Night Patrol

Glint left the Crusader's headquarters just before midnight, ermerging into the well-lit streets of the Commercial district. Glowing faintly, he passed beneath a streetlamp, causing it to flicker. The district seemed quiet, so he strolled along the street instead of flying through the air--which meant, of course, that he was vulnerable to attack, as he was not when he flew, since flying required him to turn into light. As he walked along, turning down a dark alleyway without hesitation, he was as mortal and killable as anyone in the city.

The Witch was scaling the roofs of the Commercial District. It was easier to shoot with a sniper from rooftop, that way no one will know where the shot came from. She prepared her sniper then looked through the scope. "What a pretty young thing." said Crimson as she spotted a young blonde walking the streets with a man at least twice her age. The blonde stopped and began arguing with the man. "Perrrfect." Crimson aimed then squeezed the trigger. A loud boom was heard then blonde dropped dead. "Sorry, deary."

Glint heard the gunshot and stopped walking. The sound wasn't far away. The devices in his helmet amplified the sounds around him. He heard the gunshot and--shortly after it--the cries of a man screaming for help. Pressing against his helmet, Glint turned the device off. He could still hear the man; he was close--a few streets away maybe.

Frederich Glint took the air with a brilliant flash. He shot through the sky and, spotting the man, came down not far from where he had been. The man was craddling a woman with a hole in her head in his arms and crying frantically. She was already dead, Glint was sure. Too caught up in finding the man, and not expecting it to have been a sniper's work, the Crusader hadn't even seen Crimson Witch on the roof. He was busy, now, trying to find out what had happened--the man was in too much of a state to give him even a single clear sentance.

The Witch's eyes widened as a Crusader suddenly appeared. This would be a perfect chance to kill him. Should she run or take the shot? She breathed in slowly to calm her heart beat. You couldn't aim well if your heart was going 200 mph. She aimed at the Crusader's head then slowly started to squeeze the trigger.

"C-came outta--outta nowhere!" the man was saying. His face was covered in tears.

"Who came out of nowhere?" said Glint, holding the man's shoulders. "Sir, I know you're distressed but you need to speak clearly. Was it a mugger?"

The man only shook his head. "I was, I was--we were jus', jus' talkin' and then..."

Glint didn't hear the shot, but he did feel the bullet hit him, and go clean through his chest. It rocketed out of his lung and hit the man in the heart. Glint staggered to one side as the man fell to the ground. The Crusader looked around, grabbing his chest. He expected to see someone with a gun, but saw only the empty street. The former astronaut wheezed and staggered, his blood oozing heavily from the exit wound in his chest, staining his white uniform and the sidewalk. "G-guh--where d-did...?"

Crimson Witch laughed, a loud wicked laugh. "Crusader my ass! I thought you could do better than that Freddy!" she shouted. "Should I get double points for shootin' two men at the same time? Highscore baby!"

"R-roof?" wheezed Glint, looking around. Between the darkness and the wound, he wouldn't have much strength to fight, but he had to try. With a flash--far dimmer than before--he took to the air, leaving the streetlights to flicker. He circled over the buildings, looking around for the sniper he'd heard.

"Damn it." muttered The Witch as she saw Glint still alive. She couldn't get a good shot since he was flying. Shooting randomly up at the sky would just draw him nearer, looks like running for it will be necessary. She ran over to the stairs were she once came from then disappeared into the building.

Glint cirlced over the buildings looking for his assailant, but it was hard to concentrate with the hole in his chest and the loss of so much blood. Resigning to the fact that he couldn't find them, he wheeled around and headed back toward the Crusaders HQ, making for the medical wing.