He ran, vaulting and flipping as he went. A smile graced his lips behind the mask, his brown eyes shining brightly. This was the way to hunt criminals, at least in his opinion. It felt good to be out of the office, out of the suit he wore almost everyday. A leather hooded jacket and black skinny jeans along with solid but comfortable boots replaced the sharp, slightly restricting clothing. No one knew he was up here, that he was working behind the scenes in the darker areas.
He paused, sitting on the corner of the top of a building. He had started as a teen, doing simple free running and stunts. Then came the power. That's where it all started. He learned to fight soon after. None of his team mates or friends knew about this. They didn't have to know. Only the moon, the stars and the city knew about him out here.
He slipped off the roof of the building, pushing off and grabbing onto the drain pipe across from him. He moved down slowly, keeping quiet on the rusty brackets that held the piping to the brick wall. He continued down until he hit a window sill that he could stand easily on. He stood there for a moment, looking over the city he loved before taking a few steps and throwing himself at the railing of the fire escape on the next building. Gently, he hauled himself over and trotted down the stairs.
He stretched out his limbs when he got to the bottom, rolling his neck. Dawn was only an hour or so away and he needed to sleep, even if it was only two hours he managed to catch. He turned and began to walk down the alley when a scream pierced the night.
'Great. Just flipping fantastic.' He thought, biting his lip behind the mask. He could just leave, carry on on his way home or...
He took off, sprinting to the opposite end of the alley and pushed off the wall, following the scream. He reached an intersection, head swiveling back and forth. Where was it coming from? The sound rebounded down the alley to his left. He sprinted, guessing he didn't have long.
A woman was huddled against a wall, screaming her head off. Her boyfriend lay next to her, a bloody hole in his forehead. A snarling man stood in front of her, gun pointed at her chest as she trembled, pleading and crying. Her purse was on the ground with the gunman snarling at her for her jewelry.
The black, masked figure darted around the corner. He kept to the shadows, out of the sight range of both the woman and the gunman. He adjusted his mask, making sure it covered the lower part of his face. The black face paint around his eyes did a good job of blending in under his hood.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped out, keeping a light tread. The gunman was still snarling and barking at the cowering woman. Neither noticed him.
He stepped up quickly, wrapping an arm around the gunman's throat. He gagged, flailing and hitting the masked man in the ribs. He grunted but kept a firm grip.
"Go..." He growled, eyes flashing as another elbow hit him in the gut. "Get to safety..."
The woman hesitated and stared for a moment before grabbing her purse and running, her high heels clacking on the cobblestones. He felt himself being thrown against a wall, his head jarring back against the concrete. He lost his hold and gasped, seeing white spots dance before his eyes. He ducked, barely missing a solid punch to the side of his head. He stumbled back, giving himself room to move. The gunman lashed out with a sloppy right hook. The masked figure stepped in, catching his arm and sweeping his feet out from under him. The gunman hit the ground with a hard thwack, his head bouncing. He raised his arm, trying to aim the gun through his blurred vision. The figure grabbed his wrist, twisting it and getting a sharp yelp as the gun fell to the ground with a clatter. He punched the unarmed man one more time, knocking him out successfully.
He stood, hearing the footsteps of people running towards him. He bit his lip. It would have to be a quick job then. He waved his hand, using the multiple shadows around him to lift the attacker and tie him up to the fire escape above them. He figured he had enough time to climb the wall and get away cleanly without many people seeing him. Little did he know a small group was closer than he thought. He commanded the shadows to wrap around the gunman securely so he wouldn't fall until he was cut down.
