Chapter 8
With a simple swat from the back of his hand, he sent me flying across the emergency room.
The reception desk broke my fall and, quite possibly, one of my ribs.
A man that thin should not be that strong.
Before I could make sure my bones were pointing in the right direction, one of his crazed nurses jumped on me.
I braced my forearm against her throat, keeping her at bay as she snarled.
A beefy gal, she should have weighed more or at least required some effort to stop her chomping teeth from sinking into my cheek.
My knuckles connected with her jaw and she flew off, rolling into the uncomfortable waiting room chairs.
“Take that, hose beast.” The days in the gym had paid off.
The man in the trench coat paused his approach, eyeing the woman lying on the floor. I had a moment of worry. Did I kill her? Was she savable? Oh God, what had I done? Staring at my hands, I quickly realized that being bulletproof might not be the only ability Prometheus had bestowed upon me.
“You’re not depowered.” He sounded shocked at the revelation.
“When I’m done with you, perhaps I’ll find your friend.
” The man’s voice had a chalky quality, as if he’d spent most of his youth sipping whisky and smoking cigars.
It made me want to punch him even harder.
Okay, everything made me want to punch somebody. This time it’d be justified.
“Ass clown, if you go near him, I’ll tear out your insides.” I let out a sigh of relief as the nurse rolled onto her back, shaking her head. When she sat upright, she checked her limbs, then patted down her chest. She had returned to normal. Once I knew the rules of the game, I could play.
“You and what army? You can’t even handle my faithful followers.” Griffin was right, give a villain a chance to talk and they’re going to spew some cryptic bullshit. His love of superheroes might actually be an asset right now. I needed to give Aiden time to get away.
“What’s your name? I want to know what to put on your tombstone.” This punk had ruined my shift, and somebody was going to be on the receiving end of my rage. It might as well be a villain. I was starting to understand why heroes got such a thrill from bashing bad guys.
The people in the room, still consumed by his influence, stopped fighting.
They moved as one, standing upright and turning to face me.
The man, with smoky wisps emanating from his head, quickly became the least scary thing in the room.
I could drive my knuckles into him, but his minions, it was harder to justify hurting innocent people.
“Smoke,” they said in unison.
“Really? Smoke? You could pick any name from the evil monicker playbook, and you chose Smoke?” Mocking the bad guy might not be the smartest move, but by now, Aiden should be running through the parking lot.
I slid off the nurses’ station, careful as I put weight on my legs. Being thrown should have left bruises, or at least sore spots where they’d eventually form. But right now, blood pumped through my veins and I felt the best I had in a long time.
“A neophyte.” As he tilted his head back, laughing, his duster fluttered. Everything about him was covered in smoke; even his clothes appeared as if they were burning. Okay, he could turn people into zombies, hit hard, and dress himself like an 80s goth. Got it.
“Why not control everybody?” The question put a stop to his laughing. “Oh,” I laughed, “somebody has limitations.” Griffin would slap me for mocking a villain. But it’s not like an alien had made him bulletproof.
Smoke came at me, not running, but feet sliding along the floor. His hands were poised to snatch me by the neck. Driving my knuckles into his face was instinct, more than an intentional act. It landed with enough force that he never reached my throat. He staggered backward, and I rushed in.
I was going to kill him. Years of boxing at the gym would finally pay off. I jabbed him in the mouth before stepping into my cross. Knuckles passed through his face. The second jab ended short, his hand wrapping around my fist.
It shouldn’t be possible, at least not for an average human, but the bones in my hand ground together. The jab to his kidney wasn’t enough to hurt, but he loosened his grip. I reached for his neck, but my hand passed harmlessly through the darkness.
“What the—”
Smoke vanished in a puff of… well, smoke. Hands wrapped around my neck from behind and somebody kicked my knee, knocking my legs out from under me. As I swiped over my head, hoping to strike the villain, I couldn’t feel anything.
“Quite sad, really,” he mocked.
It felt like a train slammed into my back. The world spun, and I covered my head a second before slamming into the wall. The plaster fell as I drilled into the concrete. A stream of black shot out of the villain’s hands, holding me in place, pushing me deeper into the wall.
The smoky beam held me in place, and for the first time, I could feel the pain in my chest. Pushing with both hands, I blocked the onslaught of black.
Aiden should have gotten free, and hopefully, he continued to run far away from the building.
This jerk had ruined a perfectly good encounter with the journalist.
I was pissed.
The skin around my fingertips turned a bright orange, then yellow.
The black pushed back as the light in my palms grew brighter.
It was bad enough Smoke interrupted what could have turned into plans for coffee.
It was another thing entirely that he threatened the cub. He’d pay for even thinking about it.
A lick of fire grew from my forearm before receding into my skin. With another push forward, the light about my arms ignited. The first wave of fire reached my fingertips before vanishing.
“You can’t win.”
I flipped my hands over, the energy hammering me against the wall again.
The glow around my hands didn’t fade, but so help me God, becoming a human night light wouldn’t save the day.
Smoke’s pummeling went from irritating to painful.
From underneath my rolled sleeves, a black and gold film coated my arms until it wrapped about my hands.
With a final flick of the wrists, the fire spread along my skin.
“I am going to—”
“Shut the hell up.” Palms forward, the fire cut through the smoke, crossing the emergency room.
Smoke’s hands went up, attempting to protect his face.
Fire washed around his body. Did it do damage?
He didn’t appear hurt, but it was enough for the moment.
I preferred being close as I knocked the teeth out of his mouth.
I stepped away from the wall, flames continuing to roll along my forearms, crawling upward until the paramedic uniform caught fire and burned away.
Underneath, a leather suit hugged my body, as if it had been tailored to my curves.
It was cheesy, but it’d hide the blood when I crushed Smoke’s skull.
Prometheus had passed along the gift of fire. It almost seemed too on the nose. Bulletproof and fire, okay, I could handle this. I just had to break every bone in the jerk who threatened Aiden, and then—
“Get him!” Smoke’s voice was overly confident.
The dark-eyed minions of Smoke moved in unison. I didn’t want to hurt innocent people in the hospital, but if I had to break a few bones to get at Smoke, it was a price they’d have to pay. If he thought a few lackeys would slow me, he had another thing coming.
“Backup is here.” A blur of purple tackled a doctor, somersaulting as she hit the ground.
She spun about on a foot, knocking the legs out from a nurse before they responded.
An uppercut, a pivot and heel to a patient, and a punch to a security officer’s jaw.
She had dispatched Smoke’s minions in a matter of seconds.
It took a moment before I identified my sidekick.
“Hellcat,” she said. The woman’s purple mask covered her eyes. Between that and the black makeup coating her eyelids, it made it difficult to imagine who was underneath. Was it a homemade costume or did she have the number of Vanguard’s superhuman tailor?
Pointing at my hands, she raised an eyebrow. “Powers?”
I nodded. Twice she appeared in the nick of time. Unlike the superheroes, she didn’t leave a wake of destruction. I might not be a fan of those who controlled the weather or hurled vehicles in a fight, but vigilantes seemed to have their priorities in line.
“I’m going to kill—” Smoke had vanished.
The people under his influence were already returning to normal.
Hellcat helped a young nurse off the floor.
Dammit, I let the man get away. I hardly noticed the pain as my knuckles drove into the hospital wall, punching a hole through the concrete.
I had a grudge to settle, and I wouldn’t be happy until I beat the smug expression off Smoke’s face.
Had Aiden reached safety? I needed to text him to be sure.
Reaching for my pocket, I realized my phone had burned away with my clothes.
I let out a low growl as I slammed my palm into the wall.
Several concrete blocks dislodged, flying into the parking lot.
Lei stood in the parking lot, her eyes wide as the block landed a few feet away.
“Calm down. You need to go,” Hellcat whispered.
“Not until I find—”
“You’re the only powered hero…” she paused and corrected herself. “Person… in the city. You’re in no shape to answer questions. Get out of here, and for the love of God, don’t let anybody know who you are.”
Wait, she didn’t recognize me? I touched my face and could feel the texture of the suit covering my eyes and nose.
Whatever spawned these gifts, they were doing a good job of keeping me and my identity safe.
I had questions. Why did Smoke attack the hospital?
Where had he gone? But most of all, I worried he could identify Aiden and put him in jeopardy.
But I pushed them aside. Right now, as the sirens grew louder, I needed a place to hide.
“Rookie.” She patted me on the shoulder. “Get out of here and take a cold shower. Let me handle the paperwork.”
I growled. I didn’t like the answer, but she was right. “Thanks.”
I might need to stop talking smack about the vigilantes in the city. They might not have flashy powers, but they still put themselves at risk. Yet, here I was, a human matchstick, and I couldn’t even take out a bunch of disgruntled hospital employees.
I bolted for the back of the hospital, faster than should have been possible. I needed to change and get back to Lei before she realized I was missing. Then I needed to contact Aiden. One fight with a villain and already my life had gotten complicated.