In one fluid move Shade snagged the strap of her flamethrower and whipped it at super speed at a target a few feet to Mirror’s left. A normal person would not even have seen the big tank flying, but Mirror did and instinctively leaped away from it.

Just as Shade had expected. She made a single leap, intersected Mirror’s path, and hit him like a football blocker, shoulder to gut, carrying all the irresistible momentum her speed afforded. She slammed him into and over the balcony’s railing, and together they fell.

But they fell at normal speed, a fall that because it was at the speed set by gravity, would take less than two seconds in real time. Plenty of time for Mirror to punch Shade straight in the nose, sending blood droplets flying. Shade counterpunched almost simultaneously, catching Mirror in the neck. Mirror kicked; Shade shifted to avoid the blow and grabbed a handful of Mirror’s hair to pull herself into direct contact with him. Shade grabbed at his throat, hoping to choke him, but she couldn’t get purchase. Instead Mirror got his arm around Shade’s neck and twisted her around to face away, ready to snap her neck.

They hit the floor. Hard. Hard enough to knock the wind out of Shade and make her head swim, but worse for Mirror, who had landed on the bottom so that he not only slammed into unyielding marble but was pistoned by Shade’s momentum.

Hero, Chapter 30