Super Nuts chapter 5 teaser!

"This doesn't even qualify as a warm-up," Maya murmured to herself as she watched Gunkshot throw a brick through a window of a rather decrepit looking liquor store to the quiet applause of his small crew. Small time villains like him always went for the easy targets. At least the smart ones did. Too bad for him that tonight just wasn't his lucky night. "Gunkshot can shoot hot, sticky wax out of his palms," came the familiar voice of Mirage through her earpiece. By now it didn't even startle her. It seemed like that man was always watching her somehow whenever she went out hunting for criminals to put down. Maya used to always look around for the small drone that he usually was watching her through, but eventually stopped even trying. Damn thing was hard to see at night. "I know that already," Maya whispered back with annoyance clear in her tone. In fact, she only knew about Gunkshot because she saw him on TV once. Usually she just let Mirage provide the intel on villains. No response came from the enigmatic man she had come to call a partner in crime. Or a partner in justice? A partner in vigilante? What the hell am I thinking about… she chastised herself as she prepared to slip into a shadow and advance on the small villain crew.

A vibration on her wrist stopped her in her tracks. Her purple eyes widened as she glanced at her watch and read the caller ID. It was Friction. Ethan. The man she missed so badly that it hurt to even think about him. Ethan had been calling quite a lot recently. Maya had rejected just about every call. She told herself that she couldn't afford the distraction, but she knew that was a lie. The truth was that she was afraid to talk to him. Afraid that he'd learn who she had become. Terrified that the only true mentor she ever had would reject her. Or worse, hate her. Despite her constant rejections, Ethan never seemed angry or upset. Only concerned. Usually he'd follow his failed call with a short text message asking her to call him back when she got the chance. She never did. Instead, she always chose the much easier option of replying with her own text message letting him know that she was doing well, but was just keeping herself busy. If he ever asked with what, she usually turned to the convenient (and partially true) excuse of training. At least he'd be proud of her for that.

With a sigh full of emotion Maya's finger found the decline button once more. Yet she couldn't turn back towards the small gang looting the liquor store. Instead she waited for the follow-up text Ethan always sent. The familiar request to call him back. Except this time she received a different message. "Please, just this once answer my call Maya. I really want to talk to you."

Maya felt her heart clench as she read the message, a lump forming in her throat. Ethan's words held a note of desperation she had never heard from him before. Despite all her efforts to avoid him, to shield him from the dark path she had chosen, he still reached out. Still cared.
Damn it, Ethan… Why can't you just let me go? she thought, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. I'm not the hero you think I am anymore.
But even as the thought crossed her mind, Maya knew she couldn't ignore his plea. Not this time. With a shaky breath, she tapped the call button, bringing the phone to her ear. "Ethan… I…" she started, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Maya… it's so good to hear your voice," Ethan replied after a few moments of silence. "I've missed you. A lot." Ethan's tone was a mix of relief and concern. It was obvious that he was worried about her. "Are you busy?" he asked to fill the void of silence that Maya seemed hesitant to break.

"I… I've missed you too, Ethan," Maya replied softly, her voice tinged with emotion. She swallowed hard, trying to steady herself. "I'm not busy, no. Just… out for a walk." The lie tasted bitter on her tongue, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth. Not yet.
"How have you been?" she asked, desperate to change the subject. Talking about herself, about what she had become, was the last thing she wanted to do. Especially with Ethan. He would never understand.

"I've been better," Ethan replied honestly. "I feel like there are forces moving behind the scenes that I don't completely understand. I hate feeling left out," he continued with frustration clear in his tone.

Maya felt a pang of guilt at Ethan's words. She knew he was talking about her, about the secrets she kept from him. The life she led as Shadow Demon, ruthlessly taking down villains in the most brutal ways imaginable. Especially when it came to their most vulnerable spots.
"I… I understand," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "But sometimes, people keep secrets to protect those they care about." Like how she castrated villains, leaving them writhing in agony as their testicles were reduced to mush under her merciless strikes. How she relished the power she held over men, the way their bodies crumpled when she targeted their balls.
Maya shook her head, trying to banish the thoughts. She couldn't let Ethan know about that side of her. He would be horrified. Disgusted. "I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately," she continued, forcing her voice to remain steady. "I've just been… busy. Training. Trying to get stronger."

Ethan was silent for a minute. He had been wanting to talk to her for so long, but now that he had her on the line he wasn't sure what to say. How to best communicate his feelings. "You were always strong," he finally replied. "Stronger than me. I wish I could keep up." Despite saying so, Ethan had never felt jealous towards her. The greatest joy he felt was helping Maya control her powers and grow stronger under his careful eye. How he wished they could return to those simple training days.

"Ethan, you…" Maya's voice trailed off as a wave of emotion washed over her. She closed her eyes, memories of their training sessions flooding her mind. Ethan had always been there for her, guiding her, encouraging her. He never once showed jealousy or resentment, even as her powers grew to surpass his own.
"You were the best mentor I could have asked for," she said softly, her voice thick with unshed tears. "I learned so much from you. Not just about our powers, but about being a hero. About doing the right thing." Even if she had strayed from that path, Maya knew Ethan's lessons would always be a part of her.
In the distance, she heard the sound of sirens approaching. Gunkshot and his crew were about to have their fun cut short by the authorities. Part of her wanted to end the call and go after them anyway, to feel the satisfying crunch of testicles beneath her shadowy fists. But another part, a part she thought long buried, yearned to keep talking to Ethan. To hear his voice, to bask in his unwavering support just a little longer.

Yet, she knew she didn't have that luxury. She wasn't the wide eyed sidekick anymore. Maya was Shadow Demon now. She had to put criminals down. Permanently. Although… nobody said she couldn't talk to her mentor while cracking nuts right? Maya took her extra ear piece out of her pocket and put it in her right ear, opposite to the one still connected to Mirage. Silently, Maya began moving towards the motley crew of criminals as they grabbed expensive bottles of liquor and wads of cash from the registers.

"I'm glad I was a decent teacher." Ethan's voice carried a hint of static as the call transferred. "Even if you were sometimes a pretty terrible student," he added with a genuine laugh. A picture of Ethan's smile appeared in Maya's head as she listened to his laugh. The one she so loved to hear.

A soft chuckle escaped Maya's lips at Ethan's teasing remark, the sound muffled by her mask. "Hey, I wasn't that bad," she retorted playfully, her voice barely above a whisper as she crept closer to the unsuspecting criminals. "I mean, sure, there was that one time I accidentally wrecked your entire living room trying to show you my shadow manipulation, but I got better after that!"
Her steps were silent, her movements fluid and graceful as she drew nearer to Gunkshot and his crew. They were too focused on their ill-gotten gains to notice the approaching danger, too confident in their own abilities to sense the predator stalking them from the darkness.
"I learned so much from you, Ethan," Maya continued softly, her words meant for him alone. "About control, about focus. About using our powers for good." Even as she spoke, a shadow detached itself from the wall beside her, slithering across the ground like an inky serpent.
"But sometimes, I wonder if there's more to being a hero than just following the rules," she added, her voice taking on a harder edge. "Sometimes, villains need to be stopped by any means necessary." The shadow reached Gunkshot's feet, coiling around his ankles like a trap waiting to be sprung