The Berserker Nerd

Kidnapped

The sun was setting as John made his way down a quiet street. He had just finished training, his mind still buzzing with the excitement of showing off his Berserker powers earlier to Mayla. He grinned, thinking about how impressed she had looked. Maybe I'm getting the hang of this, he thought, feeling a rush of confidence.

But his thoughts were interrupted by the screeching sound of tires as a black van skidded to a halt beside him. Before John could react, several masked figures jumped out, surrounding him.

"What the-!" John shouted, instinctively raising his fists. But it was too late. One of the figures threw a sack over his head, and he felt the sting of a needle in his arm. His vision blurred as darkness overtook him.

John groaned as he regained consciousness, his head pounding. He blinked, trying to focus, but all he could see were dim lights and shadows. His arms and legs were tightly bound to a chair with thick ropes that dug painfully into his skin.

"Where... am I?" he muttered, shaking his head to clear the fog. His hands tugged at the ropes, but they wouldn't budge.

"You're finally awake," a deep, gravelly voice said from somewhere in the shadows. The voice was followed by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

John squinted as a tall figure with a scarred face stepped into the dim light. The man sneered down at him, arms crossed. "You're not so tough now, are you? Thought you could just go around playing hero without consequences?"

John glared up at the man, his anger rising. "Who the hell are you? What do you want with me?"

The scarred man chuckled darkly. "Oh, it's not about what I want. It's about making an example of you. You're not the only one with powers, kid. And let's just say some people don't appreciate competition."

John clenched his fists, feeling the familiar heat of his Berserker power start to bubble up inside him. The ropes around his wrists creaked under the strain as he pulled harder. "You think tying me up is gonna stop me?" he growled, his eyes glowing faintly red. "You don't know who you're messing with!"

The scarred man smirked, unbothered by John's defiance. "Oh, we know all about your little 'Berserker' power. But those ropes? They're designed to hold much stronger heroes than you. You're not getting out of here that easily."

John's rage flared at the man's words, and with a furious shout, he gave one last powerful tug. The ropes snapped, breaking free as his Berserker power surged through him. He shot up from the chair, fists clenched and ready for a fight.

The scarred man's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, stepping back with a mocking grin. "Not bad. But let's see how you handle the rest of my crew."

From the shadows, more villains stepped forward, each one larger and more menacing than the last. They surrounded John, their faces twisted in cruel anticipation.

John glanced around, assessing the situation. There were too many of them, and they were clearly stronger than the usual thugs he dealt with. But he wasn't going down without a fight. "Come on then!" he yelled, charging at the nearest villain. He landed a solid punch to the man's jaw, sending him stumbling back, but before John could follow up, another villain grabbed him from behind, slamming him into the ground.

The impact knocked the wind out of him, and before he could recover, a third villain delivered a powerful kick to his side. John gasped, pain shooting through his ribs as he rolled onto his back.

"You thought you were a hero?" one of the villains sneered, looming over him. "You're nothing but a weak little kid."

John gritted his teeth, struggling to get back on his feet. His Berserker power flared again, but the villains were relentless, hitting him from every angle. He could feel his strength waning, his body aching from the constant blows.

Just when he thought he couldn't take much more, a bright red beam of light cut through the air, striking one of the villains in the chest and sending him flying backward.

John's eyes widened as he looked up. There, standing in the doorway, was Mayla, her eyes glowing bright red with her laser power.

"Step away from him!" she shouted, her voice ringing with authority.

The villains froze for a moment, caught off guard by her sudden appearance. But they quickly recovered, turning their attention to her. "You think you can take all of us on, girl?" one of them taunted.

Mayla's eyes narrowed, her voice steady and confident. "I don't think. I know." She fired off another laser blast, hitting a second villain square in the chest and forcing the others to scatter.

John managed to stand, clutching his side as he looked at Mayla with a mixture of relief and admiration. "You really know how to make an entrance," he said, his voice strained but playful.

Mayla smirked, keeping her eyes on the remaining villains. "You looked like you needed a hand."

"Yeah, these guys are tougher than they look," John admitted, his gaze hardening as he faced the villains again. "But now that you're here, we've got this."

They stood back-to-back, ready to take on the remaining foes. One of the villains, a particularly large brute, charged at John with a roar. John dodged to the side, using his Berserker strength to deliver a crushing blow to the man's ribs. Meanwhile, Mayla took out two more with her laser eyes, her beams cutting through the darkness with deadly precision.

One of the villains, seeing their defeat was imminent, pulled out a knife and lunged at John, but before he could reach him, Mayla's laser beam knocked the knife out of his hand.

"You're not hurting him!" Mayla shouted, her eyes blazing with fierce determination.

The remaining villains, realizing they were outmatched, quickly retreated, disappearing into the shadows. John and Mayla stood in the center of the warehouse, panting but victorious.

After the police arrived and arrested the villains, one of the officers approached the duo with a look of admiration. "You two did some serious work here," the officer said, tipping his hat. "Thanks for the help. On behalf of the city, we owe you one." He handed them a box of donuts, smiling warmly.

John raised an eyebrow, glancing at Mayla with a grin. "Well, that's a first. Donuts as a thank you."

Mayla laughed, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Hey, I'm not complaining. I love donuts."

John chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, at least we get something sweet out of it."

As they walked away from the scene, Mayla's expression softened, and she glanced at John thoughtfully. "You know, we make a pretty good team."

John smiled, his heart warming at her words. "Yeah, we do."

They walked in comfortable silence for a few moments before Mayla spoke again, her voice a little hesitant. "John... I've been thinking..."

John looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "About what?"

Mayla took a deep breath, her cheeks flushing slightly. "About us. I was wondering if maybe... you'd want to go out sometime? Like, on a date?"

John blinked, taken aback by her sudden question. "A date?" he repeated, feeling his heart race.

Mayla nodded, her smile turning a little shy. "Yeah. I mean, if you're not too busy being a superhero or anything."

John grinned, his exhaustion forgotten. "I think I can make some time for that."

They both laughed, the tension melting away as they walked into the night, their bond stronger than ever.