Justice Lords Limitless Act 1: ReBirth

Chapter 3

Kimber rushed into the garage, tossed a hefty trash bag in the waiting can, and slid into her old sedan in one fluid movement. She started the engine and backed the car out of the driveway. She was excited; why wouldn't she be? It was nights like tonight that she lived for now. The air was crisp with a slight, cool breeze, the gibbous moon was obscured by shadowy clouds, and there was no school the following day meaning she could be out much later than usual. Tonight was perfect.

She parked her car in an overnight parking structure near the local strip mall and exited her vehicle in a careful rush. Taking a duffle bag from the trunk, she moved with practiced efficiency to a hidden corner where she stripped off her casual clothes, exchanging them for the clothes in the duffle. Her tee shirt and sweater were traded for a thick, black long-sleeve undershirt and matching gloves. Her jeans came off and were replaced with a pair of pants that were slick like a wetsuit but breathed easy.

Over her clothes, she donned modified motorbike padding and armor. Her sneakers were replaced with modified motorcycle boots and she fastened a makeshift utility belt around her waist. She slung a long, dark cape down her back, clipping its two latches to her shoulders. To complete the transformation, she pulled on a motorcycle helmet she'd modified, its metal bat ears catching the obscured moonlight sharply. Her transformation complete, she climbed up the parking structure's fire escape and once on the top level, she ran to the edge. 

There once was a time she would flinch at the end of a run like this. She would get scared and nauseated. She wondered about what would happen if she fell over the edge. She thought about the shame and ridicule her father would have to endure; the sadness. But she eventually got over those fears, filing them away with other thoughts that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things like a past boyfriend. Upon reaching the edge, she leaped. 

This was the feeling she lived for: the lights blurring in the corner of her vision, the wind tugging on her cape as she fell through the air to the next building top. She hit the roof with a controlled roll before continuing her run. Her ears picked up the sound of sirens just off to her left. They were getting closer to her position. Two buildings away, her motorcycle was waiting for her.

On the final building, she vaulted over the side and grabbed a drain pipe with one hand, then slid down the pipe to the alley floor where her motorcycle was hidden. She had gotten to the bike faster than she had expected, the police were still a few streets away. Kimber uncovered her ride and stowed the disgusting canvas cover in a nearby trash bin. As she straddled the bike, the squad cars passed by and she tuned the radio in her helmet into their frequency. The rush? Armed robbery at a local apartment complex. Three robbers with reports of at least two hostages.

Easy.

Tonight was perfect.

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"Delete. Delete. Delete. And delete." Curtis let out a sigh of relief. He'd just nuked his entire script folder from his laptop. He'd wanted to hold onto them for posterity as well as reference, but now he'd learned it was too risky. If he wanted them back, he could easily rewrite them, but they had served their purpose. With the Justice Lords out of the picture, he didn't expect to need them ever again.

Curtis exited his room and wandered into the kitchen to scavenge some grub in his house. His lonely house. His father was still at work and his mother wasn't around. So, with nothing to do, he turned on the television set. Summer Gleason's pretty face was creased with a mixture of fear and anxiety.

"Though the scene behind me doesn't seem active, the armed robbers are reportedly making their demands to the police. Demands that the police will no doubt reject. Until the reinforcements arrive, the police have no choice but to stall for time. Tensions are high and..."