The Vespidian

Arc 10 Brooding

Chapter 8

“Welcome back,” Said the deep gravelly voice of a man, though it came from a little girl smoking a cigar, “Did you has fun little play date?”

It was Molotov of course. Who else would it be? My eyes stared at her and well it seems she has gotten even cuter. That long silky hair and those deep blue eyes that bore into my very soul. Such an itty bitty little thing. If only I could have one as a pet. I nodded mmm, I would pet her and stroke her and feed her. I leaned over and pat her on the head, “How can you be so cute- Owe!”

Molotov scowled at me and snapped the fingers that were petting her head. I ripped the hand back and after a few seconds, the fingers realigned. She made a Tch, sound and spit on the floor. Hey, people walk there.

“Stop bleeding on my floor.”

“That is mean! Rude you know. It was a compliment, a compliment,” I waved a finger at her until it vanished and my yellow blood spurt onto the floor, “HEY! Stop that! Stop being so damned cute if you don’t want to be pet! It is that simple.”

Molotov scowled even more, “I refuse. I will do what I want, who I want, when I want.”

“Give me back my finger,” My eyes followed it as she wagged it at me.

“Nyet! It my finger now.”

I scoffed and crossed my arms, “Fine… keep it, I will just grow another one.”

Xava finally sighed, “Can you two stop? Vesper take this seriously.”

“I am serious! She attacked me, I am the victim here!”

Molotov shifted in her chair and gave the hairless cat nestled on a pillow a stroke. It began to purr happily licking one of the bean toes. Daww, so squishy… even if it is all wrinkly and evil looking.

“Good news, I has mission for you. It about time you popped your villainous cherry.”

“I would rather eat it-”

“Shut it wasp. Now then. The truest and oldest test of a villain.”

I looked at her puzzled, “What?”

“I want you to rob a bank. Bronson First National Bank.”

“Eh.. Eh! But, But why? That is like stereotypical villain type stuff.”

“Exactly. I am going to beat villainy into you, inch by inch, like my fist into that oversized brain of yours.”

“Sounds painful?” I questioned, I had never thought about getting my brain fisted before. I had been fingered before, but… “Wait a minute! Doesn’t that kill people?”

“It will be hard and cold like Turnip! Now go forth little wasp and show me what you can do. Or so help me, I will whip you like the suka you are.”

I tapped a finger to my chin, “I am confused, aroused and terrified… tell me more."

She stared me down and a creepy smile spread across that face. That was no little girl smirk. A devil, a monster. That is what that thing is. Ugh, but why do I wanna snuggle her so much? It is like when you pet a cat and it claws and bites at you, but you keep petting it and rubbing the tummy even though you know it will maul you. I nodded imagining Molotov with cat ears. Adorable.

Xava came to the rescue on this, “What will be the target?”

“Ah. Take Spark Spray and Vira with you, guard Vira while she hacks the computers and transfers the funds. Normally I would just send you to see how it goes, but not too much money is kept in banks these days, it is mostly electronic. I want results. It will be fun little team building exercise,” replied Molotov puffing a ring of smoke.

“Team building?” I questioned.

“Yes, as of now you are a member of the Cyber Sirens. Though I might have you help other teams as well.”

Well… I guess we should get along. “That was Vira and Spark Spray right?”

“Yes.” replied the mechanical suit standing over to the side. It had four arms, two of which were sticking out of the oversized back. A drone circled above listlessly. The helmet had a large visor going along the front and two hoses connected to the vents in the front. A single red sphere seemed to indicate where her vision was as the orb moved about, sometimes rolling up out of view. The body was robust, covered in a hardened layer of metal. Twisted legs below the knee, they were inverted, ending in a pointed heel sort of shape. Veins of red went along parts of the suit glowing against the black.

Beside her was Spark Spray well, blue. Yes, she was blue. Her electrified hair spun up into drill curls at either side of her head. Lightning arcing between two spheres held at the tip of each curl. Her nearly translucent flesh was sickly pale, well what little of it I could see. The body was covered in a black rubberized suit. That left very little to the imagination, hugging her skin tight. She was tall and rather shapely. I took a moment, stroking my chin as I eyed her up and down. Her chest plate hid her breasts as such I could not tell if she had big ones or not. As my eyes went lower I could see her thick thighs. Other than a couple of attachments here and there she had no armor to speak of. Her knees and elbows had little plate things and seemed to be either generating electricity or gathering it.

She looked up at me, having to crane her neck a little, “So this is the bug? It got a lot bigger since last time I saw it.”

“I am not an it. I am a she. Wait, we met?” I replied, staring down at her, all of my eyes boring holes into her.

“No, we haven’t met personally, but Xava has shown and talked about you to us. A she? I thought you were fucking Xava silly?” Spark Spray looked between me and Xava confused.

Xava was tilting her head a little, “Oh yes, we have been procreating very fervently. I am gestating a good number of her brood as we speak.”

“See, so you knocked her up so you are a male?”

Xava wagged her hand dismissively, “Oh no, dear, she laid her eggs in me. Though she has an oviduct she is not male. Speaking of which I am unsure if there even are males of her species.”

Vira had her arms crossed, looking at the floor, “Enough of the organic we should be discussing the plan.”

I sniffed or rather my feelers wiggled. Hmmm… is that jealousy I smell? Whatever it was, it was pungent and very much not to my liking. Why would Vira smell like that? Wait are… are they a thing or something? I should probably ask about that later.

Xava nodded, holding up a sphere, a blue outline of a building appeared… it was a schematic, “After the last time Vira hacked the computers I was able to download all the floor plans. The vault is here on the lower floor and the mainframe is here on the floor above it.”

The other two nodded, “We recall.”

“This is mostly an explanation for Vesper. We will be doing as we did before, but with Vesper and I running interception should there be any interlopers. Spark will guard Vira should we be distracted.”

“Are we expecting interlopers?” I asked.

“No, but just to be sure we should be on guard. Though the Hero League is no more here that doesn’t mean somebody might not try to play hero and stop us.” Said Xava.

“Let’s get this over with, I guess,” I rubbed my head a little.

****

We had arrived. Bronson First National Bank was a large building. A towering monument to man’s greed… well, now that is just getting philosophical and even a little insulting. That being said usually people bitching about banks did something stupid like taking out a loan that they can’t pay off or got greedy lost in their investments. Technically, it wasn’t the bank’s fault, it was poor life decisions. There were good things and bad things about all things and that included banks. Anything can be corrupted and misused, it merely depended upon the ones running it. Yes the ones in control dictated the course and outlook. And how does one be in control? Power. Influence. But if power corrupts, and one needs power to undo corruption… then is it not inevitable that bad influences will spread? Is it not a revolving door of rotting morals and decency that decays until the point that others rise up and take that power for themselves only to repeat this process? Oh? Was that just a profound thought?

Shut up and take their money!

‘Sub! I was having a moment there.’

Yeah, yeah, I don’t care. Put a dick in it. Now let’s do this!

‘So demanding...’

I looked the tall stone pillars over. There were several steps leading up to the wide glass doors. People were going in and out. If one didn’t look too closely they would not notice the fatigue and overall stressed feeling of the normies. If you ignored that then you wouldn’t even know that a good chunk of the city had been destroyed. Well, unless you looked down the street to the edge of the crater, but still. Out of sight, out of mind.

Several disk-shaped drones were deployed as Vira extended out her hands controlling them. They took different routes disappearing around the building as they infiltrated it. After several minutes her glowing eye became big and she started to move besides the strange twitching motions of her hands.

“All clear. No Supers are in the building. Security is light.” Said Vira in a somewhat happy tone.

“Alright, just follow our lead,” said Xava, striding out to cross the street with Spark Spray and Vira on either side of her.

More disk shaped drones rose up away from Vira’s back. She had sent some earlier to look the place over. Now I was not entirely sure how many of them were running around, or rather hovering. Just from what I could see they had the whole building staked out. To our approach, the civis were already fleeing. Hmm… I wonder why they are running? It is not like Neon Nurse is all that threatening looking, Sparky is a little unnerving and Vira is a bit creepy, but this stench of fear and those desperate faces are a bit rude don’t you think? It is not like we have the plague or something.

They are running cause of you, obviously.

‘Ehhh… me? Why?’

Do you really have to ask?

‘Yes!’

We are a twelve-foot wasp monster, of course they are going to run. They would be stupid not to run.

‘But it is not like I am going to hurt them.’

You are literally about to rob a bank.

‘So?’

Who do you think you are? The freindly neighborhood waspwoman? What do people do when they rob a bank?

‘Take hostages and threaten people?’

Exactly.

‘Ah, I see. We are the baddies huh?’

You just, realizing that now? Well, it not like we are doing this for shits and giggles. It is not like we are out to kill people, so long as nobody does anything stupid nothing bad will happen to anybody.

‘What if they do, do something stupid?’

We crush them. Maybe eat them~

‘Isn’t that a little harsh?’

Vesper, do you want revenge or not?

‘I do, but-’

We need to toughen up. No more hiding in the shadows remember?

‘Yes…’

As we approached the Cyber Swat officers that had been guarding the building made themselves scarce, escorting normies away from the building entrance before ultimately leaving the area complete. Uhh… weren't they supposed to guard the place against people like us? Oh, right, right, they were more loyal to Xava from the start so they flipped when she did. Doesn’t that mean that Xava has her own personal army of cyborg enforcers?

Xava didn’t hesitate for a moment walking right up the stairs and opening the glass door. Vira and Spark Spray followed… but I ran into a problem. I was a bit too big. I stood there staring at the door measuring it out to see if I could fit. I could… maybe. Tentatively, I tested it to see squeezing and trying to fit. And the door broke. Glass scattered on the floor along with the crack sound of the metal frame distending. Oops. Well, I am in. I had to crawl, but I was in. Maybe being big isn’t so good? Why is everything so damned small!?

Spark Spray gave a sigh, rolling her eyes, but didn’t end up saying anything. Vira ignored me and Xava didn’t look back. It seems that she was expecting that. The good thing was that the sound had gotten everybody’s attention. Normally in the movies, somebody shoots the ceiling. That is dangerous after all, there are people above us too.

“This is a robbery. Shut up and stay calm and you will walk out of here just fine. Do anything stupid and you will be her dinner.” Said Xava pointing at me as she made her way to the counter.

I didn’t particularly agree to be used as a threat, but then again, I was never asked… Although, is it really a bad thing? Fear was good for Villains, right? Intimidations was a very good tool to use and I was, am a large insect that for all they know eats people.

“Don’t hurt anyone,” cowered the woman behind the glass.

“Vesper, watch the hostages. Spark Spray, Vira proceed as planned,” said Xava before she leaned in next to the glass motioning with her syringe gun, “Open the vault and start bringing the money out. Don’t you dare put any of those ink decoys in there either. I will know.”

I did as I was told, motioning to gather up all of the scattered people. They shivered and cowered, but getting prodded enough made them move as I wanted. I had them all gathered up in the center of the room. There was crying and sniffling and the stench of fear filled the air. Sub was salivating over it. I sat down with a thud as my abdomen lay sprawled behind me.

The initial adrenaline rush surging through my veins quickly faded. The seconds turned into minutes. I found that I was surprisingly calm during all of this. The first bag filled with bills appeared. The staff brought over the contents of the vault rather orderly. Well, it was no wonder, they were fearing for their lives. Things were going well, too well in fact. Ah shit, don’t you be raising flags Vesper!

That was when he appeared. No, not some hero to save the day. A fat man in a business suit came huffing in a rage, screaming to high heavens as he approached. “YOU! WE HAD A DEAL!”

Xava ignored him for a moment before turning in his direction, tilting her head to one side. “Ah, we meet again Mr. Higgens.”

“What is this all about?! We paid for your protection and you are robbing us!?”

“We got a better offer. Besides, we did protect this place. Remember? Just two days ago we stopped the Diablos from breaking in here. A day before that was the Angels of Hell.”

“That doesn’t matter! What use are your services if you are going to rob us? We paid your protection money now get out of here!”

“Or what? You are going to call the Heroes? Oh wait… fufu. There are none left. That is no way to ask for something. Besides, this came from above. My hands are tied.”

The man got noticeably redder and sweat was pouring down his face, he grit his teeth, “You! YOU! This place is not your own personal piggy bank. Get out of here you vile scoundrels! Do you have any idea how many lives you are ruining? You monsters. You fiends!”

Xava seemed very dismissive about the whole thing, “Yes, yes. We are Villains. Quiet down or I am going to alter our deal.”

“Alter the Deal! You already broke it! There is no deal.” He huffed actually getting into her face, spit spraying from his nearly foaming mouth.

Xava touched her face and frowned. “Change of plans. Vesper, care for some pork?”

I looked between her and him and shook my head. “No. He doesn’t particularly look appetizing. Too fatty.”

“Oh, I see, very well. You have no sense of self-preservation do you?” she jabbed him with the syringe and he went down almost instantly. He flopped down like a sack of potatoes with a thud. Face on the floor. She stepped on his back and kicked him over towards me. The hostages were screaming and shaking. I reached over turning him onto his side and laid him next to the rest.

“Was that necessary?” I asked.

“Vesper, it is just sleepy drug. He will be up later,” Xava crossed her arms, watching the bank employees like a hawk.

I figured since I had enough experience with that stuff to know the symptoms. Hmm, I guess it’s not that bad, she could have easily killed him. Now even if he gets questioned about this it at least looks like he put up a fight so that will look better for him right? Still, this was a side of Xava I had never really seen before. She was so cold. Emotionless. Dominant… is it wrong that it is kinda turning me on? I love it when she straps me down~

I slapped myself. Bad Vesper. Mission, gotta stay on the mission. I looked down at the scared faces and all those trembling little creatures. So weak. “Now, now,” I said, leaning in over all those little people, “Everything is going to be just fine. So just keep being good and this will all be over in a bit.”

“Why are you doing this?!” several of them cried.

“Don’t kill us!”

“Please, please I have a family!”

They don’t listen very well do they? “We just want the money. If you wanna live then be good.”

“Please-”

“SHUT the fuck up!” I snarled to the point that the glass shook. “Or I will squish every last one of you! Listen when people talk you stupid fucking normies!”

Their shrieks quieted down into silent sobbing. It was annoying, but still better than being ignored for trying to be nice. Stop pleading for your damned lives, I won’t hurt you unless you piss me off. Why is that so hard for people to understand? It is simple right? Just be quiet, it will be over in a little no one gets hurts. Hell, we are not even robbing these people. I could be having them empty out their belongings and take their jewelry.

“How you holding up?” asked Xava glancing over.

“I don’t recall humans being this annoying before. Maybe my thought patterns are changing more than I thought.”

“Usually you would want to take one of them out and make an example of them for the others. Helps to get across that you are serious.”

I nodded, “True. Why does it sound like you have done this before?”

Neon Nurse tilted her head, “Cause I have.”

“I see,” I nodded. Then this was sage advice… or rather dark priest or acolyte advice? Eh whatever.

“No, no, don’t!” cried one of them.

My hand slammed down, cracking the floor and shaking the room, “What part of SHUT UP did you not understand?! You want me to kill people is that what you want?”

One of them got a muffled cry out before being restrained by the rest of them, fearing for their lives after seeing what I did to the floor. I sighed, pulling the man away from them and setting him to the side. Something tells me that if left alone, they were going to strangle him to save themselves. Wait, why am I helping people? I am the Villain here… ugh, I have a long way to go.

I just scowled at them, menacingly and they were cowering.

Pathetic creatures.

Soon enough Spark Spray and Vira reemerged. They helped move the bags of money along. They were even stashing gold bars. Depositing them into their storage belts… “Hey! When do I get a belt!”

“Vesper, open your vents,” said Xava.

“Why?” I asked defensively.

“We are going to stuff you full of money.”

I strongly disagreed, “I am not a pinata. Won’t it get all wet though… Besides, I don’t want paper cuts!”

“It will free up your hands, just do it.” Xava scolded me.

Reluctantly, I opened a single plate on my abdomen and sure enough, cold gold bars and bags of money were quickly shoved against my soft and sensitive skin. I shivered and closed the armor plating once they had finished. It felt weird having things touching me. Hmm, wait does this mean I have pockets? I shook my head getting rid of those stupid thoughts. We were leaving now. I left first wiggling my way back out the broken doors. I was honestly expecting an encirclement of police and various heroes ready to do battle… and yet nothing. There was no one there.

“Xava, how come no one came to help them?” I asked as she climbed into my hands.

“We severed all outside communications, Vesper. That is basic stuff. Besides, the Hero League is dead to this city. They have no command structure, bases of operation and there is not that many of them left. At the moment there is no one who will get in our way. Well, besides the other gangs and Molotov.”

I see. My wings spread and we took to the sky. Just like that, I had gotten my claws wet in the dark waters of villainy. We didn’t kill anybody… well, Xava and I didn’t I have no idea if Vira or Spark Spray did or not. How strange… fewer people died, my first time a Villain than my first time a Hero. Perhaps me being the bad guy makes things easier to control? Since we choose when and where the target is hit, it makes it so that we can control how much or how little collateral damage occurs. After all, Heroes are reactive, whereas Villains are proactive. By setting the pace it drastically changes how things happen. Though that might just be wishful thinking.

This only went so well due to Xava, Vira and Spark Spray. I didn’t really do much. I just sat there and looked menacing. It was sort of a shame that I was unable to see either Vira or Sparky use their powers. I am still a bit in the dark as to what in the hell their powers can actually do.

“So how come we needed hostages if we didn’t steal from them and we knew nobody was going to show up?”

“They were insurance, just in case.”

I thought on it, “I see. So what was that all about me eating people?”

“Oh, I figured you might enjoy it. Or am I mistaken?” She asked, tilting her head at me.

“Well… eating people is still a bit much.”

“I see. Sorry dear, I misinterpreted you. Noted.”

“Good,” I said, flying back towards our base. My mind wandering in the wind-scraped silence. “Ah, that reminds me. What exactly is your relationship with Vira?”

Xava thought it over, “She is my apprentice, why do you ask?”

“Are you two like intimate or something? I was getting some bad vibes from her earlier.”

Xava’s eyes lit up in understanding, “Ah… I see. Now let me tell you, we have crossed wires a few times. Though that was before you and I got serious.”

I nodded in understanding, “So like me and Glitter Kitten and her flunkies.”

Her face twitched, “Yes, I suppose so.”

“Wait, are you jealous over that?”

“No… yes. I know you have urges, but I still want to monopolize you. I, I don’t like sharing.”

Daww, Xava was cute when she was being possessive~ I snuggled her, my tentacles caressing her frame. “I only love you. Look at you getting jealous over a drunken one night stand. At best I want her as a pet. Don’t you think it will be cute to have her on a collar?”

She seemed to be thinking it over, “I suppose… I have to wonder about you sometimes though Vesper.”

“Why?”

“You want a person as a pet.”

“As Glitter Kitten has said to me before, she isn’t a person.”

“I see… by that logic, I suppose it makes sense.”

“See.”

“Your point is?”

“Ah ugh… I was just running it by you in case I managed to convince her.”

Xava tilted her eye brow, “So you want my permission to have a pet catgirl subhuman?”

“Yeah, since if she is my pet she is going to be living with us,” I replied smiling.

“Good luck with that.”

“So is that a yes?”

She carefully thought it over, “In the off chance you manage to… then, yes. But she better be house trained and you have to pay for her food.”

I gulped. Why is pet ownership so hard?