Ameliorate

Chapter 31: Lacuna

Lacuna: An unfilled space or gap.

"What? What do you- what?" Addy asked, brain almost visibly working.

"There's a chick that went toe-to-toe with Glitch," Elizabeth told her. "Get them up here, it's on the TV."

Addy nodded, turning around to fetch the others standing by the fire.

Elizabeth turned back and walked back inside, closing the sliding door behind herself.

The television was tuned in to a news station, as it had been for the past day.  It was paused on a shot of a figure in gray with a mask, wielding two swords raised over their head. Rain fell around the pair, not appearing to soak into the hero's gear. Glitch had his back facing the camera as the pair hung in the air. The shot was from below, angling upwards to see the fight.

Alistair stared at the TV with his arms crossed. "Where the hell did this guy come from?" He asked.

"D'you reckon he's a new change?" Toby asked from where he was perched on the arm of the couch. Tommy was seated on the back of the couch to his left. "Like what Addison was talkin' about, talking about the later onset or whatever?"

"It could be," Darryl remarked. Zak sat on the back of the couch behind him.

"Could it be someone that doesn't have powers?" Zak asked. "I can't really see anything that would be obvious."

"Ok but, look at that fuckin' suit," Tommy said. "They've clearly got-"

Tommy was interrupted as the door opened.

Addison, Weslyn, Nick, Dave, Will and Clay walked back inside. 

"Elizabeth, you can't just leave it at 'there's another hero,'" Will started. "You gotta give us more than that." Will and Dave moved to stand by where Tommy and Toby were sitting.

"If I had more, I would have," Elizabeth said as Weslyn and Addison stood by her.

"I'm guessing that's the guy?" Clay asked, gesturing towards the TV.

"Yeah, that's them," George said.

Niki picked up the remote and pressed play.

The group remained silent as the hero and Glitch began to move on the screen, Glitch disappearing into a burst of green energy.

The hero twisted in midair and fired off grappling hooks. They were pulled through the air. The camera followed along, the cameraman likely running to keep up.

"Pause a sec?" Addy asked.

Niki paused it again. "What is it?" She asked.

The hero was flying through the air, the shot displaying the hero's figure.

"You gotta be shitting me, he's got funding," Addy observed.

"That's what I was saying!" Tommy agreed. "This fucker has like, actual body armor and Clay over here's stuck in a morphsuit from fuckin' Walmart!"

"It's two layers of camouflage, Tommy," Clay defended.

"I'm with Tommy. A morphsuit has such little protection, it's a stupid choice," Dave agreed.

"We can discuss your shit choices in uniform later," Elizabeth dismissed. "Is that all you had, Addy?"

"Yeah, we can keep watching."

"Unless anyone else has anything?" Weslyn prompted.

No one else had anything to add, so Niki pressed play again.