2.9
Sometime after 8 PM, 3rd April, 1989.
Location: Compound of a group of people smugglers… possible kidnappers.
One by one I took down the guards. Aside from one who looked up as he was stuffed into a piece of pipe they never realised I was there until far too late. In the case of the pipe guy, he managed to reach for his radio. Only to be surprised as it fell apart in his fingers, as I confiscated the screws. The pipe yawned open and then narrowed as it covered his torso, forming a half-sarcophagus as it engulfed him from the neck to the knees.
Two people left, in the main building. On one hand I wanted to check on the captives first, but in the end chose to neutralise the last criminals at the scene first. I can't know who or what is the mystery cargo.
I'm in a rather foul mood, so I forget subtlety and simply smash my way inside of the flimsy structure. Tearing the support beams out on an empty side Turns out criminal number two is actually a captive, handcuffed and chained to the wall.
She is a very young brunette, twelve maybe? There is a strange chemical smell in the air and powder scattered around her. She's curled into a ball, perhaps caught in the middle of crying. However eyes are peeking out at the noise of the walls peeling open.
On the far side of the room is a rather obese man running toward his office. He moves to reach for his desk drawer and the gun inside. However the sturdy steel refuses to open.
How he tugs at it, swearing at his sealed fate. As I float inside.
The chains snap open and the girl is freed as I move to catch hold of her defensively.
"Shh. You're safe now." I whisper calmly. But her eyes are too busy watching her abductor.
She panics as he moves suddenly in my senses. I casually throw a barrier up, blocking the hurled glass bottle. I turned to glare at him, sending the chains like serpents to attack as they rip free of the wall. He shouts for help, for guards.
I leave him hogtied and chained to the roof. Dangling like the world's ugliest chandelier by hands and feet, face down.
The girl fixes me with a look of awe before moving to hug me tightly.
She's on the short side, but probably due a growth spurt. I feel it would be cruel to pull free from her hug, so I maintain it until finally she lets go. A little. She settles for hugging my left arm. Refusing to let go even when I ask, shaking her head.
Sighing for the second time tonight I pull a sheet of steel torn from an empty container inside of the building and levitate us both out the gaping hole in the wall, towards the police cordon.
"What's your name?" I asked my passenger.
"May." She replied, muffled by her grip.
As soon as I indicate the criminals are neutralised they move in. I spend a few minutes indicating where the captives are before heading back inside, limpet still attached. The girl has gone from awe to wonder as we fly around.
Briefly I visit the arresting officers to free their charges from pipes, cables and such. For the man in charge, I just cut one of the links of the chain and drop him to ground level. No help from me in the landing, he still managed to stick it.
His face through the floor, I mean.
The container that was nearly crowded featured haunted, young men and women between the ages of sixteen and thirty. The final container had a young man with long black hair, he looked to be late teens. He looked at me and the girl as I tore the container apart around him with apathetic eyes.
He rubbed his wrists as the chains fell away. "Is this a rescue or am I being captured again?" He questioned in English with an American accent.
"Rescued. I am working in conjunction with the police. You are in France. Your captors here have been subdued. Can I ask why you were being held?" I questioned.
He looked at me. "My father fell in with a group of fanatics whose sole purpose was experimenting on people to make them able to fly. I'm their success."
"Ouch. My father is a complete monster, so I understand your pain. He chained me in a dungeon not too long ago and murdered the majority of my family." I commiserated.
"I just want to be left alone, but every time I try to make something of myself they turn up again." The young guy bemoaned. "My name is Ryan. Ryan Kendall." He began to float upwards, with lazy arm flaps. "You're the first person I've met who can also fly."
"I can't say the same unfortunately, I recently met Superman. In any case, I'm Victor Magnus. Changed my surname, because I hate my father with the passion of a thousand suns!" I retorted, holding out a hand. Which he took and shook in greeting and a faint smile. "So, how about I help the both of you find accommodation and some dinner for the night and tomorrow we discuss giving statements to the police about your captors and finding a more permanent residence or destination for you Ryan. As I figure out what to do while my friends in the government search for May's parents."
"Okay." He responded.
"Don't wanna leave..." May hugged my arm tighter, if that was possible.
"Well… I guess I've got a sleepover happening on my end." I patted her head fondly. Not sure what her powers are, but right now she's fragile. Best to indulge her until she gets over some of the initial trauma.