What I wanted right now was to find Smoke. Smashing bandits was great fun, but it didn’t stop the man who threatened Aiden. Just thinking about his words, my pulse quickened and I swear I could feel the fire in my veins.
“You’re not going to jump, are you?”
In the corner of my vision, a young woman stood on the ledge. The signature purple costume gave away Hellcat. I couldn’t help but note how quietly she moved. I’d have to put a collar with a bell on her. It couldn’t be a coincidence that she found me hiding here.
“How did you find me?” The wind whipped through her ponytail, but she didn’t turn to face me. Sliding hands into her pockets like a regular schmo, I couldn't believe she had been out saving the city this evening.
“Did you track me down?”
She grabbed a seat nearby, legs hanging over the ledge. A second later, she pulled off her black gloves, setting themto the side. The zipper from her collar slid down and she fanned herself. Despite getting comfortable, she didn’t touch her mask. She might be willing to get cozy, but Hellcat didn’t trust me, not yet. Thankfully, my suit shared the sentiment and maintained the cowl.
“I turned on a police scanner. Would you believe some idiot was going around beating the snot out of crooks? Instead of paying attention to where he was. Witnesses recorded him slugging a teenager.”
“He had a knife.”
Pulling out her phone, she flipped through the screens. Holding it up to my face, she put the video on display. “Supervillain beats teenager.” I scoffed. They didn’t have a clue what really happened. The kid was lucky I hadn’t pulverized every bone in his hand.
“You’re a rookie.” She tucked the phone away. “We all start somewhere. But you’re not making things easy for yourself.”
“Since when is that a superhero’s job?” The words sounded childish the moment I spoke them. I complained about the hero-worshipping titans running around and their lack of conscience. I should at least attempt to be better than them.
“Dial down the brutality. I’ve seen the video. You’re obviously working through something, but the city isn’t your shrink’s office.”
“It gets results.”
A villain had triggered an alarm in a nearby bank. While I appreciated Hellcat stopping by to give me a lecture, I had more work to do. Without a word, I pushed off. The whoosh of the air was almost unbearable. I let my limbs relax, preparing for the pavement.
“Booyah!” Down on one knee, the cracks rippled outward. I froze. I expected pain, a broken bone, or at least a dull ache cascading through my body. Nothing. Standing, I flexed the suit, stretching around my biceps. Power rippled along my skin, and I had to admit—I liked it.
The bank alarms rang. With the number of incidents taking place throughout the city, it could be hours before the cops reacted. Thankfully it was after operating hours and the streets were mostly clear. With the rise of villains in the city, people had gone into hiding when the sun set. They hoped waiting out another night of terror would cause a peaceful sunrise.
The robber didn’t bother to wear a mask. Without heroes, the villains claimed the streets, no longer caring about the consequences of their actions. He must be my age, a slender man with enough face scruff that he’d be attractive if not for committing a felony. It’d be a quick save, slap him around, toss the money back in the bank and I’d add another notch to my belt.
Bang.
The first reaction of an amateur crook seemed to be shoot and ask questions later. I tried catching the bullet outof the air, scoring extra-cool points but it struck my chest. It signed the death warrant of another t-shirt, but the suit underneath absorbed the impact.
Speed. I wasn’t as fast as the Zipper, not by a long shot, but a guy my size typically relied on brute strength. He fired twice. Why do they always shoot after seeing the first one did nothing? If you can’t stop a man with one bullet, twenty more aren’t going to make a difference.
Shoulder down, I hit the man in the torso, launching him into the glass doors of the bank. They cracked under his weight. If he was like the rest, the next stage of this fight would be him begging for me to let him go. It was like they all read the same playbook.
“I’m going to kill you.”
Oh, that was a new twist to the evening. False bravado, I hadn’t seen that one yet.
“Are you?” As he peeled himself from the glass, he balled his hands into fists. Seriously, I’d need to ask Griffin about this. If bullets didn’t stop me, did he think his fists would fare any better? His reaction was almost ridiculous.
I let him get the first punch, landing it squarely against my stomach. There’s no point in giving him hope that this would end any other way. Wrapping my hand around his throat, I lifted him into the air.
“Kill you,” —he struggled to spit out the words— “then your family.”
Smoke had made the same threat. The supervillain’swords carried more weight than a desperate street thug. But it gave away how quickly they’d turn to violence to get what they wanted.
The thug started to speak when I slammed him against the glass. Holding him off his feet, I could easily snap his neck and put an end to his miserable existence. I held his life in my hands, and with no effort, I could ensure he’d never commit another crime.
“He has a family.”
Hellcat had gotten to the street faster than I expected. I don’t know why she cared if the man had a family. What should it matter? He was a criminal that needed to be put down.
