Haresa
"So, this is the location?" I asked Sheldon and he gave a curt nod.
The location was nothing like Sheldon had described a hideout would look like. We stood in front of a baseball field and it was eerie how empty it was especially at night time. The bleachers were littered with cups and plastic bags but it was hard to tell whether it was because there was no cleanup after the latest event or litter from elsewhere had found themselves a home stuck between the gaps underneath the seats.
"Do you know much about this field?" I asked Sheldon.
"No," he said. "I wouldn't know why they would make their escape area a baseball field."
"Maybe they were big sports fans." My joke wasn't met with even a chuckle and I continued to descend down the stairs.
I wrapped my sweater around me tighter in hopes that it would get warmer. I underestimated the temperature since our last outing was so warm but I was also hoping the hero outfit would come with cold-resistant material as well. But maybe they know we would be sweating anyways which is why they didn't bother with it.
"You're shivering. Did you underdress?" Sheldon asked.
He was wearing his turtleneck and cargo pants with a new addition of a sleeveless trench coat with more pockets than I've ever seen on a coat. It didn't seem very warm yet he seemed to have no issue with the night air. He must've thought it was important enough of a mission to be dressed in his full villain outfit.
"I added clothing I wasn't supposed to," I said and pinched my sweater to show him as if he couldn't see.
"Wow, aren't you a rebel?"
My steps padded softly down the stairs and I tapped the field ground warily.
"Think they power-proofed this place like the mall?" I asked Sheldon.
"Probably not," he said. "Most of these games don't allow powers to be used unless it relies on powers."
I tapped the ground a few more times and noticed how dense the ground was. I took a quick jog and noticed how my super speed didn't disturb the grass at all.
"It definitely is power proofed." My eyes met Sheldon's for a brief moment and I could even tell that he was concerned. "This is definitely the place."
A spotlight in the distance turns on and Sheldon jumped back in surprise. A zap of energy ran through my body so I was prepared to face whatever enemy that came at us.
"You investigate while I hang back," Sheldon said. "Won't do us any good if I get essentially stuck to maintain a shield while doing nothing."
My jaw instinctively jutted backwards. "Who said you're the boss?"
"Do you have any other ideas?"
I tried to search for a single idea for any semblance of a plan before slumping my shoulders and mumbling. "No."
"We're on the same page then."
I complied with his plan by slowly walking towards the bright stadium light but instead of being like a moth to a flame, my trudge was more like a reluctant rabbit checking out a new food source.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment to see if I could hear anything off but I could only hear the wind blowing softly as well as the loud buzz of the stadium light. My eyes snapped open in frustration and I continued to trek forward.
Just as I was a foot away from the light, it turned and my hands were raised to shield my eyes.
"Looks like a hare has come out to play." A voice echoed from the speakers.
I didn't recognize the playful voice but I closed my eyes and squared up my shoulders.
"And who would I be talking to?" I asked.
The years of hero work were ingrained in my stance and even my dialogue. I spoke each line with the best faux confidence I had as I used the script that I perfected after years of being on the field.
"You'll see soon enough."
The right to anonymity. Alright. Not much anonymity to protect in the first place. "What do you plan to do?"
"For tonight? We're back for what we missed last time."
"What? You wanted Sheldon's watch?" I challenged the voice. "He's not even here."
"We don't need him tonight." The voice laughed. "But I wonder... If I tell you to jump, would you jump?"
"N—"
"Yes?" The voice answered for me. "You're so sweet. But how high will you go?"
Loud bangs erupted from my feet and I jumped instinctively. My ears were hard at work as I tried to scan every odd sound within the fifty-mile radius. The amount of audio input was too much as I wasn't sure of what exactly I was searching for.
I didn't jump that high. Only high enough to escape whatever they were firing at me. There was an increasing anxiety as I found myself searching for any sounds of sound that could be Sheldon. His fiddling, his movement— heck, even his breathing.
Did he just ditch me?
Just before I landed on the ground, there was a loud shatter and the heat of the stadium light no longer warmed my face.
"Qu'est-ce que c'est?"
My eyes were open now that the intense light wasn't on me. I whipped my head to the side and I said the top of Sheldon's head behind a row of seats and his eyes met mine briefly. I didn't have to ask what he was thinking since I was sure I was thinking it too.
Reynard was the voice so we had to be close.
"Ooh la la, how did you manage to get glass all over the field? That's a work hazard now." Reynard's tongue clucked in disappointment.
Glass is more of a hazard than bullets? That was new to me.
I landed softly on the grass and jogged to the nearest seating area. The concrete rubbed harshly against my suit but I managed to hide without hurting myself.
"Really? We're hiding?" Reynard's frustration was obvious by the way the microphone gave off a high-pitched shriek. "This isn't hide and seek."
"Marco!" Sheldon called out from the distance.
I couldn't stop myself from letting out a groan of disbelief. I couldn't see him but I wish I could smack him on the back of his head.
"Polo." A new voice called out in the distance.
My frustration came to an abrupt stop. Did that really work? We know that Carabao is here?
The silence from Reynard was loud. There was the distinct sound of a voice being cleared before Reynard spoke again. "Just because I say we shouldn't be playing one game means that it's permission to change the game."
A metal ball rolled out from the side and it was blinking green. The blinking quickened till it stopped and became a bright flash.
Smoke exploded from the device but the longer I stared at it, the more it slowed down.
"Cheap tricks won't win you anything," Reynard said. "Carabao. It's time to get things started."
There was a pause and the smoke of the device now was frozen.
"Carabao."
Another pause.
"Carabao!" A rapid string of angry French words followed and a muffled voice could be heard from whatever device Reynard seemed to be using. "I don't care. Don't waste time on petty things."
The smoke came back alive and the explosion from what I now assumed was Sheldon's device was released. I ducked as leftover pieces of glass shot out from the ground and Reynard swore loudly.
"This! This is why people don't want to hire us. We cannot do our jobs properly. They think because we're teenagers that they can be more irresponsible with safety. Sheldon, I told you this before. Don't think I don't know you're here and how much this bothers me."
Another ball rolled out from another area and it exploded. This time it wasn't stopped by Carabao's powers and sparks erupted from the ball to form a middle finger.
Should I even be here? It seems like this is way more personal than I was expecting it to be.
"Carabao," Reynard said. "I'm turning off the mic. Don't hurt yourself out there."
With a click, Carabao revealed where he was hiding and took out his batons.