How To Ruin A City

Chapter Thirty Three

Catalina

There was finally a face to the name. Sidestep, there in the flesh.

My chest heaved, heart berating me to listen to my brain and make a break for the exit. I glanced back at the Spider as she picked herself up, slipping her helmet off. I'd forgotten when the civilians trapped in the store finally got out, but it still felt like there were too many eyes in the room for her to be doing that.

"What's going on here?" the new, angelic, and sugary sweet voice asked.

She even sounds pretty? Wow.

"Glacier and Inferno were causing some trouble. Wraith ordered us to drop by," Blazing announced. "We figured we'd take them out since they've caused us so many problems in the past. Well, wasn't really a choice but..."

I scowled and clenched my fists. "What would your brother would think if you chose to kill us? You think it's possible for him to be more disappointed in your, or do you think you reached the threshold? Oh. Maybe you're striving for your parents to disown you. My bad."

I met Chloe's tired eyes for a moment while Blazing started stalking over. Sidestep and Polar fixed their eyes on us but didn't intervene. Inferno was stifling a laugh.

"What would you know about my brother?" she hissed, leaning so close spit got on my face with each over pronounced word.

"I know a lot about Kyle, Vera," I gritted out, enunciating every letter over her name. "We even work together. He's a helluva sidekick, gotta say."

Blazing reeled back and turned to Sidestep. "They know too much. We have to kill them."

Chloe scoffed, clutching her ribs. "You're dramatic."

Sidestep shook her head slowly. "Why do you think I brought the Spider? I'm not letting you two kill a pair of idiotic kids."

Polar nodded along, placing a hand on Sidestep's arm. My eyebrows furrowed as Blazing deflated. He huffed. "What are we going to do with them?"

"Put bags over their heads and bring them back to my base, keep them there until we figure it out? Probably won't work."

She took a few strides towards us, gesturing for Inferno to toss her the power dampener only to crush it under her foot the second she got it.

I plucked the other one off my chest and did the same.

"Make this easy," she warned, going to grab me.

"I know what Ghost did to you!" Inferno rushed out as he moved between us.

There's times in life when you know you hit a nerve. The second the words left Inferno's mouth, Sidestep went stock still. It didn't seem like she even wanted to risk breathing.

"Sidestep?" Polar prompted.

"Excuse me?"

"At TVAH, with Outpour. I know what she did."

"You knew?" she asked in a breathy voice. "And you didn't tell anyone?"

Inferno flexed his fingers and looked down. "Back then, I thought that saying something would do more damage than good. You already...It was too late to clear your name by the time I found out. You hurt people when you broke out of that facility."

She scoffed.

"It would've been dangerous for the public to find out their heroes were corrupt when we needed a unite front to fight against The Saviors. I'm sorry. If I could go back and say something now, I would. My silence made things worse."