LIGHTFOOT (ONC 2021)

5.1| dial S for Superhero.

Saint-Max stopped outside Gluevale Central Bank, Vamos. It was still standing like other buildings in the district, but that wouldn't be for long. If there were more Class-1 superheroes around, then they would've dealt with the kaijus quickly. But there were few to begin with. And some were in Tombstone City helping keep the peace as the city restored itself after The Watchdogs' attack.

Janice hopped off Saint-Max's back and stretched her limbs. "That was awesome," she said.

Saint-Max smiled. It was wonderful to see someone appreciate his speed. Most people—Melina—took his superspeed for granted just because she could teleport.

Everyone in Vamos had evacuated. Five kaijus spelled disaster for Gluevale. It would take a lot of effort to restore the city. Thankfully, this wouldn't be the first time nor the last Gluevale would face such danger. It came with the job for superheroes. Sometimes, even the supervillains helped.

The eerie silence in Vamos was deafening. The usually full-of-life district looked dead. It was a sad sight, reminding Saint-Max that there was a time the world was like this.

The kaijus' roars took Saint-Max out of his trance. The superheroes fighting them slowly pushed the monsters away from the city and back into the ocean. It was the best move, resulting in less damage.

"What now?" Janice asked.

"I run inside the bank, capture the bad guys, save the hostages, then we go to Tim and Fabian," Saint-Max said.

"That's a stupid plan."

Saint-Max gasped. Suddenly, a bright white light passed through them in a blink of an eye. But it seemed only he noticed it.

It was probably nothing, he thought.

Janice laughed. "I didn't mean to offend you. But you have to be careful. It takes guts to rob a bank while kaijus are attacking the city. Whoever is doing it might have powers."

"Might."

"Exactly. We don't know. Just because you can run fast doesn't mean you can't be stopped."

It was true. There were weapons designed to slow down speedsters, and drugs to increase a peculiar's speed. Nothing was off the table nowadays.

"Do you have a better plan?" Saint-Max asked.

"Yes. You go into a clothing store, change into normal clothes, then we rush into the bank pretending we're running away from the kaijus. They'll put us with the hostages, and we can assess the situation from there."

Saint-Max nodded. "Nice plan." Then he walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "But we don't have that much time to waste." He darted off before she could open her mouth and say otherwise.

He activated his secondary ability—Phasing—and passed through the glass entryway doors. Everything stood still, allowing him to get a proper look at the room. Cameras covered each corner of the wall with their red lights on. Someone was obviously watching from the other end.

Three masked villains holding weapons similar to the ones the Red Ski Gang stood to the left. Behind them were a line of cashier wickets along one wall and five hostages: cashiers.

Five more masked villains stood by the counter, staring at the entryway doors, holding laser rifles. Beside them were signs on the wall displaying mortgage rates, a rate-of-exchange currency board, posters reminding clients to invest their money safely, and twenty hostages: customers.

Another three villains stood on the right, facing those on the left, also holding laser rifles. Behind them were a waiting area, large glass windows, and five hostages: bank tellers.

It took Saint-Max a second to knock out the eleven villains and free the hostages.

"Go! Run!" he shouted.

The hostages dashed out of the building like there was no tomorrow.

"Wrong move, speedster," a man's voice said behind him.

Saint-Max turned and saw a dark-skinned man with a short afro, green eyes, and three parallel scars cutting across his face. He wore a black combat uniform with three bandoliers slung sash-style over his shoulders and a machine gun in his right hand.

Saint-Max could tell the man was the masked villains' leader.

"I won't let you—"

The Leader raised his right hand and aimed his palm at Saint-Max, who tried to attack him but failed. He couldn't move. It felt like gravity had intensified around his body, forcing him to stand as still as a statue.

"What's going on?" Saint-Max breathed heavily. This had never happened before. But this was also the first time he had encountered a supervillain.

"Do you feel that?" The Leader asked. "The heavy breathing. The racing heart. The lump in your throat. The sweat running down your face and body. All of it is a sign of fear. When your mind heard my voice, it knew instantly it was going to die, forcing a reaction from your body. It's telling you to flee. But you can't, right?"

"N—N—"

"Not every superhero is destined for the big leagues. Rest. In. Peace. Lightfoot." The Leader aimed his machine gun at Saint-Max and tore the unranked superhero's body with bullets.

Words: 832.

Total Words: 8671.