Silhouette

In the depths of the Sunken City, in what was once an abandoned haunted orphanage, a large group of people was busy. To say the group was peculiar would be an understatement. It was composed of armed and armored mercenaries, their otherwise impressive look ruined by their babbling about, but also of phantoms, both nuns and children, happy to have something to do, of an undead tree creature, her roots always ready to land a hand, as well as of people twisted into fleshy monstrosities trying to regain their humanity and, more importantly and relevant to the current situation, a pair of prideful inventors and their respective filial figures.

The two main actors of the scene, Sam "Techlord", a teenager covered in burn scars hidden away by his own set of advanced technological armor, and Doctor Ivan Decanov, a robotic man with a brutalist design and an even more brutal temper, would usually be at each other's throat at this point, insulting the other's work and diminishing their accomplishments.

This wasn't the case this time.

Following a quick game of telephone via Solvent, the local infused slime turned into a puppet body for their employer, Silhouette had successfully informed his brightest minds about the threat the Empress might soon pose. Now, both had been aware of one of Zalcien's greatest Villains and their faction taking an interest in their shadowy master, but Abrakaboom and Wicked Witchcraft had quickly dropped the topic, as far as they were aware. In the great scheme of things, in a world filled with people and creatures gifted with great powers such as Terra Stellis, the incident had been a mere altercation.

In great part because the Villain was more interested in saving a friend than punishing the person responsible for his disappearance, and his leaving meant his "supporters" were left to fend for themselves against hostile forces, stuck in a war for survival that had little room to allow them to act on petty grievances, but the point remained. This wasn't the first time someone with power tried to go after Silhouette, and it wouldn't be the last.

What made this situation different was the Empress. She wasn't the one fighting for her survival. The latest chaos in the city benefited her. She was on track to become the greatest, if not the sole, criminal world leader in Zalcien. Yes, she was busy at the moment, but as soon as the conflict was over, she'd have more power than ever before, and nothing to distract her from her newfound interest in Shades Of Penumbra's leader.

In other words, this would be their biggest threat yet. And they would only have as much time to prepare as the turf war between the Villains would last. And that was assuming no other crisis would arise, which all involved with Silhouette knew was a wild fantasy - call the man paranoid all you want, his worries had been proven right time and time again. And while his life wasn't in danger as often as it used to, mostly dealing with small fries these days, his caution and constant preparation were the only reasons he was still alive and managed to begin to build what was quickly shaping up to be a powerful force.

All of that to say, Techlord Junior, Adam, and even the surrounding members of the Shadow Commando were unsettled to see the two inventors not merely tolerating each other, but outright cooperating. Oh, petty remarks still flew, but...

"Tin can, testing the arms. What's the result?"

"Your wreckage works fine enough. Have you considered replacing your subpar hydraulics with some new ones from a used car dealership?"

"Very funny, but no. I custom-made these to make sure this thing would be able to move as freely as I want it to. What about your scrap picket fence? Need help finding better diodes for your light show?"

"Ah! Ah. No. Though I suppose I could stand having you help me with some of the defensive contraptions. I am already helping you ensure your toy can walk, it would only be fair to let you watch a true master at work."

Two members of the Commando, overseeing as some Patchees worked with Mother Greenheld to carry crates of materials the two inventors had requested, exchanged uneasy looks.

"They... They're working together, right? Is... Are we sure they're the real ones? Does the boss have a way to check for shapeshifters and doppelgangers?"

"Well, their kids are there and look fine with it..."

Adam and Techlord Junior, both judged too clumsy for the current procedure and thus placed on the same sideline, intervened at this point."

"Yeah, no, seeing the Doc being like this is... Weird. I mean, I know I'm the one constantly saying he has a good heart beneath that rough exterior, but I didn't think he'd flip to collaborating with Techlord in one day."

Junior nodded, their child-like exaggerated movements doing wonders to let them emote despite their thick armor.

"Origin..."

"Ah. Well, do you think they're impostors then?"

"No, it's... It's not weird to that point, but... It's like meeting your teacher when they're buying groceries, you know?"

"I mean, I didn't go to school, so..."

"Right, sorry, I keep forgetting you guys are... From the slums. Sorry, was that offensive?"

"Nah, nah, don't worry. It's accurate."

"I mean, accurate stuff can also be offensive, but yeah, no worry, Adam. We know we ain't the brightest. It's why Mother Greenheld and the nuns offer free classes."

"They do?"

"Yeah. It's mostly for the kids, dead or alive, and the recovering Patchees, but we regular adults can join in if we want."

"Yup. Though it takes some getting used to, dealing with spectral voices and all that. Ghosts aren't the best at giving a lecture."

"Uh. I'll have to drop in some time. Maybe I could learn a thing or two."

"Origin!"

"Ah, right, I can't wait, Junior."

"So... Uh... Are you kids not worried about the whole... You know... Major crisis thing?"

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"Dude! You can't just ask them that!"

"No, no, it's fine. To be honest, yeah, I'm... I'm scared. Not for me, the Empress has no reason to go after me, but... The Doc is a pretty major target, if she wants to cripple Silhouette's forces. And he's no fighter. And he's not really popular. And... Look, I get it, Silhouette's a good guy, but I'm worried the Doc will get dragged into a conflict he could avoid if he just left."

"Hm. You think he should just run away, then?"

"No, that's not what I said. I mean, I know him, he'd rather die than show cowardice, he's too proud for that, and Silhouette has been the best thing to happen to him for as long as I've known the Doc, but... I can't help it, you know? What if Silhouette loses? I'm sure Junior has similar thoughts."

"Origin..."

"See? Junior was born from the incident where Techlord almost got killed. They know their dad isn't invincible. And while he's been on a roll lately, they still know what kind of woman the Empress is. What she represents. This isn't a petty criminal or even a big gang member. This is the Empress. I've been raised to fear her since I was a kid. I mean, hell, you guys are from the slums, where everything is more cutthroat, and she doesn't bother hiding as much. Surely you've seen her bots' work? Aren't you terrified?"

"Well, technically, she is a big gang member, since she's part of the Tarot gang."

"Oh, shut it, you! You know what the kid meant!"

The second mercenary sighed and lightly shook his head.

"But to answer your question, it's complicated. Yeah, we're a bunch of nobodies, meat for the grinder, the exact sort of idiot who'd get taken away into the night by one of her Harvesters. We all lost someone to these freaky silver machines at least once. We all grew up fearing the mere idea of seeing a pair of glowing red eyes in the night."

The other member of the Commando nodded, though he let the speaker continue.

"But the thing is, all of that? That's the before. Because we hadn't met the boss then. Did anyone tell you how we came across him? Us folks from the original crew? We were a bunch of hired goons, sent down into the sewers to kill or capture the mystery creature that had caught the attention of some rich, pompous criminal mage. We were meat shields, stuff for the monster to kill to let the real important guys figure out how to catch it without getting hurt themselves."

"Wait, you were hired to attack Silhouette?"

"Yup. Busted into his part of the sewers with a bunch of grenades. You wanna know what happened? He dismantled the big guys in charge and gave us idiots a chance. A choice. Surrender, or fight and die. So, because while we may have been cowards, we're at least cowards with a sense of self-preservation, we agreed. Wanna know what happened next? He told us we could work for him instead. And we figured, hey, last employer just got destroyed by the shadow man, might as well work for the new guy, right?"

"Oi, you're skipping details, there. Like the fact that not everyone joined up. Some cretins decided to stand and fight with the bosses. Silhouette had made it clear by that point that he was willing to kill if necessary, and that he was more than able to mow us down in seconds if we tried something. So, yeah, fear of death played a part in the decision-making back then."

"Wait, Silhouette... Silhouette killed people?"

"Oh, yes. He doesn't like to do it, hell, he downright hates it, but he also has no hesitation when it comes to securing threats. And hey, we did blow our way into the neighborhood back then. Pretty sure we killed some of the Mischief rats, too. And hunting him down was the whole point of the job. We came in ready to kill, he responded in kind."

"It's actually part of the reason we joined when he offered the job. He remembered."

Adam didn't know how to feel about the turn the conversation had taken. He knew Silhouette had fought against Runar, and that you didn't disband a gang like that without a few deaths, even if you were the police, but this... It was clear they weren't talking about Supers here. At least not only Supers. Just guys with guns, people that he knew posed very little danger to the shadow Doctor Decanov worked for.

"Remembered what?"

"The number of people he killed. Those he ended himself, at least. He admitted he didn't know about the rats and the explosives he had sabotaged. But yeah, that was the deciding factor."

"Really? That seems so... It doesn't seem like much."

"Kid, don't take this the wrong way, but it's kinda important."

"Yeah, like my buddy says. Once you've killed more than five people, it gets hard to keep track of. You don't really find a reason for it, either. I mean, why bother? Pull the trigger, get the pay, move on to the next job."

Adam widened his eyes at the... The nonchalant attitude both men had when discussing murder. No, they were mercenaries, so murder wasn't exactly the right word, a soldier didn't murder an enemy, they killed them, but... Still. And... It was hard to think of these people, this group of goofballs, as a bunch of soldiers with kills under their belt, and yet...

"Do... Do you guys..."

"Do we remember? By the Nine, no. Like I told you, I stopped counting when I reached number five. After that, I stopped caring."

"Ah, for me, it was my first mission. Hired to join in gunning down a warehouse. Bunch of people, automatic rifles, and multiple shooters. No one knew who killed how many. When you start out like that, you don't even try."

"I would appreciate it if you two stopped traumatizing our scientists' young protégés."

The members of the Shadow Commando turned around to see their boss standing behind them. Was it really him or just him acting through Solvent? It didn't matter, it was the same mind piloting either way.

And indeed, while Techlord Junior had stayed mostly silent, they still seemed uneasy with the conversation. Or maybe it was Adam's reaction that disturbed them? The chimeric amalgam of flesh and metal had participated in the Shadow Den's defense. They, too, had blood on their hands, even if they weren't acting out there. Had they been counting? Did they stop? Did they ever start? What about their father? Techlord was on the terrain more often than you'd expect from an inventor. How many of his creations had he used to kill?

Silhouette snapped a hand, formed just for the occasion, to make Adam focus back on them and quit that spiral of darkening thoughts.

"Boss, sorry, boss. The kid was asking if we were worried. About the Empress."

"And we went on a tangent, yeah. But what we wanted to get to, if you'd allow us to finish..."

The man paused there, checking to see if he could go on. The slight nod his employer gave in response reassured him.

"What we meant to say, Adam, is that we were nobodies, the scum of the slums, and look at us now. Working for Silhouette, being part of his most trusted men. We saw the boss rise from nothing to where he is now, an underdog fighting forces greater than him, more prepared than him, at every turn. So yeah, the Empress is probably the worst thing that came knocking at our door, but that's the thing."

"Everyone who tried before her is either dead and buried or working for the boss now. She thinks she's dealing with a pest. By the time she realises she's fighting cancer, it'll be too late. Sure, she's smarter than those who came before, but the boss is only getting better."

"Hm. Try to avoid uncomfortable topics for the weak-hearted from now on, you two, alright?"

"Yes, boss!"

"No problem, boss!"

"Why don't you two head off to see how the Patchees are doing in Guy's course on fitting in? I'll take care of things here."

""Got it, boss!""

Silhouette stood next to the two younger figures as he watched his workers go before chuckling.

"They're quite the handful, aren't they?"

"Origin!"

"Yeah... They are... Silhouette, sir? If I may?"

"Go ahead, Adam."

"Do you still count?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"More than I'd like. More than I'm willing to say."

He sighed.

"This city isn't kind to those who stand out too much, Adam. You'd do well to remember that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That I never initiated a war, but always made sure to emerge victorious. I'm not telling you to become a warrior, young man. Doctor Decanov would strangle me if I tried. No. And neither am I telling you I am free of sin. Because I carry that guilt. No, what I want you to focus on, to remember, is that this city is out to get you, and you need to be ready to defend yourself. Even if that merely means becoming friends with the right people."

"If you don't mind me asking... What would you do if you didn't have to do all this stuff to feel safe?"

"Hm... I'd probably be delivering pizzas somewhere."