Captain Cold scowled as the young man ran, cursing softly under his breath. Buying the costume and freeze gun off ebay had seemed like such a good idea just a few months ago, but now it looked like it was going to bit him on the ass. The job here in Bludhaven had looked simple enough, too, using the gun to hold up a bank then get the hell out of town. "How the hell can one superhero be that good?" Cold muttered. Almost as soon as Captain Cold had arrived he had been confrontred by the red and black garbed figure, silvery mask gleaming in the darkness of the alley. "I know who you are," the staff was pointed at him, "and I strongly advise you keep you costume packed away, Cold." "I have't been convicted of a crime bounty hunter," he had shot back, shaken to have been found so easily, "I'm not your business." "Maybe not," Manhunter replied with a emotionless voice, "but I think you will be." Turning away the taller figure added, "Stay out of trouble." Retreating to his hotel room he debated carrying through the job, but he really needed the money. Finally he convinced himself that Manhunter couldn't be everywhere, couldn't catch him once he was ready to go. Sneaking into the bank after dark, disabling the security sustems had been cake, only the iron door of the vault slowing him down. That was where the ice gun came in. A small, absurdly simple looking weapon it projected streams of incredible cold, turning thick steel to a brittle, weak barrier in seconds. Shattering the metal he loaded up the satchel then bolted into the night, carrying enough jewels and prescious metals to support himself for many years. "Captain Cold," the voice boomed out from the darkness and he jumped, gazing up in shock at the figure who waited on a nearby rooftop. The staff shone silver like the mask he wore, the armored uniform blood red in the street lights as he leapt down to street level. Calmly he declared, "No man escapes the Manhunter." "Shit," Cold fired off the freeze gun as he bolted but the Manhunter seemed to disappear. Down the alleys he raced but each turn seemed to bring him upon the red clad figure, the same grim phrase repeated again and again. "No man escapes the Manhunter." 'Oh yeah,' Cold thought to himself irritably, 'right.' Still he tried to get away, to get back to his hotel, grab his stuff and bolt. Finally convinced he lost the Manhunter he headed inside the hotel and upstairs, running into his room. 'Got to get my bags," he muttered, "if I can just get out of town before he catches up with me..." Zzzap! The taser built into the staff struck faster than Cold could have expected, quickly dropping the young man in a crumpled heap at the Manhunter's booted feet. "They never learn," he muttered to himself, kneeling down to hoist the gfigure over his shoulder with a grunt, "better contact the bank for the standard recovery fee." The loot was returned to the bank, Captain Cold dropped off with the police department. Manhunter collected a motorcycle from where it waited and was off, racing into the night. The evening's patrol was accomplished quickly and efficiently, then the adventurer retreated to a tunnel connecting to the city's sewers. Beneath a older apartment building in the bad part of town Manhunter parked the bike in a concealed subbasement, then rode a hidden elevator up to the top floor. Emerging in a older looking workout room Manhunter stripped off the armored costume, hanging it up on a older manikin. The younger woman smiled as the blonde touched the silver mask, the simple features based off a humanoid model that might be hundreds of thousands of years old. 'Annd worn by both heroes and villains over the years,' she reminded herself. "People would be so shocked to see officer Angela O'Dare is also the bounty hunter Manhunter," the amused voice said. The blonde whirled, glaring at the other woman. "Don't surprise me like that mom," Angela said as she sheepishly put down her battle staff, "one of these days I'm going to accidentally taser you or something." Hope O'Dare smiled, her orange hair now nearly while. "You're too good at the hero biz for that," she said as she walked forward to her daughter's side. Hope looked at her curiously, "So who was it tonight?" Angela chuckled as they went out of the room into the converted apartment, careful to lock the door behind her. "Some mook who bought Captain Cold's old gear," she said casually. Hope actually laughed, "And how many unsuccessful villains have tried that? Someone should put a warning label on that stuff." "The original Captain Cold must have had some talent," Angela acknowledged, "no one else has been able to pull off the identity." She sat on her couch with a tired sigh, tilting her head back to rest on a cushion. "Do you want me to make you something?" Hope offered quietly. Angela looked up at her mother, her expression thoughtful. "You know that I really like having you here," she said to her gently, "but I think this has been the longest I've seen you away from Opal city in years. What's wrong?" Hope hesitated, standing there in the kitchen. "The Shade and I," she finally said quietly, "we've broken up." "What!" Angela blurted in surprise. Hope O'Dare had met the Shade in Opal, back when Jack Knight had first taken up the identity of Starman. The Shade, a former villain who loved Opal city began to gradually become a hero for the sake of the city, and even became a trusted ally and friend. Even more a unique chemistry developed between him and Hope, one that ultimately led to them becoming involved. Angela shook her head, "I don't believe it, Dad loves you." "He does," Hope acknowledged with a sigh, "but I don't think that's the problem." There were a few tears in Angela's eyes as she asked, "Then what is?" Hope returned to the couch, sittig down and hugging Angela gently. "He isn't aging, Angela," she said, "and he knows he'll outlive me. More importantly he knows how complicated it's becoming for me to explain why he seems so much younger than I." Angela winced, remembering a few comments she had overheard when she was younger. "He was the one who left?" she asked. Hope nodded glumly. "He felt that one of us had to make the break," she said, "and that it might as well be him." A ghost of a smile touched her lips as she added, "As a former villain he thought it'd be fitting, too." "Do you want me to come with you back to Opal?" Angela asked. She put her hand on her mother's, "I can track him down, try to talk some sense into him." "I appreciate the thought," Hope said to her daughter gently, "but Shade's mind is made up." "Not very fair to you, though," Angela said. "Life isn't always fair," Hope shrugged, "I found that out when my brothers died." She shook herself, getting up from the couch, "But enough about that, how are things with you?" "Work is good," Angela quite willingly went along with the change of subject, "the captain is happy with my stats." A little grin, "And anyone that I can't get as a police officer I can always track down as the Manhunter." Hope went into the kitchenn, getting out the supplies for sandwiches. "You always concentrate on work," she chided, "what about romance?" "Here we go again," Angela rolled her eyes. "You cannot tell me that there's no one you're interested in," Hope noted, laying out the bread then setting slices of meat on them. "I remember all the trouble you got into at school." "Hey, I was young," Angela protested. "It wasn't that long ago," Hope noted, slicing the completed sandwiches in half. Setting them on a plate she carried it over, "Come on, spill! I want names of boy or girlfriends, please." "And what makes you think I'd have a girlfriend?" Angela looked at her mom in surprise. "According to the gossip rags most of the Justice League does," Hope shrugged, "I figured it was just the latest thing for superheroines." Angela just groaned.
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