"Good morning! So, like, welcome to my evil lair! Don't mind the bio-adhesive tape, it's just for dramatic effect- mostly."
Cold fear clamps at Anastasia's gut. What the hell? Her memory is foggy, but she definitely does not remember being tied to this wooden chair. Her mind swims with memories from the day before, coming home from work last night on the Hyperloop shuttle with a rock band playing in her hearing aids. She guesses the street near her apartment has never been the most well lit, though.
Black spots spark like static in her vision. Over a pounding headache and the ringing in her ears she can hear the distant hum of Stratos drones outside. Her kidnapper has at least left her hearing aids in. Slowly, the spots clear, revealing the run-down apartment. The wall-length window is dulled, letting in muted, multicoloured lights from skyscraper advertisements. A cluttered desk is shoved to the wall, and the kitchen sink is piled with plates, with a pungent smell of old cheese. She would never let her apartment get this messy. A teenager sits on a metal stool, the type you buy for $18 and have to make yourself. Waves of white hair frame their wide smile, hollow eyes. The warm, fawn colour of their face contrasts starkly against the grey apartment. They hold a steaming cup of hot chocolate.
If not for the top hat, red jacket and cane-shaped rifle rested at their side, Anatasia would have been more concerned for the teen than herself. If she hadn't walked by multiple news e-posters, their bold words warning civilians to be on watch for the supervillain, the Ringmaster.
"Are you going to, like, talk or something? Or maybe like, scream, or I guess you could beg for mercy, I don't know. This is kinda boring."
"I'm sorry?" There's a beat of confusion, and then she laughs.
They aren't wearing their full outfit. The crimson red jacket and top hat, sure, but Anastasia never expected the famed villain to wear fluffy hello kitty pyjama pants. It must be early morning, judging by that and the cool, grey light.
"Nevermind."
Looking away from her, they pick up an i-screen. They open a folder from which about 8 different holographic windows pop up immediately. The folder is titled 'Red's guide to being a terrifying villain'. They tap one, pulling it to the front. Glancing at the window, her eyes pick up on some of the backwards letters.
information, torture methods, starve...
It's almost laughable. Fuck no. Some kid is not going to torture her, no matter their reputation. She doesn't even know what information they're looking for anyway. She's not sure if they know, either.
"How old are you, anyways?"
"Hey! I'm old enough to be on the news almost every week." Red's smile is vicious, but the image is ruined by their hot chocolate moustache.
He frowns. "Should be tonight too, I guess, if your stupid hero of a boyfriend ever shows up. I left him a note and everything, but nooo, heroes always have to be late."
"I'm sorry, who is it that you think is my boyfriend?"
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"Ooooh, are you gonna play dumb? Vanguard, obviously. I know everything about you too. I've seen him talk to you everyday at work, watched his i-screen light up with your texts, Anastasia. He goes through your social like, every night."
She clenches her jaw, face twitching with disgust. Ew.
"Yeah, texts saying to buzz off. Vanguard's a creep. I just work at the Overwatch Citadel. I'm pretty sure he probably looks at every woman who works there's social. He definitely would not come to save me. Besides, I have a girlfriend."
The teen's smile crumbles. "What? Ugh, that's so unfair. Why does the universe hate me?" They groan like an overdramatic theatre kid. "All the other villains' schemes work out perfectly." Red crosses their arms grumpily. "Shouldn't Vanguard come to save you anyway? Being a hero and everything?"
Anastasia rolls her eyes. "Vanguard's more interested in saving poor maidens from villains like Specter or Dominion. Not to insult your lair, but he's always looking out for the villains with fancy castles or whatever. I had to make a list of villains with cool lairs for his PR team."
Red rests their cheek on their hand, frowning. "Dang it. I really wanted to actually do something villainous and cool for once."
In the face of Red's childish humor, Anastasia had almost forgotten they're supposed to be a threatening supervillain. A murderer. The Ringmaster.
"You blew up a theatre the other day." She mutters. The bio-adhesive tape on her wrists was starting to chafe.
They start. "Hmm? Oh, no, but... well, I would explain by tactical genius to you, but that would be stupid." Chuckling, they open another window on their i-screen. Anastasia can hear them muttering under their breath. "How to get press attention... maiming... this is graphic... social... oh god, do I have to?"
Fuck. That's not great. She can feel a breath stuck in her throat. For the first time, she notices the glint of knives hung up next to the Ringmaster's kitchen sink. Did she get too cocky? Should she have been more polite to the kid? Is she really about to be murdered by a child? As bad as her situations looks, Anastasia can't bring herself to imagine this kid actually killing someone.
What would Quinn be doing right now? She probably hasn't even finished her shift at the Neuro-care centre yet. Maybe she's texted Anastasia and is wondering why she hasn't replied yet. Maybe she left Anastasia another of her sweet yogurts in the fridge again.
The Ringmaster's finished writing some sort of plan in their i-screen. She should have been reading what they wrote, but they've already closed the window.
"Okay, umm." They pale as they look at her. They can't really want her dead. "Shit, I'm sorry, I just- I gotta prove myself, ya know? And if Vanguard isn't gonna save you, then well, I dunno. I kind of need the publicity. If I wanna be taken in by the Crimson Cartel, I gotta make a statement." They gulp. "I-I'll put you under, though. I've got some melatonin from some sketchy street guy."
It's fine. It's fine. She'll be fine. Her breathing has gone irrationally fast. The volume of her heart pounding almost scares her. She'll be fine. If they try to make her take the melatonin she'll just keep her jaw clenched until it gives her a headache. They won't- they wouldn't kill her while she's awake. They're a kid. She can definitely overpower them, even if it's a bit vile. She's sure.
"Uhm, yeah, but, most of my knives are, like, incredibly blunt, so I just have to sharpen those." They're stalling, Anastasia realises. "Oooh, meanwhile, I can actually tell you about my evil tactics! Yeah, I know it's really clichě, but you'll be, um, dead, soon so it's fine. I never get to tell anyone my evil tactics. It's so annoying having such a smart strategy but there's no one to tell. Plus, I've still got to sharpen the knives, yup, so, uh, there's no, like, extra stalling."
She nods. The bio-adhesive tape is fraying around her wrists. The window behind her looks incredibly smashable. Despite overlooking the city, she knows where this building is. She's seen it before, hours before, on the Hyperloop shuttle. It has balconies on every second floor. The fall would hurt, it would probably break bones, but she's less likely to die, at least.
A shrill sound reverberates through the apartment as the Ringmaster starts to sharpen their knives.
What do you think? Is Red bark or bite?
