Chapter 3 - The vigilante

Estimated reading time: ±5 minutes

I have now been using my power for six months to do good, and also six months since I left the house where I lived with my father. My father whom I suspected of wanting to hand myself over to his bosses to become a laboratory rat. I completely cut him off from my life. I try to avoid thinking about him and concentrate on making my city a better place. I've already managed to get a dozen people arrested with my power. I put the names of the thugs with photos of their misdeeds and as much detail as possible in the hands of the local police. It manages to do their job and arrest the mens.

I recently found a lead to a group that started robbing the city's banks. One of the guys is huge, like a mountain of muscle with red hair. It shouldn't be so hard to find. I rented a car to go to a nearby town where the thing was seen. I park where I can and start looking around.

I know I look like a simple tourist looking everywhere and asking for directions, but it's part of my undercover work. After a few days wandering around the city. I hear there's some weird people hanging out in the southeast end of town. Maybe a lead to finally find this band. I arrive in the neighborhood whose rumors I had heard and I walk quietly in the streets. Maybe with any luck, I'll find something.

A week that I hang around the neighborhood, a week that I accumulate clues and rumors. I managed to learn the name of the band, the Black Eagles. So I notice the graffiti that the band probably did on most of the buildings. If one of the members is a giant, it reduces the places where they can hide. I searched the warehouse grounds as well as some buildings that have larger than usual doors. I'm approaching hangars that are unattended. Maybe I can find them this time.

I go from hangar to hangar, while I arrive in front of the door of one of the hangars, I make myself invisible again and open the door a little. I have time to hear a mechanism activate and I run in the opposite direction to avoid the trap. Several metal pipes and bars fall to the ground. What a ridiculous trap. I hear voices, voices of many men and some women.

I'm looking to see if anyone's gonna take care of the door. I hear footsteps behind me, but I'm invisible, nobody can see me. I see the silhouette of a large individual, perhaps the giant I had heard of.

I feel an arm slip under my neck and start to squeeze. How could they see me? I try to struggle and elbow behind me. My elbow is on the side of my attacker's face. I hear laughter and I feel my arm tightening even more.

Unknown: But the little kid is struggling~

It was a woman's voice, I closed my eyes, falling unconscious.

I wake up with a start and look around. I notice five individuals in front of me, I struggle a little, but the straps hold my wrists and ankles. The young woman laughs, a sadistic laugh mixed with fun.

Woman: I told you he was struggling like a little earthworm~
Man: We never said we didn't believe you, beautiful.
Giant: What do you want from us, new human?
Man: We don't care, his power can be useful, we wait for Ray to come back with the groceries and he will take control of himself.
Jack: Wow! Who's gonna take control of who?

The man who seems to be in charge steps forward and leans towards me.

Man: You have a power of invisibility, and I'm interested. So I'm gonna ask my partner to take control of you, so you can work with us~
Jack: Oh no! I won't let him!

He's close enough for me to give him a head butt. I'll do that and use it to break the ties or get through. I headbutt, right into the man's nose. He screams and backs away, his nose bleeds. The young woman begins to tremble at the sight of blood. I take this opportunity to become invisible and pass through the links. I take the chair and spear it on the giant. He turns to me, but can't see me. I'm hurrying to the exit.

Woman: You gonna be okay, Drake?
Drake: Get him! Don't let him out of here!

I get to a staircase, there are windows upstairs, I could go out that way, but first I'll hide behind crates. I see a rock lying on the ground. I take it quickly and throw it at the other end to attract attention. It works in movies. The giant and the other man go towards the noise. The woman and man with a sword go to me. I start climbing stairs, metal stairs that make noise when you walk over them, nothing surprising. I go to the windows and grab a board. I kick windows to break it. A sword stands right next to me.

Woman: Are you crazy? We don't want to kill him!

I throw the board at the woman. She dodges it as if she saw it coming and all of a sudden she's in front of me, grabbing me by the throat, tackling me on the wall and slowly pressing me up. I'm starting to choke. I put my hands on his wrist and kick her in the stomach. She hardly wrinkles her eyes when I give the blow and presses a little harder. The other man takes my wrists.

Man: It's okay, you can let go.

The woman lets go of my neck and I fall to my knees trying to catch my breath. Another man comes up the stairs, he wasn't there before. I look him in the eye and with the last second I have to react and make one last threat.

Jack: You're all going to pay a lot for your crimes!

The new one approaches his thumbs from my forehead and everything becomes white.