It was a long, lonely flight home after her little break down on that rooftop. How could she allow herself to lose like that? To just let him walk all over her? Almost kill her? She was better than that. Maybe... maybe not as good as she thought after all. Her running shoes squelched as she touched down on her apartment building, and Wisp wearily began to do as she had done before: remove all of her equipment. Taking her soggy belongings and chucking them into her backpack (still sitting on top of the entrance to the roof, thankfully), Hope trudged inside, sniffling from the cold she swore she was going to have in the morning. Every step down those three flights of stairs felt like murder on her muscles, and she was soaked from head to toe. Hope got a few stares as she descended to her floor, but she couldn't give a shit even if she wanted to. Her apartment was warm and inviting, but the emptiness of it mocked her. Yep, this is what playing Batman got you. A shitty little apartment and your ass handed to you on a regular basis. She should've known better. Hope carelessly tossed her bag onto the cluttered floor and glanced at her open laptop. Over a dozen missed calls, all from Seeds. Hope sighed heavily and picked the laptop up, taking it with her into the bathroom. She didn't call him back, didn't read his messages. Instead, she set iTunes to [i]Skillet[/i] and turned the faucet on her shower. Hope glanced over into the mirror to meet her miserable reflection. It wasn't a happy face, or a confident one. She was wet, arms red from being burnt, marred by soot. Her eyes were blank, and her frown deep. She couldn't bear to put up with how she looked, and turned away from her visage as she disrobed. Hope stepped into the hot shower, the water stinging her sore muscles and soothing her burns. Hope let the water wash over her, washing away the stench of failure, the pangs of defeat. After about fifteen minutes, she turned off the water and stepped out of the comforting shower, brushed her teeth, and pulled on some lime green sweats and a loose fitting Finding Nemo T-shirt of sky blue for bed. Hope dug through her medicine cabinet and chugged half a bottle of Nyquil before snapping her laptop shut and exiting to her living room. She tossed it onto the coffee table and promptly collapsed onto the couch, exhausted and aching for sleep. She didn't know what time it was and neither did she care. Fuck work in the morning, fuck tonight, fuck everyone and everything.

Hope had a fitful time sleeping, tossing and turning and even falling from the couch once. Her dreams were filled with anxiousness and failure. She would be soaring through the sky and drop straight to the ground. A group of thugs would take to her punches like pillows and pull her tongue out through her lips. But most of all, there was fire. The memory was still vivid, fresh in her mind, of how her aggressor had filled that room with flames and smoke, choking her, licking at her skin, and walked through like the Devil himself. Sometimes he had a skull for a face. Sometimes he had no face at all. Sometimes, he would keep walking, extend out an impossibly long arm and grab her by the throat. Strangling her, choking her with the flames and smoke as she struggled and kicked and couldn't break free...

"Hua!" Hope awoke with a start. Dim light shone through the blinds, and Hope rubbed her face and ran a hand through her wild hair as she sat up. She wandered over to the fridge for a morning Pepsi and then to the window, peering through the blinds and into the cloudy, ominous sky.
[i]Hmm,[/i] she thought, [i]If it rains it means that I won't have to go to wo-[/i]
"Shit!" she cried out. Hope didn't know what time it is, but it was [i]waaaaaay[/i] past late for getting her lazy ass to the job site. As she rushed over to her laptop, she stubbed her toe on the coffee table and muttered more curses before flipping it open and making a call to her boss through Google.
[i]"This is Dan Marshall,"[/i] came the reply after about three rings. Hope felt the blood run from her face as she attempted to fake a smile, even over the phone. She was going to get it now.
"Heeeeey Dan. It's Hope," she said sweetly.
[i]"*Sigh*...Why didn't you show up for work today?"[/i] was his tired response. He sounded disappointed rather than angry, and that somehow made her feel worse.
"I'm SO sorry! I didn't mean to, but my phone's alarm didn't go off and I felt sick so I didn't wake up on time an-"
[i]"If you keep skipping work I'm gonna have to let you go, Hope."[/i] She swallowed hard, trying to force down the guilty lump in her throat.
"Yeah... I know."
[i]"You do good work and I can see a future for you in this business, but you can't keep showing up late or not at all. It looks bad on the company."[/i]
"Yeah, I know bu-"
[i]"Don't bother coming into work today, Hope, we're about to wrap up for the day. Gonna get rained out. But you better show up tomorrow, ya hear?"[/i]
"Yes sir, I'll be there on time tomorrow," she conceded. Marshall was good at that. He was kind enough to keep giving her chances, but he really knew how to guilt her when she eventually blew it.
[i]"Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow then, ready for work."[/i]
"Yes sir. Goodbye." Hope clicked the icon to hang up and stood, giving a trembling sigh. It wasn't going to be her week this week, she could already tell. Damn, if only she could get paid doing this superhero schtick. Hope grimaced. She'd probably fuck that up, too. Hope wandered into the bathroom to shower and start her day and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror again. Eyes full of sorrow, looking like a beaten dog. Instead of turning away, she took a step back and shook her head.
"This is bullshit..." she muttered. Hope turned again into the mirror and looked herself dead in the eye.
"You're better than this," she said powerfully, "All this freaks and evil motherfuckers are running around dropping people in the street, and you're just gonna accept that? Go cry about it? You think Spiderman goes off and sulks on a rooftop whenever he gets [i]his[/i] ass beat. Fuck no. He's better than that. [i]You're[/i] better than that!" She grabbed the sink with both hands and leaned in closer to her reflection.
"You're the only one standing between the people of this fuckin' city and the scum of the earth who goes off doing... whatever the fuck they want! You wanna save this city? Suck it the fuck up, you whiny little bitch!" Hope stepped away from the mirror and nodded at herself. Now [i]that[/i] was a reflection worth looking at. She looked fierce, determined. There was fire in her eyes.
"This is [i]my[/i] goddamn city. [i]Mine[/i]," she stressed before turning on the hot water. She left the bathroom while the water became warm to grab her laptop and set the music to what she thought should be her new theme song. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-hHLffIE4w]Un-Gravitify by Crush 40.[/url] Hope bopped her head to the music, letting it pump her up as she let the water wash over her once more. Washing away the doubt, the hopelessness, filling her with confidence. Tonight, fuck everyone and everything. It was her way or the highway. [i]Let[/i] them get in her way.

[i]"...*Yawn*...Hello?"[/i] came a tired, warped voice from the other end of the line.
"Hey," Hope said simply.
[i]"Wisp!? Holy shit, what happened last night? I tried calling you and-"[/i]
"I noticed." Her tone was as flat as ever. No time for games today.
[i]"I saw what happened at the Loche Security building, place burned to the ground. I thought you were dead or something!"[/i]
"FUCK!" Hope snarled, losing her cool and flipping over the coffee table before her, scattering empty Pepsi and Red Bull cans everywhere. Those two guards, tied up on the second floor... No, not her fault. [i]His[/i] fault. Pheonix. She was going to catch that son of a bitch and make him choke on his own dick after she cut it off and fed it to him.
[i]"Geez, don't have to yell, I'm right here. Tell me what happened."[/i] Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Hope responded to Seeder. Although a little more angry than she'd have liked.
"I fought some kind of... fucking... fire ninja or some shit last night, there were two goons I tied up an-"
[i]"They got out,"[/i] Seeds interrupted, [i]"The firefighters got them out. One's in critical condition from smoke inhalation and they're both in the ER, but they made it out. Calm down, Wisp. ...Did you get-"[/i]
"No, I didn't get the fucking information, but [i]I[/i] nearly died, thanks for asking!" she snapped at him.
[i]"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm just trying to do our job here. Look, I'm glad that you're safe, alright? Now let's go over this together. One step at a time. The fire ninja, he's-"[/i]
"One of the bank robbers? Yeah, I thought so. He called himself 'Pheonix'. I saw his face, but didn't get a picture."
[i]"Pheo...nix... Okay, good to know. Why was he there?"[/i]
"Fuck if I know. I didn't have time to ask him before he tried to flambe my ass."
[i]"You think he's in on it? Maybe he wanted the other drive, and wanted to find out the same thing we were trying to."[/i]
"Maybe. He [i]did[/i] talk to me, though. He asked if I was after 'them'. Motherfucker was probably trippin', but you could be right." Hope obviously left out their tender little moment together. She still didn't know exactly how she felt about that, but emotions ranged from ashamed to furious.

[i]"Alright, I'll look into it. I got some good news, though. A friend of a friend called me last night and put me on the line with... 'The Executioner'..."[/i] Seeder continued slyly. Hope's face lit up.
"No shit? What'd he say? Gimme the dirt!" Her gap-toothed smile spread from ear to ear. Not a total wash, last night. Maybe this could be the big break?
[i]"Well, for starters, guy probably thinks a 'power cycle' is a piece of exercise equipment."[/i]
"Quit stallin', dude! C'mon! Tell meeeeee!" she pleaded. She knew that Seeds was fucking with her for suspense.
[i]"So check it out: Dude wanted to find out what was on the flash drive in the armored car, but didn't know how to work a computer. So naturally he has me pull off all the information and send it to him."[/i]
"Oh. My. God. You're kidding?"
[i]"Nope! Got everything off the flash drive! Guy just handed it over!"[/i]
"Ah ha ha haaa! Oh my god, that's so [i]awesome![/i] You are the fucking sauce boss, y'know that?" Hope laughed, her spirits instantly lifted. Who would've guessed that she'd almost get burned alive, only to have their next big break literally fall into their laps?
[i]"Lemme tell you what's on it..."[/i] Seeds suavely continued, [i]"I've got a list of addresses and locations with research and tech labs at each one. Two corporations are involved: The Tower, and Carver Industries. I'm guessing that-"[/i]
"One of them hired the guards of the armored car?"
[i]"Or both of them, maybe. It's possible, no, likely that whoever was involved with the armored car is also involved with what happened at the bank. What are the odds that both heists would happen at the same time? There was also a two part key on the flash drive, so it only makes sense that another flash drive was at the bank. If I'm right, which I am all the time."[/i]
"Chill out there, stud. Send the locations to my email, I'll check them out later. You got more, right?"
[i]"A lot more. I couldn't crack it without the other flash drive, but something on the files wanted input for something called 'Phase Two'. Don't know what it could mean, but it doesn't sound good. On a side note, I sent the Executioner some of the same info, but I only gave him half of the research labs I found. Additionally, I've been tracking his phone after he called me by activating the GPS. I'm not seeing it on my radar anymore, but I've got his origin point and where he ended up for the night, with a heat map in between."[/i]
"Yeeeeaaaaaah...?"
[i]"The heat map looked pretty funny to me. He's not following roads and I know he can't fly, and he's not the fucking Juggernaut so he's not running through walls. He makes his way around the city through the sewers, Wisp."[/i]
"I'll get to him later. Right now, he's doin' pretty good. Maybe we can puppet him into going after these other bank robbers before we take him down? Hm, sounds like some info the police might want later, too..." Hope mused, a dreamy smirk on her face and a sultry tone in her voice.
[i]"Wow, that's... You're scaring me right now, Wisp,"[/i] was Seeder's dumbfounded reply.
"There's what's good, and then there's what's [i]fair[/i], Seeds. I will personally fuck [i]everyone[/i] over if I have to. He's a murderer and a danger to the city, Seeds, just like the other ones. I'm playing smarter, not harder."
[i]"Ooookaaaaayyy... Moving on. Last but not least, there's a masquerade ball at Beacon Research and Development tonight. Eudora Carver's going to be there, and Beacon is run by the Tower. Actually, I've got some maps of the facility her somewhere I can send you."[/i]
"Sounds like a blast. Looks like my schedule just filled up," Hope said with a smirk, "I don't know how she's involved yet, but I guess it doesn't hurt to ask. Gauge what she says against what we know?"
[i]"Sounds like a plan. Alright, I'll be up tonight around 7:30ish. Ball starts at 8. Hey, Wisp, why'd you ignore my calls last night?"[/i]
"Well, I, uh..." Wisp rubbed the bag of her head sheepishly, "I [i]kiiiindaaaa[/i] drowned my phone..."
[i]"Really? Geez, how the hell did you manage?"[/i]
"Fighting the ninja, used the sprinkler system as a weapon. Don't know if I'm disappointed how it went or not."
[i]"So... no tech support tonight?"[/i]
"Pfft. You [i]wish[/i]. I've got it chillin' in a plastic bag with some Uncle Ben's rice. That's supposed to work... right?"
[i]"You better hope so, or you're on your own."[/i]
"Alright, alright. Let's kick this shit. I'll talk to you tonight." Like always, Hope abruptly cut the connection before standing to stretch. Time to get to work. The ominous drumroll of thunder sounded off in the distance, a harbinger for what was to come.

-----------------------------------------

Once seven o'clock started rolling around, Hope began to gear up for the night's antics. It had been a productive day. Found out some new information, paid the rent (the electric bill could wait), got some groceries, went down to the Y to teach her woodworking class, prepped her stuff for the night. She had to throw out her favorite hoodie after it became singed and soaked. Burned some holes straight through it, and it smelled like someone's fireplace. Bastard. Before it rained, she managed to go to the roof with another light grey one, put some tape on the back of it in the shape of her custom emblem, and spray over it with black spray paint. It looked a little bit cooler in her opinion. Sent her shoes, belt, gloves, pads, and vest through the washer and dryer so she could wear them tonight. This time she put on a pair of baggy black cargo pants, similarly kept from riding up with athletic tape and knee pads and shin guards. The same vest went on over a plain black T-shirt, and the belt over that, stocked exactly how it was the night before, swapping out the Red Bull and trail mix for a Power Bar and a canister of Nos. A different pair of black skate shoes slipped on her feet before she donned her new hoodie. Wisp crinkled her nose. Still smelled kinda like paint. Oh well, maybe that'd change in the rain. Finally, she strapped her snow goggles to her face and tied a blue bandanna around her nose and mouth. Wisp picked up a crowbar from her coffee table and ran the straps around it, securing it to her back.

Moving to the kitchen, she grabbed her phone of the counter, kept in a plastic bag with the headpiece fishing itself out to keep it from getting soaked again. She tested it, and her camera, and it worked well enough. Except for the fact that it was an unreliable piece of shit and the screen would freeze sometimes. Playing with it, she ran the headset through her vest and put on some [i]One For the Money[/i] by Escape the Fate, and called Seeder.
"You ready for this?" she asked, pulling her bandanna around her neck to take a swig of her energy drink.
[i]"Sure thing. Let's do it,"[/i] the voice on the end of the line answered back. Wisp opened her apartment window and clambered through, closing it behind her quickly before free-falling toward the sky. The rain had let up some from the torrential downpour of that afternoon, but it was still going strong.
"Ugh, I don't wanna get wet [i]agaaaaiiin[/i]..." she moaned.
[i]"That's what she said,"[/i] quipped Seeds, not passing up on low-hanging fruit.
"Oh my gawd! You're [i]such[/i] a juvenile little shit!" she shrieked at him over his uproar of laughter.
It wasn't that long of a flight to the Beacon Research and Development Center, maybe thirty minutes, but it sure was [i]miserable[/i]. Wisp had to force herself to slow down, though. Raindrops hurt like a bitch at over 100 miles an hour with no windshield to stop them. As she neared, she swiveled around the back and landed on the roof so as to avoid drawing too much attention. Of course, she was dressed in dark colors and cast against a dark, cloudy sky, so fat chance there. Drenched again, her shoes squeaked as she touched down. She looked around, finding no rooftop entrance. Actually, she was the highest thing up there. When lightning struck, she suddenly felt conscious of the fact that the next one could be for her, and jogged over to sit horizontally at the side, focusing a repelling bubble around herself to keep from getting even more wet.
"Seeds, find me a good way in. No entry on the rooftop, windows are all solid and don't open," she relayed.
[i]"Give me a minute... Yep. You're kinda screwed, Wisp. Building schematics don't show anywhere that will lead you to where you want to get in. I've got an entrance in the back by the loading docks, but it won't lead into the lobby. You'll have to take the front door."[/i]
"Shit..." she muttered, thinking about how she wanted to approach the situation. She couldn't just waltz right in the front door. Well... she could, but it wouldn't be a smart idea. Breaking one of the windows might hurt someone, and it certainly make the guards protect their VIPs a little harder, a.k.a. Ms. Carver, and it might risk an incident. Goddamnit, all she wanted to do was talk to the old bat. 
Wait... fuck it. It was a masquerade ball, maybe they'd give her an inch. It [i]totally[/i] might backfire, but she was sick of thinking about it. Front door it is.