"A little more... done!" David smiled as he stood up, looking proudly at the two thieves tied up with a rope.
He reached into his pocket and started pulling things out—a basketball came out first and dropped to the ground with a bounce. Ignoring it, he kept digging.
After a few seconds, he pulled out a small leather bag. Smiling, he opened it. The inside was pitch black—like a bottomless void with no visible end.
He tossed the bag on top of the tied-up thieves, and the bag suddenly expanded, swallowing both of them whole.
The leather bag shrunk back to normal and dropped to the ground with a thump. David casually walked over and picked it up.
"Not bad..." he said with a grin, but then he paused. He felt a strange sensation ripple through him—but shrugged it off.
"Time to get a partner! Come here, Cheesy!" he shouted, pulling something else from his pocket and tossing it into the air.
It was a smartphone, and it floated mid-air.
The phone beeped, and a charging screen popped up, slowly reaching 100%.
David let out a dramatic sigh and started tapping his foot impatiently as he checked the time on the watch around his wrist.
"Come on, Cheesy. We've got to fight crime and send these filthy thieves where they belong—jail!" David said, raising a fist heroically.
Once fully charged, the screen lit up with a big smiling emoji.
"Oh! Hello, sir! Lovely day, isn't it?" Cheesy, the talking phone and David's new sidekick, said cheerfully. His emoji face morphed into a cartoonishly wide grin.
"Let's skip the small talk, Cheesy. Tell me where the nearest police station is," David said, giving the small leather bag a little shake.
"Right away, sir!" Cheesy replied quickly, and his screen turned into a compass arrow pointing in one direction. "There it is! If you hurry, you'll be there in just a few minutes!"
"A few minutes...? Nah. Time to activate ultra-super-mega-duper speed mode," David said with a mischievous grin.
He started moving his legs in place, cartoon-style, until they blurred—then shot down the alley, running along the wall beside him before launching up onto the rooftop.
He laughed, racing across the rooftops like a green blur, leaping between buildings effortlessly.
"Wait for me, sir!" Cheesy's voice called out as the phone flew behind him with a trail of digital sparkles.
"You've got to keep up, Cheesy! Justice is fast and fabulous!" David shouted as he ran.
Cheesy's screen changed to a nerdy emoji with glasses. "Always so wise, sir!"
They zipped from rooftop to rooftop, boosted by David's ridiculous speed.
In seconds, they were on the roof of a building overlooking the police station.
David stepped up to the edge dramatically. "There it is, Cheesy! Time to complete our second mission of the day!"
He took a few steps back, planted his feet, and took off running toward the edge—then leapt into the air with an exaggerated jump.
He fell straight down, landing superhero-style right in front of the police station. People on the street gasped and jumped back in surprise, staring at the guy who just fell from the sky—and landed without a scratch.
"How was my superhero landing, Cheesy? Totally epic and iconic, right?" David asked as he flexed his arm—and it inflated like a balloon.
"Absolutely! 11 out of 10, sir!" Cheesy cheered, his screen showing animated clapping hands.
"Haha, thanks, thanks. Gotta make a stylish entrance, Cheesy. That's what the people want!" David said, still grinning, as he strolled up to the police station doors with the small leather bag in hand.
He stepped inside and saw several officers walking around, chatting and going about their day.
David smiled brightly. One officer glanced over and muttered, "What the hell...?"
David waved a hand and made a microphone appear from thin air. "One-two, one-two—testing, testing, does this thing work?"
His voice echoed through the entire police station, turning every head.
Some cops looked surprised, others cautious, and a few just confused by the weird scene.
"Oh! I've finally got your attention, ladies and gentlemen! I'm here to drop off a couple of dirty thieves," David said with theatrical flair. "As your friendly neighborhood hero of justice, it's my duty!"
He raised the bag high, then tossed it into the air. As it fell, the bag burst open—and the two thieves tumbled out, landing hard on the floor with a thud, groaning in panic as they woke up.
"These are two disgusting thieves who robbed a poor woman. Probably got a record full of other crimes too, maybe even wanted," David said, still holding the microphone. "Anyway, gentlemen, I'll be heading back to my humble home to wrap up my heroic routine!"
With a casual flick of his hand, the microphone vanished into thin air.
He turned to leave—but then something shifted.
One of the officers narrowed his eyes and suddenly drew his gun, aiming it straight at David.
"Hands up!"
David stopped and slowly turned back to face him, raising an eyebrow.
"Excuse me? I just did your job for you, officer. I think I've earned a little rest."
"Stay alert! Possible dangerous mutant!" the cop shouted to the others.
David's face dropped the playful smile for a second.
"Ah... right. I forgot—mutants aren't exactly beloved in this universe. Aside from maybe the X-Men. Some have killed cops, others destroyed half of Manhattan one time..." the thought flashed through his head like a warning light.
He cleared his throat and suddenly pulled out an absurdly large, thick book from behind his back. He flipped it open dramatically and turned to a random page.
"Well, sir! Technically speaking, I'm not a mutant. Just your friendly neighborhood vigilante, hunting down nasty nighttime thieves."
He snapped the book shut and made it vanish like a magician, then clapped his hands together with a friendly smile.
But it didn't help.
Every officer in the station now had their guns trained on him. The whole room was locked on him like he'd just declared war.
David's grin tightened. He muttered under his breath, half amused,
"Ugh... I hate Marvel civilians. Pretty sure the DC ones are better."
"Uhm... I think you have a point, sir," Cheesy added, hovering beside him. His cheerful screen face blinked nervously as several cops even pointed their weapons at him.
"Okay, Cheesy. I think it's time for Plan A." David leaned in slightly, speaking low and fast. "I don't want to hurt these poor justice-loving souls... unless they really piss me off. But let's leave that aside. Best plan for now is... run." He smiled.
In the blink of an eye, David and Cheesy became a blur.
The front doors of the police station flung open—and they were gone.
Several officers rushed after them, but others stopped, glancing back toward the two groaning, panicked robbers still lying on the floor.
"Wait a second... isn't that John Carp?" one officer said, kneeling down. "He's wanted for multiple armed robberies and has a stack of complaints. That guy next to him might be his brother. Both of them are on the wanted list."
"Yeah... you're right," another cop said, eyeing them with recognition. "Maybe that guy was a vigilante. There's been more of them lately. Still... he could be a mutant, just pretending to play the good guy."
In the distance, far off from the city lights, David stood with his hands in his pockets, staring up at the night sky.
"Today was a good day, don't you think, Cheesy? Even though those officers were a little intense, at least we caught some dirty criminals" David said with a satisfied smile.
"Yes, sir! Those scumbags deserve to be behind bars!" Cheesy replied, floating beside him, his screen showing a cheerful emoji as he gazed at the moon too.
David sighed quietly. "Time to head home, buddy."
He turned and started walking away.
-
-
-
I slowly opened my eyes.
"Haaa... what time is it?" I yawned as I sat up and looked around.
My room looked the same as always—nothing out of place. I glanced to the side and spotted the mask partially sticking out from under the sheets. I grabbed it and looked it over.
"You're pretty damn cool, huh?" I mumbled with a sleepy grin. I set it down on the bed and got up, heading straight to the bathroom.
After brushing my teeth like always, I walked out to the living room and flopped onto the couch. I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
The first thing that popped up was a news channel. A reporter was talking about the whole situation at the police station where I left the thieves.
"From what we know so far, the self-proclaimed vigilante was chased by police after dropping off two tied-up men, claiming they were criminals. The suspects were later identified as John Carp and his brother, Mark Carp—both wanted for multiple armed robberies and numerous reports of violent crimes."
I smiled at the screen.
"Heh... I made it on TV. Well, what I did did."
But then my smile faded. The footage cut to interviews with witnesses who were apparently around the police station when I made my dramatic superhero landing.
"He looked like a total lunatic. His face was all green, creepy smile, bald head. He just fell from the sky and didn't even get hurt. And he had some floating phone thing that talked? I dunno, man. That guy was weird. Probably a mutant. Those guys are dangerous—"
Tch.
I clicked my tongue, sighed, and kept watching for a little while longer before eventually getting bored and switching the channel to something more fun.
Then, suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.
I pulled it out and checked it.
"Tommy? What now?" I muttered, confused.
There were a bunch of messages—dozens, all marked "urgent" or "ASAP". My eyebrow twitched as I started scrolling through them.
That's when I heard it.
*Knock knock knock knock.*
Someone was pounding on the front door, quick and desperate.
I got off the couch and walked over to the door. I looked through the peephole—and saw a guy with messy brown hair, wearing a hooded jacket, standing nervously in the hallway. His hands were in his pockets, and he kept looking around like he was expecting something to jump out at him.
It was Tommy.
"What the hell did this idiot get himself into?" I muttered under my breath.
I opened the door a little and peeked out.
"What are you doing here, Tommy? You didn't say you were coming or anything."
"Oh... hey David! Can I, uh... can I come in?" he said, clearly anxious. He quickly stepped inside and shut the door behind him, locking it.
He looked like a complete wreck—sweating, pale, freaked out.
"Dude, what happened? You look like you've seen a ghost," I asked, eyebrows raised.
"Haa... yeah, so... remember I told you I got into that good university, right?" he said, voice shaky.
"Yeah, a few days ago. What about it?" I asked, already thinking about where this might be going.
"Well... I borrowed money. From some people. And I think someone stole it. I lost it. And now I owe them. A lot. And, uh... they might be coming after me." He looked like he was going to collapse from the stress.
I stared at him for a second and rubbed my eyes.
"Are they close?"
"Outside the building." He said it instantly, without even pausing.
"Wait... why the hell did you come here? You could've put everyone in the building at risk," I said sharply, staring at Tommy. He looked embarrassed.
"Ah... you're the only person I thought could help me..." he muttered, his voice low and full of tension, sweat dripping from his forehead.
I looked at him for a second and sighed.
"Alright... I've got a plan. Go hide in the bathroom. No questions. If you don't, I'm kicking you out right now," I said firmly.
He nodded quickly and headed straight to the bathroom without saying another word.
He'd come to my place before—usually to celebrate something or just hang out. He's one of the few people I'd really call a friend. Actually, he's probably the one I talk to the most. He's a good guy... even if he does dumb things sometimes.
The others... well, that's a story for another time.
I walked into my room and spotted the mask lying on my bed.
"Well, I haven't used it in a few hours. No harm in putting it on now."
I picked it up and slid it on.
When I blinked, everything shifted. That familiar jolt of confidence surged through me. The mask was on.
"Alright. Time to take down a criminal gang chasing my friend. A dumbass friend... but still my friend," I said with a grin.
I stepped out of the room and stood in front of the bathroom door.
"Stay in there for a while. I've got a plan that'll work. Just don't come out, got it?" I said aloud.
"Ah... okay, dude! I'm not coming out!" Tommy shouted from inside.
I gave a nod and headed for the front door.
I looked through the peephole and waited. After a few minutes, I heard footsteps echoing in the hallway. I saw two guys walking toward my door—wearing expensive-looking black suits. Intimidating types.
One was tall and stocky. The other was about my height, walking with this fake-professional smile, like some kind of hitman playing salesman.
They reached my door, and the smiling one stepped forward.
*Knock knock.*
He knocked twice.
I opened the door just a crack and peeked out.
"Oh, hello, gentlemen. What do you need? I was just putting on some makeup for a little party I have to go to."
"Oh, hello. Are you David Miller?" the one with the smile asked smoothly.
"Oh... is that my name? Depends. What do you want from me?"
"Well... your friend."
He suddenly pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at my forehead.
Ah. Wonderful.
I stared into his eyes and let out a breath.
Everything slowed down.
My senses sharpened in an instant—like time was stretching itself out just for me. I threw the door open and watched them move in slow motion.
I reached out, grabbed the guy's gun, and gave it a good squeeze.
The metal twisted and bent unnaturally, transforming into... a bright red balloon gun.
I shoved it right back into his hand.
Time snapped back to normal.
The guy blinked and looked down at his weapon. His eyes went wide.
"What the hell happened to my gun—"
Before he could finish, I clocked him right in the face.
He flew backward and slammed against the hallway wall, collapsing in a groan.
I stepped out of my apartment and quickly shut the door behind me. I reached out and touched the hallway wall with my hand.
Reality warped like jelly under my fingers.
The doors along the hallway vanished completely. The entire corridor stretched into a surreal, endless tunnel—twisting to the left and right as if it went on forever.
The tall guy didn't hesitate. He threw a punch at me.
I casually reached up and caught it with one hand.
"Oh, you're strong, big guy. But for me? Heh... this is fun."
His eyes widened when he saw how easily I'd stopped him.
He tried again, throwing a punch into the air, but I dodged it effortlessly. This time, I grabbed his head and hurled him upward with ease. He slammed into the ceiling and crashed back down, groaning in pain.
The first guy—the one with the balloon gun—was sitting up, holding his bloody face.
"Who... who the hell are you?!" he shouted, looking around in panic. The exit was gone. There was no exit.
I grinned.
"Me...? Call me Bighead."