The Anthem Force Chronicles

Damaged

::Radley::

I have a cup full of coffee, a stack full of papers to go through, and a diminishing positive outlook.

I never knew there was just so much for a team leader to do. Anthem City has a major super drug problem being controlled by "The Reckoning," a group of elite who are building an army to take over Anthem and then the world. The Vertigo headquarters have been moved ever since we infilitrated them and I can't help but feel like everything is building up. Something's going to happen, something bad, and it's coming soon.

And apparently, this is all my responsibility now.

Fantastic.

I've spent all afternoon looking through head shots from guests at the Gala but it's impossible to tell anything. There were many out of town guests, some unannounced attendees, and basically no way for me to narrow down who is and who isn't in the Reckoning.

Keith and Noname, or I should Mackenzie, are here too, Andy wanted to come but her mom has her on lockdown and Andy being, well, Andy she's staying put.

Keith is laying upside down on the chair, shooting small sparks out of his fingertips. Mackenzie is leaning back in her chair, twiddling her a between her fingers. Neither of them have said a word to each over, still bitter about their little fight last night.

Neither of them are listening to me either. They keep ignoring me whenever I tell them to get back to work. I can't even do the basic part of being the leader: leading.

Maybe I'm not cut out for this after all. It seems I haven't been able to do anything right.

I actually called Dante this morning, ready to ask her why. Why did she make me team leader? Why did she have to leave me with all these problems to sort out?

But as soon as she had picked up the phone she begin gushing about how she misses the team and her life in Flora City and David and everything. And when she finally asked how being leader was treating me, I couldn't do it. I couldn't get mad at her for trusting me and believing in me. I couldn't whine about how things are hard. I couldn't get upset over the fact things aren't going my way.

Because it's Dante and she'd expect more from me.

So instead I told her everything was good, completely leaving out the current state of Anthem's underground, and said I'd hope I'll see her soon.

Whining and complaining wouldn't help anything. Resigning would only put the team in chaos as someone tried to fill the spot. My only option was to buckle down and just do.

Which I was honestly trying today. Would it be too much to ask for a little cooperation from my teammates?

"Gah!" Keith shouts when a sudden beeping fills the air, shocking him to fall back in his seat. Mackenzie starts laughing out loud while I rush to see what's wrong.

"The Anthem Force communicator," I explain, "Someone's robbing the bank. Just great."

I had almost forgotten in the mess of Formula X nonsense that there are still petty, everyday villains around.

"The banks only two blocks away," I say. Since Andy is gone we wouldn't be able to fly anywhere, "Looks like we're going to have to run for it."

"Correction," Keith says as he pulls himself off the floor, "You two will have to run for it. I can fly."

To gloat, he floats a few feet in the air before zooming out the door with a "beat you guys there."

Mackenzie glares as the doors swing shut. "I hate him," she mutters as she pulls her mask out of her back pocket and pulls it over her head. It's been weird seeing her outside of her ninja costume, "But might as well go and make sure Sparky doesn't screw everything up. Besides, it's been a while since I've had a good bank robbery."

"Wait... what?" I say but Mackenzie is already out the door.

I jog down, it's easy to find the bank because all of the commotion outside. Keith and Mackenzie are already there, backs turned to one another, along with a sharp police line.

"There's a hostage situation inside," explains one of the officers once he realizes I'm part of the Anthem Force, "No super abilities detected yet but they're loaded."

"Right," I say, "Thanks." And with that I make the motion for my team to set into action.

We sneak through a back door and to the lobby, crouching behind one of the large oak desks. In the center is a group of three gunman and a group of people crouched to the floor.

"Ouch you're on my foot!" Mackenzie hisses while shoving Keith away.

"What the-?" he whispers back, his eyes glazing over.

"Enough you two," I snap, "You can bicker when people's lives aren't on the line. We need to find a way to stop the gunman without provoking them to hurt anyone."

Mackenzie pulls three knives out of her pocket, splaying them between her fingers. "I got this."

She does a somersault into the lobby, stands up, and hurls the first knife. It all happens so fast I almost miss it. Somehow the knife flies through the handle of the gun, pulling it out of the gunman's hand, and pinning it to the wall.

She swivels, flinging her knifes at the remaining two gunman with the same effect.

Keith and I look to one another, eyes wide. "Woah," he mutters.

Running over to the wall, she yanks out the knife and balances it between her fingers, grabbing the gun in her over hand. "Who even robs banks nowadays?" she muses, "I mean with all the giant take over the world schemes and super villains it must make you feel a little pathetic."

She jumps on the first gunman, pinning him to the floor and pressing the gun to his head. "So tell me, why'd you do it?"

Woah is right. Knifes are frowned upon but acceptable. But we definitely do not use guns. "Keith, a little help."

He nods, holding out his arm and sending a jolt Mackenzie's way, sending her flying back to the wall.

"Don't look smug," I say to a grinning Keith, "Call in the police and help round up these thugs."

I run over to where Mackenzie is picking herself up off the ground. "What the hell was that?" she shouts as she twitches from a remaining spark.

"I could say the same thing to you," I say. Behind me the cops have rushed in and are taking care of the scene.

"I was doing some good hero questioning," she snaps, stretching out her limbs, "You didn't have to sick Sparky on me."

"The Anthem Force doesn't use guns, we don't threaten to kill people," I grit through my teeth, "I don't know what backwards hero team Luke recruited you from but you should know better."

Mackenzie pulls her hands into fists and for a moment I almost believe she's going to hit me. But instead she pulls the remaining knife out of the wall and places it back in it's sheath. "If you didn't notice I just saved the day right now. How about a thank you?"

"I don't think so."

Mackenzie turns and stomps away but not mumbling a "whatever."

Keith walks up beside me, "What's her problem?"

Mackenzie disappears into the shadows as more police rush in to survey the scene. The gunman are taken care of and the hostages helped.

"I don't know but I'm going to find out."