Chương 44: Carry On

The clattering of the broken glass was like an alarm to me, waking up whatever inside me that was actually content with putting on these ridiculous colors. Turning towards the source of the sound, I saw a corner store with the front windows busted in. It always started with broken windows. They can be fixed, the buildings are insured. That was the excuse. Most insurance stops paying after the third broken window. And then the owners of the buildings stop fixing them, because they keep getting broken anyway.

Everything always got worse from there. If the windows were always broken, then who cared about keeping everything else up? I saw this all happen in Richmond. Took two months before they went from smashing windows to smashing legs. Now was the time to put a halt on it. There were three pairs of legs I could see from my position. Minimum three. Technically against ROE. Oh well. I'd just call it in on my earpie- There's no earpiece. I forgot my fucking earpiece. Tancred was gonna strangle me again.

Thankfully I had my phone, so I could just call in after. Lunging off of the roof towards the store, my heels dug into the concrete like it was sand. Two gouges. Didn't like making the place even messier, but that was physics for you. My legs didn't even buzz, though. I'm getting more used to this. Bringing myself upright, I strode into the store where I saw the collection of jack-wagons. Five men total. Compared to the collection of people I was living with, reading them was playground material.

Nearest one was to the register, vaguely trying to menace a cashier with a large cleaver. Short and couldn't stay on one foot for long. Didn't look young. Maybe mid-20s. Likely on a substance. Behind him was a man about a foot taller than him, scrawny. He had a bat in one hand, and a bag full of colorful snack items in the other. That one was the one going for physical merchandise. Two stood in the "aisle" leading towards the door. Average sizes for adult men in that mid-20s age range.

Neither looked particularly bulky. Their attempts at non-identifying, baggy clothing was limited by the burgeoning summer heat. I could tell neither were muscular. One had a golf club, the other also had a baseball bat. Finally, the fifth was leaning in the aisles. I didn't see a weapon on him. Maybe concealing a gun? A power? Unlikely on power. Gun was probable. Might be a ringleader, though. Overall, a very easy collection. Time to get their attention." Drop your weapons,"I belted out in my chest voice."

First warning," I added on. Only a couple of them jumped in surprise, but they all turned to face me. The laughter didn't surprise me.

"What the fuck are you wearing, bro?" one asked.

"Could you only get that shit in orange?" another threw in. They weren't going to laugh in a few minutes, so I let them enjoy it while they could." This is your second warning. Dro p your weapons before I deal with you myself." Chest voice gave out halfway through. I can't keep that up for long.

"His fuckin' voice broke! He's trying so hard!" the one with the golf club said as he started approaching me.

"How about you take your goofy fit and fuck off before I crack your skull? Dumbass!" I considered stancing up, but I realized these guys likely didn't know how to fight. Didn't need to. Just had to talk.

"You come any closer with that golf club, and you're at fault for what happens to you."

"Shut the Hell up!" The golf club wielding man yelled as he swung it at me. I didn't move. This was the easiest thing in the world. I watched the shaft of the golf club fly past my gaze. The head of it recoiled through the air. Snapping my right arm out towards it, I grabbed the broken-off head of the golf club and held it up." That's battery." May taught me that." I'm now o bligated to defend myself," I condemned them with. I squeezed the club head in my hand, feeling it fall apart like putty.

Left arm reached for the remaining shaft of the golf club, and I gave a simple yank to send the man sprawling to the ground. Maybe a broken nose if he landed poorly. The two with bats started yelling obscenities as they rushed me. Juvenile. No pushing or punching, didn't wanna hurt them. Insurance already had to fix this store's windows.

Floor repair would likely be included as an option. For the batter on the right, I simply pushed my foot into the ground and dug another gouge out, letting him trip and twist his ankle in it. The left batter got closer in the meanwhile. I swung my left arm out, letting it rip through the bat. The breeze alone seemed to scare the punk enough to have him stumble onto his back. Two left, easy enough. Wait, only one was there. Cleaver guy by the cashier.

He had reached over the counter, yanking the cashier's collar to get him close enough to press the blade against his neck. Fucking hostage situation.

"You fuckin' move and I'll slit his throat, bro! I'll fucking do it! I'm not going back to jail because of you! If the cops come here they're gonna have to take this guy out in a body bag! Put your fucking hands up!" Had to just comply for now. Didn't have to agree with him, just had to get his guard down. The perp with the cleaver started yanking on the cashier.

"Get over the counter! You're coming with me until we're away from this fucking guy!" He was going to be sorely disappointed. He was trying to bring the cashier over wrong. The cleaver turned away. That split second was my chance. I couldn't lunge, I'd turn him into paste. Clap. I was wondering about that. The crushed clubhead fell from my hands as I brought my palms together. PAH Like a gunshot. My ears rang. My eyeballs vibrated. The world kept spinning clockwise before restarting.

I was failing to stay on my feet. But so was he. I saw blood coming from his ears. The cashier's too. Disoriented. Just needed one movement. My boot hooked under the fallen golf club swinger. I just shoved him across the laminated floor. Sent the cleaver-wielder stumbling onto his feet. The world started straightening itself back out, but I was still struggling to keep my balance. Had to find the fifth perp. Using the shelves as support, I pushed my gaze down each aisle to try and find him.

The door hadn't opened, I didn't hear any broken glass. Unless there was a back door, he escaped through, he was here. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"Fucking freak!" I heard, my gaze snapping to my right. There he was, revolver in hand. BANG............... Light. Color. The ceiling. I could feel my back straining. My head buzzed. My legs were tensed. I was on my feet, leaning back. Tensing my body the other way, I stood straight. The middle of my face felt hot. I reached towards the center of that heat to assess the damage. Something hotter to the touch, but my gloves insulated it enough to not hurt. Pulling it up, I saw it.

Piece of metal, bloomed like a flower. A bullet. I'm fucking bulletproof. My focus expanded past just my hand, towards the gun-wielding man who tried to kill me. Frankly, I should thank him. The sensation of getting shot rocked my senses back to reality. My ears were ringing, but at this point that was the least of my problems. My balance was back. And if I could bottle the feeling of looking my own would-be killer in the face after a bullet couldn't stop me, I'd be a billionaire.

The horror dawning across his face caused a similarly valuable expression. He realized how badly he had fucked up. I just started walking. One step at a time. He leveled his gun again. BANG Miss. BANG Miss. BANG My shoulder was thrown back. I kept moving forward. BANG...... Another to the face. I was back in the fight already. The first one was the worst, now I knew what I was doing. My entire body was quaking with some sort of morbid excitement. There wasn't any interest in a reasonable treatment for him.

I wanted to hurt him. Make his body sound like driven snow under my boot. Almost felt like The Firmament could be worth it just to send the message of what I'd do to anyone who tried that on me. Klik Five shots in the revolver. Bad luck from him. By the time the realization came, his hand was in mine. My fingers and wrist tensed as I heard a CRUNCH and he screamed so hard his voice started to gargle. I could cripple him for life here and now. Never let him hurt another person again.

Color finally returned to me, and I saw the rich orange and blue in my glove. The rules of engagement managed to break back into my head again. If I went too far, I wouldn't be able to stop others like him. With his hand broken like this, there was no chance he'd cause any more trouble any time soon. Had to hope the cameras were able to see what these guys did before I stopped by. I gave a quick yank, sending the man sprawling to the floor. He curled up in the fetal position, cradling his destroyed hand.

Turning, I moved towards the counter where the cashier was sitting, leaned up against the low wall. I squatted down, forearms resting on my knees.

"You hurt?" I asked. Never had to deal with a live victim before. Was playing by ear here.

"I-I think I'm fine. Just sore. Haven't climbed around over the counter like that before!" He said with a shaky, panting laugh. Must be coping with humor.

"If I get out of bed wrong I can't even sit up straight all day!" More humor. He's terrified.

"Do you need help standing up?" I asked. Immediately, he nodded. I held out my arm for him to grasp on to, and we slowly stood him to his feet. Giving him a pat on the shoulder, I looked over the wreck.

"Your phone work?" I asked, to which he nodded again.

"Call the police so they can pick these idiots up. I'll be here to make sure none of them cause any trouble." Looking over, I saw the man with the baseball bat that I slapped in half was still conscious. Just watching me in terror. He was trying to get up. Took two steps towards him for him to yelp and lay back down. I considered leaving it be, but then it dawned on me, I should get information. I followed up with a third, fourth, and fifth step, before squatting over him to make sure he couldn't crawl away.

"What prompted this stupid shit?" I asked.

"W-we just wanted some money f-""No you didn't."

"Yeah we did! We just wanted money to get our stuff!"

"So you broke his window? Windows don't have money in them. No, you didn't do that for just money from him. What made you do this?"

"I- I- I-""You say I again and I'm breaking your arms."

"Fine, fine! We were told to get some-" He coughed.

"Some money and mess up the store a bit. Some guys are setting up protection businesses here. The guy who owns this place, he said no."

"What guys?"

"I-I dunno. We were on the HenchNet-" HenchNet. Henchmen networks. Bars, websites, places that thugs and goons find work.

"-and we were told to justify protection fees and we'd get paid plus whatever we wanted from the store." Someone setting up protection rackets. Could be anyone. That's the police's problem for now. This place is a shithole. Low crime, my ass. Standing up after nodding to him, I dug through my suit's pockets to acquire my phone, dialing away to Tancred while I quietly observed the pack of morons sprawled out on the store floor. Click.

"This better be good."

"On my first patrol for my free time."

"You gonna tell me about every bowel movement next, kid? So long as you're not doing meth I don't ca-""And interrupted an attempted protection racket gig someone's trying to start up. Store owner's getting the cops to come over now. I'm reporting my side now. Five perps. One had a gun. All dealt with, no casualties."

"... Alright. Any reason you're not reporting it on your ear piece?"

"Forgot to bring it."

"You are a fucking moron, Hercules." Click. Well, he couldn't say I didn't report it. A few more minutes passed before the patrol cars showed up. Three in total. It took multiple officers to drag everyone off into the cars while one stayed to question me.

"So could you just explain what you were doing in the area for me?"

"I was out patrolling, has the Charlottesville Police already been briefed on The New Sentinels?" The police officer nodded.

"Yeah, I'm aware of you guys, just need your own statement for the record, not for me." I nodded in turn.

"I was patrolling when I heard glass shattering. I went down to investigate and found these guys accosting the cashier. I warned them multiple times to just drop their weapons. The one with the golf club struck me, so I did my best to detain them without using any force." Writing something down on his notepad, he looked back up at me.

"So without any force, except for the guy whose hand is broken?"

"Yeah," I admitted, nodding.

"He shot me three times. Are there no marks on my mask that show the impacts?" Getting up on his toes, he squinted closer at my mask.

"I see some like... nicks in the front and some of the orange came off. You're saying those are from being shot?" Another nod from me.

"Yeah. My powers plus the mask kept it from killing me. But I doubt the cashier is bulletproof, so I had to stop him." The police officer noted something else down.

"Your powers?"

"I'm strong and like, a lot of stuff doesn't hurt me." More scribbling.

"And do you have your Blue Card with you?" Feeling around in my pockets, I realized I left that in my bag. Shit.

"No, but I remember the last four of my SIN," I lied. I couldn't remember it. Fuck.

"815... 815..." I kept repeating, trailing off.

"Shit, I can't remember. Too many hits to the head, I think." The police officer noted something down, before slipping his notepad away.

"Alright. We're gonna have to detain you until we can identify you. Please put your hands behind your back." Tancred was going to kill me.