Next chapter! Yaaaayyy!
As usual, I only own DC Comics in my dreams. I also don't own What Makes You Beautiful, Someone Like You, The Lazy Song, Rumor Has It, or Rolling in the Deep. I do own Andy, most of the plot, etc.
TUESDAY, Nov. 15, 2011 (the same day the last chapter left off)
After retrieving Dick's suitcase, we pile inside the waiting limo.
"Hey, Alfie!" Dick exclaims upon seeing the British butler.
"Hello to you, too, Master Dick," he returns. "I assume your visit with your relatives was enjoyable?"
"Yeah." Dick's smile fades. "It was still bittersweet, though, after everything that happened." Once inside the black car, he turns to me.
"It feels like you'll never get over it, that there will always be this empty part on your heart."
I think back to those few months I had to spend in my escape pod out in the middle of space. "I know that feeling."
Only a few minutes later, Dick and I finish talking about everything we currently wanted to, so we now just sit in the limo, engulfed in an awkward silence. I want to ask Bruce if he wants to let Dick know that I found out about their "nightly activities" or if we should tell him later, and if I should keep the fact that I'm not exactly human under wraps for a while.
Nothing. To. Talk. About!
I groan in boredom. Just then, the radio controls in the back catch my eye. Grinning, I switch it on.
"-you light up my world like-" NO.
There's a soft click as I switch channels.
"-I'll find...SOMEONE LIKE YOOOOOUUUUUUUU-" ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Click.
"-I don't feel like doin' anythi-"
Click.
"-rumor has it she's-"
Click.
"-could've had it AAAAAAAALLLLL-"
"Oh my god, Adele, shut UP!" I shout at the speaker. I switch the channel again, and it starts playing "Down On Me."
"Not bad," I smirk. But as the song continues, Bruce gives me a disapproving look.
"What?" I say, spreading my arms out defensively. "Be happy we aren't listening to 'S&M' by Rihanna!"
Dick smirks.
Bruce sighs. "Kids these days."
Now, I didn't really expect the trip back to the Manor to particularly uneventful, so I probably shouldn't have been so surprised when, as the limo was held up in traffic, four cop cars zoomed past us. I turn to Bruce, then Alfred, and then Dick, who says, "Wait. She knows? Already?"
"Yeah," Bruce answers as he also glances at Alfred.
"How?" He turns to me, wide-eyed.
I massage the back of my neck nervously. "I, uh, compared their silhouettes and saw that Clark is Superman with glasses, and it didn't take too much after that."
"Dude! I- accidentally- found the Batcave! But you? You figured it out by yourself! By comparing their silhouettes!"
"Uh, yeah. All in a day's work, right? But seriously now, are we gonna do something?"
"Alfred, check the police scanner," Bruce instructs, and Alfred turns it on.
"-need backup- bank robbery on East Main Street- taken hostages-"
"Copy that-"
I turn to my guardian. "Well, Bruce?"
He frowns. "We're too far away. With this traffic, we won't be able to make it in time."
"For a human, maybe..." I trail off, raising my eyebrow.
"Absolutely not!" Alfred protests.
"And why, may I ask?"
"Because you are too young, Miss Andromeda, to do this by yourself. You don't know who you're dealing with, and you could be seriously injured."
"Definitely not as much as Bruce or Dick could be."
"What are you talking about?" Dick cut in.
"Uh, I'm not exactly human, Dick," I start. "I'll have to give you the Sparknote version later." I use my light-based abilities to camouflage myself before exiting the limo. Before I close the door I can hear my friend gasp, "Whoa!"
I crouch down to get more momentum, and then push off into the blue sky, perfectly clear if not for the few aimless puffball clouds dotted here and there. Flying to the Manor at this altitude and with this wind speed takes barely a minute. Still hidden, I hover in front of my bedroom window. I pull out the two necklaces from around my neck, selecting the titanium bead-style chain with the key to my briefcase strung on it. Now, the keys to my window's lock and the Manor's front door hang alongside it.
I quickly unlock the window and hurry inside. I find my Luxia costume and slip it on. Probably a good idea to make another, I decide. I slip on my high-tech glasses, drop my human image, and return to the skies. A moment later my iPhone buzzes in is holster on my light-blue leather utility belt.
BRUCE: I want to be able to comm. with you while you talk to Gordon.
ME: K. I'll leave my Bluetooth thingie on so u can hear.
BRUCE: Don't worry; this will count as credit for League induction
ME: :-) Now, let the ET Princess to her thing. C u in a bit.
I strap my phone back into its holster and swoop down. Maybe I should also have a warmer, back-up uniform, I realize as I pass through a wispy cloud. Not very fun, especially if you're only wearing a halter, mini-skirt, and arm gauntlets.
Now that I'm closer to the rooftops of the city, I can easily spot the bank-turned-crime-scene. The blinds are shut on all of the windows and the front door, obscuring my view into the building. The GPD are already on the scene, and a perimeter has been set up. Commissioner Gordon is waiting in front of a large crowd of spectators, talking to one of the lieutenants. I land, immediately entering my "regal state of mind" as I like to call it: official, compassionate, and respectful. I call out, and the crowd parts to make room for me to land. They quiet down as I do so, and I catch snippets of their excited whispers:
"-new hero-"
"-working with the Justice League-"
"-Batman's new partner-"
"-where is Batman-"
"-thought he didn't like metahumans in his city-"
Huh? I'd have to ask him about that later. As I think up a lie for the second-to-last one (and the last one just in case), I switch the Bluetooth in my glasses on. "Commissioner Gordon!" I call out, making my way towards him.
He turns, surprised. "Oh, you're that new hero... Luciana, is it?"
"Luxia," I correct him gently.
"Sorry. Where's Batman?" he asks.
"Broken leg." An easy lie.
"And Robin?"
"Under cover mission."
"Ah."
In my ear, I hear Bruce instruct, "Ask him for a status update on what's going on."
"I was on my patrol route when I saw the commotion. What's going on?"
"We got four robbers inside, all armed and dangerous, and they've taken thirteen hostages."
"Anything else?"
"We have reason to believe that one of the hostages is injured."
"Have they made any demands?"
"Not yet."
"Go in."
"I'm going in," I tell Gordon.
He splutters for a second. "Are you serious? How old are you?"
"I'm older than I look and what you think I am." It's the truth; I just look like a thirteen-year-old... and sometimes act like one. Okay, maybe most of the time.
"May I also remind you that I'm not exactly human? I mean, look at me!" I hold up my arm for him to see. "Look, Commissioner, if I don't do anything, more people might get hurt, they'll get away with the money, or both. I'm going in."
"Fine. But be careful."
I wink at him. "Don't worry." I turn on my heel and beeline towards the bank entrance.
"Go around the back. You'll catch them by surprise more so than just strutting in the front."
"Good idea." Returning to camouflage mode, I lift off, soaring over the roof and silently landing in the back parking lot. The robbers' large black car is parked sloppily in one of the spots. Smirking, I take out one of my alien daggers and slash all of the tires and the gasoline tank. The satisfaction turns into a grimace, though, once the horrible smell hits my sensitive nose.
I wait for a couple minutes to see if the robbers will come rushing out any time soon, but it doesn't seem likely. I walk up to the back door and find out that it's locked, so I deliver a small energy blast that knocks the doorknob off. I enter the hallway, which leads me to the main lobby where the hostages are being held. They are all huddled in the middle of the room, in plain sight. Three of the robbers, all clothed in black and carrying machine guns, are scattered around the edges of the room, keeping watch over the hostages. I use the X-ray vision in my glasses and see two more collecting money.
Eight of the hostages are men, and the other five are female. Two of them, though, are little kids- from the way the older boy is holding the slightly younger girl, it's my guess that they're siblings. I can also tell which one is their mother: her arms are wrapped protectively around both of them. One of the men is cradling his arm, where it looks like a bullet grazed him. Another two men are in nice-looking suits- the tellers, by the look of it.
My eyes blaze red with fury. How could those monsters endanger those two little kids like that? Selfish sons-of-bitches!
Since I'm still camouflaged, I openly stand up behind the desk and, as quietly as I can, I take out a pen and a small piece of scratch paper and write:
In a couple seconds, I will be using smoke pellets. The smoke won't be K-O gas, but tear gas. I will use my abilities to shield you from the robbers. I need you, as soon as I make my move, to warn the other hostages and get them out. I will distract the robbers, giving you that chance. PLEASE TRUST ME.
-Luxia, a new hero in town
Thankfully, the robbers are too busy shouting and making noise to hear me writing. When I'm done, I fold the paper in half once, use my powers to hide the note, and fly silently over the desk to give it to one of the men. Even though I'm using my powers to keep myself hidden, I still have to be careful; if one of the robbers were to look close enough, they would be able to see the shimmering outline of me. After placing the now-visible note next to his knee, I tap my chosen recipient, and he jerks in surprise. He also sees my letter.
Surreptitiously, he reads it and passes it to the others, motioning for them to be sneaky about it. Once I'm sure most of them have read the note, I reach into a pouch on my blue utility belt and pull out eight green marble-sized smoke pellets. I take a deep breath.
"Now!" I shout as I bring up a shimmering energy field around the hostages, creating a tunnel to the doorway. I throw the pellets so that two each land close to one of the three goons standing guard, and use the last two to cover the doorway that leads to the vaults. The goons shout blindly at each other through the smoke and their blurred vision, trying to figure out what's going on:
"What the hell happened?"
"Why're you asking me?"
"Because you're usually at fault for most things!"
"Shut up, both of you!"
I cackle creepily at their stupidity as, while they argue, all of the hostages run to freedom. Once I sense that they're all out safely, I drop the field.
"What the hell was that?"
"I dunno, man!"
Two pairs of footsteps running in. "What the hell is going on here?"
"We dunno!"
Since I'm immune to regular tear gas (like the kind I'm currently using) I can breathe and see perfectly. I walk up to the nearest goon, hold up my still invisible palms to his eyes, and conjure a blinding strobe light. He hollers, and the others come rushing to his aid, only to earn the same treatment. I laugh as they stumble around (I'm creepy, aren't I?). The condition is only temporary, though, so I need to act before they can.
I send blasts of energy to each of their weapons, making them too hot to hold. As they drop the guns I do a backflip, bringing my feet into two of their faces. The force of me kicking them combined with their heads hitting the hard floor knocks them out cold. I then conjure an orb of energy and fire the concussive blast at a third guy, sending him flying against the wall behind him.
I start as I'm roughly grabbed from behind. I guess the effects of the strobe light wore off quicker than I expected.
Shit.
Well, for them, anyways.
I'm thrown across the room, but I manage to levitate myself and pivot in mid-flight to stop myself before I hit the wall. I load my fists with bolts of pale blue energy and fire them at the last two goons.
"Nighty-night," I mutter as they fall backwards, unconscious. I tie them up using specially-made titanium-enhanced cord before leaving the scene. When I strut out the double doors, I see that a couple ambulances have arrived, and medics are caring for the hostages. I raise my eyebrow as the crowd starts cheering, but I do not stop; I continue heading towards the Commissioner.
"Everything has been taken care of," I report. "There was minimal damage done, and I suspect you will find the collected money inside, along with the criminals themselves."
"Well, thank you, Luxia," he says hesitantly, but I can tell he means well. "Uh, tell Batman and Robin I say hi."
I hear someone calling out from the background- Dick? "Tell him we say hi back," Bruce's voice fills my ear. "Well, from Robin, at least."
"Robin says hi back," I inform Gordon and he chuckles.
"That is one good-natured kid. I've always wondered how he got to end up working with Batman."
"Me, too," I lie, smiling. "Well, I should probably be going now. I hope to see you later. Good-bye!" I turn, waving, but as I enter the crowd, I'm suddenly swarmed by reporters and their camera crews and onlookers asking for autographs. I bend the light around me, though, so the pictures and videos taken will show me as a glowing figure instead of a crystal-blue alien girl.
"Luxia, correct?" one asks. "How does it feel to know you're making a difference in the city?"
"It feels good, I won't lie about that," I chuckle as I scribble a flamboyant "Luxia" on someone's T-shirt after she hands me a Sharpie.
"What made you want to fight crime?" a second inquires.
"The fact that there are people out there that are not able to help themselves when attacked or in danger. Sorry to cut the interview short, but I gotta get going. Places to be, people to help, you know. I'll catch you later!" I smile as I shoot up into the now sunlit afternoon sky.
Phew! So glad to get that over with. I know it was kinda weird, but I wanted her to go on her first actual solo mission and have some interaction with the Paparazzi and all that jazz. Next chapter, I'm not sure. Maybe an annual Wayne Thanksgiving Banquet/fundraiser?
Anyhoo, comments and criticism are appreciated!