Hero by Day

Chapter 5 - Making friends with my arch enemy

"I'm here to fight for truth, and justice, and the American way."

~ Clark Kent (Superman)

"So, now that we have that fixed, let's learn a bit more about ourselves." I suggested, not really wanting to leave. Delinquent intrigued me, and I wasn't about to let her slip through my fingers just yet.

She gave me another blank stare. "Why would I do that? I already know more than I want to about you, Lightbulb. You're a super with a White Knight complex, like your boss, Captain Impossible, which led you to help me – a known 'villain'. You're cocky and smug, which is resident in your posture and personality. You're also a super, which means that you're most likely an insufferable jackass as well."

"You're a super too, are you not?" I asked incredulously.

She scoffed, "It's not like I chose to be a super."

"What makes you think I did?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure we're in different situations, Lightbulb." – I ignored the snobby nickname for a second time in a row – "At least your powers didn't cause you to lose something you love."

My gaze darkened. "You don't know what I lost because of my powers, Delinquent." She knew nothing about what I lost because of these powers. Let's count them off, shall we? My father, a real social life, better grades, my safety, my sanity, I could go on forever.

"Yeah, is that true?" She sneered, "You don't seem to be too sad about it do you?"

I was in front of her in seconds. I was sure that my expression wasn't pretty, seeing as her eyes flashed in panic. "Don't you dare talk about my fa- the things I've lost, okay? Just because I'm a hero doesn't mean I haven't forgotten what was taken from me. I decided to use my powers for good instead of dwell on the past. I've saved so many lives in the past couple of years and what have you done with your newfound powers, huh? Oh, right. You graffiti a couple buildings and intercept a pharmaceuticals van. Yeah, you're just helping so many people with your powers. So many people."

"I am!" She screamed at me, causing me to back up a step. "So many families are suffering at the hands of Paramount Pharmaceuticals and their stupid pill settlements. And Senator Klaus's decision in the Croatian crisis is hurting innocent children. I'm trying to open peoples' eyes to this stuff. The people hurt by these things need to know that there's someone out there on their side."

I had to admit that she had a point about that.

I sighed and looked her in the eyes. "Why can't you at least do any of this without breaking the law? The only way you can really get people to listen is if you're one of the good guys, and presenting yourself out as a villain isn't going to get you anywhere with the people."

"How do you know that?" She questioned. "Just because you're Mister Super Sidekick doesn't mean that everyone loves you. Sometimes you have to bend the rules a little to make a difference."

I stayed silent. Without knowing it, she'd hit a major cord of mine. I knew that all the people weren't totally with me. In fact, there were certain groups of people who thought that the idea of Captain Impossible even needing a sidekick was preposterous. They absolutely hated me, and it didn't make me feel too good about myself.

"The rules are set in place for a reason." I countered.

She smiled slyly at me, taking a step closer. "Even the most seemingly perfect societies are flawed and corrupt. You just need to know where to look."

"No place is perfect."

"That's why I intend to open the minds of citizens to that fact. They need to know that they can't trust their system." Her tone told me that maybe she had been wronged by the system at one point. It made me wonder if it had something to do with the reason she became Delinquent.