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“Would you stop that.” Chase muttered under her breath.
Craig smiled at some girls that giggled at his muscles bulging through his shirt. He shot them a little finger gun and a wink and then continued on his way. “This just feels natural. I don’t remember being the superstar Arx, but this adoration seems...real. I like it.”
“Well, you need to cool it. Arx gained an ego the size of a small moon and you see where that led him.”
Craig softly said, “I know. And you don’t have to talk about Arx like he’s another person. He’s my past.”
“Your past is dead and buried. The man who did that died in the lab when they burned those memories out of you. Now, if you….what are you doing?”
Craig was looking in a window of a building. He stopped and coyly smiled at her. “I was just...um…”
“Flexing at your reflection.”
Craig continued with her. “I know it seems so egotistical, but Dr. Henderson said that one augmentation I had done is still with me, this incredible body. These muscles just stay. I don’t have to pump iron or anything. I look good all the time. It’s...it’s strange and nice. I suppose I just like to look.”
Chase said, “fine, I guess that’s okay. You’ll get used to the body. I’m glad you’re flirting with other girls and mirrors and not me.”
Craig laughed, “I don’t flirt with girls who are already taken.”
“Arx flirted with anything that moved.”
“Well, as you said, I’m not Arx. I don’t know what I turned into, but before I came to Hollywood, I was taught to be respectful.”
Chase frowned, “wait, you said taken. I’m single.”
“Oh, really? I could have sworn you and Gar…”
“We’re just friends.”
Craig said, “not the way he looks at you.”
“Well, we have a complicated past and...oh dear.”
They both stopped and found a cluster of protesters outside the local Fight Club, which was their destination. Men and women of all ages held signs and yelled at the guards standing outside. Chase ran ahead, pushing through the crowds. A man stood at the front, yelling in the face of the Fight Club director, who staunchly stood his ground.
“We know these Fight Clubs aren’t just free gyms, they’re secret training facilities for BADGE minions! Close the doors! Leave our city!”
Another woman yelled, “BADGE isn’t welcome!”
This drove the crowd into a louder dither.
Chase stood with the club director, Craig beside her. “What’s going on, Bill?”
Bill tried to answer her, but the lead protester got in his face to answer her, “we’re shutting down this dangerous villain training camp.”
“We don’t train villains!” Bill yelled.
“You’re poisoning our city!” another man yelled out.
A woman said, “clean up your mess and leave!”
Chase said, “people, please. This location will close for the day, go home and cool off.”
The lead protester got in her face now. “And why should we?”
She held out a blade to his nose, “if you really think we’re villains, then you’re an idiot. Now, either you throw a punch or leave, I’m tired of talking to you.”
While leaving, the leader yelled about how this was proof they were villains and how he would tell the news of how he was attacked.
“That wasn’t smart.” Bill said.
Chase let her blade vanish. “I know. Nova won’t be pleased with me. Right now, I want to know what’s going on.”
“Come on.” He led her inside.
Chase and Craig followed him into the dark Fight Club.
“We sent everyone home two hours ago. I thought we could wait for that protest to break up and then the regular gym people could return. It only got worse out there.” Bill said, he looked at Craig, “who is this?”
“This is the hero I was bringing here for you to help train.”
“Oh, sorry, kid, no training today.”
“That’s fine.” Craig asked, “what did they mean we are poisoning their city? That’s an odd thing to say.”
Chase said, “just a colorful way of attacking our presence here.”
Bill opened a special door to the meta-human section of the gym. “They’ve been throwing some interesting terms at us, but this isn’t one of them. There is something happening. I was just about to report it with that gaggle of idiots showed up and started causing trouble.”
“What’s wrong?” Chase followed him through yet another door into the special storage area.
Bill pulled open a chest that held the energy cores for the unique superhero training equipment. Inside, he produced three large blue crystals. “The people have been finding these all over the city. Not large amounts of them, but they’re showing up randomly and growing way faster than before.”
Craig asked, “what are these?”
Chase took one. “These crystals have been growing in pockets around the world for years, just after the first super heroes started showing up. We don’t know what they are, exactly, but we’ve found uses for them. Did you say they are showing up all over the city?”
Bill nodded, “yup. People said they found them in parks, by the river, and in their front yards. Now, I aint see much more than a few dozen, but I aint looking for them either. Been kinda busy keeping those protesters from knocking down our door.”
Craig asked, “what does this mean?”
“I have no clue.” Chase handed him the crystal and then clicked her comm. “I have to report this.”
Nova spoke to Chase through the main monitor at the station. She told him all she had seen today, from the protesters to the crystals. His stoic silence was tense and cold while she reported.
“That’s all we know. For now, the club is closed for the day.”
Nova finally spoke up in this conversation. “Keep the club closed until further notice. Bill, I want you to gather up as many of the supers that you’ve been training that you trust and find those crystals.”
Bill nodded. “No problem. I’ve got some good kids working on their powers. What about the local hero league?”
“I don’t like getting them out in public too much. I’ll tell them to search in secret, but they’ll have to organize that themselves. Your responsibility will be the non-BADGE supers that have been working with you. They aren’t heroes, and I doubt people know they are supers yet.”
“Gotcha. What do we do with the crystals when we find them?”
“Bring them back to the club and wait. One of the league members will collect them and bring them to us for analysis.”
“Will do.”
Nova turned to Chase, “you and Craig keep moving. Visit other cities and clubs. I want to know how widespread this strange crystal growth is. Stay in civilian clothing. Neither of you are very identifiable and can fly under the radar of the media and protesters.”
Craig asked, “you want me to work, like, as an official for BADGE?”
“I want you to assist Chase. You’re not under my authority, so you may decide not to if you wish. But we can use help.”
Craig smiled. “I’ll be glad to help. Just call me agent Craig.”
“Craig is fine. Now, get going. The last thing we need is another crisis in the middle of this mess.”
“Understood, Chase out.” The screen went dark.
Nova turned and found Gar frowning. “Something wrong?”
“Oh,...uh...no.”
Nova passed him while saying, “she isn’t interested in Craig, focus on our job.”
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