Page 39 of Breathless Recruiter

He laughed, the usual cocky chuckle of a bad guy. “I’m going to make a lot of money killing you.”

Villains liked to talk. I never understood why they insisted on sharing their plans. The bad guy had to narrate their victory. Arthur claimed it was in the rule book. At first I thought it was a human joke, but then he produced the safety manual.

“Before you kill me,” I grunted, trying to push him back. “Who’s paying you?”

“Anonymous benefactor. All I have to do is produce the body.”

Some lesser villain bankrolled this disaster. They had to be smart enough to lure away the other heroes. Money and brains were a dangerous combination in Vanguard. I’d worry about that after we secured Titan in a reinforced cell.

“Looks like I win.”

It was my turn to laugh. “I wasn’t trying to win.”

His face contorted in confusion. I shouldn’t celebrate that dumbfounded expression, but I did. We could have traded blows until I tired him out, but I wasn’t alone.

“Discord!”

I shoved, pushing Titan upright. The screeching was loud enough that the windows throughout the lobby cracked and shattered. There went my attempts to prevent collateral damage. Discord swooped in. Over my shoulder, I could feel the pulse of his sonic scream. Bits of my uniform tore away while Titan’s shredded to pieces.

Titan’s eyes crossed, and he pulled away, trying to protect his face from Discord’s abilities. I rose to my feet. Everybody treated superheroes like they had to play by the rules for a victory to count. In truth, we needed to stop the bad guy before somebody got hurt. I’d take a cheap win if it meant we saved civilians.

I drove the toe of my boot into Titan’s junk.

“Ouch,” Discord hissed.

Titan grabbed his package and fell backward like a fallen tree. He hit the ground, rolling back and forth as he cradled his groin. It wasn’t pretty, and I’m sure all the people recording would have something to say, but they’d be alive to say it.

“Not pretty,” I said, “but we won.”

I turned to see Discord with knees drawn together, hand covering his groin. I’d never understand how men shared a neural link. When one got kicked in the junk, they all acted as if it happened to them. I’d need to ask Kiki about this human-male bond they shared.

I spotted the flashing red and blue lights before I heard them. The police had arrived, and they brought their powered unit. It’d be up to them to cuff Titan and haul him away.

Cops swarmed the room. “Officer, arrest this man.”

They didn’t acknowledge either of us as they placed oversized cuffs on his wrists. Officers lined the lobby, their guns atattention. I don’t know if they’d penetrate his hide, but it made a good show of force.

“How’d you get here so fast?” asked Discord.

The man in charge reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “The HeroApp™ alerted us.”

I wasn’t subtle about the quick clapping. Arthur would be delighted to know the police were already using his program. The chief tried to be subtle as he raised the phone and snapped a photo of me and then Discord.

“For evidence,” he said. I bet if I checked his score on the HeroApp™, it’d show he just snapped the photo of two heroes. “Good job, Mr. Supreme, and…”

“Discord,” I said proudly. “Vanguard’s newest hero.”

My chest swelled with pride as several officers gave my partner a salute. Half a dozen officers started dragging Titan toward the exit. I wanted to stay with my newly minted sidekick, but duty as a hero never quite finished.

“You stay here and make sure everybody is okay,” I said. As the security guard for Synergy, it made sense that he would oversee the safety of the people in this building. “I’ll see you again. Soon, I hope.”

“Not soon enough,” he said as he drifted backward.

With a slight wave, he turned and flew toward a crowd of newly acquired fans. I smiled as they furiously snapped photos of their savior. Turning, I grabbed a groaning Titan by the cuffs and dragged him to the armored car. I’d fly close overhead to make sure they reached the station. From there, it’d be up to the humans to make sure he didn’t wind up on the streets.

Glancing inside, Dustin had his hands on his hips as he hovered toward the stage. I promised myself I’d be honest with Dustin. Arthur wouldn’t approve; he told me to keep my identity under wraps. I couldn’t keep this secret any longer. First, mysecret identity, then I’d figure out a gentle way to say, “Hey, an alien wants to kiss you.”

I’d work on that tonight.

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