Broken Hero

Chapter 2

Eclipse takes a sip of the coffee in front of her as the servers cower behind the counter inside. It's funny how all she does nowadays is show up, and everyone panics. She glances towards the café, where customers sit as far away from the windows as they can, eyeing her nervously. They scurry even further away as she flashes them a smile from her seat on the patio.

"Blackout, are we going to do this again?" An irritated voice grumbled from behind her, using her villain moniker.

"Warfalcon! Would you like a drink?" Eclipse grins as she faces the man.

At six feet 2 inches, he stands a bit taller than she does at six feet. Chestnut brown hair settles in waves on top of his head, and his piercing brown eyes seem to be searching her red ones as he frowns. A dark blue one-piece suit hugs his body, showing off his pecks and six-pack, and a black vest hangs off his shoulders. The golden belt around his waist is the only piece that bears his emblem, a falcon head with a W behind it.

"No Gold Claw with you today?" Eclipse smirks, hiding her shock at the absence of the snarky blonde who usually accompanies him. "Has she finally given up on me?"

` A shorter woman, probably around five feet eight inches, with dark brown hair and stunning green eyes, stood behind him. Sparks seemed to radiate off the royal purple crop top and pants that fit her slender frame. Eclipse felt a bit out of place in her black trench coat that hung from her frame with the sleeves rolled up. A black corset fit snugly around her waist on top of her usual dress shirt. Her black combat boots glide over the pavement as she moves closer to them with a smirk.

"And who's this young thing?" Blackout ignores Warfalcon as he starts to speak, not caring for the whereabouts of his other teammate.

She slips behind the young woman before they can react, running a finger through her hair. Electricity snaps around her hand, causing her to pull away with a smirk as the young woman jumps away from her.

"It’s Volt, and I don’t like being touched." The young woman growls in response, a hint of fury building in her eyes.

Eclipse chuckles, "Apologies, dear, but I just couldn't help myself. Pretty young to be an apprentice, don't you think? Didn't know the hero academy was bringing kids out to fight their battles now."

"I'm twenty-five, lady. Aren't you too old to be playing games with people?" Volt snaps back, her voice dripping with venom.

Eclipse's eyes sparkled, amused at the hero's anger. "Mm, perhaps, but at least I don't hide behind strong men to protect me."

Eclipse retorts, ignoring the fact that she's only two years older than the young hero. The response was immediate as a bolt of purple and blue lightning zips past her head. The young hero's face turns red from anger as she stalks towards Eclipse.

"Not again..." Warfalcon groans as he covers his face with one hand, making Eclipse’s smile grow wider.

"Did I hit a nerve, princess?" Eclipse grins as she dodges another bolt.

Volt doesn't respond as she points a finger at Eclipse, releasing a round of bolts. Her frustration grows as the tall woman skips around, dodging each round with ease. Before long, Volt had reached her limit, slumping forward with her hands on her knees and sweat dripping from her face.

"What's... wrong? Afraid... to... fight... a... hero?" She pants out, one last effort to get under the woman's skin.

"A hero?" Eclipse laughs as she leans to whisper in the young woman's ear. "Would a hero fire first?"

A smirk flashes across Eclipse's lips as a look of horror creeps onto the young woman's face. The beep in her ear confirms that Vinyl's team is finished with their mission.

"This has been fun, but I've got to go. Hope we can play again someday." Eclipse grins at Volt as a black cloud envelops her, pulling her away from the two heroes.