“What do you mean, it’s too long?” Marcus asked.

Mama gestured, spreading her hands apart.

“Wide? You mean it’s too wide?”

“TV is square, son. I don’t know where you got this thing, but it’s wrong.”

“It’s a widescreen TV, Mama. All TVs are gonna be like this soon.”

Marcus glanced at the thirty two inch plasma HDTV that he had bought for his mother when her old one was hit by a stray bullet. An orange juice commercial was playing, with luscious juice pouring into a glass. He had turned the sound down so he could talk to Mama.

“Maybe this would be okay for movies,” Mama said.“They wide in the theater. But my shows are square.”

“I came over because I was worried, Mama,” Marcus said.“Mrs. Hornby called me and said you been making excuses, not letting your friends come over.”

“I don’t have to let nobody come over if I don’t want.”

“Is it the TV?”

“The picture ain’t right. I don’t want them to see the bad picture.”

The orange juice on the screen looked so real Marcus was sure he could reach in, pick up the frosty glass, and chug the sweet, cold drink.

“Mama, this is the state of the art. All TV is changing to digital, and...”

“Digital?” Mama asked. I told you I don’t want no computer in this house.”

Marcus covered his face with his hand and sighed. He tried to steer around this earlier battle.“Naw, it ain’t a computer. It’s just a new kind of TV picture, is all, and...”

Mama was in her stubborn mode, and nothing Marcus said was going to help. He was just so frustrated with her refusal to accept all the things that his high paying job could get for her. She still lived in the old neighborhood, where stray bullets were common, she still had her fifteen year old car, and any mention of a computer so he could teach her to email was met with stony resistance.

“...and, I’ll see if I can find a square TV for you.”

“I knew you was a good boy, Marcus.”

There was a knock on the door..

Marcus instantly changed from a frustrated son to a trained special forces operative. In a second he was next to the door, taking down his holstered Glock from the hook where Mama made him hang it. He pulled back the slide to put a round in the chamber, then stood to one side of the door.

“Who is it?” Marcus asked.

“It’s me.”

“What?” Marcus opened the door to reveal his friend and boss Randall Moss standing on the porch. “The hell?” he said.“It’s my job to keep you alive and you running around alone in this neighborhood?”

Randall entered the house and nodded at Mama.“Evening, Mrs. Slater.”

Marcus made sure no one else was lurking outside and closed the door.

“Randy!” Mama said, and stood up.“You want some lemonade? Made fresh today.”

“Well,” Randall said,“I just wanted to borrow Marcus, if that’s alright.”

“Sit and have some lemonade and cookies,” Mama said. She left the room in the direction of the kitchen.

“I don’t have much time,” Randall said.

“It can’t be all that important,” Mama’s voice came from the other room.“I ain’t seen you in forever, you can’t just rush off.”

Randall said softly to Marcus,“Life and death. Not kidding.”

“We gotta go, Mama,” Marcus called out as he buckled his shoulder holster in place.

Mama reappeared in the living room, with a plate of cookies, glasses, and a pitcher of lemonade on a tray.“I know you boys are not going to rush off without even trying my cookies.”

“It’s very important, Mrs. Slater,” Randall said.“There’s an, um, emergency at my company.”

“I said I know you are not leaving without trying my cookies.”

“She does make very good cookies,” Randall said as he slid behind the wheel of the black van. He popped the last of his cookie into his mouth.

Marcus put the plastic glasses full of lemonade into the two cup holders on the dashboard.“She said we have to return these glasses, or else.”

“Suit up while I drive,” Randall said. He started the engine of the van and backed out of the driveway. The headlights played over the cars parked along the street and the modest houses.

“What’s up?” Marcus asked as he turned on a work light in the back of the van.. He braced himself as Randall took the first turn. This wasn’t going to be easy while Randall drove like a maniac.

“I’ve been listening to the phone traffic of that operation I traced earlier.”

“Up in Little Armenia.”

“Glendale, yeah, but they move it. Tonight it’s near Culver City, not far from here.”

“And?” Marcus started to lay out all the pieces of the suit, as best he could with the van speeding and stopping.

“Two heroes are in trouble. I think they’re trying to protect an old lady.”

“From villains? Powered?” The leg pieces went on first, Marcus sat as he attached them and made sure the power connections were tight.“This suit does not make me a match for real powers.”

“Yeah, but when you hook up with the heroes it’ll be three to two.”

“The villains are?”

“One called Faster, and I think you’ll like this,” Randall said, steering wildly.

“Like what?”

“You get another shot at your friend Buzz Kill.”

“Oh, I like that. I like it a lot.”

*****

The insect-like buzz passed over Randall and Marcus. The van was hidden in shadow in an alley.

“He’s looking for something,” Randall said.“He’s circling around.” Randall was wearing a pair of headphones that was plugged into a console in the van.

“Thing about buzz boy, I can hear him coming,” Marcus said.“Who’s the other one, and what does he do?” He performed the final test of the suit’s electronics, the little screen on his left forearm giving all green indicators.

“He calls himself Faster. I think you can guess his power.”

“It’s either running fast or coming up with lame villain names.”

“Both,” Randall grinned.“They’re talking to each other on cell phones, coordinating the search.”

“Searching for what?”

“The two heroes - all I get about them is that Buzz Kill is really mad at one of them - interrupted a drug buy. They took some of the merchandise. BK wants it back and he wants to hurt them bad.”

“What about the old lady?”

Randall shook his head.“Faster swears he’s going to kill her, but I don’t know what she has to do with this. I’ll patch this into the cell phone in your helmet, you can hear what they’re saying.”

Marcus pulled open the sliding door of the van.

As he slid through the shadows a ringing started in his ears. It took him a moment to remember how to use the built in cell phone. There was a dialing pad under the same screen that had showed the suit’s systems status. When he pressed the green button it changed to show an incoming call.

“I’m here,” Marcus said.

“Here is the patch to the villains,” Randall said.“Oh, and did I mention that I’ll be a few miles away?”

Marcus turned just in time to see the black van pulling out of the alley.

“The hell you going?”

“I’m going to see how they send villains all over the city so fast. It’s that place in Culver City.”

“Damnit, you don’t even have a suit.”

“There’s just one villain there. All I’ll do is peek in the window.”

“Better not get your ass killed. Wouldn’t look good on my bodyguard resume.”

“Here’s the link. See ya.”

Another voice replaced Randall’s in the Knighthawk helmet. A loud buzz nearly drowned it out.

“See ‘em?”

Another voice, deeper than Buzz Kill’s, said,“No.”

“Find ‘em!”

“Come down and help, flyboy.”

A tall figure passed by the alley, running so fast he was gone in an instant. Must be Faster, Marcus thought. He didn’t think the villain had seen him.

Marcus needed to find the people that these two were after, before they did. One of the villains could fly, the other could run very fast. Marcus could do neither. It wasn’t going to be easy. The one advantage he had was that he could hear them talk to each other.

“I think they went in this building,” Faster said.

“Which one?” Buzz Kill asked.“What street?”

Poking his head out of the alley very carefully, Marcus could see the speedy villain. He was standing still in the light that came through the glass doors of a rundown apartment building. He was holding a cell phone to his ear.

“I don’t know,” Faster said.“But I’m sure they’re in there.” He bent down and looked closely at the stone steps that led up to the doors.“There’s drops of blood going in.”

“I knew I hit that nerd hard,” Buzz Kill laughed.“I could hear something break.”

If they were going into that building, Marcus wanted to be in there waiting for them. Buzz Kill’s advantage would be neutralized in the enclosed rooms and hallways. Faster wouldn’t be able to maneuver well, no matter how fast he was. Unless he could go right through walls.

Marcus had been taught to always get intelligence on your enemy before you start a fight. He had faced Buzz Kill before, but he didn’t know much about Faster. That was as much a disadvantage as lacking super powers.

Headlights lit the sloping driveway that led down into the building’s parking garage. Someone was coming out.

Keeping to shadows, helped by the black Knighthawk suit, Marcus made his way towards the driveway. He pushed through bird of paradise plants along the wall of the building. He stopped where he could see the gate, which was sliding sideways to let the car out.

An older Ford pickup truck went through the gate. Its headlights played over Faster, who was now waving towards the sky trying to get Buzz Kill’s attention. The driver didn’t seem to pay any attention to the red and orange clad figure with lightning bolt trim on the arms and legs.

That’s L.A., Marcus thought. Movie stars, super villains, whatever. You still have to get to work.

As the truck turned onto the street, Marcus jumped down onto the driveway and slid into the garage just before the gate closed. A few lights showed the shapes of cars, but no detail. There was a flashlight in the tool belt of the suit, but Marcus didn’t want to do anything that might tell the villains that he was there.

The sound of Buzz Kill’s mechanical wings came down in front of the building.

“I’m going to tear the old lady up,” Buzz Kill said on the cell phone link as he landed.

Marcus ran up the stairs. He wanted to be ahead of the villains and be waiting for them. At the first floor, he opened a door. In the brightly lit lobby, drops of bright red blood led to the door of one of the two elevators.

If Marcus went into the lobby, Faster and Buzz Kill might see him. They might be in the lobby themselves before the elevator door opened.

The cell phone link went dead. They had hung up when they were close enough to talk in person.

Marcus headed up the stairs again, as fast as he could, to the second floor.

The loud sound of breaking glass, lots of breaking glass, came from the lobby. With the usual subtlety of villains, they had broken down the door. Or rather, Buzz Kill had. He seemed to be able to slam his head into anything. That’s how he took down the Knighthawk flying car.

The second floor door opened onto a quiet and well lit scene with no blood drops coming out of the elevator. Marcus ran up to the third and highest floor.

Small red splatters led out of one of the elevator doors. Marcus could hear the elevator working. Faster and Buzz Kill were riding up. They would have to stop at the second floor to check for the blood trail, but they wouldn’t slow them down long.

The drops led down a long hallway to apartment 3H. Not knowing what else to do, Marcus knocked on the door.

“Go away!” an older woman’s voice shouted.“We have guns! Lots of guns!”

“I came to help!” Marcus shouted.

The door opened a little and stopped when a security chain snapped tight Marcus could hardly believe the person he saw looking out at him. She was a woman in her sixties, but wearing a pink superhero costume. Gray hair cascaded out the back of the head piece.

“Who are you?”

Marcus almost said his own name, then remembered and said,“Knighthawk.”

“Are you a villain?”

“We don’t have time, they’re coming.”

The sound of the elevator door opening was followed by fast footsteps.“Sorry,” Marcus said. He pushed open the door hard enough to break the security chain. He ducked into apartment 3H. The pink lady stumbled back, protesting.

With Faster coming on strong, Marcus could only think of one thing to do. He hoped it wouldn’t hurt too much, or even rip his arm off.

“Get back,” he told the woman. A blur of red and orange was approaching the door. Marcus stuck his arm out and clotheslined Faster as the villain ran into the apartment.

It did hurt, but Marcus’ arm stayed attached to him. Faster was knocked down and skidded on his back up to the feet of the pink lady.

In a blink he was up again, and Marcus began to learn exactly how much protection the Knighthawk suit offered. In this case it was not enough. Blows rained on him from all directions. By the time Marcus knew where Faster was, he wasn’t there. The hits were hard and furious. His helmet rang with a blow, then his right leg was kicked, then his left arm got a sharp jab. All in less time than it would take a normal human to decide where to inflict pain next.

Marcus drew the sword and activated its crackling blue blade. All he needed was to swipe it through the villain, short circuiting his nervous system. He swung it once, and twice, then a strong grip encircled his right wrist and halted the movement of his arm. Faster turned from a blur into his solid red and orange self. He was grinning a lunatic grin.

“What’s going on?” Buzz Kill said.

Had all this happened while Buzz Kill was running down the hall?

“We have a new playmate,” Faster answered.“He’s being rude and not introducing himself.” He tore the sword out of Marcus’ hand and threw it across the room.

“I know him,” Buzz Kill said.“I want him. You take care of the other two.”

“Sure thing,” Faster said Then he added,“What?” when he saw Buzz Kill collapse to his knees.

“I...” Buzz Kill managed to say, then fell on his face.

The lady in the pink superhero costume had her hand on Buzz Kill’s neck, under his helmet. She let go as he fell forward. She straightened up and said,“He’ll be out for about twenty minutes.”

“You bitch,” Faster said. He let go of Marcus and turned on the pink lady.

Faster on his feet, maybe, but more than a little slow in the head, Marcus thought. You don’t turn your back on an enemy who you don’t know for sure is dead. He stepped forward and grabbed the villain in a bear hug from behind, pinning Faster’s arms to his sides.

“Can you do that to this one?” Marcus asked the pink lady.

Faster screamed and tried to escape, using his super speed to thrash in Marcus’ grip. It was very hard to hold onto him.

“I need bare skin,” the pink lady said. She stepped over Buzz Kill’s sleeping form, trying to get closer. Faster’s feet flashed dangerously near her face.

The only bare skin on Faster’s costume was the lower face, under the mask. Marcus tried to maneuver him so the older woman could reach it. Faster bit at Marcus’ arm, but his teeth just slid on the armor.

Something hit Faster on the head. Instantly his thrashing slowed down a little. Enough for the pink lady to put a hand on his face. When she did, he slumped and became a dead weight in Marcus’ arms.

“You shouldn’t be up,” the pink lady said.

“You’re right, I shouldn’t.”

A skinny young man in a blue and white costume stood there, holding a long piece of wood. He hopped, actually, keeping his weight off of one leg. To prove how much he shouldn’t be up, he hopped backwards and fell onto a couch that looked like it should be waiting on the curb to be hauled away.

Marcus put Faster down next to Buzz Kill. They made a cute couple.

“Pink Poppy,” the pink lady said. She offered a hand to Marcus.“What did you say your name was before you broke down my door?”

“Uh, Knighthawk.”

“Like the painting?”

“What?”

“Nighthawks.”

Marcus shrugged.

“Edward Hopper? People in a diner late at night?”

That sounded vaguely familiar, but Marcus wasn’t sure.“It’s Knight, with a ‘K’,” he said.

“Oh, I see,” Pink Poppy said.“This is Lodestone.” She pointed at the young man.“I hope the ambulance will be here soon.”

As if on cue, sirens began to sound in the distance. Marcus turned to look again at the young man. Lodestone lay back on the couch, smiling. The leg that he had avoided standing on was soaked in blood. Cloth wrapped around it was quickly turning red also.

“You should put pressure on that.” Marcus said.

“Well I was, until you busted in.” She went to Lodestone and made sure the cloth was still tied tightly.

“He doesn’t seem to be in pain,” Marcus said.

“I gave him a good dose,” Pink Poppy answered. She held up her hand. A circle in the palm of her glove had been cut out.“I can put ‘em to sleep or just make ‘em feel good.” her glove was also red instead of pink.

“You could save some people a lot of money,” Marcus said.

“I sure hope you’re a good guy,” Pink Poppy said. She reached up and tore the mask off her head, letting her gray hair spill out. She had a kind face that was wrinkled around the eyes and mouth.“I need to change, I don’t want anyone to know this is where Pink Poppy lives.” Are you sticking around or doing a lone hero fade?”

The sirens came to a stop on the street below.

“I don’t have any way out now,” Marcus said.

“Okay. I’m just a harmless old lady and the villains attacked me for no reason. Lodestone fought them but they broke his leg. You came along and saved the day. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“Oh, and I have something that should make the cops hold these boys for a while.” Pink Poppy said.“We took it off a dealer. That’s why buzzy and speedy were so hot to find us.”

She opened a drawer in an end table and pulled out a plastic bag full of powder. She carried it to the sleeping villains and placed it under Faster.

As the cops asked a lot of questions and the paramedics loaded Lodestone on a stretcher, Marcus wished he could call Randall. Some of the cops wanted to arrest Marcus, but others recognized him, or rather the Knighthawk suit, from the Third Street Tunnel situation.

When Pink Poppy, or Mrs. Kolowicz, poured it on about how heroic Knighthawk was, and how he saved her from the dreadful villains, the cops decided to put him in the hero column, for now.

Buzz Kill and Faster had been handcuffed and more stretchers were called in for them. As they tried to lift Buzz Kill, and after they had noticed the bag of blow, the mechanical wings of the flying villain started to vibrate.

Buzz Kill lifted straight up and ran into the ceiling, breaking the plaster. He then tried to go forward, and made a dent in the wall above the door. He seemed groggy, not quite in control of himself. His buzz was very loud in the enclosed space of a modest apartment.

Police officers tried to grab him and drag him down but Buzz Kill regained more of his senses and started evading them. In the small living room he managed to damage all the walls, knock down the two paintings and one fabric wall hanging, and crash with all his weight on the TV, which gave way with a vacuum tube pop.

Faking towards the door, Buzz Kill then headed straight out the one window. He shattered glass and was gone into the night.

Marcus was the first one to the window. He looked out, expecting to see Buzz Kill’s receding figure over the nightscape of L.A.

Instead there was a pattern, a moving shifting shape of gray squares. It was sort of like the electronic cover they put over the nakedest parts of naked people on T.V.

Marcus could feel the cops rushing up behind him, all of then as confused as he was. He reached out to touch the pattern, but his hand went through it.

“That could be dangerous,” a cop said. As Marcus turned to look at him, his hand, the hand inside the pattern, was grabbed.

Then Marcus was pulled, hard. He was unceremoniously defenestrated. His feet left the building, but he went up, rather than falling to the street.

He was on the other side of the pattern, which faded to nothing. He was being held off the floor by his arm, the rest of him twisting in air.

He was being held up by a woman, her arm above her head, her enormous lips smiling at him unpleasantly. She was at least eight feet tall.

And as he spun in her grasp, he saw an extremely fat man with a big letter T on his chest, Buzz Kill standing with a group of unknown villains, and Randall Moss tied to a chair and with duct tape over his mouth.

Randall looked like he had been beaten.

Marcus had an idea. He would give Pink Poppy the plasma TV to replace the one Buzz Kill broke, then get Mama the nicest analog TV he could find, if anyone still made them.

Yeah, that would solve all his problems.