“I really put a super villain behind bars.” She said quietly. She rested in the back seat of Whisper''s van, her face blank. "I actually did it."


    “That’s like the tenth time you’ve said it. You alright?” Snowdawn snorted.


    “Sorry.” She shook her head. “It’s just... Wow. Like, it’s really hitting me, you know.”


    “Didn’t you put four members of Zoo behind bars?” Whisper asked flatly.


    “That was mostly the Sub Enforcers.” She said, shaking her head. “I barely beat that Red Scorpion girl. That Saw dude though; I hard carried you and Wasp Nest on that!” She said smugly. “I’m the reason it went so smoothly.”


    "Well, don’t get too cocky.” Mr. Larison pulled his mask off, shaking his hair down. “Next time, it might not go as well.”


    “I know.” She couldn’t help but smile. “It’s just. I don’t know. It feels like I finally did something.”


    “That’s because you did.” Myth didn’t look at her, too busy focusing on the road. “Most villains are meant to only be fought by the leaders of hero teams or adult hero team members such as the Watch Dogs. For you to have not only fought but also taken down Saw Head is a good achievement. Even if Polaron and the others got away, at this moment, I’m sure that you all did good.”


    "Team Pantheon finally did something worth bragging about!" Whisper announced, patting Cinder on the top of her helmet.


    They were all still in costume. The incident with Polaron and Green Wolf happened a few hours ago. The bitter taste of having let both of them escape wouldn''t leave her. Despite that, she kept being told she did a good job capturing Saw Head. This had been why she did it all in the first place. She beat a real villain. A strong one too. This wasn’t like Red Ape, someone that normal cops could take down. All she needed now was to start making cash, and she’d finally reach her goal.


    Saw Head had been placed into a heavy holding cell somewhere in the Hero Branch tower, and he would later no doubt be shipped off to Nightshade, a prison made for Supers. For once, life seemed to be on her side and working out. Even her home life was going a bit better, as her mom wasn’t working as many hours and seemed less stressful lately. It was a blessing, considering just what Polaron had told her.


    The villain knew who she was. That was something she hadn’t brought up. Polaron was interesting. He was evil yet seemed to have some sort of honor. He had once offered to let them go when he fought them at the warehouse. On top of that, the power she saw him use in his fight with Green Wolf told her the villain had been holding back greatly on them. If the man truly knew who she was, he could have acted at any time, yet he didn’t.


    At least that’s what she told herself. In truth, it felt like a blunder on her part. She had let her identity slip because of how reckless she was. She didn’t want to admit that fact to the others, so she kept it to herself.


    The van turned off the road and began to enter a large parking lot. "I know it''s been a long day." Myth stated, slowly parking the car in front of an old-looking abandoned building. "That said, what happened today was no small feat. Pantheon has only been working with the Sub Enforcers for less than a month, and already we''ve managed to fight off Bad Timers, raid several Wandering Coin drug bases, and even capture a full-on supervillain. That''s why, after speaking with Money Tree, we decided it would be a good idea for you all to have a bit of downtime. Don''t expect this to be a recurring thing, though."


    "Down time?" Snowdawn raised an eyebrow as he and the others stepped out of the car. None of them had been told where they were going in advance by Myth. After the incident with Bad Timers, he had taken them back to the base before he got a call from Money Tree. Whatever the two had discussed was the reason he brought them here.


    Myth made a gesture toward the abandoned building. "My dad would always take me and my brother here when we were younger." The man''s smile faded for a second as he stared up at the building, but he quickly shook off the feelings. "It belongs to the mayor now. He owes me some favors because I saved him two years ago during a Calamity attack. I asked if we could borrow this place for the day. It turns out that it hasn''t been in use for a few months now, so he didn''t mind handing it over."


    She looked up at the building, frowning a bit. She couldn''t tell what it was supposed to be. It was a large building, but by no means massive. The sign on it had been torn down, and the windows were covered up. It looked about as bad as their base on the outside. Whisper was the first to walk forward and try the front door. It opened up, and instantly the sounds of music and lights hit them. "Hey!" Money Tree''s voice called out from further inside. "You guys made it! Come on in."


    They followed after Whisper, and she let out a gasp when she finally entered the building. The inside was clean and spotless. It was a bowling alley. Large bowling lanes were all lined up with dozens of pins ready for them. There were various tables filled with all sorts of food, from pizza to chips, as well as hundreds of soda bottles. Up top, a loudspeaker played blaring music that bounced off of the walls. Some country songs by Pretty Face, a pop idol Super. He was ranked as one of the hottest male heroes in their part of the world, though she never really found herself interested in boys.


    The Sub Enforcer members were all scattered about. Money Tree stood off to the side, watching some of the kids play bowling. Both BB and Oxide seemed to be in an intense match. Wasp Nest was near the table with Metal Ronin. Poseidon from Ocean Empress''s team was there also. The girl had been too busy to help with the Bad Timer''s incident but showed up for this. Wasp Nest had an arm around her shoulder, and she was leaning on him, laughing at some joke he said. Of course, if Poseidon was here, that also meant Paragon was nearby. The red-haired hero rested way in the back, sitting in a corner. Her bird was in her lap, and the girl had earbuds poking beneath her mask, listening to music or something, seemingly in her own little world and not paying mind to anything around her.


    "What is this?" She shot a look at Myth, who had a rare smile on his lips.


    "It''s a celebration for doing a good job. Go have fun. All of you. We can''t always do this, but today was special. You never know when you''ll miss out on the chance to do something like this again."


    "What about the city?" Battery asked, folding his arms. "Won''t it be in trouble?"


    "Nah." Money Tree overheard him and shook his head. The man jerked a thumb in the direction of Poseidon and Paragon. "Mama Ocean is running around the city today. It''s in the safest hands it could be if an Enforcer like her is here. For today, she agreed to do this since she isn''t that busy and her own team can handle things in their city without her. While we''re all here having fun, we won''t have to worry about shit hitting the fan."


    "Well, don''t jinx us." Whisper snorted. Still, his words seemed to lighten the mood. The girl walked forward towards a bowling lane and grabbed a ball. Whisper took a deep breath, then chucked it. It rolled across the floor and smashed through the pins, knocking them all over on her first try. "Still got it!" Whisper announced proudly.


    That was all it took for the rest of them to get involved. She watched everyone silently for a moment. She had a strange feeling in her heart. If she had to put a word to it, then it would be happiness. At school, she never did things like this. Most people just left her be. Here, though, she had friends. Not just Pantheon members. She had fought alongside Wasp Nest and seemed to have hit it off well with Poseidon and Oxide. Snowdawn began to play a few rounds with the girls. Myth stood next to Money Tree and watched them, both adults talking quietly amongst each other about everything that had happened so far. Battery seemed to copy Paragon and made his way over to a corner, quietly resting with his eyes closed and his arms folded. Things were good. Happy even.


    "Come on, Cinder!" Snowdawn called out to her. "Come play a round or two."


    She couldn''t help the smile that came onto her lips as she walked forward and took the ball he offered her. She held it with a bit of skepticism. “I know these things are hard, but I’m pretty sure I can crack this thing with my pinky finger,” she muttered.


    Metal Ronin seemed to have heard her as he called out. "Give it a throw! Trust me."


    With a shrug, she pulled her arm back, pausing as she aimed at the set of pins. “There’s no people on the other side of that wall, right?” She questioned sheepishly.


    From her right, Whisper flung a triangular corn chip, bouncing it off her shoulder. “Just throw the damn thing!”


    She sighed and swung the ball, realizing slightly too late that she had slightly overestimated the weight of the ball, watching as it arced towards the overhead displays with everyone’s names. Before it could hit, a shimmering field pulled it back down, bouncing the ball off the lane and smoothly over the pins, knocking over one pin as it flew past the rest.


    “Myth asked me to work some magic, so I reinforced everything.” Metal Ronin gloated, sipping soda through an unnecessarily intricate straw.


    A cough from Myth made the group turn their heads, and they saw the hero standing nearby. “I came here many times with my family,” he told them. “It holds many great memories for me. My father always said that for a hero to do good, the person behind the mask needs to save themselves from time to time."


    “Saving themselves by bowling?” Poseidon asked with a raised eyebrow.


    Myth gave a rare grin. “For me, certainly.”


    Throwing another chip, Whisper laughed. “I knew he was a big softy.”


    From a further lane, Snowdawn yelled. “Hey, you can’t use your winds to steer! That’s cheating!”


    “Oxide’s cheating; why can’t I?” BB asked, sitting back down after a strike.


    Snowdawn turned to Oxide, a look of betrayal on his face. “You’re cheating? How? There’s no metal in these balls, even if they were reinforced.”


    Oxide tossed her hair, her mask still in place but without her usual armor. “If we’re revealing our cheats, well, I put some metal in the holes. If you think that’s cheating, then we should probably not let Whisper play, either.”


    Snowdawn opened his mouth to retort but was stopped by Money Tree, sliding into a lane next to him. “Well, you’re just going to have to find your own way to cheat, then.” The leader of the Sub Enforcers chuckled.


    The ice hero grumbled, standing and taking a ball from the rail in the lane. He took a deep breath and swung the ball, sending out a blast of snow to redirect the ball as it veered to the side. The ball smacked directly into the pins, and everyone cheered, Snowdawn turning to everyone.


    “Now you’re getting it. But you need to get better at cheating,” BB laughed, pointing down the lane to a pin standing defiantly while a small drone flew down to dispose of the snow.


    Poseidon raised her arms above her head, feeling the bones and muscles crack in her body. "Yo Battery! Me vs you! I want to see what you can do!" The water-based hero called out.


    "I''m good." Battery responded only to receive boos from most of them. That caused the man''s eye to twitch, and he put out the cigarette he had been smoking and walked forward. "Well, if you''re going to be that way," They cheered as he got into the lane next to Poseidon, and the two began to play.


    Poseidon''s strength matched hers, and the girl’s throws were strong. Water whipped off Poseidon’s fingers and shifted the ball in any direction she needed to. As for Battery, he held a finger out and put it through one of the holes in his ball. Golden light blasted out as he shot the bowling ball off his finger, and it tore through all his pins like a rocket.


    "So, we''re all just blatantly cheating now, aren''t we."Snowdawn questioned. "I mean, I''m fine with it, but next time, let me know first."


    She giggled as everyone played, and she watched them all enjoy themselves. At least most of them that was. One person didn’t seem to be having fun. She made her way through the small crowd and toward the corner where Paragon rested. "Hey. You’re not going to join your sister or the others?" She asked.


    Paragon reached up, pulled one of her earbuds out, and shrugged. "I thought you were scared of my sister." That caused her to flinch a bit, the memories of what Poseidon did to that man coming back to her. "Sorry. That was rude to say. I''m trying to do better."


    "It''s fine." She said awkwardly. "Can I take a seat?"


    Paragon didn''t bother looking up at her, but the bird did make a show of turning its head and staring at all the open spots. "I guess you can. I mean, you don''t have to, though; there''s plenty of room in other places."


    "Yeah, but you''re sitting over here." She dropped down into a sitting position.


    "Why are you doing this?" Paragon asked suspiciously.


    She gave a small giggle. "Well. Myth and Money Tree are doing this to have fun. I''m guessing that all of this is something you''re not into, though."


    "Parties aren''t really my style." Paragon admitted slumping down. "I''m not like my sister."


    "Do people say you need to be?"


    "Well, no but-"


    "Then it''s fine."


    "You''re kind of ignorant, aren''t you?"


    She gave a sheepish grin and shrugged. "I guess. I like to think that it''s my best trait!"


    "You don''t have to do this, you know."


    "Huh?"


    "I know what you''re trying to do." Paragon folded her arms, and her bird shot her a dirty look. "You asked me to heal you in the hospital. I already said I was going to do it if I could. You don''t need to pretend to be my friend or anything like that, okay?"


    She took a deep breath for a moment. "You''re emotionally dumb, aren''t you?"


    "What!"


    She gave a sly smirk. Slowly, it faded, though. "Look. I... I get that you couldn''t save my dad. I know I was sort of a jerk back then, and we didn''t really talk about it fully. I don''t blame you for not being able to heal him. The real person who deserves to go to hell is the villain who gave him the Dead Virus. I don''t think we have to be friends, not if you don''t want to be, but I''d feel like a real asshole if I was having fun and you stood on the sidelines grumbling over here by yourself."


    Paragon stared at her in silence for a moment. "I''m not going to get up and play nice if that''s what you''re asking, but I guess you are welcome to sit here if you want."


    She rubbed the back of her neck and snorted. "I guess that''s the best I can do, then, isn''t it?" Her ears twitched a bit as she felt her enhanced senses kick in. She could hear the girl’s heartbeat speeding up. It was still strangely familiar to her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Then she heard something else. She turned her head and found herself staring in the direction of Myth and Money Tree, both leaders speaking in hushed tones to one another.


    "Is something wrong?" Paragon asked.


    "No." She replied and tried to turn the ability off, but part of her really wanted to hear what they were saying...


    "Did everything go well with Ms. Laps?" Myth asked Money Tree quietly.


    "So, so, I guess. She wasn''t exactly happy with the fact that we had you guys helping us." Money Tree gave a halfhearted shrug. "She also talked about the upcoming event."


    "Ah. So, it''s that time already." Myth sighed.


    "Indeed. By your tone, I''ll take that as confirmation you''ll be coming." Money Tree had a sly smirk on his lips.


    Myth folded his arms and gave a lazy nod. "I guess. I''ve only told Battery so far. I still haven''t broken it to the others. That can come later, though. I''d like to hear about what went down with Ms. Laps."


    Money Tree tipped his hat a bit and began to think back. It had been a few hours ago before he and Myth decided to host this little party. He had been in an office meeting with one of the most important people in Oleander.


    ***


    A Few Hours Earlier...


    “I see. So Polaron and Demonica were both able to escape and left with the leader of Zoo?”


    “That is correct.” Money Tree said, nodding. “I didn’t see any of it myself, but Wasp Nest was there.”


    “That’s right, ma''am." Wasp Nest stepped forward and gave a nod. “I heard the entire thing. Green Wolf asked Polaron to speak to someone, and then they left. We still don’t know how he found the base or how Polaron got his hands on a realm.”


    Laps wasn’t a woman most people would try to mess with. She had a stern look to her and nearly combed and tied-back hair that had many gray streaks in it. Stress lines covered her face, and her fingers tapped away on the desk. She was the sort of woman you could tell had some sort of military-like background just from a glance.


    Now, though she mostly did paperwork and hadn’t been out in the field in years. Her duty was to Oleander City. She was the head of the Hero Branch. The person in charge of making sure heroes didn’t get out of line.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    “What you’re saying is quite troublesome.” Laps said, letting out a heavy sigh. “Oleander has been mostly in a deadlock with both Zoo and Bad Timers. If they truly do join forces, it could be bad, especially with the loss of Old Dog.”


    Money Tree nodded his head. They were in her office room at the very top of a Hero Branch tower. It was a plain-looking room with a desk that had everything neat and tidy on it. Besides himself and Laps, Wasp Nest also stood by his side, but the other members of his team weren''t with him. “I understand the seriousness of the situation, ma''am." For once, he didn’t speak in a sly tone. He was dead serious. “You have my word that I’ll keep everything handled.”


    “That’s right.” Wasp Nest announced folding his arms. “I don’t care if Zoo and Bad Timers do team up. Trash is still trash. They can even bring in the Wandering Coin and triple team us, and I know Sub Enforcers will still come out on top.”


    “Speaking of the Wandering Coin.” Laps'' tone of voice made Wasp Nest’s smile fade. The woman folded her arms, and her eyes grew sharper. “I see you’ve still failed to come any closer to bringing them to justice.”


    Money Tree let out a quiet wince and shrugged. “Well, we were attacking Polaron in the first place because we found out he had a lead on the leader of the Wandering Coin.”


    “You mean ‘Pantheon’ had a lead.” Laps practically spat the name out and scowled. “A group that is not working with the Branch and should have no authority. A group that you were told to disband but failed to do so. You’re starting to make me regret putting you in charge of the Sub Enforcers.” Money Tree flinched a little from her strong gaze. “Pantheon was the one to get the information and gather you all together.”


    “If you want to get technical, it was Poseidon who caught the guy who told us the information about Polaron.” Wasp Nest cut in.


    “So even worse, a hero from another city needed to do your job for you?”


    “Well- I- Um- I wouldn’t really say it was like that.” The boy stuttered.


    “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.” Money Tree cut in. “What’s done is done. I’ll take responsibility. At the time, I considered that we could use their help, and I was right to do so. Without the help of Pantheon, I doubt we would have caught Saw Head.”


    Laps’s lips twisted into a mild sneer, but the older woman didn’t say anything else. Instead, she wrote a few notes down and folded her arms. “In that case, you may take your leave, but know you’re on thin ice, Money Tree.”


    Money Tree shrugged his shoulders and turned away. “Oh, one thing, ma''am. In the event that you do think it best I step down, I’d like to nominate Myth to step up in place.”


    “Now you know you can’t do that! The Branch would never let a bastard like that back on the Sub Enforcers! Not after he killed-"


    Money Tree slammed the door shut as he and Wasp Nest left the angry woman’s office. “Was that wise?”


    Money Tree simply clicked his tongue as they took the elevator down to the bottom floor.


    ***


    Back in the present, Money Tree shook his head as he finished telling his story to Myth about the events that happened. "So, Laps still doesn''t care for me." Myth snorted. "Nothing new there."


    "I guess that''s one way of looking at things." Money Tree chuckled. The man walked forward, gripping his bowling ball tightly. He pulled it back and tossed it down his lane, getting a perfect strike. "Stay safe, Myth. There''s a storm coming. I feel it in my bones."


    She frowned a bit from the place she sat next to Paragon. She had heard the entire thing. Sometimes it was hard to not listen into quiet conversations when her enhanced senses were so strong. "You''ve been spacing out for a bit." Paragon''s voice nearly made her jump. The red-haired hero folded her arms as Destiny rested on the girl''s head. "Are you really, okay?"


    "Yeah." She nodded before putting her smile back on. "Just fine."


    Everyone kept playing for a few more hours. She had already told her mother she would be working late, and she''d go straight to bed once she was home. Snowdawn and Whisper played a few more rounds of bowling, though no matter how hard Snowdawn tried, he wasn''t able to beat Whisper once. Wasp Nest, Metal Ronin, and Poseidon all crowded around the table of pizza and sodas and chatted. Oxide was off to the side awkwardly by herself, and BB flew through the air, twirling around in her small form. All the adults had made their way to a table and seemed to be talking politics. Things like who they''d be voting for mayor once Mayor Grove''s term was up.


    Soon, though it was time, they packed up and left. The Sub Enforcers were the first to leave. Most of them apparently went to some fancy, rich school that required them to follow strict scheduling. Paragon and Poseidon were leaving with them as well. "Thanks for keeping my sister company."


    "Huh?" She turned in time to feel a light punch from Poseidon on the shoulder. "Oh yeah. It was no issue. I didn''t really feel like bowling myself."


    "Really?" Poseidon asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Yeah. When I was younger, my dad would take me to places like the library or out fishing when the beach was nice." She felt a small smile on her lips for a moment, remembering the good old days before he got sick. Everything had changed so much. She hadn’t even gotten to tell her mom or dad that she knew they were hiding the fact she was some kind of Super. It made her wonder what else they were hiding from her. "Places like this have never been my style." She explained, getting her thoughts away from her parents.


    Poseidon held her hand out and gave an innocent grin. "I guess I should also say sorry. I heard my sister mention something. I freaked you out a bit that one time we went on a patrol, right?"


    She shook her head and took the girl''s hand. "It''s fine. I''d do the same if someone I care about was almost hurt. I freaked out a little bit, but I''m sure you had some reasons. As far as I''m concerned, you''re a good hero, Poseidon." The girl was going to be the next Enforcer member after all. Or at least, that was the big rumor around her.


    Poseidon gave one more nod before finally leaving with her sister and the other Sub Enforcer members. She jumped a bit when she felt a clap on the shoulder. She turned to find Myth and Battery standing there. "You ready to leave?" Myth asked.


    "Yeah." She nodded. "Hey sir, sorry if this is a little rude, but earlier my enhanced senses sort of turned on and I heard you speaking to Money Tree about something. I think I heard you say something about some event."


    Jack grumbled several words under his breath. “Yeah. While Myth and I were waiting for Money Tree to finish speaking to the head of the Branch we were interrupted by a phone call. Care to share what we have to do tomorrow, boss?” His voice was filled with venom, and he kept shooting Myth several dirty looks.


    Myth shrunk down a bit and cleared his throat. “I was going to tell you all soon. Once I figured out how.”


    “What is it?” She asked.


    Her boss gave a heavy sigh of defeat. A sound she had never heard him make. “After the warehouse incident, it seemed like we got noticed by the mayor. I personally am good friends with Mayor Grove. Every year, a charity event is held, and the Sub Enforcers always participate. It lets them show themselves off if they get any new members and makes a point of showing we’re working with the city-”


    “Get to the point.” Jack cut in. “The part you told me.”


    “I was getting to it. I may or may not have asked the mayor if we could participate in said event as well. In order to show off our group and gain public support. We’re in need of some sponsors; my funds are running low.”


    “I don’t see what the big deal is.” She admitted sheepishly. “So, we’re going to be out in costume at some event with a huge crowd? It sounds fun, actually.”


    “Kid,” Jack said in a sad tone. “What’s the longest you’ve worn your costume for?”


    “I don’t know. Three, maybe four hours?”


    “Okay. So, you’ve worn your costume for three hours at night when it’s cold. Now, picture this. Eight to ten hours in the blazing sun while standing up straight! All the while, kids try to climb on you, and people invade your personal space to try and get a picture or peek under your mask!”


    Her face paled a little at his words. “It won’t actually be that bad, right, Thaddeus?” She turned to look at her team leader, who was already in the middle of a prayer for what was to come. “Oh boy.”


    ***


    “I’m telling you there is something up with that man!” Ocean Empress didn’t often like shouting. She normally kept her voice level and calm, but it seemed like any time she had to deal with her best friend, her emotions always got the better of her.


    “Calm down, River.” The Victorian, also known as the strongest woman on Earth, folded her arms. The room they were in belonged to Ocean Empress. It was a mighty tower that stood as a base for Team Reservoir, though they were in a private room away from all the sidekicks. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”


    Ocean Empress shook her head. “I know what I saw. That golden light he had. It’s the exact same as yours.”


    “That’s impossible.” The golden woman huffed out.


    “So what? We just accept that some guy appeared with the same power as you?” Ocean Empress asked, throwing her arms into the air. “Your daughter is on the same team as that man. Aren’t you the least bit worried?”


    Victorian flipped her hair and rolled her eyes. “Lois can take care of herself. Besides, I looked at the footage your daughter sent in.”


    “And?”


    “And I didn’t think he was anything special.” The Victorian shrugged. “He was odd, but that was it.”


    “You haven’t seen him in action then.” Ocean Empress sighed.


    “Now, in the Victorian’s defense, Ocean Empress, while that man’s powers do seem to be similar, they’re very different in their own right.” A third voice responded, giving his two cents. In the corner of the room, a small desk rested where a young, dark-skinned boy sat. He was only twelve years old and held a handheld gaming device, which he focused all his attention on. “I did some readings, and they look similar but aren’t.” He was dressed up, wearing a business-like suit, as if a parent had tried to make their child look grown up. The look was ruined, though, by the childish backpack he had on.


    As he spoke, the backpack began to shake and then opened up as something flew out. It was a small metallic-looking ball that floated over to the wall, shooting out a beam of blue light. A hologram that turned the wall into a makeshift screen. The image of a scruffy red-haired man appeared, with the words ‘Jack Larison?’ written down near the bottom.


    “What exactly did you find out, Boy Genius?” Ocean Empress asked, frowning.


    Boy Genius pushed his glasses up with a knuckle as he lazily played on his gaming device, not even taking his fingers away from the buttons. The youngest member to ever join the Enforcers and considered to be the second strongest Super in the world after the Victorian herself, he was almost just as odd as the golden woman. “The Victorian’s power works by taking in sunlight and controlling and forming it to her will. Turning light into weapons and armor, it lets her basically do whatever. His power, though, is very different. He stores the energy within his body, creating it from nothing. His cells literally transform into the substance. He’s like a walking battery. It just so happens that the energy he seems to be creating is the same kind the Victorian controls. You two would actually make a really good team.”


    “Pass.” The Victorian frowned. “I trained Max Lightning, and that was a nightmare. I’m done with sidekicks.”


    “So that man’s powers are different.” Ocean Empress reasoned. “So what? You all can’t admit that there isn’t at least some connection.”


    Victorian cut her friend off with a low growl. “For the last time, I’m sure there isn’t any connection. I think I would know if I had a long-lost brother. There is no way he is the son of Full Monarch!”


    The tone the world''s strongest woman gave indicated that she wouldn’t be allowing this conversation to continue any further. She had already made her mind up. Ocean Empress shrugged in defeat. Boy Genius snorted a little and snapped his fingers. The hologram changed into a new image. The man that appeared was one they all hated. The image showed off a tall, lanky man standing just under eight feet. His skin was the color of ash, and he must have had hundreds of stitches all over his body. His hair was long and an oily black color, and he wore a dirty old priest-like uniform. His eyes were sunken into his head, a pure gold color, and in his arms, he clutched a dirty and worn bible.


    Lucifer, the leader of the villainous team called the Immortals. As the name of his group suggested, everyone he led had some way to avoid dying. They were very tricky to deal with, made worse by their sinister desires. He was old, said to have existed during the time the Shadow nearly wiped out planet Earth thousands of years ago. He was around when the first four Lords appeared and saved mankind. While humanity worshiped the Lords, he instead turned to the great Calamity that nearly ended the world. He worshiped the Shadow, and in turn, he was granted his powers, taking up the title of Ruler of Death and Rebirth.


    “Well, if we’ve reached a dead end on Ocean Empress’s subject, I think we should discuss the issue with the Immortals.” The young boy stated. “After all, we’re coming up on the anniversary of their last attack, so there is a good chance we could have a new Murder Games on our hands.”


    The Victorian stayed quiet as she eyed up the man. It wasn’t the first time she had seen him. She had gone blow-to-blow with Lucifer a few times in the past. Her mind went back several years ago. A little girl who had almost been infected with the Dead Virus. She couldn’t help but wonder how that young girl was doing today.


    “Something wrong?” Ocean Empress asked when she noticed Victorian lost in thought.


    The Victorian shook her head. “Nah. Just daydreaming was all.”


    “We believe he will be reappearing shortly.” Boy Genius explained. “In other words, we should get ready for another Murder Game to begin.” The Murder Game. A twisted form of evil crafted by Lucifer and his band of Immortals. It always happens every few years. He shows up and starts the game, ruining an entire city, then runs off and vanishes off the face of the earth for a few years before returning and doing it all over again.


    “So why do you think he’ll be popping up soon?” Ocean Empress asked.


    “It’s been a while since he’s last been seen.” Boy Genius explained. “Every time he and his team appear, they cause massive disasters in whatever part of the world they appear in. He always goes after multiple people and sets targets while his team rampages. There are hundreds of people who could be potential targets, and I’ve gone ahead and assigned each one a bodyguard just in case. If Lucifer follows his normal plans, he’ll appear somewhere in the world in a few months, ready to cause more chaos. We should all prepare. He’s slowly becoming a threat as big as the Emperor.”


    The Victorian smirked at that. Her hand rubbed at her side. Hidden by her costume was a large scar, aching with memories. “Trust me. No one will ever be as bad as the Emperor. That said, I’ll still take this seriously. The instant an Immortal appears, give the word. I’d like to see how their immortality holds up against the vacuum of space.”


    “Is there anything else we should know?” Ocean Empress asked.


    Boy Genius snapped his fingers, and the image changed once more, this time to several young kids. “Just like I do every year, I’ve been studying every case of a new Super in an attempt to narrow down who the next Lords could be.” The boy explained. “When a Lord dies, their power is instantly passed down to the next in line, either going to a descendent or a newborn baby. Currently we own the Lord of the Sky as well as the Lord of the Sea; however, fifteen years ago we lost-”


    “The Lord of the Sun and the Lord of the Land.” The Victorian said, waving her hand. “Get on with it.”


    The boy nodded. “I haven’t found any targets that could match the Lord of the Land and Life other than the hero Paragon, but she is assumed to not be the Lord. In terms of the Lord of the Sun and Cosmos, I’ve included a list of every Super with fire-based powers.”


    The list of kids filtered itself and changed, showing off six main targets. All were around the age of fifteen and came from different cities, looking vastly different from each other. The one thing they all had in common, though, was that their powers recently awakened.


    Ocean Empress’s eyes roamed over one target. “Not her.” She said, pointing at a picture. It was of a young girl with jet black hair and blue eyes. The words ‘Hope Lauren/Cinder’ were written at the bottom. “You can take her off the list.”


    “I can?” Boy Genius asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Ocean Empress nodded her head. “I met Full Monarch. Trust me when I say that girl is nothing like him at all. Her power was so weak. Without a doubt, I’m sure it’s not her. She’s not the Lord. Wouldn’t you agree with me, Jill?”


    The Victorian silently stared at the picture. Something about the girl looked familiar to the woman. The image of a young child she saved once came back to her mind.


    “Jill?”


    “Yeah.” The Victorian looked away. “If she’s not as strong as my dad was, then it can’t be her. She’s not the Lord. I’m sure she’s just a nobody.”


    ***


    She wanted to stick around and speak to her friend more, but was forced to leave. She was a busy woman and had already wasted time not saving people.


    The Victorian flew through the air faster than any jet could ever hope to go. In a second, she was already on the other side of the planet. Though it seemed like no matter how fast she moved, something was always going on. Be it a group of villains, a giant rampaging monster, or a city-wide disaster, she struck out and beat it all in a single attack.


    It still wasn’t enough, though.


    A loud roar pierced the air, and the Victorian came to a sudden stop. She was in some Third World country now. A village rested below her, and a creature threatened to destroy the town. It sort of looked like a giant red monkey. She didn’t really care, though.


    The creature let out a hellish scream when it saw her floating in the air. It easily ripped out a massive chunk of stone the size of a city block and threw it at her. She didn’t budge as the rock smashed to pieces against her. She lazily floated through the debris and brought her hand up, flicking the creature. The force of the mighty attack was enough to easily rip the monster’s head off and send it flying far away from the village. The rest of the corpse collapsed back, twitching.


    Cheers rang out from below, but she didn’t stay long to talk with anyone. She took off again. This time, she stopped a massive volcano that threatened to burn down some city. She casually landed on the ground right outside the city, raised her hand, and golden light shimmered out. Then she delivered a powerful blow that generated a massive earthquake, leaving a crater and causing the lava to flow down into the newly formed hole.


    She made sure the city was safe and then breathed out as hard as she could. It was strong enough to cause the lava to be coated in ice, and it gradually solidified into stone. The ice kept flowing out, and she went until she was sure the volcano was no longer active.


    She didn’t stick around to hear the cheers this time. She was needed elsewhere. This time, she arrived at the scene of a bank. She didn’t bother to remember the names of the villains or their groups. She could barely remember the names of cities, after all. The bank''s roof had been blown off by one of the goons, and she came crashing down through it.


    With a wave of her hand, every person who had been harmed was hit with a golden light, fully recovering. One of the villains screamed something at her, but she wasn’t paying any attention. They all went down in one punch, anyway. Golden chains burst from her palm, and she chained all the bad guys together, hanging them from the roof of a nearby building for the Hero Branch to pick up later.


    There were dozens of cameras around and a news crew, so she gave a half-wave and a smile before she took off again.


    Another city was attacked by a dragon-like monster. A tidal wave threatened a town. A gang was attacking a lab. Another monster, this time in a town. A freak thunderstorm, another monster, a bank robbery again, a town, a city, a town, a village, a city, a city, a monster-


    “Why do you guys choose to be evil?” She didn’t wait for the goon’s answer; instead, she rammed him into the ground hard enough to knock him out. A second later, she was in another village, stopping a slave trade. Next up, she fought some giant robots created by some mad Super.


    It was always something.


    Monster, villain, monster, monster, villain, disaster, robot, disaster, monster, villain, villain, threat, threat, threat, threat-


    She floated into the sky, going up higher and higher until she stood above the planet. She watched the sun slowly begin to set over the world as she stared down. Cities were burning, monsters were rampaging, floods were pouring in, and banks were being robbed. Hundreds, thousands, maybe even in the millions. It was never enough.


    Her father had managed to achieve world peace. He would be rolling around in his coffin if he saw the state she left his world in. He died to make sure the Emperor couldn’t harm his planet. She did her best to ignore everything that was wrong with her planet as she got higher and higher. Ice began to cling to her body, and she felt the air leave her lungs, but she still went up. In only a few moments, the silence of space was all around her.


    She smiled a little. She could still remember the first time she flew into outer space. It had been to battle a Calamity Level Threat shortly after the incident with the Emperor. She had been so happy back then, thinking she was catching up to her dad. She actually thought she might even be able to surpass him. How na?ve she had been back then.


    She already knew her destination. She softly landed on the surface of the moon. She liked spending her time here. It was silent, and from up here, her planet looked beautiful despite the damage left behind by the Calamities. Not many oceans were left; the rest dried into dusty wastelands and mountains of ash where there had once been forests. She couldn’t see the crime, didn’t feel the people’s eyes judging her, and couldn''t hear the giant behemoths that roared and thrashed under the decrepit remains of cities. If she was going to be alone, truly alone, this was where she would go.


    Her eyes traced the moon softly. Long ago, it was pretty. It still was to an extent, but it now had large gashes and cracks across it from the battle between the Emperor and Full Monarch. If she were to travel for a second, she would arrive on the dark side of the moon. There, she would find the ruins of the Emperor’s castle, the place where his mighty base had stood after he declared war on Earth.


    She didn’t need to explore it again, though. She had spent hundreds of hours looking for any signs he might have returned, and it was always the same. Gone. She floated softly towards the center of a massive crater on the moon. The sun shone down, casting a pretty glow, and she could already see the sparkles of the glass.


    Down below, in the crater, was where it rested. A glass coffin. His body was inside. It hadn’t changed a day. Even in death, Full Monarch looked amazing. His clothing had become pure white from years of being up here. His fire had gone out long ago. In the past, his eyes were like a blaze of red fire, and his hair had been the color of the sun. Now that light was gone. His eyes were closed, and the faintest hint of a smile was on his lips. He almost looked like he was sleeping. There was no battle damage on him, and they had fixed his costume up after it had been ruined in his final battle.


    He looked so peaceful. Happy even.


    She placed her hand softly on the coffin and smiled down at her dad. There was still so much work that needed to be done in order to fix his world.


    For just a little bit longer, though, she would stay where it was quiet. She would stay where she was happy. Up here with the man who slept on the moon.