Ruthless

[WP] You want so badly to be a Hero. But your powers are, frankly, terrifying. Heroes struggle to trust you, and all the older Villains keep trying to mentor you.

*****

The lights right above the circular tables were harsh, but it illuminated all present perfectly. It meant that Greystar could see everyone was present and correct, as they had promised, to talk over recent events.

"Council of Darkness," the first time he had joined the Council he had scoffed at the childish, yet apt, name of the group that spearheaded villainy across the world. However, after a few years sitting at its outer tables, he had become to accept any alternatives would also sound as similarly silly or banal. He looked at the newest member of the inner table, Bonescar, and nodded his acceptance at the man's presence there. Bonestar had won the vote with nearly 70% of Council members, joining the ranks of the sacred Inner Sanctum which gave him both prestige and powerful voting rights on all Council matters.

"We all know why we are here today," Greystar pointed at the empty chair across from him, where Lady Lightstrike should have been sitting if it were not for her presence in the ICU of Grand Central Hospital in her city "We have all had bad days in our villainy, we have all had accidents, which is why the Council has such grand headquarters with finer medical technology than the average citizen knows exist. However, to ensure everyone is up to speed on what we are to talk about today I must inform you of all of the intricate details of how she came to be hospitalized."

UberGeneral shuddered, he had been first on the scene from the Council but could do nothing as Lady Lightstrike had been handcuffed to the gurney. It mattered not if she was glued or cemented into the gurney, the swelling in her brain meant she would not wake up for weeks. UberGeneral had seen the carnage that had been caused, not just to Lady herself, but to the street where she raised her family.

"After Lady Lightstrike perfectly executed twelve robberies in the space of twelve hours across the Greater San Berkafrisco area, she dropped the monies here before heading to her home. She has an alter-ego, and is a single mother of two." A small murmur from the outer rings of tables rumbled like a distant train through the chamber, this was news to many and yet not shocking as those same many had families of their own that they went home to. "Waiting for her when she arrived home, was not simply her children and their nanny. There was someone else."

Greystar looked around the room. He knew what saying the name of this 'hero' would do to those who had come up against him.

"Revocan."

The murmur rumbled again, but this time it came with a shiver spiraling down the spines of all those present. Even the veterans of the business had never come up against anything like Revocan. He was different from the other heroes. So different, most refused to work with him due to his tactics. In an incredibly private and unlikely meeting with the Chief Justice of the League of Heroes, Brightflame, the head hero had promised to only ever send Revocan on missions if it was an absolute last resort. Even between the Heroes and Villains of the world, sending Revocan was deemed by both as simply inhumane.

"Not only was Revocan present in Lady Lightstrike's personal home," Greystar continued as he shook away the goosebumps that were creeping across his body "He had bound her two children and their nanny to hold as hostages."

The collective gasp of shock nearly made the chamber a vacuum, but Greystar was not finished.

"It has been confirmed before this meeting started that Revocan had not been sent by the League of Heroes, and therefore was not on official League business. They truly did not know the Lady's alter ego nor her home address, Revocan had somehow found this information out for himself. The League had recently cut Revocan off from some of their resources, and so wonder if Revocan had wanted to take some of the money that Lady Lightstrike had stolen earlier in the day. Obviously, there was a battle between them, and the Lady now lies in a coma until the swelling in her brain subsides."

"How are the children?" a female voice piped up from the second row, one Greystar knew to be a mother herself.

"Traumatised but safe, and unharmed as is the nanny." Greystar nodded his quiet thanks to whoever was able to keep them safe from their home being utterly demolished in the fight "We must now decide an important matter. The heroes are going to make it clear they do not want Revocan in their League so do we want him within ours? He refuses to abide by the light of the law, so can he be lured by the darkness of villainy?"

"I'm fine being in the grey area," a voice echoed from the shadowy crevices of the chamber.

The villains all collectively panicked, they knew who that voice belonged to even if they could not see him.

"Oh shit," Greystar muttered as he stood, sending his chair tumbling backward akin to many of the others in the room. "He's here."

"That's right," the voice bounced from a different part of the chamber "I'm here."

The lights above the tables blinked out and plunged the chamber into darkness. The villains with the power of fire or light began to illuminate themselves causing the other villains to flock to them like moths, but no matter what side of the room they lit up there was nothing to see. Greystar opened his own hand to power up a small star-like ball of plasma for his own source of light, but as he turned he came face to face with the sadistic smile of Revocan.

"No more."

***

"Chief!" Stormsword pushed through the doors and sprinted toward the occupied desk in the private office of the Chief Justice of the League of Heroes.

"This is supposed to be a private meeting, Stormsword," Brightflame quickly turned off the screen that he had been showing his number two, Ms Sparrow "I assume this must be important."

"Turn on the TV," Stormsword was panting, his cardio was not as good as it had been in his spritely youth.

"Which channel?"

"All of them."

Brightflame gave a quick look of concern to Sparrow before the screens reverted to the news which showed an on-site reporter pushing through the throng of other journalists, spectators, and police as they all looked at the crater in the side of Mount Falabeda.

"Is that...?"

"That's the Council headquarters..." Ms Sparrow confirmed as the other screens in the room began to tune in to the other stations, giving the three Heroes a multi-angle view of the devastation.

"Wait," Stormsword looked at the pair "How do you know where that is?"

"What happened?" Brightflame asked as the cacophony of reporters began to all speak at the same time.

"The Council of Darkness," Stormsword said "They're all dead. All of them."

*****

THE END