Rising Vol. 2 Issue 3

The next evening, Elliot cautiously arrived to the library with book bag in tow. He watched his surroundings as he slipped into the alley. There was Sofia, waiting for him as night crept in.

"How did your uncle let you out this late?" asked Elliot.

"It's the weekend. He thinks I'm sleeping over at a friends house." said Sofia

"What friends?"

"Never mind. Here's the riot gear. Give it a try. Your shirt is in there too. Turn around so I can change."

Elliot opens the garbage bag and pulls out black shin guards, padded gauntlets, and a vest.

"A vest?" he asked as he pulled of his civilian clothes for his hero gear.

"the vest is for paint ball but I figure it was better than nothing in case you get hit or something."

Slowly Elliot strapped on the riot gear over his clothes, but left the vest and shirt for last. He looked over the new patch, a clothed fist in white. It was handmade.

"What is with the fist?"

"I thought it was better than a letter. Think of it as a power symbol or something. The Gauntlet!"

"Thanks Sofia." He said as he strapped the vest to his chest then slipped the hoodie on over it.

"Are you decent?" He asked.

"Yeah. Check it out."
He turns back and find her in her new uniform, a tight purple spandex accented by a mask in black biker boots and fashioned goggles.

Elliot was slack jawed.

"Do you like what you see?"

"What?"

"I think it's hip. and I can wear it underclothes really well. Not bulky or loose. Efficient, I think is the word I'm looking for. The Rose is ready. How about you, Gauntlet?"

Elliot smiled as he slipped on the shades.

"Do you have a plan?" asked Elliot.

"A plan? I thought you had one?"

Rose scoffs, and thinks,

"Okay, but it's kinda more of a trap.

****

Elliot's feet rammed the concrete as he gave chase by two criminals. Two bullet heads, with the masks and everything. They were doing some kind of deal in an alley they had scoped out for an hour. It was surprisingly easy to find them, Elliot thought, but he didn't have much time to ask before they saw him spying on them and they gave chase to teach him a lesson.

Boy were they in for a surprise.

Elliot turned the corner into an alley, it was a dead end. He put his back to the wall as they entered, smirks were visible on their faces as they approached. They had a pipe and a knife between them. Elliot wasn't bothered by their taunts as they came in. He was trying not to hold back the smile for what was about to happen next.

The pipe-man was walking ahead first, leaving the knife-man a few steps behind.

That's when Sofia popped out of the stack of garbage cans and bag with a baseball bat, swinging fast and cracked the bullet head gang member across the face.

The pipe-man turned to witness Sofia raise the bat high and come down on their partner's neck and cracked their head two times before she had her attention on the pipe-man.

Distracted, Elliot took advantage and kicked in their knee, bringing them down to their knees. He swung back, but Elliot managed to avoid the swing, grab their arm and chop their neck. She pulled his arm away, and Sofia met his armed, bare hand with the bat. I could hear the bones gives way, and he finally dropped the pipe.
"Looks like we got ourselves a winner." Rose said as she pulled off their specially made Bullet Head mask and thew it on the ground.

"Where is your hideout?" Gauntlet asked with criminal under his boot.

"Stupid kids."

Rose cracked from the impact of the bat on the concrete, near the arm that had the broken hand. "Say that again, I dare you. One more time - answer the question or your brains are all over the pavement."

He doesn't talk, she raises the bat, but Gauntlet blocks her swing.

"Enough Rose." She had to pull away from his strong-man grip.

"So what now?" She asked Gauntlet with an angry tone.

"Is this the point you tell me to tell my boss you're coming for him?" The Bullet Head said with a laugh.

"Tell him what you want, that you were beat up by "Kids"." Gauntlet said. "That'll look good for ya."

Then they left him, with his broken hand, to think about that.

***

Back at the library on the outskirts of the city, Elliot and Sofia were back in their civilian clothing.

"El, I don't think this is going to work."

"What do you mean?"

"You can't be light on criminals."

"Rose, I doubt what you did to him was considered light." he had to pause a moment. "Were you really going to kill him? Were you!?" But she wouldn't answer him, "And if we did get the location, what then? Just walk there, knock on their door and say "Hey, we here to end your criminal career?" They'd likely shoot us to death!"

"Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you're not cut out for this." Sofia said as she violently stuffed her bag with her uniform.

"What are you saying?"

"You're a liability, Elliot. I can't trust you unless you have my back."

"I do Sofia! That's why I am here. I have to look out for you! If something happens."

"Well I relieve you of that burden."
"You're being unreasonable. Don't do this."

"I've always been on my own El, Nothing now changes that. I'm sorry." Then she grabbed her book bag and took off, leaving Elliot alone.