This is the twenty-second story in my Legacy Universe. Normally, is is where I’d point out that the story could be read on its own, but in this case, it helps to have read some of the previous Legacy stories. A complete list of the Legacy stories will be provided at the end of the story as well as the order in which they were written.

Part 1

It was early afternoon but Julie Matthews was already exhausted. Julie was a young woman, just barely eighteen years old, but at that moment, she felt much older. She leaned back on the bus stop bench, let out a loud yawn, and then rolled several strands of her brown hair around her finger, while she waited for the bus to arrive.

This morning, she’d been forced to get up early so she could help open the restaurant where she worked. After getting up at four, then working a full shift, she was ready to just go home and crash. Of course, she knew that it wouldn’t be nearly this bad if she hadn’t been out late last night.

“I should pick one job and stick with it,” Julie told herself with another yawn.

Julie thought about her other job, the one she’d been out working last night. It was volunteer work of sorts, so unlike her job at the restaurant, it didn’t actually pay anything. However, she got to help people who needed it, while hanging out with her friends, so there was no way she was going to give that up. Unfortunately, she still had bills to pay as well, which meant that she couldn’t give up her waitressing job until she found something better.

Just then, Julie noticed a young man coming towards the bus stop. “Hey,” he greeted her with a faint smirk and an appreciative look. “You got a light?” He held up a cigarette.

“I don’t smoke,” she responded apologetically.

“Then, I’ll just take your money,” he announced, pulling a switchblade from his pocket and springing the knife.

Julie slowly stood up from the bench, not making any sudden moves. “Really?” she asked, looking around for anyone who could help her. She saw two other young men a short distance away, but no one else who was close. And from the smirks on their faces, they were friends with the one who was mugging her. “Do I look like I have anything worth stealing?”

“Give me your money,” the punk demanded. “And your jewelry.”

“What jewelry?” Julie asked, knowing that she had to call for help.

There was no one close enough to hear her if she yelled, or at least not close enough to come in time. However, when Julie called out for help, it wasn’t out loud. A moment later, she heard the responses as several voices from beyond offered their help. Julie listened to these voices, the voices of the dead, sensing their personalities and skills, then reaching out for the one she wanted.

Julie almost felt sorry for this mugger, since he had no idea that she was a developed, with the ability to channel the dead through her own body. This was why she was sometimes known by her codename of Channel.

The spirit used the link that Julie provided to come into her body and take control, while she slid into the background. She could still see and feel everything, and could even eject the spirit if he started to go out of control. But for now, she was more than satisfied to let this martial arts master save her.

“You are a foolish child,” the spirit announced from Julie’s body, while taking a completely different posture than what she usually used.

“Who’s the fool?” the punk demanded, waving the knife into Julie’s face.

Julie’s body moved more quickly than she could have done on her own, grabbing the mugger’s wrist and twisting so that he dropped the knife and screamed in pain. The man who controlled her body then snapped out several quick kicks into the mugger’s side, before driving him face first into the ground.

“JIMMY,” one of the mugger’s friends cried out in shock, right before both of them came running over, drawing their own knives. “I’m gonna kick your ass, bitch…”

“Cease your attack or face the consequences,” the spirit warned.

“We’re gonna fuck you up,” one of the men responded as he lunged forward with his knife.

The spirit didn’t bother to say anything in response, and merely moved to the side, grabbing the mugger’s arm and twisting until it broke. He followed this up by kicking the other mugger several times in the side and then in the back of the leg. In seconds, all three of the muggers were sprawled on the ground, where they remained when the bus pulled up mere seconds later.

“Thank you,” Julie told her spirit who had just saved her.

He gave a mental bow, saying, “It was a pleasure to put my skills to good purpose again. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.” And with that, the spirit faded back to where she had drawn him from.

Julie smiled as she climbed onto the bus, absently wondering if one of these spirits could help with her finances, so she wouldn’t have to keep working such a crappy job. After all, she could probably find some kind of financial guru to give her investment advice, or maybe even a pirate who’d tell her where he buried his gold. However, that could wait for later. Now, she had to get home and get some sleep, so she’d be well rested by the time she had to meet up with the rest of the Slackers.

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The large windowless room was cold, hard, and dark, with all surfaces being made of black stone. An empty throne, which appeared to have been made of human skulls, was placed in the middle of the room, dominating the attention of those who were gathered in front of it.

A loud ‘caw caw’ filled the air as two black ravens swooped through the
throne room, flying right past the small group of people who stood there waiting, and landing upon the back of the throne. The ravens both turned to look over the gathering, each clawing loudly before hopping off the throne and landing on the ground beside it. As soon as they touched the stone floor, each of the birds began to shift and change, taking human form.

To the right of the throne, Edgar Munin leaned on his black cane. He was tall and thin, wearing an old fashioned black suit, which almost looked as though it could have been worn in the Victorian era. His black hair was brushed back and his eyes hidden behind a pair of round sunglasses.

Alan Hurin was on the other side of the throne. Like Munin, he was dressed all in black, though his clothing more closely resembled a ninja’s uniform, with armored pads on each shoulder, which looked almost like layered fathers. A black partial helmet adorned his head, with the forehead piece resembling a raven’s head. And though most of his face was covered, a pair of glowing red eyes could still be seen.

Suddenly, a thick black smoke formed over the throne, spreading out and solidifying to reveal that an attractive young woman with blonde hair now sat there. She wore a costume that was purple and black, with pieces of gray metal armor. A gray metal skull adorned her belt while a chain hung loose from her side. A black cloak was wrapped around her shoulders with the hood draped down to obscure her face. Two metal broaches in the shapes of skulls held her cloak close to her.

Baron Nevermore had been a villain of immense and terrifying reputation, until his fortunes had turned and his soul had been trapped in a dimension which could only be described as Hell. But in spite of this setback, the dark sorcerer had escaped, acquiring a new body and another opportunity to achieve her goals.

“The time is upon us,” Nevermore announced. Though her features appeared young and innocent, there was a dark edge to her voice that was anything but. “The day we have prepared for is finally at hand.”

“As long as I get what you promised me,” an annoyed voice commented. “I’m no hired henchman. I have my own reasons for helping you.”

Nevermore’s eyes, which glowed a malevolent red, slowly looked over her allies, settling on the man who’d spoken. Force was tall and muscular, with blonde hair and handsome good looks. The former hero wore a blue and black costume, which resembled the blue and white one that he once wore. His costume had a stylized F on the chest and included a black cape and silver metal shoulder armor.

“Each of us has a reason for this alliance,” Nevermore stated. “Each of us has something to gain.”

“Force is motivated by pride,” a woman commented with a smirk, drawing Nevermore’s attention to her.

The Sinner was currently an attractive woman with long black hair, a tight black outfit with stiletto heels, and a long crimson coat that was open, so as not to hide her curves. She looked much more appealing than she had in her original body, though the same could be said of Nevermore herself.

Of course, the Sinner was correct about Force. The former hero had joined their alliance purely out of pride and ego. That made him easy to understand…and manipulate.

“Soon, you will have your revenge,” Nevermore promised Force. “You will show your former allies how powerful you truly are as you crush them beneath your heel, and you will make them pay for the way they turned on you.”

Force puffed up, smirking in eager anticipation. “Some of those assholes have had this coming for a LONG time.”

“Circuit Monger,” Nevermore announced, turning his attention to the robotic woman.

Circuit Monger’s body was entirely metallic, though female in shape. Most of her body was painted green or black though several parts were more of a dark gray color. Her face was one of the parts painted black which gave her something of an African appearance, an impression which was increased by the dark gray metal cables that came from the back of her head and hung down, looking almost like dreadlocks. At the same time, thin glowing green lines ran over her body, forming patterns similar to a circuit board.

The Sinner looked Circuit Monger over and smirked. “Gluttony is your defining sin.”

“Negative,” Circuit Monger responded in a flat voice. “This unit does not require sustenance.”

The Sinner just smirked at that. “Well, you do have some pretty big power requirements, but that isn’t what I was referring to. You consume information…data…and you aren’t ever satisfied.”

“The Sinner is correct,” Nevermore said as she stared at Circuit Monger. “Your craving for knowledge is unquenchable, but soon, you will have access to countless new sources of information.”

Nevermore turned her attention to Loki, a skinny young man who had a pinched face and black hair with a white lock in front. His costume was red and gold, with some black trim, and was adorned with a red cape. Loki’s left arm from the elbow down, was covered in red scales and claws, looking as though it belonged to a demon rather than a human. And in that clawed hand, he held a black staff.

“Not a fucking word,” he warned the Sinner.

“Loki,” Nevermore announced. “I promised you the opportunity to unleash more chaos and destruction than you have ever dreamt of. Soon, my promise will be fulfilled.”

“About fucking time,” Loki grumbled, though he clenched his staff more tightly and had a nearly manic gleam in his eyes.

Next, Nevermore turned her attention to a woman who was wearing a suit of red and white armor, which included a long red cape. She wore a red helmet with white trim, which covered her entire head except for her lower face. In one hand, she held a scepter, though her other hand held a length of chain. The other end of the chain went to the collar of a large black panther.

“Scepter,” Nevermore said. “To you, I have given freedom from slavery and power over the one who would have enslaved you.” Ebon growled form the other end of the chain, clearly not happy about this turnabout.

“Silence,” Scepter snarled at the cat, who immediately cringed back. She looked at Nevermore and responded, “You gave me the power you promised. I’ll fulfil my part of our deal.”

“And I believe, that leaves me,” the Sinner commented, buffing her nails on her coat.

“You swore service to my cause,” Nevermore agreed, “in exchange for power and your life.”

“And you gave me this nice new body after my last one was killed,” the Sinner responded with a smirk, taking a sexy pose. “I have to admit, I kind of like this one better. It’s so much more fun.”

“Regardless of your reasons,” Nevermore announced, “each of you has agreed to assist me in this venture. Soon, I shall have the power I require to achieve my goal, and each of you shall have what you were promised.” She paused at that and slowly stood up from her throne, slowly looking around her group of allies before announcing, “Now, go and unleash all the nightmares of Hell.”

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Joselyn Knight bolted straight up in bed, gasping for breath and shaking a little from the dream she’d just had. She took several deep breaths to calm herself down, then brushed the long pink hair from her face and tried to calm down.

“It was just a dream,” she told herself, still haunted by her quickly fading dream. Unfortunately, she knew that it was more than just a dream. “Damn…”

Joselyn climbed out of bed, then quickly grabbed the pink bathroom from the back of her bedroom door. She didn’t even bother to put on her slippers as she opened the door and rushed down the hallway to her parent’s bedroom.

At sixteen, Joselyn was far too old to go running to her parents every time she had a nightmare, but this was a special circumstance. Her heart was still racing from the memory of this one, and even though she couldn’t remember all the details, she remembered enough to know that this was urgent.

“Wake up,” Joselyn called out as she loudly knocked on the door. “Dad! Wake up…” When that didn’t work, Joselyn held her hand out and a ball of glowing pink energy formed in it. She opened the door and stepped into the dark room, using her glowing orb to see by. As soon as she reached the bed, she shook her dad, “Dad. Wake up…”

“Huh,” her less than awake father mumbled, opening his eyes and looking at her in confusion. “What…?”

Joselyn’s mom woke a little more quick and sat up in bed, using her sheets to cover herself. “Honey,” she started, staring at Joselyn. “What’s wrong?”

“I had a nightmare,” Joselyn said in a shaking voice, which made her sound more like a small child than a teenage girl.

“A nightmare?” her mom asked, giving her an odd look in the dim light. “It was just a bad dream, honey. Go back to bed…”

“No,” Joselyn stated firmly. “It wasn’t JUST a nightmare…”

That was enough to get her mother’s full attention. “Was this one of THOSE dreams?”

“Not exactly,” Joselyn admitted with a shudder

Joselyn was psychic and sometimes had dreams about the future, though they often lacked enough context or important details to be useful. Because of that, she usually didn’t bother to worry about them, at least not very much. However, the dream she’d just woken from had definitely been different.

She took a deep breath before announcing, “I think this one is happening NOW.”

“Now?” her mom asked in surprise.

“Do you know what time it is?” her dad grumbled as he slowly sat up, still more than half asleep. He looked at the clock, then at Joselyn.

“It’s time to get up and save the world,” Joselyn answered firmly. Then before her dad could ask any more questions, she turned to leave the room, announcing, “I’ll get the coffee going.”

As soon as Joselyn stepped into the hallway, she realized that she must have been a little too loud in trying to wake her dad, because she’d woken both of her sisters as well. Twelve year old Katie poked her head out from the doorway of her own room, and just outside of the next door down, stood Evie. Evie was Katie’s twin sister, except that she was eighteen. The fact that they were twins, yet had such an age difference, was due to a complicated situation involving another dimension where time passed at a different rate.

“What’s going on?” Katie demanded curiously.

“Sorry I woke you,” Joselyn told her with an apologetic smile. “Go on back to bed.”

“What is going on?” Evie repeated the question.

Joselyn looked at her older sister, who used to be her younger sister until about a year earlier, and let out a sigh. Evie was eighteen, and old enough to be an official member of the family superhero team, Knight Force, when Joselyn herself wasn’t.

“I’ll explain once Dad gets in the kitchen,” Joselyn told her with a shake of her head.

A minute later, Joselyn was in the kitchen, getting the coffee pot going while Katie stood there in her own robe, looking both tired and impatient. Katie, who wasn’t about to be left out of whatever was going on, plopped down onto one of the seats at the kitchen nook and let out a loud yawn. Then their parents finally arrived, with their dad wearing boxer shorts and a worn out t shirt.

Joselyn watched her dad for a moment, noting that even at this time of the morning, when he was still half asleep, he still looked every inch a superhero. William Knight was tall and muscular, with the good looks that would be expected of someone who was called the White Knight. Of course, his dark hair was currently messy and he was in need of a shave, but those things could easily be fixed once he had his coffee.

“What’s going on?” Joselyn’s mom asked, still more awake than her father.

Ellen Knight, formerly known as Deception, had retired from being a superhero in order to focus on being a full time mother, but most people would never know that from her calm and serious demeanor. She glanced to her husband, then to her youngest daughter Katie, before turning her attention back to Joselyn.

“Something big is going on,” Joselyn announced, meeting her mom’s eyes. “I don’t remember all the details, but I know it’s bad. Very bad.”

“Details,” her dad said before taking a long sip of his coffee. He was already starting to become more alert.

Joselyn stared at her dad for a moment before answering. “Force is involved.”

That suddenly earned her the undivided attention of everyone in the room. Every one of them knew Force, a former superhero whose arrogance led him into a self-destructive spiral that had ended in his becoming a villain. Joselyn glanced quickly to her mother, who scowled deeply. Long ago, before she’d met Joselyn’s father, she and Force had been partners…and more. However, it was not the distant past that they all thought of, but the more recent past.

Just a little more than six months ago, Force had launched an attack on their family, capturing most of them in a twisted quest for revenge over imagined wrongs. Joshua was the only one to escape the initial attack, though the stress and terror had caused his latent powers to develop, and his entire body to change as a result.

Joselyn shuddered as she remembered that night, and the many hours that she’d spent hiding while her body underwent the excruciating transformation from Joshua to Joselyn. Afterwards, she’d managed to find her long lost Uncle Edward, the Black Sheep of the family, and together they’d rescued the others.

“Force,” her father stated, now fully awake. He looked at Joselyn with a worried frown. “When he somehow escaped from Mount Prometheus, we knew that he might come after you. You humiliated him, and he isn’t the type to ever forget that…”

“I know,” Joselyn agreed. “But he isn’t after me. Or at least, I’m pretty sure he isn’t…yet. He’s involved in something a lot bigger than that, and...” Then she paused, unable to look at her dad as she added, “I think he’s working with Loki.”

The mention of Loki’s name immediately caused Joselyn’s dad to go pale. “Loki,” he spat the name out a moment later, looking even angrier than he had upon hearing Force’s name. Force had kidnapped and endanger their family, but not long ago, Loki had slaughtered a superhero group known as the Seven…a group that the White Knight had once belonged to. Loki had viciously murdered his friends, and like Force, Loki had somehow escaped from prison.

“I…I think they’re working for someone else,” Joselyn quickly said, still shaking a little as she thought of the dream. “I don’t know who, but…” She paused to take a deep breath. “I had a feeling of overwhelming dread, and that if they aren’t stopped soon…the whole world is in danger.”

Joselyn’s mom gave her a reassuring hug before gently asking, “Do you remember anything else?”

“Just a couple birds,” Joselyn admitted. “Black birds. Maybe crows or ravens.”

Joselyn’s dad shifted his posture, and she could see that he’d gone into White Knight mode. He gave her a worried look, and then with a deep scowl, he went over to the phone and began making phone calls. Several minutes later, he grimly announced, “Joselyn is right…”

“What is it, Dad?” Evie asked with a worried look.

“Honey?” Joselyn’s mom gently asked.

For several long seconds, Joselyn’s father just stood there with a dark look on his face. “It’s Baltimore,” he announced. Only those who knew him best would have noticed how shaken he was. “A group of villains just attacked Baltimore...and erected some kind of barrier. Now almost a fifth of Maryland is completely cut off.”

“A fifth of the state?” Joselyn’s mom exclaimed in surprise. “Force is powerful, but even he can’t do that much.”

“It isn’t just him,” Joselyn reminded her mom, wishing her dream had been a little more clear.

Joselyn’s dad nodded at that. “And if what Joselyn says is correct, then this may just be the beginning.”

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Sam Johnson stepped through the restaurant doors, letting out a loud yawn as he did so. Sam worked from home as a freelance software designer, so he was usually able to sleep in a bit, then have a little something for breakfast before going to work in his home office. However, this morning, Sam wanted to shake things up a little, or at least get out of the house for a bit.

“Damn voices,” Sam grumbled, thinking of the voices that had woken him up in the middle of the night. His wife Anne hadn’t heard the voice, or at least he’d assumed she hadn’t since she hadn’t said a word about them, but that wasn’t really any surprise. Sam had known about them for some time and had yet to utter a single word about them to Anne

One day, Sam had been walking through Bison Park, when he’d seen a ball of light and suddenly heard voices speaking to him, and then had a strange vision to go along with that. The voices told him that a darkness was coming to the world, and that he’d been chosen as the one to fight it. This announcement had been completely ludicrous, and Sam probably would have assumed that he’d been hallucinating the whole thing, if it wasn’t for the fact that these mysterious voices had also given him powers.

In spite of the fact that Sam had never agreed to fight this darkness, and had been reluctant to use these new powers, he soon discovered that fate seemed to be conspiring with these voices to ensure that he did as they asked. After all, it hadn’t taken long before he discovered the location of this darkness…in his son’s school. The darkness was a supervillain named Baron Nevermore, who’d come back from the dead by possessing the body of a teenage girl, and who was infecting all the other students her dark corruption.

Sam shuddered at the memory of Nevermore, and how she’d transformed normal teenagers into monsters. Of course, some people might joke that all teenagers are monsters, but most don’t have fangs, claws, and a desire to murder you like the ones Nevermore had corrupted. He was just thankful that between himself and his young friends in the Slackers, they’d been able to stop Nevermore before anyone else had been hurt.

“I thought it was done,” Sam muttered to himself as he went and took a seat in a booth. “I thought it was over…”

Once Nevermore had been defeated, and apparently sent back to where she’d come from, Sam had been certain that it was over. He’d completed the mission that the voices had given him, and he’d been waiting until they realized this and took the powers back. However, it seemed that there was a reason they’d left those powers with Sam. The darkness wasn’t truly gone yet.

Then a few hours ago, in the middle of the night, the voices had awoken Sam with another vision and a message. “THE DARKNESS IS SPREADING AND MUST BE STOPPED BEFORE YOUR WORLD IS CONSUMED.” Between that, and the vision of the world being smothered in darkness and evil, Sam hadn’t been able to get back to sleep.

Just then, Sam noticed the waitress that had just stopped by his booth. “Coffee,” he announced, before he even looked up at her.

“All right,” the young woman responded. “Would you like anything besides the coffee?”

Sam finally looked at the waitress, who was about eighteen years old, maybe two years older than his son Todd, and she had long brown hair and a name badge that said her name was Julie. The girl looked extremely familiar, and it took Sam several seconds to realize that he knew her. However, he didn’t know her as Julie. He knew her as Channel…a member of the Slackers.

“Um,” Sam stammered in surprise. For a moment, he was about to exclaim, “I didn’t know you worked here,” until he remembered that none of the Slackers knew what he really looked like when he wasn’t using his powers. As far as Channel was concerned, he was just another middle-aged customer. Giving her a weak smile, he just said, “I’ll have the hash…”

While Sam ate breakfast, he kept watching Julie, wondering if he should say something or not. After all, they were part-time teammates, and Sam did think of her as a friend. Of course, it was hard to really be friends with any of the Slackers, when they had no idea that he was actually twice their age…and a guy. None of them knew him as Sam Johnson, only as a teenage girl named Glamour Girl.

“Maybe I should let them know,” Sam mused. After all, he’d fought alongside the Slackers and thought of them as his friends. Maybe it was time to let them in on the truth…that his powers transformed him into a girl whenever he used them.

When the bill came, Sam gave Julie a large tip, and he was still thinking about whether or not to reveal himself to her. Suddenly he heard a buzzing sound, which he quickly recognized as coming from a cell phone in silent mode. And it was coming from Julie’s pocket. A second later, a similar buzzing came from his own pocket.

“What the…?” Sam started in surprise, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two cell phones.

One of these phones was Sam’s personal phone, the one that his wife, kids, and friends used when calling him. The second phone was his business phone, though not for his software business. Sam didn’t actually have a cell phone for his software business, since he usually did his work on that over e-mail or the landline in his home office. This phone was reserved for Glamour Girl business…and it was the one making noise.

Sam looked at the screen, and it simply had a text message from Zero Kay, another member of the Slackers. ‘EMERGENCY. CALLING IN THE RESERVES. COME TO HQ ASAP.’

“Damn,” Sam muttered, getting up and hurrying out of the restaurant. He spared a glance back towards Julie, but she had already disappeared. “I guess I’ll see her there…”

Sam quickly climbed into his car and drove home, which was a short distance away so didn’t take very long. Once he’d done that, he slipped around to the back yard where he was out of view, and called on his powers. A rainbow of light suddenly began to swirl around Sam, infusing his body and transforming it. In mere seconds, Sam was gone and Glamour Girl stood in his place.

As Glamour Girl, Sam now looked like a sixteen year old girl, with pointed ears like an elf, and long golden blonde hair that glowed. She wore a green and gold costume that left her midriff exposed, and which included fingerless green gloves. In addition, her entire body was covered with a bright and swirling rainbow aura.

“Even after all these months,” Sam mused as she looked down at herself and her transformed body, “I’ll never get used to this.”

Then with a sigh, Sam shook her head, pulled the light around her body so that it not only dulled, but helped her blend into her surroundings like a chameleon, then flew straight up into the sky. Once she was high enough that no one would notice her, she released her aura and flew off, leaving a trail of brilliant colored light behind her.

It didn’t take Sam long to reach her destination, a somewhat run down building where the Slackers had their headquarters. Of course, Sam knew that calling it a headquarters was being generous, since the truth was, it was actually just an apartment where they all gathered and hung out. She wasn’t sure, but strongly suspected that the building’s owner was Chrome’s uncle, which was why they were allowed to use the place.

Sam stepped into the apartment and saw that more than half the team was already there. Chrome was a young black man with a shaved head. He was currently on the couch, sitting on the opposite end as a little girl, who might have looked cute if it wasn’t for her grayish skin, dull eyes, and the dried and crusted blood on her forehead.

“Hello, Deadbeat,” Sam greeted the ‘little girl’.

“Gorgeous Girl,” Deadbeat responded with smirk, waving to Sam with the beer bottle in her hand.

In spite of her appearance, Deadbeat wasn’t really a little girl…or even a girl at all. She was actually a guy, or at least, she had been when she’d been alive. From what Sam understood, Deadbeat was some kind of ghost, who had the ability to possess and animate any dead body she found. She went through bodies pretty quickly, as they were damaged or rotted away, so she usually looked completely different each time Sam saw her. However, the one thing that was always constant, was that she was very unnerving to be around.

“Chrome,” Sam said, looking to the young hero, who was currently playing some kind of hand-held video game, similar to what Todd owned. “What’s going on?”

Chrome looked up and shrugged. “You’ll have to ask Kay.”

“I want to wait until everyone gets here,” a girl exclaimed as she stepped into the room.

Sam looked at Zero Kay, a cute blonde with short hair and a blue and grey costume with white trim. Kay had a grim look on her face, so whatever was going on, she obviously thought it was serious. If Deadbeat had called for everyone to come to headquarters, Sam would have suspected that it was because of a poker game, and probably wouldn’t even have come. However, because it was Zero Kay, Sam had come as quickly as she could.

“I guess we wait then,” Sam announced, moving an empty pizza box off a chair and then sitting down.

The next to arrive was Nike, a young woman with naturally tan skin and short black hair. She wore a white costume with black trim, which included grey metal armor pieces on her shoulders and elbows, along with a matching belt. Then, from her back, she had a pair of gray feathered wings.

“What the hell is going on?” Nike immediately demanded of Zero Kay. She glared at Deadbeat, then at Chrome. “I do have things to do…”

“I’m sure Kay has a good reason,” Sam assured Nike. “And we’ll find out what it is, once Channel arrives.”

“Then we can find out now,” Channel announced as she came in through the door.

Instead of the waitress uniform that she had been wearing a short time ago, Channel was now back in her familiar blue and violet spandex costume. Until this morning, that was the only thing that Sam had ever seen her in, except when her clothing was changed by whatever spirit she was channeling at the time.

Channel gave Zero Kay a curious look and asked, “What’s going on? I had to leave work early for this, so it had better be important.”

Zero Kay looked annoyed that everyone was questioning her, but she didn’t let that bother her as she announced, “You know my brother is with Faction Zero…”

“Yeah, that has come up once or twice,” Channel responded with a wry smile.

Sam chuckled at that since Zero Kay liked to remind everyone that her big brother Shiver, was a member of a big league superhero team. Faction Zero had a MUCH better budget than the Slackers. Then again, a local bowling league team would probably have a better budget. There was a reason these guys were called the Slackers.

“Shiver called me a little while ago,” Zero Kay explained. “He said that something major is going on in Baltimore, and they’re calling in everyone they can to help…”

“Wait,” Chrome exclaimed, finally giving her his full attention. “Everyone?”

“Yeah,” Zero Kay responded with a nervous smile. “The Face is going to come pick us up in about half an hour…”

“The Face?” Deadbeat exclaimed. “That guy is kind of freaky…”

“So says the zombie girl,” Zero Kay responded.

“Don’t you get what this means?” Nike demanded, glaring at Deadbeat. She slowly looked around the room at everyone else. “This is our chance to show what we can do…to prove that we have what it takes.”

Deadbeat snorted at that. “Or we could stay here, and save ourselves the trouble.”

Sam stared at Deadbeat for a moment, then shook her head in exasperation. “You give zombies a bad name,” she told the lazy corpse, who responded by flipping her off.

“We already proved we have what it takes to play in the big leagues,” Chrome pointed out with a smirk. “Remember Nevermore? We kicked her ass…”

“I…I think this is Nevermore,” Sam announced, and suddenly had everyone staring at her in surprise.

“What are you talking about?” Channel asked, giving Sam a curious look.

Sam let out a sigh, hoping that she was wrong, but she doubted it. “Last night…I received a warning that Nevermore might be back…and making a big move…even worse than the last one.”

“And then this thing happens in Baltimore,” Zero Kay said in realization. “Shit…”

“And isn’t that where Edgar Alan Poe is buried?” Channel asked, while Sam nodded in confirmation.

“And we all know that Nevermore has some kind of Poe fetish,” Chrome pointed out with a scowl.

Sam slowly looked around the room and saw the worried looks on each of their faces, even on Deadbeat’s, and she was already dead. Then as one, they all exclaimed, “SHIT.”

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

Joselyn stared intently at the shimmering barrier that was only five feet away from her. It was purple, slightly transparent, and radiated a sense of malevolent power that sent chills running down her spine.

“Don’t touch it,” Joselyn’s dad warned as he came up behind her.

She glanced at her dad, who was wearing his White Knight uniform. As his codename suggested, his uniform was predominantly white, with a modified domino mask and a white cape. In addition, he had gold metal wrist bracers, a belt, and broaches for a cape. Then, on his chest, he had the symbol of a knight helmet.

Of course, Joselyn was wearing her costume as well. Hers was black and pink, with a black belt that included a pink buckle with the family logo in the center of it, the same knight’s helmet that her father wore on his chest. To finish her costume, she had a black domino mask that covered her eyes, though she thought it was probably a bit unnecessary. After all, with her long pink hair, it wouldn’t do much to hide her identity.

“I wasn’t going to,” Joselyn said, looking back at the barrier that completely not only surrounded Baltimore, but also a large area of the surrounding land.

After a moment, Joselyn turned to look around, seeing the growing gathering of heroes that had formed just on the outside of the barrier. Many of them had already tried to break through the barrier, without any luck, so they were trying to figure out a plan of action. Someone had already set up a command tent, while others were briefing the newcomers as they arrived.

Then, as Joselyn watched, a portal opened in the air and a man stepped out of it. He wore a long blue coat, a blue fedora, and a gold metal mask that covered his entire face. The Face was some kind of magic user, and he could create portals through space, which was why he’d been given the task of playing taxi for all the other heroes.

Right behind the Face, six more heroes appeared from the portal. Though Joselyn had never met any of these heroes, she recognized them as the Slackers. They definitely weren’t a big name team, and the only reason that Joselyn had recognized them at all, was that after she’d developed her own powers, she’d made an effort at researching all of the active hero groups, so she could at least be familiar with who the other players were.

“All that research is finally coming in handy,” Joselyn joked to herself.

Then as she looked at the other heroes, her eyes went to a gorgeous blonde woman, who wore a red and gold spandex outfit. Joselyn immediately recognized Ms. Miracle, as well as her team, the Miracle Men. At that moment, they were deep in conversation with several members of Faction Zero. For a moment, Joselyn was tempted to go over and talk with Ms. Miracle, but then she noticed that the Face was coming in her direction.

“You managed to bring quite an army,” Joselyn’s dad told the other hero.

“I brought as many heroes as I could locate,” the Face answered. “Unfortunately, the Protectorate is busy dealing with the Quakemaster in California, and the Lightning Force is caught up with a Lendali incursion in Florida.”

“Are you sure they aren’t just down there on vacation?” Joselyn asked wryly.

“This is my daughter,” Joselyn’s dad introduced her with a smile. “She’s called the Lady Knight.”

“Not the Pink Knight?” the Face asked. Joselyn was pretty sure he was teasing her, but it was hard to tell when that mask hid all of his expressions.

Joselyn shook her head, feeling self-conscious at the reminder of her original codename…Pink. At the time, she couldn’t think of anything else. “No. I decided to skip the color coding part of my family tradition.”

“A wise move,” the Face responded with a chuckle. Then he gestured towards a teenage girl a short distance away, indicating that she should come over. “And this is my daughter, Witch Girl.”

Witch Girl looked to be about the same age as Joselyn, with long violet hair and a sexy blue witch costume with a violet sash around the waist. The whole outfit was topped off with a blue witch hat, with a violet sash around the base.

Joselyn stared at Witch Girl for several seconds, feeling a little nervous and excited at the same time. She’d seen Witch Girl before…in her dreams. From what she’d seen of these brief glimpses of the future, she and Witch Girl were going to end up on the same team at some point, and were apparently going to be friends as well. After all, she’d seen Witch Girl…or an older version of her…as one of the bridesmaids in her own wedding.

“Hi,” Joselyn said to the other girl, deciding to keep quiet about her visions of the future, at least for now. She didn’t want to scare the girl away or make her think that Joselyn was some sort of creepy stalker. “I’m Lady Knight.”

“Witch Girl,” she responded, holding out her hand, which Joselyn shook.

“I didn’t know you had any children,” Joselyn’s dad said, giving the Face a curious look.

“He didn’t either,” Witch Girl commented wryly. Then at Joselyn’s curious look, she quickly explained, “My mom kept me as a surprise.”

“Your mother was Ms. Witch Joselyn’s dad said, though whether it was a statement or a question, Joselyn couldn’t quite tell. “You wear a version of her costume.”

“Yeah,” Witch Girl responded, suddenly looking a little depressed. “Mom…”

“Her mother passed away rather unexpectedly,” the Face said. The tone of his voice was pretty rough, so Joselyn guessed that there was a good story behind that. After a few seconds, he quickly changed the subject. “I thought you were going to keep your children out of the business until they were older.”

Joselyn’s dad gave her a wry look, then told the Face, “That was my intention, and still is. This is…an exception.”

“A very dangerous time to make an exception,” the Face pointed out.

“I know,” Joselyn’s dad responded grimly. “But my daughter insisted that she had to be here, and as much as I dislike her involvement, I trust her intuition far too much to leave her behind.”

Witch Girl gave Joselyn a curious look, and it was all she could do to keep from smirking. Sometimes, being a psychic could be a pain in her butt, but it was useful. The fact that her father actually listened to her…and trusted her…made her feel proud of her abilities and determined not to let him down.

“Are you psychic or something?” Witch Girl asked her.

“Yes,” Joselyn answered with a faint smile. “And I can do this…” A dagger made of glowing pink energy appeared in her hand, and the other girl looked impressed.

“I’m a magic user,” Witch Girl announced proudly. Then she gestured to the shimmering barrier a short distance away and added, “And this is definitely a magic problem.”

Joselyn just gave her a wry smile and pointed out, “Maybe, but it’s going to take more than hocus pocus to fix it.”

While they were talking, Joselyn’s dad walked off with the Face, to talk to Icarus, Ms. Miracle, and a couple of the other people in charge, leaving her behind with Witch Girl. She glanced at the other girl, who was slowly looking around at the gathered heroes, probably trying to guess who everyone was. After all, that was what Joselyn had been doing herself.

“Maybe I should call my boyfriend,” Joselyn said with a sigh. “With everything that’s going on, this might be the last time I can talk to him…”

Witch Girl gave her a curious look. “Does he know you’re developed?”

“Yeah,” Joselyn responded with a chuckle. “He knows all about that. I just don’t think he realizes he’s my boyfriend yet…”

Witch Girl started to chuckle at that. “I imagine it might be amusing to watch him figure it out.”

“Well, his sister certainly agrees with that,” Joselyn added with a grin. “Damn. I wish Vickie and Chris were here…” She gave a nervous look towards the shimmering barrier and gulped. “But I’m kind of glad they aren’t too…”

A short time later, all the heroes were asked to gather together in front of the command tent. Several large computer monitors had been set up, while the Face, the White Knight, and Icarus stood in front of them. To Joselyn’s surprise, her father was the one who seemed to be taking the lead on this briefing.

“Everyone,” Joselyn’s dad announced loudly. “You are all aware of the barrier that is keeping everyone out of Baltimore.” He gestured to the nearby barrier. Several heads nodded agreement. “Many of us have tried to break through, without any success at all.”

“The barrier is magical in nature,” the Face added in a grim tone. “It appears to be a bubble, so all attempts to fly over or pass beneath have failed. All attempts to force our way through or physically penetrate, have been in vain. All attempts to teleport through have failed. So far, it also blocks all forms of attempted communication, and nearly every attempt to learn more of what is on the other side.”

“You said nearly,” someone pointed out. Joselyn looked at the speaker, a tall and thin young man, with a blue and grey costume that had some gold metallic trim. She recognized him as Surge of the Miracle Men.

“Correct,” the White Knight announced. “Between satellite images and communications immediately before the barrier appeared, as well as magical and psychic detection…” He glanced to his daughter at that. “We have been able to learn a number of things, which I am about to share.”

“Like how we’re gonna get past this damn thing?” someone else grumbled. This time, the speaker was a black haired young woman with red and gray costume, with gold shoulder pads and belt.

“Patience, Kaboom,” a green haired girl told her. This one wore a black and white spandex costume, with green metallic shoulder pads and bracers, as well as a pair of crossed green belts at her waist. Joselyn recognized this one as Counterweight, one of the Miracle Men. Or part time member. She wasn’t certain.

“As I was saying,” Joselyn’s father continued grimly. “At approximately midnight, five villains appeared in Baltimore and began causing havoc, then went in separate directions. Video footage and phone recordings show that two of them eventually stopped and placed some type of black stone on the ground. Shortly after, the stones grew into large black obelisks…”

A picture of a black stone obelisk appeared on one of the monitors, though it was poorly taken. Joselyn suspected that it had been taken from someone’s phone, and probably posted to Facebook right before the barrier came up.

The White Knight continued, “We have good reason to believe that the other three villains placed similar obelisks.”

“And,” the Face interjected, “that these obelisks are responsible for sustaining the barrier. If we are somehow able to remove the obelisks, the barrier should fall. Of course, this is a catch-22 as we are unable to reach the obelisks until we can remove or bypass the barrier.”

“As for the villains who placed these obelisks,” the White Knight announced with a deep scowl, “and who we believe remain to guard them…”

A new picture appeared on the monitor, of a powerful looking man floating in front of one of these obelisks. There were gasps from the gathered crowd as nearly everyone present recognized him. However, it a woman who vehemently spat out his name. “FORCE.”

Joselyn looked at the woman, who had pure white skin and hair. Her costume was a green spandex outfit, and over that she wore a darker green cloak. Joselyn had never met Lady Hexx before, but she knew who the woman was. From the way that many of the gathered heroes glared at her, it was obvious that they knew who she was as well.

Lady Hexx was a former villain who’d gained notoriety after attacking Force in public. Afterwards, she ‘reformed’ and joined a superhero group in California, while Force became a wanted fugitive and villain. Many in the hero community blamed her for Force’s downfall, suggesting that she’d framed him or had done something to mess with his mind. However, Joselyn knew that this was complete and utter rubbish. Force was a lunatic, and Lady Hexx had only been declared a villain because she’d attacked him when everyone else thought he was a hero.

“Force is no villain,” someone exclaimed, though Joselyn didn’t see who.

Her father scowled as he responded, “Make no mistake. Force is no longer a hero. Months ago, he kidnapped my family…my children…and he attempted to murder them. Somehow, he escaped from Mount Prometheus, and hasn’t been seen again until now.”

“Force is powerful,” Lady Hexx agreed. “And dangerous. Even when he was still pretending to be a hero, he was enormously reckless…endangering civilians and causing massive collateral damage… If he’s decided to drop the act entirely, then there’s no telling how much damage he could cause.”

“Agreed,” the White Knight said, before gesturing to the monitor, which changed to show a picture of a robotic woman.

“Circuit Monger,” Witch Girl snarled from beside Joselyn.

“Faction Zero has a history with Circuit Monger,” Icarus pointed out grimly.

“I thought we destroyed that metal bitch,” a woman exclaimed. She had red hair with golden highlights, and wore a red and gray costume with a white sash around her waist. Joselyn didn’t know who this woman was, but she remembered seeing a glimpse of her in one of her dreams of the future.

“Way too many people here,” Joselyn muttered, wondering how she could possibly remember them all. As it was, the sheer number of people was throwing her sixth sense into a tizzy, or at least, creating way too much noise for her to pick up anything useful.

“Invincible Woman,” the White Knight said, naming the woman. Then he glanced to the teenage boy who stood beside her. He was dressed in a black spandex outfit, with white boots and a white hooded jacket. “Ghost Boy. Your experience with Circuit Monger should be invaluable, once we are able to get through the barrier.”

Joselyn looked at the monitor again, scowling as she tried to remember everything she’d heard about Circuit Monger. For one thing, she looked like the evil twin of Circuit, a former member of Faction Zero who’d been killed in action. In truth, Circuit Monger had originally been a villain named Trojan, who somehow transferred his mind into a robotic body that was an exact duplicate of Circuit’s, and then he pretended to be her in order to infiltrate Faction Zero. Joselyn wasn’t sure of exactly what Circuit Monger had done to Faction Zero, beyond impersonating their dead friend, but it obviously left some bad feelings.

“Circuit Monger,” Joselyn’s father continued, “when last seen, had been severely damaged and in custody. And like Force, she mysteriously escaped and hasn’t been seen again until now.”

The next picture appeared on the monitor, of a young man with black hair and a red and gold costume. Joselyn had never met Loki personally, much to her relief, but she immediately recognized who he was. Her father stiffened, and most of the other people present wouldn’t have noticed just how tense he was.

“LOKI,” a woman’s voice spat out.

Joselyn stared at Legacy, a woman who wore a tight black costume with a flowing white cloak. She was one of only two surviving members of the Seven, a group of heroes who had been brutally slaughtered by Loki. Only one other person had survived Loki’s attack on them, and both of them had been left with horrible scars, both physical and mental. Then Joselyn looked to her dad, who had once been a member of that very group. Those heroes who Loki had killed, had been his friends and former teammates.

“Loki may not seem it,” the White Knight announced, his voice trembling with barely controlled rage, “but he is extremely dangerous. And unpredictable. His magic can do almost anything, but even he has little true control over it. Again, Loki had been in custody and mysteriously escaped…”

“That seems to be a trend,” Joselyn pointed out grimly.

“Indeed it does,” the Face agreed. “And not a very good one for us.”

Another picture appeared on the monitors, one of a black haired woman in a slinky black catsuit, with a long red overcoat on top of it. Though Joselyn didn’t recognize the woman, her costume did look a little familiar. It took Joselyn a moment to realize that she resembled the Sinner, a villain that she had the displeasure of meeting. Fortunately, the Sinner was dead. She’d seen it herself when her uncle Edward put several bullets through him.

“That’s the Sinner,” Invincible Woman exclaimed in surprise, while Ghost Boy nodded agreement. “We fought her too…”

“The original Sinner could manipulate other people’s emotions,” the White Knight explained, “creating riots and orgies with equal ease. And though the original Sinner has been confirmed dead, this new Sinner seems to share his powers.”

“I thought that bitch was in prison,” Invincible Woman said.

“Let me guess,” Ghost Boy added a moment later. “She’s another one who mysteriously escaped from prison.”

“Correct,” Joselyn’s father said with a deep scowl.

“My guess is, the Key is freeing them,” another woman commented thoughtfully. She was beautiful, with black hair and a violet and gold costume that included a violet cape. In her right hand, she held a golden staff with several gems set in the head. Joselyn vaguely remembered reading one of her dad’s files on her. She was called Mystik, and was some kind of magic user. Mystik continued, “The Key specializes in breaking people out of the clink, so this is definitely his style…”

The Face nodded at that. “That was our first assumption as well, though I have reason to believe that this is not the case.”

Another picture appeared on the monitor, of the fifth villain, a woman in red and white armor. Joselyn had absolutely no idea who she was, though Mystik immediately stated, “She’s wearing Scepter’s armor.”

“I noticed that as well,” Icarus responded.

“She even has a scepter,” Mystik mused, gesturing towards the monitor. “The same as he did. I saw Scepter killed with my own eyes, so I don’t know who this one is…”

Icarus nodded. “So, we have four known villains, and two who appear to be new incarnations of known villains…”

“Scepter led the Black Guild,” Shiver pointed out. “Could this be a new version of the Black Guild?”

The Face shook his head. “Possible, but extremely unlikely.”

“I don’t know much about this new Scepter,” the White Knight stated, “but all four of the others are extremely dangerous…and have few interests in common. The fact that they are working together is troublesome.”

“As is the fact that none of them possesses the power to create this barrier,” the Face added. “Someone else is behind this barrier…and is likely the one who freed them from prison and united them. I have a strong suspicion as to who this is, though I hope I am wrong…”

“Nevermore,” Glamour Girl stated, which made nearly everyone turn to look at her. “Nevermore is behind this.”

Channel looked at the White Knight and said, “Glamour Girl has been warning us that Nevermore is back, and I think she’s right…”

“As do I,” the Face admitted, which earned gasps from around the crowed.

Suddenly, Joselyn’s attention was drawn to Ms. Miracle, who was glowing with a golden light. Her eyes were burning with not only this golden light, but with a look of pure fury. “Baron Nevermore,” the blonde hero exclaimed, practically shaking in anger. “I thought he was dead…that he was gone for good…”

Joselyn gulped at Ms. Miracle’s reaction, remembering that years ago, Baron Nevermore had murdered her. Ms. Miracle had been dead for years, before abruptly turning up alive again. Of course, Joselyn was pretty sure that this woman wasn’t the original Ms. Miracle, though she was certainly taking the thing with Baron Nevermore personally.

Rumor, a black haired young woman in a black and white costume, put her hand on Ms. Miracle’s shoulders to comfort her. “We stopped him once,” Rumor told Ms. Miracle. “We’ll stop him again.”

“And this time,” Quartz, another of the Miracle Men, added, “we’ll take him down even harder.”

Ms. Miracle was still clearly upset, but she stopped glowing and nodded to the White Knight and the Face. “You were saying.”

Joselyn’s father nodded. “We don’t know what their endgame is yet, but….” He gestured to Joselyn. “My daughter, Lady Knight, has precognitive visions, and has foreseen that this is a threat to the entire world.”

“I’ve been warned of the same thing,” Glamour Girl said, drawing Joselyn’s attention again.

Glamour Girl looked to be about the same age as Joselyn, but she had a strong feeling that the blonde girl was a lot older than she appeared, just as she did with Ghost Boy. On the other hand, she was equally sure that Invincible Woman was actually younger than she seemed.

The White Knight slowly looked around the group, his expression grim. “We asked many of you here to help, precisely because you have experience with one or more of the villains involved. You already know how to deal with these enemies. And as soon as we find a way past this barrier, we will have to hit them as hard and fast as we can. The world depends on it.”

With that, the briefing ended and everyone burst into conversation over what they’d just learned. Joselyn watched her dad walk off to talk with the Face, Icarus, and several others, knowing that they were still trying to figure out how to get through the barrier. She stared at the shimmering wall, hoping that they found it soon, because she was pretty sure that if they weren’t able to do so in time, the world would be plunged into an eternal nightmare.

The man known only as the Face, sat in the command tent, looking over the table in front of him in frustration and exhaustion. His hat rested on the table, alongside all of his notes, maps, and the various tools he’d been using to gather information on the barrier and what was occurring on the other side.

Though the Face had managed to learn a great deal, it still wasn’t enough. He knew exactly where the five obelisks were located, as well as who was guarding each one. He had even confirmed that Baron Nevermore was indeed behind this, as the barrier reeked of that villain’s dark magic. Unfortunately, he had yet to discover what Baron Nevermore was after or how to get past the barrier.

With a loud sigh, the Face rested a hand against his golden mask. He would have removed the mask were he able, to rub the bridge of his nose as he used to do when deep in concentration. However, that was not an option. He wore the mask, not to hide his identity, but for a much more important reason. Without that mask to anchor him to reality, he would immediately be drawn to another dimension, one where he had been trapped before acquiring the mask.

“He’s gathering power,” the Face stated, looking over his information. That fact was inescapable.

Baron Nevermore drew power from fear and death, and he currently had hundreds of thousands of people trapped within the barrier, providing him with both. He was gathering a great deal of raw power, far more than he needed to maintain the barrier. Of course, the Face already knew that Baron Nevermore was up to something but, but he still didn’t know what.

“Time is of the essence,” the Face grimly reminded himself, thinking about all of the people who were trapped within that barrier, at the mercy of those villains.

The Face looked up as Ms. Miracle came into the command tent, scowling deeply and nearly radiating her anger. It was obvious that she had a very personal grudge against Baron Nevermore, and he couldn’t truly blame her, not after the sorcerer had once murdered her.

In fact, many of their gathered heroes had personal grudges against these villains. The White Knight had grudges against both Force and Loki, Legacy had one against Loki, and even he, along with his entire team, held a great deal of anger towards Circuit Monger. The Face just hoped that they would all be professional enough as to not allow their grudges to interfere with their performance, or innocent lives could be lost.

Ms. Miracle ignored the Face and went to the opposite side of the tent, to talk to Icarus. However, seconds later, three other people entered the tent as well, Lady Knight, Mystik, and his daughter Gwen…Witch Girl.

Ever since Gwen and Lady Knight met a short time ago, the two of them had remained together, much to the Face’s approval. Gwen needed more friends her own age, especially ones who could understand the complications that came with being developed. In fact, there were several other young developed, such as Ghost boy and the Slackers, and it might be a good idea to make sure Gwen had a chance to meet them.

“I’m afraid that we still haven’t found any way through the barrier,” the Face told the three, guessing that this was what they’d come to him for.

“I tried a couple spells,” Gwen admitted with a disappointed look and a shake of her head, which spoke of how effective her attempts had been.

“I might be able to do something,” Mystik announced, firmly clutching her golden staff. “Unfortunately, my resources are extremely limited…”

The Face held up his hand, to keep her from explaining when it wasn’t necessary. “Your staff is akin to a genie’s lamp, in that it only grants three wishes before it must be recharged…”

Mystik gave him a look of surprise, which quickly turned to one of suspicion. “Now did you know?”

The Face smiled faintly beneath his mask, though none of them could see it. “After the fight with Entropy, I thought you and your staff seemed familiar, so I performed some research. One of your predecessors left behind a journal, where she spoke of the staff of Isis.”

“I see,” Mystik responded carefully. “I’d like to look at this journal sometime, if that’s possible. But for now, I think we have bigger fish to fry…”

“Indeed,” the Face agreed. He stared at her for a moment, then continued, “From what I understand, your staff is quite powerful and versatile, but even so, I am certain it would be of little use against the barrier. Perhaps, once we learn its weakness, you might be able to exploit it…but until then, please do not waste your power. I suspect that when the time comes, you will need all the power you can muster.”

“All right then,” Mystik said. “I guess I can hold off for now. But if we don’t find a way in soon, I’m going to try anyway.”

“Agreed,” the Face told him.

Just then, the Face noticed a newcomer entering the tent. She had dark hair and was wearing a suit, rather than the dramatic costumes that everyone else in the area was wearing. The woman also looked familiar, and it took him a moment to remember where he’d seen her before. She was one of the DAD agents who’d appeared after the incidents with the Black Guild and Entropy, the same one who made sure Mystik wasn’t put behind bars for her previous criminal activity.

The woman looked to the White Knight and held out a badge and ID. “I’m Agent Briggs, from the Developed Affairs Department.”

The Face noticed that Mystik watched the DAD agent with an intent expression. “We’ve met before,” she said cautiously

“That we have,” Agent Briggs agreed, giving him the impression that there was a lot more going on than he knew. As soon as Agent Briggs looked away, Mystik hurried out of the tent.

“How may we help you?” the White Knight asked Agent Briggs.

“There is a glowing purple dome over a large part of Maryland,” Agent Briggs pointed out. “Needless to say, the government is extremely concerned. Now, please tell me what the hell is going on.”

“I don’t know how much you’re already aware of,” the White Knight answered, “so I’ll tell you everything we know.”

With that, they began to fill Agent Briggs in on everything they’d discussed during the earlier briefing, and everything that they’d learned since. As they showed her pictures of the villains who’d been part of the initial attack, she suddenly scowled, focusing on one picture in particular.

“She’s dressed like the Scepter,” Agent Briggs pointed out.

The White Knight nodded. We do not know what…if any connection, she has to the previous Scepter.”

“You have an interest in the Scepter,” the Face commented, having notice that this was the one picture she’d been most interested in. Even the mention of Baron Nevermore’s involvement didn’t have that much effect.

“I was part of the DAD investigation into the Black Guild,” Agent Briggs explained, though she didn’t say anything more about it.

Once they’d finished getting Agent Briggs up to date, they left the command tent and went out for a closer look at the barrier. A few of the gathered heroes were still trying to break through the barrier, though the Face suspected that most of them were doing this to keep themselves too busy to think about what must be going on inside.

Glamour Girl floated in the air, firing blasts of swirling light at the barrier. Legacy had out a bone white bow, and was shooting arrows of hellfire against it. Mega, had grown to twenty feet tall and was viciously punching it. Even Gwen had returned to the barrier in order to keep trying her magics.

However, the Face noticed that Lady Knight hadn’t gone to the barrier with his daughter. Instead, she was staying close, though he wasn’t sure if that was because she wanted to stay near her father, or because she was interested in Agent Briggs. The pink haired girl kept looking at Briggs with a curious expression.

Suddenly, the Face felt a tingling through his mask, which made him pause and slowly look around. He felt a presence, one that he hadn’t encountered in years. “Exile,” he announced. “I know you are here.”

There was a shimmering in the air, right before a female figure appeared. The Exile was shaped like an attractive woman, though her body seemed to be made almost entirely of golden metal, a fact that was quite noticeable as she was completely without clothing. Her eyes burned with a green glow, and her ‘hair’ was formed of flowing green energy which trailed out behind her. At first, the Exile was ghostly, then became more solid seeming, though he could still sense that she wasn’t truly there…at least not physically.

“Hello, Richard,” Exile greeted him with the name that he had not used in years. “I should have known you would sense my presence…”

“How could I not?” the Face asked her carefully. “You created my mask, and it remains sensitive to your power…”

“You know this woman?” the White Knight asked the Face, giving Exile a suspicious look. She just watched him with a look of amusement.

“This is Exile,” the Face commented, gesturing to the golden woman, who floated with the bottom of her feet just inches from above the ground. “She inhabits the limbo I would be trapped in, if not for this mask. In fact, she is the very one who gave me this mask…”

“The mask is a part of you,” Lady Knight blurted out in surprise.

Exile nodded and turned her attention to Lady Knight. “Yes, it is a tiny sliver of my being.” The moved closer to the pink haired girl, giving her a gentle smile. “Hello, Joselyn.”

“You know who I am?” Lady Knight blurted out in surprise.

“Of course,” Exile responded with a look of amusement.

The pink haired girl protested, “But we’ve never met…”

“Haven’t we?” Exile asked with a faint chuckle. Then she looked towards Witch Girl and mused, “And Gwen as well…”

“Exile,” the Face asked, his voice tense. “Why are you here?” Then he paused for a moment before shaking his head. “Nevermind that. I know why you are here…” He gestured towards the shimmering barrier. “You’ve come to observe. The fact that you are here, or that you have sent a projection of yourself, strongly suggests that the situation is even more dire than I suspected. You only come to observe momentous events.”

With a faint bow of her head, Exile grimly responded, “This is true.”

“Are you here to help us?” the White Knight asked, still watching her carefully.

“No,” Exile responded, almost sadly. “I cannot help you. I cannot interfere directly….”

“Let me guess,” Lady Knight interjected. “You’ve sworn some kind of oath not to interfere…”

“No,” Exile responded with a faint smile, turning her attention back to Lady Knight. “I have sworn no such oath, other than to myself, nor am I bound by any form of Prime Directive.”

“Exile never helps,” the Face explained, before touching his mask and adding, “Almost never…”

“As I have explained to you before,” Exile told the Face, who clearly remembered her reasoning, though wanted the others to hear this as well. “My powers are too great to be used in this realm. I could easily remove this barrier, but the consequences of that action could be far worse than what you already face.”

Agent Briggs said, “I don’t understand,” while the White Knight simultaneously asked, “What do you mean?”

“Have you ever heard of the butterfly effect?” Exile asked in a pleasant tone. “Or the law of unintended consequences? Any use of my power results in long reaching ripples, the consequences of which, even I cannot predict. I live in a self-imposed exile in order to protect the world from my power, and I will not risk its existence merely to make things easier for you…”

“Easier?” the White Knight blurted out angrily. “The world is in danger.”

“I am merely here as an observer,” Exile stated. “And even that may be too great a risk.”

Suddenly, the Face heard his daughter cry out, “Oh my God…”

The Face snapped around, only to see Gwen standing at the barrier, with her arm pushed through it all the way up to the elbow. She pulled her arm back out, stared at it in shock, then stepped forward and walked through the barrier as though it wasn’t there.

“GWEN,” the Face cried out, running towards the spot where his daughter had vanished.

While everyone else was staring at the spot where Witch Girl had gone through the barrier, Exile began to fade away. Just before vanishing entirely, she quietly mused, “If nothing else, this should be interesting.”

A couple seconds later, Gwen stepped back through the barrier, grinning as she did so. “You know,” Gwen commented, putting her hand back through the barrier again and asking, “Has anyone tried to just walk through?”

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

Julie sat back in a hard plastic chair that someone had scrounged up, while the rest of the Slackers sat a short distance away. Deadbeat had found a table and a deck of cards somewhere, and was in the middle of playing a game of poker with Nike and Chrome. From what she could tell, Deadbeat was winning, which meant that there was also a good chance that the tiny zombie girl was somehow cheating.

Zero Kay was off talking with her brother, Shiver of Faction Zero. And though Julie couldn’t hear what they were saying, they were both smiling and laughing, which seemed out of place considering the circumstances. Then again, if she had a family member to share the experience with, it might not be so bad.

“We are in way over our heads,” Julie muttered as she looked around at the gathered heroes, feeling overwhelmed.

There were a lot of big name heroes present, and they were going up against some major villains, ones who’d left a lot of dead bodies in their wake. As much as Julie hated to admit it, the Slackers were in over their heads and didn’t belong in this crowed. Then, she chuckled faintly, realizing how much more outclassed they’d be when the Protectorate and Lightning Force eventually arrived to join the party.

After a moment, Julie looked over at Glamour Girl, who was standing up and staring at the shimmering barrier with a grim expression. “How are you doing?” Julie asked her.

Glamour Girl scowled, and for a moment she remained silent. “I’m frustrated,” the blonde admitted after a few seconds. “I hit that damn barrier with my light blasts, at full power, and nothing…”

“And then Witch Girl just walked right on through,” Channel responded wryly. “Your blasts did great against Nevermore the last time. Maybe once we get through, they’ll be a lot more useful.”

“I certainly hope so,” Glamor Girl said, looking back towards the barrier again. “This was the whole reason I was given these powers…”

Julie nodded at that, then gestured in the direction where Witch Girl and Lady Knight were talking. “Those two are about your age, so at least you aren’t the youngest one in the group…”

“I never thought I was,” Glamour Girl answered, gesturing to Deadbeat.

“Bite me,” Deadbeat responded, flipping Glamour Girl off. “You know this body is temporary. Next time, I’ll try to find a dead porn star. A MALE porn star.”

“That is a mental image I do NOT need,” Glamour girl said with a visible shudder.

Suddenly, Chrome smirked, got Deadbeat’s attention, then gestured to the side and said, “It looks like you just got a playmate your own age…”

Julie looked to where Chrome was pointing and immediately saw what her teammate meant. A new group of heroes had just arrived, and Julie immediately recognized them as the Guard. She gulped at that, since several members of that team were former members of the Protectorate. However, her eyes went to Warchild, who was obviously the person Chrome had been joking about.

Warchild looked like an eleven year old boy, with a black and white spandex costume. Normally, she would have gaped in horror that anyone would let a little kid put on a costume and fight crime, but she knew that Warchild was more than he appeared. From what she’d heard, he used to be a grown man until something happened, which not only gave him powers, but also did a fountain of youth on him.

After staring at Warchild for a moment, Julie looked over the rest of the Guard. There was Mannequin, who was a blonde woman who was built like a stripper, and wore a green and gray costume, that didn’t show much skin beyond her face and arms, but still left very little to the imagination. Right beside her was Diamond, who wore a flowing white costume that included a loin cloth and a diamond necklace, followed by Radiant, an auburn haired woman with a white and blue costume, that included a blue cape and a blue domino mask. And then, trailing in the back, was Interface, a Hispanic man in a red and gray costume, with some gray metal armor trim.

From what Julie knew of the Guard, they were short two members. Father Time and Genius, who unlike Warchild, was legitimately underage. That was probably why she wasn’t there with the others.

As Julie watched, the Guard split up and went in separate directions. Diamond and Interface went directly towards the command tent, but to Julie’s surprise, Warchild started towards her. As the apparent boy came closer, it became obvious that he wasn’t interested in her, but in the card game that was going on almost beside her.

“Is that poker?” Warchild asked with childlike innocence. “I’ve never played poker before. Can I play?”

“Sure thing, kid,” Deadbeat said with an almost evil grin. “We’ll deal you in…”

Julie was about to warn Deadbeat that Warchild wasn’t as young as he appeared, then she decided that it might be more interesting to keep quiet and watch. It didn’t take long before her suspicions were proven right, as Warchild quickly won a big around, then made exclamations of ‘beginners luck’.

“You seem to be taking this all pretty well,” Julie told Warchild. “I mean, you and your whole team came rushing over, only to get stuck waiting with the rest of us…”

Warchild just shrugged. “It’s just like back in the army. A lot of hurry up and wait.” That earned some curious looks from the other card players, who apparently didn’t know much about his background as a former adult.

Chrome gestured to the barrier and told him, “Just a short time before you guys got here, someone was able to get through the damn thing. Now, we’re all waiting while the Face tries to figure out how she did it.”

“I’m just a soldier,” Warchild said with a shrug. “I’ll leave that kind of thing to the officers. Just let me know when it’s time to go in and kick some ass.”

Julie watched as they dealt another hand, then got up and decided to stretch her legs. She looked around again, hoping to see that the Face had figured out how Witch Girl was able to get through the barrier, when she noticed Radiant walking up to the White Knight. “How are Ellen and the kids?” Radiant asked him pleasantly, as if they were old friends.

“She isn’t happy that Force is back,” the White Knight responded. “And I’m half surprised she hasn’t come out of retirement just to help go after him. Honestly, it’s probably a good thing that she stayed home. We already have too many personal grudges.”

Radiant nodded at that. “I can certainly understand that. And the kids?”

“They’re doing fine,” the White Knight told her, looking rather proud. “In fact, Joselyn is over there…”

“You let Joselyn come?” Radiant asked in surprise. “I know she defeated Force before, but I doubt he’s going to let her get close enough to try that again…”

The White Knight shrugged. “She insisted that she had to be here. You have no idea how difficult it is to argue with a psychic.”

“Especially one who saved your life,” Radiant commented out with a chuckle. “I’m just glad that she’s handling her changes so well…”

This personal conversation definitely caught Julie’s curiosity, but she didn’t want to get caught eavesdropping on them, even if they were talking out in the open, so she slowly walked away. She found herself walking towards another group of young women, who were about the same age as most of the Slackers.

She recognized the green haired girl in the black and white costume with the green metallic trim as Counterweight, a reserve member of the Miracle Men. Julie knew that counterweight had some sort of gravity manipulation power, but not much else about her. And though someone had told her that the other two were Catalyst and Kaboom, she had no idea who they were.

“Hi,” Julie said as she introduced herself to the trio. “I’m Channel…with the Slackers.”

“Counterweight,” answered the one she recognized.

“Hi,” Catalyst said, giving Julie a friendly smile. “I’m Catalyst and this is Kaboom…” Catalyst had a blue and lighter blue costume, with a blue cloak, and some gold metal trim, including her partial face mask and a bow staff which she held in her hand. The girl she gestured to, Kaboom, had tanned skin, long black hair, and a red and grey costume with gold metal trim.

Kaboom gave a nod and a smile. “Nice to meet you.” She gestured over to where most of the other Slackers were gathered and asked, “That your team?”

“Yep,” Julie agreed. “We aren’t exactly a big name team, but we do our best.”

“Trust me,” Catalyst said with a chuckle. “Kaboom and I are quite familiar with that problem…”

“We started the Crusaders when we were back in high school,” Kaboom said with a chuckle of her own. “We were pretty much the garage band version of superheroes…”

“We still are,” Julie told them, feeling a little self-conscious, though not much since these three didn’t seem very judgmental about it, like some heroes seemed to be. “Unfortunately, billionaire sponsors don’t exactly grow on trees…”

“I just wish my girlfriend was here,” Kaboom said with a sigh, before giving a wry smile and admitting, “She didn’t think she’d be welcome in this crowd, so didn’t bother to come.”

“We could use her firepower,” Catalyst admitted with a sigh.

Kaboom nodded at that, then gave Julie a curious look. “I hear you guys took out that asshat Baron Nevermore before… He ain’t no bush league villain…”

Julie smiled at that, feeling pleased that her team was getting some recognition for that. Still, she didn’t want these three to get the idea that beating Nevermore was going to be easy.

“Nevermore had just come back from the dead,” Julie explained. “She was in a new body and wasn’t at full power…”

“Still,” Counterweight added, “Taking down Baron Nevermore at all isn’t something to sneeze at…”

“Definitely not,” Catalyst agreed.

Julie nodded at that, then gestured towards the barrier. “Back then, she took over a high school and turned most of the teachers and students into monsters… If she…or he…is doing that in there…then we might be facing an enormous army. The longer it takes for us to get in, the worse it’s going to be.”

“Damn,” Kaboom muttered while Counterweight nodded agreement.

“Then let’s hope the Face figures out how Witch Girl got through that barrier,” Catalyst stated grimly. “Because if it takes much longer, it may be too late.”

Denise Roberts crouched down behind a parked car, breathing heavily as she carefully peeked around the back side, desperately hoping that no one was there. When she saw it was clear, she let out a sign and allowed herself to relax just a little.

“I’m safe,” she told herself, knowing that this was a lie. She wasn’t safe. No one in Baltimore was.

After resting for a minute, Denise picked up her backpack, took another look to make sure it was still clear, then ran to the cover offered by another car. She did this several more times before making it to the mouth of an alley, where she ran down it. Hopefully, this would be a better place to hide, one where she was less likely to be seen. Unless of course, others were already hiding in there, in which case, her situation might become even worse. Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Denise collapsed down behind a dumpster, ignoring the foul smell. Anyone who spent years running and hiding, got used to things like this…to disgusting smells and dangerous places. At the moment, this dirty alley was far safer than her own home had been.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Denise wondered how this had happened. She’d lived in Baltimore for five months…which was the longest period that she’d been able to stay anywhere in years. She had a small apartment, a place where she could perform her research in peace, and for the first time in years, she’d been able to really relax and get comfortable. She should have known better than too get comfortable.

In the middle of the night, she’d awoken to the sounds of screams and explosions from outside her apartment window. She quickly discovered that there was no power, and when she looked out the window, every building was dark. Every car was motionless, without a single headlight visible. It was as though the entire city had been struck with an EMP, and the only light to see by was what had been provided by the full moon, or buildings and cars that were on fire.

People were rioting in the streets, attacking each other, busting through doors and windows to attack those inside, and simply destroying everything in sight. Denise had been shocked when she saw the violence and destruction that was occurring right outside of her apartment, though she knew better than to just hunker down and hide. She’d immediately gotten dressed, then grabbed her backpack, which she always kept filled with the essentials in case she needed to leave fast.

Denise had barely managed to get dressed when several of her neighbors burst into apartment, breaking down the door with a sledge hammer and charging in like a horde of viking berserkers. They were clearly insane…or enraged beyond understanding. Instead of fighting, she’d immediately grabbed her bag and ran for the bathroom, where she locked herself inside and then slipped out through the window. The last thing she’d seen, when she’d looked back, were the flames coming out of her windows.

“My work,” she gasped, angry and horrified. “Those monsters burned my home…and my lab.”

Denise didn’t really care about most of the belongings that she’d lost when they set her apartment on fire, since she was used to traveling light and not owning much. What she did care about, was the small lab that she’d managed to put together, and where she’d spent months researching a cure for her condition. And now, all that research was gone…burned to ash.

“DAMN,” Denise spat out bitterly. And she didn’t even know why it had happened.

While running away from her apartment and trying to avoid the rioters, she’d seen a woman in a long red coat…who’d been walking down the street and laughing in delight at the chaos. It hadn’t taken much to realize that she was somehow behind it all. After all, when a group of cops had confronted her, each of them suddenly turned and joined the rioters. Once Denise saw that, she’d not only avoided the woman, but had hurried off in the opposite direction.

At first, Denise had thought the chaos would have been contained to a block or two, but now, she knew that all of Baltimore was affected. And since there were no phones or TV, for all she knew, it might have spread over the entire world. That was an especially depressing thought, and one that she tried not to dwell on.

“One thing at a time,” Denise told herself. “Survival first, then make my way out of Baltimore.”

The area where Denise was currently hiding didn’t look as though it had been burned down and looted quite like the area around her apartment. Instead, the buildings seemed much more intact, though the streets were nearly empty. She’d seen a few looters and such, but not on such a massive level. When she had seen other people, she’d avoided them entirely.

Suddenly, Denise heard a woman screaming. “HELP! HELP!”

Denise froze, caught between the logical response of running away from this clear sign of danger, and going to help. She had to remind herself that she was no hero, and there was nothing she could do to help. All she could do, was get herself into even more danger than she already was.

“I’m not a hero,” Denise told herself as she heard another scream for help. She winced at that. “But I am a doctor, or at least, I used to be…”

With that, Denise picked up her backpack, which contained a few emergency medical supplies, and hurried towards the cries for help. She tried to keep down, hoping that no one would see her, and she managed to reach the source of the yells without being seen. Then, as she saw what was going on, she crouched down behind another car, watching the scene unfold with a mixture of curiosity and horror.

The woman who was frantically screaming for help, had her back almost pressed up against the front window of a clothing store. She had a baseball bat that she was desperately swinging back and forth, trying to keep her attackers from getting too close. There were nine of them, normal looking people who had her completely surrounded. They didn’t seem angry or violent, like the rioters had been. Instead, they were oddly calm and orderly.

Then Denise looked closer, and gasped in surprise. The people surrounding that woman, all had glowing green eyes. Glowing lines radiated out from around their eyes, almost looking like patterns from a circuit board. As Denise watched, the group all came at the woman at once. She hit one of them, an elderly man, though he didn’t even flinch. The rest of them grabbed her and pushed her to the ground, pinning her there while a teenage girl, put her hand on the woman’s forehead. The woman stopped screaming and went motionless.

While this was going on, the attackers didn’t say a word, yet they still worked together with an odd synchronization. Denise remained where she was for another minute, wanting to run but needing to know more. She was a scientist, and she needed to understand what was occurring. Finally, the woman who had previously been screaming, stood up and joined the others. Her eyes now glowed green, and Denise could see the glowing circuit pattern that radiated out from them along her skin.

“They infected her,” Denise mused, her mind racing over the ramifications of this. It appeared that Baltimore was undergoing a major outbreak, though their symptoms were definitely different from the people who she’d previously seen rioting. “What in the world is going on?”

The group of infected individuals abruptly split into two smaller groups, each containing five of them. And without any form of communication that Denise could see, each group turned and went in separate directions, though both groups walked towards nearby doors and vanished inside the buildings.

“We need to be quarantined before this spreads,” Denise said, not wanting to be trapped in the quarantine zone with those people.

Denise turned and ran, not only wanting to get away from those infected individuals, but also out of Baltimore before everything was locked down. However, she hadn’t gone far before she tripped and fell. She caught herself with her hands, right before her face would have smashed into the asphalt. Unfortunately, she scraped her palm in the process.

“Damn,” Denise muttered, quickly scrambling back to her feet, until she realized that her palm didn’t just sting…it itched and burned. It was a sensation that she hadn’t felt in months, but she immediately recognized it. “NO,” she gasped in horror. She stared at her palm, and the skin that was starting to turn blue. “Not again… Not now…”

Denise scrambled for one of the pockets on the side of her backpack, where she pulled out an already filled syringe. It had been months since she’d had an episode, but she still made sure to keep her medication close at hand. If she got the genetic stabilizer into her system quickly enough, she might be able to halt the episode before it went too far. She jabbed herself with the needle, without hesitation, desperately hoping that this worked.

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

Joselyn stood back, looking over the gathered heroes, and especially at the latest arrivals. The Guard had arrived on the scene just a few minutes after Witch Girl discovered that she could somehow walk right through the barrier, followed shortly by the solo heroes Marvel and Praxis. However, the additions that interested Joselyn the most, were the ones who’d only just arrived. These ones were the remaining members of Knight Force. Her family.

“About time you got here,” Joselyn teased her sister Evie, who was wearing a green and black costume, in a style very similar to the one she herself was wearing. And since Evie was in costume, she was also using her codename of Figment.

“Oh yeah,” Evie responded with a grin. “I went back to bed and got a few more hours of sleep.”

Joselyn just snorted. “Bite me…” Witch Girl had been standing back a short distance and came up, giving Evie a curious look. “This,” Joselyn announced, gesturing to Evie, “is my big little sister Figment.”

“Big little sister?” Witch Girl asked in confusion.

“Lady here was born a few years before me,” Evie explained with a smug look. “But I’m older than she is.”

Witch Girl blinked at that, then demanded, “How the hell does that work?”

“It’s complicated,” Joselyn and her sister said at the same time, right before they both burst into giggles.

Joselyn looked over, noticing the rest of Knight Force coming towards them. Her uncle Leon…AKA Neon, was the closest, and she absently noted that Mannequin from the Guard was giving him a wary look. That was obviously because of his days in the Elite, where he’d actually been teammates with Force, and Mannequin had been one of their enemies…and the catalyst for the team to disband.

“How’s my favorite niece?” Uncle Leon exclaimed, giving Joselyn a hug, much to her embarrassment.

“I thought I was your favorite niece,” Evie exclaimed, punching him in the arm.

Joselyn grinned. “And I bet he tells Katie that she is…”

“I thought I was,” her cousin Angie added as she came up with her brother Ryan. Of course, since they were both in costume, they were Agony and Shuriken at the moment.

And then, right beside her cousins, came her aunt Gina...AKA Target. In fact, Aunt Gina, even wore a white costume with a big red bullseye on both her chest and back. She gave Joselyn a quick hug, then asked, “Where’s your father?”

Joselyn gestured towards the command tent. “He’s in there, trying to figure out what those assholes are planning…”

Her uncle Leon nodded and stared at the barrier. She couldn’t see his expression since his mask covered his entire face, but she could hear the frustration in his voice as he muttered, “Damn it, Scott. Every time I think you can’t get any crazier, you go and prove me wrong.”

“It’s not your fault that Force is an idiot,” Aunt Gina told him, right before the two of them started for the command tent.

Joselyn watched them leave, then paused to look around. Exile had vanished around the time Witch Girl had walked through the barrier, though Joselyn’s sixth sense told her that the golden woman was still watching them…just from a greater distance. Somehow, Joselyn didn’t think that Exile was going to make another appearance, but that wasn’t her sixth sense talking, just her common sense. That woman clearly didn’t want to get involved.

“Too bad,” Joselyn mused. If nothing else, she would have liked to talk to her. Then, she considered all the people who were present and willing to help, and shook her head in disgust. “We have enough power here to easily conquer a small country, and we can’t even walk into Baltimore.”

Suddenly, Witch Girl exclaimed, “I think my dad has something…”

Joselyn turned her attention to the command tent, where the Face had come out with a sense of purpose. He walked towards the barrier, pausing in front of it before holding out his hand. There was a glow as he did something with magic, though Joselyn couldn’t tell what.

“Alleycat,” the Face called out. “Can you please come here…”

A woman with dark hair, naturally tan skin, and a gray and crimson costume walked towards the Face, casually asking, “What do you need?”

The Face looked at his teammate and asked, “Please attempt to pass through the barrier.”

“Are you out of your damn mind?” Alleycat asked, gesturing to Mega. “If she couldn’t break through that damn thing, what makes you think that I can?

“Me,” Witch Girl announced, sounding a little offended that her teammate was questioning her father’s judgement. “I got through.”

“Good point,” Alleycat reluctantly admitted. After Witch Girl had done that earlier, several other heroes had attempted to simply walk through the barrier as well, but none of them had succeeded. Obviously, Alleycat was remembering that, as she didn’t look the least bit confident in her own success.

Alleycat stepped up to the barrier, then reached out to touch it. Her arm passed through the barrier, and after making sure that she could pull it back, she stepped all the way through and vanished. Since the barrier was transparent, she could be seen a little from the other side, and Joselyn watched as the hero turned and came right back through.

“What the hell?” Alleycat demanded.

“How come we can get through?” Witch Girl asked Alleycat. “The only thing we in common is…” Then she paused with her eyes going wide in surprise.

“This confirms it,” the Face stated. Then in a louder voice, he announced, “I know the barrier’s weakness…”

All the heroes immediately pushed forward so they could hear. After spending hours, standing helplessly outside the barrier, each and every one of them was eager to make some progress, and this was the first bit that any of them had really seen.

“How do we get through?” Joselyn’s father asked, the eagerness clear in his voice.

“You cannot,” the Face admitted. “And neither can I.”

“Explain,” Icarus demanded, looking irritated and impatient.

The Face nodded at that, with his expression hidden behind his golden mask. “This barrier is high level magic,” he explained. “High level and very powerful.”

“I believe you’ve already mentioned that,” Joselyn’s father pointed out impatiently.

“Indeed, I have,” the Face agreed. “Every high level spell has an exception…what you might consider a loophole or an Achilles heel. For many, these might be seen as a flaw in the spell, but an experienced sorcerer like Baron Nevermore, would know how to turn this to their advantage. Instead of a weakness, this becomes an escape path so that he himself does not become trapped within.”

“And you’ve identified his back door into the system?” asked Interface, a member of the Guard.

Joselyn looked at Interface, who was a Hispanic man with a red and gray costume, with a few grey metallic pieces. She’d never met him before, but a short time ago, she’d learned that he had experience dealing with Circuit Monger, or at least, with the man who’d become Trojan, and eventually, Circuit Monger. From what she’d picked up, they even acquired their powers from the same source.

“Yes, I have,” the Face answered, though he didn’t sound very pleased by this. “The Slackers have informed us that Baron Nevermore initially returned to life by possessing the body of a teenage girl. It seems that he may still be using a female body, because when he crafted this barrier, he used that as the key to pass through it.”

“Dad,” Witch Girl blurted out with a worried look on her face.

Joselyn stared at Witch Girl in a sudden realization that was only confirmed by her sixth sense. “She’s like me…”

“I am sorry,” the Face told his daughter, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I would prefer to protect your privacy, but this is too important…”

Witch Girl slumped over, suddenly looking extremely self-conscious. “I understand…”

The Face slowly looked around the gathered heroes before announcing, “Only those who have changed genders can freely pass through the barrier…” There were some gasps of surprise, and a lot of attention was instantly focused on Witch Girl and Alleycat.

“Circuit Monger used to have a male body,” Icarus pointed out thoughtfully. “And if we assume that the Sinner and the Scepter aren’t replacements, but that they were brought back in new bodies the way Nevermore was…”

“Then three more of our foes will be free to pass through the barrier as well,” Radiant added.

“Alleycat and Witch Girl can pass through the barrier,” the Face said, definitely not sounding happy about it. “And if Hardshell were present, she would be able to go as well. Unfortunately, they do not have the power to defeat all of the enemies within.”

Joselyn stared at Witch Girl and Alleycat, feeling stunned at the revelation that they were both like her. She stepped towards the barrier, whispering, “This is why I had to come…” And with that, she stuck her arm into the barrier, up to her elbow. “What do you know,” she loudly announced, trying not to show how nervous and self-conscious she felt. “I used to be a guy before my powers developed…”

“You too?” Witch Girl blurted out in surprise, and a bit of relief. Joselyn grinned back at her.

“Way to go, sis,” Evie said, coming forward and giving Joselyn a hug. “I know that couldn’t have been easy…”

“It wasn’t,” Joselyn admitted, looking towards the other girls who’d changed genders. “But at least I’m not alone.”

Several seconds later, Mannequin stepped forward and announced, “I used to be a man, before some mad scientist stuffed me in this body…”

She was followed by Lady Hexx, who looked around defiantly and admitted, “I used to be a guy too, until Force knocked me into some toxic waste…”

There were a few gasps at that, and someone exclaimed, “No wonder you went after Force…”

“I can probably pass through the barrier,” Praxis said as she stepped forward.

“I should be able to,” Glamour Girl added as she stepped forward as well. She stared at the barrier with a fierce look of determination. “I couldn’t blast it, but if what you say is right, I should be able to just walk through…”

Chrome stared at Glamour Girl in stunned disbelief. “You were a guy?”

Glamour Girl shrugged, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “I still am,” she answered awkwardly. “Most of the time.”

“Damn,” a little girl zombie stepped forward, obviously not happy. Deadbeat scowled in disgust, muttering, “I guess that means I have to go too…”

“Ditto,” Mystik added, stepping forward and clenching her staff.

Invincible Woman and Ghost Boy shared an odd look before they stepped forward. Ghost Boy, the apparent sidekick, said, “I believe we qualify for entry as well.”

Next, Ms. Miracle and Counterweight stepped forward, obviously volunteering though neither said a word. A number of the heroes stared at Ms. Miracle in surprise, shocked that such a famous hero was one of those who would be able to get through the barrier.

“The original Ms. Miracle was my mom,” she announced, obviously uncomfortable with the attention. “I inherited her form along with her powers.”

“So,” Mega said, giving Ms. Miracle a sympathetic look. “Baron Nevermore didn’t kill you. He killed your mother…”

Several of the Miracle Men stepped close, with Rumor giving her a hug. Joselyn didn’t need her powers to tell her that their relationship was a bit more than just being friends and teammates.

“What the hell,” Kaboom commented as she stepped forward. “Those asshats need to go down. I’m in too.”

“And so am I,” Legacy stated with a dark expression that made Joselyn shudder. “Loki and I have unfinished business.”

“It seems that there is a lot of unfinished business to go around today,” Joselyn’s father said, not looking very happy. “We can’t let that interfere with the job. We have to put our personal issues on hold and remain professional.” He was staring straight at Legacy as he said this.

“Unbelievable,” Icarus exclaimed, staring in surprise at all of the heroes who’d stepped forward. Two of them were from his own team, Faction Zero, but he was clearly stunned by how many of them there were. “We have fifteen…gender switched people…”

“And only one of them is currently male,” the Face pointed, briefly looking at Ghost Boy. “The chances of seem seem…unlikely.”

“Unlikely or not,” Agent Briggs pointed out with a strange expression, “it seems that we have enough people who are able to pass through this barrier, that we can actually send in multiple teams.”

Marvel was standing a short distance behind Joselyn, and commented, “At one time, my fiancé would have been able to go through…but I really don’t think he’d be willing to go through that again…even to save Baltimore. Then again, I think he misses the powers…”

Agent Briggs gave her a curious look, and mused, “I know a sniper who would be perfect for this mission…”

Mystik looked around at all the other volunteers, then turned her attention to the Face. “I can probably change three more people,” she said, holding her staff up a little. “But it would wipe me out for the fight. Still, a three for one trade would probably be worth it…”

“Perhaps,” the Face agreed. “But those three would then be fighting in unfamiliar bodies, and there wouldn’t be time for them to adjust…”

“It takes awhile to get used to it,” Kaboom agreed. “My powers changed when I did, so there’s also that…”

Joselyn looked around, staring at each of the other people who’d stepped forward, stunned by just how many of them there were. When she’d first changed, she’d thought she was a freak, that no one would understand what it was like to go through an overnight sexy change. But as she’d learned, she wasn’t nearly as alone as she’d thought.

While she was standing there, her dad put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and saw him watching her with a worried expression. Of course, that was to be expected. She’d just volunteered to go in and fight some of the world’s most dangerous villains, and the situation was serious enough that he couldn’t say no, though he obviously wanted to.

“Now that we know who can get through the barrier,” he announced, his voice tense, though she knew that most of these people didn’t know him well enough to pick it out. “We need to decide on teams.”

“This blows,” Chrome exclaimed. He looked at Glamour Girl and Deadbeat with the jealously clear in his eyes. “It’s not fair that you two get to go fight the bad guys, while the rest of us are stuck back here, sitting on our asses and twiddling our thumbs…”

“I don’t like it either,” Nike stated grimly. “But we will get our opportunity…”

Zero Kay quickly added, “Once the barrier is down, the rest of us can go in. Until then, we have to be patient…”

“You’re welcome to go in my place,” Deadbeat said, not looking any happier than anyone else was. She took a swig of her beer and grumbled, “Why couldn’t this have happened when I had a guy’s body?”

Julie just stood back, remaining silent as the rest of her team grumbled and complained about how things had been set up. Then she saw the White Knight and the Face move up to the front of the group again, obviously about to say something. She cleared her throat to get her team’s attention, and when that didn’t work, she snapped, “Guys…”

“There are five pillars that are keeping the barrier in place,” the Face announced. “We have to destroy all five in order to remove the barrier, because even a single pillar is capable of maintaining it…at least for a time. Because of that, we have assigned five teams, and each will be responsible for dealing with one of those pillars.”

The White Knight slowly looked around, focusing his attention on those who were about to go through the barrier in order to perform the task. “Needless to say, each of these pillars is guarded by one of the five villains…”

“What about Baron Nevermore?” Shiver asked. “Isn’t he the primary threat?”

“Yes, he is,” the Face responded. “Unfortunately, we don’t currently know where he is. At the moment, our best strategy is to remove the barrier so that the rest us can go in and deal with Baron Nevermore and any of the other remaining threats.”

“I still think I should be on the Force team,” Lady Knight loudly complained to her father. “I mean, I beat him once before, and I can do it again…”

The White Knight put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a worried look. “But he knows you can defeat him that way, and he won’t let you get close enough to try it again. And even worse, he now has a personal grudge against you for the way you humiliated you. If he saw you, he’d go after you with everything he had…”

“And going after Loki is any safer?” she pointed out wryly.

The White Knight winced at that, looking even more worried. “I don’t like you going after him either. If it was up to me, I’d send you home where it was safe, but unfortunately, we need you too much. Remember, don’t take any risks. As soon as Loki is within range, use your mind control and take him out of action. He doesn’t know about you, so that gives you the element of surprise. Use it.”

“Will do,” Lady Knight said, giving her dad a hug. A moment later, Figment came up and gave her a hug as well while the rest of Knight Force gave her advice and reassurances.

Julie looked to her own teammates, Glamour Girl and Deadbeat, who would also be passing through the barrier. She still had a hard time believing that Glamour Girl was really a guy. Then again, that would certainly explain a few things about her and the odd gaps in her knowledge that occasionally came up.

“I’ve been thinking,” Julie announced, stepping forward. She looked to the Face and the White Knight and said, “If I’m channeling a male spirit, I just might be able to get through…”

“You’re more than welcome to come,” Glamour Girl said with a smile. “The more the merrier…”

“Fuck yeah,” Deadbeat agreed. “The Slackers took down Nevermore, so our team can take down this Scepter chick, no problem.”

“Actually,” another voice announced. “I’ll be joining the Scepter team…”

Julie was surprised to see Agent Briggs coming towards them, but she was no longer wearing her nice suit. Instead, she was wearing a black and green costume that looked more like sleek and lightweight armor than straight out spandex. Then, as if to show off, or perhaps demonstrate that the costume wasn’t just for show, she held out her hand, which began to glow green for several seconds.

“That’s a Sanction uniform,” Icarus commented, giving Agent Briggs a curious look.

Julie stared at Briggs in even greater surprise. She’d heard of Sanction, a team of developed that worked for the Developed Affairs Department. From what she’d heard, Sanction was part hero group and part SWAT team, created to not only go after villains, but also rogue heroes.

“It is,” Briggs responded evenly.

Suddenly, Shiver blurted out, “You’re Toxic…”

Briggs scowled at that, fixed him with a steady look and stated, “The real Toxic died a slow and excruciating death several months ago. However, I did use her identity to infiltrate the Black Guild. In fact, that’s why I’m going after Scepter. I have some familiarity with Circuit Monger from my time with the Black Guild, but I need to see the Scepter with my own eyes. I need to see if this is a new Scepter, or if the old one has come back the same way Baron Nevermore has.”

Julie noticed that Mystik was the only one who wasn’t surprised by Briggs’ revelation. “You knew who she was,” Julie exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Mystik responded with a shrug.

“We’ve worked together before,” Briggs explained with a wry smile. She gave Mystik a knowing look, then quickly looked around. “For the purpose of this mission, you can call me…Poison. Yes, I think that will be an appropriate name.”

“Better than Agent Orange,” Mystik joked, looking just a little uneasy.

The Face looked at her and said, “You do remember that there are limitations on who can pass through the barrier.”

“I qualify,” Briggs…Poison stated with a scowl, making it perfectly clear that she was going, and that there was no point arguing with her.

Kaboom looked at Julie and said, “If you can get through the barrier, you’re welcome to join our team.”

“Sure,” Lady Knight agreed with a weak smile. “We’d be happy to have your help.”

The White Knight nodded at that. “That sounds good then.”

Julie gave a nervous smile, then glanced back to the rest of the Slackers, who would remain behind. “First, I’d better find out if I really can or not.”

With that, Julie gave a mental call for help, and almost immediately felt several spirits respond. One of them was not only male, but felt familiar. She’d channeled him before, so reached out to that one and pulled him into her body while she slipped back to make room.

As the spirit took control of Julie’s body, her posture changed while her uniform shimmered and transformed. A second later, her body was dressed in a red and white costume that bore little resemblance to the one she had previously been wearing. Along with the new costume, a sword suddenly appeared in her hand, one with a crimson blade.

“I am Red Blade,” the spirit announced from Julie’s mouth. And though he was using her voice, the tone was noticeably different. “I will assist however I am able.”

“Red Blade,” the Face exclaimed in obvious recognition. “It’s been a long time.”

“That it has,” Red Blade agreed with a smile. “But I’m afraid we don’t have time for reunions.”

Red Blade gave a brief salute with her sword, then turned and walked straight toward the barrier…and then through it. A moment later, everyone else who could, followed right behind her.

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

Gwen reached up and held onto her Witch Girl hat so that the wind didn’t blow it off. She knew that the witch hat was a bit silly, and it came off far too easily in a fight, but it was all part of her image. An image that she’d inherited from her mother.

Not for the first time, Gwen wished that she could teleport the way her dad could, because that would have made it much easier to get to their assigned obelisk. However, she’d inherited her magic from her mom, not from him, so her powers and abilities were quite different than his.

Since Gwen couldn’t simply teleport her assigned team to the obelisk, she’d been forced to find a different means of travel. Fortunately, she had a spell that she’d been working on for the last couple months, and it was nearly perfect for what she needed. At the moment, she was standing atop a small cloud, one which she was riding as if it was some kind of magic carpet. It was odd looking, and more than a little unnerving to ride since there were no walls or seatbelts, but it took her to where she needed to go, and that was what mattered.

Gwen glanced over at her two companions, Alleycat and Mannequin, who rode on the cloud beside her. Alleycat, or Anne, as she was called outside of costume, was one of her teammates in Faction Zero, and one of her friends. Anne had been there after she’d changed, helping her to learn about being a girl, and convincing her that she wasn’t alone. That she wasn’t the only person to ever go through something like that. And though she’d met Mannequin a couple times since joining Faction Zero, she’d had no idea that the blonde woman had once been a guy as well.

“I can’t believe it,” Gwen finally said, looking at Alleycat but glancing to Mannequin. “I mean, how many of us there are… I thought we were the only ones…”

“Yeah,” Alleycat agreed with a scowl. “When I first changed, I thought I was the only one. Now, it must be some kind of weird fad or something, because it looks like everyone is doing it…”

Mannequin chuckled. “I know exactly what you mean. This whole thing is pretty damn weird.” She gave Gwen and Alleycat each a curious look, then shrugged. “I used to drive a rig, until I had a pretty bad accident. Fortunately…or unfortunately…depending on your point of view, it was pretty close to where a couple mad scientists were working. The next thing I know, I wake up with my brains stuffed inside this fembot…”

“Fembot?” Gwen asked in surprise, looking Mannequin over.

“Yeah,” Mannequin responded with a shrug. “I’m a synthoid, or at least my body is. Hell, before Doctor Power fixed me up with more realistic looking skin, I actually did look like a Mannequin…”

“Ouch,” Gwen responded. She’d heard that Mannequin originally had some kind of plastic looking skin, and that she had looked like a Mannequin, but she’d never really seen her like that. It was hard to imagine, and a little creepy to think about.

“What’s your story?” Mannequin asked.

Gwen gave a pained smile as she answered, “My mom was Ms. Witch and when she died, I inherited her powers. This…” She gestured down at herself, “is a side effect.”

“I had a bum ticker,” Alleycat said a moment later. “When I got a transplant, there was some kind of fuck up, and I somehow ended up getting a heart that used belong to Wildcat. Apparently, her powers were in every cell of her body, because it infected me with her DNA and turned me into her clone.”

Gwen nodded at that, having heard Alleycat’s story before. “I wonder how everyone else changed…”

“You can ask them when we’re done,” Alleycat said. “Right now, we’ve got a job to do…”

Gwen didn’t need to see the direction that Alleycat was pointing, to know that they had arrived. A short distance ahead, she could make out an obelisk, right in the middle of an intersection. As they got closer, she could tell that it was made of black stone and that it was about forty feet tall. All in all, the sight of it sent chills down her spine. She could feel the dark magic radiating out of the thing, and that feeling reminded her far too much of her sister Carolynn.

“People,” Mannequin stated, pointing down at the street.

Gwen immediately saw what she meant. The street around the obelisk was filled with people, dozens of them, perhaps as many as a hundred. Gwen wasn’t about to count them to find out. At the moment, they all seemed to be sitting there or sleeping, and the only way she could tell they were alive at all was that a few occasionally moved.

“Are they all stoned?” Alleycat asked in surprise.

Gwen looked around the neighboring buildings and cars, many of which were smashed or burned. From what she could see, it looked like there had been some kind of riot, but now, all those people were sleeping it off. It confused her at first, until she remembered what she’d been warned of.

“This Sinner is supposed to be guarding this thing,” Gwen said, feeling a little self-conscious because she didn’t want to be wrong and look stupid. However, she was pretty sure that she was right. “I think they’re all being affected with sloth.”

“That sounds about right,” Mannequin agreed.

Alleycat nodded. “Either that, or they had a big orgy and are all sleeping it off…” However, since most of the people were clothed, Gwen doubted that, though the idea made her blush.

“I’m taking us down,” Gwen announced, willing the cloud to land.

As soon as it touched the ground, it faded away, leaving the three of them in the middle of the street. She let out a sigh of relief, realizing that she’d used up far more magic with that trick than she’d expected. Now, she would have to be a lot more careful with what she had left.

“All we have to do is destroy that thing,” Gwen said, pointing to the obelisk.

“That shouldn’t be too hard, with all these people napping like this,” Alleycat pointed out with a smirk.

Suddenly, a woman’s voice called out, “Did you really think it was going to be that easy?”

A woman stepped into view, and Gwen could immediately see that she was gorgeous, with a very nice body. She was wearing a tight black leather catsuit, which showed off every curve. However, the long crimson coat that she wore on top of it, obscured the view and spoiled the effect.

“The Sinner,” Alleycat stated grimly.

“You’ve heard of me?” the Sinner responded with a look of delight. “Good. I do so love to revel in a bit of pride and vanity…”

“This is pretty convenient,” Alleycat said, smirking as she took several steps towards the Sinner. “I figured we’d have to go looking for you…”

“Time to get up, you lazy losers,” the Sinner called out with a sneer. “I let you rest and recharge long enough…”

Before she’d even finished speaking, all the people who were sprawled out along the street and sidewalks began to get up. “Please,” one woman cried out with a desperate, almost haunted look in her eyes. “Let me go…” Suddenly, the woman’s expression changed and there was an almost hungry look on her face as well.

“These…heroes,” the Sinner announced, spitting out the word ‘heroes’ almost as if it was a profanity, “have developed powers. It is so unfair that they have powers and you don’t…”

“I want powers,” exclaimed the woman who’d just been begging a couple seconds earlier. “Give them to me…”

The woman suddenly charged straight at Mannequin, while the rest of the newly active crowd exploded into movement. Gwen let out a gasp of surprise as a wave of people began rushing towards them, their expressions all radiating greed, envy, or mindless rage.

“Look out,” Alleycat yelled, an instant before she was surrounded by people who were trying to desperately grab at her. She flailed out, punching and kicking the people back, though Gwen noticed that she wasn’t using her claws. After all, these people weren’t the enemy. They were the Sinner’s victims.

“Leepsay,” Gwen called out, holding out her hands and pushing out the magic which caused half a dozen people to collapse to the ground, sound asleep. However, other people charged right over them, practically trampling them. She desperately backed away, trying again, “LEEPSAY.” This time, she hit people at the edges of the crowed, who were less likely to get run over once they were no longer moving.

Mannequin was strong and tough, and was casually tossing people away from herself, though she appeared to be holding back. “Damn,” she exclaimed, looking frustrated.

The Sinner had vanished from sight, disappearing into the crowd, though her laughter could still be heard. “You heroes disgust me,” her voice called out. “So self-righteous and hypocritical…”

“Come on out here so I can kick your ass,” Alleycat demanded, pausing only a moment before returning to her desperate fight with the crowd.

“I don’t think that would work out well for me,” the Sinner responded. “I think I’ll just stay back and let these innocent bystanders tear you apart. That should be entertaining…”

“Luegay,” Gwen exclaimed, and suddenly a dozen of her desperate attackers became frozen in place, with their feet not coming free of the pavement. “Allway,” she added a moment later, creating a glowing wall of energy in front of her, which kept anyone from coming at her head on.

“Howe the hell are we supposed to beat that superfreak bitch if we can’t even see her?” Alleycat demanded in frustration. “And when we’ve got to deal with these assholes…”

“It’s like being stuck in a zombie movie,” Mannequin agreed, throwing a man into the middle of a group and knocking them all over.

Shouts of “Give me,” and “Mine,” kept coming from the crowd, which Gwen supposed was better than having them chant, “Brains.”

Gwen looked around frantically, trying to see the Sinner, as well as figure out how to deal with this crowed. So far, about the only thing she was doing was picking them off a couple at a time, and using up all her magic. If she ran out, she was helpless. Then, as she looked around, she saw the black obelisk and gasped in realization.

“We don’t have to beat the Sinner,” Gwen called out to her. “We only need to take down the obelisk…”

“Good thinking,” Alleycat agreed.

Gwen took a deep breath, gathered her magic, and yelled, “Attershay,” unleashing her spell at the obelisk. The stone suddenly began to crack and shatter, but not enough to destroy it. She was too far away and couldn’t put enough power into the spell. “I guess I’ll have to try it again…”

Before Gwen could cast the spell for a second time, the Sinner stepped out of the crowd. She actually stopped to give a sexy pose, commenting, “I’m afraid, I can’t let you do that, little girl…”

“That’s Witch Girl,” Gwen corrected the villain, right before shouting, “Irefay,” and unleashing one of her favorite spells, a fireball which flew right at the Sinner. Unfortunately, the Sinner jumped to the side and managed to avoid being hit. And even worse, there was a scream of pain from the man who’d been standing behind her, and who was now engulfed in flames. Gwen gasped in horror. “Oh my God…”

The Sinner just laughed. “This party was definitely worth coming back to the dead for.” Then she stepped back into the crowd, using the civilians as a shield. “Now, to turn this into a real party... An orgy.”

Gwen had barely absorbed what the Sinner said, when she suddenly felt it…an unbearable horniness. Her groin…her breasts…her entire body ached to be touched. She felt a burning, desperate, and primal need for sex.

Lady Knight had warned her that the old Sinner could do this and that the new one might be able to as well, but Gwen hadn’t been concerned. After all, she had a spell that could protect her from mental influence, though she was now so distracted by her need for sex, that there was no way she could focus on using it.

Without any conscious thought, Gwen grabbed the nearest person, a middle-aged woman who was old enough to be her mother, and began to kiss her and tear off her clothes. At the moment, Gwen didn’t care who she had sex with, as long as she had sex. The woman responded with an equal level of frantic desperation.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Mannequin yelled, suddenly yanking Gwen away from the other woman. She shoved Gwen back, though Gwen immediately ran for the next person she saw, Alleycat. “Stop that you two… Focus.”

Gwen completely ignored Mannequin, at least until the blonde woman grabbed her gain, then she became the next target for Gwen’s desires. As Gwen was pushed back and held at a distance, a part of her realized that Mannequin was somehow immune…much to her great disappointment. That was probably due to Mannequin being some kind of android, but she didn’t care.

The Sinner’s cruel laugher filled the air. “I do so love to see such fine upstanding heroes like yourselves, cutting loose and enjoying yourselves…”

“Let them go, you sick bitch,” Mannequin exclaimed, holding her hand out and firing blast of energy from her palm. The blast nearly hit the Sinner, who was now exposed since those people she had been hiding behind, where now sprawled out on the ground, frantically kissing, groping, and removing their clothes so that they could do more. Still, the villainess moved faster than Mannequin had expected, and soon found cover again.

“So, you’re the ultimate prude,” the Sinner taunted Mannequin. “If lust doesn’t work for you, perhaps something else. What is your defining sin? Pride? Anger?”

Mannequin didn’t respond to her taunting, at least not verbally. Instead, she held both of her arms out, and suddenly, her forearms split open and small weapon systems emerged. A second later, six tiny missiles, each the size of a large marble, were fired out. The Sinner dove for cover, though it quickly became obvious that the weapons hadn’t been aimed at her. All six missiles hit the side of the obelisk, exploding and creating large holes in the stone.

“As much as you need to be taken down,” Mannequin announced. “You aren’t our first priority.”

“No,” the Sinner exclaimed, staring at the shattered and crumbling obelisk with a mixture of rage and fear. “Nevermore will be furious…”

“Good,” Mannequin responded, closing her forearms back up again, then firing multiple blasts of energy at the obelisk from her hands. The stone crashed to the ground, becoming nothing more than a pile of rubble.

Since the Obelisk had been destroyed, Mannequin turned her attention back to their secondary priority, the Sinner. However, the Sinner ran back into the crowd, which suddenly lost interest in sex, and instead launched into a violent frenzy. As what had been the beginnings of an orgy transformed into a riot, Mannequin turned, grabbed Gwen and Alleycat, flung each of them over a shoulder, and then ran the other direction.

Once Mannequin was far enough away, and Gwen and Alleycat had calmed down, she carefully set them on the ground and asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Oh my God,” Gwen exclaimed, turning bright red and being unable to look at Alleycat, whom she’d been kissing and trying to undress a short time earlier.

“Pissed off,” Alleycat responded with a scowl, glaring back in the direction they’d come.

Gwen gulped, then asked, “What now?” She looked at Mannequin. “You blew up that pillar, so our mission is done…”

“Maybe,” Alleycat said. “But I don’t like the idea of letting that bitch run loose…” She looked at Gwen and Mannequin. “You saw what she did to those people…”

“Me either,” Mannequin admitted. “We were supposed to blow the obelisk and go back, but I’m fine with staying to deal with the Sinner if you two are.”

“I’m in,” Alleycat immediately stated, looking to Gwen.

Gwen winced, thinking about how easily the Sinner had taken control of her…and made her feel those things. “I…I have a spell that might protect us from her,” she admitted, giving a self-conscious smile. “I was a little too distracted to use it before, but if I use it before she hits us with anything else…”

“And if it doesn’t work,” Mannequin added with a grim smile, “I seem to be immune, so should be able to deal with her.”

Alleycat nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe, you should deal with the Sinner, while we deal with anyone she has under control.”

Gwen nodded her agreement while Mannequin said, “Sounds good to me.”

Then Gwen looked back in the direction they’d come, seeing the violent rioting that was occurring just down the street. She had no doubt that the Sinner was using the chaos as a distraction while she escaped, since without the obelisk to guard, she no longer had any reason to remain.

“She…reminds me a bit of Carolynn,” Gwen admitted with a slightly shaky voice.

Alleycat put a gentle hand on Gwen’s shoulder and nodded her understanding. “I can see that.”

Mannequin just gave her a curious look, obviously not knowing about her sister. Carolynn had been Gwen’s older sister, but she’d embraced a dark and twisted form of magic, had murdered their mother, and had then become a villain called Ms. Bitch. As it was, Gwen was suddenly thankful that Baron Nevermore hadn’t recruited Carolynn the way he had these other villains.

Then with a deep scowl, Gwen wiped off her uniform, adjusted her witch hat, which by some miracle, had not been lost the earlier chaos, and announced, “Let’s go find that bitch and stop her.”

This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones, but I'll make up for it with the next one.

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In the middle of Baltimore was a large clearing, which had once been a beautiful park, with luscious green grass, a scattering of trees, as well as benches and playground equipment. However, all of that was now gone, as the park and everything within had been completely and utterly destroyed. Now, where the park had once been, there was a field of black stone.

In the middle of this field, sitting atop a pile of what appeared to be human skulls, was a throne, made of black stone. Nevermore sat upon the throne, silently contemplating her surroundings. Her glowing red eyes slowly swept over the area in front of her, though she scarcely noticed the hideous and deformed creatures which she’d scattered about as guards.

Nevermore had chosen this city as the location of her ritual, because this was where HE had been buried. The writer. She remembered the writer with a certain fondness, though she would never admit as much to anyone else, not even her most trusted servants. That kind of weakness could never be revealed to another.

When Nevermore had first come to this world, she and her servants had been stripped of their power by the journey. Her servants had been trapped in raven form, while she had been left with barely enough magic to light a candle.

The writer had been the first human they spoke to, and with him she had struck a deal. The writer acted as her guide, teaching her about this world and helping her to begin the slow process of rebuilding her power. In return, she had provided him inspiration and taught him the power of fear. In her own way, she’d considered him a friend, as much as she could any of his kind.

It seemed appropriate to Nevermore, that after all this time, she would finally achieve her true objective, so close to the resting place of the one who had helped her begin. Of course, she had no idea if the writer would approve of the terror she was unleashing, or whether he would be horrified at his own unwitting hand in causing it. Nor did she truly care. It was enough that he bear witness, as that symbolism would strengthen the ritual.

Then, Nevermore’s thoughts shifted from her former ally, to her present ones. Each of them had been carefully selected, not only for their power, but also for their ability and willingness to help her build the power she required.

Force had once been a hero of great power…and great ego. His own arrogance had been his undoing, and was the tool she used to manipulate him. Of course, Nevermore knew Force was not quite as oblivious as he seemed. The former hero was attempting to play her, to lure her into a false sense of security so that she would lower guard to him. The fool. He was unskilled in deception, and his efforts were obvious, though admittedly, almost amusing in their clumsiness.

Nevermore also knew that sooner or later, Force would turn on her. His pride would demand it of him. Either he would attempt to take her throne and power for himself, or he would succumb to his own delusions again, and decide that by defeating her, he would prove himself to be the ultimate hero. With Force, either was a possibility, though not ones that she was concerned with.

Circuit Monger was a useful ally, and even more predictable than Force. She had eagerly discarded her humanity and everything that came with it, and had embraced existence as a machine. Now, the only thing that Circuit Monger cared about, was gathering new information, and as long as Nevermore helped her to achieve that goal, and offered knowledge not found elsewhere, she would continue to serve.

And then there was Loki, a powerful agent of chaos and destruction, yet also a weak and foolish pawn. Loki was a pawn, not only of Nevermore, but also of the creature within his own staff. That dark and malevolent being thrived on chaos, and manipulated Loki much the way that Nevermore’s treacherous servant Ebon had manipulated the previous Scepter. That being was the source of Loki’s power, and the one Nevermore was truly concerned with. Of course, it was only a matter of time before that being grew bored with its current pawn and sought another.

Out of all of Nevermore’s allies, the Scepter was the least experienced, yet also the one with the most potential. Not long ago, the woman had been one of the weak and useless masses, until she encountered Ebon, who decided that she would be his new puppet. Ebon had reshaped her mind and personality, consuming her conscience and giving her a hunger for power. With her newfound ambition, the Scepter had eagerly enslaved her would be master, and might one day challenge Nevermore herself…if she survived long enough to gather that level of power.

Finally, there was the Sinner, who, unlike Nevermore’s other allies, was her own creation and obedient servant. Nevermore was the one who found the Sinner, back when she’d been a bitter and resentful young man, and had given him power and direction. When the Sinner had died, Nevermore had been the one to bring him back, and to provide a new body. The Sinner was a useful servant, though also a deeply flawed one.

Nevermore had carefully selected each of these allies because they were powerful, merciless, willing to do what she required, and of course…utterly expendable. Just as importantly, each of them was also so focused on their own interests and obsessions, that they would not think to question Nevermore’s ultimate goal, or what it might mean for them. That was necessary, as she wouldn’t have been able to trust them with their assigned tasks, if they realized how unlikely they were to survive what was to come.

“My allies have planted the obelisks,” Nevermore quietly mused to herself. “We have sown the seeds of terror, and now it is time to harvest.”

Each obelisk was infused with her power, and once each of them had been placed, they allowed her to form the barrier that would prevent anyone outside of this city from interfering with her plans. The barrier was powerful, and would take a great deal of time and power, if anyone was going to penetrate it. By the time any of her enemies was able to do so, it would be far too late.

Nevermore smiled faintly, though it was one of cruel satisfaction. As the rules of magic required, all spells of that level had a flaw. However, a skilled mage could craft their own flaw, designing it in such a way as to turn it to an advantage. If one did not do that, then the flaw would form on its own, uncontrolled and perhaps even unseen until it was too late.

Nevermore had turned the flaw in her barrier into a doorway, one that would not only allow her to pass through freely, but two of her allies as well. It would take a great deal of time before her enemies discovered exactly what that flaw was, and she knew that even if they discovered this flaw, they would not be able to make use of it without time to prepare.

“The barrier will prevent outside interference,” Nevermore announced. “For once, I am able to gather the power I require, without concern for this world’s guardians…”

“Perhaps,” Munin agreed cautiously, from where he stood a short distance from the throne. “But there is always the possibility that Baltimore has guardians of its own, heroes who have yet to make their presence known. This is something we must guard against.”

Nevermore didn’t respond to her servant’s comments, though she knew he was correct. Of course, she had already taken that possibility into account, which was why each of the obelisks was guarded, and why she’d created a small army of creatures. If any heroes attempted to interfere this time, they would find her ready. This time, she could not afford to lose.

For the first time in more than a century, the dimensions were in alignment. Now, after all this time, she could do more than merely gather power. Now, she could finally use that power to achieve her goal.

Of course, she had to finish gathering the power. Nevermore had not created the obelisks and barrier merely to keep interlopers away. She’d also created them to help her gather the power she required. She drew power from fear and death, and she had ensured that this city was filled with both. The barrier gathered up that power, while the obelisks transferred it to her throne, where she could use it.

“The day is finally at hand,” Nevermore stated, a faint hint of eagerness in her voice, though only her loyal servants would hear it. “After all this time…”

Nevermore held out her hand and began to focus some of the power she’d gathered. The black stone ground, where a swing set had stood a mere day earlier, began to crack and melt. Two black stone pillars began to form, fifteen feet apart from each other. They slowly rose up, until they reached a height of twenty feet, then the tops began to bend towards each other. Once the two pillars touched, they fused into a single stone arch.

Suddenly, Nevermore felt a disturbance in her power and instantly knew that one of the obelisks had fallen. “The Sinner,” she stated after a moment, recognizing which of the pillars it had been.

Munin cautiously asked, “May I ask what is troubling you?”

“It seems your concerns have proven valid,” she answered grimly, turning her attention to the ground before her throne.

The stone shattered and melted, sinking down and filling with a crimson liquid. Once the pool had filled, Nevermore finished the spell and images began to appear in the blood. She saw the obelisk, now a pile of rubble in the street. The Sinner was on the run, having abandoned her station now that it had fallen. And then, Nevermore saw the heroes, three women in costume.

“The heroes that you spoke of,” Nevermore mused. “It seems that they have made their move.”

“The Sinner failed,” Munin stated in a dark tone that was filled with disapproval. Beside him, Hugin silently nodded agreement.

Nevermore scowled and her eyes burned with an even darker malevolence than they had a moment before. The Sinner was a useful servant, one she had spent years grooming, yet one who was ultimately expendable. If the Sinner survived the heroes, then Nevermore would punish her for her failure. But at the moment, she had more immediate concerns.

The loss of one obelisk was an annoyance, though not a true threat to her plans. Her barrier would remain standing, and she would continue to gather the power she required. However, the fact that any heroes were present within the barrier, was cause for concern, and one that would need to be dealt with.

Joselyn slowly looked around, feeling an odd mixture of nervousness and awe as she saw a flat grey desert which stretched out in every direction as far as her eyes could see. Even the sky was dull and gray, seeming just as barren and lifeless as everything else around here.

“We’re almost there,” Legacy announced. “We’re almost out of the Empty.”

Joselyn nodded at that and looked at Legacy, who had a said air around her and radiated a grim intensity. Of course, Joselyn understood why. If she’d been through what Legacy had, losing all of friends and then ending up in one of their bodies, she would probably have been the same way.

“I came close enough to it,” Joselyn quietly reminded herself.

She looked at Legacy again, remembering how she’d lost her own family and her old body. Unlike Legacy, she’d been able to get her family back, otherwise, she might have become just like her.

“This place is pretty creepy,” Kaboom announced, gesturing in a direction, which appeared to be at random. “Everywhere you look…nothing.”

“It is called the Empty for a reason,” Legacy announced wryly.

Joselyn snickered at that. After they’d stepped through the barrier, Legacy had used her magic cloak to open a portal into another dimension, one which she insisted would be a shortcut to the obelisk. It wasn’t quite teleporting, since they had to do a bit of walking while in the Empty, but it was a much shorter distance than if they’d tried going to the obelisk directly.

“I couldn’t use the Empty to get past the barrier,” Legacy said, answering the question that Joselyn had. “But once we got through the barrier, I could travel within it.”

“I knew the Traveler,” Red Blade commented. “I traveled this way with him once before.”

That drew Joselyn’s attention to her. Red Blade was a ghost, who was possessing Channel’s body, so the whole situation was extremely strange and creepy. But in spite of that, Red Blade had been a hero while alive, and was trying to help them, which earned a lot of goodwill.

Joselyn had heard of Red Blade before, both the current one and the original, who’d been killed and who was now walking beside her. In fact, she was pretty sure that her dad had fought alongside him once or twice.

“What’s it like?” Joselyn abruptly asked Red Blade. “I mean, is Channel in there with you?”

She frowned, thinking that it would have to be weird, to share your body with someone you didn’t even know. It would have to be extremely strange for Channel, who did it over and over again.

“She is present,” Red Blade admitted. “She can see and hear everything I do. In fact, I am here at her sufferance, and could be removed at any time I become inconvenient.” She didn’t seem to be the least bit bothered by that fact. “For now, she has given me the honor helping to fight these villains.”

“We’re here,” Legacy announced, abruptly stopping.

Joselyn looked around, seeing absolutely nothing to differentiate this spot from any other, which made her wonder how Legacy knew that this was the one. But before she could act, Legacy suddenly swirled her cloak, which seemed to grow and expand, covering all four of them for a brief moment. When Legacy snapped the cloak back, Joselyn saw that they were now standing in the middle of a grocery store parking lot.

“That was impressive,” Joselyn admitted. Then she looked around and saw the obelisk, no more than fifty feet away from them. “And convenient.”

“Definitely,” Kaboom added with an easy grin. “I still prefer flying though. Now, I believe we have an ass to go kick.”

“Careful,” Legacy warned Kaboom with a glare. “You have no idea how dangerous Loki is. You have no idea what he’s capable of…”

“Look at our surroundings,” Red Blade added a moment later, drawing her crimson bladed sword and looking around with a deep scowl.

Joselyn looked around, seeing signs of destruction. There were several lumps of melted metal, which looked like they had once been cars. There was a large sinkhole in the middle of the street, with the back end of a city bus just barely sticking out from the top. And then there were the statues. There were about two dozen statues scattered about, each looking like a person who was running away in terror. Her power informed her that these were not just statues, and that each and every one of them was a person who’d been killed.

“This guy is a monster,” Joselyn agreed, feeling a chill down her spine. She’d heard about what Loki had done to the Seven, but seeing the results of his power for herself, was still rather shocking. She tried to figure out where Loki was, and a moment later, her powers warned her. “He’s over there…” She couldn’t see Loki, but she knew that he was in that direction.

“That’s not fair,” Loki’ exclaimed, seconds before he suddenly became visible.

Joselyn had known about where he was at, but his sudden appearance still managed to startle her. In spite of his reputation and what he’d done, he didn’t actually look all that dangerous, except for left arm, which was clawed and covered with red scales. “Some kind of invisibility or camouflage…”

“You gave me away, before I was ready,” Loki continued smugly. “And here, I was planning to fuck with you before I got serious…” Then he paused and his attention went to Legacy, who stood there glaring at him with a look of pure hatred, as though she could kill with her looks alone. “YOU,” he spat out viciously, obviously carrying a grudge of his own. “You’re that fucking bitch from the Seven…”

“My name is Legacy,” she announced in sharp and angry voice. “As in, you murdered the Seven, and I carry their legacy…”

Before Legacy had even finished saying this, she used her telekinesis to grab a chunk from a shattered brick wall, and flung it at the villain. “Protect me,” Loki commanded, and suddenly a wall of smoke formed between him and the debris, blocking it as though the smoke was solid. As soon as the shattered brick fell to the ground, Loki held out his staff and yelled, “Kill them…”

The thick wall of smoke, which had just finished blocking Legacy’s attack, solidified and formed into dozens of black spikes that hung into the air, for only a second before they exploded out like a shotgun blast. Joselyn saw them coming in time to drop to her knees and form a glowing pink disk in front of her, which stopped two of the spikes that would have otherwise hit her. Legacy snapped around, swirling out her cloak so that it covered her and Red Blade. Black spikes tore through her cloak, but never emerged from the other side. Joselyn instinctively knew that they’d been sent to the Empty.

“He’s a vicious bastard,” Kaboom announced, glowing with an orange force field that protected her from the attack. She flew up into the air, concentrating the energy around her fists so that they both burned with an orange glow. “Now it’s my turn…”

“Wait,” Joselyn called out, trying to remind her of the plan, but it was too late.

Kaboom flew straight towards Loki, yelling, “Hey, asshat,” right before firing an explosive blast.

The blast hit where Loki had been standing, but the villain was already gone, having vanished an instant before being struck. He reappeared a short distance away, looking momentarily confused before holding out his staff and calling out, “Destroy them…”

A blast of green energy erupted from Loki’s staff and spread out like a wave. Joselyn suddenly found herself floating up into the air, above the wave, courtesy of Legacy’s telekinesis. At the same time, Kaboom grabbed Red Blade and flew her out of the way.

“Holy shit,” Joselyn cried out, watching the green wave wash over some cars, which were melted and scorched when it passed, until it slammed into the wall of a building and vanished, taking part of the wall with it. She looked to Legacy and said, “Thanks for the save…”

“Your dad would never forgive me if I let you get hurt,” Legacy responded with a faint smile, before adding, “You know, he told me about you…said that I should talk to you about the whole sex change…”

“He mentioned something like that to me too,” Joselyn responded with a wry smile. “But I think that conversation should wait…”

“Agreed,” Legacy said, setting Joselyn back down.

“KILL THEM,” Loki cried out, holding his staff out.

Suddenly, the stone statues all began to move. They shifted and turned, then came straight at the heroes. One of the statues charged Red Blade, swinging a stone fist with obvious intention to kill, though Red Blade jumped back and dodged the attack.

“Careful,” Red Blade warned. “These are civilians…innocent victims of Loki’s power…”

Legacy used her telekinesis to push several of the stone people away from her, while Joselyn formed a pair of glowing pink daggers, one for each hand. Kaboom landed on the ground near them, her hands glowing with a bubbling orange energy.

“No,” Joselyn responded, feeling out with her sixth sense and ‘knowing’ that these statues were not alive. Though they used to be human, they had been killed when Loki turned them to stone. “They aren’t alive… They’re just stone zombies…”

“I can kill zombies,” Kaboom responded grimly. “Let’s do this…”

Kaboom lunged forward and punched one of the statues, who had once been an attractive woman. As soon as her fist connected with the statue, there was an explosion, and the stone woman was reduced to shattered gravel.

“Please forgive me for this necessity,” Red Blade said as she swung her sword, slicing through two of the statues in one swing, then lunged forward and impaled a third.

Joselyn threw both of her daggers, both of which hit their target, a statue what had once been a fat and balding man. The blades both sunk into his chest and stomach, but didn’t slow him at all.

“My powers aren’t going to do much against these things,” Joselyn warned the others, forming a pink force field disk in front of her, right before the statue’s fist slammed into it. She stepped back, trying to think of a plan.

“You sick bastard,” Legacy exclaimed, using her telekinesis to slam statues together until they shattered. Then she held out her right hand, revealing that the entire arm was made of black metal. A beam of red energy shot out of her palm, being directed at Loki. “You murdered these people, and then you do this to their bodies…”

“Protect me,” Loki cried out, an instant before a shimmering black disk appeared in the air in front of him, blocking Legacy’s attack.

“Don’t worry,” Loki responded with a smirk. “You’ll be joining them soon enough…” Then he swung his staff and yelled, “BREAK THEM!”

The ground in front of Loki suddenly shattered, and a massive crack began to form, spreading directly towards where Red Blade and Kaboom were standing. Kaboom grabbed Red Blade and lifter her off the ground, just a moment before the ground split open into a crevasse beneath their feet. Half a dozen statues fell into the opening and were lost.

Joselyn snarled in frustration, then looked to Legacy, who was getting more pissed off by the moment. She was pretty sure that if this kept up much longer, Legacy was going to lose it.

“Legacy,” Joselyn cried out. One she had the woman’s attention, she gestured towards Loki and said, “Can you get me closer to him?”

For a moment, Joselyn didn’t think that Legacy was going to comply, but then the cloaked woman responded, “I understand…”

Joselyn began to float off the ground, courtesy of Legacy’s telekinesis. A moment later, she was thrown in Loki’s direction. She grimaced, formed a pink force field disk to protect herself with, then hit the ground and rolled.

“You bitches are getting on my fucking nerves,” Loki exclaimed in annoyance. “I’m gonna do the same thing you do that I did to those Seven losers…”

“LOSERS?” Legacy yelled furiously, firing two more blasts of red energy at Loki.

Joselyn cursed and kept her force field disk ready, to protect her from accidentally getting hit by Legacy. Then, she turned her attention back to Loki and yelled, “Loki. Drop your staff.”

Loki turned to look at Joselyn in surprise, dropping his staff as he did so. “Why the hell would I do that?” Then he paused, suddenly realizing that he’d already done as she commanded.

“I’ve got it,” Legacy called out, using her telekinesis to grab the staff and toss it aside, well out of Loki’s reach.

“Stay right where you are,” Joselyn commanded, pushing with her mind control power, ensuring that Loki was truly trapped and defeated. “Your feet are glued to that spot.”

Loki looked confused for a moment, then horrified and angry. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?”

“Mind control,” Joselyn responded with a smirk. “I once took Force down the same way, so don’t feel too bad about being a helpless little bitch. Then again, you just got your ass handed to you by a teenage girl, so you should feel humiliated…”

“You defeated Force?” Kaboom asked her in surprise. “Then why aren’t you on that team?”

“Because Force knows what I can do now,” Joselyn responded with a smirk. “And he would have hit me hard and fast, before I had a chance to do it again. And of course, the last time I met him, I made him shit his pants, so he’d probably want revenge on me…”

Legacy came forward, glaring at Loki with a cold hard expression. “I should have killed you the last time. I never should have let you go to prison…”

“We are heroes,” Red Blade reminded her. “Not executioners.”

“What you are,” Loki answered with a smug look that suddenly had Joselyn worried, “is dead.”

“He’s up to something,” Joselyn warned, only to see Loki’s staff flying through the air and right into his outstretched hand.

“Protect me from her mind control,” Loki commanded.

Black smoke began to form and swirl around Loki, but Joselyn could still see the villain within it. However, what she saw was Loki dropping to his knees and screaming in agony as his body began to shift and change.

“What’s happening to him?” Kaboom demanded with a look of surprise.

Loki screamed, his voice changing and becoming higher pitched. Then Joselyn’s eyes shot wide as she realized how Loki was changing. His hair was growing longer. His chest was pushing out into two mounts. When the smoke cleared, Joselyn could see that Loki had become a woman.

“He turned into a girl,” Kaboom blurted out the obvious.

Loki stood up and looked down at himself…at herself, and gasped in shock and horror. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?”

“You did that to yourself,” Legacy stated, looking almost amused. “Talk about karma…”

Loki snapped around and screamed, “DIE!”

A blast of flame shot out of Loki’s staff, though Legacy suddenly vanished, stepping into the Empty. She stepped right back out a moment later, after the fireball had gone past.

“Lady Knight,” Red Blade called out. “If you would unarm her again…”

“I…I can’t,” Joselyn admitted in horror. “My mind control only works on guys… Loki made himself…herself immune…”

“Of course,” Kaboom grumbled. “We can’t ever do anything the easy way. I guess we’ll just have to kick her ass the old fashioned way…”

“When has a villain ever gone down the easy way?” Red Blade asked with a chuckle.

“She has a point,” Joselyn reluctantly admitted.

Red Blade charged straight at Loki, with a grim look on her face that told Joselyn that there would be no mercy. “Don’t let her touch me,” Loki ordered, just a moment before a glowing red disk appeared beneath her feet and lifted her up into the air, out of Red Blade’s reach.

“Hey, asshat,” Kaboom yelled, flying straight for Loki.

“Stop her,” Loki commanded.

A moment later, thick chains appeared around Kaboom, wrapping around her, with a long length stretching out and being anchored to the ground. Kaboom was yanked to a halt, then began to struggle with the chains. Red Blade immediately rushed over to where the chains were anchored to the ground, using her blade to slice right through the metal links.

Legacy reached the bracer on her left forearm, and was suddenly holding a bow, that appeared to be made out of bone. She drew back and fired an arrow of hellfire. Loki yelled out, “Protect me,” and the arrow suddenly changed direction, hitting the wall of a nearby building and burning a large hold through it. Loki smirked as she commanded, “Give me armor to protect me…” The words had barely left her mouth when black smoke swirled around her, then solidified into red and black chitinous armor, that covered her body from the neck down. “Now, I’m gonna kick all your asses…”

“Pretty cocky for someone who accidentally turned herself into a chick,” Kaboom mocked Loki, who glared back with an expression of hatred.

Joselyn watched, feeling nervous and frustrated. She wasn’t a heavy hitter, at least not with her physical powers, and they were almost useless against someone like Loki…who was now in the air and out of her reach. And now that Loki had transformed into a woman, Joselyn’s mind control wouldn’t work on her either. She needed to find something she could do, because she hadn’t come though the barrier just to stand around looking pretty.

“I’m gonna kill you all,” Loki screamed. “I’m gonna level this fucking city to the ground. Nevermore told me to cut loose, so I’m gonna give it to her…”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Joselyn gasped, seeing the manic look in Loki’s eyes.

At one time, Loki had just been a smalltime anarchist, the kind of punk who caused as much trouble as he possibly could, because it gave him a feeling of power. But then, Loki somehow acquired that magic staff, which gave him real power, and the ability to spread chaos and destruction at a level that even he’d never imagined. Now, Joselyn knew that Loki was about to push the limits of that power, and it wouldn’t be good for anyone.

“STOP HER,” Joselyn yelled, hoping that her team could distract Loki before the anarchist could do whatever she intended.

“One shot,” Legacy stated grimly as she took aim with her strange bow. “One good shot and I end this for good…”

Before Legacy could unleash her hellfire arrow, a smoky figure began to take form in the space between her and Loki. In mere seconds, the thick black smoke solidified, revealing a massive creature that stood thirty feet tall, and was all black, except for a pair of malevolent red eyes. Joselyn could only stare at the monster, which looked to be a fusion of a crab and a gorilla, and which was not only covered in armored shell, but also had a pair of massive crab claws.

“Not another damn monster,” Legacy exclaimed as she fired the arrow at the creature.

The arrow struck the monster in its armored, crab-like head, and seemed to burn into the shell, without doing any serious damage. Still, the creature bellowed, letting out a deafening shriek that made Joselyn cover her ears. Then the creature lunged forward, swinging its massive claws, each of which was the size of a small car. Legacy flew back, right before one of the claws passed through the spot she’d just been. Then it lunged forward again, smashing the other set of claws along the face of a building, sending a wave of shattered stone and glass falling to the ground behind it.

“There are still people in those buildings,” Joselyn cried out a warning to her team, knowing that every minute that creature existed, the more innocent people could be killed.

Kaboom flew at the monster as fast as she could, with both of her hands burning with orange energy. She hit the monster with a two fisted slam, and her power released an explosion that would have made even Grendel pause and take notice, though the Crab creature merely howled in rage and turned to swing it’s claws. Joselyn saw that the shell had been cracked a little where Kaboom hit, but not nearly enough.

Red Blade ran forward and slashed the monster’s leg, though the creature didn’t seem to even notice it. “Legacy,” she called out. “Can you give me a lift?” She used her sword to gesture towards the creature’s head. Legacy nodded, then used her telekinesis to left Red Blade into the air, dropping her at the spot where Kaboom had cracked the shell. Without hesitation, Red Blade drove her sword in, all the way to the hilt.

The monster let out another hideously loud shriek, nearly driving Joselyn to her knees as she scrambled to cover her ears. However, in spite of having been hurt, the monster didn’t go down. Instead, it started lashing out even more frantically, smashing a car, slamming a claw into the side of a building, and then snapping its other claw towards Legacy.

“It’s like a two year old throwing a temper tantrum,” Joselyn muttered, thinking about how bad Evie and Katie used to be back when they’d been toddlers.

“Smash them,” Loki called out in delight. “Stomp on em like fucking ants…”

Joselyn glared at Loki, who was no longer contributing to the fight directly, and who seemed content to just watch for the moment. “Thank God for that,” Joselyn muttered, knowing that if Loki attacked them while they were dealing with the monster, they’d be in even worse trouble. Fortunately, Loki didn’t seem particularly bright. Loki was extremely powerful and incredibly versatile, but Joselyn was starting to get the feeling that her staff was actually the brains of their operation.

For a several seconds, Joselyn thought about how she could sneak up on Loki and attack her while she was distracted, but then she turned her attention back to the rampaging monster. “I have an idea,” she suddenly exclaimed, desperately hoping that it worked. “Kaboom,” Joselyn called out. “Legacy. Hit it again… Get it pissed off and lead it in that direction…” She pointed gestured.

Legacy looked around for a moment, then her eyes lit up in realization. “Good thinking…”

“I don’t know what you have in mind,” Kaboom responded, “but I’m game to try.”

Legacy and Kaboom both attacked the monster, then quickly pulled back. The monster let out another hideously deafening roar, then charged right after the heroes. It violently lashed out with its claws while stomping on the ground. Loki just sat back and laughed.

“Get them my pretty,” Loki yelled out, “And those little bitches too…”

“Come and get me,” Kaboom called out, firing an explosive concussion blast right into the monster’s face.

The monster shrieked and charged straight towards Legacy and Kaboom, while Red Blade held into the sword that was still driven into the creature’s head. The monster stomped through several statues, knocked over a car, and quickly caught up to Legacy, who hovered in the air in front of it, offering an easy target.

“That’s it,” Legacy called out to the beast. “Come and get me…”

“No,” Loki called out frantically. “Stop…”

However, the monster leapt at Legacy, who vanished into the Empty. The creature passed right through where the hero had been, smashing into the black stone obelisk that had been right behind her. With a deafening shriek of frustration, the monster lashed out, smashing the obelisk which toppled over and shattered at its feet.

“Now,” Kaboom exclaimed with a grin. “Let’s see if we can lure that thing towards Loki…”

“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU’VE DONE?” Loki screamed, though Joselyn wasn’t sure if the villain was yelling at them or her own monster. “KILL THEM!”

Loki swung his staff and a dozen giant hornets appeared, shooting out almost as though they were projectiles. Joselyn threw up a force field disk to block one of the dog sized insects, then she snapped around the side and used a glowing pink rapier to stab it in the side. She quickly dodged back, then slashed at a second hornet.

A flash of red hit one of the hornets and killed it, drawing Joselyn’s attention to Legacy, who’d reappeared. “Thanks,” Joselyn called back to her, using the momentary distraction to form a pair of glowing pink daggers, which she threw into the remaining hornet.

Red Blade pulled her sword from the monster’s head, just in time to slice through the three hornets that were attacking her. However, she lost balance when the monster shifted and began to fall. Legacy rushed to save her, leaving Joselyn to focus on two more hornets that were flying in her direction.

“Why do my enemies always have to do the bug theme?” Kaboom joked, right before punching one of the hornets, which exploded from the impact, destroying not only that insect, but the one beside it as well.

Suddenly, the monster snapped around and hit Kaboom, sending her flying into the side of a building. Kaboom pulled herself out of the wreckage a moment later, but she was holding one arm, as though she’d hurt it.

“I fear my blade is not up to this task,” Red Blade exclaimed. “Perhaps, it would be better to replace me with one who would be of more use against that beast…”

Red Blade had barely finished speaking, when her body shimmered and her costume changed. Gone was the red and white, replaced by the blue and violet one that Channel wore. “I’m afraid you’re right,” Channel said as she grimly looked around. “But thank you for your help.” Several seconds later, Channel’s costume shimmered and transformed again, so that she was now wearing a black and violet costume, with a completely different style. Her posture and body language changed as a new spirit took control.

“Its head,” Joselyn called out, using her sixth sense to try finding the monster’s weak spot. Her powers confirmed what she’d already guessed. “Its shell is already cracked on the head…”

“Damn you’re a big one,” Kaboom exclaimed, flying right to the creature’s had and punching it right where she’d previously damaged the shell. Joselyn noticed that she was using only one arm, and was still holding the other as though it was injured. She used her good arm to punch at the monster several more times before Legacy called out for her to get out of the way.

As soon as Kaboom had flown back, Legacy pulled out the strange bow she used, and fired burning arrows into the shattered spot.

The monster roared in pain and lashed out, staggering towards Joselyn who started to run. Suddenly, she floated up into the air, held aloft by telekinesis. She looked to Legacy, only to realize that Legacy was too busy attacking the monster, and the one who’d saved her was currently in Channel’s body.

“Thanks,” Joselyn called out, only to realize that she recognized the costume that Channel’s body currently wore. Her eyes went wide in realization. “You’re Vesper…”

“Yes,” Vesper responded, giving Joselyn a closer look and pointing out, “You’re wearing the White Knight’s symbol on your belt…” The paused for a moment before adding, “Channels says that you’re his daughter…”

“Yeah,” Joselyn said, pointing to the monster. “But maybe we should talk about that AFTER we stop this big ass freak.”

Vesper nodded agreement. “Good point.”

She set Joselyn down on the ground, then floated up to where she could join the fight. She used her telekinesis to fling debris from cards and shattered buildings at the monster’s head.

The monster’s shell had finally been cracked wide open, and two burning arrows went into the creature’s head. It shrieked out yet another deafening bellow, then collapsed to the ground, where thick black blood leaked from its body. For several seconds, Joselyn and the others all just stared at the monster, expecting it to jump back to its feet and continue fighting. Instead, it turned into a thick black smoke and faded away.

Vesper then turned to Legacy and gasped, “Traveler?” However, a moment later, she added, “That’s Hellshot’s bow…”

Legacy snapped around and stared at Vesper, her eyes going wide in shock. “Amelia?”

“You…look like me,” Vesper gasped, looking just as shocked. “Who are you?”

“DIE,” Loki suddenly yelled, drawing everyone’s attention back to the villain.

Almost as one, Legacy and Vesper used their telekinetic powers to throw debris at Loki, though Legacy also drew her bow and fired an arrow of hellfire. The debris hit Loki and sent her flying back from the impact, while the arrow flew right through the space she’d previously occupied.

Loki had been knocked from her floating stone platform and hit the ground, though she quickly scrambled back to her feet, patted her armored chest and laughed. “I’m gonna fuck you up. KILL THEM!”

“Look out,” Joselyn yelled, an instant before the ground exploded beneath them. She formed a glowing pink disk beneath her feet, just in time to protect herself from the shrapnel.

Kaboom was in the air and out of range, though Legacy and Vesper were right in the middle of the impact zone. Legacy threw herself at Vesper, pushing out with her telekinesis at the same time to throw Vesper away from the explosion. Then, Legacy screamed a large piece of concrete slammed into her thigh.

Joselyn stared at Legacy in worry, then looked back to Loki, bracing for another attack. However, she was surprised to see Loki vanishing in a puff of black smoke. Her sixth sense confirmed that Loki really had teleported away, and hadn’t just turned invisible.

“You okay?” Kaboom asked, landing on the ground beside Legacy.

“My leg,” Legacy replied with a grimace. She held her thigh with a look of pain. “Damn. I think I broke it...”

“You did,” Joselyn agreed as she came over. She concentrated on her power. “In two spots.”

“You pushed me out of the way,” Vesper stated, staring at Legacy with a confused expression. “Who are you? Why do you look like me?”

“Amelia,” Legacy whispered, staring back with eyes that were staring to fill up. “That is you in there…isn’t it?”

“You have Traveler’s cloak,” Vesper said, her eyes locked firmly on Legacy. “You have Hellshot’s bow…”

Legacy gave a forced, and obviously pained smile. “I have Umbrella’s umbrella…” She held up her right arm, which was made of black metal. Then she looked away and quietly added, “And I have your body…”

Vesper moved closer, crouching down beside Legacy. “Who are you? How…?”

“I never thought I’d see you again,” Legacy whispered, staring at Vesper with tear filled eyes. “You died. Everyone died…” Then she shook her head before abruptly asking, “Do you remember what Loki did? How he killed you?”

Vesper had a haunted look on her face as she nodded. “I…I was in someone else’s body… My powers weren’t working… And then…”

Legacy grimaced. “Then, Loki killed everyone while they were distracted and off balance. Only two of us survived…” Vesper let out a gasp of shock while Legacy continued. “Karen survived…in Ben’s body. I got stuck in yours.”

“My God,” Vesper gasped, staring at Legacy in horror, and realization. Joselyn could see the flash of understanding in her eyes as she realized that Legacy was one of her old teammates in the Seven. “And you…?”

For a moment, Legacy looked as though she wasn’t going to say a thing. Then she took a deep breath, looked away, and quietly answered, “Everett. I used to be Everett…”

“Everett,” Vesper blurted out in surprise.

“I go by Eve now,” Legacy quickly added.

Jocelyn couldn’t resist pointing out, “I have a sister named Evie…” However, no one paid any attention to her.

“Everett,” Vesper gasped, her own eyes filling with tears. She looked Legacy over and gasped, “What did Loki do to you?”

Without saying another word, the two women began to hug each other, both of them crying. Joselyn felt tears forming in her eyes too, and she’d only met Vesper once before her death. She could only imagine what this surprise reunion meant for Legacy.

Sam stepped through the barrier and immediately felt a chill run down her spine from being so close to that dark power. Her every instinct screamed at her to destroy that barrier, or at least, to stop the one who’d created it. She wasn’t sure how much of that desire was her own, and how much was a side effect of her power.

Now Sam and her team had gone through the barrier, the next step was to find their assigned obelisk and the villain who guarded it. Unfortunately, that was over thirty miles away, which meant that it wasn’t going to be a quick and easy journey. Of course, she could fly there, as could Mystik, but she was pretty sure that neither Deadbeat nor Agent Briggs…Poison could fly. That meant she and Mystik would have to carry them. Sam shuddered at the thought of carrying Deadbeat’s dead and decomposing body, but since Deadbeat was one of her own teammates in the Slackers, she couldn’t very well put that one off on Mystik.

Since Sam wanted to put off touching Deadbeat for as long as possible, she looked over her new team. She knew Deadbeat and had worked with her for some time now, but the other two were almost a complete mystery. Agent Briggs, who was calling herself Poison now that she was in costume, was a DAD agent, which meant that she was probably trained and experienced. However, Mystik was even more of an unknown. All that Sam knew was that she was some sort of magic user, and that she could fly. Sam, had seen Mystik doing so when she’d first arrived on the gathering point.

Then, Sam noticed that Mystik and Poison seemed a bit wary of each other. “I take it that you two know each other,” she commented, remembering that they’d already said as much a short time ago. However, at the time, she’d been distracted by everything else that had been going on and hadn’t paid much attention.

“We’ve worked together before,” Poison carefully responded. “It wasn’t under very good circumstances.”

“You can say that again,” Mystik muttered.

Poison smiled faintly and explained, “I was undercover in the Black Guild, and we worked a couple jobs for them together. At the time, I thought Mystik was a rookie villain, and she probably thought I was a psychotic monster.”

“You did a good job of playing the part,” Mystik pointed out.

“If you were there because you were undercover,” Sam asked Poison, then looking at Mystik, “then why were you there?”

“Because I was a rookie villain,” Mystik answered with a scowl, which surprised Sam.

“What the fuck?” Deadbeat demanded. “You’re a villain?”

“I was.” Mystik just shrugged, as though it was no big deal. “The fact is, I was a small time thief, and when I got my powers, I decided to try for the big leagues. But as it turns out, I wasn’t very good at it…”

Poison smiled faintly. “She started sabotaging half the jobs…or at least…protecting the bystanders. She released a bunch of hostages the Black Guild was holding, saved my life after my cover was blown, and then helped save the world.”

“And she made sure I got a second chance,” Mystik grudgingly admitted as she gestured to Poison. “Ironically, I’m better at being one of the good guys anyway, so that’s what I do now.” Then she gave a wry smile and added, “Besides, my girlfriend made me promise to stay on the straight and narrow.”

“I’m just glad I didn’t waste the effort,” Poison said with a faint nod of approval.

Mystik looked a little self-conscious at that, then gave Poison a curious look. “I thought you were playing dead, so no one from the Black Guild would come after you for what you did. What made you change your mind?”

“This,” Poison answered, gesturing to the barrier with a grim expression. “And this new Scepter. I hate leaving unfinished business, especially after everything I went through to take down the Black Guild and the Scepter.”

“Speaking of which,” Sam said with a glance to Deadbeat and a sigh of resignation. “We should get going.”

Deadbeat nodded. “The sooner we get this thing over with, the sooner I can get a beer.”

“I can take us there,” Mystik announced. “It will take a third of my power, but it will be the fastest way to get to the obelisk.”

“Then do it,” Poison told her.

Mystik held up her gold metallic staff, swung it about in a dramatic fashion, then slammed the base of it into the ground. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and a strange twisting sensation, and then they were somewhere else.

Sam looked around, surprised to see that she was now standing on a grassy lawn, in what appeared to be the suburbs. The homes and street all seemed calm and peaceful, reminding her a great deal of her own home, until she looked at the house across the street. A large black obelisk sat in the middle of a carefully manicured lawn, as if it was some kind of massively oversized lawn ornament.

“What the fuck?” Mystik suddenly exclaimed, which brought Sam’s attention to the base of the obelisk.

A dozen people…men, women and children…were all handcuffed to each other, wrist to wrist, so that they formed a circle around the base of the obelisk. The children, and several adults, were crying, while every one of them looked terrified.

“Hostages,” Poison stated in a grim voice.

“Yeah,” Mystik agreed in identical tone. “This is the Scepter’s style all right…”

Just then, Sam saw a flash of movement from the corner of her eye, but before she could consciously register it, Deadbeat was thrown back. Sam snapped around, only to see Deadbeat’s body on the ground a short distance away…while her head was entirely missing. A gore covered cinderblock tumbled along the ground even further away, before coming to a stop.

“TAKE COVER,” Poison ordered.

Sam flew straight up into the air, a moment before a stop sign flew through the space where she’d been standing a moment earlier. She quickly looked around for the source of the attack, noticing that Poison and Mystik had both run for cover behind a parked car.

“What part of take cover don’t you understand?” Poison snapped.

“I’m going higher,” Sam called back, hoping she could get out of range and get a better view at the same time. After a few seconds, she saw movement from the window of a house, the very one that the obelisk sat in front of. Going back down, she pointed to the house and announced, “I found her…”

“Good,” Poison responded. “She has us pinned down at the moment, but knowing where she’s coming from makes a huge difference…” Then she chuckled faintly and added, “Damn, I wish Harbinger was here for this one. We could use a good sniper, right about now.”

Sam dropped back to the ground, right beside Poison and Mystik, just a second before several rocks and bricks smashed into the other side of the car. They all shifted, prepared to break cover if it began to fail.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” Poison said, glancing around the back of the car and trying to catch a glimpse of Scepter.

“No big deal,” Sam responded with a faint smile. “Once Deadbeat finds a new body, he’ll be back.”

“I am not even going to ask,” Mystik commented.

“Our objective is the obelisk,” Poison reminded them. “Taking out the Scepter doesn’t do any good if we can’t remove the obelisk too.”

“Hard to take that out with the hostages,” Sam reminded her grimly. “If we do anything to knock it down, people are going to get crushed.”

Mystik nodded. “If I get close enough, I can free the hostages or take out the obelisk, but I can’t do either if I have to worry about getting my head knocked off.”

“So, either way, we have to deal with the Scepter,” Sam stated. “I’ll get her attention so you two can move in.”

Sam took a deep breath, then flew up into the air again. A fire hydrant suddenly flew at her, but she saw it coming in time to move out of the way. She flew towards the house, firing a brilliant blast of light right at the window.

While Sam was doing that, Poison and Mystik came out from cover and began rushing towards the house, trying to catch the Scepter by surprise. However, they had only made it halfway to the house, when the front door was flung open. A woman emerged, but it wasn’t the Scepter. It was a woman, who looked like a suburban soccer mom.

“Stop where you are,” the Scepter yelled, standing right behind the woman.

The woman stepped forward while the villainess used her as a human shield. A man came out with them, acting as a second hostage and shield. Both of the hostages looked terrified.

“One step more, and they die,” the Scepter stated. She held out her hand, which was firmly clutching a scepter. With a slight gesture with the scepter, the two hostages floated a foot into the air and remained there.

“What do you want?” Sam demanded, hovering in the air and wanting to blast the Scepter, but knowing that she couldn’t risk it.

“I want the world to kneel at my feet,” the Scepter answered with a smirk. “And one day it will. For now, I merely want to repay a debt, and that means dealing with minor nuisances, such as yourselves.”

“Let them go,” Poison demanded.

“I am the one in control here, not you,” the Scepter snapped.

Suddenly, the man who was floating beside the Scepter let out a gasp, right before his neck bent into an unnatural angle. A moment later, the man’s lifeless body dropped to the ground.

Sam gasped in horror and prepared to blast the Scepter, but the villainess gestured to the other hostage who was still floating there, screaming in horror. Sam snarled and spat out, “You monster…”

“A meaningless label,” the Scepter stated in a cold tone. “One the weak give the powerful.”

“And you think that you are powerful?” Poison asked, obviously trying to distract the Scepter and buy time to think.

The Scepter snarled. “I AM powerful, and I will only grow more so.” She gestured to the woman who hovered in front of her, and who was crying in terror. “Surrender heroes, unless you wish to see her die too.”

“Shit,” Poison exclaimed in frustration.

Sam scowled, seeing that they didn’t have a choice. Not unless she wanted to watch the Scepter murder that woman the way she had the man.

“You win,” Sam spat out bitterly, landing on the ground and holding up her hands.

Mystik hesitated a moment, but her staff was suddenly torn from her hands by the Scepter’s power, and sent flying nearly thirty yards. She glared at the Scepter but made no move.

“Kneel before me,” the Scepter commanded, “and I will let you live.”

Just then, the dead body near the Scepter’s feet groaned and began to get to his knees. As he looked up, his head still hung at an unnatural angle.

“G…Garret?” the hostage gasped in shock.

The corpse slowly staggered to his feet, moaning, “Brains…”

“What the…?” the Scepter started, taking a step back in surprise.

A moment later, the slow and staggering corpse suddenly launched himself at the Scepter, grabbing the scepter from her hand and throwing it. “Got your power, bitch,” Deadbeat exclaimed from his new body as he punched her.

The hostage dropped to the ground, free of the Scepter’s power. Sam saw her opening and flew to the hostage, grabbing her and pulling her away while Deadbeat threw himself at the Scepter, keeping her occupied.

A loud roar filled the air, right before a large black panther pounced on Poison from the side. Poison snapped around, surprised by the large cat that she hadn’t even seen sneaking up on her.

Poison’s fists burned with a green glow, and she dodged to the side, avoiding the slashing claws before punching the cat in the side. The cat snarled and hissed, seeming angry but unharmed.

“It…didn’t die,” Poison blurted out, looking at her glowing hands in surprise. “But my touch is lethal…”

“Ebon is no ordinary pet,” the Scepter exclaimed. “And I am no ordinary woman…”

With that, the Scepter gestured at Deadbeat, who was suddenly thrown away from her. She no longer had the scepter which Sam had assumed was the source of her powers, yet she still had her powers.

“Ebon,” Poison exclaimed in surprise.

Mystik’s staff flew through the air and right into her waiting hand. “Last I knew, Ebon was a housecat… That can’t be the same cat…”

“I think it is,” Poison responded grim. “Somehow.”

“Let me down from here,” Deadbeat ordered, flailing through the air.

“Ebon recognizes two of you,” the Scepter announced, sounding surprised. “He says you two played a part in ending the Black Guild and killing my predecessor…”

Poison glared at her. “So you aren’t the previous Scepter after all…”

“No,” the Scepter responded with a cruel smile. “He was nothing but a puppet. A pawn.”

The Scepter made a gesture with her hand, then Deadbeat let out a yelp, right before his body was torn in half. The lower half of his body was flung onto the nearby rooftop, while the upper half flew into the middle of the street where it hit hard enough to peel of flesh and shatter bones.

“Not again,” Deadbeat gasped out before his body went motionless.

“GARETT,” the hostage woman cried out while Sam tried to get her to run while she could.

“You are a monster,” Sam announced with fury burning in her eyes.

Sam glared at the Scepter, and the swirling glow around her body grew brighter as she gathered her power. She was about to blast the Scepter, who she could feel the taint of darkness from, but then she hesitated and realized that there was a much more powerful source of darkness.

“The cat,” Sam exclaimed, looking at the black panther that Poison was fighting. She could feel a lot of darkness from that cat, the same darkness that she’d felt from Nevermore and her creations. Without another moment of hesitation, Sam blasted him with a beam of light.

As soon as Sam’s light blast hit Ebon, he howled in pain and jumped back. Ebon snarled and roared, glaring at Sam with a look of pure hatred in his eyes. Sam felt a chill run down her spine as she realized that this was no ordinary cat. Ebon was something else entirely…a creature of darkness in feline form.

“NO,” the Scepter snarled, right before Sam was suddenly thrown back.

“You take the cat,” Poison exclaimed. “I’ll get the Scepter…”

Poison charged straight at the Scepter with glowing green hands, which Sam knew, would normally kill on contact. The Scepter looked vaguely worried, then levitated up into the air, out of Poison’s reach. As soon as she was high enough, she used her telekinesis to lift the various scattered bits of debris from around the yard, then sent them all flying straight at Poison.

“I’m not that easy to kill,” Poison said as she quickly leapt and dodged, avoiding the projectiles.

Sam paid little attention to what her teammates were doing, instead focusing on Ebon. The cat was snarling, glaring at her with glowing red eyes. Then the dark creature abruptly leapt at her, claws and fangs extended. Almost on reflex, Sam blasted Ebon with as much as she could, sending the cat flying back with a shriek of agony.

The Scepter suddenly dropped from the air and hit the ground, looking as if she was in pain. Sam stared at the Scepter, then back at Ebon in surprise and realization. With a grim smile, she fired another blast at the feline.

“You won’t win,” the Scepter yelled furiously, getting back to her feet and looking as though she was in great pain. Though most of her face was obscured by her helmet, the fierce determination was still clear in her voice. “You will NOT beat me…”

“We already have,” Mystik called out.

Sam looked to Mystik, who was floating in the air, right in front of where the obelisk had previously been. She gasped in surprise and saw that there was absolutely no sign of the obelisk, other than a blackened spot on the ground where it had previously stood.

The hostages, which had all been chained up in a ring around the obelisk, were no longer held in place by the stone pillar. They were still chained to each other, but half of them were dragging the other half, trying to get away from the Scepter.

“The obelisk,” the Scepter exclaimed in surprise, right before demanding, “WHAT DID YOU DO?”

Mystik smirked, twirling her staff around in a move that was obviously intended to show off. “I sent it to the same place I sent the last Scepter. Needless to say, it’s gone for good.”

The Scepter snapped out her hand as if to use her powers on Mystik, but nothing happened. That only seemed to shock and frustrate the villainess even more, though she still looked arrogant.

“You’re defeated,” Sam announced.

Poison immediately followed that up with the command, “Surrender.”

“NEVER,” Scepter yelled. “I’m too powerful to be stopped by the likes of you…” At this point, she sounded more like she was trying to convince herself of that than them.

Sam saw a flash of black, only to realize that Ebon was now running straight at the Scepter. Poison saw him coming and immediately snapped around to hit him, but the cat leapt over her head and landed right beside the villainess.

The Scepter gave a cruel smile, then Poison was thrown back, where she landed in the middle of the street. A moment later, the villainess started to levitate again.

“I don’t think so,” Mystik exclaimed as she suddenly appeared in the air beside the Scepter. Mystik was already swinging her staff, and hit the Scepter as hard as she could. Sam followed that up by blasting the Scepter with a burst of light.

The Scepter dropped from the air again, hitting the ground beside Ebon. “NO,” the Scepter snarled furiously. “I will NOT be beaten… I will NOT be powerless again... NEVER AGAIN.”

“Shut the fuck up,” a new voice added.

Sam looked to the source, a teenage girl with blood all over her clothes, and with a dull lifeless color to her skin. Deadbeat continued walking straight at the Scepter with a look of fierce determination on her new face.

“You know what,” Deadbeat stated. “I just climbed out of a pile of dead bodies in that back yard.” She gestured to one of the houses down the street. “You’re going down, you sick bitch. There was a baby… A GOD DAMN BABY! There is no way in fucking Hell that you’re gonna walk away from this one.”

This was the first time that Sam had ever seen Deadbeat so angry or motivated. Normally, the zombie hero was lazy and virtually useless, living up to her codename as if that was a challenge she had to meet. But not now. For the first time since Sam had known her, Deadbeat was pissed off and determined.

Ebon abruptly turned and pounced on Deadbeat, clawing a nasty gouge down the side of her face, all the way down into her collarbone. However, Deadbeat barely seemed to notice the injury and merely grabbed the cat and slammed him into the ground. Deadbeat was stronger than she looked, and her bodies were completely expendable. Even if Ebon tore Deadbeat to shreds, Deadbeat would merely get a new body and come back.

Sam blasted Ebon with another blast of her light, and the cat shrieked in pain. He quickly scrambled back to his feet and hissed at her. The large cat’s glowing red eyes were filled with hatred, and it was all directed at her.

“Bad kitty,” Deadbeat exclaimed, right before kicking Ebon in the side as hard as she could. The panther tumbled over, quickly regained his footing, and was about to leap at Deadbeat again, when Poison leapt at him.

Since Poison was keeping Ebon busy, Deadbeat charged straight at the Scepter, as did Mystik, who used her staff to repeatedly hit the villain. She jumped back when Deadbeat reached them, giving Deadbeat room to work. Without a word, the zombie girl picked the Scepter up, held her over her head for a moment, then body slammed her into the ground.

“Deadbeat,” Poison called out. “Find something to restrain the Scepter. “Glamour Girl and Mystik, keep her covered…”

Deadbeat sneered, which was a frightening expression on her shredded face. “The way you’re barking orders,” she grumbled, “I’m starting to feel like I’m in the Army…”

“I was in the Marines,” Poison responded proudly. “Not the Army. Now move your ass, soldier.”

“Bite me,” Deadbeat responded, flipping Poison off, then kicking the Scepter in the side before she turned to do as she’d been instructed.

“No,” the Scepter snarled, struggling to get back to her feet. Her armor was cracked and dented, but her spirit and determination seemed intact. “I will not be defeated by the likes of you. I will not be powerless again… Never again… I am the one with the power now. ME! I’ll crush you all…”

Suddenly, Sam found herself moving through the air, but not under her own power. The rest of her team began floating up as well, much to their evident surprise. She gulped, having a very bad feeling as she remembered how easily the Scepter had killed that hostage earlier when he was helpless like this. However, it took her a moment to realize that even the Scepter seemed a little surprised. But then, Sam was abruptly slammed back to the ground, hitting into the lawn with a painful thud.

Sam started to scramble back to her feet, only to see Ebon leap at the Scepter. As soon as the panther landed, his body seemed to shift and blur into a thick black smoke, which quickly reformed into a new shape. A giant black bird…a massive raven with glowing red eyes, let out a loud ‘kaw’ before he grabbed the Scepter in his claws and took to the air.

“Stop them,” Poison yelled.

Mystik held out her hand, and the staff that she’d lost when she’d been thrown around, quickly flew back into her palm. Sam flew up into the air, determined to catch the Scepter and that dark creature who was helping her, but when she looked around, all she saw was dark clouds. The Scepter and her giant raven had disappeared. With long stream of profanities, she settled back down to the ground.

“They got away,” Sam reluctantly told the others.

“FUCK,” Deadbeat snarled furiously.’

“Did you see Ebon?” Mystik asked Poison. “I knew that damn cat wasn’t normal, but I never saw it do anything like that…”

“Me either,” Poison admitted. “Whatever that thing really is, I’m getting the feeling that its at least as dangerous as the Scepter is…if not more.”

“At least we took care of the obelisk,” Sam pointed out, looking to Mystik and adding, “Good job with that.” Mystik merely nodded.

“Whatever,” Deadbeat grumbled, gesturing to the hostages that were still handcuffed together. “While you gets cut them loose, I’m gonna go get a body that isn’t so damaged, then I’m gonna look for a beer. After what I just saw back there, I’m gonna need at least a six pack.”

“Just don’t get drunk,” Poison pointed out grimly. She stared at the spot that had previously been occupied with the obelisk, scowling deeply as she did so. “We might have won this battle, but the war isn’t over. We’re not done yet.”

There were times when Julie loved her power and just how versatile it could be. No matter what the problem was, she could usually call on the right person to help her out. If her car broke, she could channel a mechanic. If she got locked out of her apartment, she could channel a locksmith…or a professional thief. And when she ran into serious trouble, she could channel a superhero, and occasionally, even a supervillain who was looking for a little redemption or revenge.

Of course, there were other times when Julie hated her powers. Due to the nature of her abilities, she was a professional damsel in distress. Whenever there was a problem, she had to call someone else for help. She had to rely on other people to fight her battles for her. She might be a superhero, but most of the time, she didn’t really feel like it.

Julie scowled impatiently, or at least, she would have if she wasn’t just a passenger in her own body. At that moment, Vesper was the one in the driver’s seat, controlling her body and talking with her assigned team. She couldn’t help but feeling a little jealous of Vesper because of that, and because she and Red Blade had been the ones to fulfill her mission, rather than her.

At the same time, Julie was straining under Vesper’s presence, and could easily have let her go at any time since their mission had been completed. However, instead of reclaiming control of her own body, Julie struggled to keep Vesper there for just a little longer. Vesper deserved this chance to say goodbye, as did Legacy.

“Everett,” Vesper cried, her tears coming from Julie’s eyes. She had just learned everything that her former teammate and friend had been through, and it broke her heart. Julie could feel the powerful emotions. “I’m so sorry…”

“No,” Legacy shook her own head. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s not your fault I died,” Vesper assured Legacy. “Nor is it your fault that you’re in my body. You never should have had to carry the burdens of the entire team…”

Julie felt awkward for being caught in the middle of such a personal moment between Legacy and Vesper, and she felt bad for having to interrupt it. “I can’t keep you here for much longer,” she warned Vesper, communicating mentally through the connection that allowed the other woman to borrow her body. “Maybe another minute at most…”

Vesper nodded their head, then gave an apologetic smile to Legacy. “I’m afraid, I have to go. Channel says that my time is up…”

Legacy scowled, “Tell her that we need more time…”

This time, Vesper shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way. I think that Channel has given me as much time as she possibly could. She’s exhausted from pushing her powers…”

“Amelia,” Legacy whispered, tears still running down her cheeks.

Vesper gently reached out to touch Legacy’s cheek, smiling sadly. “I guess, you’re sort of like my sister now. It’s strange, but I kind of like the idea… I already thought of you as family, so I guess this makes it more official.”

“I...I’m glad I got to talk to you again,” Legacy quietly told her.

“Me too,” Vesper agreed. “I’m proud of you…and I know the others would be too.” With that, she leaned forward and gave Legacy a gentle kiss on the forehead.

Legacy choked up but managed to whisper, “Goodbye,” right before Vesper faded back to where she’d come.

Channel blinked her eyes as she took control over her body again, then quickly stepped back, blushing self-consciously. “That took a lot out of me,” she admitted, more to cover the awkwardness than for anything else. “Channeling two spirits back to back, and holding them for so long…”

“Thank you,” Legacy told her as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She shifted position, then winced in pain, grabbing at her leg again.

“Hold still,” Lady Knight warned her. Julie looked at Lady Knight, who had just finished tying a cloth arm sling for Kaboom.

Julie looked at Legacy’s injured leg, which according to Lady Knight, was broken. “I’d channel a doctor or something, if I wasn’t wiped out…”

“You’ve already helped a lot,” Legacy told her with a faint smile. “More than you can know.”

“You’ll probably have some hellacious bruising to go with that broken leg,” Lady Knight said as she crouched down beside Legacy. “But you don’t have a compound fracture, so that’s good. Sit still and I’ll get a splint on it…”

Julie watched as Lady Knight ran off, coming back a couple minutes with two short lengths of rebar and a bunch of cloth. She quickly put a splint on Legacy’s leg, clearly knowing what she was doing. Then again, Lady Knight had grown up among a family of superheroes, so she’d probably been trained in first aid and emergency medical care, just in case.

“That should do it for now,” Lady Knight said. “You’ll just need to keep off your leg.” She hesitated a moment, then asked, “How are we going to get back?”

Legacy grimaced in pain and gestured at her leg. “I can’t walk back through the Empty like this…”

“Can you fly back?” Julie asked.

Legacy shook her head. “My telekinesis is pretty much tapped out, and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t focus enough to use it that well anyway.”

“Damn,” Kaboom exclaimed, looking around with a worried expression. “If Loki comes back, none of us are in any real shape to keep fighting her…”

“I doubt Loki will come back,” Legacy stated grimly. “More likely, he…she…will start causing trouble somewhere else.”

“You know her best,” Channel admitted.

“Once all the obelisks are gone,” Lady Knight pointed out, “the cavalry will come rushing in, and will deal with Loki and the others.” She smirked faintly before adding, “I imagine my family will probably target Force. We still owe him a good beat down.” Then she glanced to Legacy and added, “Then again, Dad will want to hit Loki…HARD.”

“Either way,” Channel said, looking at the others, especially at Legacy and Kaboom, “we’ll need to get you some real medical attention.”

Lady Knight slowly looked around with a strange expression on her face, as though she was trying to listen for something. “There,” she finally announced, pointing down one of the ruined and empty streets. “There’s a doctor down there…”

“Are you sure?” Kaboom asked, giving her a suspicious look.

Lady Knight just shrugged. “It’s a vague sense, but it’s all we have.”

A short time later, they found the materials the make a stretcher and placed Legacy on it. Then, they started carrying Legacy in the direction that Lady Knight indicated. Kaboom only had one good hand, but she was a lot stronger than she looked, so was still able to help with the stretcher.

As Julie helped carry the stretcher, she carefully watched her surroundings for any signs of danger, though she kept sneaking glances at her companions as well. It was hard to believe that all three of them used to be guys. Lady Knight, not only had ‘Lady’ in her name, but her hair and part of her costume were also pink. Julie had a hard time imagining a guy who would willingly use that codename or wear that much pink, unless he was gay. Not that there was anything wrong with that. Unfortunately, she didn’t know Lady Knight well enough to feel comfortable asking her.

After the conversation between Legacy and Vesper, Julie already knew much of Legacy’s story. It was quite a tragic one, so it was no wonder why Legacy had been so intense, and why she’d reacted so personally towards Loki. But strangely enough, much of Legacy’s intensity had faded away. She was quite subdued, and obviously not only from her injury.

And then, there was Kaboom. Julie didn’t know much about Kaboom or how she’d become a woman, but it was easy to believe she used to be a guy. Now that Julie was paying attention, she realized that Kaboom behaved something like a typical jock, and she even reminded Julie a great deal of her teammate Chrome.

“When I get back,” Julie mused. “I’m going to have a lot of questions for Glamour Girl…” She felt just a little offended that Glamour Girl had kept something as important, as the fact that she was really a guy, from her own teammates and friends.

“What was that?” Lady Knight asked.

Julie blushed a little at having been caught talking to herself. “I was just curious about you all… I mean, I had no idea there were so many heroes with the whole gender thing…”

“Me either,” Lady Knight admitted wryly. “I mean, I knew about Legacy…” She nodded towards the woman on the stretcher since her hands were both holding it. “And of course, I knew about Hardshell, since her change is kind of an open secret in the community. But everyone else…”

Legacy looked over at Lady Knight and asked, “You’re Joshua, aren’t you?”

“I was,” Lady Knight admitted self-consciously. “Needless to say, I don’t use that name anymore…”

“Will…your dad talked about you a few times,” Legacy explained with a sigh. “Back when he was with the Seven…”

“I knew about Counterweight,” Kaboom added, not to be left out of the conversation. “And I knew a villain who was intentionally trying to change…” She shook her head and chuckled. “Actually, she’s the whole reason I got changed.”

Julie gave Kaboom a curious look, definitely wanting to know more. However, instead of asking about that, she instead asked, “How much further. We’ve been going for over three blocks…”

“We’re almost there,” Lady Knight answered.

At that, Legacy looked at Julie and cautiously asked, “Channel… Do you think that you could bring Vesper back again sometime? So I can talk to her…”

Julie winced a little at the request, as she did nearly every time someone asked her to channel one of their loved ones for them. She hesitated a few seconds. “My powers don’t work that way,” she finally said, giving Legacy an apologetic look. “I can’t call up a specific person. All I can do is ask for help dealing with a situation. Most of the time, someone with a reason to help, or some kind of unfinished business offers to help. Sometimes, no one does. I can’t control who hears my call, and I rarely get the same person a second time.”

Legacy gave her a disappointed look but nodded her understanding. “Thanks anyway.”

Lady Knight abruptly stopped, forcing everyone else to do so as well. Then she stared of with a look of concentration before pointing to a nearby building. “There.”

With that, Lady Knight led them to the building, and to a specific business with a sign above the door that proclaimed it a veterinary clinic. “Just what I need,” Legacy grumbled. “A flea dip and some grooming.”

Lady Knight smirked at that. “And here, I thought we were taking you in to get fixed…”

“Really?” Kaboom added. “I thought it was for deworming.”

Legacy winced in pain, then rolled her eyes and muttered, “Assholes.” However, Julie noticed that she was smiling, very faintly.

Kaboom opened the door, then Julie and Lady Knight brought Legacy inside. “Hello,” Julie called out. “Is there a doctor here?”

“Don’t move,” a woman’s voice commanded.

Julie looked at the speaker, who had just stepped through the far doorway and into the waiting room. She was in her mid to late thirties, with dark blonde hair. And of course, she had a gun in her hand that was pointed directly at them.

“We aren’t here to hurt you,” Julie quickly said. “We’re heroes…”

“And our friend needs a doctor,” Lady Knight added, gesturing to Legacy.

“So you came to a vet?” the woman asked suspiciously. She hesitated a moment, then lowered the gun. “Well, you obviously aren’t with the rioters or the infected.”

“Infected?” Kaboom asked with a worried look.

“And fortunately for you, I am a doctor, or at least, I used to be,” the woman said. She stared at them for a moment before letting out a sigh. “My name is Denise Roberts…or Doctor Roberts if you want to get technical. Not that anyone has called me that in years.”

“No offense,” Kaboom said, “but I think she needs a human doctor, not a vet.”

Denise came over and looked down at Legacy. “I’m not a vet,” she said after a moment. “I only stopped here because I was looking for medical supplies, and it seemed like a safe place to rest up for a bit.”

“Sorry,” Kaboom apologized with a shrug.

“Bring her into the back room,” Denise told them, gesturing to the door she’d just come through. “I’ll take a look at her injuries.”

Julie and Lady Knight brought Legacy into the back room, where there was a large metal examination table, that was big enough to treat a great dane. There was plenty of room for Legacy to be stretched out on it.

Denise quickly removed the splint that Lady Knight had made, then looked at the black spandex costume that Legacy was still wearing. Legacy winced in pain, then held out her black metal hand. One of her fingers stretched out, forming a sharp looking blade, which she used to slice down the side of her leg, opening the costume so her leg could be exposed.

After performing a brief examination, Denise told them the same thing that Lady Knight had. “Your leg is broken, and it looks like you have heavy bruising. I can’t do much for your injury beyond what was already done for you, but I do have something that will help with the pain.”

“That’s a lot better than nothing,” Kaboom said, gesturing to her own injured arm. “Do you mind taking a quick look at this too?”

While Denise looked at Kaboom’s arm, she asked, “So, you’re heroes…” She looked at each of them with a wary expression. “Do you know what’s going on with all this?”

“The quick explanation,” Lady Knight said with scowl, “is that a big bad villain put a magic dome over Baltimore, so almost no one can get in or out while he and his people destroy everything.”

“Almost no one?” Denise asked.

“I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be able to get through,” Julie told her. “We managed to get through, but very few people can. We came in to try fixing this.”

“It doesn’t seem that you’re doing a very good job of it so far,” Denise pointed out wryly. Then she hesitated a moment before asking, “Can you get back out?”

“Travel is a little challenging at the moment,” Julie pointed out wryly, nodding to Legacy, “but we do need to get back to our command center on the other side, so we can report in.”

“I’m feeling a little better,” Legacy admitted with a wince. She carefully touched her injured leg, which had been splinted again. “Now, instead of hurting like Hell, it’s mostly numb. If we’re careful, I can probably get us back through the Empty.”

“And you can’t take me with you,” Denise said in resignation. There were several apologetic looks. “Then perhaps, you can deliver a message for me instead.”

“Sure,” Julie answered.

Denise found a piece of paper and wrote down a name and phone number. “When you get out,” she said, “please call my nephew and tell him that my…condition has returned. Tell him that I’ve relapsed, and that I need him here as soon as possible. Assuming you people get rid of that barrier. If you don’t, then things could get even worse inside here, very quickly.”

Julie gave Denise a curious look, wondering what that was about, but accepting the paper. “We’ll make sure to tell him.”

Suddenly, Lady Knight froze, then blurted out, “Ms. Miracle is in trouble…”

“What?” Kaboom asked. “How do you know?”

“Psychic,” Lady Knight reminded her, tapping her forehead. “I don’t know what’s going on, only that Ms. Miracle needs help…”

Julie looked to Legacy, then to Kaboom. Kaboom let out a sigh. “I can help Legacy back to the command center, if you two are up to helping Ms. Miracle.”

“Okay,” Julie said with a sigh as she handed Denise’s note to Kaboom to deliver. “I’ve rested up, and I’m pretty sure I can find someone to help.”

Ms. Miracle flew through the air, immediately recognizable to nearly anyone who saw her. She was a gorgeous woman, with long golden blonde hair and a body that was both sexy and statuesque. The red and gold costume that covered her entire body from the neck down, was skin tight and left very little of her impressive form to the imagination, while the golden aura that surrounded her as she flew, helped to identify her as one of the most famous heroes in the country.

Of course, she was not the original Ms. Miracle, as the original had died nearly a decade ago, murdered at the hands of Baron Nevermore. The woman who currently bore that name had inherited it, her powers, and even her appearance, from her mother.

“He’s back,” Daphne muttered to herself, her voice tense with the barely controlled emotion. “Baron Nevermore is back.”

Daphne clenched her fists, filled with a mixture of anger, fear, and disgust at the thought of the villain. Baron Nevermore had murdered her mother, had taken away the only family that Daphne had, and had condemned her to growing up in a series of foster homes. Admittedly, Daphne hadn’t even known that her mom had been Ms. Miracle until after she’d inherited her mother’s powers and had become Ms. Miracle herself, but years of ignorance on her part didn’t excuse what Baron Nevermore had done.

“I thought I was done with him,” she spat out bitterly.

Shortly after she had gained her powers, when she’d changed from Dave to Daphne and had become the new Ms. Miracle, she’d had a chance to face Baron Nevermore. After all those years, the villain had finally returned, and she had faced him alongside her friends and teammates, the Miracle Men. It had been a terrifying fight, and in the end, Baron Nevermore had been sent to Hell. Literally. But now he was back, and the peace Daphne had gained from his previous defeat, had been disrupted.

Daphne itched to go after Baron Nevermore, to finally stop him for good. After what he’d done to Baltimore and all of those innocent people, there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that he deserved death, at the very least. However, she was not going after Baron Nevermore at the moment, which may have been a good thing. As the White Knight had pointed out earlier, there were a lot of personal grudges in play, and those could make people reckless and sloppy.

“That kind of thing can get people killed,” she reminded herself. “The wrong people.”

Thinking about personal grudges, Daphne wondered how good of an idea it had been to send Lady Hexx on the team that was going after Force. She definitely had a personal grudge, though admittedly, it wasn’t any worse than the one that she herself had against Baron Nevermore.

Daphne looked over at her current teammates, Lady Hexx and Counterweight, who were flying a short distance away, in an odd fashion. Counterweight was sitting on top of a Volkswagen Bug, using her gravity manipulation power to send it flying through the air, while Lady Hexx rode inside.

This certainly wasn’t the first time that Daphne had worked alongside Counterweight, who was a part time member of the Miracle Men, though admittedly, she’d also been working as a member of the new Crusaders lately as well. In fact, the first times they’d fought together, had been against Force.

Lady Hexx was a bit more of an unknown since Daphne had never met her before. Daphne knew that the eerie pale skinned woman had first appeared as a villain, going after Force. However, in hindsight, that now seemed quite reasonable of her. Ever since then, she’d been acting more like a hero, even working with some kind of search and rescue team to save people.

“It’s too bad Catalyst can’t be here for this,” Daphne called out to Counterweight, who immediately nodded agreement.

“Yeah, she’d make this a lot easier,” Counterweight agreed.

Catalyst was Counterweight’s girlfriend, and another reserve member of the Miracle Men. Since Catalyst had the ability to give powers to normal people, she could have recruited reinforcements to help them while inside the barrier. However, even more importantly, she could also take away powers.

When the Miracle Men had faced Force, Catalyst had been the one to finally defeat him, by the simple act of walking up and turning off his powers. Unfortunately, Daphne was pretty sure that they wouldn’t be able to end things so easily this time.

“There it is,” Counterweight abruptly called out, pointing ahead of them.

Daphne immediately saw what Counterweight was pointing at, and as they quickly got closer, she could make it out in even more detail. The black stone obelisk was sitting in the middle of a large grassy area, of what appeared to be a park. And as they approached, she could see the benches and small tables around the outside of it, confirming this impression.

However, in spite of the fact that the obelisk was out in the open, Daphne had no illusions that it would be easy to destroy. For one thing, there was a shimmering bubble around not only the obelisk, but the entire park. It reminded her of the much larger barrier that surrounded all of Baltimore, though it lacked the larger barrier’s purple color. Daphne knew, that in spite of the similarities, this barrier had not been created by Baron Nevermore, but by Force. She’d seen him create a force field like this once before.

Then, as if outright claiming this force field bubble as his own, Force hovered above it. He was posing, with his arms crossed, radiating a sense of arrogant power. And he was staring right at them.

“It looks like we lost the element of surprise,” Daphne announced, a moment before Force flew straight at them.

Suddenly, the car that Counterweight was sitting atop of, began to melt and change, courtesy of Lady Hexx’s powers. The metal body reformed into the shape of a giant fist, while Lady Hexx climbed on top and joined Counterweight. They briefly spoke, too quietly for Daphne to hear, but she could see the broad grin on Counterweight’s face.

“Let’s do it,” Counterweight exclaimed, using her gravity powers to send the massive metal fist straight at Force.

Right before impact, Counterweight and Lady Hexx leapt off. For a moment, Daphne planned to grab them, until Counterweight grabbed the white skinned woman, and the two of them began falling much more slowly.

The flying metal fist slammed into Force, who was thrown back from the raw force, though he barely seemed to feel it. As the metal fist was reclaimed by gravity and fell back to the ground, Force remained floating in the air, looking angry.

“You,” Force started in a loud voice. “Allied with that white skinned bitch… If it hadn’t been for her…”

Force looked down to where Lady Hexx and Counterweight had just landed on top of a brownstone building. The expression of fury on his face burned with pure hatred. A moment, later, he fired a concussion blast down at the building. However, the roof seemed to melt and reform, rising up to form a shield that protected Counterweight and Lacy Hexx from the attack. Force was about to launch another attack on them, so Daphne flew straight at him, only to get hit with a force blast instead.

“Damn,” Daphne exclaimed as Force’s blast sent her flying back. It stung and would probably leave a few bruises, but it could have been much worse. She retaliated by firing her own blast of golden energy at the former hero, though Force barely seemed to notice it.

“I don’t know how you got past Nevermore’s shield,” Force announced. “But I can assure you, you will NOT get past mine…”

“How could be part of this?” Daphne yelled at him. “You used to be a hero…”

“And you used to be dead,” Force responded with a sneer. “Things change.”

With that, Force flew straight at Daphne, punching her hard enough to send her flying back until she crashed into the wall of a building. She grunted at the impact, knowing that she was going to have some serious bruising from that, but immediately climbed out and flew back towards him.

“I wasted two decades of my life,” Force exclaimed, “saving the world and protecting those ungrateful wretches. No more. Now, I’m going to make every last one of you pay for turning on me…for locking me up in Mount Prometheus like some common villain…”

Force charged at Daphne again, looking like he was going to try another punch, though he surprised her with another force blast instead, sending her flying back, though this time she avoided hitting anything. She caught herself in the air, glared at the former hero, and wondered how she was going to beat him. She’d fought him before, but hadn’t been able to do to so then. Catalyst had been the one to do that.

“But he isn’t coming at me with everything he has,” Daphne mused in realization. “He’s holding back.” Her eyes darted to the force field surrounding the obelisk. “Or he’s diverting his power to that thing…” A faint smile formed on her lips.

A moment later, Daphne turned her attention to her teammates, who were both still standing on top of that building. Unfortunately, since she and Force were flying, that meant that Counterweight and Lady Hexx couldn’t help much. Lady Hexx couldn’t fly, and Counterweight’s gravity powers didn’t give her the speed or maneuverability for a good aerial fight.

“But if I lure Force towards them,” Daphne told herself with a faint smirk.

Daphne blasted Force with another burst of golden energy, though it couldn’t penetrate the invisible force field that surrounded his entire body. However, the attack did annoy him, and he came at her again, though she backed up, leading him closer to her allies.

Once they were close enough, the roof of the building began to melt and flow, and a large hand reached out and grabbed Force, holding him tight. The brick and building material continued to flow around him, covering Force completely.

“I have you now,” Lady Hexx announced, standing out in the open with her cloak flapping in the wind. She gestured to Force, and the stone sphere that had been a hand, separated from the ‘wrist’ and fell. It smashed into the ground right beside the building.

“Come on,” Counterweight exclaimed, grabbing Lady Hexx’s hand and jumping off the edge of the roof. The two women floated down to the ground while Daphne flew down to get a better look at Force.

Force hit the ground pretty hard, but he’d been cocooned in brick and stone, so she was pretty sure he wasn’t out of it yet. The bastard was far too tough to be taken down that easily. And just as Daphne expected, the stone sphere shattered and exploded, revealing an angry looking Force.

“YOU,” Force snarled, glaring at Lady Hexx as she and Counterweight landed a short distance away. “You were the one who turned everyone against me…”

“You did that yourself,” Lady Hexx announced as she bent down to touch the ground.

Suddenly, two massive stone hands rose up from the street on either side of Force, and slammed together. Then, almost immediately, the hands and Force were pulled back down beneath the ground, while a wave of stone formed up from behind them and came down on top, burying Force completely beneath the ground.

“Holy pothole,” Counterweight exclaimed, staring at the spot where Force had vanished beneath the ground. She glanced over to Lady Hexx. “Remind me not to piss you off…”

“I’m really pushing myself to control that much at once,” Lady Hexx responded with a grimace. “And to keep holding him down…”

“Don’t let him go,” Daphne called out.

However, just as Daphne finished speaking, the ground exploded and debris was through everywhere. Lady Hexx and Counterweight were through back, with Counterweight letting out a yelp of pain as a piece of rubble hit her shoulder. Lady Hexx immediately got back to her feet, revealing a bloody nose, which clearly stood out in contrast to her white skin.

Force floated up from the newly formed crater, a look of fury on his face. “DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME?”

“It can’t be that hard,” Counterweight joked. “I hear a sixteen year old girl did it a few months back…”

Force snarled in rage and flew straight at her with his fist raised. Daphne desperately threw herself at him, knowing that if he hit Counterweight or Lady Hexx, he’d kill them instantly. She slammed into his side, barely in time, and hit him as hard as he could. Force flew back until he crashed into his own force field barrier and came to an abrupt stop.

“I’m going to kill you all,” Force yelled, right before flying straight at Daphne again.

“And you called yourself a hero,” Daphne spat at him, hitting him back as hard as she could.

Daphne and Force traded blows, going higher and higher up as they did so. She realized that she was taking Force out of their range to help, and she wasn’t sure she could take him by herself. However, at the moment, she was the one who was best equipped to handle his raw power.

“Damn,” Counterweight exclaimed, holding her injured shoulder and wincing. “Maybe I can get up there and hit him with another car.”

“Maybe,” Lady Hexx agreed, though she wasn’t looking at Force, but his force field barrier. “As for me, I’m going to hit him where it hurts the most. His pride.”

Counterweight chuckled faintly at that. “Well, his ego is big enough that it makes an easy target.”

Lady Hexx nodded. “I’m going to make him fail.”

With that, Lady Hexx bent over and touched the ground. Suddenly, a deep hole formed, with stone stairs going down. Lady Hexx didn’t say another word before she began walking down those steps and vanishing from view.

“I wish Catalyst was here,” Counterweight grumbled, looking up at Force. “Or Kaboom. I bet she’d be able to dish out some nice damage.”

Daphne flew at Force, firing a blast of golden energy into his face, then dodging back to avoid a force blast to her own face. She quickly looked over the surroundings, noticing that most of the buildings nearby were relatively unharmed, except for the damage that they’d caused since her own arrival. However, she did notice that one building was completely destroyed, and it looked very recent. She looked at her opponent, suspecting that he’d destroyed the building as a show of force. And she was pretty confident that the former hero hadn’t even waited to make sure it was empty first.

“One I’m finished with you,” Force announced, “I’m going to bring your body to Nevermore to show her how to do the job right…”

Daphne snorted at that. “So, you’ve gone from hero, to being a henchman. Quite a comedown…” Force snarled and fired a massive concussion blast at her, but she’d seen it coming in time to drop down and out of range. “Then again, you were never a very good hero anyway…”

While Daphne was taunting Force, she saw Lady Hexx climb out of a hole…inside the force field. It took Daphne a moment to realize that her white skinned teammate, had just dug under the dome, and was now going straight for the obelisk. And as Daphne watched, she touched the base of the black stone pillar, which began to crumble and dissolve.

Counterweight yelled, “TIMBER,” right as the stone structure toppled over and shattered.

“NO,” Force yelled, his expression a mixture of anger and fear. Without another word, he turned away from Daphne and flew straight down at Lady Hexx.

A vaguely humanoid figure made of dirt and stone rose up from the ground and punched Force. Force destroyed the thing with a single force blast, but while he was distracted, Lady Hexx sank into the ground and vanished from sight. A moment later, Counterweight dropped a large chunk of stone on him from above, a chunk that had been part of the obelisk until recently.

“You will pay for that,” Force exclaimed. “You will all pay…”

“I will say this for you,” Counterweight commented from where she floated in the air. “You sure have the villainous monologue down pretty well.”

Once again, a pair of giant stone hands rose up from the ground and reached for Force, but he snarled and released a blast of raw force in every direction at once, creating an explosion that destroyed the hands and everything nearby. Lady Hexx had used some of the stone from the obelisk to create a wall to protect herself, though Force immediately turned and blasted the wall, destroying it.

“I’m going to enjoy killing you,” Force said, staring straight at Lady Hexx.

“You already killed me,” Lady Hexx responded grimly. “You destroyed my old life. You cost me everything…”

Daphne flew straight at Force and was about to hit him, when he snapped around and blasted her, sending her flying back and into the side of a building. She cursed as she dug herself out of the building and took to the air, realizing that they may have toppled the obelisk, but their situation had just gotten even worse. Force no longer had his power and attention divided in the effort to maintain that force field, which meant he could now focus everything on destroying them.

“Damn, I wish my team was here,” Daphne muttered. She worked pretty well with Counterweight, and even Lady Hexx, but she really could have used the rest of the Miracle Men right then.

Before Daphne realized it, Force came down and hit her from above, sending her straight to the ground where she smashed into the middle of the street. She winced in pain, struggling to get up to keep fighting, but Force was on her again. He slammed into her, driving her painfully back into the hole she’d made with her previous impact.

“You will not beat me,” Force grimly stated as he grabbed Daphne by her throat, tight enough that she couldn’t breathe. “I was the most powerful hero who ever lived, and you were all so jealous of my power that you turned on me. Well, I’m going to make you regret that. I’m going to make the entire world wish that they’d never turned on me…”

Daphne desperately scrambled to break free from Force’s grip, but he held her too tight. She silently called out to help, praying for someone to get him off her. Then, as if to answer her call, a pair of metal arms grabbed Force from behind and yanked him back. Force released Daphne, who fell to her knees. And as she rubbed her sore neck and gasped for breath, she looked at her savior, an armored metal figure that looked it had been made from a car. It took her a moment to realize that Lady Hexx was controlling the thing.

“You disgust me,” Lady Hexx’s voice exclaimed from her armor. “You’re a monster…”

“And you are dead,” Force responded, slamming into Lady Hexx and sending her flying back.

However, a moment later, Counterweight added, “And you’re easily distracted.”

Counterweight grabbed Force from behind, and they both shot up into the air about thirty feet, right before she reversed gravity and drove Force right into the ground. Unfortunately, Force immediately returned to his feet, releasing another explosion that knocked everyone away. Counterweight cried in pain, grabbing hold of her shoulder, which she’d hurt earlier, while Lady Hexx’s armor melted off so she could release herself.

Daphne grimaced and slammed into Force again, hoping that if she could keep him close to the ground, than the others might be able to keep helping her. She couldn’t beat Force on her own, but if the three of them worked together, then they might have a chance.

Daphne’s hope was short lived as Force hit her with a concussion blast, then immediately flew over to punch her, sending her flying halfway down the street. Before she could recover, he was on her again, alternating between blasting her and punching, not giving her a chance to catch her balance.

“Go down,” Force commanded, frustrated that she kept getting back to her feet.

“Not for the likes of you,” Daphne spat, glaring at the man she’d once looked up to. Once upon a time, Force had been one of the most respected heroes in the world. Now, it was hard to even imagine it.

Daphne blasted Force, then charged him to follow up with a punch. He blocked her attack and immediately backhanded her hard enough to slam her into the wall of a neighboring building. She grimaced as she climbed back out, getting more than a little tired of this. Force charged her again, and a moment later, she found herself being slammed into the ground again. Once again, Force was on her, grabbing her by the throat.

“I am going to kill you,” Force said with a sneer. “Then I will go after every single person who dares to call themselves a hero…and I will crush them as well.”

“You’re insane,” a new voice exclaimed, right before there was a flash of gold light, followed by Force being yanked off her. “I didn’t believe it at first, but now…”

Daphne dropped to her knees for a moment, feeling dazed and gasping for breath. “Thanks,” she said, not sure who it was that had just helped her out this time.

Then as Daphne looked up, she saw a woman floating in the air a short distance away, while Force was digging himself out from the next building over. It took Daphne a moment to realize that her savior was Channel, and another second to realize that Channel was dressed in a red and gold uniform that was identical to the one that she was wearing.

“David,” Channel asked, staring at Daphne with a strange expression. “Is that you?”

“How did you…?” Daphne started to ask, wondering how Channel knew her other name, until it dawned on her. Channel was wearing her costume. “MOM?”

Daphne stared at Channel…at her mom, who was in Channel’s body, feeling stunned and overwhelmed. Her mom was dead. She’d died years ago, killed by Baron Nevermore. But Channel had the power call forth the dead, bringing Daphne face to face with the one person she’d never expected to see again.

“It is you,” her mom cried out with tears in her eyes. “But you look like me…or like how I did when I was using my powers. How?”

“I don’t think this is a good time for question and answer,” Daphne told her, reluctantly pointing at Force, who was about to come at them again.

“I wouldn’t worry about him,” Daphne’s mom said, looking rather smug.

“I know that I’m not,” another voice added. Daphne looked over at Lady Knight, who stepped out from around a corner and was staring straight at Force. As soon as Force saw her, a look of fear and panic crossed his features. Daphne wasn’t sure why, until the pink haired girl simply commanded. “You have no powers.” She had an evil smirk on her face as she added, “Or any bowel or bladder control.”

“YOU,” Force exclaimed, still looking terrified of the girl, but also furious at the same time. He flung out his hand to hit her with a force blast, but nothing happened.

“I think we’ve been through this before,” Lady Knight said, “so you know the score. Now, sit down, don’t move, and don’t say a word.” To Daphne’s surprise, Force did exactly as he was told. He looked furious and kept glaring at Lady Knight, but he obeyed. “And close your eyes,” she added, almost as an afterthought.

“How?” Daphne asked Lady Knight.

“Mind control,” the pink haired girl responded smugly, making a show of buffing her nails. “I took him down the same way a few months back.”

Daphne wanted to ask Lady Knight more about that, and why she hadn’t been on their team to deal with Force, but she had other questions that took priority. She turned her attention to her mom, who had landed on the ground a short distance away, and who was alternately looking at Force and at her.

“David,” her mom started, looking awkward and uncertain. Daphne could understand that, because she suddenly felt extremely self-conscious about being a woman.

“I usually go by Daphne now,” she admitted awkwardly.

Then on a whim, Daphne flipped a mental switch, and felt her body beginning to change. Her breasts shrank, deflating and pulling back into her chest, while she felt a pressure building in her groin. Though she was aware of all the other changes occurring in her body, she tried not to think about them. Instead, she just stared at her mom, seeing her reactions. Seconds later, Daphne was gone and Dave stood in her place.

“I’m a skitzomorph,” Dave explained awkwardly. “I can change back and forth…” Of course, it had been about three weeks since the last time he’d been a guy. Anymore, he felt much more comfortable being in his female form, where he also had his powers.

“Me too,” his mom responded with tears in her eyes. “Or at least, I was.” Then without warning, she grabbed him in a hug. “I’m so sorry I never told you about this part of my life…”

“You lied to me,” Dave exclaimed once they broke apart. Tears still ran down his cheeks, and he wasn’t sure whether to be angry or ecstatic. “You disappeared without any warning, and I got dumped into foster homes, thinking that you’d just abandoned me and ran off…”

“I’m sorry,” she gasped, looking guilty. “I always meant to tell you when you were a little older.”

Dave wasn’t sure what to say to that, though he was about to respond anyway when he suddenly saw movement from the corner of his eye. A black figure was rushing straight towards them, and as he turned, he saw a man in a black costume that resembled some kind of ninja outfit. However, the figure also had a black bladed kabana, and was going straight for Lady Knight.

“Look out,” Dave yelled, reacting on instinct and throwing himself at Lady Knight, shoving her out of the way an instant before a surge of pain tore through his side.

Dave dropped to his knees, grabbing his side and the sticky warmth of his own blood spilling out. “DAVE,” his mom yelled desperately in Channel’s voice, right before she punched at the ninja. The ninja just leapt backwards and out of range.

“It seems that we arrived too late,” a new voice commented.

Dave grimaced and glanced at the speaker, who was another man dressed all in black. This one was wearing some kind of old fashioned suit and was leaning on a cane. Obviously, he’d come with the ninja, who now stood right beside him.

“Nevermore sent us to assist you with your task,” the man with the cane told Force. “But it seems we are too late. Now, I’m sure Nevermore would like to have a word with you about your failure.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Lady Knight exclaimed, though a moment later, there was a swirl of red energy, and the two men in black were gone, as was Force. “Damn. They got away.”

Dave blinked, feeling dizzy. His mom was suddenly by his side, holding him tightly. “No,” she cried out, her tears falling onto Dave. He vaguely remembered the last time his mother held him, all those years ago, and in spite of his pain, he smiled faintly. “I didn’t come back for this. Not for this…”

“Mom,” Dave whispered, wishing he had the strength to hug her back…to tell her goodbye now that he finally had the chance. And with that, everything went dark.

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.

Gwen scowled as she stared down the empty street, which wasn’t nearly as wrecked as the area where they’d found the Sinner. Clearly, there hadn’t been riots occurring in this area, or at least, not at the same level. There were still a few broken windows and vandalized cars, but only a fraction of what she’d seen before.

Though the streets were empty, Gwen knew that there were still people nearby. She caught glimpses of them, peeking out of windows and watching as she and her team went past. They were in hiding, which was a huge improvement from the looters and rioters that she’d seen elsewhere.

Then, Gwen suddenly saw three people running across the street. Two men were carrying a TV while a woman had her arms full of something, that Gwen couldn’t make out. She guessed they were looters, but the normal kind, not the kind that the Sinner had set off. These ones didn’t have the same overwhelming desperation as the Sinner’s victims.

“I think we lost her,” Mannequin announced.

“No shit,” Alleycat responded with a snort. “That bitch slipped away in the chaos, and now she’s hiding. Who knows what the Sinner will do next.”

Gwen nodded at that, knowing that wherever the Sinner was, she was probably up to something bad. Her type always was. “I think we should rejoin the others. My dad must be getting worried.”

“Yeah,” Alleycat agreed. “That’s probably a good idea.”

Suddenly, Mannequin called out, “I see movement…” She was staring down a narrow side street with an intent expression. “Incoming…”

“What…?” Gwen started to ask since she couldn’t see anything, at least not for several more seconds. Then her eyes widened and she blurted, “Oh shit…”

Gwen gulped as she saw numerous figures coming towards her, keeping to the shadows as much as possible, which made it more difficult to make out how many there were. However, what she could tell, was that this was not another angry mob sent by the Sinner. These things definitely weren’t human.

Seconds later, the creatures came out from the side street and emerged into the open, giving Gwen a good look at them. One of them looked like a large, two-headed dog. One looked like a bald monkey, with large leathery wings. Several of them, looked as though they might once have been human, but had been raised from the dead or otherwise twisted into monstrous parodies.

“IREFAY,” Gwen yelled, throwing a fireball at one of the flying monkeys, which was coming straight at her. She hit the creature, which cried out in pain and dropped to the ground. She might have felt pity for the thing, if it hadn’t been glaring at her with hate filled eyes to start with. She turned her attention to one of the other creatures and unleashed her next spell, “Reezefay…”

“Stand back,” Mannequin warned, holding out her arms. Both of her arms split open, revealing weaponry that had been hidden with. Suddenly, a half dozen tiny missiles shot out of the openings, going right into the cluster of monsters, where they exploded, taking out nearly half the creates. Her arms closed up, but she immediately followed her attack up by firing beams of energy from her palms. “Take that…”

Alleycat rushed forward, lunging at a humanoid looking creature and slashing out with her clawed fingers. She tore deep gouges all up its front, then snapped around and kicked the creature’s legs, causing it to drop to the ground. It snarled, spat, and tried to bite her, but she gave it several good kicks to the head until it went motionless.

“At least these ones aren’t innocent bystanders,” Gwen said, relieved that this time, she didn’t have to hold back against her attackers. She focused on three of the monsters, who were side by side as they rushed towards her. With a grimace, she called out, “OOMBAY.” Suddenly, the ground beneath the creatures exploded, taking all three of them down at once. However, two of them were still moving and were even beginning to get back to their feet. “Irefay…”

Gwen grimaced as more of the creatures began arriving, and when she looked around, she grew increasingly nervous. At the rate these things were appearing, it wouldn’t be long before they were completely overrun. From the worried look on Alleycat’s face, it seemed that she’d come to the same conclusion.

“A bunch of damn cockroaches,” Alleycat snarled. “No matter how many we step on, more of these damn things just keep coming…”

Just then, there was an explosion of brilliant, swirling light, right in the middle of the swarm of creatures. They all began to shriek and howl as their skin burned and blistered. Then as one, the entire swarm tried to disperse and run, though it was far too late. They began to crumble to ash and disintegrate before they could get away.

“What the Hell?” Alleycat exclaimed, looking just as shocked and confused as Gwen felt.

“I hope you don’t mind my lending a hand,” a new voice called out, drawing Gwen’s attention up to the glowing figure that was hovering in the air.

“Glamour Girl,” Gwen blurted out in surprise and relief.

Glamour Girl came down lower and fired several energy blasts in different directions, hitting creatures as they tried to run away. She killed another half dozen before they all seemed to be gone, then she finally landed on the ground. However, she’d barely done that when something that looked vaguely like a green and slimy gorilla, leapt at her from where it had been hiding. She snapped around and punched the thing, sending it flying back, where she blasted it with another beam of light.

“DAMN,” Mannequin exclaimed, staring at Glamour Girl in stunned amazement. “You wiped them out…”

“These things are pretty vulnerable to my power,” Glamour Girl responded with a faint smirk.

“Then it sounds like this mission was made for you,” Mannequin said. “Thanks, by the way.”

Glamour girl just nodded at that and gave a wry smile. “It might be more accurate to say, that I was made for this mission. Literally.”

Gwen gave Glamour Girl a curious look, suspecting that there was a story behind that comment. Then again, since Glamour Girl had been able to pass through the barrier, she obviously had a story for that as well.

“So,” Gwen started, looking around curiously. “Where are the rest of your team?” She frowned, suddenly fearing the worst.

“We took down our obelisk,” Glamour Girl answered, gesturing off to the distance. “But the Scepter got away. I was out looking for her, or any sign of Nevermore.”

“Same with us,” Alleycat said, scowling deeply as she did so. “We got the obelisk, but that bitch escaped…”

“Anyway,” Glamour Girl continued, “since I can fly, I started to scout ahead…and when I sensed that dark power, I came to investigate.” She gestured to where the creatures had been, before she killed them. “There are a few other patches of these things, and I sense a lot more darkness in that direction, where they all seem to be coming from. I figure, that’s where Nevermore is.”

“You can sense these things?” Gwen asked in surprise.

Glamour Girl nodded. “Yeah. Like I said, I was given my powers so I could fight Nevermore.”

“You know,” Glamour Girl mused with a thoughtful expression. “I think our groups should hook up, then go take a closer look at what you’re sensing…”

“Sounds good to me,” Mannequin quickly agreed while Gwen nodded.

“How far is the rest of your team?” Gwen asked.

“A couple miles,” Glamour Girl answered with a shrug. “It’s hard to travel when only two of my group can fly…and Mystik levitates more than she flies.”

“I’ve been holding back so I don’t use up the rest of my power,” Gwen offered. “But since we have a destination, I’m pretty sure I have enough juice left to manage…” Then she held out her hands, concentrating on the effect she wanted as she said, “Loudcay.”

A moment later, a thick mist began to form around her, thickening until she and the others were completely surrounded by a cloud. Then, the cloud began to float up into the air, carrying them with it. This was the most complicated spell that she’d learned so far, but it was proving to be useful.

“The Witch Girl Taxi Service is ready to go,” she announced, giving Glamour Girl a wink before adding, “And the fare is running.”

Glamour Girl just laughed at that. “This is definitely a different way to fly for me.” She pointed off to the distance and announced, “That way, Jeeves.”

Gwen flew the group in the direction that Glamour Girl had indicated, and when they were close to where she said that she’d left her team, there was a sudden flash of light. A moment later, Mystik was floating in the air beside them.

“I found reinforcements,” Glamour Girl called out to her.

Mystik gave them a curious look, nodded faintly, then vanished. When Gwen looked down over the edge, she saw Mystik had reappeared on the ground, right beside Poison and some guy she didn’t know. It wasn’t until she landed and saw the blood on his shirt, and the obvious wound that caused it, that she realized that this guy was Deadbeat.

“This is a surprise,” Poison announced, looking them over with a faint smile. “Reinforcements are definitely welcome.”

“Especially ones with transportation,” Deadbeat added. “My feet are killing me…”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re already dead,” Glamour Girl teased him, only to get flipped off.

“I can teleport us wherever we need to go,” Mystik pointed out, sounding almost defensive about it, “but it would use up the rest of my power. Any time I teleport someone besides myself, it takes up a lot of my stored power.”

“Better to save it for when we really need it,” Glamour Girl told her. Then she looked over her team and continued, “I’m pretty sure I know where Nevermore is, and Witch Girl can get us there.”

Poison smiled at that, though it was not a nice smile. She held up her hand, clenching her fist, which glowed green. “Then it sounds like we have our destination.” Then she paused to look around, adding, “Assuming that everyone is on board with this.”

“Hell yeah,” Alleycat said while Gwen nodded her agreement.

“Might as well,” Deadbeat grumbled. “I’ve seen what that bitch does to people, and someone has to stop her.” However, the tone of his voice suggested that he’d prefer it was someone other than him.

“Then, let’s go get Baron Nevermore,” Mannequin announced.

Gwen let out a sigh, thinking about how much energy it took to transport people like this. However, when she remembered what the Sinner had done, she knew that stopping her and those other villains was well worth using up every bit of her reserves.

With that, she held out her hands and called out, “Loudcay.” A new cloud began to form around her, replacing the one that had vanished upon landing. Once the cloud had been summoned, she gave a forced smile and announced, “The Witch Girl Express is ready for departure. Next stop is Nevermore.”

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

Joselyn sat back, still feeling stunned by the revelation that the current Ms. Miracle…that Dave…was her half-sibling. She silently berated herself as her powers had given her hints about this before, but she’d overlooked them and just hadn’t paid attention.

“I can’t believe it,” Joselyn muttered, giving a worried look at the nearby medical tent.

After a moment, Joselyn blinked and then looked around, knowing that the rest of her family was even more surprised than she’d been. Her cousins Ryan and Angie were standing off by themselves, having a private conversation. Since they kept glancing towards the medical tent, the topic of that conversation was clear. Uncle Leon was playing a poker game with a couple other heroes while Aunt Gina, was talking with Marvel and Radiant.

“I knew that Dad and Ms. Miracle had a thing,” Joselyn said, looking at her sister Evie, who was sitting beside her. “But I never imagined this…”

“We shouldn’t be surprised,” Evie responded with a loud sigh and a glance towards the medical tent. “I mean, after the Fallen…”

“I’d rather not think about her,” Joselyn said, shuddering at the reminder of the Fallen…a hero who turned villain…and who was then revealed to be her half-sister.

Evie shook her head. “This is so weird. I mean, in less than a year, I’ve gained three new sisters…”

Joselyn rolled her eyes, since she was one of those new sisters. “What about me?” she asked. “I went from being the oldest of three, to the second youngest of five…”

Evie chuckled at that. “You were a good big brother, but I think I prefer you as my little sister.”

Joselyn rolled her eyes again. “No guy…or girl…should ever have their kid sister suddenly turn into their older sister. It’s really weird.”

“It may have been sudden for you,” Evie pointed out in a quiet tone as she started off into the distance, “but for me, it was hardly sudden. For me, it was six years. Six years stuck in that place, wanting to leave and go home. And when I finally got home, I found out that almost no time had passed for the rest of you.”

Without saying a word, Joselyn reached over and took Evie’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Evie almost never talked about the time she’d spent trapped in another dimension, but Joselyn knew that it hadn’t been happy. From what she understood, Evie had been held prisoner in a gilded cage, kept safe, comfortable, and with all of her needs taken care of. However, she’d also been alone for most of the time, and had been extremely lonely.

“Just think of the family gatherings,” Joselyn joked, in order to change the subject. “Can you imagine having Ms. Miracle over on Christmas morning?”

Evie laughed at that. “Or the Fallen at Thanksgiving…” The two of the looked at each other, then burst into giggles.

After a minute, Evie gestured towards the medical tent. “Is she…he going to be all right?”

“Yes,” Joselyn answered without hesitation, surprising herself a little with that certainty. She concentrated on Dave and ‘knew’ that after the magically enhanced blood transfusion and healing, he was now stable and even on the verge of waking up. “He’s doing fine.”

Just then, there was a loud ‘boom’ from the direction of the barrier, which made Joselyn jump. She looked over at the source and saw several heroes were still trying to blast their way through the barrier, though they weren’t having any more success than they had earlier.

After four of the pillars had been destroyed, the barrier was a lot weaker than it had been, and according to Exile, it was more ‘flexible.’ She’d seen evidence of that herself when it was time to leave. Denise, Dave, and the original Ms. Miracle had all been able to get through the barrier, but no one else had been able to get through it after that. Joselyn wondered if perhaps it was because those three had been trying to leave the barrier instead of enter, but she had a feeling it was more than that.

A moment later, Joselyn noticed that someone was walking straight towards her. It was a teenage boy, about her own age, who she recognized as being Denise’s nephew. She’d seen him when she first returned to the camp, but had been too distracted since to give him another thought.

“Hi,” the boy said, giving her a friendly smile. “I’m Will. Are you Lady Knight?”

“Yeah,” Joselyn answered, gesturing to her sister and adding, “And this is Figment.”

“Nice to meet you,” Will said politely.

Joselyn stared at the boy, and for a brief moment, she considered mentioning the fact that her dad was named Will as well. However, after a lifetime of protecting family’s secret identities, she managed to squash that impulse. It was one thing to be a little relaxed around other heroes, especially when many of them were people her family knew and had worked with for years. It was quite another thing to get careless around a stranger.

“I just wanted to thank you for getting Aunt Denise out of there,” Will told her, gesturing to the barrier. “I was pretty worried about her…”

“I’m glad we were able to,” Joselyn said, glancing towards the medical tent again. “And I’m glad she was able to patch up my friends. If it hadn’t been for her, then…someone would have died…”

Will nodded at that, looking serious. “And I hear that you’re the one who talked the Face into coming to get me…”

Joselyn laughed at that. “Not directly. I just knew that Denise needed you nearby for some reason…”

At that, Joselyn gave Will a curious look, still not even sure why he needed to stay near Denise. When she’d first met Denise, she’d sensed that the doctor was dangerous…like a ticking time bomb. Somehow, she was sure that Will had been the means of disarming that time bomb, and now that she saw him face to face, she was even more certain of it. Will had some kind of power, though there was so much ‘noise’ at the moment, that her psychic abilities couldn’t tell her much more than that.

“I’m just glad that she’s all right,” Will said, looking more than a little relieved. “You have no idea how bad things could have gone…”

“Now, that sounds interesting,” Evie said, giving Will a curious look. “Why was it so important that we get you here?”

Will just smiled wryly. “I’m just here as an insurance policy…in case she has a…seizure. Fortunately, it looks like I’m not really necessary, and I hope it stays that way.”

Before Joselyn could ask Will what he meant, he said, “Thanks again,” then quickly hurried away.

“There’s something really odd with him,” Joselyn carefully said.

“Well, duh,” Evie said with a roll of her eyes. “I figured that much out, without using any ESP.”

Joselyn was about to respond to Evie, when she suddenly ‘knew’ that Dave was waking up. Without a word of explanation to her sister, Joselyn started for the medical tent.

When Joselyn stepped inside, she saw Dave stretched out on a cot while Ms. Miracle sat by his side, still in Channel’s body. Her dad sat a short distance away, staring at Dave with a strange expression, as he was still trying to absorb the fact that he had a son he’d never even known about, and that he’d come extremely close to dying.

And then there was Rumor, who was pacing back and forth with a worried look on her face. The rest of the Miracle Men were hanging around near the tent, occasionally peeking their heads in so they could check on their teammate and friend.

The Face had left the tent after the blood transfusion and healing, but Denise remained, keeping a close eye on her patient. Joselyn stared at Denise, thankful that her powers had led her to the woman. Joselyn still didn’t know Denise’s secret, but the doctor had patched up several of Joselyn’s new friends, and had then saved her new brother. Those actions had earned her the benefit of the doubt.

Dave groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Joselyn’s dad was immediately on his feet, as was Ms. Miracle. “David,” she cried out with tears of relief running down her cheeks. “You’re all right…”

Dave stared at her for several seconds with a look of blank confusion, then recognition came. “Mom?” he whispered, sounding a little uncertain.

“I’m still here,” she assured him, before reluctantly admitting, “but not for much longer. I’ve pushed Channel well past her limits…”

“I…thought…you…were…a…dream,” Dave whispered.

Ms. Miracle smiled down at her son with a mixture of pride and sadness. “I have to go again,” she told him. “But this time, I have a chance to say goodbye…”

“No,” Dave quietly gasped. He looked as though he was about to sit up, but Ms. Miracle put a hand on his chest to keep him from exerting himself.

“I don’t have a choice,” Ms. Miracle told him. “But before I go, there are things I have to tell you…” She paused for a moment, then gestured to Joselyn’s father. “The White Knight... He’s your father. Your real father.”

Dave just stared at her without any comprehension for a moment, then he looked to Joselyn’s father, who looked awkward and self-conscious. “This was a surprise for me too,” he said, giving a nervous smile.

“There is so much I want to tell you,” Ms. Miracle told Dave, wiping the tears from her eyes, though they continued to come. “But all I have time for, is to tell you I love you…and I’m proud of who you’ve become…”

With that, Ms. Miracle shimmered and her costume transformed back into Channel’s uniform instead. An instant later, Channel collapsed, though Joselyn saw this happening in time to catch her.

“Channel,” Joselyn cried out.

“Is she all right?” Joselyn’s dad demanded as he rushed over.

“Just unconscious,” Joselyn said, not even bothering to check Channel’s pulse. Her powers had already assured her that Channel was merely unconscious, not dead. “She’s exhausted…”

Denise didn’t seem ready to trust Joselyn’s judgement, because she checked Channel’s pulse, then instructed, “Put her on that cot…”

Once they had Channel on the cot, Denise began to look her over, quickly agreeing with Joselyn’s diagnosis. “I think she just needs some rest,” Denise said.

Joselyn was relieved at that, and when she looked back to Dave, she saw that Rumor was holding his hand and smiling at him. Dave definitely looked happy to see her, though he looked over at her and her dad and a strange expression appeared on his face.

“Pretty strange, I know,” Joselyn told him. Then she joked, “I always wanted a big brother…”

Rumor suddenly started snickering, and when Joselyn looked at her, she explained, “He is usually a she. Dave usually only goes back to being a guy, once every couple weeks.”

“I don’t have any powers when I’m like this,” Dave explained self-consciously, his voice weak and quiet. “And I kind of got used to my other form.”

Joselyn glanced over to her dad, who’d come back over again. He was staring at Dave, and when Dave looked back, he visibly gulped. “I think we have a lot to talk about…”

“You can talk later,” Denise announced. “After what he’s been through, it’s a miracle he’s still alive…” Rumor and Joselyn both snickered at the unintentional pun, earning a flat look from Denise. “He needs to rest, so everyone…out.”

Joselyn’s dad reluctantly nodded agreement, then told Dave, “Then we’ll talk later.”

After they left the medical tent, Rumor immediately went to the rest of the Miracle Men in order to fill them in, while Joselyn and her dad began to update the rest of their family. There was clear relief that Dave was doing all right, even though they’d only discovered he was related.

“I don’t know whether to give you congratulations or condolences,” Joselyn’s uncle Leo told her dad. “Because after this, Ellen is going to kill you…”

“Or make you sleep in the dog house,” Evie added with a smirk.

“Or make you build a dog house, just so you can sleep in it,” Joselyn offered with a smirk of her own.

Joselyn’s dad shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t know what to do about this…or what to think. Ms. Miracle and I were together…and done…before I ever even met Ellen. I certainly never expected this…”

“At least this time, you can skip the diaper stage,” Joselyn pointed out wryly. The look her dad gave her, suggested that he didn’t appreciate her attempt at humor.

Just then, someone yelled out, “We have more returns…”

Joselyn turned and looked to the barrier, seeing that Invincible Woman and Ghost Boy had just come through it. She was a little surprised that they were back, especially since their obelisk was the last one still standing. Then, Joselyn noticed that Invincible Woman was in rough condition, with a beaten face that clearly showed that she’d been in a fight.

Even as Joselyn absorbed these details, her dad rushed to their side. He gave them a grim look, clearly thinking of the fact that they were back, but the barrier was still up.

“What happened?” he asked.

Invincible Woman had a guilty look on her face as she answered, “Circuit Monger… She’s stronger than the last time…”

“We couldn’t beat her,” Ghost Boy added with a dark look on his face. He gulped visibly, then added, “We lost Praxis.”

Joselyn stood back, silently watching Invincible Woman and Ghost Boy, who had just returned after their failed mission against Circuit Monger and her obelisk. They were both sitting down to rest, though Invincible Woman was also holding an ice pack against the side of her face. Between the bruised face and her torn costume, it was pretty obvious that she’d been in a tough fight. In contrast, Ghost Boy looked tired, but completely unharmed.

Many of the heroes had gathered around, eager to hear about what had happened with Circuit Monger. The members of Faction Zero looked especially interested, which was no surprise since they were the ones who had the most experience with her.

“We beat Circuit Monger before,” Invincible Woman said, her tone being just a little defensive…or maybe just embarrassed. “But this time was different. When we got to the obelisk, Circuit Monger was there…with an army.”

“An army?” Shiver blurted out in surprise.

“There were several hundred people in the area,” Ghost Boy explained, “completely surrounding the obelisk. They looked like normal people, except they all had glowing green eyes…”

“The infected,” Denise stated, drawing Joselyn’s attention to her. She hadn’t even realized the doctor had come over, until that moment.”

Icarus gave Denise a suspicious look and asked, “You know about them?”

Denise had a grim look on her face as she nodded. “I saw them this morning. Groups of them were searching the streets and buildings, finding other people and then infecting them.”

“Infecting them?” Joselyn’s dad asked. “What do you mean?”

“The infection seems to be spread through direct physical contact,” Denise explained with a deep scowl. “Less than half a minute after direct exposure, and the victim shows all the symptoms as the others. I would assume that this was a form of virus, but the rate of progression is far too rapid for that.” Then she shook her head and added, “I haven’t seen any of them speak or even communicate with each other, but their movements and actions were still completely coordinated. It was quite…disconcerting to see.”

“Damn,” Kaboom exclaimed, shaking her head. “Sounds like Night of the Living Dead or something…”

“Or the Borg,” Ghost Boy added with a deep scowl. A moment, he looked around defensively, “I have watched Star Trek, you know…”

“You sound like you know what you’re talking about,” Joselyn commented, watching Denise with a curious look.

Will, who was standing beside Denise, gave her a nervous look. “I’m…something of an expert in retroviral mutation,” Denise said with a carefully controlled expression. “And I watched those infected, as much as I could without getting close. In fact, when I first saw them, I assumed that Baltimore had been quarantined to prevent their spread…”

“A reasonable assumption,” Joselyn’s dad stated, turning his attention back to Invincible Woman and Ghost Boy. “Please continue…”

“When we got there,” Invincible Woman said, removing the ice pack from her face and revealing that most of the bruising was now gone, which said something about how bad she must have been to start with. “Circuit Monger was waiting…with her army. There were so many of them, and they were completely surrounding the obelisk. Praxis went to try shooing them away from the obelisk so we could destroy it, while Ghost Boy and I tried to keep Circuit Monger busy…”

“The…infected,” Ghost Boy said, glancing to Denise before using her term for them, “swarmed over Praxis…and infected her. The next thing we knew, Praxis had joined them and started to attack us…”

“Damn,” Kaboom exclaimed while several others nodded agreement with the sentiment.

“Praxis,” Joselyn whispered, feeling bad for the woman. She barely knew Praxis at all, but to have something like this happen to her… She shuddered at the very thought.

“We couldn’t beat both Praxis and Circuit Monger,” Invincible Woman continued with a deep grimace. “And we didn’t dare get too close to the infected…”

“I could have gotten past them,” Ghost Boy added, looking frustrated. “But there isn’t much I could have done to the obelisk. My powers are more suited to stealth than destruction…”

At this point, Warchild grumbled, “We should have sent all the teams in with explosives...just for situations like this.”

“But how do you get past an army of mind controlled civilians?” Joselyn asked, looking around. “I mean, you can’t just kill them like you would a bunch of zombies or robots…”

“Actually,” Interface mused with a thoughtful expression, “I believe the Borg analogy is probably closer to the truth.”

Joselyn stared at Interface for a moment, then realized that this wasn’t just speculation. The Guard member actually knew something about these infected. However, before she could call him out on it, Shiver pointed out, “That’s right. You and Circuit Monger have a history…”

Interface nodded grimly. “Circuit Monger and I received our powers from the same source…a techno-organic virus. This virus gave me the ability to interface with computer systems, and even other people’s nervous systems, but Trojan received a variant strain that had somewhat different effects. He gained the ability to interface with computers, just like I can, but not with humans. Unfortunately, his strain also became somewhat sentient…and either merged with him or seized control. I’ve never been quite certain which.”

“I thought we were talking about Circuit Monger,” Kaboom said with a confused look. “Not this Trojan guy…”

“Trojan is Circuit Monger,” Shiver told Kaboom.

Interface nodded again. “Trojan transferred his consciousness into a cybernetic body, a duplicate of Circuit’s, and then changed his…her name.” He scowled at that. “From what I know of her, she considers this cybernetic conversion an upgrade…and as she is far stronger and more powerful than she’d been in her human body, I can understand that perspective.”

Warchild snorted. “Please don’t tell me that you’re thinking of turning into a fembot too…” He smirked faintly as he added, “Having one fembot on the team is enough.”

Interface gave Warchild a wry look. “Trust me, when I say, I have no such plans.”

“Please continue,” Joselyn’s dad urged him, somewhat impatiently.

“From what I have heard about these infected,” Interface continued with a deep scowl. “I believe that I know how Circuit Monger is doing this.”

“How?” Joselyn asked.

“When I interface with a person,” Interface explained, “I create a very limited infection, which allows me to interface with their brains and access the information stored within. Trojan was obsessed with acquiring information, and was jealous that I could do this while he could not. The human mind is a repository of information that he could not directly access, much to his frustration.”

Joselyn’s dad stared at Interface for a moment before saying, “And you think that Circuit Monger learned how to do this.”

“Yes,” Interface agreed with a deep scowl. “I believe that Circuit Monger has not only learned how I interface with people…but has created a much more powerful version. Instead of just interfacing with someone else’s brain, she created a virus that could override and control it.”

“An infectious virus,” Joselyn pointed out.

“Yes,” Interface said again. “One that allows her to access and control those who are infected.”

“Like Praxis,” Ghost Boy added bitterly.

“And all those civilians,” Icarus stated with a sour look. “Circuit Monger has always been dangerous, but if she can do this now, then she has become a major threat. Perhaps an even greater threat to the world than Nevermore.”

“I doubt that,” Joselyn muttered, though she could definitely see how dangerous Circuit Monger was.

If Circuit Monger’s infection got out of Baltimore, it could easily spread over the entire world, like some kind of high tech zombie apocalypse. But as bad as that was, Joselyn was sure that whatever Nevermore had planned would be even worse.

“Circuit Monger has turned people into…drones,” Interface spat out in disgust. “If this spreads beyond Baltimore…”

“It won’t,” Joselyn said, surprising herself with the comment since Interface had just been echoing her own thoughts. Then she realized that her powers were giving her more information. “I think she has some kind of limitation about distance. She can only control them if they’re close enough…”

To Joselyn’s surprise, no one questioned how she knew that. Instead, Interface merely nodded. “If she’s controlling these people directly, then they have to be close enough to receive her communications signal…”

“Unless she builds some kind of repeater,” Surge, of the Miracle Men offered.

“Would it be possible to interrupt this communication signal?” Icarus asked Interface, who seemed to be the expert on these kind of viruses.

Interface thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. “Perhaps…once we knew how Circuit Monger was communicating with them. The electro-magnetic spectrum is quite vast, and unless we know what part of the spectrum she is using…and what frequencies, our options are limited.”

Joselyn stared at Interface for a moment as an idea occurred to her. “You think she’s using some kind of radio signal?”

“That seems the most likely option,” Interface explained, giving her a faintly annoyed look, as he seemed to think she was asking a dumb question. “From what I know of the original virus, that would be the best means of communication between one host and another. The problem is, jamming the entire range of possible frequencies will be extremely difficult.”

“What about an EMP?” Joselyn’s dad asked thoughtfully.

“Possible,” Interface responded with a look of consideration. “If nothing else, it would disrupt communication long enough for us to act…”

“I have an idea,” Joselyn announced.

Her dad abruptly paused to give her a curious look. “Your powers are telling you something?”

“Not exactly,” Joselyn admitted with a grin. “But I know someone who would be perfect for this…” At her dad’s curious look, she explained, “Her powers let her jam the entire electromagnetic spectrum at once.”

Without bothering to explain more, Joselyn pulled out her cell phone and made a call. As soon as her best friend picked up, Joselyn said, “Hey, Vickie… I know this is short notice, but I need you and Chris to get dressed. We need you.”

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

The air was filled with a sense of dark unease, the kind that sent chills down Gwen’s spine and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She slowly looked around, gulping nervously as she did so. Though she didn’t see any signs of an immediate threat, she knew that it was out there…surrounding her.

“It isn’t much further,” Glamour Girl announced, pointing down the street.

Glamour Girl had already said this before, just a couple minutes ago. That was why Gwen had landed her cloud and let it vanish. She’d gotten them close to Nevermore, but now they wanted to go the rest of the way on foot so that they wouldn’t be seen as easily.

“This is a reconnaissance mission,” Poison reminded the rest of them. “For now, we just want to get close enough to see what’s going and what we’re facing. If necessary, we can send for reinforcements.”

“I’d rather just kick Nevermore’s ass and get it over with,” Deadbeat grumbled.

“I’m with him,” Alleycat agreed, gesturing to Deadbeat.

Gwen let out a sigh, then pointed out, “We don’t really know what Baron Nevermore is up to…or how many people he has with him.”

“SHE probably has an army of monsters,” Glamour Girl responded grimly. “I can feel the darkness…a lot more of it than the last time I saw Nevermore.” She shuddered visibly.

“Let’s just get this done and over with,” Mannequin said grimly.

Mystik didn’t say a word, though she definitely looked nervous. Instead, she swung her staff in a dramatic manner then began walking in the direction that Glamour Girl had indicated. A moment later, everyone else followed.

“I can’t believe we’ve got to walk,” Deadbeat grumbled, “when we’ve got perfectly good transportation…”

“It’s only a block,” Gwen pointed out with a roll of her eyes. She hadn’t known Deadbeat long, but she’d already noticed that he liked to complain about everything. She was beginning to see how he’d earned his codename.

Suddenly, Glamour Girl froze and looked around with a grim expression. Gwen immediately began scanning the area, still not seeing any threats, though she didn’t doubt that they were there. “They’re coming,” Glamour Girl finally said.

In spite of Glamour Girl’s dire pronouncement, it took another ten seconds before the creatures appeared, crawling out of the nearby buildings and dark alleys. Gwen gulped as she looked around, realizing that there were a lot more of these things than the last time her group had been attacked. However, she reminded herself, this time they had Glamour Girl with them from the start.

Glamour Girl floated up into the air, then let loose with a massive burst of light, aimed straight into the center of the swarming mass. Dozens of the creatures shrieked and crumbled away at once, and she didn’t hesitate to start attacking the rest.

“Oombay,” Gwen called out, creating a small explosion that took out a couple of the creatures.

Mannequin fired energy blasts at a couple from her palms while Poison, Alleycat, and Deadbeat circled around the rest of them, clearly preparing to deal with any of the creatures that got too close. And then there was Mystik, who suddenly teleported to where one giant snake had just appeared from a building doorway, and then smacked it over the head with her staff. Repeatedly.

“Snakes,” Mystik commented with a grin, as if she was making some kind of joke. “Why did it have to be snakes?”

Gwen just gave Mystik a curious look, a little confused since she’d heard that the other magic user was pretty powerful, but all she’d seen Mystik do was teleport and levitate. Then again, she reminded herself, Mystik had once taken out Entropy, when Faction Zero had been unable to do so, which proved she had some real power. But before Gwen could give any more consideration as to why Mystik was holding back, another wave of the creatures began to appear.

“There are a lot more of these damn freaks this time,” Alleycat growled, right before she leapt at one catlike creature and used her own claws on it.

“We’re a lot closer to Nevermore,” Glamour Girl pointed out grimly, right before she fired several more blasts of light.

“Good thing we have you here with us,” Poison said, punching a flying monkey, then lashing out at something else. “Otherwise, we’d be completely overwhelmed, just by sheer numbers…”

“There are still too damn many of them,” Deadbeat pointed out. With that, he picked up one of the humanoid creatures, which looked like a zombie from some horror movie.

Gwen stared at the sight of one zombie fighting another, then shook her head and focused on several of the flying creatures that were getting too close. “Irefay. Reezefay.”

Less than a minute later, the remaining creatures turned and fled, and soon the streets were once again empty. Gwen gasped for breath and let out a sigh of relief before announcing, “We did it…”

Glamour Girl snapped around and demanded, “What do you mean WE?”

“What’s your problem?” Alleycat snarled, glaring at Glamour Girl.

“I am the one who beat those things,” Glamour Girl exclaimed, looking around at all of the others with an arrogant expression. “Just like I’m the one who beat them the last time. We all know that I’m the most powerful one here, and that I’m the only one powerful enough to beat Nevermore. The rest of you are just cannon fodder to keep her troops occupied…”

“Why, you arrogant bitch,” Alleycat yelled, her eyes blazing with rage.

“But she’s right,” Gwen gasped, staring at Glamour Girl and feeling a growing sense of jealousy. Glamor Girl was so beautiful, and strong, and tough, and she had such beautiful light power…

“Calm down,” Poison yelled, but it did little good as Alleycat leapt at Glamour Girl. The glowing heroine responded by backhanding Gwen’s teammate, sending her flying back. Poison snarled in anger, her hands glowing green. “YOU WILL OBEY ME!”

“What the Hell is going on?” Mannequin demanded, looking around in shock.

Deadbeat shook his head with a look of confusion. “Beats me…”

Mystik clutched her staff tightly and began to back up while giving everyone else suspicious looks. “Mine,” she muttered, pulling her staff even closer to her body. “My precious…”

“I want her powers,” Gwen whined, still staring at Glamour Girl. She considered her magic, wondering if one of her spells might be able to take Glamour Girl’s powers… But then, she paused, realizing that something wasn’t right. It was with a great deal of effort that she gasped, “Indmay ieldshay…”

Suddenly, Gwen’s mind cleared and she let out a gasp, no longer feeling jealous of Glamour Girl. She stared at the other heroes, seeing that everyone besides Mannequin and Deadbeat were getting ready to attack each other. With a grimace, she gathered her energy and repeated the spell she’d just cast on herself, targeting Poison first, then quickly getting the others.

“I almost killed you,” Poison gasped, staring down at her own hands in shock. “I can’t believe…”

“I can’t believe I was saying those things,” Glamour Girl said with a look of guilt.

“The Sinner,” Gwen blurted out, immediately getting everyone’s attention. “She’s here…”

Mannequin scowled and began to look around. “I should have known… But where is she?”

“No idea,” Gwen responded, looking around her surroundings but seeing no sign of the Sinner…or anyone else. However, there had been no mistaking that power. “But she’s around here somewhere…”

Just then, someone began to clap. “Very good,” the Sinner announced a moment later, as she stepped out of a nearby doorway and into view. She had an arrogant smirk on her face as she said, “You caught me…”

“YOU,” Gwen snarled, becoming angry at the very sight of the woman who had caused so much devastation.

“I just had to take a peek at your defining sins,” the Sinner casually said, looking oddly amused. Gwen REALLY wanted to knock that smug look off the villain’s face. “Pride and anger are no surprise. After all, those are the most common sins among your kind. But greed…” She stared intently at Mystik. “That is a little less common, but oh so interesting…”

“Bite me,” Mystik responded, flipping the Sinner off while raising her staff to fight.

“Mine would probably be sloth,” Deadbeat admitted with a shrug.

“We’ve got you now,” Alleycat exclaimed with a satisfied look of her own as she began to slowly walk towards the Sinner. “You don’t have any civilians to use this time…”

The Sinner just sneered at that. “I don’t know how you broke free,” she said, “but this time, you’ll tear each other to pieces before you even know it…”

Gwen suddenly felt pressure against the mind shield spell that she’d cast, and she held her breath for a moment. To her relief, the spell held. She grinned, feeling much more confident about the situation.

“That isn’t going to work on us again,” she called out.

“You’re in deep trouble now,” Mannequin announced as she started walking straight towards the Sinner, making a show of cracking her knuckles.

The Sinner looked worried, but only for a few seconds. “That might be true,” she responded, once again smirking and even buffing her nails. “If I was alone.”

“DESTROY HER,” a new voice yelled out.

The voice had barely finished speaking when Mannequin was suddenly struck with a flash of red energy. A moment later, there was a smoldering hole where hero had been…with a charred and severed arm beside it.

“MANNEQUIN,” Gwen cried out in stunned horror.

Gwen snapped around to look for the source of the voice and saw a skinny woman with black hair, and wearing a red and black suit of armor. She was hovering in the air, surrounded by a ring of black smoke. At first, Gwen had absolutely no idea who this woman was, but then the saw the black staff in her hand.

“She has Loki’s staff,” Gwen blurted out, right before snarling, “She killed Mannequin…”

“Good one, Loki,” the Sinner called out with a smirk. “And in case I forgot to tell you before, you look a lot better as a chick. Maybe once we’re done here, we can go try out your new body…”

“Shut up,” the woman…Loki snarled, definitely not looking happy.

“Take them,” Poison yelled, pointing at Loki with a look of cold fury.

With that, everyone burst into action. Deadbeat, Alleycat, and Poison all ran towards the Sinner since she was on the ground and none of them could fly. Since the mysteriously transformed Loki was floating in the air, that left Glamour Girl and Mystik to fly after her, while Gwen focused on her ranged magic.

“Irefay,” Gwen called out, throwing a ball of fire at the floating villain, who dodged out of the way.

“Protect the Sinner,” Loki ordered, right before the Sinner suddenly vanished, only to reappear a moment later in another location. “Protect me…”

Glamour Girl punched Loki, or at least tried to, because her fist went right through Loki as if she was a ghost. Loki just laughed at that, which infuriated both Gwen and Glamour Girl.

“You’ll pay for murdering Mannequin,” Glamour Girl yelled.

“And everyone else,” Gwen added, wondering what she could do against someone like Loki, when her own magic was quickly running out.

“Loki,” Mystik called out, floating up into the air. She had a grim look on her face as she glared at the villain. “If you really are Loki.”

Loki glared at Mystik before answering, “I remember you… You were one of the bitches who sent me to prison…” Then Loki smirked, “I’m gonna love fucking you up…”

“I’ve got one wish left,” Mystik stated grimly. “Taking you down will be a good use.”

“I’ve got as many wishes as I want,” Loki bragged. “But I only need to use one to kill all you nosey bitches…” Then, she held up her staff and yelled, “KILL THEM ALL.”

Suddenly, the sky cracked open, with jagged black tears running through the very air. Gwen stared at it with a very bad feeling, especially when red energy began to leak out from the tears.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Gwen muttered. “A VERY bad feeling…”

After several seconds of tense waiting, the rest of the sky seemed to shatter, releasing a downpour of crimson liquid. Suddenly, a large golden dome formed over the area, like an enormous umbrella to protect them all from the bloody rain.

“What the…?” Gwen started in surprise.

Gwen looked through the transparent dome and saw the red liquid pouring down outside of it, coming down like a heavy rain. Then Gwen noticed steam coming from where the liquid hit, and she gasped as a nearby car began to blister and melt, dissolving like a sugar cube left out in the rain. Even the ground began to burn and dissolve.

“No fucking way,” Alleycat exclaimed.

Then a shriek of agony pierced the air, drawing Gwen’s attention to the Sinner…who was outside the golden dome and caught in the bloody downpour. She was on her knees, screaming as her clothes and skin burned and dissolved, as though she’d been doused in acid.

“Oh God,” Gwen whispered in horror, tearing her eyes away from the villain as she couldn’t bear to watch something so horrific. The screaming stopped a couple seconds later, but Gwen couldn’t bring herself to look at the Sinner…or at what was left of her.

The bloody rain stopped after only a minute, and as soon as it did, the glowing dome vanished as well. Gwen looked around, horrified at her surroundings. The buildings, ground, and everything that had been caught in the rain, was melted and dissolved, losing an inch off the surface. However, the area that had been protected by the dome was intact and an island of normalcy in comparison.

“Loki’s gone,” Gwen said in realization. She didn’t see any sign of the villain.

“She probably figured we were all dead from that,” Glamour Girl announced, “and left.”

“Or she didn’t want to get caught in it herself,” Poison added.

“Good news for us,” Alleycat said grimly. “If she doesn’t come back.”

“That’s it,” Mystik exclaimed, now standing on the ground and leaning on her staff. “I’m done. My tank is empty.”

“You created the force field,” Poison said, looking at Mystik in surprise. “You saved us…”

Mystik nodded at that. “Yeah, but I’m pretty much useless now.”

“Yeah, but so is the Sinner,” Deadbeat announced with an evil chuckle. “Damn, there’s hardly anything left of her.”

Gwen shuddered at that. “TMI.”

Mystik let out a sigh, then said, “I can still teleport for a couple more minutes, but after that, I’ll change back to normal and probably won’t be able to use my powers again for the next week.”

“Can you teleport yourself back to the base camp?” Poison asked.

“Yeah,” Mystik agreed with a scowl, carefully not looking at what was left of the Sinner…or Mannequin. “I can do that, but I don’t like the idea of abandoning you out here.”

Poison nodded thoughtfully. “If your powers are out, then you’d just be a liability. You’ve already done your part, so get back to where it’s safe…and fill everyone in on what’s going on.”

Mystik hesitated a moment before nodding agreement. “I can do that. Good luck.” And with that, she suddenly vanished in a flash of golden light.

“Now what?” Deadbeat asked.

“Now,” Poison announced, gesturing in the direction that they’d previously been heading. “We still have a reconnaissance mission to complete.”

“Stop pacing,” Evie announced as she gave Joselyn a flat look. “You’re starting to make ME nervous.”

“Sorry,” Joselyn apologized, though she couldn’t resist sticking her tongue out at her sister.

“Very mature,” Evie responded with a roll of her eyes.

Joselyn just snorted. “Funny, coming from the girl who keeps trying to ambush me with water balloons.”

Evie just grinned at that. “That’s different.” Then she stuck her own tongue out at Joselyn.

From a few feet away, Counterweight wryly commented, “Gee, I’d never guess you two were sisters.” Joselyn and Evie simultaneously stuck their tongues out at her, then burst out giggling.

“Just be thankful their younger sister isn’t here,” Joselyn’s dad commented with a shake of his head. “Then they’d both be acting like twelve year olds.” He paused for a moment before adding, “At least, more than they already are.”

Joselyn was still smiling as she looked to an empty space, where just a few minutes earlier, the Face had created a portal to leave. She’d wanted to go with him, but he told her that it wouldn’t be necessary. Now, all she could do was wait for him to return. Then, as she watched, a glowing red portal appeared in the air, and the Face stepped out of it, along with two other people.

The first person to appear after the Face, was a teenage girl about a year older than Joselyn. She had black hair and a costume that was black and gray. This girl was Vickie Wells, Joselyn’s closest friend outside of her own family. Of course, since Vickie was currently in costume, she was going by the codename of Velvet.

Right behind Vicki was her twin brother Chris, who was also known by the codename of Impact. He was tall and athletic with short white hair and a costume that was white and dark blue.

“Velvet,” Joselyn called out with a grin as she hurried over to see her friend.

“Jos…I mean Lady Knight,” Vickie greeted her with a broad grin of her own. “What’s going on?”

Joselyn looked to Chris and felt herself blush. “I’m glad you guys could make it.”

It only took a few seconds before Joselyn’s dad came over as well and gave her friends a curious look. “My daughter has told me a lot about you two,” he announced, holding his hand out to Chris first. “I’m glad to finally meet you, though I wish it was under better circumstances.”

Joselyn gave her dad a firm look, trying to silently warn him not to embarrass her. She’d learned that look from her mom and had been practicing it a bit over the last couple months, though she still hadn’t mastered as well as her mother had.
“Um…nice to meet you too,” Vickie said, looking a little nervous, which amused Joselyn.

Just then, Evie gently elbowed Joselyn and quietly asked, “Is he the one you were telling me about?” She was looking directly at Chris, which made Joselyn brush brightly.

“Yeah,” Joselyn admitted with a blush, which caused Evie to look at him more thoughtfully.

During one of Joselyn’s precognitive dreams, she’d had a vision about her own future. Specifically, about her own wedding. In that vision, Joselyn had been getting married to Chris, while Vickie had been her maid of honor. Several weeks after having that dream, Joselyn had met Vickie and Chris for the first time, which had been very odd for her, but also exciting.

So far, Joselyn had only told three people about that dream...Evie, her mom, and Vickie. She could only imagine how Chris or her dad would react, which was why she hadn’t said a word to either of them.

“This is my sister, Figment,” Joselyn said, introducing Evie to her best friend and future husband. Then she gave them a wry smile and added, “I have a few more relatives scattered around too…” She gestured to the rest of Knight Force, who had come over to see her friends. “I’ll have to have you guys over for dinner some time…and some real introductions, but that will have to wait.”

“Nice to meet you and all,” Vickie told Evie before looking back to Joselyn, “but what’s going on?”

“We saw that thing on the news,” Chris added, then looked around at the large gathering of heroes. “But somehow, I don’t think you really need our help for it.”

Joselyn gave a wry smile, knowing exactly what he meant. Vickie and Chris were both new to the hero business and had only just stuck their feet in. Neither of them had much experience, which was why she hadn’t called them originally. Compared to everyone else, they were rookies. And admittedly, she didn’t want to put either of them into this kind of danger until they were ready. Unfortunately, she no longer had a choice.

“We have a problem,” Joselyn said, gesturing to the barrier and looking at Vickie. “And you might be the solution.”

“The barrier was created by a villain known as Baron Nevermore,” Joselyn’s dad explained grimly. He gestured at the barrier as he continued, “It completely isolates Baltimore and all of the surrounding areas. So far, the number of heroes who have been able to bypass the barrier are very limited, but once the barrier is down, the rest of us will be able to move in and stop Nevermore…”

“And why are we here?” Chris asked curiously.

“Because both of you can get through the barrier,” Joselyn explained, giving them a wry smile that hid how self-conscious she was. “The only ones who can get through, are people like us. Gender switched.”

Their eyes widened and they looked at the gathered heroes, and especially at the ones who’d come close enough to hear that announcement. From their scowls, Joselyn knew that neither of them was happy about having their secret spread around.

“Then, there are only a couple of us,” Vickie said awkwardly.

“Actually,” the Face explained, “we already sent five teams through the barrier…”

“Five teams?” Chris blurted out in surprise.

“We had seventeen heroes who could go,” Joselyn told them with a chuckle. “Turns out, there are a lot more of us than I’d ever guessed…”

Vickie stared at Joselyn for a moment, then shook her head. “Wow… This is so weird…”

Joselyn just snorted at that. “You want to talk weird? I just found out I have a new sister…or brother.” At Vickie’s startled look, she shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

“As I was saying,” the Face said, raising his voice a little to remind them that he’d been about to explain. “The barrier is maintained by five obelisks on the other side. In order to remove the barrier, these obelisks need to be destroyed. Four of the teams we sent in managed to destroy their obelisks, but one of the teams failed.”

“And my daughter believes that you are the key to taking that one,” Joselyn’s father finished, his eyes locked on Vickie, who seemed uncomfortable with the attention.

“Us?” Vickie asked in surprise.

“Mostly just you,” Joselyn told her, giving an apologetic look to Chris. “Your powers are perfect to deal with this…”

At that, they began to explain the situation to Vickie and Chris, who both looked a little worried. Joselyn could see that they felt like they were in over their heads, but neither of them said anything about it. And by the time they were finished with explanations, Vickie and Chris were both nodding their agreement.

“And that’s the situation,” Joselyn’s dad said. “The last obelisk is being guarded by Circuit Monger and an army of infected drones.”

“And Lady Knight says that you can help,” Interface added, giving Vickie a curious look, clearly wondering exactly how she could do that. “I understand that you can create some kind of darkness field…”

“Not exactly,” Vickie responded with a growing grin. “I absorb light. Actually, I absorb all electromagnetic energy in an area…including light…and radio waves.”

Interface suddenly looked more interested in Vickie, as did the Face and some of the others. “I see,” Interface said, giving Vickie a thoughtful look.

“If any drones get in her range,” Chris proudly announced, “they’ll not only go blind…but lose all radio communications.”

“And if Velvet happens to get close enough to Circuit Monger,” Joselyn added with a faint smirk, “she can cut her off from ALL of the drones.”

“Now THAT should be useful,” Evie said before glancing at Chris. “And what can you do?”

Chris looked pleased to finally get a little attention, since everyone had been focused on his sister. He puffed up a little bit as he answered, “I absorb kinetic energy and use it to get strong.”

“He’s strong and hard to hurt,” Vickie said.

“Which will be useful for this mission,” Joselyn’s dad said, looking grim as she remembered what he was going to send them into.

There was a bit of muttering from the various heroes before Kaboom asked, “So, who all is going on this team?” She glanced down to her arm, which was still in a sling, scowling as she did so.

“We’re going,” Invincible Woman announced as she and Ghost Boy came over. She had a determined expression on her face. “We have unfinished business with Circuit Monger.”

“We have to finish our mission,” Ghost Boy added with a grim look of his own. “And we can’t just leave Praxis like that.”

“And I’m going too,” Joselyn announced, glancing towards Vicki and Chris. There was absolutely no way that she was going to send them in to face Circuit Monger while she stayed back where it was safe.

Joselyn’s father looked like he was about to argue, but the Face pointed out, “It isn’t as though we have many other heroes who are even capable of going. Ms. Miracle is out of action, Kaboom has a broken arm, Legacy has a broken leg, Lady Hexx has a sprained ankle, Channel is exhausted, and Counterweight has a broken shoulder…”

“Just badly bruised,” Counterweight corrected him. She went to rotate her arm to show that it could still function, but winced in pain. “Yeah, not good.”

“Yeah, we’re all messed up,” Kaboom grumbled.

“I might not be in good shape to fight,” Counterweight admitted, “but I can still play taxi.” She gestured to Vickie and Chris, adding, “Unless you two can fly or teleport…”

“Nope,” Vickie admitted with a shrug.

“I’m afraid that we don’t have a lot of time to waste,” the Face announced, gesturing to the barrier. “The longer the barrier remains intact, the more people die inside, and the more time Baron Nevermore has to do whatever it is he has planned.”

“Whatever it is,” Joselyn added, shuddering faintly at the memory of the nightmare that had awoken her that morning, “it isn’t good.”

“I guess we’re as ready to go as we can be,” Chris said with a determined look that hid his nervousness.

Joselyn nodded, not blaming Chris and Vickie for being nervous in the least. Circuit Monger was a dangerous villain, and a bit beyond their power levels. Of course, thinking about that just reminded her that Circuit Monger was even further outside of her own power level. However, she wasn’t going to admit that or back out. After all, someone had to take down Circuit Monger, or at least her obelisk, and they were the only ones currently available.

A couple minutes later, they stepped through the barrier and walked towards the metal shell that had been left sitting there. Joselyn looked around the newly formed team, then at Vickie and Chris. “I guess I should probably introduce everyone…” She gestured to Counterweight and said, “Our limo driver for the mission is Counterweight. She controls gravity.”

“Nice to meet you,” Counterweight said, nodding to the two newcomers. She also gave them curious looks, clearly wondering about them and the story behind why they were qualified to pass through the barrier.

And this is Invincible Woman and Ghost Boy,” Joselyn added, indicating the two heroes who’d already faced Circuit Monger. Then she paused, suddenly ‘knowing’ that this wasn’t the first time that the two pairs had met each other. She was a little startled at that revelation from her powers and added, “But I think you already know each other…”

The two pairs paused to look at each other in confusion. “No,” Ghost Boy responded after a few seconds. “I’m pretty sure I’ve never met them…”

“Ditto,” Chris said.

However, Vickie stared at Ghost Boy. He wore a domino mask as well as a hood that covered his hair and helped to obscure his features, but her eyes suddenly went wide in recognition anyway. “Miles?”

Invincible Woman and Ghost Boy both jumped at that. “How do you know that name?” Invincible Woman demanded, looking just a little shaken.

“No way,” Vickie blurted out in stunned amazement.

“Wait,” Chris gasped, now staring at Ghost Boy as well. “You’re Miles?”

“I’m Vic,” Vickie exclaimed, gesturing at herself before giving a self-conscious smile. “Or at least, I used to be…”

“Vic?” Invincible Woman gasped, staring at Vickie with a similar expression. Then she gulped and gestured down at herself. “I’m Miles. Ghost Boy is my mom… We sort of switch bodies when we use our powers…”

“That explains a few things,” Counterweight commented as she looked over Invincible Woman and Ghost Boy.

“Chris and I just switched genders,” Vickie responded, gesturing to Chris.

This time, Invincible Woman stared at Chris and gasped, “You’re Christine?”

“I used to be,” Chris responded a bit awkwardly.

Vickie looked back and forth between Invincible Woman and Ghost Boy, then glanced over at her brother. “Now, this is a weird coincidence.”

“Definitely,” Invincible Woman responded. “Freaky weird.”

Joselyn scowled a little as she considered what she’d just learned, that Invincible Woman was Vickie’s old friend Miles. Vickie had mentioned Miles to Joselyn before, a few times, and from what Joselyn remembered, Miles used to be Vickie’s best friend, back when she’d still been Vic. Now, Miles and Vickie were together again, and Miles had undergone a similar change.

Suddenly, Joselyn was feeling a little jealous and left out. After all, Vickie was supposed to be her best friend. And what if Chris liked Invincible Woman better than her too? Invincible Woman was definitely better built.

“Maybe you should continue this later,” Joselyn suggested, trying to keep her tone calm and even. “Or at least, continue it in the air…” She gestured to the metal shell that Lady Hexx had formed earlier. “Unfortunately, time is running out so we need to get going.”

“Good point,” Ghost Boy admitted. “I’m curious to hear about what happened to you two, but time is of the essence.”

“All right then,” Counterweight announced as she took her position in the metal shell. “Let’s get going.”

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

The medical tent was quiet at the moment, for which Julie was thankful. After she’d collapsed, her friends and teammates had stuck around to make sure that she was all right, but Denise had finally chased them and most of the other visitors out so that the injured could rest.

Julie took a sip of the fluorescent orange drink that Denise had given her. It was some kind of sports drink, supposedly filled with electrolytes and other things that would help her recover. And though Julie didn’t care for the taste, she had to admit that it was working. She felt much better than she had earlier, though she was still a bit tired.

With a grunt, Julie slowly stood up from her chair, looking at the other patients and being grateful that she wasn’t stuck in a cot like they were. Ms. Miracle…Dave was currently asleep in his cot, while Legacy was awake, but a little out of it from the painkillers. Julie took another sip of her drink, deciding that she was well enough that she didn’t have to hang around the medical tent any longer. She could go outside and finish resting up out there just as easily.

Julie paused before leaving to take another look at Dave, frowning a little as she did so. Though she was happy to have allowed him to have a reunion with his mother, she felt extremely awkward at being caught in the middle of it. And admittedly, she’d also been a bit scared. Ms. Miracle…the original one…had been desperate to stay with her injured son, and that desperation had been powerful enough to overwhelm Julie’s control. For the first time ever, Julie hadn’t been able to eject the spirit she was channeling. She hadn’t been able to take control back, until that desperation had faded.

“At least you got to see her again,” Julie whispered, though she glanced over to Legacy and smiled faintly as she remembered that reunion as well.

When Julie stepped out of the medical tent, she wasn’t at all surprised to find a few people hanging around near it. Rumor was near the door, talking with her teammate Splash. A short distance away, Figment and the White Knight were talking, and they alternated between looking at the barrier and glancing to the medical tent. Julie assumed that they were worried about Lady Knight, and about their newly discovered family member. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to suddenly discover that she had a new family member, without any warning.

“Channel,” Zero Kay called out to her. “How are you feeling?”

“A bit better,” Julie responded with a sigh. “I’m still wiped out though. I’ve never held a spirit for that long before, and I hope I never have to do it again.”

Zero Kay nodded as though she understood, though Julie knew that the other girl couldn’t possibly understand. She wasn’t the one who’d been a virtual prisoner in her own body.

“We still haven’t heard anything from Glamour Girl or Deadbeat,” Zero Kay said with a shake of her head. She looked just as worried about her other teammates as Julie was. “And Nike keeps pacing back and forth. It makes me nervous just to watch her…”

Julie chuckled at that. “Nike isn’t exactly one to sit and wait. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I need to sit down again.”

Zero Kay put a gentle hand on her shoulder as she said, “Rest and recharge. We may need you again when the barrier comes down.”

“If I’m ready by then,” Julie responded with a sigh, since she doubted that she’d have the energy to call anyone else until she’d had a good night sleep.

As Julie started for an open chair, she noticed Denise was having a private conversation with her nephew. Or at least, it would have been private, if their words hadn’t carried as far as they did, because Julie could hear what they were saying, and undoubtedly, so could a few of the other heroes.

“But what happens if you have an episode?” Will asked her. “If you do, this is the last place you should be. I mean, we’re surrounded by heroes…”

“Which means that this may be the best place,” Denise responded, sounding tired. “You have a good point, and I agree with you. I shouldn’t be here. But you’ve seen how badly some of these people have been injured, and who knows how bad the rest of them will be when they come back. Unfortunately, I seem to be the most qualified person available to patch them up, so I can’t leave just yet. Just in case.”

“Fine,” Will grumbled. “But if you have an episode…”

“That is why I have you here,” Denise told him.

This conversation caught Julie’s interest, and she was curious about what they were talking about. However, she didn’t hear any more since Mega was walking towards her, asking, “Channel, can I talk with you for a minute?”

Mega was a large and imposing woman, who towered over most people, even when she wasn’t using her powers to grow larger. However, at the moment, she looked a bit nervous, which made Julie gulp since she knew exactly what Mega wanted to talk about.

“I used to have a boyfriend,” Mega started to say, looking self-conscious and awkward. “And I was wondering…”

“I can’t summon a specific person,” Julie quickly told her, giving the larger woman an apologetic look. “I can’t choose who I summon. My powers don’t work that way.”

Mega suddenly looked disappointed, which caused Julie to wince. She hated it when people asked her to arrange a reunion with their loved ones, because she couldn’t do it…at least not intentionally. Being able to provide two reunions in one day was a miracle, but she couldn’t do it again if she tried...much to her frustration.

“I’m sorry,” Julie told Mega, feeling guilty as she did so. “I really wish I could help you, but…”

“I understand,” Mega said with a forced smile. “I just thought it was worth asking…”

Julie nodded. “I really am sorry. I would if I could…”

Mega muttered a brief apology for bothering Julie before hurrying away. Julie let out a sigh, then sadly shook her head, wishing she could have helped Mega. Then with a grimace, she continued to the chair and sat down with another sigh.

Julie took another sip from her sports drink, then looked at Catalyst, who was sitting in the chair beside her own. Catalyst was staring at the barrier with a grim expression on her face.

“You’re worried about Counterweight,” Julie said sympathetically.

“Yeah,” Catalyst admitted with a frown. “That idiot comes back injured, then turned around and volunteered to go right back in…”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Julie told her, hoping that she wasn’t going to be a liar.

“I just wish I was able to help,” Catalyst admitted after a few seconds. “While Counterweight is in there fighting, I’m stuck out here, unable to do anything to help. I feel so useless.” She shook her head in disgust, then in a bitter tone, announced, “I should be used to feeling useless…”

Julie gave her a curious look. “What do you mean?”

Catalyst gave her a wry smile and answered, “My powers are to give powers to other people. You don’t know how many times I’ve given powers to others, then watched them run off to be heroes while I get left behind or treated like a mascot.”

Julie stared at Catalyst for a moment. “I can relate…”

“How could you possibly relate?” Catalyst asked, looking a little curious. “You have tons of different powers, and are always in the middle of the action…”

With a snort, Julie responded, “My powers are to channel other people…to call up the dead and let them fight for me. I’m just along for the ride while the spirits do all the work.”

“Ah,” Catalyst said, clearly understanding. “Yeah, that sounds pretty frustrating. At least I’ve figured out how to take away powers as well as give them. Between that and my martial arts training, I’m able to hold my own a lot more than I used to.”

“Now I’m jealous,” Julie told her with a chuckle. “At least you get a chance to do something on your own.”

Julie continued talking with Catalyst, delighted to find a kindred spirit. It was nice to see that she wasn’t the only one who had that kind of downside with her powers, or those doubts about her legitimacy as a hero.

Suddenly, Catalyst jumped to her feet and exclaimed, “We’ve got another returnee…”

Julie looked at the barrier and saw someone coming through, though she couldn’t quite make out who it was. And when Catalyst hurried towards the barrier, Julie quickly followed.

A young man stepped through the barrier, making Julie pause to stare at him because he wasn’t one of the heroes who’d gone through the barrier. He was tall and slender, with dark blonde hair, and looking as though he was in his early twenties. Then, she noticed that he was using a gold metal walking stick that seemed familiar.

“That’s Mystik’s staff,” someone exclaimed, making Julie realize that they were right. This guy did have Mystik’s staff, which begged the question of how he got it.

“The Staff of Isis,” the Face stated as he approached the young man. He stopped and seemed to stare at the newcomer, though it was hard to tell since that mask completely covered his face. “Then I assume that you are Mystik.”

“Yeah,” the young man responded, looking a bit self-conscious. “My staff ran out of power so I changed back to normal.”

“You’re Mystik?” Mega asked in surprise while the young man nodded in response.

The young man…Mystik…stood there with a grim look on his face. He clenched the staff tightly enough that his knuckles were nearly white, then announced, “I have good news and bad…”

Joselyn nervously looked over the edge of the floating shell, staring at the buildings and streets below them. They were near the last obelisk, but even if she hadn’t known that, she still could have guessed.

Innocent people who’d been transformed into Circuit Monger’s drones, filled the streets below. Groups of them moved in formation, going from building to building, looking for other people to assimilate into their numbers. And as if that wasn’t enough, several drones stood on nearly every roof top, though it took Joselyn a few seconds to realize why. They had been placed there as lookouts.

“We’ve been spotted,” Joselyn announced. There was no way those drones could have missed their floating metal shell.

“Then we can probably expect to run into Circuit Monger pretty soon,” Counterweight pointed out. “And maybe Praxis.”

“Damn,” Invincible Woman grumbled, looking a little uncomfortable at that. “I hate fighting someone I like…”

“At least she didn’t infect you,” Counterweight pointed out.

Joselyn nodded agreement, remembering something that Interface had said right before they’d left. “It takes me five seconds of solid contact to interface with a person,” he’d told them. “From what I’ve heard described, I believe it takes a similar amount of contact to transfer this virus… A single moment of contact shouldn’t be long enough for you to become infected, but be extremely careful anyway.”

“When you fought Praxis,” Joselyn reminded Invincible Woman, “she hit you…”

“You don’t need to remind ME of that,” Invincible Woman grumbled.

“I was just reminding you of what Interface told us,” Joselyn continued wryly. “Getting punched isn’t a problem. Just don’t let her grab hold of you…” She looked around the shell since that warning went for everyone. “A brief contact probably won’t infect us, but if any of those drones actually get a chance to grab hold…” She shuddered at the thought.

“It looks like we’ll get a chance to test that out,” Counterweight pointed out. “Incoming.”

Joselyn saw Praxis flying towards them, and though she normally would have been a welcome sight, her glowing green eyes proved that she was still infected. Without saying a word, Invincible Woman leapt out of the shell and flew straight at the infected hero, and a moment later, the two of them were playing a form of aerial tag.

“Don’t let her touch you,” Ghost Boy called out, right before he floated out of the shell as well.

“I guess this is my stop,” Chris announced, giving Joselyn a faint grin then leaping over the edge of the shell.

Counterweight gasped, “But he can’t fly…”

“No,” Vickie agreed. “But he can absorb kinetic energy, so once he hits, he’s going to be fully charged.”

Joselyn nodded, looking over the edge at Chris and feeling worried, but not about his jumping from a great height. She was worried about him being down there by himself, while surrounded with an army of drones.

“Drop us off down there,” Joselyn instructed, pointing down to a fairly clear space.

“Gotcha,” Counterweight responded, already lowering them to the ground.

As soon as they landed, Joselyn and Vickie climbed out of the metal shell while Counterweight gave them a quick salute and then floated back up into the air again. Joselyn would have preferred to have Counterweight help them a bit more, but the other hero had been injured in the earlier fight, and probably shouldn’t have been doing even this much.

“Okay,” Vickie asked as she looked around. “Where’s this Circuit Monger?”

“There,” Joselyn answered, pointing in the direction of the pillar. She grimaced and looked around. “But we should probably focus on these guys first.”

Joselyn gestured to the drones that were starting to come towards them. They looked like normal civilians, except with glowing green eyes, and moving with an eerie synchronization. She gulped at the sight, suddenly wishing that she hadn’t watched that zombie movie last week.

“They can’t catch what they can’t see,” Vickie announced, reaching out to grab Joselyn’s hand. “Stay close.”

Vickie activated her powers, and a moment later, everything suddenly went black. Joselyn grimaced at suddenly finding herself completely and totally blind, unable to see anything other than pure blackness. She hated not being able to see, though her sixth sense tried to compensate by giving her bits of information about her surroundings. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly enough to make up for her lack of sight. However, Vickie could still see.

“This way,” Vickie instructed, gently pulling Joselyn after her. After a few seconds, she laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Joselyn demanded.

“Some of the drones,” Vickie explained with a chuckle. “A couple of them came into my dark field, and now they’re just standing there like idiots…”

Joselyn grinned at that, relieved that this really was working. “They’re waiting on instructions,” she said with a chuckle. “Your power really is cutting them off…”

A minute later, Vickie dropped her darkness field and suddenly Joselyn could see again. She blinked several times at the sudden return of the light, then looked around. Vickie had led them to an area that was closer to the obelisk, and all of the drones were hold back and avoiding them.

“How are the others doing?” Joselyn asked, only to see Invincible Woman flying past overhead while being chased by Praxis. “Oh. That good.”

Invincible Woman abruptly stopped and turned around, so that Praxis practically flew right into her punch. As soon as Invincible Woman made contact with the drone hero, she responded by giving her a kick as well, then flying off. Praxis didn’t hesitate to go after her.

“She’s keeping Praxis occupied,” Joselyn said.

“I can’t believe Invincible Woman is really Miles,” Vickie said in amazement.

“And I’m sure she has a hard time believing who you used to be too,” Joselyn pointed out. “Now, where are the others…”

Then as Joselyn watched, she saw Impact leap from the roof of one building to the roof of another. She nodded approvingly. He’d chosen a smart way of avoiding the drones, since there were only a couple of them up on the roofs and he could easily get past them. However, that still left Ghost Boy.

Before Joselyn could locate exactly where Ghost Boy was, she saw Circuit Monger. Circuit Monger looked exactly like the pictures she’d been shown. She had a statuesque metal body that was green and dark grey with black trim. Dark grey cables came from her head, resembling metal dreadlocks. And at that moment, she was flying straight towards them.

As soon as Circuit Monger landed on the ground, a mere fifteen yards from where they stood, Vickie muttered, “Why do I feel like we’ve got a Terminator after us?”

“And where is Sarah Conner when you need her?” Joselyn added with a weak chuckle, not taking her eyes off the villain.

In an emotionless voice, Circuit Monger stated, “Four intruders have been identified as Lady Knight, Invincible Woman, Ghost Boy, and Counterweight. Two intruders remain unknown. Identify.”

“She doesn’t know who you are,” Joselyn pointed out with a faint smile since this was something that she’d been counting on. “She doesn’t really know what you can do yet…”

“We’re here to stop you,” Joselyn called out, trying not to show how afraid she was at facing something as powerful as Circuit Monger. She wasn’t at the same kind of power level, and she knew it. However, as she quickly reminded herself, she wasn’t helpless either. Force had learned that the hard way.

“Interference is futile,” Circuit Monger responded. “This unit is too powerful for you to defeat. Prepare to be upgraded.”

Then as one, all of the nearby drones began to march towards them. Joselyn held out her hands a glowing pink bubbles appeared in front of her, then pulled together and formed into a bo staff of glowing pink energy. She braced herself to fight, silently reminding herself to keep the drones away from her.

Suddenly, a car flew through the air and smashed into Circuit Monger, sending her flying back amidst the pile of metal. Joselyn grinned at the sight, then looked over to Chris, who had come down off the rooftops and had joined the fight. However, Joselyn’s delight only lasted for a moment. A burst of blue energy tore through the wreckage of the car, then the remains were tossed aside as Circuit Monger dug herself out.

“We’re going to kick your metal ass,” Chris yelled out.

“Organic units are obsolete,” Circuit Monger responded while drones continued to advance. “Upgrade or be deleted.”

“I think we need a strategic withdrawal,” Joselyn said, nervously looking at the sheer number of drones. They were starting to fill the streets and to surround them. She began backing away from the drones while Vickie did the same.

“We’re surrounded,” Vickie announced unnecessarily. Joselyn could see that for herself. The drones were beginning to come around from the other direct, cutting off their escape routes.

Ghost Boy suddenly appeared beside them, teleporting into place. “I’ve got you,” he announced, grabbing hold of Joselyn and floating up into the air with her, carrying her out of the range of the drones.

Joselyn wasn’t worried about Vickie, who was more than capable of avoiding the drones. Not only could Vickie absorb electro-magnetic energy, but she could use that energy to increase her strength, speed, and agility.

As soon as Joselyn was out of range, Vickie was in motion, running away and dodging through an opening between some drones. She slipped out of their reach and continued running. The drones turned and began following after her.

The drones advanced though Circuit Monger remained where she was, not taking any direct action. At the moment, she seemed content to let the drones do the work for her.

“Hey rusty butt,” Chris yelled, right before throwing another car at Circuit Monger.

This time, Circuit Monger saw the car coming and flew up into the air, avoiding the car which smashed into the ground just a short distance away from where she’d been standing. She held out her hands and fired blasts of blue energy at Chris, who immediately ran and dove behind a parked car.

“RUN,” Joselyn called out, knowing that Chris must have used up most of his stored energy by throwing those two cars, and wouldn’t have much left. Until he could absorb some kinetic energy, he wouldn’t really be any stronger than a normal person.

“I’ve got to put you down,” Ghost Boy told her. “You’re too heavy…”

“Are you calling me fat?” Joselyn teased, noticing how Ghost Boy immediately tensed up at that. Of course, she knew that Ghost Boy didn’t have any enhanced strength, and he was probably pushing his powers as hard as he could just to take her up into the air with him.

“Now I regret using that one on my ex,” Ghost Boy muttered as he set Joselyn back down in a relatively safe spot. A moment later, he vanished, teleporting away.

“Watch out,” Joselyn called out to Chris, who couldn’t move as fast as Vickie.

“Don’t worry,” Chris responded as he backed away from some of the advancing drones. However, more drones kept appearing, pouring into the streets in vast numbers. He moved closer and closer to Vickie, as they were both being surrounded.

“Damn,” Joselyn complained, feeling worried for her friends. However, a moment later, she had to focus on herself. Several drones were now coming straight towards her. She focused on the closest one, a large man and commanded, “Stop where you are…”

The man stopped for a moment, then started coming for her again. She focused on her power and repeated the command, but it had no effect. It seemed that Circuit Monger’s control overrode her mind control.

“That is a problem,” Joselyn muttered, forming a new bow staff and swinging it at the approaching drones before she turned and ran. She paused long enough to form a couple throwing daggers and fling them, keeping her aim low so that she’d hit their legs rather than anything vital. After all, they might be mindless drones, but they were also innocent victims.

Circuit Monger hovered in the air, watching her drones advance. Then she landed again, right in front of the drones, leaving nothing between her and Joselyn’s friends. She raised her arms, apparently deciding to finish dealing with Vickie and Chris herself.

“Come on, come on, come on,” Joselyn repeatedly nervously. She looked in the direction of the obelisk and then to Vickie and Chris.

Suddenly, Joselyn ‘knew’ that it was time to act. Ghost Boy appeared in the air a moment later, and they simultaneously cried out, “NOW!”

Vickie grinned at that, an instant before she and most of the street vanished into a black cloud. Joselyn stood outside the area of Vickie’s power, but Circuit Monger and many of the drones had been trapped within.

“Gotcha,” Joselyn triumphantly exclaimed as every other drone suddenly stopped moving and just stood there. Vickie was jamming Circuit Monger’s communications directly.

Though Joselyn couldn’t see anything inside the black haze, between her powers and her common sense, she had a good idea of what was going on inside. Circuit Monger opened fire, but she fired powerful beams of concentrated electro-magnetic energy…energy which Vickie immediately absorbed.

A loud cry from Invincible Woman drew Joselyn’s attention up, to where she saw Praxis rapidly falling towards the ground. Invincible Woman flew towards the infected hero, catching her before she could hit. Joselyn gulped at the sight, knowing that any lingering contact was dangerous. However, Invincible Woman didn’t seem to care as she landed and set Praxis down on the ground.

“Circuit Monger pulled all the drones away from the obelisk,” Ghost Boy told her, gesturing to the large number of drones that were now filling the streets and surrounding them. “And Velvet has her cut off…”

“I’m on it,” Invincible Woman said, giving a worried glance towards the area of darkness before flying up into the air and straight towards the obelisk.

Seconds later, several loud BOOMs filled the air. The first came from Invincible Woman slamming into the base of the obelisk, while another one came from within the darkness. Then as Joselyn watched, the darkness vanished and she could once again see what was occurring. Circuit Monger was holding out her arms, revealing several tiny missile arrays that were built into her forearms. From the smoldering crater in the street, it was clear that the villain had changed weapons.

“You missed,” Vickie taunted, well away from the smoldering crater, though the blast had knocked her off her feet. Chris was still holding her hand, having been led around in the darkness by his sister, who’d had no problem seeing.

Another BOOM came from the obelisk, right before the stone pillar shattered and fell over. Almost immediately, Joselyn ‘knew’ that the barrier was gone. “WE DID IT,” she called out triumphantly.

“Did you hear that?” Vickie exclaimed as she flipped off Circuit Monger. “We just took down your stone pillar and that barrier…”

“You failed,” Chris added just a moment later, looking rather smug.

“Negative,” Circuit Monger responded, not showing the least bit of concern over the loss of the obelisk. “The structure’s destruction is of minor consequence. Its primary purpose has already been achieved…”

“What?” Joselyn gasped in surprise. She’d expected Circuit Monger to at least be upset that the obelisk had been destroyed, not to shrug it off as though it wasn’t even important.

“The structure was obsolete,” Circuit Monger announced. “As are you.”

With that, the drones once began to advance and Circuit Monger raised her arms to launch another attack. Sudden, an SUV dropped from the sky above Circuit Monger, smashing the metal villain into the ground. Joselyn jumped back, staring at the mass of metal, which had an android arm sticking out from beneath it.

“Did I do that?” Counterweight asked with a bad Urkel impression while floating in the air above the ruined vehicle.

“You did it,” Vickie exclaimed, nearly bouncing with excitement. “You took out Circuit Monger…”

“I don’t think so,” Joselyn responded, grimly pointing to the drones, which were still moving towards them.

Then, as if on cue, the ruined car began to groan and move as the metal villainess began to push it off her. Joselyn stared at the sight for a moment with a very bad feeling. Circuit Monger had probably been damaged by that attack, but she could repair herself pretty quickly.

“We need to get her while she’s down,” Joselyn called out.

However, before anyone could act on that, the drones swarmed in around Circuit Monger, making it impossible to attack her without also hitting them. It would only be a minute at most before the villain was free, but Joselyn didn’t want to wait for that.

“Let’s get out of here,” Joselyn yelled, gesturing to Counterweight who was supposed to be their transport. “We did our job. I’m sure some of the others will be happy to deal with her.”

“I’m on it,” Counterweight said, right before she began ‘falling’ to the side, in the direction of where she’d left the metal shell.

Ghost Boy floated after Counterweight while Vickie and Chris ran in that direction, away from all the drones. Joselyn grimaced and started to run, only to find herself grabbed from behind and lifted up into the air.

“I’ve got you,” Invincible Woman told her.

All of them quickly reached the metal shell, which Counterweight immediately levitated up into the air. As soon as they were out of range of the drone army, Joselyn let out a sigh of relief. However, they weren’t safe yet…not until they were out of range of Circuit Monger to.

“We did it,” Invincible Woman exclaimed with a broad grin. “We took down that damn obelisk…”

“All we had to do was trick her into luring the drones away from the obelisk,” Ghost Boy pointed out.

Vickie nodded at that, adding, “And cut her off long enough for you to take it down…”

“Yeah,” Joselyn agreed, though much more somberly. “But what she said about the obelisk being obsolete…”

“What did she mean?” Chris asked, looking just as worried as Joselyn felt.

“I don’t know,” Joselyn admitted. “But whatever she meant, I’m pretty sure it isn’t good.”

In a world without a name, where time, space, and the laws of normal reality held little sway, a solitary figure sat upon a throne. The ‘throne’ was more akin to a comfortable recliner, and the figure sitting within it was that of a woman, with golden metallic skin and green energy which flowed from her head in such a way as to resemble hair.

Exile stared at the space in front of her, where several glowing disks floated in the air. Each of them had images on the surface, almost as though she was watching though a window or TV monitor. She scowled at what she saw, knowing that she shouldn’t be watching, that she shouldn’t expose herself to such temptation, though she couldn’t help it.

“Damn,” Exile muttered in frustration.

After centuries in her self-imposed exile, Exile knew that she shouldn’t watch the other world, because it would only tempt her to interfere. And if anyone knew the cost of her interference, it was her. Her scowl deepened as she remembered what it had cost her, and the unbelievable price that she’d paid as a result. She couldn’t afford to do that again, no matter how much she wanted to help.

“This threat is no greater than any of the others,” Exile told herself with a sigh.

The world was constantly faced with threats, and the heroes were usually able to stop them on their own. Nevermore was about to smother the entire world in fear and darkness, but there was still a chance that the heroes could stop her as well. That window of opportunity was shrinking very rapidly, but it was still there. For now.

Exile was worried about the heroes who faced Nevermore, especially since she had a certain fondness for several of them. Nevermore could kill them…or do things to them that were far worse than death. And though Exile had the power to help them, and could stop Nevermore’s plan, she didn’t dare do so. The consequences would be too great.

Once, long ago, when Exile had been young and new to her powers, she’d thought that she could be a hero…that she could save lives and perform great deeds. However, she’d soon discovered that her powers were greater than she’d ever suspected, and that using them had a great cost.

For her, the cost had been her family…who had had accidentally been erased from existence, as though they had never even been born. She herself, was now a paradox, a being who shouldn’t exist…yet did. At other times, the consequences had been even more drastic and far reaching.

“The only thing more frustrating than being powerless,” Exile said with a sigh, “is being too powerful to risk using it.”

Exile closed her eyes as she pushed back the old feelings of guilt, as well as the temptation to help now. After a minute, she opened her eyes and let out another long sigh. She returned her attention to the images in front of her, and the current events they depicted. Though she couldn’t help the heroes, she could wish them luck…and did.

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

The door to the small office said that it belonged to an insurance agent named Allison Hargreaves. However, with the current situation in Baltimore, Sam had absolutely no idea if Allison was even still alive, or if she’d ever see this office again.

Just a short time ago, Sam had entered the building with her team, finding that the building seemed to be completely empty. However, there was lots of evidence that the creatures they’d encountered earlier had previously rampaged within. Most of the bottom two floors were torn to pieces, though as they made their way up the stairs to the fifth floor, they found things more intact. Allison’s office didn’t even look like it had been touched at all.

Sam was crouching down on her knees, positioned so that she could easily look out the office window without being noticed form the other side. She looked over the rest of the group, most of whom were similarly positioned.

Poison sat back, staring out the window with an intense look in her eyes. She was taking this reconnaissance mission that they’d volunteered for, very seriously. Alleycat paced back and forth on the opposite side of the room, pausing each round to look through the window, before she went back to pacing. Deadbeat stayed by the door, keeping watch in case anyone…or any THING came towards them from the hall.

“I can’t believe how bad that is,” Witch Girl said, verbalizing the very thing that Sam had been thinking. She was staring out the window with a worried expression.

Sam watched Witch Girl for a moment, thinking that the teenage girl looked far too young to be in a situation like this. Of course, she looked to be about the same age, but in her case, the youth was just an illusion. And then, Sam thought of their missing team members, the ones who should have been there with them, but weren’t.

Mystik was gone, having left them all to return to the base camp. Sam envied her a little, being able to leave this nightmare behind. At the same time, she couldn’t help but feeling that Mystik was abandoning them and had run away. Intellectually, she knew that this wasn’t the case. Mystik had just used up all her power, and had left before becoming a liability. Or a corpse.

“Mannequin,” Sam whispered, thinking of their other missing member. She hadn’t known the android woman very well, she but she felt a knot in her stomach when she thought about the way she’d been murdered.

“Loki will pay for Mannequin,” Poison promised. “And Nevermore will pay for everything else…”

Sam nodded at that, knowing that Mannequin hadn’t been the only casualty. She had no idea how many innocent people had been murdered because of Nevermore, only that a lot more would be killed unless they stopped that monster. With that, she looked back out the window.

From her position, Sam could clearly see a black and ruined space, which appeared to have once been a park. She could see bits and pieces of things like benches and playground equipment around the edges, though all of it had been melted and warped. However, it wasn’t what had been in this area that interested Sam, but what was there now.

Creatures, like what she’d encountered before, surrounded the outer edges of the blackened area and filled the nearby streets. As many as she’d already destroyed, there were at least three times that number gathered nearby. Those creatures were vicious, nasty, and evil, but even though there was an army of them, they still weren’t what really concerned Sam.

In the center of that dead and blackened area, was a black stone throne, which appeared to rest on top of a pile of human skulls. Nevermore sat in the throne, definitely female, though Sam couldn’t see her well enough to know if she was using the same body as the last time they’d encountered each other, or a different one. What she did know, was that she could feel Nevermore’s dark power, like an itch that demanded to be scratched.

Nevermore was not alone. Two men stood beside her throne, one on each side. Both were dressed in black, though one appeared to be some kind of a ninja while the other wore clothes that looked more like those of a Victorian gentleman. From those two, Sam could feel more of that dark power. It was the same kind of darkness she felt from Nevermore, though not nearly as powerful.

And then, there were three more villains just a short distance in front of Nevermore. Sam immediately recognized Force, the Scepter, and the female Loki who’d murdered Mannequin. Since the three of them were present, rather than guarding their obelisk, Sam was confident that they no longer had anything too guard. She knew this as a fact for the Scepter, but was quite confident that it was true for the other two as well.

“At least the Sinner is gone,” Alleycat pointed out. “That bitch was scary…”

“All of them are,” Witch Girl said with a worried look.

Sam nodded at that, then looked around the group, knowing that there was absolutely no way that the five of them would be capable of defeating all of the forces below. All of them together could probably defeat any one of the threats, but not all of them combined.

“Too bad we can’t hear what they’re saying,” Poison commented.

“Um,” Witch Girl started, looking a little chagrinned. “I might be able to help with that…”

“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Poison asked in annoyed tone.

Witch Girl looked a little embarrassed, but instead of answering Poison, she began to recite one of her spells, which sounded like it was in Pig Latin. A moment later, Sam suddenly heard Loki’s voice.

“I wiped those heroes out good,” Loki bragged, looking rather smug.

“You also killed the Sinner,” Force pointed out, glaring at Loki. “If you try anything like that with me, I’ll shatter every bone in your body…”

“She thinks she killed us,” Witch Girl e exclaimed. Of course, they’d already assumed as much since Loki had disappeared in the middle of the acid rain.

Poison smiled faintly, though it wasn’t a pleasant smile. “Her assumption is our benefit.”

Nevermore fixed his allies with a cold malevolent gaze and announced, “What I am more concerned about, is that the last pillar has just fallen…”

“WHAT?” Loki exclaimed, suddenly looking worried. “What are we going to do?”

“It is of little consequence,” Nevermore stated. “I have already gathered the power I require. It is less than I had hoped for, yet enough to suffice…”

“Then, what now?” Force demanded. He crossed his arms, looking imposing. “Whatever it is, let’s finish it quickly. I have my own business to take care of…”

“By any chance,” the man in the black Victorian gab asked. “Would this business happen to be with a pink haired girl?”

Force snarled, suddenly looking furious. “Don’t EVER mention her…”

Sam looked to the others, but it was Witch Girl who asked, “Does he mean Lady Knight?”

“Maybe,” Poison answered grimly. “But she wasn’t in the team that was sent after Force, so I don’t know.”

“The barrier is gone,” Nevermore said, looking at each of his allies again. “Soon, the heroes will come. You three need to go deal with them…” She looked at Force. “Show them how powerful you truly are as you crush them beneath your feet.” Her eyes went to Loki. “Unleash all the chaos and destruction upon them that you may…” And then, she turned her attention to the Scepter. “Prove your new power. Prove you are powerful enough to take a place in the new order…”

With that, the three villains turned and hurried off. Force flew up into the air while Loki raised her staff, vanishing a moment later in a flash of lightning. The Scepter remained behind, but not for long. She gestured to Ebon, the large black cat, who immediately came over so that she could climb onto his back. The panther let out a frightening roar, then ran off with his rider.

Once the three villains were gone, the man in the black Victorian garb asked Nevermore, “Do you think the three of them can defeat all the gathered heroes?”

Nevermore was silent for several seconds before answering, “It does not matter… Even if all three are slain, they will delay the heroes until it is too late…”

“We need to warn the others,” Alleycat blurted out, looking just as worried as Sam felt.

“If they’ve got Force, Loki, and the Scepter coming for them,” Sam agreed, “they need to know…”

Witch Girl removed her witch hat and rubbed her temples. “If the barrier is down,” she said after a moment, “I can probably send a message to my dad…”

“Then get to it,” Poison told her, only taking her eyes from the window for a moment.

While Witch Girl began to cast another spell, Sam watched Nevermore, who stood up and left her throne. She felt a knot in her stomach, still not sure what Nevermore was up to, only that it was very VERY bad. She took a deep breath, knowing that she had to stop Nevermore, but not being sure she could. After all, Sam seriously doubted whether she and her team would be capable of stopping Nevermore and her army of monsters.

“We have to try,” Sam muttered. “If we don’t at least try…”

But just then, Nevermore stopped in front of a black stone arch, which stood about twenty feet high. She held out her hands, and suddenly, red and purple lightning shot back and forth within the arch. Sam froze, feeling the sense of darkness growing more powerful. Before she could say anything, the insides of the stone arch began to glow with shimmering veil of red and black energy.

“She made a portal,” Witch Girl exclaimed, staring out the window with a look of shock and fear.

Alleycat quickly added, “It looks a bit like the ones the Face makes…”

“But where does it go?” Poison asked.

However, Witch Girl just shook her head, sounding worried as she admitted, “I don’t know…”

Suddenly, something emerged from the portal…a black bird that flew straight out of it. The raven swooped through the air, doing a quick circle around the dead and blackened park, then came back down, landing on the back of Nevermore’s throne. The raven looked around with glowing red eyes, then called out, “Nevermore…”

“It is I,” Nevermore answered. The raven nodded at that, then let out an eerie sounding ‘KAW’.

As soon as the raven let out that cry, a second raven flew out of the portal, followed by a third and fourth. Ravens began to pour out of the portal, darkening the sky above before each found a perch. Soon, every phone and powerline was filled with black birds, each of which stared down at the portal. Others began to land on the ground, where they flapped their wings and began to transform.

The first raven transformed into a man, with black armor and glowing red eyes. The one beside him became a woman, wearing an outfit similar to the ninja. In less than a minute, a hundred ravens had taken human form, each with glowing red eyes and black garb of one style or another. Most were visibly armed.

“Oh no,” Sam gasped, feeling the darkness that radiated from each of these ravens. But as horrific as that was, she could feel an even greater darkness coming from the portal.

Ravens had ceased emerging from the portal, yet now, something else was stepping through. Sam stared in horror as a woman appeared. From where Sam was, the pale skinned woman seemed tall, lithe, and beautiful. She wore a long black dress that somehow seemed to swirl and move independent from her movements. Her long hair was black as night and draped behind her, almost vanishing into the darkness of her dress. The only true bits of color came from her glowing red eyes, and the silvery crown upon her head.

To Sam’s complete and utter shock, Nevermore immediately dropped to her knees and bowed. “Welcome, my queen…”

All of the transformed ravens dropped to their knees to bow, while the man in the black Victorian clothing, called out, “ALL HAIL THE QUEEN OF RAVENS.”

“ALL HAIL THE QUEEN OF RAVENS,” the gathered soldiers yelled back.

Witch Girl looked around at the other heroes, her eyes wide. “This isn’t good, is it?”

“No,” Sam answered in a shaky voice. “No it isn’t.”

“Baron Nevermore,” the Queen of Ravens announced. “You have completed your task and brought me to this world. For this, you have earned my favor.”

“It was my honor,” Nevermore responded while still bowing.

“Arise my new consort,” the Queen of Ravens told her. With that, not only did Nevermore stand, but so did the army of raven solders. The Queen of Ravens looked Nevermore over for a moment, then commented, “As my consort, you will require a more appropriate form…”

The Queen of Ravens held up her hand and suddenly, Nevermore’s body began to shift and change, growing larger and more muscular. Seconds later, she was no longer a she. From what Sam could see, Nevermore had become a man again, with a well-trimmed black beard.

Sam gulped at the sight, then looked to the other heroes. All of them had pressed up to the window to get a better look, and each of the others looked just as stunned by these events as she felt.

“Baron Nevermore,” Poison stated in a grim tone that matched her expression. “Why do I feel like we just jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire?”

Julie slowly looked around the camp, frowning with worry as she watched all the other heroes preparing to leave. Now that the barrier was gone, they could finally do what they’d all come here to do...save Baltimore…or what was left of it.

Most of the heroes were planning to go after Nevermore, but several smaller groups were forming to deal with the other villains. After all, as powerful and dangerous as Nevermore was, she wasn’t the only monster running loose.

“Damn,” Julie muttered in frustration.

Julie wished that she could go in with the assault force, though admittedly, a part of her was thankful that she wouldn’t have to. She’d already done her part for the mission and had exhausted herself as a result. Because of that, she was going to be left behind with the injured. Unfortunately, she knew that this wouldn’t be easy for her, especially when the rest of her team would be going in.

“Now it’s our turn,” Nike announced, her eyes gleaming with eagerness to prove herself.

“Now you know how the rest of us felt when you were the one going in,” Zero Kay teased Julie, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Still, I wish you were coming with.”

“Yeah,” Chrome agreed with a nod. “We’re down half our team right now…”

Julie chuckled at that, then gestured at all the other heroes nearby. “I’m sure you’ll make do. And who knows, you might find Glamour Girl and Deadbeat…”

“I hope so,” Zero Kay said. “You know how effective her powers were against Nevermore’s monsters the last time…”

“Be careful out there,” Julie reminded them. “You remember how nasty Nevermore was, and I can assure you, Loki is no joke either…”

Once Julie’s teammates went to the gathering crowd, she looked around again, settling her attention on Counterweight. Counterweight, like her, had powers that encouraged other people to do her fighting for her, but unlike Julie, she was actually going on this mission. Counterweight was talking to Kaboom, who was injured and staying behind, but a few seconds later, she went to join up with the Miracle Men, who were currently down Ms. Miracle.

“About time things got moving,” Warchild loudly exclaimed while several other people near him made similar comments.

Suddenly, the Face called out, his voice loud enough to be heard over all the noise. “EVERYONE,” he exclaimed. “YOUR ATTENTION!” With those words, most of the talking stopped, and nearly everyone turned to look at the Face.

“What is it?” the White Knight asked with a grim expression, which reminded Julie that his daughter still hadn’t returned from her Circuit Monger mission.

“I just received a message from Witch Girl,” the Face called out, loud enough so most could hear him. “She said that Force, Loki, and the Scepter are all on their way here…”

Everyone instantly tensed at that and there were several loud gasps before Warchild announced, “I guess that will save us the trouble of hunting them down…”

“How soon?” Icarus demanded. “What’s the ETA?”

Before the Face could answer, a flash of red crashed down from the sky and struck a canopy that had been set up to provide shade while the heroes waited. There was a loud BOOM, and a moment later, the canopy was gone. In its place was a burnt and smoldering hole, with a woman standing right in the center.

“What the hell?” someone blurted out.

Julie stared at this woman, with what felt like a lump of lead in her guts. “SHE’S LOKI,” she quickly yelled out a warning.

“I thought Loki was a guy,” Quartz exclaimed, obviously not having paid much attention to the reports of those who’d returned.

At the same time, Shiver called out, “Get her…”

Loki stood up straight and held her staff up, announcing, “Keep them away from me…”

The moment those words left her lips, the wind suddenly began to blow, growing stronger and stronger until Julie was thrown back from the force of it. Even as she began to tumble backwards, being blown away from Loki, she saw that she wasn’t the only one.

“Kill th…,” Loki started to command her staff, only to have Marvel fly into her. Loki was thrown back from the impact, though her armor seemed to have protected her from the damage as she quickly got back to her feet. “I’m gonna kill all you fuckin losers,” she exclaimed with a sneer. “Just like I just did to those bitches…”

The wind was still blowing hard and Julie was lying flat on the ground, using her hands to cover her head for protection. Most of the heroes were too busy dealing with the wind to focus on Loki, but not all. Neon had created a glowing blue force field, which he used to protect himself and several members of Knight Force who were close to him. Mega had grown to twenty feet tall and was now crouched down on her knees, providing a wind-break for several other heroes, including Shiver, who fired an arrow straight at Loki.

“No,” Loki exclaimed as she leapt aside, right before the arrow hit where she’d been standing. The ground was covered in a sheet of ice crystals, courtesy of Shiver’s power. Unfortunately, the ground had been struck instead of the villainess. Loki quickly scrambled back to her feet and announced, “I killed those fuckers in the Seven, and I just killed a bunch more of you losers heroes… Now, I’m gonna kill the rest of you cock suckers too…”

“You’re going to pay for each and every one of those deaths,” the White Knight announced, floating up into the air. A sword made of glowing white energy appeared in his hands, though his focus never left Loki. “Now.”

Loki stared at the White Knight with a sneer on her lips, but suddenly, the Face stepped forward and fired a blast of golden energy at Loki from his mask. For a moment, all the blue in the Face’s costumed suddenly turned grey, though it quickly returned to its normal color.

“Protect me,” Loki called out. An instant later, the Face’s energy blast hit an invisible wall and was reflected, hitting Chrome and sending him flying back. “Destroy him...,” Loki added, and ball of green flame shot out from her staff, straight at the White Knight. The White Knight formed a white energy shield and blocked the attack.

By this time, the wind had died down enough that Julie was able to get back to her feet, which meant that it was no longer keeping most of the heroes pinned down. They were all turning their attention to Loki, who suddenly looked worried.

“The Seven were my friends,” the White Knight told Loki. “Drop your staff and surrender now, and we might go easy on you…” From the look on his face, it was clear that he hoped Loki would choose the hard way.

“Fuck you,” Loki spat out.

Diamond shook her head as she wryly commented, “Such eloquence…”

“Don’t give her a chance to do anything,” Julie yelled out to the other heroes, knowing that they couldn’t underestimate Loki. She’d seen what that lunatic could do with her own eyes.

Loki looked around the gathering of heroes, looking nervous for a moment, but then she began to smirk. “Give me an army,” she commanded her staff.

“No,” Julie groaned, knowing that things were about to get bad.

A thick purple smoke began to pour out of Loki’s staff, swirling around her and then spreading out in different directions. The smoke began to take human shape and solidify, forming into an exact duplicate of Loki…and then another one. Two Loki’s became three, then four, and mere seconds later…three dozen.

Most of the heroes were so surprised by what was happening that they just watched while the copies formed. However, Warchild flew up into the air and fired a blast of energy straight at the original Loki. A moment later, there was a charred and melted spot where Loki had been standing, along with several wisps of purple smoke.

The rest of the Loki’s started laughing. “It won’t be that easy,” one of the Lokis answered. And just when Julie thought that this might be the real Loki, another of them added, “We’re going to kill all you fuckin hypocrites…”

In an instant, most of the heroes jumped into action. Nearly everyone picked a Loki and focused on them, though Julie stood back, watching the fight with a worried grimace. There was absolutely no telling which of them was the real Loki, or if any of them actually was. This worried her, as did the fact that Witch Girl had warned of Force and the Scepter as well.

“Channel,” Julie heard someone calling her name.

Julie looked around and saw Lady Hexx, who was standing back away from the fight, and had formed several large stone walls. She’d created one in front of the medical tent, to protect the injured people within, though she was currently standing beside another bulwark, one that Denise, Will, and the now depowered and male Mystik, were hiding behind. Lady Hexx gestured for her to come over and take cover as well. After hesitating a moment, Julie nodded and started in that direction.

“Damn,” Julie spat out, frustrating at having to go seek cover while nearly everyone else was fighting. Even Kaboom, who had an arm in a sling, was charging straight at a Loki.

Julie had only made it about halfway to Lady Hexx’s cover, when all of the Lokis yelled out, “DESTROY THEM ALL.”

Those words sent a chill down Julie’s spine. She had absolutely no idea what was about to happen, only that it would be very bad. She’d seen enough of Loki to know that very well. Then she looked up into the sky above them, where a glowing ball of red flames was forming and growing large and larger, looking almost like some kind of miniature sun that was about to be dropped on them.

“No,” Julie gasped.

Without even pausing to consider the fact that she’d already collapsed in exhaustion from overusing her powers, Julie silently called out for help. Several voices answered from the dark, though she couldn’t feel them enough to know who they were or what kind of help they could offer. Still, they offered help…and hope, so she stretched her will out towards one of them, and a moment later, felt the spirit flow up into her body.

As the spirit took control, Julie’s body shimmered and her familiar costume changed into a sequined purple tuxedo. Without any hesitation, the spirit spun the golden staff that had just appeared in her hands, then pointed it up at the ball of fire, which was just beginning to fall.

“ALAKAZAM,” the spirit cried out, making a sweeping gesture with the staff. “Begone.” An instant later, the ball of fire suddenly vanished.

“It’s gone,” Julie blurted out inside of her own head.

“Of course,” the spirit responded, radiating a sense of amusement. “Making things disappear has always been one of my specialties, but you should see some of my other tricks…”

“Channel,” Zero Kay called out, running towards them. “You shouldn’t push yourself so soon…”

“Not to worry,” the spirit told Zero Kay. “I won’t be here long…”

Zero Kay hesitated a moment, looking them over before admitting, “Whatever you did, it was pretty impressive.” However, she quickly added, “But that is a rather…flashy outfit…even for a hero…”

The spirit burst out laughing at that. “I’m no here. I’m a stage magician…”

“WHAT?” Zero Kay blurted out in surprise.

She gave a sweeping bow as she announced, “I am the Astonishing Anabelle, back for a one time only encore performance…”

“Anabelle?” a voice called out. “Is that you?”

Anabelle and Julie turned and saw a young man running towards them. Julie recognized him as the guy Mystik had turned into, though Anabelle gasped in surprise as she recognized him too.

“Caleb?” Anabelle blurted out. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here…”

“Wait,” Zero Kay gasped, looking back and forth between them. “You two have the same staff…”

Anabelle held up her staff, though her eyes went to the identical one that Caleb was holding. “Actually, this isn’t the real one. I’m not sure how it works, but I think it’s some kind of shadow…”

“I’m glad to see you again,” Caleb said, though he gestured towards a Loki, who was firing a ball of fire towards Target. “But this isn’t a good time…”

“Of course, you’re right,” Anabelle admitted. “I came for a reason…” Then she paused to give Caleb a speculative look. “I assume the staff is recharging…”

“Yeah,” Caleb admitted with a grimace. “I’m going to be useless for a week…”

“Or maybe not,” Anabelle responded with a grin, using her staff to gesture to his. Her staff glowed for a moment, then his staff floated out of his hand and hung in the air.

“What are you doing?” Julie demanded. “You need to deal with Loki…”

“Trust me,” Anabelle silently told her. “I’m bringing more force to bear on the problem…”

“What did you do?” Caleb asked curiously.

“A particularly nice trick,” Anabelle explained. “I used to do it in my shows occasionally, but not too frequently. This one trick adds nearly a week of recharge time on its own. You see, while minutes pass for us, several weeks are passing for the staff…”

“What?” Caleb blurted out in surprise. “We can do that?”

“It looks more impressive when I use it on fruit,” Anabelle admitted, “but the staff should be fully recharged again, right about…now.”

The staff suddenly dropped out of the air, though Caleb quickly caught it before it hit the ground. He held it up, and an instant later, Mystik was standing where Caleb had been.

“I’m all charged up and ready to go,” Mystik announced while Zero Kay stared at her in surprise.

“I have one use left,” Anabelle said, gesturing towards the fight. “I’d better make it a good one…”

Julie was currently only a passenger within her own body, but she still managed to stare at Mystik. Whenever she called on a spirit for help, there was always a chance that they would know someone involved in the current situation, and that this connection was usually what motivated the spirit to offer their help. However, Julie still didn’t get to arrange reunions between old friends very often, and she’d just done so three times in a row. The odds of this happening seemed pretty low, but with this many heroes gathered in one place, she imagined that the odds of a reunion would be much greater than normal. But still…

“Loki’s staff has similar powers to ours,” Mystik told Anabelle. “But she has less control and she’s not limited to three uses.”

Anabelle nodded at that. “Understood…”

Now that they were focused on the fight again, Julie saw that there were only seven Lokis left. Then as she watched, Kaboom flew straight at one of them, even though one of her arms was still in a sling. Kaboom used her good arm to punch that Loki, who vanished into a puff of purple smoke.

“I think I know how to get rid of the rest of the copies,” Anabelle announced as she raised her staff.

Before Anabelle could do anything, a scream of pain filled the air as Nike dropped from the air and slammed into the ground. Julie cried out for her teammate, though the only one who could hear her was Anabelle. Without hesitation, Anabelle teleported to Nike’s side, giving Julie a better look at her friend. Nike’s left arm was missing, nearly up to her shoulder, along with most of her left wing.

“Help her,” Julie pleaded to Anabelle, knowing that if her current spirit really did have the same powers as Mystik, then she’d be able to do so.

“This is the rest of my power,” Anabelle said as she gestured with her staff.

A golden glow covered the staff and then spread to Nike, who was desperately holding her bleeding stump and screaming. Suddenly, Nike let out a gasp and pulled her hand away from the stump. Not only had the bleeding stopped, but the flesh was now covered with a new layer of skin. Then, right before Julie’s eyes, the arm began to regrow. The flesh stretched out, until mere seconds later, the arm looked completely whole and undamaged.

“It’s back,” Nike exclaimed, staring at her arm in stunned disbelief. She opened and closed her hand several times, making sure it worked. Then she slowly got back to her feet and stretched her wings, revealing that her damaged wing had been repaired as well. “Thank you…”

“I’m glad I could help,” Anabelle said, turning to look back over the fight…and at Mystik who had just appeared a few feet way. “I’ve already used all my power…”

“That was quick,” Mystik responded with a sigh. “But I know how that works…”

“Then, I guess its goodbye again,” Anabelle told Mystik with a wry smile. “I’ll see you again on the other side.” She winked and added, “Just not too soon…” A moment later, Anabelle withdrew back to the darkness and Julie once again seized control of her body.

“Damn,” Julie muttered, staggering for a moment until Nike caught her. After taking a deep breath, she said, “I’m good now. Anabelle wasn’t here long enough wipe me out again, but it was getting close.”

“Be careful,” Nike told her, right before leaping into the air and returning to the fight.

Julie looked around again, just in time to see the Face using some kind of magical shield to block an attack from Loki, while Mega rushed in to step on the villainess. That Loki vanished in a puff of purple smoke, leaving only one Loki left. That was the real one.

“This is for the Seven,” Shiver called out, right before firing one of his arrows. It struck Loki in the chest, and an instant later, Loki vanished into a puff of smoke.

“Then where’s the real one,” Julie gasped, only to see Loki suddenly reappear in a swirl of purple smoke, right on the outskirts of where the fighting had been occurring.

Julie stared at Loki, feeling worried about what the villainess might do next. The truth was, with Loki’s power, she had absolutely no idea…and neither did Loki. All Julie knew, was that whatever Loki unleashed, it would probably be violent and nasty. So far, the heroes had been lucky in this fight, but that wouldn’t last forever. Sooner or later, Loki would throw something at them that they couldn’t protect against, and it would probably be devastating.

Suddenly, the ground shook with a loud BOOM, and Julie was knocked to the ground. She quickly scrambled back to her feet, only to see that a lot of the other heroes had been knocked over as well, and that Loki looked just as surprised as she was. Then, she looked the other direction and saw that a small crater had formed, and the man who’d formed it upon landing, was getting to his feet.

“NOW YOU FACE ME,” Force yelled as he stood up straight, radiating a sense of arrogance.

“Gladly,” Chrome announced, charging straight at Force, along with several heroes.

Chrome’s body was covered with a layer of the silvery metal that gave him his name, and he’d used it to form large blades from each of his arms. Julie had seen those blades cut through steel, though when they slammed into Force, the former hero didn’t even flinch. Instead, he sneered down at Chrome and his ineffective attack, then backhanded him. There was an explosion of raw force that sent Chrome flying back…along with Nike, Kaboom, and Quartz, who’d all been trying to attack as well.

“NO,” Will screamed out, drawing Julie’s attention to the fact that Chrome had just slammed into Denise. Denise was sprawled out on the ground with one of her legs bent at an unnatural angle. The doctor was screaming in pain, while her nephew stood a short distance away, staring at her with an expression of dread.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” Chrome exclaimed as he got back to his feet and saw Denise. A moment later, he blurted out, “What’s happening to you…?”

“Do you know what you’ve done?” Will furiously demanded of Chrome. “It’s too late…”

“Too late...?” Julie started to ask, though she paused when she saw that Denise’s skin was all turning blue. “What the…”

A moment later, Denise’s bent leg straightened out on its own. She turned over, getting to her hands and knees, then letting out another howl, but instead of one of pain, it sounded more like that of a wild animal. Will turned and ran.

Denise began to grow, straining her clothes until the seams burst, though that didn’t stop her. Nearly everyone was now watching Denise, including Force, who’d paused in his posturing long enough to do so. However, no one approached her.

The doctor continued to grow in size and musculature, though her body changed in other ways as well. Bony spikes burst out from beneath her skin, forming on her shoulders, elbows, and all down her spine. She let out a growl that was low, deep, and utterly frightening.

Finally, the changes seemed to stop and the now massive figure stood up, revealing that the creature Denise had transformed into was definitely male. She…he was massive, standing twelve feet tall, with bulging muscles, as well as the bony spines and vicious looking claws on his hands and feet. His skin was dark blue, and he had long and shaggy dark blue hair. His face, stretched out into a bit of a snout, revealing a mouth full of sharp looking teeth.

“No,” Julie gasped in horror as she stared into the monster’s bestial face. There was no intelligence in those eyes, only a berserker rage. And as terrifying as all that was, what scared Julie far more was the fact that she recognized this creature. “Grendel…”

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

Grendel. Julie could only stare at the massive monster with a mixture of shock and fear. She’d never seen Grendel before, at least not in person. The Slackers had never been unlucky enough to encounter him…until now.

Nearly everyone had heard of Grendel, a powerful behemoth who appeared without warning, left a swath of destruction, and then vanished just as suddenly as he’d come. Some of the most powerful heroes and groups in the world had fought Grendel, and the most anyone had been able to do was to halt his rampage before he vanished. No one had ever been able to definitively beat him. Grendel was just as big a threat as Loki or Force…if not greater.

Julie tried to wrap her head around the fact that Denise Roberts the doctor who’d patched up Lady Hexx and who had saved Ms. Miracle’s life…had transformed into Grendel, right before her eyes. It didn’t seem possible.

Grendel pulled his head back and let out a deafening roar, right before he snapped his head back down and vomited a blast of green energy into the crowd of heroes. Neon immediately leapt to the front, creating a wall of glowing green energy, though he and his wall were still thrown back from the force of the attack. The White Knight rushed to his brother’s side, and a glowing white shield formed against the glowing green one, reinforcing it until the blast stopped.

“Grendel,” Force exclaimed, and Julie thought she heard fear, or at least worry, before he began laughing. “Now, this should be entertaining…” And with that, the former hero floated up into the air, making no move to attack Grendel. Instead, he seemed more interested in watching the monster attack the heroes.

“Now this is what I’m talking about,” Loki exclaimed with a maniacal laugh. “That fucker is even better than anything I could do… Smash em Grendel… Kill all these fuckin heroes…”

Though Grendel didn’t appear to be paying attention to Loki, he still charged forward. The Miracle Men rushed up to meet him, with Quartz taking the lead while Splash sent a blast of water at his face, holding the water in place as though trying to drown him. Grendel punched at Quartz, who was thrown back with heavy cracks through his crystal shell. A moment later, Surge followed up by firing a blast of electricity at Grendel, though the creature barely seemed to notice it.

“Eat razor sharp shuriken,” Shuriken exclaimed, right as he sent a dozen metal throwing stars flying at high speed towards the creature. Every one of the shuriken hit the massive target that Grendel presented, though none of them seemed to do more than scratch him.

“KEEP BACK,” Target yelled, trying to get in front of Grendel and he moved forward. The monster swiped his massive claws at the heroine, but she ducked out of the way and dodged another attack. “I’ll keep him focused on me…”

“Careful, Mom,” Shuriken told her, backing off but still sending more shuriken at the monster.

“Hey,” Target called out. “Big, blue, and ugly…”

The monster roared and lashed out again, though this time, Target wasn’t fast enough to avoid his blow. A moment later, the heroine was sent flying at least half the length of a football field before she came back down again. Julie might have been horrified at that, if it wasn’t for the fact that Target was invulnerable. Even her own family didn’t seem to be worried about her, or one of them probably would have caught her.

“Careful,” the White Knight ordered while the Face opened up and fired a blast of golden energy out of his mask. Grendel snarled and turned his attention to the Face, though didn’t seem to be hurt, just annoyed. A moment later, the massive monster leapt straight at the Face.

Suddenly, Grendel was frozen in the air, surrounded by a sphere of golden energy. “I’ve got him,” Mystik called out, holding out her staff.

Julie stared at the captured Grendel in relief, though she quickly looked to Force, who no longer seemed content to merely watch Grendel. She scowled, knowing that with his ego, there was no way that he was going to let everyone forget he was there. With only his dark expression and arrogant sneer for a warning, Force suddenly threw out his hands and fired a blat of raw force, which sent heroes flying in all directions.

Julie looked around at the other heroes, seeing that most of those who’d been caught in this concussion blast had just been knocked around, though not all were unharmed. Figment cried out in pain, holding her arm which appeared to have been broken. Agony looked like she’d broken her leg, but she still got to her feet anyway, with a twisted grin on her lips.

Not to be left out, Loki held up her staff and exclaimed, “Let’s get the whole band together… Bring Circuit Monger and the Scepter here…” A swirl of sickly purple energy formed around her staff, then shot off into the distance.

“Not good,” Julie whispered, wishing that she had enough energy to call for help. Calling up Anabelle had used up what little reserves she’d managed to regain.

A moment later, a flash of golden light smashed into Force, sending the former hero flying back. It took Julie a moment to realize that Ms. Miracle was now floating in the air, glowing with her golden aura. This wasn’t the original Ms. Miracle whom Julie had previously hosted, but the second one…the one who had been severely injured and in male form the last time Julie had seen her.

“You were all making too much noise for me to sleep,” Ms. Miracle announced, earning some quick cheers from the Miracle Men and a smile from the White Knight. “So I thought that I’d come and join in the fun…”

Force just sneered in response, not seeming the least bit intimidated by Ms. Miracle. Of course, the fact that she was wearing her bloodstained and damaged costume probably encouraged his attitude. “After I’m done dealing with all of you,” Force announced, “there’s a pink haired girl that I’ll need to deal with…”

Without warning or hesitation, the White Knight flew straight at Force, punching the former hero as hard as he could. However, Force saw him coming and took the blow without even flinching. A moment later, he punched the White Knight, who was thrown back from the force until Neon caught him with a giant baseball mitt made out of green energy.

“Protect me,” Loki commanded as several heroes tried to attack her. A moment later, Icarus tried to punch the villainess, only to go through her as though she was a ghost.

Julie had almost allowed herself to forget about Grendel, until he let out a deafening roar. The golden sphere burst under his furious assault, releasing the creature. Without hesitating, Grendel charged forward.

“Oh no you don’t,” Mega exclaimed, diving for Grendel and smashing into him just a moment before he reached Mystik. Grendel turned his attention to the Mega, who was currently over twenty feet tall. And even though she was nearly twice his height, she still visibly paled. “This is gonna hurt…”

Grendel slammed into Mega, and to Julie’s surprise, Mega was thrown back with a scream. Grendel leapt at her again only to get charged from behind by Chrome, Nike, and Warchild. However, even their combined assault wasn’t enough to draw the monster’s attention away from Mega.

In the air above, Ms. Miracle and the White Knight fought with Force, while Nike circled nearby, looking for an opportunity to join in. They took turns charging Force, though he continued to shrug them off, acting as though this was just a game and he was merely playing with them.

“What the hell happened to you, Scott?” the White Knight demanded of Force. “How did you become such a monster?”

Force snarled at that, glaring at the White Knight with clearly growing anger. Then he looked down at the heroes gathered below and exclaimed, “I failed to kill your family the last time. This time I’ll make sure they’re all dead…especially that pink haired bitch…”

The White Knight yelled in rage and flew straight at Force, swinging a sword made of white energy. However, Force dropped to the ground, and as soon as he hit, there was an explosive blast that sent everyone flying back. Julie screamed as she was flung through the air.

Suddenly, someone caught Julie in mid-air, and an unfamiliar voice announced, “I’ve got you…”

As soon as Julie was released, she turned to look at her rescuer and was surprised to see an enormous blue skinned woman. The woman was eight feet tall, heavily muscled, and had breasts the size of beach balls. And not only was her skin blue, but her hair was dark blue and her eyes were yellow. Bony spikes grew out from her shoulders and elbows, which along with her sharp teeth and clawed fingers, made her look more than a little intimidating. And since the only things she wore were a silver chain mail bikini top and loin cloth, Julie had a clear view of her entire body.

“Um…thanks,” Julie responded in surprise and confusion. She stared up at this stranger, then demanded, “Who are you?”

However, the blue skinned woman turned her attention away from Julie and looked towards Grendel, which made Julie realize just how many similarities the two of them shared. They were both big and blue, with bony spikes growing from their bodies.

The blue amazon had a deep scowl on her face as she yelled, “GRENDEL.”

Grendel threw Mega away from him, then snapped around to stare at the woman. He backhanded Marvel, casually knocking her out of his way as he started to approach the blue skinned woman.

“Grendel, come here,” the blue woman commanded. To Julie’s surprise, Grendel did as the woman ordered and went right over to her. He crouched down and she gently put a hand on his cheek. “Good boy…”

“No way,” Zero Key gasped. “A girl Grendel…”

“You’re Grendel’s Mother,” the Face exclaimed in surprise, his voice sounding worried. “I’ve heard of you…”

“Grendel’s Mother...?” Mega exclaimed as she got back to her feet. She stared at the blue skinned amazon, who had Grendel patiently crouched in front of her. Her eyes suddenly widened in realization. “GM…? Will?”

Grendel’s Mother smiled faintly and told the giantess, “I told you that I was here as an insurance policy…” She gave a meaningful look at Grendel and added, “In case this very thing happened…”

The Face seemed to be staring at her, though with his mask, Julie couldn’t be quite sure. She wasn’t sure what Grendel’s Mother was going to do, but for the moment, she seemed to be holding Grendel back.

Julie had heard of the creature called Grendel’s Mother, a female version of Grendel, who was smart and able to control the monster. However, until now, Julie had thought that Grendel’s Mother was just an urban legend.

“These people aren’t your enemies,” Grendel’s Mother told the monster. Then with an almost evil grin, she pointed to Force and announced, “HE is. Sic em Grendel…”

Grendel let out a roar, then turned and leapt straight at Force. Force had a sudden look of fear on his face, right before the massive blue monster smashed into him, slamming him into the ground. Grendel roared and fired a blast of green energy from his mouth, aimed directly at Force.

“YOU DARE?” Force yelled, nearly frothing with rage.

Force flew straight at Grendel and punched the creature with enough power that Julie felt the impact from where she stood. Grendel was knocked back about a foot, thought the monster just roared and threw himself at Force.

“What the hell?” Chrome exclaimed. “Grendel is on our side?”

The White Knight held back, watching with an expression of surprise and confusion. “I’d never have believed it…”

Grendel’s Mother just laughed, seeming amused by the entire situation. “Well, it’s been awhile since I could cut loose…” Then with an almost scary looking grin, she ran towards Force and joined Grendel in the fight.

“NO,” Loki snarled, staring at Grendel with a look of betrayal on her face. “That fucker should be crushing the damn heroes…”

“And you should be in prison,” Rumor called out, right before Surge blasted Loki with electricity. However, the electricity went right though Loki, who was still intangible. A moment later, Rumor stated, “My turn…”

Rumor vanished from where she’d been standing beside Surge, only to reappear beside Loki. She took a swing at Loki, and to Julie’s surprise, she hit the villainess in the face. Loki staggered back with blood spurting from her smashed nose.

“I’ll kill you,” Loki told her with a furious snarl. Then an evil grin formed on her face, looking even more sinister for the blood that was dripping down.

“Oh no you don’t,” Rumor responded as she charged Loki again. However, this time, Loki swung her staff, hitting Rumor, who took a nasty looking hit to her ribs.

“Fucking bitch,” Loki spat out, glancing to where Grendel slammed into Force, throwing the former hero straight into the ground. “Shit… I wanted to see Grendel fuck you all up… I guess I’ll have to do it myself…”

Julie saw the evil grin return to Loki’s face, and she had a very bad feeling about what was coming. “Look out,” Julie cried out a warning, though she doubted it would do any good.

“Make me stronger than Grendel,” Loki commanded as she raised her staff. “Make me bigger than Grendel…more powerful than Grendel.”

“No,” Julie gasped, her eyes going wide.

Loki began laughing maniacally while black smoke began to pour out of her staff. The smoke circled the villainess, almost like a giant black snake, and then it suddenly lunged forward and rushed into Loki’s mouth. She tried screaming, but no sound emerged.

A moment later, all of the smoke was gone, having entered into Loki’s body. Loki’s face began to turn red, as though she had a severe sunburn, though it continued to become brighter until it was the color of blood.

A fearsome howl erupted from Loki’s throat, right before her armor began to crack and shatter. Just as Julie had seen Denise do a short time ago, Loki was growing, bursting right out of her armor, transforming even more as she did so. Her body was now covered in crimson scales.

Just then, there was another loud BOOM and the ground shook. Julie looked back to where Grendel and his mother were fighting Force. This time, Force had just slammed Grendel’s Mother into the ground, though she got back to her feet in an instant, not appearing to have been harmed at all. Grendel immediately spat a blast of green energy at Force, who used a force field to block the attack. Grendel’s Mother followed that up by leaping up in the air, right to where Force was floating.

However, a loud shriek drew Julie’s attention back to Loki, who now stood twelve feet tall, and she was still growing larger. She was enormous, with scaly red skin, fearsome looking claws and teeth, and glowing red eyes and burned with a fierce hatred.

Everyone seemed so caught up in watching her transformation, or in watching the fight between Force and Grendel, that no one made a move towards Loki. Loki continued to grow, reaching thirty feet tall before she finally stopped.

“This is not good,” Julie whispered, remembering what Loki had said before transforming. If she was more powerful than Grendel, they were all in serious trouble.

Suddenly, a burst of purple energy crashed down from the sky and hit the ground. A moment later, Julie saw a figure standing where the purple energy had struck. It was a woman in armor, riding on the back of a large black cat. In her hand, she held a metal scepter.

“The Scepter,” Julie gasped, quickly recognizing who this newcomer was.

Before anyone could react to this new threat, another flash of purple shot out of the sky and hit the ground. In the middle of the charred ground stood a metalic woman.

“Circuit Monger,” Julie whispered, feeling as though she had a lump of lead in her stomach at the realization that four of the five obelisk guardians were now present…along with Grendel. Those were some extremely dangerous villains with a LOT of combined power. Even if Grendel appeared to be on their side at the moment, Julie didn’t trust that to last long. “This is NOT good…”

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

Joselyn held the base of her seat with a white-knuckled grip, not fully trusting the seatbelt to keep her in. She glanced over the inside of the metal shell that she was riding in, and saw that she wasn’t the only one who seemed nervous. Vickie was grabbing her seat almost the same way, though her brother was grinning and having fun.

“Here she comes again,” Ghost Boy exclaimed from his seat, pointing into the sky behind them.

Joselyn didn’t need to turn around to know who she’d see, though she did so anyway. Praxis was coming straight at them again. After they’d taken down Circuit Monger’s obelisk and escaped, Praxis had followed after them, and they’d been trying to dodge her ever since. Then, as Joselyn also expected, Invincible Woman came up from below, slamming into Praxis and delivering a series of punches before flying back.

“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Chris asked Counterweight, who was sitting in the ‘pilot’ seat up front.

“I’m giving her all she’s got,” Counterweight responded in a bad Scottish accent. “Besides, this damn thing doesn’t have any engines you know…”

“Do I have to get out and push?” Ghost Boy asked, giving a worried look behind them, obviously concerned about Invincible Woman…who was ironically enough…his son.

“How much longer until we get back?” Chris asked.

“Not much further now,” Joselyn answered, hoping that Invincible Woman could keep Praxis off them until they reached the other heroes.

Vickie looked behind them and announced, “If Praxis gets close enough, I can shut her down…”

“And make me blind,” Counterweight pointed out.

Joselyn shook her head. “By the time she got close enough for you to block out the control signal…it would be too late for us. She could still end up knocking us out of the air…”

Suddenly, Joselyn saw something from the corner of her eye and snapped around for a better look. A glowing purple ball was flying across the sky, going in the same direction that they were going. At first, she feared it might be some kind of attack, but quickly discounted that. It wasn’t coming towards them. In fact, it was going faster than they were and quickly left them behind.

A moment later, Joselyn’s attention was torn away from the purple glow and focused instead on Praxis. Her power was screaming a warning to her, that Praxis was coming at them from beneath.

“NOW VICKIE,” Joselyn screamed.

Vickie reacted immediately, just as Joselyn had hoped, and suddenly, everything went black. Joselyn was thankful that Vickie understood what she meant and had reacted so fast. It had just been in time.

Though Joselyn couldn’t see a thing, her powers told her that Vickie’s dark zone had worked. Praxis had been momentarily cut off from Circuit Monger, and when she froze up, gravity reclaimed her and she fell.

“You can drop it,” Joselyn said, and the darkness immediately vanished. “Thanks…”

Joselyn looked over the edge of the metal shell, just in time to see Invincible Woman sweep in to catch Praxis. However, right before Invincible Woman reached the falling heroine, Praxis recovered enough to punch her.

“Damn,” Joselyn growled, frustrated that Praxis had snapped out of it so quickly…and even more…that she was still under Circuit Monger’s control.

While Invincible Woman and Praxis exchanged blows, Counterweight announced, “We’re getting close. Just another couple minutes…”

“About time,” Ghost Boy said with a scowl. “We could use the reinforcements…”

“Yeah,” Joselyn agreed. “Definitely.”

Joselyn scowled in frustration as she continued to watch the aerial dogfight that had been occurring ever since they left Circuit Monger behind. She wanted to help Invincible Woman, but there wasn’t much she could do. Ghost Boy and Counterweight could both fly, but neither of them was fast or maneuverable enough to do much good in that dog fight.

Praxis made yet another attempt to come at them, but Invincible Woman intercepted her and they went into another flurry of punches and dodges. Unfortunately, Invincible Woman couldn’t keep Praxis’ attention for long, because as soon as the infected hero saw an opportunity, she tried to break off and come at the shell again.

“She’s getting tired,” Ghost Boy announced. From his worried expression, they didn’t need to ask which ‘she’ he meant.

‘We’re here,” Joselyn exclaimed in relief, seeing the encampment in the distance.

However, as they moved closer, Joselyn saw that there was some kind of fight going on, though they were still too far away to make out many details. She saw a flash of green light, then a flash of blue light. Following that, there was a loud BOOM, which they could hear, even from this distance.

“What the hell is going on?” Counterweight demanded.

“And what the hell is that?” Vickie blurted out as she pointed towards the camp.

Joselyn didn’t have to ask what Vickie had been referring to, because her eyes immediately locked onto to the massive creature her best friend was gesturing to. The creature was shaped like a human woman, but she had scaly red skin, horns, claws, and of course, she was over thirty feet tall.

“Loki,” Joselyn blurted out before she even consciously realized what her powers were telling her. Her eyes went wide in realization. “Holy shit. That’s Loki…”

“No way,” Counterweight exclaimed with a look of stunned disbelief.

Though Joselyn didn’t know why Loki would transform herself into that monster, she had no doubt that it was bad news for all the heroes at the basecamp. When Loki caused trouble, she always went all out.

“I don’t see her staff,” Joselyn said, clearly noting that Loki was completely naked and didn’t seem to be holding anything in her hands.

Mega quickly grew until she was the same size as Loki, then she attacked the villainess. But to Joselyn’s surprise, Loki just let out a roar and punched at Mega, who staggered back from the blow. A moment later, Loki threw herself at Mega, grabbed the heroine, and then threw her.

As they got closer, Joselyn was surprise to realize that Loki wasn’t the only threat that he heroes were fighting. She saw Force floating in the air…though only for a few seconds before a massive blue monster leapt at the former hero and punched him. Force was sent flying back a long distance, where he crashed into a nearby house.

“Grendel,” Joselyn gasped, confused about where Grendel had come from or why he was attacking Force.

Force burst out of the now destroyed house and flew up into the air again. He fired a massive concussion blast towards the heroes, though the Face and her uncle Leon got in the way and created glowing walls of energy to block it.

“Force, Loki, and Grendel,” Joselyn whispered, suddenly feeling like they might be in over their heads. Then she saw finally notice the other two villains. Circuit Monger and the Scepter were present as well. “You’ve got to be kidding me…”

“Circuit Monger,” Ghost Boy exclaimed as he noticed the metal woman as well. “How did she get here before us?”

“Loki,” Joselyn answered, ‘knowing’ that Loki was responsible, though not the circumstances behind it. Most of the time, her sixth sense tended to be a little short on details.

The Scepter stood beside a large black panther, and she was surrounded by several heroes, which she was keeping away from her with a combination of her telekinesis and her feline helper. Diamond was suddenly thrown back, only to be caught by her teammate Radiant. Zero Kay threw a ball of freezing energy towards the villain, but the ball suddenly changed direction and went straight towards Splash. However, Slash sent a wall of water up in front of her, and as soon as the ball it the water, it instantly froze.

Circuit Monger was a distance away, floating in the air and dealing with several of her own opponents. She fired a blast off energy at Nike, who dodged the attack and then charged at Circuit Monger. Circuit Monger snapped around and backhanded the hero, moving faster than Nike had expected.

“I didn’t think we’d get another chance at that metal bitch so soon,” Counterweight said with a grin. “Time for you guys to get out…”

“What do you mean?” Chris asked with a confused look.

Vickie just rolled her eyes. “She’s going to ram her with this thing…”

Chris’ eyes widened, then he nodded. “I can carry one of you with me…” He had a worried expression.

“I’ve got you,” Ghost Boy said, grabbing hold of Vickie. “I can’t carry very much with me, but I can get you down safely…”

Joselyn looked to Chris and blushed a little. When he put his arms around her and picked her up, she felt a surge of nervousness and excitement. However, when Chris jumped over the edge of the shell with her a moment later, she screamed.

“Don’t worry,” Chris assured her as they fell. He held her tightly, making her feel a little safer, even if they’d jumped out of a perfectly good flying shell, without a parachute between them. “I’ve got you.”

Joselyn closed her eyes, blurting out, “Why couldn’t I have inherited my dad’s flying power?”

It didn’t take long before they hit the ground, though there was no impact or sudden stop. One second they were falling, and the next, Chris was standing on the ground, with her in his arms. He’d absorbed all the kinetic energy, which meant that his powers were fully charged and ready for the fight.

“Just like a roller coaster,” Joselyn weakly joked. She did NOT want to do that again. Then again, as she considered the fact that Chris was still holding her, she amended that and decided that his part wasn’t so bad at all.

“It looks like we’ve got a fight to join,” Chris announced with a grin while setting Joselyn down.

“Definitely,” Joselyn agreed, forming a rapier of glowing pink energy in one hand and a glowing pink dagger in the other.

However, instead of charging into the nearby battle, she looked up to where Counterweight was positioning the large metal shell well above Circuit Monger’s head. A moment later, she released the shell, which immediately dropped right onto Circuit Monger, smashing into the metal woman and driving her into the ground in a mass of crushed metal.

“That takes care of tin britches,” Vickie announced as she and Ghost Boy settled down beside them.

Joselyn looked back up to where Counterweight floated in the air for a moment, right before she flew off to the side in order to get out of the way. She settled back down to the ground well away from them, obviously thinking about the fact that she was still injured and not at her best for a fight.

“Time for the rest of us to pick our targets too,” Joselyn announced, taking another glance around the battle and trying to decide which villain she’d be most useful against.

Force was the only male among the group, which meant that he was the only one she could use her mind control on. However, not only was he fully aware of her abilities and likely to kill her before she got close, he was also flying around out of her reach and in the middle of a fight with Grendel. There was no way she wanted to get in the middle of that fight.

Joselyn glanced to her energy sword, then to the massive monstrosity that Loki had become. She frowned and shook her head, knowing that she wouldn’t be of much use against Loki either.

Circuit Monger was buried under a mass of twisted metal, but Joselyn was sure that she wasn’t really down either, merely inconvenienced. And unfortunately, Circuit Monger was another of the villains that she wouldn’t be very effective against.

“The Scepter it is,” Joselyn mused, glancing towards the last villain before telling the others, “Circuit Monger will probably be up and at it again in just a minute or two…”

Then, just as Joselyn finished saying this, the twisted remains of the metal shell exploded and Circuit Monger flew up into the air. She looked like she was scratched up and perhaps even had a small dent or two, but otherwise looked undamaged.

“I hate it when you’re right,” Vickie muttered.

In the distance, Loki let out another loud howl, then lunged forward, stomping onto Joselyn’s aunt Gina. Aunt Gina was invulnerable, but even so, Joselyn gasped, not sure her aunt could survive that kind of attack.

For a moment, Joselyn wanted to rush over and check on her aunt, but her powers assured her that Aunt Gina was all right. At least a dozen heroes were attacking Loki, distracting her from the temporarily fallen heroine, though they didn’t seem to be doing much damage.

“Let’s move,” Joselyn exclaimed, turning and running towards the Scepter.

The Scepter was standing back, holding out her scepter towards Ryan. Ryan lived up to his codename of Shuriken because a dozen throwing starts flew around his body in an orbit, even the villain’s power lifted him up into the air.

“I’m going to snap every bone in your body,” the Scepter exclaimed. “I will make an example of you to all these fools…”

“Eat spinning blade,” Ryan responded, sending all of his shuriken flying straight at the Scepter.

A moment later, he suddenly dropped to the ground as she turned her attention to defending herself. Nearly every one of the throwing starts hit an invisible wall and came to a sudden stop. Only one of the shuriken got through, hitting the Scepter’s armor on the side and leaving a deep gouge as it passed by.

The large black panther leapt at Ryan with its claws extended, but it was hit with a blast of water that sent it flying back, courtesy of Splash. Surge responded by firing a blast of electricity at the creature, who yowled in pain, then quickly shook it off.

“Time to take this bitch down,” Chris exclaimed, running straight at the Scepter.

Joselyn gulped, realizing that Chris was getting cocky because he was fully charged up. A moment later, he was captured in the Scepter’s power, and she sent him flying straight up into the air before releasing him. Chris immediately came falling back to the ground, where he hit hard. But to the Scepter’s obvious surprise, he just laughed.

“Thanks for charging me up,” Chris announced with a grin.

The panther leapt at Chris, who backhanded the large cat. The panther was sent flying back from the blow, a hit that should have shattered half its bones. However, when the cat hit the ground, it immediately leapt at Vickie.

“I don’t think so,” Joselyn exclaimed, throwing her energy blade into the cat’s side and then impaling it with her sword. The black cat snarled and turned on her. Joselyn formed a glowing shield, using up as much of her energy as she could. It was barely large enough to block the cat before she was knocked back. “Bad kitty…” Then with a sudden realization that had been granted by her sixth sense, Joselyn exclaimed, “The cat is the source of her powers…”

“In that case,” Mystik announced, floating in the air and holding out her staff. “It’s time to put the cat out.”

Mystik made a grand sweeping gesture with her staff, and it began to glow. The panther was suddenly engulfed by glowing sparkles, which caused the creature to let out a horrified shriek of fear and pain. It desperately tried to leap away, but seemed to be trapped within the sparkles.

“EBON,” the Scepter cried out, sounding more outraged than worried. However, she was already dealing with Ryan, Splash, and Surge…using her power to keep all three of them away from her.

Suddenly, there was a burst of light, and the panther was gone. At the same instant, Ryan, Splash and Surge, who were all being held back, staggered forward as the Scepter’s power vanished.

“Regardless of what you did to Ebon,” the Scepter announced in an arrogant tone, holding out her scepter as though she could destroy them all with a single sweep of the item. “I will crush you all…” However, Joselyn’s power told her that without the cat…without Ebon…the Scepter was powerless.

Just then, Joselyn saw her cousin Angie rushing up behind the Scepter. A moment later, Angle grabbed hold of the villainess, who immediately began to scream in pain.

Joselyn winced, almost feeling sorry for the Scepter. Almost. Her cousin Angie was codenamed Agony for a good reason. Not only did she have a powerful healing ability, she also had an empathic power that let her weaponized her own pain. She could store up every bit of pain she felt, then transfer it to someone else…just like she was doing to the Scepter.

The Scepter collapsed to the ground unconscious, completely overwhelmed by all of Angie’s stored pain. Angie stepped back with a grim look on her face, just as she had every time she used that power.

“The Scepter is down,” Joselyn said in relief. Then she looked to Mystik, who had removed the source of the Scepter’s powers. “And I think she’s out of the game for good.”

Just as Joselyn was letting out a sigh of relief at this, she caught sight of something from the corner of her eye that caused her to snap around in time to see Grendel falling from the sky with Force held firmly in his large claws. As she watched, Grendel came down and slammed Force straight into the ground. There was a BOOM as they hit, and a moment later, Grendel stood triumphantly over an unmoving Force.

“No way,” Joselyn blurted out.

Grendel let out a horrendous roar, then looked back down at Force with a snarl. Force was still moving, and was even trying to sit up, but it was clear that he was out of action. In spite of his force field, he’d taken a lot of damage. Blood poured down from his broken nose and his arm was bent at an unnatural angel. And from the look of things, Grendel was about to finish the job.

“NO,” a woman called out. “You can’t kill him…”

That drew Joselyn’s attention to the speaker, a massive woman who had blue skin, a lot of muscles, and enormous breasts. She looked a female version of Grendel.

“Grendel,” Vickie gulped from beside Joselyn, her eyes wide in stunned disbelief. “He just beat the crap out of Force…”

“And there’s a girl Grendel,” Chris added a moment later.

“Grendel’s Mother,” Joselyn stated, still confused by Grendel’s presence, not to mention that of his mother.

“He’s already defeated,” Grendel’s Mother told the monster. Then she pointed up at Loki and snarled, “Now we fight her…”

Grendel let out a deep growl, then without warning, he grabbed Force and threw him right at Loki. Force hit Loki’s chest hard, though Loki barely seemed to notice it. Force bounced off and then hit the ground, with the last of his force field finally fading away.

A blue clad woman ran towards the fallen Force, and a moment later, Catalyst bent down beside him. “And stay down,” Catalyst ordered as she took away Force’s powers, though by this point, it was no longer really necessary.

“Two down,” Joselyn announced, looking to Loki and then Circuit Monger. “Two more to go.”

Joselyn slowly looked over the battlefield, which was filled with chaos from the unexpected arrival of the villains. However, now that two of Nevermore’s minions had been defeated, the heroes finally seemed to be organizing themselves in order to defeat the remaining two.

Lady Hexx had gotten close enough to Loki that she could use her powers, causing the massive villain to start sinking into the ground, as though it was made of quicksand. While Loki was sinking, Shiver, the Face, and Zero Kay were all attacking her from a distance, though other heroes choose to attack from the air. Radiant, Icarus, and Joselyn’s dad took turns diving at Loki to quickly hit her, before they each flew back out of range. Unfortunately, their attacks only seemed to be hurting Loki just enough to annoy her, and even anger her, but not enough to take her down.

Grendel and his mother both launched themselves at Loki, hitting her with incredibly powerful blows that actually caused her to fall back and hit the ground. However, Loki let out an inhuman roar and began getting back to her feet, tearing her feet loose from the ground that Lady Hexx had been trying to entrap her with. She lashed out, nearly stomping on Chrome, who seized the opportunity to attack her legs, slicing at them with the metal blades that grew from his arms.

“We have to hit her harder,” Joselyn’s dad yelled. “We can’t hold back…”

Kaboom flew towards Loki, holding out her good arm and her glowing fist. “I never thought I’d prefer this bitch with her staff…” Then Kaboom punched Loki in the face, releasing an explosion of energy which made Loki snarl in pain and rage.

“LOKI!” a familiar voice yelled from overhead, drawing Joselyn’s attention to Legacy, who was hovering in the air. Her leg was still wrapped up in splints and bandages, though she clearly wasn’t about to let her injuries stop her. She glared at Loki, then joined the fight, using her telekinesis to fling a large rock straight at the villain’s face.

Joselyn was so caught up in what was happening with Loki that she’d nearly forgotten about Circuit Monger. She turned her attention back to the metal villainess, seeing that she was hovering in the air and firing both missiles and blasts of blue energy at the various heroes who approached. Radiant took a direct blast to the chest and was thrown back, then a small missile hit near Diamond, who was barely able to create a diamond shield in time to protect herself.

Ms. Miracle…Dave…Joselyn’s new sister, flew straight at Circuit Monger, though the metal villainess somehow managed to avoid her. Circuit Monger flew back, then let loose several missiles, which Ms. Miracle blasted out of the air with a burst of golden energy that she released from her palms.

Evie came up behind Joselyn and exclaimed, “Hard to believe she’s our sister…”

“Yeah,” Joselyn agreed with a nod. “And Mom is totally gonna kill dad…”

Evie laughed at that. “I wonder if we can talk her into coming over for a sleepover…” Then she grinned broadly. “I bet Katie will totally flip when she finds out…”

Joselyn chuckled at that, knowing that Evie was right. Their younger sister would definitely be overjoyed to learn that Ms. Miracle was her big sister too. Then she gave Evie a closer look and frowned, seeing that her big little sister was banged up and clearly hurt. And just from knowing Evie as well as she did, she also guessed that she was frustrated since her pseudo-invisibility powers weren’t well suited for this kind of fight.

“Not that my powers are much better,” Joselyn muttered.

There were so many people present and so much going on, that her sixth sense couldn’t pick out much through all the noise. She formed a glowing pink dagger in her hand, more for comfort than because she thought it would do much good against either Loki or Circuit Monger.

A short distance away, Joselyn saw Interface, who was also standing back and looking frustrated. Interface turned to Warchild and said, “If I can make physical contact with Circuit Monger, I might be able to override with her system and shut her down…”

Warchild nodded at that. “Then let’s see if we can make that happen…”

“I’ll help,” Ghost Boy announced as he joined them.

“Sounds good to me,” Joselyn added, not sure how she could help just yet, but knowing that she had to do something.

Just then, Joselyn’s power warned her of danger, just in time for her to see something falling towards them. “Look out,” she called out, causing everyone nearby to run out of the way. A moment later, something hit the ground just a few feet from where she’d been standing, impacting with enough force that the ground seemed to shake.

Before Joselyn had fully absorbed what was going on, a figure stood up from the shallow crater that had that had just been formed. Praxis slowly looked around, her eyes still glowing green from the infection. And then, to Joselyn’s shock and horror, a second figure stood up from the same small crater. Invincible Woman looked around, revealing that her eyes were now glowing green as well.

“No,” Joselyn gasped in horror, suddenly feeling guilty as she realized that after they’d returned to the camp, she’d been so distracted by the villains, that she’d forgotten about Invincible Woman.

“NO,” Ghost Boy exclaimed, staring at Invincible Woman with a look of shocked realization.

“New drone acquired,” Circuit Monger commented in her flat mechanical voice. “Initiating further acquisition of developed drones.”

“This isn’t you,” Ghost Boy told Invincible Woman. “You can fight this…”

Without warning, Invincible Woman tried to grab Ghost Boy, though her hands went right through him as though he actually was a ghost. When she saw that she couldn’t grab him, she abruptly turned her attention to someone else and flew straight at Warchild, who blasted her and then flew back. She staggered back from his attack, then flew after him.

Praxis came straight at Joselyn, who created a glowing pink force field disk, just in time to let the infected heroine slam into that instead of her. And though her force field’s weren’t as large and powerful as Uncle Leon’s…or even her dad’s…this one was strong enough to do the job…for now. Joselyn shifted to the side and sliced at Praxis with her energy dagger. To her surprise, she actually cut Praxis, leaving a thin gash in her upper arm. However, this didn’t slow Praxis down, which forced Joselyn to stagger backwards, trying to think of how to protect herself.

“You aren’t going to infect me,” Joselyn stated grimly. Praxis didn’t respond.

Taking a deep breath to brace herself, Joselyn dropped the force field disk and leapt backwards, throwing several glowing pink daggers at Praxis in the process. Two of the daggers hit Praxis, and while giving a silent apology for the injuries, Joselyn lunged forward, forming a shield on her left arm and a sword in her right hand. She uses the shield to block Praxis’ grab, then slashed out with the sword, slicing through the infected woman’s thigh.

“I don’t think I can overpower you,” Joselyn admitted with a forced smile. “But I’ve been trained to fight, and I’m pretty sure I can wear you down…”

“Don’t worry,” Vickie called out, a moment before everything went dark. “I’ve got her…”

“Thanks,” Joselyn called back, knowing that Praxis was currently cut off from Circuit Monger’s control. She backed up until she was outside the darkness field, then yelled, “Try to bring Invincible Woman in here…”

Warchild seemed to have heard, because he changed direction and flew right towards the cloud of darkness. As soon as Invincible Woman was close, the cloud suddenly expanded, catching her within.

“I’ve got them both,” Vickie announced. “I’m not sure how long I can hold this though…”

“We still have to deal with Circuit Monger,” Joselyn pointed out. She stared at the metal woman, who was still hovering in the air and attacking. “She has to run out of power eventually, and at the rate she’s going, I bet it won’t be much longer…”

“I’ll deal with Circuit Monger,” Interface announced with a look of determination. “I just need to get close enough to make contact…”

“Negative,” Circuit Monger stated, turning her attention to Interface. “The Interface entity is a threat. Interface must be eliminated.”

With that, Circuit Monger opened fire on Interface, simultaneously firing blasts of energy along with several small missiles. Joselyn immediately ran towards the hero, forming another shield of pink energy, but she wasn’t fast enough. Before she reached Interface, a missile exploded behind him, knocking him to the ground where a blast of energy struck him in the back. Interface screamed in pain, then became silent.

“Interface,” Joselyn cried out, reaching his side and trying to protect his body, though it was too late.

“YOU BITCH,” Warchild yelled, firing blasts of energy at Circuit Monger, though she formed her own glowing force field that deflected his attacks.

“Interface has been neutralized,” Circuit Monger commented. “Targeting potential drone units.”

Warchild just let out a scream and continued attacking Circuit Monger. Diamond ran over and crouched down beside Interface. “He’s still alive,” she exclaimed. “We need to get him medical attention…now.”

“Mystik can heal him,” Channel announced she ran over, warily watching Circuit Monger. “She healed Nike from something pretty nasty a little bit ago…”

Joselyn looked around since her powers were currently too overloaded to tell her where Mystik was. A moment later, she saw Mystik, floating in the air above Loki and looking as though she was preparing to attack him. However, Loki abruptly belched out a burst of flames in her direction. Mystik suddenly disappeared, teleporting away before she was burned. However, Joselyn didn’t know where she went and couldn’t afford to keep looking.

Radiant landed beside her teammates, Diamond and Interface, saying, “I can fly him out of here…”

“I’ll make a stretcher,” Diamond quickly agreed. A moment later, diamond crystals formed beneath and around Interface, holding his body rigidly in place so that Radiant could pick him up. Without another word, Radiant flew away with him.

Joselyn looked at Channel and asked. “Can you do anything?” Channel’s powers made her a wildcard…and often a very useful one. And at that moment, any help would be appreciated

“I’m pretty wiped out,” Channel reluctantly admitted. However, as she looked at Circuit Monger, her expression turned to one of fierce determination. “But I’ll damn well try…”

Channel took a deep breath, then a few seconds later, Joselyn felt a shift in the other heroine. Her posture and body language abruptly changed while her costume shimmered and changed. Gone was Channel’s normal costume, and in its place, was a one piece metallic outfit that covered her entire body from the neck down. It was blue and silver, with white trim.

“The Warchild entity will be upgraded,” Circuit Monger announced, making Joselyn look and gasp at the realization that somehow, Circuit Monger had gotten hold of Warchild. She held Warchild in one hand, while the childish hero struggled to break free. “Beginning drone conversion…”

“Negative,” announced Channel, or at least, the spirit that was possessing her. Channel’s body floated up into the air and towards Circuit Monger. “The Trojan malware will cease further infection. Surrender immediately or be deleted.”

If Circuit Monger was surprised by this response, her blank facial expression didn’t reveal it. However, she did respond with, “Commands denied. Identify.”

Channel’s eyes began to glow blue, and in a loud voice, the spirit controlling her body announced, “I…AM…CIRCUIT!”

“Circuit?” Joselyn gasped in surprise. Circuit Monger didn’t show any visible change in her expression, though she did release Warchild, who fell to the ground.

Circuit had been an android…a machine. Joselyn hadn’t known that Channel could bring back an artificial intelligence, but she suspected that Channel hadn’t realized this either.

“The Trojan malware will be deleted,” Circuit stated in a cold voice, though her expression changed to one of anger as she added, “Die impostor…”

With that, Circuit flung herself at Circuit Monger, grabbing hold of the metal villainess. A moment later, all the glowing circuit patterns on Circuit Monger’s body, changed from green to blue. Circuit Monger let out a loud electronic shriek, right before they both dropped from the air and smashed into the ground. Neither of them were moving.

Joselyn immediately ran towards Channel, who was motionless on the ground and back in her own costume. She formed an energy sword in her hand, keeping a close eye on Circuit Monger as she approached. However, Circuit Monger wasn’t moving either. The glowing circuit pattern that had previously covered much of her body, was entirely gone, along with the glow in her eyes.

“Channel?” Joselyn cautiously asked, letting out a sigh of relief as her sixth sense assured her that the other girl was still alive…just utterly exhausted. When Nike suddenly dropped from the air and landed beside her teammate, Joselyn quickly assured her, “She’s all right. She just pushed herself too far again…”

Nike nodded at that, not saying a word before she picked Channel up, then carried her away to safety. Joselyn backed away from Circuit Monger, who seemed completely deactivated, though it was best to be safe. After all, she’d seen far too many movies where the supposedly dead bad suddenly moved again.

“Velvet,” Joselyn called out to Vickie. “Drop your darkness…”

The darkness vanished, letting Joselyn see Vickie, who was standing guard over the motionless Praxis and Invincible Woman. Neither of them sat up or moved, showing that although Circuit Monger was no longer able to give them orders, they were still infected. She let out a muttering of profanity, realizing that Interface had been their best chance of being cured, and Joselyn didn’t even know if he’d survive.

Warchild was back on his feet and was about to blast Circuit Monger’s body, just to ensure she really was dead, when the ground trembled again and he staggered. Nearly everyone turned to look at Loki, who had just leapt at some heroes and had smashed into the ground. The massive villainess let out a deafening roar, then spat out a blast of flames. She would have incinerated several heroes if Joselyn’s uncle Leon hadn’t thrown up a glowing blue force field bubble to protect them from the attack.

“I can’t believe we’re still fighting that overgrown bitch,” Warchild exclaimed with a snarl. “She’s outnumbered, like…a hundred to one.”

Though Warchild was exaggerating on the numbers, Joselyn definitely understood his point. Even though more than a dozen heroes were attacking Loki, they barely seemed to be making a dent in her defenses. She was just too big and powerful. Then, as if to prove that, Grendel leapt at Loki and punched her in one of her breasts, with enough force to kill most of the heroes present…and all it did was piss Loki off.

“She’s a damn monster,” Chris exclaimed, trying to look tough and confident, though Joselyn could hear the fear and worry in his voice. “Literally…”

“We’re going to take her down,” Joselyn assured Chris, hoping that she sounded more confident than she felt. Then she looked to Vickie, gesturing to Praxis and Invincible Woman. “Keep a close eye on them…” She didn’t need to add that Vickie should protect them from Loki…or contain them if they suddenly became aggressive again.

Joselyn stared up at Loki, who had become an unbelievably powerful behemoth, though she seemed to be mindlessly stomping around. She seemed to have no strategy or plan beyond smacking or stepping on her enemies, though at her size, she didn’t really need much more than that. Fortunately, even though Loki was now much bigger and stronger than ever before, she was also more predictable.

“Easier to avoid than some of the crap her staff could send at us,” Joselyn mused.

Ms. Miracle flew at Loki, punching her hard in the face, and as she dodged back out of range, Warchild opened up with his energy blasts. Loki howled and spat fire towards them, revealing that her face had been cracked and damaged. However, her injuries healed as Joselyn watched. In fact, Loki had numerous gouges, char marks, and even small openings in her scales, but every one of these wounds healed in mere moments.

“How can you take down something like her?” Joselyn asked herself, hoping her sixth sense would provide the answer. Unfortunately, it was still too overloaded with noise. She concentrated, trying to push the noise aside so she could get something useful.

“Time for me to do something besides standing here and looking tough,” Chris announced, giving Joselyn a nervous smile before he ran in to join the fight.

Chris charged straight at Loki, then punched her in the leg. Though he had enough kinetic energy stored up that he was able to hit the villainess extremely hard, it did little more than make Loki take a step back. A moment later, she responded by kicking Chris, though he absorbed the kinetic energy from that impact and immediately returned it with another ineffective punch.

Grendel’s Mother ran towards her ‘son’, ordering him, “Throw me at Loki as hard as you can…” To Joselyn’s amazement, Grendel did exactly as his ‘mother’ ordered, picking her up and throwing her at Loki. Grendel’s Mother smashed into Loki’s face with unbelievable force, punching as hard as she could at the same time.

Loki was knocked back from the blow, and Mega took advantage of that to tackle Loki’s legs, forcing the behemoth to topple backwards. Loki landed on her back and nearly every hero present tried to take advantage of that.

“HER SOLAR PLEXUS,” Joselyn yelled out as she suddenly ‘knew’ where Loki was most vulnerable. “ITS HER WEAK SPOT!”

Joselyn’s Dad looked down at her from where he hovered in the air, then nodded. “TARGET HER SOLAR PLEXUS,” he repeated to the other heroes.

Several heroes immediately responded to the command, until Mystik yelled, “STAND BACK!”

A moment later, a flash of lightning shot down from the sky and struck Loki in the solar plexus, blasting a large hole right through her thick hide. However, the damage began to heal almost immediately.

“Oh no you don’t,” Legacy called out, floating in the air with a look of cold rage on her face. She held a strange looking bow in her hands, one that looked as though it was made of bone. An arrow of pure hellfire formed and was released, striking Loki right in her vulnerable spot.

Loki howled in rage and agony, then scrambled to her feet, knocking away the heroes who’d been attempting to pin her down or attack her directly. Grendel leapt straight at Loki’s face, and when she raised her hands to block this attack, Legacy fired a second arrow and then a third. Loki staggered back, then dropped to her knees.

“This is for the Seven,” Legacy announced, firing one more arrow through the now charred and gaping hole in Loki’s solar plesus. Loki snarled in pain, letting out an almost pitiful roar, before she collapsed face first on the ground, no longer moving.

“Is she…dead?” Chris asked awkwardly.

However, before anyone could check to make sure, Kaboom exclaimed, “Look at her skin…”

Joselyn did look, and what she saw was that Loki’s crimson colored scales were starting to all turn black. This dark coloring spread across her massive body in mere seconds, until there was no longer any trace of the crimson. Then, her body suddenly began to break apart and crumble away, as though she’d been turned into ash. In less than a minute, all that was left of the massive monstrosity was a large pile of black dust.

Joselyn looked to Chris and gave him a faint smile. “I guess this answers your question…”

“Ding dong, the bitch is dead,” Kaboom exclaimed.

Legacy landed on the ground, wincing as she tried to put weight on her injured leg. Joselyn’s dad immediately landed beside her and held her up, letting her lean against him. “About damn time,” she finally said, looking exhausted but strangely at peace.

“We did it,” Icarus announced loudly. “We beat all of them…”

Several heroes started to cheer, until Chrome asked, “Are you sure about that?” He pointed to Circuit Monger, who was starting to move again.

“Oh, hell no,” Shiver exclaimed with a snarl, raising his bow.

Circuit Monger got back to her feet, but she was shaky and awkward. A strange rippling went through her body, and as Joselyn watched, the coloring shifted and changed. The green parts became blue while the dark grey became silver, and the black turned white.

“I knew we should have finished turning her to scrap,” Warchild growled.

“Circuit Monger,” Mega spat out, looking exhausted but bracing herself to attack the android.

“Negative,” the metal woman stated. She stood up straight and looked around, her eyes glowing blue instead of green. “The Trojan malware has been deleted. Removal of malware infections has been initiated. Removal of all unauthorized modifications is in progress…”

“What the hell is Circuit Monger up to now?” Shiver demanded.

“Circuit Monger is no more,” the metal woman announced firmly. “I am Circuit 2.0. I transferred my programming from Channel’s form into this new body, which was created as a duplicate of my own.”

The Face stepped forward and asked, “Circuit? Is that really you?”

“Affirmative,” she agreed.

There was a long pause while the Face seemed to study her, and though Joselyn couldn’t see his expression behind the mask, when he finally spoke, the joy in his voice was obvious. “It is her… You’ve come back…”

Mega immediately shrunk down to her ‘normal’ height of 7 feet tall and grabbed Circuit in a hug. “I can’t believe you’re back,” she cried out.

“It is good to be back,” Circuit agreed.

“As pleasant as this reunion is,” Joselyn’s father said, coming up and giving Circuit a friendly smile and a nod, “I’m afraid that we don’t have time to celebrate.”

“Nevermore,” Icarus agreed with a deep scowl.

“I’m afraid that our problems have just become larger than Nevermore,” the Face announced, raising his voice so that everyone could hear. “According to the last message I received from my daughter, Baron Nevermore has already achieved his purpose in Baltimore. Now, we face a threat far greater than Baron Nevermore. Now…we face the Queen of Ravens and her army.”

Sam slowly looked around the small room where her team was hiding out, seeing that each of the others had grim expressions on their faces, which certainly matched the one she wore. Of course, that wasn’t surprising, considering that they’d just witnessed the arrival of an entire army.

“The Queen of Ravens,” Sam said with a grimace and a shudder.

“I thought Nevermore was the only thing we had to worry about,” Deadbeat responded with a deep scowl. “And her army of freaks…”

“I’ve never heard of the Queen of Ravens,” Poison admitted. “Have any of you?”

Everyone looked to Witch Girl, who as the magic user of the group, was the one most likely to have heard about something of this nature. However, she was clearly just as lost as the rest of them. “Maybe my dad knows something,” she finally responded. “If I can get hold of him… He hasn’t responded to my messages yet…”

“Nevermore sent her goons after the others,” Alleycat pointed out with a shake of her head. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s too busy fighting them off…”

Deadbeat scowled even more deeply, if that was possible, and looked out the window, at the Queen of Ravens and her court, which were still gathered in the park below. “I can’t believe Nevermore did all this crap, just for a chick…”

“It’s probably a little more complicated than that,” Sam pointed out wryly. “Obeying orders. Loyalty to her…his ruler. Political maneuvering among his people…”

“And maybe he’s just a psychotic freak like we always thought,” Alleycat added with a snort. “Either way, he looked a hell of a lot better before turning into a guy…”

“Before turning BACK into a guy,” Poison corrected. “Remember, Baron Nevermore started off as a man…at least as far as we know.”

Sam nodded faintly, looking back out the window at Baron Nevermore and this mysterious newcomer, the Queen of Ravens. Since Witch Girl’s spell was still active, allowing them all to hear what Baron Nevermore and his queen were saying, they were being treated to a description of the world and what it had to offer.

“I had thought to have this world enslaved for you upon your arrival,” Baron Nevermore told his queen. “However, I realized that you might find it more amusing to watch as these humans succumb to your power…”

“Damn,” Deadbeat commented with a chuckle. “He’s laying that on thick…”

“Probably just doesn’t want to admit that heroes kept beating him,” Witch Girl pointed out with a smirk.

“To begin the entertainment,” Baron Nevermore told the Queen of Ravens, “I have gathered a large number of this world’s champions nearby, so you may have the honor of crushing their greatest defenders for yourself. My servants have already stirred their blood to battle.”

“Interesting,” the Queen of Ravens mused. “Crushing this world’s defenders beneath my heel will prove a good start to our conquest. Let these humans see that even their most powerful warriors are naught but insects before me.”

“They will learn to fear you, my queen,” Baron Nevermore agreed almost pleasantly.

The Queen of Ravens turned to a woman who stood a short distance away. This woman looked young, no more than twenty, even though her hair was long and silvery white. She wore a flowing black dress, which contrasted greatly from her hair.

“Lady Minuit,” the queen announced. “This portal retains a connection to our previous home. Guard it well, for once I have gathered sufficient power, I will call forth the rest of my subjects.”

“As you command, my queen,” the silver haired woman…Lady Minuit responded with a bow.

“Now come,” the Queen of Ravens announced with a cruel smirk on her lips. “Let us see to these champions…”

With that, the ravens that were perched upon the telephone lines and nearly every other available place around the ruined park, all took to the air at once. The armed and armored warriors who stood in formation, an honor guard for their queen, all transformed into ravens and joined with the others. The air was so filled with black birds that Sam could no longer see the Queen of Ravens or Baron Nevermore, and once the view had cleared again, they too had vanished.

“This is not good,” Sam said, looking up to where ravens filled most of the sky above. “They’re going after the others…”

“I don’t have enough magic to take us back,” Witch Girl admitted with a worried expression.

Sam scowled, clenching her fists tightly and seething with a mixture of fear and determination. She could feel the dark power of those ravens, and she could feel them flying away.

“I need to stop them,” Sam whispered, thinking of Baron Nevermore and the Queen of Ravens.

When she’d been given her powers, it had been for the purpose of defeating some mysterious dark power. A short time after that, she’d encountered Nevermore, and once she’d defeated that threat, Sam had thought her mission was complete. Now, she wasn’t so sure. Now, she suspected that Nevermore had merely been a herald of the true darkness…the Queen of Ravens.

“This is the reason I have my powers,” Sam stated grimly.

“We can’t fly after them,” Poison pointed out, “and you won’t be able to do much against that army by yourself. For now, let’s see if we can learn something useful…”

Poison pointed out the window, down towards the ruined park. The area was nearly empty now, except for a single white-haired woman who remained behind. Of course, the park was also surrounded by more of those monsters they’d previously fought, but Sam was sure that out of all of them, Lady Minuit was the most dangerous.

“I need to get a better look at that portal,” Witch Girl mused thoughtfully. “Since its magic, I might be able to learn something about it that we can use…or that my dad can use.”

“Damn,” Deadbeat grumbled. “I’m probably gonna end up needing a new body again. I HATE being the cannon fodder.”

“But you’re so good at it,” Alleycat responded with a smirk, earning a glare from Deadbeat.

After a minute, they all started to make their way out of the building that had served as their cover, and around towards the ruined park and the portal. They moved carefully, as a lot of monsters were still wandering around, and Sam knew that they would have to be dealt with.

As soon as they were in position, Sam grimly announced, “I’ll clear a path…”

The creatures saw them a moment later and began to charge forward. Sam floated up into the air, readied her powers, and then waited until the monsters had gathered close enough together. Only then did she release a massive burst of her light energy, right into the middle of the mass. There were shrieks and howls as the creatures crumbled away to dust.

“Damn, that is effective,” Poison said as she ran forward to fight a couple of the stragglers that had been too far away for Sam to hit.

Within a couple minutes, all the creatures were either dead or had run off. Now, the only enemy that stood between them and that portal was Lady Minuit, who didn’t look like much of a threat. However, Sam could feel the dark power from her, and knew that she was dangerous.

Lady Minuit watched them approach without making a move. Her glowing red eyes seemed to contain a mixture of malevolence, determination, and curiosity, though Sam wasn’t sure. That might have just been her imagination.

“You show curiosity but little fear,” Lady Minuit finally said, slowly looking back and forth between them. “Foolish creatures. You will learn…”

Lady Minuit’s black dress moved around, as though under the power of a breeze that wasn’t there. Then, it suddenly lashed out, stretching out into inky tendrils that attacked them. One tendril snaked around Poison’s ankle while another wrapped around Deadbeat’s neck.

“Shit,” Poison exclaimed as her feet were yanked out from beneath her.

“Let go of me,” Deadbeat demanded as he struggled with the tendril that was trying to strangle him.

Witch Girl jumped back, yelling, “Irefay,” then throwing a ball of fire at Lady Minuit.

Lady Minuit yelped in pain but didn’t release Poison or Deadbeat. Instead, there was a crack as Deadbeat’s neck snapped. Two more tendrils snapped out form the dress, and though Alleycat leapt back in time to avoid being grabbed, Sam wasn’t so lucky. A tendril locked around her wrist and pulled her towards the white-haired woman.

“I don’t think so,” Poison snarled, snapping around and grabbing at the tentacle that held her. Her hands glowed green, and there was a hissing sound from the tendril, but it still didn’t release her. “I’m going to kill you…”

“Such promises,” Lady Minuit taunted them.

The inky blackness from the dress intensified and spread out along the ground, looking like a pool of oil that was growing larger and larger. As the pool ran beneath Poison, more tendrils sprouted up from it and began to wrap around her body. Alleycat’s foot became caught in the puddle, then tendrils quickly began to spread up her let, pulling her further in.

“Reezefay,” Witch Girl exclaimed, and ice crystals began to form over the pool of black goo, causing it to freeze in place, at least for several seconds. “Gotcha…”

“Do you, child?” Lady Minuit asked.

More blackness continued to ooze out of her dress and spread along the ground, over the ice crystals, and towards the heroes. Then, a black spear began to form in her hands, and from the way she was looking at Witch Girl, there was no doubt who she intended to use it on.

“You creatures were courageous to challenge me,” Lady Minuit commented in a calm tone. “Courageous yet foolish. Very VERY foolish. Now, you shall all die, screaming in torment and terror. Oh yes, you shall provide me a satisfactory meal after my long journey…”

Sam grimaced as she tried pulling her arm free of the black tendril, though it did no good. The tendril seemed too strong for that. However, she had more available to her than physical strength. Much more.

“I was given my powers to stop you,” Sam announced, taking a deep breath and calling up all the energy she could summon. “So that’s what I’m damn well going to do…”

And with that, Sam blasted Lady Minuit with her light, as much as she could call forth at the moment. The white-haired woman shrieked in agony as her dress and all of the black tendrils that spread out from it, began to bubble and burn. In mere seconds, the dress was completely burned away and the charred body of a naked woman collapsed motionless to the ground.

“Damn,” Alleycat said, looking at Lady Minuit’s body and then Sam. “You really did a number on that freaky bitch.”

“Good job,” Poison said.

“Thanks,” Sam responded, though she couldn’t feel good about killing someone, even a dark creature who was trying to kill them all. Then, to change the subject, she looked at Deadbeat’s body, which was lying on the ground with the neck bent at a bad angle. “It looks like he’ll need another new body…”

“Naw,” Deadbeat said as he began to move and slowly got to his feet. His head still flopped to the side due to the broken neck, but that didn’t seem to stop him from moving. “It’s just a scratch…”

Sam stared at her teammate for a moment before shaking her head. “Okay then,” she announced, looking to Witch Girl. “You said you wanted to get a good look at that portal, so you’d better do it now before anyone else shows up.”

“Good point,” Witch Girl agreed, going over to the portal and looking it over. She scowled before admitting, “I have no idea what I’m looking for, so this may take awhile…”

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

Daphne carefully sat down in a chair, wincing from the discomfort as she did so. Just a short time ago, she’d been on the very edge of death, and though she’d recovered more than was humanly possible, she had yet to have the time or rest necessary to heal entirely.

“I wish I could just close my eyes and take a nap,” Daphne quietly mused to herself. However, that wasn’t a possibility, at least not right now. In fact, as she watched all the other heroes running around and preparing for the upcoming battle, she felt guilty for even stopping to rest for a few minutes.

So far, it had been a busy day, and an utterly exhausting one. First, she’d learned that Baron Nevermore had returned. Baron Nevermore was the monster who murdered her mother, who had taken away her only family and left her to grow up in a series of foster homes. The last time they’d met, Daphne had defeated Baron Nevermore’s plans and had watched him get pulled to Hell, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted…needed to see him stopped for good.

Of course, Baron Nevermore was hardly the only thing she had on her mind. Even the fact that she’d been severely injured and had come close to dying, wasn’t nearly as important to her as everything else.

“Mom,” Daphne whispered as tears started to form in her eyes.

Thanks to Channel, Daphne had been able to talk to her mom, who had been dead for years. That had been an amazing gift. A miracle. And just as unbelievable as that had been, so were the things that her mom had told her before leaving again.

“I have a dad,” Daphne said with a faint shake of her head. She could hardly believe it.

Daphne had worked with the White Knight a couple times before this Baltimore thing, and one time, she’d even gone to his home after a fight and met his family. However, she’d never imagined that he would be her biological father.

She was still stunned by this revelation and was trying to wrap her head around the very idea. She’d grown up an orphan…completely alone. Now, she not only had a father, but several sisters, as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was too much to absorb all at once.

After a minute, Daphne looked up, her eyes sweeping over the area and settling on the various members of Knight Force. Most of them had stopped in to say ‘hi’ while she’d been recovering in the hospital tent, but it was clear that they were just as confused about her as she was about them. She knew most of them professionally, but not as relatives.

Just then, Daphne noticed a small group of heroes who were walking straight towards her. Most people would have seen the Miracle Men...Rumor, Splash, Surge, and Quartz…but Daphne saw her friends and adopted family…Beth, Sabrina, Allan, and Mike. These were the people who’d been there when she’d learned of her mother’s legacy, when she’d adjusted to her new body and gender, and who’d fought by her side when Baron Nevermore had first returned.

Beth was a beautiful girl with short black hair that contained a single white lock, and she definitely presented a certain goth style, though not quite as much as she had when they’d first met. Without a word, Beth threw her arms around Daphne, giving her a quick hug, then standing back with her hands on her lips to glare at her instead.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Beth exclaimed. “You should have evacuated with the other injured…”

“You nearly died,” Allan pointed out. “No one would blame you in the least for resting up…”

“I’d blame me,” Daphne pointed out grimly. “Baron Nevermore is coming, and I’ll be damned if I run away from him…”

Sabrina nodded at that, though she also smiled and gestured towards the White Knight. “And I’m sure that you don’t want to look bad in front of your new family…”

Mike was currently outside of the crystal armor that gave him the name Quartz, which made him a little more expressive than he often was as he shook his head. “Just don’t say you’re gonna leave us for Knight Force…”

Daphne chuckled at that. “Trust me, that isn’t in the plans. I barely know those guys…”

All of them looked a little relieved at that statement. “So,” Beth asked. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” Daphne reluctantly admitted. “And tired. But I’m good enough to fight.”

Then, to prove that she was still capable of carrying her own weight, Daphne stood up, trying not to wince at the ache in her side where she’d been injured. However, she hadn’t done a good enough job of hiding it because Beth and Sabrina both gave her worried looks.

“I’ll be fine,” Daphne quickly assured them. “It will take more than being stabbed by a sword to stop me.”

Again, the others gave her skeptical and worried looks, though they didn’t bother to argue. Allan, Sabrina, and Mike wandered away, giving Daphne and Beth a little privacy. Without saying anything, they began to walk around the area, watching as everyone prepared for the fight to come.

Daphne was a little startled to see Grendel and Grendel’s Mother sitting off to the side, with the massive monster looking almost peaceful. She’d fought Grendel once, and it had been a very tough fight. To see the monster just sitting there like that was just strange. Then as she watched, Grendel began to shift and change, slowly shrinking down and transforming back into Denise Roberts…the doctor who’d saved her life.

Once Denise had finished changing, Grendel’s mother gently draped a blanked around her, to cover her naked body. As Denise held the blanket closed, she looked up at Grendel’s Mother with a worried expression and asked, “What did I do this time? How bad was it?”

Grendel’s Mother just crouched down beside Denise, giving her a gentle smile. “Well, you beat the crap out of Force, then helped take down Loki too…”

“What?” Denise asked with a look of surprise and confusion.

Grendel’s Mother shrugged her massive shoulders, then awkwardly admitted, “Grendel did bruise a few heroes before I stopped him, but for the most part, he helped save the day…”

Denise lowered her head as she absorbed that, then stated, “Everyone saw me change…”

“Yeah,” the massive blue woman responded with a sigh. “The cat is out of the bag…for both of us.” Then she put her muscular arm around her much smaller aunt and just held her.

Beside Daphne, Beth commented, “It’s hard to believe that she turns into Grendel…”

“Yeah,” Daphne agreed. “I’m just glad that this time, Grendel was on our side…”

Daphne slowly looked around, noticing several of the other odd sights, one of which was Circuit, who had miraculously come back from the dead. Daphne didn’t understand exactly how Circuit had taken over Circuit Monger’s body, or how she’d begun altering it to look like her original one, but Daphne was glad to see her back. If nothing else, they could use her help in the upcoming fight.

Then Daphne turned her attention to Invincible Woman, who was sitting in a chair and being ‘mothered’ by Ghost Boy, while Velvet stood beside them. As soon as Circuit had taken over her new body, she’d issued some sort of ‘self-removal’ command to all of the people that Circuit Monger had infected. It had only taken a few minutes before Invincible Woman and Praxis were back to their normal selves, though both of them said that they couldn’t remember anything that had happened while they’d been infected.

“I’m fine,” Invincible Woman grumbled. “I’m still a little bruised, but that was from before Praxis infected me…”

With the mention of Praxis, Daphne turned her attention to the other heroine, who was in the middle of a conversation with the Face. She had a haunted look on her face, perhaps from the fact that she’d been under Circuit Monger’s control for several hours, or perhaps because she’d done her best to either kill or infect Invincible Woman and the others who’d gone on that mission. Daphne shuddered slightly, thankful that she hadn’t been one of those infected.

“Like being impaled was any better,” she reminded herself wryly.

“Hey,” Beth announced, punching Daphne on her arm to get her attention. “It looks like someone wants to talk to you…”

Beth pointed to the side where two teenage girls were walking towards them. Daphne immediately recognized the pink haired girl as Lady Knight…or Joselyn as she’d introduced herself earlier, while the other one was her sister Figment. THEIR sister Evie. Daphne wasn’t sure that she’d ever get used to having one sister, much less three. Or from what she’d overheard, possibly even four.

“I’ll let you talk,” Beth told Daphne with an amused smile before teasing, “And don’t pick on your little sisters…”

“Hey,” Joselyn said once she was closer. She gave Daphne an awkward smile and admitted, “Honestly, I’m not really sure what to call you now…”

“Daphne,” Daphne answered with a smile. “Call me Daphne.”

“How are you feeling?” Evie asked, giving Daphne a worried look. “You were hurt pretty badly…”

“I’m healing pretty quickly,” Daphne assured Evie, noticing that she had an arm that was wrapped up in bandages. However, Daphne didn’t point it out, as a lot of people had been hurt in the recent series of battles. Some of the worst cases had been taken away to a new medical fallback location, while others…like herself, were determined to stay and fight no matter how bad they were hurt. “I’m just thankful we had a doctor…”

“Yeah,” Joselyn agreed with a grin. “I found her after we fought Loki, but I never would have guessed that she’d turn out to be Grendel…”

“Yeah,” Evie said, glancing towards Grendel’s Mother and Denise. “We’re just lucky Grendel helped us…”

Daphne nodded at that. “I’ve fought Grendel, and trust me, I’d much rather have him on my side.” She shuddered faintly.

“So,” Joselyn abruptly asked. “You can change back into a guy whenever you want?”

Daphne hesitated a moment, feeling a little self-conscious. She was used to keeping her secret quiet, in spite of the fact that a surprising number of people already knew. “Pretty much,” she admitted. “But I don’t really spend much time as a guy anymore…”

“Why not?” Evie asked curiously.

For a moment, Daphne just stared at her and Joselyn, trying to decide what to say. Finally, she settled on the truth. “Because, I like being Daphne a lot more than I like being Dave.” She gestured down at herself and continued, “At first, I was pretty freaked out about turning into a girl, but by the time I figured out that I could change back, I’d started to like being this way.” She gave a wry smile and added, “Besides, as Daphne, I’m quite powerful, but when I turn back to Dave, I lose all my powers. In comparison, it feels like I suddenly become weak and vulnerable…so I tend to avoid that.”

“Being a girl is better anyway,” Evie pointed out smugly.

“YOU don’t have anything to compare it to,” Joselyn reminded her with a chuckle. “It’s really weird having to get used to something like this, but being a girl isn’t bad.”

Daphne nodded in understanding. “So, how did you change anyway?” She looked at Joselyn, remembering that she’d still been Joshua the first time they met.

Joselyn scowled, and Daphne could see that some unpleasant memories were involved in the story. However, Joselyn said, “Force recruited a bunch of villains to kidnap everyone in the family…”

“And one of them turned out to be our sister,” Evie added with a bitter tone in her voice and a flash of anger in her eyes.

Joselyn nodded at that and continued, “I managed to escape, and then because of all the stress, my powers developed. The next thing I knew, I looked like this…” She gestured down at herself.

This time, it was Evie who nodded. “Then Joselyn went and found our long lost uncle…and came and rescued us. It was totally awesome, because she took Force down by herself, and even made him shit his pants…”

“What?” Daphne asked in surprise, then as both girls nodded their confirmation, she burst out laughing. “That would explain the grudge he has against you, Joselyn.”

“Yeah,” Joselyn responded with a faint smirk. “Force doesn’t exactly like me very much, but the feeling is mutual.”

Suddenly, Joselyn froze with a strange expression on her face. A moment later, she slowly turned and stared off in the distance, towards Baltimore. Daphne was a little confused and looked in the same direction until she finally noticed the large flock of birds in the distance.

A rapier made of pink energy appeared in Joselyn’s hand, and with a deep scowl she announced, “They’re coming…”

William Knight, better known in his current company as the White Knight, stared off into the distance, at the cloud of ravens that rapidly approached. He clenched his fists and his teeth, bracing himself for the fight that was about to begin.

“What do we know about the Queen of Ravens?” William demanded of the Face, who stood beside him.

The Face was silent for several seconds before admitting, “Not much. I have heard of the Queen of Ravens…from an account, written by someone who claimed to be a refugee from another world.”

“And what did this account say?” William asked, worried about what the answer would be.

“The writer said that the Queen of Ravens arrived on their world with an army,” the Face answered. His expression was unreadable beneath his mask, but his voice was grim. “Shortly afterwards, their world was smothered by darkness, fear, and death. The writer claimed that these invaders actually fed on the fear they caused…and from what I know of Baron Nevermore and the way he gains power from fear, this sounds disturbingly possible. I’d just never connected Baron Nevermore to this story before…”

William just grunted at that. “This story also sounds a little too much like my daughter’s vision…”

William scowled, finding it hard to believe that it had only been that morning, when Joselyn woke up from her nightmare with a warning. It had been a very VERY long day, and unfortunately, it wasn’t over yet.

Taking a deep breath, William looked around the camp, which they’d set up well away from any civilians. Fortunately, this meant that they only had to worry about protecting themselves in this fight, not about evacuating civilians at the same time. And thanks to the heroes, especially Lady Hexx, they’d done a good job of preparing the camp for a fight…at least as much as they could in such a short time. They had walls, barricades, and trenches, all designed to give them cover and high ground while slowing down the invaders.

“I don’t think we’re going to have the high ground on this one,” William mused as he looked up at the rapidly approaching flock of ravens.

With that, William changed his focus from the battleground to his family, most of whom were currently present. His sister Gina and brother Leon were present, along with Gina’s children Ryan and Angie. And then of course, there were his own daughters Joselyn and Evie. And Daphne.

William looked to Ms. Miracle, still stunned by the idea that she was his daughter. She looked exactly like her mother, so much so that the first time they’d met, he had thought she was her mother. It was only after he made an ‘in joke’ that she didn’t catch, that he became suspicious. After that, it hadn’t taken very long at all to realize that she wasn’t the original, but a new hero who had somehow taken over that appearance and identity.

Since she had proven that she truly was a hero to him, as well as a good person, he hadn’t really questioned who had taken up the mantle of the Ms. Miracle…at least not too much. However, he’d never once imagined that she might be his own daughter.

“Ellen is going to kill me,” William muttered with a sigh. His wife was still unhappy to about the Fallen…about Jessica, the other daughter that had been conceived before he’d ever even met her. “Hopefully, I survive this so she has the chance…”

Mere seconds later, the cloud of ravens arrived, circling overhead and nearly blocking out the sun. From a short distance away, Counterweight asked, “Why do I suddenly feel like I’m in a Hitchcock movie?”

Suddenly, the ravens began to dive down, but instead of attacking the heroes, they swooped past them and into the large empty area nearby. As the ravens landed, each quickly transformed into a man or woman, though each and every one was dressed in black. An army formed while William braced himself, wondering why they were waiting.

Once the wave of black feathers had faded away, William saw two figures standing in front of the newly formed army. His eyes were immediately drawn to Baron Nevermore, one of the most powerful and feared villains in the world. It was hard to believe that the elegant looking woman who stood beside him was even more dangerous.

“I think we’re a little outnumbered,” William said wryly, trying to keep the fear and concern out of his voice.

“I just hope the reinforcements we called are able to arrive soon,” Icarus stated with a deep grimace.

“These are the champions of this world?” the Queen of Ravens exclaimed with an unfamiliar accent, though the arrogance that filled her voice was unmistakable. She was clearly not impressed. “There are so few of them…”

“Indeed, my queen,” Baron Nevermore responded with a faint bow. “Some of them are actually quite powerful, though certainly not powerful enough to prove a threat.”

The Queen of Ravens smiled faintly at that, though it was a cold and cruel smile. “Very well then,” she responded dismissively. “These few shall suffice, for the moment.” Then, in a louder voice so that her forces could hear, she announced, “Crush their hopes. Drive terror into their pitiful hearts. The shattered souls of these fallen champions shall herald my arrival upon this world.”

With those words, army of ravens began to charge forward, and without a word of prompting, Lady Hexx performed her part. She bent down to touch the ground, sending a wave of stone and dirt towards the approaching army, knocking the first wave entirely off their feet and sending them crashing backwards.

Then, as more ravens rushed forward, right over the tops of their comrades, Lady Hexx moved to the next phase. The ground beneath their feet became soft and began to pull them down, as though they’d stepped into quicksand. Nearly two dozen solders were captured by the ground, their feet and lower bodies held immobilized by ground that had become as hard as stone.

As soon as Lady Hexx was finished, she pulled back, creating a wall between her and the invaders, and using that cover to move back to an even safer position. However, while Lady Hexx was moving positions, most of the heroes with ranged powers took advantage of the opportunity to attack.

Shiver leapt atop one of the walls that Lady Hexx had previously built and opened fire, sending an arrow of icy white energy that struck one of the raven soldiers. The moment the arrow hit, there was a flash of white, leaving that soldier and the two standing beside him, frozen and covered in ice.

Splash stepped out from behind a wall, and using the water that had been gathered into a nearby pool, she began to blast the invaders. The water flew away from her in a focused stream, like a firehouse that knocked back the ravens. Then, Surge stepped into view and threw a glowing blue ball that exploded into a massive electrical shock, which was conducted by the water to hit a dozen soldiers. He immediately followed that up with a second ball of energy and then a third.

“DON’T HOLD BACK,” Warchild yelled as he flew above the crowd, firing blasts of energy down at the soldiers. “This isn’t a fight against a couple bank robbers. This is WAR!”

Most of the ranged fighters threw whatever they had at their enemies, then as they’d planned, the melee fighters took their turn. Chrome charged straight into the mass, the silver metal that covered his body forming into large blades that emerged from each of his arms. He swung them like swords, slicing through black clad soldiers.

Mega ran into the mass of enemy soldiers, growing larger so that she could stomp on them and kick them out of the way. William tried not to shudder as he thought about what she was doing…about what they were all doing to their enemies. After all, Warchild was right. This was no time to hold back and cling to the normal rules of superheroes. Not if they wanted to save the world.

“My turn,” William stated with a grim determination, forming a glowing white sword in his right hand and a shield on his left arm. Then, taking a deep breath, he flew up into the air, and quickly dove back down into the battle.

William swung his energy blade, slicing through the side of a soldier who wielded a spear. One with an axe came at him, but he raised his arm and used his shield to block the attack, then he kicked the man, sending him flying back. A moment later, William swung his blade at a third soldier.

After just a minute of fighting like this, several of the raven soldiers backed away, revealing a large one who was walking straight towards him. This raven was seven feet tall and dressed entirely in black armor, which made him resemble a medieval knight. The black knight held a large broadsword in hand.

The black knight spoke, though it was in a language that William had never heard before. However, William might not have known the language, but the meaning was clear enough. The black knight was challenging him to a fight.

“Appropriate,” William said, forming a suit of glowing white armor over his own body. He gave a nod to his opponent, then they simultaneously lunged at each other.

The black knight slashed at him, but William blocked with his shield and made a return swing, which was blocked by the knight’s shield. William smiled faintly as he threw himself into the fight, knowing that this was one of the few times that he could really put his sword skills to the test.

“You’re good,” William grudgingly admitted after a few more minutes. “And fast…” However, he grinned faintly to himself, he was strong. VERY strong.

With that, William focused more energy into his sword in order to make it more stable, and then swung the blade as hard as he could at the black knight. The black knight brought his own sword up in time to block the swing, but William’s blade sliced right through it…and through the black knight’s arm.

“Surrender,” William ordered the black knight, who was now missing his arm.

However, the black knight merely shifted position so as to use his shield, acting almost as though the missing arm was merely an inconvenience. From his body language, it was clear that he fully intended to continue the fight.

Suddenly, Joselyn called out, “Shouldn’t you be saying NI?”

William saw his daughter approaching, holding a spear in her hand. She suddenly snapped around, drove her spear tip into the stomach of an approaching soldier, then pulled back. All William could do was gasp in both pride and worry. He hated to see his daughter in such a dangerous situation, but he couldn’t help but feeling proud of how well she was handling herself.

“NI NI,” Joselyn taunted the black knight, who turned to face her.

It was then that William saw the black knight’s shoulder, where thick black tentacles were growing out from the severed limb, and were beginning to take a familiar form. William’s eyes widened in surprise as he realized that his opponent was already regrowing his arm.

William suddenly had a bad feeling and looked around the battlefield, watching as most of the heroes tore through the invading forces. Nike dove down and used her force field blades to slice through several raven soldiers at the same time. Quartz stomped right through the masses while Surge, Splash, and Counterweight used him as a shield. Marvel dove down, picked up two of the soldiers, and then flew back up into the air with them, before using them as projectiles to throw at their allies.

There was so much going on at once that William couldn’t keep track of it all. And everything was happening so fast…

“There’s something wrong,” William gasped, somehow feeling sure of it.

After a few seconds, William suddenly realized what it was that was bothering him. Most of the heroes were fighting, throwing nearly everything they had against the invading soldiers. However, not all of the enemy forces were fighting. Some of them were hold back, watching the battle with expressions of dark and twisted amusement.

The Queen of Ravens wasn’t raising a hand, which might not have been surprising since she was their leader and may have thought herself above such direct involvement. However, Baron Nevermore stood beside her, watching with a sneer. William knew for a fact that he was powerful, dangerous, and quite willing to get his hands dirty.

“THEY’RE JUST PLAYING WITH US,” William yelled out to his friends, family and allies. “THEY’RE JUST TESTING US!”

“So,” an enemy woman commented from a short distance away. “The champions finally realize…”

The woman had long purple hair that had to be seven feet in length, though she hovered in the air high enough that the ends of her hair were still a foot above the ground. Her slinky dress seemed to be made entirely of black feathers, and hugged her body tight enough to reveal her every curve.

“Such amusing creatures,” the woman mused with an evil smirk. “Now, tremble in fear…”

As soon as the woman finished speaking, she made a sweeping gesture and threw more than dozen black feathers towards William. He raised his shield but the features tore through the energy projection and into his armor. The feathers penetrated deep into his armor, which was able to stop them, though barely.

“No,” William gasped as his energy projections shattered and dispersed.

William jumped back, gathering his willpower and energy to reform his armor and shield. In this kind of battle, he didn’t dare go without them.

“Watch out,” William called to his daughter, who was now fighting with the black knight. She threw seral blowing pink energy daggers at him and backed up while he swung at her with his newly regrown arm, which had long clawed fingers.

William was relieved to see that Joselyn was doing all right, since he couldn’t afford to aid her at the moment. The raven woman threw another handful of feathers, though this time, each feather transformed into a black bird, which flew off in different directions and began to attack the various heroes. Two of them came at him. The first, he was able to slice in half with his sword, only to have it explode in his face, sending him flying back. The second one then flew straight at him. He barely managed to get his shield up in time to block it. A second explosion destroyed his shield.

Nike suddenly slammed into the floating woman, driving her straight into the ground. Then, Nike landed on top of the woman to press her attack.

Taking advantage of the brief moment of respite, William looked around, seeing that the invaders who had been holding back, where no longer doing so. Until this point, he and the other heroes had been doing quite well, but now, they were suddenly overpowered.

A man in black garb charged forward, swinging a ridiculously long chain, which seemed to be made of fire. Leon, Ryan, and Angie were all trying to deal with him. A short distance away, a woman with six arms, each of them holding a glowing purple sword, was charging Gina, Rumor, and Diamond.

William grimaced, realizing that until this point, they’d only been fighting the foot soldiers…the cannon fodder. Now, the more powerful ravens were starting to get involved, and that was bad news for his side.

Then, when William was on the verge of convincing himself that they could still managed to defeat this invading army, Baron Nevermore decided to get involved. He still stood back, beside the Queen of Ravens, but he threw a ball of glowing green flamed straight at Radiant. Radiant barely managed to avoid the attack, but while she was distracted by that, another raven attacked her.

A ninja suddenly leapt high into the air, straight at Ms. Miracle…at Daphne. The ninja’s sword would have struck his newfound daughter, but she somehow noticed him coming and snapped around. A sword made of glowing golden energy appeared in her hand, just time to block the attack. From the look of surprise on Daphne’s face, she obviously hadn’t expected that.

“Good to see that she inherited something from me,” William muttered, feeling a small surge of pride.

“You’re not getting me that way again,” Daphne yelled, suddenly firing a blast of golden energy right into the ninja’s chest. His body collapsed to the ground, then she turned her attention to Baron Nevermore. “We have unfinished business…”

William would have liked to watch as his eldest child attacked Baron Nevermore, but another of the ravens suddenly transformed from a teenage girl in goth garb, into a giant black snake with glowing red eyes. He took a deep breath and then flew straight at her. He didn’t bother to use a weapon this time and just punched her as hard as he could. It had almost no effect.

The giant snake turned and hissed at William, then spat out a spray of green liquid. He barely threw a shield up between them in time, having a feeling that he didn’t want to come into contact with the stuff. From the steaming on the ground where the liquid struck, he knew his suspicion was correct.

“It’s a good thing Ellen isn’t here for this one,” William muttered to himself, thinking about how much his wife hated snakes.

William dodged back as the snake struck at him, then he formed a spear of glowing white energy and drove it down as hard as he could into the snake. Unfortunately, his spear couldn’t penetrate those hard scales, and he could swear the snake was laughing at him.

At that moment, William wished that he could look around and check on both his daughters…all three of his daughter’s, but he didn’t dare take his attention off the snake. He felt a knot of worry in his guts and considered the fact that it was easier to be a superhero than a father.

“Why did I let Evie and Joselyn come?” William bitterly asked himself, though he already knew the answer. They were his daughters, but they were also heroes as well. And as he knew first-hand, Evie was adept at remaining unseen and hidden, while Joselyn was surprisingly capable of taking care of herself. “Just be careful…”

Just then, Warchild flew towards them and opened fire, blasting the snake with his powerful energy blasts. The snake howled in pain, releasing a horrific sound that William never would have expected to come from such a creature. Unfortunately, though the snake was injured, even Warchild’s blasts weren’t enough to stop the creature.

William desperately looked for an opening, then he saw one. As the snake opened her mouth to spit more of that nasty venom, William dove at her, throwing his spear through the opening. The snake staggered back from having a spear thrown into her throat, and William seized advantage of her distraction to attack her again, this time forming a sword and driving it into her glowing red eye.

The snake howled and hissed as she pulled back and slithered away. She still wasn’t dead, but she’d retreated, which was at least a small victory.

William floated in the air and scowled as he looked around the chaos of the battlefield, seeing that the heroes were now being pushed back by the raven’s greater numbers and power. He silently wished that Mystik hadn’t used up the last of her power on Loki, because they could have used some of her powerful tricks right about then.

A moment later, William suddenly noticed a shadow above him. When he looked up, he saw an odd metal vehicle, which seemed to have no wings, rotors, or propellers. The underside was painted black, and as he watched, a large hatch opened and something emerged. Dozens…then hundreds of somethings emerged.

A swarm of giant insects poured out of the strange vehicle, each of which was the size of a softball. They quickly came down in a thick cloud, and William formed a new sword and shield as he prepared to deal with them.

“Bugs,” Joselyn cried out in surprise.

William glanced to his daughter, where he saw the black knight lying motionless on the ground in front of her. He wasn’t sure whether she’d beaten him in a fight, or whether she’d just used her mind control abilities to simply make him stop fighting. Either way, William was proud of her.

Snapping his attention back to the swarm, William was surprised to see the insects flying right past the heroes and going straight to the ravens. Each insect seemed to find a raven, then landed on them and clung tight. It wasn’t until one of those insects flew right past William, that he saw that they were actually insect shaped robots…with red and black wings.

Mere seconds later, each of these robot ladybugs began to explode, creating a wave of explosions that ran through the entire raven army. William stared in stunned amazement, as the enemies were struck by what almost appeared to be a cluster bomb.

“What the…?” William started to exclaim, only to notice that something else had just emerged from the strange aircraft.

A figure flew down from the aircraft, and as it got closer, William could see that it…that she was a woman in power armor. The armor was sleek, black, and somewhat chitinous looking. She had a black helmet, with the lower part of it open in order to expose her mouth. Crimson red hair cascaded out from the back side of the helmet. And then there were the wings, which were painted red with black spots. William had never seen this specific suit of armor before, but he recognized the style and knew exactly who was wearing it, or at least, her codename.

“Ladybug,” William exclaimed, recognizing the smalltime supervillain that he’d encountered back during his time with the Seven.

“White Knight,” Ladybug greeted him, pausing in the air as he flew closer.

“You helped us,” William said, glancing across the field of destruction that she’d created while taking out the raven army. He gave her a suspicious look before asking, “Why?”

“I live in this world too,” Ladybug answered, “and I sure as hell don’t want to see it overrun by monsters…”

William grudgingly admitted, “That makes sense…”

“Besides,” Ladybug continued with a grin, “I didn’t do it for you…” With that, she lowered herself to the ground, right beside where Kaboom was standing. “I did it for my girlfriend.”

To William’s surprise, Kaboom and Ladybug began to kiss, while Counterweight and Catalyst rushed over. And strangely, the two young heroines were both grinning, as though happy to see her.

“I’m glad you came,” Kaboom finally told Ladybug. “I wasn’t sure you would.”

“Yeah,” Ladybug responded with an amused smile. “I didn’t think I’d receive a warm welcome here, but you said you needed my help so here I am…”

“Glad you made it,” Counterweight said, putting a hand on Ladybug’s shoulder. “You really kicked their asses…”

William just stared at Ladybug, a little confused by the fact that the villainess actually seemed to be friends with the heroes. Then, as if reading his mind, Kaboom said, “Ladybug switched sides awhile ago. She’s one of us now…a member of the Crusaders.”

“I brought Dodger too,” Ladybug announced, looking to Catalyst. She gestured up towards the floating aircraft and added, “He’s still up there. Once we get him down, you can charge him up so he can help too…”

“Sounds good to me,” Catalyst responded with a smile.

“LOOK,” someone yelled, drawing William’s attention away from the villainess who’d just joined them, and towards the remains of the raven army.

Though William had suspected a decent percentage of the raven army to have survived the explosions, he hadn’t expected many of them to be willing to continue the fight. However, as he watched, the fallen ravens all began to get back to their feet. Missing limbs were already in the process of regrowing.

“I thought that attack would have ended this,” William gasped in surprise.

From the ground a short distance away, the Face answered, “I believe our real battle is only just beginning…”

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.

Joselyn looked around her, feeling surprised and more than a little confused. She’d expected to step out of the Face’s portal and find herself in the middle of Baltimore, but wherever she was, it was definitely NOT Baltimore.

The ground seemed to be made of some sort of smooth granite, though it had ribbons of glowing crystal running through it. When she looked up and out, instead of the expected Baltimore skyline, she saw an unbelievably vast night sky. It was darkness, marked by countless scatterings of stars and even random swirls of light and color. The scene before her was as beautiful as it was surprising.

“No,” the Face gasped. “Not here…”

Joselyn gave him a curious look. “I take it that you didn’t intend to bring us here…”

“No,” the Face responded grimly. “I certainly didn’t…” He hesitated a moment, then admitted, “I have spent a great deal of time in this place…far more than I want to think about.”

“Okay,” Joselyn said slowly. “Then why are we here now?”

“Because I invited you,” a new voice announced from somewhere behind Joselyn, who jumped in surprise and snapped around to see the speaker. Exile stood there with a faint smile, seeming almost amused. “Welcome to my home…”

“Exile,” Joselyn blurted out in surprise.

“You brought us here,” the Face accused her angrily. “How…?”

Exile gave a dismissive wave. “Come, Richard. You know quite well that every time you travel through your portal, you briefly pass through my realm, even if only for the smallest fraction of a second. It was a simple matter of intercepting you.”

“But I thought you couldn’t use your powers,” Joselyn exclaimed, not sure whether she should be surprised or angry. She glared at Exile accusingly, awaiting an explanation.

“The laws of this realm are quite different from those of your world,” Exile explained as she gestured to their surroundings. “This realm dampens my powers and halts the problematic ripples. In addition, this realm is insulated from your world, so I can feel free to use my powers here without causing any unintended harm…”

“Unintended?” Joselyn asked with a raised eyebrow.

However, at the same time, the Face demanded, “Why did you bring us here? We’re on an urgent mission…”

“Urgency is a matter of perspective,” Exile responded with an expression that suggested that she was humoring him. “But I can assure you, this detour will not be a waste of time.”

The Face was silent for a moment, and Joselyn had the impression that he was glaring at Exile. Finally, he asked, “What game are you playing? Earlier, you were very clear about not being able to interfere.”

“Richard,” Exile said with a sigh. “At one time, you actually enjoyed spending time with me…”

Those words caught Joselyn’s attention, but as surprised as she was over what Exile was suggesting, she was even more amazed by the fact that Exile reached up to the Face’s mask…and removed it. She held the mask in her hand, staring at it for just a moment before looking him in the face.

The Face just stood there without his mask, letting Joselyn see his real face for the first time. She’d never heard of anyone else getting a look at the man behind the mask. He was handsome…and he looked vaguely familiar. In fact, he reminded her of an actor that she’d seen in a few old movies, including one that she’d watched with her mom just a couple weeks earlier.

“You’re Richard Corso,” Joselyn blurted out, staring at the Face in stunned disbelief. He was the actor from that movie.

The Face quickly looked at her, scowling as he did so. “I haven’t used that name in a long time.”

Joselyn just gaped, wondering what her mom would say when she found out that the Face was one of her favorite movie stars, one who’d disappeared without a trace over two decades earlier. She had questions, a lot of questions. However, she was pretty sure that they didn’t have time for all of them.

“I thought you couldn’t take off your mask,” Joselyn pointed out awkwardly.

“Normally, I can’t,” the Face admitted. “I am under a curse that traps me in another dimension…this dimension to be specific. The mask is the only thing that lets me leave this place, and whenever I remove the mask, I return…”

“I created this mask for you,” Exile said in a quiet voice. “I made it so that you could leave…”

Exile gave the mask back to the Face, though she seemed almost reluctant to do so. Suddenly, Joselyn realized that Exile was lonely. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be, having someone else, then actually helping them to leave you.

“I know,” the Face responded, giving her a sad smile. “And I appreciate your gift, more than I know how to express.”

“You can express your gratitude,” Exile teased him, “by coming back to visit me more often. It would be nice to have someone to talk to.”

The Face was silent for a moment before nodding his agreement. “I’ll come visit,” he quietly promised her. Then, his expression turned serious. “But I don’t think you brought us here just for a visit…”

“Yeah,” Joselyn jumped in. “I thought you couldn’t interfere…”

Exile gave her an amused look. “I can’t interfere in your world, at least not without serious consequences. However, we are not in your world…” She gestured around them, smirking faintly.

“You’re going to help us?” the Face gasped in surprise.

“In what small way I can,” Exile responded.

“You still can’t help us directly,” the Face said in understanding. “But there are other things…” Exile smiled faintly.

“Baron Nevermore had to gather a great deal of power in order to open the way for his queen,” Exile said.

Joselyn nodded at that as she wryly replied, “Tell us something we don’t know.”

“Nevermore did not have enough power to open the way entirely,” Exile responded, giving Joselyn a flat look. “The Queen of Ravens had to supply the rest of the power from the other side. She had to tie her powers with all of her followers, protecting them from the rigors of the journey so that they would not arrive completely helpless. And even now, she continues to strengthen them…”

“So, that was why she wasn’t joining in the fight,” the Face mused with a thoughtful expression. Joselyn watched in curiosity, still amazed to see any expression from him.

“But I thought the ravens were weak from the trip,” Joselyn said, giving Exile a curious look.

The golden woman nodded. “Indeed, they are, though they would be far weaker if their queen were not supporting them.”

“So,” the Face mused with a faint smile. “The Queen of Ravens is their weak spot… Without her, the rest are helpless.”

“They are reliant on her,” Exile agreed. “However, even now, I would not consider her weak or helpless…”

“You’ve got that right,” Joselyn added bitterly, remembering the way the Queen of Ravens had killed Icarus, with little more than a gesture.

“As of now,” Exile continued with a scowl, “the ravens are at their weakest… They have all expended a great deal of their power, and even more, they are still unstable…”

Joselyn gave her a curious look. “Unstable?”

Exile smiled faintly. “They are not yet…synchronized to your world. You could say, that they are suffering from the dimensional equivalent of jet lag. However, that will fade quickly as they regain their strength, and once it does, each of them will become more independent...less reliant on their queen…and far more dangerous.

Joselyn stared at Exile, having a lot of questions. However, her powers were tickling the back of her mind and providing her with a few answers.

“They’re desperate to spread fear,” Joselyn said as she put the pieces together. “They didn’t even wait long enough to set up camp before they attacked us… They need to make everyone afraid of them as fast as possible so that they can recharge…”

“Correct,” Exile agreed. “And the process of feeding in your world will also help them stabilize…and make them far more difficult to remove. Once this happens, the queen will be free to turn her full power to other tasks, which will make it virtually impossible to stand against her.”

“So,” Joselyn said with a loud sigh. “We either take her out now…or we’re all screwed.”

The Face scowled deeply as he responded, “I already suspected much of this. What we need to know is how to defeat this queen.”

“Yeah,” Joselyn added. “Somehow, I don’t think her army is just going to stand aside and let us take pot shots…”

Exile just smiled faintly, though it was an almost predatory smile that sent chills of anticipation down her spine. “I believe, I may have a solution…”

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

Gwen stared up at the imposing stone arch, shivering from the dark and malevolent magic that radiated from it. She was caught between the urge to stare at it, and the desire to look at something else…anything else.

Though Gwen had examined the arch and the portal that was still tied to it, she hadn’t been able to learn much. Of course, that shouldn’t have surprised her since she was still fairly inexperienced with magic.

“I hope my dad gets her soon,” Gwen said with a sigh. After she’d examined the arch as much as she could, she’d sent her dad a message, knowing that this was something he was better suited for than she was. “Maybe he can figure out something I can’t.”

“You did good,” Alleycat told her, though she didn’t bother looking at Gwen. Instead, she was looking at their surroundings and keeping watch.

“That thing is pretty damn creepy,” Deadbeat exclaimed. “And trust me, I know creepy.”

Gwen looked to Deadbeat, whose head was flopped over to one side a bit. She shuddered a little at the sight, agreeing with him completely. If anyone knew creepy, it was the zombie hero.

After a moment, Gwen started to look around them, at all the buildings that surrounded the ruined park. She could see them, those nasty little monsters, creeping around the edges and watching. Glamour Girl had chased the monsters away, but not very far. They were still there...waiting for any opportunity or sign of weakness.

Glamour Girl floated up into the, acting as a beacon to warn away the monsters. So far, it was working, but Gwen didn’t know how much longer before either Glamour Girl got tired, or the monsters became impatient and tried again.

“I hope the Face is able to bring reinforcements soon,” Poison said, also watching the monsters with a wary expression. “Of course, with the way things are going, he may be looking to us as reinforcements.”

“This thing might be a wild goose chase,” Glamour Girl said as she landed back on the ground and looked up at the stone arch. “I can feel the darkness from it…but the real threat is the Queen of Ravens.” She clenched her fists and scowled deeply. “She’s the reason I have my power. I was given them so I can stop her, but I can’t do it here…”

Glamour Girl looked like she was about to say something else, but when she opened her mouth to speak, she screamed instead. Gwen was shocked and a little confused, until she saw the black spike emerging from Glamour Girl’s stomach, and the figure that was rising up from behind her.

“Foolish creatures,” Lady Minuit hissed with a look of pure hatred on her burned and damaged face. Black ooze moved around her charred body, with several tendrils stretching out, one of which had been used to impale Glamour Girl from behind. “Did you truly think that you could defeat one such as I so easily?”

An instant later, another tendril lashed out with incredible speed, slicing through Deadbeat’s head and sending it flying before Gwen could react. Then Lady Minuit lashed out with three more tendrils.

“Look out,” Alleycat cried, leaping at Gwen and knocking her aside, barely in time to save her from being struck. However, Alleycat left herself in the way instead, and a black tendril snapped around her neck and began squeezing.

“IREFAY,” Gwen shouted as she threw a fireball at Lady Minuit.

Poison leapt to the side, barely avoiding the tentacle that came at her, then she immediately charged Lady Minuit. Then, just as Poison was about to punch Lady Minuit with her glowing green fists, another tentacle managed to snap around and grab her ankle from behind, yanking her feet out from beneath her so that she hit the ground face first.

“Reezefay,” Gwen exclaimed, trying to freeze their enemy since she seemed to recover quickly from the flames. However, Lady Minuit used her oozing black tentacles to raise Deadbeat’s body, which blocked the spell. The monster dropped the frozen and headless corpse a moment later.

Gwen gaped with growing fear, realizing just how dangerous Lady Minuit was. If they were having so much difficulty defeating her, how could her father and the other heroes possibly defeat a whole army of beings like this?

Glamour Girl howled in pain, and suddenly, her entire body was engulfed in the swirling multicolored light of her aura. The black tentacle that ran through her immediately burned away and vanished while Lady Minuit yelped in pain and jumped back, now missing one tendril.

“I know that power,” Lady Minuit exclaimed, glaring at Glamour Girl with her glowing red eyes. They were filled with a dark and twisted malevolence. “You possess the power of our ancient foes…”

“And I’ll use it,” Glamour gasped as she dropped to the ground, catching herself on her knees. Blood pooled beneath her, and it clearly took a lot of effort for her to look up at Lady Minuit. “I’ll beat you… I’ll take you all down…for my family…”

Lady Minuit laughed, though it was a cold and cruel laugh. Just as Glamour Girl tried to gather enough energy for an attack, a tendril suddenly lashed out and caught Gwen, who shrieked in terror. A moment later, she was held up in the air by several tendrils, right between Lady Minuit and Glamour Girl. Lady Minuit was using her as a human shield.

“Witch Girl,” Poison gasped trying to come to her aid, though she was too caught up fighting with the tendrils that wrapped around her legs to do much good.

Alleycat frantically fought against the tendril that was wrapped around her throat and choking her, and just as she seemed to be making progress, another tendril slashed out, slicing her stomach open, right before she was lifted up from the ground, being used as another human shield.

“My queen will be pleased if I bring her your head,” Lady Minuit said, her attention locked on Glamour Girl.

She brought Gwen closer to her, close enough to put her hand on Gwen’s shoulder. The touch of the villain sent cold chills through her shoulder and all down her spine. Gwen wanted to scream, but she didn’t want to give the monster satisfaction. Instead, she desperately tried to think of a spell that could save them.

“The rest of you shall merely provide me amusement,” Lady Minuit added with a cruel laugh. Her hand closed around Gwen’s throat. “Now, scream for me child…”

“Never,” Gwen gasped, only to feel the hand at her throat squeeze tighter.

Suddenly, the hand at Gwen’s throat jerked and released, as did the tendrils that held her up. She dropped to the ground, just as Alleycat and Poison did at the same time.

“What,” Gwen gasped, jumping back away from Lady Minuit before she suddenly realized that the woman was now missing her head. Lady Minuit’s headless body collapsed to the ground, as did all of the tendrils coming from her.

“She’s dead,” Alleycat exclaimed in surprise.

“And so are we if Glamour Girl doesn’t get up,” Poison added a moment later, pointing out to the monsters that were once again starting to approach them. Most of them were coming cautiously, though one large one that looked something like a black scaled gorilla was more impatient than the rest and was leading the charge.

“Just great,” Gwen muttered with a wince, taking a deep breath and preparing to cast a spell.

Before Gwen could do anything, the scaled gorilla suddenly came to a halt as his head exploded. His body collapsed to the ground, while the rest of the monsters came to an abrupt stop. One monster took a few more steps forward, only to have a large hole appear through his chest. He collapsed to the ground right behind the gorilla. That was all that the rest of the monsters needed before they turned and ran back to the shadows.

“What the hell just happened?” Alleycat demanded.

“It seems we have a friendly sniper,” Poison answered, slowly looking around their surroundings with a scowl. When she didn’t see anything, she turned to Glamour Girl, “How bad are you hurt?”

“I was impaled,” Glamour Girl snapped sarcastically, still on her knees and making no effort to get up. Instead, she held her stomach and grimaced in pain.

Gwen rushed over to the injured heroine, trying to think of what she could do. “Ealhay,” she said, trying out a new spell that she hadn’t practiced yet. She hoped that this healing spell worked, because she didn’t know what else they could do. After watching Mannequin get killed, she didn’t want to see anyone else die.

“Incoming,” Poison yelled, bracing herself for another fight.

“Damn,” Alleycat snarled. “They just keep coming…”

Gwen looked up and saw a woman flying towards them. When she was closer, Gwen could make out that the woman had short blonde hair and was wearing a grey and black costume, which had the same design as Poison’s costume.

“Stealth,” Poison exclaimed in obvious relief. She smiled faintly as she added, “She’s a friendly.”

Stealth came in and landed beside them, though she kept a close watch on the monsters. None of them made a move to attack again.

“Agent Briggs,” Stealth greeted Poison with a smile of her own. “Good to see you, though I’m a bit surprised…”

“I’m using the handle of Poison for now,” Poison told her. Then she chuckled and looked around their surroundings again, adding, “At least now, I know who our mysterious sniper is…”

“Harbinger,” Stealth agreed, gesturing in one direction. Poison looked in that direction, then gave a brief wave. “For some reason, she was the only member of our team who could get through that barrier. She came in alone, trying to make her way here so she could take out Baron Nevermore.”

“Unfortunately,” Poison told her with a sigh, “she’s too late. Baron Nevermore has already left this location, along with an even larger threat.”

“Damn,” Stealth muttered.

“Is the rest of Sanction close?” Poison asked.

Stealth shook her head. “No. Harbinger came in alone, then once the shield dropped, I came in to scout the area and provide backup. We heard that your camp was attacked by armed forces, so the rest of my team just went to help.”

Gwen watched Stealth, feeling a little confused about who this woman was, as well as this Harbinger person they were mentioning. However, Poison had said they were part of Sanction, and that provided something of an answer. Sanction was a team that worked for the Developed Affairs Department, just like Poison did.

Poison nodded thoughtfully. “So, you two are the only ones here…”

“At least you are here,” a new voice announced, immediately drawing Gwen’s attention. Gwen gasped in relief as she saw her dad standing there, with Lady Knight right beside him. “And in just a short time, we’ll need all the help here that we can get.”

“I don’t think so,” Will exclaimed as a raven soldier charged towards her.

The soldier was large and muscular, standing seven feet tall and wielding a massive war hammer that would have been too heavy for a normal person to even pick up, much less swing as easily as he did. For most people, this warrior would have looked incredibly intimidating, but not for her.

“Come on shorty,” Will taunted the raven, who actually seemed short to her. Then again, since she was eight feet tall, pretty much everyone seemed short to her. “Give it your best shot.”

Will didn’t know if the raven understood English since he hadn’t said a word, but he took up her up on her invitation and swung his massive hammer right at her. He caught her in the side with enough force to make her stagger, but not hard enough to do any real damage.

“My turn,” Will said, right before she punched the raven as hard as she could. He was thrown back from the impact, his face smashed in and his neck bent at an odd angel. He landed in the middle of a crowd of other ravens, so she couldn’t see if he got back up or not.

Will snarled, feeling excited and disgusted at the same time. She loved the fact that for once, she could finally cut loose without fear of hurting anyone, but at the same time, her brutal actions also bothered her.

As another raven soldier came forward, she opened her mouth and belched out a burst of green energy, which blasted a hole right through his chest. He collapsed to the ground, though he was already beginning to heal. Even an attack like that wasn’t enough to take one of these things down for good.

Will glanced to the side, where Grendel was charging through a dozen of the raven soldiers, smashing them and letting out a deafening roar as he flung the bodies away. Will smiled faintly at the sight, happy that Grendel was able to do some good for once, and knowing that Aunt Denise would agree with him.

“Grendel,” She called out, pointing in the direction where Baron Nevermore and the Queen of Ravens watched the battle. “Destroy them.”

Grendel roared again, then belched out his own burst of green energy, destroying a group of enemy soldiers. As soon as he’d done that, he charged forward, tossing others out of the way as he followed her directions and went for their leaders.

Will started to follow after Grendel, only to find another raven had appeared in front of her. This one was tall, even taller than she was. He was nearly nine feet tall, though he didn’t have her muscles or bulk. Instead, he was skinny…unbelievably so.

“You look like a damn stick figure,” Will blurted out in surprise. The man in front of her did look almost like a stick figure come to life. He had extremely long and thin limbs and torso, was dressed in a black suit of a very old fashioned style, and he wore a black and white masquerade style mask over the tope part of his face.

The stick figure man spoke, but it was in a language Will didn’t know. He sneered and swung at her, using his clawed hands to lash out. She reached up to block, but his claws tore through the back of her arm, making her yelp in pain and surprise.

“Damn,” she snarled.

She was tough enough that most of her opponents hadn’t been able to hurt her very much, and fortunately, she healed pretty quickly. It was also fortunate that she was strong. VERY strong. In fact, even with all the gathered heroes, she was probably the second strongest person there. The only one stronger was Grendel himself.

“Get out of my way,” Will demanded, swinging at the stick figure man, but he moved faster than she did and was able to dodge her punch. He immediately slashed out with his claws again, using his long reach to tear along her arm and side. “I’m going to break you…”

A moment later, Grendel reached Baron Nevermore and gave a loud roar as he leapt at the villain. However, Baron Nevermore held up his hand and a giant snake made of smoke suddenly appeared between them. The snake threw itself at Grendel and began to wrap around him. To Will’s surprise, Grendel didn’t seem to strong enough to break the snake’s grip.

“You are an interesting beast,” Baron Nevermore commented. “Perhaps I should tame you…”

The Queen of Ravens stood back, watching Baron Nevermore and Grendel, though she didn’t lift a finger to help. Instead, she took several steps away, as if to give Baron Nevermore more room to work.

Suddenly, a burst of golden energy came out of the sky and hit the smoke snake, dispersing it enough for Grendel to break free. “I never thought I’d have to rescue Grendel,” Ms. Miracle exclaimed as she came down, her attention locked on Baron Nevermore. “Now you finally pay…” And with that, she flew straight at the villain.

Will wanted to watch that fight, or better yet, to join in. However, she still had to deal with the stick figure man, who was slashing at her wildly. With each attack, claws tore through Will’s skin, though she couldn’t land a punch. The skinny monster was too fast.

“Stand still,” Will spat out, glaring at her opponent in frustration since she couldn’t even lay a finger on him.

Then, with a snarl, she took a deep breath and belched out a blast of green energy. The stick figure man couldn’t dodge that and yelled in pain as his clothes and body burned. For a moment, Will felt guilty for doing that to another person, until she reminded herself that the stick figure man was not just the bad guy, but that he was trying to help take over the world. That eased her guilt, even as she swung at the raven and finally connected with a cracking sound. The long limbed creature collapsed to the ground, broken and twitching. However, Will knew that he wouldn’t say that way for long, so gave him a swift kick and sent the body flying.

“And these guys never stop coming,” Will grumbled to herself, seeing that another raven soldier was already trying to rush forward to fill the empty space.

In spite of the fact that she was facing an army of monsters, Will wasn’t afraid. After all, she was a monster herself, and had even been named after a famous one. She stretched her body and tensed her muscles, savoring how big, strong, and powerful she was at the moment. She loved that feeling. She loved being Grendel’s Mother…and even being a girl, not that she’d admit that part to anyone else. Of course, she probably would have felt differently if it wasn’t for the fact that she could change back to being a guy whenever she wanted.

“A weak and boring guy,” she reminded herself, right before punching a raven soldier and smashing in his metal armor. She snarled, trying to look scary and intimidating, though that didn’t seem to do much to her opponents. Fortunately, her clawed fists were better at expressing her opinions of them. “Now come to mama…”

With that, Will looked around the nearby ravens, most of whom were backing off and watching her warily, obviously trying to decide how they could take her down. That gave her a few seconds to catch her breath and look around.

Lightning Force had arrived to join the fight a short time ago, and unlike most of those who were already present, they were still relatively fresh and energetic. They stuck close to each other, working as a team, whereas most of the teams present seemed to have become separated.

Hardshell hovered overhead, firing energy blasts at any soldiers who tried to approach Dr. Power or Mindseye. Syphon took care of any of the ravens who managed to avoid Hardshell, acting as a living shield for the rest of his team. And to Will’s amusement, since Syphon was a solid black figure, he could have easily been mistaken as one of the ravens…a fact which seemed to confuse some of their enemies.

Of course, Lightning Force weren’t the only reinforcements to have recently arrived. A short time ago, the government team Sanction had suddenly appeared, immediately launching a full scale attack on the ravens. Several of them seemed to be heavily armed, and they were using their weapons as well as their powers, and probably would have been an even greater help if the raven soldiers didn’t keep getting back to their feet.

Suddenly, the White Knight flew over the heroes and yelled, “We have reinforcements incoming… Everyone, try to fall back and give them room…”

“More reinforcements?” Will mused, looking around and wondering who could be joining them this time. The Protectorate? They could definitely use the help of some more heavy hitters like Vigil and Eclipse.

Then, Will saw the reinforcements, or at least, what he assumed were the reinforcements. And in spite of her previous hopes, this wasn’t the Protectorate…not unless the hero group was arriving in a half dozen black helicopters. As they got closer, she could barely make out the logo on the side of the one closest to her, and she recognized it as belonging to DAD…the Developed Affairs Department.

Will began to back away, retreating towards the camp. She glanced towards Grendel, who was still fighting Baron Nevermore. “Grendel,” she called out. “Come…”

Before Will could finish commanding Grendel to pull back, the helicopters opened fire, raining down a heavy storm of gunfire into the middle of the ravens, along with several missiles. Will’s eyes shot wide in surprise as she saw the massive wave of destruction that tore through the enemy ranks.

Suddenly, what appeared to be a giant black squid appeared in the air, wrapped around one of the helicopters. The monster entangled the vehicle and it’s rotors, so it fell to the ground where it was smashed into a ruined mess. A burst of green energy hit another helicopter, which exploded, sending shrapnel into a third and damaging that one. Only three helicopters remained, and they were quickly under attack as well. A black cloud formed around one, and a moment later, chunks of rusted metal rained down from it.

“No way,” Will gasped, shocked at how quickly the helicopters had been destroyed. Before she knew it, only a single helicopter remained, and flew away…just barely…and leaving a trail of smoke behind it.

Will stared at the battlefield, and what was left of the decimated raven army. Most of the ravens had been torn to shreds, leaving only a tiny fraction of their total numbers behind. Even though the ravens had destroyed the helicopters, they’d still suffered unbelievable losses. For the first time since the battle started, Will began to grin.

“This was just what we needed,” Will started to say, only to pause as she saw movement among the field of corpses.

To Will’s stunned disbelief, bodies began to stand up. A bullet riddled samurai held a dismembered arm to his shoulder, where it reattached. He wiggled his fingers experimentally, then drew a long and wicked looking katana. A few feet away, what appeared to be a cowboy with a long black duster that was riddled full of holes, absently brushed himself off. And then there was the stick figure man, who seemed almost completely unharmed.

“No,” Will whispered, staring in horror as every one of the ravens got back up, acting as though the helicopter attack had been nothing more than an annoyance. She gulped as she saw all the glowing red eyes, each of which was filled with a dark and twisted malevolence…and many with a cruel amusement. “Impossible…”

For the first time since this battle had started, Will felt afraid…almost terrified. As powerful as she was, at that moment, she actually felt helpless. After all, what could she…what could any of them do against any army that could simply shrug off that kind of damage and keep coming?

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

Daphne hovered in the air, though her attention was focused on the ground and the mass of death and destruction that had been left by the DAD helicopters. Half the raven army had been destroyed, torn to shreds from the heavy gunfire. The attack had been so brutal, that even Grendel had stopped to watch. However, as brutal and destructive as the attack had been, it seemed that the effects were only temporary. The raven soldiers who’d been torn to shreds, were already back on their feet and ready to continue fighting.

With a grimace, and more than a little worry, Daphne turned her attention back to the enemy that she’d been fighting before the helicopter attack. Baron Nevermore. To her disappointment, he hadn’t been touched by the attack, nor had the Queen of Ravens who was just a short distance away, watching the entire scene with an unreadable expression. Instead, Baron Nevermore stood there, along with several creatures that he’d summoned.

A large snake that seemed to be made of black smoke, was coiled and looked as though it was ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Daphne wouldn’t have thought the snake very dangerous, except that she’d previously seen it holding Grendel in place. Anything that could stop Grendel, even for a few seconds, was not something to be taken lightly.

While Daphne had been distracted by the attack, two new creatures had appeared beside Baron Nevermore. She didn’t know if they were raven soldiers, or some of those other creatures that he liked to summon. One of them looked like the Grim Reaper, with long black hooded robes and a wicked looking scythe, though his face was covered with a red skull mask. The other one was female, and didn’t quite look alive. Instead, she looked like a freshly raised zombie, one who’d only been dead and decaying for a couple days.

“This isn’t going to be easy,” Daphne told herself, but of course, dealing with Baron Nevermore was never easy. It was even more difficult for her, since she couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that he’d murdered her mother.

Just then, Discharge, the leader of Sanction called out, “The National Guard is mobilizing. If we don’t get this contained soon, then we’re likely to be facing a large scale strike…”

Daphne paused to glance back at Discharge feeling a cold chill go down her spine at those words. She wasn’t completely sure what Discharge meant by ‘large scale strike’, but she suddenly had an image of Baltimore vanishing in a massive mushroom cloud. And the truly frightening thing was, even if they did go to that extreme, Daphne was no longer certain that would be enough to destroy the ravens.

“They’re like cockroaches,” she muttered bitterly, glaring at Baron Nevermore and remembering how she’d once knocked him through a portal into Hell. If he could come back from that, even a nuke might not be enough to take him out for good. “But I’m sure as hell going to try. For my mom…”

Daphne flew straight at Baron Nevermore, pulling her arm back so she could punch him with every ounce of her considerable strength. But a wall of shimmering purple light appeared between them, and she slammed right into it and was thrown back. She yelped in pain, still hurting from her earlier injuries, and a moment later, she hit the ground where she yelped again.

The red masked grim reaper leapt at Daphne, swinging his scythe overhead so that the blade would hit her as he landed. Daphne saw it coming, but couldn’t react fast enough. But then, a massive blue figure suddenly appeared and grabbed the reaper into a powerful bear hug. Grendel roared menacingly as he crushed the reaper, and mere seconds later, he dropped the broken figure at his feet and stomped on it.

“I was saved…by Grendel,” Daphne gasped in stunned disbelief.

Grendel let out a deafening roar and didn’t even look at Daphne before charging at Baron Nevermore. The black smoke snake sprang at the blue monster, who opened his mouth and fired a blast of green energy. It ripped through the smoke monster, seeming to hurt it, though not nearly enough since it was still there. However, it backed up a little and hissed at Grendel.

Baron Nevermore glared at her with his glowing red eyes and an arrogant expression. He held out his hands, and a ball of dark purple energy formed in each palm, cracking and snapping as if eager to do something.

“You are a persistent foe,” Baron Nevermore announced with a sneer. However, there almost seemed to be a faint note of approval in his voice, as if he might actually respect her persistence a little. “But you shall die, along with the rest of your kind. This world now belongs to the Queen of Ravens…”

Daphne stood up and braced herself to deal Baron Nevermore’s attack, whatever form it would take this time. He raised his hands to unleash his power, but then suddenly paused with a look of surprise on his face. It quickly turned into a deep scowl, and he looked away from Daphne, as though she was no longer his immediate concern.

“Someone is interfering with the portal, my queen,” Baron Nevermore told the Queen of Ravens.

“Yes,” she agreed with a deep scowl of her own. “I feel it…” Her eyes narrowed and she suddenly looked far more threatening. “This will NOT be allowed. I require that portal to call forth the rest of my forces…”

Baron Nevermore bowed. “Then I shall secure the portal and deal with whomever dared to interfere…”

“No,” the Queen of Ravens stated, fixing Baron Nevermore with a grim look. “I shall deal with the portal myself, and bring forth more soldiers.” She gestured around the battlefield and added, “Finish this battle, my consort. Destroy these champions and prove beyond any doubt that you are powerful enough to sire my heir.”

“As you command,” Baron Nevermore responded, giving her another bow. Daphne saw a faint look of satisfaction cross his face.

With that, the Queen of Ravens turned and was suddenly obscured by a cloud of swirling black feathers. And though Daphne had heard no orders being given, a dozen of the nearest raven soldiers all leapt up into the sky, transforming into ravens as they did so. Mere seconds later, a small flock of birds flew off towards the center of Baltimore, led by the largest raven that Daphne had ever seen, one that was the size of a small plane.

Baron Nevermore turned his malevolent gaze back to Daphne, sneering as he prepared to attack. However, before he could do so, Grendel roared and charged straight at him, knocking the zombie girl out of the way and then belching out a blast of green energy. Daphne smiled faintly at the sight, and since she wasn’t about to be outdone by Grendel, she charged forward to deal with her greatest enemy once and for all.

Julie took another sip from the sports drink bottle that she’d been given and winced. Sure, it was definitely helping her recover, but she was getting tired of drinking the stuff. Then again, she realized just how lucky she was compared to most of the other people in the medical facility. Some of the others were seriously injured, while she only had to deal with a little exhaustion.

“How are you feeling?” Caleb asked her. He was the only person present, besides the DAD doctors, who was in better shape than she was.

“A lot better,” Julie admitted with a pained smile. “But frustrated to be out of action.”

“Tell me about it,” Caleb responded wryly, gesturing to the golden staff that was leaning up against the corner. “I won’t be able to turn into Mystik again for a day or so, and by then, this will probably all be over.” From his grim expression, it was clear that he didn’t expect everything to end in their favor, and she certainly didn’t blame him. She was quite worried herself.

Julie let out a sigh, then looked at the latest patients to have arrived, brought in a short time ago by Counterweight, who’d taken it on herself to evacuate those too injured to fight. At the moment, Counterweight stood beside Catalyst, who’d just been given stitches and some bandages for a large gash along her side. A short distance away, Radiant sat, looking unharmed except for the bandages wrapped around her eyes. Radiant hadn’t spoken to anyone since arriving. A couple others were still in the next room, being taken care of by the doctors.

“You were pretty damn lucky,” Counterweight told Catalyst, giving her a concerned look. “If that sword had gone any deeper…”

“I know,” Catalyst responded with a pained wince. “And if Ladybug hadn’t taken that bastard out before he could come at me again…” She shuddered at that, then let out a loud sigh while shaking her head. “I still have a hard time believing that she’s really on our side now…”

Counterweight just chuckled at that. “Well, I think she’s proven herself more than enough.”

Catalyst grudgingly nodded agreement. “Yeah, she has.”

“Those things seem pretty nasty,” Julie offered, feeling guilty since she hadn’t been able to contribute to this battle. She’d thrown everything she had against Nevermore’s allies, but hadn’t realized that they were just the opening act. Now, her powers had been pushed too far for her to do anything else. Then, with a bitter snort, she muttered, “I might as well be bussing tables at work…”

“Yeah, they’re nasty all right,” Counterweight responded with a look of disgust. “I dropped a car on one guy, and he just squeezed out from under it and continued fighting. It was almost like something out of a cartoon…”

“And my powers don’t work on them,” Catalyst added with a deep scowl. “I found that out the hard way. I just couldn’t shut off their powers.”

While Catalyst and Counterweight discussed the fight, Caleb moved closer in order listen in while Radiant seemed to completely ignore them. Even Legacy, who was on the other side of the room, tilted her head to show that she was listening as well, though she remained just as silent as Radiant.

While Catalyst was in the middle of describing exactly how she’d been injured, Julie’s cell phone began to vibrate. She was so startled by this that she nearly jumped.

As soon as Julie saw that the caller was Glamour Girl, she answered, “Hello?” Julie didn’t have much opportunity to speak as Glamour Girl just gave her a quick message and did all the talking, but once her teammate was finished, Julie responded, “I’ll tell everyone here…but it won’t do much good. We’ve been evacuated to medical...”

“What was that about?” Caleb asked, giving her a curious look.

Julie put her phone back into the pouch on her belt before she answered. “Glamour Girl… She said that they might have a way to deal with the Queen of Ravens…but they need all the help they can get back at the portal.”

“Unfortunately,” Counterweight pointed out, “none of us is in much position to help…” She looked to her injured shoulder and gave a wry smile.

“I know,” Julie grudgingly admitted.

There was a long pause before Legacy abruptly said, “The Seven never walked away in the middle of a fight…” She slowly got up, putting her weight on her good leg. “I’ll be damned if I will…”

“But your leg,” Julie gasped, her eyes going to Legacy’s leg, which was splinted and bandaged.

“These will do for now,” Legacy said, reaching for a pair of crutches that were leaning against the wall. When Julie gave her a skeptical look, she smiled faintly and added, “And I’ve got some great pain killers…”

Julie chuckled faintly at that. “Physically, I’m ready to go, but my powers are kaput at the moment…”

“Ditto,” Caleb added with a shrug.

Legacy stared at Julie for a moment, then reached to the metal bracer on her left arm and touched something. Suddenly, she was holding a high tech looking rifle. Julie recognized it as being some kind of energy blaster.

“This used to belong to Armory,” Legacy told Julie, something in her expression making it clear that this meant something important to her. “I think she’d be happy to have you use it…”

“Thank you,” Julie said as she accepted the weapon. She hesitated a moment, then promised, “I’ll take good care of it.”

“Do you have another one of those?” Caleb asked hopefully.

“No,” Legacy answered with a wry smile. “None of my other weapons would do you much good.”

“Damn,” Caleb said with a sigh. He glanced over to his staff and scowled, clearly wishing that it had recharged so he could turn into Mystik again.

“Your staff is magic,” Catalyst blurted out, getting Caleb’s attention.

“Yeah,” he responded.

“So, you’re not a real developed,” Catalyst continued with a faint smile.

Caleb gave her a defensive look, as though he wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not. “No. I just have the magic staff…”

Catalyst’s smile broadened. “Then I might be able to get you back in the fight…”

“Oh yeah,” Counterweight blurted out with a laugh. At Caleb’s confused look, she explained, “Catalyst can temporarily give powers to people...”

It took several seconds for that to sink in before Caleb began to grin as well. “Then go head,” he told Catalyst.

Catalyst held out her hand, and as soon as Caleb reached out to touch it, there was a golden glow around his body. Suddenly, his body began to shift and change, with his hair growing longer and his features becoming more fine and feminine. Two mounds quickly began to push out from his chest.

“You turned back into Mystik,” Julie blurted out in surprise.

Caleb looked down at himself…at herself and smiled wryly. “It sure looks like it, but I still don’t have my costume…”

“And you’re still changing,” Legacy added a moment later.

Julie stared at Caleb…at Mystik, seeing that Legacy was correct. Caleb had indeed transformed back into Mystik, though she was still wearing Calebs’s clothes rather than her uniform. And in addition, a gold metal coating was starting to spread out over her skin and hair. Mere seconds later, Mystik looked like a gold metal statue.

“You look a little like that Exile chick,” Counterweight pointed out. Of course, they both had gold metal skin, but that was about the only similarity.

“It looks like your staff may have left some kind of imprint on you,” Catalyst pointed out. “How that effects the powers you gained, I have no idea.”

“Since it looks like we’re ready to go,” Legacy announced with a grim expression. “Let’s get going.” And with that, she swung her cloak out wide, opening a path into the dimension known as the Empty.

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

Roselyn Gettz, more commonly known by her codename of Harbinger, did not look very intimidating. She was short, at 5 foot 2, and with a petite build that made most people overlook her as a possible threat, even if she was currently wearing a black and blue costume, with an ammo belt, sidearm, and combat knife. But in spite of her small size and generally non-threatening appearance, Roselyn was actually one of the most lethal snipers in the world, and had been even before acquiring her powers.

At the moment, Roselyn was positioned on the roof of a tall building, her large rifle pulled tightly back into her shoulders. She stared out through the scope while her finger gently caressed the trigger, waiting for the right opportunity to pull it.

Roselyn’s weapon was called Monster, or more accurately, Monster 2. The original Monster had been lost on a mission, while its replacement…called Gunzilla…had recently been made obsolete by an improved model. Monster was originally designed as a vehicle mounted rail gun, for the purpose of being a long ranged, high accuracy, anti-tank weapon. However, Roselyn found that it was also ideal for eliminating developed threats, even ones with ‘bulletproof’ skin.

Being careful not to take her eye from the scope, Roselyn absently reached back and ran a hand through her black hair, which was pulled into a pony tail. She wasn’t happy about her current firing position since it was too open and exposed from an aerial view. However, it was the best position she had at the moment. None of the windows below her offered as clear a shot at the target area, and at the moment, she also had an ease of movement in case she needed to shift her target area. At least the tarp that she’d used to cover herself, broke up her silhouette and offered at least some camouflage.

Through the scope, Roselyn watched the black stone clearing that had served as Baron Nevermore’s command post during this Baltimore operation. There was a large and overly-dramatic throne, which was currently empty, but which could be a potential obstacle for any shots she needed to take. There was also the black stone arch, which had a shimmering veil of red energy, the still active portal that the Queen of Ravens had come through. Roselyn kept a close watch on that portal, because she didn’t know when something else might come through.

And then, there were the people who were gathered down there, all of them allies. Stealth was her teammate and friend, as was Agent Briggs, who’d come in costume. That alone said a lot about how dangerous this situation was, since Briggs usually avoided costumed work.

Alleycat, Witch Girl, and the Face from Faction Zero were all present, as was Lady Knight and Glamour Girl. And from what Roselyn understood, Deadbeat might be somewhere nearby too…IF he could find a suitable new body.

“Not a lot of firepower,” Roselyn mused as she swung her scope a little to look over the monsters who were still skulking nearby.

Roselyn finally tore her eyes away from the target area in order to look over her surroundings, trying to see any indications of a threat. That was another advantage of her current firing position on the roof, the relatively clear view it gave her of the area. Then, she spotted something in the distance, something…somethings that were rapidly approaching.

“Stealth,” Roselyn called out over the radio. Earlier, the barrier over Baltimore had cut off all radio communications, and even now that com had been restored, it was still erratic and full of static. “We have incoming flyers from the west. It looks like a small group of ravens.”

“Understood,” Stealth responded. “Be ready to back us up.”

Roselyn snorted, not bothering to dignify that with an answer. Of course she was going to back them up. What else would she be doing there?

The ravens arrived very quickly, swooping down where they each transformed into a human shape. Roselyn’s eyes narrowed and she followed them in her scope, ready to take the best shot. The Queen of Ravens was her priority target, but unfortunately, between the throne and the other ravens, she didn’t have a clear shot. Not yet at least.

“Patience,” Roselyn told herself with a whisper. “The shot will come.”

The Face fired a blast of golden energy out of his mask, directly at the Queen of Ravens. One of the raven soldiers threw himself in the way, taking the hit for his leader. Roselyn could respect that kind of dedication, though she doubted that the Queen of Ravens was really worthy of it.

Stealth had turned invisible before the ravens arrived and now appeared, holding out her pistol and opening fire. She put half a dozen shots into one raven’s chest, then snapped around and fired a couple more shots at the next raven. Then, before they could retaliate, she flew up into the air, activating her stealth field in the process so that she once again seemed to vanish.

One raven suddenly teleported, vanishing from in front of Alleycat and reappearing behind Briggs. Roselyn pulled the trigger, hitting the raven in the chest and blasting a massive hole through him, right before his mace would have smashed into Briggs’ skull. The raven dropped to the ground, though he was still moving, much to Roselyn’s annoyance. That shot would have killed any normal person as well as most developed, but it seems these ravens were a little tougher than that.

While Briggs snapped around and dealt with the injured raven, Roselyn continued looking over the rest of the field, looking for an opportunity to help. Suddenly, four more people appeared and Roselyn immediately had one of them in her crosshairs, though she quickly realized that they weren’t hostiles. They were reinforcements.

The woman whom Roselyn had in her crosshairs was Legacy, who was associated with the now defunct group known as the Seven. Beside her was Channel of the Slackers and Counterweight, who was associated with the Miracle Men. And then, there was a woman with gold metallic skin and hair, who was dressed in civilian clothes and carrying some kind of staff.

The newcomers caught the ravens by surprise, and Legacy held out her hand and sent three of the enemy soldiers flying back, before they even seemed to realize it. And though Legacy was using crutches when she appeared, she quickly dropped them and floated up into the air in order to continue her attack.

A few seconds later, the Queen of Ravens changed positions, walking towards the large stone arch, almost as though the fighting was of little concern. Roselyn smiled faintly as she saw her opportunity and fired a shot right at the queen’s head. However, there was a flash of purple as her round struck some kind of barrier instead of the target.

“A force field,” Roselyn muttered in annoyance. The Queen of Ravens appeared to be using some kind of force field or barrier to protect herself. Of course, there was the possibility that it was one of the ones with a single charge that used itself up when responding to a threat. Because of that, Roselyn took aim and fired a second shot. Unfortunately, that round was blocked as well. “I hate force fields…”

Roselyn’s shots hadn’t been very effective, but they had been noticed. One of the ravens who’d been standing beside the queen, leapt into the air and transformed into a bird. She flew up, coming almost directly for Roselyn. In mere seconds, she reached the rooftop, where she immediately transformed back to her human form.

The raven looked like a teenage girl, with long black hair that was streaked with purple. She was dressed in a gothic lolita fashion, with a frilly black dress that looked like it should have belonged on a Victorian doll…a somewhat naughty doll.

“Matra deeees mrogka…,” the raven girl exclaimed, speaking a language that Roselyn had never heard before.

Roselyn had already leapt to her feet, before the raven had even landed, and now drew her firearm. The girl appeared unarmed, though Roselyn wasn’t stupid enough to believe her harmless. In fact, her lack of obvious weapons only made Roselyn more wary.

“You were foolish to attack the queen,” the girl stated in oddly accented English. “Now, you will die very VERY slowly…” She gave a cruel smile as she held up her hands, just as her fingers stretched out and formed into long and sharp looking claws.

Roselyn didn’t wait for the girl to attack and immediately opened fire, shooting four rounds into her center of mass. Holes appeared in her chest, with black blood oozing out of them. However, in spite of staggering back, the girl didn’t go down. Instead, she shook it off, then gave Roselyn an evil grin, which made Roselyn realize that the bullet holes were already closing up.

“Oh yes,” the girl exclaimed with a sadistic glee. “This will be a delight…for me.”

With that, the girl swung her arm wide and flung something into the air towards Roselyn. Roselyn leapt back to avoid being hit. A moment later, she saw that four balls had hit the roof and came to a stop. Each unfolded and grew, revealing a doll. Or more accurately, two of them appeared to be ceramic dolls while the other two were marionettes…with glowing red strings that pooled out around them. Then the dolls and marionettes began to slowly advance on her.

Roselyn scowled as she watched the approaching toys, knowing better than to underestimate them. Her eyes especially went to the marionette’s strings, which were glowing and starting to move around on their own, like extremely thin tentacles. For a moment, she wondered if the strings were intended to tier her up or act as garrotes, but it didn’t really matter. She just had to avoid them and deal with the threats.

“I hate close combat,” she muttered under her breath. She was a sniper for a reason, because she preferred to deal with her enemies from a safe distance, not face to face. “No use complaining about it now.”

The toys all charged straight at Roselyn, but she quickly moved to the side, avoiding them entirely. However, the raven leapt at her as well, her claws extended. Roselyn didn’t bother wasting her ammunition and lashed out with her foot instead, kicking the girl in the stomach. The raven let out a loud grunt while Roselyn used her stomach as a springboard to throw herself back, right before several glowing strings swept through the space she’d previously occupied.

Roselyn was developed, with enhanced strength, speed, agility and senses. Individually, none of her physical abilities was nearly as impressive as what other developed might possess, but when combined, they made her a dangerous opponent…even up close and personal.

When the toys charged at Roselyn again, she reacted quickly, drawing her combat knife just in time to slice a leaping doll in half. She quickly dodged one of the marionettes, and nearly avoided the second one, except that a string managed to graze her thigh. Roselyn gasped at the stinging pain on her thigh, though she didn’t let it slow her down. Instead, she kicked the marionette away, then threw the knife, impaling the other marionette and pinning it to the roof.

“Just annoyances,” Roselyn reminded herself, looking at the girl who was the real enemy. “Distractions.”

Roselyn ran back towards where she’d left Monster set up, but instead of grabbing her weapon, she picked up the tarp instead. With a quick swing of her arm, she flung the tarp over the charging girl, covering most of her body, and more importantly…blinding her. The toys all staggered about, bumping into each other as they no longer had clear directions.

“Stupid creature,” the girl yelled, using her claws to slice through the tarp. “You vex me…”

Roselyn didn’t bother answering the girl. Instead, she seized the momentary opportunity and used her sidearm to shoot the girl in the head repeatedly. Then, as the girl started to collapse, Roselyn kicked her, sending her flying over the edge of the building. Seconds later, the toys all collapsed lifelessly.

“That should do it,” Roselyn said, peering over the edge of the roof and looking down at the ground far below.

The girl was sprawled out, her broken and splattered body a complete mess. And as Roselyn watched, what was left of her seemed to melt into a puddle of black goo and fade away. Roselyn stared at her for a few more seconds, just in case she suddenly reappeared whole and unharmed, but that didn’t happen.

Roselyn didn’t bother to celebrate the death of her opponent, or even to silently bask in her triumph. She’d merely done what she had to, nothing more. Then, she looked over the rooftop, knowing that her position had been compromised, but that there was no help for it. In spite of the increased risk to herself, she still had a job to do, and her allies couldn’t afford the time it would take for her to find a new firing position.

With that, Roselyn returned to Monster and her firing position. It only took her a few seconds to lock the Queen of Ravens into her crosshairs again, though she didn’t bother to pull the trigger. That would merely be a waste of ammunition. Instead, Roselyn took a deep breath and prepared to do what she did best…patiently wait for the right opportunity.

Julie’s hands were firmly wrapped around her weapon, the short energy rifle that Legacy had lent her. At the moment, she was physically tired but still able to function, though her powers were currently down. The only thing she had to defend herself was this energy rifle, so she wasn’t about to risk losing it.

“The Queen of Ravens,” Julie blurted out. “How the hell are we supposed to take her down?”

She looked around, horribly concerned by the small number of heroes compared to the large number of villains. Of course, she reminded herself that the odds were actually much better now than they’d been for everyone fighting at the base camp, but that didn’t make her feel a lot better. After all, most of their heavy hitters were either injured or still fighting back at the camp.

“We were hoping that more people could come,” Lady Knight admitted from a short distance away. “But we didn’t have the time to wait…”

Lady Knight was currently fighting a raven, using a glowing pink spear so that she could do so while staying out of her opponent’s reach. The pink-haired girl lunged forward, slashed through the raven’s thigh, then pulled back. When he tried coming at her with his sword, she used the spear to impale him and push him back.

Julie took a deep breath then shot Lady Knight’s opponent, just grazing his arm, though the blast of energy was powerful enough to burn most of the arm off. “Yipes,” Julie exclaimed, feeling both excited and afraid at the same time. Usually, the spirits that she channeled did all the fighting, so this was a rare experience for her.

“You have to get their heads,” Lady Knight exclaimed. “It’s the only way to take them down for good…”

Then, as if to emphasize what Lady Knight had just said, the raven’s arm began to grow back, reforming at an unbelievable speed. Julie blinked, and it took her several more seconds before she remembered her weapon. She took aim and fired a second time, burning a hole through the raven’s chest, right before firing again. This time, his head vanished and he collapsed to the ground.

Mystik charged forward, using her staff to smack a raven alongside the head. The raven was knocked to the side, though he immediately snapped around and slammed a massive axe right into Mystik’s side.

“MYSTIK,” Julie cried out in horror.

However, to her shock, Mystik was getting back up and running a hand over where she’d been hit. There was no blood…and no wound.

“No fucking way,” Mystik blurted out, tapping the gold metal skin of her arm with her other finger. “I think Catalyst made me bulletproof…or at least axe proof.”

Then with a broad grin, Mystik charged right back at her opponent, letting him hit her in the shoulder with his axe, just so she could get close enough to punch him. Unfortunately, her punch didn’t seem to be any more powerful than it would have been before, indicating that while her armored skin might offer her new protection, it didn’t seem to make her any stronger.

“Damn, it’s hard to focus with this,” Counterweight grumbled, reaching up to hold her injured shoulder. Then she glanced up at Legacy, who was floating in the air. “But if she can fight with her leg, I can fight with my shoulder…”

“Why don’t you go find a car to drop on someone’s head?” Lady Knight suggested. “That should make you feel better.”

“Good idea,” Counterweight agreed as she floated up into the air.

Julie looked around and saw that Witch Girl, Alleycat, and Poison were all fighting back to back against a group of ravens. At the same time, Glamour Girl and the Face were standing side by side, working together in similar fashion. Then, she glanced to Lady Knight and Mystik, deciding that they should probably continue working together as well.

“Why are we fighting here?” Julie asked as she took another shot with her energy rifle. She missed the raven she was aiming at and took another shot, which barely managed to graze his leg. “My aim sucks… Are we supposed to destroy that arch or something?”

“No,” Lady Knight responded, using her spear to knock the legs out from beneath a raven. “We need to push their queen back through it…”

“That’s the plan?” Julie asked in surprise. “Just push her back through the portal?”

“I didn’t say it was a great plan,” Lady Knight replied with a grin. “But it is the only one we have. Besides, it’s the only way to stop her.”

From above, Legacy announced, “I’ll see what I can do…”

Legacy held out her arm and one of the ravens was picked up by her telekinesis and flung towards the Queen of Ravens. However, just as he was about to hit her, there was a flash of purple and he suddenly bounced back instead.

“Now for her,” Legacy exclaimed with a look of intense concentration. When nothing happened, she shook her head, “I can’t touch her directly. It’s like she’s protected from my power…”

“Some kind of magical barrier,” Lady Knight pointed out, though Julie didn’t know if she was guessing or was using her sixth sense.

“Then if anything can get through it,” Legacy announced, pulling out her unusual looking bow, which appeared to be made of bone. “This can. But I only have it in me for one shot…so I’ll have to make it count.”

“That thing did a number on Loki,” Lady Knight responded with a nod of approval. “Do it.”

Legacy raised her bow to aim, and an arrow made of hellfire formed. The burning arrow shot through the air and hit the Queen of Ravens, who was suddenly engulfed in flame, which flickered in and out of being purple. The Queen of Ravens screamed, but it was a cry of anger, not of pain. In seconds, all of the flames turned purple and then vanished, leaving the Queen of Ravens standing there, apparently unharmed.

“I don’t think that worked,” Julie exclaimed in worry.

“Her barrier is down,” Lady Knight exclaimed.

The Queen of Ravens glared at Legacy with an expression that radiated arrogance and distain. “So, these champions may yet have some teeth…”

A moment later, she held up her hand and a ball of black and purple energy shot out at Legacy. Legacy quickly swung her cloak around herself, and she vanished into the Empty just a split second before the attack would have struck her. The ball of black and purple energy passed through where Legacy had been and continued flying until it smacked into the side of a building.

Suddenly, a wave of black and purple rushed out along the side of the building, which began to crumble and disintegrate. Julie gasped as the wall was completely destroyed, and as the process continued. Mere seconds later, half the building had been reduced to rubble and ruin.

“Fuck,” Mystik exclaimed, staring at the destroyed building with the same look of horror that Julie probably wore. “That was one shot. She did that with one fucking shot…”

“And she’s still weak,” the Face called out, his voice grim with concern. “We have to stop her before she regains her strength, and we don’t have much time…”

“These champions begin to bore me,” the Queen of Ravens commented. “It seems that I shall have to destroy them before I call forth more of my warriors…”

With that, something seemed to change and the Queen of Ravens began to radiate a sense of dark power. Julie gasped as a chill ran through her entire body, and she had to fight the urge to turn and run away as far as she possibly could. Every instinct from the primitive part of her brain screamed for her to get away.

The Face began yelling something…casting a spell in a language that Julie didn’t recognize. However, as his mask glowed, the terror began to fade. Somehow, he was fighting back against the aura of fear, giving Julie a chance to breathe and think again. Of course, she was still afraid, but this time, it was her own natural fear.

The monsters that had been gathered nearby, hiding in the shadows of the surrounding buildings, had been coming out and slowly approaching the fight. However, they all now backed away again, as though they were all terrified of the Queen of Ravens.

Julie looked around and was surprised to see that the raven soldiers were no longer fighting. Instead, they all looked weak and tired. Several had collapsed to their knees.

“She’s withdrawing some of her power from them,” The Face called out with a new urgency. “We don’t have any more time…”

The Queen of Ravens began to grow larger, swelling in size and power. She was ten, then twelve feet tall, and still growing.

“This is like that thing with Loki, all over again,” Lady Knight commented grimly.

Julie had been unconscious during the final fight with Loki, but she nodded in agreement anyway. However, she had absolutely no doubt that the Queen of Ravens was far more powerful than the Loki monster had been.

The Queen of Ravens stood about twenty feet tall and now towered over everyone present. She radiated a sense of arrogance and power, somehow seeming to have become a dark goddess. The very sight of her was enough to make Julie want to cower, even with the Face’s spell.

“This world now belongs to me,” the Queen of Ravens announced in a booming voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once. “It will feed my children for centuries, and none shall change this…”

As soon as she finished speaking, the Queen of Ravens held out her hand and fired another ball of black and purple energy, this time aimed at Glamour Girl. Glamour Girl dropped from the air and slammed into the ground with a loud grunt, while the blast missed her and continued until it hit a building.

“Not again,” Mystik exclaimed, clenching her staff tightly.

Julie stared at the building which began to crumble and disintegrate, just like the previous building had. However, she quickly saw that this time, there was a noticeable different. This time, the entire building crumbled away to ruin, not just half of it.

“If my staff was charged,” Mystik said in obvious frustration.

The Queen of Ravens held out her hand again, this time looking down at all the heroes. Julie gulped, knowing that this wasn’t going to be good. None of them could survive a hit form that kind of power. Even Grendel wouldn’t stand a chance against it.

“IREFAY,” Witch Girl yelled, sending a ball of fire at the giant raven queen, though it seemed to have no effect, other than to signal everyone else to attack.

The Face fired a blast of golden energy at the Queen of Ravens from his mask while Poison and Alleycat rushed forward to attack directly. Julie hesitated only a moment before she took aim and fired her blaster, being careful not to hit any of her allies. Unfortunately, none of their attacks seemed to hurt her.

“My turn,” Glamour Girl stated with a look of fierce determination. “I’m not going to let you hurt my family…or my world.”

Glamour Girl flew straight at the Queen of Ravens and punched her in the face, causing the massive queen to stagger back. However, it wasn’t the punch that had the greatest effect, but the swirling colored light of Glamour Girl’s aura. That actually seemed to burn the queen’s skin.

“Blast her,” Lady Knight yelled. “Hit her with everything you’ve got…”

Glamour Girl didn’t answer, at least not in words. Instead, she screamed out a war cry and blasted the Queen of Ravens with her light energy at point blank range.

The Queen of Ravens screamed in agony and tried to swat at Glamour Girl, forcing the heroine to pull back a little, though she continued her attack. Blasts of light, which looked like swirling rainbows, burned into the queen’s body, tearing away at her dark power.

Even though she didn’t think it would add anything, Julie opened fire with her energy rifle, shooting the Queen of Ravens so that she could at least feel like she was contributing to this fight. And as far as she knew, every little but was helping.

One of the ravens seemed to overcome his weakened state enough to leap high into the air, straight at Glamour Girl. However, a car suddenly fell on him from the sky, smashing him into the ground. Counterweight hovered above, giving a wave of acknowledgement.

Other ravens started to return to the action as well, or at least they tried. Lady Knight sliced at one with a rapier, then used a shield to block the return attack. At the same time, Mystik charged another of the ravens, swinging her staff so it smashed into the side of a raven’s head. Julie turned her attention from the Queen of Ravens, and instead shot at these warriors, who seemed easier to take out.

The Queen of Ravens shrank down under Glamour Girl’s assault, reducing in size until she was merely human sized again. Still, Glamour Girl continued blasting her, or at least she tried to. Glamour Girl was clearing straining, and the light was flickering and sputtering. She was using up all her powers.

“Glamour Girl,” Lady Knight called out in warning, right before the glowing heroine abruptly fell to the ground, having pushed herself too far.

It was with a look of pure hatred that the Queen of Ravens stood up straight and glared down at Glamour Girl. Black feathery wings suddenly burst out of her back, making her resemble some kind of dark and twisted angel.

“It has been centuries since anyone has hurt me so,” the Queen of Raven’s exclaimed with a sneer. She bent down and grabbed the now unconscious Glamour Girl and picked her up by her throat. “You will pay for this with greater suffering than you can imagine…”

“Let her go,” the Face commanded, though the Queen of Ravens ignored him.

The Queen of Ravens just lifted her arm higher, raising Glamour Girl further off the ground. Glamour Girl began flail around helplessly as the queen choked her.

“Get her,” Poison commanded. “Hit her hard…”

Julie aimed the rifle at the Queen of Ravens, but she couldn’t shoot without hitting Glamour Girl. The same was true of all the other heroes, all of whom glared at the Queen of Ravens, hesitating because of the hostage.

Suddenly, the Queen of Ravens’ head exploded in a burst of black droplets. She released Glamour Girl, and before her body could even collapse to the ground, two large holes appeared through her chest.

“Harbinger,” Stealth exclaimed with a smile. “About damn time.”

“Glamour Girl,” Julie gasped, running towards her fallen teammate.

However, before Julie could reach Glamour Girl, Alleycat and Witch Girl were already pulling her back, away from the Queen of Ravens.

“She’s alive,” Witch Girl announced with a grin.

Glamour Girl groaned and grabbed at her throat, muttering something that Julie couldn’t make out. The Face raced to her side to check her out, and his approving nod gave Julie a sense of relief.

“SHE’S NOT DEAD,” Lady Knight yelled, making Julie look back to the Queen of Ravens.

“No,” Julie gasped in horror, seeing that black tendrils were sprouting up from the queen’s neck and that her head was starting to reform.

For a brief moment, Julie just stared at the Queen of Ravens in horror, remembering what Lady Knight said earlier…that the only way to stop her was to get her back through the portal. Julie’s eyes darted to the portal that was such a short distance from the queen…almost right behind her. Then, Julie suddenly knew what she had to do.

Ever since Julie had gained her powers, she’d been using them to call on other people for help…to have spirits of the dead do her fighting for her. This time, it was her turn to fight the villain. This time, it was her turn to actually do something or herself.

Julie dropped the energy rifle and charged straight at the Queen of Ravens, grabbing hold of her and pushing her back to the nearby portal. She thought of all the spirits who’d fought on her behalf and whispered, “Maybe I’ll finally meet you all face to face…”

A moment later, Julie and the Queen of Ravens hit the portal and everything exploded into agony and then darkness.

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

“CHANNEL,” Joselyn cried out in horror as she watched the young heroine disappearing through the portal with the Queen of Ravens.

“No,” Witch Girl exclaimed, staring at the portal for a moment before snapping around to her father. “Bring her back…”

“I…I can’t,” the Face gasped, the pain clear in his voice.

Joselyn winced, already knowing that the Face couldn’t do that. No one could, not after what he’d done to the portal.

“The portal is a one way path back to where they came from,” the Face explained in a grim tone. “Nothing can come back form it now…”

Witch Girl gasped, staring at her dad with a look of shock. “But Channel…”

“She…couldn’t survive the journey,” the Face admitted quietly. “Nothing human could. Its...already too late.”

“No,” Glamour Girl gasped, sitting up and staring at the portal in stunned disbelief, which quickly turned to horror and grief. Tears started to form as she cried out, “Channel…”

The Face put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “She sacrificed herself to defeat the Queen of Ravens. I’m sorry…”

“The queen is gone,” Alleycat snarled. “But what about these guys?”

Joselyn had been staring at the portal, hardly able to believe that they’d just lost channel. However, Alleycat had a good point, making her look at the raven soldiers.

All of the ravens looked weak…exhausted. With their queen gone, she could no longer reinforce them and give them the strength to fight. However, several of them were trying to get back to their feet to continue fighting anyway.

One of the ravens glared at Glamour Girl with an expression of pure hatred. He raised a nasty looking spear with a barbed black metal tip. From his body language, it was clear that he fully intended to use it on Glamour Girl.

“I don’t think so,” Joselyn exclaimed, forming a spear of her own and stepping between them.

For a moment, the raven looked like he was going to try charging her, even though he also looked like he could barely even strand. But then, he suddenly had a look of surprise on his face. A moment later, he was yanked off his feet and went flying through the air, straight into the portal where he vanished.

“What the fuck?” Mystik exclaimed, raising her staff in preparation to fight.

Another soldier leapt into the air and transformed into the form of a raven, but the black bird was suddenly pulled backwards towards the portal. He flapped his wings frantically, but it did no good. He vanished unto the portal, just like the other one had a few seconds earlier.

“It…it works,” Joselyn blurted out in amazement.

All the remaining ravens present were all pulled back towards the portal, though several of them fought it as hard as they could. However, it did little good as each of them was quickly pulled through.

“What the hell is going on?” Alleycat demanded.

“Dad?” Witch Girl asked.

“The Queen of Ravens was magically tied to each of the soldiers she brought with,” the Face explained, staring at the portal as he spoke. “She’s still connected to them…and is unintentionally dragging them all back with her.”

“That was your plan,” Poison said in surprise, giving the Face a thoughtful look.

“Yeah,” Joselyn responded with a forced smile. “We weren’t completely sure it would work.”

The Face nodded faintly. “If the queen withdrew her power from her followers, then she would have been too powerful to push through the portal...and even if we could…her followers would have been left behind.”

Joselyn nodded agreement, remembering her own skepticism when Exile had suggested the plan. However, as it was the best plan they had, there hadn’t been much choice.

“So,” Witch Girl asked, looking to her dad. “Does that mean its over?”

“Almost,” the Face answered grimly. “Thanks to Channel, it should be over soon.”

Daphne hovered in the air as she tried to catch her breath. Every inch of her body ached, especially her stomach where she’d previously been impaled, and she was completely and utterly exhausted. She didn’t have the energy to keep fighting, but neither did she have a choice.

While she took a brief respite, she looked around the battlefield, wincing at all the violence and chaos. Good people had died today, some of whom she considered to be her friends. And from the vicious fighting, she knew that she was probably going to lose even more friends before this was all over.

A small group of heroes were trying to hold the ravens back from the camp, creating a powerful defense that managed to at least keep the ravens from overwhelming them completely. Lady Hexx was so exhausted that she could barely stand, yet she still managed to create a sink hole right beneath the advancing solders. Standing right beside her was Neon, Daphne’s newly discovered uncle, who was protecting Lady Hexx and keeping her from being overrun.

Further down, Daphne saw her own team, the Miracle Men, fighting to protect the camp as well. Quartz, Surge, and Splash were working together to push the ravens back, while Rumor kept sneaking around and attacking their enemies from behind. Of course, there were other heroes within the camp, who were dealing with the few ravens who managed to get past the defenders. Figment, Velvet, and Impact had taken this task for themselves.

And then, there was everyone else. Mega was thirty feet tall as she charged through the mass of enemy soldiers, kicking them out of her way. Circuit, Nike, Marvel, and Praxis were all attacking from the air, which mostly consisted of dive bombing the ravens, though Circuit kept opening fire with her energy weapons and causing a great deal of damage.

The White Knight, Daphne’s biological father, was trying to keep everything organized, alternating between issuing commands and fighting the ravens himself. At the same time, he was obviously concerned with his family, many of whom were fighting. That thought drew Daphne’s attention to the area where Target, Agony, and Shuriken were trying to fight.

Sanction and Lightning Force, the two latest groups to arrive, were also the most organized at the moment. Each group remained together and worked as a team, rather than getting spread out like nearly everyone else had. However, Mindseye seemed to have been injured, while Sanction’s leader Discharge, had just been grabbed by a flying creature with long tentacles.

Daphne took all of this in, and though she wanted to help some of the others, she had her own opponent to deal with. Her attention locked back onto Baron Nevermore, whom she’d been fighting. Fortunately, she hadn’t been fighting him alone. It was only the fact that Grendel and his mother were keeping Baron Nevermore occupied, that gave her the opportunity for this much needed break.

Grendel gave off a deafening roar and charged straight at Baron Nevermore, swinging his massive clawed fist. However, he smashed into a glowing green wall and was flung back.

While Grendel was trying to attack Baron Nevermore from the front, Grendel’s Mother had been taking advantage of that distraction to come at the villain from behind. However, Baron Nevermore seemed to see her coming, because he snapped around and fired a blast of red energy which caught the blue skinned amazon in the chest…and sent her flying back with a howl of pain.

“Just go down already,” Daphne snarled, glaring at the monster who’d murdered her mother.

Deciding that she’d caught her breath enough, Daphne flung herself back into the fight, opening up with some golden energy blasts, then switching to her fists as she got close. The green barrier that had stopped Grendel, suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her from the villain. She punched at the barrier as hard as she could, though she already knew that if Grendel couldn’t break through that way, she certainly couldn’t.

But as dangerous as Baron Nevermore was, the fact that he wasn’t alone made him even more so. He still had his smoke snake, as well as an army of ravens. It was only the fact that most of those ravens were being kept busy by the other heroes, that gave her and the Grendels a chance to go after Baron Nevermore himself.

Baron Nevermore held out his hand and a blast of purple energy shot out and hit Grendel. Grendel howled in rage and agony as his skin burned and melted away, the sight of which made Daphne sick. She grimaced and fired another blast of energy at Baron Nevermore, trying to take his attention away from Grendel, and it worked.

“You cheap copy,” Daphne yelled at the villain. “Everything you do is ripped off of from Edgar Allan Poe…”

“The writer?” Baron Nevermore asked in surprise, then amusement. “I knew the writer well…”

Daphne glanced to Grendel and was relieved to see that he was already healing, and that his skin was mostly regrown. Grendel was nearly as resilient as these ravens, and for once, Daphne was thankful for that.

“The writer was my protégé,” Baron Nevermore continued, his arrogant expression radiating a sense of dark amusement and even…pride. “I taught him the power of fear. It was I who inspired him…”

For a moment, Daphne just stared at Baron Nevermore, surprised by his claims to not only have known Edgar Allan Poe…but to have been his teacher. She’d always thought that Baron Nevermore had been obsessed with Poe, but if what he said was true, then he was actually the source of Poe’s stories…or at least, a strong source of inspiration. Of course, Daphne had no way of knowing if this was true, or if Baron Nevermore had simply made this up.

“Either way,” Daphne exclaimed with a fierce determination. “I’m going to stop you…once and for all.”

Baron Nevermore just sneered, obviously not impressed. “You have already hurt me once,” he said, his eyes locked on her. “You trapped me in a very dangerous realm and cost me my body…”

“You murdered my mother,” Daphne snapped back.

“I will not give you such an opportunity again,” Baron Nevermore finished.

Daphne yelled out as she charged Baron Nevermore again, only to have him throw a ball of purple energy at her. She’d seen what that had done to Grendel, so quickly dodged the attack. The ball of purple energy struck a raven warrior instead, and he screamed in agony as his body began to melt and dissolve into a puddle of black goo. The sight of it made Daphne shudder.

“Swear your fealty to me and my queen,” Baron Nevermore announced, as though he was making a generous offer, “and I shall allow you to live…”

“How about I kick your ass instead,” she responded, firing a blast of golden energy at him, only to have it miss.

“You are persistent,” Baron Nevermore commented. “I was fond of the writer, so I shall do you the honor of laying your bones beside his…”

Grendel gave a deafening roar and charged straight at Baron Nevermore again, not seeming to consider the fact that the villain had already stopped his previous charges and had hurt him. Grendel was a creature of near mindless ferocity, and at the moment, he seemed absolutely determined to tear Baron Nevermore to pieces.

Suddenly, flaming chains burst out of the ground around Grendel, grabbing hold of him and entrapping him. As the flaming chains wrapped around the massive monster, Grendel’s Mother came charging in again. She opened her mouth and fired a blast of green energy at Baron Nevermore. A quick thought flittered through Daphne’s mind, and for a brief instant, she wondered what that would taste like.

The giant snake made of smoke began to wrap around Grendel’s Mother, though she fought it frantically, blasting energy at it from her mouth. The snaked kept breaking apart as she did this, but quickly reformed. Though she was able to keep it from fully entrapping her, it seemed to take her full effort just to do so.

Daphne flung herself at Baron Nevermore, trying to catch him while he was distracted by the Grendels. However, he saw her coming and turned, sending a wave of green energy in her direction. She flew straight up, just barely avoiding the attack.

Suddenly, an eerie howling sound began to fill the air, and when Daphne looked for the source, she was shocked to see that it was coming from the army of ravens. Most of them were crying out, and every single one had turned to look towards Baltimore, with looks of shock and pain on their faces. Something was happening, something that was disturbing all the ravens.

“My queen,” Baron Nevermore exclaimed, turning to stare at Baltimore as well with a look of stunned disbelief.

Daphne was confused by what was going on and tried to decide if it was a good thing or a bad. Before she could decide, nearly the entire raven army abruptly turned away from the heroes and began to fly away.

Everywhere Daphne looked, enemy soldiers transformed into ravens and flew into the air, starting to head in different directions. However, Daphne quickly realized that no matter which direction each raven started to fly in, each and every one of them quickly changed direction towards Baltimore, even when the birds were clearly flapping as hard as they could to go in the opposite direction. Some force was pulling them towards Baltimore…dragging them kicking and screaming.

“What the hell?” Daphne gasped.

Baron Nevermore remained standing where he was, making no move to transform and fly away like all of the others. He stared at them with an expression that seemed to be a mixture of anger, confusion, and even fear. And while he was distracted, Grendel smashed into the ground at this feet, tearing himself free from the flaming chains. The massive blue monster ignored the charred wounds that the chains had left and rushed directly at Baron Nevermore.

“Get him,” Grendel’s Mother yelled out, just a moment before Grendel hit Baron Nevermore.

There was a loud cracking sound as Grendel’s fist connected with the villain, and Baron Nevermore was sent flying back, where he smashed into the ground. Seeing her opportunity, Daphne flew straight at Baron Nevermore, determined to make sure he stayed down.

“No,” Baron Nevermore exclaimed, gesturing with his hand and a mass of flaming chains burst out of the ground and shot up to wrap around Daphne’s legs. She howled in pain but continued to fight against them, determined to get to her enemy no matter what. “I have not the time to deal with you… My queen requires me…”

Baron Nevermore fixed Daphne with his glowing red eyes, a sneer forming on his lips. He held out his hands and balls of purple energy formed in each. She gulped, suddenly realizing that this time, he fully intended to finish her off. She struggled against the chains, hoping that Grendel or his mother would hit Baron Nevermore before he could kill her.

Suddenly, a new figure dropped out of the sky, right in front of Baron Nevermore. “You won’t harm her,” the White Knight announced, already swinging his glowing white sword at the villain.

Baron Nevermore tried to blast the White Knight, but Daphne’s father raised a glowing white shield, which deflected most of the blast. The purple energy hit his glowing white armor, which broke apart and dissolved, though the shield and armor managed to protect the man beneath.

“You will NOT hurt my daughter,” the White Knight exclaimed, taking another swing at Baron Nevermore, who twisted to the side and was struck in his upper shoulder.

Baron Nevermore snarled in pain, but didn’t cry out. Instead, he glared at Daphne’s birth father with a look of pure hatred. “I will strip the flesh from your bones and feed your soul to the pit…”

Daphne was grateful for the rescue, yet embarrassed as well. She was no damsel in distress that needed someone to rescue her. She was Ms. Miracle…leader of the Miracle Men and a hero in her own right. With a deep breath, she charged at Baron Nevermore once again.

“You are a monster,” Daphne yelled.

Just as Baron Nevermore turned to face her, she used her left hand to fire a blast of golden energy into his chest. Baron Nevermore took the attack with a grunt of pain and a snarl, though Daphne had never meant it to truly hurt him. Instead, that had just been a distraction while she focused all her remaining energy into her right hand, using a newly learned trick to form a sword from this energy. Then, as Baron Nevermore reacted to the first attack, she swung her sword right through his neck.

Baron Nevermore’s head went flying while his decapitated body collapsed lifelessly to the ground. Seconds later, Daphne watched as both head and body began to melt into puddles of black goo. She stared at this for a moment, then collapsed to her knees, no longer having the energy to stand much less continue fighting.

“Are you all right?” the White Knight gently asked. Daphne didn’t answer. He came over and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, though he didn’t say anything else. Instead, he just stood there in awkward silence.

Daphne was vaguely aware that the fighting was over, that the last of the raven solders were in the process of departing. There were cheers from the other heroes, though not from her. Instead, her heart and mind were both racing yet confused. Finally, Daphne looked up into the sky, and with tears pouring down her cheeks, she whispered, “Rest in peace, Mom…”

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

Gwen stared up into the sky with a cold dread, unable to tear her eyes off the massive flock of ravens that was flying towards them. She wasn’t the only one who was concerned by their approaching enemies.

Lady Knight had her hand out in front of her, and several glowing pink bubbles kept floating around it. She was prepared to form a weapon the instant it was needed, though she was keeping her options open for the moment.

Alleycat, Poison, and Stealth stood guard by Glamour Girl, who was still sitting on the ground since she didn’t have the energy to stand yet. Instead, she kept staring into the portal with a look of grief and guilt on her face, as though she blamed herself for her teammate’s death.

Legacy had reappeared, having come back out of the Empty after the Queen of Ravens had been thrown through the portal. Like Glamour Girl, she kept looking at the portal. And like Glamour Girl, she couldn’t stand on her own, and had burned out most of her powers. She would have been sitting on the ground too, if she wasn’t leaning against Mystik for support. Counterweight stood on the other side of her, as though offering her own moral support, if nothing else.

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll have these powers,” Mystik reminded everyone. “Catalyst said that they’d only last for an hour…” No one paid her much attention.

Then, Gwen looked off into the distance, trying to guess where the mysterious Harbinger was hiding. Wherever she was, Gwen was pretty sure that she was watching them…ready to shoot someone else if she had to. Normally, Gwen would have been concerned about someone pointing a gun in her direction, but Harbinger had saved Glamour Girl’s life, and had helped them against the raven soldiers.

“They’re coming,” Lady Knight pointed out.

As the ravens came rushing down on them, Gwen braced herself to cast a spell, even though she wasn’t sure that she even had enough magical energy left. But as the first raven arrived, it flew right past all of them and directly into the portal. The second raven ignored them too, as did the third.

“They’re not fighting,” Gwen said in relief, letting out a faint sigh.

“I don’t think they can,” her father commented. “Without their queen, none of them has the strength to fight…even if they could escape the portal…”

Gwen watched the ravens being pulled into the portal and saw what her dad meant. Some of the ravens were flying straight into it, but most were trying to escape it, flying as hard as they could in the other direction, though it did no good. They fought, and they shrieked, and they flailed, but they were still pulled backwards into the portal where they vanished. The air was filled with a cacophony of their cries, making it difficult for Gwen to hear anything else.

For several minutes, Gwen watched the ravens with a morbid fascination, then she looked around at the other monsters who’d been surrounding them. To her surprise, they were no longer hiding near the surrounding buildings and lurking in shadows, they were coming out into the open…and dying. Something that looked like a bald and mangy lion staggered and collapsed to the ground, where his body quickly began to crumble to dust. All of the other monsters were doing the same thing.

When the ravens finally stopped pouring into the portal, there was a loud cracking sound as the stone arch shattered and crumbled. Gwen jumped in surprise, letting off a loud gasp as the entire arch imploded in a flash of red. A moment later, there was nothing but a small crater where the stone arch and portal had been.

“The portal is closed,” Gwen’s dad announced unnecessarily.

“Well, duh,” Counterweight commented wryly.

“But, Channel,” Gwen whispered with tears in her eyes.

“Channel sacrificed herself to stop the queen,” her father told her sadly. “She was a brave young woman…”

“She did it herself,” Glamour Girl said quietly. “This time, it wasn’t one of her spirits. It was all her.”

Poison bowed her head and said, “I’m sorry for her loss. But unfortunately, we can’t grieve just yet.” She looked directly at Gwen’s dad. “You said that only the ravens that the queen brought with would be pulled back. That means we still need to deal with Baron Nevermore…”

“Um,” Lady Knight said, holding her hand up a bit for attention. “I’m pretty sure that Baron Nevermore has already been dealt with. You know…sixth sense and all.”

Poison stared at her for a moment before nodding. “Maybe, but we still need to make sure.”

“I’ll open a doorway,” Gwen’s dad said with an exhausted sign. “But it looks like this is finally over…”

The woman in red and white armor carefully peered around the edge of the stone wall, scowling deeply in frustration. The heroes had created this wall to protect their camp during the battle, though she found that it was equally useful for hiding herself from their prying eyes.

Once, her name had been Megan Hayes, and she’d been a normal young woman…interested in attracting male attention, having fun with her friends, and making enough money to pay the bills. However, that had all changed when she’d met Ebon. The cat had opened her eyes to just how pitiful this life was, and had shown her the only thing that really mattered. Power. The more power one had, the less they could be controlled by others and the more they could exert their own will and desires. Power was everything.

Ebon had given her a taste of real power and a hunger for more. But now, Ebon had been taken from her by that hero, along with the power he provided. She could still feel Ebon through the link they shared, but it was faint and distant. And though she could sense that Ebon yet lived, she knew little more of his fate than that.

Still, the Scepter smiled, though it was a cold and bitter one. The heroes had underestimated her, thinking that without Ebon, she was completely helpless. It was true that she’d lost her power, but she still had a few tricks hidden within her armor, tricks that had allowed her to escape the shackles and cage that the heroes had locked her within. Now, while they were distracted, she was making her way to freedom.

“They will pay for this,” the Scepter promised herself. They would pay for taking Ebon away, for locking her in a cage, and especially, for humiliating her. “Oh yes, they will pay…” Of course, the Scepter had already made another promise to herself, one that would come before even her well-deserved vengeance. And with a snarl of fierce determination, she swore, “I will recover my power, no matter what it takes…”

The Scepter was going to reclaim her stolen power. She was going to become even more powerful than before. More powerful than Nevermore. And even more powerful than the Queen of Ravens. One day, the entire world would kneel at her feet.

“But for now,” she bitterly reminded herself, “I have to get away…”

The Scepter continued her escape, careful to not be seen by any of those self-righteous heroes, especially the ones who could fly. But then, she paused, seeing something sticking out of the ground. She reached down and picked it up, with a triumphant smile forming as she realized what she’d found.

“Loki’s staff,” the Scepter mused, looking at the black staff.

Loki had been a fool, and she felt little but contempt for him…her. However, Loki had also been a powerful fool, all because of this staff. This staff was a tool of immense power, and if it could be wielded by someone more competent than that idiot, then there was no telling what they could do.

Suddenly, the shaft of the staff began to shrink, becoming shorter and shorter. In mere seconds, the item in her hand looked less like a staff and more like a scepter. The Scepter smiled with a dark satisfaction, pleased that the staff seemed to acknowledge her as its new mistress.

For a brief moment, the Scepter was tempted to turn the power of her new weapon against the unsuspecting heroes, but she quickly restrained the impulse. As satisfying as might be, it would also be foolish. That was the kind of thoughtless action that Loki might perform. At the moment, she was far outnumbered and wielding a weapon that she had yet to even test. No, she would wait until she’d gathered more power, until she could crush her enemies with ease.

“I think it is time to rebuild the Black Guilt,” the Scepter mused aloud as a cruel smile formed on her lips. The Black Guild would give her a nice base of power. She stared at her new scepter for a moment with a hungry look, then commanded it, “Take me home.” A moment later, she vanished in a flash of red.

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

Sam sat in a chair, leaning forward her face resting in her hands. At the moment, she was exhausted, and not just physically. Emotionally, she was racked with guilt and grief.

“Channel,” she whispered with an ache in her heart. “I’m so sorry…”

When Sam had been given her powers, it had been for the purpose of fighting the darkness…of fighting the Queen of Ravens and her army. She’d thrown absolutely everything she had at the Queen of Ravens, but it hadn’t been enough. If she’d pushed a little harder…if she’d managed to take out the queen like she was supposed to, then Channel wouldn’t have had to do it for her. If she hadn’t failed, then her teammate and friend would still be alive.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Witch Girl said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “If you hadn’t stopped the Queen of Ravens when she started to go nova… If you hadn’t weakened her when you did, she would have killed all of us.”

“And if I’d done more,” Sam admitted, “then Channel wouldn’t have had to finish her…”

Sam looked up at her remaining teammates, who were sitting in chairs nearby. Nike, Zero Kay, and Chrome all had a number of minor injuries, but nothing too serious. Deadbeat had a new body, one that looked like it had belonged to some housewife. And for once, she wasn’t goofing off. She was just as quiet and somber as everyone else.

After the final battle, most of the heroes had returned to the base camp where they could debrief, rest, and get medical attention before returning home. However, even though they’d just saved the world from an invading army, the mood was quite dark. There had been too many deaths and injured.

Sam knew that they’d not only lost Channel, but also Icarus, Warchild, and Mannequin…and perhaps more. And that didn’t even count all of those who were seriously injured, some of whom would never be able to return to active duty.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Witch Girl told Sam again. “The only reason we were able to stop her was because you did your part…just like Channel did hers.” Sam looked Witch Girl in the eyes, realizing that the young hero was trying to convince herself of this as much as she was Sam. Sam could see the guilt reflected in her eyes.

“She was a hero,” Sam finally said, giving a forced smile.

Witch Girl nodded and returned to where the rest of Faction Zero was gathered. They were currently mourning their fallen leader, yet simultaneously celebrating the return of Circuit. Sam almost felt jealous of them, having one of their dead friends return, and she couldn’t help but being reminded of the fact that Circuit’s resurrection came about because of Channel.

After watching Faction Zero and the reunion with Circuit, Sam looked over to the Guard, or what remained of them. They’d lost Warchild and Mannequin, while Interface was in critical condition and Radiant was probably blinded for life. Diamond was the only one left, and was sitting by herself in the corner. And though Sam knew that they had a couple of reserve members who’d been left behind, she didn’t know if the group would even still exist after this.

And then, there were the Crusaders, or at least that was what she heard them calling themselves. Counterweight, Kaboom, and Catalyst were all injured, though they seemed in fairly good spirits compared to most of the other heroes. After all, they hadn’t lost any members of their team. In fact, Dodger and Ladybug both seemed completely uninjured, though Ladybug’s armor was pretty banged up.

“Too bad Guardian Girl and Charger couldn’t be here,” Dodger said.

The others nodded agreement and Kaboom said, “Damn, I really miss Kyle.”

“Me too,” Catalyst admitted.

“Then, to Charger,” Ladybug said, raising a can of diet Coke in a toast. “He was a worthy foe, and I imagine a good friend.”

“To Charger,” the rest agreed, holding up their own cans of soda or bottles of water.

Sam was startled to see that one the Sanction members who was standing near the Crusaders, turned and gave them a curious look. Harbinger was short and she didn’t look all that dangerous, but there was something about her that made Sam a bit nervous. A large part of it was the look in her eyes, which spoke of someone who could kill without hesitation. Unlike most of those present, Harbinger wasn’t a superhero. She was a soldier.

Harbinger was intimidating, but she’d also saved Sam’s life. Just when the Queen of Ravens had been about to kill Sam, Harbinger had taken her out, or at least, she’d removed the queen’s head. Sam would have nightmares about that moment for the rest of her life, but thanks to Harbinger, at least she’d have the chance.

“Excuse me,” Harbinger said to the Crusaders. “Who is this Charger?”

“A former team member,” Kaboom answered with a deep scowl. “He…quit the spandex business a couple years ago and joined the army. He…died a couple months ago…”

“The details are classified,” Dodger added with a look of disgust, “so even his family doesn’t know what happened…”

For a moment, Harbinger just stared at the young heroes, then she carefully said, “I knew someone with the call sign of Charger…who was killed in action a couple months ago. I believe, he was from the same area you operate out of…”

“Really?” Kaboom blurted out in surprise.

“Six foot one,” Harbinger offered. “Dark brown hair, fond of Dr. Pepper, and had the first name of Kyle.”

“That’s him,” Dodger gasped.

“You really knew Kyle?” Catalyst quickly asked.

Harbinger hesitated for a second before nodding. She glanced around her, then continued, “We served in the same unit. He was a good kid…a good soldier.” Then she paused with a strange expression passing over her face before adding, “I was there when he died.”

There were gasps from the Crusaders, who were all staring at Harbinger with looks of burning curiosity. They clearly expected her to tell them what happened to their friend, regardless of whether it was classified or not. And from the look on Harbinger’s face, it was just as clear that she was tempted.

“Maybe we can share stories over drinks sometime,” Harbinger finally said, giving them a faint smile. “I’ll bring the bourbon.”

Sam slowly stood up and rubbed her temples, deciding that she needed to get way from everyone for some fresh air. As she started to walk away from the gathering of people, she noticed Lady Knight, sitting in a chair between Velvet and Impact. She looked like she was asleep, with her head leaned over onto Impact’s shoulder.

“They’re too young for this kind of thing,” Sam said, pained to realize that those three kids were about the same age as her son Todd. She couldn’t imagine him fighting in this kind of situation, which made what they’d done all the more impressive…and disturbing.

Once Sam was out in the open, away from everyone else, she let out a sigh and stared up into the darkening sky. Stars were starting to come out, providing a beautiful scene that almost seemed wrong after all the horror she’d seen. However, it was relaxing, at least a little.

She tore her eyes from the sky and looked off in the distance, towards Baltimore, or at least what was left of it. From what she’d heard, the death toll was supposed to be at a couple thousand, though she tried not to think of that fact. The National Guard had arrived to take control of the city and help the survivors, but they had a lot of work ahead of them.

A few minutes later, Sam noticed that the White Knight and the Face had left the large grouping as well, apparently to have a private conversation. The two of them were far enough away that Sam didn’t feel like they were intruding on her privacy, at least not by much, but the wind carried their words to her.

“Its hard to believe,” the White Knight commented. “That we both have daughters who…changed.”

“That is quite a coincidence,” the Face responded in an even tone.

“In my case…two daughters,” the White Knight added a moment later, giving a forced chuckle. “Of course, I recently discovered that it runs in my family. Apparently, my father had been born female…”

“I knew that there were two gender changes within my own team,” the Face admitted, “but I had no idea that there were so many others.”

The White Knight nodded at that. “It is surprising. Extremely so. What are the odds that there were so many gender changes within our small community…and that of the two dozen that showed up…only two changed from female to male?”

“That we know of,” the Face pointed out in a strange tone. “For all we know, there may be others that we still aren’t aware of.”

“True,” the White Knight agreed. “It boggles the mind.”

There was a long pause before the Face said, “All those gender changes, and nearly all of them male to female… This is more than just coincidence.”

The White Knight turned to stare at him, his voice sharpening as he demanded. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean,” the Face answered carefully, “is that the odds are extremely unlikely. I believe that there is another factor at play. One that we aren’t yet aware of.”

“Impossible,” the White Knight blurted out, looking and sounding shocked. “How…?”

The Face shook his head. “I don’t know who or what is responsible, and that worries me a great deal.”

The White Knight let out a sigh, then admitted, “Now you have me worried…”

Sam hadn’t intended to eavesdrop on their conversation, but the topic was very personal to her so she hadn’t been able to help herself. She’d been rather shocked upon discovering just how many of the heroes had changed genders, the same way that she did when she used her powers, but she hadn’t given it much thought until now.

It really did stretch believability that so many heroes had switched like that. And like the Face said, almost all of them had been male to female…like herself.

“Not to mention the villains,” she mused, thinking of Nevermore, Circuit Monger, the Sinner, and Loki. The Scepter didn’t count since she had just taken the original’s name, but the numbers were surprising. “What the hell is going on?”

But as interesting as this line of thinking would normally be, Sam was too distracted to really give it much more thought. Instead, she looked back up at the sky, and tears ran down her cheeks as she thought of her fallen teammate and friend.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t good enough,” Sam whispered. “I’m sorry that you paid for it.” Then, she choked, and barely managed to finish, “Rest in peace, Julie.”

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

It was late afternoon as the 8-year-old girl sloshed through the swampy area behind her parents’ house. Heather was annoyed by how wet and muddy her shoes currently were, but she couldn’t do anything about that yet, not until she found her prize.

Just yesterday, Heather’s brother Nick had captured a frog, and he’d been bragging about it ever since. There was no way that Heather could let this continue, so she was determined to find her own frog, one that was even bigger and more impressive than the one Nick had.

Just then, Heather suddenly noticed a large black bird, which was perched on an old stump. It looked like a crow, but was bigger than any crow that she had ever seen.

“Hello, mister bird,” Heather said, deciding that a giant crow would be even more impressive than any frog. “I won’t hurt you…”

Heather slowly moved closer to the bird, talking in a gentle voice as she did so. The bird watched her as though it understood what she was saying. And for a brief moment, Heather almost had the feeling that it was about to speak to her. Then without warning, the bird abruptly flapped it’s wings and flew away.

“Darn,” Heather muttered in disappointment. However, that was quickly forgotten as she heard a frog croaking in the distance. With an excited grin, Heather started in that direction, calling out, “Oh mister frog…”

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…?”

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

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