Broken Hero

Chapter 13

Sparring with Warfalcon the next morning brought back memories from when they had first started the academy, except this time she was the one taunting him instead of the other way around. She rolls her shoulders as she gets out of the shower, rubbing a towel in her hair. Her reflection caught her attention.

“Sorry, Phoenix, but I think it’s time for the red eyes and highlights to go." She frowns thoughtfully as her eye color shifts from one color to another before stopping on a magenta pink, and her highlights do the same.

The red had just been her way of honoring her brother; however, it also gave her the demonic look that had helped her while undercover. She takes a step back to check herself, deciding to leave her piercings. With her snake bites on her lip, nose stud, and double eyebrow piercing, as well as the multiple studs in her ears, she gave off a slight aura that should deter most villains. Plus, she enjoyed the punk-style look. With that out of the way, she reached for her wardrobe door but stopped short. Her old outfit didn’t really match her aesthetic anymore, but it was all she had. She groans as she opens the door, prepared to see the white one-piece, only to find it missing and a new suit in its place.

“The cheeky little...” She chuckles as she grabs the suit.

When they were younger, she and Warfalcon had talked about what their suits would look like all the time. Warfalcon had come up with ideas that, at the time, seemed weird to her. So she had gone a different route with her original costume. He had decided she needed a new fit and had taken some of his designs as well as hers to create the new suit. The torso was a black, sleeveless one piece that looked like a swimsuit. Spandex leggings covered her legs, tucking into her combat boots that zipped up the side. She swung the half cape around her waist, buckling it in the front. The cape wrapped around behind, stopping on her hips and leaving the front open. Her belt clipped in front, crisscrossing her abdomen with hoops on the side to hold her curved daggers. Lastly, she slid on the gloves. Normally, she hated the feeling of material in her arms and hands since it overstimulated her, but these were made of a special material that she had enchanted to prevent overstimulation. The material wrapped around her middle finger and covered the back of her hand, crisscrossing up to her biceps.

She slips out of her dorm and heads toward the arena. After last night, she wanted to make sure that the intruders hadn’t messed with her system. The alarm should have gone off and warned the guards long before her powers had woken her up. The control panel was slightly ajar, confirming her suspicions as she opened it up.

“Ugh, this is a mess...” She grumbles at herself as she begins reconnecting wires and replacing the ruined ones.

Once she was finished, she and Warfalcon tested the system to make sure it was working properly. From what they understood, Lindsey and her friends had messed with the panel to make it easier to escape. She hoped that it was the only panel they had messed with, though they would need to be updated anyway, so she wasn’t too worried. By the time she had finished fixing the damage, students had woken up and were milling about. She tries to ignore the suspicious looks and how they avoid her as she walks around to check the other systems, but it is starting to feel suffocating.

Needing a break, she decides it is a good idea to go out on a patrol. The guards exchange glances as she walks out, but don't say anything. The cool air feels amazing on her skin as she walks. Her relief is short-lived lived however, as she sees a kid playing on the sidewalk. The pole he was about to walk under tilts forward, and she reaches him just in time to stop it from crushing the boy. His mom runs over in fear in her eyes as she pulls him away from her without another word.

She sighs to herself as she pushes the pole back up. Using wood manipulation, she regrows the fibers and connects the two pieces, then strengthens the area that had cracked so it wouldn’t do so again. A snapping sound makes her look up just in time to duck as the wire snaps free. With her water manipulation being part of her biology, she was extremely weak to electricity. However, she couldn’t just let the wire swing free. She covers her hand with a force field and catches the wire. Electricity travels over her arm. The shield prevents any major injury, but it still hurts. Using her earpiece, she calls emergency services.

“This is a hero from the academy. There’s a downed power line. I’ve got it secured for now, but if you could send someone to turn off the breaker...” She speaks to the man on the other end, who tells her they will send someone out.

A fire truck and power company arrive shortly after the call, and the men jump out. Once they realize who she is, they seem to slow down, which irritates her, considering she’s holding a live power line.

“Could you guys hurry up, please?” She asks through gritted teeth.

One of the men snickers, “Aw, does the ‘hero’ want us to hurry? You sure whine a lot.”

“At least I can do my job.” She snaps back, effectively shutting him up and making them work faster.

Once the power was cut off, she let go of the line and walked away while flexing her hand. Even with her gloves on, she could see the lines from where the electricity had crawled up her arm.

“Power off.” She sighs as her suit melts into shadow, replaced by a V-neck and jeans.

Her hair changed to her natural black, and her eyes changed to blue. Most people don’t pay enough attention to a hero’s features, so she doesn’t need to do anything else to hide her identity for now. Once people started taking more notice of her, she could use her glimmer to prevent people from recognizing her. She kneels next to the water fountain in the park and turns on the spout, running her hand under the cold water. She lets her healing factor fade the marks before making her way back towards the academy.

After making sure nobody was watching, she summoned her suit again, “Power up.”

The guards stop her at the gate, making her show them her academy ID. She rolls her eyes as she makes her way to the office, done with people for the day.