A Good Samaritan

Hope ran through the quiet halls of the hospital as fast as normal limits would allow. There were a few doctors and nurses, but every patient, no matter how mild or major, the wound was gone, had been fully healed. All but one. Of course, this wouldn't be the only Hospital. Team Reservoir would be going to every Hospital in Oleander and Lillian, healing everyone. They'd even visit a few other Hospitals, from what was said, but she just couldn't bring herself to care.

Cars were all over the road, and dozens of people walked the streets. All living out their lives, not even paying her a glance.

She wiped at the wet spot from beneath her glasses, not bothering to see where she was heading. She just walked, contemplating where to go.

Armin would be too busy to talk, and Kyle's house was practically on the other side of the city, and it'd be night by the time she got there. She thought if maybe she should scream about how good of a time she was having or how things couldn't get worse. That would cause the Bad Timers to strike. She could yell it and beat some heads in.

She really wanted to hit something really bad.

"Okay. What's going on." And those four words snapped her out of her funk as a hand grabbed her shoulder and stopped her from walking forward. "You were about to walk out into traffic, are ya trying to get yourself killed, kid?"

Indeed, she was so caught up she didn't even notice the fact the light was still green as she was mid step into the road. She cranked her head up and saw him. Dressed in his smelly brown jumpsuit, his red hair was still as wild as it had been the other day. Jack Larison frowned down at her.

"Kid?"

"Mr. Larison?" She wiped her eyes again and stood up straighter. "Uh... so what are you doing here."

"Work." She looked around, not noticing anything that looked destroyed. They were still on the side of the road, and the Hospital wasn't too far away, many cars still driving and people walking. He seemed to notice her weird look and explained further. "Well, since that villain went and popped out of the Kaiju, that job is delayed until we get the go ahead to start it back up, once they make sure there ain't any more baddies hiding in there. And for once, there haven't been any other disasters to happen today, so we're on break. This happens sometimes, and on those days, we're on call. We're just gonna walk around and clean up the city as we find trash." Jack explained.

"So, what, you just walk around and pick up soda cans?" She snorted. "That sounds fun."

"Yep. At least until one of them goes and makes a mess." Jack said, pointing down the street.

Hope looked up and raised an eyebrow when she saw who he was talking about. They were in a pretty nice neighborhood with low apartment buildings and houses. Several cops and construction workers stood around a sewer lid. In the middle of them, with his arms folded, was a superhero.

He was a handsome dark-skinned man with slicked back combed hair and a set of yellowish eyes that looked almost cat like. He was dressed in what looked like traditional Greek clothes—the kind you'd see in a movie or read about in some books. White robes were going over his body, with a bit of red cloth covering his other side for more modesty. He even had a gold like headband wrapped around his forehead. Part of the cloth was pulled up to cover his lower mouth, but besides that, he didn't seem to try hard to hide his identity.

Oh, and most importantly, at least to Hope, he was buff. The man was big, easily six feet, and you could tell he worked out just from a glance. His arms were bigger than Jack's.

"I know him!" Hope said with wide eyes as she got a closer look at the strangely dressed hero. "He's Myth! He used to be in the Sub Enforcers but ended up graduating and going solo two years ago!"

There were three main villain groups in Oleander. The first was the gang, the Bad Timers. Whenever someone would announce things couldn't get worse, you could bet these guys would show up to prove you wrong. They were made up of several Supers, though they mostly used grunts to do their dirty work, the Supers traveled in small teams. The next group was the dangerous one. Zoo. Madmen and women who think society failed them, so they need revenge. They dress up with Animal masks and go around killing anyone who pisses them off. The last and final group was called the Wandering Coin. They were drug addicts, some of which had superpowers. Usually, the cops would handle them, and they were more annoying than anything else.

In Oleander, the task of fighting these groups wasn't given to the Enforcers. Not typically, anyway. The Enforcers were the greatest hero team in the USA. Made up of ten of the strongest heroes, each operated in a city of their own. Ocean Empress was in Lillian, Max Lightning was in Gladiolus, Old Dog had operated in Oleander, and Victorian practically owned Rose. Within every City was a group known as the Sub Enforcers!

When a kid would awaken superpowers, that was usually the team they joined. A Sub Enforcers squad was in every City, led by an adult hero who was there to train the next generation of kid heroes. When a kid grew up, like Myth did, they had three options. They could either join a sponsored team, which was a team one of the Enforcers owned, like how Ocean Empress ran team Reservoir, or like how Old Dog used to run a team called the Watch Dogs. Every Enforcer member had their own unique team they led, besides Victorian, who was just the leader of the Enforcers. Their second option was to go solo and not have a team working alone. This was one of the hardest things to do in the hero world and a sure way to get every villain to come for you. The last way was to join an indie team. A new group that likely wouldn't survive the funding costs and would break apart.

"I should get his autograph." Hope decided.

"Yeah, have fun with that." Jack snorted. He began to walk down the street, minding his business, ready to be alone again. Then he stopped when he heard the quiet footsteps. "Why." He sighed.

"What?" Hope asked.

"Why are you following me?"

"I don't know." She gave him a shrug. "I could use the distraction."

"Kid. Look, I'm really swamped with work."

"No, you're not."

"I'm pretending to be though."

It was then that he saw it, pausing the sigh rising in his throat. A poster was nailed into a wooden pole. A frown crossed his face as he looked it over. It was one of a missing cat. One of the ones with a picture of the animal, and a phone number to call if you spot it. It wasn't the only one, though. There were hundreds of missing cats and dogs, all hanging. Up ahead, he could see the one putting them up, or at least the one putting up the first picture he had seen. She was young, only around eight.

"Excuse me, miss, are you looking for your cat," Jack called out. The little girl turned when she saw the large man moving towards her and flinched back.

"I think I can help. Do you know where you last saw it?" Hope said quickly, cutting into the conversation and easing the little girl's nerves.

"You'll help me find my kitty?"

"Sure. Right?" She shot a look at Jack, who just grumbled quietly under his breath. This was basic hero 101, and she'd already saved dozens of cats on her first night out, so one more couldn't hurt.

"You're taking the lead on this?" Jack asked with a smirk.

"You're my sidekick."

"Try the other way around."

"Gotta look busy, right?" She snickered.

"I'm not saving you from getting hit by a car next time."

Hope frowned at the man and was about to say something, likely about how a car would be in worse shape than her if they crashed but shook her head and turned away. "So, where did you see your cat?"

"I let him out for a walk, and he didn't come back." The girl looked as if she was about to cry.

Jack rubbed his chin, a frown on his face. "That's not a lot of information to go by. And who lets cats out for a walk?"

"You could search this entire city block from top to bottom, and I doubt you'll find the missing animals." Hope nearly jumped when she realized they had walked close enough to the officers and the hero, who had overheard them. It had been Myth who spoke.

"Know something we don't," Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A lot of things, yes." He spoke in a bit of an accent and had an amused tone.

"Oh, screw you!"

"What my buddy is trying to say is, 'could you tell us what you meant'?" Hope asked sheepishly, stepping in front of Jack.

Myth shared a look with one of the cops, who just shrugged. Seemingly being allowed to tell them, he turned back. "Someone has been taking animals. It's been happening not just in this city but in others as well. Dandelion lost an entire zoo, Rose has its Rich blood in an uproar when their exotic animals are taken, and here in Oleander, common house pets go missing in the dead of night."

"And you think the person in question is hiding in the sewers?" Jack questioned. That would explain the strange crowd gathered around the hole.

Myth gave the smallest of nods. "I know the man who is taking all the animals, and he isn't someone a normal person should mess with. He's a member of Zoo. Red Ape."

The name seemed to tick several of the cops off. One of their best officers had recently been killed in her own home by Zoo. "Wasn't Red Ape being sent to Nightshade?" Jack asked. It was the greatest Prison in all of America, able to hold nearly any villain.

"He never made it." One of the Cops sighed. "Zoo broke him out while he was being transported. We believe that's why he is doing this. Trying to get his reputation back."

"I guess there isn't anything we can do then." Jack sighed. "Sorry, kid." He shrugged at the little girl.

"Will you get my cat back?" The child asked, staring up at the hero.

Myth attempted to give the girl a kind smile. "That's the plan. I'm going to get them all back. The sewers are a maze. Connected to dozens of blocks and other cities, I've been slowly mapping it out one tunnel at a time."

There was a loud buzz, and one of the officers fished out his phone. "That's from dispatch. They just gave us the go ahead again, Myth. You can start whenever."

"I think I can help." That got everyone to look at her, and Hope realized she blurted it out without thinking. "It's just... I think I could help you map out the tunnels easier." Her face suddenly felt much more vulnerable, hidden only by her glasses.

Myth stared at her, his eyes looking her up and down. "Let's talk somewhere else" He decided.

***

Jack grumbled more as he dropped down from the ladder and landed in a puddle of what he prayed was mud. The sewers smelled just as you would expect them to, and his face turned a little green.

"Ew." Hope sighed, stepping down.

Myth had led them away from the cops and quickly to an alleyway where they would be alone. Another sewer lid had been there, and the man had removed it like it was nothing. Jack was pretty sure it had been locked, making it more impressive. Apparently, Myth got what Hope had meant. Superpowers would be at play, and it was best if she didn't out herself in front of a bunch of Cops. He just hoped none of them had body cams.

Being a superhero wasn't exactly illegal; Myth had clearly been working with those men after all, but it was still not best to push your luck if you could help it.

"I'm guessing that when you said you had a way to map out an entire sewer system, it involved something Super related?" Myth asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" She asked.

The hero shrugged. "You're about at that age, I guess. I awakened my power when I was thirteen. Powers seem to always pop up in kids. You never see a grown man in his thirties getting superpowers. World's weird like that." He eyed Jack up. "Is it fine for him to be here?"

"Yeah, he's cool." Hope nodded as Jack folded his arms and sighed. She briefly wondered why he had agreed to come along.

"In that case, do your thing." Myth smirked.

"One sec." She pocketed her glasses, reached into her backpack, and pulled out a piece of red cloth. It was the Cape from her Halloween costume. Though now it barely looked like a Cape, most of it torn away, being just big enough for her to tie it around her head, her blue eyes glowing through the two tears. "Now I'm a real superhero."

Jack and Myth shared a look. The two men gave a nod. "You look ridiculous." They both said.

"You can't team up!" She whined. "Are you going to hide your face, Mr. Larison?" She asked.

"Superheroes usually hide their identity to protect their family and friends," Jack said. For a moment, the image of Nick came to his mind. "I'm fine if something happens to him, so I don't need a mask."

With that done, it was time to get to work. She took a deep breath and tried to focus. It was like a nagging sound in the back of her head. A beat. Two of them. The first was from Myth. It was a healthy rhythm, showing how fit and full of energy he was. The second one though, was wild, twitching and stopping, only to restart. She'd need to remind herself to speak to Jack about that later.

The noises didn't end there. The beating grew louder, and the sound of water dripping began to echo around her. Slowly, she placed her ear to the wall, ignoring how gross it was. That was when she heard it. Cackling and the sounds of animals. It was directly above one of the tunnels, an abandoned building, possibly a street even, with how quiet everything else was.

The connection broke. "I know where the guy is now. Just follow me. Oh, and I think he knows we're here." She muttered, shaking her head as everything spun. Her head really hurt from trying to force her powers, but it had worked. "What?" She asked when she saw Jack's look.

"Nothing." Jack shook his head, but a frown was on his lips. "It's just... Your powers are like someone I knew once."

"Lead the way." Myth sighed. Hope nodded and began to make many turns, left, then right, another left, going through twisting tunnels. Finally, though, just when Jack began to get lost, Hope stopped and gestured forward at a straight tunnel. "It's through there?" Myth asked and received a nod from Hope.

"So, we're going to fight this villain now?" Hope questioned.

"Actually, I think it's best if you leave." Myth said bluntly. "I just need to find the man, and I can do the rest."

"What! No!" Hope whined. "I don't want to miss this. I'm getting to see a real hero in action!"

"Kid." Jack cut in. "The hero is right. Red Ape ain't much of a threat, but I'm not risking it. Ya just got out of the hospital, no need to go back so soon."

"I can help, though." Hope turned to the hero and clenched her fists. "I have powers too. I know I'll be useful."

The hero looked as if he was about to say more but stopped suddenly. "Do you hear anything up ahead of us, Miss?"

"I don't have a Super name yet, so just call me Hope, and no. I'd need to focus again to use my senses; why?"

"I don't hear anything either," Jack said unhelpfully, giving a shrug. Myth's ears seemed to change for a moment. Longer and covered in thick fur. Like some kind of animal. "If you had that kind of power, why'd you need the girl to find the bad guy?"

"There are hundreds of miles of tunnels. Animal senses have some limits, unlike whatever she has." The hero said flatly. "Now shut up. I think I hear- Oh no."

"What?"

The trio froze when a large shadow loomed over them. Jack felt his eye twitch as he looked up and saw the head of a massive alligator staring down at him.

"Oh, come on!"

***

"Now, now there is no need to give me that look. Trust me, once I'm done, you won't even feel anything. You'll be far better off than you were!"

If a standard scientist were to see his lab's state, they'd be more than embarrassed for him. Dirty walls with cages spilled all over, each filled with animals of all kinds, monitors scattered around on the walls and ceilings, shelves of notes turned over, tables packed to the brink with what little equipment he had been able to get.

To say that it was a mess was a light remark.

Still to Red Ape, this was his newest home. Green Wolf had left him high and dry, demanding proof that he deserved to stay in Zoo after they had to go out of their way to break him out. "Now, please don't hiss." Oh, he was going to give them that proof. Then Green Wolf would have no choice but to make him his right hand man.

The man in question stood in this dirty home he called a lab. He was dressed in a long, flowing lab coat, the once pristine cloth now stained, torn, and badly stitched together. His head was covered mainly by a large cartoon monkey mask. Floating through the air, various metal hands flew around, all controlled by his will like a hive mind of bees.

A small kitten hissed up at him in one cage as he opened it, reaching for the cat. A syringe filled with a strange green liquid held in one of the floating hands. "See, with this, I think I've finally cracked it." He explained to the cat, waving maniacally. "The others didn't go so well, but this is my tenth batch." He reached out for the cat but stopped when he saw a flash of red on a monitor.

It came from his left, bright and hurting his eyes. There were several people who had entered the sewers. One of them caught his gaze, though. A damn hero.

"Myth." He hissed when he saw the monitor. "Well, looks like I'll have to start packing and-" He stopped when he saw the hero take a left, a right, another right, and then a left. "Why is he coming straight for me!" He took every correct turn as if he knew exactly where he needed to go. A minor panic began to grow before his ego got in the way.

An ego that began to build up like a flame.

"Oh. So, he thinks he can just come to me and cheat my little game. This is perfect, I'll be able to test my new beasts." He walked towards the wall where a large lever was jutting out. He grabbed it and pulled it down as hard as he could.

It was time for the show to begin!