A Totally Fantastic Guide To Vigilantism {Sanscest Story}

Rule #1

Rule #1: Never, ever, ever get involved with heroes

The night air was cold, and the wind licked his face as Error swung through the city on his strings. In that moment he was thankful for the mask that he wore, as it was surely keeping him warmer than he'd be without it. That layer of protection made tonight's patrol all the more easier.

Error would finally stop on top of one of the numerous corporate buildings that were scattered across the inner city. He took the moment of stillness to finally catch his breath, and let the frigid air fill his empty chest. His soul pounded, another reminder that he needed to slow down. He couldn't get ahead of himself in times like these–or else he might find himself spending the rest of his days locked in a nice metal cell.

He was, unfortunately, what the law labeled a vigilante (even though he was probably more of a hero than most of those hard asses up in the hero tower could say). Most federal agencies saw that vigilantes were unlawful and dangerous to society, so it was about as illegal to be one as it was to be a villain. There were more technical reasons too, like the fact most vigilantes were not authorized within the government's Systems of Supers (a registry that contained anyone with powers). Of course, there was also the DVA (Dangerous Vigilantes Act) that was passed several years ago when two vigilantes were wrongfully accused for the destruction of a city block that killed almost a thousand people. The act enabled the arrest and even killings of vigilantes who were more innocent than the common man could say.

With the new hostile environment towards vigilantes, Error had to play it safe in order to keep his head. It was the entire reason Error had rushed to this random building in this first place. He had been out on patrol (a name he lovingly called his nights out), when he suddenly got the strange feeling he was being watched. The feeling could have come from anything, really, but Error wasn't going to take any chances. He was technically an illegal, which fueled his sense of paranoia so strange feelings were always a sign to get out.

He never did confirm whether or not his feelings were ill placed, since he was much more focused on putting as much space between himself and the area he had been in as he could. The feeling did not travel with him, luckily, which meant he could finally take a well earned breather.

Error allowed himself the vulnerable moment to lay down against the cold concrete of the rooftop. He hadn't realized how much his bones were aching until he finally forced himself to stay still for a short moment. Everything hurt. The adrenaline that had been pumping through him earlier had finally worn off, fully allowing him to realize the strain he had put on his body. He highly doubted he should be hurting this much from a simple scramble to get away from a possible deadly altercation. He could barely move without a wave of soreness overwhelming him.

He supposed since that was the case, he would have to stay on the ground a little longer than he was originally planning for. He at least needed to gain enough strength to return home (even though he'd probably rather not). Well, who knows, maybe spending some time out in the cold night air will finally allow him to relax after an already stressful day.

After a while he found himself staring up at the stars, perfectly content with the rare peaceful moment. It was a surprise he could see them so clearly like this, usually the city lights would dim them to all but nothing. The view was rather nice, and it almost coaxed him into forgetting his troubles from earlier. He finally started relaxing.

The distant sounds from the city below—the rushing cars, and the ever so faint murmur of people— helped fill the empty void of silence. It allowed Error's atmosphere to feel fairly peaceful. The paranoia that had still been holding onto him finally began to release. It let him breathe again, and the tension in his body loosened its tight grip as well.