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Chapter 6
by
micdan282
What's next?
New Management Pt 1
The Acropolis City Police Precinct smelled like stale donuts and desperation.
It was 8:00 AM, and the bullpen was already a hive of chaotic activity. Phones were ringing off the hook, officers were shouting over the din of typewriters and keyboards, and a line of handcuffed suspects snaked out the door.
Rikki walked through the madness, she looked like just another overworked Parole Officer. She ducked into Detective Thatcher’s office and kicked the door shut behind her, muffling the roar of the station.
Luke looked up from a mountain of paperwork. He looked tired. His tie was loose, his sleeves rolled up, and the dark circles under his eyes rivaled Rikki’s own.
"No donuts," Luke sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Not this morning," Rikki replied. “You hear about fifth street? Three Jagged-Tooth gangbangers were trying to figure out how to work some Supplier rifle. They blew up a car."
"That’s the fourth recovery this week,” He noted. “You'd think after all this time they'd be running out of weapons by now.” Thatcher leaned back in his chair, studying Rikki closely. "And how are you doing?”
Rikki stayed quiet for a moment.
“I've been fine… good I guess. I've missed the suit but it's nice to not always be bruised and battered."
"I'm sure."
"But you know it wasn't just the bruises," Rikki said, her voice quiet. "It was... everything. Finn leaving. The drinking." She swallowed hard, the memory still too recent. “And what the Supplier did to my head. He made me do things, feel things... I couldn't trust my own brain. I had to get right. Mentally and physically."
Luke reached across the desk and squeezed her hand briefly. "You beat him, Rikki. You’re the strongest person I know."
"I’m sober," Rikki corrected, pulling her hand back. "That’s not the same as being strong. I’m white-knuckling it, Luke. Every day."
"Well, you picked a hell of a time to come back," Luke said, standing up and grabbing his jacket. "Come on. The Captain called a briefing. It's why I invited you down here."
What's next?
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Perils of a Novice Superheroine
A generic superheroing setting drenched with sex and scandal
Acropolis City, the center of super-human and caped crusader activity in this particular world - with its own dizzying highs and lows, high-tech skylines and slums standing in stark, four-color contrast, it provided everything that a costumed megalomaniac or masked vigilante could ask for. In fact, as is usually the case where colorful masked characters are the norm, it has become something of an institution by this point. But although the mere existence of costumed heroes and villains no longer shocks people, these people - who, by their very nature, thrive on attention - keep finding new ways to stand out from the crowd and attract the eye. This last goal tends to get a lot of emphasis in the most simple, sexualized way possible. For reasons that the world's most brilliant scientists have yet to explain, latent super-abilities seem to manifest more often in women than men by a ratio of 3 to 1 or more. This is true even when the superpower isn't "natural"; paranormal artifacts fall into their hands, esoteric martial arts schools never seem to have a male heir, the technological prototypes they test always seem to be the ones that are most easily used or abused for good and evil. Unfortunately, the glory days of the past where citizens were happy to see any old masked do-gooder show up are over - in recent years, Acropolis City has established a ranking system of heroes where those who get high marks from the citizens and resolve incidents are rewarded with corporate sponsorships and (most coveted of all) seats at the prestigious League of Propriety. Those who intimidate the populace, cause excessive collateral damage, or simply don't excite anyone, garnering low rankings, get 'asked' to move to less prestigious cities. Few superheroes want to get stuck battling clans of villainous hillbillies and corrupt small-town sheriffs for the rest of their careers, so they're always eager to please the influential citizens of Acropolis City (judges, eminent scientists, first responders, and of course the all-important reporters). On the other side of the law, a similar dynamic predominates; only the most glamorous and charismatic costumed ne'er-do-wells can make it in this town. And so, the novice superheroines just learning the ways of battling for justice and order, without any team to back them up, always end up patrolling the skeeviest, most undesirable slums of the city and taking on the most thankless rescues. As if that weren't bad enough, most of them feel obliged to dress in ways that get more outlandish and revealing with every passing year while they fight the good fight and/or feed their craving for attention, depending on how you see the 'cape life'. As if that weren't troublesome enough, the superhuman mutations that make so many of these heroes' careers possible also result in greatly increased sexual sensitivity, particularly in females. The adventures and misadventures that these spandex-clad lady crusaders get into are often too hot to print for the kind of comics that their young admirers would read. Messy mistakes will be made, but you don't want to disappoint your readers, do you? So let the League know what kind of superheroine you are, your chosen name, powers, and appearance, and they'll send you out on your first patrols. Good luck.
Updated on Dec 27, 2025
by micdan282
Created on Nov 30, 2016
by fyreant
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