Average Joe and the Extraordinaires by Belart Wright

it.”
    Beauty:
“He’s an unfortunate scapegoat in all of this, and I put him in this
situation.”
    She had
it half right, but Joe himself had volunteered to help when he could’ve just
escaped with his friends.
    Beauty:
“It should be up to him if he wants to continue or not, not you, not I, and not
Blonsky.  I’m putting that choice back in his hands before this gets out of
hand.”
    She
produced a DVD case from her messenger bag that was labeled in comically large
letters: “Joe Not Guilty.”  She put the disc in Joe’s hands, along with some
sort of necklace.  The necklace was long and made of silver, and had a pendant
of what looked like the head of a crazed owl.  Joe lifted the pendant in front
of his face.
    Joe:
“What is this?”
    Beauty:
“It is a keepsake for all we have been through together.  It is said that the
owl watches over and safeguards those that wear it.  Take it, please, as an
apology from me for causing you so much pain.  I hope it brings you comfort and
tranquility”
    Joe
studied the trinket and slipped it into his pocket.  It was ugly, but it came
from a good place.
    Joe:
“Thank you.”
    Beauty:
“Well, Joe, we are at a crossroads and you have a choice to make.  Because of
the prominence you’ve gained in this situation, and thanks to what you’ve seen,
you’ve became an integral piece in this whole mess.  Both Borland and I need
you to accomplish our goals.  We are both trying to take down two very bad men,
and Borland still needs your help in finding Dahlila and Melissa.”
    Joe: “You
two know each other?”
    Borland
brooded quietly against the wall.
    Beauty:
“Our paths have crossed before.  We are neither friends nor partners for that
matter, but our goals seem to be somewhat aligned.  You have no obligation to
help us.  As a matter of fact, you have done much and more already to help us. 
That disc is my thanks for that help. With it, you have all you need to clear
your name.  You can go back to your regular, everyday, average lifestyle.”
    Joe: “I, um…”
     

 
    Villain
View 2
    A
Powerful Motivator
     
    The
office was warm, too warm, and so a black-suited man was ordered to crack the
window to let some of the night air in.  Might as well put these fools to
use , thought their master.  His office was also dim, as he liked, and smoky—from
both the fireplace and his own cigar collection.
    Blonsky:
“So you’re telling me that a superhero came out of nowhere and knocked you all
out cold?”
    “Yes sir,
a patriot!”
    Blonsky’s
personal cadre of black-suited men all looked broken, both physically and
spiritually.  Blonsky wouldn’t let them stay that way.  They had work to do and
he needed them in tip top shape.  His suits knew how to follow his orders and
he didn’t even need to use pansy-pants magic.  He was the sort of man who knew
alternate ways to effectively motivate, unlike that wimp Billy-boy.  He spoke
to them all in a light and comical tone.
    Blonsky: “Man
oh man!  I might have actually found this funny if you all didn’t make such a
complete fool of me by eating the dirt in Pierogi’s alley so hard tonight.  But
you all made me look baaaaaaad.  I mean real baaaaaaad.  And that’s the problem
because, you see, I live and breathe based on my reputation.  And what is my
reputation you may ask?  You there, loser number one, I’m looking right at
you.”
    The black-suited
man with long brown hair pointed at himself in confusion.
    Blonsky:
“Yeah you, ya long-haired moron.  Go ahead and ask me that question.  The one I
just asked you to ask me.”
    Black-suited
man: “Umm, what is your reputation, sir?”
    Blonsky:
“Why, I thought you’d never ask.  You see, eggs-for-brains, my reputation is
based on fear.  Fear from my enemies, fear from my partners, and fear from my
subordinates.  A guy like me is nothing without it.  Fear keeps the gears of my
operation running and motivates business.”
    Blonsky
produced an