"Tell me that wasn't clean!" Dwayne shouted from the backseat. He held up the open duffel bag and flashed the bundles of cash inside while he grinned wide enough to show his gold teeth. "I told y'all this one was gonna be smooth. We're eating good tonight!"
Vince, sitting in the passenger seat, gripped the rifle with the drum magazine across his lap and snapped back without turning around. "You call that smooth? You left your damn fingerprints all over that vault door, genius. I watched you lean on it like you were posing for a photo. Cops are gonna lift prints and have your name in ten minutes."
"Man, shut up!" Dwayne barked back and leaned forward so his face was close to Vince's headrest. "Like you was thinking when you smacked that teller for no reason. I seen you, bro. She was like eighty! You hit her so hard her dentures flew out. That's gonna be on the news, old lady getting clocked by a clown in a ski mask."
Vince laughed and turned halfway in his seat so he could look at Dwayne. "That old lady had it coming. She reached for that panic button under the counter. I saw her hand move. I smacked the dentures right out her mouth, man. Kept her quiet, didn't it? You're welcome."
Ray, driving with both hands tight on the wheel, kept his eyes on the road while he spoke through gritted teeth. "Y'all clowns. Focus. We still got eyes on us. Don't start celebrating till we hit the tunnels. Cops are right behind us and they ain't playing."
The rearview mirror showed two squad cars gaining fast, lights flashing and sirens cutting through the night. Vince twisted around in his seat, leaned out the passenger window, and opened fire with the rifle. Bullets sparked off the lead cruiser's hood and shattered its windshield. The squad car swerved but kept coming. Vince laughed and kept shooting until the magazine clicked empty. He dropped back inside and started reloading while he talked over the wind noise. "They're still coming! These pigs don't quit."
Dwayne leaned out his window on the other side with a shotgun and pumped a round into the chamber. "Watch this." He aimed at the second cruiser's front tire and fired. The shotgun boomed and the tire exploded in a puff of rubber. The squad car fishtailed, spun sideways, and flipped end over end down the highway. Metal screeched and glass shattered while the car rolled three times before coming to rest on its roof in a cloud of smoke.
Dwayne whooped and slapped the seat. "That's what I'm talking about! One down!"
Vince finished loading the drum and leaned out again. He emptied half the magazine into the other cruiser's grille. The engine coughed black smoke and the car slowed. He kept firing until the front tire shredded and the cruiser veered hard, flipped onto its side, and skidded across lanes in a shower of sparks.
Ray glanced in the mirror and laughed. "Nice shooting. Now we're clear. Tunnels are two miles ahead. We ditch the car there and switch to the second ride."
Dwayne leaned back and opened the duffel wider so he could shove his face inside and breathe in the smell of money. "We're rich, boys. Rich! I'm buying a house with a pool and a garage full of cars. No more corner hustling for me."
Vince slapped the dashboard and laughed. "I'm getting a boat. Big one. Take it out on the lake every weekend. Girls in bikinis, drinks on ice. Living the dream."
Ray kept his eyes on the road and smirked. "Y'all better not blow it all in a week. We still gotta lay low. Cops are gonna have every highway locked down by morning."
Before anyone could answer, the car lurched forward as something massive slammed into the rear. The impact spun them sideways and Ray fought the wheel to keep control. "What the hell—"
"I'm gone for five minutes and you stooges rob a bank?" Mark appeared above them in his blue and white suit. He dropped onto the roof with a thud that dented the metal and grabbed the rear bumper with one hand. The car fishtailed again but he held it steady, lifting the back end off the ground so the rear wheels spun uselessly in the air.
Dwayne twisted around and stared up through the shattered rear window. "Yo, that's Invincible! He's on the roof!"
"Yeah no shit Sherlock! How about you fuckin kill him!" Vince leaned out and fired the rifle upward. Bullets pinged off Mark's chest and sparked harmlessly into the ground. Mark didn't flinch. He squeezed the bumper until the metal crumpled in his grip, then yanked the entire car off the road and held it suspended above the road with one hand.
The robbers inside shouted and scrambled. Ray slammed the gas pedal but the wheels spun in empty air. Vince kept firing until the magazine ran dry. Dwayne tried to climb out the window but Mark tilted the car sideways and shook it, hard enough to bounce them back into their seats.
Mark lowered the car gently onto the shoulder and set it down without a scratch on the undercarriage. He floated down to the driver's side window and looked inside at the four men who stared back with wide eyes.
"Everyone okay?" Mark asked.
Ray swallowed and nodded. "Yeah... we're good."
Mark crossed his arms. "Really? Robbing a bank in the middle of the day? Downtown? With traffic cameras, eyewitnesses, and the same getaway plan every other idiot tries?"
Nobody spoke.
Mark tilted his head. "What were you expecting? A parade? A high-five? 'Congratulations, Dwayne, you managed to get yourself on every news channel in the city before lunch, hell I know all your names already!'"
Dwayne's bottom lip wobbled. He looked down at the floor of the SUV, where the duffel bag had burst open and cash was scattered everywhere. "I just... I just wanted the Charger," he mumbled. "Been savin' pictures of it for months. Muscle car, matte black, racing stripes. Had the dealership all picked out..."
He sniffled.
Vince blinked and stared at him. "Yo, are you crying?"
Dwayne sniffed harder. "Man, shut up! You don't know what that car meant to me!"
Mark looked at him for a second, then softened a little. He reached through the open window and gave Dwayne's shoulder a light pat. "Maybe if you stay out of trouble, do your time right, you'll get that car when you're out. One day. But not with stolen money, alright?"
Dwayne nodded, wiping his face with both sleeves.
Mark looked around the interior again, then narrowed his eyes. "Now... which one of you hit the old lady?"
There was a long pause.
Vince slowly raised his hand like a kid in detention. "That was me..."
Mark sighed and uncrossed his arms. "Alright. I'm gonna have to give you a little slap for that."
Vince's head shot up. "Wait, what?! No, no, man, c'mon, I'm sorry. I really am. She reached for the—"
Mark raised a hand to cut him off. "You don't hit old women, man. What if someone smacked your mom like that?"
Vince looked like a kicked dog. "I wouldn't want that..."
Dwayne piped up from the back. "I told him not to. I said, 'She's just an old lady, Vince.' Ain't that right, Ray?"
Ray nodded fast. "He did. We both told him. Dude just went rogue."
Mark gave them all a long look, then pointed at Vince. "Out. Now."
Vince opened the door slowly and stepped out, hands up like he was walking into traffic. "You really gonna hit me?"
"I said a slap, calm down," Mark replied. "But you get to choose. Face or bottom."
Vince looked like he was about to cry himself. "You serious?"
"Very."
He paced in a small circle, muttering to himself. "Okay, okay, face heals faster... maybe... but bottom... that might be humiliating..."
Mark waited.
After a full minute of agonizing indecision, Vince turned to him. "Alright, man. Face."
CRACK.
Mark didn't even wait. His open hand lashed out instantly. The sound echoed down the highway. Vince flew backward like a lawn chair caught in a tormado. He hit the ground about ten feet away, rolled twice, and landed on his back with two teeth missing and a new understanding of respecting the elderly. Mark walked over and helped him up, grabbing his arm and slinging it over his shoulder. "You'll be fine," Mark said, steadying him as he walked Vince back to the car. "That was a bit of tough love, you'll shake it off in a couple hours."
Vince nodded slowly, feeling very dizzy. "Y-yeah. I can tell..."
Just as they reached the side of the SUV, flashing lights filled the air. Three squad cars pulled up with sirens still going. Officers poured out, weapons raised, but lowered them fast when they saw the suspects lined up and Mark standing with one of them.
"They're all yours," Mark said, handing Vince over.
The lead officer looked around at the scene, the unharmed civilians, the dazed but alive suspects, the SUV parked neatly on the shoulder and shook his head in disbelief.
"You're a damn lifesaver invincible."
Mark just gave a nod. "No problem fellas, let's just hope this was the highlight of the day." Then, without another word, he shot upward into the air and blasted off into the sky, vanishing into the New York skyline like a streak of blue and white. Below, the officers cuffed the robbers one by one.
Dwayne sighed as he was led to the cruiser. "Man... I really wanted that Charger..."
(AN: Mark is doing hero work. Anyway hope you enjoyed.)
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