Felicio

The Action Continues

Felicio

Sprinting across the rooftops was the only time I felt alive. I finally felt free. I ran as fast as I could, until my lungs felt as though they were going to burst, and only then did I realize that I had run across half the city. It didn't take me long to catch my breath. I stood still, my black suit blending into the shadows of the night. It wasn't perfect yet; I had ideas in mind for the future, but it would do for now. I felt powerful like this. With my face shielded I could be more than Peter, an awkward college student who didn't know his place in the world. I could be Felicio, protector of the innocent and arbiter of justice. I could be a hero.

That was the idea anyway but after what happened with Emma I didn't think I was doing a good job. Steph said that I couldn't save anyone. Maybe she was right, but that didn't mean I shouldn't try. Even though Emma was dead I had to try and find out why she killed herself. I know that if the same thing happened to me I would want someone to try. The dull throb in my head was telling me that something was wrong. I just didn't know where to start. The only place that seemed likely was the research facility. Dark and foreboding, it loomed over the city. As I looked out to the east I could see its dark towering shape blotting out the stars. It had been there all my life and I had never paid much attention to it until now. Nobody knew what went on behind those walls but there had been rumors. Disgruntled employees had sold their stories to various newspapers and magazines but had quickly been sued by the Shaw corporation and the truth, if it was indeed truth, had been buried.

Their press releases always said they were doing work to make the country safe but the more I looked into it the more suspicious I became. After Steph went to class I did a lot of research but I hadn't found out much more than that, and I was wary of going too close. The security on that place was like Fort Knox and Area 51, and the last thing I wanted was to be caught on camera. Felicio already had a lot of bad press. The last thing I needed was for government espionage to be added to the list.

It frustrated me how people were so eager to react to me with fear, although really it shouldn't have been a surprise given how it's the way humans react to anything new. The police though...I thought they at least would appreciate the help. They're stretched thin as it is and I'm only helping the petty crimes that tend to go under the radar. It's not like I'm trying to take away their glory or their honor, or their jobs for that matter. I'm only one man I can't replace them. For some reason they have it out for me. It's that Detective Lang who has it the worst. Ever since I've come on the scene he's been on my case, saying that I'm not doing any good around the city and that I should just leave it to him and his team. That's not what I've been hearing from the people I've saved. They all feel like the police could use some help. Maybe that's why Lang is so prejudiced against me, because he's jealous that I'm actually getting things done.

I can tell myself that anyway, and try to think about Emma as little as possible.

A cry emerged from below. It was time for Felicio to leap into action. When this had all begun it had taken me a while to become used to my enhanced senses. It had been entirely disorienting for a time, now though I loved being able to hear for miles and smell the underbelly of the city. It made me feel as though I hadn't been experiencing everything I could, as though I hadn't been truly alive. Felicio had released me from the prison of my self, and I was experiencing things that no other human could. I still wasn't entirely sure what had happened to me, or even how long it was going to last but I wanted to make the most of it.

My leg muscles stretched taut as I streaked through the night towards the sound of the cry. It was a woman. As I grew closer I heard lower-pitched voices as well. From what I could tell there were three men. I never knew that the city was so rife with crime until I donned the mask of Felicio. It was all the pettiness, so many people were lurking in the alleys ready to take advantage of the weak and vulnerable. It was entirely depressing and so many people were blind to it. Blind like I had been.

I stood above them for a few moments and watched. The woman had given up screaming. She was blonde, had evidently been on a night out. She was clutching a small purse, shaking her head and telling them that they could have anything they wanted. The men were a surly lot. I could tell they wanted something other than money. Before they could get any further I jumped down and landed behind them, as soft as a cat. The girl saw me first. She stopped fretting as I rose up and stepped towards the men. I tapped the one nearest me on the shoulder. He turned and was met by one of my fists. I was so strong that even when I pulled my punch one was enough to knock the out. He fell to the ground, stunned. The other two turned to face me. They rushed towards me. I dodged one of them, bending back to evade their grasp and swung my knee up into their mid-section. They grunted and doubled over, the wind knocked out of them. The other one drew a knife. He slashed at me. I easily caught his wrist and bent it back. A howl of pain shot out and echoed through the alley. The knife clattered against the ground.

If he was going to use his weapons against me then I was going to use mine against him. My strength, agility, and senses weren't the only things that had been changed by my ethereal experience. Under my mask I grinned as I felt the satisfying feeling of my claws being unsheathed. There were slight gaps in the fabric of my suit that allowed the three-inch long sharp claws to unfurl. I raised my hands to show him. The look on his face was priceless. It always was. It was my turn to s***h. I wasn't going to injure him, although I did toy with the idea of scarring him for the way he preyed on the innocent. I came close enough just to scare him then retracted my claws.

I punched him and the man fell. All three had been subdued.

“Oh my gosh thank you, thank you so much!” the girl said, leaning against the wall. Sweat had beaded against her skin. Now that I could see her up close I realized that she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. Her scent played havoc with my mind, so sweet and intoxicating I was almost dazed by her. With every deep breath her chest heaved and she laughed deliriously as the danger passed.

A few moments went by and I realized that I had said nothing. The girl looked at me and the smile fell from her face.

“It's okay, I won't hurt you,” I said, not wanting her to think I was a murderer too.

“I've read about you,” she said, still looking a little wary but her eyes were roaming over my body. I could hear her heart pounding, it was so vivid that it was as though I was holding her heart in my hand.

“Oh, then I understand why you're scared,” I replied dryly.

“No...I know you're not like that...like they say,” her voice was melodic and lilting, “I know you help people. I know you're a good person. When they were coming towards me I hoped that you'd hear me. I hoped that you'd be the one to save me.”

The girl rolled her lower lip under her teeth and pushed herself off the wall. Her hips swayed as she walked towards me and there was a seductive look in her eyes. Before I knew it she was pressing her body against me, hands resting on my chest. She was so warm. Her perfume was dizzying. “Thank you for saving me, I'm Vicky, and I'm extremely grateful.” She got on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to my cheek. I felt my entire body go rigid and tense. I'd never been this close to a girl before. “If there's anything you ever need don't hesitate to find me. I'm sure we'll cross paths again,” she said, and then walked away with those swaying hips. I was sure that I'd never met a girl like her before. I was sorry to see her leave, but then I thought about Emma again and I knew I couldn't indulge myself, not until I found out the truth behind her death.

With that in mind I made my way back onto the roof and continued my patrol of the city, wondering how I could get into the research facility without raising the alarm.

*

Detective Lang

“Well this is absurd!” I'm trying to find out information about Emma's whereabouts the night she died,” I yelled to the guard.

“I'm sorry sir, but if you're not on the list or do not have a pass I can't allow you in.”

“I'm a cop!”

“In that case you should know that rules are rules.” I huffed and slammed my fist against the steering wheel. I knew there was no getting beyond the gate so I pushed the car into reverse and got out of there. The facility was dark. Even the windows were black, showing no light. Everything was cloaked in secrecy. I didn't want to go in there but it was the only place I knew where to go. There wasn't anything else on Emma, nothing at the crime scene, nothing from the people who knew her. The only people I hadn't talked to were her parents because they were busy. I don't know how they expected me to look into her death when they wouldn't even give me the time of day. The only lead I'd been given is that Emma spent a lot of time on a project at the facility. Maybe she'd seen something, some kind of secret project that made her think differently about life. I sorely hoped that wasn't the case. All I really wanted to do was rule this place out. It gave me the shakes. Even though it was part of the city it felt like it was its own state, with its own rules and governance. There were huge signs all over the place warning people about trespassing. There had been plenty of leaked footage over the years from people who had tried to sneak past the guards and make their way into the building.

It was all probably a load of baloney. They were so secretive that it only encouraged people to make up things up in their mind. I much preferred the city. At least there things were black and white, well, they used to be, until Felicio turned up. He was a freak of nature and I wondered if the Shaw group had anything to do with him. Maybe he was an experiment that got out of hand. Maybe Emma was sent to calm him down but it had all gone wrong.

Dammit, I had to stop myself. I had too many questions and not enough answers. It wasn't going to do me any good to wallow in idle speculation.

I looked up at the blackness. I figured Felcio could probably find his way in easily. If he could, then I had to, or at least I had to get the Shaw's attention. I opened the trunk and got out some bolt cutters. I went to the fence and started cutting my way through. The chain links were snipped apart but there were about five fences before I got anywhere near the building.

“Excuse me sir, we're going to have to ask you to come with us.” Men in black jumpsuits stood all around me. They were efficient, I'll give them that. I dropped the bolt cutters and stood up, holding my hands above my head. I had my way in.