"The Sensational Night Shadow in… The Jacked Up Headless Reunion"

Chapter 6

Created by The Spectacular SpiderDom

Night Shadow was relieved to walk out of his old school. He missed the smell of fresh air and he also wanted to spend some time with Sydney. He and his team came out the front doors with Appleseed's head in Raven's hands; his mouth was taped shut.

Sydney, Amber, Jerry, Nelson, Chad, and Virginia got excited when they saw the heroes. Sydney was about to hug her boyfriend before Virginia pushed her down to the ground. Dunnere gasped and went to bite the brunette brat, but Night Shadow shook his head as if to say, "No, Dunnere. Don't do that." The heroes and villains watched the woman approach them.

"Can I just say that was like totally amazing!" Virginia smiled. "But the only thing I'm gonna harass you guys about is that you destroyed my artwork! Seriously! I spent a lot of time on that stuff and you just destroy it! What the hell, guys? I'm going to call my daddy! He's gonna make you all sorry for what you-"

Technolocity pulled a fifty-dollar bill from his wallet. "Here's fifty dollars if you leave us alone."

"That can be arranged," Virginia smiled, as she took the dollar from the villain's hand.

"She's gonna be pissed when she finds out that dollar's from a Monopoly game," Technolocity whispered to his teammates. He snickered and patted them on their shoulders.

Night Shadow finally hugged his girlfriend, as his other friends walked towards him.

"Never thought I'd see an alliance between heroes and villains," Jerry stroked his chin. "Granted, it's happened multiple times in comic books, but in real life! Guess there is a first for everything."

"I will admit, Technolocity, you and the Void League did help us out a lot," Monsoon Gal leaned on her weapon. "Thanks for the help."

"Even I have to say, you weren't half bad," Pyro Lad folded his arms.

"Yeah, but this was a one-time thing!" Technolocity replied with a grin. "Now, it's time to get back to business! Void League, retrieve the demons from Night Shadow, Monsoon Gal, and Pyro Lad now!"

The Void League didn't follow his orders. Instead, they all just yawned and stretch their bodies.

"Boss… we're-tired-and-we're-also-lazy," Tender Soul said. "Also-we-just-uncovered-a-jacked-up-mystery."

"Don't you think we deserve a break?" Mojo rubbed her head.

Technolocity gave his team a moody frown at first before he gave them a quick moan. He was about to lecture them about laziness before he yawned as well. Stretching his arms, he heard his back crack. "All right… maybe next time, guys. How's next week sound?"

"Sounds good to me," Night Shadow replied.

"Good… welp, see ya later, guys."

The supervillains walked to the left of the school, but as Technolocity and Mojo trailed along, the rest of the team stayed behind and looked back at Night Shadow. Walking towards him, they offered him their hands. Raven handed Appleseed's head to Monsoon Gal.

"I'm sorry I disrespected you at first, Night Shadow," Melody said with a low sigh. "I know we've grown accustomed to being enemies; however, despite all the shit we've done to you for the past nine years, you treated us with kindness… Thank you for helping us with this mystery."

"You're-the-best!" Tender Soul winked and gave a thumbs up.

"I should be thanking you guys," Night Shadow answered, as he shook the trio's hands. "If you didn't show up, I would be running around the basement like a headless chicken."

The Void League chuckled.

"You know," Night Shadow continued. "It's not too late for you guys to turn to the side of good. You were heroes in the past, so you can be heroes again. Come to the light side, my friends. We have cookies."

The Void League chuckled again before they gave the hero the same frown.

"We would… but we can't," Raven answered softly. "Now's not the best time."

Turning around, the three villains followed their master.

But Night Shadow asked, "When is the best time?"

Raven turned over his shoulder. "You'll know."

The Void League left the schoolyard, leaving the good guys alone.

Monsoon Gal and Pyro Lad stood next to Night Shadow, who was sad that his former friends decided to stay who they are. The former placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"You have a heart of gold, Night Shadow," she nodded. "But you have to understand. They're our enemies now… we have to learn to accept that."

"I know," the black/blue replied. "But if they weren't such hard cases, they could totally be superheroes."

A moment of silence occurred between the interlocutors.

"Hey, Gavroche," Pyro Lad said, as he turned around. "While I may not know much about you, thanks for your-What the hell?"

The mysterious figure suddenly disappeared.

"Holy disappearing act, Batman!" Night Shadow exclaimed. "Gavroche's gone."

"Where did he go?" Monsoon Gal asked. Her demon, Aqua, shrugged her flippers.

"Wherever he is, we better keep a close eye on him," Pyro Lad said. "We still don't know why he was here. He had nothing to do with Appleseed's plan, so why was he here?"

"Not sure," Monsoon Gal tapped her foot on the grass. "But I have a feeling this isn't the last we'll see of him."

"Very true," Night Shadow nodded.

The pyrokinetic hero cracked his back and rolled his arms. "Once MG and I bring Appleseed to the cops, I'm gonna head home. There's a new novel I'm working on and I've been procrastinating to write it. Hopefully, I can get a few words down."

Nelson nervously approached the two heroes. "Hi, sorry to bother you three. First off, I am a huge fan of you guys. It's an honor to meet you in person."

"Pleasure's ours's." Monsoon Gal winked.

"If I can just trouble you guys really quick, have you seen a guy named Mason Moonstone? He's a close friend of mine and we work together for an art business. Yeah, he didn't help me with my problem; therefore, he's not getting his raise, but he's a damn good employee and a friend, so I don't wanna lose him. Did he get out safely by any chance?"

Night Shadow pressed his arms against his hips as if he was Superman. "Don't worry, citizen! Mason Moonstone's A-Okay! He's just uh… he's um… he went back to Seattle and then he, no that's not right… let's just say he… he… he…"

Pyro Lad rolled his eyes before he stepped in. "Mason's fine, Sir. He and the other students probably went back to the city."

"Phew! Thank goodness!" Nelson wiped his forehead. "Thanks, guys! Again, I am a huge fan of all of you! Especially you, Night Shadow! You rock!"

"Thank you, pedestrian, who I totally don't work for!"

As Nelson walked away, Monsoon Gal snickered and glanced at Night Shadow.

"Your boss is a big fan, huh?"

"I'm hoping to God he doesn't have a shrine of me in his house… so, MG… sorry to bring you and Pyro into this. I guess I just panicked, that's all. I never dealt with a murder like this before, so I underestimated myself back there. I didn't think I'd work well with the Void League. So, sorry to call you guys out of fear."

"Hey, Pyro, and I are always here to help you out."

"No matter what predicaments you get into," Pyro Lad nodded. "By the way, you suck at lying."

"I'm aware of that," Night Shadow sighed.

"Pyro and I will take Appleseed to the authorities," Monsoon Gal said. "Why don't you go spend some time with your friends."

"Thanks… I think I will. See ya guys later!"

"Goodbye!" Monsoon Gal waved, as she and her partner began walking down the grass. Rubbing her elbow, she turned to her best friend and said, "Listen Pyro. That stuff I said about Billy… I didn't mean to insult you. It wasn't my intention, I swear… we may see him as an enemy, but… knowing him, there may be a chance he could come around. The Void League have chosen their path, but Billy… he seems lost… I think he needs his brother to help him find his way back home."

Pyro Lad turned to the side and thought about what he heard before he looked into his partner's eyes and replied with, "For now, Turbine's my enemy… but… who knows?... hey, what's this?"

Both heroes stopped once they came across a path with a sign that read, "Lover's Forest."

"What's down Lover's Forest?" Pyro Lad asked.

"Not sure," his partner answered. "Wanna find out?"

Underneath his scarf, the pyrokinetic smiled, as he and his partner strolled down the grassy lane.

Night Shadow smiled at them before he approached Jerry, who was listening to a conversation between Nelson and Chad.

"So, that's Chad, huh?" the former asked.

"Yep."

"He looks pretty good."

"Yeah, he does."

"You think Nelson's gonna apologize?"

"He may be a pervert, but at least he's got a heart… somewhat."

Nelson rubbed the back of his head, as he sat down next to Chad on the grass. "Hey, Chad… sorry about your wheelchair. If you want, Mason and I can make you one."

"Nah, it's fine, Bro," Chad replied, rubbing his legs. "Listen, Nelson… thanks for saving me back there. That was the second nicest thing anyone's ever done for me. Well, I should say the first because my half-brothers got me a soccer ball only for them to pop it five minutes later."

"Ha. You're welcome," Nelson said tenderly. He rubbed his head one more time before he finally came clean. "Listen, Chad. What I was trying to say in the basement earlier is that I'm sorry… I'm sorry for cheating on you and sleeping with everyone in the school… I was insecure back then and not ready for a relationship… it's just that I've been treated like crap when I entered my first three relationships, that I grew an instinct to treat everyone else the same way… I did that to other people who deserved it, but you shouldn't have been one of those people… I'm sorry for the way I treated you, Chad."

The orange-skinned man took in what was just said. With a few nods and a deep breath, Chad gazed into the robot's golden eyes and told him, "I accept your apology, Nelson… however… I still can't look at you the same I did years ago. Every time I see you, I always see the man who broke my heart."

Nelson frowned when he heard that.

"And I appreciate the fact that you apologized to me after so long… It's gonna take me some time to forgive you."

"I… I expected you to say that… do you want me to carry you home?"

"Nah, it's fine… I'll have my girlfriend pick me up."

"Girlfriend, huh? Who's the lucky gal?"

"Her name's Nancie Bond and she's an artist. I can have her pick me up."

"All righty then."

"I'm sorry I can't forgive you right now, Nelson… I hope you can understand."

"Hey, no worries," Nelson replied. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

The two friends wished each other one final goodbye before the robot approached Night Shadow and Jerry. Amber and Sydney, who also listened to the conversation, felt sympathy for him.

"You did good, Nelson," Amber patted the drone's shoulder. "You did well."

"Really?... Feels like I didn't do enough," Nelson replied.

"Don't worry, man. There's someone for everyone," Jerry added. "How about you and I go get a drink. I know a good place."

Sydney watched Jerry, Amber, and Nelson walk back towards the tunnel that leads to Paris itself, as she noticed her boyfriend turn to her. With her arms folded behind her back, Sydney twirled her hair.

"Let's get out of here," Night Shadow smiled. "I wanna take you somewhere cool."

Later that night, Principal Appleseed Johnny was arrested for his crimes and Treedome High School was under construction. Monsoon Gal and Pyro Lad returned to Seattle to get some rest, Amber joined Jerry and Nelson for dinner out at a fancy restaurant, and Mason Moonstone sat next to Sydney Connor on top of the Eiffel Tower: Paris' cultural icon.

The moon shined bright and the stars illuminated the darkness. There were countless stars in the sky that it would be impossible for one to count them all at once.

Mason and Sydney looked up at the moon and felt the light shine down upon them.

They sat together on a green and white patterned sheet with a picnic basket behind them. They were munching on a box of chocolate macaroons and dipping them in glasses of milk. A nice way to enjoy a French dessert.

Finally relieved to be out of his suit, Mason fed a macaroon to Dunnere and leaned back against the sheet. His orange hoodie and dark green jeans blew against the soft wind. He zippered his hoodie, which covered his black and white shirt, and wrapped one arm around Sydney's shoulder.

His girlfriend yawned and did the same thing he did.

They both leaned close together.

"This is nice," said Mason. "Just you and me… all alone on a beautiful night like this."

"Yep," Sydney closed her eyes and smiled. She cuddled herself beside her boyfriend. "Yeah, it is."

Mason bestowed a kiss upon his girlfriend's cheek right before Sydney let out something she wanted to say to him.

"I'm sorry about your artwork, Mason… I know I apologized earlier, but I still feel bad that it got destroyed."

"We saved my portfolio, didn't we?"

"Yeah, but… I wanted to save that statue of my face… ha, I looked at its picture and saw it was taken two weeks after we became pen pals… did you have a crush on me back then?"

"…actually, that was meant to be your birthday present. But it was finished too late. I wanted it done by your exact birthday, but because of homework and the parts that kept falling off the sculpture itself, I couldn't get it done on time. When I finished it, I knew I had to take a picture in case it ever broke. Thankfully, I was smart enough to turn that one in as one of my assignments. Though, of course, Virginia shared a few words about it."

"Oh, god. I wanted to smack that bitch… how did you make it through school with her?"

"Honestly, I was bothered by her at first… but with the help of a few friends… I decided not to let her get to me… Dunnere wanted to smack her a few times, but I told him not to."

"What!? That's bullshit, I never wanted to touch her!" Dunnere signed. To which, Mason chuckled.

"Relax, Dunnere, I'm just teasing."

"You better be."

Sydney laughed at the banter between the hero and his demon, as she took a bite out a macaroon and a sip of milk. She continued looking up at the stars.

"I know I apologized for this earlier, but I'm sorry I never told you much about my high school career," Mason spoke. "I always looked at the negatives rather than the positive. Even though I was involved in a murder mystery today, working with the Void League and fighting Appleseed did remind me of the good times I had in school."

"Maybe you can tell me more about it sometime," Sydney suggested. "You've told me about your art class, but I don't know other things like what friends you had, what other classes you took, and other things. You did tell me a few things when we were pen pals; however, I want to hear them again to see if I remember. Maybe I'll learn something I never learned before."

Gazing into his girlfriend's emerald green eyes, the hero exchanged a glance with his demon before he turned back.

"What better time than now?" Mason took a sip of his milk. He set it down and released a low sigh. "But first… I want to ask you something."

"Ask me anything," his girlfriend smiled.

Tugging on his orange sweatshirt, Mason leaned back against the blanket, allowing Sydney to place her head on his chest. "Have I ever told you that before Mojo, the Void League had another member?"

Sydney shook her head. "I don't think so, why?"

"His name was Felix, Felix Harbor. Like Harry, Madelyn, and Leo, he was part of my circle of friends. We were all in the same art class and we collaborated on a few projects. When he was part of the Void League, Felix took the alias of Lupin. He walked around in a badass looking wolf costume and helped Technolocity with his plan in 2026, Project: Eiffel."

"Project: Eiffel?"

"It's a machine that sat on the Eiffel Tower, it was supposed to rid the world of every Elemental Demon and superpower in existence. It was a plan that created a lot of plot holes for Technolocity, since there was no way he could just get rid of superpowers like that, but he attempted to do it. With the Void League, his scientist: Bertram Van Cyrus, and former assistant: Edwin Alonzo by his side, he thought his plan was unstoppable… well, until MG, Pyro, Turbine, Frosty Beetle, and I stopped him of course."

Sydney chuckled at that last comment.

Mason continued his story. "Getting back on topic, Madelyn, Harry, and Leo were there when Project: Eiffel was happening… but Felix wasn't. It made me wonder if he disappeared, got killed, or if something worse happened to him. I know he did some bad things when he was Lupin, but I'll always remember him as Felix Harbor: a friend who not only pulled off a sweet Swedish accent but a friend who was always there for me when I needed him."

"Sounds like you and the Void League were good friends back then," Sydney spoke. "Why did they join Technolocity, to begin with?"

"I'm not sure," Mason replied, rubbing his nose. "But I guess I'll never know. Anyways, the reason why I wanted to tell you about Felix is that Gavroche reminds me of him."

"Really?"

"Yeah. His fighting style reminded me of the way Felix used to fight. Quick, discrete, and aggressive."

"Do you think Gavroche is a hero or a villain?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe he's one of those neutral anti-heroes, but regardless… I have a feeling I'll be running into him again."

The Spanish girl placed her hand around her boyfriend's fingers. "But… let's not worry about that at the moment. Who knows when he'll come back? Take the night off, you deserve some rest. We had a long day today."

"Yeah… you're right," Mason smiled, as he leaned forward and kissed his girlfriend's forehead.

"Now, tell me about your art class. I want to know where your talent came from."

Mason shared a glance with his demon before he began. "Well, it all started when Nelson and I walked inside with our portfolios. I was nervous, really nervous. I thought for sure I'd get a bad grade, but after having it looked at by my professor, I realized that I was letting my anxiety get to me. So, I-"

As the superhero continued to explain his story, there was a mysterious figure watching the couple talk from below.

Sitting on a nearby rooftop was Gavroche, who held a pair of binoculars in his hands. He put them back in his belt, looked up at the Eiffel Tower one last time, and walked away with something to say.

"Take good care of her, Mason… don't make the same mistake I did."

END OF STORY

Tune In Next Time For…

The Sensational Night Shadow – Issue #4: Supernatural Olympics