CHAPTER 2
SIN OF COWARDICE, part 6

I’m wearing the “scar-covered” mask and hiding my face. I’ve managed to neutralize the enemy’s attack with the shield that I think I’ve finally learned to materialize.

“Qui es-tu?" He must have just asked me who I am. Instead of answering him, I focus on the section of the museum that’s about to collapse. I stretch my arms toward it. I need to create a black hole that will suck it in, and it’s no small feat. I still haven’t figured out how to do it.

“Jones, I know you can do this,” Deck urges me through the earpiece. “Think about the fight with the man of steel. What were you fighting for? Not for yourself, but to protect your family. You may not realize it, but you’re a good person, Jones. That’s why you’re here. That’s why you won’t give up. That’s why you’ll succeed. You can’t afford not to. You’re a hero!”

I let out a scream to summon my energy. Unexpectedly, I recognize the violent jolt running through my hands. A massive black hole appears above the museum. Instead of crushing the civilians, the precarious section is swallowed up inside. Then the dark opening immediately closes.

“Good job! You did it! It sure took you long enough to grace us with your presence. I had no idea you were so dramatic,” he says with a hint of reproach mixed with unwelcome sarcasm.

“I was sizing up the situation. You know how it is,” I reply with sarcasm of my own.

“What situation is that? Let’s hear it,” he says defiantly.

“I’m about to take on a powerful mutant without having full control of my powers, and while trying not to get any innocents involved.”

“… Oh, right. Well, good luck then,” he says, officially leaving me on my own. But I know he’ll soon be back on his ship parked under the tower, giving me tips.

The fencer creates a trail of wind along his foil, mimicking a “cavatione.” It unleashes a powerful gust that blasts toward me. My powers grant me enough speed that I could dodge it, but there are wounded civilians behind me who can’t escape. The only thing I can do is materialize a barrier of dark matter large enough to withstand his relentless wind.

“Deck, are you on the line?” I ask, switching on the earpiece and the mic beneath my mask.

“What do you need?” he replies.

“It’s too dangerous to fight here. You need to find me a place that’s somewhat deserted, open, and has fewer obstacles before this barrier collapses. I can’t hold out forever.”

“I’m checking my computer.”

I can hear him clattering on his keyboard from here. He’s apparently working as hard on his research as I am in combat.

“All right, the ideal spot is about two and a half miles northeast of your position. Buttes-Chaumont Park. It’s a large public garden spanning sixty-one point one acres, and luckily, it’s closed for unspecified reasons.”

Finally, the wind stops blowing and I can dematerialize the barrier. I start running in the direction Deck suggested, my opponent in pursuit, when I realize something.

“Deck, I can’t run around Paris with him on my tail. If only I could fly…” As I point this out to my buddy, I notice the fencer has stopped chasing me. A massive whirlwind surrounds his body, and in a flash, he lunges at me, tackling me and carrying me into the sky with him.

“Jones, you’re amazing! You guys are moving at forty-three point six feet per second. You’ll reach your destination in under six minutes. How are you pulling this off?”

“I’m twenty-five hundred feet above the ground!” I scream in terror, clinging to the fencer—my only hope of not plummeting to the ground.

“You’re exaggerating. It’s only two thousand one hundred and forty-two feet” he replies in that know-it-all tone of his.

“Deck, cut the line! You’re no use to me here!” All I can do is hang on to my opponent until we reach our destination. So nerve-racking!