Chapter Text
‘Okay, let’s see…suit? Check. Resume? Check-Wait, I did bring the updated one, right…?’ Lin Ling thought as he frantically reread every line in the document he was holding. Soon, to his relief, this was the up-to-date resume in his hand.
He was tapping his right foot in nervousness as he waited patiently in a corporate waiting room with other similarly dressed people with their own resumes. The young man thought about making small talk, but he was too nervous to say anything. But before he could reconsider, the closed interview room opened, allowing the previous interviewee to leave and the next soul to be called upon.
“Lin Ling!” A female voice called.
Lin Ling’s nervousness was met with slight confusion as he swore he had heard that voice before. He unconsciously stood up from his seat and walked into the office as he shook off those thoughts.
‘No, don’t think about that! Just get through the interview first! How bad can it be…?’ Lin Ling soon snapped back to reality before falling into shock as he saw a familiar blonde ponytail behind the manager's desk.
“Lin Ling, right? My name is Moon, but you probably already knew that. It’s nice to meet you!” The blonde hero stood up and offered him her hand.
Lin Ling’s heart skipped a beat upon seeing a chance to shake hands with his favorite hero/celebrity crush.
‘Idiot, shake her hand and say something!’ The rational part of his brain urged as Lin Ling’s hand met hers and they shook.
“P-Pleased to meet me too-I mean, pleased to meet you too!” Lin Ling swiftly corrected himself, earning an odd look from the heroine, but it looked like she quickly ignored it.
“Have a seat.”
Lin Ling nodded as he sat down and laid his resume on the desk for Moon to see. This was definitely not how he thought his day would go.
“Alrighty, let’s have a look here…” Moon looked through the document before going back to Lin Ling. “I have to admit, this is quite a change for a marketing graduate. What made you want to apply here?”
“Well, as you just said, I’m looking for a change of scenery. As you probably already saw on my resume, I worked at Treeman for a time before…leaving. Just felt I could develop my skills in a new place. W-Which is funny considering how new this whole setup is!” Lin Ling tried to joke, but Moon only nodded in understanding.
“And you know what this job entails?” Moon asked next.
Lin Ling nodded.
“Yeah, Super Hero Dispatching. The new platform the Commission set up to encourage heroes from other agencies to start cooperating in teams.” Lin Ling said.
“A prudent decision, in my opinion.” Moon nodded in agreement. “It’s no secret that the hero market has become…competitive in recent years, and the Commission wants everyone to be on the level with each other. Focus on the bigger picture, which is helping the people.”
“A-And that’s one of the reasons I want to join SDN! I believe that anyone can be a hero! Even in the smaller ways! If I can help anyone, hero or civilian, even behind a desk. That’s already a good deal to me!” Lin Ling said passionately. In this society, it was almost the normal for everyone to have the dream of being a hero, even having the ambition to ascend to the top rank and become X. But Lin Ling’s ambition isn’t quite that high. He was just happy to help.
Moon seemed satisfied with that answer.
“That’s good. Most of the interviewees I’ve gotten are more interested in the pay or just to meet their idols, but you’re the first person I’ve met today who just wants to help.”
Lin Ling smiled, despite his racing heartbeat. This was a good start.
“So, regardless of rank and personality, would you still be willing to assist them in the field?”
He nodded.
“Of course, a hero is a hero. If I have the chance to help them improve or do their job better, all the more satisfying.” He answered.
“And how well do you work under pressure?” Moon asked. “Let’s say, for instance, a criminal or a villain holds a civilian hostage, and your job as a dispatcher is to help your hero mediate the situation before it escalates. Tell me how you would do so.”
Lin Ling was silent for a few moments as he thought of an answer.
“First, I would verify the status of the hostage and advise the hero to exercise caution before silently contacting law enforcement for additional aid.” Lin Ling replied before continuing. “Next, I would study everything on file about the perp, see what makes them tick, and try to help my hero talk them down or find a window of opportunity to take them quickly and non-lethally, ideally. And lastly, verify the hostages’ status once more and call for paramedics.”
Moon nodded as she was writing notes down the whole time.
“Excellent,” Moon noted as she finished writing. “Well, I don’t think I have much else to ask, so we can move on to the second half of this interview.”
“Second half?”
Moon took out a pair of modified VR goggles from a cubby in her desk with a mouse attached to it.
“We want to see how well you perform in a simulated dispatch shift. Place the goggles on and you’ll be taken to a virtual interface, similar to what our dispatchers use. I’ll be monitoring your progress and performance from my computer here. Good luck!’
Lin Ling nodded as he took the headset and placed it on with his last image of Moon being her starting up the program and a robotic female voice played.
“HELLO! WELCOME TO THE SDN SIMULATED DISPATCH! FOR THIS PORTION OF YOUR INTERVIEW, YOU WILL BE PLACED IN A SIMULATED SHIFT AND YOUR JOB WILL BE TO DISPATCH THE APPROPRIATE HEROES, ADVISE THEM, AND HANDLE ALL THE CALLS YOU RECEIVE IN A TIMELY FASHION.”
Lin Ling nodded at the instructions as he took the mouse. Soon, he was shown a virtual layout of X City before portraits of his simulated team popped up. To the young man’s shock, they were all the previous Xs except the latest one.
“You’re giving me all the Xs of the past?”
“Yeah, the programmers thought they would be the ideal hero team for the simulation,” Moon answered.
“Then, how come I don’t see the current X?” Lin Ling asked curiously.
“Come on, no one knows the current X, especially his powers. You’ll have to make do with what you get.”
Lin Ling nodded as he readied himself before an alert popped up in District 1.
“Help! A terrorist group is currently attacking Hero Avenue! My friends and a bunch of others have been caught in the crossfire, and they aren’t moving! Please send help!”
As soon as the call stopped, the interface recommended sending up to at least 3 heroes. Lin Ling noticed on the right that the hourglass icon, representing the window of response, was steadily shrinking, so he had to make quick picks.
‘If we’re talking injured…Ah Sheng should be able to heal them. As for the terrorists themselves, they need to go down. Quick and hard, which leaves me with…’ Lin Ling then chose to send Ah Shend, OG E-Soul, and Bowa. Ah Sheng was famous for his healing ability, while E-Soul and Bowa can complement each other in terms of raw strength and speed.
“On my way!” The virtual Ah Sheng replied.
“They won’t stand a chance!/Just don’t get in my way…” Both virtual Bowa and E-Soul replied.
Lin Ling watched with anticipation as the icons of the mock heroes were sent from SDN HQ to the scene of the alert. Within a few moments, the alert icon turned into a checkmark icon, prompting Lin Ling to open it.
The message turned into a “Mission Success” alert with his heroes coming back with 0 injuries, much to Lin Ling’s relief.
“UPON MISSION SUCCESS, ALL HEROES ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN TO SDN HQ AND REST UP FOR A TIME BEFORE BEING AVAILABLE FOR ANOTHER DISPATCH.”
Lin Ling acknowledged the alert as he noticed the three icons on cooldown. It reminds him of the strategy games he used to play in college whenever he had free time. After a couple of seconds, a new alert popped up around the commercial area, and Lin Ling wasted no time opening it.
“The Hero Commission is preparing a new museum exhibit. We would appreciate it if you could send in a hero or two to help hype up the opening!”
“NOT ALL DISPATCH CALLS WILL BE COMBAT-ORIENTED. SOME WILL BE AIMED TOWARDS AIDING THE PEOPLE IN SUPPORTIVE FUNCTIONS. WHATEVER MAKES THEIR LIVES (AND OUR PERFORMANCE) EASIER AND BETTER.”
Lin Ling then thought about which hero would be perfect for this, as the AI recommended sending up to 2 heroes. He originally thought of just sending DJ Shindig by himself, but given the recent events and despite it not being real, Lin Ling partnered him up with Smile to keep an eye on him.
“I got this in the bag, man!” The virtual DJ proclaimed as he and Smile were sent out of the building.
“It will be an honor to educate the young people.” Smile added as the two promptly arrived at the exhibit opening.
The young man was soon surprised as the alert icon now flashed red. Lin Ling opened it up to see a picture of DJ Shindig in distress.
“Yo, the speech the Commission prepared is boring the crowd. Need a way to spice things up, man!” Shindig reported.
“THERE WILL BE TIMES THAT DURING A DISPATCH CALL, HEROES WILL TURN TO YOU FOR SUPPORT AND ADVICE. RECOMMEND THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION YOUR HERO SHOULD TAKE TO BETTER AID THEM IN THEIR MISSIONS.”
Lin Ling rubbed his chin in thought, thinking of a solution before grabbing the mic from the headset and putting it up to his mouth.
“DJ Shindig, you’re a DJ, right? Do what you do best and hype these people up to party. Smile, make sure it doesn’t get out of proportion.” He advised.
“Now, that’s what I’m talking about!” DJ Shindig cheered, and within moments, the alert turned into a green checkmark.
Lin Ling smiled as he confirmed the success and his heroes were coming back. Meanwhile, Moon was pleasantly surprised as Lin Ling was the only person to ever clear that scenario.
Within a few moments, two more alerts popped up all over the map. The brown-haired interviewee clicked on one before the message played.
“Hi, I’m a university student and would like to report a disappearance. My dorm neighbor has been acting strange for the past few days before he suddenly disappeared. Any way you can send someone to check it out?”
Now this piqued Lin Ling’s interest as none of the previous Xs were known for their investigative skills. He had to think hard and quickly as the AI, once again, recommended sending 2 heroes out. It was then that he decided to send Ah Sheng to investigate and Vortex as support.
“Didn’t expect the two of us to be working together again, huh?” Vortex commented.
“Just don’t get in the way.” Ah Sheng said in an uncharacteristically cold tone.
“They don’t like each other?” Lin Ling was surprised by the interaction.
“Ah Sheng and Vortex’s rivalry was well-known. It’s not an official rule, but I would advise to be careful of who you team your heroes up with. You never know what could happen between them.”
Lin Ling was worried that this could affect the outcome, but given this is a simulation, he doubt that could be the case. However, if he ever gets hired, he’ll have to take that under advisement. Wasting no time, he clicked on the next alert and listened to the next call.
“Noticed a police convoy in pursuit of a suspicious truck. I don’t think they can catch them on their own. Can you send someone to assist?”
Sending E-Soul was a no-brainer, but Lin Ling also had to consider support as the AI recommended sending three heroes out. He then had an idea of sending Phobiaclone and Mr. Matchstick/Ms. Blazing Fire, the couple is classified as a singular hero due to them sharing the title of X.
Within a few moments, the earlier alert was completed and Lin Ling checked to see that Ah Sheng had completed his investigation. The report detailing how Ah Sheng was able to learn that the college student was kidnapped while Vortex scouted the area and found a suspicious van, heading to a warehouse not far from their current location. Lin Ling wasted no time sending his next available heroes as a follow-up, which consisted of Smile and Bowa.
Finally, report about the high-speed chase came in and Lin Ling read that E-Soul chased down the truck while Phobiaclone, using his powers, drove multiple cars to aid in the chase while Mr. Matchstick and Ms. Blazing Fire used their powers to damage the vehicle. The combined efforts managed to take out a wheel, making the truck come to a screeching stop.
Lin Ling could only smile at his efforts as he started getting into the groove of things. Meanwhile, Moon was starting to become shocked at the level of performance.
Time moved quickly as Lin Ling was answering calls, reading up on the scenarios, and sending the appropriate hero for the job. Moon was honestly impressed as she had never seen someone move so quick on the simulator.
For what seemed like the last call, Lin Ling couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I was just walking down the sidewalk and I noticed this old lady having trouble crossing the street. Think someone could help her?”
Lin Ling just looked in the direction that Moon was in.
“The programmers thought it would be funny.” Moon quickly explained as she had to clear that up several times in the past week.
“Well, I was just about to say that I enjoy a classic scenario.” Lin Ling assured him as he sent Smile. And as expected, Smile aced the job before the simulation ended, prompting Lin Ling to remove the VR headset.
“Alright, now let’s look over your results…” Moon said as she recorded everything and reviewed the test’s findings. Her eyes widened at seeing a perfect score. No interviewee has ever made it that far. “Wow…”
“Is something wrong?” Lin Ling asked, hoping he didn’t do a terrible job.
“Y-Yeah, your test score is amazing. I’ll have to submit this to the higher-ups about this, but if they can confirm the legitimacy of it, you may have a future here in SDN.” Moon said, giving hope to the young man. “So, any questions?”
“Well, I do have one question, and I apologize in advance if it seems a bit personal.”
“Shoot.”
“Why is a hero like you working behind a desk at SDN?” Lin Ling asked curiously.
“The Commission not only wanted regular civilians at the offices, but also non-combat-oriented heroes as well if the calls are a bit much for them,” Moon explained. “Given my power of teleportation and my knowledge as a travel vlogger, I make the ideal manager for this type of work.”
“And Nice is okay with it?” Lin Ling asked, wondering about her hero/celebrity boyfriend.
“Nice has been very…supportive around the idea,” Moon answered, but something about that reply seemed kinda forced to Lin Ling. “Anyways, if nothing else, I wish you a good day. You’ll be hearing back from us.”
Lin Ling nodded as he left the office, hoping he could get the job. The rest of the day went by uneventfully as the young man was job searching on the net once more. He also looked at his bank account. Fortunately, he was able to save up some money since his departure from Treeman, but it can only last him about a month before his landlord kicks him out.
Just as he was about to submit another application, he received a call on his phone.
“Hello?” He answered.
“Hello? Lin Ling?”
His eyes widened as he recognized that voice.
“M-Miss Moon!” He greeted.
“Just Moon is alright.” The heroine corrected. “Anyways, I submitted my report on you and your test results to upper management. After some deliberation, we decided…”
Lin Ling’s heartbeat raced faster than E-Soul’s superspeed as he eagerly awaited the news.
“...that you would be the perfect addition to SDN as our latest dispatcher. What do you say?”
Lin Ling silently cheered and laughed at the job offer, feeling this was one of the best days of his life. After a quiet 2-minute dance, Lin Ling cleared his throat as he quelled any leftover excitement.
“That’s awesome! I accept.” He answered.
“Wonderful! The HR guys will email you all the documentation you need to read and fill out. We will also need to conduct a background check on you and have you take a drug test. After all that, would you be able to start in a couple of weeks from now?”
“O-Of course!”
“Good, one last thing. What size are you? We’re hoping to send you your new uniform before your first day.”
“I’m a size large.” Lin Ling answered. “Again, thank you for the offer! I really appreciate it and I look forward to working with you!”
He could hear Moon chuckle on the other end.
“You’ve earned it, Lin Ling. We look forward to working with you, too. Meet me at the SDN HQ on the day you start working. Just tell the receptionist that I’m expecting you. Have a good night!” And with that, Moon hung up on the call.
Lin Ling was about to celebrate some more before realizing that this would mean Moon, his hero idol/crush, would be his office manager. Which also means that he’ll be seeing a lot more of her in the near future. The young man gulped in nervousness at that mere thought, but hopefully that should be the only stressful thing about this new job…right?
Between celebrating, signing, reading, taking a drug test, and prepping, the next couple of weeks felt like a blur to the young man. The first day of his new job soon arrived as Lin Ling finished dressing himself.
He looked in the mirror, seeing himself in his new work uniform. It consisted of a dark hoodie, the blue button-up shirt with SDN’s logo on it, dark pants, and a pair of Converse. And finally, he placed on a red lanyard with his new work ID.
After cooking and packing his lunch, he made his way to Hero Avenue. He followed the address he was given to a corporate tower near the Commission building and Hero Tower, it was relatively new. After going inside, he approached the front desk.
“Welcome to SDN! How can I help you?”
“Hi, I’m Lin Ling. I’m the new dispatcher. Moon told you to expect me.”
“Oh great! I’ll let Moon know. Please take a seat in the meantime.”
Lin Ling nodded as he sat down on the nearby couch, watching the TV just ahead of him. He was watching a random woman leave her home before noticing a meteor on top of her car.
“Oh great, now I’m never gonna make it to band practice!” The woman groaned in annoyance at the inconvenience of the delay rather than the fact that a meteor crushed her car. As if on cue, Nice, Treeman’s top hero, flew into the scene and landed.
“Unexpected things happen every day.” He started before the woman noticed him.
“Nice! Can SDN help me out here? It’s blocking the driveway.” The actress asked, making Lin Ling shake his head and cringe at the bad acting. Nice could do so much better.
Easily enough, Nice was able to lift the meteor with ease.
“You can always trust SDN to get you the right heroes at the right time!” Nice smiled as he placed the meteor away. “Let SDN be your rock, so you can rock!”
The woman played her guitar as the commercial closed out with SDN’s logo and a reminder that SDN is an official Commission-affiliated organization and not an insurance company. It does not cover insurance or damages to property.
“...I could’ve made a better commercial.” Lin Ling thought out loud before shaking these thoughts away. No, those days are now long behind him. Time for a fresh start, or so he told himself.
“Hey, you made it!”
Lin Ling’s head turned at seeing his new boss, Moon, approach him.
“H-Happy to be here! Thanks for having me!” Lin Ling greeted her as he got up to face Moon.
The blonde heroine then gestured for him to follow her to the elevator. Soon after, she punched in the floor number and the elevator started moving.
“So, did you have any trouble finding the place?” She asked.
“Well, technically, this is a government building, right? Not exactly hard to miss.” Lin Ling joked.
Moon only smiled at him while Lin Ling hoped he didn’t make a fool of himself just now. As soon as the elevator stopped and opened, Lin Ling’s eyes widened as he saw not only several office workers but also heroes helping around and getting work done.
“Wait, you guys also let heroes do office work here?”
“That’s right. The Commission wants all hands on deck around SDN, regardless of whether it’s out in the field or not. We all do our fair share in this office.” Moon said as she started giving him a tour around the floor, allowing Lin Ling to take in the sights.
“How many heroes are stationed here?” Lin Ling asked curiously as the two passed by an armored hero trying to do computer work at his cubicle.
“We have heroes from all over. But given this is the corporate HQ branch, these heroes are mainly from the top agencies: DoS, Mighty Glory, Treeman, and FOMO.”
“And they're fine with having to work with rivals?”
“This is a Commission-affiliated organization. If the Commission wants them to play ball, they'll have to play ball with the other team.” Moon explained before the two stopped at a room labeled “Records”. “This is where we archive all of our hero-related documentation, which includes dossiers, mission reports, and the other boring office stuff. We'll go over your team here.”
Lin Ling was surprised at that.
“Wait, I'm not gonna meet them in person?”
“You'll understand why soon,” Moon said in an ominous tone as the two entered the archive.
She gestured to the new worker to have a seat at the empty table while she found a stack of folders with the note, “Lin Ling” written on top.
“Great.” Moon took the stack and laid it in front of Lin Ling. “Now let's go over your team.”
Lin Ling took out the first folder and opened it, seeing the image of a man with a red scarf and leg armor. Moon started explaining the hero in question.
“Firm Man; the Ever-Standing Hero. Former fireman turned hero, best known for holding debris off a little girl for hours. Super strength and super durability. He's usually giving tours around the Commission area, so it wasn't a big surprise when he volunteered for the SDN network.”
Lin Ling nodded as he closed the file and opened the next one, seeing a black and blue armored hero.
“E-Soul, or rather E-Soul II. He doesn't really talk much, but his actions usually speak louder than words. Super fast and electrokinesis.”
Then, onto the next, a dog with a fedora and a tie.
“Ahu, one of the newest additions to the hero industry. He's still a bit of a greenhorn, but he's all in on the hero game. Despite being a dog, his powers give him speech and shapeshifting.”
Lin Ling started to notice a trend, but he had to see more before he could voice his suspicions.
“The popular idol, Lucky Cyan. Best known for her majestic singing and good luck. She's probably the nicest one of the team.”
Lin Ling’s eyes widened as his suspicions grew before going to the next profile. This time, a young woman wearing white and pink power armor.
“Loli, or Luo Li. Despite her young age, she's a genius in more ways than one, relying on a power suit she built to keep up with the other heroes.”
“M-Moon, this has to be some sort of mistake here. These heroes-.”
“After, please.” Moon cut him off in a surprisingly serious tone.
The young man just nodded as he looked at the rest of the dossiers, seeing a young man with orange hair, green eyes, and nature-themed gear. He was also holding a cute white pet with pink eyes.
“The Johnnies. Little Johnny is the son of former X, Ah Sheng, and can tame and communicate with animals. Big Johnny-.”
“Turns into a giant monster when instigated. I've seen the toys.”
Next, he saw an older man with gray hair, a cloak, and a golden half-mask covering his mouth.
“Ghostblade. Doesn't talk much, either, if at all. But his skills as an assassin speak louder than words. He's also the only independent on the team.”
Lin Ling moved to the next dossier, seeing a young man with a purple mohawk and an open Hawaiian shirt.
“Dragon Boy-.”
“I thought Dragon Boy was under investigation for the Smile incident.”
“Under investigation, not suspended. His super strength, durability, and ability to reflect attacks are nearly second to none. But his attitude may come off as…hostile.”
And with that, Lin Ling moved to the last dossier, seeing a woman in a white battle dress, gold armor, and a spear.
“And lastly, Queen, the only female hero who made it to the Top 10 in record time. She can fly, summon javelin, and create areas where she dictates commands called Rules.”
And with that done, Lin Ling looked at Moon and released his suspicions.
“Moon, this has to be some sort of mistake. This hero team is the Top 10, minus X.”
Moon shook her head.
“Lin Ling, you made a perfect score on the simulator. No one else has done this before. Upper management decided that you would make a suitable dispatcher for them.”
“But these guys-.”
“Are people like you and me.” Moon interrupted. “I'll be frank. These heroes may seem like the premier superhero team, but let's just say…there's some bad blood between them. I don't know what, but the Commission won't let them work solo or in other teams. They feel it would be good publicity for them and the SDN if everyone saw the Top 10 working together.”
“But, you think I have what it takes?”
Moon leaned in with a determined expression, making Lin Ling’s face blush and his heart to race at a speed matching E-Soul’s.
“I've seen your skills firsthand. I know you have what it takes.”
“O-Okay.” He can't win an argument against Moon, though a part of him really doubts he can do this.
“We're not asking for miracles, but we won't complain if we get one. Come on, I'll show you to your station.”
Lin Ling nodded as he and Moon left the archive and the latter took him to a cubicle, where an inactive computer, headset, and typical office supplies were waiting for him.
“This is where you'll be working. I already clocked you in for the day and I'll show you how to clock out later. You ever need me, I'm over there.” She pointed at the office nearby. “I'll see what I can do about getting you more heroes for your 10th spot.”
“Okay.” With that, Moon patted him on the shoulder before leaving.
Lin Ling released a huge sigh as he fell into his seat.
“Hey!” A new voice called him. Lin Ling turned to his right and saw a slightly older man in a black suit and tie, with short black hair and glasses. “First day?”
“That obvious? I'm just given a top-ranked team and I don't know the first thing about dispatching and managing them.”
“Don't think too hard about it. I'm sure you'll do fine. Just keep your head down, do your job, and let them do theirs. Most people don't usually make it past the first dispatch.” The random co-worker warned. “If there is a crisis in the area, guess who answers.”
“Me.” Lin Ling decided to just get it over with as he placed on the headset and turned on the computer, getting a layout of X City along with the profile icons of all 9 heroes.
‘Alright, let’s do this…’
He made sure his headset was on and aimed the mic towards his mouth.
“Hey team, this is your dispatcher Lin Ling. I’m starting my first shift-.”
Before he could finish, he heard laughing and saw that it was coming from Loli.
“Oh man, tell me that isn't your real name.” The techno-themed hero laughed, seeing how closely related both parts of his name are.
“Come on, you stuttering piece of trash! You can't be this shook on your first day! Get a grip already!” Dragon Boy followed up next before they all heard Little Johnny trying to get used to Lin Ling’s name.
“Lin. Lins. Lynn. Ling. Linny. Lenny.”
“Will all of you please grow up?” A calm yet clearly irritated Queen responded. “May I remind you all that these calls are recorded for quality assurance and training purposes? I'd rather not lose another dispatcher!”
‘Another…?’ Lin Ling dreaded at the thought of previous dispatchers quitting because of this team.
Soon, an alert popped up on the map and Lin Ling promptly opened it.
“Hi, my son's cat got stuck in a tree. Can you send a hero to come help?” A woman requested.
Lin Ling thought this was an easy pick and sent Little Johnny to the location.
“Seems a little small-time, don’t you think?” Loli asked.
“Hey, nothing wrong with the classics.” Firm Man stated.
“So, quick question, how many dispatchers were assigned to this team before I came?” Lin Ling asked, pondering Queen's remark.
“...Three.” Lucky Cyan answered with a hint of regret in her voice.
“Last one was around for a couple of days.” E-Soul recounted.
“And what happened to him?”
“I kicked his car towards a villain during a fight in the parking lot.” Dragon Boy recounted.
“By ‘villain', he means an ordinary carjacker. Who had to be rushed to the ER.” Queen corrected.
“He won't be jacking cars anymore. I don’t see the problem.” Dragon Boy retorted.
Lin Ling only had a look of concern before Little Johnny reported a mission success.
“Easy!”
Soon, 2 more alerts popped up and Lin Ling promptly answered them.
“The Commission is requesting a hero for a very important social affair.”
With that, Lin Ling sent Firm Man, given all the times he's given tours around the HAC.
“You know, the only reason I volunteered for this is to get back in the field. Not back to…whatever, fine.” Firm Man tried to hide his exhaustion, but it wasn't unnoticed.
“Sorry.” Lin Ling apologized. He should've sent Queen.
“It's cool, man. I get it. Let's just get it over with.” Firm Man stated as he arrived on scene.
Lin Ling then opened the next call.
“This is Officer Guo Huan. Reporting a boat robbery in progress at the yacht club. Send backup!”
Lin Ling thought about it before sending Loli, for her suit's raw power, and Ghostblade, for his efficiency. Sounded like an ideal team on paper, but in reality…
“Are you fucking kidding me!? I ain't working with him!”
Lin Ling then saw Ghostblade respond in the chat box.
Ghostblade: 👎
“Come on, you two. This is serious! What's your deal?”
“My fucking deal is that he's a stalker piece of shit!”
“We're still on this!? Ghostblade saved your life and mine! He's a good person!” Little Johnny defended.
Lin Ling was warned of bad blood, but not outright hatred.
“Loli, just work with Ghostblade. Even for a little bit here. There are lives on the line here!” Lin Ling pleaded before hearing a VERY audible groan.
“Fine! Just keep up and don't get in my way, old man!”
Ghostblade: 👍
And with that, the two were finally sent off while Firm Man just made it back to report a mission success.
“I don't want to come off as picky or something, but you gotta let me get out there in the actual field.” Firm Man complained.
“Noted.” Lin Ling said as more alerts popped up. He opened one, which was coming from a nearby XFC.
“Got a few troublemakers fighting it out here. Don't need any of that here! Can you send someone to break it up? Just make sure it's not the purple asshole!”
Lin Ling raised an eyebrow as he sent out Queen to break up the fight.
“Asshole. Whatever! Not like I wanted to eat from there anymore!” Dragon Boy grumbled as this obviously annoyed him.
“What did you even do?” Lucky Cyan asked curiously.
“Let's just say the manager and I had a ‘little’ disagreement about the amount of chicken my bucket was supposed to have.”
“With your paycheck, why are you even concerned?” E-Soul asked next. “You could've easily bought another bucket.”
“Principle, Tin Man. Principle.”
Lin Ling could only shake his head in disbelief as Ghostblade and Loli reported back a mission success. However…
Ghostblade: 🚑
“Loli, why do I have Ghostblade requesting first aid…?”
“Hey, I warned him to stay outta my way. Not my fault he got in my crosshairs.”
Ghostblade: 😑
“What happened?”
“The thieves were about to make out with a yacht hooked up to a truck. The old man was supposed to take out the thieves there while I disabled the truck. I tried to shoot out the front tires first, but for whatever reason, Ghostblade went for the driver immediately and the blast from my cannon was a bit bigger than what I was expecting. Dumb, am I right?”
“I think taking out the driver first is pretty routine.” Lin Ling said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ghostblade, go to the infirmary and get yourself checked out.”
Ghostblade: 👍
Lin Ling then clicked on the next one.
“Some punk just robbed me! I want him behind bars!”
Easy enough, Lin Ling dispatched E-Soul to chase down the pickpocket before he went to the next call.
“Help!” The caller coughed before continuing. “Our apartment building is on fire! The fire department is already on the way, but I don't think they'll be enough. Send help!”
“Do I have some good news for you, Firm Man.” Lin Ling then selected said hero along with Lucky Cyan to make up for the mobility
As the two were sent out, the Rank 2 and 9 heroes returned to report mission success on their part. Banter and attitude aside, things have been going pretty smoothly for Lin Ling.
There were only 2 calls left for the day. He checked on the first one.
“Hey, it's my first day working security here at the art museum, and I just noticed some paintings were missing. Can you please send in some heroes with the investigation?”
Lin Ling then dispatched Ahu for the actual investigation and then Dragon Boy as the muscle.
“I gotta work with the mutt from literal trash?”
“Your name may be Dragon Boy, but my bite is way worse than your bark.” The talking dog warned as they left the building, while Firm Man and Cyan returned for a job well done.
“If you can transform into something that can match that, then by all means.”
They then all heard growling.
“Dragon Boy, don't make Ahu's job harder than it has to be.”
“Then don't partner me up with the trash! Just saying.”
Lin Ling just chose to ignore that as he focused on the last call. He tried to listen in on the call, but all he heard was crashes followed by shots and a pained groan.
“Dammit…” He looked at the location of the call. “Got a potential robbery at QuickTrip Mart.”
“I got this!”
Loli immediately dispatched on her own. Normally, Lin Ling would have an issue with her rushing out there, but he'll let it slide.
“You seem really eager, Loli.” Queen remarked.
“Back when I tried focusing on increasing my Trust before coming up with the suit, I would frequent this joint for stuff to help me train up. The manager there would give me the ‘cute’ discount, especially when I told him I was gonna be a hero. Now, I got a chance to show him I meant it.” The armored heroine explained as she arrived on site. “Hey Ling, gonna need an extra pair of eyes on this place?’
Having no clue what that means, Lin Ling turned off his mic and looked at the random co-worker sitting next to him, who was in the middle of a call himself.
Lin Ling knocked on the cubicle wall to get his attention.
The man looked at the new employee before focusing on ending his call.
“Bug, you're up.” He then hung up and muted his mic before looking at Lin Ling. “What's up?”
“Hey, one of my heroes is asking for an ‘extra pair of eyes’. What does that mean?”
The co-worker chuckled.
“One of the few things that the simulator doesn’t teach you. Businesses that signed on with SDN permit them to access their live feeds.” The man replied as he got to Lin Ling’s desk before typing in a few keys, and the two saw Loli live on the store’s cameras.
“And this is legal?” Lin Ling asked.
“You'd be surprised what you can get away with when people don’t read the fine print.” The co-worker said as he got up and allowed Lin Ling to take back his seat before pointing at three buttons. “These keys will let you cycle through the cameras.”
He then pointed at a tool icon on the screen.
“And this allows you to hack into the systems, if need be.”
“Hack? I’m really questioning how this isn’t illegal.”
“Sometimes the business owners put up anti-virus software or forget to join the SDN network. They don’t understand that it’s just making our jobs harder. The tool is supposed to help with integration.”
Lin Ling nodded as he placed on his headset.
“Thanks, man.”
The co-worker nodded as he went back to his own station.
“Hey Ling, got a job to do here!” Loli called out as Lin Ling turned on the mic.
“Yeah, sorry, just had to take care of something.” Lin Ling replied as he looked around the store, to see it empty save for the armored heroine. “Was the store this empty when you got in?”
Loli nodded.
“Place is dead. Something doesn’t seem right.”
“Hold on, I’ll take a look around.” Lin Ling then used the cycling keys as instructed.
The next camera he took control of was monitoring the counter. He saw the manager and another co-worker lying on the ground, tied up, knocked out, but still alive.
“Loli, got hostages behind the counter.” Lin Ling warned as the Rank 6 hero checked them out. “Check their status. I’m going to see if anyone else is still around.”
“Got it. You want anything while I’m here?” Loli asked randomly as she started untying the hostages.
“What? This isn’t like a food run. This is a potential break-in.” Lin Ling pointed out.
“Come on, I’m getting a drink already after this. I’ll leave money behind.”
Lin Ling just sighed, deciding to play her game.
“Fine, just get me some Twinkies or something.” Lin Ling said as he switched over to the camera in the manager’s office. His eyes widened at seeing a man in a dark hoodie, a red Oni mask, and a red-plated right arm stealing cash from the safe. “Loli, eyes up. Perp’s still here. Looks like he’s about to finish up at the safe.”
(With Loli)
Loli stared at the door before she immediately stood next to it.
“Got it. I’ll get the jump on him then, when he leaves. Let me know when he’s coming.” The heroine instructed as she started typing something on the keypad on one of her gauntlets. Soon, a pink and white techno bat flew through the window of the store, which the armored girl caught.
Luckily for her, the sound didn’t get the criminal’s attention as he was now on his way out.
“Okay, looks like he’s about to make his way out. Get ready.” The dispatcher advised as Loli readied her bat.
Soon, the door opened, and Loli immediately swung her weapon at the instant she saw the masked fiend.
WHACK!
Got him square in the back of the head, but the villain recovered immediately. He turned and aimed his armored palm at Loli.
PEW! PEW! PEW!
Loli immediately swatted each shot before noticing a familiar black substance trying to corrode her weapon.
“Using a Fear amplifier, huh? Sponsored by Spotlight?” Loli asked before charging and thrusting her bat into the criminal’s chest, making him stumble back.
“Loli, I just got an ID on the guy. Goes by Red Oni. Apparently, he’s been on a hot streak with robberies.” Lin Ling reported in her comms.
“Really? All that power and you resort to petty theft? Kinda sad, dude.” Loli mocked as she swung her weapon once more. Unfortunately, Red Oni caught it, and the heroine felt the intense strength of his grip.
“What’s sad is that you’re treating me like some villain of the week!” Red Oni retorted as he then used his gauntlet to start shocking the bat and, through it, Loli.
Loli screamed in pain as she struggled to let go while Red Oni turned up the voltage. Loli was stuck like this for the next few minutes until…
BOOM!
The bat exploded, and Loli was sent flying into the drinks fridge. Crashing through the door with several sodas spilling on her.
“Loli, you okay!? I’m going to send a couple of the others to assist you!” Lin Ling decided.
Loli only growled underneath her helmet as she stood up.
“No, I got this! This prick just made it personal!”
She then used her armor’s thrusters to propel herself towards Red Oni, attempting to punch him. Red Oni dodged, but Loli immediately followed up with a knee to the stomach. She then followed up with an elbow rocket-powered fist to the same area, lifting Red Oni momentarily to the ceiling before crashing down on the floor.
“See? Told you I got this.” Loli said to Lin Ling with a cocky smirk as she tore off Red Oni’s gauntlet and threw it aside near the counter. “If you still want to call for help, you can bring the badges in to nab this-.”
POW!
Loli was then punched in the gut by Red Oni’s exposed Fear-mutated claw, sending her through several snack shelves.
“I don’t need a gauntlet to kill you, bitch.” Red Oni growled as he leaped with his punch ready, with Loli rolling away at the last minute.
“That’s it, Loli! I’m sending in backup!” Lin Ling declared as Loli was barely able to dodge most of the villain’s punches.
“I already told you!” Loli protested as she continued typing on her wristpad. “I!”
Just then, a large pair of pink mechanical gauntlets flew into the store.
“Got!” Loli grabbed a bottle of nacho dip nearby and smashed its contents into the masked man’s face, temporarily blinding him as the cheese got into the eye slits of his mask.
“You whore!”
“This!” Loli finished as she attached her gauntlets and flew in for a punch.
Red Oni got enough cheese out of his mask to punch back, the collision releasing a small shockwave. The two struggled to get the upper hand before…
PEW!
A red bolt of energy was fired at them, breaking the collision. Loli and Red Oni were confused before noticing the awakened store manager wearing Red Oni’s gauntlet. It was charged and ready to fire.
“I thought your Fear was powering that thing?” Loli asked the thief.
“I, uh, keep a backup power source installed inside. Just in case.”
Loli just shook her head.
“Both of you drop anything you’ve stolen and get the fuck out of my store!” The manager demanded.
“The hell are you talking about? I’m a hero!” Loli protested, trying to get the manager to recognize her.
“Oh, I know this routine! You all try to act like the good guy, only to extort me later for the sake of ‘protection’!”
Loli was momentarily confused before he noticed that the gauntlet-wearing arm was starting to mutate; there must have been some leftover Fear in that equipment.
Lin Ling noticed this too from the cameras.
“Loli, E-Soul wrapped up his pickpocket call and is now en route to your location. Just keep the guy distracted for a couple of minutes, so he can assist you.”
Loli can only growl in annoyance.
“You know what? Screw you. I already told you I got this, and I don’t need a fucking babysitter bitching in my ear all day!”
“Loli, that’s a direct order! Just stall for time until E-Soul can reach your loca-!” And with that, Loli quickly turned off her helmet’s comm line. She then decided to charge at the manager first and tried to pry the charging gauntlet off to prevent a further infection.
“Get that thing off!”
“Let go of me!”
As the two were fighting, Red Oni immediately used this opportunity to escape via the back door. Meanwhile, as the two were struggling, the gauntlet’s charging palm was aimed at the floor before firing.
At the same time, E-Soul just arrived in front of the store.
“Lin Ling, I just arrived on the scene. What’s Loli’s-?” Before the metallic hero can finish that question and get inside…
BOOM!
The store blew up, throwing E-Soul into a parked car.
(With Lin Ling)
“Oh fuck!” Lin Ling cursed as he was met with only static from his camera feed after seeing the gauntlet destroy the store. “Come on. Come on…”
He tried cycling through the cameras, only to see Red Oni escape through the backdoor camera.
“Great. How can this day get any worse?” Lin Ling complained before feeling his deskmate tap his shoulder, getting his attention.
“Does that answer your question?” The co-worker asked as he pointed at the TV nearby. Lin Ling turned, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped before standing up to see the ruined store already on the news. A soot-covered Loli and E-Soul were onscreen talking to the police while the injured workers, including the manager, were carted off by the EMTs.
“Shit…” Lin Ling cursed again as he could already sense a talk with Moon later. Not how he had pictured meeting her again.
“Not how you pictured your first day going, huh?” The co-worker asked, to which Lin Ling only facepalm as he could feel the stress coming. “Hey.”
Lin Ling looked at him before the latter took out a gold coin, rolled it over his knuckles, and flicked it towards the former. Ling Ling caught it before the co-worker pointed in a direction towards the back.
“You got some time before Moon calls you over. Why don’t you head to the back and get yourself a drink to cool off?”
Lin Ling thought about it before nodding.
“Thanks, I will. Neat trick by the way.” Lin Ling complimented as he went to the back for the breakroom.
He opened the door and saw Dragon Boy going through the fridge for his late lunch.
“What are you doing back here?” Lin Ling asked confused.
Dragon Boy looked back as he recognized the voice.
“Oh, it’s you. The mutt and I wrapped up our call fairly quickly. Dumbass thieves tried playing us by posing as statues and hiding the stolen art in their weapons.” Dragon Boy laughed at the recent memory.
“And where’s Ahu?”
“The mutt told me to go ahead, said he had to make a stopover at the hospital or something. I didn’t pay attention to much after that.” Dragon Boy said as he found his lunch and prepped it for the microwave.
“Alright. Good shift anyways.” Lin Ling said as he then went to the vending machine and used the coin that his co-worker gave him to get a soda.
The brown-haired young man took the soda and sat down at a table before the door was kicked open, and the two guys turned to see Loli, still in her soot-covered suit, but her helmet rested in her right arm, which revealed long pink hair tied in a messy ponytail and tired violet eyes.
Dragon Boy looked at the girl with a wide shit-eating grin as he was eagerly waiting for his lunch to cook in the microwave.
“Don’t you fucking say anything,” Loli warned.
“I won’t.” Dragon Boy said before gesturing to Lin Ling, trying to enjoy his soda. “Though our dispatcher may have some words for you.”
Lin Ling gagged on the soda he was drinking before glaring at Dragon Boy with an incredulous expression.
‘Come on, what the hell!?’
Loli’s attention then went to her dispatcher.
“You’re Lin Ling?”
“Y-Yeah?” Lin Ling responded as Loli placed her helmet on the table and sat across from him.
“Alright, hit me.” The girl said plainly.
The guy just sighed as he didn’t even know where to begin. Despite being thrown under the bus by the Rank 3 hero, he really did have some things to say about Loli’s performance during that robbery to her face.
“Okay…” After some quick thinking, Lin Ling was able to form a properly cohesive question. “What the hell was that?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You know damn well what I’m talking about. You let the perp get away, destroyed the store, and injured the civilians. If you had listened to what I said and allowed E-Soul to assist, we’d have a much better outcome!”
The pinkette gritted her teeth as she adopted a look of annoyance.
“We’d have a much better outcome if that idiot would’ve been fine if he hadn’t touched that Fear-infected gauntlet!” Loli retorted before continuing, “And, I don’t need a desk jockey like you to tell me how to do my job. Things were going good before I got forced into this dispatch gig.”
Lin Ling was really trying hard to be the good cop here, but this girl was really tempting to make him the bad one.
“I understand, but that was then. This is now.” Lin Ling argued. “I’m your dispatcher. I’m supposed to help you be a better hero, but I can’t do that when you don’t even listen. I make the calls here, not you. You’re supposed to be the Rank 6 hero! Act like it!”
That immediately got Loli’s attention while Dragon Boy’s eyes slightly widened as he just ate his lunch in silence, enjoying the show.
“You want to help me? Let me give you some advice.” Loli started as she leaned in. “Despite my Trust Value, I have no powers, but I worked hard to get to where I am. I suffered to get to where I am. And what do you have? Just some asshole bitching at us, saying what to do and where to do it. You wouldn’t last a day in either of our shoes!”
She then stood up and grabbed her helmet before attempting to walk out, but she immediately walked back to Lin Ling.
“Oh, and before I forget, here are those Twinkies I promised!” Loli then took out a pack from one of her armor’s storage units and…
POW!
She straight-up smacked Lin Ling with them in hand. The pinkette then spat on him before dropping the smushed snack and walking out of the breakroom.
Lin Ling only sniffed as he started to form a black eye on the right side of his face. Dragon Boy finished the last of his lunch before approaching his downed dispatcher.
“...You gonna eat those twinks?” Dragon Boy asked.
“That’s not even…” Lin Ling then sighed. He was too tired for this. “You know what? Knock yourself out.”
Dragon Boy only smirked as he picked up the smushed snack before walking out the breakroom.
After getting some ice, the rest of the day went by pretty smoothly. Though any dispatches with Loli were only met with silence, no remarks. She didn’t even bother joining in on the banter that the team usually does. When the day was finally over, Lin Ling looked at Moon’s office to see her gesturing to come see her from the window.
“Alright, that about does it for the day. Good job, team. See you tomorrow.”
“If you’re on tomorrow.” Dragon Boy remarked, and he wasn’t completely wrong either.
“We’ll see about that, I guess.” Lin Ling replied before turning off the monitor and putting his headphones away.
He could feel his anxiety peaking, worried that he’s gonna get fired on his first day. Wanting to rip the band-aid, Lin Ling quietly rushed into Moon’s office. The blonde heroine smiled as she gestured for the new dispatcher to have a seat.
‘Oh no…’ Lin Ling’s heart was practically beating out of his chest as he sat down.
“Sorry about asking this but…what happened to your eye?” Moon asked, gesturing towards the blackeye that Loli gave him earlier ago.
“Oh, I uh…” Lin Ling did think about selling out Loli, but he figured that would only make him more of a target towards her than anything else. It wasn’t worth it. “I bumped my face into a wall while I wasn’t looking.”
“Fast and strong enough to give you a blackeye?”
“What can I say? I’m a bit of a klutz.” Lin Ling tried to joke and Moon seemed to have bought it as she then went for business.
“So, I’ve been monitoring you for most of the day.” Moon started.
“Monitoring?”
“Come on, you’re the new dispatcher to the Top 10. You really think I wasn’t going to see how you’re doing?”
“T-That’s fair.” He conceded.
“And I have to say, for your first day, that wasn’t too bad. I mean, I’ve seen worse from the others when they were assigned to these guys.” Moon tried to console, but Lin Ling would rather get this topic over with.
“Does that include Loli?” Lin Ling asked.
Moon sighed in response. She was hoping to skirt around that at first, but as the manager, she needs to bring it up.
“Yeah, what happened at QuickTrip…that wasn’t ideal.”
‘That’s putting it mildly.’ Lin Ling thought.
“Has Loli ever had issues with authority?”
“Admittedly, she and other heroes weren’t exactly thrilled about the SDN when it was first set up. They see it as a tighter leash from the Commission. But unlike most heroes, where signing up was optional, Loli is part of the Top 10. That means her participation was mandatory. It wouldn’t look good if the Top 10 were incomplete in SDN. Or rather, more incomplete than it already was.” She said, referring to the mysterious Hero X.
“I get where she’s coming from, I do. I dreamed…I still want to be a hero despite having no powers.” Lin Ling admitted. “So I’m eager to help anyone in that pursuit as well. Loli needs to understand that I’m just trying to help.”
Lin Ling then came to a realization.
“That’s the issue…” He fully recognized. “All she and the other Top 10 see is a monotone voice just giving them instructions and advice.”
Moon looked intrigued.
“And what do you propose to do about that?”
“I’m gonna work more closely with them. Get on their good side. I don’t know how, but I’ll find a way. They need to know that I’m on their side, not another statistic for failed dispatchers. That I’m all-in on this job.”
“It’ll be rough,” Moon warned.
“I’ve painted black into white before.” Lin Ling smiled.
“Well, in that case, it sounds like you have everything figured out. I wish you the best of luck.” Moon said. “Anyways, I also promised you that I would show you how to clock out.”
After a brief tutorial, Lin Ling packed up his stuff and went to the elevator. As he pressed the button for the ground floor, he noticed his deskmate rushing in with a garbage bag.
“Hold the lift!”
Lin Ling held the elevator open long enough for the guy to get in before it closed and started moving down.
“Thanks, man.”
“No problem.” He then looked at the bag. “What’s with the garbage?”
“Oh, the janitor is in the middle of cleaning the restroom. And based on the mess that Dragon Boy made in there, he may be there the whole night. He asked for help taking out the garbage. I said sure, but forgot I was supposed to meet a friend of mine later tonight for skewers and drinks. So, I’m rushing this.”
“You don’t have to. I can take care of that.” Lin Ling volunteered.
“You would?” The co-worker was surprised.
“Yeah, why not? You’re in a rush, right? I have no plans tonight. I can easily take care of that.”
“You know where the dumpster is?”
Lin Ling nodded.
“Back door, right?”
The co-worker nodded as he handed Lin Ling the trash bag.
“Thanks, man. I really owe you.” The glasses-wearing man said as the elevator landed and opened its doors.
“No problem, uh…Oh wait, I never caught your name-!” Lin Ling tried telling him, but the man had already rushed out. “Oh well, I’ll try to ask him tomorrow.”
Lin Ling found his way out through the back door as he noticed the dumpster nearby. He easily tossed it in there and was about to be on his way. However, to his surprise, Moon had just arrived in the area too.
Her eyes were closed as she took a deep breath and undid her ponytail, letting it flow out like a messy curtain. Lin Ling was enraptured by her beauty before…
“AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!” She then let out a bloodcurdling scream. One that Lin Ling knew too well from his time at Treeman and university: stress.
After a good 5 minutes, Moon stopped as she opened her eyes and finally noticed Lin Ling’s presence. Her expression went from surprise and confusion to immediate fluster and embarrassment.
The two stared at each other for a good long while in awkward silence before Lin Ling decided to break the ice.
“You, uh…you good?”