What is Love?

The Arch Enemies

In a dark warehouse, a spotlight thunks on and drapes our hero in a blinding light that reveals his current dilemma. He's nearly naked and chained to a metal chair on a metal floor that seems to be connected to a terminal that has enough power to fry a farmhouse full of horses. He assesses the situation as best as he can while vigorously blinking to adjust his eyes to the light.

"Sorry for the rude awakening, Rocky, but we're behind schedule and I think you've slept enough," said a cold, irritated voice from the direction of the terminal.

"Madame Morose?" asks Rocky, in disbelief. "Wha-? Why? WAIT A MINUTE!! I didn't even know you were in town! I thought you were on the moon working on your next scheme. I was gonna-"

"SILENCE!" she interrupts. "I don't want to hear your excuses." She walks slowly closer to him, but still in the dark, with her hands behind her back. Intently surveilling his facial expressions, she continues, "I'll have you know that we actually finished the Moon Base months ago, and since we hadn't heard from you, I decided to stop by for a visit."

"Look, I was gonna go check it out but I-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!!!!" she shouted.

Rocky couldn't help but smile, and he nodded in surrender.

"The Moon Base has been finished for months. We've been effectively harvesting its resources by exploiting the labor of robotic engineers who maintain the mining robots. We had to suffer a few work stoppages but we managed to find a good balance that... well, you get the idea," she stopped herself, but then continued, "We've reached the point where we can finally start branching out and hiring more people to work for us."

"Oh I'm not looking for a job at the moment," Rocky joked and smiled, but as soon as he caught Madam Morose's death glare, he quickly apologized, "Sorry, please continue."

"Hah. You wouldn't last a second in our corporation and besides, you already have a job," she said while pacing back and forth in front of him. "We've been working for months on this devious moon base scheme; day and night, stressful, back-breaking work, making sure that everything runs smoothly," she smiles at the thought of all she's accomplished. "After all that work, we're finally sustainable enough to expand our horizons. I don't even need to micro-manage things anymore because I've got other people in charge of management and..."

Rocky listens intently while his hands are busy fidgeting with the chains behind his back. It's convenient how villains always chain heroes' hands behind their backs; it makes it easier to hide the heroes' escape. He has the power to blast through the chains, but the sound would immediately alert Madame Morose, which would most likely lead to him getting electrocuted. However, with enough focus, he could probably create a blast that's powerful enough to melt the chains, but also quiet enough to hide with a sneeze. He's only got one shot.

Madame Morose continued pacing, much faster now than when she first started, undoubtedly fueled by her passionate storytelling, "I admit, it was a hassle trying to figure out exactly what these engineers wanted. They kept mentioning wanting to talk to their their families, but how does that level of social interaction increase productivity? If anything, social interactions distract from productivity right?"

"AH-CHOO!!!"

"Bless you-"

"Ah-CHOO!"

"I said, 'Bless-"

"Ah-choo!"

"Okay, that last one was obviously a fake sneeze. What are you planning???" She quickly walks towards him, finally stepping into the spotlight to inspect him.

He's speechless. He hasn't seen her in months, and it's clear from the bags under her eyes that she hasn't properly rested in months. Regardless, her body language is domineering and  her gaze is fiercely focused on the task at hand. Their eyes meet momentarily. She looks away quickly, and his heart quakes in his chest. She's close enough to smell.

"You smell nice," he says offhandedly.

"You still reek of last night," she responds curtly while examining his chains.

"Sorry, I didn't think I was ever going to see you again," he responds.

 "Hmm, they're still intact...," she says, ignoring his retort. "That's strange. Using a loud sneeze to hide a minor explosion to break your chains is exactly the kind of thing I would've expected from you."

"I guess you don't know me that well," he responds dryly.

"Oh please, what is there to know?" she asks while standing in front and looking down on him. "I've been working on this Moon Base for months, wondering when you were going to show up to do your generic, goody-two shoes act of foiling my plans, and when I finally find you: You're out drinking, smoking and singing at karaoke bars like a commoner."

"I was celebrating! You should try it some time."

"Celebrating what? Stopping a few bank robberies and muggings?" she interrogated him. "There hasn't been any major villain activity, and you haven't released any new music in months."

"First of all, yes, that stuff is worth celebrating, and also, it feels good to know that you've been keeping up with my music. I didn't know you were a fan."

 "Ugh, only losers celebrate the bare minimum. Where's your ambition?"

"Did you come here alone?"

"If you had more ambition, you would've stopped the Moon Base before we reached sustainability. Now I have to keep it running until the end of the fiscal year."

"Wait, did you also capture me by yourself? Where are my clothes?" he looks around.

"Focus!" she exclaims to get his attention.

Their eyes lock. Her eyes fierce as ever and his heart beating in his chest like a caged animal.

She straddles him, saying "This only works when we're both playing our parts." She moves her face closer to his. "Don't you want to keep playing with me?" she asks with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Rocky's heart pounds in his ears, and he becomes visibly flustered, but he still manages a retort: "This isn't a game to me." He matches her ferocity with his eyes and continues, "You might command thousands of minions, but I'm not your plaything."

Her eyes sadden, but before she can react, Rocky's chest, which has been pounding like an engine, finally ignites and explodes. The shock wave from the blast sends her crashing into the electrical terminal, and the blistering heat melts what was left of the chains. Finally on his feet, his body glows a fiery orange. The smoke and rubble from the explosion surround him.

Dazed and confused, Madame Morose slowly regains consciousness among the remains of the destroyed terminal. This blast would've killed a normal person, and a somewhat stronger blast could've down some real damage. She realizes he went easy on her and that infuriates her. She looks up to see him standing there glowing orange, and her heart aches.

"I'm sorry, Momo, but playtime is over." He fully ignites, engulfing himself in flames.

She grits her teeth and snarls, "You bastard! How dare you underestimate?!?" She quickly stands up and dusts herself off.

He looks at her smiles, "Race you to the moon!" he says before blasting through the roof of the warehouse.

She starts to shout but stops as soon as she realizes he's gone. She collapses on the ground, lays her head on her arms, and slowly dozes off to sleep, muttering, "...I hope they put up a good fight..."

The End