The magnificent Frigates-Berthington tower was wreathed in flames as a huge explosion shook the whole block. In the streets below, people screamed, sirens wailed, and alarms shrieked. Civilians fled as law enforcement, firefighters, medics, and other first responders rushed to the scene. People scurried about, trying to assist those escaping the inferno within the building and to put out the fires.
The smoke was flowing from the shattered windows in thick, billowing clouds. The source of the explosion was unknown, but whatever had caused it, the results were devastating. The smoke alone made it difficult for first responders to act, and it also obscured the two caped figures until they were clear of its grey coils. Nearby workers gasped and pointed.
One man, tall and angular, with a nose like a hawk and the eyes to match, leveled his gaze upon them. Those eyes were filled with malevolent threat, daring them to approach. His black cape billowed behind him, and if his eyes weren't threat enough, his belt filled with weapons and other gear surely warned them off. His companion, dressed all in grey and wearing a mask, carried a bag in each large and sinewy hand. His muscles bulged beneath his clothes, and at his side hung a metallic cylinder several feet long and a little over three inches thick.
Two police officers gave a halfhearted order for them to stand down and put their hands in the air, but they were simply ignored by the two. All who came into their path were promptly pushed aside as the two strode down the street. At any other time, the police would have put up some barrier to the escape, but things were different. The heroes were gone.
The villains ran down the street, and people got out of their path. The fleeing pair were really in no hurry, and it was an instinctive haste borne more of habit than of actual need. Soon they had turned down several different alleys to throw off any pursuers. Their jog slowed, and slowed, until they were both standing still. They looked at each other, and they laughed. Their plan had been a complete success. They were still laughing when a gentle chuckle joined their own victorious hooting. They looked around, and then they saw. A man dressed in a dark blue suit and a woman wearing purple and maroon robes stood before them, and the villains' jaws dropped. The unmasked man began to stammer.
"W-what are you doing here? Y-you..."
"We're here to help stop people like you, just as we always have."
"Y-you're all supposed to be dead. You... you can't be alive! It was all over TV!"
"And yet here we are."
The smoke was flowing from the shattered windows in thick, billowing clouds. The source of the explosion was unknown, but whatever had caused it, the results were devastating. The smoke alone made it difficult for first responders to act, and it also obscured the two caped figures until they were clear of its grey coils. Nearby workers gasped and pointed.
One man, tall and angular, with a nose like a hawk and the eyes to match, leveled his gaze upon them. Those eyes were filled with malevolent threat, daring them to approach. His black cape billowed behind him, and if his eyes weren't threat enough, his belt filled with weapons and other gear surely warned them off. His companion, dressed all in grey and wearing a mask, carried a bag in each large and sinewy hand. His muscles bulged beneath his clothes, and at his side hung a metallic cylinder several feet long and a little over three inches thick.
Two police officers gave a halfhearted order for them to stand down and put their hands in the air, but they were simply ignored by the two. All who came into their path were promptly pushed aside as the two strode down the street. At any other time, the police would have put up some barrier to the escape, but things were different. The heroes were gone.
The villains ran down the street, and people got out of their path. The fleeing pair were really in no hurry, and it was an instinctive haste borne more of habit than of actual need. Soon they had turned down several different alleys to throw off any pursuers. Their jog slowed, and slowed, until they were both standing still. They looked at each other, and they laughed. Their plan had been a complete success. They were still laughing when a gentle chuckle joined their own victorious hooting. They looked around, and then they saw. A man dressed in a dark blue suit and a woman wearing purple and maroon robes stood before them, and the villains' jaws dropped. The unmasked man began to stammer.
"W-what are you doing here? Y-you..."
"We're here to help stop people like you, just as we always have."
"Y-you're all supposed to be dead. You... you can't be alive! It was all over TV!"
"And yet here we are."