“Good. Because I only had about a second to get into place and look smug before you turned around.”
Stardust laughed, but before he could say anything else, the faint sound of panicked yells and shouts drifted to them on the breeze.
“Another attack,” Zielinski said grimly.
“Fuck,” Stardust cursed as he threw a quick glance at the two white shirts on the ground. They could wait until the two came around to try and get answers from them, or they could go and help whoever was in trouble. The decision was easy and they reached it simultaneously. They abandoned their defeated opponents, and once again raced toward the sounds of trouble. Unfortunately, they’d just come within sight of the scene, when the white shirts spotted them. The group ran to the van that was idling at the curb a half block up, jumped in, and took off.
Stardust drifted to a stop, chest heaving from exertion and frustration. “What the hell is going on? That’s four attacks tonight. And who knows if we’ve missed any others.”
“We can’t keep running up and down the streets on our own like this,” Mike said. “We need help.”
“You’re right.” He could keep going as long as necessary, but this game of whack-a-mole wasn’t effective.
“I’m calling Caleb.”
Stardust impatiently prowled back and forth, ready to keep fighting, while Zielinski tapped his ear piece to activate the line to headquarters.
“The Purity Alliance are on some sort of extreme productivity spree. They’ve attacked four times so far and I suspect they’re not finished for the night. Can we get some back up down here?” He paused to look at the street sign. “We’re on Hughes Avenue in front of the bakery.”
Caleb’s voice came through the line clear as a bell.
“You bet. Sonica and Frost should be there in two shakes.”
A pop sounded behind him and Stardust turned to see Sonica and Frost rushing toward them.
“Thanks,” he said to Caleb. “We’ll keep you posted on the situation.”
“We had a feeling you’d be calling us,” Sonica said when she reached their side.
“What’s the plan?” Frost asked.
The icy hero looked to Stardust but Stardust gestured at his partner. “I think Zielinski might have a strategy for us.”
Zielinski looked at him, eyebrows shooting up over his glasses in clear surprise at the concession to his leadership. But after his chiding by Strong, Stardust finally understood why’d they’d been paired together as partners. Zielinski was there to temper his hot-headed, fight first, ask questions never method. It made sense to let him take the lead on this.
“You’re the better strategist,” he said in answer to Zielinski’s questioning glance. “You know my only plan is to jump in and fight.”
At his explanation, a small smile quirked Zielinski’s full lips before he stepped up to address them all.
“The white shirts are working on a series of hit it and quit it attacks. They roll up, drop off a few of their operatives to harass people or attempt a mugging, then flee the scene before Stardust and I can catch them. Now that you’re here, we’ll split up to cover a wider area and be ready for these blitz attacks. If you can, capture one of them. It would be good for us to try and get some information. I haven’t seen another one of their freeze rays tonight, but if you come across one, try and confiscate it. Our main priority is to prevent them from harming any civilians. Frost and Sonica you’re together. Stardust you stick with me. Everyone keep the radio line open at all times. Any questions?”
All three of them shook their heads.
“Okay, let’s move out.”
The new heroes on the scene jumped into action. Sonica teleported forward half a block at a time, checking for signs of the white shirts along the way. Frost followed behind her, sliding down the street on a sheet of ice, propelled forward by gusts of icy wind.
Stardust turned to his partner. “We don’t have super traveling powers but we need to cover more ground than we can on foot. Let’s go back to where we left our vehicles.”
“It would be better if we rode together,” Zielinski suggested as they jogged back to where they’d parked.
“We can take my bike,” Stardust offered, fully expecting Zielinski to protest. But the big man agreed without a moment’s hesitation.
“Good idea. Your bike will be better for navigating through the district.”
They quickly reached their vehicles. Stardust threw a leg over his bike then gave a short nod to Zielinski, letting him know it was okay to join him. Zielinski climbed on. As he settled on the seat, the warmth of his thighs bracketed Stardust’s.
“Hold on,” Stardust said, his voice suddenly huskier than usual.
