Nearly Six Years Ago...

“Vigil is my name. I’m Australian by birth, but I grew up in England, and now I live in Canada, basically been to every corner of the world. I worked for a tech firm for a while off a college scholarship, and that’s when I got my powers.” said a young man, his head sprouting with bright ideas. And Stocklord could see it.

“Well, no offence, but I can read the fill-out forum for that. I wanna know what you intend to do while you are here, Vigil?” he replied, smiling at the new recruit. “And what do you bring to the table?”

“Ah, well, you have a lot of power and money, and I’d be able to help someone with influence, instead of people trying to make automatic 911 dialers for the elderly. I have big dreams, and I have lots of great ideas. You see, I see things not as they are, but what a vastly improved state of them would be.” he explained. Stocklords face lit up, tilting to the side in interest.

“So, what could this room look like in it’s vastly improved state? Explain it to me.” he asked curiously, using air quotes with two finger bones.

“How about I show you instead, Mr. Stocklord?” he smirked, putting his hands in front of his fully black eyes, he slid the hands away, and suddenly the world around them changed, a whole new room was visible. Everything was… so perfect. Each piece of furniture complimented each other so perfectly, Stocklord got up and took it all in, marveling at the young boy’s powers.

They saw much more now, they were in a modern villa, defended by drones and automatic laser weaponry, surrounded by a moat of water, hot springs. The massive glass window behind Stocklord was perfect, not even fogged somehow. He didn’t even know where he was. Each item, every single furniture piece, robot, the glass, the walls, the floor tiles, they all had a holographic price tag and where to find them and, most peculiarly, they all were within budget.

“You just see this all the time?!” he exclaimed.

“No no no… This is my Workplane, a special place I can show to the architects, I can see what would suit the person I am trying to please the most. This is a vacant spot within an abandoned mine just two hours North of Glenbrook. The hot springs here have eroded the rock and made it easier to mine. Collapse chance is minimal, below 5 percent… anyway, I shouldn’t bore you to death with the numbers! Look at this beut! And I can do a lot more than that. I also studied Feng Shui in China for a year, and I-”

“You’re hired.” Stocklord said excitedly, his skeletal mouth turning upward, and thus began the true start of a great friendship, and his rise to power. “Starting next week, you work for me, with a fabulous salary. One condition though, do you have an identity yet?”

“N-no… why?” Vigil stuttered, confused.

“I’m getting you one. Because, if you accept your position, you must know you are now a villain, and working for an enemy of the United States.”

“Yeah, I figured. I don’t mind.”

“Alright then, well, let’s think up a good name for you.”

“I was thinking, because of my black eyes… Blackout.” he said, making jazz hands.

“Catchy, easy to remember, perfect. Welcome to the team, Blackout. Twee, get this man a mocha. He deserves it.”

Present, Five Minutes Earlier...

“Sure you want to stay after hours, Sal? There’s a warm bed waiting for ya.” questioned Blackout, walking alongside Sal.

“Well, I promised to do my part here, despite what I feel about Stocklord.” he replied, continuing to follow him. They were headed to the prison cells, some of Stocklord’s lackeys dumped the prisoners off.

“What… do you feel about Stocklord?” he replied, his tone suspicious.

“I just feel I don’t like being grouped in among you villains… It’s… just… it’s nothing.”

“No, it’s cool, dude. I understand. Questioning superhuman society and what a villain is perfectly reasonable. There’s a lot of disputes out there. All over the world, people are recruiting us into programs and using us. I wouldn’t look at it like-” Sal raised his hand then, ushering him to stop.

Silence fell over them as they neared the cells. They were in a small jail area a small ways away from the entrance. They’d walked past some of Stocklord’s many amenities. A combat training room, a gym, three swimming pools total including the hot springs and the bosses personal one, and an airstrip with two planes.

At the end of a bleak beige and brick hall lined with empty cells, was an interrogation room.

“You’re Quincy’s friend, right?” Blackout asked seriously, looking Sal in the eye.

“Yes, he’s kinda why I chose this job.”

“You’re trying to make it up to him? Because he’s told me the shit you did.”

“Even if he’s a villain now, yes.”

“What is this thing you have against villains?”

“I honestly don’t like villains. My father didn’t like villains, and then villains killed him...” Sal froze for a moment, as if time stopped for him. But then, he drew another breath and continued speech as if it had not happened. “While I may want to work here for the money, and to make amends with Quincy, I won’t be enjoying the general worklife. I’m doing this so I can still use these powers, and nobody normal would accept me in their workplace anyway.”

“Sure. But, no offence, if your Dad hated villains, and then villains killed him, don’t you think you’d be better off getting to know them?.” he explained, straightening his hoodie jacket and opening the door before Sal could say another word.

Sitting at the table was the cowboy outfitted one, his accomplice was in one of the cells they’d walked past, outside so as they’d not hear the conversation about to take place. The cowboy wore cuffs upon his hands, they were special and different to any other cuffs, as they’d administer an electric shock if they sensed any power radiating from him. Cuffs like these wouldn’t be one hundred percent effective, as power radiates in different ways for every super, but they were a good precaution.

“About time you wankers walked in.” he wryly smirked at the duo.

Blackout paused for a moment, before supposedly ignoring the comment. He pulled out a file folder. “Jeb Raynes. Born as an orphan, parents threw him out at a vulnerable age. His new family... wasn’t so good...” he spoke in a way that took Sal aback, serious, composed, nothing like the weeb from before. He was almost scary.

“You come here to talk shit or ask questions!?” the hothead cowboy blared. Blackout glared at him, waiting for him to shut up so he could speak again.

“And then TUHF took you. A small mistake they covered up. You met Sir Steelpiercer in their ranks and you allied with him in a failed attempt to run, now you are presumed dead and still working for TUHF. But from what I managed to pull up on you… you’re employed as a low rung lackey.”

“Where the fuck is my partner!? I have the right to speak with him!”

“Oh right… the legal analyst with invincible armor. You want him to lawyer you out of this? I doubt he is even qualified if we had any reason to hold you trial, Jeb.”

“You are fucking savages!” he yelled, swinging around in his chair, trying to free himself. Obviously, this was a fruitless attempt.

“Hey, all you need to tell us is why you were following us. Then we will let you both go.” Sal said good cop style, putting his hands down on the metal table. He made eye contact and spoke to him genuinely.

“LIAR!” he screamed like a madman.

“Fine. Tell us why the fuck you were following us, or I’ll burn you to a crisp.” Sal sneered back.

“You’ll figure that one out yourself sooner or later, meat’ead…” he laughed. Sal frowned. He was pretty sure this guy would be a tough one to crack.

“Just give him some time to simmer.” Blackout suggested. But Sal, he had a different idea.

“I warned ya.” he said, igniting his hands, he grabbed him by the naked arm for only a second or two, and he screamed even louder at the top of his lungs as his skin sizzled. When he let go Jeb’s arm was burned intensely, the skin coarse and red like a fire engine, with some rough warping that would take half a year or so to fully heal.

“Sal!” Blackout shouted, pushing the fire super to the ground.“That is torture!”

“And?! Are you not used to it?” he shouted, defending himself, Jeb still whimpering and unable to even comfort his wound due to his bondage.

“We don’t torture prisoners. It’s illegal!” Blackout commanded firmly.

“If you don’t want my help, I’m leaving.” Sal said, holding his position on the issue. He shook his head in disgrace, stepping over to the door, but as he put his hand on the knob, sirens began to blare. “We are under attack! This is not a drill!” said Stocklord through the loudspeakers. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the building and they heard something far down the hall.

TUHF was launching a full frontal assault.