Retooled JD

Antagonist/MC: Jaydee Tram

Hero: Wyatt Eberly/Iridescent

The Villain: The Graduate Committee

From my story titled 'The Worst Supervillain Ever.' Takes place in a future where just about everyone has a superpower, the government keeps strict regulation on active power use, and a college student in graduate studies for a superpowered person lawyer degree has agreed to become a supervillain to supplant his less than stellar marks.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jaydee Tram was just six years old when he had heard of Rosalyn on TV. He'd been eating a bowl of tomato soup that day.

Jaydee had been just nine years old when his lovely Mother, sometimes nicknamed Thumbelina Ballerina, introduced him to her side hustle. Thus developing the tertiary skill of making paper flowers.

When had been the moment he'd figured out what to do with their life?

And yeah, turns out girl and boy-- they just didn't do it. Ideally Jaydee would be xir. But for some reason that still wasn't an option yet.

Possibly when he had been in History class.

--It all started with a Super Virus--

Initially mistaken for a strain of fever, leaving strings of patients hospitalized and sometimes institutionalized for vivid hallucinations.

Powers often manifested after the illness itself had subsided. Or sometimes in the emotional stress.

Either way, they were witnessed quite enough times that even an apathetic, money-centric government had to take notice.

And Jaydee never got tired of asking (lie) when did any government see anything they wouldn't love to exploit?

Jaydee remembers that that's the moment they had made the connection, between the Rosalyn facility rediscovered in New Mexico. And why his Mother-- who had inherited granny's Pirouette-- had been so angry.

From Rosalyn onwards, former inmates, human beings who had been abused and misused as weapons of destruction and political gain took to the streets and either underground or out in daylight demanded equality in some form or another.

Human rights violations and abuses would continue, from the government essentially dog chipping the Afflicted in a "registry," to the underground snapping up children with Abilities out of their homes and relocated to "safety." Which funnily enough, wasn't always just code for conscription.

Defending supers, was the big new business.

So at eighteen Jaydee chose A Qualitatives Law major.

Qualities: the politically correct denomination for those with abilities. Superpowers. Even if you don't exactly call those who protect from Classers (villains) superheroes.

Jaydee by general rule just knew how to wind the right people around and how to be a bit less of that or a bit more of that in a given place.

So they could schmooze the right radical nutcase professor for a "undeserved" A grade in his Qualities Ethics class, Jaydee made about one or three ride-or-die friends and other acquaintances who either knew where to pick up bootleg study guides or where the best parties were.

The partying in part, may be where he had gone wrong. Then again, he had only fallen asleep in three classes. A week.

Well whatever. Either way Jaydee was genuinely freaking the hell out about being expelled!

And then, the Graduate Committtee-- get this, expelled him!

There in that moment Jaydee's entire world came down. Sure, just spit on all the money Mom slaved away for, doled out on her child's request to take graduate studies. Why hadn't they just settled?

There were still opportunities with the basic Law package.

Not good opportunities but some manipulation and maybe flirting with the higher ups could have gotten Jaydee somewhere.

Mx. Jaydee Tram was officially expelled.

It was over--

Unless...

And the looks on their faces had just been... evil.

Almost-- villainous.

He kind of should have seen this coming.

Turns out this college of theirs, they as college students profited actual healthy and five star food, gaming areas, and an actual campus house for end of year bashes off the money of federal offense crimes and general villain activity.

And now, their extra credit project for a down-on-their luck gender fluid student was to become the next thing on the Police and Supers Class Division List. Top ten. If doable, the old fifties Dad head so politely requested.

**Jaydee and Wyatt**

Jaydee looked up.

Too tired to move, to twitch, Jaydee had crashed back on the apartment floor watching the ceiling fan lazily spin with a whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

Did Hero agents call dibs on that one special villain?

Did Jaydee have a nemesis now?

And also, who knew tabloid news did segments keeping up with the nemesiships. Whom certainly seemed to think the new "hotshot" purloining purses and goodie-goodie Iridescent were locked in a fiery moral tug-a-war. A very shippable tug-a-war.

He and Eberly had made eighty hits on AO$.

Jaydee ran his hands down his face.

And worst of all, barely eighteen Wyatt was so-- so bright.

Nothing like the grizzled, bitter adults they had expected.

Iris had literally scolded him to eat three square meals a day!

He also had a lot of speeches on hand.

All Jaydee wanted was to recuperate the required Stats credit and his half his elective roster.

Only an amazing Capstone could make that many D's go away.

And motive! Get out of town.

He was running on red bull, ramen, and childish spite.

*That Time in a Bank Vault*

Jaydee distinctly decided, they had to stop lying on floors.

People could get the wrong idea about them.

Besides, this floor was much less comfortable than the always oddly warm but smooth tiling in his apartment.

But also dirt cheap apartment floors weren't designed to withstand even the lightest of wind from a Qualitative.

Right now, Jaydee was missing dinner with their Mother and that "guy-friend" she wanted to pretend wasn't her boyfriend.

"We're not getting out of here," Iridescent moaned, finally giving up and wandering over to a nice box to sit by.

His legs giving out from under him.

"Congratulations then," Jaydee snorted from their own spot, smiling quite an unseemly, stretched smile that he'd developed for his 'role' from here on out.

"Excuse me!"

"You won, by morning someone will wonder where dear Eberly Wyatt has gone off too, they'll check your emails, your log history--" Jaydee put that little dusted spot in his eye called nostalgia-- "it must be nice, being so cared for."

"I was right here when you took that call from your Mother," Wyatt corrected.

"Threat to feed you your own starter moustache stands. Not a sound. Not. A word to anyone about my Mother."

Jaydee loved their mother. Adored her.

"If I am serious about anything..." so serious that they'd dare get off their back... "it is to not involve my mother with the government."

And there was no pretending to their distaste this time. Unlike when Jaydee had been in Professor Hemp's class.