Chapitre 98: Vance - 10.1
"Alright, out!" Duke said as he rose from his desk.
His voice was firm, leaving no room for hesitation. He grabbed his coat and attached his holster to his belt, the sound of the metal clicking into place a reminder of the seriousness of the situation.
"Let's go for a ride," he added, motioning for me to vacate his office.
We walked briskly through the station, all the officers looking up to us as we passed through. He nodded to a few of them, which was met with respectful nods in return. It was clear that Duke commanded respect, and his presence demanded attention. As we exited the building, Duke thumbed toward the direction of his unmarked car, signaling for me to follow.
Duke unlocked his unmarked car with a twist of his keys, and we climbed in. The engine roared to life, a powerful sound that filled the otherwise quiet night, and Duke maneuvered the car out of the parking lot with a practiced ease.
"Where are we headed?" I asked, breaking the silence that had settled between us.
"Back to the apartment," Duke replied, his tone leaving no room for further questions.
"Is this because of the vagueness?" I innocently asked.
"Yes, it's because of the vagueness!" he snapped back, his frustration evident.
The lights of Bluff City streamed past, casting fleeting shadows inside the car. As we navigated through the maze of streets, Duke's face was set in an unreadable expression, his focus unwavering.
The crackle of the radio broke the silence, a dispatcher's voice filling the car. "All units, all units, be advised. We have a 19-38 in progress. A 19-38 in progress. Location: Binghampton, near the paper plant. Suspect identified as Crepuscule. Proceed with extreme caution."
Duke's eyes widened, and he slammed on the brakes, the car skidding to a halt.
"We have to go." he muttered, throwing the car into reverse and then whipping it around in a sharp U-turn.
The car sped towards Binghampton, the engine growling with every churn of her pistons.
"19-38? Crepuscule?" I arched a brow.
He understood immediately I lacked any context.
"19-38 is a villainy-in-progress. Crepuscule is the son-ova that them masks work for."
My eyes went wide.
"Please tell me he is a gravity manipulator," I somewhat pleaded with Duke as much as fate itself, "Please."
"So you know of him?"
"Is he that gravity manipulator? The one from the courthouse?"
"Yeah," Duke replied grimly. "Guys like him make me miss the days of the Paradigm."
"Duke, drop me off and go back. This isn't your fight."
Duke kept his eyes on the road, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "I'm a cop, Vance. This is exactly my fight. I can't just turn my back."
"You said it yourself, we'd need the Paradigm to take him down without anyone dying."
"That's not exactly what I said."
"You don't understand," I pressed, my voice rising. "I've seen what Crepuscule can do. I barely made it out alive last time. I can't let you get killed."
He shot me a quick glance, his jaw set in determination. "And you think I haven't seen what he's capable of? I've had to help walk through people paste!"
My frustration grew, but so did my respect for him. "Duke, please. You're a good cop, but this is beyond police work."
Duke's voice softened, "Vance, I appreciate the concern. But if I have a chance to stop him, even if it means putting myself in danger, then that's what I'm going to do. It's my job to protect this city, and that includes helping you."
I sighed, "You don't have to prove anything, Duke. No one would blame you for staying out of this."
He shook his head, his expression resolute. "It's not about proving anything. It's about doing what's right. If there's a chance I can make a difference, I have to take it. And besides, you could use all the help you can get."
Realizing there was no changing his mind, I finally acquiesced. "Alright, fine. But you give us room to work. Like ten blocks of a perimeter, no one but supers inside."
Duke nodded, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Deal. Let's get this bastard."
We heard the scene before we rounded the block. Explosions and crashes dwarfed a regular scream of multiple sirens competing for volume. As we rounded the corner of the edge of the factory, the scene came into full view—a battlefield of warped metal and debris.
Purple lights gleamed over rooftops, tracing a silhouette of a man against the sky. His suit, an intricate design of dark metallic plates and pulsating nodes, resembled a tuxedo but tailored for mayhem instead of marriage. Coleman's face was obscured by the same mask he donned last I saw him- an obsidian mask adorned with three stars over the cheeks.
Duke parked the car and we stepped out, the ground trembling from the conflict ahead.
"Ten Blocks!"
He grabbed his radio, "I need a perimeter! Summer Avenue, Bingham Street, Pope Street, and the Railroad! Complete evacuation-"
I could no longer hear him barking orders after I leaped over a storage building, another jump landed me on top of a water tower that overlooked the factory grounds. My head tingled.
Five heroes were struggling against Crepuscule. I recognized Spectacle, Orbweaver, and Ace Citizen, along with a girl in pink with glowing pink crystals sprouting around her fists and a man with a metallic mandible around his mouth.
Large chunks of buildings, sheets of pavement, and twisted spears of metal flew through the air like a stationary tornado. One piece shifted trajectory, rounding around the back of one of the heroes. No one saw it. I had to move without further surveillance.
Taking a deep breath, I leaped off the building, my legs coiling with power as I sailed through the air. I landed with a resounding thud behind the girl in pink, the impact cracking the pavement beneath my feet.
"Need a hand?" I called out, my hand grabbing the near-lethal rod of rebar an inch away from the back of her skull.
"Thanks. I'd be a goner," she panted, her eyes flickering with determination despite her exhaustion.
"Good to see you, White Collar," Spectacle said with a smirk, but there was a hint of relief in his eyes.
Orbweaver was above him, his webbing shimmering in the dim light as he swung around, trying to entangle Crepuscule. His movements were fluid and precise, but the villain's power arrested the movement of any gossamer that came too close.
Ace Citizen, far from Empire City with his fifty pieces of freedom and an eagle-emblazoned suit, was holding his ground, blocking debris and projectiles that Crepuscule was hurling at them with his indestructible stars.
Crepuscule stood in the center of our circle, his eyes glowing with a malevolent light. He raised his hands, and I felt the familiar weight of his gravitational pull trying to crush me.
"Another lamb for the slaughter," he sneered, "I'll enjoy this even more."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone