1 DRUG RUN

It was a warm, sunny January afternoon, yet the storm was rolling in. Thunder rumbled and the ground shook as the woman sprinted along the road, their footsteps pounding against the asphalt as several dark figures followed behind, rushing to catch up as the woman ran. "Stop right there!" shouted a man from behind, and when the woman did not respond, he stopped in his tracks. The other men kept running, trying desperately to catch up as the woman leapt up, flew through the air and landed on the train tracks high above.

She turned to run again but stopped in her tracks when she found the man who had stopped running right in front of her, is fingertips sparking madly as the two locked eyes. "Afraid I'm going to have to stop you right there," the man said from under his hood, and the woman laughed as she raised her hands. Thunder came again as lighting flashed above, and the man reached up to pull the hood from his head. It wasn't a grown man at all. It was a boy, no less than sixteen, and the woman broke into ridiculous high-pitched laughter.

"They sent a mere boy after me? The Heroes are weaker than I thought!" she cackled as the boy shrugged his cloak from around his shoulders and let the strong wind carry it away. His fingertips glowed even brighter as the woman shook her head, raised her index finger, and then tightly clenched her fist. The clouds above flashed white, and a bolt of lightning struck down to where the boy stood. He raised his right arm above his head whilst still locking eyes with the woman, and a burst of flames erupted from his palm.

A brilliant flash of orange, and once the steam cleared, the boy was gone. The woman laughed and shook her head, turning around to run the other way, but then a glowing fist met her face. The woman flew back, skidding and rolling along the metal tracks before coming to a smoking stop, panting in pain. The boy shook ash from his shoulder and began slowly walking forwards, each footstep giving off a metallic click against the hard metal tracks. "Your reign ends here. Didn't even last a couple minutes. How sad," the boy mused as he crouched down, now face-to-face with the snarling woman.

"What makes you so sure you've captured me?" the woman asked, her teeth gritted in fury as the boy chuckled. The woman flashed a wicked grin, and comprehension dawned upon his face. His fingertips flared as he spun on the spot, but it was too late. A metal spear pierced through his stomach, and the boy gasped, dropping to his knees as the spear was withdrawn from his torso. A man chuckled as his arm turned from a pointed, stretched spear into a normal human hand as he walked forward to where the boy knelt in agony.

"Scarlett, I won't always be here to save your ass," the man said, outstretching his hand and pulling the woman to her feet. "What do we do with him?" she asked, panting as she looked down at the boy, who was holding the hole in his belly and trying not to burst into tears. "The other Heroes are on their way. Dispose of this one and then get us out of here," said the man sharply, glancing over the side of the tracks to see several of the Heroes scaling the sides, desperately trying to reach the top.

Scarlett looked down at the boy, giggled and then clenched her fist tightly, her eyes glinting as a bolt of lightning flashed down from the clouds. The world turned white for a split second, and once it disappeared the boy lay dead on the tracks, his eyes wide and lifeless. Scarlett clapped her hands together loudly, and a second bolt of lightning struck the Earth. She and the man disappeared as the Heroes reached the top. All they left behind to show they had really been there was the boy's body.

***

Lee Foreshore leant against the sink, running his hands underneath the running cool water before splashing his face, feeling it instantly calm his nerves. He glanced down at the black briefcase that sat next to his leg, and then he glanced back up at his reflection. He had dark brown eyes, pale skin and dirty blond hair which sat atop his head in a large puff, as though carelessly dumped there by someone who was in a rush. He tried flattening it down, but as usual it puffed back up, looking exactly how it did ten seconds ago. He glanced toward the slightly open door, where could see a sign saying POOL CLOSED.

He took a deep breath, and his hair instantly turned silvery and straighter. Lee sighed at his reflection, stooped to grab the briefcase and then hurried out, letting his hair sink back to normal as he exited out the bathroom door. That was his Ability. Completely useless just like him. Whilst other teenagers his age had super strength, speed, intelligence and other Abilities that made them stand out from the rest, Lee's Ability made him a joke. He could make some of the hairs on his head into pure metal, and sometimes if he really concentrated he could turn all the hair on his head into metal.

Lee looked both ways down the corridor outside before quickly hurrying down one of the directions, keeping his head down as the many other students passed him. He gripped the handle tighter as he turned into another corridor and stopped right next to an elevator. With trembling fingers he pressed the call button. The university students hurried past him, most likely determined to get back to their dorms. "Why am I doing this at a university," Lee muttered as the elevator doors slid open. It was completely empty. Lee sighed in relief and hurried inside, then scanning the list of numbers before finally pressing the twentieth number.

The elevator doors shut, and Lee felt the metal box begin moving upwards. He fumbled with the handle on the case anxiously, already feeling the sweat form in beads along his forehead. Could he do it? Could he get away with it? What if he got the wrong room? After a minute of silence, the doors opened, and Lee rushed out, sub-consciously straightening his suit as he approached the room 1145. As he walked, however, something caught his eye. Several doors closer were two men. One looked important, wearing a suit similar to Lee, and the second looked to be wearing a guard uniform.

Lee slowed his approach. The two kept glancing to room 1145. Lee's mind was racing as the comprehension dawned on him. It wasn't a drug run. It was a setup. "Excuse me," Lee said loudly when he noticed the guard wasn't wearing white gloves, which he supposed all guards had to wear while working at the university, and the two men turned. "Yes?" asked the guard, and Lee gave a small smile as he stopped, holding the briefcase as tightly as he could. "I was thinking of going for a swim, is the pool open?" Lee asked curiously, and the guard nodded, smiling.

"The pool is open until five," he said warmly, and Lee nodded. In his mind, however, he was panicking as he thought back to the POOL CLOSED sign he had seen just outside the bathroom. "And what's the time?" Lee asked as he turned to the man in the suit, and the man flicked his suit back as he checked his watch. Lee glanced down, and saw the gun holstered to the man's side before quickly looking up. "It's eleven twenty-two," the man said helpfully, and Lee nodded, thanking both the men before walking the rest of the way down the corridor, opening a door on his left and then hurrying down the metal staircase.

The two men turned to one another, both wearing expressions of mistrust as they watched Lee go. "Is that him?" whispered the guard, and the man in the suit slowly nodded, "He matches the description and had the same briefcase we should have been expecting. He saw my gun as well…go grab him." The guard nodded, turned and sprinted toward the door as it closed shut behind Lee. As Lee sprinted down the metal steps he undid the tie from around his neck and held it in his right hand, quickly descending the staircase as loud footsteps came from behind.

"Hey kid, wait!" the guard shouted as he caught him and grasped Lee firmly by the shoulder. Lee spun on the spot, lashing the tie out and watching it wrap around the man's forearm. The man looked confused, and then Lee tugged as hard as he could, forcing the man to stumble down the steps and right into Lee's outstretched foot. The man groaned in pain and doubled over as Lee turned and sprinted faster down the staircase, glancing over his shoulder one last time before reaching for a doorhandle, twisting it and then running out, smashing the briefcase against the wall as he slammed it shut behind him.

Panting, Lee looked around to find himself in a large circular room full of people staring at him, most noticeably a young woman with flaming red hair glaring at him. "Were you next in line for the interview?" she demanded aggressively and Lee, who was sweating and out of breath, simply nodded. "Well get on in there," the woman said, pointing at a door on the other side of the room and then staring at Lee expectantly. Feeling the many pairs of eyes on him, Lee hesitantly walked toward the door, opened it and swiftly disappeared inside as several officers ran into the room, looked around and then left, on their search for Lee.

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