The rooftop of The San Francisco Post was Adan Beckett’s sanctuary, a gritty escape from the newsroom’s fluorescent buzz and the chaos of his double life. The city sprawled beneath him, a glittering maze of secrets and sins under the morning sun. At eighteen, Adan was the epitome of a nerdy reporter—glasses perpetually sliding down his nose, a notepad stuffed in his pocket, and a head full of alien superpowers he barely understood. His blonde hair caught the breeze as his blue eyes scanned the horizon, always searching for trouble—or an excuse to ditch his desk.
“Another day of pretending to be normal,” he muttered to himself, leaning against the rusted railing. His mind drifted to home, a pressure cooker of estrogen and attitude. His mom, Valentina Rodriguez, was a force of nature—a stripper with a heart of gold and a mouth that could stop traffic. Then there were his aunts and sisters, a coven of fierce women who treated him like a fragile egg one minute and a punching bag the next. Just last night, Valentina had cornered him in the kitchen, her sequined robe barely containing her curves, and barked, “Adan, mijo, if I catch you sneaking out again, I’m chaining you to the couch. I don’t care if you’re saving the world or chasing tail—your ass stays home!”
He chuckled at the memory, shaking his head. “Yeah, right, Ma. As if you could catch me.” His secret arsenal—super speed, flight, invulnerability, and strength—made him untouchable. Literally. But keeping it from his family? That was the real challenge. They’d skin him alive if they knew he was moonlighting as a hero.
His musings were cut short when his super vision zeroed in on a commotion ten blocks away. A bank, its glass doors shattered, and two figures in ski masks hauling bags of cash. Adan’s pulse quickened. “Showtime,” he whispered, ducking behind an air conditioning unit. With a thought, his blue and white suit materialized over his lanky frame, his blonde hair and blue eyes shifting to a nondescript brown. Identity concealed, he launched into the sky with a whoosh, the city blurring beneath him.
He landed in front of the bank with a theatrical thud, cracking the pavement. The male robber, a wiry guy with a twitchy trigger finger, froze mid-step. The woman, Esperanza González—Adan’s super hearing caught her name as her partner hissed it—spun around, her dark eyes narrowing through the mask. She was all curves and menace, gripping a pistol like it was an extension of her arm.
“Well, well,” Esperanza drawled, her voice dripping with mockery as she sized him up. “What’s this? A Halloween reject come to play hero? You’re cute, kid. Too bad I don’t date capes.”
Adan smirked, crossing his arms. “And I don’t date felons, sweetheart. How about you drop the gun and we skip the part where I embarrass you in front of your buddy?”
Her laugh was sharp, cutting through the tension. “Oh, you’ve got a mouth on you. I like that. Shame I’m gonna have to shut it.” She fired, the bullets screaming toward him. Adan’s hand blurred, catching each one mid-air before crushing them into dust. The male robber yelped, dropping his bag and bolting for the alley.
“Really?” Adan sighed, rolling his eyes. With a flick of super speed, he ripped a nearby stop sign from the ground, twisted it like taffy, and lassoed the guy before he could blink. “Stay put, champ. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
Esperanza didn’t flinch, her gaze locked on him. “Impressive. But I’m not some damsel you can tie up and spank, hero.” She popped a small, glowing pill into her mouth, swallowing with a predatory grin. Before Adan could process it, she charged, her fist connecting with his jaw in a punch that actually stung. He stumbled back, more shocked than hurt.
“Damn, lady,” he said, rubbing his chin. “What’s in that pill? Hulk juice? I’m almost impressed.”
She smirked, circling him like a panther. “Wouldn’t you like to know, pretty boy? Stick around, and I’ll show you what else I’ve got up my sleeve. Or under my shirt.”
Adan raised an eyebrow, ignoring the heat creeping up his neck. “Tempting, but I’m more of a ‘no hitting ladies’ kinda guy. Let’s keep this civil.” With a swift motion, he delivered a precise chop to her throat—not hard enough to harm, just enough to stun. She gasped, dropping to her knees, her gun clattering to the ground.
“Civil, my ass,” she wheezed, glaring up at him with a mix of fury and begrudging respect. “You’ve got moves, I’ll give you that. What’s your deal, cape? You with the cops?”
“Nah,” Adan said, crouching to her level, his tone softer now. “Just a friend here to help. So, spill. What’s with the pill? And don’t tell me it’s candy. I’m guessing it ties you to the A-12s gang, huh?”
Esperanza’s eyes flickered with something—fear, maybe regret. She hesitated, then muttered, “Look, hero, I’ve got two kids at home. I’m not proud of this, okay? I needed the cash. The pill… it’s a one-time boost. A-12s hooked me up. That’s all you’re getting.”
Adan’s heart twisted. Kids. He thought of Valentina, working late nights to keep their fridge stocked. “I get it,” he said quietly. “But there’s gotta be another way. Stick with me, and maybe I can help.”
She scoffed, but there was less venom in it. “What, you gonna adopt me now? You’re sweet, kid, but I’ve got my own messes to clean.”
Before he could reply, sirens wailed in the distance. Bystanders had gathered, phones out, recording every second of the showdown. Adan groaned inwardly. Viral fame was the last thing he needed. Standing, he offered Esperanza a mock salute. “Catch you later, mama bear. Try not to rob any more banks, yeah?”
“Don’t count on it, hero,” she shot back, a smirk tugging at her lips even as the cuffs awaited her. “Next time, I’m bringing backup. And maybe lingerie.”
Adan laughed despite himself, then rocketed into the sky, the crowd’s gasps and whispers trailing behind him. As he zoomed back to The San Francisco Post, he couldn’t shake the image of Esperanza’s defiant glare—or the nagging feeling that his secret life was about to get a whole lot messier. Between dodging bullets and navigating the hormone-charged minefield at home, Adan Beckett was in for one hell of a ride.
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