A/N
Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this series. I really hope!. For this series I already have everything drafted out and I know where I am going with it, seriously, you really want to stick around until the end.
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Day 1 - Outside a warehouse
"I've never asked you why you want to be a hero." Jake pops out of the blue, that's the fourth question in the past five minutes.
"I want to give people hope again, it's so easy to do, but no one ever wants to take up the burden. That's leaving out that the world is going to hell. I just want to stop the suffering, and watch us all grow old and have happy, carefree lives. In the long term, I really want to join the Justice League. There is no greater achievement." I answer honestly as I can.
"Wow... that's deep. So, how did you get your powers? You neve really gave me all the details." he continues.
"Remind me why I let you tag along." I finally snap at his ceaseless probing.
"Because my young hero, you need moral support." he deadpans, it's truly surprising how serious his face is.
"Hah... moral support." I snicker at his ridiculous excuse.
"Yes, moral support. If you spend your nights beating on gangsters, how long will it take for you to become one?" he reasons with the utmost seriousness, I might add.
"Fair enough." I sigh, satisfied with my answer, he smiles.
We both continue observing the movement of shipping goods into the rundown warehouse. Funnily enough, we are on top of a building opposite the warehouse as we can't even afford a car.
Using my relatively keen eyesight, I pick out a few odd occurences. Firstly, one of the workers hauling in the crates has an automatic rifle slung over their shoulder. Workers? Yeah right. Another out of place evidence, is that the truck they are unloading from, has no license plate. Definitely drugs or guns.
My money is on drugs.
Standing up, I check that my two grenades are placed securely on my belt and I pull my face mask up, and the hood down.
"Where are we going in?" Jake questions from behind me, judging from where the sound came from, i'm guessing he has also stood up.
"WE are going nowhere." I snarl at his suggestion.
I have no doubt he will try and follow me anyway.
"I!. I, am going to stop the illegal drug trade that is going on in that warehouse." I emphasise the me part. When Jake opens his mouth to protest, I put a finger to my lips to silence him. Staring him down as I walk backwards to the ledge, I flash a quick smile and turn around.
I jump down the building, rolling on impact with the ground to avoid any potential damage.
Sneaking around the left hand side of the building, I take care to stay in the welcoming shadows. Slowly and painstakingly ripping off a wooden section of one of the warehouse's walls, I check behind me every few creaks, paranoia about being discovered is at the peak of my no-no list.
However, I couldn't help it.
Finally ripping off the wall, I crouch and carefully tiptoe into the light filled warehouse. In the middle of the facility, five heavily muscled men were moving the crates from the truck and piling them on the cold floor. Jeez, they guys make Bane look like Plastic Man. Darting behind a group of crates to the right of the five criminals, I pull out one grenade, and take a rapid succession of deep breaths.
"Catch this, guys." I joke, as I lob the grenade into the cluster of thugs.
It takes a moment filled with utter shock at their end, before it explodes and harmless gas envelops them, clouding their vision. Silently sprinting to the group, I jump and punch one of the thugs, sending him sprawling onto the solid floor.
To my surprise the smoke cloud fades away, leaving me with four angry guys.
I'll need to fix that later.
"Can't we just talk about this?" I jokingly implore, before one of my opponents' charges straight towards me.
Bring up my knee, I smash it into his chin and take his moment of numbing pain, to smack my right forearm into his chest and use my left to crack into the bridge of his nose. The sheer speed and power of my blows, sends him catapulting into the man behind him unconscious. Whilst that criminal takes his time pushing his fallen comrade off him, I take a large step forward against the remaining two.
A smart move by them, they simultaneously attack at the same time.
One aims a kick to break my shin, whereas the other swings his right fist for my face. Grabbing the guys fist, I swap places with him, so his ally hits his knee instead. The gangster falls to the ground clutching his knee and yelping in agony. Seeing his last friend defeated, this bald thug pulls out a flip-knife and attempts to thrust it into my stomach.
Only barely pushing his blade to the right with the bottom of my left foot, I curve backwards to avoid the next slash he retaliated with. Spinning on my heels in a pivot, I catch his arm and use my hips to throw him over me, still holding his arm, I easily twist and fracture the arm.
Leaving him writhing in pain, I walk up to the man still heaving at the body trapping him. Quicker than I could anticipate, he brings up a handgun and aims it for my head. Rolling to my left, the bullet misses, but a follow up shot grazes my right shoulder.
Forgot how much that hurts.
Wincing from the pain, I literally shrug it off and advance on the shooter.
Bemused to how I dodged his bullets, he freezes and I seize the opportunity to kick the gun out of his hand.
"What's the matter? Don't feel like a tough guy without your gun?" I snark as the criminal raises his hands in surrender. "Let me guess... Deathbringers, huh?" I assume.
"You got that right, you better hope the boss doesn't find you." he responds, being rewarded by a roundhouse to the head.
Heading to the crates, I rip off the lids to reveal a multitude of weapons, ranging from rifles to grenade launchers. "Damn, I wanted it to be drugs. It's way cooler to catch drug dealers." I mutter to myself, as I file through the impressive array of weaponry.
"Wooooohhh!." A yell emergences from the main entrance to the warehouse, Jake enters with what looks like a mobilephone. He's putting this online, isn't he?. Avoiding giving Jake what he wants, I sprint out of the warehouse and climb back up the rooftop from earlier.
Justice League, here I come.
Day 2 - The Planetside bar
Spending my hard earned rest in the bar without Jake, I order my second shot of whiskey from the bartender and relax in my stool. "Footage has now been leaked from yesterday night, as the masked avenger that saved dozens of people strikes again. As seen on this footage, our local defender takes on several gang members and emerges victorious." the news anchor introduces over a video of me taking out the guys from last night.
My hand instinctively reaches for my shoulder, but finds nothing as the wound has already healed. "Right now, we are passing over to Commissioner Felix, of the DCPD." the anchor finishes, as a picture of a middle aged man with a brown yardbrush moustache and a close shaven head of hair appears.
"Thank you. First of all, I would like to tell this VIGILANTE to stop. This is not Gotham, this is not Metropolis, this is Delta City and it doesn't need a hero." he verbally spits at the camera. "Secondly, I would like to say that the men he fought are being released, as no evidence ties them to the scene. We have no idea if these men that were assualted, were actually at the warehouse with the confiscated narcotics." the Commissioner briefs matter of factly.
Evidence? There was a video, you fools... This city is so corrupt.
"Thank you for having me, but always remember that the DCPD is here to help you "advance and prosper"." he rounds off his tirade with a smile I can only presume to be fake.
I didn't pay attention to what the anchor said next, as the bar was in an uproar. People were screaming "Corrupt!" and "Greedy!" at the TV, followed by chants of "Hero! Hero! Hero!".
Even though this is an odd way to show faith in me, my spirit is boosted at seeing ordinary people back me up.
Day 2 - Alleyway patrol
Sauntering down the alley, I muse about the events of today. One thing is certain: the police are corrupt. Another is that no matter how many bad guys I take down, I need the police to detain them. My precious train of thought was shattered by the unneccssary shouting of around three lowlifes, bouncing around the corner with purses in their hands.
Bad luck to them.
Standing ready to put down the rebels, I crack my knuckles with the intention to intimidate.
"You really shouldn't have stolen them. What if it was yours and it was stolen? How would you feel?" I patronise, with a tone adults reserve for dealing with children.
"It's that guy that whacked Freddy and Ritz's group." one of the henchman points out, his voice wavering slightly.
"Well done. Brownie points to you." I state, casually striding on a collision course with the thieves. Watching me move forward, they tense and drop the bags, one of them even pulling out brass knuckles. "How 20's. I kinda like it." I comment on the unveiling of the new threat.
Before I reached the group, a blast of what looks like water crashes into the lead gangster, soaring him into the wall. The remaining two, spin around in surprise and another blast jets into one of them, hitting him square in the chest.
Without any more hesitation, I jump a few metres, until I am directly at the side of the last whimpering thug and I violently throw him into the wall, made easy by my miracle strength.
Out of the blue, a slender figure flops down from the top of the building to my right and it steps out into the bright lights coming from the neon sign on the wall. "You shouldn't have taken so long." the figure I now recognised, as an estimated 30 year old female announces.
She wears a skin tight costume that looks remarkably similar to a wetsuit, but is a bright, blue colour and includes a large collar that stands up to cover her neck. Her body is slender, with a few curves, however, I could tell that she does workout and more than likely stronger than she looks. For her feet, she wears solid boots that match the colour of her suit and her face is encased in some sort of water mask.
"Just putting their guard down." I go on the defensive, I don't feel the need to answer to critisisms from a woman I only just met.
"I'm sure your strength would have also done that." she sarcastically replies.
We are smothered by an awkward and time-wasting silence.
"You are the hero from the news, right? Tidy work." she compliments, pulling back her hair and tying it into a ponytail.
"Who are you again?" I question, not being familiar with any hero being in Delta City before me.
"Waterfall, just thought i'd help out here. My city is already protected enough. "
Waterfall, Waterfall?. My mind searches for where I know that name, it takes me a few moments, but I finally remember.
Waterfall was a hero rejected three times from joining the Justice League, she went off radar two years ago, and was never heard from again. "Might I ask who you are?" she inquires.
"Uhhh... uhhhh... uhhhh." I stumble, trying to come up with a name that at least sounds slightly heroic.
"It's not that hard. Just tell me." Waterfall interjects.
"Black Titan." I blurt out, I am shocked that it actually sounds pretty cool for something that I came up with.
"Nice. I guess i'll see you around... Titan." Waterfall winks and surfs off on a wave of floating water.
Life is good.
A/N
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, sorry if you didn't.