The Fabric of Reality

Chapter 5 - Alliance

The impact sends me toppling to the ground, cracking my head against the concrete floor. If I hadn't been wearing my helmet, I would have died. Still, I am left with the excruciatingly painful throbbing of a headache. 

I manage to sit up, and through blurred vision I see Cobalt locked in combat with the tall man wielding the briefcase. He must have dug his way out of the rubble while I interrogated Cobalt. Guilt gnaws at my stomach. I should have made sure both men were incapacitated or secured before focusing all my attention on a new super. I could have prevented this.

My thoughts are interrupted when the man lunges forward and swings the briefcase directly towards Cobalt's rib cage. I can't help but watch, waiting to hear the sickening crack of breaking bone.

But the briefcase never makes contact. Cobalt's abdomen seems to vaporize into a silver-colored cloud, and the briefcase passes harmlessly through. The tall man loses his balance, bewildered by this turn of events. 

Cobalt doesn't waste any time. He swiftly grabs the man by the collar and effortlessly raises him overhead. The tall guy squirms and tries to escape, but Cobalt's grip is like iron. 

Cobalt raises his fist. The flesh in his arm seems to ripple, and his normal human fist is replaced with solid steel. It glitters and shines as he punches the man square in the face. I hear a sharp crack, and his nose begins gushing blood. 

From the corner of my eye, I can see movement. The man's accomplice has risen from the debris, looking enraged. He stoops down and grabs a thick wooden board, silently creeping behind Cobalt.

I steel my nerves. I can't just sit on the sidelines. I need to act. Standing up, I fight off a wave of dizziness and nausea. After a moment, I am able to focus my energy and cloak myself in invisibility. 

I quickly position myself behind the shorter, greasy man. Staying low to the ground, I swing my leg in a large arc and sweep his legs out from underneath him. He crashes to the ground, but unfortunately for me, he is able to get right back up again. He's better than he looks.

He whirls around, confusion and anger written all over his face. He will learn very quickly that it's hard to fight an invisible opponent.

Taking advantage of his confusion, I maneuver to his right and place a well-aimed kick at his side, followed by a quick jab to the throat. He doubles over, wheezing, and I take that opportunity to body-slam him to the ground.

This time, he stays down. I prepare to bind his hands and feet in order to prevent another attack. Suddenly, his hand lashes out and grabs the fabric of my cape. Startled, I attempt to pull away, but his grip is too tight.

I stomp at his hand. I can feel his fingers crack, but he won't let go. I am forced to pry his bleeding fingers from the fabric of the cape. As soon as I am free, I quickly pin his arms behind his back. It's over for him.

I turn to see Cobalt delivering the final blow to his opponent: he headbutts his enemy so powerfully that he is instantly rendered unconscious. 

Cobalt turns to where I had collapsed earlier, his eyebrows contracting with worry when he realizes I am no longer there.

Behind you, I call out with my telepathy. And I could use a little help.

Cobalt quickly strides to my side, where I still have the greasy guy pinned down. He spits at Cobalt's boots as he walks by, but a punch to the stomach easily destroys the rest of his fighting spirit.

Cobalt bounces nervously on the balls of his feet. After a minute, he turns to me and says, "What happens now? I haven't really thought this whole thing through up until this point. What exactly do you supers do after you catch the bad guys?"

Easy. We turn them in.

~~~

Five minutes later, Cobalt and I are walking down the street towards the police station. Night had fallen, and the once busy sidewalk was now deserted. 

The two criminals are slung over Cobalt's shoulder like sacks of potatoes, swaying with every step he takes. I have to admit, his super human strength can really come in handy sometimes. Especially when my headache won't allow me to telepathically communicate over long distances, so contacting the police would have been impossible in my current state.

I mindlessly swing the briefcase as we walk along, enjoying the peace and quiet of the cool night. That is, it's quiet until Cobalt starts talking again.

"I can't believe that I actually fought alongside Ethereal. I mean, this kind of thing doesn't even happen in my dreams. It's really incredible, you know? Oh, and thanks for not sending me home right away or something. You actually let me stay. I really appreciate it."

I don't even bother responding. In fact, I close my eyes and tune out Cobalt's chatter the rest of the way to the police station.

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Author's Note:

I know I said Saturday, but hey, it's only one day off. From now on, updates will be on Saturday (life permitting), I promise.

Also, I probably could have updated yesterday, but the chapter would have been short (As in 200-words short) so I also decided that each chapter of mine must be at least 800 words. Not too short, right?

As always, if you enjoyed that chapter, vote/comment! I appreciate it!

Until next time,

-B