Chapter 17 : Back To Work
The electronics store closed at 9 PM.
I watched from a rooftop three blocks away, binoculars tracking the employees as they locked up and departed. The last car pulled out of the parking lot at 9:47. Security lights activated. Alarm systems armed.
The crew would arrive in approximately two hours.
I'd tracked their pattern for three nights during my "hiatus"—surveillance didn't count as hunting, I'd told myself, though the system had disagreed. They hit high-end electronics stores after midnight, targeting inventory rooms rather than display floors. Nighteye served as lookout, his enhanced vision spotting threats that ordinary eyes would miss.
[TARGET CONFIRMED: "NIGHTEYE"] [ABILITY: ENHANCED NIGHT VISION — D-TIER] [EXTRACTION COMPLEXITY: LOW]
Low complexity. After Tank's raw strength and Ghost's unstable phasing, a straightforward sensory enhancement felt almost like a reward.
I settled in to wait.
The hours passed slowly. I ate a protein bar—my metabolism still demanded constant fuel—and reviewed the approach one final time. The crew would enter through the loading dock, work for approximately forty-five minutes, and exit the same way. Nighteye would maintain his rooftop position throughout, then descend via fire escape once the others were clear.
That descent was my window.
At 11:52 PM, a van pulled into the alley behind the store. Four figures emerged—dark clothing, professional movements, the body language of people who'd done this many times before. They bypassed the security system in under three minutes and disappeared inside.
Nighteye climbed to his perch thirty seconds later.
I watched him settle into position. He moved with confidence, trusting his enhanced vision to catch any approaching threats. From his vantage point, he could see both approaches to the store, the alley, and most of the surrounding block.
What he couldn't see was the rooftop behind him.
I'd chosen my position specifically for that blind spot. Even enhanced vision had limitations—Nighteye's ability gave him superior low-light perception, not three-hundred-sixty-degree awareness.
The crew worked efficiently. I tracked their movements through the store's windows, counting down the minutes. Forty-two minutes after entry, they emerged with loaded duffel bags and piled into the van.
The van pulled away. Nighteye remained.
He held his position for exactly ten minutes—standard counter-surveillance protocol—then moved toward the fire escape.
I was already descending.
The fire escape ended in a narrow service alley between the store and its neighbor. Poor lighting, limited sightlines, no witnesses at this hour. Nighteye dropped from the final ladder with practiced ease, landing in a crouch.
I stepped out of the shadows five feet away.
"Don't—"
The taser caught him mid-word. Both probes connected with his chest, fifty thousand volts overriding conscious thought. His body seized, muscles locking involuntarily.
I closed the distance before the charge faded.
Tank had taught me speed mattered. Ghost had taught me positioning. This time, I had Nighteye restrained in under ten seconds—zip ties on wrists, knee in his back, palm pressed flat against his neck.
[EXTRACTION INITIATED — MAINTAIN CONTACT]
The fire came. I was prepared for it now—knew what to expect, had learned to breathe through the agony instead of fighting it. The power flowed from Nighteye into my system, integrating with cellular structures that had adapted to accept stolen abilities.
Twenty seconds. Thirty. Nighteye's struggles weakened as the extraction progressed. No screaming this time—the taser had left him too disoriented to vocalize much beyond weak groans.
Forty-five seconds. Fifty.
[EXTRACTION COMPLETE — 65%] [POWER ACQUIRED: NIGHT VISION] [SYNC RATE: 15%]
I released him and stood. The whole operation had taken less than ninety seconds.
Nighteye lay motionless on the concrete—breathing, but unconscious. Whatever enhanced perception he'd possessed, most of it now belonged to me. He'd wake up confused, diminished, unable to explain what had happened.
Another victim for the meta-hunter investigation. Another data point for Team Flash to analyze.
But this one wouldn't lead them anywhere. No witnesses. No evidence. Just another criminal reporting impossible symptoms to cops who didn't believe him.
I retrieved the spent taser probes, checked for any other traces of my presence, and walked away.
The night swallowed me whole.
Three blocks from home, I tested the new power.
The activation was intuitive—a mental command that shifted something behind my eyes. The dark alley transformed instantly. Shadows gained depth and definition. Distant shapes resolved into crisp detail. A rat moving along a fence line became clearly visible despite being nearly a hundred meters away.
[NIGHT VISION — ACTIVE] [SYNC RATE: 15%] [CONTROL: BASIC]
The world in night-vision mode had a green tint—not like the military goggles I'd seen in movies, but similar in effect. Light amplification rather than heat detection. Everything visible became clearer, sharper, more defined.
I watched the rat until it disappeared around a corner. Then I deactivated the power and continued walking.
Three abilities now. Strength, phasing, and vision. The beginning of a collection that would eventually make me something this world had never seen.
[STORAGE CAPACITY: 3/3 — FULL] [UPGRADE AVAILABLE: +2 CAPACITY — 200 PP]
The notification blinked insistently. I checked my point total—330, minus the cost of the upgrade would leave 130. Manageable.
I made the purchase.
[STORAGE CAPACITY: 3 → 5] [POWER POINTS: 130]
[RANK UP AVAILABLE — REQUIREMENTS MET] [CONFIRM RANK ADVANCEMENT: F → E]
I confirmed.
The sensation was unlike anything I'd experienced before. A wave of... integration, for lack of a better word. The powers I carried settled more deeply into my cellular structure. The system interface sharpened, displaying more detailed information than before.
[RANK: E] [LEVEL: 14] [EXTRACTION SUCCESS RATE: IMPROVED] [POWER RETENTION: IMPROVED]
Progress. Real, measurable progress.
I climbed the stairs to my apartment with a smile on my face. Tomorrow, I'd return to STAR Labs. Return to Caitlin. Return to the life I was building on a foundation of stolen power and careful lies.
The system was satisfied. My headaches were gone. And I had room for two more abilities in my growing collection.
The hunt was back on.
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