Free Killing Capes by Scott Mathy Page A

wire. Effortlessly, it split in half along the line where it touched the steel. The slice, clean and even, brought a smile to B’s face. They rewound the cable into the pistol and went back to waiting. This time, B sat quietly, eagerly anticipating the show that was about to happen outside.
    As the time approached, Dwight pulled the Doc’s device from his pack. She said it would begin working when her borrowed satellites detected Killstreak’s signature coming toward them. At the moment, there were no indications of it even being on.
    His best estimates figured he would need at least two seconds for the cable to cross the city street outside and embed itself in the wall. Once there, B’s job was to hold it tight while Dwight triggered the distraction. The monolithic Uni-Comm building loomed over them at the dead end a few blocks away, traffic breaking to the left and right against the building’s main entrance. For as long as anyone could remember, the tower had been an eyesore in New Haven’s skyline. Its dark, unremarkable faces did nothing compared to the architectural marvels surrounding it. Dwight imagined he was doing good taste a solid favor tonight.
    The meter unexpectedly chirped; a bright red blip appeared on its display. Rapidly accelerating numbers tracked a single object barreling toward them. The dot was presently four miles up the road following the path Wulf’s profile had anticipated. Watching the numbers carefully, Dwight removed the phone from his pocket and typed in the set of numbers Wulf had texted him that afternoon. He stopped just short of placing the call.
    With a quick hand gesture, Dwight signaled B. His partner got up, bracing himself against the counter. He took aim through the open doorway and pulled the trigger. The pistol fired with a sharp, whistling release. The spooled cable rocketed across the road, its barbs burying themselves in the opposing concrete wall. B clamped down with all his massive strength, holding the grip tight against his chest. Dwight anxiously watched the numbers race by. As they crossed eight hundred feet from their position, he pressed the send key.
    Instantly, the top ten floors of the Uni-Comm building exploded. The rubble soared into the night, raining huge chunks over the surrounding structures. Dwight had to give Wulf credit: his Associates knew how to blow something up. Wide-scale carnage was, if nothing else, a perfect way to get a Power’s attention. The cataclysm above was enough to draw his eyes off his immediate path.
    Predictably, a man-sized red blur charged through the wire. The next moment, that streak split into two. Both objects disappeared into the gray veil cascading from the falling wreckage. B let the pistol and its attached line drop to the floor. They waited for the initial cloud of dust to overtake their hiding place before stepping out.
    B let out a throaty laugh despite the concrete debris filling the air. “ ‘e never saw that shit, did ‘e!?” As they searched through the thick haze for the remains of the speedster, it became apparent this wasn’t going to be easy.
    Dwight tore a piece of his sleeve and held it to his face. It didn’t stop the dust from stinging his eyes, but at least he’d be inhaling less of the hazardous cloud while they hunted for the body. Wulf had assured them that he could keep the emergency crews away for only about fifteen minutes. The Capes would surely be swarming soon; they’d have to use the cover of the dust to confirm the kill and escape.
    After several minutes of blindly wandering up the street, Dwight finally came across the impact site. The speeding body had careened from its original course to the right and slammed full-force into a brick wall. The wet stain from the collision caused the dust to cake to the wall in a grotesque splatter.
    B tapped Dwight on the shoulder before carrying on looking for the missing head; they needed to confirm the entire body for Wulf to consider the job a