slayers_desire | sometimes justice goes unserved

Entry tags:

clark,
destiny

sometimes justice goes unserved

Dark Oak was exploring the quiet night streets of Topeka, Kansas. It was not quite as active as Metropolis, but the whole point was not to be the protector of such a larger center. There was still a crime element, and it was small enough for a newbie hero to patrol.

Crime in this community targeted mostly government-workers, as that was the majority of the employers. And right now Dark Oak was investigating around the Kansas State Capitol.

Something wasn't right. She could see shadows on the second floor, where the historic murals were kept. But there was no sign of forced entry, no alarms sounding from the ground. Using a grapple hook to latch onto the roof, Dark Oak climbed the walls to look into the second floor windows. There she could see the criminals delicately working to remove the artwork. They obviously had the security system figured out, and were able to adjust around it.

There was also an open window where the criminals entered, and allowed Dark Oak access. Unfortunately it didn't give her any protection from being seen and a fight immediately occurred. Even with a group of three, at first Dark Oak had no problems. She had her enhanced agility and strength and the criminals were just human.

One pulled a gun and shot her, grazing her shoulder, which stung for a moment. The other two took advantage of the wound to force a large statue over, when unfortunately Dark Oak got caught underneath at the last moment. It was heavy enough to pin her leg. And the criminals made their escape as Dark Oak attempted to free herself. One activated the alarm at the last second, which made things even more frustrating. If found... Dark Oak would be blamed for the crimes, and it was something she didn't want.

Luckily having her PINpoint allowed Dark Oak to teleport away safely, not leaving any traces behind. But also allowing the criminals to get away. She arrived in the safe PINpoint location located at the Smallville farmhouse. Her bullet wound hadn't healed yet, and it still smart to put weight on her leg. Removing the mask from her face... April was no longer Dark Oak. And she went to find Clark and some comfort from her difficult night.

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Clark hears the distinctive sound of PINpoint transport coming from the safehouse, and goes to investigate. No one was scheduled to arrive today, so he suspects it's April, coming to pay a visit. He isn't expecting to see her limping, or see blood on her shoulder, and he rushes to meet her in the yard. "What happened?"

April reaches out to him, to lean on him slightly. "Crime fighting night that went wrong."

He bends down a little, putting her arm across his shoulder for support, his arm around her waist. "Come on, into the house."

"I got a little cocky. There were only three of them." April admits.

He helps her to sit on the couch, then examines her wounds, on the surface and with x-ray vision to make sure the damage isn't too bad. "How'd they get the jump on you?"

"They saw me climb through the window to face them." The bullet wound is not deep, and already healing. As for her leg, the fibia bone is cracked.

He knows that she'll probably heal that up shortly, but it still doesn't make him happy to see it. "Your leg's broken, right here." He indicates the spot without touching it, but makes sure that the crack wasn't deep enough to displace the bone. He knows that she knows better than to move around until it's knitted back together.

"It's not like you to be careless." He doesn't mean for his words to be harsh, but he's surprised that she got hurt so easily.

And that she was out patrolling in the first place.

"Damn." April hates having a broken bone. It will heal. But it can be a bit painful to wait and allow the bone to knit back together.

"I got cocky." She admitted again. "I thought that because they were human... I didn't have to use my voices."

And of course, her mind had been distracted even in the combat.

He disappears into the kitchen briefly, getting her a small mug of blood from the back of the refrigerator. He's started keeping some on hand, now, in a very small opaque container buried behind the vegetables. He knows that if someone (like Lois) came over to visit and went digging for a snack, they wouldn't see it there.

He hands it to her, and sits in the chair opposite the couch so he doesn't jar her leg while it heals. "I think you'd better start from the beginning. What were you doing out there?"

"Trying to start stories on Dark Oak. Far enough away from Smallville or Metropolis, so I went to the State capitol." April takes a sip of the blood. "I saw shadows on the second floor of the Capitol Building, and found the criminals there. Stealing the artwork."

Well, that's at least somewhat reasonable. Not reckless of her, but he's still somewhat disappointed that her first outing as a solo hero turned out so badly. "Did you get a good look at them?"

"They wore masks." April sighed. "And got away after toppling a statue on my leg."

"And shot you." He recognizes a graze when he sees one.

"That happened before the statue landed on my leg." She is at least honest. "One never gets used to the sting of a bullet... it distracted me."

He's a bit frustrated for her by proxy. And he's always upset when criminals get away unpunished. Even if people he cares don't get hurt in the crossfire. He gets up to pace a little, all those frustrations simmering inside of him. "You never should've been hit in the first place."

"I really... wasn't paying attention to being Dark Oak." April softly admits. She feels like a failure. She let her hero mask drop on the first attempt.

He sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. "I'm not... blaming you. Mistakes happen. Especially when it's your first time." But he's upset that she got hurt, that she was put in that position, that the burglars got away.

Setting down her mug, April reached out to gently rub her leg to ease some pain as her healing abilities started repair the broken bone.

"I just feel... so stupid for letting outside worries and pride get in the way of capturing those criminals. Now that art is gone... and I didn't even collect any clues to how to make things right."

"I take it they didn't leave anything behind. And that there's no way to get back in without getting caught."

"I had to leave quickly, because they activated the alarm."

He nods, considering that. He knows that the statistics on finding stolen goods isn't encouraging, and even moreso when it comes to nabbing the thieves. The art is probably long gone. And even if he went there himself, he probably couldn't do much to help.

"Did you leave anything behind?" He knows there's little chance that forensic evidence could connect her to the scene, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious.

"No. The last thing I would want is for Dark Oak to get a bad name."

He shakes his head, turning to face her. "That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried that the police will find evidence of you there. April, not Dark Oak. Dark Oak doesn't have an address." He's glad that she didn't leave anything behind, but he needs to make sure she understands his fears.

"No. Nothing of me was left behind either." She appropriate feels a little chastised. "I didn't do very good... did I?"

He doesn't want to hurt her, but it's the truth. "No. Not really. Sorry." This is the closest he can remember to being angry with her. But it's an anger that comes from concern for her. She went off alone and got hurt. And it's at least partially her fault, though he doesn't want to blame her either.

"Was this your first time visiting Topeka?"

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