James watched the hostages with eagle eyes. Many of the people trembled in terror, looking at him. Others including Abigail and Benjamin shot him glares that spoke louder than any words. But still, he quickly took his gaze from them to check the time on his wristwatch. The time to leave was fast approaching. However, there was still one loose end, driving madly across the college campus outside. And James cordially despised loose ends.

  James activated his walkie-talkie.

  "Mako, evacuation is late.” James rubbed his temple in a circular motion. “I swear that prototype is more trouble than it's worth. Is that car outside still causing problems?"

  "Yes, big brother. But do me a favor and keep me informed. It's unprofessional, but I don't want to leave without killing the stupid driver of this Chrysler Thunderbolt.”Mako said over the walkie-talkie.

  As James heard his sister, the gears of his subconscious went into overdrive, growing a look of shock.

  "Are you sure it's a Chrysler Thunderbolt?"

  "Yes. Why?"

  “Mako, I believe our armored friend is here.” A smile crept onto James’s face.

  ***

  Daniel staggered through the corridors of the building. His muscles screamed in agony as the wound on his stomach throbbed. His body begged him to surrender the mission with every step. But for his brother and the other hostages, he was dead set on completing the rescue, and only dismemberment could stop his advance. As Daniel saw the doors to the library, he tightened his cape around his waist. It kept the wound he sustained from bleeding too much for the coming battle. And with a deep breath, he valiantly charged forward.

  Daniel smashed down the doors, hurrying in, ready to fight an army. However, instead, he found the hostages cowering in a corner.

  "Mr. Knight, above you," Benjamin shouted.

  Daniel looked above and quickly spotted James aiming his gun at him from the upper level of the library. But as he started firing, Daniel dodged his shots and rammed into the wall. As Daniel hit the wall, it collapsed, and James came crashing down. He hurried over to James to land the finishing blow, grabbing a large table as a bludgeon. Still, as Daniel was about to hit him, James caught his arm and slapped him away, knocking over a bookshelf as Daniel hit it.

  James looked at Daniel with a searing glare. It was clear that Daniel reciprocated, even with his helmet on. And the two charged at each other with savage fury. James unleashed his gun, but Daniel, traversing the spaces between his barrage, kicked James in the face. With his opponent down, Daniel gripped his neck, freeing a storm of blows upon his face, each one shaking the room with its shockwaves. Daniel was set on not stopping until his enemy was subdued. However, James retaliated, punching his stomach wound. As Daniel screamed, James followed up with a headbutt that knocked him across the room.

  The gangster hurried to his enemy as he was reeling from the pain. He tossed Daniel at the ceiling, embedding him in it before falling. As he fell, James punched Daniel in the face knocking him into a wall, limp. And as he saw his enemy defeated, James broke into a laugh of malefic glee.

  "Let this stand as a warning to others. No man, woman, or freak can conquer the might of our family," James screamed.

  Benjamin looked at Daniel, defeated, with blood fleeing his face. But it quickly changed to a scowl, shooting it at James. He dashed at James, setting up a punch. Still, before he could reach him, James shot Benjamin in the arm with his gun.

  Daniel, half-conscious, saw his brother bleeding on the floor. He released a scream that echoed through the building. And he jumped back to his feet, ready for battle once again. James saw his renewed opponent and motioned to shoot him, but Daniel threw a bookcase at him before he could. Like lightning, Daniel appeared before James and unloaded a storm of blows to his body, ending in a headbutt. James used his remaining strength to throw a final punch at Daniel, but he quickly caught it, crushing his hand. As James screamed, Daniel picked him up and tossed him at the skylight. James fell back down, unconscious, and Daniel released another scream, louder than before as he collapsed, exhausted and victorious.

  Benjamin hurried over to Daniel. "Mr. Knight, are you okay?"

  "I'll live, kid. But you're pretty tough trying to fight that big loser."

  Benjamin grew a nervous smile. "No, I'm soft as a marshmallow. I honestly don't know what came over me."

  As Daniel heard Benjamin, he burst into a laughing fit. But he stopped as the room began to shake, and the sounds of a powerful engine filled the air.

  "Where's that stupid sound coming from?" Daniel asked

  "I don't know, but doesn't it sound like an airplane engine?"

  The skylight exploded open, and a team of assailants teleported from an invisible jet, quickly going to shoot Benjamin with bullets, but Daniel covered Benjamin using himself as a human shield. Still, the attack continued as one of the assailants donned a pair of gloves and summoned two giant hands in the air.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Not again,” Daniel bellowed.

  The assailant controlled the hands and prepared to land the killing blow to the Jones brothers with one colossal slam. However, a small army of police rushed into the room through a door, and Francoise shot him down before he could. As the police started shooting, the assailants quickly grabbed James and teleported back to the jet, flying away.

  "I was worried there for a second, but our brave men and women came to the rescue.” Daniel bellowed a heavy sigh.

  “What luck,” Benjamin said with a coughing laugh.

  “But for the tax dollars that go into your pay cheques, mine working on your response time?" Daniel asked.

  "Sorry," Tommy said.

  "In our defense, getting everyone ready for the rescue without tipping the bad guys off was a pain," Francoise said.

  ***

  Outside, Mako witnessed the destruction of the battle in the library, quickly activating her walkie-talkie.

  "Big brother, are you okay?"

  "Madame tyrant, this is the pilot of the evacuation jet. Your brother is unconscious but fine," The pilot said over the walkie-talkie.

  "Good, I almost died of fright. But do you have the princess?"

  "No, the knight and the police disrupted the operation."

  Mako exhaled heavily from her nose. "Pilot, if the prototype's weapons are functional, on my mark, please blow that building to kingdom come."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  The jet flew back to the building. It unleashed a massive air strike of lasers as it went over. Half the building was swallowed by a colossal green inferno. And it hastily washed across the college campus like a tsunami of flames.

  As Karen drove through the campus, she and her pursuers were caught in the ensuing shockwave. Karen swiftly regained her senses, seeing the inferno fast approaching. She prepared to drive away but stopped as she saw the gangsters on the ground, unconscious. Karen stuffed the gangsters into the back seat and hurried into the driver's seat. She drove away as the inferno closed in. However, the blaze quickly swallowed the distance inches away from consuming Karen. But with a final push on the gas pedal, she outran the fire, ramming through the bars of a gate and landing in a water canal.

  Inside the building, the hostages ran through the corridors gripped with panic. Still, the police guided them through an exit as the building collapsed. Tommy and Benjamin helped an injured Daniel walk through the chaos. However, an explosion went off behind them, and rubble fell from the ceiling faster than before.

  Daniel tossed Tommy and Benjamin out of harm's way but got caught under it himself. Tommy saw the flames race up the corridor toward them, but he still went to help Daniel undeterred. And using all his strength, he moved the rubble off Daniel. Tommy struggled to help Daniel walk, but Benjamin came to help. And the three quickly hurried out through the exit with everyone else. As the entire building collapsed to the ground.

  ***

  As the sunset came over the city, the college was a battle-scarred wasteland. Smoke attacked the lungs and numerous buildings lay in rubble as remnants of the green flames lingered across the campus’s vast space. An army of emergency workers dashed over the fiery ruins to complete their jobs. Among them, Daniel moved piles of rubble, helping Ginger’s firefighters.

  Daniel lifted a mountain of debris and swiftly found two injured civilians.

  "Guys, two more," Daniel shouted.

  Daniel held up the debris as the firefighters got the civilians to safety. As they were clear, he let it down gently. But as he did Norio and Elena approached him and Ginger.

  "Bad news, we have to go," Norio said.

  "What? Norio, you can't leave now. My men need police support to clean this mess up," Ginger said.

  "Boss's hands are tied. The mayor got an ultimatum from the Secretary of Defense. He wants every single man and woman not working the rescue to search for the assailants."

  "Good luck, chief. I have people to save." Daniel waved Norio goodbye.

  Daniel prepared to go back to work, but he stopped as he saw Abigail run up to them, chased by her bodyguards.

  "What are you still doing here?" Ginger asked.

  "I didn't want to leave without thanking the man who saved me, saved all these people."

  "Princess Abigail, you need to get to a secure location now. Before something else happens," Norio said.

  "But—"

  Abigail spotted Daniel and hurried over to him, short of breath.

  "Thank god I caught you. Thank you for saving my life and many others, valiant knight."

  "Don't mention it, princess."

  "When I get home, I'll make sure the whole world knows you're a great hero."

  "I-I don't know how I feel about—"

  The daily Saturn reporters, Delia and Monica, came and dragged the princess away.

  “Your majesty, would you mind giving the Daily Saturn an exclusive on that?” Delia asked.

  “I suppose not.”

  Daniel banged his fist on his helmet as he heard them. But as they left, the young man spotted Tommy amongst the crowd and dashed over.

  "Officer Black, I wanted to say thank you for earlier."

  "Why?” Tommy drew closer to Daniel, whispering. “This operation wouldn't have worked without you."

  "Yeah, but the princess just thanked me for being a hero. So I thought I would do the same. You and everyone else picked up my slack without any powers. You're ten times more heroic than I."

  As Tommy heard Daniel, he looked at him in shock. However, Daniel extended his arm for a handshake. And Tommy accepted with a smile.

  ***

  A month later, in his apartment, Karen approached Daniel with a Daily Saturn newspaper and a handful of letters.

  "The headline is rather fascinating today, love. The police orchestrated a drug bust of at least a hundred thousand dollars. Did you have something to do with that?"

  "I may have guided the chief in the right direction of some old colleagues."

  As Karen heard Daniel, she began laughing. But she stopped, looking at him with her features hardening.

  "Love, the letter from the contest also came in the post."

  Daniel took a deep breath."Let's open it together."

  Daniel hurried over to Karen. The couple tore open the envelope together and quickly unfolded the letter inside. And as they read it, their eyes widened, learning Daniel had won the contest.

  Quickly Daniel picked up Karen and spun her around as Karen’s laughter filled the air.

  Several hours went by as after Daniel and Karen received the good news. Outside his apartment building, Daniel stood by his car with Karen on a sunny day. But Benjamin and Vanessa, holding hands, quickly joined them.

  "Vanessa," Karen said neutrally.

  "Karen," Vanessa said neutrally.

  "Brother, sorry for being late. Vanessa had trouble picking the right clothes for the occasion."

  "I don't blame her because we're celebrating like never before. Food and drinks are on us."

  Karen pulled Daniel closer to her, dragging on his shirt collar. "Love, let's not go crazy."

  "Angel, loosen up. What's money for if you don't spend it?"

  Karen rolled her eyes at Daniel, but she still kissed him on the cheek. Swiftly the happy couples went into Daniel's car. And with Karen beside Daniel in the driver’s seat, he drove them off to a well-earned celebration.