Todd drove away in a hurry. There were even more checkpoints manned by the cops—hastily set up throughout the day—and now even the soldiers from Olympus had boots on the ground, some of them were Knights decked out in bleeding-edge silver gear from the Fat Man himself. No doubt about it, this was a manhunt in a thin disguise. He hid his car in one of Colchis’s many back alleys to catch his breath.

Why was GalvanGal sent to their home? Was that some kind of threat? That kind of firepower is way overkill for some scrubs. There is nothing he could do to even scratch her. He even left Kenny there. At Kenny’s signal but still.

There was nothing he could do about GalvanGal but would it have gone any differently if they sent someone else? They could fight a little, but they would have to run soon after anyways. Between the occupying army, Garrick’s drones, and GalvanGal’s speed, there was no escape once the Pantheon sets its eyes on you.

Which begs the question of how Todd has not been caught yet. That’s… a good question, actually.

That’s when he finally noticed it in his rearview mirror.

“Isn’t it weird how many alleyways this city has,” a bass, metallic voice emanated from a solid green head with baleful yellow eyes, “this is pretty criminogenic design. In fact, I think there’s an indian burial ground nearby.”

Todd flung himself out of the driver seat door, tumbling onto the pavement and scrambling up and out of the alley nearly crashing into the pedestrians on the sidewalk. Now, on foot, he trudged through the dense human foliage of the urban jungle, looking over his shoulder every step of the way for the predators on the prowl.

The enemies were definitely laying traps and watching from the shadows and heights for their prey. All the people around him could be plants themselves. Staying in one place for more than a second would allow more to converge on him. So he kept moving. Where he was moving to didn’t really occur to him, just away from where he was at that moment. Though the heavy winds should have been cooling him down, his clothes were drenched with sweat.

He crossed the road stuffed with cars frozen in back-to-back traffic and ended up at the again park before he knew it.

Todd kept his head down, occasionally bumped into people as he lumbered forward, and glanced from one corner of his eyes to the other. They were everywhere and getting closer. A hand clasped on Todd’s shoulder but Todd swatted it away with a flare of flame and then ran off without looking. His ears were filled with glitched heartbeats. His body turned into a furnace that emitted pixel embers.

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Plainclothes already on site began to evacuate the park with the more stubborn among the attendees convinced by the arrival of soldiers. With civilians out of the way, those on the ground formed an enclosing circle around the park. Those on the buildings took aim at the target. Saber Drones monitored the situation from above with broadswords prepped for launch.

Todd arrived at the statue in the center of the park. Already there were Knights entrenched a distance behind the statue. Their guns drooled icy vapor. Others were arriving from the sides, taking up positions among the low walls and playgrounds.

A voice called out from behind and he spun around. Max Force came forward with his own gun tight-lipped at his hip and his hands up. More soldiers set up behind him and now even the drones were here.

Whatever Max was saying, Todd was not listening. There was nowhere left to run. At best, they would take him to turn into another one of their thugs; at worst, they would take him to Tartarus and turn him into a lab rat. The heat from him now caused a haze of compression. They already took Kenny by now. Todd ran away while his own brother was kidnapped. Everything up to now has been a waste of time. He knew that with or without powers he might always live as a coward. His hands ignited.

The sparks were blown up and lit the drapery of the statute behind him, making it look as if the man of stone was charging into an inferno. There was nowhere left to run. All that was left was to do and die. Todd’s life was dry tinder; now was the chance to set it ablaze.

“This doesn’t seem very heroic,” said a metallic voice that only Todd found familiar. Todd, and every gun in the park, turned to face it. A man in a green mask that had glowing yellow eyes and wore brown body armor was holding up a green, leather trench coat. The coat’s edges were swaying as if the coat should be carried by the wind but something in the interior, besides his hand, was weighing it down. “Surrounding a scared child, with advanced weapons and invincible armor seems… craven, yeah, craven works.”

“Drop the coat and show your hands!” shouted Max. All the heat from Todd’s Body dissipated and only cinders remained of his flame. He stumbled backward into the fountain where the statute of The Hero was pushing against the ever-raging blaze.

“Sure thing, Cap’n.”

When it was let go, the coat was carried by the wind and his hand had multiple pins on each gloved finger. A flush of smoke filled the park which blocked even the aerial view of the drones and snipers. With how it was blanketing the area, the good captain ordered everyone to hunker in place rather than scatter all at once. On his left, time stopped for a moment as Max’s eyes met with his.

The glowing gold shone clearly at Max, his scales and claws tearing through the smoke, with the rest of his body obfuscated. In the next moment of his dash, he disappeared… toward the kid. The drones came down to help blow the stuff away by using their own propulsion engines as fans. By the time the smoke cleared, they were both gone.

The statue was the only thing that Max could see. With the drapery on the sword burnt off. it was just a doddering hunk of rock that screamed at nothing. Max had to be shaken out of his contemplation to answer a question: just who was that?