Being a Hero

Chapter 5

Yes, this is a post in the middle of the week. How dare I. (I'm totally not doing it because this weekend's post will be the 1st new chapter since I got back into writing this story.) The song of the day is "Fight On" by Sam Tinnesz.

"It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till." -J.R.R. Tolkien

*Caitlyn's POV*

"Rainbow Crow's in West Haven?!" Everett yelled.

"That's what I just said," I replied, flinching at his volume. We were in the conference room again. After getting back from the bank incident I'd asked Aurora to call an emergency meeting to discuss the problem of Rainbow Crow's appearance.

"So, what do we do about it?" Moriah asked. Out of everyone here, she'd be the least affected by Crow's powers if it came down to a fight. Whatever metal her skin turned into, it had an insanely high melting point.

"Absolutely nothing until we have a plan," Aurora said evenly. "If we go picking a fight, we'll trigger him in a catastrophic way. If he thinks we're on to him, that'll likely do it too. Do not underestimate that man or his paranoia." The few direct confrontations Crow had had with police and supers in the past produced the worst urban fires since the Great Chicago Fire. Until someone could figure out how to actually take him down, most heroes had adopted a hands-off policy for dealing with the man who produced fire equal to the threat opposing him. Better for him to roast a non-powered mugger or lone cop than make a firestorm that consumed blocks in response to someone like Slingshot or Nova.

"You can't honestly expect us to do nothing?" John asked, appalled.

"I can, and I will. No one here is to approach Rainbow Crow. Caitlyn is incredibly lucky he's an honorable soul."

I swallowed and glanced down at the table. "Yeah, I'm not going through that part of town again without Grim and my canes."

"We should at least warn Gusan about him. He's on her turf," Connie said.

"Yes, and about those men too. They're bad news. Moriah, can you tell her next time you visit?" Aurora asked. Moriah and Anora went way back, long before either of them became heroes. Even after Anora as Gusan refused the invitation to join the team, they were still fast friends.

"Sure. I was planning to visit her next week," Moriah agreed, cheerfully.

"I-I could check up on Crow at range through his cat," I volunteered, not exactly thrilled about getting within the three-block radius my powers would need. I also didn't say where I'd gotten the idea from. The others didn't know I checked up on Ethan and Trent, and I wasn't going to volunteer that information. I didn't want to get in trouble for going behind the team's backs.

"Not a bad idea, but you're going with backup. Maybe once per week right after your recharge? That way you don't have to get as close," Aurora suggested.

I frowned slightly at the thought of having company right after getting my powers renewed. Most of the team thought I spent so much time out in the forest after a recharge because of my love for animals. It was partially that, but most of my drive was to get away from the other humans on base. It was harder to block people's emotions out right after a recharge, and there's only so much negativity one person can take. My friends' emotions varied any given day, but certain individuals had a harder time staying positive than others. If I got a say in who went with me the visits might not be half bad. "That could work," I acquiesced.