For My Sister

In Which Cole and Dana Go on a Date

He would have to remember to be more discreet next time. If there was a next time. Laying in the flaming wreckage that had quite recently been an upscale restaurant, Cole MacGrath mulled over just what had gone wrong…

…

Cole walked slowly up to the front door of Dana Mercer's apartment, located not far from his own in the Neon District of Empire City. Unfortunately for him, her brother, in all his violent overprotectiveness, had decided to follow her on her migration, leaving the battle-scarred island of Manhattan and the unpleasant memories it contained far behind both of them. For Cole though, the presence of Alex Mercer made every visit to Dana's residence feel like he was stepping into the lair of a very, very hungry lion. He had called ahead earlier to set up the excursion, finding Dana home alone for the moment, but in the hours that had intervened, Alex could have easily returned. Hesitantly, nervously straightening his light grey suit, he knocked on her door.

Moments later, to his relief, Dana opened the door, greeting him with a sweet smile that seemed specially reserved for him and him alone and welcomed him in. She'd since recovered from the emotional trauma of her capture at the hands of an infected beast nearly two months ago, and her formerly quiet and reserved personality had gradually, but noticeably, been replaced by a far, far more forward and abrasive one. She had been walking on eggshells for a while, but now she was back to what she assured him was normal for her. Still, she always seemed to tone things down for both him and Alex.

"You ready?" he asked, noting what she was wearing. It was a stylish red outfit, well enough into the realm of formalwear without being obscenely priced. Between her currently insubstantial income and the full wardrobe of clothes likely sitting, confiscated, in some police warehouse, she didn't have many options for tonight's outfit, even with Cole's tactfully offered financial help. She was still in the process of making a name for herself at the Empire City Times, that was all.

…

Some time later, the pair found themselves strolling peacefully down one of the city's many neon-lit promenades, hand in hand. As they headed for their destination, they took a small detour through the city's main park, bathed in the multi-colored glow of both the city's lights and the small lamps that marked the outline of the field of green. They passed under vine-covered pergolas and glass archways, all reflected in the pool of the vast fountain nearby. Stopping for a moment to admire the beauty, they stood under the monumental steel sculpture that marked the center of the crafted landscape. Taking deep breaths of the cool, nighttime marine air, Cole and Dana started back on the path towards the high-class area of town. Cole glanced though the crowd, and surprisingly, his customary swarm of paparazzi seemed to be elsewhere tonight. That, or they simply didn't recognize him out of his usual tracksuit. Whatever the reason, their absence convinced him that this was going to be a goo-

"Hey, Cole! Whatcha doin', man?" Zeke's drawling voice suddenly cut through the serenity of his thoughts. Cole spun to face his friend, who had somehow managed to approach them unnoticed. Despite the darkness, he was still wearing his trademark sunglasses.

"I'm on a date, Zeke," Cole replied somewhat harshly, making it clear that he wasn't invited.

"Oh… A'ight, man… that's cool… have fun I guess…" Zeke said, stepping back a bit, obviously disappointed. Cole bid him a farewell, and he and Dana continued towards the restaurant.

Once they were safely out of range, Dana asked, "He's going to follow us all the way there, isn't he?"

"Probably."

…

They arrived at their table with virtually no problems, having been seated almost immediately after walking in. Maybe it was because the establishment was unusually empty for a Saturday night. Maybe it was because the waiter recognized Cole. Either way, they were quickly looking over their menus, studying them for something appetizing. Cole sipped his glass of water slowly, doing his best not to let the liquid touch his lips, lest he shock himself by accident. Eventually, the two of them decided to be a little adventurous tonight, and Cole ordered them an exotic seafood platter.

As they sat and waited for their meal, they began to chat. Dana had just submitted an article that she felt would instantly get her boss's attention. It had better, considering all the people she had to track down in order to get the true story. Yes, one more corporate scheme uncovered. The Chummy Chicken would never recover from that kind of blow. Cole had, expectedly, been continuing to hunt down the last few remnants of the Reapers and Dust Men. Now that things had, for the most part, calmed down, though, he was starting talk of going back to being a bicycle courier, probably with the same guy he'd been working with before the blast. Being heroic and saving people was nice and all, but as Zeke put it, they were in need of "cashola." Not that his friend's selling of MacGrath-themed merchandise wasn't bringing in plenty of money, it was that he just needed a job of his own.

Before their dinner had a chance to arrive, however, Cole was finally spotted. A young woman, dressed to the nines, came over to their table and breathily asked for his autograph, but not before Dana shot her a truly venomous look. He obliged and scribbled his signature on the photograph she offered. Unfortunately, her excitement had alerted the entirety of the restaurant to who he was, and within moments, their table was swarming with fangirls. Between the camera flashes and huddled masses, he could tell that some of these people had run straight in from the street once they heard that their hero was inside. No one seemed to notice Dana… until she loudly demanded that they (hereafter referred to as whores) get the fuck away and let her and her date enjoy their goddamned dinner. Jesus.

The crowd dissipated for the moment, leaving the pair in peace as their meal was delivered, a medley of shrimp, various shellfish, lobster, and sushi. Relieved, they began to eat, savoring each morsel as they took each other in, continuing their talk

"… its nothing big, really. I've had tougher cases be-"

"COOOOOOOOLEEEE!" Zeke called out, cutting off Dana's tale mid sentence. He stormed into the restaurant, his gait wobbling characteristically as he bowled headlong towards their table. Both occupants muttered an audible "Oh, no…"

"Cole, man, there's summon' after me!" Zeke continued once he had reached the table, his face flushed from the exercise. "You gotta help me, man!"

Sighing, Cole excused himself. He was upset that they'd been so rudely interrupted, but if Zeke was indeed in danger and not just acting paranoid, he wasn't going to let him down. With his friend remaining inside the building, he ventured out into the night, sparks already flying between his fingers in anticipation of a fight. He scanned the street, but none of the few people in the area looked suspicious. Someone caught sight of his readied stance, and the sidewalks quickly cleared, the pedestrians doing their best not to get into the middle of whatever was going to happen. Everyone moved aside… except for one lone man.

The two of them instantly recognized each other the moment their eyes met. Black leather jacket, dark grey hoodie, blue jeans, and the complexion of a meth-addicted corpse that hadn't slept in weeks, there was only one man on the face of the planet who fit the description.

"Mercer," Cole growled, letting streams of electricity race up and down his arms in an open threat to the mass murderer standing across the street. Alex, however, seemed unfazed, and didn't even look his way following the initial eye contact. Instead, he leapt up into the air, disappearing from view as he shot several stories straight up. Before Cole could crane his neck to track him, he was gone, the only signs that he'd been there the cracks in the pavement where he'd taken off and the tiny splatters of blood that rained down as he glided away, evaporating almost instantly.

Cole was about to return to Dana, hoping that she hadn't minded the intrusion, or Zeke for that matter, when he heard something crash through the restaurant's skylight, followed by screams of terror. In a panic, he rushed inside, fighting against the surge of fleeing customers, ready to pull both Dana and Zeke out before things got out of hand.

Inside the establishment, chaos ruled. Tables had been overturned, and more than a few flew through the air, breaking through windows and shattering to pieces when they hit the walls. Patrons scrambled and fled in all directions, seeking a safe exit. Cole tore his attention from the scene just long enough to see Dana run out beside him, touching his shoulder for a brief instant as she passed. With the rest of the people flooding out around him, the main dining area cleared out, allowing him his first good look at the situation. Among the destruction, a telltale crater had been created under the destroyed skylight, littered with shards of glass.

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream arose from the kitchen, setting Cole's nerves on edge as he prepared to confront the threat. The doors slammed outwards, revealing one terrified Zeke Dunbar, running for his life, followed closely behind by one enraged Alex Mercer, an industrial-sized oven hefted overhead, entirely fixated on his prey.

"DUNBAR!" the superhuman creature roared, closing in. However, as the pair maneuvered through the maze of capsized tables, Zeke caught sight of his hero and made his way in his direction, calling out all the while.

"COLE! I told yah summon was afta' me! Zap 'im or sumthin'!"

Though he was still stunned at the almost comical chase scene, Cole focused on Zeke's pursuer, lining up a shot that would connect with him straight in the chest. Perplexingly, though, Alex once again quickly left the area before Cole had a chance to react, jumping up through another skylight.

"Whew! Nice goin' Cole!" Zeke said, relieved. Tired from all the sprinting he'd been doing, he rested heavily on Cole's shoulder.

"Hey, Zeke?" Cole asked, sniffing the air, "Do you smell ga-"

The world exploded around them, a vast fireball engulfing the building and blowing the two of them out the door, singed, but alive.

I have to remember to be more discreet next time.