Confidentiality

Chapter 2

Janus took a deep breath. 

He was about to make his debut as a hero. They had staged a crime for him to take down, it was some useless goon. They had told him to go rob a place, just so Janus could beat him up. They were planning on getting rid of him anyways, it hardly mattered.

It was a hostage situation, dozens of people being held outside the bank.

He shapeshifted into a pedestrian, slipping seamlessly into the crowd of kidnapped victims. 

All he needed to do was sneak his way up to the guy, and knock him out. Simple enough, right?

Janus groaned internally when he saw the flying figure approaching rapidly. Who was that? A hero had already arrived?

He was planning to do this slowly and stealthily, but now he had to speed this process up a bit. He pushed through the crowd, ignoring the offended looks he was given. 

“Well, well, well!” The goon chuckled, looking up at the flying man. “If it isn’t The Prince!”

The Prince looked down at him in surprise. “Who are you? Where is Maleficent? This seemed like her type of stunt.”

The Prince wore a long, red cape over a gold and white suit. It wasn’t spandex, like Janus was expecting. It looked more like body armor that was incredibly fancy for absolutely no reason. A gold, white, and red mask lay on his face, concealing his identity from the outside world. A golden sword lay strapped to his side, and he was reaching for it as he looked for his enemy.

“Maleficent isn’t here! This was all me, baby!” The goon laughed. “It is I! The Vanquisher!” 

“Who?” The Prince tilted his head. The goon faltered. 

“Th-The Vanquisher? The one who robbed the mayor’s office once?” He tried, but The Prince only stared at him blankly. “I’ve killed people, man!”

“Not ringing any bells.” The Prince shook his head. “You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“I-I…” He sighed, flushing in embarrassment. “...you called me ‘Pissy Patrick.’”

“Oh! You’re the one who peed himself when I showed up!” The Prince laughed, causing The Vanquisher to flush further. “I remember you! How’s it going, Pissy Patrick?”

“Shut up! My name isn’t even Patrick!” The Vanquisher growled. The Prince only laughed, relaxing himself.

“Oh, I thought it was a serious threat!” The Prince snorted. “Okay, piss boy, why don’t you let all these people go, huh?” 

“No! I’m going to kill all of these people, unless I get five million dollars!” The Vanquisher exclaimed. The Prince chuckled, like the entire situation was amusing. “Don’t laugh! I’m serious, I really will--!”

Janus hit a pressure point on The Vanquisher’s neck with his hand. Immediately, the goon crumpled and fell to the ground, unconscious. 

The Prince bristled. “Uh--?”

He stopped shapeshifting, reverting back to his original form. “God, I do not like that guy.”

“Who are you?” The Prince asked, reaching for his sword again. “Are you the true mastermind behind this?”

Janus frowned. He supposes he did look pretty suspicious. He decided to make his suit out of a material that would protect him, but would also change with him. As a result, it ended up looking like black scales. Also, unlike The Prince’s mask, his mask covered his entire face. His birthmark would make him instantly recognizable to anyone who knew him. His mask was black as well, the only real details being the small yellow accents and the two holes made for his eyes.