Chapter 8 - Thief

A woman dress in black spandex suit and a cat mask is crawling around the room waiting for the opportunity to steal a large diamond inside a glass box.

As the security turn his back, the woman climbs inside the ventilation system and swiftly makes her way towards the glass box containing the diamond. With cat-like agility, she carefully opens the glass box and retrieves the diamond, all without making a sound.

Just as she's about to make her escape, the security guard turns around and spots her. With a quick wink and a sly smile, she kicks knocks the guard out with a kick on the head.

MAIN CITY...

"So you're now a C-Class hero huh?" Allen asked, as he drives the car.

"Yes and I made friends already!" Kriselle cheerfully said.

"That's great..." Allen replied with a smile before his expression turned serious.

"But remember, being a hero is not just about making friends. It's about being prepared to face danger and protect others when they need it the most, but always put yourself before others." He advised.

Suddenly, a loud alarm started blaring on the car's dashboard. Allen and Kriselle looked at each other in concern as they saw a massive explosion in the distance, signaling trouble in the main city.

"We've got a situation. Looks like you need to spring into action," Allen said, his tone firm and serious.

"What about you? What are you going to do?" Kriselle asks.

"I'm going to watch you fight, and I'm going to help in shadows, I'm not a hero remember?" Allen said.

Kriselle nodded, she quickly activated her hero communicator and received directions on the location of the emergency. Without wasting a moment, she leaped out of the car and sprinted towards the source of the explosion.

As she approached the scene, she could see chaos unfolding, a dog-like villain rampaged through the city streets, causing destruction and putting civilians in danger. Kriselle took a deep breath, steadying herself as she prepared to engage the villain.

The villain noticed Kriselle approaching and let out a menacing growl, ready to attack. Kriselle remained focused, assessing the situation and looking for the best way to stop the rampaging villain.

Using her speed and agility, Kriselle darted towards the villain, dodging its powerful attacks with finesse. She landed swift blows, trying to weaken the villain and protect the innocent civilians caught in the chaos.

With each strike, Kriselle could feel the villain's power waning, determined to defeat the menacing creature and bring peace back to the city streets. The battle was intense, but Kriselle's determination kept her focused on the task at hand.

As the dust settled and the villain lay defeated before her, Kriselle breathed a sigh of relief. The civilians gathered around her, expressing their gratitude for her bravery and quick action. Allen emerged from the shadows, a proud smile on his face as he witnessed Kriselle's heroic feat.

"You did great, Kriselle. I knew you had it in you," Allen said, clapping her on the back. "And I'm going now so make sure you protect yourself on this whole hero thing."

"Going where?" Kriselle asks.

"I have a client." Allen said as he gets in the car. "I'll probably be back after a week or so."

"I see... Don't worry I can take care of myself." Kriselle said.

"I know you can," Allen smiles, "I'm going now." He drives away as Kriselle watched him go.

POWERED DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS (PDHQ)

"Ah, Miss Loraine that's Rift's room, you can't go there." A girl dress in maid uniform said.

"Hush, little one," Loraine says as she puts a finger on the mouth of the girl. "And saying our real name is against the rules right?"

"I-I'm sorry, please forgive me Miss Lo– Scarlet." The girl says, her voice trembling as she speaks.

"Good girl," Loraine says with a smirk. "Now go attend to your duties. I need some time alone with Rift."

The maid hurries away, leaving Loraine standing outside the door to Rift's room.

Loraine raises her hand and knocks on the door. "Rift, it's me, Scarlet," She calls out.

EASTSIDE, CITY OUTSKIRT...

It's already night, the city is silent there's no more people walking on the side. Allen drives in the middle of the road, he stops in front of a mansion.

He gets out of the car and walk towards the gate, there's a guard waiting there.

"Who are you sir?" The guard asked to Allen.

"Crypt, the mercenary that your boss hired." Allen says.

"I see... May I see some id or proof that you're the real deal?" The guard asked.

Allen reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small card with intricate engravings. The guard inspects it closely, then nods in approval.

"Everything seems to be in order. You may enter," The guard says, stepping aside to let Allen pass.

As Allen walks through the gates, he notices the grandeur of the mansion before him. The front door opens, and a maid dressed in expensive clothing steps out to greet him.

"You must be Sir. Crypt," The maid says. "Come inside sir, my boss is waiting in his office."

Allen follows the maid into the mansion, through ornately decorated hallways lined with paintings and intricate furniture. The opulence of the place is evident in every detail.

They finally reach a grand door at the end of the hallway. The maid gestures for Allen to enter, and he steps into a lavishly decorated office. Sitting behind a large mahogany desk is a man in a finely tailored suit.

"Ah, Crypt, you've finally arrived." The man says with a smile, extending his hand.

Allen takes the man's hand and nods. "What's the job?"

The man leans in closer, his smile fading. "There's been a breach in security. My diamond has been stolen from me. I need you to retrieve it at all costs."

Allen's expression turns serious. "Consider it done. Just tell me where to start."

The man hands Allen a file with details of the heist and possible suspects. "Start with this. Find out who took it and bring it back to me."

Allen nods, tucking the file under his arm. "Alright I'm going now."

"Before you go, I want you to bring me the one who stole it. Alive." The man says his expression turns serious.

Without saying a word, Allen nods, his gaze barely meeting the man's, he turns on his heels and leaves the office.

Allen steps out of the office and heads back towards the front entrance of the mansion. As he walks through the ornate hallways, his mind starts to work on the information in the file he was given.

Exiting the mansion, Allen heads back to his car. He sits inside for a moment, going over the details in the file once again. The night is quiet around him, and the only sound he hears is the faint rustling of the leaves in the cool breeze.

After a few moments of contemplation, Allen starts the car and drives off into the night.

After driving around for hours, Allen stops to the side, he removes his clothes and change into his cloak.

"Time for Crypt to move." Allen says as he puts the mask on.

As he gets out of the car, the shadow quickly engulfs him and make a lead to where the thief is hiding.

The shadows lead into a warehouse, he quickly goes inside the warehouse and hide inside the shadows.

As Allen hides in the shadows within the warehouse, he carefully observes his surroundings, scanning for any signs of the thief or the stolen diamond. The dimly lit space is filled with stacks of crates and shadows dancing in the corners.

After a few moments of staying hidden, Allen hears footsteps approaching. He remains still, ready to pounce at the right moment. Suddenly, a figure emerges from the darkness, holding a glinting object in their hand.

The figure is a woman, wearing a spandex black suit and a cat mask, she moves with grace, her movements cat-like as she inspects the stolen diamond in her hand. Allen recognizes her as the infamous thief known as Felicity.

Allen watches from the shadows, studying Felicity's every move. He knows he must act quickly and carefully to catch her and retrieve the stolen diamond.

As Felicity starts to pocket the diamond, Allen springs into action, lunging forward and grabbing her arm before she can react. She gasps in surprise, but Allen quickly pins her to the ground, his grip firm.

"Hand over the diamond. It belongs to its rightful owner," Allen demands in a low voice, his eyes fixed on hers through the slits of his mask.

"You know, this is a good position, if we're doing something different." Felicity says with a sly smile.

Allen remains stoic. "Give me the diamond," He states firmly, his grip tightening on her arm.

"I love aggressive man," Felicity says as she kicks Allen on the guts.

As Felicity kicks Allen in the guts, he grunts in pain but quickly regains his composure. With swift reflexes, he deflects her next attempted strike and tries to hit back but Felicity dodged it.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to hit a woman." Felicity smiles, "But don't worry, I love the way you fight."

"Shut your mouth." Allen demands as dash towards Felicity.

Before Allen could reach Felicity, she swiftly dodges his attack and flips him over, pinning him to the ground with surprising strength.

"You're quite the persistent one, aren't you?" Felicity taunts with a smirk.

With a swift movement, she retrieves a small smoke bomb from her belt and hurls it at the ground, enveloping the area in a thick veil of smoke.

As the smoke fills the warehouse, Allen struggles to see through the haze, his senses heightened as he listens for any movement.

Allen focuses on tracking Felicity through the smoke-filled warehouse. He follows the sound of her movements, pinpointing her location as she moves stealthily through the haze.

As he approaches her, Allen suddenly hears a faint metallic click. Instinctively, he dives to the side just as a blade slices through the air where he was standing moments before. Felicity had set up a hidden trap, but Allen's quick reflexes saved him from being caught off guard.

Regaining his footing, Allen focuses on the sound of Felicity's footsteps, determined to catch her before she escapes. He moves swiftly and silently through the smoke-filled warehouse, his cloak billowing behind him as he closes the distance between them.

Suddenly, Felicity emerges from the smoke, ready to strike again. This time, Allen is prepared. With a quick movement, he disarms her and pins her against a stack of crates, his grip firm and unyielding.

"Game over, Felicity. Hand over the diamond," Allen says sternly, his masked face inches away from hers.

Felicity meets his gaze, a mixture of defiance and admiration in her eyes. "Aren't this an interesting position?" She says, a smirk playing on her lips. "So close Crypt, I might fall in love with you."

With a sudden burst of strength, Felicity pushes Allen back and attempts to make a run for it. But Allen is quicker. He swiftly moves to block her path, forcing her to a stop.

"Give it up, Felicity. There's no way out," Allen warns.

Felicity looks at him for a moment, assessing her options. Then, with a sly grin, she swiftly reaches into her suit and tosses the diamond towards Allen.

"Here, Crypt. Catch!" She says, her voice teasing.

Allen catches the diamond with ease, his gaze never leaving Felicity.

"Goodluck with that." Felicity wink as she jumps above the crates and gets out of the window.

Allen looks at diamond on his hands as he observed it, he saw a timer and only one second was left.