It didn't have to be this way -(villain!James - 1)
“It didn’t have to be this way.”
| Scream | Double Cross | Made to Watch |
This is the first part of a story I've been thinking about for a few years by now, in which James' career as a hero takes a turn when he finds out how corrupt his team leader is. I still need to figure out a hero name for her and a few other people, but I hope to get this story going now.
contains: Kidnapping, vaguely mentioned torture.
James tapped on the cloaking device on his suit and darkness spilled out over the fabric like a shadow; concealing the blue color. It really had been a genius invention for those times more discretion was needed, and when following a criminal through the city streets at night it definitely was.
The target was suspected of belonging to a criminal network that had proven particularly hard to pin down and expose. It likely would have been relatively easy for James to bring the suspect into custody, but another person they'd caught had proven that questioning was futile so James had decided to try another approach; maybe that person could lead him to some place of importance. If not, well, then he would have to just bring the suspect in.
Quietly as he could, James followed the man through the dimly lit streets, making sure that he wasn't noticed by the man he was following. That led him to a building which from the outside looked rather unsuspecting, but hopefully this would be something useful. Just before the door closed James used his power, a blue glow dancing across his fingers, as he focused on the door and stopped it from fully closing and locking.
He waited for a few moments, then walked up to the door and entered the building, carefully keeping an eye out for anyone else who could discover him. Granted the dark camouflage from the cloaking device helped him blend into the shadows of the corridor but it did not make him invisible. This was a risky move especially since he was alone, but danger was just part of the job.
Suddenly James heard footsteps from behind, and he hurried a few steps down the hall to hide in what seemed to be some sort of utility or storage room to avoid being noticed.
“Stop crying, you brought this upon yourself. Did you really think that double-crossing the Sinclairs would work out for you?” A woman said, and to James' surprise the voice was very familiar. That sounded like Cordelia, the leader of his team. Sure enough, through the keyhole of the door James could see her coming down the corridor accompanied by Rigel, dragging a bruised up man with them. Neither of them were in their hero suits, but the fact that she was here with a clearly injured person was even stranger. What the hell was going on?