Sightless

Chapter 1: Cloudy-Eyed

   Elektrisk scowled, fingers tingling as he surveyed the darkened city below. He'd gone through all of the trouble of causing a blackout through over half the city, and the hero hadn't even bothered to show up. The same hero who'd come running if someone was so much as speeding during rush hour. The same hero who'd lecture high schoolers on why cheating was wrong. So where the hell was he?
Lately, the hero'd been absent. Almost three weeks with no sighting of him anywhere. The public was getting all panicky, the media was making everyone panicky-er, and Elektrisk was getting fed up. He'd been pulling off schemes left and right, and still no Spekter. He didn't want to get caught, but he did want to catch the hero's attention. It was about the principle of it– It was pretty offensive when a hero ignored you entirely as if you weren't even a threat. Elektrisk was extremely threatening, thank you very much, and he deserved a little respect. Whatever, he'd go home and get something to eat; He was pretty sure he had some leftover Chinese food in the fridge. Stalking along the rooftops toward home, sirens ringing out through the streets, Elektrisk couldn't help but wonder where the hero had run off to. This wasn't like him to vanish into thin air. Spekter was a typical goodie-two-shoes, a real do-gooder who triumphed in the face of evil. Who saved puppies and babies and helped old ladies cross the street. He was not someone to take two weeks off to sit back and relax while villains overran the city, or to ignore a villain's blatant attempts to disrupt the peace. Most of the city was without power right now, streets dark and foreboding, police struggling to calm people down, and still no Spekter to help. It was weird.

It also really wasn't Elektrisk's problem.

Elektrisk climbed down the fire escape of his apartment building and yanked open the window, cursing as it stuck. He climbed inside and pulled off the mask that covered the lower half of his face, dropping it onto the floor before shuffling into the kitchen and rifling through the fridge. Okay, so there was the Chinese, but it smelt– Ah, yeah, no. He tossed that out with a grimace, grabbing a few more containers and cursing when all of them either smelt weird, looked weird, or were covered in mold. Fuck, he needed to clean out the fridge. Leaning back against the counter with a sigh, he took a moment to mentally prepare himself to go out and pick something up. First things first, he peeled off his suit and picked up his mask, taking them and packing them in the metal box under his bed, locking the padlock before slipping on a t-shirt, sweatpants, and a raggedy pair of sneakers. Peering into his bathroom mirror, he huffed at the sight; Black hair disheveled, bags under his eyes, and his face in need of a shave. It had been a tough... well... It's been tough. Grunting, Elektrisk stepped out of his apartment as Ryan Riggs, the boring, quiet, grumpy middle-aged man who was the last person you'd suspect of being a villain.

   Walking down the dark and empty streets he couldn't help but take some satisfaction in the unusual silence of the city. He felt almost calm as he made his way to the part of the city that still had power, wondering what he wanted to eat. He was kind of craving a sandwich. Up ahead there was a noise, and he paused, listening. It was silent, and then it happened again, sounding like scraping or dragging. On guard Ryan stepped forward, peeking into the mouth of the alleyway. If you asked him, he wouldn't be able to explain why he was being so curious. In this city, it was best to look the other way and keep your head down. Doing anything else tended to land you in a world of trouble. Ryan would know– most of his problems were rooted in him sticking his nose where it didn't belong. Focusing his mind, Ryan scanned the alley. In the shadows he could just make out the form of a hunched person sitting against the wall, gasping for breath. Probably a druggie, he thought, but for some reason he stayed put, waiting warily. The figure moved, tilting heavily to the left.