Ethan's phone rang. He fumbled a bit with the new storage compartment before being able to answer. "Hello?"

  "Detective Matthews. We need you right now. How fast can you get to LA International?"

  Ethan looked over that direction and could see the tarmac from his height. "Now. Where do you want me?"

  "The runway. Look for the flashing lights."

  The call ended and Ethan put his phone back into the armored compartment. He sighed and shook his head. Just keep doing good. Don't think about what Petal is going to do. "Leap of Faith."

  He disappeared in a glimmer of golden light and reappeared on the tarmac at the airport. Flights seemed to all be grounded as he looked around. The fire trucks, ambulance, and SWAT units were a short distance away, along with Matthews. "Leap of Faith," he warped next to the detective. "Alright, I'm here. What's the situation."

  Matthews looked him up and down, "New costume? Good shit. Hope it's bulletproof." He pointed at the plane, "FBI, FAA and DHS are all en-route. Plane hijackers." He looked over at Ethan, "They got on with the boarding crew, tried to storm the cockpit, but couldn't break in. Now they are holding passengers at gunpoint and claim to have a bomb. Got anything to deal with explosives?"

  Ethan shook his head, "No." He looked over at the windows, all of which were shut. "If I can see the passengers, I can get them out. But only one at a time. And I have to be able to see them."

  "Damnit," Matthews turned away and started chewing away at gum furiously. "What can you do?"

  Ethan smiled, "Illuminate." He tossed the glowing orb above him and willed it to stay there. "Why not try intimidating them? If they've seen the news or anything online, maybe just having me here will be enough to convince them to stand down."

  Matthews turned back with a devilish grin, "How good are you at lying?"

  "Not the best. I'm not a good liar,” Ethan admitted.

  "Well, we really don't have much-" Matthews was cut off as his phone rang. He pulled it out, "-Hello? Yes…Damnit! You're joking." He looked over at Ethan with disgust on his face, "It's the FBI. They're telling us to hold."

  "Who gets to make the call?"

  "Technically the FAA has priority, then DHS and FBI. We're the low man on the totem pole."

  "What's the harm in waiting? It's not like they're going anywhere."

  Matthews cast a sidelong glance at Ethan before returning to the call, "Yeah, we have Radiance here…you're kidding me. Fucking hell." He held the phone out to Ethan, "They want to talk."

  Ethan took the phone, "Hello?"

  "This is Agent Druthers," a stern, female voice came over the call. "You're Radiance, right?"

  "That's me."

  "The hijackers are on the most wanted list. Don't move in, under any circumstances. We have-"

  The agent was interrupted as several loud pops sounded off inside the plane, along with screaming. The personnel around the plane got into cover and pointed weapons at the plane. Ethan lowered his tone, "They're shooting."

  There was some background conversation that was indistinct before the voice came back, "Do what you can. But I need a full debrief after. Hand me back to the Detective." Ethan handed the phone back and clicked the recorder on his helmet.

  Ethan walked past Matthews and over to one of the firefighters who was behind their engine. "How do I get in?"

  The woman looked at him with a stern expression, "Don't know. Hey Sarge!" She shouted and a burly man with a mustache turned to face them, "This guy needs to get on the plane."

  The older firefighter nodded, "You could try climbing up the landing gear through a service hatch."

  Ethan nodded, "Leap of Faith," he warped to the wheel of the engine and looked up into the wheel-well. It looked barren, but his Holy Sight was able to discern the small seam denoting a possible opening. He couldn't fit his fingertips or the edges of the gauntlets into the seam. How the heck can I get in? He thought.

  Attempt to use Crusade's sword to pry it open, Nobilis thought to him.

  That'll make a lot of noise. I don't want them to know I'm on the plane.

  Then a new Sub-Ability created for Holy Sight.

  -----

  [New Sub-Ability Created: Sight beyond light]

  [Effect: The user can see past solid objects with limited detail. Lasts for a maximum of one hour.]

  [Negative Effect: When the duration ends, the user is rendered blind until an equal amount of time they used the Sub-Ability has passed.]

  -----

  "Sight beyond Light." As Ethan uttered the words everything went white. He grasped for the landing gear as he felt vertigo and the urge to vomit. The white faded away and as he looked around, he could see outlines of objects and people in stark, black lines.

  He couldn't discern any specific features; even faces were blank, just silhouettes. But he could clearly see the four outlines holding guns, and the backpack one of them was carrying. And the bomb inside the bag, along with thousands of objects scattered within bags above him.

  Can I use Rescue on objects?

  Yes.

  Ethan grinned and turned around, walking back to the emergency personnel. "Do you have a bomb squad here?"

  A man-shaped outline raised his arm, "Yeah, I'm bomb squad."

  Ethan gestured to him and looked over at the plane. "The bomb is one foot long; box shaped. Looks like it's triggered, one of them is holding a remote. Can you disable it?"

  The man shrugged, "I'd have to see it."

  Ethan grunted, "Mmm. What's the range on a detonator?"

  "If it's hooked up to a cell phone…” The man scratched his chin, snaking his hand inside the heavy padding and armored plates, "Maybe a mile, max?"

  Ethan nodded, looking out to the ocean nearby and grinning. "Thanks. Leap of Faith." He warped to the edge of the water on the beach a short distance from the airport and turned back to the plane. He held up a palm, "Rescue."

  A dim glow surrounded his hand as a square-shaped package with wires sticking out of it appeared in his hands. He looked at the ocean and pulled his arm back, chucking the bomb as far as he could. He was shocked at the distance it went, flying several dozens of feet before splashing into the surf.

  "Leap of Faith," he warped back to the tarmac and looked for the silhouette of Detective Matthews. After finding him he smiled, "Dealt with the bomb. It's in the ocean."

  Matthews sounded annoyed, "I thought you said you couldn't deal with explosives."

  Ethan shrugged, "I'm still figuring out all the stuff I can do. Cut me some slack, it's been what, three days?" He turned back to the plane. "They haven't noticed the bomb is gone. I can get the hijackers off the plane in an instant - but you guys have to be able to take them down."

  "Alright. What are you thinking?"

  Ethan instructed several of the most heavily armored SWAT members to circle up in four small pods. "I'm going to warp them to us. Be ready to jump on them - they all have guns-"

  One of the SWAT officers interrupted, "-Can't you just get rid of their guns?"

  Ethan nodded, "I could. But I don't know how fast I can do this back-to-back. If one of them suddenly loses their guns, they'll alert the others. But if I warp them away while they're separated…" He let the words linger and there were mutters around him seeming to affirm the tactics he was proposing.

  He held up his hand and stood in the center of the circle, "Be ready…Rescue." He focused on one of the four silhouettes at the back of the plane; isolated from the rest. A golden glow surrounded his hand as a young woman appeared next to him.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Ethan hit the deck as the officers moved in, rapidly disarming her and cuffing her. He couldn't see her expression, but she sounded bewildered and confused as she cursed and questioned those now holding her captive. She was walked off to a cruiser and the circle reformed. Ethan repeated the process for the second of four hijackers.

  "We have a problem.” He said as he sucked in deep breaths. “The last two are next to each other."

  Matthews cursed, "Damnit…wait, I have an idea." He looked up and sounded smug, "We get the pilots to let one of them into the cockpit."

  Ethan nodded, "If you think that's the best way to get them to split up."

  Matthews looked at the plane, "The cockpit is small - two pilots and maybe enough room for one person to stand behind them. If they're really intent on hijacking and getting airborne, they'll jump at the opportunity." He waved over one of the airport personnel, who got on a radio and called in the order.

  Ethan saw the door open as one of the hijackers ran over, shutting the door behind them. I have you now, "Rescue." The hijacker in the cockpit appeared in the circle and Ethan hit the deck once more as the officers took them into custody.

  He stood up as the last hijacker pounded on the door to the cockpit. "Ready?" He asked as the circle closed in once more. He gestured once more, "Rescue." The last hijacker was subdued and there was a cheer from the surrounding emergency personnel. Many came up to shake Ethan's hand as the firefighters opened the plane up, getting the passengers and staff out as they slid down the emergency slides.

  "Medics! Get up here! We got injured!" Ethan glanced over and saw the outline of a firefighter waving up to the plane's door. He followed the firefighter's finger to the back of the plane. One of the flight attendants was on the floor, her stomach covered in blankets and soaked through with blood. Her breathing was shallow. Leap of Faith, he thought as he warped directly next to her.

  Ethan knelt down and tried to pour as much comfort into his voice as he could, "You'll be okay…Healing Touch." As he touched her, she made a pained grunt. Ethan pulled back the blankets as the bullet shrapnel pushed out of her skin and the flesh knit itself back together. Her breathing grew more relaxed, and she sat up, embracing Ethan in a hug as she cried. "Thank you."

  Ethan laughed lightly and nodded, "You're welcome. Was anyone else injured?"

  The flight attendant shook her head, "Just me."

  Ethan stood aside as the firefighter came over and helped her up, walking her to the slide and helping her down. Ethan slid down and walked over to Matthews, stopping his recording, and handing Matthews the video. "It's a boring one. The camera doesn't see what I see."

  "What can't you do?"

  Ethan chuckled and leaned over to Matthews, "I don't know. I can tell you that there's a downside. I can't see through objects all the time. If you need any more help today, call Petal. I'll be out of commission."

  Matthews nodded and put an arm around Ethan, waving away the various people who wanted to come up and talk to him, "I filled in Agent Druthers. She wants to debrief you ASAP. We also need that bomb, can't leave it in the ocean."

  Ethan nodded, "Where do you want it?"

  Matthews called over the bomb tech, who pulled out a rolling robot carrying a large box.

  They coordinated and went out to the edge of the tarmac, as Ethan used Rescue on the still-visible-to-him bomb in the ocean a few miles away. It appeared in his hands, soaked through, and he set it on the ground gently before retreating with Matthews. "That's one problem dealt with. When is Druthers going to call?"

  Matthews pulled out another stick of gum, "Today, tomorrow, who knows? The feds have their own way of doing things." He put a hand on Ethan's arm and gave him a small squeeze, "You did good. Not one casualty, all perps in custody. No damage to property."

  "Happy to help. I need to go, though. The side-effects are gonna kick in soon, Heaven's Gate." The shimmering white portal opened, and he stepped through, running down the corridor of light.

  He emerged in the living room and stripped off his costume and helmet. His vision went white as he stumbled over to the couch and sat down. He laid there, just staring at nothing, before an idea clicked into his mind. "Healing Touch," he incanted as he held a hand over his eyes.

  After blinking several times he sighed, "Worth a shot at least." He crawled off the couch and got on his hands and knees, feeling around until he had gathered all the components of his costume, retrieved his phone from the compartment, and then put all the parts into a box before clipping the lid on it. He leaned back and turned on some music, humming to the tune and smiling at his heroic feat.

  The opening door roused him from his sleep and as it shut he smelled the familiar scent of Treya's perfume. "You're home early," her voice called out as she set something down on the coffee table in front of him; the noise making him jump. "You okay?"

  Ethan shook his head, "I'm blind. Depends on how lon-”

  "What!" He felt the couch tilt next to him as she grabbed his head, turning it to look in his eyes, "They're not gold anymore. They're back to brown. And not glowing."

  Ethan nodded, "Turns out I can have x-ray vision for an hour, but then I'm blind for the same length of time."

  "Hmm. Hope whatever you did was worth it."

  Ethan laid down and set his head on her lap, "Stopped a plane hijacking. Probably two-hundred passengers were saved."

  She ran a hand through his hair, and he could feel the pride in her voice, "Worth it. Guess I get to take care of you. At least until the raid later."

  Ethan cursed, "Damn. That's tonight, isn't it?"

  "I told the guild that you're really busy and had to take a hiatus. I figured your hero business is more important than gaming."

  Ethan sighed and focused on the feeling of her hand caressing his head, the feeling giving him an instant sense of belonging. It immediately put him at ease, and he felt more relaxed than he had been for a while. "Thanks, honey. Can you just turn on the news in the background?" He turned his head so he would be looking up at her, "And maybe feed me?" He asked with a pleading expression.

  She laughed and gave him a kiss on the forehead, lifting his head up and dropping it on the couch as she stood. "Yes to both. At least until the raid starts." He heard the television moments later as she dropped the remote on his stomach, causing him to flinch slightly. "What do you want to eat?"

  "Something that won't spill, maybe a sandwich?" Ethan said back as he closed his eyes, focusing his hearing on the news broadcast. Some unfamiliar voice was talking about the recent events at the airport; but the story was boring. They must be keeping the situation under wraps, Ethan thought, as the report was lacking any real details.

  "That's all we have in the field right now, Chip. Back to you!"

  "Thanks, Marcy. And now we go to our new broadcaster, covering everything having to do with the Imbued in Los Angeles, our very own Aaron Restor. What's going on Aaron?"

  "Well, Chip, there's been a lot of activity recently. Full Metal Gangster seems to be unstoppable, still on a tear through Southern Los Angeles. Police have proven completely ineffective thus far and the National Guard are being called in."

  "What type of crimes is he doing down there?"

  "Mostly burglary and robberies. There have been some injuries and a few casualties. Speaking of villains, yesterday there was a horrible slaughter in Pershing Square. Park Boxer, and his brother Palmer Boxer - two known criminals - broke into the bank on the South-Eastern side of the block and killed everyone inside, along with dozens of first responders. Park - also known as Firestarter - is an Imbued who can control flames. We here at News LA have obtained exclusive footage of the incident. It has been edited for television, but we urge viewers caution, as the imagery is graphic and not suitable for all audiences."

  Ethan heard the edited video clip and felt the couch indent once more as Treya sat down next to him.

  "It's just as scary on a second viewing," she said as she put a hand on his leg.

  "I wouldn't know," Ethan said with a smirk as he waved a hand over his eyes. "Ouch!" He rubbed his leg where she had just pinched him, "What's that for?"

  "Don't make fun of it! I don't like seeing you get hurt."

  "...Fair point. I'm sorry." Ethan refocused his attention as the clip came to a close and Aaron came back on;

  "A fierce fight. Both criminals were apprehended, and I had the opportunity to interview Radiance minutes after the event." His interview played and he sat there impatiently.

  Treya squeezed his leg, "You're corny, you know that? 'Always a light of hope' is such a cheesy line."

  Ethan sighed, "What should I have said?"

  "I don't know. Maybe something like 'justice will shine a light on evil'."

  Ethan chuckled, "That's just as cheesy."

  "Again, a special thank you to Radiance and Petal for stopping these criminals. That's all the news we have about Imbued for today, Chip. Back to-"

  Ethan's phone rang and he held it up to Treya, "Who is it?"

  She grabbed it from him, "Detective Matthews." She handed it back to him and he answered.

  "What the fuck!" The scream came through and he had to hold the phone a small distance away from his ear. "You gave footage to the news!"

  "It's my recording,” Ethan replied calmly.

  He heard more cursing as Matthews seemingly set his phone down before the voice came back, quieter than before but still irate, "Just who do you think you are?" he growled.

  "What would you have done without me?" Ethan replied, keeping his tone neutral as Treya ran a hand through his hair.

  "Fine. You saved the day. Is that what you want to hear?"

  Ethan sat up and felt Treya wrap an arm around him. "No. I'm not looking for fame. I just want to do good and help people. Let me ask you something - would you rather have someone surrender, or risk a fight in the streets with collateral damage?"

  "Come on, that's a trick questi-"

  "Right! The edited version doesn't show me getting injured. The public has seen it. That makes me look unstoppable. Just like I suggested at the plane - if I can scare people into giving themselves up peacefully, well, I think that's worth what I did." Ethan smirked, “It’s a genius play, you gotta understand that.”

  Matthews was silent. An awkward lull passed before he spoke, "How do I know you won't fuck me over again?"

  "I don't see how this is negative for you in any way."

  "Do you know how bad this makes me look? Not just to the Mayor but also to the Chief of Police? It makes it look like you can't be controlled. You're just a loose cannon."

  Ethan mentally fortified himself, "I will do what I think is right. I don't work for you."

  "...You have no idea what I'm doing for you right now." More silence passed. One minute. Two minutes. Then, his voice returned filled with a genuine concern, "Look, Radiance. The Mayor, FBI, Police - all the law enforcement and adjacent authorities are heavily invested in what's going on. Hell, I've been getting calls from the Secretary of Defense. People are trying to get in touch with you. I'm doing you a favor by keeping myself as the point of contact. I'm taking all the heat so you don't have to. I know you just want to do good things, I'm all for you making my job easier and handling tough crime in L.A. But if there isn't some semblance of you being under control, I don't think I can run a screen for you."

  Ethan gulped as a sudden realization hit him. I hadn't considered what would happen once word reached the Federal government, he thought. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you were doing that on my behalf. I'll drop the full video by the station in an envelope tomorrow."

  "I am about to get my ass reamed over the coals by so many higher-ups. Just - promise me one thing. Just try to act like you are following orders from myself or The Mayor, alright?"

  Ethan nodded, "Yeah, I can do that, at least. Have a good night." He hung up and leaned back into the couch, "Treya can you get my jeans? The ones from yesterday?"

  He felt her leave the couch and then come back. She threw them at his face. Ethan reached into the pocket and pulled out the two video cards with the unedited footage. He handed one to Treya, "We should keep this one. Can you put it in the safe?"

  She gave an affirmative noise as he got up and felt his way along the wall to their closet, reaching up into the top shelf and pulling out a small box of stationary. He sealed the second video card in an envelope and pulled out a pen, scribbling the detective's name as best he could, and put it with the rest of his hero gear. His vision began to return, “Hey, hon, I can see again!”

  “Good, then you can see me in the shower!” she shouted back.