Earlier that day...


    Sky felt the hot water spray down her face as she stood beneath the shower. Everything was dark. Destiny, the bird that acted as her eyes, rested in his cage asleep, so at the moment she was totally blind.


    She stood in the shower, collecting her thoughts. She wasn’t sure when it had truly started, but she felt strangely empty. Actually, that wasn’t true. She knew exactly why she had this feeling.


    Hope Lauren.


    As she rested under the shower''s water, she couldn’t help but picture that Hope girl in her mind. Destiny saw the world in ways humans couldn’t. He was a bird after all. Because of that, she never really paid attention to how people truly looked. It was always off or wrong. That girl, though. She found herself thinking of her more and more.


    The Lauren case was one she had been forced onto by her mother. When it was discovered how truly godlike her healing was, the Hero Branch practically forced her to sign up with them and join one of their sponsored teams. Now it was her job to heal hundreds of people. Day in, day out, again, and again, and again. Injury after injury, person after person. Blurry face after blurry face.


    Ocean Empress enjoyed the attention she was getting from having a daughter that could heal. Powers that could heal yourself weren’t that rare, but ones that could heal other people, especially on the level that hers could, were practically unheard of. Only the previous holder of the Lord of the Land and Life had been anywhere near as good as healing as she was. An impressive feat considering she herself was not a Lord.


    Then again, her father was ‘that’ man, after all...


    “Whatever. I shouldn’t be thinking about this at all.” She stepped out of the shower and began to dry herself off. She felt her teeth clench as the thought of that Hope girl returned to her. “It’s not my fault that I couldn’t heal her father. Me not being strong enough to cure the Dead Virus isn’t my fault. I did the best I could.”


    The best she could. She had said the exact same thing as she did last time to Jane Lauren once more after her second attempt to heal Alexander Lauren failed.


    She almost let out a sigh of relief when a loud buzz began to go off on the nearby table of the bathroom she was in. It was one owned by the hospital. She found herself staying in the hospital almost all the time now, constantly working and healing people. Her pager was going off. Someone was calling for her.


    She got dressed in her outfit quickly and stepped out into the hall. Her hero outfit wasn’t anything special. At the moment she was just in a black T-shirt that had the Victorian and Lady Time on it, along with her lab coat. Her sister hadn’t brushed her hair yet, so she had dozens of knots in it, and the only thing that was covering her face was her mask. She had traded it out for a new one once Destiny saw what Lily had drawn on it, but already this one had a grin and eyes done up with permanent marker.


    Destiny was let out of his cage, and she felt the bird connect with her, and he became her eyes. She soon found herself in a room with people that had been caught up in Super-related attacks.


    “Sit tight.” She ordered and placed her palm on the stomach of a man who had a hole blown through his gut. Instantly she could feel her power start to surge, and the man’s stomach began to get fixed up. It wasn’t simple healing that she was doing either. She was creating brand new flesh and mass that was molding itself into the man’s body and rewinding the damage he took. It didn’t take very long until the man looked good as new.


    “T- Thank you.” The guy groaned out before he blacked out.


    While she made sure his body was fine, Destiny flew above several other injured people and rained down some of his feathers. As the red feathers dropped, everyone that touched them felt a jolt as it began to fix and repair them. It wasn’t as good as her healing, but it was quick and easy, and would make sure none of them died before she had a chance to get to them.


    Even without sight, by putting her hand on the man’s stomach, she was able to peer into his body. She was seeing, or rather feeling, the cells and DNA that made him up, trying to figure out what had put him in such a bad condition.


    “Polaron.” She finally said, letting out a sigh.


    “What was that, Ms. Paragon?” One of the nurses asked.


    “He likely got caught in one of Polaron’s fields.” She explained. “He’s the leader of the Bad Timer. Both that group and Zoo have been causing more issues recently thanks to the new addition of the Wandering Coin. Polaron can create a field that causes the iron inside of people to burst out. This guy is lucky I got to him first; otherwise, he’d be dead. I healed most of the damage, but his body is now very low on iron.”


    The nurse nodded, writing everything she said down. “We’ll get him an iron infusion right away. Thank you, Ms. Paragon.”


    That was pretty much how the next few hours went. She didn’t have super strength, speed, or anything flashy like other Supers. In fact, she had only a single means of attack, and that was her trump card. Despite not engaging in battle, though, she began to feel tired. She walked around the room, helping every person she could.


    She fixed broken bones, restored limbs, or organs, read the injuries off in each person''s body to the nurses, and undid all the harm that was caused to the many people. It didn’t seem to end either. No matter how many she healed, there was someone waiting for her with some brutal injury that could kill them at any second. And each time she heard the same thing over and over again.


    “You saved me.”


    “You saved my son.”


    “Thank you!”


    “You’re the best!”


    “How can I ever repay you?”


    “You must be able to solve any issue! You’ll be on the Enforcers for sure in the future!”


    And yet no matter how much praise was sung to her, it did nothing to stop the stinging pain of failure. She wasn’t the best. There were things that she couldn’t heal. Things that she couldn’t fix. No matter how many times she used her power. No matter how many times she tried to make a difference and help people.


    Things like the Dead Virus would always still exist. People like Hope Lauren would still blame her for not being able to fix the issue.


    Finally, she collapsed on a bench out in one of the halls. Her pager was still going off, but there was nothing she could do. Her power, like all others, had limits, and she would need to rest in order to use it again. She had burned out all her energy healing around three hundred people today. Her highest record was just under five hundred.


    She felt Destiny land in her lap. The little bird began to bite at her fingers, and she couldn’t help but give a faint smile and started to brush her fingers through his feathers. The bird let out several coos and rubbed his face on her palm. He flew up and wrapped his talons around her sleeve and began to drag her.


    “Are you trying to take me somewhere?” She let out a rare giggle and stood up, following after the bird. He served as her eyes, so she didn’t really have any other choice other than to follow him. Destiny had been with her for two years now. She had gotten the animal on her birthday, though she couldn’t recall who had given it to her. Even before she had gone blind, he served as a new connection for her. After her eyes were taken out, though, he was the only thing that let her see the world at all anymore. “Where are we going?”


    Her smile instantly faded when she saw where the bird took her. She now stood outside of Alexander Lauren’s room. It was one isolated from all the others and almost never got visitors aside from the man’s wife, who worked as a nurse.


    “Why’d you bring me here, Destiny?” She demanded, taking a step back.


    She saw herself through her bird’s eyes as Destiny landed on the door handle and cocked his head to the side. He let out several loud chirps and flapped his wings.


    “No way!” She turned away and huffed. “I’m tired. Healing him always makes me almost black out, and that’s when I’m at full strength. Besides, we already know it won’t work.”


    She began to walk away, but the bird let out another caw and flew at her. Destiny grabbed her by the back of her lab coat and attempted to drag her, but not even she was weaker than a bird, and so she just kept going forward.


    “Will you knock it off!”


    The bird chirped again and bit her ear.


    “Ow! No, I won’t do it for that girl! Why do I care what she thinks about me- Ow! Bite me again and see what happens!” Destiny let out the closest thing he had to a huff and flew up, landing in her hair. He was about the size of a small hawk and weighed a bit, causing her to falter in her steps as he began to use her hair as a nest. “What is with you today?” She stayed silent and listened to his explanation.


    Destiny let out several chirps as he unfolded and refolded his wings several times. She sighed and face-palmed over her mask. He really wasn’t making any sense. Honestly, that Hope Lauren brat was the last person she wanted to think about.


    “Of course, I want to cure that man!”


    The bird chirped some more.


    “No! I don’t want to do it for that girl; don’t be stupid. Why do I want to do it? Isn’t it obvious?” She went quiet for a moment and clenched her hand into a fist. “Because I’m a hero.”


    It was that simple. Destiny let out a few more chirps, trying to make his point to her. Total nonsense, though, to anyone else.


    “If it’ll get you to shut up and leave me alone, then fine. But know that when I pass out, it’ll be your job to drag me out of the room.” She finally caved in and turned, slowly walking up to the door. She reached out for the handle and suddenly stopped. It all just felt more real in that moment. It was a sick twisting knot in her gut. Like taking a test you knew you were going to fail.


    She knew what would happen. She’d go into the room, have to wake the man up, look him in the eyes, and say that she wanted to run more tests on him, make him go through a ton of pain for hours on end, just so she could look at every cell in his body and conclude that there was nothing she could do. The Virus was simply stronger, able to corrupt faster than she could repair. Maybe if she was the Lord of the Land and Life, she could make a difference, but she was just plain old useless Sky Sini. Once she was done, she’d have to look Mr. Lauren in the eyes, tell him she failed, then look Jane Lauren in the eyes, tell her that she failed, and then if that Hope girl was there, she’d have to say it to her again.


    It was nerve-wracking. Doing something you knew would cause more pain in the long run. All because she wasn’t strong enough.


    In the end, she never got to open the door.


    “Paragon!”


    She let out a panicked squeak when a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind and she was lifted up. “Personal space!” It was, of course, none other than her sister. Lily Sini was dressed in her Poseidon outfit already, and the girl swung her around with crazy super strength, not seeming to care. “Let me down!”


    “I’m glad I found you here when I did!” Lily announced happily. “Come on!”


    Her sister did, in fact, not put her down and instead turned and began to carry her through the hospital. “Where are you taking me!”


    “It’s a secret!”


    As it turns out, she was taken to go see the Sub Enforcers. They didn’t have to go very far, as the squad was waiting for the two of them down in the hospital parking lot. A large futuristic jeep honked at them. It was red and gold, the same color scheme as Metal Ronin’s suits, so she guessed that the boy had been the one to build it.


    She was practically dragged into the jeep by her sister, and the doors shut around them. Thanks to Destiny, she saw the grinning faces of BB and Wasp Nest. Oxide was seated up front next to Money Tree, who was behind the wheel. The ride took off at a fast pace, moving away from the hospital.


    “So, why exactly am I being kidnapped by my sister and her friends?” She asked with a sigh. She already had a huge headache.


    “Hey!” Poseidon pouted a bit. “I’m not kidnapping you!”


    “Sure. So why am I here?”


    Her sister let out a sheepish giggle and turned to their boyfriend, Wasp Nest, who began to explain. “Your sister agreed to come with us on another mission since your mom is staying in Oleander for longer than any of us thought.” No one really knew why Ocean Empress was staying, not even the hero’s daughters, but something must have caught her mother’s eyes, as her mom refused to leave the city. “Metal Ronin isn’t able to make it tonight, though.” The bug boy stated. “He’s busy guarding Kyle right now. So we kind of needed a fill-in member.”This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    “I’m not a fighter though.” She complained.


    “Don’t worry. You don’t have to be.” Money Tree called back from the driver''s seat. The man wore his typical money suit and had a sly grin on his face. “The Hero Branch usually has what they call danger levels to some situations. These levels state how many heroes have to go on a mission. The one I’m taking us on requires six people. That being said, I can handle it myself since I’m so strong.”


    She folded her arms with a sigh. She didn’t like it, but she doubted her sister would let her say no. “So, what’s the mission, exactly?”


    Money Tree looked back at her, meeting the eyes of Destiny. Her worry grew as his grin got larger. “Last week, you guys managed to bag a member of the Bad Timers. Well, this time, the Sub Enforcers will be stopping Zoo!”


    ***


    “Did we really have to enter this way?” White Hummingbird complained.


    “Keep making noise, and I’ll use my tail to knock you out.” Red Scorpion murmured. “This is a stealth mission, girls.”


    “I agree with White Hummingbird, though.” Black Skunk hummed. “We didn’t need to enter through the sewers. This makes me feel like Red Ape. That idiot was always using the sewers as well. You’re not trying to act like that loser, are you, Scorpion?”


    “Of course not!” Red Scorpion responded with a hiss. “Red Ape was an utter idiot who went and got himself caught twice. That said, even a broken clock is right twice a day. These sewer systems run all along the underside of the city. You can basically go anywhere if you know how to navigate them.”


    When it came to heroes, there were many different teams ranging from the Sub Enforcers to the Enforcers. The ten great cities of the world all had their own hero team and Enforcer member that worked within their walls. Heroes were used to working together. You would get odd pairings from time to time because of this.


    Villains, on the other hand, were the total opposite. Villains did not often band together. So those that led a group of like-minded men and women held the title of strong, for only they would be able to force fellow villains to submit to them. Groups of villains were some of the worst disasters in this world. Not because of the chaos they would cause to one city, but instead the lengths they would go to in order to stop other groups.


    The only thing a villain hated more than another villain was a rival villain gang. This was to say that Green Wolf and Polaron were not friends. Far from it, the two had tried to kill each other on a daily basis. It was a hate that was created before their gangs were even formed. Zoo and the Bad Timers would simply never get along.


    That was why three members of Zoo currently walked through the disgusting sewer system, heading through the tunnels. They were going to, if their plan went right, attack a Bad Timer base.


    Red Scorpion was in front of the other two members of her little group. She was a tall woman who wore a blood red suit that had once been white. A scorpion masked covered her face, and her hands clutched heavy-looking knuckle dusters. Behind her swaying back and forth was a long spiked tail that dripped venom.


    “The intel we got from Black Crow says that Polaron is on the move.” Red Scorpion said in a low tone. “If all goes well, I can catch that metal bastard off guard. I’ll inject him with so much venom he’ll burst.”


    In the middle was White Hummingbird. She was the smallest, but unlike the other two who walked, she flew. A pair of wings came out of her back, beating so fast they were practically invisible. She wore a white bird mask as well as a white suit.


    “Do you actually think you can beat Polaron?” White Hummingbird snorted. “Even Green Wolf struggles when facing that monster.”


    Lastly was Black Skunk. She was a larger woman with a plump belly, dressed in a black suit with a long white stripe going down it. She was of course wearing a skunk mask as well, but the mask also had a gas mask over it, and she had several belts wrapped around her chest that were filled with grenades.


    “Let’s just hurry this up before Red Raptor decides he wants to come take all the glory.” Black Skunk sighed. “That bastard smells almost as bad as these sewers do.”


    “I hope Red Raptor doesn’t show.” Red Scorpion complained. “That bastard will steal all our glory.”


    “He is Green Wolf’s right-hand man.” White Hummingbird said casually, floating upside down. “The only thing someone like him is good for is killing. He could even be as big of a threat as Green Wolf if he was just a tiny bit smarter.”


    “Then let’s hope for all our sakes that the bastard is too focused on murder to get any clever ideas.” Black Skunk shrugged.


    The sewers smelled as bad as they looked and stretched on, hundreds of tunnels twisting throughout. It was hard to even picture the fact that directly above them was the entire city of Oleander. By using them, they could travel beneath the city easily and, in theory, could go anywhere they needed to without having to worry about the heroes.


    That theory, however, was quickly proven to be untrue. Red Scorpion came to a sudden stop and let out a low growl. Her tail slapped at the ground a bit. The two other girls behind her also froze when they peered over her shoulder and saw who was ahead of them.


    “How the hell did you guys find out where we were!” The villain demanded.


    Directly in front of them, somehow waiting for them was a group of heroes. The Oleander Sub Enforcers, minus Metal Ronin, all stood at the ready. They weren’t alone either. Two more members were there. Paragon, and the newest legend to rise through the hero ranks, the one and only Poseidon.


    Poseidon had their trident flung over their shoulder, and there was a sly smile on the girl’s lips. “Why don’t you three give up? You’re outnumbered.” The girl pointed out casually.


    The three Zoo members backed up, staring at the group of heroes with a bit of nervousness. “How’d you even find us in the first place?” Black Skunk questioned.


    Wasp Nest held a finger up, showing that a piece of his pointer was gone. A small bug clung to Red Scorpion’s jacket, which flew off and landed back on Wasp Nest, merging with the boy and recreating the missing part. “You guys are always causing trouble, so I had my bugs scattered across the city in case something happened. I did this at first to try and track Red Ape down, but Myth got there first. I almost forgot about them until I remembered to check back in with my little guys and discovered they had managed to cling to White Lamb around the time she and Green Wolf were fighting a pair of new heroes. Since then I’ve been tracking your moves and having my bugs cling to more of you.”


    Red Scorpion gritted her teeth. "Well, you shouldn’t have told us that little fact. Now we know to look out for those.”


    “Oh, I don’t think that will matter too much.” Money Tree said casually. “After all, you three won’t be able to tell the rest of your team that info.”


    “And why’s that?” White Hummingbird asked with narrowed eyes.


    “Because we’re going to capture you.” Oxide called out. “I thought it was pretty obvious. Then again, you’d have to be pretty stupid to be a bad guy when a hero like the Victorian exists, so I guess you guys aren’t that smart.”


    Red Scorpion’s tail hit the ground hard enough to crack it as the woman gritted her teeth and glared at the heroes. Slowly, the villain’s eyes landed on the most dangerous one there. “Ready to give up?” Poseidon called out. “It’s a six on three, after all.”


    Paragon winced a bit and stepped further into the back. The girl really hoped she wouldn’t be dragged into the fight since she had no idea how to properly fight back and only had one means of taking someone out, which she could use only once a day.


    Red Scorpion’s grin came back onto her face, though it couldn’t be seen thanks to the mask. “Give up? What for? This is even better. Forget about our beef with Polaron, girls! We’re taking these heroes out!”


    The battle began instantly after that. Black Skunk ripped a bomb off of her belt and tossed it at the group as hard as she could.


    “Four warriors,” Poseidon said, tightening her grip on her weapon. “Long ago, there were four warriors that stood against an ancient evil. The strongest, and first, Supers. They were so strong in fact that their powers passed on even after death. On and on, a cycle was created. Now here I stand with one of those powers. Lord of the Sea and Depths.” As Poseidon spoke, her body seemed to change. The girl’s hair lit up, turning a deep blue, and their eyes blazed with a red light as she began to tap into the power of a Lord. “Water and gravity are mine to command.”


    With a single flick, most of the tunnel cracked, and the bomb smashed into the ground as gravity shoved it down. The thing clicked and a black gas started to pour out. The stone of the hallway began to melt and hiss as the gas ate through it. A gaseous acid started to crawl their way.


    “I might not be a Lord, and I might not also be as cool as her, but I got this!” BB announced proudly. The girl’s body shrank down to the size of a small action figure, and she let out a loud yell as a wave of wind came blasting out of her palm. It pushed the acid back and swirled it around, clearing the air. No sooner was it gone though before the next Zoo member attacked.


    Red Scorpion blasted forward with fast speed, the woman letting out a mad laugh as her tail stabbed out toward Poseidon. Poseidon lazily reached up and caught the limb before the stringer could reach her. “Let go, you bitch!” Red Scorpion hissed out.


    “You guys can’t win.” Poseidon’s hair flowed like water and glowed with a powerful blue light, all the while her eyes were the color of a red flame. “Not while I’m like this. My power is beyond that of normal Super.”


    Money Tree and Wasp Nest both jumped around Poseidon about to attack Red Scorpion, who was held in place. Money Tree’s costume unraveled, the dollar bills coming off and taking shape into a sword made out of hard cash, which he swung while Wasp Nest’s body came undone and surged forward, ready to sting the villain as many times as he could.


    “Oh no, you don’t.” Humming Bird let out a loud call and brought her arms up, banging on her chest. Instantly, what sounded almost like a drum beat began to echo through the tunnels coming out of the girl. As the beating started, Red Scorpion felt a surge of power course through her, and she ripped her tail out of Poseidon’s grasp and leapt away with fast speed, dodging Wasp Nest and Money Tree’s strikes.


    Oxide created a metal bow and fired a large arrow out, but Red Scorpion’s tail cut up into the air and split the arrow in two, stopping it instantly. “Did she get stronger?” Oxide asked.


    “She did.” Paragon nodded. “I’ve done my research on almost every villain in Oleander to understand how their powers work in case I need to cure them.” The girl explained. “Black Skunk, Red Scorpion, and White Hummingbird are a team within Zoo. Black Skunk is a mental-based user. She makes deadly bombs. Red Scorpion can grow a tail that contains a deadly venom within it. The two on their own aren’t so bad. It’s the small one that’s the issue. White Hummingbird is able to increase blood flow in her teammates and force their adrenaline to ramp up. She’s basically able to buff her team with the beat of her own heart, raising all their stats up.”


    “Looks like someone did their research.” Black Skunk sneered and lifted her arm up. “Thanks to White Hummingbird, I can do something like this!” The girl rammed her fist into the ground so hard the entire tunnel shook, causing a few of the heroes to stumble. While that happened, the woman ripped off another belt and went to toss it, but before she could throw it, a wave of wind smashed into her, blowing her back.


    “I won’t let you be doing that!” BB announced flying around the large woman in her tiny state. “Someone back me up and help me take this girl down.”


    “I’m on it.” Money Tree called. The man lifted into the air on a wave of cash and surfed forward with a grin. “Wasp Nest, Oxide, you two take out White Hummingbird and get rid of her buffs. Poseidon, I trust you can handle Red Scorpion on your own?”


    Poseidon gave a smirk and pointed her trident forward. “Oh yeah. I won’t be needing any help.”


    “Arrogant bitch.” Red Scorpion dropped to all fours and charged forward, striking out with her tail. It bounced off of a wave of solid water that appeared around Poseidon and expanded out, blowing the villain back. Poseidon moved forward with fast speed and swung her weapon around, smashing the blunt end into Red Scorpion’s head and throwing the girl into a wall.


    While that happened, BB and Money Tree circled around Black Skunk. The villain jumped back, using the super strength she got from White Hummingbird, and tossed out more of her bombs, but Money Tree easily blocked the attacks by having hundreds of coins wrap around the bombs and form solid boxes that trapped the gas inside. As he did that, BB launched forward and grew back to her normal size, ramming her foot into Black Skunk’s gut.


    White Hummingbird had it the worst. The villain was able to buff her team but couldn’t do anything for herself. The Zoo member panicked and flew up and down, trying to dodge all the attacks that came her way. Wasp’s kept forming together into the body of Wasp Nest, who would try to sucker punch her, while Oxide ran underneath her flying form and would swing up with a large metal hammer.


    Paragon stood in the back, watching the fight through the eyes of Destiny. None of her team had been hurt yet, so there was no need for her to heal anyone. She felt pretty useless in that moment as well. She had no real way of fighting back aside from trying to touch one of the members and use her secret power, but that would require her getting close. Something that was hard to do since everyone here was moving with inhuman speed.


    The heroes and villains were blurs traveling far faster than normal humans should have been able to. Gradually, though, the heroes began to push the villains back into a corner. The good guys were winning. Red Scorpion and Black Skunk were being hit with blow after blow from the heroes they were fighting and slowing down, and it would only be a matter of time until White Hummingbird made a mistake and got hit by either Wasp Nest or Oxide.


    They were going to win this. They were going to capture three members of Zoo-


    “Now, what exactly do we have here?” Everyone instantly froze in place. Even the other villains. Quiet footsteps echoed through the sewers around them as someone began to approach. “Having fun without me?”


    Paragon felt a shiver travel down her back. Destiny stared at the new Super that arrived. It was a man in a red suit, just like Scorpion. The suit, however, was covered in tears and rips showing off his body, which was scarred heavily. The man wore an almost comical-looking dinosaur mask. It was of a cartoon raptor smoking a cigar. Even from where Paragon stood, she could smell the intense stench of blood that flowed from the man.


    Someone almost as dangerous as Green Wolf himself. Red Raptor had just arrived.


    “Let’s see here.” Hauntingly yellow eyes came out of the mask roaming over all the heroes and villains. “I pick… You.” Those eyes settled on Paragon. “Die.”


    The man’s outfit exploded as jagged red feathers and scales exploded out of the man’s body. A meaty tail came out of his rear, and his mask tore in half as a jagged snout and fangs came out of him. Just like when Myth, leader of Pantheon, would transform, Red Raptor changed into some sort of creature. One with clawed hands and feet that looked like a weird mix between a bird and reptile. Purple liquid flowed down the monster''s jaws and burned into the ground. Whatever he had become, this form''s saliva had become acidic.


    A demonic screech tore through the sewer system, causing them all to wince and plug their ears. Then, in an instant, Red Raptor blasted forward. Literally, the villain was able to move so fast the spot he had been standing at exploded and shattered as he moved toward the weakest link his hungry eyes could find.


    Poseidon turned about to jump to her sister and stop the villain but was tackled to the ground by Red Scorpion, who saw their moment to strike. “Get the hell off of me!” Poseidon roared and flexed her power, blowing the villain off of her. It was too late to stand back up, though. Red Raptor blew past her. Poseidon threw her arm out and went to focus her power, but the monster''s eyes saw the gravity around him about to shift, and he jumped out of the way, running along the wall as he avoided her attack and reached her sister. “Sky!” She screamed.


    To Paragon, none of this had even registered yet. The girl had never trained her senses and wasn’t able to keep up with speeds like this. She was still in the middle of processing the loud roar Red Raptor let out. The other heroes tried to move, but they were all too slow.


    Red Raptor’s twisted face morphed into a grin as the villain raised his clawed arm up. Paragon saw a flash of red as Destiny’s eyes caught up to the moving target, and she now watched as the villain stood in front of her and rammed his claws down.


    “Oh.” Sky felt a weird calming sensation. “I’m dead.”


    The roof above suddenly exploded as debris rained down on everyone. Red Raptor growled and was forced to jump away as the spot above him crumbled and fell as something shoved its way through the ground.


    “Coming through!” The voice of a young girl shouted.


    As the debris rained down, everyone watched as a young hero crashed to the ground in an awkward landing. It was a young girl dressed in a blue costume and had a helmet similar to the one Poseidon wore. A badly torn red cape clung to the girl’s back, and she was trying to pick themselves up as debris rained on top of them.


    “Ouch!” Cinder winced as a large rock crashed down on top of her head. Rubbing the back of her head, the hero began to stand up. “I’m not sure what’s going on exactly, but I’m here to kick ass! Why? Because I’m a hero!”


    Paragon stared at the girl with wide eyes. They had just saved her life. Something about them was also really familiar. Something she just couldn’t place her finger on.