Speedster raced toward Blessed Fellowship, where Dirk and Jenny Wallace's baby was being dedicated. As she neared, she heard gunshots. Deciding that investigating would only take a second, Speedster detoured in the direction of the shots.
An instant later, she discovered the bodies of two men, both shot between the eyes, and a young woman with disheveled clothing. The woman stared in shock at the bodies. Seeing the heroine, she stepped back, hands outstretched, stammering, 'I didn't do this! Some guy in a black outfit swung in and stopped them from…” She broke down sobbing.
Speedster assured, 'I didn't think you shot them. Can you give me more information?'
Sirens approached and Speedster told her story to the officers. The older one grumbled, 'Just what we need, a new vigilante.'
Speedster agreed. 'Do I look for him alone, or ask the Light Force for their help?’ Quickly, she decided to ask her friends to help.
After the church service, she took Dirk aside and explained the situation. In turn Dirk, as Megawatt, contacted the rest of the Light Force.
Meeting at Dirk's home for lunch, the eight heroes discussed the problem. Rebecca called her sister for any updates. Larissa informed her, 'While you were in church, three more petty crooks were gunned down.”
Based on where the killings occurred, the heroes split in to four teams, each covering a quarter of the outskirts of River Edge. They got Loretta Brand, Diamond's daughter, to watch Jenny's baby. Switching to their costumes, they investigated their sectors assigned by Megawatt.
Soon Diamond, paired with Mariness, heard gunshots at a seedy club. Mariness used an old trick of rupturing the sprinkler system to soak everyone inside and disorient them. Diamond entered just in time to see a man in a black cloak race out the back. Prioritizing saving lives over catching crooks, he turned to the three victims. He regretted the deluge upon seeing them lying in pools of bloody water. His hesitation gave the shooter time to escape. After applying firstaid and making sure help was on the way, he and Mariness took to the sky again.
Soon, the team of Gravitron and Amazing Woman saw a black clad figure enter Blessed Fellowship by a side door. Guessing that this might be their suspect, they slipped in after him. He wasn't trying to be stealthy, but headed directly to where the weekly offering was counted. Upon entering the room, they found an elderly woman with a young man holding a knife to her throat. The man in black ordered, 'Put down the knife, or face the wrath of the Lethal Protector.”
Gravitron shared a look with Amazing Woman, who rolled her eyes as if to say, 'how cheesey can this guy get?' Gravitron agreed. Since he could use his powers at a distance, he fired two gravity beams, one at the Lethal Protector's gun, the other at the head of the kid with the knife. With his blood suddenly too heavy to move, he blacked out. The Lethal Protector bent down to grab his gun, but a tiny figure flew into the room, striking him on the back of his head. As Gravitron tied Protector's hands together with his own belt, Amazing Woman returned to normal size, pulled his mask off, and placed the gun in it as though bagging groceries. They apologized to the would-be victim, who was already calling the police.
Knowing the police would want to speak to them, Gravitron sent a message to the other teams that the suspect was apprehended. When the police arrived, the first one said, 'Look, it's Wayne Bruce. Didn't he flunk out of training for the department?”
His partner, an older female officer responded, 'Yep. Failed his last psych eval.”
As Bruce was lead away, Amazing Woman asked, 'Why are you killing criminals?”
Without looking back at her he snarled, 'Like you, I wanted to make a diifference in the war on crime. Unlike you soft touches, I decided to make justice permanent.”
Gravitron muttered, 'I see why he failed that last evaluation.'
The female officer looked at the heroes and commented, 'He's just taking it a step further than you two.'
Gravitron was going to answer when the parishioner put a hand on his shoulder and said softly, 'Pay her no mind. She's jealous that this town has better protectors than the police. Do you young folks pray? I'd like to thank the LORD for you being here to save me and that young thief.”