My vision is blurry. I feel pain in my side like it's been set on fire. I look around, seeing that the house is covered with flames. The book shelf was on top of me for some reason, making it hard to move. I tried to push it off, but the pain in my side flares when I move.

"AJ!" I hear my brother call out weakly. I panic and look around for him, spotting him underneath the table in our living room. He was curled up and holding his legs close to his body. I could tell he wanted to help, to get me up. But there was fire everywhere. He would barely be able to move around without stepping into the flames around us. The ceiling above us starts to crack and fall, some of the debris falling on the table with a loud thud, Brandon cries out in surprise. I cover my face with my arms, but luckily only some small pieces of paint and wood comes down.

I look around for my parents frantically, calling their names. But it dawns on me that they both worked the night shift. They wouldn't be home until morning. Brandon starts to cry and shout for our mom and dad but only in fear. I fight the pain and push the book shelf up enough to let me slide out. I had to get to my brother. I slowly pushed myself up. I had to move quickly, run through the fire before it can seriously burn me. Before I can even move close to my brother, one of the support beams falls from the ceiling, making me fall on my back in shock.

I hear Brandon cry again, possibly the splash damage hit him. I get up slowly to peer over the debris between us. A piece of wood stabbed right through the table he was under. My eyes search frantically for him, but I breathe out quickly in relief when I see him having moved to the side. He must have heard the wood above him crack. I look around for another path to him, but the debris blocks any sort of path to him. I look back; see that the flames on the wall are starting to spread more. I cough in agitation as the smoke starts to get thicker.

The windows by Brandon explode from all the fire. He cries harder and curls up more. I can't wait any longer. "It's ok Brandon I'm coming!" I try to reassure him, but he's still crying. I suddenly hear more of the ceiling crack above him and it starts to fall. The table won't hold this much debris again. I cried out Brandon's name and rush forward, jumping through the tall flames from the fallen support beam.

I thought I'd feel the fire burn me, or even the pain of hitting the ground after I jumped. I didn't feel either. Instead I felt my brother in my arms, and I was huddled over him. The table he was under buckled from the impact of the debris above. But that table was behind me, and we were close to the wall. Did I tackle him away from it? I look down at Brandon in question but he's too busy crying and hugging me close.

I ignore it for now and hold him closer, looking around frantically. I cough again as the smoke gets thicker. I hold my shirt over my face, whatever good that will do me. My eyes are hurting and itchy, but I try to keep my hands from scratching at them. I held my brother tight and looked at the window. There was fire on the edges, but the earlier explosions left them without glass.

"We're gonna jump out the window ok? Don't let go of me and when I say jump, jump ok?" I whisper to him. He whines slightly and I stroke his head to try and calm him down. "Come on Brandon I'll protect you ok? I won't let anything happen to you I promise, you just have to trust me ok?" I spoke as calm as possible, despite my own fears and panic creeping up on me slowly.

Brandon slowed his breathing slightly despite his continual tears and nodded his head quickly. I gave mt own nod and hugged him tighter. "Ready… one… two…" I said as I focused on the window. It was small and high. I'd have to be really lucky. But it was our only shot. "Three!"

I ran as fast as I could, before the fire started to collapse everything around us. For some reason though, I felt my vision and my pain clear up, and suddenly I was running faster than I ever have before. So fast that I missed the jump. Instead I found myself plowing through the wall, my shoulder racked with pain but only much less than I was expecting.

After the wall had collapsed I started to fall. I turned to my back so that Brandon would land on top of me and I would take the brunt of it. When my back hit the ground I thought I would have at least scraped my back. I barely felt the impact. When Brandon landed on top of me though he slightly knocked the wind out of me. But that was it. I heard the voices around us and the sirens but I focused on my little brother. I looked down at him and inspected him for injury or hurt.

"You ok?" I asked, to which he nodded quietly and hugged me tighter.

"You broke that wall…" He muttered in my shirt. I had no idea how to respond honestly. So I shrugged.

"Told you I was strong." I said quietly as I hugged him closer. "I'll protect you no matter what ok?" I whisper as put my chin on his head.

"I know." He whispered back through his tears. A fireman grabbed us and pulled us away from the fire. He wrapped a blanket around us and sat us on a fire truck. He started to ask us questions like whether we were ok or if we could breath alright. Brandon was having a bit of a hard time breathing, but other than that he was fine. As for me well… I seemed to be ok on all accounts. The fire fighter gave me a breathing tank anyways.

"Boys!" I hear my mom shout, and we both get up when we see her and my dad approach from the crowd. We tackle them both tightly, but somehow I knock them both to the ground on accident. They're shocked by this but they seem to barely give it a thought before hugging us tighter to them.

"We're so sorry, we're so sorry…" My mom repeats as she cries. My dad's in no better shape ,while holding a strong face you can see the tears coming down his face. I wouldn't admit at the time but I was crying just as hard as my brother.

"You should have seen it mommy, AJ knocked that wall down!" Brandon said after minutes of hugging and quiet. I remain silent and let him tell them, because I had no idea what I did either. "He started running at it and bam! He knocked it down, he's so cool!" He said giddily. Mom and Dad look at me in question for a moment but they shook their heads.

"I guess you are really strong huh champ?" My dad said rubbing my head. He sounded slightly unsure but I didn't really care at the time. "Let's get out of here. We'll get something to eat…" He said standing us all up. Me and Brandon nodded quietly as we walked away from our burnt home. The police didn't stop us, telling my dad they'd question us later.

I look back at where I broke down the wall. It was totally collapsed. I wasn't sure exactly what happened. I felt different now. I wasn't worn out, my eyes were clear and I could breath normally. In fact I felt better than ever. It wasn't until months after that I found out it was much more than I could ever imagine…

2: Chapter 1

The annoying alarm on my phone sounded off as usual. I groaned as I tried to turn it off so I could fall back asleep. Sleep didn't fit into my schedule anymore. That's what happens when you have a day job and a late night hobby. And you work for your dad. Speaking of which, my pops swung my door open, his usual stern expression staring down at me with no mercy.

"Hey superhero, get up. Time to start work soon." He urged me, poking me in the side with his wooden cane.

"Five minutes…" I muttered huddling in my blanket.

"I'll fasi* you outta that bed boy, get up." He said jabbing me in the side again. It doesn't hurt but it's certainly annoying. I groan as I push myself up on my elbows.

"Yeah yeah I'm up…" I murmured as I swung my feet out of bed. My dad nods in acceptance and closes the door behind him as he leaves. I smile and get ready to pull the blankets back over myself.

"If you put those blankets back on I'm gonna fasi you with a dipstick." It's like he knows everything I'm about to do. When he found out I had superhuman durability he started to get creative with the weapons he would use for kickin' my ass.

I shook myself awake and cracked my neck. I grabbed my towel and took a quick five minute shower and brushed my teeth, threw on my work clothes and trotted down stairs. Mom was making a quick batch of French toast (much to my pleasure) and dad was already at the table with a cup of coffee and the book Mere Christianity in his hands.

"Where's Brandon at?"

"Doing something with his life and paying visits to colleges. Unlike his lazy brother." Pops declared eyes still trained on the book. Brandon was still in high school but he had such good grades that he wouldn't have to attend more than one class in his final semester. Thanks to my laziness I was able to pass with C's and a B or two by the end of my high school life.

"Just trying to keep the family tradition you started going pops." I said patting his shoulder as I walk by. He pushes my hand off with his shoulder but we both chuckled. Mom comes by and sets down our plates for us.

"Enough squabbling boys; eat your food and get ready to go. You've got to start the fryers downstairs in half an hour." My mom said before slapping my hand away from my fork. I slump my shoulders before taking my mom's hand and then my dad's. We did our usual blessing of the food and the day ahead, and for the crap neighborhood we lived in.

"So run into trouble last night son?" My mom asked as we ate.

"Just the usual bunch of bums. No need to worry ma." I reassured her.

"I still don't like the idea of you going out like that all the time. Those people are dangerous, I don't care what kinda mana you might have, you're gonna attract the wrong type of attention." My dad declared sternly.

"If I don't do something then you know that it won't stop in our neighborhood dad." I answered tiredly. We've had this conversation several times before. My parents are well aware of my powers and what I do. I don't want to repeat this argument over and over again and my dad knows it, but I know he's just concerned.

"I know son… just be careful alright? Sooner or later those dumb thugs might surprise you." He relents but softer now. I nod in agreement and continue to eat silently. That was probably the quickest our conversation on the subject ever ended. Guess he was tired of it too.

"And don't get your brother into it either; it's bad enough to worry about you at night." My mom adds after a bit of silence. I paused for a moment in my chewing when she said that and swallowed hard.

"Yeah ok…" I mutter as I put another piece in my mouth. Brandon has powers too, although they're a lot more different than mine. He could potential be a lot of help to me.

"Alright let's get a move on, time to start the cooking before someone throws a brick through the window." My dad says downing the rest of the coffee. That would be a joke if it hadn't happened several times before. He owned and ran a small Polynesian food joint in the slums of Los Angeles and we live in the small apartment right above the restaurant.

I sighed as I quickly shoved the last of my plate in my mouth, standing up and kissing my mom on the cheek before following my dad downstairs. She was an office clerk deeper in the city, so she didn't have to worry about leaving for a little longer.

"Make sure to start cooking up some musubi first, kids love it." Dad says as he starts to pull out the pots and pans. I pulled out the rice cooker and start to wash the rice. The bell rings when I hear the door open and I look through the kitchen window to see Brandon walk in.

"Hey uce, what're you doin' here? I thought you were out lookin' at colleges." I asked.

"Anna wanted to go on a date today, so I cancelled." He shrugged.

"Hey when you see her today, can you tell her to loosen the chain around your neck for me?" I ask smugly to which he threw a pencil at my head. I laughed as I ducked it behind the kitchen wall, but I can hear him chuckling too.

"You're just jealous you don't have tiene." He says sticking his tongue out at me as he comes into the kitchen.

"Too busy for that stuff uce, got better things to focus on." I answered shrugging. He knows what I mean and nods as he opens the fridge and grabs a drink.

"Hey make sure to pay for that vale*." Pops says as he's passing us. Brandon rolls his eyes before taking a swig of coke.

"Hey, are you coming tonight?" I ask quietly as I pull out the sea weed wraps and spam. Brandon spared a glance back at pops before nodding. "Don't worry, I'll be there uce."

"Cool… maybe it'll help you heal from all that whipping Anna does huh?" I said smirking at him. He nudged me forward as he walked by and I laughed.

Sunset had come and gone. The slums were awake as they were during the day, except now it was the real scum on the streets. Cops may have come and go through the neighborhood a lot, but they brushed off a lot while they dealt with whatever they thought easier or were bribed to turn their backs to. I'm sure they do have some good cops. But even if they do, there definitely aren't enough of them to get the job done. That's why I'm here after all.

 

I stood on top of one of the apartments near my house, up in my full costume. Mom made it for me believe it or not. She was always good at making clothes, and this costume was excellent. We always wondered why she didn't try it as a profession but she dismissed it whenever we brought it up.

"I'm still jealous of your outfit."

I look to see my brother come up the fire escape from the side of the building. He's wearing dress pants and a white dress shirt with a black vest. On his face he's wearing a small black mask that goes around his eyes and nose and sticks to his face with some sorta glue he made and top it off he wore a fedora.

"Well maybe if you had the bolos to tell mom and dad that you come out here with me she'd make you one." I teased him as I swung the dual chain sickles in my hands. "What do thugs even call you? 50's style guy?"

"Shut up! They call me Bomber, as lame as that sounds." He relents. I patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

"That's not that bad, especially when you compare it to your name." I say chuckling. He rolled his eyes at me and shrugged my hand away.

"Whatever Grim, you're just saying that because you get the cool name."

"Not my fault I'm a badass now is it?"

He's about to retort but we both stop when we hear a gun go off. We look at each other before taking off in the direction we heard it from. I teleported from rooftop to rooftop while he's left to jump on his own. If he needed me to move him around I would, but he's thankfully got a lot of physical prowess of his own, even if it wasn't super human. I tried to help him out before but he just got annoyed and convinced me he was fine. Now I know he was right.

"There." I say quickly as I teleport to a roof top near the incident. More than ten men were jumping several guys. They looked like a biker gang, which surprised me slightly. Usually we get a bunch of Sureños or Crips. These looked more like Hells Angels or one of their 'brother' gangs.

"Ready to work?" I ask before pulling down my hood. Brandon nods silently as he pulls out three long metal needles that start to glow with power. He explained his powers were something like turning energy on in the things he touched. Except when he said it, he sounded a lot smarter than I do. Once he does that he throws it which cause small explosions. He's accurate with those things; he's a better aim than I am.

"Let's go." He said before he threw the three needles into the group of men. They were thrown off guard and confused, perfect time to drop in. I teleported to the light post above them and smashed the light out, making the street even darker.

"You all have one chance to surrender. Now." I was speaking in a more ragged and deep voice to avoid detection should someone recognize me. One of them searched for me frantically.

"Looks like you idiots really came. We've been looking for you assholes!" He shouted tauntingly. How cliché, I figured they'd be a little original. They're just like any other gang. Now the real question was why they wanted us. This is the first time we've ever dealt with a biker gang.

"I think they lost their chance, Grim." Bomber says leaning against the light post. They point some guns at him but I act first.

"Guess they did." I growled before teleporting above them and begin my attack. I landed feet first on the shoulders of the man at the center of the group. They jumped back in surprise before trying to raise their guns. I teleport again before they get off several shots, and I ended up behind one of the men on the outside of the group. I wrapped my arm around his head and flipped him backwards onto his stomach, knocking the wind out of his stomach. I launched a quick jab at the back of his head and knocked him out.

Brandon didn't give them a chance to react as he pulled out several more needles and charged them up. He spun around and launched them with pin point accuracy, hitting three men straight in the center of their chest. They exploded and sent them flying several feet in the air, crashing into two others.

I teleported again and did a leg sweep to one of the leaders. Teleporting was much harder to learn than getting used to my super strength. Thanks to a good teacher though I was able to perfect it. I just have to look or think about the spot I want to be at and I'm there.

One of the thugs rushed at me from the side and tried to punch me. I moved out of the way easily before rounding on him and launched an uppercut to his jaw. I heard the bone break as he flew a few feet away. Another came with a led pipe. To prove a point to them I caught it in my hand and pulled it away. I kicked him lightly to get space before bending the bar with one swift motion. It became obvious that it worked when he paused in trying to attack again. He then proceeded to turn around and leave. I smirked behind my cowl before proceeding to kick another man who tried to charge.

Brandon was doing fine on his own. While I may have been physically better his power was almost made for fighting groups of men. He was currently going hand to hand with a larger thug who had recovered from his energy blasts somehow. He was about as good as me at fighting, and expertly delivered a throat shot before kicking him in his abdomen which finally did the trick as the big guy collapsed to the ground.

The leader(the guy who taunted us) pulled a gun and tried to shoot me. I dodged two bullets narrowly, while fast I wasn't Swift speed (a big time 'hero') and quickly grabbed his wrist. To which I broke. He grunted in pain and fell to his knees. I left him there for a moment, teleporting to the last two standing of his flunkies. Bomber had the pleasure of taking one of them out with a quick toss of a needle to the stomach which exploded. I dodged one last punch before grabbing his arm and breaking it with a quick elbow into his. Shock took him as he fell to the ground staring at and shaking.

"Did you have to be so brutal Grim?"

"They deserve worse." I shrugged as I marched over to the man I left earlier. I grabbed his bloody leather jacket and held him in the air with one arm.

"Now tell me, what were you trying to do here? I never see bikers in this neighborhood."

"W-we were trying to capture you bastards… you have a mark on your backs!" He struggled to say.

"A mark? You mean there's a bounty for us?" Brandon asked.

"I ain't sayin' any more, assholes, so you might as well le-"

"You're telling us what you know or I break your other wrist. If you're still silent after that I break the rest of your arm." I threatened. I meant it, and I'd do it. He'd better take me seriously. From the look on his face he does.

"B-but you're heroes, you guys don't-

"Do I look like a hero to you?! Far from it and I'm more than happy to prove that to you if you don't start talking!" I growl as I pulled him face to face. I hear sirens approaching but I keep my stance.

"Grim the cops will be here soon, we have to go." Brandon urges me but I keep my attention on the biker.

"You hear that? That means you have less than thirty seconds to start talking or I break something else."

"A-alright I'll talk! You two have a one million dollar bounty on your heads! Whoever can kill you gets the money!" He confessed finally. I narrow my eyes and hold him up in the air.

"Who put the bounty on us?"

"I don't know, just some big wigs, I really don't know!" He sputtered nervously. Brandon grabbed my shoulder and shook his head.

"He's told us everything he knows, we have to go."

"… Fine, stay out of our turf or next time I'll finish the job and kill you all." I threatened darkly before dropping him to the ground. I could have sworn I heard him start to pee. I turned around and grabbed Brandon's shoulder before teleporting away. We landed on top of a nearby roof top; watching to make sure the gang was taken away.

"Was that last part necessary?" Brandon asked me. I shrugged as I watched the cops cuff most of them and put others in some ambulance.

"It's not like I'd actually do that." I muttered quietly.

"Maybe not but you've been getting more intense since we started."

"It's the only way to get through to these guys isn't it? We have to be savage enough that they get the picture, remember that." I retorted firmly.

"Does that mean killing people too, Grim?" He lashed back, putting contempt in saying my code name.

"If it comes down to it then we might have to, Bomber. Someday we might not be left with the choice, understand? We're not heroes, remember that." I growled out in aggravation but he didn't back down.

"Remember what pops said, and what you promised him. If there is any other solution you will not kill anyone. And I'm gonna hold you to that." Brandon stated firmly. I groaned in annoyance but I left it alone. I didn't want to kill anyone, but I know the reality. I just hope I can actually keep to that promise.

"So what do you think this bounty thing is about?" I asked to change the subject.

"I don't know, I didn't think we beat up anyone with that kind of money that wanted us dead." He answered, seeming fine with letting the topic go.

"I don't think any gang would put that kind of money up for us, we've fought the Sureños and Crips and some Bloods but one million seems like too much for any of them. Especially since we've only been at this less than a year now." I mused thoughtfully.

"There's probably more to it than we think… Someone is either trying to get our attention or they're waiting to see what we can do."

"What makes you think that?" I asked curiously.

"Like you said we haven't been taking on people with that kind of money, we just fight who comes making trouble in our neighborhood. That's usually brushed off by the bigger dogs of the business. I think someone's watching us. Testing us more likely…" Brandon explains to me.

"So we have a fan?"

"In a manner of speaking I guess we do." He shrugged.

"Well isn't that just perfect." I muttered before sighing. "We should get back on patrol. Come on." I relented. He nodded and walked at my side.

"Oh yeah you never told me about what happened with your date uce, you were all moody when you got home." I said thoughtfully. He visibly turned gloomy and sighed.

"Anna… broke up with me." He muttered making me stop for a moment.

"Oh man what happened?!"

"She said I... don't spend enough time with her."

"Are you kidding? You were spending a lot of time with her lately. Hence all the whip marks on your back." I teased but I guess it was too soon since he only looked at me with irritation.

"Shut up it's partly your fault she broke up with me!" He accused making me jerk my head back.

"How the hell is it my fault?"

"She says I spend too much time with you! Says that I need more friends than my brother and Xavier. I told her to go to hell when she said that… then she broke up with me." He admitted. I sighed and grabbed his shoulder.

"I'm sorry uce, but if that's really how she felt then she didn't deserve you. A girl who comes in between family isn't worth it." I explained. I didn't mean to sound like a dick, but it was true and he knew it.

"Yeah I know, I just really liked her… let's not talk about this now alright? I kind of just wanna patrol." He said as we kept walking. I stopped for a moment and watched him walk ahead with a cloud over him. I sighed and caught up.

"Well I'm glad you broke up anyways… everyone was tired of seeing you come home with your leash still on anyway. Ow just kidding!" I said running away as he started to stab my arm with a needle. We laughed as we ran from roof top to roof top. Despite all the things we've been through and the damage this neighborhood could have done, we were brothers no matter what.

 

3: Chapter 2

Five o'clock in the morning. Time to get up, and school starts in a couple hours. Guess I have time to brush up. I roll out of bed, silencing my alarm with a quick slap. I went through the normal routine, put a brush in my mouth and put on some deodorant. AJ's snoring rings through the house, but it's overpowered by dad's own snoring. Mom is the only other one up, she has work soon.Might as well make uce wake up.

"Hey, bolo. Wake up! Get off your lazy ass!" I shout, pounding on his door. He's got interviews today for a better job, but not until later. It's just fun to irritate him. I can hear him groan behind his bedroom door, cursing at me for waking him up. "Stop whining, you have to get ready for the day." I bang on his door with greater force now.

"I got it, now shut up!" AJ growls louder than before. I chuckle quietly and leave him without a word, satisfied that he'll get out of bed soon. Hopefully. I swirl a mouthful of Listerine in my mouth, gargle, and spit out the minty liquid. AJ walks into the bathroom next to me, his hair messy and he himself looking no better. I jump in surprise when he socks my arm, a bruise forming almost immediately.

"Dang. A little lighter next time, jerk…" I mutter irritably, but he sends me a death glare that makes me back off.

"Then let me sleep in next time, asshole." He grumbles in response, turning the water on and splashing his face. I roll my eyes and wipe my face of whatever might be left and exit from the bathroom.

"You've got interviews today. I just want to make sure that you actually go." I explain as I grab a shirt and pants to wear.

"That might've been okay if they weren't 'til eleven idiot." He groans back, but he sounds too tired to continue on with the argument, so I let it drop. I throw on my clothes and slip into my PF flyers. I look at the time: six a.m.. I still have an hour before I have to leave.

"Hey. You wanna play some Halo before I head out?" I call back to him, but all I get is a grunt in response. He's probably not in the mood for that still. I shrug, heading to my room and turning on my Xbox. I play for a while, and eventually AJ joins me out of boredom and we play until he takes me to school.

 

Lunch time at school, not that I came from any classes. I only have two for the day, and the rest I pretty much just hang out in the cafeteria. I don't really see any of the regular guys I hang with during this time, but X should be here soon. He's friends with AJ and me, also the only person we knew since we were little.

"What's up, bolo!" I hear from the hall. I get up to see X coming towards me, clasping our hands together and hug. He's not as muscular as me or AJ, but he's in good shape. He's tall and thin with curled back spiky hair and a few potch marks on his face.

"Hey, uce. Where you been all day?" I ask, taking a seat back at the table. He takes a seat across, laughing at the question.

"Well, I've been busy scoping out your ex, bro. She's already talkin' to some other chumps." X declares, making me slump my shoulders in disappointment.

"Damn. I wasn't sure if she was serious about leaving me, man. I thought that…" I mutter, but X slaps my shoulder.

"Hey, forget that trick. Alright? You're back on the market and it's about time you showed her that you are the one with options. Maybe not as many as me, but still." X jokes. I nudge him in the stomach, but laugh. X has always been the joker. More than AJ and me combined. Though he can be serious if he wants, but most of the time he treats things like a joke (including my love life apparently). I stop laughing and sigh sadly.

"I don't know, uce. We just broke up. Maybe I should take some time and wait?" I suggest, but X rolls his eyes.

"Dude, you're gonna hang on her leash if you don't get it off now. She's already out there moving on now, so should you! Get back at her, man!" X argues. I scratch my head sheepishly, but I stop when I see Anna walk into the cafeteria. X sees her and scoffs, looking back at me to see what I'll do.

"Go ahead. See what happens." X jeers, smirking at me in amusement. I ignore him, though. Standing up and going to talk to her.

"Hey, Anna. I-" I start, but she walks by me without a word. I know she saw me. She even looked me straight in the eye before pretending I wasn't there. A lot of emotions go through me at once, but only one thing really stands out.

Anger.

I look at X who's smiling at me with an 'I told you so' look slapped on his face.

"She just snuffed me…" I mutter, X nodding in agreement.

"That's for sure, and what are you gonna do in return, brother?" He asks with a mischievous smile. I return it and nod.

"Time to make sure she knows what she's missing." I answer crossing my arms. X cheers and stands up, grabbing my shoulders.

"Now that's what I like to hear. Okay, so let's start. I see three targets: a blonde, a red head and a miko. Which one's number do you want?" X asks, giving me a side smile. I look back at Anna who's plainly ignoring me as she talks to some asshole. I give him a smile back and shake my head.

"I think one isn't enough, bolo. I'm getting all their numbers." I say cracking my neck. X drops his jaw, making a long 'oh' and laughing.

"Alright then, pimp. Go to work. I'll keep eyes on the enemy so she doesn't get any funny ideas." X says before sitting back down and pulling a bag of chips from his pack. I nod and give him a salute to which he returns, heading off. I go to the blonde first, (always had a thing for blondes). Anna is a brunette, but she knows how much I dig blondes.

"Hi there, miss. Mind if I join you for a minute?" I ask, seeing that she's alone. The girl seems to like me since she smiles that same one girls give when they see something they like.

"Sure, I think I would like that." She says, motioning to the chair next to her. I smile and take a seat, glancing back at Anna to see if she notices. She definitely does. She's looking at me from the side with a frown while trying to keep up the conversation she's in with the boy from earlier, but it's easy to tell she has lost interest and is watching me closely.

Jackpot.

"So what is a fine girl like you sitting alone for?" I ask, making her giggle in slight embarrassment and look away. I'm definitely going to enjoy this.

 

It has been a little less than an hour since I set out to get the numbers of the three girls. The blonde, Tracey, I was able to get in a good ten minutes of talk before she had to leave. Nora, the redhead, took a good twenty minutes to win over, but my charm worked her over and I was able to leave with her digits. The miko girl was trickier at first, since she was standing with two other lady friends, but thankfully X jumped in and played wingman for me and the two of us got all three of their numbers.

"Now doesn't that just feel satisfying, bolo?" X laughs as we sit back down at our table.

"Hell yeah. I still got it in me to get a girls number. I'll probably give 'em all a call tomorrow. Gotta keep 'em waiting, right?" I explain, and the both of us laugh as we start to put each number into our phones.

"Excuse me, but what the hell was that?" I hear Anna bark as she starts to approach our table.

"Uh oh. Bitch alert…" X mutters with a smirk and I elbow him as I try and keep my own laugh in. I look up at her, feigning innocence.

"What was what, Anna?" I ask dumbly, X being quiet as he lets the scene play out in front of him. Anna grinds her teeth, slamming her hand on the table.

"We're not split up for three days and you're already off getting girls' numbers? What the hell do you think I'm talking about!" She shouts irritably. I merely rest my cheek on my palm before sighing.

"Well I'm sorry, but I figured that'd be okay since you were off talking to some jock and pretending like I'm not here." I retort smoothly, showing no sign of anger. I'm satisfied enough that she's steaming after all that.

"Maybe I just needed a few days. Maybe you should have just waited it out, you asshole!" Anna barks louder, gripping her fists.

"Maybe you should just get to steppin', girl. He's done with you, okay?" X declares with a cheeky smile, making me hold in a chuckle as I clear my throat.

"I have to agree with him, Anna. You wanted to piss me off and I ended up turning it back on you. Your fault for starting it so…" I declare before sharing a look with X. At the same time we blow her a raspberry and flip her the bird. "See you, bitch." We both say in sync. She takes a step back, looking like she has no idea what to say. She does a double take before growling and turning away with shriek. Me and X watch her leave before it finally hits me how bad I feel. We were together for a while, and one small argument broke us up. I sigh and scratch my head, looking at X for reassurance.

"Ah, forget about her, uce. She could never be part of the family, anyways. No one liked her." He says with a simple shrug, making me hit him in the shoulder. "Ow, damn. Sorry. Too soon…"

"It's whatever, man… I'll apologize to her later. I shouldn't have acted like that anyway." I relent, making him roll his eyes.

"Whatever, I think she got what she deserved any… oh hey, look." X begins before pointing out a girl who enters the cafeteria. She's got her medium blonde hair in a pony tail that reaches far down her back and she has pale ivory skin.

"I think her name is McKenna Bradley? I heard that she flirts a lot, but she's never gotten with a guy. She just likes to tug them along until they ask her out. Then she kicks 'em to the curb." X explains with a chuckle at the thought. "She hasn't had one boyfriend throughout school, though, so whoever does get her gets mad props."

"Seems like too much trouble if you ask me. I mean yeah, she's hot and all, but I heard most of the time she likes to keep to herself. Not to mention I'd hate to look like one of those fools she tugs around on a leash." I declare with a shrug.

"It shouldn't be so bad for you, uce. Anna always had you on a leash, anyway, so it works out." X laughs, making me throw some food at him in annoyance. I glance at McKenna from the side. She is pretty hot, but I've never had any actual face time with her. She sees me, though, and I give a small smile and a nod. She doesn't give me any strange looks or turns away. She just gives me her own small smile, and for some reason I almost melt inside and feel a burning sensation on my cheeks. Dang. She is hotter than I thought.

"Hey, bolo. She's just smirking at you. Don't wrap the leash on already." X says with a laugh, making me glare and punch him in the shoulder.

 

Night time comes and it's going to be midnight soon. Usually, AJ and I go out around ten o'clock, but X is over so we're busy playing games until he leaves. I can tell AJ wanted to leave earlier, but we never miss a chance to kick it with X when we can. We haven't told him about what we do at night yet, but he does know about our powers. If he's heard anything about our vigilante identities, he hasn't said anything yet.

"So how was school today you two?" AJ asks, coming from the kitchen as me and X were playing video games.

"Well it went pretty nice for mister pimp over here, isn't that right Brandon?" X declares, playfully nudging my side.

"Oh did it? What happened, you get back with the witch?" AJ asks again with a chuckle but X shakes his head.

"Quite the opposite bolo. She thought it'd be cool to snuff my brother right here in the cafeteria, stupid trick. You would've been proud uce, he went back in there and got six girls numbers today." X explains and AJ whistles impressively.

"Dang bro, I said find a new girl, I didn't say hit up the entire school." AJ laughs with X, both smacking my shoulders.

"Alright alright, it wasn't that big of a deal." I say, although honestly I have a bit of a sly undertone to it.

"You know what was the best part? When we gave Anna the bird." X says making AJ's jaw drop.

"No, you guys did?" He says unbelieving, but both me and X nod our heads.

"Yep, she got all mad that I was getting girls numbers while she was there." I answer, shaking my head at the thought of her.

"She was already chatting up some guys but she expects you to stay put? I'm proud of you bolo, you finally cut the leash off." X declares, holding up his can of soda for a toast.

"Hear hear." AJ adds with a smirk and the two toast each other.

"Shut up you two." I say laughing, the others joining in on it. X stops though, looking up in thought.

"There was this one girl though, not one of the girls whose number he got. She's this really hot chick named McKenna. She came into the cafeteria and kinda threw Brandon into a trance."

"No she didn't, shut up!" I exclaim and push him over irritably.

"Dude she was in the process of becoming your new master, I swear! She had you all staring and blushing." X teases, making me fluster as AJ and X start to laugh.

"It's alright bolo, it's called needy-servant-syndrome. It happens to pets when they recently lose their masters." AJ chides, making me groan in irritation. I would never admit it to these jerks, but honestly it felt like I was under a trance when I saw her. It wasn't just how beautiful she was either, there was just a sparkle to her eyes that threw me off. It almost felt like it wasn't real. I'm probably just trippin' from the break up, that's all… I tell myself.

"Alright, fools. I gotta get home before my dad kicks my ass." X declares, stretching out his arms as he gets up.

"Alright then, bolo. We'll see you later." AJ says as the two clasp hands and give a one arm hug.

"While you're at home, why don't you work on your Halo skills so we don't whip your ass so bad next time. Okay?" I suggest with a smirk. He narrows his eyes jokingly as he always likes to do.

"Hey… Shut up." He warns in a mock serious tone. We all laugh and I give him a hug before he heads out. We watch him walk down the sidewalk before we head back in. AJ gives me a stern look.

"Time to get ready, okay? Make sure you have everything." He instructs before heading off to his room. I give a nod in response and walk back into my own room. I almost hate the fact that I chose a suit for my superhero–excuse me–'vigilante' costume. It's hard to maneuver in at times and I have to repair rips in the fabric every now and then. The mask is the only nice choice I made in the design. It doesn't cut off any of my field of vision and it sticks perfectly to my face. AJ won't admit it, but the veil on his hood may be see through, but it cuts off his peripheral vision a bit. He has to rely on his hearing when in a fight at times, and that became easy thanks to our old teacher. Which reminds me…

"Hey AJ, what do you think happened to master Hanabe?" I muse, throwing on my trench coat as I do.

"The old man? Not sure, but you know him. He likes to drift around a lot. For all we know, he might not even be in L.A. at the moment." AJ responds from his room.

"Think we'll see him any time soon?"

"I don't know, maybe… He's been gone a while, so he could show up at anytime." I hear him say, and I'm pretty sure he shrugged somewhere in that sentence. He shrugs a lot to things he doesn't know, but he get's annoyed whenever I point it out. "You ready?" AJ asks as he walks out of his room. I walk out of mine, suited up and cracking my knuckles.

"Let's do this."

Odd night on patrol. We've been going for three hours now, but nothing to show for it. We had one small robbery but the cops settled it themselves, so we didn't even make an appearance. I can tell AJ feels a little surprised but I can also tell he's slightly relieved. Our work here is finally paying off. At least that's what I hope, but it feels odd for it to be so quiet. Just the night before we had a run in with a few gang members and that usually means retaliation in some way, even if they have to throw it out there plainly.

"Hey, does this seem right to you?" I ask AJ. We were taking a small break on a rooftop a few blocks from our street towards the end of our neighborhood.

"Yeah, I think. Eventually people were going to understand that we're here and that they can't do anything about it. Don't you agree?" AJ suggests. I purse my lips in thought and cross my arms.

"I do, but usually with these kind of things it takes a bit more time than just several months. Not to mention we still have a bounty of a million dollars on our heads. People are willing to go to extreme lengths for that kinda money." I explain and he seems to get the message. I hear him hum in thought this time and he looks back out to the city.

"I guess you're right… What do you think it is, then?" He asks curiously, but I don't have any real idea either.

"Your guess is as good as mine really…" I relent, scratching my head. We're silent for a bit, still unsure whether this was too good to be true. Suddenly a wisp of air passes us, and AJ groans in pain. A large gash is down his side, and he's gripping it slightly as blood starts to drip from it.

"Grim!" I shout, rushing toward him quickly. But another gust of air zips by and I feel like I'm decked square in the chin. I fall back with a hard thud, and I grip my chin in pain.

"Wow, already two seconds in and they're down. Good job, Blitz." I hear a woman's voice. I glance up to see three other people, all in odd tights with lights going off in random spots on their bodies. Their faces are covered, but it's easy to tell who is the girl among them. A blur of air appears next to her and a skinny man with two knives appears that's wearing a similar outfit to the rest of them. Another one of them is large and bulky, so I'm guessing he's the muscle. The girl seems average size while the final man is also average looking in size, but I'm guessing they all have powers.

"Who the hell are you clowns?" AJ growls in annoyance, taking his sickles in hand and ready to fight. I stand up and grip several needles, ready to launch them.

"We're the Assassin's Four. We've come to collect on the bounty you two have on your heads. Now we can give you the choice of alive, but you'll have to come quietly. However, dead will get us paid just as good too." The woman declares, pulling out a set of swords. I look at AJ from the side and I see him do the same. We shake our heads at the same time and we take defensive stances.

"You can kiss our asses, bitch." I spit, but she merely chuckles in response.

"Kids these days. You think you're tough shit, huh? Well guess what? You've been playing in the juniors division, brats. It's time for you to go pro. Assassins! Take their heads!" She roars out and the three men behind her charge. The Blitz guy disappears again and slashes AJ across the chest this time, making him groan in pain. I almost turn to help, but I know that I can leave the speedster to him. I focus on the man in front of me and toss my kinetic needles swiftly. A beam shoots from his head and destroys the needles. I barely react fast enough to dodge and get scaithed in the side. The beam is pure force and no heat, but it hurts like a bitch.

I roll to my knees and I recover as quickly as possible. He's charging me and throws a right cross. My training kicks in and I deflect it to the side, returning with a straight jab. He's definitely no slouch and deflects it with his elbow. Our fight comes down to skill and speed, and we're both throwing expert shots. I try to feign a punch and return with a kick, but he sees it coming. He somehow catches my leg with his own and grabs hold of my shirt, keeping me close as his face lazer thing seems to start charging. I start to panic but act quickly, overloading the arm of his outfit with kinetic energy. It explodes furiously and we both go flying back. He's more stunned than I am, but I'm still pretty dazed by the explosion. I turn to check on AJ and I'm delighted with what I see and the scream that comes with the sight.

AJ must have figured something out with that Blitz guy, because what I first see is AJ landing a powerful elbow directly to his face. He hits the ground with a hard thud, and AJ doesn't let him rest. I flinch when I see him mercilessly cut deep into Blitz's leg with his sickle, and I'm pretty sure he tore several tendons when he did it. Both the big guy and the leader lady are taken back by the sight and they obviously underestimated us.

I jump to my feet as the haze in my head clears and I jump on top of the guy who attacked me first. He seems to be mostly recovered as well, but wasn't ready for me. He attempts to blast me in the face, but I anticipate it, pushing his head to face another way. I keep his jaw in my target area and I slam my fist into it. He lets out a gargled yelp and he tries to throw me off of him. He's a bit stronger than I am, but on top I have the advantage. I pin his arms down with my knees and chop him in the throat this time. This makes him stop in his struggling as he starts to choke. I remember my training, and I definitely didn't hit hard enough to kill him. But it would scare anyone, no matter how strong they are.

I'm about to knock him out with a temple shot, but I see feet coming toward us. I barely dodge back as a sword almost slashes me, cutting me slightly on the shoulder.

"It seems you two are far better than I expected. Brutus, take the hooded one. I'll dispatch of this one alongside Vizor." She declares, gripping her swords tighter.

"Yes, Mistress." I hear the big dope say from his position. His footsteps are heavy as he moves and I can feel the vibrations from them as he walks. This guy is probably stronger than AJ, but I think that I've got to worry about myself at the moment. This 'mistress' lady lunges at me with almost unseen speed and I barely dip to the left to dodge her. I hear AJ shout my alias worriedly, but he's soon stopped by the sound of a loud thud. I almost want to check and see if he's alright, but Mistress doesn't give me any room to think about it.

I dodge as fast as I can, but she's faster than me. I am able to evade strong hits, but she grazes my arms and chest several times. I stumble back feebly, reaching into my pockets for more needles. I'm not fast enough and she gives a good slice to my arm. I scream in pain, but I keep my focus on dodging her blades.

"You're pretty quick, but it looks like you're running on fumes, kid." She says before starting to slash again. I see the guy Visor start to get up, and I can tell he's taking aim with his laser at me. I'm running out of options, and I know I'm getting closer to the edge of the roof. Before Vizor can shoot me though, the large form of the guy Brutus goes crashing into him. Mistress turns around in surprise, and I take the chance to grab my needles. I launch one at her and it knocks her off her feet and back onto the ground.

"You okay, Bomber?" AJ asks, and I turn to see him with a few bruises and scratches of his own. The three of them start to recover, and I look back to see if Blitz was thinking about doing the same, but the injury to his leg is too much for him to move.

"I'm good. Let's finish this, shall we?" I declare, pulling out several more needles. He nods and we both rush now. I use a quick swipe of my arms and launch the explosive needles, blinding the three as we get close. AJ jumps first at Vizor and slams his fist into his jaw. The assassin falls to the ground hard, definitely out of the game now. Before AJ moves, though, Brutus tackles him away, leaving me and Mistress to fight again.

"Round two, bitch." I hiss, pulling out more needles in one hand, but this time a combat knife in the other. I knock one of the swords out of her hands with a swift kick, but she retaliates with a kick to my stomach. She readies to fight again, but I roll to my feet and do the same. We're both still, assessing each other. Waiting for the other to make a move. I hear AJ in his fight with Brutus and it sounds like he's going back and forth with the muscled freak, but I don't bother to check. I know he can handle him, and I've got my own problems right now.

She finally charges at me, but this time I'm ready. I block her slashes with my combat knife. Thank God for those extra lessons I took on weapons. She's still faster than me, though, and blocking won't work forever. I change tactics this time and charge up my needles just enough to be like flashbangs. I drop them to the ground as she swings and I cover my eyes. They go off and I know she's thrown off guard or she would have sliced through me. I jump on the chance and fill my gloves with kinetic energy. I deliver a strong left to her gut and the glove explodes, sending us both on our backs.

I immediately regret my decision to do that. Somehow my hand is still in one piece, it's not even burnt somehow, but it definitely feels like I let a bomb off in it. I grip my fist, unsure what to do. The Mistress is knocked out though, so at least the fight is done. I pull off my jacket and wrap it around my bad hand for whatever good that would do me. I turn my attention back to AJ who's busy still fighting Brutus, it's obvious he's winning, though. In fact, it's pretty awesome to watch.

AJ's using his teleportation to it's full potential, moving around Brutus and landing powerful shots to the big guy. He's far too slow to catch AJ and all he can do is helplessly swing. AJ teleports to the ground and slashes at his legs, trying to disable him quicker. Brutus falls to his knees, unable to keep himself up. AJ teleports one more time in front of him.

"Light's out, muscle head." AJ groans before delivering a devastating punch to his jaw. Brutus stays on his knees for a bit before finally falling on his back, out for the count. I sigh in relief, and back up against the wall of the roof top. AJ's panting tiredly, taking a seat where he stands. I don't blame him, that was the first time in our vigilante job we've had to fight other people with powers. Especially trained assassins.

"You alright?" I shout to him, and he nods slowly.

"Just tired. Didn't expect anything like this." AJ relents, getting up and walking over to me. He pulls me to my feet, brushing me off. He inspects my cuts, especially the one on my arm and I can tell he's flinching.

"We need to get that patched up, here." He says, tearing off a piece of the fabric from Mistress' arms and fastening it to me. I groan as the pain flares up, the adrenaline from the fight is slightly wearing off and I'm getting dizzy.

"I'm fine. Just… need some rest." I answer, slightly swerving on my feet. AJ catches me and teleports me away, taking me to an abandoned building. I almost throw up once we land. Teleportation really isn't helping my head. He lays me on the couch, changing the cloth on my arm.

"I'm gonna sew that up when I get back, but first I've gotta do something. Okay? Keep pressure on that cut. I'll be right back!" AJ says, and I'm far too dizzy to argue so I focus on the wound, but it's too hard. I can't tell how much blood has seeped out, but I know it's a lot. Darkness takes my eyes and I fall asleep...

 

I wake up with a start, and I'm sweating profusely. I look at my arm, but it's been professionally sewn up. I look around to see AJ with his hood down, asleep in a chair next to me. I grab his leg and shake him awake.

"Hey, AJ. Wake up!" I groan out, still too tired to say much more. He wakes up with a start, but relaxes when he sees me. He rubs his face and yawns.

"Hey, bolo. You alright? I was afraid you'd be out way longer…" He groans, taking a look at my arm.

"Did you do this?" I ask, but he shakes his head.

"I had to take you to a doctor. Thankfully, they seemed to know who we are and did it without question… they didn't even seem afraid. Guess we got real lucky." He sighs. I can tell he's a lot less tense now, his shoulders slumping in contrast to being as tight as usual.

"Yeah… Feels a lot better, surprisingly." I say, rubbing my arm.

"She gave you some medicine and a bottle of painkillers to take. Only take one a day starting tomorrow. The effects will suck if you take more than one at a time." AJ declares, throwing me a bottle of pills. I let it land on my stomach and give him a 'Really, stupid?' look.

"Oh, right. Bad arm. Sorry." He declares, scratching his head.

"Are you okay?" I ask this time, and he nods easily.

"You took more damage than I did. I'll heal soon enough." He admits, and I nod. I rest back on the couch and I go into thought.

"Hey… What happened to the assassins?" I ask, afraid they may have gotten away, but AJ gives a reassuring smile.

"I dropped them off at the local police station. Not until after I got some info out of that speed guy, though." AJ declares, but his smile falls when he says that. I wait patiently for him to continue, but he seems a little shaken.

"What did you find out?" I ask after some time, and he sighs before looking me in the eyes again.

"A bounty was put on us by the Four Aces." He admits, and I feel myself sink and my face go pale. I sit up fully and look at him in deep fear.

"The Four Aces? The kings of crime in all of the West Coast? Those Four Aces?" I ask exasperated. AJ scowls deeper and nods quietly, making me fall back onto the couch again.

"How the hell did we end up on their list?" I ask, mostly to myself.

"I don't know, and the guy didn't know either. Maybe we busted down on someone we didn't know worked for them." AJ says, scratching his head for an answer. We're both quiet for a long moment, unsure what to say. This would be a deciding moment in our career. Was it time to pack it in for us? One of the most powerful groups in the country wanted us dead. Images of crime on our streets flashed before my eyes, and I couldn't just give up now. I looked at AJ with a knowing look, one he shared.

"Guess we'll just have to deal with it, huh?" I ask, and AJ smirks.

"Yep. Even if it means we kick the asses of all the Four Aces to do it." He states boldly, and I roll my eyes.

"You know that they're the strongest crime family in the country, right? Not to mention the rumor that each Ace has powers of their own." I say with a chuckle, making him laugh as well.

"Guess we'll have to practice a bit more now, won't we?" He suggests. I laugh and sit up before my arm flares in pain again.

"Ah… okay let's not talk about that right now… Let's just go home, okay?" I tell him, to which he nods. He hoists me up and throws my uninjured arm over his shoulders.

"Here you big baby, I'll carry you home." He says with a smirk.

"Shut up. You didn't get slashed by a big ass sword." I grumble, but we both laugh as we walk out of the abandoned building we were hiding in. We look around before we leave it and I grunt curiously. "We should use this place as a base, huh?" I ask, to which AJ hums thoughtfully.

"We could always use one, that way we don't have to go home every time something happens." He admits, and we both laugh at the idea. The next day, we decide that it will officially be our base.

4: Chapter 3

It has been a few days since me and Brandon got attacked. His arm is getting better and it's almost fully healed. Still, though, we never realized how serious the bounty was until those assassins showed up. I never thought we'd actually have to deal with other supers. Not out of ignorance, I know that there's a bunch out there besides us, but mostly because our neighborhood's too small for that kind of attention. We're only involved because we live here. I guess we bit more than we could chew. Brandon's keeping a level head, but he thinks we should lay low for a bit. I did take a break for a few days, but crime started to act up already. I started this, so I'm gonna keep going, no matter what.

Mom and dad haven't caught on, but that's only because they're both too busy. Thank God for that. I'd rather not get my ass kicked on top of the ass kicking I already got.

"Hey, bolo. Is it safe to come down?" Brandon whispers from the top of the stairs. I look around, thankful that both Mom and Dad already started work for the day and that I took the weekend off from cooking.

"Yeah, you're good. Come on." I inform him. He comes down the stairs slowly, as if still afraid they'll pop out of a closet and beat our asses. He sighs in relief once he's finally down stairs. "How long until you think they'll find out?" I ask thoughtfully.

"If we can evade them enough I think we'll be good. It's both our heads if they find out I go with you at night." Brandon mutters scaredly. I nod in agreement, knowing no matter what super powers we have, they'll still kick our asses.

"We should make up an excuse in case we do get caught." I suggest, and he nods in agreement.

"What should we say?" Brandon asks and I shrug. It'll be hard to explain the giant cut on his arm. The stitches are huge.

"You got me on that one… I guess we could say you fell off the side of a building, maybe?" I suggest, but he rolls his eye.

"What, and right onto a giant piece of glass? We'll need something better than that." Brandon says, brushing off my idea.

"We could always say you got your ass kicked by a mugger with a knife? It's not that hard to believe." I tell him with a smirk and he gives a small humorless laugh.

"Ha ha, no. That'd never happen. I'm too awesome." Brandon states proudly, making me roll my eyes and push him into the couch.

"We could say that your ex tightened the leash so hard that it cut you. Everyone will believe that one." I add with a teasing grin and he throws a pillow from the couch at my face.

"Why don't you come up with something that makes sense, okay? I'd like it if Pops didn't rip my stitches open." Brandon grumbles, and I chuckle as I shove the pillow back in his face.

"Then just don't get caught and we'll be fine. I'm gonna go to the store, want anything?" I ask, and he lowers the pillow.

"Kit kats would make me feel better." He says with a hopeful grin.

"How about a gatorade or something healthy?" I suggest with a head tilt to annoy him.

"Kit kats!" He shouts, making me laugh as I leave the room. I go downstairs into the restaurant, seeing my dad and several of the workers busy at work.

"Hey, Pops. Headin' out to the store." I announce, but he's too busy to acknowledge me so I shrug and exit out the front. As I'm walking out I feel someone tap my arm and I jump in surprise. I relax when I see it's just a lady.

"Sorry to scare you like that. Do you work here?" She asks. I sigh and nod my head.

"Yeah, but I'm off today. What do you need, though?" I ask politely. I guess I have a bit of time to help.

"Oh, no real reason. I just wanted an idea for what to get. I'm new to this place." She explains with small smile. "Anything you'd suggest?"

"Try the teriyaki chicken. I'd say we make the best in L.A.. No joke. And then ask for a spam musubi. People love that stuff." I suggest.

She smiles genuinely and nods. "Thanks. I think I'll try that." She says thoughtfully. I nod, saying a quick 'bye' and attempt to leave, but she grabs my wrist before I can.

"Since you're off, why don't you join me? I think I'd like a little company." She offers, and I feel her stroke my wrist. The hell is that about?

"Sorry. I gotta run to the store for my brother. Maybe another time, though?" I apologize, and I see a quick flash of surprise and I'm pretty sure a bit of annoyance cross her face before she gives a forced smile.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Like you said, perhaps another time." She nods before heading back to the line. I guess I scared her off. Oh well. Brandon always says I don't know how to read women very well, not that I care. I don't need a girl at all times like he does. Although I guess I feel kinda bad if I made her upset, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Off to the store, then.

It's time for patrol and I'm out on my own. Brandon is pissed I won't let him come, but it's for the best. Not only is he hurt and would slow me down, but if we ran into guys like that again he'd be in trouble. I need him at his best if we fight another group of supers again. Problem is they could come at any time and they could be even stronger than those guys from before.

No time to dwell on it now, though. I tell myself, trying to focus on the task at hand. I'm scouting through the streets, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious, but also keeping myself aware of my surroundings. I don't wanna get caught off guard like before. I'm pulled from my train of thought when I hear sirens go off down the streets and cop cars fill the area in a matter of seconds. Curious, I teleport across the roof tops, following the trail of cars to an apartment complex similar to my own, but too far north to be my house.

I crouch above the scene so I can get a better look from the roof of the building. EMT's wheel out several bodies, all of them cut up badly. Blood is staining the cloth covering their bodies, it's almost sickening. Looks like a gang battle, but I didn't hear any guns go off earlier. Was it a hit? Maybe. You could never know with this neighborhood. You know even less because most of the time the cops sweep it under the rug. The news people know this place is filled with violence and death, but they choose to ignore it like a leper. They only care if a white guy says something stupid to someone that isn't his own race. They're part of the problem, not part of the solution to crime here.

I see an older man in a suit and a top hat walk out of a rusty old muscle car. He's got a lot of age in his face. His mug covered by a brownish-gray beard. He must be new or from a different precinct because every time I've stopped by these little crime scenes, I've seen some other slob I know was dirty. He's a military vet from the look of him, he carries himself like my dad does. He walks over to same CSI guy and starts talking. I teleport down to the side of the building no one is bothering to go so I can get more information.

"How many bodies were found?" I hear the old guys voice. He's got a heavy british accent, which surprises me a bit.

"Six bodies. All were tied to chairs and tortured. They were all killed by the same knife, all stabbed in the neck." The CSI declares, pointing at part of his neck to indicate the place cut.

"Sound's like a message. Anything on the scene that can help indicate what the reason was?" British guy asks, but the CSI guy scoffs at the question.

"This is L.A., detective. This is probably just another gang related attack. Probably a response to the beating the Crips have been taking for a while now." The CSI guy declares, but British guy huffs. So do I. Brandon and I have been the ones kicking their asses, and not just theirs.

"Obviously you aren't clued in on who controls these neighborhoods now, mate." Brit guy points out. "They wouldn't make a move like this and risk getting tossed into jail by the vigilantes of the area. This was done quiet and professional. Street gangs aren't quiet or professional. They're sloppy and they attack at random."

I have to say for the first day on the job, the guy seems to know his stuff. Cops need someone who actually knows something. Or at least isn't dirty. He may be the former of the two, but I can't be sure whether he's the latter yet.

"Well, detective, go right in. I'm sure you won't find much other than the obvious." Know-it-all CSI guy says, scoffing once again. Nice to see the men in blue treating our neighborhood with such respect. Bastards.

I teleport to a different spot so I can peek into the apartment through the window. Six chairs are at the center of the room, blood splattered all over them, but surprisingly none anywhere else in the room. Not even on the floor where the chairs are. British guy is taking a look at them himself, crouching as if studying something no one else sees. The CSI people are watching him curiously, trying to figure out what he's looking at.

"Bloody hell…" He mutters, something I can't hear, but I can make out by reading his lips. Now if only I could do that in full sentences.

He reaches up to the chairs with a knife in hand and chips away the paint and blood. On the first chair there's something engraved in it. Once he's done, I can see it's a two. He starts to do it to the rest of the chairs.

"Sir you can't…" One of the CSI guys starts to say, but the British guy turns and gives him a death glare that almost makes me shiver. The guy in the yellow suit soon backs off, not even bothering to finish his sentence. The Brit keeps at it, scratching out the rest. Finally I can see what it makes out, and I feel my heart clench in fear.

" 4" is written on the first five chairs, and on the last one a picture of a grim reaper and a bomb. The prices on our head just went up. My hand clenches as I try to take in this new information.What did we do to the Four Aces to deserve this? Not that I mind fighting them if they were in our neighborhood, but this was getting out of control. My thoughts go straight to Brandon. With so much money at stake, there'll be even more people going after us. People stronger than those assassins, and I can't put him in that kind of danger. Not again. He can't come with me anymore.

I'm pulled from my thoughts as I realize the old Brit is still chipping away at the chairs, this time at the seats of it. The surrounding cops are watching as he keeps chipping at the chairs, obviously confused by the message on the heads. When he's done, I can see the four suits of cards imprinted on the seats: a diamond, a club, a spade, and a heart. The symbol of the Four Aces. I can see the shock on all of those around aside from the Brit, who instead just seems heavily focused and in thought. I push the window open ever so slightly, only so that I can hear what they're saying.

"What the hell do the Four Aces want with this neighborhood?" I hear, one of the younger cops from what I can tell. "What's the last picture mean?"

"It's a hit. This is for the vigilantes running around this neighborhood. Two million for Grim and Bomber. A bounty put on them by the Four Aces." The Brit explains, sighing as he stands up and crosses his arms.

"Those two nut jobs? No way. They couldn't have been stupid enough to mess with the biggest crime family after a few months on the street, even if they are a couple of wackos." The CSI guy from earlier states with a huff.

Screw you, asshole. How should I know what we did?

"Proof's in the pudding, mate. The Four Aces want Grim and Bomber dead, and they're willing to pay good money for it." Brit guy says pulling out a cigar. Nice brand. "Get these chairs into evidence, we're not gonna find anything else here."

The surrounding officers nod and quickly start to work, running outside to get some things, I imagine. The Brit guy's about to walk out, but as he turns, he stops. He looks my way and as fast as I can I lower my head below the window. Shit. He almost saw me.

If I'm lucky, he'll think he was just seeing things. I peek back inside to find that he's gone, but much to my chagrin, I see a shadow heading toward the alley. I teleport to the rooftop above, keeping an eye on the alley below. The Brit is walking through, taking in his surroundings.

"I know you're around here, mate. I caught a glimpse of you when I was scratching out the chairs." He announces, slowly striding through the alley. He's bluffing. "I'm not going to assume you'll come out on your own. Hell, from what I've heard, your arse could be on the rooftop."

Ok… maybe he's not bluffing.

"I know what you do for this neighborhood, and that's supposed to warrant me to arrest you if I can. But off the record I respect what you've done. I'd like to help if I can." He declares, pulling out a card. "You've gotten yourself into quite a mess with these Four Aces. Obviously you're young and need a bit of help. I'm sure you've had a bad experience with dirty cops, so I don't expect you to trust me right away. For all I know, I shouldn't trust you either, as a matter of fact. But I came to this city so that I could do something about corruption. I can't do it alone. Call me, and we'll talk." He explains, placing a card on the ground.

He turns around and lights up his cigar before finally leaving. Once he's gone, I teleport back to the ground and pick up the card. It's got his name and badge and all this other stuff. John Boulstridge. Odd name.

It's the second time I've ever had a cop acknowledge me like that. The first was when I beat one out of our neighborhood for being dirty. I had talked first since he was a cop, but he was trying to reason with me since he had all these connections. And so I politely told him to go to hell and crushed his gun in front of him. Effective message, I'd say. He never came back.

I teleport back to the rooftops, getting some distance between me and the crime scene. I'm not sure if I'll actually call this guy, but now that the bounty on our heads is even higher, I could use the help right now. Hopefully this guy checks out. I'll have Brandon look him up.

"Talk about the reaper on your doorstep, huh?"

I freeze in place and grab my sickles, preparing for a fight. The voice is a girls. Sneaky and confident.

"Odd, though. I thought there would be two of you." I hear from behind me, and I quickly spin on my heel, facing towards the voice. The owner is a tall woman, about as tall as Brandon, with a dark green armor that sticks to her body like tights. On her face is a matching green mask almost like goggles, her hair brown and wavy, going past her shoulders.

"Who are you?" I growl out, not for a second taking my eyes off of her. She smirks at me and struts forward in a way Brandon would call 'seductively'.

"I'm just a girl out for a stroll, trying to find a good time is all. Is that so wrong?" She asks feigning innocence.

"In armor and on the roof tops? Odd choice, don't you think?" I spit back, my glare deepening. She only chuckles in response.

"My definition of a good time is different than any other girls. I like to steal things, plain and simple. But every now and then I like to turn a bounty in. It's usually a nice quick buck, enough that it provides food on the table for a few months, but one million dollars? That's enough for a lifetime, wouldn't you agree?" She explains with an all knowing smile. I grip my sickles and almost lash out, but right now I need information.

"What do you know about that bounty? Why were we targeted?" I ask, making her raise a brow in question.

"Who knows. It's none of my concern, I just collect on it. Although honestly I figured a man with such a high bounty would know how he earned it." She replies with an honest shrug, making me groan irritably.

"Don't worry, I don't kill my targets. I don't mind doing it if I have to, but I prefer taking them in alive. It's all the more satisfying to beat a man who thinks he's invincible." She declares, crossing her arms in front of her face and making blades form on the forearm of her suit. She dashes at me with speed I wasn't expecting, swiping at me with precision. I figure she has powers, but from the looks of it, she's similar to me. She's faster than the average human, probably as fast as I am. My idea is confirmed as she slices my arm up, making it hard for me to block. I bounce back and get some distance.

"Boo. Here I thought you'd be a little fun. What a disappointment." She taunts, shaking her head.

"Sorry to disappoint. I just wasn't prepared to fight another super so quick, but I'm ready now." I declare, taking a defensive stance again. She raises a brow in interest before smirking.

"Alright then. Try not to be cut up so quickly." She mocks before launching herself again. This time I'm expecting it. I block her arm swipes with my sickles, the two of us dancing around a bit. She's really good. Her style is different than what I'm used to fighting with, though. But in martial arts, you've gotta learn to adapt to your enemies moves. Watch for a mistake or a technique that they might repeat. She's totally on the offensive, so it's making it easier for me to read what she might do next. And then I catch it, a little move she does more than once as I parry her attacks.

"Got you." I declare as I catch her arm after she tries to deliver a forward arm slash. She widens her eyes in surprise as I send an elbow to her stomach, knocking her backwards. I hold back, of course. My mom's words of 'never hit a woman' going through my head. I know. Stupid to think about that right now, but she pounded it into me and Brandon. He doesn't seem to have as much trouble with it when fighting a girl, though.

"Wow. I have to admit, you surprised me there." She says, straightening herself out. "You saw my tell, did you?" She asks, tilting her head and placing her hands on her hips.

"You like to repeat that move where you launch a jab, expecting the person to try and dodge. When they do, they run right into your arm blades." I respond, getting back into my stance. She claps and smiles almost genuinely at me. It throws me off a bit.

"Bravo. So you're not just a sexy body with a fetish for hoods, huh? You're actually quite adept. With martial arts at least. Doesn't mean you're very smart in... other areas." She teases, now succeeding in completely throwing me off.

"Sh-shut up and take this seriously!" I stutter irritably. Damn it. I just let it slip how much she's actually getting to me. She starts to cackle, which is beginning to get reallyannoying.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I just strike a nerve there? I suppose you're someone who needs to be tested first hand with such a thing." Mantis says taking a look at something below my be–

"Shut up and fight me, damn it!" I roar before charging her again. She dodges me easily, taking advantage of my anger and landing several well placed punches to my head, stomach, and quick kick to my knee. She hits harder than any average human can. Maybe not as hard as me, but she definitely has superhuman strength. I land hard on my knee after her quick attack. Sadly I only get angrier as she shakes her head in disappointment.

"You're attacking so savagely. I figured you might have a bit more self–" She starts, but I jump back at her before she can finish, swiping with my sickles. She dodges under though, slashing my stomach with her forearm blades again. I groan in pain, not only because of the cut, but also because she reopened the cuts from my previous fight with the speedster and she was making me look like a joke. "Men and their bravado. They just can't stand to be beaten by a woman, am I right?" She taunts me again, laughing as she stands there with her hands on her hips.

I can't let her get to me. Remember master Hanabe's training. Anger leads to clouded judgement. Keep a clear mind and the enemy will be as predictable as the sunset.

I start to inhale and exhale, deep and slow. I turn slightly and sit with my legs criss cross, closing my eyes as I steady my breathing. I feel her gaze on me, probably wondering what the hell I'm doing.

"Is this supposed to be some meditation to calm your nerves? Nice try, but maybe I should just take a seat and… assess the little reaper down stairs?" I hear her say suggestively. Silence is her only answer as I let her words pass without a reaction. "Hey, stop ignoring me. Girls don't like to be ignored when they're in the middle of a conversation." She declares and I hear a quick movement toward me.

Kick with the right leg. I predict, tilting my head enough to feel the wind on my face as she misses. I hear her make a slight gasp in surprise before she starts with another attack. I open my eyes to see her try and do another forearm slash, but I deflect it above my head and counter with quick kick to her stomach. She skids back on the ground and I roll backwards onto my feet.

"Sorry, but guys don't like it when a girl talks too much." I taunt back at her and she seems to grind her teeth and charges. She's the one too agitated to fight smart now. She swipes savagely at me, but I easily deflect each attack. After a fourth swipe, I throw her into an armbar, pushing her shoulders down as I hold her right arm up in the air. She looks shocked that I was able to disable her so quickly. "Had enough?" I ask a bit smugly. She's quiet for a moment before she smiles. She rolls forward with the hold, and I roll with her to try and keep it, but she's too quick and escapes. We both get up a good distance away from the other, prepared to fight again. She's grinning even wider now, which is pissing me off again.

"I have to say, I'm impressed you recovered so quickly after getting so angry. It was pretty hot when you were able to throw me off like that. You used my own game against me." She admits, for some reason her smile makes me shiver a bit.

"You're a pretty face, but it'll take more than that to knock me off my game, lady." I scoff at her. She chuckles at my response and I feel another trick coming.

"Then I suppose we'll have to rectify that. As I said before: it seems you require more first hand treatment to fully assess you." She explains, and much to my surprise she turns invisible right in front of me. Oh shit. I'm in trouble. "What's this? A six pack? I like it…" I hear her purr and suddenly I feel a hand runs down my stomach. I jump back, turning around and swinging at air, for whatever good it does me.

"Okay, now this isn't fair…" I mutter to myself, trying to keep my cool as my eyes search around for any indication of movement. She laughs at my predicament, and I try to attack where I think I hear her just to hit air.

"Men who tangle with me should always expect the unexpected." She declares before I feel several punches land in my face, a kick to my right knee and another strike to my jaw. I land on the knee she hit, and it smarts from the pain. She delivers what feels like another kick to my back and I'm forced onto all fours, barely able to stop from face planting into the ground. She reappears in front of me, her hands on her hips.

"That's a position I'm used to seeing men in. They always come crawling to me, and by the time I'm done, so will you." She giggles before disappearing again.

"I'm going to kill you…" I growl before she promptly lands what feels like a strong elbow to the back of my head, sending me face first to the ground.

"Flirting won't get you anywhere, handsome." She taunts me, her voice filled with amusement. I push myself up to one knee, keeping consciousness at least. Her hits are strong and do damage, but I can take a beating if I have to.

Focus on her movements, try to– I think, but she gives me no time to listen to her move, a kick sending me onto my back. I grunt in pain, but I push myself up.

"You don't know when to quit, do you? I like that, a bit of a fire in you. Most of my targets are out by now. Even less have fought nearly as good as you have up until this point." She expresses to me, her form appearing a few meters away.

"I guess… you'll be more impressed… once I win…" I huff out between breaths. She raises a brow in question before smiling again and turning invisible.

"Alright then, if you win, I'll let you do anything you want to me." She teases. I push away any fluster that may have just spread across my face. Focus. No time to pay attention to her words, listen for her location. Don't feel, just listen…

My side feels like it's on fire as she cuts it with her forearm blades, making me stumble and barely catch myself with my free hand to keep from falling. I keep my eyes closed shut, focusing on the noises around me. And finally…

Got you.

I catch a frontal kick, the air breezing by and making the noise I needed to find her. I grab her thigh and throw her down, grabbing my sickle and pinning her to the ground. She becomes fully visible and I put the blade to her neck. She's more than shocked that I finally caught her, that much is evident on her face. I'm panting as I keep my position on top of her, not for a second dropping my guard.

"I win." I declare tiredly, but I keep a firm grip on my sickle and a strong position on… I'm not finishing that.

She stares up at me with the same amazement for a few long moments, and neither of us makes a move.

"How did you know?" She asks curiously, breaking the silence.

"I heard it coming. I was taught to fight with my other senses when I lose one of them." I explain without thinking. Well that was dumb of me to say.

She grins suggestively and lets her body spread out relaxingly.

"Well a deal's a deal, do what you wish with me." She says seductively. I'm again thrown off by the suggestion, but I recover as quickly as possible so I don't look shaken.

"Then the first thing I'm doing is hauling you to jail, sound good to you?" I shoot back, taking her wrists and wrapping them with the chain from his sickles.

"Oh, wow. I didn't know you were into that kind of thing. But then again, you do look a bit more emo than others I've met." She continues to tease, making my eye twitch at how suggestive she's being.

"Just shut up already…" I groan out quietly, but she wraps her legs around my hips and pulls me in close.

"You know you want me. Take me now." She whispers into my ear, and I can't help but feel my face turn into a red hot tomato. I push away out of nervousness, and she unclasps her legs around me. She laughs and turns invisible again before I can do anything.

"Son of a bitch!" I groan out, grabbing my sickles that she seemed to just slip out of. I can hear her still laughing, but I can't discern her place. I'm far too distracted from what she had just done.

"You're really cute, you know that? I mean, I can't see your face or anything, but you've got a cute personality. Acting all tough like that, but really you're nervous around women. But I like you, so I won't bother trying to turn you in for cash. You're far too fun to play with." She declares from her hiding place.

"Shut up! Come out here so I can beat you again!" I shout, far too embarrassed by this odd course of events to ever even slightly look vulnerable at the moment. She giggles again, pissing me off even further.

"Don't be such a baby. It'll be fun! I'd love to do this dance with you again. And who knows, maybe next time you'll…" She starts before appearing on my shoulder, whispering in my ear, "take me."

I swing at her, but she dodges with ease before turning invisible again. I growl irritably and huff as I try to find her again. After a few moments of silence I think she's gone and relax, sighing in exasperation.

"That was… odd…" I mutter to myself. Suddenly my silhouette is lifted in thin air, and my head is pulled forward by an unseen force. I widen my eyes as my lips smash against something soft, and I'm barely able to register what's happening when I see Mantis materialize from out of nowhere.

And we're kissing.

What.

The.

F*ck?!

Two seconds go by and I finally break off, gaining my bearings again and huff.

"The hell was that?!" I scream, frantically looking around again.

"That was payment for a good time, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised." I hear her say before the sound of feet landing on the rooftop over can be heard.

"I'm gonna catch you if it's the last thing I do!" I roar, slamming my hands on the edge of the roof. I can hear her laughing as she gets farther and farther away. I grip my hands anxiously, unable to contain all of this anger inside. She made me look like a total chump!

"You handled that well for someone new." I hear from behind me. I spin around, surprised to see a larger man, six foot seven at least, standing there with his arms crossed. He has jet black hair that stops at the bottom of his neck. He has pale white skin and his body, to say the least, is ripped. This guy looks like a giant walking piece of muscle. He wears a simple skin tight tank top and black jeans and boots.

I'm still for a moment, unsure what to say after all that just happened.

"Uh… did you happen to see any of that?" I ask, hoping he didn't.

He remains neutral, no emotion of any kind betraying his face. "Mantis is known for getting into the minds of those she contends with through her sexuality. Although from what I've heard, she's never gone to such measures with anyone else she's come into contact with. She must either think you require more for her to gain an advantage, or she may genuinely find you interesting." He says almost robotically. Hell, it sounded like I was talking to a machine for a moment really.

"Uh… okay. Thanks… I think. Wait, who the hell are you?" I demand before finally taking a defensive stance. He seems uninterested in fighting and keeps his place where he is.

"I'm Adamas. I'm part of the World's Guardian Association." He declares, making me loosen up my stance a bit before tightening again.

"What the hell do you want?" I growl lowly, now knowing he is a so called 'hero'. "You here to arrest me?"

He shakes his head and uncrosses his arms. "No. The WGA has been watching you and the one designated Bomber for some time now. They've seen what you can do and have become interested in extending a hand in support." He explains with the same monotone from earlier. I scoff and drop my stance, starting to walk away.

"What makes you think I want the support of the people who abandoned my neighborhood? Thanks, but no thanks. We're not interested." I declare, tired of all the headaches I'm getting in this one night.

"They want to help you. As long as you remain a vigilante like this, the police will continue to pursue you and your partner. And from the rumors we've heard, so will the Four Aces." He points out, making me stop for a split second before starting to walk again.

"I'll take my chances. We've done fine on our own so far, we can take care of ourselves just fine." I spit back. "Tell your bosses to take the offer and shove it."

I expect to hear some kind of annoyance or anger, but the same ice cold tone he uses sends chills up my spine for some reason. "How long do you think you and your partner can continue like this? The Four Assassins and Mantis are just the beginning. Soon, even more qualified and deadly adversaries will come for you. Join the WGA and we can help stop that."

His words dig holes in my head, and I'm tempted to at least hear him out. For Brandon's sake more than anything. If it's true that stronger people will keep showing up, I'm not sure how it would end for us, but my pride and anger toward the WGA takes over and I scoff again.

"Sorry, but we'll do what we want. We can handle things in this neighborhood. We didn't need you then, we don't need you now." I retort bitterly. It's quiet for a few moments, and I don't make a single move. Neither does he.

"Alright then." He finally says, breaking the silence. "I'll tell them what you said, but I suspect they'll only send someone else who they consider to be more convincing than me." Adamas declares, turning away and walking toward the opposite side of the building. Someone more convincing?

"Wait. Who would they send?" I ask curiously, but his silence is my only answer as some sort of portal opens up.

"You could say someone similar to Mantis, I suppose. A little less direct though." He finally states cryptically, walking through the portal before I can ask anything else. Like Mantis? I think to myself, hoping he doesn't mean it the way I'm thinking. There's only so much of that… whatever it is, that I can take. I sigh tiredly, turning back to the direction of my house and start to teleport. It's been a long night, and I'm already as worn out as I can be. It's gonna be a long road ahead of us …

5: Chapter 4

It's been a couple weeks since AJ started going out on his own. He's been really quiet about what happened on his first night out without me. It's obvious something went down, he has some cuts and bruises and it's hard to give him either of those. Every time I ask him about it, he just clams up and gets all embarrassed. Maybe he got his ass kicked and doesn't wanna admit it? Though I feel like if that happened, he would be in much worse shape than he is. He doesn't know when to give up in a fight. All he will tell me about what happened is that he met the hero Adamas, who I've only heard a bit about.

"So… when are you gonna tell me what happened?" I ask randomly while the both of us returning to our 'base' after patrol.

"Maybe if you're on the edge of death and you ask me about it. Other than that… Never." AJ retorts sarcastically.

"Aw come on, man. Tell me something! Did Adamas kick your ass or what?" I groan, tired of the fact that he's keeping this from me.

"No, man. I didn't even fight him. Nothing else happened, alright?" He growls, obviously annoyed by the question. I've probably asked him, like, twenty times in the last week.

"Whatever, man. I'm gonna find out one way or another." I grumble, walking into the main room of our hide out and sitting down on a worn out looking couch.

"I don't see why you want to know so much when nothing happened!" AJ shouts exasperatedly, pretty much collapsing onto a chair.

"You wouldn't be making a big deal if nothing happened. That's why I wanna know. I know how you work, brother. You can't hide it." I explain with a smirk that I can tell aggravates him. It's still hilarious to see him all pissed off. I stand up and walk over to our cooler and pull out two sodas, tossing him one before returning to my seat.

"I need a cigar. Do I have any left?" He asks, and I look at his humidor.

"One left, here you go." I say tossing him the cigar this time. AJ's about to grab a lighter to light the cigar, but a rope suddenly wraps around him and the chair and starts tying him up.

"What the–" AJ starts, but he gets cut off as a costumed presence makes themself known by snatching the cigar right out of his hand.

"Sorry, but I don't think Mantis likes smokers." The girl informs AJ slyly, smirking as she smashes the cigar under her combat boot. "Heck, I don't even know why she likes you in the first place. A guy should seem at least alittle interested in a woman."

I stand up and grab needles from my pockets, preparing for a fight. She's pretty short, but that doesn't take away from how hot she is. She's wearing some black skinny jeans, a faux leather jacket, and a black tank top. She's also got a domino mask like I do, and her hair's up in some kind of updo.

"Who are you?" I ask warily, but I also tilt my head at her previous sentence. "And who's Mantis?"

"That's not really important right now, Bomber!" AJ shouts at me. I guess there is a little something behind that. But he's right.

The girl looks over at me and her smirk grows. I'm suddenly pushed back by some unseeable force back onto the couch. "Well aren't you cute?" She muses as she saunters over to me.

"Bomber!" AJ shouts, struggling against the ropes that only seem to tighten around him.

"Oh, be silent." The girl commands as a piece of duct tape suddenly flies over AJ's mouth. Then she situates herself on my lap. She's pretty much straddling me now. "The name's Knetica." She whispers seductively into my ear, placing her hands on my chest. Okay. Body, control yourself. Do not get aroused. That would be unprofessional… and embarrassing. I think to myself, despite the large blush forming on my face.

"What do you want?" I growl, angry that I feel so helpless.

"That should be obvious, Dynamite." She purrs, bringing herself closer to me. Dynamite? "I want you to join me." Her face is just inches away from mine, and I can't even hear the sound of AJ trying to escape from his rope prison anymore.

"I'm not sure I'm getting you…" I mutter, using everything within my willpower to push my head back away from her. I'm tempted to flirt right back at her, but AJ's right there and he'd be pissed. Especially being tied up like he is, and by her. Maybe just a little flirting...

"The WGA has taken an interest in you and buzzkill." She brings her face even closer to mine and I hear an angry grunt from AJ. Probably from being called 'buzzkill'. "To tell you the truth, though, I think we should ditch him and just offer you the spot." She raises her hands up to my face and starts threading her slender fingers through my hair, sending chills up my spine. "You're much more fun to play with."

"Okay, ma'am… any other time, I'd be all over you right now, but uh…" I start, and I hear AJ growl in anger, "Right now I don't think I can do that because first, my partner would kill me, and second, you're a… wait a second, you're a hero?" I ask incredulously, and I can tell AJ's paused in his struggling.

"Adamas told your partner I was coming, didn't he?" She asks curiously, tilting her head slightly to the left. I glance at AJ who kinda shrugs.

"Well he kinda mentioned it to me, but I guess he didn't realize how serious that was…" I state, thinking of a way out of this. Without making any notion or acknowledgment of it, I start to slowly fill part of the couch that my hands are touching with kinetic energy, doing my best to make sure it's not visible.

"Well, what are you doing now?" Knetica mutters to herself, pulling out a rope and wrapping it around my waist. What the hell? My powers are… gone? It's true, my hands have stopped loading the couch with kinetic energy, and even what I was putting out disappeared. Now it makes sense why AJ hasn't busted out of those ropes yet, it's taking away his super strength. To think such a thing exists scares me a bit. It would be trouble if we were ever to get caught in it… well again.

AJ groans and launches himself and the chair onto his back, hoping to break the chair with the fall. Sadly it only gives a bit away. He groans as he's laying there, from the look of it giving up. I see his hands move from under the rope a bit but I don't know why.

"Come on, now. First date and you're already tying me up? You have to take me to dinner first." I joke a bit nervously.

"Sorry, but I don't do dates." Knetica informs me apologetically, a teasing pout on her beautiful face. "Although, I might make an exception for you if you decide to join the WGA." I think I like this girl.

"Sorry, but… the hero thing isn't really our style." I say, sighing apologetically. "And I don't do anything without my partner. That's a rule of ours."

"Well, maybe you can get him to join too since you won't do anything without him." She suggests mockingly. I pause when she says that and so does AJ and we look at each other.

"Whoa, whoa! I don't like what you're suggesting, now." I say, sounding offended. "We don't roll like that."

"So then you wouldn't mind if I were to kiss you right now, would you?" She murmurs, bringing her face even closer to mine, if that's even possible.

"Any other time, I really would not mind, but the look my partner is giving me is… aw screw it, go ahead." I say, turning my head directly to her and smiling. I hear AJ grunt in protest but… she's hot. What can I say? Knetica immediately takes up the offer, wrapping her arms around my neck before kissing me. At first our lips are just mashing together, but I start to feel her tongue push against my lips, asking for entry. I open my mouth and we start to run our tongues around each other. It's probably the most passionate kiss I've ever had. Even more than with my previous girlfriends. And I can't lie, I'm enjoying every second of it. I feel the pressure from my arms drop and I immediately wrap them around her back, bringing her closer to me. I almost forget where I am and who I'm kissing, I'm that lost in the moment. I could do this forever…

"I'm going to kill you both."

… Sh*t.

We break apart to see AJ holding the rope in his left hand, and his sickle in the other. He must have grabbed for it when he tried to break the chair.

"Oh hey, partner. You're free!" I exclaim nervously, sweating in fear. He doesn't look at me, though. All of his focus is on the girl who's straddling me.

"I didn't know the standards for superheroes were so low that they'd allow a chick like you run around." He growls, dropping the rope and gripping his sickle.

Knetica removes herself from my lap and turns to face AJ. "You don't know me. Who are you to say that I can't be a hero?" She asks indignantly. "Maybe I'm attracted to Dynamite, here, and that's why I was being so kind to him."

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual." I blurt out before I can stop myself, making AJ send me a death glare behind his hood.

"You just met him. I highly doubt that was your reasoning. Now, you have five seconds to give me a good reason not to kick your ass out of our place." AJ grunts, lowering his stance like he's about to pounce on her like a tiger stalking it's prey.

"Mantis seems to think she has you wrapped around her fingers, you know. At least, that's what she said that last time I was in a fight with her." Knetica tells him slyly. I look at AJ to see him tense up like I've never seen before.

"That bitch doesn't know what she's talking about! I'm gonna find her and teach her not to get cocky!" AJ explodes in anger, immediately freezing after his outburst. Seeming surprised that he let himself lose control of his emotions just like that.

"She'd probably enjoy that, actually." Knetica muses, smirking at AJ.

"Okay, now I really wanna know who Mantis is." I say, and AJ almost looks too stunned to answer me. He shakes his head and growls at Knetica.

"After I'm done with you, I'm gonna deal with her. Now get out of our place!" AJ shouts, infuriated beyond belief. She really hit a nerve on him, but it looks like he's lost the will to fight.

"Can I have Dynamite carry out whatever punishment you think I need instead? I'd really like to get to know him better." Knetica glances over at me with a small speck of hope in her eyes. Holy crap, she's serious…

"Oh please, Grim? Can I? Can I do it?" I plead hopefully, looking at him with puppy dog eyes. I can tell he's glaring at me, but I'm determined to hold my place on this one. Once he sees that I'm not giving up, though, he teleports behind me and slaps me upside the head before returning back to his previous position.

"Shut the hell up, Bomber. She's making you look like a friggin' slobbering dog!" He growls in annoyance as I rub my head in pain.

I glance over at Knetica and see one of her hands at her side is flexed. Almost like she's trying to tell me something. She discreetly points up and makes a five finger gesture. As she does this though, AJ teleports right behind her, raising his sickle to her neck threateningly.

"Are you trying to do that crap, again? You won't catch me off guard a second time." He warns, keeping his blade just inches from her neck.

"Grim!" I bark at him, horrified that he'd straight out threaten her like that, but he ignores me. I look back Knetica warily and sigh. "I think you should leave now. He's not very happy."

She quickly mouths the words 'five minutes' before actually speaking. "We'll have to resume what we started another day, then. Huh, Dynamite?" She suggests with a smile.

I smile back and chuckle. "I think I'd like that."

"Shut up, Bomber." AJ grunts before dropping his sickle from her neck. "Now leave."

"Whatever you say, buzzkill." Knetica tells him as she leaves. I get up to stand next to AJ, watching her leave. We're both silent for a moment, unsure what to say after such a weird and unexpected meeting.

"So… Dynamite doesn't sound that–"

"It sounds sh*tty, and if you even think about taking on that name, I'll kill you." AJ immediately retorts, elbowing me in the gut. I rub the spot he hit, glaring at him as he picks up his somewhat disfigured cigar. "I need this right now." He lights it up and sits in a chair by the window. I stand there for a moment, remembering what she mouthed to me before leaving.

"Uh… I'm gonna go get some air out on the roof, okay? 'Cause that was certainly… weird." I tell him casually, hoping he's not too pissed off at me for what just happened.

"Whatever, man. Just go." He groans exasperatedly, waving his hand dismissively. I sigh and nod, leaving without another word.

I get up to the rooftop, unsure if Knetica actually wants to meet up here. I look around, but there's no sign of her. Did I misinterpret what she was saying? I ask myself, sighing as I cross my arms and stand there for a moment in thought.

"You came quick." I hear Knetica's voice comment happily from behind me. I jump and look to where I heard her voice, relaxing once I see her.

"It's rude to keep a lady waiting." I joke with a small smirk. She smiles and walks up to me. I now can see just how much shorter she actually is compared to me now that she's right in front of me and I'm standing up.

"I wasn't sure if Mr. Boss-man was going to put you in time-out or something." She teases. "He acts like he's your mom."

"He's too busy trying to blow off his own steam to worry about me right now. And trust me, you're not far off when you say that." I admit, laughing at the thought. "Although it didn't help that you tied him up, you know. He might have been a bit more reasonable if it wasn't for that."

"I had to make an exciting entrance and that just happened to be what came to mind." She explains, rising up to tip-toe. Still not coming anywhere close to my height. "Though if you'd rather have me tie you up…" The end of her sentence kind of dies, leaving a sort of mystery to what she was suggesting. I gulp at the idea, but this time I try not to look so defenseless against her flirting. I start to run my hand down her shoulder and upper arm.

"I think you've done enough of that to me. Next, it'll be my turn to tie you up if a rope comes into play, okay?" I inform her, a small grin etching into my face.

An almost excited look makes it's way onto her face as she steps a little closer to me. "Whatever you say, Dynamite." She agrees, giving a small nod. We're both silent as we stare into each others eyes for a few moments. I assess whether to let myself go for another kiss or not, but instead my brain tells me to actually be professional for two seconds and I sigh.

"So did you ask me to come up here just to flirt, or is there something else you'd like to ask me?" I ask, taking a small step back to prevent myself from going in for a kiss on impulse.

"When will your base be empty?" She asks curiously, a seductive look in her eyes. I fluster a bit and stutter for a moment.

"W-well, probably not until daytime. We usually are only there at nighttime if we're not patrolling…" I say, scratching my head.

"Do you think we could meet here sometime?" Her face goes from seductive to hopeful in the span of around one second. I get excited in almost the same amount of time and smile.

"I'd love to do that. Maybe I could take you out on a real date this time?" I tease, but hope remains in my voice.

"Maybe." She smiles back, placing her hands on my chest and stepping closer to me. "Just as long as your idea of a date isn't lame." She sticks her tongue out childishly at me. The sight of her tongue quickly brings back the thought of the kiss from earlier and, forgetting my conscience, go in for another kiss, grabbing her tongue with my lips. She's a little surprised by my sudden attack, but she giggles into the kiss and starts to move her tongue around my own. I wrap my arms around her back and lean more into her lips, neither of us breaking the kiss. She bites my lower lip lightly and giggles again, running her tongue on the surface of my mouth. For a while we stay like this, just kissing under the moonlight. We didn't care that we just met or that we didn't even know each others real names, but I could tell that she felt the same way I did on the inside. That this kiss just felt… right I suppose.

"Bomber! What the hell are you doing up there? We have to go back home soon!" I hear AJ shout from the window below, pulling me from the dream world Knetica and I were both in. We separate at the same time, and we both just stared at each other longingly.

"I'll be down in a minute, Grim. Just gotta… finish my snack." I say, knowing my excuse sucks.

"We have to do this again sometime." Knetica tells me quietly, smiling and slightly out of breath from the kiss.

"Well then, let's meet back here friday maybe? We can continue a bit of our 'talk'." I whisper back teasingly. Knetica is about to respond, but AJ yells again, cutting her off.

"Just throw it all down your throat, fool! You're really good at stuff like that!" He shouts back. I blush at his embarrassing words and I snap back.

"Just give me a sec, will ya‽" I retort but, I hear him laugh as he stops talking.

"Friday's perfect." Knetica agrees, quietly laughing at the awkwardness of our current situation. We both make a couple awkward laughs, and like me, I can tell she's reluctant to let go.

"Damn, dude. You taking a piss up there or something? Hurry up!" AJ interrupts again, and I groan in annoyance. Knetica snickers at this comment and I feel my face heat up in anger.

"I'm just gonna go kill him now before he says anything else, okay?" I inform her before kissing her on the cheek and leaving. "I'll see you later."

"What time on friday?" She asks quickly, jogging after me so that she doesn't miss my response.

"Uh… does six o'clock sound okay?" I ask, lingering a bit to make sure she hears me well enough.

"Six is fine." She nods. "One more thing."

"What is it?" I ask quickly, hoping AJ doesn't get impatient again.

"Do you think I could have one more kiss for the road?" She gives me a hopeful look and I can't help but pause for a moment. I look at the door before shrugging. I rush back to her real quick and lean down for another kiss, my lips clashing with hers for a second before I break it reluctantly. I rush off before I start trying to kiss her again. I jog into the main living room where AJ's staring at me curiously.

"The hell were you doing up there that took so long?" He asks, making me blush as I struggle to think of a good excuse.

"Uh… like I said, dude. I was just… eating a snack." I declare poorly. He narrows his eyes and merely huffs.

"Whatever, bro. Don't tell me that chick hypnotized you or something. Next time I see her, I swear, I'm gonna teach her not to be so cocky." He growls, pounding his fists together.

"Just let it go. It's not like she actually hurt us." I defend, making him flinch in surprise.

"Uh, excuse me? I need my brother back. He's been replaced by a wiener dog who's attached to some superhero chick's leg. Do you think you can find him?" He asks, laying the sarcasm on pretty thick.

"Shut up, man. It's not like that." I grumble in annoyance, but he doesn't drop tone. All the way home, he makes countless leash and dog jokes, and for once I really can't argue. It feels like she's keeping me on a leash, and I'm somehow alright with it. F*ck me.

It's been a few days since AJ and I met Knetica… oh, Knetica. I feel like a total dumbass about it, but I can't stop thinking about her. I'm almost certain that she has some kind of hypnotic powers. I've never felt like this for another girl. I want to meet her again, and soon. Friday seems really far off, but it's only two days away. If AJ could read my thoughts, he'd kick my ass up and down our street for even thinking like this. And I wouldn't blame him. It's pissing me off how bad I am about all of this. I just met her, after all. If X found out, it'd be almost as bad. Except instead of kicking my ass, he'd just make me aware of how whipped I am. All the time. He literally would do it til the day I either stopped dating (if you could call it that) Knetica or until he got tired of doing it. Which doesn't happen. Especially with him. Speaking of which…

"What's up, ugly?" X asks as he sits at my table. We do a quick fist bump and I roll my eyes.

"You just wish you were as sexy as I am, okay? These looks get the ladies." I say, making a quick sexy pose.

"Women pity you because you're so ugly, so they date you. Then they're afraid to break up with you and hurt your feelings. You can't help but look like an asshole breaking up with the elephant man." He chides back, and I push him out of the chair while laughing.

"You're an asshole…" I mutter. "So how are things with that girl Carla?" She's the one girl he seems to like the most out of the group of numbers we got when we took revenge on my ex.

"Pretty good. We've been texting a lot, but it's no big deal." X shrugs, but I can tell he's trying to be low key about it. He does this thing where he turns his head and scoffs when he says this to me. That's his most obviousway of telling me or AJ that he's trying to hide something.

"Oh, really? So it's just another thing, huh?" I ask, crossing my arms and nodding.

"Duh, dude. It is." He waves his hand dismissively. Now it's time to test whether he means that.

"I was wondering why I saw her talking to Vince in the hallway, they looked pretty close…" I state with a hum. He automatically freezes and stands up.

"What the hell? She is? Where are they? I'm gonna whoop Vince's ass! And who the hell is Vince?" He growls in annoyance, but he soon regrets his reaction as I start laughing my ass off. He totally fell for it.

"Damn. Someone is whipped!" I say teasingly through my laughs. He does that usual look where he narrows his eyes at me that looks hilarious.

"Hey! Shut up." He says before taking a seat. It's obvious that he's irritated from being tricked, crossing his arms and turning away.

"Hey. Don't be like that. Come on." I say, grabbing his shoulder, but he shrugs me off. "Big baby."

"So, what about the girls you were talking to?" He asks to change the subject. As soon as he says that, though, I think of Knetica, which both makes me nervous and pisses me off.

"Uh, well… I haven't really talked to any of them. I don't wanna look desperate, you know? I just had a break up." I reason, and he seems to accept it with a nod.

"Makes sense. Still, though. Don't wait too long. Girls don't like to be kept waiting." He suggests. I nod my head, but not for a second did I think of talking to those girls. Knetica was the forefront of my mind. Dear god, I hope this doesn't sound like some reverse Twilight bull…

"That reminds me, did you hear about McKenna?" X adds, pulling me from my thoughts. "She put the boot to all those guys she was talking to."

"She finally just settle with one guy?" I ask skeptically.

"Not sure. From what I've seen, she hasn't actually dated anyone in the school. Maybe it's someone from somewhere else?" X shrugs, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm sure it's gotta do with some dumb jock she fell for." I say waving it off. "What'd you bring that up for anyway?"

"From the way you were staring at her last time you saw her, I figured you would jump at the chance of getting a date." X suggests slyly, making me push his shoulder with a laugh.

"Dick. Naw, dude. I'm not interested, and I doubt she even knows I exist." I state with a shrug, but I was curious about why I was staring myself. Before I can continue in my thoughts, the bell rings for next class, making both X and I groan.

"Alright, let's just hurry up and get to class." I mutter, both of us standing up to leave.

It's early morning the day before I'll meet with Knetica again, and me and AJ just finished with our patrol for the night. I've had some time to think about it, and I'm just about shaken off from whatever spell she used on me. The kiss was… fun, but I had to get over it. AJ would never support what we were doing, and I doubt she actually has feelings for me. It was only a kiss after all. A really hot and amazing kiss… No. Shut up! Not again!

Of course there is the occasional internal conflict over the issue, but my mind is winning over my body.

"Hey. Are you alright, man?" AJ asks, noticing how silent I've been. Usually we talk about how the night went or maybe about what we're gonna do in the day, but tonight I was still nervous to meet with Knetica.

"Yeah. Sorry, bro. Just tired is all." I say, running a hand through my hair.

"You've been like this all week. Somethin' else has got you all quiet, and I think I know what it is, or who it is." AJ tells me, adding to my nervousness.

"Look, man. I–"

"Forget about her, brother. She's just trouble. I may not like heroes, but I don't think they make entrances like that." He argues, and I can't really disagree. She came in very threateningly at first. I'm quiet for a moment, unsure what to say. I want to tell him it's fine, but honestly it isn't. I still fully plan to see Knetica tomorrow, whether it's to make out again or to tell her never to come back. AJ would be happy with the latter, but he'd kill me for the first. I don't know how to get out of this talk until an idea hits me, and I smile at AJ.

"Alright. I'll tell you about what I'm thinking of her, brother. But you have to tell me first about this Mantis girl I kept hearing from Knetica."

AJ stops in his tracks at that. He was leaning toward me in his chair, but now he's sitting back in it, shifting nervously at whatever is running through his mind right now. Now I really wanna know what the hell happened.Just the thought of it is making him clam up! I'm about ready to spill the beans about me and Knetica, but only if he'll friggin explain himself!

"We should, uh… be heading back!" AJ says quickly, standing up.

"Oh, come on! I'm about to spill my guts to you and you can't even tell me that!" I shout frustratedly. He looks away and scratches his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about. See you at home!" He waves quickly before teleporting away.

"F*ck you!" I shout in agitation, groaning as I start heading out the door.

I haven't been this nervous since my first day of high school. I'm waiting in the 'base' for Knetica to show up. I arrived ten minutes early, and I'm a nervous wreck. I can't help but tap my foot on the ground furiously as I lean against the wall. I have too much anxiety to be sitting down.

I came here with the intention of telling her that it ends with this, but once I got here it all almost flew right out the window. If she turns out to not have any type of hypnotic powers, then I'm really gonna feel like a dumbass.

"Someone seems nervous."

I basically jump out of my shoes, letting out a very unmanly yelp from the surprise she gives me. "Wha–Oh hey, Knetica." I sigh in relief, scratching at my head feebly and looking away, suddenly losing all nerve of what I was going to say. "I, uh… didn't hear you walk in."

"You weren't meant to." She purrs seductively, gently taking my face in her hands so that I'm looking at her. "By the way…" She steps closer to me, reaching her head up like she's about to kiss me, "you kinda sounded like a girl for a second there." So much for hoping she didn't hear that. I almost don't realize that she's bringing our faces closer together until the last second.

At first I'm about to lean into it, but with all my willpower I stop her short, keeping her in front of me. "Stop." I mutter weakly.

Knetica's expression changes dramatically, for now she looks extremely confused. "What's wrong, Dynamite? Didn't you want to–"

"Nice try, but your seductive powers won't work on me anymore!" I hope… "I've been feeling really off, and I know you did something to me! No matter how amazing that last kiss we had was, I never act like such a… I don't know!" I snap, now panting and a bit red faced, waiting for her to answer me.

After a few moments, Knetica lets out a small laugh. I'm really thrown off by it, and I slowly start to feel like a total idiot, but hope I'm not wrong about the powers thing.

"What's so funny?"

"I don't have any 'seductive powers'." Knetica explains, making air quotes. "The only power I have is limited telekinesis."

… F*ck my life. I'm a dumbass.

I stand there for a moment, putting my hands to my mouth as I inhale a breath. I turn around slowly and start to walk away. "Excuse me while I save what manhood I might have left…"

I hear her walk up behind me, but think nothing of it. Next thing I know, she whips me around to face her, pulls my hands away from my face, and starts to kiss me all in the span of about three seconds. I'm pretty confused how it even turned into a kiss so quickly. I must not realize what I'm doing because I start to return the kiss almost instantly. My arms wrap around her back instinctively and I'm leaning more into it.

The hell am I doing? I came here stop this!

"No… stop… we shouldn't…" I murmur between kissing her, making whatever protest just useless as I keep going with it.

Then she starts lacing her fingers through my hair, not even listening to what I'm trying to tell her. For a second I think that I should break the kiss fully, but only for a second. I start to let myself go and pull her closer, our lips still biting against each other. I start to pull her to the couch without thinking it through and she goes along with it. I don't realize how far I've gone and fall back onto the cushions, making us both pause for a second and laugh. Right before we start kissing again. It feels like we've been at it for a while now, even if its probably barely been thirty seconds. I don't intend to stop anytime soon. Good thing AJ isn't here to ruin this. I'd be so dead.