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What's a Hero Anyway? (LilypadNebula & Red-Scarlet)

LilypadNebula

LilypadNebula

Moon
Joined
Oct 19, 2024
Katrina Hudson didn't have the best track record for her decisions, sure. She'd made plenty of mistakes when she was a teenager on her own. The way she'd acquired her powers was one of them, one in a billion luck that she'd even survived and she got superpowers out of it. Those mistakes weren't the worst thing in the world, though. She learned from them, got better, got to be a damn good thief. Maybe the decision to take a job from the Manchetti crime family wasn't a great idea? Debatable. Especially since the money was great, and when you deliver good results, bigger jobs and paychecks followed. It was a great gig, for someone that didn't care what they were stealing and who was getting it. She'd started with bank heists and gems, but it all started going downhill when Vincenzo Manchetti took over. More violent and ambitious than his predecessors. Explosives, ammunition, research on new weapons. Chemicals and drugs. Things that started to give Katrina some trouble falling asleep, knowing what was happening with them, and that she was part of it.

Maybe some could just keep going, but Katrina, more known as
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to those criminal friends, just had to start growing a damn conscious. It's not like she was the worst person there, why should she have to care? Things just got worse and worse, assholes that got more handsy when she came to drop off the goods, less payment than she expected, and far looser morals about what she was ordered to steal. Then they told her to steal a kid. She told them, she told them, damn it, she wouldn't do it. She couldn't, her pockets couldn't support life. Vincenzo didn't care. So what did she do? Warn the family, beat up some of Manchetti's guards, and help them hide. Even stole some of his goons' cars to keep them from chasing. Her pockets were big, after all. Somehow that goody two shoes Doormaker got involved to get the family to safety while Packrat kept the goons away.

Now she was on the run. The whole Manchetti family ready to kill her, and she wasn't the only powered person they had on the payroll. It was night, at least, easier to hide. Everything she owned was in her pockets, of course, so she didn't need to worry about home at all, nothing she really cared about there. Katrina found some bougie rooftop garden in the financial district, something covered and quiet to rest for a while and come up with what the hell she should do. The brunette pulled down her hood and removed her mask, leaning back to stare at the dark ceiling and sigh. "I could leave the country, I got enough cash. Then what? I don't wanna leave, fuck those guys. But then I'm just gonna be running the whole time! Aggghhhhhhh come on! This fucking sucks! Why did I do that?!" Katrina kicked the coffee table of the small patio she was occupying. Her hand came up like it was grabbing something out of the air, and with a quick little fizzle of pink, a phone appeared in her hand. She stared at the number on the screen. The one she'd got from Doormaker when they'd saved that family. "She owes me. It's all her fault anyway," Katrina pouted and sent an encrypted message to the hero with her coordinates, and a message. "What now?"
 
Katrina sent the message. And then nothing happened, for what felt like an agonizingly long time, but in truth was probably only a minute or two. And then a portal appeared-a faintly shimmering rift in reality. If Katrina looked to the other side, she could see some people bustling around, flitting from computer to computer and tracking who knows what. But Doormaker stepped through before she could take much in.

The hero stood tall-just shy of six feet, with a faintly opalescent and wholly obscuring mask. She had a cape on, matching the dark blues and purples of the rest of her costume, but Katrina's sharp eyes could notice that the cape was only loosely attached at the collar, ensuring it wouldn't be a problem for the hero in a fight. And, now that the situation wasn't so volatile, Katrina also noticed that Doormaker actually had a pretty nice body. Toned, with some good curves under the costume.

"Now," Doormaker said, "we work to keep you safe. The family's currently in an AEGIS facility across the country. From what we can tell, based on the information you gave us and other sources, the Manchetti family wanted the kid because he's developing a rather useful ability. Hopefully they'll consider this a once and done sort of kidnapping. But you, Packrat... Even before the new leader, they didn't take fondly to betrayals."

She moved a little, so the two of them could face the door while still talking. "Right now, I can take you to an AEGIS facility and they can keep you safe. But I do understand if you're a little reluctant to go there. Is there any other safe space you know of?"

Is heavily aligned with the law, government, and will definitely keep Packrat safe. They will also definitely cart her off to prison, because she has a long list of crimes attached to her name. :p
 
Her foot tapped impatiently as she waited for the response. It did feel like infinity, especially while her mind raced with the possibilities. Would she just ignore it? Would she turn her over to those damn super cops? Maybe she'd just forward it to the Manchettis, finally get rid of her. "Come oooooonnnnn, just put me out of my misery already!" she whined and laid back on the sofa. It had already been forty-five seconds, what was she doing??? Packrat never had much patience, and her lack was amplified by the intense anxiety and dread she felt about this whole situation. To say it had been a rough day was putting it lightly.

She happened to glance up, and spotted the shimmer in the air near the table. It took her a few moments, then Katrina yelped and sat up. Usually seeing those portals was a bad sign. Now maybe it might be good. Depending on what the hero's plans were. Could be coming to rub it all in her face before taking her in. Probably steal her powers somehow and dumb her in prison. How would she survive? Time to figure out how to be in charge of jail. It couldn't be that hard, she was spry and resourceful, she could be in charge of some girl gang in super jail.

The situation in her head stopped as Doormaker stepped through her portal. That cape and mask Packrat had seen interrupting her gigs far too often. "Hey DM, long time no see," she said, slipping her mask back on before she stood and looked at her. The hero was taller than her, stronger too. Actually, pretty attractive body, curves and all. At the suggestion, Packrat pouted and dropped her jaw. "You kidding?! I knew you were just trying to get me to super jail, gonna get my powers taken away and come visit to laugh at how far I fell. Unh-uh. There's a safe house I know about, s'downtown. Apartment building I paid for in cash through someone else, one of those pre furnished business travel bland as heck places. I don't wanna risk getting there and being spotted, buuuutttt, if somebody could get us there all sneaky teleporty like, somebody like a super cool hero with her fancy doors?" she said, giving Doormaker a wink.
 
Doormaker's mask remained impervious emotionally, fully obscuring her expression. "My priority right now is keeping you safe," she replied. "Give me the address and room number and I can get us there in just a moment." Despite the mask keeping her face a mystery, Doormaker's tone is genuine. With little other choice, Packrat gave the information. "Really? You can pay cash there?" the hero asked. "Hm. Gonna have to let some people know about that... But that's a later thing."

Another agonizing few minutes passed. There were faint flickers across the mask-stylized designs? little screens on the inside? hallucinations? And then the hero nodded. "Right. I haven't been there, so if I just..." the air in front of Doormaker shimmered, faintly showing another building from the inside. Katrina recognized the lobby, and the scene shifted rapidly, moving from the lobby to the second floor. The room she had chosen had a window overlooking the adjacent building, a dentist's office, primarily because the roof of the dentist's was just right to leap out the window in case of emergency. The image of the room solidified, becoming full size as Doormaker opened her portal.

The two women stepped through. The room was, as promised, bland. A bed, a desk, a bathroom with an uncomfortably small shower, a minifridge, a microwave, and a TV mounted on the wall. For Katrina's limber, lithe, and not-too-large frame, it was pretty well-sized. For Doormaker... Well, she bonked her head on the ceiling stepping through. "Goddamn tiny roofs..." she muttered.
 
That dang mask, hiding behind it, can't see her freakin face. All mysterious and stoic and sexy. "Okay, if you say so. Guess you're not one for lying so...what do I got to lose?" Packrat shrugged and pulled up the address to show it to her. Never thought she'd be trusting herself to a hero like this, but life loves curveballs apparently. She tapped her foot again while waiting, an eyebrow curling up. "What's the hold up?" she asked, sighing in annoyance. It was then she noticed the shifting displays on the mask, causing her to lean in and examine it. Was the mask part of her powers? There wasn't much she knew about the hero, not really. The images started looking familiar, the building she'd mentioned, then up to the apartment itself? How did it work? Could she have some kind of floating eye that she jumped to, was it a drone? Her curiosity almost took over from the anxiety, for a moment anyway.

Stepping through the portal, she couldn't help but giggle at Doormaker bonking on the ceiling. "It's not tiny, it's cozy, duh. Roof gets a lil bigger past the entry way," Packrat said, moving to the windows to chance a peek outside. Normal evening, as far as she could tell. People were walking around to the things still open, some clubs and restaurants and bars. Some that could be Manchetti's mooks, but could also just be dudes in suits. With the portal no one could know they'd gotten in here, and if they kept the lights low no one would notice someone was home. "Okay, we're here. I guess...we can lay low, get take out, and wait til Manchetti forgets?"
 
The last bit elicited a laugh from Doormaker. "Manchetti, forget that someone wronged them?" she said. "You know as well as I do that that's not going to happen. Probably better." As she noticed Packrat's eyes flicking towards the outdoors, she added "We should get out of costume. Keeping the curtains shut all the way is liable to be suspicious, but being in full view in costume is worse."

Her hand went to her mask, but she paused a moment. "I... I trust you aren't going to abuse knowing who I am. I don't want to just leave you on your own, in case anyone from the family tracks you down. So..." she took the mask off, revealing her piercing green eyes and the rest of her face too. Her voice, no longer slightly modified by the mechanisms in the mask, is a clear and pleasant alto. "I'm Della. It's nice to meet you. In a proper way, I mean. Not on opposite sides."

She shucked the rest of her costume, to reveal pale green yoga pants and a closely-fitted, plain white athletic shirt. Looking at the costume, Katrina can tell that the bulk of it is pretty simple-the only bit of it that's more than just high quality fabrics (and probably some Kevlar or something too) is the mask.
 
Packrat pouted again. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Fuck," she said, stepping back from the window to the bed. The family wouldn't forget, even if some of them didn't agree with how far Vincenzo was going with some of his schemes, betraying the family put her on all their kill lists. Her biggest hope is somehow making it up to them in the far future, maybe if Vincenzo gets himself killed and someone with less of a temper takes over. Just a lot of hope. She hated hope. Pointless.

"Well, I could, but you're gonna know who I am, so...I'd have to be pretty stupid to try anything," she said. The brunette pulled down her brown hood, light hair flowing out. She pulled off her domino mask and looked at Doormaker. Her blue eyes gazed up and down the taller woman, taking the moment to see something barely anyone else could claim seeing. Della, the Doormaker, a truly powerful hero, removing her mask and outfit. Her eyes were green, and pretty. "Yeah, s'pose. Circumstances make it a little rough, but you know, best of a bad situation and all," she said, gripping onto her skintight outfit and pulling away. A small pink flash and light fizzling noise, and it was off. She had matching pink bra and panties on her curves, her breasts were nice C cups and her ass was rounded and plump. Another pink fizzle and she had a black tanktop with a pink design on the front, and black bootie shorts in her hands, slipping them on. She tied up her long hair into a ponytail, then came over to Della and grinned.

"Katrina, or Kat. Either one. Your mask is cooooool, that what let's ya make the doors?"
 
Della's eyes lingered perhaps just a touch too long on Katrina's figure before they went back to her face. "No, the doors are something I can do on my own. The mask was a gift from Stryker, after I helped her retrieve some of her tech from... Well, it's a bit of a long story," she said. She looked the other way for a moment, as Katrina sidled over.

"Um," she continued, "do you have anything stashed here? Spare clothes, cash, anything you might be able to use?"

Internally, Della's mind was a bit of a mess. The situation wasn't really perfect or clean-technically, she should've turned Katrina into the law first thing. She'd be safe enough in a cell. But she had worked with the law long enough to know that putting a potentially reforming criminal into prison is exactly the wrong thing to do, if you want the reform to stick. And, of course, the sudden flash of Katrina's gorgeous body was not helping her think clearly at all.
 
"Mmmm, thought you two might have a history," Katrina smirked and went to sit on the bed. Her blue eyes glistened with an idea like when she spotted a choice item to nab. "Ooohh can we do that? Superhero gossip? Tell me how far you got with Stryker, oh oh oh and what does Mechana look like under the armor?" she leaned forward with an excited grin. Maybe she could get something useful out of it, but it would at least be fun to get the inside scoop on the supposed cool, greater than thou heroes.

"Oh, nothing here in the apartment. It's all in here," she said, reaching a hand out and pulling upward. A fizzle of pink energy, and she held a small, silver briefcase. Katrina put in the combination, hiding it from Della of course, and opened it to reveal several around ten thousand in cash. "Anything I care about is in the pocket. Cash, clothes, all the particularly nice things I've swiped, some cars, hmmm, I can't even remember everything I got in there. Most things. Probably. Anyway, yeah, we got stuffs. And now that you're here, we can go anywhere we want! We make a good team, huh? You can go anywhere you want and I can take anything I want, you sure you don't wanna go on a few heists?" her smile turned sly.
 
"How far I got?" Della asked, momentarily confused. But as she realized what Katrina meant, she blushed a little. "Our relationship is professional and platonic! I've never... I would never try to," she stammered out, not quite sure what to say. But when Katrina continued on and talked about doing a heist, Della recomposed herself. "And absolutely not. This is a chance for you to reform-to use your powers for good. We are not going to rob some bank!"

She sighed, the breath doing interesting things to her chest. "You turned on the Manchettis because it was the right thing to do. I get that this was a more extreme situation than just money, but at the same time, banks and companies aren't very nice. Money goes missing, and someone gets fired. Sometimes, they can find a new job elsewhere, or they have a nest egg they can fall back on. Sometimes, they end up homeless. I don't want you to wallow in what you've done-but I do want you to realize that everything you do ahs consequences."

Della sat on the bed. "I know it's a big change from how you've lived your life. And I don't expect you to be perfect-people make mistakes. People have habits and routines that are hard to break. But the reason I didn't bring you to AEGIS is that I believe you can do better."

Consists basically entirely of masturbation. She's kissed a few people, but never really got further than that.
 
Katrina's prying eyes narrowed, watching the flush, examining the stammers. Yes, sure, she'd neeever try anything, never imagined what Stryker might do with those talented hands of hers. How fun. At the hard no to her suggestion of a tag team heist, Katrina groaned and fell back onto the bed. "Ugggghhh, fiiiiiiine. I'm telling you, it would be so easy though! No one would ever know."

The woman listened to her talk about everything, the right and wrong of it, what she'd done. She frowned, turning her head back and forth as she thought. "I s'pose. I dunno. I wasn't really thinking about if it was right or whatever. I told them I wouldn't do it, and I wasn't just gonna pop a kid in one of my pockets. He wouldn't survive. Even if he would, I wouldn't do it, I ain't doing something like that. He didn't do anything. You're right, banks and companies and all the big important people do shit that's bad too, they're just real good at doing it so they don't go to jail. It doesn't even make me think twice, they suck and they got way more than they could ever use. Telling me to go after people that don't got much, especially a kid they just wanna use, it gets me. Pisses me off. Makes me wanna put Vincenzo in my pockets and let him suffocate."

She glanced up at Della, sitting next to her. "Does that make me bad again? You ever get feelings like that?"
 
Della shook her head. "Not at all. Everyone has their feelings, and feelings aren't rational. They aren't constrained. But it's not what you feel that determines what kind of person you are, it's what you do. I've had emotions like that too-when I'm dealing with a villain that's really heinous, there's always the niggling little temptation to open a portal to the dead of space and just leave them there. Floating and suffocating, for what they've done."

"But I also believe that everyone deserves a chance. No one is irredeemable. Which is why I'm... Hang on," she said with a look at her phone. "AEGIS. I... I'm willing to lie and say you got away, if you want me to. I'd rather just tell them the truth, but... Your choice."

She looked at Katrina, clearly hoping that the criminal would be willing to tell the law exactly what was going on.
 
"Be worth it for some of the shittiest ones..." Katrina muttered, but nodded, understanding what Della was saying. She had a point, actions were what mattered. Her actions led the crime family to pay her and give her all kinds of things until her actions changed things. Well, it was their actions that changed it, when they told her to do something she wouldn't. "Yeah, feelings are hard. Guess I'm glad my actions made you not wanna beat me up and drag me in as soon as you saw me."

When she looked at the phone, Katrina sat up in a hurry. Her mind went to the need to escape, she could change and get out of here in moments, toss a car at whoever would try to catch her. She didn't have many cars, and doing something that big was hard on her, but she'd survive. She calmed once Della spoke, offering her the choice. It was still a lot though, and Katrina was obviously tense as she considered. "Look, I don't trust them. But I guess you do, and I'm trusting you, so...I don't know. I guess if you don't think they'll try to come here and take me or get you to do it...fine. Don't tell them where, though. I don't want anyone knowing about this place. Who knows where Manchetti has people. Wouldn't surprise me at all to learn he's got people in the super cops. Probably how he found out about that kid in the first place."
 
With a nod, Della wrote a text back. "There. I told them the situation is sensitive, but no one is in any immediate danger."

"We are going to have find a more permanent fix than me escorting you around. But for now," she continued, "I'm happy to stick by your side. Is there anything I can do right now to help keep you at ease? Want me to get us something to eat, or drink, or... Well, anything, really?" She pulled out a small button on a keychain. "Oh, and if I do leave, you'll want this. It's basically a pager hooked up to my phone and my mask. Nothing complicated, but enough to let me know if there's any trouble."
 
Her eyebrows raised and she nodded, impressed. Katrina had expected her to send more details. "Good to see you don't totally got a stick up your ass, just a little bit of one," she teased. Katrina couldn't help but smile a little at her willingness to stick around. Della could have just fucked off after getting her here, or worse, turn her in to super jail and throw away the key. DM was giving her a chance, and supporting her in it. She wasn't used to that. Someone sticking around. Or offering to come back, she thought as she took the pager.

"Thanks, yeah, I'll keep it close. Oh, uh, dinner sounds good. I uh, I could use a bite," she said, shrugging. Katrina tried to act nonchalant, but with the mask off and sitting in the bed, it was obvious how tired she was. She'd been on the run since the Manchetti's had found out about her betrayal, using her powers all day to put things of all sizes in and out of her pockets. It was rough on her, and now that she finally had a chance to rest, she was starting to realize it herself. Not that she'd admit it, especially to Della. "Need some cash to pick up something? Got plenty, can afford to splurge on something nice."
 
"Save your money, since you might want to look into how to pay it back to those you've taken from," Della replied. "I know there's a sandwich joint near here. I'll port into a quiet spot, grab some food, and come back, alright?" She stood back up, and after a moment's concentration, opened a portal leading to an alley and stepped through.

Katrina was left alone in the room. The Doormaker costume was all right there, including the mask on the bedside table, but other than that, Katrina was alone as she had ever been.
She had the pager, at least. She could contact the hero if she got into trouble.


In the alley, Della hurried out and walked to the sandwich place. There was a small line, unfortunately, but nothing could be done about that other than patience. She got in line, grabbing two bags of chips, and waited for her turn. The line moved, slowly, giving Della time to stew and her nerves to conjure gruesome images of Katrina being caught. By the time she got to order, she quickly said "One Italian, one club please."

"Sure thing! Name on the order?" the pleasant man behind the till asked.

"Della," she said. To try and calm herself, she thought practically, and realized that it'd be good to grab some drinks. She grabbed three bottles of water, since it never hurt to have extra hydration, and resisted the urge to pace while the sandwiches were being made. Finally, when they called her name, she rushed over and took the food, handing over a twenty and a ten. "Keep the change, thank you."

She walked faster than she probably should've, to avoid any suspicion, and as soon as she found an isolated spot, opened a portal back to the room. She rushed to Katrina and gave her a hug, seeing the woman okay. "I was worried!" she said.
 
"Hmm, yeah, sure, guess I could think about it," she said, chuckling some as she closed the case and pulled it back into a pocket. Such a goody two shoes. It was endearing, that she seemed to really care, really want the best for people. She gave a small wave as the hero stepped through her portal. "See you soon," she said, and it was quiet. The woman exhaled loudly, maybe the first moment of silence and calm since it had happened. Something was nice about it, but mostly she felt anxious again. What had to be a half hour passed, okay maybe it was five minutes, and Katrina stood up from the bed and walked around the small apartment again.

Some mix of pacing and double checking every potential entrance. Windows locked and closed as much as they could be to not be overly suspicious. Door triple locked. She pulled a pistol out of her pockets and found a place for it behind the bed. Should she hide more of them? Maybe just one if Della would be sticking around. Okay now the quiet was really anxiety inducing, like it was just the calm before grenades started breaking through the windows and some super merc paid by the would fly in. There was a noise behind her, and suddenly she wished she still had the gun.

Katrina was wrapped in the hug and heard Della's voice, and it made her calm down. Some. "Psh, you were only gone for a few minutes, chill, hero," she said, but didn't pull away from the hug. It was nice. "Uh, wha'd you get from the deli? See anybody suspicious out there? If we gotta leave I'm pretty low on options, so..."
 
"Sorry! Sorry," Della replied, letting go-though Katrina might've felt something poking her thigh, for just a moment. Did Doormaker pack a pistol too? "I just... Worried. I'm a worrier-I get that from my mom. One Italian sandwich, one club sandwich. I figured they're pretty standard fare as far as sandwiches go. Um, chips and water too."

She set the meal on the bedside table. "No one suspicious. Just people getting food."

The two tucked into the meal, with Della asking partway through "Want to split the sandwiches? Each of us get half of each?" Both sandwiches were pretty good-the meat's not the highest quality, but the cheeses were excellent, and there's plenty of condiments and vegetables. Della's eyes flickered throughout the meal, going from the window and scanning for threats, to the food, to Katrina, and back again.
 
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