Ethan was a bit underwhelmed by the rich boy’s house. Instead of a big fancy mansion, his target lived in a nicer-than-usual suburban home. Granted, it was bigger than the other nearby houses, made of nicer material, and had a large yard that was semi-isolated from the rest of the neighborhood. It was still a far cry from the aristocratic manor Ethan expected. The psycho must not be as wealthy as the villain first thought.

  “Yet this guy can hire a bunch of goons to harass his crush…” Ethan muttered to himself. “Something doesn't add up…”

  On the way here, Ethan had his clones tell him about the thugs this kid hired to get a better idea of his potential enemies. They sent him a vision of a group of men attacking a sedan, most likely the parents’ car the doubles mentioned. Ethan was surprised to see that the goons weren’t dirty street punks, but well-dressed and armed men.

  They also weren’t wailing on the vehicle like neanderthals. These guys were precise, and they attacked the weak spots on the car with purpose. They broke the windows, popped the tires, caved in the roof, ripped off the hood, and smashed the engine. Their movements were rough but fluid enough to paint a picture of working men on a job they were trained for. Whoever these guys were, they were professionals.

  So why were they working for a kid who, at best, was upper-middle-class? The goons didn’t look strapped for cash, and Ethan doubted this job would look good on their resume. The villain didn’t know what kind of standards criminals have, but he would be surprised if anyone was impressed by a man who helped gang stalk a teenager. There had to be something in this situation that Ethan didn’t see, but what was it…?

  The villain shook his head to clear his mind. It didn’t matter why the professional thugs did what they did. Ethan was going to stop it tonight, one way or another.

  The Wukong was perched on his target's house, waiting for clones to take their places. According to the watcher, the adults of the house were all gone, leaving the kid alone to monitor his pet project. Ethan would have gone in already, but he had to make sure he wouldn’t get disturbed.

  “We’re in position, Boss,” a double reported. Ethan had sent his extra clones out to keep an eye out for anyone headed to his location. Whether they were the house owners or the Crusaders, Ethan would get a heads-up and duck out before anyone could catch him.

  Ethan morphed into a bug and crawled into the house. Over his last few robberies, he was getting better at finding ways to break into places. He eventually realised that he could turn into a bug and crawl through gaps in the building, and there would always be a few. Door cracks, windows slightly ajar, minor structural integrities, all Ethan had to do was look around and be small enough, then he’d be in.

  The interior of the house was just as disappointing as the outside. It was essentially a typical suburban house with expensive-looking decorations. It was certainly more than what the Girouxs could afford, but he doubted the ultra-rich would settle on just an antique clock and a couple of chandeliers.

  ‘Maybe they just don’t want to spend too much?’ Ethan wondered. He shook his bug head again and kept moving.

  The stalker’s room was in the corner of the third floor. From what his clones saw, the bedroom was slightly bigger than Ebenezer’s room. It had more leg room to walk around in, which meant it would be easier to fight in. But other than that and an extra-large bed, it wasn’t any different from a normal teenager’s dwelling.

  Ethan crawled under the door to see his target sitting at his computer and snickering to himself. He looked like a combination of the rich jerk from any TV show and the creepy kid in school you didn’t want to go near. Despite just sitting around in his room, the guy dressed like he was about to go to a formal dinner or something. He wore a button-up shirt and slacks. They were in pristine condition, but they did little to make him look presentable.

  His black hair was messy, and not stylishly messy, but unattractive bedhead messy. His eyes were overly wide, like he was ready to stare something down. Lastly, his mouth was in a crooked smile that would look better on a serial killer than a teenager. All in all, he looked like a half-dressed ghoul.

  When Ethan crawled into his room, the rich boy was giggling to himself. That alone was creepy enough, but considering what was on his computer, it made things worse. The stalker watched a camera feed of a suburban home, smaller than the one they were in, so it must belong to a normal family.

  A man stood before the front door, talking to a police officer. Ethan couldn’t hear what was being said, but given the look on the man’s face, he was having a panic attack, and the stone-faced copper was no help.

  Suddenly, the creep zoomed in on one of the windows, and someone was peeking out of it. Ethan couldn’t see who it was, but he didn’t have to. Given how the stalker’s smile widened upon seeing them, it can only be the unfortunate girl who was the catalyst for this whole mess. The girl remained mostly hidden behind the curtain, but the small glimpse was enough to see the pure terror in the girls clenched fist and lone eye.

  The rich kid must’ve seen what Ethan saw as his giggles turned into full-on guffaws. He must think he was getting everything he wanted while also making the girl pay for defying him. Time to disappoint him.

  The stalker was laughing so hard, he didn’t notice when a bug turned into a masked assailant right behind him. Though, he did notice his computer turning off after Ethan yanked out a cord.

  “What the hell?!” The rich kid screamed. He grabbed the monitor and started shaking it, as if that would do anything.

  “Such a shame,” Ethan lamented. The creeper wirled around and stared at the villain in wide-eyed befuddlement. “And you almost finished.”

  “Who the hell are you?!” the wealthy brat asked as he jumped out of his computer chair. “What are you doing in my house?!”

  “Me?” Ethan asked, dramatically placing a hand on his chest. “Just a simple monkey with too much time on his hands. I hear you got nothing better to do than stalk some helpless girl, so I figured I should come by and entertain you.” Instead of looking fearful or caught, the rich kid just sneered, an arrogance glint in his eye as he glared at the Wukong.

  “So Bonnie sent you,” the creeper said derisively. “Clearly, she hasn’t learned her lesson if she thinks some wanna-be hero can intimidate Jack Capito.” He said his last name with some flourish, like Ethan was supposed to know who he was or who he was related to. The villain didn’t know and didn’t really care.

  He was more focused on the fact that this little prick had called him a hero and was brushing him off. You don’t just dismiss a guy who broke into your home! But that’s what Jack was doing. Ethan just stood back and watched the stalker ignore him while plugging in his computer. The Wukong knew he should take this moment to attack, yet he found himself captivated by Jack’s sheer hubris.

  The way he dismissed Ethan off like he was nothing, a mere pest he decided wasn’t worth killing… It made Ethan’s blood boil as he was reminded of his own tormentors' treatment of him. The villain tightened the grip on his staff but stood still. Now that he knew what to look out for, Ethan could manage his anger, especially since it was about to be let out anyway.

  “I don’t know who you are,” Jack said as he retook his seat and started his PC. “And right now, that makes you the luckiest man in the world.” The moment the computer was awake, Jack opened up some sort of banking program, still not caring that Ethan was in the room. “I’m going to be too busy punishing Bonnie for this stunt to bother wondering who you are. Best if you're gone before I change my mind.”

  “How generous,” Ethan said dryly. “But I got a better idea.” Ethan grabbed the back of Jack’s head and slammed it into the desk, right on top of his keyboard. The crunch of breaking plastic was oddly satisfying, especially mixed with Jack’s shriek of pain. Pulling the rich punk off the desk, Ethan threw him onto the ground, forcing him to roll onto the carpet and stain it with his blood.

  “My nose!” Jack screamed as he got onto his hands and knees. One hand was covering his bleeding face, and he looked at Ethan with a mixture of shock and outrage. “You broke my nose!”

  “Your nose is going to be the least of your worries.” Ethan sent a swift kick into Jack’s gut, making the boy collapse again, his free arm clutching his torso. “I’m not sure what you call someone in your situation, but you clearly need help.”

  “Fuck… you…” Jack wheezed as he struggled back to his crawling position.

  “Patience, little boy~” Ethan admonished. “As I was saying, you need help… but I’m not here to help you. I’m not here to help anyone. I’m here because I’m in the mood to hurt someone. And you, sitting here, acting like you're untouchable, clearly need to get hurt.”

  “You won’t get away with this…” Jack hissed as he shakingly got to his feet. He stopped holding his stomach like it was about to fall out, but he kept a hand pressed to his face. He stared down Ethan, trying to look haughty, but there was a touch of fear in his eyes. Ethan’s words must have shaken Jack more than he wants to admit.

  Good. Whatever happens next, he won’t be inclined to torture Bonnie more because of it.

  “I have before,” Ethan said with what he hoped was a confident laugh and not a self-deprecating one. “What makes you so special?”

  “Because I’m important!” Jack snapped. He started inching his way towards his bed, which was odd since the door was on the opposite side of the room. Was Jack not thinking straight, or did he have a plan in mind? “Do you know who you’re messing with?! Do you know who my father works for?!”

  “Nope, and I don’t much care.” Ethan walked in front of the door, making sure to block it if and when Jack realised he went the wrong way. The wealthy creep didn’t seem surprised over the Wukong’s movements, but that just confused Ethan. What could this punk be planning? The only other exit would be the window above Jack’s bed, but that was an even worse option than making a run for the door. If Jack jumped out the 2nd story window, he’d hit the ground with nothing but the grass to break his fall.

  “You should’ve done your homework before coming here!” Jack hissed. He slipped his free hand behind his bed frame, clearly reaching for something. Ethan knew what it was before Jack pulled it out. This creep had some foresight after all, if he keeps a gun in his room. “You don’t know who you’ve just made enemies with!”

  As Jack was about to pull his weapon, Ethan lunged forward, spearing him in the gut with his staff. Jack’s eyes widened, and he folded in on himself, but his arms didn’t move from his face or behind the bed. Ethan stepped back and then swung his staff upward to catch Jack in the face. The blow hit the wealthy brat’s hand, but still aggravated his already broken nose.

  Jack reeled back in pain, collapsing into the wall, and leaving himself open for Ethan’s sideswipe. Ethan’s stick struck Jack in the cheek and sent him flying into the side of his room. Jack crashed into the wall, narrowly missing the closet doors.

  “Argh! God… Dammit!” Jack swore as he hit the ground.

  “Aw, what’s the matter?” Ethan cooed as he stalked forward. “Not having fun? Though, I can understand why. You’re used to being in control and causing the pain, not taking it. Tell me, how does it feel being on the other side? Embarrassing? Demeaning? Maybe even Humbling?" That last part came out with a giggle, like he was talking about something ridiculous, like pigs suddenly sprouting wings.

  Jack didn’t respond right away; he was too busy catching his breath to say anything. But every breath became quicker and ragged as he crawled up the wall. He removed his hand from his face to help him move up the wall. Ethan could see Jack’s squashed nose and the waterfall of blood dripping down his face. When the creeper stood on his shaky legs, he threw a look Ethan’s way, one filled to the brim with desperation and hatred.

  “F-Fuck… F-Fuck You!” It was then that Ethan realised Jack had something dark and blocky in his hand. The Gun. Jack tried to raise the weapon, but the villain didn’t give him the chance to fire it. Like with Jordan before, Ethan smacked the gun out of the opponent’s hand with his stick. Jack screamed in pain, and the pistol flew to the side. Before Ethan could press the attack, the weapon went off, but instead of shooting out a bullet, there was a beam of green light that burned a hole in the ceiling.

  “...What the hell?” Ethan said in bewilderment. His gaze switched from spots where the square pistol landed and to the smoking hole it made, trying to figure out what he had just witnessed. However, his investigation was halted as Jack suddenly moved. Ethan’s distraction was the perfect opportunity for the creep to make a run for it, which he did. Ethan only broke out of the stupor when his target shoved the door open and ran out into the hallway.

  Swearing, Ethan ran after him. Jack was halfway across the balcony by the time the Wukong left the room. Ethan elongated his staff and thrust it into the back of the rich boy’s legs, causing him to tumble to the floor. The stalker tried to scramble to his feet, but Ethan closed the distance and grabbed Jack by his shoulders.

  “Leave me alone!” Jack screeched as Ethan hauled him to his feet. The rich kid flailed his arms around like one of those car dealership tube men, but it did nothing to dislodge him from Ethan’s grip. Then the wealthy punk got the brilliant idea to go for Ethan’s throat.

  Reaching around, Jack’s hand latched onto the wukong’s neck, and he started squeezing. Ethan felt the sudden pain in his throat, and his temper flared up. Thinking fast, the villain slammed Jack into the wall. The moneyed bastard grunted in pain, but he didn’t release his grip. So Ethan tried again, only this time he slammed the other boy’s head into the structure, grabbing the front of his skull to do more damage.

  Jack slurred out something unintelligible, and his grip on Ethan’s neck loosened. The lack of pain gave Ethan some relief, but his anger was still ready to lash out. So, Ethan whirled around and threw Jack off the balcony. The rich kid’s body crashed through the railing and fell to the ground. Jack let out a scream, but it was cut off by the sound of breaking furniture.

  Breathing heavily, Ethan slowly walked toward the broken railing and looked down. Jack lay on top of the remains of a broken coffee table. He didn’t try to get up and run for the door; he just stayed on the ground, quietly shuddering as he tried to breathe.

  Ethan worried that he might have put the boy in a coma, but he heard the small, broken sobs coming from the stalker below. The creep was still alive, just very hurt. Though right now, Jack didn’t look like a stalker who was having goons threaten a young girl, he looked like a boy who had been beaten to a pulp.

  Looking down on Jack’s prone form and seeing the blood streaming down his face, Ethan couldn’t help but feel ashamed of what he had done. Of the pain he had willing caused… But that shame was immediately chased away by his frustration.

  ‘Goddammit, he deserved it!’ Ethan snarled to himself. He forced himself to remember Bonnie staring out a window, looking terrified and helpess. There hadn’t been much to see, but you could still feel the girl's fear. Jack certainly felt it since he laughed at the sight of her. Focusing on the sound of the stalker’s cruel and sadistic laughter eased Ethan’s guilt.

  When the villain looked at his victim again, he didn’t feel an ounce of pity for the bastard. Still, Ethan didn’t feel the need to inflict any more pain on him.

  Hopefully, Jack won’t bother Bonnie again, and if he does, Ethan will pay him another visit.

  Satisfied with his work, Ethan turned and walked back to Jack’s room. He was ready to leave, but he wanted to check something first. Ethan looked down and saw the “gun” Jack had tried to use on him earlier. Instead of a regular pistol, it looked more like a nail gun made out of LEGO bricks.

  It was all blocky and seemed to be made of mismatched parts, giving it a “cobbled together” look, like someonje manufactured the weapon in their garage or something. While Ethan wasn’t sure if this thing had a make and model, it was obviously some sort of blaster pistol, but why would someone like Jack have it?

  Ethan’s thoughts were cut off by a phone ringing. His head turned to Jack’s desk, where the slimy boy had left his mobile. Curiosity piqued, Ethan walked over to the phone and glanced at the screen. The caller was simply known as “Goon 1”; must be Jack’s thugs checking in with him. Ethan should let them know that their boss has more important things to spend his money on.

  Ethan casually hopped into Jack’s computer chair and answered the phone. “Hello?”

  “Who are you?” a firm male voice asked, his question more of a command. That was surprising, but what struck Ethan as odd was that there was no hesitation or confusion in the brute’s voice. He didn’t bother asking about Jack, and he didn’t sound surprised that someone else answered his phone, like he already knew what happened. Ethan glanced at the laser pistol still lying on the floor, suddenly realising that the rich kid’s grandstanding might not be as delusional as they sounded.

  “This is Ethan Sun,” the boy said calmly. He sat back in his chair and waited to hear the thug’s reaction to his name, but nothing came. Ethan was hoping to hear something like shock or fear coming from the goon, but only got stoney silence. The villain spent a few seconds being disappointed before realizing the issue. He never told anyone his name! Ethan never introduced himself so of course nobody knew his name! No wonder the media only called him a “masked vigilante.”

  ‘Another problem I need to fix,’ Ethan groaned.

  “Well, Ethan,” the thug hissed eventually. “Do you have any idea who you’ve just attacked?”

  “He said his name was Jack Capito,” Ethan answered normally, pretending he hadn’t just realized an embarrassing oversight. He had no intention of showing how frazzled he was, and perhaps he could get this meathead to share more information about who they are if he sounded like he didn’t have a care in the world. “Acted like some sort of big shot, even as I was beating the shit out of him. I’m guessing you're gonna tell me the same thing.”

  “The kid isn’t important,” The guy answered. He wasn’t shocked by Ethan’s admission, proving he did know about what happened to Jack. ‘Must have the place bugged somehow,’ Ethan guessed. ‘Does that mean they saw me shapeshift? Ugh… I have no way of knowing.’ “But his father works for our organization. And we take care of our own.”

  “Oh, is that why you’re helping Jackie bully his crush? And here I thought you were a bunch of losers that just really needed the money.”

  “We don’t pick our jobs,” the thug growled bitterly. Clearly, he wasn’t proud of his current assignment, not that it mattered. Just because you felt bad about a crime while doing it doesn’t give you a pass for doing said crime in the first place. “But that’s beside the point. You’ve made a lot of enemies today, Sun.”

  “Oh no!” Ethan cried dramatically. “But I thought breaking into people’s homes and beating them up would help me make friends!”

  “...Is this some kind of game to you?!” The brute’s sudden change from professional and threatening to outraged and exasperated almost made Ethan laugh. To think he could get a rise out of a full-time thug gave the boy a strange thrill. But he held himself back; he wasn’t sure where these threats were going, but he had to keep his composure to deal with them. Also, this was a great moment to get his motivation out into the world.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Of course it is,” Ethan responded, his voice deadly serious. “Why else would I do this if I didn’t enjoy it? What, do you think I’m some wannabe Hero looking to save a damsel in distress? No. I’m here because I wanted to hurt Jack. Because I like finding assholes and force-feeding them their own medicine, making sure every gulp is more painful than the last. Simple as that.”

  A tense silence stretched between the two callers. For a second, Ethan worried he had laid it on too thick, but then the brute spoke up.

  “Well, your sick little game has gotten you in big trouble!” the goon suddenly barked. Ethan was taken aback by his sudden volume, but he did notice the note of desperation in his voice. It made the thug sound like he was lashing out after being backed into a corner. Looks like he got unnerved by Ethan’s little speech.

  The villain reminded himself that he was likely being monitored and had to do his best not to jump for joy or squeal in giddiness.

  “And when we catch you, we’re gonna-!”

  “Before you threaten me again,” Ethan interrupted, unable to keep his newfound smugness out of his voice. “Can you tell me who this “We” you and Jack keep referring to? Because you guys act like you're some kind of big deal, yet I still have no idea who you are.”

  “Are you fucking-!” The thug snarled before cutting himself off. The next thing Ethan heard was muffled words; the goon must be talking to someone else. Maybe he was complaining to his buddies about the new brat he had to deal with.

  Ethan leaned back in the chair while waiting for the brute to get back to him. He was prepared to relax and wait for more threats, but then the clones messaged him. Ethan suddenly saw a vision of three cars heading down the street, towards Jack’s house.

  What caught his doubles’ attention was that they were driving close together, like they were in formation. Ethan, however, focused on the oddly blocky shape each car had, kind of like Jack’s laser pistol. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the cavalry was on its way, so Ethan had to start wrapping this up.

  “Do you know the name Neo Spectrum?” the thug asked, his tone low and serious, like he was talking about the Devil.

  “Neo Spectrum?” Ethan hummed in thought. He stood up from Jack’s chair and then used his staff to smash open the window. “No, actually, I don’t know them,” Ethan added, ignoring the loud crash of glass. “Who are they?”

  “Neo Spectrum!” the goon shouted. “The biggest criminal organization in Poppytown!” Ethan hummed again, this time he did try to see if he knew anything about this “criminal organization”.

  “Oh, I remember,” the villain exclaimed. “You're that gang that’s run by a mad scientist!” Ethan remembered news reports from a couple years ago that talked about gangsters who wore lab coats and carried weapons straight out of a science fiction movie. Ebenezer had thought they were cool in a campy villain sort of way, but Ethan might have a different opinion if their members were all petty bastards like Jack. “Didn’t the Crusaders drive you out of town?”

  “Shows what you know,” the gang member sneered. ‘I think the grunts were called Labbies.’ “The Crusaders aren’t going to get rid of the group that keeps them relevant. They make a big show of raiding our operations every once in a while, but they always leave us enough resources to rebuild.”

  “Is that right?” was all Ethan said as he climbed onto the bed. He hadn’t held the Crusaders in high regard, so the knowledge that they knowingly let a Mad Scientist Mafia fester in their city wasn’t a surprise. He could understand why they’d do it, as Poppytown would be the type of place that’dd toss out their superheroes as soon as they weren’t immediately useful, celebrity status or not. If Ethan had to deal with such ingrates, he might do the same thing.

  Ethan was about to start climbing out the window when there was a sound of rattling metal. Suddenly, a metal shutter fell over the broken aperture, blocking Ethan’s escape route and pitching the room in darkness. A few seconds later the Jack’s bedroom and the outer hallway were bathed in orange light, letting Ethan see the predicament he found himself in.

  “Now we got’cha!” the Labby laughed triumphantly. “That’s the Neo Spectrum’s special metal shell. It’s meant to protect our people from assaults, but it’s also good for trapping rats like you, Sun. I don’t know how you got in that house, but you’re not getting out. Soon as our boys get there, you’re dead!”

  Ethan stared at the metal plating, putting the years of smiling through his pain to the test as he forced himself not to freak out. Yes, he was caught, but it was a temporary thing! Ethan was sure he could bust out easily enough. The villain elongated his staff and had it slam into the metal, but it wouldn’t budge. He repeated the action a few more times, hoping a couple of strikes would force the panel to give, but it held firm. Still remaining calm, Ethan grabbed Jack’s laser pistol and fired it at the metal sheet. The green ray of light splashed against the hardware, but Ethan couldn’t tell if he was making it melt or not.

  “That laser pointer ain’t gonna help you!” the goon cackled over the phone. During his onslaught, Ethan chucked the device onto Jack bed. He wasn’t how the Labby was now on speaker phone but he had other things to worry about. “That shell could get barraged by a dozen RPGs and it’d still be standing!”

  Ethan plafced a hand over his mouth to muffle his breathing. A pointless gesture thanks to his mask, but the last thing he needed was for the Labbies to hear him start to panic. Ethen tried to reign in his growing terror, but as he stared at the metal wall, a familiar feeling of helplessness took root in his soul, and he felt a sudden desire to scream in despair.

  ‘Stay calm!’ He ordered himself. ‘You’re not helpless and they don’t know everything you can do!’ The goon started gloating about how great Neo Spectrum was, but Ethan wasn’t listening. Instead he sent out a distress signal to his clones. Every available bird clone was now perched on nearby houses and waiting for the cavalry to arrive. If the worst happened and Ethan had to face off a bunch of goons with blasters, he’d have his own backup.

  With that safety net in place, the villain managed to cool his anxiety and start thinking clearly. No doubt the metal casing covered the entire house, but the thing wasn’t air-tight. The goal was to hold Ethan, not suffocate him, so there had to be a place where fresh air could come in. If Ethan could find that place, he could transform into a bug and crawl out of it, the same way he came in. It’d be an easy escape, but one Ethan shouldn’t take.

  If the Labby was to be believed, Ethan Sun was now an enemy of Neo Spectrum. The boy didn’t know what that entailed, but he doubted things would end if he managed to escape. The gang would come after him, and probably have weapons specifically designed to hurt him. That’s what mad scientists did after all, make weird gadgets for specific purposes.

  It was in Ethan’s best interest to keep as many of his cards hidden as he could. Which meant he had to find a way to escape without using his powers and before whatever hit squad showed up. The villain wasn’t sure how he was being monitored, but the smart move was to assume he was on camera so long as he was in the Capito House. The Labbies missing his shapeshifting was a lucky break, one Ethan didn’t want to ruin by morphing on a whim.

  If he couldn’t use his abilities to run away, then what did he have left? He already tried to brek out with his staff, so that was no help. No, Ethan’s best option was to somehow get the Labbies to retract the shell early, essentially letting him go. But how would Ethan make them do that? He’d need to do something… unpredictable… crazy… and possibly put Jack’s life in danger…

  “I guess I’ll just have to burn down the house,” Ethan said out loud with a shrugged.

  “Ye-WHAT?!” the thug shrieked. Ethan debated on whether he should grab the phone and stay on the line, but thought he could sell his plan better if he acted like they were done talking. So, Ethan just left the room, leaving the thug to scream uselessly through the phone.

  Stuffing the laser pistol in the back of his pants, Ethan strolled out of Jack’s room and headed downstairs. Despite wanting to sprint around the house and get this done as soon as possible, the villain forced himself to act carefree and not rushed. Assuming Neo Spectrum was watching, Ethan couldn’t show his anxiousness; he had to be calm, so when they contacted him again, he could get the upper hand.

  Still, Ethan didn’t have much time. He remembered the group of cars weren’t speeding down the road to get to him, but it was only a matter of time before they showed up.

  “Guys!” Ethan called out to his doubles. “I need you to hold up the cavalry! I don’t care how you do it, just slow them down!” Ethan didn’t get a response, but he felt three of his clones fly off. Honestly, the villain had no idea how they’d stop the incoming gangsters, but he didn’t have the time to focus on them. He just had to hope they came up with something while he did his part.

  Ethan walked into the kitchen, an open area that still had more appliances and space than the Giroux kitchen. He was looking for something like cooking oil or a large bag of flour, something flammable he could spread around the place. But here, Ethan found another stroke of luck.

  On the far side of the kitchen area was a glass cabinet filled with liquor bottles. The flasks came in all colors and sizes that were from various brands. Ethan didn’t know if this much alcohol meant that Jack’s parents were alcoholics, or considered themselves “coinesseurs,” but it didn’t matter right now.

  Ethan smashed the glass door open and pulled out a large wine bottle. It was a long burgundy colored container with a brand label Ethan didn’t recognize, not that he was familiar with popular winemakers.

  The bottle had a cork blocking the entrance. Ethan didn’t have a corkscrew, but that wasn’t a problem. Simply grabbing the bottleneck, Ethan twisted his wrist and snapped the thing in half. Tossing the broken tube of glass aside, Ethan began dumping the contents all over the kitchen, making sure to soak anything that looked flammable.

  That’s when a phone started ringing. But instead of Jack’s cell, this ringing came from a landline on the kitchen counter. Grabbing and opening a bottle of whiskey, Ethan moved to answer the phone while he continued pouring the alcohol.

  “Hello?” Ethan answered casually.

  “What the hell are you doing?!” the Labby screamed.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Ethan responded, acting like the goon was playing dumb. “I’m getting ready to set the house on fire.”

  “Are you insane?! That’ll kill you too!”

  “Are you sure about that?” Ethan asked smugly. “You said so yourself, you have no idea how I got into the house. You don’t know what I can do. Who’s to say I’m not fireproof?”

  “...You’re bluffing!” the thug snarled. He was catching on to what Ethan was planning, but the villain didn’t let that deter him. From the way the gangster was acting, Ethan guessed he and his friends needed to keep Jack alive and happy. Having the house burn down with him in it would be one hell of a failure. Hopefully it didn’t have to come to that…

  “Maybe I am,” Ethan conceded. He emptied the whiskey bottle before returning to the cabinet and grabbing three other flasks. Instead of breaking them open on the spot, he carried them to the foyer, where Jack still lay broken. He didn’t try to get up and his breathing was slow and steady. He must’ve fallen unconscious which made Ethan’s job easier.

  “Maybe I’m hoping to scare you so badly that you’ll pull back the shell and let me go. Or maybe I’m hoping the fire will mess up your surveillance system so bad you won’t be able to see how I escape. Or maybe I’ve accepted my death, and rather than wait for your goon squad to come and kill me, I’ve decided to go out my own way while giving one last middle finger to the people who killed me!” That last part earned Ethan some stunned silence.

  “... You're insane…” the Labby muttered.

  “Oh yeah?! Well, peace of mind is overrated!" Ethan again ended the call and chucked the phone over his shoulder. Then he opened one of the bottles and began spilling the contents around Jack. Ethan made sure none of the alcohol touched the rich kid, instead pouring the alcohol in a messy circle around the boy.

  Ethan was grateful for his mask right now, as he doubted he could’ve stopped his face scrunching up in discomfort. Jack deserved to get beaten up, but burned to death? That was too far. Even if the fire didn’t touch him, Jack could die from the smoke or eventually get crushed by some falling debris. If Ethan’s gambit didn’t pay off, Jack was going to suffer for it, and Ethan would damn himself.

  Still, it had to be done. No matter how this situation ended, Ethan would be on Neo Spectrum’s radar, so he needed to do whatever it took to escape.

  After soaking the living room in alcohol, Ethan moved on to other parts of the house with more bottles. Feeling the need to hurry things along, the villain switched from dumping the liquid to just throwing the bottles around the house like water balloons. Ethan had never burned down a house before, so he wasn’t sure what you needed to do, but he figured that as long as the most flammable parts of the building were soaked in booze, things should take care of themselves.

  Eventually, Ethan ran out of spirits and found himself standing in the foyer. All that was left to do now was to light it up. He had kept the blaster pistol since it looked handy, so all Ethan had to do was point and shoot…

  Instant house fire.

  Ethan reached behind him, where he stuffed the gun in the back of his pants and began to draw it out. It should have been a quick thing, whipping out a pistol the size of a small tablet, yet Ethan found his movements sluggish. He was hesitating. He knew he shouldn’t; time wasn’t on his side, and any weakness the boy displayed could be used against him. But still, Ethan wavered as he aimed the gun.

  If Ethan did this, and Jack ended up getting hurt… That was it. That’d be the point of no return. What would happen after that? Uncle Sunny would most likely disown and depower him, but after that? He’d have to go back to being his pathetic mortal self.

  Could Ethan go back to being Ebenezer after tasting the power that came with being a Wukong? The idea of being forced to live as Nice and Helpless Ebenezer again filled Ethan with a sense of horror he had never felt before. But at the same time, it helped him steady his hands as he aimed the laser pistol at the scotch-stained carpet in the living room.

  Scary as the potential consequences were, they also reminded Ethan of why he had to keep going, of why he wanted to be a villain so badly. It wasn’t just to get revenge on the people who wronged him; Ethan wanted to be free. Free of his old life, where he was stuck being everyone’s slave because he was too Nice to stand up for himself. Being Ethan Sun was the first taste of liberation the boy felt in years, and he’d be damned if the villain died today.

  But before Ethan could pull the trigger, the phone finally rang. The sound nearly caused the Wukong to jump in shock, then collapse in relief. But Ethan reigned himself in and instead made a show of groaning in annoyance before stomping over to where the phone lay on the floor and picking it up.

  “Hi,” Ethan answered, his tone a bit more clipped than the last time. “Can I call you back? I’m a bit busy.”

  “You listen here,” the Labby snarled. “If you start a fire in that house, you’re dead. That’s an insult Neo Spectrum won’t tolerate. We will hunt you down to the ends of the earth, and we’ll make you suffer a death more horrible than you can imagine!”

  “...Yeah, and?” Ethan did his best not to snicker over the goon’s ultimatum, but it was hard as the brute’s overly dramatic voice gave away how much he practiced that little rant. “I mean, you already said I’m Neo Spectrum’s enemy. I assumed getting hunted down and killed was part of the package. How is this “you’re dead” stuff any different?”

  “We…! Will do it…! More… intensely!” the thug sputtered, making Ethan giggle. “And there’s your loved ones! We’ll go after them, too!”

  “Well, that’s unfortunate,” Ethan said with a sigh. “Sadly, I don’t have any loved ones to go after. The mask is more for aesthetics than to protect my identity.”

  “Oh yeah?! Prove it by taking off your mask!”

  “Say please~”

  “Fuck you!”

  “Hahaha! Then no!” Ethan took a breath, then aimed the gun back at the liquor-soaked living room. “It was nice talking to you, but I have to get back to committing arson.”

  “We’re not taking back the shell!” the thug shrieked, panic leaking out of his voice. “You’re fucking bluffing! There’s no way you’re willing to burn yourself to death out of spite!”

  “Oh no!” Ethan said dramatically. “You found me out! You’re right, goonie, I don’t want to die in a fire. And guess what? I’m not going to! When I start the fire, you’re either going to freak out and get rid of the shell, or you’re going to let the place burn and giving me a way out. I give myself good odds on escaping after the blaze starts tearing the house apart.”

  “You really are nuts! You’ll just burn up in the house!”

  “Only one way to find out~”

  “No!”

  “No? Well, I don’t see any other options here… Unless you pull back the iron curtain now and let me leave.”

  “You fucker… Of course, that’s what you want! Well, it ain’t happening!”

  “Then I’ll just burn down the house.”

  “Do it and we’ll fucking kill you!”

  “I’m well aware. I’m also aware that you're probably in some deep shit now that Jackie needs to go to the hospital. I can only imagine what kind of trouble you’ll be in if he dies in a house fire and all you did was sit back and scream at the guy who caused it.” The goon said nothing, a tense silence reading from the other end of the line. “So, you got two options right now. Get rid of the metal shell and let me walk out of here, or you let me burn the place down with little Jack inside.”

  “When I get my hands on you-,” the Labby began, but Ethan wasn’t going to let him continue. While he acted carefree, he still knew that the goon squad could be here any minute, so he needed to hurry this along.

  “You have until the count of 10 to decide,” Ethan stated as he aimed the laser pistol again.

  “You piece of shit! You think you can scare me?!”

  “10.”

  “You think you can get away with this?! Neo Spectrum won’t forget this insult!”

  “9.”

  “We will find you! And we’ll make you suffer until you beg us to kill you!” Ethan felt a twinge of irritation as the Labby kept screaming in his ear. It sounded like he was deliberately being belligerent and obstructive. Was he stalling for time? Well then, Ethan’s going to have to speed things up.

  “3.”

  “And we--wait, what? Hey! HEY! You can’t do that!”

  “2.”

  “You fucking bastard! You’re gonna pay-!”

  “1.”

  “Goddammit!” Ethan took a breath, readying himself to pull the trigger. But before he had to force himself to act, there was the sound of shuttering metal and the orange lights turned off and gave way to natural sunlight. Making sure he wasn’t seeing things, Ethan glanced at a nearby window and saw the neighborhood outside. The metal shell was gone.

  The Labby tried to let out some final threat, but Ethan wasn’t paying attention. He dropped the phone and strolled out of the building. Everything in him screamed to make a run for it, but Ethan felt the need to keep up his calm persona until the very end.

  Walking to the front entrance, Ethan kicked the door open and left the house like he was simply going out on the town. Ethan had no idea how much of the street Neo Spectrum was watching, if at all, so Ethan had to find some cover. Climbing up the nearest tree, Ethan made sure the leaves completely covered him before he shapeshifted. Instead of turning into a bird like usual, Ethan turned himself into a fly. The small creature shouldn’t disturb the leaves too badly, and most cameras won’t notice a bug flying away.

  Once in his new form, Ethan shot out of the tree and flew across the city as fast as he could, not stopping until he zipped past the broken windows of his factory base. It was only then that Ethan returned to his human form and allowed himself to feel the terror and panic that he’d been hiding since the metal wall fell.

  “Holy shit!” Ethan hissed as he collapsed onto the lair’s sofa. “That was way too close!” Ethan found himself curling up into a ball as the adrenaline rush faded and the shaking started. It was the first time Ethan felt powerless since becoming a villain. While the boy knew he wasn’t all-powerful, suddenly finding himself in a situation where his Wukong powers couldn’t save him was terrifying. Having your limits suddenly thrust in your face during what could’ve been a life-or-death situation was enough to shake anyone.

  But it was also exhilarating. That was the first time Ethan was trapped, yet he managed to get out of it. The battle with the demon hillbilly was scary, but running away had always been an option. There at Jack’s house, Ethan had been backed into a corner and had to escape using only his wit and luck.

  A shiver of delight ran up Ethan’s spine as he replayed the events. He probably could’ve done things a bit more smoothly if he had a better game plan than just arson, but Ethan couldn’t help but smile over how it all went down. The danger was real, and so was the rush he felt when he managed to flee. Ethan could see himself getting addicted to this feeling, which could be a problem down the road…

  “Enough,” Ethan sighed, then shook his head and stood from the sofa. Despite everything that happened, it was only the late morning, and Ethan had two more targets he wanted to deal with. Usually, something that intense would be cause for the villain to take it easy for the rest of the day, but not today. Instead, Ethan felt eager to keep going; the surge of energy from escaping that trap wasn’t going away anytime soon, so he might as well go after his next hit.

  “With any luck, dealing with the vampire will be much simpler.”