James was out of the room. But Daniel dared not try a rescue attempt. Norio had his hands tied behind his back with chains, restraining him to the chair he was sitting on. James assigned his employees to guard the police chief before bringing him to his final execution. And worse, the criminals had their guns trained so close to him that any move Daniel made would likely result in Norio's death. However, time was short. Daniel had to act soon.

  Norio yawned, bending his head back. But as he opened his eyes to the skylight, he glimpsed Daniel hiding in the shadows.

  “Oh my god, valiant knight.” Norio turned away from the skylight to a window on the far end of the room, popping his head out as if Daniel were there. “Save me.”

  The gangsters, consumed by fear, didn’t hesitate to turn their guns away from the police chief to the window. Still, unaware of his location, they freed their bolts, believing the word of their prisoner. The reputation Daniel had fostered as a specter for the criminal element was hard at work.

  Daniel realized Norio had given him a golden opportunity as they fired their weapons. He dropped to the floor, and all eyes went to him. A gangster hastily went to shoot Daniel, but as he drew his gun, Daniel backhanded him. Grabbing and tossing him at the other gangsters, knocking them down.

  "Behind you," Norio shouted.

  As Daniel heard Norio, he looked behind, seeing a gangster aiming a gun at him. Before Daniel could do anything, the gangster shot him in the chest. He coughed up blood inside his helmet and rolled on the floor in pain. The gangster soon went to shoot again, finishing his opponent. However, Daniel clapped his hands together, sending out a shockwave that sent the assailant into a wall.

  Quickly clutching his chest, Daniel hurried to Norio and broke his restraints.

  "Thank you, but are you okay?" Norio asked.

  Daniel coughed. "I'll live."

  Norio extended his arm for a handshake. "Norio Fa."

  "Valiant knight."

  "I know. One of my officers, Tommy black, has nothing but good things to say. But how did you find me?"

  "I didn't know you were here, but those trucks they used reminded me of something. A few years back, the Snyder garbage company got involved with a gang. They used the trucks for transportation during some jobs. And they would hide away in buildings like this to lose the coppers."

  "I see, but how did you know to look in this building? Snyder has over a hundred places like this in the city."

  "I just went with the closest one to the train station."

  More gangsters entered the room. As they shot at Daniel and Norio, the two scrambled out of the room through another door. Daniel blocked the door by throwing a vending machine in front of it. Still, as he tried to run with Norio, he dropped to the floor, holding his chest.

  Norio helped him up, wrapping his arm over his shoulder and limping away together. ”I got you.”

  ***

  James was doing paperwork in his office by his desk. But one of his gangsters soon dashed through the doors over to him, sweating and short of breath.

  "Boss, the valiant knight is here, and he freed the police chief."

  "What? Why didn't we hear anything from the security?"

  "We found a bunch of them unconscious on the roof."

  James broke his desk with one punch. "Lock down the building immediately. Tell everyone to try and get Fa alive, but kill the valiant knight."

  Elsewhere, Daniel and Norio collapsed in a corridor. Daniel looked out a nearby window, swallowing as he saw the steep fall between them and the closest building.

  "Listen, chief. We're right next to another building. I'll punch a hole in the wall. You get a running start and jump to its roof," Daniel said.

  "That would never work. Besides, what about you?"

  "I can't leave here without bringing down that big loser. Also, sorry for letting that guy punch you.” Daniel cleared his throat. “It was too early to move."

  "Water under the bridge. But I can't leave here either. Tyrant is wanted for multiple class-A crimes. Right now could be our only chance to catch him. Not to mention, you’re not fit for duty."

  "Who’s not fit for d—"

  Daniel motioned to stand up by himself. But he quickly dropped down, holding the wound on his chest.

  “See.” Norio pointed a helping hand at Daniel on the floor.

  Daniel exhaled deeply. “Is there anyone who cares about you back home?”

  “Well, yes. My wife, Charlotte.”

  "If your wife becomes a widow over this, it's not my fault."

  "Sure thing."

  "Say my words," Daniel shouted.

  "If my wife becomes a widow over this, it's not your fault."

  Norio helped Daniel up, and they quickly started walking again.

  "Chief, did you mean what you said to Tyrant about integrity and human decency?"

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Of course I did."

  Daniel stopped moving, pondering for a moment if Norio was telling the truth, but he took a deep breath and started again.

  ***

  Daniel and Norio sneaked through the corridors of the building. As Daniel peeked around a corner for danger, a gangster shot at his head. And as he narrowly evaded the assault, the gangster pulled an alarm that filled the building with loud sirens.

  Quickly, two more gangsters came behind them, and one drew his gun aiming at Daniel. He went into action, but again, his wound hindered his movement. Seeing him immobilized, the gangster readied to pull the trigger, but Norio elbowed him in the face. However, the other one backhanded Norio away and threw his laser knife, a weapon pulsing with green energy, at Daniel. Fighting the pain in his chest, Daniel avoided the knife. The gangster swiftly dove for the gun on the floor from his fallen comrade. But Daniel intercepted, grabbing his body first and punching him in the stomach before flinging him one-handed against the wall.

  Daniel grabbed the laser gun. He hid behind the corner as he shot at the ceiling above. The falling debris assaulted the senses of the first gangster. As he heard his opponent coughing and wheezing, Daniel hurried over to the gangster, elbowing him in the chest.

  Daniel and Norio dashed away at top speed. Going down the corridor, they spotted a small army of gangsters approaching and one of them shot at Daniel. Witnessing the assault, Norio tackled him out of harm’s way. And Daniel quickly retaliated, clapping his hands together and blowing away the criminals with his shockwave.

  Hastily, Daniel and Norio went into a nearby room. Daniel blocked the entrance, throwing a large bookshelf. He and Norio soon scrambled over to the exit. But just as they reached it, James kicked the doors down.

  "Hello, valiant knight, my name is James Tyrant. The grim reaper was busy tonight, so he permitted me to deal with you myself."

  "You're all talk," Daniel said.

  James punched Daniel in the head, knocking him across the room.

  “How did you—"

  "Hurt you? Let's say I exercise and take my vitamins." James interrupted.

  James charged at Daniel. Norio went to help, but he swatted him aside as he did. As Daniel saw his comrade on the floor, rolling in pain, he reciprocated the charge. The two shook the room from the impact of their dead heat, cracking the glass windows with their shockwaves. However, James broke it with a knee to Daniel's stomach.

  As Daniel released, James grasped him by the neck and raised him in the air, strangling him. Losing oxygen, Daniel made him let go, striking both his ears with a clap.

  Quickly, Daniel went for a hammer fist against James, but he caught it. James, crushing Daniel’s hands, tossed him on the floor like a rag doll. Unleashing a storm of kicks on Daniel's head, stomping on his skull again and again. Still, Norio hopped onto James's back and placed him in a headlock. But James threw him off his back. As he did, Norio tore off a piece of his jacket. And in retribution, James stepped on one of his legs, breaking it.

  Norio's screams of pain and the cracking of his bones filled the air. However, these two sounds covered Daniel’s approach to James. In a flash, Daniel landed a palm strike to the face. Sending him flying into a wall on the other side of the room. Daniel prepared to charge at James, but he stopped as he spotted a grenade in the piece of Jacket Norio tore off. Daniel quickly picked up the grenade, removing its clip and tossing it at James.

  “Eat this, you son of a b—“ Daniel spotted a ruptured gas pipe in the spot where he threw James. "Oh, no."

  The grenade exploded, and Daniel sprinted to Norio to shield him from the imminent blast. But reaching him, the room went up into a massive inferno that sent the civilians outside screaming and running away in terror as they witnessed the brilliant red and orange blaze. As the smoke cleared, Daniel was floating aimlessly in the air, holding an unconscious Norio. And his heart pounded as the moonlight shone through them like glass. Realizing they had assumed a ghostly form.

  "D-did we die in that explosion?" Daniel asked.

  Without warning, he and Norio returned to regular form and fell helplessly to the ground as gravity reassumed its power over them. Daniel screamed at the top of his lungs as he fell, but he soon came to a building. Sinking his hand into its side, stopping the fall. Daniel sighed in relief, but his chest throbbed intensely, making him drop Norio. However, before he fell beyond Daniel's grasp, he grabbed the back of his shirt collar.

  "I don’t know what the hell that was, but at least the pain in my chest proves I'm still alive."

  Meanwhile, Marcus drove to the Snyder building in the back of his limo. But he jumped out of his skin, seeing the smoke and fire coming from there.

  "My son. Driver, top speed immediately."

  As the driver sped up, a fiery object flew from the building, crashing from the heavens and making a crater before them, forcing them to stop. Marcus opened his window, his eyes widening, witnessing. “James.” Alive but badly beaten.

  ***

  The sun slowly rose over the city as emergency workers covered the Snyder building. A young French beauty with golden hair and fair skin was among the officers, combing the crime scene. Fran?oise exited the building, hurrying to Norio and Elena as EMTs treated his injuries, short of breath, sweating a storm.

  "Chief Fa, we searched the whole building. But we couldn't find Tyrant. However, we did recover some of the stolen gold. And found some evidence the FBI might be interested in."

  Norio took a deep breath. "I'll take whatever win we can get."

  "Speaking of which, please call your wife. When I explained the situation to Charlotte over the phone, she cried like a baby, boss," Elena said.

  "I must say I'm jealous of your relationship, Chief Fa. You two seem so close. Unlike my wayward boyfriend and me." Fran?oise tilted her head, resting it on her hand, sighing.

  "Thanks, I'm lucky." Norio chuckled.

  The police chief looked around and spotted Daniel with Ginger and Tommy.

  "Elena, please help me walk."

  Daniel stood in front of a building as Ginger and Tommy watched him. Concentrating, he summoned a small energy field around his arm, making it intangible as he passed it through the building’s wall. However, he quickly started to collapse, a painful fatigue washing over him, but they caught him before he hit the ground.

  "T-thanks," Daniel said.

  "No problem. And that thing you just did was cool," Tommy said.

  "And freakish, but I've gotten used to it with you," Ginger said.

  As the two helped him back to his feet, Daniel recalled his battle at the bread factory. He assumed he survived the explosion because of his superhuman strength or the alien armor that sheathed his body. But now there was a third possibility. Perhaps he subconsciously activated the intangibility at the moment of impact, allowing him to absorb some of the blasts without harm.

  “I need to figure out how to use this without passing out.” Daniel thought.

  "Listen, it looks like you coppers and firefighters can handle it from here, so I’m gone," Daniel said out loud.

  As Daniel readied to leave, Tommy saw Norio approaching, blocking his path. He directed Daniel to Norio, pointing his way. And Norio extended his arm for a handshake to Daniel, one of gratitude and respect.

  The young man didn’t want or need a thank you for his work. However, he reasoned he should humor the gesture as a way of saying thanks to Norio for his contributions. Still, Daniel had to force his hand to move. It shook like a leaf as he struggled to accept the handshake. Of course, finally, he did, but as it was over, he jumped away from the group, clearing meters in seconds.

  ***

  As Daniel was vaulting over roofs, the Daily Saturn reporters Monica and Delia drove in a car below. Delia stuck her head out of a window as Monica drove the vehicle. Capturing a picture of Daniel in mid-jump. He noticed the flash, stopping on a balcony as they went from the Snyder building.

  “We just needed a new picture of you for the front page. It’s the Daily Saturn’s honor to give you credit for saving the day.” Delia shouted.

  “Now, wait a minute. I—“

  The car swiftly drove out of view into the horizon. Daniel could have given chase and demanded that the reporters keep his name out of their thanks. But he was tired. The young man fought all night and still hadn’t finished his manuscript. He wanted nothing more than to return to his beloved Karen and sleep in their blanket on the apartment’s floor.