Adrian sat outside a coffee shop, idly sipping his iced chocolate mocha and just watching people go about their business. These were the moments he liked to savor, no work, no worries about troubling anyone. Some might argue this wasn't the most productive use of his time, especially considering he had a Literature essay due in another two weeks, but he already had it half finished so he felt he had earned a little break. 

Of course, there was another reason he had his head in the clouds right now...and it had to do with the marking on his hand. Making sure no one was watching him, he rolled up his sleeve to look at it again. Sure enough, it was still there, a bite mark like what you may get from a dog whom didn't like you. He would never forget the moment it had first showed up...or the pain that had come with it, and especially not that voice. 

[i][b]"Kill or be Killed." [/b][/i]

Ever since then, things had been different for him. He had gained special talents, superpowers even. On one hand, it was exciting, the thought of being like the heroes in the comic books he had read. Someone who did what was right for the sake of doing it....but he had to remind himself this was still the "real world" where people like that were few and far between, and those few tended to be treated as little better than vigilantes and law-breakers. 

Suddenly, he had his inner thoughts interrupted by a voice, "Help! Someone! Police!" 

Suddenly, the young man sprung into action, pulling his hood over his face and darting back into the coffee shop where the few customers inside were watching the store clerk be assaulted by some hoodlum dressed all in black and keeping them from getting close with a knife. "Shut up, old man! Just give me the money and I won't gut you like a fish!!" 

Normally, a situation like this would cause the young man to freeze up like a statue...but instead, he just sighed and walked towards the hoodlum who brandished the knife in his direction, "Oi, stay back! I-I'm warning you...I'll kill you, I swear it!"

"Yes, yes, that's all well and good, now please drop that before you poke your own eye out, kid," Adrian retorted, not having the patience for this right now. Just from a glance, his powers went active. [i]Holding the knife all wrong, jittery and disgruntled means he hasn't had much experience wielding it. Putting on a show, trying to appear tough...[/i]"Look dude. There's better ways to make money than holding up a flipping coffee shop. Trust me, you may act tough but you're just a kid trying to play pretend, aren't you?"

"S-Shut up!!" The hoodlum seemed to freeze where he stood but he didn't move, "I...I said shut up! Get down on the ground before I cut you to ribbons!!" Without another thought, he lunged forward...but Adrian was already prepared. He ducked under the man's swing and grabbed his forearm before sweeping his legs out from under him with his foot and slammed him down onto the ground hard enough to cause him to cry out in pain. 

"Y-You..." The hoodlum tried to sit up but a fist between the eyes kept that from happening.

"Gosh darn it, my hand!!!" Adrian howled as he tried to shake the numbness out of it, "Oh man, that happens every time!...Uh..." He looked over to the clerk, "You might wanna call the police before he comes around...and maybe an ambulance....Bye!" With that, he darted out of the store before anyone could say anything.