Chapter Text
Robert wasn’t a sentimental man. He never was to begin with, save for the picture of him and his dad and a few other rare occasions. Yet, the movie night he had with Invisigal probably made it up there on the small list of sentimental moments.
It was nice. It was simple.
Watching a movie, scarfing down on popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, and all other manner of junk food. No expectations, no…happy ending. Just two friends enjoying a cheesy romcom. It felt genuine, real. Unlike with Blonde Blazer. Call it paranoia, but he was already weary of her, especially with how strongly she came on the night they met, and how casual she was about her wardrobe malfunction.
Yes, he most likely was paranoid, but it’s worked out for him well over the past decade and a half, so he had no intention of toning it down now.
All of this went on in his mind as he brushed his teeth and got dressed. His face, unchanging and deadpan as ever, didn’t even twitch as he felt the slight sting of the still healing cuts from the shards of glass that got launched into his chest.
Welp, time to get back to work.
***
“Mornin’ fucker”, Chase started, immediately moving to pick up Beef, who seemed to be ever so happy about seeing the old man.
“Morning, fucker”, Robert replied, “Did I miss anything?”
“Day hasn’t even started, so no. Blazer did tell me to have you meet her when you get here. What’s the deal with that? You two, uh…got a thing or what?”
“No, no thing. Office?”
“Yup.”
“Right.”
He then walked over to Blazer’s office, an almost daily ritual at this point. He wondered if anyone else was this close and personal with their boss, but he didn’t dwell on it. Most bosses didn’t get tipsy during interviews.
When he entered, Blazer sat at her desk, staring at a file with a conflicting look in her eyes, something that immediately gave Robert pause. Another cut?
“Blazer”, Robert greeted, closing the door behind him, “Already calling in that rain check?”
She looked up.
“What? Oh, no. That’s way too soon. I’m saving that for a rainy day”, she replied, laughing a little.
“Good, ‘cause I rarely give those away. I have a busy schedule.”
Blazer raised an eyebrow, “Do you?”
“Yeah, didn’t you know, I’m a pretty important guy”, Robert deadpanned, making Blazer laugh a little.
“So, what’s up?” the skinny man asked, “We cutting someone else?”
“Oh, God no! That was…kinda tossed onto you last minute. I’m not about to do that to you again. This is…something else entirely. Nothing to do with the Z-Team.”
Robert’s interest was now piqued.
Blazer then pushed the file she had examined towards him.
“Remember that Thunderstruck guy?”
“You mean Thundercuck?” Robert quipped, smirking as he took the file, “Yeah, I remember him. Why?”
“Well, he’s a part of a gang called the Red Ring”, she said.
“Yeah, that-that tracks. Y’know, with the red rings and red eye. Really easy to miss.”
“Robert, this is serious. You’ve faced these guys before.”
Robert raised his own eyebrow.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, when you last faced off against Shroud.”
Robert’s countenance darkened at this as very unpleasant feelings and memories flooded his mind.
“So…what about this Red Ring?”
“They belong to Shroud. They’re on the rise, and activity from them is also on the rise. I’m not sure what they’re after, but I thought this would be something you could…y’know, take on with Z-Team.”
“‘Take on’?”
“I know I said we’d love a miracle. This is it, this is that miracle. You get to take down Shroud and his gang, and the Phoenix Program finally gets on the map.”
“Uh huh, just at the cost of the lives of the Z-Team.”
“What?” Blazer asked incredulously.
“Yeah, I hate to break it to you, but those assholes don’t stand a chance in hell against Shroud and his lackeys”, Robert said in his usual deadpan, no-fucks-given tone, “I mean, did you see what happened over the course of a few days? The team easily devolved to petty squabbles the second they heard about the cut.”
“Okay, so? That’s pretty on par for them.”
“I told you, Blazer, the bar is not low for me. It’s high. Very high. Especially going up against a heavy hitter like Shroud. You want more evidence they’re unprepared? They can barely take care of small-time crime on their own without some kind of bullshit taking place. Flambae is a straight up fucking manchild, Punchup is already pretty pissy with me, and don’t even get me started on Waterboy. He just got into the superhero game and you already wanna throw him in the deep end? Not happening. Oh, and let’s not forget that it took Visi three tries to nab a, let’s be honest, low level member of the Red Ring.”
Blazer tilted her head.
“Visi?” she repeated.
Robert ignored it and kept the conversation on topic. This was not the time for jokes.
“Blazer, they are nowhere near ready for the big leagues. Hell, I wasn’t ready and I’ve been doing this for fifteen fucking years. I got off with a coma and a totalled mech suit that neither I nor Royd can get to fucking work!”
“Robert”, Blazer said with slight shock.
“No. You gave me this team, and you gave me the authority to run it as I see fit. I’m telling you, this is a bad idea. I’m not about to let you send them into shit they most likely won’t be able to crawl out of.”
“Robert!”
The man had his teeth clenched at this point, but sat back into his seat, calming down.
“Okay”, Blazer said, taking the file, “Alright, I won’t bring it up again, but…please, just at least think on it? This could be huge, not just for the Z-Team. If you want this guy behind bars, this may be your only opportunity.”
Robert scoffed at this, but nonetheless nodded.
He then took the following silence as his cue to leave, and leave he did.
As he closed the door, he sighed in frustration and exhaustion. He didn’t think he’d need a second cup of coffee this early in the morning, but it looked like that was going to be the case. Still he hoped not as he walked towards his desk. He then leaned on it, growling in frustration. Sending the Z-Team against Shroud? What was Blazer thinking?
He then felt his desk shift slightly, and he knew it wasn’t Chase.
“Good morning, Visi”, he drawled.
At that, the space next to him was instantly taken up by the abrasive woman in question.
“Morning, Mecha Dick”, Invisigal responded, assuming her usual posture of folding her arms and leaning on another part of the desk like she owned the thing.
“How much of that did you hear?” Robert asked, knowing damn well Visi had been eavesdropping.
“All of it”, she said casually, “This Shroud dude really has you pissing your pants, huh?”
Robert ignored the remark, something that had not gone unnoticed.
“Look I know he fucked up your suit, but are you really actually afraid of this guy?”
“You’re not?”
“Afraid of a dude with a trench coat and a glorified gimp mask?” Visi scoffed, “Please.”
“Well, then you’re gonna be the first to fucking die”, Robert growled, taking the woman off guard.
“Hey, what the fuck, dude? You good? I thought, you know, after last night we were…y’know, cool”, she pointed out, her face already tensing up, ready for a fight.
Robert sighed, closing his eyes. He then got up and faced Invisigal fully.
“No, we’re cool, Invisigal", he relented, “But can you say with total, one hundred percent confidence that a bunch wanna-be fuck ups can succeed where Mecha Man failed? That you can succeed where I failed?”
“Took down Thundercuck, didn’t I?” Visi smirked.
“Cool, yeah, good for you. Now imagine an entire army of him. With superpowers. Who are better than him in every way, shape and form. Sorry, but compared to Shroud and all the other guys in his payroll, that guy may as well not have even existed.”
Invisigal snorted in derision as she scowled, “Wow, some fucking faith you have. No wonder you got your shit kicked in so spectacularly.”
Robert’s already thin patience finally snapped.
“It’s called fucking realism! You wanna take on Shroud, you go right ahead, but you can go do it all by your goddamn lonesome! Oh, and when he either kills you or sends you running with your tail between your legs, I’ll be right fucking there to say ‘I told you so’! If two Mecha Men couldn’t fucking do it, I doubt the walking talking representation of daddy issues will do any better!”
This final push was enough to make Visi real angry, so much so that she looked about ready to deck him again, if the clenched fists and teeth were of any indication. He was even loud enough to attract the eyes of the entire office. However, Robert didn’t care. If this was what it took to dissuade Visi from entertaining this pipe dream, then so be it.
“Fine”, Visi finally growled, “Have it your way. I hope that dog chomps your tiny little fucking dick off!”
At that, Visi vanished.
Robert sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
This was going to be a very long day.
***
The day could have gone smoother, but it also could have been infinitely worse. Robert was just thankful Visi didn’t act out too much. Still, other than that, the day was going just as well as could be expected. Hell, he was actually starting to get used to Sonar’s screeching.
That, however, didn’t concern him. What did concern him was getting back into fighting shape. He stood in front of the punching bag, hands up and legs spread out as he maintained his fighting stance. He landed hit after hit, blow after blow. He then threw out a roundhouse kick, making sure to pivot his entire body.
He couldn’t get the name out of his head.
Shroud.
It ate at him the whole day, like a worm inside of an apple. Shroud, on the move again. For what reason? He got what he wanted. Mecha Man was all but gone, the Astral Pulse was his, and proving to be damn near impossible to reverse engineer. What did that traitorous, cowardly asshole want now?
Robert continued to grunt, only this time in anger rather than exertion.
Shroud. Fucking Shroud.
He imagined himself back in the steel mill. He imagined things playing out differently. Imagined him punting Toxic out of the building like a football, vaporizing the blob goon. He imagined standing over Shroud’s body as he hit him over and over again.
Robert yelled in rage now, push-kicking the bag in a final act. He panted, already feeling just how out of shape he was.
“You good, angry boy?”
This startled Robert so bad that he instinctively swung his fist in the general direction of the voice. Luckily, Visi had fast reflexes.
After dodging the blow, the woman looked visibly surprised.
“Yo, what the fuck?!” she exclaimed.
Robert frowned.
“Dammit, how many times are you gonna sneak up on me like that?”
“It’s funny, what can I say?” Invisigal shrugged.
“Well, it’s not funny to me”, Robert grunted as he unzipped his hoodie and lowered the hood.
“Dude, what the fuck is up with you?” Visi demanded, “You are way, way more dickish today than usual, and that’s coming from me.”
“Gee, I wonder why”, Robert drawled as he took a long swig of water after taking a seat on one of the gym benches.
“Fuckin’ Christ man, I thought we were friends! Don’t friends, y’know share shit with each other?”
“What, like our wet dreams?”
Visi huffed at this, exasperation clearly written on her face.
She then threw her arms up in surrender as she said, “Fine, fuck you too. I’m out.”
At that, she vanished.
Robert closed his eyes for a moment, frowning even deeper, this time with regret.
Finally…
“Visi, wait”, he relented.
Nothing, but he had a feeling she had at least stopped.
“I’m sorry, okay? We are friends, and…yeah, I have been more of an asshole than normal. You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Still nothing. Robert rubbed his forehead in frustration as he sighed.
“Wow”, he whispered, berating himself quietly, “Nice going, Mecha Dick.”
Visi then appeared next to him on the bench he sat on.
“Damn right, Dad Bod”, she said, holding out a towel for him.
Robert took it, wiping himself of sweat as Visi took a hit of her inhaler.
“Look, hot as our banter is”, the woman said, still trying to catch her breath, “No bullshit, what the hell is going on? This Shroud shit really got you this riled up?”
Robert put aside the towel as he took off his handwraps. Evidently, he had gone a little too hard a little too long if the blood on his knuckles was of any indication.
“Yeah”, he muttered, “Yeah I guess it does.”
Visi looked hesitant for a few moments.
“You…you must really hate this guy, huh?”
“Whatever gave you that idea?”
The question, while rhetorical, came out softer than usual, with less bite.
“Guess that means you really wanna put this guy behind bars, huh?”
Robert stood now.
“No, Visi”, he said, “I want him dead. Gone. Reduced to the fucking past tense.”
Visi raised an eyebrow at that.
“That doesn't sound like something a superhero should say.”
“Haven’t you heard? I’m not a superhero. Not anymore. I’m just Robert Robertson the Third.”
This made Visi begin to laugh at that.
“I’m sorry, the Third?” Visi repeated, “That should be a criminal offence.”
This made Robert chuckle, though only a little.
“So you’ve got a revenge boner for this guy. That's why you’ve been the tip of all dicks today?”
“Yeah…yeah, guess you could say that.”
“But…as a superhero”, Visi pressed, “Shouldn’t you be trying to turn this guy in to the police?”
“So he can escape from prison again?” Robert countered, “No, I won’t take that risk again. He’s the reason why I’m Mecha Man, why, for as little I saw of him, I’ll never see my dad again, why the Brave Brigade shattered like fucking glass!”
“He’s the reason why you’re no longer Mecha Man”, Visi finished, “Wasn’t enough to kill your dad, then he decided to raw dog your legacy. I get that right?”
Robert simply scoffed at the vulgar terminology, but nodded nonetheless.
Visi stood now at this point.
“Then sic us on these Red Cock Ring fucks”, she said, “This could finally put us on the good guy book, and you and I both know that Water-Vomit could use the experience.”
“Invisigal…”
“Lemme finish”, she interjected, “Sic us on just the Red Ring. Forget the emo dude. We’ll get familiar with these guys, work our way up to the big leagues. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? To be superheroes?”
Robert looked at Visi, who gave an almost uncharacteristically reassuring smile. He wanted to say he was weirded out, but a part of him wasn’t. He had seen a softer side of the abrasive, vulgar, borderline irritating woman the night before, and if he was being honest, it was a side he wanted to keep between them. That being said, he was still suspicious. His paranoia was acting up again.
“Why are you so…adamant on helping me? We don’t exactly know each other well, so…what’s your angle exactly?”
Visi looked to the side in hesitation, grimacing slightly.
“Well, what’re friends for, right?”
Robert smirked slightly. He wasn’t fully convinced, but it was reassuring nonetheless.
“Also”, she continued, “I guess…I get it. You loved your dad. You want revenge. I get it.”
“There’s a story there”, Robert responded, “But…I won’t pry.”
This made Visi relieved.
She then glanced at the clock, seeing that it was pretty late.
“Well, I’ll uh…yeah, I’m just gonna go”, she said, but before she made her exit, she asked, “Hey, one more thing! Back in Blazer’s office this morning, did you mean what you said? About not wanting to send us into shit?”
“Yeah, I did”, the skinny man replied immediately, “Contrary to what your teammates believe, I do, in fact, give a shit about you all. I will not risk your lives for my own personal vendetta.”
He watched Visi, waiting for a response. Instead, he received a warm, if not slight, smile, making a warm smile of his own form on his lips.
“Thanks”, she said, “For, well, for giving a shit.”
“Don’t, uh…don’t mention it.”
Visi gently huffed as she walked away, not using her powers to do so for the first time since they met.
“Oh, and for what it’s worth, I don’t hope your dog chomps your dick off. See you around…Mecha Man.”
Finally, she made her exit.
Robert, now finally alone, smiled even warmer.
“See you around, Visi.”