I Am (Not) Your Hero

3

"Well, well, well if it isn't our neighborhood fascist," The woman said over her shoulder as she palmed the diamond in the middle of the glass display.

She threw him a smirk. "How ya doing, Smite?"

He ground his teeth, as she turned back around and ignored him, holding the diamond up to the stringent light.

"You don't have your patented grin. I didn't think you were capable of having anything but that dumb smile on your face. Nice to see I was wrong."

Smite growled glaring at her back. "Why do you keep challenging me?"

The woman turned around, jumping onto the display case, crossing her legs. "I want to see how far you'll go. I want to break the image you have of yourself. In your eyes and the world's."

He narrows his eyes, feeling heat behind them. He blinked it away.

She smirked. "You just wanted to laser my face off didn't you? Hm...of course you did. You react in violence. But you have a reason the public accepts so you're a hero."

"I do what I do for the good of the world," he Defended, his feet leaving the ground. "You think you're better than me? A petty thief?"

She pursed her lips. "Not petty. This is worth a cool 20 mil."

She tossed it, and he caught it, looking back up at her.

"So you show up. Beat people up, and take them to jail. You've destroyed the nukes. Fine. What's next? You take out presidents you don't like?"

He clenched his jaw. How did she keep spinning him out to be a Villian? He was a hero! He fought for what was right. For the safety of innocents around the world. And what had he done to deserve this treatment?!

"If it came to it, who else could?" He murmured.

She scoffed, jumping off the display, stepping toward him.

"Fine. And when they rebel against you? You'll disarm their military? Take matters into your hands? For 'saftey'?"

"If it had to be done." He ground out.

"So now you rule the world. And you punish the evil doers. And you make the laws. Just whatever you want them to be? And of course you can't be everywhere, so let's add in some state mandated surveillance. And we should call that justice?"

"If that's what it takes!" He shouted. She stopped, and blinked. He looked away.

"I want to create a world...where when I take a day off no one dies. I don't want anyone to be afraid."

"That type of world doesn't exist. What does exist—what I just described— is a police state. You say you want to create a world where no one is afraid."

She turned her back, strolling away, her hands crossed behind her head. As if what she were saying were of no import, no consequence.

"But all I hear, is you want to create a world where no one has anything to fear...but you."

And once again, he let her go. She'd stunned him still, silent. Rendered him powerless. He couldn't figure out why. Was it just because she was asking questions no one and truly asked him before?

Or maybe it was her. Maybe he was just attracted to her.

He glanced over, finding an empty case. He glanced down at the diamond in her hand before closing his eyes, frustration mounting inside him.

Again. She'd gotten past him again. It didn't matter. There couldn't be a next time. His hand closed around the diamond, as it shattered in his hands, the shards cutting through his flesh.

He narrowed his eyes, walking the opposite way. That woman was going to end up in jail one way or another.