C53: Big Run
"What?!"
Seeing Ah Xing vanish in a burst of speed, Sidis and Rem were left stunned.
They frantically turned their heads, spotting a blur of red darting down 68th Street, already more than ten meters away.
[Famousness from Sidis +10]
[Famousness from Rem +5]
Sidis recovered first, spinning toward the squad car. "Rem! What are you waiting for? Get in!"
"Oh—right!" Rem bolted after her, half-turning to glance back at the fleeing figure.
"Quit gawking! We'll lose him!"
Startled by her bark, Rem snapped out of it, jumped in, and fastened his belt. "Can ordinary people run like that?!"
"I doubt it," Sidis muttered, punching the gas. "Not unless they're enhanced… or wearing Stark-tech."
She was clearly annoyed. "This is not a typical perp."
"See? I warned you," Stan Lee muttered to no one in particular as the cruiser roared past. "But do they listen?"
...
"All units, be advised: police pursuit in progress near 68th and Lexington. Suspect is on foot, repeat, on foot. Chinese male, red tank top, light blue jeans. Moving at non-human speed. Request interception."
"…Come again?" crackled another officer over the radio. "You said the target's not in a vehicle?"
"Correct. Target is on foot and is outrunning a police vehicle. I repeat, this is not a drill."
"Copy that… still sounds like someone's watching too many Avengers re-runs."
Rem sighed as he hung up the mic. "They think I'm crazy."
"Well," Sidis replied, swerving to dodge a double-parked food truck, "If I heard that call? I'd think we were chasing Spider-Man's cousin."
Rem turned to stare at the red blur ahead. "Is he a cyborg? Who runs faster than a car? Not even Crossbones pulled this off."
"Maybe someone from Oscorp is experimenting again," Sidis said grimly. "Or worse, someone with ties to The Hand. Either way, that's not a civilian."
Thanks to her prior work with NYPD's Enhanced Crime Division established after the Midtown Incident involving the Vulture—Sidis was hardened to strange happenings. But this, even by post-Avengers standards, was frustrating.
"This is Midtown, Sidis," Rem reminded her. "He can't keep running forever. I've already radioed an intercept squad at the 68th junction."
She exhaled and eased up on the accelerator slightly. "Yeah. Sorry—I got ahead of myself."
"Is it because of the Kaitou Kid thing?"
Rem's question hit a nerve.
The elusive Phantom Thief had been tormenting the NYPD for weeks. Between him, vigilante sightings in Hell's Kitchen, and the strange goings-on near Rand Enterprises, morale in the precinct—especially under Chief George Stacy was wearing thin.
"It's not just the thief," Sidis replied. "The homicide in District 3—remember? It's been classified as a 'group delusion.' An entire building full of people committed suicide, and no one remembers what happened."
"Memory loss?" Rem asked. "Like Kilgrave-level?"
"Possibly," she muttered. "Or something supernatural. Feels like Gotham around here lately."
Rem gave a half-laugh. "We signed up to bust burglars and muggers. Now we're chasing mystery monks and speedsters."
"Hard or not—we do the job."
Just as she finished speaking, Sidis suddenly yanked the wheel and ducked into a side alley, shortcutting ahead.
...
"I've reached the intercept point," a voice crackled through the radio from the squad car parked at the junction of 68th and York. "Target expected from the east."
"Affirmative," dispatch responded. "Be advised: suspect is extremely fast, possibly enhanced."
The officer leaned out the window, scanning the street. His partner, still munching a donut, quirked a brow. "We're intercepting a person, not a vehicle?"
"Apparently," the driver muttered. "Guy's on foot, outrunning cruisers."
"Sounds like another 'Cap sighting.' You believe this guy's real?"
"You believe in Bigfoot."
"Hey! My cousin in Florida found hair and prints! He even swears he saw—"
"Yeah yeah," the driver waved dismissively, until—
"Behind you."
"What?"
"The runner. He's here."
They turned simultaneously, stunned to see the red blur charging straight for them, nearly a city block away.
Leaping out, both officers raised their sidearms.
"Sir! NYPD! Stop immediately, this is your final warning! I'm counting down from three—three…"
But the other two numbers never came.
With a thunderous crack, the figure exploded forward utilizing the Vajra Legs technique—vaulting clean over the hood of the police car. In a single bound, he disappeared down the next block.
The stunned officers stared at the now-silent street.
Then they turned, eyes falling on the deep footprint denting the cruiser's hood.
[From NYPD Officer Fable +0.5]
[From NYPD Officer Fable +0.5]
"…Damn it," one of them whispered. "This was a brand-new patrol unit from the WayneTech-NYPD grant…"
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