Ilya Bessonov was dropped off in front of a police station in the wee hours of the morning, beat up, bound by zip ties, and with a flash drive taped to his forehead. On the drive was a brief video wherein he confessed to murder and human trafficking. An anonymous phone call to the Point Sable Tribune ensured questions from the media about the arrest almost immediately.
Kevin folded the morning’s Tribune to the story and tucked it into the side pocket of the breakfast tray. He hummed as he made his way upstairs. Downloading video had taken a lot out of Dani. For one thing, it caused another nosebleed, and that made him nervous no matter how much she insisted it was nothing to worry about. She’d gone to sleep right after, trusting him to edit the footage and get it delivered to Dirty South. He’d woken her once to let her know Housecat had made his own delivery. That was hours ago. Now it was midafternoon.
She sat on the edge of the bed, dressed in jeans and a tank top, barefoot, drying her hair with a towel. Her face lit up with a smile at the sight of him. “Oh my God, bring that food over here.” Okay, maybe it was the sight of the food, but he didn’t care. Her smile made him happy.
He did as asked, placing the tray carefully on the bed. “It made the paper.” He showed her the headline.
She glanced at it before forking in a mouthful of scrambled eggs. “Do you think it’s enough evidence to keep him?”
“Trafficking is taken seriously once it’s brought out into the light like this. Hopefully this will open a huge can of worms for the people responsible.”
For several minutes Dani ate quietly. Kevin sat in a chair and wondered what came next.
Plate clean, Dani spoke. “He said they’ll come after me.”
“They don’t know who you are.”
She moved the tray away and sat cross-legged on the bed. “Bessonov is just one guy. Not even a very high up guy, at that.”
“True, but bringing him in will get the ball rolling.” He moved from the chair to a spot on the bed nearly two feet away from her. “I get what you did. I know you might not want to talk about it, and that’s fine. I just wanted you to know that I get it, and that I have tremendous respect for the decision you made, and how hard it must have been for you.”
She looked away. “Part of me wanted to kill him.”
“I know.” He wanted to reach for her, offer her comfort, but he wasn’t sure that was an appropriate thing to do with her.
“Part of me may always feel that way, about people like him.”
“I know.”
She met his gaze, her brown eyes nearly devoid of shadows for the first time since he’d met her. “I want to be more than just some thug killing machine. I want to help people.”
He couldn’t help himself then, he took her hand in his. “I know, Dani. And I believe that you can.”
She laced her fingers with his. “I did a lot of thinking in the shower. About the way things are. You know I was on the streets before the lab. Five years later, and nothing’s changed. A different city, with the same bad stuff going on. It’s like there’s this status quo, and nobody can break it.”
“Disrupting the status quo isn’t easy. Powerful people get invested in keeping things the way they are, and it’s hard to fight that much corruption. That much…inertia.”
“Disrupting the status quo,” she repeated thoughtfully. “Do you think someone like me could make a difference?”
“I think you already have, to the people you’ve helped. The lives you’ve saved.”
Dani stood and walked to the window. She looked out at the city bathed in late afternoon sunlight. “I figure I can run or I can take a stand.” She glanced back at him. “Point Sable seems like a good place to take a stand.”
The look and her words felt like an invitation. He accepted, joining her at the window. “Loyal sidekick reporting for duty.”
She laughed, and the sound washed through him like a cool summer rain. “Good, because I need you to help me with something.”
Kevin grinned. “As it happens, I’ve been doing research into exactly what it is that sidekicks do for their superheroes.” He wagged his eyebrows. “Apparently there’s a lot of boning involved.”
She trailed one finger down his jaw, her smoldering gaze leaving his mouth dry and his cock hard. If she ever wanted him to wear tights, it might get embarrassing. “We’ll get to that.” She tapped his chest. “But first, I need you to help me with a new name.”
The we’ll get to that soothed his brief disappointment. “You want another ID packet?”
“No,” she said. “I hate being called a ghost.”
“Superhero names.” He clapped his hands together. “Let’s see. How about Riot Girl?”
“No.”
“Danger Girl?”
“Dude.”
“You’re right, that’s cheesy.” He thought for a moment. “Danger Diva?”
“Don’t make me hurt you in the not fun way.”
Kevin froze. “Does that mean you could be convinced to hurt me in the fun way?”
“If what I’m going to be doing is disrupting the status quo, then maybe I should use the name Disruptor.”
“Disruptor. Hmm. It’s not gendered. Or cheesy. It definitely makes a statement. I like it.”
“We need to get the name out there. People have been using that Cabrini Ghost hashtag. We need a way for people to know the name, and still use social media to ask for help or send me tips. Do you think we can make that work?”
“We can damn sure try. I can set up a Twitter account with settings that can make it hard for the average person to track. Nothing is perfect online but I can make it as anonymous as possible.”
“Housecat can help spread the word.”
“In the South Side, he’s better verification than a blue check mark.”
Dani turned her gaze to the window again. “This is crazy, what we’re talking about doing. And probably not strictly legal.”
She was right. They both had a lot to lose, her especially. If the lab found her, they’d take her back. Setting up an escape plan had to be a top priority, just in case. “I’m with you. You want to help people. I want to help you do that.”
She retrieved the two cups of coffee forgotten on the breakfast tray and handed him one. Raising hers in a toast she said, “Here’s to atoning for our sins.”
He clinked his cup to hers. “Here’s to fighting the good fight.”
They drank. Dani made a face. “It’s cold.”
“Let’s go downstairs. I’ll make fresh coffee and we’ll talk about cape colors.”
“Absolutely no cape.”
“At least let me get the mask bedazzled.”
“Is harassing me about my wardrobe in the sidekick’s handbook?”
“As a matter of fact, it is.”
They argued all the way down the stairs.
***
@PSDisruptor – I’m not a ghost. I’m very real.
But I will haunt the streets of Point Sable and make life hell for those who hurt the innocent.
I will target muggers and rapists and murderers.
I will target corruption, inertia, and injustice.
I will help the innocent, the victims, people who can’t stand up for themselves.
I will fight for the powerless. I will defend the weak.
I will disrupt the status quo.
***
She stood on a rooftop looking out over the Cabrini neighborhood, buildings glowing faintly green thanks to her night vision. The sound of car engines and rattling sheet metal, a mix of music genres and a few different languages, and the incessant barking of a stray dog all reached her via her enhanced hearing. She stretched her fingers in the new gloves, knuckles still sore. Brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes, making brief contact with the mask that she hadn’t quite grown used to yet. Doubt filled her, but then a face from the past floated in her mind and filled her with resolve.
She was through running away.
A voice screamed for help in the night. Disruptor ran toward it.