MIRA

I ducked under the arc of Black Phoenix's fireball and took a general swing, hoping to hit any of the three villains. They all scattered back, Dr. Electra moving to protect her machine.

Black Phoenix tilted her head, this way and that. "Fine. We do this the hard way, then."

Her hands erupted into flames as she ran at me, the fire dancing around her arms like bracelets.

I ducked and dodged, skirting back as I tried to formulate a plan, to figure out what to do now that the element of surprise had been lost.

My friends would make it to the elevator soon enough, and they needed me to distract Titanio at the very least.

But if I could take him out of commission, that would be better. . .

I stopped, close to the edge of the rooftop—I'd let Black Phoenix back me up a little too far. I saw her charging at me, my pulse thundering in my chest as I tightened my grip on the baseball bat. Then I stepped out of the way, letting her plummet towards the cop cars surrounding the building. Gunshots rang out—but they didn't hit Black Phoenix, as I realized when I looked over the edge.

No, she had used the propulsion of her fire to fly and was heading right back up.

"Oh, come on," I muttered, backing away as Black Phoenix shot up over the rooftop.

This was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

I dodged fireballs raining from around me as I made my way to Titanio, only to end up flung to the ground by a red energy blast.

"That's got a kick," I muttered as I got back up and scrambled to grab my baseball bat.

Sure, I'd learned to fight without weapons. But if there was one thing I'd learned from that first fight with Glitch and Dr. Electra's minions down in her lair, it was that weapons were the greatest equalizers.

My fingers closed around the bat as Black Phoenix descended gracefully onto the rooftop.

I glanced between her and Titanio—Black Phoenix wasn't the one who could stop my friends from coming if he really wanted to, with those red energy things.

Besides, maybe if I had him distracted, maybe he wouldn't turn off my friends' powers..

I did a feint like I was about to go for Black Phoenix, but whirled around and swung at Titanio. He raised his hands to his face and the bat collided with his shoulder—

Only for it to bounce off harmlessly, like it was a pillow.

I realized with sickening dread that I had no idea what I was dealing with, when it came to Dark Titan's son. Whatever his second and/or third sets really were, I couldn't hope to win against him.

Not without my powers, at least.

That was the only thing that could even the playing field.

But I couldn't even begin to ponder the full power wielded by this teen villain wannabe.

I turned just in time and brought my bat with me, landing a hit right in Black Phoenix's abdomen.

She went flying back, hitting the ground with a thud. The fireball she'd been aiming for me sailed harmlessly over my shoulder, colliding with Titanio.

For a few seconds, I smelled smoke and burning flesh and I was brought back to the Winter Festival.

Titanio hissed distorted curses as the fire just stopped.

Was he canceling Black Phoenix's powers, just then?

I could hear Black Phoenix groaning behind me. Before I had to worry about Round 2, however, I heard the ringing of the elevator.

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My shoulders slumped. In relief—but only for a second.

Because I hadn't distracted Titanio enough— the baseball bat fell from my hand and I went flying into the air, bound by red simmering energy.

As did the rest of my friends.

Tristan tried to open his portals—but he couldn't. Claire couldn't manipulate the energy, and I'd never seen Henry so powerless.

Heretic glared at Titanio with blazing eyes that made even me falter.

"Thank you, Titanio," Dr. Electra murmured in her nasally voice. "Heretic—I should ave known that you would find a way to meddle in this one more time."

"He's too far gone if he's working with you," Heretic snarled, struggling against the red energy shining brighter as it struggled to contain her. "I won't let you do this to this city."

"Like you don't want to burn it all down," Dr. Electra scoffed. "Like you aren't just like me after all these years."

"I'm not like you." Heretic stopped struggling. "I never wanted to hurt innocent people like you did."

"That secretary at City Hall wasn't an innocent?" Dr. Electra stepped closer to Heretic. "That girl you took on as an apprentice, wasn't she an innocent?"

"I didn't kill either of them." Heretic's voice was quiet, like the snow falling around us.

"Keep telling yourself that." Dr. Electra turned to Henry—and I couldn't help myself, as she reached out to him.

"Don't touch him!"

She paused, looking back to me. Her expression was indecipherable, especially with her turquoise goggles.

I kicked and tried to break free—but I couldn't. And yet, I couldn't help but try, even as Dr. Electra just shrugged and returned her attention to Henry.

Her fingers brushed against his cheek and he flinched.

"My one creation," Dr. Electra murmured. She then reached for the ray-gun at her belt and turned a dial, flicked a switch. She raised the end to Henry's forehead. "You won't be getting away from me again."

I screamed as Henry crumpled to the ground, set free from Titanio's control. I began to thrash wildly in Titanio's telekinetic grip—so wildly, that it took me a moment to register it when I plummeted to the ground and time slowed all around me.

Titanio's mask covered his mouth and nose—but I could see him reaching there all the same. I remembered that in training that happened to Verity when she overstretched her abilities. It was just another form of power fatigue.

And I'd grown too strong to control.

I could run to Henry—but then I saw it. The rise and fall of his chest.

She'd just knocked him unconscious.

He'd live.

Relief surged through me—and I looked to Dr. Electra's machine.

I knew what to do. It was in the blink of an eye for everyone else. I shot my hand out and let my rage fuel me, the horrible things that Dr. Electra had done to the only person who helped me find out the truth.

I let out another primal scream and the metal twisted in and on itself, destroying all the meticulously-crafted electronics and delicate parts on the inside. Now all that remained of years of work was a sculpture of sparking metal.

"NO!" Dr. Electra rushed to the side of the machine, Henry forgotten as he stirred. She turned to me, fire in her eyes. "You— you—"

She looked up to the sky—the dome of green energy had dissipated entirely.

Titanio looked worried, exchanging a glance with a cool and unperturbed Black Phoenix.

"Looks like the boss is gonna need back-up." Black Phoenix nodded—and she and Titanio took off. They flew into the night sky towards City Hall.

The others crashed onto the roof as Dr. Electra dropped to her knees by her machine.

I ran to Henry, not caring how much of my power I used up needlessly. I had to know that he was alright.

He blinked up at me with dazed hazel eyes, his movements glacially-slow.

Still, he was awake and alive.

I embraced him, unable to restrain myself.

He let out a little groan and I let go, and instead helped him sit up.

"Thanks, Mira."

He then looked to Dr. Electra and went completely rigid and pale.

Dr. Electra finally tore her attention away from her machine and pulled her ray-gun—but not on me and Henry. It was aimed above us.

I followed its aim to see that Heretic had also drawn hers. The two women had their creations pointed at each other, like an old-fashioned duel.

"It's time to stop, Dr. Watson." Heretic didn't sound angry—just tired. "It's over now."

Dr. Electra shook her head as she stood. "My time hasn't come yet."

Heretic said nothing—instead, she let the sound of her ray gun do the talking for her.

Henry buried his face in his shoulder, and I closed my eyes. I couldn't see another death, not again. Too much Mutated blood had been spilled for Atomic Energy.

I heard her fall to the ground.

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. Luckily, Heretic had decided on eye-for-an-eye, or so it seemed. The rise and fall of Dr. Electra's chest confirmed that she was only unconscious, not dead.

Heretic pulled a pair of silver cuffs and attached one to Dr. Electra's wrist, the other to her machine.

"The cops will be coming up soon enough, once the rest of the team finishes up with her minions." Heretic paused.

"You didn't kill her." I got to my feet, offering Henry a hand.

"There are some lines that I don't cross, not unless I have to." Heretic held the ray gun up to her eyes, examining it and turning it over in her hands. "I didn't have to kill today."

I nodded. Then I remembered the more urgent problem.

"We need to get to City Hall—we've got a big problem," I pointed out.

"Hang on, I'll get us there right quick." Tristan made a wide sweeping motion, and the portal appeared.

This was it, I knew it as the others stepped through.

It was the last fight of this war against Tenebrous—and the beginning of one against Atomic Energy.

I looked back to Dr. Electra one last time. The evils of the city were so intertwined all along. To defeat one, the other had to go too.

It was almost funny, how Atomic Energy would try to kill me for doing exactly what they raised me to do.