The newcomer crossed the roof in a casual manner and said in a friendly tone “Evening, Knight.”

Silent Knight used his gloved hands to phrase a response in sign-language, remembering to go slowly just in case Phaedrus was not as fluent with this form of communication. Evening. How went your investigations?

“Straight down to business, I see,” Phaedrus said.  “I like that. I wish, however, I had more to report. I spent some time undercover down at a harbor front dive called the Gull’s Nest. Asked around about the Sinister Spectrum but didn’t get any information. From the news though I did see our battle with him at the museum got some attention.”

Silent Knight nodded. He too had seen the news.

“How about you?” Phaedrus asked.  “Any luck?”

Silent Knight nodded and began to sign. In 1982, Spectrum was tried for grand theft larceny and property destruction. When his costume and gemstone were taken from him, however, he had no recollection of his actions. Mental probes by the Justice Gang’s member Mind Child revealed the criminal was speaking truthful. The defense lawyer got him released on a criminal insanity plea.

“Hmmm,” Phaedrus said. “Clearly he’s got his equipment back now. So maybe there is something with the gemstone. I wonder where it originally came from.”

Silent Knight continued to sign. The news sources also indicated that Lindberg aka the Spectrum was one of the archeologists who unearthed the Temple of Amatec back in 1978.

“That exhibit was also at the museum,” Phaedrus said.

The Knight nodded and continued to sign. On that dig, there was an accident that killed two of Lindberg’s colleagues. Investigations could not pin the deaths on him though. Some time thereafter, the Sinister Spectrum appeared and committed his first crimes.

“So the gemstone might have been connected to the unearthed temple,” Phaedrus supposed. “Maybe we need to pay another trip to the Dillin Muse…”

A shrill scream of a female off in the distance interrupted Phaedrus’ train of thought. He looked to the Knight. “You heard that too, right?”

Of course he did. He was mute not deaf. The Knight nodded and signed we should investigate.

Phaedrus agreed. They moved from rooftops to low lying walls before reaching the street level. Sticking to the shadows, they together moved in the direction from which the cry came.

They crossed into an open natural area that was known as Druid Hill park. Ahead of them they could hear the sound of voices, including that of a female who sounded as if she were struggling. They increased their pace as they crested the top of the hill only to come upon a group of five men in green armor, surrounding a young brown haired woman in a long gray trench coat.

Silent Knight recognized the armor and, more importantly, the red insignia on the breast plates instantly. He signed two words to Phaedrus: Viper agents!

Phaedrus yelled out, “Unhand that woman, now!” As the men all turn, he unsheathed his battle razors to drive home the point. The blades glistened in the moonlight.

Silent Knight shook his head and leapt off the hill towards the men. This is no time for theatrics, he thought to himself as he somersaulted in the air. Just got to hit these guys hard! He landed solidly on two feet and swung for the agent with a blaster pistol pointed at the young woman’s head.

As the agent fell backwards, the young woman rolled away from the grouping and discarded the trench coat as she did so. Beneath it was a gray spandex costume with red boots and gloves. “Thanks for the hand, guys,” she said with appreciation. “I needed help getting away from these Viper slime balls!”

“They won’t get far!” one of the agents shouted. He tossed a small grenade into the middle of the group. When it activated, a blinding flash of light filled the eyes of the woman, Silent Knight and two of the agents as well.

Silent Knight heard some shots and quickly dove to the ground. He reached out for the man he had belted a moment ago, hoping the man too was blinded. Finding him, the Knight hit him with another punch to insure he stayed down.

The young woman stood confused and called out. “What’s going on?”

Phaedrus called back. “Everything is under control”. There was the sound of metal against metal as his battle razors pierced one of the agent’s armor and dropping him to the ground. “Who’s next?”

There was the sound of more gun fire.

“Ha!” Phaedrus said. “You need to do better than that to hit me!”

The Silent Knight moved along the ground in frustration as his vision took its sweet time to clear. At least the blaster sounds alerted him to where the opposition was.

Nearby, he heard Phaedrus shout “you asked for this!” There was the sound of struggling and then he heard Phaedrus say “throw down your weapons or your pal here dies!”

The Knight was torn. On one hand, he disliked his ally’s clear use of deadly force to win a fight. On the other hand, these were Viper agents and the Knight’s own past experience with them showed they could be a handful, especially given their high-tech weaponry. I may need to rethink this team business, he concluded, or at the very least get a better handle on who I’m teaming up with.  He hoped that Phaedrus was just trying to call their bluff.

The Knight’s vision started to clear just as one of the agent’s nearby pulled out a radio. “We need back up assistance – now!” the agent shouted into the device.

Silent Knight lunged at the man, attempting to knock the radio away.

The agent pulled out his blaster with his free hand and pulled the trigger.

The Knight hit him squarely in the jaw, knocking the agent backwards. The blaster fire arced through the air and set ablaze a nearby hedge.

“What’s going on?” the woman cried out again as her vision slowly cleared.

“Everything’s fine, miss,” Phaedrus said as he punched one of the still standing agents.

“If everything’s fine,” the woman said, “then why do I smell smoke?”

Phaedrus turned to Silent Knight who was knocking out the agent with the radio. “You want to answer that one?” he said with a smile.

The Knight firmly signed ‘no’. I’m not in the mood for this! he thought to himself.

One of the blinded agent’s recovered and smacked Phaedrus from behind with the butt-end of his blaster rifle.

The Knight moved forward quickly and slammed the agent with a tackle. Phaedrus earned that one, he thought, but no point in letting him get hurt. He is one of the only friends I’ve got in this town.

“Thanks, Knight,” Phaedrus said as he moved on and took out the last agent standing with a punch to the jaw. “I didn’t see that one coming.” The gray garbed hero then turned to the young woman. “Are you okay, miss?”

She smiled as her vision cleared completely. “Yes, thank you.” She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug.

Silent Knight eyed her up and down. She appeared to be young, perhaps twenty if that. She was fit though, in good physical shape. If she weren’t, that spandex would show it for sure, he thought. He signed to his friend: what’s her story?

Phaedrus nodded. “So who are you exactly?” he asked her when she released him from the embrace. “And why were these Viper agents after you?”

“I go by the name of Trance,” she said. “As for the rest, well, it’s kind of a long story.”

Silent Knight began to sign to Phaedrus. Trance? With a name like that and a costume, is she some kind of hero?

Trance noticed him signing and smiled. “I know sign language too,” she said as her gloved hands also conveyed the same message.

Beneath his full face mask, the Silent Knight raised a curious eyebrow. Oh really? That’s awfully coincidental.

“Heads up, you two!” Phaedrus called. “We’ve got company!” They all turned to see another set of five agents approaching from across the park, weapons drawn.

The Knight turned to Trance and signed: you watch the! He then pointed to the downed agents from the earlier fight.

“Okay,” Trance said with little argument. “If you insist.” She moved back a bit to safety.

The Knight nodded and thought to himself, so she does know sign. Maybe I was being too quick to judge her. He was pleased that she passed his little test.

Phaedrus glanced up at the nearby trees. “Knight,” he said as he jerked his head upwards. “Let’s get the drop on them.” The hero in blue and gray agreed, and the two quickly scampered up the trunks to some over hanging branches. Crouching down behind the leaf foliage, they waited.

The agents saw Trance as they got closer and began to head directly towards her. “There she is,” one of them said. “Where are the…” His question was cut short when Phaedrus and Silent Knight dropped down from above. The speaking agent was taken out by the Knight while another agent in the group was taken down by Phaedrus.

“Get ‘em!” one of the unengaged agents said. He and the agent next to him began to open fire. Both heroes took a shot.

Damn it! Silent Knight felt the sting through his body armor. Can’t take many of those without paying for it in the morning. He quickly twisted around, moving the agent he just tackled around him to use as a barrier from the blaster fire. As the shots begin to subside, he heaved the fallen agent towards the other two.

Phaedrus rose from the ground after knocking out the leader of the squad. “Throw down your weapons!” he warned the others.

The two began to train their guns at him. He leapt back in time to avoid being shot by two blasts. They both fire once more, and one shot hit Phaedrus in the leg.

“Ugh!” The hero winced in pain. Phaedrus unsheathed his battle razors once more. “My turn!” he said as he swept forward. With one gesture he knocked one of the men aside, and with another he sliced through one of the blasters.

The Silent Knight put the finishing touches on the last agent with a one-two punch. He started to remove their weapons belts, piling the equipment in one place and the prisoners along with the others.

Phaedrus did the same. As some of the agents from earlier began to stir, he said firmly “Now you boys sit nice and stay put, or else we’ll have to start to play rough!”

“This might help,” Trance said. She had found some rope nearby and offered it to the heroes to help bind the agents.

“Thanks,” Phaedrus replied. He used the rope to bind the hands of the agents behind their backs.

Silent Knight took some of the rope too and did the same.

A passerby saw the commotion and moved closer to investigate. “Sir, please call the police,” Phaedrus said. “We have some garbage for them to pick up.”

The figure nodded and took off for a phone.

When they finished securing their prisoners, the Knight signed to Phaedrus who in turn vocalized the question. “So, why were these guys after you again?”

The young woman perched on a nearby park bench with the two heroes on either side of her. Their prisoners were on the sidewalk nearby but well within view. “Not a lot to tell,” she started to say. “I was a typical rebellious teen and having some problems with my parents. We seemed to be yelling a lot more than talking of late. They wanted me to find a job and settle down, but I wasn’t sure yet what I wanted to do with my life. I also had been going through some stuff that I didn’t think I could discuss with them. So, I left home and met some guys at a local hangout. They seemed nice enough. Told me they could help me find work if I was interested. So I took them up on the offer.”

“Who were the guys?” Phaedrus asked.

Trance jerked her thumb towards the captives. “Those guys, though I didn’t know at first they were a local branch of Viper. They took me to their training facility, taught me some combat moves, etc. Said they could use a woman around the place.”

Silent Knight signed. Did they abuse you?

“Not at first,” Trance said. “Mostly it was just flirtations, but then they got a bit grabby. That’s when they found out about my secret.”

“What secret?” Phaedrus asked.

“I have special abilities,” Trance said. “I can use my mind to get people to do stuff, and they usually do it. Sometimes I have to vocalize it in words too, just to drive the point home. After I made the some of the guys back off just by commanding them to, the leader of the nest was even more insistent on keeping me around.”

“So they forced you to use your powers for them?” Phaedrus asked.

“They tried to,” Trance said, “but I refused. They tried to slap me around a bit, but I became too much for them to handle. So they locked me up in hopes I’d change my mind. I didn’t.”

Silent Knight signed: how did you end up here tonight?

“I was finally able to escape,” she said. “I came to Baltimore as it was the closest I city I could get to, but somehow they managed to track me down again.” Trance put her hands to her face and began to cry. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I don’t know what to do…”

Phaedrus put his arm about her shoulders to comfort her. “There, there,” he said. “It’ll be okay.”

“Really?” the young woman sniffed.

Silent Knight sat watching. His mind was focused on how Viper might have tracked her down. But his thoughts were interrupted when a police patrol car and a paddy wagon pulled up nearby, their blue and red lights dancing across the open park area.

A quartet of policemen approached the group. One man in the lead said, “I’m Officer O’Dell. We got a call about some commotion here.”

Phaedrus rose to his feet. “Good evening officer,” he said. “I’m Phaedrus and this is Silent Knight and Trance. The young woman was attacked this evening in the park by five of those Viper agents over there.” He pointed to their prisoners. “As we began to apprehend them, five more arrived.”

“I recognize you,” O’Dell said.

“Yes, from the news,” Phaedrus said. “We foiled a robbery attempt by the Sinister Spectrum as a local museum earlier this week.”

O’Dell tipped his hat up slight and smiled at the subdued agents. “Looks like you had your hands full here,” he said. “Boys, round them up and the weapons, and we’ll haul all of ‘em downtown.”

The other three officers nodded and followed his orders.

O’Dell turned to Trance. “Are you all right, miss?” he said. “Do you need to come with us?” He smiled in a reassuring way.

“No,” Trance said with a nod of her head. “I don’t think so.”

O’Dell frowned slightly. “Okay,” he said, “if you’re sure.”

“I am,” Trance said.

“You contact us if you need anything,” O’Dell said to her. He gave her a friendly wink. Then he turned back to the costumed males. “Tell you what. We’ll get these prisoners downtown to police headquarters and get them booked. Give us about an hour or so, and then you can come by to give us a statement. Sound good?”

“Yes, sir,” Phaedrus said. “We’ll do that.”

“Good,” O’Dell said. He then assisted the three other cops with loading the agents into the wagon. Then he and one of the officers got into the squad car and drove off. The wagon followed.

Alone, the three started to make their way across the park. “So,” Phaedrus said. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I think so,” Trance said. “Thank you again for all your help.”

“It is what we do,” Phaedrus said.

“I like that,” Trance said. “Maybe it is something I can do too.”

“What?” Phaedrus asked. “Be a hero?”

“Sure,” Trance said with a smile. “Why not? Could you two help me?”

Silent Knight started to sign. It isn’t a game. It is serious, dangerous business.

“We could train her some,” Phaedrus said. “We could talk it over with Karishi when we rendezvous with him.”

“Who is Karishi?” Trance asked.

“He’s another hero in town,” Phaedrus said. “The three of us are working together on a case.”

“So you’re a team?” Trance asked.

Phaedrus turned to Silent Knight. “Sort of, I guess.”

“What’s your team's name?” Trance asked.

Both men kind of looked at each other for a moment, neither saying anything. The Knight then signed: Rough Justice?

Phaedrus said, “That’s as good of a name as anything else.”

“It sounds kind of cool,” Trance said. “Edgy.”

Knight continued to sign: I still don’t know about her getting involved. She’s a bit young and all and not very experienced.

Phaedrus nodded. “Knight’s right. You would really need to train before you did any field work. We could help with that some.”

“Really?” Trance said. “Oh thank you!” She threw her arms around Phaedrus’ neck and gave him a big hug.

The hero in gray just looked over his shoulder at his colleague. The Knight shook his head.

Trance released her grip. “I promise I’ll work really hard.” She gave the Knight a hug as well. He took it rather uncomfortably. “I do so want to try and use my powers to make amends for any trouble I’ve caused. You’ll see.”

“I’m sure you will, Trance,” Phaedrus said.

“Call me Julie,” the young woman said. “Julie Cameron. That’s my name.”

“Well, Julie,” Phaedrus said. “Do you have any place in town to stay?”

She started to frown. “No, I hadn’t thought about that. I barely got to town before those Viper goons spotted me and chased me. Oh, where will I go?” Tears started to form again in the corners of her eyes.

“Tell you what,” Phaedrus said. “I have a friend in town named Jonathon Wilde. He’s a writer of sorts. He might have a sofa you can crash on for a few days until something more permanent can be set up. How’s that sound?”

“Oh, you are so kind,” Trance said. She started to hug him again.

Phaedrus put up a hand. “No, Julie, that’s okay. I’m sure Mr. Wilde won’t mind the company.”

An hour or so later, the trio took the steps of the Baltimore police headquarters and went inside. When they asked the evening desk sergeant to speak with Officer O’Dell, instead he picked up the phone and made a quick call.

In a moment, a man in his early forties with short brown hair and a slightly receding hairline came out to see them. He was dressed in a light blue oxford shirt with a dark blue knit tie. “I’m Commissioner Michael Cage,” the man said. “The sergeant here said I needed to speak with you all.” He studied the two male heroes. “You were the ones from the museum, who worked with that Karishi guy right?”

“Yes,” Phaedrus said. “We are.”

“I spoke with him a few days ago,” Cage explained. “I don’t think I have any more information on the Spectrum case at this time.”

“We’re not here about that,” Phaedrus said. “We came to give our statements to Officer O’Dell regarding an incident this evening at one of the parks involving Viperagents.”

“Wait,” Cage said. “Viper agents? Here in Baltimore?”

“Yes, commissioner,” Phaedrus said. “They were attacking this young woman.” He indicated Trance. “We apprehended them and your paddy wagon came to book them.”

“Sergeant, we have any Viper agents brought in tonight?” Cage asked.

“No, sir,” the dark skinned man at the desk said.

“And who was the officer again?” Cage asked.

“Officer O’Dell,” Phaedrus replied.

Cage shook his head. “Sorry, gentlemen and lady, but I have been commissioner for almost ten years here in Baltimore and there is no O’Dell on the force.”

“What?” Phaedrus said.

“How can that be?” Trance exclaimed.

Silent Knight cursed to himself, damn it! He turned to Phaedrus and began to sign. The cops that showed up at the park – they must have been Viper agents too, in disguise!

“You think so?” Phaedrus said.

I’d bet on it! We’ve been had! the Knight signed.

“What’s going on?” Cage asked.

“We’re not sure,” Phaedrus said. “But we plan to get to the bottom of it! We’re sorry for taking up your time, commissioner.” And with that, the three costumed individuals left the precinct.

The Knight’s fingers were moving furiously. Just great! Looks like we’ve been stung big time by Viper!

“We did save Trance from them,” Phaedrus said. “So the evening isn’t a total wash out.”

But they got away! the Knight signed. And we’re left looking like fools!

“Maybe not,” Trance said.

“What do you mean?” Phaedrus asked.

“Maybe I can help you catch them,” Trance said. “I’d have to look at some maps and figure out how I got here, but maybe I can lead you guys back to their local nest.”

“Yes,” Phaedrus said. “And then we can take them out. What do you think, Knight? We’ll wait to get together with Karishi at the end of the week and go take them out.”

“No,” Trance said anxiously. “We shouldn’t wait too long. Maybe a day or two tops.”

“Why the rush?” Phaedrus asked.

“They might leave,” Trance said. “They’ll figure that you guys found out they scammed you and will be looking for them.”

The Knight signed: she has a good point. Maybe sooner is better.

“Okay,” Phaedrus said. “We’ll do it the night after tomorrow. That way we can have a training session tomorrow night first, after allowing Trance here some time to recuperate and get a look at some maps. We’ll assess her skills and then surprise them when they least expect it.”

The Knight signed: sounds goods.