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“I’ve heard of it but I’ve never seen a Mayday before.” I recall what I’ve learned in training. You call for backup when things are bad. You call for Mayday when things can’t get any worse. “This is a big deal. This is bad.” Lifting myself with my hands on Evan’s shoulders, I plant a kiss on his cheek and try not to think about how much it hurts to be leaving him so soon.
“Good luck,” he says as I take off running toward the KAPOW. I only have time for a wave and a quick glance backward. He acts like he’s not worried.
But I can tell that he is.
In the empty KAPOW tunnels, I breathe in and out steadily, letting my body do the work while my mind wanders. I know Spark will be in good hands with Evan, but I miss the dog already. I didn’t take a pod because I can run just as quickly and all that sitting and waiting would have driven me insane. Nyx is in trouble. The only reason he would call a Mayday is if he were badly overpowered and outnumbered. I’m not supposed to deal with villain attacks while on probation so the fact that they called me to the scene really says something.
Visions of Nyx lying dead on the ground surrounded by other dead Heroes flicker through my mind, being the only possible explanation I can think of as to why they’d call me in to help for a villain problem.
When I arrive at the KAPOW entrance on the outskirts of Las Vegas, Nevada, the overwhelming emptiness in the air threatens to take my breath away. I survey the scene before me, noting the extreme lack of power, villain or Hero. Only a flicker of power comes from the body crumpled, pooled in a puddle of blood in the middle of a dozen humans. No villains anywhere.
The only Hero is Nyx.
Even when another Hero’s life is at stake, as a fellow member of the Hero Brigade, my first responsibility is to protect the safety of the humans. The humans, all men in their early twenties, turn their attention toward me. Somehow, I don’t think their safety is in question right now. A sliver of something very much like fear snakes up my spine as twenty-four eyes peer at me with an unhindered look of rage.
“Looks like we have another volunteer,” one guy mutters. His black t-shirt is ripped to shreds. Smears of silver power on his skin reflect off the sunlight.
I swallow. Take a step forward, exiting the KAPOW entrance. The massive metal doors slam closed behind me, making an ominous click that isolates me from the bowels of Central where other Heroes, other help, awaits.
My hands clasp onto my hips, portraying a Hero who is not afraid. “I am Hero Maci Might. Someone needs to explain what’s going on.”
A few men snort out a laugh. Another cracks his knuckles. I raise my voice. “Now.”
The first guy steps forward, beads of silvery power rolling down his muscular arms like drops of sweat. “You seem clueless sweetie, so let me break it down for you. We don’t need no more Supers getting up in our business. Hero, or otherwise.”
I maintain eye contact to intimidate him but I really wish I could check my BEEPR for any signs that more Heroes are on the way. “And how exactly did we get in your business?” I ask, stalling for time. “By saving your ass when something bad happens?”
He snort
s sarcastically, his mouth hanging open because his huffy breathing requires a bigger hole than his nostrils. I watch the silver drops roll down his arms and splash on the ground. Nyx’s power. God, what did they do to him?
Sweaty ripped up T-shirt guy takes a step forward. “By existing,” he hisses. “This is our planet, and we want it back.”
From the corner of my eye, I notice Nyx’s lean body starting to pull himself up onto his hands. I don’t glance over there but my attempts at subtlety are useless because the other guys notice anyway. T-shirt guy nods to his friend and the friend rears back his foot and kicks Nyx in the center of his back, steel-toed boot slamming into his spine like he’s a soccer ball. Nyx grunts, feigning that the pain isn’t as bad as it sounded, that the cracking of his vertebrae didn’t almost kill him.
“You okay?” I call out to my Hero comrade, keeping my eyes on the glowering men in front of me.
“No,” is his whispered reply. I’m the only one who should have been able to hear the faint sound of his voice; Super genetics and all. But a few of the human guys start to laugh as if they heard it too. I need to stall until more Heroes arrive. I don’t know why Nyx couldn’t defeat these humans by himself. I should be able to take them all out with one epic blast of power from my palms. But at the risk of ending up on the ground like him, I need to stall.
“Heal faster,” I exhale under my breath, hoping Nyx is the only one to receive the message.
The KAPOW doors crank open, capturing the attention of the men in front of me. Crimson’s power levels are so strong I know it’s her without looking back. I remain standing, eyes on the leader of the pack. Two more Heroes arrive a second later, older and more experienced by the vibe of their power.
Crimson carries a dozen handcuffs, which she splits in half and dangles off her pinky finger like they’re prizes and everyone should be happy to get a pair. “I am Hero Crimson Carlow. You will all be detained until we can sort this out.” She glances over at Nyx, sparing less than a second to verify that he’s still alive, albeit on the ground, and then she shakes her head with a tisk, tisk. “Silly humans,” she singsongs, stepping forward toward the head guy. “You know you can’t mess with Heroes.”
Black T-shirt guy just stands next to his heathen brethren, mouth slightly agape and eyes focused on Crimson’s cleavage. I swallow, thankful that no one’s checking me out. Crimson isn’t affected by it. If anything, she likes the attention. “Hold out your hands,” she tells the guy. He actually does it, holding up his bloody arms without taking his eyes off her. She snaps a pair of handcuffs over his wrists. “Katia,” she calls out toward the two Heroes who just arrived. “A little help? Maci, you check on Nyx.” She tosses a few pairs of handcuffs and Katia catches them, although I notice her belt is already equipped with several pairs of Retriever hooks. They all came prepared for the Mayday call. I didn’t.
Swallowing my shame, I head toward Nyx. I move slowly because I’d like to think of something better to do than help someone who will be fully healed in just a few seconds. A few of the human men grumble and groan at the idea of being handcuffed, but their leader lets out a snort of laughter and tells them to hold tight.
“I know who you are,” the handcuffed guy says, watching Crimson move from guy to guy with her cuffs. “Hero Crimson. Saving the world with those skimpy costumes.”
Katia slaps a pair of cuffs on a short but stocky man. “They’re not costumes,” she snaps.
He ignores her, licking his lips as Crimson brushes past him after having used up all of her handcuffs. She meets his disturbingly admiring sneer with a cocky look of her own. “Unless you want to tell me what happened here, you can shut up now.”
He spits a mouthful of blood onto the dirt near his feet. “I got pictures of you on my computer. They’re damn sexy.”
“Really?” she coos. “You can use a computer. Let me tell you how impressed I am by telling you once more to shut up.”
