[Autumn, year 20XX]
From an alley, a feral cat darts onto the sidewalk, yowling as it weaves through pant legs and stockings. A number of morning coffees spill into metal drains as passersby jump back in surprise. The cat, in directionless escape, runs into oncoming traffic resulting in a string of wayside vehicles. In a matter of moments, the city block is filled with the smell of squealing tires and burnt asphalt.
Fortunately, a police cruiser around the bend watched the whole ordeal unfold. The cop inside sets his breakfast sandwich on the dashboard and hauls himself out of the car. "Another morning, eh?" He assures his partner that he can handle it, then struts onto the scene with celebrity pompous, taking his sweet time, and scoops the poor kitty up from the road. After fitting it into his uniform pocket, he inspects the unharmed drivers. Before the people can cheer for the cat's safety, the cop takes out his notepad and starts handing out tickets.
"Oh, what the hell man?"—"...You piece of sh-"—"Someone needs to fire you."
"Just doing my job, people. Sorry, but you all should've been better drivers. This poor baby almost got smushed because of you."
From the police cruiser, the cop partner bangs his head against the window, completely done with the man's antics. Just as he is about to get out of the car to stop his partner, a flicker in the distance catches his attention.
From the alley that the cat ran from, a shadow walks out. Taking advantage of the street distraction, it weaves listlessly through the crowd and slips into a neighboring alley.
The cop is intrigued. Whatever scared the cat must have had something to do with this individual. He abandons his partner to the growing heat of the crowd and walks towards the alley. At this point, the drivers have gotten out of their cars to pelt the ticket-giving cop with tomatoes from the food stalls placed conveniently nearby.
As the man crosses the sidewalk, he hears clanking and metallic footsteps from the alley. He takes off his gloves letting the feel of anticipation heat his hands. The sidewalk has cleared meaning there won't be witnesses for what is to come.
He bursts into the alley.
No one is here.
"Hello? Anybody there?"
His measured steps take him deeper into the darkness. He wonders if the figure has already fled using the fire escape on the side of the rusted building. Nevertheless, he keeps his hands out and ready. It's been a minute since the man's gone gloveless, so he isn't sure if the sweat of his palms is that of excitement or fear. He hopes to get some practice in today.
His boot bumps into a pile of metal scraps causing a few rats to scamper out. If he used the bits of metal junk they could serve as flying darts, but that would take too much concentration, he thinks. How is he supposed to do this again?
As the man contemplates what to do with himself, the cloaked figure crouching behind a pile of trashbags draws its hood further down its head. Whatever they were planning to do was interrupted by the strange man wandering into the alley. Perhaps it would be best to knock the man out, the figure thinks, and scoops a fistful of rubble from the ground. With closed eyes and a few breaths, the rocks slowly fuse together within the open palms.
"Aha!" The cop shouts having neared the hiding spot. "I've caught y-" Before the man can finish, a sponge-holed rock is hurled at his head. His reflexes kick in telling him to duck, and the rock misses him by hairs. It smashes onto the ground, exploding into chunks of pebble debris.
"Whoa!" The cop looks up in time to see the figure turning the corner of the alley. This is no longer a curiosity; he needs to know who this person is. He crouches down so his hands can touch his boots and when he stands back up he is running through the alley with inhuman speed. His footsteps crackle against the pavement, and he gets close enough to tug the figure's hood off.
Rich layers of wavy brown hair flow free. She turns to look at the man as he tumbles into her, her eyebrows stitched with disgust. Why is this weirdo following me? The cop tries to break their fall by grabbing onto the metal fence behind her, but they both fall hard onto the ground, wincing.
"Sorry, I couldn't control my speed. Are you alright, miss?"
Despite half of her face being concealed by a mask, the cop realizes she is a child perhaps not more than fifteen. She pushes herself off the ground, giving him the stink eye.
The man coughs, embarrassed. "Well, I wasn't sure at first, but now that I've witnessed it for myself… You did something to the cat, didn't you?
"Just, wow. I've never heard of that before." He laughs. "You know it's illegal, right?"
The girl stills, finally speaking, "...And how would you know that?"
"That cat ran out of the alley you were in. It had five legs."
"So? What if the cat was born like that? You seem like a regular cop, you're not even an inspector, so this isn't your job."
"I'm like twice your age... Besides, you definitely tried assaulting me with that rock grenade a moment ago."
"..."
With her back turned to the fence, the girl's fingers wrap around the wires. With a blink, the entire fence softens into a net. Her pointer finger flicks, directing the mesh to fling itself around the cop, who can do nothing but shout in surprise. As soon as it touches his body, the net hardens back to metal again.
The girl looks at him with pity and says, "that trick with the shoes? So primitive." She pats him on the head. "It's okay. You'll learn." With that she merges into the shadows once again.
"So? What if the cat was born like that? You seem like a regular cop, you're not even an inspector, so ."
"I'm like twice your age... Besides, you definitely tried assaulting me with that rock grenade a moment ago."
"..."
With her back turned to the fence, the girl's fingers wrap around the wires. With a blink, the entire fence softens into a net. Her pointer finger flicks, directing the mesh to fling itself around the cop, who can do nothing but shout in surprise. As soon as it touches his body, the net hardens into its metal form again.
The girl looks at him with pity and says, "that trick with the shoes? So primitive." She pats him on the head. "It's okay. You'll learn." With that she merges into the shadows once again.