Liam pulled out his trusty suppression stick. The device’s age showed on its casing like battle scars. Where the little cigar case had been a glossy silver when he was still training to become a Hero, now it was scuffed and scratched. Yet, losing luster didn’t mean it’d lost its purpose, if anything it showed just how important such a device had become.
Clicking a button at the end of the casing, a needle appeared on the other side. As a kid, Liam had a phobia of these things. Well, not the needle itself. What was a little poke if he was going to be fighting Cowls in the future? When he was nine, he’d even used his stoic response of not crying when he’d gotten a shot as proof he had what it took to be a Hero.
Instead, it was what was inside the needle that had scared him. He’d looked up reports on vaccines and gone through the process of making one with the dedication of someone possessed. Read the research. Anything that could give him a factual answer he could embrace. And all of it proved they were sound. Yet the idea that there could be something else in there, something that could harm him from the inside, chilled his core.
He knew it was stupid. That he was falling into the anti-vaxxer trap, yet he had to fight against their beliefs lest he become one.
It’d taken years to get over that phobia. Years to settle his mind. But in the end, it made him stronger. Knowing what you’re afraid of and facing it down took something many people didn’t have.
Today though, it was a different feeling which came into play. And if his opponent could put two thoughts together, the man should be terrified of what would come next.
Walking up to the twitching man, another pulse of electricity coursed through him. The man’s muscles contracted to the stimulus. Each one out of his control as the electricity made them fire. The fallen Hero danced to the current. Then, as quickly as it’d started, the electricity was cut off and the twitching stopped. This was what Liam had been waiting for, and he was ready. Squatting next to his fallen teammate, Liam struck. Jamming the needle into the convulsing Hero and dispensing its cocktail.
The drugs, a potent sedative, took effect within moments. The former Heroes eyelids started to fall as his head tilted to the side. Liam watched as the man struggled to fight off the effects. Each second, the struggle became weaker as his body succumbed to the effects, until there was none left and the man’s form went limp. His eyes closed to the sky. One they might never wake up to again.
Seeing the drug take hold, Liam turned off the pulsing electricity, while still leaving the probes in. They’d proven their use and would come in handy if the man woke up before everything was settled. The last thing Liam needed now was for Skip to suddenly try to bolt. Attaching a heartbeat monitor to the man, Liam linked it to the tasers darts. If Skip’s heartbeat jumped, the system would initiate again. Sending pulsing shocks into the recently conscious man. It wasn’t a foolproof system, but should catch if the man woke up while Liam was otherwise preoccupied.
Having captured the man, Liam was left with the genuine dilemma. Should he allow Skip to wake up? The Hero in him knew the answer, but the practical Liam was coming to the surface. Asking why he’d listen to the side of his brain that’d put his family in danger. Wouldn’t it make more sense to end everything now? While no one was around and Skip couldn’t defend himself.
His fight with Skip had been fierce. Not only was Liam’s suit beaten, but the street itself showed signs of the struggle. Yet because of the gas, no one was around to see how it ended. If Liam moved quickly, he could snip off the loose ends before anyone was the wiser.
Liam’s hand twitched at the thought. Skip was trying to kill his sister. Someone who’d done nothing to the man. And he’d tried to kill Liam earlier. Could Liam really be expected to let someone like that walk? Even if Skip went to jail, could any site truly contain him?
The jails for Supers could limit Skip’s ability to use his powers. But would that be enough to keep him locked up? All Skip needed was one moment where the guard’s watch waned. One moment where he stepped out of their control and he’d be gone. Could Liam expect neither of those possibilities to ever happen? Weren’t there prison breaks all the time?
Once the former Hero got a moment to use his power, he wouldn’t be contained again. At least not easily. Liam’s own plan to take the man in had only worked because of Skip’s hubris. The man had been too cocky during their fight. So sure he would win, that he hadn’t prepared for what new tricks Liam would bring into play.
In the future, if Skip escaped, he’d come for Liam again. Either that or go straight for Liam’s family. While Liam didn’t like the thought of the first. It was the second that dragged on him. He’d been by Mel’s side a few hours before, and that had only ended happily by sheer stupid luck and a team of fast acting former Heroes. The next time, Liam couldn’t count on the same thing happening. There was no way his sister’s guards would always be that diligent. Or worse, when Skip was locked up they’d decide it wasn’t worth their time to protect her anymore.
Liam’s hand inched closer to Skip’s neck. After he’d fought H-Bar in the police station, Mr. Hat had told him he wouldn’t be able to kill his former teammate. Liam had been trained to kill, it was something all future Heroes had to come to terms with. Life didn’t always provide a bloodless out, and Heroes had to know when it was the only way. But they’d only take it when the situation demanded it. After the police station, Liam realized Mr. Hat was right and he wouldn’t have been able to do something like that to H-Bar. Was Skip any different?
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Liam’s fingers traced Skip’s neck. Settling in around his carotid artery. The steady one, two, three, beating of the man’s heart pulsed against his costume. The man’s heartbeat was a pure rhythm. So unlike the one who created it. And it’d be oh so easy to end.
Had he changed from back then at the police station? Yes, in too many ways to count. And he’d learned from all the experiences along the way.
No, the question wasn’t if he could kill the man in front of him. He already knew that. The real question was if it’d be worthwhile to let the man live. He’d taken a long look at H-Bar and if he’d made the correct decision there. Even now, Liam wasn’t sure. The outcome was debatable at best. The man had turned state’s witness, telling the world first hand what The Hunt had done. But that hadn’t been a guaranteed outcome. If one or two things had gone differently all bets were off. And Liam was under no delusion that Skip would follow the other man’s path. Which meant all the good that had come from leaving H-Bar alive wouldn’t translate to Skip.
Liam took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Was he going to do this? There was no coming back from it if he did. And Nudge could see through any lie he tried to cover it with. The man was as close to a lie detector as a person could become.
Opening his eyes, Liam knew what he had to do, whatever consequences came from it he’d deal with later.
“There you are,” a familiar voice called from down the street.
Liam turned his head, his hand still on the unconscious man’s neck. Wire was there, jogging down the sidewalk. None of her robots were in sight.
“Yeah,” Liam said, not bothering to get up.
Wire’s eyes fell on the prone figure in front of Liam. Even through her Hero costume and the hazmat suit, Liam could see her sudden spike in energy.
“You took down, Skip! Nice job!” she exclaimed as she came up next to him.
“Thanks, but shouldn’t you be guarding the gas device?”
What was with this luck, Liam wondered. She shouldn’t have been here. Or come thirty seconds later. All he needed was for her to see Skip lying here, and it threw everything into limbo.
“I left my robots guarding the gas thing. All of Bank-Breaker’s flew away a few minutes ago. I think they were called to do something else.”
“What’s more important than releasing the gas?” Liam wondered.
“I never claimed to be able to read a Cowl. I’m just calling it as I see it,” Wire said with a shrug.
“Will the device be safe with you not there? What if the other robots turn around and go for it again?”
“My robots will give me a warning, and I’m close enough that I could run back before anything happened. Plus, I wanted to help you take down Skip. I couldn’t leave my teammate to fight him alone.”
Liam stopped for a moment. The word teammate rattling around in his mind. It was true, they were teammates. Her actions would rub off on him, and his would do the same to her.
He focused on the young Hero, despite what she’d seen on the last two missions, the set to her shoulders was still there. She still believed in what they were doing.
“Thanks for trying to help,” Liam said, and he meant it. Sure, it’d be better if she wasn’t here, but knowing she’d come to help and that he had people he could count on was always a pleasant feeling to have.
“Is he still alive?” Wire asked, nodding towards the unconscious man.
Liam hesitated for a second. He could lie to her. Then finish the man in secret. Or he could tell the truth.
“He’s alive,” Liam said.
The world in his mind demanded he tell her the truth. She’d come here to help him. How could he just turn around and lie to someone who did that? He’d be a horrible person if he did.
“I’m glad you could take him in alive. It’ll be great seeing him thrown in jail and paying for his crime,” Wire continued. Not noticing Liam’s hesitation to their conversation.
He’d pay even more if you hadn’t been here, Liam thought. Not sure if that was the truth anymore.
“What are… are you okay?” Wire asked as her attention went to Liam’s armour. The bolts sticking out of his suit were not a design feature Liam had created. Blood colored the foam around some of them, making it even more obvious. The rest of the suit’s exterior was scratched and dented. Driving home the point he’d been through something worse than a little sparring match.
“I’m fine. Most of Skip’s attacks didn’t even puncture the suit,” Liam said.
“Most, as in some did.”
Liam shrugged. Drawing attention back to his wounds only made them pulse in pain, but he gritted through it. The bolts hadn’t punctured deep enough to bring him to the edge. Even if their constant pain was past an annoyance at this point.
“Let me take-” Wire started as thuds echoed from farther into the city.
Both of the Heroes turned towards the noise. Liam rose into a half crouch as he readied for another opponent to emerge. Looking over the rooftops, Liam spotted vines whipping into the air. The green lines swatted at the black dots of the dancing robots around them. The flying machines brought their own crimson lasers to bear as the battle in the sky roared on.
“No, don’t worry about me. You need to help Nudge and Tank. I can take care of Skip and the gas device. I’ll bring the Cowl back to the pet shop and guard them both.”
“Are you sure?” Wire asked. Her eyes screamed that she wasn’t comfortable leaving him, yet she knew Nudge and Tank needed her more.
“Trust me. Everything will be alright.”
Wire looked at him, her eyes weighing everything he was worth. Then she shifted to the body on the ground. Only for another thud to sound deeper in the city. This one louder than the last. The sound pulled her from her search of the two men.
“Fine, but I’ll be back as soon as it’s over,” Wire said.
“Sounds like a plan,” Liam said, nodding to Wire as she took off. She was beyond the buildings and out of sight in seconds. Leaving Liam alone with Skip.
Now he just had to figure out whether or not he’d lied to Wire.