Michael walked out of a nearby coffee shop moments later holding a steaming hot cup of the cheapest brew they sold. He thought about sitting at one of the outdoor tables, but he didn’t feel comfortable having his mask off in public for much longer, so he walked into an alley and flew toward another roof instead. Carefully clutching his cup between his teeth. By some miracle, he landed without burning himself or spilling a drop. He sat against the wall bordering the edge and pulled his phone out again while sipping coffee.
“We bring you live to the ongoing jewelry heist where the green eagle has just arrived on the scene.”
Michael nearly choked on his drink. “Are you kidding me?” he said with exasperation. He groaned and put his phone down, letting the scene of a flying man in a green suit fighting two armed robbers play out while focusing on his coffee. “I’ll just have to stay more vigilant,” he sighed.
He sat watching for another hour after the robbery had been thwarted, but nothing was happening. Sighing, he dove back into his mental library while monitoring the news. He focused on improving his speaking and lying, knowing there would be a time soon when he would actually meet one of Raymond’s lackeys.
The pale, rotting apparition of a man appeared in his peripheral vision. Michael blinked a few times, thinking his head was playing tricks on him, but the man was still there whenever he opened his eyes. Finally accepting that this was actually happening, he turned to look at the man again. Recognition flashed across his expression.
“The owner of the mental library power,” he muttered.
The apparition turned towards him and nodded. “My… library.” He looked off in thought for a few moments and turned back to Michael. “Why… can’t… see?”
Michael deactivated the power and continued watching the apparition slowly fade. “What the hell kind of power is this mental library?” he asked, jumping to his feet. A thought came to his mind. Is the library or is it my power?
He quickly circled through his powers using each of them, but the only time he saw an apparition was while using the mental library. “Why did the vision of it not show me this?” he asked himself.
“Breaking news!”
He was pulled from his thoughts as he turned to his phone.
“The supervillain, Bloodwake, has appeared on the coastline and is quickly approaching downtown. It is advised that you–”
Michael shut the broadcast off and jumped from the roof, flying toward the coastline. He arrived to find a scene of panic spreading out into the city from a nearby beach as an older man with graying hair stood atop a stationary wave large enough to be considered a tsunami. He wore a black and red wetsuit covering everything but his neck and head. A large humanoid creature with gray skin, shark-like heads, and eyes jumped from the wave, and a scene of carnage unfolded below as they devoured anyone they could get their webbed hands on.
Michael flew toward one of the shark creatures, pursuing a beachgoer like a falling meteor. He activated the hardening power and precognition in addition to his flames. His entire body hardened into a rock-like substance, and he collided with the creature, turning it into a pile of mush. Blood covered him, and the woman he had just saved continued to scream in horror, but he had no time to dwell on it.
He boosted forward, pursuing another shark creature. With a swift twist, using his jets to spin like a top, he delivered a spinning roundhouse kick to the creature’s jaw. An audible crack resounded, and the beast flew back, its lower jaw hanging limply from its face.
The beast charged at him, and Michael delivered a full force right hook to its face. The punch had little effect as the beast continued forward, wrapping Michael with one large hand and bringing him toward its mouth. He let out a panic cry that soon turned to a nervous chuckle as the beast failed to close its broken jaw. He switched out his flame jets, and electricity danced between.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“If you’re hungry!” Michael shouted, and a ball of electric blue sparks condensed in the creature’s maw. He sent it forward, slamming into the creature’s throat.
It roared in pain, dropping Michael and falling back, its limbs spasming. Michael panted and searched the beach for his next target. What sounded like the impact of four meteors echoed out around him. He frantically looked for the cause, and his jaw went slack as he saw them.
Three members of the Crimson Accord, the world’s premier superhero team, landed on the beach, accompanied by Wonder Boy.
“About time,” a giant of a man said, cracking his neck. He was dressed in camo pants and a black tank top, and he had a camo bandana with two slots cut out for his eyes, covering the top half of his face.
Cannon! Super strength, super durability, and–The man pulled two high-caliber pistols that were closer to a small cannon from holsters attached to his belt—a large amount of firepower.
He flipped two selectors on his guns to a setting showing a skull and crossbones. He pointed the weapons at two shark creatures with a squeeze of the trigger, followed by a deafening bang. Michael couldn’t even blink before a bowling ball-sized hole opened in each creature.
“Oh yeah! This is going to be fun!” Cannon shouted with a laugh, dashing into the fray.
A woman clad in a scarlet dress and domino mask dashed into the fray, slicing a shark to ribbons with a blade that flowed like a piece of fabric.
The Red Seamstresses! Turns any fabric into a blade sharper than a razor.
Finally, a man with two large metal gauntlets dressed in a simple collared shirt and jeans walked forward. Light glinted off a pair of high-tech goggles that seemed to be zooming in on Bloodwake. He raised his hands into the air. Each gauntlet let out a puff of steam as several steel tubes emerged.
He checked his aim one last time. “Fire.” Several beams of pure plasma shot from streaking straight toward Bloodwake, forcing him to jump from atop the wave.”
Torque! Superintelligence! I heard he made the first multi-fist prototype when he was only 12!
Bloodwake elegantly landed on the ground with a bow. The sand beneath his feet suddenly turned to liquid but stilled before he was sucked in. “I see what you would call for help, Wonder boy,” he said, checking his nails. “I wouldn’t want to fight someone my power doesn’t work against either.”
Wonder Boy smiled and stood from a kneeling position. “Spot on, but let’s see if you can keep control while under pressure.”
“Hmph,” Bloodwake snorted. Side-stepping a ribbon slashing toward him. “You underestimate me. It will be your last mistake.” His limbs boggled out and turned gray as a large fin sprouted from his back, and his eyes turned black and beady, a large maw opening beneath them.
“Here we go!” Cannon roared, changing the setting on his guns to the image of a circle of stars.
He pulled the trigger repeatedly, but with a wave of his hand, a line of water shot out from the giant wave, intercepting the projectiles. The Red Seamstresses dashed in next, swinging her flowing blade. Bloodwake looked with an unimpressed expression. He caught the ribbon in his massive hand, letting it slice open. He used the blood pouring from the wound to surround the ribbon and used it to yank the seamstress forward before she knew what was happening. He opened his maw wide, but just as he was about to chomp down on the woman, he was forced to jump back as another wave of plasma shot past him.
“Think again!” Torque yelled.
Bloodwake grunted and spared a fleeting glance at the sand beneath him. He seized control when Wonder Boy finished liquifying it and surrounded the Seamstress’s head before he could harden it again. “Die!” he said in a far deeper, grinding voice. “Raahg!” He yelled as a streak of red and black slammed into him and he lost control of the liquified sand, causing it to fall away.
The Seamstress scrambled back as Michael flew around the shark man, delivering a flurry of strikes while staying out of the creature’s grasp.
Just a little more! He thought, watching his precognition of Bloodwake as it developed and changed with his attacks. There! He flew into the sky at full speed and watched as, moments later, two cannonball-sized bullets slammed into the shark man, knocking him back and sending blood and teeth flying.
Several beams of plasma shot through his legs next, causing him to collapse to the ground with a grunt of pain.
And good night! Michael fell from his position high in the sky and slammed his heel into the shark man’s head, knocking him unconscious.
The massive wave moved, but soon stopped again as Wonder Boy solidified it.
Cannon walked forward, rubbing the back of his head. “Ugh, we are going to need to get someone who can control water out here to fix this,” He turned toward Michael. “Thanks for the assist. You saved our ass.”