No More Heroes
Chapter 2 – The Middle
The Downward Spiral – Goth Bar, Shreveport – Eric's POV
I leaned back in my chair in my office. Tonight had been an entertaining break in my routine. I had seen the man drag the woman into the alley and was about to follow to interrupt when I saw a cat-suited human head in the same direction. It had been worth my while holding back to see her in action. She certainly exceeded average human agility. When I got close to her she smelled sweeter than most and when she told me about her 'superpower' it made me wonder if there wasn't a smidge of the supernatural about her. She couldn't be glamoured, which was extremely rare and extremely annoying because it meant I'd need to be extra careful around her.
This Steel Magnolia was brave or, possibly, crazy as a loon. I'd already bet my blood on her being the former of those. After I'd followed her home, I considered sending her a cell phone so I could keep in contact with her. She wanted my help and my Queen had tasked me with being helpful, loved and Mr. Nice Guy. But if I sent her the phone then she would know I followed her home and her secret identity would be jeopardised. A nice guy wouldn't do that. So I would content myself with the blood tie I'd forged with her. A risky decision on my part, but no Supe worth their salt would let a telepath slip through their fingers.
In the months since I'd found out that Vampires were bound to go public in the next couple of years, I'd been making plans. The bar I owned was a good cover for my Sherriff duties and brought in a decent amount of money from the gothic and biker crowds. The pallid complexions of the patrons disguised the deathly pale faces of the vampires who came in to find a meal for the evening. The plan was to call my child, Pam, to aid with the running of a tourist trap – a Vampire theme bar that would cash in on the humans interest in us.
But tonight had put a kink in those plans; I needed someone at my side that I trusted implicitly. If I was going to win this telepath over and be able to have her use her abilities for vampires as a whole, I needed Pam and the advice and support that only my child could give me. I checked the time; the bar would be closing soon. Pulling on a shirt, I went out into the thinning crowd and looked for one of the scent marked humans that hung around. Despite vampires being shrouded in secrecy – we had to have some regular source of food. The fact that they were glamoured into returning to the bar on a regular basis gave us the advantage of having pets without actually having pets.
I supposed that that would be a positive of our revealing ourselves to all the humans. Having a wider menu would be nice. I wondered if Steel Magnolia would be open to my supernatural existence, she certainly seemed to accept the prospect of superpowers with ease. As I fed from one of Thalia's harem, I thought about how Steel Magnolia smelled and imagined what she would taste like.
Merlotte's Bar & Grille – Bon Temps – Sookie POV
The keg in front of me rolled more easily than usual. I had expected to wake up and feel sore from my exertions the night before. But I felt better than I ever had. Stronger, faster ... I even felt prettier. Sam came over to give me a hand setting it upright under the pump and I heard him sniff a few times.
"I hope you aren't coming down with a cold, Sam."
He froze next to me and refused to look me in the eye. I concentrated on his mind and got a brief snippet. He wondered why I smelled the way I did. It sure was confusing, I hadn't used any new shampoos or conditioners or shower gels to speak of. I figured I smelled the way I always smelled. Putting it to the back of my mind, I finished setting up the keg and went off to check on my tables. I'd, casually, enquired about cell phones with the people in the bar that I knew had them. They weren't cheap and I wondered how on earth I'd ever be able to afford one. That brought my mood down a little, because until I was able to contact the police and Polaris, my stints as Steel Magnolia would have to be put on hold.
There was something about wearing that mask that freed me. Last night, I would never have considered confronting that man in the alley if I hadn't had the anonymity that my mask afforded me. I didn't think about how he could hurt me, in that moment I was a super heroine and I was protecting the innocent. Just remembering it gave me goosebumps, so much so that Arlene came over and asked if I was coming down with a chill.
"No, just someone walkin' over my grave, I guess."
She leaned in and spoke softly. "Did you see in the papers? Polaris caught a rapist last night but he had help. He's got some side-kick now – Steel Magnolia. I don't wanna say too much cuz y'know how Sam gets these days."
She winked at me and wiggled off to give Rene, Jason and the rest of the road crew their lunch. On one hand, I was a little miffed at being called a side-kick. Not that I could complain about that to anyone. But on the other I was pleased as punch that my efforts had made the papers. It made me want to get out there and help more people, really show the bad guys that they didn't just have one hero to worry about. Then I remembered my cell phone situation.
Last night I'd given Gran the excuse that I was going to check out a bar with Dawn Greene, it explained both my outfit (minus the mask, belt and knives) and my coming home late. There was no way she would let me borrow money for a cell if she thought I'd frittered away some of my pay check on a night out. I'd also have to come up with a different excuse if I was going to be going out at night more often. Maybe a class or group that I'd strangely become interested in all of a sudden? I sighed; this secret identity stuff was hard. Whenever I thought I'd solved one problem another one piled on top of it.
~v~
"Sookie, don't you think you're taking this too far?" Gran pursed her lips at me over the rim of her glass of tea. "I understand the desire to have a healthy body and I held my tongue when you started all that tumbling nonsense in the yard, but a Martial Arts class? Why on earth would you need that?"
"Well, I don't need it exactly, but I want it. Not only will it teach me flexibility and self-defense but it also teaches you to focus your mind and build mental discipline ... I think, of all people, you'd understand why I'd want to have more control over my mind."
Gran sighed and nodded. "Well, it's your salary I guess. Is it the karate class that comes to the Baptist hall once a month you'll be going to?"
"Ah ... no. It's an intensive Tai Kwan Do programme in Shreveport." I bit my lip, knowing what was coming.
"Shreveport? Oh, come now, Sookie – surely there's something closer to home? That car of yours is on its last legs, what if you break down halfway along I20?"
"Um ... well ... I was hoping you might loan me the money for a cell phone, just in case something like that happens. I know you just gave Hadley the check for rehab, and if you can't afford it then that's fine but ... I never really ask you for anything."
"No, I guess you don't." Gran smiled. "In fact, you give more than anything. Helping me keep this place running, pokin' Jason when he doesn't turn up to do those odd jobs I ask him to. You help pay for the groceries and utilities." She reached over and patted my hand. "I think I can spare a little something so I can help keep you safe."
I felt awful, lying like that and to my Gran too. But how many lies did Clark Kent tell Lois lane?
Before my shift the next day, Gran and I drove to the mall in Monroe and looked at the pricing and different plans available. When I got to Merlotte's, my new cell was happily charging back at home so it would be ready for my first 'class'.
~v~
The adrenaline pumped in my veins as I gave chase, the mugger paused at a crossroads – giving me the advantage I needed. My knife let fly and caught him in the shoulder, I flipped and kicked him in the back. He fell to the sidewalk with a grunt and I straddled his back, quickly grabbing his wrists and securing them with one of the cable ties from my utility belt. I secured his ankles with another and kept my weight on him as I fished out my cell phone.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"This is Steel Magnolia, I've apprehended a mugger. You'll find him at the junction of Texas and Commerce."
I ended the call and took in my surroundings. The streets were quiet, the only other person nearby was the woman I'd saved and she was still clutching her bag in front of her and shaking.
"Are you okay Ma'am?"
As I turned my head, I saw a curl of my blonde hair had come loose from its confines. Shit.
"I ... I'm fine. You came out of nowhere – if you're Steel Magnolia, then where's Polaris?"
Her thoughts were as clear as if she'd been speaking them out loud. Rather than just give the mugger her purse, she held on for as long as she could – just to see if she would get a glimpse of Polaris and have the fame among her friends of being saved by such a handsome man.
"He's around ... but we're not joined at the hip." I tried to tuck my hair away, hoping she hadn't noticed.
Thankfully, because I really wasn't interested in making small talk with someone who would put their life in danger just to meet Polaris, a police cruiser came along. I pointed at the mugger as one of the cops got out.
"This is your mugger and that lady is the victim. See ya around fellas."
I tapped two fingers to my forehead in a salute and ran for the nearest fire escape, grabbing the bars and swinging myself upwards until I was on the roof of the building.
"Impressive." I spun to find Polaris standing before me, his arms crossed over his pale chest.
"Yeah, you were right; a cell phone makes everything easier. Are you planning on supervising all my collars tonight?"
"No, we have work to do, bigger fish to fry, as it were."
He held out his hand and I stepped toward him, his arms wrapped around me and we took off into the night sky. The city looked peaceful from above, I was too far away from the people to have their thoughts niggle at my own and Polaris remained as unreadable as he had a few nights ago. It was ... nice. A welcome reprieve that was all too short, as when we touched down the minds of the people in the building opposite raided my moment of silence.
"Why are we here and what's that smell?"
"It's a meth lab; I think that answers both of your questions." I couldn't see it, but I was sure he was smirking beneath that mask of his. "They move around, having police scanners helps them evade the authorities – but not us."
"We got company!" I turned to the voice and found a young man, barely out of his teens, a walkie-talkie at his mouth and a gun in his hand. "You freaks just put your hands behind your heads, turn around real slow and get down on your knees."
I raised my arms, ready to do as he said. I might be quick and bendy – but I sure as hell wasn't bullet proof. Polaris stayed my movements.
"I think not." Faster than my eyes could follow, he young man was on the ground and Polaris was holding the gun. "And I don't care for my lady friend being called a freak."
As the man tried to push away from Polaris, I heard doors crashing open and frantic thoughts pushing at my extra sense.
"Now we've got company! What do we do Polaris?"
I was in his arms and moving at a speed I couldn't fathom before I finished my sentence. "We wait."
"Wait? For what?"
"For them to inevitably split up and search the surrounding area for us, probably in pairs. Can you use your powers to work out how many there are and what directions they're in?"
I closed my eyes as we came to a stop between two units. My stomach churned, I'd never been too great with roller-coasters and being carried by someone who could move at super-human speeds was all too similar. "There are two on the other side of this building, at our 7 o'clock, and five down the road a little at our 10."
Polaris nodded and beckoned me to follow him. I tried to stay as silent as he did, retracing the steps his bare feet made with my tatty sneakers.
"I will disarm them and distract them, you can then assault from behind – further confusing them as to which angle the attack will be coming from." His voice was a whisper, low and threatening. I was just glad I wasn't the one being threatened.