—Léon—

Iara wasn't a tall woman, but she towered like a giant over the wounded captive, her chest heaving. In front of her, Grizzly Bear's body stopped shaking and slumped forward. If he wasn't tied to a chair, the mass of beaten muscles and tattoos would've fallen on the ground.

"Yeah. Surprise!" Iara said with mock excitement, walking back to her divan. She slouched on it, massaging her temples, and then snatched a metallic box from the round table. "Now, please tell me how the fuck does he know you? Better yet: how does he know the location of our HQ?" Iara plucked a mint drop from the box and threw it in her mouth. The box clanked when she dropped it on her table alongside the baton. She snapped her fingers and pointed to the prisoner. "Fix it, love."

Anachronica nodded and walked forth. She spread her hands on the sides of his face and closed her eyes.

"Warp," Iara began, "tell me how you know him." She straightened her back. Without the electric baton in her hands, she was back to being the polite, gentle, generous socialite the world knew her by.

Léon shifted in his seat. "I saw the guy several times on the news. You know he's famous, Lady Iamí. Everyone knows who he is."

"Is that it?" Iara asked.

At their side, starting by the palms of Anachronica's hands, an opaque red mantle grew around the prisoner. It was semi-transparent, covered with vein-like webbed lines, and it formed a humming dome around Grizzly Bear. Inside it, he jerked in small, inhuman motions, too fast and too gross, like in those old exorcism horror movies Mary loved.

Léon grimaced, eyes zeroed in on the red dome. His voice was tight, fast, and breathless. "I also think—think—he almost arrested me once, in a bank robbery, a couple of months ago. But that's all I can remember, I promise. And what the hell is happening in there?"

While Anachronica's face was licked by the blood-red light from the dome, Iara sighed and said, "She's fixing him. Reversing our past thirty minutes of fun. Maybe you can't remember her doing the same for you when Master of Knives lost his mind."

Of course. The scar in his eye. How could he forget that?

Anachronica groaned, then staggered a step backward. Under Iara's intent gaze, she doubled her efforts, making the dome even brighter. With a loud clack, she lowered her hands. As the dome darkened and disappeared into a thin garnet-colored mist, Anachronica straightened her back. Her legs seemed wobbly and her head heavy, but she gritted her teeth and raised her chin.

Grizzly Bear was indeed fixed. His wounds, cuts, and bruises were all gone. To prove they once existed, Bear's clothes were still burned, torn, and stained with large blotches of blood.

Bear sighed. "Bloody hell, it's good to have a tongue again."

"For now," Iara said, amused. Not as amused, she turned to Satina. "This is not the first time you've pulled something like this, Bureau. What did this bastard say to convince you to bring him here?" Her tone hardened. "I thought you had learned your lesson with Master of Knives, but it seems I was wrong. I clearly won't stay put and see anyone ruin decades of my hard work."

Satina's eyebrows shot upward.

The incident that took half of Léon's sight had happened long ago when Satina and he were just starting in New Continent. Back then, neither of them knew the difference between Invidia's villains and the freelancers, and neither of them knew how difficult it was to get a stable job as a villain in that town. Because of it, Satina agreed to take the infamous freelance, Master of Knives, to meet with Anachronica and maybe set up a job interview. He looked frightened, desperate, even. And when Anachronica refused to see him, he snapped.

Léon blew his bangs aside. He still had the scars spread across his arms and torso from trying to keep him away from Satina. The cuts were so deep and so many, Anachronica didn't have the time to heal everything. Even if she had, she said, she'd leave the scar in his eye so he'd learn his lesson: never trust a freelancer; they have nothing to lose.

A week later, Master of Knives was found dead in a ditch close to the docks, stabbed by his own set of knives.

One of them was deep into his right eye.

"My Lady," Satina said. "I promise this time I'm innocent of—"

Iara's voice raised half a tone, silencing Satina's. "This regards not only you three but my whole organization. You know people can't tie me with villains; my image is as important for Invidia Corp as the work of my associates." She licked her lips. "This man entered here knowing about me. He knew how to find me, and I want to know how."

Satina exchanged a glance with Mary and Léon, then locked on Iara again. "We don't know Grizzly Bear. I'm positive my team would never betray you, my Lady. Neither would I."

Bear raised his head and chuckled. "A villain with a sense of honor. How quaint!"

Iara glanced at Anachronica, who nodded and covered Bear's head with the dirty sack again.

"Blimey, I was joking." Bear laughed, his voice muffled under the fabric. "I didn't mean to be rude. Oi, I'll apologize. All right? What about that?"

The silence stretched as Iara studied Satina's expression. Finally, her shoulders relaxed. "Okay. I'll believe you. But if that's the case"—Iara huffed—"we don't know who told him about our hideout nor your identities, and I can't let him step out of here with this info. As problematic as it may be for us, considering how important he is for the League, we'll need to end him."

"What?" Grizzly Bear asked. "No, no, no. Let me explain. Don't kill me!"

"If we do, the League will obliterate us," Léon mumbled. "This will become a witch hunt."

Iara narrowed her eyes, raising her chin. With a gesture, she ordered Anachronica to reveal the Bear's face. He was smiling.

"That was what you wanted to hear, wasn't it? You wanted me to beg, right?" Bear moved his eyes to Satina, then to Léon, and winked. "I'm good at saying the right thing. Comes with being a hero, I suppose."

Iara raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "This is a dangerous game you're playing, Grizzly Bear."

"Not as dangerous as the situation that brought me here, Iara, I assure you." Bear was a lot more serious this time. "And please, keep calling me Bear, like you always did. Things don't have to change between us."

"True. I always despised you, Grizzly Bear. That won't change," Iara answered.

"See? We're already understanding each other." Bear smiled. "I'm Roberto Tapir. A name for a name. You believe this is fair, eh, Léon? I knew yours; now you know mine."

Léon shifted in his seat. Those words had a dangerous implication. "The hell you saying? Give your name to the imbecile who gave you mine; I don't give a damn about who you are."

As Iara narrowed her eyes, Bear frowned.

"You don't get to address anyone in this room by name, understood?" Anachronica cut in. First pointing at Satina, then at Mary, and finally Léon, she said, "Bureau Assassin, Parfait, and Reality Warp. That's how you're going to refer to them."

Bear nodded. "And now that everyone's here, I would like to explain everything. And to propose a deal."

Iara bent forward. She seemed interested—like a viper would before a rabbit. "I'm listening."

"I want to be part of your team," Roberto said, turning his eyes to Léon. "I want to be a Supervillain."

Léon and Satina snorted, exchanging an incredulous gaze while Anachronica remained impassive. Mary smiled, muttering, "Cool, I'd like that."

Iara pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. She carved her eyes into Bear's. "I suppose you have a good reason for this change of heart."

"I do. And you're going to like it. Besides, I can offer you something in exchange for my stay. I have information about the Heroic League, as you can imagine. I have time schedules, secret hideouts, secret plans, saucy gossip, who-dates-whos, bloody all of it," Bear said with a wide smile.

Iara spread her hands on the table. A barely contained, lascivious sigh escaped her lips. "Oh! Well, why didn't you say this any sooner, my dear Bear? It would've saved you a lot of pain." Her lips curled. That cruel sneer contradicted the sweetness in her voice.

"Yeah," Bear answered. "I tried, but you cut, then plucked out my tongue. Three times! That was the very definition of a counterproductive interrogation, I'm sure of it."

"You have to understand it's not every day a hero comes knocking on my door. You represent everything I'm disgusted by, so"—Iara checked her fingernails, taking a deep, satisfying breath—"torturing you was rather fun."

"Wait, you're not really considering his BS, are you, Lady Iamí?" Satina asked, eyebrows furrowed. "He is clearly lying! I bet he's just trying to snatch some info about us. Maybe arrest us."

Bear crossed his arms. "I'm a Superhero. I don't lie."

"You being a hero doesn't mean anything here," Léon said.

Iara snapped her fingers, silencing them. "Leave. All of you." When Anachronica stepped forward to cover the Superhero's face, Iara stopped her with a glance, saying, "Grizzly Bear will stay. We'll talk more about it, and I'll decide what we'll do with him." She raised her eyes to Léon, then Satina and Mary. "With all of you."

While Iara and Grizzly Bear talked, Léon, Satina, and Mary waited outside with Anachronica. It was almost like waiting for his sentence. The last time he waited like this, someone was trying to send him to jail. This time, he could also die; that was the punishment for betraying Iara.

His new uniform... the credit card bill... rent... his life.

He paced around the corridor, biting his thumbnail. Every time he tried to say something, Anachronica shushed him with a glare. Satina, leaning against the wall, gnawed at the white stick of a lollipop while Mary hummed something jolly.

When they heard Iara calling, the group rushed inside.

"I hope you're going to say we're allowed to lock him in the dungeons," Satina said, her eyes set on Grizzly Bear.

"I do, too." Léon crossed his arms.

"We will," Iara answered, pointing at the chairs in a silent invitation. "Eventually. For now, how are you feeling, Mr. Tapir? Think you can talk a while longer, 'till we tell them?"

The ex-Superhero wasn't tied anymore. Bear used tentative, blood-stained fingers to scratch his nape and offered the woman a comfortable smile. "Course I can. Few things can stop my chatterbox side."

"Marvelous," Iara said. She took a deep breath. "I've reached my decision. Grizzly Bear... before the witnesses gathered here today, I welcome you into our ranks. You're not part of the Heroic League anymore. Instead, Invidia Corp receives you like a mother, her arms spread and her heart warm." Clashing with her words, there was a cold sweetness to her voice and a viper smile on her lips. "But make no mistake." Her words hardened. "As much as I believe in second chances, I don't believe in mercy. Don't waste this opportunity. It'll be your last."

"I don't intend to," Bear answered.

"Good. Now, this is your team," she said, pointing at Satina, Mary, and Léon. "Congratulations on being Invidia's first Supervillain quartet." She opened a fake smile. "I wish you luck on your missions and a great many spoils to share."

Satina mouthed a long line of foul words as her body slipped on the chair. "What the stinky fuck is happening here?" she shouted, eyebrows furrowed. "Is this serious? I refuse to—"

One glance was all Iara needed to silence her.

Iara's scleras blackened. "I advise you to hold your tongue, little girl. You don't get to refuse my orders, and you definitely don't get to raise your voice—not to me." Her tone was dark and dangerous, filled with threats Léon never wanted to hear again. As her eyes cleared, Iara's voice softened. "But as I said, I believe in second chances. And you'll comply. All of you." She got up from the divan. "Understood?"

Satina gulped and nodded as the others did.

"Fantastic," Iara said, tightening her lips. She fixed her posture, her eyes focused on Grizzly Bear. "Now go. Before I change my mind."

Léon scrambled to his feet. He was shaking, his eyes wide. "At once," he muttered, tugging at Satina's sleeve.

Satina jerked her arm free. "Just..." She turned to face Iara. "To make sure I get this shit, Lady Iamí, what will be our part in this?"

Iara raised an eyebrow and scoffed. Her eyes looked for Anachronica, and she waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. Iara disappeared behind the curtain. Moments later came a splash in the water.

Anachronica moved her eyes to the faces before her, then tried on a smile. "You'll have to pardon her. She's not having a good week." Raising her voice, she added, "To answer your question, Bureau, your part in this is to make sure he won't fuck it up." She pointed at Grizzly Bear. "Warp, you'll be responsible for taking Bear to the medical ward. I want him thoroughly checked for bugs... thoroughly."

"Will do," Léon answered.

Anachronica nodded and waved them away. Mary and Bear were the only ones who seemed content with the situation.

"So," Bear said. "What will be our first task?"

"Ask your team leader to show you around." Anachronica moved her gaze to the image of the purple sky projected on the windows. "In the meanwhile, I'll contact The Twins and ask them to send you a new assortment of missions." She studied the faces before her, then stopped on one in particular. "Bear. If I can have your attention for a minute? Alone?"

The group nodded. Satina and Mary were already waiting in front of the elevator down the corridor, but Léon had other plans. He walked out of the room and rested his back beside the door. Anachronica's voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"I know what Iara told you, Grizzly Bear. I've known her for more than 30 years now—and she was serious about what she said. If you try to betray us, we'll know. And she will kill this whole team to punish you, don't doubt that for a second." Her tone was hard. Worried, too. "Their lives are also in your hands, Superhero. Please. Remember that."