Chapter 9: The bomb I

The bomb I

Myles and Caitlin sat across from each other in a McDonald's booth, surrounded by the sound of chatter and the smell of burgers and fries. Myles took a big bite of his Big Mac, while Caitlin barely touched her food.

Myles noticed Caitlin's lack of appetite and asked, "What's wrong?"

Caitlin sighed and put down her burger. "Do you even realize that what you're doing is illegal? You could end up in jail one day."

Myles simply nodded, causing Caitlin to look at him with confusion.

"You're not even worried?" she asked.

Myles shrugged. "I know what I'm doing, and I'm willing to accept the consequences if I'm caught."

As Caitlin sits across from Myles, she can't help but feel conflicted. Here she is, having lunch with a notorious thief who has caused so much chaos in the city.

"Why are you a thief?" Caitlin finally asks, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them.

Myles takes a bite of his burger before answering. "It pays my electricity bill."

Caitlin furrows her brow in confusion. "You risk going to jail just for that?"

Myles chuckles. "It's not just about the electricity. I have other expenses too."

"Like what?" Caitlin asks, intrigued despite herself.

Myles leans in closer. "I could show you, if you're interested."

Caitlin shakes her head. "That's not what I meant. Why did you ask me out?"

Myles smiles, his eyes sparkling. "Is it wrong to want to spend time with a beautiful woman?"

Caitlin narrows her eyes. "Don't try to charm your way out of this. You're a thief, you must have other motives."

Myles leans back in his seat, his expression serious. "I won't deny that I have ulterior motives, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy your company."

Caitlin doesn't know what to say. Despite her reservations about him, she can't help but feel drawn to him. The way he displayed his confidence and carefree attitude was alarming. She takes a deep breath and tries to keep her emotions in check.

Myles takes a sip of his drink before leaning in and lowering his voice. "I saw some military types sneaking around Central City earlier today," he says to Caitlin.

Caitlin's interest is piqued as she asks, "What kind of military?"

Myles shrugs, "I don't know. I wasn't exactly sticking around to ask them. But it seemed like they were trying to keep a low profile."

Caitlin looks at him skeptically. "And why are you telling me this?"

Myles avoids her gaze and fidgets with his straw. "I don't know, just thought your team might want to look into it."

Caitlin nods, still suspicious of Myles' motives. "And why are you telling me this? What's in it for you?"

Myles hesitates for a moment before answering, "Nothing, just trying to be helpful. Besides, I enjoy spending time with you."

Caitlin rolls her eyes, "You're a thief, Myles. You don't just do things out of the kindness of your heart."

Myles leans back in his seat, a small smile playing on his lips. "Maybe I do. Or maybe I just having to spend my time with someone I'm attracted to."

Caitlin looks at him for a moment before shaking her head and taking a bite of her burger. "You're impossible." The young woman huffed, "I'm not going to let you use me as leverage to get out of whatever mess you're in, Myles."

Myles raises an eyebrow. "I'm not trying to use you for anything, Caitlin. I just thought your team might want to know about it."

Caitlin narrows her eyes. "Why should we trust you?"

Myles shrugs. "You don't have to trust me. But I thought you might be interested in stopping the military from taking another meta-human as a lab rat."

Caitlin considers this for a moment before nodding. "Okay, we'll look into it. But that doesn't change the fact that I still don't trust you."

Myles smiles. "I never said you should."

The sound of an explosion causes chaos as everyone in the McDonald's rushes towards the exit. Caitlin ducks under the table in fear, her eyes wide with shock. Myles remains calm and composed, scanning the area for the source of the commotion.

As he looks around, he spots a group of military vehicles and soldiers surrounding a building not too far from their location. His expression hardens as he realizes that the military might be coming after the meta-human they were discussing earlier.

Caitlin grabs Myles' arm, her heart racing with fear. "What's going on?" she asks him, her voice trembling. Myles takes a deep breath and turns to her, his eyes focused and determined.

"I think it might be the military," he tells her, his voice low and urgent. "They could be after the meta-human we were discussing earlier."

Without hesitation, Myles jumps to his feet and starts using his speed to take down any soldiers that get in his way. Caitlin watches in awe as he moves with incredible speed and agility, dodging bullets and taking down soldiers with ease.

The sound of shattering glass echoes through the fast food chain as Myles effortlessly smashes through the windows, launching himself outside to face the military head-on. Caitlin watches in disbelief as she follows Myles, cautiously peering through the shattered glass.

Myles is a blur, darting around the soldiers, avoiding their bullets with ease. He takes them down one by one, knocking them out with a few well-placed punches. Caitlin can't help but be amazed at his agility and speed.

As Myles finishes off the last soldier, he turns to Caitlin and grabs Caitlin's hand and pulls her along with him towards the building the military had surrounded. Caitlin hesitates, unsure if she should follow a thief, but her curiosity gets the best of her as she follows Myles towards the danger.

"Come on," he says, his voice urgent. "We have to follow them before they do something dumb."

As the chaos continues, the two approach the building, Myles scouts for any potential threats. Caitlin follows his lead and takes a more cautious approach. They sneak up to the building's entrance.

They make their way down a long, narrow corridor, the sound of their footsteps echoing through the building. As they turn a corner, they hear screams coming from one of the rooms. They quickly rush towards the source of the noise, where they find Bette Sans Souci, the meta-human they were supposed to rescue, surrounded by soldiers.

Without hesitation, Myles jumps into action, taking down the soldiers one by one while Caitlin helps Bette to safety. Together, they escape the building and the military's grasp, making it out just in time before backup arrives.

"Are you okay?" Myles asks as he helps her up.

Plastique nods, "Thanks for the help. But who are you?"

Myles smirks, "Just a guy who hates seeing the military bully, innocent people."

Caitlin looks around and said. "We need to get out of here before more soldiers show up."

Myles nods in agreement, "I got this." He takes Plastique's hand and they all run away from the scene at superhuman speed, leaving the military behind.

Once they reach a safe location, Myles asks Plastique if she needs any help getting out of the city. She declines, saying she can take care of herself. Before they part ways, Myles tells her to be careful and to lie low for a while.

Caitlin turns to Myles who just smiles, "Told ya I'm not all bad, just mostly."