Damn, I hated that house. Nana normally met me at some restaurant or park because that place always had some family in it. I’d love to say it came from love, but it was probably some sad relative trying to worm their way into the will through the inheritance.

  “Was it my fault?” Mochi asked through the mike

  “Don’t be ridiculous Mochi. If it wasn’t for you I might have never gone.”

  “Exactly. Was it my fault that I made you go? Should we not have gone at all?”

  My visor scanned through the streets. I was new to this part of town. I rarely patrolled this area, but that was the masked way.

  Heros were assigned areas by the Union, but vigilantes got to choose their location. A part of choosing that location was making sure you didn’t stick around one area too long, otherwise someone might try to keep an eye out for you. Most people tended to patrol their own neighborhoods and that was an easy way to get your identity leaked.

  Normally that wouldn’t matter, social media and news stations would shut it down, but if the wrong villain got word of a hero’s identity, well their whole family might be dead within the day.

  That was the type of thing that got villains a kill order.

  Another danger of being a vig.

  “Nah, I needed to go. Felt kinda good actually, cathartic. I never got to be so…intelligent around them, you know. I felt better than them in a way.”

  “That sounds healthy,” Mochi mocked.

  “You tried to eat cat shit the other day. You know nothing of health.”

  “I didn’t know it was cat poop! It smelled like bacon, okay!”

  “Tell it to the vet.”

  Mochi whined.

  This was what it was like most nights. Crime, as common as it was, wasn’t common enough. Heroes got regular pay through the Union, vigs only got paid for every crime they stopped or criminal they captured or info they sold. Basically we had to provide something, heroes didn’t.

  I sighed.

  But where there were people, there were crimes.

  It was a thing I looked into. I called it, the Powered Ecosystem.

  The basic idea was that crime lived in the cracks of legality, from surface-level stuff like illegal drugs to the pits of moral depravity like human trafficking. Deeper than you had mass murder and continent-wide threats, but those weren’t crimes. Those were acts of war.

  But crime, in my eye, was a response. It was oppertunity. There were things people wanted but weren’t allowed to have and someone was willing to break the law to give it to them.

  The question was, how could the Hero’s Union exist?

  No seriously, how could it? How could there be enough money for a bunch of leotard-wearing bastards to karate chop each other into buildings?

  My visors picked up a heat signature. There was no one there but that just meant it was an invisible man. He was carrying something. I could tell by his steps and cadence. He walked like he had a big bag underneath his arm and the bag itself kept a good bit of the heat from his body. Not too much but I could just about make the outline.

  My silent fans turned on and I slowly trailed after him.

  The answer was simple. It couldn’t. The Heros’ Union couldn’t exist, not if only fighters were accounted for.

  But ‘Hero’ was a wide term. There were wishers in the medical field, wishers with dangerous and extremely sought-after powers who wished to work nonviolently. And the Union handled them as well.

  Super doctors, super builders, super intelligent engineers, they all worked underneath the Union. And they all paid into the Union. That was how the Union was able to provide for its people.

  And villains were the same. A villain didn’t just have to threaten to take over a city or end the world. Only the crazy ones did that. Most villains would smuggle tech, drugs, and any number of illegal material. A lot of them built weapons, a lot of them made drugs, and a few even made diseases.

  The common cold had been wiped out once, then a villain had made a new one. We made cures for drug addiction, then a villain made EJ. That was a drug known as Eternal Joy.

  Villains were secretive and methodical, killing more of each other than they did civilians. Killing civilians was a good way to get yourself a kill order, so most of them avoided that.

  Their money came from all levels of society, but particularly the upper classes. There were aquirers, collecters, ensurers, assassins, dealers, corperate espionage specialists, and just plane old muggers.

  Villains were like parasites. They ate as long as society ate. Most of them were bad but not bad enough to make the people act.

  They preyed on society.

  While the good wishers were able to reinforce society and benefit it in numerous ways, the bad ones would take advantage of that growth to benefit themselves.

  And so went the cycle of humanity.

  “Mochi, do we have any way of knowing what he's carrying?”

  “Not unless you can transmit smell.”

  “Alright, we'll play dirty.”

  I opened my wings and flew directly at the man. Now if was innocent, I might have a strike against my name. It might even impact the Crow’s record, that would be the case if he were visible.

  I sent the man sprawling and watched as the bag appeared out of nowhere.

  I grabbed it and immediately started shuffling through it.

  A moan came from the ground.

  “What the hell?” He grumbled.

  I kept ruffling through the bag.

  “Sorry, didn't see you there. Are you alright? You need some help?”

  “Ooo what the fuck?” The man, no boy, mumbled.

  He couldn’t be a day above fifteen. He was young, wore glasses, and had on the type of shoes that people would mock him for.

  And his bag was full of high tech. Nothing illegal in parts, but highly illegal in this specific situation. A lot of these parts were black market valuables and required permits for movement and sales. That along with these specific parts, ray tips, light focusing lenses, LICOM batteries, all components for ray guns.

  “What are you doing running around with all of this?”

  The kid quickly got himself up and went invisible again. One of my wings smacked him back down.

  “Whoops, sorry there kid. You really shouldn’t be running around all invisible like that.”

  “FUCK!” He yelled.

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  Then he reached for his waist. I readied my weapons and aimed for his hand. He pulled out a piece of paper.

  “Look man, I have a permit for this. I’m just taking it down to the dock for a friend.”

  I looked at him and tossed his bag behind me, my wings separating him from it.

  My talons weren’t really made for griping.

  “Show me,” I said.

  And he did, holding up the paper and flipping through the pages one by one.

  “Those are fake,” I replied.

  “What? No. But Christian said- he said this was all legal and they just -”

  “Do you know what you're moving?” I asked him.

  “LICOM batteries. Christian said they were for their cars. He- I know you can’t just move them but he said he’d give me five hundred because I can go invisible and stuff.”

  This was common. Not all wishers gained amazing incredible powers. Infact, there were common powers that one out of every one hundred people would get. Some would be smarter, others would be hard working with immensee stamina, some would get invisibility, and a few could even read minds.

  Powers like that were common, so people didn’t go and hide their abilities. That was a recent development, but an accepted one. As long as you were registered and didn’t use your powers to break the law, you could use them to do all types of things, including work.

  That’s what this guy thought he was doing I guess, working.

  I kept an eye on his breathing and heart rate.

  “These are ray gun parts kid,” I replied. “You could become a registered villain with this stuff.’

  “What? No, no- I- I didn’t know. I swear, I- he told me this was for a car I swear-”

  Then the kids started crying. His pubescent voice cracked as he paced side to side with his hand on his head. His heart raced and his breathing quickened.

  “I swear man- I swear I didn’t know man. Please- fuck- CHRISTIAN- FUCK. I swear I didn’t man. I don't even have a ray gun bro I swear.”

  Ray gun components weren’t easy to see when they were all disassembled like this.

  “Burt-”

  “I know Mochi,” I cut in. “Who’s Christian?”

  “What?”

  “I said who’s Christian?”

  “He’s my friend man. I SWEAR DUDE-”

  “Alright quiet down man. People are trying to sleep. Listen, I won’t report you-”

  “You won’t? THANK YOU, MAN, I DIDN’T KNOW I SWEAR-”

  “If you introduce me to this Christian guy. What is he a friend of yours? A guy at your school?”

  “No man, he’s just this dude who hangs around Alvin Park.”

  “Last name? Phone number? Where he lives?”

  The kid shrugged.

  I sighed.

  “B- But I have his blackline if-”

  “Useless,” I cut in.

  “What?”

  “This Christian guy, what did he look like? Did he always have the same outfit on? The same hairstyle, same accessories?”

  “Maybe? Yeah, I guess he always wore the same coat and pants, and shit. But what-”

  “How generic was he? How common did he look? Any strange features, anything stand out? Any tats?”

  “Not really… he looked pretty normal I guess but why does that matter?”

  “He was a shapeshifter,” I replied. “They generally look generic and common. They change into what they can envision so they have to keep a pretty still picture of their character, otherwise they might mess up some features. This Christian guy was probably a shapeshifter.”

  “....What?”

  The kid looked like he was getting his mind blown.

  “Nah, man. He- he loaned me twenty bucks-”

  “To make you feel like he’s your friend. He probably took you out to eat and talked to you a bunch, but never about himself.”

  “Yeah but-”

  “He’s hung out with you a lot, offered you a good amount of cash and you felt too favorable towards him to refuse, right?”

  “No, man. This- this- he wouldn't-”

  I punched him in the face, lightly, but hard enough to give him a black eye.

  “AH FUCK-” He grabbed his face, then I punched him in the nose.

  “Take a selfie.”

  “What the fuck’s your problem-”

  “Take a selfie,” I threatened. “With your phone.”

  The kid obeyed, slightly quivering in fear. This must have been somewhat traumatizing to him. To have been caught with contraband, to be threatened with jail and minor villainy status, to be beaten on a cold and dark night.

  Good.

  “Now send a pic to that Christian guy and tell him you just got robbed by someone in costume.”

  The kid went silent and did exactly as I said.

  Now he was afraid. He had assumed I was a hero, but now he was wondering.

  Eh, I’d clear that up in a bit. He wouldn’t be so obedient if he believed I was the good guy.

  What did he look like? Popped onto his screen.

  “Tell him a black costume, masked, no logos. Tell him they asked for his name and blackline.”

  The kid obeyed and in less than thirty seconds, Christian’s line went grey.

  “Wh- what?”

  “He disconnected, which means he buys the story,” I replied. “Send him a few more texts asking him to explain and offer him his money back.”

  “Why?” Mr Bloody Nose asked.

  “Just do it,” I replied.

  The kid obeyed. The line remained grey but if this Christian guy reactivated this line he’d see those messages. It would help sell the story.

  “Text him again tomorrow and the day after, then hang around that park looking for him and if you find him, text me. Understand?”

  The kid nodded. I sent him one of my blackline codes and I appeared on his contacts and he in mine. It wasn’t my main account and it would inform me when this Christian guy reappeared.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Da-ve,” he muttered.

  “Don’t lie to me, kid. It’s too late to get smart.”

  “Daniel,” he replied a few seconds later.

  “Listen, Daniel, sorry about the punches but consider it a lesson. That Christian guy used you and if he thinks you stole his stuff, who knows what would happen to you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Those are ray gun parts, kid, a fair chance he has a fully assembled one.”

  The kid’s face went pale.

  “Now, how many people know about your powers?”

  “Just some friends,” he answered.

  “Should be nobody but oh well. Chances are one of your friends slipped the secret and someone you know told this Christian guy. Then he changed up and met you under the name of Christian, that is if he’s careful enough. Which he seems to be.”

  “How do you know he’s a he?”

  “Shifters don’t like to change genders much. Whatever they identify with is how their costumes present most of the time.”

  “...Oh,” he replied.

  This was complicated. I hate complicated.

  “Look kid, Daniel. Here’s what you should do. You should go to the Hero’s Union and let them know about your powers. You should even tell them what happened tonight if you need to. There’s a lot of work for a wisher, even invisibility types. Private investigators, policemen, and security guards. You can even follow some strange animals and keep track of their behavior from a distance. Lots of jobs in the legitimate market for that power.”

  Daniel nodded.

  “You should also tell your friends about what you're doing, and maybe tell your parents. They’ll be thrilled about their son becoming a wisher.”

  He nodded again.

  “You only fill one niche in crime and it's this one. And that path leads to minor villainy and prison.”

  The kid nodded again, more severely this time.

  I took his phone and looked at his GPS. I set it for home and saw his location.

  “Stand up straight and spread your arms out.”

  “What-”

  “Just do it,” I said then flew into the sky with his bag in my hands.

  The kid watched me from the ground, still posing in a T position. Then I swooped down and latched my talons around his arms.

  He started to scream and move his arms.

  “Stop squirming and screaming or I might drop you.”

  The kid grabbed tightly onto my talons and gritted his teeth.

  And then we flew. At first, he was scared, still grabbing tightly but it was a warm night. The air was fresh and the city sparkled beneath like an ocean of stars. The kid looked down, then he looked up.

  He stopped grabbing my talons and stuck out his hands to the sides. His palms spread out and trying to catch the wind.

  I circled around for a bit before dropping him off on his roof.

  “Did you sneak out of the house?” I asked him.

  Daniel nodded still smiling with a black eye and bloody nose.

  He reminded me of me in an annoying way.

  “If I catch you doing something like that I'll even out those eyes, understand?”

  He nodded and straightened up.

  “S- sorry.”

  I gave him a firm nod and flew up into the skies.

  “Did you really have to hit him?” Mochi moped.

  “Yes. Can’t photoshop that type of stuff.”

  Mochi groaned but she knew I was right. Photoshop could be identified with the proper software. I was just crossing my t’s and dotting my i’s.

  “You don't have to be so stoic about it,” she called in.

  “I’m not gonna cry about it. Besides, I gave him a full life plan over there. And if he doesn’t report to the HU I’ll call Mike and report him myself.”

  “Won’t he get in trouble if that happens?”

  “Maybe,” I grumbled. “But better he get caught now than killed in some fight. And I’d get to cash in this loot as well. Probably a good grand in here.”

  The Union would pay for parts like this, for both forensics and repurposed legal use.