“Come on, people!” Coach Jupiter shouted and blew into his whistle. “Put your back into it. You don’t want to be the sorry scrub in the newspaper, do you? Give it your best shot!”


    Oleander Bay could be such a strange school sometimes. For example, in the gym, hundreds of mats had been scattered around, and kids were now fighting each other. Well, actually, that wasn’t the exact word to use. Kids were ‘sparring’ with each other.


    Due to the recent Super attacks and gang-related activities that were going on, Oleander Bay was going over some self-defense lessons its students could take. You know, because if someone like Mars King or Green Wolf came at you, knowing how to kick their legs out could prove useful. As in, it wouldn’t work, and they might find the fact you tried funny and kill you quickly.


    Coach Jupiter blew into his whistle again. “Put your back into it, Moore. You’re really getting beaten by a girl?”


    “I’d like to see you do better against her.” Armin muttered. He was currently flat on his back as she grabbed his arm and twisted him around, ramming him into the ground.


    “This is fun.” She giggled.


    “Only because you haven’t been thrown around so many times.” Armin groaned and took her hand when she offered it. The two of them got to either side of the mat and entered their stances, restarting the match.


    She normally didn’t get to hang out with Armin at school much since the two of them had different classes, but with everything going on, both of them had been able to go to the self-defense lessons at the same time. Today they were learning some basic takedowns. She was winning.


    “Come on, Hope, you’re cheating.” Armin sighed. “No super strength.”


    “I’m not using it though.” She giggled. “You just suck.”


    “Rude.”


    She studied Armin intensely. They both got to wear the white martial arts uniforms from movies. She felt pretty cool and stylish. Slowly, her friend inched toward her with his arms up. She kept her guard up and approached. Once she was within reach, he struck.


    Armin grabbed her arms and tried to kick out at her legs, but she managed to rip herself out of his grasp and awkwardly dodge his kick. She shoved herself forward, tackling him around his waist and causing them both to drop to the floor. She pinned him down with her chest and made sure his arms were trapped above his head, holding them by her wrist.


    “You know,” Armin murmured as she pressed against him. “This part of the spar is pretty fun.”


    “Don’t be a pervert; that’s just gross man.”


    “Then stop pinning me down!”


    “Never.”


    Armin squirmed, and she flipped herself up, lifting him up and throwing him over her shoulder. She smashed him down and planted her knee to his gut, knocking the wind out of him. “You sure you’re not using super strength?” The boy asked, shooting her a dirty look.


    “I promise.” She crossed her fingers…


    She flipped Armin onto his back when he tried to crawl away, making the boy sigh. “You know, Myth wanted to talk with you once you were free.” The boy said giving up.


    “He did?” She took a seat on his back and folded her arms, humming. “I wonder what he wants with me.” Though she had a pretty good idea.


    “Will you get off of me? You’re heavy!”


    “Are you calling me fat?” She pouted. “You know, you’re the last person I’d want to sit on anyway. Maybe I can try and get Ashley to agree to spar with me…” The Queen Bee was off by herself, not bothering to spar with anyone. “She’s mean, but I’d be lying if I said she didn’t look good.”


    “Who’s being a pervert now?” Armin chuckled.


    She climbed off of her friend and threw her arms behind her head. “Did Myth tell you what he wanted with me?” She asked.


    “Nope.” Armin shook his head. “He did seem a little mad though. What’d you do to piss him off?”


    She winced a bit, remembering the fact that she had been caught on some of those drones with Poseidon. The water-based hero had basically thrown her under the bridge and claimed they worked together to take down four members of Zoo. Something that was bound to anger Green Wolf and bring that leader''s wrath. Myth was going to have serious words for her, that was for sure.


    “Hope?” Armin asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “You think of something that’d make him mad?”


    “No clue.” She lied, sagging in defeat.


    “What the hell!” She didn’t need her enhanced senses to pick up the sound. She turned, as did many other students when they heard the yelling. She felt shock hit her by what she saw.


    “No way.” Armin said with wide eyes. “Am I dreaming?”


    “If you are, then I am too.” She stated.


    Flat on his back Kevin stared up at the person who had thrown them down. Kevin had lost a battle of strength. “Not so tough after all.” The jock that head tackled Kevin to the ground made a show of pumping up his arms, allowing everyone to see the massive muscles that were in them. “I thought you were strong, Kevin.”


    Kevin gritted his teeth and glared up at the boy. It took her a moment, but she realized who it was. It was the same boy that she had caught trying to kill a dog. One of the people that normally followed Kevin around and were practically a slave to the taller, stronger boy. The jock had now overpowered Kevin and was somehow the new alpha of the school.


    “It was a fluke." Kevin smacked the ground and stood back up. “We’ll go again, Trev-”


    The boy shoulder rammed Kevin as hard as he could, and the two roided-out football players began to wrestle against each other. Kevin wrapped his arms around his goon''s waist, but the other boy was just too strong now. In an instant, the kid grabbed Kevin, lifted the jock up, and tossed him to the ground. Whatever drug the kid was taking, it was insane.


    Kevin bounced across the ground and went to stand up, but the kid kicked him across the chin, shoving him back. The boy went to kick again but were stopped when a bag smashed into the back of his head. Instantly everyone turned to her.


    “Don’t look at me!” She waved her arms and pointed to the bleachers where her sown-together bag rested. “Wasn’t me this time!”


    Instead, everyone turned to the Queen Bee herself. Ashley glared at the boy that had smacked Kevin. “That’s enough.” The girl demanded. The boy gritted his teeth and stormed over to the girl about to throw out another punch, but one of Ashley’s many followers acted first. Hannah was always a weird girl and followed Ashley around everywhere.


    Right now that girl stepped in front of her friend, caught the fist that the boy was throwing, and kicked the boy’s legs out, causing him to crash to the ground in one fell swoop.


    “Pretty sure she’s on something as well.” Armin snorted.


    She wasn’t paying attention, though. Instead, her gaze followed after Kevin, who was storming out and gritting his teeth.


    The coach finally blew into his whistle now that the fight was over. “Alright. Calm down everyone.” The man shouted. “No actual fighting.”


    She felt a little worried for Kevin. The boy was the kind of person who would let one loss rule over them after all. She knew that he was about to do something drastic. She didn’t know what, but it likely wouldn’t be good.


    ***


    “I’ll let you explain in case it’s a misunderstanding.” Myth said calmly.


    She flinched and looked away, not meeting the man’s eyes. She was in the Pantheon base alone with the man. Lois and Armin weren’t here, nor was Mr. Larison. It was just her and her new boss. Myth was at a table and had turned a computer her way.


    The screen of the computer was an image of her and Poseidon standing side by side. “That’s right, we did! I’m Poseidon, and this here is Cinder! Together, she and I defeated White Hummingbird, Red Scorpion, Black Skunk, and even Red Raptor! Do you hear that, Green Wolf? The two of us beat four members of your team, sucker!”


    As soon as school had ended, she had shown up at the Pantheon base like Armin told her to. She wasn’t shocked to see Myth waiting for her, nor was she surprised that this had been what he wanted to talk to her about.


    “Is it a misunderstanding?” The hero asked again.


    “No sir.” She finally said. “It’s not a misunderstanding.”


    Myth nodded. “I see. Can you explain what happened, Cinder?”


    “Yeah.” She scratched her chin sheepishly. “So basically it was after Mr. Larison took us all to the beach to practice. After that, I heard an explosion and went to go check it out. I found the Sub Enforcers and four members of Zoo, and I jumped in and helped them. After Money Tree gave me a bit of a lecture.”


    Myth closed the computer. “What you did was very stupid.”


    “I know.”


    “Do you? Do you even know why I’m mad and having this talk with you, Cinder?”


    She awkwardly shrugged. “Well, it’s because I helped the Sub Enforcers out, right? I jumped into their fight when I’m not a member of their team, and then when the drones were there, they made it look like I was part of their team, so Pantheon won’t get any reputation. That’s it, right?”


    Myth reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Money Tree got onto you for that reason. You being there did affect his brand and also threw a wrench into his plans. That was why he got onto you. Why I’m getting onto you is different. I don’t care that you ran in and helped. I care that you didn’t call any of us first.”


    “I didn’t have my phone.” She explained.


    “That doesn’t matter, Cinder.” Myth shook his head. “I’m not mad at the fact you took down these villains. I want you to understand that. But let’s change what happened for a moment. What if, because of your enhanced senses, you heard something you shouldn’t have, and you ran in just like you did there? This time though, there aren’t any Sub Enforcers fighting the villains for you to team up with. What if you ran into that situation, you didn’t have your phone, you didn’t tell any of us, and you then had to fight all four of those guys at once? Would you win?”


    “I doubt it.” She whispered. Beating Red Scorpion was hard enough. She’d have died without Paragon. Red Raptor was even harder, though. As she was now, there was no way she’d have walked out of that fight.


    Myth stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re a hero. Saving people is what we do. You have to save yourself, too, Cinder. What you did was brave but stupid. I’m proud you managed to capture four bad guys with the help of the Sub Enforcers but I was worried as well.”The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    “I’m sorry for worrying you.”


    “Just don’t do it again.” The man moved past her and punched her shoulder. “Now come on.”


    “Where are we going?” She asked, following after the man.


    “For a walk.”


    “Let me get changed!”


    “You do that.”


    She quickly got changed into her hero costume and made her way downstairs. Myth was waiting for her dressed in his costume, and he wasn’t alone. Battery also stood there. “Battery! What are you doing here?” She asked.


    “I got invited by Myth.” The hero shrugged.


    Myth nodded and gave a small smile. “Now that you’re both here, I think we should begin.”


    She looked to Mr. Larison to see if he had any clue, but the man just shrugged. They followed after Myth and exited the building. The hero didn’t move very fast, and he went onto the roof to travel. Instead, the dark-skinned man just walked the streets of Oleander. They were behind him, closely following after him.


    “So what is it we’re doing exactly?” Battery called out. The two of them kept getting looks from people as they walked, and some guys even stopped and took pictures of them.


    Myth looked back at them and smiled. “Just look around the city.”


    She frowned but did as he said. They had made it over to the middle part of the city after walking, so it was pretty nice. There was a park and several trees that hung up, as well as many curved roads. People walked the streets, and cars drove down. It wasn’t late, so the sun was still high up. “I don’t get it. What am I looking for?” She asked. She didn’t spot any crime. She was sure it was happening though; crime was always happening.


    Myth gestured with his arms again. “As you look at the city, the city will also look at you. On a patrol, we travel during the night. We stay hidden and try not to make a scene unless we’re caught. Sometimes though it’s good to do things like this, wouldn’t you say?”


    “I think I get it.” Battery closed his eyes and folded his arms as he walked alongside her. “This is also a form of patrol. Or actually more of a deterrent. We’re walking around to show that we exist.”


    “Does that work?” She asked.


    “Well, are you seeing any crime?” Battery asked with a smirk.


    She gave a smile and shrugged her shoulders. “I guess not.”


    “There’s more to being a hero than fighting bad guys. Heroes that focus only on defeating villains aren’t actually heroes. They’re just soldiers with silly names.” The man complained as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes.


    They kept following after Myth, who stayed ahead of them at a brisk pace. People kept staring, and she felt a little embarrassed. Her costume was still badly damaged, but she had stitched some fabric over the holes to cover them up. It looked a little goofy, but it would do until she got her suit actually fixed.


    “I heard you got into a fight with Zoo.” Her smile faded as Mr. Larison spoke up. “Are you okay?”


    She shrugged her shoulders. “I am now. Paragon healed me. Could you ask her to heal your heart, sir?”


    “No.” The man said flatly. “But seriously, are you okay? It’s fine if you admit you were scared. You might have been healed physically, but are you good mentally, kid?”


    “It was a bit scary.” She admitted quietly. “But I trusted that the other heroes would have my back. I got hurt, but Paragon healed me instantly. She knows who I am now though. Oh, and Poseidon says hi.”


    “How did you do in the fight?” Battery asked.


    “Well, I guess? I mean, I’m alive, aren’t I?”


    The man nodded, and he brought his arms up, entering a boxing stance. “This is called the one-two combo.” The man explained throwing out two fast moving strikes that ripped through the air and caused her hair to be kicked up a bit. “You have super strength, so when you use them, make sure you put your back into it and hit as hard as you can. The first is a basic jab. Aim for the jaw, the throat, or the heart. The second is a hook. It goes to the side of the head. Hit them fast. Hit them hard.”


    “You know a lot about fighting.” She said, a little envious of her mentor’s skills.


    “Not really. I’m mainly good with a sword.” Jack snorted. “I know some boxing, but that’s about it. Get a sword in my hands though, and I could show off a few real skills.”


    “You know how to use a sword? Like the Victorian?”


    Battery just shrugged and flicked her helmet. “This thing got banged up right. Next time I’m free, drop it off and I’ll fix it up. Get some of those scratches and dents out of it.”


    She gave a smile and reached up, feeling the helmet he had gifted her. “Thanks. That’d be really nice.” She stopped when her enhanced senses went off. “Someone’s in trouble!” She called out.


    Instantly Myth and Battery both turned to her, and she took off running. She didn’t go at her full speed, making sure both men could keep up with her. They didn’t need to go very far, as she took them directly into the park and came to a sliding stop.


    “There’s the issue!” She announced. Both men stopped behind her and made a bit of a face.


    “My kitty!” A little girl whined. The girl stood beneath a tree that had a cat trapped up in the branches, meowing. “Someone get it down.”


    “We’ll get it!” She announced proudly placing her hands on her hips.


    “Isn’t this a bit low level?” Battery asked sheepishly.


    “A hero that only fights crime isn’t a real hero! They’re just a soldier with a funny name!” She announced proudly. She jumped into the air and came down, landing on Mr. Larison’s shoulders. The hero’s knees buckled, but he supported her weight, his eyes twitching. “Take me to the tree!”


    “Kid. Think very carefully about your next words.”


    She stood on his shoulders and folded her arms, thinking. Finally, she pointed forward. “Mush!” And she lightly kicked him in the head.


    Battery grumbled several choice words and walked toward the tree. She was tall enough, thanks to standing on him, to just reach up and grab the cat. It meowed as she dropped down and handed the animal back to the little girl.


    “Thank you!” The girl cried out.


    “It’s what a hero does.” She smiled and ruffled the child''s hair.


    Battery looked away, sighing. Off to the side, Myth stood smiling slightly. The man’s eyes sharply glanced back to the hero in red, and for a moment his smile faded as the words of the mayor came back to him. There had been another reason why he wanted to come on this little walk. He had wanted to see if Battery could truly be a member of his team.


    “Yo Myth! Where to next!” She called out, stopping Myth’s thoughts.


    The hero shook his head and forced his smile back onto his face. “Why don’t the two of you keep going by yourselves? I’ve got to go see a friend of mine.”


    “Really?” Battery asked, raising an eyebrow.


    “Really.”


    “Well okay.” She said a little bummed. “If you’re sure.”


    “I am.” The man said, turning away. “You two have fun. Take care.”


    Time seemed to almost move in a fast blur. Her and Battery kept walking around the city, heading from block to block. Nothing really crazy happened. She did wave at a few drones here and there, but that was about it. Eventually, though, the sun had set and the moon began to rise.


    “Hey Battery.” She asked.


    “What is it?” The man grunted out as the two of them walked.


    “Is there a reason you won’t let Paragon heal you?”


    The man lazily shrugged. “I just don’t want it.”


    “Why?”


    “Reasons.” He shrugged again. “Trust me when I say there’s a lot you don’t know about me.”


    “Oh yeah?”


    “Yeah.” The man smirked. “Like my real name isn’t actually Jack; my favorite color is blue; I used to be married; I had a pet dog once-”


    “I’m sorry you used to be married!” She stared at the man with wide eyes.


    Jack’s smile only grew, and he flicked her on the helmet. “Told ya.”


    “When did this happen?”


    “Years ago.” The man sighed. “Supers don’t look their age normally. Some can be a lot older than you might think. I’ve lived a pretty long life. It hasn’t always been great; in fact, I’d say more times than not, it was shitty. But it was my life, ya know. The life of Jack.”


    She blinked a bit, nodding her head. “Well, I’m glad I got to meet you in my life, Mr. Larison.” She smiled. “Thank you.”


    Jack opened his mouth about to say something but stopped when a buzz came out of his pocket. Her phone also buzzed, and both of them pulled them out. Her smile faded when she saw the text.


    “You got it also?” Battery grunted.


    “Yeah.” She nodded. “Trouble at the docks.”


    ***


    A few moments earlier...


    "You should all be honored about being some of the first we''re selling this new product to!"


    Kevin narrowed his eyes. Whenever someone had to go over the top with a pitch, it often wasn''t as good as it seemed. He wasn''t the only one who stood in the warehouse either. They were near the docks of Oleander City. Back in the day, before the Calamities appeared again two years ago and destroyed most of the ocean, the docks were a thriving source of money. Now, it seemed like the Wandering Coin had moved in.


    A large boathouse had been hollowed out, and that was where they all stood. The front of it had been opened up, and inside, there were dozens of goons. The Wandering Coin didn''t really have a theme to them like Zoo or Bad Timers. They were just petty thugs. Petty thugs who had some of the best super drugs on the black market. There was a balcony above them, where more goons stood staring down, and scattered haphazardly must have been a good few hundred crates of various drugs.


    There were four of them in total, all standing in front of the warehouse, waiting for their product, as a Wandering Coin goon sat on a box, giving them the speech.


    "Ya see, our boss is a Super who has a mental-based power. He is able to create these drugs and help turn a normal human into something more. Now, lucky for all of you-"


    "Just cut the crap." Kevin''s voice rang out, causing silence amongst the dozens of Wandering Coin goons. "I''m not interested in the new stuff. None of us are. You just want us to be a test subject, right? Get us hooked on a new product. I want the stuff I''ve been getting before you guys moved in. I had a dealer, but your gang absorbed his crew. Let me talk to Hasle."


    "Yeah." One of four, who was also here to buy drugs, nodded. "I ain''t looking for superpowers. Just give me my usual stuff." The man said, scratching at his neck. He was tall and skinny, with barely any hair on him, his eyes darting back and forth.


    "I have to agree with the crackhead and the athlete." A third man stated, folding his arms. "These drugs haven''t been seen by the public yet, and I''m betting there are some catches to them. I''d rather put the stuff a normal wacko human created into my body than anything some bat shit super came up with." Unlike the others, this man was dressed in a suit with slick black hair and held an aura of importance. Some rich man looking for his high.


    The Wandering Coin member who sat on the box let out a heavy sigh but nodded his head. "Look. I had to go and ask. Part of the boss''s orders."


    "About your boss." The fourth and final member who came to buy their usual drugs spoke up. "Is he here?" He was dressed in a heavy coat that hid most of his form.


    The man on the box narrowed his eyes. "No. This isn''t our main base. Just a selling point. Keep asking dumb questions, and you won''t get anything."


    "Do you even know who your boss is?''


    "You wearing a fucking wire? ''Course I know who my boss is, dumbass. I ain''t talking, though. Just know he is a powerful man and can get me out of any situation, so bring the cops; I dare you." The man sneered, and all the gang members drew various weapons. The doors to the warehouse slowly closed behind them, and suddenly the place looked far darker and ominous, the dozens of boxes casting everything in the shade.


    "You say your boss can get you out of any situation?" The addict cocked his head to the side and gave a lopsided grin.


    "Yo. Stop it." Kevin grunted, glaring at the fourth man. "You''re going to get us killed."


    The man on the box pulled out a long, slender revolver, dangling it. "You seriously wanna make out with the fishes? Be my guess."


    The fourth man chuckled. "This could have all gone so much easier. Oh well. Guess it can''t be helped."


    "What are you trying to say, pal?" The man stepped forward and dropped the coat he was wearing. He was dressed like a punk, but it was what was on his arm that got everyone''s eyes to go wide. A tattoo with the letters BT on it. "Shit, shoot the bastard quick!"


    Kevin dropped to the ground, as did the man in the suit, as bullets suddenly rang out, but it was far too late. The Bad Timer goon gave a wide grin, even as his body was riddled with lead. The holes in his flesh grew larger, and all across his skin, tears began to open up. A loud buzzing noise echoed around him, and his holes let out a sickly-looking black liquid.


    "I summon you!" He screamed.


    A loud crackling exploded through the air, and something seemed to appear in the sky. It was almost like black lightning, bending and twisting; it rapidly formed into a portal, and something dropped down.


    Dressed in a skintight black outfit that covered her entire body, black hellish flames spewed out the top of her head, forming her hair. Her body bent and twisted in awkward ways as Demonica, second in command of the Bad Timers, stood up and let out an animalistic cry!


    "Leave it to me, Ears."


    The man riddled with holes cracked his head in her direction. Things were growing out of his holes. Hundreds of tiny ears. They all gushed that same black liquid. "Very well." The liquid began to flow around him, and then, in a flash, he was gone, leaving just Demonica. Purple fire gushed from her head, and the black twisted into a nasty smile.


    She could handle this on her own. In fact, she''d prefer to handle it on her own.


    "We gotta get out of here." Kevin felt himself be practically lifted off the ground by the guy in the suit.


    "What about the crackhead?"


    "Dead! Listen, we need to worry about ourselves. I was in a bank that these psychos hit once. This entire city is so fucked!" Bullets rang through the air, and the man in the suit loudly cried as he took one to the shoulder, dropping down.


    Kevin looked up and saw that the Wandering Coin were firing wildly in all directions. Demonica moved with inhuman speed, leaving behind a blur as she began to literally tear through the gang members. Kevin grabbed the man in the suit and dragged them over to a box, ducking down behind it for cover.


    The entire dock shook as someone seemed to have thrown a grenade. "This is crazy." He hissed. "There''s too much gunfire for us to run, and a literal supervillain is here!"


    The warehouse shook again, and he felt a wave of hot air as Demonica''s purple flames ate away at the building. Debris rained down, and he threw his arms over his head, staying low.


    "I- I can''t die here. Please. Someone save me!"