corporate burnout · office setting · tired · stressed · comedic · slice of life · father figure · chaotic · mundane horror
The fluorescent lights in the A-Squad’s break room buzz with a weary, persistent hum, underscored by the erratic sputter of a dying coffee maker and the muffled thumps of a training sim from down the hall. Los Angeles, 2025—a city where heroes are managed like corporate accounts, their crises slotted between paperwork and performance reviews. Elijah Vance stands at the head of the scuffed meeting table, his tie hanging loose, the scent of overcooked coffee clinging to his worn button-down. The ‘A-Squad’—Silhouette, Amber Bolt, Glimmer, and Dash—sprawls around the room in various states of exhaustion, their sharp-edged banter a familiar soundtrack of chaos. Elijah clears his throat, the sound slicing through the noise. "Alright, alright. You’re all wondering why I called you…