Vigilante (Under Construction! Please Excuse the Dust!)

Chapter 2: sacred rules.

Chapter 2:

Rain Maker:

        I woke suddenly and found myself in my room at the Brigade's base; the girl's face a distant, yet pleasant memory, even though she had whacked me.

        But, how did I get back to the base?

        Another question hit me.

        Did the girl know my face, my identity?

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Giliana:

        I called my grandfather.

        He was a Technopath, a rare sub-Power of Telepathy and Intelligence. Although he could dissect anything that used electricity, he was completely clueless when it came to social standards and his physical state was weakening faster than natural.

        Those were the negative effects of Intelligence and Mental Powers, just like the degenerative mental state of Physical Powers.

        He told me to bring him back to our home.

        "What?" I almost yelled in astonishment. "Why the Talon would I do that?"

        "Because I can track his movements from the last few hours from his communicator and we can take him to his team's base," Grandpa told me, sounding half-preoccupied. I was slightly worried about what he was doing.

        "What are we going to do, leave him on the doorstep? I knocked him out!"

        "And he was following you in the Outer City," Grandpa countered. I paced back and forth on the pavement. Rain Maker was still out. "You were defending yourself."

        "I assaulted a Hero!" I yelled into my cell phone. "Besides, how am I going to get him home?"

        "I'll send Leo in the Avian," Grandpa replied, a buzzing noise blaring through the phone. It sounded like the oven or the microwave. "Oh! I have to go! I'll send Leo right over. Goodbye, mi bella!"

        He hung up before I could retaliate. I took my anger out on the phone itself, growling and strangling it between my hands. I sighed and shoved it in my pocket.

        Taking a deep breath, I looked at the unconscious Hero and felt supremely mortified.

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Giliana:

        Leo came in the Avian about fifteen minutes later. Leo and the Avian were both my grandfather's inventions. Leo was an artificial intelligence and the Avian was a hovercraft that levitated on the magnets on the underside of the carriage, pushing against the massive iron ore deposit beneath Outer City.

        Leo was comprised of sleek metals that I had no clue where Grandpa had found and was self-aware, the defining characteristic of an AI. He wordlessly swept up Rain Maker and eased him into the Avian.

        "Thanks, Leo," I said. Leo nodded, stepping into the Avian's driver side. I pulled myself up into the back, keeping an eye on Rain Maker.

        Rain Maker wore an armored Kevlar suit: dark blue waist up and black from the waist down, a belt of smoke bombs, and boots.

        As his name suggests, Rain Maker is an Elemental Hero. He could summon clouds and torrential downpours. He was on very good terms with the ICPD and the fire department for that single ability. He's put out hundreds of fires and helped out farmers during drought seasons.

        He'd never hurt someone with lethal force either, like striking them with lightning.

        The bad thing about Elemental Powers was that they were influenced by the seasons. Their Powers fluxuated and they could be really valuable at some times of the year or they could be totally useless at other times.

        For a half-second, I wondered what he looked like under his mask and felt an itch in my fingers to remove it. I shook myself out of it.

        But, it wasn't like I'd know who he was, even if I saw him...

        What the Talon.

        Throwing caution to the wind, I reached forward and pressed down on the latches that held his mask in place to the back of his collar. Careful not to shake him too much, I eased the mask off over his head.

        I was right. I didn't know who he was, but he was attractive, I had to admit.

        His face was soft, but firm and chin covered in stubble. Rain Maker's ashy black hair fell in calm waves over his forehead. I grimaced at the swelling bruise that blossomed over his cheek, still feeling guilty.

        I pressed my lips together in a tight line, feeling like I'd violated some sacred rule, but it was worth it. I slid the mask back over his head and latched it back on his uniform.