Alright guys, nothing too dramatic, just a regular day at work.
BOOM!!!
The cheers of the fans in the stadium all came to a halt as I threw a stadium light tower into the centre of the green.
Carefully, of course. I was professional.
And injured civilians was more trouble than it was worth.
Lifting myself high into the air, as a barrage of metals spun around me in dramatic fashion, they all stared—frozen in schok.
This was the part I hated. The villain speech.
"It is I, Polaris. Cower in fear before me!"
And that was when the screams erupted. People fled in a rush out the emergency exits and the hole I left.
I let them go, of course.
Hostages always made things messy, and were unnecessary for a job like this.
I drifted over the centre of the field, letting my power lift random objects, sending them floating about me in a halo of junk.
People always loved that bit.
Ah, and there were cameras broadcasting everything. This would look amazing on my resume.
Good.
Undamaged and rolling.
I pretended to ignore them as I made my way towards the centre.
Nice.
I’ve had my powers for a while, so I knew my forte. Knew when my powers would be most useful.
And a stadium was fucking perfect.
Wonderfully ferrous.
I loved to see that kind of classic still around.
I stretched out my hand towards it and felt the magnetic tug.
Oof! Fucker was heavy, but I knew my stuff and started to pull.
Metal groaned and bolts popped.
It would have been easier to just disassemble the whole damn thing with a couple of gestures, but that’s not what people wanted to see.
They needed some real drama.
Something big and impressive.
Something that had the look of awe to it.
And I delivered.
With a sound like an explosion, I wrenched the whole damn thing.
The light towers, the roof support beams, the stands and bleacher panels—except the cameras and the Jumbotron, still had to advertise of course.
"Polaris, we meet again!"
Ah, fucking finally.
I turned my head to find Ms Fire standing in the ruins of the bleachers.
Her skin-tight blue and white costume was practically painted on, lifting her impressive bust, a window cut in the fabric giving a glimpse of the valley between her breasts.
Couldn’t complain. She was advertising too.
Her red hair flowing down her shoulders, sparks fluttering on her tanned arms, her eyes challenging behind her domino mask, her hands planted heroically on her hips.
And just in case you’re curious, No. She wasn’t a natural red head, but she had to be consistent with the brand.
At least she had done this before.
A real professional.
And she looked damn good too.
I don’t know why superpowers gave people figures like they were sculpted by the gods, but damned if it wasn’t good to look at.
I spotted the crowd—those idiots who were videoing instead of running for their lives.
Again, I couldn’t complain about advertising.
See, that’s why you attack stadiums because it’s excellent for broadcasting.
It gave the audience a good view of the fight.
Too often super battles took place high up in the sky or in enclosed spaces where no one could see.
Fine if beating evil was the objective, but when a hero was trying to build a name for themselves, the more public the fight, the better.
"Well! If it isn’t Ms Fire!" I said, my voice booming. Hated every line of what I was saying, but I had to be consistent—and PG.
"Come to try and thwart my scheme once more, eh?"
"I’ll do more than try!" she shouted back.
Hmm.
Banter could have used some work, but the lightning she was forming in her hands were solid starters.
I swung my arm, magnetic powers lifting a several metal seats up.
When she hurled the crackling fireballs at me, I swept the chairs into their path.
The explosion when they collided was deafening, blasting metal everywhere, papers fluttering to the floor like charr.
Was she actually trying to kill me?
"Not bad, hero!" I shouted, dropping a light tower.
It hit the field with a thundering bang and threw up a cloud of dust.
I moved my arms to my sides, every scrap of metal in the stands humming as my powers gripped and lifted dozens of objects off the floor.
Trashcans, crowd railing, chairs, some lamps, anything metallic and small to medium.
"But I’m better!"
I flung a bunch of them at her.
Flames engulfed her as she lifted into the air like a reverse lightning bolt.
Dammit!
Not only did she miss a golden opportunity to show off a big blast of fire, but she was flying away from the cameras.
It was like amateur hour.
I descended to give her more room to maneuver and flung a number of the chairs at her head.
In dodging them, she dropped back into sight and pushed her palm out towards me.
I recognized the gesture and quickly raised my hands, forming an electromagnetic barrier.
A stream of flames snapped from her, dispersing against my shield and spitting all over the ground around me.
I held the barrier, the air crackling with magnetism around me.
It was a good show.
Made her look strong.
But if I looked weak, that was no good either.
A hero was only as good as their villain, and I was an expert at foe craft.
My hand swung back and I grabbed another massive forklift in a magnetic grip.
With a gesture I flung the whole thing at her.
Ms Fire failed to see it in time, and the forklift slammed into her, throwing her across the room.
"Shit!" I hissed.
I’d hoped she was paying more attention.
I heard her groan under the table.
Okay.
That’s okay.
Things could still be salvaged.
She needed a chance to recover, and there were plenty of ways to let that happen.
Evil monologue time.
"Hahaha!" I thundered, rising once more into the air, gathering a nimbus of crackling magnetic force around me.
"Fool! Did you really think your measly spark would be enough to stop me? I am Polaris! Master of magnetism! The very elemental forces obey my commands."
Cries came from the civvies still running as Ms Fire grunted, throwing the forklift off her, staggering to her feet.
Ohhhh, she looked pissed.
Steam rolled off her body as a haze surrounded her, but I could see she was barely on her feet.
Damn.
I’d hoped to milk things a bit more, but I couldn’t risk her collapsing here.
"That may be. But I am the sun!" she shouted, throwing her hands forward.
Yeesh.
That was pretty cliché, but whatever. I mean my improv class could come up with something better than that.
Time to go.
Another blast of blazing fire flashed from her.
Instantly I conjured another magnetic barrier, the scorching flames breaking around my bubble.
"You still had... this much power in you?" I shouted over the crackling in the air.
"No. No! Damn youuuuu!" I shouted, hurling myself backward, letting her blast carry me straight into the air.
My barrier crashed through, ripping a hole right through the clouds and sending me hurtling into the sky.
I let the force of her attack carry me a fair distance into the air, out of sight of any lingering eyes, then pushed the magnetic ball out, before slapping the tongues of fire on my costume.
For a moment I floated there, admiring the distant hole in the stadium and the milling crowd below, rushing inside to congratulate their heroine.
Well, that was my job done.
I brushed my outfit, pausing when I spotted some singes to my cape.
Oh great.
That wasn’t coming out in the cleaners.
I sighed, but all told, it still went pretty well.
I dropped out of the sky, buzzing down into an empty alley a number of blocks away from the bank.
As I landed, I used my magnetic powers to pull my ridges of armour back, letting them recede into the bracers around my arms and ankles, the helmet folding into a single silver chain under my grey sweats.
I smoothed the hoodie and swept my cape off, folding it over my arm and patting it out.
Ouch! Burn.
I tapped a nearby fire escape, letting the sizzle dissipate.
Well, that was done.
Another day, another dollar.
With a last look around, I slipped out the alley and joined the foot traffic, by all appearances just another schlub among the crowds of Metro City.
Just another day’s work as a hired villain.