The B-Man

He stood on the roof of the building, eagle-eyed. He stood watch there every day for about an hour. He would intervene in muggings, mostly. That was how it was at 6 p.m. in downtown New York in the summer. It got grittier at night, but it was always nice to prevent a mugging because it was the littlest things that sometimes counted the most. It was also nice because it was one of the times of the day that he interacted with regular New Yorkers, not just the ones that robbed banks or tried to blow up important buildings.

It was a wonder that people still tried to pull of muggings in that area of New York. He caught them one hundred percent of the time, and most of them knew it. They knew that The B-Man would catch them and they’d end up in jail, but the economy was bad and people were desperate. He saw a man grab a purse and try to run. He swooped down and felt his wings expanding. He flew toward the man and made contract with his jaw. He knocked him clean out and returned the purse to its owner, simple as could be. He exchanged some niceties with the woman and took a picture with her kids.

Pictures of him, with his striped costume and black mask, were popular with the tourists. He was always happy to oblige. He loved people and he loved kids. He was a married man, with a family and a dog. He had a day job and he had barbecues with his coworkers. It was just a genetic marvel that he also had wings and super strength. He had known early on, from his grandfather, that these were gifts that he should use for the good of all mankind.

There was a time when he used to just lurk in alleys, saving random people from minor crimes. Then he had met his wife, she sewed his uniform, and he began making a name for himself as the protector of the big city. He was ambivalent about it, sometimes he loved the fact that he was saving the world but other times he worried about seeing his kids grow up.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of a siren. He leapt into action, flying over the buildings until he spotted the crime. Someone was robbing a bank, typical. He slowed his flight and came to a stop in front of the leading officer.

“B-Man! I was hoping you would show up! They’ve got hostages in there and lots of money,” said the policeman.

“I’m going in through the fire exit on the roof, make sure you hold off until I come out. There shouldn’t be any need for you to enter at all,” said The B-Man.

“Right, see you shortly then.”

B-Man zoomed off, he enjoyed the feel of the wind on his face and as he flew higher he enjoyed the increased warmth of the sun. That was the best part of this gig, the flying.  It was the epitome of freedom for him. He would trade the strength for the flying without hesitation. He got sick of breaking things by accident and once he had almost broken his wife’s arm, stopping her from falling. It was a pain, in every day life.

He reached the roof, and he pulled the exit door off of its hinges with little effort.  He ran down the stairs and took a moment to look around and gauge the situation. There were only three robbers, although they were heavily armed, and there were several hostages. Luckily, the robbers were standing together discussing their next move. It was like taking candy from a baby.

The B-Man burst in and rushed the robbers. He grabbed their weapons first and hurtled them through the bank windows. He was able to grab most of them easily, but one of the robbers was nimble and escaped his hold, wielding a knife. He focused on dodging her and knocking out the other two criminals. It was simple, two well placed kicks and one swing of the fist and they were both down.

He turned his attention to the nimble, knife-wielding one.

“Do you really want to do this the hard way?” he said.

“As far as I know, B-Man, you are not impervious to being stabbed,” she said, with no small hint of arrogance in her voice.

“I’m not, but I am smarter, faster, and stronger than you. I’ve also been doing this for a while,” he said, coolly.

She lunged with the knife and he flew out of the way. She lunged again and he grabbed her wrist. He only used a fraction of his strength to bend her wrist back and break her grip on the knife. She dropped it, but she twisted out of his grip and rolled away.

He was impressed with her fighting skills, but now she was weaponless and he knew it would only be a moment. This time, he went on the offensive and lunged for her. She kicked him and her kick was well placed, but he grabbed her ankle and she fell to the ground. Before she could make another move, he subdued her.

He carried all three villains out and handed them over to the police. It was just another day in the life of The B-Man and it was only 6:30 p.m.