Riptide's Revenge

Hero name: Fox Shot
Real name: Fredric Stuart
Power: Shapeshifting
Villain Name: Riptide
Real name: Mallory Turner
Power: Water bending/Levitation
Villain name: Short Circuit
Real name: Oliver Wagner
Power: Circuitry travel
Introduction
She levitated over the now defeated hero, who was kneeling face down in the mud. Such a pitiful creature. It seemed like he gave me this win. No matter. He’ll be dead soon anyway.
She landed softly before the half-dead hero when he started talking.
“Please. I need your help,” he whispered.
She scoffed. “A hero? Needing a villain's help? Pathetic.”
“Please. Just hear me out,” He begged. “There’s someone worse out there I deal with. Contrary to what you might think, you're not the worst villain I’ve had to deal with. And I….” he trailed off.
“And you what? Speak up boy, I can’t hear you.”
He just broke down sobbing. Mildly concerned, she tilted his face towards hers. He had cuts and bruises all over his face and arms, but those were shallow enough. It was his eyes that alarmed her. One was a cloudy pale blue color, as if- she shuddered at the thought.
“They, blinded you?”
“Not exactly.”
“Who did this to you?”
“A cyborg named Short Circuit.”

Chapter 1
Mallory Turner
⌘ Short Circuit. The mere name makes my blood run cold. He is a ruthless sociopath who will stop at nothing to get his way. Born in Tampa, Florida, he has made his way up the ranks after the apocalypse. Now at the top, no one is able to stop him. Many have tried, including Fox Shot. Most were killed. Fox Shot is lucky enough to be merely blinded.
“How long ago did this happen?”
He wiped the tears away. “About midday yesterday, I was walking in the financial district, when I heard an earsplitting scream coming from the Watson Bank Building. I morphed into a hummingbird and flew through the crowd of people streaming out of the building. More screams were heard, followed by gunshots. I flew under the stair door marked ‘Employees Only’. Down one, two, three flights of stairs, and to the right, there was a large metal door standing wide open. Here, I met Short Circuit. His back to me, he was holding the entire room hostage while his goonies were unloading the Main vault. I immediately morphed into a Panther and pounced onto his back. His goons dropped what they were doing and started attacking me. Jumping off of him. I morphed into an elephant and trampled them. After they were all flattened, I spun around to face an open-mouthed Short Circuit. Then, all I see is a very bright flash of green light. That’s the last thing I remember vividly seeing.”
I gently help Fox Shot to his feet. Picking him up, I fly him to my rooftop shack. There are a few oversized refrigerator boxes reinforced with random sizes of boards. An old, rusty piece of tin serves as the roof. An overturned milk crate makes a nightstand, and a worn-out mattress with a few blankets is my bed.
“We are on a rooftop, so don't go wandering around,” I warn him.
“Wow, this place is a wreck,” Fox Shot comments. This sends me into defense mode.
“Hold up, mister. You said you were blind. How do you know that my place is a mess?”
“Did you notice how I hesitated when you asked me that? Its because I’m only partially blind. I can see out of my right eye, barely. All I can see are outlines, though. My left eye cannot see at all.”
“Ohhh. well, I guess you can see where the edge of the roof is, right?”
“Yeah, I can see it.”
“Ok then,” I mumbled, slightly annoyed. Here I was. Riptide the Villain, helping a hero. A blinded hero, should I mention. I walk over to my bed. There were some old glasses of my father’s. My father was almost blind, so they were practically goggles. I placed them in his hand.
“See if these work for you. They were my fathers.”
“Oh wow, these work great! Thanks!”
The sun started to set on the metropolis, as it rose on my reign of power against Short Circuit. ⌘

Chapter 2

🗲 I glared at the screens before me, showing the water girl and the morph at her shack.
“So, she’s taken in the runt after all.”
“Yes sir, she has. I hear she’s also made him some glasses. Coke bottles at that.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Strange. It almost seems like she’s taken pity on him. Watch the screens. I’m going into town,” I chuckled, my electricity crackling.
“Wh-what for, sir?”
“I’ve got something special planned....” 🗲
Chapter 3
⌘ The sunlight wakes me up, the cool morning fog chilling my bones. Opening my makeshift cupboard, the bareness greets my rumbling stomach.
“No food again? Crap.”
My mumbling wakes Fox Shot up.
“Morning. What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. I’m just going to go find food for the both of us. I’ll be back in an hour or two.”
This sent him groping for his glasses. “What?! No! Please don’t go!”
“You want food or you wanna starve? I’m hungry. I’m getting food. You want some, tell me now while I’m still here.”
“I-I just don't want you getting hurt, that’s all. I don't want Short Circuit, you know-”
I cut the wimp off. “I’ll be fine! I’m ain’t scared of no Short Circuit! If he tries to attack, he’ll be in for a watery grave.” I flew off before he could continue. ⌘

Chapter 4
🗲 I steered the helicopter toward the rooftop shack, I checked my bag once again. Pepper spray, stretching leash for morph, Extra batteries packs. Oh yes, and one last thing. That thing is very special, keep that at the bottom. The helicopter stopped, and I gave the co-pilot the signal to take control. Now over the shack, a rope is let down and I down with it. Now on the ground, I turn on my heat vision. Scanning the shack, nothing shows up. Good. She’s not here. If the girl was here, she would be the death of me, frying my circuitry. I tried to keep my mind off her. I carefully open her curtain door. A snake slithered under the bed. An orange snake. This was going to be too easy. I was going to kill the morph once and for all. Suddenly, the sound of rushing water meets my ears. Oh no. 🗲
Chapter 5
⌘ I race home to the shack. Fox Shot was right. I never should have left. In the doorway, stood Short Circuit. Green electricity was cracking around him. Hovering right above the roof, I stretch out my hands. ater gurgled from the ground. Come on, don't fail me now! Sure enough, the quiet roar of water filled the air, growing louder with each passing second. The continuous stream of water met my hand. I pointed toward Short Circuit, and the water followed my silent command.
“Short Circuit,” I call. He slowly pivots, terror on his face. A major villain, scared of a nobody. Pathetic. “Looking for someone?” Suddenly, streams of electricity race forward, wrapping around my torso. I scream in pain, pushing the water even harder suddenly, I hear yelling and the frying of circuitry. Short Circuit droops me to the ground, writhing in pain.
“Mark my words. This may be the first, but this will not be the last fight,” he threatens.
Out of nowhere, a rope ladder falls out of the sky. A helicopter is at the top. Shooting me an evil eye, Short Circuit climbs to the top. A hand comes out of the hatch and helps him up. As the helicopter flies off, I run toward my shack.
“Fox Shot! Are you here,” I plead. As I do, a small orange snake slithers from under my bed. I scream, backing away.
“Calm down, It’s just me,” the snake says.
“Fox shot? Don’t scare me like that!”
“Sorry. Circuit board came, so I hid. Did you have your own encounter with him?”
“Yeah. I’m fine though,” I lie, ignoring the bruises and burns around my torso and arms. “Let’s teach you the basics of pickpocketing since you are now officially a villain.”
“Um, what?” ⌘

Three years later...

🐾I watch Riptide, waiting for the signal. We are about to hold another mansion burglary. She looks at me, then grins. The signal. 3, 2, 1… NOW! I morph into a small canary, then fly in through an open window. Riptide enters through a sun window. The owner, Sir Harlod, spies me.
“Fiona! One of your canaries got loose!”
“Then catch the bloody bird! I’m too busy fixing my hiar!”
Grumbling, the heavyset man starts chasing me. I taunt him, then fly out the door Riptide had previously opened. Harlod chases after me, and the door slams behind him. I quickly fly back in through the open window as Harlod is pounding on the now locked door. Inside, I morph back to my human form. Down in Fiona’s room, Riptide already has her bound and gagged. Nodding in approval, I lead the way to the money room. In the back is a large safe.
“Stop. That’s not it,” Riptide warns.
“W-what do you mean, ‘that’s not it?’”
“Most extremely rich people have a Large decoy safe, and the smaller safe they keep their money in.”
“Ok, so where’s the other safe?”
“Behind the big one. Morph into something strong and move it,” She commands.
Reluctantly, I obey. Morphing into an elephant, I grab the large safe with my trunk. It’s heavy, but I can move it. Sliding barely, I then morph into a snake and slither behind the big one.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing,” Riptide demands. I ignore her for the time being. Sure enough, there is a small room behind the large safe. A lone emerald sits on a pedestal in the center. I cautiously approach it. Lightly removing the emerald, I slip it into my jumpsuit pocket. Just as I am about to leave, a low sound reverberated through the room. As I turn back around, a green light illuminates the room. Now sitting on the pedestal, is a bomb. 🐾

Chapter 7
⌘ I pound on the safe. “Fox Shot! What are you doing in there?!? Let me in!!” I hear the crackling of electricity in response. Short Circuit. I stretch my hands out, fear pulsing through my veins. Water shoots out my hands, obliterating the solid steel box in seconds. Behind it stands Fox Shot, frozen in fear.
“Fox Shot? Hello?” Then, I see what’s paralyzing him. Sitting in the middle of the room is a digital alarm clock sitting on a pile of dynamite. It has a timer counting down.
“Riptide? I-is that what I t-think it is?”
“Yeah. I think we might wanna get out of here. Because if I’m right, then that is a live bomb. Come on, let’s get out of here. Fox Shot? What are you doing?” Fox Shot was drawn to the bomb like a moth drawn to a flame. Out of Nowhere, a hologram of Short Circuit appeared in the first room.
“Hello, Riptide. As you can see, there is a large bomb sitting in the next room. In exactly 30 seconds, this house is going to be blown to splinters. 29...28...27…-”
I don’t stay to hear the rest of the count down. “Let’s get out of here!”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” He responds, already morphing into a golden eagle. We race into the hall, up the stairs, and fly out the door. The now blustered Sir Harlod stands up, shaking his fist at us. Just as we fly past the rooftop, the house explodes. We both turn to watch the spectacle we barely escaped. That was close. ⌘