Jupiter [Marvel Phase I]

ten.

It was a terrible idea, really. Patrolling the streets, on the lookout for crime like some sort of vigilante. Not safe - definitely not bright.

Which is exactly why Jenn wasn't doing that. She was just going for a jog. She'd been running the same route for a while, so it was time to mix things up. Maybe she could run by the Grindhouse - she hadn't been there in forever. If she just so happened to witness something, then it was her civic duty to help, right?

Okay, maybe going through a parking garage wasn't something she normally did, but it was a run detour. And, Jenn told herself, jogging uphill was great cardio.

Towards the top floor, Jenn stopped for a moment to let her heartbeat slow. Doubt had started to creep in. Maybe it was time to go home. It wasn't that late, but she had morning classes tomorrow.

"This really is ridiculous," Jenn admitted to herself.

For a long moment, her harsh breaths and the traffic below were the only things she could hear. A car drove past and she straightened to a standing position. She only caught a glimpse of the driver, but they were definitely giving her a strange look. Okay, yeah, it was time to go.

Before she had even turned all the way around, a noise caught her off guard. Like something metal clattering to the ground on the level above her.

"Hello?" Jenn called, then mentally slapped herself. Did she really want to alert anyone to her presence, particularly a criminal she was trying to catch red-handed?

No one answered. There were some shuffling noises, and Jenn nearly brushed the whole thing off. This was a parking garage; people were probably just doing parking garage things.

Then a pained grunt cut through the noise. Jenn stopped in place, suddenly attuned to whatever was happening above her. She heard hushed voices, but couldn't make out a word. Cautiously, she crept closer.

Once she reached the next level, the voices became more distinct. "-really think you could screw us like that?" Well, they didn't sound happy. She tiptoed over quietly as she could.

Huddled behind some cars near an out-of-order lift, there were two figures. The second Jenn spotted them, she ducked behind a concrete support beam. Peeking her head out, she realized that there were actually three men; two facing away from her, and one pressed firmly against the wall. Jenn could only make out the face of the last man. He looked terrified, with a suspiciously fresh mark below his left eye. The shorter man with his back to her held a crowbar in his hand. It didn't take a genius in particle physics to put two and two together.

"If we can't collect that, we're gonna have to start collecting body parts." And then he raised the crowbar over his head.

Bloody hell, Jenn needed a plan fast. But when the cornered man's face crumpled in fear, her body moved first.

"Hey!" She shouted and everyone froze, turning to look at whoever had just intruded. Jenn froze too - this was as far as her plan got. Oh...this was awkward.

"Hey, what?" Crowbar Guy asked. "Just run along now. This is nothing to worry your pretty head about."

"I'm not- I'm not going anywhere. I'm not gonna let you hurt this man."

The two men closest to her exchanged a look, huffing out a laugh at her expense. Jenn sighed. She understood how this must've looked. Just because she was tall didn't mean she cut a particularly imposing figure. However, it was the third guy who spoke up first.

"You?" He sounded incredulous. Disappointed, even.

"I'm trying to save you, you arse," Jenn shot back. "Come on, get out of there."