I dropped down next to Detective Shroud on the rooftop, boots crunching softly against gravel.
"Well, we finally meet," she said, arms crossed, eyes wary.
"We do," I replied, keeping my tone neutral.
She sighed, as if she'd already argued with herself about this. "Look, I don't know what to do with you, but I need your help here."
"Then tell me what's going on."
"Five guys. All Vex gang. All armed."
"Hostages?"
"Ten civilians. Clerks. Customers. One security guard—he's unconscious."
"Exits?"
"Two. One main, one service door in the back."
"Give me twenty minutes," I said. "I'll get them all out."
"Thank you—" she began.
"Don't thank me," I said, stepping away. "Not yet."
I slipped into the building through a third-story window, avoiding the police sightlines. I moved with no sound. The top floor was empty. I descended quickly and set up tripwires made from reinforced silk across both exits, in case anyone got clever.
The bank was quiet now.
Too quiet.
Inside, the air was thick with sweat and fear. You could feel the tension crawling along the ceiling tiles.
The flickering fluorescents above buzzed like dying insects. Ten hostages were huddled behind the counter, guarded by four masked men. One more paced near the vault—probably the leader.
I could hear his voice—barking orders into a burner phone.
"No cops, or the next call's to the morgue!"
Glass crunched near the front door—someone had made a break for it earlier. Didn't end well.
The vault was ajar, stacks of cash torn from shelves like the guts of a corpse. The gang moved like amateurs with too many bullets and not enough discipline.
"That vent just rattled again," one thug muttered, scanning the ceiling.
"It's the damn pressure," the leader hissed. "Stay sharp. No surprises."
Then came the silence.
No warning.
No footsteps.
Just a breath of cold air… like the shadows were inhaling.
One of the guards near the front door vanished in the dark. A sharp fwip, and his body hit the floor—disarmed, unconscious, eyes wide.
thud. snap.
Another dropped. No sound. No alarm. Just gone.
"WHO'S THERE?!" the leader shouted, panic twisting his voice.
Gunfire ripped through the bank—wild, aimless. Muzzle flashes flared against the marble walls, casting long distorted shadows.
In those bursts of light, they saw me.
A silhouette above them. Wings spread. Eyes burning.
"I saw him! He's right there—!"
crack!
A boot to the jaw silenced him. His body twisted awkwardly as he dropped.
Snap.
That made four.
The last man, the leader, backed toward the vault, rifle shaking.
I was gone again.
Then—
He looked up.
I dropped from the chandelier, silent and sharp, catching his arm mid-turn and wrapping it in silk.
SNAP.
He didn't scream. He couldn't.
I drove my knee into his chest and he crumpled.
I turned to the hostages, huddled and shaking behind the counters.
"Stay down," I told them.
And I was gone.
Five minutes later, the first squad of police burst in. No gunfire. No fight.
Just ten terrified civilians…
…and five broken men on the floor.
The vault wall held only one mark:
A moth-shaped symbol smeared in ash and dust.
Redharbor 9 News — Special Report
Anchor:
"We begin tonight with a dramatic scene downtown. A hostage situation at First Colonial Bank ended just hours ago—but not at the hands of the police. Instead, reports suggest an unidentified masked figure may have intervened. Authorities are remaining tight-lipped."
[Cut to shaky phone footage: police lights flashing, SWAT teams rushing in, and one brief, grainy glimpse of something—someone—perched on a rooftop before vanishing into the shadows.]
Field Reporter (Live):
"We're outside First Colonial Bank, where something strange—and frankly, unprecedented—just occurred. Police were locked in a standoff with heavily armed suspects who had taken hostages inside. But before the SWAT team could breach, a masked figure allegedly descended from the rooftops… and took out the robbers."
Anchor:
"Witnesses say the mysterious vigilante moved like a shadow and vanished just as quickly. Some claim he used glowing ropes or lines, others mention wings."
Field Reporter:
"One hostage, speaking anonymously, said quote: 'It was like a moth-man—he dropped in, told us to stay down, and then… he was gone.'"
Anchor:
"Authorities haven't released the suspects' names or explained how exactly the hostages were freed. When asked for comment, Detective Shroud—who was on site—simply said: 'The situation was resolved. That's all the public needs to know.'"
Field Reporter:
"This is now the second incident in under a month involving what many online are calling Luna Wing—an apparent vigilante operating in the shadows of Redharbor."
Anchor:
"So who is Luna Wing? A protector? A menace? Or something… else?"
[Cut to black.]