Superheroes 3

12

There was no time to put on a costume. Niall was there as a parent first-handedly. They arrived at the scene and he immediately got out of the car and listened in on people's thoughts. His jaw clenched.
"It's bad."

Claire could feel the tension and used her powers to calm the situation. She didn't want the cops to start shooting as soon as the hostage was free.

Dahlia arrived five minutes later.
"Uncle Niall! What's going on?"

"Arthur is in there. He's one of the bank robbers. You need to help me get inside." Niall said.

Dahlia hesitated briefly but then she nodded her head.
"Don't go with me. Help me walk through the wall but stay on this side. I can't risk your life, Dahlia." Niall said.

"I wanna help!" Dahlia protested.

"You are! Just get me inside so I can talk to Arthur." Niall said and squeezed her shoulder.

"Alright. Have you called the others?" Dahlia asked.

"There's no time for that." Niall said.

He hugged his wife and then he and Dahlia went to the back of the building. Dahlia took his hand and they walked through the brick wall. She let go of him as soon as he was inside and pulled back.  

Niall took a deep breath and tried to find his way from the back. When he reached the area where Arthur was he held up his hands and walked slowly.
"Hey! Where the hell did he come from?" One of the bank robbers yelled and pointed a gun at him.

In his mind, the guy was ready to pull the trigger.
"I come in peace. Don't shoot. I'm his dad. I just wanna talk. The police are still outside." He said and pointed at Arthur.

The guy still pointed his gun at him but he wasn't thinking of shooting him at the moment.
"Great, get us out of here. We get to walk and the hostage will live." The guy said.

"I will see what I can do. Can I talk to my son now?" Niall asked.

The guy waved his gun. Niall walked up to Arthur.
"Dad, I'm so sorry." Arthur said in a shaky voice.

Niall talked very low so no one else could hear them.
"It's gonna be okay. How well do you know these guys? Can you convince them to surrender?"

"No. They won't listen." Arthur sniffled behind the clown mask.

"Okay. Stay calm." Niall said and squeezed his arm before he turned around to face the other bank robbers.
"No one has to get hurt here."

"Say that to her." Fabio answered and pointed at the woman who got shot earlier.

"No one else. Can I check on her?" Niall asked.

When they didn't reply Niall brought Arthur with him and kneeled in front of the woman. He checked her pulse and removed his jacket so he could press it against the gun wound.
"She's still alive but she needs to go to a hospital right now." Niall said.

"We're not letting anyone out before we have a free pass." Darren answered.

"Look, if she dies this will get so much worse for you all. Let me and my son carry her out of here." Niall said, sounding really calm.

"You can carry her. He's not going anywhere." Darren said and pointed his gun at Arthur.

"I can't carry her by myself and I'm not leaving without him. He won't get away with this just because he'll follow me outside. He will surrender to the police as soon as this woman is in an ambulance." Niall said.

Arthur hung his head. He messed up so badly.
"He's staying here." Darren said.

"Let me help my dad. He's right. If she dies murder charges will be added to the other charges we're facing." Arthur tried to reason.

"I don't fucking care. You're not gonna walk out of here and leave us to handle this mess." Darren replied.

"Just surrender. Let go of the hostage and walk out with your hands in the air." Niall said.

"I don't think so, old man." Darren snorted.

"Alright. We're going." Niall said and leaned down to pick up the woman.

He suddenly flew up and threw himself in front of Arthur.
"No!"

Darren fired his gun intending to shoot Arthur but Niall took the bullet. It hit him in his shoulder and he fell to the floor.
"Dad!" Arthur shouted.

He removed the clown mask and got down on the floor next to his dad. His sweater was turning red. Arthur pressed both hands against the wound. Niall was unconscious.

The front door flew open and four people in superhero costumes entered the bank. Arthur looked up.
"My dad is hurt!"

Fabio, Clive, and Darren fired their guns at the same time. Evan waved his hands and the bullets changed their course and got stuck in the wall instead. Wolf froze the guns and the guys dropped them.

The police came running inside and arrested them. Harry and Louis ran up to Arthur and Niall. Arthur was crying.
"He took a bullet for me. You have to go back in time!"

"Let's get him to a hospital. I'll go back if he doesn't make it." Harry promised.

Louis picked up Niall and flew him out of the building. The cops came up to Arthur and handcuffed him.
"I have to go to the hospital! My dad is dying!" Arthur shouted in panic.

"You're going to the police station." One of the policemen said and pushed him forward.

"Please!" Arthur begged but the policemen wouldn't listen. They frisked him and found the gun in his front pocket.

He was put in a police car while the ambulance with his dad drove off. Arthur was in shock. He couldn't believe Darren tried to shoot him and hit his dad instead. How could he do that?