Grey, A supervillian's story

Hey guys, welcome to my fanfic. This is a superhero genre and does not involve wof.
Please note that the following story contains depictions of violence and all around messed up stuff.
Enjoy!
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Ophelia laughed, a cold, oil-slick sort of sound that oozed from her throat. She lifted the gun, opening one eye to stare at John. "It's over, brother."
Bang.
Bang.
Bang!
Ophelia looked up lazily at the alarm clock beeping obnoxiously and checked the time. It was a weekend, and it was time for her to get up and work out. She had spent all of the previous night practicing for the oncoming musical, a dark and dreadful sort of play, starring her as the main antagonist and main point of view. She was supposed to die near the end, falling off a loft upon being shot, and somehow managing to shoot the attacker back. The play ended with people mourning her and she watched alone from the top of the building, and realizing that there were many shades of grey area in evil. 
She had hopped out the door and was jogging. She had made it halfway through downtown when she passed an alley. Lots of awful things happen in alleys, don't they. Then she heard it.
The scream.
Now, a bit about Ophelia.
Ophelia is named after the moon, and by extension, the Shakespearian character, but technically just the moon. 
She enjoys working out, acting, and watching the sort of sick and twisted films that give you the sort of nightmares that make you think, "Is that it? What else? I can't get that image out of my head. They all had their own stories. What does it mean to be good or evil? In real life, there is no good or evil, only..."
"Grey area."
Ophelia is awkward and antisocial, the only time she's confident is when she's acting, and by definition even that is a farce. She may seem to be the sterotypical sort of character that you might see in these sorts of stories, but please keep in mind. 
There is no black or white, only grey.
She hesitated for a moment, slipping her hand protectively into her pocket for her wallet, when her fingers brushed against something cold and metallic. She pulled it out, realizing what it was. 
Her fake gun, from before. 
She gulped down a whimper and slipped it back into her pocket, peering into the alleyway. Large orange and white spikes were striking someone repeatedly, making them go stiff and rigid. She held back a gasp as the screams stopped, replaced by an eerie silence. She peered into the alleyway again, she told herself it was the last time, and nearly screamed. One large salmon eye, glinting in the faint light met hers, the freckled cheek below it splattered with blood. She again fought a scream and ran, not daring to look back. 
"You okay, Opie? You look shaken. Have all day. Something happen?" John asked, inspecting a prop gun. He had a sack of fake blood pinned to the wall near him, and he pulled the trigger. The sack of thick red liquid burst a hole, spurting "blood" onto the floor. "Perfect.. this rigging is practically seamless.." he added quietly to himself, eyes on the gun. 
"Oh, uh, it's nothing. Just saw something earlier."
"Was it one of those villian gangs? You really don't need to worry, the superheroes have it covered." 
"I... yeah. Yeah, you're right.. it's fine. Want to rehearse lines?" 
"Sure. You go first, then."
 ☆☆☆
Lionfish watched blood slowly creep across the floor as the girl walked away, gun in hand. She had arrived in time for the blood, but nothing else. She hissed, fangs glistening. ...I should do more... research.
She slowly crawled into the large warehouse, and peeked around the corner. That girl, with the colorful hair. She was the one who had spotted her attacking the man who hadn't payed for his loans in the alley. She had run. But she had something with her, hadn't she? Had it been.. a gun? She listened closely, webbed ears rotating to pick up any noise. 
"... You heroes can do nothing to stop me.." a shrill voice cackled from the other side of the warehouse.
"I am the enemy. I am your bane. I am..."
Lionfish stopped, heart pounding, holding her breath.
"I am The Phantom." 
And a gunshot. 
Lionfish stopped, watching the girl walk into view. She was wearing a nice dress shirt and vest, both coated in blood. She was holding a handgun in one hand, a bodybag in the other. 
Lionfish grinned.
Episode 2
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☆☆☆
Lionfish followed the girl out of the warehouse, spines dragging limply behind her. She was tired, and should have gone back to the others a while ago, but she needed to talk to this so called Phantom. She needed some closure. She smirked, fangs glistening in the fading light as she dusted off her camo jacket and pants and spat onto her combat boots, wiping off the scuffs and mud so she looked presentable. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a gun, tapping her wrist with the barrel and counting.
One two, buckle my shoe.
Three four, open the door.
Five six, pick up sticks.
Seven eight, lay them straight.
Nine ten, full of lead.
She raised the gun in one swift motion and pulled the trigger.
◇◇◇
Ophelia yelped, watching as a bullet burst through the brick wall nearest her, little fragments of concrete hitting her sleeve, a few smaller ones sticking to it on account of the fake blood. She refused to turn, staring at the cement under her feet, littered with brick fragments and a few droplets of fake blood. Rehearsal was over, so it might just be one of her colleagues pranking her, firing a fake gun at a rigged wall. She felt a cold hand on her shoulder, and the colder tip of a gun resting against her temple.
"Hello doll. Now, I hope you won't mind answering the questions I have for you, after all, you seem to be a very interesting character, Phantom."
Ophelia's mind was racing. Phantom? Questions? Character? Wait... character? Maybe she's a fan of the musical, a rather crazy one at that but still a fan, maybe she just wants to interact with the character I play? She cleared her throat, and looked up at the "fangirl" with a sick little grin, green eyes shining maliciously in the flickering light of the streetlamp. 
"If you won't mind answering a few of mine..." 
The fangirl was... strange. There was something familiar about her, but Ophelia wasn't quite sure what it was. The girl had on a backpack and a beanie, one that stretched down far enough to cover her ears. She had pale freckled skin and camo clothes, and to top it all off, an eyepatch on her left eye. The "gun" from before was nowhere in sight, so it might have been rigged after all, and the cold cylinder that had been pressed against her temple was probably actually a water bottle or something of the sort.
"So. What's your name, eh kid?"
The fangirl paused for a moment. "...Finn. Uh... Pterois Finn. My name is Pterois Finn." 
"Well then, Finn, I suppose its safe to assume you know who I am."
"Pterois" smiled. "What do you take me for, doll, a moron? You're The Phantom, yes?"
"That's correct.. And what do you want?"
Pterois grinned, revealing row upon row of razor sharp teeth. "You can call me Lionfish. And I..."
Ophelia felt sick. 
"I want you to join The Macabre."
Episode 3
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Now, you might be wondering, what is The Macabre? 
I'll answer that question for you. The Macabre is an infamous villain gang in Sunfall City. They definitely are not the largest, but they are the most powerful. Their ranks include some of the most twisted super-villains of all time. The great city of Sunfall is split in half as of leadership. The first half is ruled by The Macabre and other, smaller, gangs. The other half is lead by the revered Sunfallen, stupid name, I know. The Sunfallen are a team of heroes who constantly face unmeasured peril to bring justice to the streets of Sunfall. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, they do nothing about the sort of petty crimes that the 'real super-villains' would never stoop down to. Crimes like robbery, pickpocketing, even grand theft auto are below our so-called heroes. Even murder is below them to prevent or investigate, so long as it isn't some sort of mass slaughter. 
Do the heroes care that the less-well-off citizens are starving or forced to join gangs? 
That their own attack and beat gang members when they haven't even done anything?
No.
No, they don't.
Ophelia couldn't say no. If she did, well, she'd be dead. She watched as 'Pterois' stood, taking off her backpack to reveal long orange and white spines that looked just like a Lionfish's. She grinned with long sharp fangs, taking off her beanie and letting two long fin-like ears free from the grey wool of the hat.
The next hour was a blur. Ophelia couldn't remember what she'd said, of if she'd even said anything in the first place, but suddenly, she had found herself in an abandoned condo on villain territory, being introduced to the other villains in The Macabre. 
First, there was Scarlet, better known as BackBiter, famous for being able to sprout a new mouth anywhere on her body, filled with razor sharp fangs and a long extendable tongue she could grab things with. 
Next, there was Gregory, his villain name being Phase, the ghostly villain able to move through solid objects as if they were nothing, so long as he focused his energy to gain this form, a state of projected appearance with no mass at all. He'd been working on seeing if he could use this to become invisible, apparently.
Then came Felipe, the weapons expert, titled Hoarder by the heroes and his friends alike for stockpiling on ammo and metal scraps. He had no powers, only the many weapons he'd crafted for his comrades and himself.
After that, Smith the shapeshifter whomst had no other name, only occasionally being called "The Macabre's mascot" by heroes, or even a pet on bad days.
Nana was a sweet woman who preferred to be called her nickname, Rosie, though she often was proud of the name the heroes had given her as The Black Rose. She was capable of conjuring plants from the ground or even her own body, and outside of battle had a lovely garden on the roof that she tended to every day.
After gang member upon gang member, finally came the grand finale, the leader.
Everything about her outside of The Macabre's higher ups was shrouded in mystery, and thanks to Lionfish's recommendation and devotion, perhaps also that she promised to train Ophelia, she was one of those higher ups.
"So, Lionfish, this is the new recruit I've heard about all day?"
"Yes ma'am! This is The Phantom." She then turned to her. "Go on, tell her about yourself."
"Uh... *ahem* My name, is The Phantom, but you may call me Ophelia Brian. I would assume that if you've heard so much about me.." She took a breath, glancing around for an exit, trying to play it cool. "I have no powers. No powers that have emerged yet, anyways." 
Lionfish butt in. "But she's amazing with a gun, Boss. You should've seen her! She doesn't need powers, and besides, you let Felipe in with no questions! He'll fit her with some great weapons in no time, and she'll be an amazing addition to the team!"
The Boss thought for a moment, studying Ophelia with cold crimson eyes. "Very well. See to it that her clothes are cleaned, and she'll room with you in the penthouse."
Lionfish grinned and grabbed Ophelia's arm, leading her away. 
How long can I keep this up?
Episode 4
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Lionfish would make sure that Phantom had a great setup. She ran into the spare room and began cleaning it up as quickly as possible, as she had mostly used it to dump her weapons and such. After cleaning it out, leaving two twin pistols and a blaster on the nightstand, she began to make the bed. She chose navy blue sheets and blankets, as it seemed like Phantom liked that color. Probably. She stuck her head out the door, glancing at Ophelia. She's so different from the Phantom in the warehouse and the alley... when you meet her in villain get-up, she acts so confident. Here, she's so quiet and reserved... 
"So. Ophelia, right? Can I call you Opie?"
"Uh.. s-sure."
"Great! So, Opie, I'm assuming you have a home, yeah?"
Ophelia thought back to her tiny apartment, only big enough for a 'kitchen' consisting of a microwave oven, sink and fridge, a tiny desk, and a bed. She cringed at the thought of going back to the place, reeking of mildew and the sickeningly sweet stench of fake blood, after a stressful day like this. "Y-yes.. Its nothing compared to this place, though."
"Okay! Well, if you're comfortable with it, Boss'd like you to stay here with us, but you get a guaranteed room up here in the penthouse and you don't have to pay rent."
That did it. Those four sweet words did it. Don't have to pay rent.
"O-of course I'll stay here. Commitment is important in all forms, eh?"
"Great! So, we can go out tomorrow and pick up your stuff."
Ophelia nodded, stepping into the large room. "Wow... and this is just the bedroom?! It's bigger than my apartment itself!"
"It's nice, right? Boss made sure I had the best and most secure spot in the whole building."
"Uh, do excuse me asking, but, why?"
"Eh, Boss found me as a little fry, and took me home with 'er."
"Really? How little were you? Why were you out? Where were your parents?"
Lionfish shrugged. "Dunno. Might've been 3 when she got me. Don't have no parents. As for why I was out, well, if you want a villain backstory, you can wait till we do some "family bonding", in the gang sort of way."
"Oh. Uh, okay." Ophelia smiled and sat down on the bed, glancing around. "This really is great. Thank you, so much."
Lionfish grinned. "Kekekek, no problem doll."
Episode 5
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Ophelia looked up at Lionfish in confusion. "'Ke-kek-ek'? That's how you laugh?"
"Y-yes! There's nothing wrong with that! That's just how I've always laughed! Don't judge me!"
She snorted, getting up. "Whatever you say. So, I've been meaning to ask, does this place have working facilities?"
"Nah. No water, no electricity, you get it. No consistent electricity anyway, Felipe's been building generators. Should have enough to power the building in a few months. 'Till then its coolers and bottled water for us."
"Huh. Do at least the toilets work?" 
"Yeah, and we're lucky for that."
"..Showers?"
"Nah. Here when it comes to anything like that, you must live, eat, and breathe bottled water."
"...Yeesh. How do you get food?"
"Felipe hardly ever enters battle, and when he does, he wears a full mask. He goes on grocery trips for us. If there was anybody that wouldn't be recognized by heroes or citizens, it'd be him. But I'm pretty sure you're new to this, so if you want to wear a mask in battle, maybe cover that distinctive hair, you could go out and get food too, out of costume of course."
"Uh, y-yeah. Maybe." I was so enticed by how nice everyone was and this great rent-free housing, I forgot that I was being recruited in a villain gang... This is going to be interesting to say the least.
"Cool. Anyway, I'm gonna get some sleep. Tomorrow we gotta get your stuff, and give some people we've loaned money to some disciplining." She grinned, walking into the next room over. "Sleep well, we've got a busy day ahead of us. 'Night doll, don't let the bed bugs bite."
Ophelia collapsed back onto the bed, trembling uncontrollably. Oh gods.. oh gods! What am I gonna do... I can't keep this up forever! And I have to actually hurt people? What will they do when they find out I'm not the real deal?! Will they... kill me?
She hadn't slept a wink the whole night, and was lying face down on the floor when Lionfish opened the door. 
"...Wow. You look terrible. Sleep much?"
"...Eh, no."
"Is the bed uncomfortable?"
"N-no, just have a lot on my mind."
"Is it those guys you killed yesterday? Do you always have moral repercussions after you've killed?"
Ah, crap, she was at the rehearsal, wasn't she... "N-no. I've never been a good sleeper. That and I had a lot of coffee yesterday."
"Well, there's one way to fix that- More coffee!"
"...I suppose that is true."
"Lemme fix you a cup. Want any cream?" Lionfish offered, migrating to the kitchen. She grabbed a lighter and lit the stove, placing a pot of water on it. After a while it began to boil and she took it off the heat, making the coffee and filling two mugs. 
"Uh, sure. Two shots of cream, please."
"No problem, doll." Lionfish replied, tossing in two of those little restaurant creamers.
"Uh... did you take those from a diner?"
"Hey, they are complimentary." 
"...I have a feeling you guys do this a lot."
"You have any better ideas for getting condiments? Sugar is expensive."
"Uh... no."
"Figured as much. Anyways, you woke up pretty late, so I figure you can go down and get your stuff yourself while we take care of the overdue loans."
Oh, thank gods... "Alright, that sounds fair. Sorry for the delay."
"Its no problem, you're new to this. I know a stressed and sleepless villain when I see one. All this is way better after initiation. You'll feel way more relaxed."
Initiation? Oh gods... "W-when is this initiation?"
"Eh, Friday probably."
"Uh, g-got it..." I have three days until initiation... That's enough time to get ready, I think... I hope...
Lionfish stretched, hopping into the van. "Yo, Scarlet. Where we headed?"
Scarlet sneered at her from the front seat, elbow resting on the steering wheel. "Their houses, duh. Lucky they live on villain territory anyway."
"Alright. Anybody else coming?"
"Jackson, Emily, Hect-"
"I know Hector, who are all the others?"
"Of course you know Hector, he's Felipe's brother! The others are just normal grunts. You really need to get better acquainted with the other gang members. Just because you're the Boss's pet goldfish, doesn't mean you can't socialize with other people."
"Hey! I try to socialize!" She insisted, moving so that the others could climb into the van. "Nobody ever approaches me, and whose fault is that? Mine or the ones who never dare to say hello?"
"Yeah yeah, whatever you say."
"Leave off it, Miss Smiles."
"Whatever you say, Fishstick."
Ophelia gazed up at her old apartment building. She didn't want to go back, to the cranky landlord or the annoying neighbors. But she did have to get her stuff. She marched in, head down, and entered her room. She swept all her stuff off her desk, dumping it into a plastic bag. She grabbed all her clothes from her closet and shoving them down into the bag too. After the room had been stripped of everything, even her Broadway musical posters, she stuck a sticky-note onto her door and scribbled onto it "Vacated apartment, keys inside. Won't be coming back."
Suddenly, she felt a tap on her knee. Looking down she saw one of the neighbors kids, probably only 4 years old.
"Hey miss? What's in that bag?"
"My stuff, why do you care?"
"I dunno. Hey miss, where were you?"
"Somewhere else. Why do you care?"
"Cause every night you come back bloody and ma and dad almost called the police when you didn't come?"
"That's... tell your parents I'm fine and that I'm moving far, far away from here to never be seen again."
"Oh, okay. Hey miss, why do you look so sleepy?"
"Had a rough night."
"Well you know miss, there's always sleep pills."
"I don't take sleep pills. Now, kid, I've gotta go, so bye-bye." With that, Ophelia marched away, breathing a sigh of relief when the girl didn't follow.
Back at the condo, Ophelia was setting up her room. She had decided, for the sake of her well-being, she would destroy the poster of the play she was in. Come to think of it, she had to drop out of the play she was in altogether if she wanted to keep this act up and stay... alive. Lionfish stomped in halfway through her setting up her room and plopped down on the couch, inspecting bloodied clothes. 
"S-so, did you get the money?"
Lionfish glanced up at her briefly, expression unreadable. She wiped a droplet of blood from her cheek, staring down at stained hands. She replied simply, not a hint of remorse in her voice.
"No."
Episode 6 (Special episode just because)
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Ophelia stared at the calendar pinned to her wall, marking off another day. Two days left. Two days, until initiation...
That day she spent getting better acquainted to the others and helping around the building, and getting weapons from Felipe. 
The next day, she marked off another. One day and I'm no closer to figuring out how to avoid this.
That day was spent exploring the gang-controlled side of the city and training with Smith. She came back to her room bruised and bloodied and tired out of her mind.
That night was a restless night, she tossed and turned, staring at the clock and watching the minutes tick by. 10. 11. 11:59. She flinched when the clock struck 12, and Friday arrived. 12. 1. 2. 3. 4... 
Eventually she got up and her day continued as usual. Everything was... pretty normal, but everyone was acting strange. Not exactly the sort of 'cult-creepy' strange, but definitely were acting off. Finally, evening arrived, and she returned to her room.
Ophelia frowned, watching Lionfish lose her signature green camo jacket and sweatpants for a cropped winter-jacket, bottom stitched up hastily and hidden with a layer of black fabric, the jacket itself sporting neon greens and pinks and purples, subdued with more black. Instead of her usual camo sweatpants, she wore surprisingly well fitting (for lionfish’s standards, anyway) black cuffed pants, and instead of her chest binder she wore a dress shirt, tie, and vest, like The Phantom (So, technically Ophelia) wore.
When Ophelia asked what was going on and why Lionfish was pulling out so many glowsticks (more importantly where had the glowsticks come from in the first place), she was answered by Lionfish’s strange laughing and the villain whispering, “You’ll see. Dress nice. Preferably neon.” Before she bolted off to find more glowsticks.
Ophelia stepped outside, dressed in a black fishing vest with a bright green skull on the back, the only brightly colored thing she owned, and a black dress shirt. She had on a dark grey cabbie, messy lavender hair tucked back into the stiff fabric, and her gun was tucked safely away in one of the pockets in the vest, a spare in her boot, and bullets anywhere she could fit them. In the other pockets, in the other boot, even a few under her hat.
She slipped into the van, sitting down next to Gregory, better known as Phase, the ghostly villain capable of slipping through solid objects. She turned to him, confused. “Greg. What’s going on? Why are you all acting so strange?”
To her surprise, he grinned, something he doesn’t exactly do often.
“Initiation,” He giggled, though it sounded more like cackling. “You’ll see when we get there.”
Ophelia froze, terrified. Initiation?! What did he mean by that?! How are they going to initiate me into The Macabre?! Is that what the glowsticks are for? I know the glowing liquid inside is toxic… ARE THEY GOING TO FORCE ME TO DRINK ESSENCE OF GLOWSTICK?!
Just as she thought this, Lionfish jumped in. “Hey Opie. Greg. Smith. Felipe. Nana.” She grinned over at the scowling villain in the front seat. “Scarlet.” She sat down next to Ophelia with a thump, grinning, fangs gleaming in the faint light. She then turned to her again.
“Check this out.” With surprising speed, she whipped out a glowstick, cracked it to get it to start glowing, and bit it in half, all in one swift and fluid motion. She sucked out the toxic liquid, as Ophelia’s stomach churned. Lionfish dropped the empty tube on the ground, teeth glowing. She grinned and sat in silence for a moment, watching her spines. “Three... Two…” Suddenly, the orange stripes on her spines lit up, bright pinkish-orange. “Perfect!” She glanced over at Ophelia, who’d paled significantly. “Oh, don’t worry doll, I’ll be fine. You build up an immunity to it, y’see.”
Ophelia refrained from throwing up, swallowing the beginnings of fowl bile that was beginning in her throat. She could hardly even hear the others chatting leisurely as her mind raced. Immunity?! Then that really is the ritual… I’M GONNA DIE!! As she sat in her seat panicking while the others chatted and debated on who would have the easiest time killing SunRise, leader of the Sunfallen, Lionfish turned back to her.
“Oh, yeah, Opie. What’s your favorite song?”
Favorite song? Great, so I guess that’s what they’re going to play at my funeral if I fail the test and die in initiation.
“U-uh… It’s Riptide. T-though, if we need something longer, I like anything by Brandi Carlile.”
“Cool. I like Bellyache.” She shrugged and turned back to the window.
Why is everyone taking this so lightly?! This is a matter of life and death!
Eventually, they pulled up by a short black building and stepped out. Ophelia’s heart was pounding. They started up the sidewalk, and she couldn’t help but notice how empty the place was. Eventually, they came to a man who looked suspiciously like some sort of gang grunt, though he smiled and let them in with no questions asked or anything of the sort. They stepped in and she glanced around. The room was empty yet full of life, bright lights flashing and rolling over the dark walls, and Lionfish plopped down on the sofa, patting the seat next to her with one hand, signaling for Ophelia to sit. She handed her a fistful of assorted glowsticks, smiling warmly.
Ophelia took them grimly, slowly raising one to her mouth and preparing to bite the tip off when-
“Welcome to Charlotte’s Karaoke and Dining doll, the best karaoke restaurant out there! Also, the only one who will knowingly accept villains… “She added, grinning with her glowing teeth, even brighter under the blacklights. “We go here frequently, every other week on Friday. Boss is buddy-buddy with the said Charlotte, so we’re allowed here so long as we tell them we’re coming first, and they close the whole place down just for us. Mostly to spare innocents from Scarlet’s horrid singing.”
“I HEARD THAT! I SWEAR, FISHSTICKS, YOU’RE THROUGH.” Scarlet snapped from the 
counter, ordering food.
Gregory and Felipe were up by the karaoke machine, singing Video Killed the Radio Star in either shrill or too-deep voices. Nana was restraining Scarlet, who was trying to hit the cook for getting one of the orders wrong. Smith was assisting in the kitchen in octopus form, shielding the cook from Scarlet’s flailing arms with two of his, the other six still kneading pizza dough.
Ophelia breathed a sigh of relief. It’s just karaoke. Karaoke, though that doesn’t explain why Lionfish was fine after eating the glowstick…
As if reading her mind, Lionfish grinned. “The glowstick I ate in the car enhances my poison in my spine, and I naturally have poison in my body so I’m pretty much immune. Plus, it looks awesome. You looked a little sickened by it, so I figured I’d make sure you knew I was okay~”
By now, Greg and Felipe had begun to sing Under Pressure when Nana pushed Scarlet in front of the machine, grumbling something about how she needed to relieve her stress and selected a random song. When the music began, Nana turned to the others and grinned, and Greg and Felipe grinned back. Scarlet just looked horrified.
The three began to dance as Scarlet backed away, her extra mouth scurrying from under her shirt onto her shoulder much to her dismay and it began to sing. 
As the lyrics began to screech from Scarlet’s shoulder and the speaker, Ophelia immediately knew what song it was and what they were doing.
Banana Boat.
Day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day
Me say day, me say day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Work all night on a drink a rum
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Stack banana till the mornin' come
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Lionfish grinned, grabbing Ophelia’s hand and pulling her to the karaoke 
machine. She started to dance, and Ophelia followed suit, though she was less synchronized with the others, who were ganging up on Scarlet already.
Day, me say day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day, me say day, me say day
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
A beautiful bunch, a ripe banana
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
Hide the deadly, black tarantula
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day, me say day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day, me say day, me say day
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day, me say day, me say day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Ophelia was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe, and Lionfish had to drag her back to the couch. When she stopped laughing, the villain presented her with a box, smiling maliciously. 
"Uh.. Lionfish? What exactly is this?"
"Kekekek...initiation..."
Episode 7
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Ophelia paled, and with trembling hands, reached down to open the box, when she heard a loud banging on the front entrance. She and Lionfish flinched simultaneously and they all froze, not daring turn to the door. 
"Open this door, we know you're in there Macabre."
Scarlet sneered. "And who might you be?"
Thump. The door hinges creaked.
Thud. Ophelia grabbed her gun and slowly began to load it.
Bang. Lionfish raised her spines, setting down the box.
Crash. The others readied themselves.
Crack! The door splintered into hundred of tiny pieces all over the colorful floor, and three looming figures stepped inside, a bright image of a sunset painted onto their black uniforms' shoulders, and Ophelia immediately knew who they were.
"I think you know who we are, BackBiter."
"Ooh, they have a vocabulary." Scarlet's extra mouth taunted, crawling down her arm and settling on the palm of her hand. "Shall we, my dear host-body?"
Scarlet grinned, blue eyes reflecting the light in an eerie way. "Yes, lets, I hope you like the taste of spandex super-suits." She charged at the heroes, grabbing a dagger with her free hand and attacking them. Nana was helping restrain one hero with a large vine, while Felipe blasted a hole in the ceiling. Smith grabbed the two of them off the couch, transforming into an elephant. Lionfish hissed and pushed Ophelia up onto Smith's back so she could get out of the roof and turned to Felipe, fangs glinting in the light. 
"I can fight! I can help!!"
"No, you need to make sure that she gets out of here safely," He snapped, gesturing to her as she scrambled through the hole and onto the roof. "Besides, we can't risk you. Do you remember the last time you got signifigantly hurt?"
"...Yes, Felipe. And Boss did that to all of you." She growled, poking Felipe in the shoulder. 
Ophelia glanced over at Scarlet's shoulder. Underneath the strap of her sleeveless shirt was a scar, deep and very extensive, traveling all the way from her shoulder to her collarbone. Underneath Nana's cardigan she could just barely see her collarbone, and sure enough, there was an identical scar. She glanced down at Smith, who was shifting into a human so he could climb up with her and help the others get out, and right before his sweater vest reappeared and he became fully human again, and the scar was there too. 
I'm starting to believe that Lionfish's relationship with the Boss is a lot more than meets the eye...
Lionfish climbed onto the roof, grumbling something along the lines of "overprotective" and "not my mom". Before Ophelia could ask, Felipe jumped onto the roof, a large gash in his side. 
"We need to go! Scarlet is hurt and Nana has her in some kind of shell of vines, and is holding off those little rays of sunshine while we escape. She says she'll be back soon with Scarlet."
Smith frowned. "I haven't done anything to help thus far, I need to go down and assist." He removed his glasses, handing them to Felipe with a quick hug. "I'll be back soon." With that, he jumped back down the hole with a soft thud and a distant rattling sound as he slithered away, already taken his desired form.
Felipe lingered for a second, then grabbed the two of them. "Hold on tight." He aimed his grappling hook at a nearby building and fired, quickly jumping and gliding over, Ophelia and Lionfish clinging to him. When they landed he took a long breath of air, glaring at Lionfish. "Rule one, make sure the guy with the grappling hook can breathe." 
Lionfish hissed, turning away. 
"Uhg, Pterois, you're like a child."
"Maybe I am a child! Maybe the experiments messed with my development! We don't know! Maybe I'm just immature, is that it? I'm going back to base, come on Opie." She growled, grabbing her arm and hopping off the short ledge, starting for the building. In the distance Ophelia could see their van, up in flames, and Felipe sitting down, watching the karaoke restaurant worriedly, the glasses on the cement next to him.
"Uh.. Lionfish?"
"We're going back, nothing else to it, okay?"
"Uhm... Okay..." After a while of walking in silence, Ophelia broke the stillness again. "Uh, can you maybe let go of my wrist? Your grip is starting to hurt a little.."
"Oh. Right. Yeah." Lionfish muttered, letting go. 
Episode 8 
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Lionfish stormed down the block, stopping at the front steps of the condo and sitting down, glaring back at the rising smoke in the distance. Ophelia sat down beside her, unsure of what to say. Eventually, something sprinted down the street towards them, a cheetah with Nana right behind him and Scarlet on his back. Felipe was in tow, running beside Smith, though not nearly as fast. They stopped by the steps, panting. 
"Scarlet.. hurt.." Nana gasped, pulling the villain from Smith's back and draping one arm over her shoulder. "We had to get out. As long as we're not there they won't do any more damage, but what happened to the door and the floor is gonna cost us." 
Wordlessly, Lionfish grabbed Scarlet, easily slinging the older villain over her shoulder and marching inside, slamming the door shut behind her. Smith groaned, shifting back into human form and leaning limply into Felipe, who grabbed his hand and lead him inside as well. Nana sighed, walking over to Ophelia. 
"I hope you're not offended that we didn't let you fight, you're new to the Macabre after all, and we don't want new recruits to get hurt. You don't have as much experience as the rest of us, and our biggest priority is the safety of our members." She smiled sweetly, placing her hand on Ophelia's shoulder and gazing sadly back at the tower of smoke, the van destroyed. "Felipe and Hector built that van from spare parts, they loved that thing. Its pretty sad, isn't it?" She sighed, shoulders sagging. She had a fragrance like fresh earth and roses, something that was hard to ignore and nullified your senses. 
Ophelia lingered on that thought for a moment, then turned back to the smoke. "That's a shame.. we might be able to make a new one, though." 
"Heh, no, Felipe is already working on a new one. Has been for a while, its a solo project." 
"Really? Well then why doesn't he get some help? We could have a new car in no time." 
"There's a reason he's doing it alone, you know." 
"Oh really? And what's that, may I ask?" 
Nana thought for a moment. She glanced around, then leaned down to Ophelia, cupping her hand around her ear. "Don't tell him I said this, but its for when he proposes." 
Ophelia pulled away, raising an eyebrow. "Proposes? Propose to who?" 
Nana winced, reaching over and covering her mouth, glancing around again. "Not out loud, its a secret. And because you apparently like to repeat stuff loudly, I think we should just wait till he drops the question. And don't you dare let him know I told you." 
"Uh.. okay." Ophelia pulled her hand away, thinking. Huh... I almost forgot that villains were normal people too... then again, I guess I'm one of them, aren't I? Until I can get away that is. But I'm still a normal person, aren't I? … aren't I? 
Nana walked inside, leaving Ophelia alone on the front step. She thought for a moment, then followed. 
Lionfish dropped Scarlet onto a cot, waving over the medic, a young woman about her age named Harriet. She rushed over, inspecting Scarlet. She gasped in dismay as Lionfish left the room, which obviously didn't mean anything good. But right now, Lionfish was too angry to worry about her, and why should she worry anyway? The woman was resilient, and surely soon she'd be back on her feet and nagging Lionfish just like always. 
She growled, stomping up the stairs and pulling off her jacket, unbuttoning her vest and tossing them both into the corner. She collapsed onto the couch, turning on the t.v. and pulling a plaid blanket over her head as the news blared from the other side of the room. Something about the anonymous restaurant harboring criminals, so, them. 
Ophelia entered the room, sitting down beside her and staring blankly at the screen. "Harriet said that the heroes... They, uh..." 
"Spit it out. I don't have all day." 
"They cut out Scarlet's tongue. T-the normal one. Now she has to talk through that other one. For now, anyway. Uh, Felipe's building her something so she can talk right now. Some kind of translator or voice generator or whatever he's going to come up with." 
"Great for her. I send my regards." 
Ophelia looked a little shocked. "Really? That's it? You really don't care?" 
"Nah." She grumbled from under the blanket. "Besides, its none of your business." 
Ophelia sighed, getting up and walking into her room, locking the door behind her. 
Lionfish pulled the blanket from her head to make sure she had left, then sat up, rubbing the beginnings of tears from a salmon eye. Great... I'm too proud to even act like I give a crap... 
Episode 9
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Lionfish sighed, trudging into the bathroom. She untied her eyepatch, setting it down on the counter. She inspected the scar over her left eye, a large and jagged thing that she'd had for what seemed like forever. The more she tried to remember how she got it, the more her head hurt. 
"Subject R has escaped the holding pod, I repeat, Subject R has escaped. This is not a drill."
Roe stumbled through the halls, dripping a greyish fluid. She whimpered, pulling another tube from her leg, hospital gown clinging to her torso and arms. She let out a gasping sob, continuing to run. She could hear the footsteps, pounding against the floor, echoing through the halls.
Screaming, the girl wrenched her arm away from one of the workers trying to grab her. She was a tiny thing, bleeding all over the floor. Her gills were flapping rapidly as she gasped for air, and her bare feet were sliced open and leaving a crimson trail behind her as she ran.
Thump thump thump. Grabbing hands.
Thud thud thud. Aching limbs.
Bang bang bang. End in sight.
The little girl glanced up at a window, glancing nervously back at the people chasing her. Heart pounding, she turned, readied herself to jump, flared her spines, and...
Attacked.
Panting, the child dragged the bodies over to the window, clambering on top of the pile, pushing the window open. A cold wind blew into the building, ruffling fawn hair and chilling bloodied skin. She reached down, pulling a camo jacket from the back of one of the bodies, then stumbled out of the window, collapsing onto the ground below. She let out a choked sob, standing on shaky feet, and continued to run. 
Roe didn't know how long she'd been running when she saw the edges of a town in the distance. Speeding up, the glass digging into her feet, she cried out, freedom in sight. Eventually, she made it to a little gas station, and stumbled inside. It was quiet. Too quiet. Then, she saw someone cowering behind a shelf. They hissed at her to get behind something, or just sit down. Just then, something flew at her and bashed into her head, sending her flying. She skidded across the floor, blinking open her right eye. Everything was blurry and red, but she could see the one who hit her. It was another adult, and to her, all adults looked the same. She screamed in fear, scrambling away. The one who hit her growled.
"You heard the warnings, stay down. I don't mercy anyone, even children." They stepped forward, swinging their bat from side to side, the nails embedded in the end dripping with blood. "May this be a lessen to you all." Roe shut her eye tightly, preparing for the end, after everything she'd gone through to escape, when someone stepped forward.
A tall woman stepped in front of the adult with the bat. "Step away from the child."
"I thought I told everyone to stay down. Trying to be a hero, eh?"
The woman laughed. 
"No." With blinding speed, she delivered an uppercut and sent them flying into a back wall. "Please,"
"I'm nowhere near being a hero."
The woman turned, exiting the gas station. "My work here is done. I would advise someone to take the child to get medical help."
Roe stumbled to her feet, wincing. She limped out of the gas station, to the dismay of someone who was dialing 911 already and trying to grab her. For a long time, she followed the woman, before they had arrived at her car and she turned, sighing. 
"Look kid, what do you want?"
"What.. are you?"
"I'd like to ask the same thing."
"...Roe."
"Roe? …Like, fish eggs?"
She nodded, gills flapping and oozing a dark liquid that might have been blood.
"Well then, isn't that interesting. I guess I owe you an answer, then. I am a villain. Ever heard of them? You know, thieves, against the government, murderers. You may run now."
"Gov..government?"
"Yeah. Like, that jacket you're wearing."
"Then... Then I'm a villain."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm a villain. Against the government."
"Oh really? I think you're a little young to be a villain, don't you think?"
"If we're villains, then will you take me away from here?"
"Well, I'm afraid to say that you should scramble on back to your family. I know playing cops and robbers is fun, but you really shouldn't mess with the real thing."
"What if I could prove it to you? Prove I'm against the government." But before Roe could even point in the direction of the bloody trail leading from the military base, she collapsed onto the pavement, everything fading to black. 
Lionfish blinked, staring back up at her reflection in the mirror. That was weird. Gods, my head hurts like hell. I should get some rest.
Intermission
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Hey guys, Its been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long, but I was kinda low on inspiration at the moment and the whole quarantine thing has been tough to get used to. Thank you so much for being patient, and I hope I'll have the next episode up soon. Until then, there will be a QnA on my wall if anyone is interested. Thank you so much for your support! 
Category:LiteratureCategory:Original StoriesCategory:Original Stories (Unfinished)
Category:Fiction