I crossed my arms. I was in my costume, thinking back to Jimmy. I don't know why, but his bruises and his reaction filled me with a dread I couldn't explain. It felt like a sinking feeling, like a character you like is going to die at the hands of the villain; it was similar to what I was feeling. The metal bat slammed hard into my head, but I paid it no mind.

  "Just go down already!" the purse-snatcher roared, slamming his bat into my head again.

  I sensed him shove a woman before roughly stealing her purse. I had already snatched it back and given it to her; I was just here to take the guy to jail. We were in an alleyway, with nowhere to run. But instead of surrendering, he thought it was a good idea to grab a metal bat from the dumpster and start spamming head strikes. Enough about him—he wasn't the issue plaguing my mind. Jimmy Bullard was a bully. I wouldn't be surprised if he got into fights.

  So who cares if he has a couple of bruises? Heck, if it wasn't for my healing factor, I probably would have a crap ton of scars from doing superhero work. But his reaction—for a brief second—I could swear that Jimmy Bullard, the biggest and toughest kid in Harvest Hills, looked frightened. I released a sigh just as the metal bent from hitting my arm.

  "What's up? You're not as talkative as usual. I thought you would have called the dude stupid after hitting you the twenty-thousandth time." Gavin said.

  I shook my head. "No, I'm all good. Just thinking about some things. Go play your Call of War or whatever it's called."

  "Actually, I'm playing Fortnite."

  "Same thing."

  "What are you even talking about!?" the burglar roared, and he hit me with the bat even harder—well, I couldn't tell, but judging by how angry he looked, I'm going to assume it hurt.

  I sighed again. Come on, Red Justice—what's wrong with you? It's the weekend! It's one of the only days when school isn't a bother, when I can wake up and do stuff that actually matters. I yawned as I finally had enough and poked the burglar on the chin, sending him flying across the alley; his back hit the wall before he fell into the dumpster.

  I rolled my eyes. "I hope this is a lesson to you." I grabbed him before blitzing to the police station, putting a sticky note, I grabbed from the front desk, on his face that says he's a purse snatcher, before leaving before the cops noticed me.

  I jumped high and flew around to scout for crime, though it was getting harder and harder to find. Sure, there's still secret dealing and other illegal stuff when I'm not in costume, but I noticed a drop in robberies and public incidents. I smiled a little and patted myself on the back. Maybe I should set my gaze on other cities besides Toronto. After all, it's not the only city in Canada, and my country isn't the only one that needs protecting.

  Maybe I should head to the U.S., or maybe Japan. I slowed my flight. Thanks to my SEE Goggles, I could get a clear view below, even from high in the sky. I frowned. I could see people holding boards that said variations of "Help," "Homeless," and other things. I bit my lip. There are still problems I can't solve with my powers.

  I remembered that after the Russia incident, Jason promised he'd do his best to clean up the streets, provide jobs, and help people in need. The problem is that it's taking time because of the inaction of the previous Canadian Monarch. But I wanted to fix it now. Damn it, how am I supposed to keep my promise to Noah and save the world? And now there's this weird thing with Jimmy.

  This is harder than I thought. I really need to work on a plan—otherwise people will suffer, and I'll be proving that Noah's methods are the only way for world peace. I have to do better. I have to be a better hero.

  [POLICE FREQUENCY DETECTED]

  I narrowed my eyes at the words on my visor screen.

  "Dispatch, we've got a confirmed structure fire—" Static crackled.

  "—Multiple calls coming in. Residential building, corner of Dufferin and Queen. Fire spreading fast, possibly people trapped inside."

  "Red."

  "Yeah, I got it."

  I moved before my SEE Goggles automatically highlighted my destination. I'd worry about being a better hero later; right now, I needed to be the hero people needed now. I accelerated so fast a sonic boom followed behind me, and in about four seconds, I arrived. I slowed down, my eyes locking onto the building engulfed in flames. Fire poured out of shattered windows, black smoke clawing into the sky.

  Multiple sirens wailed nearby as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze, but the flames were too strong. I closed my eyes and allowed my Mind's Eye to scan the building. It was difficult—one weakness of my ability is that if there are too many people and too much chaos, my Mind's Eye becomes hazy and unfocused. The fire didn't help either, interfering with my detection—but I could still sense it.

  Four people were trapped inside the building. And three pets.

  I opened my eyes and checked my Cosmic Energy levels.

  [CE: 67%]

  More than enough.

  I flew straight forward and crashed through one of the windows. Glass exploded inward as I went to work, tearing doors off their hinges to get inside. A dog barked weakly nearby while a woman coughed violently on the floor. I grabbed both of them, kicked out the window, and jumped down while holding them tight.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  I slowed my descent just as emergency responders turned toward me with wide eyes. One officer instinctively raised his gun, but a paramedic immediately stepped into his line of fire.

  "Hold your fire—he's got people!"

  I handed them over to the medics, who rushed the woman and dog away. I didn't waste a second—I flew back inside, grabbed the remaining people, and carried them out one by one, delivering them to emergency services.

  "Am I... am I safe?" a boy about my age asked weakly, his body covered in soot and minor burns.

  "Yeah," I said gently. "Just relax, okay? They'll take care of you."

  I carefully handed him to the medics, who immediately began treatment.

  I turned back toward the inferno. The fire was getting worse. But I had gotten everyone out.

  I sighed in relief.

  "No—NO! LET ME GO!"

  A man broke free from the police line, shoving past an officer who grabbed at his arm. He stumbled forward, eyes wild, face smeared with ash and tears.

  "She's still in there!" he screamed, pointing at the burning wreckage. "MY DAUGHTER IS STILL IN THERE!"

  I froze, staring at him in shock. Officers rushed to restrain him, but he fought like an animal backed into a corner.

  "Sir, you can't—"

  "You don't understand!" he sobbed, his voice cracking. "She was upstairs, she was hiding—PLEASE!"

  His desperate eyes locked onto mine.

  I gulped.

  Then Gavin shouted in my earpiece.

  "What are you doing standing there, dummy!? GO!"

  That snapped me out of it.

  Damn it—what was I doing just standing around!?

  I launched myself back into the building, forcing my Mind's Eye to expand, searching desperately for the girl. No luck—not surprising. The fire and structural chaos were scrambling my senses.

  I sprinted through rooms, checking everywhere.

  The building groaned and trembled.

  "You'd better hurry, Ben," Gavin warned. "The structure is destabilizing. You've got about a minute."

  "A minute!?" I shouted in alarm—but I was already moving.

  I shouted, "Is anyone here?" but I didn't hear anything. It didn't help that this apartment was huge. The flames licked at the walls, but it wasn't the heat that bothered me; it was the damn smoke. Even with my powers and superhuman lungs, inhaling smoke is still awful. Then I heard a cough, and I focused on the sound with my Mind's Eye.

  There she was, hiding in the closet. A desk had been shoved in front of the door to keep her from getting out. I moved, grabbed the table with one hand, and tossed it aside. I opened the door, and there she was — a little girl about a year older than Athena.

  Her knees were pulled to her chest, arms wrapped tight around them. Her face was streaked with soot, her eyes glassy and unfocused, her breathing shallow and uneven. She was barely conscious.

  "Hey—hey, it's okay," I said quickly, moving to grab her.

  She screamed. The girl recoiled, pressing herself farther into the corner. She raised her arms like she expected me to hit her.

  "No—no, please! Don't hurt me!"

  "Whoa, whoa, easy. I'm not going to hurt you!"

  I tried to move in, but she kicked me in the face. It didn't hurt physically, but emotionally — ouch.

  "You have twenty seconds!" Gavin urged.

  I bit my lip, took a deep breath, and my visor split open, revealing my face. She blinked, confused, and tears rolled down her cheeks. I forced a grin.

  "See? I'm just a kid like you. You can trust me. I'm your friend."

  "You... you're a kid?" she whispered.

  I nodded. "Yeah, but please don't tell anyone that. And your dad is outside. He's really worried about you."

  Her lips quivered. Her hand reached for me. I reached back and pulled her into a hug.

  "Hang on tight." I bent my knees; the visor closed back over my face as I launched straight up.

  I used my body to shield her as we smashed through multiple ceilings. It didn't take long to break free to the open air. The girl inhaled the clean, cool air like she'd never tasted it before. I did too. It felt amazing not to be choking.

  "We're... we're outside," she whispered.

  "Yep," I said, gripping her tighter. "You're safe."

  We watched the structure shudder and sag. Tears slipped down her face — I couldn't blame her; her home was turning to cinders. I landed hard near the fire trucks and skidded across the pavement. Medics rushed forward immediately.

  The little girl's father broke free of the crowd and sprinted toward us.

  "My baby girl..." he sobbed as he took her from my arms and hugged her.

  He looked up at me with wet eyes.

  "Thank you," he choked out.

  I smiled. "It's what I do."

  My smile fell when I looked back at the blazing building. I clenched my fists and levitated off the ground, staring down at the flames.

  "Gavin."

  "Yeah, kid?" Gavin replied. "You sound like you're about to do something reckless."

  "Pretty much."

  "But...?"

  "...I'm not satisfied. These people don't deserve to have their homes vaporized."

  "I get it. But everything they own is probably burned or damaged... that said, it'd be a shame if the building had to go with it. Okay — fire needs three things: heat, fuel, and oxygen. You don't want to mess with fuel — that's the building. You don't want to add heat — obvious reasons. That leaves oxygen."

  I glanced at the flames, then at my hands. "...You want me to suffocate it?"

  "Exactly," Gavin confirmed. "But not with your Cyclone Breaker — that'll destroy the building and the whole block. Use rapid, localized cooling and displacement. You've got the speed and energy control. Use them."

  "Can you please speak English?"

  Gavin groaned. "Spin. Fast. Not tornado-fast — controlled. Create a pressure differential. Push hot air and smoke up and out while pulling cooler air down and around the structure."

  I had no clue what half of that meant, but it sounded worth a shot. I rolled my shoulders and flexed my fingers. I started to move — slow at first, then faster, circling the building in tight, controlled arcs. The air shifted. Smoke twisted upward unnaturally, dragged into a rising column while cooler air rushed in below.

  With my Mind's Eye, I could see the difference: the flames were getting weaker, flickering like someone trying to blow out a torch. I focused harder, drawing heat away. Below, firefighters and bystanders cried out in surprise as smoke and flame began to die down.

  After several seconds, the flames stuttered and then went out, as if they'd never been there. I panted a little. Looking at the building, it didn't look great, but with proper repairs, it should be fine. Heck, I wouldn't mind helping out, too. I heard shouting from below. I looked down to find firefighters, a couple of cops, and civilians cheering.

  "That was awesome!"

  "Nice one—knockoff Superman!"

  I smiled and gave them a two-finger salute before flying away. As I was feeling good about my good deed, I blinked, slowing down.

  "Wait, I thought the building would fall apart in about a few seconds. You said that earlier?"

  "...I may have done that to make you hurry up out of there."

  "...You're a butthole."

  "I know."

  RED

  Nova Mansion...

  JUSTICE

  Ricardo was watching TV. The news showed a burning building. Thankfully, most people had evacuated, but there were still some inside. Firefighters were doing their best to douse the flames so someone could enter the apartment. Then Team Nova's target arrived: Red Justice. He came out of nowhere, smashed through a window, and went into the building.

  He rescued the remaining people and even the pets trapped inside. He even sucked oxygen away to snuff the flames. He gave the camera a grin and a salute before flying off. Ricardo clenched his fist. In just a few days, his squad — along with him — would have to face these people: a kid who just wanted to do good. Ricardo rose from the couch and walked back to his room to think.