Ryker kept his path steady and went to the boards to look for any smaller jobs he could take. This is what was comprised of his evening job. It wasn't official work; that was the purpose of Circuit City. This job was the one that supplied him with most of his funds. His specialty was in anything related to researching and locating. He liked to think he was good at it, too.

After finding a job that was to his liking and paid well, he would head to anywhere he could access the internet. One day he would be able to afford a Bracer and do it on the spot, but until that day came, he would stick to going to libraries and internet cafes to do his research.

Ryker liked to fancy himself a private eye, like in all the old black-and-white movies. Most of the requests turned out to be simple jobs; most people just didn't know where to start looking. The only bad thing about the boards was the number of missing animals everyone posted. Ryker didn't find missing animals. Usually, they were either dead or didn't follow a pattern that was easy to track.

Ryker sifted through all the requests for any missing persons or requests for an investigation into someone's activities. He liked the latter better because no one usually suspected someone like him was following them and taking notes. They would just go about their nefarious deeds while he happily watched. Ryker had an old digital camera that he would take pictures on. It was so old that people barely even realized what he had.

While Ryker looked through the randomly tacked, stapled and taped papers for work, he could hear the crowd behind him getting steadily louder. He couldn't find anything on the boards on the left of the screens, so he went to the right.

The crowd had grown in size since he started looking, and he hoped to find a suitable job soon, so he could make an exit before it got crazy. Any issues with the police could get him kicked out of his orphanage. He was already worried about the incident at the Circuit City, and he was on the right side of the law for that. However, he assumed that information would take a few days for word to get back. By then, he hoped to have another job or at least to be transferred.

Getting in trouble at the Bounty Boards was a different subject.

His last job had taken a few days to complete, although the pay had been worth it. It meant that it had been almost a week since he had been to the boards, and a lot could change in that amount of time. So, it was difficult for Ryker to find anything that he wanted.

He was almost to the end of the board when he finally found a job that he liked. Its pay was enough for a week's worth of work. There might be a lot of competition to take it for that price, but it was behind another paper, so he thought no one had seen it. Just in case, Ryker grabbed up a few more job requests that he could do as well and shoved them all in his pocket.

Just as he did, a shot rang out through the yard, and all hell broke loose.

Ryker seamlessly flipped his rifle to a ready position and took cover behind the bounty board. More than a few people didn't want to be part of the action, and they were finding hiding places like him. There was a single officer in the middle of the melee, and it looked as if he was the one that had shot first.

"That figures," Ryker mumbled.

If the heavily armed and armored cops were the ones to start shooting, Ryker thought it was time for him to get out of there. He glanced toward the closest exit to assess the danger of exposing himself to run for it. The crowd didn't seem to be moving much, but he would have to run in an arc to go around.

Ryker was about to run but then decided to stay. He realized his position was safe and he didn't need to leave.

With a grumbling of effort, Ryker managed to stay in place. He only had a limited amount of cover from any projectiles that might head his way, but he didn't think that would be an issue. The shot looked like it came from the officers there since no one else appeared to be brandishing their weapon.

Ryker didn't think it was a warning shot as that was a highly unorthodox practice, but he couldn't think of another scenario that would fit with an explanation. The officer was facing off against another man a dozen paces away. The officer had his rifle pointed at the ground, but he had it ready to be brought up at a moment's notice.

"You're trying to take a shot at me?" yelled a large man facing off with the officer. He had a deep voice filled with anger. He sounded as if he wanted the cop to try again.

The officer didn't reply or move from his position. Two other officers ran up to the scene and stood on either side of the weapon brandishing one. The first officer kept stayed ready to fire while the other two transformed their armor.

The burly man standing against them had balls of steel because he let them change while he waited.

All the officers on duty at the Bounty Boards were supplied with the newest anti-riot gear available to the police force. This included those guarding the gates. Each officer carried a large bag on their back. As soon as the two extra officers walked up, they slammed a large button on the middle of their chest.

The backpacks opened on their own, and what first looked like mechanical spider arms sprouted from the back. The arms adjusted and expanded until they fit snuggly along the officer's appendages. The straps retracted, fabric appeared to melt away while it was used in other areas for straps or cushioning. Within thirty seconds, the backpack had transformed into a full-body exoskeleton armor.

The armor greatly increased the strength and speed of the officers. It enhanced the body armor they were wearing, providing a protective helmet with an attached face shield. The face shield came equipped with targeting software that improved accuracy. The armor was made of a lightweight yet incredibly strong material. The whole system would have been impossible to create without the help of superpower-created technology.

Ryker had unashamedly looked into it a few times. He had always wanted something like them, and seeing the transformation had been a small dream come true. He was glad that he hadn't fled the scene and missed it.

Ryker rolled his eyes at the comment about his superpower. It wasn't wrong, but having his inner feelings spoken about so blatantly was embarrassing.

While the two officers changed, the frantic crowd died down slightly. The entire scene was starting to become a spectacle. They gave the group a wide berth in the yard. Ryker had heard that it was actually common to see things like this, yet he always left before it could happen.

However, it might be something he needed to get comfortable with now that he was in the superpowered community. Although, he did have to consider what that meant and how involved he wanted to be. It had always been a dream, but he didn't have a lot of plans afterward except for catching bad guys. He realized how shallow that seemed now.

"You're ready to do this now?" the large man bellowed. All three officers had changed to don their exo-suits. They put their weapons away, then started to fan out to attack the man from three sides.

The burly man stood in the middle of the cleared area, his arms crossed over his chest. The three police officers in exoskeleton armor approached him cautiously. The ones on the side moved slightly quicker to get in a more advantageous position.

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Ryker guffawed at the idiocy of the man. To let them surround him was stupid, no matter how strong you were.

"This is your last chance," said the lead officer. "Give yourself up, and we won't hurt you."

The burly man didn't say anything. He just stared at the officers with a cold, calculating gaze. When the officers of the side started to inch their way forward, the burly man dropped his arms and shook them out like a boxer preparing for a fight.

Either this guy was completely out of his mind, or he wasn't the average LitLARPer in the area. The guy had a full beard growing, but Ryker could still see the grin on his face as the cops moved closer. He had tattoos running from his wrists, up his tightly muscled arms, all the way to the top of his neck, visible due to the gray tank top stretched tight on his torso.

The two officers on the side charged at the burly man near simultaneously. The exo-suits boosted their physical abilities, causing their arms and legs to blur with speed. The muscular man didn't move until the last moment. One of the officers hit low, and the other struck high. The brawny man blocked with a corresponding arm and leg, and the attacks rebounded from the point of impact.

"It would be great to know his name," Ryker thought after he got tired of hearing burly, brawny and other synonyms while he watched.

His superpower could have given him the name of every person in the area, but it didn't matter to the fight, Ryker suddenly realized.

The officers didn't hesitate and just struck again, but once more, their attacks rebounded away.

The lead rushed in while the beefy man blocked the consecutive attacks of the others. The officer punched the burly man's furred face, but he didn't even move. The officer punched him again and again, but the burly man just stood there, unfazed.

They all joined in, kicking and punching the man, but he still didn't move. He just stood there, taking their hits like a statue.

With the help of their exo-suits, the officers didn't let up, but eventually, something had to give. Whatever superpower the man possessed, it couldn't last forever, but at the same time, the exo-suits had batteries that weren't infinite.

The burly man smiled. "Now," he said, "let's get this over with." Either his power was running out, or he just got bored.

He parried a punch from the lead officer and kicked out sideways with his left leg. The lead officer got hit by his other companion, while the one who got kicked crumpled to the ground as the man's leg drove into his stomach.

Quick as a lick, the man wrapped his arm around the last officer's neck, pivoted and threw him over his back and onto the second one. The first officer, who was lying on the ground after getting hit by the third, received a boot to his back as the man stomped down. The exo-suit protected him from any serious injury, though, because he immediately rolled sideways and then practically flew up with a push, a move that would be impossible without an exo-suit.

The burly man was on him in a moment, his fist smashing into his chest and knocking him backward into the other two officers. He tripped over them, and they were left in a steaming pile of cops.

"A steaming pile of cops?" Ryker questioned aloud.

A man who was crouched next to Ryker snorted at the comment. "Good one," he said.

"You probably made him say that," Ryker thought.

I would never!

The burly man walked forward and stood over the officers. "This is what you get for messing with me, Barrier Bob!"

All three officers were starting to recover and untangle themselves. Ryker thought Barrier Bob was lucky that they all stored their rifles in their magnetic harness and didn't shoot him. Nobody in the city would care if they did. Ryker would have shot if he had been in the officer's position. The man had an unknown power that could have got them all killed.

Now that he had revealed his name, it was obvious what was happening. The officer who shot probably hit his target, but there was a barrier in the way, so it didn't have any effect. Ryker would have emptied his magazine to check how long he could keep it up. But they didn't, and Bob was clearly using his barriers to block their attacks.

Before they could fully untangle themselves, Barrier Bob struck each one, knocking them unconscious. He then rested his foot on them and raised his arms into the air. He bellowed loudly in triumph but failed to see another officer walking casually up to him.

The officer didn't even bother to transform the exo-suit. She didn't look worried at all as she approached. The only way she would be that confident was if she was a super.

The burly man stood over the officers, his fist still raised. He must have noticed everyone looking, or maybe it was because no one was celebrating with him. He looked around, confused for a second, then turned around.

"Surrender," she said in a loud voice. A very loud voice that caused everyone to cover their ears. While she didn't say anything else, the sound emanating from her body moved in waves that didn't stop. Ryker's ears rang like he was standing next to the speakers. Those in the crowd all dropped to their knees, at the least, and were trying everything they could to get extra ear protection. The burly man was in the center of the blast. Blood leaked from his ears, and he was convulsing as he stood.

The attack stopped, and silence fell across the area. Ryker couldn't tell if it was really quiet or if he was deaf. Somehow the man who challenged the officers was still standing. Although, he didn't look coherent. Ryker saw as the female officer said something else, but he couldn't hear. If Ryker was able to read lips, then he would know that she told the man to get on the ground. When he didn't comply due to being incoherent, she said something again, which Ryker thought he could make out on her burgundy-colored lips, "Stop resisting."

The officer seemed to pinch her throat, then a high-pitched whistle, visible in tight circles of power, bulleted from her mouth at Barrier Bob.

Barrier Bob's head exploded into a fine mist that covered a five-foot diameter. Still standing, blood began gushing from the stump of his neck like a Greek fountain. The body swayed for a moment, blood continuing to spray, then it finally toppled.

"Yep, perfectly safe here," Ryker commented, although his hearing was still recovering, so he couldn't be sure how loud he said it. He would have to remember to be more careful in the future.

The female officer walked up to the downed officers, who were now covered in a fine coating of blood and helped them up. Once she saw they were okay, she walked away, leaving them to take care of the corpse.

Ryker knew it was a dangerous world, and he protected himself accordingly. Still, he had seen more death and violence that day than he had in his entire life. He thought that perhaps he made a mistake in wanting to be part of the superhero world. He imagined fighting villains and being famous, not everything he had experienced so far. He hadn't even known how the fight had progressed to where it did or even how it started.

Ryker turned to the man, who had been crouched by him during the fight. Most people hadn't moved too much while the officers recovered Barrier Bob and carted him away. For Ryker, it was because the sound attack had done a number on his equilibrium, and he could only assume the others were in the same situation.

The man looked to be in his mid-thirties, but it was hard to tell with the light smattering of grey hairs at his temples. The man was so scrawny that his Bracer looked like it didn't fit on his arm. Ryker thought it might fall off at any moment, even though he knew that it wouldn't.

"I wasn't paying attention before the fight started," Ryker said when he caught the other man's eyes. "Do you know what happened?"

The man looked at Ryker skeptically for a few seconds. He was wondering if Ryker had another motive for asking him.

"I'm just curious, that's all," Ryker said. That statement caused Ryker to receive a confused look but also an answer.

"I was watching, just in case." The man said with a nod. "The top two names on the Bounty Board changed." He pointed in their direction. "Everyone started clamoring for who was going to be the one to capture them. It was just normal talking and grandstanding until that super showed up."

The man had been coming to the Bounty Boards for years. Even though he struggled to increase his stats, he was infatuated with the numbers and loved being involved in the LitLARPing community. Sometimes the crowd could get rough, especially when there was a shake-up on the boards. Usually, though, it was from the big talking LitLARPers, and that was all it was. Everyone knew, or at least he thought everyone knew, that it was all just pretend, and they didn't have much chance to catch anyone unless they were superpowered themselves. Apparently, no one passed the memo on to the superpowered newcomer.

"Thanks for the information," Ryker said, both to the man and his own power.

"No problem. Are you not a LitLARPer?" the man asked. He pointed down at Ryker's Bracerless arm.

"Me? No. I'm just here to find a job and make some money."

"If you're here to work, does that mean you're a super?" The man looked at Ryker with widening eyes.

Ryker looked to his right. "Aww, he looks like a little lost puppy. I don't need any fanboys, though."

"Sorry, my ears are still ringing, and I couldn't hear when you turned away. What did you say?"

"How did he hear me? I thought I could break the fourth wall." Ryker thought in a panic.

Bruh, this isn't a Mathew Broderick movie. You aren't Ferris Bueller. This is a book.