Chapter 10: You little Weasel~
I was lounging on the couch, half-watching the news when something caught my eye. There, amidst a chaotic scene of gunfire and police sirens, was Weasel. He was darting between cars, scrambling to avoid the hail of bullets coming from some heavily armed thugs who were also in a shootout with the police.
I sat up straight. "What the hell…?"
I hadn't seen him in a week, and now here he was, right in the middle of a full-blown firefight in Gateway City. And to make matters worse, the camera panned across the scene, and there she was—Wonder Woman. Of all people, Wonder Woman was on the scene, deflecting bullets and subduing the gunmen.
"Damn it," I muttered, rubbing my temples. This was the last thing I needed.
I stood up, pacing. Somehow, Weasel had managed to find himself in the worst situation imaginable. I couldn't just sit here. Not when I still had that ridiculous quest hanging over my head. Acquire meat for Weasel.
But this wasn't just about the quest. He'd taken care of whoever had been in this body before me. He may be a total mess, but I owed him.
A life debt, or whatever you wanted to call it.
I sighed, grabbing my jacket. The League was definitely not going to be thrilled about me stepping in on this or leaving the mountain for that matter. They'd probably call it reckless, or worse, a violation of the whole under supervision thing and not being trustworthy thing they had me on.
But I had a pretty solid excuse ready in case anyone asked. "He was the one who helped me when I first woke up here. I owe him." That's convincing enough, right?
Besides, it's not like they can really pry into my mind—not with the whole power mimicry thing. Martian Manhunter couldn't read me fully, and Wonder Woman's lasso? Nullified. They couldn't force the truth out of me, even if they tried.
I don't even really need the league.
I flicked one last glance at the TV. The camera zoomed in on Weasel, scrambling up a fire escape to evade the gunfire, his fur, matted and wild as ever. I could practically hear him cursing in frustration from here.
"Looks like I'm heading to Gateway City," I muttered, stepping out of the base.
With a single push, I was in the air, flying fast right through the reinforced door hidden in the side of the mountain. There was no time to waste. Weasel might be an idiot, but he was my idiot, and for some reason, I had this nagging feeling that if I didn't step in, things were going to get a lot worse.
It took me about twenty minutes to reach Gateway City, and the chaos wasn't hard to spot.
Wonder Woman was locked in a vicious fight with Cheetah. I kept my distance, turning invisible as I flew low to avoid being noticed. I needed to find Weasel.
And there he was, already caught and tossed into the back of a police van, his wiry frame cramped and panicked. He was frantically looking for a way out and cursing, his fur matted and his yellow eyes wide with wild desperation.
I dropped my invisibility and shifted into the form of a cop, keeping my disguise simple. Once I was sure no one was looking, I walked over and, with a quick yank, ripped the back doors off the van as quietly as I could.
Weasel jumped at the sound of the metal groaning and stared at me, his eyes wild with confusion. "Who—what da fuck?"
I didn't say anything, just nodded for him to get out.
He hesitated for a second, like he was trying to make sense of what was happening, then bolted out of the van without a second thought.
I followed him into an alley a few blocks away, making sure we didn't attract any unwanted attention from Wonder Woman or the police. Once we were far enough from the chaos, I dropped my disguise and turned visible again.
Weasel was panting, leaning against a wall, clearly out of breath from the sprint. "Man… what the… Jack?"
I raised an eyebrow. "You were expecting someone else?"
Weasel blinked, wiping his brow. "You—wait a minute. What was that? Since when do you have powers like that? I thought you turned into me?"
I sighed, shaking my head. "Long story. Look, I'm not here to explain my life story. I owed you. You looked after my body and helped me out when I woke up, confused and with no memory of who I was. Consider us even now."
Weasel stood up straighter, eyeing me warily. "Hold on. You were just some… some geek who lost his memories. How do you—" He gestured wildly at the alley. "You ripped open a police van like it was a tin can!"
I shrugged, not feeling like explaining the whole power-mimicking deal. "Like I said, long story."
Weasel paced for a second, scratching the back of his neck, clearly thrown. "Man, I… I thought you were just this lost guy. You didn't even know your own name. Now you're pulling off Ultraman-level stuff? What happened to you?"
I looked at him for a moment, trying to decide how much to tell him before just going with a few white lies not far from the truth. "Honestly? I'm not sure myself. I woke up in this body with a head full of nothing, and things just… started happening."
Weasel frowned, still looking like he couldn't quite piece it all together. "But why'd you help me? I mean, we barely know each other. I only stuck around because… I dunno, you weren't bad?"
I scratched the back of my neck, feeling awkward. "You were the first person I met after waking up with no clue who I was. You helped me, even if it was in your own weird way. That's enough for me."
Weasel blinked, and for the first time, he seemed at a loss for words. He ran a hand through his scruffy fur, then shook his head with a small grin. "Man, you really don't remember anything, huh?"
"Not a thing," I replied, glancing towards the street where police cars whizzed past. "But right now, all that matters is getting out of here before someone spots us."
Weasel snorted. "Yeah, no kidding. I don't think Wonder Woman's gonna be happy if she finds out you busted me out."
I smirked. "You're welcome, by the way."
Weasel looked at me, a mix of disbelief and something else—maybe respect? "Yeah… thanks, man. I mean it."
We stood there for a moment, the chaos of Gateway City distant now, and I could tell that despite how little we knew about each other, there was some kind of bond forming.
He didn't understand why I helped him, and I didn't fully understand why I felt the need to repay him, but it didn't really matter. We were in this together, at least for now.
And oddly enough the voices seem quiet.
"You got a plan, or are we winging this?" Weasel asked, looking around cautiously.
I shrugged. "We wing it. But next time, try not to get caught."
Weasel laughed under his breath. "No promises."
I shook my head, motioning for him to follow me. We had to keep moving, but for the first time, I wasn't just running blindly. And as I glanced back at Weasel, I realized that even though I didn't know much about him—or this body's original life, for that matter—I was oddly okay with that.
I hope the league won't get too mad when I bring him back with me.
(I was originally going to having Weasel slaughtered and the quest failed if you guys voted on bad guy.
I actually thought more of you would pick that, so I am a bit at a loss on what to do with Weasel other that a sidekick or weird friend.
Also gave a hint on what world Weasel and Jack are from. It'll be more important later.
Also, Also I am open to ideas if you guys have any. I've written a few down from the comments when I did the voting that might be fun.)
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