Justice (Patreon)

For the first time in months, Lena Oxton could breathe. She could barely remember the last time she went out into the civil world like this and enjoyed a sunny afternoon in the city. Sitting at a coffee shop's terrasse, sipping on a fresh latte, life suddenly felt far more lighthearted for the young British hero. Her last few missions had taken a toll on her, even coming close to erasing her natural optimism as the threats she faced put her abilities to the test.

Lena put her coffee down as she realized her hand was shaking at the thought. The pain she felt at the bottom of her chest indicating her to take a long deep breath. It was time to go. As enjoyable as this afternoon was, she promised a special someone she'd spend the evening with her. Home wasn't far - a walk there would do nicely.

Blocks after blocks, anxiety and stress left Lena's mind again as she enjoyed the simple joy of walking down the street, wearing something else than her uniform for once. However, this peaceful day would suddenly take an abrupt turn as a panicked man bumped into her, forcing her to blink in order to avoid falling down with him. He was clearly in shock, sweat trickling down his face. As Lena knelt down to help him back up, she saw in his eyes what she saw in many others before - fear.

"What's gotten into you lad? What is it you're running away from like this?" Lena asked while trying to lift the trembling man still lying down on the pavement. 

"They got her. There's nothing I could do, I swear. They got her and they were going to get me..." the man spoke looking away. Lena could feel the shame this stranger felt.

"It's okay. Now, tell me where that was." Lena continued, feeling anger rise up in her. She had seen enough distress for it to strike once again on the single day it wasn't supposed to. The man pointed towards the back alleys to her left. Perhaps there was still a chance to save whoever "they got".

Without wasting a second, Lena started running. Each blink sending a shockwave through the narrow alley, dislodging bricks from the walls and sending anything light enough flying through the air. At her speed, it didn't take long for the young British hero to find the commotion. There, stood two punks, a man and a woman, going through a bag far too fine to ever belong to them. The pair immediately turned around as they heard Lena's blinks and the destruction it left in her wake. 

"Oi! You two often find purses in shitty back alleys?" Lena shouted to the couple thieves. Immediately, the young Lieutenant noticed the weird looking gun in the man's hand as well as what could only be a shrunken woman cowering behind the titanic pair. Lena knew that shrinking tech could be found on black markets, but she'd have never imagined two low-life like these could ever afford it. 

"Fuck off if you know what's good for you bitch!" the man shouted back, standing up and menacingly pointing his shrink ray towards Lena. He was bluffing, of course - Lena knew it. She could see him shaking from where she stood. 

"Yo, you fucking hear me b-" the man continued. This time, however, he couldn't finish his provocation. Before he knew what was happening, Lena had already covered the distance separating them. His girlfriend was the first to take a hit, sending her into the nearby wall. The shrunken woman was gone from the ground where they left her. However, as Lena faced the other way, the man sent his left fist flying in her direction, hitting her in the cheek and sending her tumbling towards the dusty ground. 

Lena didn't think the idiot would react quickly enough. She had prioritized the shrunken victim first, grabbing her in a blink before turning her attention to the closest thug and hitting her in the jaw with her free hand. Before she could initiate a new blink however, her head buzzed as pain scattered across the left side of her head. Falling down from the shock, Lena decided to protect the woman rather than herself, letting her fall face first into the hard and dirty concrete below. She had to execute her next move to perfection.

"That's what I thought you weird ass bitch! Think you impress us?!" the man screamed, fear still overwhelming his trembling voice. Lena could hear the hissing noise of the shrink ray activating behind her as the woman she knocked down was standing back up in front. She could feel the shrunken woman hitting on her closed fingers, trying to get her back into the fight. Now was the time to get up.

Before the pair knew it, Lena was gone from the pavement. The man felt a burst of extreme pain in his chest, as a blue wave of energy hit him right in the stomach. He was sent flying as Lena's fist dig its way under his ribcage as powerfully as it could. Unable to retain his grip, the man let the firing shrink ray fly slip from his hand, its beam now aiming in his direction. As the light it emitted glowed brighter, the other thug's attention was diverted just long enough for Lena to turn around and give her a final blow to the head, ending the fight for good.

Bleeding and covered in dust, the young hero finally breathed. Ignoring the pain, she managed to smile as she checked on the shrunken woman in her fist.

"You okay in there? Sorry if it was a bit tight, hope I didn't grip you too hard." Lena said on a comforting tone. Fortunately, with the exception of a very painful rib, the small woman was fine. "I'll bring you back to HQ, see what they can do for you." Lena continued with a smile, hoping the woman's misfortune could be reversed.

"As for you idiots..." Lena said, her tone now colder as she bent down to grab the shrink ray from the dirty pavement "I think I know what I'm gonna do with you." she continued as she aimed the ray towards the knocked out woman and fired. "See, now you two really are the rats you always were. Better run away little ones. I'm keeping this by the way." Lena said with a giggle, squatting over the shrunken, terrified pair.

The day hadn't been as peaceful as Lena hoped it would be. However, as she saw the puny pair scurry down at her feet, the feeling of poetic justice she currently enjoyed felt like enough compensation for her troubles.

I hope you enjoy this new piece featuring everybody's favorite British hero! I've spent some time working on improving my Tracer model and giving her a more realistic design. While it's not perfect yet (I'm working on it ;)), I think I like this direction. Also, to mark the occasion, I went for a different kind of Lena Oxton in the story - more in line with the hero she is :)

As always, I'd love to hear from you on this piece! Especially regarding Tracer's design. Let me know in the comments!