Swinging, I took a sharp turn right into a window. Looking back I saw that I bought us a little time, even they aren't skilled enough for risks like that. Looking up I saw alarmed civilians, and I 'punched' someone to the floor with my hook to get some panic... and hitting people helps me unwind.

I saw the logo for "Self-Save Insurance," so very... insuring. A mall cop security battalion was pouring into all of the entrances of the room their intentions obviously clear. They don't want me knocking any more dweebs over.

The kid was about to speak, like say thanks, or something like that, but I said fearlessly,

"Hold on."

When he did... and I knocked that one guy down again, I charged the at least fifty promoted dog catchers. With my Iron Fist (literally) I will overwhelm them. I struck the first man with my signature drop-kick, breaking... a lot of something and caused him to be spitting blood.

In a flurry of blocks and counters I knocked a dozen of them down. A computer hit me in the face and I got knocked back. The guards got out their batons and charged. I big booted one, dodged a swipe and tasered him, blocked a swing breaking the stick. I returned his 'lovely' offer by breaking his face.

I got hit by another computer and slowly turned that direction. The army of 35 or so newbs hesitated for fear. One of the punks were purposely going for computers.

They charged me again and I made my way to one of the hundreds of offices. I ripped it from the ground. I don't have enough power for another EMP but I can-- what the?!

"What the heck are you doing here kid!"

He scowled, "The security was trying to grab your stupid cape and grabbed me idiot!"

I said, "Move!"- as I shoved him away from the desks power socket.

"Look out moron!"

He shot an ark of electricity into the guards closing in. If I wasn't in all this chaos, I'd ask the brat to charge my suit and built in iPod. I looked at him,

"If you get into this mess again, remember this."

My souped and ready taser touched the socket causing the lights to flicker and moan. A hundred or more, nah, two-hundred more security guys were coming into the room. Behind us I heard the Angels closing in, and all around me the computers started making a boiling sound.

I realized that my camera has been recording for three minutes, ever since I got hit by the first computer. Perfect…

The computer that one guy was trying to get blew up first. He went to the ground in a bloody mess, he might be the first death today. In a crazy and random reaction more computers were exploding. Chaos was spreading wherever the power surge blew something up.

The city used to have circuit breakers, but with super villains worse than me running around, the infrastructure has suffered. Only the Angels were unaffected by the fireworks. The whites of their gear illuminated the light of the explosions, and the relentless bellicosity they controlled, I felt a real twinge of intimidation.

"C'mon kid."

"Pssh," he sneered, "I ain't going with chu!"

I grabbed him with my grappling arm and hooked it up on him. I ran giving it a little line, he tried to belligerently object before his screaming as I dragged him. I felt liked I was in a war zone with the gunfire and explosions but I made it to the silence of the hall.

People were cowering behind doors, a cleaner's cart, and even a 'warning: wet floor sign'.  I knew that the kid was alive with the yelps he'd make when he hits something. Passing the warning sign I slipped in the water and cracked the floor.

'Man,' I thought, 'should have bought the rubber soles for the boots.'

At that moment the fire alarms sounded and the sprinklers kicked on. I chastised myself and glanced at my wrist to see where my car was. I was about to call her when my equipment's circuit breaker went off, I turned to the kid glaring red at him.

(I got loads of money, I admit, the circuit breaker costed a chalk load. I am in a metal suit, but with a thick rubber mesh spandex armor thing that didn't let me get shocked.)

The grapple unhooked and the kid looked at me like I shocked him. He took off down a side hall and I followed crying bloody murder. I can't call my super hot escape ride!

I was slipping around everywhere and he was too. Small schools of people who were evacuating avoided me. I ran through one and I lost the kid.

I advanced to listen for his yelling. To my left I heard fighting, I was pleased and surprised to see the punk finishing three guards by reversing a rear choke by throwing the guy on the floor. Seeing me, he continued to run.

I reluctantly continued to chase.

All the halls basically looked the same, the only differences were carts here, pretty ladies there and a few ugly guys everywhere. I ran past the arms of a 'dog-catcher' and then they joined in chasing me. Chasing or slipping I don't know, the kid was still running and I about praised him in my mind for his endurance.

Then an in-wall flat screen exploded right in front of him making him slip. I tried to pick up my pace but the guys behind me grabbed my cloak. Then it was my turn to slip.

They desperately went for a dog pile. The four of them almost stopped me, but I grabbed two of their wrists and crushed them. I didn't break them but I almost did.

They rolled around holding their wrists screaming with red faces as the other two hopelessly tried to stop me. One gave up and ran as the other full-mounted me and broke his hand on my face. I returned his kindness as I broke his face.

I got up and the kid was gone. I can't grapple out of here until my systems come back on. I glanced at the direction he ran, a wall. Then I looked at my Iron Fists and got an idea.

I ran, and ran picking up speed squaring my shoulder. I smashed through the wall and knocked someone down. I looked left and right, and didn't see him.

He was right in front of me.

He got up and was still running! I think he's ran a mile or two or something! I stumbled after him. Man, I could really use some water…

Oh,... yeah... sprinklers.

On the chase a wall blew up in front of him and Angels came out. The brat ran back to me real quick but the Angels grappled him. They don't have circuit breakers though.

He ripped the hook out and shocked the Angel to the ground, blood oozing out of the helmet. The rest of the Angels came shooting soundly, and I mean that as, my helmet never deflected so many bullets in my life! I got to cover, the kid in my arms,

He didn't like my Iron Man grip,

"Aight, aight! I won't run again!"

I replied darkly when I was sure that we were safe,

"You're right."

I hit him over the head, knocking him out. I took my money signed bag and put him in it. As I just finished tying the bag, my super villain Apple Watch tablet thing came on. It was shot just a few seconds ago with the Angels.

I did well in controlling my rage, I only knocked one lady down to make me feel better. The screen is on, telling me where the car is and that my camera's have gotten all of this, but the touch controls are nonexistent so it's useless. I know where my car is... driving away from me until I call her.

I ran to the nearest window, but I was in a flipping skyscraper. The windows were nice and big, I grappled the floor just before my awesome kick out the window. I rappelled down the building to the best of my ability. Cops and like all the city's emergency personnel were down there, I passed a helicopter. Firefighters were in a ladder truck and I landed right in front of them. I glared ruthlessly at the two men with a fire hose, but they stood there, I said in a low demanding voice, 

"Move."

When they tried to aim the hose at me I said forget it. I used my grapple as a mace and knocked one off the ladder landing hard on the truck. The hose needed two men on it, so when the hose kicked on it knocked the other guy off and I made my leave; the hose breaking windows and otherwise making chaos with the several hundred pounds of water pressure per second.

I tried to make a way to my car, it should be driving like a normal person. Thing is, normal people drive like a New York taxi driver. It may not be easy to get to my car and I have had enough for today.

I swung from light poles, trees, and billboards with pretty woman or graffiti on them with my grapple. Then a helicopter caught up with me, I could smell the snipers inside. The cracks of thunder confirmed my suspicions.

Cops in cars and motorcycles were coming in and it was looking... interesting. I might just have to fight for my ticket home, no big deal I guess. Let's get this party started right.

I landed on a cop car, and started pounding the driver side with my Fist. A shotgun boomed from the passenger side, pellets uselessly pelting me. He just helped a lot.

I leapt from the car after I hooked on the passenger from the small hole. I was skiing across the street on my iron boots and the kid was safe in my bag. It has a Kevlar inlining to protect the money,... not give it air though.

A motorcycle came close to me and I went over to kick the bike into the endless lines of parked cars. It crunched up very nicely. Finally the cop car slammed the breaks trying to get me to collide with it, I used that plus momentum to launch myself into the air.

The sniper fired at me when it looked like I was gonna hit the car. In order to do so, the helicopter had to be low and steady. Perfect time for a sky-jack.

My hook went through the windshield and hit in the back of the interior of the chopper. I reeled in the line as fast as possible before the pilot or sniper can gather any thoughts. I had made ground; not enough ground.

The pilot got the 'sweet' idea of moving his joysticks slightly, smashing me against buildings. I tried to manage, and I was almost to the chopper. I landed my feet on a building perfectly to break the impact. Steel men can't rebound that good and my 500-800 pounds of iron smashed through the brick wall. Epic fail.

The second my face limply fell on someone's toilet I loosened my hook. The second I saw a screaming woman I planned to leave. The second that she threw a towel at me I went for my bag. The second I saw the kid going out the window I roared after the brat.

I landed on a nosy pedestrian trying to get some stuff for YouTube. I knocked his lights out for the nosiness; I hate nosy people. The chase for the kid was short as he came running back to me and the Angels followed close behind him.

Crud. It's done for the kid. If I don't kill them all now he or I will be plugged full of lead. I am out of grenades, all six of them are coming, my grapple can't take them out.

I get tired of these games of masks and trying to hide my past. One suit leads to another. I take a gauntlet off, exposing my naked hand. But the actor in them all is the same.

Unlike others, I shed blood with regret.

I yelled at the kid to hit the deck. From my body and out of my hand I launch a blast of energy. The blast slapped the kid against my legs, lifting him off the ground to do so, three cars went barrel rolling into the street, the human Angels turned into bloody muck, a building seemed unstable, and the Angels with powers were blown away like Super shrapnel from the blast. Smoke and dust was falling around us as I clenched my teeth, disappointed with the fact that I can't leave my old self behind.

I reached for the kid after I put my glove on and the terd monkey was asleep from pure exhaustion. I got ready to run for it and I saw that the helicopter was leaving. Sirens were more distant and I felt like they called off the chase. Sometimes letting me go saves more property and lives than if they chased me but maybe I simply caused enough paperwork for the police today.

________

Dusk that day...

The leaves billowed behind my Maserati, as if the leaves were flames following close behind me. The kid was asleep in the passenger seat. The city is now more distant than any of the leaves I left behind.

I pondered on several things, especially my blood loss. I can doctor myself but not that good. I have X-rays, CATscans, and a magnetic chamber I could use for the half-hundred bullets weakly embedded in my skin. I got the #1 hospital's gear, swimming pool of Benjamin's required (literally...).

I also thought about the kid leaving brat droppings everywhere, or doing something stupid like calling the cops. I got plenty of food and rooms to go around. A medic to pull the bullets out more properly would be nice. It's trust that I lack.

The biggest thing I ponder is my base's nuclear emission. My suit's radiation insolation is punctured and I don't want to buy more. I fear that I might be the end of the kid instead of his savior.

My home is bathed in radiation. This is the reason I never make friends, or minions. Why don't you think I have a harem of pretty women?

On second thought…

Anyway, the kid is a Super so I could have a chance and Supers naturally have stronger immune systems and metabolisms. So if he's unaffected by the radiation I'd be a... little happier in this world. It'd be nice to have a friend; if not I will smother the cuss in his sleep.

I picked up my phone to see several messages on it; ... nobody sends me messages. Is it another co-villain, a cruddy late wannabe hero, or Martians coming to take MY world? No, it wasn't any of these, it was charities.

I ran my gloved hand down my helmet. I thought that this was next week? Turned out all seven of them sent their requests early. Wouldn't blame 'em, charities were always asking for handouts, but my million dollar donations are a special story. I told them all that if they contacted me early again I'll give them half or none, and off went seven million dollars. (No, I don't get good tax returns.)

In reality, I'm not one of the bad guys, I'm a good guy who's been cursed. The only way for me to remove this curse is crime, and crime pays. Even with wealth I am having trouble finding the cure to stop my problems.

The gates to my mansion on the outskirts of the city opened. I woke the kid as I stumbled out of the car. He got out groggily and seeing me trailing blood snapped to attention.

"Hey! You're bleeding!"

"I was bleeding before I helped you moron!"

He covered his mouth and observed his surroundings.

"This is your crib?"

I was climbing up the steps, removing my helmet as I approached my front door. He shifted his weight nervously as he finally saw my face. At first I thought it was my helmet hair, but it was my face holding the curse that haunted me.

"If you prove yourself, this can be OUR crib."

He was shocked and filled with a son-like desire to please me.

"IF not, I'll smother you in your sleep."

—————

Part 1

The Conviction

"So far as he is able, a prince should stick to the path of good but, if the necessity arises, he should know how to follow evil."

–Niccolò Machiavelli the author of The Despot