Empowered Boy

Ch. 7 Enter the Challenge

Empowered Boy stood on top of a beam of a truss bridge that was over the Red River.  The new bridge was about 3 years old and held 8 lanes of traffic.  Empowered Boy was currently standing on the bridge about 20 feet away from a woman. 

The woman was wearing purple armor with a blue hood pulled up.  The hood had a hole in the back letting her brown hair flow in the wind.  She stood a little over 5 feet tall with a shield on her right arm.  The shield was triangular with small gargoyle statues on the shield’s sides with glowing purple eyes.  The field of the shield was blue with a purple diamond in the middle towards the top. 

Empowered Boy aimed an arrow at the woman as he let it fly.  She moved down and dodged the arrow as she leaped up into the air.  She threw her shield at Empowered Boy as he saw a purple energy chain connect her and the shield.

Empowered Boy blocked the shield with his bow as the shield was deflected thanks to the enhancements of the absorbed bow.  Empowered Boy was thankful that the history absorption powers allowed him to keep anything he absorbed in perfect condition. 

With the shield cast to the pavement below Empowered Boy took the advantage fate had given him.  He ran in as he pulled an arrow out and shot it at the woman.  The arrow came mere inches to her face only to be blocked by the shield that came to her defense. 

Empowered Boy was surprised by this and had already came too close.  The face of the shield’s purple diamond glowed as it changed shape to that of several squares.  The shield fired out a purple energy net at Empowered Boy as he leaped off and grabbed onto the bridge.  He flet a snap in his wrist at the sudden jerking motion as he let out a small scream.  His other hand grabbed onto the beam as the bow turned to ash.

Empowered Boy then said with a pain in his bow string hand, “Well, that wasn’t in the report.”

Flashback

Perry was looking at the heroes affairs website under the escaped villains page.  Perry saw something that caught his interests.  Street Knight, wanted in nine states for various crimes.  He looked at her profile and saw that she was a shield user.  The criminal used some form of battle magic making authorities believe she is a mage and that her medium was her shield.

Perry said to himself as he read her Modus Operandi, “This criminal purposely targets male heroes while planning criminal acts such as demolition, assault, hostage situations and robberies.  She often claims that she is trying to meet a worthy challenger.  Like previous Street Knights she is extremely gifted in using a combination of magic and fighting with a shield.  Wait?  Previous knights?”

Perry clicked on a new tab as he put into the global villain database, ‘Street Knight’.  A list of 17 appeared as he clicked them and found that they were all either dead or just dropped off the grid.  The only thing other their their fighting skill and magic capabilities was the fact that no Street Knight had been arrested in the past 300 years.  Another thing that came up was the fact that around each of their drop off times some hero that was the main challenger of them dropped off the grid with them. 

Perry said coming to an assumption, “They are trying to find someone that is a worthy challenge and then murder them?”

An alert popped up as he looked at the pop up alert.  He clicked on it to see The Heat’s profile appear.  A young man wearing an orange shirt with white shoulders was in the profile picture.  He had tanned skin with a pair of green eyes behind his orange domino mask.  His black hair was brushed back with a shine to it. 

Perry said with a worry in his voice, “Wait, Ricardo has been defeated by this Street Knight?”

Present

Empowered Boy let go as his shell came out of his back allowing him to crash into the pavement.  He felt the impact from inside the orb as he said with a blow of air, “Whew, thank Cicada for his useful powers.”

The shell came apart as Empowered Boy stood in the crater as he looked at his bow string wrist.  It was red with advance cells trying to repair it as he looked up at Street Knight.  The woman leaped down as she aimed her shield up at the bridge.  A purple claw came out and grabbed onto the metal as she came down onto the road. 

Empowered Boy then said to her, “You know all I did was fix the bridge’s beams.  You didn’t have to attack and make all the people avoid the bridge. You could have just called me up if you wanted a date that badly.”

Street Knight seemed to tense up as she then said aiming the shield at him, “YOU DARE!”

The small gargoyles snapped as they leaped off the shield and flew at him.  Empowered Boy then said as if he was witnessing the biggest bs, “Aw man, I thought those were decorations.”

Empowered Boy pulled back his good hand as it heated up and threw a punch at the first little monster.  The monster flew away as he began to swat and punch the little creatures.  He was too distracted from the little monsters to not counter Street Knight’s hammer fist with the shield included.  Feeling the blow over his head Empowered Boy stumbled back as he looked up at her seeing double even with the glasses on. 

He gained back his stance as he looked at her with a hand being held out, “Come at me again, black knight.”

Street Knight then said as the gargoyles came back to her shield, “You impudent weevil!  You are fate’s latest and 850th suitor.  And you are no challenge!  I thought that someone with your reputation would please the fates.  But, you are no different from the rest.  Prepare to be grinded into the pavement.  Bug.”

Street Knight had her shield glow as energy surrounded her and engulfed the bridge.  The road was swallowed up with the bridge and if Empowered Boy hadn’t turned tail, it would have gotten him too.  The light died down as Empowered Boy saw that there was nothing left.  It was as if someone just disintegrated the area. 

He stood perfectly still as he just gasped at his failure.  He began to walk away as he vanished in a green light. 

At the hospital

The Heat was in bed with his right leg in a cast.  He looked at it with dread as he heard the door open.  A man came in as several people said out in the hall, “Heat are you out of the running with your leg broken?”  Another person said with a shout, “Heat this isn’t the first time you’ve broken a leg, but this is the first time we’ve heard rumors of an operation.”

The door was closed by the doctor as he said The Heat, “I’m sorry about that, Mr. Perez.  We have your x-rays back.  And I’m not exactly sure how to tell you this.”

The Heat moved his hands to his mask as he pulled it off showing some sticky residue around his eyes.  He asked the blonde doctor, “Can I have a cup of water?”

The doctor went over to the small sink as he gave it to him.  Ricardo dipped his hand in the water as he washed the residue off.  He then said looking up at the doctor, “I’m no longer The Heat, am I Doctor Jones?”

Inhaling and letting out an exhale the doctor said to him, “The chances are not very likely.  We’ve known for a while, this hospital and you, that your own drug weakens the cellular tissue of your body.  The chemical side effect that allows you to set the air on fire thus coining your hero name The Heat has also cause micro third degree burns.  That has been the pain you’ve been feeling in your arms and legs after a battle.  I’m afraid that even if the surgery is successful.  That you should no longer use the drug.  I will mean that you shall decrease back to normal speeds for an 7 Efficient.  I know that it will be very hard for you to go back to such speeds as 200 mph as your maximum.  But, you will just have to learn this and until your cells can recuperate back to strong levels.  You should not push the running at top levels, try going to a jog of your speed.”

Ricardo nodded as he replied to the doctor, “Alright, thank you.”

Ricardo felt a vibration in his pocket as he picked up his phone.  He answered it as the doctor left the room, “Well, hello dear brother.”

Ricardo glared as he replied to the man’s voice, “Javier, what do you want?”

Javier replied to his brother with a laugh, “I heard about your little accident with a bitch.  And I just thought I’d tell you that even though you left the family.  That you will be avenged.  The Speed does not let family get hurt.”

Ricardo said to Javier trying to prevent the hang up, “Wait, Javier!”

Ricardo growled as he then looked on his smart phone for the Heroes Affairs number.  He called the number as he heard Ms. Perkins pick up, “Kate Perkins of-”

Ricardo interrupted her, “Ms. Perkins, I need to meet with Empowered Boy.  This is Ricardo Perez, The Heat.  I need to meet with him right now.  Hero to hero, and find some male hero that hasn’t been challenged by Street Knight.  We’re going to set up a trap.”

At Flat 5 A

Perry was holding a box of books as he said to Craig, “Where do you want these?”

Craig replied to him with a smile, “I need those on the table.”

Perry looked at the ‘table’ that was a top on the floor that had yet to be screwed and the two legs that had yet be put together.  He then said to Craig, “Uh, you know it’s been about three days since you moved here.  Why not have a table yet?”

Craig shrugged as he said to him, “Don’t know, by the way the phone.”

Perry’s pocket vibrated as he looked at his pocket and then answered it.  He listened to it and said with a stoic voice, “Yes, I’ll be there in an hour.”

Perry hung up as he was about to ask something when he heard Craig say, “I’m a divine.  I see the present and when it comes, it quickly goes into the past.  And the present always leads to the future.  So, don’t think that I can see the future. I just find 1 and 4, then add them to 5.  So, you need to change into Empowered Boy and make a trap for the Street Knight?”

Perry nodded as he asked him, “So, out of curiousity does it happen all the time?”

Craig shook his head as he replied, “Nope, just every say 4 or five hours.  Sometimes I get doubles.”

Craig snapped as he screamed out in pain and saw a vision.  He hit the ground as he saw something amazing. 

A white girl in her late teens, possibly 18 or 19 standing in a convention.  She had a wavy pony tail of purple hair and a pair of ram like horns at her temples that curled back.  Her seaform eyes that showed no signs of iris or pupils were beautiful.  She had a developed bosom held in a black leather crop top that had crossing straps.  The knee long skirt she wore was a bright purple.  She sat at the convention behind a booth with a comic beside her.  The comic was the Professor comic book from MCD comics and she was their new artist.  Above her was a banner that said in yellow letters, “Nashville Convention.”

Craig stood up as the pain left him and he said to Perry, “Well you have your thing and I have mine.”

Perry said to him with confusion, “Uh, yeah your plans were to finish putting the room together.  Where are you going now?”

Craig replied to him with a grin, “Only fate knows.”

At the hospital

Empowered Boy walked into the room where Ricardo was at.  Ricardo said to Empowered Boy with caution in his voice, “Have you heard about The Speed?”

Empowered Boy nodded as he listened to Ricardo, “Alright, so you know how that they are a mafia of Runners.  And how they are the biggest Able crime family in Mexico, the South and in Venezuela.  Well, I turned in several members of my family when I left them to the authorities revealing where several bases of operations were.  My father gave me forgiveness saying that we don’t choose our past, we choose our future.  And that we shouldn’t be held accountable for our path if we choose to leave the predestined one.  My father may be the personal hit man for the head of the family.  But, he is the greatest and wisest man ever.  When I wanted to be a hero, he encouraged me to do so.  But, my brother wanted to continue the family business.  And so, Land Jet is going to kill Street Knight.  And no matter what Street Knight has done, she has never killed anyone in her crimes.”

Empowered Boy asked him, “So, why is your brother going to kill her?”

Ricardo breathed in as he replied to Empowered Boy, “Because when you can’t run in the family, then you are basically dead to them.  And they will send people to put me out of my misery.  As they would call is.  And with the media saying that I will never run again, the family is just waiting for the final word from the media.  If I can’t run, then my brother will have gotten revenge for my death that hasn’t even happened yet.  So, we need to lure Street Knight into a confrontation.  And when my brother appears, prevent him from killing Street Knight.  Then capture Street Knight.”

Empowered Boy nodded as he replied to him, “But, Street Knight doesn’t issue rematches.  How are we going to lure her?”

The door opened as a older man walked in.  He was in his early 20s and was not too much older than Ricardo or Empowered Boy.  But, with Empowered Boy still 17 going onto 18 next month and Ricardo being 20.  He was still older than them.  He had black hair that was curly and spring like.  The man was rather lean and had muscles here and there.  He stood at about 6 feet tall wearing a white suit with a black dot on the chest.  His mask covered his mouth, nose and neck.  His blue eyes looked at the pair as he said to them, “Balance will dance with the lady while you guys set off the trap.”