Thomas had been soaring in the air, high above the streets, far out of sight of the people below on the streets of the city. Thomas twirled in the air, doing a roll with his wings, putting him in a different direction. He had never flown in Kilbride before, it was so long since he had felt the wind against his skin. It gave him clarity in life. It calmed him. To feel his wings stretching and launching his body through the air. In his ear, a blue-tooth device was put, connected to his phone, using a bootlegged police scanner app, allowing him to track criminal activity in the nearby vicinity. It had a radius of six miles. 

“Attention units. We have what seems to be a bank robbery in progress at the national bank. Need all units.”

It was Thomas's cue. He spun around in the air, having memorized the layout for the city when he moved here, allowing him to navigate through it almost flawlessly in the air. Thomas began dropping altitude. Now he could see the ground, but still most certainly not be identified from the ground. Thanks to his enhanced sight, he saw the four police cruisers driving down the highway towards the bank. Thomas's head began raising, as he awoke memories of his past, back home.

[I]”Come on Thomas, move your feet. You can't slack, or you'll get hurt.” The man said, after having sent a jab to the thirteen year old's face, making him stumble backwards. “Come on son!” Bruce said to Thomas, as the boxing-glove came for Thomas's face again. This time, however, Thomas did dodge it, sidestepping. He felt as if time slowed down. Bowing his head, with his right he jabbed his foster-father in the ribs once, and then again, the older Campbell's arm outstretched, leaving him unable to defend himself. Thomas sent an upper-cut to Bruce's chin, making the man stumble backwards. His facial expression was a mixture of the obvious pain, but also a smile. 

“You okay dad?”[/i]

The police skidded to a halt when they were met with gunfire from the one's attempting the robbery, the four cars stopping on the side, about 80 meters from the bank doors, the criminals had assault rifles to pin the cops down with, the police with their handguns couldn't match their fire power. Of course, they could've gone for the shotgun in the trunks of the cars, but even if they could reach it, it wouldn't help them. The thugs had kevlar and much longer range on their weapons. All the cops could do was take potshots at the thugs, hoping to get lucky, and to avoid being turned into Swiss cheese. Thomas opted out of going for the frontal assault. But instead flew low, through the side alley. Where he saw what appeared to be a boy and a girl, getting off their bikes. One of them was heading for the two armed men,standing on the corner. The guy was thin, skinny, even. And wearing a helmet, so Thomas couldn't distinguish his face. But Thomas did know he was gonna get turned into a wet stain on the pavement if Thomas didn't act.

Thomas took a deep breath.

[I] 
Bruce Campbell's face hardened as he looked at Thomas. “D.A let the bastard who shot James get off the hook because of a technicality. God damn cop-killer is walks free!” Bruce shouted, as he threw the things on his desk onto the floor. The fourteen year old Thomas looked at his father. Wishing he could quell his anger, somehow. “But.. In the end.. This just makes what I teach you, Thomas, all that much more important.”[/i]

Thomas flapped his wings again before drawing them towards him, he dove. Like a bullet, he shot through the alley. Spinning to the side to avoid a laundry line. The two thugs stepped out of the alley, guns raised and pointed at the person in the biker clothes, when they saw the blurry image of the man coming at them, and before they knew what was next, they were grabbed by the throat, and lunged into the air. All they could see was white feathers, as the two were thrown onto a car roof, breaking the roof and knocking them both out, Thomas twirled in the air, climbing again, hoping to not have been seen too clearly, he did not want to alert anyone else of his presence. He landed on the roof of the bank, wrapping his wings around his body. He watched how the thugs moved closer and closer to the cops. Thomas wanted to help. But could he risk it? 

[I] “James Ross was a man of honor, of strength, and of courage. He did what was right, and always followed the book. He wasn't just the long arm of the law, he was the entire body of the law. James Ross was a son, a father and a husband. James Ross was my friend, my partner. James Ross was my hero.” Bruce said, wearing his ceremonial uniform as a detective of the Longhorn Police Department. He stood there, trying to hold a straight face, to appear stronger than he really was for all the people who came to mourn the loss of one of their policemen. Bruce's speech was met by applause. But he didn't want them. He walked off the stage, shook some hands, and as soon as he could, he walked over to Thomas, who had been attending the funeral, and the two left the service.

***

“Do you know why I teach you these things, son?” Bruce asked Thomas, whom nodded. “Yeah. So I can better the world with my gifts, right?” The boy responded.
“Right. But that's not the prime objective. I know I can't keep you from being who you really are forever son. Sooner or later, you're gonna use your abilities, either for good, or bad. I'm making sure it'll be for good. But also for your own survival. You're gonna need to learn how to not get caught, people will want to hurt you when they find out who you are, Thomas.”

“Because I'm a freak?” The boy, whom had been struggling with the idea that he was special for a few years now, along with teenage angst exclaimed.

Bruce smiled and shook his head. “Because you're special. You're something that's never been seen before. And the world may not be ready for you. But you can fix the flaws in the law. You're a gift, not just to me and your mother. But potentially to the whole world. You can set a new standard for people. Inspire them to do better.”

“To be more like James?”

“Yeah, son. To be more like James.”
[/i]

'Can I risk total exposure?' Thomas thought to himself, as he ran the numbers through his head. There were dash cameras on all of the cruisers. And it was just a matter of time before a news chopper was in the air. Thomas clenched his fist. Struggling with keeping his instincts, which ever to jump down there, tied down with his rational thought.

'Dammit Dad.'