1: Man and Mask

An hour later the police entered the bank to find the criminals badly beaten and tied up. They had only gotten the go ahead to enter because all the hostages ran out saying Lady Cross had rescued them. She stood across the street from the bank wearing a blue sun dress, a brown hat, holding a brown lady's bag.

"so you took care of them huh?" Malcove voice broke into her ears. She hadn't removed the intercom.

"Yeah, I guess." She said smiling.

"just tell me one thing, how do you want me to explain that I just happened to be in the area , and immediately you showed up?"

"Am sure you'd think of something." She said walking away from the scene. Malcove had a point though, most recently wherever Malcove had a case, Rebecca would be there as Lady Cross and vice versa sometimes. He sighed. "I'm sure I will be hearing from you soon." Then he disconnected.

Rebecca walked a few steps away from the bank when she noticed a figure standing at the edge of a roof across the street. She couldn't make out the face because it was high but whoever it was seemed to be staring at something in her direction. For a brief moment she turned to see what it was, then she turned back and the figure was gone. Her nerves suddenly became tensed, she sensed whoever it was had been watching her. She thought of running but held herself. Rebecca had a dark past, a past that had put her into hiding. A past that made her into the superhuman she was. Staring at the building she'd wondered if it was time to confront it.

Rebecca walked into the building she had spotted the strange figure. She knew his appearance had something to do with her, her guesses were somebody from her past but she didn't want any assumptions. It was a shopping mall, the biggest in the city. It wasn't crowded because it was still early morning. She was afraid but she had promised herself not to run if her past came knocking. She took an elevator up. Reaching the last floor, which was where the office areas of the building were, she slipped away and found the stair case leading to the roof. Whoever it was might be long gone, she still had to try but first she had to change.

Silver Cross opened the door leading to the roof with caution; she peeped through but couldn't see anyone. She walked out of the door, quietly closing it behind her then someone called her name.

"Miss Rose?"

Her heart raced a bit faster as she turned to her left to see a figure standing at the edge of the roof, facing the city. "is that you? I knew you wouldn't resist coming."

It was a man, dressed in a corporate navy blue suit; he had black hair with a band across the back of his head. It was someone who knew her real name but she wasn't going to admit it so easily.

"Who are you? And who is Rose?"

"Ohhhh." The man said turning to face her, she was shocked to see he had a mask on that covered his entire face, the strap behind his head held the mask to his face. "if you weren't Miss Rebecca Rose then who is? Cross couldn't read his face but he sounded a bit amused, and British.

"Who are you?" She asked again

"Nobody important, but you can call me Mr D Dexter or Mr D for short" he said.

"D Dexter?" She asked, She realized heard the name before. "Faceless World Class Detective and Bounty Hunter."

"Yes, seems you've heard of me." He said cheerily.

"You are famous among certain circles." She wondered why he was here, how he knew her name. The organization from her past must have hired him to find her.

"So they are still after me it seems" She said. The Man placed his hands in his pocket.

"What'd you expect?" he said.

"I don't know, some peace." her right arm slowly shifted to the back waist where she kept her knives.

"Hold it Miss Rose." he said stretching his hand to caution her. "I'm not here to fight you."

"No?"

"No." then he pointed to something behind her. "But He is."

A sound fired behind her. She leapt out of the way in time for the ground where she stood to be hit by something with fire power. She turned to the direction it came from. Behind, hovering a few meters from the edge of the roof was another figure, dressed in a Skater's outfit, All yellow with black stripes like that of a Bee. He also wore a mask and a few protective gears. He had a Hover board under his feet, and a stick on his right.

"The Sports Bee, that's what he calls himself, and he is especially trained in dealing with x-humans like yourself." Mr D said. Rose bit her lip behind her mask, a habit she had formed to signify a bad situation. She shouldn't have come up, it was a trap.

"So you a coward? She said turning to Mr D."

"Not at all, just don't like getting my hands dirty." He replied.

Rose heard a rushing sound and ducked. The new arrival was just inches away from smashing her head. He hovered over to Mr D's side and lowered down, his board still inches from the ground.

"Focus Rose, you don't have the time to look away." Rose pulled out two knives concealed in her uniform, one on the right the other on the left. There was a brief moment of silence then Mr D cleared his throat.

...."Kill her." he ordered.

Two balls of light lifted from the hover board, the assailant batted it towards her. She side stepped them and flung her blades towards him, he dodged. Rose heard explosion behind her, she was sure his light balls hit nothing but it was clear if they did it would have caused serious damage. The Sports-Bee stepped off his board. She got into a stance not knowing what to expect. He wasn't going to give her time to figure him out, he rushed in, she blocked the first strike from his stick, then the second and the third, her superstrength had allowed her to, from the impact she knew his strikes would have broken a man's arm, even now it felt sore. He tried to hit her center but she sidestepped and immediately leaped forward to punch his center, he narrowly dodged by bending backwards as if playing "how low can you go." She didn't end there, the moment she missed she spinned backwards to land a kick just as her opponent straightened himself. He was able to block but the sheer force of her strength sent him flying back, yet he managed to flip himself over and land on his feet.

There was a sound of clapping from behind Silver Cross, it was Mr D's. She turned briefly to him, he patted his hands a few times then stopped.

"Eyewitnesses from your rescues and saves said you were skilled and agile, also having unmatched strength. But there is one of your powers I am yet to see you use."He said.

"So you're just here to watch then. Better help your friend, or he'll have a bad day." She replied.

"Don't get ahead of yourself darrlinnn, he's far from finished." He said pointing to signal her. She turned just in time to see the man dash towards her." He had dropped his stick for a hand to hand combat. In seconds he was on her and began his assault, she only managed to block and dodge, he moved with speed. A punch to the left made her dodge right, then she saw an opening to hit him hard but she missed, he had quickly stepped back and the moment he did he quickly came in with another set of attacks. She could tell he was very athletic from his movements, he was super agile and fairly good in strength but not like her, she noticed his footwork was mixed with several Martial Arts stances. "must be into a lot of sports." She thought. That was a training she had received from her former life, to take note of little details of her enemy and put them to use, information could help defeat an opponent when applied correctly. She also noticed he used his left more; the kick he blocked from her had taken on toll on his right arm. She just needed an opening. Then she saw it, he had carelessly opened his centre, she aimed to punch him hard again in his gut but he was expecting that, he caught her arm with his hands and immediately a huge jolt of electricity from the glove fired into her, she had been tricked, he created an opening on purpose. She stood there, somewhat paralyzed by the shock, she gritted her teeth a little from the pain she felt all over from the attack. The man let go of her and stepped back, she crumpled to her knees, shaking but unable to attack, she could only lift her head to stare him in the face. He stood with both hands on his waist as if to say mission accomplished.

"Bravo Sports Bee, well done." Mr. D said from behind. She heard his footsteps, he was walking towards her. When he had gotten close enough he stopped. "Miss Cross, you put on quite a show, but it didn't last." His tone had become serious and dark. She wondered what they were attempting to do with her, she had guessed they were sent by her former employer.

"I am sure you've guessed why we are here." Mr D said from behind her, then she heard the sound of a gun cracking. She managed to turn and stare at his shadow, she bit her lip when she saw that he was pointing a gun to her head.

"Sooo, they sent you." She said.

Mr. D redrew his hand a bit, "remarkable, you're able to speak, even with all that shock. Bee, you're sure you gave her enough dosage" he asked, she didn't hear Sports Bee reply.

"Very well then, no use bordering about that, any last words?" He asked her pointing back his gun to her head.

"Ju..sat on.. one." She said

"And what would that be." he asked.

"Braise yourself." she said with a smirk.

"What..?"Before Mr D could ask what she spurned around snatching the gun with one hand and smashing his face with the other, she didn't wait to see him land when she turned back to Bee who was only few inches from punching her, she shifted her head from his attack then grabbed his arm just as he did her.

"Now it's my turn." She said, then a sudden jolt of electricity shot from within her to him to him. Mr D had been right, there was one power she was yet to display.

Sports Bee laid still on the floor, he wasn't moving. She had given him a dosage enough to knock him out but not kill him.

"So.." a familiar voice said behind her. She gasped and turned pointing the gun in her hands. It was Mr D, somehow he was standing, hands in his pocket like nothing happened, then she realized how hard his face mask had felt when she punched it.

"How is it you are still standing." She asked though she knew the answer.

"Come on Lady, didn't think you'd get rid of me that easy." Mr D took a step but she threatened with the gun.

"Don't move." She said.

"Come on now, you wouldn't shoot me."He said advancing towards her.

"Am warning you." She said pulling back the trigger. The gun was pretty old fashioned. He stopped only a few inches from her.

"Who sent you." She said.

"No one." He said.

"I don't believe you, the Organization sent you didn't they?"

"You'd have to be more specific, there are many organizations in the world."

"You know who I mean."She responded calmly. Mr D let out a sigh "I know of the Organization you speak of but they did not send me.

"Then who did!" She said a bit intensely

"No one. I answered that earlier."

"Then why are you trying to kill me, you said i must have guessed why you were here."

"Yes I did, I said you guessed and not that you knew." He said.

"Okay, so why were you trying to kill me."

"I wasn't trying, if I was you'd be dead." He said.

"You just try to blow my head off." She said not buying what he said.

"But I didn't."

"Yeah you failed."

"No love, and the gun is empty."

"What?" She asked not quite sure she heard what he said.

"Check it."

She quickly redrew the gun and checked the barrels. It was empty. She sighed deeply and flung the gun away, it landed somewhere at the edge of the roof.

"Then why are you here Detective?" She asked staring back at him.

"Alright, straight to the point." He said standing straight, he placed his hands in his pocket before he spoke.

"I assume they call you Lady Cross because of the symbol on your chest, not to mention the earrings and necklace, why the symbol dear?"

"Whyy?"She looked at the cross on her neck and held it out on one hand. She felt a bit hyper from the fight but she managed to remember a beautiful phrase she once read.

"I didn't come to save the righteous but sinners" she quoted "Jesus, the One who died on the cross said this, the symbol reminds me to keep his saying's alive because I believe them. I don't just want to save innocent lives, I want to save the evil ones too. "She stared back at him."Is that it, that's what you came to ask?" She said placing the cross back on her neck.

"Well no, just curious, I'll go straight to the reason for my coming here."He placed his right hand on his mask as if thinking of how to say what he wanted to.

"After the American Civil War in 2025 and other all out global crisis came the appearance of heroes and super humans." He stated. "Some called you people gifts from Heaven, others said you were science experiments, new breed soldiers of the great nations but I believe it's more than that , and that's why am here."

His statement had struck her but she did her best not to show it.

"So what does your quest to know something more have to do with me?"She asked trying to keep her uneasiness out of her tone.

"I believe you know." he said that with a certainty.

"So...You know about my past." She said, looking down. "You know about the Experiments and the diabolic truth behind it all."

"So you admit it" he said a little cheerily "never thought it'd be that easy."

"There is no need to deny it" she said, she Rose her head. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything actually, but today just one thing." He said turning away from her to face another side, his hands behind his back like a gentleman.

"And what is that?" She asked, her eyes fixed on him

"What is the endgame?"

"Hm." She said turning to face the man on the ground.

"I wish it was something easy, like worldwide domination, but the globalist community has that already covered." She said.

"Then what is it?" He said, he turned towards her to get a reply. She sighed

"Global Annihilation."

"Pardon?"

"You heard me Mr D. Genocide on a global scale, the destruction of humanity itself."She said,

"hmm, just as I suspected."

"You suspected?" She asked. He didn't answer

"One more question, sorry for going back on my word to ask just one question but who are the people backing this."

"I don't know their names, but I know their lackeys. Former Secretary of State."

"That grandmother?"

"Yes, Chinese Ruler, Willis Bates the Billionaire, Rarpa technologies and many more politicians, billionaires and scientific organizations. And don't forget the numerous super heroes across the globe set up to attract men to their doom." She finally said.

"Of which you are not a part of I suppose."

"You know my history, the escape from the organization. No, I am not a part of it." She turned to face him, and him her.

"Then what is your goal."

She took a moment before she gave him an answer. "I am in hiding, but something in me wants to do something about it."

"great, would you consider joining us then." He asked.

"Us?" She said trying to look him in the eye but seeing none. She didn't know why but the word "us" slightly made her suspicious.

"You said you wanted to do something about it, My Boss is offering that to you." He said

"And who is your boss, I thought you worked under no one." She said getting suspicious.

"Well I do, and you can trust Him, so what do you say?" He stretched out a hand towards her for a shake. It was odd but she trusted him somehow, the questions he asked had made her to. She was about to take the hand when a thought came up in her head. What if this is the Organization? What if this is the only way to get you since they can't fight you, lure you to a trap.

She redrew her hand. "How am I sure you don't work for the Organization, and this is a trap to lure me back to their cage."

"Because if that was the case...." A voice said, she gasped and turned to see Sports Bee standing very close to her "you'd be out cold by now." His voice sounded American, "that's impossible, the shock I gave you should have knocked you out for at least an hour." She said wide eyed.

"Electricity shock absorber and converter. Charges up his suit, he was never unconscious." Mr D said. She turned back to him.

"So." He stretched out his hand again.

"Care to join now?"