The Path of Redemption

The Incredibles: The path of redemption.
Englishwitch
Disclaimer: Disclaimer- I do not own The Incredibles, it is a Disney/ Pixar animation motion picture.

Chapter 4-The close call.

Vanisher pulled her impressive motorcycle off the freeway and into the poorer areas of the city. The machine was a miraculous feet of engineering, the engine hissed nearly silent instead of roared like beast. The silence was handy for stealth; the metal of the bike was similar the to the technology of her suit enabling it to become invisible as she did. Excellent if she needed to hide and escape in a hurry.

The area she was in wasn’t a ghetto, but was very close. Street gangs and small-time thieves (muggings mostly) ran the area. A super could patrol the poor district and find enough to keep them busy for a very long time. Shifter had chosen a good place to hide. A stray animal here wouldn’t be amiss and he had plenty of criminals to deal with.

According to the report Mirage had furnished her with a couple of days ago Shifter was in this area, there were no patterns to his movements just yet but he was here somewhere in downtown area. The fact she had an area the size of Manhattan to search wasn’t off putting for a moment. She was going to find him and take pleasure, as great as a night long session with Tony, in dragging his furry hide to a police station and putting him behind bars.

She parked the bike outside of the Jewellery store where Shifter’s last sighting had been reported. The shattered window was boarded up with a sign saying CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE posted on top of the plywood. But through the large display window Violet could see a couple of people in the store, moving things around and taking notes. Probably the store owners. Violet tried the door, it was unlocked. She stepped inside without hesitation, instantly catching the attention of the two store clerks. They looked at the Super with curiosity as Vanisher stepped up to the front desk.
“This is the store where Shifter was seen right?” She asked as politely as she could, but the impatience was hard to hide. The elder store clerk but down a trey of diamond rings and nodded.
“He caught two thieves for us.”

Vanisher nodded but didn’t believe him. Shifter was obviously trying to divert attention away from whatever he was really doing with good deeds but she wasn’t going to be fooled. She looked around the room and saw a video camera in the corner.
“There a tape for the night?” She demanded. She looked at the store owners who nodded in reply. “I want to see it.”
“They already handed it over to us.” Said a very familiar voice. Vanisher turned and caught Mirage walking into the store. “Hello again Vanisher.” She held out a hand but Vanisher didn’t shake it. Mirage looked past Violet and to the store owners.
“Thank you again for all your help. Vanisher, if you would come with me.” She rested a hand on Vanisher’s shoulder and Violet fought hard against the urge to knock it away, it wouldn’t look right in front of civilians. Mirage led Vanisher out of the store and across the street. A small truck was parked across the street. It was painted black and had no logo’s or official marking of any kind. The most conspicuous inconspicuous vehicle she had ever seen, leaving Vanisher in wonder as to how she had missed it. She must have been too focused on the store and the thought of capturing Shifter.
“A mobile office.” Mirage explained. “Not the most discreet vehicle, but it is the most effective and you can’t argue with results.” She took a card out of a pocket in her suit and swiped it along a reader attached to the outer wall of the small truck. The machine beeped and a door opened with a hydraulic hiss.
“Come on in.” Mirage said sweetly as she climbed inside.

Vanisher followed with slight apprehension but followed quickly. There were two computers against one wall with a young man sitting at a cheap office chair. A table took up most of the room standing in the centre, a map of the city area with coloured pins stuck in at various areas; Vanisher recognised a couple as places where Shifter had been sighted. Including Mirage and Vanisher there were five people inside the truck. All of them were government agents wearing similar dark coloured suits and ID with the insignia of the Supers department on it. The three agents looked at Vanisher with a slight respect, a natural reaction for anyone working in the Supers department. Vanisher didn’t dare remove her mask. Only Rick Dickers knew the secret identity’s of all the Supers, any normal agent only had access to ten or twenty names. If an agent was ever captured and tortured for information they would only spill a limited amount of beans. There was no way to know which agent knew your identity and which didn’t, so Vanisher decided to stay Vanisher.
“Agent Smith.” Mirage said to a young man sitting at a computer monitor. “Replay the security tape for Vanisher please.”
“Yes ma’am.” He said loyally. He tapped away at the keyboard as Vanisher looked over his shoulder.

The grainy black and white images played at double normal speed. The two thieves came into the camera’s view as they cut the glass of the front door and expertly opened the lock. They stood under the camera for a moment, leaving only the tops of their heads in view.
“That’s where they disabled the alarm.” Smith muttered helpfully. The criminals began working hard at opening the various display cases and grabbing anything that looked expensive. They froze and stared at the door; a noise had obviously disturbed them. Shifter stepped into view, his seven foot tall furry form blocked the doorway. The thieves took a step back and grabbed crowbars out of their bags. Shifter had to duck to step inside the doorway. The fight was as quick as it was brutal. The two criminals rushed at the werewolf, swinging their weapons at him violently. Shifter swung his powerful fist, knocking the crowbars away and throwing the men to the ground. He grabbed them both by their collars and threw them against the wall. The camera shook as one of the men hit the wall against the alarm box. Shifter ducked down and grabbed his wolf-ears as he seemed to hear something.
“The guy he threw against the wall set off the alarm.” Smith said. He clicked the keyboard and the tape ended. “Shifter stacked the two men against the walls and ran away thirty seconds before the police arrived.”

Vanisher stepped over to the table and looked at the map, the jewellery store was already marked.
“All of this would have been written down in the report we were going to send you.” Mirage said. “But since you’re here I guess there’s no need. We’re investigating this matter Vanisher; there’s no need for you to burden yourself with this. You should be attending to other Super hero duties.”
“Until Shifter is behind bars I have no other duty.” Vanisher replied melodramatically. She didn’t take her eyes off the map; there was something there, a pattern hidden below the obvious surface. A pattern that was only starting to emerge with the addition of the new marker. But Vanisher couldn’t quite make the puzzle pieces click.
“Madam.” Called a woman sitting in the corner. She was listening to something through headphones “We’re getting an emergency report over the police band.”

Mirage and Vanisher turned and stared at her.
“Shifter?” They both asked at the same time. The agent listened a little longer and shook her head.
“A bank robber. A super villain but in the same way as Shifter. A normal super villain.”
“WHO?” Mirage demanded. Vanisher too was feeling the same sense of urgency. She wanted to capture Shifter, but she was still a Super by nature.
“Bombardment.” The agent replied. “He’s holding hostages at a bank a mile from here.”

Mirage turned to Vanisher. “That probably makes you the closest Super.”

Vanisher looked less than happy with this fact but nodded her head. She was still a Super and had to help anyone in danger; her parents had rasied her well.
“Which direction?” She asked the radio agent.
“West from here.”

Vanisher glanced at the map and saw where the bank was, with the speed of her bike she would be there in minutes. She jumped out of the truck and into the street. Her motorbike was still parked outside of the jewellery store. The shining purple and black machine still looked as new as the day she had received it. Edna knew how to make a good machine. Vanisher leapt onto the seat and turned the key in the ignition. She could leave the keys and bike ready to go at any time in any place, no one was stupid enough to steal a Supers transport. The engine hummed to life and Vanisher tore off in the direction of the bank and whatever villain awaited her.

****************

Bombardment was a villain with expertise in bombs. Vanisher had heard his name once, but had never faced him. Nor had any of her family, a different super in a different city had caught him.

There were three police cars parked outside the bank as Vanisher parked up. Mostly the police were acting as crowd control, a hostage situation seemed to attract quite a crowd. The officers forced the people to part as Vanisher drove up, she glided past and parked next to one of the squad cars. The senior officer came up to her, ready to explain the situation.
“What am I dealing with?” She demanded as she dismounted the bike.
“He’s taken the bank staff hostage, four people. He’s demanding safe transport out of the city. He claims to have the doors window’s and air vents all rigged to blow.”

Vanisher silently cursed. The last time she had done a bank-job she had gained entrance through the air vents. That had when she had first met Shifter.
“Looks impossible to get inside.” The police officer said pessimistically. Vanisher nodded but was busy thinking. Her shielding power could help here. She could just walk through the front doors and while that would set off the bombs around the entrance if she put a shield around the bomb fast enough she could contain the blast safely. That was if she put her shield up fast enough.
“This is not how I wanted to spend my Sunday afternoon.” She muttered to herself. “I’m going in.” She said loudly to the officer.
“But the bomb…” The officer said loudly. Vanisher waved her hand casually and nodded.
“Not to worry.” She said trying to sound casual, but even she could hear the nervousness in her voice. She stepped ahead of the officer and walked toward the bank, she could feel her adrenaline pumping, which was good; it was sharpening her senses and reactions. Vanisher edged herself closer to the door her shaking hands toward the handle. Through frosted glass she could see a large black device attached to the door with a red blinking light. The bomb. Vanisher gripped the door handle and pulled hard.

Vanisher screamed as she was thrown backwards by a powerful blast wave. The explosion was instantaneous, she never had a chance to wrap a shield around the bomb. Instinctively her body protected itself and wrapped her in a tight force field, protecting her from the fire. She spun through the air, her view of the world broken down to heat and flame. She couldn’t tell up from down. She heard screams over the roar of the fire, screams from the public. The fire began to part and she saw the black road rushing toward her. She landed painlessly, her shield pulsated upon landing but she felt nothing.

The police ran over to her as Vanisher dropped the force field around her and sat up.
“I AM NOT HAVING A GOOD DAY.” She screamed angrily. She grabbed one of the officers by the wrist and pulled herself to her feet. She ignored their barrage of questions on her well being and hurried back toward the bank. The front door was a flaming ruin, glass and splintered wood scattered the street, most of the wood was still smoking from the explosion. She was going to kick Bombardments ass from one end of the street to the other.
“STAY BACK.” Called a voice from the room of the bank. Vanisher froze and looked up. A man dressed in the uniform of a world war two fighter pilot, complete down to the bomber jacket, was standing looking directly at Vanisher. He held some kind of remote in his hands; an obvious trigger. A trigger to the bombs wrapped around every corner of the building. There were four people inside that bank. Vanisher took a few steps backward, which seamed to pacify Bombardment slightly.
“I WANT THAT TRANSPORT NOW OR I’LL BLOW THE WHOLE PLACE TO HELL.”

Vanisher was left helpless. She could feel the eyes of the crowd on her. They were waiting for the Super to act. She had an idea, zap a shield around the trigger, forcing it out of his hand. But he was too far away; there was no guarantee she would hit the right target. She could hit the trigger or just throw a force field around his hand. Everyone was waiting for their hero of the hour to act and she could do nothing. If she made a move toward the bank Bombardment would blow the building. If she turned invisible he would blow the building to be sure she wasn’t doing something. Now she was being held hostage.

A shadow rose up behind Bombardment, a large being with broad muscular shoulders and a furry body. A being of seven feet tall and very recognisable; Shifter. The crowd began to point and mutter to themselves; they knew the rogue Super as well as Vanisher did. Bombardment noticed the attentions of the crowd, also it’s hard for anything seven feet tall to step up behind you without you noticing. He turned and Shifter struck out, grabbing Bombardments arm in his large fist. Bombardment cried out as Shifters powerful hand squeezed. He let go of the trigger and the machine fell down over the side and toward the ground. Vanisher grabbed the trigger with a force field and it landed harmlessly on the ground. The police rushed past her into the building, eager to rescue the hostages. Vanisher picked up the trigger and switched it off. The ON/OFF switch was easily marked. An idiot-proof explosive device. Now she continued to stare up at Shifter. The werewolf lifted Bombardment over his head. The man was struggling and shouting hard, trying to get out of the beasts grip.
‘He’s going to throw him off the roof.’ Vanisher realised.

With a fearsome roar Shifter heaved the villain, sending him flying through the air. Bombardment yelled and practically screamed as he fell toward the ground. Vanisher leapt into action and zapped a force field around him. Bombardment crashed to the ground, the shield pulsated with blue light as he landed.

Two police officers ran up and grabbed him as Vanisher dropped the force field around him. Bombardment looked almost grateful as the cuffs were slapped over his wrists and dragged him toward a car. Anything to get him away from Shifter.

Shifter ran away from sight of the crowd. Vanisher knew where he was heading, there would be a fire escape at the back of the building; it would be the only way Shifter could have climbed to the roof. Vanisher shimmered out of sight and ran down a small alley to the back of the bank. She saw the giant werewolf jumping down from the fire escape. His smell was almost overpowering, how long had be been living on the streets as a stray dog. Vanisher didn’t care she ran forward and tried to tackle the beast. In retrospect she realised that this wasn’t a good idea; but her anger and desperation to capture him impaired her judgement more than slightly. She ran into his chest; his muscles felt like a brick wall. Shifter staggered back slightly, the blow had taken him by surprise. Vanisher fell to the floor and shimmered back into vision as her ass slammed into concrete; the pain wrecked her concentration. Shifter looked at her in surprise for a second, there was another emotion in his eyes; could it be fear. Surely not.
“Vanisher?” He said in his gruff voice. He turned and ran away from her. Vanisher screamed in rage and scrambled to her feet and chased after him. Shifter’s body twisted and changed; he fell onto all fours and shrank down into his wolf form. The four legs were faster than her two and he vanished around a corner and was gone by the time Vanisher ran to the same corner.
“FUCK.” She screamed. She kicked the wall and cried out again as a sharp bolt of pain rose from her foot. She grabbed her boot in her gloved hands and hopped around for a few seconds, hoping she hadn’t broken her toe. After coming so close to Shifter and failing to capture him yet again a broken toe would be the cyanide icing on the poisoned cake that had been her entire afternoon.

To be continued.