The city skyline rose high into the setting sun, the amber rays of gold piercing through the windows and cracks each skyscraper and office complex allowed. The slowing bustle of taxis and private vehicles murmured below, the sounds of crowds and movement no longer the roar of chaos it had once been. This was the time where everyone finally stopped to relax, allowing themselves to release the tension in their jaws and roll their shoulders. It was truly as calm as the city would ever be.
The hero Glorious watched from the skyline, his signature smile shining as it always did. His yellow cape billowed in the wind of the higher atmosphere, the purple accents of his hero attire glinting with the glitter he had implemented into its design. No matter where he was, the sun exposed his form, allowing him to become a second source of light for the city. He loved his position, the power he held. The people below adored him, savored every victory, and, well, any loss was easily covered up. He was their hero after all! He never lost… never. Threading his fingers through his deviously long silver hair, his piercing rust-colored eyes noticed a disturbance upon his perfect view. A massive shadow, humanoid in structure.
“Must he always do this, when everything is so perfectly quiet?” Glorious groaned and a supersonic boom blasted behind him as he flew to the scene.
#
The paved roads and pristine sidewalks rumbled with each step of the approaching mass. The sounds of whirling gears, sparking wires, scraping metal, and electronic whizzing echoed into every alley, informing everyone of its presence. People screamed in horror, cars attempting to back up away from the walking disaster in front of them. Of course, everyone knew who it was. No one else would be back to create such a disturbance.
The source of all this frenzy was a massive scrapyard of a mech suit, a garbled mess of crushed car metal, old kitchen appliances, the occasional piece of animal flesh and children’s toys. It looked to be an attempt to look like a man, but it looked more like a mutated orangutan. Its arms were misaligned, one larger and longer than the other. Its legs barely held the massive weight above them from collapsing into the ground, and the head, well, it was the face that a mother most certainly would never love. In the chest of the thing, a cracked and dirty glass sheet exposed its operator: Dr. Woe. Local villain, scientist, and this would be his seventh attempt at defeating the city’s Glorious.
“Dr. Woe, glad to see you again.” Glorious sneered, floating down to face his adversary, if you could even call him that. Dr. Woe cackled. The man inside definitely did not seem fit to face the grandness that was Glorious. All he wore was an oil stained white lab coat, sand tan cargo pants, and a pair of pink floral foam sandals that you’d buy from a discount store. His bare, malnourished chest exposed the various tubes and nicknacks he had surgically implanted into his person on his fourth attempt at defeating Glorious, those twin scars from a bygone identity the only thing done by someone else.
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“Glad to hear it, old friend! What is this, fifth time this year?” Dr. Woe retorted, the same venom in his voice that Glorious had. The hero shook his head in disbelief.
“To think you had the brain power to build… whatever this is, but can’t keep track of time. It's a wonder that you escape prison at all these days.” Glorious groaned. Dr. Woe laughed. A pair of small junkyard turrets popped out of the shoulders of the machine and opened fire. The hand-made bullets ricocheted off Glorious, sending them into the buildings nearby.
“You tried that a long time ago, Woe.” Glorious said, and within a blink of an eye, the suit was laying on the ground and Dr. Woe was in a chokehold. Glorious, signature smile and all, flew high into the air.
“Every time, Woe! Every single goddamn time! Why? Do you not understand? I have stopped you again and again and again! Why do you even try?!” Glorious yelled, those eyes that seemed to know more than they should shooting daggers tipped with poison into Dr. Woe. That madman smiled at him.
“You know exactly why, Glorious. Everytime you win a battle, you succeed just a bit more. You are loved more. Once, I would have smiled at such success. But now? Well, a quick name change really helps solidify you as a villain, huh?” Woe laughed, not even struggling. Glorious snarled.
“That was the past, Woe.”
“Was it? It seems like the past fuels your ambitions even now.”
#
“You want to do what?!”
“DJ, I know it's crazy…”
“Crazy? It's not just crazy, it's insane! Everyone who’s done it either went crazy or died! It's not safe!”
“Safe or not, I want to do it. Imagine! Me, a hero! A hero to everyone! I could help so many people, save so many lives! All because of a simple visit!”
“Rick…”
“Don’t you support me?”
“...Yes. Yes I do Rick. And I will support you in any way I can.”
#
“Glorious! A pleasure to see you again! Dr. Woe give you any trouble?” Warden Finch waved to the flying hero, an unconscious Dr. Woe in his hand. Floating to the ground, Glorious tossed Woe to the ground. The hero’s face was covered in shadow, the sun making it impossible to see.
“Warden.” It was cold. The very air around them stilled.
“Y-yes, Glorious?” Finch stuttered.
“The next time this… happens, there won’t be one body. There’ll be two. Do you understand?” Glorious didn’t wait for a response as he flew away, his form overshadowing the sun within the eyes of the prison.
