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Icy Winds of Change(Dr. Freon and Gunner)

LilGunner

LilGunner

Nonsolis radios sediouis fulmina mitto.
Joined
Jul 16, 2017
Location
Michigan
"Augh! Of course!" Jenny growled up at the monitor for the X line. The tram that took people from the outskirts of Metatropolis to the inner city. It was delayed, for the second time that week, because of a supers battle. They could watch on the news as the battle played out at least. A smaller battle, Linx was trying to rob a jewelry store. A fearsome man that could take the form of a seven foot tall cat-like beast with razor claws and teeth, super agility and speed, his hearing and sense of smell were said to be excellent as well. He face off against Gladitrix, a woman of small size with super human strength and the gift of flight as well as star attack, a star shape blast from her eyes. It was a common enough occurrence that most places of employment were very forgiving of tardiness if there was a supers battle. All of the others, like Jenny, just had to sit back and wait for it to be cleared up. So she sat on a bench and pulled out her pink phone. The screen reflected off her black, plastic, rectangular glasses, a fiery red bang obscuring some of her face. The rest of her hair was pulled up and back into a loose bun held with a simple white clip with cherry blossoms on it. Her legs crossed, a kitten heel dangling from her toes as she bounced her leg under her black skirt. Given it was summer she wore a loose, white blouse over a dark red cami. The blouse clung and draped artfully, tastefully both showing off her curving figure while remaining somewhat demure.

Jenny passed the time with some Candy Crush as the battle waged then finally began wrapping up. All the trains were delayed. Police arrived to apprehend Linx and reporters were on scene to try and interview the heroine. Gladitrix, unlike many of her cohorts, wasn't fond of interviews. She gave clipped answers before giving a curt farewell and flying off. People speculated many of the heroes had a sort of headquarters somewhere in or around the city. A secret base where they monitored and dashed out to stop crime. Many people were right. Jenny had been there a couple of times. Of course many people didn't have a job quite like Jenny did.

Finally able to board the train she crammed in with the rest of those who lived outside of the city where rent was cheaper. It would be an uncomfortable thirty minute journey into town. Smashed with the rest of the work force Jenny tucked her short frame into the smallest corner she could find, clutching her leather bag to her. The contents of the battered old bag were of extreme value if taken by the wrong hands. Not just her bento lunch either. She would scratch some eyes if anyone tried to take her lunch. No, it was her Filofax. Nearly archaic technology. An honest to goodness paper planner with a very secret contact page. All of the heroes she had ever worked with were there. The location of their personal hideaways and their numbers. It was a risk of course, in the wrong hands it could spell disaster. But who would expect such a mild little thing to be carrying something like that? Funny thing was, she wasn't the only one to possess such information.

Delayed for nearly two hours Jenny marched off the train and up to the street. Her short heels clicked on the hot pavement as she double-timed it to her office building. No one was surprised she was late, in fact five others had been late as well. It was a common enough occurrence for the populace of non-supers. No one had really coined a catchy phrase for them. Jenny stowed her bento away when she heard raucous laughter coming from the conference room. Confusion knitted her red brows together and she headed into to see what the fuss was about.

"This kid is crazy! I mean, a sad case of course, but just crazy!" Liam, their regional supervisor, said through a laugh as he slapped a case file down. On the front a little boy with a fine head of blond hair and sunken eyes stared up with a big grin. Tommy McDougal, ALS was typed above his picture.

"What's so crazy about a sick boy?" Jenny asked as she stepped in with a glare squinting her green eyes together. Liam looked up from the gathered group.

"Here, read it," Liam said as he pushed the file over to her. Their jobs were no laughing matter! They had done plenty of seemingly impossible feats for the kids. Eyes still narrowed she snatched up the file and opened it up.

Inside it documented the boy's condition, some of it anyways given hippocratic oaths, and how terminal he apparently was. It always hit hard. Like some imaginary clock floated above these kids, slowly counting down. Down and down. They said it would get easier, that she would get numb to it. Well she had been at 'Grant a Dream' for nearly four years and it never got easier. The only thing that dulled the cutting sadness was their smiles of delight. Her eyes scanned down to the attached form his parents had filled out. The request was, arguably, simple enough. Meet a super. She had her trusty Filofax all ready for that. Her heart gave a hard thud and her stomach flipped over. Not just any super: Dr. Cryonic. A villain.

"See?" Liam guffawed once more. "Crazy! Like a villain would meet with a sick kid. Villains don't shake hands and kiss babies! Maybe we'll have time to get the kid to pick an actual he-"

"I'll do it," Jenny cut Liam off, snapping the file closed. The room fell silent.

Then Liam burst out laughing. Slowly the other joined in. "Yeah! Yeah ok! You are going to figure out where Dr. Cryonic lives and ask him pretty please to meet with a dying boy. Sure you are. While you're at it why not ask him to stop robbing banks or whatever he does."

Jenny's spine stiffened at the glib remarks. Her little fingers gripped in the manilla folder tight enough for it to start folding over. "Yes! Yes I will! Ya know why? Because it is this little boy's dream and that's what we do here! And when I do you're going to make me a manager."

Liam blew a long raspberry. "Yeah sure. If you get the villain to meet with the kid...hell, I'll quit and recommend you for my job."

"Deal," Jenny snapped with a snort and whirled around, marching out in grand style with laughing following her down to her cubicle. With a huff she flopped into her chair and fire up her computer. It was going to take some serious digging to even get a lead on Dr. Cryonic. Heroes were hard enough to pin down at first but a villain...well she certainly had her work cut out for her.

Jenny worked all day and into the night. She made enough phone calls her ear was red and sore. Mostly sore from the constant laughter she heard. Jenny was really starting to hate the sound of laughter. The sun was already sinking when she called it a day. Another train ride home, a few more phone calls with a plate of chicken in her lap and some old re-runs on the TV. The next day bore no luck either. Each day Tommy's clock was ticking and Jenny was growing desperate. The third day she broke out her trusted Filofax and began calling up familiar and famous names. Jenny had never been laughed at and scolded so many times in one day.

"Hi, Igneous...this is Jenny Calhoune from Grant a Dream..." she started for the fifteenth time.

"Ohhh yeah, the angry red head," scratched a gravely voice on the other end. "Little uh...Amanda right? Leukemia, sweet kid, sad to hear she passed. Got another kid that want to meet me?"

"Well...no..." Jenny said slowly through a tight throat. It never got easier. She had attended Amanda's funeral. Igneous had been 'busy' that day. She cleared her throat lightly, "actually I was hoping you might know something about Dr. Cryonic..."

Jenny hadn't bothered to change out of her sleeveless blue blouse, white cami, and black leggings from work. Her old leather bag was slung over her shoulder and a piece of paper was clutched in her fist. An old warehouse. Easy enough to find really. Not for the first time she wondered how many seemingly innocuous or abandoned places were really hideouts and lairs. Nerves settled in. She had done her research and was at least sure Dr. Cryonic wasn't the super crazy murderous kind of villain. Well she hoped anyways. With a long sigh and a short pep talk of 'think of Tommy' on her lips she walked forward to the warehouse. After searching a little she found one door. Straightening her blouse she gave a few hard knocks at the door. "Hello! Mister...uh...well Dr. Cryonic! Please open up...or...or come out or something. My name if Jenny Calhoune and I need to speak with you."

Boy if that wasn't the right place she would certainly look a fool banging on the door of an actually vacant warehouse shouting for a villain.
 
In the comfort of his trailer, Nick "Dr. Cryonic" Langley sat at a desk feeding stacks of hundred-dollar bills through a counter. Earlier that day, before business hours, the doctor had stormed a bank on the other side of town and used his miraculous "powers" to wedge open a vault by creating a long line of solid ice between the crack of the vault door and the frame outside of it. After helping himself to dozens of stacks of bills inside, he had hoped to simply be able to sprint out the door, but the branch manager had evidently come in early to crunch some extra work out. Luckily, she wasn't anywhere near the silent alarm when she and Cryonic crossed paths and he blasted her with his patented flash-freezing mist. Hopefully she'd been thawed out by now, but the doctor's inventions were designed specifically to preserve organic tissue, so while they made handy weapons for solidifying opponents in a frosty coating, getting put on ice wasn't lethal unless some other danger was posed by such immobilization. The worst one could expect after being defrosted was soggy clothes and a nasty case of the chills.

As Nick watched the digital numbers climb on the bill counter's screen, something caught his eye on the computer monitor sitting to the little machine's right on his desk. Currently, the security cameras around his hideout's perimeter were pulled up, and in an extremely rare turn of events, something was actually happening on one of them: There was a redheaded woman, clearly from an office somewhere, knocking on the western side's door. Wondering at first if she was some kind of real-estate representative wanting to make some kind of offer on or inspection of the property, Nick clicked the speaker icon to un-mute that camera's sound and found that she was calling his name.

His eyes widened in fear as he ran a hand through his ice blue hair (exposing the naturally dark brunet color of the follicles near the scalp where his hair had grown since the last theme-appropriate dye job.) He'd been discovered. His blue pupils shifted back and forth as he anxiously tried to drum up a solution, cupping his other hand on stubbly chin. He supposed he could pretend not to be here. The door was locked. Perhaps she'd assume she'd gotten a bad tip and be on her way. Then again, she might remain unconvinced and just return with people who knock much harder. With a SWAT battering ram. Plus, he was very curious to know how she found him.

He reached over to the other corner of his desk and grabbed his gloves, pulling them over his fingers and palms. The media, who seemed to pay him little mind compared to other super-criminals with bigger motives, glossed over his frosty abilities as super powers, but in reality the magic was in the gloves. They looked like rather normal, lightweight, gray gloves, but at the tip of each finger was a small whole from which the flash-freezing gas Nick used in his scheme was expelled. Once the gloves were on and he was ready to defend himself if need be, he pressed a button, making the door on which the woman was knocking click audibly, signaling that it was now unlatched.

Just beyond that door was the main room of the abandoned building, three stories high and easily a few acres in square feet. The room was lit the best a concrete cavern could be, though there was a slight blue tinge to the air thanks to a faint fog. From above, ventilation units droned as air rapidly fled from their grated exits, and icicles thick and long as traffic cones hung from the bottoms. The place was mostly empty, save a few pillars and machines, , but every surface was covered in frost. A trailer like the ones used as makeshift offices at construction sites, stood at nearly dead center of the warehouse.

From this trailer, Dr. Cryonic stepped out onto the short stairway leading to the concrete floor. His head, hands, and long, lanky legs poked out from a white parka, looking something like a padded lab coat, that ran down to his gray denim-clad knees. One of his black work boots reached out to the first stepped of the trailer, and his eyes, hid behind blue-tinted safe goggles, peered at the door in anticipation of his unexpected guest.
 
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Nothing. Just silence. Maybe Igneous had sent her on a wild goose chase. The asshole! He had been pretty reluctant to help out, cautioning her and lecturing her about the dangers of villains. Even a low threat one like Dr. Cryonic. Yes she knew it was a lot crazy and a little stupid. Or just a lot of both. Well they had called her crazy when she first started tracking down supers to meet with the terminally ill children! This was no different. Maybe a little if this wasn't even the right place. Jenny gave a low, annoyed groan. "I swear if this is some dumb set up..." she grumbled and reached up to bang on the door once more. Before her knuckles made contact the door gave a loud click. The sound of a lock disengaging. Jenny blinked and glanced around. Slowly she reached out and grabbed the handle. With a steadying breath she turned the handle and pushed the door which gave way immediately.

"Holy donkey shit," she whispered under her breath, which gave out as a pale cloud. She was not dressed to be in a walk-in freezer! Her exposed arms immediately prickled, the fine hairs standing up on end as as was wracked in a sudden shiver. Her head craned up and around at the absolutely massive room! Just a single massive, fucking freezing, space. A few odd machines here and there with an odd trailer right in the middle. Well it certainly wasn't what she was expecting a villain's lair to be. Somehow she imagined something...eviler? Well it was cold, that much she had expected from an ice villain. Why the hell didn't she think to bring a jacket? Besides looking utterly crazy walking around in the summer with a winter jacket. Jenny rubbed her bare arms as her eyes fell on the trailer where the exact man she had been looking for had emerged.

Dr.Cryonic wasn't exactly one of the more well known villains. Odd that Tommy had even noticed the ice wielding villain at all. It didn't matter. What mattered was convincing a criminal to meet with a child. Well when put like that it seemed even crazier. Steadying herself and rubbing her bare arms Jenny started forward, her kitten heels clicking and giving a skitter or two on the cold, frosted concrete. "Dr. Cryonic...Hi uhm..." She'd had a speech all prepared but suddenly she found herself at a loss. Another shiver coursed her, making her teeth clack together until she forced her muscles under control. "My name is Jenny Calhoune, I work for the Grant a Dream foundation," she began as she continued her path forward until she was only a couple feet from the trailer stairs, keeping some distance from the villain. "We help grant wishes and dreams for terminally ill children and...well...I mean it's a little odd but there is this little boy, Tommy, and he...well he wants to meet you." Jenny cringed. Odd, that was a great way to convince him.

"Maybe...we could go outside or...somewhere a little less...cold to talk," she suggested with a rueful grin as she rubbed her exposed arms. Of course it was beyond her that someone would say no to a sick kid.
 
As the real-estate agent... or whatever she was... stepped in, Nick leaned an elbow on one of the side rails of the few steps linking the trailer door to the concrete. With one of his heels, he gave a soft kick to the trailer door, closing off the warmer yellow light and heated air of the smaller room from the main body of the frozen, blue warehouse. He arched an eyebrow as she grew closer, noting how her fiery hair contrasted the room and accentuated her alien presence here. He was at a loss as of what to do with her just yet, but he had to hold back the urge to smirk at the thought of making her meddlesome self match the surroundings a little better by giving that red mane of hers a frosty coating.

Finally, she began to cut to the chase, and while he tried to look gruff and angry, Nick's gaping mouth and widening eyes betrayed that visage by mixing in a hint of befuddlement. Charity work. She was approaching a criminal for charity work. True, he wasn't quite the infamous terrorist that Downfall or Professor Macabre were, but still, had she really just told him that some wayward kid idolized a bank robber?

"Really?" he finally spoke up, trying to have that same villainous charm he had seen on TV as a kid, but keep it a little dialed back. He'd been practicing, but this was technically the first encounter he had had with anyone as his alter-ego, outside of two very brief run-ins with that douche-hound Igneous. "The poor kid wants to meet me? I can't decide if that's more flattering or troubling. Either way..." he feigned contemplation for a beat. "...it's the weakest excuse to lure me out that I've ever heard."

He bit his lip in a sick thrill at her futile attempts to warm herself up. He enjoyed watching her react to the cold. It made him feel powerful here in his domain of evil. (He noted to himself never to call it that aloud. Yikes.) In response to her request to talk outside, he began to slowly lumber closer, hoping to inspire a bit of menace. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? How many beat cops do you have waiting 'outside where it's less cold?' Or squad cars? Or SWAT vans?" He raised one hand in front of him and let a little bit of cold smoke billow downward, just for a demonstration. He decided to cut to the chase. "...How did you find me?"
 
The bad doctor's dawning shock was interesting to watch no matter how hard it tried. Well she couldn't entirely blame him. It was a strange thing. She had been laughed at an lectured plenty to know that this wasn't normal. Hell even she knew that but she would be damned if she wasn't going to do her best to try and get this somewhat petty criminal to agree to meet with Tommy. When he finally managed to bring himself to respond she stood a little more upright though her hand were still clapped around her bare arms. His tone was cool, no pun intended, as he wonder aloud about the kid. Jenny honestly didn't know Tommy's reason and, quite frankly, the reason didn't really matter. Her head picked up a bit more as he considered the proposition, the corner of her lips turned up somewhat. Maybe she wasn't crazy, maybe he would just simply agree.

Her head snapped back at the sudden accusation. Lure him out? Her eyebrows pulled to a puzzled frown. Why would she want to lure him anywhere? She watched his slow, languid steps as he approached. Her own feet remained planted. Mostly from her stubbornness but mostly because she was decently sure she would have to jerk her joints into response from the cold. Rather than back down or quell at the imposing steps her shoulders lifted up and back and her jaw took a hard set. The only thing that might belie her own bravery was the way her fingers gripped her chilled arms. That could also be the cold too. She had every right to be nervous, he was a villain after all. Even still she had a mission and a few steps and glares weren't about to deter her.

She opened her mouth to retort but he went on, forcing her teeth to snap back together, demanding to know who else was out there. A strange expression of offended bemusement crossed her face. Did he really think she would just wander in there to try and lure him out for the cops to catch? With her trim, short, frame she hardly looked like a cop! "Hey I..." she started but stopped with his raised hand. Just a small threat, a little billowing cloud. Of course she had done her research and knew his powers came from his hands. The cold winds that built ice and froze flesh. Perfectly froze, amazingly enough, and left the target alive. Still she had little intent to become a Jenny-cicle.

How did she find him. Jenny's lips pursed together and she pinched her old leather back to her side. "That's...uh...I have my sources," she said with an indignant little lift of her chin. It had honestly been an odd chain of people to call after first speaking with Igneous. The molten lava hero didn't know exactly where Dr. Cryonic lived but he knew a guy who knew a guy and had finally lead her on the right path. "But I'm...not here to turn you over to the police. I just..." she hesitated with another shudder that wracked her body. "I just want you to help me. Help me make this little boy's dream come true. I don't know why he picked you. Everyone laughed, said it was stupid but...here I am. Stupid right?" Her pitch heightened with her volume. She paused and cleared her throat. "Here....just look..." she reached into the bag and slowly drew out the file.

Just a plain manilla file with Tommy's pale, grinning face and his illness. "This is Tommy. He idolizes you...just look," she said as stretched out an arm towards the villain, the file quaking in her quickly paling fingers. "I swear, I'm not here to get you arrested or anything. This is a real boy who is going to die. All he wants is to meet you." Her voice was growing tight and her tone pleading, every breath and word escaping in a little white cloud of chilled vapor.
 
"Ooh..." he dryly cooed and nodded with a sarcastic understanding. "Your 'sources.'" He was very curious to know who they were. In spite of his frosty, smoking, gloved hand, she continued. Her tenaciousness was starting to silently and invisibly impress him. If she was a cop, she was an exceptionally brave one for this city. Any sign of super powers, and a lot of the police took the 'duck and cover' method.

She moved to her bag and he swiftly fixed his hand in a tilted, more defensive position. When she only produced a manilla folder, he felt a little embarrassed, but one never knows. Could've been a gun, or any number of crazier weapon given to her by a superhero. She opened it and showed him Tommy's photograph. He hadn't anticipated the reaction it prompted in him. Seeing the skinny, smiling kid tiled his eyebrows upward in sympathy. Poor little kid. Maybe she wasn't working with the cops after all. "No, that's... that's not stupid..." he softly assure her, before shaking himself away from such an instinctual reaction.

There was absolutely no way he was going to fall for it. Maybe there weren't cops outside, no, but there could be some at wherever he would have to go to meet 'Tommy.' Even if there really was a sick kid out there hoping to meet him, word would get out that he was coming, and the police, or worse, Igneous would be there waiting for him. "Jenny, right?" he asked, trying to adopt a friendlier tone, "you're right, maybe we should step outside where it's a little warmer for you."

He walked passed her and to a door on the southern side of the building- a little closer to their position than the western exit (plus, he still wasn't 100% sold about the cops not being out there.) He opened the door and peered out to a chain link fence just beyond the hot asphalt that was separating this property from a weed-ridden vacant lot. Looking over to his immediate left, there was a window in the brick wall of his warehouse hideout, but not one for peering out of, as its opening was grated; rather, it was an exhaust shaft for the AC. Like the vent openings inside, it too was decked out in icicles, though the summer heat kept these smaller and more brittle. Still, yeah, very inconspicuous for an ice-themed villain's layer.

But other than that, the building's exterior was clear of any third parties, so he opened the door a little wider and motioned for her to join him in the warmer air.
 
Jenny noticed the posture change from drawing out the file folder. She knew well enough that a bag was mysterious and could hold anything. Just reaching in could be conceived as a threat hence why she had moved as slow as she did. Perhaps a smidge naive and heaps of foolish she wasn't stupid. The last thing she wanted to do was make a guy with super powers think she was out to attack him. It wouldn't be a particularly long fight. She held the file tightly in her reddening fingers. All of her exposed skin was taking a ruddy hue from the chill. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if all of her skin was turning like that. Despite the shivers that were setting in, jiggling the file as she held it out for him, she stayed still and adamant that he just look. It should be proof enough that she wasn't lying to him!

She watched his face, a little obscured by the goggles, as he looked down at Tommy's case file. The slight change she saw lightened her heart just a little. His tone suddenly changed from cool, suave, and a little menacing to a gentler voice, assuring her she wasn't stupid. Well at least that her mission wasn't stupid. Honestly she was very well assured of her own foolish stupidity as she stood there freezing in Dr. Cryonic's lair. If it could be called a lair really. Giant fucking freezing warehouse.

When he addressed her by name and with such a friendly tone her head notably jerked back in surprise. "Yeah?" She responded with hopeful, wide eyes. This was very different than the man that stepped out of the trailer. Fairly different. A shuddering sigh of relief hissed between her lips at the offer of stepping out where it was warmer. "I'd really appreciate that," she said with a weakly amused laugh. "I should have dressed more appropriately for a meeting with an ice super." Despite the obvious facts she refrained from simply calling him a villain. Compared to others his crimes were almost petty. Not like the ones who seemed to crop up that did evil things just for kicks. Jenny tucked the file back into the old leather bag and followed him toward the door though she hesitated, glancing towards the door she had entered from. Despite her want to get him to agree to meeting Tommy she wasn't sure how much she could trust him.

Though she still followed in his wake, peering over his shoulder as he peeked out the door. Well it was outside, that was for certain. When he seemed satisfied that nothing out there was scary and opened the door wider to step out. Jenny gratefully followed, ready to be bathed in the warm, humid night. Her heels clicked right to the threshold where she felt the blast of warm, moist air. Immediately her glasses fogged up, blinding her, and she swore she would feel her hair frizz. Good thing it was up. "Damn it..." she mumbled as she reached up and pulled her glasses off. Blind by the fog or blind without her glasses it hardly mattered, she could barely see. Her green eyes squinted as she looked up at Dr. Cryonic while wiping the fog off the lenses with her blouse, a grateful shudder from the warm wracking her a moment. "Better...I swear not to complain about this heat the rest of the summer," she said with a small laugh. "So...uhm....will you do it?" A simple enough question really. She was sure the image of Tommy would convince him. After all he clearly wasn't that bad of a guy if he was kind enough to go outside with her so she didn't freeze to death.
 
After she was back outside and fidgeting with her fogged glasses, which Nick couldn't help but find adorable, he stepped out himself, but kept the door slightly cracked with the heels of one of his boots. She asked him if he would make the appearance, hoping to have won him over. At the question, his face sunk back into a stoic, blank grimace.

"No. Look, I don't know how you found me here-" He pause to look over at the humming, icy vent shaft again. He would have to get a dumpster or something to block that later. "...but if you ever come back, you better dress more comfortably for the climate, because I'm going to turn your pretty little form into an ice statue. You got me?"

He lunged his neck out to stare her down, hopefully give her a good scare, then turned around, shut the door, and locked the deadbolt behind him. After returning to the warmth of his trailer, he electronically locked the other doors again and sighed, "kids..."

He shook his head, remorseful, maybe, but it was for his own good that he shut her down. No sane kid would want to meet a bum like him. He sat down and resumed feeding bills through the counter.
 
Jenny pushed her glasses back onto her nose just as the friendly atmosphere turned cold. Not from the slightly cracked open door either. His utter and immediate refusal was a punch to her guts. Flat and simple. Her mouth fell open as she stared up at him as he threatened her with becoming a Jenny-cicle, craning his neck down as if she were some little kid! "You...!" She started but he turned and sharply snapped the door closed. "Hey!" Never mind the threats and attempts at intimidation, slamming the door in her face was just rude! She stomped forward a step and pounded the door with her fist. "Hey! You come back out here!" She yelled at him through the door, not even knowing he was long gone back to that odd trailer in the middle of the giant freezer.

"Open this door and come out here and talk to me!" She shouted still hammering the door. "You big...jerk!" With 'jerk' she lifted a leg and slammed the sole of her heel on the door. The door sang with the contact and a jolt of pain raced up her leg. "Ahh...ow ow ow ow...stupid, only works in movies." Turning she flopped down on the ground in-front of the door, leaning against it as she rubbed her tingling, throbbing leg. Slowly the pain subsided and she huffed a sigh, letting her head fall back and thud against the door. Now what? He had said no. Well of course he was going to, he was a villain. Though she remembered the look on his face when he saw Tommy's picture, the gentler tone of his voice was he assured her she wasn't stupid.

Seated she pulled out the file again, opening it to look down at Tommy. It never got easier. Neither for the first time nor the last time she envisioned a countdown clock over his image. Ticking down and down until the end. Some clocks were faster, some were slower. With a heap of luck doctors had been able to stop the clock. Well for the disease anyways. Jenny felt a tightness in her throat. She had never failed any of her kids before, not a single one. Her toughest case so far had been Wreckluse, a rather violent hero. More of an anti-hero if one wanted to throw around categories like that. It had taken weeks to convince Wreckluse to meet with the kid...but he, unlike Igneous, had actually attended the funeral and had a few surprisingly kind words for her later. Her eyes burned and she gave a little sniff. It truly never got easier.

Suddenly she stopped herself. Sitting on the step and crying wasn't going to help anyone. Wallowing in self-pity, in the past, or even in anger wouldn't help Tommy. Hell, meeting Dr. Cryonic wouldn't help him but it would make him happy damnit! That was her job! Her jaw set tightly as she closed the folder and slipped it back into her bag to sit beside her Filofax. "Dress comfortably my ass..." She stood up and squared her shoulders. Question was: how was she getting in? A cold breeze danced by her foot and she looked over to see the vent with thin icicles and a layer of frost. Her head tilted in interest and she went over to inspect. It was small but so was she. Just a couple of screws held it in place.

Reaching up she too the pink clip from her hair, the lightly wavy red tendrils spilled over her shoulders and hung to her lower back. She snapped the bottom metal part off and, with agonizingly slow effort, started to unscrew the grate. It would have been much easier with a screw driver but that wasn't something she carried around with her very often. Never actually. It took the better part of fifteen minutes to get them all undone. The frost and icicles shattered as she yanked the grate off. Chalk this up to the stupidest thing she had ever done in her life. Grabbing her bag she wriggles into the vent. The frost build up was certainly not gentle on her blouse, leaving small rents and tears as she wriggled her way forward. Her leggings, however, survived very well. If she didn't get herself killed she vowed to leave a very positive review on Amazon for them.

Luckily it wasn't a far journey through the rime filled vent. Though by the time she was back into the freezer she was a little damp from crawling through the frost, the heat of her her body melting it into her blouse and on her hair. With a final heave she tumbled back into the room. Immediately she was shivering, the dampness on her body making the chill worse. "Ok...this is crazy...this is crazy..." she mumbled to herself. Too late to turn back. With a deep breath and throwing her shoulders back she marched across the cold concrete, her kitten heels skittering every so often on an ice patch making her war march a little less poignant. Rather than shout at the trailer she marched right up the metal stairs, uncaring of the sound of her heels on the metal stairs alerted the villain inside. Before worry or fear could set in she beat her fist on the door of the trailer. "I will not be thrown out and tossed away Dr. Cryonic!" She shouted through the door. "I'm not leaving until we at least talk about this proposal! I don't care who or what you are, Tommy just wants to meet the person he idolizes. Open this door."

Already frosty crystals were gathering in her hair and blouse, the dampness starting to freeze over. She battled against the urge to shiver and shake in the cold. She wasn't about to sit out there like some abandoned dog, quaking in the cold. There was a mission, a calling, that kept her warm! Warmish. Missions and callings were great but a jacket would be great too.
 
It had been a good fifteen minutes or so since he'd returned to bill counting, and the digital counter's rapidly growing number was starting to make Nick's eyes heavy, and soon after the upper eyelids began to drop, a yawn followed from his mouth like the next line in a marching band. All in all, the last few hours had led to processing about half his haul from the bank, a pretty good dent if he said so himself. Maybe now was a good time for a quick rest. Not bothering to even leave his chair for the sofa next to the door, he laid his head on the desk and was almost immediately snoring.

Some time later, his groggy eyes faded open. He glanced at the clock to see that 43 minutes had passed since his nap. Still groggy, he contemplated going back to sleep, but no, he still had a ton of bills to count. Maybe, however, a convenience store coffee would be a good pick-me-up before he returned to the monotony.

He turned the knob on the trailer door and swung it open, only to gasp and jump back at the sight of eyes staring back at him, surprised to find a person where he expected to be alone. "Freezus Iced!" he blurted out in a shocked slip of the tongue upon seeing Jenny, now looking much more at home in his lair covered in frost herself. He eyed her business casual form up and down finding a small bit of sadistic satisfaction in the meddlesome woman's predicament, yet still reeling from the scare, before asking, "How long have you been here?"
 
If anything could be said about the insane girl it was that she didn't give up easily. The door remained closed and she honestly couldn't even tell if anyone one was in there. Which obviously made no sense. Where else would he be if not in there? "Stop ignoring me," she shouted after trying to beat down the door for a solid twenty minutes. The cold was growing harder and harder to handle as her flesh took on that ruddy hue again. Her nose turned red and her lips were paling by the moment, starting to take on a pale shade of blue. At least it was inside and there wasn't any wind. A glimmering frost took hold over her clothes and her hair, even clinging to her eyelashes. A sparkly look that some on instagram tried to achieve with makeup and not the mind numbing insanity of standing in a giant freezer.

A sudden hard shiver stopped her pounding and Jenny wrapper her arms around herself through it. "God this sucks..." she grumbled as she tried to rub some warmth back into her arms. Distantly she wondered what the likes of Liam and Igneous would think if they saw her predicament. Probably laugh some more, call her crazy. "Come on dude! At least open the door or something," she said in a sort of a whining groan. She took to lazily giving the door some kicks with the toe of her heels. By then her feet were numb from the cold and she barely felt the kicks. Even her long hair wasn't helping keep heat around her. Useless thing. Hot a shit in the summer and not even good for staying warm when it was freezing!

The better part of an hour had passed and she still stayed out there, unable to stop the chattering clack of her teeth as he body vibrated in its attempts to stay warm. She was growing tired and, for once, considering giving up. At least for a little while. Just to go outside and warm up. She was getting awfully sleepy too. Didn't she read that was how people froze to death? Don't sleep then! She shook her head, her hair crackling with the layer of glimmering ice crystals.

She didn't expect the door to open any more than he had expected to find someone there. Her reaction was oddly slow as she stared up at him for a moment even when he shouted his own shock. Jenny jerked back, her body colliding against the metal railing. Somehow numb and painful at the same time, like millions of tiny icicles piercing her back. "I haven't....exactly been....k-keeping track..." she growled up at the villain between shivers and her chattering teeth. "I'm not...leaving. N-Not until...we talk more...about T-Tommy."
 
There was a growing element of sympathy in Nick's mind. This poor woman was absolutely determined to get his attention. It was also rather impressive. After a few silent blinks, he opened the door wider. "I... I'm sorry, I fell asleep. I swear I wouldn't have let you stand out here so long if I had known. Here. You win. We'll talk about it. Please. Come in..." He pushed the door even further open to welcome her in and sprinted off to a closet in the trailer.

After a moment, he turned back to her, both hands holding a plaid, wool blanket, which he threw over her shoulders and wrapped snuggly around her front side before ushering her over to the couch. "Just relax here, but don't fall asleep."

He pulled out a space heater from the closet. That was the thing about living in a lair where it was perpetually winter: one had to be prepared for the cold, even if one was a supervillain who didn't find the cold all that bothersome. He set the heater near her and plugged it in, then sat next to her on the couch and sighed to let out a little more of the adrenaline from the emergency. "Jeez, you're absolutely frozen. Is there anything else I can get you before we start?"
 
Over top of the frozen annoyance a mild, wary confusion took hold. After such a cold routine he tried before, despite the small slips of care and sympathy, it was like Dr. Cryonic was an entirely different person. Quick to apologize and offer for her to come in. Politely even. Jenny hesitated a moment, briefly wondering if it was a ruse and the door was going to get shut in her face again. After that moment, however, the allure of warmth was calling too loudly. She swore she could hear her joint creak into motion as she shuffled inside. The blast of warmth fogging over her glasses again. Never mind not being able to see, she was too cold to bother trying to rub the fog off. Besides her frosty blouse wasn't going to do them much good.

Once inside her shivering suddenly got worse as if trying to warm her up faster. She saw the white and blue blur of the man as he darted away, quick to return with a big red blur. Her glasses were just starting to clear up when the blanket was tossed over her shoulders. Jenny blinked in surprise as he pulled it tightly around her front, standing what most would consider uncomfortably close. Besides warmth she was surrounded by a pleasant, light smell coming off the blanket. A heady almost earthy scent though, for some reason, she imagined it a little minty too. Her heels shuffled more against the floor as he ushered her over to a couch to sit with an order to not fall asleep. "Don't really plan to," she said as she gripped the blanket close with a shudder. It was all helping tremendously, her shivering was starting to settle down as he still flit about to come back with a space heater. Her red brows, now free of frost, raised curiously. She looked up at the villain as he got it going to add even more heat to the space. Very very curious. She didn't even feel her steadily pinkening lips stretch to a tiny smile.

"That's what I get for standing in an ice super's hide away huh?" She said with a shuddering laugh. "I'm alright, thank you for...all this," she said as she leaned back with a shuddering sigh, feeling the tingle of life coming back to her frozen limbs. Oh how badly she wanted to comment on how quick he was to care for someone. Especially a someone who was clearly a persistent annoyance. Time for that later and she was sure even a gentle teasing wouldn't help her case.

"Look I...know acting crazy isn't helping my case but...Tommy. Would it be so bad to just meet him? Spend a little time with him?" She asked as she turned to look directly at Dr. Cryonic. "Why can't you consider it?"
 
He sighed again as she brought up Tommy again, running his hand through his blue, quaffed hair. "I... I dunno. I do feel bad for the kid. And it really hurts to let him down, but, I don't know if getting caught is something I should risk." He thought about it for another moment, then turned to meet her eyes again, a little relieved that the color was returning to the lips framing her chattering teeth. "I really admire that you went through all this trouble, though. I know you're not trying to set me up. You really proved that today doing..." he gestured to her blanketed body. "...All this. I'vebeen looking for some hired help, and I wish the applicants had half of your dedication." While his mind was back on it, he reached over to his office chair. "Here..." He pulled the chair between Jenny and the space heater to serve as a makeshift ottoman.

"But, if someone were to catch wind of this," he continued, "I'll be toast. I know it's pretty cliche, criminals only looking out for number one but... I just, I don't know..." he sighed, looking back at the corcorber of the manilla folder peaking out of her bag. His mouth cringed in an agonizing contemplation and he sighed a third time.

"....Then again... if I had your promise to keep it completely discreet... and help me out if I need it..."
 
Jenny watched him as he spoke his mind on the matter. She hadn't really, fully considered the possibilities that something drastically bad would happen to him. He did rob that bank very recently. Her eyebrows pulled into a thoughtful frown as he paused. There had to be a way around it. To at least keep him safe. Before she could puzzle it out more he started up again. A little extra color lit up in her cheeks as he mentioned his admiration for her. Though his mention of hired help made her laugh a little. Henchmen. Normies that worked for supers, usually villains. Though a couple of heroes had normie sidekicks. With the offered chair she didn't decline propper her feet up, letting the kitten heels slip off her feet to let the heater warm up her toes. The shivering was mostly gone except for the occasional light tremor.

"Of course I'd try and keep is discreet..." she started slowly but bit her lip. Given social media and how quick new spread she wasn't entirely sure she could promise full secrecy. "No I...I understand. Honestly I didn't even..." she paused and rubbed her neck awkwardly. "I didn't consider the risks really. I've worked with heroes a lot in the past...the police too...and of course those never had the same...issues..." Her eyes lifted back up to his face. Despite his original demeanor and the fact he had robbed a bank she was starting to get a niggling feeling that he wasn't a villainous as he might try and pretend to be. The care he had taken to warm her back up was evidence enough of that.

"Honestly...uh....Dr. Cryonic..." She stumbled awkwardly over the name. "Uh...Doc...I'm not really sure how to make sure of all that. Of course I'll do everything to help you out though! I mean...if nothing else no one will try and harm you with a normie civilian right nest to you right?" She laughed a little at the thought of handcuffing herself to him so there was no chance someone would try anything. "I mean and I'm not saying that we go like right this second. I'll need to plan a couple things...inform the parents at least...Tommy's parents not mine, obviously. I just want to know if you'd consider it. If I can make plans to keep you safe so you can see Tommy would you do it?" Jenny was looking at him in earnest, leaned over somewhat. Somehow she looked determined and pleading all at once. "And if I can't figure it out then you're totally off the hook and I'll never bother you again," she added with a sly but amused grin.
 
His gaze veered off again as he thought about it, distracting himself by watching her slide her shoes off and perch her feet on the seat of the office chair. He then shifted back over to the stacks of cash on his desk, then to a random corner of the room. It wasn't exactly reassuring that Jenny hadn't thought this through, but she was extremely convincing in her drive to make this poor kid happy. But it still baffled him as to why a kid would call a supercriminal his favorite costumed character. Maybe Tommy was just a bad seed. Maybe he just liked to stir up controversy around the house. Or maybe he was trying to look tough so nobody would think that...

"Okay," he said, looking at his own boots now and nodding. "I'll... I'll do it." He turned to face her again, "If you can guarantee that you have my back. You risked your neck to get here, so I'll risk mine to help you out. But that doesn't mean I want to paint a target on my back. You've got to cover me. But I trust that you can. In fact... if you happen to want a side gig as a henchlady..." He shrugged at the line he was casting. That was a shot in the dark, for sure, but it was one worth taking.

Regardless, he extended his hand. "If you can set it up, I'll meet the kid. Is it a deal?"
 
Jenny didn't even quite realize she was, quite literally, holding her breath as she waited for him to answer. Just an agreement that, if she could ensure his safety, he would meet with Tommy. It seemed to her that if she could convince a villain to do something good it should be easy to convince others to leave him alone while he went to meet the kid. Why would anyone try and deny a sick kid from seeing someone they idolized. Sure the bad doctor's action weren't what she would consider praise worthy, even she had noted the stacks of 'dirty money' on the desk he had apparently been counting. Her fingers clutched the blanket tightly as he seemed to look everywhere but at her.

She gasped a long, excited and very much needed breath. Her lips cracked to a wide, toothy grin. Okay was enough! She caught his gaze as he laid down the ground rules for him helping. Well of course she would have his back! He was doing something good for once. How could she not? Though she couldn't help a laugh at his job offer. Obviously it was a joke. Well she assumed it was anyways. Of course it had to be. She didn't have any abilities beyond some decent detective work, tracking people down and annoying the crap out of them until they agreed to work with the foundation. Not exactly henchlady material. Also she would never consider doing anything overly illicit. Of course she was guilty of trespassing a time or two including that day.

Jenny nearly lunged for his hand, grasping it with both of hers. "Thank you! I promise I will do everything to protect you. Oh my god thank you! Oh! Here..." she wriggled from the blanket and reached into her leather bag to grab a light pink leather bound book. Her trusty Filofax. Roughtly the size of a paperback book with a little loop holding a small pencil. She opened the snap and flipped through the indexes to her contacts pages. As she flipped he might casually cath the names of a few heroes. Though her handwriting was slovenly at best and she was flipping quick enough he might only catch a couple. Yet there were a lot in there with contact numbers and, for some, generalized locations of where to find them. It wasn't like they really had addresses.

"I really need to go through an alphabetize these," she murmured to herself as she found a blank sheet. "Ah ok...so....Dr. Cryonic..." She began filling out his name and the general location of the warehouse. "Do you have a phone? Or...I don't know some...ice bear that delivers messages?" Partial joke and partially not. She had a few very odd items in her apartment she had to use to contact certain heroes. The large spider that sat dormant until needed for Wreckluse was especially awful to have laying around. "I don't want people to get...suspicious or follow me so it'd be better to just call or whatever rather than come here too much. Keeping your identity secret and all," she said with an amused smirk. "Then I'll just let you know if it's a go. Of course...let you know what protections there will be. Though...honestly I can't guarantee this won't get out. The foundation isn't...great with keeping these things under wraps and Liam is such a fucking loud mouth...." She glowered some as she recalled his pinched face and dumb laugh. Boy she couldn't wait to see that laugh turn to surprise when he learned she had managed this.

Once she got his contact info she was quick to tuck the Filofax away. It was both precious and dangerous given its contents. She had constant tabs on it, never really letting it out of her sight unless it was locked up in her apartment. "Thank you again Doc...you'll see. When you meet Tommy and see that...that look. That wonder and joy..." She had to pause and clear her tightening throat. It never got easier. "It's beautiful. Might even get you to join the good guys," she said with an amused, teasing grin. "But it's late and I should probably go. Thank you, again, for...well everything. I mean Tommy definitely but also not letting me freeze to death," she added with a light laugh.
 
"Eeugh!" Nick faintly gasped as both of the charity worker's icy hands enthusiastically touched the one he was holding out to shake, chilling his own palm's claminess from collecting warmth under his chin as he napped earlier. While he was understandably more conditioned to the cold than someone who didn't specialize in this type of science, there are some unpleasant shocks the body just doesn't ever get used to. He smiled nervously to save face from such a reaction, and even instinctively put his other hand on one of hers, hoping to bring a little extra heat to at least that one.

He looked on, secondhand anxiety setting in at the sight of the mad, chaotic notes bound in Jenny's Filofax. His eyes caught a few names, but he wasn't particularly the vengeful type. Aside from Igneous (and even he was a stretch), Nick didn't really have a hero to call his "arch enemy", and didn't harbor a personal grudge against any. The closest he came to contempt was a slight moral disgust at the self-righteous, macho nature of a few of the heroes who seemed to be in it for the thrill of busting people. It was easy to be a bully when your target was someone the status quo had decided "deserved" the torment. However, even Nick could appreciate that a few of the heroes and heroines were genuine people who could do and go places normal people - even rescue and fire workers - couldn't, and that understanding is what prompted him not to look too closely at the contact into on the little notepads. But if he ever had a score to settle, maybe he would give Jenny a ring to take a peak.

Speaking of, he replied, dryly, "No, I have sewer telegram penguins who swim up through your toilet." He realized what a bad attempt at humor it was. "Kidding, I have a burner phone." Or maybe a freezer phone? No, no, just stick with burner. He had already failed one joke and didn't need to go two for two. "It's 555-0032." She reminded him of the danger this could pose, especially thanks to 'Liam' (whoever that was), and his eyes became a little more serious. "You'd better try your best to keep this underwraps. Because if word gets out and this turns ugly... Let's just say, standing outside this trailer feels like a sauna compared to getting flash-frozen." It felt a little weird trying to be intimidating again, but, he had an image to protect, and he had to make sure she would be extra careful. Jenny promised that Tommy's happiness would make things worth the risk, and truth be told, Nick could already feel it chilling his heart. He hoped it would be as rewarding as it already felt knowing he had a little fan.

At her suggestion that it was time to leave, Nick stood up to help see her out. Strange as it was, he was a tad regretful that she was leaving. Believe it or not, he didn't get many visitors, and had been half tempted to ask her if she wanted to get a nice warm soup at a nearby bistro. But, she was right, it was getting late. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" he asked her. "You can keep the blanket for your way out if you'd like." He walked to the door and held it open for her. "I really do hope to hear from you about this. It's, uh, kind of nice to have a little fan..."
 
Jenny's head jerked back in surprise. Toilet penguins. For a moment she thought he was 100% serious. Though he quickly admitted it was a joke and she cracked a grin with a small, amused laugh. "Ok...555-0032..." she repeated as she wrote it in. Though as soon as she had he went back to his own protections. His attempts at intimidation sort of worked. She blinked at him before donning a rueful grin. Of course she would do everything in her power though she still wasn't sure how tightly wrapped she could keep it. Social media was everywhere anymore. Though it was definitley time to go, there was a lot of work to be done and she was more than ready for a hot shower and a good night of sleep.

She slipped her heels back on and stood up, neatly folding the loaned blanket even as he offered for her to take it with her. "Honestly...I stood out there for almost an hour...I think a one minute or less walk to the door won't be so bad," she said with a laugh as she set the blanket back down. Shouldering her back she headed to the door as he opened it for her. His small admission brought a wide, sweet smile to her face as she looked up at him, standing a little close giving she had to pass him as he held the door for her. The cold air kissed her skin making the fine hairs on her arms rise. Though despite that she felt a pleasantly warm little glow in her stomach with his comment. "It does feel nice to do something good," she said with wink. "I'll see you around Doc," she said before passing by him and walked out into the cold. Somehow, with his comment and agreement to see Tommy the frigid air didn't seem so terrible any more.

Jenny couldn't stop grinning like a fool as she headed for the subway stations. Public transit was a pain sometimes but it was way better than the absolute money sink cars were. Driving in the city was a pain in the ass too anyways. So late at night it wasn't entirely crowed but that sometimes made it a little foreboding. Minding her own business she buried her nose into her phone for a few levels on Candy Crush. With an uneventful trip back home she made it to her less than posh studio apartment. Master Degrees didn't come cheap and the job market wasn't top notch when she graduated. Nice thing about working for a non-profit meant she could defer her loans for a while longer before having to start paying. Even then the rate was cut given the job. She took a long, very hot shower and climbed into bed falling asleep as her head hit the pillow. It had been a very exciting day.

The next day Jenny hit the ground at a sprint. She called her manager to let him know she'd be late and went immediately to the police station. Of course she was immediately laughed at but after just a couple of days the laughter didn't bother her anymore. Jenny let them laugh as she continued to demand to see the chief of police. While she had worked with the police before this was just too much for them apparently. At one point they threatened to arrest her. Threaten nothing she was eventually cuffed and tossed into the drunk tank. There she waited, contemplating her sanity. Of all surprises it was the Chief of Police who came to release her. Talk spread fast as the prescient. He wanted to hear the looney story himself.

Jenny presented her case with the file and a letter from CHKD stating the child’s illness. She neglected to tell him, quite on purpose, that she had already spoken with Dr. Cryonic. The Chief didn't laugh. A large man with a bushy salt and pepper mustache and utterly bald. He grinned a little. Bemused and amazed that someone would have this kind of tenacity. “All right little lady I'll tell you what. If you can get in contact with Dr. Cryonic I will tell my force to stand down. For one day and one day only he will have amnesty from him little crime spree. Hell I'll even give two police as escorts.” Jenny perked up some. “You'll never convince a villain to do something like this so what do I have to lose?” Jenny considered. “I want it in writing with a lawyer and witness present.” The Chief blinked and laughed again. “Fine fine, go draw up your paper.”

Draw up her papers she did. Grant a Dream employed very good lawyers as some parents were not always the good, kind, loving people one might hope for. Maybe they were but the grief just drove them to foolish things. At any rate, amid snickering and laughter she and the Chief signed a contract. No action would be taken against Dr. Cryonic on his route to the hospital, at the hospital, or on his route home. The hardest part would be the heroes of the city. She had tried to add into the contract that police action would be taken against heroes who broke the amnesty. It was a hard no. He wouldn't risk his force against them. Not that it all mattered anyways right? She would never convince a villain to go meet with a sick child.

All the while she had kept utterly silent on the fact she had already seen Dr. Cryonic and had managed to secure a loose agreement with him. She had a good few steps in place for his protection but the heroes was the hardest part. Of course her first contact was Igneous as he had kindly helped her once already. "Look, kid, I get what you are trying to do and it's admirable but...you're playing with fire here and you're gonna get yourself hurt..." Jenny huffed at the hero, "I am not. We already have an agreement with the police I just want someone to talk to the league. Get them to stand down, just for one day." She heard the long, drawn sigh from Igneous. "I'm sorry kid...politics of the League are...delicate." Jenny growled in frustration but Igneous spoke back up. "Look...why not give Gladitrix a call? Or Ultraman? I ain't saying they're push over but...well...ya never know." Jenny nodded some, silly given she was on the phone, lounging on her balcony in pink pajamas. "Yeah ok...thanks Igneous." The gruff gave a chuffing laugh over the phone. "Sure kid."

Ultraman and Gladitrix didn't have particularly different answers. Ultraman had a condescending, patronizing voice while Gladitrix lectured her on cozying up with villains for an hour. Her response was always the same. "If you think I'm going to disappoint a sick little boy out of fear for a bad reputation then you're the crazy one! You're supposed to be heroes!" Of course shouting at super powered beings probably wasn't the smartest choice in the world. It had been almost two weeks since she had met with Dr. Cryonic. No news of her endeavors had made it anywhere so far. Even the Grant a Dream social media pages didn't say anything. As it stood she still hadn't told anyone she had already talked to Dr. Cryonic. She was sure Igneous suspected she had but he didn't seem to mention it. It had been long enough and she had done what she could. Just had to be honest with Dr. Cryonic on what she had managed. She poured herself a second glass of wine and called him up with the news.
 
Nick hadn't been very busy in the handful of days since he had met with Jenny. For those curious, the cash he had been counting that day had ended up totaling $479,640.00, so he was set for awhile. Just to last him the weekend, he used his abilities to short out an ATM a couple of days later and it spat out another couple thousand for him. Other than that, he had stayed out of trouble. As long as he went out wearing something other than his costume and tucked his blue hair under a hat, no one seemed to be able to recognize him. He even decided to have a mall day, treat himself to a nice steak dinner at Liguori's, and of course, bought a few goodies for Tommy should Jenny be able to successfully set something up.

Throughout the two week period, Nick kept up with a new news and social media outlets, even Grant-A-Wish'd own website and social media pages, and thankfully saw nothing about his tentative public appearance. It relieved him, of course, but to a certain degree, also made him a bit anxious for some kind of update. Every time his prepaid burner phone rang, he would scramble to it, hoping it was a call from Jenny with further plans on the meeting. The first call was the electric company, reminding him that he was behind on his rather steep bill and suggested turning off his air conditioning when not at home to conserve a little power. He paid the delinquent bill as well as a year's worth in advance now that he had the funds. The second was some mobster type, as sometimes he would get job offers to be "hired help" to some criminal organization or another. Unfortunately, crime syndicates didn't adhere to Do Not Call List regulations.

The third time, however, occurred while he was having a sitcom marathon and eating a poke bowl. He set the bowl down and scooped up the phone to see that it was a number he didn't recognize, but it probably wasn't mobsters again because the number actually displayed, and it was local. He frantically wiped eel sauce off of his fingers on a nearby napkin before tapping the green "Accept" button. Then, just to be safe in case it yet again wasn't Jenny, he gave the caller on the other end a whispered, deep, mysterious, "Hello?"
 
Jenny hesitated and blinked, her heart suddenly hammering away. Was it a wrong number? Had Dr.Cryonic gone and given her some bullshit number? Like she was some creeper in a bar! No wait it did kind of sound like him. Like when he was trying to be mysterious or intimidating. "Uhhhhhhh....Doc? Is that you?" She questioned slowly. "Why does your voice sound like that? Are you sick or something? Never mind...sorry...Hi!" She shook her head some, had to get down to the reason she actually called. Unable to hold still she stood up and began pacing; glass of wine in her hand as she paced the whole four steps she could take from one end of the balcony to the other. "So! I have...kinda everything in place. Our lawyers drew up some documents and the police chief signed off giving you amnesty for the day with Tommy! I mean it wasn't easy to convince him and I might have spent a few hours in the drunk tank..." She stopped herself and laughed quietly, maybe wine wasn't the best choice for the moment.

"Anyways there is a...slight catch though," she said warily and heaved a deep sigh. "I tried a few of the heroes and...well I didn't really get a firm no that they'd leave you alone but I got like...so many lectures about buddying up with villains. I mean...Gladatrix...you should have hear her. Like you were some...some kind of poison. Crazy. But that's...well...kind of the catch," she said with a nervous laugh, her stomach in knots and her heart beating a frantic rythm. Lord she hadn't felt like that since high school, talking to a boy on the phone. Well she was but not in the same way. "I mean....I would understand if you backed out. I don't really know how else to protect you. Not from super heroes anyways. The police won't take action to stop the heroes, go figure right? I mean...I don't know...." Her stomach was really starting to hurt and she had to stop pacing to lean over the railing. It creaked under her weight, old and slightly rusted as it was, so she snapped up immediately. Didn't need to fall ten stories to her death.

"I'll be with you the whole time and I'm sure they wouldn't try and attack you if I'm right there. The chief even promised a police escort so...more people around you the heroes wouldn't risk hurting. Well...most of them..." She knew there were some that didn't have qualms about 'collateral damage' when it came to nabbing a villain. Funny enough, despite the softer side she had seen once, Wreckluse was that way. She glanced over her shoulder where the large spider tended to hang out. Right beside the door to her balcony. Weird messenger and bonus bug catcher but creepy as all hell. "Sorry lots of rambling but...what do you say? Maybe Thursday? About noon? I just need a day to let everyone involved know the day and time so...ya know...they can be ready..."
 
"Oh, uh, hi!" Nick greeted more enthusiastically yet sheepishly, his tough facade melting away. Though they'd only met once, he recognized Jenny's voice immediately. "Sound like what? It's, uh, I think the service just got choppy for a sec or something." He listened as she listed off a few of the things she'd done to get everything in place for the meeting. A weight lifted off of his chest when he learned that she had somehow managed to get him complete police amnesty for a day. "What?! You're amazing, Miss Calhoune! Thank you! I'm, I'm sorry... drunk tank?"

He was knocked back down a peg, however, when she broke the bad news that she couldn't get him the same immunity from the costumed heroes of the city. "Well, you know, I appreciate your wanting to cover all bases but... I had hoped you wouldn't bring it up to the city's superheroes at all." And it would figure that the police wouldn't do anything to stop them either. But even if a hero took him in, he supposed the police couldn't hold him. And none of the heroes were low enough to storm a children's hospital, right? Plus, Jenny apparently had good enough pull at M-trop PD to get the amnesty in the first place, so hopefully, hopefully, it would all go off without a hitch.

"Okay, okay," he said quickly, as if trying to get the words out an agree before he could have second thoughts. "Thursday it is. But, the police escort? It'll have to meet me somewhere else besides the warehouse. They can't know where I'm hiding out. The Hotel Minerva downtown ought to do. And you'll want to dress a little warmer, and suggest his parents and whoever else will be there do, too. I'm not going to freeze the room or anything, but if I'm going to show my... powers off a bit, it's gonna have to be a little cooler. But yes, yes, Thursday sounds great. Thank you so much for going to all this trouble, especially after our less than pleasant first meeting."

At Thursday, around a quarter past eleven in the morning, Nick stepped out of the suite he had treated himself to the night before at the Minerva. He would really have to stop tossing around the heist money so readily after today, but he needed the meeting place, and spending the night away from the trailer was a nice change of scenery. He took the elevator down to the white, modern-styled lobby of the Minerva trimmed with golden Greco-Roman details, and made his way to a little couch in the waiting area. The sight of him in his usual villain costume (which he hadn't worn when checking in the night before) got a lot of double takes, but he was confident that the few who recognized his obscure exploits from the paper would only be met with a non-response from the police should they try to call. In one hand, he had his suitcase with the clothes he'd changed from the night before, and in the other hand, a few gifts for Tommy. He took a seat at the couch and waited to spot either Jenny or his police escort.
 
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Jenny's insides gave a sudden, hard thud. Wouldn't bring it up to the heroes at all. Why the hell didn't she think of that? Maybe that would have been the wiser option. Leave them in the dark. Then again she had been fearful that they would, in fact, somehow catch word and show up to stop Dr. Cryonic. Of course, that would be pretty messed up on their part. Stop him from seeing Tommy. A sick little boy. Well that was probably it then. She had messed that part up and he wouldn't feel safe enough to come out of hiding. Jenny's teeth clenched in the quiet from the phone, her pacing had stopped even if her hands grew a little clammy. In a technical way she hadn't fully held up her end so he was within his right to back out of the deal. It would certainly be a crushing blow.

A second thud, this time warmer with a trilling in her heart. Her hand gripped the phone hard enough she heard something crack. Cheap ass case. His voice was weirdly distant, like it was in a tunnel or something. Though she understood everything he said at least. "Minerva...ok...dress warm..." Mostly bring a jacket, she wasn't about to bust out her winter clothes in the middle of summer. "Yeah sure, you're welcome," she said as they hung up. Her arm dropped as she stared forward, phone and wine holding loosely at her side. She had done it. All of it. Got police on board, got a villain on board. It was wild! Her brain jumpstarted and she gave a loud, excited shout. A neighbor distantly shouted "shut up" out the window. Best. Day. Ever.

All was prepped and ready. The amnesty document was updated with the date, units were readied for escort. Jenny notified Tommy's parents but everything was left as a surprise for Tommy. Liam about had a seizure when he learned it was all happening. "I expect my new office next week," Jenny chirruped at him. Oh her comment had all the connotations of teasing but she was definitely not teasing. She could use a promotion for sure. On Thursday Jenny set out to the hotel. She carried a warm, long jacket with her but had opted for a blue sundress for the day with white sandals. It seemed appropriate. When she arrived at the hotel she found a surprising crowd outside being blocked by Metatropolis's finest. Well that was odd. She wound her way through the light crowd, quickly recognized by one of the officers. "Seems your friend has attracted some attention," one of the officers said dryly, clearly not happy with his duty. Jenny tilted her head curiously but shrugged, "costumed supers attract attention wherever they go right?"

The police let her through and she padded across the beautiful lobby. Doc must be well off with those heists to stay in the super ritzy hotel. He wasn't difficult to spot. Jenny trotted right up to him. "Doc! Hey," she greeted with a wide grin. "Lots of stuff huh? Well let's go, the police are waiting outside. Loads of people, it's kind of weird." Not particularly weird if they bothered to check any social media platform. Nothing major yet but curious comments and photos of the villain were being shared. Just hanging out in a hotel lobby. When they stepped out of the hotel more photos were snapped. Questions and comments abounded. "Don't freak out ok? It's quicker to get to the hospital this way," she said as one of the policemen opened the back of one of their patrol SUVs. A slightly more comfortable ride than the usual cop car. "You just have to trust me."

As promised it wasn't a trap. No sirens but the flashers were turned on as they drove to the hospital. At least the crowds couldn't follow them there. Though, when they arrived, it was an entirely different story. "What's going on here?" Jenny questioned, leaning forward. A huge crowd had gathered outside of the hospital. A very loud crowd too. Jenny could tell if they were cheering or shouting. "Seems some information got leaked," one of the officers said. Jenny blinked and glanced to Doc. Not exactly as planned. More police had arrived at the hospital to keep a path clear from the crowd. Once out of the car Jenny realized it was a blend. Some were cheering and others were screaming furiously. They were just barely out of the vehicle when a sudden booming thud rocked the area and a cloud of dust kicked up. Jenny waved her hand infront of her face to try and clear the dust. In the center of the clearing crowed stood none other than Ultraman. Super strong, super fast, super buff and he could fly. Just behind him Igneous arrived and, much to her surprise, Gladitrix.

Jenny's eyes narrowed at the heroes but Igneous stepped forward. "Easy kid, easy. We're not here for Dr. Cryonic." He tried to assure her. Jenny's eyes narrowed even further in suspicion. "So why are you here?" She questioned. Though it was Gladitrix who stepped forward. "To protect you, foolish civilian...and ensure that little boy's time with his....eugh...idol....remain uninterrupted. Now hurry up," she said with a jerk of her head towards the hospital. Jenny glanced to Doc. "You ok?" She asked, lightly resting a hand on his arm. As promised she had stayed close to him, certain no one would attack if she was nearby.
 
Upon hearing his name, Nick turned to see Jenny approaching to greet him. "Hello," he replied with a smile. She seemed to be in charge of everything, so he followed her lead, giving a nervous smile to the cameras as she guided him onward. The next few minutes out the door and the ride to the hospital were a bit of a blur.

When they stepped out of the SUV to be met by the unpleasantly familiar face of Igneous, Nick stepped back a moment, not yet assuming a defensive stance, but about to. Damn. He knew she shouldn't have mentioned anything to the capes!

But he didn't expect what happened next. They actually voiced their support. It made him relax his pose a bit and gulp. Was... was he about to cry? He held himself back from doing it, but a sweet, genuine smile took over his face. "Th-thank you!" he told Igneous softly, making eye contact. "Thank you all!" he said a little louder so that the whole trio could hear. "I really, really appreciate this!" He thought about extending his hand, but, well, maybe that was getting a little too chummy. He didn't want to confuse or annoy anybody.

He felt a hand on the arm holding the gift bag, and saw that it was Jenny's. It put him even more at ease. True to her word, she wasn'tjust setting the event up, but sticking with him. He bit his lip, somehow even more touched by this than the heroes' arrival. "I'm good..." he told her, snickering a little as the nervousness dissipated. "Uh, really, really good, actually." He began to walk forward, ushering her with him past the crowds and into the outer doors of the hospital lobby.

"Uh, hey, Miss Cal-... Jenny?" he asked once they were out of earshot of the heroes, reporters, and gawkers. "You've done a lot, and I really appreciate it. I know this is a pretty busy day for us both, but... You wouldn't, er, happen to have plans afterward, would you?"
 
Jenny couldn't help a small smirk at his reaction to the heroes. Utter gratitude. Obviously surprising of course, for both of them. She hadn't expected the heroes to show up though which was heart warming and a little worrying. What was it they knew that she and Doc didn't? Even still she kept her word and stuck next to him grinning up at him as he said he was good. Really good. Her grin brightened to a smile as she walked with him into the hospital. Unfortunately, just as he didn't want, social media was blowing up. Pictures were posted at lightening speed of the villain walking into a hospital to visit a sick kid. Jenny did her best to stay out of it, tilting her head to get her heair to obscure her face as much as possible. Honestly she wouldn't be so close to Doc if it weren't for the fact she had promised to stick close as a means of defense.

Inside the hospital it was quieter and Jenny heaved a sigh of relief. Honestly she wasn't a fan of the crowds or the constant reporters. It made her nervous to know she was likely in thousands of pictures that she didn't even know about. Though her mind was pulled out of it's strange, whirling thoughts as Doc spoke up. Her head tilted at him curiously as he simply used her first name for a change. "Plans later? Well...No not really...." She started to say before they were rushed by hospital staff. Non-threatening of course, they knew who was coming and sent out nurses and doctors to greet them. Jenny had done her best to keep the news in the dark but there were a couple photographers in attendance of the small group. "Dr. Cryonic then? And Jenny, nice to see you again," an older woman said, her long lab coat flapping about her knees. "Tommy just woke up from a nap so this is the perfect time. A few ground rules with him...try not to make him talk too much. If he talks on his own that's fine but don't ask too many questions. He can sit up for a little but it's better if he stay reclined."Once the rules were laid out she gestured for them to follow her. "Why do you ask?" Jenny whispered to Doc as they walked, at a surprisingly brisk pace, to Tommy's room.

There were plenty of doors with hand-drawn notes and letters on them, balloons and stuffed bears. The hall was somehow cheerful and foreboding. Jenny had been down that hall more times than she liked to count but knew it was far less than any one of these parents. Her jaw clenched as they walked, the usual uneasiness settling into her stomach. Tommy's door was no different than the others. Letters from classmates, some balloons and flowers. It was clear the boy had a preference for blue. Even the stuffed bear standing guard at his door looked like a snow capped glacier with blue fur and a white tuft of hair. "After you, Doctor," the woman said with an amused smirk and opened the door for Dr. Cryonic to walk in.

The room seemed normal enough. Cheerily decorated and with even more blue. Tommy was reclined on a bed, covered in a thick blanket. His face was pale and a little sunken looking. He had a mop of sandy blond hair that hung in curly ringlets. His eyes were a bright blue and they shot wide when the door opened. "Dr. Cryonic," he croaked in awe, slowly sitting up. At the foot of the bed sat a couple in comfortable chairs, obviously Tommy's parents. They looked up apprehensively at first. Seeing a villain walk into the son's room, even know it was going to happen, was more than a little alarming. Though the mother, who was once a plumper woman that seemed to have neglected too many meals, looked to her son. She nudged her husband to look over at the expression of joy and awe. Some color seemed to come back into his face at the sheer delight. Jenny tucked herself back near the parents, placing a hand on the mother's shoulder. She stayed with them, they needed strength as much as their children did. Jenny was grinning and her throat constricted, eyes a little misty at the sight. While it never got easier this was, by far, her favorite part. All of her hard work for that one moment.
 
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