“Look up,” Lei said, pointing to the sky.
The streak of exhaust in the air reminded me of an airplane. But it wasn’t nearly as big, and it looked like…
“Is that a man?”
“I think so.” She pointed to the right. “There are two more. Villains? Or do you think…”
I wanted to believe the heroes had returned. It was an odd statement to think. Apparently, my opinions had shifted.
Lei pushed the gas pedal until it thudded against the floor. Our girl could hit seventy-five on a straight patch of road, but between the swerving from danger and skidding around corners, she only managed a meager sixty miles per hour. Lei and I normally swapped off driving detail, but after this, I’d gladly admit she was the better driver. Now, if only we survived her transformation into Mad Max.
“Holy shit.” It was an understatement. Cop cars hungfrom second-story windows. Our dedicated police force backed away from the ring of destruction created by the trio of villains. But as Lei let up off the gas, slowly rolling toward the action, help had arrived.
“Who are they?” Lei asked.
Whipping out my cell phone, I punched the HeroApp™ icon. Nearby viewers were already snapping photos. A warning flashed across the screen, listing the villains with a link to read more about their history. A green exclamation mark identified the arrival of three metallic heroes.
“Machinist. He’s not a super.” I scrolled through the details. “Blah, blah, blah. He’s in one of those suits of armor, but artificial intelligence controls the others.”
“Never heard of him.”
“Logan Steele.”
“The billionaire?”
“Yup.”
Lei’s eyebrow raised. “If I had a billion dollars, let’s be clear, I’d buy myself a yacht. There’d be none of this building suits of armor and living out some midlife crisis.”
She had a point. But thankfully, this billionaire had used his wealth to help protect the city. Was this the man that Hellcat mentioned? Between his bank account and proclivity toward tech, it’d make sense. While he traded blows with the villains, it was time for Lei and me to earn our paycheck.
“Ready?”
She shook her head. “No.” Opening the door, she hopped out of the ambulance. “But when has that ever stopped me?” Into danger we went, the very core of what we did for a living. It was time to save the citizens of Vanguard.
Police officers running away from danger didn’t bode well. The few still hovering on the edge of the circle were split between firing their guns at the villains and pulling their fallen brethren out of harm’s way. Their ranks had been decimated, and now they relied on their last resort, bullets.
I eyed the rooftops, hoping I’d see the telltale shadow of a vigilante avoiding attention from the cops. There was nothing out of the ordinary, and I had to wonder if perhaps this was beyond their pay scale. If the Centurions were available, this fight would have been over before it started, but right now it seemed like it was up to the humans to defend the city. Humans and me, that is.
“Are you coming?”
From twenty feet away, Lei’s shouting could barely be heard over the sound of screeching metal. She had gotten close to an overturned car. It wasn’t on fire, but with how the underside curved, it would be deemed a loss. Lei was already on the ground, taking the vitals of an unconscious police officer. As I got closer, she pointed to another downed man, this one with a wound in his shoulder.
“Get him.” I ignored her take-charge attitude. If it keptpeople alive, I’d gladly take the backseat. Bullet hole, not exactly a walk in the park, but at least the wound was visible. Lei continued to run a diagnostic on her patient, burning through potential ailments.
“I’m moving him to the truck. I’ll be back to help you stabilize him.” She and a nearby officer picked up the patient and lifted him while they waddled toward the ambulance.
“Clean through,” the officer said. “I’ll be fine. Sergeant Morales—” He hissed as I cut away the fabric from the wound. I didn’t think the three villains had guns, which meant this had come from friendly fire. Somebody on his squad had screwed up. It shouldn’t make me feel better, but I was glad to see even people with training had off days.
He grabbed my wrists, his eyes wincing as I pressed gauze against the wound. “Morales, he was thrown. He needs help.”
The officer pointed down an alley. I should have waited for Lei to return. She'd cuss me out for acting like a rogue cowboy. I pressed the man’s hand over the wound. “Keep pressure. When my partner gets back, tell her I went in that direction.”
I stood up, stealing a glance at the chaos these goons unleashed. There was no bank, no money, no revenge, just blatant destruction of public property. At least when an evil mastermind waged war on his arch-nemesis, it had areason. These idiots wanted attention, like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
Keeping my head down, I ducked and weaved through the cars, staying clear of the debris they hurled at the cop cars. At least as I hugged my back against a dump truck, the cops had stopped firing. Somebody must have finally spread the word that a dozen bullets were no better than one. I was glad to see that even Leos could learn.
Covering my head, I made the final dash into the alley. The moment I entered the tight space, the volume of fighting diminished. Looking backward, I couldn’t imagine how a man had been thrown this far. My gut tingled, and that usually meant I was about to find a problem I couldn’t fix. So far, death was the only thing I couldn’t solve. I know, hard to believe.
