"What can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli." –Amor Towles
Both the dagger like rays of light shining from the sun just beginning to sink below the shadowed downtown city line and the high pitched death screech of the bank alarm below me only seemed to accentuate the annoyance I felt at the appearance of a girl blocking my way off this cursed rooftop.
"Stop, you foul villain! Put the money down and surrender, or risk being burned by the Righteous Flame!"
Is this lady for real? Honestly, she'd annoy me even if she wasn't trying to stop me from robbing the bank. Every part of her, from her red boots and gloves to her armored blue suit to the white sash studded with gold stars screamed of patriotic righteousness. The cheesy line didn't help her any either. I sat and stared at her for a bit, trying to remember her name. This was a lot harder for me seeing as I had forgotten she even existed. She had just debuted two weeks ago (or was it three?) and frankly, all super heroes were the same to me.
"Are you deaf?" she demanded, the front of her full face mask scrunching up in annoyance. "I said put the money down and surrender! Or do you think you can take me?" With the re-declaration of her demand, she put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin in a cheesy display of heroic posing. Honestly. What has the world come to these days? I mean, posing before you take down a villain is great and all in the comic books, but in real life it just gives the villains time to get away. Lucky me though. If I have to fight a hero on my first gig, I'm glad it could be an incompetent one. Not that I was trying to get away just yet. Better to let the crowd thin a little bit before making my grand departure.
"Look, I'd put the money down if I could lady." I said, scratching at my chin through the ski mask I was wearing. Wearing a ski mask to a back robbery is cliché, I know, but it's cliché for a reason, you know? And it's not like a broke college student like me has a lot of resources to put to an adventure such as this.
"Oh Puh-lease" the girl drawled, flipping her hand in a whatever gesture. "What's your excuse for stealing the money, hmm? Got to build the next death ray? Pay some henchmen? Or just tired of working your boring old job accounting job?"
Ouch. So close to the truth and yet so magnificently far away at the same time. "I just can't fail." I deadpanned, switching the large duffle bag to my other shoulder. This thing was getting heavier by the second. I wonder if that was due to the natural process of carrying a bag stuffed full of cash for extended periods of time, or because my guilt was trying to catch up with me.
"Fail? Fail who? A family member? A friend? Did something happen to them?" the girl's body language became less condescending, leaning towards him as she rushed through her words and concern came to life in her vivid green eyes, the only feature peeking out from the flag carrying solder like helmet and sturdy looking blue facemask. She really was a paragon of all that was good in the world, wasn't she? Good for her. I find that kind of view point boring myself. Not that I can talk, with my aspirations.
"Not who, what. I can't fail college." I said distractedly, checking my watch. I needed to finish this conversation quickly, before Mentality finished fighting the latest villain in Grotel's Grove and found her way over. I'm pretty sure she knew what she was doing better than justice freak over here. Besides, I'm pretty sure her powers are better against mine then America's lost sweetheart...wait, "what are your powers again?"
"SERIOUSLY!?" Justice Girl shrieked, stomping her foot childishly again and seemingly missing my line about college. Thank goodness, I probably shouldn't have let that one slip. "I've been all over the news! Haven't you been paying attention!?"
"Nope." I confessed, popping the sound on the P.
The girl sighed, before lighting up like a torch. I know, America themed costume with a do good attitude makes you think she'd have super strength or flight or something, well, clichéd as an American themed costume. Not that fire wasn't an overused power or anything, it just didn't seem to fit in with the costume. Yet here she is with blue tipped flames lapping over her entire body, making me sweat under my black sweatshirt and jeans from 20 feet away.
Being a mature villain in the middle of robbing a bank, I naturally treated this display of power with the respect it deserved: I broke out laughing. Not subtle laughing either, I'm talking gut wrenching hysterical guffaws that brought me to my knees, the rough concrete of the bank ceiling digging through my jeans practically ignored. (Ow. Okay, that rock digging into my knee was definitely not ignored). With any luck, my amusement would be interpreted as diabolical by the masses below. They loved that kind of thing.
"What's so funny!?" Justice girl pouted, stomping again.
"Your whole plan here is comical!" I said through the lingering effects of my hilarity induced breakdown. "I mean, really, how exactly were you thinking of using your power here without burning the very money that you're trying to get back from me? Matter of fact, how do you use that power to stop villains at all? You don't strike me as the 'burn villains to crisp' type, you know?"
The fire shrunk down until it was barely lapping across her suit before smoke became slithering out like a pit of vipers eating away at the mice of daylight. Okay, maybe I got to work on my metaphors here, but you get the picture. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeves" she said in a voice already smug with victory.
"Huh" I said at the smoke enveloped me. Strangely enough, the smoke didn't seem to interfere with my breathing. And considering I had a literal smoke screen in front of me, it was pretty obvious what was coming. Blind your enemy and give them the one two punch, as it were. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why you don't waste time saying things like 'I've got a few tricks up my sleeves' and just punch the bad guy in the face. There's a life lesson in there somewhere.
I smirked beneath my mask (the mask, as well as the smoke, admittedly defeated some of the purpose of smirking, but I digress) before I began phasing my body, letting the blue garbed fist fly straight through the space my face was supposed to be occupying.
"Aaaackk!" I screamed as the smirk fled from my face and a grimace came to life in its place. I didn't account on the flame's still flickering on her arms. My ability to phase shit may allow me to dodge physical hits, but heat and cold still affected me. This girl was hot! You know, physically. Like, the flames she was producing were creating an extremely high temperature that hurt like the dickens. Not 'hot' in that way.
"I don't know how you did that, but you're not getting away from me!" the girl said, uncertainty clouding her former brash confidence.
"Sure I won't sweetie, sure I won't" I scrapped out, before dropping through the floor like a rock.
...
The second I made it through the roof, I quickly un-phased again to fall to the floor. I have a bad habit of floating slowly through the air otherwise. Why is it so quiet? Well, quiet besides that damn alarm blaring in my ear? I looked around the dingy small town bank, expecting screams or demands to stop in the name of the law, but the bank was strangely empty. It wasn't till I glanced behind me that it all made sense – everyone in the bank (and everyone from the surrounding buildings, from the look of it) had gathered in the street to get a glimpse of the supposed action up above, completely missing my escape. Huh. That's awfully convenient. Good thing I waited a bit, I guess.
"Maybe these three tasks won't be so bad then" I murmured to myself as I casually strolled through the wall of the bank amidst Justice Girls screaming to get back here this instant. Right, because villains always return to fighting because the hero asked them to. Maybe if you say please I'll show up already handcuffed too! I quickly walked across the ally and through the wall of the library next door, where I had been watching the news on a computer waiting for Mentality to get pulled out of town. I quickly tore the ski mask off and sat down on the floor, leaning my back against one of the bookcases. Just got to wait till the cops and America's Walking Advertisement leave, and I'm in the clear...Jeez, how did I get myself into this mess?
AN: If you happened to stumbled across my work and bothered to read this far, please leave a review and let me know what you think! This is kind of my first major writing project for myself like this, so I need the feedback! PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU, DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALL ALONE!
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P.O.W.E.R.S.
General Fiction"I want you to do villain work." William Banks had no desire to use his powers. As a matter of fact, his dream was to find a job as far away as possible from the drama and danger surrounding hero work: an accountant. However, to do so he must past...
