Might City, a city that was once a haven for villains and criminals, now enjoyed a delicate peace and balance, both of which were maintained by the superpowered beings that took it upon themselves to keep the city and her citizens safe. The first generation of Superheroes were led by a Hero known as Mighty Man, and alongside his companions, he drove the villains back and ushered in the era of peace. The present-day peace was now maintained by SkyyStar and his Legion of Heroes. After a brutal war with the League of Villains – which the Legion won – Might City was enjoying yet another relatively peaceful period in which they were the dominant force.
Elsewhere in the city however, and on a particularly overcast morning, the residents of a halfway house were waking up and getting ready for the day. Supposed ex-villains who were on the path of rehabilitation and reintegration into society filled this place to the brim, and just by looking at them, one could be forgiven for thinking there wasn't a redeemable soul in there. Men and women of various builds, heights and with an assortment of scars and prosthetics stood in queues for the communal facilities such as the showers as well as the toilets. Cigarettes were the only vice that the ex-cons were allowed, so a thick layer of smog perpetually wafted just below the ceiling.
Most of the bedroom doors were open, however there was one that was not only shut, but locked as well. Within that bedroom, there stood a tall, very well-built man who was getting dressed in a rather cheap looking grey suit. The suit would have been loose fitting on another person, but due to the sheer size of this man, it was a somewhat snug fit. He stood before his mirror as he finished tying his tie. He then slipped the blazer on and fastened the buttons as he inspected his freshly faded hair in silence. He then opened a weathered yet well maintained leather toiletry bag and pulled out a bottle of cologne. After applying it, the man put all of his toiletries away and then locked the bag in a lockbox that was then slid under the bed. He gave himself a final once over before taking a deep breath and opening the door. As he stepped out, the other ex-cons that were still waiting to use the facilities looked at him and the conversation died down. The man just locked his bedroom door behind him and strode past everybody – with most all of them avoiding eye contact with him. The man quickly made his way to the front door and was about to leave when a chill suddenly ran down his spine.
"Visuveus Vincent." A gruff voice called out, causing the man to stop dead in his tracks.
Visuveus slowly turned his head to look at the owner of the halfway house – Ms. Mubi. She was a short yet corpulent woman with a hairnet on her head, moles on her overly dolled up face, bright red lipstick on her large, droopy lips which held a smoking cigarette in between them. She was in her nighty and slippers, and stood with her hands on her hips as she shook her head at Visuveus.
"Were you seriously going to leave without saying good morning. You know the rules."
"I do." Visuveus said with a barely contained grimace. "Every entrance and exit to this place has sensors, so they would go off if I tried to leave without the wristband. You don't need to check me every time."
"So, you're going job hunting then?" Mubi said completely shrugging off Visuveus' defiance.
"I received a few call backs, so I am going to see them."
"Well you already know the conditions of your parole, Visuveus. Time is almost out for you to meet one of the most important ones."
"I am aware of that fact." Visuveus remarked, maintaining his poker face.
"I don't know why you keep on trying to find work outside when there is a job waiting for you right here." Ms. Mubi said, her gruff voice sounding touch… husky.
The ex-con looked at the woman with unblinking eyes, and the silence was about as awkward as it gets. Visuveus cleared his throat gently after a few moments before nodding and turning around.
"Appreciate the offer, however this all has to be done the right way so as to avoid any suspicion. Now, if you'll excuse me."
In absolutely no time flat, Ms. Mubi's tenant had flown out of the front door while the sensors remained silent. Visuveus didn't even look back and he powered his way through the gate and on to the street. Evidence of just how bad the neighbourhood he lived in was visible at every corner. Graffiti, dilapidated and ruined buildings, potholes so large they could be classified as craters, kids out on street – clad in uniforms and casual clothing – were in the streets smoking and drinking first thing in the morning, prostitutes earning their money in alleys, on park benches and even in on the side of the road, debt collectors beating the living daylights out of idiots who borrowed money from their bosses in the first place, and much more. This man in a suit seemed to be out of place in this area, however much like in the halfway house, nobody's eyes rose to meet his. Visuveus strode purposefully down the street with his hands in his pocket, and the only person who was inclined to greet him was a prostitute who actually stopped fellating his client to do so. This turned out to be a bad move, as said client began to beat the snot out of the prostitute, who didn't even receive a greeting in return.
Some fifteen minutes of brisk walking later, Visuveus was standing at a bus stop, still with his hands in his pockets. There were more than a few people who were also waiting for the arrival of the bus, and it did not take long for it to do just that. The bus wasn't so much a bus as it was a large tram, with three separate entrances. The trams that came to this part of town were completely automated, and after coming to a stop, the group split into lines in order to board the tram. Visuveus went to the third door, where a small scanner and screen slid out from a panel. He pulled his sleeve up to reveal two wristbands and scanned placed both on the scanner, prompting the screen to flash deep red. The door opened and Visuveus walked in, before sitting down in his allotted seat. He sat in silence as the tram filled up, and by the time it had, the other two sections were completely full, with some people even remaining on their feet. However, the section in which Visuveus was seated only housed him. The tram then set off, zooming off towards the CBD.
Despite the fact that he was sitting alone in the back of the tram and that he was wearing a suit, Visuveus had one thing in common with everybody else in that tram – they all had to get their wristbands scanned prior to entering. The wristbands determined which section one was seated in using a kind of grading system – meaning that Visuveus being seated alone was no mistake. The vehicle gradually picked up speed and the deeper it went into the city, the more drastic the change in the surroundings. Buildings went from being dilapidated and razed to being tall, painted, maintained and generally good looking. Manicured fauna and flora added some colour to things, and street lights had large screens on them that doubled up as posters and televisions. The sides of buildings tended to have large billboards that displayed multiple images and videos – although by and large, they were more or less about the same thing.
"SkyyStar." One of the commuters snarled, before spitting on the floor.
Everybody onboard followed suit in a strange synchronised ritual of sorts. Visuveus was the only one who didn't partake in that hatred filled act, and a few continued to do it each time they passed a billboard or advertisement showing SkyyStar and his Legion. There was a particularly large screen that was visible from a distance that began playing video that was taken directly from the live news coverage of the climactic battle between the Legion of Heroes, and League of Villains, and the clip focused on the leaders of both groups – SkyyStar and Soul Reaper.