# # #
Deadguy was deep into the book that Henry had given them when his phone rang. "Professional Heroes," he answered. "Deadguy here."
"'Sup," came a response.
"Who the hell are you?"
"It's me, George." Deadguy said nothing. "I'm wanting to film the documentary about you..."
Our Hero's mind came back to the real world. "Oh, yeah. Whaddup playa?"
"I'm not a player," he replied, confused.
"Semantics. What do you want?"
"I need to do some interview footage of you and the other Heroes."
"Now?" Deadguy thought for a moment. "Sure. We could use a break from this madness. Hold on." He pulled the phone away from his head. "Hey boss. Georgie Boy want to interview us for his doc."
"When," Jill's voice called out from her office.
"Now, by the sounds of it." Deadguy suddenly had his phone being snatched out his hand. He looked up in protest as Jill took over the conversation.
"Hello George," she said. "If you can just give us about thirty minutes, you can come over." There was a pause. "We're at 1123 Hartnell Street. Just look for 'Nemo' and I'll buzz you in." She tossed the phone back to him. "Need to see you in my office."
"Aye aye Captain Bossypants," DG replied. "You get all that," he asked George.
"Yep," he replied. "See you in about 35 to 40 minutes."
Deadguy hung up and went into Jill's office. "What's up?" She handed him two pieces of paper. "I am looking at the birth certificates of...?"
"Anya and Boris Xaocy. Born on April 28th, 1986 in Pripyat, Ukraine," she explained.
"Where's that?"
"Pripyat is the town where Chernobyl happened."
"Wait, these are the twins," Our Hero asked. Jill just nodded. "Which means they're not the cause of the fallout..."
"They're the effect," Jill finished. The front door slammed shut. "and Valk has come back with lunch, which means I need to change clothes and you two need to clean up the living room."
"Huh," DG asked. "Why?"
"Remember? That George kid is coming over."
George fixed the camera as Jill sat on the sofa. "Can we get some better lighting," he asked. Deadguy pulled the shade off of one of Jill's lamps and moved it closer. "Perfect." George sat in one of the chairs from the kitchen and opened his worn notebook. "Okay. What's your name and position to the Professional Heroes?"
"I'm Jill Nemo and I'm the founder and leader of the Professional Heroes," she said in a chipper tone.
"She's not normally that chipper," Deadguy said.
"Shut up," she growled, then smiled back at George. "Ignore him."
"Okay," George replied, a little worried. "How did the Heroes get started?"
Jill thought about it for a moment. "It was about two years ago. I wanted to do something to change the world. To make it a better place. For some crazy reason, fighting crime was the first thing that came to mind. So, off I went, to fight crime. I found an alley where a poor couple was being harassed by a group of thugs."
"How did that turn out," George asked.
"It would have been disastrous if Valkadaidan hadn't shown up," she answered. "It was then I learned that if I can't fight crime, I might need to have someone that can do the fighting for me."
Valkadaidan sat in front of the camera. He did not look very happy about it. "Let's just get this over with," he growled.
"O-okay," George stuttered. "What's your name and position in the Professional Heroes?"
"I am the Supreme Dragon-Blooded Warrior Valkadaidan," he answered. "I slay those that live a dishonorable life or prey on the innocent." He paused. "I also have to make sure Deadguy doesn't do anything stupid."
"Hey," Deadguy yelled.
George chuckled slightly, but stopped once Valk glared at him. "How did you two meet Deadguy?"
"Jill did," he answered. "She found him somewhere.
"There was a fight," Jill explained. "I was walking to meet up with Valkadaidan for one of our first official cases when I heard fighting going on in an alley. I peaked in to see a man dressed in black with a black trench coat fighting a group of thugs."
"What happened after," George asked.
"When the battle was over, he just collapsed," she said. "I rushed over to help him up when I noticed several stab wounds in his back,. Miraculously, they healed up right before my eyes. I thought, 'wow, this guy would be perfect for us'."
Our Hero sat on the sofa, trying to get a little more comfortable. "I swear you two always mess up my spot on the couch," he grumbled.
"Alright. What's your name and position in the Professional Heroes," George asked.
"I am Deadguy and I'm, um...not sure. Cash cow? No. Meat shield? No. Idol of mil-no, that's someone else. My position is I punch bad guys. In the teeth."
"How did you come up with the name 'Deadguy' anyway," George asked. "Isn't just a codename to protect your identity?"
"That was my idea," Valk said, glaring into the lamplight. "Jill came up to me and announced him and the fact that he can't die. I asked why we needed a dead guy, and he thought it sounded cool.
"But his ability to not die has come in handy on more than a few occasions," George questioned.
He turned his attention back to the camera and the teen. "Yes, it has. But I wonder if it's really worth it."
"Do you even have a real name," George asked.
Deadguy looked down, as if deep in thought. He looked back at the teen. "I have no idea," he said softly. "My oldest memory is waking up in a hotel room. That was two years ago. I have no clue about my past." They sat in silence for a moment. He noticed Jill covering her mouth, a look of worry and concern written across her face. "But none of that matters now," he declared. "What important is fighting crime and keeping the city of New Tao safe." He stood up suddenly. "Come on, Georgie Boy. Let's go fight crime."
"Wait. What," George exclaimed. He didn't have time to say anything else as Our Hero grabbed the camera and the teen by his shirt.