The TV flickered to life, but it wasn’t the usual coverage of devastation that caught her attention—it was the drone footage on the screen. Her fork hovered above her plate as she leaned in closer, eyes widening in disbelief.
The footage zoomed in on a figure—Metal Bat Wonder—swooping through the sky with breathtaking precision. His futuristic black and red armor gleamed under the dim light of the distant moon, the bat-like wings on his back retracting as he darted forward at supersonic speed. The camera struggled to keep up as he shot through the sky, leaving a shockwave in his wake.
“Holy...,” Alexia muttered, sitting up straighter on the couch. The power radiating off the screen was undeniable. Metal Bat Wonder was no ordinary hero. He was something else entirely—controlled fury wrapped in high-tech genius.
As the footage slowed down, Alexia watched with awe as he descended towards a colossal undead ogre that towered over the houses like a walking mountain. The ogre’s massive feet crushed everything in its path, its roars shaking the ground beneath it. But Metal Bat Wonder was unfazed. He flew in with precision, his mechanical chains glowing an ominous red as he whipped them through the air. The chains snaked around the ogre’s gargantuan body, wrapping it in a binding grip that looked unbreakable.
Then, with a single, effortless pull, Metal Bat Wonder lifted the beast off the ground. The footage zoomed out, capturing the mind-boggling sight of the ogre being hauled into the sky as if it weighed nothing at all. Higher and higher it went, disappearing into the atmosphere until the drone lost sight of it. For a moment, the screen was filled with only clouds.
Alexia’s eyes were glued to the TV, her heart pounding. “He’s taking it to space,” she thought, barely able to believe what she was seeing.
But it wasn’t over. The camera quickly cut back to Metal Bat Wonder as he dove towards the ground again, his wings expanding with a hiss. From the edge of the screen, a blazing fireball shot toward him, massive and crackling with energy.
Alexia gasped. "Oh no—look out!"
The fireball collided with Metal Bat Wonder, sending him to the ground, enveloping him in a cloud of thick, black smoke. For a tense moment, the screen was filled with nothing but the billowing smoke, and Alexia's fingers gripped the edge of the couch.
Then, the smoke began to clear.
Metal Bat Wonder stood there, completely unscathed. His force field shimmered briefly before fading, leaving him unharmed and unfazed. In his hand, he held a sleek helmet that seemed to hum with energy. In front of him, a necromancer was unleashing dark energy, its twisted form surrounded by a sickly green aura. But Metal Bat Wonder didn’t hesitate.
“A helmet? Is that some kind of silencing tech?” Alexia muttered to herself, impressed.
The drone footage zoomed in as the helmet suddenly sprang to life, shooting toward the necromancer. His dark robes fluttered in the wind as it began to cast another spell, but it was too late. The helmet latched itself to his face with a resounding clank, silencing it mid-chant.
Alexia couldn’t help but grin. “That’s one way to shut them up.”
Metal Bat Wonder wasted no time. With blinding speed, he dashed forward, closing the distance between him and the now-helpless necromancer. His hand shot out, grabbing the necromancer by the back of the neck. Without a word, he launched himself into the sky once more, dragging the silenced sorcerer with him, the pair of them rocketing upward at impossible speeds.
Alexia let out a low whistle. “Wow.”
The TV anchor’s voice broke through her reverie, giving details about the operation. Metal Bat Wonder had neutralized two threats in under ten minutes—saving an entire suburb from destruction and preventing any further loss of life.
Alexia shook her head, still buzzing from the action on the screen. "I mean... that was on a whole other level," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. "I should’ve opened the window to witness it live." She glanced toward the window, half-regretting not catching a glimpse of Metal Bat Wonder in action right next to her house.
Her tablet buzzed, and Clayton’s name flashed across the screen. She answered the video call, still grinning from ear to ear.
“Did you see that?” Clayton's voice came through, excited and breathless. “He was so cool!”
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“Yeah,” Alexia laughed, “it’s the most badass thing I’ve seen my entire life.”
“I know, right?!” Clayton’s eyes lit up with excitement, practically bouncing in his seat.
“It’s ten times better than just sealing it,” Alexia continued, shaking her head in disbelief. “Freya’s sealing technique was out of this world, but this? Throwing them both into space? That’s peak heroism.”
“I’m jealous you got to witness both of them,” Clayton teased, a smirk on his face.
Alexia was about to respond when the TV program switched back to the newsroom. The footage faded into a live interview at the Hero Association HQ. Both of them quieted down, their attention drawn to the screen.
The lively, upbeat voice of the hero Infinite Arsenal filled the room. He stood in front of a crowd of reporters, looking as casual as ever in his high-tech armor, giving a reassuring smile. "Citizens, I know you're all on edge with ‘the invasion’, but trust me when I say this—you can relax. My buddy, Metal Bat Wonder, has found a better way to deal with the necromancers. It’s a pretty simple solution, really—just throw 'em into space!"
He chuckled, holding up the helmet that Metal Bat Wonder had used to silence the necromancer. "See this bad boy right here? This is what stops 'em from casting their spells. It latches right onto their faces, shuts 'em up good, and then—whoosh—off to space they go. Now, I am pretty sure the space would kill them instantly, you know, sun rays, but if not, they’ll be drifting out there indefinitely, far from causing any more trouble down here."
The crowd murmured as cameras flashed. Infinite Arsenal gave the helmet a little spin, clearly enjoying the attention. "And the best part? Every hero is being handed one of these now. So if you see another necromancer, don’t worry, we’ve got them under control. Just think of it as a one-way ticket to the stars!"
Alexia glanced at Clayton on the call, raising an eyebrow. “You hearing this? It’s actually genius.”
Clayton chuckled. “Absolutely! Oh Alex, this is one of the guys that saved you, right?”
“Yeah,” Alexia said, leaning back, “but he was different when I saw him. Way more serious. I actually thought he was an old man.”
“Old man? He’s only, what, 19? Pretty sure.” Clayton leaned closer to his screen, his tone teasing.
Alexia laughed, shaking her head. “Nineteen?!. Well … Regardless, All these heroes that can fly are about to be crazy busy though.”
“Oh, for sure. You can bet they're going to be swamped the next few days.”
“Speaking of,” Alexia said, sitting up a little, “his armor kinda looked similar to Metal Bat Wonder’s. There any story there?”
“Yeah, actually,” Clayton said, grinning. “Metal Bat Wonder’s his mentor. They used to go on missions together back in the day, but now he’s good enough to handle solo ops. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Really? Metal Bat Wonder mentoring the kid. I gotta say, that armor’s killer. You think Metal Bat Wonder could ever take down Sunstriker?”
Clayton paused, considering. “Hmm, that’s tough. Maybe. But I doubt we’ll ever find out. They’re brothers, after all. Cassian and Anthony Kane.”
“Wait, they’re brothers? Then why does Metal Bat Wonder need all that armor? Shouldn’t he have powers like Sunstriker?”
“Well,” Clayton explained, “Cassian was adopted. Anthony is just a human, but don’t let that fool you—he’s still the smartest guy on the planet, and he’s got billions of credits to his name.”
Alexia let out a low whistle. “Man, I had no idea. I guess if you don’t have powers, a genius-level brain and unlimited funds are a pretty good backup.”
Clayton grinned. “Yup, can’t really go wrong when you’re practically a tech god with a bank account to match.”
***
The suburban calm that followed the chaos of the night was almost eerie. The undead ogres were no longer a threat—at least, for now—since the necromancer had been dealt with. Metal Bat Wonder’s impressive takedown left nothing but silence in its wake. Nothing stirred, except for the evacuation teams working their way through the neighborhood, helping those who had lost their homes to the colossal ogre. It was a relief that no lives had been lost, only two houses reduced to rubble. Property damage was fixable; people were not.
After a good night's sleep, Alexia woke up feeling strangely restless. Once she finished her morning routine—coffee, steaks, a quick stretch, and some TV—boredom crept in. She sighed, glancing at the security monitor that showed her yard and the street beyond. Everything looked normal. For once, no immediate threat to her safety loomed outside.
“Guess it's time to catch some sun,” she muttered to herself, out of nowhere.It had been a while since she’d indulged in something so... normal.
She changed into her bikini, threw open the fortified door, and stepped out into the sunlight. The warmth immediately wrapped around her, soothing and peaceful. She set up a mat on the front lawn, feeling the grass beneath her feet. As she lay down, eyes closed, soaking up the rays, she let out a deep sigh, letting herself relax.
Every now and then, she could feel eyes on her. Some of the neighbors peeked through their windows, and a few had even ventured out to sunbathe themselves, cautious but craving the normalcy she was embracing. She chuckled to herself. They were all so paranoid, but who could blame them?
An hour passed in blissful quiet. The sun bathed her skin, and for once, it felt like things were returning to normal—no ogres, no necromancers, no world-ending chaos. Just a regular morning in a very irregular world.
Then, suddenly, her peace shattered.
A sharp, searing sensation flared behind her eyes, as if someone had lit a match inside her skull. She gasped, sitting up abruptly and pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes, trying to dull the pain. But the sensation only intensified. When she opened her eyes, the world around her seemed to twist.
Her vision was no longer normal. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her sight, but it only made things worse. One second, everything appeared in glowing, skeletal outlines—x-ray vision. The next, she saw heat signatures, glowing bodies moving in the houses around her, their warmth cutting through the walls like transparent layers. She shut her eyes again, but when she reopened them, her vision zoomed uncontrollably, focusing in on tiny details—a crack in the pavement across the street, a bug crawling up a tree trunk yards away.
“What... Oh no, not again!” she muttered, panic edging her voice.
She stood up shakily, hands gripping her temples as her mind struggled to make sense of what her eyes were doing. She blinked again, the zooming sensation disorienting, flipping between all the different spectrums of light—infrared, ultraviolet, even something she couldn’t name. The intensity was overwhelming.
Neighbors were staring now, their eyes wide with concern, though Alexia could see their entire skeletal frames, like she was looking through them.
Alexia groaned in frustration, trying to regain control. As her vision flickered between spectrums, a sudden thought jolted her memory—Freya’s gift.
"Of course," she muttered to herself. Freya had given her something for situations like this. Alexia quickly pressed the tip of her ring finger.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, almost as if a switch had flipped, her vision snapped back to normal. The burning sensation in her eyes subsided instantly, leaving behind a dull ache but nothing unbearable. She blinked a few times to make sure it had truly worked.
“Thank the Goddess!,” she whispered, letting out a deep breath.
Looking around, she noticed her neighbors were still staring, concerned and a bit unsettled. Quickly pulling herself together, she forced a smile, raising her hand in a casual wave.
“Sorry, folks! Just a really bad headache. You know how it is.” She laughed lightly, trying to play it off.