Being a Hero

Chapter 27

The song for this chapter is "The World You Want" by Switchfoot. There is a place to start listening.

"Don't allow yourself to become hard or jaded, seek truth with a passion! You will find truth if you seek it, but you must first decide if it is really truth that you are seeking. If it is, be prepared to be found." –Tim Foreman

*Caitlyn's POV*

"So, the only migraines you've had in the last week were when you absentmindedly tried to use your powers?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, and they haven't been lasting as long as they used to either. Yesterday's wasn't more than an hour."

"That's great, Caitlyn," He said, genuinely glad. "If you keep progressing like this, you should be fine to get your powers back in a few more weeks. Are you still good on your meds, or do you think you'll need a refill?" He closed my file and set it aside, glancing at me.

Judging by his chuckle I made a face. I tried not to take the stuff unless I absolutely had to. It made me feel nauseated and fuzzy, and consequently, I still had half a bottle. "I should have plenty."

"Alright. Continue to take it easy. Pushing yourself too early can undo a lot of healing."

I winced and gave Mark a reassuring grin, thinking about Robert's scar. "Believe me, I get it."

"I think you should be fine to start driving again now—except when you take your meds, of course. Come back in two weeks unless anything changes," He said, checking his phone. A soft smile spread across his face at whatever he saw.

Restlessness beat out my curiosity, and I headed for the door. "Will do, Doctor."

I'd decided to take the bus today rather than impose on one of the others. I enjoyed the chill air anyway. A cold snap had clamped back down on the city and was refusing to let up. So much for an early spring.

A few stubborn hyacinth continued to persist, but many of the other budding and blooming plants hadn't fared as well. I wrapped my black scarf tighter around my neck and pulled one loop up over my mouth when the wind picked up. I coughed. The air burned with the stench of smoke. I froze, and my eyes widened. Fire. Rainbow Crow!

(start song)

I broke into a run before I'd finished the thought. Turning west at the next intersection, I ran towards a column of black rising above the buildings. A lot of worried whispers buzzed around me as others stood and stared.

What could have happened? Did Garm and Jade Rabbit find him? I slowed at the thought. The guys had warned me about Garm's not so subtle threats regarding me. But they didn't know what I looked like out of costume, now did they? I started running again. Bundled in my coat, scarf, and hat, they'd be hard-pressed to tell I was the same person they'd seen a few weeks ago.

And besides, I had my phone to call for help if need be. I just wanted to see what we were dealing with. I didn't plan on getting into a fight. The phoenix pendant I wore under my clothes bounced against my skin, offering me a different assurance. When I joined the team and got my first costume, Will told me about the little metal bird stitched between the layers of fabric so it was out of sight. The bird was made of solid rhodium, something he'd be able to differentiate and track by its feel in case of emergency. When my costume got an upgrade, I'd kept the little bird from that first costume as a souvenir. And after Garm's threat, I'd taken to wearing it on a chain, just in case. The others rested easier knowing I had it too.

By the time I reached the right stretch of 6th Street, I was beyond anxious. I kept a paranoid eye out for supervillains or more common criminals as I slowed to a walk. Smoke continued pouring into the sky, and there was more of it than before. I had heard multiple sirens pass me on other streets, and I briefly thought I caught a glimpse of Guardian flying that way too. I didn't call to check in though. The last thing I wanted to do was distract one of them while they were dealing with a life and death situation. The only thing I could do was maybe find Rainbow Crow and help him escape town before he lost control again. If this was him. The further I ran, the further west the fire looked.

I slowed to a stop at the mouth of Crow's alley, and the fire was still several blocks away. "Hey, you there?" I whispered, peering into the shadowed space.

The alley was empty. My heart fell. It was him then. He'd already run by the looks of it. I hated being right. I sighed and turned to head for a safer part of town and a bus stop. And nearly bumped into a stained hoodie.

"Ah! Don't do that!" I scolded, jumping back. I took a deep breath and waited for my heartbeat to slow back down.

"Sorry," Crow said gruffly. "What are you doing here?" He scanned the street as he spoke.

"I saw the smoke, and..." I trailed off as his eyes snapped back to me. There was that wary stiffness again. "I thought Garm and Jade Rabbit had found you."

The scattered patches of hairs that passed for his eyebrows drew in, and he frowned. "Who?"

I frowned back and blinked. Did he not know? Then again, I suspected he didn't get to watch the news much in his current situation. "Two supervillains. They've been kidnapping other supers in the area, even beat the local hero team."

"You know," He said, looking me over as if he'd just realized what he took for my scarf this whole time was, in fact, a ferret. When I said nothing, he seemed to relax again, if not to the extent he had before. He knew I knew who he was.

When he said nothing further, I elaborated, "Jade's some sort of martial artist, maybe special forces or something. She certainly dresses like it. And Garm can turn into a wolf or a human/wolf hybrid. He—"

"The skinwalker!" Crow interrupted me. He resumed scrutinizing the street around us as if said villain might appear at any moment.

"You've met?" I asked, mind suddenly buzzing with unanswered questions. Crow might have the key to some of them.

"Once. A lifetime ago. If he's still half as dangerous as he used to be, you'd do well to avoid him. I need to leave." He turned to walk towards another alley. Something about his bearing said the conversation was over.

If I let him go now I'd never see him again, at least in West Haven. I needed more information! Then there was the other side of the coin. Whatever harm he may have caused others, I didn't want him being taken by Garm and Jade. No one deserved that. And besides, he'd grown on me, like a certain pitt bull I knew. A memory of a scared and injured Grim snarling at my offer of help came to mind.

I held my breath for a moment, debating telling him everything I knew in the hopes it might help him elsewhere. But to do that I'd have to reveal how I knew the information. A memory of my last conversation with John rose unbidden.

It wasn't much of a decision, I found. "Yeah, running into him once was more than enough for me," I said in a hushed voice. I looked away and crossed my arms to stave off the shivers that memory brought.

Crow stopped. After a moment he jerked his head for me to follow him and started off again. I did so cautiously. I wasn't sure how well he'd take the breach of trust presented by outing myself—and my knowing his secret. He leaned back against the wall of the alley and picked up a half-full bottle of soda sitting next to a cardboard and newspaper shelter. A familiar calico lounged in a nest of papers. "Go on."

I glanced at my shoes and took a breath to start when I heard glass shatter and a feline yowl. I looked up just in time to see a broken bottle flying—inches to the right of my head. There was a yelp behind me followed closely by the clatter of a dropped firearm. Then Rainbow Crow was shoving me back towards the far end of the alley. "Go!" He yelled. The air around him rippled.

I frantically backed away, squinting against the bonfire heat. The calico darted between my feet and nearly tripped me. Halfway down the alley, I paused to lean to one side and look around Crow. My would-be attacker held his cut-up arm with one hand...a hand that was rapidly being covered in grey fur. The snarl the man made was far too familiar, and the yellow eyes that looked out from a shifting lupine face haunted my dreams. "Garm..."

The alley erupted in flames.