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MAN MISSING - May 16th, 1962
METROVILLE - Simon J. Paladino, a longtime outspoken advocate of superhero rights, is missing. According to the local authorities, Paladino was last seen outside of his apartment on Traction Avenue ten days ago, and while they have no direct evidence that would lead them to suspect foul play, Paladino's past advocacy of Superhero rights, which led some to believe that he had actually been a superhero, would make him a likely target.
The Mayor says that "the police are investigating all avenues." At this point in the investigation, it seems highly unlikely that the police will have any clues anytime soon. The local branch of the national forces are taking action as well.
A longtime outspoken advocate of superhero rights, Mr. Paladino was largely visible figure in the public's attention. Ever since the court rulings banning superhero actions, it has been a guessing game as to who and where are these heroic figures. The Mayor says that "We have forces in and around the city investigating suspicious avenues." Only time will tell whether the supers can relax with the knowledge we are looking.
It is required by law that each previous super have the same rights as every citizen in this great nation. Thus the policy has been one of anonymity and equal treatment for all. "Once this investigation is over, we hope to find Mr. Paladino and continue the work that he has done for super hero rights." stated Rick Dicker, another advocate for the rights of superheroes within our nation.
At that stage, Gamma Jack - Jackson Edwards, crumpled up the damn paper. Gazerbeam had gone missing? The damn normies must've gotten to him. It just proved his point again, all of the damn normies, non-supers, whatever, that were out there were reliant on them, but now had tossed them aside, afraid of what they could do, how strong they were, how smart they were, how fast they were, how superior they were. It unsettled them. Unlike the stupid baseless ideas of the white man's burden of the 19th century, it was now the stupid baseless ideas of the normal man's burden of the 20th century, and anyone who dared to think differently was tormented like how Gazerbeam was. Equal treatment, such a flawed idea. Why, when supers contribute so much more to society, do more for safety, and in Jackson's eyes, were just genetically superior in every way possible, they had to be the second-class citizens? Sure, Gazerbeam wasn't like him, frankly Gamma Jack was far more confident, and had every reason to be, the ladies loved him, the public cheered his name, and he was just one of the best, that he had to be celebrated, to be cherished, but Gazerbeam was a super too, and he helped them, in every aspect of his life. Gamma Jack just continued to make the things that help in the dick-measuring race of normal people to the moon against the commies of Moscow, as a nuclear physicist for the government's atomic weapons program. The NSA wanted to keep him under close surveillance, and still found use in his gamma radiation abilities, which, let's be honest, who wouldn't? He wasn't just some pretty face - even if he had a very pretty face, he was the symbol of America's changing future, in all aspects of it.
But that was long ago, a distant memory at this point, what, eight years ago? As much as he respected Bob as a friend and as a fellow super, a true beacon of power right there, he definitely had some ill-regard still residing in him after the lawsuits that started from him, but at this point, there was little to be done. Simon was their last hope, and he was gone.
He disintegrated the paper in his hands, a small burst of energy emitted in a bright green from his right hand, leaving nothing in his wake. He glided over to his phone and dialed a number, and after a few moments, finally, he was connected.
"Hello?" a tired, exhausted voice called out from the other line.
"Hey, Bob. Listen, it's Jack. I uh... I hope it's not a bad time." He hesitated a bit, not really sure what to say.
"No, no its- huh? Honey, its- just a moment..." From the other end of the line, Jack could faintly pick up on Helen's voice. God damn was she a dame if she ever saw one. Jack nearly missed the wedding too, but he came, of course, right after a date he had. Now they had two kids, and they had been talking about a third, and both were already showing powers, and rather young too. Their daughter, Violet, a bit of a shy one, but her force fields were developing, tiny things really, but they could get much stronger, if Helen wasn't so resistant for her to be trained, and then their son, Dash. He was rambunctious, a four-year-old with an keen eye, and a speedster at that. He had seen him zip around the limited Parr residence before, not much compared to Jack's high-rise, but to be fair, this was more to placate him as to make sure he wouldn't do something stupid and play ball with the government, and he was very grateful they weren't duds. Jack had heard from dames he messed around with, some kids, no idea on who, one kid might have electricity powers, but that's as far as anything he's really heard from, either way, not his problem, none of them stuck around to really be with him too long. Back when they were younger, every super wanted to get with Elastigirl and her friends, Apogee and Blazestone, who had also disappeared as far as he could tell- that's unnerving, a bit, but back to the Glory Days. Jack had gotten close, really he had, but his bravado could only carry him so far with his reputation. No matter, he could play ball with whoever could, and he found plenty of normies that were smoking. And when Bob told Jack, alongside Simon and Lucius that he was going to marry Elastigirl, hey, how could he not help them? A good friend always sticks out a hand for another.
Okay, as great as his reflecting was, it was weird without anything.
"... Bob?" Jack spoke again, a hint of concern in his voice laced by his natural charismatic tone.
"Sorry about that, kids and all- what were you going to say?" Bob returned, practically in a dazed state.
"Have you read the paper?" Jack asked, his fist clenching onto the receiver now, a bit impatient too.
"No... what- they're legalizing us again?" Bob chuckled lightly in response, himself somewhat elated probably.
Jack felt like a jackass for doing this, but he had to. Simon was close friends with all of them, if anyone deserved to know, it was them.
"Simon's missing."
Bob straightened up immediately, himself becoming more alert, more awake.
"... What?"
"That's the guy?" Jack asked. He was in full costume, right after a mission. He pointed at a guy in a suit and thick glasses sitting by himself in the diner, more invested in his book that he was reading - some legal thing that Jack couldn't care much about. He knew plenty about the law, but he wasn't going to be a full-on dope to read that in public, let alone read anything in public. His cup of espresso was still sitting there. Compared to the more youthful vigor and charm of Jack, himself only being in his early 20s, he looked more aged and seasoned, well beyond even Bob or Lucius. "He really is trying to hide them, huh... I don't get it."
Lucius added. "Me neither. Seems like he just needs a few friends."
Bob nodded along and then got an idea. He called over a waitress. "Hey, listen, would you mind if you got that man's attention over there?"
The waitress shrugged. "I'm sure he'll appreciate your company." She walked on over to the man, touching his shoulder and directing his gaze to the group.
Bob shouted. "Hey, come on over!" He waved a hand. Jack leaned back in his chair and offered one of his typical smiles to him. If he was as powerful as they said, he's got to be worth the effort.
The man nervously walked over to take a seat with the three already assembled at the table. "Uhm-" He tried to speak.
Bob of course, cut him off. "So... you're the man we've heard so much about his powers, and haven't met yet, huh? I'm Mr. Incredible."
Lucius added. "Frozone, how ya doing."
Jack then grinned. "Of course, you know about me, I'm Gamma Jack, and surely, you've heard of me." A bit pompous of an opener, but he couldn't complain.
The man adjusted his glasses and nervously shifted in his seat. "... Simon, but- I don't really have an alias, or whatever you call it. Really, I just registered with the NSA, but I would rather prefer to be like... well like ordinary people."
Jack scoffed. "Why would you ever do that? Ordinary people, those normies are-"
Simon clearly was more nervous than before, a bit more uncomfortable in his disposition. "I don't know, I've only been a... super, for such a short amount of time and I just want to fit in... that's uhm... a bit hard of an ask though..." His voice trailed off, a bit uncertain.
Jack interjected. "Woah, you, just a super? From what we've heard, we thought you've been one for years! With those lazers of yours... "
Simon readjusted his glasses, trying to avert his gaze a bit. "I know my powers are... powerful but- in all honesty, I'd rather be a pro-bono lawyer who eats chocolate peanut butter cups and has a sliver of a chance of fitting in with normal people than be... odd..."
Jack was about to spew out some rhetoric about how being a super is a gift but Lucius could tell based on both Jack's and Simon's faces that this impasse wouldn't clear without someone intervening.
"Look, lazereyes, the only way you'll ever fit in is to do what we do, make what's odd about you an asset. Announce your weirdness with a cool name and an outfit, wear them proudly."
Jack paused in whatever rant he was trying to scramble together with and just nodded along.
Simon wearily nodded along, as if he was just grasping Lucius's point. "... Okay... so... I need a name and an outfit, right? How about... uhm... Viewpoint?"
Jack, Bob, and Lucius exchanged glances, with Jack speaking for them. "I'm sure we can think of something better than just Viewpoint. That's pretty terrible, if you ask me. Come on, you've gotta have some creative juice flowing through you! I mean... Frozone, Mr. Incredible and Gamma Jack, those are names that have weight to them, something that people just know that's a super." Sure, he's heard the tirades of his old name, Handsome Jack, but that's for his adoring fans to call him, not an official name. That had sex appeal, compared to the more power that Gamma Jack carried.
Bob nodded along. "Yeah... how about... Gazerbeam?" Now that's a name he could get with, striking, more defined, more super than Viewpoint. He nodded along, as did Lucius.
Simon hesitantly smiled. "I mean... I prefer Viewpoint, if you ask me but-"
Jack shook his head. "Yeah, that's terrible of a name. Viewpoint? It'll make you as much of an outcast as Phylange, and I won't lie, he's a half-baked super, at best. But Gazerbeam? It makes you... you!"
Simon paused. "... Okay then, what about the outfit?"
Bob lit up. "Oh, trust me, we know exactly who to go to."
Jack stood on his balcony. It was the middle of the night, with a faint glow in his hands, he took off from the balcony. Radiokinetic flight, one of the coolest abilities he had. He looked as perfect as he did back in the day, but he couldn't stop to admire himself in the reflective surfaces of skyscraper windows, this was no time for such vanity, even if he had to admit, he normally would do so in times of crisis. This was perhaps beyond that. Not long afterwards, his descent was slow as to keep himself inconspicuous, despite him literally flying. He wasn't wearing some brightly coloured outfit from Edna, even if he loved his old suit. Quite literally, he was just in a navy polo shirt, one button unbuttoned and brown slacks. Boring, basic fashion, but again- inconspicuous.
Lucius was already waiting outside, stepping out of his car. "You know that Dicker's gonna have a fit with you still doin' that, right Jack?"
Jack scoffed. "No one has to know, Lucius. Besides, you're not gonna report me to them, will you?"
Lucius snickered. "Maybe, I'm still undecided." The two were good friends from back in the glory days, clearly though, Lucius stuck by Bob, and Jack stuck by Simon over these past few years, but despite the clear distance that had grown between the four, they still went out on their 'bowling nights' - a lie Bob tells Helen as to evade suspicion about what they're actually doing, but the two coming today, it's indicative that things are off, but knowing Bob, she's likely in the loop as well.
Jack knocked on the door, and Helen opened the door for them. "Thanks for calling, Jack." She replied as the two stepped into the residence.
Jack shook his head. "Hey, it's the least we can do. Normally, I'd be more than happy to come over on bowling night but uh... well, I think Simon's a more pressing matter on our hands."
Lucius raised an eyebrow at that. "You think?"
Jack sat down at the dinner table as he construed a defense. "I mean, we all know that him being a super was a bit uneasy for him, so him just vanishing to escape from it, while petty and stupid it- it makes sense."
Bob shook his head. "With his eyes like that? There was never a way to escape, come on Jack."
Lucius shrugged. "He's not wrong. He never was the most engaging with the stuff outside of helping others, just very... serious, which I can't blame him for, but even then, guy needed to lighten up every now and then."
Jack added on. "Simon once called me when he left the Phantasmics saying how he couldn't understand why Everseer was so difficult. Turns out, after calling Macroburst, Alex told me that Simon was just not one for the dynamic of the team, too focused on the job, too distant from the others, and really just differed from how Everseer wanted to run things."
Helen also interjected. "I heard all too many the same from Apogee. Cindy would call me and she'd be all over how Simon treated the Thrilling Three so differently than how Mark would, and how she'd miss when Mark was in control."
Bob protested. "Well, he wasn't like that with us!"
Lucius and Jack exchanged a glance, Jack cleared his throat. "... Bob, with all due respect, that guy was exhausted from defending us in court, to the point where Dicker had to tell him that he doesn't have to do this and he frankly shouldn't."
Bob opened his mouth to speak, but then resigned himself. "... So, the police have no leads?"
Helen sighed. "Bob, I think we should leave it in their hands."
Jack protested. "What, and leave the normies to handle it? Simon got so much flak from others just for defending us, the superior beings-"
Helen visibly groaned. "Jack-"
Jack continued on in his rambling. "-that had helped this country time and time again against all sorts of threats that they faced and were defenseless against and we kept safe-"
Lucius's face contorted to be like Helen's. "Jack-"
Jack still went on. "-and we frankly didn't get enough credit for until we got stabbed in the back and made illegal, that he received death threats at his damn office for what he was doing."
Bob, Lucius, and Helen all exchanged a glance. "... For a second, I thought you were going to get on another tirade how we're superior, they're inferior, again and have it not come back to Simon."
Jack shrugged. "Well, we are. I don't need to state that a million times, and as much as I care about myself, I care about others, like you, Bob, like Helen, like Lucius, and like Simon... maybe not as much but I do care, I've learned how to, at least."
Bob pressed his fingers to his temple. "So, police is a no-go?"
Helen sighed. "I don't think they'll appreciate some civilians interfering, and we can't exactly be our old selves again, the glory days are gone and over with now... despite how motivated Jack thinks they won't do anything."
Jack shook his head. "If that Mayor is anything, he's a lying bastard. The paper says that we can relax with the knowledge they're looking for him, well I'm not relaxing over here! Okay, I want to know where Simon's gone, and frankly you all want to know too, right? I'm doing my own search into this, because I won't rest until I have my... friend back." Look, as flawless as Gamma Jack seemed, these past few years have been a bit of a reality shaker, what was perceived as narcissism perhaps right, he still needed others. He loved the attention, he craved for it back, for that community of other supers, and it continued to dwindle and slip away from his grasp. Simon was... something he cherished, he held dear.
Bob stood up. "Well, we're going to help you-"
But Helen cut him off. For such a capable dame, her resistance to using her powers now infuriated Jack to death's end. "And the kids? Bob, you can't keep sneaking out at night. Violet and Dash need their father, and if he gets arrested, what happens then? Honestly-" Bob only offered a meager "sorry" mouthed to Jack, it's a no-can-do thanks to his dame. Bold, but what a flip from how she was before, it was... awkward to watch. As much as she's still a gorgeous woman, she's lost that spark, that energy to keep fighting. Helen continued to berate Bob, and he could only watch.
Lucius and Jack awkwardly step-stepped out of the house, as to avoid this confrontation.
Outside, Jack turned to Lucius. "So, are you still in?"
Lucius shook his head. "If you think that how Helen reacted was bad, Honey would react twenty times worse. Honestly, good for you keeping up the bachelor lifestyle."
Jack hesitantly chuckled. "Yeah... it's pretty great to me."
Lucius placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Sorry man, looks like it's up to Handsome Jack."
Jack chuckled. "I'll see you for next week's bowling night, right?"
Lucius stepped into his car. "If we actually go bowling that is." He then drove off back to his home, Jack watching him leave.
Jack now stood in the street, a long breath taken. It was fortunately the suburbs and late in the evening, so nothing would be going on. He took off again, his mind focused on one thing and one thing only. Simon. He hadn't flown with as much intent as he did then in a long while. Him alone, he could handle it, but to know that those two had lives, had found something, dames of their own, not flings, but real ones who would stick by them, and didn't care that they were Mr. Incredible, Frozone, or Gamma Jack, but Bob Parr, Lucius Best, and Jackson Edwards, and hell, Bob had kids, with Helen Truax of all people.
Sure, he had some kids out there with his flings, but he could never be a father like Bob. Grounded to that, a new life ahead of him. Be a sedentary super, it both disgusted him, and yet, was something he wouldn't mind one day, someday, if he had a smoking hot dame who actually stuck around, and some kids who were supers too, the ideal life. But Jack knew, such a thing that even Bob had was even out of reach. His kids could never be free supers, much like how anyone else could.
Simon was the last thing of a partner, if you will, who stuck around. He wasn't no dame, but it felt... good. The same, really. The sex, a forlorn activity of the older stoic being entranced by the young hotshot, a supposed affair of gods, so Edna would claim, it was something that felt like any other dame, but hey, if he can make comments about a dame, he can make comments about a dude, it doesn't matter, it was in the past, long before Simon disappeared, and when they both decided that- for the sake of their friendship, for the sake of protecting who they were, a pro-bono lawyer, and a nuclear physicist directly employed by the United States, and for the sake of Jack not hurting Simon with his womanizing, sexually active nature, something that he never wanted to ever do, he broke things off. Jack was scared of commitment, and in many ways, he still is. He isn't as old as Mr. Incredible, Frozone, or Gazerbeam, all of them are now in their late 30s-early 40s, but Jack's still in his early-mid 30s, he had time, he always thought he had time.
At the end, it was a mere fantasy, one that Jackson Edwards no longer can live.
Jack flew back to the entrance of his complex, walking up the stairs to his door, he noticed an unmarked manila envelope lying by the door. He entered the apartment, and lied on the sofa, opening the envelope. A slate tablet was the only thing inside, Jack looked at it puzzled, until it suddenly turned on at its own discretion, making Jack flinch a bit. It then read hold still, before he could really do anything else, the tablet scanned his face, himself freaking out.
"Match. Gamma Jack."
Jack then was about to incinerate this table, but then the thing began to scan the room.
"Room is secure, commence message."
Commence message, what message? He thought, but then, a video began to play. The first thing Jack noticed was the smoking bombshell of a dame that emerged on the screen. If Elastigirl was a 10, this woman was a 34... she felt, eerily familiar though. Perhaps a former flame?
"Hello, Gamma Jack. Yes, we know who you are. Rest assured, your secret is safe with us." The voice from the tablet spoke.
Jack raised an eyebrow at that. A woman who knew his secrets? Definitely a crazy former flame. Jack tried to find a switch or button or something to turn it off, but to no avail.
"My name is Mirage, and we have something in common. According to the government, neither of us exists." She continued.
Mirage, eh? Not a former flame then, he would've remembered a name like that. Hell, he would've remembered anyone of those if he cared hard enough. But the line of neither of them existing to the government, it intrigued him. Who was this person? It was true, Gamma Jack didn't exist, and technically, the identity of Jackson Edwards was just some nuclear physicist who got paid decently well and took good care of himself, no superpowers, nothing, as if Gamma Jack... didn't exist.
"Please pay attention, as this message is classified and will not be repeated. I represent a top-secret division of the government, designing and testing experimental technology, and we have need for your unique abilities."
Beyond the NSA still being around in some Frankenstein-like capacity? What, the Department of Defense got something going awry? Jack couldn't tell what it even was, but this continued to hook him more and more.
"Something has happened at our testing facility, luckily it is contained within an isolated area, but it threatens to cause incalculable damage to itself and to our facilities, jeopardizing hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of equipment. If you accept, your payment will be triple your current annual salary."
Triple?! Now that's a hefty payment, where can he sign up for this? Seems like an easy mission anyways, nothing too strenuous. Besides, if the normie government wants to keep using him as their lapdog, they sure found quite the offer to keep him in their hands. The plans of this supposed Omnidroid version five that the tablet showed were fascinating, but seemingly not hard to force enough concentrated gamma radiation to pierce through the metal of the robot.
"Call the number on the card. Voice matching will be used to ensure security."
The tablet spat out a card at him. He glanced over at it. While as much as he wanted to jump the gun to do this, he knew that he had bigger fish to fry, with Simon and all, but maybe... maybe he could do both? Maybe this could lead him to Simon.
"The supers aren't gone, Gamma Jack. You're still here. You can still do great things, or you can read the paper complaining about the police. The choice is yours. You have 24 hours to respond. Think about it."
Like her name implied, she went away from the screen as if she was a mirage. He paused for a moment, questioning what to do. Then the tablet began to beep.
"This message will self-destruct."
Jack quickly disintegrated the tablet as to prevent that and then disposed of the waste. Thank goodness that he had to get his place with a nuclear waste can because he wouldn't hear the end of it if his waste polluted into the standard trash.
He then walked over to his phone and rang the number on the card. 866-787-7476. A brief ringing, and then a voice picked up. Mirage, the same one from the tablet.
"Hello?"
Jack cleared his throat, and in his old Gamma Jack bravado, he confidently spoke. "It's Gamma Jack. I'm in."
He then thought for a moment about his old suit. Looks like Edna's getting a visit.
You know, Simon was very grateful when Edna Mode listened to his requests. "Nothing too bold. Dull colours if anything-" he tried to say but all he could get back in reply from the designer was "Don't worry, dahling, it is a pleasure to design a suit for such a new hero and one with such promise. Stop by next week, I'll have it ready for you then." she said as she sent him on his way back home.
Jack, alongside Bob and Lucius were invited to see the reveal of Gazerbeam's new outfit, as despite Simon's growing confident this past week in being a super, which Jack found it amusing to watch him grow like that.
The three sat down in Edna's laboratory, in the space away from where she tested her outfits for the... superhuman stuff, it was hard to explain. Jack on a chair, with Frozone and Mr. Incredible on a couch.
Jack stirred around for a moment. Edna was a master in her craft, one of the few non-supers who wasn't a normie by any means. She had a gift and used it well, saying she designed attire for gods... him, a god. She was right, and now, she did the same for a friend. But the product? Anyone's guess-
Edna interrupted the thought process that Jack had. "Gentlemen, I give you... Gazerbeam." As she walked by, out came Simon clad in a dark blue suit with a light blue triangle, a belt that had GB - Gazerbeam as the buckle and pants with a similar pattern. Staring at him now, Jack had never noticed how... muscular he was. His quads were utterly massive, jutting out to be the same as his waist. His upper chest practically was defined by the color of the lighter blue triangle and his broad shoulders helped extend down to well-proportioned biceps and forearms. While his lats were not visible from the front, nor his waist was small enough to properly display a V-taper, it was clear that this pro-bono lawyer turned super clearly had something else to him. Obviously, Gamma Jack looked better, who didn't? And sure, Simon was no Mr. Incredible in size, hell, no one was, maybe Meta Man at most, but Simon looked... really damn good.
Edna pulled out a measuring tape and measured the proportions. She smiled. "Perfect. As I said, dahling. Well, what do you think?"
Simon awkwardly stared out at the others. "What do I think? It's... it's perfect. I like it, thank you so much, Ms. Mode."
Edna shook her head. "Dahling, please. Call me Edna, E, what you please. You're a god I design masterpieces for, not some model."
Simon lightly chuckled and then turned to the others. "What do you all think?"
Lucius and Bob lit up already, but Jack was fully elated. He raised his hands in the air and cried out. "You look amazing! Simon- Gazerbeam, we oughta celebrate! You're one of us now, and don't forget that, you're not some normie, you're a real bonafide super."
Simon bashfully smiled. "Thank you, Jack, you're very kind."
Kind was not a word people typically used to describe Jack, and that got a chuckle from Bob and Lucius, which Jack elbowed the two to stop. Truth be told, his kindness wasn't given out willy-nilly. He was known as a womanizer and a bit of a sexist to some of the dames that hung around him, but almost all of them were normies, pretty faces and nothing more. Frankly, he was superior to most other supers as well, he didn't need some team to carry him, he was a true top threat, so much so that he knew the NSA was watching him way more than the others, but to those who were near his level, like Bob, Lucius, or Simon, he tried. He knew he was the symbol of America's future, nuclear was the way and all, and with the start of an arms race with the Soviets, he was seen as this figure to support that sort of thing, but even gods have human traits, so they say.
Jack scoffed. "Please. Now come on, there's this great diner I know, and this time- Gazerbeam is coming out."
Simon paused. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "We're superheros! What could ever happen?"
"No, dahling. You need a new suit!" Edna proclaimed when Jack showed up at her house with his old suit in hand.
"Look, E, I trust your judgement, but really, I just need this cleaned up." Jack confessed, wearily sighing.
"Cleaned up? Jackson, do I look like the dry cleaners?!" She protested.
"No, no! Just uh... refitted is all... and cleaned too, because the dry cleaners don't want me hitting on the women behind the counter anymore." Jack sputtered out.
Edna frowned. "Fine... I will fix your suit... even if you really should learn not to flirt with people you're conducting business with... and refitting, dahling, will be quick and easy, you seem to not have put on any fat, which is good for you and better for me."
Jack shook his head. "No, I uh... I'm still that young god you designed masterpieces for."
Edna raised an eyebrow. "Then why stop then? Come, come, we ought to get you a new suit, rid you of the Viennese bastard's influence."
Jack paused. "Galbaki?! You're doing this to get at Galbaki?"
Edna nodded. "Well of course not, dahling, but as you tout yourself as superior amongst supers, I tout myself as superior amongst designers, and I still continue to fight for that, as you cannot yourself."
Jack scoffed, "I don't need to fight for that, it's just plain fact, E."
Edna smirked. "Yes, yes... now, new suit."
Jack sighed. "If you're so insistent on it... maybe something darker? Navy and yellow would be great as a combination... more striking, more defined to the muscle, make it compress too, show just how flawless I am! And the cape-"
Edna interrupted his rambling. "No capes."
Jack frowned. "Oh, come on, E. I know you're hung up over Thunderhead and Stratogale and all those others, but a cape's a part of my branding- ooh can you add a Gamma symbol to the back of it?"
Edna sighed. "... If this is the one way I get to design something for you, so be it, just know that if you die-"
Jack scoffed. "I'm a superhero, Edna, What's the worst that could happen?"
The approach to Nomanisan Island was rather special. Gamma Jack could've flown there had he been given the coordinates, but of course, knowing the government, they would never do that, so this was his next best bet. Mirage and him were talking a bit as the jet flew to the island, herself showcasing the plans about the robot to Jack more directly, with a holographic display. This was the first time in a long while he's been back in his old suit, and it feels so right. When he looked at himself, he looked perfect, as if a king had returned to their rightful throne or a god had been restored within their pantheon.
"The Omnidroid 5000 is a top-secret prototype battle robot. Its artificial intelligence enables to solve any problem it's confronted with, and unfortunately, we lost control, and now it's loose in the jungle. We've had to evacuate all personnel from the island for their own safety." She explained.
Gamma Jack raised an eyebrow. "How did you even lose control? Nevermind, you probably don't know that answer, do you? How will I be going into this?"
Mirage continued. "The Omnidroid's defenses necessitate an airdrop from 5000 feet, though since you can fly, that will be no problem for you. Its cloaking devices make it pretty... difficult, to track. Oh, and one more thing, obviously it represents a significant investmen-"
Jack interrupted her. "Yeah, yeah. Fly in, don't destroy the thing entirely, but control it, I got what you mean."
Mirage smiled. "I do appreciate it, Handsome Jack."
Jack snickered a bit. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while."
Mirage then added. "I've got to warn you, it's a learning robot. Every moment you spend fighting it only increases its knowledge of how to beat you."
Jack nodded along. "Like I said, fly in, don't destroy the thing entirely, and be quick, easy job."
Mirage nodded. "Just don't die."
Jack laughed again. "Thanks."
With that, Jack exited from the area where it seemed to be a place to launch an escape pod or something, perhaps a vessel to carry those who couldn't fly? But why would they use other Supers? No matter, he flew out of the jet, and faster than it went, Jack landed upon the island, both obvious to himself and to the Omnidroid on the island, wherever it was with a loud explosion, not a soft landing, but he could not care less, just to make this a bit more of a show out of something so easy. Obviously, the nuclear blast from the island would be... little, as to prevent damages, but enough to cause impact, and to make a noise heard across the entire island, even a good old green gamma radiation-based nuclear cloud in the sky so it can find him. He wasn't here for games of searching for it for long, he wanted this done quick and easy. Sure enough, not long, out came the Omnidroid, beginning to charge at him too. But Jack had a bold grin on his face.
Why? The metal. It was all too easy to pierce through that thing with enough concentration of a beam of gamma-radiation, as it would have to be a thin one, but it can penetrate through easily, he just has to aim for the right place. Jack picked himself back up to flying as to move around easier and to avoid the four grappling claws it seemed to have for legs. Jack first decided to handle this easier, aiming for, from what he could remember of the design plans of the sensor cluster, which would greatly hinder its abilities, because this thing was definitely grappling onto him, even while he was flying. While the Omnidroid tried to grapple him, it was him trying to be swift enough to avoid it and concentrate his energy into a thin yet highly potent beam of gamma radiation. He aimed his palms carefully, them glowing green with energy and with it, a beam emerged and pierced right through the green eye-looking sensor of the top of the Omnidroid, and with it, nothing left in its wake.
As he figured, the claws moved far more erratically, flinging trees, rocks, and whatever debris it could find in the general direction of Jack, and sometimes, they'd make contact, but he now had more room to do what he pleased. His aim was then redirected towards the center of the robot, and fortunately for him, it was easy enough to fire it out without a hitch, but it learned from that first experience, and moved away from what it could still do.
"Damn." he muttered underneath his breath. He charged up another, once again evading his maneuvers. But this time, the Omnidroid grappled onto his cape and pulled him down, ripping him from his concentration, and just after the old thing had been spruced up by Edna, it still definitely had some sensors within it that were unbeknownst to him that wasn't just the giant eye on the top of its head. No matter, he began to fly in the direction that would cause a tear in the cape, and sure enough it did. Soon, he flew up, far above where it could detect him, and then, he let another beam strike him down from the sky. After a moment, the Omnidroid had a gapping hole right through the center, and it began to rutter out of motion.
Jack flew down, he clearly was worn out, a bit sweaty, and absolutely pissed about the cape, but he grinned a bit. "Still got it." He said to himself.
Unbeknownst to him, Mirage had been watching from afar. "I'll handle this one." She said to her supervisor and sent the signal for all clear. "... Perhaps I'll see him at dinner."
Jack's next return was for dinner with the dame, oh he impressed her, and he's very happy with that. If she's impressed, then he'll be pleased. To make sure she'll still be impressed, he dressed up nice, into a tuxedo.
"What do you think?" He said with a cocky grin as he approached her at their table.
"You look very... handsome." She said, with a cheeky grin of her own.
Jack laughed a bit. "Ah, you're funny, you know that? Dames aren't typically that funny. Normally, I invite them out to dinner and they're so boring, you know? But you... you clearly got something to you."
Mirage feigned a smile. "I do appreciate your flattery." She then corrected her behavior. "I'm sorry about how my supervisor won't be dining with us this evening, he hopes you'll understand."
Jack scoffed. "Please. I know who I'm working with right here, not him, but you. Besides, I want to get to know you, not him. Dinner between us is... is plenty enough." He continued in his bravado.
Mirage mused. "Alas, him and I are more anonymous types... though I can imagine you'll understand."
Jack frowned. "Being anonymous at my job right now? It's lame, I'll tell you what. I'm there, having to help heighten the powers of their atomic weapons so that the Commie bastards in Moscow don't get too ahead now, but that's my power they're using. To everyone there? I'm boring, Jackson Edwards, but in this element, I'm really who I am. Powerful."
Mirage sloshed her drink of champagne around a bit more. "That's a weakness we both share then. I am attracted to power now... I see you as... misunderstood, Gamma Jack."
Jack smirked. "Oh really? Glad to see someone who doesn't see me as megalomaniacal, or unstable... now, I have to ask, your supervisor... why did he choose a volcanic island for a testing ground?"
Mirage smirked. "It's some of the most fertile ground on earth. In fact, everything grown at the table is from it. Best to test it in lush environments... similar, to how we wish to utilise it... tell me, how does the food compare?"
Jack had to admit, he was a picky eater, but god damn, this was some of the best food he's had in a while. It's as if he was at a 5-star Michelin restaurant on steroids. He held his drink up high. "It's just perfect."
"Welcome back, Handsome Jack." It seemed Mirage had grown a bit more pleasant with him. In the past few months, Jack had been searching, but to no avail as to find Simon. It's unlikely, but it's worth the effort to ask. Clad in his new suit, as Edna refused to do more to the old suit, now clad in a deep, dark, navy, with a glowing yellow gamma symbol on his chest, it accentuated his muscles, and looking at himself in the mirror he wished he had done an outfit change like this sooner. His cape too looked much more refined with the darker palette and an added navy gamma symbol echoing the chest. And now he had enough money to be set for the rest of his life! But he took up this job again, because of course he did, this was it, an escape to who he once was, and when he finds Simon again, they'll be able to relive the glory days.
Jack warmly smiled at Mirage, it felt as if he was getting closer to her as well... maybe, if he was lucky enough, he could score her. "It's good to be back, Mirage." As the transporter pod took off, showcasing more of the beautiful island that he had seen from the jet ride over, he had to admit, he was a bit restless, and while the ride was short, he opened his mouth to speak.
"So... you work with the NSA, right?"
Mirage mused. "Something along those lines."
Jack paused. "... Do you know where uhm... Gazerbeam is?"
Mirage paused, her face twitched a bit, Jack couldn't figure out what it was, but she shook her head afterwards. "I'm afraid not."
Jack frowned. "Oh. I see." He cleared his throat and glanced away, as to feign any sighting of weakness.
Mirage sighed. "You'll be briefed on your next assignment in the conference room at 2. D-Wing, Room A113."
Jack just nodded along, settling himself down within the area he was in. His mood had dampened a bit more, but he would not be deterred, just forget about Simon for now, you have another easy job to do, whatever it may be.
When Jack did get to the conference room, he found it empty. Strange, he thought. Jack peered up at the clock. It was 2:00, on the dot. He sat himself down and then- one of the walls lifted up to reveal another Omnidroid, even bigger, a new frame, unlike the more oval, football-like shape and the more obvious protrusion of the eye sensor, it was less obvious. The metal seemed tougher.
The robot then grabbed him before he could do anything and tossed him out of the conference room. This was a setup; Mirage had led him on. God damnit, he came off too strong at dinner, he thought. Before he could charge anything up though- or even fly away, the Omnidroid knew exactly what to do, it had... all of its memories and used one of its claws to grapple the hint of the cape again. He tried to fly the other way again, but before he could, another claw came swinging up and pierced right through Gamma Jack, as if he were a skewer of meat.
Blood began to pour right out of him, green, gamma-radiated blood. Jack had no idea what to do and was losing himself, fast. In a last-ditch effort, he quite literally exploded himself, as to try and do something to the Omnidroid. A nuclear cloud rose from him and it damaged the Omnidroid, but in the process of it falling apart, he was flung overboard, down a waterfall. At least the Omnidroid was taken care of, and with whatever energy he had left, he began to swim, though soon afterwards, a remote bomb was placed into the waterfall... probably a send-off from Mirage, and he was shoved into a cave.
Jack was coughing up blood now, his sight weary, somehow his heart still beat, but not for long, he could tell. Soon enough, his gaze averted to his worst nightmare.
Simon. His body had been decaying for months now. His helmet was still on, but his suit was in tatters. From where his helmet was aimed at, the last thing that Jack could see, before bleeding out further was KRONOS, carved into the wall.
He stifled a sniffle, choked on more blood, himself weak.
If this was the way to go, at least he died by the one he cared about the most.
All the glory days are surely gone now.
From the cliffside stood Mirage who stared down into the water. Nothing remained.
She turned around to find Syndrome. "He's been neutralized."
Syndrome frowned. "He managed to also take out the Omnidroid. Again. You know you should've let me-"
Mirage put a hand up to silence him. "This was apart of our arrangement. I was to handle this one in particular, no? Besides, it's all to make him ready for Mr. Incredible, now isn't it?"
Syndrome grinned. "Oh, I love the way you plan."
Mirage scoffed and turned back around to look at the water, a hint of regret in her face. No matter, a love like that had betrayed and broken her long ago, and now that love was dead.
She, at the end, had won.
"Johnathan." Was the name that Helen uttered for her newborn son's first name. She had gotten to choose Dash's middle name last time, but now she got to choose for her new baby.
Bob stared happily at his wife and his newborn kid. He then paused, thinking about what to give to his newborn son.
A small bit of thinking about how it was. Him, Lucius, Simon, wherever he was, and... Jack. Jack had gone off to find him, and had never came back. It was easier to assume that Jack was dead, because of how reckless, how bold, and how stupid he could be. How those glory days were gone, but, at least the memories could hold on.
It had been so long since he had seen Simon or Jack, but he'll find them, dead or alive, that he can promise. Wherever they are.
"Jackson." He then said at last.
Johnathan Jackson Parr was born, or as he was known to the family. Jack-Jack.
In a weird way, Bob thought it would be nice to honor the guy who was one of his oldest friends in the super field, even if he had so many issues of his own, but, one day, he promised, people will be able to live the glory days again.