The System Gave Everyone Superpowers

Wednesday morning arrived. The sky was gray and overcast.

I left my penthouse and walked down to the street. The Drofman central courthouse was only a few blocks away, and I wanted to walk.

As I got closer to the courthouse, I heard a sound.

It was a crowd. A massive crowd.

I turned the corner onto the main avenue and stopped.

The entire street in front of the courthouse was blocked off. There were thousands of people packed together, angry.

They were holding up homemade cardboard signs.

FREE LEO!

WHITE HOLE SAVES LIVES, HRC SAVES MONEY!

DEATH TO DEFENSE CONTRACTORS!

I stared at the sea of angry faces.

I was shocked. When Leo was arrested, I thought everyone would just forget about him. I thought the public only cared about flashy S-Ranks and PR stunts.

But Leo had actually touched a nerve. The people in the outer districts saw Leo as a real hero. As one of them.

The riot police were lined up in front of the courthouse steps. They wore black armor and held large energy shields, forming a solid wall between the angry mob and the building.

I realized quickly that this was a terrible place to be.

This crowd was a powder keg. If Black Hole was hiding in that mob and threw a bomb, I could die.

I thought about turning around and going back to my penthouse.

Before I could, a loud cheer erupted from the back of the crowd.

I looked down the street. A fleet of black luxury SUVs was slowly driving through the parted crowd.

The SUVs stopped near the front of the courthouse.

The doors opened.

A dozen men and women in suits stepped out. They were Kilpatrick's legal team from The Board.

Then, Kilpatrick himself stepped out of the lead SUV.

He looked exactly like he did on TV. Calm, commanding.

The crowd roared his name.

From the SUV behind Kilpatrick, two guards led Leo out.

When the crowd saw Leo, they went absolutely crazy and chanted his name.

Leo! Leo! Leo!

Kilpatrick held up a hand.

The crowd instantly went quiet. It was amazing. He commanded respect.

"Citizens," Kilpatrick said.

"Today, the government will try to tell us that protecting your neighbor is a crime," Kilpatrick declared. "They will try to tell us that heroism requires a receipt."

The crowd booed loudly at the mention of corporations.

"But we know the truth," Kilpatrick said, pointing at Leo. "This young man did what the system failed to do. He protected the innocent. Today, we don't just fight for Leonard Spike. We fight for the right to use our God-given abilities to defend ourselves!"

The crowd erupted into deafening cheers.

Kilpatrick turned and led Leo up the courthouse steps, walking right past the riot police.

I watched them go inside.

Kilpatrick was a genius. He was fighting a PR war on the streets. And he was winning.

I wanted to see how he fought the lawyers inside.

I activated my Wings Spell.

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Cost: 10 BP.

I lifted off the ground and flew over the heads of the protesters. A few people pointed at me and yelled angry things about Aegis Defense, but I ignored them.

I landed gently at the top of the courthouse steps, right in front of the doors.

Two guards immediately crossed their energy spears to block my path.

"Courtroom is at capacity," one of the guards grunted. "No civilians."

I pulled my Hero License out of my pocket and held it up for them to see.

Their eyes widened slightly and they immediately lowered their spears and stepped aside.

"Apologies, Seasons," the guard said quickly. "Right this way. We have seating in the back."

"Thank you," I said cheerfully.

I walked through the doors and into the courthouse.

The mob outside was loud, but the real war was about to start in here.

A guard escorted me to the main courtroom.

It was packed. Every seat in the gallery was filled with reporters, legal analysts, and a few Heroes who wanted to see the spectacle. The guard led me to a velvet-roped section in the back row.

I sat down and crossed my legs, getting comfortable.

At the front of the room, Leo was sitting at the defense table. Kilpatrick sat next to him reviewing a stack of papers. A dozen highly paid lawyers from The Board sat behind them, ready to assist.

At the prosecutor's table sat a team of HRC lawyers.

The judge, an older woman with a stern face, banged her gavel.

"Court is in session," the judge announced. "The HRC versus Leonard Spike. The charges are Class A Unlicensed Blessing Combat and felony vigilantism. Prosecution, you may begin."

The lead HRC prosecutor stood up. He was a tall, thin man who looked like he had never been in a real fight in his life.

"Your Honor," the prosecutor began, walking toward the jury box. "This case is about the law. Leonard Spike, after having his Hero License revoked, put on a mask and violently attacked citizens in District 9."

The prosecutor pointed a finger at Leo.

"He bypassed trained police, licensed Heroes and took the law into his own hands, causing property damage and inciting chaos. If we allow vigilantes to roam the streets, we invite anarchy. The system exists to protect us from people like him."

The prosecutor sat down. A few reporters nodded in agreement.

"Defense," the judge said. "Your opening statement."

Kilpatrick stood up.

"Your Honor," Kilpatrick said. "The prosecution claims this is about the law. But which law? The HRC corporate mandates? Or the fundamental right to self-defense?"

Kilpatrick looked at the jury.

"Leonard Spike stopped an armed robbery in progress. The HRC claims he bypassed licensed Heroes. But where were those licensed Heroes? They were downtown, shooting energy drink commercials."

"Mr. Spike used his Blessing to save lives when the corporations refused to," Kilpatrick continued. "If that is a crime, then the law is broken. We intend to prove that the arrest of Leonard Spike was not an act of justice, but an illegal corporate bounty hunt."

He sat down. The courtroom murmured.

"Prosecution, call your first witness," the judge ordered.

"We call the arresting Hero, Laserman," the prosecutor said.

A door opened and Laserman walked in.

"Laserman," the prosecutor said. "Can you describe the events of the night you arrested the defendant?"

"Yes," Laserman said. "I was on an official patrol in District 9. I received a police scanner alert about a violent altercation in an alley. When I arrived, I found the defendant, White Hole, brutally beating three men."

"Did you identify yourself?" the prosecutor asked.

"I did. I ordered him to stand down. He resisted, so I subdued him and removed his mask, revealing him to be an unlicensed civilian."

"Thank you," the prosecutor said, smiling. "No further questions."

The judge looked at Kilpatrick. "Defense, your witness."

Kilpatrick stood up slowly, buttoned his gray suit jacket and walked toward the witness stand.

"Laserman," Kilpatrick said. "You stated you were on an official patrol in District 9. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Laserman answered.

"Interesting," Kilpatrick said, picking up a piece of paper from his table. "Because according to the public patrol logs, Romder does not hold the contract for District 9."

Laserman frowned slightly. "We... occasionally cross sector lines if there is an emergency."

"An emergency?" Kilpatrick asked, raising an eyebrow. "The police scanner alert you mentioned was a low-priority noise complaint. There were no reports of Villains or monsters. Why would an A-Tier Hero cross into rival territory for a noise complaint?"

"I was just doing my job," Laserman said defensively.

Kilpatrick took a step closer to the witness stand.

Laserman started to sweat and pulled at the collar of his suit.

"Let me ask you a different question," Kilpatrick said. "Isn't it true that Romder has been losing sponsors all summer?"

"Objection! Irrelevant!" the prosecutor yelled.

"Overruled," the judge said, leaning forward. "I will allow it."

"Isn't it true," Kilpatrick continued, stepping even closer, "that Romder management specifically ordered you to hunt down the vigilante White Hole because capturing him would generate massive PR and win back your sponsors?"

Laserman swallowed hard.

"We... we wanted to secure the arrest," Laserman stammered.

"So you weren't there to stop a crime," Kilpatrick stated loudly. "You were there to secure a corporate bounty. You crossed into rival territory, ignored HRC protocol, and attacked a civilian who was defending himself, all to boost your TV ratings."

"I subdued a vigilante!" Laserman argued, his voice cracking.

"You assaulted a Good Samaritan for profit!" Kilpatrick roared.

The courtroom erupted into gasps and whispers.

Kilpatrick turned his back on Laserman and looked at the judge.

"No further questions, Your Honor."

I smiled from the back row.

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