The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

“Homi?” Sienna asked.

She didn't want to sound surprised, but the name just didn't seem to have anything to do with someone as serious as Handshaw.

He seems more likely to complain about others using that name than anything else.

The information broker nodded. "That's right. You might want to sit down and listen; I have a lot to say."

“You, uh…” Sienna looked around and said, “You’re not going to charge me for this, are you?”

“He did that to me! ...I won’t take the money, and he unintentionally put you in danger too, which means he has basically made me give up any goodwill I might have for him.”

Handshaw touched his stubble-covered cheek with his uninjured hand. "If he knew I told you all this, he might want to get revenge, but I think we're enemies now."

“Okay, then you go ahead,” Sienna tried to respond.

She moved to a wooden bench placed at the edge of the pavilion and sat down. A moment later, Teddy jumped back and plopped down next to her.

"Okay, Melanie, what about you? Would you like to sit down too?"

The woman, now known as Melanie, glared at him fiercely, but strode over to a bench opposite Sienna and sat down.

This position forced Handshaw to turn ninety degrees to face both of them at the same time.

"Thank you. Homi, male, 27 years old, dropped out of the local university. He gained superpowers on Superpower Awakening Day last year when he was in his final year of engineering."

He went from being an unknown nobody to… well, to be honest, he's still an unknown nobody. It's a small miracle he hasn't been locked up yet, though his criminal record is rather pitiful.

"Is he a villain?" Sienna asked.

“His initial moral character was that of a ‘broker,’ which is technically a gray area, but it was already the darker kind of gray.”

Handshaw said, "He's still the same person. His gang, the 'Desperate Gang,' is a joke."

"What do you mean by 'intentional'?" Teddy asked, voicing Sienna's question.

"They recruit from disillusioned college students, most of whom come from wealthy families and bring large sums of money from their parents to school, but don't know how to take care of themselves."

They wanted to appear tough, and the 'Desperate Gang' gave them just that opportunity.

Melanie scoffed. "Most of the time, the most serious crimes they commit are just graffiti on the walls and loitering around."

Sometimes they play their music too loudly and we get noise complaints. Honestly, the music is awful.

“They also traffic drugs,” Handshaw said.

Melanie's eyebrows furrowed. "A potent drug?"

He shook his head in denial, "No, it's soft drugs. Marijuana and some party drugs, those things that are in a legal gray area."

Sienna wondered what this meant.

She knew that drugs like alcohol and marijuana were dangerous but not illegal, and she also knew that there were even more dangerous drugs that were illegal.

If they don't sell the truly illegal drugs, can what they're doing really be considered a gray area?

“They’re just a bunch of aimless kids following some idiot who got cocky because he has some superpowers,” Melanie said.

“You might think that,” Handshaw said, “but they did it for a reason. Most people don’t know this part.”

The "Desperate Gang"—or whatever you prefer to call it—is actually part of a larger organization led by a criminal named "Cement."

Melanie's face scrunched up in disgust. "That guy? I thought he just did ordinary shady stuff, like extorting protection money now and then."

“Homi was his number one second-in-command,” Handshaw continued, “'The Desperate Gang' was basically a cover. They were also a branch of that… organization, 'Cement'.”

However, I don't really like using the word 'organization,' it feels too serious. 'Cement' has three or four thugs working for him, but most of his income comes from non-violent crime.

Extortion, blackmail, and a bit of information selling. It's the kind of thing ordinary heroes can't solve with their fists.

The woman sitting opposite Sienna shifted her position and glared even more fiercely, but she said nothing.

“Well, um, it’s the one that should be for you…” Sienna pointed to Handshaw.

"It must be him, that's right. I was investigating his gang at the time. One of Homi's underlings gained superpowers last week, and 'Cement' seems to have moved something to hide someone, possibly another new masked man."

He might have realized I was investigating him, or he might just be trying to get a bigger slice of the information-selling pie, or maybe Homi is just too arrogant—I don't know.

“None of that matters anymore, does it?” Melanie said.

"Well, it's not that important anymore. Anyway, Homi took a hard drive from me, which contained a lot of information. I don't think either of you want this information to be leaked. Now you know the situation, right?"

"So... what do you plan to do?" Sienna asked.

Handshaw shrugged his uninjured shoulder. "First, I have to tell you two what's going on. You're the only masked people around here who have been most affected."

“Damn it,” Melanie roared.

However, after hearing Teddy's roar, her roar didn't sound as scary as Sienna had imagined.

"Before we talk about anything else, let's talk about their superpowers."

"Homi's superpowers are rather peculiar. They are somewhat difficult to describe and quite profound."

He's been a masked man for over a year now, and even if he's only level one, he's been training his superpowers for quite some time.

"No need for all this nonsense, I know what's going on."

He pointed to Sienna and Teddy, "They don't know."

The woman crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. "Alright, then continue."

"So, Homi's superpowers allow him to... infiltrate a room, and the longer he stays in a place, the more he knows about it."

The position of objects, the relative positions of people and things, etc., may not sound impressive, but most seemingly unimpressive superpowers have their own merits.

One of his greatest strengths is that he can learn how to use the things in his room.

Spend time in a classroom, and he can learn something from the books inside; spend time in a garage, and he can learn how to do things...

Uh, I'm not sure either, maybe it's from changing the engine oil or something? I don't think these effects are permanent.

“That’s pretty impressive,” Sienna said.

“And it gets worse: if he stays in one place long enough, his control over the things there will increase.”

He could turn on lights, move small objects, operate machines, and so on. He had set up several hideouts throughout the city, and he would regularly go to reinforce these places.

Melanie nodded. "It is quite profound, but I can tell that dealing with him will be quite troublesome. Is that all?"

"Yes, for him. His boss is even more unpredictable."

“Cement?” Melanie asked. “He can control cement. It’s that simple.”

Handshaw shook his head. "He's at level two. Controlling cement is his second superpower."

"Ok.

Sienna responded, but as soon as their attention turned to her, she immediately regretted it. "Sorry, would you like to continue?"

"Everyone unlocks a brand new superpower with each level up, but there is only one way to level up: win the final battle."

Sienna shuddered. "Oh. Right."

"Cement's first superpower is still unclear; I don't even know which final battle he's in."

But I can tell you that he only began to take full action after he gained control of the cement.

He would often wrap himself in cement, about a foot thick. Cement moves slowly but is very heavy, and his superpowers allow him to keep it liquid.

“He’s the type of fighter; he can take a beating and he can fight back, but he’s not fast,” Melanie emphasized.

“Unless his first superpower is mobility, then your assumption could be dangerous,” Handshaw pointed out. “I suspect his primary superpower is some kind of intelligence gathering. He can find information on people who are extremely secretive about their own situations. At least that’s what I’ve heard.”

"Somewhat like your own superpower?" Melanie asked.

Handshaw shook his head. "I'm more focused on social interaction. Anyway, his name doesn't reveal any useful information."

His true identity was well-hidden, and his actions were all conducted in the shadows. He was a complete criminal, a rare breed in this city.

"Are criminals rare?" Sienna asked.

“That’s rare here, my dear,” Melanie said. “We have a third more heroes than villains.”

While this ratio isn't the best, especially considering it's so close to the Superpower Awakening Day, we're still far ahead.

"Oh, right." Sienna felt a cold sweat break out on her back.

So Melanie is a hero.

A true, genuine hero, once they know Sienna's moral character, would definitely tear her to shreds.

"Are you alright?" Melanie asked.

Handshaw sighed. "I was hoping to get the two of you working together, which would have made you much more efficient when you were out there."

“Ah, I will… I will consider it,” Sienna said. “Then… what information about me does you have on your hard drive?”

"All the information I can get about you."