#dispatch: livewire

Episode 1

The alley was supposed to be quiet. Empty. Controlled. Instead, I returned with a backpack full of stolen tech and found Marcus standing over a body, blood pooling beneath the still warm man at his feet. Another witness, a young woman, was already sprinting into the night.

“Marcus,” I hissed, dropping the bag. “What the fuck did you do?”

He shrugged, wiping the sweat from his brow. “He saw me.”

“You were supposed to watch, not turn this into a murder scene!” My voice cracked with fury, static building up my hair. “This was stealth. Stealth, Marcus. Do you even know what that means?”

“It means you’ll be fine,” he snapped back, aggressively patting me on the head like it was reassuring. “I killed him, not you.”

I scowled at him, chest tight. “And what then when a hero or the cops get here? You’ll just throw me under the bus like always!” I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration “You know what? I’m done. I’m done with all of this. You crossed a line.”

Marcus followed as I turned away, boots slamming the pavement. “Don’t act like you’re better than me.” I rolled my eyes at his words.

“This life was supposed to be temporary,” I spat. “Fun at first, sure. But I’m not dying in an alley because you can’t control yourself.”

He grabbed my arm, grip bruising as my static barely phased him. “You think you can just leave? You think you’re different?” He let out a short chuckle “Dad sure thought so.”

I froze. And I know Marcus saw it, the way my shoulders stiffened or the way the static started to fill the air.

“Yeah,” he said, leaning closer. “Daddy’s little genius, the favorite. You think you’re too good for us because he told you that you were.”

At that moment, something in me just snapped.

Like a ball of energy I lunged, slamming into him with everything I had just like he always pushed for. We crashed against the alley wall, fists and sparks flying, raw, ugly, and hell…years overdue. Marcus threw me off, I scrambled up, he tackled again. Our grunts echoed between brick walls. I clawed at him, breathless, trying to break free from his huge hands around my neck. He overpowered me easily, he always did. He pinned me to the cracked pavement, spit flying as he roared down at me like the brute that he is.

“You don’t get to walk away and leave me in deep shit!” He raised his fist, ready to crush me. I shut my eyes, thinking this was finally it. Then a burst of golden light could be seen through my eyelids.

“Enough.”

Blonde Blazer. She dropped from above like judgment itself, and in one smooth motion she yanked Marcus off me and sent him crashing into the wall with a flash of burning white. I was stunned, chest heaving, watching as the hero I’d only ever seen on TV cuff my brother who nearly killed me. Then she turned to me.

“Are you hurt?” My throat tightened at the gentleness in her voice. I couldn't answer. Could only stare at the woman standing over me like some impossible miracle. Blonde Blazer crouched, hand outstretched. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.” I reached for her without thinking.

————————————————————————

Hours later, the interrogation booth was cold, silent, and far too bright. I sat alone, wrists cuffed to the table, bruises blooming across my arms, cheek, and neck. I’ve already given my statement. I sat in silence long enough to think about how I got here, the decline since my parents died, how disappointed my dad would be in me right now, and how I really just wanted to get out of this hole I dug.

I expected to be left to wait for a cell, maybe even next to Marcus. Then the door opened. Blonde Blazer stepped in. I straightened up immediately in her presence. “You’re… here to see me?” I asked, my voice was small despite my efforts to steady it.

She nodded, cautious but warm. “I did. I wanted to proposition you.”

I blinked, stunned by this sudden request. “Why?”

“Because I believe you’re not beyond saving,” she said simply. “Your brother refused our offer. But there’s still one for you, if you want it.”

I swallowed hard, the room blurred for a moment. Just what was she getting at? Did she want to recruit me, a criminal with a goofy name like “Miss Conduct”, to her line of work? I wanted to believe this was some sort of joke or that I’ve gone crazy from the silence but she looked so sincere. No one had looked at me like this in years, like they wanted me to succeed. “You see something in me?” I whispered.

“I see potential,” she said. “And I’d like to give you a chance at a better life.”

My face heated up and my eyes widened. I dropped my gaze, unable to face what was in front of me. “I… I don’t know why you’d bother.”

“Because you deserve the opportunity to try.”

I let out a soft chuckle, staticy and overwhelmed. The opportunity I was looking for, to crawl my way out of the dark. “So what is…this?” I made an attempt at a gesture only for my hands to be stunted by the special handcuffs I received. “Right, I should probably tell you what I’m offering.”

Blonde Blazer gave me an explanation about the Phoenix Program, a program for villains who want to redeem themselves and become heroes. I’ll be paid and be on a team of people like me and we basically do the same as the other heroes on their respective teams, being dispatched to help others who call SDN. It’s gonna be hard work for sure, but better than what I was previously doing for money.

“I’ll…I’ll do it,” I breathed out after processing everything. “Thank you, Ms. Blazer.” She smiled at me before standing back up as an officer with rubber gloves walked in to cautiously remove my cuffs. “Great, I’ll be sure to get you set up at SDN and hopefully we’ll see you Tuesday. We’ll have to get you a proper suit for your powers and a new name to go by of course.”

“Yeah…” I gave her an awkward smile and just like that I was released under her watch and given a second chance that I won’t let go to waste…well I was still under surveillance, they wouldn’t just let me leave without supervision until my first day.