Another interesting thing about potens

was the so-called Ixanite. It’s like someone

wanted to create a material to screw and

annoy scientists.

-Richard J. Richter, from the Colorado University

Gravity finally got to see some action.

She jumped from the tenth floor building’s rooftop to the streets below. As she was falling between the tall buildings, air whining around her, she changed her gravitational pull to the clear blue skies, reducing her acceleration.

Gravity lightly landed with one foot on the ground. She was able to better analyze the situation from her new position.

She was near the sidewalk opposite a small bank, which was occupied by two police cars with officers behind them, taking cover from the gun fire. Just in front of the bank was a white van with two people shooting from behind. Most likely waiting for a third and fourth partner that were inside the building, getting the money.

Apart from them, no one was near the building.

Gravity calmly walked to the police cars. Confidence was very important for PR. It had been one of the things that the Public Figure department had recommended every hero to do. Although force would fit better.

She then knelt once she was close enough to the officers.

“Officers, my name is-”

“We already know!” Yelled one of them as he was struck by something.

He then hid behind cover and touched his shoulder, where he had been hit. There wasn’t any bruise or blood.

The robbers were using non-lethal equipment, which was the usual thing. Using such force normally ended up in getting a similar answer from cops, and rarely heroes. She had her guesses why on the last on.

Gravity saw from the various policemen and women that they were using the SIN-48 launcher, a non-lethal equipment. A weapon that instead of using bullets and powder, used metal balls and compressed air. They may be less lethal, but they hurt a lot.

The weapon had a similar grip and butt to those of an assault rifle. The main difference was the barrel of the SIN-48 launcher, similar to a uniform and thick cylinder. The gun also had some sort of container attached to its side, where the compressed gas was stored.

“I’ve come because I was informed of a criminal potens. Could you describe to me the kind we’re dealing with?”

“Strong and smokey ones!”

(So Atlas and… Pyrokinetics?)

It would be better if she got clearer details, but sometimes you just had to be grateful for having some information.

Gravity then looked around and found something that surprised her. A car near the side of the street had been flipped over. Most likely the atlas’ doing.

She made herself lighter and sprinted towards the car, avoiding the projectiles being thrown at her.

The sound of static electricity flew around her head, which made Gravity remember a useless wanna-be-hero called Shocker. How useless was he? Proclaiming himself a true hero when criminals are the ones using his weapons.

Gravity then rolled and got behind the car as the electrified pellets struck it, making a weird and crispy noise. She began examining the vehicle, filled with bumps, scratches, and broken glass, while kneeling down.

After a moment, she found the marks she had been looking for. Gravity then touched with her gloved hands the exterior of the deformation.

The metal under the car had been torn, as if something had grabbed and crushed it with a pair of hands. Despite the damage, the marks didn’t seem that deep. The atlas had most likely lifted it over his head and thrown the car as a distraction or bad aimed attack. But their hands hadn’t penetrated all the way through the car.

Gravity stood up.

At least it didn’t appear to be a strong one. Maybe level three or four. There was a slight chance of it being a telekinetic with short range and not a lot of power. Either way, manageable…

Please, let it be manageable.

Gravity then returned to her normal weight before green smoke came through the creaks of the bank’s doors. A part of her screamed in excitement, finally able to punch away some frustration and anger. The doors then suddenly opened.

Two masked figures came running through the gas. One had a purple skull hiding their face, accompanied by a fine and fashionable suit with a cream color and brown squares. The other one wore more common clothes with a ski mask that hid their features except for the eyes.

The criminals were immediately gunned down by the police officers, but the street criminal put himself in front of the fashionable robber, blocking with his left forearm the several metal projectiles that were being fired. They then began moving towards the white van.

Gravity sighed as she changed the car’s gravitational pull, aiming it towards the almost completely broken down escape vehicle in front of her. Why didn’t they give police officers more effective weapons?

As it moved, the gray vehicle next to her began to scrub against the floor before tumbling on its roof and breaking more glass. It then accelerated further and further as she followed it until she stopped, and the car left her control range. But by that time, it had enough speed. The car then slammed against the van, which in turn slammed against the exterior wall of the bank.

The criminals behind it had moved to avoid the vehicle flying towards them. But in doing so, they had left the little cover they had. They were then quickly reduced by the police officers with the SIN-48 launcher.

At least they could do something with regular people.

The masked figures were standing still in shock midway the stairs, trying to figure out what to do. They had to be amateur robbers. The vehicle was supposed to be parked on the back of the building, not the front.

Gravity changed the direction from her directional pull and fell towards them. The purple skull began to generate green smoke through his suit whilst the other masked figure put itself between the two. By the time she was near them, the elegant criminal had hidden in the puff of smoke whilst the atlas stepped towards her, winding a big punch with sloppy technique.

Gravity used the wind to easily dodge the fist, which she grabbed. She then spun the robber with the momentum of her fall, and launched him towards the bank’s wall, changing the direction of her fall and making him five times lighter before doing so.

The criminal smashed against the wall, making him grunt in pain and cracks to spread like roots in the wall. She made sure to knock the atlas with several kicks to the face before facing the cloud. The throw had also dissipated some of the smoke.

Gravity approached the green gas in order to search for the criminal dressed in a gentleman's fashion, whilst the police began to get closer.

As she was about to step inside the green smoke, the robber came out of it, running towards an alleyway nearby. She quickly returned the atlas to his normal weight before making her ten times lighter.

Gravity then began the pursuit.

The criminal wasn’t very fast, and she… She ran at a ‘light’ pace. The only thing complicating the chase was the trail of thick green smoke that the gentleman was creating as he ran, making her almost crash into several obstacles hidden in the gas.

At one point, she made an effort and dashed faster than before. The robber looked behind him and tried to push his legs even further. An alleyway was just right in front of him, to his right. Gravity reached with her hand…

A kid appeared in front of her and inside the green smoke.

Gravity quickly reacted by jumping, being able to miss him, slightly. But she wasn’t able to dodge the protruding sign in front of her. She crashed into it, breaking it and making her guts burn in pain. Gravity then tumbled on the floor, but quickly got up, stumbling, to commence once again the pursuit.

The trail had entered the alleyway, and the kid was nowhere to be seen. She turned left and entered into the alleyway. Gravity was then greeted by a backstreet full of green smoke, which obstructed almost entirely her vision. Although she could only barely see a meter and a half away from her, Gravity didn’t hesitate as she entered the street corridor.

She ran at full speed, evading the sudden obstacles as she approached them, until she encountered a trash container. Gravity jumped to avoid it, but just like before, she met a bunch of hanging cables. This time, she put her hands forwards, expecting resistance from the cables. But only a puff of smoke happened. Once she landed on the floor, she looked up and saw the cables, disintegrating into green smoke.

(Illusions? Was that…)

She didn’t let herself finish.

Gravity fell to the skies and stopped once she had a good view of the streets below her. She was able to see a vast sea of green smoke cruising through the alleyway and a venue with shops on the sides, where the trail ended. Though it wasn’t moving. Did he…?

Gravity slowly fell to the venue, desperately searching for the elusive robber. She had been wanting an encounter for all week long, and she wasn’t going to let the first one get away. A fancy suit with squares, squares, squares…

(There!) She thought as she quickly approached a man with the same suit.

“You! Stop there,” Gravity said as she landed right in front of the man. “You’re under arre-”

“OH MY GOD! Gravity, my daughter is such a big fan of yours, can you sign her an autograph!? Please!” He basically screamed.

…What?

“Stop playing, you’re coming with me.”

“Wait. Where?” He said loudly.

“You’re under arrest.”

“WHAT!? WHY?!”

“For trying to rob a-”

“I JUST WANTED AN AUTOGRAPH FOR MY DAUGHTER!”

Gravity recoiled from the loud, loud, screaming coming from the man. Why was he being so loud? He was just wasting time.

“Alright,” Gravity said as she took a pair of handcuffs from her back pouch and put them on the man. “Play time’s over.”

“GET OFF OF ME!”

What was he trying? He was just embarrassing himself in front of all these people… Whom were watching… And to those who were on the sidelines, it looked like Gravity was arresting a father… For asking for her signature…

(Son of a bitch!) Gravity thought to herself.

Shit! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! How had she been so careless? She needed to find something… Something to regain the public with before it was too late…

(The bag!) She thought.

Gravity searched the man for it, but he didn’t have it. She was able to see him smile, which made her livid and erased any doubts she had.

“SHE’S TOUCHING ME WITHOUT MY CONSENT,” the man screamed.

Fuck! It was getting worse.

(Where is it?!)

Gravity frantically looked at her surroundings for it, when she began to hear whispers rise from the crowds near the sides of the venue.

It was already happening. The death of her public image was close. How could she have forgotten about something like that?!

People would post pictures and videos out of context, complain about her, criticize her. Even if they all had liked her before, they now had the opportunity to hate her, which was fucked up, but a more appealing option. They won’t listen to her, or the ones defending her, because it was easier to be mad and deaf. And what was worse was what it would bring.

People thought that they had power. That if they made a collective effort, they would accomplish anything. Which was in some way true. But the companies would do something before that happened, to ensure their control on the herd. It was similar to a kid throwing a temper tantrum and her parents giving her a treat or something else to calm her.

Ataki was the parents, the people were the kid, and her replacement was the piece of candy.

(Three years at this, and still…)

“Sir, are you perhaps Mr. Jonathan Rodriguez,” a new voice said loudly.

Both Gravity and the man turned around to look at the costumed figure.

“Ye-Yes, that would be me,” the man hesitantly said. “Quick, she’s arresting me and all I wanted was her autograph!”

“Well, I think there’s a bit more than an autograph. You see, I found your wallet inside this bag full of money and a purple mask, which, curiously enough, was at the entrance of a bank that was being robbed, and matches the descriptions from several officers,” said Friction, loudly. “You’re under arrest for robbing a bank. I REPEAT, FOR ROBBING A BANK,” he said subtly.

Good thing they were amateur robbers.

The gentleman made a gesture of leaving, but Friction slapped him in the face, making him tumble and almost fall head first if it weren’t for Gravity.

Gravity fell to the skies once again with the robber while Friction slid across the ground to the bank. They left the gentleman and the rest of the criminals under the officers supervision, since they happened to have bindings for the atlas.

“Thanks,” Gravity said to Friction. “That was a close call. Too close. This PR schedule’s turning me crazy.”

She sighed.

“It has to stop. I need a change of pace.”

“Well, maybe this helps,” Friction said. “We need to talk.”