Hero Alliance

One

"Hey, leave the poor puppy alone!" I yell out, stepping into the alleyway which was quite dark.

The group turns to face me, that's when I notice the bottles in their hands. Taking a whiff of the air, I gag. Alcohol.

"Well, well, well, two prizes in one night." One man grins while the others laugh. He stares at me even longer, recognizing my face. "Even better. It's Imitatia's granddaughter."

Imitatia is my grandmother, Mary Jones. She had the power to imitate or copy people's powers hence the name. When she passed away, the whole city was there for my family at her funeral which is what the city usually does when a very important hero dies. At the event, they usually unmask them and reveal them to everyone so the people could respect them for who they truly are.

Not that that isn't sweet but I think it's pretty disrespectful when they unmask the hero in front of everyone...but anyway, back to my current situation.

The dog runs between theirs legs and jumps into my arms. "I wouldn't be so sure." I reply, grabbing the pepper spray in my pocket. Okay, here's the plan: Once you say another really cool badass line, we'll spray the pepper spray and make a run for it. Yeah, that sounds good. "Don't test me, I'm not as weak as I look." I add, glaring at them. That's a lie but they don't know that...I mean, I could probably hold myself in a fight..maybe?

I pull the pepper spray out of my pocket and before I could even use it, it's smacked out of my hand and onto the floor out of reach. I turn to make a run for it but bump into another man who seems to be with these guys.

They begin to circle me now. I step back from the man further into the circle but still in a small distance of each person. I clutch the dog safely.

"I...I know origami!" I shout, hoping to scare them.

"Paper folding?" One woman says.

"Dammit..." I sigh in defeat. The group laughs, moving in on me even more.

Suddenly, what sounds like a beer can hits the floor on the farther side of the alleyway..in the darkness. They all look over to see what it was but from what we could see, no one was there. I feel a quick gust of wind beside me but when I look, it's nothing.

They all look back at me, grinning in a way to show that no one was coming to help me. I gulp, my legs shaking beneath me a bit as I feel myself grow even more terrified.

Then surprisingly, one of the men in the group punches another man next to him in the face which sends him flying into the wall behind him. "What the-"

This man seems to almost transform himself into someone more muscular, a bit shorter, but with a broad back which is all visible through his suit.

I recognize that silver suit in an instant and smile so wide I feel my cheeks grow numb.

He turns to face us, the gold 'S' on his chest standing out so bright. "You should all leave this young lady and her dog alone." He says in a deep voice thanks to his voice modifier, crossing his arms. I hold in a snort at his corny superhero lines.

We all see the man Shifter transformed into lie unconscious on the ground behind garbage bins in the alley..well we see his legs at least. The group of drunks grab their two unconscious friends and hurry out of the alley. Even drunk they know not to mess with Shifter.