A rainy night in Chicago
*warning, language*

Too quickly the ground came to great me. Shockwaves rolled over the ground as my mass drove into the rain soaked lot. The pain in my joints screamed, begging me not to launch into the night sky again. Blood throbbed behind my eyes, I was getting tired, this had gone on too long. There had to be a place to hide, to catch my breath, to not die.

I heard to crackle of power and smelled the ozone before I felt the blast. Every nerve in my body stood on end, but it didn’t really hurt. I went to my knees, playing possumn. The sound of the flying idiots boots slapping mud behind me was all I needed to hear. Muscles tensed and I was on my feet, raised fists brought down into the muck between us. A virtual wave of mud and rock erupted towards the dumbfounded dweeb. His bright T2M costume vanished under a layer of mud that also covered his eyes, sending his blasts flying harmlessly into the night sky. Pulling my punch just enough not to kill him, I planted my knuckles right in his gut. The spray of vomit and the sound of slapped meat told me that he didn’t have his protections up. His form hung on my fist for a long second before sliding off to land at my feet. His breathing was deep and pained, he wouldn’t be following. As much as my legs protested, it was time to put some distance between myself and here before his friends arrived. Too many questions and too much…
“Well, that will have to be explained.” Damn, too slow, to fuckin’ slow.
“Just let me leave, I wasn’t doin, anything wrong. Can’t you guys just take no for an answer?” Bringing my mass around to face the clown, I was reminded how I hated those smug smiles that must come with the damn uniforms.
“Now Rooker, ya know I can’t let a dangerous man like you just go, there are a lot of questions that only you can answer. The train in St. Louis, the zoo in KC, those silos in Kansas, the mall in Cleveland, and now that gas station here in Chicago. That explosion nearly killed several people.”
“Hey, the last time I was here that was a park! I didn’t know they had built anything there. I can’t change direction in midair. It was an accident ya jerk!” Shit, he didn’t like that, poor babies ego is too sensitive for this job. His smile is gone and he is going make a play for me. Hope he’s tougher than the last one. Well, if he wants to dance, its going to be on my beat. A descision is made, a small thought, and my mass rises, I feel my feet sink into the mud as I pass the 2 ton mark. I let the gravity move from inside me to the area around me, a shell of force that will sap his speed and might. An explosion of ground behind him announces his charge, his flight bringing him to me all the quicker. He hits the edge of the field and the increased gravity registers on his face, just before my foot catches him on the shoulder. A quick attempt at a punch falls lightly on my arm, lucky for me, he’s stronger than he looks. I drop the field and turn to follow his arc as he gains altitude. The kick must have hurt him, he’s holding his arm close to his side, clenched teeth bringing a smile to my face. “Just leave, before this gets out of hand. I don’t really want to fight right now, I just want to get out of the rain and get some sleep. Take junior there and get!” I preyed that he wasn’t in the mood any more. The rain was coming down hard now, it was cold and there were no cameras her for him to smile to.
“This isn’t over Rooker, we will bring you in!”
“Maybe, but not tonight.” I turned and walked away. I heard him land near his friend and then they were gone. Good, now I can find a place to stay. Ah, Chicago, it has been a while.