Superheroes, Super Problems

*15* Conscious

Of course, Boon fired one of his concussive waves in Daylon's direction, but Daylon was smart enough to grab hold of the nearest column in order to keep his balance since the wave hit only part of his outside arm. Once he did that, the building shook.

"I think we all remember the Explosion that happened in this building plus the dynamite I imploded just last week," Daylon spoke. "So I don't think that move will end too well."

"I don't care if this building falls down as long as they're out of it," Boon hissed and at the same time as he took a step, Daylon's hand angled backwards with a ninja star between his fingers. Right as he would throw it, his hand was pinned to the wall behind him in ice. In the hallway, a girl had arrived with her hair in two ponytails, dark clothing, and dark makeup enough to make her eyes pop in a way where not even a mask could make you forget them. Leighton.

"Not again..." Boon whined.

"I said I wanted to help," she said in the usual attitude she gave him. I was still at a shock that she had powers. I didn't need to be a genius to know that she was also at the amusement park to save Declan the other day...and I had yelled at her through the phone, not knowing she was in pain.

"Last time you tried that, you froze over a lake—"

"Well at least she did that to help me while you were just out for blood—" Declan interrupted his friend.

"Not to mention you let this one get away," she said, pointing a thumb at Daylon and scoffing.

"If you don't mind..." Daylon said, struggling to break his hand free, only he was smart enough to kick the board in towards it base and shove it to break it off at the top. Then, he batted the wooden board hard enough to make Leighton's head like a baseball before taking another blow at her by kicking her in her stomach. The force was so much that Leighton went flying back and the bloody board was detached from Daylon's hand. "Now where were we?"

"You're such a bastard," I named before Boon and Declan charged at the monster. Dagger, who had brandished a cutlass from his back began defending himself and I found out quickly that while Declan's powers were mainly defensive in opposite to Boon's, the pair worked well with each other. But still, Daylon was able to keep up with them both, holding off Declan while nailing as many mutilations on Boon as possible because though a titanium punch from Declan was painful, an uppercut with all the superhuman forces from Boon could possibly knock him out at the right time. But I was hoping any moment was the right time because the sooner he was out, the sooner I could get Leighton out of that situation.

Then, I felt someone tampering with my wrists. The self-caused injuries were burning more with the sudden fresh air that allowed them to breathe. I looked over my shoulder, jumping at the sound of the boys breaking through a wall first, and then saw a female hero more gorgeous than any picture or Siren sighting I had watched.

"You're good to go. Come on," she said without making eye contact with me. She stood up from the crouch, dropping handcuffs, cable ties, and rope at her feet which is what I guess I was tied up with. I watched Siren swiftly move to the opposite surrounding hallway. Boon ignored Dagger's warning with another strong sonic boom and the room shook because of it. I looked back and saw Leighton's hand float up above her abdomen as the boys fought in other areas of the building. I looked at Siren, who stood, in a simple black compression shorts and a navy, long-sleeved athletic jacket that hugged her thin body tightly. Other than the black mask that was over her eyes, you would think she was a fit athlete instead of a superhero.

But I turned my back on her in order to go after Leighton. When I got to her, I was able to throw one of her arms over my shoulder before Siren was at the other side doing the same to the remaining arm. We dragged her towards the balcony or maybe it was an unfinished quarter of the floor, and I looked over the edge to see the seven levels of air space. I felt my heart beating rapidly.

"Here," Siren told me and I was still unable to catch a glimpse of a direct gaze in her eyes because she looked down and attached a hook to the loop of my pants before adjusting two anchors around an open window frame that had its glass broken by Boon. "I'm carrying her so you're on your own and I'll see you on the ground."

She yanked on her own hook twice (however hers attached to the equipment belt she wore) to insure its hold and then impulsively jumped off the building like a professional rock climber descending down into the base. On any other circumstance I would've found a way to psych myself out, but right now I was already numb. So I turned my back towards the open air and took a step backwards.

"Leighton," I named, shaking her arm as soon as Siren laid her on the ground. "Leigh, can you hear me?"

She coughed and I was hopeful only because she wasn't dead, but then a new hollowness happened when Boon's body hurled down at the Earth, maybe fifteen yards away along with a delayed boomerang-looking weapon I assumed was Dagger's. Boon's hood was removed and he had thrown away his mask that was getting in his way. His handsome face was covered only in dark makeup, but I could tell exactly who he was. His identity only made me want to rush over and check on him, but Siren's whisper of "He's fine"—along with Boon standing out of the man-sized crater—reminded me of the girl lifting a finger to graze my hand.

My whole world was spinning. I didn't know what to do right now, even though Siren was doing all she could to apply first aid to Leighton who was out of consciousness already. But then, debris began flying off of the building as Boon's anger increased and caused him to ignore Dagger's request of stability even more. I looked up and saw giant pieces of wall and glass falling towards us and while I waited for the impact, just wishing this whole night was over. But the moment didn't come because the debris and a lone, broken off cutlass bounced around us as if we were in an invisible tent. That's when my sanity reached its breaking point.

"Thanks, Thayer," I heard Siren whisper so low that if I wasn't aching for any sound other than the smashing of landscape from Cavalier, Boon, and Dagger, I wouldn't have heard it. I looked over at Siren as she tended to Leighton, but I only removed myself from the situation. Her hair was the same honey color people assumed came from a box. Her eyes were still blue threatening to change to grey. As much as she was still a heroine, she was no longer a glamorous Siren in my eyes; she was my sister.

Suddenly, I was hearing Boon make the largest shockwave of the night before feeling the ground shake from impact. I turned my head and saw Boon back on the ground, watching up at the building as if trying to find the perfect time to intervene. But that chance wouldn't come because suddenly, Dagger and Declan were attached and launched off of the building. Boon called up to Declan just once before I saw him leap up from the ground and attach to one specific projectile before returning to the ground near us, along with another body—that one full of hate and anger. Only, Daylon's body was impaled by his own cutlass that was lodged upwards in the drywall debris.

"NO!" Declanroared before desperately tearing away from his heroic friend in order to pullDaylon's body off of the rod. He turned him over and tried administering CPRtrying to save him, but I looked over at "Siren" and realized it was probablytoo late. But by then, Boon had fell to his knees, clutching his bloody abdomenand spitting out dark liquid before falling forward and catching himself with ahand. I hoped he didn't pass out, but after Siren neared Declan and told him"You can't save him," over the sirens that started arriving, I slowly lost myown consciousness.