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 Cast

    The Argonauts

    Nathaniel "Nate" Peterson

    Alias: Prophet

    Power Classification: Type B Kinetic; Type A Cognition; Type A Warper

    Power Description: Prophet can draw matter and energy from a neigboring dimension and surround himself with said energy to create a defensive barrier, increase his strength and speed while also allowing him to fire bleams of energy with notable necrotic attributes. Prophet''s connection to this dimension appears to also give him limited precognition triggered by yet unkown variables. He can also open a portal to this dimension and then exit the dimension in another location.

    Bio: Nate grew up in the fostercare system after losing his parents in an accident. He passed through several foster homes, blaming it on his powers making him difficult to care for. Eventually, he came into the care of the Pollards who remained his foster parents, working through the sometimes destructive tendencies of his powers. Still, fearful of his powers, Nate let that fear hold himself back from acheiving much in life. He was content to live out his life in obscurity utnil he ran face-first into a fight between heroes an villains. Cypher, one of the best heroes int he world took an interest in Nate, and arguably blackmailed him into becoming sanctioned before eventually joining the Argonauts.

    <hr>

    Erin Vuorela

    Alias: Norn

    Power Classification: Anomalous [Gifted]

    Power Description: Norn posesses three distinct power states. In her blue state, Norn can inbue her body with the kinetic energy of objects that previously moved through that space. If she follows their path, she can access nearly all their speed, but straying from that trajectory only allows her to pull portions. In her green state, Norn locks her physical form; she cannot be injured and she cannot be harmed by any known means. In her red state, Norn enters a state of greatly increased strength. Using this state continually builds her strenth over time, making her constantly grow stronger.

    Bio: Erin keeps most of her homelife private, even to the rest of the team, but she has wanted to be a hero as long as she can remember. She made waves with her debut in her home country of Finland where she was approached by the Union of Russian Heroes. Surprisingly, she turned it down in favor of leading her own team when Argus reached out.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    <hr>

    Corey Harrington

    Alias: Serath

    Power Classification: Type A1 Shifted; Type A2 Shifter

    Power Description: Serath posesses a par of large, white wings that, when combined with his slight frame and physiological adaptatons, allow him to fligh with high speeds and impressive maneuverability. Additonally, he can cause his wings to turn into an impressively strong metal alloy. In this state his wings can easily withstand most conventional firearms. They can also be impressive weapons since they retain all of their typical flexibility while metalicized, meaning Serath can use them like massive blades. He can also change their size to some extent.

    Bio: Corey was one of the many up and coming heroes that attended a selective academy sponsered by Argus to train young heroes and prepare them for the dangers of the career. There, he met Whitney and was picked up for the Argonauts team.

    <hr>

    Whitney Snyder

    Alias: Cinder

    Power Classification: Type B Kinetic; Type C Converter

    Power Description: Cinder can impart energy with a touch, causing glowing lines to spread across an object''s surface. The more the lines are allowed to spread, the greated the explosive force when Cinder releases her power. She can easily output concusive forces greater than hand grenades, potentially only limited by the size of the object and the lenght of time she is allowed to use her powers. Additionally, her exposions relase a thick smoke which she can also create on command, allowing her to make obstructive smokescreens.

    Bio: With familial ties to the hero industry, Whitney was allowed admittence to the Academy where she met Corey before being picked up by the Aronauts team.

    <hr>

    Adam Dixon/Steven

    Alias: Riot

    Power Classification: Type A1 Shifted; Anomalous [Biological Duality]

    Power Description: Riot''s unusual abilities captured the interest of Argus scientists who theorized part of his powers were brought on by his split personality. Adam and his alter ego, Steven, seem to take damage as seperate entities despite inhabiting the same body. They aren''t able to share information with each other directly, but seem to be albe to switch at will, or whenever the ''current'' personality loses conciousness. Additonally, the pair share enhanced neuological adaptations giving them greater reaction times and fine motor skills.

    Bio: Adam keeps his personaly life completely underwraps, not willing to share many details if any. It is possible that the event that brought about his split personality could have been deeply traumatic, potentially making it a difficult subject.

    <hr>

    Ian Moore

    Alias: Clyffe

    Power Classification: Type C Psychic; Type B1 Cognition

    Power Description: Clyffe can detect and emit electromagnetic radiation in any form, albiet at non-combative levels. He can effectively see electronic transmissions. When combined with his truely eidetic memory, it allows him to remotely interface with electronic systems.

    Bio: Ian is not much of a capable combatant, but his powers allow him to fuction as a very useful resource for the Argonauts.

 Glimpse 1.01

    If something bad is happening right in front of you and you know that you could do something to help, should you? It¡¯s easy to say yes, but when you¡¯re in the heat of the moment, when you have to put actions to those words, it¡¯s another thing entirely.

    I had gotten off the bus at my usual stop and started walking the rest of the way home. It wasn¡¯t far, and with a light jacket it felt rather comfortable outside. The Sun had sunk low and lit up the underside of the few clouds that drifted across the sky. My route home took me past a little gas station, and on a whim, I decided to pop in and get a bottle of soda.

    The man running the store was on the older side, slightly portly, and with greying hair. He offered a friendly smile as I walked in, and I returned the pleasantry as I headed for the coolers in the back. It was a small store that hadn¡¯t been renovated in a long time. The old linoleum tiles and buzzing fluorescent lights attested to that.

    When I got back to the counter, the clerk put down the magazine he¡¯d been leafing through to ring up my order. I pulled out the change in my pocket, counting it in my palm before laying it on the counter. It came up a little short, so I reached for my wallet. Just as my hand reached by back pocket, the door to the store flew open and two men in dark clothing rushed in.

    I jumped at the sudden noise, but then I realized I was staring down the barrel of a gun. They started shouting something, but I froze like a deer in headlights. ¡°I said get down!¡± Thug 1¡¯s command snapped me back to reality and I complied. I slid my hands up and got down to one knee and then the other. I glanced to Thug 2, who was screaming at the man behind the counter, waving a gun like an idiot. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Thug 1 shouted at Thug 2. ¡°I am, just watch that fucker,¡± Thug 2 snapped back.

    Thug 2 was still screaming at the clerk, who wasn¡¯t apparently moving fast enough. To drive this point home, he opened his left fist and a small tongue of flame sprung to life. A metahuman. I felt my blood run cold. Armed gunmen were bad enough; they could kill you with the pull of a trigger, but metahumans could take out city blocks or worse if you were unfortunate. This guy looked like some low-level pyro and he was showing it off with impunity. What an idiot. It was bad enough they were stupid enough to rob a store that probably didn¡¯t have but a few dollars in the register, but to use your powers openly?

    When my heart finally started beating again, I started looking for a way out. ¡°Man, you guys are idiots,¡± I said under my breath. Thug 1 didn¡¯t seem to like my peanut gallery commentary. He readjusted his grip on the gun and shoved it closer to my face. ¡°Shut the hell up! And I said get down!¡± He yelled. ¡°I am, I am,¡± I replied calmly. My heart was beginning to race and I swallowed hard. ¡°You guys are just making a huge mistake.¡± Oh god, why can¡¯t I shut up? I thought to myself. ¡°Keep him quiet!¡± Thug 2 yelled, clearly getting more agitated. ¡°I¡¯m tryin¡¯ he ain¡¯t listening!¡± Thug 1 snapped back. The register was almost empty by now, it was almost over. ¡°Then shoot him!¡± Thug 2 deadpanned.

    My heart rate skyrocketed; I did not feel like getting shot. ¡°I really wouldn¡¯t do that. I mean you guys are just gonna face robbery charges, no point in adding homicide to that, right?¡± I rambled off, not wanting to escalate the situation, despite feeling I was doing just that. ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± Thug 1 hissed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just nervous, and I talk when I get nervous, ya know, it¡¯s a¡­¡± Thug 1 pushed me back, aiming the gun menacingly. ¡°Last chance!¡± I tried to smile as non-threateningly as I could. ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t want to shoot me. You don¡¯t see like that kind of guy,¡± My hands were still raised, trying to seem as little of a threat as I could. He seemed to be hesitant to do anything. The opening of death dipped down slightly, and I could feel a sigh of relief building. Its arrival would be slightly delayed, however.

    It came without any warning or build up, just a flash of the bluest blue. It had been weeks since I last had one. In the moment I was blinded, the flash seemed to communicate something. It was like in the movies or TV shows where information is just downloaded into the brain, except this was too fast for anyone to make sense of it. Kind of like a reflex, but also like ESP, just...not exactly.

    ¡°Shit! He¡¯s a meta, let¡¯s go!¡± I opened my eyes when I heard Thug 1. He had already turned and moved past his partner in crime, who was still aiming his gun at me. With a bit of a shocked expression, he turned to follow his friend before he got too far. I glanced over to make sure the Clerk was alright, and he seemed fine, but he was staring at me with a look of shock on his face not too different than the crook. I glanced down at my hand and saw a fading glow reflecting off the grimy tiles of the store floor. My left hand was clenched around something small and hard. I already knew what it was, but I still uncurled my fingers to look at the bullet sitting in my palm.

    That sigh I had pent up finally came out, but it wasn¡¯t just relief any more. It was tinged with some more negative cousin of disappointment. ¡°Call the police,¡± I said to the Clerk. That seemed to snap him out of his uncomfortable gaze that had been locked on me since the crooks fled. He nodded and looked around for his phone. Standing up, my own phone was fished from my pocket. I unlocked it and just stared at the home screen. The bullet pulled my attention back like a magnet. Not a very large round, but I¡¯d be dead if I were a normal.

    If I were normal.

    Regardless, it happened and I wasn¡¯t dead. I tucked the bullet in my pants pocket, which put it out of mind for the time being. Now came the part I dreaded. My thumb hit the contacts app and then a name after scrolling down a bit. The phone rang a few times before connecting. ¡°Hey, Nate, what¡¯s up?¡± came the cheerful voice over the phone. ¡°Hey, James. I¡¯m fine, but I was in a¡­ in an incident,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Incident? What kind? When?¡± James asked quickly. The cheeriness was gone, replaced with laser focus and concern. ¡°I¡¯m at the gas station on the corner of Blue Island and Western, there was an armed robbery. The Clerk is calling the Police right now.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Oh my God, are you alright?¡± Asked James. I heard him stand up and start moving.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, no one got hurt,¡± I replied. I heard him open a door and then stop. Oh no, this was it, I could tell.

    ¡°Did you use your powers?¡± There it was.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied weakly.

    ¡°Damn it, Nate!¡± He groaned. A spark of anger flared up, burned brightly, and then died out just as fast but not before I muttered, ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking for trouble. It was self defense."

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry, I''m just a bit on edge,¡± I said quickly. Fortunately, James didn¡¯t seem too upset at my outburst.

    ¡°I know, but this is a big deal. I¡¯m on my way. Stay there and cooperate with the police. Blue Island and Western, that¡¯s near where you live, right?¡±

    I almost nodded but caught myself. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be there soon,¡± James replied. I hung up and settled down to wait.

    <hr>

    Flashing lights rolled onto the scene before too long had passed and the cops got to work immediately. They started talking to the Clerk first, asking him the usual questions. Soon I would have to spill the beans and tell them I was a meta and go through that process. Again. Most people were fine¨C or at least didn¡¯t panic¨C with metas, but if you were unlucky, you¡¯d meet someone who thought like CADMUS used to back in the day; thinking that metahuman was synonymous with monster.

    ¡°Name?¡± I put on a friendly face and glanced up at the cop there to take my statement. I quickly cleared my throat and stood up straight from leaning against the store¡¯s wall, ¡°Nathaniel Peterson.¡± He scribbled that down and I knew I had to tell him, but I just couldn¡¯t. It was like a lump caught in my throat.

    ¡°Alright, Mr. Peterson, tell me what happened,¡± He said, looking up at me. I sighed and felt my shoulders fall a little. ¡°I¡¯m a metahuman,¡± I muttered, barely audible. The cop seemed unphased by the revelation, merely asking, ¡°Registration number?¡± I was a bit surprised how laid-back he seemed, but I wasn¡¯t going to question the molehill my mountain became. ¡°Seven two four five seven,¡± I answered.

    ¡°Have you contacted your liaison?¡± He asked, pen hovering over his notepad.

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s on his way here.¡± The cop nodded and followed up by asking me to continue my version of events. There wasn¡¯t much more for me to add. He mentioned shots fired, and I told him that, yeah, the Clerk was right. I pulled the bullet out of my pocket and offered it for the cop to take.

    ¡°Jesus, kid! Looks like this thing hit solid steel. And it¡­?¡± I nodded and found my eyes attracted to the ground. Advertising that I was (sometimes) bullet proof wasn¡¯t something I liked to do. It didn¡¯t typically invite the good kind of attention. ¡°Alright, well, I¡¯ll be passing the report on to your liaison. Have a good day.¡±

    The cop walked away with my bullet, probably for evidence or something, and I spotted a new car pull into the gas station. That had to be James. The door opened and sure enough, James¡¯s lanky frame stepped out. One of the boys in blue started towards him. James greeted him, saying something as he pulled his badge from his suit jacket pocket. With the Argus badge granting him access, James strolled over as soon as he locked on to me standing on the sidelines.

    ¡°Took you long enough,¡± I said with a half-hearted smirk. James rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to be making any visits. If you had given me a little heads-up¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile a little.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t exactly planned,¡± I replied. James grinned and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get a copy of the report from the station once it¡¯s filed.¡± That sounded fine to me. I wasn¡¯t exactly dying to stick around. Pun intended? Maybe if I was having a better day it would have been.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m free to go?¡± I asked, eagerness no doubt evident in my voice. James looked around a bit, avoiding my gaze, clearly uncomfortable. Oh no, I thought to myself. This is beginning to feel like the awkward calm before a storm of bad news.

    ¡°Can we walk and talk?¡±

    James was quiet for the first bit as we walked away from the gas station towards my house. This wasn¡¯t like him. Usually, it was a task to get James to shut up. It was probably part of what made him good at his job. I didn''t know exactly how many metas like me he was responsible for, but it was more than just one or two. He had to know how to talk to people, get them to tow the line, keep the status quo and all those nice sentiments. ¡°Liaison¡± was a nice euphemism, but he was my handler, my glorified parole officer for the crime of being born different.

    I couldn¡¯t stand the silence anymore, ¡°James, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    He hung his head and cleared his throat uncomfortably. ¡°You know this makes the fifth time you¡¯ve used your powers in public,¡± He said like he was giving a prognosis of a week to live.

    ¡°I know the rules, but it¡¯s not liked I¡¯ve ever used them on purpose¡­!¡± I said, leaping to my own defense, but James cut me off, ¡°What about that time in the park?¡± I sighed, and my shoulders fell a bit.

    ¡°Okay. One time. One time, but that was it. I mean, it¡¯s not like I tried to use them this time! They pointed a gun at me and they just ¡®turned on¡¯! That makes it a justified use, right?¡±

    Despite whatever I said, I doubted it would prevent what was coming. ¡°Yes, it does, but if you can¡¯t control them, it''s still grounds for the same thing,¡± James said, holding something up in his hand. It looked like wrist-watch or a fitness bracelet.

    ¡°A power dampener?¡± I asked with evident disdain.

    James nodded, ¡°It¡¯s not mandatory, yet. You can remove it in private, but if you wear it, it will go a long way in making you seem cooperative.¡± A power dampener was not something I was keen on having. I¡¯d heard lots of bad things about them from causing migraines to messing with cellphones and other personal electronics. But what was the alternative? I couldn¡¯t see any. The truth was I couldn¡¯t control my powers; they reared their unwanted head whenever they felt like.

    I reached for the dampener, but James pulled it back at the last second. ¡°There is another option: You could become sanctioned.¡± Not this again. I stepped back and threw my hands up. ¡°I already told you, I don¡¯t want to be sanctioned. I don¡¯t want to be a hero. I¡¯m fine living a normal life,¡± I shot back. James rolled his eyes and adjusted his feet.

    ¡°You know you could make a difference. As far as powers go, you outclass all my other charges.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, James. It just isn¡¯t something I want.¡± I couldn¡¯t make him understand, no matter what I said. Maybe he did understand, I don¡¯t know, but that didn¡¯t stop him. He wanted me to be a hero so he would get a promotion: he¡¯d go from liaising with ten or twelve metas to just me. He¡¯d get his name out there and climb whatever career ladder Argus had along with whatever else came with it. I couldn¡¯t blame him, but I couldn¡¯t be a hero. I wasn¡¯t cut out for it.

    ¡°Give me the dampener,¡± I said with more venom than I meant to. James sighed, but relented, placing the device in my hand. ¡°Just think about it, okay?¡± I didn¡¯t say anything as he turned to walk back to his car, leaving me alone on the sidewalk.

 Glimpse 1.02

    Could I be a hero? It felt more like a plague infesting my life than a question as I walked home. James had been my ¡°liaison¡± for almost two years and it seemed like a near-constant pressure from him and a constant resistance from me. Being a hero was how you got yourself killed. I could ramble off a list of names who died in one way or another related to heroism. The great ones had their visages memorialized at Argus¡¯s headquarters, the mediocre ones made the evening news, and the ones that didn¡¯t die in the heat of battle ran the risk of becoming a laughing stock before being forgotten.

    What would I be?

    Knowing my luck, I¡¯d end up at the latter.

    People seemed to love the idea of superheroes and superpowers to the point it borderd on worship. Of course, there were some truly good men and women out there fighting to make the world a better place without asking for the smallest shred of recognition. But for every one of those, there was a media hog. The Eagle was the first one that came to mind. He was powerful, ludicrously so, good looking, and charismatic with a swarming support staff. If an opportunity to speak to the press came up, you could rely on him to take it.

    I remember the first time I saw him on television. People loved him, but I just couldn¡¯t shake that it didn¡¯t feel genuine. It just felt like an act to me. Still, he has put several dangerous people behind bars, so I guess he¡¯s doing something right. Maybe I¡¯m just jealous of how popular he is, who knows?

    But what about me? Could I do that: swoop in and save the day? I didn¡¯t do anything in the gas station earlier. I just let them waltz in and waltz out; all I did was talk in a panic. I didn¡¯t save the Clerk, I didn¡¯t save his money, I didn¡¯t stop the thugs. All I did was sit there and get shot! I didn¡¯t even save myself; it was my fucking powers that did it for me!

    Blue energy erupted from my fist and I flinched trying to get away from the sudden source of light. Anger was replaced momentarily with fear and panic as I tried to calm down. This wasn¡¯t good. Anyone could look over and see my hand glowing like a neon sign. I stuffed my hand under my jacket and waited for the episode to pass. Several seconds went by and the glow showed no signs of fading. The anger swelled back. I couldn¡¯t control it; my own powers didn¡¯t listen to me. Glancing down, my eye caught on the dampener still clenched in my left hand. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but maybe James was right. I gritted my teeth and pushed the sole button on the device.

    I felt it instantly: a humming, a buzz in the back of my jaw. The blue faded to nothing in a matter of seconds. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I pulled my hand out of my jacket and inspected it for any more signs of rebellion. Everything was back in order on the outside, but internally, I still felt unsteady. I fastened the dampener around my wrist and looked at it for a second. It could potentially pass for a watch, but if someone gave it a second glance it wouldn¡¯t take them long to work out what it was and by extension, what I was.

    Luckily, there weren¡¯t many people around and none of them were looking in my direction. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but feel defeated. I didn¡¯t know why everyone wanted powers; mine never seemed to produce anything good. Just problem after problem after goddamned problem. My little pity party wasn¡¯t going to solve anything, though, so I started walking home again, taking everything off the front burner to let it simmer on low heat.

    Maybe this was for the best.

    Eventually, my house came into view and the knot in my stomach that had waxed and waned throughout the evening without ever completely unraveling started to breakup. Familiar environments just made it easier. Maybe it was just a mental thing. I wasn¡¯t any safer from my powers here compared to anywhere else, but I was more comfortable here, more at ease.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    The front door stuck a little like it usually did, but it gave way without too much effort. Once I stepped inside, I leaned back against the door and took a deep breath. Not the best day ever. Not the worst day either. Happy thoughts, right?

    Not too surprisingly, all things considered, I didn¡¯t have much of an appetite. Passing up dinner, I opted to just go to bed. I still had work in the morning after all. I hung my jacket in the hallway and walked through the living room and up the narrow stairs. It was a small house laid out pretty much in a line. Nothing fancy. Nearly everything in the place was either a hand-me-down or a gift. I minded that a bit; always felt like I was living on charity. But that¡¯s what the job was for.

    Without a second thought, I slipped the power dampener off and got ready for bed. Sleep came easy enough, I guess I was more tired than I thought.

    <hr>

    Alarms were the invention of the devil.

    Despite my urge to hit snooze, I managed to switch the alarm off and swing my legs over the bed. Another day another dollar. First order of business was a shower and then breakfast. Thinking about food made me really regret skipping dinner the night before. That problem was easily fixed, however, so I peeled myself off the bed and walked to the bathroom.

    I stepped out of the shower and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I needed to shave. A few minutes later and another box was checked with a clean-shaven face. During my post-shave-self-inspection I noticed my hair was also getting a bit long. Time for another trim, but that wasn¡¯t something I could fix myself unless I wanted to look like I was the unfortunate victim of an animal mauling.

    With nothing else to be done I stepped out of the bathroom and grabbed my clothes for the day; just jeans and a plain t-shirt. Coveralls tended to limit personal expression anyways. Now it was finally time for food, but as I reached over to grab my wallet and phone, I laid eyes on the dampener and all the memories of the day before came flooding back. What happened, happened, but accepting it didn¡¯t make it feel any less heavy. Maybe more time would make it fade. This was going to have to be how I went about my day, wearing a damper like a tag for my weirdness. Unless I wanted to be sanctioned.

    I mean, James was technically sanctioned. He had some sort of enhanced durability on the lower end of the scale, but he wasn¡¯t a superhero. He chose, instead, to basically become a social worker. Of course, that wasn¡¯t what he wanted me to do. That never came up in the monologues of all the perks of being a hero. Fame, money, women, and a laundry list of other things. But that was for the heroes the public liked. Money was probably one of the biggest twists to the truth since heroism was an unpaid gig. Governments couldn¡¯t legally have any say over what teams and solo heroes could do or tell them who to fight. They could ¡°donate¡± of course, but sanctioned heroes faced some of the strictest bribery laws ever. If a hero took a bribe and some innocents were killed or hurt in relation to action or even inaction on the part of the hero, they would have their sanctioning stripped and their sorry asses thrown in prison.

    So how did heroes make money? Most of the time it required finding a generous benefactor or merchandising deals, and if all else failed: asking for donations. There were some other ways to make money, but most people thought they were less than savory. I wasn¡¯t interested in any of that, though. I was fine with normal. Pushing all of that out of my mind, I grabbed the dampener and wrapped the strap around my wrist, making sure it was nice and snug.

    Once I finally made it to the fridge, I grabbed some bacon and eggs and got to the business of transforming them into a meal. While I was waiting for the pan to heat up, I ducked into living room and turned the television on for a little bit of ambiance in the otherwise dead silent house. I turned back to the stove and was only half-listening to the news that was going over the weather and traffic. It looked like it was going to be a fairly nice day out, not that I was going to really be able to enjoy the weather.

    Then, a sting suddenly sounded as the anchor announced they had breaking news. This really caught my attention: it was an Argus mandated alert to notify the general public about dangerous metahuman activity going on in their area. Breakfast was basically done, so I turned off the burner and walked into the living room to catch what was going on. It looked like all they had was grainy cellphone footage, but anyone could recognize the hero team standing in the street: The Regents.

 Glimpse 1.03

    It wasn¡¯t a large fight, maybe one or two metahumans, but they were slightly outnumbered. At some point a large amount of dust had been kicked up: probably from the rubble that clogged the street. The dust combined with the poor quality of the cellphone video the news station was showing to make it difficult to pick out individuals, but one of the heroes was incredibly easy to identify. He seemed to be glowing a violent red and stood in a manner that made him appear ready for a brawl.

    I scanned over the footage looking for signs of the other two hero¡¯s identities, but they looked rather ordinary. One of them was unusually tall and seemed to be almost holding the glowing one back. The third one seemed to be normal height and was holding his hands up like he was trying to appear non-threatening as he slowly stepped towards the villains.

    They must have been complete unknowns; not even the news seemed to be able to give their names. It was possible they had just manifested their powers, but the scale of the destruction and current lull in action made me think it had to be something else. A sad possibility crossed my mind. Its official name was Petrogradsky syndrome, but it was known by a slew of other terms: Meta-madness, Power-mad syndrome, the mutant high, but they all described the same thing. Some people didn¡¯t have the right frame of mind to handle powers, and they would succumb to the rush of hormones that commonly came with abilities. With that came impaired judgement and the illusion they were unstoppable.

    By now, the news had gotten their chopper in the air with a proper camera and my suspicions were confirmed. The one with red light swirling around his body was Wrath, a manifestation of anger. If you saw him on the street, you wouldn¡¯t think he was a hero. He never wore a uniform, just jeans and a t-shirt. The tall one holding him back was Vindicator, an older hero with super strength who had joined the Regents after a brief retirement from an older team. He tended to wear plainclothes similar in style to Wrath, but a patch over his left eye easily set them apart. In front of those two was Animus. His powers were a little vague, but he was confirmed to have enhanced strength and some sort of healing ability.

    This was far from the team¡¯s full roster, though, and Animus wasn¡¯t wearing his usual combat gear. It looked like they just happened to be nearby when the villains started causing problems.

    Animus was about mid-way between the two unidentified metas and the other two Regents. The Police had set up a barricade around the rubble, and I noticed what they were standing in front of: a bank. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if there was anyone inside when the metas attacked. It was early, but that didn¡¯t make it impossible for some staff to be working before opening time. It was sickening. People used their powers recklessly and other people were hurt in the process. People always got hurt.

    The running commentary of the news anchor pulled me back to focus, ¡°It appears one of the unknown metas is becoming agitated¡­¡±

    My eyes scanned the two men, and it was easy to see what they were talking about. The man standing closest to the collapsed bank front was beginning to crank up his powers. Sparks of violet energy began popping into existence around his body before quickly fizzling out. The second guy glanced at his compatriot and looked uneasy. He started inching away, and Animus¡¯ right hand began to drop to his side. He never had a chance to reach the gun, though. A wave of energy erupted from the meta, throwing his friend out of camera shot. Animus dove to the ground, but it didn¡¯t do much to keep him from being hit. He tumbled across the ground and slammed hard into a chunk of marble.

    The blast of energy didn¡¯t dissipate, though; it just slowed to a stop and formed a bubble. Waves of purple energy continuously pulsed outward from the meta, like static on an old tv. Wrath tore past Vindicator and charged into the field. He made it a few steps before he staggered and sunk down to his knees. Sparks swirled around his body like a swarm of amethyst bees. It almost looked like he was beginning to seize and convulse. By now, Animus had gotten up and didn¡¯t seem very injured, but you could never be sure when powers were at play. He had the same sparks attacking him that were on Wrath, but they didn¡¯t seem to affect him nearly as bad. It looked like he shouted something at Wrath, but I couldn¡¯t make out what it was. Then, the screen went white for a moment as more of the red energy surged from Wrath. It looked like the air was boiling around his body; He was really getting angry now.

    I¡¯d heard the stories of Wrath going nuclear, but no one really knew if it was true. Some people rumored that if he were mad enough and let himself go, he could level a city as easy as squashing a bug. Juiced up like a ¡®roid raged bull, he charged the human plasma globe, but a chunk of asphalt sailed toward him from off-screen and caught him in the head. He staggered but caught himself. Whirling towards the source of the projectile, Wrath suddenly shielded his face with his arms. A figure streaked across the screen and tackled Wrath in the midsection, carrying them both clear of the bubble and into the ruined bank.

    It had to have been the second unknown meta from earlier, but it happened too fast for me to tell what his abilities might be. Animus glanced back at Vindicator before turning and running to help Wrath. That left the old, grizzled hero to deal with sparky. He didn¡¯t run, if anything I¡¯d call it a stroll. When he passed through the edge of the field, the swarm immediately formed around him like it had the others, but he didn¡¯t even flinch. I guess nigh-invulnerability had its perks. The other meta didn¡¯t seem to react as a man who could throw him through a wall with his little finger got closer. That was weird, but sometimes powers had caveats. There was the possibility he lost some of his awareness to use his powers like that. Still, I was used to powers jamming thoughts into your head, not blocking them out.

    A wave of the energy washed over Vindicator and he seemed to pause for half-step, but it didn¡¯t stop him. He was closing in on the meta, and it looked like the ground was cracking under his steps. It was a general unspoken rule that most heroes didn¡¯t disclose exactly what their powers were as to not give a smart villain insight on how to take them down, but that didn¡¯t stop people from guessing. Seeing this made me put more stock in the idea that he could somehow increase his mass and density.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Vindicator finally reached the meta and put a hand around his throat. He looked about as nonchalant as someone possibly could. After a few moments, the field of energy vanished as the meta passed out, his brain starved of oxygen. Vindicator slung him over his shoulder and carried him over to waiting paramedics who promptly clamped on a much larger power dampener than the one I had before checking his vitals. They gave Vindicator a thumbs-up and the hero nodded.

    The fight wasn¡¯t over yet, though. Unknown meta #2 was still in the bank with Animus and Wrath. A bright flash of red emanated from inside the bank followed by an almost reptilian looking man flying out. He landed roughly on his back with burn marks covering his body. He had several areas that looked like they had grown armor, but the one that covered his chest was cracked and smoldering. In the middle of the shell was the glowing imprint of a fist. Wrath charged out of the bank and looked like he was about to continue to pummel the meta, but he suddenly stopped and looked back as Animus walked out the bank. It looked like he was shouting at Wrath who shouted back before reaching for with the watch on his wrist. The glowing aura around Wrath faded and he looked noticeably calmer.

    I would have kept watching, but the feed was cut, and they went back to the news desk. I wasn¡¯t really interested in having the whole fight broken down an analyzed for the next three hours. Getting up to head back to the kitchen, I happened to glance at the clock.

    Shit.

    I was going to miss my bus¡­

    Minutes later, with breakfast hastily shoveled down, I barely made it on the bus before the doors shut. Winded, I scanned my bus pass and filed back to an empty seat. I couldn¡¯t be late. Well, it probably wouldn¡¯t be the worst thing if I was late, but I didn¡¯t want to give my bosses any reason not to like me. I hadn¡¯t had any incidents so far: I was just a normal person with a normal job. Not a weirdo or a freak or a dangerous meta.

    The power dampener on my wrist may complicate that image a bit. After all, they didn¡¯t force people with benign abilities to wear them. Speaking of the dampener, my breakfast really wasn¡¯t setting well, and I couldn¡¯t help but think it was possibly a side effect of the device. I had no idea how it really worked, and that was a bit unsettling, but I knew it had to do with EM fields or something like that. It was actually some fairly old tech pioneered in the CADMUS era. Ironically, by a meta.

    Maybe I was stressing over nothing. I leaned my head against the window and felt the vibrations as the bus took me further into the heart of Chicago. I liked the city well enough, but I¡¯d never really traveled enough to like anywhere more.

    I glanced out of the window and saw the rubble from this morning¡¯s skirmish. The purple energy bastard and his shelled friend would probably be carted off to Asphodel. That wasn¡¯t its official name but calling it ¡°Site II¡± was pretty boring, and Asphodel was a tad more descriptive when comparing it to the other two metahuman prisons. Elysium, or Site I, was a minimum-security prison. Metas who had only committed minor crimes, or had trouble controlling their abilities were sent there for a while. Site III, on the other hand, was lovingly called Tartarus: a maximum-security prison for the world¡¯s supervillains.

    Not happy thoughts to dwell on.

    After a few more blocks, I pulled the cord to signal the driver to stop, and I hopped off to walk the rest of the way on foot. The headquarters of Daedalus Technologies came into full view as I rounded a corner. The large structure dominated the Chicago skyline. It took up an entire block and looked like the cutting edge of architecture. Quite literally. It had so many sharp lines it looked like it would make for a good weapon against some hostile giant. And inside its intriguing fa?ade held some of the world¡¯s most cutting-edge research into artificial limbs, alternative energy, artificial intelligence, yadda yadda. It had its fingers is just about any pie you could think of.

    And I worked there.

    That impressed most people. They automatically filled their head of me working on some kind of advanced robot, or complicated algorithm to find cat videos on the internet a little faster. I let a smile grow as I swiped the card that let me past security. It would probably be cool to be responsible for a breakthrough in anti-gravity tech or something, but I didn¡¯t have the head for it. I didn¡¯t usually correct people¡¯s assumptions, though, it was sort of nice to have them impressed for a second. I reached the elevators and pressed the down button, the universal symbol of progress and advancement, said no one ever.

    It took a while for an elevator to decide to go down with the throng of researchers and corporate types ascending to their various floors and offices. Meanwhile, there was me, sinking into the basement. I¡¯d never envisioned myself as a janitor, but it paid the bills. When the doors opened, I walked through the maze of halls that connected parking decks with storage areas and a locker room for the other janitors and similar employees. The night crew had already cleared out, but there were a few people other than me who worked during the day. My locker was in the far left corner of the room and I walked over to get my coveralls.

    ¡°Peterson, cutting it close, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    I grinned and looked over to my manager, an older man with thinning white hair and moustache that stood out against his dark complexion.

    ¡°Sorry, Sir, my bus had to detour around some rubble,¡± I replied as I zipped up my coveralls.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to cut that ¡®sir¡¯ bullshit?¡± He chided with mock agitation in his voice.

    ¡°Sorry, Craig.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± He said with a chuckling smile. ¡°So, I guess you saw that beatdown the Regents gave those thugs this mornin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It looked like Wrath was about to pummel the one with the scales.¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean. I don¡¯t know about that Wrath guy. He seems like he could do more harm than good if Cypher let him off his leash.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± I said, trying to stay away from the subject of metahumans doing harm. ¡°Anyway, is there anything important going on today I should know about?¡±

    ¡°Eh, not really. Everything is business as usual.¡±

    That was good. When you were dealing with cutting edge research, it could sometimes result in messes that could give you nightmares. Believe me. I¡¯ve had them.

    ¡°Oh, wait. I think Dr. Stathopoulos is testing his whatchamacallit again, so good luck,¡± Craig said, followed by a hearty laugh as he walked out of the locker room.

    Great.

    Last week dear Dr. Stathopoulos had tested something that looked straight out of a sci-fi movie. As I was scrubbing up the mess, I was told it was a device that used ferro-fluid as some kind of liquid arm. I knew ferro-fluid had to do with magnets, but that information didn¡¯t really do much to help when you¡¯re faced with gallons of goop coating every possible surface of a lab area.

    Just another day at the office.

 Glimpse 1.04

    Mopping can be therapeutic. A simple, rhythmic task where you can just let your mind go blank. Of course, it could also be sickness-inducing depending on what kind of lovely surprise you find waiting for you. This time, however, it was just a simple coffee spill. Those happened often enough, and with the staggering volume of caffeine the eggheads here consumed it wasn¡¯t surprising. All in all, today was a slow day. Nothing had blown up, nothing hazardous had leaked, and nothing had malfunctioned in a messy way.

    Things were looking up.

    I knew I was setting the bar low as far as dreams and aspirations went. Most people my age were at a college or university climbing their way towards a degree while simultaneously digging their way into debt. Then they would get a job they maybe liked and get pay that wasn¡¯t quite enough to get everything they wanted. But when you have low expectations, its easier to be content.

    The spill was now just a memory as I put the mop back in its bucket. Another job well done, go me. It was getting close to lunch time, so I opted to eat a little early. I made my way to the elevator, pushing my cart with me. No one really pays you any attention when you¡¯re wearing a janitor uniform, and if they do its either because they have something that needs to be cleaned or they need to move out of your way. To be honest, I kind of liked that. It just made pretending to be normal that much easier.

    When the doors slid open, I wheeled my cart inside and smiled at the other occupant. ¡°Floor?¡± He asked with a smile.

    ¡°Uh, basement,¡± I replied, getting everything inside. There was something about him that struck me as familiar. I¡¯d probably seen him walking around before, but he was one of the corporate types as indicated by his suit and lack of pocket protector.

    He reached over and hit the button and I saw he was headed for the ground floor. ¡°Nice weather outside, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    His question caught me a bit off guard. Like I mentioned, I wasn¡¯t used to attention. ¡°Yeah, I guess so,¡± I replied, trying to be cordial, but it probably came out sounding more suspicious than anything. Why did he look so familiar? I was trying to place a name with his face, but it wasn¡¯t clicking. He wasn¡¯t very tall and had a rather thin frame with his light-brown hair done in a youthful style.

    ¡°It''s Peterson, right?¡± he asked with a look on his face that made it seem like it wasn¡¯t really a question. Now I was starting to panic, feeling the dread of forgetting the name of someone you¡¯re supposed to know creeping into the pit of my stomach. I must have looked confused, because he quickly followed up with, ¡°Oh, sorry. I try to make it a point to learn all my employee¡¯s names.¡±

    The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. David Hartley. The founder and CEO of Daedalus Technologies. ¡°Yes, sir, Mr. Hartley, that¡¯s uh, that¡¯s me. I mean, my name, that¡¯s my name.¡±

    He seemed to graciously ignore me stumbling over myself, but he didn¡¯t get the chance to continue the conversation. The elevator came to a stop and Mr. Hartley gave me a nod before stepping off. That was strange, I thought to myself as the doors started to close. But before they met, Hartley¡¯s hand jammed between them, forcing them open again. ¡°Oh, Mr. Peterson, I almost forgot. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that dampener on your arm. We¡¯re working on some new models for Argus on the forty-second floor. If you want to stop by after lunch, we can maybe let you try on a few of the prototypes. It¡¯s always good to get feedback from those the product is meant to help,¡± he said, apparently waiting for an answer.

    Alarms were going off in my head as I felt the growing dread in my stomach solidify. Was it that obvious? And he was inviting me to a lab like we were old friends. ¡°I¡­ I guess so, sir¡­¡± I muttered before I could think of anything else to say. Hartley¡¯s face lit up, ¡°Excellent, just stop by anytime after lunch and we¡¯ll try not to take up too much of your time.¡±

    Hartley pulled away from the elevator without another word, and this time the doors closed. I banged my head against the back of the elevator. One day. Not even a full one. That was all it took for someone to notice. Was it just him, or were there others who saw it and realized what it was?

    I wanted to rip the stupid thing off and drown it in the bucket of mop water. I forced myself to take a deep breath and then another. Getting upset wouldn¡¯t make anything better. The doors opened again, this time to the basement. I stored the cart in a supply closet and went to take off my coveralls in the locker room. I didn''t really know what its like to work anywhere else, but it was nice to have a long break for lunch. Another perk of working at DT.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Another elevator ride and I was back on the ground floor. I decided to wait until after lunch to think about the dampener or metahumans or heroes or anything else. There were quite a few other people heading for the doors who seemed to have the same idea I did: a hot lunch. There was a place a few blocks over James had told me about that I wanted to try. I think he said it was Greek.

    But then, the ground shook. Everyone in the lobby froze, looking around with fearful expressions. A voice crackled to life over the PA system, ¡°Attention all employees: Argus has issued an active Class III Metahuman Warning for the Greater Chicago area. Daedalus Technologies is implementing a level one lockdown.¡± Retractable shielding lowered to cover nearly all the glass on the ground floor exposed to the outside, as several members of the building security hurried into the lobby to urge everyone to backup from the front doors. I knew from security meetings that blast-proof metal barricades were being lowered to cut off the parking garage entrance, and the elevators were shutting down as a precautionary measure. Any offices with windows were evacuated with people being pooled near the central trunk of the building.

    The guards were letting a few people in off the street, but there was no way they¡¯d let me out without a good reason regardless if I thought food was grounds or not. The building shook again, but it felt closer this time. Maybe staying put was a good idea. A Class III threat meant that even with all the heroes present putting up a fight, Argus predicted the potential for "substantial loss of life". People were beginning to murmur, but they weren¡¯t panicking. Yet.

    Since going out for lunch was off the table, I decided the vending machines a few floors up would have to do. The Metahuman Warning was troubling, but the Regents could handle it. Of course, the only members that I knew were in the city were Wrath, Animus, and Vindicator. The others could be halfway around the world or anywhere in between. Still, there were other heroes who could make it here in a matter of minutes. Not to mention any solo acts that were in the area.

    I made my way up the stairs and really began to harbor a hatred for them. I understood lowering shielding for exposed windows but shutting off the elevators seemed like overkill. Maybe I¡¯d lodge a complaint. I mused the thought over as I rounded a corner. The vending machines were in a little alcove near a group of cubicles that were predominantly empty with the active warning. After feeding the machines my spare change, I grabbed my prize of chips and a bottle of soda.

    The quakes were growing more frequent, but there wasn¡¯t any pattern to them. Sometimes they were back to back only to fall silent for several seconds that sometimes stretched into minutes. It was like listening to an amateur drummer who was constantly off-beat. I had invaded one of the cubicles and tried to entertain myself with a collection of paper footballs made from some borrowed post-it notes. That became boring fast, but there wasn¡¯t much to do except get back to work. Everyone else was glued to screens tuned into news broadcasts covering the event, not that there was really anything to see.

    No doubt, there were some brave, and questionably suicidal, reporters trying to sneak past the joint Argus and Police barricades to get a shot of a hero, or villain, in action. On top of that, Helicopters were grounded, and airlines re-routed to prevent them from becoming potential targets for flying foes. While the people in tights tried to subdue the baddies, the Argus agents were evacuating the surrounding area as best they could. Now they were really the brave ones in my eyes. Sure, they had Kevlar and guns, but against a villain with enhanced strength they might as well be tissue paper and pea shooters. They still ran into danger anyway.

    I lined up another shot with the makeshift goal I made from pencils and paperclips, but I noticed a blinking light. My eyes drifted over to the power dampener and the red indicator frantically trying to tell me something. Problem was, I had no idea what that something might be. Malfunction? Low Battery? A notification about the throw down taking place outside? I had no clue. James didn¡¯t exactly give me the user manual. Suddenly, that seemed like glaring oversight.

    Should I call James? Nah. It probably wasn¡¯t a big of a deal, and he was almost certainly busy coordinating with the rest of Argus during the meta warning. With nothing better to do, I decided to get back to work. After cleaning up my own entertainment, it was basement-ward bound for me. I felt the beginnings of a headache taking hold as I jogged down the stairs. The humming I felt in the back of my jaw seemed to grow stronger. Was this because of the red light?

    It was probably fine.

    After a few more flights, the pain started getting worse. The light on the dampener wasn¡¯t blinking anymore; it was just a solid red eye glaring at me. The pain spiked and my footing faltered. I would have fallen down the steps, but instead I sprawled out on the second-floor landing. The impact hurt, but not nearly as much as the throbbing in my head. I managed to sit up, but the pain was getting worse, and massaging my temples did nothing. I wasn¡¯t prone to migraines, but the one or two I¡¯ve had weren¡¯t anything like this. A haze was starting to creep in from the corner of my vision. What the hell was happening?

    Somehow in my daze, I managed to grab my phone. The screen was blurry, and my vision was swimming as I fumbled to contacts and managed to find James. The ringing just made the pain in my head worse; the sound was like a bullet ricocheting around my skull. No answer. Damn it. Of all the times he wasn¡¯t magnetized to his phone, now was the worst. It had to be the power dampener, there wasn¡¯t anything else it could be. I jammed down the power button and my vision washed blue¡­

 Glimpse 1.05

    I remember the first time it happened. I couldn¡¯t have been much older than four, but it was seared into my mind. I saw people screaming, and running, cars raining down as the ground fell away beneath them; a scene of carnage and destruction. A half mile of bridge falling into the water below, dragging everything with it. I remember being so terrified, I ran to my mother after the fit ended, and she did her best to comfort me, convince me it was just my imagination, but I couldn¡¯t be swayed. A week later we saw it on the news; a bridge in Peoria was destroyed in a fight between a meta and an Argus swat team.

    Since then, they haven¡¯t stopped coming. There was nothing I could do to stop this one from coming, as soon as I turned the dampener off, images, thoughts, and sensations flooded my mind. I was standing on a street, looking around, frantically. Everything was bathed in a blueish hue, yet I could still tell what color everything would normally be, like in a dream where you just know things. The buildings that lined the street were damaged. Their windows were broken, some structural damage, while a few were just burning piles of rubble.

    Things worked differently in these¡­ visions. I was there, but I wasn¡¯t like a person, exactly. Breathing felt more like inhaling water, and sounds were muffled. Dimensions distorted and shifted at random. And I couldn¡¯t really touch or feel anything: I was just a bystander.

    On the street there were several figures in some kind of stand-off. To the right were several heroes: Wrath, Animus, The Eagle, Spectral, and the man himself, Cypher. Wrath and Animus were part of The Regents, Cypher¡¯s team, so it was normal to see them together, but Spectral and The Eagle were from The Shield of Freedom, based out of the D.C. area. Opposite them was a rogues¡¯ gallery of a mixed variety. I picked out faces from The Gold Diggers, a band of metahuman criminals attracted to the smell of cash, and several faces I didn¡¯t recognize.

    Before I could make sense of what I was seeing, the scene shifted again. Everything faded into a fog except for one man. He was on his knees clutching his head as the wall of fog closed in on him. I tried to move towards him, but I didn¡¯t have any body to move, so all I could do was watch. The rolling mist stopped just shy of touching him, but a figure stepped out of the mist, a flaming torch in their hand. The scene changed slightly, and I was brought closer to the man on his knees. He glanced in my direction and I recognized his face: Wrath.

    The unknown figure threw the torch at Wrath, and when it hit him, he erupted into flames. The fire started charring him, but he didn¡¯t scream. It was unsettling, seeing his skin boil and his flesh turn to ash, but his face wasn¡¯t in pain. It was twisted into raw, unadulterated rage. Again, the vision disoriented me as the fog shot off into the distance and the ground fell away to give me a view of the city. I could see signs of destruction from the fight between the villains and heroes, but then I saw a light. It flared up from the center of the destruction, but it grew at an alarming rate, rushing through the city and tossing the buildings aside like dominoes swept aside by the hand of an angry giant. The mushroom cloud rose higher and higher above the destroyed city and then my vision went dark.

    I opened my eyes and looked around wildly. I was back in the stairwell, thank God. My heart was beating so fast I could feel it thumping in my chest. I was covered in sweat; my shirt clung to me and my hair was wet with it. I heard something too, what was that? I felt disoriented, everything was too bright, and the strange acoustics of the stairwell just twisted and distorted my gasps for air. I heard the noise again, but this time I managed realized it was my phone. The caller ID read James, and tried to answer but my fingers felt stiff, like they had been tensed for several minutes. These spells really took it out of me.

    ¡°Hey James,¡± I finally said after managing to hit the damn answer button.

    ¡°Nate, are you alright? You sound strange. I¡¯m sorry I missed your call, I¡¯ve been a bit busy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I just had another one of my visions-¡±

    ¡°-I thought you were wearing your dampener?¡±

    I sighed. Leave it to James to jump in before you could make a point.

    ¡°I am, but the light started to blink, and I started getting a headache-"

    ¡°-That¡¯s not good; it means it¡¯s having to up the ante to keep your powers suppressed-¡±

    ¡°-James, listen to me! I had a vision; I don¡¯t know what it showed me, but I think the city is fucked.¡±

    James went quiet for a moment. He knew about my visions, and how they were always right in one way or another. ¡°How do you mean?¡± he finally replied. His voice had lost its eagerness, replaced by a tone that seemed more suited to serious business. ¡°What did you see?¡±

    ¡°I think I saw the Regents and some others facing off against a group of villains, not just one team, but a bunch of solo acts standing next to each other. Then I saw Wrath,¡±

    ¡°Wrath?¡± He asked with something new hiding in the bravado. I realized it was fear.

    ¡°Yeah, I saw someone set him on fire and then he¡­ blew up, I guess, taking everything with him.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± The question just seemed to hang there for a moment. All my life I¡¯d been bombarded by my powers. I couldn¡¯t control them. It made it hard to live in the moment when you were constantly forced to see terrible things that hadn¡¯t happened yet. I tried to ignore them, burry them deep and not think about them. But I knew they would come true. Eventually.

    ¡°Y¡­ yes. I¡¯m sure. And it felt urgent.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to reach Cypher, but I don¡¯t have that kind of pull to have them act based off a hunch.¡±

    A hunch? It wasn¡¯t a hunch, it was going to happen, I could¡­ feel it. ¡°James, its not just a hunch, you have to trust me,¡± I said, trying to convince him.

    ¡°I trust you, Nate, but they don¡¯t. There isn¡¯t any way for me to verify that your vision is true. Just stay safe.¡±

    ¡°Wait-¡± I tried to interrupt, but James ended the call before I could say anything else. Damn it, I thought to myself. This was bad. My headache was gone, but now there was a pit of absolute dread polluting my stomach. Cypher was the best hero there was, but I doubted even he could stop a nuclear explosion. Someone¡­ I¡­ had to find the person with the torch and¡­ and¡­

    And then what?

    It was a stupid idea; what could I do? I wasn¡¯t some hero with a cape and years of experience. I was a fucking janitor. My heart was threatening to beat out of my chest, so I tried to take some deep breaths and collect my thoughts. Then it hit me: what did I have to lose? If I didn¡¯t do anything, I was going to die to an explosion that would make a nuke look like a firecracker. Then I thought about my family.

    I had to do something. Maybe, if I could get out of the building, I could somehow make it to Cypher and warn him? Nothing else was coming to mind, so I got shakily to my feet and started down the stairs. Plans on how to get out of the building. The security team wouldn¡¯t let me just walk out the front door, but maybe there was a way near one of the service entrances.

    The doors would be locked, but maybe I could force them open with my powers. Walking out of the doors of the stairwell, I glanced around to see if anyone was paying me any attention. Fortunately, they weren¡¯t. More anxiety built up in my stomach as I tried to act normal on my way to the south side of the building. There was a good-sized bay that allowed trucks to deliver materials and supplies, and for prototypes and the like to be shipped directly from the building. The large doors meant for the trucks were reinforced, but there were other doors that lead outside meant for people. They were locked, but I think I could fix that.

    Before I reached the entrance to the shipping bay, I ducked into a bathroom. Breath in. Breath out. I looked at myself in the mirror and closed my eyes, trying to purposefully summon my power for once. The feeling was difficult to describe. It wasn¡¯t like flexing a muscle or moving a limb, it was more like¡­ turning on a sink: opening an internal valve and just letting it flow. Part of me wondered if it was like this for everyone, but I didn¡¯t have time to think about that now.

    I felt it starting to creep along my skin. It felt like I was slowly being lowered into icy water, making my hair stand on-end. When I opened my eyes, I saw the cyan form about to swallow my face. Memories I¡¯d try to bury for so long came flooding back, and I blanched. As my resolve fled, creeping color seemed to evaporate, and I tried to collect myself. My heart was beating like a warning, a reminder of why I didn¡¯t use my powers. This was too much, I shouldn¡¯t have tried. My chest felt tight, and I realized I had broken out in a sweat. When wiped my brow, my hand was trembling, slightly.

    Why was this so hard? It had happened before, but I wasn¡¯t in control then. Now, when I want to use it, I couldn¡¯t. The mirror faithfully reflected what I felt inside: I was just a scared little boy terrified of what my powers could do.

    No, they were my powers and they would obey me. I jammed my eyes closed and braced against the counter. Pouring all my fear and anger into the effort, I felt my powers creeping back. This time I waited until it felt like I was completely covered. This time, when I opened my eyes, I saw a shifting barrier of energy covered me from head to toe. Water was about the closest description of how it moved; it flowed and swirled, never staying still. Hues of blue ranging from near-white to deep sapphire mixed and danced around each other, making it very interesting to look at, but most importantly, it covered everything. My face, hair, and even my clothes were all under the barrier: exactly what I hoped for.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Even though it looked strange, it felt even more alien. It didn¡¯t obstruct my vision, even though it covered my face completely, but I could still tell it was there. It felt like a bodysuit that hovered a hair''s breadth away from my skin, only making the briefest of contacts as I moved around. And oddly, it was cold, very cold, but it wasn¡¯t uncomfortable. If anything, it was tranquil.

    But I didn¡¯t have time to waste. I hurried out of the bathroom and towards the shipping area. The doors were locked with a card reader, but luckily for me, janitors had cards that let them through. After all, you never knew where you would need a mess cleaned up. Looking around, it wasn¡¯t a very interesting place. There were a pair of large garage doors that opened outside and pair of empty bays for trucks to be loaded and emptied. Along the raised area around the bay, there were multiple boxes stacked haphazardly with the odd hand truck laying nearby.

    Fortunately, the small crew that was usually staffed were nowhere to be seen. They were probably in a breakroom or something, waiting to get back to work. That was fine with me as I finally spied what I was looking for. I moved my way between the stacks of boxes to door that led to the outside. It was one of those grey fireproof ones with the small window at eye level. A test push confirmed it was locked, so I dug in and pushed hard near the locking mechanism.

    For a second, the door held, then with a metallic screech, it flew open and slammed against the outside wall, a dent near the lock. Before I could be somewhat pleased with myself, an alarm blared to life. ¡°Fuck,¡± I swore under my breath as I took off running. I couldn¡¯t believe I forgot about the alarms. I felt like an idiot, but I didn¡¯t have time to think about it.

    Public transportation would be shut down with the Warning in effect, along with taxis and ride-sharing services. That left me slightly limited in my modes of transportation. Looked like running was the only thing left. Once I was clear of any likely pursuit from DT, I slowed my pace to a jog, trying to keep my stamina up. Block after block rolled past, but I wasn¡¯t sure if I was going in the right way or not.

    The longer I ran with the energy swirling around me, the more I noticed I wasn¡¯t getting tired, at least not nearly as much I would without them. I mean, I was decently fit, but running still usually sucked. And something else was odd: the energy wasn¡¯t static. It shifted with my movements. There was a moment of drag, but once the energy caught up with the change in my leg¡¯s direction, it had an elastic effect, propelling me faster.

    In the distance, the explosions and tremors were growing stronger and more frequent. I had to remind myself I was pressed for time. Then I had an idea. If the energy was reacting to me, maybe I could try and push it and move it proactively? I had managed to summon it at will. Falling into a steady rhythm, I focused on the part of the suit swirling around my legs, on dragging them forward ahead of my leg. I felt the effect immediately. Left, right, left, right¡­

    I was moving faster, but I wondered how far I could push it. Any strain I was feeling in my legs melted away; the energy was doing all the work for me. The streets were flying past now. I had to admit it felt awesome to be moving so fast. It was more a mental workout at this point to keep the pattern going than it was to move my legs. However, my excitement was tainted by a pang of guilt in enjoying my powers. I had worked so hard to ignore them, to try and act normal. Doing this just felt like throwing all that away. But I reminded myself why I was doing it: just this once, to save the city.

    Then I tripped.

    My vision was a whirl of shapes and colors as I tumbled head over heels. Luckily, my energy shell kept me from getting scraped up as I skidded along the asphalt. ¡°Damn it,¡± I muttered as I staggered to my feet. I guess I got distracted. It looked like I had been going the right way at least. Rubble littered the streets along with the husks of burnt-out cars and smashed store fronts. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t any bodies, yet.

    I looked around to get my bearings. The Daedalus Tech building was a several blocks behind me, towards Lake Michigan. From the relative volume of the explosions, the villain activity was focused around the eastern area of the Near West Side and the southern tip of River North. They seemed to be ignoring the Magnificent Mile where most of the upscale shops and stores were, so it was safe to assume they weren¡¯t after a payday.

    That made some sense: for there to be an official Warning issued, it had to be a serious threat to civilian lives. Criminals going after cash weren¡¯t usually that dangerous. But at the same time, who would be stupid or bold enough to cause such a scene in the Regents¡¯ home city? I mean, the presence of the Regents had promoted economic growth in the city due to the sense of security, but was that enough to promote an attack on this scale only to ignore where the money was?

    Another explosion rocked the street, and I looked up, trying to see where it came from. My eyes skimmed the rooftops, but something caught my eye. Two metas were flying overhead, and It was easy to guess who they were. Spectral, and the Eagle: just like I had seen in the vision. While I was messing around with my powers, I had forgotten about the knot in my gut, but seeing the Members of the Shield of Freedom made it decide to remind me of its presence.

    As I was looking in the direction the heroes had went, something hit me square in the chest, throwing me back. I tumbled to the ground, the wind knocked right out of me. ¡°Well, well, well. What a unique little catch we have here. Butcher, darling, give me an opinion: is this little firefly a green horned novice, or a wayward vigilante?¡± I jerked my head up, still trying to catch my breath. My energy shell managed to hold, but I happened to see what¡¯d hit me. A crumbled bullet lay on the ground not far away.

    Then I realized who had spoken, Hellequin: the leader of the Gold Diggers. He was one of the types to wear what I guess you could call a costume. It resembled some kind of Chinese royal guard uniform with sashes of fabric embroidered with gold thread. They formed an ¡®X¡¯ shape over what I suppose was body armor, but even that looked more like it belonged on a fashion runway than on a known criminal. His right shoulder had a pauldron-like covering made from fur that wrapped around to his back while his right arm was covered in armor that looked like dragon hide. Then there was his helmet. It covered his face completely with lines accenting his nose and brow, while making his jaw look like the closed mouth of a demon. He even had two short horns sprouting from the helmet¡¯s golden forehead. Hellequin was tall, overly dignified for someone styling themselves as a demon. The villain was staring down towards me with his hands clasped, as though I were just an interesting insect.

    ¡°Vigilante. Smells like one.¡± another voice said. Next to him stood a woman with a much simpler attire. It looked to be mostly leather, probably to offer some measure of protection from light blows. Dark hair came down to her shoulders, framing her most terrifying trait. Her lips seemed normal, but her mouth didn¡¯t end there, it stretched up to her cheek bones and down along her bottom jaw and disappeared behind her hair. There was no flesh, simply large, wickedly sharp teeth locking together perfectly. This had to be the ¡®Butcher¡¯ that Hellequin had addressed. She stood in the way a predator would, ready to pounce at a moment¡¯s notice. The carnivore imagery was helped by the fact that both of her hands were warped into wicked, blade-like claws still wet with blood.

    ¡°Smells like piss and sweat. No vigilante would be scared, he¡¯s green.¡± The voice bore a notable French accent, coming from the man that stood on the side of Hellequin opposite the Butcher. His clothes were basically normal, but his face was hidden behind a growth of what looked like bone, or antlers. They were made to resemble a deer skull while other protrusions dotted his body. Cerf Tueur. The Killer Deer. Much more competent than his name would imply, from what I could dimly recall.

    I felt frozen. Every part of my body was so tensed it hurt. I just wanted to run back to the normal life I¡¯d work so hard to make. I had survived the shot, but what if it was one of those internal injuries I couldn¡¯t feel because of adrenaline? I had no idea.

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s neither.¡± This voice was definitely female. I managed to get on my feet, backing away from the advancing villains. I finally picked her out from the crowd. She looked entirely normal, like any other person you might pass on the street; short blonde hair, blue eyes, thick-rimmed hipster glasses. I wasn¡¯t sure who she was, but she was walking right along with the rest of the team, so it was safe to say she wasn¡¯t just a random bystander. ¡°He¡¯s just a scared little meta, out of his depth.¡± she said, a grinning like she¡¯d just heard something funny. She looked about nineteen or twenty, about my age, but she had the kind of feeling about her that a much older person would have.

    ¡°Poor sap must have been overlooked in the evac sweeps. Perhaps his powers have only just awoken,¡± Hellequin said. He made a motion like he was taking aim with a gun, and a highly decorative rifle appeared in his hands from thin air. That must have been what he¡¯d used to shoot me. ¡°Shameful. In another life, you could¡¯ve lived to use it.¡± The rifle fired, an explosion of red flame and smoke from its barrel. The sound was like a sledgehammer made of dynamite hitting a brick wall also made of dynamite, pure explosive force.

    My vision flashed blue again. When it cleared, I realized I had moved. I didn¡¯t feel like I¡¯d been hit; I must have dodge it just like how I caught the bullet yesterday in the gas station. I should have probably felt relief, but if he fired again, I had no clue if I could dodge it a second time. Hellequin looked slightly confused? Impressed? His body language said as much. I could hear the normal-looking girl yelp, like she¡¯d been slapped. ¡°Shit. The glowstick-fucker stopped me reading him!¡±

    Read me? Was she some kind of telepath? I thought to myself. ¡°...Impressive, firefly.¡± Hellequin said in that tone of voice where you can hear the sneer. He lowered his hands, and the gun he¡¯d been holding flickered out of existence. Definitely some powers at work there. ¡°But annoying, and inconvenient, nonetheless. Butcher, Cerf, turn him into a bloody paste, if you¡¯d be so kind.¡±

    ¡°Wait, hold on, maybe we can talk¡­¡± I started to ramble as I backed up rapidly, my mouth running faster than my mind. But before I could mutter anything else, I saw a white blur flash past my face with a rush of air. The Butcher was struck with an audible crunch of bone. She flew back like a ragdoll, limbs bent at sickening angles. She tumbled along the ground when she hit, but immediately began to pick herself up, body parts snapping back into place.

    I became aware of the presence to my right, the one who¡¯d knocked the villain back. I looked, and my jaw dropped. The Eagle stood next to me, all square jaw and rippling muscle. His costume was as patriotic as his name, mostly white with highlights of red and blue. His arm was still outstretched from the massive punch he¡¯d delivered. The other Gold Diggers looked almost as shocked as me, though they lacked the kind of awestruck look I had plastered on my face. Again, I was glad I had the swirling blue energy hiding my appearance.

    They took a moment to gather themselves before moving to attack the most famous hero in the world, but they didn¡¯t get the chance. A blast of wind bowled the remaining criminals over, and I could see wisps of white, luminescent energy trailing in the wake of the gust, swirling about in the air. A glance over my shoulder revealed the source. Spectral, another one of the celebrity heroes from the Shield of Freedom. His costume was simple, dark blue with a glowing white emblem of a bird covering most of his upper torso, and a mask that concealed his face. Two ghostly wings sprouted from his back, with the same white glow as his emblem. Ethereal energy flowed through the wings before surging forward, kicking up the gale. Once the Gold Diggers were buffeted back far enough, he dropped the onslaught to join The Eagle in barricading me from the villains.

    I grinned for a moment, like a child at Christmas, watching two of the most famous heroes in the world touch down right in front of me. But a shiver ran down my back as the scene became uncomfortably familiar. I¡¯d seen this in my vision, right before Wrath had exploded and wiped the city off the map; meaning I would have mere minutes to try and prevent all that. No pressure. Right?

 Glimpse 1.06

    ¡°Get out of here, kid, while we can keep them busy,¡± Spectral said, glancing back at me while The Eagle took a step forward. It looked like he was getting ready for another attack. ¡°Kid, go!¡± Spectral hissed, with more urgency. I snapped back to reality and focused on the hero. He had something that was a hybrid of a mask and a bandana that covered everything from his eyes down, keeping his hair exposed. I couldn¡¯t look directly at his eyes, they were glowing with the same ethereal energy that coursed through his suit and projected into the wings.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ can¡¯t. I have to talk to Cypher,¡± I tried to say. Under his mask, I could see Spectral¡¯s face furrow.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t up for debate, now go!¡± He turned back to face the Gold Diggers just as the Butcher charged. Hellequin fell back to cover the normal-looking girl while Cerf Tueur rushed to help his teammate. The Eagle met the woman before she had gone a few steps, only to have a hand-claw swipe at his stomach. The Eagle managed to catch the arm, but Cerf Tueur skidded to a stop and braced himself before several pointed growths erupted from the side of his body. They slammed into The Eagle¡¯s side, throwing him off balance, before breaking off and freeing the deer-man to attack again.

    It didn¡¯t look like they pierced the skin, but the attack still served its purpose. The hero was left wide open, allowing the Butcher to pivot, bringing her arms together. The spin built up momentum, and when she brought down her fists, they had fused together into one large mass of bone. It caught the Eagle at the base of the neck and knocked him to the ground, cracking the asphalt underneath him.

    ¡°Go!¡± Spectral shouted before he flared with energy and rushed to help his ally. ¡°The city is in danger!¡± I shouted, but it was useless; he was already gone. How stupid was that? Of course, the city was in danger: that was why they were here!

    As soon as Spectral moved to help The Eagle, it exposed his back to Hellequin, who wasted no time in seizing the opportunity. The rifle manifested in his grip again, and he fired. Spectral seemed to be expecting it, though. The bullet hit one of the wings, and slowed rapidly as it did so, almost like it was moving through gel.

    Hellequin began unloading rounds in rapid succession, forcing Spectral to turn and focus the energy coming from his back into a barrier in front of him. I should run. I should just obey the professional hero¡¯s orders and run, right? But it looked like they weren¡¯t doing so well. They were outnumbered, and I was just standing there. It was terrible, feeling useless. I had powers, maybe I could charge the demon-headed freak and tackle him? It didn¡¯t look like he could do much else besides making the rifle perform like a magician¡¯s rabbit.

    Before I could make up my mind to do anything, I felt a thump in my chest that hit like the base from a subwoofer. The blow came from the Eagle delivering a thunderous uppercut to the Butcher¡¯s hellish maw. Her neck stretched and the skin split, but she just moved for another attack. Moving so fast he was just a blur, the Eagle grabbed her arm and threw her clear across the street and through the front of a coffee shop.

    Cerf Tueur was still up and kicking, though. Upon seeing his teammate thrown back, the deer planted his feet and shot several of his growths into the ground to anchor himself. He then turned into a mass of thorns, giving himself protection from all angles. The Eagle tried to charge him, but dozens of sharp and serrated antlers exploded out, threatening to turn the Eagle into a bird-kabob.

    Luckily, The Eagle was fast enough to keep dodging them, but the sheer volume of growths launching at him kept him from getting close enough to land any kind of attack. I had no idea where the mass for the growths was coming from. There was no way it was coming from his body. Was he consuming mass, or was he drawing it from somewhere else? I had no clue. Spectral seemed to be holding his ground, but if it was because he couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t advance, I wasn¡¯t sure.

    Hellequin, meanwhile, didn¡¯t appear to have the need to reload at all. He just kept sending rounds into Spectral¡¯s shield. It felt like the glowing hero was holding back, but I wasn¡¯t sure why. Still, I just couldn¡¯t move away. Cypher wasn¡¯t here, and it was clear neither one of the heroes was going to be able or willing to take me to him. So, I should leave, right? I should go and try to find the leader of the Regents. But, I couldn¡¯t. I was beginning to panic. I willed my foot to move, to pick itself off the ground. Nothing.

    What was going on? Could it be the girl? She seemed like she was focusing on something intently. Her eyes were shut, and her head slightly tilted to the side like she was listening to something. I tried to wiggle my toes, and at least they responded. I felt a bit of relief that I wasn¡¯t paralyzed, at least not completely. Nothing was responding, my arms were in full-mutiny with my legs. If it was someone¡¯s powers in play, why were they affecting just me? Then I glanced at Spectral. Maybe they weren¡¯t.

    I had to do something to move. My actual body didn¡¯t seem to want to listen, but what about my energy shell? I had managed to move it with my mind before, what if I moved the whole thing now? After that I had no idea what to do. One step at a time, I guess. After taking a second to calm myself as best I could, I focused on the energy. Here goes nothing. I thought to myself.

    With a sudden mental jerk, I felt myself rush backwards, away from the fight. Instantly, I felt in control of my body again. It must have been some sort of lulling effect. Really, I was just grasping at straws. But it didn¡¯t take long for the effects to begin creeping in again. If I kept moving, it seemed, the effect couldn¡¯t take hold again.

    Spectral had to be caught in the same thing. Before I could talk myself out of it, I rushed forward. ¡°¨¤ droite!¡± I heard the girl shout. Hellequin immediately flicked the barrel of the rifle towards me, but just like I hoped, it snapped Spectral out of it. A wall of his energy appeared in front of me, easily stopping the bullets the villain managed to get off. I glanced over at Spectral and realized he had stretched out one of his wings to make the wall. He manipulated the other wing towards Hellequin and the girl, making it rush at them like a tidal wave of energy.

    It never reached them, though. The asphalt split as a tower of the brown antlers erupted from the ground, blocking the flow. ¡°Switch!¡± Spectral yelled, launching himself airborne. The Eagle obliged the decision, using his speed to rush along the ground. When Spectral was high enough, he stopped ascending and aimed his arms down over Cerf Tueur¡¯s cocoon. His wings flowed down the length of his arms, and swirled together, bathing the mass of thorns in Spectral¡¯s ethereal energy.

    Right as The Eagle was about to slam into Hellequin, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. The girl seemed to be focusing with all her might. She must have had a way to override people¡¯s decisions, or at least affect them in some way. ¡°Maintenant, Bouch¨¨re!¡± Hellequin shouted in what I assumed had to be French. But it didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out what it meant. The Butcher launched herself from the broken coffee shop, but she was drastically different. Her maw had grown more horrific, if that were even possible. And her limbs had elongated, with her left arm split into two separate appendages below the elbow.

    The Eagle could do nothing as she whipped past him and leapt at Spectral. It was messy when they met, and almost happened too fast to make out. Spectral had reacted at the last second, but it was too late. White fangs sunk into his arm, dragging down the Butcher¡¯s quarry. Spectral howled in pain and tried to beat his fist against the monster latched onto him, but to little avail.

    Meanwhile, Hellequin had dispatched the rifle, but held something new in his hands. It was rectangular, about the size of a brick with a metal casing. He attached it to The Eagle¡¯s chest with some kind of adhesive and pressed a button, arming the device. ¡°Cerf Tueur!¡± Hellequin shouted. More growths of bone emerged from the asphalt, quickly encasing the hero inside more and more layers of antlers.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Imagine that,¡± Hellequin said with amusement dripping from his voice. ¡°Exactly how he said it would go down. Except for you,¡± He said, looking directly at me. I turned and tried to run, but my foot caught on something and I dropped like a rock. I tried to get up, but more antlers quickly grew over me, pinning me to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re an unknown variable, Firefly. Fortunately for you, a little extra insurance is always appreciated.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t see his face, but I could hear the mixture of venom and mirth pouring from him. I struggled against the antlers, but I felt more grow over top of me, blocking out the light. ¡°Now, I wouldn¡¯t struggle to much. Cerf Tueur is quite good at making toxins. One little prick of the wrong thorn and you¡¯ll be added to the list of the fallen.¡±

    My breath caught in my throat. I couldn¡¯t move at all, but honestly, I was too terrified to. The thought of being inches away from a lethal dose of poison was nerve-wracking. Butterflies didn¡¯t even come close to describing the metaphorical blade twisting in my stomach. Help was coming, though. Right? I mean, I had seen several of the Regents in my vision. If anyone could fix something like this, it was Cypher, right? I at least hoped so.

    Being trapped and cut off from the outside made it hard to tell how long I was trapped. Minutes felt like hours, and the only thing that gave sense of time passing was the muffled voices of the Gold Diggers and the occasional cry of pain from Spectral as the Butcher re-adjusted her vice-grip on his arm. I tried to make out their conversation, but most of it was in French. Despite me trying to block it out, I couldn¡¯t help but think of the mass of antlers as a coffin. My coffin.

    Finally, I felt the antlers around me loosen. Any relief was stripped when an arm wrapped around my neck, yanking me up. I had managed to keep the suit energy up the entire time I was in the makeshift prison. It was somewhat comforting in the darkness. But now I was glad for it again. Looking around, I saw a welcome sight. Three men were standing a few dozen feet away. They were easy to recognize: Animus, Wrath, and Cypher.

    Animus was wearing what looked like advanced combat fatigues and had a large shotgun in his hands. It was far from the only weapon on him, though. I saw at least two handguns in holsters on his sides, and an assault riffle strapped on his back. Wrath looked the same as he did on the news earlier that day: just jeans, a t-shirt with some old rock band logo and a leather jacket. He was already charged up though; red energy swirled around him. And in between them stood Cypher. Unlike his teammates, Cypher wore a mask made from polished, tinted glass. It covered his entire face, held on with straps like a hockey mask.

    No one, except for the other Regents, knew Cypher¡¯s real identity. Argus hated that, but he was unyielding in that portion of information. Apart from the mask, he was sporting body armor, and a duster-style coat. It wasn¡¯t the most fashionable, but I had no doubt it served a more practical purpose. In fact, the only exposed skin I could tell the outfit had was his neck and the back of his head. ¡°That was a nice stunt you pulled with Vindicator back there,¡± he said. It took a minute to figure out who was taking. I couldn¡¯t see his mouth, but it wasn¡¯t either Animus or Wrath, so it had to be him.

    ¡°Thanks. I just made him realize how much he wanted to go home and crack open a cold one,¡± the voice sounded like the girl¡¯s from what I could tell. And that made me curious as to who was holding me. I glanced down and spotted an arm that didn¡¯t belong to Hellequin or the Butcher, so that left Cerf Tueur. I glanced to my left and swallowed hard. It was difficult to see from the corner of my eye, but the deer-man was holding his palm near the side of my head sporting a wicked-looking thorn aimed for my temple. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine it dripping with deadly toxins.

    Luckily, I could tell Cerf Tueur¡¯s grip on me wasn¡¯t as tight as it could be because of the energy barrier. If push came to shove, I thought, it would be enough to slip free. ¡°I¡¯m curious, Hellequin: what was the point of all this?¡± Cypher said, holding his hands out and gesturing around vaguely.

    ¡°What do you mean? We have the most popular hero at our mercy. Not to mention his well-beloved sidekick and this little meta,¡± Even though I couldn¡¯t see him, I could still feel it aimed at me. I suspected it was all Spectral could do to mind his tongue; from what I heard, he hated being thought of as The Eagle¡¯s sidekick. Though I suppose having the Butcher biting into your arm would stay at the forefront of your mind.

    ¡°We have some very nice bargaining chips. The real question is: what do you have to offer?¡± What was Hellequin doing? There was no way he was dumb enough to threaten Cypher like that, was he? The Eagle was the most popular, but everyone knew Cypher was the best. As far as powers went, he didn¡¯t have anything like super strength or speed. He was smart. Inhumanly so.

    In one of the very sparse interviews he had allowed (it was later revealed that it was all part of a convoluted scheme to catch a high-profile criminal) he claimed that his brain had a higher computational power that all the supercomputers on earth combined. He was always a step ahead. Right now, though, I had to admit I had no idea how he was going to find a way out of this one.

    ¡°Where are Saint and Queen?¡± Cypher asked, not letting Hellequin guide the conversation. ¡°They¡¯re around,¡± The girl said in a playful voice. ¡°But unless you play along, you¡¯ll get to see Queen¡¯s handywork first hand,¡± Hellequin added, sounding smug.

    ¡°The device on The Eagle¡¯s chest.¡± Cypher stated. I could feel Cerf Tueur stiffen. ¡°How could you¡­?¡± The deer-man trailed off before he could finish, but it wasn¡¯t hard to guess what he was about to say. I guess he wasn¡¯t supposed to know about the thing Hellequin stuck to the hero¡¯s chest before they encased him in antlers.

    ¡°I guess four out of six isn¡¯t bad,¡± Cypher mused before raising his thumb into the air. Two shots rang out in rapid succession, almost too close to tell them apart. Cerf Tueur cried out in pain, and his grip disappeared. I scrambled forward, not wanting to waste the opportunity. I had barely made it two steps before I was thrown forward by a blast of light and heat. It sounded like a freight train crashed into thundering lighting. I scrambled onto my back to see where the explosion had come from. The mass of antlers that had held The Eagle was nothing but splinters, or at least, half of it was.

    Though his uniform had a large portion of the chest area missing and burned, The Eagle stepped out of the prison with barely a scratch. Hellequin was holding something in his hand, but quickly dropped it to summon his rifle. In the chaos, Spectral had gotten away from the temporarily paralyzed Butcher, courtesy of the unseen sniper.

    Hellequin snapped his rifle to shoot Cypher, but the hero already had his own pistol drawn. The demon-masked villain fired, but there was no bloody mess, only a bright spark where the bullets from the two weapons collided midair. Before Hellequin could fire another round, the Eagle ripped the gun from his grip, and rammed it into the villain¡¯s gut. Hellequin doubled-over while the Eagle strolled to stand with the other heroes.

    I had managed to get clear of the action, but then I recognized what I was looking at. The Regents, Eagle, and Spectral standing off against the Gold Diggers. Further down the road, I saw two more figures approaching, sniper rifles in their hands. In my vision I had mistaken them for more villains, but they were the reason I was saved. Quatermain and Ghost; two more members of the Regents. They must have flanked behind and lined up the shots on Cerf Tueur and the Butcher.

    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m disappointed, Hellequin. I thought you would be smarter than this,¡± Cypher taunted. ¡°We were given bad information,¡± Hellequin spat back, getting to his feet. ¡°From who?¡± Cypher questioned, taking a step forward.

    ¡°Cypher!¡± I shouted; I had to warn him about Wrath. ¡°They¡¯re going to make Wrath go nuclear!¡± He snapped to look at me, but so did Hellequin and the girl. She raised her eyebrows in epiphany, and Hellequin shouted, ¡°Fais le!¡±

    Wrath looked confused at the sudden mention of his name, but as soon as the girl clamped her eyes shut, his powers flared. I could feel the mixture of heat and force from where I was. He wasn¡¯t exploding yet, but I had to shield my eyes and look away.

    The Gold Diggers seemed to have an extraction planned, though. They all touched something on their wrists, and a black ooze with yellow markings quickly expanded, encasing them entirely. Once they were consumed by the goo, it collapsed into an inert pile on the ground. Their bodies were nowhere to be seen. I hadn¡¯t heard of anyone owning teleportation tech or seen what it was they were wearing to contain that much of the slime. Hellequin would be the only one I would peg as being able to summon it from nowhere, but what about the others?

    There were more important things to worry about, though. Wrath was getting worse, and fast. ¡°Now!¡± Cypher shouted. Without any hesitation, The Eagle shot towards Wrath. I didn¡¯t know how he was withstanding it, but he grabbed the other hero and rocketed into the sky, flying them higher and higher. Then I heard a sonic boom, but it wasn¡¯t the Eagle. Another flyer shot up from the ground and met with the two in the air before carrying them so far up I couldn¡¯t see them any more in the blink of an eye.

    I waited for an explosion, but it never came.

 Glimpse 1.07

    After Wrath had been rocketed into the stratosphere I was told, rather forcibly, to sit on the curb by an agitated Spectral. His arm was dripping blood and hung rather limply at his side. I was no doctor, but it looked serious. I watched as Quatermain and Ghost met with Cypher and started talking in low voices. Ghost''s name was fitting: he could turn invisible and walk through walls, making him a very versatile at infiltration. He was covered head-to-toe in what looked like armored urban camo. It had a hexagonal pattern on it flecked with shades of grey. His uniform had a cowl extending from the shoulders that covered a hi-tech looking mask that covered his entire face.

    Quatermain looked similar, although his armor was noticeably heavier, and he lacked the full mask, instead it was more like a set of goggles, revealing a short, white beard. If he had any abilities, no one knew what they were. I tried to hear their conversation, but I could only make out snippets. Apparently, most of the other villains had gotten out about the same time and by the same way the Gold Diggers had. I thought that was great news: they were gone, the heroes had won. Cypher, though, still seemed agitated.

    I had managed to calm down from the adrenaline rush, but I thought it best to keep my energy barrier manifested just in case anyone decided to point any blame my way. Better they be mad at the blue-faced nobody than me. I glanced at Spectral and Animus who were having a conversation of their own. The Regent pulled something from one of the many pockets on his uniform and handed it to Spectral. The member of the Shield nodded his head in thanks and then injected whatever it was into his arm.

    An armored truck pulled around the corner and I saw the Argus logo printed on the side. It was a variation of the UN¡¯s emblem, with the map of the globe stylized as the iris of an eye encompassed by the staple olive branches. Several uniformed soldiers climbed out of the back and a few bearing a red cross patch on their shoulder moved to help Spectral.

    More than one of the soldiers glanced my way, but they didn¡¯t make any move to approach, which was a good sign in my opinion. The sound of rushing air soon caught my attention, and I glanced up to see The Eagle coming back down. I finally got a closer look at the state he was in after the bomb- or what I assume was a bomb- went off in the cocoon. His uniform was little more than rags hanging on his muscled frame, though he seemed to be faring better, but not as unscathed as I thought at first. The area around his chest where the bomb went off was slightly discolored, like the early stages of a bruise. He had dozens of small lacerations all over his arms, neck, and shoulders from what I guess was Cerf Tueur¡¯s antlers.

    His hands were burned too, probably from holding on to the living nuke. Luckily, his voice carried, and I could hear him fine from across the street. ¡°Wrath passed out after Peregrine got us high enough. He¡¯s taking him back to the tower and making sure he¡¯s calmed down.¡±

    Peregrine was the only member of the Regents I hadn¡¯t seen so far. He could fly at supersonic speeds, and then slam into things harder than several types of artillery. It made sense for him to be waiting in the wings, pun intended. It allowed him to build up speed before picking off a pesky target. Or maybe this was Cypher¡¯s plan all along? What if he knew they would try to get Wrath to detonate, and that¡¯s why he¡¯d call in The Eagle and had Peregrine waiting?

    And what was ¡°The Tower¡±? Was it what they called the Regent¡¯s base? Maybe, but what ever it was, the public probably weren¡¯t supposed to know.

    I couldn¡¯t help but fall back into thinking that it was all my fault that the Gold Diggers even tried to use Wrath in the first place. What if Cypher hadn¡¯t been able to deal with Wrath in time? Then¡­ the city would have been destroyed because of me.

    That was exactly why I didn¡¯t want to be a hero.

    I needed to get out of there before they started asking questions. When they realized I wasn¡¯t sanctioned there¡¯d be hell to pay, but how could I slip away without them noticing? Cypher alone had superhuman senses, and The Eagle could catch me faster than I could blink, even with my new running trick. I was screwed.

    Spectral was talking to one of the armed Argus soldiers and I saw him look in my direction. The soldier turned to look at me himself and nodded, turning to walk towards me.

    Shit shit shit.

    ¡°You,¡± the soldier snapped when he got close. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize you or remember any reports of having a glowstick of a hero in the area. Are you sanctioned?¡±

    ¡°Uhh,¡± I started to reply, hating myself for not being able to keep quiet. ¡°I¡­ I was just in the area and, uhh¡­¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s with me,¡± Cypher interrupted, walking over next to me. I scrambled to me feet and he put a hand on my shoulder. I flinched from the unannounced contact, but tried to act normal, keeping my mouth clamped shut.

    ¡°Sanctioned as hero number twelve thirty-five,¡± Cypher said as he and the Soldier locked gazes, both of their faces hidden behind masks, waiting for the other to back down. I just stood there in shock. The top dog of the hero community was covering for me, even after I nearly got his team and the entire city killed? He seemed to exude confidence and finality with everything he did, something I wish I could have, or at least pretend to have.

    ¡°I guess he¡¯s one of the new guys,¡± The soldier grumbled, not wanting to get into an argument with the hero. He broke the virtual eye-contact and started walking back to his squad.

    ¡°Why¡­?¡± I started to ask, but Cypher¡¯s grip on my shoulder tightened. ¡°Not now. Just go back to work. I¡¯ll handle it,¡± He said, walking back to his team without another word or backwards glance. Not wanting to look the gift horse in the mouth, I turned and walked back towards DT rather awkwardly, at a loss as far as knowing how to carry myself. After I was out of sight, I broke into a sprint. My powers would let me get back faster, and I didn¡¯t have much time to waste. The Metahuman Warning would be downgraded to an Advisory after an hour of no villain activity, and I had been sitting on the curb for at least twenty minutes after the whole thing was reportedly over.

    Under the Advisory, people would start to venture out of their homes, businesses, and wherever else they might have happened to be when the Warning popped up on their TVs, phones, and anything with an internet connection. Then Argus would slowly start letting evacuated citizens back into the area affected by the metas if their intended destination wasn¡¯t turned to rubble.

    Finally, I made it back to DT, but found myself faced with a new problem. Getting back into the building without setting off more alarms. It was possible the door I forced open earlier was still broken, so I made my way around to the side of the building. No one was stationed outside, so I crept up to the door and peered inside. Damn it, I thought as I saw a group of guards through the door¡¯s window. Several were sitting on crates and playing cards by the look of it while two were standing at the door that led to the rest of the building.

    I ran through possible scenarios in my head trying to find a good way in. I thought maybe if I used my speed, I could rush past them and get far enough away to let the energy dissipate. But there was no way I could move fast enough they wouldn¡¯t notice, so scratch that idea. Think, I chided myself. Maybe I was overthinking this. Turning my powers off and just walking in was a possibility. They would probably just think I was unlucky enough to be caught outside. Nothing else came to mind, no matter how much I thought. The only thing left to do was pray they would buy it.

    Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and worked on relaxing my powers; closing the valve I opened when I summoned the energy. The first thing I noticed was the warmth returning as the barrier evaporated away. It was strange feeling something return you didn¡¯t even know you were missing. Almost like walking on a leg that had fallen asleep. I opened my eyes and saw my own skin, no blue in sight.

    Here goes nothing, I thought to myself, scanning my key card for added effect before pulling the door open. The guards immediately took notice, putting the card game on hold and standing rather menacingly. ¡°Hey guys,¡± I said cheerfully, trying to be nonchalant.

    ¡°Woah, woah, there buddy. You can¡¯t just come in here, we¡¯re in lockdown,¡± One of the guards said. I paused and tried to put the words together in my head but seeing some of the ones in the back reach for their guns was very distracting. ¡°I, uhh, work here,¡± I said with a smile, showing my keycard. ¡°I used it on the door, and it unlocked, so I didn¡¯t think anything was wrong,¡± I explained as the nearest guard took the card from my hand and inspected it.

    ¡°Nathaniel Peterson?¡±

    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me.¡±

    He looked between me and the card to check the image against my face. Once he was done with that, he swiped it through a miniature card reader he wore on his wrist. It wasn¡¯t a surprise guards working for a leading tech company would have some nice toys. ¡°Alright, everything checks out,¡± He said, handing the card back. ¡°But why were you running around during a Meta Warning?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear any more explosions, so I figured it was safe to head back here.¡±

    That sounded incredibly stupid, but I was hoping they would peg me as an idiot: Everyone knew to wait for the Warning to be downgraded.

    ¡°Alright, let him through,¡± He said to the others before looking back at me. ¡°Go on, but don¡¯t be running around with an active Warning, it isn¡¯t safe.¡±

    I nodded with a smile plastered to my face as I walked past them. I could deal with being patronized. Being arrested for illegally using my powers was another story.

    Lunch had more than come and gone, so it was time to get back to work. I didn¡¯t waste any time heading down to the locker room, but while I was putting my coveralls back on, I started to take note of the soreness in my chest. Something had felt off while I was running back, but I pushed it off. It wasn¡¯t a mystery why: I had been shot there. There was a mirror in one of the corners of the room, so I let the top half of the coveralls hang behind me and managed to pull my shirt over my head with only mild extreme discomfort.

    There was a large bruise forming on my chest, mostly on my right side. It was red and blue, and hurt like a bitch. Still, I was alive. I pulled my shirt back on and finished sliding my arms into the coveralls. Every time I shifted it reminded me it was there.

    I knew there would be a price to pay, a punishment for using my powers. There always was. I sat down on one of the benches and winced as I felt my injury protest. Everything finally came rushing back. I had been stupid enough to walk into the closest thing to a warzone I hoped to ever find myself in, get held hostage by a group of villains, and then give them the idea to nuke the city. I was fucking worthless as a hero.

    But I was alive.

    There was still time to promise myself I would never use them again. Out of everything, I hated the visions the worst. They were always there; sometimes they were short and inconsequential, but other times¡­ they showed me the most horrible things. Then, if I ignored them, I felt guilty not trying to prevent them, to warn someone. The worst was knowing that I can see the future, but then still being blindsided by something important. Devastating. Life-wrecking. Like my parents¡­

    Oh God, I couldn¡¯t stop myself before their faces flashed through my mind. I could barely remember them anymore, I had been so young. Shit. I felt a lump form in my throat and the sting of tears in my eyes. Exactly what I didn¡¯t need to think about. Great.

    My phone¡¯s ringing smashed its way into my breakdown, offering the chance of escaping my downward spiral of thought. The caller ID read ¡°Janet¡±, and I hit accept without a second thought. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Soot,¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile as Janet used my nickname, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to call you at work, but I had to make sure you were safe with the Warning going on.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± I lied. I felt bad, realizing I hadn¡¯t called her to tell her about what happened at the gas station or about the dampener. But that was probably for the best, she would have been freaked out by it. Not to mention what I¡¯d just done; diving straight into a fight with murderous villains. She could tell something was wrong, though, ¡°Are you sure? You sound strange.¡±

    Was it that obvious? ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m still safe at work. It could be the basement messing with the signal.¡± I hated not telling her the truth, but I would be fine once I calmed down, so it wasn¡¯t really a lie. Right? ¡°Alright,¡± She said, not sounding convinced.

    There was an uncomfortable span of silence, but Janet thankfully had more to talk about. ¡°Oh, and before I forget: Ana is coming home for the weekend, and Paul and I wanted to know if you would join us all for dinner tomorrow night?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that sounds nice,¡± I said, glad to get to see how Ana was getting along at college.

    ¡°Oh, I see, all I have to do is offer you a meal to get you to visit, huh, Mr. Independent,¡± She scolded, only partially trying to hide the humor in her voice.

    ¡°Come on, that¡¯s not fair,¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°Maybe, but that doesn¡¯t make me miss you any less. Since you and Ana moved out the house has felt empty.¡±

    ¡°Really, Paul isn¡¯t making enough noise to drive you crazy?¡±

    ¡°I said empty, not quiet,¡± She replayed with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll let you get back to work. See you tomorrow, Soot.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Bye.¡±

    ¡°Bye.¡±

    I ended the call and held the phone in my hand for a moment. It had been a while since I¡¯d visited, Janet was right about that. But they, at least, knew what I was going through with my powers. What I had gone through. They still welcomed me in despite that, as if I was their biological son. That feeling of overwhelming gratitude turned to guilt. I knew my powers could be dangerous, and they didn¡¯t deserve that. I knew it hurt them for me to pull away, and I hated to do it, but I couldn¡¯t risk hurting them after everything they¡¯d done for me.

    But for now, it was time to get back to work. I bottled everything up and went to get the rest of my gear from the storage closet. Mr. Hartley¡¯s invitation came to the front of my mind, so I decided to get that over with before getting to finishing up my work for the day.

    Now that the Warning had passed, most of the DT employees had decided to get back to work. Riding the elevator was almost painful. It seemed like it was having to stop every other floor to let people on or off. People didn¡¯t really seem daunted by the fact that my cart took up roughly a third of the small space, which was an annoyance. Still, I eventually reached the forty-second floor but realized I didn¡¯t really know where to go from there.

    Leaving my cart against the wall, I started waking down one of the halls looking for signs of activity. Most of the rooms were locked and empty, waiting to be used. Finally, I found the room I was looking for. I looked in through the windows that lined the wall of the room exposed to the hallway and just happened to spot Mr. Hartley inside.

    ¡°Ah, Nate, glad you could make it,¡± Hartley said, motioning me to come over. There were about five other people in the room, all milling around various machines. It looked like they were stress testing some of the designs, but I became distinctly aware that I was the only meta in the room.

    ¡°The janitor? That¡¯s who you brought to test the new designs?¡± One of the researchers asked with a scowl on his face. He was a shorter guy with eyebrows that made his entire face look top-heavy.

    ¡°He¡¯s a fellow employee, and he agreed to test their functionality,¡± Hartley shot back.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to take the designs to a focus group next week, why do we need to test them now?¡±

    ¡°Because, it will allow the chance to potentially correct any immediate issues before the focus group, Mr. Baker,¡± Hartley said, matching the other man¡¯s scowl.

    ¡°So, what do you need me to do?¡± I asked as Baker walked off in a huff to fetch one of the watch-like designs from a case nearby.

    It was another researcher that answered, this one a woman. ¡°Just take off your dampener and put one of these on and tell us how it feels,¡± she said with a smile.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I said, turning off the dampener on my wrist- which was acting normal again after I put it back on when I got back to the building- and reached out to take the prototype.

    This all felt kind of strange. I had assumed I would be with a group of other metahumans, but knowing I was alone was uncomfortable. Luckily, though, the whole thing went by smoothly. One by one, the group of researchers gave me their model of the prototype to try on. Honestly, they all felt the same, but they all looked so eager to hear what I had to say, I tried to give them something positive. As far as the tech went, they all still caused the same buzzing in my jaw, but most of them did have smaller, sleeker designs.

    One of the best looked like an ordinary wrist watch. It had an analogue face with two buttons on the side. The top one was the knob to set the time, and the second was the on/off for the dampener. Then, we got to Baker¡¯s. It was a like a brick at least twice the size of the one I already had.

    ¡°To be honest, its kind of heavy and awkward to wear. On top of that its really noticeable, and the corners are pretty sharp,¡± I admitted.

    Baker didn¡¯t seem to take kindly to my feedback. ¡°Its not made to be ergonomic: it¡¯s a new design for the mandatory dampeners Argus uses. And its ¡®kind of heavy¡¯ because its built to make sure you don¡¯t accidentally break it. You know, because you metas are good at breaking things.¡±

    Did he really just say that? I tensed up and looked around at the others They had expressions ranging from surprise to shock to anger. Hartley, who had been sitting nearby with his arms crossed in a relaxed posture stood up and glared at Baker.

    ¡°What?¡± He asked, noticing the change in the room¡¯s atmosphere. ¡°It was a joke,¡± he said sullenly and unconvincingly. If he had been going for a deadpan delivery, he had failed miserably. I¡¯d felt it before; some people didn¡¯t like metas. They thought they were all dangerous and deserved to either be locked up or be forced to wear power dampeners. Racism wasn¡¯t the word I would use- it didn¡¯t matter what color their skin was- but it was still bias.

    ¡°Baker, go home,¡± Hartley said suddenly, an edge in his voice I hadn¡¯t heard before.

    ¡°What?¡± He asked, as if he was surprised, we were all uncomfortable. ¡°I still have tests to run¡­¡±

    ¡°Go. Home.¡± There wasn¡¯t any questioning Hartley this time. Baker just swallowed hard and nodded before collecting his things and storming out.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about¡­¡±

    ¡°Its fine,¡± I said, cutting Hartley off. He didn¡¯t seem offended at me, though, and just nodded. I put my original dampener back on and walked out. Complaining didn¡¯t do any good against people like Baker; if anything, it made their argument stronger.

    Once I was clear of the lab, I grabbed my cart and got back to finishing my rounds for the day. I hated having to hide how I was feeling.

    Just pretend to be the good little meta.

    Like everything else, I just pushed it down, and moved on.

    Working as quickly as I could, I finished up a few minutes early. Sure, it meant a few toilets might not have been scrubbed squeaky clean, but I didn¡¯t really care. Once everything was check off, I stashed my cart in the supply closet and practically tore out of my coveralls. I didn¡¯t feel myself start to calm down until I got on the bus headed home.

    Everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours had wound itself tighter and tighter in my chest. I hadn¡¯t realized until tried to unpack it all. So far, I had almost blacked out because of my uncontrollable powers, ran into a metahuman slugfest, been shot, captured, and then freed all before nearly getting the entire city destroyed, killing everyone in it. Awesome.

    I hopped off the bus and started the short walk home, ready to put everything behind me. The sun was starting to get low as I passed the gas station where, only yesterday, I had been shot at. This was becoming an unhealthy habit. My house finally came into view and I could hardly wait to cross the street and get the door open.

    I hung my jacket up and made my way to the kitchen to get myself something to drink. I walked through the door way and flicked on the light, spotting something out of the corner of my eye that didn¡¯t belong¡­

    ¡°Hello, Nathaniel.¡±

 Glimpse 1.08

    I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard someone talk out of nowhere. My head snapped over to the figure as I reached for something to arm myself with, but all I was doing was grasping at a blank wall. And then, I realized who had been lurking in the dark.

    ¡°Cypher? What the hell are you doing here?¡± I shouted, still trying to calm down from the jump scare. He was wearing drastically different clothes than the ones he wore during the fight. Instead of body armor and leather coats, he was wearing a three-piece suit with a bright orange tie along with his ever-present mask. ¡°And how the hell did you get in?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think I can¡¯t pick a lock?¡± He asked, putting his feet up and tossing a manila folder on the table. ¡°As for why I¡¯m here¡­¡± He partially answered, gesturing towards the folder.

    I opened the folder and glanced at the papers inside. They had the Argus emblem printed at the top while the body looked like it was some sort of report, but I really wasn¡¯t in the mood to read it all and find out.

    ¡°What is it, some kind of report?¡± I asked, trying to convey just how much I didn¡¯t appreciate him breaking into my house. It was cool that I was standing just a few feet away from, and having a conversation with, the top hero, but that didn¡¯t mean I was cool with how he acted. I¡¯d seen heroes who thought they were entitled because of their powers and status, and it was one of the things that pissed me off the most.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my report from today¡¯s engagement,¡± He answered. I kept waiting for him to go on and explain its relevance, but he seemed content to wait for me to probe.

    ¡°And what does that have to do with why you broke into my house?¡±

    ¡°Well, I usually fill out the report in advance and then see how much needed to be corrected once the mission was over. I was mostly correct this time; I had expected the Gold Diggers to use Wrath as a means of distraction, but what I hadn¡¯t counted on was you.¡±

    Was he for real? I knew he was smart, but did he really make a game out of predicting what would happen when he and the Regents went out? How things would go down? Who might die?  And on top of all that, he knew the Gold Diggers were going to use Wrath, but brought him into the fight anyway?

    I was full of questions, more than Cypher seemed forthcoming with answers. But the reason he was here still wasn¡¯t clear to me. He said he was wrong about the reason for the Gold Diggers trying to use Wrath, so that wouldn¡¯t be in the first round of his report. Then, the thought dawned on me: Cypher hadn¡¯t seen my face during all the fighting, so how did he find out who I was? Maybe I could play it off like he had the wrong guy.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®because of me¡¯?¡± I asked, hoping that it wasn¡¯t too late to play dumb.

    ¡°Oh, please,¡± He said, putting his feet down and leaning forward to look at me. ¡°You were the one who yelled out and gave The Anarchist the idea to use my own teammate as a weapon.¡±

    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, I¡¯m a janitor for Christ¡¯s sake,¡± I tried to lie, hopefully convincingly.

    ¡°You are Nathaniel Thomas Peterson, born on February fourth, 1997, the only child of Allan and June Peterson. You were determined not to be a Mutant at birth but were placed on the metahuman registry four-and-a-half years later as an Enhanced after the accident that occurred on August seventh, 2001 that left you orphaned.¡±

    A lump formed in my throat and anger stabbed me like a poker shoved into burning coals. ¡°Who the fuck do you think you are?¡± I hissed, slamming my hands on the table and staring into the blackness of his mask. In the reflection, my own face stared back at me, and it caught me off guard. The expression looked murderous. Swallowing hard, I tried to get a handle on my emotions and forced my face to relax.

    Apparently, he wasn¡¯t done.

    ¡°Currently, you are employed at Daedalus Technologies as a general custodian. As of your last physical, your powers were described as energy constitution and limited, sporadic foresight. Your current Argus Liaison is James Owens, I¡¯m sure he can confirm you attempted to call him at 11:36 am, and that your dampener was turned off at approximately the same time; not to be turned back on until well after the confrontation was over?¡±

    Well, shit.

    ¡°How do you know it was me earlier?¡± I asked, trying to not sound angry; not that I really cared at the moment.

    ¡°I have my ways,¡± he answered, actually sounding sincere.

    ¡°So, this is what you meant by ¡®later¡¯ I guess, huh?¡±

    He nodded but remained quiet. I took it as sign to keep going. ¡°And this is the first version of the report?¡± Another nod spurred me to keep going. ¡°You said that you didn¡¯t expect me to be there, so I¡¯m not mentioned in this report.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°What do you want me to do then? I¡¯m lost. Are you saying you¡¯re going to add my name to the report?¡±

    He nodded, slowly and purposefully. Leaning back deep in the chair, he crossed his arms and looked more like a store mannequin than an actual person partially due to his hidden face.  ¡°I think you know the rules about vigilantism.¡±

    My blood ran cold in my veins. It had briefly crossed my mind when I decided to run in to the fray, but saving the city took precedent in my mind. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked, the anger beginning to mix with equal parts fear. I began to realize just how easily this no-faced man sitting in front of me could ruin everything I had worked so hard to build with barely a word uttered.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t the question,¡± he said, sounding like a fortune cookie. ¡°Your name is going in the report whether you or I like it or not. It isn¡¯t something I can help; other people saw you at the scene and it doesn¡¯t take a genius to determine your identity. If I choose to omit your involvement, it could turn my relationship with Argus sourer than it already is, and you go to prison.¡±

    ¡°But if you put it in, I still go to prison, so what¡¯s the point?¡± It felt like the walls were closing in. Maybe this was it. Maybe I¡¯d bitten off more than I could chew.

    ¡°Going to prison isn¡¯t the only option you have. The alternative is you become sanctioned and become absolved of the past violations of the St. Petersburg Accords in good faith.¡±

    So that was what he wanted. ¡°No thanks,¡± I said, walking out of the kitchen. It was a knee jerk reaction; not gonna lie, but it felt damn good.

    I heard the sound of the chair being pushed back followed by footsteps as Cypher tried to catch up to me. ¡°This isn¡¯t a game Nathaniel- ¡°

    ¡°-Its Nate,¡± I interrupted him, grabbing the front door and yanking it open. ¡°Thanks for visiting, Cypher, hope you have a nice evening.¡±

    He stopped in the middle of my front room, a few feet away from the door. ¡°Nate,¡± he said, putting emphasis on the name, ¡°Do you know how valuable a precog can be? How many lives they can save? You sought me out of your own accord because you knew the city was in danger- ¡°

    ¡°-But you already knew they were going to do that! You¡¯re the smartest man in the world, you don¡¯t need me! You can see the probabilities or some shit like that and do the same damn thing. I don¡¯t see the future, I see some cryptic vision that I have to guess at to figure out what it means. The city was destroyed in my vision, but look around; It¡¯s still here, no thanks to me! I was an idiot to think I could help.¡±

    Cypher didn¡¯t make any move to leave, he just stood there and looked at me.

    ¡°My powers only work if I have enough information, yours do not. I¡¯m not saying you would be the be-all end-all of precogs, but you could be another line of defense. And to be honest, I need your help, but you¡¯d be no help from Asphodel.¡±

    ¡°My help?¡±

    ¡°I knew there was a high probability of today¡¯s attack occurring, that¡¯s why I called other heroes in. Several villains were congregating the city, including the two on this morning¡¯s news. They were meant to join the fight with the others, but they got nervous and tried to nab a score to make it worth their time. Fortunately, several of my team were there to apprehend them. The entire attack was a distraction, that was obvious enough, but I have no idea who orchestrated it, or to what end it was trying to serve.¡±

    ¡°And, you want me to help you find out why?¡±

    He nodded, but I still wasn¡¯t about to just turn on my promise.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get what the big deal is. You¡¯ll catch whoever it is in the end, you¡¯ve done it before just fine. You took down the entire Ouroboros with just your team, you can¡¯t catch one villainous mastermind?¡±

    ¡°This one is different. They¡¯re as smart as I am from what I can tell.¡±

    I didn¡¯t really know how to process that. Someone as smart as Cypher? Was that why he wanted me? Because I could see random events, he thought I could somehow help give him an edge? As far as I knew, Cypher hadn¡¯t ever been beaten in mind games like this. It might seem like he was on the backfoot, but then his plan would come together like a puzzle falling into place. If someone could get a one up on Cypher¡­ No, it wasn¡¯t my problem; it was his job to make sure that didn¡¯t happen.

    ¡°The answer is still no. I¡¯ll deal with whatever I have to, but I¡¯m not going to be sanctioned. I made a mistake, and I¡¯ll pay for it. Besides, even if I wanted to, there¡¯s no way I could get sanctioned before you have to submit that report. It takes weeks to go through all the tests and evaluations.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± He said in a low voice, finally walking towards the door. ¡°If you change your mind and decide you make something good come out of your powers, I can get you sanctioned in time. I have to file the report on Monday, so you have till Sunday to think it over.¡±

    As soon as he crossed the threshold, I started to swing the door shut, but at the last second, he caught it and held it open just a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll know if you change your mind. Just think it over.¡±

    And with that last plug, his hand slipped away, finally letting me push the door shut. I locked the door even though it kind of seemed pointless against someone who demonstrated the ability to get in regardless.  Thoughts swam through my mind as I looked for a way out of being arrested, but nothing seemed like a good idea.

    The house rattled for a moment as something large flew overhead, probably the Regent¡¯s vtol taking off from wherever they parked it. Was I really meant to be a hero? Was I given these powers for a reason?

    If only things were that easy.

    So many memories had be dredged up in such a small space of time. It was like being forced to look through a scrapbook full of snapshots from the worst parts of my past. For so long I had tried to hide away that part of me, the part that most people would say made me special. I hated knowing that if people knew what I was my personality, my accomplishments, what I liked, what I hated; it all became irrelevant. I was just the boy that could glow blue.

    The real chance of going to prison loomed over my head like an executioner¡¯s axe. One of my worst fears was becoming reality. I wish I could take it back, take it all back. I kept telling myself that, but the more I said it, the emptier it sounded. It was like an old and washed out mantra that didn¡¯t stand for anything anymore.

    As much as I didn¡¯t like to admit it: I was a metahuman. But even if I decided to embrace my powers, my abilities, that wouldn¡¯t make me a good hero. Hell, I tried, and I sucked. If that wasn¡¯t an indication on what kind of hero I¡¯d be, I didn¡¯t know what was.

 Chapter 1.09

    ¡°That will be twenty-five forty-five,¡± the cabbie said as we pulled up in front of my parent¡¯s house. Foster parents, I quickly corrected myself. I pulled out my wallet and handed the driver his fare and a tip. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said as I stepped out onto the sidewalk.

    For some reason, I paused there, as the cab pulled away and left me alone. The house was nice, three stories in all, though the top floor was ordinally supposed to be an attic, but now it was fully-furnished. The foundation was off-white stone while the first-floor was red brick with vinyl siding taking over the upper stories.

    Kenwood was a nice neighborhood, but it just made me uncomfortable. Everything just seemed so ordinary and nice. I felt like a stick of dynamite in a china shop whenever I was there. One wrong move, one slip up, and it would be me being blamed for something I couldn¡¯t take back.

    I sighed, starting to walk up to the front door. The whole deal with Cypher still had me stressed. Every second was taking me closer to Cypher¡¯s report being submitted, and me being arrested. I had never been in a barrel about to go over a waterfall before, but I imagined it felt something like this. Like a sense of impending doom waiting just over the horizon.

    On top of that, I couldn¡¯t even be anxious in peace. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to be depressed during what was supposed to be a nice family get together, so I put on a happy face and opened the door. ¡°Hey, its me,¡± I called into the house. I hadn¡¯t even gotten my jacket off when I heart footsteps racing around the corner. Janet was hurrying to greet, wiping her hands on a cloth, but before she reached me, her eyes widened in amused surprise as Ana cut in front of her, full sprint. ¡°Ana!¡± she gasped, mockingly scolding her with a smile plastered on her face as my sister nearly tackled me with a hug.

    ¡°Hey Nate!¡± She giggled, as I returned her hug after regaining my balance. ¡°Hey, Ana,¡± I wheezed out, overplaying her impact.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it; the prodigal son returns!¡±

    I hung my jacket on one of the hooks by the door and turned to hug Janet. She was a good bit shorter than I was; only coming up to my shoulder. Ana was about my height, but there wasn¡¯t much else about us that was similar, and neither of us looked like Janet.

    Ana had dark-brown hair and a warmer skin tone while I was usually as pale as a sheet with almost black hair. Janet, meanwhile, was heavier-set than either of us with wavy auburn hair and a round face that was almost perpetually fixed in a smile.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I muttered in a lame excuse at an apology, ¡°I don¡¯t get over this way much.¡±

    ¡°Believe me, I know,¡± She laughed, turning back towards the kitchen and motioning for us to follow. ¡°Come on, I know Paul wants to see you too.¡±

    Ana motioned grandly for me to lead the way, and I bowed in thanks, each of our attempted straight faces crumbling as we couldn¡¯t help but crack up. ¡°So, how¡¯s college?¡± I asked as we walked into the kitchen.

    She sighed and raised her shoulder in a slight shrug, ¡°not too bad, but its mostly just general classes for now. Kinda boring, you know? But hopefully it¡¯ll get better when I start taking more major-specific courses.¡±

    She was going to become a veterinarian and managed to get more than a few scholarships to make it happen. It was more than I could say about my academic career. ¡°I thought you loved being bored in a classroom, Pages,¡± I teased, using a short-lived nickname I called her when we were younger. She punched me in the shoulder in retaliation and I winced in fake pain, before dejectedly rubbing my shoulder to milk the act.

    ¡°Nate! How ya doin¡¯ buddy?¡± My fake pout turned into a grin when we stepped into the kitchen. Paul was stirring a pot on the stove that was slightly steaming from the contents inside. He rapped the spoon on the rim of the pot and laid it on a saucer. He was wearing a ¡°kiss the chef¡± apron, and I couldn¡¯t help but laugh as he pulled me into a bear-hug. I could have maybe passed for his son, but he was a built like a bull and almost a head taller than I was. I probably looked like a bleached broom being crushed in the smothering embrace.

    He was heavyset, but not quite fat. Still, he carried some bulk with him. ¡°I¡¯m doing good,¡± I grinned. He clapped me on the should and turned back to the pot on the stove. ¡°What smells so good?¡± I asked, leaning over to peer inside the pot.

    ¡°Spaghetti, or specifically the sauce,¡± Paul said. ¡°Made it from scratch.¡±

    ¡°Mmmm, sounds good.¡±

    I looked over to where Ana was standing and saw someone standing next to her I hadn¡¯t noticed before. ¡°Nate,¡± Ana said, lightly pushing the guy forward, ¡°I¡¯d like you to meet Ray, my boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Uh, hey, Ray,¡± I said, reaching out to shake his hand. I hadn¡¯t expected having to deal with meeting someone new. He was broader in the shoulders and a few inches taller than me with a buzz cut that didn¡¯t look like it could be any shorter without making him completely bald. Football player? He looked the type.

    ¡°So, this is the brother I¡¯ve heard so much about,¡± he said with a smile that didn¡¯t look entirely genuine. And he he¡¯d put such a strange emphasis on ¡°brother¡±, it caught me off guard. I wasn¡¯t sure how to reply, so I just shook his hand and smiled. ¡°Do you go to U of I too?¡± I asked, trying to fill the eminent silence before it formed.

    ¡°Yeah, we met during orientation,¡± Ana answered, hugging his arm.

    ¡°Nate, help me carry some of this into the dining room,¡± Janet said from over by the counter. ¡°Sure,¡± I replied, glad for the opportunity to break away. Did Ana tell them she was bringing someone? It wasn¡¯t like her to spring surprises on people like this, but food wouldn¡¯t be an issue. Paul and Janet always had more than enough to go around.

    ¡°Just grab the salad and the bread, and I¡¯ll get the plates,¡± She said, directing my attention to two bowls sitting on the counter.

    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am,¡± I replied cheerfully. She was already in motion with a stack of plates with silverware on top. I grabbed a bowl in each hand and followed her out of the kitchen. There were already napkins at all the seats. It brought back a flood of memories seeing the room again. I didn¡¯t know why I was feeling so nostalgic. Maybe it was a subconscious excuse not to think about Cypher¡¯s proposal. ¡°You guys haven¡¯t changed anything,¡± I said, laying down the food near the middle of the table.

    ¡°No reason to,¡± Janet said with a smile. She started laying out the plates and I helped by following her, putting out the silverware. ¡°What do you think of Ray?¡± I asked in a low voice.

    She pursed her lips and shook her head slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t like him,¡± She confessed, making sure only I could hear her. ¡°And I¡¯m a bit surprised Ana brought him. This was supposed to be just us, but oh well, I guess.¡±

    I gave a shrug, ¡°I dunno, but Ana seems to like him, maybe we can give him a chance.¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course, Soot. I wasn¡¯t saying that!¡± She said quickly. ¡°I think it¡¯s the way he carries himself. He seems a little off-putting to me is all.¡±

    Before I could reply, Paul announced the main course was ready, and soon we were all sitting down and digging in.

    Paul was sitting at the end of the table with Janet and me sitting across from Ana and Ray. ¡°So, are you from Chicago, Ray?¡± Paul asked, taking a bite of garlic bread. He looked at the young man inquisitively, like he was trying to figure him out. It wasn¡¯t a normal expression from him, I¡¯d seen him look that way before when he was dealing with co-workers, but never with friends or family. Paul could give the impression he was very easy going, and he was for the most part, but when it came to protecting Ana or me, there was no compromise.

    ¡°Nah, my family is from Rockford. I offered to drop Ana off on the way and she insisted I stay for dinner.¡±

    ¡°That was nice of you,¡± Janet said. ¡°What degree are you working for?¡±

    ¡°Well I first I was going¡­.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but pull away from the conversation. Being there and listening to all of them talk like nothing was wrong, it was just¡­ strange. That was the best word I could think of. It was just so juxtaposed; here I was, having dinner with my family like anyone might, but at the same time I was about to be charged with being a vigilante. Would they understand? What would they think?

    They had tried so hard to give me a normal life. They decided to adopt me when most turned me away; didn¡¯t say I was more trouble than I was worth. And now I¡¯d just gone and thrown it all away. Well, at least I would if I refused to become sanctioned.

    Could I really do it? I mean, I could probably pass the exam. That would keep me out of prison, but then what? I¡¯d be on a probationary period where I¡¯d have to be at least somewhat active or I¡¯d lose the sanctioning. Then, Argus could still charge me with vigilantism and who knows how many other violations of the Accords.

    So, even if I did become sanctioned, I wouldn¡¯t be entirely out of the woods. I¡¯d be obligated to step in wherever I could. Failing to do that would draw the eye of A.S.E.T. My identity would remain confidential if I told Argus not to release it and managed to not get unmasked. But hero teams would still have access to my real name, and if Cypher was right about ¡®cogs being useful, that would mean lots of unwanted attention.

    Whatever I chose, time was running out.

    I tried to focus back in on the conversation, but when I glanced at Ray, I noticed he was staring at me intently. His face was a mask of some emotion I couldn¡¯t make out, but no, he wasn¡¯t looking at me. Not exactly. His gaze was fixed to my left wrist.

    The dampener.

    My pace quickened. What was he thinking? Was he concerned? Scared? Angry? He was staying quiet about it, so there was a good chance it would blow over. I swallowed and locked eyes with him for just a second. I felt exposed, like part of the carefully crafted disguise I¡¯d spent my whole life making was peeled away. Ray had picked up a metaphorical dagger, maybe without meaning to, but he held it all the same.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    With nothing but words he could point it out, make a scene, get enraged. It might seem like paranoia, but I¡¯d seen people accosted for less. My mind went back to earlier that week. An older man was on the bus with a boy, maybe five or six, his grandson by the looks of it. The kid had a dampener, uncommon, but not unheard-of at that age. Something had him excited, he was turned in his seat, enraptured with watching cars and buildings roll by.

    Then the bus slowed suddenly, and the kid lost his balance. He tried to brace himself on the seat in front of him, but accidentally touched the shoulder of the woman in front of him. It was an innocent accident, but the woman recoiled like she¡¯d just been bitten by a venomous snake. Her husband, or boyfriend, whatever it was, whirled around and shouted at the kid, calling him a freak.

    Freak, the go-to insult. Naturally, the old man jumped to the defense of the boy. He was apologetic and tried to stand up. I didn¡¯t know why. Maybe it was his stop, or he was trying to work it all out. Either way, the younger man shoved him back in his seat, roughly. Every eye on the bus stared at the scene with laser focus and varying degrees of shock. But no one moved. No one lifted a finger. Including me. I was right behind them, but I stayed quiet.

    I couldn¡¯t escape the feeling that this was karma. I didn¡¯t stand up for them, I didn¡¯t come to their defense and now¡­ there was no one there for me. Granted, the only other people here were my only family left on Earth, and I didn¡¯t want them to know, even if they had noticed the dampener already.

    My heart was beating hard enough for me to feel it, and every span between pules felt like an eternity. Ray glared for a bit longer, and I recognized the expression: it was the same one the man on the bus had.

    It was ridiculous. After all, it wasn¡¯t like I was actively hiding it, but it still seemed that if it were noticed, it¡¯d be another bit of my mask ripped away. Then, like the answer to my silent prayer, he looked away, and put on a smile as if he never left the conversation.

    My appetite was largely spoiled after that, and the rest of the dinner went by in a blur.

    Getting to see Janet and Paul and Ana again had been nice, but that one glance from Ray, a total stranger, was enough to ruin the evening. One glance, like a single drop of poison into a cup of water. At first, its fine, but then the poison seeps until the entire cup is deadly.

    Ray had left not long after we finished eating. He still had a drive ahead of him. I couldn¡¯t shake the suspicion that knowing what I was made part of his motivation for not wanting to hang around. That thought plagued me the entire ride home. I hoped Janet and Paul weren¡¯t too disappointed, I had left rather suddenly, but being¡­ revealed like that, it reminded me why I moved out in the first place. To protect them. Or so I kept telling myself.

    <hr>

    The City rolled past in a rhythmic pattern, and I just let my mind go blank as the buildings went by. It was easier than having to deal with anything. Still, decisions were coming fast. I just felt so trapped by everything. Was I really about to go to prison? It seemed so foreign.

    As much as I would have like to just stay in the taxi, safe from the outside world, it soon pulled up in front of my house. Walking up the steps, I pulled my keys out to unlock the door, but I didn¡¯t need to: the door was slightly ajar. I crept closer and saw the wood was splintered near the lock, like it had been kicked in.

    Of all the times to get robbed, this was defiantly not one of them. Using all the anxiety and regret in my gut as kindling, a fiery anger roared to life. I was not in the mood. Just in case they were still there, I reached over to my wrist and switched the dampener off.

    Inside, everything was how I left it, save for some wood splinters in the entryway. All the lights were off, and I didn¡¯t hear anything. But my gut was telling me something was off. It wasn¡¯t like when I had my visions, those were more¡­ noticeable. This was good old-fashioned anxiety.

    I looked around my living room and nothing had been touched. Odd, I thought. Who breaks in but doesn¡¯t steal anything?

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re waiting for the owner.¡±

    My heart skipped a beat, as I whirled around in equal parts shock and reflex. I barely noticed the cold sensation of my energy running across my skin. It started from the small of my back and flowed like water until my entire body was covered.

    When I summoned it during the Warning, I hadn¡¯t realized how much of a comfort it was, but now it was like a child¡¯s blanket, keeping all the monsters from under the bed at bay.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± I yelled into the dark house, scanning for whoever spoke.

    ¡°Oh, come on Soot, you know me.¡±

    My eyes darted over to the doorway to the kitchen and saw a girl standing there I didn¡¯t recognize. How did she know my nickname? Blue light from the energy surrounding me cast soft shadows in the dark room and made it easier to see. She looked familiar: blonde hair cut short, and thick rimmed hipster glasses¡­

    ¡°There you go,¡± She said with a smile, folding her arms and leaning against the doorframe. ¡°I knew you¡¯d remember. You¡¯re pretty smart for a janitor, you know that?¡±

    The Anarchist. I had looked her up after I¡¯d ran into her and the rest of the Gold Diggers. Argus made a habit of making life hell for villains. If they could get ahold of photographs, they put it on their website, along with known aliases, most recent sightings, and power overviews. According to Argus, she was a telepath with other abilities they couldn¡¯t confirm for certain.

    ¡°Oh, Argus isn¡¯t that much of a hassle. Between people being dumb and them not really paying attention to the news, we get around just fine.¡±

    Was she reading my thoughts?

    ¡°Yep,¡± She said with a growing smile. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, you threw me off at first with that little precog thing of yours, but now you¡¯re just like everyone else.¡±

    What was she talking about? And then it struck me: if she was here, that probably meant the rest of her team was nearby-

    ¡°Right again!¡± She said with a wide grin. ¡°And they¡¯re very eager to¡­ talk.¡±

    I needed to get out of there, but realized I wasn¡¯t moving. Shit, it was just like during the fight. I couldn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, Soot. You should know what I¡¯m capable of by now.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡± I hissed, really starting to hate this girl.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, that¡¯s what mommy called you, isn¡¯t it? Wait, no, not mommy: foster mommy. Oh, don¡¯t glare at me like that, Soot. My, you¡¯ve been a very naughty boy. Do you sleep well at night, knowing what you¡¯ve done?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± I yelled, straining to move. I remembered what I¡¯d done to get free before, but the energy didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Aww, I hope you didn¡¯t expect to get away with the same trick twice,¡± She giggled, stalking closer. ¡°You know, you¡¯ve been a terrible host. Quite rude, really. Maybe you need to be taught some manners. Cerf Tueur!¡± she called out to her teammate.

    Shit.

    Even if I could move, I doubted I would have been able to jump out of the way of the twin spikes that shot through the wall that separated the kitchen from the front room. They speared through the air, but before it turned me into a glow-stick kabab, the tips forked in two. The area between the prongs caught me on both arms and launched me back into the wall next to my television. The forked antlers held my arms in place, with one tine above and one below.

    Two more spikes shot out from the kitchen wall lower than the first two. They forked again and pinned my legs in place. My suit helped a bit, but the antlers still pressed into me hard enough that it hurt. I could feel the circulation in my lower limbs was being cut off, but there was nothing I could do. Even with the extra strength, the growths wouldn¡¯t budge.

    I swallowed and struggled harder. This was bad, I had to get out. My thoughts flashed back to being trapped in the cocoon on the street, only this time, there weren¡¯t any heroes around to save me.

    ¡°You look pitiful,¡± another voice said. It was deeper than The Anarchist¡¯s, a man. I looked over to see Hellequin walking down the stairs with The Butcher following behind him.

    ¡°How- ¡°

    ¡°Did we find you?¡± The Anarchist interrupted, seeming almost giddy. Oh right, she could read minds.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

    ¡°Trying to act brave? Almost admirable,¡± Hellequin said, coming to a stop next to Cerf Tueur¡¯s antlers.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple, Nathaniel. Upstart heroes like you are such a pain to deal with. The pros know there are bigger fish to fry than thieves like us. But you seemed quite determined to stick your nose where it doesn¡¯t belong. We just can¡¯t have that.¡±

    I fumed silently, not trusting myself to speak. Unfortunately, The Anarchist didn¡¯t want to give me even that.

    ¡°Ooh, he¡¯s a bit pissed you called him Nathaniel, and he doesn¡¯t like your tone.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Hellequin asked. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re a bit bold under that barrier of yours. Cerf, if you would.¡±

    I looked at the kitchen door where the deer-man brushed past The Anarchist and made a beeline for me. Without missing a beat, he stopped and raised his right arm. A thorn shot out of his palm and slammed into my shoulder.

    The impact hurt, but the barrier protected me from the worst of it. I could have maybe withstood that, but the deer didn¡¯t stop. He kept increasing the pressure, and my shoulder began to ache. Still, he kept pressing harder, adjusting his stance for better traction. The point dug harder, and it really started to hurt, the pain building by the second.

    I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins as my heart started beating harder and my breath quickened. I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out. Fast, hard breaths escaped from my lips, but then a whole new wave of pain erupted from my shoulder. Under the increasing force, my energy suit had ruptured, popped like a bubble. A pained breath turned into a raw, primal yell. I screamed until my lungs emptied. I drew in a ragged breath, and my entire body shuddered under fresh stabs of pain. It felt like waves of burning magma coursing through my body.

    Every breath moved me just enough to elicit fresh hurt. If it wasn¡¯t for the adrenaline, I was sure I would have passed out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short, Soot,¡± The Anarchist giggled. ¡°The human body can take a surprising amount of punishment.¡±

    ¡°Fuck off," I croaked, barely managing to get the words out in a garbled mess.

    ¡°Let¡¯s be clear here, Nate,¡± Hellequin nearly spat my name. ¡°You are on the razor¡¯s edge. Luckily for you, we can¡¯t kill you; Cypher is one hell of a vengeful bastard, and I don¡¯t want him gunning for us personally. This is your one and only warning, stay out of our way.¡±

    Hellequin¡¯s demon head turned and he started to walk away, but he didn¡¯t even make it a step before The Anarchist¡¯s voice called out, ¡°Attendez!¡±

    ¡°Qu''Est-ce que c''est?¡± Hellequin snapped back, seemingly annoyed.

    ¡°He¡¯s not sanctioned, remember¡­?¡± The Anarchist replied, switching back to English. ¡°I do,¡± Hellequin said slowly in such I way I could almost feel an eyebrow raised behind his mask.

    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± The girl nodded. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to be a hero. He¡¯s almost accepted going to prison instead.¡±

    ¡°Interesting. Why is that Nate?¡± Hellequin asked, leaning in close. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ guilty. He doesn¡¯t like his powers.¡±

    Oh, how I wanted to punch that girl in her smug face.

    ¡°Then maybe I¡¯ll make an annulment to our deal and offer this in its stead,¡± Hellequin began. It seemed like he was catching on to what the girl was getting at, and I didn¡¯t like how this had changed. On top of the almost blinding pain, dread crept back into my gut. His tone was monstrous, like a beast who had found fresh prey.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why Cypher took interest in you. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s just urging you to become sanctioned right? Stay out of Argus¡¯ meta daycare? And that is exactly what you¡¯re going to do. You are going to become our little hero puppet. You go out there and act like the little boy scout Cypher wants, but when we call, you come running. Understand?¡±

    I didn¡¯t say anything, so the villain grabbed the spike digging into my shoulder and twisted it. I yelled again, but Hellequin didn¡¯t stop, pushing it in deeper. ¡°Understand?¡± He yelled.

    ¡°Yes!¡± I cried out, doing anything to make the pain stop.

    ¡°Good. You are going to become sanctioned and stay away from us until we yank your chain. Because if you don¡¯t, we know where your family lives. Where your sister goes to school. The second you slip up, we will kill them, slowly and painfully. Butcher will gnaw on them, eating them slowly. Then we¡¯ll gut them while they scream and ask why you did that to them. We¡¯ll make sure there is nothing left for you to bury. Understand?¡±

    ¡°Y¡­yes,¡± I croaked, feeling tears roll down my face.

    ¡°And don¡¯t think you can escape us. Now that The Anarchist is in your head, she¡¯ll track you down wherever you go, and the second you try and tell someone, she¡¯ll know. Understand?¡±

    I merely nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

    ¡°Good. Now before we leave, I believe the Butcher wanted to take a little souvenir¡­¡±

    I could only watch in horror as the woman with the monstrous maw walked forward and grabbed my right hand, agitating my shoulder. I grunted in pain, but my heart stopped when she opened her mouth, revealing the unnatural teeth behind her molars. She pulled my arm harder and I cried out again as she put my hand in her mouth. I couldn¡¯t think straight, my head fogged from the pain, so I didn¡¯t think to curl my fingers before she bit down. Hard.

    Another scream. The bones in my hand crushed and jumbled around as my ring and fifth finger were torn away with a violent shake of her head. I could smell the blood, causing even more panic. The pain consumed my thoughts, pushing everything else out. I didn¡¯t even notice as the antlers fell away and I collapsed into a screaming wreck on the floor.

 Glimpse 1.10

    It was cold. The whisper of a breeze snuck up on me from behind, but it was gone just as fast. Skeletal trees stretched out farther than I could see. Their gnarled branches snaked into the swirling mass of hues that made up the sapphire sky. No leaves were left to bring any feeling of life, they were dead, bleached whiter than bone.

    Despite knowing the answer, I tried to reach out and lay my palm against the nearest trunk. I knew it felt dusty and uneven, jagged. Almost like concrete or stucco. Nothing moved beneath the sky except for the low-lying mist that clung to the barren ground and moved in stark defiance to the occasional gust of wind.

    Nothing was alive here except me. Even the atmosphere of the place seemed silent, crypt-like. It was angry, malevolent. Something possessed this place. It existed with a silent consciousness that pressed against the back of your mind. While I was there, it could see me wherever I went.

    This time it felt¡­ odd. I felt dazed, thoughts slipped away before they solidified, and I couldn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t move. My body was distance, somewhere beyond the edge of the forest.

    Suddenly, a light burned to life behind me, and long shadows stretched from the trees. At the mercy of some mysterious force, my vision turned around slowly. As I moved, the trees became thinner and shorter, almost as if they were shrinking.

    Once I was completely turned around, I didn¡¯t know what to make of what I was seeing. I was looking down from a cliff at a ruined city. Buildings were arranged in a circle like the petals of a glass and steel flower. In the center of the rings of buildings, there was a statue. It towered over the city like a giant above a daisy, but at the same time, it was miniscule, a man standing in the heart of the city. The perception of scale shifted as soon as I tried to focus on either one.

    Trying not to focus on the almost painful mental illusion, I looked on at the statue itself. In its right hand it held a massive sword, and in its left, a dagger. Its right foot was raised like it was about to crush something beneath it. The statue had no head; the neck abruptly ended right before it reached the jaw. The city was broken, crushed, and had fallen at the statue¡¯s feet.

    To the left of the city there was an army approaching. I couldn¡¯t make out any details on the soldiers, they were like ants clad in dark armor marching forward in row after row. To the right, another army approached. Their ranks were a swarm. Their bodies were twisted and marred to the point they scarcely resembled people. From the south approached the third army. It stood in ranks like the first, but there were figures flying above the lines of soldiers, and it was directly under the statue¡¯s foot.

    A glare caught my eye, and I snapped to the dagger. It was reflecting light from somewhere up high. My gaze moved up and I saw a pair of amber eyes burning in the sky, gazing down on the scene below. Then they snapped to look at me.

    <hr>

    I jerked awake and immediately regretted it. Pain stabbed through my body like knives slicing through my veins. The attack ran through my mind, still as fresh as the pain. My heart started racing again. Each beat brought a dull throbbing from my shoulder and my hand. That¡¯s right. My hand¡­

    Breathe. Slowly, I thought to myself. I needed to calm down, I was safe, I was¡­ in a hospital room; judging from the white sheets, the hideous armchair in the corner, and light grey walls.

    The lights were dim and judging from the lack of light peeking through the room¡¯s sole window, a rather depressingly small feature, it was dark outside. I was wrapped up in a tangle of wires that really didn¡¯t really seem to have a purpose, but I guess the doctors would know better. I looked around a bit more, absentmindedly scanning the room, but my eyes spotted a shoulder peeking out near the bathroom door.

    ¡°Animus?¡± I guessed hesitantly, after looking at the profile of the man for a bit. He turned and glanced at me, and confirmed I was right. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say he was roughly middle-aged, maybe a bit younger, with reddish brown hair cut short on the sides with a full goatee. The rest of his face had strong features that made him look somewhere between stern and approachable.

    ¡°Glad you¡¯re awake. You gave us a bit of a scare,¡± he said, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.

    ¡°Us?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Ghost and I were the ones that brought you here. Cypher had the Regents scattered around places you frequented, just in case.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for that, I guess,¡± I said, finding what he said odd. ¡°So, Cypher knew this was going to happen, he knew they were going to come after me?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    I was taken aback by his honesty. I didn¡¯t expect him to just admit to it, I thought he would at least try to say it gently.

    ¡°I know Cypher can seem harsh and probably callous, but he cares. He does everything for a reason.¡±

    ¡°He let the Gold Diggers just waltz in and bite off part of my hand?¡± I yelled, lifting my bandaged fingers for emphasis.

    Animus shrugged, ¡°Pretty much.¡±

    ¡°What kind of fucking reason could he have for that?¡± I yelled again, causing my shoulder to protest.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Ask him yourself, he should be here in a few minutes.¡±

    The hero seemed¡­ tired? Almost apologetic? He gave the impression that he had given this kind of talk before. I¡¯d heard people talk about interactions with Cypher before, TV interviews and that sort of thing, and they¡¯d said he was rude and crass on top of being arrogant to the core, but did he really let them attack me? And why? Was it so I would accept his proposal? Whether that was the case or not, I didn¡¯t really have a choice anymore. In fact, I had even less of a choice than when my only alternative was prison.

    I just felt so defeated. Everything had fallen apart, and again, it was all my fault. No matter what I tried or how much I wanted it, I wasn¡¯t normal, and I couldn¡¯t pretend to be. I don¡¯t really think it would have been all that surprising if I had been honest with myself. I moved out as soon as I could to protect my family, and I was doing this to protect them too. Nothing was going to happen to them as long as I was still breathing.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Animus broke me out of my introspection, and I glanced at him, not sure what he was apologizing for.

    ¡°For letting them get to you,¡± he clarified, seeing my confusion. ¡°Its fine,¡± I said, even though it wasn¡¯t. Animus didn¡¯t look convinced, but he didn¡¯t say anymore. It was probably for the best, I doubted I could hold a civil conversation at the moment.

    Quiet took over the room again, more uncomfortable this time. ¡°Cypher¡¯s on his way.¡± I almost jumped out of my skin as Ghost fell through the ceiling. There wasn¡¯t any noise, only a slight ripple in the roof as he passed through it. He was dressed up in his usual garb, including the several weapons on his person.

    ¡°Hey, kid, glad you¡¯re awake,¡± He said, glancing in my direction. ¡°Does Cypher have Asclepius with him?¡± Animus asked.

    ¡°Asclepius?¡± I asked, not recognizing the name. They were a meta by the sound of it, but they must have not been one of the combative types. Or at least not a famous one.

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s a biokinetic, one of the best,¡± Ghost said, turning to look at me. ¡°Oskar Destin,¡± he introduced himself, extending his hand. ¡°Uhh,¡± I started to say, slightly raising my injured hand.

    ¡°Oh. My bad, kid,¡± He said, switching his right hand for his left. Hesitantly, I accepted his handshake. ¡°Nate,¡± I replied.

    ¡°And I assume Clayton introduced himself?¡± Ghost, or I guess, Oskar asked while glancing at Animus with a slight accusatory tone. Animus sighed, ¡°Clayton Parks.¡±

    ¡°Come on, Clayton, the kid is in the business now.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly. No offense,¡± Animus said, glancing at me. ¡°None taken,¡± I muttered.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Get back to the roof,¡± Clayton ordered, leaving no room for discussion. ¡°Aye, aye, Captain Parks,¡± Ghost muttered with a false salute as he faded into thin air. I knew he could turn invisible, but it was still kind of unsettling seeing it for myself.

    While Ghost was wearing his usual outfit, Animus was in typical street clothes. Still, it was hard to think of him as ¡®Clayton¡¯. It was like when your boss, or someone from a position in authority tells you to call them by their first name. If anything, it should be easier when he wasn¡¯t in his combat attire, but it still felt wrong somehow.

    I thought back to what Ghost had said; Cypher was bringing a biokinetic here? I couldn¡¯t help but hope he was going to fix my hand. I¡¯d heard stories of biokinetics bringing people back from the brink of death, and some even crossing the threshold to return individuals from the grave. Growing back a few fingers shouldn¡¯t be an issue. Right? Still, though, would they even bother with something so trivial when there were people dying in the same building?

    But then again, why would Cypher be bringing him here specifically? Especially if he wants me to be able to pass sanctioning before Sunday. Come to think of it, I wasn¡¯t sure what day it was. ¡°Uh, Animus, what time is it?¡±

    Animus turned to answer but paused when the handle to the door turned. He quickly relaxed when Cypher stepped through, with who must have been Asclepius in tow. ¡°It is three twenty-seven am, April sixth. The same night you were attacked,¡± the masked hero answered for Animus. ¡°Nate, this is Asclepius, the world¡¯s best biokinetic.¡±

    For the ¡°world¡¯s best biokinetic¡±, Asclepius wasn¡¯t much to look at. He was gaunt, with a thin face and slight shoulders that made him look like he was only one light push from toppling over. On top of that, he didn¡¯t look like he kept himself up well. His hair was cut short, but not in any kind of style.

    ¡°Asclepius, this is Nate, the patient I told you about.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked, his voice surprisingly deep and mellow for someone of his frame. ¡°He was-¡± Asclepius held up a hand, cutting Cypher off.

    ¡°I want to hear it from him. You don¡¯t know everything.¡±

    Having someone stand up to Cypher like that was a bit surprising, if not more than a little satisfying. ¡°I was attacked by the Gold Diggers,¡± I said. ¡°Cerf Tueur- ¡°

    ¡°-The deer one?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°The deer one. He stabbed me in the shoulders with one of his growths, and then the Butcher¡­ bit off my fingers.¡±

    ¡°Did the deer use any of his toxins?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know¡­¡± I admitted. Asclepius looked over his shoulder at Cypher who shook his head.

    ¡°Alright. I can fix your hand, and your shoulder, if that¡¯s what you want.¡±

    What kind of question was that? ¡°Uh¡­ yeah¡­ err, yes Sir.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± His tone was almost accusatory, rhetorical, like I had picked the wrong answer.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±

    ¡°Because It¡¯s not going to be pleasant. I have to pull tissue and bio mass from the rest of your body, as well as regrow nerve endings, and I have to test the pain response. You¡¯ll need rest and lots of calories afterward, understand?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t cut it,¡± Cypher interjected. ¡°He needs to be able to move immediatly afterwards.¡±

    ¡°Then give him some of Animus¡¯s Rasputin blood. My powers aren¡¯t magic.¡±

    I didn¡¯t really have a choice. I had to become sanctioned before Cypher filed his report. There was no way I¡¯d be able to do that with my shoulder in the state that it was. ¡°Do it.¡±

    ¡°Suit yourself.¡±

    Asclepius unwrapped the bandages on my hand, making no attempt to be gentle. I saw the work the doctors had done to stop the bleeding, but it still looked like I¡¯d stuck my hand down a blender, at least on the right side of it. Almost a full third of my hand was missing, my ring and fifth finger completely gone. I wasn¡¯t normally squeamish, but the sight of it almost made me vomit.

    ¡°This is what you dragged me here for?¡± Asclepius snapped at Cypher, who remained stoic behind his mask. ¡°What about Suture, or Wu Ben, or Ta-Bitjet, Tourniquet, or Menrva? Hell, even Pinga or Cauter, could deal with this.¡±

    ¡°You were the closest. Not to mention most of those are out of the country, and Tourniquet is a villain.¡±

    ¡°Really? She sucks at it, then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to debate the virtues of other healers, Asclepius.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± he said, turning back to me. Without any warning, he gripped my arm just above the wrist of my damaged hand, and I felt his powers immediately. It was like ants were crawling under my skin. I tried to pull away out of reflex, but Asclepius¡¯ grip was too strong. ¡°Hold still,¡± he barked.

    I clenched my good fist, but it was like trying to plug a hole in a dam with your finger. Then the pain started. My Shoulder felt like it was on fire, but it wasn¡¯t a random burning sensation. With every second, I could feel the burning rise through the wound, like it was a fuse burning towards the surface of my skin. The muscle around the would was squirming like it had a mind of its own. It was strange and unnatural, but between the burning and the involuntary motion, I didn¡¯t know what was more uncomfortable.

    Before my shoulder was finished, my hand split open. I could feel the bones sliding past each other, and their jagged edges cutting through muscle to get where they needed to be. Two white spurs pushed through the bleeding wound, with fat and muscle flowing after them.

    <hr>

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re done,¡± Asclepius said after what seemed like forever. Tentatively, I flexed my fingers. There wasn¡¯t any pain, which I was thankful for, but they felt kind of numb, and stiff. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, and really meant it. Living a few fingers short of a full deck wouldn¡¯t be the worst fate in the world, but thanks to Asclepius and Cypher, I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with it.

    ¡°Its not my best work. If I had been allowed to work on it over the course of a few hours I could make them better. The color will be a bit off until they get some sun to kickstart the melanin production, not that you would need a lot with your skin tone, and the muscle mass needs to be built back up. You may have some phantom pain still, but that¡¯ll be your problem. Your shoulder should be ready to go, but don¡¯t push it too hard for a day or two.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± I replied, rolling my shoulder. Lo and behold it felt like it always did. ¡°It feels great.¡±

    Asclepius nodded and stood up, turning to leave, but stopped himself before he¡¯d gone a few steps. ¡°I assume I¡¯m free to go?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you be?¡± Cypher retorted.

    ¡°Just never can tell with you,¡± Asclepius muttered as he brushed past Animus.

    ¡°So, what now?¡± I asked Cypher once the door shut behind the healer.

    ¡°Now, we get you sanctioned.¡±

    I had run out of excuses, and the exhaustion Asclepius warned about was really setting in, so I didn¡¯t try to fight it. I just nodded and Cypher tossed me a set of clothes as he and Animus headed towards the exit. ¡°Get dressed.¡±

    They weren¡¯t the same clothes I was wearing when the Gold Diggers attacked, but they were mine. Cypher must have broken into my house again to get them while I was out. I couldn¡¯t say I was really surprised this time.

    Once my hospital gown was swapped for actual clothing, I shambled out into the hallway, and the Regents fell into a sort of bodyguard formation around me. It would have been any young boy¡¯s dream: being surrounded by literal superheroes. But even though I was feeling like shit, it was still pretty cool.

    No one tried to stop us as we walked out of the hospital, which seemed kind of strange. There wasn¡¯t any paperwork, and I hadn¡¯t seen anything resembling a bill of any kind. Would it come in the mail? Had Cypher taken care of that too? Argus had a payment program with most of the medical systems around the globe, just like they had with national governments. They dealt with any medical charges and had special rules about revealing identities of registered heroes. Maybe Cypher did something with that.

    Instead of going down to the ground floor, Cypher led us up to the roof where I saw the Regent¡¯s main mode of transportation waiting. Waiting on a helicopter landing pad was their VTOL ship, the Torus. It was a strange looking aircraft without anything resembling wings or a tail section. Instead, it was shaped sort of like a knight¡¯s shield, but it was still clearly aerodynamic.

    There were four circular holes near the edges of the craft with the front two being slightly larger than the rear. They were some kind of advanced propulsion system that forced air down and the Torus up, though I doubt you could find it in any advanced research labs. I guess when you were as smart as Cypher, those things didn¡¯t matter so much. The rear of the aircraft had a cargo ramp that was lowered to the ground, and the Regents quickly ushered me up and into the belly of the plane.

    ¡°We¡¯re good to go,¡± Cypher called up to the cockpit. Animus helped me into a seat as the engines whirred to life. Ghost and Cypher disappeared into the front portion of the Torus, leaving me and Animus in the rear cargo area that was empty and lined with seats that could fold up against the wall to save space. ¡°Just relax, kid,¡± Animus said, strapping himself into a seat across from me. I just managed a halfhearted nod as I felt sleep starting to take over.

    <hr>

    A prick of pain jerked me out of a dreamless sleep, and I looked around, panicked, trying to find the source of the sudden sensation. ¡°Calm down, Nate. Everything¡¯s fine.¡± Animus was gripping my arm as he pulled a contraption away from my shoulder. It looked like a syringe. ¡°Wha-¡± I tried to mutter, still in the process of waking up.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    Animus hesitated, but again, it was Cypher who answered as he walked past. ¡°It was his blood, the same thing you saw him give Spectral after the incident the other day.¡±

    ¡°Blood? And how did you know I saw what he gave Spectral?¡± I asked. Feeling a wave of revolt and disgust, I looked at Animus for answers. He scowled at Cypher, then sighed and turned back to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m classified as enhanced, not a mutant. My blood has¡­ things in it that give me my powers. Transfusions of my blood can heal other people somewhat.¡±

    ¡°Is that what Asclepius was talking about at the hospital? ¡®Rasputin Blood¡¯, or something like that?¡±

    Animus nodded. ¡°But it¡¯s nothing toxic, and it will break down in a few hours. I can explain more later, but we need to get going.¡±

    Nodding, I released the buckles strapping me in and hurried down the ramp. Once I was clear of the Torus, I found myself in a hangar that was largely empty except for the group of Regents heading towards a door at the end of the cavernous room.

    Opposite the door the heroes were walking towards, the hangar just kept going in a massive tunnel, slightly tilting upwards until it was cut off from view. The floor seemed to be made of a similar material as Cypher¡¯s mask, except it was white, almost like it was enameled. Instead of there being a corner where the floor met the walls, the ground gently sloped upward and around, so that the entire room was like an elongate oval with a flat portion on the floor.

    The enameled material covered everything from the floor to the curved walls and ceiling, but it wasn¡¯t solid. It looked like it was made of panels fitted closely together with a visible seam between them.

    Realizing I was falling behind my hosts, I hurried to catch up. Animus¡¯ blood must be doing something; I barely felt tired at all.

 Glimpse 1.11

    The Regents¡¯ base was impressive. All the walls and floors seemed to be made of the same material that the hangar was. It made the place look unnaturally clean. There wasn¡¯t a spot of dirt or scuff in sight. From what I could tell, the floor we were on was roughly circular, with the hangar extending out to one side.

    We were walking around a gently curving hallway with doors on either side appearing every so often. I didn¡¯t see any windows, though. Was that just a strategic decision, or was it because it was underground? The lack of visible, unaccounted for buildings in Chicago left some people to think the only place their based could be was below ground and out of sight.

    Ghost peeled away from the group by stepping through a wall. It was an odd sight, but there were people who could do stranger things. Animus and Cypher led me to an elevator an up several floors to one that looked identical to the one we left, except for the concerned looking Argus liaison.

    With everything going on over the past few days, I hadn¡¯t even noticed when James didn¡¯t check in like he usually did. ¡°I guess I¡¯m finally getting sanctioned, huh?¡± I said, trying to force a grin. James let out a short hollow laugh, ¡°Didn¡¯t think the circumstances would be like this.¡±

    ¡°They are what they are, so let¡¯s not waste more time,¡± Cypher said over his shoulder. He and Animus had stopped a little way down the hall in front of a set of doors. I nodded and followed them through the doors and into a cavernous room lined with white panels. It was shaped like a hollowed-out cylinder, but like the hangar, the walls sloped to meet the floor and ceiling.

    Vindicator stood in the middle of the room, arms folded, and feet planted. ¡°Cypher has given me everything I need to make the sanctioning official, except for a full review of your powers,¡± James said. He¡¯d given James all that already? From what I¡¯d been told, Sanctioning took days of tests and evaluations. The longer I knew Cypher, the more I wondered if his power was just intelligence.

    ¡°What about the psych evals? I haven¡¯t done one of those yet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve evaluated your mental state. You are stable enough to handle the strain.¡±

    ¡°How could you kn¡­¡±

    ¡°How could you kn¡­¡±

    Cypher caught me completely off guard. He¡¯d spoken perfectly in sync with me.

    ¡°How did-¡±

    ¡°How did-¡±

    Trying to throw him off, I started spouting off babble: random numbers, names, nonsensical sounds. He matched me syllable for syllable.

    ¡°How are you¡­¡±

    ¡°How are you doing this?¡± He finished my thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ve mapped your consciousness, observed your responses to stimuli enough that I can know what you are going to think and do before you do. In most cases, at least.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re joking,¡± I said, looking over at Animus and James. The Regent was cracking up and tried to hold back a grin. ¡°Freaked me out too the first time he did it to me.¡±

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t really need to give me a normal evaluation, do you?¡±

    Cypher shook his head, ¡°No. But, we do need to see you use your powers.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± I said, taking a breath. ¡°Is that what Vindicator is standing there for?¡±

    Cypher nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t hold back.¡±

    Don¡¯t hold back? I didn¡¯t think I could do that. After holding back, keeping that large a part of you locked up so tight for twenty years¡­ But I have to, I reminded myself. Think about them. I won¡¯t lose them. They won¡¯t get hurt because of me.

    Reaching inward, I found my power, that metaphorical valve, and opened it. The icy energy crept up from my palms, flowing over my clothes. It still felt alien, yet oddly familiar at the same time. Goosebumps rolled along my skin where I felt pricks of cold from where the energy made contact.

    ¡°If you¡¯re ready, lets start with the basics: speed, and strength. Try to knock Vindicator over.¡±

    I took a running start, using the trick I picked up during the meta warning, I rapidly gained speed. I only had a few steps until I reached him and then what? I knew I was a little stronger with the energy, but why? Was it the same reason I was faster: because I was controlling the energy mentally? It was worth a shot.

    Three steps. Two steps. One more step, this was it. Calling on the two boxing classes Paul talked me into taking when I was ten, I took a batting stance and threw my punch. Guiding my energy, I felt it flow up from my legs first, then around my hips as I rotated, before shooting up my back and down the length of my arm as my fist struck the hero. Which had absolutely no effect? Like jello, the energy rippled back up my arm and threw me off balance. Punching Vindicator felt like hitting steel and rubber at the same time, but the hero was just grinning.

    ¡°Not bad, but you need practice,¡± he rumbled. His voice was gravely, but not overtly harsh or hostile. ¡°Your stance is a little off. Set your feet a little further apart to make sure you¡¯re anchored.¡± I nodded and took his advice. I didn¡¯t really realize just how large a man he was until I was right next to him. He had to be just an inch or two shy of seven feet tall, and he was built like a football player on top of that.

    ¡°Again,¡± He ordered, relaxing his arms at his sides. I hauled back and unloaded another punch, willing the energy to move with me. Something was different this time. My arm went from a deep sapphire to almost blue-white, and when it hit, I didn¡¯t feel any of the recoil I felt before.

    Vindicator slid back ever so slightly, his boots losing traction on the smooth floor. ¡°Good job, kid, that¡¯s how you do it!¡± He rumbled. The sudden volume of his voice startled me, but I couldn¡¯t help but grin when I saw the wide smile on his face.

    ¡°Impressive,¡± Cypher said, walking over from the sidelines, clapping slowly. ¡°Now that we know how strong you are, lets move on to your speed.¡±

    Move on? I¡¯d hardly gotten started, ¡°Wait, what do you mean? I¡¯ve only thrown two punches.¡±

    ¡°By knowing Vindicator¡¯s density and how far you moved him, I can calculate how much force you generated with your punch and use that to estimate your strength in other endeavors. I could break the math down for you, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be that interested. Would you?¡±

    Cypher may have been a good hero, but was he always an asshole? Everything he did was matter-of-fact and had such a since of finality. He was smart and wanted people to know it.

    ¡°No, I guess not. But how strong am I then. Like, what can I do?¡±

    ¡°You should be able to lift a small car with difficulty.¡±

    A car? Really? I¡¯d never tried to do anything like that. Right now, I was regretting never looking deeper into my abilities. Maybe I could have been doing something all along. Helping people, I mean. Of course, lifting a car was small potatoes to the tanky types, but it was still nothing to sneeze at. But could I really lift a car? I was taking Cypher¡¯s word for it just because he was a hero. The only thing he¡¯d shown me so far is the ability to break into my house and stalk me.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we test that or some-¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to,¡± Cypher cut me off, ¡°We need to expedite this as much as-¡±

    ¡°Damn it! I¡¯m the one that¡¯s getting sanctioned, I¡¯m the one that¡¯s being asked to volunteer my life. I don¡¯t need you dragging me around like- like- like a stupid child.¡±

    ¡°Your sudden backbone is almost admirable, but we don¡¯t have time. You have to be sanctioned in case the Gold Diggers come back for you and do worse than rip off some fingers.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. They aren¡¯t coming back, are they? Can you tell me that with a straight face? Not that I would know since you hide behind that mask. What¡¯s really going one? Why are you pushing so hard to get this done?¡±

    Cypher went quiet, but he didn¡¯t turn away. He kept the dark void of his mask focused on me. ¡°I need to use your foresight.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Getting answers out of Cypher was starting to feel more like pulling teeth by the second.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t made any headway tracking down those behind the most recent attack. Your powers may help me get a lead.¡±

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t really care about me being able to fight off the Gold Diggers if they come back?¡±

    ¡°Only in so much as it would allow you to remain a useful resource.¡±

    ¡°Figures,¡± I muttered. I was just being used. Cypher didn¡¯t care about keeping me out of jail or making sure I could defend myself, he just cared about securing a tool. If I didn¡¯t have my own reasons for getting sanctioned, I don¡¯t think I could have held myself back from walking out right then.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Can we continue?¡± Cypher asked, his mask still annoyingly not betraying anything.

    I nodded, ¡°What do I need to do?¡±

    ¡°Sprint around the perimeter of the room. Get up to full speed as quickly as you can.¡±

    Right back to business. Did this guy ever relax? Animus had a sympathetic look on his face while Vindicator looked more ambivalent. James wouldn¡¯t even make eye contact. How onboard was he with all of this? How much did Cypher tell him? I shook my head, I needed to focus to use my power.

    As I started to pick up the pace and shift into a sprint, I felt the push and pull as the energy shell shifted around me. Like I did before I ran into the Gold Diggers, I started willing the energy to move proactively. The drag quickly vanished, and for a few steps, the energy moved perfectly in step with me. Then I started pushing it. My legs couldn¡¯t keep up with the pace any more, so I let them relax. Right, left, right, left¡­

    Worryingly, the wall to my right started getting closer fast as the room curved. I tried to turn slightly to the left but ended up moving my legs instead of the energy. My legs froze as the rapidly moving shell of energy pressed against them, and I slammed my face into the floor. Luckily, it didn¡¯t hurt at all, like getting hit in the face with a lazily thrown pillow.

    The lack of pain didn¡¯t make it feel any less embarrassing though. Vindicator was resting an arm on Cypher¡¯s shoulder and was almost doubled over laughing. The leader of the Regents looked like he was struggling to hold up the weight with Vindicator¡¯s slightest movement throwing him around like a ragdoll. Meanwhile, Animus was laughing in his chair at me and his teammates.

    Seeing them crack up was contagious. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh, even if it was partly at my expense. It was nice to know that not all heroes had rods up their asses like Cypher seemed to. Still, I wanted to at least be able to run in a circle, even if it was just to show I wasn¡¯t completely incompetent at using my powers. Before Cypher could tell me to move on, I scrambled to my feet, trying to control the energy more than just my muscles.

    It felt more like flying off the ground than anything; there wasn¡¯t any fatigue or exertion in my limbs, the only hard part was mentally visualizing how I wanted the energy to move. It was a bit janky for a bit as I launched into stride, and for the first few moments, I was almost parallel to the ground as I picked up speed.

    I needed to right myself before I ended up sprawled out on the ground again. Simultaneously, I pulled back on my upper body and sped up my legs. Miraculously, my movement soon resembled normal runner¡¯s form instead of a prolonged stumble. Still I had to match the curve of the room, and fast. Trying to make your brain tell your body to move without having it move was harder than it sounds.

    Controlling the energy was like trying to use an arm that had fallen asleep. You could maybe move it, but there wasn¡¯t any useful feedback. It was like learning to walk all over again. Thankfully, I managed to pull myself slightly away from the wall and maintained the slight turn.

    Alright, I thought to myself, Time to pick up the pace. I started moving faster, picturing every step in my head. Faithfully, the energy rushed to match it. To a point. Eventually, the energy seemed to hit a limit. I almost tripped again when I expected to hit the ground only to realize my foot wasn¡¯t there. Luckily, I managed to repeat what I had done to pick myself off the ground.

    For a second, I seamed to float before I hit my rhythm again.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± Cypher called from the middle of the room. He waved me over and I jogged to where he and Vindicator were still waiting. ¡°Drop the energy projection,¡± he ordered.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    I could swear I felt an eyeroll. ¡°Are you going to question everything I say from now on?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Great, now I could either play along like a good little soldier, or I would seem like an impudent child. ¡°I just want to know why. Everything here is new, and I¡¯m just trying to figure it out.¡±

    I relaxed the metaphoric muscle and the energy flowed away from my face, and almost seemed to evaporate off my body.

    ¡°Not bad. Your heartrate is barely elevated from your baseline.¡± He must have sensed my impending question, because the hero quickly added, ¡°Photoplethysmography, I can determine your heartbeat through small fluctuations in your appearance.¡±

    ¡°Okay, well, how fast did I go?¡±

    ¡°Forty-eight point two seven miles per hour once you got up to full sprint.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s pretty good, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly superhuman. Animus only clocks in at thirty-five,¡± Vindicator said.

    ¡°Cool, so what¡¯s next on Cypher¡¯s Sanctioning Bootcamp agenda?¡±

    ¡°Durability.¡±

    Suddenly, my vision flashed blue, and when it faded, I was suddenly gasping for air and sprawled out on my back.

    I looked up to see Cypher standing over me, a shifting and swirling covering hiding my face in the reflection of his mask. ¡°What the hell?¡± I gasped between breaths. ¡°Sorry about that, hit you a little bit harder than I meant to,¡± Vindicator rumbled as he loomed into my field of view. ¡°You hit me?¡± I asked, almost in a daze as he offered me a hand.

    ¡°It was my idea,¡± Cypher said as I accepted Vindicator¡¯s help in getting me to my feet. ¡°I saw the police report of you being able to stop a bullet and looked over footage of the attack where you managed to sidestep a shot from Hellequin.¡±

    ¡°So, you had Vindicator knock the wind out of me by punching me across the room?¡±

    ¡°It was more of a backhand,¡± Vindicator muttered.

    ¡°Backhand, whatever.¡±

    Cypher nodded. ¡°You managed to manifest your powers in fractions of a second when acting on instinct. On top of that, you withstood a hit that would shatter a normal person¡¯s ribs.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m bulletproof. Sometimes. I already knew that.¡±

    The hero shook his head slightly. ¡°Not entirely. A large enough round from a powerful enough gun could cause damage. I think range was the only thing saving you from Hellequin. That and your adrenaline giving your power a slight boost.¡±

    Well, I guess not everything could be great news. ¡°So, I guess I shouldn¡¯t be getting in shootouts.¡±

    ¡°Not regularly, no¡­¡± Cypher said. I noticed an odd inflection in his voice. Before I could question it, I saw Cypher¡¯s hand rapidly shoot up from his side. I didn¡¯t even notice that he¡¯d drawn his gun before my vision washed blue twice in rapid succession, but then I felt three heavy impacts to my chest. I staggered back, and another small blink of blue disoriented me more. Then another two punches to the gut finished off Cypher¡¯s assault.

    ¡°What was that for?¡± I groaned. Even with the energy protecting me, I could feel the beginning of several bruises forming. I opened my right fist three crumpled bullets dropped to the ground, joining the five that were already on the ground.

    ¡°Your ESP isn¡¯t consistent. And it isn¡¯t based on potential fatality. I spread the shots around, and you triggered on normally non-lethal and lethal shots just the same. You shouldn¡¯t rely on it to keep you alive.¡±

    ¡°Is ESP normally consistent?¡±

    ¡°Generally, yes. Yours is different.¡±

    ¡°Well, most of his powerset is odd,¡± James pitched in, walking over to join us. ¡°He has low-level strength, speed, enhanced durability, and Type A Cognition? Four powers? That is rare.¡±

    ¡°But not unheard of,¡± Cypher retorted. ¡°Especially if you consider how he could achieve it,¡± He continued, looking at me. ¡°Your energy shell has to be manifested before you have access to the strength and speed, correct? And Cerf Tueur demonstrated you are vulnerable without the protection the energy provides.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I think so, I haven¡¯t really tested it before today.¡±

    ¡°So, he¡¯s a kinetic, right? Type B? C?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®kinetic¡¯?¡± I asked. ¡°Like telekinetic? I don¡¯t move things with my mind or anything like that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the official power designations Argus uses,¡± Cypher answered. "Kinetic means that you manipulate something with your mind. James is correct in labeling one of the aspects of your power as Type B Kinesis. You can control the energy mentally to some degree, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I focus on moving the energy and my body follows.¡±

    ¡°Well, that makes sense,¡± James said as he scribbled something down on the forms he was carrying on a clipboard.

    ¡°It does, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s everything. I¡¯ve been trying to pin down the source of the energy, but I can¡¯t find where you¡¯re gathering it from. There aren¡¯t any temperature fluctuations or power shortages when you manifest the suit, so you aren¡¯t likely gathering it from your surroundings. That usually means a metahuman is using internal energy reserves, but you aren¡¯t emitting any energy fields that would suggest that either.¡±

    ¡°Is he a converter, then?¡± James asked. ¡°Type C, turning matter to energy and back again?¡±

    ¡°Not likely. I think he¡¯s a warper; pulling it from somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°Warper?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Metahumans with a warper classification bend the laws of physics, manipulating time or spacial dimensions. It¡¯s rare, but it could explain where the energy comes from.¡±

    ¡°You think I can control time?¡± I asked, thinking it was crazy.

    ¡°Time, no. But you may be able to warp space to some extent, even if you don¡¯t do it consciously.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± James began, trying to make sense of what Cypher was saying. ¡°Nate gets the energy from¡­ another dimension or something?¡±

    Cypher nodded, but as soon as James suggested an alternate dimension, my mind went to the skeletal forest I saw in my dreams. It was there almost every night, sometimes for just a second, but sometimes it stayed for what felt like hours.

    ¡°What would an alternate dimension look like?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Almost anything really. Argus knows about a few that are relatively ¡®close¡¯ enough that some metahumans can bridge the gap. Genesis, though, has reported that there are thousands that he¡¯s visited,¡± Cypher explained.

    Genesis, one of the most powerful metahumans in history. A reality warper, Earth¡¯s defender against trans-dimensional threats. Argus all but banned him from using his powers on Earth, and he had agreed. I couldn¡¯t imagine being that powerful. He could do so much that even Argus was afraid of him. Granted, they were afraid of Cypher too, but for different reasons.

    ¡°Should I put that on his file then,¡± James asked Cypher, pen poised over the form.

    ¡°No, we can¡¯t confirm it without some much more intensive tests. Cog and kinetic should work for now unless you start to manifest more powers as time goes on, Nate.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then I think I have everything I need. Except a name,¡± James said, looking at me.

    ¡°Uh, you know my name, James.¡±

    ¡°No, an alias. Your alias.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± My mind went completely blank. I¡¯d never really thought about giving myself a superhero alias before. Well, that wasn¡¯t completely true. I guess there had to have been some point when I was younger that I toyed around with the idea, even if the thought of using my powers was traumatizing. Still, nothing notable was coming to mind.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have anything,¡± I said, looking around in the hope that one of the other had any good ideas.

    ¡°Well, you have a little while to think about it. James can submit the file first thing in the morning,¡± Cypher said, turning to walk out of the training room.

    James nodded. ¡°Try and get some rest, you¡¯ve had a hell of a night.¡±

    ¡°I agree, but first, I need you for one last thing,¡± Cypher called to me from the door, waiting for me to follow him.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I called back, but before I head to join Cypher, I looked back to James and stuck out my hand. ¡°Thanks, James.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡± James asked, and odd look on his face. Guilt?

    ¡°I guess for just being a friend, and for being here, now.¡±

    ¡°You know I didn¡¯t want it to work out this way.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± I said, with a small smile. James sighed and shook my hand, returning the smile. ¡°We can talk more later, better not keep Cypher waiting.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± I muttered, as I turned and jogged over to where the masked hero was waiting. ¡°What do you need?¡±

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked as Cypher led me towards the elevator. ¡°The Oculus.¡±

    ¡°The Oculus? What¡¯s that, your high school metal band?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±

    When we walked into the elevator, Cypher pulled a rectangular key out of his pocket and inserted it into a slot at the bottom of the button panel. With barely a vibration, the elevator started moving down, rapidly. The floors rolled past, all the way down to the lowest floor listed on the panel, but the elevator kept moving, past the hangar, lower than I¡¯d been yet. I was beginning to suspect the Oculus wasn¡¯t the name of a metal band after all.

 Glimpse 1.12

    After descending for almost a minute with total silence from Cypher, the elevator doors slid open to reveal a long hallway. Unlike the rest of the base, it had a concrete floor and cinder block walls. Cypher stepped out of the elevator without another word, and I followed him to a steel door that looked innocuous enough. At least for a door in the basement of a secret superhero base, that is. ¡°If this is your secret murder basement, I would really like to know.¡±

    The hero didn¡¯t dignify my request with a response, instead, he swung the door open to reveal¡­ an empty room? Like the rest of the base, ¡°The Oculus¡± was circular, with smooth, featureless walls.

    ¡°Not going to lie, I was expecting a little more.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, when I¡¯m trying to work though a problem, it helps me to have fresh data to play with. Seemingly random bits of information stitch together to form a cohesive web with strands connecting the most bizarre and unexpected occurrences. Sterling, activate the Oculus, The Sign of Four.¡±

    ¡°Sterling?¡±

    ¡°The base¡¯s AI,¡± Cypher answered offhandedly.

    A projector in the middle of the ceiling turned on, casting streams of what looked like binary or computer code on the walls of the room. I couldn¡¯t quite make out what it was, it scrolled past way too fast for me to make out.

    ¡°I think it could help you have a vision,¡± Cypher said.

    ¡°How? this is just gibberish.¡±

    ¡°No, its raw data from social media posts, search engine queries, emails, telegrams, every single scrap of digital data that I can access. You just can¡¯t read it fast enough to gain anything useful from it. I sort through more data than the NSA could ever dream to.¡±

    ¡°Is that legal?¡± I asked, looking at the information whirl around.

    ¡°Not in the slightest.¡±

    I turned around to look at the hero who had his arms folded, his face ever-hidden and unreadable. Was he being smug? I guess it was possible for him to have emotions after all.

    ¡°So, you break the law? The great hero Cypher, the ¡®best hero in the world¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t call myself that, and I do what I have to so I can save as many people as possible.¡±

    ¡°Why are you showing me this?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I think I can help you have a vision. You claimed you saw one where Chicago was destroyed by Wrath during the attack on Thursday, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± I said, still confused with Cypher¡¯s open admission of breaking the law. ¡°But, aren¡¯t you afraid I could tell someone about all this?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± I murmured, still baffled. ¡°So, how are you going to trigger a vision? They¡¯ve always come on their own.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of hypnotism?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, its like mind control, right?¡±

    Cypher¡¯s head tilted slightly to the side, but he didn¡¯t comment what he was thinking. ¡°Only in the movies. In practice it¡¯s a method of focused attention, suppressing distractions. What I want to try isn¡¯t true hypnosis, but a variant on the theory. I am going to show you a series of images in a pattern that I think will shift your mind into a state more susceptible to accessing the powers you don¡¯t have control over yet.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I mean, my visions aren¡¯t pleasant, and they come when they want.¡±

    ¡°Are you refusing?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I said quickly, ¡°I just think it might be a waste of time.¡±

    ¡°There has been success in using hypnosis to help metahumans control their powers in the past.¡±

    I had never been able to stop the visions before, let alone will one into existence. But I had to do this, right? This is what the Gold Diggers were making me do.

    ¡°Alright. Do it.¡±

    Without any order from Cypher, the stream of code was replaced with an image of a field of flowers.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°Keep watching.¡±

    The image changed again to a landscape shot of Chicago from the lake, then another city I didn¡¯t recognize, and back to another field of flowers. More images began to flash by, each one staying on the screen for less time than the last. There were pictures of dogs, cars, places, random objects, but as the slideshow started picking up speed, I caught snippets of people. They were gone before I could recognize them.

    Then something strange started happening with the pictures. They were flashing back to back so quickly, they seemed to overlap, superimposing each other. I couldn¡¯t tell how long the barrage of pictures went on with intermittent flashes of darkness, but eventually it ended with a bright white screen.

    ¡°Did you see anything?¡± Cypher asked from somewhere behind me.

    ¡°No, nothing,¡± I answered, blinking my eyes from the sudden brightness.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    His disappointment was obvious, but he didn¡¯t seem too keen on talking. ¡°Sorry. Like I told you, they come when they want.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t help me. Have you had any other visions since the one where Wrath destroyed the city?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± I said, thinking back to before I woke up in the hospital. ¡°But it was really more of a dream.¡±

    ¡°Tell me,¡± Cypher said, stepping closer, his voice sounding eager.

    ¡°After I passed out, you know, when the Gold Diggers attacked me, I had a dream. When the visions come as dreams, sometimes they start in a place, a forest of dead trees. I was there, but then I saw a giant statue without a head. It was getting ready to crush an army under its foot while two more attacked from both sides.

    ¡°Like I said, not exactly clear.¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me anything else about the statue?¡± Cypher asked intently.

    ¡°Uhh, it was holding a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. And there were a pair of glowing amber eyes looking down at the statue.¡±

    ¡°Amber eyes?¡± Cypher asked, sounding confused. ¡°Specifically, amber?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it was what seemed to fit. Why is that important?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated but thank you; you gave me more than you think. Go get some sleep, its late. Take the elevator up to floor two. There will be a room with an open door. Its yours for the night.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Are you staying here?¡±

    ¡°I need to do some research.¡±

    I nodded, ¡°Well, thanks for the room.¡± Cypher already seemed enraptured with the stream of code that reappeared on the screens, so I turned to walk back to the elevator.

    ¡°Prophet.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, pausing to look back.

    ¡°A potential alias,¡± Cypher said, not turning around.

    ¡°Prophet? Seems kinda pretentious, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, that can be a good thing. You just have to make sure you can live up to it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± I said as I left the Oculus.

    <hr>

    After a short elevator ride, I found the room without much trouble. There were several other rooms on the floor which I guessed were for the other Regents. All the doors were closed, though, and they didn¡¯t have name tags, so there was no telling whose was whose.

    The room itself was sparse, just a bed and some drawers built into the wall. One wall had a small alcove with a desk where a computer or something similar could go. On the far side of the room, near the foot of the bed was a door that led to a private bathroom. A quick glance revealed it to be as small and compact as the rest of the room with a shower, toilet, and sink.

    Honestly, the room was welcome. I didn¡¯t really want to go home and be alone with the Gold Diggers on the loose. I knew they typically operated in Europe, but if the Anarchist was really in my head, that didn¡¯t really make me feel any safer. At least as long as I was here, I had the Regents as bodyguards.

    I sat down on the edge of the bed and kicked my shoes off, glad for the chance to relax for what felt like the first time in days. It didn¡¯t take sleep long to take over once I laid down and closed my eyes.

    <hr>

    ¡°Nathaniel.¡±

    I was in the forest again, the one from my dreams. The same dream from the hospital was playing out over and over on repeat. Except this time, I was one of the figures above the center army, seconds away from being crushed.

    ¡°Mr. Peterson.¡±

    This didn¡¯t feel like the vision, it was fever pitched, a looping nightmare.

    A screeching alarm jolted me awake, my heart racing. Thankfully, it turned off as soon as I sat up.

    ¡°Apologies, Nathaniel. You seemed to have trouble waking up.¡±

    I looked around, trying to find the source of the synthetic sounding voice, but the room was empty. My first thought was Ghost, but I¡¯d heard him speak while wearing his mask and it didn¡¯t sound artificial like this. ¡°Uh, hello?¡± I asked, hesitantly.

    ¡°Animus wants to know if you want pancakes.¡±

    ¡°What? Who¡¯s talking.¡±

    ¡°I am Sterling. Has Cypher not told you of my existence?¡±

    Sterling, right. The base¡¯s AI. That made sense. ¡°Yeah, he told me about you.¡±

    ¡°Good. Do you want pancakes?¡±

    I was hungry. ¡°Animus is making pancakes?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Do you want pancakes?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I guess. Uh, where should I go?¡± It felt strange talking to no one but the ceiling, but I guess it was far from the strangest thing that I¡¯d done in the past three days.

    ¡°The central hub of the dormitory level serves as the cafeteria. I can guide you if you need further aid.¡±

    ¡°And this is the dormitory level?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I think I can find it on my own, but thanks,¡± I said. Sterling didn¡¯t seem to feel the need to add anything else, so I slipped on my shoes and walked out into the circular hallway. The only clothes I had were the ones I¡¯d worn to bed, so changing wasn¡¯t an option.

    The smell of bacon guided me half-way around the silo-shaped base to a large double-door on the interior wall. All the Regents were inside, except for Cypher and Ghost, and sitting at a long table, devouring breakfast.

    ¡°He lives!¡± Quatermain laughed, taking a sip of his coffee. ¡°Want some breakfast?¡± Animus called from a small kitchen area near the table.

    ¡°Yeah, that sounds good,¡± I said, standing awkwardly near the door. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be a stranger, kid,¡± Vindicator said, waving me closer. That¡¯s when I spotted James near the far end of the table with an empty seat next to him.

    He offered me a smile as I sat down but didn¡¯t say anything. Odd. ¡°Come on, dig in,¡± Peregrine urged me, ¡°It may look like enough to feed an army, but Wrath and Vindy will scarf it all down if you take your eyes off it for too long.¡±

    It was the first time I¡¯d heard him speak, and his accent was immediately noticeable. Irish, I thought. Was he the only non-American on the team?

    A stomach rumble urged me to action, so I put some food on my plate and went to town. ¡°Have you thought anymore about your alias?¡± James asked, finally speaking up.

    ¡°Well, I was talking to Cypher last night and he said I should call myself ¡®Prophet¡¯. But I don¡¯t know. Seems a bit¡­ much, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Nate Peterson, aka Prophet. Has a ring to it,¡± Animus said, walking over with fresh eggs and bacon before making his own plate of food.

    ¡°Sounds pretty good to me,¡± Peregrine chimed in.

    ¡°I¡¯d go with it. It fits,¡± Quatermain said, taking one more sip of his coffee before getting up and taking his empty plate over to the sink. ¡°I¡¯ll be back later, I gotta go relieve Ghost.¡±

    ¡°Relieve him of what?¡± I asked, taking another bite of food.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to keep an eye on your folks for a while until we can make sure the Gold Diggers aren¡¯t going to use them to get to you. Ghost took first watch, and Ezra- Quatermain is going to take over for him,¡± Animus explained.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Thanks,¡± I said lamely, not sure exactly what to say.

    Being reminded that the Gold Diggers could hurt my family put a pit of dread in my stomach. I¡¯d be lying if I said it didn¡¯t all but ruined my appetite.

    ¡°So, if Ghost is out guarding my parents, where¡¯s Cypher?¡± I asked, realizing his absence for a second time.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t usually eat with us, especially with guests,¡± Animus answered, glancing between James and me. ¡°Can¡¯t really eat with the mask on, ya know?¡±

    ¡°Does he wear it all the time?¡± James asked.

    ¡°Usually,¡± Wrath muttered. ¡°I think he even sleeps in it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s odd, we know. But he has his eccentricities,¡± Animus said. ¡°Still, he is without a doubt, the best of the best.¡±

    ¡°Well, getting back to the matter at hand, if I may, are you going to go with ¡®Prophet¡¯?¡± James asked, glancing at me between bites of food.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡±

    It was just an alias, but if felt like I was signing a contract with the devil.

    ¡°Lighten up, kid, you¡¯re a hero!¡± Vindicator said with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess I am,¡± I said with a bittersweet grin.

    I pulled back from the conversation, letting the Regents talk among themselves. They didn¡¯t seem like heroes full of bravado that could destroy cities or throw tanks through walls. They seemed like normal people. A strange family sitting down for breakfast.

    Ghost walked in after a few more minutes had gone by. He was met with a mix of greeting and good natured jabs. He pulled down his hood and took off his mask as he sat down. He had handsome face with short, dark hair and a warm complexion. Hispanic if I had to guess, and not much older than I was.

    ¡°Everything was quiet all night. Nothing out of the ordinary.¡±

    It took me a second to realize he was talking to me. ¡°Great,¡± I said, scrambling for something to say on such short notice.

    ¡°So, what are your plans now?¡± Ghost asked. ¡°Are you going to go solo, or joining a team?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t given it much thought,¡± Or any, I said to myself.

    ¡°Well, you could become a Regent.¡±

    I looked at Animus in surprise.

    ¡°Really?¡± James asked. Animus nodded, ¡°And we need a new liaison. Cypher¡­ had our last one transferred.¡±

    Join the Regents? I really hadn¡¯t thought about that.

    ¡°Cypher and I talked it over. We think you could be a good addition to the team.¡±

    The Regents were one of the most famous teams in the world. My name would be everywhere. I could really do some good. But what about the Gold Diggers? If I was mole on the inside, what could they make me do? Could they protect me, my family? Help me stop the Gold Diggers? Maybe, probably, but could I take the chance of my family being hurt if they couldn¡¯t?

    ¡°No,¡± The answer slipped out of my mouth before I could give it any more thought. James snapped to look at me, but Animus didn¡¯t seem surprised though, he just nodded.

    ¡°Cypher said you wouldn¡¯t go for it, but he wanted to make the offer anyway.¡±

    James looked disappointed but didn¡¯t protest.

    ¡°So, he came up with something that might suit you better.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Have you heard of A.S.E.T.?¡± Cypher asked, walking through the door. ¡°Nice of you to finally join us,¡± Wrath muttered.

    ¡°Uh, yeah, they¡¯re basically police for metahumans, right?¡± I asked, ignoring Wrath¡¯s comment.

    ¡°Their purpose fits that description, yes. Argus wants to establish a team with a similar function, but more suitable for the public eye. Youthful, charismatic members, that sort of thing. A.S.E.T. is rather secretive, and that doesn¡¯t tilt public opinion in their favor.¡±

    ¡°So, you want me to become a poster boy?¡±

    ¡°Not the words I would use.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about them,¡± James cut in. ¡°A sort of junior A.S.E.T. team. That could be perfect for you, Nate. A fresh team, you could get in at the ground floor and help build it up.¡±

    Again, what could the Gold Diggers make me do if I was on a team like that? They were a new team, so they probably wouldn''t be given top-level access. I hoped. And maybe they would be a good fit. A.S.E.T. went after heroes that broke the law, people who abused their powers. I could stop them from hurting people.

    ¡°Does the team have a name yet?¡±

    ¡°Last I heard they were going with ¡®Argonauts¡¯,¡± James answered.

    Being a part of team would probably be for the best. I mean, I didn¡¯t have any kind of training, or experience being a hero. I barely knew how to use my own powers, let alone stop someone else who knew their way around theirs. Heroing as a solo act would probably put me in the ground way before my time. A team would hopefully stop me from getting killed as fast.

    ¡°Yeah, that sounds like it might be the way to go,¡± I said. ¡°How many are on the team?¡±

    ¡°You would make the sixth member,¡± Cypher said.

    ¡°Its not a guarantee they¡¯ll let you join, though,¡± James warned.

    ¡°With me vouching for you it will be,¡± Cypher said. ¡°You as well, Mr. Owens.¡±

    ¡°Wait, me?¡± James asked, confused.

    ¡°I need Nate to stay safe, and I trust you. The Argonauts will need a liaison as well.¡±

    James thought about it for a minute before cracking a growing smile. ¡°I¡¯m game. What do you think, Prophet?¡± he asked looking at me.

    His excitement must have been contagious because I felt my own smile growing. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯m game.¡±

 Debts

    A well-placed pothole shook the A.I.D. truck hard enough to wake Isaiah from his unconscious state. ¡°What the¡­¡± he traild off, suddenly very alert and confused by his situation. The would-be villain sat up straight, realizing his hands were stuck in something very heavy. Looking down, he saw the reason: a large steel restraining device. It encased his hands and arms almost a third of the way to his elbows. A rubber ring closed the gap between his skin and the rim of the device¡¯s opening, completely isolating the lower portion of his libs.

    Isaiah struggled for a moment, until a voice distracted him, ¡°There¡¯s no point, they aren¡¯t coming off.¡±

    Across from the panicking meta was his short-lived partner in crime, still covered in dust from the failed bank heist. ¡°Ricky? Where the hell-¡±

    ¡°-In the back of an Argus truck, dipshit!¡±

    ¡°I can see that!¡± Isaiah shot back, realizing just how rough the man setting across from him looked. He wasn¡¯t quite human, more like a cross between a dinosaur and a pet iguana. Some of the armor plates that had been relatively uniform before his tangle with Wrath were missing. Raw patches of flesh were exposed and caked with dried blood.

    The plate that covered his chest still sported the imprint of a fist. It almost seemed like Ricky was folded in half along the crater. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you changed back?¡± Isaiah asked.

    ¡°Because of the fucking power dampeners in these cuffs! I¡¯m stuck halfway.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Isaiah muttered.

    ¡°You just had to rob the bank in the Regent¡¯s, the fucking Regent¡¯s, backyard, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°How was I supposed to know they¡¯d be right there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we should have fucking gotten out when we had the chance! You heard what that guy with the wierd tatoos said: He was going to draw the Regents out! And you decided to rob a bank!¡±

    ¡°Hey! It was your idea to try and get some money!¡±

    Ricky didn¡¯t reply, instead he let out a noise that could easily be mistaken for a growl and tried his best to turn away which was difficult in the openess of the truck''s rear.

    The pair rode on in silence for what felt like hours to both, but was only a few minutes in reality. Eventually, the van rumbled to a stop and two muffled thumps could be heard as a pair of Argus soldiers walked around to the back of the van and swung the doors open.

    ¡°On your feet,¡± One of the soldiers ordered. The rifles they were holding quelled any thoughts of resistance from the two villains. Obediently, they shuffled to the end of the truck and hopped down. A glance of their surroundings told the two metas they were at Argus¡¯s Chicago Field Office.

    Like nearly all Argus buildings, it was built like a fortress. What it purposfully lacked in height, it made up for in land area and sub-levels. The soldiers escorted the two men though an entrance flanked with its own set of guards. Unlike the main lobby which was pristine with pleasant potted plants and a polished floor with the Argus logo embossed proudly in its center in front of a smiling receptionist, this entrance lead to a dull, dingy hallway.

    The further Isaiah and Ricky were led into the heart of Argus¡¯s Illinois operations, the more sets of doors that were put between them and freedom. Isaiah tried to glance at his herptile associate to maybe glimpse some kind of comradery or rapport of shared suffering, but Ricky wouldn¡¯t meet his glance. When the small entourage reached a hallway liked with identical white doors on either side, the duo was split up: Isaiah taken through a door on the right, Ricky through one on the left.

    ¡°Sit down, an Argus representative will be with you shortly.¡±

    With the guard¡¯s only order spoken and the door shut and audibly locked behind him, Isaiah surveyed the sparse room. Four dome security cameras peered down from the corners of the cubical room at the table that sat in its middle with one chair on either side. One side of the table had a rough ¡°A¡± shape pattern that looked similar to his restraints on it with the words ¡°Place Cuffs Here¡± printed on either side of it. Both the table and the chairs were bolted to the ground and close enough to each other that Isaiah didn''t have room to comfortably sit with the cuffs anywhere but above the table.

    Settling into his seat, the cuffs flew to their matching outline on the table, hitting with a clank as metal struck metal. Isaiah gave it a quick tug, but the cuffs wouldn¡¯t move, magnetized to the table. ¡°Shit,¡± the meta said aloud. With some effort, he managed to rotate the cuffs so that he could sit straight in his chair without having to bend his arms awkwardly. For a while, he struggled to lift the restraints off the table to no avail. It would take superhuman levels of strength to free the metal cuffs from the effect of the magnet: strength nearly impossible under their power dampening effects.

    With nothing else to do, Isaiah absentmindedly looked around the room, but there was almost nothing to look at. The wall opposite him was dark glass. A two way mirror he figured, having watched enough cop shows to guess as much. He flashed a mockingly large tooth-baring smile before reverting to his resting bitch face. Other than that, there wasn¡¯t anything but padded walls and a floor that seemed to be made of a rubber material. A faint brown stain on the floor near the edge of the table caught the villain¡¯s eye. Blood, probably.

    More than one hour rolled by in roughly the same bored eye pattern. Occasionally, Isaiah would yell vainly to be let out, but no relief from the boredom or isolation responded. Eventually, a small viewing window in the door slid open, revealing a guard¡¯s eyes that scanned over the interior of the room quickly before sliding shut again. A click announced the door had been unlocked before it swung open and a man in a suit walked over the seat opposite Isaiah and sat down, clearly in no hurry.

    ¡°Isaiah Cooke, I am Mr. Collier, a legal representative for Argus and I will be handling your trial today under Article Three, Section Four of the St. Petersburg Accords. Should you seek to appeal your case to a United State¡¯s judicial court, a transcript of these proceedings will be provided at your request to your legal counsel.

    ¡°Also, per Article Three, Section Four of the St. Petersburg Accords, a sanctioned Telepath whose identity will remain anonymous for their safety will assist in this trial. They can and will determine the truthfulness of your responses. Do you understand?¡± Mr. Collier asked as he laid a folder on the table and flipped open.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Isaiah muttered.

    ¡°Good. To begin: do you confirm your name is Isaiah Pierre Cooke, Metahuman Registration number six nine eight five two?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Mr. Collier looked down at the table next to his folder where a light built into the metal blinked green. The well-dressed man nodded before looking at the papers he had brought with him.

    ¡°Alright then. You were flagged as a mutant at birth, however there is no record of you manifesting powers on file. When did you first manifest your abilities?¡±

    Isaiah remained quiet for a moment as he tallied up how long it had been. ¡°Five days ago.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Another green light.

    ¡°You were reported as being able of emitting blasts of a violet energy and creating a dome out of said energy. Is this correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything else you could tell us about your abilities?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Green light.

    ¡°Now on to the inciting incident. You along with one accomplice confirmed to be Ricardo Morales attempted to rob Gentry Edwards bank on Madison street. You use your abilities to collapse the front of the building, showering pedestrians with rubble and injuring five individuals.

    ¡°You are charged with illegal power usage, powered robbery, and injuring civilians as the result of power usage. Do you deny these charges?¡±

    ¡°Hey, there wasn¡¯t anyone outside that bank. The street was empty!¡±

    ¡°Do you deny the charges?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    A red light.

    ¡°Your response has been found to be deceptive. I will repeat the question and grant you an opportunity to change your answer. Do you deny the charges?¡±

    The villain weighed his options for a moment. The telepath wouldn¡¯t let him lie. ¡°No,¡± he sighed.

    Green light

    ¡°As per the precedent for similar violations of the Accords, you are sentenced to five years in Site II with the possibility to be transferred to Site I after thirteen months for rehabilitation.¡±

    Mr. Collier scribbled something on several of the forms in his folder before collecting everything and getting up. ¡°Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Cooke. I hope you the best at conforming to society.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Isaiah muttered as Collier knocked on the door, earning another opening of the viewing window. Once the guard confirmed it was the Argus rep on the other side, he opened the door, leaving Isaiah alone.

    <hr>

    ¡°Welcome to Durban, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is a lovely twenty-five degrees centigrade: that¡¯s seventy-seven degrees for you Americans. Now. We¡¯ll be touching down in¡­¡±

    Isaiah tuned out the woman shouting from the front of the plane as the Argus ship flew over the South African city. Three days ago, he was a free man. Now he was on a one-way ticket to Site II. It was known as Asphodel in the meta community; a normal security prison with the added feature of being coated in power dampeners. It was where common criminals with powers were sent.

    What most people usually think of when they hear ¡°villain¡± or ¡°supervillain¡± were locked away in the depths of Site III. Wherever that was.

    After the VTOL landed, the rear ramp of the plane lowered, and Isaiah shuffled along with the two columns of prisoners as they were led across the tarmac. Isaiah stole a glance around at the small swarm of guards all armed and sporting body armor. They didn¡¯t seem on-edge though. They were standing around in small groups talking to each other. The airport where the VTOL had landed was small with only a single runway that had a nice view of the Indian Ocean.

    Up ahead, a small caravan of prison transport trucks was waiting. Two for the men, two for the women. Once the doors of the trucks were closed, the scenic views were hidden from sight yet again. After several hours of being trapped in a window-less plane, it was almost depressing to have the sun hidden again.

    Whatever he was feeling, Isaiah didn¡¯t have any say in the matter. He just kept his jaw set and head low as the trucks trundled along. He hadn¡¯t ever been to Africa, but the small peek he¡¯d gotten on his way to the truck surprised him. It didn¡¯t look all that different from some areas in Illinois. At least it wasn¡¯t all a big desert like he thought.

    At the gate of Site II, the trucks separated according to gender and drove around to two separate processing areas. When Isaiah was taken inside, he and the other prisoners were lined up in front of a wall with slots cut into it. The guards, from the safety of a raised walkway, instructed them to insert their cuffs. Isaiah obeyed, and the rubber-like material retracted, allowing him to pull his arms free.

    Some of the metas tried to use their abilities right away, but quickly realized it was pointless. There were other dampeners somewhere keeping them suppressed. Still, it felt good to feel air moving on his lower arms again, but the momentary relief was dashed when they were ordered to change into the prison¡¯s jumpsuits they found in a draw under where their cuffs were released. Isaiah tugged the jumpsuit on and noticed a round bit of metal over the heart.

    A LED indicator glowed ambiently in the middle of the badge and Isaiah felt the buzzing in his jaw grow noticeably stronger. Another power dampener. Great.

    Across the room, Ricky shot another sour glance at Isaiah. He had been allowed to use his powers just enough to shed his reptilian appearance. Still, he looked bruised and battered. Getting hit by Wrath, even with organic armor was enough to crack ribs. Not able to do anything about his once-partner¡¯s newfound hatred, Isaiah allowed the guards to lead him off to his cell.

    <hr>

    Several hours later, a man came waking up the road. It wasn¡¯t that far of a walk from the nearest houses, but none of the locals would be stupid enough to come this close to the Argus facility. Stranger still, the man was dressed in an expensive suit and sported a nearly shaved head of bright red hair.

    ¡°Hey, you see that?¡± One of the guards asked her partner, giving him a nudge to wake him up from a light nap. ¡°Hm, what?¡± the man asked, blinking the drowsiness from his eyes.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s walking up the road.¡±

    ¡°Maybe their car broke down?¡±

    The man sauntered up to the guardhouse, a sly smile resting on his face. ¡°Evening,¡± He said in a faint midwestern accent. ¡°I¡¯m here to break out Isaiah Cooke and Ricardo Morales.¡±

    Laughing the man quickly added, ¡°Sorry, it was a joke in bad taste. I guess you could say I¡¯m their lawyer.¡± The faces of the guards relaxed a bit, and the male guard even let out a forced chuckle as he picked up what he thought was a business card the strange man had slid under a slot in the bulletproof barrier.

    ¡°Well, Sir, I believe you¡¯re out of luck. We don¡¯t have visitation here¡­¡±

    All levity disappeared when the guard read the card with four words sloppily written on the front: ¡°Get Ready To Die.¡±

    ¡°I lied. It wasn¡¯t a joke,¡± The suited man said with a smile. With a flick of the man¡¯s hand, the male guard¡¯s neck violently rotated with a sickening crunch. The female guard¡¯s hand flew for the alarm, but stopped, inches away. She strained, her hands trembling with effort, but she didn¡¯t get any closer.

    ¡°Oh, what the hell; I suppose it won¡¯t be as fun without a challenge.¡±

    Suddenly, under an unseen force, the woman¡¯s hand slammed forward. Hard. She cried out in pain as the bones in her hands broke. An alarm blared and the prison became a hive of activity. The woman tried to draw her sidearm with her undamaged hand, but something pulled her forward and slammed her head into the glass barrier.

    With the first set of guards taken care of, the suited man walked around to the gates that barred him from moving further inside. In a small swirl of red and black energy the man vanished, reappearing instantly on the other side. More guards came running around the corner and immediately opened fire. To the guards'' horror the bullets slowed to a stop, remaining suspended in midair.

    ¡°My turn,¡± the red-haired man said, his sly smile turning feral. Knives appeared in the air around him in the same swirling of smoke-like energy that surrounded him when he teleported. The knives launched forward, impaling the helpless guards. There weren¡¯t enough knives to kill all of them in one go, but as soon as a knife impaled a target, it vanished only to appear inches from another guard¡¯s heart.

    Done with the second batch of guards, the suited man traveled further into the prison. Heavy steel doors slammed down in front of him only to be lifted by up by an invisible force. After he raised the third door, the man was met with more guards opening fire on him.

    The man vanished, appearing just behind the guards. He was in some sort of security hub. There were several hallways branching off to cell blocks and a few glass-separated control rooms. An idea crept into the suited man¡¯s head. Spiderwebbing cracks rapidly spread through the glass right before it all exploded outwards.

    Startled guards turned around just in time to see a sea of glass shards orbiting the suited man before one of the slivers of glass slammed into their eyes and face. The man turned and chose one of the hallways that led to Prison Block B. It was sealed off by a door of metal bars. As the man raised his hand, the sturdy bars began to creak and moan as the man¡¯s telekinesis exerted his will.

    When the gap was comfortably large enough, the man stepped through and walked down the row of cells. Isaiah pressed his face against his cell door, trying to see what the commotion was. The lights in his cell flickered breifly before the suited man stepped into view.

    ¡°Mr. Cooke, stand back.¡±

    Hearing the malice in the voice, Isaiah obeyed. He had stepped out of the way just in time too. The door came flying off its hinges and crashed into the cell¡¯s back wall. ¡°Who are you?¡± Isaiah asked, wishing he could access his powers like this man somehow could.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t important. All you need to know is that we have a mutual employer.¡±

    Isaiah¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Look, It was Ricky¡¯s idea to split, I didn¡¯t take his money or-¡±

    ¡°Our employer is aware. However, you promised to do a job for him, and he is still in need of your services.¡±

    ¡°Look, I-¡±

    ¡°-It wasn¡¯t a request,¡± the man said, holding up his palm. A small black sphere exploded from his hand. The goo had yellow marking that seemed to shift and glow as it expanded. Isaiah was quickly enveloped the substance, and no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn¡¯t get free.

    Once the man and been entirely enveloped, the goo rapidly shrunk with Isaiah inside. It melted into a puddle on the floor before pulling itself back into its original shape.

    The suited man bent down and plucked the marble off the gorund.

    ¡°One down, one to go.¡±

 Focus 2.01

    I¡¯m not ready for this, I thought to myself. For the second time in two days I was standing in front of my foster parent¡¯s house. James was with me this time, but his presence didn¡¯t make anything easier. I glanced at him and he gave a sympathetic smile and a small nod of encouragement. Animus waited next to the car behind us, not wanting to involve himself with my personal matters. Our flight was leaving soon, but I had insisted on this.

    Without saying anything, I walked up and knocked on the door, James right behind me every step of the way. A few seconds went by before I heard footsteps. Paul was the one who opened the door.

    ¡°Nate, what¡¯s the occasion?¡± he asked, noticing James for the first time. ¡°Oh, James. Both of you, come in, come in,¡± he said with a smile, ushering us inside. ¡°Janet, its Nate and James!¡± he called into the house before turning back and giving my Liaison a handshake.

    Janet came around the corner with one of her signature smiles. I tried my best to return it as she swept me up in a hug. ¡°Its good to see you again, Soot,¡± she said, squeezing me tighter. ¡°I was just here yesterday,¡± I said.

    ¡°I know, but its always good to see you,¡± she said before turning to James and giving him a polite hug. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too, James.¡±

    ¡°Always a pleasure, Mrs. Pollard.¡±

    ¡°So, what brings you both over this way?¡± Paul asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I froze, the words tangling up in my throat.

    ¡°We should probably sit down,¡± James said gently, coming to my rescue.

    Worry immediately flicked over both my parent¡¯s faces. It caught me off guard. Seeing them concerned because of me hurt, and all of that was compounded knowing it hurt them more. ¡°Alright, lets sit down, then,¡± Paul said with a manufactured smile, guiding us over to the living room.

    James took the old armchair in the corner while Paul and Janet took seats next to each other on the couch. That left me the ottoman. I felt exposed, like I was sitting on an island. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Nate?¡±

    My heart sunk lower seeing Janet¡¯s worry. ¡°I¡­ was attacked,¡± I said slowly. I glanced at James for help and he took the cue. Paul and Janet were still trying to process what I said when James explained.

    ¡°During the Argus Warning on Thursday, Nate had one of his visions, and he was caught up in the fighting.¡±

    ¡°Oh, my God, Nate!¡± Janet exclaimed, trying to meet my eyes.

    ¡°He was unharmed, but one of the villains was a telepath, and tracked Nate to his home, where they carried out a personal attack last night.¡±

    That was enough to spur Janet out of her seat. She rushed over to me and started searching for injuries. ¡°Are you hurt? What did they do to you? Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡±

    Questions flooded out faster than I could make sense of them. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine, mom. Really, I¡¯m alright.¡±

    Janet wasn¡¯t satisfied with my assurances. Paul got up and gently pulled Janet back on to the couch. She was sitting as close to me as she could, and I could tell it was taking all her willpower not to smother me and lock me away from the world. I reached out a hand, my recently repaired hand. Janet grabbed it and held on as tightly as she could, as if I might disappear if she didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s not everything,¡± James said, drawing concerned looks. I just kept my head hung low as he continued. ¡°When Nate used his powers during the attack, he crossed the border into vigilantism.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying he¡¯s going to be arrested?¡± Paul asked, visibly tensing up.

    ¡°He-¡±

    ¡°I was going to be,¡± I interrupted, finally speaking up.

    ¡°Was?¡± Janet asked.

    ¡°James helped me get sanctioned. I¡¯m a¡­ a hero now.¡±

    Paul and Janet exchanged another grim look. Now they knew something was off. I remember all the tearful talks about my powers from when I was young; all the nightmares. A promise had been broken. And I couldn¡¯t tell them why.

    Tense silence prevailed until James couldn¡¯t take it anymore, ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Pollard-¡±

    ¡°-James, would you mind stepping outside and letting us talk in private?¡± It sounded like a polite request, but the look Paul gave the Liaison made it clear it wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Of course. Nate, I¡¯ll be waiting outside.¡±

    I would have like for him to stay. I didn¡¯t know If I had the resolve to try and convince them that this is what I had to do.

    ¡°Nate¡­¡±

    My throat was tight, and my eyes were starting to sting as I felt tears coming. I looked up anyway. Janet didn¡¯t seem to be holding together much better than I was. Paul, always the emotional rock of the family, looked like he was in one piece, but the worry was evident. ¡°¡­why didn¡¯t you come to us?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to get you involved-¡±

    ¡°-Soot, we always want to be involved-¡±

    ¡°-I have to keep you safe!¡± I didn¡¯t mean to raise my voice, but it still came out harsh. I hated this.

    ¡°Nate¡­¡± Paul said gently, ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be the other way around. We¡¯re supposed to keep you safe, buddy.¡±

    No, I thought. Safe from me.

    ¡°Why did you run in there Nate?¡± Janet began. ¡°After what happened to-¡± She managed to catch herself, but I knew what she was going to say. After what happened to my parents.

    The weight of what she¡¯d almost said hit her hard. I could see the grief in her face. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I whispered hollowly. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice. It was either this or go to jail.¡±

    ¡°I understand that, Nate, but still¡­¡± Paul said, trying to find the words. ¡°Heroism is dangerous. They get killed. There was a story on the news today about three heroes winding up dead in Canada. What if something happened to you? Y- you don¡¯t have any training, any experience. What would happen if you got in a fight?¡±

    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know,¡± I admitted. Not being able to tell them the truth was the worst thing. Everything was another lie. ¡°I¡¯m joining a team. They¡¯ll help keep me safe.¡±

    ¡°A team?¡± Janet asked. ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°I think they¡¯re called the Argonauts. I¡¯m flying out to meet them today.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Flying out? To where?¡±

    ¡°Switzerland,¡± I admitted in a whisper.

    ¡°Switzerland?!¡± Janet nearly shouted the word. ¡°Nate, please don¡¯t do this,¡± she pleaded.

    ¡°We can find another way, Nate. I¡¯m sure we can work something out with Argus,¡± Paul added.

    ¡°No, this is the only way. I have to.¡±

    They both looked distraught. I hated the Gold Diggers for making me do this, but mostly I hated my powers for putting me here in the first place.

    ¡°Nate, don¡¯t go to Switzerland, let¡¯s talk about it before you go and make decisions like this.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t, I didn¡¯t come here to talk. I just¡­ I had to tell you.¡± As much as I hated myself for doing it, I stood up and turned for the door. I had run away before, and I would do it again even if it hurt me and them. I wasn''t going to let them be punished because of me.

    Before I had made it two steps, a large pair of arms pulled me into a hug. Janet came around and sandwiched me between them. ¡°We can¡¯t stop you, Nate. But please, please, please don¡¯t do this,¡± Janet begged.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± was all I managed to say before a sob escaped. Slowly, Janet pulled away, struggling not to break into tears. Paul relaxed his grip enough for me to turn around and hug him properly. ¡°I love you both.¡±

    I started for the door, and they didn¡¯t move to stop me. Despite my better judgement, I looked back as the door closed. Seeing them standing there sent a stab of emotion to my heart. It took everything to look away, but I managed it somehow.

    James was waiting for me on the front porch and gave me a sympathetic look. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I manage to choke out, too afraid to let myself stop walking.

    <hr>

    I couldn¡¯t believe it. Even as I held the card that proved I was sanctioned in my hand, it still felt surreal. A few Argus agents had met us at O¡¯Hare to give James my official paperwork, and I had spent the whole flight looking at my registration card. James was his usual chipper self. The exuberance radiated off him like heat from a miniature sun. From the second we crossed into Swiss airspace, he¡¯d done nothing but comment on the scenery and point out the numerous Argus installations that dotted the landscape.

    The Argus ship wasn¡¯t as advanced as the Torus, but it was defiantly more comfortable. Instead of exposed metal and hard military-style seats, it looked like first class seating on an airline. Or, at least business class.

    ¡°Nate, look! It¡¯s the main complex! All Argus activity is coordinated from here, everything!¡±

    I glanced at James, but he was too fascinated with the building below us to notice. Curious, I looked down myself. It was impressive. Most of the buildings were situated on the crest of a small hill. The buildings looked like the legs of some massive architectural spider, or points of a star if you wanted to think happy thoughts. Architecturally, it looked to be a high-tech modernist style. Lots of glass and steel. Several other buildings sat in clumps that formed a loose ring around the main complex in the center, probably facilitating different divisions if I had to guess.

    Still, I was more¡­ fixated? On the card in my hands. It was the size of a credit card or driver¡¯s license. Apart from the usual things like my name, face, and date of birth, it had my sanctioning number, and my power classification: Type A Cognition; Type B Kinesis. And across the top of the card, my alias: Prophet. This was it. This was everything everyone around me made me do, and the one thing I never wanted to.

    ¡°-Nate?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, looking up at James.

    ¡°I asked if you were excited.¡± He said, looking concerned. ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯ve seemed distant this whole trip.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I''m fine, but I don¡¯t think ¡®excited¡¯ is the right word. I¡¯ve just been thinking about my parents. I wonder if I¡¯m doing the right thing.¡±

    James walked over and slid into the seat across the isle from mine, resting his elbows on his knees. ¡°I know, Nate, but we have Argus soldiers keeping an eye on your parents and your sister. The Gold Diggers won¡¯t get anywhere near them.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t it¡­¡± I trailed off, failing to think of how to explain what I was going through. One wrong word could tip off the Anarchist if her claims were true. If that happened, I doubted even a small army of Argus soldiers could keep my family safe. I couldn¡¯t take that chance. I wouldn¡¯t.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m wondering if I¡¯m cut out to be a hero. Powers aren¡¯t all of it, you know?¡±

    James nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I know what you mean. And, if I¡¯m really being honest, I¡¯m terrified too. I mean, I¡¯m going from being a general liaison to being the main point of contact for an entire team. I¡¯ll have to coordinate missions with Argus command, file mission reports, and keep everyone in line.

    ¡°Because of Cypher, I¡¯m jumping almost a decade of experience and seniority. That terrifies me.¡±

    ¡°Really? The indestructible James is afraid of a little paperwork?¡±

    James laughed as he shook his head. ¡°First of all, no. Second, I¡¯m not indestructible,¡± he said, comically raising one finger and then another as his listed off his rebuttals.

    ¡°My mistake,¡± I said, raising my hands in surrender. For the first time in almost three days I found myself laughing.

    ¡°Remember I¡¯m basically your boss now, and I won¡¯t tolerate insubordination,¡± James said, managing to deliver it deadpan despite the urge to laugh clearly trying to break through.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t dream of it, Sir,¡± I said giving him a mock salute. James laughed, turning back to the window to watch as we made our final decent. Did James think there was anything else behind my choice to get sanctioned? If he did, he didn¡¯t give anything away. How could he be, or at least act, so cheerful all the time? Well, it probably helped that the lives of his family weren¡¯t being threatened, but still. I needed to at least put on a happy face. My life was going to probably depend on this team at some point in the future. Having them trust and like me would probably make that easier.

    Like almost all Argus aircraft, the plane we were in had VTOL capabilities. It looked like a private jet, not like the bulky military-like transports they ferried soldiers around in. There was a small whine as two engines spun to life, one on either wing. A bit of inertia tugged me forward as the aircraft pitched up to bleed off speed.

    ¡°Grab your stuff,¡± James called out as he gathered his own belongings. After visiting my parents, Animus and James stopped at my house to let me gather my clothes and phone on our way to the airport. Honestly, I thought it was kind of depressing that most of the things I owned fit into a large duffle bag and a backpack. James hadn¡¯t brought much more; however, he had several suits with him where the most formal thing I had were a few button-down shirts.

    The plane landed gently on the ground and James was already by the door as it lowered to the ground. I stepped down after him and looked around. The sun was shining down through sparce clouds in the sky, making the entire place almost look like a storybook. It looked like the place was a bit light on yardwork, but I noticed the grass looked almost unnaturally green. Did they have a superpowered groundskeeper staffed here?

    Our landing pad was connected to the main building by a walkway and a series of stairs. James almost seemed to bounce as he hurried along, making me jog to keep up with him. A man was waiting for us at the top of the stairs. He wasn¡¯t very tall with silvery hair despite his only late middle-aged face. ¡°Mr. Hollands, It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you!¡± James said, setting down his suitcase to vigorously shake the man¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Nate, this is Edwin Hollands, director of Argus Investigation and Detainment. He oversees A.S.E.T. and now, your new team.¡±

    ¡°Uh, nice to meet you, Mr. Hollands,¡± I said, shaking his hand. He seemed stern, almost mechanical. All that from his simple lack of facial movement. He didn¡¯t act like he was glad to meet me. He merely noticed I was there. Kind of reminded me of Cypher.

    ¡°Mr. Peterson, glad to have you on board.¡± British, I decided upon hearing his accent. ¡°It''s always good to have another precog onboard,¡± he said, turning to lead us inside.

    ¡°You have other precogs?¡± I asked, curious if maybe they could help me control my powers.

    ¡°Had. Its been a while since we¡¯ve had an active one.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, disappointed.

    ¡°Has Argus decided on where the Argonauts will be stationed permanently?¡± James asked as we headed inside the building. The interior matched the exterior style. It almost looked clinical, sort of like the Regents¡¯ base except¡­ more bureaucratic looking.

    ¡°Our new public relations team is working on that. Last I heard, ¡®somewhere in America¡¯ was the most likely candidate.¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t staying in Switzerland?¡±

    ¡°No. Despite how much I would like to keep everyone under one roof, the other Directors want the Argonauts to be a fan-favorite. A.S.E.T. by its nature needs to be under slightly more wraps than the normal team. Unfortunately, people prefer transparency to opacity. Your team will still be doing real work, but you¡¯ll have to do it in a way that is more public than how I normally run things.¡±

    ¡°So, if the team isn¡¯t staying in Switzerland, what am I doing here?¡± I asked as Mr. Hollands took us past what looked like a row of offices buzzing with activity.

    ¡°Learning the ropes,¡± Mr. Hollands replied, pressing an elevator call button when we reached the end of the hallway. ¡°You have zero experience, and despite Cypher¡¯s god complex, I¡¯m not letting you put my team at risk if you can¡¯t handle it.¡±

    My sprits sank. I wasn¡¯t even on the team yet, and I was going to be kicked off.

    ¡°Hey, that sounds like a great idea!¡± James said. ¡°It¡¯ll give you a chance to finally show off a bit.¡±

    Not helping James, I thought while nodding. The elevator didn¡¯t keep us waiting, and soon we were descending deeper into the center of Argus¡¯s operations. I thought my heart might stop with the elevator; fortunately, I think, it kept beating. We stepped out into a short hallway with a set of double doors that were opened to a large gym. And there my future team was, practicing with A.S.E.T.

 Focus 2.02

    The Argus Special Enforcement Team was probably closer to a black ops division with superpowers than your run-of-the-mill hero team. They were kept out of most news sources, and their identities were hidden more than was normal procedure.

    I wasn¡¯t sure who was who in the fray, but an explosion made me jump in surprise. I looked through the twelve or so individuals trying to spot what exploded. Another blast released a puff of thick, black smoke that momentarily obscured what looked like a person in mechanical armor.

    When the smoke cleared, the man charged towards¡­ a small blonde girl? Suddenly, the robot man leapt out of the way of another explosion. He didn¡¯t get a moment¡¯s rest before having to jump again, always getting closer to the girl. It looked like the she was throwing something that was causing the detonations. Whatever they were, they were smaller than grenades. The robotic man was about to reach the girl, but she suddenly crouched down to the floor. An explosion erupted around the girl. The robotic man was thrown back and landed hard, but he was back on his feet in the time it took me to blink. Just in time too; more of the small objects came flying out of the smoke that hid the girl, putting the robot man on the defensive yet again.

    Near them, a massive tower of thorns was exchanging blows with someone in body armor and shoulder-length red hair. I couldn¡¯t decide if the eight-foot-tall mountain of spines and blades looked incredibly cool or mildly horrifying. The shorter person it was fighting didn¡¯t seem to care. It was clear that both had enhanced strength, but the red-haired one must have had slightly more durability than the brute. Every time they threw a punch, part of the scale-like material that made up the giant was knocked off. That didn¡¯t seem to bother the behemoth much. Any damage they took regrew in a few seconds.

    It reminded me a bit of Cerf Tueur¡¯s power. That was an uncomfortable thought; brought back painful memories. I rubbed my right hand absent mindedly as I tried to take in more of the fight.

    One thing that was odd was a pair scuffling off to the side. For one thing, neither was wearing what I would think of as combat gear. The older one was wearing slacks and a dress shirt with suspenders; the younger one a similar outfit with the addition of a vest. They almost appeared to be boxing, but every few seconds the younger one looked confused before realizing he was in a fight again.

    Then I saw something swoop down towards the ground. I realized it was a guy with wings wider than he was tall. His target was a woman on the ground armed with a sword. When the guy was close to the ground, he flared his wings like a drag chute before bending them almost like arms. He aimed them at the woman who raised her sword. The blade didn¡¯t cut through the wings like I expected. Instead, it was like the wings were made of metal themselves. The guy with the wings seemed to use them both as offense and defense. He rotated so he could bring one of his wings down in a slicing blow while keeping his back protected with the other.

    His opponent wasn¡¯t hampered by the seemingly excellent defense. She was almost as mobile as he was, her sword a blur of motion. Repeatedly, she managed to tag the guy with the wings by slipping past or around his attacks and parries. It looked like she was saying something to him as they fought, but I couldn¡¯t make anything out.

    The last duo seemed the least evenly matched. One wore advanced looking armor and seemed to be moving his hands and fingers like he was marionetting something with hidden strings. His opponent wore a mask with a design on the face I couldn¡¯t make out. He didn¡¯t appear to have any powers from what I could tell. Then I saw what the first man was controlling: small spheres. As he moved his fingers, they flew through the air and slammed into joints and other weak areas on the masked man.

    James watched everything with an amazed look on his face. It seemed like he was trying to take everything in and preserve it to memory. Mr. Hollands looked at the scene like a solved crossword puzzle. The stoic Brit reached over and pressed a button on a small panel built into the wall. A buzzer sounded and go the attention of the metas.

    ¡°Everyone, I would like to introduce the newest member of the Argonauts,¡± Mr. Hollands began as the group walked over and took a break from their sparring. ¡°This is Nathaniel Peterson, aka Prophet.¡±

    ¡°Hey, everyone,¡± I said. Should I wave? I thought to myself. No, that¡¯s stupid.

    ¡°And this is James Owens, your team¡¯s Liaison.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you everyone,¡± James said, grinning.

    ¡°Nate needs to become accustomed to working along side the rest of you. Erin, why don¡¯t you start the actual training now that your team is all present and accounted for?

    The red-haired girl in the armor that had been fighting the large brute covered in thorns sighed, still breathing heavy. ¡°Come on, Grey. We¡¯re all exhausted, and you haven¡¯t even let the new guy put his stuff away. Let us take a breather, then we¡¯ll do your exercise.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Take a break and get to know each other. Shogun, your team needs to be in briefing in ten minutes. I¡¯ll take James and get him acquainted with his new working space. And don¡¯t call me ¡®Grey¡¯,¡± Hollands ordered as he, the woman with the sword, the robot man, the thorn covered giant, the well-dressed guy, and the one with the spheres left with James. That left me alone with my new team.

    ¡°So, I think introductions are in order,¡± The blonde girl said, stepping forward. ¡°I¡¯m Whitney,¡± she said, extending her hand.

    ¡°Nice to meet-¡± I started to say before jerking my hand out of her grip. The second I touched her hand it felt like firecrackers were going off. Small wisps of black smoke drifted up from both of our hands as I tried to recover from the sudden pain. ¡°Jesus! What the hell was that?¡± I asked. Parts of my hand had small red marks where the explosion went off, but there wasn¡¯t any real damage; it shocked me more than it hurt.

    Whitney was cracking up, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nate, I couldn¡¯t help it.¡±

    ¡°Was that your power?¡± I asked, my hand still stinging slightly. It was like a loud and annoying joy buzzer had gone off.

    ¡°Yeah, I make things explode with contact,¡± she said. To prove her point, she flexed her right hand and let off a series of small sparks.

    ¡°Cool,¡± I said, not putting much effort into the word. ¡°What about the rest of you?¡± I asked, looking around at the others.

    ¡°I¡¯m Erin,¡± The red-haired girl said with a small wave. I noticed for the first time just how tall she was. On top of being well over six feet tall easily, she was the buffest one in the room. ¡°You¡¯re our team leader?¡± I asked, judging from how Hollands had addressed her.

    ¡°Yep,¡± She said with a smile that hinted at a little pride. ¡°I go by Norn; Whitney who you¡¯ve already had the pleasure of meeting is called Cinder. Corey, the one with the wings, goes by Serath. Adam, the one in the mask, is called Riot. And Ian is the one who looks like he robbed a men¡¯s warehouse.¡±Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°I go by Clyffe,¡± Ian said speaking up, seemingly hurt that his alias wasn¡¯t revealed.

    ¡°What about you, what do you do?¡± Corey asked, pulling his wings against his back. It almost looked like they disappeared, quite a feat for something so large.

    ¡°Precog, right?¡± Clyffe asked, seemingly fascinated.

    ¡°Yeah, sort of-¡±

    ¡°Oooh! You can see the future?¡± Whitney asked excitedly.

    ¡°Well, it kind of comes and goes,¡± I admitted, lifting up my hand. ¡°But I can do this too¡­¡± The cold sting of the energy welled up in my palm before spreading up my arm to cover the rest of me before letting it fade away.

    ¡°Neat,¡± The guy in the mask, Adam I think, said. He sounded exhausted and not really interested. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m going to take a nap. Wake me up when you start the exercise,¡± he mumbled to Erin as he walked past me. I finally noticed what the symbol on the mask was a hand with a raised middle finger.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Erin said once Adam was out of earshot. ¡°It¡¯s a side effect of his power; he needs to sleep a lot.¡±

    ¡°What is his power?¡± I asked, trying to figure out everything I could about my team.

    ¡°He can cause release pheromones that induce rage and aggressiveness in people around him. Hence the name.¡±

    ¡°And that makes him have to sleep?¡± I asked. Erin shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s other things to it, I guess.¡±

    Erin had a slight accent. Scandinavian maybe? It was definitely northern European, whatever it was.

    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we show Nate around?¡± Corey suggested, starting for the door. ¡°Just standing around is getting awkward.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, lets go!¡± Whitney said, grabbing my arm and steering me after Corey. Erin and Ian followed behind as we all headed back towards the elevator. ¡°How long have you guys been here?¡± I asked as the doors to the elevator slid shut.

    ¡°I got here about a week ago,¡± Erin said, ¡°These three got here a day or two ago.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been so boring. All we¡¯ve done is train and sat in on briefings,¡± Whitney interjected.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget being coached by the ¡®PR¡¯ people,¡± Corey muttered. ¡°They tried to talk me into doing a brand deal with a soda company.¡±

    ¡°Is that a bad thing?¡± I asked.

    Corey shrugged, ¡°I mean, it might have been cool, but I didn¡¯t set out to be a poster boy. Not to mention it they were basically doing it because of the wings: the company¡¯s logo or catchphrase was something about wings and flying.¡±

    ¡°At least they offered you a deal,¡± Ian said as the elevator slowed to a stop.

    ¡°Cory has a point, we shouldn¡¯t be here to get rich or famous,¡± Erin said as she stepped out to lead us down a walkway above the main lobby. ¡°Speaking of- Nate!¡± She spun around and started walking backwards so she could face me. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Because a group of villains are threatening the lives of my family if I don¡¯t.

    ¡°What made you want to be a hero?¡± She clarified.

    ¡°Well,¡± I began, trying to think of what to say. ¡°My visions show me things. Bad things, usually. I tried to tell people, but they didn¡¯t believe me. Or if they did, they didn¡¯t do anything to stop it. I tried to step in, and I got caught. James helped me get sanctioned, and I wanted to join with a team that could make a difference.¡±

    ¡°So, you were a vigilante, and became sanctioned so you wouldn¡¯t go to prison?¡± Ian asked as we turned down a hallway.

    ¡°It was kind of a spur of the moment thing,¡± I said defensively. ¡°I had to do something, and I didn¡¯t exactly have time to get sanctioned beforehand.¡±

    ¡°Same with me,¡± Whitney said. ¡°My powers tend to draw a lot of attention. Long story short, I blew some stuff up, and Argus wasn¡¯t too happy. But now, I get to be a hero!¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but grin. Whitney¡¯s attitude was a nice change from the likes of Hollands and Cypher.

    ¡°Here are our dorms,¡± Erin announced as she pushed open a set of doors to a small common room area. ¡°You can have your pick of any of the three on the left.¡±

    She was referring to the series of doors that lined the room. Five already had names on a small screen next to them while the three on the left were still blank.

    Corey hopped over the back of a couch and sprawled out, not that he took up much room. He had a small frame, probably part of his powers to make him more suited for flight. Ian sat down in an armchair and picked up a laptop that he probably left there before the training exercise. Erin sat down on an empty couch and flipped on the television. Whitney pushed Corey¡¯s legs to the side and joined him on the couch while I walked over to the first available room.

    I tried the handle, but the door was locked. ¡°Uh, hey, is there something I have to do to get the door to open?¡±

    ¡°You have to swipe your ID card the first time,¡± Ian said without taking his eyes off the computer on his lap.

    I pulled out my wallet and grabbed the orange card with all my information on it. After I swiped my ID, the screen blinked green and displayed my name along the top. This time, the handle turned.

    The room looked similar to the one the Regents let me stay in: a twin sized bed, a nightstand, desk, and a dresser. Another door at the rear of the room led to small bathroom with all the standard stuff. I pushed the door shut and tossed my duffle bag in front of the dresser.

    Well, I was here. No going back. From now on, I was going to have to be a hero unless I could find a way to deal with the Gold Diggers. Maybe the Argonauts could help, but I couldn¡¯t tell them, not without putting my family in danger. What would they make me do? What if they asked me to kill people?

    Better start unpacking, I thought to myself, but before I could start, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Checking the caller ID, it said ¡°Janet¡±. I didn¡¯t know if I could talk to them yet, I still felt terrible for leaving like I did. Still, I owed her this.

    ¡°H-¡±

    ¡°Hey, Soot!¡±

    My blood ran cold. It wasn¡¯t Janet¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Oh, come on, Nate,¡± The Anarchist groaned. ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend not to like me just because you¡¯re pretending to be a hero.¡±

    ¡°How are you calling from Janet¡¯s phone?¡± I hissed back, trying to stay quiet. I wanted to yell-

    ¡°-Yeah, you better stay quiet,¡± Anarchist whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t want that new team finding out about your little secret. Hellequin and I are very proud that you found a way into the juicy innards. O the types of mischief you could get up to in there.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do this for you,¡± I said, trying to stay calm. ¡°How did you call from Janet¡¯s phone?¡± I asked again, fearing the worse.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so morbid, Soot. We just swiped the phone from her. Really, you¡¯re such a downer.¡±

    Why wouldn¡¯t I be? you¡¯re forcing me to be a hero, I thought.

    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s true,¡± The Anarchist said.

    ¡°Get out of my head!¡± I said, louder than I meant to.

    ¡°Shhh. Don¡¯t want your team catching on, do we? If they do, we might have to end up killing them too. Then, you¡¯ll end up all lone with all your family dead again.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± I said, getting ready to end the call.

    ¡°Oop, don¡¯t do that, I¡¯m not done!¡± The Anarchist giggled. Obediently, I put the phone back to my ear.

    ¡°Good boy,¡± She praised. ¡°Now, in a few minutes, your Argus friend is going to come back with Mr. Personality, wait, no, what was his name?¡±

    Hollands? I thought to myself.

    ¡°Oh right, with Hollands, and is going to send you and your new friends to check out something that we¡¯re sort of wrapped up in and let¡¯s just say that a person we¡¯ve done business with doesn¡¯t want his plan getting found out just yet. You are going to throw your team off the trail, understand? Consider this your first little test. Get an ¡®A¡¯ on it, and your parents stay in danger a little longer. Get an F, and well¡­ You don¡¯t have to worry about us killing them anymore.¡±

    I could hear the mirth and malice dripping from her voice. She was enjoying this, enjoying torturing me.

    ¡°Oh, you better believe it, Soot. You have so many issues for me to play with. Now, are you going to behave yourself?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice,¡± I said, blue energy erupting from my clenched fist.

    ¡°Good. And who knows? You might even join the Gold Diggers one day!¡±

    Before I could protest, the line went dead. I felt stuck. I couldn¡¯t disobey, I couldn¡¯t complain, I couldn¡¯t ask for help¡­ I couldn¡¯t even scream or vent without tipping my team off. The phone buzzed again: a text. It was from Janet, well, The Anarchist using Janet¡¯s phone. There weren¡¯t any words, just a smiley face emoticon.

    My hand was still glowing. First thing I had to do was calm down. I could do this. I had to. Taking a breath, I focused on my power, and tried to dispel it. Slowly, the glow faded as the icy energy retreated into my palm before vanishing all together. Now I just had to pretend nothing was wrong.

    Hurriedly, I threw my clothes from my duffle bag into the dresser and walked back out into the common room just as James and Mr. Hollands were coming in.

 Focus 2.03

    ¡°Suit up everyone, you¡¯re going on a mission!¡± James announced loudly. He¡¯d barely made it three whole steps into the room before the news bubbled out of him. That meant the Anarchist had been telling the truth. Great. How far could her powers reach? It couldn¡¯t be global; I''d ever heard of someone with that kind of reach at least.

    Whitney sat up so fast I was afraid she¡¯d given herself whiplash. ¡°Really!?¡± She exclaimed, peering over the back of the couch at James.  He nodded with shared excitement and she let off a whoop as a shower of sparks rained down from her hands like miniature fireworks.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Erin asked, trying not to laugh with excitement of her own.

    ¡°South Africa,¡± Hollands replied in his perpetual business mode. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d send A.S.E.T. since Nate still hasn¡¯t been tested, but you shouldn¡¯t get into any trouble on this one.¡±

    ¡°Aww, really?¡± Whitney asked, looking a little less thrilled.

    ¡°Come on, Whit. It won¡¯t be so bad,¡± Corey offered, standing up to stretch before walking towards his room.

    ¡°Yeah, but my powers don¡¯t exactly do ¡®no trouble¡¯,¡± she sighed. ¡°Still, it¡¯ll be nice to get out for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Looks like you should have waited to unpack,¡± Ian said to me as he closed his laptop and got out of his chair.

    ¡°Yeah, guess so,¡± I mumbled, still feeling stiff and unnatural being here. I guess he was trying, maybe I should do the same.

    ¡°Gather your uniforms and what you¡¯ll need for a day, maybe two, and meet us on the south landing pad; I¡¯ll brief you on the way,¡± James said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get Adam up,¡± Erin said as she lifted herself out of the chair.

    The room devolved into a swarm of activity as everyone went their own ways to grab their things as Hollands and James saw themselves out. Erin was pounding on Adam¡¯s door only to receive a string of muffled profanity. Whitney was nearly bouncing off the walls, letting off a small series of sparks every so often. Corey was calmer, but it was clear he was excited too. His feathers were, literally, slightly ruffled.

    Ian, though, seemed totally collected, but I noticed he was stealing glances at me. They were subtle, and he always turned away as I looked. Still, I¡¯ve noticed looks like that before. Usually when people found out I was a meta. This was¡­ slightly different. He seemed like a nice enough guy, it could be he was just trying to figure out the new guy, but it was still slightly unnerving.

    Adam shuffled out of his room in the same uniform he was wearing before sans mask. He had dark skin with a short frohawk. Like the rest of them, he just seemed like a normal guy.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± He muttered, rubbing his eyes.

    ¡°South Africa,¡± Whitney said, emerging from her room in black body armor. There was a red stripe running down the top and bottom of the outfit¡¯s right sleeve, clearly painted on and left unfinished. She was strapping on a utility belt of some kind with pockets of various sizes. Erin was already wearing what I guess was her ¡®uniform¡¯ during the exercise. It was mostly crimson red with black shoulder pads and no sleeves. Ian stepped out wearing the same clothes as before, dressedway too nice for the occasion. Brown slacks and vest with a white collard shirt and black tie.

    Probably not a front-line fighter I thought as I went to my room to re-pack my duffle. I didn¡¯t have any costume or uniform to speak of. Maybe that was something I should look into at some point. After all, I was vulnerable without my powers.

    Corey was out of his room when I joined the rest of the team in the common room. He¡¯d changed into some kind of body armor, but I could only see the pants-portion of it. A heavy jacket covered the rest of it. I mean, it was kind of chilly outside, but nothing that would warrant something like that.

    ¡°Alright, lets go, I guess,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a costume?¡± Whitney asked, frowning as she looked me over. Way to make me feel underdressed, I thought.

    ¡°Uh, no, not really. Like I said, I¡¯m very new to the superhero thing.¡±

    ¡°Nah, I like it. Jeans and a t-shirt? Villains won¡¯t look at you twice,¡± Corey said.

    ¡°Until I start glowing,¡± I said.

    Corey chuckled, ¡°True.¡±

    ¡°Alright, fashion choices aside, lets get moving,¡± Erin ordered, leading us towards the door.

    I¡¯m not sure exactly what it was, maybe a combination of the strange uniforms, walking in a group, and the aircraft waiting for us, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel like we were astronauts getting ready for launch.

    Argo-nauts, I mused to myself. Despite everything hanging over my head, I grinned at my own bad pun.

    Unfortunately, our ride wasn¡¯t one of the posh converted corporate jets. It was much more spartan inside like the Regent¡¯s ship. There were some Argus soldiers already strapped down in their seats and a few crates and boxes sitting in the middle of the aircraft. James looked like he was talking Mr. Hollands¡¯ ear off while the A.I.D. Director tried to put up with him.

    I ended up getting sandwiched between Ian and Adam while the others sat next to James and Mr. Hollands. Once we were onboard, there was a rumble as the engines increased in pitch and we lifted off the ground.

    After a while, we finally got up to altitude and the noise from the engines died down enough that it was quiet enough for us to talk. The soldiers unstrapped themselves from their seats and started milling around, opening a few crates and checking their weapons. Likewise, my team unstrapped themselves, which I took as my queue to do the same. In the middle of the plane there was a metal box that came up roughly to waist-level, perfect for use as an impromptu table.

    ¡°Alright everyone, so here is the skinny,¡± James said, placing a file on the crate and flipping it open. ¡°A few hours ago, Site II experienced its first ever prison break.¡±

    ¡°I thought it was supposed to be escape-proof?¡± Adam said, furrowing his brow.

    ¡°That¡¯s what we tell people, but that doesn¡¯t make it true,¡± Hollands said.

    ¡°Right, except this was facilitated from the outside. A lone individual whose powers worked despite the dampeners. And those things affect things over a mile away from the facility,¡± James said almost like he was in one of those crime dramas on TV.

    ¡°How was he able to use his powers?¡± Ian asked as he scanned over the file.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know. It could be advanced tech, or it could be brute strength,¡± James explained.

    ¡°But we¡¯ve never seen anyone with that kind of tech before, so we are going to assume that it¡¯s the latter,¡± Hollands added.

    ¡°Reports say he is capable of telekinesis as well as teleportation. Thirty-two guards were killed, and another five made it out alive with life-threatening injuries. We¡¯ve run facial recognition, but that turned up nothing,¡± James said, sliding an image of what I assumed was the meta in question. He was wearing a black suit and had short red hair, brighter than James¡¯s.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t there any metahuman guards?¡± I asked, wondering if they might had been more effective.

    ¡°No, Site II doesn¡¯t employ any metahumans due to the constant power dampeners in use. Allowing them to use their powers would make it that much more likely the prisoners could.¡±

    ¡°How many prisoners escaped?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s also what¡¯s strange about this whole thing: he only freed two individuals. They were new arrivals and had only been there for two hours. And, get this, Nate, they were the two nobodies who tried to rob the bank on the day that horde of metas attacked Chicago.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, looking at the pictures of the two men James tossed out next to the picture of the man who broke them out. Sure enough, it was them.

    ¡°Why would he break them out of all people? They weren¡¯t exactly intimidating or dangerous. It only took three Regents to take them down if I recal correctly,¡± Ian said. ¡°

    ¡°Well, three Regents isn¡¯t anything to laugh at, especially when you consider they were up against the strongest man in the world and a living atom bomb. But you¡¯re right, it still isn¡¯t clear why he targeted them,¡± James said.

    James really seemed to be getting into his element here, especially compared to me. I felt like a fish out of water whereas he seemed like a bird stretching his wings for the first time.

    ¡°So, you want us to track them down?¡± I asked, still not completely sure why we were being placed on an investigation mission.

    ¡°The goal is to have you put them back in Site II. We are starting here to give Ian a chance to see if his powers can reveal anything our initial crime scene technicians missed, and to hopefully give you a vision,¡± Hollands explained.

    ¡°What do you do?¡± I asked Ian, curious about what his powers were.

    ¡°Along with a near-perfect eidetic memory, I can sense and emit electromagnetic energy on a small scale.¡±

    ¡°Basically, he can see Wi-Fi,¡± Erin added with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, along with other things,¡± Ian added quickly, shooting Erin a glare.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say we wouldn¡¯t be able to use our powers?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Site II will turn off their primary dampeners, relying on secondary dampeners built into the prisoner¡¯s uniforms. That will let your powers work like normal.¡±

    ¡°Sounds fun. I¡¯ve always wanted to go to prison. Might even say I¡¯m a¡­jailbird,¡± Corey said with a grin.

    ¡°That was terrible,¡± Whitney said despite the grin on her face.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± James said with a grin of his own.

    <hr>

    Under different circumstances, I would have loved to get the opportunity to travel. My new Argus credentials served as a passport, but it wasn¡¯t like I was on a pleasure trip. We had to land at a nearby airport and drive to the prison due to some security protocol, but Durban was a pretty nice place. Sort of like Chicago but with a tropical feel.

    That, however, didn¡¯t make Corey shed his coat. ¡°It¡¯s like seventy degrees, how are you still wearing that?¡±

    Corey shrugged. ¡°I get cold easy.¡±

    ¡°Forget that,¡± Whitney said, arching her back to stretch. ¡°How are you guys not stiff? We were stuck in that tin can for days!¡±

    ¡°It was eight hours, hardly ¡®days¡¯,¡± Ian said as he climbed out of the truck.

    ¡°Figure of speech, Ian,¡± Erin chided.

    ¡°I know,¡± Ian muttered rolling his eyes.

    Adam kept to himself as James rounded the side of the armored truck that had driven us from the airport. He had the driver in tow, and from the sound of It, he was in the middle of an anecdote. Then he clapped the tortured man on the shoulder, releasing him from his gregarious bonds, letting him walk away shaking his head.

    ¡°Alright, everyone, lets get to it,¡± James said, as Mr. Hollands pulled up in a car. ¡°Great, now we¡¯re all here.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯d you go?¡± Erin asked Hollands who continued to walk once he passed us.

    ¡°I checked with the Site II Warden to make sure you all had access to investigate freely.¡±

    ¡°Aww, thanks, Grey. I knew you cared,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± Hollands droned.

    ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡± I asked Adam quietly, partially because he was the closest and because I wanted to try and make connections with the team.

    Adam glanced at me strangely, but not angrily: more like he was just surprised. ¡°It¡¯s his ¡®unofficial-official¡¯ alias. Or nickname, whatever you want to call it.  He¡¯s a meta, clairvoyant or something like that. His eyes turn grey and cloudy when he uses his powers.¡±

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s fitting.¡±

    Adam nodded in a way I could only describe as sympathetic.

    Site II didn¡¯t really seem like it was any kind of special meta prison from the outside. There was a series of parking lots in front of a large metal fence topped with barbed wire.

    ¡°Gotta say, it¡¯s inviting.¡±

    Hollands and James glanced back at me. James grinning, and Hollands looking stern. ¡°The crime scene starts here at the gate,¡± Grey began, pointed to the small guardhouse next to the main gate.

    The bulletproof glass had a noticeable blood stain and a few cracks. ¡°What happened here?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°You said he was a telekinetic, right?¡± Ian asked, walking past the crime scene barriers to get a closer look.

    ¡°Yes, that is the working theory,¡± James answered.

    Inside wasn¡¯t a very pretty scene. Looking through the dirty glass, I saw the two bodies laying on the ground. The man on the left was sprawled out on his back, but his head was rotated almost completely around. It was less than glamorous or respectable. The bones in his neck caused the skin to bulge where they were out of place.

    On the other hand, the girl wasn¡¯t any better off. It looked like she was a ragdoll dropped unceremoniously to the floor. The front of her head and face were caved in and flattened. I guess it wasn¡¯t a mystery where the blood on the glass came from.

    It really put how dangerous powers in the wrong hands could be. I tore myself away from the scene and migrated to the back of the group. Seeing the looks on their faces¡­ it was unsettling to say the least.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Erin asked. She looked sympathetic, and not too eager to investigate the corpses herself.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, forcing a smile when it was one of the last things I wanted to do.

    Thankfully, Erin didn¡¯t push it.

    ¡°Ugh, this is gross,¡± Whitney said. ¡°Do we have to be here for this?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Hollands said, cutting James off. ¡°If you can¡¯t handle this, you should reconsider being on this team. Ian may be the most well suited of you to gain any information from this, but you all need to be able to pull some information from your surroundings.¡±

    ¡°Ian isn¡¯t the only one with useful powers,¡± Erin said, a faint blue light coming from glowing lines that appeared on her skin. It was strange, they seemed almost runic in appearance. She glanced around before appearing to find what she was looking for.

    ¡°Was the male guard holding something in his hand?¡± Erin asked James and Hollands.

    ¡°The attacker gave the guard what appeared to be a business card. The CSI techs bagged it, but if you think it¡¯s important, I can arrange for you to see it,¡± Hollands said.

    ¡°No, just proving a point,¡± Erin replied, smirking at Ian who rolled his eyes.

    ¡°I, for one, would like to see it,¡± Ian stated matter-of-factly. ¡°But I can just access the Argus systems to see the photos they took of it.¡±

    ¡°So, what happened next?¡± Hollands asked, obviously trying to encourage us to follow what happened during the attack as best we could. I hung back as Erin and Ian took turns trying to out-sherlock each other as they ¡®searched for clues¡¯, leading us further into the prison.

    That¡¯s when we came to the first large group of bodies. Whatever this guy had done¡­ he didn¡¯t leave them looking human. Edged on by some kind of morbid curiosity, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from getting closer. Chills washed over my body, flooding into my stomach which felt like a brick had recently taken up residency. We were a few dozen feet from the front gate, about to round the first corner of one of the twelve-foot-high walls that surrounded the prison blocks when we saw them laying on the ground.

    They were strewn about in a pile, laying where they had fallen. Most of them looked like they had been torn to mincemeat.  Their arms and legs had a few stray cuts, but their torsos and faces were indescribable. Any clothes they had been wearing were cut to tatters indistinguishable from the ribbons of flesh. Chunks of their skin, muscles, and organs were missing, scattering the ground around them in a pool of blood. I could see bits of white bone and yellow fat exposed by the strips of their bodies that had been carved away. Filleted and minced were the only words I could thing off.

    One of the poor guards had her head missing, but it hadn¡¯t been removed cleanly. The stump of her neck was ripped and torn by layers of shallow cuts. It looked like a blade had been used over and over and over again.

    ¡°Oh fuck¡­¡± Adam choked.

    Whitney couldn¡¯t take it, she had to walk away, clutching her stomach. I couldn¡¯t blame her. I glanced at James, and he didn¡¯t seem to be doing much better. His normal chipper demeanor had all but vanished. Hollands didn¡¯t seem as fazed as the rest of us. The usual stone-carved stoicism was gone, and he looked almost sympathetic.

    ¡°Ian, do you need any more time?¡± Hollands asked.

    ¡°No. No, I got it,¡± He replied, managing to stay composed, if only barely.

    ¡°There¡¯s more to see,¡± The Brit said. I followed him, glad for an excuse to get away from the gore, even if it was temporary. I looked over at Erin who had stopped glowing. I think that seeing the mangled bodies had taken her and Ian out of their joshing moods. We were here because people died. Then a thought struck me.

    ¡°Mr. Hollands,¡± I locked up for a split second when he looked back at me. A faint wisp of what looked like smoke rushed to the corners of his eyes as his head turned. It was almost instant; fast enough I thought it was some kind of illusion or trick of the light at first. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I stammered, realizing I was staring, ¡°I was wondering why you don¡¯t contact someone like Cypher. Couldn¡¯t he be the best chance of finding whoever did this?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t involve elements like Cypher, or Holmes from the Guards in matters like this because they are internal Argus affairs. Showing favoritism to one team or individual that doesn¡¯t explicitly work for us can lead to finger-pointing and name calling among other things. Argus¡¯s impartiality could be called into question if we rely on people we are meant to be policing and keeping in line.¡±

    I suppose that made sense, but I was interested that he mentioned Holmes. I didn¡¯t know much about her team: The Guards of Britannia, but I knew they were the British equivalent of The Regents, or the Shield of Freedom. I was pretty sure she wasn¡¯t the team leader, but I know I¡¯d seen her give some speeches and press conferences in the past.

    While I was preoccupied with thoughts of the British hero team, we had rounded the corner of the cell block¡¯s outer wall and pushed through a set of doubled doors that led to a hallway. There was still a swarm of activity inside with guards walking in small groups, a stray herd of CSI technicians carrying cases and equipment, and intermittent flashes of cameras as they recorded every¡­grisly detail. I had thought the pile of bodies outside was bad but this¡­it made my stomach churn.

    The first few feet of the hallway were clean, spotless even. But the closer we got to the security room at the end of the hall, the worse things got. Bodies littered the hall, some with small, precise wounds, but some had been ripped apart. Some were missing arms or legs that had been torn away violently, spraying the walls with blood.

    One poor guy had been¡­crushed. Crumpled up like tin foil. It was like they were dolls broken by a psychopathic child. They were dismembered, broken, and ripped apart like they were nothing. One person with powers had done this, all of this. And he didn¡¯t just kill them.

    They were slaughtered.

    Once we reached the round security room, it was worse. The glass from the guard rooms had all been broken out and used as shrapnel. Most of the dead had their eyes all but gouged out by the needles of glass.

    And in the middle of the room, a man had been used like a macabre paintbrush to write "Shard" on the floor.

 Focus 2.04

    ¡°Shar- ahem, Shard?¡± Erin asked, her voice catching in her throat. ¡°Have you heard about him before?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Ian said quietly. He looked like it was taking all his willpower to keep his stomach from revolting as he glanced around the scene.

    ¡°Neither has Argus,¡± Hollands added. ¡°And this doesn¡¯t seem to fit the MO of any of the villainous telekinetics we¡¯ve run into in the past. I think it¡¯s safe to assume this is someone new.¡±

    ¡°This is horrible,¡± Whitney murmured to herself.

    Yeah it was. But it was far from the only gruesome ways metas could kill. Burning, electrocution, suffocation¡­

    Accidents.

    Sometimes there weren¡¯t bodies to find.

    ¡°Any visions, Nate?¡± James asked, noticing me lost in thought.

    ¡°No, nothing.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Ian muttered under his breath, walking though the carnage towards the door with bent bars.

    We were all ready to get through the sea of mangled corpses, so we didn¡¯t waste any time following our teammate deeper into the facility. Now we were in the actual cell blocks. It took me by surprise when I noticed the cells still had occupants. I suppose I shouldn''t have been. It wasn''t like they had limitless cells to shuffle prisoners around in. People of every walk of life, some that looked human and others that were clearly metas stared at us as we went by.

    I thought about how close I had been to joining them. Just one choice, just one fork in the road. Albeit when I reached the fork, my choice vanished. How strange was that? The Gold Diggers kept me out of jail only to make me their inside man.

    Should I be locked up here? The thought hit me like a freight train. It wasn¡¯t a question of whether some lawyer would say so or not, but did I deserve to be? With everything that I¡¯d done¡­ People could argue one way or another, but what did I think?

    I didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°This was briefly the cell of Isaiah Cooke. He was the one with the purple bubble from Chicago. He registered as a meta, flagged at birth by a blood test, though he wasn¡¯t reported as having manifested powers. It looked like he was going to be a Sleeper, that was until he made the morning news,¡± James explained.

    ¡°That¡¯s not totally common, but it happens, right?" Corey asked.

    ¡°No, but the chance of manifesting powers drops to almost zero after the age of eighteen or twenty. We have records of one or two metas older than that getting powers every year, but we¡¯ve never recorded a meta older than forty-three manifesting. ¡°

    Ian was the first one to step into the cell and start looking around. I stole a glimpse of the drab interior from the doorway. It was pretty small; we couldn¡¯t all fit inside it comfortably. The cell door was embedded into the rear wall of the cell, a sign of brute force. Other than that, there wasn¡¯t anything else notable in the cramped space.

    ¡°So once this guy kicked in the door, where did he and Cooke go?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°Nowhere,¡± James said, presenting her with a tablet. ¡°¡¯Shard¡¯ or whoever this guy is had access to some advanced tech.¡±

    We all crowded around to watch the security footage taken from the camera in the cell. The feed cut out in a blast of static once or twice before it showed Cooke practically jumping out of the way as the door few inward off its hinges. Cooke and¡­ Shard exchanged a few words before the monster revealed something in his hand.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Whitney asked, straining her eyes.

    ¡°Just watch,¡± James shushed her.

    Whatever it was exploded in a giant mass. The tar-like material enveloped Cooke, oozing up his arms and around his torso. It strangely reminded me of a video of an amoeba that I saw in my high school biology class.

    ¡°Oh my God,¡± Erin said as the amorphous lump began to shrink before melting into a puddle. Then the puddle pulled itself together into a small shape on the ground

    ¡°I thought you said they escaped?¡± Erin questioned, looking confused.

    ¡°I think they did,¡± I answered for James. ¡°In Chicago, I saw the Gold Giggers escaped the Regents with goo that looked something like that.¡±

    ¡°So, its some kind of advanced tech?¡± Ian asked, leaning closer to the screen.

    ¡°If it is, it isn¡¯t like anything I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Hollands began. ¡°At first, we all thought it was a means of execution: a way of destroying the body, but the way that the object seemed to change in mass and shape made us suspicious. We think it was some kind of teleportation device.¡±

    ¡°What would make you think that?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°Weight sensors,¡± Ian said. ¡°I can hear them. Took me a minute to figure out what they were.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Hollands confirmed. ¡°With numerous inmates capable of matter generation and conversion, its an important metric we monitor in all cells. If this was some way of destroying Mr. Cooke¡¯s body, the weight would still be here. That, however, wasn¡¯t the case. After the unidentified man entered the cell, the mass rapidly increased in junction with the expanding amorphous object, and then decreased to nearly ninety-two kilograms lighter than the initial reading after Cooke was apparently consumed.¡±

    ¡°So where did he go?" Corey asked.

    ¡°If we knew that, you wouldn¡¯t be here,¡± Hollands remined him.

    ¡°Fair point.¡±

    Ian looked like he was deep in thought, glancing around occasionally. ¡°This would be the first confirmed use of teleportation tech. This is huge!¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s what it is,¡± Erin reminded him.

    ¡°After the attacker finished up here, he did the same thing to Cooke¡¯s accomplice, Ricardo Morales. He was in Cell Block ¡®E¡¯ across the facility. Shard left a string of bodies, and nothing the guards threw at him seemed to really hold him back. But after Morales disappeared into the goo, ¡®Shard¡¯ simply teleported to an unknown location and hasn¡¯t resurfaced since,¡± James reported

    ¡°Wait, so if he could teleport like that, why didn¡¯t he just teleport in and out with Cooke and Morales?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s just a psycho,¡± Whitney said, still visibly shaken from having seen the bodies.

    ¡°At this point we don¡¯t know,¡± James said.

    ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± Erin asked, looking between James and Hollands.

    ¡°Argus has alerted all of its field offices of ¡®Shard¡¯s¡¯ appearance and a preliminary power classification. If he turns up, you¡¯ll be the first ones to know,¡± Hollands said, checking his watch and pressing a button on the side to silence a notification bell. ¡°Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be able to keep an eye on you all any longer. ASET has hit a snag that I need to deal with. James, I want an update of the team''s movements on my desk once you¡¯re done here. Best of luck,¡± he said, walking off without any further pleasantries.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Okay, I think It¡¯s time to turn you all loose. Is there anything else here you guys want to look at, or should we plan our next move?¡± James asked.

    I couldn¡¯t help but hear the Anarchist in my head. Somehow, I had to throw them off, but how?

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen the transportation device that took Cooke and Morales before. Well, not me, but I¡¯ve read it in an Argus report,¡± Ian said.

    ¡°Really, where?¡± Erin asked, looking doubtful.

    ¡°It was in a report from two weeks ago. The URH responded to a distress call from a storage facility out in the middle of Russia. It was one of those private super-secure places that are supposed to be able to keep even metas out. Anyway, the thieves were gone by the time the Union arrived. They only raided one storage unit, but they stripped the place clean. Guards and security footage reported a dark, liquid mass flooded the room, and when it receded, the room was empty. They figured it was a meta¡¯s powers at play at first, but the power dampeners at the facility made that unlikely.¡±

    Unlike most places that had several major teams and dozens of minor groups, Russia only had one team: The Union of Russian Heroes. It definitely wasn¡¯t a flashy name, but the team was pretty cool, no pun intended. They had their man group set up in Moscow, and then dozens of smaller teams split up over the former Soviet Union and surrounding areas.

    ¡°The place had power dampeners? How expansive was this place?¡± Corey asked, voicing our mutual surprise.

    Dampeners were useful tech, but they were extremely expensive, especially if you wanted to lock down a large area. It was unusual for private companies to be able to afford them and get the necessary permission. I knew DT had some in the lower floors of the building to discourage any attempted meta assaults, but still, they were one of the most profitable tech companies in the world.

    ¡°It cost an arm and a leg; not somewhere you¡¯d use to hide something away unless you reeeally didn¡¯t want it to go missing.¡±

    ¡°What was stolen?¡± Erin inquired, trying to keep us on track.

    ¡°It was listed as Obyek 41.¡±

    ¡°Obyek?¡± I asked, not recognizing the word despite my extremely limited Russian.

    ¡°Object, basically,¡± Ian replied. ¡°I think we should check it out. We might be able to find a link, or at least figure out what Obyekt 41 is.¡±

    ¡°I agree. James, can you contact the Union and maybe see if they can send out one or two of the heroes who responded to the break in and see if we can ask them some questions?¡± Erin asked.

    James lit up, ¡°Absolutely, great plan.¡±

    My time was running out, I needed to think of a way to slow this down. Maybe they wouldn¡¯t find anything, but they could. Come on, think! I couldn¡¯t believe I was doing this. Not only was I a "hero", I was a traitor. What I did here could get people hurt. Was I just being selfish, just keeping my own family safe?

    I hated myself for it, but thinking about Paul and Janet gave me an idea. I reached out to my power and psyched myself up. Drawing in a deep breath, I suddenly forced energy to form around my face, and let out a yell. I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what I looked like when I had my visions, but neither did they.

    ¡°Nate, are you alright?¡± I heard someone ask. I think it was Whitney, but I wasn¡¯t sure. Whoever it was, it felt like it drove a guilt-ridden stake through my heart. They sounded like they cared. Shit. I was going to find away out of this. Somehow.

    After a few seconds I let the energy fade away, and I staggered a bit. Adam caught me and held me up; I didn¡¯t really need him to, but damnit, why did he have to do that?

    ¡°It was a vision,¡± I lied. It left a bad taste in my mouth.

    ¡°What did you see?¡± Clyff asked, staring at me.

    He knows, I thought to myself. Shit he knows. No, he couldn¡¯t, I was just overreacting. Calm down, I chided myself.

    ¡°I saw a building, a room, an apartment. I¡­ saw a glimpse out the window and saw Millennium Park, I think. We were in the apartment looking for things¡­¡±

    I was terrible at this, but it was the only thing I could think of.

    ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡± Adam asked.

    ¡°Maybe Ricardo and Morales?¡± I asked, looking at Erin. ¡°They¡¯re from Chicago, right? Maybe we could find their apartments and figure out how they were tied to Shard.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean we should split up?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°It''s not a bad idea, but who are we going to send where?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°If I can interject, Nate knows his way around the city, and as the team¡¯s leader, you should be the ones to coordinate with the Union,¡± James suggested.

    ¡°Corey and I can go with Nate, the Russian wilderness doesn¡¯t sound all that appealing,¡± Whitney said.

    A suspicious look quickly passed over Ian¡¯s face, but he quickly subdued it. ¡°Well, I was thinking I should go with Nate so we can capitalize on any more visions he has.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious, Ian?¡± Whitney said. ¡°It was your idea to Russia, my powers don¡¯t like the cold, and Corey is already wearing a winter coat in South Africa. We¡¯ll take Chicago with our friendly tour guide and you can tramp through Siberia with out fearless leader and the gun nut. Alright?¡±

    ¡°I take offense to that,¡± Adam muttered.

    ¡°Fine, I suppose my talents will be better at finding useful information where we¡¯re less likely to find any.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Erin said, looking at Ian quizzically. ¡°What about you?¡± She asked James.

    ¡°I¡¯ll finish up the paperwork here and then head back to HQ to coordinate you all and offer any support you might need.¡±

    ¡°Once you get us transport, we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±

    I felt sick, and not just because we had to walk past all the dead bodies again on the way out of the prison.

    Traitor.

    The word swam through my mind every time I looked at Corey and Whitney. What if people died because the team didn¡¯t stop Cooke and Morales? What if one of the team died? Fuck this. I wanted to scream, to come clean and tell them, but I couldn¡¯t. I had to keep a stupid fake smile plastered on my face and pretend everything was alright.

    I hardly noticed the two additional drop ships waiting for us when we made it back to the small airport near the prison, but before Whitney could drag me on, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

    ¡°Hold on, I need to take this,¡± I said.

    ¡°Sure, just hurry up. I wanna get out of here,¡± Whitney said.

    I nodded and walked until I thought I was out of earshot.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Careful, Soot. Seems like you¡¯re wearing a bit thin.¡±

    The Anarchist.

    ¡°What the fuck did you get me into?¡± I hissed into the receiver, feeling a minor amount of catharsis by being able to focus my frustration on someone.

    ¡°Hey, watch your tone, glowstick. And your mental tone; it hurts you know? It hurts my heart, Nate. Besides, it was you who got your dumb ass mixed up in all this. You could have let me use Wrath, make a small crater in the River District, but noooo.¡±

    Something was off. Her front was still there, but her demeanor was different than it had been the other times she¡¯d called. She was stressed.

    ¡°I am not!¡± She objected, clearly agitated.

    ¡°How are you still reading my mind? I¡¯ve gone halfway around the world in less than two days.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business, I¡¯m just keeping an eye on you. Though, I have to say, nice work with the fake vision about Chicago, you complete fucking idiot. I said throw them off, not lead them to Dumb and Dumber. And before you ask, yes, I¡¯m talking about Cooke and Morales.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying! I-¡±

    ¡°-Try harder! We can¡¯t have your little play pals catching on too fast.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I could help you better if I knew what was going on.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not.¡±

    ¡°Look, I know you know something about Shard, or whatever his name is. Just give me a little information so we can get a lead.¡±

    ¡°What part of ¡®throw them off¡¯ don¡¯t you understand?¡± She asked, sounding annoyed.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t help on the case, you¡¯ll lose your man on the inside, so give me something!¡±

    The line went silent for so long I thought she¡¯d hung up.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m still here. I¡¯m just weighing how much I don¡¯t like someone. Fine, yes, the guy¡¯s name is Shard. Edgy, I know, but he had a bit of a test-tube childhood. He was the only reason we were in Chicago. Hellequin got us the job to distract the heroes that be so some people we didn¡¯t have direct contact with could steal him from Gencore.¡±

    ¡°The pharmaceutical company?¡±

    ¡°Biotech,¡± She corrected me. ¡°They have their silicone-gloved fingers in every pie that has to do with living things. One of those fingers happens to be jammed into the illegal bio-weapon pies under the table.¡±

    I shook my head after trying to picture her analogy took me nowhere. ¡°So, he was from Gencore¡¯s Chicago building?¡±

    ¡°Mhm. That¡¯s all I can tell you, now hurry up, your blonde bimbo friend is getting antsy. Oh, and remember to behave, or the Butcher will make an evening snack out of your fake mommy and daddy, bye!¡±

    With a beep, the call ended. ¡°Come on, Nate, lets go!¡± Whitney shouted from the rear of the plane, waving me over.

    ¡°Coming,¡± I said, jogging over. I didn¡¯t know how to process what the Anarchist said, much less how I could use it. There had to be some way to me to find a connection between Shard and Gencore, but all the ways I ran though my head seemed too suspicious. At least now I knew what direction the investigation should be headed.

    What I couldn¡¯t figure out was how Cooke and Morales fit into everything. They were just street thugs with powers, nowhere near the level of the Gold Diggers or Shard, apparently. Someone had gone to great lengths to break them out of prison, but why? They weren¡¯t that powerful, and on top of that, their powers weren¡¯t even extremely unique.

    ¡°Sooo,¡± Whitney began as I walked up the loading ramp and made my way to a seat across from her and Corey.

    ¡°So, what?¡±

    ¡°Who were you talking to?¡± Whitney asked, a cheeky smile on her face. ¡°Your girlfriend?¡±

    I felt my face flush, not that the idea itself was all that embarrassing, but her tone and smile combined with the truth made me really uncomfortable all of a sudden.

    ¡°No, it was my- sister,¡± I lied, trying to strap myself in as quickly as possible without being suspicious.

    Whitney jabbed Corey in the ribs as the winged boy rolled his eyes. ¡°See, I told you,¡± She laughed as Corey looked uncomfortable too.

    ¡°Fine, you win,¡± He said with a grin, fishing a small wad of money from his pocket. Whitney snatched it away and quickly counted it before putting it in her own pocket.

    ¡°You took bets on me?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah, hope you don¡¯t mind,¡± Whitney said, strapping herself in. ¡°You¡¯re new and this is going to be a long flight. We want to know more about you, and this is the perfect opportunity, so I hope you¡¯re ready to play lots of icebreaking games.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t wait,¡± I lied again¡­

 Focus 2.05

    I felt like there was a pattern developing: first, my nightmare woke me up at the hospital, then Sterling jarred me awake with the alarm, and now, Whitney nearly blew out my eardrums.

    ¡°Ah, Jesus- wh- what the hell?¡± I mumbled after nearly jumping out of my seat. If it wasn¡¯t for the straps, keeping me tied down, I¡¯d be sprawled out on the floor.

    ¡°Ha, sorry, but you sleep like a brick,¡± Whitney said, black smoke still rising off her hands.

    ¡°Have we landed?¡± I asked, letting out a groan.

    ¡°Yep,¡± Corey said as he walked past with his bags. ¡°And you managed to sleep the entire flight. You¡¯re going to have to teach me that one.¡±

    I guess I was more tired than I thought. Was it still because of what Asclepius did to fix me? With everything that had happened, it was hard to believe that was only two days ago. That means it was¡­ Tuesday, wow.

    ¡°Okay, so I guess we should get to work.¡±

    ¡°Well, slight problem with that,¡± Whitney said. ¡°It¡¯s basically midnight and we¡¯re starving, and we haven¡¯t showered since Switzerland, and Argus doesn¡¯t want to send out agents until the morning.¡±

    ¡°Time zones are a bitch,¡± Corey said, walking down the ramp.

    I grabbed my bag off the floor and hurried to catch up with the others.

    ¡°You lived around here, right?  Do you know somewhere we can get some food?¡± Whitney asked as we walked away from the Argus landing area built next to O¡¯Hare.

    ¡°And a place to stay. Argus hasn¡¯t finished setting up our paychecks yet, so finding a hotel is gonna be fun,¡± Corey commented.

    ¡°Yeah, I live here.  I can order us some food and you guys can crash at my place if you want.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯d be awesome!¡± Whitney said, grinning from ear to ear.

    ¡°Sure, I mean, what kind of host would I be If I didn¡¯t offer?¡± I said with a small grin of my own.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡± Whitney said as I tried to flag down a taxi.

    It felt nice to be able to offer something to the team, even if it was just a place to lay low for a while. Still, it didn¡¯t do much to ease my guilt.

    Traffic wasn¡¯t too bad this late, so we made quick time to my house after stopping to get a mountain of takeout from a little Chinese place that stayed open late. When we made it to my humble abode, I started thinking about sleeping arrangements, not that we would probably be getting much sleep. My internal clock was really out of whack thanks to all the flying. I could see why peopled loved to have a teleporter on their team.

    My thoughts were interrupted when I saw the damage to the front door that still wasn¡¯t fixed. Right, I never did get a chance to clean up the mess the Gold Diggers made.

    ¡°Sorry about the mess,¡± I said as I threw my shoulder into the door to force it open.

    ¡°What happened here?¡± Whitney asked. Her eyes darted between the four sets of holes where the deer man had pinned me to my living room wall. Luckily, someone had carted off the remains of his thorn growths, or maybe they just evaporated on their own. Who knows?

    ¡°The Gold Diggers broke in and busted me up pretty good for running into them when they attacked the city.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you fought the Gold Diggers!?¡± Whitney asked in surprise as she sat down the food on the coffee table I flipped over so it was standing upright. I guess it was knocked over during the scuffle.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say ¡®fought¡¯. More like they kicked my ass,¡± I said, trying to play it down.

    ¡°And you got away in one piece?¡± Corey asked, finally taking his jacket off.

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± I said, suddenly feeling my hand and shoulder twinge. ¡°Cypher had Asclepius patch me up.¡±

    ¡°You know Cypher!?¡± Corey asked, his eyes widening.

    ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± Whitney said, getting excited.

    ¡°He broke into my house,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°And he¡¯s the one that got me sanctioned.¡±

    ¡°How are you not making a big deal out of this?¡± Whitney asked, grabbing a carton and sitting down on an armchair.

    Corey and I grabbed some of the food ourselves. Corey slid a footrest away from the armchair and sat down so he could stretch out his wings behind him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Cypher is¡­ well, he¡¯s an asshole.  Not really someone to look up to, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? He¡¯s the best hero in the world!¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I have to like the guy.¡±

    Whitney shrugged and dug into her food.

    ¡°What about you guys?¡± I asked. ¡°How long have you two been in ¡®the business¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I guess not really much longer than you. We were both sanctioned last year when we graduated from the Academy,¡± Corey said.

    ¡°You both went to the Academy?¡± I asked. I didn¡¯t know much about the school, just that it was a private training program for young metahumans.

    ¡°Yeah, it was pretty fun. Corey and I became friends and were put on a bunch of training exercises together. Airborne artillery is surprisingly effective.¡± She said with a grin.

    ¡°What can you make explode?¡± I asked, finding myself curious about their powers again.

    ¡°Pretty much anything I can touch,¡± She said, picking out a grain of rice from her carton and holding it between her fingers. It glowed and suddenly vanished with a small pop and puff of smoke.

    ¡°What about people?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I really don¡¯t want to try. My powers are dangerous enough without me having to think about accidentally blowing people up when I shake their hands.¡±

    I could understand that.

    ¡°What about you, Corey? I thought I saw you blocking a sword with your wings?¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Corey nodded. ¡°Yeah, you saw me training with Shogun. I can move them like extra limbs and turn the feathers harder and sharper than steel.¡±

    To demonstrate, he picked up an unopened pack of chopsticks and held them at an arm¡¯s length. He curled one of his wings around and I noticed that the color seemed to shift ever so slightly, and the feathers looked like they suddenly had a faint metallic sheen. Corey sliced down with his wing, easily cutting through the wooden utensils.

    ¡°They¡¯re bulletproof from what I can tell, but I can¡¯t really fly with them like this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still really cool,¡± I said.

    ¡°Says the guy who can see the future.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t do it very well,¡± I said, not liking how the conversation turned on me, though I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised, I guess.

    ¡°It¡¯s still cool,¡± Whitney said. ¡°But what else can you do, besides the energy stuff?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really it, I mean, I¡¯m stronger, faster, and tougher with the energy; it kind of acts like armor.¡±

    ¡°Can you fly?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but I¡¯ve never really tried,¡± I said, thinking back to what I¡¯d done to break myself free of The Anarchist¡¯s control the first time. I could jerk the suit and move it around with my mind, but could I use that to defy gravity?

    ¡°You totally should, then we could be flying buddies.¡±

    ¡°Wow, way to leave me behind on the ground,¡± Whitney said in mock offense.

    ¡°Last time you tried to use your powers to fly you nearly broke your neck,¡± Corey said with a laugh.

    ¡°Do you know how hard it is to aim explosions?¡± Whitey said with mischievous smile, pointing a chopstick accusingly at Corey.

    ¡°Suuure.¡±

    ¡°Screw you,¡± Whitney laughed. ¡°I detonated the ground under my feet and tried to use smaller explosions to sort of aim myself. It didn¡¯t end well,¡± She explained.

    ¡°Don¡¯t your explosions hurt you?¡±

    ¡°Nope! I¡¯m explosion proof!¡± She declared proudly.

    ¡°But not shrapnel proof,¡± Corey added.

    Whitney shrugged, ¡°True. Found that out the hard way when I got cocky around a frag grenade.¡±

    ¡°That one wasn¡¯t pretty,¡± Corey said, wincing at the thought.

    This was honestly nice; to get the chance to talk to other people with powers. They weren¡¯t freaks or zealous heroes, they were just people. I think having my first real exposure to ¡®working¡¯ metahumans be the Gold Diggers wasn¡¯t a good introduction.

    ¡°Hey, Nate, do you mind if I use your shower? We never got a chance after the training exercise.¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah, sure. The bathroom is upstairs on the left.¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡± She said, scooping up her bag and walking up the stairs.

    Corey seemed to pull his wings slightly closer when Whitney left. He seemed like a nice enough guy, kind of quirky, though. I bet some people would find that odd coming from me.

    ¡°You want a beer?¡± I asked, walking towards the kitchen.

    ¡°No, but thanks. It¡¯s because of my powers: I get drunk super easy,¡± he explained apologetically.

    ¡°Oh, no problem. How about a soda, or some water¡­?¡±

    ¡°Water would be great.¡±

    ¡°You can turn on the TV if you want,¡± I called from the kitchen as I grabbed my drink and a bottle of water for Corey.

    ¡°Alright,¡± he called back.

    ¡°Catch,¡± I called as I tossed him the bottle.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Corey had turned to a national news channel which at this time of night meant it was just reruns of the day¡¯s metahuman stories. Sometimes they would put on more of the less-than-family-friendly news on, especially if there was a major attack from something like the Pantheon.

    They were covering a story from a hospital; the same one the Regents took me to. ¡°-Doctors are baffled. More than two hundred patients, including more than fifty stage four cancer patients, were miraculously cured early Saturday morning¡­¡±

    Wait, that was when I was there, and more importantly, when Asclepius was. He must have gone around and healed everyone after he was done with me. I couldn¡¯t help but grin: he was a softie under that gruff exterior.

    <hr>

    ¡°Alright, I think this is the place,¡± I said, double checking the apartment number with what was written on the Argus file I was holding.

    ¡°It¡¯s locked,¡± Corey said.

    The apartment complex wasn¡¯t in the nicest part of town. From the street it nearly looked condemned thanks to broken windows and copious amounts of graffiti. Once we stepped inside, it didn¡¯t get much better. The carpet was stained to hell, and the ceiling was more water damaged than not, and most of the lights were broken and burnt out.

    ¡°Ugh, this place reeks, lets just knock. Hard,¡± Whitney said, gripping the door knob. Glowing lines began to trace themselves across the metal until the entire thing was lit up like a light bulb. ¡°Fire in the hole!¡±

    When she released the handle, the knob exploded in a cloud of smoke, taking a plate-sized chunk of the door with it.

    A head emerged from one of the neighboring apartments, looking confused and alarmed. ¡°We¡¯re with Argus,¡± Corey sighed, flashing his badge.

    ¡°I need to get one of those,¡± I said as we followed Whitney inside.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t give you one already?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°No, I think James said something about it coming in the mail later.¡±

    The apartment was surprisingly clean. Whitney had already disappeared around the corner, giving the place a once-over. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here,¡± Whitney groaned.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t even looked at anything yet.¡± I said.

    ¡°You know, when I heard we were going on a mission, I expected fighting some baddies, or saving some innocent people, not searching empty apartments.¡±

    ¡°All part of the job,¡± Corey said with a smug grin.

    Whitney rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. As I looked around the living room. There wasn¡¯t any art on the walls, and the furniture was old and worn in. I walked over to a bookshelf next to the TV and skimmed over the spines of movies and video games, trying to look for anything out of place.

    ¡°Hey, Nate?¡± Corey called over to me.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± I asked, turning over to see Corey looking out the window.

    ¡°I thought you said you saw Millennium Park from the apartment in your vision.¡±

    Shit shit shit¡­ I had to think of an explanation, we were nowhere near the park.

    ¡°I did, but like I said, my visions aren¡¯t specific or straightforward. Sometimes I have to¡­ interpret them. So, it was probably just showing me that to point me towards Chicago.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay. I just wanted to make sure we were where you vision wanted us to be,¡± He said like he completely bought the lie.

    I swallowed my shame and guilt and got back to my stalling investigation. Well, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be. If I could find some way to connect Cooke and Morales to Gencore I might be able to find a lead. The problem was, the apartment was pretty bare. Whitney started riffling through cabinets in the kitchen while Corey looked through opened closed doors to see the rooms inside.

    The winged wonder had donned his jacket again, obscuring his upper costume. Unlike the other uniforms like Whitney¡¯s and Erin¡¯s, Corey¡¯s was much lighter in its design but shared the dark colors. I needed to find some way to get some armor myself. The energy I summoned was great, but It couldn¡¯t protect me when it wasn¡¯t there.

    ¡°Guys, come look at this,¡± Corey called out.

    ¡°Oh damn,¡± Whitney said, looking into the room where Corey was.

    I walked over to the bathroom that had been closed when we¡¯d arrived. Corey was standing inside, and Whitney was looking in from the hallway.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Look at it,¡± Corey said, not sure how to describe it, and I soon saw why. The walls were scorched in jagged lines like there was a ball of lightning going to town in here. On top of that, there were large scales covering the floor.

    ¡°What do you think, is this were their powers manifested?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d say so. And it looks like Cooke went first,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well, there are scorch marks on everything except for the scales, ergo the scales appeared later. That means Morales had to make and shed them once the indoor thunderstorm was over.¡±

    ¡°Wow, nicely done,¡± I said.

    ¡°What? I¡¯m not just a pretty face,¡± She said with a smile.

    ¡°Okay, so we know that they manifested here, but what caused it? I mean, I guess its possible for powers to just ¡®pop up¡¯, but it isn¡¯t common. And you heard what James said: these guys were both in their mid-thirties, so the chances of them spontaneously manifesting powers are close to nil,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°What are those pills laying over there?¡± I asked, pointing at the aspirin-looking pills scattered on the floor.

    Corey bent down and fished something out of the trashcan by the sink. ¡°I think they came from this. Creasomyaline Demevelam. I¡¯ve never heard of it before,¡± Corey said.

    ¡°Look at the logo,¡± I said, recognizing the helix symbol.

    ¡°Gencore?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I can¡¯t say I¡¯m very surprised,¡± Corey said.

    There was the link I was looking for. But what now? There wasn¡¯t anything much else to see here.

    ¡°What the fuck!¡±

    The three of us whirled to the source of the noise and hurried into the living room. One of the two crooks, Morales, was standing in the doorway. He had been inspecting the new hole in the front door courtesy of Whitney when he heard us coming.

    It didn¡¯t take but a fraction of a second for his bones to stretch and shift as large armor-like scales tore through his shirt and jacket and began to cover portions of his skin. The parts the plates didn¡¯t cover became dehydrated and taut, only feeding into the reptile imagery even more.

    ¡°You punks are going to pay for breaking into MY house!¡±

    Morales lunged, his fingers now three-inch long hooked claws. Corey struggled to shrug off his coat while Whitney fished around the pouches on her belt for ammo. None of us were prepared or fast enough, and he was coming straight for me. This wasn¡¯t going to be pretty...

 Focus 2.06

    Morales moved with frightening speed, closing the distance between us in a single leap. I tried to summon my energy, but I wasn¡¯t fast enough. Reflexively, I threw up my arms to protect my face, and let out a scream of pain as I felt the claws rake across my arm. It felt like hot pokers had been jammed into my forearm only to be ripped out, leaving the skin to burn.

    I was mostly covered with my energy by now, but the lizard-man tried using his free hand to go for my stomach. Before he could land the swipe, I saw a large silver object rush past me. Corey¡¯s wing slammed into Morales, sending him staggering back. There were dozens of small scrapes and cuts on the meta¡¯s living armor from where Corey¡¯s metallic feathers had done their job. Still, Morales was one tough son of a bitch.

    Something small and shiny sailed through the air to my right. My eyes darted over to see a¡­ toaster? Whitney must have used her powers before chucking it towards Morales because it was covered in glowing lines. The appliance exploded violently in the air next to Morales, throwing him clear across the room.

    I staggered back myself, but the extra balance from the energy swirling around me kept me on my feet.

    ¡°Get him!¡± Whitney yelled, preparing more things to throw.

    ¡°I can¡¯t fight him in here, it¡¯s too small,¡± Corey said as his wings slowly seemed to shrink.

    We had to get Morales out of here. He was still dazed from Whitney¡¯s explosion, but he wouldn¡¯t be for long. I didn¡¯t think I was faster than he was, but I might be stronger. This was bad, Corey was grounded, and Whitney couldn¡¯t let loose without hurting us. Morales could rip us apart, and that was my fault. I was the one who lured them to Chicago.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t fight him here, we¡¯ll take it outside,¡± I said, charging forward with the added force of my energy.  Morales staggered to his feet, and, luckily for me, was standing in front of a window. I slammed into him around his midsection, carrying us both through the window in a shower of glass.

    If I could take a bullet, I could survive a two-story fall, right? Either way, I was about to find out.

    Morales hit the concrete first, with me landing on top of him a split second later. Through the barrier of energy, I could feel a whoosh as the impact knocked the breath out of him. Still, he wasn¡¯t down and out. Like a frenzied animal he scratched at the energy covering me, but his claws simply slid off. Then he changed tactics. I tried to roll off, but Morales caught my wrist and threw me with astonishing strength despite his lack of leverage.

    It was disorienting as I tumbled through the air, landing several feet away. Morales tried to flip himself over, but Corey followed us out the window, diving down at the other meta like a hawk swooping for its prey. Corey used his wings to flip himself around just before impact and used his legs and downward momentum to slam Morales¡¯ head into the concrete.

    Whitney began pelting the area with small ball bearings charged with her power while Corey climbed back into the sky. Morales finally jumped to his feet, shielding his head with his arms from the explosive barrage.  Realizing I was just standing around, I ran in to help.

    ¡°Whitney, call in some backup, Nate and I will keep him busy,¡± Corey yelled as he circled like a buzzard, waiting for an opening.

    Morales looked up when the explosions stopped but snapped his head to me as I rushed in. I thought back to what I¡¯d done with Vindicator and threw a punch with the added force of my powers. Morales easily moved out of the way and grabbed me while I was off balance. My stomach lurched as he threw me over his shoulder like a rag doll. It was less than dignified as I bounced off the wall of the apartment building and landed in a heap on the ground.

    ¡°Damn heroes! Fuck off and leave me alone!¡±

    ¡°Not gonna happen,¡± Corey called out, dropping down with his wings coming together to form a point below him. Morales jumped back, causing Corey¡¯s wings to embed themselves into the concrete. Claws lashed out in an immediate counter attack, but Corey was ready for it. His wings were defiantly more...flexible? No, that wasn¡¯t quite the word. Prehensile? Close enough. They were more prehensile than any bird wings I''d ever seen.

    Corey brought his wings together so that they formed a sloping shield of sorts. Morales¡¯ claws set off a small shower of sparks when they hit but didn¡¯t seem to do any damage.

    While the lizard was fighting the bird, I¡¯d managed to pick myself up. I felt about as useful as neon pink camo. Corey and Whitney had training and practice with their powers, I was just a janitor in over his head. But Morales didn¡¯t seem to be much better off than me. Corey had managed to pull his wings free and was using them to bat the villain¡¯s strikes aside. He was making it look easy, but Morales was fast, and wasn¡¯t showing any sign of tiring. I didn¡¯t know if Corey could keep up.

    Whitney came running out the front of the apartment building holding a glowing vase in either hand.

    ¡°Fire in the hole!¡±

    Without any more words of encouragement, Corey sent himself skyward with a large downbeat of his wings. Whitney threw her vases in quick succession towards Morales. I¡¯d seen some of her earlier explosions, but they were firecrackers compared to these. The lizard man vanished in the ball of fire and smoke as the shockwaves set off car alarms and nearly knocked me over.

    ¡°Did you get him?¡± Corey asked, trying to peer through the inadvertent smokescreen.

    Before anyone could answer, my vision flashed blue.

    When I came to, I was standing in the parking lot next to an empty spot and the smoke was almost cleared away. ¡°Jesus, Nate, how¡¯d you do that?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°Do what?¡± I asked, looking around. And then I saw what Whitney was dramatically gesturing towards; a car thrown the wall of the apartment building

    ¡°You fucking nailed him, Nate!¡± Corey said, landing next to me. ¡°I though he had me there for a second.¡±

    Before I had time to process everything they were saying, the car shifted. Morales gave the wrecked sedan a shove before crawling out over the hood.

    ¡°How tough is this guy?¡± Whitney groaned.

    ¡°They told me about you, you fucking overgrown lightbulb. You pack a wallop, but you¡¯re no Wrath,¡± Morales hissed.

    Morales didn¡¯t seem to be injured at all despite the tattered condition his clothes were in. Between Corey¡¯s wings, Whitney¡¯s explosions, and my car-javelin, they were just ribbons clinging to his frame.

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t he attacking?¡± Whitney whispered so we, hopefully, were the only ones that could hear.

    I hadn¡¯t noticed, but he was just standing there, staring at us.  ¡°Get ready to move,¡± Corey said, tensing himself and getting ready to launch himself into the sky. Whitney slipped the handfuls of small ball bearings back into the pouches on her belt in favor of two larger ones and began to slowly charge them with her power.

    ¡°Nate, how tough is your forcefield?¡±

    ¡°I can take a bullet pretty easily,¡± I said. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Just in ca-¡±

    Before Corey could finish, Morales suddenly flexed his whole body and his scales shot off like shrapnel from a frag grenade. Corey spun around, wrapping Whitney and himself in his wings. The tan scales punched through car doors and broke windows in a wide arc around the lizard man. Corey¡¯s wings managed to protect my teammates, but I wasn¡¯t quite as lucky. I felt dozens of impacts from the smaller scales, but one of the larger armor plates hit me in the chest and threw me back.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s going to bruise,¡± I groaned, as I started to get back on my feet. Morales looked different: his scales had already regrown, but they were larger with several spines protruding from his back and from his elbows. With his apparent shedding over, he charged. Corey rushed to meet him, flying low across the ground while Whitney pelted the villain with a barrage of small explosions.

    Suddenly, my phone rang. It really couldn¡¯t have come at a worst time. How could I even get to it? That question was answered for me when the call connected on its own. ¡°Nate!¡±

    The voice sounded slightly tinny coming over the speaker, but I recognized it immediately: The Anarchist.

    ¡°Shard is fighting your team in Russia, he¡¯s on his way to deal with all of you. Get out of there!¡±

    As soon as she ended the call, we were surrounded by a swirling mass of smoke-like energy. ¡°Guys, get back, Shard is here!¡± I called out, looking around.

    ¡°What?¡± Corey yelled as the energy cleared. Erin, Adam, and Ian were suddenly standing next to me looking dazed with a man in a black suit standing next to Morales. Shard looked the same as he did in the security footage from the prison except this time, I could see his eyes glowing like embers.

    Grinning, Shard stretched out his arm like he was reaching for something. Corey jerked to a halt like he¡¯d reached the end of an invisible leash, his wings splayed out to the side as he cried out in pain. Shard rotated his hand so his palm was facing up, and Corey flipped to his back before being violently slammed into the ground as Shard mimed the motion with his hand.

    ¡°Corey!¡± Whitney screamed. Enraged, she began pelting the area Shard and Morales stood. Shard held up his hand and the pellets came to a stop in the air before harmlessly detonating. Erin was slightly glowing red as runes traced themselves across her skin. Her eyes were full of fury, but she held her ground. Ian clutched a bleeding shoulder while Adam had several bloody spots on his uniform as well.

    "Nate?" Erin asked, seeming just as confused as we were. "Shit, he teleported us."

    Shard looked pristine, like he was on his way to a business meeting. Corey was still pinned to the ground by the villain¡¯s telekinesis, locking us in a standoff. ¡°Look what we have here: all the Argonauts in one place,¡± Shard snarled.

    Multiple knives appeared in a swirl of energy around Shard before flying towards us with deadly intent. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the glow surrounding Erin turn from red to green, but before I could react, my vision washed blue again.

    ¡°Thanks, Nate,¡± Whitney whispered when I came to. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± I muttered as I tried to piece together what happened. There was a new dull pain in my chest, but it could have been any number of bumps I¡¯d gotten recently. Erin was shielding Ian, and Adam was holding one of Shard¡¯s knives in his hand.  While my vision was blue, I had moved several feet to stand between Whitney and the knife-throwing telekinetic. I looked at my own hand and realized I had managed to catch one of the blades in the same way Adam had.

    The knives all vanished at once just like they appeared, but Shard wasn¡¯t done yet. He raised his hands like preacher telling his congregation to rise as several cars around us started to lift off the pavement. I also worryingly noticed that the shards of glass from the broken windows started to swirl around as well.

    Adam unholstered one of his pistols and quickly aimed at Shard. He pulled the trigger but the shot hit nothing but air as the villain easily teleported away. The cars didn¡¯t fall, though. Instead, they started to slowly move. ¡°Where is he?¡± Adam asked, his voice sounding different than I remembered it.

    ¡°Oh my God, Corey!¡± Whitney called out, hurrying over to our teammate. One of Shard¡¯s knives had managed to stab him in his chest, dangerously close to his heart by the look of it. The levitating cars began to pick up speed, rotating around us like a cyclone.

    ¡°We have to get Corey and get out of here,¡± Erin said, looking for Shard. ¡°Did you call backup?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Whitney did, don¡¯t know where they are,¡± I said.

    At some point in the confusion shard caused, Morales had vanished, but that didn¡¯t make me feel any better.

    ¡°So pathetic.¡±

    I whirled around to see Shard standing right behind me. He flicked his hand and sent me flying back. I landed with a thump next to Whitney and Corey while the villain turned his attention to Erin and the rest of the team. He tried to do the same thing to Erin, but she didn¡¯t budge. For the first time in the entire fight, I saw Shard¡¯s wicked grin falter.

    Erin¡¯s green glow instantly switched back to red. She unleashed a blisteringly fast punch that caught Shard in his chest and knocked him back. He teleported again, reappearing a few feet further back. Instead of a grin, Shard¡¯s face was twisted into a scowl. One of the orbiting cars shot towards Erin who easily batted it aside, causing the scowl to deepen.

    Adam fired more rounds from his pistol, but Shard was ready, and caught the bullets with his powers. Erin was safe from the cars, or at least I thought she was, but none of the rest of us were. I could hear sirens in the distance, probably Argus. Hopefully Argus. Still, I didn¡¯t think they could do much. We had to get Corey out of here, he wouldn¡¯t last for too much longer. If he didn¡¯t, he could die, they all could die, and it would be all my fault. More people would die because of me.

    The cars were spinning faster now, and Shard had managed to draw in any loose objects he could find. There was enough potential ammunition to crush us to hell and back. We had to find a way out, there had to be. I was the reason Corey was hurt, because of me, because of me¡­

    Something felt different. I looked down at my hands, the usual dark blue energy had turned almost white. I could feel them brimming with power as the energy churned and shifted like a violent ocean in the wrath of a storm. It wanted out. The energy was surging with something I hadn¡¯t felt before. I didn¡¯t know if I could call it instinct, or just a hunch, but I felt compelled to aim my hands at Shard.

    Thoughts and feelings welled up inside as images flicked through my mind. Corey laying on the pavement, bleeding out. Guilt. Shard treating it all as a joke. Hatred.  Lying to my team. Shame. Getting everyone into this mess. Anger. All my emotions focused on Shard, my power latching onto them.

    My vision blurred, blinking between the chaotic scene in front of me and the eerie tranquility of the forest from my dreams. I felt the presence, the entity, the mental weight from the place press against the back of my mind. I could feel it, an echo of what I felt, of my emotions, wanting to come in. And I opened the door.

    It was a mistake: blue bled into my vision. I saw a house, a home being swallowed by sapphire flames, two faces crying out as they were consumed by my thoughts. It was too much, I was drowning, suffocating, I needed to breathe, why couldn¡¯t I breathe? And then it all came pouring out. Twin torrents of blue-white energy erupted from my hands, bleaching my surroundings of color. A nearly deafening roar screamed out like a mountain toppling to the ground, but the force wasn¡¯t flowing from around me, it was flowing through me. I could feel the energy surging through my body; it was electrifying.

    Raw catharsis.

    The suddenness of the attack took Shard, and me, by surprise. The flow suddenly stopped as I fell back under the force of the recoil. I was afraid I¡¯d missed the monster, but I managed a glancing blow. The cars fell to the ground, and I let out a small sigh of relief. ¡°How-?¡± Whitney muttered, looking shocked.

    Before I could try to stammer out an answer, Shard started getting up. His suit was torn and tattered, but what made my heart stop was the skin underneath. It was a web of black and blue necrotic tissue. I locked eyes with the man, and I saw pure hatred before he vanished in a swirl of energy.

    ¡°Nate! Help me!¡±

    I snapped back to reality and realized what Whitney was asking. Corey still looked bad. I let my energy vanish and picked him up and was surprised at how light he was. ¡°We have to get him to a hospital!¡± Whitney yelled at Erin who nodded quickly. ¡°I can get him there fastest, give him to me, Nate.¡±

    I nodded and carefully passed him to her as the first of the Argus trucks screeched to a stop. Erin¡¯s glow changed to blue like it had been at the prison and she took off in a sprint, moving inhumanly fast. ¡°Will you be okay?¡± I asked Ian.

    He nodded slowly, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to be fine, just a scratch. What about you?¡±

    I looked at my own arm, and suddenly felt the deep cuts Morales¡¯ claws had given me. A drop of blood crept down my arm before falling to the ground. ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯ll be okay, just a little lightheaded.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, new guy,¡± Adam said before a slight tremor passed through his body. He looked unsteady but managed to find his footing. ¡°Oh, hey, Nate,¡± He said. ¡°How¡¯d we get here?¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± I asked, looking at Ian and Whitney for an explanation.

    ¡°Just drop it,¡± Whitney urged, looking upset.

    ¡°Who¡¯s in charge here?¡± I looked up to see an Argus soldier walking over to us.

    ¡°Our leader took one of our injured to the hospital, and we need medical attention too,¡± Ian said.

    The soldier nodded, ¡°Alright, take that transport there, we¡¯ll secure the scene.¡±

    <hr>

    I wished Asclepius was still around. The doctors had managed to stitch up my arm and Ian¡¯s shoulder, but Corey wasn¡¯t as well off. Somehow, Adam didn¡¯t have a scratch despite the blood on his costume. I thought he should have his head checked, but I was told to drop it again.

    Now we were all sitting in Corey¡¯s hospital room, none of us in a talkative mood. Thankfully, Argus managed to get ahold of the Regents who rushed Animus over. A transfusion of his blood had kept Corey out of surgery, but it wouldn¡¯t be a walk in a park for him to recover.

    Our first mission, and one of us nearly died. Shard had mopped the floor with us. It was like he was just playing a game.

    I looked down at my hands. How did I do it?

    What else could I do?

 Focus 2.07

    ¡°Nate, we need to talk.¡±

    I looked up to see Erin standing over me, a concerned look on her face. Everyone else was asleep, passed out on the uncomfortable hospital chairs the nurses helped us bring in. It was oddly cozy, but at the same time there was a subtext of unease. I guess it was hard to completely relax when you were on a teleporter¡¯s shit list.

    ¡°Sure,¡± I whispered, unfolding myself from the small chair and following her out into the hall.

    Erin partially closed the door behind us, leaving a crack to stop the latch from making a noise and potentially waking the others.

    ¡°What was that back there?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, not positive what she was talking about.

    ¡°The energy-blast¡­thing you did. What was that? I didn¡¯t know you could do that, but I should have. You can¡¯t keep things like that from me. It¡¯s my job to keep the team safe. It happened to work out this time, but we got lucky. Next time, we might not be.¡±

    She didn¡¯t sound angry, but she defiantly sounded like she was in charge.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I could do it either, it just¡­kind of happened.¡±

    Erin furrowed her brow, ¡°So it¡¯s a new power?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never really tried to do anything like that before.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t have any experience with your powers, do you?¡±

    ¡°No, I really don¡¯t,¡± I answered, leaning against the wall.

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    I knew it was coming, people always wanted to know why. Erin seemed to be asking it in earnest, but that didn¡¯t make me feel any more willing to get into it. Still, I didn¡¯t feel like she would just let me walk away.

    ¡°Bad memories,¡± I offered, something in my mind dragging me back to the visions I saw during the fight with Shard. The faces in the fire.

    Erin averted her gaze, staring off down the hallway before nodding. ¡°Okay, keep it to yourself for now, but don¡¯t let it get someone else hurt. Get ahold of your abilities.¡±

    I gave a slight nod, she was right. If I had been in control or had training¡­Corey might not be in a hospital bed right now.

    Erin offered me a smile, but we were both slightly startled when the door swung open, revealing an excited looking Ian.

    ¡°Sorry, I heard you guys talking and¡­¡±

    ¡°Ian, this is kind of a private conversation,¡± Erin said, looking at me.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said.

    ¡°Alright, go ahead, Ian.¡±

    ¡°Something about the teleportation device we saw the prison-¡±

    ¡°-You mean the goo?¡± Erin interrupted.

    ¡°Yes, I mean the goo. Anyway, it struck me as familiar, and I was trying to figure out where I¡¯ve seen it before. Then I realized I hadn¡¯t.¡±

    Erin crossed her arms, giving Ian an eyeroll. ¡°That¡¯s what you just had to tell us?¡±

    ¡°Hold on let me finish,¡± Ian said, holding up a hand.

    I was really beginning to get the feeling that Ian had a flair for the dramatic and loved letting everyone know he was smart.

    ¡°The reason I didn¡¯t place it immediately, is because it reminded me of similar technology in a CADMUS report from over twenty years ago.¡±

    ¡°CADMUS?¡± Erin asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Yeah, you know, the anti-metahuman agency that used to-¡±

    ¡°-I know what CADMUS was, but how did you get ahold of their reports?¡±

    ¡°Oh, Hollands gave me a bunch of files that were turned over to Argus when the U.S. shut CADMUS down. He thought they might possibly come in handy at some point, and apparently, they have. Anyway, there was a research scientist working for CADMUS by the name of Kurtis Thatcher. He was working on spacial manipulation tech, like literally folding space-time. He posited that if he could perfect the technology, he could use it as a means of rapid transportation and deployment of soldiers on top of being a way of containing metahumans like Genesis.¡±

    ¡°Was Genesis around back then?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No, but I said metahumans like him,¡± Ian answered matter-of-factly.

    ¡°How does that relate to the goo?¡± Erin asked, reining Ian back in.

    ¡°Thatcher¡¯s tech could be used to store very large objects in small places, like a full-grown human in a small ball of goo. Granted, I don¡¯t know about the weight-thing, but some of the science is beyond me. Anyway, after CADMUS was disbanded, Thatcher went his own way, and the project was abandoned. I think that Shard, or whoever gave him the tech used Thatcher¡¯s work.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Erin though to herself for a moment before shrugging, ¡°We don¡¯t have any other leads, so I guess we might as well check it out. Even if he doesn¡¯t know anything about it, he might be able to give us something we can use. Where is Thatcher now?¡±

    Ian practically lit up when Erin said we should investigate Thatcher. He quickly regained his composure and tried to act professional.

    ¡°He¡¯s working for a small R&D company called Menlo Solutions in Newark, New Jersey.¡±

    ¡°Jersey? Really?¡± I asked.

    Ian shrugged, ¡°I didn¡¯t decide where it was going to be.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost morning, we¡¯ll grab Whit and Adam and head see if we can get a meeting with...Dr?¡± Erin asked, looking at Ian.

    ¡°Dr,¡± Ian confirmed with a nod.

    ¡°¡­With Dr. Thatcher.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, leave me alone.¡±

    ¡°Corey, you were stabbed, you aren¡¯t fine,¡± Whitney tried to argue, practically pushing Corey down on the bed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not up for debate, you¡¯re sitting this one out,¡± Erin said.

    Corey sunk down and crossed his arms, looking sullen.

    ¡°You¡¯re already hurt, and the doctor said trying to fly or do anything like that will tear your stitches. Once we¡¯re done, we¡¯ll make sure to fill you in on everything,¡± Erin reasoned.

    ¡°And we¡¯re only going to Jersey, so it¡¯s not like you¡¯re missing out on anything spectacular,¡± Adam commented.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stay,¡± Corey said with a dramatic sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay too,¡± Whitney said. ¡°Someone needs to keep an eye on him, and I¡¯m still sore from the fight.¡±

    She didn¡¯t look up from the ground, but she seemed¡­afraid?

    ¡°Alright,¡± Erin said gently, noticing Whitney¡¯s fa?ade too. ¡°Keep an eye on him and call the Regents if you have any trouble. Looks like its just going to be me and the boys,¡± She said with a slight smile, looking at the rest of us.

    <hr>

    ¡°¡­Thanks. Yes. Yes, we¡¯ll be careful. Alright. Bye.¡±

    Erin let off an exasperated chuckle. ¡°James says he managed to schedule a meeting with Dr. Thatcher in a half hour.¡±

    I looked up at the mid-sized building in front of us. It didn¡¯t stand out like Daedalus Technologies did, but they were a minor rival in the advanced tech market. I¡¯d heard the business types at work mention Menlo Tech a few times. They had good ideas, and a few brilliant ideas, but lacked the capital to work on large projects.

    ¡°Why would a scientist like Thatcher come work for a place like this. Especially after working somewhere like CADMUS?¡± I asked as we fell in step with Erin as she started for the door.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°I think you just answered your own question,¡± Ian said. ¡°CADMUS wasn¡¯t known for their impeccable morals. Most of the scientists that worked for them were stuck with jobs at NASA or other government-sanctioned research fields. A few went on to work for Argus, and others were jailed for crimes against humanity. Kind of difficult to get some jobs even with a good resume.¡±

    ¡°Fair point,¡± I replied.

    ¡°We¡¯re here to see Dr. Thatcher. We¡¯re with Argus,¡± Erin said as we approached the receptionist.

    The lobby was small, clearly not meant for lots of visitors. The receptionist seemed about as incompetent as she could be. It took her forever to figure out how to use the office phone.

    ¡°Dr. Thatcher? The Argus agents are here. Yes, Sir,¡± She looked up with a smile. ¡°Dr. Thatcher says you can wait for him in his office,¡± She said, pointing down a hall to her left.

    Erin said thanks and we started down the hall.

    ¡°Anybody else have the feeling something¡¯s off?¡± Adam asked, looking down several hallways as we passed them. There were several crates still stacked on pallets and wrapped in plastic. I looked through a window built into the wall that looked in on an empty lab space.

    ¡°I do,¡± Ian said. ¡°There¡¯s dust built up in areas a normal janitorial crew would clean.¡±

    How did I miss that? Sure enough, when I looked at the floor in places where I would usually mop, there was a fine layer of dust.

    ¡°This keeps getting more interesting,¡± Erin commented as she came to a stop in front of Dr. Thatcher¡¯s office. The door was already open, so we filed in and found somewhere to sit while we waited.

    We were quiet for a while, just sitting around, but the quiet soon grew into boredom. ¡°Did you guys ever find anything in Russia?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Erin said. ¡°We didn¡¯t get to meet with the main URH team, they just sent the two members of the team who responded to the break in. What were their names? Buyan and Wyrlook?¡± Erin asked, looking to Ian and Adam for confirmation.

    ¡°Yeah, that was them,¡± Adam said. ¡°The portal maker and the giant.¡±

    ¡°Right. Anyway, they couldn¡¯t tell us much. Like Ian said, the stuff was already gone by the time they got there. The facility was pretty cagy, but eventually they let us inside and took us to the storage room where the goo hit.¡±

    ¡°The whole place is built underground, carved out of solid stone. There is no direct way from the outside into any of the storage facility without several tons of dynamite. So, we talked to some of the guards and looked at the reports and it looks like the good just slithered in through the front door like sentient tar,¡± Ian said, getting excited.

    ¡°But did you find out what ¡®Obyek 41¡¯ was?¡± I asked.

    Erin shook her head, ¡°No. We couldn¡¯t get anyone to tell us exactly what it was, but Ian managed to put together that it was some kind of weapon, right?¡±

    Ian nodded. ¡°A Russian weapons company paid to have it stored there for the next fifty nears or so. Of course, the company went bankrupt in the late Nineties, so there wasn¡¯t anything to look into on that end.¡±

    ¡°Then Shard showed up and you know the rest,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I muttered, not really knowing what else to say. The sound of approaching footsteps caught our attention, and we turned to see a well-dressed man walk into the room, a thin smile on his lips.

    ¡°Sorry to keep you all waiting. Norn, I assume?¡± Dr. Thatcher asked, shaking Erin¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Yes. Nice to meet you, Dr. Thatcher.¡±

    ¡°Please, call me Kurtis,¡± He said, moving to sit behind his desk and motioning for us to move closer. Erin and Ian moved to sit in the chairs directly in front of his desk, leaving Adam and me to stand behind them.

    Thatcher was a spindly man on the shorter side with mostly gray hair and a square jaw. He wore a pair of horn-rimmed glasses that looked like they were in the middle of transitioning from outdoor to indoor lighting.

    ¡°So, what can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Ian said, moving to the edge of his chair. ¡°We were interested in the spacial manipulation research you did for CADMUS.¡±

    Thatcher¡¯s face fell as he let out a long breath through his nose. ¡°Of course, what else would Argus be interested in.¡± He muttered rhetorically.  ¡°You¡¯re Clyffe, right? Named after the Wardenclyffe tower?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    ¡°A fan of Tesla, then? Perhaps a bit of an inventor yourself?¡±

    ¡°Uh, yes. You could say I was a fan, and I dabble occasionally,¡± Ian said, confused.

    ¡°I can tell, you have that air about you,¡± Thatcher said, studying Ian for a moment.

    ¡°Kurtis, we think someone might have continued your old research. There was a villain managed to break two individuals out of a secure Argus facility with an unknown device that seemed to be capable of spacial manipulation.¡±

    ¡°Really? Now that is interesting.¡± Thatcher said, leaning back and steepling his fingers. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you probably know, my research into space-manipulating technology was abandoned and locked away in the Argus archives after CADMUS was shut down.¡±

    ¡°Wait, your research is in the Argus archives?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°I assume so. Either that or destroyed. They denied my requests for it,¡± Thatcher said.

    ¡°Argus has old CADMUS reports, but I checked their archives for your research. It never made it into Argus¡¯s custody,¡± Ian said.

    ¡°Hm. Now that is worrisome,¡± Thatcher replied, appearing to be deep in thought.

    ¡°But could your research potentially be used as a means of teleportation?¡± Erin asked.

    Thatcher nodded, ¡°Yes, it could be used to fold and create an isolated pocket of space-time, a kind of pocket dimension if you will.¡±

    ¡°And that would let someone transport people?¡±

    ¡°Well, it would allow transportation into and out of the pocket dimension from remote locations, but there would have to be an entry point at the location you wanted to travel from, and one where you wanted to travel to,¡± Thatcher explained.

    ¡°Is there anything you could give us that might help us find whoever is using the tech, or maybe a way to track it?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°One thing that I never managed to do was create a useful way of moving an entry point while maintaining the integrity of the pocket itself, but I theorized that it would give off a unique magnetic field. If you would be willing to wait for a moment, I might be able to make you something that could give you a rough¡­¡±

    An urgent buzzing grabbed Thatcher¡¯s attention. The office phone on his desk had a red light blinking frantically.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Erin asked, tensing up.

    ¡°It¡¯s a perimeter breach¡­¡± Thatcher trailed off.

    Erin stood up suddenly and looked panicked. ¡°Guy¡¯s, I can¡¯t use my powers.¡±

    Oh no. Dread and panic filled my stomach as I reached out for my powers only to find them unresponsive. It was like a puzzle piece was missing, a part of me was gone. It was odd, I¡¯d wanted my powers gone for so long, but now that I needed them, they were gone. I guess that was irony for you.

    ¡°Dr. Thatcher, we need to get you out of here,¡± Erin said.

    Adam drew both his guns and moved to cover the door. I hadn¡¯t noticed it at first, but there was no denying the faint humming in the back of my jaw.

    ¡°Hallway¡¯s clear,¡± Adam said, looking to Erin for orders.

    ¡°Adam, I think we need your other self. Will the dampener stop you?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°No, I can still feel him.¡±

    ¡°Will you?¡± She asked.

    He nodded and pulled his mask over his head. He went still for a moment, almost seeming to faint, before jerking upright, and laughing. ¡°What¡¯s the occasion?¡± he asked in a strange tone of voice. It was almost¡­happy?

    ¡°Our powers aren¡¯t working, there is a dampener somewhere, and we¡¯re with Dr. Thatcher. We have to get him to safety, and there is at least one intruder that we¡¯re assuming is hostile,¡± Erin explained.

    What was going on here?

    ¡°Hey, new guy!¡± Adam said, turning towards me. ¡°Nice to see you again!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯ve-¡±

    ¡°-Drop it, Nate,¡± Erin hissed as Adam pushed out into the hall. ¡°Come on, Dr. Thatcher.¡±

    Erin almost shoved Dr. Thatcher forward as Ian and I formed a sort of loose barricade around them while Adam took the lead. He moved down the hall, momentarily stopping at the junctions we passed on the way in, briefly checking the adjoining hallways for signs of hostiles.

    ¡°Clear!¡±

    ¡°Clear!¡±

    ¡°Clea-¡±

    At the third junction, Adam suddenly let off a series of rounds, alternating fire between his twin guns. Then he dove to the side right before I was blinded by a torrent of yellow light. The beam was brief, but it left a smoldering crater on the wall.

    Adam spun himself into a sort of seated position on the ground and unloaded more rounds at the unseen attacker before violently jumping out of the way of another energy beam. Then I saw the¡­thing. It was humanoid but looked like it was made of rubber or tar with a shifting pattern of glowing yellow lines covering its entire body.

    The glowing lines around its hands flared up before firing two separate beams, one at Adam and one at Dr. Thatcher. Erin managed to tackle Thatcher to the ground, saving him from the fate of the wall behind his head.

    I hated feeling useless. There wasn¡¯t any way I could go up against this thing without my powers. Adam had his guns, but even they seemed useless. The material the thing was made of merely rippled when the bullets struck. Ian had pressed himself against the wall, trying to stay out of the thing¡¯s line of sight.

    With its laser barrage proving ineffective, the goo changed tactics. Its arm suddenly launched out at Adam, stretching like it was made of putty. Even though Adam was almost inhumanly fast, the arm just whipped around and coiled around his arm. It yanked Adam into the air before slamming him into the floor.

    ¡°Ian,¡± Erin whispered. ¡°Take Dr. Thatcher back the way we came and find another way out.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Ian asked, a petrified look on his face.

    ¡°Help our teammate,¡± She said, standing up from her cover. Ian rushed over and helped Dr. Thatcher up before urging him down the hall. I just stayed where I was: hidden behind a stack of plastic-covered crates. Like a coward.

    The goo-man was still focused on thrashing Adam but snapped to look at Erin with its eyeless face when she was still a few steps away. It tossed Adam to the side and shot out it¡¯s taffy-like arm at Erin. She was hit in her midsection and throw back against the wall. Then the body rushed forward like it was reeling itself in. It slammed into Erin and the wall, its body deforming around her. The goo raised its free hand, and the glowing lines flared up like it was getting ready to¡­

    Oh God.

    I felt weak and my heart skipped a beat when the laser fired at point-blank range.  But when the glare faded, Erin was still there, unscathed, grinning from ear to ear and glowing slightly green. Her powers were back, but how? Then I saw it, her right hand was griping a small, crushed object. The power dampener?

    The goo pulled back in alarm, but Erin¡¯s glow turned from green to red and she let off a punch. Her fist connected with the goo¡¯s chest region and it acted like a bomb went off, the substance rippling like water as the figure launched back, collapsing into a puddle on the floor.

    I realized the hum was gone from my skull and reached out to my powers. I felt the familiar presence press against the back of my mind and the pricks of cold as the energy enveloped me. It surprised me how much of a relief it was to have back, and how anxious I¡¯d been without it.

    ¡°Nate, go after Ian and Thatcher, make sure they¡¯re alright.¡±

    I nodded and started after the twin geniuses. My energy gave me a boost and after rounding the corner, I spotted them at the end of the hall.

    ¡°Nate, look out!¡± I turned around to see the dark form of the goo flying after me. ¡°Flying, really!?¡±

    The goo brushed past me, whipping out its arm that seemed to rapidly grow. I braced myself as it slammed me into the wall, luckily the energy padded the worst of the pain.

    Continuing on its way, the figure easily caught up to Ian and Thatcher. Erin rushed past me while I tried to tear myself from the me-shaped crater in the wall. Erin¡¯s color had changed to blue and she was moving just as fast as the goo had, but it didn¡¯t matter.

    Ian was effortlessly tossed to the side as the goo seemed to explode, covering Thatcher before enveloping him. The man let out a scream that was quickly cut off by the tar-like material covering his mouth.

    It took the figure a moment, but Thatcher¡¯s shape soon dissolved into the form. Damn it. He was gone. Erin was still running at full speed towards the thing, but it didn¡¯t seem worried, in fact it almost seemed to¡­smile?

    Before Erin could reach it, the black and yellow goo lifted into the air before flying through a window in a shower of glass before disappearing from view.

 Focus 2.08

    ¡°You allowed Dr. Thatcher to be captured?¡±

    I felt like I was a trouble student sent the principal¡¯s office. Hollands carried himself like a high school principal, or maybe a college dean. He sat so rigidly in his chair I was afraid his spine might snap at any second.

    ¡°Yes, Sir. Unfortunately,¡± Erin said quietly.

    Hollands sighed, not relaxing his posture in the slightest. ¡°I¡¯m giving the case to A.S.E.T.¡±

    Erin tensed and was about to protest, but Hollands raised his hand. ¡°Corey is still recovering, Ian and Nathaniel have near-major injuries, and the press has caught wind of your¡­draw with Shard in Chicago. Do you think I should allow you to continue down this path when you¡¯ve only been met with failure?¡±

    ¡°Sir, with all due respect, I think benching us would be a mistake. As much as I don¡¯t like it, Argus wanted the Argonauts to be press favorites. If they see you treat us like children that get a band-aid and juice box when they scrape their knee, they won¡¯t take us seriously.¡±

    ¡°Is that your only argument?¡± Hollands asked, arching a single eyebrow.

    ¡°And Ian has a lead. He thinks he can track the warping tech.¡±

    Hollands thought for a moment. ¡°Fine, you can keep the case, but before you go anywhere, you reach out to the nearest regional team in that area and request backup. Understood?¡±

    Erin nodded, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Good. You¡¯re dismissed,¡± Hollands said. Erin motioned for us to move and we all got up and started to file out of the room.

    ¡°And Ms. Vuorela¡­¡± Hollands called out.

    Erin turned around, her face set, expecting to be reprimanded.

    ¡°Lead with the second part next time.¡±

    Erin let off a short laugh, relaxing. ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    The rest of us were waiting for her out in the hallway. Corey had his arm in a sling to keep him from accidentally moving his chest, but it was a good reminder of his brush with death.

    Erin pulled the door shut behind her and looked around at us before settling on Ian. ¡°Are you sure you can track this thing?¡±

    ¡°I think so, but I¡¯m going to have to visit the workshop. Dr. Thatcher is the one who gave me the idea. Once you broke the dampener that thing was carrying and I got my powers back, I noticed a strange signal I hadn¡¯t seen before. It stands to reason that it was coming from the goo.¡±

    ¡°Workshop?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s an area of Argus¡¯s Research & Design building that heroes can dabble around in. Wanna come with?¡± Ian asked.

    ¡°Sure, might as well check it out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room,¡± Corey said, turning to walk off.

    ¡°Not a bad idea, we could use some decent R&R,¡± Erin said. ¡°Ian, when you¡¯re done come let us know.¡±

    ¡°Aye aye, boss,¡± Ian said, motioning for me to follow.

    Ian opted to skip the elevator and briskly walk down the set of stairs that separated the main level from the floor with Mr. Hollands¡¯ office. We had to move to the side of the hallway to let a squad of soldiers by. There always seemed to be something going on here, always a rush. It was like a hive of black and gray bees.

    We left the central administration building and started down the slight slope towards one of the buildings around the perimeter of the complex.

    ¡°So, you said this place is for the techies to come and have a place to work?¡± I asked, looking up to see a trio of drop ships landing nearby.

    ¡°Exactly. Most of the more established ones have their own state-of-the-art workshops, but those take lots of funding. For upstarts, this place is like a heavenly playground. And something else that makes it cool is the chance to network with some of the pros who visit to share ideas and come together to work on projects together.¡±

    Part of me wished I was one of the tech types, but then again, that would require Math.

    A set of automatic doors parted to reveal what looked like an aircraft hangar with projects scattered around as far as the eye could see. The floor was broken up into several rectangular areas that the heroes seemed to be allowed to work in with large alleys between them to move things around. There were mech suits, drones, cannons the size of semi-trucks, and more than a dozen other things I couldn¡¯t even recognize.

    ¡°Woah,¡± I gawked, looking around.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ian said, ¡°I had the same reaction the first time I saw it too. Come on, I¡¯ll show you my area.¡±

    I managed to tear my gaze away and follow Ian past the projects in various stages of completion to an industrial-sized elevator that took us down past another floor nearly identical to the one above. This one had several open areas that were free of clutter and waiting to be used. The biggest difference between this floor and the one above was an extra area at the far end of the room. It looked like a missile silo, but what was eye-catching was the massive mech standing in the pit.

    ¡°No way!¡± Ian said, lighting up like a child on Christmas.

    He took off, practically sprinting across the room. I don¡¯t think he even moved this fast when he was trying to get Thatcher to safety. Summoning a bit of energy around me feet, I gave myself a boost to catch up to Ian.

    There were two people standing at the edge of the pit, one of them was the robot man I saw when I first met the Argonauts (I later learned he went by Shinobi), and the other one I recognized immediately: Colossus.

    He was a solo hero who didn¡¯t have any powers, but that didn¡¯t stop him from being one of the most famous and well-liked heroes on the planet.  He wasn¡¯t so much the villain-fighting type, though he did do that on occasion. He usually only responded to natural disasters and Class 1 threats; monsters and the like.

    Most tech heroes had flashy weapons or useful tech, but they all paled compared to the 100+ foot tall mechs Colossus wielded. I didn¡¯t recognize the one he and Shinobi were standing in front of, though. Was it a new one? The Rhodes, his default suit, was mostly red and a good bit larger than this one which sported a sleek black and gold color scheme.

    Ian almost skidded to a stop way too close to the hero. Shinobi¡¯s mask? Faceplate? Whatever it was, it kept me from seeing his expression, but Colossus¡¯s uneasy glare turned into a broad smile when he realized Ian wasn¡¯t trying to attack him.

    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry to interrupt, but I just have to say I¡¯m a huge fan.¡±

    The man¡¯s smile widened. I could see why people like him; he was tall, handsome, and had a winning smile. ¡°You¡¯re one of the new Argonauts, right? Pleasure to meet you.¡±

    Miraculously, Ian didn¡¯t melt.

    ¡°Yes, Sir, I¡¯m Ian Moore, aka Clyffe. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what are you doing here? I thought you were based out of Kansas.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I was consulting with Mr. Akira about improving the neural link with my suits, specifically with my newest one: Nero,¡± Colossus said, motioning to the behemoth behind him.

    ¡°Very impressive,¡± Ian said, studying the mech.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had an issue with combating smaller targets in the past, this should hopefully serve as an effective means of crowd control and target suppression. A walking power dampener.¡±

    ¡°Awesome,¡± Ian said.

    ¡°What are you here for?¡± Colossus asked, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°We¡¯re working on a way to track down a potential means of technological teleportation.¡±

    ¡°Really? Now that is something new. How do you suppose your target achieved It?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ¡°Spacial folding based on research done by Dr. Kurtis Thatcher during the reign of CADMUS. I think someone has created an artificial pocket dimension and has several mobile entrances and exits that can span a nearly infinite distance while maintaining a the spacial fold. According to a brief conversation we had with Dr. Thatcher, the technology to create the spacial fold would generate a trackable magnetic signature.¡±

    Both of Colossus¡¯ eyebrows rose in surprise. He stroked his bearded chin as he pondered what Ian said.

    ¡°Now if you were trying to build a device here, you would have to get it within range of one of the entrances in order to map out the rest, correct?¡±

    Ian nodded, ¡°I believe so.¡±

    ¡°That would still leave you in the dark until you managed to track down one of said entrances.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes. It isn¡¯t a flawless plan, but it¡¯s the best I think we can do.¡±

    ¡°Not so fast, I think I might be able to help. It just so happens that I own quite a few satellites currently in orbit. Several of those are used to monitor the Earth¡¯s magnetic field to watch for abnormalities. If you could help me write the search parameters, I might be able to help you find any entrances that happen to be out there.¡±

    Ian lit up, ¡°Seriously? That would be¡­fantastic!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Akira, would you like to join us?¡±

    The mechanical man shook his head, ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I¡¯m afraid A.S.E.T. requires my attention. I will send you the files we spoke of; I believe it will make integration easier.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Colossus said with a handshake.

    And then he noticed me.

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t believe I caught your name.¡±

    ¡°Uh, Nate Peterson,¡± I said, accepting his handshake.

    ¡°Are you working on this project too?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no Sir. I was just tagging along. I think I¡¯ll leave you two to it and check in with the rest of the team.¡±

    Ian seemed torn, but when he caught me eyeing him, he put on a blank expression.

    ¡°Well then, nice meeting you, Nate,¡± Colossus said as he steered Ian towards his work area.

    Seeing everything in the workshop area was neat, but I wasn¡¯t the kind of guy you wanted to give you a hand around expensive electronics. I made my way back up the hill to the central building before walking to the team¡¯s dorms. The common room was empty which probably meant everyone was either in their rooms or in the cafeteria getting food.

    Come to think of it, lunch sounded pretty good. While I was debating on trying the food, Erin came out of her room in workout gear.

    ¡°Hey, Nate. I was just about to hit the gym, wanna join me? Maybe we can finally give your powers a proper test.¡±

    ¡°Only if you promise we can eat afterward,¡± I said with a grin.

    Erin chuckled, ¡°Sure. Get changed and I¡¯ll meet you down there. You remember how to get to the room we were training in when Hollands first introduced you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll meet you down there,¡± I said, ducking into my room. I grabbed a pair of gym shorts and headed down to meet Erin. When I walked through the door, she was already warming up with a few kicks and punches. A faint red glow surrounded her, apparently a sign she was using her powers. I¡¯d also seen her blue and green.  Maybe I¡¯d get the chance to ask her about it.

    ¡°Ready to go?¡± She asked, walking over. I suddenly remembered how much bigger she was than me.

    ¡°Ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡±

    ¡°Good. Now come on and get your power going,¡± she said, her glow increasing in intensity.

    I took a deep breath and summoned my own glow. Something that had once been so alien to me now felt oddly like a comfort. Wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about that.

    ¡°Have you ever done martial arts?¡± Erin asked, getting into a fighting stance.

    ¡°No, just a few boxing classes,¡± I replied, putting up my arms.

    ¡°Boxing? Alright, it¡¯s a pretty good start. Come on, throw a punch.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± I asked.

    Erin just laughed, ¡°Scared to hit a girl?¡±

    ¡°No-¡±

    I didn¡¯t get a chance to finish what I was saying. Erin caught me with a sucker punch propelled by superhuman strength. I¡¯d say it was at least as hard as when Vindicator hit me. I ended up sprawled out on my back, defiantly with a new bruise to add to my growing collection.

    Erin walked over and offered me a hand up. ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down.¡± I sighed "Okay", but when Erin grabbed my forearm, she didn¡¯t just help me up, she flung me like a sack of flour. Up was the same thing as down until I hit the ground again with a thud.

    This time I got the message. Fool me once and all that. Erin was coming closer again, but this time I managed to scramble to my feet first. ¡°Come on, Nate, think fast.¡± She said throwing another punch. Despite my best efforts to dodge, she caught me with a glancing blow. It didn¡¯t throw me back, but I staggered hard. Erin pressed the attack, throwing another punch.

    Once again, the floor rapidly made my acquaintance. Erin was right next to me and I could tell she was moving for another attack. Luckily, my power decided to make itself useful. My vision flashed blue, and when it cleared, I was a few feet away.

    ¡°Nice hustle, but that wasn¡¯t you, was it?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± I admitted.

    ¡°What is it then, a vision?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s similar, but my power kind of¡­takes over, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Fucking lucky,¡± Erin said with a grin before her glow suddenly turned blue. She crossed the ten or so feet between us in a split second before switching back to red and punching me in my midsection. Even with my energy protecting me from the worst of it, the punch still knocked the breath out me.

    ¡°Oh God,¡± I wheezed. ¡°Give me a second.¡±

    ¡°Hm, maybe not so lucky. You''re going to get yourself or someone else killed if you rely on your autopilot to kick in. You have to use your powers proactively. We both know you can move fast and hit hard so do it!¡±

    She was right. I did somehow manage to throw a car; I could throw her, right?

    Come on, focus, I thought to myself as I started to feel I could breathe again. Wait, that was it! A plan was quickly coming together. Erin had done what she had just chided me for: she dropped her guard.

    Still acting like I was winded, I psyched myself up to use my energy to move. I gave a mental wiggle and the energy flowed back and forth around me in response. Throwing myself forward, I rushed to Erin, throwing a punch just like she¡¯d done to me.

    Of course, it didn¡¯t work. The light around her turned green and it felt like I hit solid steel. I have to move, I suddenly thought. Sticking to my new strategy, I jerked me and my energy back just as Erin threw another punch. This time, I was fast enough, and she only hit air.

    I grinned to myself, but I really shouldn¡¯t have celebrated prematurely. Erin cycled through blue and red in quick succession, closing the gap and hitting me with another painful punch.

    ¡°Shit,¡± I hissed, trying to not get frustrated.

    ¡°Nate, you have to pay attention to your opponent. Most of them will probably have powers that make every fight different.¡±

    ¡°Might help if I knew exactly what your powers were.¡±

    Erin shook her head and grinned. ¡°Not going to be that easy. Villains don¡¯t go around handing out itemized lists of what they can do. I know you¡¯ve seen me use my powers, put it all together.¡±

    Fine. Red was strength, that was fairly obvious according to my bruises. Blue was what? Speed? It seemed to fit the pattern, but she was really fast. At least as fast as me. That left green. I didn¡¯t remember her using that one as often, then I thought back to our fight with the goo. She tanked a laser beam to the face that blasted a crater into a cinderblock wall. So, it made her tough? Whether it was right or not, I didn¡¯t have any other guesses.

    She seemed to stay red most of the time, so that meant I could probably move faster than she could, and while I couldn¡¯t hit harder, I could hit her hard enough.

    Erin was still coming at me, so I decided to go on the offensive. I rushed forward like I did before, but I didn¡¯t attack. Erin threw another punch, but I managed to move out of the way. Now it was my turn. Erin turned green again, but I wasn¡¯t surprised. My punch did nothing, but then Erin turned red to let loose another punch.

    Using my speed advantage, I managed to land a right hook before she could. Erin looked surprised, but she quickly broke into a smile. ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it!¡±

    The more I used my powers, the more they felt like they were a part of me, like they had always been a part of me just like my arm or my leg. But something felt like it was¡­missing. Oddly enough, I remember exactly when it didn¡¯t feel this way. When I first used my energy¡­beam...thing I was running on emotion, but when I felt the energy coursing through me¡­

    Erin threw several more punches and I managed to evade a most of them, even got in one or two more past her green state, but it was clear she was the better fighter. She was more in tune with her powers than I was with mine. I needed that connection if I was ever going become any kind of hero.

    I pressed against the presence at the back of my mind, trying to reach into it. Nothing. I tried again, redoubling my efforts. Something happened this time: Erin clocked me in the jaw. I sprawled out on my back, but the impact was the mental edge I needed. I clawed at the thing in my head, and I finally broke through.

    I could feel the energy pulse through me, ready to obey. ¡°Go green!¡± I yelled, aiming my hand at Erin. She listened and once I saw she had changed, I let the energy loose. It wasn¡¯t as strong as the one I fired at Shard, but it was still impressive.  I tried to aim for her shoulder or arm, but it didn¡¯t matter. She was completely unscathed and smiling like an idiot.

    ¡°Nice job,¡± She said, letting her glow fade and offering me a hand up.

    ¡°No tricks?¡± I asked.

    Erin laughed. ¡°Nah, training over.¡±

    I accepted her hand and true her word, she helped me to my feet. ¡°You managed to control your powers, well done.¡±

    ¡°You still kicked my ass,¡± I laughed as we headed back for the elevator.

    Erin shrugged, ¡°You still have a lot of work to do. I¡¯ve had a few years to get used to my powers, and you¡¯ve had what? A few days?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I think You¡¯re right. I still don¡¯t know if I know everything I can do,¡± I said. That reminded that I meant to aske Erin about her powers. ¡°But what about you? What exactly can you do?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you figure it out during the fight?¡±

    ¡°I think so, but I don¡¯t know how they work. So red makes you stronger, blue makes you faster, and green makes you tougher?¡±

    ¡°Invincible.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°When I¡¯m green, I¡¯m practically invincible. I call myself Norn after the three Nornir of Norse Mythology. They represented fate, and loosely the past, present and future. I thought they lined up with my powers reasonably well. When I glow blue, I can see the recent paths that moving things have taken. I can use that kinetic energy to make myself move faster. So, when you jumped back, I could move just as fast as you could with the addition of my natural speed. When I¡¯m green, I lock myself into my current physical state. I can¡¯t get physically hurt.¡±

    ¡°Like with the laser from the goo.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. And when I¡¯m red, I can access strength I¡¯ve built up while using it. As far as I, and Argus, can tell, I¡¯m not bound by human strength in my red state. I keep getting stronger and stronger. Might be as strong as Vindicator or the Eagle one day. Who knows?¡±

    I smiled at the thought as we walked out of the elevator. ¡°Did you ever think of joining another team?¡±

    ¡°I did after I was sanctioned. The Union was an option. They had an opening on their northern European team. It would let me be close some of my family back in Finland, but I would be a relative nobody on their roster. There were other small teams that reached out, but I wanted to make a difference, you know? Argus seemed to give me that chance. What about you? James told me the Regents offered you a spot on their team. Why didn¡¯t you join?¡±

    Of course, she¡¯d ask a question that would force me to lie. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I-¡±

    ¡°-Erin, we found it!¡±

    Both of us looked in surprise at Ian sprinting down the hall. He stopped and took a second to catch his breath, ¡°We found it.¡±

    ¡°The goo?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ian said with a smug grin.

 Focus 2.09

    ¡°Are you sure about this, Ian?¡± Erin asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

    ¡°Positive,¡± Ian stressed, getting more annoyed with every round of questioning. ¡°Mr. Simmons¡¯ satellite detected a magnetic signature in this area exactly like the one I noticed when Dr. Thatcher was taken.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Simmons?¡± I asked, not recognizing the name.

    ¡°Colossus. His real name is Simmons.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re on a first name basis with him now?¡± Whitney teased.

    ¡°Haha. I think you all are jealous that I got to know a real pro hero,¡± Ian replied.

    ¡°Well, Nate knows Cypher, so he wins.¡± Whitney said with a smug grin.

    ¡°Really, you know Cypher?¡± Ian asked in disbelief.

    I shrugged, ¡°He broke into my house.¡±

    Whitney rolled her eyes, but the drop ship landed with a thud, distracting her and Ian from their attempts to one up each other. We grabbed our things and followed Erin down the rear ramp.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we were meeting with a local?¡± Adam asked, scanning the almost deserted Argus section of the Wichita Regional airport.

    ¡°The closest ¡®major¡¯ team is in Dallas. They didn¡¯t want to spare anyone, so they reached out to solo acts. They said they would be meeting us here,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see anyone,¡± Whitney said. ¡°I still wish you would have let me stay behind.¡±

    ¡°Corey will be fine, we need you with us on this one,¡± Erin said, leading us through the airport. It wasn¡¯t anything fancy as far as airports go, but not a bad little place.

    ¡°Why would our goopy friend be out here in the middle of nowhere?¡± I asked, thinking aloud.

    ¡°I guess we really don¡¯t know much of anything,¡± Erin said as we left the terminal and stepped outside. There was a man standing in front of an Argus transport truck holding a sign saying, ¡°Welcome Argonauts¡±.

    Was this guy our backup? He didn¡¯t look like any kind of hero. He was wearing flannel, jeans, boots, and a baseball cap. Defiantly not standard hero wear.

    ¡°Howdy everybody. I reckon you¡¯re the Argonauts.¡±

    ¡°Uh. Yes, Sir,¡± Erin said, cautiously shaking the man¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m Norn, team leader.¡±

    ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Norn. I¡¯m Boondock, but you can call me Marshall.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re our backup?¡±

    ¡°I suppose so. From what I¡¯ve been told, ya¡¯ll are tracking down a villain of some sort.¡±

    Erin nodded, ¡°We think it¡¯s someone with teleportation tech and a¡­fluid suit of some kind. It was like fighting living goo.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention the lasers,¡± Adam said.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re talking about an amorphous, teleporting suit that can fire lasers?¡± Boondock asked, a puzzled look on his face.

    ¡°And it can fly,¡± Erin added.

    ¡°Sounds like a fun afternoon. You have any idea where this villain might be hidin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I have a way to track it,¡± Ian said, stepping forward and showing a small device. It looked like one of the tablets I saw Argus agents carrying around back at HQ.

    ¡°Perfect. Climb in and we¡¯ll be off,¡± Boondock said, walking around to the driver¡¯s side of the truck. It looked like a military vehicle; heavily armored and black with the Argus logo printed on the side. It was just like the one we were in when we visited the prison. They were clearly built for utility and not comfort. That seemed to be a fitting theme for Argus in general: utility not comfort.

    ¡°Ian, ride up front since you have the tracker,¡± Erin ordered. She filed in the back with Adam, Whitney, and me. The back of the truck was a bit sparse on windows. They were small metal shutters that you could fit the barrel of a gun through, but not large enough to really see much through.

    Almost as soon as we pulled away from the curb, Adam fell asleep. Whitney seemed more reserved than usual, but still seemed to smile whenever anyone looked at her. I ended up looking out the front window most of the time. If it wasn¡¯t for the trees and houses, the entire place would seem flat.

    And the flatness continued to become more apparent the further from the city we went. ¡°Again, why would the slime be out here?¡± I asked.

    I could tell Erin was getting annoyed, ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here; to find out why.¡±

    ¡°I might have a few ideas if you don¡¯t mind me sharin¡¯,¡± Boondock said from behind the wheel.

    ¡°Sure, go ahead,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how familiar you all are with this part of the country as it pertains to metahumans, but this area used to be quite popular with speedster types. I used to respond to quite a few speedsters causing trouble.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d you stop speedsters?¡± Ian asked.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say they tend to trip a lot more frequent around me,¡± Boondock answered with a grin.

    ¡°You said used to?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°Right. There haven¡¯t really been as many speedsters running around lately. Honestly, I can only think of a few. Rumor has it that there¡¯s a boogeyman of sorts offing speedsters. Don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true, but some of the less notably villainous fast-movers have gone quiet.¡±

    ¡°What could kill speedsters?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Usually? Other speedsters,¡± Boondock said.

    <hr>

    ¡°This is the place,¡± Ian said.

    ¡°What is this place?¡± Adam asked, looking at the abandoned industrial buildings in front of us.

    ¡°Fertilizer plant,¡± Whitney said, pointing at a sign partially fallen over from neglect.

    ¡°Everyone be on guard. Boondock, what¡¯s your power class?¡± Erin asked, looking back at our chaperone.

    ¡°Anomalous, and Type A Kinetic.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your anomalous?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s something like probability manipulation. Works better the number of variables I have to play with.¡±

    ¡°And the Kinesis?¡±

    ¡°Standard superhuman set: slightly stronger, little bit tougher,¡± Boondock replied.

    ¡°Prophet and I will take point, the rest of you stay close and don¡¯t wander off. Riot, keep your safeties on until we can confirm no civilians, or we get a lock on our target¡¯s position.¡±

    ¡°Roger that,¡± Adam replied, slipping on his mask.

    Erin started faintly glowing green and I took that as my queue to summon my energy. We headed towards the warehouse-like building as a group, quickly covering the distance. Avoid the front door, we skirted around the outside until we found a side entrance.

    ¡°It¡¯s locked,¡± Erin said, trying the knob.

    ¡°Let me,¡± Boondock said. He walked past us and jiggled the handle seemingly at random. Then there was a slight ¡°click¡± and the hero managed to swing the door open. He gave a wink before gesturing for us to lead the way.

    To be entirely honest, I wasn¡¯t looking forward to fighting the goo again, much less anyone else it might be with. Still, we must have looked cool as we crept through the halls. We moved past several offices before entering the warehouse proper.  The place looked old and run down. Sunlight filtered in through cracks in the roof, illuminated shafts of dust that hung suspended in the air.

    Rows of shelves and stacked boxes turned the place into a maze. Why did Erin make us take the lead? If we ran into anything, it would be my shins that would take the hit.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    Suddenly, Erin held me back, gesturing for us to be quiet. We all peeked over a short wall of crates and found our targets. The slime was here, looking humanoid with it¡¯s back turned to us. Shard, Morales, and Cooke stood near it, all facing a fifth person. I didn¡¯t recognize him, but he was rather tall and built like a brick wall.

    ¡°Shit. All of them?¡± Whitney hissed as Adam quietly disengaged his safeties.

    ¡°Shh,¡± Ian said, acting like he was listening.

    ¡°¡­I hope you¡¯ll accept our offer¡­¡±

    Whose voice was that? The slimes? The accent wasn¡¯t American; probably British or something similar. That eliminated most of the group, but I still couldn¡¯t place it. Then I saw the slime guy was holding something. A tablet?

    The voice stopped and the device disappeared back into the goo¡¯s body. It was strange, until you saw the slime shift, it almost looked like smooth tire rubber. Like it had structural integrity until it chose to liquify.

    ¡°What¡¯s our move?¡± Adam whispered, drawing another motion to wait from Erin.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see how this plays out first. We might need backup with all of them here.¡±

    ¡°Threat level?¡± Boondock asked.

    ¡°At least Class III, maybe Class II,¡± Ian replied.

    ¡°So, what do you say?¡± I focused back on the herd of villains when I heard Shard¡¯s voice. I¡¯d only heard it briefly during the fight in Chicago, but it was easy to recognize.

    ¡°Show me the armor,¡± The unknown man said in an African accent.

    Shard lazily waved his hand, and a metal case floating nearby opened. I couldn¡¯t see what was inside from where I was crouched, but the large man seemed unimpressed.

    ¡°Trust me, once you try it, you¡¯ll love it,¡± the villain seemed to almost hum.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that,¡± The mystery man said. As he walked over to look at the contents of the case. The man had a large form, but he had a striking appearance besides that. Dark skin was accented by almost white blonde hair and light patches on his face that almost seemed to form an ¡®X¡¯ centered on the bridge of his nose.

    ¡°You¡¯re in luck, then,¡± A voice from the slime said, turning to look where we were hiding. ¡°Those heroes we warned you would come are hiding over there.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± I said, getting ready to fight.

    ¡°Retrea-¡±

    Erin¡¯s order was cut off by a sudden gust of wind that threw us all to the ground. Ian was the first to realize what had happened.  ¡°He¡¯s a speedster!¡±

    ¡°Norn, what¡¯s our move?¡± Boondock asked, moving himself into a kneeling position and checking on the group of villains still across the room.

    ¡°Norn?¡± he asked again, confused, looking round wildly for our leader.

    ¡°Shit, the speedster took her,¡± Ian said.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the only thing he took,¡± Shard mused, looking at the empty crate that had apparently held armor for the speedster.

    I stole a glance over the barrier of crates and saw the villains stalking toward us. Morales was already reptilian, and Cooke was crackling with bright purple energy. The Goo had levitated slightly in the air, its fists glowing, ready to fire its lasers.

    Shard looked like a monster all his own. His face seemed to be wreathed in mirth as his eyes burned with hunger. Knives floated around him in a deadly cloud that glinted in the light of the warehouse.

    ¡°Prophet, strike first, don¡¯t let them throw the first punch,¡± Boondock whispered.

    ¡°You mean my energy blasts?¡±

    ¡°Sure, whatever you have. I just had a hunch, and I always trust my hunches.¡±

    I nodded and reached out to my power.

    ¡°Get ready to move, I¡¯ll cover your retreat,¡± Whitney said, placing her palms on the floor. Glowing lines began to race out across the floor, turning the entire building into a bomb.

    Everyone but Whitney started filing out the say we came as I broke into the area in the back of my mind. It was like popping a water balloon or breaking a dam. Energy started coursing through my arms, and I prepared myself for what I was about to do.

    Jumping up from behind our cover, I unleashed the beams of energy from my hands. It unsettled me a bit how much easier it was getting to tap into my new trick, but I couldn¡¯t argue with the results. Shard and his knives vanished before the energy could hit him, but the Goo seemed slightly more like a team player. It stretched out forming a wall in front of Cooke and Morales. A forcefield of yellow energy sprang to life and my blast didn¡¯t do much more than cause it to ripple.

    ¡°Get out of here, Nate. Once this thing blows, I¡¯ll be the only thing left in one piece,¡± Whitney said, smoke beginning to flow down from her hair. She seemed like she was trying to hold back anger boiling right below the surface. I hadn¡¯t seen her like this before; her friendly personality was gone.

    The area under the effect of her power was already almost twenty feet across and spreading rapidly. Patterns were beginning to form as the glowing embers traced themselves across the floor. I nodded and hurried through the maze of shelves. I really didn¡¯t want to be charbroiled and I had no idea how long Whitney had before the villains pounced.

    I spotted a side door and figured that would be faster than tracing back the long route we took to get into the place. Throwing my energy, the metal door flew open and I caught a glimpse of the barren Kansas landscape before the world went hellish.

    From inside my little bubble of relative safety the sound was muffled, yet it was still enormous like a mountain falling into the ocean. Or a volcano erupting next to your head. Everything was on fire. The sky the ground, everything.

    I wasn¡¯t sure when I hit the ground, but when the ringing in my ears started to die down and my vision partially returned, I realized I was on the ground.  I scrambled up and turned to look at where the warehouse had been.

    Small bits of metal fell around and on me like a gentle rain, the only things that survived Whitney¡¯s crater-forming blast. A few larger chunks of scrap crashed down, and the noise brought me back to reality.  I felt a pang of panic as I looked around for the rest of my team.  Whitney had gone overboard, that was for sure.

    Finally, I spotted Adam crouched behind the Argus truck Boondock had brought us in. I rushed over and let out a relieved sigh when I saw Ian and Boondock were safe too.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Adam asked as he readied an assault rifle he elected to bring along.

    ¡°Whitney lost her cool,¡± Ian said, scanning the horizon. ¡°I hope Erin is okay.¡±

    ¡°One problem at a time,¡± Boondock said. ¡°Your leader is tough, and we still have to deal with anything that survived your friend¡¯s blast.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think anything could survive that,¡± I muttered, realizing I hadn¡¯t seen Whitney yet.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure,¡± Boondock cautioned.

    As if on cue, a pair of hands appeared on the rim of the crater and Adam took aim incase it was one of the villains. Then Whitney popped her head over, grinning. We all let out a collective sigh and Adam lowered his weapon as our teammate hauled herself up and out.

    Whitney stood up and dusted herself off before turning back to the rubble. ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s what you fuckers get!¡± she yelled, raising her hands victoriously before walking back towards us with noticeable swagger. I grinned watching Whitney celebrate, but Boondock didn¡¯t share our exuberance. He walked over to the rim of the indention and seemed to be looking for something.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± He muttered, tensing up.

    ¡°What?¡± Whitney asked, worry creeping into her voice.

    ¡°Your Goo friend isn¡¯t done yet.¡±

    Great. The Goo missed Whitney¡¯s train to kingdom come. Adam and I walked over to stand next to the older hero and saw what he was looking at. A black speck, no bigger than a golf ball was rapidly expanding. In about a second it was the size of a basketball, a second later it was starting to sprout arms and legs before returning to its original shape.

    ¡°Remember, it could have an entire pocket dimension inside of it. No telling how much spare material it has,¡± Ian said. He was hanging back from the edge, and I couldn¡¯t blame him. His powers weren¡¯t exactly useful here.

    ¡°What¡¯s it doing now?¡± Boondock asked.

    The Goo swelled in size momentarily as two human figures stumbled out. ¡°It saved Cook and Morales,¡± I realized aloud. The pair seemed slightly disoriented, but unscathed by the fireball.

    ¡°Come on!¡± Whitney exclaimed, frustrated. Dark smoke began to pour from her hands and hair and I though I saw her eyes glowing and fading in sync with her breathing, but it could have been my eyes playing tricks on me.

    ¡°We need more backup,¡± Boondock said. Turning back to Ian he asked, ¡°Can you see if there are any other heroes in the area? We need anyone who can make it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement,¡± a dreadfully familiar voice snarled. While we were distracted, Shard had appeared right next to us. In the next few seconds, everything seemed to slowdown ever so slightly as a wave of goosebumps rolled over me. It wasn¡¯t the surprise of Shard; it was something different.

    Before Shard could take advantage of his surprise attack, Boondock lashed out, hitting shard in his throat. The villain bent over, clutching his throat as he suddenly found it difficult to breathe, and that¡¯s when Boondock struck again. As Shard¡¯s head dropped, the hero brought his knee up to meet him. The hit changed Shard¡¯s direction entirely, flipping him over on to his back, gurgling as he tried to yell in pain.

    Boondock dove to the ground just before an arc of violet energy shot up from the crater.  Morales was charging towards us while Cooke served as artillery.  The Goo seemed to be passive, just floating in the air and watching.

    Next it was Adam and me that had to scramble to avoid being hit by flying lightning. We hadn¡¯t fought Cooke before, but I remembered his powers from the skirmish he and his lizard friend had with the Regents. We had to be careful if Cooke decided to use his electric bubble.

    Shard disappeared in a swirl of energy, reappearing instantly in a standing position. His face was contorted into rage I didn¡¯t think a human was capable of. He summoned a knife and flung it at Boondock with intent to kill. The hero seemed to grin as I felt the goosebump feeling grow stronger. Boondock almost plucked the blade out of the air before promptly launching it off to his right.

    Morales unluckily climbed up the wall of the crater just in time to be on the receiving end of Boondock¡¯s throw. I winced sympathetically as the blade slipped between his armor plates. The lizard man howled in pain and clutched the wound.

    Shard was bound to attack again, and I wasn¡¯t sure how many times Boondock could pull off that trick with the knives. I tapped into my deeper powers and felt the energy pour though me again for the second time in the past ten minutes. I fired a blast at Shard who manage to teleport away without any consequences.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I exclaimed, looking around for the bastard. Adam opened fire on the still screaming Morales, but a blast of Cooke¡¯s lighting cut his volley short. The bullets didn¡¯t seem to do much against Morales¡¯ armor, but the villains still scurried back down into the crater and relative safety.

    I hurried to Adam¡¯s side, but I didn¡¯t know what to do. He was convulsing as Cooke¡¯s electricity arced around him. First aid wasn¡¯t really my thing, not that I had any idea how to deal with something like this.

    ¡°Are you okay, man?¡±

    ¡°H-hu-hurts like hell,¡± Adam said, finally relaxing as the sparks faded. That was good, at least he wouldn¡¯t fry. He shook his head, as if he was trying to clear it.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m in one piece,¡± He muttered.

    I grinned under my energy, but a flash of blue quickly drained the moment of humor. Suddenly, I was hit in the back by something. I tumbled along the ground and scrambled to see which of the villains had attacked.  The Goo was closing in, its fists charged up for another laser blast aimed at Adam.

    ¡°Shooting me in the back seems like a bit of a dick move,¡± I said, but I doubted the goo heard me.

    Whitney hadn¡¯t managed to destroy it, what could I do? Still, I had to try something. The barrier around my hands glowed blue-white and I unleashed a blast of energy. My aim was a little off, but the Goo still flew to the side. Even when I focused, I couldn¡¯t keep the blast last more than a moment, so I had to charge up another. This time I would have been dead on, but the Slime generated a small forcefield around himself like he had done before Whitney¡¯s bomb.

    I couldn¡¯t hold it off for long, and with Erin gone, we were missing our heaviest hitter. ¡°Ian,¡± I called out, ¡°How¡¯s that backup coming?¡±

    ¡°I got ahold of a hero who was passing though the area, I might have misheard him, but I think he said he was Paladin,¡± Ian said, sounding hopeful.

    No way! No way Paladin was coming to help. I was going to get to see Paladin!

 Focus 2.10

    Shard was quickly becoming a bigger and bigger threat. He seemed to have recovered from Boondock¡¯s throat punch and was hellbent on ripping us apart. Something was different, though. Back in Chicago he was throwing cars and teleporting in way more knives to throw at us. Now he seemed limited to three or for blades, and only teleported when he had to dodge one of our attacks. Was he weaker somehow?

    A blue flash snapped me out of my amateur analysis. When my vision cleared, I noticed a knife sticking into the side of the armor truck right next to my head. Right. Focus. That¡¯s important.

    The blade flew off, cycling into a loose orbit around Shard. He had gathered several small rocks and bits of metal, periodically launching them at us the moment one of us tried to peek out from the cover of the armored truck.

    ¡°Did you get an ETA on that backup by any chance?¡± Boondock asked Ian.

    ¡°All he said was ¡®a few minutes¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Well shit,¡± Boondock muttered.

    A swarm of debris flew past the truck before curving to come back at us. I covered Ian and Whitney hoping Boondock and Adam could fend for themselves.

    Most of the rubble bounced off, but I could feel the bigger pieces hit me through the energy shell.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± I grunted as a particularly large chunk hit me in the shoulder.

    ¡°You good?¡± Whitney asked, looking concerned.

    ¡°Yeah, it just got me good,¡± I said as I stopped shielding them.

    Boondock had somehow managed to avoid getting hit by the shower, and Adam seemed to avoid the worst of it.

    ¡°I think I have a plan,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°Let me guess, more explosions? Tried that; didn¡¯t work,¡± Ian said.

    Whitney looked hurt, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be a dick.¡±

    ¡°Hell. Let¡¯s at least hear it; we need whatever we can get,¡± Boondock said.

    ¡°Prophet, can you lift the truck?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± I said apologetically. Cypher told me I could lift a car, and an armored truck was definitelyout of that weight class.

    Whitney¡¯s face seemed to fall, ¡°Never mind then. I was going to say I could charge the van and you could throw it.¡±

    ¡°You were going to throw away our only cover?¡± Ian questioned.

    ¡°It sounded better in my head!¡± Whitney snapped back.

    ¡°Cool it!¡± Boondock barked. ¡°In a few seconds we¡¯re going to have to deal with Tar-man and Sparky. Cinder, can you direct those little ember things?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Those little glowing things that zip around when you use your powers. Can you control where they go?¡±

    ¡°Kind of,¡± She replied weakly.

    ¡°Hey, focus! You¡¯re our big gun. You are the only one of us that¡¯s managed to stagger them for even a second. We have to hold out until our backup gets here, so we need to catch them off guard and make them think twice about charging.¡±

    Whitney nodded and sat up straighter. ¡°Okay, I can try. What do you want me to do?¡± She asked.

    ¡°From what I can figure, Shard is dead straight behind us. Whenever he teleports, there¡¯s always a short delay before he reappears, and then he doesn¡¯t seem keen on teleporting again for about a second. If you can send your sparklers under the truck to force him to teleport, I can probably guess where he¡¯s about to show up and Prophet can blast him.

    ¡°You game?¡± Boondock asked, looking between Whitney and me.

    Whitney forced a grin and I nodded. Time to tap into my new trick again. I pressed against the presence at the back of my mind and I instantly felt power coursing through me. It was strange, easier than it normally was. Not that I was complaining; being able to shoot lasers was useful.

    ¡°Ready when you are,¡± I said, glancing at Whitney.

    She took a deep breath and placed her hands on the ground. ¡°Guys, get ready to run. I¡¯m not exactly great as doing this, so it might go sideways.¡±

    ¡°Stick with me,¡± Adam said to Ian, the two of them tensing up to start sprinting.

    ¡°Do it,¡± Boondock said.

    Glowing lines instantly started zipping across the ground, but they weren¡¯t exactly going towards the villains. ¡°Go, I can¡¯t control them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you can,¡± Boondock encouraged backing away all the while. ¡°Focus. They are your powers. You control them.¡±

    Whitney closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing. The lines still seemed erratic, but they were steadily moving towards Shard. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s it! Prophet, get ready,¡± Boondock said, moving back and over to me.

    ¡°Fire in the hole!¡± Whitney shouted as two lines of fire and smoke erupted from the ground, flipping the armored truck and forcing Shard to teleport.

    ¡°There!¡± Boondock yelled, pointing at an empty spot a few feet away from where the villain used to be. I raised my hand to fire, but I never got the chance. Blue drowned out my vision the same instant my body exploded with pain.

    I was sliding, tumbling across the ground. The rocks scraped and ripped my skin; my energy was gone, burst from the impact. My whole body was burning from pain; my chest felt like it was in a vice that was crushing the life out of me. Every breath exploded fresh waves of pain. My eyes stung and I felt something hot running down my face, but I didn¡¯t know if it was the tears or blood.

    What hit me? It happened so fast. Stupidly, I tried to turn my head to see what happened to my team. My eyes were still blurry with tears and the movement hurt like hell. I couldn¡¯t help but cry out in pain, which only racked my chest with even more torment.

    It was difficult to make things out, but Adam was easy enough to pick out. He was pointing his rifle wildly, only firing in a short burst before snapping to another target I couldn¡¯t see. Then a red blur rushed past him. Adam¡¯s rifle disappeared from his hands and his right arm was snapped, bent at an impossible angle below his elbow.

    He screamed in pain and dropped to the ground, clutching his arm. A blue blur rushed to his side before turning green. Erin? I knew she could run fast, but still. Suddenly, the red blur returned, and Erin was launched away from Adam insanely fast. A plume of dust kicked up as she slid to a stop, but she popped up unharmed. I would have sighed with relief, but that would hurt too much. Erin took a second to dust herself off before rushing off in a blue blur.

    My vision started to clear, and despite the visceral protest from my body I squirmed to see more of the fight. When I looked at Boondock, a fresh wave of goosebumps washed over me. It was strange every time. Both blurs, the red and blue, were rushing around him, but neither was getting too close.

    Shard was down on a knee, looking exhausted. Something was weakening him here, but I couldn''t figure out what it could be. The Goo seemed to have the same thoughts as me. It lowered itself to the ground and enveloped the telekinetic before lifting back into the sky.  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    The goosebumps got worse and I noticed the red blur stop for a fraction of a second. It was the Speedster from before, no surprise there, but he was decked out in red armor. He looked like a tank; a living cannonball. I¡¯d seen a few speedsters before; they usually had obvious runner builds, but this guy was more like a body builder.

    Boondock didn¡¯t seem to have any defenses, but the Speedster didn¡¯t attack. Erin might have been keeping him back, but I knew she was vulnerable in her blue state. One good hit from the villain would put her out of commission. Near the edge of the crater, Whitney was bombarding what I assume was Cooke and Morales. I couldn¡¯t see inside the pit, but the waves of electricity jumping up was pretty good indication.

    Still, we weren¡¯t going to win. Even with Boondock¡¯s help, I didn¡¯t see how we could. His powers might work well if we were fighting humans, but against metas like these¡­he wasn¡¯t much more than an occasional fluke it seemed like. Erin could stall the Speedster, but she would tire eventually, and I didn¡¯t know if that would be before her opponent or not. Whitney was somehow managing to hold back Sparky and the Lizard, but she didn¡¯t have unlimited ammo in her belt pouches. Adam was down and out, writhing in pain, and Ian was hiding behind a chunk of concrete that managed to stay in one piece. The only reason we weren¡¯t beaten already was Shard¡¯s strange weakness, and the Goo not opening fire on us.

    We needed that backup.

    Oh God, everything hurt. It only seemed to be getting worse. Every breath hurt more than the last and I could swear I saw stars. Was this what dying felt like? No, it couldn¡¯t be. Could it?

    Like an answered prayer, a shadow passed overhead. Something heavy hit the ground behind with what felt like enough force to shake me apart. Heavy footfalls came closer like giant mallets landing on my chest. Something blocked out the sky, and as I strained to focus, a base voice boomed out, ¡°Looks like you took a nasty hit. Let¡¯s see if we can keep you with us a little while longer.¡±

    A golden light wrapped itself around me and I felt relief and peace in places I felt pain just moments before. Sadly, the light faded, and the pain crept back almost as bad as it was before, though not quite. It was more manageable, bearable.

    I managed to focus on the figure standing over me and couldn¡¯t help but gawk. Paladin was standing over me, smiling. I might not have been a big fan of heroes in general, but Paladin was the boldest exception to that rule. He had been a hero for almost sixty years, manifested his powers while serving in Vietnam and going on to save thousands of people. He fought CADMUS, sparing villains that most people would kill without second thought. A real hero in my book.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t heal you much more. Stick in there, champ.¡±

    He smiled before turning to walk towards the villains. Whitney gave one last pitch before scrambling away in time to avoid a massive blast of energy that decimated the chunk of ground she had been standing on. She stumbled, but once she caught herself, she realized who was walking towards her.

    Cooke climbed out of the crater with Morales right on his heels, seemingly healed from his surprised stabbing. Both crooks froze and stared at Paladin in amazed horror. The Goo landed and deformed momentarily as a freshly rested Shard stepped out. He looked puzzled at Paladin¡¯s presence but didn¡¯t seem afraid like his two associates.

    Paladin stopped and stared at the four villains staring at him. He was a literal giant, over seven and a half feet tall and more ripped at over eighty years old than even The Eagle was.  And then he used his powers. It was like a small sun glowed to life, covering everything in a golden glow. The light faded slightly, revealing Paladin enveloped in astral armor. It looked like fantastic plate mail that covered his entire body from head to toe. In his right hand he held a massive sword made from the same golden energy as his armor, and a shallow-dome of energy levitated just above his left arm: The Paladin Shield.

    ¡°These Kids are under my protection. So, who¡¯s first?¡± Paladin asked, moving his sword with a flourish before aiming it at the group of Villains.

    ¡°Redline!¡± A voice from the Goo shouted. The red blur broke away from its stalemate with Erin and rushed towards Paladin. The golden shield vanished from the Hero¡¯s arm, reappearing around the Speedster like as a bubble. The villain seemed to levitate in the center of sphere and lost all traction with the ground.

    Paladin slammed his fist into the bubble, driving the shielded villain into the ground. The force from the punch was explosive, creating a crater. The shield returned to its place on Paladin¡¯s arm and the Speedster remained dazed in the crater, but apparently unharmed.

    It was a classic Paladin move. His shield was reportedly nigh-indestructible when he used it on other people, and he would regularly use it on his enemies so he could hit them without fear of killing them. Still, that tactic had its shortcomings.

    The Speedster zipped out of the hole before Paladin could follow up with any more hits. The Hero tried swinging his sword, but he might as well have been standing still. The Speedster dashed around him, landing supersonic blows to his knees and back. Paladin shrugged off the hits, but the villain was determined.

    ¡°Sorry, but I have more to deal with than you,¡± Paladin said. His shield appeard around villain again, but the sword in his hand changed itself into a massive hammer. Using the oversized weapon like a golf club, the golden hero batted the villain hundreds of feet into the air.

    With the Speedster momentarily out of commission, Paladin was free to focus on the rest of the Villains. Cooke unleashed a torrent of lightning, forcing the hero on the backfoot. Paladin raised his shield and started pushing forward after a momentary pause.

    ¡°Deal with him, Shard!¡± The Goo shouted before rising into the air. It morphed out of its human form into something that looked more like a starfish. It aimed the tips of its leg-things towards the hero before firing a beam of energy from each tip.

    More and more arms began to form as The Goo continued to add firepower to the mix. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw our armored truck rise into the air at the same time Paladin started¡­laughing?

    ¡°Finally, you¡¯re putting up a fight!¡± The hero bellowed joyfully. He took off at a full sprint showing none of his previous hesitation. His shield scattered the combined might of sparky and the Goo harmlessly to the side and created a dazzling show of light.

    When he was still a few giant strides away, Paladin launched himself into the air with a massive leap that carried him squarely into the heart of the villain formation. A broad stroke of his sword severed The Goo cleanly in two, if only momentarily. The Hero didn¡¯t seem to care as the blob reformed, he had already turned his attention to Morales who lashed out with his scales just like he did with us in Chicago.

    The sharp fragments bounced off the glowing giant who caught the lizard man with the broadside of his sword. Morales flew off like a ragdoll and made no move to get up when he landed in a comical puff of dust. I¡¯d hit him harder with the car and he¡¯d been back up in seconds. Was he playing dead? No way. I let out a short laugh that quickly turned into a grunt as my chest made its injured state known again.

    Paladin set his sights on Cooke but didn¡¯t get the chance to attack. Shard seemed to find his opportunity to strike and chose that moment to blindside the hero with the armored truck. The vehicle seemed to wrap itself around the hero as they went flying. The mound of metal and man bounced slightly before Paladin landed feet-first on the ground. He had managed to tear the truck in half like it was made of paper and held the severed halves easily in either hand like they were weightless.

    ¡°Stepping up your game? Let me return the favor!¡± Paladin beamed.

    The giant hurled the multi-ton chunks of truck like deadly fastballs. Shard held up his hands but was forced to teleport out of the way of the first half. On the second one, he redoubled his efforts, and managed to bleed away the momentum and force the wrecked ball of metal to come to a stop. It was impressive, but he was already looking tired again.

    Cooke seemed to realize he was the only villain left in any real fighting condition until the Goo finished pulling itself together, and he seemed to be panicking.  Brilliant flashes of violet energy arced through the air to strike the hero. Cooke¡¯s attacks didn¡¯t behave like regular lightning; they seemed to wrap themselves around Paladin¡¯s arms or legs before fading. It was almost like Cooke was trying to wrap Paladin up and keep him from advancing.

    Not that it was doing much.

    Paladin¡¯s golden armor had protected him from worse. The hero continued to advance, forcing Cooke to backpedal to maintain the distance. Paladin broke into a sprint, and Cooke played his trump card. A massive dome of energy erupted from the villain and washed over Paladin.

    The force of the expanding dome pushed Paladin back before swarming him with the bee-like sparks. Suddenly, the bubble vanished, and the Goo rapidly expanded, shooting tendrils towards its allies. The Speedster made his return only to promptly disappear into the mass of Goo along with Cooke and Morales.

    The Goo shrunk into a shape roughly the size of a basket ball that Shard reached for with an outstretched hand before both disappeared in the telltale sign of Shard¡¯s teleportation.

    ¡°Nate, are you alright?¡± Erin called out. She hurried over with Boondock going to speak with Paladin.

    ¡°Not really. I think my ribs are broken,¡± I said, realizing that talking was about as enjoyable as breathing.

    ¡°Shit,¡± She was visibly upset as she did a quick head count, making sure the rest of the team was in one piece. At least more or less. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I tried to get back, but Redline wouldn¡¯t let me. It was all I could do to avoid him.¡±

    ¡°Redline was the speedster?¡± I asked, remembering the Goo used the name.

    ¡°Yeah, he was very keen on announcing himself,¡± Erin sneered.

    ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±

    Erin shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s my job to keep you all safe.¡±

    She pulled her phone out and walked off, distracted by her thoughts. The rest of the team swarmed Paladin, asking him questions and just being thrilled to meet him in general. I wish I could go talk to him too, but there was no way I was moving unless it was to go to a hospital.

    Then I noticed Adam¡¯s arm was fine, not bent at all. I was going to ask him about that next time I got the chance. It was like one second, he was injured, next thing I knew, he was fine.

    Still, getting to actually meet Paladin and see him fight was incredible. He wasn¡¯t arrogant or conceited like some of the heroes that hogged the media. He was kind of like an old grandfather happy to entertain his grandkids. He was larger than life, and one of the most beloved heroes of all time.

    And then there was me: a traitor.

 Focus 2.11

    It¡¯s time to choose.

    You knew it was coming.

    Why didn¡¯t you stop?

    Branches clawed at my clothes and scratched at my face as I scrambled blindly through the underbrush. A tree suddenly loomed from the fog, clipping my shoulder when I couldn¡¯t move out of the way fast enough. I slid down a steep bank and my already soft footing gave away as I sloshed through a shallow creek and clambered up the wall of earth on the other side, my hands struggling to grip the loose soil.

    You were selfish.

    A hero?

    Pathetic.

    I could hear it getting closer, but I couldn¡¯t see it. A roar of cracking branches and falling trees was chasing me; I had to get away. I couldn¡¯t get away. Why couldn¡¯t I escape? The forest thinned as I ran out into a clearing. There were people huddled on the ground with hoods covering their heads. Like prisoners waiting for the gallows.

    All around me, a wall of darkness constricted until there was nothing but the clearing. Everything else was a dimensionless void.

    ¡°Took you long enough.¡±

    No¡­Why was she here? The Anarchist stepped into the light and wordlessly made her way to the first kneeling figure. With a cheshire grin, she pulled off the hood. Janet? For the first time, I noticed my heartbeat. It wasn¡¯t fast, it was deathly slow. Every beat shook my bones. The villainess went down the line pulling off more hoods. My parents, my sister, Erin, Whitney, Corey, Adam, and Ian. All of them were here; tied up.

    I wanted to save them, but I was frozen, my legs unresponsive. The Anarchist walked over and slipped something cold and metallic into my hand. I looked down and swallowed hard. A gun.

    ¡°Who first?¡±

    <hr>

    Waking up brought pain back. Pain, and the realization it was all just a dream. Argus¡¯ Wichita Field Office wasn¡¯t much, just a converted basement floor of the Police Department.

    ¡°Nightmare?¡±

    Startled, I looked over to see Paladin pouring a mug of coffee. He looked so nonchalant about it, like he was a normal guy. Had I just been passed out? I guess I shouldn¡¯t really be surprised, the doctors gave me some painkillers and wished me luck, and the Field Office didn¡¯t really have a dedicated medical area, so I crashed on a couch in the staff room. Several agents had given me strange looks as they came and went, but at some point, I must have dozed off.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess it was,¡± I said, still awed by getting to meet my idol. Even when he wasn¡¯t glowing like a miniature star, he was still imposing. The mug in his hands looked more like a ceramic thimble. This guy was a legend, my childhood hero, and he was sitting right in front of me! I was talking to him!

    Paladin nodded thoughtfully, ¡°Sadly, it isn¡¯t uncommon among those in our line of work.¡±

    I winced internally. Why did he have to say ¡°our¡±? I wasn¡¯t like him. He was so much more¡­heroic than I was. He was noble, and kind, and powerful while I¡­just wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°So, how is it working with A.S.E.T.?¡±

    Was he making small talk?

    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t really do much with them. I think we¡¯re supposed to be our own thing.¡±

    ¡°Oh, my mistake. I¡¯ve never worked the ¡®Special Enforcement Team¡¯ myself. I guess a giant glowing knight isn¡¯t exactly stealthy,¡± he said with a hearty chuckle.

    It was so strange; he didn¡¯t have the usual demeanor of a hero. Most tried to appear larger than life; boastful and belligerent. Paladin was just talking.

    I smiled a bit and slowly sat up, wincing as my ribs flared up. At this point, I felt like I more of me was bruised than not.

    ¡°Is the pain bad?¡± Paladin asked, noting my grimace.

    ¡°Not as bad as it was.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t heal you any more than I did, but I¡¯m getting old and it takes longer for me to recover than it used to.¡±

    ¡°Well, thank you for doing what you did. I was about to blackout when you got there,¡± I said, finding what he said strange. ¡°But what do you mean recover?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? When I ¡®heal¡¯ people, I take the wound. It heals much, much faster, but I still feel all the hurt and limitations.¡±

    ¡°And you still healed me?¡± I asked, dumfounded. My mind raced back to times I¡¯d seen Paladin healed heroes injured during a fight. Some had massive gashes and broken bones. Once he healed a civilian with a crushed leg. Did he still feel that?

    ¡°Of course. I had to make sure you would be alright.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I said it enough, but thank you,¡± I said, blown away.

    Paladin laughed, a deep reverberation that seemed to shake the room. ¡°Believe me, you¡¯ve said thanks enough, and you are welcome.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you did to Adam- err- Riot?¡±

    ¡°Your teammate with the mask? No, he didn¡¯t need any healing.¡±

    How was he fine? I was definitely going to find out how he kept doing that one way or another.

    ¡°Hey, where¡¯s everybody at?¡± I asked, noticing the rest of my team was nowhere in sight.

    ¡°They¡¯re talking to your Liaison to see what they should do next. Apparently, Argus has become concerned with your little villain friends,¡± Paladin said between sips of his coffee.

    ¡°Really? I mean, we wouldn¡¯t have beaten them without your help, but are they really that dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Ah, be careful; you¡¯re showing your inexperience. Think about what they were doing. Only a few of them were attacking until I arrived. From what I heard your team say, ¡®The Goo¡¯ was watching for the most part. He was observing you all. Not to mention, you had Norn dealing with a speedster that broke your ribs in a split second. And you had Boondock giving your team an edge.¡±

    The pain in my side seemed to flare up slightly at the mention of what happened with the speedster, but I wasn¡¯t sure what he meant when it came to Boondock¡¯s involvement.

    ¡°What exactly did Boondock do? It mostly seemed like he stood around to me.¡±

    Paladin grinned, ¡°Boondock doesn¡¯t have flashy powers, but they can be very useful when they¡¯re on their team. I¡¯ve fought with him before, and you never quite get used to it. Things are clearer; you noticed things you might normally miss, it¡¯s easier to focus. You might even have been able to control and use your powers better. At the same time, it¡¯s the reverse for your opponents.¡±

    ¡°Is that what the goosebumps were?¡± I asked.

    The hero nodded, ¡°Exactly.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Feeling better, Nate?¡±

    I looked up to see Erin and the other Argonauts coming into the staff room.

    ¡°Yeah, a little bit. I think the painkillers are kicking in.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Erin said, leaning against the wall while the rest of the team found places to sit. Whitney collapsed on the couch next to me while Ian and Adam joined Paladin at the table in the small kitchen area.

    ¡°Coffee?¡± Paladin offered, gesturing with his mug to where the fresh pot sat on the counter.

    ¡°We¡¯re good,¡± Erin said, looking like she was thinking something over. ¡°So, here¡¯s the situation: Ian locked on to another location of the Goo, and Grey wants us to close in with a AID Squad and bring them in.¡±

    ¡°AID?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Argus Investigation and Detainment. They¡¯re basically an Argus SWAT team with an unfortunate acronym,¡± Ian explained.

    Erin nodded, ¡°We think The Goo is building a team. First, it stole whatever Obyek 41was, then Shard broke out Cooke and Morales, next Thatcher was captured- probably to make sure we couldn¡¯t find anything else out about it, and now he¡¯s recruited a speedster serial killer. Paints a pretty clear picture from what we can tell.¡±

    ¡°So, you think they¡¯re going to recruit someone else?¡± I asked.

    Erin nodded, but it was Ian who spoke up, ¡°I picked up a disturbance in New Orleans, could be any number of potential villains hiding there.¡±

    ¡°When do we head out?¡± I asked, not exactly looking forward to having to move. Everything felt like a whirlwind of disappointment lately.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere except back to headquarters,¡± Erin said.

    I forced a grin, ¡°Yeah, I guess I¡¯m not in any condition to fight.¡± What were the Gold Diggers going to think about this? I wasn¡¯t going to be with the team anymore, at least for the moment. What if they took it out on my family? I caught Ian¡¯s gaze and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. He knew something. I didn¡¯t have a choice, I had to play along.

    ¡°At least youand Coreycan keep each other company,¡± Whitney said, patting me on the back.

    ¡°Ow,¡± I deadpanned.

    Whitney winced, ¡°Sorry, forgot.¡±

    ¡°We do need more backup, though, and we were wondering if you would be willing to come with us, Paladin.¡±

    The hero broke into a smile, ¡°Of course, It¡¯s nice for an old man to feel useful again.¡±

    ¡°Well, you were the only one who saved our asses back there,¡± Adam said.

    Paladin shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s my job.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s settled then,¡± Erin said before turning to me. ¡°We need to get a move on. Argus will have a transport ready for you in a few hours.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Got any sixes?¡±

    I scanned through the cards in my hand and picked out two sixes, putting them in Corey¡¯s waiting hand.

    ¡°Any nines?¡±

    ¡°Go fish,¡± I said. I hated being on the sidelines knowing the team was going into a potentially dangerous situation. Here I was, playing Go Fish with Corey. His arm was still in the sling, so he was using one of his wings to hold his cards. The long feathers near the tip acted like fingers or long chopsticks. It wasn¡¯t super effective, but it got the job done.

    ¡°Nate. Nate it¡¯s your turn.¡±

    Corey rousted me from my daze, and I realized I¡¯d been staring at my cards with intent to kill. ¡°Sorry, uh, got any twos?¡±

    ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯ve seemed out of it since you got back.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I think it¡¯s the pain meds, or something¡­¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s a load of bull,¡± Corey said, putting down his cards and crossing his wing and free arm. ¡°You¡¯re worried about the team, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    I let out something that was a cross between a sign and a laugh, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. We¡¯re here twiddling our thumbs and they¡¯re out there in danger.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll be fine. You said they had Paladin and Boondock with them. If anyone can keep the team safe, it¡¯s those two.¡±

    ¡°I guess, but if Shard and company are looking for new members for their team, what happens if they find one our team can¡¯t handle?¡±

    ¡°What do you think the villains would be looking for?¡±

    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know,¡± I sighed, dropping my cards. I was tired of feeling anxious and not being able to do anything about it.

    On top of it all, my bad mood seemed to be wearing off on Corey. Maybe I needed to get out of my own head. After all, Corey was right, Paladin and Boondock had years of experience; decades in Paladin¡¯s case.

    I looked across the table at my teammate. He was looking at me, worry clear on his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t mean to be a wet blanket.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re worried,¡± Corey said, forgiving my bad mood, ¡°That¡¯s understandable. At least we know you care.¡±

    I gave a slight grin as Corey continued, ¡°It¡¯s more than we get from Adam. That guy gives Grey a run for his money in the stoicism department.¡±

    My grin grew into a small smile, but Corey mentioning Adam reminded me of what I wanted to ask. ¡°Not to change the subject, but what¡¯s the deal with Adam? I see him hurt and beat up, but the next thing I know, he¡¯s fine.¡±

    Corey shrugged slightly and looked uncomfortable. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what it is, but from the little bit Erin told me and Whitney I know he has some kind of split personality that prevents him from using all his powers.¡±

    ¡°You mean like a Jekyll and Hyde situation?¡±

    ¡°Hm, not quite, but I think It¡¯s something like that.¡±

    ¡°So, whenever he seemed confused or surprised to see me¡­?¡±

    ¡°He had just changed persons, right.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s pretty cool, I guess. But¡­why was it such a secret?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s just a bit to explain, especially if you don¡¯t know the whole story, and I think it¡¯s a sore spot for Adam.¡±

    I could understand that, hell, I wasn¡¯t really that different. People didn¡¯t want to see the dark side of powers. Didn¡¯t want to know what they cost.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m pretty bored with cards, do you, uh, wanna head to the cafeteria and get some food?¡±

    Corey seemed a bit uncomfortable with how the conversation had gone, and I couldn¡¯t blame him. He had something to hide too, I could tell. Was it something about his powers? Maybe it was the reason why he always wore a coat when we were on a mission? Whatever it was, he still seemed like a nice guy. He looked¡­hopeful?

    ¡°Yeah, sounds good,¡± I said, standing up slowly. Everything from the past week was catching up to me. My chest hurt as I rose to my full height, but I managed to grit my teeth through the discomfort.

    ¡°You alright?¡± Corey asked, coming around the table to offer support.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, waving him off. I could manage. Paladin¡¯s healing did more than I thought at first. Lots of my bruises had begun to rapidly fade and now most of the ones from the fight with the Gold Diggers were gone. Kind of hard to believe that all happened less than a week ago.

    My powers were getting stronger every time I used them, like they had been waiting my whole life for this. Maybe I could make a decent hero yet. Well, If I could ever get out from under the Anarchist¡¯s thumb. Then there was Corey. His powers were useful, even if they weren¡¯t quite as flashy as mine or Whitney¡¯s. Flying would be cool, though.

    The major difference between me and Corey when it came to our skills was Corey had training while I was just a guy off the street with powers. Sure, I could throw a car, but against Morales it was Corey who had actually fought him claw-to-wing.

    We were both oddly silent as we made our way down the stairs to the cafeteria. Corey hadn¡¯t ever been what I would call talkative in the time I¡¯d known him, neither was I, but this was something else. Even here, among other metahumans, I made myself an outsider.

    The Cafeteria had a pretty wide, yet standard, spread of food. It wasn¡¯t anything amazing, but it beat anything I could make on my own. Once we grabbed our food, we made our way to one of the few empty tables not occupied by suited agents and gray uniformed soldiers.

    ¡°Hey, Corey?¡± I said, breaking the awkward silence when a thought finally crossed my mind, ¡°You and Whitney both went to the Academy, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why?¡± He asked, looking up with a mouthful of fruit.

    ¡°Did they ever teach you anything about controlling powers?¡±

    Corey nodded, ¡°Definitely. It was one of the biggest things they focused on. Well, next to teamwork anyway.¡±

    He turned a select few feathers on his wings to their metal form to emphasize his point.

    I figured as much. ¡°Do you think you could maybe give me some tips?¡±

    His eyebrows rose, and I quickly followed up my question, ¡°You don¡¯t have to, obviously, I was just thinking since you have proper training, you might be able to give me some tips, or something¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh, sure, I¡¯d be happy to,¡± He said with a grin, his face flushing slightly. Then something caught his attention. ¡°Hey, look at that.¡±

    I turned to see a television turned to an international News channel. It was showing some busy crime scene, but the banner at the bottom of the screen was what gave me chills. ¡°22 Villains Slain by Unknown Vigilante?¡± I read aloud.

    ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s the same guy killing all the heroes.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, looking back at Corey.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard? Argus is in some fit about a string of hero disappearances and homicides.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, Paul mentioned something about four Canadian heroes being found dead before I left.¡±

    ¡°Paul?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°Uh, my father,¡± I explained.

    ¡°You call your dad by his first name?¡±

    ¡°Well, foster father,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Corey said like he just made a faux pas. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be, you couldn¡¯t know, and it¡¯s not a sore spot.¡±

    ¡°Uh, okay,¡± Corey muttered, still uncomfortable with the subject. Then he lit up, ¡°Hey, It¡¯s James.¡± He lifted a hand to wave the Liaison over.

    ¡°Hope you two are recovering well,¡± James said in his usual chipper tone, choosing to remain standing next to our table.

    ¡°Any word on how the team¡¯s doing?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t find anything but a dead end in New Orleans. They¡¯re on their way back here as we speak.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s disappointing,¡± Corey said.

    ¡°At least they¡¯re alright,¡± I said, feeling some measure of relief.

    ¡°True, but Ian is afraid the creator of the Goo has found a way to mask the signature he was tracking. This might have been our last chance,¡± James said.

    ¡°Does this mean A.S.E.T. is taking over?¡± I asked, knowing Erin wanted to avoid that.

    ¡°No, they¡¯re busy with other matters.¡±

    ¡°Like the serial killer?¡± Corey asked.

    James nodded. ¡°It isn¡¯t the first time we¡¯ve seen someone target heroes or their families. It¡¯s a terrible threat heroes face.¡±

    ¡°I thought he killed a bunch of villains too?¡± I questioned.

    ¡°If it turns out to be the same person, then it could be someone who has it out for metahumans,¡± James acquiesced.

    ¡°A meta killing metas?¡± I asked, finding it odd.

    ¡°What makes you think it¡¯s another meta?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°Who else could do something like that?¡± I asked, gesturing towards the scene on the television.

 Focus 2.12

    I didn¡¯t want to be back here. What brought me back?

    ¡°Choose, Nate.¡±

    The gun grew heavier in my hands as the Anarchist hovered in the corner of my vision. I couldn¡¯t turn my head; I was forced to look at my bound family and friends. I couldn¡¯t even close my eyes.

    ¡°Choose.¡±

    Her voice was distorted, twisted.

    No, I wouldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°You have to.¡±

    Suddenly, my arm moved on its own, lifting the gun into the air. ¡°No! No! No!¡±

    ¡°Choose. You did this to them, now choose!¡±

    The gun was leveled at Corey¡¯s head, and I could feel my finger moving. No, please no. I needed a way out, there had to be a way out¡­

    I tried to fight it as tears rolled down my face. My body was shaking, but I couldn¡¯t stop. My finger pressed lightly on the trigger. This was it.

    A massive boom shook the dream, throwing off my forced aim. From somewhere behind me, a light glowed to life, casting otherworldly shadows the other¡¯s faces. My grip relaxed; I could move again! I dropped the gun and spun to face the source of the light.

    What I saw stopped me in my tracks. It was a loose sphere of swirling light, like a vortex of shattered glass.

    ¡°We know what you did!¡±

    This time, the voice didn¡¯t belong to the Anarchist. I looked back to see my team had broken their bindings. They looked furious; their faces twisted into something¡­inhuman.

    ¡°You betrayed us!¡±

    ¡°Wait, guys¡­¡±

    ¡°You will pay!¡± They charged with murderous intent clearly written in every step they took. I stumbled back until I felt the small shards of the vortex brush past my arm. They weren¡¯t sharp or painful; if anything, they were¡­welcoming.

    It was either the ball or death. In a heartbeat, I stepped backwards and let the vortex take me.

    <hr>

    I woke up with a jolt, like cold water had been splashed on my face. Something was wrong, though. I was standing and surrounded by the swirling shards of glass. No, had to still be dreaming. I tried walking out of the sphere and found there to be no resistance.

    When I reached the edge of ball, I found myself surrounded by skeletal trees just like the ones from my dreams. Was I still dreaming? No, I was lucid, I was sure of it. Everything was too real for it to be a dream this time. The pale trees were exactly as I saw them, the ground still covered in the mist¡­

    And the presence¡­

    I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling I was being watched. I couldn¡¯t see anything through the corridors of tree trunks that stretched on for miles, but that didn¡¯t put me at ease. Malicious tranquility filled the place, like it was¡­waiting to unveil something terrible.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked aloud. Even talking was alien here. It was like the very air soaked up the words. I walked over and touched one of the trees. Its surface was rough and dusty, almost like it was made of chalk.

    But then, the trunk started to glow with what looked like the same energy I summoned to make my suit. I pulled my hand away, but the glow continued to spread out from where I made contact. Glowing blue bark began to cover the dead trunk as the energy flowed upwards, and when it reached the canopy, leaves took shape.

    ¡°Woah.¡±

    For a moment, the tree came back to life. Well, I still didn¡¯t know if I would call it living. It still looked ethereally beautiful, like a ghost. Did trees have ghosts? Either way, the glow started to fade until the tree was back to its bleached look.

    I needed to know what this place was and why I had such a strong connection to it. Out of curiosity, I held out my hand and tried summoning my energy.

    Nothing.

    That was odd. Now I was even more intrigued. I walked up to another tree and touched it. Just like before, blue energy started to flow around the trunk. I did the same thing to several others and all of them responded to my touch the same way.

    It was neat, but I started to wonder just how I was going to get back. I turned to look at the swirling vortex, and to my horror it was fading. I broke into a run, but it was shrinking and fading, like it was dissolving or closing. On the ground, the mist seemed to be parting before I even ran through it, like it knew I was about to disturb it.

    The ball was barely visible by the time I reached it, and when I ran through it, nothing. I was still in the forest surrounded by skeletal trees.

    ¡°No! No, no, no. No!¡±

    Was I stuck here? I¡¯d heard the horror stories of metahumans using their powers to get somewhere only to wind up dying of asphyxiation or dehydration when they couldn¡¯t control their powers well enough to get out. Was there even water or food here? I doubted it. Everything seemed dead.

    I walked back to where the strange sphere had been, but it didn¡¯t look any different than the rest of the mist-covered ground. Fuck. I looked around, but the forest seemed to stretch on forever anywhere I looked. My heart skipped a beat as panic started setting in. Still, I felt something in the back of my mind, a pull of some kind. It seemed to be getting stronger, like the forest was reaching out.

    No, I have to get back, I thought to myself. This had to be tied to my powers, right? I couldn¡¯t use them here, but the trees and the mist reacted to me.

    Stay.

    Where did that come from? I whipped my head around, trying to find the source of the voice. It was strange, I felt the word more than heard it. Along the ground, the mist started flowing like a massive gray river.

    Follow.

    Well, it was either wait with no plan, or see if the creepy mist lead to an exit. I walked a few steps before a thought hit me: what if the portal opened here again while I was gone, and I missed my only chance to go home?

    Follow.

    Again, more urgent this time. Despite my better judgement, I turned away from my hope of salvation and followed the mist. Maybe my sense of time was off, but it felt like I had barely gone three steps and everything around me looked completely different. The mist flowed down a gradual bank and across a small stream of sapphire energy.

    I bent down and tried to touch the surface of the ¡°water¡±, but as I reached for it, it seemed to shrink away. It reminded me of what happened when water touched a hydrophobic surface, but on steroids. There was at least an inch of space between my hand and the liquid. I pushed my hand deeper into stream until I was up to my elbow. Still, it wouldn¡¯t touch me.

    The mist seemed to pick up speed, and I had my fun with the river. I started wading across, and the liquid passed around me, still not making contact. After a while, I realized the mist wasn¡¯t flowing in a straight line. It curved slightly, but it was starting to bend more and more. It reminded me of a hurricane, spiraling towards a central point¡­If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    I followed the mist to a clearing scarily familiar to the one from my nightmare. In the middle of the clearing, the fog spiraled together to a point like a massive, lazy maelstrom.

    Leave.

    My brow furrowed as I looked around, confused.

    ¡°I thought you wanted me to stay?¡±

    ¡°Great, you aren¡¯t gonna talk to me?¡± I asked, waiting for the voice to come back.

    ¡°Fine, how do I leave?¡± I shouted at the sky. That was the first time I really looked at what was overhead. It was breathtaking. Shades of purples and blues swam together in waves and spirals like a Van Gogh painting.

    ¡°What is this place?¡±

    Leave.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m trying!¡±

    I walked towards the eye of the spiral, but disappointingly, nothing happened. Maybe I was early? I looked around trying to find a button or lever or even a glowing magic rune with ¡°Home¡± written above it. I even shouted, ¡°Open Sesame,¡± to the void. Nothing.

    ¡°What¡¯s your game, stupid voice? I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing here! Can¡¯t you just tell me what to do?¡±

    Leave.

    ¡°Ugh, I know, but I don¡¯t know how! I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing here, hell, I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m a hero! If you brought me here, you better send me back right fucking now.¡±

    Nothing. No response from the forest; the fog just kept swirling.

    ¡°Come on, give me something!¡±

    Of course, I wasn¡¯t going to get any handouts.

    ¡°Why would I?¡± I shouted out to the forest hoping it would hear me; that someone would hear me. ¡°I never had any before. This is alllll because of my powers, isn¡¯t it? Of course, it would be! They¡¯re fucking worthless. They took everything from me!¡±

    I tried to take a breath, but I couldn¡¯t calm down, I couldn¡¯t think of any way out of this one. I wasn¡¯t on Earth; I was almost sure of that. Would anyone find me here? Doubtful. The only metahuman I knew that could travel to other dimensions at will was Genesis, and he was too busy to find and save someone like me.

    ¡°Just let me go, please. I want to go back.¡±

    I just wanted to go back, I willed it to happen, and I started to feel¡­something. A soft blue light started to gain intensity around me, and I latched onto the feeling. If summoning my energy was like turning on a valve and firing my energy blasts like pushing through a wall, then this one was like prying open a door.

    The glow kept getting stronger the more I focused on it. Cracks began to form in the ball of light as it broke apart into the small shards I saw in the thing that brought me here. More of the mirror-like shards began to form and swirl around me until I couldn¡¯t see the forest anymore.

    ¡°He¡¯s, back, safeties off!¡±

    What? Whose voice was that? I didn¡¯t recognize it. The ball- or I guess it was really more like a portal- faded around me until I could see I was back in my room, but I wasn¡¯t alone. Once the portal faded completely, I could count six soldiers in gray uniforms aiming rifles at me.

    ¡°Oh my god! Don¡¯t shoot, It¡¯s me, Nate!¡±

    I tried summoning my energy armor, but a sudden humming filled my skull: a power dampener. The energy faded out of existence before it could even barely cover my chest.

    ¡°Hands up!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m part of-¡± I tried to say, but the Argus grunt wasn¡¯t having any of it.

    ¡°-Hands up or we shoot!¡±

    I swallowed my protest and tried to oblige, but my right side burned in protest. I only managed to get my left arm all the way up, the other one hovered at about haft mast. That was apparently all the soldiers needed. The furthest one to my right lowered her rifle and rushed forward with a pair of handcuffs.

    She roughly bent my hands behind my back and slapped on the cuffs. I had to focus on not crying out in pain, not that they would have cared. What the hell was going on? Why was Argus putting me in cuffs?

    ¡°I¡¯m Prophet, I¡¯m one of the Argonauts!¡±

    ¡°Shut up, traitor!¡±

    No¡­how¡­?

    As they marched me out of the room, I looked over and my hope sunk like a stone. My team was standing off to the side watching everything. Erin and Ian looked furious while Corey and Whitney looked betrayed. Adam was wearing his mask, so I couldn¡¯t judge how much he wanted me dead.

    Seeing them standing there gave me a terrible realization: The Anarchist knew I¡¯d been found out.

    ¡°Guys, my family, you have to keep them safe!¡±

    The solders shoved me forward, but I could see a hint of realization on their faces.

    ¡°Please, you have to protect them, it¡¯s not their fault!¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    ¡°Please!¡± I screamed as the soldiers forced me out of the room. More uniformed agents with guns were waiting in the hallway to form a moving barricade around me. I couldn¡¯t use my powers, I couldn¡¯t run.

    I couldn¡¯t save my family.

    <hr>

    Frustrated, I struggled against the large clamp-like cuffs the soldiers shoved my arms into. A large power dampener was bearing down on me. I had a headache hammering away that was getting worse by the minute.

    I¡¯d been trapped in here for what felt like hours not knowing what was going on. How did they find out? Every second that went by could mean the Butcher was tearing apart the people I loved. My breathing was unsteady as I fought off the sting of tears. I knew this was coming, and I did nothing. It was all my fault.

    The dampener on the ceiling let off a series of warning chirps as my powers flared. Specs of blue popped up in my field of vision only to hastily disappear. That meant the dampener was having to up it¡¯s effect and that only made me feel sicker.

    The room was bare except for a table and two chairs, one of which I occupied. Other than that, there was a large mirror on the wall across the table from me; probably two-way glass. I wondered if anyone was watching.

    Finally, the door opened and Grey- Mr. Hollands- walked in. I couldn¡¯t read his face, but that wasn¡¯t new. He sat down and simply stared like he could see my soul.

    ¡°How long have you been a double agent?¡±

    Straight to the point, I guess.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a double agent-¡±

    ¡°-Then why were you in contact with the telepathic villain known as the Anarchist?¡±

    I didn¡¯t have a good answer for that.

    ¡°Suddenly not talkative? That¡¯s fine, it¡¯s not often I get to do all the talking, so I¡¯ll oblige. Ian became suspicious on the first day when the Anarchist contacted you. His power allows him some limited interpretation of signals, including the ones from your phone. Of course, he couldn¡¯t prove much at first. But then, you were hurt.

    ¡°Erin lied to you in Kansas. Ian did get a ping from New Orleans, but he was able to pick out signs that it was just a potential exit point. At the same time, he found a much closer location for Euclid-¡±

    ¡°Euclid?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s what we¡¯ve chose to name the operator of ¡®the goo¡¯. Now, after you were injured, the Argonauts, Boondock, and Paladin attacked the real location of Shard and his team.¡±

    ¡°Who won?¡± I asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Unfortunately, our adversaries had two new teammates we didn¡¯t account for. One of them is what we believe to be the operational form of Obyek 41. The other is a known villain known as Narcosis.¡±

    I had heard of her before. She could produce a sort of miasma that could cause¡­unpleasant symptoms.

    ¡°Still, we managed to catch them off guard, it just didn¡¯t work out. ¡°

    ¡°What does this have to do with me? I was here the whole time, and I didn¡¯t talk to anyone¡­¡±

    ¡°Really? Then what about when you vanished through a dimensional portal just a few minutes ago? Right after we spring a surprise attack, the person we suspected of feeding our enemies information vanishes. Seems odd, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, I just woke up and I was somewhere else! I don¡¯t know how it happened. I think it was just part of my powers that I¡¯m not sure how to control. Please, they¡¯re going to kill my family!¡±

    ¡°Who? The Gold Diggers?¡±

    ¡°Yes! They¡¯re the ones that forced me to do this. After they broke into my house, they- they threatened to kill my family if I didn¡¯t become a hero.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll play along,¡± Oh no, he wasn¡¯t buying it. ¡°Why did you join the Argonauts and not the Regents?¡±

    My heart was beating like crazy; I couldn¡¯t convince him. He was like a brick wall. A judgmental brick wall.

    ¡°Can you please just make sure my family is safe? Please!¡±

    ¡°Answer the question, Mr. Peterson.¡±

    ¡°Damn it! I¡¯m not a fucking villain, and I never wanted to be a hero. I¡¯m here because I thought it was the only way to keep the people I love from being torn apart! Can you understand that, or are you just an unfeeling sack of shit?¡±

    Hollands didn¡¯t react in the slightest, he just kept staring.

    ¡°I joined the Argonauts because I didn¡¯t think I would do as much damage. The Regents are the best team in the world, and the Argonauts are nobodies! And they were the only ones that would take me¡­¡±

    He looked like he was about to say something, but the door swung open revealing a flustered looking Argus solider.

    ¡°Sir, the Torus is landing without authorization. Cypher is here.¡±

    Hollands rolled his eyes, ¡°Of all days¡­¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t done here,¡± He said to me before walking out the door with the soldier.

    ¡°Wait, save my family!¡± I shouted to no response.

    Shit. He wasn¡¯t going to listen. None of them were. ¡°Fuck!¡± I shouted, knowing no one was listening. I had messed up; I was going to lose everyone again.

    And it was all my fault.

    Tears that had been brimming in my eyes finally came running down. My power fucked everything like they always did. I wallowed in my self-pity until I heard a strange sound coming from the large mirror. Glowing lines spiderwebbed across the surface, and I suddenly realized what was coming.

    I closed my eyes and turned my head away from the wall a split second before it exploded inwards.

    ¡°Whitney¡­? Corey¡­?¡± I asked confused by what I was seeing.

    They jumped over the low sill where the mirror used to be and stared at me like I was an alien.

    ¡°Nate, you better tell us the truth or so help me God I will blow you apart, do you understand?¡± Whitney said, a small amount of smoke falling from her hands.

    I nodded; the message clear.

    ¡°Did they really threaten your family?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I said weakly.

    ¡°Is that the only reason you betrayed us?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I swear.¡±

    She and Corey looked at each other and nodded. Corey reached up with his wings and tore the dampener off the ceiling. My eyes widened in surprise, but they weren¡¯t done.

    ¡°Summon your energy,¡± Whitney ordered.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°So she doesn¡¯t blow your hands off,¡± Corey said as Whitney put her hands on the large pair of cuffs.

    ¡°Ah, right,¡± I said as I felt the cold blue flow over me.

    Whitney put her power to work and the cuffs blew apart.

    ¡°Why are you two doing this?¡± I asked, trying to wipe the tears from my face as manly as possible.

    ¡°You saved our lives, we owe you,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°And we don¡¯t think you¡¯re a bad person,¡± Corey added. ¡°By the way, we just set off like twenty silent alarms, so we need to move.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you both so much.¡±

    ¡°Save it, lets go,¡± Whitney said, herding us back through the mirror and out the unlocked door to the observation room.

 Focus 2.13

    ¡°Corey, can you fly us all out of here?¡± I asked as we ran down the hall.

    ¡°No, my shoulder is still busted. Besides, you two are too heavy for us to make far it without getting caught, er- no offence,¡± He said.

    ¡°Then I hope one of you knows how to fly those dropships,¡± I said, rounding a corner.

    ¡°That¡¯s another no, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not stupid enough to break you out without a plan,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± I said as we passed a hallway full of soldiers charging towards us. Whitney turned and quickly put her palm on the wall. The resulting explosion partially collapsed the roof, making it more difficult for our pursuers to chase us.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to hitch a ride on the Torus,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°The Regent¡¯s ship?¡± I asked in alarm.

    ¡°That¡¯s the bitch,¡± Whitney said, stopping in front of a heavy metal security barrier. Ironically, a security measure meant to be resistant to explosives was turned to rubble by becoming its own explosive.

    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible idea!¡± I said as we crawled through the smoldering hole.

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    Shit. The three of us came to a stop when we saw who was blocking our path.

    ¡°Erin, let us through,¡± Whitney said, smoke drifting down from her hands and hair.

    ¡°Last time I checked, I gave the orders,¡± Erin said, already glowing green. Adam stood next to her holding one of the rifles I saw the Argus soldiers carrying earlier.

    ¡°You¡¯re our leader, not our dictator. Come on, you know Nate isn¡¯t a bad guy!¡± Whitney said, putting herself between me and the Nordic warrior.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, he betrayed us,¡± Erin said, keeping her voice calm and steady.

    ¡°To protect his family!¡± Corey said.

    Conflict flashed across Erin¡¯s face, but she managed to regain her composure. ¡°It¡¯s best for the team that we obey orders. He¡¯s a doub-¡±

    ¡°-Listen to yourself, Erin! Are you a hero or just another fucking Argus agent?¡± That seemed to get through to Erin, at least on some level.

    ¡°That was a low blow, Whit.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but you know she¡¯s right,¡± Corey added.

    ¡°I have to save my family,¡± I said, letting the energy pull away from my face.

    ¡°What are we doing?¡± Adam asked Erin, who seemed to be struggling with what to do.

    ¡°Go,¡± She finally said, letting her glow fade. ¡°But we won¡¯t give you another chance.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said as we ran past. I was so relieved we didn¡¯t have to fight Erin. Whitney was powerful, but Erin could still probably take all of us on and come out fine.

    We hurried through the maze-like halls of the building, managing to blast our way through a few more doors of security. It seemed like we were making progress at first, but then I realized we weren¡¯t going to end up anywhere near an exit.

    ¡°How are we going to make it to the Torus from here?¡± I asked as we came to a dead end.

    ¡°Have a little faith,¡± Whitney said with a grin. ¡°And maybe stand back a little,¡± She said with a wink.

    She put her hands against the wall and lines began to race out from her contact. ¡°Guys, we have company,¡± Corey said, looking down the hall. Several Argus soldiers were storming towards us, weapons drawn.

    ¡°Hold them off, I need more time!¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°Any ideas?¡± Corey asked me, turning his wings to their metal form.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking,¡± I said, but nothing was really coming to mind. I didn¡¯t want to hurt any of them, but I wasn¡¯t sure they had the same hesitation. I reached out to my power and focused the energy to my right hand. Shooting them directly would probably get someone hurt, so I fired a blast along the ground in front of the closest soldier.

    They flinched away from the blast, causing the soldiers behind him to stumble over their comrade. The soldiers on the flanks of the formation weren¡¯t affected by the fuck up in the middle and took aim. Now it was Corey¡¯s turn to save our asses.

    He flared out his wings and wrapped one around me, using the other to shield himself. They weren¡¯t firing bullets; it was more like darts or non-lethal rounds.

    ¡°Guys, I¡¯m ready!¡± Whitney shouted from her position at the wall.

    ¡°Try not to breathe too deeply in the smoke,¡± Corey whispered. What? I thought to myself, but then I realized just how close Corey was. He looked flushed from the exertion, but he shifted his wings again as we were showered by smoldering rubble from the wall.

    ¡°C-come on, let¡¯s go!¡± Corey said, pushing me towards the hole. As he unwrapped his wings, I realized what Whitney had done. She had used her other power too, creating a thick smokescreen. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to carry her, making this much smoke exhausts her,¡± Corey said as he started to become obscured by the smoke.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I called back, scooping Whitney up as I ran past her.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said softly, focusing on pouring more jet-black smoke from her hands. I was amazed at how fast she was making it. In a matter of seconds, I couldn¡¯t see anything.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s me,¡± Corey said as he put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Climb on my back, I can run us out of here,¡± I said.

    ¡°No, we need to go slow and give my smoke time to expand,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± I said, realizing that if we ran faster than the cloud expanded, Argus could still clearly see where we were going.

    ¡°Duh, I came up with it,¡± Whitney said with a tinge of humor in her voice despite sounding exhausted. ¡°Turn right and walk as straight as you can,¡± she ordered.

    I listened, and Corey followed behind, his arm on my shoulder. We walked in silence for what seemed an eternity. At any second, I was worried we were going to be swarmed with soldiers and hauled off to another cell. In reality, at the speeds we were going, we probably walked a few hundred feet around the outside of the main building.

    ¡°Stop, I hear something!¡± Corey frantically whispered, pulling me to a stop. At first, I didn¡¯t know what Corey was talking about, but then I heard booted footsteps getting closer. We froze and crouched low to the ground. A flashlight beam swept the area from an unseen source, searching for us. My heart didn¡¯t know if it wanted to beat frantically or freeze in fear.

    Go away, I pleaded silently. Eventually the footsteps became more distant, enough that we thought it okay to move again. As slowly as before, we started walking again.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Watch your step, we¡¯re getting close,¡± Whitney whispered. The smoke seemed to be getting thinner the further we went, and then I realized Whitney had stopped using her powers. I almost tripped over one of the concrete walkways, but we were going slow enough I managed to catch myself.

    ¡°I said watch your step,¡± Whitney muttered.

    Despite the tension, I let out a short laugh. ¡°My bad,¡± I whispered before slamming my head against something hard.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I think I found the Torus, though.¡±

    Corey chuckled as we moved around the rear of the aircraft. ¡°The door¡¯s open, so what, we just go inside?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called stowing away,¡± Whitney feebly said.

    ¡°She needs to rest,¡± Corey said, looing around the surprisingly large cargo area. ¡°Over there,¡± I said, spotting a couple of crates strapped down in one of the corners. There was just enough space for us to all crouch down and stay hopefully hidden from the Regents when they came back.

    ¡°Are you comfortable enough?¡± I asked Whitney as I propped her up against the crates.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a hotel, Nate. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    I grinned, but the sound of footsteps made us all tense up.

    ¡°Peregrine, get us airborne!¡±

    Cypher¡¯s voice was easy to pick out as he yelled up to the cockpit. Immediately, the Torus¡¯ engines roared to life as the rear ramp started to close.

    ¡°You three, strap in,¡± Cypher called out.

    What? I asked myself. Corey and I exchanged an equally shocked glance, was he talking about us?

    ¡°Nate, Corey, get Whitney strapped in so she doesn¡¯t get knocked around while she rests.¡±

    Well, no use pretending now. I stood up and Cypher was looking right at us. Animus stood slightly behind him, his face hinting a faint smile.

    ¡°How did-¡±

    ¡°How did I know you were here?¡± Cypher mimicked me as if it were obvious.

    ¡°Please, I just happen to show up and leave the rear ramp lowered exactly when you need an exit?¡±

    I swallowed hard. ¡°Now that you mention it, it does seem convenient.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you planned this?¡± Corey asked as I remembered to help Whitney up.

    ¡°I¡¯m Cypher; I plan everything.¡±

    ¡°But- but how did you know we would try and use your ship to escape?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°It was the mostly likely plan you would formulate based on the extenuating circumstances,¡± Cypher said off-handedly as he took one of the seats along the wall.

    ¡°Just roll with it,¡± I told Corey as I got Whitney situated and strapped in myself.

    Cypher held up two vials full of a black liquid and tossed them to me and Corey. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Corey asked, looking at the liquid suspiciously.

    ¡°Is it your blood?¡± I asked Animus.

    ¡°His blood?¡± Corey asked in alarm, looking reluctant to hold on to the vial any more.

    Animus nodded, ¡°Your injuries are both minor enough that it should put you in fighting condition by the time we get to Chicago.¡±

    As unpleasant as the thought was, I remembered how much it had helped after the hospital. Granted, Asclepius was the one who did the brunt of the healing, but Animus¡¯ second-hand regeneration worked wonders too. I looked at the vial a little more, and realized one side had a button, probably to inject its contents.

    ¡°Well, here goes nothing,¡± I said, pressing the vial against my shoulder and pressing the button. I felt my skin crawl as the blood was injected. Now that I knew it was Animus¡¯ blood it was more unsettling, but It was something that had to be done.

    Corey seemed more hesitant, but he was still psyching himself up. ¡°Fuck it!¡± He said before slamming the vial near his damaged shoulder and injecting the contents. For a second, he seemed like he would hold it together, then he practically turned green and looked like he was about to hurl.

    ¡°Bathroom is through there,¡± Animus said, pointing to a door towards the front of the aircraft.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Corey said, focused on not being sick.

    ¡°So, if you¡¯re really helping us, what¡¯s the plan?¡± I asked Cypher.

    ¡°We save your parents.¡±

    ¡°The Gold Diggers are really going to try and kill my parents?¡± I asked. There was a part of me that still hoped it was all just a bluff, but if Cypher thought they were serious, there wasn¡¯t any more doubt in my mind.

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Cypher said. Something in Cypher¡¯s tone of voice struck me as odd. He¡¯d always spoken with confidence, but now he seemed¡­uncertain.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been following your missions, along with my own leads, and I think everything: the attack on Chicago, the Gold Diggers blackmailing Nate and driving him towards me, and everything that has happened to you all since is due to one individual.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°Are my parents in danger or not?¡±

    ¡°Indirectly, yes,¡± Cypher said, frustratingly.

    ¡°Spit it out!¡± I said.

    ¡°Easy, Nate,¡± Corey said softly. I snapped to look at him and saw the concern in his eyes.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, to Cypher as much as Corey. ¡°This is my family we¡¯re talking about; I¡¯m trying not to freak out.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s understandable, but so we¡¯re clear, your parents are in danger until this is all over.¡±

    I could feel myself tense up, that was exactly what I was afraid of.

    ¡°But,¡± Cypher said, getting my attention, ¡°I am going to do whatever it takes to keep them safe.¡±

    I nodded. Hearing the best hero in the world say that brought me some measure of relief, but he wasn¡¯t a god; there wasn¡¯t any certainty he could keep them from being hurt.

    ¡°What about this¡­¡¯mystery individual¡¯?¡± Corey asked, focusing on the matter at hand.

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ve noticed something strange in the global patterns; irregularities that didn¡¯t add up. It¡¯s like they were creating a bread crumb trail for me to follow. Nothing anyone would notice: distorted patterns in social media posts, unusual purchases across the globe, stock market fluctuations. All things too subtle for any normal person to detect or care about, but someone is making waves.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­you think someone is pulling strings because of¡­what? Weird posts on the internet? Are you serious?¡± Corey asked.

    Cypher tilted his head slightly to the side in what I was starting to figure out was a sign of frustration, ¡°The collective of the human population operates at an astounding level of consciousness; unaware that it is capable of extrapolating the smallest shifts in the social fabric. I can interpret shifts in the collective.¡±

    Corey looked lost, but just shook his head and stayed quiet.

    ¡°So, what? Are we taking the fight to this mystery person?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No need. They¡¯re bringing the fight to us.¡±

    <hr>

    The Torus touched down and I felt like a balloon lying on a bed of tacks; one wrong move from bursting. We weren¡¯t anywhere near the nice parts of Chicago. The part of the city where Cypher decided to make our stand was an old industrial district to the south. Everything looked run-down. Windows were crossed over with boards with doors nailed shut. I remembered it from when I was younger; The Regents had squared off against some dangerous metas that tried to gain some glory by taking down a hero. In the end, all it did was mark the beginning of Cypher¡¯s reputation for ruthlessness.

    Even though the fights were years ago, most of the district was still abandoned. For some reason or another, no one had moved back in. Peregrine had landed the Torus in the middle of a wide street near a warehouse that looked newer than the buildings around it.

    ¡°So, my parents are in there?¡± I asked, looking over at Cypher.

    He nodded, ¡°I own all the property a few blocks in every direction. We can minimize potential casualties and focus on protecting your parents.¡±

    ¡°So, you think they know where we are, because of this Anarchist chick¡¯s link with Nate?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°Precisely. That is how they used Nate as a double agent,¡± Cypher said.

    ¡°But I thought you said that was all a ruse?¡±

    Cypher audibly sighed, ¡°Yes, I did.¡± He didn¡¯t seem keen to elaborate any further, and Corey seemed to decide it best not to annoy the hero.

    ¡°What about Ana?¡± I asked, wanting to make sure Cypher hadn¡¯t forgotten about her.

    ¡°Ghost and Quatermain are making sure she¡¯s safe.¡±

    ¡°You mean she¡¯s not here? Where is she?¡± I asked, panicked.

    ¡°Safe as long as you, ergo the Anarchist, doesn¡¯t know where she is,¡± Cypher said, pushing open the door of the cavernous building.

    ¡°Keeping up?¡± I asked, looking back at Whitney.

    ¡°Yeah, that nap did me some good,¡± She said, still sounding tired.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t exactly call a transatlantic flight a nap,¡± Corey said, rolling his shoulders and stretching his wings.

    ¡°You seem chipper bird-brains,¡± She muttered as Cypher led us through several more layers of security.

    ¡°Yeah, Animus gave us some of his¡­blood¡­and I actually feel pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Whitney asked, looking disgusted.

    ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as it sounds,¡± I said.

    Whitney looked like she was about to argue, but when Cypher opened the last reinforced steel door something grabbed all our attention. Wrath and Vindicator were sitting on an old sofa watching a small television sporting the classic bunny ear antennas, but what was odd was the massive white cube sitting on the ground behind them.

    ¡°Are my parents in that¡­cube?¡± I asked, not knowing anything else to call it.

    ¡°Yes. Nothing is getting inside that containment unit until I deem it safe,¡± Cypher answered.

    ¡°Can I see them?¡± I asked. ¡°You know, make sure they¡¯re okay?¡±

    ¡°I mean it when I say nothing gets inside. Our enemies could capitalize on any lapse in security.¡±

    ¡°Trust me,¡± he added.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Animus said, clapping me on the shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll keep them safe.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s our plan again?¡± Whitney asked, shaking of the last of her drowsiness.

    ¡°We only have a few minutes left until our enemies arrive. Hopefully Argus will get here before that,¡± Cypher said, drawing one of his pistols from their holsters and looking it over.

    ¡°You called in Argus reinforcements?¡± Corey asked, worry written plainly on his face.

    ¡°I can explain everything to them. There is a likely chance they¡¯ll let you back on the team with minimum punitive measures,¡± Cypher said.

    ¡°How likely?¡±

    ¡°Seventy-eight-point-two percent,¡± Cypher said nonchalantly, still mostly focused on his weapon checks.

    Argus was the least of my worries. They could throw me in the deepest cell of Site III, and I wouldn¡¯t bat an eye if it meant my family would be safe. Still, I thought to myself looking at the two people who risked their life and their freedom to help save my parents, maybe being part of a team isn¡¯t so bad.

 Focus 2.14

    ¡°How are you holding up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, glancing at Corey.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem fine. You¡¯ve been staring at this thing since we got here,¡± he countered, putting a hand on the white behemoth in question. He had his wings pulled loosely against his back, making it look like he had a feathery white outline.

    ¡°It- this- this was exactly what I was afraid of when¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­When you decided to put on tights and a cape and fight bad guys?¡± Corey offered, leaning against Cypher¡¯s mystery box.

    Despite feeling like I would snap in half, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    ¡°Yeah, something like that,¡± I said, leaning against the cube myself and sliding down to sit on the ground.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­I thought maybe my powers could help someone for a change but¡­I guess not!¡± I said, gesturing vaguely at our situation.

    ¡°Your powers aren¡¯t the hero, you are,¡± Corey said, deepening his voice like he was trying to sound philosophical.

    ¡°Get that from a fortune cookie?¡±

    Corey laughed, ¡°No, it was one of my teachers at the academy: Mr. Elliott. He had a sort of one-way telekinesis; he could pull things toward himself. Doesn¡¯t really sound super useful, does it?¡±

    ¡°I guess not.¡±

    ¡°Right, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of Orbit?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I think so. He was a pretty big hero in the eighties, right? Near San Francisco?¡±

    Corey nodded, smiling, ¡°That¡¯s him. He taught lots of classes about finding uses for our powers that might not be immediately obvious, or ways we could incorporate our powers into our own fighting style.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice and all, but it doesn¡¯t exactly help me here.¡±

    Corey rolled his eyes. ¡°You aren¡¯t getting the point, Nate. You¡¯ve only been at this for a week; you need time to learn how to use your powers well, so you can help people. And look, Whitney and I are here to help you, not to mention the freaking Regents are here!¡±

    ¡°Why did you guys help me?¡± I asked, still trying to process everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. ¡°I mean¡­we barely know each other, and you double crossed Argus of all things.¡±

    ¡°Well, to be honest I was supposed to be keeping an eye on you when we were hanging out together at headquarters. Ian ratted you out to James and Hollands-¡±

    ¡°-James knows?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well, yeah-¡± Corey said like it was obvious, which I guess it should have been. ¡°-But it took lots of convincing to get him to believe you would do something like that. But anyway, while you were passed out after the fight in Kansas, Ian explained everything to Hollands and James. The team came up with the idea to send you back and tell you they were going to Orleans.¡±

    ¡°While you kept an eye on me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Corey said, sounding guilty about it.

    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain why you decided to help me; I mean¡­I betrayed you guys.¡±

    ¡°Everyone had bad days, and sometimes they do things they aren¡¯t proud of. You just seemed so guilt-ridden and¡­I don¡¯t know¡­depressed? The Academy gave us some classes in recognizing duress, and you fit the bill pretty well. I talked it over with Whitney and we wanted to talk to you ourselves.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what to say, how to respond to something like that. I wanted to tell them thanks, that I appreciated it, but that didn¡¯t feel like it would seem genuine.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Corey said, nudging me in the shoulder, ¡°You aren¡¯t a bad person, Nate. You just made a mistake. Everyone deserves a second chance; metahumans should know that more than anyone.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I-¡±

    ¡°-Prophet, what are you doing with your foot?¡± Cypher¡¯s urgency cut me off. I realized my foot was bouncing up and down on its own.

    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Morse code,¡± Cypher said, instinctually drawing his pistol.

    Corey jumped up and flared his wings, getting ready to take off, as the rest of the Regents readied themselves to fight.

    ¡°What¡¯s it saying?¡± I asked, not wanting to move.

    ¡°Our ¡®friends¡¯ are on their way,¡± Cypher said cryptically, turning to look towards the front of the warehouse.

    ¡°How many?¡± Animus asked, racking his shotgun.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Cypher said, motioning for his team to follow as he walked towards the exit.

    I hadn¡¯t even noticed the twitching until Cypher pointed it out, but now I could feel a mental itch of some kind. The Anarchist. It had to be.

    You are not going to hurt my family! I yelled mentally as loud as I could imagine. In response, my right arm swung out violently and slammed my knuckles against the face of the cube.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I hissed, gripping my hand in a futile attempt to sooth the pain.

    ¡°What¡¯d you do that for?¡¯ Corey asked, looking at me like I was crazy.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me,¡± I barked out, the stinging in my hand sluggishly easing up. ¡°The Anarchist is in my head.¡±

    ¡°Well, get her out!¡± Whitney shouted.

    ¡°Thanks, I didn¡¯t think of that,¡± I said sarcastically as Cypher motioned for Animus to hang back and Peregrine to take a side door. The man disappeared in a blur that reminded me of Redline. I tried to think back to the times I¡¯d manage to kick The Anarchist out before, but before I had time to focus my whole body shook like I had been tased.

    Stop it, I said mentally. The Anarchist didn¡¯t seem to like that answer; my body twitched again, more urgently this time. She was trying to tell me something, but I don¡¯t know what it is!

    Then I had the beginning of an idea. When she first used her powers on me, I jerked my powers to break free. When they broke into my house, the same thing didn¡¯t work. She adapted to my trick, but I¡¯d picked up a few more since then.

    I summoned my energy and it was like it sprung to attention, like it shared my anger. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, I mentally slammed into the barrier at the back of my mind. The beam-energy poured through me, turning the blue surrounding my hands white. The itch in my brain vanished like a blindfold being ripped off.

    ¡°Nate¡­¡± Corey ventured hesitantly, ¡°You¡¯re glowing brighter than normal.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°She¡¯s gone, I think,¡± I said, relaxing the mental strain of keeping the extra energy flowing.

    ¡°Then go catch up with Cypher,¡± Animus said, giving the three of us a reaffirming nod.

    ¡°After you, glowstick,¡± Whitney said with a brave smile.

    I looked over to Corey who had the same look on his face. ¡°Alright,¡± I breathed, trying to ready myself. I led them through the layers of reinforced metal doors before stepping out into the cool night air behind the three Regents.

    A soft glow shown from Whitney¡¯s hands as she prepared things to throw. There was a not-so-subtle cracking sound from Vindicator as the asphalt broke under his weight. Wrath, meanwhile, was playing with his watch.

    ¡°How far?¡± He asked, looking at Cypher.

    ¡°Twelve milligrams,¡± The masked hero replied, his eyes still scanning our surroundings.

    ¡°If you say so,¡± Wrath said, seeming hesitant.

    ¡°Twelve milligrams of what?¡± Corey asked as Wrath turned a dial built into bezel. Waves of red energy began rolling off the meta¡¯s skin as his breath quickened.

    ¡°Carfentanil,¡± Wrath growled. ¡°Elephant tranquilizer.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± the winged boy said. ¡°You take a tranquilizer to use your powers?¡±

    ¡°No, he lowers the dose to turn it on,¡± Vindicator said, keeping a watchful eye on his teammate that looked like he was on the verge of losing it.

    ¡°You ready?¡± Cypher asked?

    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± The glowing meta snarled.

    ¡°Level those houses,¡± Cypher ordered, pointing to a group of abandoned buildings down to our right.

    Wrath wasted no time asking questions, he ran forward a few steps while Cypher took cover behind Vindicator. ¡°Corey, shield them,¡± Cypher ordered as he crouched behind his teammate who merely crossed his arms.

    Corey quickly turned his back to the nuclear powerhouse an I was nearly certain I saw his wings grow larger than they normally were. Still, they weren¡¯t as big as I would have liked. Whitney and I huddled close to our teammate seconds before the world shook.

    Even with my eyes shut, the flash was still bright. Corey¡¯s wings protected us from the worst of it, but the sudden heat was still painful. ¡°Shit!¡± Corey yelled in pain, stepping away and rapidly fanning his wings.

    ¡°You can still feel them when they¡¯re like that?¡± I asked, realizing the backside of Core¡¯s wings were red-hot and practically sizzling in the air.

    ¡°No shit! They¡¯re a part of me!¡±

    ¡°Guys!¡± Whitney snapped. She looked¡­frightened¡­awestruck? Either way, she had a white-knuckle grip on the charged explosives in her hands.

    Then I saw what she was looking at. Around us, the street was smoldering, but that was nothing compared to the path of destruction stretching out from Wrath. The asphalt was molten, and three houses were leveled down beyond the foundation and into the dirt beneath. It was like¡­well, like a small nuke went off in one direction.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Wrath snarled at his team leader.

    ¡°Not quite,¡± Cypher said, staring intently at the rising smoke.

    There was a wall of scorched antlers rising several feet into the air, some of them broken and chipped, but otherwise the fortification was solid.

    ¡°Hold,¡± Cypher said to Wrath before turning to Vindicator, ¡°Care to do the honors?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Vindicator said, bending his knees before launching himself into the air. He soared towards the dome of antlers looking like he was going to overshoot, but when he passed overhead, he suddenly fell like a stone. More growths shot up from the dark dome in a branching spire in what seemed like an attempt to skewer the hero.

    When the rising spire met the falling hero, it did nothing to stop him. With what sounded like dozens of massive trees all falling at once, the mass of antlers buckled and shattered as Vindicator slammed down. I felt the ground shake even more than from Wrath¡¯s attack as the main wall of antlers fell away.

    In the flurry of chaos, I saw The Anarchist, Hellequin, and someone I didn¡¯t recognize hurrying to get out of Vindicator¡¯s reach while The Butcher and Cerf Tueur tried to keep Vindicator busy. The deer man tried launching another round of sharp projectiles at the hero, but they either glanced off or shattered before harming Vindicator in the slightest. The Gold Digger tried increasing the volume of mass he was spitting out, but only succeeded in pushing himself back.

    The Butcher was already a mass of bone spurs and extra limbs that was scarcely human as she launched herself at the Regent. Vindicator spun around and timed his outstretched fist to connect with the flying villainess. Even compared to The Eagle, Vindicator was probably one of the strongest individuals on the planet, and his strike only served to demonstrate that. The Gold Digger flew off in a shower of gore and entrails before her newly imparted momentum carried her cleanly through the wall of a house that Wrath¡¯s blast left standing and out of sight.

    ¡°You three with me, Wrath, help Vindicator!¡± Cypher shouted, as he ran to intercept Hellequin. Corey launched himself into the air with strong downbeat of his wings as Whitney and I took off to keep up with Cypher. The demon-helmeted villain suddenly produced his decorative rifle out of thin air and took rough aim at Corey, not bothering to slow down.

    Luckily, Corey managed to steel his wings and wrap them around himself before the first shot glanced off in a burst of sparks. Unfortunately, the barrage prevented Corey from flapping his wings, forcing him to the ground. Creatively, he oriented his wings in a rough ring and used them to roll and keep himself from faceplanting.

    More bullets came down range, aimed randomly, but still threatening. Cypher exchanged rounds but he was shooting just as crazily until I noticed sparks in the air in front of us. Then I realized he was shooting Hellequin¡¯s bullets before they could hit us.

    ¡°You¡¯re covered, get airborne,¡± Cypher called back to Corey. The Argonaut didn¡¯t waste any time jumping into the air again and putting some distance between himself and the ground. The Gold Diggers ran behind one of the houses, cutting off our line of sight.

    In the distance, I heard- and felt- another explosion as Wrath unleashed his power again. We had problems of our own, though. Cypher pointed to me and then to the roof while motioning for Whitney to circle around the house with him.

    Alright, I could get on the roof. It¡¯s a simple jump, right? I flexed my legs and willed my energy to move up with me. Normally, I didn¡¯t have a problem with heights, but it was unsettling how quickly the ground disappeared beneath me. And then I didn¡¯t come down. It was like the energy shell was dragging behind me like a parachute, slowing my fall considerably.

    Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t really control my descent and landed on the roof hard. The energy¡¯s low friction made me slide toward the edge. My heart skipped a beat as I scrambled to find something to hold on to. Before I managed to slide all the way off, I grabbed the edge and easily hauled myself up.

    ¡°Prophet, look out!¡± Corey shouted. My head snapped up to look for what he was warning me about, but I didn¡¯t have time to react to the ball of fire screaming towards me.

    Even through the energy shell, it felt like a bowling ball slammed into my chest. I fell backwards off the roof, but a rapid self-assessment spurred on by panicked memories of Redline breaking my ribs revealed I wasn¡¯t burned, and my powers saved me from any injury from the fall.

    ¡°It¡¯s coming back!¡± Corey warned.

    Shit! The burning fireball curved around and made a beeline towards me. Thinking fast, I pushed through to my extra energy and fired a quick blast. The fireball deftly dodged and kept on it¡¯s burning trajectory. This was going to hurt¡­I thought as I braced for impact.

    Suddenly, a silver blur swooped down from the sky and the fireball became two slightly smaller fireballs. I covered my face, but I didn¡¯t feel anything hit me. Two soft thuds came from above my head, and I rolled over to see a¡­bird? Corey landed next to me to investigate the still smoking corpse.

    ¡°Shit, I got blood on my wing,¡± Corey said, looking at the red spot on his white feathers.

    ¡°Thanks for the save,¡± I said, piecing together what happened. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Corey replied.

    The bird wasn¡¯t like anything I¡¯d seen before. It was like a pigeon, but three, maybe four times the size and covered in red feathers.

    ¡°What the-?¡± Corey started to ask before the side of the house exploded. A massive creature burst out, covered in horns and armor plates like some kind of demon-dog-thing. To make things stranger, Cypher was standing on it¡¯s back, riding it like an unruly surfboard. He unloaded multiple rounds into the beast¡¯s skull to no effect. ¡°Help Cinder!¡± Cypher called out, pulling a disk from his pocket and throwing it at the monster¡¯s feet. The throwing disk exploded, knocking Cypher and the beast to the ground.

    ¡°He has it handled, go!¡± Corey said, urgency creeping into his voice. ¡°Alright,¡± I called out, scrambling to my feet and rushing through the hole the demon-dog made slightly behind Corey. Inside, Whitney was on her hands and knees in obvious pain a few feet from a¡­goat?

    It was large with horns curved to wickedly sharp points. What made it odd was its fur. Instead of the usual colors like black or brown, it was a faint purple. It moved its head to look at us, and I suddenly felt like my head was being split in half.

    Apparently, it was affecting Corey too. He cried out in pain, clutching his head. ¡°Kill it!¡± Whitney screamed out. I couldn¡¯t think straight, and my body didn¡¯t want to move. My vision swam as colors blurs and sifted.

    I reached out to my power and lifted my hand to fire a blast of energy. The goat bleated in what I could only assume was a warning as it felt like my brain twisted itself into a knot. Desperate for relief, I fired a blast of energy anyway. Suddenly, the pain stopped, and I felt control return to my limbs.

    ¡°Did you get it?¡± Corey moaned.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said, looking up to see the barnyard bastard limping away. ¡°No, it got away.¡±

    ¡°What the hell was that? A fucking psychic goat?¡± Whitney groaned as she slowly tried to get up. Blood was dripping form her nose, but otherwise, she seemed¡­alive at least.

    ¡°Indeed. One of many possibilities hidden away inside every living creature.¡±

    We all tensed and looked at the newcomer. He was the third person I saw with Hellequin and The Anarchist, the only one I didn¡¯t recognize. He was wearing blue robes and standing with his hands clasped behind his back. What scared me though, were the numerous animals crawling towards us. What had once been squirrels and rabbits were now twisted abominations of spines and teeth.

    ¡°Allow me to introduce myself; I am Saint.¡±

 Focus 2.15

    How many of them were there? I wondered to myself as the horde of miniature horrors swelled in number alarmingly fast. Even though they looked vicious, I didn¡¯t think they could get though my barrier, but Corey and Whitney were another story.

    ¡°Cor- err- Serath, get Cinder out of here!¡± I shouted, charging up my fists. My first two blasts didn¡¯t do anything but scorch the floor and piss off the vermin. Damn, my aim needed work. Corey hurried to help Whitney to her feet, but it was too late. The murder rabbits and killer squirrels had already run past me, forcing Corey to bat them away with his wings.

    They needed cover fire, which meant I had to step up my game. Instead of firing discrete bursts, I dug deeper and fired a beam, sweeping it across the mass of fangs and spines. Saint¡¯s monsters started to die, but there were too many of them. Corey and Whitney staggered outside, but I was swarmed with little balls of murderous lint.

    I could feel their teeth scrape across the energy and their claws press into it as they tried to climb up my leg. They couldn¡¯t get any grip, but that didn¡¯t stop their frenzy.

    ¡°They¡¯re quite determined. I made sure of that,¡± Saint mused, watching the whole affair with interest.

    When they couldn¡¯t climb up me, they started piling on top of each other, their claws cutting their allies to pieces. ¡°Get them off!¡± I yelled at Saint, who didn¡¯t seem interested in helping in the slightest. Getting free was priority now that Corey and Whitney were safe.

    Outside, I still heard the occasional explosion from Wrath and the thunderous impacts from Cypher¡¯s attempt to wrangle the demon-dog. The Gold Diggers weren¡¯t pushovers, even against the Regents. Although, I guess the hero team was missing two members. Because of me, I thought. They were protecting my sister and not helping to wrap this up.

    A creature that I could only guess had once been a rat jumped off the rapidly growing pile and latched onto my hand, screaming bloody murder. I slung my hand and sent the little fucker flying. It struck the wall and fell to the ground, twitching. ¡°What the hell?¡± I said out loud as I saw the nearly dead creature rapidly swell in size, bright orange pustules pushed through its skin like dozens of balloons getting ready to pop. I watched, horrified, but just when I didn¡¯t think it could get any more swollen, it blew up.

    Literally.

    The contents of the boils burst into flame when it contacted the air. I glanced down at the waist-high pile and noticed that growths were already growing on most of the creatures. Then I realized with shocked horror what the creatures¡¯ true purpose was.

    I started firing energy blasts, but there were too many of them, so I tried to jerk my foot free, but even with the added strength of my suit, they were somehow holding me in place.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t think you can get free that easily. They¡¯ve started secreting a protein-based resin designed to set stronger than concrete. I think I¡¯ll take my leave before the fireworks start, but you¡¯re a tough one, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll see each other again.¡±

    ¡°No, get back here!¡± I yelled in vain. Saint quickly made his exit, leaving me covered in explosive vermin. My energy was tough, but I seriously doubted it could protect me this time. I had to find a way out, but the only image running through my head was a bright life and poof, no more Prophet.

    They were up to my chest and still climbing, burying me more and more in furry, explosive concrete. I couldn¡¯t call the others back and risk them getting caught in the explosion, but I wasn¡¯t strong enough to escape on my own. Come on, Nate, think!

    Wait, the portal!

    I still hadn¡¯t had a chance to really process what I¡¯d managed to do, but unless it was just a one-time fluke, I had to be able to go back to the forest and away from almost certain death. But how? Last time I did it, I had that strange voice talking to me, and I was pretty desperate to get back, but then again, I was pretty fucking desperate this time too. I reached inward with my powers until I caught a brief feeling that I had when I forced open the portal.

    Maybe there was a chance.

    Saint¡¯s monsters started to swell rapidly, and I tried to push the power with everything I had, and I felt reality rip around me. The mirror-like shards formed in the air as I, and a large portion of the rat pile were enveloped in a blue glow

    The portal¡¯s glow grew stronger until I couldn¡¯t see the room anymore, but I could still tell I had returned to the Forest. It almost felt like taking a deep breath after one side of your nose had been stopped when you had a cold. The portal quickly faded to reveal the skeletal trees, but I quickly realized I had stowaways still piled from my chest down. I didn¡¯t expect the creatures to come with me, and suddenly remembered that I didn¡¯t have my energy suit in the Forrest.

    Maybe this was it. The monsters were still swelling, and I had no way to escape, much less run away. I was going to die alone in a creepy-ass forest. I screwed my eyes shut and waited for the boom.

    It never came.

    Slowly, I opened my eyes and felt the pile noticeably loosen. It looked like most of them had died, and the few that hadn¡¯t weren¡¯t far behind them. It was like they were rotting right in front of me. Their hair was being stripped of color and falling out in chunks as their skin turned black and necrotic.

    ¡°What the hell?¡±

    Out of curiosity, I tried to move, and the small corpses crumbled to dust as stark white as the trees.

    Leave.

    ¡°Ugh, leave me alone!¡± I shouted at the invasive voice. ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± I said, looking back at the pile of white dust on the ground. What was this place? I asked myself. Was it my own dimension? Cypher had said that I could be a warper-class; maybe this was where I got my energy from.

    Either way, I had to get back, and not just because the creepy voice was going to yell at me again if I didn¡¯t. Focusing on the strange feeling that opened the portal before, I felt reality shift around me as the shards grew in number. They began swirling around me faster, and the forest was cut off by the spinning mass. Suddenly, I heard the sounds of the fighting come rushing back. I hurried out of the fading portal and found myself on the street in front of the house where we were attacked by Saint¡¯s monsters.

    Just as soon as I got my bearings, an explosion tore through the house. ¡°Oh my God! Nate!¡± Corey yelled. He and Whitney were rushing towards the nearly leveled building, and apparently didn¡¯t notice my portal.

    ¡°Guys, I¡¯m fine!¡± I called out, summoning my energy.

    They whirled around and stared at me like I was something from another world. ¡°Nate?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°How the hell did you get¡­?¡± Corey trailed off as I jogged over to them.

    ¡°I opened another portal,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Portal?¡± Whitney asked. I guess I missed some major details. ¡°You can teleport?¡±

    ¡°Sort-of. It¡¯s more like-¡±

    ¡°-Argonauts, focus!¡± Cypher yelled from the back of the demon dog. The beast looked bloodied, but just as angry as it was before. It lurched to a stop, and when that didn¡¯t throw the masked hero off, it dropped to the ground and tried to roll onto it¡¯s back. Cypher didn¡¯t even metaphorically blink. Like a champion logroller he ran across the dog¡¯s stomach, remaining perfectly stable.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    The dog jumped back to it¡¯s feet, but Cypher apparently had enough fun playing with his new friend. He tossed one of his explosive disks into the air followed by a combat knife pulled from his boot. Everything happened in a split second, but the disk exploded and the next thing I knew, the knife was embedded deep in the monster¡¯s eye.

    It let out an unearthly screech before collapsing to the ground, unmoving. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Whitney deadpanned. ¡°They¡¯re stalling, we need to wrap this up,¡± Cypher said, ripping his knife free from the beast¡¯s socket and shaking off the drops of gore.

    ¡°Wrath and Vindicator have Butcher and Cerf Tueur occupied, but if we don¡¯t end this soon, Wrath will obliterate them.¡±

    ¡°Is that really a bad thing?¡± Corey asked as we fell in step behind Cypher.

    ¡°I think they are being coerced into attacking us. It isn¡¯t their modus operandi to go after hero teams, much less ones like the Regents. They don¡¯t deserve to die because of it.¡±

    ¡°Humble much?¡± Whitney muttered.

    ¡°No,¡± Cypher replied, apparently hearing Whitney¡¯s snide comment. ¡°We¡¯ve seen all of the Team¡¯s members at work with the exception of Queen.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s her deal?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Class B2 Cognition. She has increased mechanical aptitude and has been known to increase the efficacy of stolen technology.¡±

    ¡°Always so clinical.¡±

    We whirled around to see The Anarchist standing behind us in the space between two of the houses. She looked¡­nervous? It was difficult to pin down her facial expressions, but what was more pressing was the gun in her hand.

    ¡°Distraction,¡± Cypher said, quickly drawing one of his guns and firing three shots in rapid succession in the direction we had been walking. Each bullet collided with something in the air, stopping a sneak attack from Hellequin.

    ¡°Who is making you do this?¡± The masked hero asked, keeping his featureless face trained on the demon-headed villain.

    ¡°Afraid they wouldn¡¯t like me to say,¡± Hellequin quipped, taking a few steps to stand in the middle of our path, keeping his rifle trained on Cypher who returned the favor with his pistol.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been counting your rounds; running a bit low, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Still enough to shoot you both,¡± Cypher replied, drawing his second gun and leveling it at The Anarchist.

    ¡°That¡¯s not your style though, is it? Do you know that people talk about you, Cypher? Ever since what you did with Ouroboros, you¡¯ve been what villains everywhere check the closet for before they turn off the lights at night. You¡¯ve killed more people than most criminals, but it¡¯s all fine because you do it for ¡®justice¡¯, isn¡¯t that right? We¡¯re all scared of you, plan everything we do around you, but now? There is someone new.¡±

    ¡°Your employer?¡±

    Hellequin nodded. ¡°As much as I don¡¯t want to do this, he didn¡¯t give us much choice.¡±

    ¡°So, it is a he.¡± Cypher didn¡¯t ask so much as stated. ¡°All of this is because he wants to pick a fight?¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± The Anarchist said, her eyes glowing pink.

    ¡°Trying to read my mind, or are you using your powers to induce paralysis in my associates?¡± Cypher asked. ¡°Either way, I can¡¯t allow that. Sterling, if you would.¡±

    Cypher must have been using comms of some kind to talk to the AI, because The Anarchist¡¯s face contorted withvisible pain and the gun dropped as she let out a cry of pain. ¡°Make it stop!¡± She screamed, dropping to her knees and clutching her head.

    ¡°What are you doing to her? Hellequin asked, his tone suddenly harsh.

    ¡°Stand down,¡± Cypher ordered, with absolutely no empathy in his voice.

    ¡°Queen upgraded my gun; I¡¯ll blow you away right now if you won¡¯t stop.¡±

    ¡°No, you won¡¯t. How long do you think Cerf Tueur and The Butcher can last against Wrath? If I¡¯m not able to call him off, he¡¯ll tear your entire team-¡± Cypher cut himself off mid-sentence by firing the gun he had aimed at the well-adorned villain, hitting the fancy rifle.

    The sudden noise seemed to take everyone by surprise, most of all Hellequin. Corey used one wing to shield himself while he readied the other be used as a giant knife. Whitney pulled some ammunition from her belt and quickly charged it while I summoned more energy to my fists.

    The Gold Digger almost seemed to wave his hands and the gun vanished into thin air. Hellequin started back peddling as Cypher brought his other gun around. With another wave of his hand, Hellequin summoned a rifle nearly identical to the first one, but The Regent had brought his gun to bear first and easily disarmed his opponent for the second time.

    ¡°Fuck you,¡± Hellequin sneered, flinging his hands skyward. In the dim light, I couldn¡¯t see anything, but it felt like sand rained down on us. Cypher broke into a sprint to chase down the fleeing villain, but the whole alley suddenly lit up as blue sparks arced across every surface.

    Everyone except me let out a scream of pain as they were tased. ¡°They¡¯re ants!¡± Cypher yelled, as he struggled to stand despite his muscles seizing.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, not understanding what he was saying. Were these more of Saint¡¯s creations? Electric ants? ¡°How can I help?¡± I asked, not feeling the insect¡¯s effects for some reason.

    ¡°Go after them! We¡¯ll-b-be fine¡± Cypher croaked. I didn¡¯t want to leave my team like that, but there was a job to do. The electric arcs were jumping across the surface of my suit too, but I guess it was enough to protect me.

    I tried to look for Hellequin, but he had already disappeared. That left the Anarchist. I spun around and caught a glimpse of her as she disappeared around the corner of a building. With the energy giving me a hand, there was no way she could out pace me. Still, she managed to stumble up the steps of one of the houses and disappear inside.

    She slammed the door shut and I heard a click as the lock engage. Was she really trying to lock me out? I gave the door a kick, and the wood splintered, flying in off it¡¯s hinges. ¡°Nate, stop!¡± She ordered, pointing her gun at me. ¡°Stay back!¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t hurt me.¡±

    ¡°Really? You don¡¯t sound very sure of yourself,¡± She said. I noticed the pink I saw in her eyes earlier was gone, but her hands were trembling.

    ¡°What were you doing to me earlier in the warehouse? Why won¡¯t you leave me alone?¡±

    ¡°I was trying to warn you, Idiot!¡±

    ¡°Warn me?¡± I asked, takin a step forward.

    ¡°Stop!¡± She threatened, tightening her grip on her weapon.

    ¡°What the hell were you warning me about? That you and your fucking murder buddies were coming to kill my parents?¡± I was shouting, but I couldn¡¯t help it. After everything she had done, was she trying to say she was on my side?

    ¡°No,¡± She said, sounding frustrated. ¡°No, we-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m tired of you fucking lying to me-¡± I yelled as I took another step forward. The Anarchist¡¯s eyes went wide, and she pulled the trigger. I felt the bullet slam into my shoulder, but my energy didn¡¯t break. It would probably bruise, but other than that¡­

    ¡°-manipulating me-¡± The Anarchist fired another round, and this one caught me in stomach. It knocked a bit of the wind out of me, but didn¡¯t do any real damage, just like before.

    ¡°-making me betray my friends and my family-¡± I was closing the distance now, forcing her to back up into a wall.

    ¡°Nate, please¡­¡± She said, trying to aim again. I knocked the gun out of her grasp, and she hissed in pain, grabbingher hand.

    With her options dwindling, the Anarchist tried to bolt to the side, but when it came to her speed, she was just human. I threw my energy forward and slammed my fist into the wall next to her head.

    ¡°-They are all I have left!¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± She whispered, the wall not letting her shrink away any further.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like you¡¯ve been the good guy all along. Or don¡¯t you remember breaking into my house and fucking torturing me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we-¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sorry? I was fucking stabbed and had my fingers ripped off!¡±

    ¡°Come on, Nate¡­we- we both know you aren¡¯t a bad person¡­¡±

    ¡°Really? Why don¡¯t you read my mind and see what I¡¯m feeling right now?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± She said. ¡°Whatever Cypher did, I keep getting¡­feedback, static whenever I try. Look, we didn¡¯t want to hurt you. He forced us to. We aren¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t what? Bad guys?¡±

    ¡°Okay, maybe we¡¯re bad people, but we don¡¯t want to kill you, or your parents. He-¡±

    ¡°Right, ¡®He forced you to¡¯. Who¡¯s ¡®He¡¯?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know his name, alright! But he¡¯s crazy smart, and rich, and- and¡­he managed to scare Hellequin.¡±

    ¡°Why me?¡± I asked. ¡°Of all people, why me?¡±

    ¡°He said it was because Cypher likes you, like a son or a prot¨¦g¨¦ or something.¡±

    ¡°So, all of this was just to get to Cypher?¡± I questioned, trying to make sense of everything.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± She whispered. ¡°Look, if you let me go, we won¡¯t ever fuck with you again, I swear. I know we threatened your family, but it was all fake. We have our own family too. The Gold Diggers? They¡¯re my family, as dysfunctional as they may be. We did what we had to so we could stay safe. Your life may have been shit, but it is so much worse for a lot of people.¡±

    Another explosion shook the ground, reminding me of the fight going on outside. ¡°We¡¯ll leave, I promise.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what to do. On one hand, I honestly wanted to punch something; to do anything to get my feelings out so they would stop tearing me up inside, but on the other, I actually believed her. Somewhat.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I yelled, turning away from the Anarchist and punching another wall.

    ¡°Look, Nate, they¡¯re coming. We were meant to soften you up.¡±

    ¡°Go,¡± I finally said, scarcely believing the word came out of my mouth.

    ¡°Thanks, Soot-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that! You don¡¯t get to call me that!¡±

    ¡°Sorry. Look, maybe in another life we could have been friends. You¡¯re a nice guy, Nate, and we did some fucked up things to you¡­¡±

    ¡°Go,¡± I yelled with more force than I meant to. The energy around me rippled like it could tell I was angry.

    The Anarchist just gave a brief nod and hurried around a corner and out of sight.

    ¡°Nate! Nate, where are you?¡±

    ¡°In here!¡± I called back to Whitney. She and Corey came in through the broken front door, black smoke trailing behind them.

    ¡°Are you guys okay?¡± I asked, remembering the ants.

    ¡°Yeah. Apparently, ants are like bees; smoke messes them up,¡± Whitney said, a moment of pride flashing across her face before she settled back into business mode.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the bitch?¡± She asked.

    ¡°She got away,¡± I halfway lied.

    ¡°Come on, you had one job, man,¡± Corey said.

    ¡°Just leave it,¡± I said. ¡°We have more problems coming.¡±

 Focus 2.16

    Together, the three of us ran out of the house and back towards the heart of the fighting. Corey took to the air now that Hellequin was hopefully disarmed while I reined in my speed so Whitney could keep up. We turned left at the end of the street we were running down and caught a full view of the damage the fight between the Regents and Gold Diggers had caused.

    A practical skyscraper of Cerf Tueur¡¯s antlers rose from the ground in a twisted pile of interlocking pillars of the light brown material. Around the main tower, there were dozens of smaller growths that had erupted from the ground. Some were broken and cracked while others were scorched and smoldering.

    ¡°Wow, this due is no joke,¡± Whitney said, picking her way through the small bits of stray antlers that littered the ground.

    ¡°Yeah, no kidding,¡± I muttered.

    A bright red flash erupted from inside the twisted mass of the tower as a large chunk exploded. Wrath emerged from the hole and leapt down to the ground only to be met with more deadly spikes rushing up to impale him. The hero let out what I could only describe as a war cry as he drove his fists towards the spikes. The burning aura around him flared in time with the strikes, vaporizing the growths before they could touch him.

    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Corey said in a mix of shock and disgust. His altitude must have let him spot whatever it was, because I couldn¡¯t see it until a massive pale hand appeared on the side of the antler spire.

    ¡°Is that the Butcher?¡± I asked in disbelief as a disfigured monster crawled into view. It only resembled a human insomuch that it had arms and legs, but the numbers were way off. At least three long, thin limbs protruded from each of its shoulders at odd angles and two legs with exposed muscle and bone extending from either hip. Multiple joints bent to let the monster¡¯s long claws dig into mountain of antlers.

    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s disgusting,¡± Whitney said, picking up two large chunks of the antlers off the ground and charged them with her powers. The Monster¡¯s face was¡­sort of human but enlarged with a maw of vicious teeth and a head of long dark hair. It jumped off the spire towards Wrath and slapped him through a building with one of its multiple hands. The Butcher-monster let out an unearthly scream, and I saw why. The hand that batted the hero aside was burned and disfigured.

    The Butcher seemed to know how to fix it, though. She picked the damaged arm up off the ground and brought her jaws together like a giant pair of scissors. There was a sickening crunch of bone as she wrenched her head to the side, amputating the damaged limb.

    ¡°Fuck, I hate these people,¡± Whitney groaned, chucking one of her explosives like a professional baseball player. It tumbled through the air like a boomerang and detonated a few feet from the Butcher¡¯s flank. Her skin rippled and tore under the force of the explosion, causing another monstrous roar to escape her maw. All ten of the monster¡¯s largest limbs returned to the ground, one of them sporting a newly regenerated clawed hand from the stump she just amputated.

    ¡°I think She¡¯s looking at us,¡± I said, noticing that the skin was already growing back from Whitney¡¯s attack.

    ¡°How the hell did she get that big?¡± Whitney asked, replacing the explosive she threw with another.

    ¡°Oh, she just needs to be well-fed,¡± A voice said to our left.

    Saint was standing a few feet away, a strange golden armor growing up his arm like it was alive. It looked like it was made of scales or something similar and covered his skin completely as it spread. The Butcher bellowed again, charging at us like some ten-legged lizard, a tail sprouting from the bottom of her spine.

    The ground shook more with each massive stride, leaving us very little time to react. ¡°Help Corey with The Butcher, I¡¯ll take Dr. Dolittle,¡± Whitney said, as she ran towards Saint. With Corey somewhere in the sky, I was the only one left for The Butcher to charge.

    I put my hands together and fired a blast of energy that struck the charging villain in her chest. She seemed to stumble a bit, but it didn¡¯t do much to slow her down. The blast left a dark mark where I hit her, but she didn¡¯t really seem injured.

    Corey was more effective. He dove in close and used one of his wings like a large blade to slice cleanly through the Butcher¡¯s left front limbs before returning his wings to normal in time to avoid crashing into the ground.

    With a fourth of her support suddenly gone mid-stride, The Butcher crashed to the ground. ¡°Blast her!¡± Corey yelled as he climbed into the air for another attack. ¡°Right.¡±

    Blue-white light poured from my hands as twin beams of light slammed into the villain. She howled in pain as I raked the lasers across her skin, leaving trails of black, necrotic tissue. Even though she brutally bit off my fingers and probably ate them, damn the thought was disgusting; I felt a twinge of sympathy.

    Still, I couldn¡¯t let her hurt my friends. I focused the beams on her right shoulder, but they didn¡¯t really seem to do much damage past turning the skin black. Come on do something!

    My arms started to ache as more power poured through them like I was a firehose. I hadn¡¯t ever channeled the energy for this long, and it was beginning to become apparent why I shouldn¡¯t. The pain suddenly spiked, and the beams fizzled out. ¡°Fuck!¡± I screamed, falling to my knees. My arms felt like they were going to split in two.

    Corey swooped down again, expertly dodging a swipe from the Butcher and leaving the Villain with another long gash down her side. I looked over and Whitney and saw her tossing explosives with reckless abandon. Saint¡¯s golden armor had finished growing, covering him from head to toe. He looked like a mix between an insect and a golden lizard. He looked intimidating, but he was on the backfoot. He wasn¡¯t ever more than a half second away from being blown to kingdom come.

    This was getting crazy; most of the houses had been destroyed or at least damaged, and the Gold Diggers were still going. I didn¡¯t know where Cypher or Vindicator was, but I spotted Wrath emerging between two houses, and he looked¡­calm?

    Wrath looked around and spotted The Butcher. Without a roar, or a bellow, or any sign of rage, he started walking down the street towards us. His face was a mask, but that just made him more terrifying. The air boiled around him as the antlers disintegrated as he walked past.

    The Butcher¡¯s injuries were already healing: her severed legs were about halfway regrown, and Cory¡¯s scratch was almost completely healed. The injuries from my energy blasts, though, weren¡¯t. Like some crazed animal, The Butcher bent one of her rear legs and started scratching the dead skin like a dog. The flesh sloughed off, revealing that the damage didn¡¯t go all that deep. Once the dead cells were gone, her healing powers took over.

    ¡°What are you?¡± She asked, looking at me. Despite her twisted form, her voice was still human, maybe a little deeper, but still.

    ¡°The guy who¡¯s about to see you get your ass kicked,¡± I replied. Wrath was close enough that I was surprised she couldn¡¯t feel the heat rolling off him.

    ¡°What?¡± She asked, before realizing what I meant. With a roar that shook my bones, she whirled to face the approaching hero, her maw stretching with new teeth growing to fill the space. Wrath didn¡¯t flinch until the crocodilian maw was about to snap shut, but once he did¡­

    Wrath let out a barbaric yell as the world went white. I tried to shield my eyes, but the kind of power he was putting out was insane. It felt like my energy was being stripped away like a beachball in a hurricane. My footing gave away, sending me tumbling back until I slammed into a large bit of antler.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Just when I thought I was about to lose hold on my barrier, something darkened my vision. After a few more seconds, Wrath¡¯s attack finally subsided, and I opened my eyes. Corey had his arms wrapped around me, shielding us with his wings.

    ¡°Thanks for the save, again.¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah¡­You owe me,¡± Corey said as he helped me up. It looked like the stain of the fighting and the heat was getting to him; his face was flush, and he was sweating slightly.

    ¡°Are your wings okay?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll be fine in a bit, but they¡¯re still cooling off,¡± He said, fanning them in their metal form.

    We were surrounded by chunks of debris, mostly broken antlers larger than we were, that mad it difficult to see where everyone else was. ¡°We need to find Whitney,¡± I said right as I noticed glowing lines spreading on a particularly large chunk of antler.

    ¡°Never mind,¡± I muttered as the chunk exploded, showering us in small bits of bone and dust.

    ¡°Are you two okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re fine, but what about you?¡± I asked, noticing her costume was ripped in several places.

    ¡°Just some scrapes and bruises. Saint fights like a bitch.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Corey said, not sure how to respond. ¡°We need to regroup with the Regents.¡±

    ¡°Right, lets go,¡± I said, taking off towards the spire of antlers. We picked our way through the maze of rubble and made it about three feet until we found out what happened to The Butcher.

    Wrath was standing in the middle of a clearing, breathing heavily. His red aura was gone, and it looked like he was slowly calming down. Next to him was the corpse of the Butcher. Her head was completely blown off, and the rest of her body completely charred.

    ¡°You killed her?¡± I asked the hero, who seemed slightly startled by our arrival.

    ¡°Probably,¡± He said, a faint wisp of the red energy forming over his skin. ¡°She¡¯s the one that didn¡¯t back off. Where¡¯s Cypher?¡± He asked, looking us over.

    ¡°We got separated,¡± Whitney explained. ¡°And Saint slipped away during your explosion, props for that by the way.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Wrath grumbled, the compliment wasted on him.

    Suddenly, the giant tower of antlers shook and started wobbling. ¡°Holy shit, is it getting taller?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s getting picked up,¡± Wrath said, his glow getting stronger. ¡°The Deer guy buried Vindy under there.¡±

    ¡°Vindy?¡± Whitney asked with a smirk. ¡°Do you have nicknames for all your teammates?¡±

    ¡°Shut up and move!¡± Wrath yelled, the intensity of the radiation swirling around him returning to full-strength.

    His tone didn¡¯t leave much room to disagree or make snide comebacks, so we followed him as he punched us a way through the rubble.

    Cerf Tueur jumped from the top of his creation, using his powers to creating progressively shorter growths from the bottom of his feet, that he used like stairs to safely reach the ground just as Vindicator gave a massive heave. The skyscraper-sized tower sailed through the air, breaking apart like a matchstick tower as it hit the ground.

    Thunderous footsteps drew closer, before we saw Vindicator, his clothes torn and ripped, come into view. Despite the condition of his clothes, he looked completely unharmed.

    ¡°You deal with The Butcher?¡± The giant asked Wrath.

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s barbeque, and Saint is retreating.¡±

    Vindicator nodded. ¡°They¡¯re about done, then. We need to find Cypher. Can you get airborne and lead us to him?¡± He asked Corey.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Corey said, taking off and flying in loose circles until he was well over our heads. ¡°I see him!¡± Corey called down. He broke the holding pattern and we followed.

    We ended up back in front of the warehouse where Cypher was in a fist fight with Hellequin. It was clear the villain was outmatched. Every move he made, the hero countered, driving the demon-headed figure back. For a split second Hellequin took control when he slammed his helmet into Cypher¡¯s mask.

    The glass cracked, but it didn¡¯t shatter, and Cypher didn¡¯t stop. He pulled a throwing disk from the confines of his coat and launched it at the villain¡¯s helmet. The bladed edge merely glanced off the golden metal, but in doing so, created sparks right above Hellequin¡¯s eyes.

    Cypher used the distraction to slip past the villain¡¯s defense and sweep his legs out from under him. Hellequin hit the ground, and Cypher drew one of his pistols. ¡°One bullet left,¡± Cypher said.

    ¡°Hellequin!¡±

    We all looked up to see Cerf Tueur holding a spike in his hand, running to the aid of his team leader.

    ¡°Arr¨ºter!¡± Hellequin shouted, defeat in his voice. The Deer-man came to a stop, more spikes growing out of his skull-like mask.

    ¡°Looks like everyone made it in one piece,¡± Cypher said, looking past us. I turned to see Saint supporting a heavily injured Butcher: in her human form this time.

    ¡°How¡¯d you survive?¡± Wrath asked.

    ¡°Fuck you,¡± The Butcher croaked.

    ¡°We surrender,¡± Hellequin said.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the Anarchist?¡± I asked, noting her absence.

    ¡°Right here,¡± She said softly, walking around his with her hands in the air to stand with the rest of her team.

    ¡°Now what?¡± The demon-headed villain asked.

    ¡°I think we¡¯ll find out in just a moment,¡± Cypher said.

    We all waited for several tense seconds, and I almost didn¡¯t hear it, but there was no mistaking the faint rustling sound.

    Before I could even turn around to look, all of us were jerked into the air and hung there like marionets. The Gold Diggers remained on the ground, but they didn¡¯t look thrilled about it.

    Someone behind us started clapping slowly, mockingly.

    ¡°I assume you¡¯re the one who¡¯s been taunting me?¡± Cypher asked as we all spun around to see Shard and his associates standing behind us on the street. The goo- Euclid, I corrected myself, Redline, Morales, Cooke, a woman- Narcosis if I had to guess, and a robot of some kind- Obyek 41. But there was one other person standing with them.

    ¡°Oh, that wasn¡¯t taunting, Cypher. You need to learn how to play with others,¡± The man said, stepping forward. He was dressed in a suit like Shard, but he mostly looked normal; except for his eyes.

    They were glowing bright amber; just like in my vision.

    ¡°What¡¯s this guy¡¯s deal?¡± Wrath asked, looking back at Cypher. ¡°Can I punch him?¡±

    ¡°Cypher?¡± Vindicator asked hesitantly when the hero didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Cat got your tongue?¡± The man asked. He looked so proud of himself, so smug. It was easy to share Wrath¡¯s instinct to punch him.

    Hellequin climbed to his feet and dusted himself off, motioning for his team to follow. ¡°We¡¯ve done what you ordered. Can we go?¡±

    The man gave Hellequin a sideways glance before turning to Shard. ¡°Send them back.¡±

    Shard nodded and all the Gold Diggers disappeared in his signature swirl of energy.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Cypher finally asked.

    The man shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ve never considered giving myself any of those silly names you all run around calling yourselves, and it just seems like poor form to give you my real name, so let¡¯s see¡­¡±

    ¡°Chess,¡± Cypher said, an edge of venom in his voice.

    ¡°That will do,¡± The man said with a smile.

    ¡°Chess? Really?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°He knows I¡¯m quite fond of the game, given the nature of my strategies,¡± The man- Chess explained.

    ¡°What?¡± Whitney asked, sounding more confused than she did before.

    ¡°Okay, you have a ¡®silly little name now¡¯,¡± Vindicator said, suddenly dropping to the ground. Shard grunted in pain; his powers not able to keep the metahuman lifted. ¡°But I¡¯m tired, and I want to go home.¡±

    ¡°Stop him,¡± Chess ordered.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Shard shouted as he stretched a hand towards Vindicator. The hero wavered for a second, but his feet sunk deeper into the asphalt like it was snow.

    ¡°Five-hundred tons? Is that really all you can manage?¡± Vindicator asked mockingly.

    ¡°Narcosis!¡± Chess said sharply. The woman pointed her hands towards Vindicator and a gray mist started pouring from strange tattoos on her arms. The mist moved along the ground towards the hero like it was made of sentient snakes or tentacles.

    Vindicator charged like a living embodiment of an earthquake, but once he reached the mist, he stumbled.

    ¡°How do we get out of here?¡± Wrath asked Cypher.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Cypher said, his usual flat tone returning.

    Wrath didn¡¯t question it, but his glow did get stronger.

    Narcosis¡¯ fumes seemed to really be affecting Vindicator. He had stopped moving forward altogether. Instead, he just stumbled and dropped down on all fours.

    ¡°Cypher-¡±

    ¡°-Wait¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re killing him!¡± Wrath shouted, struggling to move against Shard¡¯s telekinesis.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Cypher shouted. Chess seemed amused watching the exchange between the Regents.

    Wrath tried to look back at Cypher, but the force holding him in place wouldn¡¯t let him. ¡°Let me fucking save him!¡±

    ¡°Red Lighthouse!¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Wrath said before going off like a flashbang.

    ¡°Shit!¡± I practically screamed as the light stabbed my eyes. I hit the ground hard, Shard must have dropped us while he was distracted. I felt someone¡¯s hand grasp at my energy, but I couldn¡¯t tell if it was Whitney or Corey. On top of that, I could barely hear anything except a high-pitched ringing.

    My vision was the first thing to partially clear. I saw blurry shapes that slowly sharped to reveal Whitney trying to shake my shoulder. She was mouthing something, but I couldn¡¯t read lips, so all I could do was shake my head.

    She looked frustrated and turned to try the same thing with Corey who seemed as disoriented as I was. Why wasn¡¯t she as fucked up as us? Did it have to do with her powers? I vaguely remembered her saying she was explosion-proof, maybe that extending to the effects of flashbangs.

    I craned my head to look at the Shard¡¯s¡­no, at Chess¡¯ team. I didn¡¯t see Chess or Shard, and the ones who were left seemed as dazed as we were except for Obyek. It looked strange with long legs and arms that stretched down past its knees.

    Wrath was wildly throwing punches that the machine was expertly dodging, its arms letting it throw itself around like some kind of monkey. It didn¡¯t seem to be making any attempt to fight back; maybe it knew what happened to the Butcher when she tried.

    And then Whitney punched me in the face.

    It didn¡¯t hurt, but I was still surprised. I looked at her, and she mouthed ¡°Sorry¡±. She tried mouthing something else, and I could tell she was talking, but it was muffled. ¡°Get up.¡±

 Focus 2.17

    ¡°Come on, move!¡± Whitney tried to say, her voice still distance and distorted. She pulled me and Corey away from the fight, but something still felt wrong.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Shhh!¡± She hissed violently.

    ¡°What¡­wait¡­where-where¡¯s Shard?¡±

    ¡°Shut up and come on!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna be okay,¡± Corey said, chuckling, ¡°We¡¯re gonna be fine.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we will. We will,¡± Whitney said like she was convincing herself.

    Wait¡­Was it Whitney? My vision blurred and swam, making it hard to make anything out. But then, it was like I had a moment of clarity; I realized who it really was leading us.

    I jerked my hand free and tried to summon my energy, but for some reason the wall in the back of my head slipped out of focus.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Get back!¡± I yelled, trying in vain to use my powers.

    ¡°Nate, we have to get you help!¡±

    ¡°No, fuck you and your help! Get away; you¡¯re fucking with my head!¡± My head was pounding, I didn¡¯t notice it before, but It was so bad I thought I might pass out. My whole body felt light, like it was made of paper.

    ¡°Fucking with your head? Wait¡ªwho do you think I am?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re the Anarchist! What are you doing to me?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s me! It¡¯s Whitney!¡±

    ¡°Stop lying!¡± I yelled, still trying to do something, anything, but I couldn¡¯t think straight.

    Corey¡¯s chuckle had grown into hysterics. He was doubled over in laughter like it was the funniest thing in the world.

    I had become so focused on Corey that I didn¡¯t noticed the glowing rock until it was too late.

    <hr>

    ¡°Hey. Hey! Wake up!¡±

    I jerked awake, and Whitney mercifully stopped shaking me.

    ¡°Are you sane again?¡± She asked, clearly fed up.

    ¡°Uh, I think so,¡± I said. I could see clearly again, and a quick self-check gave green lights across the board except for some aches and pains.

    Whitney breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Thank God.¡±

    ¡°What was that? I mean, why was everything screwy?¡±

    ¡°Narcosis,¡± Whitney sneered.

    ¡°The chick with the mist?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We met her briefly while you and Corey were on bedrest. She fucked us up pretty good; except for Erin of course.¡±

    ¡°What about Corey?¡± I asked, remembering he seemed out of his head too.

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± he muttered from the other side of the room. His wings were awkwardly splayed out like he¡¯d been unceremoniously dropped on the floor.

    ¡°Are we back in the Warehouse?¡± I asked, looking around.

    ¡°Yeah, I managed to drag your asses back here with a little help from Animus. He gave me some instant hangover cure and ran off to help the Regents.¡±

    ¡°Hangover cure?¡± Corey asked hesitantly.

    Whitney nodded at two empty vials laying on the ground nearby.

    ¡°Oh God¡ªwhy is being injected with another person¡¯s blood starting to feel normal?¡± Corey asked. ¡°No one mentioned this at the Academy.¡±

    ¡°Relax,¡± Whitney said, rolling her eyes. ¡°People get blood transfusions all the time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s done at a hospital with doctors, and nurses, and¡­¡±

    I tuned out as Corey rambled about blood transfusions and climbed back to my feet. ¡°-Don¡¯t mean to cut you off, but we need to get back out ther-¡±

    Before I could finish my train of thought, I was ripped into the air, and pinned against the ceiling.

    ¡°You know, ¡®cut¡¯ is an interesting word choice,¡± Shard mused.

    Whitney lunged at the vials, but they suddenly shot out of reach, shattering when they hit a wall.

    ¡°Naughty girl,¡± Shard said with a wicked grin.

    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Whitney spat, jumping to her feet and charging. While she had Shard¡¯s attention, Corey used his wings like a spring to launch himself toward the villain. Shard flicked up his hand, and Whitney lurched to a stop midair, like a marionette hanging from strings. Corey brought both of his wings down towards the telekinetic¡¯s head, but a flick of Shard¡¯s other hand stopped them with inches to spare.

    ¡°I thought you heroes were supposed to be somewhat smart, but you still think you can stop me? Well, maybe my gauge for ¡®smart¡¯ has been a bit¡­misaligned recently.¡±

    Shard lifted his hands, and my friends gently floated to the ceiling. I tried to summon my energy, but the scarlet-haired villain was more alert than I thought.

    ¡°Tsk-tsk, Prophet; we can¡¯t have that,¡± Shard said, his voice unnervingly dulcet. A knife with a long blade that curved to a wickedly sharp point appeared in a swirl of energy and pressed hard against my jugular.

    I got the message and let the glow fade.

    ¡°Better,¡± Shard said, one corner of his mouth peeling back in a smirk. His expression was predatory, and I felt like the prey.

    ¡°I have a bone to pick with you,¡± He said, walking over so he was looking straight up at me, his eyes trying to burn holes in my head. Did he have laser vision? I suddenly worried. His eyes were like dim coals hinting at the power he had.

    ¡°Why? Because I kicked your ass in Chicag-¡± I croaked as I felt my throat tighten before I finished my sentence.

    ¡°Please, I left because Chess didn¡¯t want me killing you yet.¡±

    I was struggling to breathe, but this guy just grated on my nerves. ¡°I¡­kicked¡­your¡­¡± Shard¡¯s telekinetic grip on my throat tightened, and I couldn¡¯t get any breath in at all.

    ¡°Stop it!¡± Corey yelled.

    ¡°No,¡± Shard deadpanned, his smirk transforming to a tooth-filled smile.

    I had to get out of this, fast. My lungs were starting to burn for air; I looked over at Whitney and Corey, they couldn¡¯t do anything. If only I had my energy¡­

    Maybe I could manifest it around my throat first? It usually came from around my back or my hands, but I could maybe force it to summon somewhere else. Didn¡¯t have much choice either way.

    Story of my life.

    Here goes nothing, I thought to myself. When I first used my energy on purpose, I had to force it, but now it was almost reflexive. I focused on my throat and felt the cold energy spread out a split second before Shard gave the knife a shove. The blade glanced off the blue barrier and before Shard could reposition it, the energy finished spreading.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    I wasn¡¯t done yet, though: I still couldn¡¯t breathe! In a full panic, I slammed through to access my extra power, and instantly felt it coursing through me. My arms were pinned to the ceiling, so I fired a single blast from my palm. It wasn¡¯t anywhere close to hitting Shard, but he still teleported away¡­

    ¡­Only to reappear a split second later and a few feet to the left, his powers still crushing my throat.

    ¡°That¡¯s not going-¡± I didn¡¯t stick around to hear what he had to say. In a last-ditch effort to get away, I ripped open a portal and let it envelop me. When I appeared in the forest, I was oddly standing up right, but I didn¡¯t care. I sucked in air with massive gulps, the edge of unconsciousness retreating.

    That monster was still with my friends, and I wasn¡¯t going to let him lay a finger on them. Of all my powers, I had the least experience with my portals, but I hoped they obeyed like the rest did.

    I focused on the odd feeling in my mind and felt reality tear open again. A spinning portal formed in front of me, waiting. Don¡¯t chicken out now, Nate. They took a risk breaking you out, you can take a risk for them. You can save them.

    Be a hero.

    This time I remembered my energy wasn¡¯t going to be there for me when I stepped through, so I readied myself to summon it as soon as I could. Then a thought struck me, where was the portal going to let out? Could I control that too? I tried focusing on where I wanted the portal to open; visualized it in the room. I was wasting time, my friends needed me. Here goes nothing, I thought as I took a running start through the portal.

    As soon as I reached the center of the portal, I felt it start to fade and my energy shell start to form. Two steps carried me to the edge of the rift, as soon as I could see the room again, something slammed into the side of my head. Reliably, my protective shell cushioned the blow, but the momentum still knocked me off balance.

    The offending object, a knife identical to the one used to threaten my life, flew back into a loose orbit around Shard. His ember-like eyes were glowing brighter as more knives teleported into the air around him.

    ¡°Fight me and they die,¡± Shard said, his calm voice only hinting at his anger. To prove his point, two of the blades moved threateningly towards Corey and Whitney.

    ¡°Or, you drop the suit, and the go free. I¡¯ll make it quick; I promise: a simple blade through your skull.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do-¡± Corey said, Shard choking him without moving.

    I didn¡¯t know what to do. Would he really let them go? I doubted it, but I couldn¡¯t save them¡­I wasn¡¯t strong enough.

    ¡°Time¡¯s up!¡± Shard shouted, raising his hand to send the knives flying.

    ¡°No, wait!¡± I screamed. I let the blue glow fade away; even if I couldn¡¯t make sure they would be alright, I couldn¡¯t¡ªwouldn¡¯t let Shard hurt my friends. My teammates.

    I could feel Whitney and Corey staring at me, but I couldn¡¯t look at them. Being noble, sacrificing yourself, it always seemed like an epic thing to do, but when you¡¯re staring down the barrel of the proverbial gun...it wasn¡¯t in the slightest.

    For basically my entire life, I though my powers were ruining it, stripping any chance I had at being happy until I met the Pollards. They took me in, gave me a home¡­loved me. The entire time, I was terrified one slip up could ruin everything. And I was right.

    But I became a hero, somewhat, and joined a team that I ended up betraying. Still, some of them forgave me. Their lives were at risk, but I had to do something. I owed them that much.

    ¡°Finally decided to act like a hero? What, did you get tired of being a turncoat?¡±

    ¡°Just promise you¡¯ll let them go.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that in your voice? Fear? Second thoughts?¡± Shard asked, sounding almost gleeful.

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    The villain¡¯s burning eyes rolled in their sockets, ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± A knife broke away from the others and flew towards me.

    This was it.

    Or at least I thought so. A hand grabbed my shoulder a split second before the knife¡­passed through me? Shard¡¯s eyes went wide as I glanced over to see who¡¯d saved me.

    ¡°Hey, Prophet.¡± Ghost said. He sounded oddly chipper, and I couldn¡¯t see his face through his mask, but I was sure he was smiling.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Shard asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m Ghost, one of the Regents. I¡¯m the guy who can walk though walls,¡± He replied before turning back to me. ¡°Sorry for the close shave, but Cypher was being¡­well, himself.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were supposed to be guarding my sister!¡±

    ¡°No, your sister is safe. Cypher wanted Quatermain and I waiting in the wings for¡­this I guess.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Shard snapped; the lights flickering angerly. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me!¡±

    ¡°Or what?¡± Ghost asked.

    Shard¡¯s face twisted into a grimace and the lights went berserk. Ghost sprinted to the side while Shard launched a volley of knives at the hero that all passed through him harmlessly. Like he was a character in a video game, Ghost bounded part way up a wall before leaping off it, putting himself in reach of my friends.

    By the time Shard realized what Ghost was doing, it was too late. The Regent simply touched my friends, and they¡­fell¡ªit was the best word I could think of¡ªupwards through the ceiling.

    ¡°Fine!¡± Shard said, looking at me, ¡°I¡¯ll settle.¡±

    My vision flashed blue, and when I came to, I was staring down the length of one of Shard¡¯s knife that I¡¯d managed to catch. My energy had manifested, and I honestly couldn¡¯t have been happier to have it.

    Shard wave his hand, and his powers flung me into the air. I tried to aim my hands for an energy blast, but shard slammed me into a wall like I was a broken marionette and he was an angry puppet master. My energy saved me from the worst of it, but it still hurt.

    Then it got worse.

    The telekinetic pulled his hand back, pulling me off the wall before slamming me back into it hard enough to crack it. I cried out in pain. He felt stronger than before, or maybe he was just pissed. Either way, I couldn¡¯t take much more.

    ¡°Piss off,¡± Ghost¡¯s voice called out of thin air. Shard looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. A gun went off and Shard teleported away, vanishing in a swirl of energy. I fell to the ground along with most all the knives that had stayed behind.

    ¡°You still in once piece?¡± Ghost asked, uncloaking a few feet away.

    ¡°Barely,¡± I said, picking myself up off the floor. ¡°Are Whitney and Corey alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re on the next floor catching their breaths.¡±

    I let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t,¡± Shard snarled.

    I whirled around as Ghost was flung off to the side. I tried to throw a punch, but the lights flickered, and tendrils of red and black energy swirled around me. Suddenly, I wasn¡¯t standing in the warehouse anymore; Shard and I were in the middle of a street, cars rushing past in both directions.

    Some of them slammed on breaks when they saw us, but Shard didn¡¯t wait for them to stop. He flicked a finger and I went flying back, hitting the back of a car that had skidded sideways. My lower back exploded in pain as I bounced off the now dented car. Writhing pain dug its claws into me, refusing to let go.

    ¡°I hate you.¡± Shard said, his voice low and unwavering.

    ¡°Why?¡± I groaned through gritted teeth.

    Shard didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he made a motion like he was crushing something with his hand, and a car that had been abandoned when we appeared crumpled slightly. I watched in horror as the car rose into the air and drifted until it was floating directly overhead.

    I tried to fire an energy blast, but I couldn¡¯t move fast enough. Shard slammed his hand down, and the car obeyed. My vision flashed blue, but when I woke up from autopilot, my whole body exploded in pain and I was flying. There wasn¡¯t a flash to save me this time before I hit the side of a building.

    My energy shell ruptured, burst like a balloon. I fell like a stone, hitting the pavement without any protection.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I groaned. It felt like every bone in my body was broken. Shard hit me hard enough to break me, even with my powers.

    I had to get my forcefield back. Shard would tear me apart in second without it. I couldn¡¯t focus with the pain. The energy just fizzled around my fist.

    ¡°And now we have the hero. Broken¡­abandoned¡­pathetic.¡±

    Shard lifted me into the air, spinning me around to face him. I gasped in pain, trying to focus.

    ¡°How does it feel to be a nobody? You were nothing but a pawn to get to Cypher.¡±

    ¡°Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?¡±

    Shard¡¯s face twisted into a snarl, ¡°You hurt me! You did this to me!¡± He said, tearing part of his suit and the shirt underneath. I couldn¡¯t see it all, but there was a large patch of scar tissue covering his chest and left shoulder: where I hit him with my energy blast¡­

    Most of it looked healed, sort of, but there was still some necrotic tissue towards the middle of the scar. It looked like it was painful, I mean, the beams had managed to hurt the Butcher and she could shrug off hits from Vindicator and Wrath, I didn¡¯t really know all they did to people that weren¡¯t super tough.

    But still¡­he was this hell bent on killing me because of that?

    ¡°And now, I¡¯m going to make you pay,¡± he said, teleporting a dagger into his hand. But suddenly, he stopped, his gaze distant like he was focused on something else.

    ¡°-Are you sure? Well, alright then,¡± he said, the red in his eyes shrinking to just his pupils as he locked his gaze on me.

    ¡°That was Chess,¡± He said, tapping his ear. ¡°And he just gave me the best idea I¡¯ve heard all week. He told me how to hurt you in the worst way possible¡­¡±

    I braced myself to be carved up, but the knife disappeared. Shard reached out and put his hand over my face. What was he-

    Suddenly, I felt something force its way into my mind like an iron spike. My prophecies and vision took over my mind, and I¡¯d felt the voice speaking to me mentally, but his was something completely different. Foreign thoughts roared like a fire, burning my thoughts and digging its way deeper inside. It was searching for something, lingering on some memories longer and abandoning others completely.

    ¡°There¡¯s some serious damage in here,¡± Shard¡¯s voice echoed through my mind. ¡°Such a sad, sad life. I almost feel sorry for you.

    ¡°Almost.¡±

    Shard seemed to find what he was looking for as memories of my adoptive family were dredged up. They were scraps of things I hadn¡¯t thought about in years: my first birthday with them, the time we went camping in Tennessee, the party they threw for me after I graduated High School¡­The list went on, but I realized he was scrubbing through my history of them, looking for the most recent ones. I remembered a bit of the dinner before the Gold Diggers showed up, and then the last time I saw them before I left to join the Argonauts.

    ¡°The cube? No, that won¡¯t do. But¡­what about your sister?¡±

    No! I tried to do something to force him out, but there was nothing I could do.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know where she is? Well, where would she normally be? University of Illinois? Room 2532? Well,¡± Shard said, receding from my mind and letting me drop to the ground, ¡°Just remember that it¡¯s your fault she dies tonight.¡±

    ¡°Nooo!¡± I shouted, trying to grab him before he disappeared even though it was agony to move. Still, it was pointless; he vanished in a swirl of energy.

    My heart stopped. There was nothing I could do. Shard was going to kill Ana¡­

 Focus 2.18

    Animus¡¯ blood must have still been working its magic. My body still hurt like a car fell on it, but I could at least move without screaming. The street was mostly empty except for a few people who didn¡¯t run away screaming when two metas suddenly appeared and started throwing cars. They were looking at me, some of them looked concerned or sympathetic while others had their phones out filming. Still, none of them came to help, even though I was barely able to stand.

    I focused on summoning my energy, and I felt it begin to flow from my back and across my chest. Something didn¡¯t feel right, though. There were patches of the energy where it looked thin, and almost transparent. It was on its last legs, just like me. Still, I had to do something, I had to save Ana.

    If she was still alive¡­

    The thought hit me like a freight train, stopping me in my tracks. No, don¡¯t think like that, you can save her¡­you have to. Wait. What day was it? Everything had kind of been a blur, but I was pretty sure it was Saturday. Maybe she was out with friends. It wasn¡¯t much, but¡­it was a chance.

    I could call to warn her if I had my phone, but during my whole ¡°escaping Argus¡± thing, I left it in Switzerland. ¡°Hey!¡± I called out to one of the bystanders. ¡°I need to borrow your phone, please!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She asked, looking surprised. ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Please¡­¡± I pleaded, letting my energy fade away. ¡°I¡¯m with Argus,¡± I explained, reaching for my wallet only to realize I¡¯d left it¡ªalong with my ID¡ªwith my phone back at Argus Headquarters.

    ¡°Look, I-¡±

    ¡°-Please¡­that monster that kicked my ass¡ªhe¡¯s going to kill my sister if I don¡¯t warn her.¡±

    My voice cracked with emotion, but I hoped it would help show how desperate I was.

    ¡°¡­Fine¡­just¡­give it back, okay?¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± I said, taking the phone. I dialed Ana¡¯s number as fast as I could, praying she would pick up. Come on¡­come on¡­

    Just as I was about to lose hope, the call connected. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Ana, it¡¯s me-¡±

    ¡°-Nate? Did you get a new phone?¡±

    ¡°No. Ana, where are you?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m at Ray¡¯s. Why? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Yes, someone¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know how to explain this without freaking her out. But maybe she should be freaked out.

    ¡°Someone¡­what? Earth to Na-¡±

    ¡°-Ana, I¡¯m serious¡ªyou¡¯re in danger. Get Ray and get out of the city as fast as you can. Don¡¯t tell anyone where you¡¯re going, just leave.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious? I¡¯m not going to just ¡®leave Champaign¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Listen to me, Ana! A meta is coming to kill you!¡±

    ¡°How do you-?¡±

    ¡°-Because he just tried to kill me! Look please, I¡¯m on my way, just¡­go somewhere!¡±

    Maybe it was the desperation in my voice that convinced her, but I heard her sigh, ¡°Fine, but this better not be a joke!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not, just please, go!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I sighed, hanging up and looking back to the lady I borrowed the phone from. ¡°I need to make one more call.¡±

    She rolled her eyes, ¡°Hurry.¡±

    I nodded and tried to remember James¡¯ number. Before I could press the first button, I heard jet engines getting closer. I looked up to see an Argus dropship hover around the side of a building and make a beeline towards me. Floodlights burned to life, nearly blinding me as they swept over Shard¡¯s destruction.

    ¡°Never mind,¡± I said, handing the phone back.

    When it was still a few feet above the ground, the ship spun around and lowered its rear ramp. ¡°Nathaniel Peterson aka Prophet, you are under arrest. Please come quietly.¡±

    My heart sunk when I heard Erin¡¯s voice. I didn¡¯t have time to get into it with the Argonauts right now. Hoping it would avoid some unnecessary conflict, I put my hands up, well, I put my left hand up. My right arm protested when I tried, so I gave up halfway.

    ¡°Norn, listen, I need your help.¡±

    ¡°You, Whitney, and Corey broke out of Argus¡¯ HQ and are wanted for questioning; I can¡¯t help you,¡± She said, walking down the ramp with Adam behind her, carrying an assault rifle.

    ¡°Please, Shard is going after my sister!¡±

    Erin and Adam exchanged a glance, but our leader¡¯s face was set like stone. ¡°No.¡±

    She might as well have stabbed me in the gut.

    ¡°I¡¯ll contact The Regents, but you¡¯re coming with us.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll kill her¡­¡±

    Erin looked torn, but she didn¡¯t relent, ¡°Nate, you¡¯re in no condition to fight.¡±

    ¡°I have to save her,¡± I said, summoning my energy. I felt tired already, but using my powers again drained me even more. ¡°Come on!¡± I challenged, raising my fists.

    Adam and Erin looked uneasy, but Adam took aim with his rifle. ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Nate,¡± He said. I couldn¡¯t see his expression through his mask, but he sounded sympathetic, like I was something to be pitied.

    ¡°No! You are letting Ana die! Shard is going to tear her apart and you¡¯re fucking telling me to let it happen? Fuck you, fuck both of you!¡± I screamed; my voice raw with emotion.

    ¡°Nate¡­¡± Erin tried to say gently, but I wasn¡¯t going to waste any more time. I turned and took off sprinting. Even in my weakened state, my powers easily pushed my faster than any normal runner. Still, I wouldn¡¯t reach Ana in time at this rate.

    I had made it a few hundred feet before Erin caught up to me. I tried to ram her with my shoulder, but she was ready for it. The second I struck she shifted to her green glow and stuck out her leg. Before I could react, I slammed into the ground. My energy shell broke when I hit the asphalt, and I didn¡¯t know if I had it in me to manifest it again.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Erin said, her voice almost a whisper.

    Shit. Why wouldn¡¯t she let me save Ana?

    ¡°Let me go,¡± I protested as she hauled me to my feet. She wasn¡¯t using her powers, which gave me one last desperate idea. I drove my elbow into Erin¡¯s stomach. She exhaled sharply, but even without her powers; she was jacked.

    ¡°Fuck! That hurt,¡± She said, tightening her grip instead of letting go.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ªI had to¡­¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± She said, somehow finding a way to sound sympathetic and pissed off at the same time. Without any other options, I gave in. Erin half-led, half-dragged me back to the Argus dropship. Adam pulled off his hood and had his rifle relaxed at his side.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your sister?¡± He asked, looking at me intently.

    ¡°Adam-¡± Erin began, giving him an odd stare. ¡°-We have orders.¡±

    ¡°I know. But all Hollands said was for us to bring them back. He didn¡¯t say we couldn¡¯t split up to do that.¡±

    Erin nodded, ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°Well? Where is she?¡± Adam asked, looking at me.

    Before I could answer, we all heard something rapidly approaching us. Erin pushed me further inside aircraft, enveloping herself in a green glow while Adam readied his rifle. A blur streaked along the ground, nearly instantly coming to a stop outside the dropship.

    It was a person who appeared to be wearing high-altitude flying gear stylized into a costume; Peregrine?

    ¡°Sorry kids, but I¡¯ll be taking Nate if you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Yeah, it was him. The Irish lilt noticeable through his helmet. I hadn¡¯t ever seen him in uniform before¡ªusually he was moving too fast¡ªbut it looked pretty cool.

    ¡°We have-¡±

    ¡°-Orders, I know,¡± the Regent said, cutting Erin off. ¡°And I have orders from Cypher so I¡¯m really not asking.¡±

    Erin was about to say something, but the world turned into a giant blur in an instant. It was odd and disorienting; I knew I was moving, but it felt like I was staying still. Was that Peregrine¡¯s power at work? Once we stabilized, I felt some weight return to my body, and just a hint of wind rushing past my face.

    ¡°Hope you¡¯re not scared of heights,¡± Peregrine said, barely catching his voice before it was ripped away by the insane speeds we were moving.

    I glanced down and saw the ground hundreds of feet below us, tearing past so quickly I couldn¡¯t make out anything specific. Peregrine few us along a line of red and white lights, following the highway south.

    ¡°Okay, now¡¯s the time to listen, kid. Cypher hoped it wouldn¡¯t come to this, but he didn¡¯t know all the tricks the crimson-headed bastard had up his sleeve. Ghost was supposed to keep you safe, but the kid isn¡¯t all that much of a fighter¡ªbut don¡¯t tell him I told you that. Anyway, Cypher wanted me ready to get you to your sister incase anyone made a break for her.¡±

    ¡°But Shard already teleported, he¡¯s going to get to her first!¡±

    ¡°Have a little faith, kid. Cypher doesn¡¯t think Shard can teleport to places he hasn¡¯t seen or been to before, and I¡¯m brutal quick,¡± He boasted, putting on a burst of speed.

    So, there was a chance, then. Still, I couldn¡¯t stop from having the worst playing out in my head. If he laid a finger on her¡­I¡¯d tear him apart.

    <hr>

    ¡°There!¡± I pointed at Ana¡¯s dorm building. Peregrine angled us down without a word, but I quickly noticed he wasn¡¯t slowing down at all. ¡°Uh¡­Peregrine¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hold on!¡± The hero shouted. A spit second before we hit the ground, Peregrine seemed to roll and tilt himself upward. He slid to the stop along the ground like he was wearing socks on a polished hardwood floor. I felt like kissing terra firma when he let me go, but I had to get to Ana.

    ¡°This way,¡± I said, trying to remember how to get to Ana¡¯s room from the last time I visited. Something was off, though. The memory was¡­fuzzy. I thought back further to when I helped her move in at the start of last semester and remembered it like it was yesterday.

    ¡°I think Shard fucked with my memories when he looked through them,¡± I said.

    ¡°That¡¯s not uncommon,¡± Peregrine commented as we passed the building¡¯s front door. It had been ripped off it¡¯s hinges and tossed aside.

    ¡°Fuck, he¡¯s here!¡± I said, running inside and up the stairs. Panic students were sticking there heads outside, looking at dozens of deep gouges that ran along the walls, the floor, and even the ceiling. Knife marks.

    ¡°Back inside! Everyone, get back in your rooms. I¡¯m with the Regents; we¡¯re handling the situation.¡±

    ¡°Move! Out of the way!¡± I shouted, brushing past a group of dazed students. I rounded the corner, and then another, seeing Ana¡¯s room near the end of the hall.

    My heard stopped when I saw the door ripped open just like the other one. Cops and paramedics were pouring in and out of the room. One of the officer¡¯s stationed by the door noticed me walking towards the room. ¡°Hey, wait, who are you?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s with me,¡± Peregrine said, pulling off his helmet and showing the cop his Argus ID. ¡°What happened here?¡±

    ¡°Female stab victim-¡±

    I charged past the cops guarding the door and into the horror show inside. It wasn¡¯t Ana. Her roommate was on the floor, her throat slit, and her stomach cut open. Revulsion all but canceled out any relief that it wasn¡¯t Ana. I couldn¡¯t even remember her name, but she and Ana were great friends from what she told me. Seeing her like that made everything a hundred times more real.

    ¡°Did you know the victim?¡± I glanced at the cop, his words registering on a delay.

    ¡°Not really,¡± I said, turning to leave. ¡°Do you have a phone?¡± I asked Peregrine.

    ¡°Yeah, here,¡± He said, pulling one out of his pocket.

    I dialed Ana¡¯s number, hoping she would pick up. ¡°Damn it, Ana.¡± The call went to voicemail, and I looked at Peregrine, hoping he had answers.

    ¡°No luck?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± I said, trying to guess where she would have gone. ¡°Maybe¡­maybe she- she¡ªfuck I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± I stammered. I didn¡¯t know where Ray¡¯s room was, so neither did Shard. At least, he didn¡¯t until he tortured and killed Ana¡¯s roommate.

    Maybe it was frenzied desperation, but I called out to the¡­voice from the forest. Show me where she is, please¡­

    Nothing.

    ¡°We can start searching the campus and look for anything unusual. Maybe we¡¯ll get lucky-¡±

    Before Peregrine could finish, blue enveloped my vision. Eventually, the shifting cloud of color settled on a scene. I was looking down at a gas station just outside the city limits. A car had run off the road and was laying in a ditch. The vision shifted, and I was standing on the ground next to the crashed car. Ana was in the passenger seat, unmoving.

    I wanted to run and make sure she was okay, but my body wasn¡¯t mine to control. Like I was on autopilot, the vision turned me to look down the road. A cloud of darkness was rolling across the pavement, inky blackness reaching outward with grasping wisps of vapor. Around my body, a glow began to glow until it looked like a cold star was facing down the coming malice. Hate and anger poured into me as I saw a pair of red embers peering out of the mass of evil.

    Suddenly, the vision ended, and I found myself falling, my legs not sure what they were supposed to be doing. In a flash, Peregrine grabbed my arm and stopped my fall. He eyes were wide, staring at me in a mixture of shock and awe.

    ¡°Are you okay, kid? Your eyes¡­fucking caught on fire!¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, nearly believing it myself. ¡°I had a vision¡ªI think I know where Shard¡¯s going to catch Ana. Can you fly us there?¡±

    ¡°Point the way.¡±

    <hr>

    My stomach was basically a lump of metal as Peregrine flew us low¡ªand somewhat slow¡ªover the dark farmland that took over rapidly once we left the outskirts of Champaign. I wanted to trust the vision, but a part of me was hesitant. They hardly ever showed me something good, and Ana didn¡¯t look safe. Maybe it was leading me to something terrible.

    ¡°There!¡± Peregrine said, talking about the road. I scanned the road trying to spot what he had seen, but it took me a second to spot the faint burst of color. Shard¡ªhe was teleporting along the highway in hundred-foot intervals. He didn¡¯t seem as fast as he did at the warehouse; maybe he was getting tired?

    ¡°He¡¯s closing in on them, can you hit him with an energy blast?¡± Peregrine asked.

    What? I looked further down the road and saw a lone car moving as fast as it could. It had to be Ana and Ray¡­

    ¡°Maybe,¡± I said. I tried to aim my hand at the road, but suddenly, it felt like I stuck my hand in a sandblaster. With the force of the strongest hand drier on Earth, wind buffeted my hand back.

    ¡°Careful, that¡¯s as big as I can make it.¡±

    So, he had some sort of forcefield keeping the wind from hitting us? Whatever it was, I didn¡¯t have time to think about it. Carefully, I aimed again. I summoned my energy with more effort than usual, tapping into my extra power reserve.

    Giving a silent plea to the forest voice, I fired.

    The blast hit the pavement a few feet from Shard, doing nothing but letting the villain know we were there.

    ¡°Shit, kid that was terrible. I¡¯ve seen Wrath have better aim than that.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for rubbing it in¡­¡±

    Peregrine put on a white-knuckle-inducing burst of speed, diving towards the ground before leveling out and aiming for Shard. The telekinetic vanished seconds before impact, forcing the Regent to make a rough landing. He dropped me and I tumbled along the ground; I guess he figured with my energy I could handle it. Still, it didn¡¯t feel great.

    A swirl of smoke summoned a knife, but it wasn¡¯t aimed at us. The blade flew past, puncturing the rear tire of Ray¡¯s car. He swerved, veering off the road and into the ditch in front of the gas station from my vision.

    Peregrine launched himself at a freshly appeared Shard, but the villain vanished before the hero could reach him. Shard reappeared, a knife floating alongside him. Before he could use it, Peregrine charged him again. ¡°I¡¯ll keep him busy; you get your sister to safety.¡±

    I nodded, hurrying to reach the wrecked car as Peregrine and Shard played a slightly higher-stakes version of whack-a-mole.

    Ray¡¯s car was exactly the way I saw in in my vision. I hurried around to the passenger¡¯s door and ripped it open. ¡°Ana! Ana! Are you alright?¡± I asked, dropping my energy shell.

    ¡°Nate?¡± She sounded disoriented and confused. Did she have a concussion?

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me, I¡¯m here,¡± I said, trying to sound calm.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked. ¡°Where¡¯s Ray¡ªis he alright?¡±

    ¡°Stay here, I¡¯ll check him.¡± Ana was alive, at least, and Ray was my responsibility too. When I opened the door, he didn¡¯t react. ¡°Hey, Ray, you okay buddy?¡±

    ¡°Is he alright?¡± Ana asked, climbing out of the car.

    ¡°He¡¯s breathing,¡± I said. Fortunately, he groaned and stirred slightly. ¡°I think he¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Nate?¡± Ana asked.

    ¡°Someone wants to kill you to get to me,¡± I tried to explain as best I could.

    ¡°What? Nate, that¡¯s crazy. Mom and Dad said something about you going off to do stuff with your powers in Switzerland, but¡­this¡­this sounds like a bad comic book.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being serious!¡± I said, trying to think of a way to get through to her. ¡°Look, Ana, I¡¯m a¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­a what?¡± She asked?

    The car¡¯s headlights dimmed slightly before the car cut itself off altogether. ¡°Ana, we need to move.¡± I glanced inside at the gas station, and the lights were flickering like crazy. I looked back to where Shard and Peregrine were fighting, and saw the hero go in for one final pass only to disappear in a swirl of energy.

    Now that the hero was dealt with, Shard turned towards us, his eyes blazing red coals.

 Focus 2.19

    Shard marched towards us, a dagger in either hand ready to end us. ¡°Get out of here,¡± I whispered. This was it¡ªthis was what I saw in my vision, playing out like some sick, scripted play. I reached out to my powers, and the glowing cold surged over me. It felt different; it was almost humming. And to my surprise, didn¡¯t show any signs of the exhaustion from earlier.

    ¡°Nate¡­¡±

    Ana took a few steps back, but what broke my heart was how she looked at me; she was scared¡­of me.

    ¡°Ana¡­it¡¯s me¡­¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could do¡­¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time, now run!¡± I shouted. If she was scared of me, fine! I¡¯d rather she stay alive and have nothing to do with me than the alternative.

    ¡°What about Ray?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him, get out of here!¡± I said with as much authority as I could.

    Moving Ray would take too long, meaning facing Shard head-on was my only choice. I was alone with my demon; but what was new? For years, I¡¯d kept everything bottled up, pretending to be the good little human.

    Don¡¯t make a mess, Nate. Don¡¯t use your powers, Nate. Don¡¯t stand out, Nate. Don¡¯t destroy everything, Nate.

    I was so scared of what I was and maybe I had a reason to be, but I was fucking sick of it! As Shard and I walked towards each other, I could feel the hum of my energy reaching a fever pitch. Dim wisps of energy fluttered around Shard as he teleported more of knives into the air around him.

    Where was he getting them from?

    No, focus! I told myself. A long shadow stretched out from Shard, cast by the glow from my energy. I didn¡¯t think it had ever been this bright before. And something else was¡­different; not wrong, but different. What was it? Then I realized what it was; my power was flowing through me. I didn¡¯t even have to reach out for it.

    ¡°No more holding back.¡±

    Taking mental control of the energy surrounding me, I launched myself forward. Shard¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as my lunge rapidly closed the space between us. Still, he wasn¡¯t stunned for long enough. He waved his hand and threw me off to the side with his powers.

    I tumbled to the ground, but the impact didn¡¯t hurt at all. If my glowing armor was tougher too, maybe all my powers were overcharged. To test my theory, I snapped up and effortlessly fired a beam of light at the villain.

    Shard teleported, reappearing a few feet the left. I couldn¡¯t give him a chance to breath. Before he could launch his volley of blades, I followed up my blast with another. Again, and again he teleported, but I kept up my attack. He wasn¡¯t teleporting far, only a few feet at a time. Was he trying to pace himself?

    Stupidly, I focused too much on the villain¡¯s movements and dropped my guard. Shard capitalized on the lull in my firing pattern and teleported directly behind me. But then I was blinded by a momentary flash. Except, I was aware of what I was doing. I spun around and drove my fist into Shard¡¯s gut before he could react.

    I couldn¡¯t help but smile under my energy when I saw his face twist into pain. Suddenly, I realized I was back in control, so I swung a wild punch at his head, but Shard dissolved into the tell-tale whips as he teleported away.

    This was fantastic; my powers felt¡­almost new. Fighting for my life with a murderous psychopath was about as far from ideal as this situation could be but feeling that I was finally in control of my powers was almost overwhelming.

    I wanted to use them; I wanted to make Shard pay. He was the kind of meta that made people afraid of us, the kind of monster that though he was a god, the kind that was the reason a young boy cried himself to sleep because he thought the world hated him.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been holding back.¡± Shard snarled.

    As I was turning to face him, a tidal wave of debris slammed into me. My footing gave way and the river of rocks, asphalt, and extremely sharp knives swept me up. Most of it glanced off, but the largest chunks of asphalt smarted as they broke apart against my shell.

    ¡°Fuck off!¡± I yelled, firing an energy blast that didn¡¯t come anywhere close to hitting the villain.

    Shard¡¯s grin returned as he watched me struggle, and I didn¡¯t like the gleam of malice that seeped into his eyes. He jerked his hand downwards, and I felt his powers slam me into the ground. Shit, he was trying to crack me open again.

    He lifted me back into the air and let me hang there for a second before throwing me down again. I knew I had to find a way out of this fast before he wore me down. The ground wasn¡¯t waiting for me to come up with a grand plan, so I went with my gut and tore open a portal underneath me.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    I fell through the swirling sphere, but when I came out the other side, I unexpectedly kept my momentum. That would have been an issue on its own, but I flew out in a standing position heading straight for a tree. ¡°Shit!¡± I shouted, rapidly opening an exit portal. I covered my face just in case the portal didn¡¯t open in time. Luckily, I sailed through the opening and back to Earth.

    Landings were getting easier, that was for certain. I slid to a stop and scanned everywhere for my opponent. Instead of finding him, I found a knife sailing towards me. My energy shell flashed into place just in time save face. Literally.

    ¡°Why won¡¯t you die?¡± Shard yelled.

    ¡°Go whine with your friends,¡± I said, turning to face the monster. ¡°Why are you listening to that ¡®Chess¡¯ creep anyways? Maybe you¡¯re just a little bitch that likes being kept on a leash.¡±

    The glowing coals in the villain¡¯s sockets turned a deeper shade of red as his face contorted into a scowl. ¡°I am going to tear you to pieces.¡±

    ¡°Really? Because you¡¯ve been trying, and I¡¯m still breathing.¡± I didn¡¯t think Shard¡¯s face could look more enraged, but I was wrong. I wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°You¡¯re just a science experiment gone wrong,¡± I taunted, a flash of precognition easily moving me out of the way of another flying knife. ¡°You were made; designed by some asshole in a white coat and you can barely give me a bruise on your own.¡±

    Shard stopped, coaxed into silent rage. He touched something on his wrist, and Euclid¡¯s black goo began creeping up the sleeve of his suit. It stopped before it spread past his elbow; what was going on? Shard seemed to stand a little taller as the glowing lines that covered the goo began to fade.

    A sinking suspicion crept its way into my gut. I stole a sideways glance back to the gas station, and sure enough, the lights were flickering like crazy. The look on Shard¡¯s face melting into a predatory smile as his eyes began to burn brighter.

    ¡°I learned my lesson from Ohio,¡± Shard said mysteriously. Like smoke off a fire, the energy that remained after he teleported began to swirl around him. ¡°I¡¯ll give you more than a bruise this time.¡±

    Shard didn¡¯t make any attempt to move, but the effects of his powers were obvious. The street erupted into a web of cracks under the force of his telekinesis. Chunks the sizes of cars rose into the air and I suddenly wasn¡¯t very sure about the fight anymore.

    On Shard¡¯s unseen command, the boulders began moving. They formed a swirling vortex of blunt for trauma. I readied myself to move¡ªor fight. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure what the better option was. I was about to find out, though.

    Without any warning, they all came flying at me. I blasted the first one to smithereens, but I quickly realized it was going to be a losing battle. The beams coming from my hands dispatched another two chunks in quick succession, but the next one made it through my paltry excuse of a defense. It slammed me to the ground before moving so another could pummel me in deeper.

    Shit, why¡¯d I piss him off? I wondered. My energy was just barely keeping me from breaking bones with the jarring impacts. He was going to kill me¡­damn it, stop being so fucking worthless. I focused on controlling the energy frantically swirling around me and drove me fist upward, letting it meet the next boulder head-on.

    Shard only seemed to grow more determined at my efforts. He made a crushing motion with his hand which sent all the chunks in the air hurtle towards me at once. I couldn¡¯t hit them all, so I dove out of the way, using my control over the energy to carry me the extra feet to safety.

    I fired another blast at the villain, but he didn¡¯t even bother to teleport. A wall of Earth raised into the air, blocking my attack. Fine. Putting my hands together, I fired a continuous beam, bleaching the crater-laden battleground of any color. This time, he teleported away to save his sorry ass.

    How much more Is this going to take? My body was starting to ache, and I wasn¡¯t sure if was from Shard¡¯s assault, or from channeling all my power for this long. I had to end this, but how? If I shot at him, he teleports. If I tried to punch him, he¡¯d teleport. I couldn¡¯t beat him on my own. So, what if I ran?

    A boulder slammed into my back and knocked me to the ground for what felt like the millionth time that week. I staggered back to my feet, but Shard wasn¡¯t done. Another me-sized chunk of asphalt sailed towards me. ¡°Fuck. Off!¡± I shouted, firing another blast. Shard expected it, though. The entire piece of road teleported, reappearing inches from my face.

    I staggered back, not even my energy shell saving me from being dazed. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it?¡± Shard asked, stalking towards me. ¡°You can¡¯t beat me.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right,¡± I said, eyeing the car Ray was in. If I was going to run, I couldn¡¯t leave him behind.

    ¡°Decide to curl up and die?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± I said, firing a blast at shard. Just as expected, he teleported to safety. I sprinted towards the car knowing that Shard wouldn¡¯t give me much time.

    ¡°Trying to be a hero?¡± The car was only a few feet away, but Shard threw me into the air before making me face-plant the ground. No¡ªI didn¡¯t have time for this. I opened another portal around myself, willing the exit to open next to the car.

    I ran out of swirling vortex and had Ray directly in front of me. He was just starting to come-to and look at the glowing man running towards him with a mix of panic and confusion. Just as I was about to reach him, I saw something small out of the corner of my eye. The knife shattered the rear window and speared Ray in the back of his head.

    ¡°NO!¡± What could I do? There had to be something! Maybe I could heal, I¡¯d never tried that before¡­

    Thoughts ran though my head in the mere steps it took me to reach Ray, but there wasn¡¯t anything I could do to save him now. Blood ran down his back, soaking the car he used trying to get my sister to safety from something he had no idea was after him.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn,¡± Shard called out from somewhere to my right. I couldn¡¯t tear my eyes away from Ray, the image searing itself into my mind.

    I couldn¡¯t save him¡­

    ¡°Fuck you,¡± I said through gritted teeth, turning to face the villain. He was¡­smiling? Something shifted, a door that had been closed for a long time opened, and I felt the Forest reached out, matching my rage and pain. Against my will, my mind went back to a small house being consumed by sapphire flames, to a kid who did something terrible.

    ¡°What kind of hero can¡¯t save one measly person?¡± Shard asked, twisting the emotional dagger.

    I felt a swell of energy rising up inside me, and it was going to be a damn big one.

 Synchronize

    Elizabeth had been through a lot. Her and everyone else in the world as well, apparently. She''d learned a long time ago that every single person she walked past on the street had been through trials and tribulations that one would never know about normally. For many, the struggles of their lives occupied the back of the mind at all times, like a ball and chain around the ankles of the brain. Practice and persistence had taught her how to shut things out, and to keep from looking at people''s chains and balls without wanting to.

    Of course, she hadn''t always been able to. Memories were dredged up, memories of a younger Elizabeth that could barely sleep because everyone else''s dreams kept screaming in her mind. A tiny blonde girl in ill-fitting glasses who had found herself with a ''gift'' that felt like a curse.

    <hr>

    Elizabeth was eight, and held her head between her hands as barely-held-back tears threatened to stain her pillow. Long blonde hair pooled around her head like a halo, and the lack of her too-big glasses left her face feeling uncomfortably exposed. Too many other children sleeping nearby, and too many thoughts in her head for her to drift into sleep. Other people''s thoughts, not her own. The foreign thoughts weren''t limited to the Foster Home either. Words and pictures from outside flickered along the synapses of Elizabeth''s brain, almost in a taunting manner.

    She steeled herself as much as possible until the pink tint left her vision, and began her walk of shame to the bathroom. She managed to leave the room without waking any of the other girls. They had all managed to sleep or at least fake sleeping, unlike the boy''s room just across the hall. That one had been a loud invasion of Elizabeth''s mind, as the hyperactive boys that could never stay still or shut up kept chattering on and on until they passed out, and then their minds kept chattering on and on. Such was the white noise in her head as she tried locking the bathroom door behind herself, as if that would block it out.

    Elizabeth sat herself on the closed seat of the toilet and stared at her feet, counting the seconds and then the minutes each time she reached sixty. She only got to sixty one time, and was on her second thirty by the time Ms. Brooks'' door opened. Quiet footsteps and thoughts of concern headed toward Elizabeth, and had a story prepared that would alleviate those concerns.

    "Who''s in there?" Ms. Brooks'' hushed, accented voice asked. Elizabeth hadn''t been able to meet too many foreigners, but Ms. Brooks'' accent sounded like British people on TV.

    "...Just me..." Elizabeth answered, keeping her voice down and praying that she sounded as tired as she felt. There was silence on the other side of the door, and then a reply.

    "Have you not slept yet tonight? It''s almost three o''clock."

    "I''ve been asleep." Elizabeth lied. Apparently she''d been convincing enough, because Ms. Brooks'' footsteps and concerned thoughts went back down to the adults'' room. Elizabeth slumped against the counter, and tried to pretend that the closed door would make things quieter.

    <hr>

    Elizabeth was fourteen, and held her head between her hands as shower water ran down her body. The thoughts of others- of what was now her family- crept up on her. Foster Mother and Foster Father, downstairs. Whatever game show they were watching was on the forefront of their minds, and the long shifts at work tomorrow were at the back. And... Lena. Sister, even though she didn''t act like it. Lena was two years older, and Elizabeth didn''t like the thoughts at the front of her sister''s mind.

    Elizabeth tried to speed up her shower, as if finishing quicker would make everything silent for a change. She dried herself quickly, dresses, and twists up her towel. She opened the door to Lena''s room, where the sixteen year old was laying across her bed, laptop in front of her. The two of them wouldn''t look like sisters if you put them side-by-side. Elizabeth was a scrawny thing, still developing, with wide blue eyes and long blonde hair that mom had called beautiful. Lena was different, more fairy-like with amber eyes and brown hair cut short. The better one in looks, at least.

    Elizabeth whipped out her twisted-up towel, aiming to get the wet tip to smack Lena''s face. The sound and the sudden surprise in her sister''s mind is worth it. Lena laughed shortly afterward, as if they were just being siblings- Elizabeth went along with it, letting herself giggle in amusement before leaning in. "You''re fucking gross, you know that?" Elizabeth said, with more venom in her voice than a 14 year old should be capable of.

    Lena''s face fell. Like a cat caught with its paw in the canary''s cage. Elizabeth drank in the realization and the guilt evident on Lena''s face, and the rapidly racing thoughts in her mind. Maybe it was a bad thing to hurt her sister. Maybe it was bad to leave her statement ambiguous. But whatever. She left Lena alone, left her words to sink in and simmer. Her new home wasn''t a home that she could be comfortable in.

    <hr>

    Elizabeth was still fourteen when she took a pair of scissors to her own hair, to try and forcibly alter the perfect image of the beautiful blonde daughter that she''d been placed under. It didn''t work. She was applauded, congratulated for wanting to be like her sister. Her sister that she couldn''t stand being around, for reasons she couldn''t say to her parents because she could already see that they''d never believe her.

    Elizabeth was fifteen when she tried leaving on her own. She kept herself awake late into the night, until the thoughts of her foster parents and whatever third they''d brought home tonight are within her range. She slips out the door, runs down the sidewalk until she can''t run anymore, and walks further- until she stops. Worry, genuine worry on the edge of her consciousness from her parents and from Lena. Something in her heart pulls her back to the house. Her foster parents are almost crying when she gets back. They''d made their Third go home, and something close to irritation was in their minds when they asked her why she ran. Elizabeth can''t come up with any convincing lie to explain why she left, so she cries herself and lets all three of them- Mother, Father, Lena- hug her, because it would make the worry die down.

    Elizabeth was still fifteen when she realized that her words apparently hadn''t sunk in for Lena, because foster sister was still thinking weird gross stuff and acting like nothing had happened whenever Elizabeth caught her staring. Seventeen year old Lena liked going out with friends and liked staying out with friends for too long, and Elizabeth hated her for how she could get away with it so easily just because she was different.

    She couldn''t remember what she''d started arguing with Lena about, but it kept building and building until she called her sister something that she shouldn''t have. Something targeted, evil, and she felt like she meant it. Lena stayed silent for a while, and told Elizabeth that she''d make her pay. Elizabeth apologized later, and half-meant it. Lena hugged her too tight and said that they''d never hate each other.

    On her sixteenth birthday, Elizabeth lied to foster mother and foster father about like-liking girls, because Lena would tell them about what Elizabeth said if she didn''t. Elizabeth hated how fucking happy they were about it. Congratulating themselves for raising her right, undoing the damage that had been done by her upbringing or whatever. Patting themselves on the back for having not one, but two gay daughters and how happy all their friends would be about it. Elizabeth felt a sinking feeling, and wanted to say ''no, it was a joke, I like boys''. But Lena smiled at her. Slurs were taboo in the house, and Lena could tell both parents about Elizabeth''s slur and she''d be sent somewhere worse, somewhere that wasn''t like Ms. Brooks'' Foster Home. After a hollow celebration, Lena found Elizabeth upstairs and kissed her on the lips for too long and said they''d never hate each other.

    Elizabeth was seventeen, still scrawny, and still short-haired when she finally got taken away from her foster parents. She''d started by letting herself be a target for things like she''d called Lena at school, then getting herself into fights over it. She read through minds like a photo album, finding the most prejudiced, most bigoted sorts to use as her opponents. She fought dirty, biting and clawing and kicking out at any vulnerable area that fell into her reach. Her parents were annoyingly sympathetic about it, fawning over her and telling her that she was brave for standing up to prejudice. The other kids'' parents were less so. It took four meetings with school staff and angry, red-faced other-kids-parents plus strategic neglect of schoolwork for her to finally get herself expelled.

    With the image of the perfect second daughter cracking, the Foster Parents started to like her less. Elizabeth kept pushing at them, first shedding the girly, feminine style she''d been comfortable in for all of her life. She cut her hair shorter, and when she saw thoughts of disapproval, she used her spare time to visit a stylist and fix it up. Short hair was good in their eyes until it got too short, at which point it made their prized adoptive fake-gay daughter look like a boy. Elizabeth kept pressing, using what money she had left over to buy boy''s clothes and wearing them in lieu of anything else she''d received.

    She started changing her name in their eyes as well- shortening it to Eli and constantly correcting until it started sticking. Eli was teenage rebellion, far from soft and far from perfect. The next time she went to school, she followed the thoughts of one of the boys she''d fought with, and traced through the threads of his group of friends. She followed it through friends of friends and acquaintances until she found someone her parents wouldn''t approve of. A boy with tousled hair dyed white and a pretty face, living the kind of straight and narrow life that her swinging parents and lesbian sister would disapprove of just enough to tip their opinion of Eli.

    Eli''s scheme was a long game to play, but she held to it. She worked at her white-haired boy, figuring out exactly what she could do to make herself seem appealing and reading his preferences. Not stalking- stalking was motivated by lust and obsession. She was using the subject of her studies as a means to an end, which made it completely fine. Eli found an easy icebreaker in the blue LED wristband the boy''s been saddled with.

    "I thought I was the only one here." She finally said one day, after determining that talking wouldn''t freak him out. The white-haired kid- whose name was Fionn, according to what Eli had pulled from his mind- gave a small startled reaction. Understandable. It was the end of the school day, and he''d been alone every day since Eli had started studying him.

    "...Don''t know what you''re talking about." Fionn replied after a moment of hesitation. Shy, unused to attention. Has had the dampener most of his life, unfamiliar with own powers. Eli was having too easy a time with this. Her power dove into Fionn''s mind the moment she needed information about him, to plan out her responses.

    "Metahuman, dummy. My family''s skirted around getting a dampener, some kinda ''live free'' bullshit, but I''m registered. What about you? You a secret supervillain outside of school?" Friendly, but ribbing. Emphasis on joking, rarely serious. Traits he finds appealing in people.

    "Yeah, I''m actually part of the Pantheon. They call me Huh." Fionn answers. Eli giggles, and it''s not insincere.

    "Your big bad supervillain alias is Huh? Fucking Huh?"

    "Uh, yeah. Egyptian god of infinity, duh. It''s because I have infinite power." Definitely new to powers. Rarely used, never committed crimes. Dampener bought by parents for his own safety. Slightly coddled. I''m almost jealous.

    "Ooh, I''m scared. Got a minute to talk boring shit? We''re in the same science class, and this stuff''s gone way over my head. Not just because I''m short."

    Eli felt Fionn''s excitement at getting to help her out. A twinge of happiness welled up inside her. Plan is a-go.

    <hr>

    Eli was barely eighteen when she finally went over to Fionn''s home instead of her own after school. Before today, the adoptive parents and Lena were too curious about her habits for her to get away with something like this. They still would be- but Eli had been waiting, biding her time through her slow fall from perfect daughter to rebellious teenager. Her family''s thoughts were open books for her. She knew when the right time to break their rules would be.

    Fionn was a means to an end, but at the same time, more. Eli didn''t think any high schooler would know what actual love felt like, and she wasn''t going to call it that. But she did know that she liked him. Liked talking to him, liked being around him- maybe she wouldn''t if it weren''t for her shitty home life. But that wasn''t a possibility that was relevant, and she''d never get to know. She preferred enjoying what she had now, what served as her form of escape.

    There was one day when her temporary freedom felt more real and fulfilling than it ever had. Apparently, growing up in foster homes and plotting escape like she had meant that Eli had missed out on a lot of movies that Fionn considered essential. It was... cute, in a way, seeing him so adamant about something she''d never thought about. She called her parents after school, lied about going to a friend''s house for a project. She felt her parent''s reactions to every word, and played them like a musician. Was there guilt? No, not for this.

    It was her first time over at his house, her and her barely-eighteen self who''d suffered through a birthday party with her foster family. Eli didn''t want to think about what Lena would do, if she''d been at home instead of off at college. Fionn''s parents were like a breath of air after being swept underwater by a wave. Alan, the father, dirty blonde with glasses and a messy-ish beard looking like a hipster who''d gotten old without outgrowing the whole aesthetic. Eli approved of it, and imagined patting herself on the back for being drawn toward the same kind of look. Luna, the mother, somehow managed to pull off the short-haired ''let me talk to your manager'' look and made it classy at the same time. Brown-haired and always clean-cut, Eli took it as evidence that opposites did indeed attract. Just like with her and Fionn, really.

    Mr. and Mrs. Fionn''s parents were both metas like their son, and apparently had jobs in that world. Eli didn''t make any attempt to hint at being like them, and so far neither seemed to suspect. If details of her power started slipping, she''d be shackled with one of the blue bracelets, like Fionn''s. People were even more wary of telepaths than they were of normal humans, and for good reason- invading the minds of others was a breach of privacy so ridiculous that laws were constantly being rewritten to accommodate it. The one good thing about her foster parents was that they didn''t make her get a dampener, even after being told that she was an unclassified meta.

    She pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she was introduced to the parents before they left. Fionn started a film up- Jurassic Park, which was one that he apparently thought of as a must-see for anyone. Eli was reasonably entranced- the film was nice enough, but getting to lay beside what was basically her boyfriend and be away from her foster home was better.

    Things got better than better at about the point when the T. Rex brutally murdered three scientifically inaccurate Velociraptors (originally intended to be Deinonychus, according to Fionn''s movie trivia). Still barely eighteen, still craving escape, Eli read her sort-of boyfriend''s mind and found a way to do just that- one which would just so happen to make the both of them very happy.

    Fionn was adorably clueless until she started to pull his zipper down. He was kind enough to return the favor, and Eli relished the feeling of being alive and free from her foster parents weighing down on her, if only for a moment.

    <hr>

    One mega-villain attack, two dead foster parents, and one dead real parent later, Eli and Fionn were alone in a ruined city. Yaldabaoth, a titanic amorphous cloud of a monster, flowed down the streets far, far away with a mind too twisted and alien for Eli to get a read on. The minds of the heroes watching him, however, were ripe with information that she figured she''d be better off not seeing. Many dead, gruesomely so, and it disgusted her.

    Fionn was like a different person, being liberated from his dampener and such. An attack from a potential Class I meant dampeners off for all metas that were legally adults, so they could participate in the fighting. White hair tousling in the breeze, glowing power tracing the veins under his skin- his power had more of an effect on his appearance than hers. Only the two pink dots in the center of her pupils and the tint in her vision betrayed the usage of her ability.

    She was in a daze, a classic case of a Telepath''s Trance- an incident where the influx of information became too burdensome, and the telepath''s body went still as their mind was forced to process it. Both foster parents, dead. Lena, dead. Fionn''s mother, dead. Countless heroes and villains, dead. Last thoughts flooded into her, and she found tears on her face.

    Eli forced herself to find a focus point, naturally drifting towards something familiar- Fionn, leaping down into a collapsed building. He sought out those who had been trapped under rubble, where his gift would be most effective. He struck multi-ton masses of concrete, and they broke at his touch. Not instantaneously- tiny fractures in the material grew and expanded, filled with crystals that expanded and cut into concrete, until the whole thing was destroyed.

    A hand fell on Eli''s shoulder, and she jumped, shocked out of her trance. "You''re one of the mind-readers on search duty, right?" The owner of the hand asked in a deep voice with some kind of accent- French, maybe. Probably-French guy was a tall meta, well over six feet, with what looked like a deer skull for a head. Closer inspection saw that it wasn''t a real skull, in fact being an intricate growth of something that looked an awful lot like antlers or horns. Aside from that, he dressed pretty normally- a long coat with fur at the collar, something a normal person would wear which nonetheless contributed to the wild look he had going. Broken off stubs of more antlers and horns were visible on the back of his hand.

    Pretty lame power, in Eli''s mind, but there could be worst ones.

    "Yeah. I go by Synchro, but I''m gonna come up with something better later on." She replied, wiping tears from her face and putting on an air of confidence. Supervillains always respected that, and deer-face didn''t exactly seem like he''d be one of the good guys.

    "It''s a good enough name." Antler Man answered, his tone not changing once. "Me and my team are handling the search for survivors. A telepath would be helpful for coordinating, if you''re not doing anything else."

    Eli was quiet. The deer''s mind was as easy to read as anyone''s, and he was speaking the truth. Thing was, he and his team were international supervillains. Thieves. The Gold Diggers. The same team that dear old Ms. Brooks from the orphanage had somehow gotten involved with after her latent meta powers awakened. What a fucking twist of fate it was to bring them around to Eli.

    She shrugged. "I''m not doing anything super important. But I''ve got a plus-one that comes with me. Shatter, crystal-breaking guy? I search and he rescues. We got a whole thing going." She ran her mouth, letting words spill out so that nothing would spill into her mind.

    "My name is Cerf Tueur. You and Shatter report to Hellequin. He will direct you." The deer spoke, ever unpretrubed. Eli decided to file him under ''weird guy'' and leave it at that. Without any further discussion, she turned to go and grab Fionn to bring him survivor-hunting. It''d be good for him, to keep working. Take his mind off the sadness broiling at the back of his mind, the same sort that Eli was avoiding.

    Hellequin, it turned out, really made it his mission to earn the ''hell'' in his name. Clad in golden armor and red cloth, wearing a full-face mask with demonic horns rising from the forehead, he definitely looked like a villain. The demon rattled off commands in french to Ms. Brooks, who still dressed in fancy leather jackets even as she was pushing 50. An eyepatch covered her left eye, dimly emitting a blue light. Eli figured it was probably some sort of scanning device.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    She almost approached him, but someone else caught her eye more. Fionn''s too, judging by the mental reaction she felt from him. A guy whose age was difficult to tell. European, but again, difficult to tell the region. He wore robes in varying shades of blue, layers of fabric draped over what was likely a skinny frame. His eyes were a weird hazel shade, as close to golden as natural human colors would allow. His mind, when Eli felt it, was utterly fractured. Not in the insanity way, but in the ''controlling tons of other things at once'' way. A power thing, definitely.

    "22nd street. The highest concentration of survivors, and the one Hellequin is most interested in finding." The robed man spoke. If these were the Gold Diggers, that would have to be Saint. Saint was supposed to be a weirdo, and this guy was fitting that to a T. "If you go there, follow the circling vultures. They will be above every notable survivor, until the survivor perishes. Your guides."

    Eli and Fionn exchanged a look, then simultaneously glanced towards Hellequin. The masked demon was busy, and intimidating. It would be cowardice to avoid him, but Saint''s words offered a way to do just that. An escape.

    "Find the Anarchist." Saint spoke up again. "But don''t be concerned about bringing him back. Finding him will be enough."

    <hr>

    Cracked asphalt filled with puddles from broken storm drains, turning 22nd street from a road into something more like a swamp. Dirt, blood, and all kinds of other gunk filled a river that was mostly ankle-high, deeper in some hidden spots where it took a dip. The circling vultures added an ominous touch to the whole picture.

    Eli and Fionn followed the massive black birds, checking each body- some were still alive, and Fionn shattered the rubble that imprisoned them. Some were dead, and they could only move on to the next gathering of vultures.

    The Anarchist was easy to pick out, once he was located. A tattered looking man, no older than 30, in a hooded costume with a capital letter A inside a circle emblazoned over where his heart would be. The costume was black, but the symbol and the broken mask over The Anarchist''s face were white. The mask was featureless aside from eyeholes, and the eyes behind them were brown and very dark.

    As Eli knelt in the ankle-deep water, The Anarchist''s masked face weakly turned towards her. His thoughts were those of a dying man, desperate and unfocused. She felt Fionn''s presence behind her, slightly confused and out of his depth, but mostly watchful. Concerned.

    The Anarchist focused on her, and briefly seemed to find some lucidity. "Fuck..." A surprisingly deep voice came from behind the mask. "You... you, girl. God, this hurts... you''re the next one. Join... join the Gold Diggers. It''s where The Anarchist is headed next."

    Eli wasn''t confused. A dull sensation throbbed at the top of her head. She remembered that she''d wanted to join the Gold Diggers. She remembered who she was. The Anarchist looked down at the masked man laying in the water below her. As he breathed his last, she only watched silently.

    "Hey, Fionn." The Anarchist said, not quite feeling herself yet. "Let''s go shack up with the Gold Diggers, yeah?" Pink tinted her vision, focusing on Fionn. The color amplified around him, a power she didn''t quite know flowing through her throat and out towards him as she spoke. Fionn turned to her with a confused stare, before settling into a happy complacence that was somewhat unbecoming of him.

    "Yeah, that makes sense. It''s where the Anarchist is headed next, right?"

    <hr>

    The Anarchist was 20, and had come well to terms with the new thoughts and goals in her head. Eli was still herself, but it was as though new pieces of a personality had been added alongside what she already had. Chaos and rebellion filled her thoughts whenever she put herself out to do something. Tear down the whole damnable system, and watch it burn with a smile. She really lived in a society.

    It was rather stupid sometimes, the way the Anarchist thought. But it was hard to argue with a number of his points. The new powers were a pretty big perk as well. Before, she could read people like books. Now, she could rewrite the books. Mind control, but with an option of subtlety that would have disturbed Elizabeth back before she''d become someone new.

    "That''s the one we''re hitting, really?" The Anarchist asked incredulously. Her response was pretty well justified, considering that Cerf Tueur had brought her and Fionn- or Shatter, as he went by- to the Banque de France. Which only happened to be one of the most famous in Paris, as well as one of the most famous in the world. She''d already let her power out, sifting through the information locked away in people''s heads about the security of the bank. And like clockwork, her mind connected to guards, passers-by with less-than-lawful thoughts who would never act on them, and possibly a few designers on the fringes of her range as she reaches further and further.

    "You''re lucky that people''s thoughts are a universal language." Shatter speaks up. "Can you imagine how hard telepaths would have it if people''s thoughts were in all different languages?" One would never have suspected that the nerdy son of two registered heroes would fit so well in a gang of villains, but he was getting on with them disturbingly well. Eli had her own theories about what she''d done to him when the Anarchist''s powers had become hers, but she quelled those thoughts every time they emerged to just focus on the now, on having him here with her and seeming as happy as he could be.

    Her only hopeful, positive thought was that having the Gold Diggers around was helping Fionn cope with the loss of his parents. She was terrible at sympathizing with that no matter how hard she tried, seeing as she mostly hated her parent''s guts. But the Gold Diggers, they''d had people who helped. Queen had been a shoulder to cry on, Cerf Tueur had been a silent, unjudging presence that always listened. Even Hellequin had found some way to speak to Fionn and make him feel welcome. The Gold Diggers looked out for each other.

    "Eli, tell me about the security." Cerf spoke to her. The three of them were all in their civvies, chilling outside the bank, but a tall, dark, handsome gent like Cerf Tueur stood out more than most, even when he wasn''t making deer skulls to wear as helmets. Say what you will about the weirdness of his power, the man was committed to the whole deer thing.

    The Anarchist grinned, and the pink dots in her pupil faded out. "You''ll get a kick out of this, boss. They switched off of computer controlled safe doors after technopaths started getting more common, and the locks they have now must have cost a fortune. It''s high-quality stuff, and there''s only one key that was ever made for it, which is currently in the hands of the bank''s owner. The key has genetic recognition built into it too, so they can program it so that if someone unauthorized touches it, the authorities get immediately notified. But here''s the real kicker- the vault has a power dampener on the inside, so metas can''t use their powers to bust it open. Not that a regular person could do it either- place is locked up tighter than a nun''s chastity belt." Fionn made a weird face, and Eli continued. "A real nun, not the porn kind. We''re talking guards, cameras, the works."

    "You''ll have the passcodes to disable them all." Cerf stated. He was expressionless, stone-faced, but Eli could tell he was already thinking of how to break the puzzle open.

    "Yeah, of course I got ''em." She answered. "What I don''t get is why our employer wants us to break in here just for cash. Isn''t he already like, rich as balls?"

    "He is." Cerf Tueur replied. "But he doesn''t want to hire just anyone- he wants the best pieces to place on his chessboard, and this is to be our proving ground."

    "Ugh, now you sound like him, making board game metaphors. So this is just a test, then?"

    Cerf Tueur merely nodded. It was Fionn who spoke next. "I was always good at tests back in school. Let''s get the gang together and crack this thing open."

    <hr>

    "They have all taken their places. The power dampener will no longer hinder us." Saint spoke up from his position with his back to the wall opposite the vault door. The power jammer had been a mighty deterrent, but it hadn''t been designed to account for simple insects with their bodies altered to allow for swift consumption of technology, pre-programmed with orders in their tiny insect brains. They''d chewed through the thing until it stopped working.

    And now, Shatter was free to work his magic. Extending his hand outward and pressing a finger against the keyhole, a thin film of crystal sprouted on the lock, slipping inside and filling every nook and cranny, until-

    Click.

    Success. The vault door swung open away from the wall. Saint smirked as the insects swarmed back towards him to receive further doses of power. Hellequin''s face wasn''t visible behind his mask, but Eli could imagine the look of relief on his face as he stepped into the vault- a simple small room with boxes of Francs being the only thing inside. He didn''t hesitate for a moment before shoving all of the boxes off the shelves, where they disappeared into thin air as if by magic.

    The inside team followed Hellequin''s lead back through the front, where the people in the bank where down on their knees, forced down by Eli''s mental command and left too frightened to resist by Queen and the Butcher''s intimidation. Queen- or Ms. Brooks, as she''d once been known by- was easy to pick out. A woman with long, graying black hair, bright green eyes, and the kind of beauty that only got better with age, holding a monstrous contraption that may have once been a rifle, though now it looked to have been combined with a subwoofer.

    "Bloody brilliant, boys. I''d say we''ve broken a world record with this one." She commented far too easily for someone holding a large group of people hostage with a sonic weapon. "The Anarchist''s retrieved the password to delete the security footage, and the earpieces are working like a charm. No signals except ours, in or out."

    The combination radio communicators and signal jammers had been one of Queen''s finest works. The Anarchist stepped out into the front as well, hands clasped behind her back with a smug look of satisfaction on her face. Her ''costume'' was one of simplicity. Civilian clothes with a pink and yellow scarf around her neck, and glasses on her face. Her vision was actually perfect, but it was amazing how different someone could look just by taking their glasses off. The black-haired woman, Queen, is much the same. She looks more like she''d be heading to an evening business party in her fur-collared jacket (lined with kevlar), high heels (concealed blades, capable of collapsing into normal shoes if needed), and pearl necklace (each pearl being a micro-grenade).

    "Police on their way." The Butcher informed the team, after spending a moment holding still with her head tilted like a dog. Having altered her own hearing, she was the only one that could make out distant sirens. "Probably Argus as well. Hero teams are busy dealing with the Pantheon in Africa."

    The Gold Diggers strode outside, with no signs of opposition yet- but, it likely wouldn''t remain that way for long. Their timing had been selected just perfectly to coincide with a shared blind spot in the patrol routes of civilian police and metahuman heroes, as predicted by their benefactor. Their getaway ride awaited them- Levy, a nickname for the monster known properly as Leviathan.

    Levy had been a crocodile once, ''til the Gold Diggers had broken him out of a zoo at Saint''s request. Now, the damn thing was as long as a bus, with six limbs growing from his body. The legs were long enough and strong enough to lift his thick body off the ground, but currently he was laying on his belly while the Gold Diggers all climbed atop him. Levy''s scales were more like rock than anything that should be part of an animal, and each breath sent a small cloud of icy mist from his mouth.

    As the Gold Diggers clung to Levy''s back, the colossal creature began lumbering down the street, shoving cars aside and building up more speed than would be expected of something his size, Saint closed his eyes and sent a mental signal to his other pet. Zizzy, or Ziz, had once been a Luna Moth. She''d been with Saint since the beginning, and it showed in the sheer degree of mutation. Her body structure was disturbingly close to human, with four legs dangling below her in flight, and two held up as manipulators. Her face as well- round, with a patch of fur between her antennae like a white mohawk. Zizzy''s eyes were smaller, moved to the center of her face to give her binocular vision, and her mandibles had shrunk down to ornamenting the sides of a toothy mouth.

    Ziz churred, like how an insectoid cat would sound, and gave her colossal wings a flap as she clung to the side of a building. Her body was only seven feet from the end of her legs to the top of her antennae, but her wings were nearly sixty feet across. They shimmered in the light as she took off, and her power came into effect. With each beat of Ziz''s wings, thick fog poured off of her, filling the streets and making it impossible to see even Levy''s giant form. With the fog blocking any far-off vision, Eli could only cling to Levy''s back and listen to the now-audible approaching sirens.

    <hr>

    Eli found herself stuck in a strange balance between a racing heart and a rush of lethargy. A silence hung over the Gold Diggers, and the empty spot where Shatter had been sitting was an elephant in the room that none of them wanted to address. The large trees of Haute Vallee de Chevrause, the natural region park they''d fled to, left them in shade, made more ominous by Ziz''s fog. Cerf Tueur''s back was in front of Eli, and she found herself leaning heavily against what she often called her ''deer dad''.

    "Are we going to lose any of our profit from this job?" Cerf''s deep voice broke the silence, pulling the group''s attention back to business. Returning to routine was supposed to be good for dealing with loss and stuff. Queen made a quiet, ''I don''t know'' sound as she started typing something on her phone- which currently had a data capacity rivaling most supercomputers. A black and white chessboard pattern filled the phone''s screen, just barely visible to Eli before Queen held it up to her ear, quietly repeating the question to whoever was on the other end.

    "He''s not asking for any cuts of it." Queen answered, covering the mouthpiece for just a moment. "He says this job wasn''t about material gains." Cerf Tueur made an indignant huff, but Eli''s face lit up with what excitement she could muster.

    "For real? And no catch?" She spoke, in the cheery tone of The Anarchist. "Man, we lucked out, getting a deal like this."

    "And we''ll continue our lucky streak if we can do what he wants next." Queen replied, handing her phone up to Eli. "Pass it to Hellequin. Benefactor wants to speak to him directly."

    Eli passed the phone up to Cerf Tueur, who passed it to Saint, who passed it to the Butcher, who finally put it in the hands of their gold-masked leader. Hellequin placed the phone against the side of his helmet for a moment before lowering it- transferring the call directly into his headgear.

    "Indeed, we do have all of it. No, we made our escape with only one loss. Thank you for your consideration. Yes, we''re quite grateful. We''ll take a week to recuperate before heading to United States. Going against the Regents will be taxing, regardless of what we''re meant to accomplish. Thank you, sir. Goodbye." With his one-sided conversation complete, Hellequin turned back towards his team. "We have new work. Saint, take us home."

    "Take us home, Leviathan." Saint said to their mount in a soft voice, patting the reptilian creature''s scaly hide. Levy lurched beneath them, and the Gold Diggers rode further away from Paris. They drop Levy and Ziz in the wilderness to follow them from a distance before switching to one of Queen''s vehicles, a utilitarian truck with enough room for all of their junk. Hellequin told Cerf Tueur and the Anarchist about the new hideout they got from their contract with mysterious chessboard man, but Eli was too busy staring outside to pay attention.

    Their new place is practically a mansion, and the bed Eli gets in her room is big enough for three people. She gives it a test run, passing out and sleeping until the next morning.

    <hr>

    Eli''s head rang after the stunt Cypher had pulled. It was like taking a railroad spike straight through the brain. Luckily for her, Saint was being the MVP and gave Hellequin a secret stash of taser ants to drop on the helmeted hero, which is basically the greatest thing ever. Especially since Cypher in all his intelligence had been completely unable to plan for it.

    Still, not exactly a safe place to be. She booked it as soon as the ants had spread. Eli just managed to make her way into one of the abandoned houses, clutching her self-defense gun tightly. The neon blue glow at the edges of her vision indicated that good ol'' Nate was on her tail.

    She slammed the door behind her and locked it, more to calm her racing heart than to try and keep a meta like Nate out. The kid didn''t seem to have a full connection between his emotions and everything else, and it made him dangerous. Her point was proven when glowstick muscled his way through the door, launching it off its hinges like it was nothing.

    "Nate, stop!" Eli ordered in the strongest voice she could, pointing her weapon at the glowing boy. "Stay back!"

    "That won''t hurt me." Nate said in a disturbingly flat voice. So different from... from Fionn. Eli wasn''t sure why she''d felt the need to compare the two.

    "Really? You don''t sound so sure of yourself." The Anarchist said, lying and praying that it sounded convincing. Her shaking hands betrayed her even as she tightened her grip on the gun to try and hide it.

    "What were you doing in the warehouse? Why won''t you leave me alone?" Fuck him for thinking that he was special just because he got so much attention from her. It wasn''t her fault that Nate''s mind was wrapped in so many juicy layers of intrigue and secrecy.

    "I was trying to warn you, idiot." Eli forced out, drawing on the Anarchist persona to bring some sass back in to overpower her fright.

    "Warn me?" Nate replied, his glowing head tilting just ever so slightly to the side. He stepped closer to her and Eli''s breath stopped for a moment. The blue aura was an uncomfortably blue color, like the saturation of the sky turned up too high so it hurt to look at.

    "Stop!" She threatened again, pointing her gun back at him as if to remind Nate that she had it, ineffectual as it may be. She''d watched his memories of getting shot at, and her weapon was nowhere near enough firepower to hurt him.

    "What the hell were you warning me about? That you and your fucking murder buddies were going to kill my parents?" Dead-voiced Nate was scary, but angry shouting Nate was worse.

    "No, no, we-" Eli struggled for the words. Nate''s glow seemed to flare, and she felt herself trying to scramble back as he took another step towards her.

    "I''m tired of you fucking lying to me-" Nate snarled, and Eli pulled the trigger. The gun was loud, the recoil hard on her arms. The energy around Nate''s shoulder rippled, and she knew she''d hit. Unfortunately, it did jack-diddly-squat.

    "-manipulating me-" Nate continued, and Eli tried to fire again. The bullet flew wide and missed completely. She kept stumbling back, until she felt a wall at her back. "-making me betray my friends and family-" Nate was still saying, a cold kind of fury sharpening his voice.

    "Nate, please..." Eli tried to make her desperation known. Her reward was getting her gun knocked out of her hands. It left a burning, tingling sensation that coaxed a hiss of pain from her throat. Eli gauged her options, and took the coward''s way of ducking and trying to bolt.

    It wasn''t enough. A glowing fist slammed into the wall to impede her progress, the glow reflecting in the lenses of her glasses and the paler blue shade of her eyes.

    "They''re all I have left." Nate finally finished his tirade, ending on the same deadened tone he''d started with. There was the old familiar Soot, finally back in what was normal for him. Eli found her lips parting, but it took a second for anything more than noiseless air to come out.

    "...I know." She finally said, her voice coming out quieter than she''d thought it would. The wall at her back stopped her from backing away further, otherwise she could imagine herself shrinking further.

    "Don''t pretend like you''ve been the good guy all along." Nate accused her. Eli took issue with that, honestly. She was definitely a bad guy, but not necessarily a bad guy. Nate just kept on talking. "Or don''t you remember breaking into my house and fucking torturing me?" He growled, bringing up stuff that really should''ve been left in the past. Nonetheless, it struck some kind of chord with her.

    "I''m sorry, we-" She started to give the first sincere apology she''d given in years. Nate cut her off to continue his rambling.

    "You''re sorry? I was fucking stabbed, and had my fingers ripped off!" Okay, he had a point there.

    "Come on, Nate-" Eli tried to pick up where she left off. "We... we both know you aren''t a bad person." So maybe don''t kill me here, Soot? Not this time?

    "Really?" Nate snapped back. "Why don''t you read my mind and see what I''m feeling right now?" Oh wow, fuck him.

    "I can''t! Whatever Cypher did, I keep getting... feedback, static whenever I try." She drew on her own memories. Of Cerf Tueur being there for her after Fionn''s loss, of Queen looking after her even back in the adoption center before either of them had been supervillains. "Look, we didn''t want to hurt you. He forced us to. We aren''t-"

    "Aren''t what? Bad guys?" For someone with such a shady past, Nate had a black and white view of morality sometimes.

    "Okay, maybe we''re bad people." Eli admitted, even though it was the world''s fault for making them bad people in the first place. "But we don''t want to kill you, or your parents. He-"

    "Right, he forced you to. Who''s he?" Glowstick asked.

    "We don''t know his name, alright? But he''s crazy smart, and rich, and... and he managed to scare Hellequin." Which was an achievement. Hellequin was someone who built his whole persona on reputation and intimidation, so scaring him was an achievement.

    "Why me?" Nate asked. "Of all people, why me?"

    "He said it was because Cypher likes you, like a son or a protege or something."

    "So all of this was... just to get to Cypher?" Bingo, flashlight. You''re just a pawn in this game.

    "Yeah." Eli answered, and her voice once again refused to go any louder than a whisper. "Look, if you let me go, we won''t ever fuck with you again, I swear. I know we threatened your family, but it was all fake. We have our own family too. The Gold Diggers?" She thought of Fionn, of Cerf Tueur, Queen, Saint, even Hellequin. So much better than any foster home could''ve been for her. "They''re my family, as dysfunctional as they may be. We did what we had to so we could stay safe. Your life may have been shit, but it is so much worse, for a lot of people." Don''t I fucking know it. Another explosion shook the ground- right, a fight was going on outside. Eli had almost forgotten it amidst all this heart-to-heart personal intimacy shit. "We''ll leave, I promise." She added on for good measure, even if it ended up being a lie down the road.

    Nate went quiet for a while, and then rather suddenly turned and punched another wall, yelling out an angered ''fuck!''.

    "Look, Nate." She kept going, not giving him a chance to retaliate- she had him now, she just needed to keep talking. "They''re coming. We were meant to soften you up."

    "Go." Nate said, flat-voiced once more. Eli exhaled a sigh of relief that would''ve been audible.

    "Thanks, Soot-" A flare of the blue energy interrupted her.

    "Don''t call me that!" Nate snapped. "You don''t get to call me that!"

    "Sorry." This time, the apology was complete and truthful. "Look, maybe in another life, we could''ve been friends. You''re a nice guy, Nate, and we did some fucked up things to you-"

    "Go." Nate said more forcefully, this time punctuated with a rippling of his energy shell. Eli let herself be satisfied with a brief nod, and hauled ass away from him. She could hear Nate''s kid teammates calling to him- and as a pink tint fell over her vision, their thoughts finally became open books to her once more.

    Shard''ll be of interest to you with what he''s planning. Focus on him, would you? She dropped the thought into Nate''s head- subtle enough that he''d think it was his own, just a nudge towards the right direction. Shard was a royal prick, he was going after Nate''s family in the legit way, not the fake way the Gold Diggers had, and Eli wouldn''t miss him in the slightest if he died.

    And he will die. After all, Burning House Boy- you''ve killed before.

 Dilate 3.01

    ¡°You killed him¡­¡±

    Shard rolled his eyes, ¡°Was it that hard to figure out?¡±

    He didn¡¯t care. He¡¯d just ended a young man¡¯s life out of spite, and he didn¡¯t care. It was nothing to him, just as easy as closing a door.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°There it is! There¡¯s that fi-¡±

    Shard never got the chance to finish his sentence. I lunged forward, throwing everything I had into launching my energy towards the smug bastard. My mind could barely keep up, but I acted on impulse and slung my fist forward. My fist connected with something that gave a moment of resistance before crumpling like paper.

    When the monster flew back, I saw what my punch had done. Part of the left side of his face was caved in. His jaw hung slack at an awkward angle while blood seemed to pour out of his nose and mouth. Shard¡¯s eyes turned dark crimson; I mistook them for being black for a second.

    If it were anyone else, I¡¯d probably feel terrible about hurting them that badly, but not with him. While he was still reeling, I unleashed a blast from my left hand that caught Shard in the gut. The force launched the villain back, but he came out of his stupor enough to teleport before he hit the ground.

    Shard reappeared a few feet away, struggling to stand. He gingerly touched his face, but even that made him flinch. Without even looking up, Shard unleashed what had to be everything he had left. The street, Ray¡¯s car, the gas station, me, everything I could see with the glow of my energy was ripped into the air.

    Wasting no time with theatrics this time, Shard threw everything at me from every angle.

    You¡¯ve got this.

    My vision swam with blue light as I felt my body moving on its own, twisting and striking anything that came close enough. It was an odd feeling to step back from controlling yourself. All the times it happened before it felt¡­disorienting, like I was being kicked out of the pilot¡¯s seat. This time, though, I was surrendering to my powers, letting them guide me. It was almost like I could see things from a third-person point of view¡ªan itch that told me things that were about to happen. My body reflexively moved to protect me, and I allowed it.

    Still, Shard had too much ammunition. Even with my powers working better than had had my entire life, I was only just holding off his attack. I caught a brief glimpse of Shard in the Chaos. He looked dead, slumped over like it was difficult to stand. He wasn¡¯t even looking at me, just staring ahead blindly.

    I had to end this; he was going to wear me down eventually¡ªI had to get him before that happened. He was on his own floating platform in the eye of the storm. There wasn¡¯t any easy way to reach him without going through the maelstrom. I tried to use my powers to find a way through, but they didn¡¯t seem very interested. If anything, my precognition slacked off¡ªa smaller rock I could have easily broken gave me a glancing blow to my back.

    Okay, I couldn¡¯t rely on my powers to do it for me. I knew roughly where he was¡ªhovering a few feet above and behind me¡ªthe issue was getting to him fast enough that he wouldn¡¯t teleport away. Another chunk of debris nailed me in the gut while I was trying to plan everything out. I didn¡¯t have time; this was do or die.

    Literally.

    Fuck it! I thought. I waited for another hunk of Shard¡¯s debris storm to get close, then I used my energy to flip me around so I could use the chunk like a springboard. My jump didn¡¯t take me all the way to Shard, but it got me closer. Everything was whipping around almost too quickly to make out, but I had to find something to hold on to, fast. A tree, stripped of anything that even resembled a leaf, flew past me and I managed to scramble just enough to cling on for dear life as it towed me through the chaos.

    Jumping of falling objects fast enough to defy gravity always looked cool in the movies, but trying to navigate a deadly jungle gym floating because of a pissed of telekinetic was terrifying. This was it; the tree had moved me just enough. Hoping I could survive the fall, I let go of the tree and steered myself into position by nudging my energy with a mental tug.

    I had felt something building with my anger as the fight had dragged on, and it was close to breaking through¡ªI just had to hold it back a little longer.

    Shard was motionless as I fired a massive blast of energy, but he managed to teleport away just before it hit him just like I¡¯d hoped. He was going to reappear any second, but in the spit seconds he was gone was when I made my play. I reached deep into the presence, calling out to wherever my powers came from, trying to grab ahold of the building sensation.

    Time seemed to slow as I felt more power than I ever remembered channeling surged through me. Like an explosion, the energy surrounding my skin expand outwards, smashing the things shard had picked up. A storm of sapphire flames swirled around me and through the boiling power, I saw Shard reappear. His eyes grew wide in shock and fear, but there was nothing he could do.

    The wall of energy washed over the fucker and he screamed in pain. A wave of satisfaction swept over me, but at the same time¡­hearing that scream¡­

    Suddenly, images began flashing through my head¡ªa house¡ªa family¡ªan explosion¡ªa memory that haunted me since I was a kid. I saw the home being ripped apart by blue flames, and two people being consumed in the carnage, their screams echoing through my mind¡­

    Without any warning, the azure storm faded into nothingness and I was falling¡­

    <hr>

    I didn¡¯t know how long I was out, but when I finally came-to, the sky was just starting to turn pink. How far did I fall? During the fight I was too focused on Shard to notice, but it had to be a dozen feet or more. I rolled onto my back and, miraculously, nothing felt broken. Everything was sore and covered in bruises, but not broken.

    While I was falling, I must have managed to summon enough energy to shield me from the impact. Really, I didn¡¯t know; I was just guessing.

    A faint headache made itself known as I tried to sit up¡ª ¡®tried¡¯ being the operative word seeing as how a wave of nausea washed over me and I quickly emptied the contents of my stomach on the ruined asphalt.

    ¡°Concussion. Probably.¡±

    I turned¡ªalmost vomiting again with the sudden movement¡ªto see Cypher surveying the destruction around me. Peregrine was standing a few feet behind him doing pretty much the same thing.

    ¡°What took you so long?¡± I asked, smiling through the discomfort. Shard didn¡¯t kill me while I was out, and he was nowhere to be seen; that meant I won, right?

    ¡°Sorry, Shard flung me to Ohio, and Cypher needed my help chasing down Redline,¡± Peregrine said, sounding guilty. Well, he did leave me alone with a superpowered psychopath.

    I glanced at Cypher, half-expecting him to be doing the strange mind-guessing-thing and make some smart comment about how it was ¡°all part of his plan¡±, but the hero was quiet. Honestly, it was kind of disconcerting. His face was hidden like it always was, but he seemed stiff, on-edge. Then a terrible thought flashed through my mind.

    ¡°Is Ana alright?¡±

    Cypher¡¯s mask turned to face me, still cracked from where Hellequin headbutted him, ¡°Your sister is fine. So is the station clerk; she grabbed him as she ran.¡±

    A massive weight lifted off my shoulders and I let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s all over, then?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®maybe¡¯?¡±

    ¡°The Gold Diggers probably won¡¯t bother your family anymore, but I can¡¯t be sure about Shard.¡±

    I looked around at the destruction and remembered the giant blast of energy I unleashed.

    ¡°Maybe I killed him.¡± I said, wondering if he turned to dust like Saint¡¯s rats in the Forest.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up,¡± Cypher cautioned.

    ¡°What do we do now?¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°You face Argus.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, not sure what he meant. They thought I was a traitor; if I went back to them¡­ Not to mention, I wasn¡¯t even sure I wanted to be a hero. The only reason I became sanctioned in the first place was because I was blackmailed into it.

    ¡°If you explain everything, they may be lenient.¡±

    ¡°You mean you aren¡¯t going to help me?¡± I asked in a panic.

    Peregrine was staring daggers at the back of Cypher¡¯s head, but he didn¡¯t speak up.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be much help to you right now.¡±

    ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°You need to decide what you want to do, and I¡¯m not on the best of terms with Argus at the moment. They¡¯ll probably try to convince your parents to relocate and change names. If they stay in Chicago, Shard will be able to find them. Even if they do enter protective services it won¡¯t ensure their safety, but the more steps between them and Shard, the better.¡±

    Thoughts started swimming through my mind, and my concussion didn¡¯t make it any easier to sort through them.

    ¡°This was your idea, all of it! You¡¯re the one who got me sanctioned, and I bet you planned everything out with the Gold Diggers and Chess. Am I right? Did you use me as bait?¡±

    ¡°A bit paranoid, don¡¯t you think?¡± Cypher asked, going back to investigating the rubble on the ground. When I didn¡¯t answer, he sighed. ¡°Yes; I used you as bait.¡±

    ¡°So, you knew what the Gold Diggers did from the start?

    Cypher nodded. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know who hired them.¡±

    My spirits sank. I was just a pawn in a bigger game, nothing special.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Cypher said, pulling me out of my pity party, ¡°Hollands was in on it too.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, genuinely shocked. ¡°Then, why did he have guns pointed at my head before interrogating me?¡±

    ¡°Selling the act. Did you not think it was convenient The Anarchist managed to reach in the heart of Argus¡¯ operations? Or that you with just the help of two inexperienced heroes managed to escape with or without my help? Do you think Argus would leave doors securing a fugitive unlocked and unguarded?¡±

    When he put it like that, it did seem kind of obvious. Still, it didn¡¯t add up perfectly. ¡°Then why did Hollands still send Erin and Adam after me?¡±

    Cypher hung his head slightly, ¡°I couldn¡¯t get word to him in time, and he kept up the rouse.¡±

    ¡°Because of the fight with Chess¡¯ team?¡±

    ¡°The Kreigspiel, yes.¡±

    ¡°Did you at least win?¡± I asked, anger flaring in my voice.

    ¡°Not by any meaningful metric.¡±

    ¡°Then what was the fucking point? Did you get some sick kick out of ruining my life?¡±

    ¡°If I recall,¡± Cypher snapped back, ¡°You were the one who moronically stumbled into a metahuman fight and got themselves caught up with a sect of villains.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your excuse for dragging me through all this? You¡¯re blaming me? The Anarchist said Chess singled me out because of you!¡±

    Cypher muttered something under his breath I couldn¡¯t make out. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s right. You reminded me of the first time my powers manifested. I didn¡¯t have a distinct vision like you, but I saw all the numbers line up; a metahuman attack that no one believed was coming.¡±

    I¡¯d never heard about Cypher¡¯s early exploits before; he just burst onto the scene one day and started dropping villains left and right. It was surprising to have him open up.

    ¡°You wanted me to be like you?¡±

    ¡°No, not exactly.¡±

    ¡°Are you ready to head back?¡± Peregrine asked, interrupting to fill the silence.

    ¡°Are you?¡± Cypher asked, looking at me.

    The conversation had nearly pulled a 180 and left my head spinning. I swallowed my urges to keep arguing and probe deeper into Cypher¡¯s past and tried to decide what I wanted to do. Even if Cypher was telling the truth and Hollands would let me back on the team, would they trust me again?

    And what about my family? My life?

    My life¡­of scrubbing toilets¡­

    Maybe my head was still spinning from the concussion, but what if I could make a difference being a hero? Not to mention, I owed Corey and Whitney big time. I wasn¡¯t sure yet, but I still felt drawn to the team. For some reason.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ready.¡±

    <hr>

    Flying with Peregrine wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant the first time, but with a concussion it was a hundred times worse. I lost count of how many times I nearly emptied my stomach. His speed did make the trip go by faster, so that was one redeeming quality.

    The battlefield looked completely different than it did last night. Nearly all the houses were destroyed or damaged beyond habitability. Argus was swarming the scene like ants with dozens of agents running around doing one thing or another.

    Peregrine angled us towards a cluster of people who stood out next to the uniformed agents. The flier¡¯s sudden burst of deceleration made me stumble as he let me go, but I manage to stay on my feet. Our entrance drew attention from the mixed group of Regents and Argonauts, and I felt anxiety grip me.

    I glanced back at Cypher, but he was busy covering the crack in his mask with a roll of duct tape. Great. Thanks for the support. Taking a deep breath, I took a step forward. It felt like their stares were repelling me, pushing me back and making it hard to get closer.

    Corey and Whitney were standing next to Ghost and Animus to one side while Erin, Adam, and Ian stood next to Hollands and James to the other side. Erin was the first to break rank. She wasn¡¯t glowing, so I hoped that was a sign she didn¡¯t want to fight. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but tense up slightly when she kept walking forward.

    ¡°Uh, Erin¡­?¡± I asked uneasily. She didn¡¯t answer, sweeping me up in a hug instead. ¡°Erin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± She said, her voice choked up. ¡°I was following orders; I didn¡¯t know what was going on.¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯s okay¡­¡± I said, not sure what else to do. Finally, she released me, and I managed to take in a full breath. Damn, she was strong without her powers. ¡°Hollands told you he was in on it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± She said, looking torn. ¡°I didn¡¯t want anything to happen to your family, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You thought I was a villain?¡± I suggested, trying to understand how it looked from her point of view.

    ¡°Something like that, yeah.¡±

    ¡°What happened to Shard?¡± Hollands asked, walking over with the others.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I kicked his ass pretty good,¡± I answered, feeling somewhat proud of myself.

    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Whitney cheered, grinning from ear to ear. ¡°I hope you gave that bastard what he deserved.¡±

    Hollands, though, didn¡¯t look as thrilled. ¡°Damn it,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°All of them managed to slip away.¡±

    ¡°Are we going after them?¡± Adam asked.

    ¡°We need to step back and reassess the situation before we do anything involving ¡®The Kreigspiel¡¯ or the Gold Diggers.¡±

    ¡°At least there were no casualties; we can use this to give the team some recognition,¡± James cut in, trying to sound positive.

    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly true¡­¡± I said, Ray¡¯s death flashing through my mind.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hollands asked, looking at me intently.

    ¡°Shard killed Ray, Ana¡¯s boyfriend,¡± I said. Remembering that took any pride or satisfaction I had in beating the villain.

    ¡°Shit. James, take a team and recover the body. We¡¯ll leave your names out of the report we give the press.¡± Hollands looked concerned. Then he sighed, ¡°Regardless, you have a decision to make. Will you let Nate back on the team?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why wouldn¡¯t we?¡± Corey asked, making the answer seem obvious.

    ¡°Not so fast¡ªthere are things we need to discuss,¡± Ian said.

    ¡°Oh my God, Ian, seriously?¡± Whitney asked, a faint halo of smoke forming around her hair.

    ¡°He has a point; personal feelings aside,¡± Adam said. He managed not to sound like a complete asshole, but it still hurt a bit.

    ¡°Nate, I think we¡¯re going to need some time to talk this over,¡± Erin said, sounding apologetic, but firm.

    I nodded, ¡°I¡­understand. I need to see my family anyway.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to drive you there,¡± Hollands said, waving an agent over.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, wondering where they would have gone.

    ¡°Cypher didn¡¯t tell you? They weren¡¯t ever here¡ªthey¡¯ve been safe at home this whole time.¡±

    That son of a bitch.

    <hr>

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    The Argus agent gave me a wordless nod as I practically jumped out of the armored truck and sprinted for the front door of my parent¡¯s house. A pair of guards sporting Argus¡¯ gray uniform gave me a nod of recognition as I brushed past them and jogged up the front steps.

    Peregrine found Ana and the gas station clerk and got them to safety with Argus before grabbing Cypher and whisking him back to make sure I was okay. After Argus checked her over for injuries and took her statement, they escorted her home.

    She was safe, she wasn¡¯t injured, but that didn¡¯t mean she was alright.

    I flung the door open and ran inside, ¡°Ana-! Mom¡ªDad-!¡±

    ¡°Nate? We¡¯re in here,¡± Paul called out.

    Paul¡¯s voice came from the living room, so I veered left and then a right. Ana seemed to ever so slightly shrink away from me when I walked in.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Paul asked, getting up and sweeping me into a protective bearhug.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, not mentioning my concussion.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Ray?¡±

    Ana¡¯s voice was a mix of fear and worry all urgently wanting an answer.

    ¡°He¡ªhe¡¯s¡­¡± I struggled to find the words and I saw anguish spread across her face as she read the tone of my voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    Just one word, that¡¯s all she could manage before breaking down into tears.

    We sat in uneasy silence while Janet tried to console Ana. With everything that had happened in the last few hours, I couldn¡¯t blame her.

    ¡°Ana¡­¡±

    ¡°Fuck off! You promised you¡¯d keep him safe!¡±

    ¡°Ana!¡± Janet exclaimed.

    ¡°No, you wanted to play hero? W-well, Ray¡¯s dead and it¡¯s all your fault!¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what to say; I just stood and walked away to give her some space.

    ¡°Nate, wait.¡± Paul called out, following me into the next room.

    ¡°Nate-¡± Paul said more forcefully, catching my arm. ¡°Calm down, buddy. What happened? Start from the beginning.¡± His voice was softer this time, but still annoyingly fatherly.

    So, I told him everything that happened since I left to join the Argonauts, about the Gold Digger¡¯s fake threats, about the fight against Shard. His face changed as I talked, growing more concerned and outraged the more I revealed.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve carried all that on your own, Soot. But it¡¯s all over now, right? No more of this hero business?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± I said, to Paul¡¯s visible displeasure.

    ¡°What do you mean? You said it yourself: you were forced into this.¡±

    ¡°Ana was right, it was my fault, I couldn¡¯t save Ray, but maybe¡­maybe I can save other people. Either way, Ana hates me. She saw me using my powers, and the look on her face¡­¡±

    ¡°Nate¡­why now? Why do you suddenly want to use your powers?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just¡­Maybe¡­¡± I sighed, finally setting the words straight in my mind. ¡°I¡¯m tired of pretending. I have these powers whether I like it or not, and maybe I can use them to do some good. If I had training Ray might still be alive right now.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that for sure, and like we said before you left, this is dangerous! ¡°

    ¡°Dad, I have to do this,¡± I said, looking him in the eye. ¡°But I can¡¯t face Ana right now, not yet. I¡¯m gong to find Shard and really make him pay for what he did.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t bring him back or fix Ana¡¯s grieving. She needs time to process everything and you running away won¡¯t help that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not running away; I¡¯m stepping up to the plate. I love you, and tell Mom and Ana I love them, but this is something I have to do.¡±

    If they take me back, I thought to myself.

    But I couldn¡¯t think about that. I turned and headed for the door. Surprisingly, Paul didn¡¯t try and stop me.

    I pulled the door open and was shocked to see Whitney and Corey standing on the front steps, Corey¡¯s hand ready to knock. They looked a bit startled to see me marching out, but then they both broke into ecstatic grins.

    Prophet was here to stay.

 Dilate 3.02

    ¡°Ready, Nate?"

    I nodded and adjusted my grip on the silver brick in my hand.

    ¡°Okay, remember to wait for the timer to count down and all the tests to finish before you come back.¡±

    ¡°I got it,¡± I said, taking a breath and summoning my energy. Now came the part I was still getting used to. Mentally, it felt like prying open a sliding door; physically, it was like a subtle change in the air as goosebumps spread across my skin.

    Cracks seemed to form in reality as the portal swirled into existence around me. I had gone to the Forest¡­five, maybe six times willingly, but I still almost missed the slight change that signaled I was there.

    The portal faded away and left me standing in the endless grove of trees. ¡°Time to work your magic little buddy,¡± I said to the brick. LEDs started blinking as the device started taking measurements. The technician told me it was invented to test Warper class metahumans. It ¡®assessed¡¯¡ªas the technician put it¡ªatmospheric conditions, radiation levels, gravity, and several other terms I didn¡¯t recognize or understand.

    A small screen read out each of the test as they ran. ¡°Nitrogen levels: 80%, Oxygen levels: 2%...¡±

    What? That couldn¡¯t be right, I thought to myself. I wasn¡¯t sure what they were on Earth, but I knew 2% was low. And then it read out something very strange. ¡°Temperature: -273.¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± I said out loud. That was ridiculous. I mean, it felt cold there, but nowhere near that. Several more items of interest flashed across the screen, but they weren¡¯t things I recognized.

    It seemed to take forever for the timer to count down to zero and the indicator next to ¡°Tests Complete¡± to turn green. ¡°Finally,¡± I said, willing another portal to open around me. The Forest was an eerie place, and I couldn¡¯t say I wanted to spend more time there than I needed to.

    With another vortex of blue, I stepped back into the white-tile lined testing facility and looked through the observation window to the technicians inside. They seemed surprised I was back. ¡°Tests are done,¡± I said, holding up the brick.

    ¡°Really?¡± One of them asked, activating the intercom.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I said, not sure what the problem was. ¡°The light turned green and the timer ran out.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve only been gone for two minutes,¡± The technician said, sounding intrigued.

    This day kept getting weirder. I thought back to when Cypher did his power testing crash-course and what Cypher said about my powers. ¡°So, I¡¯m a time warper, then?¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± The lady replied. Controlling time sounded like it would be pretty cool and I was a little bummed. ¡°It¡¯s more likely that your dimension has a different flow of time than our own. It looks like it flows faster there based on our readings¡­Aren¡¯t you a precog?¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah. I can see the future sometimes.¡±

    The woman nodded, ¡°That could be tied to it then. Time runs faster there, and some of it spills over into your brain. Anyways, the bio-scan is complete, and you aren¡¯t carrying any detectable pathogens. We¡¯re lifting the quarantine and once you put the testing device in the receptacle, you are free to exit the testing chamber Mr. Peterson.¡±

    The more I learned about my powers, the stranger they seemed. Compared to other metahuman powers I knew of¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t many thanks to people being paranoid¡ªmine seemed to come from left field.

    My train of thought was sudden derailed when I stepped out into the hallway.

    ¡°Surprise!¡±

    Instantly, I was enveloped in my shell of energy. I nearly jumped out of my skin before I realized it my team that had ambushed me with¡­balloons?

    ¡°What¡¯s¡­?¡± I started to ask as I let the energy evaporate away. James and the rest of the team¡ªwith the notable exception of Ian¡ªwere standing in the middle of the hallway. Adam looked indifferent as he held a handful of balloons, but the others looked excited.

    ¡°Hey, Nate, precog this!¡± Whitney said, throwing a plastic case at my head. In my dazed and confused state, I somehow managed to catch it.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked, inspecting the thin plastic box. It was the size and shape of a briefcase with the Argus logo embossed on the side.

    ¡°Your uniform,¡± Erin said. She was smiling, but it was clear she still had some guilt about the whole ordeal with my parents. ¡°Now that you¡¯re part of the team for real, you need to look the part.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked, excitedly trying to find out how to open the case. With all the training, testing, and combat practice, I hadn¡¯t even thought about a uniform. I pressed a button built into the thin side of the case and it popped open to reveal a red and black outfit made of the same material as the others¡¯.

    Thank God it¡¯s not blue, I thought to myself.

    ¡°Take it out and let us see,¡± James encouraged. We hadn¡¯t really spoken much since I got back from Chicago. I wondered if he was in on Cypher¡¯s plan to use me as a double¡ªtriple¡ªagent.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to our rooms; the labs aren¡¯t exactly a great place to hang out,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll give you a chance to try it on,¡± Erin said as we all started migrating back upstairs.

    Part of me still found it hard to believe that they let me back in. Something just felt¡­wrong, like I was still pretending. That feeling grew stronger when we stepped back into the dorm common room. Ian glanced at us for a second before sticking his nose back into his book. I noticed he¡¯d taken the plastic cover off; Probably so he¡¯d look smarter, I thought to myself.

    Hard for me to forget he was the one who ratted me out¡ªeven though I guess he was just playing his predestined role in Cypher¡¯s god complex of a plan. Still, the vote to let me join the team for real wasn¡¯t unanimous. Only three out of five in favor.

    Ian had obviously voted ¡°no¡±, but Corey told me later that Adam was the other one. That didn¡¯t upset me as much; we weren¡¯t exactly friends or anything, but Adam wasn¡¯t an asshole about it. For over a week I had been going through the joining process in earnest and Ian hadn¡¯t said a single word to me.

    Well fuck him. If he wasn¡¯t going to let it go, that was his problem.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s make sure it fits!¡± Whitney said, giving me a push towards my room.

    ¡°Alright, alight, I¡¯m going!¡± I said, flashing them a smile.

    I shed the baggy jumpsuit they¡¯d given me for testing in and pulled the uniform out of the case. There was more there than I though. There were a pair of black combat pants like the kind the others wore, an undershirt made out of the same kind of heavy material, and then the actual red and black armor that went over my head like a bullet proof vest with smaller armored pieces that seem to slot into special places sewn into the undershirt. It was a neat system; even I could figure out how to put it on and take it off.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    To finish it off, there were a pair of gloves and boots at the bottom of the case. I¡¯d never really considered myself the kind of guy to wear boots, but I could see where they might come in handy. Most of the boots had armor plating except for small gaps that let the foot go through it¡¯s usual ranges of motion.

    Last but not least were the gloves. They were honestly a bit too snug for my liking, but they didn¡¯t hamper my dexterity too much. That was it. That was everything from the case. Everything felt slightly small, though not uncomfortable. I guess that was because it was tailor made for me. That was kind of odd to think about; I¡¯d never had anything like this custom-fitted before.

    I walked into the bathroom to get a look at myself in the mirror. The way the uniform fit made it obvious I wasn¡¯t very physically intimidating, but damn if I didn¡¯t look just a little badass. Like a real hero, I thought to myself.

    ¡°Nate, what¡¯s taking so long?¡± Whitney called, sounding bored.

    Well, guess it was time to show them. I was about to open the door, but then I decided to opt for something flashier¡­

    Training was paying off; opening my portals was slowly getting easier. I came out into the ethereal forest and took a step forward before tearing open another portal. Everyone turned in surprise as I appeared in a massive swirling vortex of neon blue.

    ¡°Sorry, had to take it for a spin,¡± I said with a grin.

    Corey laughed, ¡°Looks good on you.¡±

    ¡°It sure took you long enough,¡± Whitney said through a smile.

    ¡°Can¡¯t rush perfection.¡±

    ¡°Suuure,¡± Whitney said sarcastically, her smile growing.

    ¡°Everything fit alright?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°Uh, yeah. More or less,¡± I said.

    ¡°A bit snug?¡± Adam asked.

    ¡°A bit, yeah.¡±

    Adam nodded, ¡°Once you train in it for a while it¡¯ll stretch and fit perfect.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I gotcha. Does anyone want to train, then?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking us?¡± Erin asked, trying to suppress a laugh and act serious. ¡°You were the one we were waiting for to get out of bed this morning.¡±

    ¡°Hey, maybe I¡¯m just not a morning person.¡±

    ¡°Great, then as long as villains only attack in the afternoon we¡¯ll be golden,¡± Corey said.

    We all cracked up a little at that. It was nice being with people who didn¡¯t think what I could do was weird. Normal people were always a little uneasy when they met a new meta. I couldn¡¯t really blame them, though. I set those thoughts aside and focused on being part of the conversation.

    ¡°Oh! Nate,¡± Corey perked up during a lull in the talking, ¡°Have you named your dimension yet?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The¡­forest-place you told us about. Metas get to name dimensions they draw powers from, right?¡± He asked James.

    ¡°Uh¡­yeah, it¡¯s common practice to let a meta name their dimension. So, have anything in mind, Nate?¡±

    ¡°Not really; guess I never thought about it¡±

    ¡°And it looks like you won¡¯t have to.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Hollands, we didn¡¯t hear you come in,¡± James said as we turned to the AID director walking through the door.

    ¡°Hope I¡¯m not interrupting the festivities, but I thought you all might find this interesting,¡± he said, flipping through a rather large file in his hands. ¡°The results are back from the probe, and this is not the first time Argus has seen this dimension.¡±

    ¡°What? Did Genesis show it to you or something?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°No, a member of the Union of Russian Heroes¡ªAuralux¡ªemits energy very similar to Nate¡¯s.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t very knowledgeable on the Union, and I hadn¡¯t ever heard of a hero called Auralux. Were they new?

    ¡°You mean they have powers like mine?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s kind of rare isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Somewhat rare, yes. Especially when you consider that we¡¯ve never had two metas confirmed to pull energy from the same dimension.¡±

    ¡°What about magic? Don¡¯t gifteds all pull from ¡®The Primal Plane¡¯ or whatever?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Erin said. ¡°I¡¯m technically a gifted, but I¡¯m not the kind that ¡®cast spells¡¯ and all that.¡±

    ¡°Gifteds¡ªspecifically ¡®magic users¡¯¡ªdon¡¯t pull from alternate dimensions in the same way mutants or enhanced metas do. The mechanism is beyond what we can decipher, but there are some who theorize they use exploitations of physics to access the Primal Plane specifically. Nate and Auralux are the first case of two enhanced metas sharing a connection to the same extra dimensional space.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re enhanced too?¡±

    ¡°She is, and just like you, she was born without powers but quickly developed them by age four.¡±

    So, it was a she.

    ¡°How similar are her power¡¯s to Nate¡¯s,¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but I¡¯ve contacted the Union¡¯s primary Liaison and requested she visit so we can compare the two of you.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s coming here?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yes. She should be here sometime tomorrow.¡±

    Tomorrow? I wasn¡¯t sure what to think. Knowing there was someone with the same powers as me, coming here¡­it was a bit daunting, but at the same time kind of exciting.

    ¡°Maybe you have a long-lost sister,¡± Corey said.

    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Could we be related? I didn¡¯t have any living relatives as far as I knew. Neither of my birth parents had siblings, and only one Grandmother was still alive when the accident happened. She was too old to take me in, and she passed away a year or two after that from what I was told.

    ¡°No. The two of them aren¡¯t related as far as we can tell. Her family has lived in Russia as far back as records go.¡±

    ¡°I guess not, then,¡± I said.

    ¡°Hopefully we can discover something informative tomorrow. In the meantime, I have some special training for you today. Finish up here and meet me in the gym. We can put your new uniform to the test,¡± Hollands said with the closest thing to a smile I¡¯d ever seen his face attempt as he walked out.

    The team let out a collective sigh. ¡°Guess we better get suited up,¡± Erin said.

    For once, I was ecstatic about training. Maybe it was the suit¡ªit was probably the suit, but I was in a good mood for the first time I could really remember in a while. Things seemed to be falling into place.

    <hr>

    When we made it down to the gym, we found Hollands talking to a dark-haired man who looked to maybe be in his early thirties. He was wearing tan shorts and a vibrant orange Hawaiian shirt.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was casual Friday,¡± Whitney whispered as we walked towards them.

    ¡°Argonauts, I would like for you to meet The Eternal, aka John Smith.¡±

    Something seemed strangely familiar to me about the guy, but when I heard his name, it was like a switch flipped in my head. A wave of blue drowned out the gym as my consciousness was plunged into a vision.

    <hr>

    Slowly, the azure fog receded, leaving me sitting on the curb of a street. There were lots of people around, but they were like face-less shadows, drifting through the scene in slow motion. Emergency vehicles almost seemed to form a wall around me, trying to shield my eyes from what I knew was there. I could still see sapphire flames flickering over the tops of the firetrucks.

    Through the crowd of shadows, a figure with a friendly face walked towards me. I remembered being confused, and afraid, but he was smiling. He bent he knees and leveled his face with mine, extending a hand. ¡°Hey, there Nate. My name¡¯s John.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°-Is it normal for blue flames to come out of his eyes?¡±

    I blinked rapidly, trying to get my eyes to stop trying to focus on the faces standing over me and the ceiling at the same time.

    ¡°It happens when he has a vision-¡±

    ¡°-Hey, I think he¡¯s back,¡± Corey said, offering me a hand.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, accepting help. He helped pull me back to my feet and I fortunately didn¡¯t feel like I was going to fall over.

    ¡°What did you see?¡± Erin asked, looking at me intently.

    ¡°N-nothing¡­I¡¯m not sure,¡± said, still trying to process everything.

    ¡°Wow, that was a bit of a lightshow. I heard you were an Oracle Class, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be so violent,¡± John said, giving me the same smile I saw eighteen years ago. He hadn¡¯t aged a day, if what the vision showed me really was a memory.

    ¡°I¡¯ve met you before¡­¡±

    John furrowed his brow, ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°August 7<sup>th</sup>, 2001¡ªyou were in Chicago, you said your name was John.¡±

    ¡°Oddly specific, but John is a very common name; it doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ve met before. Sorry¡ªNate, was it? I think you¡¯re confusing me for someone else.¡±

    I was about argue the point further, but I happened to see the concerned looks my team was giving me.

    ¡°Yeah¡­my bad. I guess it was someone else,¡± I said.

    ¡°Great. Now that we¡¯ve gotten that cleared up, we can get on with the training,¡± John said.

    ¡°What did you really see?¡± Corey asked me quietly as Hollands and John explained what we¡¯d be doing.

    ¡°He was there the night my parents¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t finish the sentence, but Corey seemed to tell what I was getting at.

    ¡°Oh. Was he¡­involved?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡ªwe can talk about it later,¡± I said, trying to focus on what John was saying.

    ¡°¡ªso, Hollands wanted to give you a chance to test out your powers in a situation that you couldn¡¯t accidentally hurt someone.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you want us to attack you?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°Well, to put it simply, yes. But there¡¯s more to it than that. This will give you the chance to coordinate your attacks as a team against a more powerful opponent without tripping over yourselves.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your power classification? Won¡¯t we hurt you?¡±

    John grinned like he was part of a big inside joke. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s classified, but you won¡¯t hurt me. Care to show them, Grey?¡±

    Mr. Hollands rolled his eyes as he pulled his gun from his holster. ¡°Try not to freak out,¡± Hollands said as he leveled the barrel at John¡¯s head.

    ¡°Mr. Hollands!¡± Erin shouted in alarm as Hollands pulled the trigger.

    John¡¯s head snapped back, but there wasn¡¯t any blood, or even an entry wound.

    ¡°What the fuck!¡± Whitney yelled in shock.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine,¡± John said, holding two thumbs up.

    ¡°There is nothing you are capable of that can injure Mr. Smith. Any of you. We¡¯ve tested him against the likes of Wrath and not a lasting scratch.¡±

    What was this guy? A regenerator? I¡¯d heard of some metas like the Butcher being able to get back up after almost anything, but even she took a little while to get back up.

    ¡°So, who¡¯s ready to get started?¡± John asked spreading his arms in invitation.

 Dilate 3.03

    Our plan sounded so simple until the man in a Hawaiian shirt dismantled it before our eyes.

    ¡°You guys ready yet? Villains aren¡¯t going to give you time to make up a plan you know?¡±

    Erin gave John a sidelong glance before looking back at us. ¡°Everyone know what to do?¡±

    I nodded in sync with the others and our huddle broke apart. I let my energy dance on my fingers for a second before letting it slide up my arms to cover the rest of me. Summoning it was almost effortless now, but that wasn¡¯t the power I was worried about working well. John could take a bullet to the brain, but what about my energy blasts? Saint¡¯s little monsters turned to dust in the Forest, and even Butcher seemed to have problems with them. I hoped Hollands knew what he was talking about.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Erin, getting ready for her signal. We were standing in a loose circle with Erin to my left and Adam slightly behind me to the right. John stared at us with idle amusement plastered on his face. Our arena was empty and silent except for the quiet hum on my energy and the faint sizzling as Whitney used her powers to charge something with explosive potential.

    Suddenly, Erin gave the signal. She lit up with a blue aura and charged John head-on while Adam and I broke right. Corey launched himself up and to the left while Whitney and Ian stayed where they were. I had to trust that my team knew what they were doing because I needed to focus on my pace. Adam was fast for a normal person, but not all that impressive compared to what my powers gave me. On top of that, I was running on the inside, so I had to stay slowed back. That way, Adam could fire his rifle at will, the bullets passing inches to feet in front of me while I served as a makeshift human shield.

    John didn¡¯t seem to care. He was too focused on the charging Finnish woman to notice the bullets tearing through him. It was the Blonde bombshell behind Erin that he should have been more concerned with. Erin suddenly leapt to the left, letting Whitney throw both of her charged explosives like an ambidextrous major league pitcher.

    I wondered how many times she¡¯d practiced her throws to get the kind of distance she managed to pull off. The first one struck The Eternal unawares in the face, but he managed to catch the second one a split second before they both detonated. The shockwave caused my energy to ripple as thick smoke obscured our target.

    ¡°Hold,¡± Adam called out. We slowed to a stop, and Adam leveled his aim just to my right.

    ¡°He¡¯s still standing!¡± Ian warned from behind Whitney.

    Sure enough, the smoke cleared, revealing John without so much as a singed hair. His shirt didn¡¯t fare quite as well, though. A good portion of the chest and collar were turned to ash, revealing some kind of black body suit underneath.

    ¡°Fucking seriously?¡± Whitney groaned, sticking her hands into her pouches to pull out more things to charge.

    ¡°So much for that!¡± Erin yelled, her aura flaring as she launched forward faster than I could run even with my powers. John seemed to launch into action, dropping into a crouch like he was trying to tackle Erin¡¯s legs. Norn was ready, though. Her aura shifted into its red shade as she drove her fist down into John¡¯s shoulder with superhuman strength.

    His spine audibly snapped as his upper body twisted under the blow. I felt sick as I watched Johns torso bend completely backwards under the torque. Suddenly, he grabbed Erin and his lower body seemed to snap back in place faster than my eye could make out. Next thing I knew, Erin was cartwheeling through the air and John was picking himself up off the ground.

    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked Adam.

    ¡°His lower body snapped into place and he used the momentum to kick Erin across the room.¡±

    Shit, this guy had skills.

    If Erin¡¯s attack didn¡¯t work, that meant it was getting close to my turn. I settled into the mindset of controlling my energy, getting ready to sprint. Meanwhile, Corey wasted no time launching his attack. He swooped down just like he had with The Butcher, intending to use his wings to gut John down to size.

    Corey sliced through the air next to John, cutting a large gash in John¡¯s shirt and undershirt, but didn¡¯t seem to cut him at all. Serath flared his wings, returning them to normal as he came to a stop next to us.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you slice him in half?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I did¡­I thought I did?¡± Corey said, sounding confused. ¡°I¡­felt the resistance in my wing¡­¡±

    ¡°Did he manage to heal faster than you cut?¡± Adam thought aloud.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Corey said, flying low along the ground. At the last second, he curved upward, driving one of his wing-blade-things straight through John and out his back.

    ¡°Nice try,¡± John said with a grin. Instead of trying to pull himself free of Corey¡¯s wing, he pushed himself further up the blade, widening the cut.

    ¡°What the-¡± Corey almost asked before John got close enough and cut him off with a sucker punch that knocked him out cold. His wings might be tough, but Corey himself? Not so much.

    ¡°Guess you¡¯re up,¡± Adam said dryly.

    Right, it was my turn. I broke into a sprint, trying to remember all the combat training that¡¯d been crammed into my head. John looked to see me charging towards him, but he didn¡¯t seem concerned in the slightest. Corey was sprawled out on the ground, so I put on a burst of speed and tried to jump over him.

    John must have been waiting for me to do something like that, though. His hand shot out and grabbed my arm. Taking advantage of my lack of leverage to slam me to the ground. It was annoying but didn¡¯t really hurt. John didn¡¯t seem to have super strength in the slightest despite being so durable. Though he did manage to launch Erin somehow¡­

    No time to focus on that; I needed to stay focused on the fight. I fired a blast of energy from my hand that, thanks to the odd angle he was holding my arm, only managed to glance off his shoulder. Still, the force of impact was enough to tear his grip free.

    I picked myself up while John was trying to catch his balance. There was a glint of surprise and interest in his eyes, something I hadn¡¯t noticed until now. Another bolt of energy welled up before being launched from my hand. John dodged to the side, the blue streak missing him by inches.

    ¡°Gotta work on that aim, kid,¡± John quipped as he scrambled back to his feet.

    He was staying in motion now, trying to make it harder for me to hit him. I charged up my powers again but this time I opted for unleashing a continuous beam. John tried to jump out of the way again only for my blast to catch him in the gut.

    John tumbled a few feet like a ragdoll before getting up like nothing happened. His shirt was nothing but flowery tatters barely clinging to his frame. In contrast, John seemed completely uninjured. I¡¯d managed to hurt the Butcher with that attack; how was this guy unphased?

    ¡°Watch those sweeping attacks; don¡¯t want to accidentally let your opponent lure you into firing at your teammates.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡ª¡± Whitney shouted before an explosion rocked the room ¡°¡ªIf you blast me¡ª¡± She flew over my head, landing gracefully a few feet from me and John ¡°¡ªThis¡¯ll happen to you¡­¡± She shouted, slamming her hands on the ground. Glowing lines raced towards John who didn¡¯t seem to know what he should do.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Running would be what most people might have done. John, though, just looked at the spreading lines, confused. I jumped back and pulled on my energy to carry me as far from the coming explosion as possible.

    A literal wave of destruction tore across the room. It felt like the World was shaking apart at the seams; I would be amazed if anything could survive the brunt of Whitney¡¯s attack. She seemed confident in it herself, but when the smoke started to clear, John remained standing.

    ¡°Seriously? What¡¯s your fucking deal?¡± Whitney sighed.

    ¡°It was a good effort, but¡ª¡± Before John could finish, another person emerged from the smokescreen behind The Eternal. Erin was completely enveloped in her red glow, determination etched into her face. A bruise on her chin showed the force of John¡¯s impact from earlier, and she didn¡¯t seem happy about it.

    Erin landed a punch squarely in John¡¯s back that sent him flying. He managed to somewhat control his flight and righted himself by the time he landed. Erin was already next to him. Her blue glow rapidly shifting back to red so she could continue her assault.

    John didn¡¯t have a moment¡¯s rest. Erin¡¯s blows slapped him around like he was weightless. And as soon as he landed, Erin was there to launch him again. She was putting up a hell of a fight, but the longer the fight wen on the clearer it became that Erin was getting tired.

    After a few more minutes of whack-a-meta, Erin seemed to ease off.

    ¡°Had enough?¡± She asked. It may have just been the exertion, but her accent seemed thicker.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m still good to go,¡± John said, sounding chipper. ¡°You all are impressive, but your skills and abilities won¡¯t cut it against the upper echelon of metahumans. If I were an opponent, I¡¯d still be as free and capable to do whatever I wanted as before.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve got it,¡± Ian said, mostly to himself. We looked over at him, and I noticed he hadn¡¯t moved since the fight began.

    Way to support the team, buddy, I thought dryly.

    It looked like he was concentrating, but for a few seconds, nothing happened.

    And then the floor shifted under my feet. The large white tile John was standing on suddenly rose into the air. I¡¯d barely noticed them before, but it seemed like the tiles covered the entire area of the gym; floor and ceiling. I figured they were just for show, but apparently not. As John was forced higher into the air by the rising pillar, an identical one descended from the ceiling.

    John jumped off the pillar seconds before being crushed, but Ian seemed to be counting on that. The tile John was going to land on started retracting into the floor.

    ¡°Impressive!¡± John shouted as he plummeted more than twenty feet to the bottom of the pit. We all¡ªsans the unconscious Corey¡ªwalked over to look down at John¡¯s impromptu prison.

    ¡°Do we win?¡± Ian asked, peering down with a smug look on his face.

    ¡°This was a training exercise; not really something you can ¡®win¡¯, but I guess so¡­Clyffe was it?¡± John asked, looking up at him. ¡°What did you do, take control of the reconfigurable systems?¡±

    Ian nodded, visibly proud of himself. ¡°Took me a while to figure out how to interface with it remotely.¡±

    ¡°It was an innovative solution, but it probably wouldn¡¯t work against most people. I just happen to only be good at not dying. Other people might not be so easily dissuaded by a hole in the ground.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not fighting other people, though,¡± Ian said. The tile John was standing on started to rise as Ian returned the gym to its normal state.

    ¡°That goes against the spirit of the training Mr. Moore. Nevertheless, well done,¡± Hollands piped up, walking over towards us. ¡°This was a step closer to having you all function as a competent team. Mr. Dixon, will you check on Mr. Harrington and make sure he¡¯s alright?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Adam said, walking over to wake Corey up.

    ¡°And Mr. Smith. I appreciate you taking time to help the Argonauts train,¡± Hollands said, handing John a briefcase.

    ¡°Ah, no need to thank me, Grey. I needed an excuse to get out of the ol¡¯ pithos,¡± John said, opening the case and pulling out a fresh Hawaiian shirt to replace ruined one.

    ¡°Pithos?¡± Erin asked quietly, looking at Whitney and me.

    We both just shrugged. He was a weird dude.

    ¡°You guys have potential, but you still need to be careful and keep training. I heard about what happened with the Kreigspiel and Gold Diggers. You had trouble with them, and while that¡¯s understandable, there are lots of metas stronger than they are. Not to mention groups like the Pantheon.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve fought the Pantheon?¡± Ian asked.

    John shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ve helped others fight them. They wanted to ¡®recruit¡¯ me at one point. Took a while to convince them I wouldn¡¯t be a good fit.¡±

    ¡°What are your powers, exactly?¡± Whitney asked, apparently still a bit pissed her explosions hadn¡¯t done much besides wreck the place.

    ¡°I am¡­immortal and invulnerable,¡± John answered. He didn¡¯t seem all that thrilled about it, though.

    ¡°That sounds awesome,¡± I said, finally remembering to let my energy fade.

    ¡°It has it¡¯s fair share of shortcomings.¡±

    ¡°But you got hurt. Like, Corey stabbed you with his wings,¡± Whitey said, sounding as confused as I felt.

    ¡°Do I seem hurt to you? There¡¯s not a single atom of me out of place.¡±

    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t really sound like invulnerability,¡± Erin said, rubbing her bruised chin.

    ¡°As opposed to what? Your green glow? Once you rest up let¡¯s test and see whose power breaks first,¡± John challenged, grinning like he¡¯d heard the best joke of his life.

    ¡°Watching you manage to crawl away from whatever suicidal endeavor strikes your fancy is about as boring as watching paint dry,¡± Hollands said.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± John said, closing his case. ¡°But it¡¯s never hurt to try before.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the issue?¡±

    ¡°Do you guys have any idea what they¡¯re talking about?¡± I asked as Adam led Corey over. John and Hollands started walking off, talking between themselves like we weren¡¯t there.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Whitney said. ¡°You alright?¡± she asked, looking over at Corey.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine, just a little unsteady.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Erin said before turning to Ian. ¡°Do you have anything about John stored away in that head of yours?¡±

    ¡°Not really. I remember I saw a picture of him with Paladin¡¯s old team, the Vanguard, from the late Sixties. He didn¡¯t look any different than he does now.¡±

    ¡°He was around in the Sixties?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I mean, he did say he was immortal,¡± Erin said.

    Was that why he looked like he hadn¡¯t aged from my memory-vision-thing? I wondered.

    ¡°Something about him is off, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Whitney said.

    <hr>

    Everyone broke off to do their own things after Erin dismissed us from training, but after we had showered and raided the cafeteria, most of us ended up in the common room. Adam had already gone to bed and Ian had not so subtly pushed an armchair away from me before burying his nose in a book.

    Corey and Erin were holding ice packs to their faces which made me thankful again for my barrier. Whitney was casually flipping through TV channels, but most of them were in German and my Deutsch was rusty. Of course, by that I meant it was nonexistent.

    ¡°Ugh, how do I get this back to English?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°I changed it yesterday,¡± Corey said.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s broken again!¡± Whitney complained.

    ¡°Give me the remote.¡±

    Whitney chucked the plastic device at Corey who raised a metallic wing to defend himself. I had wondered how he managed to fit his wings inside his shirts, but I had realized he mostly just opted for tank tops.

    ¡°Easy, Babe Ruth. I can¡¯t fix it if you break the remote,¡± Corey teased.

    ¡°Sorry, I guess ¡®The Eternal¡¯ still has me a bit worked up.¡±

    ¡°You know Ruth was mostly known for batting, right?¡± I asked. Paul was an avid baseball fan, and part of that interest had rubbed off on me. It was one of the few things we bonded over. ¡°I mean, he was great pitcher, but there are others who are better.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a baseball fan?¡± Corey asked, sounding interested.

    ¡°Yeah. Paul and I watched a lot of games together when I was younger. And of course, he made sure I knew about all the greats.¡±

    ¡°Did you play?¡±

    ¡°I did for a little bit, but it didn¡¯t take me long to figure out sports weren¡¯t really my thing. How about you?¡±

    ¡°Nah. Wings don¡¯t really make running easy.¡±

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t just pull them against your back like you do now?¡± Erin asked.

    Corey looked a bit uneasy, ¡°Well, even if I did, having giant signs that screamed ¡®meta¡¯ didn¡¯t exactly make people thrilled about having me around.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Erin said.

    That put a bit of a damper on the conversation. ¡°I know what you mean,¡± I said.

    ¡°I think we all do,¡± Erin said. Then she cracked a bit of a smile. ¡°One time in what I think you guys call middle school, my gym class was having a track and field day. I was a bit slow and towards the middle of the pack, but then the next thing anyone knew, I was going over a hundred miles and hour and glowing blue. They ended up sending me to the nurses office and made my parents come and pick me up.¡±

    ¡°Are we all telling stories now; because I have a good one,¡± Whitney said. ¡°I had a chemistry class in high school, and we were going over the alkaline metals. We were dropping pieces in water to watch them burn, but someone thought it would be a good idea to drop in a big chunk when I wasn¡¯t watching, and it really blew up¡ªno pun intended. Anyway, I jumped back, and accidentally blew up most of my desk. Then the smoke set off the sprinklers¡­and yeah, instant social pariah.¡±

    ¡°Mine were mostly me having visions and scaring most of my classmates with flames coming out of my eyes,¡± I said.

    ¡°I guess the time I found out I could steel my wings was kind of funny in retrospect. I had a cold, but I tried to muddle through it. So, I was sniffling and sneezing all day, but during a math test, I had a really strong one. My wings turned to metal, which normally wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but I wasn¡¯t ready for it and they cut through my shirt, my jacket, and knocked over the desks on either side of me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s go to suck,¡± I said.

    ¡°No, wait it gets better! I went to the principal¡¯s office for ¡®disrupting class¡¯, but then She ended up writing me up for breaking dress code.¡±

    ¡°Seriously? They dress coded you for accidentally cutting your clothes off?¡± Erin asked as we all started snickering. Then we all broke out in full-blown laughter. Even Ian let a smile slip.

 Dilate 3.04

    ¡°So, are you ready to meet your Russian doppelg?nger?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t doppelg?ngers have to look like you?¡± Corey countered.

    ¡°I guess so.¡±

    ¡°And Auralux is a girl, so¡­¡±

    Whitney rolled her eyes, ¡°Point made.¡±

    I grinned as they kept arguing. We were all standing on one of the landing pads waiting for the Union team to arrive. Was I ready? Probably not. Still, If Auralux could help me find out where my powers came from, I wanted to know.

    ¡°Are they running late? I would expect we would have seen their aircraft by now,¡± Ian said, scanning the sky.

    ¡°They aren¡¯t flying,¡± Hollands replied.

    ¡°Then how are they getting here?¡± I asked.

    As if on cue, a small disk of white light roughly the size of a quarter formed in the air.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ian and I said in unison as the disk started to expand into a ring of white. In the middle of the ring, small motes of light started streaming through like snowflakes. The silhouettes of several people came into view once the ring was large enough.

    The figure in the middle of the group stepped through the middle of the portal, and the veil of light rippled like water to reveal a scruffy looking man in a heavy coat. He didn¡¯t look like much; mistaking him for a homeless man wouldn¡¯t be difficult. A short, untrimmed beard of black hair covered his lower face while tired eyes peered out from under something that looked like a stylized military cap.

    ¡°Hello,¡± He said in heavily accented English as the other members of the Union filed through behind him. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Yakov Lomtev, also known as Kapitan, leader of the Union of Russian Heroes.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Erin said, stepping forward to shake his hand. ¡°Erin Vuorela, aka Norn, leader of the Argonauts.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, I believe I remember you. We reached out to recruit you for Northern European branch?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Erin said, looking surprised.

    Kapitan nodded before turning to Grey. ¡°Mr. Hollands, nice to see you again.¡±

    I recognized the name Kapitan but didn¡¯t have a face to put with it until now. There were rumors that he was some kind of zombie, practically unkillable and unstoppable unless he was completely atomized. I guess he wasn¡¯t all that different than John in that regard, but there were a few offensive powers thrown in the mix with Kapitan¡¯s case.

    The others that came with him were a little more impressive. A tall woman with icy-white blonde hair was the first to follow Kapitan. It looked like she was wearing some kind of wizard robes straight off a movie set, and it may have just been a coincidental breeze, but I felt a wave of cold brush past me when she got close.

    After her, there was a bodybuilder looking guy that would have been really impressive if I hadn¡¯t already met Vindicator or Paladin. Next came two people roughly my age; a guy with a buzz cut, and a girl that must have been Auralux.

    ¡°Aleksei? No way! What are you doing here?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°Whitney, Corey! It¡¯s good to see you again,¡± The young guy said, walking over to give the two of them a hug. How did they all know each other?

    ¡°And You must be Prophet.¡±

    I looked up to see Kapitan holding out his hand.

    ¡°Uh, yes, Sir. Nice to meet you,¡± I said shaking his hand.

    ¡°And this is Auralux,¡± he said, motioning for the girl to introduce herself.

    ¡°Zoja Kulakov,¡± She said.

    ¡°Nate Peterson,¡± I replied, trying to give her a friendly smile. She was wearing a uniform and cap similar to Kapitan¡¯s, but there was a different symbol on her hat. Rank maybe?

    ¡°So, you have the same powers as me?¡± She asked. It didn¡¯t sound like she was very thrilled about it, but maybe that was just her accent.

    ¡°That is what we are here to figure out,¡± Kapitan said before turning back to the gateway portal. ¡°Spasibo, Buyan. YA pozvonyu, kogda nas nuzhno zabrat''.¡±

    A figure on the other side gave a thumbs up and the gateway closed. ¡°I suppose proper introductions are in order,¡± Kapitan said, returning to our group. ¡°Argonauts, this is my second in command, Iryna Voroshilov, known as Cryos.¡±

    For someone with such an obvious ice theme, Cryos¡¯ smile was surprisingly warm. ¡°Privet,¡± she said with a small wave.

    ¡°And this is Vladimir Medvedev; North Guard.¡±

    The brute gave a simple nod; probably not a man of many words.

    ¡°And it appears some of your team already knows one of our newer recruits, Aleksei Eristov, known as Miracle.¡±

    Miracle? I thought to myself. That was the name he went with? Then again, I was calling myself Prophet, so maybe I shouldn¡¯t judge.

    Erin ran through and introduced the rest of us in return. It made me glad she was the one in charge. She seemed to be in her element talking to the pros. Hell, she was talking with the leader of the largest team of heroes on the planet without batting an eye.

    From what I could remember from my highschool class on Argus, The Union was the overarching organization that spanned most of northern and central Eurasia. It was, like every sanctioned team, separate from any government, with Kapitan in charge of the entire organization in addition to personally leading the main team from Moscow.

    From there, they had smaller teams spread out across the continent that responded to more local threats. All in all, I think they had more than fifty members. It might have seemed a bit excessive, but Russia had the highest rate of mutant births and, unfortunately, meta crime.

    "Shall we get to the purpose of our visit?" Kapitan asked once everyone had been introduced.

    "Of course," Hollands said, motioning for us to follow. "We''ve set up a specialized testing range so we can directly compare Auralux and Phrophet''s ability."

    Hollands rambled on, but Auralux had ended up walking next to me as we made our way thought the halls. I glanced back and saw Whitney and Corey chatting with Miracle.

    There was so much I wanted to ask Auralux, but I was crazy nervous for some reason. My powers were one subject I never talked about unless I had to, not even with James unless I accidentally slipped up and used them like what happened at the gas station. My family knew about the visions, since it was kind of hard to explain why I sometimes suddenly shot blue light from my eyes or woke up screaming in the middle of the night. I didn''t tell them everything I saw, or how real they felt, mostly because I didn''t want them to worry.

    Now there was someone else that might be able to understand. "So, do you think we really get powers from the same dimension?"Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Auralux glanced at me, before turning her attention to watching where we were going. "It is possible. If Doctors say so, I trust them."

    "Do you have visions and all that?"

    "Visions?" She asked, confused by the word.

    "Uh, you know...like seeing things before they happen."

    "No."

    "Oh. What about strange dreams?" I asked, a bit disappointed.

    She shrugged, "Maybe. What are not strange dreams?"

    "I don''t know," I replied, not sure how to answer.

    "My powers make me stronger and faster and shoot energy. Nothing else."

    My spirits deflated a little more. "I guess you don''t hear the voice or anything, huh?"

    "You hear voices?" Auralux asked, raising a concerned eyebrow.

    "Never mind," I said, feeling my cheeks flush slightly.

    Mercifully, we made it to the testing range which I realized was nearly identical to our gym in the basement. Several tables had been arranged with an assortment of computers and scanners and displays scattered around.

    "Everyone, this is Doctor Hope Slater, the director of Argus¡¯ metahuman research, and this is Doctor Logan Ortiz who spearheads our research focused on extra dimensional spaces,¡± Hollands said, introducing the two scientists.

    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Dr. Ortiz said. He was a heavyset man, with a face that looked like cinderblock with a moustache stolen off Stalin¡¯s corpse. He seemed nice enough but preoccupied as he turned back to reading something off multiple screens at once.

    ¡°High everyone, so glad to finally meet you,¡± Dr. Slater said, her smile just a little too wide for her thin face. Unlike her associate, she stared at us with laser focus, a mass of curly hair threatening to swallow her head. ¡°And, now that we¡¯re all here, we can get started. Or, rather, Auralux and Prophet can get started. The rest of you are free to observe, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need your assistance.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll stay,¡± Kapitan said, crossing his arms.

    ¡°Uh, Kapitan¡­¡± Miracle said, stepping next to his boss. He said something in rapid-fire Russian I couldn¡¯t make out in the slightest.

    The hero paused for a minute before exhaling loudly through his nose. ¡°Go.¡±

    Miracle¡¯s face relaxed and he nodded. He hurried off, Corey and Whitney leading the way.

    ¡°Alright. Well, we have everything set up, so if you two will take your positions; Prophet on the left and Auralux on the right, we can get started right away.¡±

    I walked over and stood on an ¡°X¡± made from two strips of duct tape and saw a raised section of floor that had a target painted on it. Okay, I think I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

    ¡°Since Prophet lives here, we¡¯ll use him as a baseline. Whenever you¡¯re ready, just unleashed the strongest continual blast of extradimensional energy you can muster and hold it for as long as you can, aright?¡±

    ¡°You got it,¡± I said, surrounding myself with energy. Auralux¡¯s eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch and I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Maybe time to show off a little. I felt extra power surge through me, and I unleashed a single torrent of blue light from my hands.

    ¡°Beautiful, just hold that as long as you can¡ª¡± Dr. Slater said as a group of techs rolled a semi-circular device close to my beam.

    I widened my stance a little bit and tried to brace myself. My arms were already starting to ache from the energy flowing through them. The same thing happened when I fought The Butcher, but this time it seemed to come much faster. Why? Maybe I wasn¡¯t on an adrenaline high this time? Either way, I couldn¡¯t hold it for much longer.

    After another few seconds, I couldn¡¯t take the strain anymore. It felt like my arms were going to snap in half. I let the beam fade, and I instantly felt a measure of relief. I wasn¡¯t what the target was made off, but my blast left a sizeable dent in it.

    ¡°Was that it?¡± Auralux asked.

    ¡°That was amazing, dear. Now for our guest¡¯s turn. Fire when ready!¡±

    Auralux glanced at Kapitan who gave her a nod. She didn¡¯t surround herself in energy like I did. Instead, a blue light glowed to life under her skin in her forearms, illuminating her bones and blood vessels like some sort of x-ray.

    But then, like a pot boiling over, fire-like energy bristled into existence along her arms. She brought her hands together like I did, but the beam that came out put mine to shame.

    I had to shield my eyes as the entire room shook from the force of the attack. Everything was illuminated by the harsh blue-white glow. The blast itself was almost wider than Auralux was tall, and it didn¡¯t just dent the target plate; there was a faint sound of tearing metal that could barely be heard over the torrent of power signifying the target being disintegrated.

    Finally, it stopped, and I looked to see Dr. Slater blinking rapidly. She was probably half-blind like me and trying to banish the light spots from her vision. ¡°Thank you, that was¡­impressive.¡±

    Yeah, no shit, I thought to myself. Just how much more powerful than me was she?

    ¡°Okay, we got some really good data from that, but we¡¯re going to need to get some more sustainable¡ªand less destructive¡ªusages of your powers,¡± Dr. Slater said, glancing at the scorch marks that marked where the target used to be.

    ¡°I could open a portal,¡± I suggested, thinking that the best way to get data on another dimension was to scan it directly.

    ¡°Portal?¡± Auralux asked, looking confused. ¡°What portal? I cannot open portal.¡±

    It probably shouldn¡¯t have, but hearing that gave my ego a small boost. ¡°What, you can¡¯t do this?¡±

    Reality peeled back, forming a swirling ball of mirror-like shards and blue light floating to my left.

    ¡°No¡­¡± She replied, looking at the orb suspiciously. ¡°Can I see it? What it looks like on the other side?¡±

    My mind immediately thought back to Saint¡¯s rats and what happened to them when I took them through the portal. Dr. Slater seemed to share my concern. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can let you do that until we know more. From our preliminary assessment, it appears that the dimension Prophet has access too is extremely deadly to any form of life except for himself.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think we get powers from same place?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, that is what your energy readings suggest, but that doesn¡¯t mean you have the same survivability he does.¡±

    ¡°Then we shall test and see,¡± Auralux said, taking a step towards my poral.

    Kapitan barked out an order in Russian, and Auralux snapped to face him, replying with equally heated words of her own. Kapitan sighed, and Auralux gave a satisfied smile.

    ¡°Take me through, and if there is trouble, send me back. Okay?¡±

    I looked at Dr. Slater and Hollands for backup, but when they just looked back at me, I shrugged. ¡°Alright, but if anything happens, it¡¯s on you.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re serious about doing this, then we can use this to confirm if it¡¯s your shared energy source.¡±

    Dr. Slater didn¡¯t wait for our responses before joining the other people in white coats to gather the equipment they wanted us to wear.

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve never seen the Forest before?¡± I asked, trying to talk about something instead of just suffering through awkward silence.

    ¡°Forest¡­?¡± She asked, her face turning slightly pale.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a big forest with dead trees and mist on the ground¡­¡±

    ¡°I have seen it¡­in a dream once when I was little girl.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said you didn¡¯t have strange dreams.¡±

    ¡°It was only a few times¡­¡±

    ¡°Did your powers go crazy?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­how did you know?¡± She asked, an edge inching into her voice.

    ¡°The same thing happened to me.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Alright, that should be everything,¡± Dr. Slater said, adjusting a sensor on my shoulder. It looked like those small plastic cameras people put on their helmets when they were doing crazy shit. ¡°Now, if anything goes wrong, get Auralux back as soon as you can.¡±

    I nodded and snapped my fingers to open the portal with a little flair. ¡°How long do we need to stay?¡±

    ¡°Only a few minutes should suffice. We mostly need to confirm Auralux can handle the intense cold and electromagnetic radiation.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Are you ready?¡± I asked Auralux who seemed more nervous the closer we got to going through.

    ¡°Da, ya," she confirmed in Russian.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go through first, and then you follow,¡± I said, stepping into the swirling mass.

    The familiar wave of cold washed over me as I stepped out into the skeletal grove of trees.

    ¡°You there, creepy esoteric voice? We have a visitor,¡± I said.

    Nothing responded. The mist continued to lazily swirl in lazy eddies around the bleached tree trunks.

    ¡°Not talkative today, huh?¡±

    I looked back at the portal just as Auralux stepped through.

    ¡°Cyka Blyat¡ªIt¡¯s cold!¡± She shouted, hugging her arms and rubbing them for some warmth.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m dying, if that is what you mean.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good,¡± I said. I looked around and gestured to the bleak surroundings, ¡°Well, this is it.¡±

    ¡°It is creepy,¡± Auralux said.

    ¡°Yeah, but have you seen the sky?¡± I asked, pointing up.

    ¡°Wow,¡± She said, taking in the swirling mass of colors.

    ¡°Kind of beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, kind of.¡±

    ¡°Is this the place you saw when you were a girl?¡±

    ¡°I think so. It has been a long time. Except, I felt¡­like¡­like¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Like you were being watched?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°Well, there is sometimes a voice and a¡­presence¡ªI don¡¯t know how to really describe it¡ªand it feels like It¡¯s everywhere. Except now¡­I don¡¯t feel it...¡±

    ¡°I think I might¡­¡± Auralux said eerily. And then I looked at the mist. It had pulled away from me, but it had started swirling around her ominously.

    Parasite.

    Auralux recoiled like she¡¯d been struck. ¡°That was the voice I was talking about,¡± I said.

    The meta swallowed hard, like she was starting to panic. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t speak Russian?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Then how did you understand¡­the voice?¡±

    ¡°It was in English,¡± I said, not sure what she was talking about. ¡°Did you hear it in Russian?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Thief.

    ¡°It does not like me,¡± She said, looking terrified. The mist began swirling angrily as a gust of wind came from nowhere, rattling the dead branches of the trees.

    Suddenly, I felt the presence flood my mind like Shard¡¯s mind spike had. I could tell, it was angrier than I had ever felt it.

    Kill.

    Parasite.

    ¡°What?¡± In addition to the presence, I felt my powers come back to me. I¡¯d never been able to use them here before; was it because whatever the voice was just didn¡¯t let me.

    Now.

    Even though I didn¡¯t tell it to, my energy surrounded me on its own, snapping and cracking with agitated power.

    ¡°Prophet¡­¡± Auralux questioned hesitantly. ¡°What are you doing? My powers aren¡¯t working¡­¡±

    Die.

 Dilate 3.05

    Escape was inches away, but just as Auralux dove towards the portal, the swirling mass vanished into thin air. Auralux ended up sprawled awkwardly on the ground with the mist angrily trying to envelop her.

    ¡°Prophet!¡± She was clearly panicked but trying to seem in control.

    Kill.

    ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen!¡± I yelled at the voice.

    ¡°Open a portal!¡± Auralux yelled.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± I snapped back. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn¡¯t make one open. None of my powers were responding. The closest I¡¯d felt to this was when I fought Shard. Every nerve in my body was in overdrive with energy threatening to tear me apart.

    What did It do to me?

    Mutinous powers weren¡¯t he only thing that was suddenly an issue. I could feel a headache starting, but it was like a mental pressure was building. The Presence was forcing its way further into my mind. It was like when the Anarchist paralyzed me but magnified a thousand times over.

    Auralux scrambled up, but the mist clawed at her with dozens of ghostly hands. She was in a full-blown panic trying to use her powers to no avail. I had some idea of what she was going through; all her life she¡¯d relied on her powers, and now when she was in danger, they had abandoned her. That must be terrifying.

    This wasn¡¯t the time to think about it; I had to find a way out of here. Auralux was practically useless until she got her powers back. Though, I didn¡¯t think they would be able to get us back even if they were working. This was all on me.

    I couldn¡¯t let the Presence take any more control. I was dealing with something I didn¡¯t understand, but fighting the Anarchist gave me experience in the mental battle department. Then again, I had used my powers to throw her off, and something told them that wasn¡¯t an option here. Think¡ªhow do I get out of here?

    My arm suddenly reached for Auralux, and I barely managed to throw off its aim with a burst of determination before a blast of energy exploded out of my palm.

    Auralux swore in Russian, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s trying to take over!¡± I yelled back, wrestling my arm back to my side.

    ¡°The Voice?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Then fight it!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡±

    This was different than what the Anarchist had done. That was subtle, nefarious. This was¡­like a constant flood, but gentle. It seemed like it only wanted to borrow¡ªand not hurt¡ªme.

    I was tired of things trying to take me over and make me do things against my will. Maybe this was where my power came from, but they were mine, damnit.

    Listen to me you fucking PA system, I am not killing Auralux. Let us out or you¡¯re going to have to fight me every second from now on. If you let us leave, I won¡¯t ever bring her back here. Deal?

    No.

    Shit.

    I couldn¡¯t say I was that surprised¡ªthe Presence seemed to have a one-track mind. To drive the point home, I felt the it try to take more control. Fuck that.

    Then get out of my head!

    I focused on my hands and tried to take control of my energy. Every time my emotions ran high, like with Shard, I seemed to have more control; hopefully this time wasn¡¯t any different. It had a good hold, but Its progress started to slow the more I fought it.

    Still, I wasn¡¯t winning yet. There had to be a way to¡­to¡­piss it off or something! Come on, Nate, think! There had to be¡­Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the trees looming in the swelling mist. Bingo. The Presence freaked out the second the Anarchist showed up, like a snarling animal backed into a corner. Time to wreck its home.

    Before the Presence could figure out what I was doing, I stopped trying to hold my energy in and fired a beam into the trunk of a tree at full strength. Dead wood exploded into splinters as the tree fell. The Presence exploded with anger and shock I could feel reverberating inside my skull.

    I fired again, and another tree crashed to the ground. ¡°This is your plan?¡± Auralux yelled.

    ¡°Basically!¡±

    Stop.

    ¡°Let us out!¡± I ordered.

    To prove my point, I took aim at another tree. I paused for a second and the Presence took me up on my offer. It shrank away, releasing its hold and taking my powers away again.

    Leave.

    The mist rolled back from me and Auralux who seemed to be pulling herself together.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°Now what?¡± She asked.

    If my powers were gone¡ªor they were at least working like normal¡­I reached out and reality faithfully fractured into the swirling mass of a portal.

    ¡°Go!¡± I said.

    Auralux didn¡¯t hesitate to jump through and leave the Forest behind. I didn¡¯t waste even a second following behind her. I let out a sigh of relief when the lab came into view again. Everyone who was in the lab, and seemed to be panicking, all stopped to look at us in surprise.

    Just when I started to relax from the adrenaline of our encounter with the Presence, I saw a wall of blue racing towards me faster than I could react. The blast did reach me exactly. I was thrown clean off my feet by the force of it, but It didn¡¯t exactly hurt.

    Even though the blast had taken me by surprise, my energy suit was already manifested by the time I hit the ground. But how?

    I shot to my feet and looked for the origin of the attack. It didn¡¯t take me long to find it. Auralux looked a skeleton surrounded by translucent, glowing skin.

    At least her powers are working, I thought.

    ¡°What was that?¡± She shouted angrily.

    The other members of the Union seemed to instantly shift from worried to battle ready. A wave of cold swept over the room as Cryos¡¯ hair rose into the air. It took a second for Erin and Adam to decipher the scene, but I saw a comforting red glow and a hidden knife ready to back me up.

    ¡°Zoja, what is going on?¡± Kapitan questioned, his voice almost understandable with the thickening accent.

    ¡°It was a trap!¡±

    ¡°What? No, it was an accident!¡± I objected.

    ¡°Everyone, stand down!¡± Hollands barked. For such a reserved man, his voice carried enough authority to make even North Guard look surprised. ¡°I won¡¯t have sanctioned heroes coming to blows; especially here.¡±

    He glanced at me, and I could see what Adam was talking about when I asked him where the ¡°Grey¡± nickname came from. It was like storm clouds were swirling in the director¡¯s eyes. ¡°Prophet, stand down.¡±

    I nodded and let the energy fade. Auralux didn¡¯t seem to be as willing.

    ¡°He tried to kill me!¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t me!¡±

    ¡°Get your subordinate under control!¡± Hollands shouted at Kapitan.

    The Russian shouted at her, but she didn¡¯t back down.

    ¡°Zoja!¡±

    She stared daggers into me for a few more seconds before her glow faded and color returned to her skin.

    ¡°Now then, what happened?¡± Hollands asked with order at least sort of restored.

    ¡°Once we went through the portal, Prophet attacked me.¡±

    ¡°For the last time it¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªI¡¯ll get to you in a minute. Erin, escort Mr. Peterson to the common area,¡± Hollands ordered.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, offended he didn¡¯t seem to be taking my side.

    ¡°Go.¡±

    ¡°Come on,¡± Erin said, putting a hand on my shoulder and steering me towards the door.

    <hr>

    The only thing I could think of on the way back to the common room was if Auralux really though I attacked her on purpose. She was upset, and she had every reason to be, but¡­still. It wasn¡¯t my fault. All of this looked bad, especially since I was still trying to earn the team¡¯s trust back.

    I pushed open the door to the common room a bit harder than I meant to.

    ¡°Jesus, dude. Take it easy,¡± Erin said.

    I dropped onto a couch and looked at the others apologetically. ¡°Sorry,¡± I muttered.

    ¡°So, what happened? You guys just popped into your little pocket dimension and what? You got jumped?¡± Adam asked.

    ¡°Not exactly¡­¡± I said.

    ¡°Then what?¡± Erin asked. She didn¡¯t sound accusatory or angry.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s this¡­voice I hear sometimes when I go to...you know, the other dimension. It usually doesn¡¯t say much, just a few one-word sentences, but when Auralux showed up it seemed to snap.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t say you heard voices,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°Yeah¡ªit¡¯s not usually something I like to brag about.¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s fine. We¡¯re all a bit strange,¡± Adam said, giving me the first smile I thought I¡¯d ever seen him crack.

    ¡°And, the¡­voice attacked you?¡± Erin asked, a bit confused from my story.

    ¡°Not exactly, not physically or anything. It seemed to shut off Auralux¡¯s powers, but then it turned mine back on, and tried to force me to kill her.¡±

    ¡°Shit, dude,¡± Adam said. ¡°Like, it took you over?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°And she blamed you for it all,¡± Erin said, putting the pieces together.

    ¡°I mean, she heard the voice too; said it spoke in Russian for her. I don¡¯t even know Russian!¡±

    Erin sat down on a chair across from me, appearing lost in her thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m sure Hollands will work it out,¡± She finally said, not sounding convincing.

    ¡°Hey, Nate. Test over already?¡± The three of us looked up to see Corey and Whitney walking in with Miracle

    ¡°Yean, but not for a good reason.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Corey asked, the tone of my voice tipping him off.

    ¡°Something took me over when we went into the other dimension and tried to make me hurt Auralux.¡±

    ¡°Is she okay?¡± Miracle asked with sudden alarm.

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s fine, just pissed,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Well that sucks,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°Hm. Yes, that sounds like her,¡± He said. ¡°I should probably get back to my team, thank you both for showing me around.¡±

    ¡°Hold up,¡± Whitney said, hurrying after him, ¡°I¡¯ll walk you down there.¡±

    The rest of us just kind of sat in silence for a bit until Erin spoke up next, trying to change the subject, ¡°How do you know Miracle?¡± she asked Corey.

    ¡°Oh, he graduated the academy the year before we did. Whitney and I were good friends with him. He hung out with our group most of the time.¡±

    ¡°What are his powers?¡± Adam asked.

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m not really sure what it is technically, but he as an Anomalous he calls ¡®freedom¡¯. He¡¯s like Houdini on steroids¡ªhe can break out of pretty much anything. ¡°

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I asked, not really impressed.

    ¡°It¡¯s more useful than you think,¡± Corey said. He sounded a bit defensive, like I¡¯d insulted his friend. ¡°He can get out of more than just traps and restraints. It¡¯s like he¡¯s always lucky when he¡¯s trying to avoid something or dodge out of the way of an attack. That sort of thing.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying he¡¯s really good at keep away?¡± Adam asked.

    Corey let out a chuckle, ¡°Yeah, he would be.¡±

    Before the conversation could go any further, I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Whitney appeared at the door, back way too soon to have gone all the way to the testing area. Then I saw why with Hollands following a few steps behind her.

    ¡°The Union managed to talk Auralux down, but they though it best to go home and let her cool down a bit more. We did end up getting some useful information about the shared nature of your powers, though.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t like Hollands to beat anything around the bush, but he was giving off some strange vibes. ¡°And that¡¯s it?¡± I asked.

    Hollands sighed,¡± No. I am going to need you to come with me, Mr. Peterson. The rest of you are free to what you please.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll come with Nate,¡± Corey suggested.

    ¡°Besides that,¡± Hollands said with a roll of his eyes. He motioned for me to follow so I picked myself up off the couch and exchanged a confused look with the rest of the team as I followed Hollands into the hallway.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Despite my advice and the team¡¯s vote to allow you in, the decision to let you remain a sanctioned hero after the incident with the Gold Diggers was not a popular one to some people.¡±

    My stomach turned a bit at the mention of the villain team, ¡°Like who?¡±

    ¡°In this case, the Director would like to have a word with you.¡±

    ¡°I though you were the director¡­¡±

    ¡°I am the director of AID: Argus Investigation and Detainment. It¡¯s Mr. Duncan that wants to have a word.¡±

 Dilate 3.06

    ¡°Mr. Peterson, glad you could join us.¡±

    I glanced back at Hollands who motioned for me to take a seat while he walked around to a vacant chair near the other end of the table. Realizing I was taking way too long to sit down, I quickly slid into the office chair.

    With me sitting at the foot of the table, every seat had an occupant. I recognized a few; Dr. Slater and Dr. Ortiz were the closest to me on either side. James, who had adopted Holland¡¯s grave expression, gave me a glance before looking back at a file open in front of him. I didn¡¯t recognize the other three faces, but there was little doubt the man at the head of the table was Director Duncan.

    He had broad shoulders and a frame that, even though he was sitting down, made it easy to tell he was tall. His face was just as commanding with a look of confidence and hair clipped short, blending with a short, well-trimmed beard flecked with a few white hairs. His voice made me peg him as American, but there was a hint of something else in there too. Jamaican maybe?

    ¡°As I understand it there was an altercation between you and our visitors from the Union?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir¡­¡±

    The Director held up a hand, ¡°Mr. Hollands, I would like to hear Nate¡¯s recollection, please.¡±

    Hollands¡¯ eyes narrowed, but he simply nodded without saying a word.

    ¡°Uh, yeah¡ªyes, Sir,¡± I said.

    ¡°And what caused this¡­misunderstanding?¡±

    There was something in the way he said that word that made me uncomfortable. ¡°Well, we were testing our powers¡ªyou know, to see if they were from the same source¡ªand we decided to see if she could survive in the dimension my portals connect to.¡±

    ¡°Was she wearing any kind of safety equipment?¡±

    ¡°No, Sir.¡±

    ¡°I see. Please, carry on.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling he was mocking me. ¡°Once we got there, we were attacked by whatever¡­entity lives there.¡±

    ¡°It physically attacked you?¡±

    ¡°No, more like it tried to invade my mind to make me attack Auralux.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit convenient for this¡ªentity as you called it¡ªthat you were there for it to possess. What happened next.¡±

    ¡°Well, nothing, really. I fought it back, and I opened a portal that let us come back. Then she tried to attack me.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Duncan, Auralux was the one who attacked Prophet in view of everyone,¡± Hollands said, coming to my defense.

    ¡°True,¡± The director said with a shrug of resignation. ¡°However, this isn¡¯t the first time Mr. Peterson has caused trouble for Argus.¡±

    ¡°That was a ploy by Cypher that I approved,¡± Hollands countered, trying to remain respectful.

    ¡°Without consulting the rest of the directors or myself.¡±

    ¡°Given the delicate nature of the situation and Cypher¡¯s temperament, I thought it prudent to maintain a level of internal secrecy. We were dealing with a telepath, and coverage from our mental blockers is still spotty at best.¡±

    Director Duncan raised an eyebrow at Holland¡¯s growing hostility. ¡°Regardless, you allowed an untrained and scarcely sanctioned metahuman into the heart of our operations without proper security clearances that, I hope I don¡¯t need to remind you, still have not been updated.¡±

    The conversation had shifted away from me, but the atmosphere in the room was still very uncomfortable. Hollands was standing his ground and not backing down.

    ¡°While we sponsor the Argonauts, they are still covered under the Accords like any other team. Their charter clearly states they have the final decision in who they allow within their ranks. Mr. Peterson had grown close with a few of the Argonauts while member of the team and they voted to allow him back in. I am in the process of obtaining a full security clearance, but the situation with the Pollards has delayed obtaining certain paperwork.¡±

    Hollands¡¯ mention of my adoptive family remined me that I needed to call them. I was a bit ashamed to admit that I hadn¡¯t been calling as regularly as I should. Then again, it was kind of hard to talk openly when you knew an Argus caseworker was listening in to make sure I didn¡¯t blow their cover. Indefinite relocation¡ªthat was how long James had told them they would have to live with new identities unless Shard and the rest of Kreigspiel were locked up. Or after fourteen months of inactivity from any member of the team, I thought to myself, recounting the rest of what James had said.

    Duncan didn¡¯t seem to really care about the security clearances, ¡°So there was a vote? How democratic. Were there any dissenting opinions?¡±

    ¡°Two,¡± Hollands managed to spit out while just managing to keep his composure. ¡°Ian and Adam didn¡¯t think it would be a good idea to allow him to stay art of the team.¡±

    ¡°Two? My, don¡¯t you think that, even if the majority voted to allow him in, the fact of the dissenting opinions could sow the seeds of a rift in the team?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Hollands bluntly replied. ¡°And even if it would, they need to learn to set aside personal opinions and work with people they don¡¯t know or like. What if the Pantheon attack? Or, God forbid, Yaldabaoth? There are threats, situations, were we need every meta we can recruit. I personally vouch for Mr. Peterson¡ªhe is not a double agent, nor his plotting against Argus.¡±

    I looked at Hollands in surprise. I didn¡¯t think he would put himself on the line for me like that. And neither did Director Duncan, judging by his raised eyebrows.

    Before he could say anything, an agent pushed through the doors to the conference room, ¡°Director Duncan, Mr. Hollands, The Priority Parget has struck again.¡±

    Priority target?

    ¡°Where?¡± Duncan and Hollands said in unison.

    ¡°Research station 12, near Gamvik. Petralith reports that they are under siege as we speak; Samnite has engaged, but I doubt he can hold off the target for long.¡±

    ¡°Shit. James, Nate, with me,¡± Hollands said as he shot out of his seat. ¡°Alert any available heroes nearby and brief them on the situation.¡±

    ¡°Already done, Sir. Dubliner is en route, but it will take him a while to get there. The Guards of haven¡¯t responded yet, but they might be the closest.¡±

    ¡°Hollands! We¡¯ll continue this discussion later,¡± Director Duncan said. Hollands just nodded and waved for us to follow.

    I didn¡¯t hesitate to jump up and run after Hollands. Anything that would get me out of that conference room sounded like a good plan. But there was something about ¡®Priority Target¡¯ that made me worry.

    ¡°You two prep the Argonauts; you¡¯re going on a mission.¡±

    ¡°Really? I thought you said we weren¡¯t clear for active duty?¡±

    ¡°Things have changed. You¡¯ve heard the news stories about the string of metahuman murders?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, like four heroes and what? Twenty-Two villains?¡± I asked.

    ¡°That was just what we couldn¡¯t keep from the media,¡± James said.

    ¡°In total, we think they are responsible for the murder of over ten heroes and thirty villains,¡± Hollands added.

    ¡°And you guys are just now doing something about it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to track them,¡± Hollands said defensively. ¡°He manages to vanish before AID can arrive, then pops up somewhere else thousands of miles away.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Do you have any idea what their powers are?¡± I asked as we stepped into an elevator going down.

    ¡°Based on the damage left behind, we assume they have strength, but it could be something completely different.¡±

    The elevator doors opened, and a look seemed to pass over Hollands¡¯ face. His usual stoic expression took on a glare of determination. James and I broke off to head to the common room while Hollands went to do whatever he did in situations like this.

    ¡°Excited?¡± James asked as we hurried down the hall.

    ¡°Anxious,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Oh, come on, you¡¯ve been training for a few weeks now. You have to have learned a little something. Not to mention, you took a blast from Auralux! She¡¯s known for leveling buildings in Russia!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess that was pretty cool,¡± I said. Even though I think my powers just negated hers, I thought to myself.

    The team was laying around when we walked through the doors. Corey and Whitney were watching TV while Ian was reading as usual. All three perked up when we walked in. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°We can talk about that later,¡± James said before I could get anything out. I glanced at him sideways, but he was too excited to notice. ¡°You guys have a mission!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Whitney asked, jumping off the couch.

    ¡°Yep!¡± James said, their combined excitement reaching frightening levels.

    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± Whitney said, vaulting over the back of the couch and hurrying to her room. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get out of this dump!¡±

    ¡°Dump?¡± Corey said to no one in particular. He glanced over at me and shrugged. ¡°She was getting stir crazy. Do you want to wake Adam up since you¡¯re already in your uniform?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± I said, glancing down. I didn¡¯t have any time to change out of it after the whole thing with Auralux. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get him up.¡±

    Corey grinned hurried towards his room. ¡°Uh, Where¡¯s Erin?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I think she went down to the gym to train,¡± he replied before slipping inside.

    ¡°Want me to go get her?¡± James asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. Hollands seemed like he wanted us to get moving.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± James said, heading out to find Erin while I gave a hard knock on Adam¡¯s door.

    ¡°Hey, get up. We have a mission.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Norway. Fucking Norway. Why didn¡¯t you fuckers tell me our mission was in NORWAY!¡±

    ¡°Give it a rest, Whit,¡± Erin said, hitting her head against the fuselage of the dropship.

    Whitney sighed. ¡°I mean, we¡¯ve been stuck at HQ for weeks, and our first outing is to the barren wasteland of northern Norway.¡±

    ¡°We get it, you want to go somewhere else,¡± Corey said, ¡°But Hollands said this was important.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, important enough to team us up with them,¡± I said, nodding towards ASET who were sitting more towards the front of the aircraft.

    ¡°We can hear you,¡± Shogun said.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I muttered back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, just be more aware next time,¡± She said, giving me an encouraging smile.

    ¡°You all need to focus on the task at hand,¡± The man in the robotic armor spoke up¡ªShinobi if I remembered. ¡°The battle will find you whether you are prepared or not.¡±

    ¡°Uh, right. Thanks?¡± I said, not sure how to respond to the fortune cookie message.

    ASET never made it on the news save for maybe a mention that they brought in an elusive villain, so I wasn¡¯t very familiar with the team. Shogun was the leader, I knew that. She seemed like the leader type, too. Her uniform reminded me of a Naval officer¡¯s but was more ornate and fitted for combat. It matched her white hair, but I figured it had to be dyed that way. She didn¡¯t look to be any older than her mid-thirties at most.

    Next to her was the lanky guy in slacks I saw ¡°fighting¡± Ian when I first met the Argonauts. I think Corey told me he went by Librarian. Honestly, from what I saw then, and his rather thin frame, I didn¡¯t see what good he¡¯d be in a fight unless he had some power that helped.

    After him was another guy in dark blue and black armor, levitating a trio of metal orbs above his palm. He had a squared jaw and hollowed cheeks that almost gave his face the impression of being a mask. I couldn¡¯t remember his name at all. On-something?

    Across from him sat a rather buff looking guy. He appeared to be napping at the moment¡ªI think he was the large monster looking one covered in thorns, so maybe he had a reason to relax. I vaguely remember his name was Chitin or something to that effect. He wasn¡¯t really wearing a uniform, just jeans and a jacket fort he cool weather. His head was shaven, but then again, he had some stubble, so maybe he was just bald at thirty-something.

    And that brought me back to Shinobi. The robot, I was informed, wasn¡¯t a robot. All in all, they didn¡¯t seem like the type to take on powerhouse villains¡ªexcept for maybe Chitin. Hollands had made this out to be a very big deal, so I guess it was all hands on deck.

    We were going in blind again, facing an opponent that could have any power under the sun. That didn¡¯t exactly inspire confidence. Director Duncan¡¯s words wormed their way into my head. What if my training wasn¡¯t enough?

    I glanced around at my team. No, we could do this. Erin was a good leader, I trusted her, and Corey and Whitney had my back, and Adam seemed dependable. Hell, even Ian didn¡¯t seem like a bad person¡ªmaybe just abrasive. We could do this. And I was getting stronger. They thought I belonged, maybe I should too.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to perform a rapid descent, hold on to something if you can,¡± The pilot said over the intercom.

    ¡°I hate these,¡± Ian said, gripping the hand holds built into the seats.

    ¡°What do you mean, they¡¯re awesome!¡± Corey said as we were suddenly shoved forward and down by inertia as the pilot executed the maneuver; bleeding off our speed.

    ¡°Shit!¡± I said as my whole body suddenly felt like it weighted a ton. Then, suddenly, that was replaced by a sensation of weightlessness as we dropped through the air, slowing with what felt like only feet to spare before there was a bump that signaled, we had touched down.

    ¡°How¡¯d you like it?¡± Corey asked as we started freeing ourselves from the restraints. I wanted to tell him it felt like a demonic carnival ride, but he looked so excited, ¡°Yeah, it was awesome.¡± I forced a grin that became natural as I saw him light up slightly.

    ¡°You guys can compare notes later, lets move,¡± Erin said, leading us down the lowered rear ramp.

    A stiff breeze blew in from the nearby ocean and the entire team seemed to shiver, except for me. ¡°Jesus H. fucking Christ!¡± Whitney swore, shoving her hands deeper in her jacket.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± I said. I mean, yeah it was chilly, but nothing extreme.

    ¡°Easy for the guy who has a backdoor into a walk-in freezer dimension to say.¡±

    ¡°Fair point.¡±

    Was that one of my powers? Resistance to the cold?

    ¡°Everyone stay alert,¡± Shogun cautioned as we approached what had to be the research station we were briefed on.

    ¡°Comms check, report in,¡± James¡¯ voice came over the earpiece.

    ¡°Norn, checking in¡­¡±

    One after another, we went down the line, making sure our comms were in working order.

    ¡°Alright, everybody, The Guards and the Dubliner are on standby, but they¡¯re more than an hour out at minimum, so try to stay in one piece. We haven¡¯t heard anything from Petralith or Samnite in the past two hours. Expect the worse.¡±

    Shinobi and Shogun drew swords while Chitin grew sheets of organic armor until he was a twelve-foot-tall behemoth of thorns and spines.

    ¡°Clyffe, wait here,¡± Erin said as she flared green. Ian didn¡¯t protest; he just pulled out a tablet-like device.

    I summoned my own energy, getting ready for anything. ¡°Shogun,¡± Erin said as we got close to the large metal door of the bunker-like building that looked like it¡¯d been beaten in by some very strong fists, ¡°Maybe Chitin, Prophet, and I should scout ahead?¡±

    ¡°Good idea,¡± Shogun said, motioning for the rest of our combined group to hold back.

    Great. You have a slightly defensive power and suddenly you¡¯re volunteered to be the first one to walk into danger. Luckily, I was able to fall in step behind the living wall of spines. ¡°Here goes nothing,¡± Erin said as she pushed the door open. Chitin stooped down, seemingly shrinking slightly, as he stepped through the door before growing back to full height.

    ¡°Damn,¡± I muttered when I laid eyes on the side. The station was a rough cube made from concrete with small, rectangular windows near the ceiling. It looked like it used to be full of expensive computer equipment, but now everything was smashed and broken; strew out across the floor. More worrying was the smears of blood on the floor and the walls, leading towards the narrow staircase to the second floor.

    ¡°Chitin, stay here incase something manages to get past us,¡± Erin said as she started to cautiously creep up the stairs. Stamping down the voice of danger ringing alarm bells in my head, I followed her up.

    The second floor was even worse. Small chunks of what looked like gray rocks littered the ground with larger puddles of blood. And then, we unfortunately found the source of the blood. ¡°Oh my God,¡± Erin said in disgusted shock. There was a crater in one of the far walls, presumably made by the butchered body laying there. Next to them, was a smaller person in a lab coat.

    Fighting my urge to get away, I stepped closer. It almost looked like a pair of very strong hands had almost ripped the larger of the two¡ªmen, it looked like¡ªin two before ripping out his organs. The smaller guy had hands covered in the same rocks that were laying around the room. I couldn¡¯t see what had killed him, but there was too much blood here for one person.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on up there?¡±

    Chitin¡¯s booming voice was accompanied by the dry scraping sound his armor made as it scraped against itself; which only made it startle me more.

    ¡°They¡¯re both dead,¡± Erin called back. ¡°Bring in the others, we need Clyffe to take a look.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°So? What are you thinking?¡± Shogun asked, as Ian uncomfortably inspected the bodies.

    ¡°The big guy is definitely Samnite. He was a small-time hero from southern Europe, mostly Italy. Increased strength and durability, but he came out pretty banged up after a Pantheon attack and was ordered on passive duty if he wanted to keep his sanctioning. He was friends with the other¡­casualty. Petralith, a researcher who got sanctioned and joined up with Argus so he could have access to their funding.¡±

    ¡°What killed them? Well, what killed Petralith?¡± I asked.

    ¡°His chest was crushed, probably by a foot,¡± Shinobi said, pointing to various points on the body.

    Ian nodded in agreement. ¡°He didn¡¯t die quickly.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, I want to find the son of a bitch that did this and tear them apart,¡± Whitney said, wisps of smoke curling from her hair. ¡°They deserved fucking better than this.¡±

    Corey put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she seemed to hold her tongue from saying more.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything we can track. He may have slipped through our fingers again,¡± Shogun said, looking around.

    ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s gotten far,¡± Ian said.

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Erin asked, sounding doubtful.

    ¡°Petralith fired beams of energy that turned objects it hit to stone,¡± Ian explained, point to a place on the wall opposite the bodies that had been petrified.

    ¡°I don¡¯t follow,¡± Shogun said.

    ¡°Look at the pattern,¡± Shinobi hinted cryptically, apparently seeing the same thing Ian did. ¡°Maybe this can help.¡±

    The machine-clad hero held up his hand, and something like a projector shone from his palm, highlighting what we missed¡ªthere was a portion of the roughly circular splotch of stone that had been spared from petrification, and it looked like part of a human torso.

    ¡°They were hit?¡± Shogun asked.

    ¡°I think so,¡± Ian said. ¡°They just got done fighting, in the middle of nowhere, with part of their body turned to stone. They haven¡¯t gone far.¡±

 Dilate 3.07

    We were airborne, searching the barren landscape for anything that resembled a person. The windows of the dropship were small, so we had Corey fly outside and give us a wider view. We had to find him soon; there was nothing but rocks and short grass with the occasional lake. Not many places for a person to hide.

    Still, it felt like we¡¯d been looking for hours before Corey¡¯s voice came over comms. ¡°I think I see someone.¡±

    ¡°Roger that,¡± The Pilot called back, ¡°We¡¯re touching down.¡±

    ¡°Alright, everyone: get ready. Chitin and Erin will go in first in case our friend decides to put up a fight. Lethal force has been approved, but we¡¯re supposed to take them in if possible. Shinobi will be standing by with the power dampener, but we need to beat them first, so we don¡¯t end up dampened as well. Stick to the plan and everyone will come out of this okay, understood?¡±

    We all nodded as the rear ramp lowered. Chitin finished up some quick stretches and took a deep breath before charging down the ramp. When he hit the ground, it was like he put on a burst of speed. The chitinous armor that gave him his name started to surround him, acting like stilts as he swelled to the massive twelve-foot behemoth form.

    Erin followed right behind him, glowing blue as she matched his kinetic energy to keep up. It was almost scary to see how fast something as big as Chitin could move. There was a terrible scraping sound in addition to the thunderous footfalls. It was like he was using the armor like a powered exoskeleton; expanding and retracting the growths to give him a speed boost.

    ¡°Still your mind,¡± Shinobi said, putting a supportive hand on my shoulder. ¡°Sharpen it to the task at hand and tune out distractions.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± I said, summoning my energy. Time to focus. I ran after the front line, my powers subconsciously picking up the pace. Shinobi was perfectly keeping pace when I glanced over, his suit not making a sound.

    Up ahead, I saw Chitin and Erin crest a small hill the blocked my view of the individual Corey spotted. Chitin gave an inhuman bellow as he leapt into the air, falling out of view. Shinobi and I made it to the top of the hill just as Chitin drove the suspicious figure to the ground.

    He was only there for a second. With the blur, Chitin¡¯s lower arm shattered into thousands of pieces. It instantly started growing back, but the figure had already scrambled back to their feet. It was a skinny guy, shirtless and covered in tattoos. Most of his left shoulder and upper arm appeared to be petrified, just like what Ian and Shinobi predicted.

    Chitin threw another punch with his unshattered arm, but the guy batted it to the side, before pivoting around to throw a punch into Chitin¡¯s armored chest. The impact created a shockwave, cracking the armor and launching the titan back. The killer¡¯s face looked calm, focused on what he was doing. And then I noticed what looked like a disk of white light hovering just above the back of his right hand.

    ¡°I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself,¡± The main said, sounding like he was on the verge of collapse. Still, his voice was honeyed and eloquent.

    Erin pressed the attack, throwing a punch just as he finished talking. Her aura turned from blue to red as her fist flew forward. The killer moved with a surprising burst of speed for his apparent state of exhaustion, catching Erin¡¯s fist and stopping her momentum dead in its tracks. No way. Just how strong was this guy?

    His mouth turned into a predatory smile as Erin¡¯s eyes widened. She turned to her defensive green just as the killer jerked her arm towards him, driving a knee into her stomach. The strike launched her like she was weightless. I knew her powers would keep her safe, but it was still unnerving to see her so easily overpowered.

    While I was frozen, Shinobi rushed past me, almost seeming to flow across the ground, one hand on his sheath, the other on the hilt of his sword. Once he was close enough, the hero lunged, drawing the thin blade with a flourish and raking it against the killer. Shinobi slid to a stop and whirled to face his opponent. It didn¡¯t look like the blade cut him at all¡ªthe only thing I could see was a what might have been a thin red mark across his good arm.

    ¡°The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow to cast down the afflicted and the needy, to slay those who are upright in conduct.¡±

    ¡°Shut up already!¡± I said, bringing my hands together and firing a blast of energy.

    His head snapped to face me, and he tried to shield himself with his good arm, but I managed to knock him off his feet and send him rolling.

    While he was disoriented, Corey dove at him from above, steeling his wings and trying to slash at him. I¡¯d seen him practice the move dozens of times, but this was different. It was like his wing snagged on something. In a bid to save himself, he quickly pulled his wings in, and used them to help himself roll across the ground before jumping up and taking to the sky again.

    ¡°He¡¯s got super durability!¡± Corey called over comms.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Shinobi said, keeping his distance as the killer stood up.

    My blast had left a small splotch of dead skin, but that was it; much less than I was hoping for. Still, it looked like is left arm was doing worse from Petralith¡¯s last attack. The petrification must have been cutting off blood flow to the limp limb. It was starting to turn an unhealthy shade of purple¡ªhe couldn¡¯t keep this up for long.

    The rest of our combined teams made it to the fight just as Chitin was getting back to his feet. The damage the killer had done was almost completely regrown. I hoped that meant he was still okay inside the mass of thorns.

    ¡°Stand down!¡± Shogun ordered as everyone readied their weapons and powers for another round of attacks.

    The killer looked at us with intelligence, never losing the demeanor of a predator even though he was surrounded and outnumbered. ¡°I surrender,¡± He said, calmly sinking to his knees and putting his good hand behind his head. ¡°But be warned; my delivery from your hands will come swiftly.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s it?¡± Whitney asked, disappointed.

    ¡°Deactivate your powers,¡± Shogun ordered, not lowering her sword.

    ¡°As you wish,¡± He said. I saw the white disk disappear from his hand, and he suddenly seemed to faint, falling unconsciously to the side.

    ¡°Shinobi, the dampener.¡±

    The hero put his weapon away and produced a pair of damper cuffs much more streamline and compact than the ones I¡¯d been put in before.

    ¡°He needs medical attention. Chitin, bind him up, Librarian, go to work.¡±

    With Shogun¡¯s orders given, the giant started growing extensions of his armor around the sprawled-out form of the killer while the lanky guy with blond hair knelt and placed his hands on either side of the meta¡¯s head. Black, wispy energy began flowing from his hands. It looked strange and interesting at the same time.

    ¡°Stockholm Field Office, this is Shogun¡ªclearance code Boon-Forte-Alpha¡ªwe need a medical team on standby and a level three holding cell prepped.¡±

    ¡°Roger that, Shogun. We¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡±

    <hr>

    The flight to Stockholm felt longer than the one to the research station. I was constantly waiting for the killer to wake up and start swinging. My fears seemed to be misplaced, though. Eventually the aircraft started to slow as we approached the Field Office.

    I caught a glimpse of the city out of the window, curious about what it looked like. It seemed to sprawl for miles, though I didn¡¯t see any high-rises like Chicago. Part of me found it kind of funny that I was supposed to be on an international superhero team, but I hadn¡¯t really gotten a chance to visit anywhere outside the US. Unless you counted Durban when we investigated Shard¡¯s bloodbath at Site II.

    Not to mention, Argus¡¯ headquarters was in the middle of Switzerland and I hadn¡¯t been into town once. Come to think of it, I wasn¡¯t sure what city HQ was even in.

    ¡°Hey, Corey,¡± I said, getting my feathered friend¡¯s attention, ¡°What¡¯s the name of the city next to HQ?¡±

    He gave me an odd look, ¡°Z¨¹rich. Why?¡±

    ¡°No reason; just couldn¡¯t think of it. Thanks,¡± I said, looking back to the view from the window as we descended towards the squat Argus building.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Corey grinned and shook his head as we touched down.

    ASET started moving immediately, prepping the unconscious meta to be moved. ¡°What do you want us to do?¡± Erin asked, getting Shogun¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Try to relax for a little bit, but stay nearby. This guy has managed to send more than a few heroes to early graves. I don¡¯t want to take any chances.¡±

    Erin nodded and led us down to the roof where we watched an entourage of armed guards and medical personnel meet ASET and lead them inside.

    ¡°Does no one think the supposed cold-blooded hero killer went down a little easy?¡± Whitney asked once it was just us.

    We had migrated to the edge of the roof, leaning on a guard rail and watching the people walk down the street.

    ¡°Petralith¡¯s power did have him fucked up,¡± Adam reasoned.

    ¡°No, it was still very easy,¡± Erin agreed.

    ¡°Are you saying this is some kind of trojan horse scenario?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°I dunno. All I¡¯m saying is it doesn¡¯t add up,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°Even if he did try to fight everyone, there¡¯s no way he could win, right?¡± I asked. ¡°I mean¡­what kinds of powers could let him do that?¡±

    ¡°Well, he was strong¡ªI can tell you that. Maybe as strong as me,¡± Erin said, looking uneasy.

    ¡°Even if he was, I don¡¯t think that would let him beat all the heroes he¡¯s accused of killing,¡± Ian cut in.

    ¡°Could we do some research and see if we can figure out what he can do?¡± I suggested.

    ¡°I mean, they have him in custody, and there could always be something we don¡¯t account for,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°Yeah, but what could it hurt letting Ian see some records and seeing what he can come up with?¡±

    Ian looked at me with a curious expression¡ªprobably trying to figure out if I was playing some kind of angle. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t; he just seemed to be the brains of our group, other than Whitney who seemed to always come up with good ideas on the fly. Maybe academic was the better word to describe how Ian fit in?

    ¡°Are you up for it?¡± Erin asked Ian, who shrugged.

    ¡°Sure, like Nate said: what can it hurt?¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Shogun says they have the Killer in emergency surgery. Some the petrified tissue is dangerously close to his heart, apparently,¡± Erin said, joining us in a small lounge area we invaded so Ian could do his research in relative peace.

    ¡°Trying to save villains like that always seemed a bit counterproductive,¡± Whitney mumbled, sprawled out on a couch.

    ¡°Can¡¯t get information out of him if he¡¯s dead,¡± Ian said. ¡°He could have had an accomplice, or be working for someone¡­¡± He trailed off as he scrolled through news stories on his tablet.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know,¡± Whitney said, tossing up one of the steel ball bearings from her pouch and catching it over and over.

    For a while, we sat in bored silence, staring out the window and looking at our phones until Ian grabbed out attention. ¡°This is pretty interesting.

    ¡°So, our friend is suspected of killing that group of villains in New York¡ªtwenty-two villains in one night. Impressive odds, even for the likes of the best. But it gets more interesting. They were all confirmed by Argus to be suspected members of Epikos: a team with Greek letter inspired names. They weren¡¯t just some average street metas. These guys squared off against the Guards and Sentinels before.¡±

    ¡°Not to sidetrack the conversation, but doesn¡¯t the Greek alphabet have twenty-four characters?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°Yes, two of their members were killed by some local team a few months back. But like you said¡ªlet¡¯s not get sidetracked. These guys had a whole gambit of powers, and it looks like they fought together as a group.¡±

    ¡°That means if our guy was the one that fought them, he would have to fight against almost two-dozen metas with unique powers al at once,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°Could someone manage it with just super-strength?¡± Adam asked.

    ¡°Against some of these powers? Not likely,¡± Ian said. ¡°Epsilon was highly adaptable, almost like putty. He was basically immune to physical attacks. Not to mention, there were others who would be difficult to take down by just throwing punches.¡±

    ¡°So, he has more powers?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°That, or an accomplice,¡± Ian said again.

    ¡°Either way, I think It might have been a good thing Shogun kept us around,¡± I said.

    Ian nodded, ¡°And something else, the timing between these kills is surprisingly short. He might be able to fly.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Corey muttered, ¡°What else can he do?¡±

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll find out,¡± Shogun said, appearing at the door. ¡°The suspect is out of surgery and the doctors will be waking him up soon so we can question him.¡±

    <hr>

    The Interrogation room was separated from the observation room Shogun had led us into by a thick pane of one-way glass. It was similar to the one they locked me up in, except the table with the power dampening cuffs had been replaced with a hospital bed that tilted the prone and restrained killer into an almost standing angle.

    He looked like he was just coming to; probably a bit numbed by the pain medication. The petrified tissue was still there, but there was a red area near his heart whey had stitched him back up after surgery. The most shocking thing was they had amputated the left arm, revealing the petrification had spread straight through him.

    Shogun and the blond guy¡ªLibrarian¡ªwere sitting a few feet away from the restrained meta. I didn¡¯t feel the telltale buzzing that usually came with power dampeners, so I tried to use my powers. Sapphire energy engulfed my fist faithfully, calmly flowing around it like water.

    ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°I just thought they would have a power dampener on.¡±

    ¡°The restrains have a very short-range dampener effect, but they don¡¯t want to dampen the entire area so Librarian can use his powers,¡± Shinobi said from the corner of the room. I hadn¡¯t noticed the suited hero. He was standing inhumanly still, looking at the interrogation room with his arms crossed.

    ¡°And what are Librarian¡¯s power?¡± Whitney asked, looking between Ian and Shinobi.

    ¡°He¡¯s a telepath of sorts, capable of reading and removing memories,¡± Shinobi explained.

    No wonder he was on the team, I thought.

    ¡°Where am I?¡± The killer asked, looking around like he was only mildly interested.

    ¡°You are in an Argus Field office, and we have some questions for you. First, what is your name?¡±

    ¡°Judas.¡±

    ¡°Judas?¡± Shogun asked.

    The man nodded.

    ¡°Funny, facial recognition gave us the name ¡®Tyler Gibson¡¯. Care to explain that?¡±

    Judas shifted uncomfortably. ¡°That was my name, at one point.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Judas, you are being held under suspicion of multiple counts of first-degree murder, illegal power usage, and destruction of property. Do you deny these charges?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You admit to killing metahumans in cold blood?¡±

    ¡°Yes; I helped them find salvation.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®salvation¡¯?¡± Librarian asked.

    Judas turned to look at him. ¡°Salvation from their blasphemy.¡±

    Shogun and Librarian exchanged glances. ¡°Our files show no record of you being a mutant. Did you receive powers at some point after birth?¡±

    Judas nodded, ¡°I was given power to carry out God¡¯s will.¡±

    ¡°Would this have been around the same time your hometown was wiped off the map?¡±

    ¡°Exactly the same time.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear about any towns being destroyed,¡± Ian said to us.

    ¡°Argus buried the news¡ªElko Montana was destroyed by a massive, unidentified blast of energy two years ago. Nothing was left but a molten crater and unanswered questions. We kept the media away and used Librarian and some other telepaths to tie up loose ends,¡± Shinobi explained.

    ¡°Making Orwell proud, as usual,¡± Whitney muttered.

    We turned out attention back to the interrogation.

    ¡°It says here that you were a pastor, leading the same church your father pastored.¡±

    ¡°You have good information, then. That¡¯s correct.¡±

    ¡°Was that how you were ¡®given power¡¯ to serve God?¡±

    ¡°I prayed, and a voice answered, speaking as a thundering legion. God gave me what I needed to end those who thought themselves above his will.¡±

    ¡°And it was God¡¯s will to destroy Elko?¡± Shogun asked, pressing him.

    Judas¡¯ face fell. ¡°It was unfortunate; they did not see that my power was heaven-sent. They rebelled against the will of God, and I had to bring them salvation.¡±

    ¡°Salvation? You killed them.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I sent them before God to repent before the error of their ways could lead them to damnation.¡±

    Shogun and Librarian exchanged another glance. ¡°He¡¯s telling the truth, or at least he believes everything he¡¯s saying,¡± The well-dressed hero said. Shogun furrowed her brow as she though for a moment, ceaselessly rapping a pen against the edge of the small table that held her notes.

    ¡°How many people have you killed?¡±

    ¡°Fifty-four. Most were blasphemers, but some were¡­sacrificed to redeem my abilities.¡±

    ¡°And what exactly would your abilities be?¡±

    ¡°I am the revelation of God¡¯s wrath.¡±

    Shogun was silent for a moment. ¡°As per the precedent for similar violations of the Accords, you are sentenced to life in Site III without the possibility to be transferred.¡± She stood up and quickly gathered the papers in front of her, motioning for Librarian to follow.

    She joined us all in the observation room that was quickly starting to feel cramped as the rest of ASET came in after her. ¡°What do you think, Cedric?¡±

    ¡°He has several screws loose; no remorse for any of it,¡± Librarian said, slowly shaking his head in contempt.

    ¡°Was he working for anyone?¡± Ian asked.

    ¡°Not that I could tell. He doesn¡¯t have any memory of anyone close to him in over a year,¡± Librarian replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Shogun said, stroking her chin. ¡°Fucker managed to kill Petralith and Samnite. Why is just lying down and taking this?¡±

    Before anyone could come up with a descent answer, Adam¡¯s voice jerked us into action. ¡°Why is there a guy in there?¡±

    We all whirled to see one of the doctors walking towards Judas, who was eyeing him suspiciously.

    Shinobi¡¯s hand flew to the intercom, ¡°Baka, what the hell do you think you are doing!¡±

    Chitin grew a shell of armor around his fist and used it to shatter the glass partition just as the doctor undid the restraint holding Judas¡¯ remaining hand. Without hesitation, the meta lashed out, rapping his thin arm around the doctor¡¯s neck, who seemed to suddenly realize what was happening. The man struggled, letting out a gurgling scream as he was spun around so the crook of Judas¡¯ elbow rested over his throat.

    ¡°Let him go!¡± Shogun yelled. None of us charged, trying not to provoke the madman.

    ¡°And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.¡±

    I felt my eyes widen as Judas gave a merciless jerk, breaking the man¡¯s neck with an audible snap.

    So many things happened at once. Chitin and Shinobi vaulted into the interrogation room as a wave of white energy surged from the dead man¡¯s chest, settling into the white circle I saw over Judas¡¯ hand when we first found him.

    In the split second before Chitin reached Judas, the air around his left side seem to shimmer, and like an illusion being lifted, Judas¡¯ left arm materialized while the new cut on his chest from surgery disappeared like it was special effects makeup being wiped away. The petrified flesh vanished too, as every cut and bruise on his body seemed to heal.

    The dampener seemed to stop Chitin from growing any more armor, but his fist was already a mass of thorns four times its normal size. He swung at Judas who had torn through the straps holding him down like they were toilet paper, throwing a punch of his own that shattered Chitin¡¯s fist.

    Shinobi drew his sword with practiced precision, swinging it at Judas¡¯ neck. The meta reacted with nearly inhuman speed, striking Shinobi in his midsection with the back of his hand. The mechanized hero flew back, crashing through the wall into the next room.

    ¡°Your salvation is at hand.¡±

 Dilate 3.08

    Energy billowed over my skin, snapping and cracking with power as I brought my hands together. Hoping for lighting to strike twice, I unleashed a blast aimed straight at Judas. The difference this time, that I failed to account for, was that he wasn¡¯t half dead.

    Judas crossed his arms in front of his body, bearing the brunt of my attack like it was nothing. ¡°Shit.¡±

    Erin was the next one in the room. She charged the killer before he could reach the still recovering Chitin. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the dampener!¡± Adam yelled, firing one of his pistols at a box attached to the side of the hospital bed just as Erin¡¯s red glow faded.

    The villain punched and Erin braced herself as the dampener exploded in a shower of sparks. With the dampener destroyed, she managed to manifest her green aura a microsecond before Judas¡¯ fist reached her. She might have been invulnerable, but Judas was still strong enough to send her flying back at us like a green wrecking ball.

    Whitney and Corey ducked down as she slammed through the wall behind us. Onager¡ªthe guy with the steel orbs¡ªsent three of his weapons flying. The seemed to levitate without any kind of normal propulsion I could make out. With a subtle twist of his hand, the orbs struck with lightning speed, rapidly nailing Judas in his knees, back and face.

    I didn¡¯t know how hard Onager could hit with them, but their sheer speed made them something I didn¡¯t want to get hit with.

    Still, Judas shrugged them off, looking more annoyed than hurt. He lunged at us, but a tower of Chitin¡¯s power caught him in the air and drove him through the roof of the room. ¡°Cedric, make sure Shinobi¡¯s in one piece. The rest of you break into teams¡ªstay close, but don¡¯t trip over each other. We need to drive him out of the city and minimize the risk to civilians until back up arrives,¡± Shogun said.

    Chitin and Onager were already moving to the nearest stairwell as Shogun pressed a button on screen built into a wall. ¡°This is Shogun. We have an active Class II Metahuman Warning. Standby for upgrade to Class I. Sound the distress signal.¡±

    <hr>

    After getting a disoriented Erin back on her feet, we ran upstairs. When we pushed open the door, we were met with a herd of Argus employees being escorted by agents armed with oversized dampener rifles.

    ¡°Will those even do anything against him?¡± I asked as we went past.

    ¡°The dampener didn¡¯t seem to do shit,¡± Adam said, his own rifle in his hands.

    ¡°So, he¡¯s fucking strong as hell, then.¡±

    ¡°Maybe, or he could be gifted,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you gifted?¡± Corey asked. ¡°Dampeners work on you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but gifted powers are tricky. They call it ¡®magic¡¯ for a reason,¡± Erin said. She suddenly came to a stop at the end of the hall before almost barreling over a woman in a suit as she came around the corner.

    ¡°Get out of here,¡± Erin said to the woman as we turned down to the right. Bright flashes of dampener fire mixed with the sharp reports of conventional weapons as a few Argus agents tried to fend off Judas. His trip through the ceiling of the interrogation room didn¡¯t seem to leave him any worse for wear. He looked animalistic as barreled through the agents.

    The bullets just bounced off and the dampener bolts were about as effective as glowing foam darts. Some of the agents had quickly found out it was a losing battle and tried backing up, but Judas was too fast. Swipes and punches from him sent the agents flying into the walls and ceiling. If the impacts didn¡¯t kill them outright, they would leave them with lifechanging injuries.

    Fuck this guy.

    ¡°Retreat!¡± Erin yelled as she turned blue, racing to try and save the few agents still standing.

    Corey came to a stop, not much use in the narrow hall, and put a hand to his ear. ¡°ASET, he¡¯s in hallway J.¡±

    ¡°Roger that,¡± Onager¡¯s voice replied over comms.

    The agents fell back as soon as Erin gave the order. Our leader barreled towards Judas and switched to her red aura. The killer locked onto the new threat, an unnerving smile on his face. He didn¡¯t wait for Erin to make the first move. As soon as she was in range, he lashed out with a vicious punch. Erin snapped back to blue and easily ducked under the blow. Judas¡¯ fist slammed through the cinderblock wall, leaving his defense down. Switching back to red, Erin launched an attack of her own, her fist striking Judas in the ribs and slamming him into the opposite wall.

    I tried to fire a blast, but Judas was back in action before I could take aim. He and Erin exchanged blows back in forth like boxers locked in the fever pitch of a fight. I knew from firsthand experience how strong Erin was, but it didn¡¯t seem to be enough against the scrawny, tattooed meta. He didn¡¯t seem to be putting up any defense. Erin¡¯s fists hit him over and over, but he just shrugged them off. Erin couldn¡¯t be that careless; Judas¡¯ attacks came too quickly for her to change her states, meaning she had to block as often as attack.

    ¡°Adam, I think we could use your other self,¡± Corey said, looking about as useless as me at that moment.

    ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± Adam said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him turn to the wall and slam his head against it.

    ¡°Woah, dude, what the hell!¡±

    ¡°Whoo!¡± Adam said, his voice sounding different, like it had back when we tried to protect Dr. Thatcher from Euclid. ¡°It¡¯s good to be back! What the hell is going on here?¡±

    ¡°Super tough guy with tattoos. We need to beat him,¡± Corey said.

    ¡°Gotcha!¡±

    ¡°Adam?¡± I asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Right! I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve been introduced really, I¡¯m Steven!¡±

    Was this the alter ego Corey had told me about? It was like he was on a sugar rush¡ªeither that, or he just didn¡¯t have an inside voice.

    ¡°Shut up and get down! Erin, Heads up!¡± Whitney yelled.

    ¡°Oh shit!¡± Corey said. Every square inch of the hallway was crowded with Whitney¡¯s glowing lines. She turned the hallway itself into a giant bomb with us standing just a few feet away.

    ¡°Wow that¡¯s pretty!¡± Ad-er-Steven said as Corey tackled him to the ground and shielded both of them with his wings. I threw myself down and covered the back of my head, hoping my barrier was tough enough to tank the blast.

    The force of the explosion tore through the hallway in a blast of heat and noise. The energy whipped and rippled around me. Luckily, I didn¡¯t feel dead. But that meant my ears were screaming with pain.

    ¡°Oh God,¡± I groaned. I couldn¡¯t even hear my own voice, just a distorted muffle that didn¡¯t do anything to the stabbing tinnitus. Getting up, I looked over at Corey and Steven who didn¡¯t appear any worse for wear. Calling Adam Steven was just weird. Maybe sticking to Riot would be better.

    I could see riot¡¯s lips were moving, but I couldn¡¯t hear any of it. Dark smoke choked out any visibility from further down the hall where Erin and Judas were fighting. A sharp noise startled me. Fearing it was Judas, I whirled to see Riot with a gun pointed at the ceiling. He mouthed something along the lines of ¡®I heard that¡¯.

    Turning back to the hallway, I saw the vague silhouette of two people. One of them was tall and faintly glowing green, the other was shorter, and coming towards us. Please be Whit, I thought. Judas was out of my league as far as strength and combat, but I still took a fighting stance.

    ¡°That was a bit bigger than I thought,¡± Whitney said, stepping out of the smoke. I let out a sigh of relief, but still didn¡¯t really relax.

    ¡°Yeah, no shit,¡± Corey said, looking at the damage Whitney had done.

    Most of the smoke was gone by now, and Whitney¡¯s attack had blown a chunk out of the building, scattering rubble on the street below.

    ¡°Damn that was hot,¡± Riot said, looking at Whitney instead of the massive hole.

    Corey and I gave him a sideways look, but Whitney didn¡¯t seem to notice. She had turned back and was looking at the debris on the street with Erin.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Erin spat. I walked over to look down for myself. A large chunk of cinderblock shifted as Judas shoved it off.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Shogun called over comms, her voice a mix of anger and concern.

    ¡°I tried to blast him, but he¡¯s a tough motherfucker. I did blow him out onto the street, though,¡± Whitney replied.

    ¡°We¡¯re trying to minimize damage, Cinder. Norn, try to keep him busy, we¡¯re heading down. The Dubliner is en route with the Guards of Britannia. The Russians are on standby with a support team.¡±

    ¡°Have you tried the Eagle?¡± Erin asked?If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Yes, but none of the Shield have responded.¡±

    ¡°You really think we need the Eagle?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Erin said, jumping down to the ground.

    Corey launched himself airborne, but the narrow streets of the city meant that he quickly disappeared behind some rooftops as he circled the area. Whitney jumped down after our glowing leader despite the three-story drop. She detonated two explosions to slow her fall, but she still tumbled as she landed.

    Riot let out a whooping war cry as he jumped with reckless abandon. Still, he managed to deftly land with a tucking roll like a master acrobat. That left me alone on the damaged floor. Three Floors wasn¡¯t that far, right?

    The energy will keep me safe, won¡¯t it?

    Cars, guns, boulders, and giant, armored speedsters hadn¡¯t killed me so far; this should have been a walk in the park. I still got butterflies as I stared at the street below, though. I couldn¡¯t let my friends put their lives at risk while I was too scared to jump.

    Fighting my instincts, I stepped out into open air and felt gravity drag me down. I regretted it instantly, feeling my muscles tense and try to pull away from the asphalt rushing to meet me. As I was falling, I felt the energy around me jerk upward and rapidly slow me down to the point I landed on the balls of my feet for a good second before the pulling stopped and I landed completely.

    It was another reminder that I really needed to figure out everything my powers could do. It was like my energy was a parachute or marionette strings slowing me down. I couldn¡¯t really think of how to describe it.

    ¡°Nate, look out!¡±

    The last think I saw before a dull pain blossomed across my chest was a fist with a glowing halo racing towards me. Judas¡¯ punch sent me flying into the concrete base of the Argus building. I felt the wall fracture behind me as I tried to suck in a breath. It was like my chest was frozen or stunned. The energy survived the hit, but it was buzzing and humming like it was agitated.

    ¡°Fuck off!¡±

    Erin launched herself at Judas with vengeful intent. She switched between her speed and strength so quickly that for a split second, she looked purple. The villain turned to block her attack but didn¡¯t expect her to close the gap so quickly, leaving him vulnerable.

    Getting her first real hit in of the fight, Erin sent Judas skimming across the rubble laden street. Judas dug deep gouges into the asphalt with his fingers in an attempt to slow himself down. Just as he came to a stop, a massive pillar of thorns plowed out the front of the Argus building. Chitin¡¯s power barreled over the meta like a merciless freight train.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Erin asked, offering a hand.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I gasped once my lungs started working again. She easily hosted me up, looking at me worried.

    ¡°You sure? This guy has hurt some tanky fuckers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m tougher than I look,¡± I wheezed. Truthfully, I didn¡¯t feel much like joking. My entire ribcage felt like it was shattered and bruised.

    Chitin¡¯s massive javelin had slammed through a wall across the street. ¡°Were there any people in there?¡±

    ¡°They should have been evacuated if there were,¡± Erin said, slowly walking towards where Judas was pinned with Chitin and Onager. Chitin had grown to the size I¡¯d seen him when we first captured Judas and then some. Interlocking plates of thorns and organic armor that moved and shifted as he lumbered forward.

    A sharp cracking sound came from the pillar as Judas emerged, splitting the material with his bare hands. He was covered in dust, but apparently still unharmed.

    ¡°Goddamn it!¡± Chitin bellowed. His armor seemed to unfold into a flurry of blades and spines whipping around like a giant living chainsaw. The giant lunged at Judas, trying to pummel him with giant fist. Judas struck back like he had in the interrogation room. For a moment it looked like Chitin¡¯s fist would shatter again, but instead of cracking and breaking, it was like the layers of material shifted and expanded like woven wicker; the organic armor absorbing the force of Judas¡¯ strike before shifting back.

    The meta tried to raise a defense, but the speed and weight of the second attack sent him sliding across the ground.

    We needed to keep him off balance. For now, he was on defense, but if he could focus on anyone, it wouldn¡¯t be good. Before he could come to a stop, I tore at space with my mind, whipping up a portal around me as I plunged back into the Forest.

    The Presence didn¡¯t seem to care I was here this time since Auralux wasn¡¯t with me, but I had still been slightly worried. Sticking to my plan, I ran forward a few steps hoping my judgment was good and turned around before opening another portal back to Stockholm. When I emerged, I was on the opposite side of the street looking back at where I had just been standing.

    Fortunately, my timing was dead-on: Judas was flying past and I unleashed A blast of energy knocking him towards Erin. Her eyes went wide in surprise, but she acted quickly, and landed a devastating uppercut. Judas was launched skyward like a ragdoll vaguely flailing his arms as he tried to stabilize himself.

    Then, Corey swooped down from on high and dove past the meta, slashing at him with his wings. He might have had tough skin, but a sharp metal edge slamming into you at those speeds had to hurt. Onager was the next to strike. A trio of the steel orbs few into the air before striking Judas over and over as he fell before coming together and slamming him down into the asphalt.

    ¡°The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me,¡± Judas said, almost laughing as he got back to his feet. ¡°You are all so pathetically weak. Lie down and accept your fate. There is nothing¡ª¡±

    Judas was cut off mid-sentence by twin beams of narrow light hitting the ground at his feet. There was just enough time for us all to look where the beams were pointing before an explosion of green energy swallowed the villain. The billowing cloud of emerald energy seemed to slow and solidify, slowly flowing into a sphere around where Judas was standing.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± I asked, looking for the source of the light.

    ¡°The Dubliner,¡± Whitney said with a smile a dropship appeared overhead. It was different than the Torus or the ones Argus used with a tower symbol on the sides. A door on the side of the aircraft was opened, and a man in a green uniform was leaning out.

    Is that The Dubliner? I thought.

    The dropship didn¡¯t land. Instead, it lowered itself near the ground and several people jumped out from the open door. The Guards of Britannia. And The Dubliner. He was on the shorter side, with a green and black uniform at seemed to have energy flowing around it. He looked to be on the younger side with a cocky smirk on his face and short black hair spiked up with gel.

    ¡°Little Whitney Snyder. Imagine meeting you here!¡± The Dubliner said in a pronounced Irish accent.

    ¡°Hey, uncle Quinn,¡± Whitney said, walking over to give The Dubliner a hug.

    ¡°Uncle?¡± Erin asked, looking between the two of them.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not her uncle by blood; just and old family friend. Speakin¡¯ of which how¡¯s your Ma?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s doing fine,¡± Whitney said quickly.

    ¡°Not to break up the reunion, but we have a job to do, Dub,¡± One of the Guards said. He was wearing a mechanical exosuit roughly styled after knight armor. Lancelot; the leader of the Guards.

    ¡°Right,¡± Dubliner said, turning back to the orb of energy.

    Next to Lancelot, there was a woman with curly black hair wearing relatively normal clothes. I think she was called Holmes. I wasn¡¯t sure of her powers, but before I could think on it more, I lost sight of her behind a tall man in a dark blue and grey suit. Bulwark; a powerful geokinetic. He had a neatly trimmed beard and a dark skin tone. Aside from his earthshaking powers, he was in the rankings for one of the physically strongest heroes in the world.

    Then there was Indra; a white guy in what looked like monk robes reinforced with pieces of armor. Beside him was a man in silver head-to-toe armor styled after roman centurion armor with a white cape trailing behind him. Legion; the army of one. As I watched, dozens of glowing identical copies blinked into existence around him before fanning out.

    Behind them was a girl holding a bow with a hood pulled over her head and a quiver full of arrows strapped to her back; Locksley. Finally, a figure levitated along next to them. He was wearing red robes with gold armor and an ornate helmet. Evangelion; bit of an odd ball if I remembered right. Two masses of light surrounded with black, white, and gold smoke drifted along next to him as more light and smoke formed around his hands.

    ¡°Any stragglers?¡± Lancelot asked as they took up positions around Judas¡¯ makeshift prison.

    ¡°None so far, but the legionnaires are looking,¡± Legion said, drawing a steel sword.

    ¡°Chitin, Onager,¡± Lancelot nodded towards the two ASET members. ¡°And you must be the Argonauts. Pleasure to meet you,¡± He said, looking at us quickly.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Shogun?¡±

    ¡°Running a bit late.¡± I looked over to see Shogun walking out with Shinobi walking next to her. There was a sizeable dent in his armor, but otherwise he seemed fine. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here. He¡¯s been giving us some trouble,¡± Shogun said, adjusting a grip on her weapon.

    ¡°I can see that,¡± Lancelot said, glancing at the damage. ¡°You ready, Indra?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± The man replied in an accent that was distinctly not British. It looked like he was cycling through martial art poses.

    ¡°Get ready, Guards! Dub, when you¡¯re ready,¡± Lancelot said, readying his large sword and shield. Bulwark raised his hands and two large walls of asphalt and stone rose on either side of the Dubliner¡¯s bubble.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± The Dubliner said pointing a thumb at the sphere he made. ¡°He¡¯s not getting out of there any time soon.¡±

    Suddenly, the sphere shook as something struck the inside. ¡°See nothing ta worry about¡ª¡±

    As if on cue, Judas hand punched out of the prison as the entire construct faded.

    ¡°Alright, then. Let¡¯s give this manky holy joe a good clatter,¡± The Dubliner said, firing more energy from his hands. Judas dodged to the side, but The Dubliner¡¯s powers weren¡¯t as straightforward as firing laser beams. Green energy spread out across the ground like emerald water where the blast struck the ground.

    The Dubliner¡¯s gaze stayed locked on Judas, and the glowing pool on the ground merged to a small point before another blast fired from the ground, striking Judas in the back.

    Judas let out a sharp cry of pain and Bulwark struck, slamming his hands together. Both the walls of earth flew towards Judas. He managed to shatter the first one with a punch, but the second one caught him in the shoulder.

    Legion rushed forward as ten of his copies formed around Judas and started wailing on him with ethereal swords. It took the villain a moment to gather himself, but when he did, he struck at the nearest duplicate squarely in the chest. The ghostly image vanished, but Judas focused on the charging hero, shrugging off the hits from the other dupes.

    The villain lunged, landing a punch that sent Legion reeling. Suddenly, all the dupes vanished and Legion punched back. Judas reeled from the punch, stunned but otherwise unharmed. Then an arrow whistled past Legion¡¯s head and hit Judas in the eye. The arrow bounced off, but Judas still hissed in pain.

    Suddenly, Holmes was standing right behind Judas and fired a gun at the back of his head twice in quick succession. Judas roared in fury and swung, but his fist met nothing but air as Holmes seemed to vanish. I looked around for her, but she was nowhere to be seen.

    And then I saw what she was doing. While Judas was distracted, Indra had run in close and squared himself for a punch. As his fist flew out, flames trailed behind his hand as a pressure wave formed on the leading edge of the strike. Time seemed to slow and stretch as the street turned just a shade dimmer. Odd shadows seemed to stretch away from everyone as a faint trail of energy seemed to flow from everyone near Indra, all converging in his fist. When he struck Judas, it was like a bomb went off.

    Judas flew back with alarming speed as a sonic boom blew out glass several buildings down. A faint green energy swirled around Indra¡¯s fist as he seemed to relax and stagger momentarily. Clearly, the feat drained him, but damn, it was impressive.

    ¡°Oh my God!¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°Press the attack!¡± Lancelot ordered. We ran after the hero and found him in a smoldering trench.

    His chest was in terrible shape; ribs were poking through the skin as a river of blood ran down his side.

    ¡°Surrender!¡± Lancelot and Shogun ordered simultaneously.

    Judas looked up at us and smiled through the pain.

    Oh shit.

    The blood running down his side rose into the air and flowed to the back of his left hand where it seemed to burn a ruby red.

    ¡°And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.¡±

    A second seal appeared in the circle of levitating blood, and just like before, the wounds seemed to evaporate away like it was just special effects. Judas stood up completely healed, and then he rose into the air, floating three feet off the ground.

 Dilate 3.09

    Judas rocketed out of the crater and past our defensive line faster than I could blink. He was fast! Much faster than he¡¯d been a second ago. In that quick swipe, he¡¯d managed to grab Lancelot and hurl him hundreds of feet down the street and into a wall where the road terminated in a ¡°T¡± junction. Before we could take a step towards aiding the hero, Judas flew in front of him and tried to drive his fist through Lancelot and the wall.

    The Guard¡¯s mechanical suit was impressive, though. He managed to whip his shield forward in time to block the blow, but the momentum behind Judas¡¯ fist was enough to punch him through the wall. The villain didn¡¯t really seem to care if Lancelot was hurt or not, his head snapped back towards us before he turned in a blur making his second pass to pick us off.

    A green wall suddenly appeared a few feet in front of us, but it didn¡¯t seem to do much. Judas smashed through it like it was just a thin pane of glass. Chitin was who Judas focused on next. He slammed his shoulder into the giant at full speed, knocking Chitin off his feet like he was weightless.

    When the hero landed, he abandoned the humanoid form of his armor, and started growing it in every direction like an explosive sea urchin. Judas didn¡¯t seem to care. He made a minor adjustment to his flight and let one of the spines brush past him as he started to rip and tear at the armor. He peeled away car-sized chunks and hurled them away, viciously trying to reach the person at the center of the defensive shell.

    I got ready to fire a blast, but Erin was the first of us to react. She flew forward Judas, every bit as fast as he had, activating her strength a split second before she reached him. Her jab managed to slam him to the ground, but he flew back out in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°By Jaysus, what is this freak?¡± The Dubliner snarled, shooting his energy seemingly at random, spreading it around the area.

    The ground shook, and I through for a second it was Judas, but Erin was managing to keep him busy. Then I look and saw Bulwark standing with a strange pose, almost like he was trying to life something heavy. And then I saw the massive walls of stone rising up on either side of the street before turning a full ninety degrees and started spreading out over top of the buildings.

    ¡°That¡¯s really cool,¡± Whitney said.

    I had to agree. It felt like the whole world was shaking. But as neat as it was, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes of Erin and Judas. She had been doing well at first, but Judas newfound speed was insane. He was boarding on speedster territory, his strikes almost too fast for me to make out. Erin was having to cycle between defense and offense with no room for error.

    ¡°Legion, send out as many centurions as you can. Evacuate everyone you can.¡±

    I heard the voice coming over comms and turned back to see Lancelot stepping out of the hole Judas put him through. There was a fist-sized dent in his shield, but the rest of his armor seemed functional.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be basically useless if I do that. Are you sure?¡± Legion asked back, as dozens of transparent copies started to form around him.

    ¡°Keep your head down and you¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t you trust my armor?¡± Lancelot replied, sounding like he was trying to joke despite the situation.

    Legion didn¡¯t reply, but soon the street was full of several dozen dupes that all started running through small gaps in Bulwark¡¯s rising walls.

    ¡°Lancelot,¡± Ian¡¯s voice came over comms, ¡°This is Clyffe, I¡¯ve patched you through to ASET and the Argonauts.¡±

    ¡°Copy that. Do we have any backup on the way?¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. The Eagle is en route.¡±

    ¡°Thank God,¡± There was real relief in his voice. Just how screwed were we?

    Erin¡¯s fight was starting to turn for the worse. She had given up trying to attack, relying on her defense to keep her from getting hurt. Judas seemed almost frenzied, pummeling the green barrier over and over. It was holding, but the ground under her was cracking with the rapid strikes.

    Once the shaking stopped, Erin seemed to suddenly fall through the ground the same instant a jagged pillar of stone shot up from the ground like a giant claw and slammed into the levitating Judas. Bulwark made a motion of pulling something towards him, and the ground next to us opened to reveal a dusty, but safe looking Erin.

    ¡°What the hell happened?¡± She asked, looking around.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Bulwark said as rocks and chunks of debris started to move towards him, levitating as they formed together into a sort of stone armor around the already imposing Brit. The last of the pieces were coming together when Judas dove from the sky. Bulwark let loose a battle cry, and the street erupted into jagged pillars.

    Judas disappeared from my line of sight as he slammed through one of the columns. I heard a series of heavy impacts, but I couldn¡¯t see who was hitting who. And then I realized Bulwark¡¯s obstacle course had cut me off from the rest of the heroes. The sounds of the fight were getting more intense, not that I could really do anything anyway. Judas was way out of my class.

    I didn¡¯t want to run into Judas on my own, so I took off through the maze, trying to find my way to the rest of the Argonauts. I came aground a corner and spotted Whitney helping Erin to her feet, before I could see if they were all okay, blue light flooded my vision. I felt myself driving for the ground second before an avalanche of rock crashed down around me.

    After breaking the pillar that almost crushed me, Judas bounced off several more like he was in a pinball machine as the golem-like form of Bulwark came crashing after him, staying several feet off the ground by leaping from pillar to pillar.

    ¡°Are you guys okay?¡± I called out, pushing some of the rubble to the side.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re fine, but Adam got cut off,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°This shit¡¯s crazy,¡± I said, craning my neck to see if I could get eyes on Judas.

    ¡°Thanks, captain obvious,¡± Whitney said, putting a hand to her ear. ¡°Corey, what¡¯s going on up there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to lay low, but Bulwark is pummeling Judas. He¡¯s launching boulders like crazy, but Judas is tanking everything.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s winning?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell, but Judas can¡¯t get close to Bulwark.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let us know if anything crazy happens,¡± Whitney said. ¡°What¡¯s our move, chief?¡±

    Erin¡¯s brows knitted together in thought, ¡°We should group up with the others. Safety in numbers and all that.¡±

    ¡°This place is a maze. We better get moving,¡± I said, looking up at the walls.

    ¡°I can help with that.¡±

    We all turned and suddenly realized Holmes was standing right next to us.

    ¡°Where¡¯d the hell did you come from?¡± Whitney asked.

    The woman smiled, ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll lead you to the others.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    She took off through the maze, leaving us to exchange looks of confusion.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Erin said, motioning that we should follow.

    Holmes deftly led us through the maze to a sort of clearing where the others appeared to be gathered. Adam looked up at us when we walked in and made his way over to us. Indra sat with his legs crossed on the ground in some sort of meditation. Legion appeared to be lost in thought and Evangelion was streaming more of the ornate smoke from his hands. It curled up into the air, coalescing into a large sphere of light and wispy smoke.

    Locksley was off to one side fiddling with her arrows while Onager, Shogun, and Lancelot were in a heated discussion. ¡°What¡¯s the plan, sir knight?¡± Holmes said with an upbeat tone in her voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s what we were discussing,¡± Lancelot sighed. ¡°I think we need to hurl everything we¡¯ve got and put the bastard down.¡±

    ¡°That will only get more good heroes killed. We don¡¯t know everything he can do, and we know the Eagle is on the way,¡± Shogun said. Her posture was stiff, and her hand was tightly gripping the hilt of her sword. ¡°He clearly has a theme. He¡¯s quoted the book of Revelations twice: both times referring to the Seven Seals.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying this guy has five more levels of crazy to reach?¡± Whitney asked.

    Shogun nodded, but Lancelot cut her off, ¡°That¡¯s why we need to put him down quickly.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re capable, Mr. Hale.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of my team¡¯s ability. Indra! Are you ready to go again?¡¯

    ¡°H¨­,¡± the monkish hero answered, rising to his feet almost magically.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Shogun relented. ¡°Shinobi,¡± She said with a finger pressed to her ear, ¡°Help run interference, but stay clear of any threat.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± came the synthetic sounding reply.

    ¡°Dub, you hear that?¡± Lancelot radioed out.

    ¡°Aye Lancy. I¡¯ll give the gobshite a right fierce baytin.¡±

    A green glow lit up overhead as The Dubliner seemed to be using his powers on himself in some sort of flight. Indra took off and started jumping from pillar to pillar, gaining altitude until he was running over top of them.

    ¡°Argonauts, I strongly recommend you get Serath back here with the rest of us. This could get messy,¡± Shogun said, eyeing Lancelot.

    Erin looked between the two pros and nodded, ¡°Corey, get back here and take cover. We¡¯re making a move.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡± A second later, Corey dropped down from above, and partially folded his wings. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not¡ª¡± Erin was cut off by a shockwave rolling through us. I looked up and saw the tell-tale signs of another one of Indra¡¯s massive punches. Judas sailed up into the air, but I wasn¡¯t sure if he was running or just getting beat around.

    For a second time, the ground rumbled. Cracks formed along the bottom of the stone pillars as they suddenly broke free of the ground and flew upwards like giant petrified javelins. Hundreds of fifty-foot spears of stone flew into the air, breaking against Judas with the speed of a gatling gun.

    A green speck arced skyward until it was above the stone bombardment. A halo of emerald light formed above the battered Judas before an almost blinding beam of pure energy blasted the villain towards the ground.

    ¡°Take cover!¡± Shogun yelled.

    Erin braced herself in a defensive stance while Corey dug his steeled wings into the ground like a makeshift barrier. Chitin quickly jogged over once the obstructive stone maze was gone and grew out his armor to protect the others just as the easily ten-foot wide beam slammed into the ground kicking up a wave of dust as the impact ejected rubble.

    But something was wrong. The roaring energy was kicking up a stiff breeze, but the ground stopped shaking. A figure stood up in the crater, and the beam seemed to unnaturally focus to a point on Judas¡¯ forearm.

    ¡°And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of barley for a denarius¡­¡±

    The beam stopped, the last wisps of light appearing to be sucked into an abyssally black circle on Judas¡¯ right forearm. It was like a tear in reality; an endless void that light fell into with no return. I felt my energy ripple uncomfortably, like it was struggling to stay manifested.

    ¡°I now give you all the chance for surrender. Lay down your arms, so salvation may find you faster,¡± Judas said, stretching out his arms and turning his face to the sky.

    ¡°Fat chance!¡± Lancelot yelled, charging forward behind his shield. Judas stretched an arm towards the hero, and the black disk on his arm seemed to dilate ever so slightly. Lancelot stumbled, and his arms dropping like they suddenly couldn¡¯t support the weight of his sword and shield.

    ¡°What the bloody hell?¡± Came a muffled voice from inside the helmet. Judas dashed forward and slapped the disabled hero into the stone walls that lined the street.

    ¡°Lancelot?¡± Shogun called out, receiving no answer.

    Onager looked concerned, ¡°My suit isn¡¯t working. He¡¯s some kind of electrical dead zone.¡±

    Locksley let an arrow fly towards the villain, but Judas caught the projectile with ease. He looked it over with apathetic interest before tossing it to the side. ¡°I am the slayer of false gods, I am¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªJUDAS!¡± Bulwark¡¯s voice boomed out as he fell like a meteor, still clad in his stone armor.

    The villain¡¯s head snapped up, and he flew towards the hero. Bulwark tried to swing his fist, but Judas put on a burst of speed and slammed through the shell of rock. He and the human form of Bulwark burst out the golem¡¯s back, Judas¡¯ arm driven into Bulwark¡¯s gut. Judas stopped ascending and pivoted, heaving Bulwark towards the ground as hard as he could.

    ¡°Move!¡± Shogun yelled. But it was too late. The ground rippled like water when the hero hit, throwing us back in a hail of rocks and dirt. I scrambled to back to my feet and saw that we were on the rim of a massive crater that had collapsed a few of the buildings on either side of the street. I ran up and peered over the edge to see Bulwark lying in the center of the impact. He wasn¡¯t moving, but he looked to be in one piece.

    I looked up and saw Judas was looking at all of us with glee in his eyes. He was slowly sinking to the ground, still looking like he was ready for a fight.

    His mouth started to move, but before he could get any words out, I saw a flash of emerald. My vision blinked blue again, and when it cleared, I had dived to the side as The Dubliner slammed Judas to the ground with a beam of energy. Judas rolled under the force of the attack, stopping in a kneeling position as he held his right arm out to absorb the energy. The black disk had expanded into a swirling vortex, consuming everything the hero was throwing at him.

    I glanced back at The Dubliner. He was standing on a glowing platform made from his energy, his face twisted with rage. Keeping the beam going with his right hand, The Dubliner fired another beam in a circle around the villain.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Shogun yelled.

    ¡°You know the trouble with these energy feeding types? They can be overfed!¡± The Dubliner yelled as the ring of energy roared to life. Beams of energy poured from the surfaces the hero painted, blasting Judas from all sides.

    ¡°Hey, glowstick! Give me a hand!¡±

    Oh, he¡¯s talking to me.

    ¡°Today, kid!¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± I called back, coalescing energy to my palms and firing a blast of my own.

    ¡°Anyone else want to chip in?¡± The Dubliner asked.

    Wordlessly, Evangelion stepped up, a massive swirling cloud above him. The wisps of energy swirled together like an eye, focusing a beam of white energy at the swirling mass of color enveloping the villain.

    ¡°Give it everything you¡¯ve got lads!¡±

    Legion stepped forward and focused his hands towards Judas. Thunder cracked over head as thin arcs of electricity jumped between Legions outstretched hands. Suddenly, a bolt of lighting struck where Judas was standing.

    My arms were starting to ache from firing this much energy, but the others weren¡¯t showing any signs of letting up so neither would I.

    Then I saw it; a black orb expanding from the center of the swirling energy. My energy trembled, and suddenly, I felt it being forcefully ripped out of me. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I shouted as I felt my barrier dissipate. The beam suddenly stopped, and I felt drained.

    Evangelion and The Dubliner didn¡¯t look much better. The cloud above the Guard¡¯s head vanished at the same time The Dubliner¡¯s platform disappeared and he fell to the ground. The black sphere rapidly shrunk back into the flat disk on Judas¡¯ arm.

    ¡°I am famine; the hunger none can fill,¡± Judas said, walking towards us.

    ¡°Get out of here,¡± Erin said, pulling me back. ¡°He can¡¯t hurt me, but you¡¯re a different story. Get everyone back.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± She said, giving a smile. ¡°I¡¯m invulnerable, remember?¡±

    I nodded, but something odd caught my eye. ¡°Erin, look.¡±

    Red lines were tracing themselves in the air, forming what looked like two hexagons slightly offset from each other. When the shapes completed, a portal opened in their center. A red, white, and blue streak shot out of the portal with a sonic boom, slamming into Judas before I could blink.

    The Eagle was here.

    Spectral was the next out of the portal, his large glowing wings carrying him high into the air. Then a guy in a black body suit with sections glowing a bright orange came through, followed by a red hair woman with tendrils of light streaming behind her. Then a muscle-bound man cam running out with a gust of wind behind him as a girl in a hoodie, skirt and leggings brought up the rear with glowing shapes floating above her palms.

    ¡°Hey guys. Sorry we¡¯re late! I¡¯m Hex!¡± She said, waving at us while the rest of her team ran after the Eagle.

    Judas was fast, but against the Eagle¡­ I felt a smile spreading across my face as I watched him fight. I could feel the impacts like a base note in my chest as his fists broke the speed of sound with every strike. The Eagle suddenly shifted backwards, flying just an inch off the ground, before launching forward and delivering a massive punch that rivaled Indra¡¯s.

    The ground shook with the impact, but the hero didn¡¯t wait for the villain to hit the ground; he shot forward and around the flailing villain, delivering an uppercut that sent him into the stratosphere.

    Damn that guy was awesome.

 Dilate 3.10

    Judas¡¯ fight was over the second The Eagle showed up. We all watched as the villain tried to outmaneuver the star-spangled hero, but The Eagle was too fast. Spectral hovered a few feet above us, watching the fight intensely, his arms crossed.

    The rest of the Shield of Freedom were likewise occupied. Hex was the only one I didn¡¯t recognize from seeing the team on the news. She must have been new. The others, though, were famous mostly by association with The Eagle.

    Kindle looked like she could pass for a normal person if it weren¡¯t for the gun strapped to her leg and the glowing tendrils snaking up from her shoulders. Her powers let her make massive golems of rubble or anything else she could reach. For now, she seemed focus on watching the fight and making sure her leader wasn¡¯t getting overwhelmed.

    Abrams looked tensed and ready to jump into action at any second. He was a big guy, almost as broad in the shoulders as Corey was tall, but that wasn¡¯t due to his powers; he was just that big. He was an aerokinetic from what I remembered, but an explosive one. He could compress the air around him with enough pressure to outclass bomb blasts.

    The last of their team was helping the Guards of Britannia peel Lancelot off the wall. His suit almost seemed to ooze over Lancelot¡¯s armor, but it wasn¡¯t like Euclid. It seemed less organic, pixelated in a way. When he first debuted on the hero scene, he called himself Techomancer or something like that. Unfortunately for him, the public and the media dubbed him Glowplug because of the glowing sections of his suit, and the name stuck.

    A massive crashed snapped my attention back to the fight. Judas was laying in a fresh impact crater, gasping for air. He rolled over and pushed himself into a kneeling position. The Eagle slowly lowered himself to the ground, staring down at Judas.

    ¡°The great blasphemer himself,¡± Judas spat, getting back to his feet. ¡°A symbol of this worlds adoration of false idols.¡±

    ¡°Spoken by a zealot so selfish and twisted he abuses his gifts and kills innocence because he thinks it¡¯s right,¡± The Eagle said, getting ready to move if Judas tried anything.

    ¡°Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?¡± Judas snarled.

    ¡°The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose,¡± The Eagle retorted. ¡°You¡¯re done. Stop and come quietly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be a martyr before I bow to you!¡± Judas screamed, throwing a punch with blinding speed only for the hero to catch it with ease.

    ¡°You¡¯re done¡­¡± The Eagle said.

    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± Whitney said, ¡°Take that, motherfucker!¡±

    Erin looked tired, but Whitney¡¯s smile was infectious. But just as everyone started to relax, my vision drowned in a sea of blue.

    <hr>

    When the vision focused, I was looking down on the street and saw all of us standing there, frozen in time. Just like before, everything was washed out into shades of blue. In the vision, I looked over and saw what looked like storm clouds on the horizon.

    The vision shifted, and I was standing on the street, surrounded by the other heroes I couldn¡¯t move, my eyes locked on The Eagle leading Judas away in dampener cuffs. Suddenly, the clouds surged down from the sky, rolling forward like a black cloud of death. Then it abruptly stopped right behind the hero and the villain.

    I felt the laugh more than I heard it. My hair stood on end as the malice rolled over me. I knew that laugh. Two red eyes peered out from the dark clouds, burning like coals.

    Shard.

    Invisible hands suddenly wrapped around my throat. I couldn¡¯t breathe. I clawed at my neck, but there weren¡¯t any hands to peel away.

    Two arms reached out from the storm, grabbing Judas and pulling him into the darkness. The clouds surged forward again, and the vision took a familiar shape as the clouds cleared. I was standing under the headless statue again, surrounded by my team and the other heroes. Under the crushing foot of the statue, I saw Judas flying there, six glowing circles going up his arms and a seventh glowing brightly on his chest. The seal flared, and a blinding sphere of light shot out, destroying everything it touched.

    <hr>

    ¡°Nate! Nate! Are you alright, man?¡±

    I came-to to Corey shaking my shoulders with the rest of the team looking down at me.

    ¡°Did you have another vision?¡± Erin asked.

    I had to warn them, ¡°Shard¡¯s coming!¡± I said, scrambling to get up.

    ¡°What?¡± she asked, looking at me like I was crazy.

    I summoned my energy and looked around to see the Eagle and Glowplug trying to fit Judas with dampener cuffs. And then¡­nothing?

    ¡°Nate? Are you okay?¡± Corey asked hesitantly.

    ¡°I¡ªI saw Shard, in my vision¡­He grabbed Judas and vanished.¡±

    ¡°Nate,¡± Erin said, putting a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Calm down. It¡¯s over.¡±

    Glowplug and The Eagle were shaking their heads. The glowing circles weren¡¯t disappearing from Judas¡¯ hands. ¡°Hex, he¡¯s gifted, can you give us a hand?¡±

    ¡°Uhh, yeah,¡± She said. I realized she, along with the rest of the heroes, was looking at me like I was crazy. After a lingering stare, she walked over to the villain The Eagle was having to restrain himself.

    ¡°Nate,¡± Erin repeated, more sternly this time.

    ¡°Yeah¡­yeah¡­I¡¯m okay,¡± I said, watching as geometric shapes appeared in Hex¡¯ palms. It looked like they were made of energy as they shifted until she found what she was looking for. ¡°I-it was just so real.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go guys,¡± Erin said, putting her arm protectively around my shoulder and gently trying to pull me away.

    The last thing I saw before I turned away was Hex holding one of the glowing runes towards Judas. I watched as the air rippled and the glowing seals faded away. The man suddenly looked weak, slumping down if it wasn¡¯t for The Eagle holding him up.

    Was my vision wrong? It just seemed so real. I felt like I should sound the alarm, get them to listen, but¡­nothing was happening except for Judas being led away. I thought back to what happened with my vision in Chicago. I saw Wrath destroy the city, but that didn¡¯t happen. Maybe my visions were just things that could happen.

    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s over,¡± Erin said as upbeat as she could, still sounding exhausted. She nearly pulled me off my feet, but I yielded and let her guide me back towards the partially destroyed Argus field office.

    I let my energy fade again as the rest of our team except for Ian fell in step with us. Riot seemed to stumble a bit before pulling off his mask and looking around confused. ¡°Holy shit is that the Eagle?¡± he asked, sounding like Adam again.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll fill you in when we debrief,¡± Erin said.

    It looked like he wanted to ask a billion more questions, but he just shrugged and walked on with the rest of us.

    ¡°What did you see, Nate? In your vision? Corey asked.

    ¡°Like I said, I saw Shard, but it was like he was a storm coming down the street at us. Then he reached out and pulled Judas into it and they were gone.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Then maybe you just saw something further in the future?¡± Corey suggested.

    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s drop it for now,¡± Erin said. ¡°We did our part,¡± She said, looking up at the hole Whitney made.

    ¡°Yeah, I should have maybe toned that down a bit,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°No kidding,¡± Corey said with a grin.

    As we walked over the rubble, I just felt out of it. Ian pushed open the front door of the field office when we got close. ¡°Everyone in one piece?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re good,¡± Erin said as we stepped back inside.

    ¡°You did really good back there,¡± Ian said, giving a quick nod.

    ¡°Thanks, Ian. And good work with the comms.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that wasn¡¯t really anything.¡±

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± I asked, not wanting to stay longer than we had to. I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that Shard could pop out from behind any corner. Was he even still alive? Argus couldn¡¯t find a body, but what if my powers turned him to dust? Cypher said he was probably too hurt to fight, but what if Chess knew a biokinetic like Asclepius?

    ¡°Well, Judas is probably going to be labeled a potential Class I and hauled off to Site III,¡± Ian answered.

    ¡°What about that guy Judas killed in the interrogation room? Did that not seem insane to anyone else?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°Maybe he had a death wish,¡± Adam suggested, sprawling out on a bench in the empty lobby.

    ¡°No, something was definitely wrong with him. Maybe Judas did something to him, or he was some kind of fanatic. Either way, I say we call James and let him debrief us, then we go back to HQ and relax for a bit,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°Sounds like a plan to me,¡± Whitney said, pushing Adam¡¯s feet off the bench so she could sit down.

    ¡°No way,¡± Corey said, his gaze distant.

    ¡°I mean, hey, if you have a better idea, I¡¯m all for it,¡± Whitney said absently.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. But look who¡¯s already here,¡± Corey said, pointing outside.

    Two news vans had driven as far as they could across the broken street before coming to a stop so the reporters and camera men could get out and swarm the Eagle, shoving microphones in his face.

    ¡°The guy is popular. It¡¯s not his fault,¡± Adam said. ¡°And who knows, we might be that popular someday¡­¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Nate wake up. We¡¯re back,¡± Corey said, shaking me awake.

    I groaned and rubbed my eyes, sitting up in the back of the dropship that had brought us back into Switzerland. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, trying to shake the sleep off. The others were already gathering their things and filing out the back of the aircraft.

    ¡°Did you guys hear anything more about Judas?¡± I asked, following Corey out.

    ¡°Nothing much; they¡¯re keeping him locked down at the field office with The Eagle standing guard until Argus can get a small army to take him to Site III.¡±

    ¡°And we made the news,¡± Adam said over his shoulder as Erin opened the door for us.

    ¡°Really?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ian said, ¡°One of the news stations snuck a camera man past Argus¡¯ perimeter and got a really good shot of you blasting the bastard with Evangelion and the Dubliner.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, not knowing how to react.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look so glum about it. You looked pretty cool,¡± Erin said. ¡°And you can¡¯t see your face in the video because of your energy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no, that¡¯s awesome, I just¡­¡±

    ¡°Your vision?¡± Corey suggested quietly.

    ¡°Well, yes, but I guess it¡¯s just kind of odd; I never wanted to be a hero, and now I¡¯m on the news with them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re on the news as one,¡± Whitney corrected, clapping me on the back.

    I smiled, but it felt hollow. Why was I so shaken up? Was I that afraid of Shard? It was like I was slipping back into how I was before all of this started.

    Maybe it happened subconsciously, but I let the others go on ahead as I slowed my pace. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Corey had stayed behind.

    ¡°Thinking about Shard?¡± He ventured.

    ¡°Yeah, how¡¯d you know?¡±

    He shrugged and tilted his head to the side, ¡°It¡¯s not that hard to guess. He came after you in the worst kind of way, and you said he was in your vision¡­It happens. People get caught up on an enemy and it eats them up inside.¡±

    ¡°You think that¡¯s happening to me?¡±

    ¡°Maybe not, but I don¡¯t want to see it happen either way. I mean, you¡¯re my¡­friend, at least, I think we¡¯re friends, right?¡±

    That caught me off guard a little, ¡°Uhh, yeah¡­yeah, man, of course we are,¡± I said with a real smile.

    He smiled back, looking relieved. ¡°And I know it¡¯s late, but I haven¡¯t forgotten about what you asked me in Chicago. About me showing you some of the stuff they taught us in the academy and all that.¡±

    ¡°You want to show me that now?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah. I think it might help with your visions and all that.¡±

    It was dark outside already, but I was curious. ¡°Sure,¡± I said after taking a second to think about it. ¡°What could it hurt, right?¡±

    Corey grinned and started walking us over to the elevators. He took me down to the training room which was completely abandoned and almost eerily quiet this time of night. It was usually only the team that practiced here, but knowing we were here late gave it a different air.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I said, looking at Corey. ¡°What¡¯s first?¡±

    ¡°Sit down,¡± he said, taking a seat on the floor and crossing his legs.

    I followed suit and sat down a few feet in front of him. He took a deep breath and stretched out his wings to the side.

    ¡°Now, summon your energy. One of the big things they taught us at the academy was to not fight our powers. Our bodies know how they¡¯re supposed to work and fighting them only reduces their effectiveness.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± I said, as the blue energy started to swirl around me.

    ¡°Now, you said you can¡¯t have your visions at will, right?¡±

    ¡°No, they come whenever they want. They¡¯re more annoying that useful, really,¡± I said.

    Corey chuckled a little, ¡°Close your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Is this the part where the rest of the team jumps out and starts the hazing?¡± I asked as I closed my eyes.

    ¡°No, of course not¡ª"

    ¡°¡ªI¡¯m joking, Corey,¡± I said with a grin that I quickly realized he couldn¡¯t see.

    ¡°Oh,¡± he said with a nervous chuckle before clearing his throat. ¡°Okay, now, try to focus on how your powers feel, like, are there any mental pictures or muscle tension you focus on when you use your powers?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡±

    ¡°Good. Most people have them, but they can be completely different depending on the powers. Try to ease into those feelings but don¡¯t actually use your powers, like when you try to balance a light switch between on and off.¡±

    That visual oddly made sense, and I pressed into the wall in the back of my head, feeling the energy around my hands starting to vibrate.

    ¡°Come on, really try to lean into them¡ªbut not too much.¡±

    Next I focused on peeling open the doors to a portal and the energy across my body seemed to hum as I felt reality start to¡­bend for lack of a better word.

    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Corey said.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, pulling back and losing the feeling of almost being balanced.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± he said quickly. ¡°You just looked different. It was like you were vibrating or something. Come on, do what you just did, but try to hold it.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± I closed my eyes again, feeling the different sensations wash over me as I felt my powers get ready to fire.

    ¡°Are you there again?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Now you need to focus on how it feels when you have a vision. Try to ease into that mind set.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t sure how to do that exactly, but I tried doing what he said. My visions weren¡¯t every what I would call ¡®pleasant¡¯. Most of the time they were outright terrifying. People got hurt in them, I saw terrible things.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it,¡± I said. My powers relaxed again as I opened my eyes.

    Corey looked concerned. ¡°You¡¯re afraid of them, aren¡¯t you?¡± He asked gently.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, looking at the ground.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to fight it, Nate. They¡¯re your powers; they¡¯re a part of you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want them to be!¡± I said harsher than I meant to.

    Corey pulled back in momentary surprise, but he squared his jaw. ¡°Then take control of them and don¡¯t let them run you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple!¡±

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what you can do. You¡¯re gonna let some daydreams kick your ass?¡±

    He was right. I¡¯d spent most of life hiding from my own powers.

    ¡°Close your eyes and try again.¡±

    I nodded and listened, focusing on my powers again.

    ¡°Let down your guard. Don¡¯t fight one if it tries to come. Grab it and focus on it.¡±

    I sat there, concentrating for a moment until I felt something odd wander into my mind. It was weird, like the wall in the back of my mind, but it was like it was floating freely through my thoughts. Against my better judgement, I tried focusing on it, trying to break it open.

    For a minute, nothing happened, but then I felt it crack.

    ¡°Nate¡­?¡± was the last thing I heard as blue flooded my mind.

    A series of scenes and images flashed through my mind. It wasn¡¯t the statue anymore; I was in a void, floating, falling, flying with nothing to grab onto except for fragments of foresight.

    I saw Corey and I with the rest of the team standing back to back as a crowd of identical faces pressed in from all sides, a room of shifting psychedelic colors and patterns with a butterfly painted on the wall, a field of bones rattling and shifting like they were still alive, two stars violently clashing in the dark sky, and then everything converged to a single point.

    I saw myself, older, in a uniform I didn¡¯t recognize. I was standing on the edge of a cliff, staring at a giant mass shifting and writhing the distance. It must have been hundreds of miles across, and it was getting bigger. No, not bigger, closer. With every passing second, it drew nearer.

    A deep gasp flushed my lungs with air. It felt like I¡¯d been holding my breath for hours. I coughed and sputtered, sitting up and looking around. Corey was hiding behind his steeled wings, and I realized with horror there were scorch marks everywhere, all of them spreading out from me.

    ¡°What happened? Are you hurt?¡± I asked, getting to my feet and walking over to Corey.

    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m fine,¡±

    ¡°Oh God, I¡¯m so sorry¡ªI-I didn¡¯t¡ªIt was¡ª¡±

    ¡°Nate!¡± he said, grapping my shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m fine, you didn¡¯t hurt me. Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t know. But, are you sure I didn¡¯t hurt you? I¡¯m sorry, I knew it was a mistake¡ª¡±

    My mind was running a mile a minute. What if I turned Corey to ash like Saint¡¯s rats, or¡ª

    Before I could spiral any further, Corey hugged me. The sudden contact caught me off guard. I tensed up, not realizing what was going on.

    ¡°See, I¡¯m fine!¡± he said, letting go, a grin on his face. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only meta you know.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªNo, shut up for a second. Look at me, I¡¯m fine. Neither one of us knew what would happen, but now we do. And next time we try, I¡¯ll be behind a wall.¡±

    ¡°Next time?¡± I asked hesitantly.

    ¡°You bet your ass,¡± He said, smiling.

    I looked at him in shock for a minute, but soon enough, after seeing how earnest he was, I couldn¡¯t help but smiling a bit myself.

    ¡°Now, what did you see?¡±

 Dilate 3.11

    We were standing in a circle, heavy rain beating down as we held our ground. Our feet sunk into the softening ground as lightning crashed overhead. The base note of the thunder was drowned out by the marching of feet.

    A crowd of identical faces pressed closer, snarling and growling like animals. Their features weren¡¯t human, more like what a child ask to draw a face from memory might make. Remembering why I was here, I looked around, trying to find a clue about where or when this was going to happen.

    Beyond the shifting crowd, there wasn¡¯t anything but a dark blue void. Nothing. Why couldn¡¯t these visions ever be more helpful?

    One of the claw-like hands raked past my face, they were getting too close. And then I heard it: hundreds of voices shrieked it into the night.

    Idyllium.

    The savage crowed seemed to chant it, over and over, getting louder until I couldn¡¯t hear myself think. Mercifully, the blue faded from my vision, and I was looking up at the ceiling of the gym.

    ¡°Same one?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, pretty much,¡± I said, too tired to muster anything else. ¡°But they were saying something this time. ¡®Idyllium¡¯ or something.¡±

    ¡°Nate, that¡¯s huge!¡± Corey said, walking over to help me up.

    ¡°You think so?¡± I asked, put off by his enthusiasm.

    Corey rolled his eyes. ¡°Duh, ya big glowstick. It¡¯s something we can go to Hollands with at least. I mean, this could put us on a new mission.¡±

    I felt like we were chasing our tails trying to get my powers to work. Corey meant well though. We¡¯d been working at it for hours when we weren¡¯t in combat training or hanging out with the others. He was a nice guy, and oddly upbeat when it came to my powers. Still, a mission didn¡¯t sound so bad, even if the fight with Judas was still fresh in my mind.

    But lately, I¡¯d been having the same vision over and over. Sometimes there was a small difference, but never anything to go on before.

    ¡°If it gets us out of more meetings with the Director, I¡¯m game.¡±

    Ever since he¡¯d set his sights on me, I felt like he was making us sit in on meetings as some sort of unusual punishment. One of them was nothing but talking about hiring a new groundskeeper. You¡¯d think that¡¯d be simple, but Duncan managed to drag it out for three hours. Not only that, but he¡¯d been sitting in on our training exercises and giving us ¡®tips¡¯.

    ¡°Director Duncan isn¡¯t that bad,¡± Corey said as we started for the door.

    ¡°He¡¯s an asshole.¡±

    Corey shrugged, ¡°Maybe, but he does run a tight ship.¡±

    ¡°He let Hollands and Cypher put me on your team while I was compromised.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­yeah but look how that turned out.¡±

    I smiled, but I could see he didn¡¯t have a real answer for that. When we got to the elevator Corey hit the button for the third floor: where Holland¡¯s office was.

    ¡°We¡¯re going straight to Hollands?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Corey retorted with a grin.

    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not a lot to go on, and don¡¯t you think we should tell Erin first?¡±

    Corey shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s something, and I don¡¯t know¡ªthis was kind of your thing, you know? Something we were working on. But you¡¯re probably right,¡± He said, pressing the button for the second floor.

    <hr>

    ¡°Back so soon?¡± Whitney asked, craning her neck over the back of the couch as we walked in.

    ¡°We think we found something,¡± Corey replied, vaulting over the couch to flop down next to Whitney.

    Whitney looked at us with a curious expression as I walked over to sit in one of the armchairs. ¡°You ¡®think¡¯ you found something?¡± She asked, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°Corey¡¯s been helping me try to figure out my powers a bit more,¡± I explained.

    ¡°That¡¯s what you guys have been sneaking off to do?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say ¡®sneaking off¡¯, but yeah, Nate¡¯s gotten better at having his visions,¡± Corey said a bit sheepishly.

    Whitney¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°What did you see?¡± She asked excitedly.

    ¡°So far it¡¯s just been the same thing over and over,¡± I grumbled.

    ¡°Well,¡± She said after a moment of silence. ¡°Spill the beans, Nate! Maybe it means something important if you keep seeing the same thing. Like a sign from the universe or something!¡±

    ¡°Okay, well, it¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s always storming; rain, thunder, everything. And the team is in there. We¡¯re standing back to back, and we¡¯re surrounded by this¡­crowd of people; all with the same face.¡±

    ¡°Like a duplicator, like Legion?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. In the vision, I had the odd feeling they were different people, just¡­all with the same face but different bodies.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Were they wearing masks?¡± She suggested, shrugging her shoulders.

    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so; they were growling and snarling and closing in on us. And they were all saying ¡®Idyllium¡¯.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? That¡¯s huge!¡± Corey said, sounding offended.

    ¡°Uh, not really. It¡¯s a random word, and there wasn¡¯t really any details to figure out where these people are, if they¡¯re real at all and not some sort of metaphor,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m with Whitney on this one,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s not a lot to go on.¡±

    Corey looked discouraged. ¡°Let¡¯s at least take it to Erin or Hollands and see what they have to say. It won¡¯t hurt anything, will it?¡±

    I looked over, and Whitney shrugged. ¡°I guess not, but it is Nate¡¯s vision. I think it should be up to you,¡± she said, looking at me.

    ¡°Yeah, why not. If it get¡¯s us out of Switzerland for a bit it¡¯ll be worth it.¡±

    A look of realization dawned on Whitney¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re right! Come on, I think Erin said she had a power eval today. She¡¯ll be wrapping that up soon,¡± she said, rocketing off the couch. ¡°I¡¯m going to blast that smug look of Duncan¡¯s face if I have to sit through one more of those damn meetings.¡±

    Corey grinned and jumped up after her, leaving me having to hurry to keep up with them. ¡°You said Erin was having a ¡®power eval¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like those physicals you used to have before you were sanctioned, but more focused on the combat side of your powers. Argus wants to make sure they¡¯re aware of any changes or new applications; things like that,¡± Corey explained.

    ¡°I always hated those.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, these aren¡¯t much better,¡± Whitney said.

    Whitney led us out of the main building and down the hill to one of smaller buildings that formed a ring around the complex.

    ¡°Have you been in here yet, Nate?¡± Corey asked idlily.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve only been in the main building and the R&D workshop.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got to give you a tour at some point,¡± Whitney called over her shoulder. ¡°Anyways, this building is Argus¡¯ research hospital. Most of the world¡¯s research on metahuman physiology comes out of here. And for the unfortunate saps that are hurt by their own powers, they can get treatment here.¡±

    The receptionist gave us a friendly smile as we walked in, apparently recognizing Corey and Whitney. Like most hospitals, the place had an almost uncomfortable sterilized smell and clinical¡ªno pun intended¡ªd¨¦cor. We walked past the front desk and took an elevator down a few floors to a hallway lined with windows that looked into rooms similar to the gym we trained in, but smaller and with more equipment lining the walls.

    ¡°I think she¡¯s down this way,¡± Whitney said. We walked past several empty rooms until we looked in one and saw Erin lifting a terrifying amount of weight over her head. Sweat was pouring down her face, but she looked completely focused. Her red aura was as bright as I¡¯d ever seen it.

    ¡°Woah.¡±

    Eventually, a buzzer sounded, and two pillars emerged from the ground to support the weight and allow Erin to relax and step out from underneath. A group of doctors I didn¡¯t see before came up and started talking to Erin while she recovered. I couldn¡¯t see all their faces, but the ones I could seemed almost proud.

    ¡°Come on, she¡¯s probably done by now,¡± Whitney said. She pushed open the door and led us inside.

    ¡°Hey guys,¡± Erin said, confused and breathing heavy. ¡°What are you doing here?¡¯

    ¡°Can¡¯t some friends offer moral support?¡± Whitney replied

    ¡°Uh, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Well, we have something else too,¡± Corey said. ¡°Nate had a vision.¡±

    ¡°Did you?¡± Erin asked, looking at me.

    I nodded, ¡°Yeah, we were being attacked by people saying ¡®Idyllium¡¯.¡±

    Erin¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You heard that in a vision?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­why?¡±

    ¡°I heard James and Hollands talking about it. Maybe you are on to something.¡±

    Corey beamed at me and Whitney, ¡°I told you! Come on, lets go see if Hollands will give us a mission.¡±

    Erin smiled. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Mr. Hollands!¡± Erin called out as we saw the spindly Brit walking towards his office. He looked up and a look I didn¡¯t recognize passed over his face.

    ¡°Argonauts. What can I do for you?¡±

    He sounded tired, with the circles under his eyes to match. I knew there were some issues with Judas¡¯ transfer to Site III, was that what was stressing him out?

    While I was lost in my daydream, Corey nudged me in the shoulder. ¡°Uh¡ª¡±

    Erin noticed my unpreparedness and stepped in. ¡°Nate had a vision about Idyllium.¡±

    Hollands¡¯ eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch. ¡°Perhaps you are as useful as Cypher says. What exactly do you know?¡±

    ¡°Not really anything except the name,¡± I said.

    Hollands furrowed his brow for a moment in thought. ¡°If you had a vision, it might be a sign. Come with me.¡±

    Corey grinned and gave us all a thumbs up as we fell in step behind the AID director. He led us through the maze of halls to a section of the building I hadn¡¯t been in before. That really wasn¡¯t anything to be surprised about, though. Most of it was locked down beyond my clearance level and not really that interesting.

    This room, though, looked straight out of a spy show. Hollands swiped a keycard and the doors slid open to reveal a hive of activity. It was something of a mix between pictures I¡¯d seen of the stock exchange and the NASA control room from movies. Rows of computer terminals and several massive screens on the far wall.

    ¡°Jacobs, pull up the file on Idyllium,¡± Hollands ordered one of they guys sitting nearby. After a few keystrokes, the biggest center screen cut to a satellite image of a field filled with tents.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to tell you all this, but this information is classified and should not be disclosed without approval. Anyway, this is a field outside the small town of Monarch, Wyoming. It¡¯s just outside Grand Teton National Park. A few months ago, the local Sheriff began reporting an influx of people. Vagrants, vagabonds, families on vacation. They weren¡¯t booking rooms at the local hotel, which wouldn¡¯t be that strange, until they noticed the community sprouting up in their backyard.¡±

    ¡°Idyllium?¡± Erin asked.

    Hollands nodded, ¡°Which would be an issue for the police to handle, except they quickly found out that all, or nearly all of Idyllium¡¯s inhabitants are metas. Three local¡­rednecks¡­were hospitalized after an altercation broke out over a claim of trespassing. Since then, Idyllium has refused to leave or talk to local law enforcement or Argus. They claim to be a safe haven for metahumans that want to live without being monitored by Argus.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a whole lot to ask is it?¡± Whitney asked quietly.

    ¡°A discussion for another time,¡± Hollands said surprisingly gently. ¡°The current issue, is people¡ªhumans get uncomfortable with that many metas in one place.¡±

    ¡°How many are we talking about,¡± I asked.

    ¡°By our best estimates, somewhere around three-hundred and growing by the week. I am under pressure to find a way to peacefully break up Idyllium. The issue is, I can¡¯t send in any normal agents without them being found out as human, and I can¡¯t send in any heroes without them being recognized. You all, however¡­¡±

    ¡°You want us to go in?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°The idea hadn¡¯t occurred to me until recently, but you may be able to get us info. Much to the chagrin of your PR team, the Argonauts haven¡¯t been making headlines. A shortcoming that may be a temporary strength.¡±

    ¡°Do you want us to find out who¡¯s behind it?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°We know that.¡± Hollands motioned to the same guy and the image on the screen changed to a woman with long black hair. ¡°Dana Kane, aka Savant. A sanctioned empath that mostly served the private sector, though she has consulted with Argus in the past. She¡¯s the one organizing all of this. We think if we can extract her quietly, the rest will peacefully disperse. What I think we need you to do, is gather as much information as you can, and report back to us so we can coordinate a precision plan.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say she was an empath, though?¡± Whitney asked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t she pick us out as spies?¡±

    ¡°I have an idea to solve that,¡± Hollands said, a sly gleam in his eyes.

 Dilate 3.12

    ¡°Are we there yet?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Erin sighed.

    Whitney leaned her head against the window and stared at the scenery rolling past. ¡°Feels like we¡¯ve been driving for hours. Can¡¯t we just pull over and take a break?¡±

    ¡°You know why we can¡¯t,¡± Erin said, glancing at Whitney in the rear view with a sympathetic look.

    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±

    ¡°We are going to need gas soon,¡± Ian said.

    Erin didn¡¯t say anything, but the van seemed to pick up speed slightly. We had been driving for more than a day straight, switching off ever so often and only stopping long enough to get gas. We had to reach Idyllium soon. We had to.

    Wyoming wasn¡¯t that much to look at either. For the last few hundred miles, everything had been basically flat and boring except for the mountains growing the distance. I¡¯d never been to Yellowstone or Grand Teton before, but as much as I wanted it to be, this wasn¡¯t a vacation. Nobody wanted to talk about it, but I could see worry written on everyone¡¯s face.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll pull off up here and get some gas. We fill up and then we leave. Understood?¡±

    A short chorus of yeses rang out as Erin merged onto the offramp. The gas station was empty except for one old man with a beat-up truck at the far pump. ¡°This is our last fifty bucks,¡± Erin said quietly to Ian.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t get mugged walking thirty feet to the door,¡± Ian said with uncharacteristic optimism. Erin nodded and handed over the money as we piled out of the van.

    ¡°God, my back is stiff,¡± Corey said, wincing as he stretched. I could see his wings shift slightly under his coat. I felt sorry for him, I couldn¡¯t imagine it¡¯d be comfortable to keep wings pressed against your back for that long.

    ¡°Come on, boys, lets get some junk food and soda,¡± Whitney said, hooking an arm around my and Corey¡¯s neck and pushing us towards the door to the gas station.

    ¡°This is all our money,¡± Ian warned, walking past us to put money on the pump.

    ¡°Change of plans,¡± Whitney whispered. ¡°We borrow some junk food and soda.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t do that!¡± I whispered back.

    ¡°Why not? They won¡¯t even miss it.¡±

    ¡°We have to keep a low profile, remember?¡±

    ¡°Nate, Argus isn¡¯t going to catch us because we swiped a bag a trail mix. Just follow my lead.¡±

    I glanced at Corey who grinned apprehensively. Adam stayed back at the van with Erin, keeping a watchful eye out for our ¡°friends¡±. Ian pushed open the door and went straight to the clerk to pay for the gas while Whitney led me and Corey through the aisles.

    ¡°Corey, open up your jacket just a little,¡± Whitney whispered as she deftly plucked random things off the shelves while man at the front counter rang Ian up. I realized that this wasn¡¯t Whitney¡¯s first time doing something like this.

    ¡°That¡¯s too much he¡¯ll notice!¡± Corey hissed, trying to zip up his coat.

    ¡°Only if you don¡¯t stop acting weird,¡± Whitney whispered.

    I glanced worryingly at the clerk, but Ian was idly chatting with the guy.

    ¡°¡ªfine, you take it,¡± Whitney said, stuffing the bag inside my jacket. I fumbled with it for a second, but managed to catch it under my arm after an uncomfortable amount of crinkling plastic. ¡°Corey, go ahead and walk out¡ªcalmly. Nate, browse for a little longer,¡± Whitney ordered. She slunk off to a different aisle, keeping an eye on Corey as he walked out and the clerk.

    This was crazy. Petty theft? I never imagined my life would come to this. I was a janitor just a few days ago, but Chicago felt like it was years ago. Did I even trust these guys? I barely knew them, but for some reason...I just felt like we had some sort of connection.

    ¡°PST!¡±

    My head shot up and looked over to Whitney. Apparently, it was my turn to leave. I nodded and started walking for the door trying to not act suspicious, but I didn¡¯t have any clue if it was working. Ian was wrapping up his conversation with the clerk as I walked out the door apparently unnoticed.

    ¡°Alright, everyone pile in,¡± Erin said, flipping the gas cap cover closed. ¡°Where¡¯s Whitney?¡± She asked, doing a quick headcount.

    ¡°She¡¯s still coming out,¡± Adam said, looking at the storefront.

    ¡°Come on, Whit,¡± Erin called out, climbing back into the driver¡¯s seat.

    ¡°I¡¯m comin¡¯,¡± Whitney yelled back, making no attempt to move any faster.

    Suddenly, Adam jerked his head up like he heard something.

    ¡°What¡¯s¡ª¡± Corey started to ask before Adam cut him off.

    ¡°¡ªShh.¡±

    ¡°Adam?¡± Erin asked worriedly, sticking her head out the window.

    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± Adam said, producing a hidden pistol.

    As soon as he said that, we heard two engines roaring in the distance, growing louder by the second.

    ¡°Go! Go!¡± He yelled.

    We didn¡¯t argue, diving into the van as Erin floored the accelerator. We peeled out of the gas station and onto the road towards the on-ramp just as we spotted two black SUVs roaring into view on the road behind us.

    ¡°Shit. There¡¯s no way we¡¯re gonna out run them in this piece of junk,¡± Erin said, a faint blue glow forming around her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll slow them down,¡± I said, not sure where the words came from. It was like I was running on autopilot.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Corey said, but was too late, my energy was already flowing over me. Suddenly, I felt reality tear as my vision filled with shards light as I slipped out of reality and into the forest that haunted my dreams.

    Something felt wrong. Like someone else was in control. We were in trouble though, so I pushed that out of my head, and opened another portal. I step out onto the highway, facing down the black vehicles racing towards me. Killing the agents would only make Argus come after us harder, so I had to just slow them down.

    Extra energy surged to my hands as I fired two beams at the SUVs. I aimed for their tires, not sure just how much damage I would do, but hoping it would be on the minimal side. I hit the one on the right dead on; the tire blew instantly and folded inward. The second beam missed its mark and tore down the side of the vehicle, denting and crumpling the metal. Luckily, the damage to the first one caused it to swerve violently into the back of the second¡­and then they slid towards me as a giant hunk of steel.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    I opened another portal and jumped into the Forest seconds before coming face-to-face with an accident in progress. That was insane! Why did I do that? I shook my head and sighed in relief. Now I had to get back into the van. I¡¯d never tried opening a portal into an enclosed space like a van, much less a moving one.

    ¡°Here goes nothing,¡± I said, hoping the presence was listening. I took off running in the direction I thought the van was going and picked up some speed before tearing open another portal. When I stepped through the portal my foot didn¡¯t hit the ground like I expected. The portal had apparently opened five feet in the air. As a result, my face was introduced to the pavement.

    Hoping no one saw that, I clambered back to my feet and broke into a run, opening another portal to the forest and took another few steps before trying to get into the van again. I mentally aimed myself into where I thought it would be in a few seconds, really hoping I wouldn¡¯t overshoot and end up getting run over.

    That wasn¡¯t a happy thought.

    Trying not to dwell on that for too long, I steeled myself and jumped at the same instant I tore open another portal. I made it into the van, barely. While I had some momentum, the van had a lot more. I ended up slamming into the back of the trunk area, which would have hurt a hell of a lot more if it hadn¡¯t been for my nice cushion of energy.

    ¡°Jesus!¡± Erin shouted as the van rocked with my impact.

    ¡°That was so fucking stupid! Are you alright?¡± Cory asked, turning around in his seat to make sure I was in one piece.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, letting my energy fade. That felt exhilarating, but...like d¨¦j¨¤ vu, almost.

    ¡°You could have gotten yourself killed!¡±

    ¡°Seems like he did a pretty good job to me,¡± Adam said.

    ¡°And more importantly, it worked,¡± Ian said from the passenger seat, looking in the sideview mirror at the traffic accident I¡¯d caused.

    Corey still looked concerned, but it looked like he didn¡¯t want to start an argument. ¡°We don¡¯t need to be reckless,¡± he said quietly, turning back around.

    What was up with him? He¡¯d been a little off since¡­since¡­

    Maybe it was the adrenaline and the sudden impact, but I couldn¡¯t quite place when the change took place. It was just vaguely ¡°a few days ago¡± in my mind. Maybe it was just the stress getting to all of us. Not many people got away from Argus unscathed, but if my visions were right, Idyllium could protect us.

    <hr>

    After another uneventful hour and a half, the flatness of Wyoming slowly gave way to mountains and trees. The highway became a two-lane road as we started to wind through the valleys towards Monarch.  It wasn¡¯t a very impressive town; main street was lined with a half-dozen mom and pop shops with almost half as many boarded up and abandoned. The sheriff¡¯s office had a lone police car parked in front of it. The scenery was nice, though. Tall pine trees lined the sides of the hills and mountains, haloed by a faint fog that kept from being burned away by a thick cloud cover.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    It reminded me of the trips we took to Tennessee when I was younger; completely different from the rigid towers of glass and steel in Chicago.  Erin¡¯s voice pulled my attention back to the moment, ¡°Where do we go from here, Nate?¡±

    ¡°How am I supposed to know?¡±

    ¡°It was your vision,¡± Ian said.

    ¡°Yeah, a vision, it¡¯s not like it comes with GPS.¡±

    Ian rolled his eyes and set back in his chair with an almost imperceptible huff.

    ¡°Boys, play nice,¡± Erin said, scanning the few people on the street. ¡°They have to have phones or a radio, right? Can you ¡®scan the airwaves¡¯ and try to give us a direction?¡±

    Ian cocked his head to the side, ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯ll still need a map or something.¡±

    ¡°We can get one there,¡± Adam said, leaning forward and pointing to a separate building at the end of main street.  It had a glass front with ¡°Visitor Center¡± written in bold lettering with green and gold paint.

    ¡°This place isn¡¯t exactly meta-friendly, remember? The three guys in the hospital we heard about?¡± Whitney cut in.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go, the rest of you wait here,¡± Adam said, pulling open the side door.

    ¡°Adam, wait¡ª¡± Erin call out, but Adam was already walking to the door of the visitor center. ¡°Damn it, Adam.¡± Erin sighed and unbuckled her seat belt. ¡°Start trying to give us a location, I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t say anything stupid¡ªor punch anyone,¡± Erin told Ian.

    She opened her door and caught up to Adam with a few long strides, leaving the four of us in the van. ¡°Just keep your eyes open,¡± Ian said as he closed his own.

    ¡°So, you guys want to play ¡®I spy¡¯?¡± Whitney asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Guess not,¡± She said after we didn¡¯t answer. ¡°You guys are so uptight,¡± She said, reaching to the dashboard and turning the radio on.

    Ian¡¯s eyes opened and he reached over and immediately turned it off. ¡°I can see EM radiation, what do you think the radio does? I¡¯ll give you a hint: it¡¯s in the name ¡®radio¡¯. I don¡¯t need a flashlight in my face when I¡¯m trying to see a lighthouse.¡±

    Whitney¡¯s eyes narrowed, keeping them locked on Ian as she reached over and turned the radio back on. ¡°I don¡¯t need to be bored when I¡¯m trying not to blow things up. Deal.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Ian grumbled.

    Apparently satisfied with herself, Whitney changed the station a few times until settling on a news station and leaning back.

    ¡°¡ªWildfires continue to spread dangerously close to Yellowstone. Officials were concerned with its rapid growth; however, they are confident they will have 100% containment in the upcoming days.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like it¡¯s getting bad,¡± Corey said.

    ¡°Yeah, it does¡­¡± Whitney trailed off. ¡°I¡¯m sure they can handle it, though. And if it gets too bad, they can call in Colossus, or Voyager.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Voyager comes that far inland, does she?¡± I asked, knowing the aquatic hero usually stuck to the ocean.

    Whitney shrugged, ¡°Maybe, who knows?¡±

    ¡°Guys,¡± Ian said, ¡°There are people walking towards us.¡±

    He opened his eyes and looked out the window. ¡°I think they¡¯re just walking by,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure,¡± Ian said ominously.

    There were three of them, young guys maybe our age or just a few years older. They seemed locked on our van in a very bad way. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Erin and Adam walk out with a map unfolded in front of them.

    I had a sneaking suspicion Ian was right, but before I could say anything, another vision beat its way into my skull. Rapid images flashed through my mind; a glimpse of the street, the six of us facing the three of them, the glint of a knife, and then on of the guys lying on the street, me standing over him.

    My vision cleared, and I was staring at the roof of the van. ¡°Nate¡­¡± Corey said hesitantly. ¡°What did you see?¡±

    ¡°This is gonna be bad,¡± I said, pulling open the side door.

    ¡°You mean a fight?¡± Whitney asked, a little bit too excitedly, following me out with Corey brining up the rear.

    ¡°What¡¯s going¡ª¡± Before Erin finished, she noticed the three locals. I saw Adam reach for his gun, but Erin caught his arm.

    ¡°Can we help you?¡± Erin asked, her voice guarded.

    ¡°Probably not,¡± The guy in front¡ªthey guy I¡­killed¡­in the vision¡ªreplied. ¡°We¡¯ve just had some trouble lately with strangers passing through lately, and we¡ª¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to be causing any trouble,¡± Erin said, motioning for us to get back in the van.

    ¡°Really? A bunch of freaks like you think you can just parade yourselves through town without us noticing. I bet you¡¯re going to join that cult up in the woods,¡± The local said, taking an aggressive step forward.

    ¡°Hey, watch who you¡¯re calling a freak,¡± Whitney said, brushing past me. A bit of black smoke was starting to fall from her hair, removing any doubt we were metas.

    ¡°It¡¯s illegal for you to use those powers, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°Knock it off,¡± Erin said, walking forward like a mother bear, towering over the local. ¡°We¡¯ll be going.¡±

    ¡°Not so fast, freak!¡± he said, pulling the pocketknife. ¡°You freaks put my cousin in a hospital!¡±

    I summoned my energy and Erin glowed green. The locals seemed to take a half step back, but they were too stupid to be afraid. It felt like we were on track for this to turn into my vision, and I couldn¡¯t see an easy way out.

    ¡°We¡¯re not trying to start a fight,¡± Erin reasoned.

    ¡°Too bad!¡± The local said, slashing with his knife, only for it to do absolutely nothing to Erin. ¡°What?¡± He said in confusion.

    Whitney looked like she was about to explode, but before anyone could do anything, an unnatural fog billowed down the street. It felt¡­heavier than normal fog, but it moved like it was alive. Was this a meta¡¯s doing? The fog seemed to swallow us, cutting off my view of the locals, but then I felt the world shift.

    It felt like when I stepped through my portals, but I didn¡¯t move; at least I didn¡¯t think I moved until the fog started to clear. I saw the vague shape of the others standing around me, and the dark shape of the van, but we weren¡¯t standing on the street anymore. We were in¡­the woods?

    ¡°Haha, you did it!¡±

    We all turned to see three new people standing a few feet away; two guys and a girl who looked like she was about to pass out. She was on the shorter side, thin frame with wavy brown hair and glasses. The guy standing next to her had a short beard of scruff and what looked like shoulder-length dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. The last guy was cleanshaven with light brown hair clipped short. Where his friend was smiling with pride, he was watching us closely.

    The three locals were nowhere to be seen, just like Monarch¡­

    ¡°Where are we?¡± Erin asked, not letting her glow fade.

    ¡°Oh! Right! Kind of rude to translocate people without askin¡¯ first.  You¡¯re a few miles from where we picked you up thanks to Luna here.¡±

    ¡°Hi,¡± She said quietly, giving a little wave.

    ¡°I¡¯m Quill, and this is Jeremy. And, pardon our little stunt, but it looked like you could use some help. We don¡¯t want the locals to think we¡¯re causing any more trouble, so we did our best to defuse the situation.¡±

    ¡°And by ¡®we¡¯ you mean¡­?¡± Ian asked.

    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t y¡¯all looking for Idyllium?¡± Quill asked.

    ¡°Uh, yeah¡­how did¡­?¡± Erin trailed off.

    ¡°Savant, she kind of runs the show around here: she¡¯s a real good empath, and she picked you guys up on her radar a few miles outside of town and figured you might need a little hand finding us.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We were hoping¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªTo find some place to lay low from Argus for a while?¡± Quill finished, smiling like it was Christmas morning. ¡°Don¡¯t look so surprised. Empath, remember? Well, she is, I¡¯m not. Y¡¯all can leave your van here, we¡¯ll send someone up to move it later. Grab your stuff and we¡¯ll see if we can¡¯t get y¡¯all settled.¡±

    Quill and Luna turned and started through the woods. Jeremy stayed put, waiting for us to start walking.

    ¡°Well guys¡­lets go, I guess,¡± Erin said, grabbing a duffle bag out of the van and taking off after Quill. We followed suit, and Jeremy brought up the rear of the group. Was he the muscle to make sure we didn¡¯t do anything to hurt Idyllium? Quill being the carrot while he was the stick?

    Everyone else seemed just as disoriented as I was by the whirlwind of whatever power Luna had bringing us here. We were all quiet as we walked through the woods, no one saying anything except for Quill who hadn¡¯t stopped talking.

    ¡°¡ªI¡¯ve been here about two months, and I can¡¯t tell you how awesome it is to be around other metas and not have to worry about what people think about your gifts. And before you ask, no, we aren¡¯t a cult or some hippie commune. I¡¯ll be honest, that¡¯s what I thought it was at first. Once you get used to it, you¡¯ll love it here too.¡±

    Quill led us into a clearing filled with an array of tents with a few wooden buildings near the middle and some more under construction. A girl was sitting on a stump about halfway between us and the closest of the tents. She waved as Quill got a little closer, and I saw her eyes were larger than normal, and glowing a solid yellow. Quill waved back and forged on into the sea of tents.

    ¡°There¡¯s so many of you,¡± Whitney said in amazement.

    ¡°So many of us,¡± Quill corrected. ¡°We have people from all over the States; even a few from Mexico and Canada.¡±

    ¡°How did they find this place?¡± Ian asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know that personally. Savant and Ed take care of findin¡¯ people.¡±

    ¡°Ed?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s Savant¡¯s right-hand man. Another empath, actually. Probably why they get along so well.¡±

    ¡°What are they like?¡± Ian interrogated.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure full of questions, but you¡¯ll see for yourself in about five seconds,¡± Quill answered as we neared the wooden buildings in the center of the¡­of Idyllium.

    It almost reminded me of a traveling carnival, except there wasn¡¯t any Ferris wheels or halls of mirrors. There was plenty of strange stuff though. People controlling fire, moving things with their mind, even a few people flying.

    ¡°Here we are,¡± Quill announced when we reached what felt like the center of the buildings. It wasn¡¯t fancy; not anything like a house, more like a wooden rectangle with windows and a door. Like a cabin at summer camp.  ¡°Come on, Savant doesn¡¯t bite, I promise,¡± Quill said, walking up the steps and pushing open the door.

    The inside didn¡¯t look much better than the exterior. Simple furniture that looked like it was built by hand, and makeshift wiring. ¡°Ah, here they are, right on time.¡±

    I looked to see the woman who had spoken. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, with raven hair that fell past her shoulders. She was wearing jeans and a leather jacket and smiling warmly. Other than who I assumed was Savant, there was a completely average-looking guy with a hawk-like nose and piercing eyes, and an old guy with a massive grey beard.

    ¡°Did you find them alright?¡± Savant asked.

    Luna nodded, ¡°Right where you said they would be.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Savant nodded, walking around a table with a map spread open. ¡°Well, first of all, welcome to Idyllium. I am Savant, and this is Edward,¡± Savant said, motioning to the hawk-nosed man.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Erin, and this is Adam, Ian, Whitney, Corey, and Nate.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to see so many new faces at once, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s also a little strange. We are usually the ones that find people to bring here, but you somehow managed to find us on your own?¡±

    Savant phrased it as an innocent question, but I realized what this was; an interrogation.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t made the nation news yet, so who sent you?¡± Ed asked, his voice gruff and not at all as pleasant as Savant¡¯s.

    ¡°No one sent us,¡± Erin said quickly, ¡°Nate, here is a precog, he has visions. They led us here.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ed asked, sounding like he didn¡¯t believe us.

    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, that¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve heard that,¡± Savant said. ¡°As much as I want to welcome you into our fold, I owe it to these people to keep them safe. I¡¯m going to need to confirm your story.¡±

    ¡°Of course, we completely understand. We don¡¯t want to put anyone at risk, but to be totally honest, Argus is chasing us, and¡ª¡±

    Savant cut Ian off, ¡°¡ªI¡¯m aware of your situation with Argus. We can keep you safe here, but we need to know you don¡¯t mean us harm. As you might know by now, I¡¯m an empath; I read emotions like others read words. I won¡¯t force you, but in order for us to allow you to stay, I am going to need to do a full reading of all of you.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have anything to hide,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°Is that true for all of you?¡± Savant asked.

    We all nodded. I just wanted a place to be safe.

    ¡°Okay, then. Everyone, please close your eyes.¡±

    I did, and immediately felt a strange crawling sensation in my spine. It reminded me of something, but¡­I couldn¡¯t place it. Like d¨¦j¨¤ vu again. It only lasted a second, and then Savant told us to open our eyes.

    She was smiling, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what you¡¯ve all had to go through, but you can find sanctuary here. I¡¯m sorry for my suspicion, but not that this is behind us, you all can stay here as long as you like. However, we do have a few rules. You need to work in order to earn your meals, but we won¡¯t ask you to do anything backbreaking. Quill will find you work assignments in a day or two, until then, feel free to explore and meet others like yourselves. As for housing, I¡¯m sure you saw that we¡¯re only just starting to build permanent structures, so you¡¯ll need to share tents until we can find you something better.¡±

    I think we all let out a sigh of relief we she said we could stay. ¡°Thank you, that all sounds fine,¡± Erin said, speaking for us all.

    ¡°We can talk more later, but I¡¯m a bit busy now. Quill, could you please take them to the supply building and then show them where they can pitch their tents?¡±

    ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am,¡± Quill said, smiling and leading us out the door.

    I was still reeling from everything that had happened in the last few hours, but maybe this really was it. Maybe we¡¯d found a place to stay. People were giving us curious looks, but they weren¡¯t creepy or worrying; they were welcoming, inviting. Friendly, even.

    Quill was leading us towards another one of the wooden buildings, but I felt myself slowing down and falling behind the group. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out and grabbed me, pulling me into an alley way between two of the buildings and shoving me against the wall.

    ¡°Hey, Soot.¡±

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

    My eyes focused on a short blonde wearing a hoodie and thick-rimmed hipster glasses. The irises of her eyes were glowing a soft pink, and she was smiling mischievously.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡­.hey?¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on, Soot, don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t remember me!¡±

    ¡°Look, I think you have me confused with someone, I mean, I think I would remember someone like you.¡±

    Her smile turned to a look of utter confusion with a hint of anger.

    ¡°Nate. It¡¯s me. It¡¯s the Anarchist.¡±

    I just stared at her blankly.

    The glow in her pupils brightened and I felt an itch in my mind.

    ¡°They fucking screwed with your head. You don¡¯t remember me¡­¡±

 Dilate 3.13

    ¡°Look, um, Anarchist? Right? You seem nice enough, but I¡¯m pretty sure you have me confused with another guy, so, if you don¡¯t mind¡ª¡± I said, pushing past the crazy girl and trying to make an escape to the safety of my group before they got too far away.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    She didn¡¯t touch me, but my legs suddenly locked up and I stopped dead in my tracks. ¡°Yeah, I have you confused with someone else, but I know your name? Nathaniel Thomas Peterson?¡±

    I tried to turn back and look at her with a glare, but my legs still wouldn¡¯t move, resulting in me turned as far as I could manage like a bad fashion pose. This girl was crazy.

    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy,¡± She said like she could read my mind.

    ¡°Because I can read your mind, idiot.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a telepath?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how you knew my name.¡± I said, still not convinced, especially when presented with this fact.

    ¡°Y¡ªn-no, just, God!¡± She said, pushing her glasses up to rub the bridge of her nose in frustration. Then she perked up like she had an epiphany, ¡°Your hand!¡±

    ¡°My hand?¡± I asked as she grabbed my right arm to inspect my hand. I tried to pull away, but another order to stop from The Anarchist and my right side went limp. She uncurled my fingers and looked my hand over, apparently not finding what she was searching for.

    ¡°Where is it?¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s what?¡±

    ¡°The scar you moron! From where Butcher bit your fingers off.¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯ve never had a scar on my hand, and I¡¯ve never had my fingers bitten off by anything.¡±

    ¡°Damn Asclepius.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Nevermind,¡± She grumbled. Groaning, I saw the glow in her eyes brighten. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll forgive me later, but I need your memories back,¡± She said, reaching for my face.

    ¡°I¡¯m not missing any memories!¡± She ignored me and put her palm on my forehead.

    ¡°Anarchist!¡±

    We both looked, startled, at Ian who suddenly appeared in the alley. ¡°Let him go.¡±

    ¡°You know her?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Sort-of,¡± Ian said, staring at the girl intently.

    ¡°So, they let you keep your memories?¡± She asked, pulling her hand away.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Ian said, his voice steady.

    The Anarchist looked back at me and smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll talk later,¡± she said with a wink before walking away. I suddenly felt control return to my body, but when I whirled around, The Anarchist and already rounded the corner at the other end of the alley.

    ¡°Ian¡­w-what?¡±

    ¡°Just a crazy nutjob, don¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s get back to the group¡­¡±

    ¡°Ian, I¡¯m not an idiot. What the hell was she talking about?¡±

    ¡°She was just getting into your head; she¡¯s a telepath, it¡¯s what they do. Now come on.¡±

    ¡°But she¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªIs good at what she does,¡± Ian said, walking back out into the main thoroughfare.

    ¡°No, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªNate, not everyone is going to be your friend. Some people are out to get you. She saw you as a target and tried to take advantage of you.¡±

    The venom in Ian¡¯s words caught me completely off guard. He looked at me like I insulted him in the worst way humanly possible.

    ¡°Dude, what¡¯s your problem?¡±

    ¡°My problem? I¡¯m trying to keep us all alive; including your stupid ass, but then you¡ªyou¡­never mind. Just shut up and come on.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what to say, all that aggression out of what felt like nowhere. I mean, Ian wasn¡¯t my favorite in the group, but¡­

    A few people were giving me sideways looks, and I could feel heat rising in my face. Damnit Ian. Before I lost him in the crowd, I reluctantly started walking.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Nate?¡±

    ¡°Right behind me,¡± Ian mumbled as we caught up to the others at one of the last wooden buildings before the tents took over.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Erin looked confused but nodded.

    ¡°Well, alright, now that the stragglers have caught up, we can get y¡¯all situated,¡± Quill said, turning to a desk with an older woman with white hair standing behind it. ¡°Alright, Pam, we have six new arrivals that need tents and supplies.¡±

    ¡°Oh, well that¡¯s just lovely. But I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re a bit limited. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to double up until we can get some more,¡± Pam said as several small bundles came floating out of a back room.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Erin said as one of the tents was gently placed in her arms. ¡°We¡¯ll make do.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re working on building some more permanent housing, but it¡¯s not going as fast as we would like,¡± Quill explained.

    ¡°So, I guess we¡¯re going to be tent-mates.¡±

    I looked over to see Corey holding one of the folded-up tents. ¡°Yeah, I guess so,¡± I said, glancing at Adam and Ian standing off in a little group. There must have been some tension in my voice because I saw Corey¡¯s face fall slightly out of the corner of my eye.

    ¡°Oh, well, I mean, we don¡¯t have to, I just figured¡ª¡±

    ¡°What, no. That sounds great!¡± I said quickly. ¡°Ian just kind of pissed me of earlier, but we can talk about it later,¡± I added seeing an inquisitive look on Corey¡¯s face.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Corey said as more items placed themselves in our arms.

    ¡°And that should be everything!¡± Pam said with a little lilt in her voice. ¡°You should all have some flashlights and extra batteries, a sleeping bag each, a pillow, some blankets¡ªIt gets cold at night¡ªand some toiletries. And if you find yourselves needing anything, just come by and let me know and we¡¯ll see what we can do.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, we¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Erin said, looking for Quill for what we should do next.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you all the last few landmarks, and then you can go get yourselves settled,¡± Quill said, holding the door open so we could file through.

    ¡°That long building over there is the mess hall; we have food at 7:00 am, noon, and 7:00 pm, and it goes fast, so you don¡¯t want to be late. We have men and women¡¯s showers and a laundromat just over there, but there¡¯s always a long wait, so try not to hold things up.

    ¡°As for your tents, you can pitch them up anywhere you can find room, but there¡¯s not really any until you go to the outskirts. Just stay inside the stump ring and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Stump ring?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s a ring of tree stumps that goes around the whole place. Jeremy¡ªthe guy that was with me in the woods when we found you guys, and someone you¡¯ll me eventually: Seth set it up to make sure it¡¯s damn impossible to sneak in here without the alarm going up.¡±

    ¡°So, it¡¯s not just a bunch of stumps?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know how it works,¡± Quill admitted, shrugging a bit.  ¡°But anyway, go get yourselves set up and explore the place a little like Savant said. I¡¯ll find y¡¯all tomorrow and let you know where y¡¯all be workin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°What will we be doing, exactly?¡± Ian asked. His tone was bordering on demanding, but Quill didn¡¯t seem to notice.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be construction for most of you. We need all hands on deck to get more buildings finished, but we might find other things for you to do if there¡¯s things that fit your skillset a little better.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll look forward to it,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll see y¡¯all tomorrow.¡±

    Quill gave one last smile and walked off, leaving us in the sea of tents. Some of the other residents of Idyllium¡ªIdyllians? ¡ªwere going about their business. Some of them gave us friendly waves and curious looks, but they didn¡¯t bother us.

    ¡°Okay, I guess we should find somewhere to pitch these,¡± Erin said, looking around.

    Like Quill said, besides the walkways, there was barely a square inch free. ¡°Hey, are you guys lost?¡± We looked over to see a girl, maybe in her mid-teens floating over to us. Violet energy spiraled down her arms apparently generating the lift that let her hover at least a foot off the ground.

    ¡°Uh, kind of¡­?¡±

    The glow disappeared and the girl dropped to her feet. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Dani!¡± She announced, offering her hand to shake.

    ¡°Nice to meet you?¡± I said, shaking her hand.

    ¡°So, you guys are new in town, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we just got here this morning.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡± Dani said, floating a few feet into the air. Her hair seemed to defy gravity, like she was weightless. ¡°There¡¯s almost no young people here, but it¡¯s so much better than being back home. Anyway, I know where a great spot nobody¡¯s taken yet.  And it¡¯s not that far from where my family¡¯s tent is¡­¡±

    Dani kept talking as she floated off towards the edge of the tents. We glanced around at each other and collectively shrugged. Our impromptu guide hadn¡¯t stopped talking yet. It was just a constant stream of conscious. But it seemed like she was genuinely excited. Maybe this place wasn¡¯t so bad. On top of that, I couldn¡¯t get over her just floating; using her powers like it was the most common thing in the world.

    Except for heroes, nobody used their powers in public. It would be like a person carrying around a loaded gun and waving it in the air. But here? I glanced around and saw other people flying, levitating things, teleporting, carrying hundreds of pounds like it was nothing. So many metas in one place.

    Lots of strange people. Maybe it wasn¡¯t surprising to run into someone calling themselves ¡®The Anarchist¡¯ here, but I couldn¡¯t shake the suspicion that she had been telling the truth.

    ¡°¡­and this is it!¡± Dani said, gesturing to an unassuming patch of empty field.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I see what you mean. This place is a regular Motel 7,¡± Whitney said, dropping her and Erin¡¯s tent.

    ¡°Well, I mean, it is a field, but it¡¯s pretty nice all things considered,¡± Dani said.

    ¡°It will be fine, thanks,¡± Erin said, giving Dani a slightly strained smile.

    ¡°No problem. So, what brought you guys here? Kind of odd a bunch of people like you showing up at once.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± Ian said sharply, unpacking the tent equipment all the while.

    ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t know it was a touchy subject,¡± Dani said, seemingly shrugging off Ian¡¯s tone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Erin said, shooting Ian a stern look. ¡°We ran into some trouble with Argus for using our powers when we weren¡¯t supposed to.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Did you kill anyone?¡±

    ¡°What? No!¡± Erin said, the question catching her off guard. We all stared at Dani for a minute. Erin wasn¡¯t lying; nobody died.

    ¡°Hey, take it easy, just making sure. There were a few people Savant turned away because of that. They were meta-mad, but still. I mean, I don¡¯t know what that would be like, but still, you know, I can¡¯t imagine what that would be like¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªDani, I think we want a little bit of time to set up in peace,¡± Whitney said, cutting her off.

    ¡°Oh, alright. Well, if you guys want to hang out just let me know!¡± Dani said. If she was slighted, she didn¡¯t show it. Violet energy curled around her arms and pushed her off the ground as she floated away.

    ¡°She seems talkative,¡± Adam grumbled.

    ¡°Definitely. But she welcomed us in. I guess,¡± Erin said, trying to read the instructions for the tent before giving it to Whitney.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t come here to make friends,¡± Ian mumbled.

    ¡°Yeah, but it won¡¯t hurt either,¡± I said, helping Corey set up our tent.

    Ian looked at me like I was hopeless but didn¡¯t say anything. We were quiet for a while, just trying to get the tents set up. No one else really bothered us, and after what felt like forever, we finally got the tent set up. They weren¡¯t roomy. After putting the rest of our stuff inside¡­it was cramped. Luckily, Corey didn¡¯t take up much space, and I wasn¡¯t exactly tall or buff either so it would work.

    I guess it had to work.

 Dilate 3.14

    The next few days went by at a breakneck pace. We were all put on construction detail together at first, but once they found out Erin and I were stronger than normal, they reassigned us to helping drag logs back to the camp area. Not that surprisingly, no one would sell a bunch of illegal metas any lumber, so they had to cut down their own trees.

    It was probably for the best with all things considered. I didn¡¯t know the first thing about construction, but neither did any of the others really. For the most part they weren¡¯t asking us to do anything complicated, and a few of the other Idyllium locals who had experience with construction gave instructions and assistance where they were needed.

    Still, it was slow going when most of the workers hadn¡¯t used a hammer before they came to Idyllium. Erin and I were a bit hesitant to be separated from the group, but eventually we started to relax. Even Ian seemed to dislodge the stick from his ass, at least a little bit. He managed to talk his way closer to Savant and Edward, helping with the group that found new potential members.

    Dani had stayed in what felt like constant contact. She was on the same lumber-moving team as Erin and me. Her powers were cool, honestly. She could control gravity to some extent; negating it, increasing it, revering it, etc. She could compete with Erin with how much she could move while I was stuck dragging one tree at a time.

    And these trees were big. I remembered Ian grumbling about it being illegal to cut down trees in a national park. It was a good point, but on the other hand, the people here were ostracized if they tried to be themselves, maybe they were owed something.

    I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what to think, but for now, I was focused on dragging a particularly large tree out of a thick grove. It was slow going, and my grip kept slipping. No matter how I grabbed it, the energy around my fingers made it damn near impossible for them to find purchase.

    ¡°Guess I¡¯m better at punching things than grabbing them,¡± I muttered to myself, moving to the middle of the tree to try and lift it that way.

    ¡°Need some help?¡±

    I jumped at Dani¡¯s cheerful, but sudden, outburst and dropped the tree on my foot. ¡°Shit!¡±

    ¡°Oops, didn¡¯t mean to startle you,¡± She said innocently.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said through gritted teeth. My energy kept most of the weight off, but it still hurt like a motherfucker. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I was just finishing up my last trip for the day and wanted to stop by and see how you were getting along.¡±

    I looked past her to see a bundle of five or six trees gently floating a foot or two above the ground. Faint traces of her energy sparked off the rounded ends of the logs.

    ¡°Ah, no, I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, puffing out my chest a little. I could drag a damn tree out of the woods on my own. I was pretty sure.

    ¡°Okay, just looked like you were having some trouble.¡± She went quiet for a bit, watching me struggle with the tree. ¡°How are you and your friends liking it here so far anyways?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad,¡± I said, managing to will my energy to heft the tree precariously onto my shoulder. ¡°Definitely better than it was out there.¡±

    ¡°And¡ªuh¡ªAdam? Is he¡­liking it here?

    ¡°Adam? Yeah¡­I guess so. He doesn¡¯t really talk much,¡± I said, raising an eyebrow at her interest. Was she interested in him? She was a few years younger than we were, though I didn¡¯t really know exactly how old Adam was.

    ¡°Oh¡­yeah, exactly. I just noticed he didn¡¯t talk much, so I thought I¡¯d ask you because he doesn¡¯t¡ªtalk, I mean¡ªand I figured since you were his friend, you¡­¡±

    It was rude, I know, but I ended up tuning her out. She could go on like this for what felt like forever. The tree was starting to feel heavy on my shoulder, and I had to focus on my energy to keep the tree from crushing me.

    Dani was still going on about something or another. Hoping to actually have a conversation with more than one side, I spoke up; ¡°Hey, you seem to know a lot of the people here. Do you know a girl about my age; a blonde telepath?¡±

    Dani thought for a moment, floating along. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Why? You interested in her?¡±

    The Tree almost slipped. ¡°N-No, I mean, I¡¯m not¡­never mind.¡±

    I concentrated on keeping my energy focused to my shoulder, but when I looked down the path, I saw Edward walking towards us.

    ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡±

    ¡°I dunno,¡± Dani said, noticing him about the same time I did.

    ¡°Miss Hester, it¡¯s a pleasure as always, and it¡¯s Mr. Peterson, right?¡± Edward asked as he greeted us.

    ¡°Uh, yeah. That¡¯s me,¡± I said, shaking his hand while being careful to not hit him with the tree.

    ¡°Dani, could you excuse us. I would like to speak to Mr. Peterson and make sure he¡¯s feeling welcomed here.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Dani said, giving us a smile and walking ahead with her floating trees in tow.

    He wants to talk to me? Why? I thought to myself.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be nervous,¡± Edward said once Dani was out of earshot. ¡°I¡¯m an empath, remember,¡± he said the second confusion flashed through my mind.

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± I said, forcing a laugh. ¡°So¡­what did you need?¡±

    ¡°Well, like I told Dani, I wanted to make sure you were feeling welcome. We haven¡¯t had a chance to really talk yet, and I try to make it a point to personally screen all of our newcomers.¡±

    Oh god, they¡¯re going to throw us out.

    ¡°What? No, we¡¯re not going to throw you out.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were just an empath?¡±

    Edward laughed. ¡°You¡¯ve had some bad experiences with telepaths, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Uh, sort of I guess.¡±

    ¡°A short blonde with a big attitude?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­how did you¡­?¡±

    Edward¡¯s smile grew a bit. ¡°I¡¯m only an empath, I promise; I¡¯m just very good at what I do. Once you¡¯ve peered inside the heads of as many people as I have, it get¡¯s easy to pick up on specifics.¡±

    ¡°So, you knew all that about The Anarchist just from my emotions?¡±

    ¡°That, and I¡¯ve met her. I know everyone in Idyllium.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, slightly relieved.

    ¡°She¡¯s a bit of an oddball, and it doesn¡¯t help the fact that telepaths are particularly hard for empaths to read.¡±

    We walked and talked for a bit and it seemed like it was innocent enough, but I got the uncomfortable feeling Edward was using his powers. Reading me like a book.

    ¡°So, isn¡¯t it a bit weird that you and Savant are both empaths?¡±

    Edward shrugged, seemingly not caring that I changed the subject. ¡°It¡¯s certainly not common for two empaths to work together, but I feel that Savant and I each bring certain skills to the table. Her powers work for miles, and while mine lack that range, they have a certain nuance. Speaking of powers, I must admit I haven¡¯t been completely up front with why I wanted to talk to you.¡±

    He sounded almost guilty as he slowed his pace before coming to a stop.

    I knew he could tell I was getting nervous and that somehow made everything worse.

    ¡°Savant is the face of Idyllium, but I¡¯ve made it my personal duty to make sure anyone we take in won¡¯t pose a danger to the others here. I¡¯m sure Dani mentioned that we¡¯ve had to turn some people away due to a violent past; unfortunately, we¡¯ve also had to turn away some poor souls who couldn¡¯t control dangerous powers. I need to make sure your powers are under control.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that all,¡± I muttered. ¡°So, should I drop the tree or¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­That would probably be the best, yes.¡±

    I let the tree roll off my shoulder and crash to the ground, a bit louder than I expected, and I knew that Edward knew it startled me¡ªgod, I hated empaths¡ªbut not him as a person!

    Edward grinned, ¡°Relax, Nate. I just want to know what you can do. That little barrier is interesting, why don¡¯t you start there?¡±

    ¡°Okay, well¡­¡± I started, letting the energy fade and then summoning it back to my fist. ¡°I pull it from some sort of alternate dimension or something like that. I can cover my entire body with it, and sorta move it around,¡± I said, summoning more energy and letting it flow across the rest of me.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Edward watch with almost fanatical fascination. I swallowed, and my mouth suddenly felt weirdly dry. Stage fright? Maybe.

    ¡°It¡¯s mostly bulletproof, and it¡¯s like an exoskeleton; it makes me stronger and faster¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªCan you fly?¡±

    ¡°N-no, I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ve never really tried.¡±

    Edward nodded. ¡°It might be worth giving it a try. But what else can you do? I have the feeling there¡¯s more.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t quite sure how much I wanted to tell him about my visions, but I had the feeling he would be able to tell if I held anything back. But he was art of the place that was supposed to keep me safe, right?

    ¡°Well, sometimes I see visions.¡±

    ¡°Like precognition?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, except sometimes they¡¯re a bit vague. They were actually what led us here.¡±

    ¡°Really? Your visions showed you Idyllium?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°I didn¡¯t know about you or Savant really, but I knew it was a safe place.¡±

    ¡°How interesting,¡± Edward said, looking at me with an expression I couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint. ¡°But how do you know that this energy comes from another dimension?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve been there,¡± I answered. I could see interest burning in his eyes, so I reached out a hand and opened the swirling mass of a portal a few feet from us.

    ¡°Can I see it?¡±

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be a good idea,¡± I said, picking up a stick and pushing it part way into the portal. It was only in there for a second, but when I pulled it out, it was already almost completely bleached and starting to crumble.

    ¡°I see what you mean,¡± Edward said as the rest of the stick turned to ash. ¡°But an entire dimension is through that portal?¡±

    Almost like he was in a trance, Edward reached for the portal and the blue light seemed to shift as his hand got close. Suddenly, I felt the presence surge from the back of my mind.

    Parasite.

    With the most panic-inducing d¨¦j¨¤ vu I¡¯ve ever felt, my body lurched towards Edward, energy forcefully brimming with malicious intent.

    With an almost amused curiosity, Edward pulled his hand away from the portal, and my muscles relaxed as I felt the presence retreat.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean¡­that wasn¡¯t me¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know. Something¡­drowning in anger surged up inside you. ¡®The Presence¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah. It¡¯s¡­like a voice in my head, I guess. I¡¯m so sorry about that. It¡ªit won¡¯t happen again, sir.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll learn to control it.¡±

    Smiling, more to himself than to me, Edward turned and started walking out of the woods without another word.

    What just happened?

    <hr>

    ¡°Nate! What took you so long?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I had a strange talk with Edward,¡± I said, dropping off the tree.

    ¡°Oh yeah? He does that sometimes. Anyways, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you too.¡±

    I felt bad; I still hadn¡¯t learned the name of the guy who ran the lumbermill-thing. He seemed like a nice person, though. He was heavier set with some kind of cutting powers. I waved goodbye and headed towards my tent.

    Dani ambushed me after I¡¯d gone about three feet.

    ¡°Hey, Nate!¡±

    ¡°Hey Dani¡­¡±

    ¡°So¡­?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Dani rolled her eyes, ¡°What did Ed want to talk about?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much, he just wanted to learn a little bit about my powers.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Dani sighed dramatically. ¡°I thought something cool might happen for once, but¡­why would I be lucky?¡±

    ¡°Is that the only reason why you talk to me? You think I¡¯m some kind of cool magnet?¡±

    Dani thought for a moment. ¡°You? Nah. But if you fuck up, I¡¯m betting it¡¯ll be hilarious.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said with faux offense.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome! Oh, by the way, some of us are having a little party down by the river and we were wondering if you guys wanted to join us.¡±

    ¡°Party?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you know, some of the older teens smuggle some booze away from the old farts and we have music, and yeah. It¡¯s pretty legit.¡±

    ¡°Booze? What are you, Fifteen?¡±

    ¡°Sixteen!¡± She said with slight indignation, ¡°What are you, the fun police? Like you¡¯ve never had some beer at a party before. You¡¯re not going to snitch on us, right?¡±

    ¡°What? No. I didn¡¯t say that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Good. Then you¡¯ll come?¡±

    I grinned, ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ll bring the others?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure they¡¯d love to come.¡±

    ¡°Adam too?¡±

    I rolled my eyes jokingly, ¡°It¡¯ll take some convincing¡­but I just might be able to convince him.¡±

    Dani smiled. ¡°Awesome. Just walk down towards the river until you hear the music.¡± Violet energy swirled around her arms as she lifted herself into the air and hovered away.

    Leaving me to walk back alone. Great.

    <hr>

    It didn¡¯t take much to convince the others to go. Whitney agreed the second she heard there would be alcohol, and she did most of the convincing from there. Ian took a bit more than the others but once Whitney threatened to blow up everything he owned, he relented.

    I somehow ended up leading us through the woods, not that I really knew where I was going. I vaguely knew what direction the river was in but hadn¡¯t actually been down there myself.

    ¡°What river is this anyways?¡± Corey asked as we pushed through tree branches and bushes.

    ¡°Lake Creek,¡± Ian answered.

    ¡°Of course, you would know that,¡± Whitney said. ¡°Does it flow from Lake Lake?¡±

    ¡°Phelps Lake, actually,¡± Ian shot back.

    ¡°Whitney don¡¯t blow Ian up,¡± Erin sighed.

    ¡°Then tell him not to annoy me.¡±

    ¡°How old are you?¡± Ian asked

    ¡°Knock it off,¡± Adam said. ¡°Both of you are annoying.¡±

    ¡°Do you guys hear that?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s defiantly music,¡± I said, pushing through another patch of dense bushes.

    The woods opened up as we walked towards the river, which didn¡¯t look all that impressive, but the Idyllians had done a pretty good job setting up a little area for themselves. The music was coming from a kid with a laptop hooked up to a few small speakers he had set up on a small outcropping of rocks.

    The rest of the party goers were talking and laughing in a little area that had been cleared of debris with a good-sized bonfire blazing in the middle.

    ¡°Hey! The new guys are here!¡±

    ¡°Sup bitches!¡± Whitney yelled, letting a shower of sparks erupt from her hands much to the delight of the crowd.

    ¡°Awesome, you guys made it!¡± Dani called out as she floated over, coming to a landing next to Adam who immediately looked uncomfortable.

    ¡°Thanks for the invite,¡± Erin said, surveying the scene.

    ¡°Yeah, totally!¡± Dani grinned.

    ¡°I was told there would be drinks, so¡­¡± Whitney began, an expecting smile taking over her face.

    ¡°Right, yeah, let¡¯s get this party started!¡± Dani said, floating several feet into the air before moving over to an area with a few coolers manned by one of the younger adults I¡¯d seen around the camp.

    ¡°Hey new guys,¡± He greeted us. ¡°What can I get you?¡±

    ¡°Are we just ¡®the new guys¡¯ to everyone?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°Uh, kinda?¡± The guy said.

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Whitney shrugged. ¡°Get us all a round!¡±

    ¡°Uh, hold on, I better not,¡± Corey said. As the bartender-ish guy was passing out beers.

    ¡°Come on, Corey. One won¡¯t hurt,¡± Whitney said.

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªYeah, yeah, the whole ¡®bird¡¯ thing. Just live a little. Even Nate¡¯s having one.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow as I opened the can but wasn¡¯t sure what she meant by that. ¡°Should I be offended?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Whitney said offhandedly.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Corey relented, accepting a beer.

    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± Whitney cheered as she proceeded to start chugging.

    From there, the night slowly started to turn into a blur. Whitney was the life of the party, but that really wasn¡¯t a surprise. None of us knew anyone there, but that changed pretty quickly. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Whitney tried to get everyone to dance, but I hadn¡¯t drunk nearly enough for that yet.

    Neither had the rest of the team, apparently. Ian sulked on the edge of the party, slowly nursing the same beer he started with. Adam was marginally closer, but Dani was constantly hovering¡ªliterally and metaphorically¡ªaround him.

    And it was probably the alcohol, but I slowly started relaxing a bit as the night stretched on, and before long, I was talking like I¡¯d known the people here for years, laughing at jokes and even cracking some myself. They were probably shit, but to a bunch of drunk teens and young adults, they were hilarious.

    Some more people came and went, but I figured there were roughly forty people or so at any given time. Eventually, a large group started dancing; it at least seemed like dancing and I had enough drinks that it felt like a good idea for me to join in.

    I didn¡¯t know half the faces, but they all went by in a blur, until I heard a familiar voice over the music and the talking.

    ¡°Hey, Soot.¡±

    A pair of hands spun me around to face the Anarchist looking up at me with a shit eating grin. ¡°You¡­¡± I managed to say. ¡°Come here often?¡± I asked about as smooth a gravel.

    The Anarchist giggled despite my drunken attempt at¡­something. I wasn¡¯t really sure myself.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say I do, Soot.¡±

    ¡°Why do you keep calling me that?¡± I asked over the noise.

    ¡°Right, you don¡¯t remember,¡± She said, her brow furrowing in thought.

    Before she could say anything else, a chorus of oohs and ahhs rose up from the crowd. I looked over to see a completely unabashed Corey shedding his heavy jacket and stretching out is brilliantly white wings. He must really be drunk to show them off, I thought.

    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t we get out of here and see if I can help you remember?¡± The Anarchist asked, pulling my attention back to her.

    ¡°Look, Anarchist, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªEli.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, confused.

    ¡°Call me Eli,¡± she said with a genuine smile, offering a hand to lead me away.

    I froze, not sure what to do. Ian warned me about her, and I got some sort of strange vibe when she was around, but¡­

    Maybe it was the booze or the moment, but I took her hand and she pulled me through the crowd. I thought I heard someone call my name, but just then we reached the edge of the group and The Anar¡ªand Eli picked up her pace, leading us a good distance away from the nose and festivities.

    ¡°So, you really don¡¯t remember me at all?¡± Eli finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry if I was supposed to, but¡­everything has just kinda been a fog for the past few months.¡±

    Eli nodded. ¡°I think someone fucked with your memory.¡±

    ¡°Who? And why?¡± I asked, thinking it was crazy.

    ¡°Argus?¡± She offered in a way that meant ¡°Duh¡±. For some reason, that made sense, sort of.

    ¡°Why would they mess with my head?¡±

    ¡°Have you met Argus? They do whatever they want to get what they want.¡±

    ¡°Are they after you too?¡± I asked.

    Eli shrugged, ¡°I guess so. I¡¯m not on their Christmas Card list this year, I can say that for sure.¡±

    I laughed, and I saw Eli¡¯s smile return.

    ¡°Okay, if they messed with my head, then tell me how we know each other.¡±

    I saw a pained look glint in her eyes, and she dropped her gaze. ¡°We weren¡¯t exactly on great terms last we saw each other.¡±

    ¡°What, are you my Ex or something,¡± I said, joking under the effects of the booze.

    ¡°No, nothing like that,¡± She said, sounding like she remembered something sad.

    ¡°Well, then, can you use your powers to help me remember? You¡¯re a telepath, right?¡±

    Slowly, her gin came back and she gave me a sly look.

    ¡°Maybe, but you¡¯re going to have to trust me, okay?¡± She said, stepping in very close and looking up at me.

    ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± I asked, not sure if I should be refusing.

    ¡°Well, I need to¡­touch to use my powers.¡±

    There was a voice somewhere in my head telling me I should stop, but there was a much louder voice telling me the exact opposite. Deciding to blame everything on being drunk, I found myself leaning in¡­

    And then we heard what sounded like a heard of elephants crashing through the woods towards us. Eli pulled back, and we looked over to see Corey stumbling closer.

    ¡°Hey, Nathh, Nathanan, hey Nate, there you are.¡±

    ¡°Corey?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I diddn¡¯t know wh-where you went, so I went looking for you.

    I looked over to Eli whose face was flushed, ¡°You should probably take care of your friend.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    Corey reached us and partway fell, leaned into a hug, wrapping his arms around my waist.

    ¡°Uhh,¡± I looked back, but Eli was already walking away.

    ¡°You¡¯re warm,¡± Corey said, hugging a little tighter.

    ¡°Maybe we should get you back to the tent.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go the tent!¡±

    ¡°How many drinks did you have?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­..two.¡±

    ¡°Two?¡±

    ¡°I told you have a small metbl-metababl¡ªI have wings,¡± he finally managed to say with the conviction that it was a decent explanation.

    He could barely walk, and at this rate it would take forever to make it back to the camp. Corey weighed practically nothing, so I picked him up and started trudging back.

    ¡°Wow you¡¯re strong.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re very drunk.¡±

    Corey giggled, wrapping his wings around me.

    ¡°You¡¯re hot, too.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, not sure how to respond to that. All too conveniently, Corey was out cold.

    <hr>

 Dilate 3.15

    What happened last night?

    Oh yeah, I remembered as I sat up.

    I looked over at Corey, sprawled out on top of his sleeping bag, shirtless by his own drunken choice and using his wings as a blanket. The poor guy had puked his guts out more than once last night. He really couldn¡¯t handle his alcohol. Yeah¡­he was really drunk last night; didn¡¯t know what he was saying.

    Right?

    But. I mean. Was he¡­?

    I shook my head: I needed a shower. Corey didn¡¯t stir as I gathered my stuff and unzipped the tent flap. The cold morning air made me shiver slightly as I started for the center of camp. Thoughts swirled through my mind as I walked, my shoes getting damp from the dew that still clung to the grass. That barely registered, though.

    He probably won¡¯t even remember anything, I assured myself. Did I want to be assured? Corey was a nice guy, but I didn¡¯t really know him that well. I didn¡¯t know any of our group for that matter. Then why do I feel such a connection to them? I asked myself. Was that a part of my fucked-up memory, or was Eli just getting in my head? I wondered.

    There weren¡¯t usually too many people out this early, but I noticed a crowd forming near the main building. A man was talking with a raised voice, but I couldn¡¯t make out what he was saying. Suddenly, there was a chorus of shouts and a few screams as the crowd panicked.

    Out of some alien impulse, I broke into a run, blue energy springing into place as I pushed through the densely packed Idyllians.

    Why was I doing this?

    In the middle of the crowd, Quill was standing with a knife pressing itself dangerously against his neck. I could see where he got his apparent nickname; foot-long spines had extended from the back of his hand and his forearms, all of them sweeping back behind him like a porcupine¡¯s. He was holding one in his arm which was wound back like he was prepared to throw them.

    Standing on the opposite side of the clearing of people was a man in a slate grey suit with bright red hair with a well-trimmed beard of the same color. His eyes were dimly glowing like dying coals, watching Quill like hungry dog stares at a bone.

    When he noticed me pushing my way through, his gaze flicked over to me, and his eyes seemed to burn deeper into his skull. ¡°You¡­.¡±

    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±

    A predatory smile slowly stretched across his face. ¡°Well, well; the bitch was right. You don¡¯t remember a damn thing, do you?¡±

    Alarm bells were ringing like crazy in my head. The Presence was stirring like it was agitated; I didn¡¯t remember it acting like that before. Why was this guy so creepy? I felt like I wanted to punch him. Repeatedly.

    ¡°Nate get back. Let me handle this,¡± Quill said slowly. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t slow enough: the knife inched closer to his neck.

    ¡°You¡¯re in no position to talk,¡± The creepy guy said.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jeremy slinking his way up behind the stranger. And a faint fog slowly crawled over the ground¡­

    ¡°Now. I want to talk to Savant and her little lap dog.¡±

    Jeremy shot forward, lightning cracking around his fist as he tried to drive it into the stranger¡¯s back. Suddenly, the man evaporated into a swirling mass of red and black energy, leaving Jeremy to hit nothing put air.

    The stranger reappeared behind Jeremy as suddenly as he left, pressing a new knife against his throat. In the same instant, a spire of fog erupted from the ground, enveloping the knife pointed at Quill. As soon as he was free, the meta threw the spines in his hand with inhuman speed.

    I wanted them to hit, but they stopped just short of their target, floating harmlessly in the air just like the knife had. Then the stranger made a dismissive motion with his free hand, causing the spines to fly back to their owner, impaling Quill in the shoulder.

    He howled in pain, and I tried to rush in, but my whole body locked up. I looked around frantically, and then I spotted her, lingering in the back of the crowd. Eli, shaking her head slowly.

    Why was she doing this?

    I gritted my teeth and tried to move, but it was like all my muscles were frozen. Powerless to do anything else, I turned back to the fight. The fog swelled again, this time enveloping the stranger and Jeremy completely. When it receded, Jeremy was left standing alone, no stranger and no knife.

    But then, the man returned in another swirl of energy, teleporting back from wherever Luna sent him. This time, though there wasn¡¯t just one knife. Five, ten, thirty¡ªmore knives blinked into existence, aiming themselves at Jeremy, Quill, me, and some of the random faces in the crowd.

    ¡°Last chance before I start cutting!¡± The stranger shouted.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    The crowd parted, and Savant confidently strode towards the stranger, Edward only a half-step behind her.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Savant demanded, locking eyes with the stranger.

    ¡°I¡¯m just the messenger today,¡± The stranger said. All the knives disappeared in small puffs of energy as the man adjusted his suit and tie. ¡°We want our answer. Chess is getting impatient. If he doesn¡¯t get what he wants in the next thirty-six hours, Idyllium will be burnt to the ground with everyone in it.¡±

    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Savant hissed.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Sorry, I was told to be vague. But things are changing. You came here to run away from Argus? You think you¡¯re safe because you have a few hundred people here? It¡¯s cute. Maybe the Pantheon wouldn¡¯t bother you, but we aren¡¯t the Pantheon. We¡¯re worse,¡± The stranger said, disappearing in another swirl of energy.

    For good this time.

    I stood there, stunned for a second before I realized I could move again. Savant and Edward were already rushing to Quill to make sure he was alright.

    ¡°Agh, I¡¯m fine,¡± Quill protested, trying to pull one of the spines out of his shoulder.

    ¡°You¡¯re not.¡± Savant insisted. ¡°Luna, get him to the healers.¡±

    At her orders, the mist swelled again, following over Quill and making him disappear as Luna teleported him somewhere else.

    ¡°How¡¯d he get past without Sentry noticing him?¡± Edward asked, clearly enraged.

    ¡°He¡¯s a teleporter,¡± Jeremy shot back as he walked over.

    Edward¡¯s expression hardened, but he didn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°Everyone stay calm. Go about your day and try not to let this get to you. There are people out there who want to tear down what we¡¯ve built, but if we let them frighten us, they will win. We are stronger than that. We are metahumans. We¡¯ll all be alert and make sure no one else trespasses so easily.¡±

    Savant¡¯s words seemed enough to placate Idyllium for the moment at least. The crowd slowly broke up, but not without a lot of murmuring. I looked around for Eli, but she was already gone. Something was going on.

    <hr>

    I spent almost an hour looking for Eli, but she had made herself scarce. Word had traveled fast while I looked, and I ended up running into the rest of the group looking for me.

    ¡°Nate! My god, we were worried,¡± Erin said with the others following behind her. Whitney looked about as hungover as humanly possible, but the rest of them looked relatively fine. Except for Corey. I tried to meet his gaze, but he kept his diverted.

    ¡°Yeah, sorry,¡± I said.

    ¡°Did you see it?¡± Ian asked, stepping past Erin who raised an eyebrow at his urgency.

    ¡°The creepy guy? Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, what?¡± I snapped back.

    Ian¡¯s expression turned sour, ¡°Was it a thin guy in a dark suit with red hair and glowing eyes?¡± he shouted, drawing the attention of a few of the people standing nearby.

    ¡°Ian!¡± Erin snapped.

    ¡°Looks like someone needs to reset the Wi-Fi router,¡± Whitney muttered.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a fucking joke!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but you are,¡± Whitney deadpanned.

    Ian looked like he was about to pop a vessel. ¡°Yeah, that was him,¡± I finally answered, a part of me feeling bad for him.

    That apparently didn¡¯t improve his mood any. He massaged his temples, but it was clear he was freaking out. ¡°What did he want?¡± He asked, clearing forcing himself to act calmer.

    ¡°He just wanted to talk to Savant and Edward. He said that if some guy named Chess didn¡¯t get what he wanted in the next thirty-six hours or something, they would burn Idyllium to the ground.¡±

    ¡°Oh god¡ª¡± Ian said.

    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°We need to...uh¡­hey, Mr. Edward,¡± Ian stammered. We turned to see Edward walking up to us, a grave expression on his face.

    ¡°We need to speak with you all. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s very urgent.¡±

    <hr>

    Edward took us straight to the main building where Savant, Jeremy, Luna, and a few others I didn¡¯t recognize were standing around a table. ¡°Everyone¡¯s here except for Quill. Let¡¯s get started,¡± Edward said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all heard by now of our visitor this morning. There is apparently some sort of conspiracy against one of our citizens. Edward an I have been talking, but¡­we¡¯ve never heard of this ¡®Chess¡¯ person before. Have any of you?¡± Savant asked, scanning the faces of everyone in the room.

    ¡°Ian?¡± She asked, setting on my¡­acquaintance. Friend seemed like a bit of a stretch.

    Ian stiffed when she singled him out. ¡°I get it. This is an interrogation.¡±

    Savant¡¯s face fell. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for using my powers on you in this manner, but this is urgent. You are difficult to read, but there was acknowledgement when I said his name.¡±

    I could see Ian¡¯s expression harden. ¡°He¡¯s a meta; leads a team of villains who call themselves the Kriegspiel. Went after Cypher and didn¡¯t lose outright.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Erin asked, looking at Ian strangely.

    ¡°I¡­my powers let me read classified Argus documents. I was looking for information, and I stumbled across Chess.¡±

    ¡°Your friends don¡¯t seem to agree with your story,¡± Edward said.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t tell them¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, Argus was after us because of you?¡± Adam asked, turning towards Ian aggressively.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ian whispered.

    ¡°Oh my god you little piece of shit! Why the hell didn¡¯t you tell us?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°Because I need you to keep me safe,¡± Ian said coldly.

    ¡°What?¡± Erin asked, the pain clear in her voice. ¡°Ian¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I did what I had to do.¡±

    Adam and Whitney looked like they were holding themselves back from pummeling Ian into next week, but they looked to Erin for what to do next.

    ¡°Is there anything else you can tell us about Chess or his team?¡± Edward asked. For an empath, he didn¡¯t seem sympathetic in the slightest.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then I think Its best you collect your things and leave Idyllium,¡± Edward said.

    ¡°Erin?¡± Ian asked.

    ¡°You should go.¡±

    Ian nodded, walking out the door without another word. We were all stunned by the revelation. The Idyllians gave us looks of sympathy, but Ian¡¯s confession just felt wrong to me. I obviously didn¡¯t like the guy, but¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we really don¡¯t have time to let you process this,¡± Savant said. ¡°What your friend said confirms what I was able to find out with my abilities. ¡®Kreigspiel¡¯ is coming for us. I can feel them from here, and Sentry has extended her vision to confirm it.¡±

    ¡°And who is Sentry, exactly?¡± Erin asked, her voice unsteady.

    ¡°She¡¯s the girl you saw on the way in here,¡± Jeremy said, speaking up. His voice was deeper than I expected. ¡°Her powers let her see in all directions and around corners for miles.¡±

    ¡°So, what are we looking at?¡± Luna asked meekly.

    ¡°Are you aware of the forest fires burning in the north?¡± Savant asked. Some of us nodded in response. ¡°I¡¯m sensing some kind of human emotion at the heart of the flames. More than one, actually. And they veered in our direction just after our visitor left.¡±

    ¡°So, he was literal when he said they would burn us down,¡± Edward said.

    ¡°Apparently. Now for the reason we¡¯ve asked you all here. Quill, Jeremy, Seth, and Luna are the only ones who have officially committed to guarding Idyllium, but I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re going to need all of you to help. Am I correct in assuming you¡¯ve had to fight Argus?¡± Savant asked us.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Erin answered.

    Savant nodded and looked to the other people who I didn¡¯t know yet. ¡°And I know you¡¯ve all said that you would prefer not to use your powers for violence, but we need your help. Will you all help fight for Idyllium?¡±

    The others reluctantly nodded their heads, but we all looked to Erin, our de facto leader. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll help This is our home now, right?¡±

    Savant smiled. ¡°Good. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s about to come, but the future of Idyllium is threatened. If we want to make a place for all metas to be safe, we must defend ourselves. Even if it is against our own kind.

    ¡°Edward, once Quill is done getting patched up, put him in charge of defenses. Seth, Jeremy, what would you need to expand the stump ring?¡±

    Jeremy shrugged, ¡°One of the biokinetics, or someway to make markers for Seth to get used to.¡±

    Seth nodded in agreement. He was a tall guy, taller than even Erin. It looked like he was related to Jeremy, maybe an older brother?

    ¡°Okay, get whoever you need. Maybe Susan?¡±

    ¡°Susan would work,¡± Jeremy confirmed.

    ¡°Victor, if they have fire coming, we¡¯re going to need some rain.

    The old bearded guy I saw in here on our first day nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll work on a storm to blow them away.¡±

    ¡°Luna, how long can you keep your powers up?¡±

    ¡°Well, if I try for too long, I get sick you know.¡±

    ¡°I know, but if you had to push?¡± Savant asked.

    ¡°Maybe a day? But I can¡¯t use my powers while I sleep.¡±

    ¡°Then you should keep yourself rested, but ready to go. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Luna said.

    ¡°As for the rest of you. Your powers seem most suited to direct combat. Keep in touch with Quill, he¡¯ll direct you to where you should be.¡±

    We nodded and followed the others out. What the hell had we gotten ourselves into?

 Dilate 3.16

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got. Who wants to go first?¡± Quill asked. He was all patched up from his recent stabbing and apparently rearing to go. Ian¡¯s betrayal was¡­it was betrayal. It sucked. Was he the one that messed with our heads?

    Questions whirled through my mind. I didn¡¯t think his powers did anything to other people, but he managed to lie to two empaths without them noticing. What else could he do that we didn¡¯t know about? Come to think of it, how much was I missing? Days? Weeks?

    ¡°You guys alright?¡± Quill asked, apparently oblivious to what happened to Ian.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Erin finally spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Quill said. ¡°I¡¯ve got to make sure you guys can handle yourselves if things go sideways,¡± he continued, growing out his spines. For some reason, it made me very uncomfortable watching them grow out. I couldn¡¯t quite place the reason why.

    How long were those things? I glanced away, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Corey look away from me. Despite everything, I felt myself grin, just a bit.

    ¡°¡ªLet¡¯s get started,¡± Erin said. Her green aura glowing to life.

    Quill grinned. He slipped into a fighting stance while Erin stood with her arms crossed. Quill seemed confused for a minute, but he gave a slight shrug and lashed out. In a fluid motion, he pulled several spines off his arm and launched them with alarming precision.

    They bounced anticlimactically off Erin¡¯s invulnerable form. ¡°That¡¯s impressive,¡± Quill said, unleashing a string of punches that looked about as useful as hitting solid steel. Quill quickly realized the futility in trying to hurt Erin directly, so he grabbed her arm and tried to throw her to the ground.

    Erin was waiting for that. Once she was off her feet, her glow turned blue and her trajectory instantly change. She shot over Quill, bending him over backwards before shifting her powers to red. She launched Quill like she was a track and field star and he was a javelin. Quill sailed through the air, landing in a sprawling heap over a dozen feet away.

    ¡°Why do I get the feeling you were holdin¡¯ back?¡± Quill called out from his position on the ground.

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to hurt you,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a pretty good set of powers there, but are you any good without them?¡± Quill asked, swiftly getting to his feet. I wasn¡¯t an expert fighter by any means, but even I could tell he had some sort of enhanced physique to let him move like that.

    Erin didn¡¯t say anything, but she let her glow fade. ¡°So, no powers then?¡± She asked.

    Quill grinned, covering the distance in a few long strides. Erin didn¡¯t wait for Quill this time. She struck first, causing Quill to duck under the blow. He came up swinging an uppercut that Erin batted to the side before catching Quill off-guard with her other hand. While he reeled from the hit, Erin drove a knee into Quill¡¯s gut.

    The porcupine staggered back, holding his stomach as he gasped for air. Quill was well-built, but Erin had a slight edge in the size department. Quill did have his spines, which made it hard to attack him, but they were mostly defensive unless he was throwing them. And Erin was a really good fighter, actually.

    Wait¡­I knew that already, didn¡¯t I?

    ¡°I think you¡¯re good to go,¡± Quill wheezed.

    Erin shrugged and walked back to the group while Quill pulled himself together. ¡°Okay, who¡¯s up next?¡± He looked at us all eagerly, but no one really spoke up.

    ¡°How about you, Nate?¡± Quill asked. ¡°You seemed ready to fight earlier.¡±

    ¡°Uh, sure, but my powers are kinda dangerous,¡± I said, surrounding myself with energy.

    ¡°But how well can you fight?¡± He asked, throwing a sucker punch.

    On my own I¡¯d probably have gotten hit, but I with my energy I managed to jump back. Quill didn¡¯t let up. He pressed the attack, throwing more swings and jabs that I only narrowly managed to avoid. While I was still on the backfoot, Quill stepped things up.

    He started mixing in kicks and feints, and I found myself getting hit. ¡°Come on, Nate, fight back!¡± Erin yelled. She was right, I was just letting him wail on me¡ªnot that it really hurt¡ªI could hit back without hurting him. The second I heard that, I felt the presence shift. I didn¡¯t remember it really doing that before.

    Suddenly, everything flashed blue. When I came-to, I had managed to catch Quill¡¯s fist. I was glad he couldn¡¯t see my face because I looked about as surprised as he did. Before he could break free, I pulled his arm. Now he was staggering and off-balance, so I shoved with my free arm. I didn¡¯t know how tough he was to start throwing careless punches. My open hand hit his chest and I shoved harder, the energy on my arm rippling in response.

    Quill hit the ground and instantly scrambled to get back up. ¡°I¡¯m getting real tired of y¡¯all throwing me around.¡±

    ¡°Then get good,¡± I jokingly said, flinging my shell forward.

    Moving around with my powers felt like I was wrapped up in the unholy child of jello and a rubber band. But damn if I wasn¡¯t getting better at it¡ªI thought, unless I was forgetting being better.

    I started throwing punches on my own, but despite my powers, Quill had more training than I did. I was faster and stronger, but his powers let him move just fast enough to deflect my blows. After he knocked my arms away, he charged, slamming his shoulder into me. I hit the ground, sprawled on my back while Quill caught his breath.

    Another point to me; I didn¡¯t get tired as fast. I willed my energy to move, and I felt it respond. It practically lifted me off the ground. In fact, there was split second where my feet didn¡¯t touch the ground.

    Quill must have noticed I wasn¡¯t steady; he launched a volley of his spines at me, and I felt the presence recoil. My vision erupted in a sequence of sapphire explosions as my autopilot managed to catch Quill¡¯s¡­quills.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it,¡± Quill said with a smile, holding his hands up in surrender. ¡°You pass.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go next,¡± Whitney said with none of her usual humor showing through. I glanced back at the others, and they seemed about as concerned by her tone as I was. Quill didn¡¯t seem to pick up on our apprehension.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Quill said, still grinning. I glanced at Erin, but she just gave an exasperated shrug. Whitney was still pissed about Ian¡ªthat much was obvious, but I was worried she was going to take it out on Quill.

    Whitney was still a dozen feet or more from her target when she suddenly dropped low and slammed her hands onto the ground. The explosion was almost deafening as she rocketed forward. Quill dove to the side as Whitney slid to a stop on all fours. She was up and swinging in an instant. Quill just barely managed to duck out of the way, but Whitney was ready for that. I saw the glowing rock in her hands at the same time Quill did.

    The explosion threw him back, but with some sort of inhuman reflexes he managed to land on his hands and quickly flip back to his feet. His expression had shifted; he realized Whitney wasn¡¯t having a friendly sparring match.

    Quill ripped some of the spines off his arms, but Whitney didn¡¯t give him the chance to use them. She ducked low again, and set off several explosions in front of her, sending black smoke up in a thick screen. Quill stood his ground with the spines ready to throw at a moment¡¯s notice, but the smoke didn¡¯t clear. It kept expanding, forcing Quill to take a step back or be caught in Whitney¡¯s trap.Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°Should we stop this?¡± I asked Erin. ¡°Whitney isn¡¯t exactly tough like us, and those spines are sharp.¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯d just piss her off more, and they have healers here.¡±

    I didn¡¯t like it, but Erin was probably right.

    Suddenly, a small shape loomed out of the darkness as Whitney emerged, black smoke trailing from her hair and hands. It almost looked like she was burning; small cinders flowed with the smoke. Quill locked on, but Whitney opened her mouth and shot a jet of the smoke directly into Quill¡¯s face. He sputtered and reeled back, but Whitney¡¯s attack cut his view off from her wild haymaker.

    Her fist caught him in the face, disorienting him as she followed up with a left hook. Whitney¡¯s face was twisted with pent-up rage as Quill staggered from the hits. She wasn¡¯t backing down. More smoke billowed out like an evil fog, enveloping the two completely.

    ¡°Whitney!¡± Erin called out. Her worried shouting was silenced by another explosion.

    Quill flew out of the darkness towards us. His shirt was in tatters, and part of his chest was mildly burned. He was alive, though, at least. ¡°God¡­¡± He groaned, trying to get back to his feet. Adam walked over and offered him a hand up while we watched the rapidly vanishing cloud of smog.

    Whitney was standing there, frozen in place except for a few minute twitches. Two of Quill¡¯s spines were jammed into her arm.

    ¡°What¡¯s¡ª?"

    ¡°Her major muscles are locked up. I had to slow her down,¡± Quill said, as Adam helped him up. ¡°Pull out the spines and she¡¯ll be fine. I think you guys are fine, we¡¯ll talk later about what you need to do.¡±

    Quill didn¡¯t seem particularly angry, but it was clear he didn¡¯t intend to stick around for when we unfroze Whitney. He walked away, apparently shrugging off Whitney¡¯s explosions like they weren¡¯t potentially deadly.

    Corey looked almost mortified as he hurried over to help Whitney. He grabbed one of the spines but seemed to hesitate. Whitney made some sort of grunting noise with her limited movement, and Corey nodded, at least pretending like he understood it. He must of thinking to act like it was a bandaid; with a quick yank he ripped it free, eliciting a pained yelp as Whitney lost her balance and slumped to the ground.

    ¡°Whit¡ª¡± Corey started to say as Whitney reached up and tore the other spine free.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± she spat, a quiver in her voice. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Fucking Ian. Stupid fucking Ian!¡± She seethed.

    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re pissed too, but that¡¯s no excuse to go beating people up,¡± Adam said.

    ¡°I know¡ªit¡¯s just¡­He was so fucking¡­just¡­he was here smiling and upbeat while we just had a person we thought was our friend stab us in the back.¡±

    Whitney was still fuming, but I noticed the wounds on her arm weren¡¯t bleeding. In fact, they were shrinking, rapidly.

    ¡°Whitney, you don¡¯t have healing powers we don¡¯t know about, do you?¡± I asked.

    ¡°What? No, of course not,¡± she said.

    ¡°Then what¡¯s up with your arm?¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know, maybe it was Quill,¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the tent.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll come with you; we¡¯re still a team, with or without Ian,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Whitney said, almost sounding defeated. She pushed away Erin and Corey¡¯s hand and stood up on her own as we started walking back to our tents. ¡°Is it getting colder or is it just me?¡± Whitney shivered, rubbing her arms.

    ¡°Must be a cold front moving in,¡± Erin muttered, preoccupied by something.

    <hr>

    I trailed the others as we walked back through the middle of camp, I wasn¡¯t sure why, but suddenly, I felt my legs lock up in place and my mouth clamp shut on its own. The others didn¡¯t seem to notice, walking on their merry way as a hand slid around my waist while the other covered my mouth.

    ¡°Heard you were looking for me,¡± Eli said as I felt control of my body return. I spun around, maybe a little too fast, and Eli took a step back, raising her hands. ¡°Woah, take it easy, I didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡±

    ¡°You literally snuck up on me,¡± I said.

    Eli gave a mischievous smile that slowly faded. ¡°We need to talk.¡±

    Her tone caught me off guard. She was deadly serious, almost out of the blue. ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Wanna go on a walk?¡± She asked, offering me her hand.

    What?

    ¡°Uh, sure¡­¡± I said, not taking her hand. She sighed dramatically and turned the opposite direction of my team.

    ¡°You really know how to ruin a moment, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Was she talking about last night?

    ¡°Duh. Among other times,¡± She muttered.

    ¡°Look, about what happened with Corey¡ª¡±

    Eli sudden gave a small gasp, as her face lit up. ¡°Oh my god!¡±

    ¡°Stop reading my mind!¡± I hissed.

    My reaction only made her smile grow. ¡°And then you carried him back? Nate, that¡¯s adorable! I mean, I knew he had a crush on you, but I never thought he would admit it. Poor guy¡¯s timider than you!¡±

    ¡°You mean he¡­? It wasn¡¯t¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­just the alcohol? No. It just gave him liquid courage. But, as much as I would like to tease you about this more, we do have more important things to talk about,¡± She said.

    ¡°Like what?¡± I asked with my head still spinning.

    Eli rolled her eyes, ¡°You¡¯re still stuck on your little winged boyfriend, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Ye¡ªno¡ªjust drop it.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Ian wants to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re working with Ian?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but calm down: he¡¯s not the traitor you think he is. He¡¯s trying to help you and the rest of your¡­friends,¡± She said, putting extra emphasis on the word. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop with the teasing. Maybe.¡±

    I shook my head, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let him explain,¡± Eli said, wrapping her arm around me again. I flinched, but she didn¡¯t let go. ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t want to raise suspicions, do we?¡±

    ¡°Guess not,¡± I muttered as Eli walked us out of camp and into the woods around it.

    I thought we were lost more than once before Eli ended up leading us back to the same clearing they had the party in. Ian was waiting there, on one of the large rocks by the river.

    ¡°What took you so long?¡± Ian growled, giving Eli a death stare.

    ¡°I got distracted,¡± Eli said innocently.

    ¡°What do you want, Ian. I thought they told you to get out of here.¡±

    Ian¡¯s death stare migrated to me. ¡°You need to get the others to leave, now. We¡¯re in danger.¡±

    ¡°Fucking duh, dumbass! But we were always in danger, weren¡¯t we? Thanks to that shit you pulled with Argus. I teleported into oncoming traffic to help save your ass!¡±

    ¡°Hey, you were the imbecile who tried it! And you don¡¯t have the whole story¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, you were keeping more from us? How shocking!¡± I said sarcastically. ¡°Of course you want us to leave; you always run from a fight don¡¯t you? You don¡¯t care about us. You just want your bodyguards, don¡¯t you? Too much of a coward to face your mistakes yourself. Maybe we want to stay and help; maybe we want to do the right thing.¡±

    Ian just sat there through my rant, staring at me angrily. ¡°You done?¡±

    ¡°I guess so!¡± I said, out of things to say.

    ¡°Then shut up and listen: there is a red barn on the blue archipelago.¡±

    <hr>

    Before I had time to process what he said, everything came flooding back. It was like a mental slideshow playing back everything Librarian had taken away. We were undercover, Hollands had Librarian mess with our heads so Savant wouldn¡¯t peg us as spies. The Argus chases, being on the run; it was all part of the rouse. And Eli...The brakes slammed on my runaway mental train.

    The Anarchist¡­

    I could feel the energy crackling as it manifested. I turned to where The Anarchist was standing, leaning nonchalantly against a tree like everything was forgiven.

    ¡°You!¡± I yelled.

    ¡°Fuck¡ª¡± She said, her expression immediately jumping to fear. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s be calm about this¡ªI know you¡¯re mad¡ª¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m fucking mad! You tried to kill my family and then show up and try to¡ªto¡ªto flirt with me? What the hell kind of monster are you?¡±

    The Anarchist was backing up quickly, ducking behind a tree for a little cover. ¡°I helped you back there. I warned you we were coming, and I¡¯m doing the same thing now!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s telling the truth, more or less,¡± Ian said, not exactly convincingly. ¡°We need to extract the others so Argus can move in before the Kreigspiel move in. There are innocent people here that are going to die or get hurt if Argus can¡¯t evacuate them.¡±

    ¡°For the last time, it isn¡¯t the Kreigspiel or The Gold Diggers coming,¡± The Anarchist spoke up from behind her tree.

    I could probably blow that tree to hell if I tried.

    ¡°Nate, don¡¯t think like that: those are bad thoughts.¡±

    ¡°For once I¡¯m glad you can read my mind,¡± I said, letting my energy drop. ¡°But why did you give my memories back. We weren¡¯t supposed to break cover,¡± I asked Ian.

    ¡°Because she said if I didn¡¯t, she would,¡± Ian replied.

    ¡°Listen Nate, if you guys stay, you¡¯re gonna get killed with the rest of them. I¡¯m trying to save your ass here.¡±

    ¡°Why are you helping me? You have a guilty conscience or something?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Pretty much, yeah,¡± The Anarchist said defensively. ¡°And the guy we¡¯re working for, he¡¯s¡­an asshole to say the least.¡±

    ¡°You mean Chess?¡± Ian asked.

    The Anarchist shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s not the biggest fish, but I¡¯m dead if I tell you any more.¡±

    ¡°But you promise to tell me what your little group of murder buddies wanted, so spill it,¡± Ian said.

    ¡°Fine,¡± The Anarchist said in a huff. ¡°They¡¯re after Edward; they want to recruit him. He¡¯s apparently some insanely dangerous meta.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the target? An empath?¡± I asked.

    ¡°There must be more to his powers than that,¡± Ian said. ¡°And if he doesn¡¯t join, they kill him, right?¡±

    The Anarchist nodded, ¡°Exactly. They don¡¯t want him coming back later as a threat.¡±

    ¡°So, what¡¯s our next move? I¡¯m compromised now, right? Savant and Edward will spot me from a mile away, and you¡¯re not exactly on good terms with the rest of team.¡±

    ¡°If you travel though your dimension, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be able to detect you,¡± Ian explained.

    ¡°It¡¯s true, I can¡¯t find you when you go there,¡± Eli offered.

    ¡°Okay, so I just walk though my spooky, dead forest in another dimension and then what; find the others and tell them the secret codes to give them their memory back? And then what? If Edward is dangerous enough for the Kreigspiel to want him, what if he attacks the team?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with it,¡± Ian said with what could possibly, almost be the faintest hint of a smile.

    I took a breath, still processing everything. ¡°How much time to we have?¡±

    ¡°Not long. Haven¡¯t you noticed the chill?¡± The Anarchist asked, almost tauntingly.

    ¡°No, ever since I started using my powers more the cold doesn¡¯t really bother¡­me¡­¡± I trailed off, noticing the snowflakes starting to fall.

 Dilate 3.17

    Okay, the plan was simple. All I had to do was navigate a forest in another dimension with no point of reference and find my team who had their memories removed so they could infiltrate a metahuman cult that was currently under attack by people that tried to kill us before.

    Great.

    The dead forest¡­deadwood? Whatever it was, seemed as spooky as it always did. And it seemed that the presence didn¡¯t have anything to say for once. My powers didn¡¯t work here as usual, and I had no idea which direction to walk.

    Picking the direction, I thought was right, I started walking. Eli¡­The Anarchist¡­I didn¡¯t know what to call her. Was she a friend? No¡­no, I wouldn¡¯t go that far. Her friends bit off my fingers and pretended to threaten my parents¡¯ lives. But she was at least pretending to help us. She had Ian convinced, at least.

    Even if we didn¡¯t get along, I knew Ian was a smart guy. I trusted him, but if he ran into trouble¡­he wouldn¡¯t last long.

    The mist kept parting a few feet ahead of me in an almost welcoming way. Was it showing me where to go? I kind doubted it. There wasn¡¯t any direction to it; it just kinda went wherever I was heading. ¡°Hey, are you there?¡± I asked aloud, hoping the presence was feeling helpful. ¡°Can you point the way to my friends?¡±

    Nothing but silence.

    I wasn¡¯t really sure what I was expecting, but it was still disappointing to get nothing. There was no way I was going to find them like this. Even if it was a risk, I had to at least see where I was. Bracing myself, I opened a portal and stepped out onto one of the main thoroughfares. It wasn¡¯t snowing anymore, but even I could feel the chill in the air. Whoever Chess was sending, they were coming fast.

    People were shivering, and several looked like they had frostbite setting in already. There were a few pyrokinetics trying desperately to start some makeshift fires, but the flames were snuffed out before they traveled more than a few inches from their hands.

    ¡°Nate! There you are, where the hell have you been?¡± Quill shouted.

    ¡°Oh, uhhh¡­I just went for a walk.¡±

    Quill sighed, ¡°Nerves?¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah¡­¡± I said, deciding to roll with it. When this was done, I was going to see if I could get some spy training.

    ¡°Well, come on,¡± He said, motioning for me to follow.

    ¡°I really need to talk to my group¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªThey¡¯re where we¡¯re going,¡± He cut me off, impatiently. ¡°Savant and Edward have a better idea of what we¡¯re facing. There are two people walking towards Idyllium, and at least one of them doesn¡¯t mean us well.¡±

    ¡°What about the other one?¡± I asked, thinking it was kind of odd a villain sent to kill us didn¡¯t want to hurt us.

    ¡°Savant didn¡¯t say.¡±

    And just like that, the usually chatty Quill turned back to business mode.

    This was pretty much exactly what we didn¡¯t want to happen, but I didn¡¯t see another way out of this. I could vanish into my dimension again, but that would probably make me look very suspicious. So, for the mean time, I summoned my energy and got ready.

    Quill led me to the north of the camp where the rest were waiting. ¡°Where¡¯d you wander off to?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°I had to clear my head,¡± I answered.

    ¡°Then I hope it¡¯s clear,¡± Erin muttered, looking at the faint orange glow in the distance with the others.

    ¡°So, we¡¯re dealing with a pyro?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°Looks like it,¡± Adam said. His hand was hovering uneasily near his hip, probably subconsciously reaching for the gun that wasn¡¯t there.

    I knew Adam was a bit of a failsafe; he didn¡¯t have his memories, but Steven did. I hadn¡¯t really interacted with his alter ego much, but I knew that if Adam was knocked unconscious, we could force Steven out. That didn¡¯t really seem like a good idea unless we had to fight our way out. Not to mention, they didn¡¯t have their guns.

    What if I shouted the phrase right then and there? It would look very weird, but it would put all of us on the same page. But it might alert Edward or Savant.

    Fuck. Why¡¯d this have to be so hard?

    The sooner we extracted, the sooner Argus could send in backup, but would they even have time to send in an evacuation team?

    ¡°Nate?¡±

    I froze. I didn¡¯t notice Edward walking up to us.

    ¡°You seemed troubled.¡±

    Shit, shit, shit.

    ¡°Just nervous¡­¡± I managed to say, sounding kinda calm.

    His brow furrowed, and I could almost feel him reading me like a book. This was it. I tensed up, getting ready to fight. There might be a spit second before the others realized what was going on, but then what? It wasn¡¯t like I could fight all of them.

    Then an idea struck me.

    ¡°Edward, can I talk to you in private?¡± I asked.

    He seemed a bit surprised but masked it with a friendly smile. ¡°Of course,¡± He said with a nod.

    ¡°And Quill, you might want to think about evacuating. How far can Luna teleport people?¡±

    ¡°As far as her fog goes. We already thought about that; she has her exit a mile and a half down the valley and extending as we speak.¡±

    I nodded and motioned to Edward that I was ready to go. I didn¡¯t have a plan yet, not a real one at least, and it was only a matter of time before he called my bluff. If he hasn¡¯t already, I thought grimly. My mind wandered back to the vision that put us on Idyllium¡¯s trail in the first place. Storm clouds were gathering overhead, and if anyone was going to turn Idyllium against us, it would probably be either Edward or Savant.

    But why did Chess want an empath? He already had Eli, and she was one of the best telepath¡¯s I¡¯d ever heard of in terms of range. What made Edward special? The only time we¡¯d ever really interacted was our talk in the woods, the same woods we were in now. I thought about the presence¡¯s outburst and something seemed to click: the only other time it reacted to a person like that was with Auralux when¡­when she was in the other dimension. She had powers like mine and the presence didn¡¯t like it¡­Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    I was going out on a limb, but I¡¯d rather beg for forgiveness later than to be caught off guard. Before Edward could get any more words out, I turned, and called on my powers. Energy rushed through me as I fired a beam from my hand. It caught the empath in his gut and threw him back. He bounced off a tree trunk and sprawled on the ground.

    Did I go too far?

    Edward laid on the ground for a few nail-biting seconds, but then I heard him chuckle. He rolled over, and I saw a brief flash as a bolt of lightning arced off his arm. Now it was my turn to be flung back, my ears ringing from the thunderclap.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting that¡­Prophet.¡±

    Taking hold of my energy, I managed to stay upright, sliding to a stop about a dozen feet from Edward. I was right: he wasn¡¯t just an empath. But that meant I didn¡¯t know what he was capable of. I needed to end this, fast.

    I brought my hand together to fire another blast of energy, but Edward vanished into a silvery mist. Luna? I wondered to myself. Turning to search for my opponent, I noticed the mist was surrounding me on all sides.

    Parasite.

    ¡°Oh, now you decide to talk!¡± I mentally yelled at the presence.

    Kill!

    My vision blinked blue, and I understood what the presence was warning me of: I whirled around just in time to see Edward looming out of a thick cloud of fog. A spike was protruding from one hand while the other was surrounded by sapphire energy¡ªmy energy!

    I threw up my hands in defense and the spike glanced off, but the energy-clad fist slammed right through my barrier. Now I could see the rest of him as the fog rolled back. His skin was metal, just like Corey¡¯s wings, with his left hand surrounded by my energy, and a mass of Quill¡¯s spikes growing out of his right. And as I watched, I saw glowing lines begin to spread over the spines¡­

    ¡°So, you copy powers?¡± I asked, understanding why Chess wanted him.

    ¡°Bingo,¡± Edward said, launching the explosive volley.

    I jumped up, using the elasticity of my energy to catapult me into the air. The ground where I was just standing boiled with explosions. That would have been bad. Still airborne, I aimed and fired twin beams of energy.

    Edward stood his ground and let his metallic skin deflect the blasts. I felt the air almost tighten around me as I was flung to the ground in a powerful downdraft. The old weather guy, I forgot about him.

    ¡°I thought you were odd, but an undercover Argus agent? Ho-ho you suits are getting so bold. And wiping your memories? Who sanctioned that, Hollands?¡±

    I could barely hear him over the howling wind, but it was clear he was enjoying himself.

    ¡°Oh, I really am!¡± He said as I slowly stood to my feet, the downforce of the wind making it hard to stand. Something suddenly slammed into my side and I felt my energy ripple under the impact.

    What the hell was that? I thought to myself, looking for what hit my while trying to keep an eye on Edward.

    ¡°You remember Pam, don¡¯t you? Pam from the supply building? Well, she has a very interesting power that lets her make invisible psychic constructs shaped like people.¡±

    Another invisible fist sucker punched me in the face, mostly dampened by my barrier. It felt like getting hit with a dodgeball, enough to be surprising, but not quite enough to do damage. I fired a blind blast towards where I thought the attack came from.

    Holding the beam at full power, I swept my arm to the side. It carved a path through the trunks and branches, turning them to necrotic ash before it slammed into something invisible. It scattered off something before whatever was blocking it seemed to vanish. There wasn¡¯t any chance to celebrate, though: I felt a pair of hands close around my throat.

    Panicked, I drove my elbow backwards and it felt like a balloon popped. Suddenly, I felt the pressure vanish from my throat, but Edward used the distraction to close the distance. His fist was still glowing with blue light as he drove it into my face. I saw red as my face exploded with pain. His skin was still metal and hurt like hell.

    My nose was broken for sure, and probably bleeding. It felt like there was a burning hot anvil sitting on my face. I staggered back clutching my face, letting Edward drive his fist into my gut. It slipped right through my energy shell and knocked the breath out of me. I doubled over, gasping for air.

    ¡°You¡¯re nothing without your powers, and there¡¯s nothing you can do that I can¡¯t. Every defense you build up, I can tear down. I mean; I¡¯ve only had to use what? Five, six powers to beat you: a trained Argus hero?¡±

    I tried to stand up, but I felt several hands try and keep me pushed down. This was the part I hated¡ªgetting pummeled by people stronger than me. Still, I was strong, especially with my powers. Lifting with my energy, I started to stand, only for Edward to chuckle.

    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll use one more to finish you off.¡±

    Edward¡¯s eyes crackled with violet energy and I felt a crushing weight press down on me. Dani¡¯s powers? I could feel my organs being pulled down by gravity. I tried to stand again, but the force just got stronger and I started feeling lightheaded.

    ¡°I can feel how scared you are, your concern for your team¡­It¡¯s endearing¡ªalmost. If I knew you wouldn¡¯t try to stop me, I might let you live. But¡­I can¡¯t let anyone stand in my way. I built Idyllium, puppet mastering every damn thing. Savant is a braindead bitch with a heart of gold; it was easy to play on her vanity and make her think she was doing something good for metas.¡±

    Edward sighed, shaking his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nate, but it¡¯s time for you to die. I¡¯ll disappear and keep collecting powers until I find the ones I like. Because, you see, I can¡¯t just have any powers: I need to know the person and how they feel when they use their powers. Savant¡¯s empathy helps with that, but it¡¯s still annoying. Like you, for example; your powers scare you, make you feel guilty. If I tap into that¡­voila,¡± Edward droned on, engulfing his entire body in my energy.

    Parasite.

    ¡°Oh yeah¡ªthat¡¯s a bit annoying, but your ¡®presence¡¯ doesn¡¯t do much on its own, does it? Anyway, it¡¯s time for you to go¡­¡± Edward made a crushing motion with his hands.

    I screamed out in pain as I felt the crushing pressure tighten from every direction. If I didn¡¯t get out of here fast¡­ Barely able to think though the pain, I tore open a portal. Instantly, the crushing pressure vanished, replaced for a split second by the sensation that I was getting ripped apart. Luckily, it passed quickly, leaving me writhing on the ground as my body slowly realized it wasn¡¯t dying anymore.

    ¡°Oh god¡­¡± I groaned, trying to get back on my feet. I didn¡¯t have time to lay down; I had to get to my friends. Edward didn¡¯t follow me, even though he had my powers.

    Either way, I didn¡¯t want to stick around to see if he changed his mind. I started staggering off towards where the rest of my team was gathered. We still had whoever the hell Chess sent after us to deal with. I hoped Argus really had backup on standby.

    <hr>

    After I felt I had limped far enough to make it back, I opened another portal only for my blood to run cold.

    ¡°There he is, he¡¯s crazy!¡±

    Edward was standing there, looking bruised and bloody, with dark blue patches on his skin that looked like they were practically rotted away.

    He¡¯d beaten me back¡­

    ¡°Uhh¡ªshit, guys listen!¡± I tried to stammer.

    ¡°What the hell did you do?¡± Quill yelled, his spikes fully-grown and threatening.

    ¡°There is a red barn on the blue archipelago!¡± I shouted as loudly as I could.

    Edward¡¯s brow furrowed before shooting up in alarm. A look of understanding passed over my team¡¯s faces as their memories came flooding back. Corey steeled his wings and interposed himself between Quill and me.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Erin yelled, looking between me and Edward.

    ¡°Chess is after Edward; he can copy powers!¡± I shouted.

    Quill didn¡¯t look convinced, but Edward looked furious. ¡°You fucking assholes!¡± Whitney yelled, grabbing a pair of rocks off the ground and hurling them at Edward. His wounds seemed to miraculously heal as his skin turned to metal again. Whitney¡¯s explosions didn¡¯t seem to do much of anything besides pissing him off.

    ¡°Ed¡­?¡± Quill trailed off, confused.

    Erin was the next to attack. She launched herself at Edward, quickly switching from her blue state to her red. Maybe it was his ego, but Edward didn¡¯t do anything to defend himself against Erin¡¯s fist. I mean, Corey¡¯s metal was hard, but¡­

    ¡°Oh come on, that¡¯s not going to¡ª¡± Edward started to say.

    When Erin¡¯s fist slammed into Edward, he flew back, a massive dent in his chest. ¡°He won¡¯t stay down; we need to get out of here!¡± I shouted.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Ian?¡± Erin asked, watching the direction she sent Edward flying off in.

    ¡°He¡¯s hiding outside of camp,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Hold on, y¡¯all aren¡¯t going anywhere!¡± Quill shouted, looking utterly bewildered. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re Argus agents,¡± I explained hastily. ¡°Get everyone out of here. You don¡¯t stand a chance against whatever¡¯s coming!¡±

    ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t have time,¡± Erin ordered.

    ¡°Why should I believe a word of what you¡¯re sayin¡¯?¡± Quill asked.

    ¡°Well, it might just be my personal opinion, but I¡¯d listen to them¡­¡±

    We all turned towards the fires in the distance and saw a guy in an old leather jacket leaning against a tree, lighting a cigarette.

    ¡°And who the hell are you?¡± Quill demanded, not sure who he should be focusing on.

    For the first time, I heard the crackle of the flames in the distance and smelled the smoke¡ªhow¡¯d they get so close so fast?

    ¡°No idea; he¡¯s not with us,¡± Erin said, taking a fighting stance.

    ¡°Whitney?¡± Corey asked worriedly. I followed his gaze to our teammate who almost seemed to be shaking in fear. I hadn¡¯t seen her like this even when we were up against Judas.

    ¡°B-brandon?¡± She stammered.

    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±

 Dilate 3.18

    We all stood there like we were in some sort of superpowered standoff, stunned. Who was this guy? Could he really be Whitney¡¯s brother? She seemed completely terrified of him. I hadn¡¯t ever seen her this scared. Even when we were fighting Judas, she seemed more angry than afraid.

    ¡°You know this guy, Whit?¡± Erin asked, taking a step to stand between our teammate and this new guy.

    ¡°Y-yeah. He¡¯s my brother¡­Brandon,¡± Whitney trailed off, her eyes wide and panicked.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Argonauts. I¡¯ve heard so much about your little team, no thanks to Whit. You never call anymore, sis,¡± Brandon said, taking another drag off his cigarette.

    ¡°F-f-fuck you!¡± Whitney yelled, dark smoke starting to drift down from her hair.

    Brandon rolled his eyes, ¡°Always with the drama. Anyways, I go by Halcyon now; kinda comes with the job.  And I heard you¡¯re calling yourself Cinder now? Trying to pretend you¡¯re a chip off dad¡¯s old block?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Whitney screamed, slamming her hands into the ground. Glowing lines raced towards Bran¡ªtowards Halcyon who was suddenly enveloped in a roaring inferno that seemed to come from nowhere.  We all dove for cover as Whitney¡¯s explosion sent chunks of earth and wood flying in every direction with a deafening blast.

    Once I could tell which way was up from down, I scrambled to my feet. Everything was obscured by the dark heavy smoke Whitney¡¯s explosion created. I didn¡¯t have visual on Halcyon or Edward, much less Quill or the rest of my team.

    Calling out might not be the best idea, so I decided to stay put for the moment. More explosions rattled the ground. I could only see brief flashes through the smoke. Whitney must have been unleashing hell. Suddenly, the sounds of very large wings flapping from above me caught my attention.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Corey asked, alighting on the ground next to me.

    ¡°More or less,¡± I replied, trying to keep an eye on where the explosions were coming from.

    ¡°Erin and Adam are just over that way, but I couldn¡¯t spot Quill or Edward,¡± Corey reported, pointing in the direction of our team.

    ¡°What about Whitney?¡±

    Corey just gestured towards the explosions.

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Erin wants to know if you and Ian made any plans since you had your memory longer.¡±

    ¡°Our plan was to get all of your memories back and evacuate the civilians.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t let that happen,¡± Halcyon said ominously as he loomed out of the smoke. His expression seemed to be permanently smug with another cigarette burning in his mouth. He held out his hands and arms of bright orange flame flew out from the ominous darkness to form burning orbs in his palms.

    There was a faint metallic noise as Corey turned his wings to metal. ¡°Where¡¯s Whitney?¡± Corey demanded; the tips of his cleaver-like wings aimed at Halcyon.

    ¡°She¡¯s a bit preoccupied,¡± Halycon replied. More explosions rang out in the distance to in form us that Whitney was alive at least.

    The flames grew larger in the villain¡¯s hand¡ªyellows and reds mixed with oranges as the colors seemed to shift. He wasn¡¯t attacking, just standing there letting the colors dance in the fire¡­Everything started to fade. My vision seemed magnetized to the shapes.

    Despite all the danger we were in, I just felt myself feeling happy and safe¡­Everything was fine¡­

    And then the presence shifted. Like a raging bull it charged into my mind, knocking me out of my trance. Everything snapped back into focus with my energy crackling angrily. Halcyon hadn¡¯t noticed that I broke out of whatever trance he¡¯d tried to put us in.

    When life gives you laser beams from other dimensions¡­

    I quickly aimed a hand at¡­Whitney¡¯s brother¡­and fired a much weaker blast than I probably should have. Halcyon¡¯s eyes went wide, and the flames in his hands exploded into a wall of fire. My blast of energy easily smashed through it, but I couldn¡¯t see if it hit.

    Now I had a rapidly approaching wall of heat to deal with. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡ª¡±

    Corey was still staring into the fire. ¡°Corey? Come on,¡± I shouted, shaking his shoulder. His eyes came back into focus and he shook his head. It looked like he was dazed, but back.

    ¡°What happened?¡± He asked, noticing the flames.

    ¡°Halcyon has some more powers than just fire. We need to get the others out of here and make sure Ian¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t know where the hell our backup is, but I think It¡¯s a bit too late to evacuate the camp.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I think you¡¯re right. We¡¯re going to have to try to protect them. I think I can fly us over smoke¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked.

    He shrugged, ¡°I can carry at least one person, and you¡¯ll be stumbling around in the dark otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± I said uneasily. I knew it was probably the best decision tactically, but I couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of what he¡¯d said last night.  ¡°How to we do this?¡±

    ¡°Just¡­kinda hold your arms out,¡± he said.

    Damn this is fucking awkward, I thought as Corey hooked his arms under my shoulders and we were suddenly launched into the air much faster than I expected. It wasn¡¯t like when I flew with Peregrine. That was like being strapped to a living rocket. This was sorta like how I imagined using a parachute would feel except it was sentient and flying us higher.

    The smoke was finally starting to clear, and it didn¡¯t take long to spot Erin¡¯s glowing figure. ¡°Over there,¡± I pointed. Corey titled and pitched down, but there was a slight problem. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s a lot of fire down there.¡± Erin was quite literally standing still with fire almost as tall as she was swirling around her.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Does your energy protect you from fire?¡±

    ¡°I guess we¡¯re going to find out.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll set you down as close as I can,¡± Corey shouted.

    ¡°Glowstick! Flyboy! Down here!¡±

    We glanced over to see Adam, slowly being pushed back from the advancing flames. ¡°Brace!¡± Corey suddenly shouted as he all but dropped me. Luckily, I managed to use my control over my energy to steer myself into a solid landing.

    ¡°It¡¯s starting to look like we¡¯re really fucked. What the hell went wrong with the plan?¡±

    ¡°Wait, are you Adam or Steven?¡± Corey asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Steve!¡± Riot answered, acting like it should be obvious. ¡°Something keeps happening when we look in the fire that makes us switch.¡±

    ¡°Does he have hypnotizing fire?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a scary thought, but he could,¡± Corey said.

    ¡°I can¡¯t get to Erin without becoming barbeque, and we left our gun¡ªthe only one we were allowed to bring for some reason¡ªback in our tent.¡±

    ¡°Why? You were going to fight people attacking Idyllium and you didn¡¯t bring your gun?¡± I asked, shocked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Adam was thinking, okay?¡± Steven¡ªRiot¡ªshot back.

    ¡°Corey, you take Adam to get his gun and check on Ian¡ªhe should be where they had the party down by the creek. We¡¯re going to need back up on this one.¡±

    Corey nodded, ¡°Good plan.¡±

    ¡°Oh goody, I¡¯ve always wanted to fly air Serath,¡± Riot said, betraying the gravity of the situation.

    Ignoring our friend¡¯s alter ego, Corey grabbed him like he had with me and took the skies. Before they made it out of view, I saw a massive plume of fire reach up like a demonic hand trying to slap them out of the sky.

    Corey responded by steeling his wings and flipping over. They fell out of view, leaving me to just hope they made it. Corey had good training, though, and we needed Erin back in the right state of mind, so I tore my gaze from the sky to the burning trees in front of me.

    I stepped closer to the flames, and I could feel the heat coming from them, but it wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Come on, please be fireproof, I pleaded with my powers. Carefully, I reached towards the fire, feeling the heat rise only up to a point.

    My hand finally passed through the flame and¡­It didn¡¯t really hurt. Thank god, I thought as I stepped forward. Still, I didn¡¯t know if my energy could withstand the heat forever, so I hurried over to where Erin was standing.

    She was staring blankly into the flames just like I had been. Looking at the¡­shapes¡­No! I had stay focused.

    ¡°Erin! Snap out of it!¡± I yelled. If Erin heard me, she didn¡¯t show it. ¡°Please don¡¯t hate me for this¡­¡± I muttered, trying to slap her out of it. When my hand hit her face, it felt like solid steel. Her head didn¡¯t even move.

    Damn it. There was no way I could hurt her to try and snap her out of it. Maybe cutting off the source would work. I clamped my hands over her eyes and hoped that would be enough.

    ¡°Come on¡­come on.¡±

    Finally, she stirred, ¡°W-what?¡±

    I had to jump back to avoid a wild fist from Erin. She didn¡¯t seem to have her quits back quite yet. ¡°It¡¯s me, it¡¯s Nate!¡± I shouted, ducking to avoid another invulnerable fist. She wasn¡¯t inhumanly strong like this, but she was still buff as hell regardless.

    ¡°Nate?¡± She asked, befuddled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at the fire, Halcyon has some sort of hypnotizing¡­thing!¡±

    ¡°Where are the others?¡± She asked, noticing the roaring flames that surrounded us, defaulting to her role as team leader.

    ¡°I sent Serath and Riot to get Riot¡¯s gun and to make sure Ian was safe so they can help Idyllium Evacuate. I didn¡¯t know what else to do.¡±

    Erin gave a faint grin, ¡°Good job. And I guess that leaves Halcyon to us?¡±

    I have a half-shrug, ¡°I guess, but I don¡¯t know where he is, and I think Whitney¡¯s all out of sorts.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll get Whitney first; she¡¯s not as fire-proof as we are,¡± Erin shouted as she charged through a wall of fire, undaunted.

    For the first real time since Chicago, I second guessed by choice to give being a hero a real chance. If it were up to me, I¡¯d be back mopping floors instead of this, but my team, my friends needed me. Keeping that in mind, I ran after Erin.

    Stepping through the fire was like getting hit in the face with a curtain of heat. Nevertheless, I was unscathed. It seemed like most of the forest was on fire at this point. Just how strong was this guy? Whitney was destructive, but it seemed like her brother was on another threat class entirely.

    Thunder and lightning cracked overhead as the skies opened, dousing the burning forest with cold, fat raindrops.

    ¡°Looks that that weather manipulator finally got his powers going,¡± Erin shouted, vaulting over a fallen log.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be much help.¡± Some of the flames did start to fizzle out, but there was still a growing red-orange glow from the north. I was worried Halcyon was just getting started.

    ¡°Where did you see Whitney last?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know. After she detonated, there was too much smoke.¡±

    Erin methodically scanned the trees around us. I saw concern starting to seriously set in.  ¡°Cinder!¡± She shouted, cupping her hands together before I could stop her.

    ¡°No, wait!¡± My objection came too late: a torrent of flame came roaring towards us, curving around the trunks of trees like a blazing snake. Erin shoved me to the ground and let the fire slam into her. Then the flames around his flared and stretched. Under Halcyon¡¯s command they swirled together like a burning vortex centered on Erin.

    ¡°Close your eyes!¡± I shouted, hoping she could hear me.

    Now where was that bastard hiding? I couldn¡¯t see him and staring into the fire wasn¡¯t an option. I closed my eyes to reach out to the presence again. ¡°I need your help. Show me where he is. I know you can do it.¡±

    I willed my powers to obey, trying to lock onto the feelings that came with a vision. For a second, nothing happened, and I almost gave up, but then the yellows and reds were momentarily replaced with a flash of blue.

    It wasn¡¯t exactly a vision; I just had an intuition. I fired a blast, and it turned out my powers were right. The beam of energy slammed through a tree, splintering the wood and turning part of it to dust. Halcyon was caught off guard as the attack threw him back into another curtain of fire.

    Fortunately, it was enough to break his concentration.  The Flames around Erin died down, leaving her gasping for air. ¡°Fire¡­took the¡­oxygen¡­Thanks,¡± she said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± I said, still looking for Whitney.

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t burn, but ya still gotta breathe. How interesting,¡± Halcyon called out.

    His voice was coming from somewhere, but I couldn¡¯t spot him.

    ¡°I was thinking about cutting you guys some slack for being Whit¡¯s friends, but fuck that.¡±

    Another bolt of fire streaked though the trees, this one aimed at my head. I managed to duck out of the way, but it was way too close for comfort. Halcyon wasn¡¯t done yet, though. A few hundred feet away, a wall of fire exploded upwards.

    ¡°Aurora! Let¡¯s turn up the fucking heat!¡± Halcyon¡¯s voice boomed as he stepped through the curtain of flame. He pressed a button on something in his hand. I didn¡¯t notice anything at first, but then it was like a wave of boiling air rolled over us.

    It was like a blast furnace opened up. The glow from deeper in the woods got brighter and brighter. Even with my suit, I was really feeling the heat. Every breath felt like magma was being poured down my throat. ¡°Nate, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°C-can¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter glowstick? Molten wasteland got your tongue?¡± Halcyon laughed. ¡°Personally, I think it¡¯s just balmy.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Aurora?¡± Erin demanded, taking a step towards our opponent.

    ¡°A friend from work. She¡¯s nice enough, even if she¡¯s not quite all there all the time. Most importantly, she gives me all the fuel I need,¡± He said as some of the trees and leaf liter around us burst into flames.

    Everything was on fire now, and I felt the heat slowly cooking me through my suit. Erin charged, but Halcyon simply raised an arm, causing a pillar of fire the size of a freight train to coalesce from the burning world around us. Erin was swept away in the flood of fire that scorched the ground and annihilated the flammable trees in its path.

    ¡°You guys may be heroes, but you¡¯re what? Class III? Maybe? Well, I¡¯m fucking first class!¡± Halcyon crowed, drawing more fire to his hands with a murderous glint in his eyes.

 Dilate 3.19

    I was really starting to dislike pyros, or at least this one in particular. The fact that he was Whitney¡¯s brother was losing traction as a reason not to unload on this bastard. He seemed completely in his element. I hadn¡¯t seen him shoot fire himself, but it was starting to be painfully obvious¡ªliterally¡ªthat he could control it on a massive scale.

    And now, after his little message to ¡®Aurora¡¯, it felt like a star was walking towards us. Every tree around us was on fire, adding fuel to the blaze. I tried to keep my eyes moving so I wouldn¡¯t be lulled to death, but the shifting colors were everywhere.

    ¡°Piss off!¡±

    I turned my head just in time to see a glowing rock sail past us. Halcyon¡¯s eyes widened as Whitney¡¯s powers detonated it less than a foot from him. Whitney herself was hurrying towards us, smoke billowing around her like some sort of walking cloud of fire suppression. She looked damn terrifying.

    ¡°How are you two holding up?¡± She asked, lobbing another explosive fastball towards her brother.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but Nate needs to pull back,¡± Erin replied, shielding her eyes from the approaching glow.

    ¡°I can¡­hold on¡­a bit more¡­¡± I panted.

    Whitney aimed a hand towards me, and a blast of smoke surrounded me. It didn¡¯t shield me from the heat exactly, but it did extinguish the fire in the area. ¡°Either pull yourself together or go help the others!¡± Erin shouted as Halcyon lashed out with another torrent of fire.

    ¡°Cool it, hothead!¡± Whitney yelled, chucking another explosive rock.

    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Halcyon screamed. More fire started to gather around him in a defensive wall. Erin charged, disappearing into the fire while Whitney searched for more ammo.

    Erin was right, I had to pull myself together. They had him distracted for the moment, so it was now or never. You¡¯re always surprising me with new shit, and now¡¯s a good time, I said to my powers. Reaching out to the presence at the back of my mind, I imagined the energy barrier thickening, getting tougher. It did what I wanted when I tried to move it; maybe it would do something similar now.

    It was very cold in the dead forest¡ªDeadwood? ¡ªand I hoped that would carry over. More energy flowed through me as I tapped into my powers, and I could feel the energy shift around me. Slowly, I felt the intensity of the heat fade until it was somewhat bearable.

    I could finally breathe without feeling like my lungs were getting charbroiled. It was like my energy was cooling the air. The smoke from Whitney was fading, bringing the fire back with it. I couldn¡¯t see the others, but I could hear explosions and the roar of flames.

    Before I could reason my way out of it, I charged forward. The flames were hotter than they were before, but with my energy cooperating, I managed to break through to the others. Now that I had a good look at her, I could see Whitney wasn¡¯t doing too well. Her smoke obscured the worst of it, but she was burned pretty badly in some places. I guess her flame resistance couldn¡¯t hold up to prolonged exposure. Erin looked a little fatigued, but Halcyon¡¯s fire couldn¡¯t hurt her in the slightest. That put him on the defense as he kept trying to throw up building-sized blasts of fire to ward off the invulnerable wrecking machine.

    Still, Halcyon was faster than he looked. It almost looked like he was using the fire to push himself around. He was on his toes, dodging Whitney¡¯s explosive barrage while keeping distance from Erin. I looked at the burning scene and got an idea. My powers made me faster than Halcyon, even if he was a little cleaver with how he used his; I just had to concentrate.

    I took off with a running start, trying to build up some speed before jumping. It was honestly a bit unsettling as the ground disappeared beneath me, but I had to keep my head in the game. For this to work, I had to stay in the air for a bit longer. Willed my energy to move up, and I felt an odd resistance as it slowed my fall.

    Then came the next part. I waited for what only felt like a millisecond until I got close enough to one of the burning trees. Pushing off it propelled me higher into the air as I steered myself with my powers until I was over Halcyon.

    ¡°Heads up!¡± I shouted, moving my energy, and me, down.

    Halcyon looked up in surprise just before I landed on his shoulder. Something snapped and we crashed to the ground. I barely felt a thing thanks to my energy. Halcyon, however, was howling in pain as I rolled to the side and used my energy to pull myself up. Doing that kinda made me feel like I was a puppet. But I was controlling myself. Still not something I was used to.

    ¡°Whitney, get the hell out of here!¡± I shouted.

    ¡°No fucking way!¡± She yelled back, charging her powers on more rocks.

    ¡°Nate¡¯s right, you need to go help the others,¡± Erin tried to reason with her.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him!¡±

    ¡°Like hell!¡± Halcyon shouted back, launching a swarm of fireballs at Whitney. There was no way I could get to her in time, but I saw Erin turn blue for a split second before turning green again and diving in front of Whitney.

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving!¡± Erin shouted.

    I saw Halcyon charging up for another attack, so I reached down and grabbed him by his jacket. With the strength from my energy, he weighed almost nothing as I flung him back. Taking him out now might be our best chance, I thought.

    He tumbled when he hit the ground, still clutching his shoulder in pain. Before he could gather himself, I fired a blast of energy that threw him back even further. ¡°I can handle Halcyon, you guys go!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to pay for that, Glowstick.¡±

    ¡°Why does everyone default to glowstick?¡± I muttered. My energy crackled, ready for whatever he was going to try next.

    Halcyon didn¡¯t disappoint either. The first fireball caught me by surprise, slamming into my back and nearly knocking me to the ground as more closed in from every direction. A wall of fire sprung up between me and my opponent; I couldn¡¯t let him get away.

    My vision blinked blue and I instinctively ducked under another one of Halcyon¡¯s attacks. Why couldn¡¯t my precog thing be more reliable? I took off running again, shielding my face despite my energy barrier as I dove through the wall of fire only to be met with more burning forest and no sign of Halcyon.

    Shit. I scanned the forest, risking being hypnotized, but no to avail. He wasn¡¯t anywhere. The flames in the area kept getting higher, and even though my concentration hadn¡¯t faltered, I could feel the warmth leaching through my energy getting stronger. Was that because of Aurora or Halcyon just trying to kill us in absentia?Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Staying here probably wasn¡¯t a good idea. I had at least roughed him up a bit; and they might need be back with the main group. Not to mention I needed to get out of that heat as soon as possible. Okay, my mind was made up as I tore open a portal and stepped though to cool relief.

    Traveling through the Forest was always a strange sensation. I seemed to travel further than I¡¯d actually moved when I opened a portal to leave. So, once I guessed I¡¯d moved far enough, I opened another portal and stepped out into sheer chaos. Idyllians were running in every direction, some carrying buckets of water, and others a medley of personal belongings. It wasn¡¯t difficult to figure out what was causing the panic; a ring of fire, taller than most skyscrapers had surrounded the camp. Halcyon was just stalling us¡­

    ¡°Nate!¡±

    I looked up to see Corey flying in low. Immediately, the crowd around me seemed to swell as they reached up for the flying hero.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I shouted.

    ¡°Halcyon cut off Luna¡¯s escape plan, some of us have been trying to fly people out of here, but the flames are high as hell.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Savant? Shouldn¡¯t she be trying to calm everyone down?¡± I shouted back over the shouting crowd.

    ¡°No idea, Ian and Steven are trying to help Quill, but it¡¯s not going too well.¡±

    ¡°What about Edward?¡± I asked, getting jostled by some of the crowd.

    ¡°I think he slipped away,¡± Corey replied, grabbing a few kids the crowd was shoving towards him and climbing higher into the air so he could fly them to safety.

    This wasn¡¯t good. Either Halcyon thought Edward was still here, or he was going to burn this place down for the hell of it; for revenge.

    After Corey flew away, most of the crowd had dissolved back into the panicked mess, leaving me alone to watch the chaos. I had to find Halcyon. Suddenly, as I was searching the Woodline, the orange glow in the distance suddenly vanished. The flames weren¡¯t gone by a long shot, but they did seem to lose intensity for a moment.

    Did Erin manage to find Aruora? Without any better ideas, I took off in that direction. By the time I pushed through the crowd, I saw Erin coming out of the forest, still glowing green, with a person slung over her shoulder.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I shouted?

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but I don¡¯t know about this one,¡± She replied, gently setting down the person on her back. They were clad in what almost looked like an armored hazmat suit. It was bulky, but it still wasn¡¯t hard to see that whoever was inside didn¡¯t have a large stature.

    ¡°Is this¡­?¡±

    ¡°Aurora? I don¡¯t know. I found her in the middle of that hell zone, and she was putting off heat like a miniature sun. There are some sort of controls on her suit; I turned one of them up and she seemed to calm down.¡±

    ¡°Hey, are you okay in there?¡± I asked, crouching down next to the maybe Aurora.

    The helmeted head turned to look at me, but they didn¡¯t really seem responsive.

    ¡°They haven¡¯t said a word this whole time; I don¡¯t know what their deal is,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°Whatever it is: It hasn¡¯t seemed to do much to stop the fire,¡± I said.

    ¡°Erin! Nate!¡±

    Ian and Riot were running over, looking like they weren¡¯t quite recovered from the severe heat yet. ¡°Did you stop Halcyon?¡± Ian asked.

    ¡°No, but we may have stopped one of his teammates,¡± Erin said.

    ¡°Well, we need to do something fast; there¡¯s no way we can evacuate everyone in time at the rate we¡¯re going,¡± Ian said. ¡°Wait¡­Where¡¯s Whitney?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡± Erin started to say before realizing she wasn¡¯t with us.

    ¡°Do you think she still tried to go after Halcyon?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± She sighed.

    Before we could try to come up with a plan, the ring of fire surrounding the camp began to rotate and climb into the sky. Slowly, the Idyllians seemed to calm down, staring at the growing vortex of flame.

    ¡°He¡¯s hypnotizing them,¡± I said.

    Large torrents of fire started breaking free of the swirling mass before slamming into the camp. ¡°Oh my god.¡± This just got very real. I felt my stomach sink; people were dying.

    ¡°Nate, focus!¡± Ian shouted, grabbing me by my shoulders and looking me in the eye. ¡°We need a vision to find Halcyon, now!¡±

    ¡°I-I can¡¯t do it on command yet¡ªit¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Focus!¡± He nearly screamed. Part of me instinctually wanted to punch him, but he was right. Lots of people were in trouble. I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself. No¡ªscratch that¡ªit wasn¡¯t going to happen. I grabbed the Presence in the back of my mind, trying to find the feeling I had when I had a vision.

    The Presence didn¡¯t seem to like my attitude. I felt it shift, but then everything else fell away until I was standing in the middle of a burning field. The sky was dark as night, no it was just choked by smoke, all coming from something burning in the distance. I ran forward, the flat field swelling into hills and valleys until I saw Halcyon. He was laughing maniacally as everything around him burned.

    Suddenly, I came-to again in reality. Everyone was looking at me expectantly as I tried blinking to get my eyes to focus again.

    ¡°Anything?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I know where he is,¡± I said as the information seemed to settle in my mind. It was weird: like remembering something you hadn¡¯t ever learned.

    ¡°Then come on, let¡¯s go,¡± Erin said, pulling me to my feet. ¡°Take care of her,¡± She shouted over her shoulder to Ian and Riot.

    ¡°He¡¯s just inside the fire,¡± I said, pointing to a gap in the trees. ¡°Do you think she¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªDon¡¯t think about that,¡± Erin said, switching to her blue state so she could keep up with me as we charged through the field.

    Maybe I should have been worried, though. We didn¡¯t have to go far before Halcyon came walking out to meet us, dragging Whitney behind him. He was holding his other arm at an odd angle, but he had an insane smile on his face. The fucking monster.

    I dove forward, using my powers to close the distance. A blast of fire knocked me off course and I sprawled on the ground, scrambling to get up. Erin was charging in, but she wasn¡¯t going to make it in time. I could see him gathering fire to the hand he was pointing towards Whitney.

    There wasn¡¯t time to think¡ªor hold back¡ªI fired a blast of energy. The blue beam slammed into Halcyon, throwing him back. I saw his jacket and part of his skin turn gray as he screamed in pain. Using my powers like that usually made me sick or uncomfortable, but this time¡­

    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Halcyon groaned.

    ¡°Put the fire out, now!¡± Erin yelled, standing over Halcyon.

    ¡°Not a chance,¡± he said with a pained grin, reaching inside the good side of his jacket. Erin tried to grab him, but it was too late: a black and yellow goo quickly began to spread over his body. Erin quickly pulled her hands back as Euclid¡¯s suit completely enveloped Halcyon. There was nothing we could do as the goo shrunk itself smaller than a grain of sand.

    ¡°Fuck!¡±

    ¡°Nate, check Whitney!¡±

    Erin was right; I hurried over, and it wasn¡¯t good. Whitney was even more burned now. She looked unconscious, but at least she was breathing. ¡°We¡¯ve got to get her to a hospital.¡±

    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± Erin said, motioning to the still present fire.

    ¡°Corey might be able to fly her out of here.¡±

    Erin nodded, gently scooping Whitney up.

    With Halcyon gone, the massive wall of fire had died down, but on that same token, there wasn¡¯t anyone controlling it. It was spreading across the field, not letting us out of the woods yet.

    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Ian said in surprise as we got closer. ¡°Did you?¡¯

    ¡°He got away,¡± I muttered, ¡°But we¡¯ve gotta get Whitney to a hospital.¡±

    Don¡¯t worry, I managed to get ahold of some backup, they should be here any minute with medical teams.¡±

    We waited for a few minutes that felt like hours until we heard the roar of massive jet engines.

    ¡°Who exactly did you call for backup?¡± Adam asked as Colossus came into view.

    It was one thing to see a hero in a mechanical suit flying, but it was another thing entirely when that suit was nearly a hundred feet tall. Several maneuvering jets sprang to life as the behemoth tilted into an upright hover. The gust from its jets seemed to just fan the flames until it touched down with what felt like a small earthquake. This was Colossus¡¯ main suit, clad in red armor with ¡°Rhodes¡± painted in bold letters going down the arm. It seemed to survey the burning forest for a moment before several jets opened on the arms, spraying fire retardant.

    More aircraft quickly started arriving. They were all the same color as the Rhodes with different numbers on their sides. They were sleeker than Argus¡¯ dropships, and much quieter as they touched down at several places around the camp.

    Whitney was still hanging in there; if it had been anyone else that didn¡¯t have her powers, I wouldn¡¯t expect them to make it. Still, Halcyon had gotten away, and apparently, Aurora had vanished with Euclid¡¯s gunk at the same time. The Anarchist was right; they were working for Chess, or whoever he was working for. And Edward managed to vanish somewhere in the chaos. It wasn¡¯t exactly a mission success, but more people could have gotten hurt if we were involved.

    And what the hell was with Whitney¡¯s family? There was way more going than I¡¯d ever expect.

 Wyrd

    The snowstorm had started sooner than the weatherman reported. It made a dramatic backdrop for what was about to happen. Erin was nervous as she walked down the street lined with stalled cars. Her fists were clinched as she focused on staying invulnerable. Her father would probably chide her for that; showing her hand too early.

    Time seem to crawl by at an agonizing pace, but it was still all happening too fast. Erin could hear him shouting now. In the middle of the intersection ringed with smashed and crumpled cars was a freak of a man. His skin was greyed and boiled, stretched to the point that it looked ready to burst. His limbs were out of proportion, twisted unnaturally by his powers. Most frightening though, was his height; he had to be almost three meters tall.

    Erin hadn¡¯t ever seen someone in the throes of meta-madness before. This guy looked utter insane. His slurs and angry ramblings had devolved into a frenzied screaming. Erin couldn¡¯t help but look at the chaotic scene; people hiding behind the wreckage, waiting for the brute to turn around so they could crawl away¡ªjust like they learned back in school.

    There was still time to turn back, he hadn¡¯t noticed her yet. Erin came to a stop just before the intersection. Her heart felt like it might beat out of her chest. This guy was a tower of muscle, and she was¡­No! She had powers just like her father and grandfather. This is what she was training for.

    Swallowing her fear, she called out: ¡°Hei, ruma!¡±

    The j?ttil?iset snapped its attention to the tall girl with red hair and a homemade mask. With a roaring bellow, the meta charged, and all Erin could focus on was the freak¡¯s fist flying towards her face.

    <hr>

    Erin jolted herself awake, but the noise didn¡¯t seem to roust the rooms other unconscious occupant. Stretching, Erin tried to ward off the stiffness that seemed to set in. Maybe her invulnerability wasn¡¯t so perfect. Or maybe it was just the cheap chair she¡¯d been sleeping in. Erin looked over at Whitney in the hospital bed just to make sure she was doing alright. The doctors said her burns were healing faster than anything they¡¯d seen before, but she still needed time regardless.

    The boys had minor scrapes, bruises, and burns, but were otherwise unscathed. Of course, Erin wasn¡¯t hurt at all. At least, not physically. Halcyon¡¯s¡­hypnosis brought up a lot of things. Not all of them were bad, but it wasn¡¯t a mystery to Erin where her nightmare had come from.

    What time was it anyway? A glance at the clock on the wall revealed it to be a little past two-thirty in the morning. Going back to sleep wasn¡¯t an appetizing, so she decided to stretch her legs. Erin didn¡¯t know anyone who liked being in a hospital, but it was quiet and somewhat calming at night.

    She walked down the hall to the waiting room the boys had crashed in. Adam looked like he was ready for a fight even while he was sleeping. Corey had wrapped up basically his entire body with his wings, and it honestly looked comfortable. Opposite him was Nate. It looked like he was having nightmares too; he was tossing and turning with faint blue light coming from his closed eyes. Ian was passed out with the glow from his phone screen casting strange shadows on his face.

    Things could have gone much worse. Erin had only heard of metas as powerful as Aurora, but to be there was something else. Everything was on fire; the trees were like matches on some apocalyptic cake. And Erin felt none of the heat as she marched through it. At the center of the hellscape the ground was almost molten. Erin remembered her feet sinking slightly with ever step.

    Aurora, or at least who Erin assumed had to be Aurora was standing in the center of everything. The heat rolling off them made the air swim and shimmer. Erin was ready for a fight¡ªHalcyon had left her on edge, but Aurora just stood there.

    They were clad in what looked like an armored hazmat suit built to withstand the heat. ¡°Are you Aurora?¡± Erin yelled.

    The figure standing there stopped shuffling forward and tilted their head to the side, almost quizzically. ¡°Are you with Halcyon?¡± Erin yelled again. Yet again, no response. Erin crept closer, and the figure didn¡¯t do anything. It was like there wasn¡¯t anyone inside the suit. But the eyes of the helmet followed her as she approached.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Erin wondered if the person she was talking to even spoke English. She repeated her questions in Finnish for the hell of it, but she wasn¡¯t exactly surprised when there was still nothing but silence. Erin investigated the suit a bit more and noticed that there were controls built into the right arm.

    Technology was really more of Ian¡¯s wheelhouse, but when the screen said ¡°Dampener Control¡± it wasn¡¯t difficult to figure out what it did. Erin increased the power of the dampener, and he heat immediately began to subside.

    It didn¡¯t really matter that Erin managed to depower her; she disappeared in the same Euclid goo Halcyon had. But why was Whitney¡¯s brother working with Kriegspiel? Argus knew he was powerful, but he was closer to his father¡¯s power level than they thought, that much was clear.

    It was hard not to feel sorry for Whitney with family like that. It made Erin glad she still had her father. Great, now she was homesick. She shouldn¡¯t be surprised; she was already dreaming about her first real fight.

    Content the boys were alright, Erin decided to go for a nighttime stroll. Jackson Wyoming wasn¡¯t a large city by any means. It did have some nice views of the mountains, though. Almost reminded her of home. Maybe she could give her dad a call, she wondered to herself as she pulled her phone from her pocket. Doing some math, it was about lunch time back in Finland¡­

    Her dad would forgive her she reasoned, dialing his number.

    It rang exactly twice before her father¡¯s voice answered. ¡°Hei?¡±

    ¡°Hei is?,¡± Erin answered, switching back into Finnish.

    ¡°Erin? Is everything alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Dad; I just wanted to call and see how you were doing.¡±

    ¡°Erin...¡± her dad scolded half-heartedly. ¡°You¡¯re not on a mission, are you?¡±

    ¡°No, no. You know I wouldn¡¯t call if I was.¡± Her dad didn¡¯t say anything, but she could almost see him nodding; forgetting he was on the phone. ¡°We did just get back from one, though.¡±

    ¡°Are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°Not a scratch.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my girl,¡± he said with a hint of pride.

    ¡°But what about you? Everything going okay over there?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You know nothing interesting has happened here since you left.¡±

    Erin rolled her eyes despite her gin. Her father had made that joke almost every time he got the chance.

    ¡°What about your team? Are they performing well? Do they listen to you?¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re still getting used to each other. I honestly think we need more training.¡±

    ¡°So, they are insubordinate?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. They listen, but I don¡¯t know if its because they trust in me as a leader or another teammate. Does that make any sense?¡±

    ¡°I think I know what you mean. Just remember what your grandfather and I taught you, and you¡¯ll do fine.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Erin said, her mind wandering back to her first meta fight.

    ¡°But if you ever need help, just bring them here and I¡¯ll get them straight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you would!¡± Erin said with a laugh.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to hear you laugh, T?tt?h??r?. But it¡¯s late there, and I¡¯m sure you need sleep.¡±

    ¡°Okay, is?. It was good to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°You too. Love you.¡±

    ¡°Love you too. Bye.¡± Erin said, waiting for her father to hang up.

    The little talk with her dad had carried her a few blocks, but not far enough to let her old memories settle. What she really needed was something to hit. Starting back towards the hospital, she looked at her phone again and went to James¡¯ contact.

    Unlike her dad, the team¡¯s liaison took much longer to pick up. ¡°Hello?¡± came the sound of a groggy Argus agent.

    ¡°Hey, James, It¡¯s Erin.¡±

    ¡°Is everything okay? Its¡­three in the morning¡­¡± James groaned.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re all good, but I was wondering if I could ask a favor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for,¡± James grumbled, trying not to sound aggravated. ¡°What do you need?¡±

    ¡°Are there any heroes in the area looking for back up?¡±

    ¡°Let me check.¡± Erin could make out faint typing sounds as James looked up something on a computer.

    ¡°Uhh, yeah, actually,¡± James said as he picked up the phone again. ¡°I let it go by since I thought you all wanted some rest, but some old friends are about an hour or two from you. Paladin and Boondock were looking into something in Logan, Utah.¡±

    ¡°How far is that from here?¡±

    ¡°About three and a half hours by car.¡±

    ¡°Can you send directions to my phone?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Do you want me to send you a car or a dropship?¡±

    ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯ll be fine on my own.¡±

    ¡°Anytime,¡± James replied. ¡°But remember that Hollands is going to want a full debrief in a few hours.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be ready,¡± Erin assured him.

    ¡°Alright, just don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you,¡± James said, hanging up the phone.

    He¡¯ll get over it, Erin thought to herself, looking at the route on the map James sent. This was just what she needed. After a little stretch, she tapped into her powers. The faint blue from her aura shed some dim light on her surroundings. When she used her powers like this, it was like she could see motion. Streaming ribbons of light left in the wake of cars, people, birds, dogs; everything.

    Focusing her mind, she started drawing the ribbons of motion into herself. She could feel them coiling and winding up, getting ready to be unleashed. And then, as easily as exhaling a pent-up breath, she started running.

    Only it wasn¡¯t running, exactly. She was moving her legs, but only slightly faster than she normally did. The difference was in the length of her stride. It was an awkward gate, but with the force of her power pushing her along it was damn fast.

    When she made it to the highway, it was even more extreme. She didn¡¯t normally want or like to go this fast, but with the volume of cars that had traveled down the road in the past few weeks, it was harder to hold back. Everything she had was focused on not hitting the cars that flew past her.

    The trip that would have taken more than three hours was whittled down to only a few minutes by the time Erin slid to a stop on Logan¡¯s main street. Her trip had taken her through Wyoming and a portion of Idaho, but it was all a blur. The town itself looked like every other mid-sized American town she¡¯d passed through. Kind of hard to tell them apart.

    James¡¯ directions led Erin down a few more streets; away from the more residential districts, stopping in front of what looked like a self-storage complex. That seemed a bit odd, but when Erin double-checked her phone, the address was correct. Deciding to put aside her doubts, Erin started walking past the rows of doors trying to find what she was looking for.

    Right before she reached the end of the third row, one of the doors flew open. Erin threw up her defenses for a fight. It felt strange as her body became immutable, frozen between one heartbeat and the next. But she quickly realized that there wasn¡¯t any need for a fight.

    ¡°Paladin?¡± Erin asked, noting the hulking figure crouched on the other side of the door.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. Nice to see you again, Norn.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­nice to see you too¡­¡± Erin said, not trying to appear rude as she tried to peer past the giant hero to see what was going on behind him.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the rest of the team?¡± Paladin asked, sounding a bit disappointed as he glanced up and down the empty row on either side of the Argonaut.

    ¡°They¡¯re still resting up from our last mission,¡± Erin explained, rubbing the back of her neck. ¡°I just needed something to do.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t feeling the desire to go into the nightmare that had unsettled her, but Paladin nodded thoughtfully, ¡°I completely understand. Come on in and we¡¯ll get you up to speed on what¡¯s going on.¡±

    Pushing the door, the rest of the way up, Paladin turned and moved back to his seat while crouched so that he didn¡¯t scrape his head against the ceiling. Now Erin could see Boondock, in his signature jeans, boots, beat-up baseball cap, and sleeveless flannel tacking pictures to a cork board. What he, and presumably Paladin, had mad looked like something straight off the set of a conspiracy movie.

    Erin quickly noticed that she wasn¡¯t the only back up that had arrived. It took her a minute to place the face. He was a tall guy, just a hair shorter than she was, and handsome enough; maybe he usually wore a mask? No, that probably wasn¡¯t it. If he was one of the masked heroes, his face wouldn¡¯t be ringing a bell. Then he turned and smiled, and Erin¡¯s mind immediately remembered him from the cover of a Chronicler magazine, an organization dedicated to telling the stories of metahumans. That issue had a large section dedicated to Albert Simmons, aka Colossus: the hero that had just bailed them out from their fiery predicament earlier. This guy sure seemed to get around.

    ¡°Howdy, Norn,¡± Boondock drawled with his usual hospitality despite staying focused on whatever he was doing.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met officially,¡± Colossus said, extending his hand.

    ¡°Uh, Norn,¡± Erin said returning his warm smile and shaking his hand. His expression shifted slightly when she said her name, apparently recognizing it.

    ¡°Colossus.¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah. And I wanted to thank you for extracting my team back in Montana.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mention it; it isn¡¯t every day I get to use what I build,¡± he replied, appearing thrilled his actions were noticed.

    ¡°So, what are you guys looking into here?¡± Erin asked, promptly turning the conversation back to Boondock and Paladin.

    ¡°Gencore.¡±

    Maybe it was the drawl, but the way Boondock said the name made Erin look over at him in concern. It was some uncomfortable mix of smug and scorn.

    ¡°I thought the investigation against them was dropped.¡± Erin said, remembering the news report she saw about the biotech company not too long ago.

    ¡°The FBI dropped their investigation, not Cypher or Argus,¡± Boondock clarified.

    ¡°Unofficially,¡± Paladin added.

    ¡°Yeah, ¡®unofficially¡¯,¡± Boondock clarified. ¡°After Prophet¡¯s debrief, real unfortunate business with all that by the way, Argus and the FBI both launched inquiries into any possible connections between Gencore, Shard, Morales, and Cooke.¡±

    Erin only remembered the details of the team¡¯s report from Chicago vaguely. And when they weren¡¯t put on the case, she figured it wasn¡¯t anything important.

    ¡°Due to how all y¡¯all were wrapped up with that Prophet business, the higher-ups and Argus didn¡¯t want you gettin¡¯ involved, so they passed it on to Cypher, who passed this little mission on to us since we were in the area.¡±

    ¡°They have you two doing espionage?¡± Erin asked, looking between the giant and the guy that looked like he belonged at a rodeo incredulously.

    Paladin laughed, ¡°Not exactly. Cypher is positive there¡¯s more going on than the FBI can find out, but that also means we don¡¯t have any protection under the Accords to go and start roughing up their employees.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°However, if they are doing business under the table, we can step in and link it back to them if we¡¯re lucky,¡± Boondock continued. ¡°Cypher was especially interested in the Creasomyaline Demevelam your team found in Morales¡¯ apartment. He thinks it was what triggered Cooke and Morales¡¯ power manifestation.¡±

    ¡°Cypher thinks Gencore has found a way to trigger power manifestations in sleepers?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°Well, Gencore of course denied having anything to do with the bottle or the pills, and whoever made the drugs did a good job of making them decompose real fuckin¡¯ quick according to Cypher and the people in the Argus labs. But, to answer your question; yeah. And Cypher doubts they will stop at just the un-manifested metas given their shady record.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but I¡¯m still not sure why we¡¯re handling it instead of people more skilled with spy stuff,¡± Erin wondered aloud.

    ¡°Cypher didn¡¯t say,¡± Paladin sighed, struggling to move so he was closer to the board. ¡°If I had to guess, it would be because I¡¯m about thirty years overdue for retirement, and Boondock doesn¡¯t have the biggest splash. Or it could be because he expects heavy resistance.¡±

    ¡°And you?¡± Erin asked Colossus.

    ¡°I answered the same back-up request as you; I wanted to try out something new I was working on,¡± he answered.

    Boondock glanced at his phone and back to the board. ¡°It¡¯s almost time, we need to get moving. Gencore¡¯s truck should be rolling into town in a few minutes. We¡¯re gonna track that truck to their facility and see what we can turn up.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡±

    <hr>

    Despite his size, Paladin could be somewhat stealthy when he wasn¡¯t glowing like a lightbulb. It was impressive. Still, stealthy wasn¡¯t a major skill in Erin¡¯s toolshed. Every movement made her more worried about getting found out.

    The quartet of heroes were camping out on a very small hill on the outskirts of town watching the armored truck drive innocently enough down the road. It turned out Colossus¡¯ new project was a much smaller suit of power armor.

    If she was being honest, it looked far less sophisticated than his massive suits. Still, he had advanced optics, so he was on lookout.

    ¡°So why do you think this is some kind of nefarious shipment?¡± Erin asked.

    The truck didn¡¯t have any identifying symbols or markings. If it passed Erin randomly on the street, she would probably just assume it was one of those trucks that moved money or valuable items.

    ¡°None of the local businesses hire from security companies that own that model of truck. None of the banks, jewelry stores, nothing. In fact, the closest security company that does use that kind of armored truck is more than six states away,¡± Boondock explained.

    ¡°So how do you know it¡¯s an Argus truck?¡± Erin asked, still not seeing the whole picture.

    ¡°We have to trust Cypher on that one. Him and his big brain claims to have seen a pattern.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re turning in,¡± Colossus called out, synthesized voice coming from the suit¡¯s helmet.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make the call,¡± Boondock said, pulling out a cellphone and dialing a short number. ¡°Hello, this is Boondock, badge number six three two six one, requesting confirmation of registered facility five-hundred feet from current location.¡±

    Boondock went quiet for a moment as he waited for a reply from whoever was on the other end of the line. Then he smiled and hung up the phone. ¡°No registered facilities in range.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Erin asked, berating herself for not being as well versed in Argus jargon as she should be for the sake of the team.

    ¡°Since the advent of meta-tech, all companies and organizations need to register the locations of their sites with Argus. Those that do advanced research, or employ meta-tech are extra-obligated. If it¡¯s not a registered site, we have probable cause to kick in the door.¡±

    ¡°Seem like a bit of loophole¡­¡±

    ¡°Paladin gave a slight sigh, ¡°It can be, but criminals often use fronts to hide their activities. If no one registered this place, it isn¡¯t that much of an assumption to say they could be hiding something.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to knock or should I?¡± Colossus asked, looking over to Paladin.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to take a crack at it,¡± The old man said with a growing smile.

    ¡°Not at all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a little boost,¡± Boondock said as he apparently activated his powers. Erin felt the sensation wash over her in a wave of goosebumps. Everything seemed slightly sharper, and her powers felt like they were at her fingertips ready to go. She still wasn¡¯t sure exactly what his powers were, but she knew she liked the feeling.

    Without any more fuss, Paladin got up from his prone position and started jogging towards the small steel and concrete building the truck had turned off the road towards. By now, the truck had pulled into an open garage built into the bunker-like building.

    No one seemed to notice the well-over seven-foot-tall man as he jogged closer. Erin guessed one didn¡¯t usually look for giants in the desert. Following Boondock and Colossus¡¯ lead, Erin started to follow them from their hiding position just as Paladin broke into a sprint. His heavy footfalls pounded the ground with enough force to alert the small group of guards standing in front of the garage. A few of them trained guns on the approaching figure while one spoke into his radio.

    All hell broke loose when Paladin lit up like the sun.

    Suddenly, with a giant clad in glowing plate armor charging them, a few of the guards opened fire. They would have had a better time trying to stop a freight train by throwing pebbles. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s not let him steal the whole show,¡± Boondock said, scrambling to his feet and breaking into a headlong run into gunfire. Colossus¡¯ external speakers crackled to life with the sound of laughter as his suit took off like an Olympic sprinter before jets of flame roared to life. With a burst of flame, Colossus shot forward like a rocket. Not wanting to be left behind, Erin flared her powers and followed just a few dozen feet behind in Colossus¡¯ wake.

    Seeing Paladin standing there as she rushed towards the fray made her mind drift back against her will. Her father¡¯s words echoed in her head, telling her to be the one on the attack.

    <hr>

    Suddenly, the coolness of the Utah night was replaced by the bitter cold of a Finnish day five years ago. Snow was whipping around her as she charged the rampaging meta. He was charging in turn, closing the gap between him and Erin in about two of his bounding steps.

    ¡°Drop blue, go red.¡±

    Erin wanted desperately to make her father proud and follow his training but seeing the cinderblock-sized fist sailing towards her face instilled a primal panic. She didn¡¯t duck out of the way and counter strike like she drilled over and over. Instead, her panic translated to her shell of invulnerability springing into place.

    The fist connected, having no trouble with a now static target, and Erin felt the world go sideways as her spine bent dramatically, stopped from snapping only by the grace of her ability. Her upper body was driven down so quickly she lost her footing as the brute drove her head halfway through the blacktop.

    It didn¡¯t hurt. Nothing hurt her like this, but that didn¡¯t stop the shock.

    <hr>

    ¡°Norn! Hey, you with us!?¡± Boondock yelled.

    Snapping out of her trance just in time to see Boondock finish putting on of the guards in a sleeper hold.

    ¡°Yeah, sorry,¡± She said, trying to clear her head.

    With the first segment of guards safely taken care of and restrained in some way or another¡ªErin spotted Paladin ripping up some hollow metal railing and wrapped it around some of the gunmen¡ªit was time to delve a little bit deeper.

    Boondock didn¡¯t look convinced with Erin¡¯s half-hearted assurances, but Paladin was already tearing through the garage door like it was toilet paper. ¡°Don¡¯t want to give them time to get rid of evidence!¡± Paladin reminded the group as he crawled inside.

    Erin didn¡¯t waste any time following the giant before Boondock could ask any more questions. ¡°I think this is a job for you,¡± Paladin said to colossus, noting the empty interior of garage.

    ¡°Is there a hidden passage?¡± Erin asked, trying to think of possibilities as to where a multi-ton armored truck could have gone.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to guess elevator,¡± Colossus said, aiming his hand arm at the ground. A section of armor near his forearm opened and a small rocket shot out. Its size was deceiving. Fortunately, Erin was already invulnerable. She¡¯d probably would have gone deaf from the blast if she hadn¡¯t been. Although, she supposed it wasn¡¯t quite as bad as Whitney¡¯s explosions.

    It turns out there was an open elevator shaft just under the floor. The rocket had made a hole large enough for even Paladin to jump through. The hero didn¡¯t waste any time in doing just that. ¡°I¡¯ll help Boondock down, you go ahead,¡± Colossus offered.

    Erin nodded and stepped off into open air.

    <hr>

    She was falling, but not down a hidden elevator; she was falling through open air. The brute had sent her flying again. It was like she was football getting slapped around every time she went near him. his arms were getting longer too. Minute by minute, his skeleton was changing. It was like he had three joints running down his arms instead of just an elbow.

    Erin landed in a scrambled pile, the ground cracking with the impact. She tried to scramble to her feet, but all she saw was a flash of grey skin and she was launched skyward again. It was fast, too fast for her to dodge without using her other powers. But that would leave her open to being flattened with a single glancing blow.

    She was safe like this. And as long as she was being knocked around, other people weren¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t exactly the idea of heroism she had when she had set out, though.

    <hr>

    Erin¡¯s senses returned to her just before she slammed into the bottom of the elevator. Craning her neck up, she saw jets of flame from Colossus¡¯ suit as he lowered Boondock down.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Paladin?¡±

    Boondock¡¯s voice was like a wake-up slap to the face. There was indeed no seven-foot tall glowing man waiting at the base of the elevator. Erin looked down the only way forward to see a set of massive metal doors that had been pried open with strength that was still beyond her own. It reminded her how Paladin came to still be an effective hero past eighty years old.

    ¡°Looks like he ran ahead,¡± Erin called back, breaking into a run.

    She heard Boondock swear aloud, but it didn¡¯t register once she saw what was inside. The truck was there, partially unloaded. It was the contents that floored her. People¡­

    Different ages, ethnicities, genders¡­They were packed into the truck like sardines. Handcuffs kept them restrained while masks kept them quiet and blind. ¡°What¡­?¡± Before she could fully comprehend the scene in front of her, a scream flew towards her as a man was launched out of a side passageway with alarming speed. Paladin came storming after him. She couldn¡¯t see his face behind his glowing helmet, but his body language made it easy to tell he was pissed.

    The man got up quickly, but it was clear he was injured. In an instant, a glowing sword appeared in Paladin¡¯s hands, and he struck the man with the broadside of the blade. Before anyone could get a word out, more armed men came storming into the room. ¡°Keep them safe!¡± Paladin roared, charging to meet the gunmen as they opened fired.

    The truck was armored, and the men were approaching from the front of the truck. They were safer from gunfire where they were, at least for the moment. An alarm blared to life as Erin ran to help Paladin. Everyone seemed so focused on the giant, they didn¡¯t notice as Erin ran up and glowed a violent red before decking on of them in their helmets. They had good armor, but Erin¡¯s strength sent him flying back into several more of his friends.

    Now they were torn, should they deal with the glowing girl in armor, or the giant in glowing armor? Their window for choosing rapidly dwindled as Paladin¡¯s weapon became a massive hammer, knocking down most of them with a single sweep. Two more fists from Erin sent two more sprawling.

    Deciding they were grossly outmatched, the remaining five or six turned and tried to run, but Paladin gave a mighty stomp, sending a wave of sheer force outward. The building shook, and the men were knocked off their feet.

    ¡°Who¡¯s in charge here?¡± Paladin asked, his voice enough o make even Erin flinch.

    ¡°Holy hell,¡± Boondock said as he and Colossus stepped into the loading area. ¡°William¡­¡± Boondock cautioned, looking worriedly at Paladin.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Paladin spat back, taking a threatening step towards the few still-conscious guards trying to crawl away.

    ¡°Standby, I¡¯ll get an echo reading,¡± Colossus said, putting a hand on the wall. There was a muffled thump and a second later Colossus pulled his hand back and held his palm facing up. The suit projected a blurry hologram of a series of rooms and hallways centered on their position.

    ¡°This place is huge, how the hell are we supposed to search it all?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°If I had to guess, I¡¯d say this would be out best bet, but without better resolution, I can¡¯t be sure.¡±

    ¡°We can ask the locals,¡± Paladin growled, still stalking towards the guards.

    ¡°That¡¯s not how we do things, William,¡± Boondock said forcefully. ¡°It looks like there¡¯s maybe one more entrance to this place. Colossus and I will hold down the fort here and get these people to safety, you and Norn go cut off anyone trying to get out the other way.¡±

    Paladin was silent for a moment, but eventually he let out a breath and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Paladin said, taking off with determination.

    ¡°Leave it to Gencore to constantly raise the bar for least humane villains.¡±

    While Paladin muttered to himself, Erin was growing increasingly worried. ¡°Don¡¯t you think a place like this should have more guards?¡±

    Paladin shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s difficult to find that many people with erasable identities. They can have all the money they want, but even then, it¡¯s sometimes a challenge. But you¡¯re right; keep your eyes peeled.¡±

    The pair grew silent after that, watching for any signs of an ambush as they crept through the subterranean hallways. Rooms passed by every now and then. A quick glance inside didn¡¯t reveal much; they were filled with an assortment of equipment one might imagine taking up space in a secret laboratory. Overall, however, they seemed relatively empty.

    ¡°Maybe they were just starting to move in,¡± Paladin said, slowing his pace slightly as they rounded a corner. They had to be close to the outer range of Colossus¡¯ scan by now. Erin remembered there were a few of the largest rooms in this area. If there was going to be a place for a fight, it¡¯d be better for them to do so in an area they could move around. Paladin needed the leg room, and Erin wasn¡¯t a small person either.

    ¡°I think I hear something.¡±

    Erin stopped dead in her tracks and listened. Sure enough, she heard muffled voices. One of them sounded distressed. Wordlessly, the pair pushed forward coming to a metallic door. Without even checking if it was locked, Paladin sent it flying, sheering it off its hinges.

    Two figures were near the rear of the room, one slumped in a strange kneeling position while the other vigorously typed on a keyboard. Erin swore internally yet again for not being tech savvy, but she knew enough to recognize that they were typing some kind of instructional code into the terminal.

    Six large cylindrical tanks with large glass viewports built into their side flanked either side of the rectangular room. Dark yellow liquid bubbled inside the tanks, casting an eerie, putrid light into the room.

    ¡°Shit!¡± The man at the computer swore when he whirled around to see two heroes storming his lab. With one last panicked keystroke, he broke away from the terminal at a full sprint. His white coat trailed behind him as he made a mad dash for the door.

    Paladin¡¯s weapon changed in his hand again; this time taking on the form of a javelin. He hurled it at the man, but the glowing weapon just missed, striking the side of the far tank. To Erin it seemed like a glancing blow, but the contents of the tanks had to be pressurized. Gallons of the yellow liquid splashed over part of the man, as he disappeared through a door, screaming in pain.

    Resummoning the weapon to his hand, Paladin made his way towards the figure still slumped to the ground. ¡°Hello? Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Look at the needle,¡± Erin warned. The older hero turned his attention from the woman for a second to see what Erin was pointing out. A few feet away, there was a syringe fitted with a hypodermic needle. There was still a bit of the dull yellow residue dripping from the tip.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am¡­?¡± Paladin said carefully, trying to walk around to see her face.

    Dark veins suddenly became visible when she snapped her head up to look at Paladin. The hero took a step back in alarm. Her face was contorted into an inhuman scowl accompanied by a terrifying screech. Paladin tried to raise his shield, but whatever the woman was injected with made her faster.

    She latched onto Paladin, scratching and tearing at his luminous armor. When beating him with her fists didn¡¯t seem to work, she tried to pull his helmet off. Something else was wrong; she seemed to be growing¡­

    Erin tried to get close and pry the woman off, but before she could, Paladin¡¯s shield vanished. A golden barrier suddenly appeared around the woman, forcing her just far enough away from Paladin that she lost her grip. Paladin¡¯s weapon shifted into the form of a hammer as he wielded it like a golf club to putt the still-encased woman across the room.

    A moment later, and the shield re-formed on Paladn¡¯s arm. ¡°What the hell are they working on here?¡± Paladin said aloud.

    ¡°You two run into trouble?¡± Boondock¡¯s voice spoke from her ear.

    ¡°We have someone exposed to an unknown bioweapon; likely mutagen,¡± Paladin said, as Erin noticed there was still yellow-brown liquid pouring from the container Paladin hit.

    ¡°We¡¯re on our way.¡±

    ¡°No, stay back, some of it is leaking, and you don¡¯t have protective wear!¡± Erin called back over comms. The whole time, she was looking warily at the woman as she picked herself up off the ground. Paladin¡¯s shield had made sure she wasn¡¯t injured by the hammer or the wall, but she was clearly suffering from whatever was coursing through her veins.

    ¡°My suit has atmospheric filtering; I should be fine for a few minutes,¡± Colossus called out.

    ¡°Negative, you know the protocol, we¡¯re already at risk, but my armor and Norn¡¯s powers have a better chance of keeping us safe.¡±

    The woman was definitely growing unnaturally. Her skin seemed to boil and swell, warping grotesquely into discolored masses of flesh. Then there were several audible snaps and pops. Her back was arched as her arms bent and twisted. They were longer now and tipped with wickedly sharp-looking talons.

    ¡°We need to incapacitate her, now!¡± Paladin roared, charging the mutant. Instantly, she snapped out of her daze, and launched herself at Paladin. She clamped down on his arm as he swung, using his moment and combining it with her new strength to hurl him into the wall.

    Her frenzy then locked onto Erin. The woman¡¯s mutation seemed to be nearing completion. Her skin was a rotten, brown color, making her almost unrecognizable as human. The woman charged, but all Erin could see was the meta from five years ago stomping towards her¡­

    <hr>

    He had been pummeling on her for what felt like forever: he didn¡¯t like how she kept getting up and now he was pissed. All his burning rage was raining down upon Erin, who couldn¡¯t think of anything else to do but stay invulnerable. Their fight had taken the dueling duo out of the denser populated portion of town towards the local lake.

    That was one good thing.

    Slowly, Erin started to notice that the time between his strikes was growing. Was he getting tired?¡±

    <hr>

    No!

    That was five years ago!

    Before the woman reached her, Erin flashed blue and instantly closed the distance between them. Then, she threw a right hook, bringing out all her strength with a glowing red fist.

    <hr>

    It had all been a farce; as soon as her first punch landed, the giant closed a massive hand around her neck and leapt into the air. A second later, they came crashing down into the lake¡ªdeep enough so he could hold her under.

    She couldn¡¯t breathe¡­

    Desperately, she became invulnerable, locking her physical state. That was the worst mistake she¡¯d made so far. She didn¡¯t get her breath back; now she was locked into that instant of panic and suffocation. Her powers replaying the last nanosecond over and over and over. It was like she was drowning a million times at once.

    But if she let her powers go, she would get a lung full of lake water.

    <hr>

    History repeated itself in the most terrifying way for Erin. Again, she was dying from a million instances of suffocation at once. The woman was faster than she looked. Out of the corner of her eye, Erin saw Paladin getting up.

    NO! she shouted mentally, dropping her invulnerability and letting her throat be crushed. She dug in deep, channeling her strength once more. She wasn¡¯t going to be saved again; she could get herself out of this.

    With a strangled yell, she clenched her fists as hard as he could, crushing the mutant¡¯s arm with several nauseating snaps. The mutated woman screamed an unholy bellow. Erin pushed with her left arm, breaking her opponents at the elbow, making her release her grip. Pivoting, Erin drove an elbow into the mutant¡¯s solar plexus before revolving all the way around and delivering a brutal upswing to the woman¡¯s jaw.

    She hit the ground, motionless except for a very shallow breathing. Erin dropped to her hands and knees, taking in massive gulps of air. It hurt to breathe, but at least she still could.

    ¡°Norn! Are you okay?¡± Paladin asked, coming over to check on her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be okay,¡± Erin said with a pained grin, wheezing the words out.

    Paladin frowned and hovered a hand near Erin¡¯s shoulder. A glowing light shone from his palm, and Erin felt the discomfort in her neck pull away. Suddenly, she could breathe normally and painlessly.

    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Erin said, remembering that he¡¯d done something similar for Nate when He¡¯d first met the team.

    ¡°Least I could do,¡± Paladin wheezed, sounding just like Erin had a moment before.

    Erin then realized how Paladin¡¯s healing power worked with surprise, but before she could admonish him for hurting himself, Boondock and Colossus came storming in.

    ¡°Get out of here! It¡¯s a bio¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s not airborne,¡± Colossus cut the old man off. ¡°It has to be injected intravenously.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°I got access to their computer system while you two were screwing around in here, but we¡¯ve gotta go, this place is rigged to blow on a delayed timer.¡±

    Paladin quickly pulled Erin to feet, ¡°Everyone get out of here. Are the civilian¡¯s safe?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we moved them to a safe distance,¡± Boondock said, helping Paladin walked slightly. For the first time that evening, Erin could see his age through his bravado.

    ¡°What about her?¡± Erin asked, pointing at the woman.

    ¡°Too far gone,¡± Paladin said mournfully, ¡°Trust me.¡±

    ¡°What were they doing here,¡± Erin asked as they ran through the hallways.

    ¡°Making bioweapons alright. I pulled everything I could, but they were smart with partitioning where they stored classified data and then they purged their systems when I couldn¡¯t trick their security protocols. I don¡¯t have everything. But whatever this stuff is; it was designed to make monsters like that lady turned into,¡± Colossus explained as they reached the elevator.

    Boondock pressed a few buttons on a panel, and the platform they were standing on started to ascend. Looked like they figured out how to operate the lift.

    Once they reached the surface, Paladin hastily pushed them away from the bunker just as the first tremors came from beneath. The group of heroes made it a few dozen feet away when a torrent of flame erupted from the elevator shaft with a thud and a whoosh.

    Erin glanced around at the petrified people standing in a small huddle. Their eyes were wide as they watched their near ill-fated end go up in flames. And not more than fifty feet away; their captors lay tied and bound on the ground.

    Erin took a deep breath and sat down on the dusty ground as Colossus and Boondock made more calls to Argus.

    This probably wasn¡¯t what she needed tonight, but she still felt a little better, somehow.

 Sight 4.01

    I was drowning in a sapphire sea. Utter calm washed over me despite my breath being stuck in my throat. No direction was up, everything stretched out from me, beyond what I could see. For the first time in forever I felt hopeful.

    More hues and shades started to shift and bleed through the murkiness. Nebulous clouds and cold stars began fly up from the depths. I felt I was moving¡ªfalling towards something. And then I broke through the clouds onto the decimated scene that kept coming back. The wind whipped past me as I stared down at the convergence of the three armies charging the giant, headless statue.

    The three groups were getting closer, but the statue had changed its stance. The large sword in its right hand was mid-swing, getting ready to strike the central group approaching it.

    For a moment, the sensation of falling gripped me, but then the wind shifted. I wasn¡¯t falling anymore¡­I was flying. I was flying towards the statue with the other silhouettes. Then my eyes glanced at a lone figure standing under the falling foot of the statue. The air seemed to shimmer with iridescent colors as they locked eyes with me.

    <hr>

    I groaned and sat up on the chair I¡¯d passed out on. Sleeping on the hard plastic had left its mark. Stretching only helped so much. Everything felt stiff and sore, and my nose was still filled with the smell of smoke.

    The others were still asleep except for Ian who was talking softly into his phone. Ian glanced at me briefly before going back to focus on his conversation, ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll be ready to move when you get here¡­¡±

    I wasn¡¯t really in the mood to listen in, so I decided to go and check on Whitney and Erin. It looked like the hospital was starting to come alive with nurses and doctors making their rounds. The place had exploded when we got here last night; their triage unit was almost overwhelmed. There were doctors and surgeons with teams of nurses trying to deal with all the injured metas. And then there were all the Argus agents wheeling in power dampeners to keep anyone loyal to Edward or Savant from raising hell.

    They probably saw us as traitors. We did use subterfuge to get in, I guess, but at the same time we were there to do a job. To help people. I wondered if they would see it like that. It turned out Savant wasn¡¯t even the bad guy, but it still seemed like she was leading a metahuman cult. Or, it could have turned into a cult pretty quickly.

    Just a couple week ago, I would have really liked what they were offering; a chance to be myself with my powers and not worry about what people thought about me.

    ¡°Oh, thank God!¡± Whitney exclaimed as I walked through the open door to her room.

    I had been a bit absorbed in my thoughts and the sudden volume took me a bit by surprise.

    ¡°I thought you all left me for a second.¡±

    ¡°No, we wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± I said, surprised by her mood. Then, as I looked around the room, something dawned on me.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Erin?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know, I woke up and she was gone,¡± Whitney snapped back, sinking lower into her bed.

    Great, she was pissed off. Not that was new, but this time there wasn¡¯t a villain to channel that towards. It didn¡¯t seem like she was necessarily channeling it towards me, though. Hopefully?

    While my mind race to alleviate the tension and not be awkward, I stood there, awkwardly, until Whitney asked, ¡°Are the others okay?¡±

    Thankful for a way out of hovering by the door, I answered, ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re all fine. Corey and Adam are still sleeping it off.¡±

    ¡°And Ian?¡± She asked almost reluctantly as I sat down in the only chair in the room.

    ¡°He was on the phone, talking with Argus I think.¡±

    ¡°Great, then we can finally get out of here,¡± Whitney said, looking like she was forcing herself to have a positive fa?ade.

    ¡°What about your burns?¡± I asked.

    They still looked bad from what I could see¡ªlarge red areas on her arms, neck and face; some of it blistered. But considering she charged into a fire and went toe-to-toe with a hypnotizing pyromaniac, they were probably mild. Some of the Idyllians came out way worse.

    Her spirits visibly sunk a tad. ¡°They¡¯re healing fast, but the nerves might take a bit to come back. Doctor said it should be like a bad sunburn in about a week or so, but the nerves might take a month or more. I¡¯m normally fireproof, but I guess if I get burned for that long¡­

    I just don¡¯t want to be useless, Nate. Do you think they¡¯ll send a biokinetic?¡±

    ¡°They might¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªWhat if we ask?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Whitney,¡± I said.

    This was almost the opposite of the Whitney I knew. It almost looked like she was on the verge of tears, just barely keeping them suppressed. Was she trying to act tough? Or just pretending that she was fine? She had always been the loud one; the girl that fucking caused things to explode when she touched them, and now she seemed like someone barely holding it together. And I could unfortunately relate to that.

    Should I try to talk to her? I wondered. I wasn¡¯t exactly issue-less myself. I could just screw it up more¡­But to see her in such a bad place, a friend at a low point, trying was better than doing nothing. It would probably be best to be delicate, but I wasn¡¯t sure I could pull that off, so time to try and do the best I could.

    ¡°Whitney, back there at Idyllium¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªI don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± she quickly mumbled.

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with your brother?¡±

    She glared at me furiously for a second, but then she seemed to give up. ¡°Brandon¡¯s¡­He¡­He¡¯s not my brother, not anymore. Not after this.¡±

    She looked almost on the verge of tears; and her voice sounded like it could break any moment. Still, the expression on my face must have been one of utter confusion, because she explained, ¡°My dad was Ifrit.¡±

    Ifrit? No way. He was on record as one of the most powerful pyrokinetics of all time. He was up there with the Eagle during his heyday¡­which reminded me. I was young, but I saw the news report. I remembered them televising the memorial service.

    ¡°Whitney¡­I¡­¡±

    ¡°He died in Portland, fighting off that¡­thing¡­¡±

    ¡°I remember,¡± I said solemnly, remembering the strange oozing cloud that crawled out of the ocean and started decimating Portland. They called it Yaldabaoth, after a gnostic god or something. It was more of a walking natural disaster, killing heroes and civilians left and right.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know Ifrit had a family.¡±

    Whitney shook her head, ¡°He didn¡¯t want people to know; just in case any of his enemies decided to come after us.¡±

    She went quiet for a second before continuing.

    ¡°Brandon was the oldest, and he took it hard. He swore off Argus and the other heroes before cutting ties with my mom. He got arrested some time back for petty theft and power abuse and was locked up in Site II the last time I heard anything about him.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Is that why you went to the Academy?¡± I asked. ¡°To follow in your father¡¯s footsteps?¡±

    Whitney nodded, ¡°And now, I get to learn my Brother has gone full-fucking supervillain. Just shitting on our dad¡¯s legacy. Using the powers he got from him to¡­to burn shit to the ground.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll help you stop him.¡±

    ¡°You mean that?¡± She asked, locking her eyes with mine.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, meaning it wholeheartedly.

    ¡°Ahem.¡±

    Whitney and I looked over to see Ian standing in the doorway.

    ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t want to interrupt. James is here; they¡¯re sending in a nurse in a few minutes to get you ready to move,¡± he said to Whitney.

    ¡°Thanks, Ian,¡± She muttered.

    ¡°Guess I better let you get ready,¡± I said, standing to follow Ian out. I didn¡¯t realize it at first, but I had been sitting on the edge of the seat: must still have had some nerves to settle.

    Before I made it out the door, Whitney spoke up, ¡°Hey, Nate?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± I said, walking back out into the hallway.

    <hr>

    James looked like he hadn¡¯t gotten much sleep the night before when we all converged to the Argus dropship. He had dark bags under his eyes and an overall disheveled appearance. Still, when he asked if he was alright, he did offer a smile and assurances he would pull through.

    Even Erin showed up again out of nowhere, her hair practically dripping wet.

    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Ian asked with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°Decontamination shower,¡± she deadpanned.

    Alright, then; a story for another time.

    After Whitney joined us, wrapped in bandages, we all loaded up and started the long flight back to Switzerland.

    <hr>

    A debrief wasn¡¯t exactly what I¡¯d been hoping for when we landed again. Maybe a hot meal, a nice shower, some quality time asleep even, but sitting in one of the cold meeting rooms while We gave our run-down of the events was dull to say the absolute fucking minimum.

    Ever so slowly, we moved through everyone, even getting through me and the slightly uncomfortable parts including Eli¡ªthe Anarchist. And when I got to the part after the party, I glanced at Corey who looked slightly flushed; we mutually decided to leave that part out. But then we got to Edward.

    ¡°He can copy abilities somehow, even mine,¡± I said, making Hollands look a bit worried.

    ¡°How many did you know him to possess?¡±

    ¡°Well, he had mine, Corey¡¯s, Whitney¡¯s, Quill¡¯s, and Dani, the girl with the gravity powers we mentioned.¡±

    Hollands seem to stare off into space, ¡°Any others?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he copied lots of the other Idyllians¡¯ powers, I don¡¯t know them all. I think he said that he needed to know someone to use their powers, though.¡±

    ¡°Why would he tell you a limitation like that?¡± James asked, not accusatorily, but out of curiosity.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I think he really thought he was about to kill me,¡± I replied, briefly reliving that moment of panic.

    Erin, trying to work through all the information started to ask, ¡°So, if Brandon¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªHalcyon,¡± Whitney interjected.

    ¡°If Halcyon,¡± acquiesced Erin, ¡°Is really working for the Kreigspiel, and they found Aurora somewhere, why would they send him after Edward?¡±

    ¡°Recruitment?¡± James suggested. ¡°First, they went after the Gold Diggers, Cooke, and Morales. Then Shard showed up and started working for them.¡±

    ¡°Right, and then Euclid stole Obyek 41, and captured Dr. Thatcher when they realized he could help us track them,¡± Ian continued.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about redline,¡± I said, remembering what it felt like to be tackled by a speedster. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant memory.

    ¡°So, he¡¯s recruiting metahumans, but for what?¡± Erin asked.

    ¡°That is what we need to find out,¡± Hollands replied. ¡°I¡¯ll get A.S.E.T. on it as soon as they¡¯re done assessing any risks to Judas¡¯ transport.¡±

    ¡°They still haven¡¯t moved him?¡± Corey asked at the same time Erin asked, ¡°What do you mean A.S.E.T.?¡±

    Hollands held up his hands, ¡°Calm down. Judas is a very high security risk, and I don¡¯t want a repeat of whatever compelled that doctor to walk into Judas¡¯ cell and release him. He has shown no other signs of powers, leading us to believe, quite reluctantly, that his powers stem from him taking a life. If Chess and the Kreigspiel are recruiting metahumans, we need to make sure Judas makes it to Site III safely. And furthermore, I am pulling your team from active duty¡ª¡±

    There was an eruption of noise as all my teammates started to protest. Loudest of all of them was Whitney, despite her condition.

    Hollands made a stern face, and they all fell silent, knowing not to cross the director.

    ¡°Let me show you this,¡± he said, picking up a remote from the conference table and aiming it at a monitor mounted in the room.

    It blinked on to show Grand Teton National Park up in flames, including the section Aurora turned into a scorched wasteland. Hollands turned up the volume and we heard a reporter¡¯s voice, ¡°Officials are saying the damage done to the forests here is extensive, to the point of being non-recoverable in certain places. We have been looking into reports that this was tied to a large, illegal, population of metahumans gathered in the area. Locals claimed they were building a compound just for metas. Argus has not commented on the event, despite them storming nearby hospitals and setting up triage units for numerous burn victims.¡±

    The image cut to the outside of the hospital in Jackson.

    ¡°We have footage of numerous Argus vehicles and personnel coming and going from the hospital, likely transporting metahuman prisoners if rumors are true.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see what this has to do with us,¡± Erin commented.

    ¡°Keep watching,¡± Hollands said.

    ¡°And some have pointed out these individuals, spotted from the air at the center of the blaze, and from outside the hospital¡ª¡±

    Sure enough, you could see my glow next to Erin¡¯s through the plumes of smoke.

    ¡°¡ªPeople are beginning to wonder if these are part of the scarcely talked about Argonauts team. Argus has been very tight-lipped about the team¡¯s activities, leading some to believe they have created an additional black-ops team to support A.S.E.T., though Argus did not give a statement on any of those rumors.¡±

    The screen went black and we all turned back to Hollands, unease heavy on our faces. All except Adam, who managed to look nonchalant. Holland sat the remote down and took a deep breath.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to remind you that this team was originally created to help with Argus¡¯ public image. Yet, after more than a month of activity, we have had to burry report after report.¡±

    ¡°But that wasn¡¯t our fault! It was your idea to use our lack of notoriety to infiltrate Idyllium!¡± Ian said.

    Hollands nodded, ¡°Yes, but that was before four metahuman fugitives slipped through your fingers. Even if the unfortunate circumstances were unforeseeable, they are still unfortunate, and place us in our current boat, nonetheless. Now the media has gotten ahold of you. So, I am pulling you from active duty. I want you all to train, and heal,¡± he said, looking at Whitney, ¡°Before we turn you out again with something manageable.¡±

    ¡°You mean ¡®easy¡¯,¡± Ian muttered.

    Hollands shrugged, ¡°Take it how you will.¡±

    With that he stood, and straightened his tie, ¡°I suggest you all get some rest.¡±

    Once he and an apologetic-looking James were out of the room, Corey muttered, ¡°Did he almost sound caring, or was I hearing things?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but this fucking blows¡­¡± Whitney sighed.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a setback; we¡¯ll be back in no time at all,¡± Erin said, forcing a smile.

    <hr>

    Ducked out of the way of the oncoming fist, I popped back up to block the follow up. My head raced trying to remember everything. I was in close, so I stepped past Erin¡¯s guard and swept my leg, the extra strength from my powers mixed with a quick jab to her gut laid her out flat on her back.

    ¡°How was that?¡± I panted. Sweat was pouring off me under my barrier, despite the coolness.

    Erin was smiling, so I hoped that was a good sign.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting better,¡± She said as I helped her up.

    ¡°Not perfect?¡± I said with an exaggerated shrug.

    ¡°No, not yet,¡± Erin chuckled. ¡°Come on, drop your powers, lets take a water break; got to stay hydrated.¡±

    I was about to drop my energy like she said, but then I remembered, and tensed up.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Nate,¡± She asked with a badly hidden grin.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re up to¡­¡±

    ¡°Nate, I¡¯m not going to sucker punch you again.¡±

    ¡°Promise?¡±

    ¡°I promise.¡±

    Slowly, I let my shell evaporate away, keeping an eye on Erin the whole time. ¡°Alright, sorry I¡ª¡±

    Suddenly, Erin was surrounded by a blue glow, including the fist that was flying towards me, I tried to summon my powers, but the blow connected, knocking the breath out of me before the shell was complete.

    ¡°Oof, sorry. What that a bit too hard?¡± She said. Even though I was doubled over, I could hear the wince in her voice.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine¡­¡± I wheezed.

    ¡°You have to get faster at that.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know,¡± I groaned, straightening up and following her over to our water bottles resting near the wall.

    ¡°Do you think its going to bruise?¡± She asked, apologetically.

    ¡°Probably,¡± I said, wincing with quite real pain, but putting in a bit more to sell the act.

    ¡°You¡¯ve wounded me, captain¡­¡±

    Erin rolled her eyes, ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    As we sat there taking a marvelous drink of water, we heard the door open, and turned to see Corey walking in.

    ¡°Oh, hey Corey. We were just training, want to join us?¡±

    Corey looked a bit surprised, like he wasn¡¯t expecting anyone to be in here. When he looked at me, he flushed slightly.

    ¡°Oh, uh, n-no. That¡¯s fine, I didn¡¯t know you guys were using it,¡± He said, quickly turning back to the door.

    ¡°Corey, wait, it¡¯s not a big deal¡­¡± Erin tried to explain, but he was already stepping back out into the hall.

    ¡°Ugh,¡± she groaned, looking at the ceiling before turning towards me. ¡°What the hell happened between you two?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± I said defensively, feeling heat rise in my own face.

    ¡°Clearly, something did,¡± Erin stated. She was staring daggers, making it hard to hold eye contact.

    ¡°You two haven¡¯t trained together for two weeks, and you keep leaving the room when the other one comes in or looking at each other weird all the time. It¡¯s weirding the rest of us out.¡±

    ¡°You guys noticed?¡±

    ¡°Duh.¡±

    ¡°I guess I need to talk to him.¡±

    Erin nodded vigorously.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me have to order you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± I said.

    ¡°Good. Now come on, we have more training if we¡¯re going to get you ready.¡±

    ¡°Aye, captain,¡± I said, trying to think about what the hell I was going to say to Corey.

 Sight 4.02

    What the hell was I going to say to Corey? I thought, turning off the shower and stepping out to towel off. I hadn¡¯t been able to take my mind off it. But just because I was distracted didn¡¯t mean Erin pulled any punches. I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. My arms and torso were covered in bruises. Some of them were almost healed while others were fresh. There were more old ones than new ones; maybe it was a sign I was getting better. The training at least had some benefit; I was leaner than I was when all this started.

    Holding up my hand, it engulfed itself in blue light, but the glow didn¡¯t spread any further. I was better at this, at controlling my power. Did I want to be? There was a time that I wouldn¡¯t have been. I used to be so afraid of hurting people. Now, I hurt people on purpose. Bad people, but still. And yet, I wanted to be here. I liked the team, but lately¡­

    There wasn¡¯t any way around it, I¡¯d have to talk to him eventually, better get it over with.

    Setting my mind to it, I got dressed¡ªonly mildly wincing from stretching sore muscles¡ªand walked out into the common room. The TV was on, and I spotted a head of blonde hair peeking up from the back of the couch.

    ¡°Hey, Whitney, do you know where Corey is?¡± I asked, walking over.

    ¡°No, I thought he was training,¡± she said, flipping through channels, not even glancing at me.

    ¡°I think he was, but Erin and I were training¡­¡±

    She raised an eyebrow and gave me a look that seemed like she was trying very hard not to be frustrated.

    ¡°Have you checked the roof?¡±

    ¡°The roof?¡±

    ¡°He has wings, Nate, he likes to fly up high when he¡¯s upset.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s upset¡­?¡±

    Whitney¡¯s glare informed me of my stupidity.

    ¡°Right¡­¡± I sighed, sitting back on the couch.

    ¡°Look,¡± She said, turning off the screen and pulling up to sit cross-legged and face me. ¡°Corey is a sensitive guy. He can slice a motherfucker in half, sure, but he¡¯ll still feel really bad about it for weeks. Just tell him you aren¡¯t gay, and he¡¯ll get over it eventually.¡±

    ¡°I¡ªI-mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Even if you are, don¡¯t string him along, and don¡¯t make him feel like an idiot who ruined a friendship, okay.¡±

    ¡°I-he-he thinks he?¡±

    ¡°He thinks he made a fool of himself in front of someone he has a crush on,¡± Whitney said, matter-of-factly as if it were my fault.

    ¡°He has¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªYes, you moron. Now go talk to him before I bring the building down on you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± I said, my head spinning as I stood up.

    ¡°I mean it, glowstick!¡± Whitney called out as I stepped out into the hallway.

    ¡°Perfect. If I screw this up, I have the living bomb to deal with,¡± I thought.

    I needed time to think. Coming to a stop, I looked back down the hallway towards the common room, and then down the way I was headed, past the other sets of dormitories. No one in sight. Reaching out my hand, I focused my powers. Blue cracks formed in the air before collapsing into the swirling vortex of light. Taking a calming breath, I stepped through into my dimension.

    The dead wood was the same as it always was, eerie, but otherwise quiet without the presence nearby. Lazy rivers of mist flowed around the beached tree trunks that stretched upwards towards the inky sky.

    Standing there, I tried to take in the silence, but my mind kept gravitating back to the big question at hand: Was I gay?

    Honestly, I¡¯d never thought about what I was into, guys or otherwise. I was always too focused on being afraid I¡¯d accidentally kill someone. I could count the number of dates I¡¯d been on with one hand, and J¡ª

    It was like my braid hit a wall. I remember that I¡¯d be set up on a blind date before, but I couldn¡¯t remember who set it up. I remembered the girl, the was nice, but why did it bother me so much that I couldn¡¯t remember that name?

    I guess it didn¡¯t matter, but the point was I didn¡¯t really have any¡­experience either way. But did I like Corey? I mean, he was a friend, sure, but did I like him? Could I even weigh something like that?

    My mind raced, but I couldn¡¯t seem to find an easy answer. But then something hit me. He was a friend, an honest to god friend. One of the best friends I had, whatever that was worth. Everyone on the team was. Ian was borderline, but I would still fight with him. I would be damned if I let that slip away.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I said aloud, my breath visible in the cold dimension. ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can really teleport; take me to the roof.¡±

    Focusing again, I watched as the fog parted to form a path.  Thrilled that something happened, I took off, but my concentration must have lapsed, because the fog started to close. Creating a mental picture in my mind, I willed the path to stay, and the mist rolled back again until I saw a ring of exposed ground. The mist flowed around it, small eddies creating gentle vortexes of white before fading away. Hoping I wasn¡¯t about to fall to my death, I willed another portal open, and stepped through.

    I wasn¡¯t really sure what to expect the roof to look like, but it was kind of disappointing. It was missing the sleekness that the rest of the buildings here had. It also looked like it wasn¡¯t on the regular cleaning schedule.

    It was mostly flat, but several exhaust vents made it hard to see everything from where I was. Corey could be anywhere if he were up there at all. I started wandering towards one of the edges of the roof and hoped I was going the right way.

    No Corey. One down, three to go, I guess. Instead of trying to work my way back across the roof, I started walking around the perimeter. When I rounded the corner, I saw Corey sitting on the edge of the roof, legs dangling over the side with his wings wrapped around himself.

    Here goes nothing, I thought.

    I cleared my throat, ¡°Uh, hey man.¡±

    He jumped at my voice; I guess I did sneak up on him. ¡°Oh. Hey. I didn¡¯t hear you,¡± he muttered, pulling his wings close to his back and starting to stand up.

    ¡°Wait, I uh, wanted to talk,¡± I said, standing there. Awkwardly.

    ¡°About what?¡± he asked, gripping the lip of the roof as if to brace himself.

    ¡°Uh, w-well, I, um¡­¡± I stammered, feeling my face grow hot. ¡°About Idyllium¡ª¡± I finally spat out.

    Corey seemed to recoil as he tensed up. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I was drunk and¡­and¡­¡±

    I was just making everything worse. Corey looked like he wanted to fly as far from me as he could get.

    ¡°¡­And I get it, you aren¡¯t¡ªI mean you don¡¯t¡ªlook it won¡¯t happen again¡­¡± Corey rambled on.

    ¡°Woah, wait, wait,¡± I said, cutting him off. I sighed and sat down on the edge next to him.

    ¡°I was coming here to apologize for being an awkward ass,¡± I said.

    ¡°Oh.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­I¡¯d never really been¡­you know¡­hit on. Before.¡±

    Corey¡¯s face turned red.

    ¡°And my head was still fucked up because of Librarian, and Eli¡ªThe Anarchist, I mean, was there and probably messing me up more¡­¡±

    We both stared at the ground below in silence after I trailed off. Neither one of us seemed to know what to say next.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have let myself get that drunk,¡± Corey whispered. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t have gone and fucked everything up.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t fuck it up, Corey. Look, that¡¯s what I came here to say: I hate whatever this is between us right now. You¡ªYou and the others¡­you¡¯re all the first friends I¡¯ve had. I don¡¯t want to lose that,¡± I said.

    Corey was quiet for a minute, ¡°Me neither.¡±

    ¡°And at Idyllium, I just didn¡¯t know how to react, you know?¡±

    ¡°I... saw you and the Anarchist. I was drunk, but that night burned itself not my memory. I didn¡¯t mean to make you feel bad, if I had known¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­That I wasn¡¯t gay?¡± I offered when he trailed off.

    ¡°¡­Yeah¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªI don¡¯t know what I am,¡± I said quickly.

    ¡°Oh. Oh.¡±

    I noticed that Corey¡¯s feathers, almost imperceptibly shifted.

    ¡°And if I was in my right mind, I wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± I shook my head in disgust, ¡°Not with that manipulative bitch.¡±

    ¡°If you really think about it,¡± I added, ¡°You saved me from making a big mistake. So thanks for that.¡±

    Corey grinned, slightly ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡­¡±

    ¡°So. We¡¯re good? Friends?¡± I asked, looking at him.

    ¡°Yeah. Friends,¡± he said, looking better.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    We sat there for a bit, looking at the Swiss mountains in the distance. It was a nice evening; I could see why he liked to come up here, especially since he could fly.

    ¡°Hey, Nate?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°How did you get up here?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I teleported,¡± I said.

    He smiled, ¡°You¡¯re getting better at using your powers.¡±

    I nodded, ¡°I guess so.¡±

    ¡°I know you asked me to help you get more comfortable with them¡­do you maybe want to get back to working on that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯d be great.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he said with a smile.

    ¡°Anyway. I guess I¡¯ll, uh, see you later,¡± I said, opening a portal.

    ¡°Hey, Nate,¡± Corey called out as I was about to step through.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± I said, stepping through.

    <hr>

    ¡°This is bullshit,¡± Whitney muttered.

    ¡°At least we aren¡¯t responsible if anything goes sideways,¡± Ian said.

    ¡°We held him off once, I think we could do it again,¡± I said, watching the patchwork of camera feeds on the large monitor in the mission control room.

    It was finally time for Judas to be taken to his new home at Site III. The Stockholm Field Office had been holding him so far with an army of Argus soldiers and a detachment from the Union. I didn¡¯t recognize anyone on the list. They were probably novice heroes like we were.

    ¡°Holding him off is one thing, beating him, though? Let¡¯s leave that to the Eagle,¡± Erin said, arms folded.

    ¡°If this is such a big deal, why don¡¯t they get Cypher involved?¡± Adam asked.

    ¡°He probably is. it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he¡¯s pulling strings from behind the scenes,¡± Ian predicted. ¡°In fact, it could be a trap for the Kriegspiel.¡±

    ¡°You think they¡¯re coming for Judas?¡± I asked.

    ¡°They might be. Argus is certainly concerned about something going wrong,¡± Ian said.

    ¡°But Judas was hunting metahumans down when we found him, do you think he would work with a group of metas?¡±

    Ian looked like he was getting annoyed, ¡°We don¡¯t know Judas¡¯ motives. He¡¯s a deranged serial killer driven by bloodlust and a warped sense of religious purpose. Chess is a genius of at least some caliber to play with Cypher for this long, so he might be able to make him toe the line.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Ian. Now I feel worse.¡±

    Ian rolled his eyes and turned back to the monitor. Hollands was shouting something to the people working at the computer terminals about getting the main feed up. His¡­aggressive encouragement seemed to yield results: the smaller grid of videos scattered to the other screens around the room as the main monitor showed an aerial view of the Stockholm Field Office. A massive armored truck was backing up to the building with a swarm of guards around it.

    ¡°Is Judas ready for transport?¡± Hollands asked.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get this underway,¡± The director said.

    A group of heavily armed soldiers emerged from the building escorting a plexiglass cube containing a Judas in a straitjacket.

    ¡°Anyone else getting Hannibal Lecter vibes?¡± Adam chuckled.

    ¡°No muzzle,¡± Corey whispered.

    The guards only had about a dozen feet or so to go, but before they even reached the halfway mark, everything went sideways. Spikes erupted from the ground, skewering the guards before they could move.

    ¡°Oh my god!¡± Whitney yelled, smoke reflexively rising from her hair.

    As we all froze in shock, Hollands seemed strangely calm. ¡°Alright, everyone stay calm and do your jobs. Strike Team one to the containment wing and strike team two to intercept Cerf Tueur and the Gold Diggers.¡±

    While Hollands was still giving his orders, there was a red and black flash as Shard, Redline, Obyekt, and Euclid teleported on top of the armored truck. I felt queasy seeing that monster. He was wearing a black suit like always with a murderous smile plastered on his face. I could only watch and hope someone put him down.

    ¡°There¡¯s no blood,¡± Ian said.

    I glanced at him and then searched the screen. Sure enough, there wasn¡¯t a drop of blood coming from the impaled soldiers. Some of them had mysteriously vanished, but the others were still moving. They swung their legs to kick the spikes holding them in the air, cracking the antler-like growth and freeing themselves.

    Some of them tried to aim their guns at the villainous foursome, but Redline¡¯s form suddenly blurred. His afterimage raced around the courtyard, slamming into the remaining soldiers who¡­shattered? Bits of rock flew everywhere in Redline¡¯s wake. Some of fragments had glowing red lines that seemed familiar.

    ¡°Kindle,¡± Ian suddenly explained, ¡°From the Shield of Freedom¡ªthe Eagles¡¯ team¡ªshe can create and control sculptures, statues, things like that.¡±

    Light from the glowing pieces seemed to reach out like strings or a spiderweb connecting the other glowing pieces. They were quickly gathering, some of them starting to stack on top of one another. The brute of a speedster was quick to respond, using his momentum to rocket through the rubble like a wrecking ball.

    Shard, meanwhile, raised a hand toward the plexiglass cage which violently tore itself apart thanks to his telekinesis. Judas suddenly shot from the confines of the clear cell towards Shard who seemed taken aback. Before he could teleport away, Judas drove a fist into Shard¡¯s gut, sending him sailing clear of the transport.

    ¡°I thought he didn¡¯t have powers unless he¡­¡± Erin trailed off as the illusion faded, revealing The Eagle himself standing in Judas¡¯ place.

    I couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of satisfaction as Shard teleported away, clutching his stomach.  The Eagle turned his attention to Euclid, Obyekt disappearing in the chaos. He threw a punch at the black and yellow villain, but his fist merely sunk into the goo with barely a ripple. The hero tried pulling his fist back, but Euclid¡¯s form stretched like tar. The black goo started spreading up the heroes¡¯ arm. In response, The Eagle flew back and up, but part of Euclid¡¯s body broke away, continuing to envelop the hero.

    Euclid¡¯s body seemed to squirm as it filled in the cavity of missing material before floating to the ground and into the building.  ¡°Spectral, Glow Plug, prepare for inbound,¡± Hollands called out on comms.

    ¡°Look!¡± Erin said, pointing at one of the smaller screens.

    A soldier body camera showed a hail of gunfire slamming into a growing wall of thorns as Cerf Tueur shielded the rest of his team. It looked like they were in some kind of tunnel, maybe the sewers?

    Back on the main screen, Redline was still disrupting the moving pile of rubble before it could do whatever it was trying to do. Suddenly, a burst of wind tore across the courtyard. It was strong enough to knock Redline off his feet.

    ¡°Abrams,¡± Ian explained, as the hero came into view.

    A swirling shell of air formed around the scrambling Redline, encompassing most of the area outside the building. The villain got to his feet and flew forward, but suddenly collapsed.

    ¡°What happened? I asked.

    ¡°Abrams created a vacuum. Speedsters probably use more oxygen than most; take that away and¡­¡± Ian mimed passing out.

    So that was two of the villains dealt with, and the Gold Diggers backed into a corner. There was still Euclid to deal with, though. I glanced over to another camera feed of Judas¡¯ real cell and saw Spectral had created a glowing energy barrier out of his wings with Glow Plug, Kindle, and Hex backing him up.

    Judas was watching intently from inside his cell. His attention seemed to be focused on Spectral, looking at him with a hungry expression. Another feed from the hallway outside the containment area showed Euclid ominously floating down the hallway, arms clasped behind his back.

    When he rounded the corner, Hex opened up with the first round of attacks. Glowing bands encased her arms as she fired beams of energy. Euclid¡¯s form curved around the beams as he continued to approach. Hex¡¯s lasers suddenly turned solid and wound around Euclid like a rope. Red lightning arced from the bindings in an attempt to taze Euclid.

    The liquid villain just stretched and deform, enveloping the electrified magic restraints before shrinking back to its normal human shape. With a roaring surge, the waterfall of energy that Spectral was using like a barrier flowed across the floor and beneath the hovering Euclid. The pale blue energy suddenly shifted, as the camera picked up a strange distortion.

    Euclid slammed to the ground, becoming a flat puddle. Once the barrier was down, there was an implosion further down the hallway. A searing beam of light slammed into Spectral, throwing him back. Gravity seemed to return to normal, letting Euclid ooze back into the air.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Whitney asked.

    ¡°Obyekt,¡± Ian said.

    The cloaked robot must have rushed forward while we were still trying to figure out what happened; Glow Plug suddenly lurched to the side and then flew back as he was struck by his invisible assailant. In a similar fashion to Euclid, Glow Plug¡¯s suit seemed to distort as small limbs grew out to put him back on his feet.

    As soon as he stood up, Obyekt hit him again, slamming his head into the wall. The hero fell limp to the ground.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Adam said.

    That left Hex as the only one standing. Poor girl looked scared out of her mind. She quickly wove her fingers in the air and red light swirled around her, Spectral, and Glow Plug before they all vanished.

    Obyekt de-cloaked, revealing the lanky semi-humanoid machine. The air around its hand imploded as another bright yellow beam blew through the cell¡¯s lock. Judas pushed it open and stepped through. He started to say something, but Euclid¡®s arm burst forward and enveloped him.

    Similar goo flowed from somewhere on Obyekt and Redline¡¯s bodies, pulling them into Euclid¡¯s pocket dimension before shrinking away. Euclid waited behind for a moment before looking dead into the camera. The thin yellow lines that covered their body seemed to shifted into a smiley face before its body pulled into itself, shrinking away into nothingness.