So much for following a van back to the hideout. Of course the Titans decided to present Mav with some actual kidnappers the moment he went out on the street. Koda had stood in stunned silence after Mav had hung up, questioning the cosmic joke at play which ruined his plan.

This could have been done in half an hour. An hour, max. But no. Now they would likely spend the rest of their day on this investigation. All because Mav had found that damned car.

The fight itself had gone smoothly. By the time Koda arrived, he hadn’t been tempted to join – letting Mav have his fun – until the civilian appeared. Then that civilian turned out to be a Wave Leaper who assisted Mav without the righteous guy knowing she was even there. So long as one was left conscious, Koda’s new plan could run smoothly. 

Then the Wave Leaper shot a hole through the errant Flame Dancer’s gut. 

Koda groaned, hiding his eyes in his hand. He’d used his Gift to hover about thirty feet in the air, his vantage giving him sight of both brawls. Mav, after knocking out the two Wielders, entered the main street. There, the third fake worker stood, hand clenched over a wound in his gut. The yellow uniform became stained in scarlet. The man fell, blood pooling along the street. The Wave Leaper stood, trembling slightly, her upper body surrounded by water. 

Mav had spotted the two. His charge never faltered, heading straight for the Wave Leaper now. 

Oh, great. 

Koda tried to reach out with his Gift, but Mav was too close. Mav wrapped the shocked Wave Leaper in a strong embrace, yelling a move’s name, then the water turned to steam. 

Koda flew down to them, landing by the injured man who grasped the wound in his belly. 

“Let... me... go!” the civilian shrieked. 

She was squirming in Mav’s grasp. Koda almost smirked at Mav, who was trying to comprehend the situation. Mav had done this move many times in practice: grapple a Wave Leaper who guarded themselves in water, then release a controlled dose of fire outward to remove the shield while leaving the Leaper relatively unharmed. He needn’t have done that to an ally, however. 

Brain working as quickly as a tortoise trudging through tar, Mav’s eyes widened. He released the civilian, blushing. 

“Sorry,” Mav mumbled. “I didn’t know...” 

“That I helped?” the Wave Leaper said, affronted. 

She didn’t appear to be one strong enough to punch a hole, even a tiny one, through a person. She was a little shorter than Koda – which meant she was a good half-foot shorter than Mav – and had a glare hotter than her frizzy orange hair, which was pulled back into two uneven tails. Her attire was bizarre given the winter season: high-waisted short shorts and a blue sports bra. Koda spotted a small red nylon bag atop a red blanket – likely how she kept warm. Another quick scan revealed the location of her Mark – the tattoo all Wielders were required to have visible on their skin. Her Wave Leapers Mark, however, was beneath her left clavicle, partially obscured by her sports bra: two rows of three bumps which overlapped each other, representing waves. 

“I was moving fast and–” Mav said. 

“Aren’t Peace Keepers supposed to be aware of their surroundings?” the Wave Leaper interrupted. “Can’t you tell –?” 

The fake worker groaned, huddling into himself. They ceased bickering, the Wave Leaper biting her lip while Mav’s eyes widened. 

“Koda,” Mav said. 

“I’m holding in the blood as best I can,” Koda said, the little black dots only Koda could see shoving against his wound. “But he’s lost a lot already and will lose more. He needs help.” 

“Where’s the nearest hospital?” Mav asked the Wave Leaper, who was already running to her bag. 

“Not far,” she said after pulling out a tablet. “I can give you the directions.” 

“The van?” Mav asked. 

“I can’t carry them all and be fast at the same time,” Koda said. “Return the kidnapped people to the van. We’ll take them all to the hospital in a single trip.” 

“You want the kidnappers and the people they took next to each other?” 

“Their abductors are either out cold or dying. And I’ll be back there with them. They won’t be in danger. You,” he said to the Wave Leaper. 

“Name’s Maren,” she said. 

“Mav will drive. You lead him to the hospital.” Koda lifted the injured Flame Dancer with his Gift, the little black specks holding the man afloat. To the others, it would look like the man was levitating. The civilian stared in disbelief. “Hurry.” 

“I think I should go to the police station,” the civilian said. “Report it and –” 

“You’re the reason we’re losing our lead, so you’re coming with us. If this man dies, there goes our quickest route to saving the other victims. You’re coming with us. Now hurry.”