TWELVE

Well, frick.

Are you kidding me?!

The theft… It couldn’t be permanent, right? It can’t be… or else Falcon would use powers from the other units. When would their powers return? More than likely, Falcon’s control would fade over time.

There has to be a timer. How long?

Is there a limit to how many powers he can control?

Why weren’t we told about this?!

Whatever the answer, one thing was clear: it crippled an attack against Falcon. It was no wonder the other units hadn’t defeated this man – stealing powers was one thing, but losing them during a fight was an entirely different duck.

Quack. Quack.

“Bring him down!” shouted Zach.

A fight ensued. Zach rushed in first, with Drake and Jacob following behind. The man blocked a punch, dodged another, and stopped a kick. Brielle shot an assortment of tiny metals at him. He avoided most; a few landed their mark, resulting in a few grunts. Sevati threw seeds onto the ground, plants instantly sprouting into vines. They tightened around his ankles; a flash of fire burned them away. He grunted again as something else struck him. As he dodged more attacks, his attention was on something else – as if he were searching for something.

He’s looking for—

The man grabbed something in midair.

Hikaru cried out, shimmering into view. Falcon had grabbed her by the face. She clutched at his wrist, her legs flailing out beneath herself. She sucked in her breath.

“Let her go!”

“There you are. I knew someone was missing,” said Falcon lightly, as if commenting on the weather. “Invisibility. Interesting and useful, but unnecessary. Oh! A second power, healing abilities. You’re lucky; that’s quite a rare gift. Use it well.”

He threw Hikaru to the side; she landed with a cry.

“Cloak!” shouted Zach. Hikaru sat up, glaring at the man, and disappeared from sight. What…? Falcon hadn’t taken her power.

But why?

A limit, then. He has a limit.

Good.

There was a chuckle.

“You have such cute nicknames, don’t you?” said Falcon. “Now that’s something the other units didn’t have. Doesn’t that break your little protocol or something? Won’t you get into trouble? Especially since they don’t like it when you don’t conform.”

This man… he knows things.

Who is he?

Drake let out a roar, rushing at the man. His punches were heavy and frequent, but Falcon dodged every attack. Sevati threw more seeds onto the ground, bringing her arms upward. Numerous tree trunks burst forth, quickly sprouting upward, until they towered over everyone. Flowers bloomed, before transforming.

A smirk lifted her mouth, eyes lighting with mischief.

Countless coconuts launched at Falcon. The man darted out of the way. The coconuts didn’t let up; hundreds of them shot through the air, striking the rooftop with a thud as they missed their target.

“Plant manipulation. Now that’s an annoying one,” said Falcon, moving with the elegance of a panther. He avoided most of the coconuts, until one smashed into his stomach; he growled in annoyance. “Enough of this.”

He snapped his fingers; flamed flashed forward, burning down the coconut trees in a blaze. Sevati rolled out of the way of the flames. Brielle never eased up on her attacks, her small metals chasing the man as he dodged attacks from the others.

Falcon rushed at Brielle, catching her by the face. His hand clamped down. She screamed beneath his hold, wriggling and thrashing against his hand.

“Spark!” cried Drake.

The scene paralyzed Zach. She was terrified, but he couldn’t do anything. They were outmatched. One man outmatched all of them put together.

“Technopathy mixed with empathy,” said Falcon, sounding intrigued. “Unusual combination. Useful, but unnecessary.”

He tossed Brielle aside like she were a rag doll. Falcon bolted through the group of Zach, Hikaru, and Jacob. Zach whirled around, trying to slow the man down. Too late. Falcon grabbed Drake next. A moment later, the man threw him to the side; Drake landed with a low cry of pain.

Falcon flexed his hand, nodding slightly. “Super strength, I thought so. Standard ability. Yes, I think I’ll be taking this one,” he said. He looked around the group. “Well, this has been interesting, kids. But I’m afraid I must speed this up. Places to be, you see.”

They couldn’t stop him.

He was helpless, unable to stop the man as he took out each of Zach’s friends. Falcon made quick work of the others, leaving him last – he dodged Zach at every turn. Whether a punch to the gut or a jab to the neck, each member of Unit Twelve went down with a low groan.

It’s okay.

They’re alive.

He didn’t kill them.

“And, finally, the little Chief,” said Falcon, stepping towards him. Zach took a step back, his throat dry; he swallowed. “I’m always fascinated by the leaders of these units. I must say… I’m curious about what ability you have. What makes you more special than your teammates, hm? What makes you a leader?”

It was over. They had lost. Just like the units before them, they couldn’t do anything against this man. He was too powerful, too trained, too something. It’d been foolish to imagine they’d have a chance. Had the other leaders of their respective units felt this way? Had they felt this paralyzing fear?

But…

In the face of that fear, Zach wouldn’t back down. He slid into a fighting stance. If he had to go down, then he was going to go down fighting.

“Powers are useless against you,” said Zach, his voice calm. “So, I’ll stop you with my bare hands.”

“I hold two of your units’ powers,” said Falcon, flexing his left hand, while lighting his right hand on fire. “Strength alone could take you out in a second – in fact, if I didn’t hold back, I could punch right through your heart… You probably wouldn’t feel a thing when you took your last breath.”

Icy chills slid through Zach’s heart, slipping down his spine into his stomach. The fear burst in his chest.

And I wouldn’t be able to stop him.

“But it would pain me to kill one so young. You should consider yourself lucky that I’m not going to kill you or your little unit buddies.”

If he wanted to, he could kill me.

And I’d be powerless against him.

“Why, thank you,” hissed Zach. “How nice of you to let me live. But what about the others?” He jabbed a finger towards the billowing fire in the distance. His tone skyrocketed. “Where was your benevolence when you blew up that hospital?!” he shouted, his voice cracking. “You’ve killed tons of people. What do I matter in the midst of those deaths?”

It gripped his throat, this fear. It would choke the life from his lungs, suffocate his mental clarity – this was something far more than he’d ever experienced before.

Yes, sometimes people died at the hands of criminals. Yes, bad things happened – things Zach and his friends didn’t have the power to prevent. But this was different. This was new. This was scary – oh, was this terrifying beyond all measure. This man was on a different level. His mere presence attested something much more than a common robber wearing a hockey mask.

This was a true villain.

A crazed fanatic in the pursuit of a goal.

“One hundred twenty-four to be exact,” said Falcon with a detached air, his head tilted to the side slightly. “Tonight’s mark, at least.”

The wind disappeared from his stomach, sucking away the breath from his lungs. Zach stared at the man, horror pouring through his soul.

Why does he…

Why does he know that?

“How could you kill that many people?” shouted Zach, so loud it felt as if his throat would tear. “How can you stand there and casually not care that you just tore a hundred and twenty-four people from this world!”

The man stilled. His head slowly lifted. The man bolted forward at terrible speed. Zach smashed into the ledge of the roof, a cough blasting from his mouth. A gloved hand tightened around his throat; his airway closed. Stars popped in his sight; pain ravaged his back.

As the pressure on his neck lessened enough to breathe, a silky, dark voice entered his ear. He gasped; the man’s presence was indominable.

“Forty-three women and eighty-one men,” whispered Falcon.

His feet dangled uselessly. Zach tried to claw at the hand around his throat, but it was unbending. Sweat beaded down his temples beneath his mask, sliding down his cheeks; his entire body felt hot with perspiration. His hands twisted and pulled at the man’s covered wrist.

It was immovable, like iron.

“That’s who worked there,” whispered Falcon, his voice soft and unnerving. “A bit skewed in the gender department, but that’s another story. Next time, get your facts straight before you start spewing nonsense like an uninformed brat.”

Zach bristled. He struggled more, flailing with vigor against the hold – all in vain.

“You sick psycho!” rasped Zach; stars popped brighter. “Don’t act like I offended you. You’re the one who killed them.”

“Would you like me to give you their names?” whispered Falcon, that hand tightening its hold. There was a croaky gasp for breath; the flailing of limbs weakened. “I can give you every name. I can tell you about their husbands or wives, if married. I can tell you about their children. A few even have grandchildren.”

All life slipped away. Zach stopped struggling. He stared at those unnatural white eyes in chilled confusion. The attacks had all been premeditated. Why would this man put that much effort into knowing the people he was going to kill? It didn’t make any sense.

This man wasn’t just insane; he had killed with a purpose.

“Why?” whispered Zach, his voice trembling. It felt so timid. He’s going to kill me, after all… isn’t he? There was a long pause after his question. “Why?”

The man’s other hand covered his face. His fingers dug into the mask. Zach didn’t fight; he couldn’t fight. Will he crush my skull?There was a current of power, tiny static shocks bursting into his skin.

Was he trying to steal something that wasn’t there any more?

I’m so sorry, guys.

There was a sharp intake of breath. The hand pulled away.

“A little hero like you could never understand.”

The pressure gripping his neck disappeared. Zach fell to the rooftop, pain rippling through his body. He coughed and wheezed, his lungs gasping for breath.

“I suggest you tell your chief of police that Falcon’s in town. I won’t leave until my objective has been complete. Until next time, little Chief.”

It took Zach a minute to breathe normally. He glanced up, eyes searching; his coughing didn’t stop. The air was rich with the scent of smoke. The night was lighted with the flickering flames in the distance, the stars blackened with smoke.

Falcon was gone.