The Power Patrol face off with a dark, menacing new vigilante on the streets of Maretropolis. But can they defeat a foe who knows their weaknesses better than they know them themselves?
The Power Patrol- Mistress Mare-velous, Saddle Rager, the Masked Matter-Horn, Zapp, Radiance, and Fili-Second- have defended the streets of Maretropolis from evildoers for many years now. But now, a vigilante prowls the streets of their fair city at night, bringing with him his own brutal version of justice: the dark, menacing Nighthawk. The Power Patrol vow to bring this vigilante to justice, but how can they hope to defeat a foe who knows all their skills and weakness better than they know them themselves?
“HELP!” the woman screamed. “SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!”
“Oh shut it, girlie!” the thug called back. “Ain’t no one comin’ ta help ya!” He looked back to his partner. “What’s taking ya so long?”
A second thug was searching through the woman’s bag. “I’m looking, but I can’t find the list anywhere!”
“Oh, you worthless- Let me do it!” He stomped up the girl, aiming his gun at her stomach. “Listen: we know ya work for the shipping company down by the docks. We know that there’s a ship comin’ in that’s bringin’ paintings to the art museum. And we know there’s a manifest with a list of all the paintings onboard. So where is it?”
“I- I don’t…” the girl stammered.
The thug brought up his gun and pressed it against the girl’s forehead. “I’m not the kinda guy ya wanna be lyin’ to. Give. Us. The manifest.” With each word, he jabbed the gun against her forehead for emphasis.
But then, from the darkness, a voice spoke. It was a deep voice, one that seemed to come from every direction at once:
“Put the gun down and step away from the girl.”
Both thugs looked around, but couldn’t see where the voice had come from. Still, the thug with the gun stepped forward and said out to the empty alleyway, “Why don’t ya mind yer own business before ya get hurt.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” the voice replied.
The first thug looked, but still couldn’t see anything. “What’re you, a cop?”
“No.” The voice suddenly came from right next to him. “I’mworse.”
The thug whirled around, and found himself face-to-face with a black-clad man glaring directly at him. He aimed his gun, but the dark man seized his wrist in one hand, and drove his other hand into the thug’s elbow.
There was a sickening snap as the thug’s elbow was forced to bend in the wrong direction.
The thug fell to his knees, the gun slipping from his grasp, and let out an ear-shattering scream. But his screams were silenced when the dark man pulled back his knee and slammed it into the thug’s face, instantly knocking him unconscious.
The other thug shoved the woman away and pulled out a knife, before charging the dark man. The dark man evaded his swing easily, before pulling back his fist and burying it deep in the thug’s gut. He doubled over, gasping for breath, until the dark man’s leg kicked out and knocked his feet out from under him.
Before he could rise, a boot suddenly pressed down on the thug’s face, pinning him to the ground.
“Who are you?” the thug gasped. “You’re not like those other costumed freaks!”
“I don’t answer to you,” the dark man snapped. “But you will answer to me: Where is Hood-Rat?”
“You think I’m stupid or something? Hood-Rat’ll kill me if I told you anything!”
The dark man pressed down on the second thug’s throat. “You should be more worried about the man who can crush your larynx with a few more pounds of pressure. Now where is he!?”
“Alright alright! He’s hiding out in the docks! Warehouse number six! He’s gonna rob that ship that’s bringing in all those paintings to the museum!”
“If you’re lying, I’ll find you.” The dark man lifted up his foot… before he dropped his knee down on the thug’s head, knocking him out as well. He then looked up at the woman.
She stumbled back when his eyes fell on her. “Please…” she began, “…I don’t want any trouble…”
The dark man said nothing. Instead, he pulled a gun-shaped object from his belt. She flinched, but he aimed it upwards and fired. A cable shot out from its barrel, and a moment later he was suddenly pulled up into the darkness, and out of sight.
For a moment, the woman could only stare after him. Then, her attention fell on the motionless thugs before her. “…Did… that really just happen?” she asked.
The Peerless Power Patrol in: Terror of the Nighthawk! By: Silent_Witness Issue 1: Vigilante Justice
A single girl with long brown hair climbed down the stairs of the abandoned subway station on South 5th Street. She was clad in heavy, unseasonable clothes for the time of year, but she was otherwise so unremarkable that she caught nobody’s attention. She passed through the open gate at the base of the steps, ignoring the various “Keep Out” signs, and carefully stepped over the various pieces of litter as she made her way deeper into the station.
As she walked, she soon came across something that certainly wasn’t in the original station plans- a massive wall of solid steel that completely blocked off the tunnel. She pressed her hand against a small black surface mounted on the wall- it lit up briefly in a green light, before a section of the wall slid open. The girl quickly stepped inside, the doorway sliding closed behind her.
The subway platform beyond the wall was much brighter than the tunnel leading to it. One wall of the station was completely dominated by computer monitors and wires, all connected to a single large console. The rest of the station was filled with various pieces of furniture: tables, couches, bookshelves, even a few beds, separated by short walls. Fili-Second said that the furniture gave their base a more “homely” feel.
The brown-haired girl began to remove her clothes, revealing that she wore a green bodysuit underneath. But as she undressed, a woman’s voice said to her, “You’re late, Saddle Rager.” Saddle Rager looked over to the voice’s source- a masked woman with blue hair, wearing a red and green bodysuit. A lasso and various pouches hung from her belt. She sat at a nearby table, reading a newspaper. Sitting at the table with her were two other women wearing dark blue costumes: one wore a distinct pair of amethyst-encrusted bracelets, while the other wore a necklace with a golden, lightning bolt-shaped pendant.
“I’m sorry, Mare-velous,” Saddle Rager replied, as she tied her mask over her eyes. “The bus was late, so I had to walk.”
“Don’t worry about it, Rage,” Zapp replied. She held up a donut. “Donut?”
“No, thank you.” Saddle Rager looked around the station. “…Where’re Matter-Horn and Fili-Second?”
“Matter-Horn got called to investigate a crime scene in Downtown,” Radiance replied. “And Fili-Second went with her. The rest of us are on standby unless we get called out, or until Matter-Horn returns.”
“Oh…” Saddle Rager looked around again. “Where’s Hum Drum?”
“He went on vacation in Grand Neighman, remember?” Zapp replied. “He said he won’t be back for a couple weeks.”
“Good,” Mare-velous said. “No offense to Hum Drum, but it’ll be nice to get things done without having to worry about him mucking everything up.”
“Well you don’t have to be so blunt about it,” Radiance protested.
At that moment, a voice echoed from within one of the train tunnels, “We’re back!” A purple and white streak shot into the room, stopping in front of the table. Her suit was covered in purple arrows, and a long lock of orange hair stuck out from underneath, swept back from all the running she did. “Hey Saddle Rager!” Fili-Second said cheerfully. “You finally made it.”
A moment later, another person emerged from the tunnel. This person wore a dark red bodysuit with a light blue chest- on her head, she wore a pair of goggles, and above them rested a short, metallic horn. “We’ve finished our investigation,” the Masked Matter-Horn said.
“So what happened?” Zapp asked.
“Our mystery vigilante struck again,” Matter-Horn replied. “Gather around the computer, and I’ll show you the evidence I gathered.”
The others crossed the room and gathered in front of the computer. When they were in place, Matter-Horn plugged a small card into the console- at once, a map of Maretropolis appeared onscreen, before zooming in on a section of Downtown. A red dot appeared between two buildings, and Matter-Horn pointed to it.
“At around 11:00 P.M. last night, two armed suspects attempted to rob an employee of Global Shipping in this alley, just a few blocks away from their company headquarters in Downtown. Then, our vigilante swooped in and pummeled the suspects senseless. He interrogated one for the location of Hood-Rat, before knocking him unconscious and fleeing the scene.”
“Hood-Rat?” Zapp asked. “Why’s Nighthawk going after Hood-Rat?”
“According to the eyewitness’s statement, the thug said Hood-Rat is planning a heist: the robbery of a ship carrying a number of paintings to be delivered to the Maretropolis Museum of Arts. The ship will drop anchor at the docks two nights from now.”
Matter-Horn took a breath. “…There was other evidence as well: we found another logo at the crime scene, just like the last three.” A picture appeared on-screen, displaying a logo- a sharp, angular bird. “I haven’t run an analysis yet, but it appears to be made from the same waterproof resin as the others, so it doesn’t appear to be a copycat. And, we have this.”
Another photo appeared onscreen. This one showed a man clad in a suit of grey and black, with red accents. He wore a cape, and a most peculiar mask- it jutted out slightly and hooked back, greatly resembling the beak of some bird of prey. The vigilante stood over a thug, grinding a boot into his face.
“A picture?” Saddle Rager asked.
“Our eyewitness snapped it while he was interrogating one of the suspects,” Matter-Horn continued.
“You know, I kind of expected him to be taller,” Radiance said.
Mare-velous shushed Radiance as Matter-Horn began to speak again: “This is the first clear image anyone has ever captured of our vigilante. Now that we know what he looks like, it’ll make tracking him- and bringing him down- that much easier.”
“Uh… Matter-Horn? Aren’t we vigilantes too?” Fili-Second asked.
Matter-Horn glared. “No. We work with the police. This ‘Nighthawk’ is no better than the criminals he fights. And one way or another, we’re taking him down.” Matter-Horn looked back to the computer. “And I know exactly how to do it.”
“How?” Radiance asked.
“According to the eyewitness, the thug told our vigilante that Hood-Rat is hiding out in warehouse number six down by the docks.” As she spoke, the screen moved over to the map to the docks, before highlighting one of its warehouses with another red dot.
“Oh I get it,” Zapp said. “We go there, take down Hood-Rat, and then wait for Nighthawk to show up. When he does, we move in, and take him down… right?”
“That’s the idea.” Matter-Horn turned off the computer. “Let’s get down to the docks. We need to apprehend Hood-Rat before he catches wind that anyone’s coming for him.”
So, the six set out down the eastbound subway tunnel, toward the docks. The light from their sanctuary faded, leaving the Power Patrol in near darkness, with only the occasional emergency light to guide them. But as they walked, Matter-Horn looked back and said aloud, “One more thing, Zapp, and this goes for everyone else too: Don’t call him ‘Nighthawk.’ Calling him by that name legitimizes his actions. And we don’t abide criminal behavior of any kind. Are we clear?”
Zapp stammered for a moment, before she replied, “Uh… y-yeah. Okay.”
A few minutes later…
The warehouse shutter door exploded. Through the dust, Matter-Horn strode in, her horn still faintly glowing. Zapp swooped in after her, held aloft by the wind. “Aright Hood-Rat, the jig is up!” she shouted. “Come out with your hands up and… uh…” She trailed off as she took in the sight before her.
Just over a dozen bodies were scattered throughout the warehouse. Splatters of blood covered the floor. Even from their distance, the six could see that Hood-Rat’s henchmen had been badly beaten.
The others stepped in, and gawked just as Matter-Horn and Zapp did. But Matter-Horn quickly collected herself and looked to her comrades. “Fili-Second?”
Fili-Second shot forward, stopping for a brief instant at each body, before returning. “I just checked their pulses. They’re unconscious, but they’re all alive.”
“Don’t tell me that Night- er, our vigilante did this,” Radiance said, stunned.
“So this guy beats up everyone, but doesn’t kill them? That’s crazy!” Zapp said.
“Everyone, spread out and search for clues,” Matter-Horn said. The others did so, examining the floor and the bodies, unsure of what to look for. But Matter-Horn knew- she stepped forward, knelt down, and touched a spatter of blood. “…This blood is already dry,” she said. She then examined the body of one of the thugs. “And judging from these bruises, these men were attacked several hours ago, likely before dawn.”
“We got a live one over here, Power Patrol!” Mare-velous called. The others hurried over- once they’d gathered, she pulled the thug up by his collar and demanded, “What happened here?”
“Guy,” the thug stammered. “Big. Black. Came in out of nowhere. Beat the crap out of everyone and went up to the boss’s office. But watch out! He might still be here.”
The thug let out a pained grunt when Mare-velous dropped him. She looked around, and spotted a rectangular room jutting out of the warehouse’s far wall. “Up there.”
Zapp flew up to the door- the others climbed the stairs. Once she reached the top, Matter-Horn pushed the door open.
Just like the warehouse floor below, the office was splattered with blood, furniture was overturned, papers were scattered everywhere, and windows were cracked and broken. There was only one victim in the office: a man wearing a hooded grey cloak, and a mask depicting a rat’s face.
“Hood-Rat…” Saddle Rager said.
Matter-Horn knelt down next to Hood-Rat and placed her fingers on his neck. After a moment, she said, “He’s still alive.” She then stood, and looked to the others. “Alright everyone, clear out. I’m setting up a crime scene. Saddle Rager, put in a call to Detective Shetland. Everyone else, keep an eye on Hood-Rat’s henchmen- make sure no one leaves this building. I’ll be examining the office.”
The others left the room. Once they were gone, Matter-Horn shut the door to begin her investigations.
Hood-Rat was still unconscious, and unlikely to wake any time soon- questioning him would have to wait. So, she switched her goggles to their special vision modes, and began to search for forensic evidence. As with the other crime scenes, there was a lot of blood, and footprints from an unknown style of boot. And as before, it would be impossible to isolate the vigilante’s blood from that of his victims’, assuming it was present at all. She switched to a different vision mode, and at once, the room lit up with countless small dots, every one of them a fingerprint. “Block all fingerprints more than five hours old,” Matter-Horn said aloud. The majority of the prints faded, and she examined those that remained- most belonged to Hood-Rat, some belonged to a few of the thugs downstairs… but there were no unknowns.
Matter-Horn switched to yet another vision mode, and immediately spotted a bright object embedded in a nearby wall. She approached, switching off her goggles- it was a small, metal object shaped like a wing, with a single sharpened edge. She examined the sides, but saw no fingerprints. With care, she pulled the wing from the wall and examined the other half, but still, saw no fingerprints. However, she tucked the metal wing into a pouch anyway- by analyzing its composition back at the lab, she might be able to determine its origin.
She had to admit, this vigilante was no amateur- he knew exactly how to cover his trail. But she knew he couldn’t keep it up forever. One slip-up was all she needed to nail him. And he would slip up.
Just as with the other crime scenes, the vigilante had left his insignia on a nearby wall- an angular bird inside a circle. She didn’t need to gather a sample of the material it was made from- she already knew it was made from the same waterproof resin as the others.
She rested her hands on the edge of Hood-Rat’s overturned desk and looked at the insignia. “I don’t know what you’re game is, Nighthawk,” she said to the insignia, “but you’re not going to get away with it. It might not happen today, and even if I have to do it on my own, I’ll bring you down. I swear it.”
The steel wall slid open, and Zapp and Saddle Rager filed into the sanctuary. The two were covered with small scratches, but Zapp in particular had a painful-looking black mark on her left shoulder. Once she was in range, the weather master collapsed into a comfortable armchair and groaned.
As Saddle Rager sat down as well, Fili-Second shot over to them. “You guys look pretty beat up. What happened?”
Zapp sank deeper into the chair and groaned again. “Pharaoh happened.”
“Pharaoh tried to rob a jewelry store on Park Avenue,” Saddle Rager explained. “Zapp and I happened to be in the area, so we stopped him. But he got Zapp in the shoulder with one of his spells.”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing I can’t live with.” Zapp rolled her shoulder, wincing slightly. “Just part of the job, right?”
At that moment, Matter-Horn called from her computer console, “Okay Power Patrol, gather round.”
“Why?” Saddle Rager asked.
“Using the information I’ve collected thus far, I believe I’ve constructed an accurate M.O. of our vigilante.”
As the others gathered around Matter-Horn’s computer, Zapp asked, “Can I just stay over here for a little bit?”
Matter-Horn glared at Zapp. “You may not. Now come on.”
Zapp groaned yet again, but stood up- when she had joined the others, Fili-Second said, “Alright, lay it on us.”
“Very well.” Matter-Horn turned to the console and began typing. In response, map of Maretropolis appeared on the computer’s screen. Various locations were marked by an angular bird inside a circle- the Nighthawk’s logo. “First, based on accounts of his previous activities, I think it’s safe to conclude that our vigilante is only active at night.”
“That makes sense,” Radiance said. “I imagine sneaking around the way he does is much easier at night. And don’t forget, he does call himself ‘Night-hawk.’”
“I think there’s more to it than that,” Matter-Horn replied. “At night, unless we’re called out, there’s normally only one of us patrolling the city at any given time. This would allow him to evade detection more easily.”
The Nighthawk logos faded from the map as Matter-Horn began typing again, and several red lines surrounded a number of Maretropolis’s districts- all of them were on the city’s south end. “Second, all the crime scenes I’ve investigated thus far have been in districts on the city’s south side- Downtown, the Narrows, Fisherman’s Row, and so on. While these are the more crime-heavy areas of the city, they’re also normally the last stop for our nightly patrols.”
Matter-Horn looked back, crossing her arms. “It’s a distinct possibility that we can’t rule out. Which is why, starting tonight, I’m changing our nightly patrol protocol. From now on, we will have two members patrolling the city: one will start in the south and work their way north, and the other will start in the north and work their way south.” She looked to Radiance. “Radiance, you take the north side tonight. Zapp would have been joining you, but because of the incident with Pharaoh earlier today, Mistress Mare-velous will be taking the south end.”
“Fine by me,” Mare-velous said.
That night…
“Remember; at midnight, the two of you are to meet up at the Convention Center in Midtown and contact me,” Matter-Horn said through the radio. “If you fail to link up, or to contact me, then we’ll move to your last known locations and start searching.”
“I got all that,” Mare-velous said into radio impatiently. “What do we do if we find Nighthawk?”
“Don’t call him that. But if you find him, you’re free to engage. But notify both me and your partner of his position first.”
“No problem.” The radio went silent. Mare-velous breathed a sigh of relief, before stepping out to the ledge of the building. The moon was nearly full tonight, its light reflecting in the waters of Maretropolis Bay. The wind blew in from the south, carrying with it a briny scent that grated against the back of one’s nose. She loved the south side- sure, it was a rough place to live, but it was her home. She gazed out over the edge of the building, looking down at her old neighborhood. But after several moments, she turned away- she had a job to do, after all.
Mare-velous approached the building’s west edge. She pulled her lasso from her belt, looked down to the street below… and leapt from the edge of the building. She whipped out her lasso at a truss spanning two buildings- at once, the lasso snaked toward the truss and looped around one of its beams. She swung over the street below, her lasso unknotting itself of its own accord, and she snared the next overhang. It may not have been the safest way to get around Maretropolis, but it was fast, and nothing sent criminals running like seeing an angry woman swinging towards them on a rope.
And, unless Zapp ever let her borrow that necklace, it was closest she’d ever come to flying.
But as she swung over Harbor Street, Mare-velous spotted something on one of the rooftops. She quickly climbed up to another rooftop, and ducked down to get a better view- on a long, fairly tall building right on the shore, a man was holding another man by the ankle, dangling him over the edge of the roof.
She swung down to another roof closer to the two men, trying to stay out of sight. She looked again- the man holding the other’s ankle wore a long cape, a suit of red and grey with red highlights, and a distinct mask shaped like a bird of prey’s beak.
There was no doubt about it- it was Nighthawk.
Mare-velous touched her radio, and said to it in a low voice, “Matter-Horn, I found him.”
“What! Where?” Matter-Horn shouted.
“Keep your voice down. He’s on top of the Seaport Hotel down in Fisherman’s Row.” Nighthawk shook the man. “…And it looks like he’s interrogating another thug. I’m moving in.”
“Alright. I’ll notify Radiance. In the meantime, be careful.”
Mare-velous moved carefully, trying not to draw attention to herself as she flanked the vigilante. Soon enough, she stepped onto the Seaport Hotel roof- Nighthawk seemed none the wiser. As she approached, she could hear Nighthawk talking to the thug: “…I won’t kill you, but by the time I’m through with you, you’ll wish that I did. Now where is she!?”
“Put him down, Nighthawk!” Mare-velous shouted.
Nighthawk calmly looked over his shoulder to her, before returning his attention to the thug. “I’m not finished with you yet.” Then, he tossed the thug onto the roof. But before the thug could rise, Nighthawk punched the back of his head, slamming his face into the concrete roof and immediately knocking him unconscious.
“So is this how you do things?” Mare-velous asked. “Threaten them for information, and then kill them if they don’t talk?”
“I don’t kill,” Nighthawk replied harshly, holding up a black cord connected to the thug’s leg. “I tied a rope to his ankle- he wouldn’t have fallen far even if I had let him go.”
Mare-velous crossed her arms. “You know, you’re the worst kind of criminal- the kind who thinks he’s doing the right thing. Well let me break it to you- you’re not. If you really wanted to help this city, then you wouldn’t be hiding behind a mask.”
He looked at her. “Aren’t you hiding behind a mask right now?”
“You shut up!” Mare-velous pulled out one of her Hoofarangs and threw it at him.
He pulled out a wing and threw it at her projectile in turn. The two objects collided and fell to the ground with a clatter. Immediately, Mare-velous charged at the vigilante, and he charged at her. She pulled back her fist and threw a powerful straight punch- but he caught it in his hand. She pulled back her opposite leg and threw out a kick aimed at his head, but again he caught it. She spun, lifting her other leg off the ground to deliver a roundhouse kick again aimed at his head. He released her and leapt back.
“Not so easy when they can fight back, is it?” she taunted.
He said nothing in reply.
She gritted her teeth, enraged. She wouldn’t let him make a mockery of her like this. So she charged again, throwing another Hoofarang. He dodged, but she hadn’t tried to hit him. She drew back her fist again as he was distracted… but he dodged again. She let out a flurry of attacks, but each one he either dodged or blocked: Straight punch- he caught it. Sweep kick- he jumped over it. Hook- he blocked it with his forearm. Headbutt- he moved back. Low kick- he blocked it with his leg. Then he threw a straight punch of his own- but the punch had an obvious tell, and she moved to the side. Another straight punch- he blocked it with his forearm again.
Mare-velous grew more and more frustrated as her attacks failed to connect. He was good. Too good. She needed to end this, now. So she whipped out her lasso- it shot towards Nighthawk and looped itself around his neck. He tossed one of his wings at her, but she evaded it easily, and tightened the lasso’s loop. With the lasso cutting off the blood to his head, he would pass out in less than a minute. “Another twenty seconds and you’ll lose consciousness!” she shouted. “You’re not getting away this time, Nighthawk!”
He gripped the lasso and replied in a strained voice, “Don’t be so sure of that.”
Suddenly, something struck the back of Mare-velous’s head, making her stumble forward. At that exact moment, the lasso was suddenly yanked from her grip. She looked up, just in time to see Nighthawk untie her lasso and toss it aside. She threw yet another Hoofarang at him… but he caught it with his bare hand.
“Mistress Mare-velous,” Nighthawk said. “Equipment: psychically-controlled lasso, supplemented by custom-make boomerangs and various other tools. Six years of experience as an amateur MMA fighter. Weakness: physical contact must be maintained with lasso in order to maintain control.”
“You really think I need my lasso to beat you!?” she snapped. Mare-velous charged, drawing back her fist as she prepared to punch his head clean off…
It wasn’t until Nighthawk knocked her feet out from under her with a sweep kick that Mare-velous realized the tremendous tactical mistake she had made. In slow motion, she watched as Nighthawk raised his arm, before slamming a powerful palm strike into her chest.
Pain flared through both Mare-velous’s front and back as she struck the hard roof of the hotel. She immediately cried out in pain.
“Subject is also of an aggressive temperament,” Nighthawk continued, “making her easily provoked and goaded into traps.”
“Shut up!” Mare-velous gasped. She tried to stand, but pain flared through her spine, keeping her from rising.
Nighthawk walked away, picking up the thug from before and slinging him across his shoulder. “I’m not your enemy, Mare-velous,” he said. “I don’t want to hurt you, or any other member of the Power Patrol… but I will if you force my hand. Don’t follow me.” He pulled out his grappling gun, fired it at a nearby building, and shot up into the air and out of sight.
Mare-velous tried to rise to her feet again, but the pain that shot up her back prevented her from doing so. She gasped for breath, feeling as if some sort of weight were resting on her chest. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t taken a hit before, she had, countless times. But this… this time was different from the others.
As Mare-velous strained to stand yet again, a lavender streak shot across the sky and swooped down toward her. She knew that it was Radiance, held aloft by the power of her bracelets. A moment later, the woman herself landed next to Mare-velous. “Mare-velous!” she said in surprise. “What happened? Where’s Nighthawk?”
“He got away,” she groaned. “Tried to stop him. We fought. He hurt my back.”
Radiance touched her radio. “Matter-Horn, I found Mare-velous. She’s still on the roof of the Seaport Hotel.”
“What about the vigilante?”
“He’s gone. Mare-velous said he got away, but not before he hurt her back.”
“Understood,” Matter-Horn replied. “Radiance, bring Mare-velous back to the sanctuary, and resume your patrol. I’ll send out Fili-Second to replace Mare-velous.”
“Okay. See you soon.” Radiance held out an arm- a beam shot from her bracelet, forming into a long flat surface. She carefully slid the surface under Mare-velous, saying to her comrade, “It’ll be alright, Mare-velous. Just lie still. We’ll be back at the sanctuary and Matter-Horn will be looking after you before you know it…”
Tuesday Night…
“Hey Matter-Horn, is Mare-velous gonna be okay?” Zapp asked.
“She will be,” Matter-Horn replied through the radio. “The vigilante cracked her sternum and several of her vertebrae in their fight last night. She’ll need to spend some more time under the healing lights, but she should be fine in a few days.”
“I won’t lie- I used to think this Nighthawk guy was pretty cool. But now… I’m gonna kick his ass.”
“Don’t be reckless, Zapp. Mare-velous was the best unarmed fighter among us. It’s clear that the direct approach is not advisable when confronting this vigilante.”
“Yeah well Mare-velous can’t shoot lightning out of her hands. I’ll be fine.” With that, Zapp touched her pendant and focused, calling upon the wind to carry her into the air, before taking flight. She chose to begin her patrol in North Point, one of Maretropolis’s wealthier districts. She didn’t like it- she preferred the south end of the city. The people there might’ve been a little rough, but they were decent enough most of the time. Still, the north side wasn’t all bad- she didn’t have to dodge as many skyscrapers while flying.
She looked out to her left- above the other buildings in North Point rose the Starlight Tower. If she remembered right, it was supposed to be some kind of luxury apartment building, until the company building it ran out of money. Now it stood empty and abandoned, save for the odd squatter.
Normally, the building wouldn’t have caught her attention. But there was something about it this night that was different- she could see a light shining inside, near the tower’s top floor.
Zapp touched her radio. “Hey Matter-Horn, there’s some kind of light up in the abandoned Starlight Tower. I’m gonna check it out.”
“It’s most likely just a few squatters. Nothing we need to worry about,” she replied.
“Doubt it. The light’s near the building’s top floor.”
“…Understood. Move in to investigate- keep me posted.”
Zapp banked, and flew up to the floor the light had shone from. The Starlight building never had any windows installed, so entering was easy enough. A whistle sounded through the empty floor as the wind blew through the building unobstructed. Zapp moved deeper into the building, treading lightly to avoid being heard by whoever may be lurking within.
As she ventured deeper into the building, the light from the moon faded. So, she touched her pendant and focused- a small beam of sunlight shot out, illuminating the room. In the light, she could see that the walls, the floor, even the ceiling of the hallway she stood in were covered in hieroglyphics.
“This is Pharaoh’s lair,” Zapp muttered to herself.
But she suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Zapp hid, pressing herself into a doorway- after a moment, a light passed, and the footsteps began to grow fainter. She peered out after the stranger had passed, and saw that it most certainly wasn’t Pharaoh.
“…one of them’s gotta know where she is,” Nighthawk said aloud. “She’s been laying low for a while, but one of them must’ve seen her- it’s been a month now.” He stopped for a moment, pulled a small vial from his belt, and drank its contents before tucking it away once more. “Soundblaster could know. Or maybe Shade. I could try her old hangout on Charge Island…”
He seemed to be completely oblivious to her presence. So Zapp touched her pendant again, calling on the wind once more. It began to swirl around her hands, condensing into a rippling sphere of air. But she continued to focus, until the sphere contained enough wind power to blow down a house. Then, she stepped out, and unleashed the gale at the vigilante.
Nighthawk glanced back only briefly before the sudden gust sent him sailing down the hall. He slammed into the far wall before crashing down to the ground. But to Zapp’s shock, he quickly rose to his feet, throwing out a small canister that emitted a thick cloud of smoke. She used her wind to blow the smoke away, but by the time it cleared, Nighthawk was gone.
“Zapp,” he said from the darkness. “Powers: control over various weather phenomena through a magic amulet. Moderate hand-to-hand combat ability.”
This wasn’t good. Zapp may have gotten the drop on Nighthawk, but now she’d lost the one advantage she had. And the narrow hallways restricted the usefulness of her pendant’s magic. She had to get out into the open.
So she ran. She touched her pendant, and fired lightning bolts at any shadow that moved… or any that she thought moved. After a few moments, she reached a window and leapt out- the wind spiraled, and lifted her up from below. “Alright Nighthawk!” she shouted. “Come and get some!”
But Nighthawk did not emerge. She touched the pendant, and a light shone from it. She swept her spotlight across the building, driving away the shadows, but the light did not reveal Nighthawk anywhere.
As she moved her light, Zapp suddenly saw a glint of silver shine from one of the windows. She knew what it was instantly- one of Nighthawk’s… wing-things. She moved back to avoid the projectile…
…but the wing sliced through the cord of her necklace.
The wind holding her up immediately died away. Zapp made a desperate grab for her pendant… and missed.
She began to fall.
A terrified scream ripped out of Zapp’s throat as she tumbled to the earth. She had nothing, no way to slow her fall. Images of her splattering against the hard ground below ran through her mind over and over again. She fell end over end…
But then, something grabbed her out of the air and held her close. There was a jolt, and she felt herself slow down. She looked up to the thing that had caught her, and it was… it was…
…Nighthawk?
His cape was spread wide, catching the air and slowing their descent. They glided through the air for several long moments, until he landed them both on another rooftop.
He released her; instantly, she sank to her knees, still on shock from almost falling to her death. But after several moments, she forced herself to stand, and she looked to Nighthawk in disbelief. “Dude, did you just-”
Nighthawk suddenly seized Zapp’s shoulders and headbutted her in the face. She wavered, her eyes rolling back, before she slumped forward, unconscious.
He moved to catch her, and gently laid her down on the ground. “Weakness…” he continued, “pendant must be kept on her person at all times to maintain abilities.” He turned away, walking to the edge of the building, and jumped- he spread his cape, and glided down to the streets below.
Later… Zapp groaned as a ringing sound filled her ears. She slowly sat up, rubbing her forehead, when she remembered-
“Nighthawk!” Zapp jumped to her feet and looked around… but she was all alone on the rooftop she and Nighthawk had landed on. She forced her breath to slow, before she answered her radio, saying, “Hello?”
“It’s midnight,” Matter-Horn said. “Where are you?”
“Uh…” Zapp looked around to get her bearings. “…I’m on top of an S&S Bank at the base of Starlight Tower.”
“You should be in Midtown. What happened?”
“I found Pharaoh’s old lair. And, I ran into Nighthawk.”
“Are you injured?”
“Well my forehead hurts like hell, but other than that, I think I’m okay.”
“Good. Link up with me on the roof of the Convention Center. If you find him again, do not engage. Track him and notify of his position, but do not engage until I reach him. Understood?”
“Gotcha.” The radio went silent. Zapp stood up, but after a moment, she realized something- her pendant was gone. Without it, she had no powers, and thus no way to reach Matter-Horn. And, she had no way of knowing where her pendant had fallen.
But then, she saw a golden glint out of the corner of her eye. She looked down- at her feet was her pendant, strung on a silver chain. Next to it sat a piece of paper that read: “You should use a stronger material for your necklace.” There was no signature- in its place was a drawing of the Nighthawk’s logo.
She picked up the chain cautiously and examined it, but found no evidence it was booby-trapped. She touched the pendant- it glowed faintly in response, indicating it was the real deal. She closed her hand around the necklace and looked up to Starlight Tower, and asked aloud, “What’s your game, Nighthawk? Just what’re you after?”
Wednesday night…
“It’s weird though, right?” Zapp said. “I mean, he could’ve let me fall, but he caught me. And, he found my magic pendant and returned it. And, he got me a new chain for it!” Zapp rested her head in her hands. “Man, I just can’t figure him out.”
“It’s gotta be some kind of mind game,” Mare-velous replied. She was out of costume on Matter-Horn’s orders, and wearing a large brace that wrapped around her torso. “Make us doubt ourselves, and each other. I mean, if we’re at each other’s throats, it’s less competition for him, right?”
“Well if he wanted to get rid of competition,” Fili-Second began, “then why not just let Zapp fall? It would’ve been easier than going to save her.” She scratched her head. “I wonder why he did that.”
Fili-Second’s pondering were interrupted, however, when the computer let out a loud alarm. “Just got a call,” Matter-Horn said. “Soundblaster is attempting to rob an electronics store in Unity Heights. And… the vigilante is with him! Fili-Second, get over there, now!”
“On it!” Fili-Second turned and bolted down the sanctuary’s westbound tunnel. A few moments later, she made a hard right and jumped out onto the streets when the tunnel opened up in Old Town, from there, she ran north, toward Unity Heights in Maretropolis’s upper east side.
Fili-Second heard Soundblaster long before she saw her- the loud, thumping techno music she played everywhere she went was a little hard to ignore. And down the street ahead, she could see the source of the music- sure enough, it was a blue-haired woman in wicked sunglasses, wearing a massive suit of white powered armor. Fili-Second wondered how Soundblaster ever got enough money to keep replacing the suits that got destroyed in her fights with the Power Patrol.
She slid to a stop, ducking down behind a nearby car, and leaned out to look at Soundblaster. Matter-Horn was right- Nighthawk was here. And Soundblaster was too distracted with fighting him to notice Fili-Second’s arrival. The villain aimed one of her sonic cannons and fired it at Nighthawk, the windows on the street shattering from the sudden burst of noise. But the dodged the blast with ease, before throwing out some kind of metal can. The can let out a bright flash when it hit the ground- Fili-Second had to shield her eyes, but when she looked again, Nighthawk was gone. Soundblaster looked around as well; suddenly, Nighthawk jumped onto Soundblaster’s back, and stabbed something into the space between her armor’s chestplate and pauldron.
Steam shot out from the gap in the armor, and the suit collapsed to its knees. Soundblaster strained inside the suit, but it would not rise.
Nighthawk reached into her armor and yanked out a wire, instantly causing the techno to go silent. He then climbed down, saying to her, “Bit of advice: next time, don’t have your suit’s vital components displayed out in the open like that. You might last longer than three minutes.”
He was distracted. Now was her chance. Fili-Second shot towards him, drawing back her fist.
But he suddenly stepped aside, and her punch met only air, throwing her off-balance. She jumped and flipped several times, landing on her feet. She looked to Nighthawk and pointed. “You!”
She let out a hurricane of punches… but somehow he evaded every one. She was stunned- most people couldn’t even see her attacks coming, much less avoid them. He jumped back, and said, “Fili-Second. Powers: Superhuman speed. Maximum speed: approximately Mach 3.”
She let out another flurry of punches. “How do you know so much about us!?”
Nighthawk again dodged every one. “I spent time observing you all: the Power Patrol, the rogues, every major player in Maretropolis. As the saying goes: know your enemy, know victory.”
“So you think you know the Power Patrol? Time for a pop quiz then!” Fili-Second jumped back and started running- she ran up the side of one building, back down, across the street, and then up and down the building opposite the first, trying to build up as much momentum as she could in the small space available. It was risky, but she could pull it off, she could put a stop to Nighthawk once and for all.
As she built up momentum, Nighthawk pulled out a vial and threw it against the ground- a puddle of black liquid rapidly began expanding over the asphalt.
Fili-Second saw this. “Ha, ya missed!” she called.
He simply stood, watching her. “I hit exactly what I intended to.”
Fili-Second finally built up enough speed, and sprinted at Nighthawk. He remained motionless as she darted toward him. She pulled her fist back as she stepped onto the puddle…
But her foot suddenly slipped. She slid uncontrollably across the puddle, until she touched dry asphalt- the sudden traction caused her to fall forward, and slam face-first against the ground.
Nighthawk cringed when he saw how hard Fili-Second impacted the ground. “…Weakness: impulsiveness, and a tendency to act before thinking.”
He rushed over to the fallen Fili-Second, and rolled her onto her back- she simply laid in the street, motionless, her face already bruised and bleeding. He pressed his fingers against her neck, and after a moment, breathed a sigh of relief- she was still alive. But something needed to be done about those wounds. So, he reached into his belt, pulled out a miniature medical kit, and set to work.
“Hey. …Hey!”
Fili-Second jolted awake and leapt to her feet, bringing up her fists. The others immediately pulled back in surprise. “Whoa, whoa!” Mare-velous shouted. “Easy! It’s just us.”
“Where’s Nighthawk?” Fili-Second asked.
“Gone. Again,” Radiance replied flatly. She then asked, “Are you feeling alright, dear?”
“Yeah, I feel fine. Why?”
“Your face…” Saddle Rager began.
“What about my face?” Fili-Second touched her face, and winced from the pain- she could feel some sort of cotton bandage on her cheek and forehead. “Oh, right! Nighthawk used some kind of oil slick and made me fall!” She smiled to the others. “Thanks for fixing my face, guys!”
“Uh, Fili-Second? We didn’t fix it,” Saddle Rager said. “It was like that when we got here.”
Fili-Second’s cheerful smile faded. “Wait, if you didn’t do it…”
In one corner of the Power Patrol’s sanctuary sat a very unusual machine. It was covered in numerous buttons and dials, and from the top rose a short, flexible arm which ended in a lamp, not unlike the kind that one could find attached to a dentist’s chair. The device had been built by Matter-Horn several years ago, as a prototype to test various emitters and power sources that she would go on to use in her HORN blaster. But as big and bulky as it was, it still served a purpose to the Power Patrol- namely, under the proper settings, it could be used to heal injuries. Which was precisely what Zapp was doing as she sat under the machine’s lamp.
But Fili-Second pushed Zapp out of the way. “Alright, move over Zapp. It’s my turn.” She pulled the lamp down to her face, and bathed her face in a strange green light- the scabs and bruises on her face began to fade, slowly, but much faster than the human body could heal on its own.
But Zapp seized the lamp and pointed it at herself again. “Come on Fili-Second, let me get another minute. My forehead is still killing me.”
“You know, you should really be letting Mare-velous use the healing lamp,” Saddle Rager said.
“Well I would, if she were here,” Zapp replied. “By the way, where is Mare-velous?”
“She’s at some high-society thing over at the museum,” Fili-Second replied. “They finished setting up the exhibit for all those paintings Hood-Rat was gonna steal.”
“Okay. So?” Zapp asked.
Saddle Rager asked in turn, “You do know that Mare-velous is a curator over at the museum, don’t you?”
“What, really?”
“Yeah, duh!” Fili-Second replied. “We have lives outside the Power Patrol, you know.”
At that moment, the steel door slid open, and Matter-Horn and Radiance stepped into the sanctuary.
“Alright team,” Matter-Horn said as she sat down near the others. “We may be down a member for tonight, but we still have a job to do. Zapp, Radiance, you’re on patrol tonight.” She first looked to Zapp. “Zapp, you take the north end.”
“Aw, again? Well, might as well have a look at Charge Island while I’m up there…”
“Radiance, you start in the south. Same procedure as before- meet up and contact me at the Midtown Convention Center at midnight.”
Some time later…
Radiance detested Maretropolis’s south side.
She could remember a time when she had been young, and how she dreamed of going to Maretropolis. It seemed like a veritable heaven on earth, a place where anyone could be anything. But of course, the realty could never have lived up to the expectations. And she was sorely disappointed by what awaited her- far from the national center of culture and prosperity she envisioned, all of Maretropolis seemed to be covered in a thick grime of greed and corruption that stripped away its luster, even in the city’s bright spots.
But the south side was the worst of all. It epitomized everything that was wrong with this city- its people were rough and crude, its buildings and streets dark and gloomy… If it weren’t for the fact that she could see Broadway just a few blocks away, she wouldn’t have believed that she was in Maretropolis at all.
But Radiance shook her head. She had a job to do: to patrol the south end, however much she might have detested it. So, she flew over the deserted streets, surrounded by a violet light as her bracelets held her aloft.
And she did owe the city one thing- if she had never come here, she never would have been disappointed by what she found and returned home. She never would have seen the meteor, she never would have found the ship… and she would have never found the bracelets she now wore around her wrists.
As she flew, Radiance brought a hand up to her chin, and asked herself, If I were a crazed vigilante with a penchant for violence, where would I hide? She didn’t know. No one seemed to know, not even Matter-Horn- the Nighthawk simply seemed to appear from nowhere, break faces, and then meld into the shadows from whence he came just as quickly.
But she remembered something Zapp had said a few days before; that Nighthawk seemed to be looking for someone. That he’d been poking around Pharaoh’s hideout when she found him, and that he mentioned Soundblaster as one of the people who might know where “she” was, whoever “she” might have been. Soundblaster’s lair wasn’t too far away, so she decided it was worth a look.
It wasn’t long before Radiance landed in front of an abandoned electronics warehouse near Fisherman’s Row. It had been cordoned off by the police earlier that day, but no one had set foot inside just yet- there was no way to know what sort of traps Soundblaster had set up within. But if Nighthawk was here, she would have to risk it. She opened the door…
…and immediately hid behind a shield of energy when she laid eyes on a massive cannon aimed directly at her just a few feet away from the door. But it never fired. She looked again, and saw that the cannon was heavily damaged- its casing was cracked, and numerous wires had been ripped out from within. Other machines were scattered throughout the room as well, all similarly damaged.
It seemed Nighthawk had already come through here. She lifted herself off the ground and floated deeper into the warehouse- if she was lucky, perhaps the vigilante was still inside. And sure enough, as she went deeper into the warehouse, she heard the voice of someone who didn’t belong there.
“So you didn’t know either,” she heard Nighthawk say. “I have to give you credit though, Soundblaster- at least you were looking for her.” She peered around a corner into the room ahead- there, a black-clad man stood, examining a board with a heavily marked map of Maretropolis pinned to it.
Radiance focused, and a long construct shaped like a baseball bat emerged from her bracelets. Slowly, she crept up behind the vigilante, readying the bat, and she was in range, she swung with all her strength.
But Nighthawk spun, catching the bat. “If you want to sneak up on someone, you shouldn’t wear heels.”
Radiance was shocked. But not shocked enough that she couldn’t bring up one of her bracelets and fire a bolt of energy into Nighthawk’s chest. He flew back from the impact, crashing through the map board, and hit the ground hard. But he quickly rose to his feet, throwing a number of his small metal wings at her- she focused, creating a shield of energy, and blocked the projectiles.
“Radiance,” he said. “Equipment: pair of bracelets enhanced with alien technology that allow the creation of energy constructs. There is theoretically no limit to what constructs can be produced.”
“That’s right,” she replied, her bracelets glowing brightly. “You must be very skilled if you can take down three of my teammates as easily as you did. But even you can’t prepare for everything.”
But he replied to her flatly, “…I can improvise.”
Radiance thrust out an arm- a rope emerged from her bracelet, coiling around Nighthawk’s ankle and lifting him into the air. But as she lifted him, he reached into his belt and threw out a canister that exploded in a brilliant flash of light when it hit the ground. She shielded her eyes- when she looked again, the rope was gone, and Nighthawk was free.
He tried to run. But Radiance created three walls around him to box him in. He turned to the one open space, where Radiance stood. He pulled his grappling hook gun and fired it at her- she erected another wall in front of herself, deflecting the hook, before she pushed it forward, closing off all of Nighthawk’s ground routes. She placed yet another wall on top of the box, sealing in Nighthawk completely.
“Caught you!” Radiance said triumphantly. She then touched her radio and said, “Matter-Horn, I caught Nighthawk! We’re in the old Axis Electronics warehouse in Fisherman’s Row…”
But Nighthawk calmly brought up his forearm, and tapped it, mumbling “Don’t be too sure of that.”
There was an explosion. “What-” Radiance spun around, aiming her bracelets at the explosion’s source. But there was nothing there- just a small thin cloud of dust in the center of the room. Radiance realized what had just happened.
A diversion.
She turned again. The box she had used to trap Nighthawk had dispersed while she’d been distracted- in its place was a thick, rapidly expanding cloud of smoke. She created a fan to blow the smoke away; but once it was cleared, she saw that Nighthawk was gone. She stepped forward, looking around. “Where did-”
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her neck from behind. At the same time, a hand clamped over her nose and mouth.
Normally, Radiance could’ve easily conjured some construct to free herself from Nighthawk’s grip. If she focused. But she couldn’t focus- she had been taken by surprise, and her natural instincts overrode any rational thoughts. She kicked, she twisted, she clawed at the arm holding her, she did everything except use her bracelets.
Bright spots began to appear in her vision. The lack of air, combined with the circulation to her head being cut off, caused Radiance to black out. Her struggles weakened, and after several moments, she went limp in Nighthawk’s grip.
Nighthawk released Radiance- she unconsciously gasped when he removed her hand from her mouth. He gently laid her down on the ground, and put a finger against her neck- she still had a pulse. Her face was flushed from strain, but she was unharmed, and would awaken in just a few minutes. Nighthawk bent down, and touched the small radio in Radiance’s ear- it lit up with a red light as it sent an emergency signal to the Power Patrol’s sanctuary.
As he looked down at Radiance, Nighthawk said aloud, “Weakness: Any disruption of focus will cause the constructs to disperse. Also, both bracelets must be used together, or their effectiveness is reduced.” He then left the room.
There was a small burst of static as Radiance’s emergency call was answered. “Radiance, I just received your distress signal,” Matter-Horn said. “What’s happening? …Radiance, respond. …Zapp, this is Matter-Horn. Radiance just activated her distress signal but I’m not getting any response from her. The signal is coming from inside the Axis Electronics factory- get to her. Now.”
Friday night… “I still don’t know about this,” Saddle Rager said into her radio. She was in the Cauldron, Maretropolis’s former industrial district.
“You have to do this, Saddle Rager,” Matter-Horn replied. “You’re our last option- everyone else who’s faced the Nighthawk has failed.”
“I thought you didn’t want us to call him-”
“I know what I said. But right now, we have something more important we need to focus on. We have to take him down. Remember what he did to Mare-velous. To Fili-Second. To Radiance. You have to stop him, Saddle Rager. You have to stop him before he hurts another one of our friends.”
“But what about what he told Mare-velous? He said he’s on our side. What if next time-”
“There might not be a ‘next time,’ Saddle Rager. He might have said he doesn’t kill people, but how can you trust a criminal’s word? How do you know he won’t kill one of us if we get in his way again? Are you really going to sit back and wait until that happens before you do something?”
“No! I would never!” The anger began to build up within. “How dare you accuse me of not caring about my friends! I’ll stop Nighthawk myself! I’LL TEAR HIS ARMS OUT!”
A terrible cracking and tearing filled the air as Saddle Rager’s muscles grew far past their normal size. Her body stretched and contorted, becoming a bloated, grotesque parody of a human form- her arms grew until they were as long as she was tall, her chest muscles expanded until they alone were nearly as large as her normal human body. Saddle Rager leaned backed, and let out a furious roar that echoed across the city.
She leapt into the air, leaving a small crater in the roof she jumped from; she left another crater in the street where she landed. She walked down the street, using her massive arms to support herself, her footfalls shaking the earth slightly with every step. She stopped next to a particular building- an old factory of some sort.
He was close.
Yes… she could smell him.
She drew back her arm, and punched through the wall next to her, grabbing the thing on the other side. She pulled her fist out of the wall, clutching Nighthawk in her grip, before she threw him down the street. Saddle Rager wasted no time in charging after her.
Nighthawk skidded across the ground for several moments before he was able to right himself. “Saddle Rager,” he said once he righted himself. “Powers: gains increased muscle mass when under-”
She backhanded him, sending him tumbling across the street. He tumbled again for several moments, before he was able to right himself. “…when under extreme emotional duress.”
“GGRRRRRRAAAAAAGGGGHH!” Saddle Rager roared. But she didn’t charge- instead, she ripped a nearby lamppost out of the ground and threw it at him. Nighthawk ducked under the speeding projectile, only just avoiding it.
He couldn’t fight Saddle Rager in the street, Nighthawk realized- there was too much risk of collateral damage. And far too many weapons she could throw at him. So he pulled out his grapple gun and rappelled up to the roof of a nearby building. A moment later, the building shook when Saddle Rager jumped up from the street below to pursue him.
Saddle Rager stomped toward him. “I WON’T LET YOU RUN FROM ME.” she growled.
“I don’t plan on running.”
Saddle Rager charged him again. But Nighthawk stood his ground. He pulled a long rolled-up paper from his belt, and when she closed in, unrolled it and showed it to her.
She slid to a stop, and looked at the poster. It depicted a cat with a hangar stuck around his neck; its caption read, “Human, I request your assistance.”
Saddle Rager bit her lip, but she could only contain herself for a seconds longer before she laughed uproariously. Almost immediately, steam began to billow from her body as her enlarged muscles began to shrink down; her deepened voice returned to its original tenor, and she regressed to her original height.
Eventually, Saddle Rager took several deep breaths, trying to regain her composure. “Okay… okay,” she began. “That was pretty funny. But you’re gonna more than a poster to-” Saddle Rager stopped when she realized her voice was no longer the deep bestial growl that it was when she was transformed. She looked down at herself- she had reverted to her original form. In a panic, she looked over to where he had been standing.
Nighthawk was gone. Only the poster remained, resting on the ground where he had been standing.
“Oh no…” she said aloud, pacing. “Okay, just stay calm… wait, no. No, I shouldn’t be calm. I need to be angry. Alright Flora, get angry. You can do it. Just remember what Matter-Horn said…”
Not far from Saddle Rager, Nighthawk stood on a nearby rooftop, watching her. He crossed his arms and said aloud, “Weakness: transformation is tied to subject’s emotional state. If the subject’s rage is quelled, she will revert to her original human form.”
Saturday…
The sanctuary was silent. Matter-Horn sat at the head of one of the numerous tables scattered around the subway station. The rest of the Power Patrol sat at the table with her. She looked to each one of them in turn:
Mistress Mare-velous had returned to active duty, but one could still the back brace she wore under her costume.
The bruise on Zapp’s forehead had faded considerably, but it was still visible, having turned from purple to pale green.
Fili-Second’s face was still covered in scratches, and a long line of bruises traveled up the left side of her face, from her chin up to her eyebrow.
Radiance held an icepack to her throat, obscuring a long, dark bruise that spanned the length of her neck.
Saddle Rager was unharmed, but she wouldn’t look at anyone else, Matter-Horn least of all.
Matter-Horn looked on to the others for several more moments, before she took a deep breath, and finally spoke.
“It has been five days since I changed our nightly patrol protocol,” she said. “I changed it with the express purpose of bettering our chances of capturing the vigilante known as ‘Nighthawk.’ However, not only has this change failed to result in his capture, but nearly every member of our team has been subdued by the vigilante. The only exception is myself.”
“We know that,” Mare-velous said. “What’re you getting at?”
“Tonight, I’m going to go to Charge Island, and lure the vigilante there. Then, I’m going to subdue and arrest him.”
“Matter-Horn, that’s crazy!” Zapp protested. “When we tried taking him on by ourselves, he handed our asses to us! What makes you think things will be different this time?”
“Because I won’t be fighting him on his terms. He’s going to fight me on mine.” She looked to Mare-velous. “Mare-velous, I need to borrow some proximity explosives from you.” She looked to the others. “Fili-Second, Mare-velous, you two are on patrol. Since I will be absent, Saddle Rager will be monitoring the comm channels. Zapp, Radiance, you two are on standby- but once you get my signal, you’re to retrieve Nighthawk and bring him to the police.”
That night…
Charge Island was a small island only a mile or so away from Maretropolis’s North Point. It was home to an old military fort, Fort Sunrise, which had once been Maretropolis’s first line of defense against invaders from the sea. It was also home to the offices and docks of the old Sunrise Ferry Company, which had once been the largest ferry company on the East Coast. Now, both the fort and the offices stood empty- access to the island was restricted by the city. Though the fort had been preserved, the Sunrise Ferry Company buildings had been condemned for well over a decade, patiently awaiting the day when the city would demolish them.
But that wasn’t the only thing Charge Island was known for. Thanks to its isolated location, Charge Island was better known as the lair for numerous supervillains over the years.
Matter-Horn stood upright. At the moment, she stood in a courtyard choked with weeds, situated between several of the Sunrise Ferry office buildings. She paid no mind to the innumerable amounts of graffiti that coated nearly every wall on the island, each piece having been added when a supervillain had settled there. After several hours of preparation, everything was in place- her HORN blaster was fully charged, and she had just finished planting the last of Mare-velous’s proximity bombs. Now, there was only one thing left to do.
Get his attention.
She looked up to the sky, and touched the side of her goggles. In response, a light shone from her horn, forming a spotlight on the clouds overhead- within the light was an angular bird with its wings spread, the logo of the Nighthawk.
She shone the spotlight up into the clouds for several seconds. Eventually, she said out loud, “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.”
“I think a phone call would have been more practical,” a voice said.
She shut off the light, and looked up to its source. Of course, it was him, on the roof of one of the buildings.
It took every ounce of restraint to keep her from burning a hole straight through his head, for her arms to stay at her sides. “…You got here awfully quickly.”
He jumped down from the roof. “After everything that’s happened, I thought you might want to challenge me one-on-one. And, that you would choose here as our meeting ground. Isolated, minimal chance of collateral damage… I have to admit, it’s exactly the place I would’ve picked.”
Matter-Horn crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Nighthawk. “Is all of this funny to you? Do you like making us look bad in our own hometown?”
“I don’t,” he replied. “In fact, I’d hoped that I could work with the Power Patrol, not against it.”
Matter-Horn was silent for several moments. “…You know… if I’d met you in person just a few weeks ago, when you were still fighting thugs in the streets… I might have believed you. But now, after everything you’ve done?” She touched the side of her goggles again, and her horn began to glow brightly. “…I’m bringing you in. One way or another, it all ends, here, and now.”
She fired a blue beam from her horn at Nighthawk. He leapt to the side, evading the beam, only for the ground beneath his feet to explode, knocking him forward. He pushed himself up. “Mines? Those aren’t part of your equipment set.”
“You’re right. They’re not- Mare-velous let me borrow them. One of the advantages of working with a team.” She fired another stream of bolts at the vigilante- he dodged, before throwing his metal wings at her in retaliation. She blasted them out of the air with a long sweep of her energy beam.
Nighthawk threw down a pellet that exploded into a thick cloud of smoke. But Matter-Horn was unimpressed- she simply turned the lens of her goggles, activating the thermal vision mode. She could see him moving through the smoke, and fired yet another beam at the vigilante- he jolted, and there was a pained shout when the beam struck his shoulder.
She fired again, but he avoided the beam. He threw out something- instantly, her goggles were filled with a brilliant yellow light, and she was forced to switch back to normal vision. Immediately, she could see the object Nighthawk threw was a flare. It could’ve blinded the night vision and thermal modes of her goggles easily… but no one outside the Power Patrol was supposed to know she had them.
Matter-Horn spotted the vigilante on her left, trying to flank her. She quickly turned a dial on the side of her goggles, and fired a golden projectile that expanded into a net made of energy. He evaded the net, before throwing a strange canister toward her. After a moment, it flashed in a strange blue light- then, her goggles filled with static, before shutting off completely.
“What- an EMP?” she said, stunned.
Suddenly, a hand gripped her goggles and yanked them off her face. She stumbled forward, before turning to face the vigilante. She cocked her fist back and threw a punch at him with all her strength, just as Mare-velous had shown her.
He caught her fist. “You’re not a close-range combatant.” He spun her around, twisting her arm behind her back- she fought, to no avail. “And the EMP grenade disabled not only your blaster, but the rest of the mines as well. It’s over, Matter-Horn.”
She continued to fight for several more moments, but eventually, Matter-Horn fell to her knees. “…why?”
He looked down to her. “Why what?”
“I’ve fought vigilantes before. Whether they had powers, gadgets… we brought them down just the same. But not you. Why?” She looked back. “Why are you so different from the rest?”
“…It’s because I’m looking for someone.”
“Who?”
He didn’t answer.
“Who are you looking for? Tell me! If someone you know has been taken hostage, then we can help you find them!”
He released her. “You wouldn’t be as willing to help me if you knew who I was looking for.”
She turned to face him. “Try me.”
Nighthawk was silent for several moments, as though he were carefully considering his response, before he finally said, “…I’m looking for the Mane-iac.”
Matter-Horn did not reply right away. He was right- that did change things. But, painful as it was to admit, she was curious, so she asked, “…why?”
He replied flatly, “I have unfinished business with her.”
Matter-Horn recognized his tone- it was the tone of someone who’d had something taken from them. “Listen to me,” she began. “I know the Mane-iac. I know what she does. And I know she’s hurt a lot of people. I don’t know what the Mane-iac did to you, but if you’re planning to kill her, then I will stop you. Revenge and justice are not the same thing.”
“No. I don’t kill. Not even her. Especially not her.” He looked back. “Now, where is she?”
Matter-Horn crossed her arms and glared at him. “You have no right to demand anything from us,” she replied, indignant. “You’re still a criminal.”
“You don’t know, do you?”
She sighed. “…no. We have no idea where she is.”
Nighthawk began to pace around the courtyard. “She escaped from Blackrock Penitentiary last month, and has been laying low ever since. That’s the most anyone seems to know about her.” He clenched his fist. “But someone is lying. Someone knows where she is. And I’ll find them, even if I have to go through every punk in this city to do it.”
At that moment, a tremendous sound emanated from the south, from the city. It almost sounded like feedback from a microphone. And before long, a woman’s voice began to shout over the city.
“Hel-loooooooo, Maretropolis!” the crazed voice shouted. “Did you miss me? Because I missed you!”
“That’s-” Matter-Horn began.
“Yes, it is I! The one, the only, and now available for the first time in Technicolor… the Mane-iac!”
“Now, I might’ve been out of the game for a little while,” the Mane-iac continued, “but I’ve been keeping track of everything that’s been going on in my favorite little city. And word is that there’s a little birdie out there who’s been looking for me. So if you’re listening right now, little bird, then today’s your lucky day. Right now, I’m broadcasting from the observation deck of One Maretropolis Square, the city’s tallest building. And I have a wonderful little surprise in store for you. Hurry along now- I’m not the sort of girl who likes to be kept waiting.”
Mane-iac’s words echoed over the city for a moment, before fading away, leaving only the silence of the night.
“It’s a trap,” Matter-Horn said aloud. “You know that, don’t you?”
She received no answer. So she looked back.
He was gone.
A small burst of static filled Matter-Horn’s radio. Matter-Horn wasn’t surprised by it- she had specially designed the team’s radios to be resistant to EMPs, and most types of signal jammers. After a moment, Saddle Rager said into the radio, “Did everyone hear that?”
Matter-Horn replied, “We go to One Maretropolis Square. And we stop whatever the Mane-iac is planning.”
Zapp asked through the radio, “What about Nighthawk?”
“He escaped. But I know where he’s going.”
“…Mane-iac?” Fili-Second asked.
“Yes.”
“I see,” Radiance replied. “I’ll give you a lift to One Maretropolis Square.”
“Thank you. And Fili-Second, I need you to grab my backup blaster from the sanctuary.”
“Why?” the speedster asked.
“Nighthawk disabled my primary blaster with an EMP grenade.”
“Aw man, don’t tell me the mines got hit too,” Mare-velous complained.
“Unfortunately,” Matter-Horn replied. “He was better prepared than I’d expected.”
“Dammit! It takes me forever to make them…” Mare-velous muttered, before saying, “But that’s not important right now. We need to get to One Maretropolis Square. Now.”
Atop One Maretropolis Square, a green-haired woman stepped out onto the observation deck. She rested her hands on the railing, the locks of her hair winding around it for an extra-firm grip, and gazed out over the city. It sparkled and glimmered in the darkness, like a shining gem bringing hope to the world.
How she hated it.
Her grip on the rail tightened in anger. How could they do it? How could these people trudge through their meaningless lives, when the world stood ready to tear everything away from them at a moment’s notice? It was sickening, no different from being dead. And that wretched Power Patrol was worse than the civilians. Trying to protect the ignorance of the people, to shelter them from the true nature of the world. But they would learn. All-
“We meet at last,” a voice said.
She turned- inside the building stood a man clad in red and black, a long cape flowing behind him.
She grinned. “You must be the little bird I’ve heard so much about.”
“Nighthawk.” She couldn’t see his face, but from his tone, she could tell he was glaring.
She approached him. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting to meet you? Because I actually have no idea. But anyway…” She stopped. “We’re alike, you and I. Did you know that?”
“I’m nothing like you.” His words were so stereotypical that she heard them in her head before she ever said them.
“Oh but you are. You and I… we know how the world works. We know that the world will you up, spit you out, and not even say thank you afterwards. We know that all the world cares about is what it can take from you.” She touched his shoulder. “I’ve seen what you can do, the way you fight. You’re angry. Angry because the world has taken something from you.” She slipped her other arm around his waist. “Tell me- what have you lost?” She brought up a hand to touch his face…
But Nighthawk grabbed it. “My patience.” He pushed Mane-iac back. “You and I are nothing alike. You might think others are one push away from becoming like you, but you’re wrong. You’re alone. I did what I had to to lure you into the open, because I knew you were too vain to resist someone calling you out. I don’t need your sympathy. All I needed was your attention.”
A broad, crazed smile broke across Mane-iac’s face. “…Well, now you have it.” She spread her arms. “So, what are you going to do now, little bird?”
Nighthawk brought up his fists. “What I’ve been waiting to do for a very long time.”
Her smile broadened. “We’ll see about that.” She concentrated, and several locks of her hair whipped out at Nighthawk. He leapt back, reaching into his belt, and threw out a canister- it exploded, splattering a thick beige goop over her hair. The locks dropped to the floor- whatever the substance was stuck her hair together, making it heavy and nearly impossible to control.
“Glue grenade,” he said, before she could ask anything. “Specially made. Just for you.”
“While I do love a gift…” she began, “do you think my hair is my only weapon?” Mane-iac pulled out a hair dryer and aimed it at him- it fired a bright blue beam when she pulled the trigger. He leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the beam as it shot past and scorched the wall behind him. He charged- she aimed, but he knocked the dryer from her hand with a swing of his arm. Then he pulled back his arm and threw a powerful punch.
She caught his fist in her hand. She pulled back her other arm and threw a punch of her own, but he caught it. Then, before he could stop her, she leapt up and kicked both of her feet into his chest, driving him back. The opening was brief, but it was all she needed. She reached and pulled out a pair of canisters, pulled their pins, and threw them towards her adversary.
The canisters exploded into thick clouds of purple smoke. The clouds rapidly filled the entire room, ensuing there was no way for the little bird to escape.
She strode through the clouds, sweeping her eyes across the room, looking for a paralyzed form. She didn’t need to worry about being affected by her paralyzing spray- her penchant for testing all her “recipes” on herself made her more or less immune to everything. But no matter where she looked, she couldn’t see the silhouette of a paralyzed man.
Where could he have gone? It wasn’t like this room was very big. And without any sort of protection, the gas would’ve taken effect instantly. She stopped, held her breath, and strained her ears. But she heard nothing: no breaths, no footsteps, nothing to indicate there was another person in the room with her. Had he escaped? There were a few other doors out to the observation deck, but-
At that moment, something struck her in the back. Hard. She stumbled forward, and quickly turned around to face her attacker.
At first, all she could see was a shadow, striding towards her through the clouds. But as he approached, the details became more distinct. Of course. There was only one person it could have been- the little bird, with a clear mask over his nose and mouth.
Mane-iac rose to her feet. “You’re just prepared for everything, aren’t you?”
“I’ve studied your patterns for months. There’s nothing you can do to that I can’t counter. Surrender, Mane-iac. You can’t beat me.”
She grinned. “…Sorry. But I’m not the sort of girl who likes to be told what to do.” She charged, and leapt at him…
But he reached out and caught her by the neck. She struggled, but his grip was firm, and she still couldn’t manipulate her hair. With ease, he carried her out onto the observation deck… and slammed her back-first into the railing. Mane-iac cried out in pain…
…but then she began to laugh.
“Why are you laughing?” Nighthawk growled.
“Because you honestly think that you can scare me!” she laughed. “You have nothing! Nothing to threaten me with! And I know you! You won’t kill me!”
He pulled her up by the collar to look her in the eye. “I’ve spent more time than I can imagine hunting you down. Is that really something you’re willing to bet on?”
“As a matter of fact…” she began.
But suddenly, a beeping noise sounded. Nighthawk looked to his wrist- a red light was flashing there.
Mane-iac noticed the sound as well, and looked down at Nighthawk’s wrist. “Oh, what’s that? Is it time to take your medicine?”
He threw her back onto the deck. “That’s none of your business.” He reached into his belt and pulled out a small vial filled with red liquid. He undid the cap and brought it up to his mouth…
But suddenly, a lock of green hair wrapped around his wrist. He tried to grab it, but another lock seized his other wrist, while a third forced the vial from out of his grasp.
Mane-iac turned, so that Nighthawk had his back to the railing, as she brought the vial back to herself and examined it closely. “Well, this looks important.” She flung it over the edge. “…oops.”
Nighthawk pulled up both feet and kicked Mane-iac square in the chest, forcing her back and making her release him. She gasped from the blow. He strode toward her, his teeth gritted in rage. “I’m going to make you regret that.”
Suddenly, steam began to shoot from Nighthawk’s body. Mane-iac backed away- the moisture could render her hair just as useless as any glue could. Through the steam, she could see Nighthawk’s silhouette shrink, until it was only half her size. The steam began to disperse, leaving behind only a boy wearing a red and black costume that was far too big for him.
Mane-iac approached slowly, unsure of what to expect- she’d heard lots of rumors about the bird and his abilities, but this was something unexpected. She reached towards the boy with one of the locks of hair she could still control. “Are you-”
Without hesitation, the boy reached into his belt, pulled out a metal wing, and threw it at her with all his strength.
She caught it with a lock of her hair. “Wait, are you…” Then, Mane-iac began to laugh, a horrible, unsettling sound. “Oh, this is glorious! I can already see the headlines: Power Patrol defeated by child! This is better than any plan I could’ve made, and it’s all thanks to you, little bird.” She knelt and brought her face close to his, rubbing the underside of his chin with a lock of her hair.
He pulled his fist back and sucker-punched her in the face.
The Mane-iac stumbled back, stunned. That… actually really hurt. She looked back to the boy and glared down at him. “Trust me, little bird- I’m not someone you want to have as an enemy.”
He cracked his knuckles. “You already are.”
“Oh but you’re not my enemy anymore, little bird.” She wrapped a lock around his ankle and pulled him into the air, before wrapping up the rest of his body tightly. “Now, you’re my hostage.”
Radiance flew over the streets of Maretropolis. Behind her, within two spheres emerging from her bracelets, she carried Matter-Horn and Mistress Mare-velous.
“Hey, pick up the pace, Radiance!” Mare-velous called.
Radiance looked back and snapped, “Well, excuse me! But flying and carrying both of you is difficult enough as it is! Unless you’d like to get out and push…”
“Enough.” Matter-Horn said. “Save your aggression for the Mane-iac.” She then touched her radio. “Fili-Second, status.”
“I’m at the base of One Maretropolis Square!” she replied. “Zapp and Saddle Rager are just a couple blocks behind me!”
“Fili-Second, make your way up the observation deck. Tell Zapp and Saddle Rager that we’ll meet you all there.”
“Got it!” Static, then silence.
“Are you sure about this, Matter-Horn?” Radiance asked. “I’d feel more comfortable taking on the Mane-iac if all six of us were present.”
“No way,” Mare-velous said. “The only reason Mane-iac would disappear is if she was planning something bigger than anything she’s done before. And we’ve wasted too much time already. Whatever’s waiting for us up there, we have to stop it. Now.”
“I asked Matter-Horn, Mare-velous…” Radiance flew up the outside of One Maretropolis Square, pulling her arms back. “Brace yourselves.” Radiance flew up past the observation deck- she swung her arms forward, throwing Matter-Horn and Mare-velous towards the deck. The two braced as they crashed through the windows of the skyscraper, before rising to their feet, ready to fight. “Game’s over, Mane-iac!” Mare-velous called.
“Ah, late to the party as always, I see,” the Mane-iac laughed. They looked, but couldn’t see her. “And you seem to be a little understaffed at the moment. Did you want to see me so badly that you couldn’t wait for your friends to catch up?”
Fili-Second shot into the room, followed by Radiance. “…Where is she?” Fili-Second asked. “She said she’d be here!”
“I’m right here.” The Mane-iac slinked into the room from a side door. She was bruised and cut, as if she’d already been in a fight before the Power Patrol reached her, and strange beige lumps were clumped into her long locks.
But Matter-Horn was more alarmed by the child Mane-iac held in her grip.
