Vixen scrutinized the vehicle closely, her lilac eyes shining in the moonlight.
The night sky was clear and crisp; the night was young.
She stood on the top of a building, feeling the night breeze kiss her exposed skin; pulling gently at her hair and cape that billowed behind her. Goosebumps rose on her arms, a testament to the frigid air that only seemed to get colder as the seconds ticked by.
Her suit and cape were midnight black. The purple mask that adorned her face was like a beacon, shining in the dark upon her otherwise hidden body. Her muscles were tensed, poised for action as she scanned the area.
Her night vision goggles recognized two heat signatures of the people in the truck. The infrared image was bright, shining behind her eyes even when she blinked.
Time to move out.
Vixen leaped from the building, feeling the gust of wind attack her senses from every angle. She began levitating before she reached the ground, slowing her fall before she softly landed on the concrete without a sound.
The frigid air worsened, seeming to encompass her body entirely as she faltered. The cold bit at her skin harshly, making her body feel numb.
"Frostbite," Vixen called to the open air.
She received no reply.
Suddenly, a figure appeared before her; Frostbite seemed to materialize from thin air.
His thin, blue lips widened in an insanely large grin. Unhealthily pale skin that was almost translucent shined in the moonlight. His crazed eyes swam with mirth and delight. He was in his late twenties, but his large, glassy eyes and small frame made him look like an abused child.
He wore a black collared shirt and a shockingly white lab coat that looked too large on his skinny frame. His face was void of a mask, revealing his twisted facial expressions as he regarded her as if she were last week's leftovers. His platinum blond hair was short and messy, a faded yellow that resembled dead wheat.
On the surface, he appeared fragile, but his eyes held dangerous promises that were anything but frail.
Other than his cloaking ability and weather manipulation, he was nothing but a petty thief that only stole for the adrenaline rush.
He had been a passionate scientist for many years. He had studied the mutations of a Super individual's cells, trying to figure out how and why the person was gifted with seemingly otherworldly powers, a mystery even the brightest minds had yet to fathom.
He planned to create medicinal products based on his findings, until he was diagnosed with anemia and his funds were cut.
Distressed and bitter, he left behind science and sought other ways to fuel his thirst for excitement.
It was only a few days later that his powers had awoke, and he turned to a life of crime.
The media had immediately taken to calling him Frostbite, since his Supervillain debut consisted of him holding a former coworker at gunpoint and freezing the roads to watch the cop cars crash and swerve from lack of control. He had given his hostage a severe case of frostbite before fleeing the scene.
"Hello, Mr. Porter. I'm going to stop you now," Vixen greeted warily.
If she were a normal person, she would already be suffering a mild case of his namesake.
His eye twitched, fingers curling into fists. The manic grin that stretched across his features turned sour for a moment before he grinned again.
"Hello, Vixen. I'm going to kill you now," he greeted pleasantly, as if the two were exchanging pie recipes instead of death threats.
He raised his hands in the air, narrowing his eyes as the sky darkened; ominous clouds rolled overhead, blotting out the shimmering moon.
White mist began seeping from Frostbite's clothes, as if he were a human smoke dispenser. Fog began flooding the area, obscuring Frostbite from her immediate sight.
Vixen's goggles couldn't pick up his heat signature. He had disappeared once more.
She reached up and pulled the goggles to her forehead, blinking as she allowed her eyes to adjust to the dark.
A lump formed in her throat. Her movements were jerky as she spun around, frantically searching for him as the night turned menacingly darker.
Ice crystalized on her boots, twisting and snaking against the material like a living creature. She inhaled deeply, watching wisps of her breath dance through the air with each rise and fall of her chest.
Mild panic gripped her, seizing her heart in an iron grip that left her breathless.
Suddenly, she felt hands at her waist, constricting her jagged movements.
An icy grip held her still; the faint passing of cold breath against her neck caused a turbulent shiver to race down her spine.
His hands left bruises against her skin, and his body felt like a living corpse pressed against her back. His fingers slithered against her body, leaving trails of coldness and fatigue in their wake.
Now!
She kicked backwards roughly, putting all the strength of her numb body into the sudden movement. Her limbs protested weakly, feeling brittle in a way that didn't match her immense strength.
Frostbite shrieked in pain, his deathly cold grip forcibly removed from her as he was launched away with the sickening crunch of broken bones.
The sound spurred a mildly sympathetic wince from Vixen.
Frostbite landed sprawled against the concrete in an unconscious heap, crimson liquid shining against his skin. His wide eyes were now closed, the manic expression gone from his pliant face.
She quickly ran to his side, pressing her gloved hand gently against a nasty cut on his forehead. He didn't respond to her touch, but the steady rising of his skinny chest had her settling on the ground beside him with an immense sigh of relief that she thankfully couldn't see in the air around her.
Her breath was no longer visible, and the harsh cold had seceded along with the looming clouds that were in the process of dissipating from the scene.
She pulled her spandex-clad legs to her chest, watching him for a moment as she assessed his injuries.
Other than the awkwardly bent angle of his left leg and the small cuts littered around his body, he seemed mostly alright.
I'm sorry, Mr. Porter. I couldn't just let you hurt those innocent people.
She looked away for a moment, eyeing the lightening sky as if searching it for answers. When she looked back at the ground, it was barren.
Frostbite had vanished, leaving nothing but a trail of blood and a clear sheen of ice in his stead.
After tailing the truck to ensure its safety, Vixen returned to her apartment.
After a scorching hot shower, she packed away her hero supplies and surveyed the damage to her body in the bathroom mirror.
Two large purple bruises in the shape of hands marred her waist, causing her to hiss with each reluctant twist of her body.
The adrenaline before had mostly numbed the pain, but now she felt the full brunt of her injury.
I've had worse, she thought, covering herself with pajamas as she got into bed for a much needed rest.
Her mind traveled to Frostbite for a moment before she closed her eyes and threw herself headfirst into a sleepless dream.
In the morning, she didn't do her routine of pushups. After all, even Superheroes needed lazy Sundays.
She rolled out of bed, brushed her teeth, and settled in front of the TV for some much needed relaxation.
After her tumble with Frostbite, she felt she deserved a minor break from the hustle and bustle of hero life, not that she wasn't itching to throw herself out there again.
Even as she propped her feet on the coffee table and grabbed the remote, her eyes glided to the small, hand held radio perched on the bookshelf expectantly.
A few days after she'd decided to become a Superhero, she took it upon herself to hack into the police station's radio system.
Finding crime became a whole lot easier when she was gifted with day-to-day updates. She didn't exactly have time to perch in trees and wait for the nearest handbag to be stolen from some unsuspecting woman's hands.
The radio only gave her alerts to more important or dangerous crime. She'd leave the purse snatching for someone else to handle, though she'd returned her fair share of purses to their respective owners when she happened to be in the right place at the right time.
What an amazing headline that had been: Vixen Vigilante thwarts purse thief in upscale New York! She truly sees everything!
The thought of it was enough to make Jenny grin as she settled back against the couch, absentmindedly drumming her fingers against the soft cushion.
She sighed heavily as she flipped through the channels without lifting a finger, feeling the remote hover precariously higher in the air each time her frustration grew at not finding anything interesting to watch.
By the time she settled on a soap opera, the remote had floated its way to the ceiling, bobbing back and forth as it mildly resisted the force of her telekinetic prowess.
She held her hand out and it quickly gravitated to her palm, sliding into her grip effortlessly.
At that moment, her apartment door opened and her easily excitable friend scurried inside, slamming the door behind her with an unnecessary flourish.
Jenny flinched and quickly switched off the radio with nothing but a mere flicker of her eyes. She was powerful enough to move things without even looking at them, but taking a shot in the dark could have disastrous effects.
It was better to have a target in mind before she gave anything a mental touch, something she also observed in the physical aspect since she had Super strength.
Her telekinetic powers were not normally used in the field, though she couldn't deny they were handy. Flinging Frostbite around with just her mind would make for a semi fun pastime to anyone else, but the thought unnerved Jenny. One misplaced mental caress and the Supervillain could be torn to smithereens on a molecular level.
Thankfully, she hadn't learned that the hard way.
Kayla didn't sense her discomfort, waving her hands dramatically.
Kayla was a petite girl two years older than Jenny at the age of twenty five. Her flawless tan skin, curly black hair that framed her almond shaped face in intricate rivulets, and fashionista way of life had men drawn to her like moths to a flame.
The two were pretty much opposites, so the fact that Kayla was her friend astounded even Jenny at times.
Kayla had met her five months ago at a coffee shop Jenny used to work at.
The girl had forced her way into Jenny's life and didn't seem to be leaving any time soon. Despite how aggravated Jenny typically felt when Kayla appeared, she couldn't deny having a friend was nice at times.
Now wasn't one of those times.
"Kayla, now isn't really good. I'm busy watching a movie," Jenny deflected, her voice void of any polite courtesy a person would usually display to a dear friend.
It was simply too early in the morning and looking at Kayla in all her radiance almost hurt Jenny's eyes more than the sun that peaked through her lavender curtains.
Kayla merely hummed as she slid off her shoes and paraded over to Jenny, sidling next to her on the couch.
"You know this soap opera's in Spanish, right?"
Jenny remained unfazed, though it was only then that she realized the gorgeous people on screen were not speaking English.
She went to change the channel, but Kayla grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
"Leave it, it's not important anyway. I came here to talk to you!" Kayla grinned.
Jenny resisted an eye roll.
Being friendly and sociable was much easier behind a mask. In her actual life, she found herself only truly liking to talk to old people and young children. She just couldn't relate to someone near her own age.
She'd much rather talk about World War II with a kind, old veteran or grin at the incomprehensible babbles of an infant.
She guessed it had to do with being a Superhero. She always tried to assume the best out of people, but after so many years of crime fighting, she became understandingly wary.
Seeing the worst parts of people came naturally. Kayla was generally an innocent, excitable person to be around, but she had her negative points. She was too abrasive, and she got jealous easily.
"What is it?" Jenny said dryly.
"Did you not see the news last night? You're such a troglodyte. Maybe they're still showing replays of it," Kayla chided, grabbing the remote from Jenny's suddenly stiff fingers.
She watched as Kayla turned to the news channel, feeling her stomach sink.
Breaking news flashed at the bottom of the screen. The TV suddenly seemed too bright.
Just as she'd feared, the footage had to do with her. It was of Vixen and Frostbite bickering, though there was thankfully no audio.
The footage seemed to corrupt for a moment before it came back to life, showing Vixen triumphantly kicking Frostbite, who launched an impressive amount of feet away.
The footage disappeared as a man dressed sharply in a suit regarded the camera with practiced ease.
"It's amazing, isn't it? That unbelievable footage was given to us by unknown sources. As seen by the video, Vixen Vigilante was seen at the scene deterring Frostbite. From what exactly, we have yet to learn, but we will definitely keep you updated!"
Jenny grabbed the remote and turned the channel back to the soap opera. Kayla shot her a petulant look.
"I just don't see why you're not interested in hero stuff, Jenny. I know you have a thing for Spiderman, but these Superheroes are real!" Kayla waved her hands around again, as if the rapid hand motions would get her point across.
Jenny hummed. "Is that all?"
Kayla crossed her arms.
"I just thought you would find it interesting. I know you don't really keep track of that sort of thing, but it's nice to have something to talk about."
Great. Now she's sulking and she doesn't even know how stressed that revelation made me.
Jenny released a sigh and gently patted her friend's arm. She offered a small smile.
Kayla grinned back.
"I guess I'll leave you alone for now. Tomorrow we're all planning on going to a cafe at ten o'clock, so pencil that in your schedule. Bye," Kayla explained giddily. She shot Jenny a look that said she wouldn't be relenting before she grinned and exited in a calm manner that heavily contradicted the way she entered.
With a sigh, Jenny once again relaxed into the couch cushions and wordlessly turned the police radio on.
Still no reports of anything serious. Jenny tried to relax and focus on the unintelligible soap opera, but her mind wandered.
I wonder who gave the news that video of me and Frostbite. Maybe Black Blizzard. He's the one that gave me the intel in the first place. But he's never done that before. If he wanted to taunt me, he'd do it face to face. Could it have been someone else? Are they trying to send me a message?
Jenny's head hurt thinking about it.
And where is Frostbite? He couldn't have gotten far with a broken leg, but I don't exactly know the extent of his capabilities. Or, he could be working with someone. He's usually a loner.
Jenny rubbed her temples to battle the headache that was quickly forming.
She watched the soap opera long enough for the main character to ugly sob about a seemingly unattainable man before she cut off the TV and found herself taking a nap.
As soon as she woke up thirty or so minutes later, she observed the silent radio before she wandered into the kitchen and ate a hearty bowl of cereal she felt made up for her lack of breakfast.
Her eyes darted to a marked calendar hanging beside the fridge, knowing Kayla would squeal if she'd stuck around long enough to discover it.
January twenty fifth was circled, along with a note she'd written in small, barely legible cursive.
Superhero convention. 1:00 PM-9:00 PM.
Jenny rested her head against the fridge.
I was actually considering going this time, but my hands are probably going to be full this week. Looks like I'll be letting my fans down again.
The sound of static cut through the otherwise silent apartment, making Jenny stiffen as she was pulled from her thoughts.
"Frostbite and Evanescent spotted. I've got visual contact."
So much for a lazy Sunday, Jenny thought. She eyed the sink of dishes in need of washing before she decided that fighting two dangerous Supervillains seemed a better fate for the afternoon.