The Descent

Chapter 13: Thy Kingdom Come

Friday nights had never felt better before. It wasn't just the end of school week. It had become one of the many days when I could just live in the moment, be proud of being Kick-Ass again, instead of wandering around like Hamlet's ghost father.

Upon reaching home, I inserted my key into the front door of the house, quietly. I didn't feel like waking up the whole house to my return. Especially Mindy. I had to open the door slowly, as it would creak at certain angles – might want to talk to dad about it. It was at this moment, just like on Monday, or Wednesday, that I would wish I didn't have to lock the doors before going to my room, but New York wasn't that safe – perhaps one day, when Justice Forever had done enough…

The stairs creaked, like wooden drums, as I went up the stairs and into my room. There was light underneath the door to my room, but none underneath Mindy's. Did I forget the lights again? When I opened the door, I found out that that wasn't the case. Holy Kryptonite. Mindy was inside, and still wide awake, scribbling on a piece of paper. It was already an hour past midnight, "Mandy? You should be asleep by now…"

"Dave, I can't… The nightmares…" Mindy moaned, sounding a little exhausted but still keeping up her vigil. I sat down beside her, put my arms around her. It reminded me of her medication. It was running out. They would be gone by Sunday. When I called Dr Paul about it, he said that the nightmares were a normal phase of development. Even normal kids had such anxieties. They would just need to be numbed towards it, "You kept coming back so late. I can't stand it anymore, Dave." She seemed to melt into me like an ice cube. I could even feel water, but it turns out to be her tears.

"You know, Mandy, the nightmares…" I said, trying to think of something, something that would make her go to her room and sleep on her own – it was becoming too difficult, sharing my room with my adopted sister. I must have been the only guy on Earth who does that, "They can't hurt you. They're scary, sure, but…"

"But they're really scary… I'd bleed again." Mindy was almost pleading. I couldn't really understand what her nightmares were about, but they seemed like the same kind as any other – darkness, screaming, kissing… The last being the anxiety that even I as a kid face. "Can I still sleep here with you?"

"Mandy… You can't keep sleeping in my room!" I couldn't help but to be frustrated, but I tried not to sound too much like it. I had doubts that I pulled it off pretty good. I was hoping that her gullibility didn't expire today, "that's why people have rooms, you know. Mandy, you need to be brave. It will stop soon, I promise."

"Fine." Fat chance. Mindy had grown a little mature faster than I thought she would. Struggling out of my embrace, she inched away from me, stood up with a start. She was angry again. The only thing I could be happy with was that it wasn't explosive. I stared out the window – how did it come to this again? Before I knew it, I felt a pillow whamming hard across half my face, my spectacles flying in the same direction. I scrambled to pick it up. I could barely see, but I saw and hear Mindy stomping off. Scratch that, she was just as explosive, but it was a controlled explosion. It was even worse. It was like watching Dr Robert Banner turning into The Incredible Hulk with plenty of gore and blood thrown in.

Before she crossed the room, she turned around again, just as I managed to get my glasses back on. Looking at her, I saw her – beads of tears falling, but not streams of them which was the usual. Her fists were clenched, knuckles jutting out. The same knuckles as Hit-Girl's. I couldn't help but to stare at them, to notice how jagged and tough they remained, even if the flesh around it were no longer toned. Her face was a little red, and it wasn't shame. She looked like she was holding a lot back, tears for one, but it looked like it was more than that. I was actually a little afraid. Well, I was fucking terrified that I actually stood up half-firm, backing away – thinking that I was in for it. "Mandy? Whoa- Hey…"

"You said you were sorry." I could feel her shaking, holding back an angry scream. Beads of tears were dropping, but she was holding them back admirably, "You said you won't go every day." I came forward a little. I wanted to hold her once again, show her that she was still loved as much, but she backed away just as much.

"Mandy, come on! You know how important it is for me to help people in the city." I tried reasoning with her, thinking that with her gullibility out of the way, a little rationality might make headway into her.

"What about me? I'm your sister!" Her voice was loud but shaking – the dam had broken. With that, she turned and opened the door, slammed it shut. Her footsteps trailed away, and I could hear a door slamming again.

Thinking back, Mindy was right. I'd gone overboard. My schedule with Justice Forever meant meetings, trainings and duties on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, but I'd been going elsewhere other than home with Marty on Tuesday and Thursday. Despite Colonel Stars and Stripes' pacifistic approach towards crimefighting, I'd decided to learn from my experience a little. The villains were all gun-toting crack-shots. I'd been lucky so far – either that or I had a pair of miniguns on my back. I was nearly shot before I fought Mindy as Demoness on the D'Amico Tower. Hence, I'd decided to learn a little about guns and modern warfare, and Marty readily agreed.

So on Tuesday and Thursday, we were down at a gun range offering practical lessons in gun handling, then paintball after that. We'd learnt quite a bit. Sure, we won't shoot straight sometimes… half the time, but we knew how to shoot. A little. At paintball, we had some ideas about shooting and avoiding getting shot. We were teamed up with strangers, against strangers, and we had one or two regulars on our side. They taught us a thing or two about taking cover, providing covering fire, stuff like that. It gave us confidence, even if we caused our team to lose. It gave me an edge, but Mindy was right. I knew right from the beginning that I'd be risking a relapse in her, and I fell right into that without putting up much of a fight. Worse of all, I didn't even notice.

I waited for a bit, then tried to check on Mindy. I knocked on her door. No response. I knocked again, and for a bit, there was still nothing. All kinds of things were flashing before my mind. She could be doing anything in there, anything from crying to planning my murder to hanging herself. I could no longer be sure, but then came my reply, "Go away, I don't ever want to talk to you ever again." That was what she said before, so I thought to myself: maybe we'd make up in the morning. At the same time, somewhere in the back of my skull, I couldn't help but to rule out 'twice's the charm' as a good saying.

Yet, I couldn't sleep. I was always anticipating the worse. I imagined running into her room after hearing a noise, to find her hanging on a noose. I imagined her crawling through the window, with a mask and knife to slit my throat. I imagined her in the same position as me, unable to get a wink of sleep…

The digital clock on my table chimed once. Looking around it, I saw that it was 4 o'clock. I was still afraid. I tried turning on the TV, but it helped little to nothing. It was the 2000s hour. Westlife was on MTV – little wonder, considering that they were a few years outdated, or a lifetime in pop culture terms. My eyes opened and shut, as vague memories surfaced from my younger days, slowly overpowered by recent memory.

I remember all my life

Raining down as cold as ice

shadows of a man

A face through a window

Crying in the night

The night goes into

The television blared, softened by my remote. I dropped the remote, never to be seen again. My arm felt numb. Couldn't move my legs.

Morning, just another day

Happy people pass my way

Looking in their eyes

I see a memory

I never realized

how happy you made me, oh Mandy

I was falling asleep, reality crashing into dreams, and dream invading reality. Mindy…

Well you came and you gave without taking

but I sent you away, oh Mandy

well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking

And I need you today, oh Mandy

What have I done this time what did I do again Mindy?

I'm standing on the edge of time

I´ve Walked away when love was mine

Caught up in a world of uphill climbing

The tears are in my mind

And nothing is rhyming, oh Mandy

To give those in need what they deserve Justice Forever Justice Mindy what I do who do I choose?

Well you came and you gave without taking

but I sent you away, oh Mandy

well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking

And I need you today, oh Mandy

I'm sorry so sorry Mindy I just I can't this would have been what you always wanted had you not been Mandy I need you Mindy…

Yesterday's a dream I face the morning

Crying on a breeze

the pain is calling, oh Mandy

What do I do Mindy what do I do everywhere I turn pain is calling its always calling…

Well you came and you gave without taking

but I sent you away, oh Mandy

well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking

And I need you today, oh Mandy

Mindy… What do I do?

You came and you gave without taking

but I sent you away, oh Mandy

You kissed me and stopped me from shaking

And I need you!

Mindy… Please…

Oh Mandy won't you listen to what I've got to say

Oh baby dont you let me throw it all away

Oh Mandy won't you listen to what I've got to say

and I need you today oh Mandy...

Morning…

I woke up at the same time as usual. 8 o'clock. Traces of Westlife was still whispering in my mind, but were quickly replaced by the latest song by Rihanna, who Mindy last professed to be her favourite singer, then silence as I found my remote controller again and switched the TV off. It deserved its rest.

On my way to the bathroom for my usual shower and toothpaste, I decided to poke my head into Mindy's room. I was concerned, actually worried that one of my insane midnight projections of her fate might actually be true. I knocked on the door. No response. I knocked again. My heart skipped a beat – nothing. I waited for an answer, but it didn't come like the last time, so I opened the door, and poked my head. I was dead worried, but there was no Mindy in her bedroom. Her bed was messy but empty. Mindy wasn't in bed, only Big Teddy, this huge, black teddy bear with a yellow ribbon around its neck. I'd bought it for her, for her belated 11th birthday. My heart skipped a few beats. "Mandy?" I flew into her room, checked every possible place she could be at. Under the bed, in the cabinet, but there was nothing.

"Mandy!" I checked the bathroom, but there was nothing. I even went back to check my own room… with careful discretion in case she really did decide to come at me with a knife. Nothing. I flew down the stairs, looking behind television and couches, outside. Nothing. That was when I saw her in the kitchen.

Mindy looked horrible. she was in her pyjamas, sitting down on a dining chair, her arms crossed, her eyes glaring at the bowl of cereal she prepared herself – milk had spilled all around the bowl, and there was a trail from the counter, down to the floor and up to the table, to it. The container of milk was still on the counter, collecting dew.

I would never have thought I'd say this, but those were some evil eyes on Mindy. She glared ceaselessly at her bowl of cereal, as if there was a replica of me hanging by the noose somewhere inside. Blood was coming out of her nose, dripping down her mouth, her chin and finally forming droplets that splashed on the floor. She looked pissed, extremely pissed, for the first time since she was adopted into my family. Dad wasn't at home; otherwise I would be a really dead Dave.

"Mandy?" I called out to her, but she didn't respond. She continued crossing her arms, glaring at her cereals. I was scared half to death, but I took steps towards her – I had to keep reminding myself that she was Mandy, not Mindy nor Hit-Girl nor Demoness, or at least I believe so. I had to keep reminding myself that I love her, that she was my sister, "Mandy, what happened?"

She didn't reply immediately. Then it hit me that those eyes on her head weren't evil – she was just a kid who felt disenchanted. I'd forced an image of Hit-Girl on her, just like I always did. Or did I? "You know what happened, Dave." She finally said, her body made of stone and her eyes still glaring at her bowl of cereal, like the eyes of a cobra.

"What was it about?" I sat down beside her, against my better judgement. Her hair had grown halfway to waist-length. Surprisingly, it fits her well.

"The same as last time." She replied, cold as ever.

"Oh God... I'm so sorry, Mandy." I apologised – I felt responsible. In fact, I was responsible. I certainly weren't coming up with a solution. I apologised, but it felt like my apology had no currency anymore. Mindy didn't flinch. I reached out to her, but when I touched her hair, she pushed my hand away. The blood on her face, at least, wasn't as bad as the last time. It didn't cover half her face or something – it was a stream of blood from her nostrils down her mouth, to her chin then dripping off. It wasn't much – plus Dr Paul called it normal, just as bleeding through the nose was. Still, it looked bad enough that I had to do something about it.

I walked over to the kitchen counters and grabbed a few paper towels, but when I tried to wipe the blood and tears on her face away, she tore away from my grip as she struggled against me. "NO! Go away!" She shook her head in defiance, and drops of blood splattered on the table, went into the bowl of milk and cereal, mixing in with the milk spilled on the table. I tried to approach her again, but before I could even brush her mouth with the paper towel, she pushed me hard enough that I crashed into the kitchen counter, my spine meeting a sharp edge. It hurts like nothing I was used to – it was a part of my body with proper nerves and without plates, "I said no!" She cried in rage.

She wouldn't even let me fix things, even when I really wanted to. I could feel rage building up in myself – I remembered all the things I'd done for her, things that a normal elder brother wouldn't have done. Even with me gone for an entire week, I knew I'd done more than what the average brother I heard tell about could ever do in a lifetime. The pain along my back did the rest to set me off. Before I thought things through, I stomped towards her.

Gave her a hard slap in the face.

I could hear the sound of my palm smacking her soft cheek, hard.

I regretted it in no time at all after that.

It almost appeared as if it didn't register, but moments into us freezing, she felt her struck cheek with her hand, as if reaffirming if the slap was there, then started cracking up, crying once again. Returning to her seat, she cried there, just like how she used to, before her explosive temper started. She clutched the cheek I slapped as if it was a bullet wound, though with Mindy being Mandy, it might as well be.

But at least she allowed me to wipe her face while she cried. Was this how being a father was like? It seemed a little too early for me to learn this stuff as a substitute dad of sorts, and a little too late for me to learn this stuff as an elder brother.

The next thing I knew, we were hugging and apologising to each other again, but even as I had her in my arms, I knew that things were getting tougher, especially with my superhero lifestyle on the side, dominating.

I took Mindy out for lunch as a way to make things up. I was burning through my wallet for Mindy – but dad would be pleased enough to help with that. It wasn't anything upscale – a diner, but one of the best of that sort, at least in my opinion. For lunch, we had burgers and fries. Mindy ordered hot fudge sundae for dessert. I had nothing. I didn't want to put on weight for what was to come – it sounded like Colonel Stars and Stripes' special operation was coming anytime.

"It's really good! Was it my favourite before the accident?" Mindy exclaimed after taking a bite of her dessert. Taking a good, hard look at her, I went with yes. She seemed to quiver at the taste of the hot fudge sundae, though I really had no idea if she had even tasted such a thing before, "Here, try it, Dave." She passed the long, thin spoon she was using to me. I took a bite, and the flavour exploded in my mouth. "I told you so!" It was unbelievable that anything had ever happened this morning and yesterday night. In the midst of us sharing a sundae and taking photos of the two of us with her internet-unconnected cellphone, it was hard to believe that there was any bad blood between us. Were we both bipolar cases? My life was a storm in an ocean.

"Mandy." I said after we were done with the sundae, "I want you to remember this moment. There will always be good times and bad times… so why not remember the best times?" Like in my superhero career, but that's an extreme example, and I can't tell Mindy that.

"But what about tonight? And tomorrow night?" The same question came again. Taking in a deep breath, I gave myself a few seconds to think. Better not screw things up again… But thankfully, I've had ideas on the way to the diner.

"Tell you what, I'll sit beside you, maybe read you a book until you fall asleep. Deal?" Dad had always wanted to do something like this, but with Mindy to take care of, he needed to work harder, and was hence always too tired to do much. He'd been falling asleep in the middle of things these days.

"I'd love that." She agreed readily. For a while, we sat there – it was peaceful in the diner. There weren't a lot of customers. Soon enough, Mindy fell asleep leaning against my shoulder. I followed soon afterwards. It must have been the sundae, plus a poor night's sleep.

Later that Night…

"People should get what they deserve." We were patrolling on the streets when Colonel Stars and Stripes went into teacher mode, not that it was a bad thing. We were all getting our kicks from it. It felt like being in a kung-fu movie, taking lessons from a master. I'd asked what he meant when he suggested the last part of Justice Forever's pledge: To give those in need, what they deserve! "Family living in the street deserves a hot meal. Inebriated college girl deserves to make it home safe at night."

"And a pervert? Paedophile?" He continued with a look of extreme disgust written all over his face. He must have seen a lot of them. As it turns out, his definition of those in need didn't strictly cover victims or would be victims. Borrowing a sausage from my hotdog, he dangled it next to his dog's face, "Deserves a visit from Eisenhower."

"Schpunks!" The Colonel commanded, and the Eisenhower's jaws latched onto the sausage savagely (and I was actually afraid Eisenhower would latch onto mine, so I covered my privates). With the force of discipline it did not eat the sausage until its master gave it permission to. All that training at headquarters with the dildo mannequin paid off, though I suspected that Eisenhower knew such a command long before any of us joined Colonel Stars and Stripes.

Meanwhile…

"Bowie… Constitution… Napalm…" I was writing down even more words I could remember. There were many of them, more than I could check on the dictionary. Some of them weren't even found on the dictionary, and I would worry that I was just being stupid.

It was then I heard something. It sounded like a voice, but I couldn't tell whose it was, so I walked out of my room. "Dave?" I called out, hoping that he came back early, but when I looked at my Spongebob watch, it was only 9:35.

Then there he was, on the stairs. It wasn't God in his brown jacket and sweater and jeans, but it was this man in a black suit, what looked like a knight's armour. I saw knights on books before, and he looked like that. Like God, he was walking down the stairs. I was terrified, but I followed him. I couldn't help myself. I felt drawn to him, as if he was a friend, as if I owed him something.

"Hello?" I went down the stairs after him. The living room was dark, with only the TV shining light everywhere. Daddy was asleep on the couch. He was tired from work. The man in black armour had a cape on, and I saw it billowing, flitting away down to the basement. It was just like last time. I didn't want to go down and disobey Dave and Daddy, but… The man in black armour – Was he a friend? I wanted to follow him…

This time, I went to the kitchen and took a flashlight from the kitchen. I was afraid I might see the bloody arm from the boxes again.

I went down the wooden stairs again. I expected it to creak, but it frightened me all the same. I was afraid the man in black armour wasn't as friendly as I thought he was. I held my heart and cross necklace, and said my prayer again, "My Father in Heaven, hallowed be thy name…"

I reached the foot of the stairs. The basement was a little emptier than it was. The workbench no longer had that yellow utility belt thing on it anymore. "Thy Kingdom come…"

An arm reached out from the boxes. It still scared me, even if I expected it. I shined my torchlight on it. Blood. The arm came further out. I stepped back. A head pops out, which was when I realised that the skin of this thing was pale – some parts of her weren't covered in blood. The hair on its head was snow white. Its eyes were blood red, a little dark red. "Help me!" It was a she, and she was crying for me, her arms reaching for me. I didn't know what to do. I was afraid she might hurt me.

"Please!" She was in pain. Her voice was strained. In the end, I decided to pull her out. Help her the way Dave helped me. I could soon see her chest, her other arm. She was naked, entirely. Her legs pulled through, and she slumped to the ground, and as soon as she did she curled up. She was covered in blood. She reminded me of new-born babies, like the ones I saw on my science textbook. On the ground, she shivered and I could see goosebumps , "C-cold… Please."

A box full of old clothes had tumbled over. I took a few, wanting to help her, clean her. I wasn't afraid anymore. She looked even more afraid than I was. She was crying, but I didn't know what made her cry. When I wanted to start cleaning her, she pulled away, as if I would hurt her, "Hey, it's okay, I won't…" I had to soothe her before I start.

I wiped the blood away. There was a lot of it. Where did they come from? It took a lot of dresses before I could see her snow white skin. The snow white girl seemed older than me. Her chest was larger, and she was taller than I was. Who was she?

Out in the City…

As we were patrolling, people were constantly taking videos and photos of us. For a week or two now, we dominated Youtube and photo sites. We would walk down sidewalks, delta formation, keeping right for people to pass by, this group of seven superheroes with Colonel Stars and Stripes at the head, Eisenhower by his side. We were a sensation, and it was about to get even better than that…

Up ahead was a subway station. Like the gutters spewing forth rainwater, it was always disgorging people transiting from one part of New York City to the next. This time though, the flow was even faster. People were running out, not jogging, but trying to get away from something, screaming and shouting. "Forward advance! God's intervention, tonight!" The Colonel ordered as he ran towards the subway, his dog trotting by his side. We followed him, maintaining roughly our Delta formation.

Back Home…

The snow white girl lay in a corner. I covered her up with rags, so that she would feel warm, and also so that she won't be… naked. She looked out cold, but when I got close to her again, she opened her dark red eyes. Her eyes were scary. It was as if she could read my mind with those eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked her as she stared into my eyes. How did she get here to begin with? Why was she in the basement, bloody and naked?

"I- They call me… Demoness." The red-eyed girl said. It sounded like a nasty name. She did look a little like a Demon. Yet she seemed just as innocent like me, and harmless. She looked like she was the one who was harmed instead. Demoness started crying again soon after saying her name.

"Demoness? It's fine, don't cry. You're safe here…" I felt like Dave. This time, I became the one to comfort a little girl, though she was older than me, "What happened, Demoness?" I tried to hold her, but she shrunk away from me, her face grimacing – she was crying, afraid.

"They- They killed my daddy." Demoness replied in between sobs. I was shocked by what she said.

Back Out…

There was fighting in the subway. Knives and sticks were flashing between 10 or so men who were largely black. There were one or two Hispanics, and a white. "Rivalry between the Bloods and the Crips." Colonel Stars and Stripes commented, and stopped us. The feuding gangsters were too busy with their own problems that they didn't notice the seven superheroes watching them.

"Red signs and Chicago Bulls are the Bloods, the others Crips." The Colonel explained with renewed urgency. I nodded at the new info, ready for it. The rest of the team were frozen. It was a huge step from kicking mannequins and palming thin air to taking down street gangs, "Eisenhower, stay. The rest of you, spread out and encircle, take down those outside then in."

Already, a few of the gangsters had fallen, but I saw something else amongst them, someone familiar. A jagged 8-figure mask, totally black costume. He was a fellow superhero, small framed but well-toned. I thought back as I took my position, and it occurred to me – I'd seen him on the net before, someone I dismissed as someone who didn't look like a team player. It was The Enforcer, the Punisher look-alike minus the guns and gadgets, the guy who patrols the subways exclusively. He must have tried to stop them, and failed miserably. Being a superhero meant taking on missions no matter the difficulty and cost. It seemed that The Enforcer knew that, and he could have died for it. Bound by a brotherhood of costumes, I felt inclined to help him, and quick.

Back Home…

"They- They were all res...ponsible." The Demoness struggled to put her words out. She was still shaking, but I didn't know if it was the cold anymore. How did she get here? Did she crawl through the basement windows?

"Demoness… What happened? Who's they?" I could not understand what she was describing. Yet I couldn't understand why, but it seemed familiar somehow. It felt like 'Déjà vu' – Mrs Davies called it that when I told her about things that felt familiar but weren't.

"I'm a-alone now because of them." The Demoness was still shaking. I could see her trying not to chatter her teeth. She was shaking so hard – she seemed so weak and afraid. I felt sorry for her.

"De-Demoness? You're not alone anymore. I'm here." I said. Somehow, it felt like I sounded different. My head felt a little dizzy, heavy. I reached for her hand, and this time, she did not shrink away from me. I was a little afraid of her and myself, so I didn't do it quick. When I finally touched her snow white hand and held it, it felt cold and soft. Her hand was weak. I could barely feel it closing in around mine.

"Good." For the first time, she smiled. I saw her face clearly even though it was dark. Dave said that our eyes were like that when we stayed in the dark for some time. I saw the corner of her lips and eyes curling up. I felt happy for her that she could still smile, but at the same time, she was scaring me. The grip of her hand tightened. I felt my own hand tighten around my necklace.

Back out…

We started pulling gangsters back, Bloods or Crips, it matters little. It became a 3-way battle, but with the criminals divided and weakening each other, it was surprisingly easy. With a baton, I snatched one of them by the neck and pulled him back, tripping him – he fell back first, and with my free hand, I drew a taser and shocked him. It was easier that way.

Around the other end, Marty was timid at first, but eventually he dived in – not the best way to start things – and rammed one of them; a Crips in rapper style clothes, against the wall, pinning him there. The Latino guy was stuck, his knife dangling uselessly by his side. The shield was huge enough to immobilize him, but Marty was stuck too, as he looked like he didn't know what to do then.

A huge fellow with a Chicago Bulls basketball jersey drew an old looking pistol from the back of his pants, pointed it right at Colonel Stars and Stripes' forehead, right between the eyes, about to fire but the Colonel nonchalantly snatched his gunhand by the wrist, pushed it up before he fired. It went overhead, poking a hole in the ceiling. He jammed his axe handle into the huge Bloods member's stomach, then just below the lungs, and gave him a headbutt and arm-twisted him, forcing him to drop his old pistol.

"Battleguy, look out!" I shouted. Another Crips was coming at him, about to try to free his gang friend. Luckily, the husband half of Remembering Tommy was on the case – his golf club idea was rejected, but he brought a whole bag of them, which the Colonel let slip. He had two in his hands, and he swung them sideways at the Crips gang member. One of them ended up in his face and the other in the chest. He fell flat quickly.

"Thanks!" Marty shouted back, as he was still considering what to do with the gangster he pinned down. Eventually, he decided to ram the Crips member against the wall repeatedly, and eventually he went out cold. It was the most unconventional thing I had ever seen, but for a Captain America without superhuman powers, it was good enough.

In the meantime, Nightbitch and Doctor Gravity was kicking ass – their long polearms were ideal for the situation. They were painful, but won't kill. They gave good reach, so they were covered. I saw Nightbitch tripping one of them before knocking him out with a stick to the face, and Doctor Gravity pummeling one into submission. Out of the corner of my eyes, Insectman was having the time of his life shocking another gang member, proving that his contraption works on the field – and it wasn't his first time since the fight started.

One of them tried to run away, probably to call more people in, but I spotted him quickly, dropped my right baton for my right taser, and shot him a pair of probes in the back. He fell flat on the ground, convulsing as if having a fit. "Well done!" I heard the Colonel praising me – he was long done with the huge Bloods member wielding a pistol, and was beating back down a gang member who tried to get up again.

Back Home…

"What's your name?" Demoness asked. She was no longer shaking, or as afraid. She had calmed down a bit.

"Oh… M-my name is Mandy Lizoo- Lizewski…" I said, my heart beating fast. I was sitting beside her, still holding her hand. It was tightening more and more. I was a little afraid. It was scared she might not let go. She looked familiar, and she looked dangerous.

"But are you sure that's your name?" It was an odd question from this snow white girl – We'd just met, and yet she was acting as if she knew me very well.

"Yes!" I replied confidently, and I felt a bit stung. Why would she ask such a thing? Yet, when I thought about my name, it felt… weightless or shallow. It felt like it didn't fit at all. Was I thinking too much? I had never thought about it this way before, and yet it was my name. Dave told me my name, "No… Yes." I didn't feel as confident anymore. But I didn't want to lose to her.

I could feel her holding my hand tight. She was scaring me! I tried to pull my hand away, but it was too tight. "Let go of me!" I cried, and I pulled harder, but she was stronger than me. I tried to stand up, but she pulled me back down. I landed on my knees. It hurts! Demoness leaned forward, the rags I piled on top of her falling off, revealing her bare chest. I pulled, but I couldn't get away.

"I need a favour from you, darling dear!" She snarled. I was crying. It seemed like she was going to hurt me, or do something to me. I felt her other hand around my throat, and she leaned in closer. I could see her red eyes so clearly. Her face got closer.

Then there was smoke. I smelt smoke coming in from behind me. It smelt like something was burning. There was a flash of yellow light, and it must have scared Demoness, because she fell back, and finally let go of me. Because I was pulling myself away from her hard, I fell on my bum, and had to crawl away from her. I crawled towards the yellow light and smoke, but the light went out quickly.

My hands felt weird, and when I looked at them, I saw that they were shaking, as if I was holding a knife. A familiar feeling went down my nose, nostrils and mouth. I was bleeding again.

Back Out…

Even when we'd beaten everyone into submission, it was difficult to secure them once and for all. There were so many of them, and only 7 of us, 3 of whom (namely Remembering Tommy and Marty) didn't bring any restraining devices whatsoever. It took time to handcuff (Me, Nightbitch and Insectman had cuffs) or zip tie them all.

Every once in a while, one or two of them would try to get up and fight or run again. Nightbitch had to drive her heel down on one, which reminded me awkwardly of a dominatrix, before handcuffing him. Marty was consistently ramming back down gangsters. Remembering Tommy had to tackle a runner down before flooring him again. We ran out of handcuffs after 6 gangsters.

One guy took the opportunity to grab the pistol the huge Bloods member dropped and actually took aim at me and fired, but the Colonel drove his booted foot down on his arm quickly. He missed. "The next loser who tries anything funny… Eisenhower! At the ready!"

Colonel Stars and Stripe's dog was a good crowd controller. We worked quickly to zip tie the rest. Somehow, the last guy we were supposed to zip tie did not get the hint, and took off as fast as he could for the stairs leading out. "Eisenhower, Schpunks!" The Colonel ordered without even looking as he was zip tying another gangster.

The last escapee wasn't huge. Cue Eisenhower pouncing on him, and when he was down, the dog lunged at his privates. We didn't have any problems after that.

Back Home…

When I turned to see what was making the yellow light, I saw him again, the knight in black armour. Smoke was coming off him, and I could see from around his mouth that he was burnt. I could smell cooked meat. Yet he was standing there. If I was burnt, I knew I would be crying and screaming and kicking, but he wasn't even crying in pain.

As I looked at him, I saw his mouth opening and closing, like he was whispering something, saying something to me. But I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear anything he said at all. I felt the sudden need to hear what he had to say, but I couldn't. I came up with the idea of reading his lips, but I couldn't make anything out.

When I turned around in fear that Demoness might try to grab me again, I saw that she was suddenly gone, missing, as if she was never there in the first place. The rags I used to clean her were no longer red, and the rags I threw on top of her were all on the floor, in a pile.

I turned back around to see the knight in black armour again, but he was gone too. I was utterly confused – I wanted to hear him speak. I felt it suddenly so, so much, and I felt sad all of a sudden. What if I could never hear him speak again? I was utterly confused.

I went back up the wooden stairs, to the living room, as I wiped away the blood on my face. I felt very sad all of the sudden. It felt as if I had lost something, as if I had lost a lot, and yet I didn't know what I've lost. I didn't know what was missing.

Back Out…

The police arrived shortly after we were done, started taking over from us. We were commended for our efforts, and I felt like it was well deserved, considering that I was nearly shot again, and we were all bruised one way or the other. At least no one was really hurt – the merits of being in a superhero team were immediately obvious. Alone, we break easily and together we were unshakeable. If even Superman or the Green Lantern needs a Justice League, why not us?

All around, camera flashes and cheers were going off. Chances were, we'd already become a bigger hit than we were ever before within the minute. It seemed impossible, but it also means we were expanding our realm, going where no real life superheroes had gone before.

We pulled The Enforcer to the side. As it turns out, he was alive, but badly beaten. It reminded me of an idea me and Marty had – taking up First Aid training. Luckily for us, Colonel Stars and Stripes knew quite a bit about it. "Even the bad guys knew the value of first aid. I know a thing or two, both from instructors and… experience." He said as he palpitated the Enforcer, his arms and legs, "God's intervention indeed. No broken bones, not even a concussion. You're a tough nut, buddy."

We gained a new member instantly. He signed up on the spot.

Later…

"Good job." The Colonel said to Doctor Gravity before the white atom took his leave. He'd decided that the team should be dismissed a little earlier due to the encounter with the Bloods and the Crips. It was a pragmatic decision – even I was a little shaken. It had been a long time since I'd walked up to such a large crowd – in fact, I'd never walked up to such a large crowd. It was due to my membership in Justice Forever that I wasn't swimming with the fishes.

In the meantime, I was saying goodnight to Remembering Tommy, who were just coming up from the Subway, having volunteered to be our custodian and saw the Enforcer to the next train, giving him all the information a new member needs.

"Goodnight, Colonel." I wished the leader of Justice Forever. I bowed a little unconsciously – I had that much respect for him. He certainly wasn't a pushover in a real fight – he certainly knew his stuff. His resume wasn't faked like Marty's old one was, "Thanks for everything."

"No, son, thank you." He offered in return, his eyes straight into mine, intense. I could barely meet his gaze, that purposeful look you get from a man of vision. It was high-level stuff, "You showed us that every man could make a difference. Without Kick-Ass, none of us would be here."

"That's from the heart." He admitted with the stars-end of his axe handle on his chest, as if taking an oath or pledge, "Don't let it go to your head." I smiled – by this time, nothing could. I was still on the lookout for them, to spot any mistakes they might make that I had made before.

When the Colonel was gone, there was only me and Nightbitch left outside the Subway station entrance. We decided to celebrate at the nearest public restroom, to consummate our mutual interest in each other. I just wish we didn't have to leave our masks on.