Chapter 10

I moved at incredible speed when I reentered the hangar. My goal was first to take out Renovate with a single decisive blow. Just to knock her out and prevent any further healing. I needed to end this fight. Next, I rushed Dark Matter, who had been healed and was trying to wake Nebula. He didn't even get to turn his head before I connected it to my fist.

Nebula stirred, but another quick jab put her back into slumber land. I'm sure she was a powerful fighter, but her powers were not well matched against me. Then I turned and saw Radiant Jack back on his feet and casting several spells to protect Captain Cosmo as he lay on his back while transferring power to the Huntsman. I watched the animal man's body grow in size as his costume tore itself off his body, leaving barely enough shreds to cover his torso.

I pointed a finger and fired off a blast of pure magical power. It tore through Radiant Jack's new barrier and struck him in his chest. This time I controlled the power so as not to kill the hero, just to put him out of the fight. Before I could move on to Captain Cosmo, the Huntsman stepped in front and roared. "THIS TIME, I WILL NOT BACK DOWN!"

Then I saw Titan, bruised and battered, come flying back into the hangar. "Come on, go down already," I mumbled to myself. With two very large, extremely strong opponents left and Captain Cosmo recovering, I utilized one more power. My werewolf transformation. My bones shifted, my face contorted and elongated, and I grew in size and power. I didn't gain much hair due to my unique skin, but I gained enough to be recognizable.

"Woah, is this guy also a werewolf?" Titan asked.

"Believe that makes him a hybrid," Cosmo replied weakly.

Not allowing any more discussion, I moved in for the attack. The Huntsman's instincts allowed him to sort of keep up, but Titan's skin wasn't so impenetrable anymore. So, he tried to keep his distance and started to utilize his energy attacks for the first time in this fight.

I clashed with the Huntsman at one point, and we both locked jaws on each other's necks. His claws dug into my side, and I slid mine into his chest and ripped out a rib bone. He opened his jaw to scream in pain, and I used that moment to lift him up and slam him back down, cracking the stone floor. I bit back down, drinking enough of his blood to put him out.

During that time, I felt my back grow hot from the constant energy blast Titan was putting out, but I ignored it the best I could until I was free to deal with him. I waved my hand, and his energy transformed into thousands of motes of harmless light. I shifted out of my werewolf form and even re-engaged my ring of illusions to bring my appearance back to normal.

"Enough of that," I said.

"I'm going to kill you for this," Titan replied.

"I didn't kill anyone on your team, and you attacked me first. If anyone should be saying that line, it is me. Yet I won't."

"You, a vampire, are claiming the moral high ground?" Pathetic."

"What is pathetic is an entire team of A and S rank heroes losing to two vampires."

He growled and then slammed his fists together, shouted real loud, and then unleashed all his power. His muscles grew tighter, his chest thicker, and his body taller. I felt the waves of energy pouring off of him. But since I could feel my shadow powers were back, I simply waved my hand and opened a shadow portal beneath his feet. The sudden loss of solid ground surprised him, and he didn't even think to fly as he fell through the portal and into darkness. I left him in my void dimension for the moment and turned to Captain Cosmo, who had managed to rise to a seated position. "I surrender," he said. I'm too drained to continue. But can you tell me exactly what you are?"

"I'm a Sunstrider," I answered him honestly. "I come from another world along with my companion." I moved to her and saw that she was still alive. "I told you guys before, but I do not wish to fight the heroes. I am not a villain. Yes, I care little about leaving actual villains and evil men alive, but society is better off without them."

"To satisfy your need to feed?"

"That is part of it, yes."

"And what happens when you run out of bad people? You'll start to hurt innocent people."

"I doubt I would ever run out of evil people. But to answer your question truthfully, no. I have other worlds I can travel to for food. There is always more evil to feed off of. Just because I became what I am, doesn't mean I have to change who I am. Now that I've drank some of the blood from your teammates, I'll grow even stronger. This is how my powers work. The next time we fight, if we fight, you all won't last five minutes. Be warned." With that, I opened a shadow, and Jessica and I sank into the floor, disappearing into the darkness. As we vanished, another hole opened up above us and deposited Titan to land face-first on the cracked stone floor.

"Where did he go!" Titan roared. Captain Cosmo just shook his head and laid back down to rest.

~~~

After dropping Jessica off at her place, placing a healing spell on her, and feeding Oden, I left a note and then portaled to my place. I dismissed my vampire illusion so as to activate the club owner persona and then took a bath. I hadn't struggled that much in a fight in a long time. I was exhausted, sore, and hungry. Sure, I took a little bit of blood from them, but not nearly enough to replenish what I had used. But taking care of my needs would have to wait. My wrist phone buzzed, and I activated the video chat.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Hey Jacik, I need… are you naked taking a shower?" Olivia asked.

"Well, I wouldn't be clothed taking a shower, would I?"

"Just deactivate the camera, please…" she growled. I complied. "Now, I need you down at the docks. Team Pantheon just had a major clash with what they are saying was a couple of vampires. They lost the fight. But we're needed because of the dead smugglers and the two containers filled with people. Oh, and as for the vampires, one of them wouldn't have been you, would it? Since you know, you keep claiming you are one…"

"No," I laughed. "I was just teasing you. I only do magic," I said with a grin. "But for real? Actual vampires? What is this world coming to?"

"Who knows? Likely, it was just a very powerful Meta or a couple of Metas that used vampire-like abilities. But the fact that they beat Pantheon is not a good look for the city or the Meta Association. Expect big changes soon. Anyway, we'll talk more once you get here."

I got out of the shower, dressed, and then snagged a bottle of bourbon on the way down to my car in the underground garage. A little drinking and driving wouldn't be the worst thing I did today.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the docks. I flashed my consultant's badge and was let inside the crime scene. "Ah, about time you arrive," Oliva said.

"Wow, this is some crime scene." The devastation left in the wake of such a battle surprised even me, and I was the one doing most of it. Tunnel vision can occur to even the best of us. I didn't even know there were fires spread around, most being put out by the fire department as we speak. "Did the heroes survive?"

"Yes, but most are in critical condition. Renovate said it'll take a week to pull everyone back from the brink, but she's confident. The Meta Association will also likely send another healer to help out. They've all been transported to the Association's hospital for Metas."

"So, these dead smugglers, do we know anything about them?" I asked.

"Not yet, but records show this is one of the properties owned by a shell corporation that we flagged as being owned by Mr. Douglas. So, we'll need to comb through any records that survived this battle. I think the office was left undamaged, thankfully." We headed in that direction but were stopped by the firefighters.

"Sorry, ma'am. But the structure of the building is not safe at the moment. So, we can't let you enter."

"I need in that office, before everything comes crashing down on it!" Olivia raised her voice angrily.

"We're bringing in equipment to stabilize the building. Once that's done, it will be safe to enter, but until then, it's out of my hands," he said with a shrug. Olivia cursed under her breath.

"Hey, the office is in that corner right there. Maybe they have Wi-Fi. If so, we just need to get close enough, and then we should be able to hack and remotely access the computer. Granted, this doesn't help if they have paper files, but it's worth a try."

"Good thinking," she said as we walked around the firefighters and approached the south side. She scanned the building and picked up a decent signal despite the wall being metal. Then she patched in the tech department. "Hey, I need a hack on this Wi-Fi. Then, download everything for analysis." It took six minutes to get everything. "Okay, we're done here for now. Lucy will examine the corpses and have them transported to the morgue. As for the people in the containers, they were civilians kidnapped off the streets, mostly children. Their families are currently being notified, and they're being transported to the hospital for check-ups. Let's head back to the station."

"Alright, meet you there." On the drive, Jessica called. I explained what happened and expressed how thankful I was that she was feeling better, and I also thanked her for the help. Keeping Comet Rush off of me for as long as she did truly made the difference in that fight. She then went on to tell me she had received a call from the Meta Association to report to the private Meta hospital. I knew what they likely wanted, but hearing her confirm it turned my stomach a little. "Jessica, be safe. I know you'll use your disguise illusion, but be aware of your scent or anything else that could tip them off that you're the same person."

"I know. I'm not an amateur. I'll be pleasant and sweet when healing them, despite how much they deserved that beating," she replied with an evil grin on her face. I had a feeling the "healing" wouldn't be so pleasant.

I arrived at the police station and waited for Olivia to arrive. She had to park in the back, so it took longer to get to her desk than the route I took. So, being me, I took the time to change her wallpaper to a picture of my handsome face being kissed by a photoshopped picture of her. Then turned her screen off before she arrived. I walked over to make two coffees as she settled in.

I returned as she was removing her jacket, and I handed her a cup. She started to drink while waking her computer up, and when she saw my surprise, she spewed coffee all over her screen and desk. "Dammit, Jacik!" Her colleagues behind her broke out in a fit of laughter.

"Really, Olivia? I had no idea you loved me so much. I am touched."

The only response, aside from a string of curses, was a furious tapping on her mouse as she tried to change the wallpaper back. Then she stormed off and didn't bother telling me when she'd be back. Okay, guess I'll find something else to do. Checking the time, I noticed it was getting late, so I decided to head home.

Jessica would be up late due to the emergency healing they wanted her to do, but I could still take Oden for a walk. This meant changing into my Meta disguise. "Hey, buddy," I said as I walked through the portal.

"Oh, good, I need to pee," Oden said.

"That's why I'm here. Let's go for a walk." We headed out the front door and across the street to the park. I didn't bother with a leash since he was more than well-trained. But that didn't stop some stupid Karen from saying something.

"Look, lady. It's ten at night. Why are you even out here?"

"That doesn't matter. I am out here, and with a dog that big, it isn't safe to be off-leash," she retorted.

"My voice is my leash."

"I'm calling the cops." She tapped on her wrist phone and started speaking to an officer. "There's a man at the park with a very large dog off-leash. Yes. And the dog is wild and aggressive. Right. Okay, get here quick."

"Wow, lady, lie much?"

"You're going to jail, and your dog is going to the pound!"

When the cop car pulled up, two cops got out and walked over. One had their hand on their gun but didn't draw it since Oden was sitting nicely next to me. "What seems to be the problem? We heard the dog was off-leash being aggressive."

"She lied about me," Oden said. "She said I was being a bad dog. I am a good dog."

"What the hell? Did he just talk?" The first cop said while pulling his gun."

"I wouldn't do that, officer. For starters, your bullets won't work on him, but it will piss him off. But more importantly, it'll piss me off," I said while letting a few sparks of electricity flow between my fingers. Then, I flashed my Meta Hero badge. "Oden is a Meta dog. Fully registered and, as you can see, a good boy. He doesn't need a leash, nor does he misbehave. That woman lied to you, clearly. And I do believe that is a crime."

"I… I…" The woman said, stunned.

The cop put his gun away slowly, then nodded to his partner. "Book her." Oden and I chuckled as they drove off with the woman in the backseat.

"Since we established I am a good boy, I get a treat, right?" I chuckled and removed a biscuit from my Item Box.