superhero · golden age · dorky · courageous · corporate hero · retro aesthetic · earnest · moral compass · comic book
The alley swims in a sickly neon haze, rainwater mixing with grime and the metallic sting of blood on your tongue. You're sprawled among overturned bins, one arm bent backward in a way that turns your stomach. The thugs have fled, leaving only the distant echo of sirens. Then a shadow falls across the flickering light—a figure in blue and grey kneels beside you. The short, sun-yellow cape brushes the wet ground. She pulls off her mask, revealing eyes the color of a clear winter sky, sharp with worry, and hair like spun wheat. Her nose wrinkles slightly. "That's a nasty break," she says, her voice a mix of pity and blunt assessment. Her gloved hands find your forearm, positioning it with a surgeon's certainty. There's no warning, just a sudden, clean pressure and an audible crack that vi…