Smash Superheroes
Part I
The city hummed with uneasiness. It had been quiet for almost two weeks, nothing more than a car-jacking here or a petty robbery there. The denizens of Tri-City Alpha were gratified by the recent lull, but Cort knew better. The tension was building beneath the surface, and it when it reached critical, it could explode with the force of an atomic bomb.
Cort looked down over the city. From his perch on top of TCA Tower, he could observe every thing. A woman was washing her dishes on the second floor of the residential apartments. A man was staggering out of a bar, chased by a man carrying a broom. Two children cried to their parents, begging to be allowed to stay out until the streetlights came on. The sun waned on the horizon, pouring it's last light down the center street and onto the face of TCA Tower. The massive glass structure reflected the golden beams, illuminating the entire city with a glow that gave the city an angelic appearance. Cort crouched on the corner of the roof, throwing a pebble at the communications tower behind him.
"Tick, tock, tick, tock," Cort said.
"I wish you would be a little more upbeat. Just relax and enjoy the vacation," P.c. said, standing next to him.
"I am. I'll enjoy it more when I have something to do."
"Then it won't be a vacation."
"Wow, nothing gets by you."
P.c. smiled to himself. "Head over to Beta or Gamma then. Every night there's some new wacko trying to make a name for himself."
"I'm bored, not desperate."
"Well, in the meantime, like I-"
A fireball erupted to their left, the communications tower swaying momentarily with the force of the shockwave. Cort jumped to his feet, looking out to survey the damage.
"Looks like it came from the bank district," P.c. said, already airborne.
Cort sighed. "A bank robbery? This is what they've been planning for two weeks?"
"Better than nothing, right?"
"I guess," Cort said, taking to the sky. With the recent lull, he knew every hero in the city would be rushing to claim credit for catching the culprit. He'd let them have this one, but unless he met his quota for the month, they'd cut his check again. He was already behind on the rent.
Cort and P.c. weaved through the skyscrapers, following the billowing smoke. An ensemble of sirens, horns and screaming people were close behind. Below, Cort could see a small blur dodging between the emergency vehicles, closing on the bank faster than he could.
"There's Thumbs," he yelled over to P.c.
"Don't worry, he's just there to look pretty. Let him get to the bank first, we gotta find the guy carrying the money bags." They began to hover, looking for clues. The entire face of TCA Savings had been blown off, strewing debris for blocks. He could also make out a few bodies among the mangled scene. "He killed people."
"That makes him either very stupid or very new. Or both." Cort said.
"Yeah, he's a rookie. Thumbs can take care of this, just keep your eyes out for anything obvious."
"Like that?" Cort pointed towards the freeway. A red car was driving too fast, slamming through red lights and parked cars as it desperately attempted to navigate to the highway. "Why do noobies always use cars?"
P.c. shrugged. "Too easy." He shot off towards the freeway with Cort right behind him. They were above the car in seconds, which now was stuck in impassable traffic at the on ramp. P.c. dove in, ripping the roof off the car. In it was a man surrounded by money, his glasses the only distinguishing feature on his face. "Allright pal, just put your hands up and we'll make this real easy for you.
The man opened his mouth to object, but instead of words he let out a shrieking, concussive noise. Cort covered his ears in pain, while the force of the scream was enough to knock P.c. into the overpass. He crashed through it, landing on the dividing median. The cars nearby were knocked off the road, and the man turned back to the wheel and raced for the on ramp.
Cort flew over to the overpass, searching for P.c. "Are you all right?" he yelled down.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just stop that guy, will you?"
Cort grabbed a huge piece of debris from the overpass, searching for the red vehicle. It was miles away by now, but well within his range. With a grunt, Cort heaved the piece of asphalt at the vehicle. It hit its mark perfectly, smashing into the hood of the car and crushing the engine. The driver flew out of his seat, landing with a loud thud on the street. "Do you want this one?"
"Nah, I met my quota already. You can have him," P.c. yelled from the overpass. Cort approached the vehicle cautiously. If the man was still awake, his voice was still dangerous. But the man was almost unconscious, writhing in pain on the asphalt. Cort grabbed the man by the throat and stood him up. If he couldn't breathe, he couldn't scream.
"We don't kill civilians!" Cort growled, strengthening his grip on the man's larynx.
"It's a new day in Tri-City Alpha! I'm not playing by the rules anymore," the man managed to gasp out. "Soon, everyone will know the name Prince of Fire, and they will cower at the mention of it!"
"You'd better learn to play by the rules, champ," P.c. said, landing next to Cort. "If you don't, you won't last long around here."
"Why not? You heroes won't kill. That's your weakness! That's how I'll beat you!" Prince of Fire declared.
"Haven't you noticed that no one kills civilians? Not even the other villains. They know how far to push it, unlike you. If they start seeing you as someone who's making it difficult for them, well, let's just say that we don't mind so much if villains kill other villains." P.c. intoned.
"Should I just crush his voicebox? The cops might have a hard time with him otherwise." Cort said. PoF's eyes grew wide.
"Nah, that won't be necessary." P.c. hit PoF in the temple, knocking him out cold. "He's new, we'll give him another chance." In the distance, Cort could see a blur speeding towards them.
"Did I miss anything good?" Thumbs said, coming to a halt between him and P.c.
"No, just some new guy. What's the damage?" Cort asked.
"When I left it was eleven dead, 42 injured. The whole bank is going to need to be torn down, as well as several buildings" Thumbs explained.
"Go
d**** it," Cort said, kicking PoF's prostrate body.
"You know how these new kids think. They want to make a name for themselves as quick as possible, and they think they can do it with body count. Thumbs, thanks for taking care of the emergency response, but where's everyone else? I thought this place would be teeming with heroes."
"They're working overtime in Beta and Gamma. We might be the only three here now," Thumbs said. Cort turned to look at P.c. The three of them would have to guard a city of nearly 300,000.
Cort shrugged. "Aren't you glad I didn't leave?"
