I thought that the performance I had put on so far was pretty interesting. I could have done without the impromptu text message and firing squad on me. 

Regardless, I had them right where I wanted them, second guessing my every move. I had made it to a vent where I could see the lead gunman from above. I slowly took the grate from the ceiling and kept an eye out so that none of his buddies saw. They were preoccupied checking other spots around the store. I dropped and landed without making a sound. I turned to face the back of Dalton’s head and tapped on his shoulder.

He turned quick, which I hadn’t expected. As his gun made its way towards me, I slapped it back to his side and wrapped my arms around his head and turned around. I pulled and dragged the man over my head. He landed on the marble floor and saw stars on the ceiling. I spotted the next shooter and sprinted towards him. He pointed his gun at my torso, so before he started shooting I slid on my knees. Once I made it to him I threw an uppercut, sending plenty of force into his skull. He dropped immediately with a satisfying thud.

I pulled the bag full of stolen goods from his body and hid behind a case. The footsteps of the lookout rang clear in my ears. He crunched over the glass on the floor. His approach was to my left, in which I prepared to attack. Before he could look around the corner, the bag met his face. It smacked against his face and he swatted at it. He grunted and reached for the strapped gun at his side. I pushed his head into the square box and slammed his cheek against it. I proceeded to do it again, then pushed him backwards onto the ground. He met the floor as a few more shots went off and I ducked. The crowd control.

He wrapped his arm around a lady hostage who was now whimpering.

“Come out with the bag and your hands up,” The man warned. “Or she catches a bullet,”

I breathed deeply from the crouched position. I pulled the bag closer to me and prepared myself for the worst.

“Coming right up!” I stood and threw the bag with the strap. It flew across the room at the gunman and he dropped the gun and the lady to catch it. I jumped atop the case and jumped from display to display until I could tackle the man from the elevated position. Once I did, I punched his face a few times for good measure. The hostages cowered away from me as each punch landed. I stood, satisfied with my work, and made my way to the front door.

“He’s out there, D, don’t do it,”

I took the small communicator from my ear and put it in my pocket.

“I know you can still hear me, you aren’t ready to face him,”

I ignored Raymond’s cries and turned the door handle.

All of the cops I was expecting to see were gone and in their place stood the boss. The one who I couldn’t wait to get my hands on.

“You keep meddling with my affairs,” He said. “And that just won’t do any longer, I’m afraid,”

“If your affairs didn’t hurt the people of my city I could see where your coming from,”

“The noble hero,” He chuckled and pinched two fingers together. “Do you know who owns that jewelry store?”

I glanced back at the door. I took a step forward and stopped.

“I know it isn’t you,” I remarked.

“Antonio Amorelli, look him up,”

“And what did he do to you?” I said.

“He did a lot more than piss in my coffee kid. You’re fighting on the wrong side,”

“I think you have it confused, I’m not on either side,”

“Then if you are going to continue to be involved then expect casualties. This is a war, oh dark one, and in war there are always casualties,”

“Keep telling yourself that,” I growled as I leaped forward at him. I tackled the man and attempted to put him in a headlock. He floated away from my grasp quickly and stood above me. 

“A mistake, sad,” He floated a foot off the ground with his hands raised at his sides. “I would have enjoyed your help,”

Every piece of metal around the street started to creak and bend. A lamp post growled and bent. It lost its bolts that held it in and fell towards me. I rolled out of its way and landed into a kneel. It crashed behind me, glass from the bulb shattering. More items flew at me, and I continued to dodge each one. A small sharp shard of metal flew at me from behind, causing me to duck. It reversed its course and came back to cut my left hip. I gripped at the new tear in my shirt. The pain never surfaced, so it probably wasn’t a large cut. I advanced forward, jumping in and out of the way of metal each step of the way. A blunt object ended up smacking my chest and sending me onto my back. The cold, hard concrete welcomed me by knocking the breath out of me. I flexed every muscle in my body and stood. I thought away every ounce of pain that could possibly be inhibiting me. My body buzzed with energy and adrenaline, my fingers twitching and shaking along with the rest of my body.

I walked forward slowly. Steel flew at me from all directions and I dodged each easily. The man desperately threw more at me, but none of it would make contact. 

I had made it five feet away when he gunned a stop sign directly behind me. I turned and grinned as it sped at me. 

“Move out of the way!” Raymond shouted through the earpiece.

I stood my ground and held my hand forward. When the sign reached it, it stopped abruptly in my clutch. I gripped it with both hands and it weighed almost nothing. I turned to face him and he began to back up. I swung the sign and let go of it. It smacked into his back and he scrambled to the ground. He got to his feet and flew away from the scene quickly. Squad cars started towards me from each direction and I bolted into an alley faster than I thought possible. I jumped a fence into another section of alley and kept running. Once I knew I was in the clear, I took the mask off my head. I bent over and breathed heavily. 

“How in the world did I just do that?”