∞ ∞ ∞
A few days after Mike received his visor from Caleb, he had his full Dr. Z gear as well. Aiden had taken him to the gear maker he used—a young woman with a shop frequented by superheroes all over the Midwest. He was surprised to receive it this soon, but she’d bumped him to the top of her list as a favor to Aiden. Plus, she had a low-level enhanced speed ability that allowed her to work much faster than the average gear designer.
At Mike’s request, she’d given him a long sleeve black shirt, constructed from a custom material that could withstand damage and deflect harm. It was as if Kevlar was woven into the fabric. The suit’s pants were form fitting, but not the liquid latex Aiden had playfully pretended to convince him to try. They were black with green and white stripes down the sides. His tactical vest had been replaced by a black leather battle harness. Aiden did have a say in that design. His gold eyes had sparkled with mischief as he’d told the gear maker to create something with straps that someone could hold on to. With Aiden’s input, it wasn’t a surprise that it resembled the leather chest harnesses that might be seen in a BDSM club.
Centered on the harness’s chest plate was his new Dr. Z logo. Danny had created a stylized North Star, drawn in bright green with white accents against a black field. Along his belt were small attached pockets for him to store the first aid supplies he liked to carry with him during missions. He had new boots, reinforced to protect his feet from weight as heavy as a truck rolling over him. And of course, he had the new visor to center his blast.
Dressed in his new gear, Mike held the visor up, waiting for it to click closed before he dropped his hands.Nowhe looked like a superhero.
“Damn, you look hot,” Aiden said from where he sat, running his eyes over Mike in a long, slow perusal.
“Thank you.”
“Six feet of muscular superhero in a tight black suit. You’ll be a fan favorite before long,” Frost joked.
Aiden pursed his lips in a pout. “Hmmpf. I might have to mark my territory to let the thirsty superhero groupies know he’s taken.”
Caleb laughed. “How are you going to do that?”
“I’ll think of something,” Aiden said with a devilish smirk.
“Are you cool with being tagged, Dr. Z?”
“I don’t mind,” Mike quietly answered Frost. Belonging to Aiden felt right. To be claimed by him for one and all to see? Yeah. He liked that idea. He looked at Aiden who was gazing at him with a fond, satisfied expression. They shared a moment, lost in each other’s eyes, forgetting everyone else in the room. From reluctant partners to lovers. With the speed and force of the change in their relationship, it seemed almost inevitable that they would end up this way.
A light began flashing, the distraction pulling their attention away from each other. Caleb spun around to his computer.
“There’s a bank robbery in progress. Several of the culprits are either enhanced or on a Croton power trip.”
Aiden pushed himself to his feet. “We’re on it.”
“Address is sent to your watches and the comm link is open.”
“Got it,” Mike said crisply, mind already on possible tactics they could use.
“Let’s go.”
The three heroes hustled outside. Aiden and Frost hopped on the back of Aiden’s bike while Mike jumped into his SUV. He hadn’t received his ACG vehicle yet, but Caleb assured him it was on the way. The two vehicles sped out of the parking lot, Mike following Aiden as he zipped through the streets on his motorcycle. Aiden kept his speed down, staying just ahead of him so that they rolled up to the bank at the same time.
The three of them cautiously approached the building. A security guard was outside on the wide steps leading up to the bank, her uniform torn, blood on the corner of her swollen mouth, and a bruise darkening her cheek.
“Are you guys the police?” she asked with a confused frown creasing her brow.
“No. We’re the Arch City Guardians,” Frost said pointing to the new ACG patch on the front of their oversized white hoodie.
“Where’s Helios?”
“He’s saving somebody else somewhere else,” Aiden impatiently snapped. “You got us. Tell us what’s going on inside.”
The woman pulled in a deep breath and slowly released it before answering. “Six bad guys. Two of them are armed with some type of dart guns. The others are super strong, although I couldn’t tell if they were enhanced or on that Croton drug. There’s a lobby full of customers, five staff members, and another guard who’s knocked out from their darts. They threw me outside and locked the door behind me.”
“Okay, stay here and help any hostages we’re able to set free.”
The woman nodded. “Got it.”
Mike took charge. The building was older, constructed of big gray stones with a heavy wooden door. It was beautiful old St. Louis architecture, but the lack of a glass door common to modern bank buildings limited their ability to see inside and made it harder to enter.
“We need to get inside without causing harm to anyone on the other side of the door. Frost, you’re up.”
