Drew: Something came up.
Drew: I’ll text you when I’m done.
Booker: …
I tensed, expecting our relationship to explode like the car at the end of the alley. Everything between us had been thrown into the air. The case had gotten more complicated. Catherine’s information had put a kink into our plan. Superheroes often talked about juggling their identities with loved ones. I never thought I’d need to decide between civic duty and a man who gave me tingly feelings.
Booker: I’ll be waiting.
The pressure in my chest lightened with three words. Shoving my phone into my pocket, I pulled my mask down. Storming out of the alley, I stepped into the Tint role. Superhero. Justice. One of the misfits trying to save the city.
“Friend!” Wyatt shouted just as a man made of smooth black rock sucker punched him.
As Wyatt flew into an armored car, I scanned the carnage. We had tangoed with Obsidian before, but Nexus must be a new sidekick. They had intercepted an armored car on the way to the Vanguard Treasury. Thankfully, the business district had emptied, and only a few stragglers watched from a distance. Orion grunted as his gauntlets created a shield of blue light, deflecting energy pouring out of the new guy’s hands. As Janet charged in with her handy-dandy baseball bat, Nexus grabbed her around the throat.
My powers went to work, shifting colors until I all but turned invisible. Charging in, I lowered my shoulder and barreled into Nexus, knocking him backward. Janet dropped to the pavement. Nexus was already raising his hands, the energy pooling in his hands. With a flick of the finger, the space around him turned black. Unable to see, the energy beam went wide, nearly chopping a car in half.
“My turn.” Orion fired a missile from his shoulder. I ducked as it split apart, and a net appeared. I didn’t wait tosee if it caught the bad guy. Obsidian had his hands raised, ready to smash a recovering Wyatt. Nope, not today, not to my friend.
“Sneak attack!” I yelled.
He spun about, arm out, hoping to knock me away. Dipping beneath his oversized fist, I shot up, striking him under the jaw. I regretted it as soon as I made contact. My strength wasn’t nearly enough to shatter his dense exterior.
“That had to hurt,” he laughed.
I kicked, driving my toe into his groin. Obsidian’s eyes crossed.
He buckled over, hands cupping his bruised manhood. Wyatt might have been trading blows, but when it came to the brutes, fighting smarter mattered. While the bad guy fell to his side, curled into the fetal position, I flexed my fingers, checking for broken bones. Wyatt pushed himself out of the human-sized dent in the armored car.
“That wasn’t as fun as I expected,” Janet said. Despite the lack of powers, she insisted on joining us. No matter how many times we snuck away, she showed up at the scene. Thankfully, her years of training with whatever secret organization made her more useful than a liability.
“Wasn’t that quaint?”
We all looked up. Squatting atop the gray truck, a woman wearing purple leather gave us a wave. Most would notice the way her corset emphasized her chest. They wouldn’t give the trident tattooed on her face a secondthought. I glanced at the others, waiting for them to say something.
“Amateurs.” She launched herself from the truck. In a graceful flip, she spun about midair, landing near Janet and Orion. The moment her feet touched the pavement, her body swayed. Capoeira? Wushu? Another assassin looking to score their bounty. The smile suggested she already considered this a victory. I was less worried about her and more about how she discovered my alter ego.
If the acrobatics weren’t impressive, the fingernails growing almost a foot—that was menacing. Despite three superheroes and a ferocious office assistant, I didn’t like our odds. I beat the last two assassins, but they had left their marks.
“Great, they had backup.” Janet raised the bat, ready to tussle.
With a swipe, her nails sliced through the bat. The assassin pivoted on her left foot, moving fast enough that Janet didn’t see the heel coming. Nails didn’t stop as Janet went soaring. With an almost dance-like grace, she reached into her belt. Something blue flew past my shoulder. I spun to see Wyatt’s head covered in the goo. Scratching at it, the stretchy material didn’t give.
This was my battle, not theirs. Whoever the assassins had sent, they had figured out my other alter ego. I wouldn’t let Hellion be the reason they died. I grit my teeth, fingers folding into fists. Tint wouldn’t save the day, notagainst an agent of Trident. There was only one person capable of saving the day.
“Help him,” I barked.
“Drew,” Orion whispered. He was concerned. For all his confidence in the office, even he knew when to be scared. “Fall back,” he said.
“Help him.” This time it wasn’t a suggestion. “I’ve got her.” Orion listened, running to save Wyatt.
“Of course you do,” she said.
A street light shone off her scalp. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she had intentionally moved for the dramatic lighting. Assassins might be dangerous, but they reveled in their work. If she were half as good as the last person who tried to kill me, this was going to hurt. Scars meant I was alive to celebrate the victory. Like the others, she had accepted a bounty she’d regret.
Hellion had arrived.
Nails lunged, spinning in the air, heel ready to crush my jaw. I caught her ankle and tried knocking her off balance, but she anticipated the move. Her other foot came around, striking the side of my head. Blood flew from my mouth. Before I could snatch her leg, she retreated with a backflip, already preparing for another round.
