I dialed.

"Emergency? I'd like a special line. Independent, Arrest. Well, ... No, I can't hold actually. I've got Lung here and... Yeah, yes, that Arrest. That's right. Ye- Four minutes maybe five. Sure. ... Rockwell Street... Right, thank you."

I pushed the hang up button on my phone, that really wasn't mine at all, and looked at my captive. Lung glared at me behind his metal mask, so intensely his eyes almost seemed to shine. I had no doubt that he was trying to burn me to cinders by looks alone and, had he been able to, I would already be ashes on the wind.

But he couldn't. Not while under my power. He'd been, if you'll pardon the pun, arrested. He wasn't going anywhere, locked in place as he was. I'd never been the kind of kid who goes right up to the edge of the safety perimeter on the zoo to stick my tongue at the lions, but right now I irrationally felt like going right up to Lung's mask and going na-nana-na-naa! I wasn't going to least of all because I had no idea, nor any desire to find out, about Lung's control over his pyrokinesis even while under my power. But I still felt like it. It had to be the excitement.

My first cape arrest. Lung. I'd brought in a lot of unpowered gang members before. I'd made myself a bit of a name like that too, managing to bring in every member of an Empire versus Coil shoot-out at once. But normal guys were one thing. Capes were at a whole different level. I bit the inside of my cheek to not giggle. It wouldn't be in character for the independent hero Arrest.

Instead of taunting the dragon or laughing, I returned the surprisingly good cellphone to its owner, dropping it into his pocket. Then I patted the gangbanger on his shoulder, thanking him silently, and addressed my audience. It wasn't like they were going anywhere after all. "The Protectorate will be here any minute now." I smiled brightly under my police cap-slash-mask and tipped it down. "Gentlemen." I really hoped they did hurry up. I didn't want to have to let Lung go, but I wanted even less to be around when my power dropped. Lung ramped up in power the longer he fought and I had no idea if being under the effect of my power counted as a fight or not.

Well, it wasn't like I was going to risk it either way. I turned the corner into a very narrow alley, the very same I'd used to approach this gathering, and groped around for the fire escape. There was a limit to how far I could get before my targets unfroze. So I went up. I should be able to see everything from the rooftop and also be out of the way if the Protectorate was too late. Enough to recharge, at least. I avoided the broken glass littering the cement roof of the tenement and sat on the edge, legs dangling above the frozen criminals under me. Already I was feeling impatient, swinging a leg at each second's count.

Where was the Protectorate? I should be seeing or, at least, hearing some sign of their arrival.

As if to answer my question, a red blur stopped a few feet away from the gang member furthest away. More than a blur, it was a cloud. Like somebody had taken the lines that composed a person and multiplied them over and over, always a little bit off position. Velocity. I waved down at him and no more than three seconds later, the hero was stopping by my side.

"Arrest. How's the situation?" He spoke carefully, breathing deeply but irregularly. He was trying to hide how much he was panting. Velocity was a short, lean man, built like a runner. His costume was a very simple skintight suit, painted like a racing car. He barely even had a utility belt.

I saluted only half-mocking. "Sir. I've got Lung and two dozen of his flunkies all but gift wrapped for you." I recalled what I'd been able to gleam from the brute's little speech. "They were going to attack, kill, some other rival group. Called them the kids, children... I ambushed them. I've got them frozen for about three minutes, it won't last much longer." I really needed to buy a good, durable watch.

Velocity nodded. "Understood. I have with me a special sedative from Armsmaster tailored just for Lung. You're the only one that can interact with them while they're frozen, correct?"

I shrugged. It was a bit more complicated than that. "They don't resist when I'm the one moving them. But that's not going to work on Lung until I let him go."

Velocity snaps his head towards me with a blur. "You're sure?"

"Drugs don't work on people while my power is in effect." I had saved a guy from an overdose once. Accidentally yes, but I had.

"Can't risk it..." The superhero in red muttered. "Damn. We'll have to do it the hard way then."

I gulped and rose to my feet. "And we'll have to do it quickly," A mental strain of a sort started, like a rope stretched thin starting to fray. I knew from experience that the longer it lasted the bigger my headache would be, and that was if didn't let the rope actually break. "My power's gone into countdown."