Page 115 of The Not So Super Hero
“They will.”
Zane ached to murder someone.He was uncomfortable.He did not understand how a small black mask over his eyes shielded his identity.Everything about the suit made him want to slit someone’s throat.Nate sat on the top of that list because he was still ready to piss himself from laughter.Alas, there was no time to murder Nate as they had places to be.
After two long weeks of keeping tabs on Leona, it was time to finally strike.Rebirth acquired an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town to be used as a hideout.From the intel they received, the hideout potentially had to do with the “cure” people were hearing more and more about.Leona had been seen escorting missing scientists while shipments left in the evening.
No one was sure if Rebirth was aware they were being watched.No one knew what was going to happen, but they all knew it wouldn’t be easy.It was why everyone was silent during their ride and why no one, not even Zane, argued with Paul when orders were given.They all had those dumb ear wires to hear each other with.Zane scowled while putting it in, wondering what the hell he had become.Couldn’t he go back to mopping floors?It was so much easier than all this garbage.He was too lazy for this shit.
“Now we are aware there are some unwilling participants inside,” Paul explained, glancing at the team.“Be careful.Don’t mix them up with who we’re truly after.We must avoid as many casualties as we can and get these people home to their families.”
Well, at least Paul wasn’t a total dirt bag.Zane gave him credit for realizing and caring about those that were obviously not there of their own free will.
Zane was teamed up with Nate, which he complained about at first to piss Nate off, but it felt better knowing he was around.While Zane had gotten back into the groove of using his abilities—in a sense—that didn’t mean everything was fine and dandy.He still got massive headaches and sometimes couldn’t get into someone’s head like he was meant to.Having Nate around, having that experience, made the idea of slipping up less daunting.
There was no chance they were getting inside quietly.Zane was originally ordered to cause a scene by getting into the head of one of the lookouts.However, that idea was quickly shot down when it was noted how quickly Leona would catch on that Zane was there.His mutation was far more telling than the twins.There were various heroes with ice or fire related abilities.When they attacked, at least they had the advantage of Leona remaining unaware of who attacked.
The moment Natalia shot a blazing trail of fire into the building, all hell broke loose.It took Zane a moment to register all the noise.Gun fire.Shouts.Frightened thoughts.All the panic came crashing down like a physical mass that froze his legs.It was a hard tug from Nate that reminded Zane he had work to do.
Zane barrelled towards the entrance, hand outstretched.Shadows morphed into a shield around him.Officers followed at his back.With a quick wave of his hand, Zane sent a pulsating stream of darkness towards the entrance that knocked everyone in its way to their feet.
Nate had already maneuvered himself onto the second floor.It appeared to be more of a look out than anything else, nothing but armed guards and empty tables.When he crashed through the windows, he cast ice across the floor that froze all the Rebirth guards’ feet in place.Nate hopped over desks to disarm every man he saw.Shots fired.The scent of copper and smoke tainted the air.
Zane scouted the first floor.Boxes upon boxes of who knew what piled along the walls.Plastic sheets hung from the ceiling, shielding lab tables and equipment.The Rebirth guards fired, regardless of the scientists behind the sheets.Some screamed.Others dropped to hide beneath the tables.Zane, like the other officers, was quick to shield themselves from the oncoming fire.
For a moment, it was like a nightmare.Memories of Raiffel, the scenarios they were always put through, filled Zane’s mind.He was suddenly back there and his life up to this point was all just a dream.When a man came around the corner with skin that shimmered like diamonds, Zane realized it was all real.He had to move if he wanted to survive the afternoon.
He grabbed the desk he was shielded behind and tossed it at the man.The stranger ran forward, arms held in front of him.The desk broke in half against his diamond skin.He used all his body weight to hit Zane square in the chest.Shouting, Zane fell to the floor, his head throbbing from hitting concrete.
Zane twisted the shadows around the stranger.Zane swung his arms up.The shadows swung the stranger into the ceiling, then down to the floor with a deafening smash.The man didn’t move, laying motionless with blood trickling from his nose and lips.
A handful of scientists crawled across the floor, desperate attempts to flee.Natalia battled a villain across the room, one whose body bent in ways that could make one sick.Flames scorched the walls.
Zane peered over the top of a crate he was shielding behind.A bullet whizzed past his head.He ducked, heart beating a mile a minute while he weighed his options.Taking a deep breath, he pressed his hand against the crate.Wisps of black smoke circled around his hands before he gave one hard push that sent the crate flying.The box flew, crashing into some guards.He sent another pulsating wave of shadows.Those on the floor couldn’t stand back up while those on their feet were pushed down like they were nothing.
Reaching out, Zane clenched his hand into a fist and pulled his arm back.The darkness obeyed his will, twisting around the guards like vines and dragging them across the ground.Surprised shouts escaped their lips when they were thrown across the room against the opposing wall.Most blacked out from the hit while others scrambled to their feet and ran.Zane was on his way to help Natalia next when he caught a familiar face out of the corner of his eye.
Leona came storming out of one room in the back of the warehouse.Her eyes narrowed on Zane.A scowl marred her face.She shouted.Zane couldn’t decipher the words over the chaos.However, she didn’t seem all that panicked or worried about seeing him.Regardless, he wouldn’t let her get away.
When she ran for the back exit, Zane sprinted towards her.A couple of officers followed, keeping close to Zane’s back.All of them were safe behind the shield he conjured and moved along with them.He picked up his pace when he heard screams coming from the backroom, none of which were Leona’s.
By the time they crashed through the door Leona had taken, it was too late.The team that was sent through the back laid dead on the floor, their bodies swollen and beaten.Snakes from nightmares slithered across their carcasses.Zane gagged when one made its way out of a man’s open mouth.
A pained scream echoed through the room.Snakes rained down from the rafters.Zane stumbled out of the way.Their fangs sunk into whatever piece of flesh they could.Arms flailed.The men were panicked.In their panic, they fired their guns off without care.Zane’s arms and shield were up in a moment, narrowly saving him from the friendly fire.While the darkness around him kept him safe, it also meant he couldn’t see what was happening outside.Zane couldn’t risk lowering his shield until the gun shots finally stopped and a familiar giggle came from behind him.It made his teeth grind.
Slowly, he lowered his defenses.The officers that had joined him laid dead, taken by venom or bullets.There was no time to check for survivors or even feel guilty about it.
Leona stood nearby.Her green eyes sparkled, lips twitched back into her signature sinister smile.The room they were in resembled the one from earlier, though there seemed to be far more serious equipment in there.He hadn’t a clue what any of it was, but he was certain nothing good was happening there.
“What are you wearing, darling?”Leona laughed, pointing teasingly with a crooked smile.She never was very good at taking things seriously.She and Law had that in common.“I must say, tights aren’t for you.”
Zane fired dark spears in her direction.She ran to the side to evade, then lunged for Zane with a blade in hand.He barely dodged the dagger that came at his throat.Leona sent her foot into Zane’s gut.Shadows wrapped around her leg, flinging her across the room.
Leona’s nails dug into the floor, catching the tiles and ripping them up.With a low growl, she slashed at her own leg, cutting through the skin.Her blood dripped across the darkness.The tendrils weakened from the acid of her blood that slipped through to burn the tiles.
Zane threw one spear after the other at her, doing his best to avoid any large-scale attacks that might bring the building down.Leona was, for lack of a better word, slippery like a snake.She slithered her way out of anything, dodging or using her blood as a shield against his attacks.Her advances worked, ducking behind crates and desks to get closer and closer.
The lights flickered, then went out.Dim rays barely trickled in through the clouded windows, giving the whole room an off orange look.Shadows cut through the room at odd angles.Zane moved for cover.He wouldn’t risk a battle with limited sight against Leona.
“When did you have such a change of heart?”Leona called.Her voice echoed off the walls, carrying over the hissing of her venomous friends.
