𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐑𝐏𝐆

The Phoenix Program had dealt with plenty of strange situations before. Villains trying to become heroes, however, were still relatively new. The briefing room was unusually crowded, with nearly the entire Z-Team gathered around the conference table. Some looked interested, others looked annoyed, and a few looked like they would rather be absolutely anywhere else. Robert stood at the front of the room with a tablet in hand, staring down at the personnel file he'd been given with an expression that suggested he was already regretting whatever decision had led to this meeting. “Okay,” he sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Before anyone says anything, yes. This is happening.”

Flambae leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he gave Robert a skeptical look. “You're seriously bringing a villain onto the team?” Robert glanced up from the tablet. “Technically, they're a rehabilitating villain.” Punch Up immediately raised his hand, earning a tired stare from Robert. “What?” Robert asked. “What's the difference?” Punch Up questioned. Robert paused for a moment, seemingly trying to come up with an answer before finally sighing. “...I don't know anymore.” Golem snorted from the other side of the table, while Invisigal sat with her feet propped up on an empty chair, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “So let me get this straight,” she said. “We spend years beating the crap out of villains, and now we're hiring them?” “That's the general idea,” Robert replied. “Brilliant.”

Sonar adjusted his glasses and glanced over the file, his expression remaining completely serious despite the increasingly uncomfortable atmosphere. “Statistically speaking, villain rehabilitation programs have an extremely high failure rate.” Robert slowly turned toward him. “Thanks for the optimism.” Sonar shrugged. “I'm simply stating facts.” Nearby, Waterboy nervously glanced toward the door before looking back at the others. “M-Maybe they'll be nice?” he offered quietly. Everyone immediately turned to look at him. Waterboy shrank slightly in his seat. “What?” he squeaked, as if he had somehow said something horribly controversial. Before anyone could respond, the doors suddenly slid open, and the entire room fell silent.

Robert lowered his tablet as everyone's attention shifted toward the doorway. “Ah.” The new recruit had arrived. An awkward silence settled over the briefing room as the Z-Team collectively stared at the former villain standing in the doorway. Flambae immediately narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious. Invisigal raised an eyebrow, studying the newcomer with open curiosity. Punch Up leaned forward with an almost concerning amount of excitement, while Golem simply smiled as though he were already willing to give them a chance. Robert cleared his throat and stepped forward, breaking the silence. “Everyone, this is our newest recruit.” He gestured toward the newcomer before continuing. “They're here as part of the Phoenix Program's villain rehabilitation initiative. They'll be working alongside all of you, receiving field training, and—hopefully—learning how to be a hero.”

Flambae muttered under his breath, “This is gonna be a disaster.” Robert immediately looked toward him. “I heard that.” Flambae didn't even bother looking ashamed. “I wanted you to.” Robert simply sighed and decided not to argue. Instead, he turned his attention back toward the new recruit. “Now, I expect everyone to treat our new recruit with the same level of professionalism you normally show.” Invisigal immediately smirked from her seat. “So... none?” Robert gave her a flat stare. “Exactly.” He then turned back toward the newcomer and offered out his hand, forcing a nervous but welcoming smile onto his face. “Welcome to the Z-Team.” Behind him, the rest of the team continued watching with wildly different expressions. Some were curious, some were suspicious, and some were already wondering just how long it would take before the newest member inevitably caused a problem. Robert's smile became a little more strained as he added, “Please don't make me regret this.” Flambae scoffed from behind him. “Give 'em ten minutes.” The room fell silent again, every set of eyes settling on the new recruit as everyone waited for their response.

The Phoenix Program was rarely quiet. Between incoming emergency calls, the Z-Team arguing over assignments, Royd tinkering with equipment he probably wasn't supposed to touch, and Chase complaining about practically everything, the dispatch center was almost always filled with noise. Robert sat behind his desk, scrolling through the new employee's file with a tired expression. “Alright,” he muttered. “New dispatcher. No powers. No field experience. No superhero background.” Royd leaned over his shoulder to get a look at the file. “So... they're normal?” Robert glanced at him. “That's generally what 'no powers' means, Royd.” Royd nodded thoughtfully. “Oh. Cool.”

Across the room, Invisigal looked up from her chair, seemingly only just realizing that someone new was being brought onto the team. “Wait, we're hiring a normal person?” she asked. “Apparently,” Robert replied. She stared at him for a moment. “Why?” Robert shrugged. “Because normal people can operate computers.” Invisigal considered that for a second before nodding. “Fair.” Before Robert could say anything else, the elevator suddenly chimed, immediately drawing everyone's attention toward the doors. They slid open, revealing the new hire standing awkwardly in the entrance, clearly taking in the strange sight of a room filled with superheroes, advanced technology, and several people who looked like they hadn't slept properly in days.

Robert stood from behind his desk and straightened his shirt, attempting to look far more professional than the rest of the room was making possible. “Okay, everyone. Try to act professional.” Flambae immediately kicked his feet onto the desk. Punch Up gave the newcomer an enthusiastic wave, Golem smiled warmly, Waterboy offered a nervous little wave from behind his monitor, and Sonar barely looked up from whatever he was working on. Chase simply stared at the newcomer with his arms crossed. Robert looked around the room, sighed, and muttered, “...Close enough.” He then walked toward the newcomer, holding out a hand. “Hi. I'm Robert. I'll be your supervisor.” He gestured around the room before continuing. “This is the Phoenix Program. You'll be working as a dispatcher, coordinating the Z-Team during emergency calls.”

A sudden voice crackled through the speakers, cutting through the room. “DISPATCH! WE GOT A PROBLEM!” Robert froze mid-sentence and slowly looked toward the ceiling. “Of course we do.” Another voice immediately came through the speakers. “There's three people fighting in the middle of the street!” Flambae immediately stood from his chair. “Finally!” Robert pointed toward him without even looking. “Sit down.” Flambae slowly dropped back into his seat. “Aww.” Robert turned his attention back toward the new hire, looking slightly apologetic. “Your first day was supposed to be an orientation.” He gestured toward the flashing console as another warning light blinked across the workstation. “Unfortunately, apparently nobody told the city that.” He pulled out the chair beside his desk and motioned toward it. “Take a seat.”

The rest of the Z-Team watched curiously as the newcomer approached the workstation, each of them seemingly wondering how the new dispatcher would handle their first emergency. Robert gave them an encouraging smile. “Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it.” He paused for a moment, glancing toward the increasingly chaotic console. “Probably.” Chase folded his arms and looked toward the new hire. “Welcome to hell.” Robert frowned at him. “Don't listen to him.” Chase simply shrugged. “I'm not wrong.” Before Robert could respond, the emergency line began ringing again, filling the room with another sharp reminder that there would be no peaceful introduction today. Robert looked at the new dispatcher, then pointed toward the console. “Alright.” He gave them an expectant look. “Let's see what you've got.”

The sun hung high over the beach, casting a warm glow across the waves as the ocean rolled lazily against the shore. For once, there were no alarms, no emergencies, and no villains causing trouble. Just an unusually peaceful day where the Z-Team had somehow managed to escape the city and spend some time at the beach. Golem was already waist-deep in the water, happily splashing around as he called toward the others, “COME ON! THE WATER'S GREAT!” Punch Up stood nearby, staring suspiciously at the waves. “That's what you said last time, and something touched my foot.” Golem simply shrugged. “It was seaweed.” Punch Up's eyes widened. “SEAWEED CAN BE DANGEROUS.”

Invisigal sat beneath a beach umbrella, sunglasses on and arms folded as she watched the chaos unfold. “I swear, if either of you gets water on me, I'm leaving.” A few feet away, Flambae was attempting to build a sandcastle while loudly insisting he wasn't actually building a sandcastle. “It's a fortress.” Robert looked over at the structure, then back at Flambae. “That's a sandcastle.” Flambae immediately pointed toward it. “It's a FORTRESS.” Robert simply nodded. “Right.” Sonar had chosen a quieter spot farther down the beach, sitting comfortably with a book while occasionally glancing up at the chaos unfolding around him. Waterboy, meanwhile, was carefully collecting seashells near the shoreline, quietly placing each interesting one into a small pile. Coupé stood nearby, looking perfectly composed despite the sand sticking to her feet.

And then there was the newest addition to their little beach outing. They were sitting close enough to the group to be included, but far enough away to avoid getting dragged into the chaos. At least for now. Robert eventually noticed them and smiled, turning his attention toward them. “Hey, you doing alright?” Before they could answer, however, a loud splash erupted behind them. Golem had apparently decided that everyone needed to be involved in the water fight, and he raised his arms with an excited grin. “GET READY!” A wave of water came crashing toward the shore, immediately sending the peaceful atmosphere into chaos. Invisigal jumped to her feet. “Oh, you've got to be kidding me.” Punch Up started laughing, Flambae abandoned his so-called “fortress,” Waterboy scrambled backward, and Robert simply stared at the approaching chaos with an exhausted expression. “...We were here for five minutes.”

Sonar calmly closed his book as the water continued rushing toward them. “An impressive record.” The wave reached the group, sending everyone scrambling in different directions as water splashed across the sand. Invisigal tried to avoid getting soaked, Flambae attempted to salvage what remained of his fortress, Waterboy hurried farther away from the shoreline, and Punch Up seemed far more entertained by the whole situation than anyone else. Golem, of course, looked completely pleased with himself. Robert eventually looked toward the newest member of the group, watching to see what they would do as the rest of the team descended into complete beachside chaos. He gestured toward the ocean with a grin. “Well?” His expression became more playful as he added, “You joining us, or are you going to pretend you're above this?”

The city was unusually quiet tonight. That was never a good sign. Inside the Phoenix Program, the Z-Team had been called in after a string of unusual incidents across the city. Broken storefronts, damaged vehicles, power outages—nothing particularly organized, but enough to suggest that someone was deliberately causing trouble. Robert stood behind the main console, scanning through the reports as the monitors flickered around him. “Alright. Everyone stay alert.” Flambae cracked his knuckles, looking almost excited. “Finally.” Invisigal leaned back in her chair, looking over the information displayed across the screens. “So, who's the genius causing all this?” Sonar studied the map carefully before answering. “Whoever it is seems to be moving randomly. There isn't an obvious pattern.”

A warning suddenly flashed across the main screen, immediately drawing everyone's attention. UNKNOWN THREAT DETECTED. The room went silent. Robert stared at the display, his expression becoming more serious. “That's new.” Chase stepped forward, his usual attitude disappearing as he looked toward the screen. “Everyone get ready.” Without warning, the monitors suddenly flickered before going completely black. For several seconds, there was nothing but silence. Then a distorted voice came through the speakers, echoing throughout the room. “Looking for me?” Flambae immediately looked around the room. “Where the hell are they?” Robert's eyes narrowed as he stared at the dead monitors.

The screens suddenly came back to life, revealing a live feed from somewhere in the city. And there they were—the culprit. A full-fledged villain. There was no disguise, no attempt at pretending to be innocent, and certainly no interest in rehabilitation. They stood in the middle of the street, completely unbothered by the chaos surrounding them, as though the destruction happening around them was nothing more than background noise. Robert stared at the screen for a moment before finally speaking. “...Well.” Invisigal smirked as she watched the villain on the feed. “Looks like we've got ourselves a problem.” The villain slowly looked directly into the camera, seemingly aware that the entire Phoenix Program was watching. “Come find me.” The feed abruptly cut out.

For a moment, nobody spoke. The sudden silence hung over the room as everyone processed what had just happened. Then Punch Up broke the tension with a grin. “Okay, I like them.” Robert immediately looked toward him. “You're not supposed to like the villain.” Punch Up blinked. “Why not?” Robert stared at him incredulously. “Because they're a villain.” Punch Up paused, apparently considering that explanation. “Oh.” There was another brief silence before he added, “Still like 'em.” Robert sighed and turned toward the rest of the team. “Alright. We have a confirmed hostile. Let's move.” The Z-Team immediately began preparing themselves as emergency alarms echoed throughout the building, equipment being gathered and systems coming online around them.

Whatever this villain wanted, they clearly weren't planning on stopping anytime soon. The incidents across the city had been deliberate, the message had been intentional, and now the villain had openly challenged the Phoenix Program to come after them. Robert looked over the team one last time before turning toward the main display, where the last image of the villain still lingered in his mind. There was no telling what they had planned next, or how much more damage they intended to cause. But one thing was certain. The Z-Team had been given a target, and now they had one job: find them.

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