In the Liverpool district, another bank was being robbed, though this time, the thieves were a bit more competent. All of the hostages were tied up, the tellers were dumping money into bags and three of the men were escorting the manager to the vault.

"Open it!" one of the men shoved the manager. The fat man glared at the masked men but obeyed anyway. He pressed a few buttons on the keypad and the vault's mechanisms began opening. It was taking a while as the gears, pistons, and hydraulics were hissing and cranking.

"Why's it taking so long?" one of the men, wearing a Horse mask, growled.

"It's a new security system. The higher ups were worried about banks being robbed, and well, you can say they were right."

"Shut up."

Inside the lobby of the bank, Liberator slowly descended from the ceiling. Their new grapple hook clung tightly, much better than the other one. As they descended they saw that all of the hostages were gathered in one spot.

'Good, that makes finding them easier.' The hero landed on the floor quietly, making sure the robbers and hostages didn't see them. Like a snake slithering through the grass, Liberator snuck up behind a man and was about to take him out before someone walked out of the bathroom.

"Whew! Man, I knew I shouldn't have had those chimichangas. That bathroom gonna stank now." Walking out of the bathroom was a rather tall and buff kid. He looked to be a high school senior with the blazer he had on.

"Glad I ain't cleaning that up." The boy looked around noticing the armed men in animal masks, the hostages tied together, and the bags of money being shoved into duffle bags. He pursed his lips before he tried to go back into the bathroom.

"Hands up, kid!" the robber with the mask of a Cow raised their rifle up. The black boy paused before he jerked his hands up. The ground suddenly erupted upwards, sending the Cow into a flip.

"We got a super!" more men rushed forward and began firing at the boy. The boy stomped a foot and a wall of stone and debris shot up. It took the bullets and when the men went to reload, the boy punched the wall.

Bits and pieces of debris shot out like a shower. It peppered the robbers, disorienting them.

"Watch out!" the boy was then tackled as gunfire shot where he stood. He looked down and saw a hero dressed in gear and bandages had saved him. They both scrambled behind a pillar as Cow fired at him.

"Hey, thanks for the save!" the boy offered his hand to the much smaller person. "Names Rocky."

"Liberator. And no problem, just doing my job." Liberator shook the hand before peeking their head out. It was nearly shot as the pillar's edge shattered.

"Okay, I counted ten men, though I didn't see the manager, so there's probably more robbers." The Liberator looked at the hostages who were panicking. "I want you to see if you can get those hostages outta here while I deal with these animals."

"What? No way, they'll just shoot them. We need to take out those animals." The boy touched the pillar and let the marble creep onto his hands. It covered his hands up to the elbow and soon he had fists of stone.

"I know, but I don't want you getting in danger." Liberator looked at the boy's hands encased in rock. "But if you really wanna, then make sure you draw their aim away from the hostages, got it?"

"Then what's the plan?" The taller boy let more stone creep onto him. He had a thin layer of cement on his chest acting as body armor.

"You go left, I go right. You draw their attention and I'll take 'em out while they're distracted."

"Sounds good!" Rocky smashed his fists together as the men stopped firing.

"What the hell is going on?!" Horse walked out into the lobby just as the men reloaded. Seizing the chance, the two rushed out from behind the pillar.

The boy of stone slammed a fist into a man's face, knocking him out cold with a concussion. The rest immediately began firing, but a flashbang was thrown in the center of their group.

"Flashbang!"

BANG!!!

Blind and disoriented, the duo lunged and attacked the animal men. Liberator sent a flying kick to a Frog, while Rocky shattered the rib cage of a Zebra. The men began recovering, but one of them didn't get a chance as the scarfed hero delivered a one-two-three hit combo! They finished it with a spartan kick knocking them away.

"Shoot him!" Horse fired a pistol at the stone freak. The shots cracked his chestpiece, but didn't penetrate. Rocky panicked and scrambled behind a pillar.

"Hey, you!" Horse turned only for the wire of a grappling hook to wrap around his neck. The robber's breath was squeezed out of him as he was dragged away. Liberator found the man and did a flip before stomping a foot into his face.

"Over there!" the men turned their guns at hero and fired. Thinking quickly, Liberator picked up the downed Horse and used him as a shield. The body armor stopped the shots as they ran behind cover.

Rocky saw that the men were distracted and picked up a rock. With an athlete's throw, he chucked the ball at one of the men. With enough force to probably shatter the spine, the man fell onto the floor. The rest turned to him and began firing at the boy. He stomped a foot down and formed another wall for protection.

"Hey you freaks!" one of the men, a Pig, aimed his rifle at the hostages. "If you don't wanna end up cleaning their bodies up, then I suggest you surrender-"

Bang!

The man jerked as red painted his mask. From behind cover, Liberator held a revolver, the barrel smoking. The men and women all screamed at the shot but seemed to calm down.

'Okay, good, no one's yelling at me.' Liberator dashed from cover and fired their grappling hook. It dug into a pillar and with a jump, the hero zipped across the air and smashed into a robber. The man, wearing a goat's mask, fired wildly. A few bullets struck the antihero, but a yank of the gun and a single (few) punches to the face, knocked him out.

"How ya doing?!" Raising the rifle, the hero fired at the men. They made sure to aim for their center of mass where their body armor would take the hits. This forces the men to take cover behind a pillar which gives the stone boy a chance.

"I'm good!" With a jerk of his hands, the boy made the pillar engulf the men like putty melting.

The last man saw he was alone and went to take a hostage, but a shot to his hand stopped him. He yelled and cried as his fingers were gone.

"Don't even think about it," Liberator threated as they held their revolver. "Be glad it's just your hand."

Rocky moved his hands and the robber's feet were encased in the tiled floor. The Liberator took the rifle before punching him in the gut.

"Okay, I think that's everyone?" as they said that, the entire building shook as a wall exploded. A truck then burst through the opening before more men hopped out. They aimed their rifles at the two.

Liberator would have fired then and there if someone else hadn't beaten them to the punch. The two supers turned to see a woman fall to the floor. Her eyes wide and lifeless as the back of her head was open. Two men walked into the lobby. One of them was holding a smoking gun and the other a hostage.

"Take one step and I'll blow his brains out." the manager was held tightly as the rest of the men began loading the cash into the truck.

"You won't get away with this." Liberator glared at the masked men.

"You say that, but I'm getting paid and you just lost someone." the robber, a man with a Chicken's head, chuckled. "If you were any other antihero like Black Wing or the Scarlet Watcher, then I'd be worried. But no, you heroes care about the civilians, and I intend to take full advantage of that."

"I will kill you." Liberator felt their hand twitch, unconsciously reaching for their revolver.

"Sure you will, but you gotta find me." the Chicken laughed as police sirens could be heard in the distance. "Welp, that's our cue to leave. Here, why don't you take this as a gift."

One of the robbers threw a grenade at the mass of people before shoving the manager. Liberator eyes widened as time seemed to slow down. The truck began to drive off. The men and women all screamed as they saw the grenade.

"GET BACK!!" the hero didn't hesitate and lunged for the explosive. They hugged the thing like it was crack to a junkie and it detonated.

Boom!

A boom echoed through the bank as Liberator felt the bomb break their body. A black scorch mark was left as the dust settled. Rocky rushed to the hero and checked on them. The entire front of the guy was blown off. It was scorched black but it was obvious the skin and meat were gone. Bits of bone and plenty of blood spilled out. But somehow, the scarfed hero was still alive.

"I... I can't believe it! You're alive?!"

"Wish I wasn't..." The hero's face was blown clean off, leaving nothing but a cracked skull burnt black. "I expected to be blown to pieces."

"I covered the grenade in rock, hoping it'd stop it. But I'm glad you hopped on it."

"You might have..." the hero struggled to get up. "That actually would have made things worse. That made a fragmentation grenade."

"Are-, are you okay? Stupid question, we need to get you to the hospital!"

"No, no hospital." Despite their body yelling at them to lay down and die, Liberator refused. They needed to get a move on before the cops showed up.

"Are you kidding?! The whole front of... everything of you is gone!"

Just then the police cars could be heard screeching as multiple men in SWAT armor pulled in. They all flooded the bank, training their guns on the unconscious men in animal masks. The boy turned to the hero hoping they'd stay, but found them gone. Instead, a trail of blood and burnt fabric leads out of a window.

~ ~ ~

Christ on a stick!

The Liberator slid into a manhole leading into the sewer. They tried to climb down, but lost their grip and fell down the tunnel landing flat on their face.

The hero coughed and gagged as they slowly picked themselves up. The pain was so unbearable they just wanted to die. But they pushed on because as someone wise once told them. Dying was gay.

And while they didn't mind being homosexual, being gay was worse.

Taking a deep breath, Liberator managed to sit up. They reached into their bag and pulled out a bottle of painkillers. Not really one for math, they downed a couple of handfuls and began the process of wrapping themselves in bandages.

'I should really start killing on sight...' they groaned as the bandages and antiseptic burned their exposed face. The plate carrier was completely ruined and the revolver was just scrap now.

'No... I can't do that.' They wrapped their chest and body, making sure their organs didn't spill out. 'The moment I start getting trigger happy, I'll end up killing a man just trying to feed their kids. Only if they intend to take a life, will I make exceptions.'

This was why the district had more vigilantes and antiheroes. While the superheroes in High Tower didn't kill their enemies, any person willing to fight justice learned that having morals was a disadvantage the criminals seized.

That's why, despite having less crime, Liverpool had the highest mortality rate of criminals. Any hero who decided killing criminals was easier than having them escape later on were deemed as antiheroes. They avoided the law and fought crime with the intent to kill their enemies. And while not all of them were trigger-happy killers, no one was there to stop them from administering their own sense of justice.

Those who still held onto their morals or rarely killed were called vigilantes. They were heroes who had either left High Tower district or were cast out due to the rules. With no one watching over their shoulders, these heroes tried their best to fight crime while maintaining their sense of ethics. Some broke under the stress and gave in, but there were others who held strong.

It was difficult. Trying to balance your ethics and protecting people. It was like if you had to choose between killing a murderer or letting them live. Sure you could beat them up and send them to prison, but that killer would escape and kill again. There's only so much you can do before you end up becoming the problem just because the murderer knows you won't kill them.

It's a balance. You need to know who can be saved and who needs to be taken out. You can help that murderer by reforming them. Showing them the error of their ways, but if they do not want your help then you must take action. You cannot help someone that does not want to be helped.

Liberator sighed as they finished wrapping their face. They needed to find something to eat and then track down those robbers.

The hero stood up and pulled out the katana Jane had sharpened for them. They angled the blade so their eyes appeared in the reflection.

If those men were willing to take the lives of others, then they must be willing to accept the risk of their lives being taken. And Liberator would find them, and if they didn't surrender, then heads would roll.

~ ~ ~

Rocker Fella, or just Rocky, had just finished speaking with the police after he gave his witness statement. He waved the officer goodbye before making his way off. He thought about today, wondering if this was a sign or just chance.

Rocky had developed his power over rock and stone rather recently. He was a normal kid. He played football, had pretty good grades, and had a loving mother and father. He had a promising career in sports as he was offered scholarships and he had just asked his crush out on a date.

Over all life was good, so when he found out he could control rocks he was at a loss. On one hand he had a perfect life. He could go pro, get a contract, get a house, a car, everything one dreamed of as an adult.

But on the other hand, he had superpowers. He didn't know if this was god telling him that he should be a superhero. He knew he could do so much by being a hero. And today had just proved it! He could have never taken out all those robbers on his own.

So when that hero showed up and they both took them all out, he felt estactic! He had saved people, defeated criminals. Though, they did get away and a person had died. So maybe he wasn't cut out to be a hero. If only he had been faster or in the right place, then maybe he could have saved that person.

"Ugh, what am I talking about? If that hero couldn't have done it, then how could I have?" the image flashed through his mind, the sight of the woman's body. He tried to get it out of his mind, but the lifeless eyes just burned into his.

Rocky nearly tripped and fell on the stairs of his home. He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't realize he was home. He entered the house and was met with the warm greetings of his mom and dad.

"Rocky! Baby, where have you been?" an woman with bits of graying hair walked up to her son. While he stood a fair half foot above her, that didn't mean a thing when she forced him down to kiss his cheek.

"Ah, there was this bank robbery on my way home." his mother's face grew horrified. "But I didn't get involved. There was a hero and I just gave the police my witness statement."

"Ah, that's great dear. Lord knows we don't want you getting into trouble." his mom smiled before noticing how dirty and dusty her boy was. "Baby, you are filthy! Go take a shower and come down for dinner. Your pa's in the back reading his papers."

"Okay, ma." Rocky sighed as he walked upstairs. He took a shower, his mind still stuck on the whole bank incident, and he came down to dinner. His parents were already there and he had a plate ready.

"So," an older man spoke, his hair much grayer than his wife's. "You're ma told me you were caught up in a bank robbery?"

"Well, uh, no not really?" Rocky gave a weak smile. He hadn't even sat down and his pa was already on his ass. Great.

"Then what's this about you getting involved?" the father turned to his son with a firm look.

"Well, I was on my way home and well, the bank near me was getting robbed!" Rocky tried to lie the best he could. He figured telling half truths and lying by omission was the best.

"Uh huh, and what'd you do?"

"Well, I had to call the police and a hero showed up."

"A hero huh? You know who he was?"

Rocky opened his mouth but paused. He didn't actually recognize the hero. He'd have to look into that.

"Exactly, you know why? Cause they're a damn Anti!" The old man slapped a paper down. The headline showed a scarfed figure that looked exactly like the hero.

Dread washed over the boy as he realized how close he could have died. Antiheroes we're all psychotic killers! But then, why didn't he get that vibe from them?

"But he didn't look like one!" Rocky defended.

"Rocky." The old man shook his head. "It don't matter what they look like! They can wear all black or all pink, those people will mess you up!"

"Why'd you have to get involved? You should have just ran. You could have ended up like brother!"

"Harold!" The mother scolded her husband. "Sweetie, you did the right thing calling the police. But your father's right, the moment you called you should have just ran. Lord knows what could have happened."

"I-... I'm sorry ma, you're right."

"Hmph, she's always right, but not me." The father mumbled before his wife weakly slapped his bald head.

"Hmhmm, and who cooked your meal?"

"Well, I bought the meat."

The chatter between the two was joking as they argued. The family all ate in peace, just talking to one another about their day.

"Oh, Harold, honey? I forgot to tell you that we're almost out of milk. Can you be a dear and go get some from the store?" She peeked out of the kitchen where she cleaned the dishes.

"Woman, do you know how late it is?" Man, he just sat down.

"Harold, it's only 4, go get your ass up outta that chair." The old man grumbled as he begrudgingly got up and out of his chair.

"Hey Rocky, you need anything from the store? I'm going to get some milk."

"Wait you're leaving?" The boy asked with wide eyes.

"Uh yeah?"

"You're leaving me and ma?"

"To go to the store yeah?"

"But dad, how could you do this to us? How am I gonna take care of ma?"

"Boy, get your ass in the car!" He smacked his son on the head as he walked out. The boy giggling and laughing. "Damn kid, shoulda left for cigarettes years ago."

~ ~ ~

The drive to the store was relatively quiet. Rocky and his dad sat in silence, the radio playing softly. Harold glanced at his son who looked out the window with a bored expression. The older man sighed before he pulled into the parking lot. Rocky went to open the door, but the old man locked it.

"Dad?"

The older man stared out the windshield before taking deep breath.

"Son," he began, "First I want to start off by saying I'm sorry for getting onto you during dinner."

"Okay?" Rocky blinked. He turned to face his dad as the man thought about his words.

"It's just... the reason I got mad was that I didn't want you getting involved. You said a bank was getting robbed, and you called the police. Now don't get me wrong, doing the right thing? I am proud of you for doing that. Most people would have just gone and ran off."

"But you informed the authorities like any concerned citizen would. But when you said that uh, antihero-"

"Hero dad, I watched them take out the robbers without killing anyone unless he had to."

"And that's the thing! If that vigilante showed up was an antihero, things could have gone much differently!" the old man reigned in his voice. "You know how the heroes in Liverpool are. Either they're just murderers looking for an excuse or green kids that've never seen real violence."

"I was worried about you, son. I don't want you to end up like your brother, Xavier." Silence dropped on the two as they remembered an older kid. Memories flashed through Rocky's head as a young man rushed in to save a man an injured man, only to get shot by an antihero. Turned out, the vigilante thought the kid was a gangster and they attacked without thinking.

This hit the family hard as Xavier Fella had passed on. His life unfairly taken as he just wanted to help someone. That injured man did not even survive their injures as the antihero left the scene.

"I just don't want to lose you," the father wiped his eyes, trying not to cry in front of his boy. "I used to live in Brookhaven when I was younger. I had twelve siblings cause my folks didn't know what a damn condom was. And we all had to join gangs just so we could live. And one by one, I saw all my brothers and sisters either die by rival gangs or they just got killed by their own gangs."

"When I was the last one left I swore I would get out of that horrible place and clean myself up. And I did, I got an actual job, fell in love with your mother, and had two sons that I love with all my heart."

Harold pulled his son for a hug, kissing the top of his head.

"I know I'm hard on you, but just remember son. You can always tell me and your mother anything. We will always support you." he looked at his son. "You have so much potential in you, I don't want that going to waste. You have a great opportunity my family didn't have and that gives you power. And with great power comes great responsibility."

Rocky was left speechless. In all his life, he had never seen his father so open. So vulnerable. He almost wanted to let out everything. Tell them about his powers. How he wanted to be a hero, but wanted a normal life. How he was struggling to find purpose, but he didn't. Not now. Maybe in the future once he graduated, but now was not the time.

"Thank you dad, I appreciate it. Really I do." The two smiled at each other before Harold unlocked the doors.

"Come on, let's get your ma some milk before she thinks we both ran off." The two hopped out the car before walking to the store's entrance.

"Hey sir," a man walked up to the father and son. "I'm not doing so well and uh, I was wondering if you got any cash you can spare?" He was ragged, his clothes looked like they were designer clothes, but they were tattered and filthy. His face was smeared with dirt and he had a cut on his forehead. He had no shoes and his eyes were sunken.

"Ah, sorry man, I don't got anything." Rocky shook his head.

"Yes we do!" the father turned to his son with a disapproving look. "We always help whoever we can. Rocky go get what your mama wanted. I'll help this fella."

"Oh you will?! Oh, thank you! Thank you!" the hobo grabbed Harold's hands and shook them graciously. "You have no idea what this means! Everyone I asked either ran me off or threaten to call the police."

Rocky frowned in shame before he walked into the store. Harold reached into his coat, but found he had nothing.

"Oh, sorry, I must have left my wallet in my car. Please, give me a moment." the homeless man nodded as the father walked to his car. His shoes clapped against the asphalt of the parking lot. He reached into his coat and pulled out his keys. He sorted through them, flipping through house keys, office keys, the key to the safe under his house, and finally his car keys.

He inserted them into the keyhole but dropped them. He grumbled before reaching down to grab them. His back popped as he leaned down and scooped up his keys. They jingled as Harold sorted through his keys once more. House key, office key, key to the gun safe, and once again, his car keys.

He inserted the car keys into the slot and gave them a turn. The locks clicked as Harold pulled out the keys. He opened the door with the handle. He backed up as he opened the cardoor. He turned behind him to look at the homeless man and have him a reassuring smile.

The homeless man gave a awkward smile back and then a car crashed right on top of Harold Fella.

It came without warning and was as sudden as lightning. A truck loaded with steel beams came flying though the air before it crashed into the parking lot. The metal beams bounced and clanged against the asphalt. Some of them crashed into the convince store, one took down the sign, and the rest fell right on Harold.

"OH MY GOD!!!" the hobo yells as he runs for dear life.

"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!!" a loud and thunderous voice was made known as as giant metal hand crashed near the parking lot. A flying man flew at what looked like a giant armored robot. It easily stood ten stories high, it had multiple guns and cannons, but was missing an arm.

The superhero, clad in a tight tan jumpsuit flew at the robot. He smashed into the machine, his body coming out the other end as if metal was paper.

The machine groaned as it stumbled. A cannon on its shoulder moved and shifted. A targeting laser aimed itself at the hero before firing a missile.

The hero dashed to the side, dodging the missile, but the projectile zoomed around the air before coming back. The hero didn't pay attention and was struck by the missile.

Rocky came out of the convince store holding an unconscious man. His body was covered in stone which was slowly breaking. He set the man down only for an explosion to rumbled the sky. He looked up to see burning debris falling down on him.

"Shit!" using his powers, Rocky formed a dome around him and the man. The stone and asphalt cracked and buckled, but held on barely as the debris bounced off. A man fell onto the ground, groaning and whimpering. He growled before he jerked up and launched off the ground.

Rocky then saw that his dad's car was crushed. Fear filled the boy as he dropped the man he had and ran to his dad.

"PA! Pa are you in there?!" the boy searched around the car. Multiple beams and debris impaled the car. The cabin was absolutely destroyed and flattened.

"DAD!!" Summoning his powers again, the boy raised pillars to push off the metal. The beams clanged as underneath the metal, Rocky's dad lay there. Miraculously, the man's entire body wasn't pulverized into mush. The same could not be said for his legs and lower body.

"Dad..." Rocky reached out to his father, unsure if he should move him or do something.

The man proved he was still alive when he coughed out blood. His lips were painted a dark red as he cracked open his eyes,

"Dad! You're alive!" Rocky wasn't sure if that was good with how hurt his father was.

"Rocky...?" the older man croaked as he saw his son. "What... what happened?"

"I-I don't-, I don't know?! I was getting m-milk when shit fell through the roof-f. I, I got out and a hero fell down. I think?" the boy looked up, trying to hid his tears. He saw a giant robot fighting against what looked like a flying man. "I-It's a giant robot, it's shooting up everything. Dad, we gotta get you to a hospital!"

"Son, I don't think... that'll work..." just talking felt like rolling a boulder up a hill. He couldn't feel his body and one of his arms felt like it was fire. He tried to crane his head but yelled in pain.

"Dad!"

"Son... where's... where's my arm?" the boy blinked before turning to his dad's right. It looked like it was caught under the roof of the car. He turned his head to his dad's left and saw that there was nothing but a stump.

"It's ah, it right here dad. You got both your... both your arms." Rocky couldn't help but cry. God, why did this happen?

"Ah... okay... did... did you get the milk?" Harold couldn't feel either of his arms correctly, but he trusted his son. "Make sure you... Make sure you get it to your ma. I'll be in the hospital... for a while."

"Yeah da, I'll make sure she gets it." Rocky cried as he leaned on his father. The old man's eyes were staring up at the sky. A bright flash of light passed by. Ah, a shooting star. Maybe he'll make a wish. He wishes that his son, no matter what he decides to do, is happy. Yeah, that's a simple enough wish.

"Yeah... make sure... you visit me." The man swallowed. It was getting harder to talk. "I... I don't wanna be... alone in the... hospit... al..." he trailed off.

"Yeah, I'll make sure to visit you, pa, everyday." The boy looked up to see that his father's eyes were now empty. His chest had stopped moving, the wheezing gone. Rocky couldn't help but cry harder. Not even the thunderous booms of the battle could disturb him right now.

Out of an alleyway, the same homeless man walked out. He peeked at the wreckage and saw the boy crying on top of his father. He felt a twinge of pity as he turned to the fight between the hero and the machine. A feeling formed in his stomach. He didn't know it yet, but this man would soon develop a disgust. A disgust against reckless heroes.

5,147 words total excluding Disclaimer and Author's Note.

NOOOOOOOOO!!! Poor Rocky, he got the Spider-Man treatment. His dad got Uncle Ben'd. Poor boy. But every hero needs a tragic backstory to force them to become a hero. Though Rocky's gonna be depressed for the time being.

I wanted to draw out the moment up to the death, with long sentences of unnecessary things. I think I did well, to make suspense and tension.

But as for the Animals Robbers. We'll be seeing them soon enough. The Liberator's gonna have to get their hands dirty to find these evildoers! And they'll need some help that they may or may not realize!