Hero Stalker

Part Seventy-Three

My blades.

They extended backwards, straight into the window. The force pinning me down suddenly tossed me out. I looked up to see the broken window falling away high above me. The smell of seawater filled my nose.

Amanda flew through the shattered pane. She hadn't even bothered activating her jetpack. That had been a bluff all along.

With one smooth motion, I drew a grappling gun and fired at her. The hook sunk into her breastplate, jerking her downward. I swung towards the Tower at top speed. My legs rose up to block the impact.

The metal wall of the Tower rang like a bell as I kicked off at superspeed. My angle of impact slingshotted me around the building. I dragged Amanda behind me like a kite on a string. Wire unspooled from my gun. My cape billowed in the wind.

Let's get you out of that armor. I drew my second grappling gun and tied the wires together. Here's hoping one of James's knot-tying lessons stuck. I fired the second hook into the Tower wall. It stuck fast. I dropped both guns and let gravity pull me backwards.

Amanda soared towards me. The line tightened. Her armor popped open. Pieces of it scattered across the sky. I grinned. Next thing I knew, she flung me into the wall of the Tower.

I ignored the pain of impact and sunk my blades into the wall. Gravity tugged me down. My shoulder bumped the side of my mask. "Femme!" I shouted over the radio. I still couldn't hear my own voice. "I'm at the Tower! Harpy—"

Amanda swung back around the Tower and flew at me.

I kicked off the wall and pressed the glide switch on my belt. My cape snapped out onto my arms and legs. Unfortunately, I didn't actually grow a pair of wings.

Instead, I flipped over and over. Wind buffered the flat surface of my cape from all sides. Come on, Shadowcat. The water grew closer and closer. I couldn't let it claim a second Centurion today. My torso twisted. I forced my limbs flat.

A sudden gust of wind inflated my cape. It lasted less than a second, barely enough to slow my fall. But it did enough.

For the second time today, the cool harbor waters closed over my head. I kicked my way to the surface. Adrenaline thundered through my veins. Salt stung the cuts on my back. Water gushed into my damaged ears, which probably wasn't healthy. I didn't care.

I kicked myself upright and sprinted across the surface. White water flew out in my wake. I scanned the skies for any sign of her. Nothing. Wherever she'd gone, it wouldn't be far. She needed to kill one more Centurion to join the League, and I was the easiest target. If she didn't just activate her machine. Please, God, let her come for me.

Dead ahead of me, the white NSWAT boat cut through the waves. Heavy artillery from the battle with Cracken protruded from the front. Officers in SWAT gear clustered together on deck.

I leapt on board. My wet feet skidded out from underneath me. My back slammed down on the metal floor. My heart pounded and my chest rose and fell rapidly as I sucked down air. The SWAT clutched their guns and backed away from me. All but Dan.

He'd borrowed a bulletproof vest and a rifle from somewhere, but the impatient glare on his face was all his. I struggled to my feet. The captain, who stood in a shielded cabin in the middle of the deck, waved at me. He was the only officer who looked happy to have a Centurion on board.

Dan got in my face, lips moving too fast for me to read as he yelled at me. I pointed at my ears, but the harbor had washed the blood away. A red and white speck in the sky told me we'd run out of time. She has the nerve to wear that costume? At least she'd left off her mask. She'd always hated that mask.

"Up there!" I shouted, and grabbed his shoulder. He tried to shake me off. I pointed at Amanda. She carried the semi-automatic rifle I'd knocked from her hands back in the Tower. "It's her. She's Harpy!"

He lifted his gun. "Thanks!" he mouthed.

Amanda pulled her cape over her head. No bullets would hit their mark. Shit. I sliced Dan's gun in half. "Her costume!"

He mouthed a curse word. I drove my foot into his shin and knocked him down. Amanda swept overhead, shooting indiscriminately. NSWAT officers returned fire. I threw myself over Dan, shielding us both with my cape. He fought to stand. I dug my elbow into his back and pressed down with all my strength.

Three seconds passed before the deck stopped vibrating. It felt like an eternity.

I stood to find two officers lying in red puddles and one more gasping as he bled out. Bile flooded my throat. I swallowed it down. She'd be back any second, and she had a second weapon in her arsenal. This had to end.

Dan grabbed me by the shoulder and screamed soundlessly about things that didn't matter. My mind raced. Her costume made her nearly invulnerable. As long as it stayed intact, she'd never surrender.

I would bring her in alive. I would make her defend herself before a judge. I would see her in Barrelmore for the rest of her life.

She was wrong about how justice was done in Bayton. I would make her wrong.