New York National Bank

The bank was quiet. That’s because it was a quiet day. People roamed in and out of the confines of the beautiful building, either carrying out transactions, or depositing money safely into their accounts. Nobody looked too suspicious, or too subtle, it was just another average day for average people. After all, banks were rather boring weren’t they? Nothing exciting every really happens in them. The majority of robberies and heists take place in smaller cities, in smaller banks, in smaller towns that nobody heard of in the backwoods of country…right? Besides, this was not the movies and it was the modern age. Nothing exciting happened.

On this day, this particularly average day, Akshay Malik strolled into the bank, carrying a small, black, zipped up pouch that looked pretty laden with something. It was a mystery what could be inside, but Akshay knew, it was money, and a lot of it. It was the week’s deposits from “One Comic to Rule Them All” and Akshay was at the bank to secure it. It would have been a perfectly average day for him, and for the bank…if it were not for the fact that Akshay LOVED to cosplay.

There was a convention in town. A smaller one, once dedicated to BC Comics and he, of course, had to attend. He had been looking forward to it for weeks, but there was an unfortunate coincidence that it fell on deposit day. The wordsmith knew he would have never had time to drop off at the bank AND change AND make it to the convention! So, he did what any other red-blooded, comic book loving fan, would do…he dressed up at work.

Now, Akshay had been known for wearing some pretty convincing costumes…and today was only going to further prove that point. Strolling in through the front doors, the man came to a stop as he looked too and fro. He was dressed in black tights from head to toe but with blue accents around his chest and forearms. Across his face he wore a thick mask of the same shade of blue and a symbol upon his chest. Around the eyes and on the ring of his finger, blue LED lights glowed and gave off the appearance of energy crackling from his person.

Yes…Akshay Malik was dressed as his absolute and favorite hero…The Blue Torch! He smirked as he stood in the middle of the bank and smiled at the kindly, old security guard that knew him from his costume-dressed antics from before.

“How you doing, fine citizen?” Akshay asked in his deep and heroic voice.

The guard just laughed and shook his head. “Kid, you’re just too much. Go on, now.”

Akshay grinned and saluted as he bravely walked to the long line of the bank. He sighed because he really wanted to get going but it was unfortunately that he needed to make his deposit. Humming to himself, he idly tapped his fingers on the black bag and blinked when he caught a young woman off to the side staring at him.

He grinned as he posed.

“Evening young miss!” he bellowed heartily.

She rolled her eyes. “Fix your crotch, you joker,” she huffed and walked away.

Eyebrow arched, Akshay glanced down. “Oh! Excuse me,” he giggled as he adusted himself and returned to waiting in line. Curse the man who invented long lines! Curse his soul!!! But such was his mental ranting, that Akshay did not see the first of the suspicious men strolling into the bank, nor any of the ones that followed, each carrying masks and weapons...

He was a mess. The mission at the sanctuary had, technically, been a huge success. It had definitely taken it's toll, though. He walked with a limp, his arms were hard to lift, and he damn sure wasn't up to fighting crime. He should be taking it easy, he told himself, but crime didn't take it easy, so neither did the masochist.

Beside, he wouldn't be true to his name if he didn't charge into battle despite the pain. So when one of his contacts gave him the heads up on a large back robbery planned in just hours, he did just that. Of course, he called the cops as well; that way all he would have to do was slow the criminals down a bit, and keep the hostages safe until the cops arrived.

Easy, right? He doubted it.

By the time he arrived at the bank in question, there was already a big white van parked outside of it. He winced as he climbed from his junky ride, reaching up to make sure the eye mask on his face was still secured well; it was. He hobble/limped across the street quickly, his crowbar in hand, trying to be as discreet as a man in super hero garb could be. He came to a stop next to one of the windows, and peeked in warily. It looked like the men had just got there. They were all armed... six of them, not too many, not too few; they looked well organized. Damn, he probably wouldn't be able to pull this off!

wait! Something caught his eye... Another man in super hero garb... Was that... The Blue Torch?!. He was a real hotshot from out west. What was he doing here? No matter, with him assisting, this would be easy. He posted next to the window, and waited for the right opportunity to strike as the robbers got very vocal very quick; Saph assumed they would herd the hostages all to one location.

Totally. Not. Cool.

Akshay could scarcely understand what had happened. A second ago he was standing in line, waiting for his turn at the counter. He was only here to deposit the comic shop’s money for the week and then he was going to head out for an evening full of comic-themed fun! Cosplaying, discussions, card games, drinking, it was going to be a blast.

But, as usually, all good plans fell to ruins! Akshay had nearly jumped out of his skin when the first of the gunmen had opened fire into the ceiling of the building. He had never been that close to a gun before (unless you count sitting in the front row of the movie premiere of “The Disciplinarian” , but he didn’t count that), and damned if that thing was not loud! At first Akshay figured that it was just a loud, startling sound, but the wordsmith soon realized the gravity of the situation.

He jumped as he had turned and spied that there was indeed a small group of men in the building, each of which was brandishing a rather dangerous looking gun. Masks over their faces, he could not see a single detail of their except for a glance of skin color around the eyes.

“EVERYONE! PUT YOUR HANDS UP!!” one of the men demanded.

Akshay squeaked as he did so, not realizing that he was still holding onto the pack of money from the comic shop. Terrified he watched as the men all scattered and began to brandish, threateningly, their weapons into the face of all the terrified people. One by one they forced each person into the very center of the room and down onto the ground. Akshay gulped in fear. This was obviously his first hold up.

When the gunman had finally arrived at him, he paused as he tilted his head to taken in Akshay’s appearance. After bout a second, the wordsmith could see the grin on the man’s face as he chuckled rather heartily. Akshay could not help but feel just slightly hurt by that.

“Haha, what a loser,” the man scoffed as he roughly grabbed Akshay by the shoulder and hurled him towards the gathered group. “Get on the floor you tights-wearing-pansy.”

Akshay stumbled but he did managed to land with the rest of the group on the ground. Family members hugged, strangers looked at one another for hope. Akshay, well, Akshay could only sit there, terrified as he watched the men begin to raid the rest of the bank.

Again... he repeats…

So. Not. COOL!

Even though he was achy as all heck, and a little too beaten up to be out fighting crime, he was excited about this; The Blue Torch was a real class A crime fighter; fighting alongside him would be an honor! Still, he would have to wait until the right time to make his entrance.

He judged it would be when they turned their attention away from the hostages, most likely leaving one guy to guard them while they pilfered any valuables from the registers. After that they would get the manager to open the vault. He watched in anticipation as one of the men approached the Torch, and eyed him up and down... What would he do?

Nothing, apparently, as the man just shoved him in with the others. What exactly was his plan, here? He wasn't going to let them rob the bank without a fight, was he? Wait... maybe he knew help was on the way? Jees, this guy was good! That meant he couldn't let BT down. He needed to prepare his attack right way!

The masochist immediately started hitting himself. Within a few moments he'd gathered enough energy to be confident he could take out the man watching the hostages, which, sure enough, they left only one. The spandex clad man stepped from his peeking spot in the window, reached and arm back, and flung his crowbar right through the window, sending it with enough force to smack into the back of the guy watching the hostages, and knock him easily off of his feet. He then hobbled on it, standing proudly next to the other costume clad man. "You chose the wrong superheroes to mess with, vile villains! Alright, BT! Let em have it!"

...Wait a sec... Had the blue torch lost some weight? There was a moment of awkward silence, and then... BLAM!

Aww... crap... he'd just been shot, hadn't he? His eyes wandered down to the hole in his costume, right in his left lower abdominals... He managed to grab the other super hero and dive behind the closest desk just in time for the pain to kick in. "Ahhhh you gotta be F*%$ing Kidding me! Why didn't you attack?!"

This probably had to be the most terrifying and stupid thing that he had ever gotten himself into. Standing there, as he was shoved around, men carrying guns and shouting orders to one another, Akshay felt completely helpless. It was like back when he was a kid. The first time he actually tried to step in and help someone and he nearly got himself killed. And now that he was standing here, in the middle of this bank, he felt exactly the same.

Akshay hated to feel helpless. That was why he buried his nose in the world of comic books, cosplaying, and role playing, it was there that he got to imagine or act like someone that was strong. Wearing costumes, pretending he was a character, meant that he didn’t need to keep being afraid. Unfortunately that same sentiment was not following him here. He was in real danger, facing real criminals, with real guns…pretending was not going to save his life this time.

But as he stood there, watching as a group of the criminals ran off to empty the vault, Akshay cast a glance at the single gunman that was left behind. The extra large man simply grinned down at the young wordsmith, obviously think his costume was rather pathetic.

“Sit down,” the man spat. “Ya little frea—“

CRASH!!

“AHHHH!!!” Akshay screamed, like a girl, the second he heard the glass shatter. But before he could even register what was going on, he paused to see the large man who was threatening him a second ago, vanish with a horrible thud. He blinked in surprise as he turned to see the man, sprawled out on the ground. “What the hell…?”

Then, he saw someone enter the bank from the outside. A tights wearing man who…was he actually posing heroically?

>> "You chose the wrong superheroes to mess with, vile villains! Alright, BT! Let em have it!”

“Huh?” was all he was able to get out until…

BLAM!![/b]

A gunshot went off. It was so loud it made Akshay jump but before he could even register where it came from, he was grabbed by the top part of his shirt and dragged along with his fellow, costumed individual and throw down behind a desk.

>> "Ahhhh you gotta be F*%$ing Kidding me! Why didn't you attack?!"

Confused, Akshay just looked at the man. What the hell was he talking about? Why did he actually expect him to attack armed gunmen in the bank? His mind was in too much of a whirlwind to connect that the fact that he was actually in costume and that there was a mistake going on here. He simply started at the man in bewilderment when suddenly he saw a shadow looming behind the shot “hero”…

“God! Get down!!” he yelled at the hero.

As he did, his control over his own powers slipped just enough to actually form the word, “GOD” in the air above his head. In the second that it solidified, Akshay plucked the shimmering, blue word from the air and hurled it at the attacker, another gunman who was trying to sneak up on both himself and the man by his side who had been shot. The word crashed and shattered against the attackers face, causing him to scream and stagger blindly back a step.

Akshay could only stare, unsure of what to do next…

He'd been shot. Someone shot him. It wasn't the first time, mind you, but it wasn't exactly something someone got used to. His hand pressed down on the wound, and he searched it out a little bit, gasping in pain... It was starting to bleed a good bit, but he could tell it wasn't lodged in there, he'd felt it fly right through him with his sixth sense. Needless to say, though, he was a little too focused on the wound to notice the man sneaking up on him.

His eyes shot up to the would-be Blue Torch, who shouted.

“God! Get down!!” just like that, the word materialized, and the young mutant, who he'd figured out rather unpleasantly was in no way a big shot superhero from out west. Did that mean he had no tools at his disposal, though? A glowing O flew over his head, and he heard a man shriek in pain.

And then the kid just stood there, dumbfounded. Saph reached up with one hand, and yanked as hard as he could just in time for a hail of bullets to get flung their way. "Look, I know you ain't the blue torch, and I can sure as @#4% see you aren't a goddam hero, but you're gonna have to get very smart and very brave, very quick." He clenched his eyes shut as a wave of pain shot through his body, and took a moment to regain his focus.

"Now listen... We gotta get the hostages to safety, and they aren't safe where they are." He motioned toward the wall opposite of the one their desk was up against, where most of the hostages had chosen to huddle and cover their heads. After a moment the bullets stopped. "Don't waste ammo, damnit! Number three, sit rep, now!" One of the men spoke in a distressed manner. "Sir, my eyes! I can't see!" "Shame." BLAM! "At ease, soldier."

He didn't need to look to know that the man #3 had called sir was in charge, and that said #3 wasn't with them anymore. He could also tell these guys weren't your average bank robbers...

"What's your name, kid?" He gasped the words out as he tried to shift into a more defensible position. Heck, he might as well know the name of the person he was going to die with, right?

Akshay had really no idea that what he had done. It was almost as if his body were moving without his will. Had he really just defended something he didn’t know from being attacked by another person. Had he truly acted quick enough to use his powers to protect another living being? Akshay had never truly thought that his powers were useful at all, except to annoy him while he was sleeping with an occasional knock on the head. Maybe, maybe he could actually use his powers, maybe even consider them a gif—

“URRK!”

Akshay gasped, loud, as suddenly he felt a rough hand grab him by his shirt and pull him down onto the floor rather unceremoniously. Akshay thudded and groaned when he felt his rear-end meet the cold, smooth tiles of the bank floor. He groaned but he barely had time to register the pain because he suddenly the growling face of this hero/madman was leering close to him.

>> "Look, I know you ain't the blue torch, and I can sure as @#4% see you aren't a goddam hero, but you're gonna have to get very smart and very brave, very quick."

What? Did the guy REALLY think that he was the Blue Torch? Is that what he was going on about earlier? Apparently the man had thought that he was the ACTUALLY superhero from out west! But it was just a costume! A Cosplay for a comic book convention! Akshay had never in a million years thought that he would have ever been confused for an actual superhero.

This guy had to be nuts…

>> "Now listen... We gotta get the hostages to safety, and they aren't safe where they are."

“Wait, we? When is there a we in this scenario?” Akshay managed to say. He didn’t ask to get dragged into this. He was only here to deposit the shop’s money!

But before he could really continue to spaz out over the event, another barrage of gunshots flew through the air and collided with the table that they hid behind. The young wordsmith shrieked a little (Yeah, he wasn’t proud of that) and cringed as the bullets rained down on their table but were swiftly cut off by an angry growl.

>> "Don't waste ammo, damnit! Number three, sit rep, now!"

>> "Sir, my eyes! I can't see!"

>> "Shame." BLAM! "At ease, soldier."

Akshay froze. He heard the gunshot, followed by the sounds of what he could only assume was a dead body slumping down onto the ground. The young comic fan grew shaky and fearful. That man who had died, he was the same one that he had attacked with one of his words. And he was dead because his eyes had been ruined, deemed worthless to the head honcho in charge of this operation. Akshay had been involved in the death of another. Even if he had not pulled the trigger himself, he might as well have been to blame.

His heart beat rapidly, trying to make sense of what he had just done. But before he could sink into his fear any deeper, that gruff, pained voice spoke next to him…

>> "What's your name, kid?"

He blinked a couple of times before he turned his gaze to meet the man’s.

“A-Akshay…” he managed to stammer out. “A-Akshay…Malik…” He took a few breathes, trying to calm his breathing and the sickness that wanted to swell in his stomach. He saw that man. He could practically see him dead on the ground with his imagination. But try as the image might to overtake his senses and throw him for a whirl, Akshay, most of all, wanted to live. He quivered with nerves as he glanced back to the hero. “W-What…do we do…?”

Saph understood that this man was in way over his head; he knew that he wasn't the type of guy who went out and fought crime. He also knew that he'd just been shot, and he could have handled this in a way that wouldn't have gotten him shot if he would have known he wouldn't have high-level super hero backup, so he was damned cranky, and his pain ridden mind blamed this wannabe super hero for all of it's toils.

“Wait, we? When is there a we in this scenario?” Saph eyes widened in rage and pain as he grabbed the boy by the collar, pulled him in, and screamed. "SINCE YOU GOT ME SHOT YOU LITTLE @#$%!"

He had to take a breather after yelling like that, and while that happened, the man shot one of his own. That settled it... These guys had military experience; enough to where it they killed without hesitation, and weren't willing to leave any stragglers behind to be interrogated. A second shot rang out, presumably taking out the man he'd knocked out as he came in.

The whole experience seemed to change Ak... aker... ashay... akbar?'s stance on the whole 'we' thing. "YOU are going to guide the hostages toward the window I broke. I'm going to distract them... Once the hostages are free... I'll need your help holding them off. The cops are on their way... Listen, though... I know you'll be right by the exit, but you have to come back for me; I don't think I can do this alone." Here's to hoping he didn't just run.

Slowly, Saph climbed to his knees, an action that caused his vision to swim."Words of advice... Don't ever get shot." He then climbed to his feet, hopped over the desk, and started running toward the assembled group of men... this was going to hurt.

Despite the fact that Akshay was going to help this man (which had to be the MOST idiotic decision he had ever made in his life), he was still irritated with the hero’s earlier words. What right did HE have to yell at him!? It was not his fault that the moron got shot! Akshay was not the one that bounded into a room, spouting off a bunch of bull and assuming that the nearest guy in a cosplay costume was actually a real life superhero. Even AK[/b]shay was not that deluded.

But…yeah, as if he would actually say that to the man. Instead he merely sat there in silence, as bullets flew around their table, a silly pout on his lips for being yelled at.

Unfortunately Akshay had decided to help out. Though he would have much rather left this for the police, or the X-Men maybe, this situation was going to call for immediate help. That means that he was left with Short Fuse McGee over here as his only hero. Greeeeat…

>> "YOU are going to guide the hostages toward the window I broke. I'm going to distract them... Once the hostages are free... I'll need your help holding them off. The cops are on their way... Listen, though... I know you'll be right by the exit, but you have to come back for me; I don't think I can do this alone.”

Akshay merely stared at the man, confused as to what he was possibly thinking. How the hell was he going to take on a group of military trained (so it seemed) men all by himself? And on top of that, he wanted to pull Akshay in deeper and commanded that he helped him further? Akshay would have liked nothing more than to just run out of the building the second that he saw any sign of daylight! How could he be expected to suddenly come running back into the fray?

It was stupid. It was suicidal. And it simply was not anything like how Akshay would act.

>> "Words of advice... Don't ever get shot."

“What?” he asked as he was suddenly shaken out of his musings. But it was too late. Suddenly the man was gone, running off into the heat of battle. Akshay sighed, “Idiot.”

Hearing the screams and shouts of surprised men, Akshay gulped, shook on last time, and jumped to his feet. He dashed over to the gathered, cowering mass of hostages and waved at them.

“Come on! We need to go! Now! Now! Now!” he urged.

It took only a second for him to say this to get the people to move. Suddenly they were all hopping onto their feet, some helping each others, others too terrified to want to be left behind. When everyone was up, Akshay steered them all to the window that had been smashed in, the very one that the raving psychopath had just used to break INTO the bank robbery in process. He moved as fast as he could to help people out of the window and directed them to run and that the police would be here soon. When he helped the last old lady through the window, he received a kindly pat on the arm and sniffling “Thank you” which was filled with so much gratefulness that Akshay felt his heart swell.

That was the last of them. All he had to do now was climb out and he could escape this whole ordeal alive! He could go on! He would see Emerald again, his comic shop, his costumes! His days would go on in mediocrity, peace…

Akshay then did something stupid. Something that he would never forgive himself for. He turned around.

“Yo! Buttfaces!!” he yelled as he dashed towards the fray. Once he had their attention, giving the superhero a breather, Akshay screamed, “HAAAAAAAMMMMM!!!!”

The word formed of iridescent blue in the air, Akshay quickly snatched it up and hurled it with all his might at the nearest gunman before ducking down underneath another upturned table. The whole mutter just how stupid he really was…

Yup... It hurt.

As he charged/hobbled into battle, his right side faced toward his opponents, his arm covering his eyes, bullets rushed in, smacking into his skin, and digging in just a bit before losing all of their force. The men were at a loss as their clips began to run down to empty, and the super hero still moved ever forward.

By the time each of them was at their last bullet, Saph'd had enough. They fired in unison, and he triggered a certain useful reflex, which froze the bullets in mid flight just inches from him... From there he smacked his left hand across them, and sent a scattershot of bullets at his foes. One fell dead instantly, another stumbled to the side, clutching his arm.

The masochist barely found a nook to hide behind as the two remaining men started shooting again.

They gotten wise; making sure to alternate reloading times and keep him pinned... All they had to do now was close in and take him out... damn, this had been a bad idea. Still, out of the corner of his eyes he watched the hostages slip away... that was good. He was pretty sure the nerdy kid would go with them. What would stop him from saving himself? It wasn't like he really had an obligation to save a super hero; he wouldn't even blame him of he-

“Yo! Buttfaces!! HAAAAAAAMMMMM!!!!”

The kid was back, and he started off his return by making a word, and flinging it at the lead heistman. He stumbled over, and Akshay ducked behind a table just in time for the the bullets to fly his way... Now was his chance!

The Masochist stepped from his crumbling cover, and picked a bullet from his skin, flinging it at the one undeterred guman, who fell back with a grunt. He pulled another, and the world all of a sudden started spinning around him... Uh oh... He had to take that last guy out...

His final shot was a hail mary... He used his sixth sense and threw it at where he guessed the ring leader was before collapsing to the ground in a heap.

Akshay knew that this was probably the stupidest decision that he had ever made in his life. Even when he decided one day dressed as Robin-Gal, just to prove his merit as a true cosplayer for the comic conventions. Yes, this decision was EVEN stupider than that one!

At least that was what Akshay thought as he cringed and attempted to keep himself as small as he could behind the table that was slowly being whittled away to absolutely nothing. He cursed himself. What did he think he was doing? He was no superhero! He didn’t even have powers that could be at all considered impressive enough to even warrant a try at running around, wearing a cape, and fighting crime! How could he do something as stupid and run BACK into the bank in the middle of a robbery?

But Akshay did not have long to chastise himself. As he crouched there, trying to figure out his next move, he peeked out of the corner of the table just in time to see a sight. The costume nutjob had taken the opportunity to slink out of his hiding spot and fling something that he held between his fingers. Suddenly one of the gunmen grunted and flew backwards. But the last, the leader, was a bit quicker than he seemed for his age.

The man had hurled another object, from his vantage point it looked like a bullet to Akshay, but the man had twisted enough to catch it in his shoulder. Then, just as Akshay thought that the battle would soon be won…the superhero…passed out. The man collapsed like a heap of dirty laundry, not releasing that the man he had just attacked was still standing.

The leader, a diabolical grin on his face, chuckled as he straightened up and slowly made his way forward. His gun rose as he pointed the barrel directly towards the forehead of the passed out man and spat off to the side.

“One less freak to worry abou—“

“Chrysanthemum!!!!” Akshay screamed as he suddenly bolted out from his hiding spot, plucked the word from the air and swung with the might and arch of a baseball player. The large word struck, hard, across the man’s gun hand, forcing him to stumble back.

The leader growled as his hand, now injured red and swollen, dropped the gun and he turned his attention onto Akshay.

“Another freak for the coroners?” the man hissed as he reached into the back of his belt, fingers curling around the handle of a knife.

With a gasp, seeing the motion, the wordsmith jumped into action. He quickly flipped the chrysanthemum word around.

“Nope! Just a nutjob for a jail cell!” Akshay yelled and threw the word into the man’s stomach which caused him to double over painfully. Once he was distracted, Akshay lifted the word and swung it with all his might into the leader’s head. Effectively, the man blacked out as he crumpled to the ground. That done, Akshay dropped the word, causing it to shatter, and sadly slumped down onto the floor, exasperated from the whole experience. He could only shake his head as he looked dully ahead. “What the hell just happened here?” He thought in astonishment.