Mom, I'm Bulletproof

Chapter 15.3: That's a Little Harsh

"Hold it in place," Amy said, now that they had the helicopter somewhat under control. "I'll stop those rotors and shut it down."

"It might be too big for me," Future Girl said.

"Oh, stop," Amy said. "You're way stronger than me."

"Really?" Future Girl said.

Amy nodded. "Now hold this thing in place. Don't let it fly out of control here and hurt those cops."

Amy let go of the landing leg, leaving Future Girl to hold the entire chopper herself. Amy then found the side door, well hidden among the smooth black metal, and pried it open. She climbed into the helicopter.

"Sinner!" a man shouted. Amy hadn't considered that there might be another person inside. The man, garbed head to toe in a red jumpsuit, aimed a small handgun at Amy and fired. The bullet harmlessly bounced off her face and ricocheted around the cabin. Amy grabbed the gun and crushed it, along with the man's fingers. With her other hand, she delivered a punch right between his eyes – or at least where she estimated his eyes were underneath the red cloth covering his head.

As he collapsed in his chair, a third man in matching red robes reached from the helicopter's rear seats to grab at Amy. In a blur, Future Girl flew into the cabin, grabbed hold of the third man, and flew straight out again.

Amy moved to the front of the cabin, where the wind from outside screamed through the smashed windshield, blowing her hair and cape around the inside of the craft.

Amy glanced over the controls, noting how they were dimly lit as possible as to not be seen from outside of the helicopter. Now that she had taken a second to appreciate this craftsmanship, she tore into the control deck and started ripping out pieces of equipment and tearing apart as many important-looking devices as she could. Machinery sparked and hissed as she ripped it into pieces, spitting out bursts of electric light and smoke as she did so. Something must have worked, because she felt the rotors stop and the helicopter dropped to the ground with a klutzy thud.

"Not bad," Future Girl said as Amy climbed out of the cabin.

"Couldn't have done it without you," Amy said.

"Freeze!" Cops surrounded the helicopter with their guns drawn on Amy and Future Girl. "Put your hands behind your head."

"Sorry to disappoint, boys," Amy said, "but we've got to run. Official superhero business and junk. But here's some sweet evidence for you all to mull over."

Amy grabbed the unconscious pilot and flew off him. Future Girl followed, carrying the second unconscious Temple agent. "Can we just leave that helicopter with the cops?" Future Girl said. "We could learn about the Temple from that."

"It'll keep the cops off our own backs," Amy said. "Besides, we already have three suspects."

They flew to the ledge where they had left Proscenium, a small outcropping on the side of a building. Amy and Future Girl placed their two Temple agents down, while Proscenium held the third Temple agent against the wall.

"Talk," Proscenium said, holding the helicopter pilot by his neck.

"Never," the pilot said.

Proscenium slammed the man against the building. Tiny bits of the wall cracked and apart as the man's back and shoulders struck it.

"Hey!" Amy said. "That's a little harsh, isn't it?"

"We must know what he knows," Proscenium said, lifting the man up and slapping against the wall again. The man let out of a low, painful groan.

"I don't think I like you torturing him," Future Girl said.

"This isn't torture," Proscenium said. "This is pressing the suspect for information. Torture is a methodical, pre-planned effort, designed to..."

"What were you saying just before this?" Amy said. "About being set in your ways?"

Proscenium stopped. He stared at Amy, then at Future Girl, then at Amy again. He held out the pilot in front of Amy.

"Here," he said. "Knock him unconscious so we may speak freely."

Amy shrugged, and then gave the pilot a solid punch to the forehead. The man collapsed in Proscenium's grasp. Proscenium rested him on the ledge, and then sat down, his heavy metal boots dangling over the building's edge. Amy sat down next to him, and Future Girl sat next to her.

Amy put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, big guy. Let's talk."

# # # # 

Next: Confession.