party time, it's party time (woo)

Just past the glass of the upscale hotel lobby, gray skies and static pattering muffled any distractions from the outside. As expected, they were trapped in an oppressive downpour. 

Normally Jun would struggle to not stand out while lingering around and waiting for a contact, but today plenty of others were doing the same. All sorts of high class guests in formal wear were arranging new plans to avoid ruining their clothes. Pitching in a bit of effort seemed natural to anyone that could afford it, to stay warm and dry. He didn't have a phone on him to take similar measures. Jun was taught that reliance on external devices made a person too much of a liability, and on that front, Jun was quietly pleased his abilities were deemed useful enough to be an exception to that rule. At least he didn't need a phone to negotiate a change in plans, Jun would charge out into the storm if need be.

Jun checked his watch then adjusted the sleeve of his suit to cover it again. 

The sliding glass doors opened, letting in a gust of cold air and another brief disruption as the white noise erupted into a roar. The man that stepped in wasn't carrying an umbrella, just a sunny attitude unperturbed by the horrid weather. He wiped the wet hair out of his face to shoot Jun a winning smile before passing him by for the front desk. 

He must be who I'm waiting for… Jun couldn't help but notice that despite being wet, the man wasn't nearly as soaked as he should've been after walking through the storm. Additionally, Jun — and the receptionist — were greeted by him with the familiarity of an old friend. Jun could wait patiently for hours if need be, but his double blind contact chatted with the woman behind the desk a good long while before circling back around to sit on the sofa across from Jun. 

"You're younger than I expected Legion~ Why your stuffy superiors would hide you away in a role like this is beyond me, your looks could kill." 

Between the two, Jun was taller and had the build to match his role as a physical brawler. He was used to his 'looks' giving away his abilities, so Jun didn't know what this stranger was implying he was better suited to, if not direct combat. On the other hand, his assigned companion could've blended in with the other neat foreign businessmen without any trouble at all. 

The smile didn't drop, and Jun couldn't tell what the man was expecting just from his face. It made him recoil back a bit in the chair. 

"A-ahm… you…- You don't need to flatter me 'Siren'... we've already agreed to work together…" 

Jun was sure the hesitation and discomfort was written all over his face, so he was just grateful that Siren didn't seem insulted by it. Or dissuaded at all, in fact. 

"Ahaha~ Yes, of course. I don't mean anything by it. Let's say… you distracted me?" 

Siren chuckled again and leaned in to give Jun's knee a reassuring pat. 

"But back on track~ The rain already did half the job for me. It's not difficult to escalate the interference to block reception, so I can lend support in the main event if you'd like~" 

Jun suppressed his skepticism as much as possible. "...If you are certain you can block all signals at the same time… I will gratefully accept your help…" 

"Then it's settled. Our seats are on the south side of the room. The two sets of doors on the west wall should have four guards each, and the only door on the east is the staff entry that leads to the kitchen. As long as you can cover the west wall and the main entrance, I can block the north exit and bottleneck the flow through the employee channels." 

Siren's first beat of serious discussion with Jun was abruptly cut off by another coy smile. 

"Which isn't to say I don't have the utmost confidence in your ability to execute this plan on your own~ I just worry too much and prefer to over-prepare in case something neither of us accounted for happens to pop up. You understand, yes~?" 

Jun's lips were tensed into a thin line, but he took a deep breath and nodded. Before he actually had to reply though, Siren was back on his feet and offering him a hand. 

"Wonderful~! Then shall we? Oh wait-" 

The hand was snatched away again to produce a badge from his inner pocket. Jun was taught it was rude to hold a hand out to receive something. That ended up leading Siren to brace a hand on his shoulder to keep him seated then pin the ID tag over Jun's breast pocket himself. Jun peered up at Siren's pleased smile as he straightened it out and smoothed down Jun's lapel. 

"-...Thank you. Please lead the way."

Finally allowed to stand, Jun was mindful of the other's handiwork as he did. He didn't understand why Siren did it. Their- Matching?-  suits would likely be ruined in the upcoming struggle, so that kind of care would all be for nothing in the end. But ultimately, Jun didn't mind being courteous to a simple whim. He took Siren's hand to rise and followed him down the hall. 

Closer to the lobby, a few complaints about the patchy cell reception were beginning to bubble up, but the closer they got to the venue the less concern Jun noticed from the guests. 

Siren led him towards the ballroom where the banquet was being held, occasionally stopping to strike up conversation with his acquaintances along the way. Every time it was too lively for Jun to keep up. 

"Nikolai! I haven't seen you in ages, where the hell did you manage to dig him up from? How many favors did you have to call in?" 

Jun's nerves didn't let him just relax and play into it. The best he could muster was a neutral expression that didn't make it too immediately obvious how much he didn't want to be here. He was incredibly grateful that Siren covered for him each time. Jun counted himself lucky that 'Nikolai' had enough charisma for the both of them. 

Jun didn't complain when Nikolai tugged him in by the arm, practically using him as a prop. 

"How cold~! If we haven't seen each other in a while, can't you just say you missed me~? This is Zhi Chiang. We met when I went overseas for my IHPP exchange hours~ Remember that one villain group giving everyone a headache ducking in and out of international waters? He'd just been promoted to branch manager of the rescue and relief division when that whole mess got into full swing." 

Nikolai smirked at his friend then squeezed Jun's hand and gave him a short look. Some kind of signal? Jun was caught up wondering, but Nikolai didn't miss a beat picking up his hand and placing a kiss on his knuckles. 

"Naturally, he was charmed when I swooped in and saved the day~ One of the many perks of being a hero on the frontlines Sergeant Jiménez, sure you won't reconsider~?" 

The sergeant rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, nice try you brat. Hurry up and replace the entire navy with your damn super powers so I can retire already."

Someone else called for the sergeant, and Jun only ended up having a short moment to return a polite nod and stutter out a 'nice to meet you'.

Jun didn't have any complaints with the story. If anything, it was his fault that the most believable story Siren could whip up was casting Chiang as the hapless love interest caught up Nikolai’s flow. Siren was still holding onto his arm, eyes scanning for the next cluster of tipsy guests to parade him around to. 

To Jun, his faux partner looked… genuinely eager. The recognition and the way faces lit up when some of these people spotted this man seemed real. He could almost forget why they were here and imagine Nikolai just wanted to brag about bringing Zhi Chiang as a plus one. That sort of thing would have wrenched deep in Jun's gut, so he supposed he should just be grateful that they were all total strangers to him. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a teasing look pointed up at him from Siren. 

"What're you thinking about Chi~? If your head is so far in the clouds, I can't even pretend you're just flustered by my overbearing energy-"

"Sorry- I haven't been saying anything to help-"

"You can stay quiet, I can work with that. In exchange, why not tell me what else you started worrying about~?"

Jun hesitated and accidentally got a better survey of the crowd while avoiding Siren's eyes. 

"...This gathering is… larger than I expected… and you- know- Know these people, so… uhm…" 

Jun flinched when Siren laughed. 

"Is that it~? I'm going to fall for you all over again Chi~ I don't know anyone here that well in all honesty. Even if I did, they're here for a reason, aren't they~? They're like me, so you hardly need to worry." 

Like you. Jun assumed Siren meant heroes working with criminals and villains like him. Corrupt, powerful, and callous like him perhaps. He did recognize 'Nikolai'. Nikolai Lobachev, one of the names that came up when he looked into who Siren might be. The son of a politician, famous in equal measure for designing operations that collapsed entire villain organizations and improvising emergency aid for injured civilians on the spot. At the same time, he had connections stretching above and below what other heroes with similar talent could boast. A man with money and information flowing in from countless avenues unknown to the public. That was who his family had joined hands with to eliminate all these people. 

Legion was just here to make space for a new batch of cunning and self-serving 'heroes'. The only difference was that this time a good portion of them would be backed by Jun's family…

Jun pulled himself out of his thoughts. What he found in front of him was Lobachev's discerning eyes carefully trained on him. He was starting to get a feel for when a playful look had a critical examination underneath. Jun knew his collaborator could sense the reservations in his mind. It made a chill flush through his body and his hair stand on end. 

Jun finally looked away after Nikolai sighed under his stare. 

"It's a bit late to get cold feet, don't you think? The security system's already been hijacked and the scapegoat's already been framed-  That's why I can talk to you like this so recklessly in a room full of people~" 

Siren reached up to wrap his arms over Jun's shoulders. It really did feel like he was already set on this track, trapped by more than just the hug he could've shaken off. He was the key to this plan, the success or failure lied solely on his shoulders, but somehow the outcome felt set in stone. 

"Regardless…- of what I think- I won't abandon you, I'm going to… carry out my orders- exactly as agreed…" 

Hearing himself say it aloud convinced him more than Siren, but seeing Jun's resolve strengthen seemed to help quell the other's doubts. 

"Good~! Though it would be nice if we both walked away from this arrangement satisfied." Nikolai smiled and pulled Jun down to his eye level but stopped short. 

Jun had been cooperative thus far, but the proximity almost made him pull away. He couldn't get used to the calculating grin of a stranger brushing by his cheek, acting this intimate just to- act. His comfort wasn't important, they had to put on some airs. He just couldn't relax knowing Siren would cross any line for the mission. 

"You'll hurt my feelings if you keep making that face while staring at me~" The smile dropped and Nikolai let go of Jun to skim the room, then set his focus back on Jun's nervous look. "People are starting to disperse to their seats, so I'll take you over, sit you down, then slip out. Your move will be the cue~" 

And with that, Siren led Jun to Zhi Chiang's seat. He was introduced to the guests on either side of him at the long banquet table, which Jun did his best to ignore. Siren gave him a peck on the cheek as farewell and Jun mustered up a sheepish smile to send him off. More time passed and eventually Jun was meekly thanking a waiter as they set Zhi's order in front of him. Of course, he wouldn't eat the meal. At last, one voice rose above the bustle and brought the room to a hush. 

Jun recognized the woman at the podium, a good sign. Most of his energy was on monitoring the room, but Jun listened to her welcome speech and congratulations. Apparently the collective achievements of the people in this room were cause for celebration, but learning those was Siren's job. 

The speech ended and conversations surged back to life on all sides. Fortunately, Nikolai arranged to have them seated near a corner. Jun took a deep breath and focused on all the bodies in the room. 

There were more people here than the estimates on his end. Siren must have known, maybe even the exact number. But that wasn't worth dwelling on. Jun's power would be enough. 

Jun's penumbra was more than just a shadow. The pitch dark figures he produced almost had the presence of a human- almost. Whenever he saw black fog approximating the shape of a person melt out of his body — waiting for a command, limp and lifeless — Jun learned to ignore how its silhouette perfectly matched his own. He would never be able to forget the sensation of that empty entity moving through him and occupying the same space. Everyone in the room would have to experience that same uncanny feeling in their last moments. 

An array of dark ghost-like hands emerged from the bodies of every person in the room. There were screams; some surprise, some terror, but some didn't even get the chance before their penumbra found a sharp enough utensil on the dinner table to slit their throat or stab an artery. The shadowy hands that took a little longer blindly groping around for a weapon had to find a way to trap their source in the chair, or wrestle them to the floor before they ran away in a panic. Fewer yet managed to burst out of their assigned seat. Those ones had a chance to recognize that they weren't being slaughtered by malevolent ghosts. Jun always underestimated how much a person would hesitate after seeing a shadowy doppelganger of themself. No one made it very far from the table. 

In under a minute, the room was quiet and still. 

Jun tried to gently rise to his feet, but his limbs were like jelly. Just the effort made his breath catch in his throat. He fumbled around in his pockets until he found his mask. The longer he took, the more spots appeared in his vision and the room threatened to spin. This part was what really tested Jun's ability to stay calm under pressure. His trembling fingers clumsily fastened the rigid piece of plastic over the bottom half of his face. As soon as it was secure, the mechanism released the aerosol to force his airway back open. 

Jun tried standing prematurely again, but this time he just needed to let himself sit a little longer before marching off to finish the job and close out the assignment. Nothing else he could do in his short rest but maintain vigilance. Jun's attention bounced between every possible source of threat in the room. He didn't have the time to be completely thorough, but all his penumbrae had dissolved outside of his control. Meaning their sources were dead, and that Jun shouldn't waste energy keeping his guard up to block a sneak attack by a corpse. He stripped off his bloodstained jacket and draped it over one arm, but it barely hid any of the red splotches and the stench had already permeated every fabric in the ballroom. No matter how many times he checked, the doors were still locked, alarms still silent. All the layers of security and privacy prepared for these VIP guests only ended up making Jun's job easier. No one on the outside knew what had happened yet… except for Siren. 

They were strangers, so Jun really didn't know that he was sitting among the hero's former circle of friends. Maybe they were only 'work friends', shallow acquaintances, simple names, faces, and preferences learned in passing… Jun couldn't pretend he only had the blood of strangers on his hands, he was no better. Messy situations led to messier investigations and images of brutalized bodies that stuck fast in Jun's mind. He was an 'enforcer', he specialized in hunting down traitors inside his own organization: punishing them to staunch insurgent subgroups, eliminating every loose end. He was a cold-blooded murderer of former allies and friends, but he had no love for the role. He just couldn't imagine how anyone could handle adding nearly two hundred hollow faces to that dark and ugly corner of their memory. 

Jun recovered enough stamina to stand and leave the room through the designated door, but that door opened before he could reach it. 

Nikolai threw open the door and traipsed back into the room. 

"Looks like you didn't need my help after all, but that's no surprise~" 

Nikolai hopped around the blood and bodies to approach Jun without dirtying his shoes.  

"Everything's all taken care of on my end. As far as anyone will know, Zhi Chiang will have died today." Nikolai laughed. "You can disappear again, and I'll take some time to mourn my lost lover~" 

Jun's guard didn't drop, and climbed higher. It wasn't a glare, but he forced the exhaustion out of his face just enough to show Nikolai a coolly controlled neutral. 

"You didn't- need to come back… here… Only if some ran..." 

One of Jun's hands crept up towards his mask and the other towards his weapon, but Nikolai just sighed at him. To Jun's eye, the other man's posture already gave him away. Even someone that could use their powers at will usually braced for their first attack.

Nikolai's smile faded. A shadow burst out of Nikolai's body. In the same moment, a thin stream of water shot through the air and slashed through Jun's mask. Jun's breath hitched and the shadow's outline rippled, harmlessly passing through Nikolai's body now and again as it groped around for a weapon. 

Jun had already worked all the way up to his limit for the mission, pushing himself even further- He could barely force a breath in every few rasps. His penumbra was rapidly deteriorating, and so was his body-

The stream of water shot for Jun's hand this time, but it vaporized moments before it hit. This was Nikolai's infamous and terrifying power. He controlled the flow of molecules with such precision, his telekinetic abilities being exclusively over water never seemed to limit the hero in any meaningful way. The grain of truth to their cover story was that Nikolai really could trivialize any battle at sea. Jun knew all too well the water could have sliced through him like a bullet. Instead his palm was scalded and his own gun was knocked away by the explosive pressure. Jun cried out. 

Nikolai glanced behind him, but no one came running. He crossed the room again to shut the door, shoved his unsettling body double to the ground like a bag of sand along the way.

"Just dispel this thing Jun, you know there's no use. If I was just planning to kill you, you'd already be dead. With that in mind… let's talk." 

Nikolai got no reply from Jun, then discovered the person he didn't intend to kill was choking again. The man had collapsed to his knees, likely about to suffocate. Fast on the uptake, Nikolai snatched up the villain's ruined mask and pried out an intact canister of aerosol from the ruptured delivery system. It wasn't much bigger than the tip of his pinky, so it would be a problem if too much leaked out.

He leaned over again and grabbed a… hereafter unneeded cellphone and shined the flashlight into Jun's eyes, then tossed it aside again. 

"Bite down on this hard. Don't open your jaw and let it slip out. I know you can hear me." 

Jun couldn't protest and Nikolai didn't give him a chance to resist. He shoved the canister between Jun's teeth and forced a hand over his mouth. 

Jun's eyes were struggling to focus on Nikolai's expression. It was a new one- but he closed his eyes and bit down. Nikolai felt Jun flinch, then inhale. 

Jun coughed. He spat out blood and the broken pieces of the canister. As he assumed Nikolai expected, he still couldn't get himself to stand. 

"Take that as a sign of goodwill. I'll even pay for the dentist, so listen carefully, okay~?" 

Nikolai smiled and floated the water back between them. 

"I'm going to turn you in as the only perpetrator I could catch. You, by the way, Ya Jìmò Jun. The villain 'Legion' behind countless crimes across the globe, not the puppet 'Zhi Chiang' responsible for this single incident."

Jun recoiled after he heard his name and only shrank further under Nikolai's smirk. Through the haze and the pounding headache, the turn of events still felt surreal to him. After all this time, he got 'caught'. Will it matter this time? Nikolai could see his resignation, and was understandably suspicious. 

"...You're going to be my inside man and informant. I have a certain prison in mind. With your reputation and skill, most of your fellow inmates won't be a threat. I don't even mind if you pass the same information to your people. Obviously you don't say anything about me. Understand~?" 

Jun noticed his head fogging up a little late- Nikolai had the large needle of water freeze mid-air then pierce straight through his thigh. The pain didn't help. Jun clumsily rushed to press down on the spot where blood was pooling up, but the heat from his hands was only making the piece of ice plugging the wound melt faster. Too much blood was slipping through his fingers- Suddenly the coolness of the water was hovering by his temple. 

"I don't want you to die, but it's my only alternative. So which will it be?"

His life was on the line, but somehow that was hard to focus on. Would his family see it as a betrayal? Even if accepting this deal benefited them, he didn't have the authority to decide something like this. The deepest part of his mind had the answer: it's your duty to kill this traitor or die trying. 

Before Jun could reply, Nikolai crouched down to his eye level and leveraged a friendly smile. 

"I'm sorry you have to be the one cheated out of your freedom, but what's done is done, and this is the best way to proceed for all parties~ Your family will certainly be upset with me, but they'll be eager for what opportunities your position brings, don't you think? They're not all as honor-bound as you~ They'll forgive you if it makes them money." 

Jun froze again. He didn't mean to frustrate the hero and make him push harder. The man leaned in, maybe to whisper more things Jun already knew but didn't want to hear. 

Before he had to find out, Jun grabbed Nikolai and threw him off his feet. He still had strength enough left for that. Nikolai was light enough for Jun to slam to the floor with one arm. 

Nikolai's eyes flew to shock when the breath was suddenly knocked out of him. He braced for the last struggle, to cut his losses and strike with the water, but Jun already stopped. 

"Yes… you're- I'll do… as you say…"