The Face stood in the middle of the command tent, staring down at the large table that was covered with maps. The map that currently held his attention, had five crystals placed in various spots, each one representing one of the obelisks. When he’d first placed the crystals, each of them had been black, but one by one, they turned clear. Now, only one black crystal remained.

“How are they doing?” the White Knight asked as he came up beside the Face.

Though the White Knight appeared calm on the surface, the Face could tell that he was worried. Of course, the Face didn’t blame him since he was concerned as well. After all, like himself, the White Knight had a daughter who was on the other side of the barrier

“Four of the obelisks have been cleared,” the Face announced, gesturing to the remaining black crystal. “The only one that remains is the one being guarded by Circuit Monger.”

He scowled beneath his mask, frustrated since the one remaining obelisk, was being guarded by someone who he regarded as a personal enemy. Circuit Monger was a mockery of his old friend and teammate Circuit, and he hated to see that monster dishonoring Circuit’s memory in this way.

“None of the teams have returned yet,” the White Knight said, pointing out a fact that the Face was already more than aware of.

“I know,” the Face responded, silently wondering if Gwen was all right and when she was going to be back. He’d sent her to fight the Sinner, and though her team had completed their mission, he had no idea what condition they were in afterwards. He glanced over to the White Knight, whose own daughter had been sent after the Loki. “Loki’s obelisk is down, so your daughter’s team succeeded…”

“I know,” the White Knight said, though he didn’t look any less worried. After a few seconds, he admitted, “I wish I could have gone in with them. Maybe if I’d let Mystik change me…”

“Then you’d be in a body you weren’t familiar with,” the Face reminded him. “And you’d probably be too distracted and off balance to fight at your best. Trust me, her power is better spent elsewhere.”

The White Knight nodded at that. “What about the Exile?”

For a moment, the Face focused on his mask, then admitted, “I think she’s still watching us, but she’s keeping her distance and has made it clear she won’t provide assistance.”

“Too bad,” the White Knight mused. “But perhaps, for the best. I’ve only encountered her twice before, and neither was a good occasion.” Then he looked over the maps and asked, “What’s our current situation?”

“The barrier only has one obelisk left to maintain it,” the Face explained. “Which means, the barrier is much weaker, and we could probably break through it in less than a day. However, the problem is, we won’t have enough time.” He pointed to the map, right in the middle of Baltimore. “I’ve detected a large buildup of magical energy in this location, which is where I believe Baron Nevermore is located. Whatever he has planned, I believe this is ground zero.”

“And we can’t reach it until the barrier is down,” the White Knight finished in frustration. “I just hope that last team is able to complete their mission before its too late.”

Suddenly, Figment ran into the command tent, calling out, “Dad!” As soon as she had the White Knight’s attention, she blurted out, “Joselyn’s team is coming back through the barrier…”

Before either the Face or the White Knight could ask her any questions, she ran back out of the tent. The Face and White Knight looked at each other, then hurried out after her. A group of heroes were already gathered near the barrier, watching as Kaboom stepped through. She had one arm wrapped in a sling, and was using her other arm to pull a stretcher behind her. Legacy was laid out on the stretcher, and the Face immediately noticed that one of her legs was wrapped up.

“Where are the others?” the White Knight immediately demanded, though everyone knew that what he really meant, was “Where is my daughter?”

Kaboom carefully set the stretcher down and gave a guilty look as she answered, “Lady Knight and Channel stayed behind to go help Ms. Miracle.”

The White Knight scowled at that. “She went after Force…”

Legacy sat up, wincing a little as she did so. “She said her ESP told her that Ms. Miracle needed help, so they went to help.”

The White Knight groaned a little at that. “Of course she did.” Then he bent down next to Legacy. “How bad are you hurt?”

“Broken leg,” Legacy answered with a faint smile, somehow seeming far less bitter than she had before going through the barrier. “Fortunately, we found a doctor who gave me some great painkillers.”

The Face looked the two of them over, seeing their injuries and feeling even more worried about his own daughter. “Let’s get you to the medic tent,” he announced. “I have some spells that should help with your injuries.”

“Thanks,” Kaboom said with a forced grin. “But that reminds me. The doctor who helped us out, asked us to deliver a message to her nephew. Apparently, she has some kind of medical condition and wanted her nephew to come and help her deal with it.”

“I’m afraid that we have more urgent things to do than deliver messages,” Icarus commented from a few feet away.

“That’s what I figured,” Kaboom respond with a shrug, though she immediately winced from the pain in her arm. “And even if the guy was here, it’s not like he’d be able to get to her anyway. But before she took off, Lady Knight said this was important.”

The White Knight looked momentarily startled, then quickly demanded, “What exactly did she say?”

Kaboom scowled with a thoughtful look, then carefully answered, “She said we should bring the nephew here as soon as possible…”

“Yeah,” Legacy agreed, looking the White Knight in the eyes. “Your daughter said that the doctor made her a bit nervous for some reason, and that she had a strong feeling that we should get her nephew as close to her as possible…as soon as possible.”

For several seconds, the White Knight just stared at Legacy with a grim expression. Finally, he said, “She wouldn’t have said that without good reason, so I think we should check on this nephew.” He looked at the Face, who reluctantly nodded agreement.

“Very well,” the Face said, suspecting that this was a waste of valuable time.

The White Knight was placing a lot of trust on a secondhand account, of what appeared to be a vague comment from his daughter. However, since the White Knight was obviously worried about his daughter, the Face could afford to humor him.

The Face accepted the written note that Kaboom offered, then turned his attention to trying to heal the two injured heroes. Healing was not one of his specialties, and though he did have some spells that could provide some healing, they were very energy intensive, and he couldn’t afford to use up all his magic at this time. Because of that, he cast a couple of his lesser powered spells, which would speed up their healing, but which wouldn’t deplete him.

A few minutes later, the Face returned to the command tent and picked up a phone to make a phone call. As soon as a woman answered on the other end, he said, “Hello. I am attempting to contact a Will Hartkey Junior. Have I reached the right number?”

“Who are you?” the woman on the other end demanded. Her tone was carefully controlled, but clearly suspicious. “What do you want with my son?”

“I believe that this may be easier to discuss in person,” the Face told her.

With that, the Face began to cast a spell, one which used the phone connection to help locate the other end. Once he had it, he opened a glowing red portal and stepped through it. A second later, he appeared in a kitchen, where a blonde woman stared at him in surprise. Without saying a word, she dropped the phone and reached for a large kitchen knife that was sitting on the counter within easy reach.

“I mean you no harm,” the Face announced, holding his hands up to show that he was unarmed. Of course, as long as he had his mask and his magic, that wasn’t actually true, but this woman didn’t know that.

“Who are you?” the woman demanded, clutching the knife firmly, though from her grip, it was clear that she had no experience with knife fighting. Still, even amateurs could be dangerous, especially if they were underestimated.

“I am called the Face,” he answered carefully, “and I am a superhero…with a group known as Faction Zero.”

“A superhero?” she asked warily, her eyes narrowing. “Why are you here?”

“I am here on behalf of a Doctor Denise Roberts,” the Face started.

The woman with the knife interrupted him with the exclamation, “What did my sister do this time? Is she in trouble?” Then she suddenly paled and lowered the knife. “Is this about that thing in Baltimore that I saw in the news?”

The Face nodded at that. “I’m afraid that she currently trapped within Baltimore. Several of our people were able to get through, and she asked them to deliver a message for her…”

“I’m Janine Hartkey the woman with the knife said, before she carefully put the blade back onto the kitchen counter. She gave the Face a strange look. “From what you said on the phone, I assume this message is for my son Will…”

“Indeed,” the Face responded, not saying anything else as Janine was not the person the message was intended for.

“WILL,” Janine called out, leading the Face out of the kitchen and into the living room.

A moment later, a teenage boy with light brown hair came into the room from the hallway. He looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, about the same age as Gwen. “Yeah?” the boy asked, not taking his eyes off the Face. He had a somewhat suspicious expression, which made it clear that he was definitely Janine’s son.

“I am called the Face,” he introduced himself to the boy, who was obviously Will. “Denise Roberts asked that a message be delivered to you…”

“She’s in Baltimore,” Janine quickly blurted out.

Will’s eyes went wide. “Oh shit…”

“Language,” his mom warned him, almost automatically. Will just rolled his eyes, making the Face smile beneath his mask. Gwen often did the same thing.

“Is Aunt Denise okay?” will demanded.

“From what I’ve been told, she was unharmed and hiding in a safe place,” the Face explained, seeing a look of relief on both the other faces. “However, when some of my people encountered her, she asked them to deliver a message to you. Since they are injured, I am delivering the message instead. Normally, I would not do something like this in person, especially when there is such a critical situation, but a psychic has insisted that this is urgent.”

Will stared at the Face for a moment, suddenly looking worried. “Okay,” he said awkwardly. “What is it?”

The Face frowned faintly before saying, “She said to tell you that she has suffered a relapse of her medical condition, and that you needs you to go help with her condition…”

“Oh shit,” both Janine and Will blurted out at once.

“I don’t know what this medical condition is,” the Face admitted, “but our psychic seems convinced that that you have to reach your aunt as soon as possible.”

Will nodded at that. “Yeah.” He looked to his mom, who didn’t seem very happy. “We always knew this might happen,” he told her awkwardly. “Maybe, if I get there in time…”

“Go,” Janine told Will. “Be careful, and keep Denise out of trouble.”

“I will,” Will promised, before turning his attention back to Face. “I just need something first…” With that, the boy turned and ran back to his bedroom. When he returned a minute later, he had a dark blue backpack slung over his shoulder. “I’m ready to go.”

The Face nodded at that, impressed by Will’s willingness to rush off to help his aunt with almost no warning. And since they obviously knew that there was a dangerous situation in Baltimore, it also spoke well for his courage. Or his foolishness. Sometimes, the two could be indistinguishable.

“Baltimore is still isolated,” the Face warned Will, “but we expect to gain access at any time. Once that happens, we’ll try to reunite you with your aunt as soon as possible.”

“I just hope it won’t be too late,” Will muttered, looking worried.

The Face looked to Janine, who made no move to come with. “I promise that I will watch over your son, and keep him safe.”

Janine just snorted at that. “You’d better.”

“I can take care of myself,” Will reminded her. The Face just smiled at that. Every teenager thought that they were invincible.

Since there was no point in staying any longer, especially when the Face had more important concerns, he gestured to the side and opened another portal. He and Will stepped through, and he found himself right outside the command tent. He looked to the barrier and was disappointed to see that it was still there.

“No way,” Will exclaimed, staring at the barrier in surprise. “It’s just like on the news…”

“Very few people are able to make it through,” the Face warned him. “But we don’t think it will be much longer.” He gestured around them, and to all the heroes who were impatiently waiting for their opportunity to contribute. “Until then, you’ll have to wait along with everyone else…”

“Just great,” Will muttered with a roll of his eyes. “Superheroes.” He glanced to the Face and quickly added, “No offense, but the last superhero I met was a total douche.”

The Face chuckled at that, absently wondering who Will had previously met. From Will’s description, it might very well have been Force. “Hopefully, you’ll find these ones a little more agreeable.”

He looked over to Mega and gestured for her to come over. She was a large amazon, who was seven feet tall in her base size, and somewhat intimidating as a result. However, she was also good with kids. Or at least, she was great with Gwen.

“Mega,” the Face asked his teammate. “Can you keep an eye on Will?” He gestured to the teenage boy, who was looking up at Mega with an expression of curiosity. “Apparently, Lady Knight thinks he needs to be here, but I want to make sure he’s safe.”

“Sure thing,” Mega agreed. Then she gave Will a friendly smile and teased, “Let me guess. You’re a superhero too?”

“Not exactly,” Will responded wryly.

Mega chuckled at that, then began to lead him to where some tables and chairs had been set up. “So,” she continued to joke. “What’s your codename?”

Will gave her an odd look, smirking faintly as he answered, “Call me GM.”

The Face chuckled at that, then turned and went back into the command tent. He wasn’t sure why Lady Knight thought the boy needed to be here, but he had more important things to worry about, such as the barrier, the villains inside, and of course, his own daughter.

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

Joselyn carefully tugged on her seat belt, making sure it was secure for at least the tenth time. A few seconds later, she nervously looked out over the edge of the vehicle she was flying in, watching the ground and buildings quickly pass by beneath them. The ‘vehicle’ in question was a truck, or at least it had been before Lady Hexx took the metal and reformed it into something that more closely resembled a flying saucer.

“I can’t believe I’m flying in a truck,” Joselyn quietly grumbled to herself.

Of course, the metal shell no longer looked anything like a truck, but she clearly remembered what it had looked like before being changed. She scowled and looked around the inside, which was less unsettling than looking out over the edge.

Counterweight was sitting in the driver’s seat, using her gravity power to make the metal shell fly. Of course, it would have been more accurate to say that they were falling…parallel to the ground. The altered gravity was messing with Joselyn’s sense of up and down, which she really didn’t like. However, she had to admit that this was the most efficient way they had of traveling at the moment.

Joselyn’s eyes went to Lady Hexx, who was belted in to the seat beside her, and who was gently rubbing her ankle. Ironically, Lady Hexx’s injury hadn’t been caused by Force, at least not directly. She’d twisted her ankle in the rubble, after Force had been taken away.

Then, Joselyn looked to Ms. Miracle…or Dave, as Counterweight called him now that he’d turned into a guy. He was on the floor of the shell, unconscious but still alive. Barely. His side had been sliced open, and he’d lost a lot of blood. Maybe, if he’d been awake enough to turn back into Ms. Miracle, her powers would have been enough to deal with the injury. Unfortunately, he was completely out of it, so that wasn’t even an option.

Denise was bent over Dave, desperately trying to stop the bleeding and keep him alive. Fortunately, after Dave had been injured, Joselyn had known exactly where to find a doctor. And just as fortunately, Denise had still been there, and had been more than willing to help. She had a grim look on her face as she worked on her patient, which Joselyn took to be a bad sign.

The last passenger in the shell was Ms. Miracle…the original one. She was crouched down by her son, on the opposite side from Denise, and she was watching with a horrified and haunted look on her face. Joselyn could only imagine how horrible it was, to have something that should have been a joyous reunion, become a tragedy instead.

Joselyn was a little surprised that Ms. Miracle was still present, or at least, that Channel was able to keep her around for so long. However, she strongly suspected that at this point, it was Ms. Miracle’s desperation to stay by her son’s side, that provided the power they needed.

“How does Dave look?” Counterweight asked in a clearly worried tone.

“Not good,” Denise answered grimly. “I’m doing what I can, but I’m a researcher, not a surgeon. He needs a hospital and some trauma specialists as soon as possible…”

Joselyn scowled at that, remembering that Denise had already said that when they first went to her for help. Unfortunately, the local hospitals were currently out of power, along with everything else, and with the current emergency, they would probably all be overwhelmed anyway. That was why they’d decided that the best course was to get him help outside the disaster area, where he could get real medical help.

“I’m so sorry,” the original Ms. Miracle told her son, looking as though she was about to cry again. “I should have done better for you. I should have told you about me. I should have made arrangements for when I did. And maybe, I should have quit being Ms. Miracle and just focused on being a mother…”

“This isn’t your fault,” Joselyn said, feeling awkward for being caught in the middle of such a personal thing.

“He became a hero because of me,” Ms. Miracle pointed out. Then she smiled wryly, though it was a tight and pained smile. “I never imagined that he’d follow in my footsteps so literally. It’s hard to believe that David is now Ms. Miracle…”

“He told me that he didn’t know about your career,” Counterweight added awkwardly, “until he turned into your clone.”

Tears ran down Ms. Miracle’s cheeks as she bent over kissed Dave on the forehead. “I’m proud of you. Even if you can’t hear me, I needed to tell you that…”

“Damn,” Counterweight abruptly exclaimed. “That damn force field is still up…”

Joselyn looked ahead and saw the shimmering purple barrier, then let out a stream of muttered profanities. They’d been counting on the other teams completing their missions so that the barrier would be gone before they reached it. Unfortunately, it seems that the other teams weren’t as successful as they had been.

She glanced to Dave and muttered, “If you can call this successful…”

Counterweight lowered the metal shell to the ground, right next to the barrier. Joselyn looked through the barrier and saw the hero encampment on the other side. It wasn’t a hospital, but she was sure that someone had the power to help Dave. Someone had to.

“We have to stop here,” Counterweight said, gesturing to the barrier and looking at Denise. “You won’t be able to get through the barrier.”

“Then I doubt she’s the only one,” Lady Hexx said, gesturing to Dave with a grim expression. “He’s no longer Ms. Miracle, which means that he can’t go through the barrier either…”

“SHIT,” Joselyn cried out in frustration and guilt. It was her fault that Dave had been injured. He’d been hurt while saving her. If she’d only been paying more attention, he wouldn’t have needed to save her.

Suddenly, a new voice announced, “I’m surprised that you’re giving up so easily…”

Joselyn snapped around, surprised to see a golden skinned woman, who was floating in the air a short distance away. “Exile,” she blurted out in surprise.

“You know,” Exile mused, looking at the barrier. “With four of the five anchors removed, the barrier isn’t nearly as stable as it had been. In fact, it’s actually a lot more…flexible.”

“Flexible?” Joselyn asked in momentary confusion, until she realized what Exile was hinting at. “You mean, Dave might be able to get through anyway…?”

“I have reason to believe that you all might,” Exile responded with a faint smile.

Joselyn stared at the woman for a moment, wondering why she was suddenly being so helpful, when previously, she’d made it extremely clear that she wasn’t going to get involved. “Why are you helping us?”

“I’m not helping you,” Exile answered, momentarily giving Dave a look of concern. “I’m just making a simple observation…”

Joselyn blinked at that, and before she could ask if Exile had any other observations to offer, the gold skinned woman faded away and vanished. With a scowl of annoyance, Joselyn muttered, “She’s like a damn Cheshire Cat.”

“The Exile,” Ms. Miracle said in a near whisper, staring at where the woman had been just a couple seconds earlier. “If she’s taken an interesting in this situation, then things are even worse than I thought…”

“Never mind her,” Denise announced, gesturing to Dave. “We have more urgent concerns.”

With that, Lady Hexx touched the metal shell and it began to reshape itself, with the metal pulling away while leaving Dave on a metal stretcher. Without saying a word, Counterweight reached down to reduce Dave’s gravity, so they could carry him more easily.

“Careful,” Denise warned when Counterweight tripped.

“I hope Exile was right,” Joselyn announced, right before Dave was carried through the portal.

Once Dave passed through without any problems, Joselyn let out a sign of relief, then looked to Ms. Miracle and Denise. Neither of them would have qualified to pass through the barrier earlier, but Dave just proved that the rules had changed. Exile had been right.

Ms. Miracle walked through the barrier without hesitation, while Denise waited just a moment before going through. Joselyn nodded faintly, then followed.

As soon as they were on the other side of the barrier, heroes began rushing over go greet them. The Miracle Men all looked at Ms. Miracle in confusion, until they saw Dave.

“DAVE,” Rumor exclaimed, rushing to his side and staring at him in horror.

“His girlfriend,” Counterweight quietly told Ms. Miracle, who gave Rumor a closer look.

“Where are your medical facilities?” Denise immediately demanded. “And does anyone here have any healing powers?”

“Doctor Roberts,” Kaboom exclaimed in surprise. “How did you get through?”

Before Denise could answer, a teenage boy called out, “Aunt Denise…”

“Will,” she responded in surprise. Then she smiled, suddenly looking relieved. “I didn’t think they’d actually call you, much less get you here…”

“I came right away,” Will told her.

Denise nodded, following after Dave as he was carried to the medical tent. “We’ll talk later.”

Joselyn followed everyone to the medical tent, where she saw Legacy sitting back with her leg up. She gave Ms. Miracle a look of surprise, then looked at Dave in confusion. However, as soon as she realized what costume Dave was wearing, there was a look of understanding.

“What happened?” the Rumor demanded, a hint of panic in her voice. “Why did she turn back to Dave?”

“He changed back for me,” Ms. Miracle said quietly, her voice shaking and her expression looking stricken. “To show me who he’d become…” Rumor gave her a suspicious look and Ms. Miracle gave a pained smile. “I’m his mother…”

Rumor’s eyes widened. “Holy shit…”

The Face looked over Dave, then his mask began to glow with a golden light while his clothes changed from blue to gray. He held out his hands and announced, “The wound is tainted with dark magic. I’m removing it now, but it’s taking a lot of power…”

“Is he going to be all right?” Ms. Miracle asked hopefully.

“I don’t know,” the Face answered. “I’ve cleared the taint and I’m trying to heal the wound. I don’t know if it will be enough. I’m not a doctor.”

“I am,” Denise said, giving Dave a grim look before adding, “He’s lost a lot of blood. Too much.”

Just then, Joselyn’s dad came into the tent, looking worried. “What happened?” He looked at Dave and grimaced. “Force.”

“No,” Counterweight responded. “We beat Force, then some sneaky ninja got him…”

“It was my fault,” Joselyn exclaimed as tears started to form. “She…he got hurt saving me. If I’d paid more attention…”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Ms. Miracle said, putting a gentle hand on Joselyn’s shoulder. “This is the risk we all face in this line of work.”

Joselyn’s dad froze, staring at Ms. Miracle for a moment. “What...? Who…”

“I’m Ms. Miracle,” she answered wryly before glancing at Dave. “The original one.” Then she took a deep breath before saying, “It’s been a long time…”

“Oh my God,” Joselyn’s dad gasped, his eyes going wide. “This is a surprise.”

“I’ve healed the wound,” the Face announced. “At least most of it…”

“He’s still lost too much blood,” Denise pointed out. “Unless you can magic up some more, he’s going to need a transfusion…”

Rumor immediately blurted out, “I’ll donate…”

“Me too,” Counterweight added.

Denise looked around the tent, which was a too crowded from everyone trying to check in on Denise. “Does anyone know her blood type? And is anyone here a match?”

There was a long pause, then Ms. Miracle cautiously asked, “Would the blood of one of his parents work?”

“You aren’t in your own body,” Joselyn reminded her. “And I don’t know what type Channel has.”

“I…I wasn’t talking about me,” Ms. Miracle said in a whisper. She took Dave’s hand in hers and tears were running down her cheeks. “I meant his father…”

Rumor blinked in surprise. “Dave told me that his dad died when he was a kid…”

Ms. Miracle nodded at that, looking sad. “Roger…his foster father did.” She shook her head sadly, then announced, “But his biological father is still alive…”

“Really?” Rumor blurted out. “Dave is totally going to freak when he finds out…” She looked at Dave, clearly remembering that there was a good chance that he might not have that opportunity.

With that, Ms. Miracle looked up and her eyes locked on Joselyn’s dad. “Will,” she said, looking shaken. “YOU are his father. Dave is YOUR son.”

“WHAT?” Joselyn and her dad blurted out simultaneously.

Joselyn stared at her dad, then at Ms. Miracle. “You’ve got to be kidding…”

Everyone else gasped and stared, but Ms. Miracle didn’t seem to notice them. Instead, she just stared at Joselyn’s dad. “After we broke up, I discovered I was pregnant. By then, you were already seeing that other woman, so I didn’t say anything...”

Joselyn’s dad stared at Ms. Miracle, then at Dave, looking even more shocked than how Joselyn felt. “I’ve worked with him…with this other Ms. Miracle before… My God. I had no idea…”

“So,” Joselyn joked weakly, “I have another sibling I didn’t know about. Mom is going to freak…” However, no one seemed to pay any attention to her. “

“Of course I’ll donate my blood,” her father exclaimed, before quickly adding, “I would have done that even if we weren’t related.” He held out his arm to Denise. “Take what you need.”

Denise gave him a flat look. “Just because you are related, that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be a good match…”

“Magic will take care of that,” the Face said. “In fact, the closer the blood relationship, the better…as far as my magic is concerned.”

“Okay then,” Denise agreed before pausing to look around the crowded tent. “Everyone not related to the patient, get out…”

“That doesn’t narrow things much,” Joselyn pointed out wryly, thinking that if Dave was really her half-brother, than all of Knight Force was related to him. However, she understood what Denise meant, so helped to usher most of the people out of the tent, before leaving herself.