Aurumite surveyed the Vanguard Headquarters. It was easily one of the most well defended places in the world. Not that many villains had much of a reason to test those defenses. Even among the greatest heroes of his age, Aurumite could only worry.

When Vanguard Squad had first apprehended the adventurers, the adventurers had submitted themselves to Aurumites authority. At the time, the adventurers had claimed that Vanguard Squad wasn't evil. During the trial one of the adventurers, Claire, Aurumite remembered, asked when evil people were going to be put on trial and pointed to Battle Crow.

Battle Crow hadn't been seen in weeks.

"You're sure that you can't at least look for him?" Aurumite asked.

"I'm not going to scan the thoughts of an entire country to find one person," Brain Wave said, "And, Battle Crow always wears a helmet that blocks telepathic readings."

"Right," Aurumite grumbled. Battle Crow had always been one of the best inventors in the field of superhero gear, and until now Aurumite hadn't really questioned it. It was also normal for Battle Crow to be missing for multiple weeks or even months at a time, and Aurumite hadn't questioned that either.

"What has you worried?" Brain Wave asked, "The Interlopers were put away."

There was also that name, The Interlopers. The adventurers had never given any sort of team name, but Aurumite knew that the P.R. team that worked with Vanguard Squad could have easily given the adventurers a name fitting name. Aurumite had no idea where that name, The Interlopers, had even come from.

“I’m just worried about him,” Aurumite said. Battle Crow was present with the rest of Vanguard Squad during the adventurers’ trial, and while Aurumite had first thought that Battle Crow was present when Vanguard Squad was deployed to capture the adventurers, he knew that Battle Crow could remotely pilot his planes. If what the adventurers said was true, then how many more of these shapeshifters were there?

“If what the adventurers said was true” led Aurumite down a host of dark roads, doing little more than asking questions Aurumite had no way to answer.

He needed a plan, but how does someone track down one of the most elusive superheroes in the world? That actually gave Aurumite an idea. He just needed to hire one of the most elusive detectives in the world, Stone Cutter.

“I’m going out on patrol,” Aurumite lied, a lie told so poorly that Brain Wave could probably see it on his face without needing to read his thoughts.

Thankfully, Aurumite did have a way to contact Stone Cutter. The Vanguard Squad had been given a phone that would call a number, and Stone Cutter had some way of detecting that call to call the Vanguard Squad. Stone Cutter had also told the members of Vanguard Squad, that the phone was rigged to self-destruct if anyone tried to look at the phone’s code or if the phone was used three times.

Flying out over King’s Head, Aurumite turned the phone on, and before he could even start the call. The phone rang.

“Aurumite of Vanguard Squad,” Aurumite said, “How did you get this number?”

“This is Stone Cutter,” Stone Cutter said, “I have critical information.”

“Is this line secure?” Aurumite asked.

“No,” Stone Cutter said, “Meet me at the corner of Park Street and Vines, I’ll explain more there.”

It was a deadrop, Aurumite knew. Nobody, not even Vanguard Squad, knew who Stone Cutter actually was. Aurumite did a lap around King’s Head, stopping crimes where he saw them, before returning to headquarters to change into civilian clothes.

The corner of Park Street and Vines was a city park, and a fairly nice park set in uptown King’s Head. birds chirped and wind swept through the grass as people relaxed and tried to forget just how close Castle Gorestrike was. Aurumite had always loved taking some time to relax on a park bench and watch the world go by, but superhero work left very little space for personal time. Aurumite sat down on a bench by the corner of Park Street and Vines, casually casing the place. There was no box set quietly beneath the tree next to him, and nothing but a few bits of litter, which Aurumite dutifully picked up, underneath the trash can to his right. And nothing resting underneath his bench. He had waited fifteen minutes before heading to Park Street, the usually amount of time it took for Stone Cutter to set up a dead drop. Aurumite ran his hand under the bench seat, finally feeling tape holding something, and let out a sigh of relief that he didn’t have to dig through the trash can.

It was a smartphone. Powering the thing on, Aurumite found no contacts, no call history, to save pictures, and extra apps installed. There was a single video, nothing else. Wandering to somewhere more secluded, Aurumite played the video.

“Aurumite,” it was the rough, digital voice of Stone Cutter, speaking over a black background, “I have grave news. The manifested put on trial and apprehended by Vanguard Squad were telling the truth. They were hunting and killing shapeshifting creatures, creatures that can perfectly mimic human behavior. I have no idea how deep this goes, but the implications are clear. You can trust no one. I am risking a lot just trusting you. You do not know who you can trust, take extreme caution when handling this information. I have one recording that proves the convicts right. Watch.”

The screen shifted to Gargoyle’s bodycam, the night was dark as Gargoyle leapt across rooftops to press a police officer for information, a police officer that Aurumite realized he recognized. The officer’s body contorted and twisted in inhuman ways, turning into a thin, oily human shape.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

They were telling the truth.

The adventurers were telling the truth.

The way they talked, Aurumite thought that the adventurers were the sort of people who couldn’t lie, but they just sounded so crazy.

If only he had believed them sooner.

Aurumite walked down the street, looking somewhere he could change back into his superhero costume, when he spotted Battle Crow.

Aurumite looked at Battle Crow, and Battle Crow stared through his helmet.

The message was clear. They needed to talk. Aurumite strode down the alley, his normally calm, jovial face slowly twisting into a grimace. Battle Crow had pushed for more bureaucracy for Vanguard Squad, limited their ability to act when other vigilantes could act freely. Putting limitations and restraints on Vanguard Squad in the name of public safety, of preserving an image.

Battle Crow had argued that Vanguard Squad shouldn’t move against Castle Gorestrike.

Battle Crow had done everything he could to keep Vanguard Squad from fighting villains, and to Aurumite’s rising fury he had mostly agreed with him.

“John,” Battle Crow said.

“You know me?” Aurumite asked.

“I know a lot of people,” Battle Crow said, “What are you doing? You’re supposed to be-”

“I’m through listening to you,” Aurumite said, “You’re one of them. The shapeshifters.”

“There is no evidence of shape-” Battle Crow said.

“Stone Cutter gave me the information I needed,” Aurumite said.

“Stone Cutter was always too smart for her own good,” Battle Crow seethed, “There’s no stopping this.”

“Were we ever friends?” Aurumite demanded, “Years working side by side, did that ever mean anything? Did you ever care?”

“John,” Stone Cutter said, shaking his head, “Now isn’t the time or the place.”

Battle Crow pressed a button on his wrist, and the building next to him exploded. A three story tall robot tore through the brick wall, grabbed Aurumite, and flug him through the air.

“Killanators War Engine?” Aurumite breathed, a salvo of missiles crashing into him and Aurumite flashed with golden light. The missiles were blasted apart by Aurumite’s golden aura, shredding his civilian clothes and revealing Aurumite’s red and gold superhero costume.

Giant thrusters sent the robot hurtling after Aurumite, the robot’s giant metal fist denting inward as Aurumite charged forward to meet the threat. Battle Crow flew up to join Aurumite, launching a small rocket barrage at the mecha.

He was making a show of helping, Aurumite realized, blasting apart one of the robot’s thrusters with a blast of golden light.

“You’re endangering civilians!” Battle Crow barked, “We don’t want this falling on the city!”

Battle Crow was right, as much as Aurumite hated it. He needed to get this thing-

The robot’s chest opened, firing a lance of burning energy at Aurumite and sending the superhero hurtling across the country. It wasn’t a new model of Killinator’s War Engine, Aurumite realized, righting himself in midair.

Battle Crow built that.

The air screamed as the robot flew after Aurumite. Aurumite unleashed a barrage of golden energy, only for turrets on the machine to intercept each bolt. Aurumite flew in to fight the robot hand to giant, metal hand, and the robot’s arm snapped forward, catching Aurumite in a crushing grip. Aurumite ripped his arms free, and felt a stabbing pain in his stomach. The close range meant the turrets couldn’t intercept Aurumite’s golden bolts, and the superhero quickly blasted a burning hole in the robot, leaving glowing metal from the shoulders up.

The giant robot fell away, crashing into the abandoned town beneath the superhero.

Something was wrong. Aurumite didn’t feel exhausted, didn’t feel injured, he just felt tired. His hand brushed his stomach, and Aurumite winced as his fingers touched a stab wound. It was a small, innocuous wound. Closer to being jabbed by a needle than stabbed by a spike.

“Oh,” Aurumite said, the ground rushing up to meet him as darkness closed in.

Aurumite woke up. He was hanging from metal restraints that fully covered his hands and feet. Dim, red lights illuminated a host of electronics, computers, vehicles, suits of power armor.

“Raven base?” Aurumite asked, a bit of a slur in his speech.

“Indeed,” Battle Crow said, striding out of the darkness.

“What’s going to happen to me?” Aurumite asked.

“I find it interesting,” Battle Crow said, “You asked me if our friendship ever meant anything. A long time ago, I was asked what I would to save my people and I truthfully said I would do whatever it takes. When I first met you, I thought you were an idealistic fool. When I worked with you, I saw just how much you believed in your ideals. You sacrificed, inspired, fought, defended. You did everything it took to make your world a better place, and I respected you for it.”

“Are you going to kill me?” Aurumite asked.

Battle Crow knew he should. Aurumite was never going to have a place in the new world, and would likely be the last human left. He would live in eternal exile, wanted by no one and forced to live outside civilization. There was nothing Battle Crow could do about that, the most he could do was set up Aurumite as some sort of living exhibit, the last human of Earth to be taunted, laughed at, and mocked. If Aurumite lived, he would live a miserable existence.

And yet.

Battle Crow didn’t want to kill him. Maybe if Aurumite was angry, maybe if Aurumite spat and struggled with rage, Battle Crow would finish him off. As it stood, Aurumite just looked so- so defeated. Like he understood that everything he fought for, everything he built, was going to be destroyed.

“That is not my place to decide,” Battle Crow lied. He had killed dozens, if not hundred or thousands, of innocent people already. He said he would do whatever it took to save his people. “I need to go,” Battle Crow said, “If Stone Cutter gave you evidence, she left back ups somewhere.”

“Wait!” Aurumite yelled, “You said you needed to save your people, maybe humanity can help!”

Battle Crow paused for just a moment.

“There’s nothing you can do for us,” Battle Crow said, “It’s too late for both of us.”