Sara Meadows sat in a world of darkness. Though her eyes were wide open, and she knew the room was well lit, she saw absolutely nothing. It had been this way for nearly a week, ever since that battle with the ravens.

As Radiant, Sara was extremely strong and tough, but she could also fly and fire powerful beams of energy from her eyes. Unfortunately as she’d long ago learned, her eye beams came with a cost. Each time she used them, it put immense strain on her eyes, causing her eyesight to slowly fade. After years of being a hero, she’d been forced to use heavy corrective lenses just to see, and she’d refrained from using her eye as much as possible, because she didn’t want to keep paying the price they required.

“But I paid it anyway,” Sara whispered, holding her hand in front of her face. She’d overused her eye beams, and as a result, she’d lost her vision entirely. “I’m blind.”

An image flashed through Sara’s mind, of Warchild, dead on the ground in front of her. The memory made her heart clench up in her chest and her eyes began to water. Warchild had been a teammate and friend, and seeing him die in front of her had been extremely traumatic, probably made even more so due to the fact that he looked…had looked like a kid. She’d lost it, and had pushed her power way too far as a result. Now, she was dealing with the consequences and would continue to do so for the rest of her life.

“I always knew it could happen,” she reminded herself. Sara had known what would happen if she ever pushed her powers too far, but in a moment of grief, she hadn’t cared.

Sara clenched her fists, knowing that she still had her powers. She was still strong, tough, and could fly. She could probably even use her eye beams, not that she’d tried them since losing her sight. Still, the rest of her powers were nearly useless when she couldn’t see. She couldn’t go back into the field like this.

Her thoughts turned to her team, the Guard. Now, Sara strongly doubted that the Guard would survive. Over half their members were either dead or out of commission. She grieved for her team nearly as much as she did Warchild and Mannequin.

Just then, Sara heard footsteps coming towards her. She tensed up, listening carefully, even though she already had a good idea of who it had to be.

“How are you feeling?” a familiar voice asked. Sara smiled bitterly, relieved to find that she was right about who was there.

Though Sara couldn’t see Genius, she knew exactly what the girl looked like. She was eleven, with brown hair that was usually pulled back into pig tails. Freckles splattered her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. And, Sara was pretty sure that Genius had her usual tool belt, along with the goggles she often wore on her forehead.

In spite of her young age, Genius was one of the smartest people on the planet. But because of her young age, she was also only an unofficial member of the Guard, or at least on the inactive reserves. That was why Genius, along with her guardian Father Time, had both been left behind during the Nevermore affair.

“I’ve been better,” Sara finally said. “Have you figured anything out?”

“Well,” Genius responded, drawing the word out. “I’ve already told you that your eyes were pretty messed up. I mean, there are surgeries that MIGHT restore SOME of your vision. Your best bet, as far as that goes…complete replacement might be the best option. I might be able to create some workable synthetic eyes…”

“Ugh,” Sara grimaced, not really happy with that idea. The MIGHT and SOME left her less than hopeful.

“But I also found a specialist who might have a better option,” Genius added in a cheerful tone.

“Really?” Sara asked hopefully.

Sara was about to ask who this specialist was and when she might be able to meet them, when a woman said, “Hello…”

“Hello,” Sara greeted the woman back, wondering why her voice sounded vaguely familiar.

“I’m going to try fixing your eyes,” the woman explained in a gentle voice. “But I can’t guarantee anything.”

Sara nodded at that, trying not to get her hopes up. Suddenly, Sara felt a tingle rushing through her eyes, and when the darkness in front of her began to lighten up, she let out a gasp of surprise. In mere seconds, she could see the room again, at least in general. Everything was still a bit blurry, but when she looked at Genius, she could make the girl out pretty well.

“I…can see,” Sara gasped in amazement.

Then she turned her attention to the other person who was standing in front of her, a beautiful young woman with raven black hair and a costume that was gold and purple. In her hand, she was holding a long golden staff with several gems set in the head.

“Mystik,” Sara said, trying to hide her surprise. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad I could help,” Mystik answered with a smile. “I’ve spent the last few days traveling around and trying to heal everyone who got hurt, but I can only get three people a day…”

Sara suddenly straightened up at that. “Interface…”

“Was the first one I healed,” Mytik quickly assured her.

“I already checked on him,” Genius told Sara, grinning broadly. “He’s doing fine, but he’s still at home resting…on doctor’s orders.”

“That’s good,” Sara responded with a smile, relieved that Interface would be all right. She wiped away the tears that were starting to form.

Genius nodded agreement, then over to look Sara in the eyes with a thoughtful expression. “How is your vision?”

“I can see again,” Sara answered with a faint chuckle. “But everything is a little blurry…”

“I’m sorry,” Mystik apologized, looking a little disappointed. “I did all I could…”

“Don’t be,” Sara quickly assured her. “My vision hasn’t been this good, at least without correction, in years. I’ll just have to go pull some of my older glasses out of storage.”

Mystik smiled at that. “Glad I could help.”

Sara watched as Mystik turned to leave, grateful that the young woman, who didn’t even know her, had come to restore her eyesight. Sara wished that Mystik could bring back Mannequin and Warchild so easily, but she knew better. Bringing someone back from the dead was a very different thing than healing injuries.

Then on an impulse, Sara called out, “Wait.” When Mystik turned to give her a curious look, she asked, “Have you ever thought about joining a team…?”

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Joselyn paced back and forth across her bedroom, feeling nervous yet excited at the same time. Attempting to distract herself, she slowly looked over her bedroom, mentally taking catalog of everything within. Because of all the feminine touches and pink décor, most people never would have guessed that she’d ever been anything other than a girl.

Sometimes, Joselyn had a hard time believing that she really was a girl now, yet at other times, she found it equally hard to believe that she used to be a boy. There were times when she’d wake up in the morning, feeling momentarily confused by her new body and gender. However, more and more often, she could look at herself in the mirror and forget that she’d never looked any different.

While growing up, Joselyn had always known that she would probably develop powers of her own one day, but she’d never imagined that her powers would come with a gender change. She smiled wryly as she formed glowing pink bubbles in the palm of her hand. The powers that she had developed were odd, weak in some respects yet powerful in others. And of course, the side effect was a doozey.

“But it could have been much worse,” Joselyn said, looking down at her breasts and blushing slightly. Being a girl had been a hell of a shock at first, but she’d gotten used to it. And as a benefit, she’d not only become closer to her mom, but to her sisters as well. Even her relationship with her dad had changed. With a roll of her eyes, she muttered, “I never thought I’d be a daddy’s girl…”

Suddenly, Joselyn paused as she ‘knew’ it was time. Without hesitation, she turned and left her bedroom, heading straight for the living room.

“I’ll get it,” Joselyn called out.

“Get what?” her mom asked, just a moment before the doorbell began to ring.

“It is so annoying when she does that,” Evie commented from the couch.

Joselyn opened the front door and immediately found herself looking at a gorgeous blonde woman, who had a somewhat nervous expression on her face. Standing beside her was a somewhat shorter brunette, who had short hair and a small ring through her nose. Joselyn immediately recognized Ms. Miracle and Rumor…or Daphne and Beth since neither was in costume.

“Come on in,” Joselyn told them, opening the door wide and stepping aside.

“Thank you,” Daphne responded, hesitating just a moment before entering.

Daphne had been to their home once before, or at least, to their old house. However, the last time, she’d come as Ms. Miracle, while this time, she was coming as Daphne. From her nervous expression, Joselyn suspected that she’d brought Beth along for moral support.

“Daphne,” Joselyn’s dad exclaimed from the living room. He had a smile on his face and a gleam of excitement in his eyes, but he was also nervous. “I’m glad you could come…”

“Thanks for inviting me,” Daphne responded. Then she quickly gestured to Beth. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought my girlfriend…”

“Not at all,” he assured her.

“Mom always makes plenty of food,” Joselyn added.

Her dad nodded agreement at that, then awkwardly said, “You already know Joselyn and Evie…”

“Eve,” Evie corrected him.

Joselyn rolled her eyes. A couple days earlier, Evie had abruptly decided that she wanted to be called Eve instead of Evie, because it sounded a little more ‘grown-up’. However, it wasn’t really catching on well among the family just yet.

“And this is Katie,” he continued, gesturing to Joselyn’s youngest sister, who jumped off the couch and hurried towards them.

“Are you really my sister?” Katie demanded of Daphne.

Daphne gave a self-conscious smile. “It looks like it…”

Katie just stared up at her with a skeptical look before breaking into a broad grin. “COOL. Ms. Miracle is my big sister…”

“So, I’m not cool enough?” Joselyn asked her in mock offense. Katie just gave her a look that made it clear that she wasn’t impressed by Joselyn, so Joselyn let out a long and exaggerated sigh of exasperation. “You’d think that taking out Force TWICE would get me some respect…”

Daphne laughed at that while Beth had a look of amusement. “I never had a little sister before,” Daphne finally said. “I can see that it’s going to be interesting…”

“Like a train wreck,” Beth added with a smirk.

Then, Joselyn’s dad gestured to the last family member in their home, her mom. Joselyn gulped, and she could see Daphne suddenly look even more nervous. “And this is my wife, Ellen.”

“We’ve met before,” Joselyn’s mom reminded them.

“You have a very nice home,” Beth announced, obviously trying to ease the tension.

“Thank you,” Joselyn’s mom told her before fixing Daphne with a thoughtful look. Then, she abruptly broke into a broad smile and said, “Welcome to the family.”

Daphne looked a little startled by that, and by the hug that followed, but she quickly responded, “Thank you.”

Joselyn was still surprised by how well her mom had taken the news of Daphne’s existence. In fact, she took it a whole lot better than she’d taken the news about Jessica. Of course, unlike Jessica, Daphne had never tried to kidnap or kill any of them. Still, her dad had spent a couple nights sleeping on the couch, just out of principle.

“I hope you like salmon,” Joselyn’s mom told their dinner guests as she gestured to the dining room. “We’ll be ready to eat in about twenty minutes, so if you want to sit down and relax until then…” She gestured to the living room.

“Do you want something to drink?” Evie asked.

Daphne and Beth sat down on the living room, while Daphne looked a little nervous from the attention that Katie was giving her. Joselyn watched with some amusement, then after a few minutes, she went over and said in an almost conspiratorial voice, “If you think a family dinner is nerve racking, wait until you see a full family gathering.” Then, she gave an ‘innocent’ smile as she mused, “Of course, during our last family gathering, we were all attacked by a group of villains… And by the way, did anyone warn you about our supervillain sister, Jessica?”

“Or the fact that our uncle is a vigilante who kills people,” Evie added with a smirk.

Joselyn grinned at Daphne’s look of apprehension, as she clearly wondered what she’d gotten herself into. Right beside her, Beth had a hand over her mouth as she tried to hide her snickering. “Oh yeah,” Joselyn thought to herself with a smirk. Having a new sister to mess with was going to be fun.

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

The ‘click click click’ sound of high heels striking the tile floor echoed down the long and empty hallway. The woman who wore the heels appeared to be in her thirties, and was both fit and attractive, with raven black hair. She strode down the hallway with a definite purpose, and when she reached her destination, she paused just long enough to absently straighten her expensive suit before stepping through the door.

As soon as the woman stepped into the room, her eyes quickly scanned the sterile research lab before locking onto the only other occupant, a slightly overweight man in a white lab coat. “You have something for me,” she stated.

“Yes, ma’am,” Dr. Baumgarten responded quickly.

Dr. Baumgarten quickly turned to a metal box that was sitting on the work bench beside him. He undid the clasps on the box, fumbling nervously as he did so. As soon as he was finished, he removed the top of the box, leaving behind the bottom half along with the contents.

The woman stared intently at the severed head in front of her. It looked like it had belonged to a woman, and a beautiful one at that. Her hair, or what was left of it, was blonde and badly singed. One of the eyes was missing, along with the skin around it, revealing that instead of bone and muscle, there was something else beneath…something metal and artificial.

“The head was found beneath a car,” Dr. Baumgarten explained. “Approximately thirty feet from the point of destruction.”

“I see,” the woman responded. “Was anything else recovered?”

“Only what we already possess,” Dr. Baumgarten answered.

With that, the woman turned her attention to the next work table, which was covered with similarly grisly pieces. There was a burned and melted torso, or at least what little was left of one, along with a severed left arm, a right foot, and a few small pieces that could have come from nearly anywhere.

“So,” the woman said, “this is all that remains of Mannequin.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dr. Baumgarten replied.

For a moment, the woman just stared at Mannequin’s head, then she ordered the scientist, “Leave the room. I want privacy.”

Dr. Baumgarten nodded his understanding and turned to do as she’d ordered, without saying a word. Once he was gone, she slowly looked over the destroyed android body, considering this recovered technology and just how much profit it could make for Darklight Industries.

Just then, the woman saw something from the corner of her eye. She snapped around to stare at Mannequin’s severed head, noticing that the remaining eye had just moved. It had flickered, just a little. And as she watched, the eye did so again.

After only a moment of hesitation, the woman pulled out her cell phone and made a quick call. “Hello, Genius,” she immediately said. “This is Alexandra Darque. My people found something…someone…that you might be interested in…”

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

Exile floated through the empty space of her realm, staring out at the specks of light that were scattered about in the distance. With human eyes, the sight would appear to be a night sky that was filled with stars, though it had been a long time since she’d seen with that perspective.

After what seemed like an eternity, Exile finally located the glimmer of light that she’d been looking for. It was with some satisfaction that she pointed to it and announced, “That is the one…”

Though Exile could have flown to her destination with ease, she chose to take a more direct route instead. With just a thought, Exile instantly found herself floating beside the source of light. From a distance, it might resemble a star, but up close, it looked like a brightly glowing crystal, that was less than two feet across. Of course, she knew better than to judge by appearances.

Each ‘star’ in the night sky...each ‘crystal’ floating in space…was actually a solidified point in space/time, a permanent marker for every intersection of another reality into her realm. And after having spent a very long time looking, Exile had finally located a very specific one.

Exile held out her hand and reached out with her power, grabbing hold of a section from the Empty, which was a lower layer of her realm. A moment later, she brought part of the Empty to her, and suddenly, she was standing on a large chunk of stone that was flat on top and appeared to just be floating in space.

“Much better,” Exile mused. Technically, she could work quite well without having something to stand on, but even after all this time, she always felt more comfortable to have solid ground beneath her feet.

Then, Exile held out her hand again and called upon her power, forming a sword of glowing green energy, the same energy that comprised her ‘hair’. Her eyes remained locked on the ‘crystal’, along with her other senses.

Exile knew that what she intended would be difficult, and that it required absolute precision, so she wanted to make sure that she knew exactly where to strike for her desired results. She had an extremely small window of opportunity, less than two seconds. If she was even a second too soon, the consequences of using her power could be dire. But if she was even a second too late…then all of this would be for nothing.

“Now,” Exile exclaimed, swinging her sword at the ‘crystal’ and slicing through it, creating a momentary rupture in space/time.

Suddenly, a large mass of black goo burst out of the rupture, an instant before the rupture sealed itself. The blob hit the ground, then began to rise up. A pair of red eyes formed, glaring at Exile with an unfathomable depth of hatred, right before a dozen black tentacles lashed out.

Exile stood her ground without flinching, having no fear of this creature. She slashed out with her glowing blade, slicing through the foul being, which was immediately torn apart with the powerful energies. A moment later, all traces of the black goo were gone.

“Disgusting,” she mused, releasing her sword, which immediately vanished.

Exile looked at the ‘crystal’ for a moment, seeing that it was completely undamaged, then she looked down at the ground and what the black creature had left behind. A girl was sprawled motionless on the ground.

“Hello, Channel,” Exile said with a smile as she bent over and put a gentle hand on the girl’s cheek.

For a moment, Exile held her breath, even though she no longer had to breathe. Then, she saw that Channel was still alive, though barely. Humans could not survive that particular journey between realms, and if Channel had remained for even a second longer, the stress would have torn her body and mind apart. She deserved far better than that, and for once, Exile had been a position where she could help.

“Rest and recover,” Exile told the unconscious girl with a gentle smile. “It’s going to be nice having company again…”

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

In a quiet neighborhood of Boston, there was an old but well-kept house, with a covered porch in front. A slender woman sat on the porch, with a book in hand and a cup of tea sitting on the table beside her.

There was no sound or flutter of air to mark its sudden arrival, yet the slender woman still looked up and stared directly at the raven, which now perched on her porch railing. The black bird bowed its head slightly, yet still made no sound.

After several seconds, the woman finally greeted the bird. “Alan.” She fixed him with a steady gaze and asked, “And where is your partner?”

The raven looked straight at her and shifted awkwardly before letting out a single, ‘caw’.

“I see,” the slender woman responded. She carefully set her book aside and picked up her tea cup, taking a slow and deliberate sip before asking, “And your master?”

‘Caw,’ the raven responded, turning to look away from her, as though unable to meet her eyes.

“I see,” she repeated. “And you’ve come to offer your services to me.”

With a thoughtful frown, the slender woman took another sip of her tea, staring off into the distance as she did so. She took her time, finishing the cup, then she carefully set it back onto the table beside her.

“So, my father is finally dead,” the slender woman mused with a cold smile. “Good. That will certainly simplify things a great deal for me…”

The End