Chapter 2: 2. Present Perfect

I tap my foot, looking at the suit on my bed. My tail flicks idly behind me as I debate whether or not I’m actually going to do this. I made my own super suit. My power, my inherited power, seemed to know what I needed to make. I started on my next project and when I was halfway through I understood what I was making. My own super suit.

The nice thing about having a family of inventors is constantly having access to all the parts and pieces I could ever need. Not that I could ever explain how to rebuild something I’ve built. I find that when I’m working on a project, I can feel something greater guiding me through every step of the process, the actual materials used lost in the process. It’s like that for a lot of inventor supers, especially ones from my family.

I turn away from the suit, looking at my mirror. I have to still the strange beating in my heart as I see myself. When I first looked into my mirror looking like this, I thought a girl had snuck into my room. I can’t deny that when I look like this, I really look like a girl. Even though I’m not. I’ve already wrestled with all the strange feelings looking feminine brings me and settled into a solemn resolve.

Rather than trying to change how I look though, after seeing the suit I’ve created, it might be the best idea to lean into that interpretation. If people think that I’m a girl, then they will never connect the dots about my real identity. Plus, I know I’m not a girl, and that’s what matters.

Then there’s my new features. I wiggle my ears happily in the mirror. My family is full of supers, but we all inherited our powers. I’m now one of the only people in my family currently to have any non-human features, aside from the few that have married into the family in recent years. It honestly feels great. I find myself running my fingers through my tail occasionally while I’m working in my lab, just enjoying the feeling. Not to mention the increased balance and senses that come from the form. It just feels good to be in this form. Even if I’m much smaller than before, I don’t really mind it.

I shake my head, pulling the suit up and holding it over my body. I mean, I’ve already admitted that my body is feminine, but… why is the suit I made so… cute. Whatever higher force guides my projects must have both a sense of humor and some sort of grudge against me. The suit has very short shorts and an asymmetrical combat skirt, long on the left side and short on the other. The top has a similar asymmetrical sleeve, shorter on the right side and longer on the other. The whole outfit has a Black and Toxic Green color set, which I have to admit looks pretty cool.

There’s even a pair of matching knee high boots, black to match my feline features and the rest of the suit. To round out the outfit is a simple style mask and a hood.

Aside from looking nice, the suit is also practical. I made it after all. Even if I’ve gotten a new power, I was happy to know that my inherited power is still functioning. The suit is blast resistant, tear resistant, hydrophobic, nonconductive, self repairing, and on voice command it can turn into a bracelet for me to wear so I always have it at the ready.

It sounds impressive, but most of that is achieved by good material. I only added the self repairing and the bracelet transformation. Another underwhelming invention as usual. I’m just glad my power was cooperative enough to make a suit at all.

I begin stripping out of my much too big lounge clothes. It’s been two days since I got my second set of powers and I still haven’t gone out to buy some clothes for my new form. With my tinier stature and much smoother skin, I’ve given up trying to wear my old pants. As long as I’m the only one around, I might as well just wear my hoodie like a dress.

With my hoodie and tee shirt tossed aside, I get dressed into the suit I made. Thankfully, rather than fiddling with everything manually, I remember that it can turn into a bracelet. “Adira, power down.” I command. I smile at the sound of my voice. Another welcome change from the transformation. The suit, I named her Adira, immediately retracts into the size of a small bracelet. I clip it around my wrist securely.

“Adira,” I say hesitantly, “Power up.” Instantly I can feel the suit slip itself on, carefully stowing away the clothes I was wearing into a small pocket section of the suit. They should remain safe there until I power the suit down again, then they’re automatically put back on me.

I look myself over in the mirror, looking for any problems in the suit. There shouldn’t be, I made the damn thing. While my inventions are underwhelming, I haven’t made any mistakes yet. Thankfully, I don’t find any.

I twist around, watching my tail flick around just under a bit of skirt. Thankfully the shorts I’m wearing just under the skirt keep my modesty even if my tail manages to flip a part of my skirt up. Looking at myself in this outfit, it works. I look really good, and I honestly feel amazing. I feel like I’m missing something though…

I turn towards the lab section of my room, rummaging through some of my older inventions. I find what I’m looking for after a few minutes of digging. A pair of Tonfa with retractable blades. Another underwhelming invention on it’s own. However, If I’m correct, these should allow me to respond non-lethally and, when combined with my power, allow me to cut through metal and other substances like butter. I slip them into some holsters that I strap to the side of my boots.

With my outfit on and a weapon acquired, I look at the window. Am I really going to do this?

Before I can let myself second guess anything, I run towards the open window and jump out it.

The wind rushes past me quickly for several seconds and as the roof of a nearby building approaches quickly, I turn the air around me soft. My descent slows, eventually ending in me floating down to the roof much slower than before. I turn it soft as I land, sinking slightly into it before letting it re-harden. The brick stays indented slightly and I wince at that. I’d have to be careful about the marks I leave in materials like brick and metal.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in. I look up at my open window. I really did it. I’m doing this.

I’m going to become a super villain.

I run along the rooftops, running through the plan in my head. I need to be a super villain for a while for this plan to work. The local super team is atrocious, and while I have no doubt I’d be a shoe-in despite how notoriously underwhelming my inherited power is. Part of that is my family name, and part of it is that I could reveal that I have two powers now.

But I have a better idea than that.

I’ll be a supervillain for a while. Have some fun, maybe rob a bank or something. Keep civilians safe in my free time. Practice with some of my combat training from growing up against the local losers at Warden HQ, knock them around a bit. Then, after some time, I switch sides. Make a spectacle of it and plead for mandatory hero work under the villain reform act. I’d be under house arrest for a bit while they make sure that I’m actually turning to the good side.

Also hope that they don’t realize I’m a Tinker in the interim. Villain reform tends to have a bit of a cascade effect. If popular villains choose to reform and become heroes, crime goes down a bit in those cities. Members from the team often moving or reforming themselves. More heroes, less crime. And with the poor job this city's super team is doing, they could really use more people on their side. If they find out that I’m from the Tinker family though, I’d lose all my villain street cred immediately.

As of yet, there’s only one formidable villain in this town, but there are a couple up and comers trying to make a name. I just need to outshine all of them. Unlike those other villains, I don’t need to worry about my identity or my gear as much. I figure that I can make a reasonable name for myself for a month or two before being ‘caught’ and reforming my ways.

Besides, if I’m a villain, maybe I’ll get contacted by some other villains and learn something incriminating about them. It’s a risk, but it’s a foolproof plan. Good job Seb. Hmm, maybe I should think of a fake name? I have my villain name, but I don’t have a fake normal name. Don’t want to get caught because I accidentally tell someone my name is Sebastian.

“Heya, kitty cat!” A voice startles me out of my thoughts and I immediately tense. I stop my running along the rooftops, looking around quickly. My eyes narrow as I spot someone leaning against a wall nearby. She has a mask on as well and I run through lists of heroes in my head, ruling each one out in time. “Where are you rushin’ to?”

I look over her carefully before standing up straighter, folding my arms derisively. “What’s it to you?” Looking at her, she has a pair of fox ears herself as well as a matching red fox tail. Fox features are one of the more common features even among the unpowered population.

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She shrugs, pushing off from the wall and walking closer. “You’ve got a fancy suit. You a new super? Don’t particularly look like a hero, though. What’s your deal.” She stops just outside my radius, pausing abruptly as if deciding whether to take another step. My eyes widen as I look at her. She’s not a hero, she’s one of those up and coming villains I mentioned.

“You’re right. I’m not a hero.” I say, watching her carefully.

She smiles wide at that, eyeing me up and down while walking in a circle around me. “My, how bold! And what if I were a hero, huh?”

“You’re not.” I tell her evenly.

“How astute. I take it that you’ve heard of me?”

“Present Perfect. You made a fool of the local hero team with your debut. Walked circles around them. People were saying you must be some kind of precog.” I leave out the fact that her fight with the heroes is a large part of the reason I chose the plan I did.

“Wow, a glowing review! You make it sound like you don’t think I’m a precog though,” she smiles at me cheekily.

“I don’t know what your power is, it seems like they might have been right, though.” I say slowly, looking her up and down. “You won’t get within two feet of me.”

“Ooh, you’re fun. Smart girl.” She says. She steps closer and I prepare for a fight, but she just raises her hand up for me to shake. “My name’s Sarah, do you wanna fight heroes with me?”

I halter at that, looking her up and down. Is that her real name? Why would she give me her real name just like that. Surely that’s some sort of code name. What’s she getting at? As I look at her, she rolls her eyes, pointing to her outstretched hand. “You’re supposed to shake it.”

“Why should I? How do I know it’s not a trick?” I ask, slowly.

She shrugs at that, frowning gently as she looks up. “I don’t really know. All of the paths I can take here end up with us joining forces though, so I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. I could use a partner out here, kinda boring fighting heroes alone.”

“Paths?” I ask.

“My power,” she taps her temple with her other hand, “it lets me see multiple outcomes and multiple paths. I have to try and make sense of them myself, though.”

I look her in the eye, but she seems completely genuine.

“How far ahead can you see?” I ask carefully.

“Hmmm… I’m not sure. It’s really hard to rely on paths if it’s too far out. Only the outcomes matter at that point.”

“What outcomes do you see for us teaming up?” I ask.

She frowns, dropping her hand and thinking for a moment. “I can only see three paths and three outcomes at a time, there are still outcomes and paths that I don’t know the answer to.” She explains.

“Well, which three can you see?”

“There are two outcomes where we end up working for the heroes… and there’s one where you aren’t around and I’m still a villain.” she folds her arms, looking me up and down again. “Why would us teaming up lead to working for the heroes?”

I fold my arms, looking at her. “Villain reform cascade.” I say simply.

She sticks her tongue out at that. “That dumb statistic?” shrugging her shoulders at that, she holds her hand up again for me to shake. “These futures seem interesting. If it’s good enough for you, it’s good enough for me.” She gives me a wide grin and I shake my head disbelievingly. Still, if what she’s saying is true… maybe we’ll get along.

I look at her hand, thinking it over briefly. Having a precog of any kind on my side will definitely help. Besides, if what she’s saying about the future is true, two popular villains switching sides to good is even better than one. I make my decision, reaching out and shaking her hand. “Okay then, Sarah. If you’re sure, then I’ll trust you for now.”

Sarah shakes my hand excitedly, smiling widely. “So… I imagine you weren’t just hopping rooftops for the fun of it? Do you want to go make a scene?”

I smile back at her, nodding once. “You know it.”