When Lightning Strikes Twice

Here's a quick excerpt from a short story I'm wrapping up, for now. Definitely something I'll be continuing to work on as a larger piece...

When Lightning Strikes Twice.

Children are crying while their mothers try to quiet them down. The teenage barista spills yet another cup, her third attempt to make me one simple espresso, as she fumbles clumsily around the machinery. Her brown hair is done up in a bun and I can tell she had put a lot of time into her make up; but now her mascara bleeds down her face with her tears. The last thing she expected to happen today was a coffeehouse takeover by a supervillain. Supervillain, what a laughable moniker—but, he calls himself a Superhero so I play the game. Luckily, it’s game over today.

It is like a jungle in here; fake plants beside every table, trees hanging from the ceiling, vines tangled about. I can see the courage boiling up in the eyes of the man at the corner table. He is clenching and unclenching his fist, planning just how he’s going to be a hero today. He has a wrestler’s build but his balding head and the vine draped over his left shoulder make it hard to take him seriously. The espresso tastes like shit so I throw it away and make my way to the large store front windows. With my back turned he sees his opportunity. He rushes, but in one swift motion I turn, side step his advances, and put my knee right into his gut. He falls to all fours, searching for breath he won’t find as I kick him in the ribs. He grunts, then collapses on the floor.

“That was foolish,” I say to him and the rest of the coffee shop. “There will be no stopping me today. If you cherish your lives you’ll stay calm and quiet. It is too early to draw attention this way. Soon you will see how powerful I’ve become. And soon, the world will bend to my will. I have no interest in killing my future subjects…” I pause as they hang on my every word; it is hard to resist being dramatic at a time like this. “…but don’t get me wrong. I will kill anyone that gets in my way.”

I signal to my men to bring the failed hero into the back, giving him one last kick as they drag him away. Across the street, the alarms of the World Bank go off on schedule. Only a minute later the first squad cars show up, also on schedule. It doesn’t take much longer for the rest of the force to show up and set up a basic perimeter. My men have successfully established themselves in a high stakes hostage situation. With the amount of ammunition I have provided for my men, this little standoff with the local police could play out for hours, maybe even days. But, this is the dawn of a new day and it won’t last long at all. News vans swarm in from all directions, ready to make a spectacle of the situation. Anchors and cameramen scramble to situate themselves close enough to cover the story, staying just beyond the perimeter of harm’s way. Channel 5, Channel 7. ABC, CBS. They’re all here. Little do they know they’re about to break the story of a lifetime.

Their broadcasts will fill the national media and people all over the country will watch, some praying for the safe release of the hostages, others pretending that they don’t want to see a violent shootout. However, this will not be a matter for just the local law enforcement. As word spreads, there is no doubt that he will rear his ugly head. Sergeant Supreme will parachute down, ready to diffuse the situation with minimal casualties or collateral damage. And on any other day he would succeed. Any other day, he would defeat my men, secure the safety of all the hostages, and continue to be worshipped as the “great” hero of this nation. But today is not any other day. Today is my day. Today, Sgt Supreme dies. Today, I, Dark Nimbus, will kill Sgt Supreme.

~~~

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