Caught in the Crossfire

Penelope had watched as Liam tossed the small girl to the ground, her lifeless body crashing onto the concrete. Using the various cameras that surrounded Big Ben, she was able to find one with the perfect angle to see his face. He looked shocked and horrified, just as she did.

Even though Penelope had warned Liam that the girl and boy were the ones who planted the bomb, Liam still didn’t feel right taking someone’s life, and he wished he simply could’ve locked her up instead. Not only did killing the girl feel wrong, it brought about the realization that any one of them could get injured out there.

Penelope was just as shocked as Liam, even from behind her computer, and they were both in a daze for a few moments before she realized they needed to wake up.

“Liam,” Penelope called into the microphone. “Liam, he’s getting away.”

At the sound of Penelope’s voice, Liam shook his head, awaking him from his stupor. She knew she was supposed to call him by the secret identity names they’d adopted, but she couldn’t seem to call him anything but Liam.

With the smoke billowing around him, Liam darted his head to one side, just in time to catch the boy running away, his blonde hair more than visible amongst the crowd.

The boy seemed like he would be strong, but Penelope didn’t know if he would be as strong as Liam. If nothing else, the boy was violent, and sometimes that meant more than all the super powers in the world. Someone with a black heart could easily destroy the world.

“Keep an eye on him, Pen,” Liam called into the piece. “Don’t lose him.”

Penelope was terrified, with her hands shaking beneath her. A part of her wanted to lose him, so Liam would be as far away from him as possible, but she knew it was selfish. She wanted Liam to be safe, but he wanted to save the world, and he had made that decision long before he met her.

As she watched Liam push through the crowd, moving at unnatural speed, she couldn’t help but remember the first time she actually saw him. He’d been saving a family from the wreckage of a car crash, with his impossibly strong body ripping the car to shreds. That was before she had realized that he was the Liam she’d been speaking to all that time, but even then, she knew there was something special about him.

“Where are the others, Pen? Can you alert them to his location?”

Tears brimmed Penelope’s eyes as she nodded her head, before remembering that he couldn’t see her.

“Yes, I’ll get right on that.”

She pushed back her tears and ended them with a soft sniffle. Her eyes moved back to the monitor, as she looked for Harry’s location. She found him on the opposite side of the clock tower as Liam, helping an injured woman, with Ashton right beside him. She mentally mapped his location in comparison to the villain’s and attempted to speak into the microphone with a clear voice.

“Aquatico,” she said, using Harry’s secret name. “Liam’s got a location on the guy. He’s following him south, about to turn down a side street between the bakery and a boutique. Can you get there?”

She watched as Harry looked around him, before his eyes fell on the small bakery a few hundred feet away. He spoke to the woman, something Penelope couldn’t make out, before nodding his head.

“Consider it done, love,” Harry said, before taking off running. She could tell by the look on Ashton’s face that she wanted to slap someone, but she wasn’t sure if it was her or Harry. The blonde girl took off running after Harry, easily keeping up with them.

Penelope’s eyes flicked over every one of the monitors, looking for anyone who needed her help, but she felt so useless. She couldn’t be out there fighting like the rest of them. There was something so helpless about being miles away from your friends when they were in danger, even though she had eyes on every one of them. She just wanted them to get back safely.

“Penny, I’m almost on him,” Liam said, shouting into the earpiece. “Where’s Harry?”

“He’s almost there, Li. Just wait a few seconds and he’ll be there for backup.”

“I don’t have a few seconds. If I don’t get him now we’ll lose him.”

“Li, just a few seconds, please. You don’t know how dangerous this guy is. Harry will be there.”

“I can’t, Pen,” Liam said, his voice sounding soft and far off. “I’m going to stop him now.”

“Please, don’t.”

Her speakers were filled silence, as she waited for Liam to speak again. She’d lost sight of him when he turned down the alley, and she hated that she couldn’t see what was going on. She wanted to be there, even though she only would’ve gotten in the way.

When a crackle came from the speaker, signaling that Liam was about to speak, Penelope’s heart began racing.

In a soft voice, like nothing she had ever heard, Liam whispered. “Penny, I love you.”