So Not a Hero by S.J. Delos

Spidey clock.
    “Leaving?” Derek said as he came up behind me.
    “I don’t want to be here when the EAPF show up. Besides, I figured I’d save you the trouble of throwing me out.”
    “No one’s throwing you out, Karen. And I think you don’t need to worry about the police. Not yet. If those punks have the slightest bit of sense, they’ll sober up before reporting this.”
    I looked up at him and then across the room to where the others sat watching me. “You’re telling me that they don’t want me to go? After I nearly killed a boy in front of them.”
    “You didn’t, though. That’s what they saw. They saw an angry, powerful young woman restrain herself from badly harming someone who more than deserved it.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “If you didn’t kill some punk who’s hurt women the way you’ve been hurt, why would they think that you would hurt them?”
    “Who are you? I mean, I’ve been feeling like I know you from somewhere. Then you said something I hadn’t heard in a long time. How did you know telling me about defining the moment would get my attention?”
    Derek frowned and sat down next to me. “He said that to you. Several times. Didn’t he?”
    “Yes. It was like a philosophy he tried driving into my head.” I sighed. “You worked for Martin?”
    He nodded. “Yes. Doctor Maniac and I went way back. Almost ten years.”
    “So you knew who I was earlier. When I was asking to stay?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then why the show of thinking it over?”
    He gestured at the others. “It wasn’t a show, Karen. These people are my responsibility and I had to make sure that you were safe.” Derek tapped his temple. “I’m Enhanced Mental. I can look at someone and tell if they’re being honest or not. Helps to figure out potential threats.”
    I nodded. “Martin told me once that he had someone who vetted people. It was you, wasn’t it? How come I never actually met you?”
    “Martin didn’t keep many secrets from you, Karen. I was one of the few.”
    “Does he know you’re here?” I looked around the warehouse. “Living on the street, practically.”
    “I’m sure he does. The man is meticulous about keeping tabs on people. Of course, I haven’t actually seen him in about a year.” He leaned back, resting against a crate. “When you got locked up in the Max, it really messed him up. Then he heard you gave them information to get parole and he totally lost it.” He chuckled softly. “While he was dealing with that, I decided to take off.”
    “Oh.” I looked at the fire. The flames were barely dancing above the glowing coals. “I didn’t think about how he’d take it. I wasn’t trying to hurt him. I just needed some … concessions to go with my parole and information on his operation is the price they charged.”
    “I can understand that, girl. I think the Doc did too. Eventually. What I don’t get is how you ended up with him in the first place. You never seemed like that type of girl.”
    I could have told Derek that he didn’t have the slightest idea what type of girl I was. But then again, if he’d been around the entire time I was with Martin, he probably did have an idea. I shrugged, not taking my eyes off the fire. “I don’t know. I guess I was young and reckless and Martin seemed to care. Mix all that together with first love and stupid choices are usually the result.”
    He laughed softly and I turned to stare at him. After what I’d shown my temper of being capable of, he still had the guts to mock me and my feelings. Then I realized that there wasn’t any malice in the sound. Just … amusement. He noticed my expression and nodded. “Sounds like every blues song ever written. Only thing that would make it more cliché is if you went back to him.”
    I shook my head. “To Martin? No, I’m positive that that’s not going to happen. There’s been … too much.”
    Derek smiled and reached out to pat me softly on the shoulder. “Well, I hope he