Julie slowly sat up in bed, feeling weak and dizzy, as well as a little confused about where she was and how she’d gotten there. She looked around, seeing that she was inside the medical tent again, though not the same one she’d been in before. The walls were a different color and everything was in different places, but the purpose of the room was unmistakable.

“How are you feeling?” a young man asked as he rushed over to her. “Do you want something to drink?”

For a moment, Julie just stared at him, trying to place who he was and where she knew him from. Then the fog cleared from her head enough for her to remember. This was Caleb, the boy that Mystik turned into whenever she used up all her magic. Or, she reminded herself, the boy who turned into Mystik.

“Water,” Julie answered. Caleb immediately handed her a glass, and once she took a long drink, she told him, “Thank you…” After taking a deep breath to steady herself, she cautiously asked, “What happened?”

Caleb gave her a forced smile. “What do you remember?”

“I…I channeled Circuit,” Julie answered thoughtfully. “We attacked Circuit Monger…and then I woke up here.”

Caleb nodded at that. “Okay.”

Julie shuddered, remembering Circuit Monger…and Loki. What happened? Did Circuit Monger beat her? And what about everyone else…?

“Let’s see,” Caleb started, drawing Julie’s attention back to him. “You kicked Circuit Monger’s ass…”

“I did?” Julie asked in surprise. “Circuit beat her?”

Caleb just burst out laughing at that. “Hell yeah. I guess she deleted Circuit Monger…then took over her body. It looks like Circuit is back for good…”

Julie’s eyes widened in stunned amazement. “She’s still here?” When Caleb nodded, Julie shook her head. “My God…” During her career as Channel, she’d channeled quite a few people, and none of them had been able to come back for good. All they’d been able to do was borrow her body for a short time, then they returned to whatever afterlife they’d come from. “Good for her…”

“You passed out during the middle of that,” Caleb told her. “But after Circuit Monger was down, we finished off Loki.” He shrugged at that and admitted, “But I used up the rest of my power again, so now I’ve been evacuated back to the safe zone along with the injured…”

At the mention of ‘the injured’, Julie looked around the tent. Legacy was sitting up on another bed, her eyes closed, though she seemed to radiate a certain sense of satisfaction. There were a couple other people present, but they were covered in blankets and positioned so Julie couldn’t quite make them out their identities.

“Interface got evacuated to a real hospital,” Caleb told her with a deep scowl. “Apparently, he’s in surgery…”

“My God,” Julie gasped. “How bad…?” However, the grim look on Caleb’s face assured her that Interface’s condition was not good.

They were both silent for several long seconds before Caleb abruptly said, “On the plus side…we have Force in the next tent over, chained up in power inhibitors and drugged to the gills...not that it’s really necessary. Grendel fucked him up pretty good, and probably broke half the bones in his body”

Julie chuckled at that. “That might be worth going over for a look see…”

“What about the Scepter?” Julie asked, remembering the other villains they’d been fighting. “And Loki?”

“Loki is dead,” Caleb stated with a grim expression. “As for the Scepter, I don’t know. I think she might have gotten lost in all the confusion… As far as I know, she’s still tied up at the main camp, which isn’t good for her since they’re under attack right now. Baron Nevermore showed up with an entire army, including his girlfriend.”

“Damn,” Julie grimaced, moving to get off the bed, but she still felt too weak and wobbly. She looked at Caleb and asked, “And you’re really out of power?”

Caleb nodded at that. “Unless you can call Anabelle back to give me another recharge…”

Julie thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. “I’m completely wiped out. I doubt I’ll be able to channel anyone again for a couple hours.”

“That’s what I figured,” Caleb told her with a disappointed sigh.

Julie took a deep breath, then asked, “So, what now?”

Caleb gave her a steady look as he answered, “Now, you do the same thing I am. Cross your fingers and wait.”

--------------------

Joselyn crouched down behind the large stone wall, breathing deeply and trying to catch her breath. She didn’t have the stamina to keep going nonstop the way many of those with enhanced physical abilities did. Unlike her dad or Aunt Gina, she actually needed to stop and rest.

Of course, Joselyn was dealing with more than just the physical strain of the fight. All of the people…all of the fighting…was creating so much ‘noise’ for her sixth sense that she was getting a headache. She’d been trying to ignore the pounding in her head, but it wasn’t easy.

After catching her breath, Joselyn climbed up and peeked over the top of the wall. The battle was still raging and seemed to be growing even more fierce. A small group of heroes, including Uncle Leon, Aunt Gina, and Lady Hexx, were working hard to keep the advancing ravens away from the main encampment. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Lady Hexx, the ravens would already have overrun their stronghold and left them no place to fall back or rest.

As Joselyn watched, Lady Hexx sent a wave of stone and earth to knock back the advancing ravens, then after the ground washed over them, it hardened again, trapping the ravens in place. At least, it trapped them for a time, until they could dig themselves out. However, Lady Hexx kept pushing out with her powers, making a giant hand grow up from the ground and then grab hold of a raven warrior who was in the middle of throwing balls of green flame. And unfortunately, the white skinned woman was beginning to look exhausted, so Joselyn didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to keep this up.

Joselyn looked up as Ms. Miracle…as Daphne flew at Baron Nevermore. The villain formed a glowing red shield that caused her to bounce off, then he fired a blast of lime green energy. Daphne dodged that and returned fire, while the villain was somehow able to defend against her attack, while simultaneously firing a blast of green energy at Praxis. The Queen of Ravens stood back, watching Baron Nevermore fight with a look of dark amusement. Baron Nevermore, for his part, seemed to be showing off for his queen, or at least trying to.

So far, the Queen of Raven’s hadn’t joined into the battle, and every time a hero attempted to approach her, some of her soldiers would intercept them before they got close. Then as Icarus flew towards the Queen of Ravens, she suddenly raised her hand and gestured towards him. Black smoke enveloped Icarus, and as it faded away, a winged skeleton dropped from the sky.

“Icarus,” Joselyn gasped in shock and horror.

Mega yelled in rage and charged forward, only to be buried under a mass of angry raven soldiers. She threw them off, though they quickly attempted to overwhelm her again. Baron Nevermore fired a blast of purple flames at Mega, but she turned and the flames struck three of the ravens instead. The ravens screamed in pain as they dropped away from her, still burning. Mega seemed to realize that the Queen of Ravens was too well guarded to approach, so she backed off, rejoining some of the other heroes.

Joselyn dropped from her perch on the wall, frantically trying to think of what she could do to help. So far, she’d done all right in the fighting, but her powers weren’t well suited for this kind of combat. She grimaced in frustration, wishing that the noise and aching would leave her head so she could think clearly, or at least so she could pick something useful up with her sixth sense.

Suddenly, there was a swirl of red energy, right before a man appeared a short distance away. He was tall and slender, with black Victorian style clothes, and a cane which he leaned on. Joselyn immediately recognized him not only as a raven, but as the one who’d come to save Force after she’d helped to defeat him. This raven had also come along with the ninja who’d impaled Daphne.

“I see that I am not the only one who prefers to avoid standing within such chaos,” the raven commented, casually gesturing toward the main battle.

“You,” Joselyn snarled, forming a glowing rapier on one hand and a throwing blade in the other. She watched the raven warily, knowing that he might appear unarmed, but that he was still dangerous.

“I am not a warrior,” the raven commented, not seeming the least bit intimidated by her newly formed weapons. “In fact, I dislike such chaotic violence. It ends to be quite messy, you understand. But alas, duty calls…”

With that, the raven pulled his cane apart, revealing that a thin bladed sword had been hidden within. He made a faint bow towards Joselyn, then took what she assumed was a fencer’s position. From his faint smirk, he seemed quite confident of his chances against her. Then again, from the way his people seemed to heal, that wasn’t surprising.

“I don’t know who you are,” Joselyn told her opponent with a grim determination. “But you are going to lose…”

“Then perhaps introductions are in order,” the raven responded, shifting position and giving a bow. “It would be quite rude of me to kill you, without you even knowing my name. I am called Mister Munin…”

“Like Odin’s pet raven?” Joselyn asked, remembering that in Norse mythology, Odin had two ravens…Hugin and Munin. She warily watched the man in front of her, wondering how much longer she could keep him distracted.

Mr. Munin smiled faintly, apparently pleased that she’d recognized the name. “I was under the impression that the young people of this world had little interest in proper education. It shall almost be a shame to end one who shows promise…”

“END THIS!” Evie suddenly yelled from behind the raven, right while swinging a baseball bat into the side of his head. Mr. Munin collapsed to the ground while Joselyn’s sister stood there with a grin, proudly swinging the baseball bat around. Joselyn had no idea where Evie found that bat, nor did she care.

“Thanks,” Joselyn told her with a sigh of relief. She hadn’t been sure of her ability to beat Mr. Munin.

“No problem,” Evie responded. “I couldn’t let my little big sister brother get hurt now…”

Joselyn rolled her eyes at that. “I’m just glad to see you haven’t been hurt…”

Evie nodded at that. “Ditto. You can’t turn invisible the way I can, so I’ve been a little worried about you…”

“I’ve been managing,” Joselyn assured her, making a nice swipe with her rapier.

“I’ve been having fun playing whack-a-raven,” she answered, holding her baseball bat out. “And speaking of that, I need to go look for any more that snuck past our defenses…”

Evie gave Joselyn a nod, then turned and hurried away. Joselyn quickly found it hard to focus on her sister, which told her that Evie had activated her powers. As for as anyone else was concerned, she’d be entirely invisible, or at least, they simply wouldn’t notice her. However, Joselyn hoped that Evie didn’t get overconfident because of that. After all, if she could tell where her sister was, then it was likely that at least some of the ravens might be able to as well.

Joselyn looked down at Mr. Munin, wondering what she should do with him since she doubted that he was dead. Unfortunately, before she could decide, he began to move and get back to his feet. It seemed that Evie hadn’t hit him quite as hard as they’d thought.

“That was quite unsporting,” Mr. Munin announced before lunging at Joselyn with his sword cane.

Joselyn blocked his attack with her sword, then followed up by slashing at him with the throwing knife. She grimaced and braced herself, silently wishing that she could manifest a full suit of armor like her dad could. Unfortunately, her energy manifestation ability was much weaker, and she couldn’t form much more than what she already had out.

Mr. Munin didn’t say a word as he came at Joselyn again, moving quickly and efficiently. She responded by moving as fast as she could, blocking and counterattacking. After lunging at him, she leapt back and then threw a small blade. It sank into his shoulder and he winced in pain as he pulled it out, though it didn’t seem to slow him down much.

“You’ve got a longer reach than me,” Joselyn finally announced, leaping back and letting her rapier disperse. When Mr. Munin lunged at her a moment later, she formed a spear and let him run right into it. With a grimace of anger, fear and disgust, Joselyn shoved the spear further into him. “Gotcha…”

“I begin to see why Force dislikes you so,” Mr. Munin said with a sneer, glaring at her with his glowing red eyes. “You are a vexing child…”

Mr. Munin staggered back, trying to pull himself free of the spear that was still impaling him. Suddenly, there was a flash of white and his head went flying from his body, where it hit the ground and rolled. The raven’s body collapsed to the ground while Joselyn’s dad stood there with a glowing white energy sword, which dripped with black oily blood.

“First Evie, now you,” Joselyn said with a roll of her eyes. “Doesn’t anyone think I can handle this guy on my own?”

“I know you can dear,” her father responded with a chuckle. “I just wanted to save you the effort…” With that, he kicked Mr. Munin’s body, which dissolved into a puddle of steaming black goo and then vanished. “It seems we finally figured out how to stop these ravens for good…”

“Good thing,” Joselyn said with a sigh. She looked at Mr. Munin’s head, or at least the puddle of goo that had previously been his head. “And it should make clean up a bit easier…”

At that, Joselyn looked up at her dad, finally noticing the numerous small gashes in his uniform and spots of blood which stood out so clearly against the white clothing. She gave him a worried look, but he didn’t seem to be hurt too bad, just tired. Even someone like him needed to stop and rest occasionally.

Joselyn looked from her dad to the other heroes who were in view, resting within the walled off encampment. Her eyes were drawn to Denise, who had come out from behind a barrier and was staring at all the fighting with an expression of shock and horror. The massive Grendel’s Mother stood beside her, looking worried. Grendel’s Mother would have been extremely useful in that fighting, but so far, she was holding back and merely playing bodyguard for Denise.

“I can’t believe this,” Denise gasped. “This is…” She shook her head as though unable to think of right word to describe it. Joselyn understood that quite well.

“I know,” Grendel’s Mother said in response, looking out over the fighting and clenching her fists. It looked like she wanted to join the fighting, but she still held back.

After a few more seconds, Denise’s expression became one of grim determination. “Direct me,” she said. “Point me where I need to go…”

With those words, Denise grabbed her own finger and pulled it back until it snapped. She screamed in pain, though her skin began to turn blue and the scream became a loud and frightening howl. In moments, Denise burst out of her clothing as she grew larger and more powerful. Half a minute later, the massive form of Grendel stood in her place. He let out loud roar, then charged straight into the mass of raven soldiers. Grendel’s Mother followed immediately behind him.

“Those two should shake things up,” Joselyn’s dad said with a weak smile. “Even Baron Nevermore will hesitate before facing Grendel…even with an army.”

“But I fear Grendel and his mother are too little and too late,” the Face announced in a weary voice as he came over. He was missing his trademark fedora, while his jacket was badly torn and stained.

“What do you mean?” Joselyn’s dad asked with a worried look.

For a moment, the Face was silent, which made Joselyn worry even more. Then, he finally answered, “The ravens outmatch us with both numbers and power, and they are beginning to overwhelm us. The longer we fight, the more tired and injured we become, while they seem to lack those problems…”

“So, we fall back and wait for reinforcements,” Joselyn’s dad responded grimly. He obviously didn’t like that option either.

However, the Face shook his head. “The ravens have just arrived in our world, and they lost a lot of their power during the journey. Right now, they are relatively weak, but if they should recover…” He shook his head again. “I fear that this is the best chance we will ever have of defeating the ravens in combat…”

Joselyn’s dad stared at the Face for a moment, looking a little confused. “If they are weak like you suggest, then why would they attack us now?”

“Because,” the Face answered in a grim tone, “I believe the Queen of Ravens is attempting to rebuild their strength.” He paused for a moment, then carefully explained, “If they defeat us now, our deaths…and the fear that the public will have of these invaders, will only made them stronger and more powerful. If we fall back, we survive to fight again, but the public will lose confidence in us and become more afraid of the ravens…”

“So they are even stronger the next time we fight,” Joselyn finished for him, feeling a cold knot forming in her stomach.

“Precisely,” the Face agreed. “We need to find a way to stop them now…before they regain their full strength.”

Joselyn’s dad scowled thoughtfully. “We need more people…more firepower.” He looked towards the fighting, then said, “Ladybug…”

“What about her?” Joselyn asked curiously.

“If one villain is helping us,” her dad started to suggest.

“Former villain,” Joselyn corrected him. After all, from what Kaboom and Counterweight had said, Ladybug had joined the Crusaders before any of this raven business had begun.

Her dad gave her a faint look of annoyance but continued, “Perhaps we can recruit the villains to help…”

“Perhaps,” the Face agreed, though he sounded more than a little skeptical. “Unfortunately, I doubt that we have the time or resources to locate, recruit, and transport any significant villain reinforcements…”

“So,” Joselyn pointed out wryly, using sarcasm to cover the very real fear that she felt. “We can’t really win this fight, retreating would only make things worse, and there is almost no way we’d be able to get enough reinforcements in time to help…” She was about to ask if things could possibly get any worse, but she caught herself in time, not wanting to tempt the universe. “It sounds like we’re screwed…”

“Then, what do you recommend?” Joselyn’s dad asked the Face.

The Face hesitated a moment before explaining, “I received a message from my daughter. She and her team found the portal that the ravens used to come here…and according to her…it’s still connected to the world they came from. If I go study it, I might be able to find a clue about how to defeat them…”

“I don’t like the MIGHT in there,” Joslyn added awkwardly.

Joselyn’s dad nodded, then glanced to her. “Take Joselyn with you.”

“What?” Joselyn asked in surprise, sure that she’d misheard.

“With her psychic powers,” her dad continued, “she might be able to help you find that clue…”

Joselyn stared at her dad for a moment, wondering if he was just sending her away so that she’d be safe. However, after glancing to the Face, she realized that where they were going, it might not be much safer than where she was at the moment.

Suddenly, the air was filled with a yell of anger and frustration, drawing Joselyn’s attention to the where Radiant crouched down beside a small and unmoving body. Warchild, Joselyn realized with a sinking feeling. They’d killed Warchild.

“YOU MONSTERS,” Radiant screamed, glaring at the mass of ravens, and especially at a woman who wore a flowing black witch costume, which included a traditional witch hat and a lot of skull decorations.

With that, Radiant tore off her mask and fired a blast of energy from her eyes. The blast hit the witch, who screamed in pain, along with all the ravens near her. Ravens scattered, though Radiant snarled in rage and continued blasting the enemies with everything she had.

Joselyn watched in amazement and horror, impressed by Radiant’s power but knowing exactly what this attack would cost her. Radiant was a close friend of the family, and because of that, Joselyn knew that every time Radiant used her eye beams, it put immense strain on her eyes. Radiant had slowly been losing her vision for years and now used thick corrective lenses in her mask. She almost never used that power anymore for fear of losing her vision entirely.

Radiant continued firing her eye beams for nearly a minute, hurting the ravens and driving them back. Then, when she finally stopped her attack, Radiant dropped to her knees and looked around with a horrified expression before gasping, “I can’t see…”

Diamond was suddenly by her side, creating a wall of diamond in front of them and gently telling her teammate, “Come on,” as she led her back to safety.

Joselyn stared at Radiant as Diamond led her to safety. She felt sad for the woman, who might never be able to see again. Of course, Radiant was lucky compared to Warchild and Icarus, but that probably wouldn’t be much consolation.

Just then, Joselyn saw a new figure fly into the battle, a woman in some kind of green and black chitinous armor. The armored woman attacked the ravens, firing blasts of energy down at the invaders. Joselyn grinned, as she recognized who this woman was and what her presence meant.

“Hardshell,” Joselyn exclaimed, pointing to the armored woman. “Lightning Force is here…”

“About damn time,” her dad muttered from beside her.

The Face nodded, then gestured to the side where a portal of glowing red energy opened. “Come,” he told Joselyn. “We don’t have much time…”

Joselyn’s dad nodded at that. “Hopefully, between Lightning Force and Grendel, we can hold them back long enough. Good luck.”

“Thank you,” Joselyn responded, giving her dad a worried look and hoping that he’d be all right. She didn’t want to think of what could happen to him in this fight, but she couldn’t help but do so…especially after seeing what had happened with Warchild and Radiant. After making a silent prayer that her friends and family would be safe, Joselyn said, “You too,” and then stepped through the portal.