Defenders of Justice?
#2 of Etheral City
Penny walked for hours after her first encounter. She couldn't make heads or tails about the mystery human. He could read minds, but she wasn't sure what that was. Even worse, he could control minds, making him a dangerous person. "Hmm... this is peculiar. I know! I'll ask Bill, he knows about all the powers and superheros. He is the biggest geek in the city, so maybe..."
She entered her office and called Bill in. She offered him a seat then started to ask questions. "Bill, what's that thing called when someone can read and control minds?"
Bill leaned back in the chair and thought about it for a second. His skinny frame was a little disturbing to Penny. "Well, If someone can talk to someone in their head, it's telepathy. I did some research about this guy, and I know he can do that. As for the other things, I haven't the slightest... psychic maybe? You should probably ask him."
Penny laughed nervously. She had already asked everyone in a mile radius about the human, but everyone hailed him as a hero with mysterious powers. He had apparently been keeping watch over the city ever since the superheroes rose to fame and fortune. Other than the headphones, him keeping his eyes shut the entire time, and the fact that he doesn't talk much, not much was known about him. This was the kind of thing that pissed off Penny. She was a know-it-all and couldn't leave anything unfinished.
It was night, and some of the people at the office took her out for drinks. It consisted of hard liquor for Penny, who used it to drown out the relentless questions about the mystery man. It was around 11 p.m. when she said her goodbyes and walked home. However, she once again underestimated her alcohol tolerance and wobbled down the street. She was about halfway home when she heard some people talking in an alleyway. Being as drunk as she was, she couldn't help but go see.
Penny saw what she thought was the backs of two superheroes, and a human on the other side. The brightly colored hero on her left started to talk, "Listen up, punk. I don't know what you think you're doing, but you gotta stop. The people are starting to forget about us and our good deeds. So just lay off, get a crappy job, and crawl into a hole somewhere, got it?"
"Yeah, my fan base dropped nine percent since you started playing hero. And a human? You can't do much. Your race is pretty weak and can't possibly stand up to the strength of one of us."
A shockwave burst through the alleyway, and the two heroes grabbed their heads and fell to the ground, agony twisted their faces beyond recognition. Of course, since Penny was drunk, she couldn't fight it off and it felt like someone was hacking at her head with a hatchet. Her vision dulled and the pain spread to her limbs. She could barely see it, but the human tilted his head to the side and opened his eyes. His red eyes and snarl let loose a low growl and the headache stopped. The heroes also stood up and looked at Penny. "Ah, I see. You can't hurt us without harming the young lady here. Perfect..." he bared his fangs.
"Now, flee from this place, miss. We are confronting an evil criminal. We do not want you to get hurt again."
Penny raised her eyebrows, or at least she thought she did, "Whatsh are yoush talkin' 'bout? Heesh no evil cimianl... crinimal... bad guy. Heesh a good guy." she could barely stand on her feet, and her tail was wagging in the air behind her.
"... hey punks... I believe that you are after me. Oh, using an innocent as a shield is pretty lame. So lame that I think I'm going to kill you two tonight." Said the human. The two spun around and he was charging at them. The blue hero had super speed, so he could easily dodge the attack. However, the human read his mind and knew exactly where he was going. He landed a solid punch and blue was on the ground. The red hero had super strength, but the human could read his attacks and easily evade.
Penny sobered up some, probably due to the human, and yelled out, "You can't hurt him! Run!" Once again, he ignored her advice. Instead, a circle made up of thirteen of the human's images surrounded the alleyway.
Red laughed, "What? You think this hasn't already been done to me? I'll find you fast, so you should just give up."
The human's voice echoed, "Pain is relative. If the mind thinks there is pain, you will feel it." All at once, the illusions sprung onto the hero and punched as hard as they could. Red dropped to the ground, squirming. "One punch from me wouldn't have done much, but thirteen from different angles? You can't defend against them all." The fight was over, but the human still collapsed.
Penny had carried him back to her apartment and set him down on the couch. He didn't take a single punch, but he was still unconscious. She didn't know what to do, but her head was spinning. She took some aspirin and feel asleep on her bed.
That night, she dreamt about the human. She was alone with him in a field, flowers were blooming all around her. His serene look made her feel comfortable and she snuggled close to him. His warmth uplifted her soul, and she stared at his enchanting eyes. He looked back at her just as a warm, sweet smelling breeze blew, slightly moving the flowers. She lost control of emotions as he leaned in for a kiss. She was happy, and at the time wanted nothing more.
Penny woke up in her bed, eyes wide open. The sun was shining through her window and her head felt light and heavy at the same time. She shook her head and tried to erase the memories of the dream. She stumbled out of her bed, wearing only a t-shirt and panties. Penny was in such a daze that she had completely forgot about the stranger on her couch. It was only after she reached in her fridge for the milk on the lowest shelf that she heard, "Flowers, huh? You look more like a plain white kind of person." Penny shot up and stretched her shirt down so it would cover her panties. Blood had rushed to her face, making the fur seem pink and crimson rather than white and brown. "What?" he said as he rubbed his eye, "You a virgin or something?" Penny's face only got more red. "You are, huh? Well, that makes two of us. What's for breakfast?"
Penny turned around slowly, a mix of anger, confusion, and embarrassment plastered on her face, "What's for breakfast?! I saved you're life, then you stare and my underwear, then... agh!" she screamed. "You are such an arrogant bastard!"
The human looked emotionless, his eyes open, "Well, I could've told you that you're bra is expensive and lacy, but I thought that would be too much. I also could of told you every detail of the dreams you've had over the past 21 years, three months, two days, and thirty-two seconds, but I decided against it. And besides, you haven't saved me yet. I collapsed because I haven't eaten in a week."
(That's right! He can read my mind... I have to be careful of what I think about)
"I heard that. Seriously, I'd even be happy with a slice of bread. Please?" he said. Penny sighed, she had accepted the fact that nothing was private around him. "Was I really that good of a kisser?" She threw a bag of bread at him, then stormed off to her shower.
She got dressed then went to greet the human properly, "I'm Penny, but I'm sure that you already knew that. I don't have much that I could tell you, so could you tell me your name?" Penny asked as innocently as she could. The human leaned back and thought, which was odd. "You do have a name, don't you?"
He finally leaned forward, "Probably, I was born. Wait... no. I don't have one. The hospital I was in was bombed before they gave me a name. Call me what you want, it doesn't bother me."
Penny couldn't be positive, but she was pretty sure that he was telling the truth. He seemed sincere enough, so she decided to press on, "Why don't you stop after you help someone? They all want to reward you, or at least thank you."
"Easy, someone who fights for what you call justice doesn't need praise or rewards. They do it for themselves or for the sake of it. The ones you furry people call 'superheroes' are pathetic, and don't deserve a reward for what they do. They are just as criminal as the ones you call villains, and I plan to put a stop to it."
Penny thought about what he said for a minute, just to let it all sink in. She shook her head violently, then said, "What are you saying?! They protect the city, what would we do without them?"
"You thought it yourself, they protect the people from only the big name evil doers. Which, by the way, haven't done anything evil in a long time." he said, with a certainty in his voice that couldn't be denied. Penny had trouble believing it. "Got any butter?"