The Things We Do (Under Editing)

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Jumping between rooftops is definitely not the easiest thing to do when you have a bullet hole in your shoulder, and the landings hurt like hell. Ask anyone who's tried... there are a lot around here. Why do I always pick rooftops? Why not a nice subway tunnel? Oh, right, I had other uses for those.

My mission this time wasn't a robbery or arson. No. This time my mission was more direct. My victims were planned and specific. It left a bad taste in my mouth, but I was out of options. J Tech, the biggest company in the city, thought it was so very grand, what with its soaring buildings, piles of cash, and suave poster-boys. I was going to knock them down a notch or two. I was going to kidnap the CEO's daughter.

As fancy people do, they were having a fancy party in a plaza downtown to celebrate the opening of their newest lab, and everyone knows that every good party needs a few party crashers.

I considered that the whole thing might be easier if I could have figured out how to get an invitation and so get within twenty feet of her without being noticed, but I wouldn't have even known how to forge one, much less get it legitimately. I'm also not the most convincing person ever, so getting them to just let me in was never going to happen. Instead, I went for my specialty: big and bold.

The party-goers were just lifting their glasses for a toast when the dessert table shot into the air. People screamed and jumped away from the minor blast as cakes and crêpes rained from above. Several more tables followed the first, and chaos ensued. I didn't want fire here, so instead I'd rigged compressed air tanks the same way I usually did explosives. It was quite the show, really. I fought back laughter as a pie landed on the hundred dollar hairdo of one of the guests and she shrieked. The security scanned the rooftops, but I was watching through hacked cameras, so they couldn't see me. My fun, however, was cut short by the sound of footsteps.

Nasty Mr. Shot-a-girl-in-the-back was making his way towards me, and I wasn't happy to see him. Kacie, the wonderful woman, had brought me up to date on everything that happened while I was gone, this guy included. I never had to be suspicious by asking for info on things because she willingly lectured me on all of it. Apparently the man before me had been going around taking down all the criminals that the police couldn't quite keep up with. Any lower names sent out by the school were either in jail or long gone. None felt their assignments were worth facing him. He was the real hero type, going after only those who'd hurt others and helping the "innocents". The public had taken to calling him Karma. I wanted to barf.

Now here he was, planning to stop my latest venture. How he'd gotten to my attack point so quickly, I neither knew nor cared. All I wanted was to keep him and any weapon he may have away from my person. Towards this end, I decided the show was over. It was time for the next step.

I flashed Karma my signature smile and dove off the roof without a word. He cursed behind me as I went over the edge, rushing forward in an attempt to grab me before I slipped out of reach. Had this been a movie, there would have been a close up of his hand closing just as the last of my coat slipped out of reach in slow motion. In reality it probably wasn't that dramatic, but a girl can dream.

The grappling hook attached to a rope and reel on my waist caught the end of the building and slowed my fall. I made it to the ground before the vigilante even though to cut the rope, though it wouldn't be long before he followed. I landed at the edge of the venue, but the space was small and private. My target was close at hand.

With the press of a button, even knee in the vicinity hit the ground. The guests slammed their hands over their ears and sheltered from the rain of shattered glass, as I took the opportunity to dash though the venue, scooping up the girl as I went. She was small, probably about the same age as Seth, though significantly lighter. I tried not to think about that as I tucked her fairly easily under my arm despite her struggling. Her father, Ross Gray, reached out for her, but couldn't do anything as I pulled her away. Escape was easy as no one could regain their feet. Faintly behind me, I could hear a certain detective's voice yelling after me, accompanied by a gunshot, but he was too late. I had the girl.