I lay on the cracked pavement, savoring each moment as the police straightened up the scene around me. The flashing lights of squad cars and the distant wail of fleeing ambulances filled the night. Before I could fully succumb to the fatigue, a group of figures emerged from the crowds, their presence marked by a mix of confidence and irritation.
A trio of vigilantes I did not recognize assembled before me. They wore unique costumes, and only two carried weapons. The first, a muscular man with a chain whip wrapped around his waist, landed in front of me with a scowl.
"What da hell do ya think ya doin'?" he snapped, looking down at me. "Ya any idea how much damage ya've caused?"
Another member, a woman with a utility belt filled with gadgets, floated in, "This isn't your turf, pajamas. We would have handled him- without the property damage."
The last, a man wrapped in a silk bodysuit landed gracefully in front of them both, "You've left us in a pretty sticky situation."
I struggled to stand up, the pain in my body reminding me of the toll the fight had taken. Before I could respond, a voice cut through the tension.
"What audacity!" a policeman, the same one I had shielded from the falling debris, stepped forward. His uniform was slightly torn, and a bandage covered his forehead, but his eyes were filled with gratitude and anger. "If it wasn't for him, we'd be dead... I'd be paste! The bank robber was well beyond the initial threat forecast! As far as BCPD is concerned, his actions WERE sanctioned."
The team looked taken aback, their posturing deflating slightly.
The chain wielder pushed back on the police officer, berating him. "Ya lettin' a novice wreck our city! What kinda cop ar's ya?"
The officer's eyes narrowed. "The kind that respects when someone's trying to save lives. Now, get off our crime scene."
The muscle brain's eyes glossed over threw a punch at the officer who was turning to leave, but I caught it at an odd angle, my arm quivering from the lack of form.
I retorted, my words gaining speed as I spoke, "It might be my newness getting to me, but I could have swore heroes... do not hit people in the back."
Pulling a torus-shaped item off her back, the woman aimed the hole at me like a magician holding a playing card.
"Better take your hand off my friend," she said, her eyes dillating just like the beef-head. "Before we make your face match the pavement."
"Seems I somehow already did that to your ego," I responded, not letting her gain any ground, verbal or physically.
A web connected to my hand and to the hothead then pulled our fists apart.
The silk-clad man spoke as he yanked his webs, "I sure do not see a big top around us, so stop pretending to be carnies, everyone."
"Weava, ya know this newbie's steppin' outta line," The guy with the chain growled.
"We wouldn't have made such a wreck!" the woman added, her voice tense.
"Yeah, but I had to wait for you two to arrive back at Alley Knight HQ from god-knows-where, so maybe you're able to be in the pulpit to preach from," Web man said as he circled away from his team towards me.
His eyes remained locked on his teammates. A long moment passed then he deflated, breaking his glare. He turned to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
He whispered to where only I could here, his masks obscuring the movement of his lips, "Bartender, I don't know what you're mixing with, but please don't overserve my friends, capeesh?"
I nodded slightly; they were heroes at least in name. Seeing my response, silk suit turned back to his teammates.
His voice twanged by a lingering grief, "This isn't what he would have wanted, but by all means, you two."
He cast a line out to the precipse of one of the taller buildings down the street. Pulling himself off the ground, he left his idiots behind.
The policeman spoke up again, his voice strained. "Why don't you apologize for trying to assault me and for insulting him!"
"Nonsense!" they yelled in unison, their voices filled with frustration and anger.
"Ingenia, this guy wan's some!" The buff one said as he clenched his fists.
"I think they both do!" The techno-dolt replied.
The man tried to lasso the officer with the metal chain, but I caught it around my arm.
I offered yet another warning, "Have you read the definition of insanity?"
"Yeah, it's fa people who think they's immune to ma fists n' chain!" He shot back.
The officer had had enough. "I let it slide once out of respect for your fallen leader, but twice? Muscle-Chain you have the right to remain silent!"
The woman activated an EMP, arcs spreading from the torus device over the entire parking lot. The SWAT unit, trying to load the villain into their prisoner transport, received a shock when their radios and suppression cuffs lit up like fireworks. They left him unattended and flanked in behind the officer, who they addressed as sergeant, trying to arrest the dimwitted duo.
"Ingenia! YOU have the right to remain silent! Anything you two say can an will be used against you in a court of law..."
The policeman tried to approach to cuff them, but Muscle-Chain snatched the wrist restraints and crumpled them like a paper ball.
They witnessed the lead idiot resist arrest and unloaded lead toward him. Ingenia shifted the EMP device into a new mode, one that produced a localized force field, trapping me, Muscle-Chain, herself, and the sergeant inside while everyone and everything else is out of bounds.
"Guys! The bad guy!" I tried to reason, but the three yelled at me to shut up. I repeated myself with a shout, but no one outside the field seemed to hear me, and the three inside the field seemed to not care.
"Ya don't deserve that badge!" Muscle-Chain spat as he reached for the officers chest.
The sergeant responded by drawing his service weapon and popping rounds towards the vigilante's center of mass.
Muscle-Chain, with anger in his eyes, wound up a stronger blow. I pulled the officer out of the path, letting the fist land on the barrier. The punch caused ripples to cascade across its surface.
"Fine," I muttered, realizing the only languages these two spoke were idiocy and violence.
Muscle-Chain and I squared off, tension thick in the air. I didn't want to hurt him, either of them. He swung his chain whip at me with brutal intent, the metal links whistling through the air. I dodged, my reflexes sharp, but each strike he threw carried the weight of his emotions.
He was relentless, every swing of his chain and knuckles came closer and closer. Finally, one caught me across the jaw, the blow jarring but not debilitating. Before I could retaliate, Ingenia joined the bout, her suit flashed and whirred as a dozen small sleek, metallic devices lifted off her costume. The things unfolded mid-air, transforming into quadcopters that buzzed around my head, emitting high-pitched whines. They fired small, precise energy blasts, each one stinging like a wasp's sting. I ducked and rolled, avoiding most but feeling the sting of a few that grazed my skin.
Ingenia's tech and Muscle-Chain's brute strength created a synchronized assault that kept me on my toes. A grappling hook shot from Ingenia's belt, digging into the flesh around my ankle and pulling me off balance. I hit the ground hard, muscles' chain descending towards my head. I rolled to the side just in time, the chain shattering the pavement where my head had been.
In the midst of the chaos, Ingenia's belt malfunctioned, launching the grappling hook hurtling towards the sergeant. Instinct kicked in, and I dived for it, catching the device in my hands before it could hit him. It shredded the flesh on my palms while I quickly used some of the shattered asphalt to create a makeshift lean-to, shielding the officer from the ongoing fight.
"Stay safe!" I ordered, turning back to face the nimwits. My breath was heavy, my muscles aching from the cumulative strain of two super fights, but I was determined to see this through.
Muscle-Chain stood while Ingenia used her drones to electrify the chain. Muscle-Chain approached as the metal links crackled with energy. He lassoed me, the chain wrapping tightly and sending shocks through my body. The pain was unbearable, each jolt like a searing knife cutting through my nerves. I gritted my teeth, refusing to give in to the agony.
"Ya think ya can take us?" Muscle-Chain snarled, his voice filled with rage and grief. He tightened the chain, the electricity intensifying.
I managed through the pain, my voice hoarse. "I will if I have to."
Ingenia moved in, her wrists glowing ominously. She fired a series of small, spherical devices that separated into many small globules, sticking onto my body.
With a surge of adrenaline, I broke free from the electrified prison, the metal links snapping under the strength of my resolve. My body ached, and my muscles screamed in protest, but my determination was stronger than ever. I glared down Muscle-Chain, his eyes wide with a mix of surprise and anger.
He roared and charged at me, swinging his fists with wild fury. I sidestepped and countered with a measured punch to his midsection, sending him staggering back. Ingenia detonated the small bubbles across my skin, heat radiated across me as I was thrown into the energy barrier.
Ingenia smirked, her hands a blur as she pulled out another gadget. This one was a cylindrical device, which she threw to the ground at my feet. The cylinder split open, releasing a thick, acrid smoke that enveloped me in a choking cloud. My eyes watered, and my lungs burned as I struggled to breathe. Through the haze, I saw her approaching, a knife in each hand, crackling with electricity.
I dodged her first strike, but the second blade caught me in the shoulder, sending a jolt through my body. My muscles spasmed, and I stumbled backward, trying to shake off the effects. Ingenia pressed her advantage, jumping onto my chest and locking her legs around me. She plunged her other knife into my right ribs, the volts locking my muscles, causing me to miss my footing and trip backward.
Struggling to pull the knives out my flesh, Ingenia instead grabbed a device that looked like a miniature cannon. She aimed it at my head and fired, launching a series of small, adhesive grenades that stuck to my face and the ground around me. I recognized them just in time and ripped the ones on my body away, hurling them upward. They detonated with a loud bang, the concussive force knocking her off her feet and sending her flying.
Ingenia scrambled to regain her footing. Muscle-Chain charged at me again. I braced myself, ready for the impact. He lunged toward my neck, but I countered with a two-foot kick to his midsection, rocketing him away from me with the powerful impact. He stumbled back as I sprung to my feet. I delivered a crushing blow to his jaw. He reeled into the force field.
Muscle-Chain recovered quickly, his rage fueling his attacks. He swung at my head, but I ducked and delivered an uppercut to his chest, lifting him off his feet. He flew upward, slamming hard against the energy dome before landing on the asphalt, sprawled out in defeat.