"Enough questions. Time for action."
Blood Night got up from the ergonomic chair with the determination of someone ready to show the world - and his new intern - what he was capable of. Kel's underground laboratory offered infinite possibilities, but nothing replaced practical experience on the streets.
"You're going to see how a real hero works," he declared, adjusting the sword on his back.
Kel observed him with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. There was something in the answers Blood Night had given during the interrogation that made him uneasy, especially the part about "eliminating criminals to protect innocents" as if it were the only logical solution.
"A00, before we go out, we need to establish some basic protocols..."
"Protocols?" Blood Night interrupted, already walking toward the elevator. "Young Alfred, I've been in this business for months. You've been here for five minutes. Who needs protocols here?"
"But I thought we could better coordinate our actions. Maybe I could guide you through a communicator..."
"Guide?" Blood Night stopped and turned, clearly offended. "Kel, I don't need that. I'm experienced. You'll see."
Twenty minutes later, they were on the city streets. Blood Night had insisted that Kel stay at the base, monitoring through security cameras, while he personally demonstrated his heroic abilities.
"ARIA is showing a developing situation on Flores Street," came Kel's voice through the small communicator that Blood Night had reluctantly agreed to use. "Two men are threatening an elderly shopkeeper."
"Perfect," Blood Night murmured, running in the indicated direction. "Time to show how it's done."
He arrived at the location finding exactly the scene described: two young men surrounded a gray-haired gentleman at the door of his small antique shop. The elderly man visibly trembled as the criminals demanded he hand over the cash register money.
"Stop right there!" Blood Night shouted, appearing dramatically at the corner.
The two robbers turned, assessing the strange masked man.
"Who are you, clown?"
"I am justice, and you are the law."
"A00," came Kel's worried voice through the communicator, "remember, you don't need to use lethal force. They just want money."
Blood Night discreetly touched the communicator, lowering the volume.
"Guys, you chose the wrong day to be criminals," he said to the assailants.
"Man, are you crazy? There's just two of us, and you're alone."
"Exactly. Perfect odds."
Before either criminal could react properly, Blood Night gripped the sword's hilt. The familiar darkness enveloped the street for eight seconds. When the light returned, the two men were on the ground, motionless.
The elderly shopkeeper looked horrified at the bodies, then at Blood Night.
"You... you killed them!"
"I saved you," Blood Night corrected, sheathing the sword. "Now they'll never threaten anyone again."
"But they just wanted money! I could have given it!"
"And next week they'd be robbing someone else. I broke the cycle."
The elderly man backed away, clearly terrified, and ran back inside his shop, quickly locking the door.
"A00!" Kel's voice exploded through the communicator. "What did you do?"
"I saved an innocent."
"You killed two people!"
"Two criminals," Blood Night corrected, already moving away from the location before the police arrived.
Fifteen minutes later, ARIA reported another situation: an attempted robbery in a parking lot. Blood Night arrived at the location finding three men surrounding a young woman near her car.
"Leave the lady alone!" he shouted.
"Oh no," one of the robbers groaned. "It's that crazy guy again."
"Crazy?" Blood Night took offense. "I'm Blood Night!"
"A00," Kel tried once more through the communicator, "please, try a non-lethal approach. You can disarm them, scare them..."
"Kel, I told you I'm experienced. Trust me."
The darkness returned for eight seconds. When the light returned, three bodies. The woman screamed in terror and ran off, leaving Blood Night alone once more.
"A00, you need to stop this!" Kel protested.
"Stop? I'm saving people!"
"You're terrorizing the people you're supposed to be protecting!"
Blood Night ignored the complaints and continued his patrol. On the third "rescue mission" of the night - an armed robbery that ended the same lethal way - Kel was visibly frustrated.
"This isn't working," he said when Blood Night returned to the base temporarily to resupply. "People are afraid of you."
"They have respect," Blood Night corrected.
"Fear and respect aren't the same thing."
"For criminals they are."
That's when ARIA announced a different situation: "Animal in danger detected at Central Park. Cat stuck in tree. Small crowd gathered."
"That's a waste of time," Blood Night said.
"No," Kel insisted. "Go there. Please."
"Why?"
"Just go. Trust me this time."
Reluctantly, Blood Night headed to the park. He found exactly what ARIA had described: an orange cat at the top of a tall tree, meowing desperately, while a dozen people watched from below. An elderly lady with gray hair was clearly distressed.
"Mimi!" she called. "Come down, dear!"
Blood Night sighed.
"This is ridiculous."
"Please," the lady noticed him and approached. "Can you help? Mimi has been up there for two hours."
"I don't save cats. I save people."
"A00," came Kel's voice, "do this for me."
Grumbling, Blood Night began climbing the tree. It was a clumsy and unheroic process, but he eventually managed to reach the frightened cat. To his surprise, the animal came to him voluntarily.
The descent was even more complicated with the cat on his shoulders, but he finally managed to reach the ground safe and sound.
The elderly lady ran to him with tears in her eyes.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! Mimi is all I have!"
She hugged him - a warm, genuine hug that lasted several seconds. The people around applauded. There was no fear in their eyes, only sincere gratitude.
"You're a real hero!" the lady declared loud enough for everyone to hear.
Blood Night stood motionless, clearly impacted by the genuine display of appreciation.
"I... you're welcome," he managed to say.
When he finally returned to the base, he found Kel smiling.
"So? How did it feel?"
Blood Night removed his mask and threw himself in the chair, clearly processing the experience.
"It was... different."
"How different?"
"She really thanked me. Without fear. Without horror. Just... gratitude."
"Exactly. That's what people do when you truly help them."
Blood Night remained silent for a few moments, then stood up abruptly.
"I told you I'm experienced," he declared with renewed confidence. "See how it worked perfectly?"
Kel blinked.
"A00, you just realized the difference between helping someone and terrorizing them."
"Nonsense. I always knew that. That's why I saved the cat. Advanced heroic strategy."
"But..."
"The problem, young Alfred, is that we need more thanks like that. More public recognition. More people seeing my true greatness."
Kel watched Blood Night walk around the laboratory with renewed energy, gesturing as he spoke.
"I need something bigger. Something that shows the entire city that I'm the hero they deserve."
"A00, don't you think you should focus on helping more people like you helped today?"
"Of course! But on an epic scale. Heroic. Something that's truly worthy of my caliber."
Kel felt a chill run down his spine. There was something about the way Blood Night spoke that suggested he was planning something much bigger than saving cats.
"Kel," Blood Night said, stopping and staring at him directly, "we need to talk about how to take my heroism to the next level."
**[M.L.P - Multiverse: Forbidden Legacy]**