Chapter 16 - The Alley of justice

Every night for the past few weeks, Zack and I have been going around and putting a stop to the Red Steel gang. Slowly but surely we started seeing less and less of those creeps walking around the city. We had officially made a name for ourselves. The people started calling us the Alley of Justice, Knight, and wizard. We were full-fledged superheroes now. Although Zack was a bit of a handful to take care of… He had an issue using his real voice, way too much when we were in 'costume' (which were nothing more than glorified hoodies.) He even tried to actually burn someone's nuts off! I thought he was just kidding about that! Nevertheless, we were fortunate enough to not be caught yet. People kept trying to impersonate us and claim they were the Knight and Wizard, trying to take credit for our work.

Which only prompted them to get attacked by the Red Steel gang and police… With them basically going underground now, we have a lot more free time. However, tonight was an odd night. This was the first time in weeks we heard screaming for help coming from the streets. I and Zack were on the scene.

I slowly crept around the corner of the alleyway, trying to see if I could get a better look. I saw what seemed to be a man holding out a knife at a woman. The man was around six feet tall with a hoodie on that covered most of his face, and a familiar Steel Beam bandanna tied to his arm. But something was off about this, he wasn't even threatening her. He was just looking around like he was expecting something to happen.

"Hurry up and go! My butt hurts from sitting like this!" Zack yelled in a whisper voice.

"Shut up you nimrod! Something's up. I think it's a trap." I whispered over to him.

"Who gives a damn! They ain't got nothing on me!" Zack cheered getting up and running around the corner.

I tried to reach and stop him, but he was already gone. Crap! He just let our position go! I stood up quickly and followed after him. As soon as I turned the corner, I saw the man with the knife smiling widely at us.

"Now!" He yelled.

Suddenly people sprung up from all around us, all Red Steel gang members. My eyes grew wide at the sight before us, each person had some serious firepower on them, rifles, shotguns, A-K's, etc.

"We finally got you, Alley of Justice, you guys are idiots you know that right? Thinking you can shove us around any way you like?" The guy with the knife started going on and on about how we fell for such an obvious trap.

But his supervillain monologue was interrupted by Zacks, hysterical laughter.

"You're the idiots! Oh, man! You guys are killing me! You really think you're a match for me!" Zack said as he fell to the ground laughing, holding onto his sides.

The guy with the shotgun, however, didn't seem too pleased with his laughing though.

"Keep laughing punk!" He yelled as he fired off a round at Zack.

Zack kept laughing as he slowly stood up. The bullets seemingly stopped in mid-air, halfway toward us. Then they fell to the ground like pebbles. Zack's laughing was just a distraction, so he could use a spell. Zack gave the awed eyed Gang member a wicked grin. His palms had a faint pink glow illuminating off them. A few others shot again and again at the force field, but the same result occurred each time.

"You guys have no idea how bad you messed up. Mr. Knight, Beans blocked the only exit, you can attack now." Zack said, looking over his shoulder to me. I smiled slightly and nodded.

"On it." I replied, manifesting an Albion sword.

I could see some of them shaking, as reality had finally set in. They thought they had trapped us, but it was us who had them trapped. I slowly stepped forward toward them, as they seemed to panic fire at me. I didn't even bat an eye, as all the bullets just hit the force field. I activated my eyes and I swear I could see the guy with the knife piss himself. I readied myself and ran out of the force field at them. Dodging their shots with ease. Then one by one, I slashed their guns in half and bashed the end of my sword into their heads. Knocking each and every member out.

"Alright wrap them up, Wizard," I called out to Zack, making my sword vanish from my hands into the sparkling blue dust.

"Rodger, Rodger!" Zack replied as he said his enchantment calmly and slowly.

Vines then erupted from the ground below them, wrapping each and every one of them up. I walked over to the lady, who was on the ground staring up at us in awe.

"Are you alright miss? " I asked reaching out my hand to her and helping her up.

She had long brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a tight red business dress with red heels on. She looked pretty, she had makeup on like she was going out somewhere. She looked to be in her twenties, maybe early thirties.

"Alley of Justice knight… You're real." She said in complete shock.

"Yes, we are real," I said kindly back to her with a smile.

"Bill! Get the camera! Get the camera!" She shouted, jumping back from me. A cameraman came from behind a dumpster rolling a big camera at my face (I almost stabbed him.)

I jumped back some, and Zack ran over to my side. "We're rolling live on channel thirty-three news! With your host Ella! Please, heroes, tell us! Is there any message you like to give to the public!" She asked, holding a mic up to my mask. And my mind went blank.

"U-ummm" I stammered out before Zack pushed me over and got all in the camera.

"To all you lovely ladies out there. The Alley of Justice Wizard, yes the sexy beast that I am! Is single! I would appreciate all the praise and gif-" I got up fast and shield bashed him away from the camera. He was using his real voice again...

"Ignore him, please. We don't require any thanks for doing this at all. Were just some people who were tired of the way things were. Anyone can be a hero. You don't have to fight crime to be one either. Just open your eyes to the things around you. And see what you can do to make a change."I said softly in my hero voice.

The camera lady seemed to like it. But now I was out of things to say, I started to mentally panic.

"That was gay." I heard Zack groan as sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Crap!" I shrieked looking to Zack

"Umm Knight! We need to get the heffle out of here!" Zack yelled getting up off the ground.

I nodded and turned to run. But I stopped when I felt the ground shake underneath me, like something giant had dropped down next to us. Then I felt a big rough hand snatch me up and shoot off into the night sky. I didn't panic though, I knew this feeling all too well by now. It was Bean. His invisibility power can engulf whatever it touches, so he helped make great getaways.

"Well, our name is definitely out there now huh!?" Zack cheered over the rustling winds.

I smiled and nodded, letting the rushing wind take me away.

"Totally!" I cheered.

Soon we landed, and Bean set us down in the woods.

"Our first interview… and I totally blew it! Open your eyes to the world around yu? That was so corny!" I groaned as I took off my mask.

"Relax, you totally gave the people what they wanted to hear. People eat up that Superman crap." Zack replied, taking his mask off." But I can't imagine why you expected me to not let these fine ladies know that the sexy Wizard was available!" He cheered with a snicker as he started walking away down the trail.

"If only you had a brain to match," I said under my breath.

"What was that?" He roared back to me.

He stopped walking now and got in my face. I nearly hacked as his hot breath strolled its way into my nostrils.

"Dude your breath reeks!" I groaned walking ahead of him." How do you expect to get all the single ladies with hot breath like that!"

"At least Alexis loves my breath!" He fired back, then cupped his hands over his mouth immediately after.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that," I said cheerfully.

He slowly backed away from me, as I stepped closer. I smiled at him as I put my hand on his forearm. Blue speckles appeared around his arms, and then the heaviest, biggest gauntlets I could think of manifested over him. He yelped and fell forward on the ground.

"Bean!" he cried out.

"You used up too much magic. You can't summon Bean for at least eight hours" I said with a devilish smirk.

"C-come on Stryder, you know you I was kidding right?" Zack stammered looking nervous now.

He was desperately trying to yank his arms up, but he wasn't remotely strong enough.

"Maybe sleeping in the woods tonight might humble you up some, hmm?" I said with a chuckle.

"Come on dude! Don't leave me here! The squirrels are gonna come! Their nature's gangsters!" Zack cried out desperately.

"Oh fine, fine, you're lucky I'm nice" I undid the gauntlets on him.

We both continued to walk back to my house together in silence. We eventually successfully snuck into my apartment from the fire escape window, or so I thought... When I stepped inside I saw lux standing there, waiting on us.

"So Stryder, mind telling me where you've been?" She said hopping over to me with the, I caught ya grin.

"I was uh, trying to see if I could see those Alley of Justice guys. Yeah! Me and Zack wanted to meet them. S-sorry I snuck out." I stammered out.

"Oh really? Is that you why have this!" Lux said, snatching my mask from my hoodie pocket. Zack stared wide-eyed at me, I was at a loss for words.

"That's just an uh, a replica of the Knight's mask. You know I am a huge fan of the Alley of Justice and all." I replied softly.

My sister knows when I lie to her. I was finished. She has been acting suspicious of me for a while now. A week ago I sent Zack out with my mask and a sword, pretending to be me. I was hoping to throw her off the trail but Zack had way too much fun being me. Biggest mistake of my life, so that never happened again.

"Yeah we were running around looking for them," Zack said, adding into the conversation with his calm and sincere tone.

"Oh really? Because I'm single ladies, the sexy Wizard of Justice! You didn't even change your voice!" Lux said moving her attention toward the dodo brained Zack.

"Hey, that wizard just knows he's a sexy beast I guess," Zack replied.

"I'll give you a kiss on the cheek if you tell me, Zackie poo," Lux said in his ear seductively.

She even gave him a little wink. Zack looked over at me for a millisecond.

"Yep, it's us." Zack said quickly with a giant grin on his face.

I facepalmed and groaned at this neanderthal.

"Ha!" Lux cheered, triumphantly pointing at me with a wicked grin on her face.

"Now how about my little smoochy?" Zack asked, closing his eyes and turning his cheek her way.

She kissed her hand and smacked Zack in the face. Zack creepily oohed and ahhed in excitement.

"Finally! One step closer to kids and the white picket fence!" I was so pissed, I walked over and decked Zack in the face.

He fell back and landed in my dirty laundry basket.

"Worth.. it" he coughed out, remaining in my basket.

"You idiot!" I yelled.

"Dude! You have to tell me how this happened" Lux cheered running over to me.

She was smiling ear to ear. Then right before I could even speak, I heard my Goddesses voice whispering in my ear.

"Remember the rules young Stryder, no telling about us." As fast as it came, it vanished.

My sister looked concerned for me. Did she hear the voice? Or was it my reaction?

"You okay Stryder? You look like you've seen a ghost?" Lux asked sitting back on the couch.

I relaxed a bit, she didn't hear the Goddess.

"I-I'm fine, just umm a little nervous is all" I stammered back to her.

She patted the seat next to her, and I sat down. She cracked open a coke can and awaited my response.

"Well it umm, it all started a few weeks ago, when I was walking out at night with Zack. We both saw this shooting star and made a wish. Believe it or not it came true" I said looking away from her. I knew if she looked into my eyes, she could tell I was lying.

"Really? A shooting star huh?" She sounded very unamused. "Well I don't buy that." She said bluntly. She paused for a minute, seemingly waiting for me to reply. But I was at a loss for words at this point." But I know you wouldn't lie to me, unless it was important. So I'm not gonna pry. But next time, if something big happens to you like this, you better tell me!" She said putting me in a headlock and giving me a noogie.

"Alright, Alright I gotcha next time!" I said begging to be freed.

"Well just make sure you stay safe. You don't have anything to prove you know?" She said looking back at me.

I looked down at my hands and smiled.

"I know I don't. This is just something I have to do. I feel like this could be my calling, my purpose ya know?" I replied softly.

"Yeah, I get it." She replied softly back, but it sounded like she had more to say. But she just stopped. "Well anyway, Dad's probably over some woman's house. There's pizza in the fridge if you want. I'm gonna go catch some z's, night dork" She said walking off into her room.

I looked over at Zack, who had fallen fast asleep in my dirty clothes. Serves him right I suppose. I ate some cold pizza and watched the moon for a bit before I went to sleep. I can't believe this is actually a thing. We've really made a name for ourselves, everyone knows about our personas. It's kind of creepy actually, hearing everyone talking about us inadvertently.

Girls fantasizing over us, conspiracy theories argued and made about us. Zack would always enter those conversations and make up some half-baked theory. Usually on the lines of them, or us I should say, being a failed government experiment. Bent on messing up the establishment, or something like that. Even with all of Zack's mess-ups, the way he talks about the Ally of Justice makes it hard to pin him as the Wizard. He even went around saying he was the Wizard, but no one bought it. I started to act like a fanboy of the Knight since everyone expected me to be obsessed with him... It's really weird to talk about myself so much. It's a little hard when Alexis starts talking about the knight. Such an easy way to impress her… I needed to stop.