could convince them to let me be a permanent part of their team?

It's a lot of maybes, and not a lot of concrete answers.

It's something to think about, but I probably have plenty of time to consider asking them. I doubt a group as big as the Phantoms will fall anytime soon.

I sighed and stood up. My mind was starting to feel a bit more calm now, maybe this stroll in the park really was what I needed.

Might as well go back home and see if I could finally get some sleep now. I took a few steps and-

The sound of rustling bushes clued me on the fact somebody was approaching me from behind. I turned to see them, only to feel a small spike in my heartbeat and anxiety flooding my stomach.

Standing there was a tall woman in a black dress and fiery red hair. The same woman who continued to surprise me with her constant appearances.

"Are you stalking me?" I warily asked her.

Nova smiled and stepped up to a few feet in front of me. "I used to take walks here in the dead of night, I've seen you sleep here a few times during so. I knew you’d come around again."

I mentally prepared myself to react if she tried any funny business, but I wasn’t exactly too scared of her. 

Villains still aren't to be messed with though. Powerless or not.

"You keep coming to talk to me, what do you want?" I wasn’t going to play games tonight. I know if I let her steer the conversation she'll keep it dodgy and cryptic like last time.

She stuck her hands in her dress, it had pockets, and shrugged.

"I need help."

I frowned, confused. "And you think I'll help you?"

She grinned and took a step forward. "Maybe. Hopefully."

"Don't come any closer," I warned as I stepped back.

Thankfully, she stopped. Her gaze examined me as she looked me up and down.

"You're getting stronger,"

"What?"

"Keep this up and your power will expand into territories unknown, strength that you once thought unobtainable."

"Can you cut the games and just tell me?" I hissed, not wanting to raise my voice in the dead of night. "What do you really want?"

"Revenge," she smiled, an evil grin so fitting for a villain it actually sent a chill down my spine. "And I'm hoping you will help me accomplish that."

I gulped. "Again, why should I help you?"

"Because you are one of the few supers I believe who can take him on," Nova replied, before she calmly turned around and started leaving. Stopping once to say one last thing.

"We are headed in the same direction, you and I. You will help me get my wish, one way or another."

And with that, she walked away.

Not if I have anything to say about that!

I jogged back up to her and got between her and the park exit. She looked a little surprised, but schooled her expression into a calculated smile.

"Do you think you could just spout some cryptic mumbo jumbo nonsense and just leave?" I demanded, my body tense.

"Yes," Well at least she's honest. "We have nothing more to discuss, for now. I'm sure you'd rather have me spill my whole plot out for you, but I'm not the type to monologue. Sorry."

She didn't sound sorry.

She tried to walk past me, but I moved to stop her.

"You are starting to test my patience," she said as her smile vanished. "Trust me when I said I needed your help. I don't want to be your enemy, but if you keep this up then my opinion will change."

Her eyes pierced me for a moment, until she recentered herself with a deep breath.

"Goodbye." She said as she walked past me, I didn’t move to stop her this time.

"Wait," I called out to her. "Who are you trying to get revenge on, and why?"

If I'm apparently going to be indirectly helping Nova, at least according to her, then the curious part of me couldn't help but wonder why.

Nova stopped, but made no effort to turn around. Her head gazed upwards as she spoke.

"Five years ago, Northbrook Square." Was all she said, her tone filled with a hint of sadness that I could tell was being held back.

And with that, she actually left this time.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I was back at the cafe, a cup of coffee on the table next to me as I browsed the internet on Skye's spare laptop. 

You would be hard pressed to find someone in the city who didn't know about Northbrook Square. Spectons most tragic dot in all of its recent history. An event that changed superhero society, one that caused numerous changes and new laws from the government.

They say over a hundred people died that day.

I still remember where I was too. Finishing up my last class of the day at high school during my senior year. I still remember how many other students stood in shock and horror as the news spread.

A three-way battle took place at the square between two of the city's greatest heroes, and an unnamed villain. 

Some say that the villain caused them to fight somehow, but most people think the fighting started because the heroes couldn't decide on how to finish off the villain. One wanted to take them to HQ and imprison them for life, the other wanted to kill them, to rid the city of their evilness forever. 

They couldn't come to an agreement, things got heated, and so they fought. Two of Spectons strongest heroes fighting to the death.

It was no wonder that the death count rose as high as it did.

When the dust settled only one super was left remaining. The villain was gone, having escaped the scene at some point. And the heroes?

CyberKnight, the world's greatest inventor and owner of his own suit of power armor, was dead.

Snapsion, the woman who could create explosions out of thin air, was the only hero left standing to take the blame. The one who originally wanted to kill the villain, ended up killing a fellow hero instead.

She's still in a jail cell, even to this day. Locked deep inside one of the most secure prisons in the world, one dedicated to holding supers.

She would likely never see the light of day again.

Which begged the question. How does this have anything to do with Nova's revenge? 

One hero was dead, the other locked up forever. If she wanted to finish the job she would have to break into the prison, which not even the craziest and strongest of villains would ever attempt.

That left the unnamed villain. 

It could have been anyone, literally any of the dozen upon dozen of villains that live in Specton. Unless she was at the scene of the crime I doubt she'd figure out who it was.

The only witness remaining who knew the identity of the villain was Snapsion. Who had yet to talk about the event at all, staying as numbly quiet as she possibly could even as she was being sentenced to jail.

As it stood I struggled to imagine who Nova was going after. She must have had some clue as to who the unnamed villain was, but how does that relate to me? How did she expect me of all people to help her?

And why was it starting to feel like I was playing into her hands?