#mechabat

‘When was the last actual meal that you had? As is, ‘sat down and had a plate full of food in front of you’ meal.’

Those words shouldn’t hit as hard as they did. Robert was right when he said he knew the limitations of his body. He’d raised himself to take as little as possible. Others deserved it. His suit demanded more attention, a hero never takes more than what was needed. Beef was the only ‘thing’ that Robert could claim was his, a small part of life that kept him clinging to his existence a little while longer. Because everything was just a luxury he didn’t have the means to obtain. Every part of Robert went out into the world, to keep others safe. 

So why was Sonar’s attention, the constant questioning over Robert’s meal intake of all things, the focus on if the dispatcher was eating well, suddenly made him feel so small. 

The apartment door creaked open, louder than what Robert remembered, and allowed the hallway light to flood into the small area. It seeming to have actually shrunk since the removal of the Mecha Man suit. Shouldn’t the loss of something so large make it feel like he’d gained space back? Maybe it wasn’t space, but the loss of something so important. 

Beef’s squirming brought Robert back to the situation. Quickly putting the dog down with a quiet, “Sorry bud, kind of stuck…” 

He remained in the doorway, watching as Beef waddled his way over to his food bowl and began eating. While the smaller animal had been happy to be home, Robert couldn’t seem to take the final steps through the doorway. The darkened area suddenly seemed cold and uninviting. His once quiet area of solitude now feels wrong, like an old face that he couldn’t find comfort in. Even though it held everything for him at one point. 

‘If you can’t keep your head above water, why are you trying to help someone else who’s drowning?’

Robert huffed and took the final steps into his apartment, the door closing behind him with a sharp snap. First thing was to change out of his uniform, not wanting to add any more layers of stink to what was already there. Laundry was a few days away, meaning Robert would have to make due with wearing his used shirt again. Hoping that an overnight air out would be enough. He should talk to Blazer about getting more. 

Opening the fridge was the reveal of a can of wet dog food, half bottle of ketchup, and a package of sliced cheese. Nothing really substantial. Grumbling darkly, Robert closed the door and leaned against the countertop. He could get to work early, get a few things from the vending machine that would be able to starve off the hunger a little longer then…

‘What’s the point of doing your best if it leaves you broke and alone?’

“Fucking hell, why does he keep popping up in my head.” Robert groaned, rubbing his forehead. 

That was an easy answer. Their less than an hour ago conversation kept swirling around in Robert’s head. Which also led to their first real conversation when Sonar had been acting as a bodyguard for that millionaire. The hybrid’s words swirling around in his head as each sentence jabbed at Robert’s heroic foundation. Robertson the Second had drilled into Robert the importance of being a hero. How it’s their job to lay their lives on the line so that everyone can keep on living. Nothing else mattered but knowing you’d done everything to win. This was Robert’s way of living for so many years, so solidified in his being, that nothing could shake this belief. 

Except that belief was only held when Robert could actually do something. When he could carry out the philosophy without a second thought because he had the suit to help with it. But now he’d been stripped away and he was slowly forced to face his reality. That time moved forward, shit kept happening, and no one seemed to really care that Mecha Man had fallen off the face of the Earth. Cracking the ideals that Robert had clung onto for so long. 

Robert kept going. And the world didn’t end because of it. 

Now left with a new reality, Robert had started questioning his upbringing. How he saw his life and how he managed everything. He now had an actual steady income, had the means to buy things that didn’t revolve around the suit, and his life was not held in Mecha Man’s hands. But that didn’t mean he knew what to really do with it. Robert had never had to think about setting up a time to go grocery shopping or meal planning or questioning why he didn’t have a mattress. Why didn’t he have a mattress? 

Why…did Sonar keep pushing himself to the front of Robert’s mind? How had the hybrid planted himself so deep into Robert in such a short time? Why did he question everything about Robert in such a way that he actually started to believe that Sonar was right? Sonar, the drug taking, blackmailing villain that should be the last person to change Robert’s perspective on life so quickly. So suddenly. The dispatcher had tried to push the hybrid away, keep it professional, keep some semblance of distance. But nothing helped. Robert was put into a position that he had to constantly focus on Sonar and he wasn’t going to ruin this job because Robert couldn’t keep his head on straight. 

But why did it have to be him? What about Sonar kept pulling Robert’s attention? The dispatcher was dealing with a number of different villains, a single one should not be holding his interest. Except Sonar was the only one who seemed comfortable around Robert. Maybe not completely, but it’s doubtful Sonar would have shared childhood trauma stories with just anyone. They had conversations, discussions about their different stances, and not once had Robert felt annoyed when Sonar pushed back. Then there was that exchange from just that night, when they were leaving the headquarters. Sonar seemed to be worried, actually worried, about Robert. Not in the way of a civilian is scared about their hero being hurt. But of someone actually caring about another person, peer to peer. 

Someone cared about Robert. Not Mecha Man. 

Robert was the focus, not the hero, the civilian, the ‘normal’ person. 

Sonar asked about Robert’s well-being. 

Sonar looked at Robert. 

‘What’s the point of doing your best if it leaves you broke and alone?’

Get up. 

“Shut up!” Robert’s voice cracked from the sudden strain, unaware as to when he’d slid to the ground. Beef was at his side, head tilted in concern, no doubt confused as to why his owner looked so stressed. 

“H-Hey bud, how about we just…go to bed. Yeah?” It was embarrassing how much his legs shook as Robert slowly stood. Taking a few, deep breaths before collecting Beef, who had been pawing at his leg with nervous energy. The exhausted dispatcher was slow moving as he made his way to the large dog bed. 

Robert grunted weakly as he placed Beef down, the dog panting happily as he wiggled around onto his back. “Here we go. Nice, soft bed. And now…my turn.” 

Deciding the plastic chair wasn’t going to cut it this time, Robert laid down. Letting out an exhausted sigh as his head hit the pillow. Unbothered when Beef started panting directly into his ear. Only focusing on how cold the floor was and if it would be worth it to buy a blanket. A dry, humorless chuckle escaped him when he realized he’d previously complained about not having a mattress. Now he was contemplating if a blanket was too frivolous of a purchase. God damn this new internal conflict. 

Sleep only arrived because Robert’s body was beyond exhausted, not because he actually felt comfortable laying on the hard ground. He wasn’t sure when he’d passed out. All Robert was truly aware of was that one moment he was starting at the darkened ceiling. The next, Beef was waking him up with constant licks across Robert’s face. The dispatcher getting an unfortunate whiff of his dog’s bad breath, the stench waking him up faster than anything else. Robert attempted to ignore the stomach pains as he stretched, trying to loosen the tight muscles and sore spots he had obtained overnight. All of it amounting to everything just hurting and his frustration growing in a short amount of time. 

Robert was out the door earlier than normal with the hopes of buying as much junk food from the vending machine. With the intention of hiding his poor eating habits from anyone he’d feel embarrassed by in learning this fact. He was still carrying around the weight of Sonar’s concern, Robert didn’t need anyone else piling on top of that. With Beef secured in the makeshift carrier, which was nothing more than a large reusable cloth bag, Robert attempted to enjoy the relatively peaceful car ride. One hand on his dog as his attention lingered to the outside world passing by. 

The relative calm that Robert had been able to achieve during the car ride was broken immediately when they pulled into the parking lot. Normally, said area would just be filled with employee’s cars, with the possibility of one or two belonging to citizens who were just there to file a report. Basically, boring and slow. Nothing like the circus Robert was faced with now. 

His driver had just been able to squeeze their way in, slowly sliding between news vans and other vehicles that Robert did not recognize. People were spilling all around the SDN’s front entrance, camera equipment everywhere, and a number of heroes trying to keep a large mass of some angry looking people at bay. Robert slipped out of the car as quickly as he could, making sure to leave a larger than normal tip for the driver having to deal with this nightmare. He ignored the reporters, the eyes of the angry mobs of citizens, and focused on the crowd of heroes. Trying to locate a familiar one so he could ask what the hell was going on. 

“Robert!” Blonde Blazer thankfully found him first. Parting the crowd easily as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the building. 

“What the fuck is happening?” Robert asked, trying not to sound too panicked. 

“A PR nightmare,” Blazer responded, “One of the parents from the mine incident yesterday is threatening to sue SDN over creating an ‘unsafe environment’ for her child.” 

“A child that was saved? Wait, back up, if it’s about safety, shouldn’t they be going after the tourist site? Or the kid that started the cave in?” Robert was not comforted when Blazer took a second longer to reply. The super hero’s face pinched, clear frustration showing. 

“It’s not…the cave that she’s worried about… It’s Sonar.” 

What?

“What?” Robert felt like he’d been punched in the chest, “I- what? What could have Sonar possibly done that made the kids feel unsafe.” 

Blazer laughed weakly at the question, “I love that you’re still approaching this with some kind of naivety. It’s not the actions…it’s the looks.” 

“...Oh…” 

“Yeah, ‘oh’ it’s pretty appropriate. The parents, the mother more specifically, is calling for SDN to fire Sonar or she’ll take us to trial for ‘emotional compensation’. Her son is apparently still rattled by everything that happened and mom is taking his silence as a sign of fear from seeing Sonar.” 

“Has the kid confirmed that’s the issue?”

“He hasn’t said anything to anyone about it.” 

Robert frowned, crossing his arms. “If mom is as over protective and stupid as she sounds, then I would say the kids learned that being quiet is better than arguing against her.”

“So you think the mom is wrong.” Blazer replied cautiously

“I’m saying that she’s putting words in the mouth of a child that went through something traumatic. And is using that trauma to…I don’t know, push her close-minded view onto her reality? Sonar saved those kids, there’s no reason for someone to use this event to be an asshole. Push their stupid agenda. This is ridiculous…” Robert frowned as his eye scanned the crowd again.

“...Sonar’s not here yet.” 

Blazer gave a small sigh as she scanned the areas. “No, neither is Malevola. We’ve called and texted them multiple times, but no one is picking up. We have no idea-”

“They’re going to come in there,” Robert pointed toward the area he’d seen the duo portal away last night, “We’re going to need to close off that area somehow.”

“H-How do you know-”

“Malevola can make portals anywhere, but she’s still a creature of habit. She’ll either have a portal in the exact same area or close enough to it out of muscle memory. And if they’re not answering our calls or watching the news-”

“They’re going to spawn right in the middle of the crowd.” Blazer finished with a horrified whisper. 

“We need to-”

Robert was cut off again, this time by the crowd’s volume increasing into a panic. Turning back, the dispatcher cursed seeing the familiar portal appear. He was handing Beef over to Blazer just as Malevola stepped through and was pushing through the crowd when Sonar arrived. The duo had just a second of semi-peace before they were suddenly surrounded. Their neutral demeanor turned to panicked confusion as microphones and cameras were shoved into their faces. The majority of the unwanted focusing going directly to Sonar. 

It shouldn’t have been a satisfying moment to elbow so many media hounds. But Robert would be lying if the grunts of pain didn’t cause him to chuckle. Once Sonar was in reach, Robert grabbed the hybrid’s wrist, causing said hybrid to try to pull free. Only pausing once he realized it was Robert and not someone else grabbing onto him. 

“Grab onto Malevola with your other hand,” Robert called out, “Don’t let go of either of us, and just follow me.” 

There was a silent nod of understanding as Sonar followed Robert’s instructions. Malevola had her own moment of panic when she was grabbed onto, but made no other argument as Robert started to lead them out. Now that only one arm was free to deliver damage, Robert had to rely on his feet and legs to clear the path. Stepping on toes and kicking shins when anyone got too close or stood in the way. There was a moment of panic when Sonar suddenly slipped from his grasp, only for Robert to wrap his hand around Sonar’s. Fingers instantly intertwining the next second, Robert increasing his grip as they finally reached the barrier of heroes. 

“Get into the building,” Robert advised when both Sonar and Malevola were free, “Go to the break room. Don’t look out any windows or answer any calls from numbers that you don’t recognize. Don’t talk to anyone, even if it’s someone from the Z-Team. Your mouth is shut and you do nothing until Blazer and I find you. Understand?” 

“Yes sir.” Malevola responded, with Sonar only able to weakly nod.

“Good, now go before-”

“You VILE creature!” 

“Fuuuuuck.” Robert hissed as a shrieked voice called out. Letting go of Sonar’s hand, the dispatcher faced the line once more to find the whitest, more ‘Karen’ type looking woman he’d ever had the displeasure of seeing before. The stupid hair cut made from horribly bleach blonde strands. Her entire outfit no doubt cost more than Robert’s rent, with jewelry so bright it added a painful layer to an already unfortunate color combination. With a face that had been so set with Botox that the only way you could tell she was pissed was due to the fact that she would not stop screaming.

The ‘Karen’ was held back by the heroes closest to her, the two interlocking arms to act as a barrier. But that didn’t deter her from pointing an overly ringed finger at Sonar with pure disgust. “You horrible, awful, disgusting little thing! You’ve caused my poor baby Anthony such nightmares because of your…your…impurity.”

“Ma’am, there’s no need to say such things.” Blazer attempted to placate, still holding onto Beef. Who was actually growling at the screaming woman.

“Don’t you dare speak to me unless it’s an apology for putting my family through such hardships and a promise that you’ve have that thing fired-”

“His name is Sonar,” Robert stepped forward. Matching the woman’s glare as he stood before her. Blocking Sonar from her view. “Your son was saved by him and the actions of the rest of the team. The only thing that should be coming from your mouth is a ‘thank you’ for that daring rescue.” 

“No creature deserves my ‘thanks’,” the woman hissed, “I won’t waste the energy-”

“You can’t thank the people who saved your son, but have enough to cause a riot to stupid proportions to arrive on the lawn of SDN? The company that’s been created to save your’s and anyone else’s ass from destruction? This is the repayment you think they deserve?”

“They don’t deserve anything, especially if they harm my sweet boy-”

“Your boy was saved by Sonar, not harmed by him, and if you can’t see that, then your head is too far up your ass to understand that.” Robert paid no attention to the disruption that comment caused. His only focus is on the woman in front of him and how she now looks like she’s just sucked on a lemon. “If you were really upset about your son’s safety, then you’d be angry at the person who caused the collapse and not the person who saved everyone.”

That turned the puckered face to turn dark, “Listen here you-”

“No, you’re going to listen to me now. I don’t know what kind of power trip you’re trying to accomplish here, but it’s not going to work. You don’t get to dogshit on people trying to better their lives, working on helping people, doing more than you could ever hope to accomplish. People like you hope that if you just shout loud enough, you’ll be able to have your disgusting behavior be the only thing taken seriously. But you don’t seem to understand that the louder you scream, the dumber you look.” 

“I’m sorry that you’re so upset with your own life. But that’s not an excuse to try and make everyone else feel just as miserable. Stop using non-existent issues to make yourself feel important, get therapy, and start listening to what everyone is saying.” With that, Robert turned to collect Beef from Blazer. Giving her a nod, and headed towards Sonar and Malevola, who hadn’t moved from where Robert had left them. 

“Holy shit,” Malevola whispered, “Were you a teacher in your previous life? Because that was such a sweet verbal take down, I actually felt a little bad for her.” 

Robert smirked, “Do you really feel bad?”

“No, not even a little. I hope every bra she wears pinches and puckers until she’s gone from this world.” 

“What a weirdly specific situation.” 

“Hey, unless you’ve worn a bra, you don’t get to judge.”

“How about we carry this conversation on inside. Away from prying eyes and cameras. They’ve gotten more than enough attention from the two of you.” Robert directed the two of them into the building, making sure to keep Sonar in front of him to act as a barrier. Or, as best of one he could make since the hybrid had a few inches on him. Robert’s shoulders only relaxed once they were all in the back of the building, where the cubicles and other workers were. Some of whom turned away from the multiple televisions to focus on the new arrivals. 

Robert was a little upset to see the current situation was being projected everywhere. But knew better than to try and fight it. People will be gossip assholes no matter where they work. “Okay, I’ll need to talk to Blonde Blazer about what your schedules are going to look like today.”

“Why?” Sonar finally spoke, the dispatcher instantly picking up that lost bravado from the hybrid’s voice. 

“Best case scenario, Blazer is able to chase those reporters away from here in the next few minutes. Which also equates to a few hours needed to actually clear the parking lot. Meaning you two will probably have to stay here until lunch just so the new doesn’t have the easiest time scoring more pictures. Worst case, you’re both here the entire day. We don’t want citizens to get more involved with this, and having you go out to take jobs may make the situation worse. It’s overall a shitty situation. The less damage we can do, the better.” 

Robert frowned softly when he realized his answer wasn’t received well. Watching as Sonar’s ears lowered slightly as he clenched his hand that Robert had grabbed onto before. “That…wasn’t your question, was it.”

“Why did you defend me?” The hybrid bit out, “And don’t tell me it’s just part of your job, or you’re being a hero, or whatever. You could have just pulled us into the building, but you didn’t, so… Why?”

Robert didn’t miss the way that Malevola’s face fell upon hearing the question, the demon shifting nervously as she put her attention onto the dispatcher. On his part, Robert had to mull over the question a little. Because it was a pointed one, something asked of a quiet desperation, even if the hybrid didn’t understand what he was really posing to Robert. 

Why did you defend me?

“No one deserves that kind of treatment,” Robert started, “Even taking out the fact that you’re trying to redeem yourself, that you’re becoming a hero. Take all of that away and we’re left with the fact that you don’t deserve to be treated like…like shit on the bottom of someone’s shoe. A level of decency should not be determined by how someone looks, but by their actions. She’s an ass who thinks her word is law if she screams loud enough. For fuck sake, she’s yelling at the person who saved her son because she doesn’t like the way you look. That’s more than a little messed up.” 

“You’re a good person, Sonar. Your looks should never be what people use to define you. …I really hope you understand that some day.” 

Sonar stared back with a look of disbelief written all over his face. But he wasn’t able to give a response before Blonde Blazer suddenly appeared behind Robert. The superhero looked haggard as she rubbed her hands over her face. 

“Well, that’s certainly a way to start the day.” Blazer said with an exhausted voice. 

Robert turned to face her, “What’s the situation?”

“Everyone’s leaving, but the mother is determined to bring all of this to court. Thankfully, to some degree I suppose, I think she’s all bark and no bite. She just wanted the attention and nothing else,” Blazer offered a warm smile to the hybrid, “Don’t worry Sonar, we’re not letting someone like that threaten your position here. You’ve earned it.” 

Sonar could only nod back. 

“The cameras are going to be out there for a little while longer before you two would be free to leave the building. How about you just relax in the break room until after lunch, then we’ll send you out. How does that sound?”

“That won’t affect our scores, will it?” Malevola asked, arms crossing. 

“I’ll, at the very least, make sure your numbers are frozen, so you won’t lose anything while you’re sitting out. But we can discuss more on that later on. Robert, I would recommend getting to your desk and letting everyone know what’s going on. I would ask to approach this delicately, but I have a feeling the Z-Team already knows and just wants to bitch about the bitch.” 

“Hey, I’m happy to use my free time for that. Sounds like fun.” In passing, Robert made sure to nod to both Malevola and Sonar. The hybrid received a reassuring pat to his shoulder before the dispatcher headed to his desk. 

Blonde Blazer made sure the two were situated in the larger break room comfortably before taking her leave. The walk to her office filled with breathing mantras and her thumbs pressing the upper ridge of her eye socket. Doing all she could to starve off the growing headache that was making its presence known. It was a small relief when she entered her office and the door securely snapped shut behind her. The office chatter being blocked out completely. 

The quiet was interrupted with the harsh intrusion of the office telephone. Blonde Blazer wincing from the shrill noise as she quickly approached her desk. Snatching the phone up quickly, just to halt the assault on her ears. 

Taking a deep breath to try and calm herself, Blonde Blazer brought the receiver up. “Blonde Blazer speakin- Oh, Mr. Macavitsh, what do I own the pleasure of this- …Yes, I’m very much aware of what’s being reported on this morning… No, Robert had not been directed to- Yes, Robert is the dispatcher for the Z-Team. He only started last week, but he’s really making an improvement with-” 

Blonde Blazer held back a sigh as she was interrupted once more. Shifting to lead against her desk as the other voice rambled on in her ear. “While I…understand your concern sir, we can bring this into a positive light. After all, seeing how strong a team is could give reassurance to the citizens that the best teams are being made at SDN. Especially if said team is from a bunch of reformed villains. …Yes, we are still handling paperwork from the Granny incident, but-”

“No, sir, I…don’t condone those kinds of actions. But please keep in mind that we’re working with people who’ve not had this kind of structure in their lives. It’s new for them.” 

Blonde Blazer frowned, panic crossing her face as the voice’s volume rose. “I don’t know if- No, sir, I’m not questioning- It’s just, he’ll have such a long day after dealing with- N-No, no, I’m not denying you time to- …Yes, I will set up a meeting time for us to all talk… Yes sir…yes, sir, of course. I will see you this afternoon.” 

It took everything for Blonde Blazer to not slam the receiver down. Knowing she’d break it and this department was already low enough on funds to waste on easily avoided mistakes. Instead, she pushed the end-call button and dropped the receiver, allowing it to clatter onto her desk. It wasn’t as satisfying, but at least it wasn’t broken. Blonde Blazer exhaled slowly as she glared up at the ceiling, as if it had personally offended her. 

“...Fuck my life.” 

~~__________~~

Robert all but threw his headset down onto the desk with the quitting chime sounded. Holding back from punching the wall as he knew that wasn’t going to help. The entire day had been a nightmare. People calling in for the dumbest reasons, only to be upset with Sonar didn’t arrive to help them. Robert had a suspicion (which was probably the truth) that citizens were only calling in to try and get a glimpse of the person who’d caused the stir this morning. Leading to the Z-Team’s growing frustrations in learning that their energy was being wasted on idiots. 

Robert almost, almost, agreed to Flambe’s comment about ignoring every call until the day was over. But argued that they needed to remain connected just in case an actual problem arose. Which it didn’t, but the point still stood. Assholes should not dictate turning away when others actually need help. 

“You look like you had a good day.” 

Robert did his best to pull as much hatred his exhausted body could produce and concentrated it as a glare pointed in Chase’s direction. “People are assholes.”

“Did you just learn that today? Though I gave you that lecture years ago.” Walking around the divider, Chase bent down to pick Beef up. Giving the dog a few pats before addressing the other dispatcher again. “This will blow over eventually. That bitch’ll become bored and move on to another, easier target for her venom.” 

“That doesn’t change the fact that this team was faced with harassment the entire day. This doesn’t exactly inspire a heroic perspective when you see how quickly people can turn against you.” 

“Eh, they should be used to that.” 

“As villains, not as heroes,” Robert argued, “How do you explain to someone who’s spent pretty much their entire lives as punching bags that even when you’re doing something right, people will still beat you down?”

“Slowly, and with small words.” 

“You’re an asshole too.” 

“I am a person.” 

The ‘younger’ dispatcher rolled his eyes as he pushed away from his desk. Rolling his shoulders, Robert stood with a heavy sigh as the computer finally turned off. “What a nightmare.”

“It’ll pass soon, promise.” 

“I really hope you’re right. I’m not sure if I could handle more disappointment today.” 

Chase’s nodding of understanding was halted when he caught movement from behind Robert. The smile slipped away as Blonde Blazer approached the two. “I may have spoken too soon.” 

“What do you mean?” Robert’s question was answered feeling a tap on his shoulder. Turning to find Blazer, the superhero shifted nervously as she gave a pinched smile. “What’s up?”

“Sorry to spring this on you suddenly, but I need to pull you into a meeting. It…hopefully won’t take too long.” 

“Uh, sure. Chase, can you keep an eye on Beef until we’re done?”

“Not a problem,” The speedster nodded, hefting the round dog further into his arms. 

Giving a small nod, Robert faced Blazer once more and followed to her office. An uncomfortably feeling setting over the dispatcher as he watched Blazer, noting how stiff her movements were. As if she was planning every step in her head to carry herself in a specific way. The silence didn’t help with the tense situation. Robert was about to ask what this meeting was about when he spotted movement from Blazer’s office. The worry that someone had broken in was brushed away when Blazer called out to said person. 

“Mr. Macavitsh, I’m back with Robert. The dispatcher you requested to see.” 

Robert immediately fell into his hero stance. Back straight, eyes wide, a neutral appearance on his face as the other turned to them. Putting on a facade to deal with whatever bullshit he was being forced into. The dispatcher gained an uneasy feeling with gray eyes connected with his own. A businessman stood before him, Robert could read that part easily. Between the crisp suit and the too wide of a smile to be comfortable plasters onto his face, Macavitsh was the picture of slimy. Thinning hair has been teased in a way to hide as much of the shining scalp as possible and did little to block the artificial light. Wearing rings and a watch that could feed a family of 5 for a few weeks. Teeth a bit to white, which stood out even further against the almost orange tan. 

Robert hid his disgust as they shook hands. “Mr. Macavitsh, I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure before?”

“Mr. Robertson, the third if I read your file correctly,” Macavitsh’s voice was sickly sweet, “Robert, Big Bob, the Bertinator, Robbie- You okay if I call you Robbie?”

“Actually, my dad-”

“Beautiful, just beautiful. Why don’t you take a seat for me, Robbie?”

Unable to hold back the eye twitch, Robert looked to Blazer as Macavitsh claimed the seat behind the superhero’s desk. She merely gave a small shake to her head as she stood near the window. A clear message of ‘don’t push this’. The sickening feeling grew as Robert took a seat as requested. 

Macavitsh let out a sigh as he plopped down into the chair, propping his feet up on Blazer’s desk as he settled in. “Oof, this is the lowest quality of rolling chairs that I’ve had the displeasure of sitting in. Blazer, did we pay for this?”

“No, sir, there wasn’t room in the budget you provided and-”

“That makes sense, I doubt I would have approved of this. Anyway! It’s been a long day, I know that I’m tired, and going home sounds amazing. So, let’s try and make this meeting over with quickly, yeah?” Macavitsh clapped his hands as he sat up properly, “Robbie, I have to tell you, you have caused quite the stir. I mean, you’re sort of riding on the coattails of what this lovely hero has created. But that doesn’t change the fact that you keep doing things that just…kind of piss me off.” 

“Uh…okay,” Robert replied slowly, “I’m not really sure why I’m here.” 

“I mean, I was so close to just ending this program,” Macavitsh continued on as if not hearing Robert’s comment, “Between the amount of money I sunk into this program, the turn around of warm bodies needed for your position, the fact I’m have to actually cater to villains, it really is something. I swear, the last dispatcher was really going to be the end of it all. But Blonde Blazer said she had the perfect person to be the Z-Team’s dispatcher, who turned out to be…you.” 

Macavitsh tilted his head to the side, letting it flop over as he pinned Robert down with an unamused look. The dispatcher, still carrying his hero face, merely gave a small shrug. “If I’ve offended you in some way-”

“Some way? Me? Offended? Oh, Robbie boy, you don’t know the half of it. First, the board decides to keep this team going because Blazer just had to let you have this position. Then, you allow that Invisigirl to practically run amok in Granny’s store.”

“I didn’t ‘let her’, it was just-”

“You know, I really liked going to that store. Now, I have to pay out more than I would like to repair the entire situation because you couldn’t handle one little villain. One that doesn’t really have that impressive of a power. Seriously, turning invisible? How boring. This entire Phoenix Program thing was already on thin ice…until this morning. Your little stunt put the SDN company in a precarious position. A child, mentally and emotionally scarred from being ‘saved’ by a bat.”

“Sonar is a hybrid,” Robert hissed, “and that child was scared because of a cave in. Anyone would be terrified if they were trapped underground without knowing if you were going to be saved or not.”

“Regardless of what your stance is, that doesn’t change the fact that the SDN reputation has dropped. Between the Z-Team and Phenomaman’s attitude towards everything-”

“What does he have to do with this?”

“Oh, did Blazer not tell you? Yeah, funny story, apparently the alien hero’s not aware of the crushing reality of being dumped for no reason,” Macavitsh’s grin tightened, “Our top player is doing nothing except acting like a soggy piece of bread because Blazer here has more interest in her personal gains than the company.” 

Robert had never wanted to punch a civilian so badly as he did at that moment. “Blonde Blazer is allowed to have her personal and professional life be separate. She’s not someone to just…show off, she wants her privacy.”

“Yeah, I really want to be lectured by someone who’s never carried the mantle of ‘hero’ on how to manage people. The bottom line is that this entire program is turning SDN into a laughing stock, which is not good for our bottom line.” 

“You mean your bottom line.”

Macavitsh gave finger guns to Robert with a wink, “You’re catching on.” 

Letting out a slow sight, the dispatcher rolled his shoulders. “I really don’t think I am. You’re upset that someone is making choices that better themselves, hate that others are trying to change for the better, and that I defended the people who I’m supposed to manage. You seem to be upset about items that others would consider a good thing.” 

“Except for the fact that ‘good vibes’ don’t make a business run,” Macavitsh sat up, “I can’t keep covering our ass every time we step a toe out of line and upset someone. Our best players have to be the face of this company and that does not include a couple of societal dead ends. You, Robbie, are making this very difficult.” 

“I- Me? You’re mad at me? For what, actually doing my job?”

“The annoyance you caused me when you agreed to take this position has given me gray hairs. All of which has been conveniently dyed, but doesn’t change the fact that I’m paying more for my own upkeep! You are quite literally the last pillar keeping this stupid program going and I feel like I’m going insane over it.” 

“Then why don’t you just end it? If you're then angry over it, then just cut your losses.” 

Macavitsh slowly hissed out, "Because the board wanted to bleed this program dry to somehow make up for the money they put into it. If this group of idiots can’t change, then they’re going to go down in a blaze of mediocre piles of shit. One. By. One.”

“You can’t just mess with lives like this,” Robert argued back, “You’re acting as if this is all one big game and you’re throwing a tantrum because the pieces are positioned the way you want. This program has only been open for a few months. It takes 2 consistent years to form a pattern and 5 years for that pattern to be cemented. Things take time!”

“Which is something we have little of for a charity program. Robbie, you also seem to forget that people are motivated by desperation. The knowledge that you could lose something in a second can push people to do whatever they can to stay on top. If you’re able to bring these idiots to attention, then I will.” 

Robert felt his skin prickle at Macavitsh’s words. Worried eyes flickered to Blazer, who only looked back with an equal look of confusion. “...What are you saying?”

“The board wants results, now. We’ve given this group enough chances to make it stick to their smooth brains that they need to actually work to achieve something. So now, they get to learn that acting out actually has consequences. You’re going to inform your little team that by the end of next week…one of them is leaving. Permanently.” 

“What?” Blazer stepped forward, confusion turning to anger. “Sir, you can’t do that! There was an agreement of a 1 year trial run and you can’t just-”

“I can and will!” Macavitsh shot back, “Your bleeding heart is cute, but that’s not going to help you this time. You fucked things up with Phenomaman, and now you get to see what happens behind the scenes when you mess with PR. I’m not changing my mind on the matter and the board is behind me on this. You, Robbie, will have until the end of next week to figure out who to cut.”

“I…I can’t just…” Robert swallowed hard, trying to force back the panic that had started to climb up his throat. This wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. How was he expected to make this kind of decision? This was life altering, this was…damaging. He saw how the new ambush this morning had affected the team’s morale. Now he had to tell them that one of them was going to be cut? By his hand? He’d barely started to break down those defensive walls and now…

“I can’t do it, this is…is cruel. You’re affecting livelihoods because of income? Being a hero isn’t about selfish wants, it’s about making sure people are cared for. Cared about. I won’t pick, I won’t do it.” 

“If it’s really that hard of a choice, I would recommend using that leaderboard in the main room. The lowest number goes. Easy. And you will be making that cut. Otherwise the entire program goes.” 

“But the board-”

“Will listen to reason if I tell them that the dispatcher is being uncooperative and needs to be the one to go. If you’re gone, then so is the program. No one’s coming in to replace you Robbie, this is it. Either you play by the rules, or I make everyone’s lives miserable. Which sounds more unfair than what I’m offering.” 

Giving a short nod, Macavitsh took a deep breath before allowing his pinched smile to return. “Well, I think this was a productive talk! Robbie, Blazer, I look forward to hearing about your decision next week! Remember, I am expecting someone to go. Either it’s a Z-Team member, or you, Robbie. Make sure it’s a good choice.” 

Robert barely felt the pat on his shoulder as Macavitsh passed by. Didn’t move when the door was closed once more. Barely flinched hearing a car start up then tear its way out of the parking lot. He only regained his ability to move when he heard a small sob. Attention snapping up to Blazer, the superhero holding a hand over her mouth as she cried. 

“Blazer…I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head, “I don’t blame you, this is not your fault. I know Macavitsh has been trying to end this program before it even started. I just thought… I foolishly thought that I had a bit more time to convince him that this was something important.”

“It is! It is important Blazer, I promise. We’ll…figure something out, some kind of work around.” 

“I don’t think we can Robert.” 

Letting out a growl of frustration, Robert released his pent up anger by kicking his chair back. Which did nothing more than topple over. Guess those muscles really weren’t coming back on their own.

“This is just a stupid way they’re retaliating,” Robert hissed, “It’s just some…fucking shitty way that they’re trying to hurt you.”

“Yeah, well, it’s working and it sucks.” 

“...We have to do this, don’t we?”

Blazer gave a small, wet laugh and nodded. “Unfortunately, yes, and we only get a week.” 

“How do we tell them? …How the fuck do I even pick?” 

“I can help with letting them know. We can make it a team effort, that way no one on the Z-Team feels like you’re targeting them. Or at least eases your mind in knowing you’re not going in alone with this.” 

“I don’t think that will help. It’ll just be two people focused on them, one of them being the head of this section. That’s not going to win them over.” Robert let out a sigh as he ran his hands down his face, feeling a headache coming on. A new start turning into a nightmare just because some already rich asshole decided he wasn’t rich enough.