Rue: Web of Deceit - Part 45

Life, Achievement/ Win

As they head away from Mister Hightower's yacht party, Blue lets Rue in on the secret of his enhanced regeneration ability.

Rue wakes up from their impromptu nap an unknown amount of time later, their head jostled by the movement of the van as it pulls away from the dock. They sit up with a start, surprised that someone had managed to sneak into the cab without alerting them and look over to see the driver. Alec is driving, his form an odd mix of human and amorphous features in seemingly random arrangement. His hands grip the steering wheel, knuckles white with the strain, his head is still a faceless mask, but he still wears the suit trousers and white shirt of his civilian guise, "Sorry that took so long, Rue. I couldn't find a good time to leave," he says, looking to the dashboard clock telling him that it's past one in the morning. He's leaned forward at an odd angle and his speech is coming out without his usual energy, "Are you hungry? I could do with a burger..."   As the van starts to move, the heating gradually warms the space. Still unable to ease their shivers, Rue reaches for the backpack they brought with them, pulling out the spare hoodie and wrapping it tightly around themself. “I c-could eat,” They say, frowning at the hero’s odd appearance, “Are you okay? Y-you didn’t look like that before.”   "Me? I'm- Yeah," he says stumbling to ease whatever concern the younger hero might be feeling, "I... between the fire and the ice, I've just lost... a fair bit today." He releases one hand from the steering wheel and goes to pat his stomach, pushing the shirt inwards enough to demonstrate the hollow space where much of his abdomen should be, "It's taking quite a lot to keep a stable form, and having to hold it for so long at the scene of the crash didn't help..."   Rue stares at Alec in horror, guilt rapidly rising to the surface as they realise that they are partially to blame. “I- Jesus, shit. S-sorry,” They stumble over their words, “I didn’t think I actually hurt you, I j-just… sorry…” They swallow down the bile that rises up their throat, the scent of charred flesh still on their mind. A trembling hand moves up to cover their mouth, the other clutching onto the hoodie like a lifeline as they curl in on themself as much as they can within their seat.   "Oh, don't be that way, Rue," Alec says, chuckling to try and diffuse the tension as he puts his unsteady hand back on the steering wheel, "Getting into a fight first is a long-standing tradition for superhero team-ups. You should've seen the mess Rachel made of me when we first met. I couldn't stop wobbling for a week!"   “I don’t think that’s a tradition you should keep up.” Rue grumbles, continuing to cast wary glances at the hero. They open their mouth to apologise again, but think better of it, sighing wearily, “So how do you fix…. This?” They vaguely gesture at all of Alec, “I take it you don’t tend to go to a doctor with parts of you missing?”   "Well, you never respond well to the gentle approach," Alec responds, dryly before continuing his explanation, "It takes a lot of energy to use superpowers. For some, it's a little bit, for others, like your fire and Rachel's strength, it's a lot, but rapid cellular regeneration is in an entirely different ballpark. And for that, I go to a specialist..." he points one shaky finger at a neon sign hanging overhead.   A large effigy of a cow and chicken fighting over a steaming plate of fries hangs over the words "Barbecue Bob's Burgers and Wings". It's gaudy and ostentatious, with a distinctly American vibe, like something ripped straight from a sitcom and Rue can't help but be a little surprised.   “So, you- what?” Rue laughs, perhaps a little hysterically, “Burgers and wings?! That’s how you patch yourself up?” They shake their head in disbelief but are also relieved to discover that Alec has such a mundane way of making himself feel better. They lean their head against the side window, arms wrapped tightly around their torso again, “Do they do hot drinks at Barbecue Bob’s?”   "Listen, it takes a lot of protein to replace all that biomass after a big loss, and Barbecue Bob's does eating challenges," he says, chuckling along with them as he defends himself, "So, every time I get badly beaten, I come down here with a different face on and do 'The Megaburger Challenge', 'The High Steaks Challenge' or the 'Wings of Glory Challenge'. It's a lot of fun and if I finish it, the meal's free." He sounds almost pleased with himself as he describes his foolproof protein loading method, the smile audible in his voice as he turns the van down towards the car park, "They've got just about everything else, so I'm sure they can sort you out a hot chocolate... On me, of course."   “Hot chocolate sounds great,” Rue says tiredly, looking down at the hero costume underneath their hoodie, sounding a little reluctant as they add, “If you’re going to go in there as a random civilian, should I get changed into something a little less… costumey?”   "Maybe," Alec says, glancing over at them while looking for a space in the surprisingly crowded lot, "Honestly, ditch the mask and change into your hoodie and I doubt anyone would notice anything amiss." He pulls the van into a space and pulls up the handbrake with a shaky motion. "Alright, here we go," he says, focusing for a moment before his form begins to shift again, taking the shape of a younger man, smaller in every direction and overall a lot more underwhelming than the familiar Detective, "There. A smaller shape will be easier to hold until I can rebuild a little. How do I look?"   “Very unassuming,” Rue huffs, fumbling awkwardly with the zip of the hero costume. They quickly get changed, the back of their shirt riding up slightly as they shuffle around the small space and revealing a patch of scar tissue. They quickly pull the shirt back down, wrapping their normal hoodie tightly around them. They stuff the mask in their backpack, smiling awkwardly, “Shall we?”   "Let's go then," Alec says, his voice still sounding strange coming out of the unfamiliar face despite Rue having spoken to him in disguise before. The two exit the van and head towards the entrance where a grand, wooden doorway welcomes them in, the scent of barbecue sauce and sizzling meat very quickly making itself known on Rue's senses, "So, we'll just have a quick bite to eat, then two more stops and we're finished. Job well done."   “Two more?” Rue asks, slightly distracted by the over-the-top western themed interior of the restaurant. They slide into one of the booths, disappointed to find the radiator on the side switched off, and pick up a slightly sticky menu. There are only a handful of other customers at this hour, with most of them quietly eating their meals, and so the sounds emanating from the kitchen seem somewhat enhanced, with pans clattering and some light banter from the kitchen staff filling the space. A young waiter appears at their booth in an instant to take their order, and Rue asks for a simple burger and chips, and a hot chocolate. “What are you going to have Al…vin. Alvin?”   Alec grins and raises a brow at their choice of name, looking at the employee's nametag before addressing him like an old pro, "Well... Archie. I think I'll have the... Barbecue Bob's Beefy Belly Buster please."   "Err... Sir?" The waiter says, clearly dumbfounded by the request, "That's this month's challenge platter. That's... Twenty pounds of food. Are you sure?"   "Oh, quite sure," Alec says, his grin only widening as he holds the young man's gaze, "I'm looking to get my picture on the wall."   Rue follows Alec's pointed finger over to a wall plastered in faux wanted posters, each featuring the photo of a person with varying amounts of barbecue sauce covering their mouth and a brief description of the challenge taken. There are dozens of pictures on the wall, but at least one catches Rue's eye as they can just about make out the beaming face of Suplex having taken part in one of the two-person challenges, her arm wrapped around another woman who they don't quite recognise.   They shrug at the waiter as he looks at them for verification, watching as he disappears into the kitchen to relay the order. They can pick up on most of the conversation, two pairs of footsteps heading back towards the door. It opens just enough for Archie to point at their booth, and a large man in a grimy looking apron frowns at the back of Alec’s head. He shakes his head disapprovingly, muttering about wasted food, but he barks an order for the kitchen staff to get to work.   “So… just how many of those photos feature you?” Rue whispers with a bemused expression. They point at the photo of Suplex and the woman, brow arched curiously.   "Err... six?" Alec says, taking a long look at the pictures, "No, wait. Eight. And yes, even that one," he laughs, remembering fondly the time that he and Rachel had decided to go head-to-head on the Hot Wings Wheel of Death, "You didn't expect me to limit myself to just male forms, did you? A superhero never balks at a challenge."   “Hey, be whatever gender feels right for you,” Rue snorts, pausing briefly when Archie brings them their drink. They wrap their hands around the mug despite the waiter’s warning that it’s very hot, sighing contentedly after taking a sip, “Now what was that about two more stops?”   "I'll have you know, Eden has gotten me out of more scrapes than I can count," he says, chuckling at the memories as he takes up his own mug of coffee, "That's right. Need to make a quick visit to the residence of one David Nichols Sr. He managed to slip the perimeter today, but his daughter tells me that he knows Mr Hightower. Once he tells us who that is, then we'll have our final heading. An entire child trafficking operation taken down overnight. Not a bad night's work if you ask me."   “Ah- he’s not the only one who managed to sneak away,” Rue says sheepishly between sips, “Creel slipped away from the group of onlookers while you were speaking to the woman in the gold dress. I was going to text you about it, but it turns out sea water is bad for phones - who knew?” They look down at the steam coming from their mug, “I think he just didn’t want to deal with the heat of being at the yacht - I actually think he didn’t know what was happening below deck, for once - and I wasn’t really in any shape to chase his car down, so I let him go… I’m sorry if that was wrong.”   "It's fine, Rue," Alec says, clearly thinking for a moment before continuing, "If you say you don't think he knew, then I'll have to take your word for it. You know the man better than I do. But I may use that as an excuse to go speak to him again in the coming weeks."   “I’m sure he’ll be delighted to see you again.” Rue says sarcastically.   "How are you feeling, anyway?" He asks, brow furrowing with concern, "I'm sorry about what happened with Tundrake. I shouldn't have left you to deal with him alone."   Thinking back on the fight they’d just had causes their stomach to twist uncomfortably, and suddenly the idea of eating a burger isn’t all that appealing. “I’m…” They start, not entirely sure how to answer. Not quite ready to discuss how they feel emotionally, they decide to take the question literally, “…cold.”   Seeing the puzzled expression on Alec’s face, they decide to elaborate, keeping their voice low to avoid anyone overhearing, “I feel cold most of the time, it’s a side effect of my fire powers. I can still feel the heat from the flames, they just don’t hurt me, so when I’ve used it excessively or for a prolonged time, and I then stop, it feels like stepping from a sauna into a freezer… the late-night dip didn’t help with that…”   "No, I can imagine that was uncomfortable," he says, looking away briefly as he considers his words, "I'm glad you decided to come with me tonight, Rue. For what it's worth, this has definitely been one of my better team-ups. Jasmine and Rachel were right, you've got a knack for this."   Before they get a chance to refute his claim, a klaxon sounds in the restaurant and the double doors to the kitchen burst open, revealing Archie the waiter pushing a cart with possibly the most food Rue has ever seen on one platter.   "Ladies and Gentlemen," Archie calls out to the restaurant with all the enthusiasm of a man serving dinner at 1am. He coughs slightly before continuing his practiced speech, checking a small notecard to be sure he isn't missing anything, "Since time immemorial, Man has looked down at his plate and wondered if there is more to life and tonight, here at Barbecue Bob's Burgers and Wings, we aim to answer just that question." Another waiter appears beside the young man and begins placing plates on the table as Archie reads off the list, "We start with six half-pound beef sliders with cheese, bacon and chipotle aioli, followed up by two pounds of brisket burnt ends in Bob's very own sticky barbecue sauce and a three pound rack of smoked beef ribs," As Archie stops to take a breath, Rue can see the chef in the doorway to the kitchen shaking his head at the expanse of food being loaded onto their table, "And if that's not enough, we've then got two pounds of pulled barbecue beef, two pounds of smoked pork sausages, cornbread, coleslaw, barbecue baked beans and finally, the pièce de résistance, Barbecue Bob's very own succulent six pound ribeye steak, cooked to perfection, basted with barbecue glaze and topped with crispy onions."   Alec, or Alvin as he's currently known, can barely hold back a laugh as he watches the colour drain from Rue's face at the sheer enormity of the undertaking, their own burger and fries looking positively minute next to the veritable feast placed before their companion. They barely hear the rest of the waiter's spiel, talking about the wall of infamy and the t-shirt up for grabs. "And finally," Archie says, placing a glass on the table before him, his expression sceptical, "A diet cola... to wash it all down."   “You can feed the whole Railyard with that…” Rue gawks at the now full table, keeping their hands warm on the hot chocolate that no longer has a space to be placed down. Had it been any other time of day, there would be a horde of onlookers to witness the eating challenge, but the few bleary-eyed people who are there simply huff in disbelief, then quickly return to their own meals. Archie is the only person who lingers for a moment longer, the situation clearly adding some excitement to an otherwise tedious shift. Rue nibbles on a chip from their plate, feeling hungry, but still not quite trusting themself with any kind of meat. “How long do you have to eat all this?”   "He's got exactly one hour, starting..." Archie interjects with the same level of practiced enthusiasm, "Now."   "Thanks, Archie," Alec says, smiling at the young man as he prepares to dig in, tucking a napkin into his collar and taking a preparatory sip of his cola, "We'll see how this goes, then."   With his task complete, Archie makes his way over to the drinks counter and begins cleaning, keeping one eye on the pair to make sure nothing is shared between diners.   "Well, don't wait for me, Rue," Alec says, taking his cutlery in hand and spearing some of the nearby burnt ends, nodding at their own plate, "Go on, dig in. I promise, it's good stuff."   “I don’t think I’m quite as hungry as you are,” Rue replies, idly chewing on another chip whilst Alec begins with his first dish. They quietly observe as the hero, looking like your average Joe (or Alvin) makes quick work of the first of the half-pound beef sliders with cheese, occasionally adding a bite of coleslaw or a sip of cola. There is something entirely not human about the way Alec inhales the food, and it leaves Rue wondering how no one has suspected a thing about any of the previous challenges the man has conquered. “So… Do we have an address readily available for Mister Nichols Sr.?” They ask curiously, a little sad to finish their hot chocolate already.   "Already taken care of," Alec says between mouthfuls, making sure to finish each before speaking again. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper obviously torn from a spiral-bound notebook and offering it towards them, "Miss Nichols gave me the tip while wearing my detective hat, so I put in a quick call to the station. Seems like the elder Nichols reported a burglary a few months back. Nothing more than a few local gang members trying to earn their stripes, but it did mean keeping an address on file."   “Huh. Well, it beats having to track people by scent, I suppose. Not that I know what Nichols smells like.” They reply with a shrug. They begin to ponder if Alec could dislocate his jaw like a snake and swallow the rest of the buffet whole (though they also wonder if the blatant use of powers would disqualify him from the challenge). Picking up their own burger, they take a hesitant bite and chew it slowly, waiting to confirm that they are able to keep the food down. Happy to find that they can stomach it, they take a second bite, eating their meal at a much slower pace than the incognito detective.   "So, what do you think?" Alec asks once they've had a few bites, himself having just polished off an entire rack of ribs. Despite the situation, they find themself a little surprised that he didn't just swallow the bones whole, "Not bad, right?"   “Mm-hmm, it’s good,” Rue says truthfully, dunking another chip in sauce. Their lips curl up into a bemused smile as Alec starts on yet another plate of food, “Can you even taste any of that, or are you simply inhaling it?”   "Bit of both, honestly," he says as he puts down another plate, grinning with a sideways glance at Archie over at the counter whose jaw seems destined to hit the floor at the display, "I'm mostly just getting barbecue flavour in large quantities. It's not bad, but hardly a fine dining experience."   “Well, if it makes you feel better…” Rue says with a shrug, taking another bite from their own burger. They can hear the murmurs of the remaining customers as Alec continues to clear plate after plate, their previous dismissal of the small man ordering the challenge forgotten as the seemingly impossible feat is proven quite possible after all. Rue orders another hot chocolate from Archie when he checks on their table and sits back in the booth with the drink warming their hands whilst the hero chows down the last of his meal.   As the last few pieces of marinaded meat leave the plate and Alec wipes his mouth with the napkin from his collar, the look of utter bewilderment on Archie's face is a sight to be seen. Alongside him, the night cook seems just as awestruck, rubbing his tired eyes in disbelief. Alec sits back in the chair, nursing a noticeable bulge in his stomach as he waves over at the two, "I think we'll have the bill now, guys."   "That's a lot better," he says, turning his attention back to Rue, "It'll take a little while for me to get back to full strength, but I can feel it working already. You almost ready to head out?"   “Yeah, ready when you are,” Rue confirms, downing the last of the hot chocolate. Seeing Archie making a beeline for their table with an old Polaroid camera in his hands, Rue pulls their hood over their head and stands up from the booth, “I’ll, um, go to the toilet whilst you deal with that. Meet you at the van?”   Following a nod of approval from the disguised superhero, Rue quickly makes their way away from the prying eyes of the restaurant, eventually making their way into the cool air of the Bathala City night. The air is oddly still for this part of spring and Rue can't help but feel exhaustion beginning to settle in their bones. How does he manage to do this and a day job? It's got to be all those calories.   Shrugging off the thought, they pile themself back into the passenger seat of the van and wait for the champion of Barbecue Bob's to make his way out of the restaurant, t-shirt in hand. Alec climbs into the driver's side and gently drops the t-shirt into their lap as he begins to buckle in, "Want a shirt? I've got like ten of them."   Rue picks up the shirt and holds it up to read ‘Barbecue Bob’s Challenge Champion’ written in a rounded font in front of the restaurant’s neon-coloured logo, the design reminiscent of some of the more random T-shirts they’d found in charity shops in the past. “It’s not really my style,” They say, folding it up and stuffing it into their backpack regardless before buckling in, “but I suppose I can layer it under one of my hoodies.”   "I'm sure you can make it work," he says as the two begin to pull away from the restaurant, "Ready to do this?"   “Absolutely,” Rue confirms, changing back into their gear as they start driving.   To be continued...