It was good to be CEO.

Rocko leaned back in the oversized chair in their office. From here, they could watch the ship’s bridge below them, or any of the three big-screen monitors on their desk. Right now, one showed Marino, Fitch, and Brown fight a tide of super-bots—mostly Bruisers and Supports, but with a pair of the brand new Magical Girl variants in there. They were making a good show of it, and as Rocko watched, their mind raced with thoughts about the marketing.

This would be huge. It’d probably move the Network past the space opera films in the average weekly ratings. And all that would be good for Rocko Studios.

“Pataki, see if you can salvage any of their Costumes. We’ll recycle them later on new heroes, or dress the bots in them,” Rocko said over the intercom.

“You’ve got it,” Pataki replied. Rocko bared their teeth in a smile. Their subordinate was always on top of things, always willing to do the dirty work when needed.

The second monitor showed the Network’s stock value. It was a black line shooting straight up, as vertical as Rocko had ever seen in their career. A quintupling of value was unheard of—even from the other showmakers. Forget buying moons—Rocko Productions and the Network were gonna be picking up planets by the dozen!

And, on the last monitor, a single figure drifted through space, arms flailing more and more slowly as she froze over. Rocko barely spared that screen a glance. The two Magical Girl bots would make sure nothing was left of DuPont.

It had been tight, and some luck had been involved, but Rocko had led the Network down the exact right course to outmaneuver The Agent, reassert control over Earth, and even put this last-ditch rebellion down. They’d even managed to get rid of Snowball and Thornberry, cementing them as the sole power in the Network.

Sure, DuPont and Marino might not have been the most powerful heroes in the Network, but they were rising meteorically. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before DuPont was Number One, with Marino in the top ten—worldwide, not locally. If any other studio had lost its two best supers like this, it’d be finished. Look what had happened to Snowball and Cartman.

But Rocko Studios? No way. The Ilneat had invested too much into every possible future to lose just because some humans died, got bored, or retired. They had their fingers in every possible pie, to use the human phrase. When DuPont and Marino lost in their poor, rebellious teenaged attack on the Ilneats’ cruiser, none of it would be shown on Earth.

Everywhere else, but not Earth.

It’d position Rocko’s hero bots as the next big thing in Ilneat space, though. It might even replace the superhero genre completely. Then they could leave this frigid, backwater planet behind, and every Studio that wanted to make superhero shows would use their bots. Eliminate the competition and raise your own product. That was the way.

Yep. It was good to be—

Something flashed on the third monitor.

“DuPont’s trying Spotlight Star,” Rocko said under their breath. They pushed a button, and the feed appeared on all three screens. The flashing lights—without choral music in the void of space. The Costume working its way up her light-colored body in ultra-fast-forward as the rest of the battle froze for a second. And then, the hood.

Rocko watched. It wouldn’t matter. The hood wasn’t a helmet, and they knew DuPont’s Costume choices, her powers, her upgrades—everything. She had nothing that could possibly save her. Nothing.

The hood sealed over DuPont’s head, and two bright pink, star-shaped eyes started glowing where her eyes had been a moment before.

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

[HP 9/15]

[HP 8/15]

I spun out of control through space, the freezing cold competing with the scorching lack of air in my lungs. It was quiet—so quiet. The Ilneats’ cruiser was already fading into the distance, a hulking, reverse rubber-chicken shape half-eclipsing the Earth and moon.

[HP 7/15]

My superhero damage couldn’t take much more of this. No, I couldn’t take much more of this. Even though my HP was keeping me alive—barely—my vision was already going black. It was getting hard to think. Hard to feel. Just…hard…in general.

[HP 6/15]

Bee was on the ship. That was…good. She’d…be okay for now. And Mom and Dad. They’d miss me, but they’d understand. They’d have to; they…made me this way. And Mom…she’d especially get why I’d had to fight this…fight.

I didn’t want this to be the end. But…my brain felt slow. Like…trying to swim through butter…or something. That wasn’t quite right…but I couldn’t think of what was.

The pressure was getting to be a lot. At some point, it’d be too much. But I could….do something.

[HP 5/15]

Couldn’t I?

Sure. I started…going through my Costumes. Which one could save my life here? Lab Assistant, maybe…or Rainy Day?

[HP 4/15]

Then, as two metallic figures rocketed toward me, I realized…I didn’t have time, and I only had one transformation left for this act. I needed to use Spotlight Star. Even if I…needed it later. There wouldn’t be…a later if I didn’t use it now.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I used [Quick-Time Change] before another point of HP could disappear. The quick fanfare of jubilant choral music was strangely missing in the silence of space, though the quick light show happened just like normal as my Understudy Costume traded up for the medieval-inspired Spotlight Star one. The hood buckled over my head, covering me from scalp to chin.

Then—miraculously—it closed over my face.

[Flashy Fitting-Room! +1 Flamboyance Point]

[Steel Yourself!]

[Meter’s Running: 9/10]

I took a deep breath of cool, crisp air, screaming in my head as my deflated lungs filled painfully. I still had hope! More than that, I had nine of the most powerful powers I’d ever used to destroy these bots, get back on the ship, and reunite with Bee.

She had to be worried sick.

The two Magical Girl robots were surging toward me, picking up speed, but I had whole seconds to think through my battle plan. Every power had just reset and been maxed out. If Rocko was watching, I was about to give them some fireworks. And then I was getting back on that ship and kicking their ass!

I activated [Solar Wing].

[Meter’s Running: 8/10]

As my spinning stopped and I slowed down mid-space, I took a second to figure out the two robo-girls’ movesets. They’d already used big, sweeping beams, so I had them pegged for something like a Stella-Lunar clone, with [Stellar Rays] and [Starlances]. That meant the most dangerous part of the fight would be closing the gap.

Luckily, I could do that quickly. Without any friction, [Solar Wing] was pushing me toward them faster than I’d ever been. The pink and blue contrails didn’t fade, either—they hung there behind me, painting speed lines in space. A beam of pure white energy sprang across the void. I ducked reflexively, even though it was already past and on its way to Pluto or something.

At least we’d be giving a good show.

Then I returned fire, screeching to a stop a few dozen yards from the first robo-girl. I used [Power-Weaving]—none of the other bots had thought to [Combo-Break], so I figured Rocko hadn’t programmed that in yet. Then I whipped a single [Maximum Starlance] toward the first robo-girl as she tried to evade.

But in space, no one could hear her thrusters scream. And the [Maximum Starlance] bore down way too fast to dodge. It punched a hole in her chest, and for half a second, I saw flames. Then, just as quickly, they died down. Her metallic familiar landed on her shoulder and started repairing the damage.

[Dramatic Damage!]

[Meter’s Running: 7/10]

That was fine, though. I unloaded a [Thunderhead] into space over our heads. But that’s not what came out. Instead, a whirling miasma of darkness filled the sky, sucking light into it as it swelled. The bright halo around it left no doubt in my mind that I’d copied a Stella-Lunar move on accident—especially when it ate one of the robo-girls’ beams, warping it into a spiral before consuming it.

[Pause for Effect!]

[Meter’s Running: 6/10]

Then, as the first robo-girl’s familiar finished her repairs, I rocketed at the second one, leaping toward her and using [Doom Ball]. I didn’t expect big results. But I got them. The bot’s casing parted as my claws punched into her chest and ripped through wires and tubes inside.

[Badass Damage!]

[Meter’s Running: 5/10]

Both girls were still up, though, and before I could finish my [Power-Weaving] combo, they lined up their staves with the moon between their circular ornaments. They both shouted the same word into the silent void, though I couldn’t hear it.

A moment later, a silent ray of moonlight a dozen feet across engulfed me.

[HP 2/15]

[Tough Kitty!]

The light burned. I could barely see, and only [Fursona Furcefield’s] passive defense kept me up and running. But when I flew out the other side, Both robo-girls were lined up perfectly for a [Limelight Barrage]. I waved my wand, and the volley of [Maximum Starlances] bore down on the bots.

[Dramatic Damage!]

[Power-Weaving!]

[Meter’s Running: 4/10]

Every shot hit something, but when the flaring light and bursts of flame cleared, one bot sported two holes in its torso, while the other’s staff arm had been blown off by a single shot. They glanced around, almost as if looking for their familiars.

I grinned a sharklike grin. Their familiars had both vaporized. I’d targeted them first.

So, three moves. Could I finish off both robo-girls in three moves, then get inside the ship in one? The airlock’s door had finally finished its long, grinding opening, and now it was starting to cycle closed. One robo-girl was all but out of the fight, and the other had taken critical damage that her familiar had only half-repaired.

But they both still had some tricks up their sleeves. The one-armed one rocketed toward me, grabbing me by the arm and hurling me away from the airlock. At the same moment, another beam cut through the air. This time, it only clipped me, but it was still a hit, and I couldn’t take more of them.

[HP 1/15]

I grappled with the one-armed robo-girl, trying to get her off me. Then, suddenly, I realized that wasn’t the solution. Instead, I pulled her in close, then started charging a [Wallshocker].

She realized what was happening almost immediately, and started fighting like crazy to get away, but with only one arm, she couldn’t escape. She just didn’t have the leverage, and I didn’t have to charge for long.

[Devastating Demolition!]

[Meter’s Running: 3/10]

Two powers, plus one to get inside. That’d be enough—more than enough. I already had it all planned out. As the first robo-girl disintegrated into a cloud of scrap behind me, I turned in mid-air. [Solar Wing] was gone; the grappling had taken care of that. But I only needed two powers.

The robo-girl charged up another beam, but I [Blitzed] through space, ramming into her before even her digital reflexes could react.

[Badass Damage!]

[Meter’s Running: 2/10]

The beam fired off a moment later, slicing into the rapidly-closing airlock door. I had to finish this now. If the robo-girl got away, she’d keep me from getting inside to my friends. And to Bee.

And I couldn’t rely on [Wallshocker]. This close, and with both arms, she’d get away. So instead, I used [Shock and Awww]. The shockwave wasn’t anywhere near as big. The bot didn’t disintegrate this time. But as her eyes stopped glowing, I could feel stuff rattling inside her metal frame.

[Dramatic Damage!]

[Meter’s Running: 1/10]

The door was almost half-closed. I kicked off from the broken, shattered wreckage of Rocko’s robotic superhero, propelling myself toward it.

Then, just before the metal touched, I used [Blitz].

I popped into the wide room. Air was already venting into it, filling it up even as I slow-transformed back into Understudy. The Ilneat’s digital voice filled the air, letting me know that the airlock would be fully cycled in three minutes.

And, at the same time, the second act ended.

[End of Act Two: Act Three in Three Minutes]