Chapter Text
The stars were out; twinkling in the dark sky above the sprawling cityscape. Light from the moon illuminated from where it rested at the edge of the horizon, a sliver of a white crescent. The streets were dark and quiet that night, the late night and early morning hours blending together with the quiet hum of streetlights and AC units. The flickering and yellowed lights shone down on the barren streets, illuminating nothing but trash and leaves blowing in the breeze and the occasional animal.
Above the streets, perched on the edge of a quiet building, was a figure. A vigilante to be specific. He wore a fur lined parka with the hood pulled over his head. Concealing his face was a gas mask and a red visor which glowed fainty. His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, and he wore black fingerless gloves that stretched most of the way up his forearm.
In the quiet late night hours in the recent months, he had established a sort of routine for himself.
Patrol,
stargaze
survey the area, go home.
Nothing of note ever happened in the later half of the night, save for the occasional stray person or animal becoming lost. Then he would try and help them get back to their residence, wherever that may be.
That night however, the sprawling web of streets and buildings the vigilante called upon himself to protect was completely quiet and still.
From further back on his roof, someone landed, then immediately slipped on the tarp they had stepped onto. Spinning around on the ledge, the first figure paused at the sight of a hero face down on the roof.
The vigilante snorted, breaking into cackles at the sight of them, who lifted his head and flipped him off.
“Shut the fuck up Phantom,” the hero spat, no real vitrol behind it, only embarrassment. Phantom did not stop laughing, instead lowering himself onto the roof to keep from falling off.
By the time Phantom had stopped laughing, the hero had moved to standing above him with his arms crossed. His mouth was pulled into a frown, the only visible part of his face as the area from his nose to his forehead was concealed by an ornate mask in shades of black and nebula, with tiny moonstones speckling the edges and in between the textured bits with stars. His short dark hair was pulled into a braided bun, some of it falling loose around his face. On top of his head was a silver headpiece in the shape of star beams with glowing orbs of light on the ends, presently askew from his previous fall.
He wore a dark blue and purple outfit. His long, loose, off the shoulder sleeves had constellations and stars stitched into the fabric in gold and silver threads. His hands were covered in black gloves, each with a starburst on the palm. He wore black pants that were tucked into knee high boots. The laces were patterned in nebulas and were tied below silver crescent moons.
Tangled around his neck was a starry cape, which was connected to his black turtleneck undershirt. It was pinned together with a thin piece of metal, the middle of which was ornamented with the teal and green symbol of the Hero Agency.
“You done yet?” the hero asked, reaching down a hand. Phantom grabbed it, and Astra pulled him up to his feet. He dusted himself off, the vaguely damp roof grime having stuck to his jacket and pants.
“Did you beat the shit out of Corvus yesterday?” Phantom had been talking to Astra while they both patrolled when another vigilante, Corvus, had jumped out at the duo. Phantom had ended up being pushed into a giant puddle. The last he had seen of Astra was him yelling that he would see him tomorrow as he ran after Corvus, also yelling about how he was going to beat him up for that.
Astra frowned, “No, I lost him in the alleyways.”
“That's ok, none of my gear broke, I just got wet” Phantom reassured him, pressing a finger to his visor to show him that it still worked, the constant faint red glow became more intense at the touch. Astra smiled, and opened his mouth to say something before being cut off by a buzzing in his earpiece.
A voice crackled from the device, and Astra frowned at the message, nodding once it had ended.
“Got it, on my way,” he looked up at Phantom and smiled softly after ending the message.
“Someone on 20th and Pine St. called in one of those weird glitch creatures, wanna go check it out?”
Astra held out his hand to Phantom.
He took it.
The duo made their way a few streets over, vaulting over and sliding under beams and other obstacles. They seemed to fly through the air as they jumped from building roof to building roof.
Phantom landed on the final building roof, and rolled until he ran into the edge, sending a bolt of pain down his back. Wincing, he stood up and stretched his arms, easing the twinging muscles in his back. Astra was beside him, frowning down at the scene below the duo.
The gas station had its windows smashed in, glass strewn on the parking lot and the sidewalk along with various items for sale. From inside the dark and broken store there was movement.
Phantom leaned in, touching the side of his visor to activate a zoom feature. Inside the building was a horde of creatures. They had differing number and size of legs, made of crystal and bone and stone, electricity arcing over and under their skin and fur and feathers and scales. They were glitching in and out of existence, save for the metal plating that adorned their shoulders, emblazoned with the image of a spider web, the icon of the anti-hero Shatter.
From where they ran through the store, items on the shelves and floors changed colors, shapes, even what they were. They called to each other in noises that sounded like the whine of a siren and radio static, combined with their clicking vocalizations.
Phantom leaned back, looking at Astra who had his mouth pressed into a tight line. He was fidgeting with the hem of his cloak, seemingly a nervous habit.
“Looks like four or five Bugs in there, no sign of Shatter though,” He jogged to the other end of the building, looking at the steps of the fire escapes that traced down to the ground. He looked back at the purple hero, and gave a thumbs up.
“Race you down?” Without waiting for a response, Phantom swung himself off the roof, landing on the first ledge, before climbing to the outside of the wire structure, and sliding down. He landed on the balls of his feet, ending in a crouch.
Standing up, he craned his neck to look up to the roof, where Astra was peeking over, before disappearing. After a moment, there was a low sound, like the snap of a thick tree branch, and Astra was standing beside him, bright purple particles dissipating.
The duo crept toward the open street corner, hugging the shadows when the streetlights became too bright. Phantom looked around the ground for a weapon, before grabbing a fallen pipe and giving it an experimental swing. When he looked back at Astra, the other was smiling, and tilted his head in an over-exaggerated eye roll.
They reached the edge of the alleyway, now a short dash from the empty doorframe of the gas station. Astra nudged Phantom's arm, and pointed towards the shattered glass, before giving a thumbs up to the both of them.
The duo paused before Phantom suddenly ran out from the cover of the shadowy alley, Astra teleporting in front of him. The Bugs shot to attention, and readyed for a fight.