《A Tale of Two Masks》


 Summers Prologue: Scouting Sunlight

    There was a day when the whole world changed. The first power went viral, and quickly the second and third followed. Just as the sensation reached its peak, SI appeared; Superhuman Industries, a company dedicated to creating and supporting superheroes. With the support of the government, SI became the hub of all activities involving powers in the new world that was to come.


    Summer had grown up watching the recordings of the glorious battles between the heroes of SI and the villains that threatened society. She longed to be one of them, but when she had her power tested her hopes shattered.


    ¡°What is this ¡®power to control sunlight?¡± Summer scoffed as she recalled it once again. She had grown and faced reality. The incredible reality of working at a coffee shop plastered with posters of all the latest heroes, hero themed drinks, sometimes even hosted meet and greets with the heroes themselves. She was told over and over this was the closest she would ever get to the life of a hero.


    The worst part is she wouldn¡¯t have even been able to work there if her parents hadn¡¯t bribed the owners. Everyone else who worked there had incredible powers and were scouted by SI before even working there a year.


    Out of spite, she focused some of the spare sunlight from the window on a straw wrapper. The wrapper discolored slightly, but even this flimsy paper flaunted the uselessness of her power. ¡°I should just give up and join the family business,¡± Summer sighed.


    ¡°Excuse me, miss,¡± a woman interrupted, and approached her,¡±What you did there-¡±


    Summer jumped to attention. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I know the use of powers in public is prohibited without permission,¡± she blabbered, ¡°I didn¡¯t think anyone would-¡±


    The woman held up her hand. ¡°That rule has never really been enforced,¡± she assured, ¡°Not for harmless little things like that. I was just wondering what kind of power that was.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that interesting,¡± Summer admitted, ¡°I can control sunlight¡­ but it''s more like bending light. You can do that with a prism or a mirror.¡±


    ¡°Can you do it at night?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Summer asked, surprised. She had never thought about it, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never tried to control moonlight.¡±


    ¡°Not moonlight,¡± the woman corrected, ¡°I believe your power may have been judged incorrectly. You may struggle to control sunlight because it was never your power to begin with. I saw something else happen just then.¡±


    ¡°Something else?¡± Summer asked.


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    ¡°If you¡¯d like, I can arrange a retesting. Let me know when you are free,¡± the woman offered.


    Summer immediately became suspicious. ¡°Who are you, exactly?¡±


    ¡°My apologies,¡± the woman said with a smile and pulled out a business card, ¡°I am Liz Hailey, a top scouter for Superhuman Industries. I have been placed in charge of finding a special kind of hero.¡±


    Summer examined the very real-looking business card. ¡°A special kind of hero?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes. A new villain has appeared who thrives in the shadows,¡± Liz explained, ¡°We need someone who can light up the dark.¡±


    It sounded a little crazy, but would she ever get a chance like this again? There was no need for this business card. She already had her answer.


    ¡°Can I really be retested?¡± Summer asked.


    ¡°Of course. Just let me know how best to contact you when the appointment is arranged.


    Summer easily gave out her contact info. Perhaps a bit too easily once she had the rest of her shift to think about it. There was no way such a convenient villain would have appeared. It was probably some kind of scam. Liz would need money for the appointment and then Summer would show up only to find out she¡¯d been had. That seemed like the most likely scenario.


    Despite her doubts, a few days later, Liz contacted her, and not to ask for money. Her appointment had been set up, conveniently, on her day off. Summer decided not to think about how Liz knew her schedule.


    Retesting was a big deal. Normally a retesting could only be scheduled if you could prove your power was drastically different from what was recorded. Summer couldn¡¯t prove anything, and she wasn¡¯t even confident that her power was different. Liz seemed to be, though.


    So she showed up. Nervous and antsy, but she was there. The building was large and very official looking. Was this where she had her first testing or was it a separate building for retesting only? She couldn¡¯t quite recall her first testing.


    Liz showed up and guided her inside. It was nice with all sorts of special testing rooms she was certain she had never seen before. Had her father bribed Liz without telling her? No. SI couldn¡¯t be bribed by the amount her father could spare.


    An official came out to greet her. ¡°Summer Aster, Daughter of the owner of Aster Furnishings, correct?¡± he asked.


    Oh no, maybe her father really had bribed them. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We did some looking into you. It seems your test was rushed before your power fully manifested. We would like to retest to reconfirm.¡±


    So they hadn¡¯t been bribed? Maybe this was the excuse Liz had used to nab her the appointment. If that was the case, she really needed to manifest¡­ something.


    ¡°What if my power is exactly as recorded?¡± Summer asked, a bit scared of the answer.


    ¡°No harm done,¡± the official assured, ¡°The records simply will not be updated.¡±


    That simple? Really? Summer felt her excitement building as the last of her reservations was settled. It didn¡¯t have to change much. She just needed to light up the dark, and then even her power could make her a hero.


    That excitement is what carried her through a seemingly endless series of tests which ended with her being locked in a pitch black room. It was far from comfortable but she was more focused on her goal. Come on. Something, anything. There was no light for her to draw on so there would be no cheating here.


    And then it happened. A golden fleck floated before her in the air with a subtle glow. She reached out and suddenly the speck expanded, filling the room with light. A warm golden light with soft sparkles of gold floating within it.


    Was this really her power? It felt amazing!


    A new record was written labeling her power as being able to create light. Liz told her that any training and further testing could be done in the rooms provided for heroes by SI.


    It was hard to hold back her excitement when she saw her suit. White with accents of gold and golden sparkles with a matching mask. It came with a note from Liz.


    ¡°Congrats! I¡¯ve been assigned as your hero agent in charge of keeping you up to date and your new identity. Your new alias is Golden Reign. It sounds like a perfect contrast to the Shadow Phoenix, right?¡±

 Ashtons Prologue: Sparks of Change

    There was a day when the whole world changed. The first power went viral, and quickly the second and third followed. Just as the sensation reached its peak, SI appeared; Superhuman Industries, a company dedicated to creating and supporting superheroes. With the support of the government, SI became the hub of all activities involving powers in the new world that was to come.


    Generations later, Superhero Industries was just as strong as ever. Everyone wished to be scouted by this incredible company. Everyone but Ashton.


    Ashton tossed his coat on the floor in frustration. As long as he could remember, his power had been nothing but a curse. When he was a child he had accidentally started a fire that took the life of his family. Since then, he had lived in a government facility for ¡®special training¡¯. But now the CEO of that very prestigious company had personally given him an offer.


    It was basically ¡°Join me or else,¡± put in corporate speak. That being said, what it offered was better than his current situation. It had some hefty conditions, but each condition was balanced with a reward of equal or greater value.


    Firstly he would have to attend and graduate a college of their choosing. The benefits included an apartment of his choice paid for and free meals on campus for the duration of his study there. He also only needed to graduate with an Associates, which meant he could abandon college life after two years.


    Second, he would have to go through an internship at the company during this time to study its workings. He would not be paid, but again, all of his necessities were being taken care of for free. If he did well at this internship he could have his pick of a lifetime job at SI.


    Lifetime. The large corporation paid well and had excellent benefits, so that was a very tempting offer right there. But why him? Was the government just delivering him to his new handler? Did it even matter if that were true?


    Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t get any more details until he accepted the offer and signed the endless confidentiality agreements that made him feel like he was about to walk into a web of state secrets. But sign them he did.


    Next thing he knew he was in the CEO¡¯s office, and the CEO was apologizing to him.


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t my intention when I extended my offer, but we are in a desperate situation,¡± he told Ashton, ¡°We need more villains.¡±


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    What? He must have misheard that. ¡°You need more heroes?¡±


    ¡°No. Everyone wants to be a hero,¡± he dismissed, ¡°I need more villains.¡±


    ¡°And you want me to be a villain? Isn¡¯t that illegal?¡± Ashton asked, not sure if he should feel incredulous or scared.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You haven¡¯t had your debriefing yet. Let¡¯s start from the beginning. I am Amos Wyndart, current CEO of Superhuman Industries. Here we gather those with talent and powers and train them to be villains. Then we select showy stars to give the media the show they desire and fight them.¡±


    ¡°But if you are training the villains and not the heroes, why do the villains always lose?¡±


    ¡°Because I train them on exactly how to lose, even to an untalented imbecile,¡± Mr. Wyndart replied with a frightening smile.


    Ashton had to think about that for a moment. ¡°So everything is fake?¡± he clarified.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. What better to dissuade real villains than never letting them hit top news? Never letting a villain win. Never even letting them be known as villains.¡±


    That sounded oddly cruel, but it fit well into Ashton¡¯s cold worldview. ¡°But you didn¡¯t scout me to be one of these villains, right?¡±


    ¡°No. And you will not be expected to continue any villain interactions after your internship,¡± Amos confirmed.


    ¡°I would like that in writing,¡± Ashton told him. Best to cover his bases. Not that it would help too much when the government had Amos¡¯s back.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Amos agreed immediately and printed the paperwork Ashton requested and giving it a quick signature, ¡°Anything else you need?¡±


    ¡°I would still like to learn about my original position,¡± Ashton told him.


    ¡°That is possible, but it might be too much for you,¡± Mr. Wyndart warned, ¡°You will already be stretched thin with school and villain training.¡±


    ¡°I can do it,¡± Ashton declared with confidence he didn¡¯t really have, but he didn¡¯t want to have any risk of being stuck as a villain, ¡°Just make my villain appearances a little less frequent and cut down on my other internship time.¡±


    ¡°If you insist. Now the next order of business is selecting your apartment. A recommend this complex. It is close to both the company and the college so it should make commute easier.¡±


    Close to the company, sure. It was almost in the company. The college was also nearby so he couldn¡¯t deny it was close to that as well. Still, there was no particular reason to choose some unaffiliated building and make things harder on himself, so he agreed.


    ¡°When do I start college?¡± he asked instead.


    ¡°As soon as you finish basic villain training. It shouldn¡¯t take you long. You are already fit and have perfect control of your powers. All you need to learn is how to create a false identity. A villain must be nothing like his real self.¡±


    Just as the CEO had warned, his training focused on relearning a new identity. The hardest part was disguising his power, electricity. With SI¡¯s endless funds a pyrotechnic device was created to give him the power of flames. Ashton couldn¡¯t stand the sight of flames, so he requested they change the color of them at the very least. A mistake he would quickly come to regret.


    Purple flames, complete with a flamboyant black and purple costume that looked like it belonged to a cartoon villain. The long, sweeping cape seeming incredibly impractical, and the flame designs on the mask seemed ready to poke his eye out.


    Oh, and his new weakness was light, apparently. How exactly did someone show weakness to light?

 Summer 1: The First Hero to Lose

    It was a day like many others over the last two years. Liz gave Summer a call about a tip they got on the Shadow Phoenix. Summer was already putting her shoes on as Liz spoke.


    ¡°Shadow Phoenix has been scoping out a warehouse in the Old Town,¡± she reported, ¡°He intends to return tonight. This might be the last stand. We believe he might have found it.¡±


    ¡°Do we still not know what ¡®it¡¯ is?¡± Summer asked. It was frustrating, knowing the villains were searching for something in the Old Town, but being unable to do anything about it. Things might be different if they knew what the villains were looking for.


    ¡°We do not,¡± Liz admitted, ¡°but there has been some new intel that suggests they are looking for some kind of relics of the first villains that appeared with similar powers to their own.¡±


    ¡°So each villain is looking for something different?¡± Summer asked. She had really hoped they could find ¡®it¡¯ after she chased away Shadow Phoenix tonight and prevent the villains from ever getting their hands on it.


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Liz confirmed.


    Summer grimaced. ¡°I¡¯ll head to the headquarters right away.¡±


    Since heroes needed to keep their identities a secret, they were given other roles. Fake reasons to be going in and out of SI frequently. Summer¡¯s role was pretty simple. She was a premium member of their special power training gym. The best part was, it wasn¡¯t really a lie. She used the gym often to train for her missions.


    She grabbed her gym bag and a water bottle and headed out. ¡°Good luck,¡± her father said, giving her a tight hug. She was glad she could tell her family, at least. She didn¡¯t know if she could keep things a secret from her doting father.


    ¡°I¡¯ll win,¡± she promised, ¡°I always do.¡±


    He nodded in approval. ¡°Heroes always win,¡± he agreed, ¡°but they sometimes get hurt, so be careful.¡±


    Summer smiled and waved. The only time she had ever gotten hurt doing hero work was incredibly embarrassing. It hadn¡¯t even happened in combat, but on the way out. She had tripped over some stray rubble and scraped her elbows when she caught herself. It even got infected, which was the worst.


    She arrived at the gym, and was immediately led to her private room by Liz, who switched her gym bag for the case containing her costume. Donning the costume took ages because of all of the protective extra pieces, as well as those that were just there for aesthetics. At least it was comfortable and easy to move in.


    ¡°Show me the security videos,¡± she told Liz as soon as she was ready.


    Liz took her to a room with a computer setup with three large screens, Briefing Room number 6. It was Summer¡¯s favorite briefing room. The chair was just the right height for her, and it always smelled nice. Number four always smelled like old potato chips.


    Summer had to log in to her hero account, and Liz immediately sent over the footage. It was fuzzy, like most security footage, but there was no mistaking the dark purple flames of Shadow Phoenix as he burned through the lock on the warehouse door. Unfortunately, the security cameras were only on the street so it didn¡¯t show what he did once inside.


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    ¡°How do we know he didn¡¯t already find it?¡± Summer asked.


    ¡°Go to the end of the footage I sent you,¡± Liz told her, ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like someone who found something. See there, he makes a call. Our lip reading expert was able to tell us what he said.¡±


    Every time she got the rundown like this, Summer felt chills of excitement. This was the first time a lip reading expert had gotten involved.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s be ready and waiting for him when he arrives,¡± she decided.


    One other thing that took forever was getting the camera crew ready. It was something that took a bit of getting used to, but all battles between heroes and villains were recorded. At first she had been embarrassed, especially after the whole elbow scrape incident, but luckily she had been able to convince them to cut that out of the final take that got released to the public.


    The warehouse was still unlocked when summer arrived, but the sun was already setting. She hesitated, trying to decide if there might be a trap waiting for her inside. There was no way she could hide and surprise him in the open, though. Her outfit practically glowed in the dark. Luckily, once she pushed the door open, nothing was inside. Well, nothing unexpected.


    There were the usual old dusty crates, rusted metal beams, and the skeleton like frame that supported the building covered in cobwebs. It was really creepy, so Summer decided to shed some light on the situation. The warehouse just looked old, not creepy, in the golden light. The camera crew had followed her in once the coast was clear, set up their cameras, then retreated to safety. Now all she had to do was wait.


    She didn¡¯t have to wait long. ¡°Finished settling in?¡± Shadow Phoenix¡¯s mocking voice asked from above her. He was in the rafters!


    Summer jumped back just in time for him to land right where she had been standing. He pulled released the rope he used to descend as he made eye contact with her.


    ¡°Phoenix,¡± she scoffed, ¡°You are more like a bat.¡±


    ¡°Bat, phoenix, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he told her with a shrug, ¡°You are too late.¡±


    He had it?! Or was he just bluffing? She quickly scanned him for anything out of place, and it didn¡¯t take long before she noticed the keychain hanging from his belt. There was a custom key hanging from it with fire designs.


    ¡°You were looking for a key?¡± she asked. He probably already knew she spotted it from her not-so-subtle gaze.


    Shadow Phoenix reached down to the key and spun it around his finger. ¡°You mean this thing? Neat, isn¡¯t it? Aren¡¯t you curious about what this key might open? But you won¡¯t be able to use it. You don¡¯t have a flame based power.¡±


    The key reacted to power type? Summer had never heard about anything like that before. She would have to ask Liz about it once she finished this battle. This time, she needed to secure the key before he escaped.


    There was no point in just standing there. She dove for it. Shadow Pheonix avoided her searching grasp with an annoying level of ease. Sometimes she had the feeling he was just toying with her. Fine.


    ¡°Try avoiding me now!¡± she shouted, summoning a cage of light to trap his movement.


    He stepped back into the bars of light, let out a gasp of pain, and immediately fell to his knees. ¡°Stupid egotistical hero,¡± he spat.


    Summer grinned as she stepped through the bars and grabbed the key from him. ¡°Don¡¯t you know, villain?¡± she asked, ¡°Heroes always win.¡±


    As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. He reached out and grabbed her ankle, knocking her down. The key skittered across the floor, slapping an old iron beam with a surprising clang.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± he said, sarcasm dripping from his tone, ¡°Whatever will our hero do.¡±


    Summer scrambled to her feet, darting forward to grab the key, but she suddenly pulled back. Something was wrong. The fire printed key began to glow like real fire, and all of her senses screamed that it was dangerous.


    She released the cage and shoved Shadow Phoenix behind the nearest pillar. ¡°Watch out!¡±


    Just as she feared, the key burst into flame, causing an explosive wave. One of the nearby crates caught fire as well, and she heard Shadow Phoenix swear as soon as he saw it.


    ¡°Forget this nonsense,¡± he said, pushing the startled Summer away from him with strength she didn¡¯t know he had, ¡°I¡¯m done. I quit. The stupid fire relic was a trap. See ya never, Goldy.¡±


    Summer almost tried to stop him before she remembered the warehouse was on fire. She needed to get out too. If she hurried, she might be able to catch him outside. Unfortunately, after pushing past the side exit he had escaped from, she didn¡¯t see him anywhere.


    ¡°Where did he go?!¡± she shouted in annoyance. She needed answers. What did he mean, fire relic? Why was it a trap? And most importantly, what did he mean he quit? For the first time ever, Summer had this sinking feeling that she had lost.

 Ashton 1: The First Villain to Quit

    Two years went by with the slow torturous grind of the every day. It wasn¡¯t because he wasn¡¯t busy. Ashton¡¯s days were scheduled out from start to finish. Classes, internship, villain training, and villain work took every spare second of his time. He felt bad, but he had been taking it out a little on the silly hero assigned to him, Golden Reign.


    That didn¡¯t change his immediate foreboding when he spotted a message from his keeper. ¡°Heard your time was almost up, so let¡¯s make your last appearance end with a bang! Time to prove the existence of relics. The lab created a new toy just for you.¡±


    Relics. It was the major theory many had about why villains constantly appeared in the graveyard of the first villains, the Old Town. No one was sure what they were or what they could do, only that the villains wanted them. Of course, the truth was that SI owned the abandoned land and used it as their stage.


    There was no way this was going to end well. Unfortunately had no choice but to comply with whatever crazy plan they had. At least this would be the last one. He looked over the details in the attached document with the terrible title ¡®Phoenix¡¯s Last Flame¡¯. The people in charge of writing his mission plans always had a flair for the dramatic. Or overdramatic.


    Luckily, the plan was fairly straightforward. He needed to record a low quality video of breaking into a warehouse, and fake a phone call with an old burner phone. The next night, coincidentally the very last night of his internship, he would have his final battle with Golden Reign. Unfortunately, this meant he would have to put on that ridiculous outfit two nights in a row.


    His costume was bulky, and hindered his movement. The useless decorations made noise when he moved, and the mask¡¯s eye holes never lined up with his eyes quite right. Why was this? To make it easier for him to appear clumsy despite the rigorous training they put him through.


    Ashton begrudgingly put away the project he had been working on and stood from his desk. As usual, no one questioned him. By now, everyone knew the higher ups ¡®favored¡¯ him with special tasks. As annoying as it was to be the subject of pity, it was better than the alternative of them knowing the truth.


    And so, he got to work. The video was a quick, one take affair. Apparently his fed up expression was exactly what the mission writers had been looking for. Then they had to prep the warehouse for the big show, and he spent the rest of the day practicing in his newly staged environment.


    He had to stop when the sun¡¯s rays left their beams all around the warehouse. After two years of pretending to be hurt by light, he always jerked away from it out of habit now. It was a habit he had every intention to break now that he wouldn¡¯t be needing it anymore.


    The next day he arrived at the warehouse extremely early. He had noticed that Golden Reign had a terrible habit of showing up before time, and he had the annoying task of beating her to every scene. Luckily, this time there was an upper floor in the warehouse with an office he could wait in.


    Just as he had expected, Golden Reign arrived long before time. He waited for the camera crew to finish setting up, and even let her light up the place before he announced his presence.


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    ¡°Finished settling in?¡± Ashton called from the rafters. He made sure the rope was firmly attached before swinging down. Golden Reign jumped back as he landed right where she had stood moments before.


    Her look of surprise turned into a glare as he released his grip on the rope. ¡°Phoenix,¡± she scoffed, ¡°You are more like a bat.¡±


    This again? Who cared if he was a bat or a phoenix? Both were ridiculous. Since he couldn¡¯t say that, he played his character instead. ¡°Bat, phoenix, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he told her with a shrug, ¡°You are too late.¡±


    Right on cue she stared him down, eyes frantically searching for anything that could be a relic. There was no way she could miss it. The bright orange and red key printed with flame designs clashed with his usual black and purple costume. That was without mentioning the fact that the keychain it was attached to was terribly out of place.


    ¡°You were looking for a key?¡± she asked.


    Way to state the obvious. Still, it¡¯s not like she had any real training so he couldn¡¯t be too hard on her. ¡°You mean this thing? Neat, isn¡¯t it? Aren¡¯t you curious about what this key might open? But you won¡¯t be able to use it. You don¡¯t have a flame based power.¡±


    After he recited the lines of the script he was given, she made her move. There wasn¡¯t a moment¡¯s hesitation as she dove for the key, and Ashton stepped back out of reflex. It should be fine. He was supposed to lose, but he had to be careful not to be too obvious.


    Golden Reign glowered, annoyed by his quick steps. ¡°Try avoiding me now!¡± she shouted, summoning a cage of light to trap his movement.


    Ashton stepped back and instantly regretted it as he saw light hit his shoulder from the corner of his eye. He sucked in a frustrated breath and fell to his knees. What was he even supposed to do in this situation? Ever since she invented this light cage, his hands had been tied.


    ¡°Stupid egotistical hero,¡± he spat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know, villain?¡± she asked in an obnoxiously sweet tone, ¡°Heroes always win.¡±


    Oh yes, the mantra that SI worked tirelessly to maintain. Heroes always win. Villains always lose. His job here was to reinforce that brainwashing. But he also had another mission.


    ¡°Make sure the key is destroyed. We can¡¯t have anyone snooping to find out what it opens. It should explode as long as it is thrown against a hard surface.¡±


    Ashton recalled the instructions as Golden Reign happily took the key from his belt, not knowing what she held was essentially a bomb. Now was as good a chance as any. He reached out and grabbed her ankle, knocking her down. The key skittered across the floor, farther than he had expected. It hit an iron beam on the far side of the warehouse. That should be far enough.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± he said, sarcasm dripping from his tone, ¡°Whatever will our hero do.¡± All he had to do now was act like he knew nothing. He just needed to pretend there wasn¡¯t a bomb ready to blow right across the room. He could only hope they had kept a small damage radius in their considerations.


    The fire printed key began to glow like real fire, and Golden Reign seemed to notice too. Her actions, though, took him by surprise. ¡°Watch out!¡± she shouted, as she released the cage and shoved him behind the nearest pillar.


    Just in time, too. The key burst into flame, causing an explosive wave. A wave of heat washed over them for a moment, and Ashton peeked at the damage only to see that a crate had caught fire. A few swear words slipped out. This was not the plan.


    ¡°Forget this nonsense,¡± he said, pushing the startled Summer away from him with a bit more strength than he intended, ¡°I¡¯m done. I quit. The stupid fire relic was a trap. See ya never, Goldy.¡±


    He raced to the exit, hoping she had the brains to follow before the rest of the warehouse caught fire. What were those idiots thinking!? Their job was to protect the heroes and make sure they always won, not endanger them with bombs disguised as keys! What even was that thing?


    Ashton quickly ducked into a narrow alleyway between two buildings just in time. He heard her stumble out of the building with enough noise to wake the whole neighborhood, if there had been one.


    ¡°Where did he go?!¡± she shouted.


    He waited, slowly sliding further into hiding as her footsteps departed. It was over. Finally over. All he had to do now was file his report, and he was definitely going to make sure that whatever had just happened was labeled as too dangerous for use. He did feel a little bad for Golden Reign. Without a villain ¡®weak¡¯ to her light powers she would be sidelined and forgotten.


    It was a shame, but Ashton wasn¡¯t going to ruin his life to fulfill some fake heroic fantasy.

 Summer 2: A Bold Proposal

    There was a lot more cleanup this time than usual. The reporters and camera crew had to go over which parts were going to be cut, and various other edits. The situation overall was a bit odd. Summer was against cutting out her saving Shadow Phoenix, and no one was sure what to do about the footage of the villain quitting.


    No villain had ever quit before. Now that it had happened, it was kind of odd that none of them had. Constantly being beaten, never finding what they were looking for, and being hated by the general populace had to grate on them. Before this, Summer had never even thought about it.


    And that artifact¡­ Were there more of those things hidden in the Old Town? It was a terrifying thought. She had another major concern about all this. Her father had only approved her hero work because she had never been in any real danger. Once this became public he was bound to react.


    Summer slowly trudged back to SI to return her hero costume, unable to shake the sinking feeling that this might be the last time she was able to wear it. After stalling for as long as possible, Summer finally began to leave the building. She was surprised to see someone else in the lobby on her way out.


    ¡°-on becoming an official employee here at SI. Your official schedule will be posted for you tomorrow. It¡¯s a bit late to arrange things now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry about that. I finished my qualifying task a bit late and had to apologize to my supervisor,¡± the man who was apparently going to be an official employee replied.


    The new employee was a young man, likely in his early twenties, who seemed incredibly ordinary in appearance. Maybe that was just the casual suit, though. If she hadn¡¯t been stalling, Summer would have probably walked passed without even glancing his way.


    As the man began to leave, Summer also spurred into motion. She didn¡¯t want to get caught staring, even if she hadn¡¯t been doing it for very long. The last thing she needed right now was for the new employee of SI to hate her when everything else already seemed to be going wrong.


    A few days passed, and Summer heard nothing from SI. The footage from her fight was also delayed, but it had just come out that morning, and Summer was already dreading the coming confrontation. The conversation over dinner did not start in the direction she was expecting.


    ¡°Congratulations on beating your villain,¡± her father told her with a wide smile, ¡°Now that your hero career has ended in success, I will let you choose whatever you want as a present. I know you have been wanting a new pair of shoes.¡±


    She had been wanting a new pair of shoes, for hero work. Which was why she couldn¡¯t let the misunderstanding pass. ¡°What do you mean my hero career is over?¡± she asked.


    It was her father¡¯s turn to frown. ¡°I heard you were a special case. Your power isn¡¯t really suited for being a hero,¡± he told her, ¡°Now that Shadow Phoenix is gone, they don¡¯t need you anymore.¡±


    Those words stung far more than Summer had expected. Especially since she knew he was right.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if he is gone,¡± she argued, ¡°He may have just lied to put us off his trail. He might change his mind later.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t live your life counting on those ifs,¡± he told her, ¡°I¡¯m sure you are just in shock from that last battle. I¡¯m very relieved it was your last. I might have banned you from going back if it wasn¡¯t.¡±


    There it was. What she had been expecting. ¡°What will you do if he does come back?¡±


    ¡°I am sure some other hero can handle him,¡± her father replied, ¡°There is no need for you to be out there anymore.¡±


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    There was something more, she could tell. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to tell you this,¡± he began, hesitant, ¡°Do you remember the day you became a hero? The day before, I gave SI a rather large donation and asked them to consider you as a hero.¡±


    The feeling of dread she had been holding back this whole time hit her head on. She wanted to say something, but she stopped herself. She knew if she pushed any further she would be banned from going to SI entirely.


    It was silly, honestly. She was an adult and had every right to her own opinions and dreams, but her father hadn¡¯t even let her move out when she got her first big paycheck, saying there was no reason for her to go out on her own so soon. She had also been a bit hesitant to leave home, but now she was incredibly tempted.


    There was just one major problem. Her big paychecks from hero work were probably gone, just as her father had suggested. Summer needed to think of something, anything to stop all the doors leading to her dream from slamming in her face when she was just about to reach them.


    ¡°Um, thanks,¡± she finally said, ¡°I need to head out and I will let you know what I want when I get back.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± he asked.


    ¡°SI. I just need to finish some paperwork and check on some things. If my hero career really is over I need to get my bonus for defeating my villain once and for all.¡± She managed to hide the disappointment that was swirling in her stomach.


    ¡°That¡¯s my girl,¡± he replied with pride, ¡°Let me know how it goes!¡±


    Summer hurried out of the building and got in her car, taking some deep breaths after the door closed. As always, her car was her safe place where she could really be herself. Her real mission at SI would be to convince them to let her stay on, but she knew her father would be furious if he knew that. He was just worried, but sometimes it was a bit¡­ much.


    Unfortunately the negotiations did not go as she had hoped. She wasn¡¯t let go, but she wasn¡¯t given any new positions either. She was put on hold, just in case Shadow Phoenix returned. She did get that bonus for defeating her villain, though. That was something she could tell her father.


    But now she was out of excuses. She had no reason to ever return to SI. Summer knew that once she left, she would never be able to come back, and nearly broke down in the hallway. She managed to keep it together, sitting on a waiting bench in the lobby as she tried to sort her complex feelings.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± a man asked her, genuine concern in his voice. Summer recognized him from the other night. The new employee she had seen on her way out.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, ¡°Thanks. I just had a hard¡­ Which department are you in?¡±


    ¡°I work on hero assignments,¡± he replied.


    That was good. She could tell him about her hero problems. Summer looked around before continuing. ¡°You know my secret identity, right?¡±


    He nodded with some hesitation.


    Summer continued. ¡°I recently¡­ my villain quit and now I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    The man took in a deep breath as he seemed to think about something. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing? Heroes are supposed to keep everyone safe from villains.¡±


    ¡°He quit,¡± she reminded, ¡°I didn¡¯t capture him or anything. I don¡¯t even know if I should believe him. It¡¯s even worse because I kind of miss his snarky face. Or what I could see of it.¡±


    It probably wasn¡¯t the best idea to be bearing her soul to a stranger in the lobby of SI even if he did have the correct security clearance. Still, it felt nice to be able to talk to someone about these things. Someone who wasn¡¯t going to freak out at the slightest sign of danger.


    ¡°I guess that is understandable,¡± he agreed, ¡°He may have been your enemy, but you spent two years with him.¡±


    It was the first time someone had listened to her thoughts like this, much less agreed with them. Suddenly, a crazy plan formed in her mind. This guy seemed pretty nice, and he worked with hero assignments in SI.


    ¡°Hey, do you want to go on a date?¡± Summer asked, a little bolder than she intended.


    As expected, the man was flabbergasted. ¡°A date? Miss, do you even know my name?¡±


    That was a no. Summer bit her lip, unwilling to let this chance go. ¡°Just one date. You can decide when, and I will pay for everything.¡±


    The man was flustered, unsure of what to do. ¡°I really don¡¯t think this is a good idea,¡± he decided, ¡°If anyone finds out a hero was dating someone in hero assignments, they might misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstand what? I won¡¯t be doing anything anytime soon. I was all but fired,¡± Summer pointed out, ¡°I just wanted to thank you for your words of encouragement.¡±


    He seemed torn. ¡°Fine. Just once, as a thank you and nothing else. And my name is Ashton.¡±


    ¡°Summer,¡± she replied, a relieved smile blooming on her face, ¡°Thank you so much!¡±


    Ashton already looked like he was having second thoughts. ¡°I need to get back to work,¡± he told her, but hesitated.


    ¡°Just text me when you know what you want. You have my number, right?¡± she asked, getting up to leave before she lost all of her nerve and made an even bigger scene.


    ¡°I can¡¯t just use company information for personal reasons!¡± Ashton protested.


    Summer sighed and grabbed his hand before quickly scribbling her number on the back of it. ¡°See you later?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± he said, staring at the new pen markings on his hand with an odd expression.


    She darted out of the lobby before either of them could change their minds, and slammed the door of her car as soon as she was inside. This was insane. What had she been thinking? Now that she was out of the situation, Summer was filled with guilt. This was no better than using the poor guy. She would have to come up with some kind of reason during the thank you date, though. Something that didn¡¯t make her seem like a total jerk.


    Maybe she should just tell the truth? But would he still be nice to her if he knew she had bribed her way into being a hero?

 Ashton 2: A Bad Idea

    Ashton was summoned to the office as soon as he returned. ¡°What were you thinking, quitting on camera?¡±


    ¡°What were you thinking with that key?¡± he countered, ¡°What would you have done if I had to ignore the light cage on camera instead, and save Golden Reign¡¯s life?¡±


    Amos frowned. ¡°While I approved the creation of fake relics, it was never meant to be dangerous. Only showy. I have already sent an inquiry to the lab about this.¡±


    Which basically meant ¡®oops, but nothing will be done about it¡¯. Ashton was frustrated, but decided to forget about it. Neither he nor Golden Reign would have to worry about this nonsense ever again.


    ¡°Are you going to claim I failed my internship?¡± he challenged.


    ¡°No. I think it is best we end things here. It was¡­ a surprise but nothing we can¡¯t deal with,¡± Amos assured, ¡°I will have everything set up for you.¡±


    Ashton was able to finish everything up with the CEO who was always suspiciously available when he returned. It was still late when he brought the paperwork to the appropriate office, so they gave him a quick explanation about how nothing would be done until the next day and to check back.


    Well, that wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Ashton practically lived on SI¡¯s doorstep. On his way out, Ashton thought he caught sight of Golden Reign, but it was just a woman. He decided to ignore the possibility she was the person behind the mask and just headed home.


    The next day, Ashton felt fate laughing in his face again. His chosen position was in Hero Assignments. Meaning he had access to the records of the heroes, and the villains and would be one of those in charge of what kind of villain the heroes the recruiters picked up would be pitted up against. It was more or less the opposite of how he had been brought into the sham.


    He also found out the identity of his hero partner. Summer Aster, the daughter of a rich business owner who had happened to give a large donation to SI about two years ago. A spoiled rich girl. Ashton quickly lost interest and focused on his first assignments.


    Ashton had not expected to find her in the lobby of SI just as he was leaving work. The woman he had previously judged as a spoiled rich girl looked lost, torn, and like she was barely holding back an emotional breakdown. It shouldn¡¯t have had anything to do with him, but Ashton felt a pang of guilt. Against his better judgment, he approached.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Perhaps this wasn¡¯t the best way to start. She stared at him with shock for a few moments of awkward silence before relaxing and managing the slightest of smiles.


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    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, ¡°Thanks. I just had a hard¡­ Which department are you in?¡±


    ¡°I work on hero assignments,¡± he replied. He had a bad feeling about where this was going. Was she going to spill her own confidential information in the lobby?


    Summer looked around before continuing. ¡°You know my secret identity, right?¡±


    Ashton nodded with some hesitation. She was. He should probably warn her against-


    ¡°I recently¡­ my villain quit and now I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    Nevermind. At least she was vague about it. She didn¡¯t know what to do, huh? ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing? Heroes are supposed to keep everyone safe from villains.¡±


    ¡°He quit,¡± she reminded, ¡°I didn¡¯t capture him or anything. I don¡¯t even know if I should believe him. It¡¯s even worse because I kind of miss his snarky face. Or what I could see of it.¡±


    Ashton hadn¡¯t thought about it that way. If villains were real, one quitting and still being out there somewhere could be a bit unnerving. It was also odd for her to say she missed him to his face, but she had no idea who he was. ¡°I guess that is understandable,¡± he told her, ¡°He may have been your enemy, but you spent two years with him.¡±


    Back to the awkward staring, but this time was far more intense. Just as Ashton was about to come up with some sort of excuse to leave the interaction, she blurted out something ridiculous.


    ¡°Hey, do you want to go on a date?¡±


    ¡°A date? Miss, do you even know my name?¡± He switched into customer service mode out of habit. He had no idea how else to react, though.


    ¡°Just one date. You can decide when, and I will pay for everything.¡± Her eyes pleaded him to agree as well as her tone. She sounded desperate. Too desperate for his liking.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t think this is a good idea,¡± he decided, ¡°If anyone finds out a hero was dating someone in hero assignments, they might misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstand what? I won¡¯t be doing anything anytime soon. I was all but fired,¡± Summer pointed out, ¡°I just wanted to thank you for your words of encouragement.¡±


    She just wanted to thank him? Somehow Ashton doubted that, but he also doubted she would give up. A rich girl with connections to SI was not the sort of person he needed digging into his past. He would have to make her lose interest naturally.


    ¡°Fine. Just once, as a thank you and nothing else. And my name is Ashton.¡±


    ¡°Summer,¡± she replied, a relieved smile blooming on her face, ¡°Thank you so much!¡±


    Ashton was already having second thoughts. ¡°I need to get back to work,¡± he told her, but hesitated. He had just gotten off, so there was no work left for him to do. Why had he even lied?


    ¡°Just text me when you know what you want. You have my number, right?¡± she asked.


    Why would he know her number? It took a moment for Ashton to realize, and as soon as he did, he quickly protested. ¡°I can¡¯t just use company information for personal reasons!¡±


    Summer sighed and grabbed his hand before quickly scribbling her number on the back of it. ¡°See you later?¡± she checked. That nervousness and uncertainty from earlier was showing on her face, and Ashton caved.


    ¡°Sure,¡± he agreed, and stared at the scribbles she had left on his hand. Was he supposed to be able to read this? When he looked up to ask her to write it properly on paper, she was already gone. At this rate, he might have to look at her records.


    That night, Ashton got a call from Amos Wyndart personally. Ashton had never given the man his number, but everything he owned had more or less been provided by SI.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Our security team has sent me footage of you having a meeting in the lobby with Golden Reign. Would you mind explaining what happened?¡± Amos demanded.


    Based on the tensity of his tone, Ashton could guess what this was about. He was being suspected of breaking confidentiality out of pity for his old hero partner. With that in mind, he admitted the truth to him immediately.


    ¡°She asked me out on a date,¡± he told him, ¡°and she has no idea who I am.¡±


    There was a pause from the other side of the line before a snicker slowly turned to a full blown laugh.


    ¡°You are dating your old hero? Your nemesis? This is more amazing than I ever could have hoped! I give you my blessing.¡±


    The CEO hung up before Ashton could correct his misunderstanding. They weren¡¯t dating. It was just a little thank you date¡­ probably.

 Summer 3: Dating

    Summer hummed despite herself on her way home. She was a bit embarrassed but the crushing weight of hopelessness she had felt earlier. Her thoughts were full of all the things she hoped to discuss with Ashton. If she wasn¡¯t going to be a hero anymore, she at least wanted to be able to talk about it.


    She was still humming a tune as she walked in the door, and her father immediately noticed. ¡°Did you get the reward you wanted?¡± he asked.


    It took her a moment before she remembered what she had originally gone to SI for. ¡°I did,¡± she told him proudly, ¡°It might take a few days for the bonus to show up in my account, though.¡±


    ¡°Good, good,¡± he approved with a nod, ¡°Have you thought of anything you want yet? I¡¯d still like to celebrate.¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I need to think of something special,¡± Summer told him.


    He smiled. ¡°Let me know when you have something,¡± he told her, ¡°Are you heading to bed now?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± she confirmed.


    ¡°Good night,¡± he said, giving her a light pat on the head before heading off to his own room.


    Summer went to her room, but she didn¡¯t go to bed. Instead, she pulled out her computer and looked at the hero forums. There was always discussion about some major hero or battle, and she had to know what they were saying about hers. Did they think Shadow Phoenix would return?


    She found that everyone was discussing her latest battle with Shadow Phoenix. Some openly mocked him, some cheered her on. Then she stumbled on a thread by MysteriousMaskz that proclaimed support for the so called villains. First of all, they slammed SI, claiming they sent heroes the villains had no chance against.


    Her own battles were used constantly in their rants. For example, it was impossible to say how strong Shadow Pheonix really was with Golden Reign having such a tight grasp on his weakness. It was no wonder he just gave up. But then it delved even further, mentioning Shadow Phoenix again, along with many others.


    What crimes had these villains actually committed? SI claimed they were dangerous, but the heroes always stopped them before anything happened. Many commenters argued that the whole point of heroes was to stop the disasters before they happened, but a few admitted that they had never thought of that before.


    Summer closed her computer, stopping herself from reading any more. She had expected some controversy regarding a villain quitting, but she hadn¡¯t expected to see SI being made into a villain itself with the villains they all knew just being unfortunate victims. It made her think back to all of her own interactions with Shadow Phoenix.


    What had he done? Said some snide comments and made a few frustrated threats? No, there had to be more. He was hunting those relics. There was that exploding key. She couldn¡¯t let herself be convinced by some random thread on the web. Maybe everyone was right. She might not be suited to being a hero after all. If Shadow Phoenix really did return after this, could she face him without hesitation?


    None of these thoughts were helping, so she forced herself to sleep. Her dreams that night were full of confused nightmares with heroes, villains, and the CEO of SI laughing at their suffering. When she woke up, she resolved to never read the hero forum before bed again. She decided to go through her remaining fan mail to help distract from the leftover weirdness.


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    Summer¡¯s breath caught in her throat as she noticed a letter addressed to her personally, from the CEO of SI himself, Amos Wyndart. The envelope was sleek and bore the blue and gold logo of the company. The image of him from her dreams came back and she quickly shook it off. Instead, she carefully opened the letter.


    ¡°Summer Aster,


    You may find it shocking to receive direct correspondence from me, but in light of your recent achievements, I would like to invite you to a special occasion. One of my most talented employees will be there to ensure you are able to enjoy yourself.


    Regards,


    Amos Wyndart¡±


    Summer stared at the short letter for a moment before shifting her attention to the singular ticket that came with it. Being that it was a ticket, she had expected it to be for some kind of play or park, but it was a VIP reservation scheduled for that night at Scrumptious Sensations, a high tier restaurant famous for revolutionizing the sensation of eating food. Summer had been there once for her graduation and it had been unforgettable and amazing. There was no way she could turn this down.


    She bolted out of her room, proudly holding the ticket in her hand. Her father was just heading out for work. ¡°Summer? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°The opposite of wrong!¡± she exclaimed with a grin, ¡°Look at this! An ticket to a special VIP Scrumptious Sensations for tonight!¡±


    ¡°Who did you get that from?¡± he asked with interest.


    For some reason, she hesitated to mention it was from SI, and her face flushed from excitement gave her father other ideas. Before she could even answer he came to his own conclusion.


    ¡°If it goes well, introduce him to me.¡±


    Her flush grew more ferocious, all but confirming his suspicions as he headed out. Summer, on the other hand, was dying from embarrassment. Should she just say it ended badly? But then he would ask for details. But she had no one to introduce him to! Her thoughts strayed to Ashton, but she had promised him that it was just a thank you, so she couldn¡¯t ask him.


    Summer fought off her embarrassment and tried to regain her excitement for the unexpected gift from SI. She got into her finer wardrobe and looked over her options before deciding on a more simple outfit. That employee would be there so it wouldn¡¯t do to be too flashy. It still had some cute frills around the collar, but she needed to dress for the occasion as well.


    She wasted most of the rest of the day waiting for the clock to move, leaving for the restaurant an hour early to try and get rid of some of that antsy feeling. She hadn¡¯t been there long when she spotted a familiar face get out of a car parked nearby. It was Ashton. He looked frustrated, and fairly uncomfortable in a suit that didn¡¯t seem to fit him quite right.


    Was Ashton the talented employee the CEO had mentioned? He couldn¡¯t be, right? Then did that mean he was here to meet someone else? That thought left a bitter taste in Summer¡¯s mouth. She hoped that wasn¡¯t the case. She watched him go inside. As the time approached for her own appointment, he came back out and waited by the door. She was going to have to pass by him.


    Wanting to get it over with, sooner rather than later, Summer got out of her car and approached the door. Ashton looked straight at her as she approached.


    ¡°There you are,¡± he said, relieved, ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t contact you because I lost your number.¡±


    Summer frowned. ¡°How did you lose my number. I wrote it on your¡­ oh.¡± She looked at his hand to see the smudged remains of black ink. Did that mean Ashton really was here for her? She would have to ask him about the details inside.


    ¡°You brought your ticket, right?¡± Ashton asked her.


    ¡°I did,¡± she confirmed, and showed it to him, ¡°Did you¡­ Were you sent by, um, Mr. W?¡±


    He gave her an odd look at her name for the CEO, but answered her question. ¡°Yeah. He let me know this morning. I have some things we need to talk about once we get inside.¡±


    Summer wanted to hear all about these things so she pushed him forward, presenting her ticket when asked by the staff. Soon they were alone in an oddly romantic VIP room.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ashton told her, ¡°He found out you had asked me on a date and misunderstood.¡±


    Summer didn¡¯t have to ask to figure out what exactly had been misunderstood. ¡°So he set us up on a date?¡± she clarified.


    Ashton nodded. His earlier look of flustered frustration had returned. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to ask this, but do you think it would be okay to meet a few times-¡±


    ¡°And start dating for real?¡± Summer jumped in, ¡°I can do that! Actually, my dad saw the invitation earlier.¡±


    ¡°And he misunderstood?¡± Ashton guessed, thinking over the idea, ¡°Alright. I guess we can give this a try. I don¡¯t have any reason not to. Can we keep any further meetings more casual, though?¡±


    Summer looked at their surroundings again and laughed a little. ¡°Definitely.¡±


    With their new mutual understanding, both of them were able to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening. Summer made sure to put her number directly into his phone this time so no CEOs had to get involved in planning their next date.


    The next plan of action, figuring out how to introduce Ashton to her father.

 Ashton 3: The Threat

    The unreadable phone number turned out to be a minor issue. Mostly because Ashton found a very fancy-looking invitation in his mailbox the next morning. The paper was oddly sleek, yet soft, and the envelope bore the unforgettable blue and gold of SI¡¯s logo. Ashton could instantly tell this would hold anything but good news, but opened it up.


    ¡°My Dearest Ashton,¡±


    He had to pause after reading the header alone. This was definitely from Amos. That man had a way of instantly getting on his nerves, but he pushed past it and forced himself to read the rest of the letter.


    ¡°I set up a special date just for you! Summer Aster has been sent a ticket to Scrumptious Sensations, but she doesn¡¯t know its a date. Use this little surprise to give her the time of her life. I¡¯ll be asking about all the juicy details later,¡±


    In other words, he was under surveillance so he didn¡¯t leak any state secrets, like how heroes are fake.


    ¡°P.S. I¡¯ve told Ms. Aster that a talented employee of mine will be there to guide her.


    Best of luck,


    Amos Wyndart¡±


    Ashton stared at the ridiculous letter for several more minutes before he noticed his own ticket for Scrumptious Sensations tucked into the envelope. Forget the surprise date, he didn¡¯t think he owned a single suit suitable for visiting such a high end restaurant. He spent his entire day at work concerned about that, then rushed to a rental place to get something fast. He would likely never need it again anyways.


    He arrived at the restaurant almost an hour early and immediately headed inside to check on the state of things. His experience with Amos was that he didn¡¯t tolerate things going wrong when it could have been prevented. He needed to make sure nothing went wrong. Luckily the ticket was in order and the staff had already set up the room for them.


    Ashton went to inspect it quickly and immediately regretted it. The room had clearly been set up with a romantic atmosphere in mind. The table was decorated with roses and the tablecloth had lace-like embroidery that he had not seen on any of the others coming in. He turned around quickly before he could do anything to the immaculate presentation and headed back to the door.


    To his relief, he saw Summer approach shortly after. ¡°There you are. Sorry, I couldn¡¯t contact you because I lost your number.¡±


    Summer frowned. ¡°How did you lose my number. I wrote it on your¡­ oh.¡± Her eyes traveled to his hand where he had been unable to wash off all the ink.


    ¡°You brought your ticket, right?¡± Ashton asked her. He wanted to change the subject before things got awkward. At least more awkward than it was already going to be.


    ¡°I did,¡± she confirmed, and showed it to him, ¡°Did you¡­ Were you sent by, um, Mr. W?¡±


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    Mr. W? Did she mean Amos Wyndart? Ashton was a bit confused by her odd wording, but answered her question. ¡°Yeah. He let me know this morning. I have some things we need to talk about once we get inside.¡±


    Summer eagerly pushed him forwards. He only hoped she wouldn¡¯t be too shocked by their destination. When they arrived, he noticed a definite pause in the doorway. He waited until they sat down to start talking.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ashton confessed, ¡°He found out you had asked me on a date and misunderstood.¡±


    Summer seemed to understand what was going on immediately. ¡°So he set us up on a date?¡± she clarified.


    Ashton nodded. He could feel his frustration with SI¡¯s overbearing CEO building up again. Even more so because he had to push forward or risk falling under more suspicion. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to ask this, but do you think it would be okay to meet a few times-¡±


    ¡°And start dating for real?¡± Summer jumped in, ¡°I can do that! Actually, my dad saw the invitation earlier.¡±


    Summer jumped in before he could even finish his thought, and he was honestly more relieved than anything. Dating for real wasn¡¯t exactly what he had in mind, but if that was what she had in mind, he would comply.


    ¡°And he misunderstood?¡± Ashton guessed, ¡°Alright. I guess we can give this a try. I don¡¯t have any reason not to. Can we keep any further meetings more casual, though?¡±


    He didn¡¯t think he could handle another emergency suit rental, or worse. This kind of environment was just not something he was meant for.


    Summer looked at their surroundings again and laughed a little. ¡°Definitely.¡±


    Before their food experience started, Ashton let Summer borrow his phone so she could put her number in. He sent her a quick text just in case. Neither of them wanted to risk another situation like this one again.


    ¡°Actually, there is one more thing,¡± she brought up, ¡°My father said that if this goes well he wants to meet you.¡±


    Ashton grimaced but before they could discuss it, the staff came in and the experience began. Summer admitted she had been here before, but Ashton had never seen anything like it. Parts of the food were prepared before them like a show. There was flambe, and normal cooking tricks, but there were also various food enhancements added with people¡¯s powers.


    Somehow he still felt exhausted by the time he got home. He carefully removed the suit, making sure there were no stains. He would return it the next day. Before he went to bed, Ashton did a quick check of his email, only to see one that snapped him wide awake. It was labeled, ¡®A Warning for Shadow Phoenix¡¯ from an unknown email.


    He was home alone, but he still found himself looking around to check no one was watching him. His identity as Shadow Pheonix was classified information. No one should know, unless there was a leak somewhere. He opened the email to see what it contained, just in case.


    "The sandcastle of SI will crumble as soon as we reveal the truth. This is the only warning we will give you. Get out while you still can.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the kind of warning he was expecting, but certainly one he needed to take seriously. Ashton decided the best course of action was to let Amos know. He screenshotted the message and sent it to him.


    Despite himself he found himself hoping the ominous message would distract the CEO from his date interrogation that was sure to come the next day.Unfortunately, even his slight wish for relief was cast aside as he walked into work the next day and immediately summoned to his office for a double length interrogation.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Amos demanded as soon as he saw Ashton enter. He had the picture of the suspicious email on his screen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I found it last night. I¡¯ve never seen that email before, but I figured you would know what to do with it.¡±


    ¡°I have sent it to all the important people,¡± he confirmed, ¡°but do you know why they would warn you in particular?¡±


    ¡°You probably know more than I do. You monitor everything I do, and everyone I talk to,¡± Ashton pointed out, ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to socialize.¡±


    ¡°I was afraid of that,¡± Amos said with a grimace, ¡°I was hoping you had some bizarre interaction slip under the radar. It will be much harder to track down a mysterious fan. Villain fans have always been a problem to deal with.¡±


    ¡°You think it was a fan? But how would a fan know about¡­ The secret?¡± Ashton asked.


    ¡°It means we might be dealing with an employee, or former employee, who was in a position to learn the secret. It could be a villain, or even just a camera man.¡±


    Ashton didn¡¯t like the sounds of that. ¡°So might have an actual rogue villain on the loose,¡± he realized, ¡°Do all villains go through the training I did?¡±


    ¡°They do.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as they both thought over the current situation. ¡°Before we get down to business, let¡¯s discuss something more pleasant.¡±


    Ashton had a bad feeling about where this was going.


    ¡°How did your date go?¡±

 Summer 4: Awkward Introductions

    Before they could discuss any plans, the dinner experience had begun, and next thing Summer knew, she was on her way home. She checked her phone several times to make sure the test text Ashton had sent was still there. They were really dating now¡­ Sort of. She was full of all sorts of jumbled feelings.


    Her father ambushed her for details the very next morning. ¡°So, how was it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It was nice,¡± she replied, not really sure how to describe what had happened. It was hard to call it particularly romantic. It was more like a deal that benefited both parties, ¡°We talked about our common interests, and exchanged numbers.¡±


    ¡°So you are meeting again?¡± he asked, ¡°Invite him here. We can provide a nice dinner here as well.¡±


    ¡°He works full time,¡± Summer admitted, ¡°I don¡¯t know what his schedule is like yet.¡±


    Her father nodded, pleased with the information he was hearing. ¡°So he has a stable job,¡± he noted, ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear your lack of interest was really high standards.¡±


    Summer flushed. Her family always teased her about her lack of dating experience. She was romantically oblivious most of the time, and she had been so busy chasing her dreams that relationships never even crossed her mind. Even what she had with Ashton was more of an accident than anything else. Again, not really romantic.


    ¡°Just let me talk things over with him first,¡± she defended, ¡°We just barely had one date.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you should test him early. Bring him to meet us so we can test his resolve.¡± Her father was still smiling but she could tell he wasn¡¯t joking about this. Good thing she had already agreed with Ashton about this meeting in advance. She would have to warn him about the possible testing he might have to undergo once he arrived.


    Summer was incredibly relieved when her father left for his own work, and immediately sent off a warning text to Ashton. There was no response, but Summer figured he was probably just busy. To try and pass some time, Summer went back to the hero forums.


    Once again, MysteriousMaskz was at the forefront of discussions. Whoever they were, they seemed more popular now than they had been before. There was a long string of comments belonging to villain supporters, and many of those openly supported Shadow Phoenix. Of course, that usually came hand in hand with hating Golden Reign.


    Even though she was disheartened, Summer knew that she had not gotten this kind of hate until the villain quit. He hadn¡¯t gotten any kind of support either. She found herself angry at MysteriousMaskz instead. They were stirring up all of this controversy, for what? Some internet points? Driven to find out more, Summer dug into some of the older posts by MysteriousMaskz.


    What she found made her hesitate a little. This person was just like her. Always dreamt of being a hero, but never scouted because their power wasn¡¯t good enough. It didn¡¯t matter how good you got with the power, or even what you could do with it. All that mattered was that your power was the weakness of the villain you were paired with.


    The bitter words stung, because Summer knew it was the truth. SI never would have looked at her if not for Shadow Phoenix. Disheartened, she found herself texting Ashton again. She wanted to talk about hero stuff and he was the only one she could talk to. But should she really burden him with all of the controversy brought by MysteriousMaskz? She was already asking so much of him.


    Summer deleted her text and sent something else instead.


    ¡°What do you think of my work as Golden Reign?¡±


    She stared at her phone as the little checkmark appeared to indicate it successfully sent. No reply. He hadn¡¯t even read the first one yet.


    Desperate to find something less controversial to fill her time, Summer started doing busywork. She reorganzied her closet, checked the ink levels of every pen in her room and organized them in order from almost empty to unused. All of this took far less time than she would like so she resorted to a more time consuming passtime. Watching TV.


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    Unfortunately, all of the popular shows were superhero romance dramas, or bleak dystopians about the imbalance between the powered and helpless. Her mindless scrolling of titles stopped at the sight of a new drama that appeared showing a hero falling for a villain. Only the villain looked a whole lot like Shadow Phoenix, and the hero looked her, but played by a much taller woman with sculpted muscles and a dark tan.


    Even the title was ridiculous. ¡®Even Light Needs Shadows¡¯. After reading the description about Lady Light and Shadow Boy, Summer couldn¡¯t help but look at the threads again. There it was! MysteriousMaskz had a film degree! Not that this was any proof of anything.


    When Ashton finally replied, Summer was deep into researching the screenwriter and director of the new series. She nearly dropped her phone when the notification buzzed.


    ¡°Golden Reign? I thought you performed well. All the things they made you do must have been embarrassing.¡±


    Summer flushed as she read his message. She had already forgotten that she had asked him what he thought of her hero persona. The worst part was he was right. Playing the part of the hero SI wanted had been super embarrassing at first. Even her name was a bit much.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she replied quickly, and tried to change the subject before he said anything else. ¡°Any ideas about meeting my dad?¡±


    She stared at the three little dots appear and disappear as Ashton typed his reply. Summer hoped he had something, because she hadn¡¯t been able to come up with anything. None of the plans she had made while organizing pens by ink level made any sense.


    ¡°Not enough info.¡± Ashton finally sent back. His next message was similarly simple. ¡°Let¡¯s just get it over with. The longer we wait the harder it will be.¡±


    She had to agree with that, so she started asking about his schedule instead, and they planned it for his next free day. Since her dad had already mentioned dinner, she figured they could just go with that. The hardest part was deciding where to meet up. Apparently Ashton lived in a private apartment complex right by SI so it would be difficult for her to get in. They finally settled on a certain cafe that Summer knew all too well.


    Summer had thought it would be fine for him to come straight to her place, but Ashton was very against showing up on his own, especially since he had no idea what her house looked like. It wasn¡¯t like she lived in a mansion since her father preferred honest living, but it was a decent three story with a fully furnished basement and balcony on the master bedroom. No pool, though. Her father considered pools the height of luxurious waste.


    Her father was very pleased to hear about the arrangement and quickly made plans of his own to make sure he could devote his time to the meeting. He seemed more excited to meet Ashton than Summer was.


    The days leading up to the meeting passed quickly. Summer had made the terrible mistake of watching every available episode of ¡®Even Light Needs Shadow¡¯ and felt thoroughly mentally scarred. She even had nightmares of the real Shadow Phoenix blinking at her flirtatiously as he offered to save her from the stiff world of heroes. It was the first time she was glad she might never have to face him again.


    On the day of, all of the earlier nerves came rushing back all at once. She arrived at the coffee shop ridiculously early, but was able to spend the time catching up with the owner. Ashton arrived in his usual business casual and walked right over to her without hesitation.


    ¡°Looks like we are both early again,¡± he commented.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Summer agreed. That stupid show was still stuck in her mind, and even interactions with Ashton were suddenly awkward. It didn¡¯t help that he looked just like Lady Light¡¯s assistant that professed his love and begged her not to leave him for Shadow Boy.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Ashton asked in concern.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she repeated, ¡°Just nervous. Should we get going?¡±


    He nodded, and they both decided to take their own vehicles back to her house so he could leave without dragging her out with him. It was a bit of a waste, but there was plenty of time until dinner she could spend chatting with him.


    Summer did forget one important detail. Her father would be there the whole time too. Even her mother had decided to play an active role in welcoming Ashton, overjoyed that her daughter had finally awakened to romance. The moment they opened the door, both parents were waiting to catch a glimpse of the man who caught their daughter¡¯s eye.


    Her mother tried to hide her immediate disappointment that Ashton was not the exceptionally handsome specimen she had expected, and welcomed them inside.


    ¡°Dinner will still be a while, but feel free to make yourself at home,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Aster,¡± Ashton replied, stepping through the doorway after Summer.


    The family and guest settled in the living room to chat a bit. Her father immediately began his interrogation disguised as small talk.


    ¡°I heard you work full time. Do you mind telling me what you do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I work for SI in hero assignments,¡± Ashton replied willingly. ¡°It¡¯s not as exciting as it sounds. Most of the time, I just process paperwork. It¡¯s a communication role.¡±


    ¡°Hero assignments?¡± her father asked, giving Summer a stern look, ¡°My daughter hasn¡¯t asked anything strange of you has she?¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± Summer shouted.


    Ashton smiled. ¡°Nothing like that,¡± he promised, ¡°Even if I could do anything to bring her back to the front lines, I wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    That seemed to please her father a little too much. ¡°Wonderful. Make sure to tell me right away if your superiors get any ideas.¡±


    With that odd bonding conversation over with, the rest of the dinner went amazingly well. Ashton wasn¡¯t the most social, but his serious nature won over her father, and even her mother seemed to approve, saying something weird about how she understood Summer¡¯s taste now. The whole event blew over so swiftly and easily, Summer felt silly for worrying so much about it.


    Either way, she was relieved. She had already been trying to plan out how she might be able to meet Ashton in secret if her family disapproved. She was a little jealous of Ashton who had seemed unaffected throughout the whole thing, though.

 Ashton 4: Meeting the Parents

    Ashton managed to finally leave the CEO¡¯s office by lunchtime, and he had to stay late to catch up on his work. Once he did, he noticed his notifications showed some texts from Summer. The first one had been sent several hours ago, warning him of her father¡¯s plans to test him over dinner. The second message made him pause. It wasn¡¯t something he had expected her to ask, and something difficult for him to answer.


    ¡°What do you think of my work as Golden Reign?¡±


    Her work, huh. He tried to separate himself from all his scorn filled experiences as Shadow Phoenix as he mulled the question over. By SI standards she was above average in performance. Most heroes were awful at doing their jobs, but it wasn¡¯t as if they received much in the way of actually useful training.


    He decided to think of it from a different angle based on his own personal experiences instead. His pent up frustrations of being forced to do ridiculous things to play the role of a villain couldn¡¯t be completely one sided.


    ¡°Golden Reign? I thought you performed well. All the things they made you do must have been embarrassing.¡±


    Almost immediately after his message sent, the little ¡®read¡¯ symbol appeared and he saw the trio of dots blink in and out of existence.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± There was a pause and then another message appeared. ¡°Any ideas about meeting my dad?¡±


    Another question, huh? At least this one was easier to answer. He took his time, trying to carefully choose his words. He wasn¡¯t worried about the meeting, but that didn¡¯t feel like the right thing to say in this situation, so he settled on some common advice instead, along with the truth. He didn¡¯t know enough about the man to plan anything.


    ¡°Not enough info.¡± Ashton finally sent back. His next message was similarly simple. ¡°Let¡¯s just get it over with. The longer we wait the harder it will be.¡±


    After his message Summer seemed just as eager to plan the meeting as he was. Ashton reluctantly surrendered one of his days off. It was better than showing up tired from a long day of work. Not to mention the possibility of being held back for some emergency situation.


    They decided to meet at an SI supported cafe that was always filled with posters advertising crowd favorite heroes. It was something of a middle ground between the two locations, and one that they both knew. Summer had thought it would be fine for him to just show up at her house, but Ashton always got terribly lost in residential areas, so he insisted on meeting somewhere and going together.


    The days passed until the event. Ashton began to notice that every morning Summer would send him a ¡°Good Morning¡± text even if they never talked about much else that day. She also sent him an ominous warning to never ever watch new hero dramas. As another bonus, these interactions seemed to be more than enough to satisfy the ever nosy Amos.


    The day itself went by with incredible speed as he caught up on all his chores and quickly got ready. Always overly punctual, he left far too early for the meeting spot. To his surprise, Summer was already there.


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    ¡°Looks like we are both early again,¡± Ashton commented.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The way Summer responded and the look she gave him was a bit odd so he had to ask. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she repeated, ¡°Just nervous. Should we get going?¡±


    Ashton decided to accept whatever that was as nervousness and nodded. They each got in their own cars and he followed her to her house. At first, they had considered going together, but Ashton thought it would be best if he could leave without having to drag her with him. Besides, leaving his car in a public parking lot for an unknown length of time was never a good idea.


    The moment they arrived, both of Summer¡¯s parents greeted them at the door. Mrs. Aster seemed especially eager, though Ashton couldn¡¯t help but notice her disappointment after catching sight of him. He wasn¡¯t offended. It was impossible to live up to the standards of someone¡¯s imagination.


    ¡°Dinner will still be a while, but feel free to make yourself at home,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Aster,¡± Ashton replied, stepping through the doorway after Summer.


    The house looked fairly normal at first, but Ashton couldn¡¯t help but notice details here and there that hinted at prosperity far beyond that of a normal family. Well, he already knew her father¡¯s business was doing well enough for him to make a rather large donation to SI a couple of years back so it wasn¡¯t a surprise.


    Rather than worrying about that, Ashton carefully settled on the furniture he guessed was probably more expensive than any of his paychecks. He needed to be ready for the coming testing Mr. Aster would put him through.


    The man in question didn¡¯t even hesitate. He fired off a question as soon as they had all settled. ¡°I heard you work full time. Do you mind telling me what you do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I work for SI in hero assignments,¡± Ashton replied willingly. ¡°It¡¯s not as exciting as it sounds. Most of the time, I just process paperwork. It¡¯s a communication role.¡± He had to make it sound at least a little better than ¡®odd jobs¡¯ or whatever else the CEO deemed to be important at the time. He felt more like he worked personally for Amos Wyndart than actually being a standard employee.


    ¡°Hero assignments?¡± her father asked, giving Summer a stern look, ¡°My daughter hasn¡¯t asked anything strange of you has she?¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± Summer shouted.


    Ashton smiled. He had expected this line of thinking and was ready for it. ¡°Nothing like that,¡± he promised, ¡°Even if I could do anything to bring her back to the front lines, I wouldn¡¯t.¡± How could he put anyone back into a business he knew was a sham after they had successfully escaped?


    Mr. Aster clearly liked that response. ¡°Wonderful. Make sure to tell me right away if your superiors get any ideas.¡±


    After making many more promises that made Mr. Aster¡¯s negative opinion of SI very clear, they moved on to dinner. It was far more simple than Ashton had expected, and he was relieved. He didn¡¯t want to have to worry about table manners and a three course meal now that he had crossed the first hurdle.


    During dinner, Mr. Aster bragged about his business and tried to recruit Ashton to work for him instead without the slightest hint of subtlety. Ashton dodged the offers by stating he preferred to be judged by his merits rather than connections whenever possible. This only seemed to make Mr. Aster more determined to recruit him, though.


    Ashton was exhausted by the time he returned home, but smiled slightly as he saw a text from Summer show up.


    ¡°We did it! My dad is still raving about you, and mom likes you too!¡±


    ¡°Glad I passed,¡± he sent back. It hadn¡¯t been that hard, but he still had no wish to do it again anytime soon.


    As he got ready for bed, another notification appeared, this time from his email. It was another unknown sender. It was different from the last one, but the message made it clear it was from the same person.


    ¡°The first crack in the foundation of SI is ready to be revealed, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. You were warned.¡±


    Just like the time before, Ashton took a screenshot and sent it to the CEO. Realistically speaking, there was nothing he could do about these threats except receive them. Why was this mysterious person even warning him in the first place? Wasn¡¯t Shadow Phoenix just another pawn of SI that should fall with it? Or was this all because he quit on camera?


    Blissfully unaware of what was in store, Ashton went to bed.

 Summer 5: A Viral Villain

    It was that very night, when Summer was doing some late night scrolling on the hero forums that she first saw the news. One of the villains paired with a hero almost no one watched had found another artifact, and died. She knew from experience that if it had just been released to the public now, it likely happened a couple of days ago.


    Still, even if she was benched, she felt like she should have been informed about the first reported death of a villain, especially one caught on camera. The previously unpopular hero, Scubadude, was suddenly showered with attention after the clip went viral. With some trepidation, Summer clicked on the link to see what had happened. Heroes didn¡¯t kill villains, right?


    To her relief, Scubadude had not killed his assigned villain, RefRain. RefRain had found an artifact in the old town that summoned a tsunami from nowhere. If Scubadude had not been waterproof in every sense of the word, he likely would have also been swept away by the strong current. There was also the fact that while SI proclaimed RefRain dead, they had yet to find his body. Even if they did, would they recognize it without the villain disguise?


    She almost sent a text to Ashton about the news, but thought better when she looked at the clock. He probably had to get up early. Besides, he would probably hear all about it at work. Summer could only hope her father didn¡¯t stumble across the video later. Too many things were happening that had never happened before. Forcing her thoughts down, Summer managed to settle into an uneasy slumber.


    The very next day, at 13:00, or one o¡¯clock, another video was released. This time the footage was not taken by SI, but with an unprofessional hand. Perhaps even with the phone of the person involved. What shot the views to the very top was who appeared in the video. It was none other than the villain announced dead the day before, RefRain.


    Summer stumbled upon it via a link posted by MysteriousMaskz with the caption, ¡°Told you SI was fishy.¡± She instantly clicked on it, as she had all the other links posted by the user. What she had hoped would be another clue to their identity turned out to be something much worse.


    ¡°Surprised to see me alive and healthy?¡± it opened, ¡°I promise SI isn¡¯t. My death, and every act I have ever done as a villain was all a sham. Listen close, and I will tell you everything.¡±


    Summer remembered MysteriousMakz¡¯s caption as she continued to listen to the video. Something fishy. Something SI was hiding.


    ¡°First things first, to make sure my sacrifice doesn¡¯t end in vain, so that you all know what happens to me, I will tell you all who I really am.¡±


    RefRain removed his mask, revealing his face. A face full of bitterness and spite. Summer flinched and looked away, even though it was merely the image on a screen. Should she really be watching this? It didn¡¯t seem to have anything to do with MysteriousMaskz. Even though she thought this, her finger did not move towards the pause or the x.


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    ¡°My name is Collin Mcshay. I have been working for SI playing the part of a villain for about four years now. My job was to play a part and make my useless hero partners look good. The motto was always lose, but always escape. As for heroes? They are just famous idiots who don¡¯t even realize they are actors in this stupid play. Once they lose their fame, they are discarded. Don¡¯t believe me? Look at the facts.¡±


    Summer was now at a point where she didn¡¯t dare look away. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was filled with a sense of denial. She was just a fake playing a part? Impossible. What about everything that had happened? Did that mean this whole time, Shadow Phoenix was just acting too? With her mind filled with conflicting thoughts, she missed parts of the speech, but was snapped out of it when she heard a familiar name.


    ¡°Shadow Phoenix, if you end up watching this, please listen to their warning. It¡¯s too late for me, but you still have a chance. Show those fakes at SI that they never should have mocked us! They can protect you from that awful place.¡±


    They? Who were they? And what was with everyone supporting Shadow Pheonix? If all villains were just actors, what made him more special than the rest? Summer finally gathered the courage to shut the video off as RefRain, or Collin, or whoever he was continued to prattle on. What she ended up doing instead wasn¡¯t much better. She followed the thread to see what the others had discovered.


    What she read at least saved her a lot of research. Graphs had already been made showing the direct correlation between a hero¡¯s popularity and their disappearance from the scene. The villains, on the other hand, were shown as constants. Those that vanished had long runs, and likely properly retired. And then there was Shadow Phoenix, who quit at the height of his popularity.


    There he was again. Every time her was mentioned, Summer was filled with a mass of twisted emotions. If only she could meet him again. If only she could ask him what was going on. As she saw more hatred for SI, another thought occurred to Summer. What about Ashton?


    Before she knew it, her phone was in her hand with their text conversation open, still showing her well wishes from earlier that morning. It hadn¡¯t even been read yet. Yeah, Ashton was probably busy too. SI had to be scrambling to squash this. She had already seen comments about the growing number of times the video had been taken down and released on a new account.


    What would she even say to him? Once again, Summer decided not to send him anything. Instead she watched the latest episode of Even Light Needs Shadow, hoping the drama would get her mind off of things.


    Naturally, it had the opposite effect. She kept over analyzing all the scenes where Shadow Boy was about to tell Lady Light something important and hesitated. Every time Lady Light stood in the spotlight after going easy on her opponent with none the wiser. Even in this stupid drama, Shadow Pheonix was the one who knew everything while she was left in the dark.


    It was a message from Ashton that finally pulled Summer¡¯s mind of things, before it set her mind on entirely different things.


    ¡°Good news, I got a promotion. I might have to work longer hours from now on, though.¡±


    A promotion? Right when SI was under fire? They weren¡¯t trying to use him as a scapegoat, were they? Or maybe this was an excuse to shove more workload onto him. Or maybe¡­ No. Impossible. Summer shoved the thought aside before it could even finish forming. Odd promotion timing aside, there was nothing suspicious about Ashton.


    Working at SI did not make someone bad, even if SI turned out to be. Summer bet most of the employees there didn¡¯t even know about the secrets. If they were real. She couldn¡¯t just take the word of some villain she had just heard of. But Ashton worked in Hero Assignments. He might know the secrets.


    After arguing with herself over her conflicted thoughts, she decided it was best to meet the man in person. They were dating anyway, right?


    ¡°Then I guess we have to meet now,¡± she sent back, trying her best to sound playful, or at the very least not like someone who was doubting the company he worked for.

 Ashton 5: The First Crack

    Despite the message Ashton had sent the CEO the night before, his day began like normal. No surprise calls to the office. Just the usual office gossip. It sounded like the extreme plan to take the heat off of the Shadow Phoenix discussion by claiming the death of the first villain went through. Of all people, they had chosen RefRain.


    Ashton had met him a few times in villain training. He was bright and talented, but had ended up on the wrong side of some minor law. To get out of paying fines, he had started as a one off villain at SI, but since he had done so well they hired him full time. The problem was his hero partner, Scubadude. Scubadude was completely hopeless as a hero, and once RefRain ran out of ideas to make their battles exciting, he was given a new role. Comedic relief.


    At the time, RefRain had ranted furiously to anyone who would listen. He had started long before Ashton, and had even gone through a couple heroes. He got pretty quiet after being called to a private meeting by the manager who oversaw all the villains. Ashton wasn¡¯t sure what had happened to him after that, and he doubted he would get any answers he liked if he asked, so he went about business as usual.


    The problems started after his lunch break. A video leaking confidential information had been released, and SI had only caught it once it had already reached over a thousand views. Ashton was called to another meeting with the CEO, but this time all the department heads were there too.


    ¡°Have you seen it?¡± Amos asked.


    Ashton, who was widely unaware of the passing internet trends had no idea what he was talking about. ¡°Have I seen what?¡± he asked back, painfully aware of all of the eyes drilling into him.


    In response, the CEO had his secretary pull a video up on the projector. ¡°This.¡±


    The video was titled ¡°Secrets of SI Revealed 9th Reposting¡±.


    The title alone promised bad news, but Ashton had a terrible sinking feeling when he saw RefRain in full costume on the thumbnail. With no other words, Amos directed for the secretary to start the video.


    ¡°Surprised to see me alive and healthy?¡± it opened, ¡°I promise SI isn¡¯t. My death, and every act I have ever done as a villain was all a sham. Listen close, and I will tell you everything.¡±


    They skipped through the basic explanation of the inner workings of SI, to a special message just for Shadow Phoenix.


    ¡°Shadow Phoenix, if you end up watching this, please listen to their warning. It¡¯s too late for me, but you still have a chance. Show those fakes at SI that they never should have mocked us! They can protect you from that awful place.¡±


    Amos immediately stopped the video after that, seeming relieved by Ashton¡¯s incredulous expression. ¡°I take it you have no idea what this is about,¡± he guessed.


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    ¡°Everything I know, I sent straight to you,¡± Ashton replied. He was confident because of his immediate responses. Had he been forced to reveal the emails here, things might have taken a turn for the worst.


    ¡°You did,¡± the CEO confirmed, ¡°But I must ask, why do you think this mysterious force is so eager to recruit you?¡±


    At this, Ashton paused, trying to think of anything he might have done as Shadow Phoenix to warrant this kind of attention. In the end, he could only think of the one thing. ¡°Is it because I quit on camera?¡±


    Amos did not seem to like that answer, but he didn¡¯t have anything better. ¡°Let¡¯s hope that is their only reason for interest in you. Just in case, I will instruct another villain to use the same tactic and see what happens. It might just seem like they are following your example, though.¡±


    ¡°If he is all clear, we need to choose our next move before it is too late,¡± the head of HR broke in, ¡°This is a serious information leak, and our partners won¡¯t stand for it.¡±


    ¡°The next step is obvious, isn¡¯t it?¡± a woman from the script department pointed out, ¡°That idiot reveals his real name in the video. Anyone can find out he has a record. Let¡¯s use that against him.¡±


    ¡°Tank his credibility? That might be our best move. If only we could all look as annoyed but confident as the famous Shadow Phoenix.¡±


    Ashton had a distinct feeling that he was now involved in something he absolutely should not be. However, when he tried to leave, Amos shook his head. The discussion continued without him being able to leave or input anything.


    In short, the police had already arrested Collin Mcshay, the true identity of RefRain, and were now working on the story that they would release to the public through their various connections. In the end, everyone¡¯s stories were approved, each to be released from a different news medium to make it seem more legitimate. While they approached it from different angles, Collin¡¯s arrest and criminal records were mentioned in each. With that set in motion, the conference moved onto their next topic; what to do with Ashton.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just leave him in Hero Assignments. He is too easy to access,¡± one brought up.


    ¡°We also can¡¯t send him back to being a villain. If he returns, it would be giving them exactly what they want.¡±


    So this was why the CEO had stopped him from leaving. It was uncomfortable watching others decide your fate as if you weren¡¯t there, but he supposed it was better than everything being decided without his knowledge. Without a solid place to interject, Ashton continued to just listen.


    ¡°How about we give him a higher position? No one will question it if he has a higher level of security.¡±


    ¡°What kind of position should we give him? We can¡¯t just hand something out for free. He should at least be capable.¡±


    Ideas for various positions from scriptwriting, to working in security itself were thrown around the table before Amos Wyndart himself spoke up.


    ¡°There is a position that matches his skill set perfectly,¡± he pointed out, ¡°Let him be my personal assistant. Recently my secretary has been complaining that I send too much work her way that technically isn¡¯t under her jurisdiction.¡±


    There was some heated discussion for a few minutes, but the department heads were all convinced that this was the correct course of action. As usual, no one asked Ashton what he thought about the forced promotion. Then again, was it really going to be that much different from what he was already doing?


    With everything decided, Ashton spent the rest of his shift moving everything over to his new office, and arranging all the appropriate documents for his exchange. Ashton wondered somewhat bitterly if he was the first employee to have to manage the papers for his own promotion. At least he was able to get a good idea of the pay increase involved, and that settled his annoyance at the situation quite a bit.


    At the end of the day, Amos kicked him out. ¡°I¡¯ll be working you overtime plenty from now on, so take it easy today and tell your girlfriend about your promotion.¡±


    Once he got home, Ashton obediently took out his phone, seeing the usual messages from Summer wishing him a good day at work. How would he even explain his promotion to her? There was no way he could tell her the reason, and jumping from a newbie in Hero Assignments to the CEO¡¯s assistance was a ridiculous story. In the end, Ashton decided his best move was to be vague for now, and deal with any questions if and when she asked them.


    ¡°Good news, I got a promotion. I might have to work longer hours from now on, though.¡±


    That message seemed fine, right? Unable to think of anything better, Ashton sent it. He hoped that whatever happened, Summer wouldn¡¯t get dragged into this mess because of him. At least the mysterious messages seemed to have his interests in mind. Hopefully this meant that they wouldn¡¯t pose much of a threat to his private life.

 Summer 6: Date or Interrogation

    Had she replied too quickly? Too slowly? Summer was a bundle of nerves as the seconds ticked by. It was only three, maybe four when the icon appeared to show that Ashton had read her message. Only a few seconds after that when he sent his reply.


    ¡°Where do you want to meet?¡±


    She hadn¡¯t thought that far ahead. Summer tried to think of a good place for their date. Ideally it would be somewhere fun and distracting. Distracting for her, so she wouldn¡¯t lose her mind, and distracting for Ashton so he might not notice any probing questions she failed to disguise. With very little time to think, she replied with the first thing she could think of.


    ¡°The aquarium?¡±


    She had even typed a question mark in her answer. Face flaming from a ridiculous and unnecessary sense of embarrassment, she awaited his response. Never had a simple conversation wrecked her emotional stability so fiercely.


    The seconds dragged on before the bubble with its three little dots appeared. Those ever ambiguous dots that left her hanging on the edge.


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    A short, two word response, and luckily one Summer had a ready answer to. Her mother often spoke about the aquarium that her father had proposed to her at, in the romantic scenery of the underwater tunnel. Walter¡¯s Waterview: See the Undersea Aquarium.


    The name of the aquarium was actually split because the aquarium itself was split. Walter¡¯s Waterview featured water mammals, amphibians, and freshwater fish. See the Undersea Aquarium showed everything from the ocean surface to the darkest depths and trenches. There were two underwater tunnels. One that was brightly lit, featuring the coral reefs, and a a dimly lit one that showcased the various luminous creatures of the deep.


    Summer quickly types the full title of the aquarium, as well as all of its best features. She left out the part about her parent¡¯s proposal, though. She was confident with the endless sights to see, Ashton would be more than distracted enough for her to slip a couple loaded questions in without him noticing.


    The aquarium was slow at this time of night, with only a few hours until closing time. Most people opted to visit during the day when they could better appreciate the outdoor exhibits. It was also past the time for any live shows Walter¡¯s Waterview was famous for, but there was a recorded version of the otter show by their large viewing windows. On the plus side, Summer did get to witness the adorableness of sleeping otters.


    Ashton didn¡¯t seem that interested in the clearly inactive exhibits, but he waited patiently for Summer whenever she lagged behind. As for Summer, she was on the lookout for souvenirs. She needed something to bring back the mood in case she got caught asking uncomfortable questions.


    Between the amphibians and freshwater fish, there was a large counter displaying various souvenirs and aquarium approved snacks and drinks. Among them were adorable matching otter sets, and Summer immediately knew that was exactly what she was looking for. The set had one otter floating on its back, and another standing on its feet. Summer immediately gave the back floating one to Ashton.


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    ¡°A souvenir!¡± she told him, before he could come up with any kind of refusal, ¡°You otter take it!¡±


    The terrible pun slipped out before she could stop it, and she was grateful when Ashton silently accepted the stuffed animal. There was a bit of a pause before he tried his hand at a reply.


    ¡°I guess I have no otter choice.¡±


    Summer let out a wild giggle before she managed to contain herself. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she told him, ¡°And you are very welcome.¡±


    Now in a bit of a lighter mood, she headed deeper into the aquarium, passing by a lake themed display with sunfish in both bluegill and pumpkinseed varieties. It was time to start fishing for some information. She looked into the water current and tried to think of a good way to broach the subject.


    ¡°Did you hear about that one villain dying?¡± she asked, then quickly backtracked, ¡°Sorry, that must be sensitive information for your company.¡±


    This was awful! She couldn¡¯t have used a less subtle method! Summer glanced over to see Ashton¡¯s reaction, only to find him as calm as ever.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone has heard of it now,¡± he replied, ¡°After that, I can¡¯t see any villain aiming for those artifacts.¡±


    The artifacts. Summer had forgotten about those in the flood of everything else going on. ¡°That one I had to deal with was dangerous too,¡± she recalled, ¡°I am glad Shadow Phoenix was able to deal with it better.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± Ashton agreed. He was silent for a few moments before he spoke again. ¡°I just can¡¯t help but find it odd that he went out of his way to save you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know either. Of course he wouldn¡¯t. He was still just a new employee regardless of his higher security clearance. Summer felt a bit bad for trying to squeeze information out of him. Then she realized something.


    ¡°Ashton, did you tell that to anyone else?¡± There was a certain panic to her voice as she couldn¡¯t help but think of the worst case scenario.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ashton asked her, surprised by her sudden change in attitude.


    Summer dragged him deeper into the aquarium, checking for cameras, people, and any other threats of secrecy. ¡°There are rumors SI is hiding a big secret,¡± she whispered, ¡°A secret about their villains. If they think you are onto them you might be in danger.¡±


    ¡°Danger?¡± Ashton asked, visibly shocked.


    She nodded, unable to stop herself from glancing around her again with suspicion. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Despite her warning, Ashton didn¡¯t seem concerned. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± he assured her, ¡°The most they will do if I find out their secrets is force me to sign some kind of nondisclosure agreement.¡±


    His hyper-realistic view did oddly set Summer more at ease. She cracked a small smile. ¡°I guess I had better be careful too. Can¡¯t let them catch me in the terror of contracts.¡±


    With the heavy conversation out of the way, the pair continued through the aquarium, inevitably finding themselves in the first underwater tunnel. The glow of the artificial sunlight was several times brighter than the corridors had been. The two of them were the only ones there, each holding an otter plush and seemingly muted in the vibrant environment behind the glass.


    First was the carefully replicated landscape, dotted with colorful corals and various anemones. Naturally, the anemones came with clownfish and other native reef fish in a variety of vibrant colors. Since this was a tunnel, the breathtaking scene wasn¡¯t contained by a tank embedded in the wall. Rather, the walls and ceiling were all made of glass in a curved arch, ending in an intricately carved archway made to look like coral at both entrance and exit.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Summer breathed, barely above a whisper, ¡°Let¡¯s go see the other tunnel!¡±


    She dragged Ashton deeper into the aquarium, finally arriving at the second tunnel. This one was so dim she could barely see in front of herself as her eyes adjusted to the new lighting. The first thing she caught sight of was a jellyfish. Unlike the tunnel before, this one was sectioned off to safely display the various kinds of luminous sea life. The tunnel also gave the impression of going down a steep slope, even though Summer was certain the ground was level.


    Looking at all of the glowing fish was cool, but Summer decided she preferred the reef above. Ashton, on the other hand, seemed taken in by the creatures of the deep. Unfortunately, before they could explore any further they heard an announcement over the intercom warning that the aquarium would be closing shortly.


    Once she was alone in her room, Summer collapsed on her bed, carefully stroking her new otter friend. She hadn¡¯t found out anything about SI, but she was now confident that whatever was going on, Ashton wasn¡¯t part of it. That was good enough for her. Still, her desire to sleuth had not been quenched. If she wasn¡¯t going to find anything about SI through Ashton, she might have to find another avenue.


    Summer pulled open her computer and switched to an incognito tab, applying a VPN just in case. It was time to see how much she could dig up on MysteriousMaskz with her amateur skills.

 Ashton 6: Sidestepping Suspicion

    ¡°Then I guess we have to meet now.¡±


    The text from Summer appeared mere minutes after he had sent his own. She must have been waiting for him to reply. It made him feel a bit guilty, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it. Instead, he decided it was probably best to play along.


    ¡°Where do you want to meet?¡±


    Again, her response to his question was almost instantaneous.


    ¡°The aquarium?¡± she offered. She didn¡¯t seem to sure about it, judging by the question mark, but Ashton didn¡¯t have any better ideas.


    ¡°Which One?¡± he asked, hoping she at least had a place in mind.


    ¡°Walter¡¯s Waterview: See the Undersea Aquarium.¡±


    Not only did she have a place in mind, she went into great detail describing it. It was an aquarium split into two parts, each marked by half of the name. Ashton did some quick research and found that you could pay to just enter one, or both in day and season passes. It was a bit pricey, but with his raise and lack of much else he needed to spend money on, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    He imagined Summer would want to go to the latter half of the aquarium. Walter¡¯s Waterview held numerous shows during the day, but the last of those shows would be ending in a few minutes. While they did have fish displayed, the majority of the reviews claimed it had little else to offer besides shows and the occasional cute souvenir.


    See the Undersea, on the other hand, boasted of two underwater tunnels. He didn¡¯t know what else there was since most of the reviews talked in length about the tunnels themselves. There didn¡¯t seem to be too much in the way of souvenirs here, but Ashton had never cared about those things, and he doubted Summer would be particularly interested either.


    By the time he arrived, Summer was already there, and handed him a pass. He noticed it was the more expensive pass that allowed access to both halves of the aquarium.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never been to an aquarium, right?¡± she asked with a smile, ¡°I thought it would be best for you to have the full experience. Well, most of it.¡±


    So she did know the shows had all been closed for the night. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said instead. He had been ready to pay for his own pass, but it was rude to turn down a gift, and there was no need to waste money when he didn¡¯t need to.


    They entered after a quick warning from the receptionist that they closed in just a few hours. Summer made a beeline for where the otter show would have been, pausing for a moment to examine the TV replays before searching the water beyond the glass for any signs of otter. Ashton could tell the moment when she spotted one as her face melted into a goofy little grin.


    He trailed after her, unable to keep pace with her constant stopping and going, and they ended up at a souvenir counter. To his surprise, she examined the products very carefully before choosing an otter set and plopping a plush of an otter floating on its back into his hands.


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    ¡°A souvenir!¡± she told him, before he could come up with any kind of refusal, ¡°You otter take it!¡±


    It took Ashton a moment to get the joke, and several more moments to formulate some kind of fitting reply. ¡°I guess I have no otter choice.¡± It was the only thing he could think of, and he was certain his delivery was terrible.


    Luckily, Summer seemed to like it as he heard a giggle escape before she smoothed over her expression into an ordinary smile. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she told him, ¡°And you are very welcome.¡±


    Not sure how he was supposed to continue the interaction, Ashton was relieved when she moved further into the aquarium, pausing to look at the various tanks embedded in the walls. He caught sight of one hosting a very lethargic looking electric eel. It seemed to snap awake as he looked at it. Ashton¡¯s staredown with an electric eel was broken when Summer suddenly spoke.


    ¡°Did you hear about that one villain dying?¡± she asked, then quickly backtracked, ¡°Sorry, that must be sensitive information for your company.¡±


    This was going exactly as Ashton had expected. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone has heard of it now,¡± he replied, ¡°After that, I can¡¯t see any villain aiming for those artifacts.¡±


    ¡°That one I had to deal with was dangerous too,¡± she recalled, ¡°I am glad Shadow Phoenix was able to deal with it better.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± Ashton agreed. His plan had been to distract her with facts she already knew. If that didn¡¯t work, he would hint at the truth as much as his contract allowed and hope that was enough for her. With the way things were going maybe now would be a good time to see how she reacted to a hint. ¡°I just can¡¯t help but find it odd that he went out of his way to save you.¡±


    Summer¡¯s reaction was far from what Ashton had expected. Her face flashed with several emotions before setting on worry. Or was that fear?


    ¡°Ashton, did you tell that to anyone else?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Did she know about the people sending those emails?


    Summer dragged him deeper into the aquarium, checking for cameras, people, and any other threats of secrecy. He followed with his own mind jumping to conclusions before he forcefully shoved them down.


    ¡°There are rumors SI is hiding a big secret,¡± she whispered, ¡°A secret about their villains. If they think you are onto them, you might be in danger.¡±


    ¡°Danger?¡± His confusion at her own conclusion hid the relief. She was only concerned about what SI might do. Luckily, that was something Ashton didn¡¯t have to worry about. They already knew everything.


    Summer looked like she was struggling to think of something else to say, but ended up just giving another warning. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± he assured her, ¡°The most they will do if I find out their secrets is force me to sign some kind of nondisclosure agreement.¡±


    Another speckling of truth, and hopefully something that would calm her. Ashton didn¡¯t like the idea of Summer wasting her time and energy worrying over nothing.


    She cracked a small smile. ¡°I guess I had better be careful, too. Can¡¯t let them catch me in the terror of contracts.¡±


    Ashton smiled along with her, silently agreeing about the horror that contracts presented. Then again, having lived his whole life under some contract or another, he wasn¡¯t sure what he would do without them.


    The mood lightened, and Summer practically glowed when they entered the first tunnel. The blinding light and vivid colors were a bit much to take in, but Ashton had to admit it was beautiful. He preferred the deep contrast in the second tunnel. The arched glass marked off invisible sections between the various deep sea dangers, leaving this arch ending in more of a point than the perfect curve of the last.


    The jellyfish floated along the current like an underwater balloon, glowing with a soft blue light. There was a squid with neon patterns that reminded Ashton of the traffic arrows construction crews used except for its pink hue. There was even an anglerfish waiting in a cave-like corner towards the end of the tunnel, ready for any unsuspecting prey that might follow its light.


    In the end, they only left when they heard the warning reminding anyone who might still be inside of the aquarium¡¯s closing time. The day had gone far differently than Ashton had expected, but not in a bad way. Spending time with Summer had become a bit more natural despite the endless secrets he had no choice but to keep. He even found himself looking fondly on their interactions as hero and villain.


    Now all he had to do was figure out who was sending him all of those emails and what they really wanted. As if aware of his thoughts, his phone buzzed. He opened it to find another email.


    ¡°If you want to know who we are, convince SI to let you off your little leash for a private meeting. We look forward to meeting you face to face.¡±


    For the first time, Ashton hesitated. Whoever these people were, he was confident Amos would make him meet them if he knew about this email. Was that something he was willing to risk? Was hiding it worth the repercussions once it was inevitably found? Ashton decided that this was a decision he would make in the morning. That way, if need be, he could show the CEO in person.

 Summer 7: The Man Behind the Maskz

    Sleuthing was a total bust. While she was able to figure out a few things, none of it was particularly useful information, so Summer had no choice but to give up. The next morning, Summer¡¯s mother immediately recognized the otter in her arms. Summer hadn¡¯t even realized she had brought the plush to breakfast.


    ¡°Did you have fun on your aquarium date?¡± her mother asked, reaching over to pat the otter¡¯s head.


    Summer instinctively hugged the plush closer. ¡°Yes,¡± she replied, embarrassed by what she was certain her mother was thinking. It hadn¡¯t been anything more than an excuse and a distraction, but it had been fun, and more importantly she was no longer suspicious of Ashton. He was just as much a victim of this as everyone else.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± she said, pleased when she saw her daughter¡¯s bashful smile, ¡°To be honest, I was a bit worried about you. You never took interest in relationships. You have no friends, and no aspirations other than your hero fixation. I thought once it was over you would fall apart.¡±


    ¡°Mooom,¡± Summer complained, somewhere between groan and whine.


    Her mother shook her head lightly, still smiling. ¡°Ashton seems like such a good boy. At first, I was worried you were trying to use him. Now I can finally put that idea completely to rest.¡±


    Summer¡¯s gaze snapped up in confusion. Finally put it to rest? ¡°I thought you forgot about that after you met him.¡±


    ¡°Not entirely,¡± she said, ¡°Something was a bit off. You two were a bit too¡­ awkward. But some couples are like that.¡±


    ¡°So what convinced you?¡± Summer asked.


    Her mother chuckled. ¡°You haven¡¯t noticed yet?¡±


    Noticed what? What was she talking about? Summer was starting to feel incredibly self conscious as her mother¡¯s gaze grew increasingly warm.


    ¡°Did you know? Right now you look like a girl in love.¡±


    Summer nearly dropped her otter in shock. Impossible! She had definitely told Ashton she was alright with dating for real, but so soon? She just liked hanging out with him. Besides, she barely knew anything about him other than where he worked. Then again, she remembered the emotional roller coaster she went through while texting Ashton the previous day. Was that what it felt like to be in love? No, she felt that way every time she cared about someone else¡¯s opinion on her thoughts. Love and romance were so much more¡­ something. Summer wasn¡¯t exactly sure what.


    Her father came into the room shortly after. It was his day off so he wasn¡¯t in any hurry to eat or leave. ¡°Have you heard the news?¡± he broached as he sat at the table, ¡°SI is being put through the wringer after this fake death scam of theirs. Of course, they are pinning everything on that villain who pulled the stunt.¡±


    ¡°Connin Collin,¡± her mother replied, nodding, ¡°Can you really blame them? The kid had a record and only worked with them for a short time as some kind of community service.¡±


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    This was the first Summer had heard of this part of the story. Then again, she had spent all of her time digging deep into the villain/hero conspiracy side of things.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you got out before this happened,¡± her father said, shaking his head, ¡°What you had to go through was bad enough.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Summer agreed. For once, she was also completely glad she was no longer a hero. She would never be able to face Shadow Phoenix the way she had before. She didn¡¯t want to imagine what it would be like for the other heroes.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t become a court case yet, but something is bound to happen,¡± her father continued, ¡°I never thought I would see SI fall in this lifetime.¡±


    The idea wawa chilling. SI had been around so long it was synonymous with heroes. With powers, even. Without it, what would they even do?


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about Ashton,¡± Summer admitted.


    Her father gave her a comforting smile. ¡°If he finds himself out of work, he is always welcome in my company,¡± he promised, ¡°He seems like a bright young man with plenty of potential.¡±


    ¡°For that matter,¡± her mother suddenly interjected, ¡°Perhaps you should consider joining the company. If you want to marry that nice young man you will have to earn money for the wedding.¡±


    ¡°Mom,¡± Summer complained, feeling her face grow warmer and warmer. Why did she have to bring up marriage all of the sudden?


    ¡°That¡¯s a long way off, of course,¡± her father added. It sounded a bit like a threat, but Summer had no desire to get married soon either. Things were a bit too complicated for that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Summer said, ¡°I just¡­ After everything that happened I need some time.¡±


    Luckily they let the subject drop after that and discussed lighter topics. Her mother did throw some surprise embarrassment her way by mentioning her cute future husband, or her lovestruck appearance this morning. They were right, though. Summer wanted to be more like Ashton. He was calm, independent, and dependable. If she got a job and lived on her own, could she be more like that?


    To distract herself, Summer went back to her room to do more research. As soon as she opened the first social media site she noticed a PM. One from MysteriousMaskz himself. All thoughts of the morning conversation flew from her mind as she opened the message. Was he onto her?


    ¡°Fess up. You¡¯ve been looking into me. What are you after?¡±


    It was a bold and very direct message, but none of MysteriousMaskz¡¯s previous posts had been very passive either. The problem was, how should she respond? Why was she looking for him, anyway? Revenge? No. She wanted answers. What kind of answers did she want most?


    ¡°I want to know what you know. You knew about this before everything happened,¡± Summer typed in reply.


    That should be good enough for now. Summer hit send, and habitually scrolled to MysteriousMaskz latest post. This one was about the unjustified humiliation RefRain was receiving with his new nickname, Connin¡¯ Collin. As she finished reading the post, she saw a new PM pop up. Already?


    ¡°What kinds of things do you want to know?¡±


    This wasn¡¯t going to go anywhere if she kept being vague, so she got straight to the point. ¡°I want to find Shadow Phoenix and meet him face to face.¡±


    Summer quickly backed out of the website as her nerves built up. It felt wrong to be poking at his secret identity now that he might not be a villain at all, but she needed to see him. She needed to hear from his own mouth what the truth was.


    She only managed to hold back for a few minutes before she opened it again. A new PM. As expected.


    ¡°A bold ask from Golden Reign. If you want revenge, I won¡¯t help you. You should know that by now. Why do you want to meet him?¡±


    Rather than exploding with all of the reasons she had just thought of, she kept it concise. ¡°I need to know.¡±


    Luckily, that answer seemed to work as he almost immediately replied. ¡°I¡¯ll help you, but only if you are willing to meet me in person.¡±


    In person? It seemed like he already knew exactly who she was, so this would only reveal his own identity. Why would he need to meet her? She didn¡¯t want to risk arguing with him in case he changed his mind, though. There was no one else who could help her track down Shadow Phoenix. Well, besides Ashton, but it felt wrong in so many ways to ask him.


    ¡°Where do you want to meet?¡± she sent back. If it was somewhere she could easily go, she would do it. If not, she would have to give up.


    MysteriousMaskz sent back an address just outside the city. It wasn¡¯t too far, and it wasn¡¯t a private residence either. She looked it up to see if it was in some kind of dodgy neighborhood, only to find the exact opposite. He had asked her to meet at a very exclusive club frequented by the rich and powerful. Unable to decide if this was more or less dangerous, she sent her reply.


    ¡°Will I be able to get in?¡±


    ¡°You are the only daughter of Aster Corp. You¡¯ll get in just fine.¡±


    There was only one more question to ask, in that case.


    ¡°When?¡±

 Ashton 7: The Formula

    After spending the night torn, and thinking it through all morning, Ashton decided his best move was to reveal the email to the CEO in private. At least this way, it wasn¡¯t likely to become some big corporate midnight meeting where everything was decided for him. There was still a chance that things would be decided for him, but at least he would be present.


    He headed to work with that in mind, and was quickly ushered to the CEO¡¯s office to begin working in his new position. Luckily, once he got there, he was left alone with Amos Wyndart.


    ¡°I have something important to discuss,¡± Ashton told him before the CEO could order anything.


    ¡°Another one?¡± Amos asked.


    It seemed that he had also been expecting this. Ashton hesitated again. Was it really the best idea to show him? Then again, at this point, hiding it would be even worse. He had given up his power to refuse back when he signed that contract.


    ¡°This one is an invitation,¡± Ashton told him, and showed him the email.


    Amos looked it over for a few minutes, as if trying to find some kind of secret message hidden within the short text.


    ¡°Have you replied?¡±


    ¡°No. I was going to ignore it like the others,¡± Ashton answered. Things were going exactly as he had feared.


    ¡°We will find out nothing if you keep ignoring them. Tell them that you will go.¡±


    And there it was. The CEO even typed his reply for him and sent it off. Ashton took his phone back feeling slightly bitter, but he had been the one to hand it over in the first place. He was sure that he would still had a hectic day of regular work on top of all of this.


    And he was right. Amos dragged him around with him everywhere, training him in various tasks during the spare moments. They even had lunch together, Ashton getting dragged to a high-end restaurant of the CEO¡¯s choice. No break from his boss felt like no breaks at all, and Ashton was incredibly drained by the time he finally got home that night.


    He checked his phone with some anticipation. He had always seen the emails once he got home from work. However, this time, his only notifications were greetings from Summer and an upcoming update for his device. Ashton felt oddly disappointed despite how much he had been dreading it. He sent replies to Summer¡¯s greetings and went to bed.


    The next day of work was equally as hectic, with an extra task stacked on top. Amber Gale, the inventor of the power suppressant formula, was coming for a visit. It made perfect sense why. SI was her largest customer aside from the government. This would be the first actually important meeting that Ashton was forced to attend, and he finally felt his nerves kick in.


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    Contract or no, if he messed up a deal this big, Amos was sure to bury him. Besides, the power suppressant formula had always been something Ashton had coveted. It was a shame the effects were only temporary. If not, he would have saved up and bought some for himself. He would have even gone through the hassle of getting a license to own it. Unfortunately, the ever expensive formula only lasted a single day. Not that a whole day of being powerless didn¡¯t sound appealing.


    When she arrived, Ashton was struck by her confident and self-assured appearance. She looked to be middle aged and well in control of her life. Her assistants trailed behind her with far less assurance, but still a formal business persona ready for a meeting. In this setup, Ashton felt like an outsider. He was a fool working for a farce, helping them pull one over on the woman who almost singlehandedly made them safe from misused powers.


    The meeting was more dry than he expected, full of numbers that he wasn¡¯t sure what they represented. What was clear was that SI was paying a ridiculous sum, but it was still reduced from the price Ashton had researched. It made him wonder what they did with the formula. They certainly didn¡¯t give it to the heroes, and giving it to the villains didn¡¯t make any sense. It made him realize that he still did not know all of the secrets SI had to offer.


    After the meeting ended, Amber approached them, seeming curious about Ashton. ¡°Is he new?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes. Forgive him if he makes any mistakes. He is still in training,¡± Amos told her.


    ¡°Of course. He seems like such a bright young man. I saw him following along when we were discussing my improvements to the suppressants.¡±


    ¡°They are something I have been interested in for some time,¡± Ashton told her.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you pay my company a visit?¡± Amber asked, ¡°I can show you in more detail.¡±


    ¡°Trying to snipe my talent again?¡± Amos asked, ¡°This one won¡¯t be so easy.¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°Nothing some well placed money won¡¯t solve, I am sure. So, what do you think?¡±


    The sparks flying between the two definitely did not give Ashton a good feeling, but should he sacrifice his chance to see the birthplace of power suppressants to hold onto some fake loyalty? Then again, he had to consider the dangers. She might be after some company secrets. There was no guarantee that she knew the truth about villains and heroes. She might want to interrogate him about it after that video. It was hard to believe she hadn¡¯t seen it.


    Deciding to take a chance, Ashton spoke up. ¡°I would love to visit,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± she said, and turned to Amos, ¡°You¡¯ll clear his schedule for me, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Amos scowled. ¡°I can spare him for the afternoon at most. One afternoon. And if I hear you forced him to stay past his hours I will be charging you for his overtime fees.¡±


    Amber scoffed. ¡°So petty. It must be hard working for a boss like him. I suppose I can¡¯t blame him for pinching pennies. SI thrives on donations from the community to keep it running. With the sink in popularity, he¡¯s probably worried about his own paycheck.¡±


    The animosity was thick in the air until Amber Gale left. Ashton could still feel the tension tingling on his skin.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Amos warned, ¡°Amber never acts without reason. She knows exactly who you are and wants something from you.¡±


    ¡°How much does she know?¡± Ashton asked.


    ¡°Everything. Even about your alter ego,¡± Amos replied, ¡°She has worked closely with us for a long time.¡±


    It was both relieving and concerning to learn. If she wasn¡¯t after information on heroes and villains, what did she want? First the mysterious messages and now this. What was so interesting about Shadow Phoenix that drew their eye? The only thing he had done different from all the others was quit, but he couldn¡¯t see how that would draw the eye of Amber Gale.


    Unless she had all of his training records too. Maybe she knew what his real power was. That idea made him feel a bit more relieved again. Many who had learned of his real power had taken to using him as a living battery. Perhaps she needed something similar.


    With a theory that made a bit more sense, Ashton was able to concentrate on work for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, this time when he returned home, there was the email he had expected the day before.


    ¡°We will meet soon.¡±


    As he read it, an idea occurred to him. A dangerous idea. What if Amber Gale was behind these mysterious messages all along? Ashton sent the message to spam, deciding to pretend he had never seen it. Amos had been right. He should meet her and find out what this was all really about. He would decide how to act then.

 Summer 8: The Golden Club

    Summer looked up at the well polished sign marking her destination with mixed feelings. After living as Golden Reign for two years, it almost felt as if the club was named after her, but she knew it had been around far longer than she had been a hero. She was now confident that MysteriousMaskz had chosen it because of his twisted sense of humor.


    Still, it made her wonder why MysteriousMaskz would need her help if he could meet her at somewhere like the Golden Club with ease. Unless, of course, it wasn¡¯t money that he was after. The problem was, Summer had no idea what he was after, and that thought made her more and more nervous as she approached the club.


    Just like he had said, she had no problems entering the club, and once inside she was guided right over to a private room where a young man was waiting for her. He looked a lot more ordinary than Summer had expected, though perhaps that was a bit rude. All he had on him was a casual tee, shorts, and a laptop bag. Nothing that looked like it would let him into an exclusive club, unless his riches were hidden in the shoes she could not see.


    The young man seemed to recognize her immediately, and gave her a welcoming smile. ¡°Summer, you came,¡± he welcomed, and pulled out a chair.


    Summer sat down, feeling the weight of what she was doing really start to sink in. Once the employee left his attitude changed to a more serious one.


    ¡°I needed to meet you in person to get some answers from you,¡± he told her, ¡°I can¡¯t help you find Shadow Phoenix until I am sure you mean him no harm.¡±


    ¡°I already told you, I need to meet him to know the truth. I need answers,¡± Summer replied, ¡°You are MysteriousMaskz. Surely you understand.¡±


    ¡°When we meet in person, call me Ned,¡± he said, wincing at his online handle, ¡°And I understand wanting answers, but I need to know what you intend to do once you have them.¡±


    This caught Summer by surprise. What would she do once she knew? ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± she admitted, ¡°If everything really was a lie then everything I did to him makes me the villain, just like you said.¡±


    Ned observed her for a moment before nodding. ¡°I will trust you, but getting him to show himself won¡¯t be easy. You¡¯ll need to step up quite a bit to make things happen.¡±


    ¡°What kinds of things?¡±


    Ned smiled. ¡°If we want answers, we need to stir the pot, and that pot is SI,¡± he answered, ¡°If he isn¡¯t really a villain, he is definitely connected to them.¡±


    This was going in a direction Summer didn¡¯t like, but she asked just in case. ¡°How would I do that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be a real hero?¡±


    Again, she was surprised. She had expected him to force her to use her connections to SI and put Ashton in danger, but this was a whole new angle.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. My powers are pathetic. I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against anyone else,¡± she immediately denied.


    ¡°How do you know? Have you tried? Did you ever think that SI might be lying to you as well?¡± Ned pressed.


    She had tried plenty, but only before her powers were retested. She hadn¡¯t bothered to try using her power in any other way because she hadn¡¯t needed to. ¡°Can you give me some time to think about it?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ned agreed, ¡°I¡¯ll set the stage for you, but I will leave it up to you if you take it.¡±


    ¡°How do I contact you?¡± Summer asked.


    ¡°The same way you did before,¡± Ned told her, ¡°It¡¯s not good to have too many forms of communication in case SI looks into you.¡±


    This was really starting to sound like something illegal. Was it too late to back out? Ned had said it was fine not to take the stage. There was one major part of the plan that Summer didn¡¯t understand as well.


    ¡°What if we do all this, and I put myself at risk, and SI gets rid of me before Shadow Phoenix can do anything.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t,¡± Ned assured, ¡°They can¡¯t stop you from being a real hero without denying everything they have told us for years and proving they are liars. SI will have no choice but to support you from behind the scenes.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with Shadow Pheonix?¡±


    ¡°If my theory is right, he is the only one they can send to rescue you. Heroes are incompetent, and the other villains are still villains. Shadow Pheonix quit being a villain.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean he can just be a hero.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not, but he still isn¡¯t a villain,¡± Ned pointed out.


    He seemed very set in his ideas, but Summer supposed she should have known that. If nothing else, this gave her a lot to think about. She took a breath and tried to think of any other questions she needed to ask in person.


    ¡°If I was to make a statement and become a real hero, how should I make it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Watch SI,¡± Ned advised, ¡°After everything that has happened, I am certain someone is going to take it out on them. If you stop an attack on SI, they can¡¯t afford to turn against you.¡±


    All of her father¡¯s warnings about the danger of hero work flooded her mind. Whatever she had done the last two years was just a cozy dream. This felt real. This felt different. This felt dangerous.


    ¡°Thank you for helping me,¡± Summer said, deciding it was best to stay on Ned¡¯s good side just in case. Every move felt like the wrong choice, ¡°I should leave. We need to limit contact as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely a good idea,¡± Ned agreed.


    Shady! Everything was so shady! Summer quickly left before Ned could change his mind or she got dragged into anything else. The moment she made it back to her car she whipped out her phone and drafted a somewhat panicked text to Ashton before thinking better of it and deleting it before it sent.


    What should she do? Should she wait to see what Ned did? Should she confess everything to Ashton and hide like a coward? What if this was her chance to really become a hero? What if Ned was just using her dream to manipulate her? She hated secrets. This was why she had been so excited to chat with Ashton, but now she had a secret she had to keep, even from him.


    It was time for her to make a decision. If she went through with this and chased Shadow Phoenix, she could be ruining everything. Her relationship with Ashton, the trust of her parents, and possibly even her future. On the other hand, if she ignored this opportunity she might regret it forever.


    The entire drive home, Summer was torn between the two options, but once she pulled into the driveway, her decision was made. She couldn¡¯t throw everything away for this, but she didn¡¯t have to give up on finding Shadow Phoenix. She just had to ignore Ned¡¯s plan.


    Reassured by her decision, Summer sent a different, calmer text to Ashton.


    ¡°You should be careful. There are a bunch of creeps taking advantage of the drama around SI.¡±


    Even though it was more of a warning for Ashton, it felt good to be able to hint at what had happened. The moment things went bad, Summer was ready to throw Ned under the bus, but she somehow doubted that was even his real name.


    A text came back from Ashton.


    ¡°You should be careful too. If anyone finds out you are Golden Reign you might get targeted.¡±


    A chill went down her spine at that text. Summer hadn¡¯t even considered her own reputation if she appeared in public. If all of those hate comments came from real people, how would those people react when she reappeared? She was glad she had decided against Ned¡¯s plan, and silently thanked Ashton for his warning.

 Ashton 8: Untouchable

    With no more answers to be had, the meeting with Amber Gale came with surprising speed. He had expected it to be further in the future, but due to her demands, it happened the very next day. After yet another reminder from Amos not to fall for her trickery and report any offers of employment to him first, Ashton was sent on his way.


    The car sent to pick Ashton up was definitely chosen to show off. It was a limo, but not in the usual sleek black, or even white or silver. The limo gold with blue tinted windows and purple ultraviolet headlights. It came with a chauffeur, and two others in pristine suits who opened the door for Ashton and stood to either side.


    He found the seats themselves to be soft and comfortable, but the silence during the drive over was fairly unnerving. Rather than receiving the highest courtesy, Ashton felt like a prisoner being closely guarded. The feeling continued as he was escorted from the car into a large building comparable to SI in magnificence.


    Everything was sleek and clean, with barely a soul in sight. Everything about this felt like a trap but Mr. Wyndart knew where he was. The extra sense of security allowed Ashton to feel at ease despite the overall feeling Gale Research gave off. After passing many hallways with white marble surfaces, glass and stainless steel they arrived at a black metal door that would have seemed unassuming if not for the silver nameplate labeled, ¡®office¡¯.


    Not a single word was spoken as the door slid open on its own, revealing a meeting room of sorts. Waiting in the room was the familiar figure of Amber Gale, standing in front of a large touch screen that hung on the wall in place of a whiteboard. Along with her, three others in their own neat suits sat around the table. One particularly sharp looking woman glared at Ashton as he entered.


    ¡°Ashton? Welcome.¡± Amber told him with a business smile, ¡°I am so glad you could make it. I have something important to show you.¡±


    Ashton moved to sit in a chair, but was guided by one of his escorts to sit in a different seat. This whole setup was very odd. The automatic door slid closed and Ashton heard a click that suspiciously sounded like a locking sound.


    ¡°I have a proposal to make you,¡± Amber told him, ¡°Let¡¯s begin by informing you that I know exactly who you are. Ashton Gray, lightning powers. You set fire to your home causing you to be orphaned. Later you were recruited by SI and became Shadow Phoenix. Your entire life has been spent as a puppet to the government. Does this sound correct to you?¡±


    Ashton grimaced as she summed up all of the worst parts of his past as if they were facts that defined him. ¡°It does not,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked, raising an eyebrow, ¡°Are you saying my sources lied?¡±


    ¡°I am saying your information was taken out of context,¡± Ashton told her, ¡°While those things did happen, I joined SI out of my own will, and quit as Shadow Phoenix out of my own will.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it wasn¡¯t because the contract ended?¡± Amber asked.


    ¡°What does this have to do with your proposal?¡± Ashton asked in turn, frustration seeping into his tone, ¡°I agreed to come here because you are the genius who invented the power suppressant formula.¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Amber met his gaze and seemed to come to a realization. ¡°You want the formula,¡± she guessed, ¡°and you can¡¯t get it through normal means. I can certainly help with that if you agree with my plan.¡±


    ¡°And what plan is that?¡±


    ¡°It is quite simple. You have seen the chaos brought by SI¡¯s lies. My plan is to make those lies a reality. I will back real heroes and create my own hero industry.¡±


    ¡°There are no villains for them to fight, unless you intend for them to go after criminals,¡± Ashton pointed out.


    Amber smiled. ¡°Not yet. You were a villain once, frustrated with your role. I can back your revenge against SI too, if you would like.¡±


    ¡°So I can be defeated by your new handpicked hero and start a more dangerous scam?¡± Ashton asked incredulously, ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. The heroes in your scheme won¡¯t be any more real than they already are.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then you support SI¡¯s way of doing things over mine?¡± Amber asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.


    Ashton could feel the tension rising in the room, but he was confident it would be far more dangerous in the long run for him to pretend to agree with her.


    ¡°I do,¡± he said, ¡°The citizens are kept safe, criminals don¡¯t have illusions of villainy, and heroes don¡¯t have to put their lives on the line in ridiculous costumes.¡±


    ¡°Are you not concerned about what might happen to you now that you have refused my offer?¡± she checked.


    Ashton let out a dry chuckle. ¡°Are you going to threaten me? Wasn¡¯t it you who made sure everyone knows I am here?¡±


    Amber stared him down for a few more moments before relaxing. ¡°Good. I will let Amos know you passed the test. You were under some suspicion for betraying SI given your current situation.¡±


    Those emails. Of course this was some ridiculous test that CEO concocted. Ashton tried to stifle his bitter feelings considering he was no longer in a dangerous situation. ¡°Do you need me to take anything to him?¡± he asked in a resigned tone.


    ¡°As a matter of fact, I do,¡± she replied, and took out a small briefcase, ¡°I was told to send you back with this if you passed.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ashton questioned despite knowing it was likely confidential.


    ¡°I call it Untouchable. It is my latest formula,¡± she answered.


    So his reward for passing the test was to play the role of a delivery boy for a potentially dangerous formula with a suspicious name? Amazing. Frustration from this whole ridiculous situation continued to build as he was escorted back to SI in a similar way to how he had arrived. The piercing silence during the entire ride was the same as well.


    Once he arrived back at SI¡¯s headquarters, Ashton took the suitcase and marched right to the CEO¡¯s office. Surely after going through that nonsense he had the right to complain just a little. Amos was waiting as if he expected him and instantly noticed the briefcase.


    ¡°Oh good, you passed.¡±


    ¡°Oh good?¡± Ashton demanded, ¡°Did you think your little test was funny? I have done everything I can to stay in line and it wasn¡¯t enough to make you trust me so you put me through that ridiculous test?¡±


    ¡°It was for your own good,¡± Mr. Wyndart told him, his voice still impeccably calm, ¡°Besides, I even got you a present you have always wanted. The contents of that case are my gift for you, for emergencies.¡±


    ¡°And what exactly is Untouchable?¡±


    ¡°Untouchable has two parts. The first permanently removes someone¡¯s power. The second returns powers that have been suppressed.¡±


    ¡°Like a poison and antidote?¡± Ashton asked, ¡°Why would you give me this?¡±


    ¡°I am giving you the choice to try a life with no powers, and a choice to change your mind after without having to rely on constant formula intake which is both expensive and illegal.¡±


    Ashton dropped the case in front of him. ¡°Keep it.¡±


    He walked straight out of the building after that. He wasn¡¯t scheduled for any more work that day and he needed to get out of there before he said or did anything he would regret more than he already had.


    Once he got home, the first thing he saw was a text from Summer.


    ¡°You should be careful. There are a bunch of creeps taking advantage of the drama around SI.¡±


    It seemed like she had a rough day as well. Oddly enough, that thought helped Ashton calm down a bit. He carefully drafted his own reply.


    ¡°You should be careful too. If anyone finds out you are Golden Reign you might get targeted.¡±


    Just like he was for being Shadow Phoenix. He had most certainly learned his lesson about public quitting. He was never going to live this down, and most people had no idea he was the same person. If only he hadn¡¯t been getting those ridiculous emails.

 Summer 9: Framed

    Now that she had made her decision, Summer needed to figure out where to start. The reason she had been tricked into Ned¡¯s trap in the first place was because she had no idea where to start, and he seemed to have some idea. Now that she had met him, she wasn¡¯t sure he actually knew anything, at least not about Shadow Phoenix.


    She still didn¡¯t want to ask Ashton about it, but Summer realized she did have something to work with. All of the recordings of their battles were still available to the public. She had never watched them beyond the first approval she needed to give before the footage went live. Now that she had reasons to investigate, maybe she could glean some kind of information from their battles.


    A quick search brought up hundreds of clips and videos with commentary. She decided on a playlist compilation of Shadow Phoenix, specifically for the people who cared more about the villain¡¯s perspective. Before, Summer might have looked on this behavior with disdain, but now she didn¡¯t know how to feel.


    It was immediately clear she had overestimated her sense of perception. Summer stared at the masked face of Shadow Phoenix with no real epiphanies about anything about him that she didn¡¯t already know. Instead, what she did notice were all of the moments a certain drama had taken inspiration from.


    Seeing the similarities between fact and fiction, Summer couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed. Had she really said that? Maybe facing Shadow Phoenix was a bad idea. There was no way he had a good opinion of her after all of that. She saw all the times he had helped her, no matter how much he pretended to be her enemy. He acted more like a snarky bodyguard than a villain. Or was she reading too much into things again? It was hard to tell.


    Why did she want to meet him so much, anyway? Was it for closure? The idea felt too mild to explain the intensity of her feelings, but she couldn¡¯t come up with anything better. Just as she finished watching another battle, a text came in from Ashton. It was a lot earlier than the usual time he texted her. Was something wrong?


    ¡°I need to talk to you. Are you at your house?¡±


    The message felt far more serious than usual, but Summer¡¯s thoughts were in such disarray she couldn¡¯t trust her instincts at the moment. Just in case it was a serious matter, she decided to reply with equal seriousness.


    ¡°I am. Is it urgent?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Urgent? Summer quickly packed up her ridiculous study session and quickly brushed through her hair. Whatever this urgent matter was might require her to leave the house, so she got ready just in case. As she finished pulling her shoes on, the doorbell rang. Ignoring the too perfect timing, Summer rushed over to the door and pulled it open.


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    Ashton looked as serious as she had read his texts. No, more serious. ¡°Is this an official visit for work?¡± she asked hesitantly.


    ¡°It is,¡± Ashton confirmed, his voice grave, ¡°Is there somewhere private we can talk?¡±


    ¡°No one else is home right now,¡± Summer told him, letting him in. For a moment her mind fleeted to a similar scene in the drama, but Ashton wasn¡¯t Shadow Phoenix and the situation was far less romantic.


    Ashton stepped inside. ¡°For starters, I am going to tell you that I don¡¯t believe you did it.¡±


    Summer felt a chill go down her spine at his words. That was never a good sign. She was glad he believed her, but that meant someone else didn¡¯t. Had she done anything recently to anger SI? They couldn¡¯t have already found out about her meeting with Ned.


    ¡°Did what?¡± she asked.


    He turned to face her. ¡°This morning, when going over inventory and basic security, Golden Reign¡¯s hero suit was missing. It was still there last inventory. You couldn¡¯t have taken it when you left, and you haven¡¯t been back. Unfortunately, many higher ups believe you hired someone else to steal it for you,¡± Ashton explained, ¡°That¡¯s not all. There was a note left behind with it.¡±


    Golden Reign¡¯s hero suit? And a note? Who would even¡­ No. She knew exactly who had done it, but she had no proof. Revealing the truth at this point would only prove those theories right. Ned was trying to pressure her, threaten her, or both. He must have realized she wanted out.


    ¡°Did they send you to arrest me? Question me?¡± Summer demanded. Her turbulent thoughts caused her to momentarily forget about the note.


    ¡°I have been sent here to warn you and give you one last chance,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°They don¡¯t care if you keep the suit, but you must never use it to become a vigilante.¡±


    Ned had tricked her. Summer could more or less guess the contents of the note based on the warning Ashton was sent with. Still, the nerve of SI to send Ashton specifically to stop her. Summer had to admit, she was furious that they had used him like this. It was too late for her to try to figure out this situation on her own.


    ¡°I think I know who might have done it,¡± Summer told Ashton. She felt like she was making a crazy decision, but the situation was already pretty bad. Hopefully, Ashton would still be on her side.


    She explained everything. She told him about how she had been searching for Shadow Pheonix and about how she had contacted MysteriousMaskz who later turned out to be Ned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to play along with his crazy plan so I was going to ignore it,¡± she finished, ¡°I hadn¡¯t even accepted his proposal.¡±


    Ashton listened with a surprising calmness. ¡°This is perfect timing then,¡± he said, ¡°I will help you. They told me that for the time being, my job is to watch over you, so I will do just that.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Summer asked. She hadn¡¯t expected Ashton to help her, but she found that his offer had calmed her chaotic nerves.


    ¡°For starters, I could help you find Shadow Phoenix,¡± he offered.


    ¡°Really?¡± Summer asked in shock, ¡°Isn¡¯t that against the rules?¡±


    A scornful smile appeared on his face. ¡°I¡¯m beginning to doubt the rules,¡± he told her, ¡°And that note I mentioned earlier? It was a note typed and signed by someone claiming to be Golden Reign proclaiming their desire to become a real hero.¡±


    That confirmed Summer¡¯s suspicions. The whole situation had exploded so quickly she wasn¡¯t sure what to do or think, but she wasn¡¯t going to let this opportunity pass her by.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡±

 Ashton 9: Stolen

    Despite how he had left the day before, Ashton showed up to work on time, prepared to do his job properly. He was still upset about the whole situation, but he had acknowledged that there was nothing he could do about it. Like always. It had been a long time since Ashton had really felt this frustrated and helpless.


    Luckily, Mr. Wyndart left the matter of the day before alone and went about the day as normal. Well, as normal as a day working with the controversial CEO of SI could be. It didn¡¯t last long, though. Every week, SI as a whole did an inventory to make sure nothing important had gone missing or been misplaced. Today was that day, and the reports from various departments came flowing in from late morning to early afternoon.


    Normally, the reports would just be delivered by the supervisor, unless there was a problem. The problem, big or small, had to be reported directly before the overview was handed over. Ashton had to deal with all of the department heads relating those reports with problems. Everything was the usual mundane until a bit later in the afternoon.


    ¡°This one needs to go to the CEO,¡± the department head told Ashton before he even began his report, ¡°A superhero suit has been stolen. The thief even left a note.¡± As he spoke, he handed over the note in question.


    Ashton glanced down at the note and felt his stomach churn. Was this another test? Had his life just become some big joke? The very bottom of the note was signed ¡®Golden Reign¡¯.


    ¡°I will become the real hero you promised I could be, so I will be borrowing this for a while.¡±


    The more he looked at it, the more he was convinced it was another test. Ashton took the note to the CEO¡¯s office and dropped it in front of him, a bit irritated.


    ¡°Is this another test of yours?¡± he demanded.


    Amos picked up the note and gave it a quick read. ¡°I wish it was,¡± he replied, setting the note back down, ¡°May I ask what was missing.¡±


    While he was still suspicious, Ashton was obligated to answer him. ¡°Her costume.¡±


    Another meeting was called with incredible speed, and Ashton had to stand by as they argued over what to do about the situation. They couldn¡¯t risk arresting Summer while all eyes were on them, but it would be even worse if she went out there and lost. On the other hand, if she had an actual useful power and could win against some real villains that would help their situation quite a bit.


    The problem was her power was useless in a real fight, and even if it was, there were no villains for her to go up against. They couldn¡¯t stoop so low as to hire criminals. That is when all of the attention started to turn to Ashton. Ashton was useful in a fight. He had drawn the eye of a group of potential villains, too.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we have him watch over her?¡± someone suggested.


    ¡°Yes, even if things go badly, Shadow Pheonix can just have a redemption arc.¡±


    This was going in a terrible direction already, and just like before no one asked Ashton for his opinion. They continued to discuss his fate as if he wasn¡¯t standing right there listening.


    ¡°They are dating anyway. A romantic hero pairing. Just like that drama.¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Someone else cleared their throat. There had been some odd romance drama between someone who was clearly based on Golden Reign and someone who was clearly based on Shadow Phoenix. SI had sued them and it came to a premature end, but it was too late to undo some of the damage that had been done.


    After hearing out all of the arguments, Mr. Wyndart spoke up. ¡°Ashton, you will watch over Summer and ensure she does not turn to vigilantism. If she is ever in danger, you will use the skills we trained you in to protect her. Any questions.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to use that ridiculous costume?¡± Ashton asked.


    ¡°Did you want a new one fashioned for you?¡±


    On second thought, that sounded much worse. ¡°I will just take it,¡± he conceded, ¡°What should I do about work?¡±


    ¡°There is no need to worry about things here for a while. We will provide you with some tracking devices in case the villains take the chance to come into contact with you.¡±


    Just like that, Ashton was handed his villain suit and kicked out of the building. Was this his reward for following the rules? Had his perfect obedience turned him into a tool to be used and abused with no life of his own? He took a few moments to calm himself down. He couldn¡¯t let his frustration drag him into someone else¡¯s trap.


    Once he calmed down a bit, he contacted Summer. Unfortunately, this was something he couldn¡¯t avoid. She needed to know what had happened.


    ¡°I need to talk to you. Are you at your house?¡±


    That didn¡¯t sound too aggressive, right? It took her a few moments to reply, but she read the message instantly.


    ¡°I am. Is it urgent?¡±


    Urgent? Now that he thought about it, what was this situation if not urgent? Ashton already felt tired.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied.


    It took him several minutes to drive to her house, and he had barely rung the doorbell when it flung open to reveal a breathless Summer. She was nervous. He couldn¡¯t blame her, and it made him feel worse that he didn¡¯t have any good news to deliver.


    ¡°Is this an official visit for work?¡± she asked hesitantly.


    ¡°It is,¡± Ashton confirmed, his voice grave, ¡°Is there somewhere private we can talk?¡±


    ¡°No one else is home right now,¡± Summer told him, letting him in.


    Ashton stepped inside. He should start by reassuring her. He had no intention of putting her through the same turmoil he had been dragged through. ¡°For starters, I am going to tell you that I don¡¯t believe you did it.¡±


    ¡°Did what?¡± she asked, her voice shaking slightly.


    She was even more nervous now. That probably had not been a good way to start. Ashton turned to face her.


    ¡°This morning, when going over inventory and basic security, Golden Reign¡¯s hero suit was missing. It was still there last inventory. You couldn¡¯t have taken it when you left, and you haven¡¯t been back. Unfortunately, many higher ups believe you hired someone else to steal it for you,¡± Ashton explained, ¡°That¡¯s not all. There was a note left behind with it.¡±


    ¡°Did they send you to arrest me? Question me?¡± Summer demanded.


    ¡°I have been sent here to warn you and give you one last chance,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°They don¡¯t care if you keep the suit, but you must never use it to become a vigilante.¡±


    There was a long pause as Summer stared right at him. She seemed to come to some kind of decision before she spoke. ¡°I think I know who might have done it.¡±


    She began to explain everything that had happened to her, and how she thought the situation had occurred. Everything had started with her desire to track down Shadow Phoenix. She didn¡¯t say why, but she was desperate to meet him. She had been going over old footage, and had met some suspicious character online whole had told her his master plan.


    That plan involved her returning to the stage as Golden Reign and taking down villains to cause a scene. He seemed confident the first real villain would appear at SI seeking vengeance. Ashton was inclined to agree, and honestly couldn¡¯t blame them too much.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to play along with his crazy plan so I was going to ignore it,¡± Summer finished, ¡°I hadn¡¯t even accepted his proposal.¡±


    As he had listened, Ashton had formulated a plan of his own. Right now, he had a surprising amount of freedom to act on his own. It was time for him to take advantage of it.


    ¡°This is perfect timing then,¡± he said, ¡°I will help you. They told me that for the time being, my job is to watch over you, so I will do just that.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Summer looked a bit confused.


    ¡°For starters, I could help you find Shadow Phoenix,¡± he offered. It felt somewhat ironic that he was the person in the best position to show her exactly who Shadow Phoenix was.


    ¡°Really?¡± Summer asked in shock, ¡°Isn¡¯t that against the rules?¡±


    Against the rules? From now on, Ashton only intended to abide by the official rules. So long as he did not reveal that he was Shadow Phoenix he didn¡¯t need to worry about them.


    ¡°I¡¯m beginning to doubt the rules,¡± he admitted, ¡°And that note I mentioned earlier? It was a note typed and signed by someone claiming to be Golden Reign proclaiming their desire to become a real hero.¡±


    The revelation shocked Summer a little, but also seemed to give her resolve. She nodded to herself. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    That was a wonderful question. What was his plan? How could he introduce Summer to himself?

 Summer 10: Delivery

    Summer waited with baited breath for Ashton¡¯s answer. After several moments that seemed more drawn out than they really were, he finally spoke.


    ¡°It may take me a while to contact Shadow Phoenix,¡± he told her, ¡°In the meantime, we should improve your own skills. This Maskz guy doesn¡¯t seem like he will rest until you do what he wants.¡±


    Summer winced, but didn¡¯t disagree with his assessment on Ned. ¡°How can we improve my skills?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Ashton admitted, ¡°Do you mind telling me more about your power, and what you do know about combat?¡±


    Her power? Summer¡¯s heart sank. He was surely going to abandon her once he found out how useless and pathetic her power really was. As for combat, she was certain she could improve on that.


    ¡°Everything I know about fighting I learned from tips on the internet and movies,¡± she told him, ¡°I wanted to enter an official training course, but I couldn¡¯t decide which one was best.¡± There it was. The embarrassing reason she hadn¡¯t done any combat training. Indecisiveness.


    ¡°And your power?¡± Ashton pressed.


    There was no avoiding it. ¡°Sunlight,¡± she said, ¡°I can generate sunlight from nothing, and I can control the sunlight around me. It isn¡¯t that impressive, though. A magnifying glass can do more damage than I can.¡±


    To her surprise Ashton nodded with a completely serious expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to do some research,¡± he decided, ¡°Until then, practice some basic exercises. It is easier to learn combat of any kind the more fit you are.¡±


    Summer knew he wasn¡¯t trying to make a jab there, but it still stung. It was true. She didn¡¯t exercise. She didn¡¯t even do stretches unless you counted the casual arm stretching everyone did in the mornings. Ashton gave her his recommended routine for beginners, and promised he would come back to check in on her soon.


    Once he left, Summer finally had time to process the craziness that had just happened. One thing was for certain. All of this was Ned¡¯s fault. She did share a little of the blame for falling into his trap, but only a tiny part. There was another issue that hit her. What would she tell her family? Should she explain this mess to them? Should she hide it? If she did hide it, how long would that last? They would know the moment she showed up as Golden Reign.


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    Alternatively, if she told them, what would they do? The thought was terrifying. Worrying about all of this wasn¡¯t doing her any good. Summer started to work on the exercise routine. It was hard. She hadn¡¯t thought she was that out of shape, but by the time she finished she was breathing heavy and her muscles were burning. She only did ten repetitions of a few basic moves! She hadn¡¯t even been able to make the full stretches.


    She flopped onto her bed, feeling like a pathetic log, when her phone chimed. Summer reached for it with a groan, seeing a text from Ashton.


    ¡°I have a clarifying question. Can your power remove light as well?¡±


    It took her a few moments to comprehend the words. Remove light? The idea had never even occurred to her. Now that he had mentioned it she was eager to try. She decided to test it with an activity that is not recommended. Summer stared right into the light, daring it to dim enough to not hurt her eyes. It sorta worked? It was hard to tell for sure. Maybe a bit dimmer?


    The light above her suddenly flickered in her vision, but oddly enough, the room around her still remained lit. Odd¡­ She tried to do it again. This time the light stayed off as she concentrated, or at the very least didn¡¯t look like it was on. Once again, her room remained lit as if it was. Was being able to hide light sources a good thing? It was an update at least, so she told Ashton.


    ¡°Just tried it. I think I can hide light sources? I¡¯m not sure, though.¡± She then explained the odd appearance of her light looking like it was off but her room still being lit. Hopefully this was helpful information.


    She got a thanks in response. Summer kept trying to see if she had any other ways she could manipulate light. If she could dim, that meant she could just lightly brighten as well. She spent quite a bit of time messing with the light levels of her power before she was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.


    When she arrived, there was no one at the door. Instead there was a package. The box looked normal and unassuming, but with everything that was going on, Summer couldn¡¯t help but feel it had some sort of sinister nature. Should she just leave it there? No, that might be worse, especially if her parents opened it first. It didn¡¯t have a name on it, so it could be for anyone.


    After debating for a bit longer, she pulled the box inside and brought it to her room. If it was what she suspected it was, did she have a good place to hide it? Her closet? No, that wouldn¡¯t do. Maybe under her bed? That felt childish. First things first she should open it. Very carefully, Summer slid a box cutter through the tape that sealed the box.


    The tape was a bit rough and difficult but she got it open. She pushed the flaps open to reveal¡­ a case. Having another container to get through felt so anticlimactic. She slipped the case out of the box, letting the cardboard fall to the floor. The case didn¡¯t look particularly familiar. It resembled of briefcase, with a shape that was a bit more cubed. The corners were rounded, and it was designed with vertical ridges.


    The latch was the classic metal clasp one would expect to find on a case. There was no way to lock it, which was good for now, but probably bad for later. Summer took a deep breath in before flipping the case open.


    The inside was covered in a black velvety material and the contents were neatly organized, separated by pockets. It was exactly what she had feared. Golden Reign¡¯s costume. For some reason, the top of the case had three masks instead of the single mask she originally had. She didn¡¯t want to mess with it. At least not alone.


    Summer drew her phone back out of her pocket and sent him a text.


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±


    As if on cue, she heard the door to her house open.


    ¡°And so are my parents,¡± she added.


    She shut the case and chucked it in her closet for now. It was a terrible spot but she was pressed for time and it felt better than under her bed. Now all she had to do was figure out what she was going to tell them. Hiding the truth was sure to end badly, but what if she could just hide a little bit. The worst bits.


    ¡°Summer?¡± her mother called.


    Now was not the time to be a coward. Summer headed out to greet her parents and decide her future.

 Ashton 10: Wavelengths

    Ashton was silent for a while as he deliberated how to answer. The more time he wasted the more suspicious it would seem. He decided to just go for the classic excuse.


    ¡°It may take me a while to contact Shadow Phoenix,¡± he told her, ¡°In the meantime, we should improve your own skills. This Maskz guy doesn¡¯t seem like he will rest until you do what he wants.¡±


    ¡°How can we improve my skills?¡± she asked, voice filled with doubt.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Ashton admitted, ¡°Do you mind telling me more about your power, and what you do know about combat?¡±


    Ashton braced himself for the worst. Hopefully there was something, anything, he could work with. Whatever happened, he couldn¡¯t let Summer get caught in the web of lies without the skills she needed to navigate it.


    ¡°Everything I know about fighting I learned from tips on the internet and movies,¡± she told him, her face flushed with embarrassment, ¡°I wanted to enter an official training course, but I couldn¡¯t decide which one was best.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t what Ashton expected, but he could work with that. ¡°And your power?¡± he pressed.


    ¡°Sunlight,¡± she said, ¡°I can generate sunlight from nothing, and I can control the sunlight around me. It isn¡¯t that impressive, though. A magnifying glass can do more damage than I can.¡±


    So it was basically what he already knew. That checked out. It was a bit more difficult of a power to work with, but Summer didn¡¯t seem to think about accessorizing to amplify her power at all. Unfortunately, the best way to enhance a power that used or mimicked nature was knowledge.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to do some research,¡± he decided, ¡°Until then, practice some basic exercises. It is easier to learn combat of any kind the more fit you are.¡±


    Ashton noticed her flinch at his words, but there was no room for subtlety when it came to life or death situations. She needed to learn. If she refused then¡­ It was out of his hands. For now, he gave her the exercise routine he started out on and promised he would be back.


    Now it was time for the less fun part of this mess. At least he was being paid for this. Ashton waited until he got back home and began to research sunlight. He started by just typing the word into the search engine, only to receive a bunch of sponsored results instead of actual information.


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    There was everything from a bank, to a ski resort, to an emotional support group. Mixed in the middle of all of these was a few definitions from some online dictionaries. In short, sunlight was a wavelength, or part of a wavelength, sent by the sun and filtered through Earth¡¯s atmosphere. That brought a few questions to his mind. Could she control the other wavelengths as well? Or was her power more light based than actual sunlight?


    Rather than overwhelming her with endless questions and ideas to test, Ashton decided to just ask one. He sorted through his ideas for the most useful one that would actually be easy to test. After choosing an idea, he sent a text to Summer.


    ¡°I have a clarifying question. Can your power remove light as well?¡±


    There was a long pause before her response. She probably didn¡¯t know, then.


    ¡°Just tried it. I think I can hide light sources? I¡¯m not sure, though.¡±


    What did that mean? Ashton didn¡¯t have to wait long to find out as Summer quickly typed out her answers.


    ¡°When I tried to turn off my light with my power, it looked like it was off to me, but my room was still lit. Let me know if you want me to try anything else!¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I will.¡±


    The text felt a bit cold, but Ashton couldn¡¯t spare too much time right now. He needed to get as much information as possible. First, he should record what he did know, then make a detailed list of things to try organized by the most useful, and the most likely to be possible in the first place.


    Golden Reign could create, dim, and potentially snuff out light. The next step should definitely be to find out if she could control all wavelengths, or if she was limited to light. If she was limited to light, was she limited to specific light? It was amazing those limits had not been tested yet. Just in case it wasn¡¯t limited to light, Ashton did some deeper research in wavelengths, their limits, and their uses.


    Hours of research bogged down by ads and diversions hidden in every website, Ashton stepped away from his computer. That was enough for the day. He checked his phone that had gone off a while back. He hadn¡¯t bothered to check it, but he assumed it was probably from Summer.


    The message was in two parts.


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°And so are my parents.¡±


    There was no doubt in his mind what ¡®it¡¯ referred to. Things were going exactly as they had expected. That was another thing he needed to investigate. Who was MysteriousMaskz, and what was he planning? That wasn¡¯t something he would be able to look into on his own, but something made him hesitate to tell SI. Was there anyone else who could help him?


    As he was thinking about the problem, he noticed the business card he had yet to get rid of. Amber Gale. Would she be willing to help? Or would she just tattle immediately? He also needed to find some way to help calm Summer¡¯s nerves for the good of both of them. That definitely meant spending lots more time together.


    The list of tasks only kept growing, and Ashton already felt tired. There had to be some way to make progress without putting themselves at risk. Some way¡­ That was it! Ashton only needed to turn in MysteriousMaskz in a different way. He could claim suspicion that he was behind the mysterious emails threatening the safety of SI.


    It was sneaky and underhanded, but it wasn¡¯t as if Maskz was playing fair either. Besides, Ashton was tired of rigidly playing by the rules. Now, to gather some evidence.


    The evidence was easier to gather than he expected. MysteriousMaskz was very openly against SI, and also openly supported Shadow Phoenix specifically. The latter started right after his last fight with Golden Reign had gone public. The timeline matched perfectly, as did the motive. It was definitely enough for SI to look into him. That was all Ashton needed.

 Summer 11: Truth

    The moment her parents caught sight of her, they could tell something was wrong. Summer had never been good at keeping secrets. That was part of the reason she had decided to tell them everything.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± her mother asked, at the same time as Summer exclaimed. ¡°I have something I need to tell you!¡±


    There was a moment of awkward silence as they waited for the other to speak, before her father took charge. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and talk,¡± he suggested.


    The family moved to the living room and each sat in their favorite seat out of habit. Now that it had come to this, Summer wasn¡¯t sure how to start. Should she bring up the threat first? Should she tell them how she had ignored their advice and gone looking for Shadow Phoenix? Was telling them about Ashton¡¯s plan first the best move?


    After some more silence as they waited for her to begin, Summer decided. Anything was best explained starting at the beginning. Or at least the first part that was relevant.


    ¡°Do you remember when that video appeared? The one about RefRain revealing the secrets of SI?¡±


    Both of her parents nodded, but her father had a sharp look in his eyes that made her a little nervous.


    ¡°Back then, I got a little¡­ off track,¡± she managed to admit, ¡°I was obsessed with idea that Shadow Phoenix may have been acting this whole time, and I needed to meet him?¡±


    ¡°You met Shadow Phoenix?¡± her father asked, his voice full of a range of strong emotions from shock, to fear, to fury.


    ¡°No!¡± Summer quickly denied, ¡°I never found him. I wish I did¡­ Because while I was searching, I may have found someone worse.¡±


    Mr. Aster managed to reign himself in and his tone was somewhat calmer when he spoke this time. ¡°Worse how?¡±


    ¡°He promised he would help me find Shadow Pheonix and told me the best way to do that was to poke at SI. I never accepted his offer.¡±


    ¡°But he didn¡¯t take no for an answer?¡± Mrs. Aster guessed.


    Summer nodded. ¡°Ashton dropped by today. He told me someone stole my costume from SI, and some of them believe it was me,¡± she explained. Now that she had started, all of her thoughts and feelings began to rush back to her. It felt good to tell them everything, to get it all off her chest.


    ¡°They made him come interrogate me,¡± she told them, anger seeping into her own tone, ¡°They told him to watch me in case I do something stupid! I should never have joined SI.¡±


    ¡°Are they taking any action against you?¡± her father demanded. He seemed ready to take his own, possibly reckless, actions if that was the case.


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    ¡°Not yet,¡± Summer said, ¡°but that was before I found the suit on the doorstep.¡±


    ¡°Does Ashton know?¡± her mother asked.


    ¡°He does. He thinks the best way for me to stay safe is by playing the role of the hero,¡± Summer told them, ¡°If I just do nothing, or give it back I might end up like Collin. However, if I help restore their reputation by doing real hero work¡­¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Mr. Aster vetoed immediately, ¡°There must be another, safer way to go about this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± Summer admitted, ¡°Ashton seemed to have some kind of idea, but what if I refuse to play my part and Ned comes for me instead?¡±


    ¡°Ned?¡±


    ¡°That is what he called himself. The guy who lured me in,¡± Summer told them. She didn¡¯t want to give him the satisfaction of being referred to as MysteriousMaskz. For some reason, she felt certain he took great pride in that name.


    ¡°Is there any way we can speak to Ashton about this?¡± her mother asked, ¡°He might have some insight as to what is going on that he didn¡¯t mention.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. He also promised to help me with my powers.¡±


    ¡°He must have had some training in power management,¡± Mr. Aster agreed, ¡°What kind of help has he been giving?¡±


    ¡°So far, he has been trying to figure out what my power really is,¡± Summer explained, and then excitedly told them all about her new find with the lightbulb. She even demonstrated it. ¡°Oh, and he is making me do stretches. He thinks I am out of shape.¡±


    ¡°It all sounds harmless,¡± Mr. Aster agreed begrudgingly, ¡°But I would still prefer to speak to him myself.¡±


    Summer pulled out her phone and shot Ashton a text.


    ¡°My parents want to speak with you. I told them everything.¡±


    Ashton replied with incredible speed. ¡°You didn¡¯t break any non-disclosure contracts, did you?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Summer paused after sending that text. Had he thought Ned made her sign some kind of agreement? ¡°We want to brainstorm plans for what to do now that I have stolen property on my hands.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right over.¡±


    And he was. Summer had no idea how he had gotten there so quickly, but there was no point in wasting any time. She felt a bit bad since she was sure her father was going to grill him to no end.


    ¡°Before we begin, I need to know something very important,¡± Mr. Aster said, ¡°Is there anything SI is preventing you from telling us?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ashton answered.


    ¡°Is it something that will put my daughter in danger for not knowing?¡± he checked.


    ¡°No,¡± Ashton replied.


    ¡°Do you really believe SI would try to destroy us if my daughter simply returns that suit?¡± Mr. Aster demanded.


    Ashton closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. ¡°Definitely. They are in a tricky position right now and will eliminate even the slightest threat. They are not against Summer being a real, hero, though. They gave me orders to assist her if she ever fought a villain and make sure she wins no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Wins,¡± he repeated the word with distaste, ¡°And you believe that this Ned character will also leave her alone if she wins?¡±


    ¡°I do, but I have put a plan into action to take him out of the picture,¡± Ashton assured.


    Summer looked back and forth between the two of them, feeling incredibly left behind. Did her father support this? Or was he trying to find some reason not to? And what had Ashton done to take Ned out of the picture?


    ¡°Good. Please delay this as much as you can. Summer isn¡¯t ready yet. I need some time to find a better way of dealing with this, if I can.¡±


    ¡°I will do what I can,¡± Ashton promised, ¡°But the things I can do are limited.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I have something else I would like to ask,¡± her father said, his tone and gaze more serious than ever, ¡°I heard you work closely with the CEO. Is there any way you can arrange a meeting between us?¡±


    He wanted to meet the CEO of SI?! ¡°Arrange a meeting?¡± Summer broke in, ¡°What are you planning to do?¡±


    ¡°Whatever I can,¡± Mr. Aster replied, not breaking eye contact with Ashton as he answered.


    Ashton sighed, his usual resigned expression returning. ¡°I can only ask,¡± he warned, ¡°And even if you meet him, there is no guarantee he will listen.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Summer broke in, ¡°Should I go too?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ashton and her father said in unison.


    Summer flinched. She knew both of them were worried about her, but she felt like she had dumped all her problems on them and wasn¡¯t doing anything to help. As they continued to plan, she gathered her determination to put her all into training instead.

 Ashton 11: Responsibility

    Ashton¡¯s plan had worked more perfectly than he had expected. The associates at SI had taken one look at the evidence he had provided and placed MysteriousMaskz on the wanted list of potential villains the government needed to take out before they became something. It was a list Ashton checked every day just to make sure he was never on it.


    His phone buzzed, breaking his focus. It was another text from Summer with even more concerning content than the others he had yet to reply to.


    ¡°My parents want to speak with you. I told them everything.¡±


    Everything? As in everything that had happened or everything from SI? Ashton wasn¡¯t exactly sure what heroes were and were not allowed to disclose, since they barely knew anything. Just to make sure, he decided to ask.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t break any non-disclosure contracts, did you?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± she sent back. It was quickly followed by a second text. ¡°We want to brainstorm plans for what to do now that I have stolen property on my hands.¡±


    That kind of everything. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea. With Mr. Aster¡¯s support it would be easier to move and it would take away the pressure of lying.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right over.¡±


    Ashton closed down his computer and immediately got in his car. There was no point in putting it off, and apparently they felt the same. The moment he entered the house, they dragged him to the living room and got right into it.


    ¡°Before we begin, I need to know something very important,¡± Mr. Aster said, ¡°Is there anything SI is preventing you from telling us?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ashton answered honestly. There was no point in hiding it.


    ¡°Is it something that will put my daughter in danger for not knowing?¡± he checked.


    ¡°No,¡± Ashton replied. In fact, she would probably be in more danger if she did know it. Either way, revealing it was not an option.


    ¡°Do you really believe SI would try to destroy us if my daughter simply returns that suit?¡± Mr. Aster demanded.


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    Ashton thought back to all of the meetings he had attended. Unfortunately, RefRain hadn¡¯t been the only target of their ire. Just the most famous one, and the one that could be tracked back to them. ¡°Definitely. They are in a tricky position right now and will eliminate even the slightest threat. They are not against Summer being a real, hero, though. They gave me orders to assist her if she ever fought a villain and make sure she wins no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Wins,¡± he repeated the word with distaste, ¡°And you believe that this Ned character will also leave her alone if she wins?¡±


    ¡°I do, but I have put a plan into action to take him out of the picture,¡± Ashton assured.


    ¡°Good. Please delay this as much as you can. Summer isn¡¯t ready yet. I need some time to find a better way of dealing with this, if I can.¡±


    ¡°I will do what I can,¡± Ashton promised, ¡°But the things I can do are limited.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I have something else I would like to ask,¡± her father said, his tone and gaze more serious than ever, ¡°I heard you work closely with the CEO. Is there any way you can arrange a meeting between us?¡±


    ¡°Arrange a meeting?¡± Summer broke in, ¡°What are you planning to do?¡±


    ¡°Whatever I can,¡± Mr. Aster replied, not breaking eye contact with Ashton as he answered.


    Ashton sighed. While it was technically possible, Mr. Wyndart always did whatever he wanted. It was hard to say if that trait would make this easier or harder to achieve. ¡°I can only ask,¡± he warned, ¡°And even if you meet him, there is no guarantee he will listen.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± The gaze that met Ashton¡¯s was resolute and unbreakable. There was no point in trying to convince him further.


    ¡°What about me?¡± Summer broke in, ¡°Should I go too?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ashton and Mr. Aster said in unison. They shared a glance, acknowledging the other¡¯s desire to protect Summer.


    The subject in question pouted but did not press further, allowing them to plan what they could for Mr. Aster¡¯s potential meeting with the CEO of Superhuman Industries.


    ==========


    MysteriousMaskz looked through the list once again, just to be sure. There it was, his name on the bottom. How had this happened? Even if SI didn¡¯t like the things he was saying, it wasn¡¯t enough for him to be labeled as a potential threat. Something else must have been discovered. Maskz worked his magic and managed to dig into the reason why he was on the list. He had to break through several security clearances, but he found it.


    Suspicion of sending messages threatening SI¡¯s destruction to a high ranking officer of SI. Ashton? Shadow Phoenix? How dare they use him like this again! To even pry into his personal messages! Unless, could this be his punishment for failing to set up their meeting in a timely manner?


    Yes, that made sense. Maskz relaxed a bit. SI was just as useless and foolish as it had always been, and his idol had proved once more why he was the best. For someone with such untapped potential to be trapped in such a boring world was a travesty, and one Maskz was more determined than ever to fix. There was no time to waste. He would prepare the world that Shadow Phoenix belonged in, even if it meant watching things unfold from behind the bars of a prison cell.


    This list was a message, Maskz was certain. Shadow Pheonix wanted him to step forward and show him the perks and power of true villainy. No major villain ever appeared at the beginning of a tale, after all. He was certain he was the cunning type as well. Why else would he go so far as to date his greatest foe?


    Maskz forced all of his scrambled thoughts into gear and reached for one of his many toys. This one resembled a walkie talkie, but smaller and more metallic. This toy had a pair, one he had made sure was smuggled to his whistle blower. Collin, the poor fool.


    ¡°Maskz?¡± he asked the moment he sent a signal, ¡°Thank goodness. I can¡¯t handle prison anymore. Get me out of here, just like you promised!¡±


    ¡°I never promised to rescue you,¡± Maskz corrected, ¡°but don¡¯t worry. You will become a martyr who died for a worthy cause.¡±


    ¡°Died?! Wha-¡±


    The connection cut off into frantic static. Hopefully Shadow Phoenix would enjoy his thoughtful present. Now, to tie off all of the loose ends.

 Summer 12: A Mothers Vengeance

    Mrs. Mcshay had once been a proud mother with a successful husband, thriving in the life of the big city. Her family was far from perfect, but she was happy. When did everything go wrong? She closed her eyes and could only come up with one answer. Superhuman Industries. Nothing had gone right since they got involved.


    It was bad enough when they used her darling son as some embarrassing comedic relief to appease the viewers, but now that he had spoken out against them, he had even been dragged to prison. That was only the beginning. It wasn¡¯t enough for them to steal her son¡¯s future, they stole her husband¡¯s as well.


    As the father of the infamous Connin¡¯ Collin, he was fired from his job. Every job he applied rejected him the moment they realized who his son was, no matter how pleased with him they were in the interviews. Their savings wouldn¡¯t last forever, and she could only imagine their fate was to live on the streets. Perhaps Collin was safer in prison than suffering this fate with them.


    The phone rang, jolting Mrs. Mcshay out of her wallowing and despair. Was it another position calling to say they found her husband unsuitable? Was it more bad news? Or was it Collin? He was allowed one call home a week.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Is this Mrs. Mcshay? We need to speak to you about your son,¡± the voice on the other end said.


    ¡°Collin? Did something happen?¡± she asked, anxiety hitting her with no hope left to hold it back.


    There was a pause. ¡°There is no easy way to say this. There was an explosion in your son¡¯s cell block earlier. The paramedics are on the scene but we don¡¯t believe he will make it. You need to come now if you want to say your goodbyes.¡±


    Her mind went blank. An explosion? Not make it? This couldn¡¯t be reality. ¡°H-have you called my husband?¡± she managed to ask through her heightening breaths.


    ¡°We are contacting him now,¡± the voice assured, then told her the address of the hospital, ¡°Please hurry. We don¡¯t know how much time he has left.¡±


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    She wasted no time, hanging up the phone and grabbing her purse. She was likely a mess, but presentation didn¡¯t matter in times like these. Mrs. Mcshay and her husband arrived at the hospital at nearly the same time. Even though the heart monitor¡¯s steady beep showed their son was alive, the comatose figure in front of them looked anything but.


    The explosion had left his body covered in terrible burns and¡­ Mrs. Mcshay could no longer bear to look. ¡°How did this happen to you?¡± she asked him through her sobs.


    Of course, there was no answer. Inside, she felt she knew the reason. It was SI. It had always been SI. That foul corporation that played with the fate of others like it was some sick, twisted game. She would destroy them. Now that it had come to this, she had nothing left to lose.


    ==========


    Somehow, her father¡¯s crazy plan had worked. He had gotten himself that meeting with the CEO. That only served to make Summer more nervous, though. What if her father threatened him and made things worse? What if that dratted CEO had a silver tongue and convinced her father to stand back? What if he found out some big secret and had to keep it from her? The last one was probably the most likely, but Summer didn¡¯t like any of them.


    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t matter how much she disliked it. There was no stopping her father when he had his mind set on something. He gave Summer a hug before heading off with Ashton. Unlike her father, Ashton did not seem very hopeful about this meeting. Hopefully nothing would go wrong.


    Instead of moping around and doing nothing, Summer decided to work on her power. Ashton had given her a hint on the research he was pursuing with one word. Wavelengths. The more she thought about it, the weirder the word became. It did give her an idea. What if her power was not light at all, but energy wavelengths? Of the many kings of wavelengths, light was the most visible making it the easiest to manipulate.


    Before she did any testing Summer did some quick research just to make sure she wasn¡¯t doing anything dangerous. A little diagram told her that the faster the little waves were, the more dangerous. The actual range for visible light was quite small, too. How would she tell if she successfully slowed it down? Would it change color, maybe? If the change was too drastic, would she make, she had to check again, infrared? Were microwaves dangerous?


    Summer decided that she should try just enough to see if she could change colors. Everything else would be too hard to tell if she succeeded. She reminded herself that red was the slowest and purple was the fastest. Rather than her overhead light, she tried with a lamp this time, since it would be easier to change the lightbulb if it broke. Currently the light shone yellow, which should put it towards the middle.


    She focused on the earlier image, slowing the waves down in her mind. The lamp became dimmer, glowing an ominous red just like she had imagined. Summer had only half expected this to work. She slowly made it faster, rising from red to orange as the light slowly grew brighter. She let it to return to yellow, then to green and blue. She stopped there. Summer was a bit nervous about going over purple.


    Instead she grabbed her phone and sent Ashton a text. ¡°Your wavelength idea worked! I made the light change colors!¡±


    After she sent it she realized that getting a notification in the middle of a big important meeting with the CEO was probably a bad thing. Hopefully he had his phone on silent, or at least vibrate. Since she was already on her phone, she habitually scrolled through her usual sites, but she didn¡¯t get far before her finger froze.


    It was one of those breaking news headlines she would usually ignore, except this time she couldn¡¯t ignore what it said. SI was suspected in the bombing and murder of Collin Mcshay, also known as RefRain.

 Ashton 12: Bomb Scare

    Amos had agreed to the meeting suspiciously easily. That could only mean he had something up his sleeve, or that was how it had been in Ashton¡¯s experience. There was also the fact that the CEO had made it clear that Ashton was also expected to be present for this. He must really be planning to tell Mr. Aster the truth. But what would he be getting in exchange?


    Mr. Aster was eager to Ashton beside him for this meeting. He had told him something along the lines of ¡°When facing an enemy, it is better to have someone you trust,¡±. Would he still feel the same after he found out the truth?


    Be it fortunate or unfortunate, Ashton would not have to wait long to find out. Luckily he managed to escape Mr. Aster¡¯s offer of a ride there since he would be going in early to report. The ride there would likely be fine. It was the ride back¡­ Ashton had prepared himself to be forced to break up with Summer after this.


    ¡°How much do they know?¡± Amos asked the moment Ashton stepped into the office to report.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°But they suspect most everything. I¡¯m sure most people do by now.¡±


    ¡°Not everything,¡± Amos corrected, ¡°Or have they figured out your secret as well?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°But if you really want me to protect Summer, I¡¯m not sure how much longer I can hide it. My voice is exactly the same, and makeup, no matter how heavy, won¡¯t disguise a face she knows well.¡±


    ¡°What about a mask?¡± Amos asked with a little smirk.


    ¡°That flimsy eye covering? Does your wife no longer recognize you when you take your glasses off?¡± Ashton countered.


    As always, rather than rebuke him, Mr. Wyndart seemed amused whenever Ashton spoke his mind. ¡°I suppose you are right. Then I will offer Mr. Aster the chance to know everything, as well as the power to offer that same deal to his daughter and wife.¡±


    For some reason, the idea of Summer finding out that he had been Shadow Phoenix all along made his stomach sink uncomfortably. She would surely reject him. It was only natural. He would do the same.


    ¡°What will happen to them if there is a leak? They won¡¯t be accused in that situation, right?¡± Ashton checked.


    Amos smiled wryly. ¡°A leak. Ashton, do you really think SI is going to survive this?¡± he asked, ¡°In fact, it was never meant to last forever. SI has always been a means to buy some time.¡±


    That sounded very much like an incredibly important secret Ashton was not supposed to know. Nor did he have any interest in gaining permission to know it.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you have a backup plan,¡± he told him, ¡°but please leave me out of it. The only thing I want is the compensation you promised me for living that sham.¡±


    ¡°And you will get it. As long as SI stands you can never be demoted or fired. After that is up to you,¡± Amos told him.


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    Ashton felt like there was a trap in those words. A trap he had no intention of springing. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can find a way to take care of myself,¡± he told him. Perhaps it was his small feelings of rebellion bubbling up that caused him to pull out Amber Gale¡¯s business card. He wasn¡¯t even sure why he had kept it on him.


    ¡°That is certainly one option,¡± the CEO agreed. His reaction was far more calm than Ashton had expected. ¡°More importantly, how do you feel about the Aster family know the truth?¡±


    ¡°Do I have a choice?¡± Ashton asked.


    ¡°Not an easy one,¡± Mr. Wyndart admitted, ¡°but the longer you keep a secret from someone you care about, the harder it is to tell.¡±


    ¡°So rip the bandaid off?¡± Ashton questioned.


    There was a knock on the door. ¡°Mr. Aster has arrived for his appointment.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Ashton told him, ¡°but you have to clean up the aftermath.¡±


    Amos smiled. ¡°I intended to from the beginning.¡±


    The door opened and the CEO¡¯s original secretary guided Mr. Aster into the room. As Always, she shot Ashton a look of pity before she left. It always gave him the feeling she knew something he didn¡¯t. Something he never wanted to find out.


    ¡°Take a seat,¡± Mr. Wyndart told him, offering the second chair in front of his desk.


    Mr. Aster took it, eager to get to the point. ¡°I want in on SI¡¯s secrets. Only up to what Ashton knows.¡±


    ¡°He knows quite a lot,¡± Mr. Wyndart warned, ¡°I cannot reveal any of them to you without a confidentiality agreement.¡±


    ¡°Give me you terms,¡± Mr. Aster told him without hesitation. The contract was handed over and Mr. Aster poured over each line in complete silence. Once he was finished, he set it down without signing. ¡°I have some questions.¡±


    ¡°Ask away,¡± Amos prompted.


    ¡°What happens to this agreement once SI disappears?¡±


    Ashton flinched. Mr. Aster certainly didn¡¯t pull his punches. If the CEO himself had not just been discussing the end of SI, he would have been afraid of future retribution.


    ¡°If SI were to disappear, there will be a grace period before information can be leaked,¡± the CEO replied, ¡°Depending on the information in question, it can be from a month to a year. Not all secrets are equal.¡±


    ¡°I want a list of the secrets and their contractual release date in my copy of the contract,¡± Mr. Aster told him.


    They hashed out a few more details, making Ashton feel like his presence here was a useless waste of time. That is, until the moment Mr. Aster signed his name on the bottom of the contract.


    ¡°Ashton, you are now free to answer any questions he has for you,¡± Amos prompted.


    There was that evil side Ashton had been expecting. He wanted him to confess to the truth with his own mouth. That was what he had meant about having a choice. Ashton had come to the conclusion that he had been right, though. There was no point in hiding.


    He told him everything. The truth about villains he had been asking for, and his own role as Shadow Phoenix. Mr. Aster was not as surprised as Ashton had expected. It was as if he had already guessed everything.


    ¡°You must not let Summer find out. Not yet, while her life is in danger,¡± Mr. Aster told Ashton, ¡°Right now, focus on making her stronger like you have been. Protect her. Once the greatest danger has passed I will let her learn the truth.¡±


    ¡°Ashton has access to the contracts when that time comes,¡± Mr. Wyndart supplied helpfully, ¡°There will be no need to wait for a meeting with me.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me to hand out contracts willy nilly?¡± Ashton asked.


    ¡°You only have permission to distribute them to Mr. Aster¡¯s immediate family,¡± Amos corrected.


    The door burst open as they were about to leave. This time it wasn¡¯t the secretary, but one of the heads of PR. Something big must have happened.


    ¡°Collin Mcshay was murdered in prison!¡± the panicked head of PR reported, ¡°Every news outlet has turned the blame on us.¡±


    ¡°Murdered?¡± Amos asked in shock, ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°The bomb was planted in an old style walkie talkie. The camera footage the police were able to reclaim shows him talking to someone before it went off.¡±


    ¡°How much of this is public knowledge?¡± the CEO demanded.


    ¡°Only the bombing and the victim.¡±


    He was gone in a flash, following the poor head of PR to most likely attempt some kind of damage control. Was the person who set up RefRain¡¯s big reveal tying up loose strings? Why wait until now?


    In the moments where Ashton was frozen in thought, Mr. Aster had also hurried out. Right. Summer must have also heard the news by now. In his ascending confusion and frustration, Ashton suddenly remembered the other promise he had made to Summer. He needed to let her meet Shadow Phoenix.

 Summer 13: Found by the Phoenix

    Not long after Summer found the news, her father returned home. At least she assumed it hadn¡¯t been long. She had been too scared to move since she had seen it. A bombing, and in a secured prison. If SI had really been behind this, what would they do to her? Had she been treating everything too lightly all this time? She had been concerned before, but now she was terrified.


    Mr. Aster showed up in her doorway and sighed. ¡°I thought you might have heard the news,¡± he said, ¡°Whatever the outcome of this is, I don¡¯t believe SI is behind it.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± Summer asked.


    ¡°I was there when the CEO heard the news,¡± he explained, ¡°I won¡¯t accuse him of being a good man, but I am confident he is not behind this murder.¡±


    That actually did make Summer feel a little better until she realized that someone else with enough power or skill to frame SI had been behind it instead. ¡°Was Ashton there too?¡±


    ¡°He was. I left before him, so he might still be there.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Summer replied. Her tone sounded dull and disappointed, even to her. She wasn¡¯t even sure what she was disappointed about. Maybe it was because he still hadn¡¯t responded to her text?


    There was a pause of silence for a few moments before her father gave her shoulder a light pat and left the room. Was it fear? Disappointment? Maybe even depression after all her dreams were crushed, one after another. Summer curled up into a ball on her bed and didn¡¯t move until she eventually succumbed to sleep.


    When she awoke, the house was pitch black. Sleep had helped her feel a bit better, but she still felt off somehow. The emptiness of night didn¡¯t help. Everyone was likely still asleep.


    Tap. Tap.


    It was light and quiet, but they sounded just like footsteps. Not the stumbling footsteps of a family member getting a midnight snack, but of someone sneaking about. All of the repressed fear rose to new heights. They were her for her! She was next! Just as she was about to hide, a more horrifying thought came to her.


    What if they attacked her parents when they couldn¡¯t find her? She would have to face them. Was there anything in the new tricks Ashton had taught her that she could use? She scanned her room for anything she might be able to use as a weapon, and grabbed the first thing that seemed decent. The obnoxiously large wooden hairbrush her mother insisted was better than the squishy plastic kind.


    Weapon secured, Summer did her own sneaking towards where she had heard the footsteps. If she was right, they had been heading for the living room. She leaned against the wall with one last corner to turn. Her heart was beating so loud she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it gave her away. All she needed was a quick peek to see who, or what, she was dealing with.


    She steadied her breathing, trying to remain as silent as possible while being painfully aware of the slightest noise. Moving so she could reveal as little of herself as possible, she peeked around the corner into the living room. Rather than pulling back, she froze in shock from what she saw.


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    It was Shadow Phoenix! Not only that, he was seated so naturally in her father¡¯s favorite chair. It was almost as if he was waiting for something. Then their eyes met. At least she assumed their eyes met. It was hard to tell with the mask. He smiled slightly and stood up.


    Not good! Summer had been trying so hard to meet him, but this timing was far too suspicious. Besides, even if he had the right outfit on, how could she even be sure this was the right Shadow Phoenix? Out of sheer habit, she shot a golden beam of light straight at him. It would be harmless to the ordinary person, but if he was Shadow Phoenix, it should hold him back.


    He dodged out of the way, careful not to disrupt any of the furniture or decor in the room. Right, they couldn¡¯t fight here. Summer bolted for the front door, hoping he would follow. He did, but his calm, unhurried pace grated on her already frazzled nerves. The moment she was outside, she turned to face him.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Summer demanded. If he spoke she was confident she would recognize him, if by nothing else than his usual sarcastic tone.


    ¡°Why am I here?¡± he asked back, delivering the sarcasm she had been waiting for in full force, ¡°That¡¯s an interesting question from the girl who has been relentlessly hunting me down. You didn¡¯t even bother to cover your tracks.¡±


    So he came because of her clumsy attempts to find him. She supposed that made sense but something was bothering her. There was nothing different about him, from his pose to his tone, to even the words that came out of his mouth. Summer just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something wasn¡¯t quite right.


    ¡°There were other ways to meet me than breaking into my house,¡± Summer countered.


    ¡°Were there?¡± he questioned, ¡°I waited for quite some time, but you wouldn¡¯t leave.¡±


    Unfortunately, he had a point there. Summer tried to remember the last time she had left her house. Was it when she met Ned? Had she even gone out since then? Even if it was true, why would he want to meet her? She doubted he had any of the same drive or reasons she did for wanting to meet again. He might not have even known she was Golden Reign until she shot that beam at him earlier.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain why you came,¡± Summer pressed. She wasn¡¯t going to back down until she got answers.


    He eyed her weapon of choice, the wooden hairbrush poised at the ready, before he answered. ¡°I came to tell you to stop. Shadow Phoenix should have ceased to exist that day. There is nothing to find. No reason for you to care.¡±


    Did he really come just to shoot her down? Regardless, there was one thing she couldn¡¯t agree with. ¡°I have every reason to care! I spent my entire career as a hero fighting you. At least tell me why!¡±


    He paused to think for a moment, and Summer used the moment he was distracted to test him. If he wasn¡¯t going to give her any answers, she would find them on her own. Just like old times, she shot a beam of sunlight directly at him. In the past, he would always manage to dodge, or he would crumple with pain.


    The sunlight hit him right in the abdomen, and he froze in shock for a few moments as he processed what she had just done. ¡°Heroes are supposed to avoid attacking areas that may leave critical injuries,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a hero anymore,¡± Summer told him, ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure you were never a villain either. That¡¯s why you want to disappear forever, right?¡±


    ¡°If that is what you want to think,¡± he replied with a sigh, ¡°I can¡¯t give you the answers you want, but I can tell you this. I never held a grudge against you.¡±


    Summer caught his foot moving back, the way it always did before he made his escape. She caught his wrist before she had a chance to think, but he threw her off effortlessly. Effortlessly, but gently? She had always had the sense he was avoiding hurting her, but this time she wasn¡¯t even knocked down.


    She didn¡¯t have it in her to try to stop him again, so she just watched him leave. As she turned to go inside, something glinting in the grass caught her eyes. Summer bent down and ran her fingers through the grass to pick it up. It was small, and once she got a closer look at it, she recognized it as one of the decorations on the sleeve of Shadow Phoenix''s costume.


    The black ornament was made of polished metal, which was why it had glinted in the starlight. It was heavier than she expected, and something about it seemed odd. Rather than an ornament, it looked like a small device. Summer fiddled with it a bit until she found a miniscule lever looking thing that still had threads attached.


    Had she grabbed his sleeve tightly enough to rip out threads? Summer gave the threads a tug, accidentally flipping the switch in the process. A purple flame shot out of the eye of the ornament, causing her to nearly drop it.


    What was that? A little more carefully this time, Summer flipped the switch again. It only lasted a moment, but that was definitely his eerie purple flame. The flame that Shadow Phoenix was known for. It had also been her only clue to track him down.


    ¡°Even this was a lie,¡± Summer muttered, clutching the device tightly in her hand. Still, she was glad she had seen him. She felt like she was starting to figure things out. Oddly enough, she wasn¡¯t scared anymore. Would a company who employed such gentle villains really kill off one of their heroes? Besides, hadn¡¯t they sent Ashton to protect her?

 Ashton 13: A Final Charade

    Before he could meet her as Shadow Phoenix, he needed a plan. That is when he saw her text. She had discovered her ability to control wavelengths. Perfect. He could use Shadow Phoenix to push her to be stronger. After that, he would make sure the villain never made another appearance.


    As soon as he made the resolve, Ashton faltered. No. He should just help her find closure. But how could he do that without revealing the truth she so desperately wanted to know? Not only that, he had more than SI to worry about now. Before making any plans as Shadow Phoenix, he should consult with Mr. Aster first.


    The perfect stable life he had sacrificed so much for was in ruins, but his relationship with the Aster family had given him the strength he needed to remain calm. That was why he couldn¡¯t risk it over a halfhearted or faulty plan.


    The buzzing of his phone, eternally on vibrate, distracted him from his thoughts. It wasn¡¯t a text this time, but a phone call. The number wasn¡¯t one he recognized.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Ashton answered.


    ¡°Ashton?¡± a familiar voice asked back, ¡°I got your number from my wife. I need some advice. The business with SI and that kid who died has really affected Summer.¡±


    Mrs. Aster had his number? No, that wasn¡¯t important. Summer was undoubtedly scared for her life. Perhaps what she needed now was a distraction?


    ¡°I do one idea, Mr. Aster,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°but I would need your help and permission to set it up. Perhaps now is a good time to let her meet Shadow Phoenix.¡±


    Before Mr. Aster could object, and Ashton was sure he would, he explained the full situation and his plan. He would make it seem as if Shadow Phoenix had tracked her down to get her to stop looking for him. She would get the meeting she wanted, and he would be able to put Shadow Phoenix to rest forever.


    It took some convincing, but Mr. Aster eventually agreed. ¡°Summer always gets a snack in the middle of the night. If you are willing to wait, I will let you in the house. If I find out you did anything suspicious during that time, I will make sure you can never see my daughter again.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Ashton promised. What exactly would an overprotective father qualify as suspicious? He would have to think that over while he waited.


    It was difficult to get into the Shadow Phoenix costume without the usual stylists and makeup artists pushing him along. It gave him even more time to think about how ridiculous the whole thing was. This supposed piece of clothing was the opposite of practical in every way. Once he had donned the outfit, he met with Mr. Aster, who promised to make sure his wife would not awaken and intervene.


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    After that, all he had to do was wait. Sitting alone in someone else¡¯s dark living room was only creepy at first. Soon it was nothing but boring, and it was difficult for Ashton to stay awake. He stood up and began to pace to distract himself. Not good enough. Would it be too strange for an intruder to rearrange the cushions on the couch to be symmetrical? Would they even notice?


    Ashton forced himself to sit back down before he did anything strange, and that is when he caught sight of Summer peeking around the corner. She hadn¡¯t even changed into pajamas this late at night. At least, Ashton assumed Summer wore pajamas. Ah right, it was time to play his part as Shadow Phoenix.


    Shadow Phoenix smiled at what little of Summer he could see and stood up. Before he could say or do anything else, she raised her hand in a familiar motion, forcing Ashton to dodge just in time as a beam of sunlight shot past him. That was close. He needed to be careful not to damage anything while he was here. Or make any suspicious noises. It was going to be hard to do most anything.


    Luckily, Summer seemed one step ahead of him, as she bolted for the door. She kept glancing back at him, as if her purpose was to lure him outside. A bit obvious, but that would make things easier for him too. He had to keep himself from smiling at how proud of herself she seemed when he followed.


    As soon as the two of them were outside, she turned on him and started demanding answers. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Why am I here?¡± he asked back. He made sure to release all of his pent up frustration into his tone like he used to. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting question from the girl who has been relentlessly hunting me down. You didn¡¯t even bother to cover your tracks.¡±


    She flinched a bit, but held her ground. ¡°There were other ways to meet me than breaking into my house,¡± Summer countered.


    ¡°Were there?¡± he questioned, ¡°I waited for quite some time, but you wouldn¡¯t leave.¡± Her room. How long had he been sitting in that living room for? There hadn¡¯t been a clock in the room, so he wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain why you came,¡± Summer pressed. Her eyes were filled with a fiery determination he knew well.


    Was that a hairbrush she was trying to threaten him with? The wooden paddle side looked quite solid, but it still didn¡¯t have much of a threatening presence. Shadow Phoenix shook off his momentary distraction and returned to his plan.


    ¡°I came to tell you to stop. Shadow Phoenix should have ceased to exist that day. There is nothing to find. No reason for you to care.¡±


    ¡°I have every reason to care! I spent my entire career as a hero fighting you. At least tell me why!¡± She was glowering at him now, and the hairbrush had lowered to point at his throat. Was it a subconscious action? More importantly, how should he answer this question?


    A beam of sunlight shot straight for his abdomen the moment he was distracted. Since when had she been so ruthless? He hadn¡¯t had time to dodge, and he wasn¡¯t sure how to pretend it had wounded him. She had always aimed for his limbs, unless that flashy cage counted.


    ¡°Heroes are supposed to avoid attacking areas that may leave critical injuries,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a hero anymore,¡± Summer told him with a gleeful tone. She seemed confident that she had caught him. ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure you were never a villain either. That¡¯s why you want to disappear forever, right?¡±


    ¡°If that is what you want to think,¡± he replied with a sigh, ¡°I can¡¯t give you the answers you want, but I can tell you this. I never held a grudge against you.¡±


    It was time to end this charade before she found out anything else. He should be fine as long as he made sure not to confirm any of her suspicions. However, just as he had been watching her for two years, she had been watching him as well. She caught on to his attempted escape before he could break off and grabbed his arm.


    He couldn¡¯t get caught here, but he also couldn¡¯t hurt her. Ashton carefully, gently, but quickly broke his arm free with a twist and bolted down the street. Now he just needed to make sure to avoid the areas with security cameras on his way out. It had taken him a while to memorize their locations, but the last thing he needed was proof of Shadow Phoenix in the residential districts now.


    Ashton changed out of the majority of his costume in an empty phone booth that had been forgotten by time and slid into his car. Safe. Now he just needed to destroy this costume and his night would be over. Ashton grabbed the coat portion and froze. One of the lighters had broken off the sleeve. It must have happened when Summer grabbed it. Hopefully she didn¡¯t notice. He would have to check on his next visit.

 Summer 14: Successful Stakeout

    The next morning, Summer felt surprisingly refreshed. The first thing she checked when she woke up was the strange black ornament she had broken off Shadow Phoenix¡¯s sleeve. It had been real. She needed to tell Ashton. Summer whipped her phone out to send a speedy text and then hesitated. He was supposed to be off of the office for the next while to watch her, so it should be fine to call him, right? She wanted to hear his voice right now.


    This would be the first time she had ever actually called Ashton, so it was a bit nerve-wracking. Summer sucked in a couple of big breaths before quickly dialing his number. One ring. Two rings. Was he not going to pick up? Half of the third ring sounded before he picked up.


    ¡°Summer?¡± Ashton asked. His voice was still groggy from waking up but for a moment she thought she heard something, or rather someone, else. No, that wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡°Good morning. Did I wake you up?¡± Summer replied, concerned. Forget about weird suspicions. She needed to forget Shadow Phoenix existed at all. She must have just had some weird dreams that gave her morning delusions.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ashton mumbled. There were some muffled sounds as he moved.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I just had something happen last night I thought you should know,¡± she explained. She continued to tell him about everything that had happened the night before, from finding Shadow Phoenix in her living room to his¡­ odd departure. All the while she tried to convince herself that what she thought she heard was just her imagination. As Ashton woke up, his voice smoothed and she no longer heard any similarities.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, right?¡± Ashton asked her, ¡°You got the answers you wanted, and you know he won¡¯t be coming back.¡±


    ¡°Or he could have been lying,¡± Summer pointed out, but she had to admit she agreed with Ashton, ¡°Either way, I think we should visit SI today. I will bring my mask just in case. If there is going to be an attack on the headquarters, it would be now.¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Ashton agreed a bit warily.


    ¡°When do you want to meet?¡± Summer prompted. She knew it was a bit much to be demanding schedules from him first thing in the morning, but she felt like there was no time to waste.


    ¡°I can go anytime. Just let me eat breakfast and get ready,¡± Ashton replied.


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    ¡°I can pick you up something to eat and bring it over,¡± Summer promised eagerly. After the words left her mouth, she realized it sounded kinda like she was inviting him on a date. She reminded herself that they were dating, so that was perfectly fine.


    There was silence on the line for a moment before Ashton replied. ¡°Alight. I¡¯ll meet you there.¡±


    It was after the call ended that Summer realized she hadn¡¯t even mentioned anything to her parents. It should be fine if she said she was meeting Ashton, right? And it was. The moment she mentioned she was meeting Ashton, her father only wished her good luck. He must have bonded with him during that suspicious meeting with the CEO.


    Then was the next dilemma. What did Ashton like for breakfast? Summer dropped by a fast food joint near the SI building and picked up a variety of easy foods to eat on the go. A breakfast sandwich, burrito, and smoothie. A hash brown patty and a set of mini pancakes in a pouch as well. He should like something, and she liked everything so she could just have whatever he didn¡¯t take.


    Most likely because of her time spent picking up the food, Ashton had beaten her to SI. He was sitting on one of the nearby benches overlooking the superficial park SI had set up in their side yard. The park was a good idea, but it was a shame SI hadn¡¯t had the foresight to add picnic tables. Then again, it probably wasn¡¯t a popular picnic location.


    Summer slipped out of her car, grabbing the paper to-go bag on the way out, and jogged over to him. ¡°I got breakfast!¡± she announced, presenting it to him, ¡°Choose whichever one you want.¡±


    Ashton took the bag she offered and looked inside. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot,¡± he commented.


    ¡°Did I get too much?¡± Summer asked, suddenly a bit embarrassed.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ashton quickly assured her, and grabbed the burrito before passing the bag back, ¡°So what is the plan now? Do you have one?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you would,¡± Summer admitted, accepting the bag, ¡°We could do some kind of stakeout?¡±


    ¡°Sure. We can discuss our plan of action in case something happens while we wait,¡± Ashton agreed.


    Summer¡¯s enthusiasm for the stakeout carried her through the first hour of waiting and discussions. The chocolate chip pancakes dragged her through the second. For a company surrounded by so much controversy, nothing out of the ordinary was happening at all. No one had told her stakeouts would be so incredibly dull.


    Well, that wasn¡¯t entirely true. The crime shows she watched had warned her but she had thought this would be a bit more exciting somehow.


    By the time it reached three hours, they had abandoned the bench to walk the park in search of a trash can. They had now eaten everything Summer had brought. After they emptied theory hands of trash, they continued to walk the tiny park just for something to do. Several laps in, Ashton came to a halt.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside,¡± he whispered, ¡°We need a private place to disguise ourselves.¡±


    ¡°What did you see?¡± Summer whispered back, trying to control her urge to whip her head around to see what he was seeing.


    ¡°I could be wrong, but I think that threat you were concerned about is here.¡± As he answered, Ashton took her hand and guided her inside the building. Luckily there were public restrooms right at the front. They split for a moment there.


    Now that it had come to this, Summer felt vastly unprepared. She was wearing jeans and a hoodie. Even with a mask on, she would still be wearing jeans and a hoodie. She didn¡¯t even have a hairbrush for security this time. As she pulled her mask out, she was startled by the sound of a powerful rattling from the entrance. It sounded like a powerful windstorm, but the day had been clear and calm just moments before. Was this a wind power?


    There was no backing out now. Summer pulled her mask on and left the bathroom to meet up with Ashton. It was time to face whatever was coming.

 Ashton 14: Park Picnic Panic

    First thing in the morning, Ashton was awoken by the ringing of his phone. Actually ringing, not the buzz of a text. It took a few moments for him to realize what was happening, and his hand felt blindly for where he had left the phone before he could answer. He had stayed up way too late for this. At least he had enough frame of mind to look at the caller ID.


    ¡°Summer?¡± Ashton asked. He hoped his voice did not sound as tired as he felt.


    ¡°Good morning. Did I wake you up?¡± Summer replied, sounding a bit concerned. So it had.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ashton mumbled. He fumbled with the phone as he pulled himself out of bed. She had definitely called to talk about the night before, and he needed to be awake and ready for this.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I just had something happen last night I thought you should know,¡± she explained. She continued to tell him about everything that had happened the night before, from finding Shadow Phoenix in her living room to his¡­ odd departure.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, right?¡± Ashton asked her, ¡°You got the answers you wanted, and you know he won¡¯t be coming back.¡±


    ¡°Or he could have been lying,¡± Summer pointed out, but shedidn¡¯t really sound convinced, ¡°Either way, I think we should visit SI today. I will bring my mask just in case. If there is going to be an attack on the headquarters, it would be now.¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Ashton agreed a bit warily. He had disposed of the majority of Shadow Phoenix¡¯s costume, but he had kept the mask, just in case. He couldn¡¯t leave the telltale fiery points, so he had cut them off and sanded the edges of the mask to be smooth. The end result looked like a common solid black mask that could be found anywhere.


    ¡°When do you want to meet?¡± Summer prompted. She seemed full of energy. There was probably no putting this off.


    ¡°I can go anytime. Just let me eat breakfast and get ready,¡± Ashton replied.


    ¡°I can pick you up something to eat and bring it over,¡± Summer promised eagerly.


    That was more efficient, as long as they didn¡¯t walk straight into a fight. Ashton decided not to think about it. ¡°Alight. I¡¯ll meet you there.¡±


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    The conversation ended just like that, and Ashton hurried to get ready. Whatever happened, he couldn¡¯t let her go to SI alone. Just like he hoped, he managed to beat her there, though he felt vastly under prepared for an actual threat. He settled on a bench with a good vantage of the parking lot at the edge of SI¡¯s superficial mini park.


    Summer didn¡¯t keep him waiting long. He had grown to recognize her car already, and she pulled into a nearby spot. The car had barely come to a stop before she flung open the door and slipped out. She was holding a large paper to-go bag as she jogged over to him.


    ¡°I got breakfast!¡± she announced, presenting it to him, ¡°Choose whichever one you want.¡±


    Ashton took the bag she offered and looked inside. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot,¡± he commented. The inside of the bag had an assortment of breakfast goodies from the classic breakfast sandwich, to mini chocolate chip pancakes. Why had she gotten so much?


    ¡°Did I get too much?¡± Summer asked. He could hear her nerves seeping into her tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ashton quickly assured her, and grabbed the burrito before passing the bag back, ¡°So what is the plan now? Do you have one?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you would,¡± Summer admitted, accepting the bag, ¡°We could do some kind of stakeout?¡±


    ¡°Sure. We can discuss our plan of action in case something happens while we wait,¡± Ashton agreed.


    Ashton had agreed, but he wasn¡¯t sure Summer was prepared for how boring stakeouts were. The plan was fairly simple so it didn¡¯t take long to go over. First, they go inside at the first sign of danger to assess the situation and prepare their disguises. During that time, Ashton would call in the authorities and hope they arrived before anything too serious happened.


    After that, Ashton stressed that Summer was to maintain a support roll. Distraction, providing light if needed. That sort of thing. Her newfound ability with waves was secret and untested. It was best to keep it under wraps. That left him with the unfortunate roll of the attacker. With any luck things wouldn¡¯t come to that.


    It was amazing how SUmmer just accepted all of this, never once asking what his power was or why he was so confident. Or did she suspect something? Had it been a mistake to meet her as Shadow Phoenix after all? Either way, it was far too late for regrets.


    They finished off all of the breakfast that Summer had brought while they waited. After that they found a trash can in the park area and just spent some time walking around. Ashton noticed that if he stood right in the middle, there were just enough trees and nature to not notice he was in a city. A couple steps in either direction and that illusion would be shattered.


    Several laps in, Ashton came to a halt. His sense of dread that had never been wrong in his life so far had just hit him. In the distance he saw woman approaching the parking lot. He couldn¡¯t say exactly why she felt suspicious. Her clothing was nothing too abnormal, and she held no visible weapons. Either way, better to be safe than sorry.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside,¡± he whispered, ¡°We need a private place to disguise ourselves.¡±


    ¡°What did you see?¡± Summer whispered back. Her eyes were darting wildly as if she was trying to see behind her without moving her head.


    ¡°I could be wrong, but I think that threat you were concerned about is here.¡± As he answered, Ashton took her hand and guided her inside the building. Luckily there were public restrooms right at the front. They split for a moment there.


    Almost as soon as he entered, he both felt and heard the powerful force of wind hit the building. Just this once, he had hoped he was wrong. He carefully applied his mask as the windows and doors rattled, and stashed his jacket in the bathroom. That should make him look at least a little different from before. It was better than nothing.


    He shot off a quick text to the emergency line with as much information as he knew, not that it was much. There was no backing out now.

 Summer 15: Tornados Strike

    Ashton was already waiting when Summer left the restroom. He seemed so unnaturally calm. She noticed he had managed to change enough of his clothes that Summer almost didn¡¯t recognise him with his smooth black mask. She took a glance at her own outfit trying to spot anything else she could change. Didn¡¯t she have a scrunchie in her pocket? Last minute ponytail acquired, she approached Ashton.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± she asked, flinching as another strong gust rattled the glass doors at the entrance.


    ¡°Before we go out there, we need to find out as much as we can,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°All we know so far is that we are dealing with a woman with wind powers.¡±


    Wind powers were pretty rare, and even more rarely strong enough to be mentioned. The only person who Summer could even recall having them was RefRain¡¯s mother, who was briefly mentioned in an article after his arrest. She paused and thought again. That was far too coincidental, but the article had described her power as more of a gentle breeze.


    ¡°Did you think of something?¡± Ashton asked as the windows gave a particularly startling rattle.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a hunch,¡± she replied, ¡°and it¡¯s probably unlikely. RefRain¡¯s mother had wind powers. Just not like this.¡±


    Ashton¡¯s gaze jerked sharply in the direction of the glass doors as a haunted howl seeped through the cracks.


    ¡°She never had a reason to before,¡± he pointed out, ¡°Anyone discovered with elemental powers is advised not to test their potential. Forces of nature are known for quickly getting out of hand.¡±


    Out of hand¡­ Summer stared outside at the dancing trees, leaves whipping back and forth under the relentless roaring winds. That was definitely an apt description, but if that were true, how would they stop it? He was absolutely right that they couldn¡¯t make a move without a plan. It was just, no matter how she thought about it, there was nothing her powers could do against a force like that. Was it time for an old cliche?


    ¡°Maybe we could try talking to her?¡± Summer suggested.


    ¡°How?¡± Ashton asked, ¡°We won¡¯t even be able to get close enough for her to hear us.¡±


    Once again, he was right. Not only had the idea been childish, it was impossible in the howling winds out there. ¡°Do we just wait and hide like cowards until the professionals arrive then?¡± she asked. The idea of doing nothing even though the very situation they had predicted had occurred hurt more than Summer had thought it would.


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to do that either,¡± Ashton replied as he shook his head, ¡°The glass won¡¯t last long, and the storm doors have already blocked access to the rest of the building.¡±


    Right at the points where the reception area broke off into hallways, large metal shutter doors had long been locked in place. They were trapped. Why did the bathrooms in the entrance of SI have to have outward facing walls and windows? These were things that had never occurred to her to think about until just now.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t fight, talk, or hide, do we have to run?¡± Summer asked. That was the only other option she could think of.


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    ¡°Actually, talking might work if we can draw her attention,¡± Ashton said, observing the storm outside, ¡°I think she is holding back. That must mean she wants to avoid making more victims like her son.¡±


    That was promising, probably. Summer wasn¡¯t really certain of anything right now. They had no backup team, no superiors to feed them a plan of action, and no advantage in this fight. It couldn¡¯t have been a more different situation than the hero work she had done so far.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± Summer told him, determined to take any action they had a shot at that wouldn¡¯t leave her with regrets.


    ¡°Just remember, walking in high winds can be dangerous,¡± Ashton warned her, ¡°You need to move slowly and plant your feet firmly on the ground. It doesn¡¯t look strong enough to do much more than knock us over yet, but we shouldn¡¯t take that for granted.¡±


    How was he so calm and confident? Rather than a sham like herself, Summer thought she saw the makings of a real hero in Ashton. Someone who could lead people to safety and stand against real threats. Then again, just because he could, was it really right for her to have dragged him into a situation like this?


    ¡°Ashton, I-¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Ashton told her, approaching the center door that slid open to the side rather than outward.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Summer agreed. This was no time for half-hearted guilt born apologies. It was time for action.


    The moment the door opened, the fierce gusts whipped through Summer¡¯s hair with great fury. She was glad she had tied it back, or else she might not have been able to see. Even with it tied back, leaves and other debris flew on the currents around them. Where was she? She had to be nearby since Ashton had seen her. There!


    A woman stood in the barren parking lot that was reserved for guests. Well, barren except for Summer¡¯s car. Where had Ashton parked, anyway? Despite the ruthless gusts whipping at their hair and clothes, the woman¡¯s own hair moved gently as if in a breeze. It was the calm in the center of a storm.


    ¡°Just like a tornado,¡± Summer realized. Talking would be useless once the winds were beyond her control. They needed to hurry. Summer was about to rush forward when she remembered Ashton¡¯s words. If the wind knocked her down now, she might not be able to get back up.


    Ashton was trying to tell her something, but the wind was too loud. She couldn¡¯t hear him. They needed to get to the calm. Summer stubbornly pressed forward. As she did, Summer locked eyes with the woman. She made no move to help or hinder their progress towards her. She merely stood there at the center of everything. Something about that sent chills down Summer¡¯s spine. It was like she had given up on everything.


    She took a firm step forward, and then another. As long as she didn¡¯t try to run, she could do this. As she got closer, the wind grew more ferocious before dying off completely, sending Summer stumbling forward.


    ¡°You should leave,¡± Mrs. Mcshay said, offering a hand to help her up, ¡°You¡¯re a victim, just like my son. I can tell. Don¡¯t worry. I will take care of everything.¡±


    ¡°The reason it hasn¡¯t started yet, are you trying to give us time to escape?¡± Summer asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Mrs. Mcshay confirmed, ¡°My goal today is not to take lives. It is to destroy the only face SI has left. I have been waiting for this day.¡±


    Once Summer was standing, the woman gave her a nudge. She wanted her to run. She intended to take full responsibility for whatever happened. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave you here,¡± Summer told her. The fact that her car was right in the middle of the most dangerous winds aside, she didn¡¯t want to see any more sacrifices on account of SI.


    The woman¡¯s gaze suddenly became sharp as Ashton entered the safe zone. Why did she seem so wary? Nothing about Ashton looked particularly dangerous.


    ¡°Mrs. Mcshay,¡± Ashton called out, ¡°Do you know of F7?¡±


    A powerful gust came out of nowhere and threw Summer back before she could ask any questions. What was going on? Why had the wind become stronger? Why did she look so furious now? Just what was F7?


    Summer struggled to get back to the center of the storm where the winds were calm, but every time she got close, another powerful gust would send her back again. Even over the howling storm, she suddenly heard a horrible creaking, and a crunch. She had a terrible feeling she knew what it was, but she turned to look anyway.


    Her car had finally been tossed by the endless torrent and flipped on its head. The next nearest vehicles were bouncing in the currents, half threatening to turn as well. The winds had gotten stronger. Much stronger. Were they too late? Summer looked back to Ashton to try to communicate that they should run while they could.


    What she saw was him carefully lowering Mrs. Mcshay to the ground. Had she passed out? Summer rushed forward, noticing the subtle calming of the winds on the way. For a second she thought she saw some kind of spark near Ashton¡¯s fingertips, but there was so much going on she didn¡¯t think too much of it.


    ¡°Ashton,¡± she panted once she got close, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°She passed out,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°The stress on her must have been too much.¡±


    It sounded plausible, but Summer had the sinking feeling Ashton was lying to her. She had been right there, but she had missed out on everything.


    ¡°Ashton,¡± Summer began. What should she say? Should she accuse him of lying? Emotions swept over her and she felt her eyes well up with tears. The words that came out of her mouth surprised even her. ¡°My car¡­¡±

 Ashton 15: The Wind Charges

    The sound of Ashton¡¯s heartbeat pounded in his chest as he waited for Summer. He must have lost his mind. What was he meant to do about an actual threat? Other than report it to the authorities, which he had most certainly already done. Despite the thrill of fear rushing through his veins, his thoughts were as clear as always.


    Summer left the bathroom shortly after, looking a nervous wreck. It had been a bad idea to come here after all. There was no avoiding the situation now, so he just needed to figure a way out of it.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Summer asked.


    ¡°Before we go out there, we need to find out as much as we can,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°All we know so far is that we are dealing with a woman with wind powers.¡±


    As he spoke he noticed an odd look of recognition on Summer¡¯s face. Had she noticed something he hadn¡¯t? Just in case, he asked her.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a hunch,¡± she replied, ¡°and it¡¯s probably unlikely. RefRain¡¯s mother had wind powers. Just not like this.¡±


    RefRain again? What was his real name again? Wasn¡¯t it Collin Mcshay. Mcshay. That last name sounded oddly familiar in a different way. Ashton had been too busy to think much of it before, but in this situation, it might be best to figure out what about it was bothering him. More importantly, Ashton knew best not to underestimate powers just because people kept them under wraps. Especially true forces of nature like this one.


    ¡°She never had a reason to before,¡± he pointed out, sharing his opinion on the matter.


    The winds were getting stronger at a carefully controlled rate. As careful and controlled as one could be with a sudden windstorm. The windows rattled and the cracks in the automatic doors whistled and howled as stray wisps of wind forced their way through.


    ¡°Maybe we could try talking to her?¡± Summer suggested.


    ¡°How?¡± Ashton asked, ¡°We won¡¯t even be able to get close enough for her to hear us.¡±


    ¡°Do we just wait and hide like cowards until the professionals arrive then?¡± she asked. Summer¡¯s dislike of the idea seeped into her tone.


    Normally, hiding or running were Ashton¡¯s favorite options. It was always best to stay away from the conflict. To be careful so no one even notices someone there. Unfortunately, it was far too late for that. Once the wind picked up enough to form something on the scale of a tornado, professionals or not, there would be no stopping it.


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    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to do that either,¡± Ashton replied as he shook his head, ¡°The glass won¡¯t last long, and the storm doors have already blocked access to the rest of the building.¡±


    SI¡¯s emergency procedures must have kicked in when he called in the threat. It was annoying having nowhere to retreat to and take cover. He watched the storm¡¯s rise and fall, looking for any possible openings they could take advantage of.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t fight, talk, or hide, do we have to run?¡± Summer asked.


    Run? That was it! That was why the name Mcshay had bothered him so much. Back when he had been at the mercy of the government, he had been told the secret to escaping. One of their fellows had succeeded at it once, though the government had always told them she ran away. The truth was, she married a Mr. Mcshay. Like everyone there, she had been desperate for a normal life.


    ¡°Actually, talking might work if we can draw her attention,¡± Ashton said, confident he could use his realization to his advantage, ¡°I think she is holding back. That must mean she wants to avoid making more victims like her son.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    There was no more time to waste with chatter, so Ashton pressed forward. He could find out whatever else Summer intended to say later. The winds were just as fierce as they had looked from inside, but it was impossible to hear or be heard inside it. He was glad Summer had tied her hair back before stepping outside.


    As Ashton struggled forward through the heavy currents, he found himself missing Shadow Phoenix¡¯s weighted boots. They would have kept his footing far easier than the cheap tennis shoes he had on now. There was no use regretting it now. He had disposed of the whole outfit once and for all.


    Summer pushed past him, her eyes locked on the guest parking lot. There stood the woman Ashton had spotted earlier. The winds around her were calmer. A perfect center to the storm. Since he had been moving in the wrong direction, he arrived to the center behind Summer. The woman, most certainly Mrs. Mcshay, locked eyes with him and frowned. She knew.


    In that case, his only option now was to provoke her. But how? The things he had discovered were riddled with state secrets Summer could not overhear. He would start with something simple that he was allowed to say in the open.


    ¡°Mrs. Mcshay,¡± Ashton called out, ¡°Do you know of F7?¡±


    She jerked back and let out a heavy gust of wind that felt like a whip as it struck Ashton. He was able to hold his ground, but Summer had been sent back into the building storm around them.


    ¡°How dare you mention that accursed place?¡± Mrs. Mcshay hissed, ¡°Do you have any idea how much I sacrificed to be free of it? And just when my life finally became perfect, SI stole my son from me! Why do you stand on their side?¡±


    ¡°I have no choice,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°SI was my out. It¡¯s better here than there.¡±


    She was unable to argue with that, but the anger in her eyes had not faded. ¡°Then what about my son?! Why could they not save him? Why did they kill him like that?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t pretend to defend them. They are a sham with every right to be destroyed,¡± Ashton told her, ¡°but this isn¡¯t the right way. If you unleash your power here, SI won¡¯t be the only thing that falls. How many innocents will you sacrifice for your revenge?¡±


    Mrs. Mcshay faltered, and Ashton took advantage of her momentary hesitation to close the distance between them. Back in F7, the horrible facility he had been raised, he had been trained on how to use his power to incapacitate an opponent instantly without causing lasting harm. It involved some quick math, and physical contact, but it was very effective.


    The shock left his fingertips the moment Ashton touched her, and she collapsed into his arms. Summer ran over as he was carefully lowering Mrs. Mcshay to the ground. Had she seen it?


    ¡°Ashton,¡± she panted once she got close, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°She passed out,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°The stress on her must have been too much.¡±


    Summer seemed to be a bit suspicious, but not certain. Good. She must have missed it.


    ¡°Ashton,¡± Summer called again. He tensed, waiting for her awkward questions. ¡°My car¡­¡± As she said those two words she broke into sobs.


    What? His eyes landed on her car turned wreck. Oh. He had forgotten she had parked so close to the scene of the incident. How was he going to explain this to Mr. Aster? Did the car count as any part of Summer getting hurt? For now, he should comfort her.

 Summer 16: SI No More

    Summer was held and comforted by Ashton until the professionals arrived. By then the winds had calmed down considerably. Summer only wished that her swollen eyes had also calmed down. Crying was the worst. It was several hours before the professionals finally finished everything up and let them return home, but Ashton had to give her a ride.


    Once she was home, her mask was confiscated, and she was grounded from leaving the house after a lengthy lecture from her father about what might have happened if Ashton hadn¡¯t been there. Normally, such a lecture would only make her upset, but Summer found herself agreeing with every word. What had she been thinking? If this was what real hero work was, she just wasn¡¯t cut out for it.


    Out of habit, Summer brought up the latest news about SI. It wasn¡¯t difficult, especially not after that attack. All of the news headlines said the same thing. The government had announced that they could no longer tolerate the danger SI presented and would be shutting the company down until further notice. The CEO would be responsible for covering the damages from the latest incident, as well as the severance packages for the hundreds of employees that were set to lose their jobs.


    With her father in the position he was, Summer thought of two things simultaneously. First, that it was quite a harsh punishment. Second, that he deserved it. However there was one more major concern. What would happen to Ashton now?


    Before she could dig too deep into that, she caught sight of a news leak article with the names of every fake villain SI had ever hired. Summer clicked on it as if possessed. Every name was familiar. In fact, when Summer looked down the list she realized there wasn¡¯t a single villain she could recall who wasn¡¯t on it. Luckily for whoever the villains actually were, their real names were not included on the list, except for the one everyone knew. RefRain, aka Collin McShay.


    Actually there was one person not on the list. The woman who had attacked SI that day. The media had taken to calling her Tornado. Her identity had also been leaked. She was most definitely Collin¡¯s mother, and most people sided with her righteous revenge. Apparently, due to everything that happened, the government would be putting her in a special program instead of prison. Summer got the distinct impression this special program might be worse.


    So much had happened in such a short span of time. Summer was glad that their involvement had at least been kept under wraps. At least this meant everything was over. She didn¡¯t have to play hero anymore. There was no more SI to harm her. The question was, what would she do now?


    Summer pulled out her phone. Who could she even contact her? Her one friend was her boyfriend. Ashton had enough going on. He didn¡¯t need her troubles on top of everything else. Or maybe he needed someone to talk to as well? Maybe he needed someone to talk to just as much as she did.


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    Unable to think of anything clever or particularly mushy to say, Summer settled for a simple greeting.


    ¡°How are you?¡±


    The little dots were going on for quite some time before Ashton replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I have an idea but I am not sure if I should do it or not.¡±


    He had an idea? Of course he had an idea.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Summer answered. Maybe she could at least help him with his doubts.


    She hadn¡¯t been prepared for the lengthy explanation that Ashton gave in response. As usual, his problems always seemed more serious than hers.


    ¡°I have received a job offer from one of the companies that had connections with SI. The offer is very good, but I am concerned I will be falling into the same sort of trap as before. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have long to decide because my current apartment was owned by SI and they are all being condemned. I need a steady job to afford a new place.¡±


    There was so much Summer wanted to ask. Just how good was this offer? Which company was it for? Just how was it connected to SI? Even if she did ask these questions, Summer wasn¡¯t sure he could even answer her. Instead, she made an offer to help.


    ¡°I am sure my father would be willing to hire you.¡±


    His response was firm and immediate.


    ¡°I have no interest in being a nepotism hire.¡±


    That stung a bit, but he wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. Still, connections were connections and he was in a bind.


    ¡°Is that other offer much different? They probably want to take advantage of your connection with SI¡¯s CEO.¡±


    ¡°It might be,¡± Ashton typed back, ¡°She scouted me before SI started going downhill. I do have to admit it is suspicious. Either way, I won¡¯t take advantage of your family. I will never be able to shake my image with your peers as a gold digger.¡±


    Ashton was concerned about his image with her peers? Summer couldn¡¯t think of any peers that she actually cared about, but his words touched her. He was thinking of their future together. Summer felt her cheeks heat up as she let her thoughts drift into the ideas of their future together.


    ¡°Can you negotiate a trial period at this company?¡± Summer suggested, snapping herself out of her daydreams.


    ¡°I can try,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°Thanks for the idea.¡±


    She had been helpful! Oddly enough, Summer had forgotten all about her own concerns during the conversation. Then again, her silly concerns couldn¡¯t be compared to Ashton¡¯s. Rather than worrying about her vague future, she should focus on preparing to support him. He needed somewhere to fall back on if things didn¡¯t work out.


    That is why Summer approached her father with a request she had always carefully avoided. It was time for her to stop being a child and learn to support herself like Ashton did.


    ¡°Dad, I want to learn business,¡± she announced.


    Mr. Aster¡¯s phone dropped to the floor with a thud, spinning across the kitchen floor until it was neatly tucked under the lip of the corner cabinet. ¡°You want to learn business?¡± he repeated.


    Summer quickly backpedaled. ¡°Just the basics. I can¡¯t do much without a degree anyways.¡±


    Mr. Aster beamed and pulled her into a hug. ¡°Basics are fine,¡± he assured her, ¡°I will teach you anything you want to know.¡±

 Ashton 16: Opportunity or Bait?

    It was no surprise to Ashton that the incident with Mrs. Mcshay marked the end of SI. Especially not after what Mr. Wyndart had told him. He just wished he had also told him what he was supposed to do next. With SI having to close down and sell all their assets, Ashton¡¯s own apartment was facing foreclosure.


    With this incredibly perfect timing, Ashton¡¯s phone began to ring. He picked it up expecting Summer, but the number showing on the screen looked familiar for a different reason. He answered the phone as he looked at a certain business card to compare.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Ashton,¡± Ms. Gale said from the other side, ¡°I have an offer that I am sure you will find pleasing in this trying time.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to recruit me now just to spite Mr. Wyndart?¡± Ashton asked. After everything that happened, he couldn¡¯t help the pessimism from seeping into his thoughts. Nothing good was ever free.


    ¡°Not quite, but I certainly wish to recruit you. I wished to recruit you from the very beginning,¡± she told him, ¡°I honestly expected you to call me sooner.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think your offer would still be valid once things started going badly for SI,¡± Ashton admitted.


    Amber let out a disappointed sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t recruit you because of SI. I wanted you, Ashton. I have access to all the confidential information Mr. Wyndart did. I know who you really are, and you are the perfect person for the position.¡±


    ¡°What kind of position is it?¡± Ashton asked.


    ¡°I am afraid I cannot tell you more details over the phone like this,¡± she replied, ¡°If you are interested in hearing more, visit Gale Research sometime this next week. If you don¡¯t make it by then, I will assume you have chosen another path and give up.¡±


    So she was giving him some time to think, but only the one week. Probably less than that, realistically speaking. How was he supposed to make a decision about a position he could know nothing about?


    ¡°I will think about it,¡± he promised.


    ¡°See you soon,¡± Amber Gale told him as if his fate was already set, and hung up on the call.


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    That was certainly something. She had been right about one thing. He didn¡¯t have too many choices. Soon he would be without a place to live and Gale Research had very similar benefits to SI. Free housing was certainly a bonus, if it was included in his package. If that could not be negotiated, he would turn her down.


    Should he negotiate in the first place? What other options did he have? As he was trying think things through, a text came through from Summer.


    ¡°How are you?¡±


    It was such a simple question, but for once Ashton decided to answer it honestly rather than the habitual ¡®good¡¯ that was more or less expected in society.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I have an idea but I am not sure if I should do it or not.¡±


    Her response was as rapid fire as usual. ¡°Why not?¡±


    Another short message full of a lot of meaning. It took Ashton a while to reply as he thought of how to explain his situation without giving away anything still considered confidential.


    ¡°I have received a job offer from one of the companies that had connections with SI. The offer is very good, but I am concerned I will be falling into the same sort of trap as before. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have long to decide because my current apartment was owned by SI and they are all being condemned. I need a steady job to afford a new place.¡±


    ¡°I am sure my father would be willing to hire you.¡±


    He likely would, but Ashton responded immediately. He could already see the misery in his future if he took that handout.


    ¡°I have no interest in being a nepotism hire.¡±


    There was a pause before Summer responded. Had he hurt her feelings? Perhaps he had worded that a bit harshly.


    ¡°Is that other offer much different? They probably want to take advantage of your connection with SI¡¯s CEO.¡±


    ¡°It might be,¡± Ashton typed back, ¡°She scouted me before SI started going downhill. I do have to admit it is suspicious. Either way, I won¡¯t take advantage of your family. I will never be able to shake my image with your peers as a gold digger.¡±


    ¡°Can you negotiate a trial period at this company?¡±


    A trial period? That was certainly better than being contract bound to a mystery job for who knows how long. It would also potentially give him a temporary place to live until he could find something a bit more stable.


    ¡°I can try,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°Thanks for the idea.¡±


    Not one to waste any time, Ashton finished packing all of his things. If he failed this negotiation he would have to move all of his things to storage anyway. He might be able to afford a few weeks at a cheap hotel if it came down to it. Once all of that was sorted, Ashton got into his car. Hopefully Amber had cleared it so he would be able to get into Gale Research. He was fairly certain there was a security gate there.


    Gale Research was at the end of a long and windy private road. At the end of that road was a large gate with a security box with a window for the employee to communicate through. The security guard took one look at Ashton and buzzed him through without even asking for ID. It looked like she had things covered for that.


    He also found a parking spot with ease, and the moment he entered the building a receptionist greeted him. ¡°We have been waiting for you.¡±


    It had only been a few hours since Ms. Gale had called him. How had everything been set up so quickly? Or had she assumed he would be a man of action? The receptionist led him to a small meeting room with a handful of comfortable looking office chairs around a circular table. No one else was in the room yet, but they had no way of knowing when he would be coming.


    Ashton sat in one of the chairs and waited. It was hard to tell if the time alone helped him plan, or only served to make his nerves worse. Either way, he didn¡¯t have to wait long. Amber Gale herself entered the room.


    ¡°I knew you would come,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°Shall we begin with a briefing or a negotiation?¡±


    ¡°Negotiation,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any potentially dangerous information if I don¡¯t need to.¡±

 Summer 17: The Support Group

    It turned out her father had kept all his old textbooks from college, along with a lot of other important business materials and online classes. To start, he gave Summer access to all of these things. It was a bit overwhelming but she had gotten what she had asked for. Now she had to put in the effort to match.


    After binging a few online lessons, Summer felt like her brain was mush. Needing some sort of distraction that did not involve immediately bothering Ashton, Summer decided to check her email. It was something she had not done since she had met Ned, or MysteriousMaskz, or whatever his real name was. She was still a bit nervous about it.


    Surprisingly, there was nothing from him in there, but there were quite a few other emails. There were the usual ads, updates from subscriptions she didn¡¯t remember signing up for, and updates for things she did sign up for but habitually ignored. Hidden amongst all of these was one titled ¡®A Special Invitation¡¯ from theherosupportgrouphr. The address even had its own site ending with ¡®org¡¯. It seemed pretty official.


    Hoping it wasn¡¯t some kind of scam, Summer clicked on it. The email was overly customized with a light brown background and golden sparkling letters that had a shimmer animation every few seconds. Not only was it tacky, it was incredibly difficult to read. She quickly figured out why the text was colored that way.


    ¡°We hereby extend an invitation to the new Hero Support Group Society to the unfortunate abandoned hero, Golden Reign. May this message remind you of the sparkling life you were forced to leave behind.¡±


    Was this meant to support her or make her angry? They couldn¡¯t even seem to decide if they were a group or a society. At the very least she should finish the email to find out if they were a threat. They did have her email, after all.


    ¡°Our goal is to provide heroes burned by SI a safe place to tell their story. Not only will you feel psychologically relieved, or recordings will keep greedy reporters off your back. If you would like to know more, show up to our now weekly meetings on Wednesdays at Noon.¡±


    Below was a location for the meetings and a picture of a circle of chairs filled with people wearing identical black masks. Noon seemed like a terrible time, especially on a Wednesday. Why would she go directly there to find out more, as well? It seemed a lot like a trap set by the very reporters they claimed to protect against.


    Summer closed her email and did a quick search on the group society. A certain video popped up in the links of almost every result. It looked to be some kind of interview. Whatever it was would likely give her more answers than some vague post picked up by the search engine.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The video began by the masked interviewee introducing themselves as an ex-hero from SI. They refused to state which one, for privacy reasons, but they did tell a very detailed story. They had been one of those who had believed in SI until the very end. Betrayed, they went searching and found a new hero agency, Heroix.


    Heroix was different. The work was harder, the job more dangerous, and the pay was less. However, they knew that this time they were making a real difference. They did warn that this was not the answer for everyone, and brought up a contract they had to sign in order to join. The contract was binding, and it could mean their lives if things went wrong.


    Summer stopped the video for a second to process this information. What was going on?  A new hero agency? A dangerous one with no real safety or benefits from the sounds of things. Yet, this interview was bound to bring people flocking despite the warning. People just like she had been. After collecting herself, Summer unpaused the video.


    The topic of Heroix ended, and the interview switched to the ex-hero¡¯s opinion on those who played the roles of villains at SI.


    ¡°Actually, I met up with my villain,¡± the hero admitted, ¡°We talked things over and I realized we were both victims in all of this. Now, I would even say my villain is my best friend. We understand each other better than anyone else could.¡±


    Summer felt a pang as she recalled her brief meeting with Shadow Phoenix when he had once again declared his intention to disappear. She had decided to give up on searching for him, but every now and then the mystery would come back to her mind and bother her.


    ¡°Would you recommend other heroes join this support group?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely! In times like these we need each other to lean on. Who can understand what we went through besides fellow heroes like ourselves? All of us were forced to live a lie by SI.¡±


    It still sounded a lot like a trap, but Summer could understand where they were coming from. If she didn¡¯t have Ashton she may have been desperate to join herself. Even with Ashton, since he was so busy, she found herself slightly tempted. She probably would have been more tempted if it weren¡¯t for the wording of that email.


    As much as she had resolved herself not to bother Ashton, Summer felt this was something he needed to know. She took a screenshot of the email, for starters, and sent it along with a message of her own.


    ¡°I just got this invitation. Do you think my identity will be leaked?¡±


    She would ask about her greatest concern first. How had they gotten her personal email? DId they have connections with Maskz? Or was all of her personal information compromised?


    ¡°I will look into it,¡± Ashton promised in reply, ¡°I heard about the interview they uploaded.¡±


    He heard about it? That probably meant he hadn¡¯t seen it. His new opportunity wasn¡¯t for Heroix, was it? But he wasn¡¯t a hero. Why would they recruit Ashton? Instead of going down a path of endless fretting, Summer decided to ask.


    ¡°Your opportunity has nothing to do with Heroix, right?¡±


    ¡°It does not,¡± Ashton assured, ¡°It is not SuperView either.¡±


    SuperView? There was another one? How did Ashton figure this out so quickly? Just who was his opportunity with? She was too nervous to ask outright, but Ashton told her before she could.


    ¡°Thanks to your advice the negotiation went well. I will be starting my trial period at Gale Research soon.¡±


    Gale Research?! No wonder he knew about all of the new hero agencies! Gale Research provided the serums used to restrain powers. How had Ashton gotten himself recruited by a place like that? Were they that desperate for office workers?


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Summer sent instead, making sure to add a little smiley face at the end. She knew this was good for him, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel left behind. If only hero power was actually useful. Even if it had evolved she could still only play with a little light.

 Ashton 17: The Negotiation

    Ashton had expected Amber to be offended by his demand for negotiation, but she simply smiled. ¡°Making sure I have what you need before you commit to anything. A wise choice. This is why I wanted to recruit you,¡± she told him, ¡°Why don¡¯t we begin with what you need from me?¡±


    Since she seemed like a straightforward person, Ashton decided to just tell her his demands outright. ¡°I will need temporary housing at the very least,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Temporary? Why not permanent?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I would like to work for a trial period before I sign any more contracts that will bind me for years,¡± Ashton explained, ¡°I will keep whatever confidentiality is required regardless of how the trial goes.¡±


    ¡°That is a bold thing to ask for,¡± Ms. Gale commented, ¡°What makes you so confident I would agree to these conditions?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Ashton admitted, ¡°but I have already fallen for this trap before with SI, and I was burned.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. You had to put in all that work, but SI was ruined before you could get your reward,¡± Amber agreed, ¡°Very well. I will write up a trial contract for now, and you can sign the official contracts after the trial is over. You must understand, however, that your trial will be treated as a training period and you will not be doing the same work.¡±


    ¡°But I will be learning about the work I will be doing?¡± Ashton checked.


    ¡°You will. I can also arrange for more permanent housing after you finish your trial if you wish to remain. Does that sound agreeable to you?¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Ashton agreed.


    ¡°Wait here,¡± she told him, and left the room.


    He presumed she was probably writing up the paperwork like she had said she was, however she came back a bit too quickly to have written up the long document she presented. Most likely she had just edited an existing one, which probably meant this wasn¡¯t the first time Gale Research used a trial contract.


    Ashton took the contract and read it over. It covered the basics of most employment about pay to work ratio. This would be a salary position rather than an hourly wage. The salary for the trial wasn¡¯t too bad, but he wouldn¡¯t be getting any of it until the end of the trial.


    This would not be a problem, though, because room and board was covered during the duration of the trial. He would be lodging in a room on site, so all of the security rules applied. Confidentiality played a major role as well. He could not expose any company secrets, and he could not bring anyone else onto the premises. Some parts were stricter than SI but many were more lax. Hopefully that would not be only for the trial period.


    Ashton looked the contract over a second time for any tricks or traps before signing it. It was a good position, and he would still have the opportunity to back out after the trial if he needed. After he signed, Ms. Gale collected the contract and set it aside.


    ¡°I will send you your copy once we are done here,¡± she assured him, ¡°Would you like to begin the briefing?¡±


    ¡°I would,¡± Ashton confirmed. Mostly he wanted to know why she had been so determined to recruit him now of all times. The answer was both surprising and not.


    ¡°As I am sure you are aware, part of the role of SI was collecting individuals with potentially dangerous powers and administering my serum if needed,¡± she explained, ¡°Depending on the level of understanding or personality of the individual they would become a hero or a villain to play a part. There were also villains planted among them to supervise the others.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°I never played a role in any of this, but I was aware,¡± Ashton confirmed. It was also why he had been so convinced Summer had more potential. No one was recruited as a hero or a villain unless they were seen as a potential threat.


    ¡°Now that SI has fallen, that role has fallen onto me,¡± she explained, ¡°However, I have different methods in mind. I am sure we both agree that dragging this spectacle into the limelight was a foolish decision even if they did have a plan in mind.¡±


    Ashton nodded. She wanted him to play a more direct role, it seemed. One out of the limelight. So far it didn¡¯t sound so bad, except for the fact it was getting a bit too close to real hero work for his liking.


    ¡°I have decided to assemble teams to research, observe, and neutralize the powers of real threats. I don¡¯t mean those with great power. I mean those who abuse it, whether the power is great or not. Especially those who slipped under SI¡¯s radar.¡±


    ¡°Like MysteriousMaskz,¡± Ashton muttered.


    Ms. Gale smiled. ¡°Exactly. Your little case with him is exactly why I recruited you. SI never succeeded in finding out his real identity but we did discover he has some sort of computer based ability.¡±


    ¡°Something like hacking or more like coding?¡± Ashton asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say for sure, but we do know he has been misusing it. He is one of our marks, and you happen to have a connection with him.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t drag Summer into this,¡± Ashton warned.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Ms. Gale assured, ¡°Though I did consider recruiting her as well.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to join one of these teams?¡± Ashton asked, deciding to ignore that last comment. He had to remember that she was his boss now.


    ¡°For the trial period, yes,¡± she confirmed, ¡°After that, I would like you to lead one. I will even give you the opportunity to build your own team based on your experience of the field work.¡±


    That was a lot of information to process. Ashton didn¡¯t see himself as someone with the leadership skills to lead a team.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t these things be left to the special forces and police?¡± Ashton asked instead.


    ¡°They are bound more by the law than anyone else. It is because we are not an official government agency that we can do this,¡± Ms. Gale explained, ¡°Especially with the new hero agencies popping up. They pose a threat in a different way. Take a look at this.¡±


    She presented him with another contract that said it was from Heroix Superhero Agency. The contract was horrible. They would be paid based on commission, and those commissions would be little better than vigilanteism. They could also be stolen the moment that the actual law enforcement arrived.


    There was no backup. No insurance. No safety. They were signing up to be constantly on call to risk their lives with no guaranteed reward. It reminded Ashton of the heroes in old comic books who fought villains and got nothing in return. The main difference was that this one you had no choice. Heroix reserved the right to take punitive action against any hero who refused to answer an emergency call.


    ¡°This is horrible,¡± Ashton commented.


    ¡°It is,¡± Ms. Gale confirmed, ¡°SuperView has an almost identical contract for their agency. There are a few others as well, but those two are the most dangerous.¡±


    ¡°What can we even do about them?¡± Ashton asked.


    Ms. Gale pointed at a portion of the contract that stated any hero who lost their powers would be freed from all responsibilities. ¡°We save them.¡±


    ¡°No one would sign a contract like this,¡± Ashton argued despite himself. Something about her method of saving gave him chills, even though he had always wanted his powers to disappear.


    ¡°Unfortunately, Heroix has been gaining a lot of publicity recently because of the Hero Support Group.¡±


    Yet another name Ashton didn¡¯t recognize. Things had gone completely out of control since SI fell, and he had been too busy with his own problems to pay attention to it. He waited for Amber to explain.


    ¡°The Hero Support Group has released a video interview with an ex-hero of SI who has signed up with Heroix. They do not paint it in a perfect light, but their honesty has attracted many.¡±


    Ashton passed back the contract. ¡°When do I start?¡±


    Ms. Gale gave him a schedule with his new hours, as well as a keyboard to get into the gate and the building. He left feeling a bit conflicted about everything he had learned. SI had been a sham, but perhaps it had been worth it after all.


    As he left he noticed a text from Summer with a screenshot of an invitation to the very Hero Support Group Ms. Gale had warned him against. This wasn¡¯t good. Especially not with her very valid concern that followed.


    ¡°I just got this invitation. Do you think my identity will be leaked?¡±


    ¡°I will look into it,¡± Ashton promised in reply, ¡°I heard about the interview they uploaded.¡±


    There was a long pause before Summer replied. ¡°Your opportunity has nothing to do with Heroix, right?¡±


    ¡°It does not,¡± Ashton assured, ¡°It is not SuperView either.¡±


    He was glad she was looking out for him, but a bit disappointed she thought he might fall for something like that. Instead, he decided to thank her for her help. Besides, he could at least tell her where he was working.


    ¡°Thanks to your advice the negotiation went well. I will be starting my trial period at Gale Research soon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± she sent back with that little yellow smiley face tacked onto the end. Ashton had never been one to use emojis but this one made him smile.

 Summer 18: Hope in Shadows

    After finishing her conversation with Ashton, Summer felt both relieved and a bit bitter. Once again, she was falling behind. Just like that invitation had said, she was Golden Reign, the worthless hero. She had to be something useful, or at least more interesting, she could do with her power. Turning her lamp from yellow to purple didn¡¯t really count. Neither did turning off the light while it was still on.


    Maybe a change of scenery would help. She could go¡­ Oh, right. Her car had been destroyed. She did a quick check of her accounts to make sure she had enough. Even though she had been paid during her time as a fake hero, Summer never really spent her own money on things. That was part of why she was determined to buy her own car this time, before her father got one for her.


    Now that she knew about Ashton¡¯s situation, she felt guilty and spoiled. Here she was worried about buying a car before her father could and he was struggling just to find a new place to live. Maybe that was the very reason she fell behind everyone else. She needed to try harder to survive on her own.


    Her first problem was how to go and buy a car if she didn¡¯t have a car to get there in the first place. Were taxis still a thing? Probably not in residential areas. It wasn¡¯t like they had a personal chauffeur either. In the end, Summer ended up walking to the nearest bus stop. The bus route was fairly close to a car dealership.


    Riding the bus was a bit stressful. She had to constantly watch for her stop, and the cord that ran along the side of the bus used to signal it to stop, was harder to pull than it looked. Once she got off at the correct stop, Summer resolved she would not be leaving without a car. She did not want to deal with that again.


    She still had to walk a while from the bus stop to reach the dealership, and after checking to make sure she had absolutely everything she needed she found herself watching her own shadow on the sidewalk.


    Shadows were such strange things. Depending on the direction of the light they could make you taller or shorter, or even a little of both. Summer reached out her hand and wriggled her fingers, watching as the shadow¡¯s fingers stretched so thin they almost vanished. Perhaps it was because fingers were already naturally thin, the light from the sun almost went right through them.


    Summer suddenly paused as she realized what she was thinking about. Shadows were caused by light. If she could control light, did that also mean she could control shadows? She glanced around quickly to make sure no one was watching before she began to test her theory. The finite shape control she was imagining was more difficult than she thought, but completely blocking her shadow with a larger blob of shadow, or erasing her shadow with seamless light was easy enough. Both of those things actually seemed useful, if only slightly.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    She would have to practice more when she wasn¡¯t standing on a public sidewalk on her way to buy a new car. Now with a mission in mind, Summer threw herself into car shopping. It took quite some time to find a car she liked. She preferred them on the smaller side, but she couldn¡¯t help but think the size and weight of her previous car was a large part of why she no longer had it. That is why she decided to go for a nice four wheel drive SUV instead. Perhaps due to the overly sparkly and gold invite she had recently received, she had gained a sudden aversion to gold and similar metallics.


    The paperwork was surprisingly not as bad as she thought, but it was still a lot of paperwork. Just in case, she made sure to get Super Insurance added to the package. Unfortunately she had neglected that on her last vehicle. By the time she finished all of the paperwork, the car was ready for her to take home. That was one item of business down.


    Now with a car and the ability to go wherever she wanted, Summer tried to think of a good place to practice manipulating light and shadow. A park was a bit too public. She didn¡¯t want to scare anyone with living shadows. Where was another place with lots of natural shadows? Or maybe she was thinking about this all wrong. Shadow she be trying to create shadows in a place without any? Should she go for somewhere dark or light?


    Dark would likely be easier, both to find and to create the shadows. Easy was a good place to start. Or maybe she was already jumping too far into this. Summer got herself something to eat and did a quick search on how shadows worked. She should at least know the basics of how to naturally manipulate shadows before she started trying to create them with her power.


    Summer was interrupted by a concerned phone call from her mother. ¡°Summer? Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she apologized, suddenly realizing she hadn¡¯t told anyone where she would be going. It was a bit different leaving by foot than taking a car, and as far as her mother knew she didn¡¯t have one, ¡°I went to buy myself a new car.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± her mother asked.


    ¡°Well, I took the bus,¡± Summer explained. She told her the tale of her travels, and even ended up telling her all about her discovery with the shadows.


    ¡°Really? That sounds fun. I bet you could make an impressive shadow puppet show,¡± she told her.


    Shadow puppet show, huh. Summer decided to look into that as well. Shadow puppeteers would know more about how to make shadows work than anyone else. There might even be someone else with shadow related powers as well. How did someone even meet a shadow puppeteer? For now she would have to rely on watching videos from home again.


    Since it was getting fairly late, Summer returned home and showed off her new car to her parents. Mr. Aster was more concerned about her adventure and how potentially dangerous it could be to be out on her own so late. After calming her father¡¯s worries she took a few photos of her new ride and sent them to Ashton.


    ¡°Got a new car! Good night and good luck tomorrow!¡±


    Speaking of tomorrow, she couldn¡¯t let her new shadowy discovery distract her from studying business. The last thing she wanted to do now let her father down. Besides, business was far more reliable than the dangerous life of a hero. Especially the new brand of heroes.

 Ashton 18: John Doe

    The paperwork was processed before the day was even up, and Ashton was given the green light to move his base essentials into his new room. Since it was just a room and not an apartment, he would not be able to bring much, but it was better than staying in a hotel. The first thing he did once everything was settled was check his message from Summer.


    ¡°Got a new car! Good night and good luck tomorrow!¡±


    Ashton smiled. It felt like things were finally getting back to normal. He had a new place to live and she had a new car. Now he could only hope this new job would work out far better than the last one. Not having to dress up as a tacky fake villain was an immediate plus.


    The new reassurance of stability gave Ashton a fulfilling night¡¯s sleep, and before he knew it he was off the races of his new life. During his trial period, Ashton would be joining a team led by an older man named Jared. Jared took things with the level of seriousness they deserved, which made him a great superior as he also respected their serious moments.


    They started Ashton off just learning the tools of the trade.There were several levels of serum that could be administered. The first only dampened powers temporarily and the last removed them completely and permanently. As he was only a trial employee, Ashton was not allowed to handle any of them directly. There had been a recent security breach where some serum had gone missing and they couldn¡¯t afford to take any risks.


    After going over the serums, Ashton was fitted into his new uniform which doubled as safety gear. He tried not to find it too suspicious that there was already a temporary set just barely too big with his last name embroidered on the left chest. He also didn¡¯t miss the fact that ¡®Gray¡¯ was embossed in gray threads.


    Just as he finished putting all various aspects of his new uniform on, Jared got a call on the emergency line. ¡°Looks like you are about to get your first field experience, kid,¡± he said, ¡°No time to spare on this one. If we don¡¯t act now we might forget at any moment.¡±


    Forget at any moment? No, there was no time to ask. Answers could be gotten after the emergencies were settled. Ashton expected to be taken out through the garage, but they went through a different exit instead, leading to a special parking area for their operative vehicles. He barely had time to put his seatbelt on before the van shot forward, and the others in the team had already started prepping shots of temporary power nullification serum.


    Just a few moments later, they pulled up to a building also owned by Gale Research that was meant for dealing with the populace. Ashton recognized the building as he had been there before for a consultation about his own ability. Perhaps now that the serum had been improved he might have a better shot of being approved for it.


    The waiting room was full of guests but there was one man in particular who stood out. He sat at the edge of one of the benches minding his own business. It was the reactions of those around him that made him stand out so much. All of them seemed confused whenever they looked at him, and the lady in charge of greeting guests tried to give him his third waiting ticket, telling him he could not bring in old tickets to skip in line. The man merely took the ticket with a resigned expression.


    ¡°Dose him now,¡± Jared ordered, ¡°His power is just as reported.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Just as the operative was administering the dose of serum, he started to seem confused as to what he was doing. Perhaps it was because Ashton hadn¡¯t known anything from the beginning, but he remained unaffected by the strange power. That was what he thought until the serum kicked in. It was their second time arriving at this very scene, but everyone had forgotten. They had forgotten anything that had to do with that man.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± the man said with obvious relief. As he spoke, several of the other people seemed to remember similar experiences with the man.


    Jared was relieved at their success. ¡°I had a feeling this was a bigger emergency than it seemed, and I always trust my feelings.¡± The way he spoke, the word ¡®feeling¡¯ had a deeper meaning to it. It was likely related to his power.


    ¡°Please, erase my power forever before this dose wears off,¡± the man begged, ¡°I cannot live like this anymore. The closer I am to someone, the faster they forget me. I cannot turn it off or stop it. Even my official documents are erased if I manage to have them made in the first place. It has been so long, I don¡¯t even remember my own name.¡±


    Ashton looked to Jared. Surely he wasn¡¯t going to leave him like this, with a power that had ruined his life. To his surprise, Jared looked to him instead. ¡°If you pass this trial period, you will be leading your own team. The dose will last for a few hours, long enough for you to learn about the consequences of both sides.¡±


    He was leaving the decision up to him? ¡°First, shouldn¡¯t we go somewhere more secure to discuss things?¡± Ashton asked.


    ¡°A wise move. Come on, John,¡± Jared approved and guided the man to the door. John, huh. It was a name the man seemed used to responding to. Ashton could only imagine that his usual last name to follow was Doe.


    Once everyone was safely back in the van, John included, Jared began to fill Ashton in on the logistics of the permanent removal of someone¡¯s power. There were only two cases where permanent power removal was allowed. First if the power was a serious danger to the individual who possessed it. Second, if the power was used in a way that it was a danger to everyone around them, to the point they would have no choice but to kill them otherwise.


    ¡°This would be a case of the first one,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°It might not seem life threatening now, but one day a surgeon will forget him mid-surgery. Or perhaps a driver will forget he is there while he is crossing an intersection.¡± Hundreds of such situations came to mind, and John seemed to agree wholeheartedly.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. That is where the next step comes in,¡± Jared told him, ¡°In the case where the power is a danger to the individual, we must first get their approval before permanently removing it. Life threatening or not, we must always give them a say. They can give their approval in written or any other recorded form.¡±


    ¡°And after that?¡± Ashton asked.


    ¡°After that comes the hard part. It is dangerous to double up on serums. However, if his power returns for even a moment, we will forget about him and he will be right back where he started.¡±


    ¡°So we either need to time things perfectly, or find some weakness to exploit to become immune to his power long enough to finish things,¡± Ashton realized. He imagined this situation would be far easier with different styles of powers, ¡°Would your feelings help with this?¡±


    ¡°My feelings are vague, and they run a risk of being affected as well the longer I am exposed to his power,¡± Jared denied.


    There was something he was missing, and Jared was trying to lead him there. A solution he should already know about. He thought back to everything they had gone over today and subconsciously patted down his own clothes. There was the smallest of bulges in the pocket under his name. A pill.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Ashton began but stopped, ¡°You never told me. You just said it was important for emergencies.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is something a trial employee shouldn¡¯t know about,¡± Jared told him, ¡°However, I have seen your drive in the field today, and I believe you have what it takes to lead a team. You have empathy and compassion, but you don¡¯t lose yourself to it and make hasty mistakes. Before you make a decision, you make sure you have all the facts and you don¡¯t settle for the options given to you if you feel there is a better way.¡±


    Ashton frowned. That didn¡¯t sound like him at all. It also didn¡¯t answer what the pill was, but he knew that Jared couldn¡¯t answer. But the pill was the solution to solve the situation. It was something dangerous that outsiders could not know about. Something a trial employee like him should not normally be given. He also couldn¡¯t forget that John was still there, so Jared wouldn¡¯t be able to answer regardless.


    He carefully put the pill back into the pocket where it came from. There was one thought that came to mind. If power could be nullified with the serum, was it possible a similar creation would be able to give another immunity to it?

 Summer 19: Neds Threat

    Summer spent the next day putting her all into studying. Ashton was putting his all into work so she needed to do the same. She did take the opportunity to practice her power in tiny but helpful ways, such as removing the glare from the shinier textbook pages, or lightening any areas that were difficult to read because of shadow. It was almost fun to study while practicing her newfound uses of her power. Honestly, this was already more useful than she felt it had ever been.


    After she finished another intense study session, Summer took a break to check her emails. Almost as soon as she opened the app on her phone she turned her screen off and closed her eyes. How long had that message been there? The all two familiar email address was already giving her shivers of terror even though she hadn¡¯t read the contents.


    Why was Ned contacting her now? SI was over. Shadow Phoenix was gone forever. The deal she hadn¡¯t even officially made meant nothing now. Still, ignoring it might put her in an even worse situation. Her last experience with Ned or MysteriousMaskz had ended with her being accused of stealing her old hero suit.


    She opened her email again with trepidation, carefully reading the subject before clicking on the email. The short question in the subject line made her chills even stronger.


    ¡°Giving up already?¡±


    Ned didn¡¯t think it was over. He must still need her for something, whether it was finding Shadow Phoenix or something worse. Would he know whether or not she read his message? Did she dare click on it? Then again, if he didn¡¯t know he might take action against her for ignoring him. With a trembling finger, she tapped on the email in question. The email began with the same phrase as the subject.


    "Giving up so soon? Was one little villain really enough to make you give up on your goal? I know who Shadow Phoenix really is now, and unless you want the world to know the identity of Golden Reign you''re going to help me again. I''ll even give you a freebie. Bring whoever you want to our little meeting."


    As she read those words, Summer couldn¡¯t help but think of the terrible aftermath of Collin Mcshay. His entire family had been left completely ruined. With the terrible reputation Golden Reign was now gaining, her own family might face the same fate. His little freebie was far from comforting as well. Sure, she could bring someone, but if she brought the police he might turn things against her, and if she brought someone she trusted they could be used as a hostage against her. She couldn¡¯t involve Ashton this time.


    Then she read the rest of the details. The meeting was set for that night in a place she knew all too well from her time as a sham hero. The Old Town. Ever since SI had shut down, that place had become even more of a ghost town than it already was. Even criminals didn¡¯t bother to sneak in since they found out the relics had been a lie.


    This time, Summer made sure her car was far enough from the scene not to get caught up in whatever was going to happen. It would be a bit of a walk, but that might give her the chance to shake off anyone chasing her. Meeting Ned unprepared once was enough. It might not do much against a super, but she had also packed a keychain pepper spray.


    The moment she stepped foot between the first cluster of abandoned buildings, she heard a familiar tone from her phone. This was a terrible moment for a phone call, but she did check just in case. It was Ned. Since when had Ned been a contact on her phone? Regardless, she had no choice but to answer it.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you actually came alone,¡± Ned told her from the other side of the line, skipping past any greetings, ¡°I guess you are smarter than I thought.¡±


    Summer tried not to let his insults get to her and demanded answers instead. ¡°Why have you called me here?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you read my email?¡± he asked, ¡°You are here to help. You see, there is someone who hired me because she wants to meet you.¡±


    Someone who hired Ned of all people to meet Golden Reign was definitely not friendly. ¡°I refused you so now you want me dead?¡± she demanded.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Goodness, no,¡± Ned refuted, ¡°I still need you around so I made her promise not to hurt you¡­ too much. All you have to do is meet her and then you can leave and go home for today. Easy, right?¡±


    Not too much, huh? How incredibly reassuring¡­ ¡°Fine, where is she?¡± Summer gave in. A quick meeting and she would run at the first chance she got.


    Ned directed her to a very familiar warehouse. It was the very same one that had been the stage of her last fight with Shadow Phoenix. The building was in even worse repair than she remembered, but between the explosion and the tsunami it wasn¡¯t that much of a surprise. Hopefully the thing wouldn¡¯t collapse on her while she was inside.


    Waiting in the warehouse was a beautiful young woman wearing a magenta vest jacket with black sides that matched perfectly with the magenta hair clip in her black hair. Summer logically knew she was supposed to be wary and afraid, but how could such a beautiful woman cause any harm to her?


    ¡°Are you Golden Reign?¡± she asked. Even her voice was incredible.


    ¡°I am,¡± Summer confirmed, feeling oddly breathless, ¡°Can I know who you are?¡±


    The young woman walked over with a slight frown. Had Summer ever seen such an attractive scowl before? ¡°Making you like me is gross after all,¡± she told her with distaste, ¡°but sure. I can tell you who I am. I am Queen Heart, the new and very real villain who will take revenge on what you turned my beloved Shadow Phoenix into.¡±


    She spoke with such passion and devotion, Summer found herself impressed. Queen Heart was such a fitting title for her. A woman like her could easily win everyone¡¯s hearts. Why would someone like her resort to hiring Ned just to meet someone?


    ¡°Why did you want to meet me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°For revenge,¡± she replied, ¡°I can¡¯t very well hurt you if I don¡¯t know who you are. It looks like Golden Reign really was a pretty little princess, so this will be easier than I thought. I can finally eliminate the so-called hero who used and abused him and made everyone call him a villain.¡±


    Him? Who was she talking about? It was somewhat hard to think with the Queen Heart standing right before her. Her thoughts were full of awareness of her perfectly graceful movements. She seemed upset about something, and that was definitely a bad thing.


    ¡°But I promised not to kill you yet. At least not today,¡± she continued with a sigh. Why was she sighing? Was there something Summer could do to help? ¡°I can still hurt you, though.¡±


    Queen Heart leaned down and scooped a handful of ash and debris into her delicate features. As she raised her hand to throw, Summer automatically raised her arm to protect her face and suddenly her thoughts returned to full clarity. The debris hit her elbow, luckily missing her face, but she felt some stinging on her neck and arms.


    What was that? She didn¡¯t dare lower her arm in case she lost her mind again. She walked straight into an enemy¡¯s trap and started practically worshiping her while being threatened and insulted the whole time. When had it started? Was it from the moment she spotted her? There had to be some way to get out of this situation. Summer couldn¡¯t just stand there with her arm out.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± the much less pleasant sounding voice of Queen Heart asked, dripping with mocking and hatred as she slowly approached, ¡°Are you trying to hide from me now?¡±


    Hiding was a good idea. Summer suddenly thought of something she could do. This had better be enough to satisfy Ned because she couldn¡¯t risk staying here any longer. Using all of her practice with light and Shadow, Summer cloaked the woman standing before her in darkness so she wouldn¡¯t be able to see her.


    She cautiously lowered her arm to see the misshapen form of darkness standing mere inches away from her. She jumped back, luckily not affected by whatever spell had overcome her now that she couldn¡¯t see her. An unexpected bonus was that with no light able to reach her eyes, Queen Heart couldn¡¯t see anything at all.


    ¡°Blindness! I thought you had light powers, not darkness!¡± she shouted in rage.


    There was no time to hang around. Summer bolted towards the exit of The Old Town and her car before she lost her concentration and her pursuer recovered her sight. She needed to get some kind of help. With an ability like that, it probably wouldn¡¯t take her too long to find her home and her family.


    Who could she even ask? The new heroes were all amateurs. They wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with this. The police? What if her ability worked on them too? That could end terribly as well. Summer slammed her car door closed and drove off without even looking back. What about Ashton? Right now he was doing his trial with the very place that had created the anti-power serum. If there was anyone who would be able to do something about Queen Heart, it was Gale Research.

 Ashton 19: A Lovely Enemy

    Once they arrived back at headquarters, John Doe was handed off to professionals. Considering the fact that four hours had passed and Ashton still remembered him, things must have gone well. It did leave him with a lot to think about. If this was what the first day of training was like, what would it be like to do this as a career?


    The pay was better than it had been at SI, but it was hard to say the job would be any easier or less consuming. Then again, there had been an emergency and he still hadn¡¯t had to work any overtime. Ashton sat on his bed that night, deliberating if he should just give in and accept the position when his phone rang.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Ashton, it¡¯s me,¡± Summer¡¯s shaky voice came from the other side, ¡°I¡¯ve made a terrible mistake. I let Ned blackmail into meeting him again and¡­¡±


    Ashton froze as he heard her choke down some panicked sobs. Ned? He thought that SI had taken care of MysteriousMaskz after his tip. From the sounds of things, he had gone far beyond blackmail this time.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t there at the meeting place,¡± Summer managed, ¡°Instead there was this girl, no woman. She had a crazy power. As soon as I saw her I lost myself. All I could think of was how beautiful and amazing she was. I didn¡¯t know powers like that existed but it is the only explanation I can think of.¡±


    ¡°I am going to need to report this,¡± Ashton frowned, ¡°Did you want me to meet you? I need to know as much as I can about her before I make the report.¡±


    ¡°No! She might target you because of me. But you have to warn Shadow Phoenix. She is obsessed with him,¡± Summer warned.


    ¡°She is obsessed with Shadow Phoenix?¡± Ashton asked, taken aback, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She wasn¡¯t very clear on that. Just on why I was the one who ruined his life.¡±


    Summer had far from ruined his life, but Ashton couldn¡¯t assure her of that. ¡°She definitely sounds dangerous. I will be sure to warn him,¡± he promised, ¡°You should be careful as well. Call me immediately at the first sign of trouble.¡±


    ¡°What do I do now?¡± Summer asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ashton admitted. He had no words of wisdom to offer, and he could not promise her any protection or safety. He couldn¡¯t even use the resources of Gale Research as a trial trainee. There was one possible help he could offer. ¡°Do you mind if I give your contact information to my team leader? He might be able to help more than me.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. I will take any help I can get right now,¡± Summer approved.


    As if he had been waiting, Jared was outside Ahston¡¯s room once the phone call ended. ¡°I had a feeling you might need me,¡± he told him, answering Ashton¡¯s unasked question, ¡°I¡¯ve learned it is never a good idea to ignore my feelings.¡±


    ¡°I do need you,¡± Ashton confirmed, ¡°Or someone close to me does. My girlfriend ran into someone with a dangerous power and an even more dangerous grudge. Have you ever heard of a power that can manipulate your perception of someone?¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Manipulate it how?¡± Jared asked, already in serious work mode.


    ¡°She said that as soon as she laid eyes on her all she could think about was how amazing and lovely she was, leaving her unable to think or use caution despite being actively threatened by her,¡± Ashton described.


    Jared frowned. ¡°That does sound serious. Can you give me her contact information? I may need to get more specific details from the source.¡±


    Ashton wrote out her number for him. ¡°I already asked her permission,¡± he assured, ¡°Thank you for dropping by.¡±


    ¡°Just following my feelings.¡± Jared replied, taking the contact information, ¡°I will take care of the situation with your girlfriend. You get some rest and focus on your duties as a trainee.¡±


    The warning not to cross the line just because of a personal issue was as clear as day, and Ashton was happy to agree to it. Someone who couldn¡¯t even commit had no business getting involved in personal and risky incidents like this. Ashton obediently followed orders and went to sleep for the night.


    He awoke the next morning to the rather shocking sight of a woman entering his room. She was certainly not an employee of Gale Research, and something about the overwhelmingly warm smile she gave him when she saw he was awake gave him the creeps. It didn¡¯t help that her vest jacket was a striking magenta that had an obnoxious sheen in the morning light coming from his window.


    ¡°Good morning, my beloved Phoenix,¡± she greeted warmly, holding her arms out as if waiting for a hug, ¡°Do you remember me?¡±


    Ashton was even more confused and concerned than before. Remember her? He stared at her face but was coming up completely blank. Besides, she had addressed him as Shadow Phoenix, not as Ashton.


    The woman pouted as she sat at the end of his bed. ¡°I guess it is true. What a shame,¡± she commented, ¡°Ned told me that my power probably wouldn¡¯t work on the object of my adoration. On the other hand, I guess this serves to prove you really are Shadow Phoenix.¡±


    Her power? Ashton¡¯s bad feeling started to get even worse. ¡°How did you get in here?¡± he asked, pulling himself into a sitting position far away from the woman, more glad than ever that the pajamas he had brought were his winter set with long legs and sleeves.


    She scooted closer. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± she told him with a smile, ¡°I am Queen Heart. You can call me Queen, or Heart, or Sweetheart if you would like. I will never forget the day you saved me. Your beautiful purple flames in the dark that night. I still have the lighter mechanism you used to make them. You dropped it when you left that day.¡±


    Queen Heart presented him with exactly what she claimed to have. One of the igniters for his purple flame he had used while he was Shadow Phoenix. No, this one looked like one of the prototypes from the first version of his costume. There was an incident where it had gone out of control in testing so they had remade his suit from scratch.


    ¡°Why do you have this?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You gave it to me yourself,¡± she replied, ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? I guess I do look a lot different now. I dyed my hair once I gained my power.¡±


    Ashton tried to think back to any woman or girl he could have given such a dangerous piece of evidence to. Then it hit him. Back when he was attending college, he had been putting on the costume before he left to save time on campus then traveling to SI. There was an incident that made him stop such reckless behavior, and in that incident there had been a girl.


    ¡°Two years ago, at the college,¡± Ashton muttered, ¡°Was that you?¡±


    She beamed and trapped him in an unsolicited and very uncomfortable hug. ¡°You remembered! I knew you would!¡±


    He remembered, but that didn¡¯t make this situation any less alarming. The girl he remembered from the incident had fallen from the rooftop of the building and broken several bones. After that, she disappeared from the school completely along with a group of students who were rumored to have pushed her.


    Ashton, or Shadow Phoenix, hadn¡¯t saved anyone that day. He had run away like the coward he was, yanking his sleeve from the injured girl¡¯s grasp after using her phone to call the emergency line. It was one of Ashton¡¯s most shameful memories.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be,¡± Ashton told Queen Heart, pushing her away roughly, ¡°She died.¡±

 Summer 20: Phoning Danger

    Summer parked at a gas station before her nerves caused her to crash and quickly dialed Ashton¡¯s number. She needed to tell someone so she could feel even the slightest bit safe. Going alone might have been the right decision, but she should have at least told someone where she was going.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Ashton, it¡¯s me,¡± Summer said quickly, hearing the quiver in her own voice, ¡°I¡¯ve made a terrible mistake. I let Ned blackmail into meeting him again and¡­¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t there at the meeting place,¡± Summer managed, ¡°Instead there was this girl, no woman. She had a crazy power. As soon as I saw her I lost myself. All I could think of was how beautiful and amazing she was. I didn¡¯t know powers like that existed but it is the only explanation I can think of.¡±


    ¡°I am going to need to report this,¡± Ashton told her, ¡°Did you want me to meet you? I need to know as much as I can about her before I make the report.¡±


    ¡°No! She might target you because of me. But you have to warn Shadow Phoenix. She is obsessed with him,¡± Summer warned.


    ¡°She is obsessed with Shadow Phoenix?¡± Ashton asked, taken aback, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She wasn¡¯t very clear on that. Just on why I was the one who ruined his life.¡±


    ¡°She definitely sounds dangerous. I will be sure to warn him,¡± he promised, ¡°You should be careful as well. Call me immediately at the first sign of trouble.¡±


    ¡°What do I do now?¡± Summer asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ashton admitted, ¡°Do you mind if I give your contact information to my team leader? He might be able to help more than me.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. I will take any help I can get right now,¡± Summer approved.


    The call ended and Summer took a deep breath to attempt to calm herself. She was glad Ashton had her back, but bringing someone like a team leader into this was anxiety inducing in a different sense. It made everything she had been trying to deny feel too real. She was being targeted by a dangerous woman with a power that could turn everyone against her in an instant. Summer already couldn¡¯t fight, so how was she to defend herself against that?


    No good would come from staying at this gas station, though. Summer forced herself into action so she could at least return home and warn her family. She wouldn¡¯t be the only one in danger if things continued the way they were. Had she really treated Shadow Phoenix that badly to be hated so much by his fans? Would all of this end if she just turned herself in? But to who? She had committed no crimes.


    When Summer pulled into her driveway, her phone buzzed with the tone of an unknown caller. Would it be Ned again, or perhaps Ashton¡¯s team leader? Either way she would need to answer it. Heart pounding, Summer held the phone up to her ear.


    ¡°Hello, this is Jared from Gale Research Emergency Division. Am I speaking to Summer Aster?¡± the male voice on the other side questioned. His voice was oddly calming, especially since it wasn¡¯t Ned¡¯s.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m Summer,¡± she replied.


    ¡°I heard a tip that you are currently being endangered by an individual with a psychological power,¡± Jared continued, ¡°Can you tell me more about the situation? I need to know as many details as possible if we will be able to help you.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Summer gave up on thinking whether or not this was a bad idea, so she ended up explaining the entire situation to him. How Ned had blackmailed her, who Ned was, and her meeting with Queen Heart. She also gave away her identity as Golden Reign and how her connection to Shadow Phoenix played a role in all of this.


    ¡°She is completely obsessed with him,¡± Summer finished, ¡°I am worried she will target Shadow Phoenix as well.¡±


    There was a deep breath from the other end as Jared took all of this information in. ¡°Do you have any idea of the real identity of Shadow Phoenix? I am afraid we cannot help him if we don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Summer admitted, ¡°But Ashton does.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Jared replied, and there was silence for a moment, ¡°I am getting a bad feeling about tomorrow morning. Call me back first thing when you wake up, no matter how early or late. If I consider this situation any less serious than I do now, I want you to call the number I am about to give you. Do you understand?¡±


    A bad feeling? Did Jared think Queen Heart was going to appear at Gale Research? How could she even get¡­ No she could get in. That was exactly how her power was used best. ¡°I understand,¡± Summer promised, and quickly found a spare bit of paper to jot the phone number down as Jared told it to her. She sincerely hoped it would never come to a situation where she would need to use it as that would mean Ashton was in danger.


    Once this call ended, Summer slowly got out of her car and stepped inside. The lights were off and her parents were sleeping. Should she wake them and warn them of the danger? What could they even do so late at night? Perhaps it was best to tell them in the morning, after she called Jared and found out everything was fine.


    Summer went to sleep with those hopeful thoughts, but her dreams were full of nightmares. Queen Heart was at the center of all of them, tormenting her and her loved ones and holding a grand wedding with Shadow Phoenix. The Shadow Phoenix in her nightmare oddly resembled Ashton, leaving her with a thought she could not ignore come morning. Could Ashton be the one behind the phoenix mask?


    He was the only one who knew who Shadow Phoenix was, and he was always so certain about things that had to do with him. There was also the odd familiarity in his voice during Shadow Phoenix¡¯s final visit. Unfortunately, Summer had no way of knowing if she was actually onto something or if her stress was creating crazed conspiracies. If it was true, though, that meant Ashton was in even more danger.


    Summer quickly called Jared back as promised, but he was slow to answer the phone. ¡°Hello, this is Jared from Gale Research Emergency Division. Is there something I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°I am calling you back about Queen Heart like you told me to,¡± Summer told him.


    ¡°Ah, Queen Heart. Isn¡¯t she a gorgeous young lady? I have to thank you for telling me about her or I may not have had the chance to see her,¡± Jared gushed, sounding completely unprofessional and not like himself. At least not like the night before. Summer had the most terrible feeling that Queen Heart¡¯s power worked stronger on the opposite gender.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re welcome,¡± Summer stuttered and quickly hung up before scrambling for the piece of paper with the number Jared had instructed her to call. She tried to remember any instructions he had given her only to realize he hadn¡¯t. There was nothing she could do but dial it.


    Rather than ringing, on the other end she heard a robotic female voice begin to speak. ¡°Please state the name of the person who authorized this call.¡±


    ¡°Jared,¡± Summer said quickly, hoping that was the correct answer.


    ¡°Authorizing Jared. Checking number ID. Confirmed. Gale Research Lockdown sequence engaged. Nullification gas engaged.¡±


    Lockdown?! Nullification gas?! What in the world had Jared just had her do?! ¡°Wait,¡± Summer said, terrified of what she had just started with one simple phone call.


    ¡°Checking Authorization. Jared does not have authorization to halt lockdown operations. Lockdown continues.¡±


    The pleasant yet unfeeling robotic voice only made the situation more terrifying, but there was nothing Summer could do. When she did not say anything else, the line disconnected on its own. Jared should have said something! What if she had dialed the number earlier or made some kind of mistake?


    With no other way to try to calm herself, Summer dialed Ashton¡¯s number and waited for him to pick up. Please be all right.

 Ashton 20: Heartache History

    As soon as Queen Heart had enough distance from his shove, Ashton scrambled up and towards the door. Since her power didn¡¯t work on him, his best chance was to get some distance and stay in places where no one else was. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done, since he lived in a facility full of other people.


    ¡°Wait!¡± she called out, reaching for his hand and sounding a bit pitiful, ¡°Before you deny me, won¡¯t you hear me out? Then you can decide whether or not I am lying.¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in casual conversation with a woman who snuck into my bedroom while I was sleeping,¡± Ashton pointed out, still extremely on guard. He was certain if he used his power here, everyone would recognize it immediately so he had to be careful. It didn¡¯t matter if he was certain that Amber Gale already knew.


    For some reason, Queen Heart blushed at his words. ¡°I did do that, didn¡¯t I? How embarrassing,¡± she giggled, ¡°But I didn¡¯t know how else to meet you. You understand, right Phoenix?¡±


    ¡°I am not Shadow Phoenix,¡± Ashton denied, ¡°And I will not answer to his name.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. You need to be careful,¡± she realized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Unlike a certain someone, I promise I can keep a secret. I am sure that¡¯s why she doesn¡¯t know who you really are.¡±


    So that was why she had targeted Summer. Ashton felt a strong pang of guilt as he realized he had done the very thing he had been trying to avoid. Escaping now would only postpone the issue, but going back into his room to talk to a crazy woman wasn¡¯t a good idea either. Then again, she was offering him free information. Ashton knew well how valuable information was in this world.


    ¡°Get out of my room,¡± he told her finally, ¡°I need to get changed and eat breakfast. If you behave yourself, I will hear you out over my meal.¡± It was the only compromise he could think of.


    Queen Heart beamed and happily stepped outside. ¡°I will wait right here for you,¡± she promised, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see what your daily clothes look like.¡±


    Ashton shoved down his disgust and quickly got dressed, unable to ignore her presence waiting outside his doorway. All he needed to do was hear her out. Then he would be able to come up with some sort of excuse to use his power, or at the very least do something to make her leave and leave Summer alone.


    When he opened the door, Queen Heart looked him up and down seeming perplexed. ¡°You look so plain,¡± she told him.


    Ashton winced as he once again remembered she only knew him as Shadow Phoenix in that ridiculously flashy outfit. ¡°I will never wear that hideous thing again,¡± he told her, ¡°and I had no say in its design either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so terrible,¡± she told him, her surprise instantly turning to pity, ¡°I should have known such terrible people would control even the clothes you wear.¡±


    Ashton started moving so that they didn¡¯t continue down the topic of those terrible people or his clothes. The halls were oddly empty, without a single soul to be seen. Where was everyone? It was good that he didn¡¯t have to see his coworkers be controlled by her power, but something seemed wrong.


    ¡°I told everyone not to bother us,¡± Queen Heart informed him helpfully, ¡°We can chat as long as we want and you won¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±


    She seemed proud as if she thought he would praise her, but Ashton was at his limit just agreeing to hear her out. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just eat,¡± Ashton said and dropped by the cafeteria. There was no one there either, but the warm and ready food was still on display. Since the food was free for employees, Ashton didn¡¯t have to worry about the lack of employees manning the register. They would just have to forgive him for not stopping Queen Heart from taking a breakfast sandwich of her own.


    ¡°Are you willing to let me explain myself now?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Ashton told her.


    ¡°You were right about one thing. On the official records, the girl you saved did die that day,¡± Queen Heart explained, ¡°Because of my complicated circumstances, the government gave me a new identity. They didn¡¯t want word of the downsides of a power like mine to get out.¡±


    ¡°The downsides?¡± Ashton asked. The government programs he knew would never let someone like her walk freely. Had her power been misinterpreted, or had she evolved it?


    She nodded and closed her eyes, deep in thought. ¡°I grew up in a rather strict, old fashioned family,¡± she began, ¡°They disliked powers, activists, and anything involving artificial intelligence with a burning passion. I never got tested to see if I had power, and I was honestly terrified to. I was always scared, sad, or angry about everything growing up. However, when I was in high school, things took a turn for the worse. Once I was well and truly depressed, the bullying began.¡±


    Ashton hadn¡¯t expected her to regale her whole life story but stopping her now seemed like a bad idea. She seemed to think these details were important to answer his question.


    ¡°It was far more than normal bullying. Every single student in the school hated me as much as I hated myself,¡± she continued, and noticed Ashton¡¯s eyes widen, ¡°That¡¯s right. That is how my power first manifested. Anyone who looked at me was influenced by my own power to hate me. Everyone. I won¡¯t bore you with tales of the details, but eventually I realized this myself. I attended that college because I thought surely SI wouldn¡¯t fall victim to such a silly power, but it was even worse than before. That is how we met.¡±


    ¡°They threw you off of a roof?¡± Ashton asked, dreading the answer.


    ¡°Shoved more than threw. I don¡¯t know if they were actually trying to kill me,¡± she said, ¡°I had given up in that moment you found me. I was ready to die, and I was going to ask you to end me. I was sure you would. Everyone always hated me, after all. But you did something different. You called for help. You were the first person who has ever helped me.¡±


    That did explain her strange obsession, and it also explained what her power had been before. How had her power, and her for that matter, changed so much? He watched as she smiled and cradled the igniter she had torn from his sleeve.


    ¡°For the very first time I was able to turn my ability off,¡± she told him, ¡°The paramedics who arrived did not hate me at all, and treated me like a proper patient. My life turned around completely. So completely that SI took notice and I had to explain what I was. They offered me a chance to keep my power off forever with a special serum Gale Research was in the process of developing and give me a new life. I took it. People still remember how much they hated me, after all. However, before the serum was completed, my power changed.¡±


    ¡°Why did it change?¡± Ashton asked. He had a terrible feeling he knew the answer already.


    ¡°I saw you, or a recording of you,¡± she said, ¡°I recognized you immediately and I knew then that I was in love. The love was too strong for me to hold in all on my own, and it exploded outward. My watchers started to act strange, and then I learned my new power. My real power. I have spent this time sharpening my skills while trying to find you. I am ready now. I can hand you the whole world if you want it. I have honed my power and my love to give you anything you could ever desire.¡±


    Ashton felt chills as her passionate gaze returned to him. It was true he did not recall fervently hating her, but was that really enough to be considered saving her? Rather than absolving his prior guilt and shame, things only seemed worse. Before he could formulate an answer to her passionate request, an alarm began to blare and the cafeteria was flooded with some kind of gas. In a moment, a team wearing gas masks and armed to the teeth marched into the room and surrounded them.


    ¡°Queen Heart, I suggest you stand down willingly,¡± the lead informed her. It wasn¡¯t a voice Ashton recognized which made him question what had happened to Jared and his own team.


    To his surprise, Queen Heart willingly surrendered. ¡°My promise still stands,¡± she called back to Ashton, ¡°Wait for me!¡±


    At this perfect timing, Ashton¡¯s phone began to ring.

 Summer 21: Behind the Phoenix Mask

    One ring. Two rings. Summer could hear the loud thumping of her heart as she waited. Ashton had always been quick to answer, so when it reached the fourth ring her heart began to sink. WHat if he was in there? What if she had trapped him inside with a villain? A real villain. When the call inevitably went to voicemail, Summer quickly shifted gears.


    She did a quick pass through her recent calls and dialed Jared again. This time she had better get answers on what he made her do, if he was still under Queen Heart¡¯s influence or not. For a moment Summer was sure he wasn¡¯t going to answer either as the rings went on, but Jared¡¯s familiar voice greeted her.


    ¡°Is this Summer Aster?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Summer confirmed, confused why he would suddenly be asking.


    ¡°Good. I would like to thank you for following my instructions. You saved Gale Research from an embarrassing and potentially dangerous incided. Unfortunately, I cannot give you the details over the phone, but as an involved party in this case, my superiors would like you to come in to get a better idea of everything that happened. In turn, I will explain my part of things to you. How does that sound?¡±


    Since she was desperate for answers, there was only one way Summer could respond. ¡°It sounds perfect. How do I get there?¡±


    ¡°I will come pick you up,¡± Jared assured, ¡°Normally I would try to send a familiar face, but your boyfriend is quite busy at the moment.¡±


    Summer let out a sigh of relief. Busy. Not injured, or missing or dead. Just busy. That she could handle. ¡°Thank you. Do you need my address or should we meet somewhere in the middle?¡±


    ¡°I have your address,¡± he told her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about secret leaks. Ashton gave it to me when I mentioned picking you up.¡±


    That was also reassuring. ¡°When are you coming?¡± she asked.


    ¡°As soon as possible. It should take me less than an hour to arrive,¡± Jared instructed, ¡°We will speak further then.¡±


    As the call ended Summer hurried to get ready. She ate a granola bar for a quick breakfast and did a quick scan for her parents. It looked like her father had already left for work again, but she should at least explain some of what was happening to her mother, who was enjoying some oatmeal at the table.


    ¡°Summer? You look a bit flustered? Is everything alright?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes? No? Sort of,¡± Summer answered, a bit out of breath, ¡°Something happened last night and¡­¡± How much was she even allowed to say? Jared hadn¡¯t told her not to say anything, but given her past as a hero for SI he might have assumed she would know not to spill confidential information. Then again, this was personal information and she was only telling her mother, so it should be fine, right?


    ¡°What is it?¡± her mother repeated in a far more serious tone, picking up on Summer¡¯s worries.


    ¡°Last night I was blackmailed into meeting a villain in Old Town,¡± Summer answered honestly, ¡°That villain has been apprehended and someone will be coming soon to get an official statement of my side of the story.¡±


    ¡°Blackmailed?! What could anyone possibly have to blackmail you with?!¡± Mrs. Aster demanded.


    ¡°Golden Reign,¡± Summer told her, ¡°They were going to make my identity as Golden Reign a viral sensation and ruin your lives.I couldn¡¯t let you pay the price for my bad judgements.¡±


    Mrs. Aster pushed her chair back and trapped Summer in a tight hug. ¡°Summer, you don¡¯t need to put yourself in danger for that. You should have told us before going to meet that villain.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Summer couldn¡¯t think of a good response. Why hadn¡¯t she thought to tell them first? Had she been scared of their response or scared they might get involved? Considering Queen Heart¡¯s power, she might not have been able to get away if she had been with anyone else. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    As those words escaped her lips, the well of emotions she had been holding back burst and tears streamed down her face. She had been terrified and stressed and angry, but she let it all out in her mother¡¯s arms. She calmed down after several minutes and managed to explain everything that happened, even confessing to reaching out to MysteriousMaskz first and getting herself into this mess.


    Despite all of her mistakes, her mother was more concerned for her safety now. ¡°Be careful when giving your statement. You have to tell the truth, but don¡¯t give them information they don¡¯t ask for,¡± she warned.


    ¡°I will try my best,¡± Summer promised, and took a moment to freshen up after all that crying. She felt lighter and ready to face whatever news Jared had waiting for her at Gale Industries.


    There was a knock on the door shortly after, but her mother stepped in before Summer could and began all but interrogating Jared on what would be happening to Summer. She also demanded some form of identification so he could be held responsible if anything bad should happen after he took Summer away.


    As Summer was both pleased and embarrassed, Jared answered all of her concerns with the calmness of a professional and agreed to her requests. ¡°Mrs. Aster, our goal is to protect citizens from these incidents, no matter their position or past. However, the criminal involved in this incident has an extremely dangerous power, and we need your daughter''s testimony to have it permanently removed.¡±


    ¡°Summer told me all about it,¡± her mother muttered, ¡°Psychological powers have always been the hardest to prove as threats. However, my earlier words still stand. You must return my daughter to me perfectly safe.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jared assured.


    With one more squeeze of a hug, Summer was finally allowed to join Jared in his car. Or rather, a van that appeared to be an official vehicle of Gale Industries. Summer waited until she was buckled in and the car had set into motion before she started an interrogation of her own.


    ¡°What exactly did you make me do?¡± Summer demanded.


    ¡°In the case that I am not in the right mind, I like to set up security measures,¡± Jared replied, ¡°The nullification gas removes all effects of powers, and while it is mostly perceived as a way to disarm attack type supers, it also works well at releasing victims of psychological supers. The lockdown ensures that all of the affected receive a high enough dosage of the gas and protects anyone not in the direct path of harm with thick barricades.¡±


    The explanation was a bit relieving, but she still had a hard time fathoming why he wouldn¡¯t have told her earlier. Then again, she may not have had the courage to make the call if she had known what she was getting into.


    ¡°Where is Ashton?¡± she asked instead.


    Jared took in a deep breath. ¡°That is where things get complicated. You may have to brace yourself for this,¡± he warned, ¡°When you called, you warned me that she would target SI¡¯s show villain, Shadow Phoenix. I had no way of knowing she would come to our facility but I got a feeling so I set up that security measure. I still remember everything I said and did while under her influence and she made some things fairly certain. As a closely affected party, you deserve to know the truth, but you may regret hearing it.¡±


    Summer felt the pressure of his words, and another feeling of suspicion she had been trying to ignore rose up. ¡°I want to know,¡± she told him.


    ¡°I will start by saying, Queen Heart came to Gale Industries looking for one person. Ashton. She referred to him as her beloved and more or less held him hostage once she managed to get inside,¡± Jared told her, glancing over to gauge Summer¡¯s reaction to the news. ¡°Ashton has since confessed his identity as Shadow Phoenix and has given me his permission to tell you the truth.¡±


    Ashton was Shadow Phoenix? Summer was surprised, but not at the news. She was surprised at the fact that she felt relieved more than anything else. Like the barricade that had been holding her back had been removed. Honestly, as her thoughts turned to all of her interactions with both Ashton and Shadow Phoenix again she felt she might be under the influence of Queen Heart again as she couldn¡¯t help but find all of them precious and lovely.


    So that was why she had clung to Ashton. That was why she had been unable to give up on Shadow Phoenix. Not only that, but the reason she could not give her all in her relationship with Ashton, her boyfriend. Just like the drama that was clearly based on them, that day when he declared his retirement from villainy, Summer had fallen in love with her nemesis.


    ¡°Oh,¡± she breathed out, a bit dazed as the realization hit her, ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡±

 Ashton 21: His Secrets Revealed

    Before Ashton could reach to answer his phone, he was pulled aside by one of the armed personnel who had entered the room. Right, this was hardly the situation for taking phone calls. It was only natural that in a situation like this, they would have questions for him, and they most certainly did. They guided Ashton to a private room that had clearly been used for questioning before, and asked him to remove any devices he may have on his person for the time being.


    Alone, and with nothing else to distract him, the reality of everything that had just happened began to sink in. Queen Heart, the history she remembered far differently than he did, and MysteriousMaskz, or Ned¡¯s involvement in all of this. Had she not been in love with him, causing him to be immune, he would have been at the mercy of any darker motives she might have. Even if he had still been immune, Ashton had this nagging fear that if he hadn¡¯t played along she would have used her powers to have others force his hand.


    Ashton¡¯s plan had been successful, but it left Ashton feeling hollow. As always, he had gone with the flow like a leaf floating on a stream. He neither fought the current nor tried to direct himself along it. A coward in the truest sense. After all, unlike the leaf in the river, he had the power to fight back. Ashton attempted to summon a spark between his fingers, but it seemed his powers were still nullified by the gas. Hopefully his questioning session would give him some answers about that as well.


    The interrogators joined him shortly. A short but sharp looking woman came in first, frowning at her tablet and barely sparing Ashton a glance. Following behind her was a surprisingly familiar face. Jared.


    ¡°I will need to confirm a few things, before we begin,¡± the woman announced, finally meeting his eyes, ¡°First, were you operating under the alias ¡®Shadow Phoenix¡¯ during your time at Superhuman Industries?¡±


    There was no point in holding onto secrets that had already spilled. Especially not in a situation like this. ¡°I did,¡± Ashton confirmed.


    ¡°Were you aware you might be targeted by this morning¡¯s intruder?¡±


    ¡°I knew she would target me eventually, but I was only informed last night,¡± he answered. Even as it left his lips it sounded like a lame excuse.


    ¡°Then why did you not inform your superior of this along with the other details of this case?¡± she demanded.


    Ashton took a deep breath. ¡°I made some assumptions,¡± he admitted, ¡°I assumed she would not strike so quickly, and even if she did I thought she would wait until I left the facility.¡±


    ¡°So you intended to put yourself at risk out in the open?¡±


    That was certainly an idea, but not one Ashton had. Self sacrifice had never crossed his mind. ¡°I intended to plan and discuss more details in the morning, after I had some time to think.¡±


    ¡°Had the informant, Summer Aster, not followed Jared¡¯s instructions you could have been in grave danger,¡± the woman scolded, ¡°If you intend to continue work at the Emergency Division of Gale Research you must communicate concerns immediately to prevent similar situations.¡±


    ¡°Summer saved me?¡± Ashton asked, caught on the surprising detail.


    ¡°She did,¡± Jared confirmed, ¡°I will be picking her up shortly. When I do, I may have to tell her why you were targeted.¡±


    This was it. The moment Ashton had been dreading. Promises and contracts meant nothing in the face of such an incident, and he no longer had the heart to hide it. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Ashton said, ¡°It is time she finds out the truth. I am ready to face whatever the consequences may be.¡± He already had a fair idea of what to expect. He would say goodbye to Summer forever.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Jared smiled. ¡°That¡¯s what I was hoping to hear. It¡¯s nice to see you have some determination for once.¡±


    The woman cleared her throat. ¡°If you are done, I have many questions I need to ask about the incident.¡±


    At her words, Jared left the room, leaving Ashton alone with her. Perhaps it was the influence of the most recent incident, but he felt oddly tense being alone in a room with a woman he had never met. All he had to do was answer her questions and it would all be over.


    The woman asked him to describe what had happened in detail. She would occasionally stop him to clarify some things, especially any details about Queen Heart. She recorded her name, as well as everything that Ashton could recall her saying. The story Heart had told was particularly enlightening as it revealed a secret past and potential records in the government of her new transformation.


    Once he was done with his description of the incident the woman sighed. ¡°She spoke so freely with you, but she won¡¯t say a word to us,¡± she muttered, ¡°I may need to request your trial period to end early. If you become an official team lead of Gale Research you would have the credentials to interrogate her.¡±


    ¡°You want to promote me so I can interrogate Queen Heart?¡± Ashton repeated in shock. He had been certain his employment was about to be terminated due to the scale of the incident.


    ¡°You do not have to, but if she continues to remain silent, you may be the only person who can loosen her tongue,¡± the woman pointed out, ¡°However, I understand if you would feel uncomfortable being alone in a room with your assailant.¡±


    ¡°If she provides information on the one who put her up to this, would I be able to act on that information?¡± Ashton asked. He couldn¡¯t tell if he had finally found the sliver of him that longed to play hero, or if a more villainous side of him had awakened and urged him to eliminate potential threats. Either way, he was certain that his time living like a leaf carried by the stream was over.


    ¡°If the information she provides relates to an actual person, yes. However, we will need more proof than just her word.¡±


    ¡°Summer met him too,¡± Ashton told her, ¡°MysteriousMaskz, Ned, and whatever other alias he lives by has been threatening her for some time. He seems to be obsessed with Shadow Phoenix as well.¡±


    ¡°That is good to know. We will look into it, and I will recommend that you graduate your trial period early,¡± she told him, ¡°Think carefully who you will choose to be on your team.¡±


    That¡¯s right. He got a team with his new position. Ashton got a crazy idea in that moment. A way he could protect Summer by keeping her close. Of course, if she hated him now, he would step aside and focus all of his attention on taking out Maskz instead.


    ==========


    Ned closed the computer he had used to hack into Gale Research¡¯s security cameras. Ashton was awakening, just as he had hoped. He could see it in his eyes, hear it in his tone. Ned had been worried when he had put his past as Shadow Phoenix behind him. He couldn¡¯t let the world miss out on the creation of a true villain.


    Queen Heart had been an unfortunate yet necessary sacrifice for his cause. Ned liked to imagine her destiny would show itself in the future when Ashton rose to power as the true Shadow Phoenix and rescued her from prison. He did have one major regret, however. Perhaps he should not have been so secretive with her.


    There was only one place Queen Heart knew where to find him. It was a different yet similar place to the one where he had met that foolish Golden Reign. Had he known that Shadow Phoenix would be so eager to meet him he would have chosen a much better stage. No matter. He would have to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow instead.


    Now he had to find the perfect bodyguard to make sure the only person who could reach him was Ashton himself. Ned had been watching some potential candidates for quite some time. Some he had intended to raise to stand by Shadow Phoenix¡¯s side, while others would be the perfect trial to make him shine.


    He flipped through the folders hoping to find a couple good candidates. One to ensure he and Shadow Phoenix met, and the other to make sure nothing unfortunate happened to Ashton because of any background interference. Yes, those two would be perfect. Both were under surveillance due to the nature of their power giving them some common ground with Ashton himself.


    Ned liked to call the first Checkmate, and the second Grimoire. It was obvious which position each should fill. Now all he had to do was ensure the other was recommended to join Ashton¡¯s team.

 Summer 22: Unexpected Invitation

    After that phone call Summer had expected the Gale Research facility to be far more impressive. Not that it wasn¡¯t impressive in its own way. It just seemed far too ordinary. Then again, maybe that was the point. Summer was more excited to see Ashton again than anything else, and had to repeatedly remind herself that she was here for questioning, not visiting. She hoped they would at least let her see if he was okay.


    The building began to look a lot less ordinary once they stepped inside. At the very least, its clean tiled floors were a mismatch from the warehouse-like exterior. Summer didn¡¯t have much time to appreciate it before she was taken to a room that perfectly resembled those featured in police dramas. It even had a one sided mirror and a camera in the corner, as well as a single table with one chair.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± Summer whispered, feeling overwhelmed for an entirely different reason than was likely intended.


    Jared chuckled at her reaction. ¡°Take a seat. They will be here in a moment to ask you some questions about what happened. I told you about Ashton because it is sure to come up in the questioning, and I felt it was better if you didn¡¯t find out that way.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Summer told him. Jared may have given her the scare of her life leaving all that responsibility in her hands, but he was actually a thoughtful guy.


    She sat down in the chair and looked around the room with interest, but there wasn¡¯t much to see. The walls were smooth without a single crack, and the plastic table she was sat at was devoid of a single scratch. The chair she was sitting on was also a plastic folding chair, an odd choice for such a prestigious establishment. Then again, maybe they were trying to send some kind of message to those they interrogated? Like maybe, ¡®you don¡¯t deserve to benefit from our riches¡¯.


    ¡°Miss Aster?¡± a woman asked from the doorway, a bit concerned over the way she was grinning creepily at the table.


    Summer flushed with embarrassment. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s me!¡±


    ¡°I will be asking you a few questions,¡± she said, closing the door behind her, ¡°I interviewed the victim just earlier, and it will be interesting to see if your stories match up.¡±


    Was she supposed to say that out loud? Maybe it was some kind of bad cop routine, except this was Gale Research and she didn¡¯t seem to be an official police detective. She tried to reign in her crazy fantasies that had run wild since she had learned the true identity of Shadow Phoenix.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start simple. You went by the alias Golden Reign during your time at Superhuman Industries, correct?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Summer confirmed. She figured it was far from a secret if it was already being asked in this setting. Maybe Ashton told her?


    The woman typed some notes on her tablet as she answered. ¡°Were you aware of your boyfriend¡¯s alias Shadow Phoenix when you started dating him?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Summer replied, ¡°Actually, Jared just told me on the ride over. I had no idea.¡± It was a good thing Jared had warned her or that second question might have made the rest of this interrogation impossible.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    More typing before the woman continued. ¡°I can¡¯t help but notice that the actress who plays Lady Light, a role believed to be based on you in the canceled drama Even Light Needs Shadow bears a striking resemblance. Did you have anything to do with the series¡¯ creation?¡±


    This question really took Summer by surprise. ¡°Me? You think that hot actress looks like me?¡± Again, she was distracted by the wrong part. ¡°I did watch the show, but not until there were three or four episodes out already.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the woman responded, ¡°There are witnesses who claim they saw you at the tornado incident caused by misuse of powers before SI fell. Do you intend to deny this as well?¡±


    Summer flinched. ¡°No. I can¡¯t deny that, but I didn¡¯t do anything. Ashton finished everything before I even got close enough.¡±


    Even if she lied, this one was probably easily proved because of the loss of her car. The wind had been just strong enough to do it in while she was preoccupied with playing hero.


    ¡°Have you been engaging in vigilantism often since then?¡±


    ¡°No. That was the only time. We were already there when she showed up,¡± Summer told her. They had been waiting for something to happen, but neither of them had expected that.


    What did she keep typing on that stupid tablet anyway. Summer now understood why interrogations were so unpleasant. Every question felt like a personal jab trying to drag her down, whether into depression or prison was hard to say. Maybe both.


    ¡°Then how did you come in contact with the intruder calling herself Queen Heart?¡± she demanded.


    Summer took a deep breath and explained. She wasn¡¯t going to be able to avoid mentioning Ned so she told her everything. About how she had been foolish enough to contact him, and how he had proceeded to blackmail her afterwards. She could have shown her email too, but her phone had been confiscated before entering the room.


    Once she was done with that, the story naturally continued to her interaction with the villain in question. Summer noticed that the interrogator called her anything but a villain. Was it some kind of taboo word?


    ¡°You claim her power over you faded once you couldn¡¯t see her,¡± the woman broke in, ¡°but our men were still under her spell long after she left their sight.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it is stronger against the opposite sex?¡± Summer suggested with a shrug, ¡°I just know what happened to me.¡±


    ¡°I hope so, because the alternative is that it affected you less because you are in a happy relationship,¡± she said, ¡°I am sure at least some of those men are married.¡±


    That was an uncomfortable thought. The interrogation continued on a little longer, but somewhere along the way it began to sound like an interview.


    ¡°Am I missing something?¡± Summer asked, finally.


    ¡°My apologies, but from my understanding you are currently unemployed,¡± the woman answered, ¡°Not only that, the abilities you described mastering during your escape from Queen Heart sound perfectly suited to work here. You also have a close relationship with one of our employees, Ashton, and I have been tasked with compiling a list of suitable candidates for his team.¡±


    ¡°His team?¡± Summer asked.


    ¡°You will learn more if you join us.¡±


    How mysterious. Then again, from the moment she called that number and set off the security sequence Summer had known that Gale Research was more than just some lab.


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± the woman asked, ¡°Would you like me to submit your profile in my recommendations?¡±


    Summer looked between the woman and her tablet with her heart pumping. Would Ashton choose her? Nothing would happen if she didn¡¯t try. ¡°Yes! Please do it!¡±

 Ashton 22: Fanatic Behind the Fanatic

    It turned out that his interrogator had been entirely serious about her recommendation. Before Summer even arrived for her own questioning, he was called to meet again with Amber Gale herself. They met in the same room as his original interview, though this time there was an odd tension in the air.


    ¡°You have been recommended for an emergency promotion,¡± she told him, ¡°Before I enact it I must still ask your permission. Once you are promoted you will officially be one of us.¡±


    In other words, he would no longer be in a position where he could just back out. Thinking about it logically, his acceptance was inevitable. With all of the the threats involving himself and Summer, Ashton needed powerful allies. No ally would have your back without getting something in return. For whatever reason, this was the role CEO Gale wanted him to serve.


    ¡°I accept the promotion and the responsibilities that come with it,¡± Ashton promised. He was done running from his problems.


    ¡°Good. As I am sure you are aware your first mission will be to interrogate today¡¯s intruder,¡± she explained, ¡°Before you do so I will need to give you a brief training on our rules of interrogation. You will find them different from your standard legal organization.¡±


    Ashton took the papers she offered expecting to see a strict set of rules. Instead there was one major rule that was the basis of everything else. Under no circumstances should anyone be harmed during the interrogation process. This came with a warning that everything within those rooms was constantly being recorded. In other words, every action was likely to be observed and judged by others.


    ¡°Is there anything specific you need me to find out?¡± Ashton asked.


    ¡°The most important thing for us to learn is information on who helped and sent her here,¡± Amber replied, ¡°Though you already have your suspicions, we need testimonies from those involved.¡±


    That was what he had expected. Still, if the rules were this lax Ashton could easily carry out the plan he had thought of.


    ¡°Would it be possible to speak with her alone and appear as if I have disabled the cameras?¡± Ashton asked, ¡°I believe she will be more likely to give the important details if no one else is listening.¡±


    ¡°So you intend to trick her?¡± Ms. Gale asked, ¡°Are you capable of lying convincingly?¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten that I was Shadow Phoenix?¡± Ashton asked with a confident smile, ¡°It may have been one of my most unpleasant experiences, but it taught me how to deceive. It¡¯s not hard as long as every lie is at least half true.¡±


    Amber Gale chuckled. ¡°Of course I shouldn¡¯t have underestimated you.¡±


    Ashton was given some time to rest and prepare before his interrogation plan. They needed some time to set things up on their end as well. As he was heading in he heard word that Summer was midway through her own interrogation.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Queen Heart¡¯s interrogation room was deeper inside and the increased security made it clear she was being treated as a threat. The young woman herself was handcuffed in place so she could not move to attack anyone. For a moment she appeared depressed and defeated. Then she spotted Ashton and beamed up at him.


    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t abandon me here,¡± she said, ¡°You have always shown mercy to your enemies.¡±


    Enemies? She must mean Golden Reign. The door closed with a sharp click and the camera in the corner drooped with a low hum.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid there is not much I can do for you,¡± Ashton told her, ¡°I don¡¯t have enough power here. Not yet. Things would have been different if we had met outside. Who sent you into this trap?¡±


    There was silence for a few moments. ¡°It was me. I asked him to help me get in because I couldn¡¯t wait,¡± she admitted, ¡°The plan was to meet you somewhere else. I knew that if I broke into this place I might never leave but it was worth it to me.¡±


    ¡°He?¡± Ashton asked.


    Queen Heart smiled. ¡°I met him not long after you quit being a villain. He told me of your true vision and potential and how you would need villains to sacrifice themselves for your cause,¡± she explained, ¡°I have always been ready to sacrifice myself for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who he is or what he said, but he is wrong,¡± Ashton corrected, ¡°I don¡¯t have any grand visions and I definitely don¡¯t need anyone to sacrifice themselves for me.¡±


    ¡°Even if you won¡¯t admit it, I know it¡¯s true,¡± she replied, not shaken by his words at all, ¡°We have seen it clearly. You have the ability to change this world. No matter what anyone says, I will believe in you and the future you will create.¡±


    ¡°Change the world?¡± Ashton asked, flabbergasted, ¡°Just who is this delusional man?¡± He had stopped acting at this point and was using the opportunity to let his real feelings out.


    ¡°Ned isn¡¯t delusional. He just sees what most people can¡¯t,¡± Queen Heart assured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will meet him soon. Once you are ready, ask me again and I will tell you where to meet him. Anyone other than you who attempts to approach him will fail.¡±


    ¡°Once I am ready?¡± Ashton questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Just like me, Ned is willing to be a sacrifice for your greater cause, but he won¡¯t go down without a fight,¡± she explained, ¡°There is nothing you can hide from him. He knew everything about me from the beginning. He knew my name, my past, the pain my power caused, and even about me meeting you.¡±


    That was a lot to unpack. It was clear that her Ned was the same one who had been tormenting Summer, but he had clearly treated the two very differently. ¡°Until then, I guess,¡± Ashton said, ¡°I will see if I can convince them to give you a bit more comfort in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting,¡± she told him, ¡°Even if it takes forever, I will always wait for you.¡±


    Ashton left the room and heard the camera hum again as he did so. Perhaps if he had stayed a little longer he might have been able to find out more, but he knew some new information that was important. First of all, Ned was targeting him, not Summer. Summer was just a means to an end. This guy was also an information hoarder of some kind. Could it be a mental ability? Mental powers had a way of slipping under the radar.


    Rather than getting the chance to see Summer off, Ashton had to see to some paperwork. He now understood why the woman from earlier had brought the tablet with her. The rules of the interrogation might be lax, but the aftermath was far from easy. After he finally finished with that, Ashton was given some potential candidate profiles for his new team. In order for his team to function properly he needed to choose at least three to start off with.


    As he sifted through the paperwork, Ashton saw an unexpected profile in the recommendations. Summer Aster. Did Gale Research want him to bring her in?

 Summer 23: Daughters Fury

    Once Summer arrived home, she realized she had forgotten one thing. Her father¡¯s reaction to this whole situation was sure to be explosive. She should still have some time to prepare before he got off work. At least, that is what Summer thought before she opened the door and immediately came face to face with Mr. Aster.


    ¡°Dad?¡± Summer asked in shock, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Did you really think I would place my company over my daughter¡¯s life?¡± he asked in return, ¡°What would be the point of owning my own business if I can¡¯t even protect you?¡±


    His words would have been a lot more touching if it weren¡¯t for the fury in his eyes. He was sure to ask her about what happened at Gale Research, and when he did he would tell her she had to reject the offer to work there. Summer could already feel the smothering of his overprotection.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside,¡± she told him reluctantly. Just because she knew what would happen didn¡¯t mean she could prevent it.


    She didn¡¯t even have a chance to tell him about her offer. As soon as they arrived in the living room, Summer¡¯s father began to speak.


    ¡°I need you to break up with Ashton,¡± he told her, ¡°He is a good kid, but being by his side will put you in too much danger. Next time you could really end up dead.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with Ashton?¡± Summer asked, a terrible suspicion entering her mind. ¡°You don¡¯t mean to tell me that you knew he was Shadow Phoenix all along?!¡±


    Mr. Aster¡¯s guilty expression told her all she needed to know. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you,¡± he admitted, ¡°I knew it would break your heart.¡±


    Tears began to well up in Summer¡¯s eyes before she could stop them. She was now certain he was the reason Ashton never told her. How much sooner would she have had peace of mind? How much danger could she have avoided had she known?¡±


    ¡°You were wrong,¡± she refuted in a trembling voice, ¡°Finding out that Ashton is Shadow Phoenix was the happiest moment of my life. I won¡¯t let you take him from me!¡±


    ¡°Summer,¡± her father snapped back, ¡°This isn¡¯t time for your childish fantasies. You nearly died! Besides, I am sure you have noticed by now. Ashton doesn¡¯t love you. Stop being selfish and let him go.¡±


    His words cut all the deeper because Summer couldn¡¯t deny them. Ashton always went along with her requests but he had never reached out on his own. Perhaps in his mind she wasn¡¯t much different than Queen Heart. Still, she wasn¡¯t going to give up.


    Tears still streaming down her face, Summer stormed out of the room. Everyone always treated her like she was fragile. It was time to prove them wrong! She dug out a suitcase and started throwing together some clothing and essentials. She even packed the hairbrush she had tried to use as a weapon that night. She hadn¡¯t used it since. As she was zipping the last zipper she heard a hesitant knock on her bedroom door.


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    ¡°Summer?¡± Mr. Aster called, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I went too far. Can we talk?¡±


    For a moment Summer was touched, but one little apology wasn¡¯t going to take the pain away. ¡°No,¡± she told him, throwing the door open, ¡°I need some space, and you have made it clear I will never have any so long as I stay here. Goodbye, dad.¡±


    Her father stood in shock as she pushed past him with her suitcase. She didn¡¯t really have anywhere to go, but she had enough money saved up to last in a hotel for a couple of weeks. Anywhere would be better. Maybe Ashton would even like her more once she was able to stretch her wings.


    ¡°Summer? What is going on?¡± her mother asked from the door as she plopped the suitcase in her trunk.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± Summer replied. She felt a pang of guilt as she saw Mrs. Aster¡¯s startled face.


    ¡°Be safe,¡± her mother managed, ¡°I will always welcome you back home whenever you need me.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Summer said, but she couldn¡¯t even manage a smile. She started her car and started driving. It took a moment, but the thrill of what she was doing began to sink in. She was running away from home. Definitely not something she expected to be doing in her twenties, but even Summer knew she had lived a sheltered life. After all, Shadow Phoenix was her first love.


    After a couple of calls, Summer was able to secure herself a hotel room for the night. Whatever happened after that she would deal with then. As soon as she got settled the drain of the day caught up with her. Too exhausted for even regrets, Summer drifted off to sleep.


    Checkout time was at ten, and Summer barely woke up in time to get ready and head out. Now she had herself and her car again with no destination and no place to go back to. She couldn¡¯t return home. Not yet. Her heart skipped a beat when her phone rang, but sank again when she saw it wasn¡¯t Ashton.


    ¡°Hello?¡± she answered.


    ¡°Summer Aster? This is Sabrina from Gale Research Recruitment,¡± the caller began, ¡°Would you be willing to come in for an interview? Your profile was selected.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Summer agreed instantly, not sure if she should be excited, suspicious, or confused. Her profile was selected? By Who? ¡°Where do I need to go?¡±


    ¡°Are you available now?¡± Sabrina asked in surprise, ¡°In that case, come to the main building as soon as you can. I will send you an entry code.¡±


    Maybe if she aced this interview they would be willing to provide a place to stay for her like they did for Ashton. Moving out officially sounded so permanent and a bit scary, but she also couldn¡¯t imagine going back home. A test from Sabrina interrupted her internal dialogue with the promised code. Looked like she needed to get going.


    The main building was exactly as Summer had remembered it. The code got her through just as Sabrina had promised it would. Next she had to figure out where to park and where in the main building she was even supposed to go. She could always ask, but she wasn¡¯t even sure who she was supposed to be having the interview with.


    It turned out she didn¡¯t need to worry about any of that. The moment she stepped inside she was directed to a room reserved for interviews. Waiting in this room was someone she had been longing to see focused on some papers.


    ¡°Ashton?¡± she asked, despite herself.


    ¡°You¡¯re already here?¡± he asked back, then smiled, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you. I never got the chance to make sure you were okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Summer said, trying to hold back the blush she felt coming. It was hard to act normal now that she knew how she felt, ¡°Did you really pick me?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Ashton confirmed and suddenly became serious, ¡°Are you ready for your interview?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±

 Ashton 23: Pick of the List

    Ashton looked over the candidates again to make sure he got the right list. The folder had his name marked on it, as did the team building guideline. He set the candidates to the side and decided to read that first. To his surprise, the guideline began by going over his team¡¯s purpose and classification.


    ¡°You will be leading the second experimental noncombatant team specializing in situations involving mental, emotional, and other unseen abilities. As such, there are many things to keep in mind when choosing your team. First, due to the nature of your mission, all members must train and work in the same space. Living arrangements are provided for each team to make this easier.¡±


    It went on to talk about the importance of team mental health in the team setting, and how hand picking each team member could prevent future problems from arising. This was also the reason why teams, including the leader, trained together from the beginning. That made sense in a way, but Ashton had already gone through his own strict training during his life in the facility, and at SI.


    As for the apartments, Ashton had already heard of them during his time with Jared¡¯s team. Teams could choose to live on site or in company owned apartment complexes. The main difference seemed to be a paycheck deduction to keep the apartments running. Company apartments also had plenty of rules from his past experience at those run by SI, but it would provide far more privacy than staying in a room at Gale Research.


    Ashton was glad to finally have some answers about his team¡¯s purpose, but the greater details likely would not be revealed until official team training. He couldn¡¯t tell if he was impatient for things to get going or uncomfortable with the speed they already were. He flipped through the profiles again to distract himself from useless thoughts.


    The profiles all seemed to be of the same age or younger than himself except for one. It was a dual profile for twins who shared a power. By their picture alone, the two men looked about the same age as everyone else, but their actual listed age was ¡®N/A¡¯.


    He glanced up at the name. Levi and Kai Smith. They looked identical, but nothing about them warned of undefinable age. Could it be their power? Equivalent exchange could mean a lot of things. That is when Ashton noticed an all too familiar symbol at the corner of their profile.


    This prompted another skim through. There were only two profiles with this symbol. The Smith twins and Kayla Penn. If he hadn¡¯t already been familiar with the symbol and its meaning, he may not have even noticed it. It was a little ¡®f¡¯ followed by a number in a gray box. Ashton was most familiar with F7, but the number was less important than the symbol itself. When he had stayed there, Ashton had been told that the gray box represented a safe because special talents like himself were meant to be kept safe.


    The Smith Twins were from F8 while Ms. Penn¡¯s symbol bore the number 2. The number of the facility they were sent to had to do with two factors. Location and danger level. For the first three and most dangerous facilities only the second factor was taken into account. Why was someone the government clearly considered extremely dangerous in his recommendations? Even his incident that cost the life of his family had only sent him to the seventh facility.


    Then again, it might be a mental ability. They always seemed to fear most things that could not be seen. While Ashton knew logically he should be avoiding such dangerous people, he knew well what life was like there. This was likely their one shot at leaving that place. If he ignored them now, they would spend the rest of their lives as tools without the right to have wills of their own.


    ¡°Already done?¡± Sabrina asked as he brought her three profiles he had chosen, ¡°I¡¯ll send them to the top to get them approved for you.¡±


    Sabrina was the recruitment agent Ashton had been directed to deliver his choices to once he was done. Her desk was a mass of unorganized papers and she looked swamped. Perhaps he should have mulled over his choices a little longer, but Ashton knew he wouldn¡¯t change his mind.


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    ¡°They still have to get through the interview stage,¡± he told her, ¡°I may have to pick again if they don¡¯t work out.¡±


    ¡°That never happens,¡± Sabrina told him, ¡°I mean, you can, but the interview is more of a formality. Anyone who has made it on your list has already been selected as a top quality candidate they believe you will do well with.¡±


    Was that why those two profiles had been there? No, he couldn¡¯t ask that. Sabrina likely had no idea what that symbol was or what it meant. ¡°They have the right to refuse during the interview as well,¡± he reminded instead.


    ¡°Now that would be wild,¡± Sabrina laughed, ¡°That¡¯s right, I was told to give you this address. Now that you are an official employee the apartment you requested has been set up for you. The whole building has been reserved for you and your team so choose whichever one you like and move in. Make sure to give this number a call as well. They may need you to sign some more paperwork.¡±


    She continued to tear off sticky notes with scribbled numbers and other important information he would be needing once he moved into the company apartments, and she let him know he could keep hold of the other profiles if he would like. There was no guarantee the individuals would remain unemployed for long, but it couldn¡¯t hurt to have some backups until everything was solidified.


    Ashton took the few things he had kept with him at Gale Research and drove to the address on the sticky note. It was fairly closeby, being a company apartment, and it was set in a neighborhood of other similar buildings. Rather than the usual endless set of doors that reminded Ashton of a hotel, these apartments were divided into smaller buildings split into six or eight. The address he had been given belonged to one of the newest buildings a few blocks into the neighborhood with six apartments divided between two floors.


    Was this their way of limiting the growth of his team? He parked his car and dug out the sticky note with the master code to allow him into the apartments. On it were instructions to change the code later once he moved in. He would no doubt have to assist the others with this as well.


    The six apartments were all almost exactly the same and extremely bare. They came with the basic appliances but no furniture of any kind. Luckily he had saved his from his old apartment. He would just have to pick it up from the storage unit. For simplicity, he chose one of the bottom level apartments.


    Moving everything over took the rest of his day and unpacking necessities went late into the night. Ashton collapsed on his bed, still musty from being stored, exhausted. Not that any of that stopped him from getting up in his usual morning hours to get to work. He did a quick check of his phone to find several messages from Mrs. Aster.


    ¡°Summer left home. Is she with you?¡± from the day before.


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t come back yet, has she contacted you at all?¡± from later that night.


    The messages got more and more panicked as they went on. Ashton grimaced. He had never turned his phone off silent after everything that had happened the day before. He hadn¡¯t even glanced at it the whole rest of the day. He sent her a message assuring her he would try to contact Summer and find out how she was doing.


    He tried to give her a call, but just as he had expected she wasn¡¯t awake this early in the morning. Ashton had noticed that Summer had a habit of sleeping in, and her late nights as Golden Reign probably hadn¡¯t helped. Instead of that, Ashton headed right back to Gale Industries.


    Ashton was immediately cornered and given armfuls of paperwork to fill out for the apartment, the team, and various other things. He was also given some papers he would need once the interviews began. After confirming he would be fine with conducting interviews that day he was shoved in an appropriate room and let to finish his endless mound. He could try to call Summer again once he took his lunch.


    ¡°Ashton?¡± Summer¡¯s voice broke through his train of thoughts.


    ¡°You¡¯re already here?¡± he asked back, then realized it was already past noon. When had it gotten that late?He played it off with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you. I never got the chance to make sure you were okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Summer said, and he noticed her looking away awkwardly.Maybe he really should have tried to call her again. ¡°Did you really pick me?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Ashton confirmed, focusing on the task at hand, ¡°Are you ready for your interview?¡± Everything else could wait until he finished.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    How was he supposed to begin an interview again? Ashton decided he would begin by giving her an explanation of exactly what it was she was signing up for, after making her sign the appropriate confidentiality documents, of course.

 Summer 24: Making a Move

    Before even a word was spoken, Ashton passed her a form to sign. A confidentiality agreement? What kinds of things was he going to tell her that she had to sign one before the interview even started? Or was he just that confident she would pass? She gave it a quick glance over to make sure there weren¡¯t any dangerous deals hidden inside like those hero agencies that had popped up, then signed her name in the appropriate places.


    ¡°I want you to know what you are getting into before you join,¡± Ashton explained, ¡°I am sure you have your own ideas as well. There are also some things I need to warn you about.¡±


    So he had given her this contract to protect her. Summer couldn¡¯t help but smile, but she needed to focus. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± she assured him.


    ¡°I will begin with the part that probably matters most,¡± Ashton started, ¡°If you do join my team, you will need to move into the team apartments. While we will be a noncombatant team, we will still need to train together and missions and emergencies will be easier if we are all in close proximity-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect!¡± Summer broke in, unable to contain her excitement, ¡°Actually, I have been thinking of moving out on my own.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good then,¡± Ashton replied a bit awkwardly, ¡°Then why don¡¯t I explain what the team was and what we would be doing?¡±


    Summer nodded, eager to hear more. ¡°You said we won¡¯t need to fight, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ashton confirmed, ¡°Our team has been chosen for a special mission. Unseen powers such as mental and emotional abilities have a way of slipping under the radar until it is too late. We will be locating these powers and ensuring they are not dangerous to themselves or others. Mostly through negotiation, if possible.¡±


    ¡°Amazing,¡± Summer whispered. This was already far closer to her idea of a hero than SI had ever been.


    Ashton hesitated. ¡°Summer, there is something I have to admit. This incident and everything with MysteriousMaskz is my fault. I intend to use this opportunity to track him down as I am certain he has some kind of unseen ability. I understand if you don¡¯t want to get involved any further.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± Summer told him, ¡°Ned won¡¯t scare me anymore. Not when I have Shadow Phoenix to protect me.¡±


    ¡°If you are sure, fill out this paperwork and pack your things,¡± Ashton told her and handed her the appropriate materials.


    There was a silence as Summer filled out the papers, broken by her occasional question. Once the paperwork was finished, he stacked it in a neat pile and stowed it away. That was when Summer got a sudden idea. She was going to take action on her own this time.


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    ¡°Ashton,¡± she called out and approached as he looked up. He seemed confused but not as confused as he would be in a moment. Summer leaned in and kissed him before she lost her nerve. A proper kiss on the lips, though barely a peck. ¡°Thank you for always being there for me.¡±


    Summer pulled back to get a full view of Ashton frozen stiff. If she needed any more proof that Ashton didn¡¯t feel that way about her, this drove it home. However, she had no intention of giving up. First, she would make him aware of her. Actually, first she should leave before her embarrassment caught up to her and Ashton unfroze enough to start asking questions.


    Once she was out by her car, the reality of what she needed to do next began to sink in. It was time to go home and to stand her ground. Today was the day she would finally prepare to move out on her own. Summer hated to admit it, but the thought was scary. She had seen enough of the world to know there was plenty of reason for her father to be protective of her. While she understood, it was also exciting to finally have the chance to stand on her own.


    As will all things Summer dreaded, it seemed it was only a moment before she pulled into the driveway of her home. Or her family¡¯s home. She wasn¡¯t sure how to refer to this place anymore. She stared at the front door for a few minutes before she left the safety of her vehicle. Nothing would happen if she didn¡¯t make a move, so Summer forced herself to open her door and start walking.


    Before she even had a chance to open the door, it flung open and she was pulled into a tight embrace by her father. He had bags under his eyes and she could feel a slight tremble in his arms.


    ¡°You came home,¡± he said, his voice trembling more than his grip, ¡°I¡¯m so glad your safe. I¡¯m sorry. I should never have-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Summer interrupted, not wanting to put on a drama for the neighborhood on the doorstep, ¡°I overreacted a little myself. Let¡¯s go inside. I have something to tell you. Something I meant to tell you yesterday before¡­ everything.¡±


    Mr. Aster released her and led her inside. Everything was exactly the same. Summer didn¡¯t know why she was surprised. It had only been one day. The moment they two stepped out of the hallway, her mother pulled her into a tight hug of her own. Rather than trembling, her emotions were shown through the crippling strength that knocked the air out of her lungs.


    ¡°I need to tell you both something,¡± Summer managed after surviving both bear hugs, ¡°Yesterday I was offered a position at Gale Research and I accepted. I finished all of the paperwork today, and I will be moving into the company apartments.¡± She wasn¡¯t asking. Not this time. They needed to know, but she wouldn¡¯t let their rejection stop her now.


    They were shocked, but Summer didn¡¯t hear the words of anger or dismissal she had expected. Instead, her father seemed to deflate even more. ¡°No wonder you were so emotional yesterday. Your mother was right. Ashton¡¯s protected you this far, and I can¡¯t let my fear steal your future.¡±


    ¡°Mom?¡± Summer questioned, surprised by the news. While she had been wasting time feeling sorry for herself, it seemed her mother had been defending her and successfully convinced him.


    ¡°I know you feel stifled here,¡± Mrs. Aster told her, ¡°We will never stop loving or protecting you. You are our precious little girl. Our treasure. However, you are also your own person and you deserve to live your own life.¡±


    Summer felt tears coming back to her eyes and her mouth felt dry. Maybe she should have drunk more water. They continued their tearful reunion and had a nice meal together. After that her parents helped her pack her things and they enjoyed chatting about her new apartment that she would be moving into.

 Ashton 24: Interviews

    Summer signed the contract and Ashton explained the basics of exactly what she would be getting into. What their team was, what they would be doing, and the fact that they would all be learning together. He also warned her that she would have to move into the company apartments with the rest of the team. She took it better than he expected. She even seemed excited. Her eyes even lit up at the idea of finding unseen powers.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± Summer whispered at the end of his explanation.


    Ashton hesitated. He couldn¡¯t put off telling her any longer. ¡°Summer, there is something I have to admit. This incident and everything with MysteriousMaskz is my fault. I intend to use this opportunity to track him down as I am certain he has some kind of unseen ability. I understand if you don¡¯t want to get involved any further.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± Summer told him immediately, ¡°Ned won¡¯t scare me anymore. Not when I have Shadow Phoenix to protect me.¡±


    So she knew, and not only was she not hurt by the information, she seemed to welcome it. Once again, Ashton couldn¡¯t help but think that Summer was a strange person. He imagined that most of the heroes duped by SI would be furious if they were to accidentally end up dating their villain. Since she seemed on board there was no need to have conflicted feelings on his end.


    ¡°If you are sure, fill out this paperwork and pack your things,¡± Ashton told her and handed her the appropriate materials.


    There was a silence as Summer filled out the papers, broken by her occasional question. Once the paperwork was finished, he stacked it in a neat pile and stowed it away. He would need to get that to the hiring department and make sure the apartments were fully taken care of so she could move in.


    ¡°Ashton,¡± she called out, interrupting his thoughts. Before he had a chance to process what was happening her lips met his own, but only for a moment before they fell away again. ¡°Thank you for always being there for me.¡±


    What just happened? Ashton couldn¡¯t move. He wasn¡¯t even sure he was thinking. This was completely different from Queen Heart¡¯s bold declarations of love. He could feel his heart thumping and his ears felt hot. No, his whole face did. He was glad that Summer had immediately left the room so he had some time to calm himself in solitude and silence. A crazy thought entered his mind. Did Summer like him? No, judging by the timing, it wasn¡¯t Ashton she liked, but Shadow Phoenix. It was a bittersweet realization.


    Unfortunately, Ashton was on the clock. There was no time for being dazed. He needed to finish submitting the proper paperwork and prepare for the next interview. Based on how they had just sent Summer in, the next one could be just as spontaneous. Ashton¡¯s guess was right. As soon as he finished processing Summer¡¯s papers, his next interview walked in.


    This time, he was joined by two people. Levi and Kai Smith. They looked exactly like their profiles, if a bit more on edge. Ashton could understand their perspective. After living in that place, this was bound to seem too good to be true.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you could make it,¡± Ashton told them, ¡°My name is Ashton Gray and I will be your team leader if you accept this position. If you would sign these, I can explain more about what you would be doing here.¡±


    They carefully looked over the document. Ashton presented. Well, one of them did. The other scowled at him with great suspicion.


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    ¡°How do we know this isn''t¡¯t a trap?¡± he demanded, ¡°And don¡¯t spout some nonsense that you will protect us.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t promise to protect you,¡± Ashton confirmed, ¡°Right now, I barely have the power to protect myself. What I can do is give you a chance.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to hear more,¡± the calmer twin proposed, handing back the signed paper. So he was Levi.


    Kai snatched his contract and hastily scribbled a barely legible signature. ¡°We will hear you out, but that¡¯s it,¡± he warned, ¡°We already know who you are and F7.¡±


    Ashton suddenly understood Kai¡¯s attitude. He believed that he had become one of them in order to get out. There was no real way to disprove that and it was ultimately their choice whether or not to accept. All he could do was explain.


    For the second time that day, Ashton went over the details of what this team was and their purpose. Unlike Summer, both Levi and Kai had a darker take on the situation. Especially Kai.


    ¡°They want us to eliminate threats before they become one,¡± Kai scoffed, ¡°The Facilities must be looking too empty lately. Are you proud of becoming their loyal dog?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t pretend to agree with the way those places are run,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°but I¡¯ve seen what it is like for those kinds out here. With no way to control their power, their life becomes a curse. I won¡¯t be sending anyone to those Facilities either, though. If they are a threat I will remove the cause. Gale Research has given me authority to permanently nullify powers.¡±


    That seemed to get their attention. The Smith twins shared meaningful eye contact before Kai¡¯s demeanor changed entirely. After his earlier fiery glares, the gleaming smile was off putting.


    ¡°We would love to take this opportunity and become part of the team,¡± he told Ashton, ¡°How do we sign up?¡±


    After that the paperwork went suspiciously smoothly. Kai and Levi were both very proficient and they were done and gone in record time. With all of the paperwork squared away, Ashton made sure to send everything to the proper places before his last interview arrived. If there was anything he learned about Gale Research it was that everything moved at incredible speed here.


    There was a nice break between interviews this time. Ashton was almost finished with his own backlog of paperwork before she arrived. Kayla Penn looked more excited than nervous, and Ashton couldn¡¯t help but notice she was especially elated to see him. He sincerely hoped it was only because she was happy to finally be free of F2.


    ¡°Nice to meet you!¡± she introduced energetically, ¡°My name is Kayla Penn! This place is incredible. Will I really be working here in the future?¡±


    ¡°If you want to. I can explain more about what we will be doing if you-¡±


    ¡°No need for that,¡± she turned down before even letting him finish, ¡°I don¡¯t care what I have to do, captain. I am more than happy to use my power for your benefit. I heard I even get to live on the outside. Isn¡¯t that exciting?¡±


    She definitely seemed desperate. Just how bad were the conditions in F2? Ashton still couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was off about her, but it wasn¡¯t enough to send her away. If worst came to worst, he could always send her back later. Or perhaps, just like the twins, she might be hoping for an accident to happen where her powers vanished.


    ¡°If you are certain,¡± Ashton relented, ¡°I still need you to sign the confidentiality contract along with everything else. Can I ask why you are so eager to work with me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s obvious,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°You are Shadow Phoenix, the hope of the future. The man who will change the world.¡±


    Those words were chillingly similar to those that Queen Heart had told him before. Was she a spy sent by MysteriousMaskz? In that case, it was all the more reason to keep her close. Ned could use countless means to spy on them, but an obvious spy was a possible lead to track him down. The question was, what did Kayla want from him?

 Summer 25: Moving Day

    It turned out that Mr. Aster took moving very seriously. Before anything was brought over or purchased he needed to scope out the apartment. Luckily, Summer was due to choose her unit and there didn¡¯t seem to be any rules against bringing guests. Just to make sure, Summer checked with Ashton before bringing her parents along. Since the apartments were not part of a closed community it was fine, but they would not be allowed to stay the night.


    ¡°If they offer some moldy shack of an apartment I won¡¯t be letting you move in,¡± her father warned on the drive over.


    ¡°There is no way that will happen,¡± Summer retorted, rolling her eyes, ¡°Gale Research is a proper company.¡±


    ¡°That is what we thought about SI,¡± Mr. Aster pointed out, ¡°This time I will do what I can to make sure you are safe, even if all I can do is move you to a better apartment.¡±


    ¡°Or set up proper security in the current apartment,¡± her mother added, ¡°Even if the accommodations are fine, we need to make sure you have some proper locks at least.¡±


    ¡°Mom, not you too,¡± Summer complained, ¡°I¡¯m sure the locks are fine.¡±


    The Aster family pulled into the mini parking lot for their destination. There looked to be a total of six apartments in the building, five of which had digital padlocks attached to the doors. The door without one opened shortly after they parked and Ashton stepped out. He was still wearing his business clothes, but they were untucked and casual.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you made it alright,¡± he greeted, ¡°You are the first to arrive to choose an apartment.¡±


    Summer couldn¡¯t help but notice his overly professional attitude. Was it because her parents were there or because of this kiss? She decided to push things a little to see how he would react.


    ¡°Is the one next to yours available?¡± she asked. It would put her in the center ground level apartment, but no matter which one she chose she would be next to someone.


    Ashton glanced back at the apartment in question, his response a bit delayed. ¡°If that is the one you would like. Did you want to take a look at it first?¡±


    ¡°What happened between you too?¡± Summer¡¯s mother whispered as Ashton went to unlock the padlocked door. For a moment she had forgotten that her parents were there too.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying my best,¡± she replied rather than an actual explanation, ¡°But I think it just made things worse.¡±


    Mrs. Aster looked at the two men who had gone into the apartment to inspect things. ¡°On the contrary, I think you succeeded,¡± she assured, ¡°Watch him closely and you will notice it too. He is more aware of you, but he is nervous.¡±


    Aware Summer could see, but nervous? Summer stared at Ashton¡¯s back as he continued to chat with her father. He didn¡¯t seem nervous at all. She followed her mother into the apartment with them and took a look around. She wasn¡¯t sure why she was surprised to see everything was completely bare.


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    The floor, the walls, the tiny counter in the kitchenette. There was a sink, mini stovetop and oven, and a tiny fridge. That was the only furnishings in the whole place. She also noted that everything was tiny. The cupboards, the closet, and even the bathroom. There was no bathtub, only a walk-in shower. That being said, everything seemed to be brand new from top of the line brands.


    ¡°It¡¯s so small,¡± Summer mentioned as she realized she could touch both walls in the bathroom if she stretched her hands out either way.


    ¡°Is it?¡± Ashton asked, a little perplexed.


    Was this the kind of place he was used to? In that case she could get used to it too. ¡°It¡¯s the perfect size for me,¡± she decided, ¡°If I think of it more like my own personal room than a house it is almost big?¡±


    Mr. Aster was trying his hardest, but failing, to contain his laughter. Clearly her attempt to show her acceptance of this apartment had failed miserably. She felt some heat going to her ears, and quickly changed the topic to moving preparations.


    That launched the grand measurement party. They spent a couple of hours writing down various measurements and discussing the perfect furniture to fit them. Mr. Aster had pride in his knowledge of furnishings and made sure to recommend the best from his own company. Mrs. Aster also had pride in her knowledge of the competitor¡¯s furniture and insisted that some of their models fit the space and Summer¡¯s vibe better than the Aster Corp version.


    It was kind of relaxing, but Ashton had to leave midway to show the other members of their new team to whatever apartment they chose. Since things were running long he would return later to set up her new lock. Summer had to remind herself that he was definitely doing his job not trying to avoid her in any way. Probably. She couldn¡¯t even be confident.


    There were some footsteps above her. Looked like they had chosen the center second floor apartment, whoever it was. It was a bit of a relief to have proof that something important was actually happening. Would the footsteps from above sound so loud all the time? No, she wouldn¡¯t let some minor inconvenience change her mind. Everything had already been measured at this point.


    Once Ashton returned and set up her new lock, both in key and keypad code, the Aster family went shopping. Furniture, tools, utensils, and cleaning supplies. Everything was carefully chosen to perfectly match both Summer and her new space. To be honest it was both exhausting and a little overwhelming. Was moving always like this?


    They didn¡¯t stop until everything was installed in its proper space and Summer flopped down onto her new bed with her suitcase full of things leaning against her still bare bedroom wall. She had planned to visit Ashton once everything was finished but she was exhausted. Maybe she could get away with taking a little nap?


    Just a little¡­ nap¡­


    Where was that incessant banging coming from? Summer reached over to grab her alarm clock and nearly fell off her new bed, reality flashing back into her mind along with the gut wrenching falling sensation that made her grip her sheets. What time was it? Was that someone knocking on her door?


    To Summer¡¯s relief it was only 7pm. It hadn¡¯t even been an hour but she wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if she had slept a whole day away. ¡°One moment!¡± she called out to stop whoever was pounding at her door. She threw it open and came face to face with a young woman about her age.


    ¡°You¡¯re not Ashton,¡± the woman said, ¡°Sorry, I must have had the wrong apartment. My name is Kayla. I will be joining the team starting today.¡±


    Summer shook off her grogginess and greeted her back. ¡°I¡¯m Summer,¡± she told her, ¡°Welcome to the team. I can introduce you to Ashton if you would like.¡±


    ¡°Are you close?¡± Kayla asked.


    For some reason, Summer sensed danger. ¡°Of course,¡± she replied with confidence, ¡°Ashton is my boyfriend.¡±

 Ashton 25: New Neighbors

    The very next day, Summer contacted him about choosing her apartment, and permission to bring along her parents. After a quick check of the rules, Ashton sent her an okay and awaited their arrival. How was he meant to face her after what had happened at the end of the interview? No, he couldn¡¯t let that hold him back. All he needed to do was be professional.


    He worked on some of his own unpacking while he waited, and heard a car pull into the lot after a while. Remember, everything would be fine if he kept it professional. As long as he maintained his work persona he would be able to interact normally. He stepped outside just in time to see the Aster family exiting their car.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you made it alright,¡± he greeted, ¡°You are the first to arrive to choose an apartment.¡±


    ¡°Is the one next to yours available?¡± she asked.


    Ashton glanced back at the apartment in question. He reminded himself that he must remain professional and leave personal feelings aside. If they were to be on the same team, he couldn¡¯t let her every move get to him. ¡°If that is the one you would like. Did you want to take a look at it first?¡±


    Summer hesitated, but Mr. Aster stepped forward and had Ashton unlock the door so he could scope out the place properly. He was glad someone was taking the situation seriously, especially since it helped him maintain his professional persona. He was able to answer all of the questions Mr. Aster asked as they waited for the ladies to join them.


    All of the apartments were exact replicas of each other. One bathroom, two small rooms, and a living space that went from small kitchenette to dining room to entryway with no real separation. Ashton had made his spare room into an office space to make paper and computer work easier. What Ashton had not done was taken exact measurements, but Mr. Ashton was prepared with his own tools.


    The ladies stepped in and took a look around while Mr. Aster started on the simpler measurements. Summer poked her head into various rooms, stopping in the bathroom.


    ¡°It¡¯s so small,¡± Summer mentioned


    ¡°Is it?¡± Ashton asked, a little perplexed. Was she talking about the bathroom or the whole place? He probably should have just agreed with her, though he thought this was rather nice for an apartment he didn¡¯t have to spend a dime on.


    ¡°It¡¯s the perfect size for me,¡± she backtracked quickly, ¡°If I think of it more like my own personal room than a house it is almost big?¡±


    Almost? No, it was probably best not to comment. Summer¡¯s father was wealthy enough to donate to SI on a regular basis and she had never left her family home. She would probably get used to things eventually. He felt almost invisible as the family enjoyed their time inspecting and measuring every nook and cranny of the place.


    It was a relief when he got a message that the Smith twins had arrived. One quick explanation and promise to return and Ashton was able to excuse himself from the awkward environment. Hopefully once he was done helping Levi and Kai he would be prepared to face Summer and her family.


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    The twins had arrived on a special transport bus used by the facilities. Ashton recognized from his first outing before Mr. Wyndart had taken him in. The driver watched them with narrowed eyes but drove off once Ashton showed them his badge and proof of paperwork that they needed. Levi had a large duffel slung over his shoulder and Kai was dragging a single backpack by the handle.


    ¡°So this is where we will be staying,¡± Levi muttered.


    ¡°Are they sure about giving us this much freedom all of the sudden?¡± Kai scorned, ¡°We could do anything.¡±


    ¡°If you do, the consequences will be on your own heads,¡± Ashton reminded, ¡°You may not be trapped behind walls but they are always watching us. We¡¯ve just moved to a bigger cage.¡±


    Kai winced, but didn¡¯t argue. ¡°So which one of these is ours?¡±


    ¡°You can both choose one if you would like,¡± Ashton told them, ¡°They weren¡¯t really designed for two people to share.¡±


    The twins shared a glance. ¡°We¡¯ll take a look and decide,¡± Kai told him, ¡°Are any of the ones on the second floor open?¡±


    ¡°All of them are,¡± Ashton replied, ¡°All of the apartments should be the same, but maybe you should take the middle one just in case you change your minds and want your own apartment later.¡±


    ¡°So we can be next to each other even if someone else moves in upstairs,¡± Levi concluded, ¡°Perfect. Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    Ashton led them up the stairs and let them into the apartment, a perfect replica just like the rest. They took a quick look around but there was one problem that was made immediately apparent. Those two bags were everything the twins owned, but there was no furniture here for them. He couldn¡¯t just leave them to sleep on the floor, but it wasn¡¯t like Ashton just had any spare furniture laying about either.


    ¡°Let me see what I can get you for tonight. If nothing else I should be able to borrow a couple cots or an air mattress,¡± Ashton promised them.


    ¡°It seems like it will take some time to get this place set up properly,¡± Levi realized with a sigh, ¡°Thank you for giving us this chance and helping us settle in.¡±


    ¡°He should help us settle in,¡± Kai argued, ¡°It¡¯s his responsibility after convincing us to come here. Our lives are in his hands now.¡±


    That was a weighty sentence, but Ashton had to admit it was true. Luckily, Gale Research was already equipped to handle just this situation and two collapsible cots were delivered for them. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was a start. He gave them a few spare blankets and set up their new lock and key before returning to check in on Summer.


    Luckily they had finished with the measurements and approved of the apartment. Her lock and key was easy enough to set up after that. Summer was too busy with moving preparations to attempt to flirt any further, which was both a relief and a disappointment. Ashton couldn¡¯t decide how he felt.


    After Summer left Ashton tried to finish up the rest of his work. He needed to make sure he had all the appropriate paperwork to show when Kayla showed up. Given the high level of her facility, he doubted they would hand her off without a thorough check. While he was finishing that up, he heard the distinct sounds of Summer moving in, furniture and all. How had she gotten so much already? No, knowing them, they must have just bought it.


    After he ate and cleaned up dinner, there was a knock on his door. He opened it to see both Summer and Kayla standing there. Kayla had nothing with her and there was no sign of the transport. How had she gotten here? And more importantly, why were both of them so on edge?

 Summer 26: Team Shopping Spree

    Ashton was quick to open his door, but he seemed confused to see Kayla there. Was she lying about being new to the team? No, Ashton definitely recognized her so that wasn¡¯t it. She probably just arrived early or hadn¡¯t officially been approved yet.


    ¡°Ms. Penn, what happened to your escort?¡± Ashton asked.


    Escort? Now that was something Summer had not expected. Could it be possible that Kayla belonged to a family of billionaires or celebrities? Admittedly, Summer only focused on celebrities connected to the world of superheroes so she probably wouldn¡¯t recognize her if she was.


    ¡°They are watching from a distance,¡± Kayla replied, clearly disappointed with Ashton¡¯s greeting, ¡°Since I will be living here from now on, I was allowed to approach without them. I don¡¯t know what they think I am going to do. Run for it? Where?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go fill out the forms,¡± Ashton sighed, ¡°Can you show her the empty apartments, Summer?¡± He tossed her a key and headed towards the van that Summer had failed to notice when Kayla had arrived earlier.


    Kayla seemed even more taken aback now. ¡°I thought you were a civilian. Do you know about the facilities as well?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The facilities?¡± Summer asked, ¡°Like, the apartments provided by Gale Research?¡±


    ¡°So you are just a civilian. What is he thinking?¡± Kayla muttered.


    Civilian? Why did she keep using that word as if she wasn¡¯t? Summer hated the idea that Ashton shared a secret with this new girl that she wasn¡¯t allowed to know. She even signed the confidentiality contract, so she should be allowed to know things, right? Maybe she still had to prove herself.


    ¡°I will show you those apartments,¡± Summer told her, and gave her a brief tour. ¡°This one is Ashton¡¯s, and this is mine. The one on the end is still open, and there are two more open on the second floor. All of the apartments are exactly the same, but none of them have any furniture.¡±


    ¡°I thought that might be the case, so I brought my own,¡± Kayla said.


    That was a relief. Summer didn¡¯t want to have to share with her, even if it was petty. That was what she thought at first, anyway. When Kayla chose the final first floor apartment and started moving her things in, that petty turned to pity. What kind of furniture was that? A collapsible cloth bin of some kind? Was that a camping cot? It looked so old, and the fabric on the thin mat was worn and torn.


    How was anyone meant to survive on just this? She didn¡¯t have a chair, or dresser, or desk. There was no lamps or toaster or microwave. Were the others living in a similar situation? It got to the point where when Kayla finished signing the papers with Ashton, Summer couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore.


    ¡°You need to come with me,¡± she told Kayla, ¡°Things can¡¯t stay like this.¡±


    ¡°Come with you where?¡± Kayla asked warily.


    ¡°Shopping, of course. We need to get you some real essentials, not that barely functional nonsense.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any money,¡± Kayla pointed out.


    ¡°Luckily for you, I still have plenty,¡± Summer told her, ¡°Ashton, do I need to pick up anything for the others as well?¡±


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    Ashton seemed a bit taken aback by her offer. ¡°Summer, you don¡¯t need to buy things for them,¡± he told her, ¡°I know your family is well off, but we should get a team budget for these things by the end of the week.¡±


    ¡°This is the money I earned myself,¡± Summer corrected, ¡°And besides, I can¡¯t let my teammates live like this for a whole week. I am going to get everyone the proper basics whether they like it or not.¡±


    He only made the one attempt to argue with her, before they gathered for a surprise team shopping trip. It was nice to meet her new teammates for the first time, even if they were all incredibly confused. Kayla seemed the most confused out of all of them, considering their earlier back and forth of hostility.


    It turned out the reason it had been so loud above her was because she had not just one, but two upstairs neighbors. The twins were Kai and Levi, and they were overjoyed when Summer helped them get the things they needed. It was a big bill, and they needed both of the cars they brought to load all of the things in. Then was all of the time spent assembling the boxed furniture.


    Ashton had made her get everything at one stop, a supermarket. Summer had no idea that you could find everything so conveniently in one place, even if the quality of those things was a little questionable. Since they were there, she also picked up some basic food supplies for everyone. All in all, it was a very productive evening.


    The next morning was their first training, and every single one of them was exhausted from staying up too late unpacking everything the night before. Ashton seemed used to it, but Kayla in particular looked like she was barely standing. Their trainer who was waiting for them didn¡¯t look surprised at all.


    ¡°This is why we don¡¯t schedule much more than an introduction on the first day,¡± she sighed, ¡°My name is Harper and I will be the trainer for your team. You will be stuck with me until you graduate and start taking on official missions. Why don¡¯t all of you start by introducing yourselves?¡±


    ¡°I am Ashton, I will be the team leader,¡± Ashton began. It did make sense for the team leader to start.


    ¡°I am Summer,¡± she spoke up. Since no one else was mentioning last names, she wouldn¡¯t either. Since she didn¡¯t know what her role would be she wasn¡¯t sure if there was anything else to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kai, and this is Levi,¡± Kai introduced, gesturing a hand towards his twin.


    ¡°My name is Kayla,¡± Kayla finished off.


    ¡°Good job,¡± Harper told them with a nod, ¡°Now here comes the hard part. You will all be working as a team in life and death situations from now on. You need to tell each other exactly what your powers are. You don¡¯t need to worry about me since I already know.¡±


    All eyes turned to Ashton to begin again. ¡°My power is electricity,¡± he informed them, ¡°I can¡¯t do anything on the level of lightning, but I can channel it through devices and give shocks.¡±


    His power was electricity? Summer was ashamed to admit she was just as shocked as the others. It seemed they were all aware of his earlier identity as Shadow Phoenix because she heard someone mutter about fire. The only one who wasn¡¯t surprised was Harper. She nodded and gestured for Summer to continue the cycle.


    ¡°I can control light,¡± Summer blurted, ¡°I can create, manipulate, and remove light.¡± She already had a feeling her power was going to be lame in comparison. No one said anything about it, and just continued.


    ¡°Levi and I share a power,¡± Kai explained, ¡°You could say we balance each other and become what the other lacks. It has been called Equivalent Exchange.¡± What did that mean? No, they should save any questions for after.


    Last it was Kayla¡¯s turn, and she definitely had a surprise for them. ¡°My power allows me to give powers to others,¡± she told them, ¡°But I cannot control what that power is and it is extremely temporary.¡±


    That was crazy. Powers like that existed? Even Ashton seemed surprised by that one. Harper clapped her hands once to grab their attention. ¡°Now that you have each told each other your powers, I will need you to demonstrate. Words mean little in a situation where your life is on the line.¡±


    ¡°Demonstrate how?¡± Summer asked.


    ¡°On me,¡± Harper replied, ¡°I should have begun with this, I suppose. My power is a little something I call an aura shield. When I turn it on, nothing you do should be able to harm me, so you will be able to demonstrate your powers to their fullest extent. Even you, Kayla.¡±

 Ashton 26: Training Introduction

    ¡°Ms. Penn, what happened to your escort?¡± Ashton asked. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was the right thing to ask first, but he had to say something to end the odd tension.


    ¡°They are watching from a distance,¡± Kayla replied, clearly disappointed with Ashton¡¯s greeting, ¡°Since I will be living here from now on, I was allowed to approach without them. I don¡¯t know what they think I am going to do. Run for it? Where?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go fill out the forms,¡± Ashton sighed, ¡°Can you show her the empty apartments, Summer?¡± He tossed her the master key and headed towards the vehicle that must be Kayla¡¯s escort. It was an unmarked van in a common silver color, but the man who stepped out to greet him clearly wasn¡¯t common.


    ¡°Mr. Ashton Gray?¡± he confirmed, ¡°I am here to brief you on Ms. Penn¡¯s situation and requirements.¡±


    ¡°Requirements?¡± Ashton asked. This hadn¡¯t been part of anything with the twins, but Kayla was from a much higher level facility.


    ¡°Yes. You are already aware of the facility system, but F2 is special,¡± he explained, ¡°F2 is not for those with dangerous powers, but those who are easily taken advantage of or who already have been. In other words, they are under protection because they have a power that others would want to use for their own gains.¡±


    That was different from what Ashton expected. ¡°Then why was she allowed to join the team?¡± he asked, ¡°Due to the nature of the job I will definitely be using her power for our benefit.¡±


    ¡°Because Kayla herself petitioned for the chance to join,¡± he replied, ¡°For the first few months she will be constantly monitored by tracking and recording devices on her person to ensure her safety. I will give you all of the contacts you will need if anything goes wrong, and the procedure if she ends up being taken hostage at any point. You must remember at all times that she is under the protection of F2 and you will be held responsible if anything happens to her.¡±


    That was lot heavier responsibility than Ashton had been anticipating, but in this case he could not keep silent. ¡°When we met during the interview she gave me the impression she has made contact with a threat known as MysteriousMaskz. I intend to tackle that threat. Will this be a problem?¡±


    ¡°That is exactly why we approved this,¡± he told Ashton, ¡°MysteriousMaskz has been found to access all thirteen facilities, and recently aided in the escape of someone from F1, a top priority threat. Mind control. Nasty business. You will need to watch out for that threat if you truly intend to track him down.¡±


    ¡°Mind control?¡± Ashton asked in disbelief, ¡°Is it similar to Queen Heart?¡±


    ¡°In a sense, but the methods are far more dangerous,¡± he explained, ¡°You will get a full briefing on this once your team graduates training. Whatever MysteriousMaskz wants from you, you may be the only person able to stop him.¡±


    There was that pressure again, not that he was wrong. Ashton was glad he had prepared some of the paperwork ahead of time since he had some extra things to fill out and sign. He was also given a special manual for emergency situations dealing with Kayla Penn. It included all of the people to contact and when, from emergencies to simple questions.


    After that, Kayla returned to start moving her things in. She didn¡¯t have much but she had more than the twins had. For some reason, this seemed to hit a nerve for Summer, who had been watching.


    ¡°You need to come with me,¡± she told Kayla, ¡°Things can¡¯t stay like this.¡±


    ¡°Come with you where?¡± Kayla asked warily.


    ¡°Shopping, of course. We need to get you some real essentials, not that barely functional nonsense.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any money,¡± Kayla pointed out.


    ¡°Luckily for you, I still have plenty,¡± Summer told her, ¡°Ashton, do I need to pick up anything for the others as well?¡±


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    Ashton felt like he was falling behind again. It was already night, but she wanted to fund a sudden shopping spree? He couldn¡¯t deny that there were definitely things that they needed, though.


    ¡°Summer, you don¡¯t need to buy things for them,¡± he told her, ¡°I know your family is well off, but we should get a team budget for these things by the end of the week.¡±


    ¡°This is the money I earned myself,¡± Summer corrected, ¡°And besides, I can¡¯t let my teammates live like this for a whole week. I am going to get everyone the proper basics whether they like it or not.¡±


    Money she earned herself? That could only be from her time as Golden Reign. If that was how she wanted to use it, he wouldn¡¯t stop her. He knew she had mixed feelings about her time as a hero. He did, however, put some rules in place seeing as it was already late. They would only stop at one store, and they would only buy what they could fit in their cars. The only people who had cars were himself and Summer, but they also had to account for the room riding in them.


    The shopping trip was very successful. They were able to get all the necessities from food to furniture for their new team members, and the compact furniture boxes were able to fit between their two cars. After that, they spent a couple hours helping them set all of the furniture up and splitting the groceries between them. It was a bit of a late night considering their first training was the next morning, but Ashton was used to working late.


    He quickly discovered the next morning that he was the only one. The team that arrived at training looked like a group of zombies, Kayla looking the worst, and Summer seeming normal if it weren¡¯t for her incessant yawning. Their new trainer was waiting for them at the training center. She was a stiff woman who looked like she belonged in the military, and got things going the moment they arrived.


    ¡°This is why we don¡¯t schedule much more than an introduction on the first day,¡± she sighed, ¡°My name is Harper and I will be the trainer for your team. You will be stuck with me until you graduate and start taking on official missions. Why don¡¯t all of you start by introducing yourselves?¡±


    ¡°I am Ashton, I will be the team leader,¡± Ashton began. He definitely hadn¡¯t been imagining the look Harper had given him after her satisfied smile at his introduction. This must be part of his training to naturally take the lead.


    ¡°I am Summer,¡± she spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kai, and this is Levi,¡± Kai introduced, gesturing a hand towards his twin.


    ¡°My name is Kayla,¡± Kayla finished off.


    ¡°Good job,¡± Harper told them with a nod, ¡°Now here comes the hard part. You will all be working as a team in life and death situations from now on. You need to tell each other exactly what your powers are. You don¡¯t need to worry about me since I already know.¡±


    All eyes turned to Ashton to begin again. ¡°My power is electricity,¡± he informed them, ¡°I can¡¯t do anything on the level of lightning, but I can channel it through devices and give shocks.¡±


    There was a surprised wave through his team, with Summer almost jumping, and Kayla wrinkling her brows in confusion. He swore he heard a whisper about fire. It seemed that his identity as Shadow Phoenix was not a well kept secret here, but he had no intention of ever calling attention to it himself.


    ¡°I can control light,¡± Summer blurted, ¡°I can create, manipulate, and remove light.¡±


    ¡°Levi and I share a power,¡± Kai explained, ¡°You could say we balance each other and become what the other lacks. It has been called Equivalent Exchange.¡±


    That sounded like the basics of what Ashton had guessed, but he still wasn¡¯t sure what it all entailed. That only left one more person. What exactly was Kayla¡¯s power that made her so valuable she had to be placed under protection?


    ¡°My power allows me to give powers to others,¡± she told them, ¡°But I cannot control what that power is and it is extremely temporary.¡±


    That certainly explained it. A power to give powers to others sounded like exactly the kind of power that others would want to exploit. Unfortunately, Ashton could already see the drawbacks of such a gift. Since she had no control, the powers given might end up clashing in a deadly way with the powers someone already had. At least it was only temporary. Having to live the rest of your life with the drawbacks of a random power would be a nightmare.


    Harper clapped her hands once to grab their attention. ¡°Now that you have each told each other your powers, I will need you to demonstrate. Words mean little in a situation where your life is on the line.¡±


    ¡°Demonstrate how?¡± Summer asked.


    ¡°On me,¡± Harper replied, ¡°I should have begun with this, I suppose. My power is a little something I call an aura shield. When I turn it on, nothing you do should be able to harm me, so you will be able to demonstrate your powers to their fullest extent. Even you, Kayla.¡±


    Kayla flinched, and looked to Ashton nervously. She must have been abused for her power in the past, and it was his job to make sure she felt safe.

 Summer 27: Super Demonstration

    It was Ashton who broke through the tense silence left in the wake of Harper¡¯s declaration. ¡°I will begin,¡± he told their trainer, ¡°I already have a good control of my power, so how much of a shock do you want me to give you?¡±


    ¡°Start off with enough to knock me out, and scale up from there if nothing happens,¡± Harper ordered.


    There was the initial spark as the two shook hands, and then nothing. It looked like the most awkwardly drawn out handshake ever. Ashton¡¯s eyes were focused, and Harper¡¯s expression slowly became more strained. All of the sudden there was a sound akin to shattering and the two broke contact, Harper¡¯s arm jerking and trembling slightly.


    ¡°That is quite the dangerous power you have,¡± she muttered through gritted teeth, ¡°If I didn¡¯t have another barrier that might have been the end of me. How much further could you have gone?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ashton admitted, ¡°I would rather not find out. My power is meant to be well controlled, not thrown about haphazardly.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Harper replied and took a moment to collect herself.


    It was amazing how quickly she recovered, but just in case she needed to buy some more time Summer volunteered to go next. She was well aware that her power was completely harmless. Harmless as it was, she could at least make it look cool. Summer focused on the light around them and slowly dimmed it, gliding through all of the colors until they were plunged into complete darkness.


    ¡°So your power is more of a support ability,¡± Harper noted, ¡°Useful, but not on its own. Can your power do anything at all to attack in a dangerous situation?¡±


    ¡°I did have one theory but I have been too scared to try it,¡± Summer admitted.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Harper told her, ¡°Everyone else, stand back.¡±


    Summer took a deep breath and started pushing the light level higher and higher. If she made the rays intense enough they would go invisible and turn into microwaves potentially. Unfortunately, it seemed that invisible rays were beyond her but the intense brightness of the light she produced was deadly in another sense. It took everyone a few moments to recover their vision. That might have been more blinding than the darkness.


    ¡°Impairing the sight of an attacker is an important defense,¡± Harper comforted, ¡°However, I have some ideas on how you can improve. We will discuss them after this.¡± She then turned to the rest. ¡°Just in case things go wrong, Kayla will go last, so it is your turn boys.¡±


    This was a power Summer had been curious about for a while so she watched with great anticipation. Kai calmly approached Harper as Levi took the time to lay down. Levi lost his grip and collapsed the rest of the way as Kai threw a punch that pushed Harper back despite her protection.


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    Before Harper could react Kai quite literally shrunk out of view as Levi started to grow. Next thing they knew Levi was at least ten feet tall and Kai was a midget. As she saw these events Summer realized the nature of their power. One would gain what the other lost. It was cool, but it seemed dangerous somehow.


    ¡°You seem well practiced in your power,¡± Harper commented.


    ¡°We have to agree and work together or nothing will happen,¡± Kai explained, ¡°It is more of an inconvenience than anything else. Neither of us can remember what normal was like before.¡±


    That was actually horrible. Summer was glad her ability was just to manipulate light, though now she did have to wonder how much she changed subconsciously and if light looked different to her than it did to others. She didn¡¯t have too much time to wonder about it, though. It was Kayla¡¯s turn. Her demonstration was extremely anticlimactic.


    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± Kayla told Harper, ¡°You now have another power.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different,¡± Harper mused, ¡°Is there any way to tell what you gave me?¡±


    Kayla shook her head. ¡°I have done plenty of testing before, and there is nothing I can do to make it easier to tell what I gave someone,¡± she explained, ¡°However, I usually always give the same person the same power, and it has something to do with what kind of power they desire.¡±


    ¡°So the odd times out they must have desired something different,¡± Harper deduced, ¡°How long until this new ability wears off?¡±


    ¡°It varies but the shortest is an hour and the longest was three before I had to recharge it,¡± Kayla answered.


    The more she spoke, the less special the ability seemed. It was nice to see that every ability had drawbacks no matter how strong it seemed at first. It made Summer feel better about her own power, as well as guilty for feeling relieved by something like that.


    ¡°Alright, I will take some time to try to figure out this power and meet you each individually after lunch,¡± Harper announced, ¡°All of you have a lot to learn, and I won¡¯t send out a team, noncombatant or otherwise, until I am sure you know enough to live past your first mission.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the most cheerful sentiment, but Summer was glad to have some time to reflect and eat something. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was the powers or the nerves, but she was starving. After lunch, the inevitable summons from Harper arrived and she left to receive her critiques.


    ¡°Ms. Harper?¡± she asked nervously after knocking on the door.


    ¡°Summer? Come in,¡± Harper beckoned, ¡°The moment you presented your power I knew exactly how to help you grow.¡±


    Summer braced for whatever she was about to hear. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You expertly showed your ability to use light and darkness to create and control colors,¡± Harper explained, ¡°I want you to start trying to control two sources at once in different ways. If you can succeed at that, I believe we can work our way up to full illusions.¡±


    Full illusions made from her silly little light power? It sounded crazy as well as too good to be true. It was also too enticing of an opportunity to pass up. ¡°I will give it my all!¡± Summer decided.

 Ashton 27: A Powerful Display

    Ashton broke through the tense silence left in the wake of Harper¡¯s declaration. ¡°I will begin,¡± he told their trainer, ¡°I already have a good control of my power, so how much of a shock do you want me to give you?¡±


    ¡°Start off with enough to knock me out, and scale up from there if nothing happens,¡± Harper ordered.


    He braced himself to do exactly as she said, though he started a bit lower than that just in case. Just enough to cause pain, like a static shock. He grasped her outstretched hand and winced at the spark and accompanying pop when their hands met. After that it was a careful game of slowly raising the level of electricity he sent her way. Every time he wanted to falter, Harper¡¯s gaze egged him onward. Just when he felt that things were getting too dangerous, he both heard and felt something break. He instantly disengaged, but not fast enough to spare Harper completely.


    ¡°That is quite the dangerous power you have,¡± she muttered through gritted teeth, ¡°If I didn¡¯t have another barrier that might have been the end of me. How much further could you have gone?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ashton admitted, ¡°I would rather not find out. My power is meant to be well controlled, not thrown about haphazardly.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Harper replied and took a moment to collect herself.


    Ashton was relieved when she backed off and moved to the next person. How was he meant to lead a team when he was terrified of his own power? He hid it well, so no one had noticed, but he had started to feel a bit of a tingle on his own fingertips. If things had gone on any longer he might have been the one who ended up electrocuted. He would need to be even more careful now that he knew that was a possibility.


    Summer¡¯s light show managed to pull him out of his thoughts and he was able to focus on the task at hand once more. She had improved her control. Ashton was proud to see her grow so quickly. He hadn¡¯t quite been expecting the bright flash at the end, and his eyes took a while to adjust to normal again. After Summer, Harper called the twins forward. It was understandable to want Kayla to go last just in case the power she gave interfered with her defensive ability.


    The Smith twins truly seemed to despise their power despite their efficiency with using it. It was a feeling Ashton could understand completely. It was no wonder why they had chosen to join the team in order to gain some chance of getting rid of it for good. The power seemed to be based on give and take. One must be weak for the other to be strong, and one must shrink for the other to grow.


    ¡°You seem well practiced in your power,¡± Harper commented.


    ¡°We have to agree and work together or nothing will happen,¡± Kai explained, ¡°It is more of an inconvenience than anything else. Neither of us can remember what normal was like before.¡±


    Normal, huh? Ashton also wondered what normal was like, but the path he was taking now was far from the commonly perceived definition of normal. Then it was Kayla¡¯s turn. She did not even approach Harper before declaring that she was done. The power had been given.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different,¡± Harper mused, ¡°Is there any way to tell what you gave me?¡±


    Kayla shook her head. ¡°I have done plenty of testing before, and there is nothing I can do to make it easier to tell what I gave someone,¡± she explained, ¡°However, I usually always give the same person the same power, and it has something to do with what kind of power they desire.¡±


    ¡°So the odd times out they must have desired something different,¡± Harper deduced, ¡°How long until this new ability wears off?¡±


    ¡°It varies but the shortest is an hour and the longest was three before I had to recharge it,¡± Kayla answered.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Alright, I will take some time to try to figure out this power and meet you each individually after lunch,¡± Harper announced, ¡°All of you have a lot to learn, and I won¡¯t send out a team, noncombatant or otherwise, until I am sure you know enough to live past your first mission.¡±


    It was definitely safer testing some unknown power without an audience. Ashton was more than ready for some alone time to sort through the new information. Everyone else seemed to agree with this idea, and they all spent their brief reprieve in solitude. Ashton tried to relax as much as possible, but it was difficult. After all, he was certain that Harper would have more for him as the team leader than anyone else.


    Ashton was right about that. He was last to meet her, and she had things set out for a long discussion. Chairs, papers, and even something to drink for each of them. It was just bottled water but it was one of those brands that was supposedly meant to be better for you in some way. He took his seat and his water and waited for her to begin.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with you,¡± Harper told him, passing him a folder with plenty of space on the profiles of each team member so he could take notes if he wished, ¡°You have excellent control of your power, but you don¡¯t know your limits. If you don¡¯t find your threshold now, it could put you in mortal danger when it matters most.¡±


    ¡°I think I just have,¡± Ashton replied, and showed her his hands. Light burns ran in lines down his fingers, and spread to his palms like lightning. It didn¡¯t hurt much anymore since he had applied medicine, but the fact that his power could hurt him was enough reason to call his limits. ¡°It felt like when I used too much power it rebounded onto me instead.¡±


    Harper frowned. ¡°Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will put a hold on further testing until we can investigate the cause of this and you finish healing. Let¡¯s move onto your girlfriend instead.¡±


    It seemed that was never going to be a secret here, not that Ashton had really intended to hide it. ¡°She has already improved leaps and bounds in a short time,¡± he reported, ¡°I am sure you already know the extent of her power while she was Golden Reign.¡±


    ¡°While that is true, I see a way it could improve even further,¡± Harper told him, ¡°It is a far off goal, but I believe if she works at it as diligently as she has been, Summer will be able to create full scale illusions.¡±


    Ashton paused, unable to hide his surprise. ¡°Do you really think that is possible? She can bend light, but an illusion, especially a realistic one, would require hundreds if not thousands of different sources.¡±


    ¡°That is why I claimed it was a far off goal,¡± Harper reminded, ¡°Whether or not it is actually possible depends on Summer herself. I find the greatest limiter to our powers is usually ourselves.¡±


    Ashton looked at his hands again. Something about her last phrase made him uncomfortable. Even if he was limiting himself, it was fine. He never wanted this power to begin with. ¡°Was that all for Summer?¡±


    ¡°For now, yes,¡± Harper replied, ¡°Next we will move onto the Smith twins. Their power is impressive, but it usually ends up leaving one of them in a weakened state of some kind. Just like the demonstration where one grew and the other shrunk, I want you to help them brainstorm other ideas where both can benefit from the exchange in some way.¡±


    That made sense, and it might even help them not be so miserable with their power. At least in the meantime. He carefully wrote some notes, glad that his burns did not seem to cause any pain on contact with something else. Perhaps injuries from your own power were special, or the medicine had worked better than he thought.


    ¡°That leaves Kayla,¡± Harper continued, ¡°The power was exactly as she guessed. Since it was created to meet a desire of mine, I believe there may be a way to control what power is given if we focus on a more specific need or desire when she transfers it to us. There was no harm to me, and there never has been in any of her records but I still urge you to be careful when testing this theory.¡±


    That was a lot to go over and think about. ¡°How long do we have to practice these things?¡± Ashton asked.


    ¡°This first week will be spent with me, training your powers and your teamwork,¡± Harper explained, ¡°Today was merely introductions. Tomorrow will be a more practical lesson. I suggest you take this information and figure out the different ways your team can work together. You will be expected to lead them in the morning.¡±


    That was it? No special leader classes or training? He was just supposed to jump into it and give orders? Due to his endless trainings in both the facilities and SI, Ashton had come to expect that sort of thing and felt lost without it. His only hope was that this was only for the initial lessons with Harper. He would receive proper leadership training before he took to the field. At least, he hoped he would.