“Oh %$#@ me, it’s Stormshark!” The gunman unloaded his weapon at the figure dropping from the sky towards him and his gang who’d just knocked over the Rook City Permanent Building Society. Robbers, thieves, and criminals had been altering their habits to more brazen daylight endeavours since Stormshark had turned up three months ago, preying upon the underworld like his ravenous namesake. Seemed now even day time crime was under threat.
The quartet got into the armoured car they’d also hijacked hours earlier, and the driver gunned it. Stormshark bore down on them.
“Do something!” yelled the youngest robber, petrified from the stories he’d heard about Stormshark from everyone he associated with. The leader pumped his shotgun and fired out the open back door, then stuck his head out to look.
“He’s gone!” He laughed. “He’s…”
The elation was cut short by a massive thud on the roof of the armoured car.
“&^%$!!” The youngest robber aimed his weapon up to the roof.
“Don’t you idiot!”
But it was too late. Gunfire hit the roof and ricocheted around the close quarters, clipping the young man in the shoulder. Suddenly there was a massive thunderous boom, like a bomb had gone off, and a massive fist crunched through the roof. Eardrums burst, and the armoured car swerved uncontrollably. Stormshark reefed a bigger hole and dropped into their midst. He was impressively scary; over six feet tall, electric blue and black armour that may or may not be a suit, arm gauntlets that seemingly channelled the storm powers, and a shark fin to complete the look.
Stormshark set upon the quartet in a brutal display of martial arts. Arms broken, jaws snapped, legs shattered as he bashed them about the now stationary vehicle. He then grabbed them up like bags of garbage and tossed them out into the street. Rapidly approaching down the Kingsway was a fleet of police cars. Stormshark jumped out and stood in the road, his hands crackling with electricity.
He thrust out his hands and fired, bolts of lightning shooting from his wrists. They each thundered into power poles on opposite sides of the street which caused them to collapse into the road. Police cars skidded to a halt at the blockade of wood and sparks.
Stormshark turned grabbed the stolen money the robbers had worked hard to get and shot up into the air, a few errant bills swirling down in his wake.
__
“I wanna know who this shtormovaya is!” Grecoff Mikhailovich roared, slamming his well-weathered fists onto the table sending cutlery flying. Elliott King, Rook City’s mayor, flinched at the tantrum whilst appointed police superintendent, Joan Bishop, took it for what it was, a tantrum.
“We’ve got…”
“I’m not talking to you, woman!” Grecoff snarled and pointed a finger at her, cursing under his breath in Russian. “You!”
“Speak to me like that again,” Joan stared back into his piggy bloodshot eyes. “And I’ll pistol whip you and drag you down to the station regardless of the deal we have in place. Poymite menya, tolstyak.”
Grecoff spat onto the table at her words as he got up. “Find out!”
The big Russian and his crew left the Italian restaurant noisily via the kitchen. Elliott exhaled. “At least he didn’t shoot…”
Screams followed by a gunshot rang out from the kitchen.
__
Stormshark landed behind the water tower on top of Kirkbride Private Sanctuary, touching down gently. It was a hospital
“You’re late!”
The powerful man turned to the voice, and his head hung low, shoulders slumping.
“I understand that you’re being careful, but you are two hours late!” From the shadows stepped a woman in a white coat using a metal crutch to help her walk. “Well?”
Stormshark simply stood there motionless. She walked forward and poked him in the chest with the crutch. “WELL?”
Pneumatic sounds seeped from the joints and Stormshark opened up like flower greeting the sun. Inside was a large boy, no older than twelve, strapped inside with a headset. “S-s-sorry,” he whimpered as he unbuckled himself.
“You will be!” She snapped. “Get inside, you stupid little boy! NOW!”
_
“The menace of Stormshark continues!” read news anchor Lynda Castello direct to camera. Unless you knew you’d never guess she was high as a kite. “Another brazen assault on both the criminal underworld of Rook City, AND the fine upstanding police officers who attempt to protect us from danger.”
“Who is the metallic menace who strikes at will? We have obtained some footage, exclusive to our station, from inside the armoured car where Stormshark assaults the bank robbers. If you have small children, please turn away…”
Susan Knight guffawed into her bourbon-laced coffee as she watched Stormshark smash the robbers.
It’s nice to see it from another angle, she thought she left the break room of Kirkbride Private Sanctuary to do her rounds.
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