Inside the Mind of the Comic Super villain: Chapter 4

Sebastian made it through the night, eventually reaching headquarters after a few stops to catch his breath and cool down from the intensity of his emotional state. It was about sunrise as he approached the large skyscraper, the sun beaming through the shiny grey buildings. He held the broken camera tightly in his hand as he entered, striding through hallways and elevators. 
He ascended to the top floor that had only six rooms—it had four bedrooms, an office, and a conference room. The halls were clean and neat, reminiscent of a high-quality hotel the building was modeled after to the outside. The only thing that made the area seem otherwise was the tile flooring reflecting its white sheen with little grey flecks. He moved to the office, knocking on the door. 
A deep, feminine voice replied sternly, “Come in.” 
Sebastian quickly obliged, opening the door and entering the clean office. The desk in the center of the room was clean and clear of clutter. The walls were almost bare save for a few documents indicating the status of the league. A woman sat at the desk, her eyes concealed beneath reflective goggles. She had chocolate skin and dark hair that was held tightly in the back of her head kept away from her face. She wore her combat attire and held a sense of authority around her like a badge. Sebastian could feel her stare even though he could not see her eyes. “Voodoo Doll, I have come to report,” he said. 
“Perfect,” She replied. The smallest smile crept the corners of her mouth, and to Sebastian, it looked more like satisfaction. 
Sebastian put the camera on to the desk. “I did not get there in time. The police weren’t able to secure the villain—Scarlet." 
Voodoo Doll’s head tilted slightly, her eyebrows raised at the name. “Scarlet, huh?” She picked up the broken camera, inspecting it thoroughly. 
“I found that at the scene of the crime.” 
“Well,” she concluded, “it’s definitely Hammer’s work. Explains why we couldn’t get there in time.” 
Sebastian stared at it. “What is that thing?” 
“It disrupted the camera signals. The details are not important. Thank you for bringing this.” Voodoo Doll took it and placed it in a locked drawer of her desk, opening it with a fingerprint sensor. 
Sebastian, finally satisfied with his work for the night, turned to the door. 
“Hold it, Rahls,” Voodoo Doll commanded, “One more thing.” 
“Yes, of course.” He turned back around to her, alert. 
“I want you to do some research on Scarlet. I need you to be ready for the next time she plots something, and I need you to go in after her when she does.” 
Sebastian’s heart jumped in fear, but he did not allow that feeling to show. “Excuse me?” 
Voodoo Doll stood, towering over everything in the room, including Sebastian. “You are ready for this. You’ve fought other code red villains before; besides, if one of us Elites is killed, you need to be prepared to step in. You’re the top hero now, Rahls. You’re ready to take on top hero tasks.” 
“Of course.” He swallowed a hard lump in his throat. “If that is all, I must be going.” 
“Please do.” Voodoo Doll sat back in her seat, and the air seemed to get a few degrees warmer. 
Sebastian left hastily, closing the door with a sigh; however, his break was short-lived. In the periphery of his hearing, he heard shouting of two other familiar voices. He sighed again, moving toward the sound. Eventually, he was standing at the open door to the conference room. It was empty and out of use at the time, but there was no lack of sound coming from the fury inside. Dana and Liam Strong were having another fight. It was a familiar course of events to Sebastian. 
Dana was a cyborg who survived a fatal accident thanks to the league. She had synthetic hair that was tied back in a ponytail and most of the biological parts she had were distorted with scars and age. Sebastian saw a few photos of her before the accident, and it always filled him with pity. Her once beautiful blonde hair was lost, her grey eyes were replaced with bionic ones, and her figure would never come back. As she stood in the conference room, her soulless stare bored into Liam, her husband. 
Liam, or by his hero name “Shadow," was a normal human who got a body suit to stay with his wife after the accident. His helmet was off, his crisp, green eyes staring right back at the robot. His hair was light ginger and his skin a light ivory. His face was angular with a strong jawline and cheekbones dotted with freckles. He wore the rest of his super suit; its black with blue accents accentuated his athletic form that was worked to the bone every night after these fights. “Honey, why can’t you just see—" 
“It’s a lost cause, Liam," Dana scowled at him. 
“She’s our daughter. You can’t just forget she existed." 
Dana threw up her hands. “Look. We haven’t heard from Emma in almost a decade!” 
Liam stormed over to her, grabbing her shoulders. “I miss her, Dana. I miss my little girl. We cannot give up.” Sebastian saw tears stream from his eyes like bullets. “I refuse to give up! Hammer must know where she is!” 
Dana threw his arms off her. “And you are going to trust him? He’s a code black villain. Only we can touch him he’s so dangerous.” 
“What other choice do we have?” 
“What other choice you have is to simply give up and admit that Hammer likely killed her!” 
A dead silence followed. Even Sebastian felt a chill down his spine at the words. It was at that point Liam started toward the door, and Sebastian used the opportunity to escape hastily.