Mod Superhero

Chapter 7.64 - Krystal 2

Krystal and Larian were huddled inside an alleyway. Krystal peeked around the corner. Their target, a Summit headquarters, was two blocks away.

"Do you think they'll see us coming?" Larian asked.

Krystal and Larian were both cloaked, but she knew first-hand that their nanites suits weren't perfect. There were plenty of powersets that they had trouble hiding from.

Gunshots and an explosion punctuated the moment, causing them both to flinch.

Krystal looked up and caught a glimpse of a Fast-Response drone. It smoked and spun, and disappeared behind the roofs. Hopefully, it was a controlled descent.

Krystal shrugged at Larian's original question. "Hopefully they're too busy looking up to see us coming."

Larian nodded reluctantly. "Barely controlled chaos. Right."

When TINA had launched her hacking offensive, she focused on drone squadrons near Summit headquarters. The idea was to use the stolen drones to quickly incapacitate capes before they knew anything was wrong.

That was the plan, anyway.

Krystal wasn't sure what exactly had gone wrong, but something clearly had. TINA's hack wasn't one hundred percent effective. If it had been, then there wouldn't be any drone-on-drone crime in the sky above.

"We go in quick," Krystal said. "Smash and grab."

Larian snorted. "Alright, McGuire."

Krystal rolled her eyes. "Just follow my lead."

The pair slipped out of the alleyway and snuck down the street. They hugged the buildings, flinching as drones passed overhead. There were capes in the sky too, but they were sticking close to the headquarters. Krystal didn't blame them. She didn't want to be caught out in the open, much less in the sky where you could be attacked from any angle.

As Krystal searched the sky, TINA scanned those capes and sent back short lists of their abilities and power level. They appeared one by one in Krystal's Heads-Up Display. Thankfully, everyone was Class 1 or 2. Only a handful were Class 3, and TINA had enough drones to keep them occupied.

Occasionally, Krystal could make out a group of civilians huddling inside a building. Most had the sense to get the hell off the street, and most stayed well away from any windows. A long time ago, there would've been onlookers crowded outside, trying to catch glimpses of superheroes and villains. Not anymore.

A mechanical whine echoed through the street, and Krystal and Larian ducked into another alleyway. They were just in time to see a Fast-Response drone slam into the pavement. It tumbled end over end, scattering chunks of itself like party favors.

That definitely wasn't a controlled descent.

"You sure it's not time to call your friends?" Krystal asked.

Krystal couldn't see Larian's expression behind his mask, but she knew he rolled his eyes. She could practically hear it.

The two pushed forward, sneaking along the buildings. For a moment, it looked like they might make it without incident. They were about a block away when Krystal had that thought and immediately regretted it.

The ground rumbled beneath their feet. Pavement erupted, forming a wide circle around Krystal and Larian. They were boxed in beside a storefront.

A group of supers were on the street in front of the Summit headquarters. One stood at the front, clad in a stone gray suit. A split second later, TINA confirmed what Krystal suspected.