That night, as the moon set and the last of the cleanup crew drove away, I went upstairs to the bell tower. Inside I found Carter and Andrea already suiting up, their outfits more high tech than anything their fathers or I had ever worn. My legs had never been bulletproof, and I never had the sensors or physical enhancements they had.
"I read the manual on vigilantes. In fact, I wrote the manual, if I remember correctly. You can take a night off every once in a while," I joked, looking on enviously as Andrea zipped up the side of her outfit. Had I ever been that slim? I must have, at least Mark said so. Thankfully even after nearly two and a half decades, he still loved me, and still loved my body. Even still, Andrea's pinup figure had me wistfully recalling my days jumping rooftop to rooftop with Mark. "With Riley in town for the summer, you could even work out a patrol sharing system."
"Little bro? He's already gaga over that new girl," Andrea replied. "Come on Mom, it's just a quick sweep and check of the Docks. You know its nowhere near as dangerous as when you and Dad were running down the Confederation."
"Or even when Dad and Uncle Mark cleaned out Filmore Heights," Carter added. "Besides, Mark's agreed to work coms for us tonight. We promised to be back by one in the morning. He's got an early day tomorrow, can't tire him out. You know how age gets to you."
I shook my head in exasperation, then laughed. "Watch yourself Carter, or else your Uncle might just take you out on the mat and kick your butt. All right. Just be careful, I read the files. New weapons on the streets, something military based?"
"Yep, and new toys for us," Andrea replied, putting on her mask, fully covering her hair in a black and white motif cowl. She came over, and with technology assisted strength, carefully gave me a hug. "We'll be fine, Mom. And I'll talk to Riley about taking a few patrols early. He already promised to cover when Carter and I go on our honeymoon."
The new generation of vigilantes, Ice Princess and Crimson Justice by their street names, left the bell tower, heading downstairs. I stayed up there, watching through the remodeled one way windows of the bell tower as the twin taillights of their matching cycles disappeared down the driveway.
Our city was in good hands.