Through Night and Iron

Click. Click. Click. Click.

The rhythmic taps of the woman's shoes on the concrete drowned out everyone else's. Though she tried not to, she kept casting side-eye glances at those she passed. She had to get to her destination. No one was going to stop her. And if they tried ...

She could feel her osteophytes start to grow in almost eager anticipation. This woman had earned the Powered name of Lion Fish through hard work and ruthless ferocity in the Iron Gauntlet. No one has the power to choose their fate in this world anymore. They can choose to either make the most of the cards that they were dealt, or give up. There was no in between. Not anymore.

"Is that our target?" a man whispered as she walked by.

The woman's shadow stretched and writhed as it was stripped from her feet, being sucked towards the narrow alleyway. A tall man leaned out from his hiding spot, looking at the woman over his shoulder. He rolled his wrist and returned her shadow, overlapping with the other shadows surrounding her.

"Yes," the tall man replied. He turned his attention to his friend. "And I thought I asked you to stay behind for this."

"Aw, but I couldn't let you hog all the fun!" This man was a little shorter than his friend. Shoulder-length hair framed his rectangular face.

The tall man pushed his glasses further onto the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Ironside, will you listen to me for once? You're not needed right now."

Ironside smiled. "But you'd miss me. Come on, admit it!"

The tall man ignored him, instead turning his attention to the grey and black gadget mounted on his wrist. A thirty minute timer started counting down in the upper corner of the screen.

"Let's go back," the tall man suggested. "There's not much we can do with this and we still have work to do." He walked past Ironside down the alley trying not to grind his teeth.

Skull paused the recording due to a knock on his door. He turned to see Pat in the doorway in his NightBolt suit and fastening his wrist gadget.

"Yeah man, what's up?" Skull asked, his face lighting up immediately. "Ooh! Are we going back?"

"Not exactly. The Shadow Scout returned and we have a lead. Come look at this." Pat snagged the remote to the TV from Skull's desk and turned it on. Swiping up on his wrist gadget's screen, a map took over the TV.

The map showed the entire city, a light blue line focusing on the western sector. Pat zoomed in on the blue line on his wrist gadget, which did the same on the TV.

"Here's where our target went; to the outskirts of town."

"Do you remember what that building used to be? I know it's abandoned now," Skull asked.

Pat shook his head. "It doesn't matter. All we need to know is that it's supposed to be abandoned. But listen to this."

Once again controlling the TV through his wrist gadget, Pat scrolled along an audio line at the bottom of the screen. It took him a couple minutes to find the correct part.

"--ou get down here already?" an angry man yelled. He sighed as a paper unrolled. "This is our objective: a factory in the southern division."

"Are they supplying our enemies with weapons?" a woman asked through a thick accent.

"You don't need to know my motives. Matt and Brian left me in charge for a reason. Do not question that." He cleared his throat. "Anyway. You are to destroy this factory. Leave nothing standing and neutralize anyone who tries to stop you. Is that clear?"