The Cape (part four)

Deveros never considered that one man could have all those powers, it would just be too much. For a moment, the man's image came to focus and Deveros swung. He wasn't sure if the man was telling the truth about his powers; or if he just retained some of The Talon's abilities for a moment; or if it was just the other man's youthful strength and speed compared with Deveros' tired body. The man simply slipped outside the punch, never breaking stride. He kicked the back of Deveros' knee, dropping him to his knees. Then the other man yanked the back of Deveros' coat, pulling it off.

Deveros turned to see the man pulling on the black trenchcoat, one sleeve at a time. "Let me make things a bit clearer for you," the man said, putting the glasses on his face. He ran his fingers through his hair, slicking it back. The image in Deveros' eyes solidified and he was no longer staring at The Talon or some stranger but Joe Clarke, the most famous reporter at the Daily Page.

Dressed in his trademark trenchcoat and dark-rimmed glasses, he looked every bit as clear as when Deveros would see him on his TV set, usually covering a tragedy Deveros himself had orchestrated. How did he get here so quickly? he thought. No, it's still that man masquerading as The Talon and probably countless other heroes as well. He needed to stay focused.

From the entryway into the hidden room came three dull thuds followed several seconds later by three louder clangs of boots on the steel floor. SWAT officers entered the room in full armor, rifles raised and ready.

"Looks like you boys are a little late to the party," Joe Clarke said, bright white smile shining. "From what I saw upstairs it looks like King Fist made a mess of all the henchmen, Blue Furnace burned through the doors, and The Talon took down the heavy before incapacitating Deveros. You may still want to slap some cuffs on him though, just to be safe." He pointed at the uncuffed Deveros, still glaring at Joe Clarke just to make his point.

The lead officer lowered his rifle and pulled off his mask. The other two officers followed suit, one of them walking around to lift Deveros to his feet and handcuff his hands behind his back, the other watching over the still-unconscious Tiny. "Dammit Clarke, I get the whole 'freedom of the press' thing but couldn't you wait until we sweep the area before scurrying in here looking for a story," the officer said to the man in glasses and a trenchcoat.

The reporter just shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry officer, I just really wanted to get the story before anyone else got here. I was also hoping to get an exclusive with the members of The Legion that took down the villain, but it looks like they already left."

"No, he is The Talon! And King Fist! And Blue Furnace! He's the entire Legion. It's just him!" Deveros cried out as one of the officers dragged him through the tunnel and back to the manor.

"I think The Talon might've hit him a little too hard. I guess he'll be suing for some sort of police brutality or something," said Joe Clarke, reporter.

The lead officer just shrugged. "With all the crimes he's committed, especially this last one, I'm surprised The Talon didn't just kill him and make life safer for all of us."

"Come on officer, now that wouldn't be very heroic," said Clarke. He patted the officer on the back and took one last look around the room. "Well, it looks like you boys have this handled and there's nothing left to put to print here. I'll leave you to it." he turned and headed back to the tunnel entrance.

"Just try to stay out of crime scenes until it's safe and secured," the officer said after him, knowing his advice would only fall on deaf ears.

Deveros was still rambling to the other two officers hauling him to the ladder when Joe Clarke caught up with them. Three ropes linked the top of the tunnel to the secret room they were in now, and explained how all three had gotten down so fast. Above them, he could hear the clatter of rifles and the clomps of boots as officers rushed around the room. "Hey boys, mind if I head up first? Deadlines to meet and all that." One of the officers just shrugged and motioned him along.

"I know who you are! I'll tell everyone!" Joe Clarke turned from the ladder to Deveros sneering at him.

Joe Clarke, reporter smiled his award-winning smile that made him a household name in the local news. "Yeah, and who exactly am I?"

Deveros' mouth opened, but no sound came out. He closed it, then tried to speak again only the words wouldn't leave his mouth. Puzzlement covered his face while he glanced down as if trying to see his own lips, then back to Joe Clarke standing not five feet from him. His eyes glazed over and he needed to blink several times like he was trying to keep himself awake. "You're Joe Clarke."

Joe Clarke smiled again. "Seems like I've got a fan." He reached into his pocket and pulled a business card. "If you'd like to give an exclusive interview, give me a call. I know you get at least one phone call where you're headed off to." He stepped forward and slid the card into Deveros' shirt pocket. Then he leaned a bit more and whispered, so just the two of them could barely hear. "I told you, no one will believe you. I write the news in this city." Then he leaned back, smiling at Deveros and the two officers, and turned back to the ladder. By the time he was halfway up, Deveros' restored Legion conspiracy rantings were already starting to fade.

At the top of the ladder, Joe Clarke found the entire manor swarming with police officers, paramedics, and other first-responders. Nearly all the henchmen were already in handcuffs, and the officers were busy sorting which ones would be going to jail and which should be sent to the hospital to get checked before joining their buddies. Weapons, bullets, and casings were labelled and collected as evidence. Through the chaos, Joe Clarke moved like a breeze, invisible, striding confidently as no one gave him a second look despite his odd clothing, or that the nearest press van was still more than thirty minutes away.