A new morning came, and Daniel again stared at the same mailbox sweating profusely. He once more held the completed script for his story in a mail packet, shaking like a leaf. And Karen and Benjamin watched him closely with big smiles. Daniel went to put it into the mailbox. He moved slowly toward it as his hands shook more and more. As Daniel got closer, Karen and Benjamin shook with excitement. “For you guys.” Still, he stopped for a brief moment before continuing. He remembered the conversation he had with Pyunma and Margret, and finally dropped it inside the box.

  Quickly Karen and Benjamin jumped with joy, seeing Daniel complete his task. Daniel dropped to the ground gripping his chest as air fled his lungs. Benjamin and Karen hurried over to help him, hugging.

  “Thanks, guys. It’s more than I deserve.”

  “Oh, shut up.” Karen kissed Daniel.

  ***

  In their apartment, Daniel and Karen ate together on a blanket on the floor. A momentous occasion had finally occurred, prompting a celebration lunch. Karen had completed her teaching degree. But for reasons, Daniel didn’t understand, Karen insisted on making the food herself, laboring over the hot stove more than she had to. Adding a hint of bitterness for the young man to Karen’s otherwise succulent meal.

  "How's the chicken, love?"

  "Great. But why did you make the food for your graduation feast? We could have gone out."

  "Because it's my celebration. And thusly I can do whatever I want. So if I want to make a meal for myself and the man I love, it's my right."

  Karen picked up a piece of food, a fried sausage, with a fork and fed it to Daniel.

  Daniel grew a large smile as he tasted it. "If you can teach as well as you can cook, those brats are in good hands."

  The rotary phone rang and Karen went to answer it.

  "Hello."

  A smile sprang across Karen’s face as she listened to the phone. And she quickly hung it up.

  "Love, that was Palmer Preparatory School. I hardly believe it, but they accepted me. I can do something good for the world by teaching those precious babies English. Instead of relying on violence, it's my dream j—"

  Karen frowned, taking a deep breath.

  "Are you going to be okay with this? Please don't feel inadequate because I have employment, and you don't. I need and want you in ways that go beyond money."

  Daniel cracked a smile. "Angel, don't worry about it. I'm just happy you got your dream job."

  Karen looked closer at Daniel, thoroughly scanning his face and placing a hand on her chest as she gasped for air. "My god, you're not lying."

  “Karen, just live your best life and I’ll be fine.” Daniel scooped up rice with his fork, raising it to his mouth.

  Karen looked at Daniel and grew a sultry smile, stepping back onto a wall. "Don't you dare take another bite of that food."

  "But I'm hungry." Daniel snapped.

  "As I said earlier, it's my celebration. So I order you to come over here and eat something far sweeter from me."

  A large smile rose across Daniel’s face as he realized what Karen meant. He tossed his plate of food aside and charged at Karen. But as he reached her, the phone rang again, and he groaned, knowing he had to answer it.

  Daniel stomped over to the phone, answering it.

  "Whatever this is, it better be life or death."

  "Well, for me, it is, brother," Benjamin said over the phone.

  "Ben, what's wrong?"

  "Today, we have a practical exam at school. It's a pretend case, and the teachers will grade us on how well we perform. I left some notes in my backpack at the old library. Brother, can you get them for me, if it's not too much of a bother? I need this grade to graduate."

  "Say no more, man. Consider it done."

  "Thank you, brother. It should be in the reading area. On the last table to the left."

  Daniel hung up the phone and prepared to leave, but he stopped as he looked at Karen.

  "Karen, I—"

  Karen kissed Daniel. "Don't worry about it. Or do I need to remind you I have a brother too? But please get back here quickly."

  “Yes, ma’am.” Daniel chuckled.

  ***

  In a luxury restaurant, Alastair's Corner, a couple dined together around a table in the center of the room. The two were alone in the dimly lit dining area of approximately five hundred square feet illuminated by the candles on their table and the sun falling in through the skylight except for numerous bodyguards. Grigoriy, a Hispanic man of thirty, dined with Mako, twenty-two. One of the most beautiful dates a man could have. She was like a geisha in her Japanese beauty with her slender curvy body, and as pale as the moon with her flawless skin. The guards covered every point of entry into the room. Mako sat beside Grigoriy as she fed him food with a fork at the dining table.

  Mako looked around the room, pouting. "Grigoriy darling, I didn't expect our date would need this much security."

  "I apologize for this. But, my lovely, a powerful man like me can't take chances. Even on a date with one of the most beautiful women on the planet.”

  "I understand.” Mako exhaled heavily. “But there is a way you can make it up to me."

  Mako sat in Grigoriy's lap and started making out with him like the wind. But a waiter came over to them, and they stopped as they saw him.

  Grigoriy looked at the waiter with a scowl. "What is it?"

  "Sir, there's a call on the phone."

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "What? I told those fools no business calls today."

  "Sir, it's not for you. It's for the lady."

  As Mako heard the waiter, her eyes widened as she quickly left Grigoriy and hurried over to the rotary phone on the other side of the room, answering it.

  "Hello, who is this?"

  "Mako, it's me," Marcus said over the phone.

  "Father?” Mako glanced behind her at Grigoriy. “Father, why are you calling me? I'm this close to learning about Grigoriy's spies in our organization."

  "You're referring to that worm by his first name? Anyhow, I'm pulling you off this assignment for another. I need you to oversee an attack against the knight."

  "Father, you're wasting my hard work. Besides, why can't Big Brother handle this?"

  "I understand your frustration, but we're short-handed right now. Take Grigoriy alive, and we'll handle him the old-fashioned way. Please, my daughter."

  Mako took a deep breath. "Okay, Father, I'll do this quickly.”

  “Many thanks, my child.”

  Mako hung up the phone and strolled back to Grigoriy. As she reached the dining table, she picked up a dinner knife. She used the knife to slash the throats of two of his bodyguards. Quickly she stole two guns from the bodyguards she killed. As the rest prepared to shoot her, she shot most of them dead, missing one as her guns ran out of bullets.

  The last guard moved to shoot her with his gun. However, Mako appeared in front of him, and she elbowed him in the face knocking him to the floor. And as she stole his gun, she shot him dead. Grigoriy and the waiter looked at the bloody aftermath intensely. Grigoriy, enraged, charged at Mako setting up a punch. But with a smirk, she caught it and retaliated with one to his gut knocking him to the floor.

  Mako noticed the waiter trembling and readied to shoot him, but she stopped.

  "Since you're just the waiter, I think I'll let you live.” Mako shook her gun at the waiter. “But I must never see your face again."

  The waiter ran out of the restaurant, screaming at the top of his lungs. As he left, Mako noticed Grigoriy squirming on the floor, holding his stomach in pain. And she grew a smile, stooping down to him.

  Mako kissed Grigoriy. "For what it's worth. You were a true gentleman, and I had a lovely date."

  Mako punched Grigoriy in the face, unconscious.

  ***

  Daniel drove through the city in his car.

  "Of course, it had to be the library on the far side of this apple. So much for getting back to Karen quickly."

  Daniel looked in his rearview mirror and spotted smoke far away, bellowing a deep sigh.

  "Please, be something small."

  Quickly Daniel turned the car around and drove toward the smoke, ignoring several red lights.

  Meanwhile, the Lemaris train station was a war zone as buildings crumbled apart and green flames scattered across the area. A legion of police officers lay dead or dying in the fiery aftermath. And the victors of the battle, the big man’s gangsters, rounded up hundreds of terrified civilians into a corner. On top of a building, Mako watched her gangsters work in her black and purple strapless dress, high heels, and a small black mask as she sat on a ledge.

  "This should be enough trouble to get the hero's attention. And the human shields should give us the edge.” Mako twisted her black hair around her finger. “I still can't believe one man is giving us all this grief."

  The valiant knight jumped onto the battlefield between the gangsters and the civilians, and the gangsters readily aimed their weapons at him. But before they could start firing, Daniel stomped the ground kicking up a dust cloud for cover. The dust cloud attacked everyone's senses except for Daniel. And as they were disoriented, Daniel wasted no time beating the gangsters, left and right. He unleashed a bombardment of kicks, punches, and elbows upon them, quickly subduing the enemy force.

  Mako watched as the battle unfolded, and she readied to join in. Still, she stopped as she saw the time on a clock tower. Looking over at the train tracks, she drew a smile. Daniel quickly subdued the last gangster, and the civilians ran away, screaming. However, he spotted Mako on top of the building as she threw a kunai onto the train tracks. It exploded, blasting a hole in the tracks.

  "Oh, no," Daniel said, filled with terror.

  Daniel's heart nearly burst out of his chest as he heard the air fill with the sounds of an approaching train, its whistle blowing was like an omen of doom. He ran over to the train tracks. As he took a position to block it, his mind filled with visions of the aftermath. He could see the incident in his mind playing out as clearly as a movie on the silver screen. It was a fiery disaster that shook the ground for miles if he made contact with the train.

  “Damn it.”

  Hastily Daniel got away from the train tracks but sprinted over to some metal support beams by a building, ripping two of them out of the building.

  "These two should be good train t—"

  Daniel looked at the hole in the train tracks, and he crushed the support beams as he saw they were too big to fit. And as the train sound got closer, Daniel threw them aside, releasing a scream.

  “Damn it.”

  Daniel dropped to the ground beating his head on it again and again. But he stopped as an idea appeared in his mind. He was around the correct size to fit in the hole. Realizing the truth, he took off his cape and hurried to the hole in the train tracks. Daniel fitted himself into the hole and prepared for the train. His wait was short as the train raced in, and Daniel's screams filled the air from the immense strain on his spine. Never before had he tested his superhuman strength to such limits. He ignored the pain and held his body as still as he could, knowing even the slightest movement would cause a disaster.

  The train raced from the station, and Daniel limped away from the hole as his back ached. Mako jumped down behind him without Daniel noticing as he focused on the intense pain.

  "My lord, you must be in excruciating pain," Mako said.

  "You got that right."

  "Good."

  Daniel motioned to turn around, but Mako stabbed him in the back with a laser knife. From the blade, energy flowed through his body from head to toe, making every one of his pain receptors go live. And he dropped to the ground as he screamed in agony.

  Mako smiled as she saw Daniel squirm. "Whoever you are, be happy. My beautiful face will be the last thing you see in this world."

  Mako drew another knife from around her leg and went in for the killing blow. However, Daniel caught her hand and crushed it. And as she bellowed, Daniel pulled her closer, kneeing her in the gut, and knocking her away. As Daniel rose, he dropped back to his knees from the pain. Mako rushed to retaliate as she kicked him in the head. Still, as she threw a kunai at Daniel, he dodged it as it exploded and tackled her to the ground. He hastily picked her up by the neck and punched her in the face.

  Daniel’s punch sent her flying several meters from him. Mako clutched her bloody mouth and looked at Daniel with a glare. She drew another blade and charged at Daniel in retribution but stopped as she saw a small army of police approaching, quickly running away from the battlefield.

  As the police arrived, Daniel dropped to the ground, losing consciousness.

  ***

  Daniel awoke and almost jumped out of his skin as he saw Norio.

  "Chief? Holy moly, the train tracks," Daniel said.

  "Calm down. As soon as we saw the situation, we sent out a call. All trains heading here have either been redirected or stopped," Norio said.

  "Thanks.” Daniel took a deep breath. “But you looked under my helmet, didn't you?"

  "No."

  "So you think I’m stupid?"

  “I’m serious.”

  Daniel got up and started limping away.

  "Wait, there's something important I need to discuss with you. And it's life or death."

  As Daniel heard Norio, he stopped limping. “What?”

  Norio looked over his shoulder, watching his officers preoccupied with the crime scene. “Not here. Pretend to leave and meet me at the Morrison building in fifteen minutes.”

  Daniel and Norio stood behind the Morrison building alone fifteen minutes later. And Norio looked around the place frantically, but he soon stopped.

  "Chief, what are you doing?"

  "I need to ensure there are no prying eyes or ears before we start talking."

  "Sounds like something illegal is on your mind, Boy Scout."

  Norio took a deep breath. "You're not wrong. Knight, do you know that Lucas Chavez will escape conviction?"

  "The drug dealer?"

  "The very same. And it's because you were involved in the arrest. You see, the US has laws in place for Vigilante justice. So Chavez and many other criminals are about to walk on a technicality."

  Daniel staggered back onto a wall as he heard Norio. “You mean all my hard work was for nothing?”

  “Not for nothing. We could have never caught him in the first place without you. His gang was too strong outfitted with the new weapons.”

  “But it still won’t matter.”

  “It doesn’t have to be.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  "The way you fight these criminals, it's more than just your powers. It’s like you have intricate knowledge of their enterprises. So let's work closely together to bring them to justice. You'll help us bring them in on the field while I—.” Norio cleared his throat. “Look the other way here and there."

  “Look the other way?”

  “Myself and a group of my most trusted officers will work with you within the system to get these monsters off the street and locked up tight.”

  "I-I don't know what to say."

  Daniel spotted the time on the clock tower and trembled.

  "I have to go."