InFAMOUS: Winter Solstice

Chapter 1

It's sometime around six... maybe six-thirty. I'm not really paying attention to the time. All I know is that the sun is going down, setting on a New Marais fashioned Christmas Eve. No snow. No cold. Not even the slightest bit chilly.

And even on Christmas Eve I'm here hanging at the bar in Smut Triangle, calling on the bartender for the next round of beer.

The only thing New Marais does right for Christmas is deck out the city in Christmas lights. There's a huge tree in the park across the street, covered top to bottom in thousands of lights. In fact, every tree in New Marais had been wrapped in strings of colored lights, giving every street its own holiday spirit. The balconies of the French Quarter had wreaths running across them with giant bells hung out over the road.

What the place lacked in cold weather, it made up for with the kind of determination for celebrations that only happened in New Marais.

And with the festivities came holiday season crime.

Sounds like a pretty bad thing, right? Yeah, maybe when there's no superhero or something to stop 'em—when you ain't got my buddy Cole MacGrath.

In a weird chain of events, Cole ended up getting electrical superpowers from this thing called a "Ray Sphere". He's a Conduit—one in a million. There's this gene he's got that lets him have superpowers. Not to mention he's damn near bulletproof, can jump off a building without breaking anything, and he's strong as an ox. Saw him lift up a couple of lamp posts once, like nothing. And even before Cole got zapped by the Ray Sphere, he had been run over by a truck and got up the next day without hardly any bruises.

But Cole ain't perfect. 'Cause of the electricity in his body, he can short out in water like a light bulb. Crime pretty much gets a free day if it rains. And he can't just zap someone any time he feels like it; he's only got so much electricity he can carry, like a battery. No electricity means no powers. So if the lights ever go out in your house and it ain't storming, it's for a good cause.

And me…. Well, I'm just a normal guy. Sitting on the couch all day, watching chick-flicks, reading chick magazines, drinking beer.

But that's not the highlight of my day. I'm Cole's sidekick; his wingman. His brother-in-arms, more like it. If he needs something found, I'm his man. If he needs a generator turned on so he can recharge, I'm there for him. Seems like every five seconds someone is shutting off the power to get the jump on him. He needs me just as much as I need him.

Hell, one time he even needed me to save his electric ass. That's right, I saved his life. Stick Cole in a metal cage and all his electricity would be conducted to the floor. Good thing I came along when I did to bust him out.

But I don't care one bit that he gets to have all the fun. I used to. But I made the mistake of trying to be the hero. It wasn't until then that I realized that I'm better off as the wingman.

...Hey, it ain't all bad! Being Cole's friend helps me get the ladies. I'm like a chick-magnet ever since he got his powers!

And speaking of chicks...here comes one now.

She's covered up in this thick coat all buttoned up, more for the fashion than trying to stay warm. I mean, it is eighty degrees outside. She's got thin brown hair and some blue-colored eyeshadow. Did I mention those two-inch heels? Damn.

Not really my type. I've been turned down by women dressed for the runway more times than a drunk passes out on the side of the road in this city on any given day. Trust me, that's a lot.

I turn back to my beer and look up at the TV that's showing two football teams play out in the light snow somewhere up north.

Heh...snow. That's probably the one thing New Marais has never seen. The natives here would probably go bananas, run around tryin' to cover themselves up in three layers of clothes. Either that or none of the kids wouldn't know how to make snowballs or a snowman or even snow angels. What kind of childhood do these kids have without chuckin' at least one snowball or getting their tongue stuck on a frozen pole?

The jukebox in the corner of the room begins to play. The staff had moved some records around to make sure a few good holiday songs were thrown in with the rest of them to add a bit more cheer to the atmosphere. It was the woman who had changed the song, paying a quarter to have it play "All I Want for Christmas is You."

A classic, upbeat song talkin' about how the holidays are all about being with the ones you love and not so much the presents and Santa Claus. It even made a point about how snow ain't what makes Christmas so important. If New Marais had a theme song for Christmas, it would probably be this one.

Then she comes up to the bar and takes a seat on the stool next to me. She asks the tender for a little liquor in an English accent. He asks what she wants and she answers anything at all. When he turns, she sighs pretty big and takes off her coat. As if I thought this lady wasn't crazy enough, she's wearing a long sleeve blouse underneath. But the collar was...eh...low enough.

Suddenly I'm interested.

"Not enough sun where you come from?"

She looks at me, surprised I was even talking to her; more or less disgruntled like she was having a bad day.

"I suppose you could say that..." she answers while turning her eyes up to the TV.

I take off my sunglasses and set 'em down on the table. "Rainy, cold? Kinda gloomy in the motherland? You look like your day's goin' like that."

"And are you some sort of therapist?" she asks sharply.

"No," I answer honestly. "But I don't need to be a shrink to tell when someone ain't exactly cheery. It's almost Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year."

The bartender returns with her drink and she takes a sip. When she sets it down, she starts again. "It would feel more like Christmas if it was colder and it snowed like it does in England."

The song she had ordered on the jukebox catches my attention as the first refrain ends. An idea comes to mind.

"Well, y'know miss...uh-"

"Grace." She holds out her hand.

Oh, a straightforward girl.

I take it. "Zeke Dunbar. Very nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Grace." I smile and drink a little of my beer. "Anyway, the cold and snow didn't always skip out on New Marais during the season of giving. It snowed last year, actually."

She laughs at me. "Do you really expect me to believe that? I may be from across the pond, but I know the southern half of this side of it is lucky enough to see hail once a year."

"No, no," I shook my head. "You got it all wrong. See-"

"Hey, Zeke. You got a minute?" Cole's voice comes over my phone.

Nuh-uh. Not this time. Last Halloween I had me a chick in the palm of my hand and he swiped her away. He stole my thunder—pun very much intended. Sure, he might help me get the ladies...but not when he's around.

Grace looks at me with cold eyes. Women don't like it when your phone goes off and you're in the middle of paying attention to them. At least...I think that's what it was.

She sees that my face is just as annoyed as hers and loosens up a little.

I push a button on my phone and say, "Actually, Cole, I'm kinda in the middle of somethin'. Can this wait?"

A pause followed by a quick stutter. "Uh, no. This is important."

"Great, glad we worked things out." I click the button and muted my phone.

...Yeah, that's gonna bite me in the ass later.

"Who was that?" Grace asks in displeasure.

"Eh, just some guy I know," I answer simply.

"He sounded like he needed your help." She crosses her arms.

"He can take care of himself." I pick up the beer again and take a swallow. Under my breath, I mutter, "...Superhero, anyway…."

She scoffs. "I'm sorry…. Did you say "superhero"?"

I look at her and realize I just dug myself into my own grave. Cat's out of the bag now. Might as well just go with it.

"Yeah, I forgot that you're new around here. You don't know about me and Cole, do you?"

The phone vibrates again. I waste no time declining and turning it completely off.

"You don't seem too concerned about whatever problem he is dealing with."

"Well, like I said; he's a superhero. And every superhero's gotta have that one right-hand man, right?"

Now she looks very skeptical. The same way everyone does when they first hear about Cole. "You mean a sidekick?"

"If you wanna put it that way, sure."

The bartender walks by and she gets his attention. "Can I pay you now in case I need a quick getaway?" She reaches for her purse and starts to unzip it.

"Hold on, now. I'm serious," I rush her. "Don't you want to hear at least one Christmas story? It'll brighten up your day. I guarantee it."

She hands him the money and gets comfy, placing her elbow on the table. "Maybe I can spare a few minutes."

I smile. She's in the bag.

"Trust me, this is one you'll be telling your friends in England. It's the story of how Cole saved Christmas...and pretty much the entire town."

It was December 23rd, two days before Christmas, and Cole had already started his patrol of the city. Ever since Bertrand—the last dictator of the city—got the hypothetical boot, crime went way down; No more militia putting the fear of God into anyone who walked the streets, no more swamp monsters, no more bombs made out of Blast Shards. Now there was just the usual car thief or shop-lifter.

Cole never really needed to use his powers anymore. The only time it was necessary was if someone had a gun or was a real threat that could hurt someone. Otherwise, he was still running around and jumping on rooftops like normal.

The day had been dull and there hadn't been a lot of action. If anything did happen, the cops had it under control.

He had made his way to Smut Triangle where the crime was at least probable. There he sat in boredom on top of the Hush Movie Theater, where all the best western movies got the big screen treatment. A choir from the Church of Saint Ignatius sang carols beside the tree in the center of the park.

As he scanned the area, he noticed that the star on top of the tree had flickered out. He smirked and shot a bolt of lightning at the star, with the lightest touch he possibly could. Too much and the bulb would explode.

It sparked back to life. The entire square looked up to see him there and gave their spirited salutations.

It felt good for him to let out the energy he had in his body, no matter how small. Not using his powers as much as he used to make him feel like he was going to burst.

He started looking again. All was quiet in terms of insecurity as people bustled into stores shopping for Christmas gifts. No one shouted for help, no security alarms went off in the stores, no feeble old lady shouted 'someone stole my purse!'.

The only thing remotely wrong he saw was some guy that parked his car in front of a handicap ramp to the sidewalk. Right in front of him, too. That's like running a red light in front of a cop. Maybe the guy wasn't interested in glancing at the marquis, otherwise, he would have noticed him.

Normally Cole would have let a cop handle it, but it was the first bit of wrong-doing he'd seen all day.

"You can't park there, y'know," he raised his voice.

The man stopped and looked up at him. Scowling, he said, "Don't you have a light bulb to change?"

Cole placed his elbows on his knees, interested in the challenge. "You're not one of my fans, I see."

The man glared back. "You could say that."

"Yeah, well you know what I'm not? A cop. If you don't park somewhere else, I can promise you I won't be as careful as the tow truck."

The driver just blew him off and continued on his way with a wave of his hand.

Cole watched as he walked into a nearby clothing store and shrugged. "Alright..."

He hopped off and hit the sidewalk painlessly. As he approached the car, he noticed a young woman coming out of the theater towards him in a wheelchair. She immediately caught a disappointed face when she saw the ramp had been blocked by some able-bodied asshole.

He smiled at her then said, "Hold on, let me get that for you."

Cole turned to the car and thrust his hands toward it, then pantomimed lifting something over his head. The car began to glow as he lifted it off the ground with electromagnetism. He gently moved it across the street and off the crosswalk.

The landing, however, was purposefully rough.

When he turned back, the woman had a smile on her face brighter than Rudolph's nose. "Thank you, Mr. MacGrath."

"My pleasure, miss." Cole waited for her to roll up beside him, then he raised his hand to on-coming traffic signaling them to stop before escorting her across the street.

"People... They're so inconsiderate," she muttered to him.

"Tell me about it," he agreed. "I've gotta deal with it every day."

She laughed even though he hadn't intended on making a joke. "The world needs more people like you. Not necessarily super-powered people, but people that will stop for a moment and consider their actions."

"Heh," he laughed back. "I get that a lot."

They made it to the other side and she said, "Well, it was nice meeting you."

"You too," Cole nodded. "Have a Merry Christmas."

She smiled then rolled into the park to listen to the choir perform their carols.

He stood and watched a moment, taking it all in. The sound of the choir, the lights, and decorations, people rushing around with bags and boxes meant as gifts to be placed beneath the tree. It was starting to feel like Christmas.

The only thing missing was the holiday cheer instead of the humbug and bad parking.

"Ah, Cole. Fancy running into you here." An older man approached him in a sweater with open arms to greet him.

"Reverend Johnson," Cole returned. "I see your carolers are getting the attention they deserve."

"Yes, yes, we've been having a few rehearsals to make sure they're up to snuff. Actually, I wanted to ask you a favor."

"Sure."

The reverend got right to the point. "See, we're getting ready for our big Christmas mass at the chapel and, well, we were hoping you could help us set it up. It's more like a party—food, drinks, music, games. A lock-in, if you will."

"Yeah, I'll help out. Do you need it done by tomorrow? I mean, when do I need to show up?"

"Anytime is fine, whenever you find a moment. We've already started preparing, so you can go now since it seems you don't have too much on your hands."

Cole frowned. "Is it that obvious?"

Johnson laughed. "Helping handicaps across the street isn't something too many people often stop what they're doing to attend to."

"Uh, yeah..." Cole brought a hand to the back of his neck. "You know, I think I'll head over there."

"Thank you, Cole. If everything goes according to plan, we'll have the event tomorrow evening, just in time."

"No problem, I'll see what I can do."

Cole made his way over to the church, still keeping an eye out for any crime that might brighten up his day. It didn't take long to get there despite walking. All he had to do was go through a back alley and walk a couple blocks and he was there.

There were Christmas lights strung around the fence that surrounded the building. The lamp posts had been disabled, replaced with lanterns and laced with colorful lights. The church-grounds alone felt more into the Christmas spirit than the rest of the town put together.

He entered through the large wooden double-doors into the chapel. Inside there were people rushing around carrying chairs and table back and forth. Others were hanging up ornaments, decoration, and garland on the pews and walls. The same lanterns from outside were also being hung in here, as well as a number of religious aspects of the holiday. There were cut-outs and painting moved into the room depicting the nativity of Christmas, the three wise men and the birth of baby Jesus.

Cole stopped a woman who had just finished hauling a few chairs into a side room where the food was to be set. "Excuse me, the Reverend asked me to help out around here. Is there anything I can do?"

"Umm..." She puffed out some air, elevating one of her bangs from in front of her eyes. She quickly smoothed them onto the top of her head. "We've got a lot of it handled. But maybe you could do some heavy lifting that would take five of us to do?"

"Got anything in mind?"

"Actually, I think some of the guys just got back with a tree they could use help carrying in."

"Sure," Cole agreed without hesitation. "If there's anything else you can think of, let me know."

He then left her to continue her work.

Back outside he found a group of three men struggling with a surprisingly large Christmas tree. So large, in fact, that it had to be loaded onto a long-bed truck with a trailer being tugged behind it—and it still hung off the back end.

As Cole approached them, they had just unloaded it from the back with obvious trouble. He announced himself quickly before anyone got hurt. "Hey, hey guys! Easy. The tree is gonna die naturally, let's keep it alive for a few more days."

They stopped immediately and relaxed, rolling their arms and rotating knots out of their necks. Their hands and faces were red and sweat dripped from their temples.

"MacGrath," one of them greeted with visible gratitude. "Please tell me you're here to help."

"Yep. And it looks like I got here before someone broke their neck." Cole put his hands on his hips. "Did you really need to get a tree this big?"

The three men only stared at each other then quickly found part of the church-grounds to give their attention to. Shaking his head, Cole couldn't bring himself to outright insult their poor planning during the holidays.

"Y'know what... never mind. One of you find a tarp and put it where you want the tree. The other two can hold the door."

The three looked at him expectantly. "You, uh, don't want help with carrying it in? It takes a few people just to get it off the ground."

"Nah." Cole walked towards the tree. "I'll barely need to lift a finger."

He brought his hands up to his shoulder as if he were lifting a heavy load. The evergreen glowed a blue aura when Cole sparked up his hands and it began to float.

The group nearly stumbled in shock as they ran to do as he had asked and kept their tongues relatively caught in the proverbial cat's paw. Two of them rushed to open the doors to the chapel, while the remaining one hurried inside and fetched a large white tablecloth from a closet.

Cole brought the tree inside as the stand-in tarp was laid out in the corner at the front of the room. His powers levitating it above his head attracted everyone's attention to him. He saw his three helpers standing still, only watching in awe when there was obviously more to be done.

"Hey, you guys got a tree stand or something?" The one who had been tasked with bringing out the tarp turned red in the face as he dashed back to the closet. Cole rotated the tree to face it upwards. "Hurry up, my powers only last so long."

The volunteer hurried back with stand in-hand and set it beneath the trunk of the floating tree, into which Cole lightly set it down. Then the three stooges began to screw the stand and tree together.

Needless to say, those annoying screws never cooperate when you need them to. It took longer than a couple minutes for one screw to get settled...the second longer still. The third didn't make it in by the time Cole's energy reserves finally ran dry.

Someone had the nerve to shout "timber" as the tree and stand both began to topple over. In this case, it wasn't so humorous as much as necessary. The one remaining man trying to fasten the stand had not noticed that Christmas was about to fall on top of him.

When Cole's powers wouldn't respond he dashed beneath the tree and shoved the clueless stooge out of the way, bracing the tree with his shoulder and both hands. He righted the tree again and held it firm until one of his helpers could properly support it with the final screw put into place.

"Jesus," Cole sighed. "You guys go out and buy a sixteen-foot tree that weighs a ton and you can't even set it up without killing someone..."

"Well, look at the bright side," one of them smiled shyly, "you saved us a lot of time and trouble helping us out."

"No kidding." Cole stepped out from underneath the tree and rolled his shoulder.

The three men then went on to untying the branches of the tree and brought out the decorations.

"Careful what you say," a voice approached him. "People around here would find that offensive."

It was a woman with dark hair, tinted blue. She was dressed in a black tank-top and dress pants. But the real fancy part was her arms that were frozen solid in a thin layer of ice cold enough to chill the air around her.

Lucy Kuo was a Conduit as well. Her power was the ability to control ice. However, unlike Cole, it was Bertrand that had given her her powers from some weird experiments, not a Ray Sphere. But she was no more or less capable of dishing out justice than he was.

The only real difference was their attitudes. Sure, at one point Cole didn't want his powers either. Hell, he outright denied superpowers existed. Kuo, on the other hand, tried to hide her powers day in and day out. She felt like an outcast and a stranger to mankind. As you'd expect, Cole was there to show her the ropes, teach her how to use her powers, and slowly over time she started to feel more comfortable about being a Conduit.

"Kuo." Cole greeted her with a slight dash of charm. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"I volunteer to help out every year. Being in the NSA didn't keep me from giving my time to charity."

The electric man looked at her, puzzled. "Charity?"

"Well, yeah." She explained, "This isn't just a mass or lock-in. It's a temporary shelter for the homeless and less fortunate during Christmas. Everyone brings some food and blankets to settle them in, and maybe a few presents here or there to give them a helping hand. Ever since Bertrand moved in, a lot of people lost their jobs and homes to the militia, and it's been rough trying to get the pieces back into place."

"Wow..."

Cole took a sincere glance around the room. It wasn't until now did he notice the extra food coming in and the pillows and blankets being piled on the side of the room. A few wrapped packages were being brought up to the stage in front, while more and more continued to be rushed in.

He saw some of those poor souls every day; sick, digging through dumpsters for food and sleeping in the parks and cemeteries. And this wasn't just in New Marais. Back in Empire City, it was the same thing; except that had been the entire city, not just a few people.

When he had gotten his powers from the Ray Sphere back in Empire he caused the plague and the quarantine of the whole city. Not a day didn't go by when Cole didn't stop and think back on the damage he'd done, but he spent every day trying to fix it.

What more could he do for these people? Maybe they were in the position they were in because of him, or maybe they weren't. Already he had kicked Bertrand to the curb, but that wasn't enough. It would take time for them to get back on their feet. And he knew that his work wasn't finished yet.

"In that case, what else can I do?"

Together, Cole and Kuo pretty much set up the rest of the preparations themselves. They helped bring in some of the other heavy stuff like decorative art and sculptures. They helped decorate the tree and the rest of the courtyard. It even got to the point where Cole needed to use some of his powers with a little parkour to string the lights on at the top of the tree, not to mention the star. His energy might have run dry, but there was still enough for simple things.

Yeah, these guys went out of their way to wish Baby Jesus a happy birthday.

Once they had finished, Reverend Johnson appeared to check on their progress. He was surprised to find that the work had already been finished in record time.

The only thing that was left to finish was the food that would need to be made fresh the following day.

As thanks for all his help, Johnson offered Cole twenty bucks, which he refused upwards five times before the Reverend slapped the bill into his hand and left with a kind smile on his face.

When Cole asked Kuo why she wasn't offered any money, she said that it was NSA policy not to take the money offered to her.

The two of them left together after making sure there was nothing else they could do to help.

Cole, needless to say, was glowing with pride for doing his part in making a difference for someone in need. He saved people every day from muggers and carjackers, but there was something much more pleasing in putting in your time to help those who could not help themselves.

When it came to the plague, it never made a difference what he did. He could resuscitate their hearts with his powers and heal their wounds in seconds, but they all died of their illness within hours of his aid. And compared to his childhood living with the kind of parents you could never please and the little brother who got the short end of the attention stick, it was a whole new kind of worth he found in himself.

"I'm proud of what you've done to help out, Cole...but it's not exactly solving world hunger here," said Kuo as they headed out the door.

"Nah. You don't get it, Kuo." He smiled. "Only a few months ago, I was trying to save an entire city that was already dead. Now, even though it might not be a big deal to anyone else, I can do something to get these people out of the gutter. Finally, I'm fixing something that isn't my fault."

"That's one way to put it, I suppose." She looked at him morosely. "But don't forget, Cole, there's still a cure for the plague we're supposed to be looking for."

"Chill out, Kuo." Another voice came to them from above their heads.

Perched on an arch that hung above the entrance to the courtyard was Nix, the last of the trio of Conduits. Her powers focused on fire and napalm, and her personality was no exception.

"Let the man do what he wants. Even if it is holdin' the hands of the fools that can't keep their heads above water."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Nix," Kuo muttered sarcastically.

As you would expect, Nix and Kuo didn't exactly get along too well—the two of them were complete opposites of each other. If their powers being fire and ice didn't send you a message it was their ideals.

Kuo did things for the good of others.

Nix... Well, Nix did things for Nix. She was raised in the swamps around New Marais, lived off the law of the land until one day Bertrand showed up with a Ray Sphere and blasted her family to dust and left her with the powers she has today. But Kuo never let this slide as an excuse for her behavior.

Nix, in her tribal clothing and dreadlocks, made her way down to their side in an acrobatic fashion. "Ehh, I wasn't ever a fan of Christmas. Kids worshiping a big red fat-ass and parents killing each other over presents for the whiny brats. It ain't nothing but a joke."

"No surprise there..." Kuo said under her breath.

Cole jabbed his elbow into her shoulder.

"Come on, Nix. The whole Santa thing is for the kids. Christmas is about giving and showing someone you care about them."

The three of them began walking.

"I don't care about no one," Nix answered forwardly. "Except maybe you, Cole."

"Good to know..." Cole shrugged as he looked over at Kuo. Normally he was required to break up whatever fights these two got into. Most of the time he managed to calm them down before anyone powered up. After that point, he had no choice but to wait out the flames of war.

Kuo was visibly struggling to keep her cool and not blow up. "Well, certainly there's someone that cares about you. "

"Yeah, that someone bein' Cole."

"Why am I always the middleman between you two?"

"You're the one that found her in the swamp, Cole. She's your problem now." Kuo rolled her eyes.

"I hear someone couldn't hold her own against the militia," Nix darted her eyes at the ice Conduit. "I agreed to help get you out only 'cause Cole asked nicely."

"See—you do care about someone other than Cole," she glared back.

"Findin' you meant findin' Bertrand. I couldn't have cared less that he dragged your frozen butt out of that dump."

Kuo balled her fists and Cole felt the hairs on the back of his hand tingle. He didn't say anything, only grabbed her wrist tightly until she eased up.

"You're right, Nix," she seethed through her teeth. "Thank you, for helping me when I needed it."

Nix saw this gesture and didn't say another word. However, Cole could see the frustration in her eyes. It was no secret that she was always out for Cole, and she somehow had it in her mind that Kuo was the competition.

What she didn't know was that Cole had no intention of getting hitched with either of them. After losing his girlfriend Trish, he didn't have the heart to go off and find another girl. And to his surprise, it seemed like Kuo never paid the outlook of his mourning when they first met any thought either.

The three of them passed a small alley. Cole stopped when he heard something rattling.

It was a young girl sitting against a dumpster, and an even younger boy sleeping beside her. In her hand was a tin can that she was shaking in hopes of being noticed. She looked up at the three and then looked inside of her can. She glanced up again and found his eyes, then held out her can shyly.

Cole peeked inside and saw they had only a few dollars in change in the can. She was asking for a donation, and he saw she was too ashamed to flat out ask for the money.

He smiled warmly. "Here," he reached into his pocket for the twenty-dollar bill the Reverend had given him. "Go buy yourselves something nice." Then he dropped it in.

Her face lit up so bright she almost gleamed. The girl looked inside as if she had imagined seeing such a hefty donation. On the verge of crying, she grappled onto his leg, taking Cole aback for a moment. "Thank you so much, Mister."

"My pleasure. But you know, you could go to that church down the street. They've got food and a warm place for you two to stay for the night."

With this news, she gave him a hundred 'thank yous' before they continued walking.

"Now that was a very nice thing to do, Cole," Kuo said, looking him soothingly in the eye. "You could learn something, Nix."

"That twenty piece won't last them a day." She replied coldly.

"Maybe not, but it will buy them enough food to get by after the church kicks them out. Besides, I told Johnson ten times—"

Bam!

A gunshot! And someone screaming!

Cole turned on his heel and raced back to the alley. The little girl was crying on the ground, covering her head with her arms. There was blood splattered on the walls. And someone was running away with something in his hands that made a clattering sound.

"Hey!" He called after the gunman. The masked person whirled around, saw him and fired off a shot. Cole ducked as it whizzed past his neck.

He threw out his arm, intending on lassoing the offender with a tether of electricity. Cole cursed when nothing but bright sparks flew from his fingers. He had forgotten to recharge.

His feet were moving in an instant.

"Kuo! Stop him!" He shouted as she flew after him in a flurry of snow.

Another shot rang out. Lucy materialized and slammed into the ground, grasping her shoulder. "Damn!"

She sent out a flurry of ice from her fingers to stop him in his tracks, but he had already rounded the corner.

Cole went around the bend just as fast, running between the two perpendicular walls to cut his time in half around the tur, and vaulting over the stairs that led into a back exit.

The gunman swiveled around and shot off a few more shots, barely missing Cole as he closed in.

Next thing they both knew, Nix appeared in his path and tripped him in a cloud of smoke, sending the thief crashing into the concrete. The can and money clinked to the ground beside him.

Cole was on him in an instant, using what little power he had left to restrain his arms and legs to the ground in electromagnetic cuffs.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" Nix crossed her arms.

"What kind of guy has the nerve to steal change from a couple of homeless kids," Cole demanded as he yanked off the perpetrator's mask. Beneath it was a man with messy brown hair that he had seen before. "Wait, you're that asshole who doesn't know how to park."

"Thought I'd have a free day with you wasting your time in that church."

"Big mistake," he scowled. "Wait here. The cops'll be here to pick you up. And don't expect those restraints to wear out before they get here."

Kuo rubbed her shoulder as Cole started to pick up the coins and bill and put them back in the cup. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a scratch, that's all."

Cole turned back to head down the alley towards the two children. "A scratch wouldn't land you in the dirt."

When the three of them returned to the children, they found the girl crying near her brother. He had been shot in the head and killed. She begged Cole to use his powers to heal him, to which he only answered that it wouldn't work, speaking from experience.

Only once had he been able to revive the dead, but only long enough for her to tell him goodbye.

He apologized for not being able to save her brother. Then he returned her change and escorted her to the church.

"Thanks for helping out back there, Nix," he said once Kuo and the volunteers calmed the girl down. "Can't say I expected you to, though."

She didn't look at him; only stared while the little girl was bundled into a blanket and given a glass of water. "Stealin' money from kids... That's low."

Cole watched her for a moment, seeing that there was an interest in her dark eyes. "There something you want to tell me?"

She didn't answer him immediately. She watched Kuo tend to the girl for a few more seconds and said in a hushed voice, "Nah. Maybe later."