[b]SIC PARVIS MAGNA – EPILOGUE[/b] TWO MONTHS LATER… “How does that sound?” “…” “Sean?” The sound of Mary’s voice breaks my concentration. “Huh?” “Did you hear what I said?” she asks. “No, sorry,” I admit, “my mind was wandering.” Over the phone, I hear her softly sigh. “I asked if you wanted to come over tomorrow night and watch a movie or something.” “Yeah. Sounds great,” I answer, trying to sound enthusiastic. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea. I do want to have a nice quiet night in, but not tonight. Tonight I’m needed elsewhere. “Where are you right now? It’s really windy.” I survey my surroundings. Currently, I’m perched about ten stories above the bustling streets of downtown Lost Haven. Of course, I can’t exactly tell her that. “I’m just out getting some air,” I half-lie. It kills me to be dishonest with Mary, but I don’t have much choice. It’s not as though I can just admit how I’ve been spending a lot of my time lately. “Pick a movie for tomorrow. I’ll text you in the morning, okay?” “Okay. Good night.” Her words hang in the air for a moment. You see, Mary and I have been dating for almost four months now, but we haven’t quite reached the “l”-word stage. You can tell we’re both aware of it. It’s almost like we’re playing relationship chicken, seeing who the first one to break it out will be. Until then, our goodbyes carry a little extra tension. I just don’t want to say it until the moment is right, you know? “Good night,” I answer back. I hang up my phone and slip it into one of the concealed pockets that Giuseppe put on this suit. The pocket snaps shut, ensuring that none of my belongings will go tumbling out in the course of action. I pull the mask down over my mouth. Can’t talk on the phone with the mask down because it muffles my voice, which is a bit of a plus, I suppose. For the past two months since I’ve embraced my powers, I’ve taken to going on these citywide patrols when I’m free. After all, what use is a superhero that simply waits for trouble to come to him? Proactivity is the name of the game. If I’m being honest, though, I mostly enjoy the patrols for the sense of freedom they give me to explore the city. Ultimately, most nights don’t amount to much more than a spirited midnight run across the Lost Haven rooftops, but every now and again… [b][i]WEEOOO!WEEOOO!WEEOOO![/i][/b] Jackpot. Moments after hearing the sirens, I watch as three police cruisers race past in pursuit of a speeding muscle car. Looks like the “boys in blue” could use an assist from the bug in green. Ugh, I hate myself for even thinking that. I hop up from my crouched position and began running in the direction that the speeding cars went. When I reach the edge of the rooftop, I feel the muscles in my legs tense. The stored up energy explodes through them like a cannon, propelling me through the air. I clear the next two rooftops with ease and hit the ground running on the third. As I run, I peer over the ledge at the ongoing chase. The speeding car weaves in and out of traffic wildly. The police cruisers in pursuit do their best to keep up without putting other cars and pedestrians in danger. One of the cruisers is forced to slam on the brakes to avoid slamming into the back of a delivery van. Someone’s going to get hurt if this chase doesn’t come to an end soon. I leap across the street, grabbing onto a flagpole jutting out from the side of the building. My momentum carries me through a full rotation before I release and launch myself towards the car. I land on the roof of the muscle car with a thud, and the driver swerves. I cling to the roof with ease. I peer down through the windshield and see the panicked, upside-down face of the carjacker. “I don’t suppose asking you to stop is going to do much good?” I ask rhetorically. “Mantis!” “You recognize me? Wow. This is kind of a big moment for me.” The carjacker grimaces. “I’m gonna kill you!” “Oh. Well, I gotta say that I’m a little bit less flattered now.” The carjacker grabs a gun and takes aim at me through the roof. Acting on instinct, I raise my exoskeleton and brace myself. The first bullet punches a hole in the roof of the car and bounces off my chest. Although the armor protects me from penetration, the sheer blunt force of the shot still hits me like a strong right jab. The second shot misses by a wide margin as the carjacker is forced to swerve to avoid a collision. I hop down and land on the hood of the car, facing the windshield. I fire a quick stinger blast from my hand, shattering the windshield. The carjacker raises his free hand to shield his eyes from the broken glass, and I kick the gun from his hand. It lands in the backseat with a clatter. I glance over my shoulder. We’re on a collision course with the median. Reaching through the broken windshield, I yank the steering wheel hard to my left. The car squeals as we’re spun around ninety degrees, perpendicular to the flow of traffic. The carjacker sneers at me. “You’re gonna regret that, you little—“ I kick the carjacker hard across his jaw. His head slams against the driver side window, splintering it into a million little cracks. He slumps down in his seat, unconscious. Disaster averted, although I hope the owner of this car has good insurance. Still, at least no one seems to have been hurt. I stand up on the hood of the car, retracting my exoskeleton. The two police cruisers are pulling up now. I think they can handle it from here. I give the police officers a polite nod before leaping into the air once more. In the distance, the faintest bit of red from the sunset is giving way to the blue skies of night. The night is still young, but I better start heading back towards LHU if I want to get any homework done before I go to sleep. I’ve done my good deed for the night. It’s time that I handle my responsibilities as Sean Abbott. Lost Haven survived just fine before Mantis, and it’ll survive the rest of the night without him. “Somebody help!” Okay, [i]one[/i] more good deed couldn’t hurt… [b]Next time: A GROWING PROBLEM![/b]