Force In Earth Bet 24: Hope (Patreon)

The rooftop breeze carried the smell of salt and distant street food, a reminder that the city below was still awake, still watching, even if no one knew we were up here yet.

Shielder nudged his sister with an elbow. “So… how do we do this? All four of us together or…?”

Glory Girl didn’t miss a beat. “Nope. We split. That way we can cover more ground.” She pointed between us with a confident grin. “Vigil and I will patrol the Broadwalk; you and Laserdream can take the Uptown.”

Laserdream blinked. “You’re pairing yourself with the new guy?”

“Yep,” Victoria said cheerfully. “Public debut, remember? Boardwalk’s tonight. Perfect place for him not to be seen, terrifying people.”

I frowned slightly. “Is that really a good idea? Me… showing up there? In costume? People might panic. Or assume something’s wrong.”

Shielder waved it off. “Nah. People see capes patrolling all the time. PRT does it. New Wave used to... well, sometimes.”

Victoria floated a little higher, arms folded behind her head, completely relaxed. “You’ll be fine. Besides... ” she smirked, “...I’m with you. Nobody freaks out when Glory Girl’s around.”

Shielder rolled his eyes. “Wow. Humble as always.”

Laserdream stepped forward, glancing at me, voice softer, "they’re right. Boardwalk’s one of the calmest areas, usually now. If there’s anywhere to start… It’s there.”

The Force thrummed quietly under my skin. A steady pull, like calm water beneath rough waves. It didn’t erase the nerves sitting in my chest, but it anchored them.

“Alright,” I said. “Boardwalk it is.”

Victoria grinned like she’d just won something. “Knew you’d say yes.”

I stepped to the ledge and looked down. Neon lights. Cars. People moving like currents. No shadows to hide in this time.

I jumped.

The wind tore past my coat as I dropped. Body loose, knees ready, I landed in a crouch on the pavement below, quiet but solid.

A couple walking by didn’t even notice.

Good.

A soft whoosh of air followed. Glory Girl descended beside me, hovering a foot off the ground, arms folded, casual like this was just another Tuesday.

“It won't be that hard," she said lightly. “We'll just walk around the central area, oh... Try not to brood too hard. You’ll scare fewer civilians.”

Above us, Shielder’s voice called down, “Meet up in an hour?”

“Unless something explodes,” Victoria called back.

Laserdream gave me a small nod before lifting away with her brother, the soft blue of Shielder’s platform shrinking into the evening sky.

Their silhouettes vanished past the rooftops, leaving just the wind, the street below, and Glory Girl hovering beside me.

“Come on,” she said, tilting her head toward the east. “Central Boardwalk’s a ten-minute walk for you. Two minutes if you fly, but… right. You don’t.”

“You know I don't,” I said dryly.

She grinned. “Well, walking it is. I’ll keep watch from above.”

I headed down the street, boots quiet against concrete. She drifted a few feet overhead, the air from her flight stirring dust and loose paper.

We cut through side streets, first rows of closed storefronts, shuttered laundromats, brick walls stained by salt air. Somewhere distant, a ship horn sounded from the docks.

A dog barked once, then went quiet.

Glory Girl hummed under her breath as she floated, casual, like she’d done this a thousand times.

“You’re tense,” she called down.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re walking like you’re heading into an execution.”

I didn’t answer. She wasn’t wrong.

We reached a narrow alley that fed into the Boardwalk’s west side. From where I stood, I could see the glow ahead, strings of lights, neon signs, reflections off wet pavement.

The sounds were louder too: music from open bars, laughter, the crash of waves against the lower seawall.

I stopped at the mouth of the alley.

Glory Girl landed lightly on the edge of a low rooftop ahead of me, halfway between shadow and light. She glanced back. “You good?”

For a moment, everything felt too loud: the waves, footsteps, my heartbeat. This was different from rooftops and back alleys. This was stepping into crowds, into phones, news, and opinions.

I closed my eyes.

The Force was there, just as it always was, quiet and steady.

Not a voice, not a command. Just calm.

I let the fear bleed off into it, like letting water drain from cupped hands.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Nerves muted to something I could manage.

I opened my eyes again. “Yeah. I’m good.”

Glory Girl’s smile was softer now. She floated down to ground level, her boots tapping against the stone walkway at the edge of the Boardwalk. She didn’t wait for me to move; She simply moved ahead, letting people see her first.

I followed.

The Boardwalk stretched in both directions, polished wood underfoot transitioning to clean stone walkways.

Shops lined the edges: souvenir stores, ice cream parlors, coffee carts, seafood diners with outdoor seating. Lanterns hung overhead, casting warm yellow light against the dark water behind the railing.

Out on the ocean, the ruined skeleton of the ferry terminal was barely visible, rusted beams jutting from the black water like broken ribs. Further down, the Boat Graveyard was a jagged shadow on the horizon.

Families, couples, and groups of teenagers moved through the open area. Some were buying skewers from vendors. Some playing arcade games. Others watching a busker perform with a guitar near a bench.

And then they saw her.

Glory Girl didn’t announce herself. She just stood there with her arms loosely crossed, cape shifting with the sea breeze. A couple of people froze. One guy blinked, elbowed his friend.

Then came the phones. Screens lifted. Flashes popped.

Then they saw me.

A few murmurs. Someone whispered, “Is that...? That’s the new one. The one from the docks.” Someone else lifted their phone higher, angling to get both of us in the frame.

I stepped up beside Glory Girl. More phones came up. People weren’t panicking, but they were watching closely, unsure. Curious. Maybe nervous.

Glory Girl leaned slightly toward me without turning her head. “Smile. Or wave. Do something human.”

“I don’t...”

She elbowed me lightly. “Just do it.”

I exhaled slowly, raised my hand, and gave a small, awkward wave.

It worked. A few people smiled. A kid waved back excitedly. His mom dragged him a step behind her, but still took a photo.

Glory Girl lifted her hand too, giving a cheerful wave like she was greeting old friends. “Hi! Guys, Evening patrol,” she called casually to no one in particular. “Don’t mind us.”

She leaned closer and whispered, “See? Not so scary.”

I looked around. The Boardwalk was alive.

Voices rose in uneven waves, laughter, vendors calling out prices, distant music from a bar by the pier. The smell of salt, fried dough, and grilled shrimp mixed with cold sea air.

Lights stretched along the railings like a dotted path, guiding the eye toward the water.

Glory Girl floated ahead of me, a few feet off the ground. Not high enough to make a scene, just enough that her boots skimmed the air. People had mostly gone back to their conversations, though more than a few kept glancing our way.

A couple of teens lingered behind us, filming.

We moved down the Boardwalk. I kept to the right side near the railing, away from the tightest clusters of people. Glory Girl drifted forward, cape brushing the evening breeze.

Every once in a while, she glanced down at me. Maybe to check if I was still there. Maybe to make sure I hadn’t bolted.

I kept walking.

Past an ice cream stand. Past a seafood grill with tables spilling onto the walkway. Past a caricature artist sketching a couple who couldn’t stop laughing. Waves slammed rhythmically against the lower seawall beneath the Boardwalk, the sound steady, grounding.

“Relax your shoulders,” Glory Girl said from above.

“They are relaxed.”

“They’re up to your ears.”

I let out a breath and forced them down. “Happy?”

She grinned. “Yes ~.”

The further we went, the more the attention faded. People got used to us. Phones lowered. The night settled.

Then it shifted again.

We reached a small plaza where the walkway widened around a dry fountain. A group of kids, maybe thirteen, fourteen, spotted Glory Girl.

One boy gasped like he’d just seen a celebrity in real life. Which, I guessed, he kind of had.

“Glory Girl!” one called, voice cracking halfway through.

She slowed mid-air and dropped lightly to the ground. “Hey ~”

“Can we... uh... can we get a picture?” a girl asked, holding up her phone with both hands like it was a sacred artifact.

Glory Girl didn’t even hesitate. “Sure!

They crowded around her, excited, nervous. She crouched a bit to fit into the frame with the shorter ones. Someone’s friend stepped back to take the photo. Flash. Another photo. Someone asked for a solo selfie.

She agreed and ruffled a kid’s hair. He looked like he might pass out.

I stayed to the side. Watching. Trying not to get in the way.

That’s when I felt someone staring.

I turned.

A little girl, maybe seven or eight, stood a few feet away. She clutched her mother’s hand but leaned forward, eyes wide. She noticed I’d noticed her and froze like a deer in headlights. Then, almost too quiet to hear, she asked, “Are you… a Hero?”

Her mom’s eyes widened. “Sweetheart... ”

“It’s okay,” I said, stepping closer. Slowly. “Hey.”

The girl pushed a strand of hair from her face, then held out a small notepad, bright pink with glitter on the cover. “Can… can I have your sign? I saw you on my brother's computer. When you beat up squeler !"

My chest tightened. I wasn’t sure what to say.

“I don’t really...,” I started, then stopped when I felt it.

Through the Force, like a wave of warmth that hit straight through my guard.

Excitement. Hope.

A pure, unfiltered belief that the person standing in front of her was good. That he helped people. That he mattered.

It caught me completely off guard. For a second, everything else blurred: the lights, the voices, even the cold air from the ocean. All I felt was that little girl’s joy, bubbling up.

She wasn’t scared of me. Not even a little.

“Please?” she whispered.

Her mom touched her shoulder gently. “It’s okay if you don’t... she just... ”

“It’s fine,” I said quickly, before I could second-guess it.

I took the notepad and the pen she offered.She smiled like it was the best thing that had happened all week.

I hesitated, then wrote:

Vigil

My handwriting looked stiff, awkward. I handed it back.

“Thank you,” the girl said, barely containing the grin stretching across her face.

“Thank you,” her mom added, softer, sincere.

I nodded. Words didn’t really come.

The girl held the notepad to her chest like it was a treasure.

That warmth in the Force lingered, not as strong, but enough to settle somewhere deep inside. I hadn’t expected this. Being thanked. Being… seen.

I turned slightly as footsteps landed nearby.

Glory Girl stood a few feet away, arms crossed, lips curved in a small, knowing smile. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to.

I looked away first.

We kept moving after that. Patrol resumed.

We finished a full loop along the coast, then cut back inland through quieter streets where the crowds thinned and the noise drifted behind us. Glory Girl floated in silence above me most of the way.

When we reached the end of the strip near a closed arcade, a soft blue glow lit up the street.

Laserdream and Shielder descended from above. Laserdream landed first, armor faintly shimmering. Shielder dropped beside her, platform dissolving beneath his feet.

“Route’s clear,” Shielder said. “No sign of trouble.”

“Same here,” Glory Girl replied.

Laserdream looked at me. “So, how was your public debut?”

I nodded. “It was... good.”

Shielder gave me a respectful nod. “That's good to hear."

I wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Thanks.”

Glory Girl stepped closer, boots touching down. Her expression was softer than before. “You did well today.”

I shrugged. “Didn’t do much.”

“You showed up,” she said. “Sometimes that’s enough.”

She paused, her eyes lighting up “The Bay needs more people like you! And if anything happens... if you see something or need backup... call me! I mean, New Wave. Anytime.”

A faint flush touched her cheeks as she caught herself, her grin turning sheepish for a split second. “Yeah, what I said.”

I felt her sincerity through the Force, warm and genuine

“I will,” I said in quite amusement

Behind her, Laserdream raised an eyebrow and looked between us with a faint smirk, like she was catching something I wasn’t.

Glory Girl shot her a look. Laserdream only smiled wider.

Shielder glanced at the sky. “We should head back.”

Glory Girl looked at me one last time. “Stay safe, Vigil.”

“You too.”

With a rush of air, she lifted off, joining her brother and cousin as they rose toward the skyline. Their silhouettes disappeared against the city lights, then were gone.

I stood there for a few seconds. Boardwalk noise, distant behind me. The ocean smells in the wind.

Then I turned and made my way back home.