"It was three nights ago tonight that this twisted ex-cop kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered eighteen-year-old Luisetta Cruz. A state-wide manhunt is underway, and both the non-super-enhanced and super-enhanced authorities are leaving no stone unturned. This is Isaac Benedict WYW at ten. Back to you, Susan!" The stern-looking woman- Susan- says thank you to her colleague and moves on to the Pet Relocation segment of the news.

I don't notice that I'm gripping my wine glass a little too hard until it cracks. I'm pissed and therefore forgetting to wheel in the bloodlust.

Last night, I almost had that cop. Almost took him out, but the Association of the Evolved intervened as they always do. I couldn't execute the monster with them around.

Now he's out there again, running free. So why am I even here?! I should be out there prowling for the scum, not drinking wine outside a restaurant's patio.

The truth is I'm only here to uphold the appearance of a playboy. Plus, the prospect of sex is a good bonus.

"Hel-loo!"

My attention is drawn to the voice greeting me and I find a pair of quizzical eyes inspecting my own. "Are you Rasiel?" I ask. I'm pretty sure she is without her telling me, but it couldn't hurt to ask, right.

Rasiel is a petite woman, she wears a bodycon wrap dress in deep green, and her heels are on the shorter side. "Yes, and you must be Barton. It's nice to meet you."

The shoes shouldn't strike me odd, but a woman of small stature usually uses heels to seem at least of average height, and she chooses not to do that. As my eyes make their way upward, I find the pin, and it reads Venus Spore, Rank A, member of the ASE. It seems my date is a hero, which my fast beating heart seems to find worrying.

"You're a superhero and such a well-known one too!" I get up as she sits.

The name clicked right after I read her pin. A couple of weeks ago, she made headlines for climbing up the heroic ladder faster than most. She looks pretty ordinary to me, though.

"Please, I'm not too well-known, and the only reason why I might be is because of some indecisiveness from the higher-ups." She takes a sip of the wine I order beforehand. "Wow, that's very good."

The hero huffs a breath onto her wristwatch companion, and it beeps before saying, "Rutherhill California Year 2027, would you like to add to the shopping list. "

"Yes, please." She smiles brightly, enough to capture my attention. The woman sure is cute.

She notices me smirk, and to my surprise, she winks. Besides being cute, I now ascertain she's cheeky too. Good combo.

"Um, so you know Dale?" He's our mutual friend who planned this mess out.

"Yeah, a bit." Rasiel leans in curiously, "I saved him from a mugger a year back. Only the mugger got away, which turned out bad for him in the long run."

My sip of wine seems to suck the moisture out of my mouth instead of drenching it in warmth. "How so?"

"The thief ended up deranged and blind somehow. He died two weeks after being captured by suicide." Rasiel leans back and takes up her menu, but her eyes are on me intently.

She couldn't be watching for any emotion on my part, could she?

I'm wanted. My alter-ego, Lamprey, I should say. He's the society labeled radical-anti-hero who makes the ones who prey on the fearful watch their step. Dale's mugger was one of my merciful endeavors, though.

"Dale told me all that, and I find it both tragic and right." This time it's my eyes that wait for a reaction.

Rasiel sighs and says, "Tragic it is, and as for right, maybe it is, and maybe it isn't." She jolts a hand out to stop a waiter, "Hun, can I get a piece of chocolate cake here please," her big brown eyes look over to me, "Barton would you like one too?"

"You want dessert before dinner?" I'm taken aback.

Her face scrunches up, "It's more like I'll have it for dinner." She chuckles as she waits for me to answer her question.

"No, but the dinner platter would be great thank you." The waiter nods with a fake smile and runs along to put in the order.

We talk for a while about the state of things and we even healthily debate about what's really justice. The more we talk, the more I notice she grips the stem of her wine glass a little too hard. She lets out a sigh after a while and softly laughs, "You are dangerous Mr. Barton Jules."

Her eyes look me over. "Beautiful and intelligent, funny and charismatic, and above all passionate, but the air of danger seems thick around you," she starts to stand, "tell me if you had the power would you be a Hero or would you be a Judge?"

This line of questioning is setting off alarms, but she hasn't accused me of anything, so it is still best to feign ignorance for now.

"A Hero." My answer is a blatant lie but surely she couldn't know that.

Rasiel walks over to me and plants a kiss on my cheek, it tingles and ignites a great calm in me. "You would make a great one, I can tell," she nods as she goes on, "I agree you wouldn't make a good Judge."

My fingers turn a bit stiff at her declaration, "Oh, and why is that?"

"At first perhaps, but I have a feeling that if- and when- you'd find the truth, the truth would kill you. Finding out you're no better than the villains you put down," she clicks her tongue, "I'm afraid you'd eradicate yourself to be noble. And again, you are too many good things to end in such a way." Searching her eyes I see something like forbidden knowledge pass through them, but again I remind myself I'm too careful for her to know anything about me.

"It's good I have no power then." I search her expression for clues.

Her smile arises and she responds, "Yes, it is good that you don't." She plants another kiss, only this time on my lips, but forget about calm; this kiss is pure ecstasy.

"Goodnight, Barton. Call me if you want a second date," she starts to walk away.

I rush to stand and get dizzy for some reason, so I have to shout, "Wait where are you going?"

She turns around and points to the wristwatch that is now glowing red, "Someone needs a hero!"

My heart picks up pace, "Wa-wait, what do you mean? Why does it have to be you? Come back!" Rasiel doesn't stop walking away and I can't get rid of this weird dizziness, so I plop back down, knowing it's best to call a service to take me home.

Once the service arrives, I get in and reflect on my date. Rasiel was unexpected. She was glamorous and intelligent, flirty, and underneath I could feel her untapped power. It is evident I want to get to know her better because I don't mind we didn't hook up. Except I probably won't ever see her again because it's clear she suspects me of something.

I would have noticed the service driver panic as he abruptly stopped the car if I had been paying attention. As he does, my head whiplashes forward, and my body harshly presses against my seat belt. A series of explosions and rumbles are right before us.

Plants that shriek and move are shielding a crawling woman in the middle of the street. The noises make the driver get out to run away.

Well, at least he's not stupid.

Luckily for the woman I am, I get out and start to run to her. Getting closer, I realize it's Rasiel. Her eyes widen as she sees me coming. She frantically waves for me to stop, turn around, and run. Suddenly a blaze rips through the barricade of living foliage.

It's a man wearing a frightening goblin mask that combusts with flames, flames that do not burn him. The eyes of a demon find me, and he hurls a blade engulfed in fire straight at me. I freeze for the first time in my life instead of preparing to dodge.

But the blade never hits me because Rasiel gets up and takes it for me. Out of my daze, I run the rest of the way and catch her in my arms.

"Rasiel, God, you idiot," I try to apply pressure, but by the look of her, it's not going to make a difference.

"NN-Not for m-ee Lamm-p-prey, not f-for m-me," her voice softly fades away, and something within me does too.

The something called Lamprey.