"Not a lot to go on," Rich said quietly as he sat at their family computer. His encounter with Spider Queen Nyte had been a wake-up call. Stinger had some heavy hitters, so he couldn't simply rely on the power of the Endram Armor to make up the difference. She was comparable to Spiderman, with enhanced speed, strength, reflexes, and the ability to shoot webs out of her wrists.
At least she makes stupid mistakes when she gets mad, he thought. Rich could use that. If only Julie proved as easy to manage, he'd be set. That girl looked like trouble.
This was the age before the ubiquity of cellphone cameras, and no actual footage of Nyte was available online, just a few grainy pictures taken from a long distance.
"You would think a terrorist organization developed enough to have uniforms and a rank structure would have more information available online," he complained to their empty living room. Becca was finishing Harriet Potter and Dad was still at work. Richard made a note to borrow the book after his sister was done. Just absorbing a cultural property like that would do a lot to acclimate him to the reverse world, and he was just plain interested. Things were the same, but not exactly the same. It was a lot of little things that added up. Everything hit different.
"Still studying, Rich?" Becca asked as she walked into the living room. She pulled up a chair and sat next to him at the computer desk. "Reading up on Stinger? I could tell you what I know if you want," she offered.
"How the hell can Nyte do what she does? She's just a girl; I've got a magic ring. I think she mentioned something about spider DNA..."
"Stinger has secret labs in New Mexico, I've heard," Rebecca explained. "They work on cyborgs, mutants, all kinds of stuff. Their soldiers are actually stronger than baseline human women. It's crazy you can even fight them."
Rich filed that information away for later. There was so much he didn't know. "Are there any sit-down restaurants around here?" he asked suddenly.
Rebecca thought about it for a second. "There's the Chili's we used to eat at when we were kids. It's like a five or ten-minute drive away." She frowned. "I thought you were going to cook for us? You want to go out to eat tonight?"
He shook his head. "No, no. We need jobs." Julie had brazenly hit on him about five seconds into their meeting. It didn't sound like she was doing it just to antagonize Rebecca, either. That whole conversation had gotten the wheels in his head turning. By the standards of a reverse world, he might be considered hot, and what was the ideal hot girl job? Waitress! Those tips would be rolling in.
"Jobs?" His sister made a face like the word tasted foul. "What do we need jobs for?"
"To train you, sis. We're going to need a car and two gym memberships. All that costs money. I remember that Chili's. On foot, it's probably a thirty-minute walk. Walking an hour a day would be a good start for your exercise, and being busy with a job will keep you from snacking in between meals."
"But...but what about cooking dinner for Dad? You'll be at work!" Becca scrambled for an excuse.
Richard tapped his temple with a finger like the meme that didn't exist yet. "Already thought about that. On evenings we work, I'll put something in the slow cooker before we go. You'll see, I'm a wizard with the crock pot. Now help me get dressed! I need to pick out something slutty but not too slutty."
He considered sending an online application, but who was he kidding? It was 2005, better to just walk right in and ask for a manager.
***
It worked! The older woman in charge took one look at Richard and asked when he could start. "Jesus, a tall mollygirl like you with those muscles, customers will love you! Have you ever done this before?"
In another life. "I know the basics: greet them, drink order, pitch appetizers, check in for refills, main order, check in again, pitch dessert, get the bill, get 'em out for the next." Rich did his best impression of a bubbly, smiley girl who was super interested in small talk with customers.
The manager rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Yeah," she said hungrily, "you already sound like a pro. Tell you what, come in tomorrow an hour before we open and I'll run you through a quick training just to get you warmed up, learn the table numbers and all that, then you can work lunch. Technically, I'm supposed to show you a video or something from corporate, but I think that'd be a waste in your case."
"And my sister?" Rich pressed.
"Sure, sure," the middle-aged woman agreed easily. "We can always use another girl busing tables."
"Great! See you at nine tomorrow!"
***
"Hehehe, easy money," Rich laughed evilly. They were walking home on Thursday night. He'd timed it perfectly so the pot roast would be ready when they got home, and then they could eat with Dad. He was afraid their father would be worried about them leaving the house after what happened with Stinger, but this was 2005. Young people being out and about without supervision, some not even carrying cellphones, was still totally normal.
"My feet are killing me, bro," Becca complained as they plodded down the sidewalk at a gentle pace. It was only their second day on the job, and she was already like this. Rich really needed to toughen her up.
"This'll all be worth it when we get our first paycheck, sis! Haha, flirting with these simps for fat tips is easy as hell!" He broke into another round of giggles.
"Easy for you to say. All you have to do is talk and act cute. When I didn't set that table just right, the manager yelled at me! And what's a simp? You're always using weird slang I've never heard before. Did you pick it up when you and Mom lived in Louisiana?"
That shut him up. Was contaminating the past with future memes something he should worry about? Richard had no idea. "It'll get easier, I promise. An hour a day of walking is great exercise. With three healthy, home-cooked meals made by yours truly, I guarantee you're going to start losing weight and feeling better than ever!" Rich tried to be encouraging. Some of the flirty waiter he'd been playing earlier bled into his tone.
Becca just grunted. "Fine. What happens when we buy a car?"
"We hit the gym, of course! I didn't make that bet with Julie lightly. You've got the same blood as me flowing through your veins. There's no reason at all you can't be swole!"
This was...really nice. Imagine a genderbent twin entering your life with more maturity and life experience, guiding you on the path to success. Rich would've loved that in his first life. Helping Becca was making him feel so much less alone, especially since Dad didn't talk a lot at meals. Maybe he could make friends at school?
***
"Hello, and welcome to Chili's!" Rich chirped in a cheerful voice to a group of tall girls during the Friday lunch rush. "How many in your party?"
"Four," said the one in the back. He knew that voice! Julie Cohen pushed forward from the back, parting her friends like the Red Sea. She had a shit-eating grin on her face, with purple eyes crinkling in amusement. "Where's my hug?" she asked brazenly.
Rich froze for a second, then his brain kicked into gear. "Four it is! Right this way, please!" He guided them to a booth. "I'll be right back to get your drink orders!"
As he was walking away, Rich could clearly hear them talking about him. "Jesus, Julie, did you see that boy? He's taller than most girls! God, I'd like to climb that tree..."
"Knock it off! He's mine!" Julie snarled possessively.
"Okay, okay, chill out. We get it, you saw him first."
Fighting Stinger was so much easier than this. What he wouldn't give to tangle with Nyte again, that would at least be straightforward. Rich checked in with another of his tables and refreshed the drinks that were running low. From there, he bounced back to the Julie crew. They were all in very good shape and in various states of undress. One was just wearing a sports bra. He didn't know whether that was normal or not, but nobody else was saying anything. Julie's tank top showed a heck of a lot of cleavage, and he had to stop himself from taking a peek.
"What can I get you all to drink?" He locked eyes with each girl in turn.
"Coke."
"Coke."
"Water."
Julie made a disgusted face. "Are you Texans or not? Show some patriotism. I'll have a Dr. Pepper."
Rich smiled despite himself. That sounded like something he might've said at that age. He wondered if he would've been good friends with male Julie back in his own world. "Could I interest you in any appetizers today?"
"Awesome blossom," Julie said at once.
He smiled politely. "Great! I'll get that to you soon and be back to take your order."
Rich stayed busy, taking care of his other table and putting in the order for the onion blossom. The old familiar rhythm of working in a restaurant had somehow transferred across time and dimensions.
When he came back, they were still talking about him. "That is the hottest boy I've ever seen," a black girl with a six-pack was saying.
"Stop staring," Julie said through gritted teeth. "You're making him uncomfortable. He's gonna be my boyfriend soon. You'll see plenty of him senior year."
The tall raven-haired girl didn't look embarrassed at all when she realized Rich was standing right there and could hear every word. "You're awesome blossom," he said, trying to keep it professional. Some flirting was just a part of the job, but Julie made it sound like she was planning their wedding or something. He felt weird! When in doubt, move things along. "Okay!" He clapped his hands cheerfully to center himself and get back into his waiter character. "Are you ladies ready to order, or do you need more time?"
"I think we're ready," Julie said. He noticed the other girls took their cues from her, probably all on the football team together at PLUH. They each ordered in turn.
"Babyback ribs."
"Hamburger and fries."
"Fajitas."
Julie saved herself for last. "I'm partial to the classics myself. Give me the chicken crispers."
Rich smiled genuinely. Somebody with the balls, er, ovaries, to order chicken tenders at a restaurant had his respect. He wrote down their orders on a little pad and went back to check on another table.
When the time came to bring Julie and company their food, Rich saw something that stopped him in his tracks. A group of Stinger soldiers was exiting a van in the parking lot.
Shit, are they gonna ruin this job for me?
The answer turned out to be no. They were robbing the Radio Shack across the street, just using the Chili's parking lot as a staging ground. Still, he couldn't very well afford to ignore this. Nyte was nowhere to be seen, so he could handle the odd mook.
Rich bumped into his sister, who was clearing off dirty plates at an empty table as he rushed to bring Julie's group their food. "Watch it, bro!"
"Sorry! Sorry!" he said tightly. Rich's mind was already on the fight ahead. "Here's your food!" He set down the party's ribs and burgers and chicken crispers without his usual friendly banter and dipped out the back of the Chili's. Once he was sure he was alone, he raised the ring:
"From a future dark
To a post not set,
Stinger hasn't won just yet,
With Pureheart Power, a noble mission,
Come forth! Future Hero! Henshin!"
Rich became Future Hero yet again. Running as fast as an Olympic sprinter, he ran around the restaurant and leaped clear over the busy street, avoiding the traffic.
Inside the Radio Shack, the Stinger Soldiers were rounding up the customers and loading boxes onto pushcarts. It looked like they mainly wanted digital cameras. Whatever evil plot they had in mind, Future Hero would make sure they didn't succeed.
Conscious of the tables waiting for him, Rich decided not to bother with talking and just attacked.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Quick, efficient blows felled three of the soldiers who weren't expecting resistance or even looking in his general direction, leaving their carts of stolen goods unattended. The one watching the hostages saw all this and tried to make a break for it. She was fast, but Future Hero was faster! The Stinger Soldier managed to escape out the front door of the Radio Shack, but only just. A flying Future Hero was right on her tail, planting a devastating jump kick right between her shoulder blades. The force of it sent her right into a handicapped parking sign.
Rich left the Stinger mooks where they fell and ran back, the adrenaline dump of the quick fight leaving him breathless. He hid behind a pickup truck in the parking lot and dispelled the Endram Armor, slipping back into the Chili's with none the wiser, hopefully.
"Everything okay?" he asked back at Julie's table. Honestly, he'd only been gone five minutes. They shouldn't have noticed anything. Their food wasn't even half-eaten. In fact, Julie hadn't touched her food at all. "Is something wrong?" Rich asked her.
"Nothing's wrong," she said sourly.
"Are you sure?" Rich pressed, sensing danger.
Julie did a double-take. "Are you sweating?" Her voice pitched up an octave.
"Uh...hot kitchen," he lied badly.
She didn't respond for a moment, scanning Rich with those fierce purple eyes. "Right. I just saw some idiots get their asses kicked by a boy, nothing that concerns you."
Richard stiffened. Shit! "Oh, really?" he asked lamely.
"Yeah." She looked away, gazing out the window. "Future Hero," she said with quiet longing.
It didn't sound like he was suspected, so that was good. "Well," Rich segued, "how about dessert?"
Couldn't quite get the AI art to do what I wanted. MC isn't that big, just big for a high school boy, not a bodybuilder, and Julie is taller, not the other way around. Oh well!