Self Destructing Messenger

#7 - Relish

It was one of the last places Cayce had expected but there they all were. He knew now why Azalea had been tight lipped on the location, she wanted to soak in his reaction when they pulled up to the bright yellow two story smack in the middle of suburbia. Not only was his kind not welcome, he imagined neither was anyone specked with blood. This turned out to be far from true as a young brunette had ushered them in immediately upon their arrival, ecstatic as f@!& to see Azalea. Ecstatic as f@!&.

Also ecstatic was Hunter who found the young girl to be full of pets and a master of opening the refrigerator door.

The bouncing teen had calmed a bit by the time Azalea had finished her shower and joined them downstairs in the basement. As soon as she saw Cayce she choked back laughter.

"Aeropostle, hmm?"

He glanced at his borrowed attire and then grinned. "You still want me."

She shook her head and perched on the arm of his chair. "Thanks, Gia, for the assist."

"No problem! Broken Hill is all over the news. Somehow I just knew you were involved. V3 is here whenever you need us," she said while stroking the black mutt. "We still consider you a part of the team, you know."

Cayce asked, "What is V3?"

Azalea elbowed him, striking his fresh injury.

"Jesus woman! Ow!"

"Its only a flesh wound. Quit crying. Besides, I told you not to ask!"

"And that's why I'm asking," he smirked.

The squabbling was interrupted as Gia cleared her throat. When the two glanced over they noticed the young teen had donned a pale blue domino mask.

"Here we go," Az said.

"V3 stands for Verde Valley Vigilantes!" The girl stated firmly, oblivious to her own weirdness. "We are a group of people sick of the state of the world and intent on making a difference! We don masks and costumes to protect our identities from those who would don't appreciate justice."

Hunter barked, inspired by the monologue.

"Wow that's... wow," Cayce said.

The teen continued. "When in vigilante mode, I go by Technika. I patrol on occasion but mostly I handle public relations and manage our social media sites."

"Who are these other citizen heroes? I must meet them!" Cayce exclaimed, ignoring the burning gaze of Azalea.

"Right! That reminds me. As soon as you got here, I sent out an alert to all allies. Pyro D is on patrol. He said you two could stay at his place if you join him. We still have your costume, Az, if you want to suit up."

"Costume?" Cayce lit up like a Christmas tree, visions of scantily clad super heroines dancing in his head. "Oh yes please."

"No."

"This is happening."

"No."

"But the people need you!"

"No." Azalea shut her eyes tightly for a second then sighed. "Alright, alright... but no costume."

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Gia pulled out her phone and after a few key presses, she showed it to Azalea and Cayce.

"It isn't a great picture but this is all over the news after the idol rampage in Broken Hill."

On the tiny screen was a blurry security camera still of the twosome in the common at the mental health facility.

The teen pocketed her phone. "Witnesses say they saw you use your power, Az. It appears your sidekick is only wanted for questioning at this time."

"Sidekick?" Cayce said.

Az shook her head. "Unbelievable. What witnesses? Crazy mother f@!&ers?"

Gia shrugged and strode over to a shelf, pulling down a box as she continued talking. "I don't know but you came to the right place. V3 can offer you both shelter and anonymity. It'd be a mutually beneficial team up. To be honest, we never got more hits on our site than when you patrolled with us."

Cayce peered into the box as the brunette removed the lid. "This is most definitely happening."

Reluctantly, Az accepted her gear and dragged herself upstairs to change. It wasn't so much the peer pressure that drove her as the thunderous voice in her head.

While Az dressed, Cayce and Gia argued about what he was going to don as a temporary costume. Frustrated, the teen gave up and left him to his own devices in her brother's preppy closet. He settled on a pair of gray cargo shorts (better than a utility belt), and a black shirt with abstract city buildings along the bottom, which he put on incorrectly so the giant Navy logo was on the back. Everything was a little tight and really effeminate but there was nothing that could be done about that. As satisfied as he could be, Cayce exited the alien world full of American eagles and not so new navies.

About that time Azalea finished slipping into her custom uniform. Dark gray leather hugged her modest curves, covering her from fingertip to thigh. A high collar brushed her chin and her boots ended protectively above the knee. Feeling better than she was willing to admit about the outfit, Azalea walked out of the bathroom and right into Cayce.

"Holy s@!&." It was all he could say.

She raised a brow at him but concealed her pleasure at the reaction. "Well thanks. I wish I could say the same, Captain Navy, but it really doesn't suit you."

"I had nothing to work with. Nothing. Her brother seems a bit queerosexual."

"Having met him, I can verify that yes, yes he is." Az chewed on her lip, thinking. "I got this," she said, hauling him back to the basement.

Gia was waiting for them, entertaining herself by petting Hunter. "You guys take forever. Is it mask time yet?"

"Yes," Az said. "But first." She stopped Cayce and with a little finessing, ripped off his sleeves.

The brunette all but jumped out of her skin. "That's my brother's shirt!"

"You are really going to hate what happens next then." Az replied, digging things out of the costume box. She handed Cayce a lower face ski mask and turned him around while she used spray paint directly on the back of the shirt. A few sprays later the Y was completely blacked out with only the little bar from the A leftover so that it read N-V. The basement filled with fumes, some from the paint, the rest from Gia.

"You are a genius babe." Cayce said, slightly muffled due to the fabric now obscuring his mouth. "Crazy but genius."

"Yeah I am." She grabbed her own mask and they headed out. "Take care of the mutt for us? Thanks."

Hunter whined as they exited the house, leaving him to suffer Gia's b@!&% fit alone.