Chapter 12 #2
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 to see 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 second thought. 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, not against 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.
“Ouch.” My mouth tasted of copper. Compared to the rest of my wounds, it wasn’t much more than a nuisance. I’d need Tylenol, and I’d be back to normal by morning. “Why hold back?”
The challenge had been issued.
Reaching for my thighs out of habit, I couldn’t help but smile as my fingers tightened around the batons.
I promised I wouldn’t be caught unprepared.
With danger around every corner, it had become harder to hide Hellion away.
Tonight I needed him. The colors of my suit shifted until it turned crimson.
Nails had picked the wrong night to attack my friends.
“Tint?” I ignored Janet. I’d deal with questions later.
Nails spun in the air, another attempt to land a toe to my skull.
The baton cracked off her shin, stopping her short.
Even as the razors tried for my chest, I smacked them away.
Sparks flew with every parry. She had speed on her side, but she was no different from any other ninja.
I ducked and pivoted close enough to brush against her body.
I snapped my head back, smashing against her nose. She flipped backward, retreating.
It was my turn to smile. Blood dripped from a gash across her forehead. It wasn’t enough to save my team. I wanted Nails to regret her decision. Every assassin after would think twice before accepting the bounty on my head. I narrowed my stance, holding the batons up, ready for her next attempt.
“They said you were worthy.” I’m glad somebody thought so. “It’ll be an honor to kill you.”
Orion and Wyatt were occupied removing whatever goop she had thrown.
Janet, on the other hand, lay on her side with an expression that hovered between worry and shock.
She’d have questions. So far, I could explain them away, but if Nails kept speaking, I’d have to come clean.
I wasn’t willing to jeopardize my role at Secret Identities.
My fingers tightened around the batons, ready to end this.
I charged. The angle of her hips changed as she prepared to sidestep.
It wasn’t just about protecting the team.
I needed to protect Drew. As Nails blinked, her eyes opened to black spheres.
The shock on her face made me happy. She knew my powers.
The dossier probably said I wouldn’t use them as Hellion. It was right… until now.
She froze, listening for my footsteps. Swinging wildly, I ducked and rolled out of reach.
When her nails dragged across my bicep, I hissed.
But it put me into a position to crush her elbow with an audible crunch.
The arm dropped to her side. I tossed a baton to the side.
When it struck the pavement, she spun, exposing her back.
Separating the other baton, I wrapped the wire around her neck before kicking her knees out from under her.
Hellion had won.
“Yield,” I whispered in her ear. She flailed, trying to claw at my torso. With a knee in her back, she tried but couldn’t reach. “Yield,” I growled.
“Tint.” I barely heard Janet.
I leaned closer, wanting her to hear every word. “I won.”
“Tint!” Janet shouted.
Giant arms wrapped around my chest, lifting me off my feet.
With strength I couldn’t match, Wyatt pulled the baton from my hand.
Nails keeled over, gasping for air. Before she could recover, Orion used one of his gadgets to bind her arms behind her back.
When she rolled over, I made sure she could see the grin on my face.
For the third time, Hellion won.
“Tint?”
This time, I heard Janet’s voice. Reality set in when I saw her face. I had broken bones and saved my friends, but the victory turned bittersweet when I saw the fear in her eyes. What had I done?
I shook free from Wyatt’s grasp. Without saying a word, I bolted for the alley.
When I heard Janet’s boots against the pavement, I turned the alley black, making it impossible for her to follow.
The questions I could handle, but the look on her face?
The disgust? I’d never be ready to deal with that.
Instead… I ran.