Bandit you're reckless, and you live much too hard
Bandit you're the joker in the deal of the cards
You're a legend to the old men, a hero to the child
Bandit, steal a ladies heart, with only a smile - The Bandit by Jerry Reed
The campfire crackled between Nemo and Raven which was possible for the chain of their shackles had enough length for Raven to keep Nemo at a distance. Sitting with her legs to her chest, she stared at the flames wondering how he built this fire with only a circle of rocks and a small black box. Her eyes shifted up. She noticed Nemo was with his chin propped up on his palm staring at the fire like her.
"Where did you get that gun from?" he asked.
"My boyfriend gave it to me."
"Gave you a gun and you didn't ever know how to use it. What an idiot?"
"He's not an idiot."
"Forgot, he's a six star general for a secret organization that kills demons. So how did you meet Mr. Dumbass?"
"He's not a dumbass."
"Prove me wrong then."
"He helped to bust some criminals that some of my friends and I had several run-ins with."
"You're a cop?"
"More like a civil servant."
"Not a cop? Figured you for undercover in the vice squad."
"What the hell was that post to mean?" she thought.
Instead of asking, she said, "He got severely wounded and passed out."
"He fainted?"
"Not exactly what I said."
"But he fainted."
"He was severely wounded."
"But still he fainted."
"Are you going to let me continue or are you going to keep making fun of him?"
"So far you're proving my point, but continue. I may still change my mind."
"Since we didn't trust him, we had to restrain him."
"Restrain him?"
"We tied him to med-ex bed."
"Med-ex bed?"
"Medical examination bed."
"Oh, and you tied him to this med ex bed."
"Yes."
"Kinky. Now I wonder who took advantage of who?"
"I'm not a whore."
"Strange that you would say that besides how less did you find out he was part of a secret organization that killed demons?"
"He told us."
"Your unresistable charms broke him down or did he just what to have sex with you?"
"That wasn't his reason."
"Wasn't? I would tell you that I'm part of an organization that kills demons just to have sex with you, too."
"Well, we confirmed it."
"This was my replacement," he thought, "They jumped onto our cases for property damage and this idiot talked about the organization. Yep, it proved to be such a good idea to let the hunters be liaisons with the superhero group."
Landing on the outer edge of perimeter of cop cars that surrounded the office building,
"How's the situation?" asked the Man of Steel.
"Same," answered Officer O'Brien, "Strange thing no ransom demands yet, Superman."
"That is strange," said Superman trying to use his x-ray vision.
"Lead must be covering the building," thought Clark since he couldn't see into the building.
Superman was about to bust into the building, but O'Brien stopped him.
"Can't let you, Superman, save the hostages," said O'Brien, "We got orders to wait for governmental experts in hostage interrogations to show up and it was added that you're not allowed to interfere."
Clark was taken back. Granted he had troubles before but that was over misunderstandings involving Luthor.
Detecting a car engine heading towards them, Superman saw it wasn't Bruce, but a speeding blue white striped Shelby Cobra GT-500 Mustang. Who ever was driving need to get their license revoked by the way they were driving? Few blocks separated Superman's distance from when it went into a spinning slid. Superman was braced for impact, but the car stopped a few inches from hitting him.
The driver side door opened and hit Superman's knees which hurt. A rayben wearing red head with batch of white over her left eye appeared from driver side.
"Hey, parking attendant take this around the block and spin it into a parking spot without a scratch," she said to the hobbled Superman.
"That's the last time you're driving, Jess," said the black fedora and duster coat wearing male.
"Come on, Rath," said Jess, "That got to give me style points."
Adjusting his satchel bag strap, "Jess, whenever you're driving it becomes an event."
"So I don't park like normal boring people."
Noticing the cop cars, "Time to get into our roles."
They headed towards the barricade of cop cars when Superman, needing answers, grabbed the young man's arm. Spinning around, his fist connected with Clark's jaw breaking it.
Grasping his jaw, Clark heard, "Help or stay the hell out of way," said the young man.
Continuing past the cop cars, they entered the building.
"Superman!"
It was Lois.
Helping him to his feet, "Who were those jerks?" she asked.
Before she got answer, "What's that?" muttered from the crowd as flashes of electricity appeared from the windows.
Running of building and yelling, "Find cover!" was the jerks. The male slid across a cop car hood as the redhead went over the trunk of the same car. The building blew up before they hit the ground.
"Where's the hostages?" asked an Officer Vanda.
"They got ate ten," answered Rath slapping dust off his hands, "Well, our jobs are done," with that they got and headed towards their car.
Noticing Superman holding his jaw, "Jaw trouble?" asked Rath.
"No, thanks to you," said Lois.
Gripping Superman's chin, he wiggled it.
"Just dislocated," remarked the young man, "Now all…," then a right cross from the red head connected to Superman's jaw, "With that solved."
They turned around and started back towards the Mustang.
"Who the hell are you?" asked Superman standing between them and the Mustang.
Pulling a card from his coat pocket, Rath placed it in Clark's hand.
"Call and never get your question answered," he said stepping to the right as Jess stepped to the left.
Opening the driver side door, "I'm driving," said Rath.
"I got the keys."
"I have spares," he remarked sliding behind the steering wheel.
"Fuck," mumbled Jess dropping her butt into the passenger seat.
Burning rubber, they left a dumbfounded Clark and Lois.
"Watched him kill an Ice Reaper."
"Didn't he behead it?"
"No, he blew it up with his guns."
"Huh?"
"He got these transmutation symbols on his gun barrels allowing him to change his ammo."
"Great, guns before skills."
"You know what transmutation symbols are, don't you?"
"Basics of alchemy."
"Well, he got unbreakable skeleton and claws."
"A wannabe. Continue trying to impress me with hype."
"Why should I? All you're doing is making fun of a great guy who saved Terra, Jinx, and me."
"How did he manage to do that without getting anybody killed?"
"He managed to turn Terra back to flesh."
"What was she previously?"
"Stone."
"Back up a bit. Was she stone or stoned?"
"No, she was stone."
"And he transmutated her back to flesh?"
"Yes."
"And he's got transmutation symbols on his gun barrels?"
"That's what I said?"
"Did he have help?"
Shifting her eyes, "Yes."
Smiling like a cat that caught the canary, "Thought so. Who helped him?"
"Edward and Alponse Elric."
"Ed and Al! Boy, he must've been desperate."
"You know Ed and Al?"
"Read about them."
"You're some expert on alchemy."
"One should be able to turn water into whiskey."
"Not exactly the ingredients he used," mumbled Raven.
"And you wonder why my opinion of your boyfriend is low," remarked Rath like he had heard her.
"You haven't met him."
"Well, you haven't improve my opinion, yet."
"Well, he helped Jinx."
"Was she turned into stone to?"
"No, she was a member of a terrorist group."
"Someone call Homeland Security. Bet like a regular James Bond, he slept with her to switch her loyalties."
"He's not that kind of guy."
"So far that's how you're painting him."
"No, it's not. You're twisting my words."
"Did he twist you pretty good?"
"I'm too tired to fight with you."
"Don't want to wrestle? Like the way your boyfriend wrestles you."
"Goodnight, Mr. Nemo."
"Story time over?" shrugging his shoulders, "Oh, well," pulling a blanket from his satchel bag, "Goodnight, Miss Roth."
Wrapping the blanket around him, he propped his satchel bag under his head.
"You don't have a spare blanket."
"Not my fault you didn't bring a blanket. Can share it?"
"Be under the same blanket with you? Rather freeze first."
"Your choice."
Peering over her knee caps, she watched the fire go out. Crawling towards circle of rocks, she stared at the black box. Touching it with her finger, it was cool not hot.
"How did he do that?" she thought picking the box up, "Where's the on switch at?"
Shaking it, then she banged it against a rock. Nothing happened.
"What kind of magic does he know?" she thought putting the box back.
Rubbing her shoulders, she got up and towards the laying Rath.
"Hey," nudging Rath's back with the tip of her foot.
No response.
Pulling her foot back, she whacked it against his back.
"Hey, jerk!"
Not even turning over.
"Yes, Miss Roth."
"I'm freezing here."
"Thought you rather freeze then share this with me."
"Then give me the blanket."
"Then I'll freeze."
"You're a guy. You're post to handle the cold."
"A petite female can't take a little chill. Not exactly I am woman hear me roar."
She noticed movement under Nemo's blanket. His hand shot out and threw something black into Raven's face. Pulling it off her face, Raven noticed it was Nemo's coat. Gritting her teeth, she put it on. It came to her ankles. Sitting across from the sleeping Nemo, Raven brought her knees to her chest. Surprisingly, it was warm. Searching the pockets, she hoped to find gloves instead she found a small black cylinder.
Studying it, she noticed a button. Pushing it, the cylinder became a bo staff.
"Just like Nightwing's," thought Raven.
Pushing the button again, it didn't return to cylinder size.
Feeling her eyelids getting heavy, "Screw this," she thought laying her head on a rock.
