Braden
When I woke up, late-morning sunlight was streaming in through the gaps in the curtains. I squinted reflexively and groaned aloud. I still felt exhausted, but it was nothing a few mugs of coffee wouldn't fix.
"Cool, you're awake," Caleb said, walking into the living room. I had slept on the couch, and my neck ached. "Hungry?"
"Yeah," I answered, getting to my feet and testing my balance. I seemed to be stable, so I walked into the kitchen. It was ten forty-five in the morning, according to the microwave clock. I was glad that I'd slept in late. After what happened in the early morning, I definitely needed the extra rest.
Caleb already had breakfast laid out for me—pancakes, bacon, eggs, and yogurt. I sat down at the table after grabbing silverware.
"Thanks, man," I said to him.
"No problem," he said. He was wearing baggy gray sweatpants and a dark green shirt, and I realized that I still had my super-suit on. My jumpsuit was a dark golden color with black gloves, matching athletic shoes, and a black utility belt, plus a black domino mask with gold embellishments.
"I'm going to need to clean my suit today," I remarked. "It's all sweaty and gross."
Caleb nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."
We ate quietly for a few minutes and relaxed. We didn't need to speak to enjoy each other's company. It was enough for us to just be in a room together.
I only spoke again after we finished eating. "Did you find anything on Dreadblade?"
He stood up and gestured for me to follow him, his expression suddenly turning serious. "Yeah, I did. Come here."
He went into his bedroom, sat down at the desk, and fired up his state-art laptop, the kind no regular college student would be able to afford. I caught the sight of my reflection on the screen before it turned on. It was safe to say that I looked tired. My pale blond hair was sticking up in places, and there were dark circles under my eyes.
"For starters, looks like he's a nomadic mercenary. He travels all over the place—South Africa, Egypt, Australia, Hawaii, South Korea, Thailand, New York—all that before he ended up here in California. Never stays in one place longer than a year. And from what I could dig up, he's pretty good at his job."
"Wow," I muttered. "He's hot, too."
My friend glanced at me with a mix of concern and exasperation. "What? Braden, stop being horny for five minutes and get ahold of yourself. We're trying to catch this guy, not fuck him!"
I fidgeted with my belt and didn't say anything aloud, but internally I thought, Speak for yourself.
Caleb glanced at the computer again and clenched his jaw in concentration, putting his hand on the machine. New information appeared on the screen a second later. "Okay. I found his home address, and his real name is Malik Princeton."
"Good job," I said.
"Thanks," he muttered. Beads of sweat formed on his face as he exerted himself with his powers. Long-range usage of his abilities was strenuous for him. "I hacked into his house's security system. He isn't there right now. It's pretty high-end stuff."
"He's a supervillain," I deadpanned. "He's going to want good security."
"I know," Caleb said. He sighed as he rubbed the sweat off his face, then looked at me again. "So what's our next move? This guy is dangerous."
