When Heroes Fall

Chapter 13

Mask over her face and keeping to the shadows, Lien crouched behind the local Italian restaurant, keeping her eyes on the black SUV in the parking lot. It had been a long day already—school had been extra boring, especially since Andres started spending more time with that blonde boy. Lien racked her brain for his name, Matt or something like that. Ross told her to get over it and be happy for him. Not that they knew anything. Of course, Lien was happy for Andres. They had been best friends since grade school. He was one of the only people to stay with her after her dad died. The only one who allowed her to be angry about the injustice of it—that a social worker would be killed trying to protect his ward because all the cops saw was a black man. The memory of it burned through her.

Lien's target was busy eating dinner, but from what she could gather he had some sort of weapons deal planned for after the meal. Weapons she couldn't afford to have circulating around Axiomville where they could end up hurting innocent civilians. The plan was simple—wait for the two of them to finish eating, tail them to their meeting spot, and proceed to beat the crap out of both parties. They were taking forever inside the building though. It had already been an hour and a half.

Lien stood, entire body groaning as the circulation returned to her lower body. She kicked at the dirt, letting out a puff of air. She should have brought her English homework with her, she could be halfway through Animal Farm instead of bored and cold.

A scream cut through the alleyway. Lien snapped her head in the direction of the sound. Just as she turned, she heard a car engine sputtering to life. Cursing, Lien turned back to the SUV and sighed in relief, it was still there. If she missed this deal, she couldn't be sure she would get another opportunity to stop the arms dealer.

Crying continued from somewhere beyond Lien's vision. Whoever it was had to be nearby. Lien bit her tongue and furrowed her brow. If the arms dealer hadn't finished yet, what harm would it be to leave her post for a few minutes. Decision made before her mind could consent, Lien turned toward the sound and took off in a sprint.

Her feet pounded against the cement sidewalk. Her teeth ground together into a snarl. She grabbed her taser baton out of her utility belt, gripping it tight. Two blocks down, Lien rounded the corner, skidding to a stop.

Next the open dumpster, a man held a woman tight against the brick wall, one hand on her neck as the other roamed over her body. Tears streaked down the woman's cheeks. Lien held back the bile crawling up her throat.

"Hey," Lien barked, startling the man into turning toward her. Registering who had shouted, the man reeled back, eyes widening. Lien stepped forward, twirling the electric baton in her hand. Before she could take another step, the man turned tail and ran. Lien moved to take chase—people like that didn't stop unless they were made to—but stopped short.

The woman sank down to the alley floor, silent sobs racking her body. Lien shifted toward the woman—physically she seemed alright, but Lien couldn't tell for sure with how the woman curled up into herself. Lien pocketed her weapon. Kneeling in front of the woman, Lien slowly raised her hand. The woman flinched.

"It's okay," Lien spoke, keeping her voice lowered but steady, "are you hurt?"

"You—you're a rogue," the woman stuttered, meeting Lien's gaze. The woman's entire body shook. Lien's hand dropped. She couldn't deny the woman's claim, but the word tugged on something inside of her, something deep and uncomfortable—something that felt like it was too big to fit in her body anymore. Since she last saw Nightstar two and half weeks ago, she had stopped five sexual assaults, three petty robberies, and saved one cat in a tree. The sidekick had gone radio silent, but Lien couldn't quit. The APD was too busy playing superhero trying to defeat Gea to help those who needed it the most. As much a she was called a villain, she was always playing a game of justice.