Bradley’s outburst caused the atmosphere in the room to drop. At least, it felt that way to Jennifer. Anthony broke the awkward mood with a simple shrug.

“Sorry about that, Master Sweet Fist. Young men tend to speak out of their ass.”

“No, I do not.” Bradley hotly objected. “He put two of my men in jail, and another four in the hospital. And you want me to work for him? That’s not happening.”

“My boy is a little hot-headed, but he can help you.”

Anthony pointily ignored his son and spoke to Victor. Jennifer thought this was a bad move. Bradley was getting ready to blow his top. Any control he had was lost when Victor asked a loaded question.

“How are those weaklings? I hoped none of them were too badly hurt.”

“They are not weak!” Bradley screamed. “They are brave men who had bad intel. No one knew you were that strong, and if- “

“I am not strong.” All eyes went to Victor as he interrupted Bradley. “I had faced men who are truly strong. Men who could fly to space, take down a building with a single blast, and faced armies alone. I cannot do any of that. I am not strong.”

The room went silent. Victor looked at Bradley and took the chance to tell him the truth. “Your men are weak. You are weak. Sooner or later, your gang would had faced someone like me, or someone stronger than me. If it’s not me, it would be someone else. It was always a matter of time before your men would end up in the hospital.”

“So, I should join you because I was defeated by you?”

“That’s not the question.” Victor replied. “The question you should be asking is whether you are willing to do what it takes to be strong?”

The Browns shared a look, and Anthony took the lead. “Master Sweet Fist, the grapevine has it that you are willing to teach your skills to your followers. Is that true?”

Jennifer knew nothing about it, but her father did not seem surprised by the news. “It is a thought. Personally, I am a little curious if others can even learn my skills. For all I know, they could be uniquely mine.”

“What if Bradley is not able to learn?” Anthony asked.

“Then he won’t be able to learn.” Victor said. “I am not forcing anyone to join me. If you are willing to follow me, if you are willing to learn, then I am willing to teach.”

“Master Sweet Fist, you are not even sure if others can even learn your skills. You are asking us to take an awful big leap of faith.”

“I am offering him a chance. Are you willing to take it?” Victor’s question was asked to Bradley who looked conflicted. Victor just smiled. “Take the night to decide. If you decide to join, contact Jennifer tomorrow morning. If not, you can go on as you are. You decide.”

***

What is a Named City? A Named City is a city that had been named after a famous hero who made a great contribution to the world of Nexus. In short, except for the famous name, a Named City is just like any other city.

At least, that’s how Jennifer always felt about Velocity City. Yes, the city she grew up in had a famous name, but it wasn’t all that different from any other cities. Like other cities, you had your famous landmarks, your tourist attractions, your upper-class sectors, and your slums. King’s End was a slum. It wasn’t always this way, but the fight between Red Maddy and the heroes had damaged the area very badly and the city had never bothered with repairing the area. Nowadays, even people living in the lower-class Kings Sector avoided King’s End. No wonder her father picked this place for the meet.

They came to a stop and Bradley stepped out of the van along with his men. They had been dressed for the day. Jennifer had been surprised when Bradley called. She thought he would reject her father’s offer, but he had called her first thing in the morning. Jennifer immediately contacted Victor who had been expecting the call. He told her to get them fitted. Jennifer made a quick call to Candice, and uniforms were quickly produced.

Due to limited time, the uniforms for Bradley and his men were simple. A black tactical vest wore over a long-sleeved red shirt with a pair of black pants. Each of the men was wearing a red balaclava mask. H.A.V.E had various version of the mask and her father choose a style that left only the eyes unprotected. When asked why he picked red and black, Victor just said that the colors hide blood better.

The four men made a show of looking around before Bradley gave them a nod. Jennifer and her father stepped out of the van. Like the men, they had dressed for the day. Victor was dressed like normal, only he now had a black domino mask on. Jennifer was dressed in a white business suit with a white porcelain mask. As the daughter of a villain whose identity was public knowledge, there was really no need for Jennifer to hide her face, but Victor insisted. According to her father, Jennifer had never been captured so the heroes don’t ‘know’ her identity even if they highly ‘suspect’ it. Jennifer humored the old man. In an era when security cameras could find out who you were through your gait, masks were like capes. It was more traditional than practical.

They had stopped in front of the Pub of Endings, a small pub that sat in the middle of a strip mall between a burned-out hair salon and a fast-food restaurant that had went out of business months ago. The pub had a thick metal door and iron bars on the windows. Drawn curtains prevented people from looking in and there was a sign that read ‘Pub of Endings’. Jennifer was surprised at how well-made the sign was. Maybe the pub was new.