Unmasked Heroes (Book 1)

Chapter 11

"Where there are villains, there will be heroes. Just wait, They will come" -Brandon Sanderson

It will be fine, he said. Don't worry.

Yeah right.

This is why I don't trust Dex. If there's one thing I'm never, ever going to listen to him about again, it's doing a live interview with one of the top news presenters in the country. Thankfully, I'd managed to look up some pointers on the internet and discovered quite a few interesting tips – like when you don't know the answer to a question, ask your own questions.

Simple. Ingenious.

"Kidwolf, you've been saving the city for quite a while now," Laura Martinez states, crossing her slim legs as she plasters a smile for the camera. "How long is it now since you made your debut?"

I pretend to think about it, but I know the exact day I stopped my first villain. I have it marked on my calendar. I look at the date every night.

"Around five months ago, I think," I tell her. "I was called to fight alongside the Lighters on the frontlines. We had a dangerous criminal on the loose, Cannon Ferrous. He'd nearly destroyed half of the main streets before I stepped in."

"That's spectacular," Laura blinks, and I know I've got her tongue-tied. I don't think it's easy having a normal conversation with a superhero, but I'll give her props for trying. She smoothes down her navy pencil skirt, moving on to her next question. "A few weeks ago, you arrested Night-vision and now Chasm. How does it feel to put away these villains?"

A picture of the scene pops up on the giant TV screen, behind us. I shift in the plush red velvet seat, recalling that I'm not supposed to dart around. Skittering is a show of nerves, not the confidence I'm trying to fake. So, I don't hold my gaze on the coffee table separating us for too long or the cameras scattered around the set.

"Well, I wouldn't have been able to do it without my team. The alpha squad is truly the reason so many miscreants have been put away," I clasp my hands together, my palms clammy underneath my leather gloves. Is the word miscreants even used anymore? Is that the correct usage of it? I take a deep breath before continuing.

"I must be honest, however, Laura, saving the city from criminals is not just a responsibility or a duty. Protecting the innocent is fulfilling in its own right. Do I feel good about putting away these villains? Well, for the sake of safety, yes. But I can assure you, I'd rather they repent for their wrongs and free themselves from the clutches of evil than be imprisoned."

The words flow from my mouth, unfiltered, as rapid as a waterfall splashing against rocks. I don't mean half the words I say – but for the benefit of the thousands of viewers tuning in, I say what's right. I give the people hope and optimism That there is such a thing as a black-and-white world where only good and bad exist. Even if is not true. Because I believe that the villains will not reform. They will rot away in prison for the horrendous crimes they've committed.

I claimed to be a superhero, not a good guy.

There is a difference.

"So you're implying that supervillains can change for the better? And should be given a second chance?"

No.

"If they're willing to give up their old ways, then yes, I do mean that."

Laura hums thoughtfully, never pausing to take a breath before her next question is shot at me like a cocked gun unloading deadly bullets. Except in this case, it's not explosives she's shooting but words. And that's twice as fatal. The camera lens makes my neck prickle, and I can almost feel the thousands of viewers' eyes watching me from their screens, and the thought makes a trickle of sweat beads my nape.